Along Comes Twilight

Chapters

Chapter 2 - A Morning Visit
Chapter 3 - A Meeting In and Out the Mind
Chapter 4 - Early Morning
Chapter 5 - Awake at Last, Bad News
Chapter 6 - Two Powers Meet
Chapter 7 - Checking In, Checking Out
Chapter 8 - Such a Lonely Day
Chapter 9 - Enter Blueblood the Non-Menace
Chapter 10 - The Test
Chapter 11 - The Surge
Chapter 1 - Enter the Twilight

Chapter 2 - A Morning Visit

The pale moonlight streamed through thin curtains, the shimmering light faintly illuminating the dark room. On the bed Celestia lay on her side, the light playing across her pale pink mane as she lay on the edge of consciousness. Memories of the distant and recent past plagued her mind, causing sleep to elude her. Giving up on the thought of rest, she rolled out of bed and made her way to the washroom. With how early the hour was, Celestia had ample time to forego her usual gauntlet of cleansing spells in favor of the real thing.

Turning on the hot water, the steam began to turn the large room into a sauna as her thoughts meandered around her head. Along one side of the wall products from all over the country were arranged by their purpose, while the opposite side held a large mural. Gems embedded in the wall came together to form the image of two ponies embraced in a hug, their manes and tails freely flowing in the wind. She ran a hoof across the surface where the face of the darker pony was at, letting her hoof linger on the surface. To either side of the sisters in an embrace laid various other ponies, some newer than others.

Celestia dropped her hoof from the wall, ignoring the fact that the basin was now draining into the overflow as she let her thoughts drift to every pony detailed on her wall. Each one was dear to her at one point or another, and only after their passing did she herself add them; a way of forever immortalizing them.

"Luna. It seems that although I've been watching over our little ponies in your absence, I've lost something along the way." Her eyes drifted towards the pony depicted immediately to her sister's left side. "Starswirl was the first friend and lover I lost after your imprisonment. This time though, there was no shoulder to cry on, nopony else who truly understood where I was coming from after his passing. His death left such a void within me, and there was no way to heal it this time." Celestia walked along the wall, taking in each carefully crafted image as she walked by them.

"I still don't know if you can hear me from up there. Are you awake, aware of every moment that passes? Or are you asleep, a thousand years simply a blink of an eye to you? For awhile, talking to your moon about their losses helped some, but they weren't enough." Tears fell from her eyes even as the steam began to mat her fur.

"After Moonbright, I swore to myself I was done. Every loss left despair behind, and Equestria could ill afford a monarch who spent more time in a cemetery mourning than running the affairs of the country. I swore I would just make sure our ponies were kept safe and prospered so that you would have something wonderful to return to." Celestia backed away from the wall, daintily stepping into the hot water as she turned the knobs to their off positions.

Quickly dunking her head under the surface, she blinked the water from her eyes as it mingled with her tears. "Have I really become so distant though? I hadn't even noticed it, but my thoughts last night made it very obvious. It's been over six hundred years since Moonbright, the last mare I took to my bed. Three hundred and twenty-seven since I last called a pony friend, somepony to confide in. And the last time I took a student... it's been well over a century."

Picking a random shampoo from the wall, it floated over surrounded in her golden glow. A small amount came out and she began lathering her mane, the bottle finding its place back on the wall as she continued brooding. Even with Cadance, I've been distant. Another alicorn, and I haven't even given her a chance to get to know who I am underneath the facade I put on for my ponies... Maybe it's time to start bridge that void. Unceremoniously dunking her head beneath the surface once more, Celestia sat on the bottom of the bath, holding her breath.

And now, this little filly, Twilight Sparkle. She has just as much potential as Cadance, and is also orphaned. I need to keep her close, and making her a Ward of the Crown is the best way to do so, but... it has to be for the right reasons. I've known for a long time now that I cannot replace those who I've lost, but perhaps it's time to allow myself to make new memories...

Celestia resurfaced, exhaling the last of the stale air as she took in a fresh breath. A feeling in the back of her mind alerted her that the sun was soon due to rise, and so she made haste in finishing her bath.

The last of her cleaning finished, Celestia relished the fading warmth of the water one last time before pulling the plug with her magic as she quickly dried off. Walking back to her main bedroom, she put each of her vestments on and reactivated the magic that gave her mane its ethereal quality before going to the balcony. The moon laid low in the morning sky, the image of the ‘Mare in the Moon’ staring back at her.

As she heralded in the new day with the sinking of the moon below the horizon, she swore that the image moved to look directly at her, as it often seemed to do. The last of the moon dropped from sight as the sun’s ray pierced the light fog that hung over the valley at the base of the mountain. With a small sigh, Celestia turned from the balcony, her eyes lingering a moment longer on the sun as she began another day.

Before she could open up the door, a solid knock emanated from it, a voice speaking at the same time. “Princess Celestia, do you have a moment?”

Celestia opened the door, revealing Captain Shield who was already adorned in his full uniform. “I was just on my way to breakfast, Captain. What do you have for me?”

Shield moved out of the way, falling in behind Celestia as she began navigating the corridors towards her private sitting room. “We’ve prepared a full brief on the Highmount situation for immediately after the lunch hour. The Third Company has been mobilized and is ready to move out at your word; the estimated time to be prepared for action comes to approximately twenty-two hours.”

"Thank you, Captain. I hope it only comes to a show of force at the worst, but it never hurts to be prepared. I believe I have how I want to handle this in mind, but that can wait for this afternoon." Celestia quietly sighed, thinking about her solution. I knew that when the son took over Highmount, he'd be a problem. I'd rather the whole aerie burn, but it's best not to let anger cloud my judgement... I just hope it works out for the best. "Anything else, Captain?"

Captain Shield quietly hummed to himself, a sign that he was thinking. "Just one more thing, Princess. We received post from the aeries surrounding Highmount as well as a few others further out. They all offered their support in any decision that we come to. It seems that their king even managed to destroy all of the relations that his father had established with his own kind."

"That's good to know." Celestia stopped in front of a single door, grasping its handle in her magic. "Dismissed for now, Captain. I'll see you at the meeting."

The Captain walked away as Celestia entered the small room. Four cushions surrounded a small table in the center of the room, the only other furnishings small decorations and tapestries lining the walls.

"Good morning, Aunt." A quiet voice called out, greeting Celestia as she closed the door. The speaker stood up and gave a small bow, her pink coat and multi-hued mane standing out just as much as her wings and horn.

"Good morning as well, Cadance." She quietly greeted her adoptive niece, taking a seat at the head of the small table. Already present on the surface was a veritable feast of breakfast food. Grasping a muffin and pouring some tea, she let out a pleased sigh.

Cadance returned her attention back to her mostly eaten pancakes, an awkward silence filling the air like most mornings. "Any plans today, Aunt?"

"A few, Cadance. I'm sure you've heard about the situation with Highmount?" A quick nod from the smaller alicorn prompted her to continue. "Well, I have a meeting this afternoon to discuss how to handle our response." She paused a moment, a thought coming to the forefront of her mind. "Cadance, what do you think of foal sitting?"

Cadance's eyes widened in shock as she coughed in an attempt to dislodge the piece of pancake stuck in her throat. "Why do you ask that? I mean, I think I'm pretty good with foals from the few visits you've had me make to some of the classes and orphanages, but..."

"There's a filly in the hospital right now who survived the attack from Highmount, but she was left orphaned. I'm thinking of making her a Ward of the Crown, it just seems... wrong to put her into an orphanage after what she lived through." Celestia hesitated, unsure if she wanted to reveal her true motive. "She also has a lot of potential, and I think having you around would be a good thing for her."

Cadance's breakfast was ignored as she listened, shock running through her. "I suppose I could..." She stuttered, not really sure what else to say.

"That's good to know." Celestia smiled, taking a small sip of her tea before asking Cadance another question. "Any plans for yourself today?"

Cadance collected herself, standing up and setting down her now empty glass. "None in particular, Aunt. I'll see you later?" She asked, moving for the door.

Celestia nodded once, a smile once more on her face. "Very well. Have a good day, Cadance." A nod was the only reply she received moments before the door opened and closed, leaving Celestia to her tea, muffins, and the newfound silence in the room.

With a sigh, the last piece of parchment joined others in an ever-growing stack as Celestia sifted through the mortal enemy simply known as paperwork. A quick glance at the clock showed that it was only ten thirty in the morning, and she thought on what to do to pass the time until lunch.

Climbing to her hooves, she left her study behind and walked towards where she had found herself the afternoon prior. With purpose in her strides, she found herself outside the hospital in just a fraction of the time it took yesterday.

As she entered the lobby, an attendant greeted her. "Good morning, Princess! What brings you here today?"

Walking towards the hall housing the patient's rooms, Celestia replied without breaking stride. "I'm here to pay a quick visit to the young filly being treated here. No need to show me the way, I know which room she's in." She walked through the double doors, cutting off the attendant's reply.

The smell of antiseptic lingered in the air; not even the castle's hospital was free from that dreadful smell. The hallway was empty, the quiet clicking of Celestia's shoes the only sound greeting her ears. As she drew closer to the room, she noticed the door was open and heard voices from within. Pausing, she listened.

"Tell it to me straight, Doc. How is Twily gonna be?" A mature male voice called out.

Celestia heard the sound of a clipboard being messed with before the next speaker started. "Truthfully, the worst is behind us. Her horn was severely damaged; its tip was broken. However, after much work we were able to do the best we could and it shouldn't give any problems in her future. Sadly, it may never grow out to its full size, but we're giving her supplements to encourage its growth."

"And the cuts? That's a lot of bandages on her sides."

"Mostly superficial, a few of them were deep and required stitches. Your sister may have a few scars where fur doesn't regrow, but overall she'll be fine. I'm truthfully more concerned about her mental well-being."

Celestia walked the last bit to the door, clearing her throat and quietly knocking on the open door. "I'm not interrupting anything, am I?"

"Aunt! What are you doing here?!" Cadance called out as both herself and Celestia looked at each other in shock.

"I was merely coming to check up on Twilight, Cadance." Celestia took note of the young stallion standing next to her who had yet to recover from her entrance into the room and addressed him. "I take it you are the brother of Twilight, then?"

While Shining opened and closed his mouth without a response, Cadance gently put a hoof on his shoulder. "Shiny, don't worry. She won't bite or anything, I promise!" His face turned a shade of red as she giggled at his expense. Celestia simply looked on, an eyebrow raised at the interaction before her.

After composing himself, words finally came forth. "I'm Shining Armor, Princess. And yes, I'm Twilight's brother." He was nearly shaking, nervousness clearly visible.

"You can relax, Shining Armor. As my niece stated, I will not harm you." She noticed as the doctor quietly slipped from the room, leaving the three of them alone as he quietly shut the door behind him. "Although it's rather interesting to run into you here, Cadance. A rather large coincidence, no?"

Cadance blushed a bit as her eyes roamed to the stallion who was looking at his sister once more. "Well... remember that colt I told you about who got his cutie mark when he protected me from some falling glass?"

Celestia paused, letting her mind sift through the many conversations that she had held with Cadance over the years. It settled on one particular memory from a few years ago, when Cadance had been out shopping. "Yes, I recall that. Something about a pegasus dropping a shipment of glass shards on its way to be recycled?"

Cadance shook her head as Shining continued to tune them out, his focus solely on Twilight as his hoof delicately stroked her mane. "Yes, that's it. Shiny was nearby and threw up a barrier around me and the other ponies who were caught up in it. Ever since then, we've been really good friends."

Celestia caught the stress Cadance tried putting into the word friends and wasn't fooled in the least by it. "I see. We should talk about this later at lunch. The three of us, your friend is also more than welcome to come along." She took her focus from a flabbergasted Cadance and looked at Twilight as she addressed Shining. "How is she doing?"

Shining didn't move his attention from Twilight as he replied, all nervousness forgotten. "The doc said she'd be awake soon, maybe a day or two longer at the most. She should be fine physically, but it sounds like she saw both of our parents get killed..." He clenched up a few moments and took a deep breath, calming himself. "I'm not sure what's going to happen though, our parents were our only family."

Celestia awkwardly placed a hoof on his shoulder in reassurance, causing him to jump slightly as his gaze turned and met her cerise eyes. "Don't worry, I'd actually like to talk to you about that. I have something in mind... Would you like to join Cadance and I for lunch?"

Celestia removed her hoof and walked to the door, noting that Cadance still looked dazed. "Cadance, Shining Armor. Would you two join me?" Noting his hesitance, she spoke reassuringly to him. "Don't worry, we have the best professionals here that'll be keeping an eye on your sister. After lunch, you'll be free to come right back here."

Shining hesitantly left Twilight's side, poking Cadance as he nervously walked towards the door. Shaking her head, she followed him out as well, both of them looking into the room one last time before closing the door.

"So, Shining Armor. Tell me, what do you plan to do when you're older..."

Author's Note

Hopefully this helps to clear up any lingering confusion with Celestia's distancing. It was meant to be on a personal level only, never had any intentions of her seeing ponies as toys, possessions, etc. I'll be taking another look through Chapter 1 soon as well, just in case. If you have any questions, comments or critique, please feel free to drop a comment or PM me about it.

Hope you all have enjoyed this chapter. Next one should wrap up anything dealing with Highmount (Afterall, gryphons aren't the focus here, Twilight and Celestia are). Those of you hoping to see her rain fire down on them, or something equally destructive, sorry to disappoint.

Cheers!

Chapter 3 - A Meeting In and Out the Mind

"This emergency council is called to session. Presiding is Princess Celestia, Sol Invictus, leader of Equestria. Visiting diplomats include Steel Talon of the Swiftwind Aerie, Eagle Eye of the Farseele..." Celestia listened as the speaker droned on, announcing everyone present for the meeting. In the corner of the room a scribe sat with a quill contained in his magic furiously scribbling away. She split her focus, keeping one half on the opening proceedings while the rest turned inwards to her thoughts. Even before being forced to banish Luna, Celestia had mastered the ability to divide her attention in such a manner that let her hear everything in the environment while still going deep into thought.

Celestia thought back to the lunch she had somewhat forced Shining Armor to attend. Although nervous at first, he had opened up after a bit of plying on Celestia's end and some prodding from Cadance.

"So, Shining Armor. Tell me, what do you plan to do when you're older?" Celestia asked the nervous young stallion before they had even left the hospital.

After much stammering and reassurance from Cadance, Shining had finally replied to her. "I w-want to be a Royal Guard." Celestia looked him over critically without changing her expression from the warm smile she was showing.

"Oh? Could you tell me why you want to be one of my guards? From what I understand, most young stallions aspire towards other activities first." She was genuinely curious, as well as enjoying the rather awkward yet refreshing conversation. It had been far too long since she'd simply talked with somepony.

"W-well," Shining began, slowly building up confidence, "my uncle was a guard in Manehatten. He was kinda my role model, big, strong, really cool and all that. He saved a lot of ponies, even though he ultimately died because of it..." he trailed off, thinking about his family. "I also wanted to join so I could be here and protect my family..."

"I now yield the floor to Captain Shield."

"Thank you, Mono Tone. The first thing I'd like to cover is the initial incident which forced us to call this meeting into session..."

