Comfort

by HermitKlam

Rating: teen
Tags: My Little Pony: Friendship is Magic, Princess Celestia, Twilight Sparkle, Slice of Life
Length: 6798

A series of loosely related oneshots depicting different moments in Twilight's life where she relied on Celestia for comfort and advice, and those fewer yet no less important moments where she was able to return the favor.

A series of loosely related oneshots depicting different moments in Twilight's life where she relied on Celestia for comfort and advice, and those fewer yet no less important moments where she was able to return the favor.

I will be jumping back and forth along the timeline since I write the oneshots as they come to me. On that note, each oneshot will fit into one of three categories:

Filly - Stories depicting moments from before Twilight left for Ponyville.

Ponyville - Stories depicting moments from between the time Twilight left for Ponyville and the time she became an alicorn.

Alicorn - Stories depicting moments after Twilight ascended and became an alicorn.

Published 2014-01-03 14:40:03 UTC
Last updated 2014-01-03 14:40:03 UTC

Filly - Homesick

-0-0-

Twilight sniffled lightly as she huddled beneath the borrowed blankets on the borrowed bed, for even if she was now technically living in the castle these weren’t her things. No, her worn yet comfortably soft blanket was at home, in her room, on her slightly lumpy bed. Those things were out of reach for the desolate filly at the moment, however, being all the way on the other side of Canterlot with her Mommy and Daddy and B.B.B.F.F. Shiny…

Twilight sniffled again and rubbed angrily at her watery eyes; only foals cried and she was a big filly now. A big filly who really wanted to go home where everything was nice and happy and warm and she could have her sadness hugged away. But she wasn’t home; she wasn’t even close. Instead of being in her family’s modest two-story home where she was loved, she was all alone in a great big castle where nopony wanted or liked her.

A sudden knock on the door to her borrowed bedroom made her start slightly, her ear twitching at the noise before returning to its drooped position. She didn’t want to talk to anypony right now, so she curled into an even smaller ball and burrowed her face into her forelegs instead of answering.

“Twilight Sparkle?” The Princess’s muffled voice sounded from the other side of the door, causing Twilight to frown; she knew she should answer the Princess – she was The Princess, after all – but she couldn’t find it in her to speak. Maybe if she pretended she was asleep the Princess would go away. All she felt like doing was sulking alone, but Mommy had always said that ignoring somepony when they talked to you was rude – she figured ignoring somepony important like the Princess was even ruder.

“…I’m coming in.”

Twilight squeezed her eyes shut beneath the darkness of her blanket as she pretended to be asleep. As the door opened and closed, she couldn’t help but slightly raise one ear and swivel it beneath the blanket to follow the slow clip-clop of the Princess’s hoofsteps as she advanced further into the bedroom. She was, despite herself, curious as to why the Princess seemingly stopped in the center of the room and couldn’t help but wonder what she was doing.

Maybe the Princess couldn’t see her on the bed and was looking around; she was, after all, hidden beneath the blankets. She was kind of small, also, and the room was pretty dark…

So preoccupied in her thoughts was she, that Twilight didn’t even notice that the Princess had moved until the bed beside her dipped, causing her to let out a short yelp as she attempted to keep herself from rolling sideways. Twilight’s eyes widened in childish horror as it occurred to her just who was lying next to her.

“I noticed you were absent from dinner,” The Princess’s soft voice carried clearly to Twilight’s pinned ears. “Is everything alright?”

Twilight whined softly; she was backed into a corner and she knew it. The Princess had found her and that meant that if she didn’t answer she’d be ignoring the Princess, and that was something she just couldn’t bring herself to do. She didn’t sound angry at her for skipping dinner though, she actually sounded kind of sad and concerned. That was just ridiculous, however; why would the Princess care that much about a nopony like her?

“…I’m sorry,” Twilight finally replied in a small voice after a few long moments. Her eyes started watering again and she sniffled; she didn’t want to disappoint the Princess. Not only was the Princess always so nice but she was also her role model and the whole reason she started studying magic and received her cutie mark.

“Whatever for?” The Princess asked, her voice still low and soft. It sounded like she was curious; Twilight could almost imagine her with her head tilted to the side, a quizzical look on her pretty face. “You won’t get in trouble for missing a meal, though I ask that you not make a habit of it; you need to eat regularly if you’re to grow big and strong.”

