The Halcyon Days

Chapters

Episode 2 - The Triforce
Episode 3 - For Heart, Soul and Friendship
Episiode 4 - The Language of Flowers
Episode 5 - A Poisoned Soul
Episode 6 - Destiny and Violence
Episode 7 - Hearts and Hooves
Episode 1 - The First Time We Met

Episode 2 - The Triforce

The Halcyon Days

Episode 2 – The Triforce

“Pull stronger!”
“Any more? I can´t!”
“Come on! They´re tired!
“We are, too!”
“I think I´m losing grip!”

This was tug war something different.
The class room was filled with the young student´s shouts of encouragement. The wooden desks rested in the back of the room and made place for the two opposing teams of young fillies and colts.
Every team tried to pull the rope and the red mark in its middle over a white line of chalk.

The only difference between normal tug war and this version - the magical version - was that nopony used its hooves but its magical grip.

“ComeoncomeoncomeonCOMEON!”
“We are too weak!”
“Nothing is lost, yet! We still can win this! We…”

“Okay, my little ponies! Seems like a draw. The lesson is over. Time for breakfast!” Mister Albert broke the game.
Disappointed, one after another, the students let the rope go, some of them sweating heavily because of their mental efforts. Only two foals won´t stick to their guns.
“Twilight! Bleach! Stop now!” Mister Albert animated them to quit. But they won´t do so.
“I´ll not give up!” Twilight snorted.
“Me! Neither!” Bleach said fervently.
The teacher sighed.

The others watched them excited and followed every inch of the purple and the white glow of the two competitors. One after another, they started to cheer their favorite up.
“Go on Bleach! You´ll do this!”
“You birdbrain! Twilight is much stronger! Get him Twilight!”
“Yeah, give him hell, Twilight!”
“Don´t give up, Bleach!”
The glows around the ropes increased with the cheers and Twilight and Bleach grimaced in their big efforts to pull the red mark to them.

They continued their fight, until the others got bored and decided, to precipitate the end of the competition. Slowly, they started to tickle their favorite´s opponent. And it was obvious, that the white stallion was the primal favorite.
“H-h-hey! S-s-stop t-t-thaHAHAHAHAHA!” Twilight tried to resist them fruitless. She collapsed to the ground, laughing loud.
Bleach wasn´t prepared for the sudden lack of his counterweight.
“Woooaaahhh-UFF…”
Still pulling, he flew backwards with a surprised shout and crashed into the desks.
“Ough…” he groaned and instantly, there were several hooves to support him. He chose the purple one, which pulled him back to his hooves.
“Are you hurt?” his concerned friend asked.
“No…I´m fine. Thank you. Phew! That was…unfair. You sure would have won!” he meant.
“Nah! You have way more condition! You would have won!” Twilight opined and smiled wide.

“Okay, enough for now! Now, go and enjoy your breakfast, my little ponies!” Mister Albert said and they all left the room and headed for the fourth floor and the canteen.

The structure of the palatial school pile was simple. The first two floors were for the class rooms. The third and fourth floor was for the canteen, the library, the assembly hall, the secretary´s office and some lounges for the students to rest or do their homework. The upper stories to the tenth floor were for the student´s chambers, but to have an own chamber, Twilight had to wait until she was fourteen.
In the meantime, she stayed with her parents.

“You can go ahead.” her friend next to her suddenly said and interrupted her thoughts. They were on the third floor and Twilight already wanted to climb the stairs to the fourth floor, but Bleach didn´t join her. “I just want to return a book back to the library. I´m back in an instant. Do you search us a nice table? Preferably at the window?”
Twilight smiled and nodded. “Okay!”
He also nodded and trotted off.

Twilight turned around and headed for the canteen…

______________________________________________________________________

One month had passed since Twilight´s first day at school and she slowly accustomed herself to her new surrounding and her new life.
Monday and Thursday, she had a personal lesson with Celestia in the afternoon. During her first lessons, she had learned from her how to control her magic and how to canalize it effectively through her body. She also repeated with her the spells she learned at school.
Actually, they were learning the ‘magical grip’. And that she couldn´t defeat Bleach at magical tug war showed her, that she already had to learn a lot. Even if she was sure that she had done everything right! But still he was up to her! Twilight´s ambition couldn´t bear that!
She smiled.
Bleach had become her best friend during this month, sure, but he also had become her main rival - maybe excepted at PE. He was also as intelligent as she was and controlled every spell as good as she controlled them!
How was that possible?
He wasn´t Celestia´s student and still he was as good at magic as her!

And he was different from the other colts.
While the other colts and fillies stayed among themselves, he stayed with her. And he was on another level as the other colts. While others laughed about every vulgar joke, he only smiled artificially and tried to lead the conversation into something more…profound.
Anyway, they already had found a time to meet at the playground. They met every Wednesday and Friday, sometimes also Saturday. Tuesdays, he never had time. She had asked him why, but he hadn´t answered her. He kept it secretly. But she was determined to lift this secret!

Thinking about how she should do this, she entered the canteen…and sighed. There was no free table anymore. Raindrops drummed against the window panes and she heard a low rumbling outside. Of course, who wants to breakfast in the rain…
She bought a daisy and a rose sandwich - her favorites for breakfast - with her allowance for food and searched for a table. Meanwhile, she eavesdropped for the actual central theme of the other young students she passed.
Today, it was cutie-marks and she automatically thought back how she had gotten hers.

She finally found a table at the window, only one single filly at her age sitting at it. It wasn´t one of her class mates, so it had to be one of her parallel class.
“Excuse me…Are these seats reserved? Can my friend and I take place here?” She asked politely, pointing at the two chairs opposite of the young mare.
She slowly turned her head to Twilight and watched around, asking herself if she really was talking to her. Finally, she nodded, slightly smiling. “S-sure…” she replied slightly nervous.
“Great!” the purple filly beamed, put her tray with the sandwiches from her back down on the table and sat down opposite to her.

Twilight looked the filly in front of her over.
She was a silver-coated young mare with a neat green and white mane. She was looking through the window with her golden eyes, lost in her inner thoughts. The sandwich on the tray in front of her wasn´t touched yet.
“You are looking sad…” Twilight assessed.
The silver filly snapped out of her thoughts with a start. “W-what?” she stuttered and faced her.
“You are looking sad.” Twilight repeated and bowed her head. “Or am I wrong?”
“N-no…”
“What is it?” she asked instantly with concern. “Maybe talking about it is helping.”
“W-well, I-I…i-it is…”
“Hey! Look who we have here! Miss Blank Ass!” a male voice announced behind the silver filly and a red colt with a dark-blue mane appeared, flanked by two other colts and one filly. “How does it feel to be the only pony without a cutie-mark? Are you too dumb-ass to find out what you are good at? Oh!” he shouted and face-hoofed. “I forgot: You aren´t good at anything!” the others behind him laughed.
The silver mare only shrank in her seat, her eyes watery. She sobbed low.
Twilight´s anger rose.

“Hey! Stop hassling her! Right now!”
She hadn´t said that. The red stallion turned around by the sudden voice.
“Oh, how cute! Another Blank Ass!” he mocked. Twilight couldn´t see, who was standing behind the stallion, but she identified the voice as Bleach. “Well, Mister Blank Ass has to pretend his wife, right? Oh, isn´t that cuddly?”
“You are talking non-sense.” he hit back smirking. “I´m asking myself: Who is a dumb-ass? Yes, she and I haven´t a cutie-mark yet. But is it that important to have one? We only get one chance to discover our special talents. If we once have found it, there´s no way back to change it. So it´s better to take time and find out, what we really are made for and what´s our destiny in life, don´t you think so?”
“Aha, listen to this!” the stallion mocked again. “I never heard such bullshit! Had your daddy told you these words?” Again his clique laughed.
“Yes.” Bleach replied, still smirking. They laughed even harder. “And it where words filled with wisdom. Maybe more wisdom than you will ever have…”
“Did you…did you say I´m thick?” He snorted angrily. “That´s not good for your health!”
“I would prefer the expressions ‘simple-minded’ or ‘feeble-minded’…” he said slowly. “And I´m not worried about my wholesomeness…” He stretched his head to the side. “So your cutie-mark are some nails…interesting…what do you do with them? Count them? Impressive!”

He instantly ducked down. One second later, the red stallion soared above him, missed him and landed behind him. With an elegant half-turn Bleach rose to his hind legs and faced the red stallion, his smirk still on his lips.
“Well, I hate this sort of fighting…but we can dance, if you want…”
“DANCE? Are you batshit crazy now? I vow, in a minute you´ll see stars!” He assaulted him again, but Bleach again just avoided with a side-step.
Several times more, the other stallion attacked him and every time, Bleach only took one or two steps to avoid him. And he was right, it looked like a dance. And Bleach was leading it.
“Fight like a real stallion, you damned prima ballerina!”
Bleach ignored it, twisted, ducked and avoided his next attack. His mane and tail waved graceful to his music-lacking rhythm. The red stallion was panting. Twilight´s friend faced him, his smirk ineradicable on his lips. “As I said: I´m not worried about my wholesomeness…but your condition, oh dear! I saw babies keeping up dancing longer than you…”
“Come on, just let´s get out of here…he´s not worth any trouble!” one of the red stallion´s companions suggested. He snorted displeased but agreed.
Together, they withdrew.

Bleach took his tray from the table he had put it down before he had interfered, picking up some low-whispered words of cheer from the students around him which had watched the scene, and took place next to the silver filly…

______________________________________________________________________

“Are you okay?” he asked concerned. The filly nodded, still sobbing. Small tears streamed down her cheeks. Twilight had taken place on the filly´s other side and hugged her comforting.

“Hey…please don´t cry anymore! These idiots are not worth any tears…” he pleaded with his soft voice.
“But they´re right! I´m not good at anything! I am a complete failure!” she cried.
“No, you aren´t.” Twilight objected gently.
“Oh yes, I am! I am the biggest loser at the entire school!”
“Nonsense! You´re surely good at something! You only haven´t found it yet!”
“But I am the worst in my class! And the only one without a cutie-mark…”
“If it´s any comfort for you: I also haven´t a cutie-mark yet. And many of our class mates too!” Bleach said and looked at Twilight. “That mint green mare behind us, for example. What was her name?”
“Lyra.” Twilight replied. “And that black colt in the last row with the yellow-white mane…Shadow Star!”
“Yeah or…”
“Okay, okay…” the silver filly interrupted them with a mix of a chuckle and a sob. She tried a faint smile and dried her tears with her hooves. “…I see what you want to say…”
“Hey, look at this! She even can smile!” Bleach cheered.
“Yes. At least one thing I can…thank you two for trying to comfort me…I don´t even know your names…”
“Oh, I am Twilight!” she introduced herself and pointed at her white friend. “And this is Bleach!”
“And you are?...” Bleach asked for the filly’s name.
“Silverleaf…”
“Lovely name!” he beamed. “Nice to meet you, Silverleaf!”

Her last sobs died down and her tears stopped streaming. Twilight and Bleach sat back on the other side of the table and finally started breakfasting. Their recess was almost over and they had to hurry up a little bit.
“So, Silverleaf…” Bleach began between two bites of his hay-cereals “…are these idiots always bullying you like this?” Annoyingly, she nodded.
“But why don´t you tell your teacher?” Twilight asked. “They can´t ignore such a behavior!”
“They say they would beat the hell out of me if I do so…”
Bleach huffed. “Tell them, they´ll regret it if they lay only one hoof on you!”
“Would you bandy with them?” Twilight asked, concerned about her friend.
“No. You should know, that that´s way too much under my level! You saw it for yourself: Sometimes, you haven´t to attack an enemy to defeat him!” He took a firm bite.
“But we can´t do nothing!” Twilight meant determined. “Your father is a teacher! Can´t he do something?”
“Your father is a teacher here at school?” Silverleaf interposed before he could answer. The white colt nodded.
“Yes, he is. He is the PE-teacher here at school. Of course, I could plead him to have a wary eye on them during PE and to punish them if they threaten you. But that won´t change anything. They only would be more aggressive against you. There must be another way…”

For a moment, all three thought about a solution for themselves. But none of them found one.
“We should think about it another time.” Twilight suggested sighing with a glance to the big clock in the middle of the canteen. “It´s late. We´ll be tardy!”
“Keep your head!” Bleach calmed her giggling. “We still got five min…”
“If you want to be late, it´s your problem!” she interrupted him harsh. “I´ll not be tardy! What should Celestia think of me? Maybe she´ll drop me out! That would be A DISASTER!” and with that, she galloped off.
Bleach and Silverleaf left in the emptying canteen and gazed after her.
“Is she always over the edge like that?” Silverleaf questioned. “And what does she mean with: ‘what should Celestia think of me’?”
Bleach chuckled in response. “She´s only like that if it´s going about punctuality or things that she can´t explain…”
“I see…”
“Oh, and that with Celestia: she´s her personal student. Never heard about Twilight Sparkle? The filly with the possibly greatest magical stock in history?”
Her eyes widened. “THAT was THE Twilight Sparkle?”
He smiled and nodded. “Yes, she is…Anyway: For now, you just should stay with us. We´ll protect you from these bullies.” Bleach offered and Silverleaf accepted grateful. He beamed.
“Oh, and one last question…” he added while he slowly left his seat to get back to the class “…Do you have time in the afternoon? Twilight and I meet every Wednesday and Friday at the playground at the park. And today is Wednesday! You can join us, if you want. Then, we can think together about a solution for your bully-problem.”
Silverleaf beamed too. “That would be great! Thank you!”
“No problem. So we meet at three o´clock at the playground, okay? But prior, we meet at lunch time. Until then: Keep your chin up!”
She nodded. “Okay! See you then!”
“Bye!”

With that, both went off and lessons continued…

______________________________________________________________________

The door closed and with a low thump the saddlebag landed beneath the big mirror in the entrance room of their nice apartment. The white ceiling, the sky-blue walls and bright red carpet assorted well with the bright wood of the other furniture of the cottage and created a wonderful place of peace and quiet.

“I am ho-ome!” a young male voice announced singing his arrival.
He loved his home!
Here he always felt free. Of course are there some rules between him and his parents just like all foals had their parent´s rules at home. To his chores ranked taking out the trash and helping his parents with the dishes, whether it was drying them, washing them or clearing the table.
“Oh, my little lambkin is back! How was school today?” a sweet female voice asked from the kitchen. Chuckling, he trotted into the eat-in kitchen and faced his mother. Normally, Bleach didn´t like all these pet names, but here at home, it was okay with him. And his mother anyhow had an extra twenty-four-hours-allowance for it.
But he though always complained.
“Mom, don´t call me like that!” he said with no real resistance, knowing his mother would ignore it just like ever.
“What? Is my little warrior too proud to accept his mother´s love?” she replied quipping and gave her son a kiss on his forehead. He just smiled wide and sat down at the wooden kitchen table.

“So, how was school after all?” the pale pink mare asked again, preparing a cup of cocoa for Bleach.
“Great as ever!” he beamed. “Mister Albert showed us a new form of tug war! We use our magic to pull instead of our hooves! Twilight and I had a small duel in the end, but it was a draw…”
“Well, that sounds funny.” she answered smiling, putting the cup down in front of her son and joining him at the table. “Too bad that I couldn´t play that game with you…” the pink earth pony-mare added with mild disappointment.
“Well, you could pull with your hooves and I with my magic!” he suggested. His mother chuckled soft about his effort to comfort her.
“Just go on. I didn´t want to interrupt you, sorry.”
“No need to apologize. Anyway, I got a new friend!” he continued.
“Really?” his mother questioned interested. “That sounds great! Who is it? Is he nice?”
“Yeah, she is nice.” he replied with a chuckle.

At lunch time, Silverleaf was in a way better mood and had showed them that she already was a very vigorous, kind and happy pony. It was a shame that these bullies had replaced her sunshine-nature with shyness, reticence and inferiority!
“Ah, another filly…” his mother chuckled and gazed at him with an ambiguous look.
“Yeah…” the white colt replied slightly blushing. “Her name is Silverleaf. We met her at breakfast. But she has a problem and I don´t know how to solve it…”
“What is it?”
“Some other ponies from her class are bullying her because she hasn´t a cutie-mark yet and they threaten her with beating if she tells it a teacher…she don´t deserve such a treatment!” he said compassionate. His mother looked at him with her turquoise eyes.
“Oh, that really doesn´t sound good. But I know you´ll find a solution for her, my little warrior.” she cheered him up nuzzling. “You should ask your father. Maybe he knows a solution.”
“Thank you mom! I surely could bandy with them. I know how to fight and defend myself! But violence isn´t a solution! It never was and never will be! Sure, I would defend her and Twilight if somepony lays a hoof on them, but I would only protect, never attack!”

“That´s the voice of reason! I am very proud of you and your wisdom, my son!”
Bleach´s gaze wandered to the owner of the sudden deep male voice and faced his father in the threshold. None of them both had heard him enter during their conversation.
“But how should I set an example without using violence if violence is the only language they speak?”
“You have to use your brain! Your intellect is your advantage! Use it! You remember the events at breakfast? There, you did the same.” he said smirking.
“Wait…where do you know that?”
“The supervisor, Mister Antinod, told me about it. He didn´t intervene because he saw that you had the situation under control. And after they had left the canteen, he headed them off and now they have detention for two weeks for trying to start a brawl.”
Bleach couldn´t help but giggle with glee. “Serves them right! There´s no excuse for treating a filly like that! The only thing they need is self-esteem! And to get at least a little bit of it, they have to bully helpless fillies!” he snorted scornful.

“Keep calm…” his mother placated him. “I know it´s annoying, but…this Silverleaf now has you and Twilight! You three will surely find a solution.”
“Just stick to your principles and think about what your mother and I told you and what you´ve learned. And always remember: Everything comes to him who waits!” his father added.

Bleach just beamed. “Thank you mom! Thank you dad! You´re the best parents in the world, do you know that?”
Both giggled.
“Thank you!” his mother said. “But now, you should get yourself ready! It´s nearly three o´clock! Your friends are surely waiting!”
“Oh!” he looked at the clock at the wall and frantically emptied his cocoa. “I really should get ready! Twilight hates it being unpunctual. I should hurry! Bye mom!” he pecked a kiss on his mother´s cheek, left his seat and the kitchen.

He shortly hugged his father with a “Bye dad!” and left the cottage with his saddlebag…

______________________________________________________________________

“Where is he?”
“Relax!...You shouldn´t worry…about him. It…are only five minutes…till now…”
“But he´s never late! Sometimes a little bit badly off, but never tardy!”
“I think, you´re worrying…way too much!...Granted, I only…know him a few hours, but…he doesn´t create the impression…to be weak and not able…to take care of himself.”

Twilight sighed and stopped her pacing in the big sandpit of the court. Sure, the silvery filly, which was swinging back and forth on a swing set, was right. But after the incident with the bullies this morning, she was concerned. What if they had met him on his way here? He surely couldn´t stand against them all at once!
“Or is there another reason…why you´re worrying?” the swinging filly asked cooking an eyebrow.
Twilight looked at her wondering. “What other reason do you mean?”
“Awww…don´t look like that!...You know exactly…what I mean!” Silverleaf said, puckered her lips for an implied kiss and smirked at Twilight.
The purple filly blushed and went wide-eyed. “What? Nonononono! We´re…we´re just friends! Nothing more! Nothing like that!”
“That you aren´t…anything like that…doesn´t mean…you´ve no feelings for him!”
“He is only my friend and nothing more! Period!”
“Whatever you say…Miss Red Head…”
Twilight growled but her blush was undeniable. Bleach was her best friend and nothing more! Granted, he maybe was the most handsome colt she had ever met with his white coat, black mane and tail and the ocean-eyes, but that hadn´t to say anything!
Bad enough that her parents always quipped about Bleach being her special somepony!

“Oh, look!...There he comes!” Silverleaf announced and Twilight turned around to find the white colt galloping straight to them.
“Sorry for being late!” he apologized. “But I…”
“…was bursting and caught in the toilet?” Silverleaf guessed cheeky smirking.
“Uh…Noooooo?...I…”
“…hit my head on a sudden opening door, had an amnesia and wandered through whole Canterlot searching for my memories and finally found them whilst staring at a giant poster of a sunny beach and hearing the melancholy melody of the cello of a busker?” Silverleaf had stopped swinging and looked at Bleach with sparkling eyes.
“Er…no?...”
“Oh, come on! That would have been soooo cool, don´t you think so? THAT would´ve been a great short movie!...’Lost in Canterlot’, yeah, THAT´S a title!”
Twilight and Bleach cooked an eyebrow, glancing at each other.
Silverleaf only giggled.

“Anyway…I am late because I was caught in a conversation with my parents and…”
“Oh, how booooooring…” the silver filly interrupted. “Now that we´re complete: Let´s play something!” she urged.
“Sure!” Twilight agreed wide-smiling. “What about hide and seek?”
“I´d prefer tag.” Silverleaf opined.
“Me too!” Bleach added beaming.
“And that´s why I say: hide and seek. Believe me, Silverleaf: You won´t play tag against him!”
“Okay. Then it´s hide and seek!”
“Pity…” Bleach meant with spurious disappointment.
They all laughed.
“Okay, I seek first!” Twilight announced, closed her eyes, turned around and began counting.

The other two branched and searched for their stashes…

______________________________________________________________________

The surrounding of the playground with its huge sandpit, the huge helter-skelter, the swing sets and the many climbing frames, which all formed together a big climbing house, was perfect for playing hide and seek!
Everywhere were small bushes and big trees to hide behind. Along the sidewalk were some benches with resting ponies, which simply savored the peace around them. The playing foals, the fresh summer breeze after the rainfall this morning and the colorfulness of the uncountable flowers on the meadows around the clearing with the playground in its central created a picture of pure harmony.

Only one spot of the meadow with a sheer mass of blazing red flowers should be avoided by everypony. The flower was known as ‘Burning Hoax’, descending from the same family like the lesser-known ‘Poison Joke’.
Compared with its blue next of kin, the red version´s ‘pranks’ endured only twenty-four hours and were, in the majority of cases, harmless.

Sneaking around the spot with the tricky flowers, a purple filly lurked searching for its hidden friends. She closed her eyes and perked her ears. There! A low rustling in the bushes to her left! And a low giggling! She smirked, waiting, expanding the moment, augmenting the tension…
She concentrated and…
“GOTCHA!” she shouted and her horn glowed.
She heard a surprised “Wow!” and a rustling. Shortly after that, a white stallion appeared out of the bush to her left, hanging headfirst with a surprised look, carried by Twilights magic, which created a purple glow around his tail´s end.
He smirked, crossing his fore hooves. The awkward position he was in with his wide-spread hind hooves, long stretched tail and saggy mane didn´t care him. “Means: I´m searching next!”
Twilight beamed. “Yep! But first, we have to search Silverleaf!”
They now played hide and seek for about one hour and still they found always new stashes to hide. Granted, the area was really like made for this game!
“Sure…if you´d be so gentle to let me go…”
“Su-HUUUUR-UMPF…”

Twilight suddenly felled forward and landed hard on the ground. Her concentration broke and her magic instantly faded.
“Woooa-UMPF”
Bleach landed hard on his stomach and only saw colorful blurs for a short moment. Groaning, carrying his head with one fore hoof, he rose back to his hooves.
Twilight did the same and turned around to face the one who had bucked her.
They heard a chorus of laughter and a mocking voice. “Oh, did you unlearn how to stand on your four hooves?”
Twilight growled and recognized the four ponies from this morning, the red stallion of course as their head in the middle. “Hey, that hurt, you idiots!”
“Yeah, why can´t you just leave us alone?” Bleach added angry.

“Twilight? Bleach? Is everything allri-“ Silverleaf asked and interrupted herself, when she came out of her hiding and recognized her bullies.
The red bully grinned and his companions instantly split up and surrounded her. She fearfully glanced around and shrank.
“Well, well! Who we have here? The filly that´s to blame for our detention…”
“What? No! I…I haven´t told anypony! Really! Please, leave me alone!” she begged wide-eyed, tearing up.
“Oh, we really would leave you alone, but we had a deal: Nopony hears something or…” his companions made a step towards her.
“You WON´T DARE doing that!” Bleach growled.
“You prima ballerina want to stop us?” the stallion laughed while the others made another step towards Silverleaf. “I´m sorry, but this time, your dancing wouldn´t help anyone!” he mocked and took a deep breath. “Well, let´s come to the unpleasant part…” he said and clopped his fore hooves.
His companions pounced on Silverleaf.

“NO!” the trio yelled in unison.
With that, one of the three assailants was carried away by a sudden magical pulse, one was held back by a purple glow around his tail and the last was bucked off by a sudden wave of courage and resistance, flooding Silverleaf´s body.
For a short while, time seemed to stop.
Bleach was the first who reacted. He ran towards Silverleaf to protect her. The red stallion, stunned by the surprising failing of his friend´s attack, tried to stop and buck Bleach, but the white colt simply ducked down, avoided the attack and kicked the red colt´s fore hooves. He lost his stand and landed hard on his stomach.
Meanwhile, two off Silverleaf´s assailants had rose back to their hooves and tried to attack her again. The third was still fighting against the purple glow around his tail, which was slowly fading, loudly cursing the purple filly with words even Bleach didn´t know…and didn´t want to know.
Twilight wouldn´t hold it very much longer.

He reached Silverleaf just in time.
He planted himself protectively in front of her and he began to concentrate. His horn began glowing faintly. In this moment, Twilight´s magic faded completely and the three bullies assaulted…and ran against an invisible wall. They tumbled and held their heads in pain and confusion. Bleach smirked.
“And now: Back off!” he yelled and another sudden pulse of magic sent them backwards through the air.
Groaning loudly, the three bullies landed on the ground. Reluctant, they rose to their hooves and slowly withdrew from him. Their confusion about the things that happened held them back.

Twilight and Silverleaf only watched the scene with amazement.
“Wow, Bleach! That was awesome!” Twilight cheered beaming. He only looked back at her sheepish smiling and shrugging. But then he noticed…
“Twilight, watch out!” he and the silver filly suddenly shouted.
She looked behind her with a questioning look. “What-AAAAAH!”
They totally had forgotten the bully-leader. The red colt bucked and kicked Twilight through the air. She landed hard on the ground, groaning. Only one second later, a pulse of Bleach´s magic carried him off and the bullies´ leader disappeared in a bed of high-grown red flowers.
Bleach and Silverleaf ran over to Twilight and helped her rising back to her hooves.
“Are you all right?” Bleach asked concerned. She nodded.

“You´ll regret this, I swear to you!” a voice behind the trio announced. They looked back in wonderment. The red stallion slowly rose back to his hooves, his face a grimace of hatred. “Just wait until tomorrow, Silverleaf! Then, your friends aren´t around you! This´ll have bad consequences for you!”
The three glanced at each other…and then suddenly started to laugh loud. They fell on their backs and rolled in the aisles.
“What´s so funny about that?” the colt shouted angrily and the three friends only laughed louder.
He looked to his companions with an asking look and noticed that they tried to stifle their laughs. “What the hay is so funny?” he screamed out loud again. Now, his friends can´t hold back any longer and started laughing too.
“What the hay…”
And then, he realized. He looked down to his hooves and recognized the red Burning Hoax he had landed in. One of his hooves went to his throat. He mumbled some words for himself.
He growled.
“SHIT!” he shouted with his new high-pitched girlie-voice and forced the others only to laugh louder at him.

“That isn´t funny!” he yelled at his companions with his girlie-voice and chased after them. A moment later, they were out of sight.