Cadance locked her hoof with Shining's as they entered into one of the corridors of the castle, gently nuzzling his side and pointedly ignoring the few ponies who gaped at her actions. Celestia felt a mix of warmth and pain as those actions brought forth memories of her own. "Shining Armor, I'm truly sorry about the loss of your parents. You have no other family besides your sister now, from what I understand?"

"No, Princess. My uncle was the last family outside of my parents and Twily, and he passed away two years ago... It's just me and Twily, now." He said dejectedly, hanging his head slightly as he allowed Cadance to guide his steps.

Celestia stopped in front of a door, the guard posted outside her private dining room opening the door for her. The trio walked into the room, where a small table held a pitcher of water on the center of it. A pony greeted them and asked them their preference for lunch.

"Now, the intelligence reports on Highmount Aerie from one week ago showed a force of..."

After their orders had been placed, Celestia noted that Shining Armor was still in a poor mood, and decided that now was as good a time as any to broach the subject she wished to enquire about. "I must ask. How old are you and Twilight?"

Shining looked puzzled for a moment, buying himself a moment with a sip of water. "Twilight is five, Princess, and I'm fifteen." He paused a moment, then asked a question of his own. "Why do you want to know our ages?"

Celestia took a quick sip of her tea, doing her best to keep him calm as she smiled at him. "With you and Twilight having no immediate family, typically the situation would warrant putting you both under the care of an orphanage, pending any extraneous circumstances." Celestia noticed the panicked look in his eye and quickly launched into the next part of her statement. "However, I have something I would like to do, although both you and Twilight would have to agree to it."

Shining calmed down, and a look of understanding came into Cadance's eyes as she looked between them both. "What... can you do?" He quietly asked Celestia, doing his best to keep from shaking.

"Latest intelligence reports show that nearly every gryphon in Highmount has fled after their king's actions came to light. The total occupancy is estimated to be at two dozen, and that is the high end number. Resistance can be considered as next to nothing, especially if we bring overbearing force down on top of them..."

"Let me first ask you this, as it is quite possibly a thought within your mind right now. Would you adopt her yourself and look after her, if you could? From what little information I've gleamed, your parents have a residence here in Canterlot, and the compensation from the Crown and their wealth combined would allow you to focus on raising Twilight."

Shining's eyes brightened at the realization of what Celestia had just mentioned. "I could look after Twily myself?" He asked, almost not believing it. A simple nod from Celestia was all the confirmation he needed, and he widely smiled and let out a whoop of joy before turning a small shade of pink as he remembered who he was talking to. A few moments later, however, his smile turned back into a frown. "But, I could still join the guard, right?"

Cadance, who had been versed in many things related to Equestrian society due to her status as an alicorn, was the one to speak this time. "Shiny... You'd probably have to give up that dream, at least until your sister was much older and could care for yourself. You really couldn't hire a foal-sitter, either. The fastest anypony has completed the training required for the Royal Guard has been," Cadance hesitantly looked towards Celestia before continuing in a questioning tone, "right over two months. You'd be gone for the whole time, too."

Celestia nodded to Cadance, a small smile gesturing that she was indeed correct. "What Cadance has said is true, young stallion. If you truly desire to raise Twilight, it is possible. However, it would be your job as she would come first and foremost. Even," Celestia between Cadance and Shining, raising an eyebrow somewhat suggestively, "certain activities would have to come second to Twilight."

Shining's face fell even further, dismay the only visible emotion. "But, the guard... it's what I've wanted to do even before my I got my cutie mark..."

"And so, with such a depleted... garrison, if the word is even applicable to a group composed of mostly elderly and ill gryphons, I foresee that, no matter the decision, we will have an easy time with the execution of whatever final plan we move forward with. The only casualties I foresee are the one or two greenhorns who manage to foolishly sprain a hoof or injure themselves doing some inane activity." Shield concluded his speech, focusing his attention to Celestia.

"Princess, I yield the floor and the final proposition to you."

Celestia paused her thoughts on the lunch and quickly sifted through all of the words that had been exchanged at this meeting. "Everypony and everyone, thank you for the information. I have a solution that I believe will work best. The loss of any life is a tragedy, and some might believe that bloodshed calls for bloodshed.

"Ambassador Steel Talon, I believe that in the past three years, you have been wronged the most of the aeries surrounding the Highmount lands. Ambassador Eagle Eye, you yourself have suffered injustices at the claws of the king there as well. Both of your Aeries border Highmount, and so my suggestion is as follows.

"The Third Company will move on Highmount and demand a full surrender upon their arrival. However, Equestria has no use for the land that best serves gryphons. As such, The Swiftwind and Farseele Aeries will take joint custody of King Highmount and equally divide his lands amongst themselves. Together, with an official of Equestria present, your aeries will pass down judgement upon his head. I am assured that it will fit the bill of his collected crimes against Equestria and your aeries. Also, I would ask that in return for Equestria taking no claim over the land, negotiations will be had at a later date to exchange goods and services equivalent to fifteen percent of the yield these new lands provide." Celestia wrapped up her speech and looked towards the two gryphons as they turned towards each other and spoke in hushed whispers.

"Princess Celestia," Eagle Eye began, his voiced filled with humility, "as always, you prove once more that your judgement is both sound and wise. As the representative of the Farseele Aerie, I find your plan most agreeable."

"And I speak for the Swiftwind Aerie when I say that, even without the land, we would have agreed. The chance to put the 'King,'" Steel mockingly said, anger seeping in his tone, "of Highmount before a tribunal at last is more than worth anything you might ask."

"Then, let it be noted," Mono Tone spoke once more, bringing the proceedings to an end, "that this decision has been solved, and it's recourse. A transcript of this meeting will be made available to all affected parties within three days. Everyone, this emergency council is now closed." A shuffling of hooves and claws signaled the beginning departure of the many attendees as Shield walked to where Celestia still sat.

"Princess, on your order they'll be ready to move out." Shield quietly spoke as Celestia rose from her seat. "Although, I might question your decision to have him jointly tried by the gryphons rather than here in Equestria. Surely he'll be sentenced to death, no?" They both exited the council chambers, warm sunlight filtered through stained glass windows striking their eyes.

Celestia sighed, turning her head slightly to bring Shield fully into view. "That was indeed the point of it, Captain. We have not had death as a penalty for nearly one thousand years, and he deserves such. It is also a much better alternative than me misusing my power to make him pay. Although I would be more than justified in dropping a small piece of the sun on the land, the fallout from me using my strength in such a fashion would be a political nightmare at best." Celestia let her mind's attention split once more as she began the trek to her study, the captain in tow.

"So, you see, that's why I'd like to make you both Wards of the Crown. With you housed at Solid Spear's Academy, there won't be much more beyond some paperwork and the occasional visit from your acting legal guardian. This way, you can still join the Royal Guard, and Twilight will be raised here. Plus, Cadance is great around children, so often times she'll be the one looking after your sister." Celestia finished, noting a look between dismay and excitement on Cadance's face.

Cadance nudged Shining's side, moving her head close to his ear and whispering at such a low volume Celestia was unable to hear them from across the table. She stopped talking, and after a few moments he nodded his head.

"Princess, thank you... I'm sure once Twily wakes up, she'll be thrilled to meet Cadance. We've just started seeing each other, and hadn't even told anypony yet. It's nice to know that she'll be able to look after my sister when I can't be there." Shining slowly replied, sinking into his cushion.

"You and your sister deserve the best Equestria can offer after what happened to your parents, Shining Armor." Celestia paused, looking at Cadance. "Now, you mentioned you've been keeping your newfound relationship with my niece a secret. We need to talk about that..."

Shield quietly pondered on her words as they drew closer to her private study. "I see. That does make sense, and this method has us achieving further rapport with some of the more influential aeries."

Celestia paused before the door, having arrived at her destination. "Exactly." She passed the threshold into the study and turned to face him. "The Third Company is authorized to proceed tomorrow morning, Captain. Now, I must attend to yet more paperwork." Shield was left alone in the corridor as the door closed.

Author's Note

Welp, here's part three. Hopefully what I was aiming for I managed to accomplish - that is, keeping the main focus away from the gryphons. This should make for a nice resolution, as the end result is now thoroughly inferred. Some more clarifications with Shining Armor, Cadance, Celestia and Twilight as well. By the way, added the Cadance and Shining Armor character tags.

As always, I encourage any/all constructive criticism. Anytime something gets pointed out that folks feel need to be addressed, it is easy enough to wrap it up as part of a chapter. I'd rather plug any holes you all might find. Also applies to any errors that might've slipped through. I hope that you enjoy, and till next time, Cheers!

Chapter 4 - Early Morning

A nurse walked through the quiet corridor of the castle hospital, the only sounds outside of her hoofsteps those of the night as she went through her rounds. The pale moonlight shone through the few skylights set in the ceiling, further illuminating the dimly lit hall. One by one, she went and checked on the rooms and ensured nothing was out of place.

As she came to the last room to be checked for the night, a faint snore reached her ears. Slowly opening the door, the sight that greeted her caused a smile to leap unbidden to her face. On the patient's bed lay the small filly that was the sole survivor of what the papers had coined the Highmount Massacre. Although her body was still heavily bandaged, seeing the young stallion next to the bed that, even in sleep, held one of her forehooves with his was a heartwarming thing to see.

She spared a moment or two to examine the rest of the room, noting that nothing was out of place. Her gaze went back to lingering on the brother and sister. Twilight shifted in her sleep, her other forehoof moving to hold onto Shining's. The nurse quietly backed out of the room and closed the door, forever burning that image within the room into her mind as she finished her rounds.

Shining blearily blinked the crud out of his eyes and stretched the kinks out of his neck. He was fighting off the lingering sleepiness, and was in the midst of fighting to remove his hoof from between Twilight's, as she refused to let go even in sleep. He couldn't help but smile at the thought of being a comfort to her, even if she wasn't aware of it, but his stomach had other plans as it let out a rebellious growl.

Finally freeing his hoof from Twilight's grasp, he carefully stepped down from the chair, feeling stiff all over from his choice of bedding. Shining had managed to convince the nurse to let him stay the night, and if he had his way he'd be next to Twilight until she was discharged. He cast one more glance at her before leaving the room, leaving the door cracked.

Shaking off the last of the morning daze, Shining navigated his way to the small dining area in the hospital. The attendant wearily smiled and waved, then went to work quickly putting together a tray of food. Shining took a seat and waited for the food to be prepared, letting his mind wander.

Although he was still unsure about the future with the death of his parents, Celestia had gone a long way in easing the fears he held. After the lunch, he and Cadance had gone back to Twilight's room and spent the remainder of the day just talking. The clattering of the tray being set down brought his focus to it just in time to see the film of magic disappearing from it.

Shining wasted no time in eating, going at a speed that would have made even the quickest recruit at basic envious. Bringing his tray back to the counter, he thanked the unicorn for the food, even though it was the standard hospital-quality fair. Arriving back at Twilight's room, he opened the door and saw her in the bed, still asleep.

Retaking his position in the now cold chair, he held her hoof once more and thought on the day before.

A very nervous Shining Armor opened the door for Cadance, the lunch with Celestia still fresh on his mind. She had, luckily, approved of their new relation, although they couldn't let it be known to anypony outside of immediate family. That basically meant only Twilight and Blueblood could be told. Shining shivered at the thought of the colt; according to Cadance he was already quite the terror, and was the same age as his precious Twilight.

"Shiny, calm down, please? I'll admit that was... odd, to say the least. But, she approves of us and we won't have to tiptoe around. On top of it, you and Twilight will be fine, even with..." Cadance trailed off as she left the obvious unsaid, wrapping a wing around him after moving to his side.

"I know, Cady, but I just can't help it..." He leaned into her, hesitantly nuzzling her neck. "I mean, I can still go and be a guard, and you'll be here for Twily when I can't be, but... it almost seems too good to be true, honestly." He shrugged his shoulders as he looked at Twilight lovingly.

"I think I understand what you mean, but still. I mean, it's a bit odd for Auntie to take such an interest in anypony like this, it's pretty obvious why she took in me and Bluey when our parents passed away last year, with the whole..." she trailed off, simply motioning a hoof at her horn and then wings. "I mean, it's been nice and all, living in the castle, but until recently every waking moment seemed to be an etiquette class, history of Equestria, or something else a princess should know." she paused a moment, a slightly annoyed look crossing her face. "It's almost like she's been grooming me for something."

Shining scratched under his horn with a hoof, thinking on what Cadance had just said. "So, she was... using you or something?" he asked, indecision in his tone.

Cadance hummed as she thought how to best phrase her reply. "Not quite using, I'd say. Auntie is nice enough, although she's always been a bit... distant? She does care about us, but it's always seemed like there's been a wall between us. Does that make sense?"

"I think so?" Shining thought a moment before shaking his head, clearing his mind. "I suppose I really shouldn't look too much into it. Twilight will have ponies looking out for her when I'm not here. I know Princess Celestia said that school and the training would take at least four years, but... I'm going to do it as quickly as I can so that I can keep Twily safe." He carefully shrugged himself from underneath Cadance's wing and walked to Twilight's bedside, resting his forehooves on the mattress.

Cadance walked up and kissed him on the cheek. "Don't worry, Shiny. I'll do my best to look out for her. She'll be safe, I promise."

Shining couldn't help but chuckle, dropping his hooves back to the ground and hugging Cadance. "You can try to keep her safe, Cady. She just loves finding her way into all sorts of trouble. I don't think it's something she'll outgrow either." He laughed quietly, being mindful of Twilight. "But, if things get too hectic, you can always just pull out a book. It's really the only way to keep her from causing chaos at times."

They met each other's eyes, staring into the vivid pools of color. Slowly, their muzzles inched closer together, their lips mere inches apart from one another. Then, –

"Shiny? That you?" A hoarse voice called out, followed by even hoarser coughing. Shining raised his head, eyes nearly bulging from their sockets.

"Twily!"

Author's Note

Just a short filler / segue chapter with a pinch of information in it. I apologize for the shortness of it, however it kinda beat me in the head last night to write this. Now though, Twilight is awake, and we get to see the last important character finally conscious. Plus, for those wondering "How the hell did Twilight even end up in such a hazardous/volatile situation?!" the answer is forthcoming. As always, feel free to dole out any constructive criticism you have, I love it all!

I want to preemptively give my thanks to everyone as well! Your support and viewership is awesome, and this story is basically right at 600 upvotes and 1,000 Favorites! Absolutely phenomenal, and I appreciate it all!

Chapter 5 - Awake at Last, Bad News

"Twily!" Shining called out in joy, his eyes opening as wide as they could. Another cough reached his ears and he began frantically searching around the room. "Don't try to talk just yet, you've been out of it for a few days." His eyes settled on a pitcher of water and some cups laying on a nearby tray and quickly filled one up.

Holding the cup to Twilight's mouth, she greedily drank it all; the cool water soothing her sore throat. Now empty, Shining pulled the cup back and set it back down to the pitcher and refocused his attention on Twilight.

She looked around her surroundings, confusion evident in her eyes. After a few sweeps of the room, she settled back on Shining and spoke, her voice scratchy and timid. "Shiny, did I have another magic surge?" She began to examine herself, noting the copious amounts of bandages all over her and moved her hooves to her forehead, feeling her horn.

"Twily, wait right here, I'm going to go get the doctor, okay?" Shining did his best to keep his shock from showing as he removed his hooves from the bedside and left the room. The moment the door shut, he took off for the reception area. Does Twily not remember what happened?! A stallion exited from a room a few doors down, and Shining skidded to a halt, stopping mere inches from collision.

