1 - The Letters: Twilight
“Alright. What is the most important aspect of a teleportation spell?”
“A clear image of the destination.”
“Correct. What is the term for how well a substance absorbs magical energy?”
“Thaumic conductivity.”
“Good. Last one: who invented the thaumic-electric transmitter?”
“Nickel…Coil…? No, wait! Nickel T. Coil!”
Princess Twilight Sparkle paused for a moment, watching as the filly in front of her sat in anticipation. A motherly smile spread across the alicorn’s features as she stifled a giggle.
“Well done, Starlight Shine, you are officially done with the day’s tutoring.”
The young unicorn victoriously pumped a hoof into the air and let out a soft ‘yes!’ before running up and hugging Twilight,
“You’re the best teacher, mom.” Said the filly as she pressed into her mother’s violet fur,
“No,” said Twilight, wrapping a wing around her child, “I just have a faithful student like you.” She nuzzled Starlight lovingly, “time for bed, my little pony.”
Twilight quietly levitated Starlight’s bedroom door closed, sneaking in one final peek at the sleeping filly, her sleeping filly, through the crack. Her coat was a deep magenta, and her well-kempt mane was indigo with an orange streak through it. Walking through the halls of the Everfree castle towards her own chambers, Twilight was hit by a sudden wave of nostalgia. Her former mentor, Princess Celestia, once shared this castle with her sister, Princess Luna, over a thousand years ago. Twilight and her friends had worked hard to restore this castle shortly after her ascension to princess-hood. She never would have guessed she’d take her teacher’s place; ruling here, raising a family. Starlight reminded Twilight a lot about herself at that age; always ready to learn…never wanting to be far from a book…Twilight’s smile slowly drifted towards a frown. She began to think about what might’ve happened if Celestia had never sent her to Ponyville; would she have ended up like Sunset Shimmer?
This became the foremost thought in her mind as she entered her chambers and stared at herself in the vanity mirror. There seemed to be common misconception that, by becoming an alicorn princess, Twilight had also become immortal like Celestia and Luna. This was not the case; yes, Twilight and Princess Cadence were alicorns, but they had transcended by obtaining enlightenment, which had somehow kept their mortality intact.
Twilight’s reflection began to warp in the frame. The image shifted to that of an entity that crackled with magical energy. Though it had no mouth, its glowing eyes gave the impression of a warm smile.
“It’s good to see you again, Princess Twilight Sparkle.”
Twilight blinked and looked over her shoulder, half-expecting this to be a prank and half-making sure no one was eavesdropping. Flash Sentry wouldn’t be done with his shift for at least a few more hours. She turned back to the spirit in the mirror,
“I…wasn’t expecting a visit,” she said apprehensively, “did you add a new passage to your Book of Prophesies or something?”
The spirit seemed to sigh, “We have said many times, Twilight; the age of certainty is over. The book goes no further. But that is not why I am here.”
“Then why are you here?” said the princess with a raised eyebrow,
The mirror’s image swirled to show the viewpoint from Starlight’s own mirror atop her dresser.
“First, allow me to congratulate you on your little one. Second, I believe you answered your own question only a few moments ago.”
Twilight was puzzled by this. All she was doing a few moments ago was thinking about…
The spirit smiled again as the gears in Twilight’s head began to click together.
“The anniversary of when I got my cutie mark is coming up.”
The spirit nodded, urging Twilight to continue,
“And…that’s also when Rainbow Dash, Pinkie Pie, Applejack, Rarity, and Fluttershy got their cutie marks, too.”
The spirit closed her eyes and spread her wings, “Knowledge is worthless if you cannot pass it on to the next generation. This shall be a true final test for you.”
The reflection began to grow brighter and brighter until it became blinding,
“Farewell, Twilight Sparkle. And good luck!”
In an instant, the mirror had returned to normal. Twilight stared back at her reflection, then at her and Flash’s bed. Sleep could wait.
Twilight levitated some paper and a quill out of a drawer and placed them on a writing desk.
Dear Rarity, Spike, and family…
Dear Applejack and family…
Dear Pinkie Pie and family…
Dear Rainbow Dash and family…
Dear Fluttershy and family…
…your friend,
Princess Twilight Sparkle
Twilight yawned as she penned the last few letters onto the page. She would have to send them in the morning. Her ears twitched as someone opened the door behind her.
“Oh, Twilight, you’re still awake.” Said a voice,
She didn’t have to turn around to know it was her husband speaking.
“Sorry, Flash,” she said with a weak smile, her tiredness visible in her eyes, “I just- uh…” she hesitated, quickly thinking up a more sensible excuse than ‘a mystic spirit showed up and cryptically gave me some kind of test’, “Something just came up, and I had to write a few letters.” Flash nodded sympathetically,
“You know I hate it when your work cuts into your sleep.”
Twilight whipped the tip of his snout with her wing playfully, “You’re one to talk, Mr. ‘I-have-to-micro-manage-everything’.”
Flash shook his head as he removed his helmet, “I got a family to think about, what’s a stallion to do?”
“Well,” Twilight said, seizing an opportunity to put her "lesson plan" in motion, “you can start by letting me and Starlight go on a little trip to Ponyville in a few days.”
Flash looked puzzled, but then broke into a smile, “if I say no, will that stop you from doing it anyways?”
and with that, our story begins...
