Magic Duel by Mail

by Lise

Rating: everyone
Tags: Slice of Life, My Little Pony: Friendship is Magic, Original Character, Trixie, Twilight Sparkle
Length: 21439

Forbidden from using magic without supervision, Noonlight Bright has accepted she would never be able to cast a proper spell again. One day Trixie arrives, out of the blue, with a new idea - challenge Twilight Sparkle to a magic duel by mail!

Forbidden to use magic unsupervised, Noonlight Bright continues with her studies in magical theory. However, Trixie soon arrives with a great idea - challenge Twilight Sparkle to a magic duel by mail.

Since it's on paper, Noonlight shouldn't get in trouble, and Trixie might finally best her eternal rival. What could possibly go wrong?

Many thanks to The Hat Man and Admiral Biscuit for pre-reading and valuable advice.
Special thanks to The Descendant for proof-reading, editing and support.
Thanks to Scathecraw for proofreading the first few chapters as I kept adding things.

This story wouldn't have been the same without you, guys. :)

Published 2015-09-11 03:00:04 UTC
Last updated 2015-09-11 03:00:04 UTC

1. Trixie's Challenge

Boredom by the barrage of a thousand words - the worst torture known to ponydom, and something the students of the School for Gifted Unicorns were all too familiar with. The entire morning was devoted to Parallel Magic Constructs - a highly theoretical course, aimed at helping students compose new spells by combining elements of familiar ones.

Noonlight tapped idly on her desk. There was a time when she loved this course. She would spend hours deconstructing spells, then combining their elements in new and unique ways. At least, she used to, before the Autocorrect Incident. Now magic was all but out of her reach. For all intents and purposes she might as well be an earth pony.

"Is the lesson boring you, Miss Bright?" an annoyed Endless Scroll asked. The youngest professor of the school, he tended to get easily agitated at even the slightest irritation. Tapping was among the worst offenses.

"Apologies, Professor Scroll." Noonlight straightened up, quickly putting her hooves under the desk. "I was thinking of how double repetition of spell elements might affect the overall outcome. I am sorry if I caused any disturbance."

"Please theorize in your own time, Miss Light," the professor said, annoyed. "Not all have your commendable grasp of the theoretical."

Not again! Noonlight felt herself blush with shame, and not because of the compliment. This was the third time he had misspoken her name in as many weeks. It was bad enough he had made her his star pupil, and de facto assistant, in most theoretical classes. In other circumstances, Noonlight would have been pleased, even honoured, yet with the age gap between them being but a few years, ponies were starting to talk. Even now she could hear whispers in the back of the class. Using a teleportation spell felt pretty tempting. Gritting her teeth, she focused on her book, pretending not to notice.

Class ended without further embarrassments. Noonlight took the opportunity to be first out of the door, before Endless Scroll could make any other comments aimed at her. Despite being a magical prodigy, the professor could be extremely annoying, given the opportunity.

"Good day, Miss Bright!" Two first year fillies greeted her as she passed them by in the hallway. Returning the greeting with a smile and a nod, she trotted on forward. She couldn't place their names, but remembered them from her Assistance in Magical Theory after hours help sessions. The faculty, Professor Scroll in particular, had encouraged Noonlight to organize such activities in an attempt to improve her own academic knowledge. The way things were going, that was probably the only future she had to look forward to - a life of theoretical academia.

Noonlight allowed herself a sigh. She had been doing that a lot lately. Theoretical magic was good and all, but it could hardly compare to real spells, even sloppy ones. Noonlight missed that. They might as well replace her with a book. That's what she had become - a four legged book, that couldn't cast the simplest of spells without fear of it backfiring in horrendous fashion.

Arriving at her dorm, Noonlight hoofed the door open and went inside. Hardly had she done so when the entire room burst into fireworks of various colours and designs.

"Surprise!" A blue unicorn hugged Noonlight before she could figure out what was going on.

"Trixie?" she asked, surprised. "What the..."

"How have you been, Noony?" The other didn't leave her a chance to finish. "Did you like my great and powerful fireworks display? A bit on the flashy side, but that's ok since we have lots to celebrate."

"Wait, wait, wait!" Noonlight took a step back. It wasn't that she was unhappy to see Trixie, just that seeing her so exuberant set off alarm bells.

"Oh, but silly me," Trixie chuckled. "I guess I should behave more properly in front of the SGU's soon-to-be teaching assistant. Well done, Noon! I knew you had it in you."

"You still have a soft spot for gossip," Noonlight sighed. "And it's the unofficial assistant in theoretical magic." She emphasized 'theoretical' heavily.

The clarification made Trixie lose her smile. It was her fault that Noonlight couldn't do magic, something the blue unicorn was trying to make up for, so far without success.

"How are you holding up?" she asked supportively.

"Fine, I guess," the other shrugged. "Still can't do proper magic. Endless is trying to teach me how to get through this, but progress is slow. But hey, at least they haven't kicked me out of school. That's always a good thing."

She omitted the part of having a long conversation with the school's Headmistress on the matter. Using ancient artifacts without consulting a faculty member was stupid, to say the least. Not only was it harmful to her, but it could have put her fellow students in danger. Ultimately, an agreement was reached where Noonlight would continue her studies as normal, but would under no circumstances perform any magic, even simple levitation, unless in the presence of Endless Scroll or another appointed member of the faculty. The whole matter would remain secret, with only two unicorns in the SGU being fully in the loop. Naturally, Noonlight suspected Princess Celestia had been informed as well.

Noonlight had never once mentioned Trixie's involvement during her painful talk with the Headmistress. As far as anypony was concerned, it was her own stupidity and carelessness that had brought this onto her.

"I'm still searching for a counter spell," Trixie said, apologetically. "If it’s out there, I'll find it."

"I know, Trix," Noonlight smiled. "Anyway, what brings you here this time? Last I read, you were taking Manehatten by storm."

"Well," Trixie turned around dramatically. "City ponies simply lack the refinement to appreciate the majesty of the Great and Powerful Trixie. Their loss, entirely, I assure you. And they showed so much promise when I first got there." A dramatic sigh followed.

"I am sure." Noonlight couldn't help but chuckle. Typical Trixie. Leave it to her to present failures in a positive light.

"Anyway, when I was between performances I thought about you." Noonlight felt a sense of unease come over her. The last time Trixie said that, things didn't end too well. "'How could I make my old friend get better?' I asked myself. And then I got it! It was quite simple, really."

"Trixie..." Noonlight turned a shade paler.

"Remember when we used to laugh about how it would be if we could send mail the way Celestia does?"