“…Okay.” Twilight whispered and nodded reluctantly; she remembered her Mommy telling her that too, and if both Mommy and the Princess said so, it must be true.

“Thank you, Twilight. I want for you to be healthy and happy during your tutelage here.”

Twilight bowed her head and sniffled harder. The Princess wanted her to be happy but she wasn’t happy she was sad, which meant that she was making the Princess sad. She didn’t want the Princess to be sad…. She was such a- such a bad pony; she didn’t deserve to be the Princess’s personal student.

“Won’t you come out from under there, Little One? Please?”

Twilight chewed her lip and frowned miserably; she didn’t want to. She didn’t want to, but she also didn’t want to make the Princess even sadder. The Princess even said please, and Mommy always said that was the magic word…

Twilight slowly raised the blankets off of her head. Blinking wearily, she noticed that somepony – most likely the Princess – had lit a fire in the hearth while she had been hiding. A sudden soft sensation just beneath one of her eyes interrupted her thoughts and made her squeak lightly in surprise. Turning her head, she saw the tip of one of the Princess’s large white wings hover in the air for a moment before gently returning to wipe the tears that had gathered beneath her other eye.

Twilight blinked in surprised befuddlement and glanced up, her confused violet orbs connecting with the Princess’s warm magenta ones. The Princess had a soft smile on her face as she looked down at her, and Twilight didn’t know why, but that little gesture gave her a warm feeling inside.

“There now, isn’t that better?”

Twilight didn’t really think so; she’d much rather still be cocooned in her borrowed blanket. She didn’t think that’s what the Princess wanted to hear, though, so instead she hesitantly nodded in affirmative. The Princess’s smile brightened at her agreement, and Twilight didn’t feel so bad for lying when she saw it.

“Now then,” The Princess shifted slightly and ducked her head in an attempt to catch Twilight’s averted gaze. “Whatever is the matter, Twilight? What’s making you so sad?”

“…Nothing,” Twilight mumbled. She tried to avert her gaze again but the tip of a white wing gently pressed up against her chin, and Twilight reluctantly raised her head once more.

“I don’t believe that,” The Princess said gently, causing Twilight’s ears to instinctively splay back at the perceived reprimand. “If you tell me, perhaps I’ll be able to help.”

“It’s just…” Twilight chewed her lip in thought before continuing despondently in a whisper. Her gaze dropped down and to the side again, and this time the Princess didn’t stop her. “I miss… I miss my home.”

“I see… I thought it might be something to that effect,” The Princess hummed in thought, a gentle frown replacing the smile on her face. “What, exactly, do you miss most about your home?”

“I-well,” Twilight blinked at the question. Frowning in thought, she slowly started to make a list. “I miss my special blanket, and the Daring Do book Mommy bought me. I miss Smarty Pants – that’s a dolly my big brother Shiny made for me for my birthday; I forgot to bring her with me – and I miss my Mommy and Daddy and Shiny.”

“Well, what if we sent your family a letter? Invite them to stay here at the castle for this coming weekend?” Twilight looked up at the Princess as she spoke, her confusion and melancholy giving way to surprised wonderment. “We could write out a list of your favorite things for them to bring so you can be more comfortable whilst staying here. Perhaps with a few familiar faces around for a few days, this castle might not seem so big and scary, hmm?”

Twilight blushed at the Princess’s light teasing tone; how did she know? She didn’t mean to find the Princess’s castle spooky, but it was very big and sometimes she did hear weird noises at night. Just because she was a big filly now didn’t mean she was big enough to fight monsters by herself; that was always Shiny’s job, not hers. Still, she couldn’t help but grin at the Princess for thinking of all that; she really was able to help.

“How would you like that?” The Princess’s voice softened again at her question, the teasing tone of earlier disappearing as quickly as it came.

“Yes!” Twilight cheered in delight, causing the Princess to let out a warm tinkling laugh in response. Twilight grinned up at the smiling Princess beside her before a thought occurred to her, quickly making her grin falter.

“What is it?” The Princess quickly caught on to the sudden turn her mood had taken, her voice sounding confused.

“I just remembered that the weekend isn’t for a few more days,” Twilight’s lower lip jutted out into a pout as her ears lowered glumly. “That’s like, really far away and I’m sad right now.”

