Might Be a maybe...

Chapter 9 – Hoofing it out

The castle around you doesn't seem to be as lively as it usually is, there's only a few guard ponies trotting around it's grounds and most just seem to be taking nothing more than a casual stroll.

But you don't really pay much mind to them as you just hold your eyes around the area, "...So Celestia's school is really in the castle?"

Twilight’s eyes drift up from the light purple filly as she shakes her head, "Well no, the test are usually done in the school, which is a little ways away from the castle. But Celestia wanted them done in the castle's meeting hall for some reason.

You nod your head to her comment as you begin too near the oh too familiar steps of the castle. But as you near them you get an uneasy feeling that turns your head to the hedge opening of the guard that’s adjacent to the castle's grounds.

Your legs freeze as you stare past the tall green bushes with a stomach churning twist.

Twilight, Spike and Violet both slightly stop there trot as the mare speaks up, "You ok?"

You nod your head as you just hold your gaze to the opening, "Ya...Hey Twilight the meeting hall is near the throne room right?"

She cocks her head to your comment as she nods, "Um, ya?"

You turn back to her as you stretch your leg out a little, "OH alright i'll be in, in a minutes I need to stretch my legs for a second." You shoot an innocent smile as Twilight just stare to you, "O-ok, but don't take too long, we're the first ponies to test today."

You nod your head as you pretend to just stretch your legs and taking in the air around you like you really needed it for some reason.

As Twilight Spike and Violet move into the castle you quickly start your trot to the garden only holding one place to your mind.

The path around you is neatly cut, with the fresh smell of spring flowers and recently trimmed plants, the smells should be relaxing but to you they only bring your heart and head into a rapid pond as you near what you so desperately need to see.

You pause as you bring your eyes to a broken gray stone figure, your eyes tighten and you put on a hard face as you just stare to it almost just readying yourself for all your past months dreams to spark up into reality.

But...Nothing happens, you find yourself just staring to a broken jagged statue of something that use to spark such fear within you. As another moment passes you breath a sigh of relief as you trot a little closer to the broken off upper torso of the mismatched dragon goat thing.

Discord's stone has the same look to it that you remember, but at the same time the jagged stone brings an uneasy feeling that somehow it's gotten bigger. You quickly dart your eyes towards the path you traveled as you push the thought to the deepest part of your mind and begin to trot away in silence.

Your pace brings you out of the garden as you quickly gallop up the castle's stairs and into the regal building's interior.

As you do a deep mare's voice from beside the door inside speaks up, "Hello, what can I help you with?"

You look over the guard mare's figure for a second before you speak up with a friendly smile, "I'm looking for the meeting hall for Celestia's magic test?"

The mare nods her head as she starts up her trot, "Follow me sir."

Your glade the mare stopped you seeing as how you never would have found this side of the castle by yourself. The twist and turns of the hallways have brought your mind to a confused stare but as your lead into a long hallway you see the lavender mare sitting next to Spike and the curious head turning filly.

"Here you are sir."

You nod to the mare as you start your trot towards the small group.

Twilight turns her head as she holds her hoof a little towards the stallion standing in front of the door, "Oh good you're here, they are about to take us back."

You nod to her comment as you take your seat and begin to wait.

However the silence to the room is broken as the sound of a childlike laugh comes in from down the hall you entered from. Violet perks her ears up to the other obviously foal's laugh as she turns her head to the hall.

You all watch from your seats as a grey slightly crystal unicorn filly happily gallops into the room with something floating in a gold magical bubble above her head.

"Starlight, Starlight."

A greenish crystal mare pegasus comes in behind the filly giggling filly with her wings sprawled out a little, but the mare's tone is not mad but instead more of an expert negotiator like tone as she speaks up, "Starlight, you know not to take things from ponies that don't belong to you."

A unicorn guard comes in behind the mare with a straight almost embraced stone hard face as the mare continues to speak up, "Starlight, give this pony back his keys."

The filly gives a slight pointed face as she nods, "Ok..." The bubble of gold comes over to the stallion's extended hoof as it breaks with a resonating chime dropping the key ring to the stallion's hoof.

The crystal mare turns back to the stallion with a smile as she speaks up, "I am terribly sorry about that."

A nod just comes over him as he turns his embarrassed face away from the room and trots off.

As he does the crystal mare turns back to the room of ponies whose attention she's caught, A little laugh comes over the crystal mare as she moves to the seat across the hall from where you all sit, "Oh I hope you all are not bothered, it's just quite exciting to see this new world after so long."

The grayish crystal filly comes to sit next to the mare as she folds her wings back down.

