Woah… this is all for me? Twilight thought in amazement as she saw her new quarters for the first time. Being chosen as Celestia’s personal protégé certainly had its perks. Instead of sharing a dorm with other fillies, she not only had her own room, but her own tower as well, all to herself.
It had everything an aspiring scholar such as herself could ever want. The first floor looked to be a cozy sitting area of sorts, complete with cushions, couches, and large plants lining the walls as decoration. There was another door opposite the entryway flanked by two ornate pillars, leading out to a nicely sized balcony overlooking the city. She looked to her right and spotted a set of stairs that led up to the second floor. Curious to see what other wonders her new home held for her, she turned back toward the guard.
“So… everything here is mine?” Twilight asked hopefully, a wide smile on her face. She shrugged her saddlebag off, letting it land in a heap beside her.
“Yes ma’am, everything in the tower is yours to do with as you please,” the guard said politely. His horn glowed with magic and he laid the few boxes of Twilight’s belongings, mostly books and a few keepsakes from home, that she had packed just inside the door. She’d triple-checked to make sure that she had brought every single book she owned, and was positive they’d make a nice addition to the tower’s library.
“Thanks for bringing me here, sir,” Twilight said. “Um… You’re excused.”
“You are quite welcome, miss, but it is my duty to guard you and your quarters for the night, so if you need me or have any questions, I’ll be right outside the door. Also, dinner should be brought to your quarters soon.” He gave a short nod and left Twilight alone, closing the front door behind him on his way out.
Although the guard’s voice was deep and gravelly, he didn’t come across as threatening. If anything, Twilight found it comforting that a strong stallion like him was the one protecting her.
“Hmm… Let’s see what’s upstairs!” Twilight said out loud as she trotted up the staircase winding up the wall to her right. When she reached the top, her jaw dropped as she finally saw just how lucky she was. Floor to ceiling bookshelves lined the walls and across the room was a massive window, giving her a beautiful view of the royal city.
She dashed over to the nearest bookshelf and started reading the bindings of all the books as she walked from one end to the other. She spent the next half hour going over every bookshelf, discovering several rare or unique copies of tomes that most ponies didn’t even know existed. As she reached the end of the final bookshelf, Twilight stopped and looked around, noticing a desk loaded with a bunch of studying supplies, complete with a pile of quills and several ink pots. As she started pulling open drawer after drawer, she was slightly disappointed to only find pieces of blank parchment in most of them. The bottom drawer on the right was much bigger than the rest, and when she pulled it open, it revealed her very own chemistry set, something her parents hadn’t allowed her to have at home.
With a gleeful squee, she gently closed all of the drawers and looked to the left, the sun setting beyond the horizon catching her eye. With an excited smile, she trotted up to the large glass window and reared up, placing her front hooves on the glass as she stared off into the distance, admiring the view. Wondering how high the window went, Twilight looked up and noticed another balcony, this one a bit smaller than the one below.
Deciding to keep exploring, she looked around and noticed a set of smaller stairs to her right. Trotting up to the highest level, she came across her bedroom. In one corner lay her new bed, at least three times the size of the one back home. Happily running over to it, she hopped on it and bounced up and down, happily noting that it was much springier than the one back home.
Wanting to see just how high she could go, Twilight waited until all four hooves hit the bed then jumped as hard as she could, going at least an entire foot higher than before. Now panting slightly, Twilight stopped for a few moments as she remembered her mother’s stern words when she caught her jumping on her bed back home.
Don’t jump on the bed, Twilight, you’ll wear out the springs! she remembered her mom saying just the other day. “Well, she’s not here anymore now, is she?” Twilight asked herself. She jumped up and down a few more times before that thought suddenly began to sink in.
She sat back on her haunches as she looked around her new bedroom, feeling a little sad. It felt much more spacious, mainly because there wasn’t a wall cutting her off from the second floor. A nightstand with a pair of candles lay to her right and a dresser was a few feet to her left. A railing ran across the edge that overlooked the level below, and much to Twilight’s delight, she found the door that led outside to the patio she’d spotted just minutes ago.
Even though she had all the luxuries a filly could want, it still felt like something was missing. A deafening silence filled the room as she sat on the bed, staring out the window in the direction of her old home. Back there, she had always been annoyed with how her family would make so much noise throughout the day, usually while she was studying or practicing her magic. She had craved absolute silence during that time, and she treasured every moment of it that she could get. But now that she had exactly that, she found it lacking. She couldn’t believe it, but she found herself missing those familiar sounds, the soft words of her parents as they tried to keep their voices down for her, the sounds of a lived-in home, but most of all, the sound of her brother stomping upstairs to find her and drag her outside for some fun.