“I think, they won´t bother us again so fast!” Bleach meant still laughing…

______________________________________________________________________

“That was really close!” Silverleaf said relieved, resting on the top of a climbing frame next to the swing sets and her friends. Twilight was resting on one swing while Bleach was inspecting her left hind leg.
Her knee was skinned and bleeding because of the bully-leader´s attack. The white colt put a patch out of his saddlebag and placed it over her wound. Luckily, his parents always put some of them into his saddlebag for emergencies. They knew, Bleach sometimes was a little bit…stormy. And some small wounds are always a side-effect of this trait.
“Alright, that´s it!” he announced. “Feeling better now?”
“Yes!” Twilight beamed. “Thank you!”
She savored his attention and the rough but still soft hooves caring her injury.

“Do you know what also would help healing the wound?” Silverleaf suddenly asked, watching her new friends. They answered with a questioning look.
“Well, I only think about what my parents always did when I had a ‘booboo’…” she hinted cheeky grinning.
Both blushed, glancing sheepish at each other. Silverleaf giggled.
“You´re quite sassy regarding that we saved you from these idiots five minutes ago!” Bleach meant.
“Get used to it…” she sang in response.
Bleach and Twilight only giggled, happy and relieved to see her new friend this way.

“But now serious: Do you really think they won´t bother us anymore?” Twilight questioned her friend. Bleach shrugged.
“I don´t know, to be honest. If they´re intelligent, they do so. But precautionally, you should stay near other students and teachers when we´re not around at school.” He suggested. “We can only watch and wait.”
“Why don´t you simply beat them up? They´re weaker than you, we both saw it just moments before! Take them to task!”
Bleach only grimaced and snorted displeased in response. Twilight answered for him.
“That´s not the way, Silverleaf! Violence breeds only more violence! We´ll watch out and only act, if they lay a hoof on one of us again!”
“As you may suppose…” she only answered. “Thank you, anyway! Without you, I´d be a bunch of blood and bruises now…”
“Hey, we´re friends now! That goes without saying!”
Silverleaf´s answer was a happy beam. She never had had friends before and now, she had two at once.
For her, this was the best day ever!

After a while, Bleach also started climbing the monkey bars and Twilight started to swing. They enjoyed the rest of their time together until sun went down and it started to get dark.
Together they left the park and stopped one last time before they would split up.
“This was a great day!” Silverleaf beamed. “I really have to thank you two! I never had any friends before and you simply…”
“No need to thank us.” Twilight replied.
“Yeah, we simply couldn´t let you leave alone with these bullies in your neck! And moreover, you´re a very funny filly! We had so much more fun today than usually, right Twilight?”
“Right!” she assured beaming.
The silver filly beamed too.
“Hey, you know what?” She then asked.
“What?”
“Now that we´re friends, we should create a closet hoofshake! As a sign of our friendship! What do you mean?”
“Sounds great!” Twilight agreed. “Do you have something in mind?”
“Actually not, to be honest…”
“What about ‘all for one and one for all’?” Bleach suggested.
“Oh, you´re a fan of the Maresketeers?” He nodded. “Well, that explains your elegant way of moving!” Silverleaf said.
Twilight frowned. “Yeah, but isn´t that a little bit boring? And you said: create! ‘All for one’ is a little bit outdated, don´t you think so?”
“You´re right! It has to be something new! Or something not so familiar and well-known…”
“We should think a time about it. It hasn´t to be here and now!” Bleach suggested. “More important is that we are friends now and our friendship lasts forever, right?”
“Right!” both fillies agreed.

Finally, the trio separated and headed for their homes, happy to have one, or in one case: two, new friends and a bonds of friendship, that will last forevermore…

Episode 3 - For Heart, Soul and Friendship

The Halcyon Days

Episode 3 - For Heart, Soul and Friendship

“Check!” she announced with a devilish grin. There is NO WAY to win this anymore, my dear friend! It needed dozens of plays, but this time, this one time, the winner finally is Twilight! TWILIGHT! MUAHAHAHAHA!
Those, at least, were the thoughts of the princess´ prized student…

The face of her eternal rival at all theoretical subjects kept blank. If the white colt at the table´s other side would´ve heard her thoughts, he may had laughed out loud.
He only held his chin with his fore hoof and mused about his next move.

The two friends sat in one of the school´s lounges with their soft red couches and the dark wooden tables and cabinets, a chess board in front of them. It was lunch time at the moment and like always since autumn had begun and the days had gotten rainy, the duo feud with each other at a chess match.
It was the favorite game of Twilight and Bleach and they played it nearly every day.
And now, after uncountable games, it really looked like the purple filly was winning the first time against the black-maned stallion and his white army!
Twilight had used her rook to check Bleach´s king. And he couldn´t move him, because her knights blocked his retreat.

After what felt like an eternity, the white colt finally took his left knight and placed it protective in front of his king.
“Hmmm…” Twilight murmured. That was surprising and she raised an eyebrow. She had thought he would use his bishop to protect his king. But maybe, she could…she took her own bishop and placed it in a way that he threatened Bleach´s queen and he had to move her back, to not lose her.
He only chuckled.
And that was the worst omen she could get!
He took his own rook and took her left rook, which was protected by her bishop before. “Check!” he announced slightly grinning.
“Grrr!” Twilight growled. She only could withdraw her king to the last line to safe him, because his queen blocked the third line.

About his next move, Bleach hadn´t to think long. He instantly took his queen and placed it in the last line, two squares away from Twilight´s king.
“Checkmate!” he cheered.
“DAMNED!” Twilight cursed. “And I was so close! I already got the match all sewn up! Damned, damned, DAMNED! Is there even only one possibility to beat you?”
“You only use strategies from your books, Twi! That´s your fault! They are way too predictable and it´s way too easy to see through them.” he explained. Twilight only sulked, crossing her forelegs and grimaced, snorting offended. Bleach only chuckled about her behavior. He couldn´t help, but she always looked so cute when she acted like this!
“Anyway, I´m always improvising and my strategies are always guided by the ones of my opponent. Chess is more than simple mathematics, you know?”
“Tse!” she hissed. “Egghead!”
“That´s rich, coming from you…” he hit back.
Twilight already wanted to hit back, too, until a voice interrupted her.

“Hey guys!” Silverleaf greeted them and trotted over to them wide-smiling. They turned around to face her.
“Hi Silv!” both greeted back their new friend.

Well, new really wasn´t the right word anymore. Since the bully-incident, it was one and a half month now! Since that, the trio became close friends with each other.
And even better: Silverleaf hadn´t any problems with the bullies anymore. Granted, they sometimes still tried to spite her with words, but she simply ignored it. Since Twilight and Bleach were her friends, she got way more self-confidence!

The silver filly rolled her eyes when she saw the chess board. “Oh, don´t tell me you are playing this stupid game again!”
“Chess isn´t a stupid game!” Twilight meant. “It´s a game of observation, concentration, strategy and intelligence, primary of intelligence!”
“Well, now that you mention that…I think I found what´s lacking you and why you´re always losing…” Bleach quipped sassy smirking. He ducked in his seat and the book, Twilight had thrown, missed him and landed on the ground behind him with a low thump. He looked after it before he turned back wide-grinning.
“Mi-hiss-HUMPF”
The second tome hit his face and overturned him in his armchair.

“Ough…” he groaned.
“Ouch…” Silverleaf commented dry. “…your own fault…”
Twilight only smirked satisfied with her revenge, watching Bleach rising back to his hooves.
“Owie…now I have a booboo…” he complained spurious tearfully. He though had to grin and held his head with his foreleg. “’The Academic Study of Amniomorphic Spells’…” he read aloud frowning, levitating the weighty tome in front of him. “…where the hay did you got that from?”
“From the library? You know I´m researching about Starswirl the Bearded for our history-homework.”
“Heavy reading matter…” he simply commented…

“Aaaaaaanyway…” Silverleaf interposed and caught her friends´ attention. “I wanted to ask you, Twi, if you are interested in a small trip to the Central City Center this afternoon for some window shopping! Our Bleachie-Weachie shouldn´t have time today, right?”
“’Bleachie-Weachie? Okay…I´ll just ignore that and only say: Right! Today´s Tuesday. You´re right, I have no time this afternoon…”
“And again, you won´t tell us, where you´re going, right?”
“Yep!” he grinned. Twilight only moaned annoyed. Every week the same! “Hey, don´t worry! I´ll tell you one day…”
And with these words, he put away the chess game back on the cabinet to the other games for the students to spent their time with and left the lounge, heading back for his class.

“A shopping trip…” Twilight smirked and rubbed her hooves. “…good distraction, Silv…”
“Distraction? Why distraction?” the green-maned filly asked confused. “I was serious! Why do you want to spy behind him? He sure has his reasons to keep it secretly!”
Blankly, the princess´ student looked at her friend. “Do you really believe him, he would tell us one day? He always says that! And we´re still in the dark!”
“Why you don´t trust him? What´s a friendship built on distrust?”
“Oh, come on, Silv! I sure trust him, but…aren´t you curious, too? I mean: Every Tuesday, Bleach simply leaves us alone and doesn´t tell us anything! If it´s really that secretly, he should have enough trust to share it with us, don´t you think so? I mean: Who is the distrusting one? He or I? For real friends, there are no secrets!”
Silverleaf didn´t argue. She knew, she wouldn´t change Twilight´s mind when she´s determined like that.

“Okay…” she finally sighed resigning. “What´s your plan?...”

______________________________________________________________________

A door audible shot close.

“Hi mommy! Hi daddy!” a foal greeted her parents in the kitchen with the sky-blue cupboards and white marbled floor. They greeted back and heard her child trotting into her chamber.
Another closing door.
After three minutes of silence the door opened again and the foal trotted past the kitchen back to the entrance room.
“Bye mommy! Bye daddy!”
Now, they frowned.

“Hey, young lady!” a male voice called and stopped the filly in her way outside in the threshold. She sighed and turned around for her father, who left the kitchen to face his daughter with a curious look.
“What is it, daddy?” she asked impatiently.
“Can you please tell me and your mother, where you think you´re going this early?” the light blue stallion asked.
“Um…outside?” she hit back perky.
“And what are you going to do outside?” her mother questioned curious, leaving the kitchen too and joining them. “Isn´t Tuesday today? I thought, your special somepony hasn´t time on Tuesdays.”

“UUUUUGHH…” Not this again! “He is NOT my special somepony! Why everypony says this?” the purple filly asked annoyed.
“Well, you can´t deny that you´re spending very much time together!” the mare with the purple-white-striped mane argued cheeky.
“He is my best friend! And nothing more!”
“Your father once was my best friend, too.” Her smile grew wide and she nuzzled her husband. “And now, we are married and have two beautiful children! Right?”
“Right.” Twilight´s father agreed and locked his lips with his wife´s.
“Eeeeewww…” was the purple filly´s reaction and made a disgusted face. “Okay, I´m outta here! And anyway: That doesn´t mean anything!” she hit back defiantly.

She already wanted to turn around and go, but her mother held her back.
“Wait, my little sweetie! Won´t you, at least, please tell us, where you´re going?”
“To the Central City Center with Silverleaf.” was the short answer.
“And you want to go there without eating something?” her father asked tempting. “We thought you would like to stay and to take coffee with us. We bought a delicious chocolate cake at the city, baked at that famous bakery, what was its name…” He mused playful, leaned over to his daughter and whispered in his tempting voice:
“…Sugar Cube Corner?”
Twilight perked her ears.
Her father leaned back, cocking an eyebrow. “Sure you don´t want to stay for one or two pieces of that delicious cake?”

Twilight only sighed, turned around, rolled her eyes and smiled with gleeful anticipation…

______________________________________________________________________

“Focsh tho mhoushe, focsh tho mhoushe, chome hin pleashe!”
“What the hay took you that long? He had already left his home fifteen minutes ago! And why have I to be the mouse and…are you munching?”

Twilight sighed and rolled her eyes, swallowing the last bit of the chocolate cake, levitating a small walkie-talkie in front of her. The original plan had been that she and Silverleaf would´ve met behind a bush opposite to Bleach´s cottage. But her parents had changed that plan…
So, she was now aimlessly searching the busy roads of Canterlot for her friends.

“I was caught up in a discussion with my parents.” she finally explained her friend on the other walkie-talkie.
“And I am the fox because it was my plan to take advantage of your parents´ appointments and to let you shadow him after school´s out. And you are the mouse, because you are the sneaking one!” she explained. “And you´re grey…” she added joking.
“Thank you…by the way: I am silver, not grey! There´s a big difference!” she answered sore and stubborn. “Anyway…and the munching?”
“My parents bought cake and convinced me to stay for a piece.”
“I hope you´ve at least one piece for me, for that reason alone that I had to lurk for ten minutes in that bush between thorns and thistles! You should see my coat! I am a mess! And you know I am normally not the most conceited pony!”
“Of course!” Twilight placated her friend. “My parents gave me two pieces for us, one for you and one for me. You can have both, if you want…”
“Thank you…” Silverleaf answered lukewarm.

“Where are you at the moment?” Twilight questioned into her walkie-talkie when she reached the next crossroads.
“Umm…wait a moment…” some clip-clopping sounds. “In fact, I am right behind you!” she replied and the purple filly felt simultaneous a hoof slap on her back. She frowned and turned back.
“BOO!”
She yelped surprised, but a grey hoof was instantly stuck in her muzzle. “Hush! Or do you want him to hear us?” Silverleaf explained and pointed to the other side of the street. There, between the other passing ponies, Twilight occasionally saw the white coat and the black mane of Bleach.
“I didn´t pursue him till here unnoticed, only to be caught now because of an alleged fox who couldn´t hold back a noise! You´re not a very sly fox…” she smirked.
Twilight only rolled her eyes and removed her friend´s hoof out of her muzzle, looking her over. The silver filly was covered with leaves and brier wood, her coat was blowzed and her usual grass-green mane with the white streak ruffled. Her silver leaf-formed hair barrette hung slack between two streaks.
Twilight couldn´t help but giggle and couldn´t stifle a bold comment:
“Ou, you finally decided to tailor your look to your name?”
“Twilight…” she replied sinister. “You are living very dead dangerous…”
She though had to giggle when she looked down herself. “Okay, you´re right. I really am a mess!”

“Anyway…do you know where he´s going to?” the scholar came back to topic.
“First the cake!”
“UUUUGH…okay…” She levitated a small box out of her saddlebag and gave it her friend. The silver filly instantly opened the box and levitated out one piece of the cake and took a big bite.
“Okay…now: Do you know where he wants to go?”
…
…
…
“WOW, dath chake tashtsh reeeeaally goooood!”
“SILVERLEAF!”
The silver filly swallowed, savoring every bit of the sweet chocolate-flavor and licked her lips.
“Mmmmmh…Oh! Uhm…no. I don´t know where he´s going. I followed him to his home after school. There, he was for about a quarter and then, he left and headed straight forward for…well, that´s what I don´t know yet.” she reported.
“Then let´s figure that out! Come on! We´re losing him!” Twilight urged and together, they continued pursuing the white colt…

______________________________________________________________________

After only a few more crossroads the two fillies knew, what Bleach was heading for: the school pile. But why? Maybe he´s a secret student of Celestia and is practicing here with her! Twilight thought. That´d explain why he could keep up with me at magic so easily…
Suddenly, lost in her thought, she was stopped by the grey filly in front of her and pulled into a shrubbery next to them. For a short moment, Twilight´s world was hued in green and rustling sounds.
“He has stopped…”Silverleaf analyzed whispering. Finally, the purple filly managed to get a good view of the scene in front of her and perked her ears.

She was very curious for what was coming and what was Bleach here for…

______________________________________________________________________

Bleach had stopped on a meadow near the school building. He was waiting and watched his surroundings.
It was a sunny day and a softly blowing breeze wafted through the grass and his coat. Colorful flowers bowed in the wind. A low rustling came from the trees around, which bore red and yellow leaves. It was peaceful…
…too peaceful!
He perked his ears, closing his eyes. There was something behind him! A very low rustling and a low but heavy thump! He opened his eyes again and suddenly noticed a saddlebag leaning against a near tree.
Bleach smirked…
…and suddenly ducked down.

Only one second later, the tip of a dagger cut the air where his head had been before. One single black hair sailed slowly to the ground.
“Nice try…” he commented and twisted rapidly, positioned himself behind his enemy and bucked him. The momentum of his failed attack and the kick added and made him tumble a few steps forward. Bleach instantly rose to his hind hooves and loosed one of his magical pulses at his enemy, but he blocked it with his own magic.
“Way to predictable!” the deep male voice annotated and instantly, Bleach was hit by a wave of magic he wasn´t prepared for. He flew backwards and landed groaning on the soft grass.
Expecting not another attack, he reluctant rose to his hooves and faced his ‘enemy’.

“But otherwise, you´re getting better.” his father, the white stallion with the short blue mane praised him. “Nevertheless you´re still way too stormy and ignoring your defense! A magical shield would´ve protected you from my attack! And moreover, you could´ve seen my attack if you wouldn´t have forgotten what…?” he asked in a teacher´s voice.
“Changing my vision?” Bleach sighed and his father nodded.
“Exactly! Okay, after we clarified that: Let´s waste no time and come to our today´s lesson, which will be…?”
“Observation and sensory acuity?” Bleach guessed and the white stallion nodded again.
“Affirmative! Being a good fighter doesn´t only comprise knowing good patterns of attacking and defending. You also need patience and sensitivity for your surroundings and your enemy! You have to know, when you are in danger and when it´s safe! And you too have to learn, when it´s time to attack and when you should keep yourself in defense! And forget this stupid ‘offense is the best defense’-proverb! Got that?”

Bleach listened keen-eared to his father´s words and nodded.
“Alright! Then let´s come to our first practice to warm up. Effectively it´s the same thing we already did: You´ll stand alone blindfolded and I´ll attack you from anywhere. Listen very well to your surrounding! Every single noise, every scent, they all give you hints from where I´m attacking. You´ll not know, when or from which side I´m attacking, so keep keen-eared, okay?”
“Okay!” the colt answered determined.
“Then let´s get started! But first…” His horn began to glow and out of his saddlebag near the tree he levitated a blindfold and two belts with totally four wooden daggers, one belt for him and one for Bleach. Both put their belts on. The colt snorted about the wooden blades.
“After you found me: running battle, okay?”
“Why can´t we use real daggers?” he complained
“Safety.” his father simply replied. “I know you and you know yourself. I´ll only pretend, that you do something you´ll regret later.”
“Okay…” he sighed and his father trotted off. Similar to that, he put on the blindfold and his world went black.

But that only sharpened his other senses.
He took a deep calm breath and collected himself. He registered the scent of the roses around him, mixed with a waft of violets. That was a little bit strange, because he knew there weren´t growing any violets on the meadow. Though, the mix smelled very good and he took a few more deep breaths to savor the fragrance composition.
He also noticed the wind stroking through his coat and the bowing grass and flowers tickling his hooves. Maybe the breeze carried the scent of the violets to him.
He heard a harmonious melody, created by the susurration of the leaves and the grass. Some blackbirds sang a peaceful song in perfect harmony.
But suddenly, something made them lose their rhythm!
And then, there was a faint, nearly inaudible dissonance in the grass´ rustling!
And a very low thump!

Bleach only smirked. His father once had been better at sneaking. Or he maybe was just going easy on him for their warm-up.
Anyway, he waited until the dissonance´s source was right behind him and blinked under his blindfold. This time, his father wouldn´t surprise him with his magic! He waited for the perfect moment and then, with one flowing movement, he removed the blindfold with his magic, drew his daggers and twisted around…

…and was instantly dazzled with light!

His eyes burned, his pupils narrowed; it was like he was looking directly into the sun after being for hours in a dark cellar!
He screamed with pain and surprise, shaded his eyes with his hooves and fell on his back, the two daggers dropped to the ground.
“Surprise!” two female voices announced.
The white colt only whined and groaned, waiting for the stinging pain´s abatement. Reluctant, he rose back to his hooves, still squinting, a colorful point dancing in the middle of his gaze.

The two fillies in front of him only frowned about his behavior.
“Are you all right?” Twilight asked concerned.
“What the hay are you two doing here!” he shouted obviously upset. “Did you spy on me?”
“Well…”
“It was all Twi´s idea!” Silverleaf tattled pointing at the purple filly. “She wanted to spy on you to explore what you´re doing on Tuesdays!”
“Thank you for defending me Silv…” Twilight commented with irony.
“If I´m a mouse, I´m a rat!”
The purple filly only rolled her eyes.

“Anyway…So you train here with your dad every Tuesday. But…why? And…” she frowned. “…had your eyes been purple a few moments ago?”
“Err…Uh…I…I, uh…” he stuttered struck.
Her eyes went wide with sudden realization and she gasped. “You…You are one of them, right?” she asked excited.
“Uhm…”
“Oh my GOSH! You are one of them!” she shouted with glee and bounced. “Ohmyohmyohmy, this is SOOOOO awesome!” she squeaked.
Bleach only sighed resigning and the silver filly only frowned.
“Uhm…Could you please explain to me, what´s so awesome?”
“Ooooh, don´t tell me you don´t know them, Silverleaf! Where are you coming from? From under a rock? Don´t say you don´t know the Auraknights! The coolest, bravest, most powerful, most famous, most handsome, most incredible, most awesome…”
“I got it Twi…”
“…simply greatest warriors and personal lifeguards of princess Celestia!”

There was a short silence, ignoring the girlish squeaks of the bouncing purple filly. She settled down a little bit when she saw the less cheery faces of her friends and stopped bouncing.
“And…what makes these ‘Auraknights’ so special after all?” the still messy filly quizzed.
“Oh, didn´t you hear me? They-“
“I think it´s better to let me explain it…” Bleach cut in, sat down and took a deep breath.
“Auraknights…as Twi said, they are an old line of guardians and since centuries the personal lifeguards of our princess. Originally, the Auraknights were founded by four brothers during the Nightmare Moon-incident about 1000 years ago. They had been normal soldiers, until Celestia found out about their special gift and introduced them into her personal service.
This gift of nature is what they simply called ‘Auravision’. It´s a special color spectrum we can use to see magical sources, energies and their aura. Nopony ever knew where this freak of nature came from. It´s a mystery.
Anyway, the possibility to see this color spectrum caused the possibility to use these magical auras and energies and to form new spells with them. My magical pulse and shield, you already saw before, were only two common possibilities to form this kind of magic.”
“And why did you react so strange, when you saw us?” Twilight asked curious.
“That´s simple to explain: Every time I change my view into this spectrum, my eyes become purple as some kind of side effect. As you already noticed, I was in that spectrum when I saw you.
Well, imagine every magical energy and aura glows in a different color and intensity, conditional to its strength. And your magical stock is simply tremendous! It was like looking into a shining sun and burned my eyes! That´s why I acted the way I did.”
“Really? Wow! I didn´t know that, sorry…”
“No need to excuse.”

“Sounds like it must be really cool being an Auraknight, isn´t it!” Silverleaf meant after a while, laying down on the grass and trying to remove some brier wood out of her coat.
Bleach just looked at her blank. “Sorry to disappoint you, but I´m not an Auraknight yet.”
“No?” Twilight asked puzzled. “But you have this special Auravision, so you have to be one, don´t you?”
He chuckled in response. “It´s way more complicated as you think! Yes, I have this special gift, but that doesn´t mean I´m a real Auraknight!”
“Then why are you training here with your father?”
“Because of preparing myself for my ‘entry exam’. Being an Auraknight isn´t only a title, it´s a life task. A destiny! I have to fight against one of the best young Royal Guards-trainee and if I earn my cutie-mark during this battle, I´ll become trainee of my father. But if there´s no cutie-mark on my flank after the battle, I´ll never again get the chance to become an Auraknight!
And that´s why I´m really nervous! Princess Celestia and the high generals and the captain of the Royal Guard will be there! And my father, of course, too! What if I disappoint him? What if there is no cutie-mark on my flank after the fight´s end? He would banish me to the other world´s end!”

Silverleaf and Twilight glanced at each other and looked at her slightly shivering friend.
“So that´s why you won´t tell us all the time…” the princess´ student concluded ashamed. “You wanted to keep your pressure to perform as low as possible and now, you also won´t to disappoint us, right?” And that´s also why he understood my situation that good when we met first…he was in the same situation! she added silently.
He only nodded, looking to the ground.

“No crying over split milk…” somepony behind them sighed.

Bleach´s father had watched the situation the whole time from the distance. Bleach and his friends turned around to face the voice´s owner, who was trotting over to them.
“You shouldn´t rack your brain because of the stupid worry to may disappoint somepony! Your mother and I, we both love you just as you are and we will always love you, regardless if you´re becoming an Auraknight or not! We´ll always be proud of you, whether you´re becoming an Auraknight or a show-dancer. Always remember that, okay?” he asked and nuzzled his son encouraging and comforting.
“And your friends will see it just the same way, right?”
“Right!” both nodded beaming and Twilight added: “”We already liked you when we didn´t know anything about your fate and we´ll still like you, if you´re not becoming an Auraknight!”
“Thank you…just…thank you!” he said wide-smiling, a small tear streming down his cheek.
“Dawww…Group hug!” Silverleaf announced and instantly hugged her friends.

The white stallion only smiled, turned around and trotted of, picking up his saddlebag.
“Hey, where are you going? My lesson isn´t over yet!”
“I´ll release you for today.” he replied over his shoulder. "Go playing with your friends and clear your head. And don´t forget to be back till dinner, okay?”

Cheering about these words, the trio galloped off laughing…

______________________________________________________________________

“Che-heck!”
“Grrr…”
“Wanna give up?”
“Never! Let´s see…”

Two more rounds…

“CHECKMATE! Yesyesyesyesyeeeees! I did it!” the purple filly cheered bouncing, announcing her victory throughout the school.
“Congratulations, Twi…” Bleach congratulated her, laughing at her bouncing around the table.

“Hey guys!” Silverleaf greeted her friends when she entered the lounge and frowned, pointing at the springing purple filly. “What´s up with her?”
“She won the first time at chess…”
“I didn´t only win, I destructed you!” she cheered.
The white colt only chuckled. “If you think so…”
“Does that mean you´ll finally stop playing that stupid game?” the silver filly asked hopefully.
“Maybe…We´ll see.” Twilight replied, stopping bouncing.

“Anyway, now that we are complete: I have to show you something!” she announced and turned around to levitate a small book out of her saddlebag, which rested next to the table with the chess board.
Silverleaf frowned. “A book?” she asked curious. “What´s so special about it?”
“It is a short summary of the Royal Guard´s history! My brother once gave it to me, you know?”
“Aha…And what´s so special now?” the silver filly urged her to go on. Bleach only listened to Twilight keen-eared and interested.
“Well, it also has a part about the history of the Auraknights. I already forgot that I had it! And yesterday, I searched it after I was back at home and read it. Well, at least the ‘Auraknight-part’. And whilst reading, I found that!”

With these words she opened the book and showed a page with four pictures to her friends.
The first showed four ponies, stretching one of their fore hooves and meeting them in the middle like they would shake hooves with each other.
The second showed the four ponies, lowering their hooves to the floor and bowing their heads. Beneath the picture, there was a small text:
From the ground…
The third picture showed the ponies raising their still connected hooves over their heads and followed them with their gaze.
…our souls fly high!
The last picture showed them on their hind legs, leaning against each other with their backs and their hooves still connected high in the air.
Together they´ll reach the sky! the text beneath the picture announced.