“That is quite the dilemma. What…” The Princess trailed off, a thoughtful look on her face as Twilight gazed up at her pitifully. When she continued, it sounded like her words were carefully picked. “What would your mother do if you were home, right at this very moment, to make you happy once more?”

“She would hug me,” Twilight spoke matter-of-factly, her wide innocent eyes gazing up into the Princess in earnest. She briefly wondered why the Princess had asked her that question; surely everypony knew the answer? “She’d hug away the sadness and tell me everything would be okay. And then I’d be happy again.”

Twilight looked down at the blanket beneath her hooves as the Princess turned to stare at the fire with an odd look on her face, as if she were thinking hard about something. Twilight herself started thinking about her Mommy again, and her eyes started tearing up once more in response.

Slowly, Twilight registered a light and soft sensation settling cautiously across her back. Looking up with watery eyes in confusion, Twilight sniffled as she saw that the Princess was staring back at her, a sort of hesitant and guarded look in her eyes. Sniffling again, Twilight looked at her side only to see that the thing she felt across her back was actually one of the Princess’s fluffy white wings.

Twilight’s look of sadness slowly faded into one of amazement as she stared at the white feathery appendage. Turning her head to look up at the Princess again, a slow watery smile formed on her lips and, before long, she was beaming in delight once more. With a small almost shy smile, the Princess lightly squeezed Twilight with her wing, making the filly giggle.

Not caring anymore that it was the Princess beside her, Twilight leaned into the warmth being offered to her and nuzzled into the soft white coat with a happy sigh. It wasn’t like her Mommy’s hugs, but that was okay; it was still warm and loving and it made her feel safe and that was all that mattered, really. It wasn’t better, or worse; it was different, but in a good way.

For the first night in the past week since she’d been at the castle, Twilight could honestly say that she didn’t feel lonely.

-0-0-

Celestia gazed down at the small purple filly cuddled into her side beneath her wing, the sight and feeling at once infinitely strange and oddly comforting. This whole situation had been an adjustment for the both of them; Twilight was rather young to be living away from home and she- well, she had never had a student quite as young as the purple unicorn beside her.

She had been quite honest when she had spoken to Twilight Sparkle on the day of the filly’s entrance exam; she had never come across another unicorn with her raw abilities, especially considering her young age. Oh, a few unicorns over the ages had come close and even surpassed what Twilight had shown, but those were fully grown and well learned individuals. Twilight’s abilities as an untrained filly were staggering, especially when one considered that they’d only grow with time.

No, making Twilight her personal student hadn’t exactly been a choice; left untrained she could have unintentionally put herself and others in grave danger, and this was the reason she had accepted such a young student. Even ignoring this, however, Celestia was finding that her decision had been a good one.

Twilight Sparkle was a bright and studious individual despite her young age, always eager to learn and amazed by each and every new sight and experience that she encountered. She brought a certain amount of liveliness and wonder to the old castle – and even older alicorn – and that unknowingly endeared her to her new teacher even more, and…

…and it would be all too easy to become attached to the small purple unicorn. Celestia sighed lightly, a bittersweet smile touching her lips. A sudden, small sound from the young filly her mind was focused on drew her attention, thankfully pulling her from the melancholy turn her thoughts had begun to take.

“Thank you, Princess.” Twilight poked her head up and gazed at her with sparkling eyes and a shy yet genuine smile. “You got rid of the sadness, just like Mommy does.”

Unbeknownst to the alicorn, her face had softened into an expression she hadn’t worn in over a millennium as she gently responded. “I’m glad I could help, Little One.” A moment of silence passed before Celestia spoke again, unable – or perhaps unwilling – to stop herself.

“If ever there is anything you need, or if ever there is something weighing on your mind, don’t hesitate to come to me, even for things such as this,” Celestia gestured with a tilt of her head and a flutter of her wing that she meant the embrace they were sharing. “Though, it may be prudent to wait until we are out of the public eye for such displays.”

She knew with a certainty that only countless millennia of experience brought that she was setting herself up for heartbreak, and yet, at that very moment with the young filly staring up at her in unabashed joy, she found that she didn’t overly care.

Perhaps for once she’d take the advice she’d given to her sister so long ago to heart; perhaps, just this once, she’d live in the moment.

-0-0-

Author's Note

(This story is basically for when an idea pops into my head that I can't realistically squish into one of my other stories.)

I tried something different than I usually do for this chapter; I wrote the whole first part in Twilight's perspective and the whole second part in Celestia's.