"Whoa there, young stallion. You're the brother of... Twilight, was it? What's the rush?" The doctor asked as he began to quickly walk towards her room, fearing the worst.

Shining caught a glimpse of the stallion's name on the coat he wore and began to speak in a rush. "Doctor Stable, Twilight just woke up," at this the doctor slowed his pace, "but she thinks she had another magic surge!"

"Amnesia, huh?" Stable muttered to himself, stopping in front of Twilight's closed door. "I need you to calm down, son. If your sister really doesn't recall what happened, she doesn't need to see you panicking. Now, unless you're going to relax, I'm going to have to ask you to stay out here or go to the lobby and wait." Stable waited a few moments for his words to sink in. "Now, are you going to calm down?" Shining took a deep breath, slowly nodding his head. "Good. Let's see how your sister is doing then."

Stable opened the door and entered, Shining trailing behind him. In the few minutes left alone, Twilight had located the controls for the bed and was now sitting up. When she saw them, she waved one bandaged-covered hoof and Stable let out a chuckle.

Shining took a seat in the corner of the room as Stable walked up the the bedside, claiming the chair there. "Hello, Twilight. I'm Doctor Stable, and I'm very glad to see that you're awake. You gave us quite the scare, can you tell me how you're feeling?"

"I'm a bit sore and I feel kinda dizzy. Did I have another magic surge? Shiny ran out before answering me." Twilight replied, tracing circles on the bed with her hoof.

"That's good, it means the medicine is dulling the majority of your pain then. The dizziness is either from just waking up or a side effect, little one." The doctor put on his most disarming smile as he began to jot notes down on a form with a quill; both objects grasped by his magic. "Now, another magic surge? Do you have them often?"

Twilight shook her head back and forth. "Not anymore. Mommy and Daddy told me I had them all the time as a filly though." she paused, an odd look entering her eyes. "Where are Mommy and Daddy? All the other times I surged, they were there when I woke up." Her voice began to race near the end, confusion set in her tone.

Shining went to get up, but Stable glared at him for a moment, causing him to stop moving. "Twilight, can you tell me what you last remember, first?" The doctor's tone was very friendly, and Twilight raised a hoof to her chin and scrunched her eyes.

"Well... Shiny left for a camp in the morning. He finally got accepted into a summer guard prep one that he wouldn't stop talking about." Twilight hummed a bit, working on connecting events together. "Then Mommy and Daddy got a visitor, something about... oh, a visit to some gryphons!" her eyes lit up as she continued on, "They're really cool, their culture is so much different from Equestria's! I also got to play with this chick one time I went with my parents, her name was Gilda..." Twilight trailed off, her face flushing red with embarrassment as Stable and Shining both laughed a little.

"I'm so sorry, Twilight, I didn't mean to interrupt you," Stable began, adjusting his glasses, "please continued with what you remember."

"Well, after that, Mommy and Daddy mentioned something about finding a foal-sitter since Shiny was off at camp, but nopony they knew was home, so... I made them take me!" Twilight said triumphantly, pumping a hoof up and down in the air, earning yet more chuckles from the two stallions. "After that, though, I don't really remember..."

Stable finished jotting down some more notes on his paper, letting out an inaudible sigh. "So, where's Mommy and Daddy? Did they go to the gryphons without me?" Shining got up and went to the bedside; this time Stable didn't stop him.

I really hate this part of my job... Stable thought to himself before clearing his throat. "Yes, Twilight, they went on to the Highmount Aerie to handle diplomatic things. You know what diplomats do, right?"

Twilight recited the definition as if she were reading from a book. "A diplomat is an envoy of one group to another who tries to improve relations between both groups."

"Very good, you seem to be a very smart pony, Twilight." Stable spoke, admiration shining through his tone for a moment. "However, you weren't injured in a magical surge. You went with your parents, and three days ago you were all attacked on your return home."

Shining hugged Twilight as best as he could, trying to steel her for what was coming next as Stable continued. "I'm afraid that there's no easy way to say this, little one. Both of your parents were killed on your trip home, and that's also when you were hurt."

"No... you're wrong! They're not dead, they can't–" Twilight was cut off by Shining's hoof on her shoulder as her head was moved by his other to meet his gaze. She saw the nothing but pain in his eyes, and tears began streaming down her face. "They can't be, Shiny, they can't..." she weakly said, her volume trailing off to nothing.

Shining simply hugged his sister tightly as she began to cry into his shoulder. "There there, Twily... I'm here and not going anywhere, I promise."

Stable got Shining's attention with a gently placed hoof on his shoulder. He spoke very quietly so as to not disturb Twilight. "Come and find me once she's asleep, and I'll give you some information for later." Shining replied with a subtle nod of his head, and Stable made his way out of the room.

"They can't be telling the truth, can they, Shiny?" Twilight said between sobs, still not believing that her parents were gone. Shining carefully tightened his hug and pulled the covers up around them both, moving his head to plant a soft kiss at the base of her horn. He didn't let go until her cries had long since died, replaced with the gentle snores of a young filly, asleep.

"It's amnesia induced by trauma. There's not a lot of... ponies who've gone through traumatic events, luckily, but from the ones that have, one thing is apparent. The younger a pony is, the more likely they are to develop this or something similar as a defense mechanism. Your sister knows what happens, but her mind has decided to lock it away and throw away the key." Stable was sitting down with Shining in the cafeteria, both ponies eating a late lunch together.

"So, will she ever remember what happened then?" Shining curiously asked, a glum expression on his face. His mood was through the ground after having spent the last few hours with Twilight; she had occasionally shuddered and cried out in her sleep. Shining felt absolutely useless, not even his comforting brotherly touch had kept her nightmares at bay.

"Honestly, it's unknown. Some patients have, some haven't. For those who have, sometimes it was days later, other times it was years later." He let out a long sigh and played with his salad. "All I can say is that you should be with her as much as you can these next few days, although something tells me that you were already planning to be so."

"Yeah, I don't plan to leave her side; not until I have to go off to school anyways. But that's still a month or so out." Shining was the one who sighed this time, the weight of the situation finally settling heavily on his shoulders. "So, what happens next, then?"

"She'll be kept for a few more days, the worst of her injuries should be mostly mended by then. I've heard a little of your situation, and that Celestia has taken an interest in you two. It's nice to see our princess get involved with such a tragedy personally. It sounds like your fillyfriend will be around Twilight a lot in the future, it would be a good idea to get them acquainted as soon as you can. Plus, you need to be the one to tell her what's going to happen.

"Also, and this goes for you too, I'll be contacting a psychiatrist who specializes in trauma and loss to add you and your sister to his patient list. Don't look at me with an eyebrow raised, young stallion. It may sound silly, but it will help in the long run. I ask that you keep an open mind when you go for your first meeting; you're not fooling me with the tough big brother routine. I see how much you're hurting from this too." The doctor swept up his dishes within his magic and stood up.

"I see... Thank you, Doctor Stable." Shining remained seated, hooves swirling in circles on the tabletop.

"No problem at all, Shining Armor. It's what I'm here for after all. I suggest you go ahead and spend as much time as possible with those you care about though. Words can only do so much. Good luck, and hopefully in a few days we won't be seeing much of each other." Stable left with a smile, slightly bringing up Shining's mood. Giving up on his meal, he tossed the container and what remained into the nearest bin and walked back to Twilight's room.

Opening the door, Shining saw that Twilight was still shifting about in her sleep every so often, as the sheets were strewn about rather impressively for a five year old filly. Feeling emotionally drained, he carefully climbed back into the bed and hugged his sister once more. Replacing the covers, he closed his eyes and let sleep claim him; hoping to dream of happy things.

Author's Note

I think I've re-found my creative stride, so here's a test of that. I have been told that the doctor may have been a little blunt, however such things are best treated as a band-aid in my eyes. Rip it off fast, then deal with the sting. Of course, equating the stinging from ripping of a band-aid to the emotional damage trauma can cause, it's kind of a large gap there.

NOTE - Twilight WILL recall the events of the attack, one day. I promise that I did not simply pull amnesia out of my ass, there is a plot-related reasoning for it. It's actually going to be pretty crucial later on. So, bear with me using a plot device that I typically shun. On the more medical side of things, children are much more prone to completely forget such events, especially when they're younger, if circumstances allow them to. Not to mention their resiliency can make a grown adult look like a bitch.

One more night of writing ahead, I'll see about getting another chapter of this written up, and hopefully actually break that 2,000 word mark. Hope you enjoy. (Unedited, Written between 10pm and 12am)

Chapter 6 - Two Powers Meet

A sigh of relief escaped Celestia's lips as the last petitioner exited her throne room, signaling the end of court. She had been anxious to meet Twilight now that she was awake; but meetings and court had eaten into her time. Celestia had thought about cancelling Day Court once more, but three days in a row was slightly excessive and no doubt questions would be raised if it had happened.

Celestia set off for the hospital at once, stretching her hooves and enjoying the cool air within the castle. From what Cadance had told her in the morning, Twilight was aware of the circumstances behind both her parent's death and her injuries; she was unable to remember the specific memories though. Hopefully she'll not have to deal with it until she's much older and better able to handle such an event.

Not only that, but apparently her meeting Cadance had gone over better than Celestia had hoped. The young filly took to her brother's fillyfriend in an instant; Cadance was utterly smitten with Twilight as well. This bodes well for the future, as Twilight is still unaware of who will be in charge of looking after her... I'm glad I made the decision to have Cadance do so, this will greatly help her when it reappears.

Guards snapped to attention and smartly saluted her as Celestia continued through the corriors on her way to the hospital. Underneath their military bearing, each guard seemed more cheerful than normal, as if today were a special day, Celestia noted. Unknown to her, a smile was shining brightly from her face; her typical mask gone.

As she entered the reception area, a unicorn stallion dressed in a doctor's coat greeted her. "Welcome back, Princess. I presume you're here to see Twilight?" He politely inquired.

"Yes, I finally had some free time in my schedule to stop by and hopefully speak with her." Celestia paused, another thought coming to her mind. "Tell me, Doctor..." she trailed off, realizing that his name was unknown to her.

"It's Doctor Stable, Princess. She is awake and able to take visitors, although her brother is with her. He hasn't really left since he arrived; that's one dedicated brother." Stable spoke admiringly of Shining, rather impressed with his attitude and devotion shown to Twilight.

"Thank you, Doctor Stable. I would like to know, how are her injuries healing? I need to schedule something that is important to them both; it relies heavily upon whether Twilight will be capable of leaving the hospital." After all, one cannot have a funeral without family in attendance. The dead can wait for the living. It may hurt up front, but it will go a long way to hopefully letting them both heal. Cadance needs a strong individual by her side, and this will make an important life lesson.

Stable pulled one of the files from behind the desk and began to look through the hooffull of pages present. "Well, Princess, it would appear that the lacerations she suffered are healing up well, the stitches should be coming out tomorrow morning it seems. Her coat will still have to regrow from where we had to remove it to treat her; that's easily remedied with a spell however. The only real thing of note is the damage to her horn. That is some cause for concern, as there's a chance that it won't heal properly and will partially block her magic flow when she begins casting." Stable finished referencing the charts, returning them back to their place behind the desk.

"I see. Can I correctly assume that once the stitches are removed, she'll be well enough to leave inpatient care? I know that her horn's condition will require regular check-ups, but that's easily accomplished with frequent visits." Celestia confidently spoke, drawing upon her vast knowledge to come to the same assessment Stable would have given her.

"Correct, Princess, if I didn't know any better I'd say you've had your fair share of experience in this field." Stable paused as Celestia gave him a deadpan look, causing him to lightly chuckle to himself. "We'll probably release her early afternoon, just to be on the safe side of things."

"Thank you for the information, Doctor." Celestia slightly nodded her head as she turned towards the patient wing. "I'll be heading to her room now, good day." Stable acknowledged her dismissal with a quick bow of his head before returning to work.

Celestia quickly trotted her way through the hallway, coming to a halt before a door that stood ajar, voices coming from within. She quietly heard a male's voice talking and decided to listen in so as to not interrupt anything.

"I'm so glad that you like Cadance, Twily. She's really a nice mare, and even promised to keep an eye on you while I'm training to be a guard!" Shining's voice reached Celestia's ears, his voice filled with happiness.

Deciding that nothing too important was being discussed, Celestia firmly rapped a hoof against the doorframe. Twilight's eyes caught hers and considerably widened as Shining simply called out to her. "Come on in, Doc."

Celestia let out a small laugh, causing Shining's head to violently whip around to see who had entered the room. Stuttering, he tried jumping off the chair to his hooves to bow before her, but only ended up in a heap on the floor. "Please, relax and take your seat, I'm only here to see how your sister is doing." Celestia said, keeping the laughter within her.

"Y-You're Princess Celestia!" Twilight gushed, a hoof pointed towards her and a wide smile on her face. "I get to meet the princess, yes! Yes! Yes!" Celestia couldn't help but laugh as Shining looked on, mortified.

"Why yes, I do believe I am Princess Celestia, little one. You're Twilight, right?" Celestia gently spoke; and she used a small amount of magic to help Shining to his hooves. Twilight excitedly nodded her head up and down in confirmation. "It's nice to meet you, little one. Your brother has told me a few things about you."

Shining, thoroughly humiliated, quietly regained his seat and faced the newest arrival to the room. "Good afternoon, Princess." He respectfully spoke, cheeks thoroughly flushed crimson.

"A good afternoon to you as well, Shining." Celestia returned her focus to Twilight, "I'm truly sorry for your loss, Twilight. It's always a shame when somepony, especially parents, are taken from us before their time." she pulled the chair from the corner of the room and brought it before the bed next to Shining and took a seat.

Twilight's head sunk a little after Celestia's words, her initial shock of meeting the princess overwritten by her depression. "I miss them..." she muttered, tears forming in her eyes. Celestia looked on, hesitating slightly before reaching out with a hoof and resting it on Twilight's withers.

"I can imagine, Twilight. However, I do have some good news to share with you, if you'd like to hear it." Celestia reassuringly spoke, doing her best to deal with what was an awkward situation to her.

Twilight sniffed even as Shining grasped her hoof with his, nodding her head. Tears were now matting her face, and he brought a cloth to her face and dabbed them away.

"Well, I understand you've already met my niece, Cadance." Twilight quickly nodded her head, her mood lightening a little.

"She's very nice, we even made up a little ditty between each other!" she exuberantly exclaimed, the faintest hint of a smile turning her frown around.

"Yes, she is, isn't she? Well, what if I told you that, instead of having to go to an orphanage, you could stay in the castle? With Cadance watching you most of the time?" Twilight's eyes widened at every sentence, joy returning to them even as the tears continued to pour forth.

"Yup, she means it, Twily," Shining chimed in, "I'd be around as much as I can, but I want to join the guard even more, now..." he trailed off, a distant look in his eyes for a moment, "Cadance would be there anytime I couldn't be though." Shining grunted slightly as Twilight nearly crushed his hoof with her smaller one.

"Really? That'd be awesome, and I'd get to spend time with Cadance!" Twilight was positively beaming now, her earlier sadness all but forgotten for the moment. "What about if she wouldn't be around, though? And where's the closest library at?"

