"Well, I'm officially done unpacking for my second year at Celestia's School For Gifted Unicorns," announced Twilight Sparkle, beaming around at her neat, organized room. "So you can cross that off the list, Spike."
Spike, a baby dragon and Twilight's number one assistant, nodded vigorously and crossed "Unpack belongings" off the to-do list in his hand. He was only a year old, but was already capable of doing small jobs for her now and then.
"So what's next?" said Twilight.
"Well, next up is 'Attend In. . .Inag. . .Inow. . ." Spike peered at the list closely, trying to pronounce the big word.
"Attend the Inauguration Ceremony in the Auditorium!" gasped Twilight, glancing at the clock on the wall. She grabbed his claw and dashed out of the room. "Well, hurry up, Spike! We can't be late for the Inauguration Ceremony!"
Twilight Sparkle was in her second year at Celestia's School For Gifted Unicorns, or CSGU for short. It was a prestigious boarding school for the brightest young minds in Equestria, and she had the honor of being the Princess's own personal protégé. This came with multiple perks: for starters, even though she had been sorted into a house, she had her own room, and didn't have to live in a dormitory with the others. She was also allowed to bring Spike, the baby dragon she'd received when she broke open his egg as part of her entrance exam.
But the best part was that she received magical training from Princess Celestia herself, the supreme ruler of all Equestria. Princess Celestia had recognized her abilities at her entrance exam, and now Twilight had special classes with her every Saturday.
Naturally, this led to the envy of a few of the other students at CSGU, and Twilight ended up being shunned by them. She didn't mind, though; she was happiest when she was with her books, learning something new. And anyway, most of the ponies liked her, despite her not hanging around them much.
When she and Spike walked into the Auditorium, a couple of heads turned in their direction, and whispers floated across the room. The second-years, who were used to Twilight, smiled and waved at her. Some of the newcomers stared, mostly curious about the little purple dragon walking beside her. Twilight returned the favor, as she sat quietly in her seat with her house-mates.
A loud bell rang somewhere above, and a few minutes later, a hush fell over the room. The ponies scattered around hurried into their seats, as Princess Celestia walked into the room, followed closely by Principal Top Notch, Vice-Principal First Class and Administrators Golden Bit and Penny Wise. Princess Celestia stood at the podium, facing the crowd.
"Welcome to another year at Celestia's School For Gifted Unicorns," she spoke, smiling at the assembled ponies, who bowed low before her. "It's great to see you all back here after a wonderful summer!"
Twilight listened intently as the Princess gave an inspiring speech on the new challenges ahead, and encouraged them all to do their best for the year. There was thunderous applause after she finished, and Twilight joined in, stomping her hooves in unison. Principal Top Notch then rose to begin the sorting ceremony.
"As you all know, there are four houses at Celestia's School For Gifted Unicorns: Dragon House, Phoenix House, Griffon House and Breezie House. The first-years, as well as a couple of older ponies-" she nodded towards the group of assorted unicorns standing beside the podium, "-will now be sorted into their houses. As I call your name, please step forward, and join your house at its table. We begin with the first years."
Twilight, who was in Phoenix House, watched eagerly as one by one, the shy ponies approached their house tables. She was proud of her house, which was considered the brightest among the four houses (with a little thanks to her). The ponies in Phoenix were nice to her too, proud to have the Princess's favorite in their house.
Besides the first-years, there were two other ponies who looked older. One of them was a colt, and certainly a good-looking one at that. Twilight couldn't help staring at him. He had yellow fur, a blue mane and tail and bright blue eyes. A blue shooting star adorned his flank.
Spike noticed Twilight staring, and frowned. It wasn't like her to space out during an assembly like this. He waved a claw in her face to bring her back to the sorting.
"What? Oh yeah. . ." said Twilight distractedly, as she turned her gaze back to the podium.
After the first-years were sorted, Principal Top Notch announced, "We also have two new unicorns transferring to Celestia's School For Gifted Unicorns this year. I would like you all to welcome Comet Tail and Smart Alec, who will be in the second-year and fourth-year respectively."
The ponies clapped again, a little less enthusiastically. Most of them had lost interest in the sorting, and were busy thinking about dinner.
"Comet Tail," she announced, and the colt Twilight had been staring at walked forward confidently.
"You will be in Phoenix House."