Ponyville - Hangover

-0-0-

Twilight groaned in pain as her eyes cracked open only to slam shut immediately after, the harsh light from the sun overhead searing into her sensitive orbs. The sun was devious, she knew, its sneak attack having done more damage to her than simply hurting her eyes; the pounding in her head she was all too aware of had also tripled in intensity. Rolling to the side to hide from the fiery ball seemingly out to get her, Twilight groaned again, this time from the roiling sensation in her stomach.

“Somepony… Anypony… Please…” Muzzle scrunched up and ears pinned back in extreme discomfort, the purple unicorn moaned croakily as she attempted to contort into a ball without further aggravating her pain. “Turn off the sun and make the world stop spinning.”

“I’m terribly sorry, my faithful student,” Twilight’s ear twitched faintly as an altogether familiar and comforting voice spoke almost teasingly from behind her. “But those are two things that I can’t in good conscience do, even for you.”

“Princess…?” Twilight whimpered pitifully, not willing to risk moving to only visually confirm her suspicions. “Is that you?”

Celestia stood up and stretched her limbs. Glancing down at the moaning unicorn in sympathy, the white alicorn couldn’t help but frown, the desire to obliterate her student’s pain – even if it was self-inflicted – too great to completely ignore. Searching the sky intently for a moment, she found a cloud large enough for her needs and used her magic to anchor it directly over Twilight, fabricating a large ring of shade for the downed pony.

“Oh thank you,” Twilight mumbled in relief as she felt the incessant light cease its torturous drilling against her closed eyelids. Slowly, she uncurled, finding a slightly less uncomfortable position now that she didn’t have to worry about the sun. “It is you; only you’d be able to turn the blasted thing off.”

Celestia all but snorted in amusement at her student’s cranky mutterings, though she silently bemoaned the fact that the unicorn was only being so glib due to her current state of mind. Though she cared for the purple unicorn dearly, it would have been nice for the younger pony to be more assertive and self-confident in their interactions.

“While I am in fact myself, I do regret to inform you that I did not ‘turn off the sun’, as you seem to think,” Celestia’s small amused smirk could be heard in her lilting voice, the light teasing successfully covering up the uncomfortable undercurrent of truth held within. “I will admit, however, that if I ever were to shirk my duties to such an extent, you are one of the only ponies I would even consider doing it for.”

“Ughh…” Twilight groaned as her mind tried to follow her mentor’s words only to short-circuit. Instead, the purple pony simply focused on her tone of voice, a feat which was much less impossible at the moment for her aching head. “I kind of feel like you’re getting way too much amusement out of this painful situation.”

“And normally I would be,” Celestia confirmed steadily, the teasing tone falling from her voice. “Ponies do bring it upon themselves by overindulging in alcohol, after all. I’ve found that a little teasing the morning after acts as a wonderful incentive to learn moderation whilst imbibing. You, however, are not just anypony.”

“I love all of my little ponies, Twilight,” Celestia’s voice softened into the familiar comforting lilt that Twilight had coveted since she was a small filly, the sound unconsciously aiding the purple unicorn in her quest to relax and unclench her muscles even more. “But you are particularly special to me. It truly does twist my heart to see you in any kind of pain.”

Twilight blushed slightly even through the pain at her mentor’s confession, her own heart feeling three times lighter in direct opposition to the rest of her lethargically heavy body. Feeling the brush of a feathery wing against the bangs that had fallen over her closed eyes, Twilight’s grimace flickered for a few brief moments into a genuine smile before contorting once more as her pain reasserted itself.

“Ooooh,” Twilight scrunched her eyes shut even tighter in some vain attempt at vanquishing her pain with pure willpower – not that she even had much of that at the moment, mind you. “I feel like I’m dying.”

“And that feeling, right there, is the second incentive for practicing moderation,” Celestia commented wryly as she nudged her student gently. “And on that high note, I do believe it is about time you got up. I brought you a jug of water; a good portion of your misery at the moment is due to your dehydration.”

Twilight thought about it and then cautiously attempted to move only to wince and gasp as she returned to her former curled up position. “No! B-bad idea! Moving is a terrible idea.”

“I know it hurts, Twilight,” Celestia soothed the whimpering pony with her words and voice as best she could. “But the longer you wait, the longer you’ll be in pain; you’re simply postponing the inevitable.”