"It was just one time," Noonlight made a futile attempt to add some logic to the conversation. "And I only mentioned it because there is no way to keep in touch with you, once you start roaming around Equestria."

"Well, consider the problem solved!" blue unicorn announced triumphantly. "Not only that, but - and this is the good part - it will let you practice magic again."

Cold sweat formed on Noonlight's back and forehead.

"What have you done?" she asked in horror.

"I challenged Twilight Sparkle to a magic duel through mail!" Noonlight felt faint. "And she accepted!"

Coloured circles appeared before Noonlight's eyes. This was the end. Forget fleeing Canterlot, she would have to leave Equestria if she hoped to get any peace. She would become the laughing stock of the land. Challenging Celestia's favourite pupil, and an alicorn to boot, was the surest way to get in trouble. Twilight would certainly confide in Celestia, who in turn would make inquiries at the school, resulting in Noonlight's immediate expulsion.

There were bound to be consequences. No doubt it wouldn't even get to the duel itself. Twilight would ask Celestia about the challenge, who in turn would ask the Headmistress of the school, and that would result in immediate expulsion.

"Noon?" Trixie asked. "Are you alright?"

There was nothing Noonlight could say. In her mind she was already considering career change options. With her knowledge, she could probably find work as a frontier teacher in some small forgotten town. Or possibly a shop assistant? Anything far away from civilization, where news from Canterlot would be difficult to come by.

"Hey, don't worry," Trixie placed a hoof on her shoulder. "It's alright. This time I've made sure of it."

"Really?" Noonlight squeaked quietly, looking blankly at the floor.

"Hey," the blue unicorn shook her gently. "Don't break down on me! I didn't use our real names, and I sent the letter while you were in class, so no one would suspect a thing."

The last part didn't sound encouraging. It did, however, make Noonlight curious enough to look up.

"You see, I have it all figured out," Trixie continued enthusiastically. "You can't cast spells, right? And as much as you'd like to match your skills directly with Twilight, that might cause a stir."

"Wait, what?" Noonlight's ears perked up. "I never said..."

"Dueling with her in the open is just too dangerous, Noony," Trixie went on, oblivious to what Noonlight was trying to say. "You can't be seen having a feud with Twilight on my behalf. Don't forget you can't attract more attention to yourself right now."

That was preposterous! The mere arrogance made Noonlight get back on her hooves. She certainly never agreed on anything of the sort! Where in Tartarus did Trixie come up with such insane assumptions? 'Feud on her behalf'? If a pony didn't know better, they would assume all this to be Noonlight's idea. It was the Autocorrect spell, all over again. Only this time, Noonlight was not going to let herself be manipulated into doing what Trixie wanted!

"Buuuut," the blue unicorn smiled, "there is a way round that! If you write down your spell on a scroll and send it to Twilight to cast on herself, we both win! I get to challenge her, and you get to practice real magic without getting into trouble. Isn't it a great idea or what?"

No! It isn't! Trying to find an easy solution had caused Noonlight to almost lose her magic, in the first place! Relying on a quick solution to fix that could very well get her in who knows how much trouble? It wasn't worth it! No way would she throw away the little she had left, on a whim.

"Trixie, will you just s..." Noonlight began angrily, but suddenly stopped. Looking at it objectively, it wasn't a bad idea. Hay, it was ingenious! A spell that the opponent would have to activate and then defend herself from. The spell delivery system would have to be different, obfuscated somehow so the caster had no idea what the effects would be. Also, a delay would have to be incorporated, along with some visual feedback to give an adequate amount of time for preparation. It was definitely going to take some work, but it was possible. Best of all, as Trixie had pointed out, it was entirely theoretical! At no point would Noonlight have to cast anything!

"I know that look," Trixie said, hugging her tightly. "You're hooked. So are we celebrating, or what?"

"You know what?" Noonlight smiled, then started concentrating. Please let it work! Please let it work! She began casting a sound isolation spell all over the room. Pale yellow light covered her horn, spreading to her surroundings. The spell complete without incident, Noonlight relaxed.

"Let's!" she said, pleased with herself.

"Quite the rebel you've become," Trixie giggled. "Aren't you afraid Endless might find out?"

"The hay with him!"

They both laughed. Funny how a single bit of inspiration could change a unicorn's mood. Moments ago Noonlight felt like her life had ended. Now the clouds of despair had disappeared, replaced by the shining light of purpose. Magic through mail was unheard of. A totally new area of magic she could excel in, as well as feel as if she were casting spells once more. It was indeed perfect.

"So, want to do the honours?" Trixie floated a purple envelope in front of Noonlight.

It was visible at first glance that the envelope had been opened, then clumsily sealed again. Noonlight pretended not to notice. She snatched it from the air, then gently tore it open. The letter inside was folded in four. The penmanship was among the best examples Noonlight had ever seen, second only to Trixie's. Noonlight's own writing was atrocious at best, even when using magic.

Dear Starry Sun, the letter began. Immediately, Noonlight gave Trixie a disapproving stare.

"Starry Sun?" she asked. "Seriously?"

"Well it sounded so much better than Sunny Star," the other shrugged. "Besides, this way nopony will figure out who we are."

I have no idea how you managed to slip your note in princess Celestia's letter, but I will definitely find out!

Not the best start. To be honest, though, Noonlight also wondered how Trixie had managed to pull it off. Not just anypony could enter the palace. Then again, maybe she was better off not knowing such details. She kept on reading.

The entire notion that there could be a magic duel through mail is laughable, to say the least. And even if it were possible, I don't do duels, be they magic or any other kind!

Of course, if there is any merit to your claim, I will be interested to see such magic with my own eyes.

For some reason Noonlight could feel her pace quicken. All of this seemed exciting. She had never considered anypony a rival before. Constantly focusing on creating the next Equestria-changing spell, she had rarely got in competitions or tried to outmagic anypony. This challenge filled her with so much raw emotion that she wanted to hop around the room.

As requested, I am sending my reply to the address provided, in a purple envelope, and am eagerly awaiting your response.

I would appreciate if, in the future, you kept yourself to standard mail.

Respectfully,

Princess Twilight Sparkle

Noonlight put the letter away. It was too much to take in at once. She felt excited, she felt star struck, she felt like never before! For once Trixie had been right - all this was going to work out for the better. The only question was what sort of challenge to come up with. Something original, but not dangerous. A water flame blossom, perhaps? Casting it involved a double spell, but Noonlight felt confident she could easily make it into one. Add a mirror image vortex and basic rune changer and Twilight wouldn't know what hit her, quite literally!