While the rest of her housemates cheered, Twilight stared at Comet Tail some more. She noted the way his tail swished when he walked, the way he smiled at the others as he sat down behind her, indicating that he was a friendly pony, and the way he tugged onto a stray piece of mane repeatedly. She felt a strange, almost magnetic attraction towards this pony, but for the life of her she couldn't figure out why.
After Smart Alec was sorted into Griffon House, Vice-Principal First Class made a few announcements and dismissed the hungry ponies for dinner. There was a slight rush as they raced out of the room, making their way downstairs to the dining hall. Twilight followed them, still in a daze over effects of the new pony.
She and Spike got in line at the serving station, trays in hoof. She continued to watch Comet Tail as he chattered away to a couple of other colts from her house. She wanted to talk to him, but how? She couldn't just walk up to him! Or could she?
"Twilight!" Spike poked a sharp claw into her side. She blinked, and found the dining mare scowling at her, holding up a ladle full of gravy.
"Uh. . .yes, please," said Twilight anxiously, watching the mare plop the entire ladle into her tray. She vowed to pay more attention to her surroundings.
Spike followed her as they walked up to the Phoenix table. Twilight always sat in the corner, to avoid talking to the other ponies. During her first weeks at CSGU, she would often read her books while eating, oblivious to the ponies around her. This went on for weeks until an embarrassed Vice-Principal First Class told her that it was considered as bad manners.
"Y'know, Twilight," said Spike, stuffing a forkful of hay in his mouth. "We eely shoe star eeing we ah poeys."
"Spike, you shouldn't talk with your mouth full," said Twilight, using her magic to hold his mouth shut. She watched him swallow, and nodded, satisfied. "That's better. Now, what were you saying?"
"We should start eating with some the other ponies in your house," he replied, wiping his mouth with the back of his claw. "Some of them are really nice, like Moondancer, who-" he stopped as a shadow fell over them.
Twilight's heart leapt to her throat. Comet Tail was standing before them, levitating his dinner tray.
"Can I sit here?" he said, with a questioning look at Twilight. Without waiting for a reply, he placed his tray next to Spike's, and nudged him to scoot over.
"Uh," Twilight opened her mouth to speak, but nothing would come out. Her heart was hammering loudly; she tried to control her breathing as she watched the colt slide in next to Spike, who raised a scaly eyebrow at her.
"I saw you two sitting alone, so I guessed you must be lonely," He grinned at her. "And I love making new friends! I'm Comet Tail, by the way."
He waited for Twilight to introduce herself, but she had been rendered mute by his mere presence. Spike, on the other hoof, was more than happy to take over. "I'm Spike, and this is Twilight Sparkle." he said, shaking the colt's hoof vigorously. "Welcome to CSGU!"
"Thanks!" said Comet Tail, levitating a forkful of hay towards his mouth. "Your friend here's a bit shy, I guess. Are you a student here? I thought this school was only for unicorn ponies."
"Well, I don't know about that. Twilight usually never shuts up otherwise," said Spike, waving a claw in the air. Twilight's ears burned in embarrassment. He continued, "I'm not a student, though, I'm her number one atisstant!"
"Atisstant?" said Comet, confused. "I don't understand. Are you some sort of artisan? Is that something you can be here?"
"No, silly!" said Spike happily. "It means I help her out with her studies, and do odd jobs for her sometimes."
"Oh, you mean assistant," replied Comet, laughing. "That's cool. And it's okay, Twilight, my mother says that I could talk the hind leg off a donkey too! So what year are you in?"
"I-" began Twilight nervously. There it was, a word! "Second! I'm in the second-year!"
"Me too," said Comet Tail, his blue eyes twinkling at her. She flushed in pleasure. "My family just moved here from Manehattan. My Dad's a travel writer, you see, so me and my Dad and my Mom and my brother. . ."
Twilight didn't have to worry about speaking, because Comet Tail was a very talkative pony. It seemed like he'd been everywhere, as he launched into tale after the other about all the places he'd been to. He told them about his adventures with the buffaloes in Appaloosa, the first time he encountered camels in Saddle Arabia, and why he felt that The Mustang In The Opera wasn't quite the theatrical masterpiece everyone said it was. He was very interesting, and although Twilight had her reservations about sitting with someone who wasn't Spike, Spike was enjoying his company a lot.