Twilight's tone comes back with a faint giggle as she speaks up, "Forgive me for asking, but I didn't even know a crystal pony could leave the crystal empire?" Her tone holds a more inquisitive tone rather than an insulting one, which sparks a response from the mare as she rolls her hoof, "Bha, could not leave the crystal empire?" A friendly laugh comes from the mare as she continues, "Why that would be like a cloud fog being unable to rise from the ground." Her friendly tone continues as she wiggles her hoof, "Honestly if I could not leave that city and see this big new world I think I would shatter."

You give your own chuckle to the comment as the mare's words hit your ears.

Violet just blinks to the bright pegasus's shine as Twilight's tone comes back with her own amusement.

But before the lavender mare can speak up the green crystal mare begins again, "Oh forgive me, I have not properly introduced myself...I am Aura Bright." She looks around the room for a moment as she gives another giggle, "And I must say I am as giddy as a bird learning to fly for the first time right now."

The filly next to her speaks up as her ear flicks to the words, "Mama, when do we go in?"

From the words the mare turns back to the impatiently wiggling filly as she speaks up, "I haven't the slightest idea...But part of the fun of this trip is just enjoying the wait."

You give another chuckle as you think over the comment, pff no its not.

The crystal mare brings her friendly voice back to you and Twilight as she pins her eyes to the light purple filly between you two, "Oh well you certainly are a patient little filly aren't you?"

Violet smiles as she starts her hooves up with a response.

But before you or Twilight can speak up to the most likely confused mare her voice comes back, "And a big filly you are."

You and Twilight both just blink to the mare's understanding of the hoof motions, Violet just holds her smile a little wider.

The mare notices your stare as she speaks up, "Oh, every pony in the Crystal Empire knows hoofing..." Her tone shifts a little from her friendly and chipper voice as she continues, "...I believe that was our benefit for having Sombra rule over us." She sighs as she goes quiet from her words.

Twilight notices the change in the mare's tone as she speaks up, "I'm sure Shining Armor and Princess Cadence will make things better."

From the lavender mare's smile the mare rolls her hoof, "Oh yes, um...Shining Armor was it? He is a fantastic stallion, but its nice to have Queen Ap-..."

"We're ready for you now Mrs.Sparkle."

Your concentration to the crystal mare's words become lapsed as a mare pokes her head from the door.

You and Twilight both give a little goodbye to the mare as you guide the filly into the room.

The meeting area is large and has a few very big open windows spaced around it that let in a pleasant stream of air. The tables and chairs that would normally be in here must have been moved now as only a chart with an egg sit in the middle of the room.

From the sight Twilight smiles as she whispers to you, "It must be an egg warming spell."

Spike doesn't hold the same enjoyment as he crosses his arms to the egg, "Pff...why?"

"Good morning Twilight."

You and Twilight turn your head to the familiar tall white mare as Twilight's voice starts up, "Princess Celestia! You came?"

The white mare moves towards Twilight as she nods, "Of course I did Twilight, you did not believe I would miss this do you?"

Twilight just holds a smile to the mare's words, you don't really find it as amazing seeing as how Twilight's been bragging to her for so long but you give your own smile to the mare.

You drift your eyes back to where Celestia was standing as you notice three ponies holding clipboards to their hooves, you can tell from the stares of the ponies that these must be who judge the foals.

It only takes a moment for one of them to speak up as they nod towards Twilight, "Welcome back Mrs.Sparkle.."

As there words start up the egg cart in the middle of the room start to move as the pony that lead you in pushes it out of the way.

Twilight drifts between the action and the continuing to speak pony as she tries to listen, "...Princess Celestia has kept us in the dark as to what Mrs.Violet's test will be, but we are sure Twilight's daughter will have no problem with it."

Twilight nods her head as she notices Celestia trot coming up, "Uh...yes of course."

The mare that was speaking holds her clipboard holding hoof towards the side of the wall as she speaks up, "If you two would please move aside we will hopefully start.

You follow Twilight as Violet just holds her confusion to where she should go, but her trot doesn't come to follow you as the testing mare speaks up, "Violet would you please go to the center of the room?"

Violet hesitates for a moment as she drifts her head back to you and Twilight, but you both motion your hooves to move as she starts her trot towards the center of the room.

The lavender mare beside you whispers to your ear as you hold your stare to the filly, "Is she nervous, she looks nervous?"

You shake your head as Celestia's trot brings her beside Twilight.

As Violet's trot stops to the center of the room the testing mare speaks up again, "Are we ready Princess?"

Celestia turns her head to the window as she nods, "Yes I believe we are..."