Silverleaf´s eyes widened. “Is this…”
“Yes it is! A closet hoofshake! The closet hoofshake of the four brothers, which founded the Auraknight-line!”
“And you think we could use it as our secret hoofshake?” Bleach asked excited.
Twilight beamed and nodded. “Exactly! What do you think?”
“I think it´s great! Way better than the last one Silv suggested! Way less complicated, without these countless twists and turns!”
“Tse!” was her response. “Only because you can´t distinguish between a twist and a turn!” She snorted. “But anyway…this looks interesting. Let´s try it!”
“Yay!” cheered Twilight.

“Okay…” she then started to explain and laid the book on the ground. “We have to make it exactly like the ponies in the pictures. Though, we are only three, but that´s not important. Did you read the words beneath the pictures? We have to say them during doing the respective part of the hoofshake, okay?”
“Got it!” both answered nodding.
“Good! Just one last thing: Auraknights are some kind of knights, right? I mean, that´s why they are called Auraknights, don´t they? And knights are always fighting for something. So…before we stretch our hooves, we have to announce what we are fighting for, okay?” the purple filly explained and her friends just nodded.
“Okay! Let´s try it!”

They positioned themselves and mused about what they were fighting for. Silverleaf was the first who got an idea and stretched her right fore hoof.
“For our steady beating hearts and the love within them!” she announced beaming.
Bleach cooked an eyebrow. He really hadn´t expected such profound words from her. Shortly after that, he also stretched his hoof, meeting Silverleafs and announced:
“For our undying souls!”
Twilight hadn´t to think very long after that. Wide-smiling, she stretched her hoof too, connecting it with the ones of her friends and announced:
“For our everlasting friendship!”
They looked at each other and nodded. Yes, those were good choices!

And so, they imitated the ponies on the pictures, chorusing:
“From the ground
our souls fly high!
Together they´ll reach the sky!”

And with a final high-hoof, their closet hoofshake was decided and pronounced…

Episiode 4 - The Language of Flowers

The Halcyon Days

Episode 4 - The Language of Flowers

“Okay, let´s start…” a silver filly meant and trotted through rows of potted plants. “We have mandrakes…” she said, pointing at one of the plants of the small winter garden at the school´s third floor.
“Mandrakes…” a white colt, who levitated a small piece of paper and a pencil in front of him, repeated slow and wrote the word in one of the gapes on the paper.
“Night-blooming jasmine…” another filly shouted from between the plants on the room´s other side.
“Night-blooming jasmine…” the colt repeated again.
“Aaaaand…hmm…where are they?…”

Scouting, Silverleaf searched the room for the last plant she needed.
The small winter garden at Celestia´s School for Gifted Unicorns was a big room of peace and quiet. The sky-blue walls with the painted trees and animals set everypony at ease and made everypony feel as it would be in the middle of a deep forest. Only the big windows and the dark green carpet-flooring, though in a fitting color, dimmed the forest-feeling a little bit.
Also the wooden tables with the pot plants on them and some wooden benches didn´t really fit in.
But, after all, this was a winter garden and no forest. And at the current season - which was winter - a forest surely would appear in another shape.

Anyhow, Twilight, Bleach and Silverleaf didn´t care about the room´s design very much at the moment. They still searched for…
“AHA! Found it!” Silverleaf suddenly shouted. “The angel trumpet!” she announced and reared on her hind legs, playing an imaginary trumpet with her fore hooves and shouting out a loud ‘Traraaaa!’

“Angel trumpet…” Bleach noted with a chuckle about his friend´s behavior. “Okay, that´s it! Three flowers of the nightshade family.”
“Perfect!” smiled Silverleaf. “And now the last worksheet!”
“Are your teachers giving you always that much homework?” Twilight frowned about the now fifth worksheet. Maybe helping Silverleaf with her biology-homework hadn´t been such a good idea. After all, she and Bleach could be outside now and play in the snow.
The silver filly anyway just blushed about Twilight´s question and smiled slightly ashamed. “No… Truth told, only two of the worksheets had been my homework…”
“Say what now!” Bleach uttered with a mix of surprise, confusion and slight anger. “And why are we wasting our free lesson here when we could´ve been finished within five minutes? We are now nearly half an hour in this green jungle and I just want to throw a snowball sooo desperately!”
“I´m sorry I didn´t tell you. I just like botanic! And I wanted to use diligence and earn a good mark. We could solve one of the three additional sheets as voluntary extra task, but it just made that much fun, so I decided to solve all three!” Silverleaf explained.
Bleach only snorted. “And why you had to involve us into it? Sure, we are friends and we help each other, but you did nearly everything on your own! You wouldn´t have needed our help!”
“Well…I didn´t wanted to be so lonely during doing my homework…I´m sorry if I wasted your time…” she apologized and lowered her head, her ears folding down.

“Nah, it´s okay. We forgive you.” Twilight soothed her. “Just tell us the truth next time. We would have comprehended it, right Bleach?”
“Right!” he nodded and smiled.
Silverleaf now raised her head again and faced her friends with a beam. “Thank you! You two are the best friends a pony like me could wish for!”

They shared a moment smiling at each other, until the colt announced: “Alright, let´s finish that last sheet and get outta here! I have some snowballs to throw…”

______________________________________________________________________

“Achoo-Achoo-Aaaachooo!”
“Gesundheit, Gesundheit aaaand Gesundheit!”

The white colt sniffed and sipped at his hot chocolate.
It was lunch time and the trio sat together in the cantina. It was obvious, that Bleach´s outdoor-activities after finishing Silverleaf´s homework had some side-effects. He was sneezing all the time, had a running nose and was slightly nasalizing.

“Achoo!”
Twilight´s look was a little bit disgusted when her friend sneezed again, covering her salad with one of her fore hooves. “Gesundheit. Could you please cover your mouth with your hoof when you´re sneezing? I don´t want to have your germs in my salad!”
“Sorry…” he apologized snuffling and gave his nose a wipe with his hoof.
“And please could you use a tissue?”
“Sorry, again…” he replied and took one of the napkins on the table, blowing his nose into it.

“That´s your own fault. Why did you have to start a snowball fight against our whole class? And why hadn´t you worn a scarf?” Twilight asked annoyed and sounded like a mother telling off her son.
“Hey, it was really funny and-aaaa…aaaaaa…AAAAAAA…”
Silverleaf and Twilight, sitting on the other side of the table, took shelter. Bleach´s muzzle was wide agape, prepared for a big sneezer. But in the end, he only sighed smiling.
“Phew…Misfire…”
The two fillies exhaled and went back to their meal. Silverleaf had a bowl of soup in front of her and Twilight a bowl of mixed salad. Twilight picked a piece of tomato with her fork and opened her mouth wide to eat it.

”AAAACHOOO!”

Bleach´s sneezer was strong. He rapidly covered his mouth with his hoof, but, thanks to the fact of being a unicorn, his horn glowed faintly and a small amount of magic loosened, sending a small pulse of unbridled magic across the table and flung the purple filly´s bowl of salad with a ‘clong’ into her face.
No one of them said anything. Silverleaf´s and Bleach´s gaze only wandered to Twilight, which slowly moved her hooves to the bowl in her face and removed it. She revealed a face where her eyes were replaced by two big pieces of tomato, big lettuce leaves created a big mustache and eyebrows and a gherkin created an overstated grin.
The rest of the salad was on the ground.

“Ou! Edible art!” Silverleaf grinned cheeky. “Interesting, but one thing could be better…”
Her horn glowed and she moved the lettuce-eyebrows a little bit and turned the gherkin to create an angry expression.
“Perfect! That should catch her mood better, I guess! Now we can frame it and send to the Museum of Equestrian Art here in Canterlot. Or to the one in Manehatten, whoever pays more.” she snickered.
Twilight only shook her head, removing her ridiculous look, and stared angrily first at Silverleaf and then at the black-maned colt across the table.
“SILVERLEAF! BLEACH!”
“He…Sorry?...” he asked ashamed.
Twilight only growled. “You owe me a lunch now!”

“You should go for the school-nurse.” the silver unicorn meant with amicable care. “Sounds like you caught a bad cold. She´ll send you home.”
“Thank yaaachooo!” Bleach sneezed more than he said it and blew his nose again, holding his head with his hoof. “I´ll go for her immediately! I´m really feeling unwell. Maybe you were right Twi, I should´ve worn a scarf…”
With that, he stood up from the table and left the canteen, saying good bye to his friends.

“Poor Bleachie-Weachie…” Silverleaf meant, sipping on her tea.
Twilight only snorted. “It´s his own fault! Why he hadn´t heard at me? I told him he should wear a scarf!”
Silverleaf snickered.
“What is so funny about that?” the purple scholar snapped.
“You sound like his mother!” she giggled.
Twilight´s face softened and she had to chuckle, too. “Yeah, you´re right…” she took a sip of her tea and sighed. “Though, it´s just annoying! He wanted to help me finding a present for my mom´s birthday today!”
“Oh, today is your mom´s birthday? Tell her ‘Happy Birthday’ from me!”
“I will.” Twilight nodded.

“So…what do you have in mind for her?” the silver filly asked.
Twilight only sighed. “I don´t know. She already has everything! Maybe some flowers?”
“Well, flowers are always a good idea - at least for mares. You know what? Our last lesson ends at the same time today, right? Why we don´t meet at the florist´s at the City Center after school?” Silverleaf suggested
“You mean ‘Symphonia´s Harmonic World of Flowers’?”
“Exactly! She´s an old friend of my parents and makes the best bouquets of all Equestria! So what do you think?”
Twilight mused a while about the idea and finally made a decision:

“Alright, after school at Symphonia´s florist´s!”

______________________________________________________________________

Symphonia´s Harmonic World of Flowers was a small but nice store at the huge City Center with its lots of stores.

The streets of the City Center were very busy as always. Everywhere, ponies bought presents for Hearts Warming Eve or sundry other things for their personal usage.
Twilight noted mentally to visit Joe´s donut shop again. It was a long time since she and her parents had visited him the last time. Trying to remember when that had been, she trotted along the busy roads, a plushy light green scarf wrapped around her neck and a big dark green bobble cap on her head. She also wore a dark green winter jacket, which kept away the cold winter air.

It was snowing and each step left slight hoof prints of her in the snow behind. Some ponies tried to clear the streets with big snowpushers, but within the next half hour, the street would be white again.
Many houses were decorated with holiday lights and shone in all colors of the rainbow.

Finally, Twilight reached the store she was searching for and entered it. The smell of hundreds of different flowers greeted her. All around, there were small rows of colorful flowers in big and small pots, finished bouquets and flower seeds, potting soil and empty flower pots.
At the backside of the white-tiled store with the yellow green walls was a small wooden shop counter. Behind the counter was a light green mare with a curling blue mane, chatting with a smiling and waiting Silverleaf in front of her. When she eyed Twilight, she pointed at her and told something to the mare while she waved the purple filly to her.

“Ah, you´re finally here! Great!” Silverleaf greeted her and pointed at the mare behind the counter. “Twilight, this is Symphonia. Symphonia, this is Twilight.” her friend introduced her to the owner of the shop.
“Hello!” Twilight greeted the mare smiling.
“Hello. So you are here for some flowers for your mother´s birthday I heard?” she asked and walked around the counter.
Twilight only nodded.
“Well, I have a plentiful choice for you. Together we´ll surely find something your mommy will like.” Symphonia meant and showed her around her store. “Do you know which flowers she likes? I got roses, lilies, violets, pinks, tulips, carnations…”
Twilight could only shake her head. “No, I´m sorry.”
“And what´s her favorite color?” Silverleaf helped asking.
“Oh, that´s easy: red! She likes red. Ou, could we make her a bouquet with a red rose?”

“Well-“ Symphonia began, but Silverleaf instantly cut in.
“Nonononono! We can´t make her something with a red rose! A red rose stands for deep burning love! I know you love your mom as well as I love mine, but a red rose is more something your dad should gift her!”
“Hmm, you´re almost right, but there is a possibility: A combination of several white and red roses means ‘unity’ and ‘warm-heartedness’. That would be possible.” Symphonia suggested.
“Yeah! And gerberas! That says ‘You make everything look even more beautiful!’ Ou, and tulsi! Do you have tulsi, Symphonia? That says ‘Wishing you all well!’”
With big sparkling golden eyes, she looked hopeful at the florist who could only laugh.
“Silverleaf, sometimes I´m asking me if I shouldn´t hire you! Anyhow, of course I got some tulsi. I´ll make a bouquet with these flowers, of course only if you want, Twilight.”

The purple filly was only stunned. She knew her friend Silverleaf loved biology, but now she also knew that she was tailor-made for a florist!
She only nodded and agreed to her friend´s suggestions.
And with that, the green earthpony mare trotted around, took the flowers she needed and vanished in a small back room behind the counter.

As soon as the door was closed, Twilight twisted around to face her silver friend.
“Where do you know all these things about flowers?” she asked amazed.
Blushing with a smile, Silverleaf answered: “Well, I always liked flowers. I mean their smell and their colors and all! So my parents one day bought me a book with all flowers and their different meanings.”
“And you remember them all?”
“Oh no! Do you know how many pages and flowers are inside there? I only know a few, maybe thirty or so!”
“Thirty? Wow! That´s really impressing!”
“Nah, that´s nothing compared with your magical knowledge!”

Twilight had not the same opinion as her friend but didn´t say anything. If it was about something she was good at, Silverleaf always was modest.
“Anyway…” the silver filly finally broke the short silence between them “…I think I´ll buy a small bouquet with a few red roses and violets.”
“What do you need it for?” Twilight wanted to know curious.
“For our poor Bleachie-Weachie. I´ll visit him this afternoon. He looked a little bit harassed and needs someone to cheer him up.”
“As you may suppose, but...didn´t you say a red rose means ‘deep burning love’?” she smirked with a cocked eyebrow and leaned a little bit closer to her friend. “Or did I miss something there? Is it may true that you only tease me with having feelings for him just to cover your own ones?” she batted her eyelashes.

Instead of withdrawing and flushing as the scholar expected, Silverleaf reacted in another way.

“Oh no, silly! I would never challenge you for your Bleachie! No, no, no, instead of taking him away from you, the roses and violets should remember him at you!”
“And how?” she frowned, having no plan what the filly in front of her meant with this.
Silverleaf rolled her eyes. “Oh, come on! You know he likes the fragrance of your perfume! Do you remember how he reacted when he smelled it while he was blindfolded at the meadow? He likes it, there I´m sure as death! And your perfume was a rose-violet-mix, or am I wrong?”
Not waiting for an answer, she leaned over to Twilight, took a sniff and withdrew from her. “Nope, I´m not wrong!” she announced smiling.
“Ugh, you are impossible!”

“Okay, here we are, little filly…” Symphonia´s voice suddenly came from the counter. Both fillies turned to her and recognized the floral arrangement in front of her, wrapped in sheer gift wrap with green flowing gift ribbon and a white bow.
The arrangement for itself was a big round fictile pot, filled with dark brown earth. Three big red roses created the centre, encircled by several smaller white roses. A mix of white and red gerberas was on the pot´s edge and encircled the roses. And between these three parts, where the red roses were the highest and the gerberas the lowest flowers, there was the tulsi, creating the picture of a small, clearly structured forest.
Twilight´s eyes sparkled when she saw the flower arrangement. This was just perfect for her mother! She would love it!
“Wow, it looks awesome! Thank you!” Twilight leaped for joy.
“You are always welcome.” the florist meant with a wide smile and placed the gift in a bag.

She took it in her mouth, paid it with the bits she had saved for it and happily left the store, saying good bye and thank you to her friend, which followed her also happy with her gaze, before she turned back to Symphonia and began to create the arrangement she had in mind for Bleach...

______________________________________________________________________

“Aaaaachoo!”

“You brought it all on yourself!” the pale pink mare with the long black mane chided her son for his foolishness while she came to his bed with an angry look. “Why hadn´t you worn that scarf I gave you? You know it´s cold outside! And you know that you´ll become ill if you don´t protect yourself! I´m very disappointed from you, young stallion!”
“But mommy! I-achoo hate that scarf! It…“ he coughed “…it scrapes and itches! And it is pastel pink!” he complained with a sore throat.
“But it is also warm!” she meant adamant and placed a tray with a hot broccoli soup and a big cup of chamomile tea on his lap.

Bleach was snuggled up in the warm red blankets of his bed, sitting up and leaning against his also red pillow and the wall when his mother brought the soup. He took the cup with his fore hooves, since his magic was unsteady in his actual state, and took a nip. He made a disgusted face because of the tea´s bitterness and placed the cup back on the tablet.
“Can I have some sugar for the tea, please?” he asked.
“No.” his mother simply answered and he hung his head.
“But-“
“And no ‘But mommy’s! You´ll eat your soup and drink your tea without sugar! Sugar isn´t good for your throat!”

He hung his head even lower, his black mane covering his face. He coughed again and something nuzzled his cheek. He looked up and faced his mother´s caring sky-blue eyes. “You may think I´m unfair now. But I just want you to recover as fast as possible. And the tea and the soup are healthy for you. And I am only scolding you because I´m worrying about you. Luckily, it is just a cold. But there are worse maladies you could have gotten and then, we would have to get you to the hospital and you don´t want this, do you? Can you understand me?”
“Yes, mommy…” Bleach replied and coughed again. He knew his mother was right. Never in his life would he submit that she would be unfair. She was just worrying about him and he never could be bad with her when she told him off. Truth told, he loved his mother for her care for him and never wanted anything to change that.
She smiled and pecked him on his forehead. “Alright. Now, be a good son and eat your soup and drink your tea. And then, rest.”
“Okay…”

She nodded with a soft smile and left his chamber, closing the door behind her. Slowly, Bleach ate his soup and drank the bitter tea. Usually, he liked chamomile tea, but only with some sugar or honey to compensate the bitterness. He asked himself how Twilight managed to drink that tea without both things and love it! She even drank black tea, which was even bitterer than chamomile tea!
After he had finished, he put the tray on a small table next to his bed and snuggled up in his covers. He felt how the cold got the better of him. Cuddling with two small stuffed animals, a white pony with a daisy-flower garland in its yellow mane - a hoof-made gift from his grandma - and a blue dragon - his favorite - he soon fell asleep.

After some hours of sleeping, the doorbell forced him to wake up again. He yawned and stretched himself, paying attention to the voices he now heard on the floor.
First, there were some clip-clopping sounds when his mother headed for the door, then the door opened and he heard two low female voices.
“Hello, Miss Auraknight!”
“Oh, hello.”
“Is Bleach at home?”
“Yes, he is in his room.”
“Can I visit him?”
“Well, he has a cold and…”
“Pleeeeeaaaaase…”
A sigh.
“Okay, but be silent. He may is sleeping.”
“Okay. Thank you!”
Again some clip-clopping sounds and then, the door to his room opened slowly.

And it revealed…
“Silverleaf?” Bleach frowned and sat up in his bed.
“Hi!” the silver filly with the green mane beamed and closed the door behind her, depositing a strange bag on the floor.
“What are you doing here?”
“Visiting our ill Bleachie-Weachie.” she replied grinning. “I thought you could need somepony to cheer you up and since Twilight is on her mom´s birthday party, it was left to me.”
“Oh! Right, today wa-achoo-s her mother´s birthday. And I wanted to help her searching for a-aaachooo present…” he snuffed and coughed slightly. “Was she…very peeved?”
“Oh no. Well, of course she was a little bit angry first, but I helped her instead and shall tell you ‘Get well soon!’ from her.”
“Thank you…” Bleach meant with his sore throat and coughed again.

Silverleaf meanwhile walked a little bit around the room.
“So this is the kingdom of a young Auraknight…”
The white colt´s room wasn´t very impressive. There was plenty of room to play, on the right side was, beneath a big poster of his family, a wooden bed where the room´s ill ruler was lying in, covered in his blankets. Next to the bed was a small table, the tray with the empty cup and plate on it, with one chair. On the opposite side of his chamber, there was a wardrobe with his bedding and clothes, right next to two cupboards and a toy box which contained his games and playthings.
The walls were, just like the whole cottage, sky-blue and the ceiling was white. The soft red carpet was also the same in every room.

“It´s…nice.” Silverleaf meant after a while.
“Thanks. I like it, too.”
“Would be bad if you wouldn´t.” she giggled and he could only reply with a chuckle. After a while, his ocean-eyes wandered and fixated the strange bag the silver filly had brought with her.
“What´s in that bag?” he asked curious.
Silverleaf, just inspecting his toy box and holding a chess game in her hooves with a wrinkled nose, put it back and turned around at the question. “Oh, this is just a small gift for you.” she said, took the bag and produced something out of it.
“A gift for me?” Bleach questioned with a cocked eyebrow. “What is it?”
“Oh, nothing very big. Just this...” and with these words, she put the gift on the small table. It was a floral arrangement.
A very beautiful floral arrangement!

The colt just looked at it in awe, his eyes sparkling.
Inside of a big round fictile pot, there were four red roses, standing straight out of the dark brown earth like pillars, surrounded by many violets. Some chamomile blossoms created a big cross and four individual small rose-violets-forests. Two little wooden ladybugs ‘crawled’ along the way and on one of the roses´ petioles. He smelled the scent of the flowers and took a deep breath, as deep as his cold allowed him. He smiled.

“This is just wonderful, Silverleaf! Let me guess, the roses and violets are standing for Twilight? Her perfume always smells like that.”
“I knew you would recognize!” she cheered with a jump.
“Well, I´m sitting right next to her in school. It´s very hard to not recognize!” he explained grinning. “Anyway, and the chamomile? I can´t say this would be one of my favorite flowers since it isn´t my favorite tea.”
“It stands for ‘solace’ and ‘hope’. It is a way to say ‘get well soon’.” she expounded.
“Aha-achoo! Well then: thank you very much! This is such a cute present…did you made it on your own?”
“Almost. I know a good florist at the City Center. I told her which flowers I wanted to have for your arrangement and how it should look like. She also created a floral arrangement for Twilight´s mother. It also turned out very beautiful!”
“And of course you also helped with that arrangement, right? It´s impressive how much you seem to know about flowers and their language!” Bleach meant.

Now, she giggled. “Everypony tells me the same! And I am really starting to believe it! I mean, I love to work with flowers and to create arrangements and bouquets with them! I always loved it!”
“Uhm…Silv?”
“I mean, it´s the only thing I am really good at! Breeding plants and decorate something with them. And I have a great knowledge about their language!” she continued, ignoring him.
“Silverleaf?”
“Hey, maybe I am a tailor-made florist! I mean, my name is Silverleaf after all! Don´t you think that has a meaning? If you ask me-“
“SILVERLEAF!”
With an asking look at her friend, she broke her monologue.
“What is it?”

Bleach only smiled. “Well…Did you look at yourself in the mirror - achoo - for the last two minutes?”
“Of course not!” she frowned. “I was talking to myself, if you can´t remember! Why should I?”
“Just do it…” the colt meant and covered his ears with his fore hooves.
Frowning about her friend´s behavior, she trotted to the mirror which was on the front of his wardrobe. Ill colts are just strange… she thought for herself and walked in front of the mirror, looking at her reflection.
Searching for the colt´s source of excitement her golden eyes wandered along her body. Her green mane with the white streak was brushed and neat as ever, the silver barrette over her left brow was where she belonged, her face the same as always, her throat and chest clean and shining silver, just as her - and there it was, the source!

She blinked one time and then, her eyes shot open with surprise, sparkling with happiness and an ear-to-ear grin appeared on her lips.
“MY CUUUUUTIIIIIIIEEEE MAAAAAARK! Oh my gosh, oh my gosh, oh my GOSH!”
Her joy sounded at the top of her lungs throughout the cottage. Her frisks so high that Bleach feared she would reach the ceiling and hit her head!

Laughing, the white colt removed his hooves from his ears and watched his bouncing friend who now had the picture of a flower arrangement on her flank. It looked like a combination of the ones she had made for Twilight and Bleach, revealing a colorful mix of red and white roses, violets, gerberas, chamomiles and tulsi.
“Oh, this is so awesome, awesome, awesome!” she meant still bouncing.
“Well, what did we tell you? One day, you´ll find something you´re good at. And now, you found it! Congratulation, Silverleaf!”
“Oh, thank you! Thank you so much!” she shouted and jumped onto the bed, hugging him tightly in her joy. “You have no idea how happy I am right now!”
“Tell it my lungs…” he managed to say in her breathtaking embrace.
“Oh, sorry…”

She released him and sat down at the bed´s foot. “I got a little bit carried away.” she meant awkwardly with a smile and a blush.
“No problem…” Bleach meant, taking deep breaths to get some air back into his lungs.
With time, she settled down and her joy turned into a steady grin.
“So…we still have a lot of time before I have to go. Why we don´t play something? I found some interesting games in your cupboards.” Silverleaf suggested.
“Great idea! But first, I want to make you a gift, too.” he meant.
“Me? What should it be? You don´t have to gift me something only to make my present up to me. We are friends, you don´t have to make me a present just because I made you one. That´s not how friendship works!” she explained.
“Oh, I know, but I want to make you a present! Just take it as a Hearts Warming Eve-gift, even if it´s still some time till then.” he insisted.

Silverleaf sighed and rolled her eyes. “Okay…what is it?”
“Well, you remember back when you told us that you just have that old boring and stuffy plushie to cuddle with?”
“It has been a while, but…yes, I remember. And nothing has changed since then.”
“Now, seeing your cutie-mark, I want to give you…” he grabbed behind him and took one of his stuffed animals, the one with the flower-garland on its head, and turned back, showing it to her “…this! My grandma once made it for me, but it fits better to you and that is why I want you to keep it.” he explained.
Smiling, she took the fluffy toy and hugged him. “Oh, you are a real cutie, do you know that?”
He blushed chuckling. “Yeah, my mom says that very often, too…”
She giggled. “Hey, can you keep a secret?”
“Sure, what is it?”
“But you mustn´t tell Twilight, okay? She´ll only be jealous of me. And I don´t want to disgruntle her!”
“Okay, I´ll tell nothing. What is it now?”
And with that, she pecked him on his cheek.

Grinning wide, Silverleaf released the now very confused and dumbfounded colt from her embrace. “And no word to Twilight, promised?”
“Uh…sure…” he just said, rubbing his cheek where she had kissed him and focusing her with his dark-blue eyes.
“Great! And now, let´s already play something!” she meant and jumped from the bed, inspecting the toy box again.

Bleach only sneezed again and finally simply shrugged, joining her.
Sometimes I wish to know what´s going on in these fillies´ heads, especially in hers…and in the end, I´m glad I don´t know it…

______________________________________________________________________

“Oh, look who we have here! Our ill colt is finally back!” Twilight cheered when her purple eyes found her friend with the white coat and black mane in the threshold of their classroom. He slowly approached smiling his seat next to her, looking fit as a fiddle with no trace of his cold left.
“Hey, it was only one weekend. Technically, I missed not one day at school! Only the last two lessons at Friday. By the way, can you borrow me your notes from these lessons?”
“I knew you would ask! That´s why I have them already with me!” she answered smiling and levitated a folder with the notes out of her saddlebag to Bleach.
He took them and put them into his own saddlebag. “Thank you!”