"Woah, look at that, the dining hall's nearly empty," Comet Tail glanced around the room, surprised. "I hope I didn't bore you two. I sure had fun sitting here!"
"Us too!" said Spike enthusiastically, collecting their empty trays. He nudged Twilight. "Right, Twilight?"
Twilight's stomach was churning in happiness. Comet Tail, the handsome young colt, had chosen to sit with her out of everyone else, and had enjoyed being with her. Things were certainly off to a good start this year!
"Right." she said finally.
"Well, we'd better go off to bed." said Comet Tail, as the three of them exited the dining hall. "You're going to the Phoenix Common Room, right? I'll tag along, too."
"I- ah-" stammered Twilight. Did she really want to tell him that she had her own room, being the Princess's protégé? Well, he would find out soon, anyway. But before she could say anything, Spike beat her to it.
"We're not going to the Phoenix Common Room, because Twilight here has her own room!" he announced proudly. "She's Princess Celestia's own personal porridge!"
"Porridge?" said Comet Tail, looking incredulously at Twilight.
"He means protégé," said Twilight, giving a short, nervous laugh, although she was cringing in embarrassment inside. She stuffed a hoof in Spike's mouth. "We'd be happy to show you to the Common Room."
"Oh," said Comet, looking at her in wonder. "That's amazing. I can't believe I'm talking to Princess Celestia's personal protégé. You must be very, very talented."
"I guess," said Twilight, not knowing what else to say. "Well, the Common Room's this way, we can-"
"Oh, that's alright," replied Comet Tail hastily. He walked back a few steps. "Look, you're the Princess's protégé. I'm sure you have so much to do. I shouldn't be bothering you. I'll- I'll find my way somehow. Good night!" He broke into a gallop.
"Good. . ." began Twilight, but he was already gone. She sighed, and pulled her hoof out of Spike's mouth, who rolled on his back, coughing and spluttering.
Twilight felt sick. But it was not the bad kind of sick, where you heave all over the place. It was a good kind of sick, the feeling she had before the results of a big test were announced, when she knew she'd done well. She wondered why she was feeling like this.
Without a word, she galloped to her room, Spike chasing behind. "Twilight, wait!" he yelled, but she didn't stop. She galloped and galloped until she reached her room, and flopped onto her bed.
"What's wrong with me?" she whispered at the roof.
Twilight woke up bright and early the next morning. She loved early mornings in CSGU: the entire school was silent, and only a few ponies were awake. Spike was fast asleep in his little basket in the corner of the room. Twilight smiled at the sight of him; he looked so cute, sucking on his thumb in his sleep. She levitated his blanket, which had fallen out of the basket, and draped it taut over him.
She quickly washed up and seated herself at her little desk, eager to start with her work. Twilight always made it a point to go through the syllabus for the year before class actually started, even though she'd been going through her new textbooks since the day she'd bought them. She opened An Introduction To Basic Mathematical Concepts by Square Root, and sighed in happiness. Nothing like Math to begin a new school year.
"A fraction represents a part of a whole, or any number of equal parts," she read softly, careful not to wake Spike. "It tells us how many parts of an object there are. For example, if three ponies want to share a pie, we can give each pony one-third of the pie. . ."
She remembered Comet Tail's story of his epic pie war with the buffaloes.
Comet Tail. Just thinking about the colt she met last night gave Twilight a warm, fuzzy feeling in her belly. She thought back to last night; the shadow over her and Spike's table, Comet Tail's stories. . .
She cringed when she remembered what happened after dinner. The other ponies sure get uncomfortable when they find out who I am.
Twilight tried to imagine what breakfast would be like. Would he sit with her this morning too? Would he still talk to her after Spike's revelation last night?
She sighed, and went back to Math. "A common fraction consists of a numerator and a denominator. The numerator lies above the denominator, separated by a line. . ."
But there was more than a line that separated her and Comet Tail, forbidding them from being friends. Well, sort of, anyway. He was probably too embarrassed to hang around her anymore, since she was a celebrity of sorts at CSGU; and the thought of being friends with him made her spine go cold, even if she did kinda want it to happen. Her mind drifted off once again.
This wouldn't do. She was too agitated to study anymore. What was it about that colt, that got her all worked up like this? Anyway, there were only ten minutes left for the morning bell. She slammed her book shut and proceeded to wake up Spike.