A library? Now that's somewhat unexpected... She's also fairly mature, given her young age. I wonder just how much reading she does... Celestia quietly thought to herself, a smile on her face. "Well, we actually have a library here in the castle. And if Cadance was busy, I might be the one to watch over you for awhile."

If Twilight's earlier reactions had been considered slightly over the top, at the notion of Celestia being the one watching her, she positively exploded. "Yes yes yes yes! I gotta keep reading if I wanna be just like you, Princess!"

Celestia arched an eyebrow and looked at Twilight. "Just like me? You really flatter me, I must say!" Celestia exaggerated her words, doing her best to ensure the good mood continued. "Might I ask what would inspire such a great filly to want to be just like me?"

"Uh huh! Mommy," her voice momentarily dropped as she continued speaking, "brought me to the Summer Sun Festival last year! When you raised the sun, I decided to be just like you! So, I gotta read as much as I can so that when I can do magic I can work towards being as strong as you are!"

Shining laughed, adding in his own tidbit. "I remember that day. Not minutes after getting home, dad had to pull her out of a pile of books. She'd somehow managed to knock down a few shelves trying to find a book on how to raise the sun." Twilight glared at Shining and began to pout.

"I did not knock them down, they just fell!"

"Sure, Twily, whatever you say." He reached out with a hoof and mussed her mane, keeping in mind her injuries.

Celestia watched the exchange between the siblings, happy with her choice of making them wards. With her potential and apparent drive towards magic, no doubt it's going to start getting rather interesting in the castle once more... Somehow, I look forward and welcome the occasion.

Another knock at the door drew their attention to Cadance, who looked at everypony in the room with a smile. "Hi, Auntie!" she waved her hoof before looking to Shining and Twilight. "Hi you two!"

Shining got up and wrapped his forehooves around Cadance in a quick hug, thankful for her presence. He quietly whispered into her ear. "Thanks for coming, things were feeling a bit awkward... I kinda face-planted the floor when she walked in..." Cadance quietly giggled as she broke off the hug and moved to Twilight's side.

"Hi, Cadance! Thanks for coming by again..." Twilight trailed off, looking at her expectantly. Cadance laughed and nuzzled her for a moment before singing.

"Sunshine, sunshine," Twilight joined Cadance, the two voices blending together. "Ladybug's awake! Clap your hooves and do a little shake!" The two of them giggled together at the end, Cadance moving to hug her.

"A most cute display, niece. I believe that you will do a most excellent job in helping to raise Twilight. Speaking of," Celestia paused, taking a quick moment to clear her throat, "I was informed that your stitches will be removed tomorrow, Twilight. That means you'll be leaving here sometime in the afternoon with Cadance and your brother."

"That's good to hear, Princess." Shining spoke, ready for Twilight to be out of the hospital at last. He directed his next words to Twilight as he caught her eyes. "You'll love your room, Twily. It's right next to Cadance's and mine, and there's a surprise for you inside it." he widely smiled, glad to continue distracting her from her grief.

Celestia stood up and moved towards the door. "I'm most glad that you are quickly recovering, Twilight, and that soon you'll be out of the hospital. However, I'm afraid that there are things that I must take care of that can't wait any longer. I'll also be here when you are released tomorrow." Celestia waved to Cadance and Shining, having words for them as well. "You two, take care, I'll see you both tomorrow too."

The three remaining ponies quietly began talking amongst themselves about the future; and how surely things were looking up for them all.

Author's Note

Let's see how the quality holds up when written between 2 and 4 am, shall we? Celestia finally gets her chance to talk with the young filly, and now Cadance has a much more prominent role. Figured I would go ahead and establish their exchange here, at least the words. The dance part can come later. I am also still trying to carefully juggle that balance between calculating and distant and trying to close that gap. I apologize if it does seem a bit odd, but I'd like to think I managed to do a decent enough job getting across what I wanted to here.

Next chapter sees Twilight finally out of the hospital. Also, we see the finality of her parent's passing, and moving forward to a hopefully brighter future. Fair warning, unless I mess this up, you might wanna have tissues on hand.

As always, thanks for reading, and I'll see you next update.

Chapter 7 - Checking In, Checking Out

"And remember, young filly, to take it easy for awhile, okay? You can't do anything like, oh... pouncing on your brother or you might hurt yourself, understand?" Stable looked at Twilight, beaming widely, happy to see the her out of the hospital at last. Turning around, he walked over to Shining, who began quietly talking to him.

"Thanks a lot, Doc. I'll make sure Cadance or I bring her by in three days, and we'll make sure her bandages stay on at least until tonight." Shining looked over to see Twilight already starting to bounce around next to Cadance, even with her horn in a cast and most of her barrel still wrapped in gauze. He couldn't help but let out a short laugh as he smiled as well "Well, we'll try to make sure they stay on until tonight. I think she just found all her energy from being cooped up in that bed for so long."

Stable took a look at Twilight as well, letting a ghost of a smile come to his face. "Son, you're one hell of a brother, I can see that already. Just keep showing her the same support you have until now, and I believe you two will do just fine." He levitated a card from the nearby counter to Shining, who brought it up to his face to read. "This is my friend's card, she has a private practice specializing in trauma and grief counseling. She's accepted you and Twilight as patients and payment has already been arranged; all you need to do is contact her to set up an appointment. I'd recommend doing so as soon as you can." Stable gently rested a hoof on Shining's shoulder.

"From what little I've seen, you and Twilight are both strong. It might be rough for some time, but I know you'll make it through just fine once everything is said and done. Stay strong," he nodded in Twilight's direction, "for her, but don't forget you're allowed to have your own moments of weakness. We're only pony, after all." Stable walked off, leaving a stunned Shining in his wake, who simply stood there processing what he had been told.

A pair of lips again his cheek and the sound of a young filly gagging broke him from his thoughts. Blushing slightly, he turned and saw Cadance looking at him, concern clearly written across her face. "Are you okay, Shiny? What did Doctor Stable tell you?"

He shook his head to clear his thoughts and gave the best reassuring smile he could muster. "I'm good, Cady. Just... thinking." He pecked her on the cheek, eliciting yet another gag from Twilight. Shining walked over to his sister and carefully scooped her up onto his back. "Shush, you." he blew a raspberry at her, "I've got a surprise for you, are you ready to see where we'll be staying in the castle now?"

Twilight giggled slightly before her expression dropped at the mention of staying in the castle. "Shiny, what about our house?" she quietly asked, not wanting to let go of another thing that reminded her of her parents.

Shining followed Cadance through the doors as they began their walk to a more private area of the castle. "Don't worry, Twily. I asked about it, and Princess Celestia has somepony looking after it. It's just not practical for us to live there since it's clear across Canterlot." he carefully nuzzled her as they walked into an open courtyard filled with ponies, the warm afternoon sun shining down on them.

Continuing to follow Cadance, they came to a smaller area tucked away in the rear of the courtyard, two guards waving them through the open doorway. "This is the private area of the castle," Cadance began, getting her company's attention, "and only those who live here can come and go as they please. You'll find there's plenty of privacy, too."

"That's a good thing, I'm guessing?" Shining asked Cadance, looking around at the decorated hallway. Stained glass windows filtered the light, painting the wooden walls shades of the rainbow.

Cadance nodded her head in reply as she stopped in front of a closed door where two members of the Day Guard were stationed. "Good afternoon, Princess," the one on the left spoke, pointing a hoof towards Shining and Twilight. "these are the ponies we were informed about?"

"Yup, they are." Cadance turned towards Shining as the guards opened the door for her. "Shining, Twilight, meet Night Blade and Morning Glory. These two are some of the select few of Auntie's guards that ensure nopony gets to her room; or yours and mine as well."

Shining looked at the two guards in front of them with awe, admiration sparking in his eyes. Morning Glory was a pegasus, her wings tucked in tightly to the sides of her gleaming golden armor. Her deep blue eyes were the only part not masked by the illusion held within the armor, a curious look within them as she looked at the colt before her. Night had an ivory horn spiraling from his forehead, and looked at them with golden eyes that nearly matched his armor.

Twilight waved from her perch on Shining's back, drawing smiles from both guards. "It's nice to meet you both, I'm Shining Armor and this little monster," he pointed his hoof to Twilight, who smacked him on the head, "is my sister, Twilight Sparkle. It's nice to meet you two."

"My, what a gentlecolt, isn't he, Night?" Morning asked, her voice smooth and almost musical in nature. Her partner let out a deep, rumbling laugh that seemed to come from the earth itself.

"What's this, Glory? Is this young stallion already holding your heart hostage?" He snickered as Cadance glared at him at the same time Glory raised a hoof and slugged him in the shoulder. "Oh, I see. It seems you have to wait in line, for he seems to have captured our fair princess' heart already."

Glory just rolled her eyes as Cadance blushed. "Don't worry, Princess. He's just being a moron right now. Celestia informed us about it, and I gotta say... he looks like a good catch!" Cadance simply groaned as Night got Shining's attention.

"Shining, Twilight, I need you both to touch this with a hoof." Night levitated a large blue crystal from an alcove in the wall and brought it before them. Once both had their hoof resting on it, Night charged a spell. "Now, this might tingle just a little bit. This will attune your magical signature to this wing, nothing you really need to worry about."

A quick spell later and the crystal was put back in its place, then a panel put in place that covered the alcove. "There, all done. Suppose we shouldn't distract you any longer, I'm sure you've got a busy day ahead of you." Morning giggled one last time at Cadance before joining Night at their post.

The three of them walked into the hall, Cadance pausing a moment as a thought came to her mind. "Oh! I never answered your question, Shiny. Having privacy is kind of a big thing for us, I mean, could you imagine having some random pony being able to just walk up to your bedroom door? Creepy, I say."

Cadance pointed a hoof towards a door on their left. "This is my brother's room, you haven't met him yet because he's been sick this past week, but hopefully you can get along with him. Especially you, Twilight, he's actually right around your age. Blueblood can be... a pretty big brat, sometimes. He's gotten basically everything he's ever wanted since we moved here, and that's spoiled him. Don't let that throw you off, though. I think you'll both like him."

She pointed out the next door, this one on the right side. "This is my room, it's actually right next to yours, Shiny." Cadance shot a seductive smile at Shining, who blushed. The moment was ruined rather quickly; as Twilight began gagging rather loudly and pounding his back with a hoof. Cadance began laughing, Shining joining her moments later.

They came to a split in the hallway, each branch gently curving out of sight. "This is the base of Celestia's tower, that door right there," she pointed with a hoof again, "leads up to her room." Taking a right, Cadance stopped at the first door they came to. "Here's your room, Twilight. Your brother helped pick everything out."

Opening the door as Shining set Twilight on the ground, the little filly rushed in as quickly as she could, letting out a large gasp of surprise as she took in the room. The carpet was a thickly woven wool, dyed in the color of Twilight's coat with pink stripes running through it. The walls were painted with a landscape that gave way to the sky; one half day and the other night. The ceiling had the sun and moon meeting in the center, stars filling out the night's sky, clouds in the day. Two of the walls were lined with bookcases, a few of them already filled. Twilight rushed over to them and began to run her hoof over the spines, looking through the titles.

"They got all of them from the house and brought them here, Twily. You'll find your favorite ones next to your bed." Shining was smiling, happy at seeing Twilight enjoying everything. She let out a squeal as she looked at the nightstand that had a shelf built into it meant for books.

"Oh my gosh, Shiny! My Daring Doo books! But, aren't there only three of them so far?" Twilight asked curiously, pulling out the fourth one present and looking at it, her eyes widening as she read the title. "This one isn't even out yet! Yes yes yes!"

Cadance laughed at Twilight's reaction, already feeling a strong sense of kinship with her, despite the short time knowing the rambunctious filly. Shining walked over to the bed, which was adorned with dark blue sheets, and floated a small box over to Twilight that had been resting on it.

"Twily." she was so absorbed in looking at the unreleased Daring Doo novel that Shining's voice went unheard. "Oh, Twily..." Shining waited a moment before carefully lifting her in his magic, causing her attention to refocus on him. "I've got something for you."

He settled the box down in front of her hooves as he gently set her down on the soft mattress. Twilight looked at the ribbon and paper wrapped box, slowly working her way through the twine as Cadance walked off to one of the two doors in the room that hadn't been opened yet. Finally removing the ribbon, she tore that paper apart in her hooves, quickly exposing the box underneath.

As she opened it and saw its contents, Shining began to talk. "My room is right through that door," he pointed a hoof to where only Cadance's rear end was visible, "and anytime you want, you're welcome to come and talk to me. That door will never be locked. However, when I go off to school, or if I'm not here... this is something to remind you of me. You can talk to it just as if it were me, Twily."

Shining hugged Twilight, a small doll in her hooves as she returned his hug. "Thank you, Shiny. You really are a big brother best friend forever."

Big brother best friend forever... I like that. Hmm, how to return that... "No problem at all... Little sister best friend forever." He pulled back from their hug and shared a smile with Twilight, completely oblivious to Cadance eyeing them both. "Now," he began, adopting a stern tone, "I think your new friend needs a name, don't you?"

Twilight rapidly nodded her head up and down; then held the doll in her hooves, staring at it. Cadance giggled in the background as Twilight's tongue slightly poked out the side of her mouth. After a few moments, Twilight jumped up in glee. "I've got it! He's going to be Mister Smartypants!"

Shining brought a hoof up to his chin, rubbing it and pretending to be in great thought. "Mister Smartypants, you say? That sounds like a most wonderful name, I must say." Twilight laughed and jumped at Shining, who quickly caught her with his magic. "Now, Twily, what did Doctor Stable tell you?"

Twilight pouted slightly as she was set down on the floor. "But, I feel just fine!" she insisted, even as she tried and failed to suppress a cringe of pain. "What's over there?" Twilight began walking to Cadance, peeking her head into the next room. Shining followed her as she crossed into the other room.

"Shiny, this is your room? It's so... boring!" Shining's room was sparsely decorated, and filled with neutral colors. The only thing of real note was the bed back against one wall, its size making it stand out.

"Yeah, I was kinda preoccupied with helping out for yours... I didn't wanna leave your side while you were in the hospital, Twily." He ruffled her mane playfully, chuckling as she tried to escape his hoof. "If you want to, you can help decorate my room... a little bit."

Twilight took one last look around and went back into her room, leaving Cadance and Shining alone. Cadance leaned over and whispered into his ear, teasing him. "I see that you got the extra large bed... hoping to be lucky sometime soon?"

Shining blushed and stammered, backpedaling away from Cadance right into the wall, causing him to lose his footing. "I wasn't, I didn't, I–" he was silenced with a chaste kiss on the lips from Cadance, who simply pulled back and giggled as he climbed back to his hooves.

"Oh relax, Shiny. You're too easy to tease, you know that?" The couple shared laughter, only to be cut off as they heard Twilight speak in the next room.

"Princess Celestia!"

Cadance and Shining rushed back through the door into Twilight's room, where Celestia stood in the entrance, a solemn look on her face. Looking over to Cadance, she simply nodded her head, causing the younger alicorn's face to drop slightly.

"It's time to say your last goodbyes."

Author's Note

So, what was supposed to be a simple segue turned into a full scene, which then turned into a full chapter (for this story, anyways). So, save the tissues for the next chapter, I'm guessing most of you know what's coming up. I hope you all enjoyed this chapter, and some hints for future interactions and events have now been made. Plus, the plans for handling both Nightmare Moon's return and the Wedding, should I cover them both, have now to come mind. And no, they're definitely not rehashes. Rehashes suck, don't they?