Right as her words end an orange pegasus mare with bright orange and yellow streaked mane wearing what looks like sunglasses comes into the room tugging along a cloud that stays near the ground as the mare speaks up in a tomboyish voice that reminds you of Rainbow's, "Here you are Celestia, one of the wonderbolts testing clouds..." The mare stops her voice as she notices the unicorn filly standing next to where she placed the cloud.

"Thank you Spitfire, that's all." Celestia's voice comes up without a problem as the orange mare begins to trot over towards you.

The amount of ponies in the room you don't know is a little unnerving which you know Twilight must be feelings the same thing as she turns to the white mare beside her, "Princess what kind of a test is this?"

Celestia turns her eyes to Twilight for a moment, but she just smiles as she starts her voice up, "This is a simple weather spell test."

Twilight blinks to the words as you turn your head to the princess, "But that's not even in the testing books?"

Celestia nods her head as she turns back to the little filly that just blinks in confusion to the fluffy cloud next to her, "I know it is not Twilight."

You get a little angry at Celestia's laid back attitude as you turn your head back to the poor confused looking filly.

The testing mare's voice comes up as she rolls her hoof to the filly, "We are waiting Mrs.Sparkle."

Violet's lips quiver a little as she looks between the cloud you and Twilight and all the other unfamiliar staring ponies in the room.

But as the on looking ponies stares don't falter the filly sparks her horn up.

Twilight bites to her bottom lip as you and her both watch the filly's blue magic wrap to the cloud.

A faint chime of magic comes around the room as the cloud just slips through the magical hold Violet has over it. The filly turns her head around the room unsure as to what she's supposed to do.

The testing mare rolls her hoof again as she speaks up, "You are required to do a weather spell Mrs.Sparkle."

Violet just blinks between the mare and the cloud as she straightens her stance and tilts her head to the cloud now with a louder magical chime. The cloud again is engulfed in her magic, but begins to slide out as the spell holds over it.

You just watch just feeling helpless as Violet tries to hold the cloud to her magic unsuccessfully.

Again the sound of her failed spell rings around the room, this time sending the few testing ponies into a mumble to himself.

To the noise you shift your eyes to Celestia, the look and calm face of the mare only builds to your annoyance of her as you look her over.

But you quickly snap your eyes back to Violet as the sound of her magic starting up begins. The little filly has pinned her eyes to the ground as she pushes herself to do a spell either you or Twilight have practiced with her.

The attempt is hopeless as the cloud already starts to move from her magic's grasp. However, her horn takes on a green shimmer as her frustration and emotion to the last failed attempts begins to come to a head.

The louder chiming magic turns the room's color a little as the cloud begins to jiggle and twist a little.

A new found expression of astonishment comes over you and Twilight as the filly's horn takes on a full green glow.

The cloud now shifts rapidly to the chiming magic as it almost turns into what looks like a funnel, a few moments pass as the spell holds to the filly's struggling horn.

The noise bounces from the walls around you as her magic strings to the cloud, and with a little pop the held cloud twister is sent out into the room.

You're a little startled to the sound of the gusting wind but you hold your eyes to it as the white fluff twister springs towards the wall in front of the filly leaving a trail of frost under it. The cloud hits the wall with a loud WISSSSHHH sound as the cloud disappears into nothing more than a now icy covered wall.

Violet is left in a tired pant as she holds her half closed tired eyes towards the test ponies that are just staring with wide eyes.

The room goes quiet for a moment with only the sound of your breathing as you still hold your astonishment to the whirlwind of the frosted cloud the filly created.

But your silence doesn't last long as the testing ponies smile and slightly stomp their hooves, "HA ha, we knew Twilight's Sparkles daughter would impress us! Congratulations, we will expect great things from you when you come of age."

The pegasus standing next to Celestia even holds a blank gawking stare to the sight she just saw, Twilight doesn't waste anytime though as she darts over to the tired out filly's stance, "Violet! You passed!"

Violet holds her joy to the comment but she now leans to the lavender mare too tired to really care she passed.
You get a smile as you look over the filly's expression.

Celestia trots over towards the testing ponies as you move to the filly and rub your hoof to her combed down mane, "How you feeling Violet?" Spike follows you over with his own smile as he looks over the filly.

Violet just shrug to your words as she leans to Twilight's legs.

"Twilight..."

The lavender mare turns her gaze to the white alicorn as she looks over a hoof stamped paper floating in front of her.

Twilight's hoof comes to the paper as a tear filled smile breaks across her face. "Come on Violet lets get you a nap...You still have your whole life to enjoy this little piece of paper." Twilight hooves the page to you as you float it next to you and start towards the door to let the tired filly and mare out.

End of chapter 9