"I wonder where Comit Tail is," said Spike, scanning the room for the pale yellow pony, as they sat at their usual spot at the Phoenix table. "He hasn't come down for breakfast yet."
Twilight, who had noticed this the minute she entered the room, poked at her oats, pretending not to care. "It's Co-met," she corrected, emphasizing on the 'met'. "Co-met Tail."
"Yeah, yeah," said Spike, waving a claw dismissively. "Did you notice the way he ran off last night?"
"Spike, you've spilled your oats everywhere," she replied sternly, levitating a napkin towards the baby dragon. "You have to be careful not to let that happen again."
"Uh huh," said Spike, scrubbing his mouth clean. He noticed her uneaten bowl of oats sitting listlessly before her. "Twilight, you haven't touched your breakfast!"
This, of course, was done on purpose. Twilight was still hoping that Comet Tail would walk into the dining hall any moment now and sit with her, like he did yesterday. But Spike immediately picked up a spoon and tried to force it into her mouth.
"You have to eat something," he said. Twilight pushed him away. She was too frustrated to eat.
"I'll eat later," she replied, shoving the bowl aside. "I have to get to class now."
"Um," said Spike, not knowing what else to say. "Are you okay, Twi? You've been very quiet all morning."
"I'm fine," she forced a smile, patting him on the head. "Thanks, Spike. I better go now. Don't want to be late on my first day! You should go, too. Princess Celestia's expecting you."
Since Spike couldn't attend classes with Twilight, Princess Celestia took care of him during the day. He usually helped her around, or played with Cadance, when she wasn't busy.
"Okay," nodded Spike, scampering off towards the door. "Good luck on your first day!"
Twilight trotted up to her room briskly to collect her things for class. She resolved not to think about Comet Tail today. At all. There was so much to learn, and that colt would NOT ruin it for her.
"Now, who can tell me what plants eat?" questioned Test Tube, Twilight's science teacher.
Twilight immediately raised her hoof. She loved Science. It was probably her favorite class, and it was so interesting. She was constantly discovering things that she didn't know about. Then again, Math was pretty interesting too. Working with numbers was so much fun! And so was Equestrian Grammar. And Potion-making. And Spellcasting. Okay, so maybe she couldn't quite pick a favorite yet.
The only class Twilight didn't enjoy was P.E., and despite the books she read on the subject, her grade in that class was a constant C minus. So Twilight deemed P.E. as 'not a real class, just playtime' and stopped trying entirely.
"Yes, Twilight?"
Before Twilight could answer, the classroom door was pushed open, and Comet Tail stood there, panting. And despite her vow earlier, her heart soared.
"I'm so sorry, sir," he said, wiping a hoof across his forehead. "I overslept, and then I lost my way, and. . ."
"Hmmm." said Mr Test Tube, frowning at the colt disapprovingly. "Better not let it happen again. Take a seat."
Twilight glanced hopefully at the empty seat next to her. Most ponies preferred to sit at the back, but Twilight always sat in the front row, right under the teacher's muzzle. And she hoped Comet Tail would too.
To her dismay, the colt walked past her and sat next to Footloose, a filly Twilight did not like. He smiled at the filly, and she smiled back. Great. Now Footloose was his new best friend. Twilight gritted her teeth silently. From now on, she was done thinking about Comet Tail. And she really meant it this time.
"Go on then, Twilight." said Mr Test Tube, nodding at her.
"Plants don't really eat anything," said Twilight confidently. "They make their own food by photosynthesis, which is the process by which is when plants take in carbon dioxide and water, and mix it up in the presence of sunlight to form sugars, which become their food."
"Very good, Twilight!" said Test Tube, pleased. Twilight felt a twinge of pleasure, which quickly disappeared when she turned around and saw Footloose whispering something to Comet Tail. She sucked in a deep breath, trying to calm down.
Comet Tail noticed Twilight staring, and gave her his big bright smile. Twilight's stomach began somersaulting; Comet Tail smiled at me. Comet Tail smiled at me. Comet Tail smiled at me.
And she couldn't concentrate on her studies after that. All morning, Twilight found herself drawing hearts in her notebook, and writing Comet Tail over and over in different handwritings. Even though she had three classes that morning, she paid less attention than she usually would. During Elementary Potion-Making, Miss Bright Bulb asked Twilight to pass her snozzberry seeds, and Twilight passed her the raspberry seeds instead. And during Equestrian Grammar, Twilight scored an A minus on the Mr Gerund's quiz for the first time in her life. Looks like the year is off to a worse start than I thought it was.