After preparing himself for the lesson, Twilight asked him: “So…how was your afternoon with Silverleaf? She told me she wanted to visit you…”
“…and she did so.” he finished her sentence. “We played the whole afternoon and chatted and after dinner, she left for her home.” he reported, omitting the cheek-kiss-part as promised and that she had gotten her cutie-mark. The latter should be a surprise.
“And did she make you that floral arrangement she told me about before I left the florist´s?”
“Yep! And it looks awesome! The roses and violets she had used for it instantly remembered me at you.”
“Oh…really?...” she asked smiling and lowered her head a little to hide her faint blush.
“Uh-huh. Your perfume after all has the same fragrance. I would recognize it everywhere!”

“Aaand…your cold is gone completely? No more sneezing in my salad?” she awkwardly tried to change the topic to not blush any more.
He chuckled. “Thanks to my mom´s forced alimentation with pottage and chamomile tea - yes. No more sneezing, no more coughing. Completely cured!”
“Well, that sounds good! And I hope you´ll wear a scarf in future!”
“Since my parents had a heart to buy me a new one that doesn´t scrapes and is black instead of that awful pastel pink - yes, I´ll wear one.” he assured her.
“That´s good. Now, I´m satisfied with knowing that.”

“Yeah, but there is still one thing you have to know. But it´s a surprise and we´ll have to wait until we´re all together…”

“You got your cutie-mark? Oh, that is sooooo awesome!” Twilight shouted in surprise when she saw her silver friend.

They were at one of the lounges on the fourth floor and sat down on one of the red couches around, Twilight staring amazed at the flower arrangement on Silverleaf´s flank.
“How did you get it?” she asked her.
Silverleaf grinned at her and brought the events of the last Friday back. “Well, when I visited Bleach and gave him his arrangement, he also told me how great it is and all and how amazing my knowledge about flowers is, so I thought: ‘If everypony thinks I am good at botanical things, it may is truth and this is really what I am made for!’ And then, Bleach showed me my cutie-mark in his mirror.”
“That is so awesome! I´m so delighted for you!”

“Thank you! But without you two, I would´ve never experienced what I am good at! I have to thank you, too! Thank you!”

They all smiled at each other and stretched their right fore hooves.
“For our hearts!”
“For our souls!”
“For our friendship!”

”From the ground
our souls fly high!
Together they´ll reach the sky!”

Episode 5 - A Poisoned Soul

The Halcyon Days

Episode 5 - A Poisoned Soul

'…He felt like bursting with energy. Rising from his seat, he took Vivana´s hands and pulled her to her feet as well. “Come along! Let´s finally start to celebrate.”
Hand in hand, they went along the meadow straight towards Bradost, and within, their new life.
There was much work to do.

The End'

The colt closed his eyes and closed the book, holding the picture in his head as long as possible. Finally, he had finished the last part of the ‘Pandeamonia’-book series, ‘Phoenixfire’ it was called. Smiling, his eyes opened slowly, letting the picture in his head dissipate and the book´s heroes have their rest in his imagination.

It was late evening and Shadow Star was still at the school´s library. Surrounded by hundreds of wooden bookshelves with thousands of books, he was reading his favorite ones and always searching for new worlds they could show him. He smiled. The last world he had been ‘captured’ in would be his new special favorite. ‘The Last Dreamwanderer’...the title of the first book of the series had been the reason why he had read the book. He simply loved fantasy books. Unexplored worlds and dimensions with thousands of monsters and heroes in golden armors!

Shadow Star was a dreamer. The young black-coated colt with the shining yellow mane and its white streak loved to let his thoughts roam. The librarian´s son let his fantasy work. His imagination never rested. He loved to dream! To imagine the craziest things! Every night was a gift for him.
And he was one of the very special ponies in the world who knew how to work their magic in their dreams. Related to that, his cutie mark was a dark blue starlit sky with a big round full moon in its middle.

“Shady!” a sudden female voice called his nickname and a brown elder mare appeared between the bookshelves.
The colt looked at her smiling. “Yes, mommy?” he asked.
“Prepare to leave. I´m finished for today. Let´s go home and get something to eat on the way.”
“Okay. Can I search a book for at home before we leave?” The colt looked at his mother with pleading eyes.
She just chuckled. “Okay, sweetie. But hurry!”
“Okay…” he just replied and left his seat.

Today, he wanted to take a book from the old dusty cardboard box he had found on one of the shelves. He took one of the dozens of white ladders in the library and moved it into position. Carefully, he climbed the shelf for his destination. Finally, Shadow reached the box and blew at it, causing a cloud of dust which made him cough.
Slowly, he opened the box and his curiousness drew him right through the Styrofoam protection surface and to the dozens of books underneath. Fighting his way past books with boring-sounding titles, he dug deeper and deeper.

The last book at the bottom of the box caught his attention.
It was a very old tomb with a brown leather-hardcover. It had no title, neither on its front nor its side. Only a strange circle with six golden orbs and mysterious signs inside them was on its cover.
Shadow frowned and decided to take the curious book with him. He grabbed it with his mouth and wanted to climb down the ladder when he suddenly felt a sharp stinging pain from his mouth wandering straight to his head.

Flinching, he let the book fall back into the box and rubbed his head. The pain was gone as fast as it had come. Frowning again about the pain´s source, he slowly took the book again. This time, there was nothing.

Shrugging, he climbed down the ladder and left the library together with his mother, not knowing, that this book better had been left untouched for all eternity…

______________________________________________________________________

“She´s too powerful!” a filly panted next to him.
“But we can´t give up we-“
In this moment, two huge spiders pounced on them.

They jumped to the side and avoided their attack. With shining swords, the filly and the colt tried to defend themselves. The mocking laughter of the witch that controlled the two nightmares took them nearly every last single hope.
One last hit of the spiders wrested their swords from them and sent them back. They drew back until they felt the white wall of the huge wide throne hall in their backs. Horrified, they watched the spiders coming closer for the final stroke. “You foals seriously thought you could defeat me? ME?” the witch mocked and laughed sinister. “Now, you´ll pay your foolish acting with your lives!”

The filly and the colt only hugged, waiting for their end.
“I´m sorry it ends like this.” the colt whispered in the filly´s ear.
She shook her head. “Nothing is over, yet. You can still defeat her! Believe me, Shadow.”
The black colt looked curious at the filly in front of him. “But how?”
“I´ll give you my energy.”
“But…but that means…you will…”
“It´s the only way, Shadow…I´m sorry.” the filly meant and hugged him tighter, pressing a small kiss on his cheek. And then, a glow surrounded her and she started to transfer her energy to him…and finally vanished.

The colt only started to tear up and sniffed.
“Twilight…”

“Ooooooh, how cuuuuute…”

Shadow frowned. That was not the voice of the witch from before. He snapped out of his dream-game and looked around. He was still in the white hall, the two big spiders still in front of him. His eyes closed and his imagination worked. The hall and the spiders vanished and a wide green meadow with a clear blue sky appeared.

The black colt sighed and lay down on his back, staring at the sky. He liked Twilight Sparkle, the prized student of Celestia. Much. But his dreams were the only place where he could be at her side. Sure, he tried to talk to her at school, but Shadow never had been very forward and was always very shy. And after all, Twilight had cast an eye on Bleach, the young Auraknight. That, at least, was what his eyes told him, the way she looked at and talked to him.
She may didn´t have noticed yet, but if this Bleach was her special somepony, he wouldn´t stand in their way. In fact, he would help them to strengthen their relation!

“Oh, please! You can´t be serious!”

He frowned. There it was again, the voice from before. He looked around but couldn´t find anypony. None the less, the voice continued to talk to him:

“You are unable to pull the wool over my eyes. I see it, deep inside your soul. Don´t try to blow smoke in my face, I´m a pro!”

“Who are you?” he shouted into the emptiness of the meadow. “Show yourself!”
Suddenly, the shadows gathered at one point in front of him. They took the form of a pony and vanished as fast as they had gathered, revealing the mare that had spoken to him.
She was an elder pale pink-coated alicorn-mare with an elegant dark pink waving mane and tail. Two shining blue eyes focused on him. An elder stallion surely would have said she would be one of the most beautiful mares of the world with her slender and sultry feminine curves. Two long black ribbons were tied in her mane and tail and waved graceful in an inexistent breeze.

“What´s in names?...” she cooed and sighed. “I can´t believe you´re serious with your thoughts!”
“What do you mean? And how do you come here? You are not part of my dream!” his horn began to glow menacingly.
The mare tried to calm him. “Slow down, little colt. I don´t want to hurt you. Just talk…”
“About what?”
She smirked and cooed: “About your desires…”
Shadow blinked confused. “My…desires?”
“Uh-huh.” the mare answered and lay down on the grass. “There are wishes and longings inside you. Desires you suppress just to have others their way. That´s unquestionably noble, but you can´t live your whole life with these suppressed wishes.”

The colt frowned. “What is your point?”
She smirked again; resting her head on her crossed fore legs and watched him. “You like that filly, Twilight was her name, right? You crave for a kiss from her!”
He blushed. “Well…Of course I like her, but…”
“Don´t lie at me…” she cooed. “It´s useless.”
Shadow sighed. “Okay…Yes. Yes I like her. And I wish I would have a little bit of her attention.”
“And why don´t you fight for her attention?” the nameless mare asked.
He shook his head. “She likes Bleach. And I don´t want to ruin that. I think they would be lovely together.”
The mare moaned dramatically and fixated him with her gaze. “Are you serious? If I would have your feelings for her I would fight for her attention! What does that Bleach have what you don´t have? She may likes him but you thought it for yourself: She didn´t notice yet! Why would you help your rival instead of using your advantage to win her heart for yourself?”
“Well…”
“You just suppress your own wishes! Do you seriously want to have everypony its way with you?”
“I…”
“Do you always want to ignore your own wishes just to do the others a favor? Do you really want to trash your life like that?”
“No, but…”
“Then fight for your desires! Fight for your wishes! Don´t be just a dreamer and pushover and start to live your dreams! Cost what it may!” the mare shouted at him, the words ringing in his head. A headache was starting to invade his brain. He rubbed his head. What was going on? The words of the mare were true. If he wanted to fulfill his wishes he had to fight for them! But something was wrong the way she said it.
It sounded wrong.
Bad.
Evil!

“No…”
“Well, if you just always want to be a little pushover that is settling with what the others leave for him on the huge buffet of life, go, live your pathetic little life! But…if you want my help and the help of my friends…”
He held his head, protected his ears from her words. “No…”
“Think about it! The possibilities! Our powers are strong! Of course, there is something you have to do for us as well, but…that´s just a small task for a colt with your powers…What do you say? Do you want to live like a worm your whole life long or do you want to be the lion? The king above all!”
He shook his head vigorously. The voice became more intensive, more forceful! He protected his ears but he still could hear her! He tried to wake up, to flee from her, but he couldn´t! The headache was driving the young colt insane.
“Please, stop it!” he started to tear up.

But the voice continued, every argument hit his head like a sledge-hammer the anvil, led more poisoned words through his head and his whole body. The world around him was spinning. More voices joined hers. The voices of three stallions and two other mares. And they all told him the same, fed his soul and veins with the same venom.
“Live your dreams!”
“Fight for you desires!”
“Give in your urges and needs!”
“Free yourself, take us, use us, and satisfy your cravings!”

The pain was unbearable!
He screamed, long and loud, but no one heard the tormented soul.
No one was there to help him.

The last thing remaining after his scream was only dark silence...

And when he awoke the next morning, the Shadow Star he once had been was captured deep inside his soul, buried by black poison, dark cravings and sinister thoughts how to fulfill them…

Episode 6 - Destiny and Violence

The Halcyon Days

Episode 6 - Destiny and Violence

It was a sunny Saturday afternoon.

Golden rays emanated from Celestia´s shining orb and enlightened the streets of Canterlot. Ponies busily walked around, getting to or coming from work or buying little presents for their sweethearts for nearing Hearts and Hooves Day. Or they relaxed at the Canterlot City Park. Little fillies and colts laughed and played at the big playground in its middle, their voices of joy sounding throughout the park.

But there was one single spot, one single clearing near the park´s other side where the voices didn´t reach. Only a small lake lay there silently. Birds sang their song in the trees and set everypony at ease that could hear this melody. The grass was rustling in the slight breeze that stroke through his mane and coat, tickling him. His eyes were shut. Trying to concentrate at every single sound and scent, he stood there on his hind legs and waited.

And then, suddenly, the peaceful freeze got some motion.
Rapidly, his horn began to glow and two short thick wooden branches levitated from the ground into his hooves. Within the next second he turned around and swept the limb that was shot at him aside with the branch in his right hoof. As soon as this danger was averted, he turned to the side, avoiding a second limb which missed him very close to his tummy. He jumped over the third limb, rolled when he landed on the meadow, avoiding a fourth limb, missing him close above his head, rose to his hooves in one motion and loosened a magical pulse right ahead and blocked another two limbs this way.
The motions repeated in various combinations and at a fast rate. Not one of the limbs hit him. Graceful and like in one flowing motion he avoided each one of them with his magic, his improvised weapons or his elegance.

With one final try to hit him his assailants threw eight branches at once at him, each from another angle. He smirked and concentrated, fixating on the limbs. He canalized the energies and the magic of his red-pulsing aura through the weapons in his hand. And with one final motion, he stretched his weapons to the side, loosening the energies inside the two branches to create a big three-hundred-sixty degrees magical shield around him. But instead of ricocheting from the shield, the branches entered it and slowed down, coming to a rest right in front of him. He let the shield go, turned around, collected the branches with his magic, levitating them in front of him, and with a strong pulse of his magic he shot them all straight ahead into the lake, spearing eight separate water lilies with them.

Satisfied with his performance, he took up a more relaxed stance.

“Simply awesome!” a voice behind him cheered.
“That was way more than awesome! That was super-awesome!” a second meant.
Bleach smiled and turned around to his friends, sitting down on the meadow. “Do you really think so?” he asked them.
They nodded vigorously. “Absolutely!” Silverleaf meant.
“You are in peak form! Hundred percent fit!” Twilight added. “With that, you are ready for your entry exam!”
The young Auraknight beamed about the encouragement. “Yeah! Just wait for it! Tomorrow, I will be a real Auraknight! Very official!” the white colt meant determined.

“I´m still curious who would be the one you have to fight against.” Twilight puzzled while the trio began to trot back to the playground.
“Oh, I forgot to tell: My father told me the name of the colt I have to fight against this morning. The Captain of the Royal Guard told him yesterday.” he frowned. “He should be one of the best young recruits in history…”
Twilight nuzzled him encouraging. “You will do it, there I´m sure! And by the way: It´s not important if you win or lose, it´s important that you earn your cutie mark during this fight, or am I wrong there?”
“No, but…I wouldn´t feel worthy to be an Auraknight if I lose this battle. After all, I´m going to be a personal lifeguard of Celestia herself! A lost battle there maybe means the loss of her life! She should be able to have confidence in me! And who trusts a lifeguard who can´t defeat one single recruit of the Royal Guard?”
“You are worrying way too much again! I know Celestia. She won´t lose the trust in you if you lose only one single battle. Otherwise, she would have given up me ages ago! My spells also don´t work the first time. It´s annoying, but you have to try it again and again. And one day, you´ll be better than every other pony at it!” She narrowed her eyes. “Except you have a Bleach Auraknight as your eternal rival who can handle magic as well as yourself because of his natural gift…”
He giggled. “I´m sorry…”
Twilight shook her head. “Nah, nothing to be sorry for. One day, I am the better of us at magic, you will see…”

They continued their walk through the park, Silverleaf occasionally stopping and picking up some daisies, twining them humming to a small chaplet and letting her two friends chat.
“And? Who is your opponent?” the purple filly asked after a while. “I know some of the recruits´ names.”
Bleach cooked an eyebrow. “Really? How do you know them?”
“My big brother is a recruit of the Royal Guard, too. He often talks about them when he´s at home.”
“Ou, it must be great to have a big brother! I wish I had one, too.”
“Yep, it is great!” she beamed. “But now: Who is it? Is it Steel Hoof?”
Bleach shook his head.
“Or Blade Wing?”
“Nope.”
“Wait, wait, don´t tell me, I have one last try…Is it Thunderstorm?”
“Still wrong.”
She moaned annoyed and disappointed. “Okay…who is it?”

The answer, however, was as simple as fateful.

“His name is ‘Shining Armor’…”

______________________________________________________________________

A few hours later, it was early evening now, a door smashed very vociferous against the wall.

Frantically, a young and surprised couple parted their lips and their gazes wandered to the opened door and the one standing in its threshold. Curiousness and annoyance because of the sudden interruption of their romantic kissing flooded the world of the couple´s feelings.

The two eyes from the threshold fixated on the colt of the couple.
“HOW - Oh, hello Cadence!” the filly greeted her former foalsitter, interrupting herself in her fury to wave at her smiling, and instantly focused back at the stallion after the pink mare waved back at her with an awkward smile and chuckle. “HOW DARE YOU!”

“Twily!” Shining Armor greeted his furious little sister and chuckled uncertain. “E-he…uhm…didn´t our parents told you to knock before setting hoof in the rooms of big ponies?”
Twilight, however, didn´t care very much about the privacy-topic at the moment and came closer, still starring menacingly at her big brother.
“Don´t try to distract me!” she shouted at him. “How dare you! And I thought you would be my BBBFF!”
“BBBFF?” Cadence cooked an eyebrow with an asking look at the young stallion next to her.
“Big Brother Best Friend Forever.” Shining explained.
“Oooooooh…”

“Withdraw the ‘Best Friend’!” Twilight shouted, still coming closer and forcing her big brother to retreat, until he felt the wall behind him. “How DARE you!” the filly repeated.
“What da-haaaaare-uff” Twilight didn´t let him finish. Ignoring the effort and concentration the spell usually would cost at a weight like this, she levitated her brother in the air and forced him to ground on his back, jumped on his tummy, making him gasp when she landed, and stared direct into his blue eyes.
One more time, she repeated forceful: “How! Dare! You!”

Shining Armor, confused and, granted, slightly intimidated by his sister´s stare, he could only ask: “What dare I?”
“Don´t come the innocent with me! You know exactly what I´m talking about!” the purple filly meant.
The white stallion beneath the filly´s hooves puzzled, but couldn´t find a reason why his sister would act like that. So he questioned: “Aaaaaand…that would be…?”
“Don´t try to play the ignoramus!”
“But I really don´t…”
“Don´t lie at me, you liar!”

Cadence, watching the scene with curiousness and slight amusement, could only giggle low at the sight. The strong and firm colt she loved and who was, in addition, an outstanding recruit of the Royal Guard overpowered by his little sister was a priceless sight!
But finally, she tried to help her love; realizing that the young filly wouldn´t tell them what angered her that much.
“Twilight, calm down. Please. Come here…” she said in a soothing tone and opened her hooves for an embrace.
The little filly, broken in her rage, looked a little bit irritated at her former foalsitter. In the end, she decided to accept the pink mare´s offer and hugged her, still staring at her brother with a murderous look.
“Good. And now: Tell me what your big bad brother has done to upset you that much.” she pleaded the young filly in her arms, striking comforting through her mane.

Twilight pointed reproachful at her brother, who was rising back to his hooves at the moment. “That colt wants to fight against one of my best friends!” she snitched.
Cadence cooked doubtful an eyebrow and looked at her love. “Really? I can´t believe your brother would do such a horrible thing! He´s such a nice colt, there has to be a misunderstanding.”
“Yeah, I never would bandy with your friends!” Shining meant unswervingly.
“Oh, really? But there is no misunderstanding! You fight against my best friend! Tomorrow afternoon! In front of Celestia and the high generals of the Royal Guard!” the filly shouted.
Cadence´s eyes widened with surprise and realization. “Wait…you mean…the ceremony to prove the young Auraknight?”

“I remember, too.” Shining now meant and trotted next to them, looking at his sister with an excusing look. “Captain Stormcloud meant it would be a great honor to test the young Auraknight. I didn´t know that he´s your friend. If I had known, I wouldn´t have accepted.”
“I always told you!” Twilight asserted.
“You told me about a colt called ‘Bleach’ who is sitting next to you at school and moves like a gracious dancer. But you never told me that he is an Auraknight-to-be. Neither told me anypony the name of the pony I´m going to fight against.” he defended himself.
“So…are you going to declare off from the battle?” the filly asked hopeful.
Shining only sighed. “I´m sorry, but I can´t. Captain Stormcloud would sentence me to shell potatoes forevermore!”
“But…”
“Look, Twilight…” Cadence interposed “…I will be there, too. I will watch and ensure that your brother won´t harm your friend in any way, okay?”
“Okay…But…Can´t I come with you and watch, too?” she asked.
“I´m sorry, but nopony except the Auraknight´s family, the princesses and the generals of the Royal Guard are allowed to watch. I´m really truly sorry…” Cadence meant.

Disappointed, Twilight looked to the ground. “Okay…” she sighed.
“Are you still bad with me?” her brother asked careful.
She shook her head and released herself from her foalsitter´s embrace. “No…”
“Don´t think too much about it. You´ll see, tomorrow after the battle, everything will be okay. Okay?”
“Okay…” Twilight sighed again and trotted towards the door.

At the threshold, she turned around one last time, defiance in her eyes.
“But I will still tell Bleach to kick up your backside!”

______________________________________________________________________

“That´s it! I found it! This is just perfect…I told you I just have to research a few annuals!”
”Are you serious?” a female voice whispered in his head.
“But of course!” he answered and levitated the item of their attention out of the book and on a nearby desk. “It´s may a little bit old, but this should do it.”
”A LITTLE BIT old? He´s nearly a foal on this picture!”

Shadow Star moaned and rolled his eyes.
It was nearly midnight and he was at the school´s library. He had snuck away from his room after his parents had gone to bed. The book, source and prison of the six souls inside, lay on a table next to the young soul-poisoned unicorn.
“It isn´t important either how old the picture is! For the spell, it´s just important that it is him! I could use a photo of him with a filled diaper and it would work!” the black colt explained to the mare in his head - the same mare he had seen first of them all and that had nudged the stone to cause the avalanche which had locked his true being behind the shadows of a dark veil of cravings and needs.

And these cravings consisted only of one thing, one destination:
Eliminating Bleach and winning Twilight´s heart!
But to fulfill this craving, he needed the dark souls of the book! And they happily obliged to help him. They imposed just one condition, the thing they craved most out of everything in the world - a body.

“And you really demand one of us to take over this body?” the mare complained.
“Why not? He´s perfect! Young, strong and athletic!” Shadow argued.
”But he is soooo unattractive!” she meant stubborn
The colt cooked an eyebrow. “He seems to be handsome enough to be loved by the young princess.”
”Ugh! Princesses must have VERY low standards these days!”
“Anyway, did I say it is you I have in mind for this body?”

As soon as he mentioned it, five other voices sounded in his head, asking who should be the one to take over the colt on the photo.
He hushed them angrily. The thought to soon have one of the voices out of his head was one thing Shadow was looking forward to with glee! Taking a deep breath, he collected his thoughts.
“Viola, you are the one I have in mind for him!” the colt then proclaimed.
A loud female shout of joy sounded throughout his being.
"Hooray! A perfect choice, master! In contrast to my thankless sister, I think this shape will fit me perfect! Okay, it´s a colt after all, but this shape surely can wreak some pain and chaos and destruction if you use it right!" the mare cheered in his head.

“Yeah…there´s just one request I have.” he restrained her delight.
”No problem.” Viola answered instantly. ”You are making me a great gift after all. What is it?”
Now, a sinister grin spread on the black colt´s lips.
“I researched a little bit. Tomorrow, there is an important ceremony for Bleach. And as chance would have it he and the colt you are taking over have to fight against each other at this ceremony…”

He could feel her grinning sinister, too.
”I will exterminate his being from history, master…”

That was all he needed to hear before he began to work his spell…

______________________________________________________________________

Shadow Star´s spell was rather easy to understand.

First off: It worked only if the target was asleep and dreaming, that was why he was still awake.
Second: With his magic, he transferred the mare´s soul to its destination: The dreams of the target, in this case Shining Armor, the elder brother of his loved filly.
Third: The photo was needed to lead the soul its way. She needed a picture of its target, otherwise she wouldn´t find the colt´s dreams. And it served as some kind of buffer. It pretended to transfer all her powers into the target´s body at once, which may were able to destroy it otherwise. As long as the transmission wasn´t complete, the soul was connected to the photo. Only if every last drop of energy arrived at the target´s body, she would control it complete and ultimate.
Fourth: Before everything, the mare has to wrestle the opposite soul down in its dreams, but Shadow didn´t doubt about her victory…

Like an assassin Viola, a livid-coated alicorn-mare with a blazing red wild mane and tail, her eyes incandescing devilish in the same color, entered Shining Armor´s dreams, unseen and unrecognized, focusing on her target.

The colt´s dream consisted of a small clearing, birds singing from everywhere and a golden sun was shining down on it. He was sitting on a red-white-checkered picnic rug, a small basket with food standing on it. Everything was hazy and blurred.
The only perfectly detailed thing was the one pony sitting on the rug next to the dreamer - a pink mare with a three-colored white, pink and purple mane and tail, two sky-blue bows tied up in them.
Embracing each other tenderly, they just sat there and stared lovingly into each other’s eyes.

Slowly, their heads came closer, nuzzling their partner softly and smiling wide with reddened cheeks.
“I love you, Cadence…” the white colt breathed before softly locking his lips with hers. “…more than anything…” he added after the kiss broke.

The dark mare, watching the dreamer from her stash behind some of the dream-trees, felt like vomiting. That was way too much love for an alicorn that knew only three things: Chaos, pain and destruction!
She smirked and her horn began to glow in a dark light shortly after the dream-Cadence whispered an ‘I love you too…’ and sank her head against her lover´s chest. Time to take over…

The eyes of the imagined Cadence shone in the same dark light for a short moment, unnoticed by the lovelorn colt, and Viola began to use the phantasm like a ventriloquist´s dummy, speaking each of her words through the dream-Cadence and leading her movements.
The phantasm leaned closer to Shining´s soul and kissed his cheek, whispering into his ear.
“…but there is one thing you have to do, before we truly can be with one another…”
“Anything for you, my love…” he whispered back.
Viola smirked.
The false Cadence brought their heads together and locked her eyes with the soul.
“The battle tomorrow. Against the young Auraknight…” her look became serious, her voice reedy, catching the soul´s full attention. “Don´t! Lose! It!”

He frowned and leaned back, still looking into her purple orbs. “What do you mean?” he asked.
Viola´s puppet moaned and rolled her eyes, parting from the embrace and looking the stallion over. “Look, I am a princess.” the puppet told him. “And as a princess I cannot risk to be together with a weakling who can´t stand and win a battle against a silly little foal!”
“Cadence?” the colt frowned even more and narrowed his eyes. “Is that really you? Since when are you so…”
“What?” she snapped. “Is it too much for you to do me this little favor?”
“No, but…it isn´t important who-“
“It isn´t important?” she laughed joyless. “It isn´t important who wins the battle! It isn´t important if I am with a colt who´s pushed around by little babies! It isn´t important if whole Equestria will laugh at us!”
Shining snorted. “Aren´t you a little bit overreacting?”
“Let me tell you one thing…” The phantasm came closer and leaned over to his ear, whispering: “…if you lose the battle tomorrow, our relationship will be official over!” She leaned back and caught his shocked wide-opened eyes. “You got that?”
“Y-y-yeah, but…” he stammered.
“Good!”
And with that, the pink mare turned around, whipped her tail near his face and walked away.

“W-wait! You can´t…”
But she already had vanished and Shining Armor´s soul was left alone. He sighed. The romantic clearing around him vanished and nothing but black emptiness remained. Her words were clear. He had to win the battle or he would lose what he loved. But Bleach as him was told was a fit young fighter with both, a passionate fighting style and clinical analytic skills. A tough nut to crack…
“You have a knack for mares…” Viola meant ironically behind him.

