A River Under Twilight

by Door Matt

Rating: everyone
Tags: Twilight Sparkle, Cheerilee, Slice of Life, My Little Pony: Friendship is Magic, Original Character, Spike
Length: 2638

River Run is not your typical pony. Then again, neither is Twilight Sparkle.

River Run. The most gifted unicorn foal Canterlot has seen in years. But behind his magical potential lies a pony completely at odds with the world around him. With reasons to explain his extreme abnormal behaviour running out, a plea is sent to perhaps the only pony in Equestria who might be able to help.

Princess of Friendship Twilight Sparkle is running out of lessons to learn, or so she thinks. When a sudden request from an old schoolteacher challenges her to understand a young pony unlike any she has seen before, troubling questions swiftly arise.

Namely, why does he remind her so much of herself?

Writeoff entry for the "Great Expectations" April contest.

Much obliged to Not_A_Hat for pre-reading.

Published 2015-05-03 23:50:02 UTC
Last updated 2015-05-03 23:50:02 UTC

1. River

River and Broken Bridge

Your Highness, Princess Twilight Sparkle

My most humble greetings to you! It most certainly has been a while since I last spoke to you, all those years ago. One hopes that you might just be able to remember Mr Gallium - your old teacher in magic. Celestia's School for Gifted Unicorns certainly never forgot you!

Though I understand your studies under Princess Celestia continue - not to mention your exploits as both an Element and a Princess, of which I must say I am most proud of you - I ask if you could find time in your very busy schedule to assist in a matter that concerns both myself and the school at large.

You see last year we accepted a young unicorn with quite possibly the best testing scores we've seen in years. And when he arrived, we all saw how gifted he was in magical application and control. Quite honestly, had he been in the same year as you, he might have given you a run for your money! He’s a remarkable student.

Sadly, the same cannot be said for the other areas of his education. He talks only to his teachers, he rarely spends any time not reading, and makes no effort to engage with his fellow pupils. They have responded in the predictable way, by taunting and provoking him when they think the teachers’ backs are turned. Should it continue, I fear the lad will snap, endangering his position here.

Princess Celestia too has seen his potential, and has graciously advised me to turn to you for your help. As a Princess of Friendship, she feels you are more than qualified to help him open his eyes to the wider world around him.

His name is River Run, and if it is okay with you, I can whip up arrangements for him, his mother and I to travel to Ponyville whenever is convenient for you, if you agree. There are some further details we would like to discuss.

Eagerly awaiting your reply,

Ferny “Professor” Gallium
Assistant Principal of Celestia’s School for Gifted Unicorns

Twilight’s ears twitched ever-so-slightly as she finally finished reading aloud the scroll. Spike sat across the room, having had his late-afternoon cleaning routine interrupted by the sudden letter.

“Huh…” he pondered as the young alicorn deftly rolled the scroll back up with a spell. “What are you thinking?”

“Where do I begin…?” Twilight replied, a slight but noticeable shudder of an eyelid betraying her fading composure. “I mean it’s great to hear from Mr Gallium again, but it’s been so long and so many things have happened-”

“Twilight.”

“-since then. And Celestia’s School always brings in talented unicorns so I can’t help wondering how this River is able to stand out. I don’t think I stood out that much when I attended as I was always studying! There were so many books after all and so little time to read them all. You saw for yourself how often I was in the library and-”

“Twilight!”

“Oh, yes? Oh, was I doing it again?” Twilight's hooves patted the floor sheepishly.

“Yup,” Spike replied with a reptilian glare. “Just...keep it simple, yeah? Are you going to help this pony or not? I mean...do you think you can?”

Twilight stopped fidgeting, and regarded the scroll again, going over her old teacher’s words in her head. It definitely seemed like the sort of thing Celestia would want her to attempt, even now after surpassing every previous test.

"I...don't know," she said, more quietly than intended. "There I was worrying that I'd learned everything important already, and now here's a question I'm not even sure I can answer. Foal psychology? That's an area I've never even really looked at..."

"The Crusaders! Remember...a year ago, the talent show?"

Twilight sighed. "I barely did anything. Heck, they ignored me the first time! Yes, they learned a valuable lesson, but it came from each other, not from me. And this is a different scenario entirely..."

"Look, Twilight." Spike straightened up to his full height of six hooves. "You always do this. Everytime there's a new problem to solve, you make a bunch of excuses, and then I or Applejack or somepony else has to convince you that you're the perfect pony for the job! So can we just skip this step for once and get right to the part where you're amazing?"

The urge to hug the little drake jumped by a few dozen percent. Sometimes, her number one assistant had a way with words that nopony else could match. He was right, there was only one way to know just who this 'River Run' was. One way to know if she was even capable of helping him.