"Ugh, Spike, what's wrong with me?" wailed Twilight, slamming her hooves on the dining table. Spike watched in alarm as some of the soup they were served during lunch flew in the air and splattered across his face.
"Twilight!" he groaned, quickly dabbing a napkin on his nose. "What's wrong with you?"
"That's just it, Spike!" she replied, burying her face in her hooves. "I don't know! I can't think, I can't sleep, I can't eat! And it's all because of-"
"Twilight!"
Twilight's head automatically jerked towards the pony who called her name. Comet Tail was waving at her madly from the end of the serving station, and Twilight couldn't help grinning. She gave an embarrassed wave back.
"Footloose invited me to sit with her," he yelled, jerking a hoof towards the green filly beside him. "Wanna join us?"
Twilight's heart sank. Not her again. "Uh, that's okay," she replied, shaking her head nervously. "I- I have a lot of studying to do! I'll see you around. Catch ya later! Bye!"
"Um," Comet Tail eyed her suspiciously, glancing at her untouched bowl of soup and Spike, who had frozen still in surprise, his spoon on its way to his mouth. "Okay then. Later."
After he turned around, Twilight grabbed Spike's claw. "Come on, Spike," she said urgently. "We have to go."
"But- my soup- I haven't even-" spluttered Spike.
"Let's go!" said Twilight impatiently, galloping out of the hall. Spike whined in protest, but Twilight continued to gallop, until they were facing a large set of wooden oak doors.
"Seriously, Twilight?" said Spike, annoyed. "You made me skip lunch to go to the library?"
The library in CSGU was one of the largest in Equestria, and the third largest in Canterlot. It was Twilight's sanctuary, the place she came to when in doubt. Her only friends lived on the shelves inside, and she often consulted them whenever she had a problem. And this definitely counted as a problem.
"Like I said, Spike," Twilight explained, the gallop having calmed her down. "There's something very wrong with me. And we have to find out what it is!"
"But you haven't even explained what's going on!" wailed Spike.
They both sat down at Twilight's favorite table by the fire. She proceeded to fill him in on the strange feelings she had whenever she was around the new pony, Comet Tail.
"That's weird," said Spike, scratching his head. "I haven't felt anything like that. He seems like a nice colt."
"He might be carrying some sort of disease," said Twilight seriously, scanning the shelf. She levitated a copy of Plagues And Ponies out slowly. "We have to find out what it is, since I seem to be infected by it, too."
"Are you sure, Twilight?" said Spike warily. "The other ponies seem fine. Even Footloose, who has been-"
Twilight growled at the sound of that name.
"Uh," said Spike, nervously. "You know what? You're probably right. Is there a copy of Edipemics In Equestria here?"
Twilight and Spike spent the rest of their lunch hour looking for a possible explanation to the strange effects of Comet Tail, even though Spike could barely read. By the time the bell rang for class, they had amassed a large heap of books to be taken back to their room for further reading.
"Spike! Spike! Spike!"
Spike heard Twilight calling his name, but ignored her, choosing to focus on his coloring book instead.
"Spike!"
Twilight burst into the room, clutching a copy of So You Think You've Been Infected? "Didn't you hear me calling?" she said, annoyed.
"Uh," said Spike, pretending to think hard. "No. What's going on?"
"I found it!" she yelled. She set the book on her desk and flipped the pages using her magic, until she found what she was looking for. "Equus Lupus!"
Spike blinked. He'd never heard of something more ridiculous in the one year he'd been alive. "What did you just say?"
"Listen!" said Twilight, excited. "Equus Lupus is an acute neurological disorder characterized by moderate to severe sweaty hooves, often in association with a number of psychological and physiological symptoms, such as an increased heart rate, breathlessness, an inability to concentrate, loss of appetite, nausea etcetera. Spike, Comet Tail has Equus Lupus! And he's passed it on to me!"
He laughed. "Oh come on, Twilight, that's just crazy talk."
"Is it?" replied Twilight, her eyes flashing. "Think about it, Spike. I've been exhibiting these symptoms all day. And I just got here! Maybe you haven't been affected because you're a dragon, and you're covered in thick scales, but the rest of the ponies are in danger!"