And with this, here's 40,000 words this month from me to you, readers. Now, excuse me while I go ice my hands in preparation for September.

P.S. That last line? I mean a funeral. Just got up from my nap, seems it's not as clear as I thought it'd be. Blunt, yes, I know.

Chapter 8 - Such a Lonely Day

There exists within Equestria other planes that run parallel to it, some accessible, some not. An afternoon sun shone its radiance down upon one such plane, a serene plane of undisturbed grass marred only by the tombstones littering its surface. Here and there a pony, or a group of them, mulled about quietly, paying their respects to the recently, and long since, dearly departed.

It was here that Celestia led a small group to, stepping through a guarded door near the entrance of the castle to gain entry. The cloudless sky greeted them, and, although one might look directly at the sun, it was no more harsher than looking at a candle’s flame.

“What…” Shining began, looking around in awe at the picturesque yet somber environment. “What is this place?”

Celestia quietly spoke from the front, answering his question, and so much more. “These are the Fields of Elysium, the final resting place of those who have given their lives to Equestria.” she looked at the ponies behind her, ensuring everypony had followed her through. “My… friend and I found this place long ago and discovered it has many magical properties. Here, it remains sunny all day and all year, yet even without rain the grass remains lush and vibrant, always thriving.”

Twilight looked around in quiet observation, giving Celestia’s words only part of her attention. Standing next to her, Cadance quietly began speaking. “Magical, yes, but…” her head lowered, “such a sad place.”

“...I can understand why.” Shining simply stated, noticing a small group of ponies gathered around a wooden casket that was slowly being lowered into the ground.

“Please, follow me,” Celestia quietly spoke, not wanting to disturb the other occupants of this bright and somber place. Anywhere else, and everypony would pause and bow before her, but here… here in these hallowed grounds Celestia was simply another pony, there to pay her respects. Cadance looked to Twilight as she lowered a wing, giving her a chance to scramble up. Making sure that she was firmly on her back, Cadance followed Celestia alongside Shining.

The small group slowly made their way, trusting in Celestia to lead them to their destination. As they walked in a straight line, the world around them seemed to bend in random directions. Shining leaned over to Cadance and whispered quietly. “I’m not losing it, am I? It looks like we’re not really going in a line, but we haven’t moved much left or right…”

Cadance gently smiled, shaking her head gently. “No, it’s part of this place. So long as you have a destination in mind, it just… moves you there. Otherwise, you can just meander around if you want.” she carefully nuzzled his neck, careful of the filly on her back who had yet to say a word.

Moments later Celestia stopped, coming to a halt in front of two caskets resting in front of freshly dug graves, blank tombstones resting . “We’re here.” Two words, spoken so quietly, yet making the air oh-so heavy, especially to Shining and Twilight.

Cadance carefully set Twilight on the ground, who simply stood there, looking at the coffins with dread. She lifted a hoof, ready to move forward but hesitated, hoof in the air. Shining walked forward, pausing at his sister’s side and gently kissing her underneath her horn. “I’m right here for you, Twily.” he quietly whispered into her ear. “Let’s go say bye to mom and dad, okay?”

Slowly, with Shining’s help, Twilight mustered up the courage to put one hoof in front of the other, the large wooden caskets looking closer. Celestia broke the silence, causing Twilight to jump in alarm and dart back a few steps. “Take all the time you need. Just let me know when you’re ready.” Shining looked over just long enough to reply to Celestia with a nod before turning his focus back to Twilight.

Again, step by step she came closer to them, unable to see over their height. Finally stopping between them, Shining carefully set her on his back, the two of them peering at the serene faces of their parents. The wood had been enchanted to be transparent, allowing a last look at them without disturbing the coffins.

“They look just like that one time I walked into their room early one morning…” Shining muttered. It seems like just yesterday they were seeing me off to camp... He felt a gentle nudge at his side as he began to cry. He felt Twilight shuffling around, a quiet sobbing coming from her throat as he felt a damp patch beginning to form on his back.

Looking to the side, he saw Cadance next to him gently nuzzling Twilight, her warmth at his side. When she pulled back, he smiled in thanks, their lips moving together to meet in a chaste kiss.

The three ponies quietly remained in each other’s company, each one grieving and offering support in their own fashion. Shining noticed that Twilight’s hushed sobs were starting to die down and looked back. Looking past his tear-matted fur and her streaked face, Shining couldn’t help but smile at the now exhausted Twilight.

“I think it’s time now.” he said quietly to Cadance, who went to get Celestia. Within moments, she was standing between the graves, a serious look on her face. Cadance came back to his side, and Celestia began speaking, causing Twilight to slightly stir on his back.

“We are here today to say our last goodbyes,” Celestia began, her voice filled with authority, warmth and passion all bundled in one. “Night Light and Twilight Velvet both gave to Equestria, performing duties that helped ensure the safety of her citizens. It’s always tragic when one is taken before their time, and sadly, both fell to such circumstances while seeing to the safety of everypony else.

“As such, they have more than earned their right to eternal rest here, in the hallowed Elysium Fields, the resting place of those who dedicate themselves to Equestria. As we say our last goodbyes, let us not dwell on their passing but instead look to those memories that make them who they are.” Both caskets lit with a golden glow, slowly rising into the air. Celestia smoothly moved them to rest in the air over the graves, a solemn look on her face.

“Now we lay them to rest, to be forever immortalized within our memories. May they always live on inside us, and may they never be forgotten.” Celestia gently lowered both caskets into the ground, not even making a sound as they touched down on solid ground.

“Anytime you wish to come and visit, all you need do is think of them, and Elysium will guide you.” Another glow of magic, and the dirt filled in, grass nearly instantly covering the freshly moved earth within seconds. Turning, Celestia looked to the two blank tombstones, performing one final act of magic.

Twilight Velvet
950 - 987 AC
Caring Mother

Night Light
947 - 987 AC
Loving Father

Celestia sighed, stepping back and walking to their side. “Thank you…” Shining muttered quietly, his eyes once more riddles with tears, Cadance still at his side offering her support.

“You are most welcome.” she turned to Cadance, addressing her. “I trust you can see them out, when ready? I have things that need seeing to.”

“I can do that, Aunt.” Cadance quietly replied, nodding her head as well. She watched as Celestia walked off, there one moment, gone the next thanks to the magic of Elysium. Turning, she saw Shining staring at the two grave markers, and Twilight on his back curled up, asleep.

Cadance walked back to Shining’s side. His ears tracked her movement, eyes still stuck ahead. “I’m going to miss them, Cady. They were the ones who encouraged me to join the guard, you know? I didn’t know what I wanted to do once I got my cutie mark. There’s a lot of things you can do with shields, you know? They took me around, showing me all sorts of things.” she quietly listened, hugging him around the neck as he continued.

“They took me to see our uncle, one day. That’s when I knew I wanted to be a guard. We were walking with him on one of his patrols, and came across a house fire. Without a second thought, he jumped in and ended up rescuing two foals and their mom. I wanted to be able to protect ponies like he did… maybe I could keep somepony’s parents safe, one day…”

Celestia walked away, willing herself to a place she hadn’t visited in a long time. Whisked away, she found herself in a location that probably hadn’t seen a visitor in five hundred years. She brushed her hoof over the tombstone, tracing the words adorning it. “Moonbright. It’s been a long time.”

She sat down next to the grave, a sad smile on her face. “Where do I even begin? So much has happened in the time since our last talk. Even what you warned me about ended up coming to pass.” Celestia let out a sad, quiet chuckle. “You really were good at understanding my plight, even without being able to ‘walk in my hooves,’ as you always loved to say.”

Minutes passed with her head lowered, not a word uttered from between her lips. The silence weighed heavily on her, allowing for a silent reflection; time to pick and choose what to say.

“Luna will be returning soon. I think, after I removed Nightmare Moon from the history books in the hopes it wouldn’t stand in the way when she returned, you were one of only three or four ponies I ever talked to her about. I can feel the Elements, too. It’s as if they’re… waiting, biding their time for their bearers to come and claim them. And now, this young filly, Twilight Sparkle…

“I think you’d like her. I’ve interacted little with her, but what I’ve seen reminds me of you. At least, she appears to have a love for books, and is very knowledgeable.” she chuckled, a stray thought passing through her mind. “She’ll probably get into just as much trouble, something tells me, given time.”

Celestia’s tone turned remorseful, a lingering sadness creeping into her voice. “But, just as you warned me all that time ago, I stopped seeing individual ponies. The first thoughts of her were how she had to be the Bearer of Magic, and how I should manipulate her into it. Subtly manipulating a young filly just to return my sister to me… I thought I’d never be so callous again.

“Even my ‘niece’ has probably seen more warmth from others than myself. I’m in no state to even take care of Luna, were the Elements to cleanse the Nightmare from her as hoped. I have a long way to go, it seems…”

Celestia laid down, head up to the sun and eyes closed, as tears dripped down her muzzle.

“Shining, I’d like for you to meet my parents.” Cadance quietly said, careful not to wake up Twilight who was sound asleep on Shining’s back. He looked at her with mild confusion.

“I thought your parents were–" Cadance cut him off nearly instantly, nodding her head.

"Yes, they are, Shining. Where do you think they're buried, though?" she held out a hoof, allowing him to interlock his with hers. "It's been a bit since I last visited, and since we're already here, it would be rude not to say hello."

As before, it took only a few moments of walking before arriving at the location of two graves, ornate markers adorning these. The two death dates were different, Shining noted, as they stopped a few feet away from them.

"I still remember my mom, even though it's been six years, now. She passed during Blue's birth, something about complications... I never understood what dad meant, but apparently it happens. Dad spent the next year trying to keep us both supported, working two jobs to help." Cadance sighed, leaning her head against Shining's neck.

"What... about your dad, Cady?" he quietly asked, uncertainty in his voice.

She closed her eyes, taking a deep breath through his fur. "He worked so hard, giving Blueblood and me whatever we needed. But, something happened, and he was hurt. Coupled with already being a bit weak from working himself to the bone, he just... never recovered. That was three years ago."

Shining thought for a few moments, something not connecting in his mind. "But... when did Princess Celestia take notice of you and your brother? Wouldn't she have stepped in and helped out earlier?"

Cadance shook her head. "No, she claimed something about not showing favoritism to any single subject when I asked her the exact same question. She took in Blue and me right after our father passed..." she paused, thinking, "as a matter of fact, it was very much the same service for our dad. Both of them worked for the government, so they also ended up here."

The two calmly sat there, both thinking on the past, and what the future may bring them. A rustle from Twilight on Shining's back drew his attention, and he turned to Cadance. "I think it's time to head back, get her in bed." he dexterously turned and kissed her forehead, quietly whispering to her. "I promise, I'll do everything I can to keep you safe, Twily... everything.

Author's Note

This will either be one of two things... Either I did what I was hoping for, and the tone and mood were great, or I fell flat on my face... even now, I'm not entirely certain. Time should start moving a bit quicker now as I move forward, next chapter is tentatively introducing Blueblood.

As always, comments and critique are welcomed, and I'll be seeing y'all next update.

And, just a random fyi, the title is indeed from the System of a Down song, it randomly came into my head as I was writing the funeral segment. It just... seemed to fit.

Chapter 9 - Enter Blueblood the Non-Menace

DISCLAIMER - No matter what you may read in the following text, there will be zero chance of shipping Twilight with Blueblood. That is all, you may now continue.

Cadance cheerfully strode into a room, opening the door wide without a care for the occupant inside. On the bed, a small colt lay on his belly, jumping at the loud entrance that was made. "Good morning, Bluey! I was told you're nice and well again, so guess what?"

Blueblood merely groaned, already annoyed at his sister's antics. "Cadance," he whined, drawing out her name, "why are you coming in here so early? Lemme get more sleep!"

Laughing, Cadance merely walked to the side of his bed, poking him with a hoof. "No can do, brother. You've been laid up in bed for the last week, and I've really got someone for you to meet." she removed his covers with magic, causing him to groan and get up to his hooves. "Now, up and at em!"

Groaning, Blueblood complied with his sister, hopping off the bed and making his way to the mirror in the room. Looking himself over, he found his appearance satisfactory, even though he was only six his philosophy was that there was no such thing as 'looking too good.' It simply did not exist to his young mind. "So, who is it that you want me to meet?"

Cadance smiled, her grin nearly stretching across her entire face. "Why, none other than a young filly that I've told you about already. Twilight Sparkle." she slowed her pace so that he could keep up. "I think it'll do good for both of you to become friends, Blue." Cadance spoke much more quietly this time, as if a heavy thought weighed on her mind. This did not go unnoticed by him; Blueblood was considered rather observant for a colt his age.

"Is this because both of our parents are dead, Cady?" she nodded in reply, which caused him to think. "So... you think it'd be good for both of us since neither of us have our parents anymore? Or," he fixed a glare at her, "are you trying some of your icky magic on me?"

Cadance look confused for a moment, before nearly breaking down in laughter right there in the hall. Blueblood stopped in his tracks, looking at her as if she were crazy. "Oh, Blue," she coughed out between laughs, "first off, you're too young for me to even try my icky magic on you. Secondly, you're too young." Cadance finally gathered herself, setting off at a slow pace once more. "Really, I just know that she needs a friend her own age. It's been really hard for her... Celestia had the funeral almost a week ago, and she's still very down over that. I can't do too much to help her though, I'm just 'too old' as one might say."

Blueblood followed Cadance into a small dining room for breakfast. "I see... I'll go ahead and do so, besides it sounds like she's nice from what you've said, Sister." he received a smile from Cadance in return as they took their seats at the breakfast table.

No more than a minute later, Celestia joined them at the table, wishing them both a good morning with a small smile gracing her face. The customary greetings were exchanged, and Celestia perked her head up at the end. "Ah, here we are... Shining Armor, Twilight Sparkle, good morning." she pointed a hoof towards Blueblood, who was in the middle of lathering a bagel with cream cheese, "this is my nephew, Blueblood." Celestia then turned to address the young colt, "Blueblood, these are Shining Armor and Twilight Sparkle. They will be staying at the castle with us from now on."

Shining and Twilight hesitantly walked over to the table, taking seats to either side of Cadance. He took his seat first, forcing Twilight to sit next to the strange colt. He merely smiled as she took a seat, offering a bagel to her.

"Hi, I'm Blueblood. Cadance has told me a bit about you." he politely spoke as she accepted the bagel. "So, having a good morning?" He ignored the fact that it looked like somepony had hastily scrubbed at her cheeks in an attempt to remove the tear stains, for some reason he didn't like seeing such a thing. Add to that the cast on her horn, and Twilight looked amazingly haggard.

"Uh..." Twilight hesitantly began, awkwardly nibbling on her bagel as she thought about what to say. "I suppose so?" she asked, not used to being put into a situation of talking to a pony her age. Twilight turned her attention to the food in front of her, using it to buy yet more time.

Blueblood took it all in stride, for he understood her position to a degree. He too had limited contact with others his age, and instead turned his time towards voraciously reading and trying to bribe the guards to teach him how to use a rapier even though he was still much too small to do so.