"Noon?" a voice said. "Noon? Are you still with me?" It was Trixie waving a hoof in front of her eyes.

"What?" Noonlight snapped out of it. "Yes?"

"You seemed somewhere else," Trixie laughed. "You've come up with a spell, haven't you? You always got that look when you came up with new ideas in class - completely oblivious to everything."

"Did you bring any empty scrolls?" Noonlight asked eagerly, hardly paying any attention to the conversation.

"Sure..." Now Trixie felt some unease. Being her former bunkmare, she had seen Noonlight’s obsession with spells, but back then, simple transfigurations seemed exotic. Both had improved quite a lot since then.

"We are going to make the first mail duel spell!" she said glowing with joy. "And it will be the finest spell anypony has ever seen!"

2. Mail Activated Spell

Work on the spell began at once. For them to succeed, they had to focus on their strengths and combine their efforts. Noonlight would compose the spell - she would jot down notes, describe the overall idea, and determine the type and placement of spell elements. She would then pass it to Trixie, whose job would be to write it neatly on a clean scroll. In theory, it sounded like the perfect plan, but in practice it didn’t go quite so well. Less than an hour later, it became obvious that changes had to be made. If they were to create the perfect mail duel spell, they were going to require more than just teamwork - they would need a process.

Naturally, it was Trixie who came up with the idea. It was decided that process would be divided into three stages - conception, composition and completion. Conception was Noonlight's responsibility. She would think up the desired spell effect, as well as the best means to achieve it. Then, during composition, both would write down the spell outline. Questions would be answered, inconsistencies dealt with, until everything was laid out, down to the most insignificant spell element. When the last detail was ironed out, leaving no room for misunderstanding, Trixie would put the spell on paper, ready to be sent to Twilight.

The spell chosen for the first challenge was given the name “Water Petals” - a combination of firework blossoms and water flames. The logic was simple - upon being read, a series of fireworks would burst all around the caster, in this case Twilight, and dart straight at her. Of course, not before the flames transformed into water. A frightening, but absolutely safe, experience. Both unicorns were certain it would have a profound effect on the Princess of Friendship.

Composing the spell took far longer than Noonlight had hoped. Initially she believed they would be done that very same night and send the letter with in the morning mail. Unfortunately, between her illegible writing and Trixie's inability to think out of the box, four days were wasted on ironing out the details. Three more passed as Trixie attempted to cram a book's worth of symbols on a single scroll. Evening after evening Noonlight would ask Trixie whether she was done, and each time get the same growl of an answer.

A week passed. Done with her classes, Noonlight gathered her books and quietly left for her dorm. As always, there was one thing on her mind - the duel spell. Usually, she would end up disappointed, but this time, things turned out differently. Upon entering her room, the unicorn found Trixie snoring on the desk. Next to her head, set carefully aside from all the other pieces of paper, was a neatly written scroll containing the most beautiful spell Noonlight had ever seen.

"You have really outdone yourself, Trix," she whispered as she gently took the scroll. One cannot but admire the clarity with which the magic elements were written. Perfect spacing, impeccable penmanship, not a single spelling mistake to be seen. Trixie really had a gift for that sort of thing. A shame she couldn't come up with spells of her own.

"Trixie," Noonlight shoved her friend gently. "Trixie..."

"The Great and Powerful Trixie won't do any more shows tonight," the blue unicorn mumbled, half asleep. "Come back in the morning..."

"Oh, Great and Powerful Trixie," Noonlight teased, "the Princesses are waiting."

Trixie shot up like a popcorn kernel.

"What? Where?" she looked around in panic. Only when she saw the chuckling Noonlight did she relax. "Ha, ha! Very funny, Noony..."

"Like you never did anything of the sort," the other shoved her jokingly.

"Send me to Tartarus, why don't you?" the blue unicorn grumbled.

"The spell is beautiful! Absolutely beautiful!"

"It should be," Trixie yawned. "I spent the entire night putting your insanity on paper. Only a crazy mare would come up with something like that."

"Now there's only one thing left to do," Noonlight said expectantly.

The hint was obvious - Trixie had to test the final product. With a sigh and a groan she went to the centre of the room. The scroll levitated towards her, stopping inches from her face. Then Trixie started reading.

At first, nothing happened. The blue glow surrounding Trixie's horn grew brighter and brighter until it shone like a crystal beacon. A magic projection, in the form of a huge blue hourglass, appeared in the air and started rotating rhythmically.

"Do you want me to defend myself?" Trixie asked as the hourglass changed from blue to an alarming red.

"Sure," Noonlight replied, mesmerized by her creation.

Trixie didn't waste any time. A protective bubble surrounded her, and not a moment too soon. On its fifth turn, the hourglass exploded. Scores of minuscule, glowing grains floated through the air, forming a spiral around the unicorn. For several seconds they remained hanging there innocently, like fireflies. The calm did not last. Without warning, the grains blossomed into flames. Fire petals transformed to water, splashing all over Trixie's magic bubble. Noonlight felt her heart would burst from excitement! It had worked! Her spell - the spell that couldn't be done - had performed magnificently, beyond her dreams even!

"Weeeeell," Trixie started critically, as she stopped her protective spells. "The fireworks could use more work and the..." Noonlight's expression of uncontrollable joy made the blue unicorn stop. Only a heartless pony would nitpick at a time like this. "It's a great spell, Noon. Really really great."

"Isn't it?" Noonlight could hardly contain herself. "My first spell. My first new spell! This..." Noonlight suddenly felt she couldn't breathe. A feeling of euphoria swept her, distorting the room and everything in it to shapes and colours. Darkness soon followed.

When Noonlight woke up, she was tucked comfortably in her bed. Cautiously, she looked around. The room was dim, the only light coming from a candle on the desk. Had she been asleep that long?

Slipping out of bed, Noonlight turned on the lights. Trixie was nowhere to be seen. Her ridiculous cape and hat were still there, along with an extremely large trunk. There was no way she could have left Canterlot. Most probably she off to do another performance somewhere.

Still yawning, Noonlight went to extinguish the candle. A note was propped up beside it.

You shouldn't party so hard, filly, the note read. I decided to let you sleep and mail the letter to Twilight in the morning. Until she writes back, no more all nighters! Have fun, fool around with Endless, and don't forget to eat and floss. - Trix

Noonlight rolled her eyes. Trixie definitely needed to work on her sense of humour. On the bright side, she did say she was going to send the letter. Not only that, but she had cleaned the room while Noonlight was sleeping. All the books were neatly arranged on the shelves, the notes tidied away, and there wasn't a drop of water on the floor. Living alone in a performance wagon had definitely taught Trixie how to deal with life's lesser hardships. If only Noonlight could say the same. Fainting, just because her spell had worked? She could only cringe how stupid that sounded. Trixie had probably laughed her tail off at the sight.