He swallowed hard. This was worse than he realized. "Is Equus Lupus really that dangerous? What should we do, Twilight?"
"I don't know," said Twilight, her hoof under her chin. "But I know that we can't have Comet Tail infecting the rest of the school. Let's go talk to Nurse Nightingale."
Nurse Nightingale, the school nurse, was in charge of the school infirmary. Twilight had only been there once last year, after coming down with a nasty case of equine flu. She knew that Nurse Nightingale would make her disorder vanish in a flash.
"That's the most ridiculous thing I've ever heard." said Nurse Nightingale.
Twilight was lying on one of the beds in the infirmary, panting as the Nurse put down the thermometer. Nurse Nightingale was a tan earth pony with an ebony mane and tail and a Band-Aid for a cutie mark. "How can you say that?" yelped Twilight. "Nurse Nightingale, So You Think You've Been Infected? clearly says that-"
"-That Equus Lupus fits in with all the symptoms you've been having." finished the Nurse, raising an eyebrow. "I know that book down pat now. It also says that it's a rare disease that only affects foals below ten months. Anything else?"
Twilight blinked at her, feeling foolish. In her hurry to tell Spike about the disease, she had forgotten to read the rest of the section on the disease. There was no way Nurse Nightingale could be wrong.
"But there is something wrong with me," said Twilight in a small voice. "You have to believe me."
The Nurse's expression softened. "I do believe you, Twilight. I know you wouldn't make something like this up. But you seem fine to me. Your temperature's normal, your heart rate's fine. I think the stress of your first day is getting to you. You need to have a good lie-down here. No doing any homework tonight, no-"
"No!" screamed Twilight, horrified. "You can't do that to me, Nurse Nightingale! I'm sorry I told you I had Equus Lupus. Please let me go back and finish my homework. I promise I won't do this again. But please don't keep me here! Please!"
"But Twilight," said the Nurse, looking worried. "I really think you should-"
"I'll be fine, I promise," begged Twilight, close to tears. "Please let me go back to my room. Please!"
"Okay," said Nurse Nightingale doubtfully. She narrowed her eyes as the little filly quickly jumped off the bed and scampered away before she could change her mind.
Even though the school nurse had declared her completely healthy, Twilight didn't think she was fine. Throughout the week Twilight continued to behave strangely around Comet Tail, to the point where he gave up sitting with her during meals since she seemed to lose her ability to speak to him coherently. Her performance in class dropped steadily as well, and by Friday Twilight had a big red B+ on her Spellcasting test.
But even though her life was terrible at the moment, Twilight still had the weekend to look forward too. She had private lessons with Princess Celestia on Saturday morning, and Twilight couldn't wait to see her mentor.
"Good morning, Princess," said Twilight, bowing low. Princess Celestia trotted into her study, smiling at the filly.
"Good morning, Twilight. I trust you had a wonderful summer."
"Yes, Princess," Twilight nodded slowly.
"I'm glad. Shall we begin? I think you're really going to enjoy today's class." Celestia used her magic to levitate a piece of chalk to the blackboard.
"Teleportation." said the Princess, letting the chalk fly to a bowl after she finished writing. "The art of transporting an object from one point to another, without physical contact with it. I will read to you now from Magic In Equestria, and then we're going to practise a few small exercises. Is that okay?"
"Yes, Princess Celestia," said Twilight, brightening up considerably. She'd always wanted to learn teleportation, and the fact that she was finally learning it made her whole week better.
"Very well." The white alicorn flipped open the pages of her book, and began reading aloud from the section on Teleportation.
Twilight concentrated hard on Princess Celestia's reading. She was terribly ashamed of her performance in class this week, and all her teachers were disappointed with her. But she was determined not to let the Princess down.
Of course, none of this would have happened if Comet Tail hadn't joined the school this year. If he hadn't, Twilight wouldn't have become so obsessed with him, and she would have paid attention in her classes, and. . .
"Twilight?" Princess Celestia was peering at her over the book. "Is everything okay?"
"Absolutely!" said Twilight, pretending to be enthusiastic. "You were saying something about. . .uh. . .Starswirl the Bearded?"
"Well, actually I was telling you why it my previous student was unable to learn teleportation, even after multiple tries." The Princess floated the book down beside her. "What's bothering you, Twilight?"
"Noth-" Twilight was about to deny it, but then she realized that she had no reason to. Princess Celestia only had her best interests at heart, and would do anything to help her.