The colt jolted and turned around, facing the livid mare hovering in the air in front of him, her wings beating in a slow steady rhythm.
“Who are you?” he asked surprised and confused.
“You can call me Viola.” she introduced herself and a smirk spread on her lips. “And your salvation…”
Shining frowned. “My salvation?”
“Uh-huh.” her smirk grew wider and crossed her forelegs. “I can´t stand here and watch how your beautiful loved mare would trash you like this! I can help you! I will lead you to victory! Together, we´ll defeat that Bleach!” Viola´s eyes sparkled when she imagined the mess she was going to wreak and she stretched her hoof for him to accept.
“But…isn´t that cheating?” he meant.
Viola moaned and retracted her hoof. “Oh, come on! What´s more important to you? Winning your love´s heart or fair play?”
“Well…”
“It would be way easier anyway if you wouldn´t be such a softy!” she teased him. “If you would be just a little bit more aggressive! Let the fire inside yourself burn! Let it sear your enemies! Be wild! Beat that colt until he lies in front of you unconscious!”

Viola´s radical words intruded his mind, flooded it like a storm surge. Was she right? Was he too soft? Had he to be more aggressive? More wild?
“Well?” the alicorn asked eager and expectantly.
Shining came to a point.
“Well…I guess you maybe are ri-”

She didn´t let him finish. Her gaze turned wild from one second to the next.
“That suffices!” she shouted feral and pounced at the stallion like a tiger at his prey.

Shining´s soul only managed one last loud cry, until it was rolled over by pure and unbridled violence…

______________________________________________________________________

Sunday.

Three hours were left until he would have found his destiny in life - or not.
Twilight had told him that Shining Armor - her brother - was one of the best defenders in the world. And that he was one of the most promising stallions to become a Royal Guard´s Captain one day.
But the thing that damaged his self-trust most was the fact of him being Twilight´s brother, the brother of the filly with the greatest magical stock in all Equestria!

“You are nervous, aren´t you?” somepony analyzed and Bleach snapped out of his deep thoughts, returning to reality and becoming aware of his surroundings.
They were at the park´s playground, laughing little foals playing everywhere around them. He was the only one who didn´t smile.

Twilight looked down at the white colt from the monkey bars. How she wished she could take all his worries away.
“Where do you know?” he asked her and got a wry smile in response.
“You are sitting at that swing since half an hour now and didn´t start swinging yet.”
“Oh!...He, guess you´re right…”

The filly climbed down the bars and trotted next to the colt with an encouraging smile.
“Hey…”
The young Auraknight-to-be looked at her with worried ocean-blue eyes.
“You worry too much…”
He answered with a soft smile.
“You maybe are right…” he looked to the ground and the smile vanished. “…but this isn´t only about me, you know? My father invested so much time in training me, I just don´t want to shame him. He would never show, but I know he would be disappointed if I won´t pass the test and follow in his hoofsteps…And, in addition, your brother doesn´t seem to be the easiest opponent I could have…”

She scrutinized the white colt in front of her.
He was right, Shining Armor wasn´t easy to defeat. Twilight frowned, thinking at him. He acted very curious this morning. He even had shouted at their mommy and denied every kiss and hug from her. Her daddy had explained her, that he may was going through a difficult phase called ‘puberty’. Not knowing what that should be she had taken an inner note to research some books about that word.
Anyhow, she guessed it were only nerves. Shining was also just as nervous as Bleach. The tension inside him could have caused his strange acting. He seemed testier and - what worried her most - more violent.

“I wish Silverleaf and I could be there to support you…” Twilight sighed in the end.
“Where is she anyway?” Bleach frowned. “I thought we wanted to meet here one last time until I have to go.”
“I don´t know…I hope nothing happened to her. She´s now past-due exactly twenty-three minutes and fifty-seven seconds…”
The colt cooked an eyebrow. “You even count the seconds?”
“Yep!” she beamed. “You know I hate being tardy. For me, every second counts!”

“Well…” he jumped from the swing and looked at her. “…if I don´t want to be late, I have to go now. My father is waiting. I want to warm-up with him before things get started.”
Twilight nodded wise. “Okay. I wish you the best of luck! And take care.”
He smiled and nodded in response. “I will. Thank you.”
Bleach steadied himself one last time until he turned around and wanted to leave.

Twilight bit her lower lip. Did she encourage him enough? Did she destroy some of his worries? Oh how she wished she could be there and watch him! He needed encouragement from his friends so desperately!
Suddenly, she came to a point.
“Bleach, wait!” she called and stopped him in his tracks. With an asking look, he turned his head towards her.
“What is it?”
“Well…” she stepped in front of him. “…I just wanted to say you, that even if Silverleaf and I can´t be there, we´ll though always be at your side!”
He smiled. “Thank you. That means very much to me.”
“Oh, and one last thing…” Twilight meant. “Close your eyes!”

With a curious ‘Okay…’ he did so.
The filly´s gaze darted left, then right and behind her. No silver coat, no green mane - Silverleaf was still absent. Good!
And then, she turned back to the colt in front of her, leaned over to him and fluttered a kiss on his cheek, whispering ‘Good luck!’ in his ears.

The brief contact of her lips sent a strange tingling through his body, he couldn´t identify. It just felt…warm. And secure. Completely different from Silverleaf´s peck a few months ago.
Surprised and confused he opened his eyes, looking at the filly with more curiousness than before. Bleach smiled soft, noticing her blushing and doing so as well.
“Thank you…” he said whole-hearted.
Twilight just managed to smile and looked into his deep dark ocean-orbs.
“Kick up his backside!” she breathed to him.

He nodded beaming, turned around and finally left, feeling on top of the world…

A few meters behind the left Twilight, a pony had arrived almost in time to watch the whole scene, unseen and covered by the other playing foals on the monkey bars.
So you have no feelings for him, huh? the silver filly with the green mane and tail asked for herself wide grinning. Don´t worry, your secret is safe by me.
She smirked even more.

But that doesn´t mean that I´ll stop playing your very own and never-resting Cupid…

______________________________________________________________________

Twilight swung absently, her thoughts roaming, primary to the colt she had kissed only moments ago.
She blushed and smiled at the thought.

She hadn´t done it on purpose, but something had told her that this was the right thing. And it felt good! Amazingly good! There was always a small tingling inside her stomach when she saw him, talked to him or simply thought at him. But when she had kissed him, the feeling had intensified a hundred times. Like a swarm of thousands of butterflies! And yes, she remembered the idiom of ‘having butterflies in the stomach’.
But…why her? And why him? Why she had these feelings for him?
Of course, he was her friend and he always cared for her, but he always cared for Silverleaf as well! Thus, shouldn´t she have the same feelings for him? But she didn´t seem to like him as much as she did.
Was it simply because he was the most handsome colt in the world? Why did she think that about him anyway? Why was she so fascinated by his shining white coat, his straight black mane and these incredibly sweet dark blue ocean-eyes?
Was it because blue was her favorite color?
Why, why, why did she like him that much? Why she just wanted to watch him every single second possible? Her feelings were absurd! Illogical! Irrational! There was no scientific explanation for her feelings, so why…

“Phew, and I thought the park would be on fire!” somepony next to her sighed suddenly relieved.
Twilight startled and fell from her swing, landing in the soft sand beneath.
“But it was only you, thinking…very hard considering the amount of smoke steaming out of your ears.” the pony commented bold whilst the purple filly rose back to her hooves, spitting the sand out of her mouth.
“SILVERLEAF! Do you always creep up on ponies like that?” Twilight asked the silver filly in front of her annoyed.

She stuck for the answer and looked left and right.
“Is Bleach already gone?” she questioned.
“Yes! You missed him! Why are you that late anyway! We wanted to meet thirty-five minutes and sixteen seconds ago!” the princess´ student scolded.
Silverleaf frowned. “You even count the seconds?”
“UUUUGH! Yes, I do! Because for me, every second counts!”
The filly only giggled. “Relax, Twi! I think you encouraged him more than I could ever do.”
Twilight furrowed her brow. “How should you know?”
Her friend pointed at her golden eyes with a cloak-and-dagger-look. “Clairvoyance!” She smirked and leaned over to her ears, adding whispering: “His cheek tasted good, didn´t it? You at least seemed to like it…”

Twilight pulled away and looked at her shocked. “You…you wa-“
“Anyway…” Silverleaf cut in, still smirking. “…I think I found a way to let you watch and encourage our Bleachie during his test!”
“Really?” she asked doubtful. “But there will be Guards on every entrance! How should I sneak past them unrecognized?”
Silverleaf´s answer was her unbroken smirk. “Oh, trust me, we´ll only need you, a rose…”

She lit her horn and levitated a small vial out of her saddlebag.

“…and that elixir a unicorn-friend of my elder sister gave to me…”

______________________________________________________________________

The playing field of the school - a wide fenced area with a huge maroon oval running track with a big meadow in its center - that was the place where Bleach´s battle against him would take place.
Every entry, which all led to the halls with the changing rooms and toilets below the orange-colored grand stand, was protected by a pair of Royal Guards.
From the grand stand for itself, which led all around the playing field and created the image of a small arena, everypony should be able to see the battle - and the inevitable loss of the young Auraknight!

Viola, still a little bit uneasy, but not altogether averse to her new body, was walking up and down in the hallway that led to the fields, waiting. She wasn´t nervous, just champing at the bit. She finally wanted to use this body, wanted to wreak pain with its muscles, use the sharpened sword in the sheath on its hips! Normally, the old Shining Armor fought with a pike, but she hated that weapon, so she took one she was used to. The weapon she used back when she had her origin body.

The wide grin on her…his lips announced everypony around - if there would be anypony around - that he was ready to go and get over with his tasks.

Anticipating, he absently began to hum. The melody was old, as old as Viola herself, and grim. It remembered her at her origins, the violence she was born with and which she was named after.
Shining hummed a little bit louder when he was sure that there was nopony around at the moment.
And finally, his melody got words…

“Now soon they will see
The pain I can wreak
The unprettified destroying agonyyy!

And he will bleed!
Yeah, that´s my Exceed!
Oh, my sweetest treat!
And the flames it will feed!
Of his torture and endless griiieeef!

You will experience my might!
The power that takes life!
No, young knight this is no liiie!

See my hooves, there they lie
The ruins of your life!
And soon you realize:
Oh, young knight you´re running out of tiiime!

So here is my advice:
What you love, say ‘Good Bye’!
Yes, young knight you are going to-“

“Shine?”

He snapped out of his chant and turned around, facing the pink mare which was the fillyfriend of the body´s proper soul. Had she heard him singing?
Disguise, Viola! the invading soul reminded herself. Bringing to light your real face could ruin your plans very abruptly! And the master wouldn´t be very pleased with that! In the end he´ll may take you the body away!

He cleared his throat and turned around to the mare.
“Yes, sweetheart?”
Seeing her worried face, Viola decided to frown and ask: “Is everything all right?”
Cadence sighed. “I don´t know…”
“Hey…” he brought his hoof to her chin and forced her softly to look into his eyes. “What´s eating you?”
The young princess couldn´t tell, but her lover´s eyes seemed less sparkling than usual this day. “It´s just…I´m worrying about you!” she revealed.
Instead of laughing out loud like Viola wanted to, she let the body only chuckle low. “Oh, don´t worry my love…” unwillingly, the intruding soul leaned over to the mare and pecked the tip of her nose. “…I won´t get hurt.”
“That´s not it…” she sighed again. “It´s your behavior…”

Now, his worried frown wasn´t played anymore.
“My…behavior?” he asked whilst Viola feared she would have been discovered. Had she done something wrong?
Cadence nodded. “You…seem more aggressive today! That´s really unlike you! You even shouted at your parents this morning! You usually wouldn´t even dare thinking such things! They had asked me if we had some kind of arguing, but I said ‘no’ and that I also don´t know what´s up with you.”
Ugh, you lose control only for one minute and it instantly has repercussions! It´s just hard for me to cope with authority! Especially parental!
But of course, Viola couldn´t speak that out loud, so she searched for an excuse.
“Oh…well…I think I just got a little bit nervous. After all, this is a good chance to make a good impression to Celestia and the Captain! This is a very big chance for me to show them my skills!” he meant.

Cadence only nodded wise. “I comprehend…” she said smiling and nuzzled him. “And I guessed as much. But still…” she looked at him with an appealing look. “…remember that Bleach is one of Twilight´s best friends! You saw her for yourself yesterday, so please don´t go too hard at him!”

Before he could answer the doors opened behind him and revealed three ponies: Celestia, the great princess of Equestria, flanked by two stallions, one white-coated with a short blue mane and the second dark gray-coated with a military short white mane.

Shining noticed the three ponies and looked back at Cadence with a smile on his lips. “Well, seems like it´s time to go…” …and don´t worry, in the best case, I´ll make his death quick and easy… Viola added mentally.
The pink mare only smiled and nodded. “I wish you the best of luck, my knight in shining armor…” she turned around “…and you too, young guardian!”

Bleach, watching the scene in front of him since a while, just nodded absently. His purple eyes were fixed on the stallion he was going to fight against…

…and the veil of black magic surrounding him…

______________________________________________________________________

Bleach was strung up, but ready.

Everything was quiet when the three ponies led them to the battlefield on the central meadow of the playing field. On the grand stand, he could see the faces of the young Princess Cadence, sitting on a separate seat a few rows behind the high generals of the Royal Guard, stallions of different ages and every one of them scrutinizing him. In the first row,he saw his mother,the pale pink mare his straight black mane were inherited from.
But even her encouraging smile was not enough to make his worries vanish.
He sighed mentally. Secretly, he had wished Twilight and Silverleaf would have found a way to be there and support him with their presence, but that seemed to remain just a dream.

Slowly, he and Shining Armor took up their positions, facing each other.
The young Auraknight didn´t know what it was, but he was sure that the veil of black magic he had seen around the stallion moments before wasn´t natural. Either he had taken a special drug, what Bleach won´t really believe, or the stallion in front of him obeyed some kind of dark force or it was just a natural phenomenon. But whatever it was, he and his father were the only ones who could see it…

“Bleach Auraknight…” the goddess of the sun suddenly began to speak and his eyes wandered to her. Today, he saw her the first time, but she was like he always had imagined: graceful with a shining white coat, whiter than his, and a colorful elegant waving red-blue-green mane and tail.
“…we met today to prove if you are allowed to become a real Auraknight and to follow your father in his hoofsteps.”
“To convince ourselves of your qualification for this great honor…” his father, the white stallion with the blue mane, took over “…you will fight against Shining Armor, the most outstanding recruit of the Royal Guard! The battle will last exactly twenty minutes if nopony of you gives up or you fulfilled the condition of the test. This condition is the receipt of your cutie mark!”
“If the battle ends and there is no cutie mark on your flank, you will be prohibited from becoming an Auraknight for the rest of your days!” the dark grey stallion with the white mane - Captain Stormcloud of the Royal Guard - finished.

“Shining Armor…” Celestia then spoke to Twilight´s possessed brother “…you are fighting for nothing more than pure kudos!”
That´s just what you think, little princess… Viola thought snide.
“We demand nothing more than your best performance! Always look back at this day with pride so that you´ll never forget it!”

He nodded.
Don´t worry, I never forget a victim… Viola smirked in her thoughts.

Now, Celestia and the two ponies at her sides withdrew slowly.
“Well then…get ready!”
Shining´s horn glowed and he levitated the sword around his hips out of its sheath and took its hilt into his mouth.
Bleach only took a deep breath and rose to his hind legs, leaving his daggers in their sheaths around his hips. And so, the band begins to play…
Both nodded, announcing they are ready to go.

Bleach´s father sat down next to his wife and consulted his watch. Fifteen seconds till five. He raised the other hoof high in the air, the sign for the two fighters to use the last left seconds for their last mental preparations.
Whatever that dark magic is…
Ten seconds left…
…please be careful, you wouldn´t be the first in history who accidentally died…
Five seconds left…
…I wish you the best of luck my dearest son…
Two seconds…
…and take care…
After that last thought his hoof instantly lowered to the ground, announcing the battle´s begin.

And so, Shining Armor, conquered by the pure violence of the foreign soul, rushed forward, raised his sword and brandished it.

Bleach only watched the sharp blade´s edge nearing his face and concentrated…

______________________________________________________________________

“And you are sure this will work?” Twilight asked unsure and watched the two Guards that protected the entrance of the playing field.
“Absolutely!” Silverleaf assured her.
The purple filly frowned and levitated a beautiful red rose they had picked on the way here in front of her. “But…what is with the flower? What´s her function?”
Her silver friend grinned. “Oh, she has no function. You just hold her. Believe me, if he sees you with a rose in your mouth, he´ll get that much courage that he could beat an army!”
“Aha…” she just answered.

“And what is about you?” Twilight then questioned.
“Oh, I´ll just help you getting in.” the silver filly replied, levitating the vial from before out of her bag, opening it and giving it to her friend.
“Remember, the elixir of invisibility lasts only five minutes! Which means, after you took it, he can´t see you for exactly that time.” Silverleaf then explained.
“And the rose? Would be a little bit obvious if one single rose wanders past the Guards levitating, don´t you think so? And the doors? I can´t open them without being recognized!”
“Leave this to me.” The filly smirked, took the rose and dipped its stalk into the elixir. Slowly, she began to get invisible, starting from the stalk to its leaves and the blossom.

Twilight whistled appreciative and Silverleaf only smiled.
“Plants always take the water from their roots and lead it up through the stalk into the leaves and blossoms. The same works with every other liquid.”
“Simple, indeed.” Twilight grinned and took the vial.
“Now: Let´s go!”
And with that, she emptied the vial chugging.

In the next few seconds, her body slowly became sheer and finally vanished completely.

Twilight took the rose into her mouth after some fumbling to find its stem and together with Silverleaf they approached the two Guards.
Now, the scholar was very curious how her friend would manage to open the door and let her slip in.

“Hold!” One of the two gray pegasi commanded.
“Who goes there!” the other wanted to know.
Twilight remained silent.
Silverleaf looked at the two stallions with big pleading eyes.
“Hello…Can you…pleeeeaaase let me in for a few seconds?”
“I´m sorry, but you can´t at the moment! No one is allowed to enter! Come again later!” the right stallion waved her away.
“But I…” she now was shifting from one hoof to the other. She doubled her efforts and looked as cute and innocent as possible - not the biggest challenge for a filly at her age - blushing slightly. “…I…most urgently need to tinkle…”

That caught the two Guards off-guard and Twilight had a hard time to stifle her giggles.
“Uhm…well…the school´s right over there!” The left stallion meant, awkwardly pointing into the direction of the palatial building.
“I think I won´t make it till there!” she replied, her voice more pressing now.
“But…”
“Pleeeeeaaaaase! I really won´t hold it very long…”

The stallions surrendered. “Okay…But I´ll go with you!”
“Oh thank you!”
Did it! she sang mentally. A Silverleaf-plan works ALWAYS!

The door opened and quickly they entered the playing field, first Silverleaf followed by the stallion who was on the other hoof followed by the invisible Twilight.

Twilight quietly parted from the two, thanked Silverleaf mentally for this brilliant idea and headed for the doors that led to the grand stands…

______________________________________________________________________

The, before then, peaceful setting was suddenly disrupted by a loud thump.

After that, silence fell over the field again. The fresh breeze stroked gently along the meadow, tickling the flowers and the coats of the ponies around.
The eyes of the watchers were primary curious, two pairs were worried and one was surprised by the tempestuous first attack against the young Auraknight.

Bleach after his quarter turn faced a long shining blade only a few inches in front of him and its bearer who had barely registered the failure of his attack. He blinked and switched into his special color spectrum. Everything now was hued in a dark blue, only the magical energies of the ponies and their aura shone brightly.
The time, he confronted the black magical veil around the stallion in front of him at close range. Not only it was flowing around him but streamed through and into his body, leading him. Thinking that the possession-conclusion may wasn´t that absurd, he became aware of his situation.

Thinking fast, his horn began glowing and he took a small part of the silver aura, surrounding him like a translucent veil, and loosened it at his opponent.
And these were the first four seconds of a very long fight.

Shining looked up just to be thrown back by the magic of the white colt. He landed with a low gasp and rose back to his hooves instantly, brining up his sword just in time to block the pursued attack of his adversary. Steel met steel and Shining broke the contact, lunged and waved his sword, just to be met by the second dagger in Bleach´s hooves.
The young knight, blocking the sword with his left hoof backhanded, found a breach and the dagger in his right hoof darted at the elder stallion. But he could only watch his magic gathering and forming a dark pink shield.
Sending out some magical sparks, Bleach´s dagger slid along the shield without effect.

Oh…and Twilight had warned me that defense is his strong point…what was his name? Shining Armor? Eeyup, I´m dumb!

In the next moment, he watched the black magic around the stallion gather and flinging at him. The next thing he felt was a sharp pain in his stomach and his hooves leaving ground. The white colt flew backwards until he landed hard on his back, his daggers pried out of his hooves.

His mother on the grand stand gasped, covering her mouth with her hooves and his father only shook his head.
Still way too stormy…

Groaning, Bleach wanted to rise back to his hooves…only to roll to the side when he noticed a black magical crescent-blade zooming in his direction.
It missed him way too closely and two single hairs of his black mane, cut by the blade, soared to the ground.
The blade left an ugly brown furrow in the meadow.
Two more magical blades emitted from his foe, the young stallion Twilight described as the most gentle and caring stallion she would know. In that case, he didn´t want to meet the others!
Avoiding the other two rolling and managing to rise back to his hooves with the last roll, Bleach found himself flying backwards only one second later when a new pulse of dark magic hit him.
Not so fast little knight! Viola grinned mentally. Your torment has just begun!
Managing to land on his hooves, he levitated his daggers back to him and instantly did something he should have done at the fight´s beginning: compressing his aura and forming a shield around him.
Just in time another pulse of black magic hit the shield like a hammer. The colt flinched and panted after that.

On the grand stand, the ponies watched the scene scowling.
Bleach´s father was shifting in his seat.
“Hmm…he´s even better than I thought…” the Royal Guard´s Captain whispered next to him.
“He´s going to kill my son!” the elder Auraknight whispered back angrily, trying hard to not shout.
“Nah…” the Captain waved his hoof “…he just plays for keeps. You shouldn´t worry that much!”
“If you could see what I can see, believe me dear colleague you would worry, too! And, in addition, I know how a murder looks like!” he meant, watching the scene with his own Auravision.
“How would y-“
“Lifeguard of the princess and the one who detected and arrested a trio of assassins at the last Grand Galloping Gala.” he explained frigid. “It´s my primal job!”
“Can´t you do something?” his wife next to him asked worried sick.
“Not without breaking the battle and ruining his dream…”

Bleach was still panting when he tried to attack Shining Armor again.
There was a short series of brazen sounds. Bleach used his gracious and fast movements to assault the stallion and avoid his attacks. He also inspected Shining´s spell but couldn´t find a gap in it. He tried to break through the shield by doing his daggers flood with his own magical energy, but, except some sparks, the shield showed no weakness.
Viola in Shining´s body only laughed at his pathetic attempt of breaking through and savored to play with the panting colt for a few more minutes.

With time the possessed stallion grew tired of the game and flung Bleach back with another black pulse of magic, breaking easily through his aura-shield.
Panting and groaning, Bleach just lay there exhausted. His body consisted only of pains and bruises at the moment.
”What´s up with you, great young Auraknight?” a female voice suddenly mocked in his head. ”I thought you´d be a tougher nut to crack…”
Bleach didn´t know where the voice came from, nor he knew who its owner was, but he still knew who was talking to him.

“What have you done to Shining Armor? Who are you?” he whispered exhausted but firm.
She giggled. ”You are smart, my respect! I indeed am the intruder who took over his body. It´ll be my new home!”
“But…why?”
”Oh, cute little knight, you are too young to understand this…” Viola meant and Shining´s body appeared in his gaze. ”It isn´t important for you anymore anyway!”
Bleach looked at the stallion with the sword in his mouth slowly rising, pressing one hoof onto his stomach to hold him in place.
There must be something I can do, come on Bleach, think, think, think! he thought desperately, looking around. Viola ignored his struggling beneath her and continued.
”Because, my plans don´t involve you anymore! But don´t worry, I promise it won´t hurt too much…”
He stopped struggling. He won´t escape the possessed stallion´s grip. He looked to the grand stand and pleaded his father, his mother, anypony to help him!

And that´s when he saw her!
And suddenly, out of nowhere, he scolded himself for being so dumb!
He had found a solution!

“Now, young knight, it´s time to sleep…

…FOREVERMORE!”

______________________________________________________________________

Finally, Twilight had reached the grand stand! Trotting out of the door that led outside, she searched for a good place to watch the battle and where Bleach on the other hoof could see her very well.
She was still invisible, so she trotted along the stands without being recognized.
Where could he see her best?
She looked at the two stallions on the meadow, having a small skirmish with their weapons at the moment. An occasional brazen sound found its way to her ears.
She frowned. Bleach didn´t seem to look very good, he was exhausted and panting. And Shining, her brother who promised her to not go too hard on him, was everything other than keeping his promise! Instead, he seemed to go extra-hard at her friend!

The purple filly was worrying. She could see that he needed encouragement, but she was still invisible for about two minutes…
Slowly, her eyes continuous watching the scene, she approached the row where Cadence sat and who watched the scene with unbelieving big eyes.
“What just happened to you Shiny…” she murmured in disbelief.
Twilight frowned even more when she took place next to her. Something was wrong, she could tell. Everypony looked tensed up; even her teacher´s look was black!
What the hay was going on here?

She watched the fight for another minute and then, suddenly, Bleach was flung through the air and landed hard on the ground. His painful groan sounded to her ears and made her heart skip a beat.
“BLEACH!” she shouted.
And suddenly, several heads turned around to the filly. The elixir´s effect had stopped during the last minute and now, she was visible again for everypony, leaning over the standing and holding the red rose in her mouth.
“Twilight?” Cadence asked shocked and surprised. “What…How do you…”
But Twilight didn´t answer.

Everypony´s attention rested on Shining Armor, who now slowly approached the defenseless colt, laying a hoof on his tummy and raising his sword close in for the kill! Instantly, Bleach´s father, Celestia, Captain Stormcloud and the generals rose from their seats, the horns of the princess and the white stallion beginning to glow. Cadance and Bleach´s mother could only gasp and cover their mouths with their hooves in shock.

Why? Would he really kill him? Why should he kill him? Shine, what´s wrong with you? Cadance thought for herself, unable to understand the events on the battlefield.

“BLEEEAAACH!” Twilight only shouted in fear for her best friend.
In that second, their gazes met…
…and the sword brandished…

…and something unexpected happened…

______________________________________________________________________

Twilight?, Bleach thought when he saw her , or to be more exact, her bright shining energy. Wanting to see his best friend one last time without his special spectrum he blinked and his eyes became dark blue again.
He smiled when he saw her. She really made it! She was here! His body was on fire, exhausted and bruised, but seeing his friend with the red rose for him in her mouth made him forget the pain. He didn´t know how she managed to get here, but the only important thing was that she was here, the filly with the greatest magical stock and most powerful aura he knew! The filly he liked most in this world!

And then, suddenly and out of nowhere, the scales fell from his eyes.