Twilight breathed deeply in and out of her mouth as she chewed on her princess’s words; despite her obvious misgivings, the advice did seem to make sense. She slowly and painstakingly cracked first one eye, and then the other open. Peering up at her mentor’s sincere features, Twilight slowly nodded.

“Good. If you want, I can lend you my aid…?” Another small nod from the prone purple unicorn had Celestia reflexively smile in response. “Alright then, on three; one, two, three!”

Celestia lit up her horn and gently surrounded her little pony in her golden glow. Slowly she levitated the unicorn into a standing position and gradually released her from her grasp so that Twilight could become used to standing under her own power once more. Walking closer to the wobbly unicorn, Celestia used one of her large wings to steady her.

“How do you feel?” Celestia grasped the water jug in her magic and uncorked it.

“Like I’m dying,” Twilight quipped weakly as she leaned heavily against her mentor. “And sucking on sandpaper.”

“Here, this should help,” Celestia murmured as she held the jug up for Twilight so the younger pony wouldn’t have to strain herself using her own magic to keep it aloft while guzzling down the cool liquid inside. “Just remember to-”

Twilight jerked forward and towards the ground right in the middle of the sentence, her protesting stomach finally giving up and deciding to implement a mass ejection. Heaving uncontrollably, a day and a half’s worth of chunky half-digested food and unidentifiable liquids painfully traveled backwards up her throat and sloshed messily onto the grass at her hooves. Twilight would, admittedly, compare her current situation to being in Tartarus if it weren’t for the small fact that her experiences with the place were much more pleasant than this.

“-drink slowly.” Celestia sighed and adjusted her grip on the now uncontrollably heaving pony, her muzzle wrinkling in disgust as the scent of bile assaulted her senses. Despite this, the regal alicorn gamely held the unicorn’s mane out of the way with her magic and comfortingly nuzzled the back of her neck until her heaving slowed and finally turned into tired panting.

“Are you finished?” Celestia murmured to the pony who was leaning weakly against her, the purple legs wobbly and mere moments from giving out. Receiving a faint sound in affirmation, Celestia herded the unicorn using her as a crutch to a clear patch of grass upwind from the pile of bile. Lying down, the alicorn allowed her student to collapse boneless at her side.

Bringing forth the jug once more – as well as a pair of tablets – Celestia tried to convince the unicorn to take another drink. “Take small sips – and these tablets; the water should help soothe your now empty stomach, and the tablets will help with your headache.”

Twilight blinked wearily at the aforementioned items before taking a moment to seemingly scrutinize the alicorn’s expression. Apparently coming to the conclusion that her mentor could be trusted, Twilight gingerly did as she was instructed. She had to admit, though only to herself, that taking small sips of the water did somewhat aid in settling her stomach.

Finally nudging the jug away once she had consumed nearly half of the water inside, Twilight leaned her head against her mentor’s shoulder, nuzzling her weakly in thanks. Squinting slightly as her eyes were still somewhat sensitive, Twilight finally took a good look at her surroundings only to come up short.

“Er… Princess?”

“Yes, Twilight?” Celestia hummed lightly.

“Where… Where exactly are we?” Twilight blinked at the unfamiliar surroundings in confusion. “And, now that I think about it, why are we a we? You weren’t with me last night… were you?”

“Hmm…” Celestia peered around them in thought for a moment. “Just outside of Whitetail Woods, I do believe.”

“O…kay…” Twilight said slowly, her face a mask of confusion as she attempted to figure out just how she went from celebrating her twenty-first birthday party in her library, to waking up in a field just outside of Whitetail Woods. Thinking back to the night before – at least she hoped it was the night before – she began to wince as she vaguely started to remember certain events that had transpired. What caused her to cringe in abject horror, however, were the events she couldn’t recall but had no problem imagining.

She was never, in her life, ever going to let herself get roped into a drinking contest with Pinkie, Dash, and Applejack ever again.

Ever.

“As for why I’m here, well, dear Spike sent me a letter this morning explaining what all you had gotten up to last night. He was understandably worried when he went to wake you up this morning and found out that the Twilight Sparkle lying in your bed was actually just a purple balloon with a smiley face drawn on it.” Celestia continued amusedly as she watched her student’s face quickly go from being rather pale to sporting a healthy red glow. “As for my methods of actually finding you, well, let’s just call that a trick of the trade.”