"Aww," Noonlight facehoofed. She was never going to live this down. "Well, what's done is done!" she said, in a feeble attempt to boost her confidence. The spell was tested, the scroll sent. All that remained now was to wait patiently, and give the matter no further thought. However, that turned out to be far more difficult than it sounded.

3. Twilight Responds

As much as she tried, Noonlight couldn't stop thinking about the duel. Whether in class or outside, the nagging feeling, that a letter might arrive, wouldn't go away. In her mind, she had already witnessed the whole thing over and over again. She had seen the alicorn receive the letter, heard her read out the spell, and experienced it activate. Sometimes the spell would fail miserably, proving no challenge at all. Twilight would then find it beneath her standards and not bother with a reply, tagging Noonlight as just another special snowflake. Other times, Noonlight would imagine the alicorn getting soaked by waterflame blossoms in front of her friends and Princess Celestia. A victory, no doubt, but one that would leave Twilight bitter and angry. If that were to happen, what would her response be?

Obsessed with constant questions, Noonlight would forget she was in class, becoming completely oblivious to everything around her. This was not lost on her teachers, who would resort to warning coughs and the occasional sharp remark to bring her back to reality. Sometimes there would be a gamble or two, but Noonlight's incredible progress in theoretical matters would spare her any serious consequences. Being an assistant, even if unofficial, definitely had its privileges.

For days Noonlight would rush to her room after class, eager to learn whether a response had arrived. Each time Trixie would shake her head, make a witty remark, then force Noonlight to eat something, as if Noonlight was a foal. Next day the cycle would start again - like and endless loop from which there was no escape. Until one day, something changed.

"Hi, Trix," Noonlight said glumly, arriving back from class. It had been a particularly tiresome morning. The rumors, that she was soon to become a teaching assistant, made more and more unicorns came to her for advice. To make matters worse, the faculty didn't lift a hoof to discourage such behaviour.

"Anything new?" She threw her saddlebags on the floor.

A large purple envelope floated in front of her face. Noonlight squealed. Her exhaustion gone, she started hopping like wild. It had arrived! Twilight had written back! Eagerly, she reached to grab the letter, only to have it briskly float away.

"Now, now," Trixie said from the bed. "Eat something first."

Noonlight groaned. Having Trixie, of all ponies, act like the strict and caring mare seemed too much out of character. Did she even know how to take care of others? Noonlight reached again for the letter. A series of tsks made her reconsider. Clearly Trixie wasn't joking.

"Fine!" Noonlight said reluctantly and went to grab a hay sandwich from the kitchen. "Haf yu omned t?" she asked chewing hastily.

"Of course not!" Trixie sounded genuinely hurt. "There is no telling what sort of spell Twilight might have put in there. I'll need your help to come up with an appropriate protection spell."

Well, that certainly explained Trixie's unusual concern for Noonlight's wellbeing. Gobbling down the rest of her sandwich, Noonlight began assessing options. A full protective bubble seemed a good start. That would protect against any physical spell. Add to that a one-way-see-through barrier, to obscure Trixie from any distant sight spells. And finally a prismatic prison, for good measure. It wouldn't be beyond Twilight to try and make Trixie teleport herself to some distant location, at least that's what Noonlight would have done.

"And remember," Noonlight said as she hid behind the bed. "If light is involved, cast your cloud trick. Oh, and have a silence spell ready, if..."

"Relax," the blue unicorn said confidently. "This isn't the my first duel, you know."

True, Noonlight thought. How many duels have you won, though? Bracing herself, she waited. She could hear Trixie tear the envelope open. So far so good. Now all that remained was for the spell to be cast and...

"You can come out," Trixie said. "It's just a letter."

Noonlight didn't need telling twice. Before Trixie could put down her protective spells, Noonlight was out from behind the bed and on her way to the desk. With the grace and elegance of a three legged mule, she clambered her way next to Trixie, and stared at the letter. Looking at the piece of paper, she concluded it was indeed a note. The top five words instantly stood out - underlined and twice as large as the rest.

You are on, Starry Sun! they read.

"Well, we definitely made an impression," Trixie chucked, putting down the last of her spells.

That was the most foalish thing I have ever seen in my life! Sending spells like that is a serious matter! I appreciate the hourglass warning, nice use of a visual time spell, by the way, but you could have EXPLAINED what its purpose was! If anypony was with me they could have been hurt!

I think we should set some ground rules:

1. We keep letters and spells separate. Personal messages are to be written on a blue scroll, while the spell itself on a white one. That way, there would be no confusion.

2. Each spell is to start with a ten second warning period, not five!

3. Each spell is to be clearly marked as safe for indoor casting or not. Can you imagine what would have happened if I had cast your spell in a library?!

4. We are NEVER to send such spells through the standard mail. Somepony might get hurt! I'll ask Princess Celestia to have a royal guard leave my letters at the address you mentioned, as well as collect any you might place there. I'll also convince the Princess to let us continue our correspondence through Spike. It will be both safer and more efficient.

Finally, you don't need to worry about me using this to uncover your identity. I have accepted your 'Magic Duel Through Mail', so will stick to its rules. I will, however, use any other means to find out who you are!

Eagerly expecting your next spell,

Twilight Sparkle

"Success!" shouted Trixie exuberantly. "The Great and Powerful Trixie is victorious! With some help from her fellow mare, of course," she quickly added. "So what do we do now?"

"Weeeeell," Noonlight smiled innocently. "There is one thing I want to try out. A teleportation spell right into a giant pie! Repeated a couple of times, naturally."

"Niiice," Trixie grinned as she rubbed her hooves. "I like."

Work on the new spell started immediately. Using their developed process, it only took them two days to complete. From a magic point of view the spell was extremely intricate, requiring careful spatial planning and teleport chains. For a side observer it would seem nothing more than a foalish prank. Hopefully, Twilight wouldn't see it as such. Despite being engaged in a duel, Noonlight didn't want to upset the princess.

The spell was marked "Not Safe for Casting Indoors" and sent the morning after its completion. The answer came three agonizingly long days later. Apparently, the alicorn had had some trouble coming up with an adequate response.

Dear Starry Sun,

What did I tell you about dangerous spells? Teleporting in a tree is no laughing matter! Fortunately, I anticipated something of the sort, and chose an appropriate location.