As they all ate breakfast together, Celestia mulled over her thoughts. She had begun her efforts to reconnect on a personal level with ponies once more, just as she had promised her deceased lover after the funeral last week. She noticed another awkward exchange between Blueblood and Twilight, and then looked on at Cadance and Shining. Maybe Twilight will... nah, that's just silly. Still, Blueblood will hopefully find a good friend in her, and both of them will be better off for it. I know that she tries hiding it, but I can see just how much she's still hurting. Celestia inwardly thought of Stable once more, thankful for the help the doctor had provided.

Shining sat at the table, slowly eating breakfast while exchanging soft words with Cadance. He was trying his best to look out for Twilight while keeping time for Cadance and him to do things couples did. With school just a little over a month away, he really wanted to make it count. A sigh escaped his lips as he looked at Twilight, the pain within his little sister was still all too evident to him, even with her attempt to show him that she was fine. His gaze looked over to Blueblood, who exchanged words with her every so often. It'll be good for her to have a friend her age, and hopefully she can make more in school... Celestia help Cadance's brother though if he gets any ideas about her!

Cadance leaned against Shining Armor during breakfast, doing her utmost to milk the last month of living in close proximity. She had no doubts that he would do wonderfully in the guard training, but once he left it would be a long time before he was done. Still, Cadance was more than capable to understand why he was doing it, and she wholeheartedly agreed with the reasoning. She glanced at Celestia, still puzzled over the recent changes in her aunt. Ever since Twilight, really, she's been acting a little... odd. Trying to strike up conversation, no matter how odd it might be, attempting to reach out... It's almost as if she's attempting to make up for something. Gotta say, though, I do like her attempts, she seems... happier?

Blueblood mulled over his cup of tea, slowly sipping at it as he looked at the eggs on his plate. From time to time he looked over to Twilight, and couldn't help but cringe every time the cast entered his sight. That, plus the cuts he could see underneath her coat made him wonder what exactly she had been through, and made him wonder even more why Aunt Celestia had decided to make them Wards of the Crown. From what he recalled reading, it was not adoption, like Cadance and he were, but it was only a half-step below it. I suppose she could be a good friend. Cadance mentioned that she reads a lot, especially when it comes to magic. It would be nice to have a study-buddy, too. But, if Sister tries her magic on me... uugh, no thanks!

Twilight sat in silence, speaking only when that new colt Blueblood tried talking to her. Cadance had mentioned that he was her brother, and a bit spoiled but meant well. It meant a lot to her that Twilight get along with him, but she had no idea what exactly that meant. As she glanced towards her brother, she saw him chatting with Cadance, like always. I still miss them so much... I really don't want to spend time with anypony, my books are more than enough company... plus there's no way that they'll leave me, no matter what. Oh, what do I say to him? Blueblood keeps trying to talk to me...

Breakfast ended with Celestia rising, a smile on her face. "Everypony, please have a good day. Sadly, I need to get ready for Day Court now. Take care." With a wave of a hoof, she turned and left the room, leaving the four to their own devices.

"So," Cadance began, her eyes darting between Twilight and Blueblood, "I'd really like for the four of us to go on a walk in the gardens, what do you think?" Shining walked up to her side, a smile on his face.

"That sounds like a good idea." he said, turning to Blueblood. "I'm Shining Armor, anything in particular you like to go by?"

"Well, Cadance likes to call me Blue, but Blueblood is just fine." he scrunched his nose as he brought up Cadance's words and turned to her. "Sister, really? A walk? It's so boring!" Blueblood whined, eliciting a laugh from her and, surprisingly, Twilight. "Oh?" he asked politely, rounding on Twilight, "What do you think of a walk, Twilight?"

"It's... nice. Mommy and Daddy used to take us on them all the time..." she trailed off, tears beginning to well in her eyes as thoughts of them entered her mind. She felt shocked when he hugged her, both of his hooves around her neck.

"It's okay... at least you got to spend time with them, that's important. Even if they're gone now, you can still remember those times together." he softly spoke, surprising Cadance and Shining. "I think a walk sounds like a good idea right now."

The four left the dining room, slowly making their way to the private gardens for a morning stroll. Shining quietly spoke in Cadance's ear before moving alongside Blueblood, insisting Twilight take his place.

"Hey, Blue," he began, leaning down slightly and keeping his words soft. "Really good job, I appreciate you making Twilight feel better. Cadance has told me a lot about you, and I'm really glad that it looks like you and Twily can be good friends. She's been so down ever since our parents passed, and sadly I can't be there all the time." he looked up to see Twilight excitedly talking with Cadance, completely ignorant of the talk going on just a few paces behind them.

"Cadance has been talking about her all week while I was sick. To be honest, she wouldn't shut up about it and was quite annoying." Blueblood whined to Shining, causing the older stallion to lightly laugh. "She did say that Twilight was into a few of the same things I was though, and she seems nice enough, if quiet."

"Good, just..." Shining trailed off, a look entering into his eyes, "don't get any funny ideas about my sister, okay?"

Blueblood looked at him in confusion for a few moments before screwing up his eyes and wrinkling his nose. "Eww, first Cadance then you? No way, I don't know why you think just because you're... dating my sister I might be interested in yours, that's just icky..." Shining couldn't help but laugh at his words, relief entering him. "I'll try and be friends with her though, I'm really looking forward to someone as interested in magic as I am."

Shining laughed again, finding the similarities between Twilight and Blueblood humorous. "Yes, that she is. When she gets into a book on magical theory, you can't peel her away from it. If it wasn't for her horn," Shining's expression dropped for a moment, "she'd probably be trying to cast spells. I'm just thankful that it should be healed in time for her to apply for Celestia's school. She's wants to go there so badly."

"Hey, you two, c'mon!" Twilight called out, facing them as she trotted backwards. Without realizing it, they were at the entrance to the gardens, and had fallen quite a ways behind.

"Hold your hooves, Twily, we're right behind you!" Shining laughed, quickly increasing his speed as he scooped Twilight up in his front hooves, setting her down on his back moments later. She immediately scrambled down, sticking her tongue out at Shining.

Their walk took them through a nearly endless amount of flowers; it seemed that every species alive and then some was planted within this garden. Everypony's spirits were exceptionally high, even Twilight's. Cadance and Shining leaned into each other with one of their forehooves wrapped together as they walked behind Blueblood and Twilight.

"This one here is the Night Lily." Blueblood was busy pointing flowers out to Twilight and telling her what little he knew about them. "Aunt Celestia says it's really special to her, although she never really did say why. Supposedly on a full moon, and in bloom, they glow a deep blue hue."

"That's cool!" Twilight exclaimed, moving forward to look at it closely. "Luminescence is an interesting phenomenon, I read something about it being caused by magic and, uh..." she scrunched her brows in thought, "magic." she lamely finished, looking ashamed.

Blueblood looked at her for a moment before laughing, not at her but with her. "Magic and magic! Who knows, that could be why. I haven't read about those yet, I just ask the gardener a lot of questions when I'm out here. Apparently my mom had planned the layout of it, so..." he looked pensive for a moment as Twilight looked at him with concern. "It's okay, Twilight. I never really knew her, she apparently died when I was born. Still, if this," he swept his hoof towards some of the flowers, "was her idea, she must've been pretty good, right?"

Twilight violently nodded her head in agreement, stopping as her vision began to blur. "Uh huh. I have a few things to remember my parents by," she hesitated, continuing after a reassuring smile from Blueblood. "Like, all my books are from them, and I read a lot, so... I always see them while reading, kinda. I still miss them alot, though." Twilight managed to keep from crying this time, proud of herself for doing so.

The two of them went quiet as Shining and Cadance continued to watch and listen in, glad that everypony seemed to be getting along so well. They continued through the garden at a slow pace, taking the time to stop and smell a random flower, as the majority of the garden was in bloom.

It seemed like all too soon their walk was finished, the last of the blooming flowers left behind them as they made their way inside. It was late morning now, lunch still a few hours away. Opening the door, they walked into a small study, its walls lined with books. Cadance and Shining made their way to a small sofa, laying on it next to each other, as Twilight immediately took off for the books.

“Oh, wow! There’s a lot of books here, and so many on magic!” she exclaimed, running her hooves over the spines of as many as she could. Blueblood walked over to a shelf and pulled out a book, bringing it over to the table. He motioned Twilight to come over, and she took a seat next to him.

“I think this one might be a good read, if you’re interested.” he pointed to the title, Bioluminescence in Plants and Animals. Nodding her head, they settled down and slowly began flipping through the pages.

Cadance looked to Shining, beaming widely at him. “It looks like they’ll get along just fine.”

Author's Note

Written from 3:00am - 4:30am... I've looked it over for errors, but there might be some. I'm trying something extremely different here, making Blueblood highly intelligent and also big into books. And very respectful of mares, even if they might have cooties. *snicker* Also tried something new with the breakfast scene, a bit of 'let's look inside everyone's head.' Hopefully it works out well.

Next chapter will get the ball rolling at last on the relationship that's the focal point of the story at last. Also, I received a rather insightful piece of critique that's caused me to take a step back and look at things, my characters may be a bit flat still, especially with the situations I've thrown them into. Might try something different with a sort of look into their minds as a side/interlude to add depth, or dedicate a chapter to looking within their minds. Unsure as to how I'll go about trying it, but they made a good point, and I'm leaning towards agreeing with them.

That's all I've got for this one, although I do have a new story out, for those who might be interested in me shamelessly promoting it. It's [Human][Adventure][Romance], and is centered around the concept of being immortal via reincarnation like a phoenix. (Re)Birth Through Flames If you give it a try, you have my thanks.

Chapter 10 - The Test

"Wake up, Cady, wake up wake up!" Cadance groaned, eyes cracking open just enough to take in the bouncing bundle of energy filled filly that was currently using her side as a trampoline. The sun barely peaked through the windows, and she used her magic to deposit Twilight on the bed next to her.

"Twilight... it's early still, there's plenty of time before your test," she quietly said, tilting her head to meet Twilight's eyes. The twin lavender orbs pleaded with her, and with a resigned sigh Cadance rolled to her feet. Her mouth opened wide in a yawn as she stretched, her wings fully extending at the same time. A giggle filled her ears, and as she finished Cadance stared at Twilight. "What's so funny?"

"You looked just like a cat when you stretched, Cady!" Twilight exclaimed, carefully hopping off the bed to the floor and walking to the door. She paused a moment and turned to look over her shoulder at the still tired alicorn. "C'mon, hurry up, I'm gonna go wake up Blue!"

Cadance laughed to herself as Twilight disappeared out the room. She hopped off the bed, momentarily looking around the room before settling on the bathroom for a quick cleaning. After all, a princess must look her best in public, and Cadance was not going to miss Twilight's entrance exam for the world.

As Cadance showered, she smiled as the past six weeks came to mind. It had seemed like just the other day that they had all gone to the Fields of Elysium for the funeral, proving the adage that time does indeed fly by. At first, Twilight had been down, nearly shutting everything out. However, after meeting Blueblood she had quickly opened up, and her smile widened as she thought of the changes it had also wrought on her brother. Even now he no longer demanded things of the castle workers, instead asking politely anytime he needed something. The guards were also warming up to him at last, a thing Cadance had marked off as futile.

She stepped out of the shower and used magic to quickly aid the rest of her morning preparations, a smile on her face the entire time. Thoughts of Shining entered her mind, and not even they could remove the fixture from her face. He was busy preparing to go to his school, which also involved moving into the dormitories situated on the campus. Cadance knew that she was going to miss him, but it was going to affect Twilight even more.

Laughter greeted her ears as she walked into the dining room, three other ponies already present. Twilight was laughing as Shining fought to keep a straight face, and Blueblood was quietly eating a bowl of oatmeal, eyes glancing towards the siblings every few seconds. "Good morning, everypony." Cadance greeted as she took a seat next to Shining, quickly pecking him on the cheek.

Shining pulled her into a hug, letting his head rest against her neck. "Morning, Cady..." he quietly said, pointedly ignoring the fake gagging sounds coming from the two children at the table. He rested there a few moments, slowly pulling back and taking his seat again. Shining looked around the table, letting out a melacholic sigh. "I'm going to miss all of this."

Cadance noticed as Twilight and Blueblood went back to their food, each one of them quietly exchanging a word or two on occasion, then turned to face him. "I know, Shiny. But don't let it get you down, okay? I know we've already talked about this, so I'm just going to say that it's something you've got to do, right?" Cadance smiled, leaning into him slightly as she filled her plate. "Sides, once you're done, you can be my own, personal guard!"

They both laughed, exchanging one quick kiss, and then focused on their food. The minutes slipped by as everypony focused on their meal, each one thinking about the test that would be taking place in the next few hours. Twilight's horn was finally free of its cast, and she had been declared healthy enough to take the entrance exam to Celestia's School for Gifted Unicorns.

Everypony paused as Celestia walked into the room, a radiant smile beaming from her muzzle. Cadance noted that even her aunt had changed in recent weeks. Although her actions could be awkward at times, in private Celestia was slowly showing more of herself that Cadance had never before witnessed. In public, her demeanor never changed from that of The Princess of Equestria, but that was to be expected.

"Good morning," Celestia said quietly, her voice carrying to all corners of the room. "I understand that two of you are taking the entrance exam to my school, yes?" Twilight and Blueblood both smiled and lifted a hoof, each one making a small amount of noise as well. "Good luck to you two, I'm sure that you will both do well. Would you both like to show me a little bit of magic?"

As Celestia took a seat, Blueblood focused on his horn, a pale amber color slowly sputtering into being. Moments later, a fork slowly lifted from the table, encased in the same aura. It rose six inches above the surface, Blueblood's eyes squinting in concentration. After holding it there for a few seconds, it slowly dropped back to the surface before the aura vanished from it and his horn.

"Very well done, nephew." Celestia warmly smiled and then turned her attention to Twilight. "What about you, Twilight? Do you have anything to show me?"

Twilight furiously nodded, words escaping her for the moment. Instead, she focused her attention to her horn and concentrated, her brows scrunching in concentration. After a few moments, her horn sputtered to life, a warm lavender glow that encased the plate and surrounding silverware around it. It jerkily wobbled its way into the air, each piece at a different height.

She let out a small cry as her magic sputtered, leaving each piece of levitating diningware to its doom. However, a warm golden aura surrounded them all, gently setting each item back on the table's surface. "Twilight." Celestia calmly spoke, causing her to turn her head away in embarrassment. Celestia chuckled before addressing her again. "Twilight, please look at me." She waited until she had her attention. "Something you must always remember with magic is that you have to start out small. It was most impressive that you levitated so many objects at once, but you didn't have the control that Blueblood showed with just his one. Control is very important, okay?"

"Y-yes, Princess." Twilight quietly stammered out, hiding her face slightly behind her mane. A hoof on her shoulder nearly made her jump, and she turned to see Blueblood, a reassuring smile on his face. She slowly drew herself back up, doing her best to keep from blushing further from embarrassment.

"I must commend you both though, that was an excellent display of magic. I'm certain that you'll both do just fine at the test today." Celestia turned her attention to Shining, still with the same warm smile on her face. "And I understand that you're about to leave for the academy. I wish you the best of luck, just keep the reasons for you being there close to your heart and something tells me that you will succeed."

Shining let out a weak smile and nodded. "Thank you, Princess... that means a lot to me." Cadance nudged his side, and he followed her hoof to the time. He nearly jumped out of his seat as he saw how late it was and began to hurry up Twilight and Blueblood.