He changed back to his Auravision and instantly saw the energies of the different ponies and the auras surrounding them again…and realized that he had totally forgotten that he could use them! He could manipulate them! It was the gift nature had given to him! How could he forget that gift? How could he ignore and deny the possibilities it gave to him!
He hadn´t only his limited magical energy but every one of the present ponies:
Celestia´s powerful shining golden aura!
His parent´s auras of love, caring and warm-heartedness!
Twilight´s incredible bright purple aura!
Cadence´s pink aura of sympathy and love!
And, of course, the auras of the Royal Guard´s generals and their captain!

Smirking, Bleach instantly closed his eyes and concentrated, his horn alighting. There was still a way out of this! And he finally had found it! He had found a way to may defeat Shining Armor and protect him and his friends from the black power that invaded his body!
“Now, young knight, it´s time to sleep…FOREVERMORE!” Viola then shouted in his head and the blade brandished.

But it didn´t get very far.

Bleach had already brought the magical auras of all the ponies on the grand stand under his control. He gathered some energy in his rear hooves and bucked into the air, loosening it. And like a dragon´s fist, a bright golden pulse of Celestia´s aura hit the stallion above and sent him severe meters back through the air with a cry of surprise and pain.
Before he hit the ground, the young knight performed a second trick. He felt an incredible soothing from the pale pink auras of his mother´s care and the strong love of Princess Cadence´s. Bringing the two auras close to his body he combined and interweaved them to a new spell. The alleviation of the combination was enough to let the pain in his body fade away and the bruises heal within seconds.

Twilight´s brother hit the ground hard and gasped. Bleach, recovered and fit again, thanks to the spell, rolled back to his hooves and reared on his hind legs into fighting position with his usual fleet of foot.
Everywhere on the grand stands were surprised faces and sighs of relief. But the fight still wasn´t over. Shining reluctant rose back to his hooves, picking up his sword and faced him with an angry look.
Three minutes of the fight were still left.

”How dare you to escape your predetermined death!” Viola fulminated in his head.
Bleach with his newfound self-confidence and trust lazily levitated his daggers back into his hooves.
“Seems like you underestimated me.” he answered low enough to let only her hear and canalized the energies new, leading some of them into his daggers.
“I think it´s time to show you the real potency of an Auraknight!”
With that, he dashed at his enemy.

Instantly, Shining also canalized his dark energies and sent a wave of black magic at the young knight. Bleach, predicting the attack, halted and stretched his daggers in front of him, loosening Twilight´s strong energy within them and creating a bright shining protective wall which neutralized the black energies effortless.
Gasping shocked and unbelieving, Viola created several of the crescent black blades with Shining´s body and flung them at the colt. After that, she let her body attack the shield with the sword in its mouth with all his strength in her access of fury.
The dark blades hit the wall ineffectually, causing its summoner only to flinch slightly with some effort of keeping the barrier up.

The strokes with the real blade had no effect at all and so, Bleach loosened the energies of the shield at his foe and caused him to fly through the air again.
Not only Shining, but also Viola now panted.
”How…How is it possible that you are that strong so suddenly?” she asked with disbelief.
He smiled and the last minute of the battle started to count down. The ponies at the grand stand, his parents, the princesses, the Royal Guards and Twilight just watched the scene with increasing excitement about the final strike.

“I realized something…” Bleach began “…This is not about me. It is no longer important to me to get my cutie mark and pass this stupid test. This is only about you and my friends! And if I let you do as you like, my friends and every other pony would be in great danger because of you, whoever you are and whatever you plan. Definitely nothing good! So it is up to me to defeat you and give Twilight´s brother back his body! If I won´t do, you may would hurt her!”
"Tse, she´s not you! Why would you risk your life for her?"
“Because…” he meant determined “…she is my best friend! And I won´t let you or anypony else in this world ever hurt her or one of my other friends! I live to defend them!”
His horn began to glow again, gathering new energy from his watcher´s auras and canalized them through his daggers.
“I live to protect them!”
More energy gathered, flowing around him like liquid light.
“And nopony in this world, not even you, will ever stop me to do so!”

The energies came to a rest in the tip of his daggers. “And now…”
He instantly pushed forward and loosened them all at once. “…BACK OFF!”
Like a giant arrow of light, a bright shining mix of Twilight´s, Celestia´s and Cadence´s auras shot at the stallion.
With no possibility to avoid, Viola frantically created a shield around him, but it shattered in the second the energies touched it.
”NOOOOOOOO!”
They hit the stallion straight at the center of the black magic inside him, right at his heart.

With a horrible acute shriek of searing pain, a small blinding explosion of light ripped the dark mare out of the stallion´s body and left it unconsciously.

______________________________________________________________________

At another place, a young black colt was interrupted in his studies by the same awful shriek in his head, freezing his blood and making him protect his ears with his hooves, just to realize that the scream was inevitable right in his head.
The photo of Shining Armor lying next to the book he had read vanished in a small burst of black flames.

“What happened?” Shadow Star wanted to know but Viola only whimpered in his head, flooded with painful light which her siblings instantly tried to dispel and ease their sister´s agony.

Shadow only angrily bucked the chair he had been sitting on, sending it on a journey through his chamber.
“Damn you, Bleach!”

______________________________________________________________________

Bleach only sighed relieved and slumped to the ground, dropping his daggers.
He was totally spent! His coat and mane were drenched with perspiration and he panted slightly in exhaustion.
It was over!
He won…

There was only silence left.
Silence to take breath.
Silence to ease down the events of the last twenty minutes.

With time, relieved smiles grew on the faces of the ponies, the ones of Bleach´s parents, especially his father, were the biggest ones.
Slowly, the young knight sat up and turned around, facing all the witnesses of his fight. No one of them really knew how to proceed and what to say.
Finally, Celestia decided to take the formal way and cleared her throat.

Smiling softly at him, she announced ceremonial:
“Bleach Auraknight! Your test is official finished!
Though it was a very hard fight for you and more than one time we thought it would be over, you never gave up! You fought till the end and showed us, that you are made of stern stuff! You showed us, that you are truly a fighter with heart and soul! You showed us the deep burning flame within you, your passion and zeal!
And I am looking forward to have you at my side as my personal lifeguard once your training has finished…”

The young colt was only slow on the up-take while there were suddenly thousands of hooves around him, hugging him or wanting to congratulate him. Everything seemed to be one single blur.
He was already embraced by Twilight, the red rose still in her mouth, when he looked down at his flank to see what there had to be, considering the reactions of the others and Celestia´s words.

And what he saw made him smile wide:
In front of a pair of crossed daggers, looking like the same pair he had fought with the last minutes, was an exact copy of the rose the purple filly in his arms held in her muzzle.
He chuckled and looked her in the eyes.
“I think we have to celebrate something…”
She chuckled too and nodded.
“Definitely!”

Behind them, Shining Armor slowly awoke from his unconsciousness and was greeted by a deep hug and tender kiss from his fillyfriend.
Confused, he looked around.

“Where…am I? And…what happened?...”

______________________________________________________________________

“…and that´s all what happened since we parted.” Twilight finished her recap of the last day´s events.
“So it definitely was the right thing to smuggle you in!” meant Silverleaf wide-smiling.
Twilight beamed too. “Yep! And I have to thank you for it!”
“I too have to thank you!” Bleach added.

It was morning and the trio was at school one more time.
At the moment, they were in the cantina, sitting at one of the many white tables and a piece of apple pie Bleach had bought standing in front of them.

“Seeing Twilight on the grand stand was such a great feeling! And with that rose you looked just soooo cute!” the young knight continued beaming.
Twilight blushed, stuttering a shy “Really?” which was answered by a firm wide-smiling nod and caused her to redden even more.
“Anyway…” Bleach then continued “…the rose was a very good idea, Silv! So inspiring! So…romantic!”
She beamed. “Thank you! But where do you know it was my idea?”
“Oh, come on! We both know that our Twily isn´t that romantically minded.”
“Hey! That´s not nice!” she complained and added: “And it´s a lie! You remember yesterday before the battle?”
Automatically, the colt´s hoof wandered to his cheek. “No…of course not…” he blushed slightly.

Silverleaf didn´t care very much about the duo´s small lovey-dovey and inspected the cutie mark of the colt sitting next to her with curiosity.
“Hey! I knew the rose of your cutie mark is related to the rose I gave Twilight, but I didn´t expect it to be exactly the same!
He furrowed. “The same? Where do you know that it´s the same rose like the one Twi had?”
“UGH…” she moaned and tapped the blossom of the rose on his flank. “Look! Do you see the blossom? The six big petals that are curved inwards? And the five big petals at the edge of the blossom that are curved outwards and are looking like a star?”
The colt looked over his withers at his cutie mark and the point where the filly´s silver hoof touched it. He now also noticed the details she mentioned.
“You´re right! Now I can see it, too.” he frowned and looked at her. “You notice and remember such small details? That´s awesome!”
She grinned. “Every flower is unique and has attitudes that make her standing out of the others!” continuing explaining to him, she moved her hoof along the rose to its stem. “You see the leaves and their color pattern? Everypony only sees green, but there is, out of the whole dark green leaf, a small light green fleck right above the leafstalk. And then, there is the stem for itself…” still explaining, her hoof moved on along the stem, until it was batted away by Bleach´s own hoof.
“Okay, I got it. Now, would you please stop touching my backside? That´s privacy after all!”
“Oh, sorry…”

For a while, they just sat there and ate their cake. Occasional glances were thrown at Bleach by the other students in the cantina. The fact, that nopony had known about his true being as an Auraknight, made them very curious.
But also, it shied them.
Nopony after all knew what to expect of a pony which had a pair of daggers on its flank…

Silverleaf only giggled.
“What´s so funny?” Twilight asked her.
“Oh, it is just funny to see everypony look at Bleach as he would be a god or something like that. It´s so drolly, don´t you think so?”
The young knight looked around and found a duo of colts looking at him and whispering. As soon as their gazes met, they frantically looked away and left.
“Yeah…I could live without that…”
“Oh, come on! Why do you always have to be so pessimistic! It sure has also positive sides!” the silver filly meant. “Ouh, you know what: You should let them build a shrine to worship you and offer you sacrifices! Doesn´t that sound like a good idea?”
He just laughed. “You and your crazy ideas! Silverleaf, you are simply unique!”
“Thank you!”

“Anyway…” Bleach then changed the topic “…how is your brother doing, Twi? I hope I didn´t hurt him…”
“Oh, he´s doing great! Just…well…he can´t remember anything…”
“He can´t remember anything? You mean…total amnesia?”
“Oh, no…” she waved her hoof reassuringly and shook her head“…he just can´t remember about anything of the battle or the whole day. The last thing he remembered was that he had a weird dream of Cadence demanding him to defeat you and to don´t look like a weakling. But in the end, he said, he knows that she would never demand something like that!”
“Strange…” the colt murmured musing.

“However, I want to thank you for saving him from that strange mare.” Twilight then said.
“Whoever she was…I hope I won´t see a creature like her again so fast! A creature that takes over your soul and body…” he shuddered and so did the fillies.

“Well, but what if she strikes again? Or what if she had friends?” Silverleaf asked concerned. “We definitely should watch out for other creatures like her and be careful! After all, we know they dare to kill! And that makes her and her whole kind dangerous!” Silverleaf meant and Twilight nodded agreeing
“Yeah, we really should watch out! Maybe my books or the books at the library know something about ponies that take over souls…What do you think Bleach?”

Truth told Bleach wasn´t as excited as his friends. He didn´t want them to fight against such creepy things. He didn´t want them to get their selves into danger. And after all, he was the only pony of them who could see these creatures!
Still he answered with a shrug: “I don´t know when we became ghostbusters, but…I am with you! If there are more creatures of them, we will find them and kick their backsides!”

“Yeah, that´s what we will do! No creepy monster is safe from us!” Silverleaf announced and rose from her seat, stretching her hoof ready for their hoofshake.
Bleach and Twilight quickly joined her, determination in their eyes.

“For our hearts!”
“For our souls!”
“For our friendship!”

“From the ground…
…our souls fly high!
Together they´ll reach the sky!”

Episode 7 - Hearts and Hooves

The Halcyon Days

Episode 7 - Hearts and Hooves

Once again, the sun, bright and warm, shone down onto Equestria and, to be local more correctly, the palatial building called ‘Princess Celestia´s School for gifted Unicorns’. Happily, the students lolled in the grass of the flowers-dotted meadows, enjoying the warm sun every minute and realizing with steady looks at the beautiful red roses adoring fences, balconies and sidewalks all around, that the day of love, Hearts and Hooves day, was almost there.

Tomorrow, to a T.

At the moment, it was lunch break and Twilight and Silverleaf had decided to go outside and take a little walk around the school grounds, the countless flowers everywhere a great delight to the silver filly which took deep breathes and inhaled the ubiquitous fragrance of the uncountable flowers like she was trying to create a vacuum.
“Aw, it´s such a beautiful day, isn´t it?”
“Yeah!” Twilight agreed with a firm nod. “A beautiful spring day, a perfect overture for the day of love…”
“You said it! A perfect day to travel to Fillydelphia!”

Twilight stopped in her tracks and frowned at her friend.
“Fillydelphia?” she asked confused.
Her green-maned friend gave her a cooked eyebrow. “Yes, Fillydelphia. I am visiting my grandparents this weekend, including Hearts and Hooves day. I´m leaving this afternoon, didn´t I tell you?”
The scholar shook her head.
“No? Well, now I did. You know, I originally was born and living there for a long time. But when I got accepted at the school, my parents decided to move here. Granny and gramps stayed in Fillydelphia, though. There is a great playground near by their cottage and I know very much of the other foals there from my old kindergarten. But, truth told, I´m only looking forward to see one other foal again.”
Her look became determined and dreamy at once.
“The cutest colt of the whole kindergarten, the dream of every filly: Time Turner!”
“Time Turner?” Twilight questioned with an asking look.
“Well, that´s at least his true name. His nickname was ‘Doctor Whooves’. Don´t ask me why, it´s just that.” Silverleaf explained.
“Doctor Whooves? That´s a strange name, if you´d ask me.”
“Maybe. Though, he is the most handsome colt I´ve ever seen, his soft light brown fur, his chocolate brown mane and tail… Ou, I´m so totally looking forward for the moment I´m giving him my Hearts and Hooves card! The look in his beautiful azure eyes! We´ll look into each other´s eyes, confess our love to each other! And then we´ll close our eyes, our hearts will melt, we lean forward, perk our lips, and then - ehehehe!” she squealed girlishly with a jump.

Twilight couldn´t help but giggle about her friend’s behavior. No doubt, Silverleaf was totally in love with that Time Turner. After the fifth or sixth bounce, her friend eventually calmed down and cleared her throat, giggling sheepish.
“Well, those are at least my plans for tomorrow. What about you? Who is going to be your lucky Romeo, Twily?” she then asked with a suggestive voice and half-lidded eyes.
“M-m-my R-Romeo?” Twilight stuttered shocked. “I…I don´t have…I mean, there is no special colt I have!”
“No?” Silverleaf pressed her adamant. “And what about, I don´t know, that cute colt with the shiny white coat and night-black mane and tail?”
Twilight´s eyes widened, feeling somehow caught, but still denied her suggestion. “B-Bleach? I…I told you before that he is just my frie-“
“Oh, please!” she cut her off. “Don´t try and kid me! You kissed his cheek at the park! I saw it with my own eyes!”
“T-that was just to cheer him up!” Twilight defended herself.
But her friend and unsolicited cupid of course didn´t buy that and took one hoof to her chin, musing. “I wonder…what will your Hearts and Hooves gift for him be?...A book?”
“SILVERLEAF! Stop it right now! I don´t have a gift for him!”

“A gift for whom?” A sudden male voice asked curious, making the two fillies jolt with shock, surprise and a short yelp.

“BLEACH!” Twilight shouted furious, facing her friend. “You nearly gave me a myocardial infarction!”
“A myo-what-now?” Silverleaf frowned.
“UGH, a heart attack!” Twilight explained.
“I´m sorry.” he apologized and then furrowed. “Were you quarreling about something?”
“No, we aren´t.” Twilight huffed not very conclusive. “We were just…clarifying things!”
“Okaaay…Mind if I join you?”
“Of course not.” the purple filly meant.

And so, the trio continued its walk across the schoolyard. Their break would be over soon, so they slowly trotted towards the entrance of the school.
“So…what are you going to do tomorrow, Twi?” Bleach then questioned. “Our live wire over there is off to Fillydelphia after all.”
“Yeah, Twily…” Silverleaf purred sanctimonious from the other side, leaning against her. “What are you going to do on the day of love?...”
Twilight only elbowed and hushed her angrily and turned back to Bleach.
“Well…I thought we could meet at our usual place at the park and…I don´t know…enjoy the day together?…Of course only if you want to…” she suggested a little bit sheepish.
Hearing these words, Silverleaf opened her mouth for another bold comment, but a purple hoof in her muzzle turned her words into a muffled muttering.
Tensely, Twilight waited for his response with shining eyes filled with hope.

But Bleach only sighed, his head sinking.
“I am sorry, Twilight, but I can´t…”
“WHAT?” she shouted shocked; thinking somepony would have pierced her heart.
“I´m sorry. But my grandparents invited me to visit them, too. I am leaving today and come back tomorrow late in the evening.”
“But…what should I do tomorrow without you?” the filly asked desperately.
“Hey, come on, Twi…” he tried to encourage her with a short nuzzle, a gesture that sent a tingling through her body and only made things worse for her, knowing that she would miss that feeling tomorrow. “…this isn´t apocalypse, isn´t it.”
“No…” she sighed, wearing a sad look, ears flipping down. …but close to… she thought additionally. “That´ll be the worst Hearts and Hooves day ever without one single friend to spend it…”
“Nah! I´m sure you´ll find something to enjoy tomorrow!”

A bell rang, announcing the near end of the break.

Bleach took a deep breath. “Well, seems we should hurry up. Don´t want to be late, right Twi?”
“Sure…” she only stated unenthusiastic “I´m right behind you…”
And so, the white colt trotted ahead.
Silverleaf laid a leg around Twilight´s withers and pulled her close, reaching for the white colt in the distance with the other hoof in a dramatic way.
“Romeo, oh Romeo! Why Romeo?” she wailed playful.

“Not funny, Silverleaf…” Twilight grumbled annoyed and shrugged her off, following Bleach and the other students into the school building…

Silverleaf behind her sighed.
I´m sorry, Twi…Even a determined powerful cupid like me is helpless against the incredible power of grandparents…

______________________________________________________________________

Just behind the trio, a yellow-maned and black-coated unicorn-colt grinned wide.

“Did you hear that?”
”We aren´t deaf!” came an ungracious answer to the whispered question.
“Then you sure know what that means, don´t you?”
A short silence.
”Okay, help me. I don´t get it.”

The colt rolled his eyes.
“Oh, come on! A filly, left alone by her friends at the day of love…”
”I still don´t get it…” the female voice inside Shadow´s head meant.
”Oh my, Luxuria!” a male voice joined the communication ”Sometimes you can just be so dense!”
“If you think you know it all, dear Proditio, then please explain it to me!”
“But of course, my dearest nymph!” the forked tongue of the sestet purred. ”Since your primal lusts seem to deny you more complex thoughts and feelings, I´ll happily oblige to explain you the plan of our dear friend…”
“Be glad I have no body to crush your ribs right now!” Luxuria growled.
”Would you please let me finish? Thank you! And now, to explain you the plan: That filly must feel terrible, left alone by her best friends, especially by the colt she felled for, on a special day like this! Her heart is filled with emptiness and loneliness. And of course, this is the best thing that could happen to our dear friend. He´ll fill the space in her heart and make the loneliness inside her vanish.
And soon, she´ll forget that other colt and give our friend here her heart! Am I right?”

Shadow Star smiled.
“Yes, you are! And after that, we´ll be a happy couple forever…” his smile got something malicious “…and I won´t need you anymore…”
”WHAT!” another mare, Viola, fulminated in his head. ”You won´t dare!”
“And what are you going to do against it? Without me and the book, you have no powers, just your thoughts!”
”But we had a deal! We give you our powers and you give us a body!”
“That deal is lapsed!” the colt grinned. “And in addition: Your oh-so-strong powers hadn´t been very useful till now, if you´d ask me!”

Since Viola had failed, his trust in the six was weakened. After all, an old and powerful mare like Viola lost against a simple stupid little foal! Okay, a foal that can fight, but still - a foal! And with that trust, the poison that flooded his soul was weakening too. It had been strong enough to cloud his mind for a while, to seduce him with an easy way to get to his destination. But the fact that Shadow Star always had been an innocent young colt, the dark seed of the alicorns in his head didn´t fall on fertile ground and didn´t grow very well.
And was ebbing with every next second.

”But…but…”
“Let´s face the facts, my dear siblings…” Proditio meant, not without a small amount of proud “…that colt deceived us like a pro. Don´t let us be sore losers…”
“Of course YOU speak for him!”
“What´s my name, dear Viola?” he stated dry. ”Of course I speak for him! I don´t like it too, but I at least can accept my defeat. But you are way too primal and petty-minded to understand that, aren´t you?
“YOU DAMNED SON OF-”

”SHUT UP, AT ONCE!” Shadow shouted out loud.

Instantly, the voices muted.
He sighed in relief and opened his eyes…
…and faced all his classmates on the floor turning around and looking at him with mixed expressions, from curious to surprised to worried to certifying him lunatic.

“E-he…” he giggled sheepish. “Uhm…sorry…”

______________________________________________________________________

Hearts and Hooves day.
The day of love was finally there.

Everywhere in and around Canterlot love was in bloom.
Hundreds of young and old couples roamed about the town, enjoying their togetherness and the clear blue sky with the warm sun Celestia had given them.

Everypony was lucky.
Everypony was happy.

Everypony…
…except a certain young purple filly.

Twilight was still wondering how her parents had managed to convince her to go out and play. Truth told the young filly rather wanted to stay at her chamber the whole day and let her feelings of loneliness consume her. One would say she was overdramatizing. Of course, there had been many weekends she hadn´t been able to see her friends. There were many days she just stayed at home because they had no time to meet.
But that one of these days had to be Hearts and Hooves day, a day she had planned to spend together with her friends, primary with Bleach, which of course she would never confirm to Silverleaf, that she had to stay this special day alone, that was the real tragedy for her.

Lost in her thoughts she sat on top of the monkey bars at their favorite playground in the middle of the city park, overviewing dozens of couples of all ages playing tag or badminton or something else, sitting on the benches or on picnic rugs, chatting or kissing, eyes locked fond.
Twilight sighed for the umpteenth time this day and also for the umpteenth time, her head sank and her ears folded down.
Hay, she even wasn´t in the mood to read her favorite book ‘The Life Of Clover The Clever’ she had taken along from home!

“Oh my!” a voice suddenly spoke up behind her. “What do my eyes have to see? An enchanting filly being in the doldrums at Hearts and Hooves day? There must be a gigantic mistake!”

Twilight turned around, frowning.

She landed upon a bright pair of golden eyes looking roguish at her, carrying a bright beam which mirrored also on the black muzzle beneath.
“Oh! Hello Shadow!” Twilight greeted the colt with the bright yellow, white-streaked mane, lolling on the monkey bars in front of her, with a surprised frown. “What are you doing here?”
“Uhm…playing? You know, the thing foals normally do on a playground?” he smiled cocky.
It let a small smile creep on Twilight´s lips as well. “I know that! I´m not dumb after all! I meant: I never saw you here before. What brings you here?”
“Well…” he answered and climbed over to her, sitting down next to her on the same bar “…I always heard you and your friends talking about how much fun you have here, so I thought I should come here and check it out. By the way…” he looked around but obviously didn´t find what he was searching for. “…where are Bleach and Silverleaf? Ou, are you playing Hide and Seek? Ouou, can I join in? I love Hide and Seek!”

The filly chuckled about his eager behavior. “I´m sorry, but they went off the other day, visiting their grandparents.”
He gasped playfully shocked, taking a hoof to his mouth. “And left you alone on a day like this? Great friends you have there!” he meant ironically, but Twilight only waved a hoof allaying.
“Oh, don´t judge them too hard. It has been a long time since they had visited them the last time…” …even if Silverleaf now surely is happily kissing that brown colt she had told me about… She chuckled mentally. Gosh, I am already getting jealous!

She shook her head, breaking her inner monologue and went back scrutinizing the foals on the ground beneath. “Anyway…I think you should leave now. I don´t want to keep you away from your special filly for too long time. You better should spend your time with her than me…who is she after all, if you don´t mind my curiousness?”

He shifted on his place on the bar and blushed faintly at the question. “Weeeeeell…To be honest, I hadn´t the guts to ask her if she wanted to be my special somepony, yet…”
“You haven´t?” Twilight was visibly shocked, looking at him with unbelieving big eyes. “But…sun is setting in a few hours! You should hurry! And you know what: I´ll help you. I just recently read a book about self-confidence. I borrowed it Silverleaf when she had that problem with these bullies and hadn´t had her cutie-mark yet. Just tell me who she is and we get you two hooked up at once! Ou, is it Moondancer? She always liked you a little bit, you know?”

He couldn´t help but giggle about her eagerness to help and then cooked an eyebrow. “Where do you know she likes me?”
“Silverleaf.” she just answered as it would be an answer to every question of the universe. “There´s no bigger scandalmonger! Anyway…?”
“Nope.” he shook his head.
“Or is it Twinkleshine?”
“Still wrong. You got only one try left.”
“Aww, I always suck at these things…Is it Lyra? Your eyes are as golden as hers.”
“And again wrong. Sorry, you lost.” he stated with a beam.

“See? I told you I´m not good at this! Would you still tell me?”
He chuckled. “No way! But I´ll give you a few tips, okay?”
She groaned about his secretiveness. “Okay…Tell me your tips.”
“Well…it´s a filly that is already here at the playground…”
At that, Twilight looked around and inspected the other fillies, then frowned. “That´s not very helpful…even if I ignore the couples…”
“…and she is at the monkey bars at the moment…”
She looked down the bars and frowned even more, now it could only be one out of the small gang of fillies that was actually playing at the base of the bars…
“Are you sure she doesn´t mind you chatting with me for such a long time?”
He chuckled. “Yeah, I´m sure, because…” he hesitated for a brief moment, then gulped down the lump in his throat and looked straight at Twilight. “…because she´s sitting on the bar right next to me…”

Twilight needed a moment to take the message.
Then, she gaped with surprise, her eyes becoming as big as a plate.
“ME?” she squeaked.
Shadow looked to the ground, nodded and blushed heavily, smiling shy. “Yeah…Twilight… would you…would you like to be my…my special somepony…for today?”
Finally he managed to look up at her; his golden irises filled with hope, and met her shining purple ones.

Twilight´s head was spinning. He really wanted her to be his special somepony!
But…what is about Bleach? she asked herself. He should have been my special somepony! But…he isn´t here, right? And he doesn´t even know that I… she shook her head. …that I like him…
Shadow´s ears dropped. “Is that a ‘no’? he asked, disappointment in his voice.
Twilight hadn´t even realized her subconscious gesture and broke her inner monologue hastily.
“No! I mean…that wasn´t a ‘no’. I…I was just thinking…” she assured.
“And...?”
Twilight bit her lip.
Well, he said only for today, didn´t he? We could be a Hearts and Hooves couple! Only today! Is that okay?...
She puzzled. Why was this so complicated? Why she couldn´t just be a couple with him for today and tomorrow normal friends? And after all, they could make each other feel happy! They were both alone on this day - a day nopony should stay alone - so how could she deny him?