With a longing sigh, Twilight slid out of the bed and walked up the balcony door. After pulling it open, she walked outside and up to the edge. She propped her front hooves up on the railing and craned her head as she looked around idly. As the seconds passed, the gentle wind her only company, she realized what she was feeling.
She was homesick. She’d thought back at home that she wouldn’t miss her old room, but Twilight found herself doing exactly that. Her new room didn’t have that pleasant, woody scent that her old one did, and she missed it. While her new one was certainly bigger, it wasn’t familiar, and that made all the difference.
Wondering if she could see her old home from here, she looked all over the place as she tried to figure out where she was in relation to her old home. A minute passed in silence before she gave up, mainly because there were far too many towers in her way, so she lay down on the balcony, looking through the poles that made up the rail. As she lay there, missing her old home, it started to feel as if the poles she was looking through were prison bars, meant to keep her away from her family.
Taking a slow and deep breath, Twilight decided to try and stay on the positive side of things. Flicking a few stray hairs out of her face, she realized that it wasn’t often she got to watch the sunset from so high up. She lifted her head and sat up, placing her head on the railing as she admired the beautiful view of the sunset. There were barely any clouds in the sky, the only ones being those thin, wispy ones that she always forgot the names of. The sky near the horizon had a light red tint to it, and the sun’s gentle rays illuminated the nearby clouds, lighting them aglow with a rich color.
Shiny would love to see this… Twilight thought, a pit of sadness suddenly forming in her stomach. When she had agreed to become Princess Celestia’s personal student, she hadn’t realized that she wouldn’t be able to play with her brother anymore. Moving all the way to the other side of the city meant they couldn’t make any more forts, they couldn’t go out and do fun things together, and worst of all, he wouldn’t be there to read her any more bedtime stories. She felt a lone tear slip out of her eye as she finally realized just how much her life had changed from one single important decision.
“Maybe… Maybe I shouldn’t have said yes…” she stammered softly to herself, another tear slipping down her face as she pondered whether or not to quit. With a small whimper, she imagined the horrified looks on her parents’ faces if she returned home the next morning, and she wasn’t sure if she could handle their disappointment. She knew that they desperately wanted her to be here at this nice school, but was this what she really wanted? She felt pressured by her parents to agree to become Princess Celestia’s personal student, and now she felt trapped in her new life. She knew that she couldn’t go home for at least the next few months because of her new school schedule, and that made her feel even more secluded. She had never felt so helpless in her life, and she couldn’t help but let out a few sobs.
Due to her wanting to stay inside with her books all day, she had found that making friends had been increasingly difficult as she grew up. Nopony wanted to read with her, and all they had wanted to do was go outside and play, something that she didn’t really enjoy. Her brother, Shining, was the only pony that really understood her, save for her parents, and all she wanted was for him to be next to her right now, reassuring her that everything was going to be alright.
She sniffled and wiped the tears from her eyes. The sun had disappeared completely behind the horizon now, the moon climbing into the sky. As the sun’s light slowly faded away into blackness, Twilight noticed that all of the stars were just now coming into view. Since the sun was no longer warming her, Twilight felt a small shiver run down her spine, so she figured it would be best for her to go inside soon.
A few more minutes passed as she sat there in silence, listening to the different noises the wind made as it blew around all of the towers. She let out another sigh and decided it was time to go back inside and try to fall asleep. Though just as she was about to stand up to go get ready for bed, she heard a knock on the door all the way downstairs.
Remembering the guard saying that dinner was going to be soon, she assumed that’s what the knocking was for. Her head hanging low, she moped all the way down to the first floor and opened the front door, a set of white hooves filling her vision.
Not even bothering to look up, she said, “Just set it down please. I kinda want to be alone right now…” She looked to the side as she scratched the side of her leg with a hoof.
“Aww, but who’s gonna share this fine dinner for two, then?” a familiar voice asked with an even more familiar chuckle.
Not wanting to believe her ears, Twilight looked up, a smile creeping onto her face. “Shining!” she cried out as she darted forward, wrapping a foreleg around her brother’s neck. “Oh my gosh, I’m so happy to see you!”
“Heh, same here, sis, same here…” Shining said, rubbing his sister’s back with a hoof. When they broke the hug a few moments later, his horn lit up with magic and he levitated a covered platter over in front of her. “You hungry? The kitchens cooked us, well… mainly you, something tasty for tonight!”
“Yeah? What is it?” Twilight asked, her tail flicking around excitedly.
“It’s the best dinner you’re ever gonna have, Twily, and the castle’s cooks made it just for you! Can you guess what it is?”