Cadance walked to Celestia, a beaming smile on her face. "I wish that you could come with us, Auntie." Celestia surprised her with a quick nuzzle to her cheek, letting out a small sigh.

"I wish that I could, Cadance. However, I fear that the squabbling masses would forever ruin my Court were I to not attend to it." Celestia let out a wry laugh, faint lines of weariness etched at the edges of her face. "Somepony has to do it, I'm afraid. Be safe, and ensure you take Night Blade and Morning Glory with you. They'll be meeting you at the gates."

Cadance returned the smile, chuckling as she saw Shining chasing Twilight from the corner of her sight. "I will, Auntie. You know that you could always not have court for a day, I think it wouldn't hurt them." They both laughed at that, sharing another few moments before Cadance intervened in the chase, using her magic to stop Twilight.

Twilight let out a surprised squeak as Cadance brought her to rest on her back, gently setting Twilight down between her wings. "Now, come on, weren't you the one who wanted to wake me up early so that we could get to the test in time? We've got to leave now, Twilight."

"Okay, Cady!" Twilight exclaimed as Shining and Blueblood came to either side of her. They said their goodbyes to Celestia before heading out of the room. They carefully navigated through the winding corridors, the castle gates quickly looming before them.

"Good morning, Princess and company! We have the illustrious task of–" Night Blade grunted as Morning Glory dug a hoof into his exposed ribs. "Umm, I mean, good morning, everypony. We'll be your guards today." he finished with a smile, glaring at Glory from the corner of his eyes.

Cadance laughed, nodding to each of them as their group walked up to them. "Thank you, Night, Glory. I take it you already know where we're going today?"

"Yes, Cadance, the Captain filled us in this morning. We finally get to take a walk around town, the castle is nice and I'll, but it's nice to have a change of pace." Glory spoke, a small smile gracing her otherwise serious demeanor.

"Glad to hear it, Glory." Night took the lead in front of the group, while Glory remained at Cadance's side. "You know, you might just be getting out of the castle a bit more in the near future," she quietly whispered to Glory, who slightly turned her head and raised her brow in return. "Yup. I asked Celestia about having a guard take Twi and Blue to school, since they are living in the castle, and she said it was a good idea. I saw how well you two already got along with them, so I recommended you two for it!"

Glory let out a small laugh. "That might just be fun. Those two can be a handful, but they make for good experience." She wryly smiled, nodding her heads towards Night.

Cadance drew upon her unique magic, examining Glory and Night closely under her rose tinted view. She let out a small squee of delight moments later, fixing a large smile on Glory. "That's wonderful news!"

Shining chuckled as he listened to Cadance ramble on with Glory, his attention focused more on Twilight and Blueblood. He seemed to be dealing with the upcoming test fine, but Twilight was visible showing signs of anxiety, and had Shining a little concerned for her. He had only gotten to spend a short amount of time working on her magic, and she was still prone to buckling under pressure. Shining had done his best to get her over that, but there had not been enough time to do so.

They approached the entrance to the school, mingling with the multitude of ponies. Parents and foals were together, some animatedly chatting away, while others were dour and quiet. Faculty members directed the flow of traffic, pointing them towards a desk to sign in. The gathered ponies parted before them, the combined presence of the guards and Cadance giving them a wide berth and causing muted whispers all around.

Shining did his best to keep Twilight focused on him as they quickly moved through the registration process, a faculty member directing them towards a small and private room close to the auditorium. Shining let out an audible sigh of relief as he helped Twilight off Cadance's back; she appeared to be a little nervous, but not enough to hinder her spellcasting.

"Now remember, Twily... exactly as we practiced, okay? Don't worry about anypony else in the room, just look at the task they give you and work your hardest to accomplish it." He hugged her tightly, a smile on his face. "And no matter what, I'm super proud of you."

They both looked up as an attendant entered the room. "Blueblood?" Cadance smiled at them briefly before following Blueblood and the faculty member out of the room. He turned back to Twilight, who was becoming more nervous as time passed.

"I'm scared, Shiny... what if I fail? What if I can't do what they ask me to do?" she began, pacing in place as her nerves began to get the better of her. Shining stopped her by wrapping his hooves around her again, drawing her in close.

"Don't worry about it, Twily. You'll do just fine." He broke off the hug, smiling at her as their eyes met. He playfully bopped her on the nose, drawing a gasp of indignation from her. The next few minutes flew by as they played around, anything to keep Twilight from dwelling on what was about to happen.

The knock that they had been waiting for sounded out, a pony opening the door moments later. "Twilight Sparkle? Please, follow me." she turned her head towards Shining, an indifferent look on her face. "Family is not allowed on the testing floor, but you'll be allowed into the stands to watch. Please follow that hall down, the first turn on the right will take you to them."

Shining paused a moment, resting his hoof on Twilight's shoulder. "You'll do just fine. I'll be watching with Cadance and Blueblood, okay?" Twilight nodded her head and watched his back as he began walking down the hall.

"If you could continue following me, please?" she asked, this time with warmth underneath her voice. Twilight ripped her attention away from Shining and followed her through a set of double doors into the auditorium. Seated at the far end behind podiums were multiple unicorns, each one rustling through papers on her desk.

"Are you Twilight Sparkle?" Twilight nodded her head in reply to the unicorn on the far left, who then turned to his colleagues and began quietly discussing amongst themselves. After a minute, a consensus seemed to have been reached, as he cleared his throat and refocused back on her.

"Your test today is to hatch this egg." He motioned to a set of doors that opened, revealing a straw-filled cart with a large egg resting inside. It was brought to the center of the room, and then the ponies pulling it removed themselves from the examination room. A few quiet gasps and murmurs were heard as he continued talking.

"Dragon eggs are somewhat unique, in that it only takes magic for you to hatch them. Twilight Sparkle, you have thirty minutes to funnel as much magic as you can into this egg in an attempt to hatch it. Your time begins... now."

Twilight gulped as she slowly walked up to the egg. When she was close enough, she slowly stretched out a hoof, bringing it to rest lightly on the surface. The leathery texture felt alien underneath her touch, and the warmth pulsed at a steady pace. A determined look on her face, she slowly called on her magi, doing her best to ignore everypony else and focus exclusively on the egg in front of her.

As she felt the magic building up inside her, she noticed the harsh stares from the proctors and gulped again. She released her magic all at once, but only sparks fizzed out from the end of her horn. Her nerves began to get the best of her, and Twilight became increasingly frustrated as her horn continued to fizz, no matter what she did.

Somewhere over the skies, a young filly was tired of it all. She wanted to prove once and for all that she had what it took to be the best, and nopony was going to get in her way. Not anymore. Fillies and colts alike gasped as she dove off the edge of the clouds, her speed increasing at an unrealistic rate.

Seconds later, a chromatic burst of color filled the sky, radiating outwards from her speeding form. A massive explosion of sound filled the air moments later.

Author's Note

Felt a bit rusty writing this. However, this is the segue for the start of the Momlestia action, I promise. Hopefully this isn't too bad, and you all enjoy. Not much more to really say, so for now, adieu.

Chapter 11 - The Surge

Celestia sighed as she walked into the expansive throne room, the closed, wide double-doors the only barrier between herself and the daily throng of petitioners. "Who's on the docket first, Amethyst?" Celestia enquired, briefly encasing the cushion of the throne in her magic and fluffing it a few times in preparation for the long morning ahead.

With the aid of her magic, Amethyst ruffled through the collection of sheets in front of her, face scrunching in disgust as she found the answer. "Sorry, Princess, but it seems that Von Trot is back again," her eyes scanned the words on the sheet, "and it's the same issue..."

Sighing, Celestia took a seat on the throne as she narrowed her eyes in thought. "How long has it been since his last petition? Was it more than six months ago?" Amethyst nodded in reply, eliciting another long sigh from her. "Some ponies just don't understand that no means no... I suppose you can go ahead and have him sent in now, I shall simply have to be even more firm this time and disbar the matter from ever being raised again."

The twin doors opened at her word, showing a large group of ponies milling about, all of them waiting for their chance to bring a matter before her. A haughty unicorn slowly trotted into the room, head held high and a glimmer in his eyes that spoke volumes of the enormous ego hidden within. As Von Trot came within talking distance of the throne, he paused his steps and barely bowed his head, a smile present on his face the entire time.

"Good morning, your Majesty. As always, I am humbled to be before you–" he began, nearly jumping as Celestia's voice cut through the air, interrupting him.

"Get to the point, Von Trot. Are you here to once more ask me to foolishly turn over the farmland just south of Manehatten to your company so that you may prospect and mine it? The very same farmland that is responsible for eighty percent of the city's fresh produce?"

Von Trot withered slightly under her words as he fought to keep a smile plastered on his face. "Y-Your Majesty, as I last mentioned, it is a simple enough task to import the lost crop from the neighboring cities–" he visibly cringed as her voice boomed through the air, its power even silencing the idle chatter beyond the doors in the reception area.

"At an increased price and most likely through a company that you hold, and to be sold at a higher price!" Visible signs of anger became present on Celestia's face, mostly at the sheer stupidity of yet another noble who thought she could be easily exploited for their personal gain.

Before she could continue, however, a polychromatic wave washed through the castle, leaving a faint tingling sensation behind as a loud cracking sound was heard moments later. As the magic washed over her, Celestia faintly smiled and briefly closed her eyes at the confirmation that a lost pegasus technique was once more rediscovered. Whoever that is, they will go far, no doubt...

Celestia's eyes opened in alarm as multiple magical wards were tripped in her mind, audibles alarms reaching her ears from the city as the entire castle briefly shuddered. Alarmed, she hastily teleported to a nearby balcony overlooking the city in an attempt to understand what was going on.

As her hooves struck solid marble at the other end of her teleport, she quickly scanned the horizon of the city. Immediately, Celestia noticed the source of the disturbance, made rather obvious from the dragon head poking clean through the ceiling of a building not too far away. Her eyes widened in alarm as another rumble went through the ground, accompanied in time with a massive surge of magic next to the dragon.

That's the school, so it must be... Celestia began thinking to herself as she extended her senses to examine the magical font that was wildly spewing magic uncontrollably, concern entering her as she confirmed the source. It is Twilight. I've got to get there, and quickly.

As she thought to herself, the magic emanating from Twilight further intensified to levels not even Celestia had thought possible. She quickly thought about teleporting closer to the school, but quickly ruled it out as a stray thought of what could go wrong due to the massive amount of magic saturating the air.

Amethyst can handle Von Trot... I've got to stop this before the caverns below begin resonating with Twilight's surge, that could spell disaster. She quickly took to the sky on her wings, each powerful pump driving her ever closer to the now visible uncontrolled magic. As she came closer, the resistance in the air increased exponentially from the magic manifesting itself in the air, forcing her to abandon her flight a few blocks away from the school as the air's resistance became too much for even her to sustain flight.

Celestia tried to calmly smile at the citizens looking at the school in a near panic, but never once stopped moving at her quick pace, determined to not allow anything to interrupt her. As she came to the school's entrance, a faint taste of lavender entered her mouth, causing her to briefly scrunch her face. The ponies streaming out of the school parted before her as she hastily navigated the corridors, her destination the auditorium.

She entered into a literal scene of chaos that caused her to shiver as memories of a certain draconequus floated to the top of her mind. Pushing the thought aside, she took in the pandemonium going on in the room. The lower half of a green and purple dragon sat amongst the remnants of a cart, hay and wood splinters littering the floor around him. The group of teachers giving the test were floating in the air, the magic in the air threatening to overpower the hastily constructed shield guarding them. In the stands two plants, planters included, were found, their color schemes oddly familiar; one was a mixture of white and blues, while the other was mostly pink broken only by a purple and gold color.

At the center of it all was Twilight, the little filly literally levitating in the air as power crackled outwards from her body. Her eyes were a solid white, and she appeared to have no control or awareness of the situation around her. Celestia approached Twilight, the frequent bolts of raw magic reflected by her strongly constructed shield around herself. She lowered her horn to the filly's, letting her magic flow through Twilight.

I see... she probably lost control when the Sonic Rainboom went off, the shock triggered her surge. Now, the reason it's spewing magic out like this must be... ah ha, found it! Near Twilight's horn, her internal magic conduits were bright, with the small exception of one darker area that was still damaged from the attack that claimed her parents. Celestia carefully mended the damaged conduit, slightly smiling in satisfaction as the problem seemed solved, the magic no longer spewing quite so much into the air. Celestia wrapped it up with a gentle tug on Twilight's consciousness to have the filly regain her senses

She waited a few seconds for the surge to finish after her intervention. However, as the seconds began reaching a minute, Celestia became alarmed. There was no longer any physical reason for Twilight to be surging, but she still was, and a large amount of magic was leaking from her horn, although minor in comparison to earlier. Concerned for Twilight's safety, Celestia connected their horns once more and recast her spell.

Alarm was the forefront thought as she noted the extreme amount of magic flowing through Twilight's conduits, a picture of just how truly powerful this filly was coming together in her thoughts. Most unicorns used bodies of waters as an analogy for sizing their magical reservoirs. Most had wells, only able to pull small amounts of magic at a time. A few had ponds like one might find in a backyard in a more rural location. Even fewer still had a small lake. However, Twilight's magic was as if she were pulling it through a dimensional rift, with the other end nothing but water.

Celestia refocused on the task at hand, doing her best to stem the massive tide of magic while also wondering just why Twilight's consciousness was not returning. After putting a temporary plug on the rift, she pulled on a rarely used spell, for she considered it a violation of one's basic rights.

She dove into Twilight's mind, searching for the filly's consciousness. As she flew through the mindscape, memories drifted all around her, impeding her course frequently as she adjusted her path to avoid them. In the far distance a storm loomed, and Celestia had a feeling that within that roiling mass of storm clouds is where she would find Twilight.

Cringing every time she clipped a bubble due to the filly's memories briefly flooding her mind, she forged ahead even as the weather within the mindscape did everything in its power to impede the intruder's presence. Gale force winds began buffeting her, however she quickly found the center of the storm, a singular bubble of memories laying in the storm's eye. Hesitantly she reached out with a hoof, knowing that Twilight's consciousness was somehow contained within.

The scenery shifted as the memory began playing itself out. The sounds of ponies working filtered through to the interior of an already erect tent were filly and mother were quietly talking, nestled next to each other. A minute passed before sounds of alarm were heard, the occasional clash of metal and cries of pain ringing throughout the air, causing both occupants to lift their heads.

"M-mom? What's going on?" Twilight asked, confused at the foreign noises reaching her ears. Her mother quickly hid her in the back of the tent, commanding her to not move a muscle until she returned. Twilight waited for some time as the sounds outside began to dwindle, before one reached her ears that caused her to jump in alarm.

Her mother's cries of pain reached her ears, causing them to fold backwards as she disregarded the words spoken to her. Twilight's only concern was what was wrong with her mom, and she quickly poked her head outside the tent. A scene of carnage greeted her eyes, and she froze up as they met her mother's eyes.

"Twi-Twilight, no..." she heard her mother quietly croak out before a gryphon's claw stepped on her mother's throat, turning its attention towards the young filly.

"Hey, lookit ere! A young'un! Who wants to have some fun?" the gryphon cried out as Twilight stood there frozen in fear, eyes locked on her mother as she stood half inside and half outside the tent.