That aside, the spell was quite clever. You are using multiple spells, aren't you? I'm only assuming you are quite advanced in magic, to combine a teleportation spell with something else. At some point I would really like to see your actual spell without the rune changer.

I, on the other hand, prefer chain spells. They might be a bit draining, so let me know if you can't handle them, and I'll tone things down a notch.

Enjoy!

Twilight Sparkle

As agreed, Trixie prepared to cast the spell, while Noonlight advised her what sorts of barriers to use. The standard defenses were a must, along with an invisibility spell and a prismatic prison. What neither of them expected, was a swarm of foul smelling insects to appear in the room. Obviously, Twilight's magic skills weren't an exaggeration.

It took a whole day of cleaning and magic to get the dreadful bug smell out of the dorm. Quite the laborious task, it strengthened the unicorns' resolve. Neither Trixie nor Noonlight were going to let themselves be outdone. Barely done with the cleaning, they started plotting their next move. Hurricane of light sounded like a good idea. Weather spells were alway a classic, especially when combined with visual displays. Barriers would be totally useless, and it was unlikely that Twilight would prepare an adequate defense. At least, that was Noonlight's hope.

The reply came two days later.

Dear Starry Sun,

You nearly got me with that last one. I anticipated you might go for a weather spell. The light element caught me off guard. Still, I was able to teleport away, so nice try!

My dragon, Spike, got the worst of it. Ever since the first letter he has been asking about you. And since he is delivering our correspondence, I had to tell him everything. Don't let him know, but my little dragon can be quite overprotective sometimes. Recently he demanded to be nearby, in case something happens to me. Your hurricane of light managed to dazzle him to the point he couldn't walk for half a day. I'm beginning to wonder whether we shouldn't return to standard mail. It will be a bit slower, but at least he wouldn't be as involved... I hope. I'll talk to him again, once he stops grumbling, and let you know how it plays out.

Here is my answer. I call it 'Bitter Sweet'. Good luck figuring it out!

Twilight Sparkle

As Noonlight correctly suspected, the spell turned out to be a self transfiguration spell. What she failed to take into account, was that Twilight had added a dispel spell to it, rendering any protection useless, and changing Trixie into a caramel candy. The spell only lasted half a minute, but proved beyond doubt that their adversary was a long way from being defeated. Strangely enough, neither Trixie nor Noonlight felt disappointed. If anything they found the experience hilarious.

"Onto the next spell?" Trixie asked, combing her mane. Being a candy had messed it up quite a bit.

"I'll need some time," Noonlight mused. Now that dispels were in the picture they had gone to a whole new level. Ordinary double spells wouldn't cut it anymore. "Say, Trix. What is she like?"

"Twilight?" the blue unicorn gave her a surprised look. "Overly obsessed with friendship and forgiveness," she shrugged. "Quite good in magic, twice as good in magical theory. She used to live in a library once."

"Yes, but what is she like?"

A simple question, yet Noonlight didn't have an answer. Why, though? All three of them had been in the SGU. They must have come across each other at some point, even if they were in different classes. Why, then, were they total strangers?

"Why don't you ask her?" Trixie suggested after a short silence. "Knowing her, she'll answer. Just be careful you don't mention too much, or you'll get us caught."

Noonlight nodded. Writing to Twilight might not be such a bad idea.

4. Pen Pal Adversaries

Noonlight didn't come up with a new spell that night. She spent a while discussing the concept of environment spells with Trixie, but in truth she was thinking about starting a correspondence with Twilight. It was a stupid, reckless thing to do. She knew it, Trixie knew it, and still there was the desire to do so. There was something about getting to know another pony through mail that made the experience so much more special. Although she would never admit it, Noonlight still kept all the letters Trixie had sent her. At times, when she felt alone, she would reread them. On one occasion she attempted to start a correspondence with her family, but that didn't work out too well. Living in Canterlot, they had come to visit her at school, instead of writing back. That had lead to some very embarrassing moments.

The next day was just as uneventful. Boring lectures, spell practice with Aether Magna - practice Noonlight was excused from, due to her special circumstances, and finally evening hours with professor Scroll.

"Is everything alright, Noonlight?" the professor asked. He had gotten used to act quite casually during their spell casting sessions. Usually that was a good thing, the two could get into heated arguments over magic theory and practice without consequences. At times, though, Noonlight got the impression he was being a bit too friendly.

"Sorry, spelling never was my..." she began absentmindedly.

"It's not your magic." Endless Scroll shook his head. "In fact, you haven't made a singly mistake during our entire session. You seem distracted."

There he went with being overly friendly again. So what if she was distracted? It wasn't that she was in any trouble. And even if she were, why did he have to assume that only he could help her? Just because she had turned to him when seeking a solution for her magic problem, didn't mean she would run to him for every little thing!

"If there is anything I could help," he made a step towards her, causing Noonlight to instantly step back.

"I think this has been enough to practice for one day, sir," she said in an icy tone. This was the first time she had reacted so sharply in public. The effect was immediate. Taken aback Endless found himself at a lack of words. "I will see you tomorrow in class," she walked past. "I wish you good night, Professor!"

Halfway to her dorm Noonlight exhaled. That was terrible! She could definitely have handled it better. It was still his fault for pressing the issue! Still, what if she had gone too far? If he told anypony of her secret, she would be done for. The faculty might not kick her out, but her classmates would. A mare incapable of magic had no place in a school for gifted casters.

By the time she got to her room, Noonlight was a mental wreck. Anger mixed with fear was a horrible combination. She desperately needed a shoulder to cry on. Sadly, Trixie wasn't there. A note on the desk indicated she had gone to 'liven up a party' and wouldn't be back until early next morning. Trixie had written the party's address, in the off chance Noonlight wished to join in. At present, that was the last thing on Noonlight's mind.

"Just great," she grumbled. The one time she could really use a pick me up, and Trixie wasn't there.

Noonlight took a shower, had a bite of sandwich, although she didn't feel like eating, then went to bed. Some sleep, perchance some dreams, might help her relax. Sadly, neither happened. No matter how long she lay there, eyes shut, her mind wouldn't stop racing. She needed to let it all out.

Moonlight shone through the window, falling on the desk. Unable to stay in bed down any longer, Noonlight got up. Right now there was only one pony she could talk to. Taking a quill and a blue scroll, she sat at the desk and started writing.