Twilight nodded mechanically, her mind still stuck on the fact that her little brother knew more of how she embarrassed herself last night than she herself did – and he had no doubt told the princess everything he knew in his letter. Which meant that both princesses knew everything, seeing as Luna was in the habit of also reading the letters she and Spike sent to Celestia.

Groaning at the sudden realization, Twilight gently buried her head in her forelegs before speaking, her voice understandably muffled. “…Princess?”

“Yes Twilight?” Celestia’s voice was light and airy, but Twilight could practically hear the amused smile in her voice.

“Can we… Can we just forget today ever happened?” Twilight pleaded into her hooves pitifully. “And… And while we’re at it, yesterday as well?”

“Hmm…” Celestia hummed, her amusement now coming through strong and clear as her eyes flashed in mirth. “…Perhaps.”

“Perhaps?”

“…Perhaps.”

Twilight stared blankly at her hooves and sighed; that’s what she thought.

-0-0-

Author's Note

I have a headache. That's where this little oneshot came from. Just a regular, run-of-the-mill, sleep-deprived headache, not an alcohol induced one.

Alicorn - Rage

-0-0-

Celestia opened the doors to Ponyville General Hospital with the barest trace of a thought and the bright sunny glow of her magic. Determined stride never breaking as she passed the threshold, she all but ignored the many stares and sudden silence blanketing the reception area. Almost instinctively, her eyes fell upon an obviously nervous stallion wearing bulky glasses and a white lab coat, his hooves absently fidgeting with the nondescript clipboard clutched in his shaky grasp.

“Where is she?” Celestia’s tone of voice was, on the surface, a near perfect imitation of her usual calm regality. This farce was marred, however, by the barely perceptible undercurrent of urgent worry that shone through everything from her posture to her tone.

The stallion, a medical intern named Copper Splint, looked up at the towering figure before him and gulped nervously, his throat suddenly dry. Seeing a regal eyebrow twitch faintly in what he perceived as impatience after a few moments of stunned silence, he quickly scrambled to his hooves from his seated position, his clipboard clattering forgotten to the ground. “E-emergency Suite Th-Three, Your Majesty. R-right this way.”

Celestia followed the intern down a hallway to her left and quickly overpassed him, here urgency beginning to show after finally having been supplied with a direction. The unlucky stallion was forced to practically gallop down the winding hallways in order to keep up with her longer stride as he stutteringly directed her to the correct location.

Coming to a sudden stop in front of a nondescript door, Celestia didn’t need to hear the intern’s words or take in the many nervous visitors and members of the hospital staff hanging back at what they perceived as a safe distance to know that she had arrived at her destination. In fact, even though the waves of heat she could faintly feel emanating from the room confirmed her suspicions, they did not even factor into her next actions.

In that room she felt the magical signature of one of the very few ponies she had allowed herself to care deeply for, a pony who was at this very moment drowning in a torrent of anguished fury. Deaf to the concerned voices behind her, the white alicorn opened the door and stepped into the room with nary a thought to her own safety, the door closing behind her with a click.

The first thing that Celestia registered were the waves of scorching heat suffusing the small room, a fact that did nothing to hinder her; being the alicorn of the sun, she was able to withstand – and even thrive in - far higher temperatures than this. The second thing she noticed was the fact that the temperature in the room was apparently hot enough to begin melting a large amount of the equipment scattered throughout, the smell of burning plastic and boiling metal unpleasantly assaulting her enhanced olfactory senses.

What caught and held Celestia’s attention, however, was the flaming figure pacing furiously in the center of the room. The smaller, off-white, and red-eyed alicorn threw up a flurry of burning embers with every stomp of her hooves, her mane and tail an uncontrollable inferno of twisting reds and yellows. Her wings, on the other hoof, were practically dainty in comparison; the slender fiery feathers were puffed up and flared in fury, and yet Celestia couldn’t help but be reminded of graceful glory of a phoenix in flight.

Though the appearance of the small alicorn was surprising and somewhat of a curiosity – she had expected, if anything, for the other pony’s wrathful appearance to reflect her usual colors instead of so closely mimicking her own- there was no doubt in Celestia’s mind just who was loudly cursing in front of her.

“Twilight,” Celestia’s less-than-perfect mask vanished in the face of her student’s troubles, her voice heavy with concern.