Celestia cringed as the memory continued its course, fresh rage entering her mind as she witnessed what exactly Twilight had seen done to her that night. The memory became fuzzy and slowly faded to black as the soldiers had arrived on the scene, and as soon as black encompassed everything, it began playing itself out once more.

"Twilight!" Celestia cried out, attempting to pull her from this awful memory that she seemed stuck in, replaying itself out over and over again Celestia assumed. When she heard no response, she moved to the Twilight in the memory and attempted to interact with her right after her mother left the tent. "This is just a memory, Twilight, there is no need to relive it." Celestia stretched out a hoof towards the filly, her best attempt at a smile on her face. "Here, come with me."

Twilight hesitantly reached out her little hoof, slowly bridging the gap between the two. Celestia continued to brightly smile, doing her best to keep Twilight at ease. Her plans shattered as the pained sounds of Twilight's mom rang out once more, Celestia barely able to wrap her hooves around the filly before she could dart outside.

"Shh, Twilight. Calm down... you know that this has already happened, and nothing you do otherwise will change it, little one..." she calmly spoke, wrapping herself tighter around Twilight. "Just let go of it, it doesn't have to control you, Twilight."

The filly struggled in her grasp for some time before the memory disappeared, shifting back to the center of the tempest within her mindscape. Celestia gently sighed as the struggling slowed before stopping altogether. She sat there as Twilight cried in her hooves, doing her best to provide comfort.

Time outside was of no concern when within one's mind, so Celestia simply let Twilight's tears run their course. When the time between sobs finally lengthened, she unfurled her wing from around Twilight, a concerned look on her face. "How are you doing? We must leave your mind and return to the outside world, I'm certain Shining and Cadance are most concerned for you, Twilight."

Celestia carefully extricated her limbs from Twilight and made to stand up. A slight tug on her limb stopped her, Twilight's hoof pulling on hers. "Please, don't go?" she pleaded with Celestia, the watery eyes nearly stunning her. "Don't leave me alone... not you too..."

In a moment of inspiration, Celestia pulled on the smallest mote of her power, forming an exact replica of herself from magic that should serve two purposes. The first one was to ensure that such a powerful surge would not happen again by creating a vent for the excess magic. She was uncertain what form it would take, but knew that it would be much safer than having the magic rage out of control.

The other purpose was less safety oriented and more for Twilight, personally. The double moved to take her place as she began speaking. "Here, Twilight... when you aren't awake, I will be here to always ensure that you're not alone, okay?"

Celestia smiled as the mote of her magic in her form interacted with the young filly and began pulling her mind out at last. As the last traces of her consciousness left Twilight's mind, she thought she heard a muttered phrase, although she was uncertain of her hearing.

"Thank you, Mommy..."

Sighing as the last of the stray magic slowly dissipated in the air, it took almost no effort to reverse the damages and changes Twilight had accidentally caused. After ensuring that Twilight was simply peacefully resting, Celestia returned Shining and Cadance back from plants to their proper pony forms.

"Aunt Celestia! Thank goodness you got here, I wasn't able to do a thing about Twilight's surge!" Cadance exclaimed as Shining rushed to check on his sister. "Will she be okay?"

Shining, finding nothing wrong with his sister, carefully lifted Twilight onto his back before turning towards Cadance and Celestia, whistling. "I remember some of her surges, but nothing was ever that powerful. The most she had managed before was animating an aisle of grocery products." He took one look at the giant form of the dragon and simply whistled once more.

"Indeed, your sister is extremely powerful, Shining Armor," she spoke as she effortlessly finished fixing the damage, the last action shrinking the dragon down to its proper post-hatching size. "To hatch a dragon egg alone takes the magic of at least a dozen linked unicorns, yet your sister when startled managed to hatch it and enlarge it to a point that I might even view as difficult."

Celestia briefly looked towards the faculty who were currently cowering behind their desks. "I'll have words with you all later as to why exactly somepony thought it a good idea to use a dragon's egg during an entrance examination." she turned her attention back towards Shining and Cadance.

"I believe that it's time we returned to the castle. I can safely say that Twilight has passed, and I believe that the only one who will be able to properly teach her will be myself." A light smile graced her face as she turned towards the exit. "Shall we?"

The trio walked out of the auditorium, leaving the faculty members to themselves in the empty auditorium.

"Oh, ponyfeathers."

Author's Note

SURPRISE! Hiatus is over, although I might be a bit rusty. Hope you all enjoy the chapter as you brush the flecks of iron oxide from around it. I hopefully conveyed the mind bit how I wanted to, and we are finally entering the territory that the story is supposed to be focusing on!

EDIT: Yes, I apparently goofed up and forgot little Blueblood. Without any explicit mention of where he was, he should have been alongside Cadance and Shining Armor. Please note that I'll make a minor edit to write him in, he really didn't have a purpose for this section of the plot, and it had been some time since I last reread my prior chapters... oops.

Chapter 1 - Enter the Twilight

"Can you believe those gryphons? Ten years of negotiations tanked in a matter of minutes!" An earth pony grumbled to a guard, both in the final process of setting up the last tent in the rapidly fading sunlight.

"Yeah, the princess is going to be pissed off. We all knew that Highmount was a pain in the flank, but to come to near hostilities for no cause? And then he claims that Equestria itself belongs to him? I'm just glad we're back home, I thought we were going to be attacked before we even got a chance to gather our things this morning." Another pony stated, wiping his brow with a hoof as the last of the camp was assembled.

A group of ponies were finishing setting up the last of their camp as the sun gave way to the moon, its light causing the fire to throw dancing shadows across the ground. The first of dinner was being passed out as everypony gathered together. Nopony heard the diving gryphons until it was too late.

Celestia sat in her study during the Day court's lunch recess, sipping at her tea. Her hoofmaid had just left the room, leaving her to enjoy the one hour of the day that was reserved solely for herself.

"Oh, Luna..." Celestia quietly muttered, her thoughts drifting once more to her sister. "It's been nine hundred eighty-seven years, seven months, and thirteen days since you forced my hoof to such drastic measures... I need to find the bearers of the Elements of Harmony, dear sister, so that you may be returned to me once more." Her eyes drifted towards the mural of the moon on the wall.

Celestia's tea lay forgotten as she continued to ponder on Luna's return. "I have just over twelve years left. There's been a few promising leads, but nothing definite yet. I'd hoped Cadance would be able to fulfill Magic's role, but it doesn't seem to be that way. Still, I'll need her for–" Celestia immediately quit speaking softly to herself as heavy thumps sounded out on her door, three hits in rapid succession.

Sighing, she undid the enchantment keeping it closed, causing the stallion at the door to rush inside. "What is it, Captain? I presume you have something important enough to be worth disturbing my only time alone all day?" Celestia fixed a hard gaze on the captain of her guard, who merely gave a quick salute in reply.

"I deeply apologize, Princess, but I just received word back on the Highmount Aerie diplomatic mission, and... it's bad." He levitated a slightly crumpled scroll that had been hastily rerolled over to Celestia, who took it with her own magic and unfurled it before reading.

Captain Shield,

At approximately twenty-one hundred last night, while on a regularly scheduled patrol of the Equestrian-Highmount border, we encountered a small force of Gryphons who had crossed onto Equestrian soil and were actively engaged with a small number of our citizens. It was later revealed that this was the group sent to handle the diplomatic affairs between Equestria and the Highmount Aerie.

When we arrived on scene, the gryphons had killed almost everypony in the camp. It appears they were attacked unaware during supper. The only survivor was a lone filly. After a quick assessment, she was teleported to Canterlot for immediate medical attention. It appears that she suffered numerous wounds from the gryphons torturing her and her mother.

The casualties from the ensuing action were the following: Of the pegasi on patrol, one sustained grievous injuries and is most likely grounded for good. Another four pegasi received minor lacerations. Of the attackers, twelve gryphons were killed and two captured, one of which is deemed to be in critical condition. All of the attacking gryphons have been confirmed to be those underneath Highmount Aerie, and this unprovoked attack on our diplomats and guards are paramount to a declaration of war on Equestria from Highmount.

Only one prisoner is expected to survive. He is currently on transit to Canterlot so that he may be made available for further questioning. Additionally, we have gathered all of the belongings and the remains and will be in Canterlot in two days’ time.

Sgt. Spitfire, 503rd Air Squadron Captain

"PRINCESS!"

A voice broke Celestia's rage as she stared at the offending document in her magic, the scroll going up in flames moments later. The air around her was warped from the heat forcing itself out from her body. The captain neared the doorway as the flowers in the room began to wither and die from the intense temperature.

Celestia forced her anger back under control, slightly embarrassed beneath the endless fountain of fury that was threatening to swallow her. "I apologize, Captain." she spoke, the rising anger clear in her tone. "Time and time again, I forgave his slights, preferring talks over bloodshed, even though they've stretched on for over ten years. But no one gets away with killing my little ponies!" Her voice boomed at the end, the walls themselves shaking.

"Your orders, Princess?" Shield quietly spoke, ready to carry out anything she asked, his own anger carefully kept under control beneath his steely exterior.

"Captain, I'm going for a walk. Announce that Day Court has been cancelled. Additionally, I want all of the intelligence reports on the Highmount Aerie gathered and ready to be presented first thing tomorrow morning. Have the Third Company mobilized and ready to go as well, just in case. One way or another, they will pay for their actions. Dismissed." The captain quickly vacated the room, the loud thud of the closing door heralding his departure. Celestia walked to the balcony, quickly taking flight to the open courtyard below.

Time flew as Celestia put one hoof in front of the other, her visage that of the indomitable Princess of the Sun and lone ruler of Equestria on, masking her true emotions. Never stopping, not even when directly addressed, she simply walked on as the anger slowly bled out through her hooves.

Sometime later, she came to a pause, noting a faint pull. Celestia looked around and saw the entrance to the castle’s hospital located directly in front of her and entered moments later. There was somepony powerful nearby, and it wasn't Cadance, which left Celestia curious.

"Ah, welcome, Princess Celestia! Is there anything I can do to help you today?" A unicorn walked up to Celestia, a small hat with a red cross centered on it atop her head.

"I was merely passing by, Nurse. Tell me, how many ponies are currently being treated here?" Celestia inquired, the faint pull of magic lingering on the edge of her consciousness.

At her question, the nurse's expression dropped. "Just one at the moment, Princess. She was brought in last night, emergency teleport arrival. It took our doctors hours to stabilize the poor dear, and there's a good chance she'll have problems the rest of her life from this. She’s only five too, and orphaned now..." The nurse trailed off, tears flowing from her eyes.

It must be the filly from the attack last night. I wonder... "I would like to see her, if you would, nurse." Celestia quietly asked.

"Normally, I would say no. Obviously we can make an exception though, Princess. If you would follow me?" A short trot brought them to a partially opened door, the steady beep of a heart monitor reaching her ears, as well as a shallow, ragged breathing.

"I'll be at the receptionist's desk if you need anything, Princess." Celestia numbly waved a hoof in reply at the nurse, who quietly closed the door behind her.

"Oh my..." Celestia's composure dropped as she finally came into the presence of the magic that had been pulling on her. This filly was filled with raw magic, more than even Cadance possessed. Celestia muttered to herself, voicing her thoughts. "This amount of magic is impossible in a unicorn, but... Luna, I believe I've found the bearer of Magic."

Celestia closed her eyes and began to think. She has so much potential, but has no parental figures anymore. Do I do the same as I did with Cadance? I can provide the guidance necessary to ensure she becomes Magic's bearer. Not only will she be responsible for saving Luna, but she'll most likely end up accomplishing a lot. I've got to ensure she stays close at hoof, but what's the best way?

She continued to think on how to best steer this filly so that she could fully realize her potential. Even at such a young age, Celestia was certain beyond a doubt that this small unicorn would be, if not the most, one of the most important ponies of her generation. Already the beginnings of a timetable was forming within her mind, milestones to be achieved so that come Luna's return, the young filly would be ready to harness the power of the Elements of Harmony.

A small groan ripped Celestia from her thoughts as she opened her eyes and looked at the source. She couldn't help but let out a gasp at what she saw before her.

In light of the potential this young filly possessed, Celestia had forgotten to actually look at her. The nurse's words didn't do the extent of her injuries justice, as nearly the entire form of the filly was covered in swaths of bandages. Even her horn was covered, and it was painfully apparently that part of its tip was missing. There were areas on the bandages where a small amount of blood had come through, and her body was a small field of such red splotches. Even unconscious and on medication, the filly's face was contorted in pain.

Celestia sat down on a cushion next to the bedside and simply looked at the young unicorn. She took in the nearly still form of this young filly whose physical condition she hadn't even noticed until whimpers of pain had broken her thoughts. This brought to light a singular thought which caused Celestia to pause everything.

"Have I really become so distant?" She numbly questioned herself, the words barely a whisper. Unable to move her eyes, she continued to stare at the filly. Her thoughts refused to form, as memories flooded the forefront of her mind.

A knock at the door caused Celestia to jump, completely taken by surprise. There was a tugging in the back of her mind signaling that it was nearly time to lower the sun so the moon could make its way through the sky. But, it was just early afternoon, has that much time passed?

"I'm sorry, Princess, but it's getting late and I need to change her bandages. I don't think you'll want to be here, it's... not a pretty sight." The nurse from earlier quietly spoke, a tray of bandages and various other medical supplies balanced on her back.

"I understand, you have your job to do. Tell me," Celestia asked, motioning a hoof towards the filly, "what will become of her?"

The nurse looked puzzled for a few moments before giving her reply. "Well, it appears that the only family she has is an older brother who is currently in the guard’s entry school, but he's unable to support her and isn't old enough to legally be her guardian. I would suppose once she is well enough, an orphanage would take her in until she was adopted or came of age." She hesitated a moment, then asked a question of her own. "Why do you ask, Princess?"

It seems that I have become too distant with them, this may just be what I need... It only took a moment for Celestia to make a decision that would begin the first of many changes. "Although she will be here for some time, I'll have a room prepared for her. Here. In the castle, that is." She firmly spoke, causing the nurse's eyes to widen.

“Princess, you mean to raise her yourself?” The nurse asked, curiosity and shock mingling together.

"I do. I plan on making her a ward of the crown, she deserves as much given what she has been through." Celestia turned to the filly, hesitating a moment before gently kissing her forehead. "I shall see you tomorrow..." She trailed off, realizing that although she had spent the remainder of the evening at the young filly's bedside she had yet to learn her name. Her eyes settled on the open door, where large letters identified the occupant.

"Twilight Sparkle."

Author's Note

And here's another idea that has been pinging around my head for some time. The mother/daughter relationship with Celestia and Twilight that so many see isn't really explored that frequently. Rather than taking a fluff approach, I wanted to take a slightly more serious one, showing a Celestia that had walled herself off from the repeated pain that loss had incurred. Make Twilight the one who begins to get her to open up, and you have a truly wonderful chance at a Slice of Life mother/daughter story.

Please note, Canon events. Unless otherwise specified in story, everything will stick as close as possible to canon events. To address this now, Twilight is approximately five at this point. Shining Armor is fifteen. He's in a prep school meant to help for entering the guards. He is also seeing Cadance at this point. Thus, he is not capable of being Twilight's legal guardian.

And for Twilight, as far as being a ward of the crown for the purposes of this story, it is essentially that the castle (Celestia and staff) are responsible for her upbringing, rather than putting her into an orphanage. It is not the official adoptive process. That'll come later.