Twilight proceeded to fill her in on everything that had happened since that first night. The alicorn listened intently, smiling when Twilight described Comet Tail ditching her for Footloose. Finally, when Twilight was done, Princess Celestia gave a small chuckle.
"What's so funny?" said Twilight, trying not to sound too indignant. Nothing about the events of the past week seemed remotely funny to her.
"Oh, Twilight," said the Princess, patting the little unicorn on the head. "There's nothing wrong with you. You just have a crush, that's all."
"A crush?" repeated Twilight, her cheeks flushing. "What do you mean?"
"It means you have feelings towards this colt," said Princess Celestia gently. "You like this colt a lot, right?"
"I do," admitted Twilight, a wave of relief washing over her. It felt so good to finally talk about her feelings to someone who understood. "So, you're saying that. . .I'm in love with Comet Tail?"
"Well, no, you aren't really in love with him," the Princess explained. "Love takes time and patience, and is much stronger than your feelings towards this colt. You just have a crush, which is that warm, wonderful feeling you get when you think of that special somepony. Am I right?"
Twilight blushed, and the Princess chuckled again. "Yes, Princess," said Twilight. "So what should I do about it?"
"Well, I'm afraid this isn't really my area of expertise," said Princess Celestia thoughtfully. "But I do know someone who can help you."
"Cadance!" Twilight galloped forward, as fast as her little legs would carry her. "You're here!"
Twilight had written to Cadance the previous night, after her talk with Princess Celestia, and now her foalsitter was here, in the flesh.
"Twilight!" Cadance hugged the filly tight. The two then broke apart and performed their special tailshake. "Sunshine, sunshine, ladybugs awake. Clap your hooves and do a little shake!" They fell over on the floor, laughing.
"Oh, Twilight," said Cadance, wiping a tear from her eye. "I've missed you so much! How have you been?"
"I'm fine," said Twilight, smiling. "I've missed you too, Cadance. You're still my foalsitter, right?"
"Always," said Cadance, settling down on Twilight's little bed. " So, Twilight, what's going on?"
"Well, there's this colt in my class, Comet Tail. . ."
The pink alicorn listened patiently as Twilight poured her heart out to her. She was immediately struck by the similarities between Twilight's tale and her own experience. There was a long silence after Twilight stopped speaking.
Finally Cadance gave a big smile and ruffled Twilight's mane. "Twilight, your first crush! I'm so proud of you!"
"Well, you shouldn't be!" said Twilight, crossing her forelegs. "I hate having a crush! Colts are stupid and they mess with your head and they're mean! Comet Tail doesn't want to sit with me anymore, he's with Footloose all the time. Don't you think so?"
"Well, crushes can be pretty fun sometimes," Cadance's eyes were twinkling. "In fact, it still makes me happy when I think of my first crush."
Twilight's eyes widened. "You had a crush on somepony? Who was it?"
"Well," said Cadance. "There's this little filly I used to foalsit for. . ."
"Like me?"
"You could say that," replied Cadance, with a small smile. "So, this little filly had an older brother. . ."
"Like Shining Armor and me, right?"
"Exactly like you and Shining Armor. One day, when I dropped her home, her older brother answered the door. And I had a crush on him instantly."
"Really?" Twilight grinned at Cadance. "Did you speak to him?"
"Well, I found it really difficult to, at first," replied Cadance, staring into space. "But he was kind and sweet, and I felt comfortable around him. We became friends soon after."
"That's great," said Twilight. She looked down at the floor. "At least you became friends with your crush. Comet Tail hates me now! He's probably in love with Footloose."
"Twilight, I'm sure he doesn't hate you." said Cadance, her arm around the unicorn. "He and Footloose are probably just friends. And I'm sure if you tried, the two of you could be great friends! Just because you have a crush on him doesn't always mean that you two have to fall in love and get married, or that you shouldn't be speaking to him at all."
Twilight frowned, as she went over everything her foalsitter had just said. She really wanted to be Comet Tail's friend, but couldn't control herself when he was around.
"So how should I behave around Comet Tail?" asked Twilight, looking up at Cadance. "Whenever he's around, I can't help myself. I find it difficult to speak, and I get all sweaty, and. . ."
"I understand, Twilight," replied Cadance. "I think the first thing you need to do is calm down. You have nothing to be afraid of; Comet Tail wants to be your friend too. Because if he didn't, he wouldn't have tried to speak to you at all."