Dear Twilight,

My apologies if this letter doesn't have anything to do with magic, but I just needed to talk to somepony, and at the moment you are it. Without going into details, let's say that I have certain impairments. No telling whether I'll get better or not. The thing is, they have caused me to act in a certain fashion and rely on certain ponies. Lately, that has caused me to become distracted, which has only made matters worse. One of those I am forced to rely on, acted more suggestively than I was used to. Maybe I'm reading too much into this. He didn't really do anything, but somehow I felt unprepared. I just don't know. Maybe with my recent changes and this pen pal duel, I'm just going insane? Sorry if all this doesn't make any sense.

Sorry to hear you are having trouble with your dragon. I can fully relate. My family could be like that a lot. Is there a way to convince him to keep the duel going? I think I can come up with a spell that he'll enjoy. I'll write it separately on a new coloured scroll to avoid confusion. No rune changer this time, so enjoy analyzing it. Not that it's anything you wouldn't know already.

I have to go now. A lot to prepare for tomorrow.

Thank you for listening to my ramblings,

Your pen pal adversary,

Starry Sun

The letter completed and neatly folded away, Noonlight spent the rest of the night working on a spell to appease Twilight's dragon. Knowing his favourite food to be gems, she decided that a four-in-one special was in order. Creating and combining ruby, emerald, diamond, and sapphire would definitely make him view the duel in a positive light. It wasn't too difficult a spell either. All she had to do, was use a summoning spell to get the necessary ingredients and then form them simultaneously so they fused together in one. Simple! The spell would be called the Gem of Four Seasons, and was going to be magnificent!

By morning, the rough draft of the spell was ready and placed on the desk, along with an outline of the challenge spell. Trixie hadn't come back, so Noonlight added a note explaining how to proceed onward. Another thing she did, was hide the unfinished sandwiches from the previous night. She knew that if Trixie found out she had been skipping meals again, she would flip and start one of her lectures, possibly even revert to third person speech.

Classes passed quite well. Fortunately there was nothing scheduled with Endless Scroll. Right now, Noonlight preferred to avoid him altogether. A few classmates came to ask her for advice on some theoretical matters - mostly simple principles. As usual, she laid out the groundwork, providing the unicorns with references and a few familiar examples. That seemed to make them happy enough to invite her to some social event, despite knowing she would refuse. It was a nice gesture that made her smile.

Come evening, Noonlight was back in her room.

"You're early," Trixie looked up from the desk. "Weren't you supposed to be spell practicing?"

"Practice was postponed," Noonlight lied, heading directly for her bed.

"Oookay," Trixie glanced at her with concern. There was no denying that Noonlight was starting to look unhealthy. The shades under her eyes were a little deeper, her face was a little paler, not to mention she always seemed tired. Trixie went to the kitchen, then returned with a bowl of soup, cautiously approaching Noonlight.

"Long day?" she asked. A groan indicated that to be the case. "Do you know how the Great and Powerful Trixie remains great and powerful?" A bed stand was levitated nearby and the bowl of soup placed on top. "Three spoonfuls," Trixie nudged. "Just three spoonfuls and I won't bother you anymore."

"Trixie," Noonlight grumbled. "Shouldn't you be writing a spell or something?"

One look at Trixie's serious expression and it was clear there was no getting rid of her. Noonlight sighed. Without thinking she levitated the bowl to her lips and took a sip. The taste was good! In fact it was so good, her eyes popped wide open. It reminded Noonlight of an old recipe her grandmother used to make for her when she was a filly.

"How?" She began, but Trixie put a hoof over her mouth.

"Two more," the blue unicorn stated firmly.

Not a problem. Noonlight finished the soup in moments then ask for seconds, and thirds. Suddenly the world seemed a much brighter place.

"What's inside this?" she asked after her third helping.

"Carrots, thistles, kale, walnuts," Trixie started enumerating. "Everything a mare needs to remain healthy and beautiful. And, of course, a special spell of my own."

Noonlight looked at her expectantly.

"Memory taste spell," she said smugly. "Takes the taste of whatever you miss the most. That way you never get tired of eating the same meal over and over again. My mother used it a lot when I was little. Quite useful when one doesn't have enough bits for proper food."

"Trix, you never cease to amaze."

"The Great and Amazing Trixie at your service," the other bowed, laughing. "Now then, what's this gem spell? Doesn't look too useful in a duel. And why no rune changer?"

"It's for Twilight's dragon. I figured if I could bribe him with something he'll continue sending our letters."

"Right," Trixie noded in agreement. "Little Spike had a tendency of taking things too seriously. A good gem would make him reconsider. You know, I like your style. Seems my efforts have finally started paying off."

"I'm glad you approve, mom," Noonlight gave her a friendly shove. "Anyway, how are the spells getting along?"

"Finished with the gem one." Trixie went back to the desk. "I made a few stones for myself, hope you don't mind. They would be a perfect addition to my act. The other one, though, might take a bit longer. I'm still trying to wrap my head round all that conditional magic stuff."

"It's simple really." Noonlight went beside her. "Let's say that Twilight casts a protection bubble around her. Our spell checks whether she has, and acts accordingly. If a barrier spell is identified, it dispels it. If not, it just continues with the next set of spell elements."

"This is getting really complicated," Trixie placed a hoof on her temple. "I really wonder how you come up with those things."

"And I wonder how you manage to write them down. You know, I'm really glad you challenged the princess. This might well be the second best thing that has happened to me."

It had been ages since Noonlight had such fun! The evening was spent going down memory lane, talking about all the things that happened during their first years at the SGU. The pranks, the exams, the heart stopping horrors that didn't seem all that horrifying now. Rather they were funny. Their first meeting, the first time they found out they were bunkmares, Trixie's first hiccup spell on Noonlight during music class...

The two laughed for hours, after which Trixie returned to working on the spell, and Noonlight went to bed. For a moment she hesitated whether to tell Trixie about her issue with Endless, but decided against it. There was no need to burden her friend with personal problems.

Early next morning, the duel spell was ready. Despite her constant lectures about proper sleep, Trixie had spent most of the night completing it. It was agreed that she would send it once Noonlight started class. On her part, Noonlight promised not to let events at school ruin her mood. A promise easier said than done... her first class was with professor Scroll.

5. Joy and Fears

One could feel the tension in the air. Usually chatty, Endless Scroll had transformed into a living textbook. There were no comments, no questions towards the class, just a constant murmur and a lot of writing on the blackboard. He did not look at Noonlight once, nor did he ask her to explain any of the material as he usually did. It was like she didn't exist. Strangely enough, that made Noonlight even more furious on the inside. To make matters worse, several of her classmates asked if she could have a word with the professor about his new style of teaching. They hadn't managed to learn anything, but felt too uncomfortable to mention it directly. Instead the task was given to Noonlight, as his favourite. The unicorn wasn't at all pleased, but agreed to do it nonetheless, just not right away.