“A huge salad with all the toppings with my favorite dressing and some lemonade?” Twilight asked as her stomach started to grumble. “Come on, tell me already! I’m hungry!”
“Nope, even better!” Shining fought the impulse to snicker. Using his magic, he gave a short chuckle before he raised the lid off of the platter, revealing its contents. “Two daffodil and daisy sandwiches!” He chuckled again at Twilight’s crestfallen expression. “Come on, sis, don’t look so sad, I also brought us some…” He rummaged around in his saddlebag with his magic and grabbed what he was looking for. “Ice cream!”
“Is it vanilla?” Twilight asked, her tone a little hopeful.
“You know it!” Shining said as he gently picked his sister up with his magic. He placed her on his back, and as soon as he felt her wrap her fore legs around his neck, he trotted upstairs. “Alright sis, where do you want to eat?”
“Top floor. We can eat on my new bed!” Twilight said, glad that she had some company for the night. “You’re not gonna believe how much bigger it is than my old one!”
“Yeah?” Shining smiled as he climbed the last flight of stairs up. He trotted on over to the bed and hopped up on it, letting Twilight slide down his back when he sat down. Setting the platter and ice cream down between them, he shrugged off his armor and placed all of it on the floor next to the bed.
“Heh, since I sorta told the guard outside your door that I was sent to relieve him, I’m not really supposed to take my armor off since I’m technically still on duty. On top of that, I’m kinda still in training, but since my squad got the night off, I figured I’d drop by and see how my little sister was doing.” He took the lid of the platter off and placed it on the floor, next to his armor.
It’s going awful… Twilight thought as she started tearing up. I miss you, mom and dad, and I miss our old house… “It’s uh… it’s going alright, I guess…” Even though she tried as hard as she could to not cry, she couldn’t help but tear up. She was just about to raise a hoof to wipe her eyes when her brother looked back around, and she knew he sensed something was wrong when his eyebrows furrowed.
The sandwiches forgotten for the moment, Shining reached out and started rubbing Twilight’s back. “Hey… what’s wrong, Twily?” he asked softly.
“N– Nothing… I’m just glad you’re here, is all…” Twilight said with a sniffle, wiping the tears from her eyes. She gave a shaky smile, grabbed one of the sandwiches, and passed the other one to her brother. Snuggling up against his side, she started munching away on her tasty sandwich, all feelings of being lonely forgotten now that her brother was with her. “To be honest, I was starting to feel a bit lonely up here all alone, but now that you’re here, I’m all better now…” Just as she popped the last bit of her sandwich into her mouth, she leaned up and nuzzled Shining’s neck.
Shining leaned over and returned the nuzzle. “Heh, glad to hear it, sis.” He popped the remains of his sandwich inside his mouth and pulled out the small carton of ice cream, along with two spoons. “Want some ice cream now?” When Twilight nodded excitedly, he smiled and popped off the lid. “Here, you can have the first scoop.”
Twilight grabbed a spoon and dug in, getting a nicely-sized scoop. “Thanks, B.B.B.F.F.” The two of them quickly finished off the ice cream as they silently enjoyed the company of the other, and when they finished, Shining used his magic to place everything down on the floor.
After he watched Twilight give a rather large yawn, Shining said, “C’mere, you.” He lit his horn and, pulled Twilight against him again, and wrapped a hoof around her. “Let’s get some sleep, alright? I heard that the princess wants you in her tower first thing tomorrow morning, and we don’t want you to show up all tired, right?” He gave Twilight’s mane a playful tussle as he levitated a few pillows over to them. He stretched out on the bed, smiling as he felt Twilight nuzzle his chin.
“I’m so glad you’re here, Shining…” Twilight murmured as she latched onto one of her brother’s fore legs, laying her head on the other. “You’re the best big brother a sister could ever ask for…”
“Thanks, Twily, right back at you…” he said, growing confused when Twilight started giggling. “What’s so funny?”
“I’m not a colt, Shiny,” Twilight said, still laughing. “You said right back at you, which means that you think I’m a male!”
“Oh, you know what I meant, you silly filly,” Shining said with a small chuckle. He laid his head back down on the pillows and used his magic to pull most of the blankets over them. “Now come on, let’s get some sleep so we don’t act like zombies tomorrow, ‘kay?”
“Hehe, alright Shiny…” Twilight said as she let out another yawn. Maybe this won't be so bad after all... Besides, if Shining's gonna be in the Royal Guard, he's always going to be close by... She snuggled a little bit closer to her brother and fit her head just under the crook of his neck. “Love you, B.B.B.F.F….”
“Love you too, Twily…”