Her concerned frown deepened considerably as the transformed alicorn seemingly ignored her presence completely and continued to pace. With nary a thought to the possible consequences, Celestia impulsively snapped into action and strode towards the growling mare. Brushing off the increase in heat the closer to her student she got, the elder alicorn determinedly sidled up against the oblivious pony’s side and extended one large wing to drape gently yet firmly across her blazing back.

“Twilight.”

Celestia’s firm voice and bold moves shocked the flaming alicorn into snapping her head over and up to glare at the larger pony as she finally realized that she was no longer alone in the room. Twilight’s wings ruffled indignantly as her mane and tail flared even brighter for a few long moments before dimming perceptibly. Furious red eyes slowly softened as recognition flickered in her discolored orbs, the righteous anger previously reflected turning into a devastating mix of desperation and anguish.

“…Celestia?”

The pony in question’s throat tightened at the incredibly small and broken sounding voice that escaped her student’s lips. Her expression melting into the most comforting smile she could muster, Celestia whispered a response, her voice low yet resolute. “I’m here, Twilight.”

Celestia’s wings immediately flared out at her sides in an attempt to keep her balance as her hooves were suddenly full of sobbing alicorn. Quickly sinking down onto her haunches once she was no longer in danger of falling backwards, she wrapped her forelegs more firmly around the pony clinging to her chest. Trailing one hoof comfortingly up and down Twilight’s back between her now limp wings, Celestia brought her own feathery appendages around to her front and completed the embrace.

“Let it out, Twilight,” Celestia cooed softly in one of the younger alicorn’s ears as she gently nuzzled the top of her head. “I’m here for you, and I’m not going anywhere. Just let it all out.”

Twilight buried her head in Celestia’s neck as she cried. Her anger, fear, frustration, and worry at the current situation finally bottling over and escaping her in a torrent of tears, the salty droplets drying up immediately after falling from her tightly clamped eyes due to the heat emanating from her. Her mane and tail, no longer a burning inferno, were now more akin to a pleasantly warm stream of liquid fire as they curled almost desperately around any parts of the larger alicorn they could reach.

Long minutes passed as the two alicorns embraced in the center of the hospital room, one providing as much comfort as she could and the other soaking it all up with a desperate fervor. The only sounds in the otherwise silent room were Twilight’s muffled sobs and whines and the gentle soothing murmurs Celestia uttered in response. Finally the transformed alicorn reached the end of her tears, her sobs turning to hiccups and eventually petering out into near silent sniffles.

Twilight felt numb inside. She was a mess; her eyes burned and the fur on her face itched with the unpleasantly crusty sensation of salt, and yet she found herself way past the point of being bothered to care. Leaning heavily against her larger mentor, Twilight couldn’t help but soak in the sensation, finally finding a modicum of relief from the intense emotions that had been burning her from the inside out for the past few hours.

“Do you want to talk about it?” Celestia murmured into the silence, her hoof not once stopping its soothing ministrations on the younger alicorn’s back.

Twilight turned her face slightly to the side so she could speak, her eyes staring unseeingly at the wall adjacent to the pair. She made sure, however, to keep her head firmly flush with Celestia’s neck beneath the large white alicorn’s own head, not yet willing to give up the security it provided. Clearing her throat, she began haltingly in a croaky whisper, her throat constricting in remembrance.

“W-we were having a picnic outside of t-town. Th… There was a bright f-flash of light. An a-ambush…” Twilight trailed off as her breath hitched. Closing her eyes tightly, she pressed more firmly into her mentor’s embrace, unimaginably grateful when the limbs surrounding her tightened in response.

“W-we w-were… My f-friends…” Twilight whimpered, her thick voice getting weaker with every word. “I-I wanted to g-go after them f-for what t-they… b-but my friends w-were… I-I teleported us h-here and they g-got away. There was so much b-blood… s-so much…”

Celestia’s own magic flared bright and hot for a long moment before she was able to wrestle it back under a semblance of control, the extreme power reluctantly retreating to churn just beneath the surface. When she spoke next her voice’s previous comforting softness was replaced with a firm and even tone, her own fury carefully kept in check. “They will be dealt with.”

Twilight nodded slowly in acceptance, a small part of her grimly rejoicing at the fact; it was not an easy feat to hide from the combined scope of both the sun and the moon’s searching gazes, and she had no doubt that Luna would aid her sister in her quest to catch the culprits. Shifting slightly in the comforting embrace, her detached mind finally noticed both the state of the room and of herself.