Returning home, Noonlight was feeling worse than ever. The gloom of class clung to her like a wet cloud. Thankfully, a letter from Twilight was expecting her on the desk. Eagerly, the unicorn grabbed it and started reading.

Dear Starry,

I never imagined you had problems. Based on your spells and letters I always thought of you as an exceptional unicorn and a magic prodigy. If there's anything I could do help, let me know. I really mean that!

As for this 'pony' who acted suggestively, I'd say magic him away with everything you have! Judging by your spells so far, it should be easy. Seriously, though, have you tried confronting him? I don't know the circumstances, and if there is any chance of danger you shouldn't do it alone, but I suggest a serious talk. Get your friends to come for support, or if you want, I can come myself. I know this will put an end to our duel, but your safety is far more important. Something to keep in mind.

Thanks a deal for the Gem of Four Seasons. Spike was reluctant at first, but after a taste was quick to forgive you. And by that I mean he 'demanded that you make a unique gem, he might give to somepony'. The little guy has quite the crush on one of my friends, and you've given him the chance to impress her. Just come up with something of the latest fashion in Canterlot and all will be happy.

Great spelling method! I recognize parts of the classics, but the combination is quite unexpected. Oh, and that reactive spell element is really crazy! I had to recast the spell five times until I figured out how you were doing it. I guess I'll step up my game as well. In the meantime, we can continue sending each other letters, if that's alright.

Your pen pal adversary,

Twilight

Noonlight blinked, then reread the letter again. Princess Twilight had taken the time to answer her letter? Not only that, but she had offered help? That was far more than Noonlight had expected.

"Hey hey," Trixie came in. She had been to another party, and her exhaustion was showing. "What's that?" She glanced at Noonlight.

"Oh, a letter from Princess Twilight."

"What's it say?" Trixie reached for the letter, but Noonlight held it protectively to her chest.

"Just that the gem spell worked," she replied quickly. "And to expect her answer soon."

"Very well." Trixie arched a brow, but chose not to pursue the matter further. "I'll be going out again for a bit. Canterlot just can't get enough of the Great and Powerful Trixie."

"Another performance?" Noonlight was only too glad to change the topic. "That's great, Trix! Where is it this time? Another party?"

"Private performance." Trixie levitated her hat and cloak on. "I'd tell you about it, but your thoughts seem to be elsewhere."

"Sorry, Trix," Noonlight looked away. "It's just that..."

"Shh." The blue unicorn smiled. "We all have our little secrets. The secret of being friends is accepting that. You'll tell me if you need to. Until then..."

A cloud of blue smoke filled the room. When it cleared, Trixie was nowhere to be seen. Leave it to her to run off at the mention of a performance. On the plus side, that did give Noonlight a chance to write back to Twilight. A slight feeling of guilt came over the unicorn. Was it wrong to be more interested in a new pen pal, even if a princess, than an old friend?

"From the mind, not the heart," she whispered to herself then started writing.

Dear Twilight,

Thank you for your offer. I'm dealing with things for now. If it gets any worse, I'll be sure to let you know, duel or no duel.

I'm glad that Spike approves. I was worried that the gem might not have been enough. Now that you know the spell, you could give him gems as much as you like. As for the other spell, that's the only way I could keep up with your chains. My condition prevents me from being able to use those. To be honest, my spell casting is quite slow. In a real duel, I won't stand a chance against you. I can only hope that I'll be ready for your next spell.

By the way, I happen to be roommare of an old friend of yours. She says she knew you way back when you first moved to Ponyville. Although she would be mad at me, I'd like to congratulate you on becoming a princess, on her behalf.

Thank you,

Your pen pal adversary,

Starry Sun

The letter was carefully hidden, until the time came to send another mail duel spell. Twilight's response arrived the following day - a sound spell. It was by pure chance that Trixie reacted fast enough, casting a silence field before the wailing of a dozen magic stars filled the dorm. Such attention would have been disastrous. Noonlight wasn't allowed to perform magic of any kind without supervision, and Trixie wasn't even supposed to be there. Twilight's spell might have been a one off, but it reminded both Noonlight and Trixie that they had more than the duel to worry about. From now on they were going to have to be far more careful.

Time sped on. Mail spell making gradually became part of the everyday routine. The creation process had become so advanced, that the two unicorns had spells to help create spells. Assist spells, they would call them, and through them the duo could achieve in less than an hour what would usually take days. Assist spells also helped in defense. Why wonder what to cast, when there could be a whole tome of composite protection spells they could use? The duel had long stopped being a simple case of surprising the other with something flashy. Now it was a strategy battle, in which both sides tried their best to predict the other's intent and find a weakness to exploit.

Meanwhile, Noonlight's secret correspondence with Twilight continued. She suspected that Trixie was aware, but the blue unicorn hadn't said a word so far. Through these letters, Noonlight felt as if she were in Ponyville. Twice a week, she would learn of the happenings in the small town. It felt as if she had met over a dozen ponies from there, including Twilight's close friends. She had learned of the Spirit of Chaos, the mysterious zebra, and the terrors of the Everfree Forest. Noonlight's own responses, however, were vastly lacking in that aspect. The sad thing was, that the duel was to blame - Noonlight's life really was the epitome of boredom.

Classes continued as usual. Noonlight still had issues with Endless, although after a serious talk in private, the professor had at least returned to his standard way of teaching. As for their magic sessions, both had agreed to take a few months break and see how that goes. Noonlight's master exam finals were also on the horizon, but that was nothing to write about. With the amount of work she had done, both helping classmates, and preparing for the mail duel, she had enough materials for five theses, if not more.

All in all, things seemed to go pretty well, until one day a special announcement was made. It was one of the special announcements, that had everypony gather in one huge hall. That never bode well.

"Dear students," the Headmistress began in her overly formal fashion. "As you know, the final exams of the master class will start in a few months. That would mean that some of you will join the ranks of academia, while others leave to follow their heart's destinies in Canterlot and beyond."

Polite clapping filled the hall.

"Yes, quite," the Headmistress adjusted her glasses. "Usually this is considered the highlight of the year. As you know her royal majesty, Princess Celestia is always present at the event. Those of you considered brilliant might even get the chance to shake hooves with her."