After a long time of thinking, Twilight finally gave a faint smile and nodded.
“I would like to be your special somepony for today!”

All Shadow could do in response was giving a shout with glee and embracing his special somepony, whispering a genuine ‘Thank you!’ in her ear…

His plan was working…

______________________________________________________________________

“Woooooooow!”

Twilight´s eyes were sparkling like the starlit sky at a night with total blackout.
She even had to crane her neck just to see the ends of Shadow Star´s yellow mane, who was sitting right opposite of her at the small table.
The young stallion only chuckled at the astonishment of his loved filly.

Rather to spend their time at the playground Shadow had decided to take a walk through the park and to the small ice cream parlor at its entry, buying a big sundae for her.
And when he said big, he definitely meant huge!

The ice cream parlor for itself was a small old forester´s house, fully renovated, and snuggled itself between the blooming trees at the city park´s entry. Small tables around invited every pony to enjoy its ice together with the golden sun above and the songs of the nature.
So, the young Twilight and her special somepony were now sitting, like many other young and elder couples around them, at one of the simple wooden tables with a white tablecloth and a single red rose in a small glass vase in its center.
But in the case of the young Hearts and Hooves couple which was enjoying the warm rays of the sun that occasionally found their ways through the crowns of the trees, the rose was replaced by an indeed huge sundae.

Twilight was impressed!
Never had she seen a sundae huge enough to reach the top of her head. Layer upon layer of colorful and delicious ice cream glittered through the big crystalline chalice. Chocolate, vanilla, banana, strawberry, mango, blueberry, raspberry, lemon, nougat, hazelnut, she even spotted her ‘trademarks’ - like Silverleaf had called them one time - rose and violet. The top of the sundae consisted of a big layer of whipping cream, a pair of heart-shaped wafers, a small purple and black umbrella and a pair of sundae spoons peeking out of it.
The chocolate sauce was the icing on the cake - or ice cream, whatsoever.

It needed a giggle from Shadow for her to realize, that she was drooling rather heavily. She snapped out of it and closed her mouth, swallowing the large amount of salvia which hadn´t left her muzzle yet.
She chuckled sheepish and peeked around the sweet temptation in front of her to face a wide beaming Shadow Star.
“Do you like it?” he asked as if the icy treat in the table´s center was nothing more than a small cup of cocoa.
“It´s…amazing! But…hadn´t that been awfully expensive? You don´t have to spend so much money just to impress me!”
But Shadow waved only his hoof.
“Nah, it wasn´t that expensive, don´t you worry. My mother and the owner of the premise are very good friends. She always allows me a discount. And when she noticed that I am here with a gorgeous filly, she allowed me another discount.” he explained and winked at her.
Twilight only smiled and blushed.
“And in addition, you deserve it! You are the nicest, prettiest and most intelligent and talented filly I ever came to know better!”
She blushed even more, her cheeks becoming a slight pink.
But also Shadow´s cheeks had a hint of red and he scratched his back head awkwardly. “Well, to be honest, you are the very first filly I ever came to know better…maybe even the very first pony…next to my family, of course…”

Now, the purple filly looked up at him with a pair of curious eyes and scrutinized the colt in front of her. Was he serious? Did he really never have friends in his life? From his slight bleakly look she could tell that he was telling the truth.
“I am sorry…”
But he only shook his head and smiled at her.
“It is not your fault. It is no pony’s fault but my very own. I always had been a dreamer, a loner. Spending more time dreaming and developing my skills than socializing.”
Twilight nodded. That was a part she also knew too well. She also always had only studied and read her books, spending time with developing her magic. But it was a lonely life. Bleach had been the first pony she ever became real friends with, maybe except her best foalsitter in the history of all foalsitters.
And she never regretted when she spent time with him and Silverleaf instead with her books. Though, she was still a big bookworm. But she found a balance between the two things she liked.

“Though, my magic will never be as powerful as yours or Bleach´s…”
“But you can work your magic in your dreams!” Twilight argued, trying to cheer him up. “You are the maybe only pony in all Equestria that can have lucid dreams deliberately! You can visit other ponies´ dreams and manipulate them! You can gift sweet dreams to any pony you want to! That is a unique and wonderful gift, don´t you think so?”
“But why always dreaming and making ponies happy if I´m not happy? If I can only be happy in my dreams? My gift may is unique, but it is neither of use for Equestria nor its citizen. It´s just unique, nothing more. But real magic like yours can change the world; can make life easier for the ponies!”
Twilight couldn´t bear the colt denigrating himself and leaned forward to touch his cheek with her right hoof, making him look into her eyes.
“Listen: There is no useless talent in this world! We all are special in our very own way! You may can´t see a use in your talent at the moment, but there is, sure as death. You just have to believe in yourself! And you may aren´t as powerful as I am, but does that mean you are less valuable as I and everypony else is? You have one of the most stunning talents I have ever seen! Don´t give it up just because you think it would be useless. Believe me, it isn´t!”

They looked into each other´s eyes for a few more moments, until Shadow finally smiled and also leaned over to her and nuzzled her cheek. “Thank you! I think I just needed somepony to tell me that!”
“You are always welcome.” Twilight meant wide-smiling and then turned her attention finally back to the sundae, which was still standing in the middle of their table, waiting for the two little gourmands to eat it.
“And I think…” she then exclaimed “…we really should start eating that ice cream! I am mighty hungry!”
“Me too!” Shadow giggled and both took their spoons with their magic and the first pieces of delicious sweet ice cream landed in their hungry tummies.

About half an hour of chatting and primary gourmandizing later, the two foals satisfied held their tummies and leaned back in their seats sighing when the last spoon of ice cream vanished in Shadow´s mouth.
Twilight felt like her midsection had grown twice as big as it had been prior. She groaned and rubbed her temples.
“Gah! Brain freeze…”
The black colt opposite of her chuckled. “Your own fault! You didn´t eat, you guzzled!”
“That´s not-“ she suppressed a burping “-true! You ate more ice cream than me!”
“But you ate all the whipped cream…” he hit back with a smile.

Both rested for another five minutes to get accustomed to their added weight, until finally Twilight heaved herself back to her hooves.
“Anyway…what do we want to do now?” she asked.
“Well…” Shadow mused “…since we now are reinvigorated now, we could play a little bit at the playground. What about tag? Without Bleach it surely is way funnier!”
“That sounds nice, but-“ she had to stifle another burping “-I don´t think my tummy would agree. Too much ice cream. But…” her gaze became slight suggestive, her eyes half-lidded and her cheeks emitting a soft pink. “…we could watch the sunset together, if you want to…”

His ears perked up and his tail made an excited flick, her purple eyes catching his golden ones when he answered:
“I would love to! And I know the perfect place to watch the sunset!”
“I am right behind you!” Twilight assured him.

And so, both left their seats and trotted off, leaning against each other…

______________________________________________________________________

Twilight recalled the list she had created for today, the list of things she wanted to do with her special somepony, the things she originally wanted to do with Bleach.
She could see the words written in black ink on beige pell right in front of her mind´s eye and checked it off.

Things to do with Bleach my special somepony at Hearts and Hooves day!

Get somehow rid of Silverleaf for the rest of the day - Check

Ask him/get asked to be your/his special somepony - Check

Take a romantic walk through the park - Check

Share a milkshake/sundae/drink with him - Check

Watch the sunset and cuddle with him - as good as done

That left only one point at the list open, a point her cheeks went afire when she thought about it.

Kiss him

That had been a point she had made when she was still expecting to spend the day with Bleach. But could she kiss Shadow? Should she kiss him? He, after all, was her special somepony, even if only for the day. And he made her happy. He treated her like a queen and made the loneliness inside her vanish. He cared for her.
But could she give him a real lip-to-lip-kiss?
It was different with Bleach. She knew him. She trusted him. He was her best friend.
But the black colt walking next to her also was trustworthy. Though, she was only starting to come to know him better. Was it enough to kiss him like that? Or would a small peck on his cheek be sufficient?
Did she even want to kiss him like that? In the end, she still liked Bleach, though he never had treated her like Shadow had done. But, according to her, he hadn´t to do so. He was her best friend! He cared for her, listened to her problems, made her laugh and helped her to the best of his abilities.
He was there if she needed him.
And additionally, there was still the strange tingling inside her whenever she thought at him.

“…Hellooo-ho! Earth to Twilight Sparkle! Come in please!”

The purple unicorn startled and earned a chuckle in response. She had been so deep in her thoughts, she hadn´t even noticed Shadow talking to her.
“I´m sorry…I was just lost in thoughts for a moment…”
“What were you thinking about?” he asked curiously.
Twilight looked to the side and bit her lower lip. Come on, Twily! A quick emergency lie…
“Uh…Nothing important…uhm…oh, yeah, I was just wondering what my friends were doing at the moment. That´s all.”
Shadow quizzically cooked an eyebrow and looked at her, doubting the answer´s truth for a moment and then smiled. “Oh, I think they have just as much fun as we have. With their grandparents they are, you said?”
She nodded.
“Eeyup. Silverleaf wanted to see her old friends in Fillydelphia and stays with her grandparents, while Bleach visits his grandparents in Trottingham because they invited him and his parents over and they really don´t see each other very much. I hope they are having fun. Silverleaf wanted to ask a special colt to be her special somepony. I hope things worked out for her.”
“And let´s hope that Bleach also had found a special filly that is just as beautiful and amazing as my special filly! But I don´t cast very much doubt on that.”
A nasty, yet clever move, so he thought. To make Twilight believe Bleach wouldn´t even be interested in her to distract her from him and to steal his place in her heart…

…but if he could read Twilight´s thoughts, he would have known his move was backfiring.

Of course, the purple filly didn´t like the thought of Bleach having another filly as his special somepony since she wanted to be with him. But…did he even like her back? What if he wanted her just as a good friend and not as his fillyfriend?
And if he did like her back? Would he like it if she was having another colt as her special somepony?
She doubted it…
…and suddenly felt something, that hadn´t been there till now: Guilt.
Only because Bleach wasn´t here in Canterlot she simply had replaced him with another pony. But how could she have rejected Shadow when he asked her to be his special somepony?

Twilight was even more confused than at the day´s beginning, when she suddenly felt the colt next to her stop. She looked at him questioning but he only meant “We have arrived…” and looked straight ahead, sitting down on his haunches.
The filly followed his gaze.

They were standing on a small hill at one of the outer districts of Canterlot. Beneath them was a wide meadow and on its end the cliff edge of the Canterlot Mountains. The western view was perfect to see the dark canopy of the Everfree Forest, hued in an orange-greenish mystic color because of the setting big round orb right in front of them, slowly starting to vanish behind the horizon.
It was a stunning view!
“It is…beautiful!” Twilight meant and sat down next to him, eyes fixed at the big red sun in front of them.
“Yeah, isn´t it?” the black colt beamed and his soft gaze drifted to her. “And I am so happy to watch it with a pony that is even more beautiful.” he meant beaming and nuzzled her affectionately drinking in her fragrance of roses and violets. “My special somepony…”

Twilight bit her lip again. She couldn´t bear it! He was so kind, so gentle, but she couldn´t return his gesture! She felt the guilt inside her, the betrayal against Bleach. Even if he didn´t know about her feelings for him, she knew them and that was enough! She just couldn´t replace him like that! She had to stop it! She had to tell Shadow the truth, had to reveal her true thoughts and feelings!
She looked up at him, focused on his golden eyes.
“Shadow I-I…”
“Shhh…” he hushed her, laying a hoof soft against her muzzle, his voice becoming whispering. “…you don´t have to say anything more…”

Twilight was so confused she couldn´t even react to the things that followed at his words.
Everything just went so fast.
In one moment, they were just sitting there in silence, and in the next moment, Shadow removed his hoof from her muzzle, leaned over to her, hugged her, closed his eyes, pulled her even closer…

…and caught her in her very first real kiss.

All Twilight could do was growing stiff and stare in shock with wide eyes.
This was no dream!
She felt the lips that pressed tenderly against hers, felt the blood shoot throughout her body, felt her furiously beating heart, felt her trembling body, everything was real!
And so also the now perfected betrayal against her feelings for Bleach!

The union of their lips lasted one, two moments longer, and then Shadow finally broke it, his body also trembling and panting slightly, pumped full of adrenaline.
He once again locked his eyes with hers and spoke up in his hushed but emphatic voice, smiling broader than ever before in his life.
“Twilight I…I want you to know…I love you, Twilight! More than anything in this world!”

After these words just silence remained.

Twilight´s lips trembled. She didn´t know what to say anymore. She had wanted to tell him that she in actual fact liked Bleach and didn´t want to go any further than she had done.
That she rather wanted them to stay good friends than being special someponies.

And what did she do?
She had kissed him!
No!
HE had kissed HER!
And had told her that he loved her, not that he liked her, not that he was fond of her, no, that he loved her!

But she wanted to be with Bleach!
Of course, Shadow was kind, gentle, courteous and all, but all she could see in him was a good friend!
Why had he rushed things like that?
Why had he to force her to make a difficult decision like that?

She felt like somepony had tied her to a seat on the worst rollercoaster of emotions in all Equestria and had set the speed governor at full speed!

Her head sank, eyes closing and ears dropping.

Shadow frowned. That wasn´t the reaction he had hoped he would receive.
If everything had gone like planned, she now should hug him tight and also confess her love to him!
He gently laid a hoof at her cheek.
She forced herself to look at him, her eyes starting to tear up.

With great concern the black colt noticed the small droplets forming in her sparkling eyes.
“Oh my…Twilight…did I say something wrong?”
She sniveled.
“Why?” she asked accusatory. “Why had you to do that?”

For Shadow, these words felt like something wanted to squeeze his heart.
“But…But I-I…I thought you are my special somepony!”

Twilight´s head sunk one more time.
“Yeah, I know…I made a big unforgivable mistake…”

The colt gasped and grimaced with pain. If that filly wanted to rip his heart apart, she did it.
Why? Why she had to say such terrible things? Had he done something wrong? He had treated her like a gentlecolt would do! Why did she have to break his heart like that?
”Everything was shammed!” a male voice inside him stoked his anger.

“I wanted to tell you…” she sobbed “…but…but everything just went so fast…and then we were suddenly kissing and you said you´d love me…and I…” another sob choked her tears and she faced his golden eyes again “…And I simply can´t return that love!”

Something inside Shadow shattered at these words. He felt how the tears also wanted to flow down his cheeks, but he held them back. He didn´t want to cry in front of her. Even if she was already rejecting him and breaking his heart in any way possible.
”She just used you!” the voice whispered again.
SHUT UP! he cried in his head.
He pierced her with his eyes.
“Why?” he asked between suppressed sobs.

The tears of the purple filly were already flowing freely, glittering in the wake of the setting sun´s rays.
“Because…because there is already a colt I have feelings for. I-I...I feel honored that you have these feelings for me, but…but no matter how I look at it, here, in this moment I just can see you as a good friend! I am so sorry…”

The colt took a sharp breath and bit his lip. A short tensed silence lay upon them, until Shadow looked to the side and exhaled audible.
“So am I, Twilight…” he meant cold, the tears becoming more and more difficult to choke back. “…for asking you to be my special somepony! I´m sorry for my hope that things could have worked out between us! I´m sorry for telling you my true feelings! And I am sorry for distracting your thoughts from that other colt you not bothered to tell me about before you were going to crush my heart!”
”It was planned! You were just her toy to fix the void inside her!” the voice coaxed one more time.

Twilight could do nothing but cry about his words that showed her how much she had hurt him.
“I am so sorry…”
Shadow then rose back to his hooves and turned around, feeling how the tears got the better of him. He looked back at the purple filly that hurt him so much one last time, his eyes scrutinizing her.
“It is Bleach, am I right?” It was more a statement than a question.
Twilight looked back at him with tearful eyes and nodded.

“Well then…” he stated bitter “…I wish the two of you all well. And with your allowance, I will leave now and lick my wounds…”

And then, he galloped off, finally releasing the streams of tears, not bothering to look back at Twilight one single time.

And the only thing left was a bitterly crying little Twilight Sparkle in the wake of the last sunbeams of the day, weeping herself out until nothing was remaining but darkness and agonizing painful remorse…

______________________________________________________________________

It was late evening when Twilight finally had arrived at home. Without even bothering to tell her parents about any of the day´s events she trotted into her chamber and flung herself into her bed, turning to face her nightstand and the small wrapped up present she had prepared for Bleach.
She just stared at it, letting her thoughts wander, which only led her to the terrible happenings earlier, the way she broke Shadows heart so selfishly. How should she ever make this up to him? Was there even a way to make it up to him?
She doubted it.

Her guilty conscience was already pulling her to sleep, when she suddenly heard a pair of muffled voices behind the closed door of her chamber and perked up.
“…go on ahead, my dear. I´ll follow you in a second.” her brother meant.
“Okay…” she heard a voice responding which definitely belonged to Cadence, followed by a muffled wet smack which only could be a kiss.
After that she noticed the voice of hoofsteps down the floor towards Shining´s room and the door of her room opening.

She looked up to indeed find her white-coated brother wide-smiling and dressed in a simple black suit jacket, evidence of his evening together with Cadence, possibly at a fine restaurant the delicious scent coming from it told her.
“Hey Twily!” Shining greeted her but frowned when he saw her crestfallen demeanor. “Is something wrong?” he asked concerned.
Twilight felt like telling him everything here and now. She trusted him the most of all. But in the end, she just bit her lower lip, looked up at him and shook her head.
“Are you sure?” her brother pressed her on.
She nodded.
“It´s just…I feel a little bit lonely since none of my friends is here today, that´s all…” she lied.

Shining´s eyes wandered to her nightstand with the present still on top and saw the heart-shaped card attached to it, reading the name of the one it was addressed to.
“I see…” he just replied and brotherly nuzzled her neck to comfort her. “…but maybe I have something to make these feelings go away…”
Twilight frowned at these words and fixed her brother with her curious purple eyes.
“How?”
He just kept smiling and produced something out of his saddlebags with his magic, levitating it over to Twilight who followed the item with her gaze.
It was a present, wrapped up into purple gift wrap with a pink ribbon.
Her face lit up a little bit, a small smile creeping to her lips.
“Thank you, Shining!”

Her brother only rubbed his back head with a hoof.
“Yeah…In fact, this isn´t a present from me. A pony gave it to me during our exercise yesterday and told me it´s for you…”
“Who?” Twilight asked furrowing. She didn´t know any ponies in person that were exercising together with her brother.
Now her brother grinned sly. “A pony named ‘Pale’.”
She furrowed even more, eying up the present one more time.
“I don´t know a pony with that name.”
“Oh, I´m sure you know him…” Shining only meant with a chuckle. “He´s a highly respected part of the Royal Guard. You saw him at the ceremony last Sunday. A stallion with blue mane and white coat like mine, you remember? He told me it´s from his son and I should give it to you today…”

Twilight felt her cheeks burning because of her sudden blush. So this ‘Pale’ had to be Bleach´s father, which meant the present she held in her hooves…was from him!
She didn´t even notice her brother giving her a last short nuzzle before leaving her room and closing the door while she carefully opened the present like a precious treasure. When finally the last piece of paper was removed, it revealed two things:
First, a beautiful Hearts and Hooves card, hoof-written and adored with a heart-frame made of red glitter. In the middle was a purple pony with a flowing purple-pink mane and big purple eyes, also made of glitter. She marveled how beautiful detailed the drawing was.
She opened the card to reveal a text framed the same way the cover image was.
It read:

Dear Twilight!

Sugar is sweet.
And honey too.
But sweeter than treats,
That is you!

I wish I was there together with you.
Asking if you would be my special somepony, though…

With all my love,
Your Bleach

Twilight beamed from ear to ear and wiped away the small tear in the corner of her eye, the first tear not of grief but of joy this day. Happily she pressed his card to her chest and reveled in the bliss she felt, knowing that he would have wanted too to be her special somepony if he had been here today…
Then she eyed the second thing that had been inside the present. It was a small notebook. Curiously she took it into her hooves, feeling the old leather cover beneath her hooves. There was neither a title nor anything else that told her something about its content. She opened the first page and a small note flew out of it into her lap, which she read instantly. It was also from Bleach:

Dear Twilight.

Just in case you wonder where I got this from:
Let´s say it has its advantages to have a father who is a personal guard of Celestia and has access to her library…
I hope you like it! ;)

Even more curious, Twilight looked at the top of the first hoof-written page…
…and let out a shout of surprise and joy.
With big eyes she starred at the book´s title at the top of the page:
’Personal Diary of Starswirl the Bearded’
Her beam grew even wider than before and she pressed the book together with the card even tighter against her chest, squeaking as girlishly as Silverleaf had the day before.
Oh, Bleachie! You are such a sweetheart…

And then, she spotted her own gift for him on her nightstand.
She had to give it to him, somehow! She had to show him that she also was thinking at him! But her parents surely won´t let her out now. After all, it was late and dark outside.
So she somehow had to sneak out...
It was then when she spotted her window.

He would get his present, she vowed it!
It was still Hearts and Hooves day!
There was still time…

______________________________________________________________________

Sneaking out should prove no problem for the purple unicorn filly.
Her chamber was on the ground-floor and faced to the dark backyard where no streetlights lit the way. Even if her parents would have looked out of their window the moment she had sneaked out, they wouldn´t have seen her.
Conveniently, her coat had a natural dark color and covered her perfectly in the night.

Her only worry was the fact that she left nothing back but a bed stuffed with a few books and a big round ball. She prayed to Celestia her parents won´t enter her chamber until she would be back…

Quickly, she galloped along the streets of Canterlot, occasionally spotting elder couples on their way home or behind the windows of a noble-restaurant, the full moon guiding her way.

At about half past nine she arrived at Bleach´s home, a cozy-looking red house near the western end of Canterlot. Now, she only hoped that he and his family were already at home. After all, he had told her he would be back in the evening.
And regarding the light behind the windows, he was at home, which was a first relief for Twilight.
Now she only had to somehow give him her gift.

Should she ring the bell?
No! His parents would open the door, and if they would know that she was here at a time like this, her own parents would know very soon, too! Parents after all knew each other only too well, didn´t they?
So she had to search for another way.
Through the window of his chamber?
She walked around the cottage until she saw it. Oriented also to the backyard, unluckily, his room was in the second floor. Inspecting the house´s backside with the back entrance and the two windows in the upper floor, the left belonging to Bleach´s room, the filly was looking for something she could use to get to her special colt.
She could climb along the mounting of the twiners, but then she somehow had to open his window. Of course she could use magic, but like every other family with a unicorn also his family´s windows were sealed with a spell only they could unlock…

And then, the light behind his window lit up and she saw his silhouette behind the curtains.
Or I simply knock…

Determined the filly strained herself one last time and took her present into her mouth, walking over to the base of the twiners, scrutinizing the mounting. It was made of white wood, seemed very solid and wound itself along the wall in a cross pattern, perfect to mount it like a ladder.
Carefully she reared to her hind hooves and gripped the mounting with her front hooves, before she made the first step. Slowly, only one hoof at a time, she used the mounting step by step to come closer and closer to his window, using every gap of the cross shape to not lose her grip and fall back to the ground.
It somehow made her feel like a spy, like James Colt or Daring Do. Only some background music was missing, she thought.
After about two minutes of careful climbing Twilight finally reached his windowsill, when suddenly the light went out. But that wasn´t what let her freeze. No, what made her stop moving was the cracking she heard from below!

And in the next moment the wood beneath her hind hooves gave way and she lost her balance. With a yelp she fell to the ground and gasped in pain when she landed hard on her back with a thud. She groaned painful, disappointed that the wood gave way when she was already going to knock at his window. She had been so close to her destination!
In this moment, Twilight noticed somepony cursing and was surprised when she realized that it was her. Where did she know these words?...

“Who is there?” a voice called from above.
Twilight opened her eyes and looked up at the window the familiar voice came from.
“Twilight?” it asked frowning. “What are you doing here?”
With a final groan Celestia´s student rose back to her hooves, rubbing her back head and looking up at her friend who was looking out of the right of the two windows.
Didn´t I try to climb the other window?
Just as if he could read her thoughts, the white colt at the window frowned even more and questioned:
“And why are you trying to climb my bathroom?”

Twilight mentally facehoofed and was blushing, realizing that she not only tried to reach the wrong window but that when she wanted to knock at the window he was just…
She shook her head to dismiss the thought and looked back up at him.
“Because I didn´t realize your chamber decided to change places with your bathroom…” the filly hit back sarcastically.
Bleach´s answer to that was a chuckle. “And why are you here at a time like this? We arrived only half an hour ago. Normally, I would already sleep now!”
“Because I…I wanted to tell you something…” she felt how her cheeks became pink again. “…something very important…”
Realizing that it still was Hearts and Hooves day and regarding the thing she possibly wanted to tell him relating to that, the cheeks of the white colt now also had a soft hint of red.
“W-well…then why didn´t you just ring the bell?”
“Because I snuck away to come here…” she explained “…and if your parents tell my parents, I would be in big trouble!”
He only nodded in response.

After that, Twilight grabbed her gladly unharmed present for Bleach and tried to climb the mounting again, this time on the right side. When she reached the windowsill again, she grabbed Bleach´s hoof and he pulled her into his chamber, suggesting her to lie down on his bed to catch her breath after her second strenuous uphill climb of the day.
The colt eyed her up for a moment and sat down on his haunches.
There she was, the maybe cutest filly of the world, coming to him in the middle of the night of Hearts and Hooves day and climbing dangerous heights just to tell him something. It was like a dream come true, but at the same time kind of surreal…
“So…” he began, the faint red still on his cheeks “…What did you want to tell me?”
A short silence remained until Twilight sat up. She looked to the ground and fumbled with her hooves, the blush also visibly invading her face.
“I-I…I w-wanted…” she stuttered. “I wanted to say…Thank you…For your present…”
He chuckled. She was always cute when she was fumbling for words, he thought.
“I´m glad you like it.”
“I…I have something for you, too…” she said and grabbed next to her, taking the present she had prepared for him and gave it to him.
Curiously, Bleach inspected the white present with the black ribbon with big eyes and opened it. It revealed a big chocolate heart, framed with red icing. Silently he read the words that were carefully written inside the heart with white sugarcoating:

Our hearts, always loving
Our souls, never dying
Our lives, in friendship intertwined

From the ground they will rise
Reaching for the highest skies
And in love they will shine

Your
Twilight

Wide-smiling he read the lines of their modified secret hoofshake and then looked back at Twilight which was watching him with her shining purple eyes, the blush inerasable in her face.
“It is…beautiful!” he exclaimed happy. “Thank you so much!”
She smiled. “It´s nothing compared to your gift…”
But he only shook his head. “It´s coming from your heart, that is important! Neither its size nor its awesomeness. Though, I think it took you very much time to make this, am I right?”
“Nah…” she waved her hoof “…my mom helped me with it…”
“Still…thank you…this is so sweet from you…literally!” he meant beaming and climbed the bed, pulling the purple filly in a tight embrace and sending thousands of butterflies through her and his own stomach with that gesture.

Twilight didn´t know whether it were only five minutes or hours they hugged, she only knew she could stay like this forever, squeezing and being squeezed by her bestest of best friends and, at the same time, the colt she liked. It made the thoughts she had about Shadow vanish, soothed her. Now she knew she made the right decision in the end, though she still felt sorry for Shadow - a feeling that won´t leave her very soon.
But now, in this moment while she was still hugging Bleach, everything around her seemed just to be pure nothingness.
Way too early, though she really couldn´t say how long they were hugging, they parted, purple sparkling eyes locking with deep blue ocean ones.