“Spike, take a letter. A reply to Mister Gallium if you please.” That feeling, the fire inside that burned in anticipation of a new challenge, she felt it again, rising in response to her mind's decision.

“You got it,” Spike replied, already dashing away to grab the nearest quill. “You’ve got that look in your eyes again. Should I warn the others?”

“Don’t be ridiculous Spike,” Twilight scoffed, rolling her eyes. “I promise I won’t make this any more complicated than necessary.”

“If I had a gemstone for every time I heard that…” Spike muttered quietly, but not quietly enough to prevent a magically-assisted pillow flung in his wake.

“Thank you for letting us use your classroom Miss Cheerilee. I know it’s the weekend, but still...”

“You are more than welcome Twilight. River would be more comfortable in a familiar environment, yes?”

Twilight glanced over the empty classroom, noting just how quiet it seemed with no foals present. Cheerilee definitely looked more relaxed on an off-day.

"Precisely!" replied the middle-aged and bespectacled unicorn standing behind them. Little remained of the thick, bushy black mane Twilight remembered from school, but apart from that, he seemed to act almost exactly as he did from her memories. "The colt is nothing if not studious, and his mother and I both agree that an educational setting will make him feel more at ease."

"Is that so necessary?" Twilight asked of her old teacher. "I mean, your letter aside, you haven't really elaborated on what River is like. If I knew more then I'd be able to prepare more efficiently."

"Grandiloquent as ever I see!" Gallium beamed. "I will leave those particular details for his mother to tell. She should be here any minute actually." He glanced at the clock.

Twilight paused in thought. Something wasn't sitting quite right in her head.

"Why me though, Professor? There must be councillors in Canterlot who are in a better position to help. I'm sure Princess Celestia herself, or even Luna would be more than willing to guide you and River."

For the first time, Gallium looked uncomfortable. He shifted on his hooves with slightly flattened ears, and shared an uncertain look with Cheerilee.

"May I be...frank, Twilight?" he asked.

"Umm...sure?"

"Well...it's just..." he faltered. "It wasn't until Celestia asked me that I noticed but...it's not too dissimilar to when you attended the school."

Twilight's jaw stuttered, hanging in the air like laundry.

"No no! I didn't mean it like...guh..." Gallium frantically waved a hoof in alarm.

Cheerilee stepped forward. "I think what he's trying to say is that you also struggled with making friends in school, is that right?"

"Ahem, yes, more or less."

Vague memories floated to the forefront of Twilight's mind without warning. Bright classrooms and musty libraries. The smells of various books both old and new as she clutched them between eager hooves. And surrounding her, small, dark shapes that always looked, always laughed among themselves, sometimes at her.

"Well, I guess that's true," Twilight said. "I was always so busy with reading and studying, and then with Celestia's tutoring that I-"

"That's just it," Gallium broke in. "You started off like that, but look at you now. A Princess of Equestria, with many friends at your side. Jeez, there's probably not a pony in the country who wouldn't want to befriend you!"

"Oh, I'm still new at this Princess thing Professor..."

The unicorn shook his head. "Irrelevant. The progress you have made is remarkable. And it is for that reason exactly that makes you a perfect candidate to help River. Who else can say they are able to relate to his position? Anypony back in Canterlot? No chance. You are the only one who even comes close."

Cheerilee nodded in agreement. They way they both looked at her, the sheer unproven belief that they held in her, was it even justified?

"I see history repeating itself with River," he continued. "Who knows where he may end up if put onto the right track? Even if he accomplished a fraction of what you have, it would be worth it. The only snag is figuring out what makes him tick. Princess Celestia found that out with you, and now she believes it is your turn."

My turn...

Celestia might have dressed it up as another test of sorts maybe, but this was still another pony's life at stake.

"I will do what I can, you know I will," Twilight said, motioning towards the classroom podium, the edge of a stack of paperwork peeking out at the top. "I did come somewhat prepared at the least, and it's not as if this will be the only chance I get to talk to him, right?"

"With any luck," Gallium replied. "We hope today is the start of an ongoing routine. Any results probably won't show until later on but as with anything, got to start somewhere after all."

Now Cheerilee glanced upwards. "We should get going Professor. Olivia's bound to be here soon."

"Ahh, quite right. Is that promised tour of the town still available?"

"Hmm...if you insist," she giggled.

With parting waves and encouraging smiles, Cheerilee and Gallium both trotted out of the classroom, leaving Twilight alone with her thoughts. The previously neat lines of desks had been pushed back to the walls, and a large table instead stood in the centre. Twilight casually wandered over to the podium where her short stack of notes lay in efficient order.