Comprehension dawned over the filly, as she nodded along to Cadance's words. "You're right, Cadance," said Twilight, throwing her arms around her foalsitter. "Thank you so much!"
Cadance replied. "Anytime, Twilight. You know I'm always here for you."
"Come on, Twi, you can do this," said Spike encouragingly.
Twilight and Spike were standing at the end of the serving station, both holding their trays. It was lunchtime on Monday, and Twilight was determined to bring closure to her crush once and for all. Her legs were trembling, and the bowl of gelatin in her tray was trembling along with them.
Twilight took a big gulp of air and nodded. "I can do this!" she said confidently, and walked forward, as a proud Spike cheered her on. Three steps later, she turned around and scurried back to Spike.
"I can't do this!" she whimpered. "What if he laughs at me? What if Footloose laughs at me? What if everyone in the dining hall laughs at me?"
"Twilight. . ." groaned Spike. The filly took deep breaths and steadied herself. Spike was right. She was acting ridiculous.
For the second time she walked up the line over to where Comet Tail stood with an empty tray. When she reached up to him, she took a deep breath.
"Hi," she said, softly. Her voice sounded croaky and dry, so she tried again. "Hi."
Comet Tail turned over to her. "Oh, hey, Twilight," said colt, flashing her his characteristic big smile. Twilight resisted the urge not to melt right there on the spot. "What's up?"
"Um," she said, rehearsing her words in her head. "I was wondering if. . .um. . .you would. . ."
"Yeah?"
"Will you sit with me today?" she said, waving her hoof to her usual spot at the corner of the Phoenix table.
Comet Tail beamed. "I would love to," he said. "I'll be right over!"
Twilight stood there, stunned; Spike had to come over and pull her away. She couldn't believe how simple that had been. Talking to him was so easy, so natural, that she felt like she was talking to Spike or her B.B.B.F.F. Was this what having a friend was like?
"Hey," said Comet Tail, sliding in at the table across Twilight. "Hi, Spike, it's been a while."
"Yeah," said Spike, biting the end off his hay sandwich.
"So," said Twilight. This was her chance to use some of the conversation starters she'd practised with Spike in her room last night. "How was your first week here?"
"It's been amazing!" said Comet Tail, his mouth full of Swiss Cheese sandwich. "The school work here is challenging, yeah, but the ponies here are really helpful and have made me feel welcome! Especially you and Spike."
"Really?" said Twilight, her eyes shining.
"Absolutely! I would have felt so alone here if you two hadn't been nice to me. I may make many friends in this school, but you and Spike will always be my first friends in CSGU."
Twilight almost died of happiness. Okay, so maybe that was an exaggeration - nopony can really die of happiness. Comet Tail actually considered her as a friend!
It was at that moment that Twilight's defences broke down; she began to fully open herself up to the colt. "I'm glad you feel that way," she replied. "The ponies here sometimes treat me differently, because I'm the Princess's personal student, and. . ."
That afternoon marked the beginning of Twilight Sparkle and Comet Tail's friendship. The two were almost inseparable after that - they sat together during meals, and Comet Tail introduced her to Footloose, who was actually really nice once you got to know her. Twilight found out that Comet Tail was interested in astronomy, like her, and the two of them founded the first ever Stargazing Club in CSGU. Comet Tail also found out that Twilight had a bigger brother, like him, and they spent hours debating over whose brother was better. Twilight felt a feeling she had never really felt with anypony before - friendship.
However, in the second semester of their third year, Comet Tail had some bad news for Twilight. "I'm moving," he explained, while Twilight and Spike listened, horrified. "My Dad's finally retiring, and he wants to settle down and live in a quiet village. I'm so sorry, Twilight."
"B- But why can't you stay?" stammered Twilight. "Surely your Dad won't mind you being in boarding school! You can go visit him during the midterm break, and. . ."
Comet Tail shook his head. "My Dad would never agree to that. But don't you worry; I will never forget you. We'll always be friends!"
"Absolutely," said Twilight, tearing up. "And we'll be in touch. I can write to you, can't I?"
"Of course you can," said Comet Tail, placing a hoof on the filly's shoulder. "And of course you'll come visit me in Ponyville someday."
"I promise," replied Twilight, placing her hoof over his.