“Twilight…” his voice was barely more than a whisper “…can I…can I ask you something?”
She nodded. “Everything you want to!”
He also nodded and gulped, now fumbling for words for himself.
“Well…It may were just about two hours left…but…it´s still Hearts and Hooves day, so I…I wanted to ask…would you want to be my special somepony?”
Twilight beamed, more than any time before in her young life, and hugged him tight one more time.
“I would love to!” she exclaimed happy and so forced Bleach´s smile into overdrive, too.

When they parted, their eyes locked again, noses touching. Neither of them knew what to say. But words only would have ruined the moment. So, they let their eyes talk for each other. It was until both pairs were curtained off by their respective lids, the two foals embracing one more time. Their cheeks were burning and their hearts pounding when their heads gently started to move, their lips perking and slowly coming closer to each other until they…

…froze, only an inch left to the connection.

The duo´s ears perked up. There had been a noise that sounded like hooves meeting the wood of the stairs. And in fact, it returned, a soft clip-clop on the stairs that headed to the colt´s room. Someone was coming to them, and regarding that Bleach was an only foal, it could only be one of his parents!
Disappointed they parted and looked at each other.
Twilight was worried. She had to flee before his parents would see her and she would be in trouble. It was too late for her to flee the way she came, so the colt made a decision:
“Hide under my bed!” he meant and Twilight nodded, jumping out of his bed and crawling in the gap underneath it. Bleach at the same time slipped under his covers and turned his bedside lamp off, pretending to sleep and made a fake snoring.

In the very same moment, the door to his room opened and revealed his father. Slowly, not to make a voice and wake his son up he stepped inside and noticed the peaceful sleeping colt lying on his back and slightly snoring.
Twilight meanwhile thought her heart wanted to jump out of her chest. She could see the white legs of Bleach´s father in the light off the moon. He only had to bend down to pick something up and he would spot her.
But luckily, after one last glance around the room, he turned to leave with a smile. Twilight already wanted to release a sigh of relief when the stallion halted in the threshold one last time and suddenly chuckled soft and spoke up.
“I´m sorry, but I can´t and won´t buy that from you, my son. First: You are never snoring, not even when you have a cold! And second: You are always sleeping prone or on your side, never on your back!”
His son groaned defeated and sat up in his bed.
“I´m sorry, dad. I couldn´t sleep…”
“I can imagine very well…” his voice got something cocky and he side-glanced back into the room “…You shouldn´t stay too long, Twilight!”
The filly under the bed shock froze. Where did he know she was there?
“It´s late and your parents are sure worrying! Good night you two!”
And with that, he shut the door and trotted back down the stairs.

“How did he…”
“Don´t ask me!” Bleach answered. “Maybe it´s an Auraknight-thing I don´t know yet. He seems to have a tenth sense for such things.”
Twilight frowned. “What are the other four additional senses?”
“Placeholder.” he stated dry and Twilight giggled low.

“Well…” she then meant, crawling out from under the bed and facing Bleach again, both slightly blushing thinking back that they just had been close to kiss each other. “I should really head home now before my parents notice my absence. It had been…” she pawed the ground, searching for the fitting words.
“…a wonderful yet short evening?” Bleach offered and Twilight chuckled.
“Yeah…something like that. Well, we see in school then…”
Bleach nodded and jumped off the bed, opening the window for the filly.
She swung out, searching grip on the mounting and looked at her special somepony one last time with a wide smile.
“Thank you!” she whispered.

Bleach only beamed, and suddenly leaned forward and planted a kiss on her cheek. Twilight had to watch out that she wouldn´t suddenly fall another time. It may was just a short kiss, but it felt heavenly to her! Her hooves felt like pudding, giving in every second. It was a wonder she reached the ground unharmed.
The two smiled and waved each other a last time and then Twilight galloped off towards her home through the now empty streets of Canterlot.

At her home again, she silently snuck into the backyard and opened her window with her magic, stepping inside without making a noise and carefully closing the window again. She let out a sigh of relief. Everything turned out well! Bleach had his present, was her special somepony, they nearly had kissed and her parents didn´t know anything about her absence.

In that moment, the lights of her chamber turned on and revealed a furious-looking dark blue stallion and a white mare who´s face had a very dark shade of red and who´s mane was slightly smoldering.

Oh well, it had been worth it, hadn´t it?...

______________________________________________________________________

He twisted and turned in his bed, but it was useless.
There was no dry spot on his pillow anymore.

Ever since the floodgates of his eyes had opened when he had turned his back to Twilight the tears didn´t run dry. Shadow felt broken and abused, but it was his own fault. How could he have expected Twilight to choose him, a colt she barely knew, instead of her best friend she truly had feelings for!
”But still she accepted to be your special somepony. She just played with you!”
“Didn´t I tell you to shut up?” he whispered, only low resistance in his words, his watery blood-shot golden eyes fixating the darkness of his room.
But he couldn´t deny that his words were somehow true. Twilight did use him just to banish the loneliness inside her. But how could he blame her?
In the end, that exactly had been his plan! He had wanted her to use him for filling the gap of Bleach, though he also had planned it to be on a permanent base. He even got to kiss her, regardless of the fact that she didn´t kiss him back and cuffed him verbally and emotionally after that.
In the end, so he thought, it may really have been a big mistake to try pulling her away from Bleach, even if he had to realize it the hard way.

Slowly, his thoughts carried him to sleep.

But even in his dreams he didn´t find a refuge.
Instead he found himself in deep nothingness, only blackness surrounding him.
“So your precious plan failed…” a male voice behind him stated dry.
Startling, he turned around to find a black-coated alicorn stallion sitting on his haunches in front of him. His long white mane flowed in a slight inexistent breeze around his head, enhancing the deadpan grey wolfish eyes that fixated the colt.
“You knew it would fail, right?” Shadow asked.
Now the mask that was the stallion´s face got something indignant.
“I would never betray you! If I had known, I would have warned you! After all I was the only one who fortified you and your plan!”
Shadow sighed. “I know…It was a foolish plan, though…”

“Oh no! Don´t call it like that!”
Shadow turned around to face Luxuria, the beautiful pink alicorn-mare with her flowing dark pink mane and slender curves. “You tried to satisfy your cravings, there´s nothing wrong with that! I am rather proud that you followed my advice!”
“But my plan failed and now, she surely hates me for kissing her without permission!” he argued distressed.
Luxuria was appalled. “You want to give up so easily? Just like that?”
He sighed. “Why should I continue trying?...”

“Because you still want her to be yours! You want to hold her and kiss her more desperately than before because now you know just how good it feels!” another mare behind him meant and he again twisted around to face her.
Now, there was sitting a lightly chubby and smaller dark-blue alicorn-mare with a long straggly red mane where Proditio had been sitting only a few moments ago.
“And you want even more than that! You want to play with her, chat with her, taking her out; simply do everything with her that makes fun! You want to share and live your life with her! Simply let it all hang out, am I right?”
Shadow nodded. “Yeah, sure, but…What about Bleach? What if he-“

“Oh, who cares about that stupid little colt!” A bright yellow alicorn-stallion behind him with a short shaggy green mane huffed. One more time the colt turned around to face the one who had replaced Luxuria. “I thought YOU wanted to have fun with that Twilight like Gula said! Why should you share-” he nearly vomited the word out “-with him? What did he do to deserve that?”
Shadow thought for a moment but the stallion answered for him:
“NOTHING! That´s what he did! In fact, he even is the reason why that filly rejected you! And now you want to share with him or even just relinquish her to him?” he flared.
His words were hard, but somehow true Shadow thought. Indeed, nothing of this would have happened if there hadn´t been that Bleach! Without him, the place inside Twilight´s heart would be his! It would be him who would be her best friend instead of the white colt! She would be all his! And he wouldn´t feel the emotional pain he was feeling right now, because without Bleach Twilight would never have rejected him!

“Avrice isn´t very wrong there, isn´t he?” Viola, the livid mare, asked behind his back, replacing Gula.
“But what should I do?...” the colt asked, facing the mare.
“Isn´t it ovious?” she meant with a devilish smirk and sparkling red eyes. “Sweep him out of your way…”
“…and after you did that, you are filling the gap ripped into Twilight´s heart as her comforter.” Proditio ended the sentence and trotted next to them, wearing the same grin as Viola.
“Yeah…” Shadow mused. “…that would work, but…how do I sweep him out of my way?”

“KILL HIM!” a male voice boomed behind him and made him jump.

He turned around to face a dark red, nearly black alicorn with a blazing red-yellow mane and tail.
“But…But I can´t…”
“What? Kill the colt that made you feel so terrible? That owns your filly´s heart without even knowing? The colt who´s the reason that Twilight broke your heart? That she played with you like that?
Do you really think something will change as long as he is alive?” the stallion asked, his voice gushing with pure hatred.
“Yeah, think of it, little one…” Proditio meant next to him with a smile. “Do you really want to have that colt his way with you, laughing at your wretchedness, knowing he has all you ever dreamed of?”

The black colt snorted, anger settling inside his soul, stomping with his hoof.
“No! Never!”
A smirk crept onto the black alicorn´s lips and he stretched out his right front hoof.
“Then reach my hoof and renew our contract to claim our help till all your cravings are satisfied…”
Shadow considered it for a moment…

…and then he grabbed Proditio´s hoof…

…and was pulled into his hooves in the next second, pressed tightly against his body and wriggling in his grip in sudden confusion.
“What the hay are you doing!” he shouted.
The alicorn´s grin grew even wider.
“I´ll ensure that you´ll never betray us again…”

And then, the tip of his horn made contact with Shadow´s brow and began to glow in a black light…

______________________________________________________________________

“ONE WHOLE MONTH?”

Silverleaf was shocked. Together with Twilight she was lined up in the queue in front of the canteen counter, just hearing the purple scholar tell her about her being grounded for one month.
“What in the name of all Equestria did you do to let your parents ground you one month?” the silver filly wanted to know.
Twilight was blushing at the question. There was no way she would tell Silverleaf anything about the circumstances that led to her punishment. After checking her chamber and recognizing that Twilight had snuck out without leaving a note to inform her parents about her whereabout they of course had been very worried and angry with her, to say the least.
The filly´s ears were still ringing from the vociferous telling-off her parents, primary her mother, had given her. In the end, so Twilight thought, she could be glad being grounded only for a month.
Her mother surely had been in the mood to ground her for one year!
“I´m sorry Silv, but that´s private business…” she answered her friend and additionally thought: …just like everything that happened this Hearts and Hooves day!
“Aww, come on Twi!”
But she kept adamant. “No!”
“UUUGH…”

Twilight frowned. Somehow, she thought, her friend seemed on edge.
“Oh, hello Silverleaf!” Miss Cherrytart, a red mare with brown mane and tail greeted the silver filly from behind the counter. “I hope you had a nice Hearts and Hooves day! What can I do for you?”
“One big hot chocolate. Double cocoa!” she answered unusually brusquely.
“What´s the magic word?”
“NOW!”
Frowning about the uncommon bad mood of the filly Miss Cherrytart gave Silverleaf her big cup of hot chocolate, hoping that the additional two pieces of marshmallow would lift her spirits. She then turned to Twilight.
“I´ll take the same.” she just said.
A big cup of chocolate was exactly what she needed after that disastrous Hearts and Hooves day…

“Sooo…” she then began while they sat down on a free table. “…why are you in such a bad mood? Has it something to do with that colt you mentioned…Time Tu-“
“Don´t mention that name ever again!” her silver friend cut her short.
Twilight frowned. “So…he rejected you?”
“No…” Silverleaf sighed. “…he moved to another town my old friends told me. But that´s not the worst! No, the worst is that he already has a fillyfriend! Some pegasus called ‘Ditzy’…”
“Oh…I´m sorry!”
“Nah, no reason to be sorry. I´m just a little bit disappointed, that´s all…” she meant and focused her purple friend with curiousness. “Anyway: How was your Hearts and Hooves day?”
“Weeeell…” she reluctant began, noticing a particular black colt with yellow mane and tail passing their table in this moment and giving her a short cold look before he took place at an empty table on the other side of the cafeteria.
In the very same moment, the guilt inside her soul hit her again and she felt crestfallen again. How she would love to simply tell her friends everything that had happened between her and Shadow, but these things she wanted to keep secret.
After all, if she told Silverleaf, the whole school would know everything about them within a few hours! And Bleach just would feel betrayed...
She sighed. “…Well, it was just boring and depressing, seeing all the other couples around me. I felt…alone, without you. I wished you or Bleach would´ve been there…”
Silverleaf nodded approvingly. “I´m sorry.”
But Twilight just shook her head. “Nothing to be sorry for. There´s always a next year, right?”
Her friend nodded and smiled. “Yes.”

“Hey there, you two!” a male voice suddenly greeted and joined them at their table.
“Hey there, Bleachie!” Silverleaf greeted back.
“Hi…” Twilight also greeted him a little bit shy, having to think back at the events of the past evening of Hearts and Hooves day.
“And? How was Fillydelphia?” he asked Silverleaf.
“Not like I expected it to be…” she just meant with a sip of her hot chocolate.
“And how was your weekend?” Twilight wanted to know.
Bleach just shrugged. “It was rather normal. A normal visit to my grandparents, their usual feather-bedding - I think I put on a few kilos because of the large amount of cookies they gave me - the usual way back by train and the usual squirrels climbing the walls of our cottage and breaking my sleep.”
The last statement let him wink at Twilight when Silverleaf wasn´t looking what made her smile and blush slightly.
“And your weekend, Twi?” he then asked perfectly neutral.
“Oh, mine was also perfectly normal.” she just meant, waving a hoof. “It was just a little bit boring and lonely without you.”
“But now we are together again!” Bleach beamed.

“Yeah!” Silverleaf exclaimed wide-grinning and stretched her hoof. “For our hearts!”

The others joined within the second.

“For our souls!”
“For our friendship!”

“From the ground…
…our souls fly high!
Together they´ll reach the sky!"

Episode 1 - The First Time We Met

The Halcyon Days

Episode 1 – The First Time We Met

“Ouh-ouh-ouh, I am so excited! I am soooo excited! Are we there? Are we?”

The blue stallion laughed. “Easy little filly! If you are going on bouncing like that, you´ll reach the moon where Nightmare Moon would eat you!”
“Oh daddy! That is just an old marestale! And, besides, I can´t jump that high! I´m just sooo excited!”
Regardless to her words, the little filly stopped bouncing around her parents and trotted next to them.

They walked through a long alley, which led to a huge palatial building. Wide meadows stretched next to the alley in a rolling hill till the horizon. The sun shone warm and graceful above the three ponie´s heads, leading their way to the white building with its countless oriels, turrets, golden roofs and ornamentations. Princess Celestia´s School for Gifted Unicorns really was one of the most imposing structures in all Canterlot and, maybe, all Equestria!

“You better watch out, my little sweetie! Some marestales can be true!” a light gray mare with a purple and white mane opined smiling. The purple filly only nodded with an “Okay!” smiling back at her mother and tried to calm herself. If she was honest, she was really nervous about everything. This was her first school day and she asked herself, how her classmates would be. Would they be nice to her? She hoped so.
Of course, she was happy to be princess Celestia´s personal student at school, but would that have any influence on the acting of the others towards her? What if they avoided her! Twilight shook her head and focused her gaze straight on the huge school pile in front of her. Don´t worry, Twilight! Everything is going to be fine, you´ll see! she thought by herself and glanced at her parents.

She was so thankful that they had enrolled her at Celestia´s School, even if she nearly had failed the test. With a bright smile, she thought back at that fateful day. She already had given up hatching that dragon egg when a sudden loud explosion had turned her magic inside out. She slightly shuddered at the thought. She lost control of her own body and magic and the weirdest things had happen. She made the examiners floating, turned her parents in potted plants and hatched the dragon´s egg and instantly let the dragon grow until he broke through the roof.
Finally, Celestia herself helped her to return her magic back under her control and then, she really had asked her, if she would be her personal student! Twilight thought, she couldn´t be happier, but then, Celestia had shown her her cutie mark and she had bounced around them all, shouting “Yesyesyes!” again and again in her boundless joy.

She smiled. All that wouldn´t had happen without her parents and she snuggled up to them.
Slowly, they approached the pile…

______________________________________________________________________

“Alright, here we are!”
“I…I´m antsy…”
“Why are you antsy, my little sweetie?”
“What…What, if they don´t like me?”

Smiling, the slight gray mare sat down on the floor to meet her daughter at eye level. “Don´t worry my little Twilight! I´m sure they´ll like you!” she said softly and nuzzled the purple filly in front of her. Normally, Twilight wasn´t a shy filly, but now, in this situation, in this new place with all the other students and her as personal student of the princess, she was really nervous.
Everything just looked so…big!
So impressive…and daunting!

Even if there were a lot of other students around them with their parents, saying good bye to their parents and trotting through the big wooden door into their classroom, she felt lost and alone on this wide hallway with its high ceiling, the cold sky blue walls and the black-and-white marbled floor. The grass-green carpet that led to the countless doors all around didn´t make it better.

“But…what if I am not good enough?” Twilight asked worried again. “They´ll sure all laugh at me!” She imagined herself, surrounded by her classmates. They all laughed and pointed at her because she gave a wrong answer. She shuddered.
Her mother just nudged her and tried to calm her. “Oh Twilight! Nopony will laugh at you! Just be yourself! Maybe you´ll find some new friends!”
“But…”

“Excuse me. Is there a problem?” a deep male voice asked behind them politely. They all turned around, Twilight hiding herself behind her parents. They faced a beige-coated stallion with a straight short dark brown mane. On his nose sat an old-fashioned pair of glasses. With a likeable and friendly smile he looked at the trio.
“Oh, she´s only a little bit nervous and shy, that´s all.” Twilight´s father replied smiling.
“I see…You are the little Twilight Sparkle, am I right?” the stallion asked friendly and looked at the little filly that hides herself behind her mother.

She glanced at him and nodded, making herself as small as possible.
He smiled understanding. “You don´t have to be nervous, young lady.” he said in a calming voice. “I´m sure your classmates are all happy to see you!”
Again, Twilight peeked out from behind her mother. “Do you…really think so?” she asked shyly.
“Of course! They are all really excited to meet the personal student of our princess! They sure would be really disappointed, if you won´t appear! I am sure they´re all looking forward to become your friends!”
Now, Twilight came out of her hiding and looked at the stallion, new hope in her eyes. “Are you really sure?” she asked again and he smiled even wider, encouraging her with every new word.
“Oh yes, of course! It is not often Princess Celestia takes somepony as her personal student! They are sure all really proud to learn together with you!”
Twilight beamed. “Really? Oh thank you!” she said, filled with new hope and courage. She didn´t know how, but the kind stallion had brought back her old excitement.
She turned back to her parents to say good bye. They both nuzzled her and promised to pick her up after school.
With a final encouraging nudge of her mother, Twilight happily entered the classroom.

Her parents followed her with their eyes and looked back at the stallion. Twilight´s father first began to speak. “Thank you very much, Mister…?”
“Albert.” he introduced himself. “Professor Albert. I am Twilight´s form teacher.”
“Well, thank you, Mister Albert. I am Night Light, Twilight´s father and this is my wife…” “Twilight Velvet.” the slight gray mare introduced herself and they shook hooves with Mr. Albert.
“You seem to know a lot about her worries!” she continued. The beige stallion only nodded and smiled.
“It is a part of the job to know, what makes students tick. Twilight is very much like the children of famous ponies. She thinks the others would avoid her because they may think she is arrogant and deems to be a cut above them. But she isn´t like that and that makes her nervous because she thinks they´ll prejudice her.
The other thing is the stress of being the child, or in her case, the student of somepony famous. She thinks she has to be very good to not disappoint her master and puts pressure on herself.”

“Wow, you´re really knowing a lot about the sorrows of your students!” the blue stallion said impressed. Mr. Albert only smiled flattered.
“Thank you! But, as I said, it comes with the job. Excuse me now. I have a class to teach…”

______________________________________________________________________

Twilight still was nervous, but also excited. It was a strange mix of feelings, so she thought. Her gaze turned around the room.

She sat on a place in the second of five rows of wooden desks, an empty place beside her - the last empty place. All the other desks were already taken. Only a few other students chatted together, like the two mares, a pink and a mint-green one, behind her.
In many faces she could see the same nervousness like the one in her face, which calmed her a little bit.
Her gaze wandered to and through the window. The school garden, which could be seen from their classroom, was riddled with flowers in countless forms and colors. The sight dispelled her black thoughts and her nervousness for a short while.

“Um…Excuse me?” a voice behind her asked. She turned around with a start. Twilight had been so lost in her thoughts and the flowers out there, so the sudden voice behind her had frightened her slightly.
The next thing she found, was herself, lost and drowning in a lake, no: an ocean, no: two oceans! Deep, dark-blue oceans! Two shining lazurites looked directly into her eyes and mesmerized her. They were framed by a soft white coat, which shone like stars. Around this white star lake streamed a straight and neck-length mane-river, black as night. For the purple filly, there was no doubt: In front of her stood the most beautiful colt, she had ever seen in her entire lifetime!

But then, waves of a frown appeared over the ocean-eyes and a hoof, rubbing the face, broke the eye contact and its hypnosis. “Have I got something in my face?” the colt´s voice asked and finally brought Twilight back into reality completely.
“Oh…Nonono!” she replied, smiling and slightly blushing with shame. She looked to the ground to not lose herself again in his eyes. “I…just…was lost in thoughts for a moment.” He chuckled in response to her answer.
“This minute was but a looong moment!” he said sassy, wide smirking and cocking an eyebrow. She giggled about his cheek, finally facing him again, hitting back with the same sass.
“Well…it was a looooong delicate thought!”
“Oh, and what exactly was that looooooong delicate thought about?” he asked her back, keeping up his smirk and his raised eyebrow, bringing his face a little bit closer to hers like a conspirator.
A few moments, they just kept up smirking at each other, exchanging glances. Finally, Twilight answered, analyzing the situation of the colt: “Well…this delicate thought maybe was about if I allow you to have the last left seat next to me, but I don´t know…do you always have to be so…” still smirking, she put a hoof on his chest and slightly pushed him back. “…close to fillies?”

Now, he laughed and took a step back, looking over her. “You know what: you´re all right!” She joined his laugh and watched him while he sat down behind the desk next to her. A short moment, they eyed up each other.
“Well…may I ask you what´s your name?” the white colt finally asked her, gently smiling without any sign of waggishness now. Twilight returned his smile. “I am Twilight. Twilight Sparkle.”
“THE Twilight Sparkle?” he shouted out in surprise and some of the other students around them turned around and looked at her. Suddenly, there was the nervousness again. “THE personal student of princess Celestia?” he continued asking.
“Um…Yes?” she answered with a sheepish smile.
“Oh wow! I heard so many things about you! It´s just…it is an honor to learn at your side!”
“Thank you…” she answered shy. His beaming smile disappeared when he saw, that she wasn´t as cheerful about it as himself and turned into a knowing and sympathetic smile.
“It´s…a real burden for you, isn´t it? I mean all that pressure to perform and don´t shame princess Celestia and all…” She nodded. It sounded just as he would exactly know how she was feeling. After several seconds of silence between them, Twilight shook her head to dispel the dark thoughts again and sighed.
“Anyway…” she finally said, already slightly smiling again. “You still haven´t told me, who you are! What is your name?”

He looked at her with his ocean-blue eyes, wide smiling.

“Just call me Bleach…”

______________________________________________________________________

The rest of the day was simply great for the little filly! Well, maybe excepted the PE-lesson…

Twilight had never been the most sportive type and favored the theoretical subjects like math, chemistry or physics, especially magical physics. Her new friend Bleach though seemed to be very intelligent AND sportive!
They had played dodge ball today and Bleach really had ruled the game. He had an elegant slight figure and moved like a dancer, when he had avoided the balls. Not one single one had hit him! Maybe is dancing his hobby? she asked herself and decided to figure that out. At the end of the lesson, they had played ‘tag’ and also there, it was impossible to tag him! She had tried it, but regardless how surprisingly she had appeared, he always made it to avoid in the last second!

“That was a great first day, wasn´t it?” the young colt next to her suddenly asked while they headed for the school´s exit. Twilight nodded cheerful.
“Yes, it was! I was so nervous this morning…”
“Me too! I mean: everything was new for me: the classmates, the teachers, the lessons… I felt, kinda…lost.”
“I felt the same. I didn´t know how the others would act towards me because I am Celestia´s student and all and I was really nervous about that. But then…”
“We met!”
She nodded, beaming at him. “Yes!”
“What was your favorite subject today?” he asked with curiosity.
“Magical Physics!” she answered. “And yours?”
“PE!” he beamed.
“Of course…” she laughed and rolled her eyes. “I´m asking myself all the time: Are you some kind of hobby-dancer?”
He laughed and shook his head. “No, I am no dancer! Did it really look like that? Cool! Anyway, one of my favorite stories is ‘The Three Maresketeers’ and I just like the way they move! Elegant and graceful, but deadly at the same time with their rapiers!” He rose to his hind hooves and acted as if he was one of the fighters in the story with an imaginary rapier.
He was right, it looked elegant and graceful! Twilight realized that she was staring at him, shook her head and blushed slightly. The white colt noticed this but interpreted it wrong. “Did it look that awkward?” he asked, lowering back to all four hooves.
“Oh, nonono!” she reassured him. “It looked really good! Like one of the Maresketeers, really!”
He quizzically cooked an eyebrow but didn´t say anything.

Together they left the school pile and searched for their parents like the many other young fillies and colts around them. Bleach found his parents first.
“Found!” he beamed, pointed at his parents and turned around to say good bye.
Twilight took a short look at his parents.
She saw a great white unicorn-stallion with a short dark-blue mane and tail with a muscular but still slight build next to a wide-smiling gorgeous pale pink mare with a long straight black mane and tail.
Twilight frowned.
“Tell me…your dad…isn´t that our PE-teacher?”
Bleach smiled sheepish. “Yes…Yes he is…But that´s not why it´s my favorite subject, if you ask yourself this now. It´s sheer coincidence.”
She nodded smiling.

“So…” he began, pawing the ground. “…I think, we´ll see us tomorrow, right?”
She nodded again. “Right!”
“Or…do you have some time this afternoon? Maybe we could meet at the playground at the park…if you want…”
“Oh, I´d love to! But I can´t today. I have to report Celestia about my first school day. And furthermore she wanted to give me my first personal lesson today…What about tomorrow?”
“I´m sorry, but I can´t tomorrow…”
“Oh! Pity…And the day after tomorrow?”
He chuckled. “We´ll see. Well, I have to go now. My parents are getting impatient!” he said with a side-glance to them and began to trot over to them. “Good bye, Twilight! See you tomorrow!”
“Good bye!”

She watched after him. His parents greeted him nuzzling and together they trotted off.
Now, she also looked for her parents. She instantly found them watching at her. With a wide smile, she trotted over to them.
“Hi!” she greeted them.
“Hey, my little sweetie!” her mother greeted her back and nuzzled her. “How was your first school day?”
“Great!” she beamed and told them about the today’s lessons and their nice form teacher Prof. Albert.
“And? Have you found some new friends?” her father asked between two of her sentences.
She nodded enthusiastic. “My desk neighbor: Bleach!”
“Bleach?” the blue stallion questioned her.

Twilight beamed and on their way home, she told her parents every single detail about her first day at school and her new friend…