Hmm...should I stand here the whole time? That might be playing the teacher role a little too much, but I can’t just sit with him at the table straight away. That’s too forward...or is it? Maybe if I-

A concise rapping at the front door broke Twilight’s chain of inner-spiel. Summoning what remained of her courage, she strode towards it, trying to push back her worries with every step. At last she reached the door handle and tugged it, spilling inside a wash of midday sunlight, and revealing two contrasting figures just over the threshold.

The mother - an arctic blue coated unicorn with cropped, dark hair - smiled graciously upon seeing her, if somewhat wearily, perhaps from the trip down from Canterlot. In her shadow to the left - the little prodigy known as River stood, apparently staring into space. He had his mother’s hair, but his coat had more of an azure tinge, not unlike Twilight’s own father. He wasn’t that much bigger than any of the Crusaders, but Twilight noticed his horn was slightly more pronounced, perhaps sharper at the tip than usual. A dark green scarf clung to his neck, swaying slightly in the breeze.

“Hello!” Twilight greeted automatically. “I’m um...well, you must know who I am I’m sure. Hehe…”

“Princess Twilight, it’s a real honour to meet you,” River’s mother said, bending forward in a slight curtsy. River in turn jerked and dipped his head. “I’m Olivia, River’s mother. And I guess you’ve heard a lot about this little guy already.”

River ignored his mother’s glanced look and stared ahead once again, as if fascinated by the space behind Twilight.

“More or less,” Twilight replied. “Oh, please, come inside.”

The unicorn stepped back to allow the duo inside. River followed his mother to the step, and glanced quickly at his new surroundings, ostensibly avoiding anywhere near Twilight’s area. She took it as a sign of nervousness.

“Why don’t you go ahead and sit down? The Princess will be with you shortly,” Olivia said.

“Okay.” The little colt wasted no time in marching towards the centre of the room, leaving the two adults out of casual earshot.

“He knows what today is about, even if he doesn’t show it,” Olivia began, staring after her son briefly before turning to Twilight. “He’s not...well...not your typical pony. After he learned to read he...seemed like he wanted to shut himself away, from everything.”

“How do you mean?”

“He won’t look anypony in the eye, unless he forces himself to. Even with me usually. He’s also quite direct in what he says, so don’t be offended if he says anything strange. In his head he probably means it differently.”

“Okay,” Twilight nodded, unsure what exactly she could mean by that.

“That’s if you can get him talking at all!” Olivia chuckled slightly. “He’s not exactly a motor-mouth, but he’s so smart Princess. I’ve got his test scores right here if you want to see them?”

“Oh, sure!”

Olivia levitated a wound-up scroll from her bag, which Twilight grasped with her own magic. She wondered if the test held any similar questions to her own from years before.

“Don’t be afraid to ask him about his magic either. He’ll show anypony that asks if there’s a reason behind it, but I think the kids at school have made him think he’s a show-off.”

Faint memories of Trixie’s first visit to Ponyville crept into Twilight’s mind. Maybe there was more common ground between her and River than she’d previously thought.

“I’ll do my best, Miss Olivia. Princess Celestia trusted me to be a Princess of Friendship, and I’ve not turned down a challenge yet! You can even stay and watch if you want?”

“Oh no,” the unicorn smiled. “He made it quite clear before he wanted to do this alone. Besides, I’ve never visited Ponyville before. Might as well use this hour to look around.”

“Well, if you’re sure,” Twilight replied. “You should definitely visit Rarity’s Boutique, or Sugarcube Corner if you’re hungry.”

“Ooooh, sounds lovely,” Olivia said, turning to leave. “Oh, one more thing. That scarf is...well, it's important to him. You’ll know he’s feeling uncomfortable if he starts rubbing it, like his own personal warning sign. Just so you know."

"Got it." Twilight nodded, filing the little fact away.

"You'll do great, I know it. See you soon!” And with a expeditious trot, she was gone, leaving the door to close with a gentle thud.

Suddenly aware of her own beating heart, Twilight turned around. River had sat dutifully at the centre table, scanning the opposite wall at the kids’ drawings pinned up by Miss Cheerliee. Carrying the scroll with her, she walked to the podium. With only a brief flick of magic, the simple clasp was undone. Just a quick peek at the scores would give her some idea of his capabilities.

She nearly stopped dead in her tracks as a myriad of red ticks came into view. Thirty questions - virtually no different to the test she had done - and not a single cross to be seen. He had perfect marks. Twilight knew of only one other pony to have achieved the same result: herself.

“Hello.”

She nearly dropped all the paperwork in alarm. In that one word was a firmness that didn't sound right coming from a colt his age. And just as his mother had said, his gaze was nowhere near Twilight. If anything, his greeting had been more directed to the floor.

Just what was it making this colt like this?