“You could have been h-hurt,” Twilight frowned at her flaming mane as it refused to detach from around Celestia’s foreleg, her voice lowering as she continued. “I could have hurt you.”

“I was never in any danger, my Twilight,” Celestia softly spoke in reassurance, resolutely shoving her plans aside for the moment; though her attackers had to be dealt with and guards had to be assigned to Ponyville – no matter what the purple alicorn’s wishes were on the matter – Twilight needed her at the moment and that was all the incentive she required.

Twilight shifted slightly and craned her neck to gaze up at the alicorn, her red orbs conveying her dubiousness at her mentor’s statement.

“Magic fire, as you well know, will only injure those the caster wills it to; those they see as a threat,” Celestia allowed a small smile to slide onto her face as a spark of understanding lit up the infinitely strange and yet still familiar ruby orbs before her. “I hope there never comes a time when your inner fire is anything but pleasant.”

“You were never in any danger,” Twilight agreed slowly with a light nod, her utter belief in her resolute words causing Celestia’s smile to grow slightly for a moment.

“But you, my little pony, are hurt,” Celestia continued with a concerned sigh, her voice turning faintly pleading. “Please allow the doctors to examine you, Twilight.”

Twilight frowned and lowered her head in thought. She was aware of the many aches and scrapes that littered her body, but thanks to her transformed state and her emotional numbness, she was unable to feel any of the pain. A long moment passed in silence, and just before Celestia was about to reiterate her request Twilight acquiesced with one stipulation.

“…I want-no. I need to know, first.”

Celestia paused for a moment and gazed into tiredly determined rubies before accepting. “Of course.”

A large part of Twilight wanted to rebel at the fact that the larger alicorn was slowly pulling away from their embrace, but the logical part of her mind accepted the outcome as necessary. She needed those answers - she needed to know - and Celestia was going to be the one to get them for her. It was, however, a testament to her state of mind that she didn’t protest whatsoever at being magically lifted and settled on Celestia’s back between her wings, and instead gratefully sank into the comforting softness once more.

After making sure that Twilight was safely situated atop her back, Celestia moved and opened the slightly heat-warped door. Exiting the room to a myriad of cautious and concerned faces, Celestia’s eyes fell resolutely on the intern from earlier, his clipboard once more in his grasp.

“How are they?” Celestia’s voice, though not loud, was heard and understood by all; there wasn’t a single pony in the hall who didn’t know who she was talking about.

“L-let me just,” Copper Splint cleared his throat as he fumbled for the right page before continuing in an attempt at a professional voice. “Most of the injuries appeared graver than they actually were, and the injuries that were life-threatening were seen to quickly enough to circumvent anything permanent.”

The intern cleared his throat again and straightened his glasses nervously. “The unicorn Rarity suffered from a laceration to the head as well as a concussion; any swelling that may have been in her brain has since healed. The earth ponies Applejack and Pinkamena Diane Pie have a broken left foreleg and fractured right hindleg respectively. The pegasus Fluttershy has one cracked and four bruised ribs, and the pegasus Rainbow Dash has a broken wing and a twisted foreleg. All five ponies also have numerous superficial lacerations and contusions.”

“They-ah…” Copper Splint frantically flipped the pages on his clipboard, acutely aware of the many eyes on him. “They are all expected to make a full recovery.”

“They’re going to be alright?” Twilight’s soft trembling voice spoke up, silencing the many relieved whispers from the waiting ponies.

“Yes, Princess,” Copper Splint shifted uneasily yet made an effort to maintain eye contact with the princess’s unnerving ruby stare. “They are all asleep to help speed up the recovery process, but they will all be as good as new in time.”

“Thank you…” Twilight’s voice came out in an inaudible whisper as a great weight lifted itself from her shoulders. Finally able to breathe easy once more, she reflexively released her hold on the magic keeping her transformed. As her white coat became lavender and her flames turned once more into normal – yet messy – hair and feathers, Twilight slumped into unconsciousness, mentally, physically, and magically exhausted after the day’s harrowing events.

-0-0-

Author's Note

So this chapter was an excuse to use the flaming Twi from the Pinkie Keen episode, so I had to get Twilight angry. Therefore, she's pissed that her friends were hurt and she was/is useless to help them, and that the culprits got away.