Whispers erupted. Secretly every unicorn wished to be among the select few. Everything else aside, being chosen by the princess was a huge career boost. Noonlight, naturally, remained indifferent. One had to be able to cast spells to stand a chance.

"But this year, we have another special occasion," the Headmistress continued. "This year we will also have the honour of having another special guest."

Noonlight's ears perked up. Suddenly she could feel a ball of wax forming in her stomach.

"As some of you might know, this pony is an alumnus of the School for Gifted Unicorns."

Please don't say it, please don't say it," Prayed Noonlight.

"A unicorn that in her youth had more magic potential than any before," the Headmistress continued mercilessly. "Canterlot's very own Princess of Friendship - Twilight Sparkle."

Cheers erupted. Noonlight felt like banging her head against the desk. Of all the worst possible things! Why did Twilight have to come here?

"Princess Sparkle has agreed to spend the next two months assisting you all in the pursuit of knowledge and magic. It would be wise for you to take advantage of this grand, once in a lifetime, opportunity," the Headmistress paused to take a sip of water. "Naturally, you are expected to be at your best behavior. The fact that you will be addressing a princess aside, you must show that the school still has the high standards it prides itself with. This goes double for all those in the master class!" For a moment Noonlight thought the Headmistress looked straight at her. This wasn't a good sign. "Since it's quite likely that the princess will spend more time with you, you are to be at your very best. And please, for the sake of all that's magic, don't try to impress her with your self made spells and theories on the nature of magic. I assure you, she has heard it all before, and unlike you, has tested those theories in practice, while you have yet to complete your thesis. I hope I am making myself clear?"

"Yes, Headmistress," a chorus of disappointment filled the hall.

"Good. With that I leave you to your daily lessons."

"Madam?" Noonlight rose a hoof in the air.

The Headmare was surprised somepony dared address her. She seldom took questions, but having in mind the gravity of the occasion, she decided to give Noonlight the nod.

"You never mentioned when exactly the princess will be arriving," Noonlight shivered slightly as she spoke. "So we can best prepare."

"Quite," the Headmistress adjusted her glasses. It was a sensible question and one that met her approval. "The princess should already be in Canterlot, but won't visit us until next week. You have until then to make sure that you and your surroundings are fit for her visit. With that I wish you a good day, students."

6. The Talk

Twilight had already arrived? This was a disaster! What if she had spotted Trixie delivering the letter? What if she had followed her back to Noonlight's dorm? Noonlight really wished she could go home and warn her bunkmare of this development. Morning classes were starting and by the time they were over it might be too. There was only one thing left to do, and she wasn't going to like it.

After the announcement students had fifteen minutes to get to their respective class. Instead, Noonlight went to the lavatory. Thankfully, it was still empty. Now came the moment of truth - she was going to perform a spell. Usually she would do this after considerable preparation. The calmer she was, the higher chance her spell would come out right. Sadly, this time she didn't have such luxury. Closing her eyes, she concentrated. A loud pop filled her ears. When Noonlight opened her eyes again she was someplace else.

"Noon?!" an alarmed Trixie shouted. "Are you crazy?! What do you think you are doing teleporting here? What if..."

"No time, Trix," Noonlight interrupted. "Twilight is in Canterlot."

Deafening silence followed. Twilight being here changed everything. The sensible thing was to postpone the duel until the end of her visit. Yet that would provide a dangerous amount of information regarding them. Of all the master class students, Noonlight was the only one to openly attempt a double spell in class, and while the results were disastrous, ponies still talked about it. If Twilight suspected Starry Sun was part of the SGU, it was all over.

"Do you think she knows?" Trixie asked the obvious question.

"No. She might suspect, but if she knew she would have taken action."

"Yes, she never could keep herself from rushing to a new book," Trixie agreed. "If she knew you were making all those spells she would probably be here already. In any event, what do we do?"

"I don't know. Hide everything? We can't continue making the spells here."

"Alright, I'll think of something." Trixie started gathering the notes from the desk. Books and scrolls started flying wildly through the the room. "I'll clean up here, you go back to class before somepony notices you're gone. And no more magic! You're in trouble as it is."

A pop later Noonlight was back near the school. The place she had chosen was pretty secluded, and fortunately no pony saw her appear. That was the good news. The bad was that she was late, and for Endless Scroll's class to boot. Running as fast as she could, she nearly knocked over a few ponies in the hallways, caused a Royal Guard to eye her suspiciously, then almost bumped into professor Aether Magna. Fortunately for her, Magna's sight was horrible even with glasses on, so she wasn't able to tell what had happened.

The atmosphere was quite lively in Endless' class as, so much so that Noonlight's arrival went unnoticed. Everypony was bombarding the professor with questions. Not used to such attention, he was attempting to explain matters best he could, but every time he started answering a question three more were asked.

"What's going on?" Noonlight asked her nearest classmate.

"There are Royal Guards in school," came the excited reply. The mare wasn't even bothering to whisper. "That means Princess Twilight must be visiting today."

"Oh," Noonlight replied disappointed. Right now she was still thankful that she hadn't been caught casting spells to worry about the visit.

"Please, class," Endless desperately tried to restore order. "The princess will not be visiting today, or any day this week. The guards are only here to ensure..."

"Is there a threat to her life?" another asked. "Or to the school?"

"What?" The professor blinked. "No, why would..."

"I heard that changelings have been spotted in Manehattan, does that mean there is one here as well?" Another voice. "Do they want to ponynap the princess?"

The whole situation was getting absurd. Noonlight felt genuine pity for Endless. Right now he seemed more like a scared stallion who wished he could run away, than a professor. A small part of her thought it served him right, the rest, however, pushed her to step in. Despite everything, Endless was a good stallion, and didn't deserve this.

"Maybe the princess is already here," she said loudly, causing any talk to cease. All eyes turned in her direction, including a very surprised Endless. "Anypony could look her best when they know there is a visit approaching, only the best can behave properly all the time."

It was a cheap trick, but it did the job. As absurd as the notion sounded, no pony wanted to risk making a fool of herself in front of the princess. The atmosphere quickly calmed down, allowing a much relieved Endless to continue his lesson. Today's topic was double negatives in spell composition - an obscure and, at first glance, useless practice that had died out centuries ago. It had become so theoretical that it wasn't even included on any tests. In short, it was the perfect thing to teach when one knew the students weren't paying attention. Slowly, but relentlessly, boredom crept in and by the end of the period everypony felt like a student should - utterly bored and wishing for it to be over.

"And remember," Endless said, once the lesson had finished. "Running and discussing the visit on school grounds is highly discouraged. As Miss Light pointed out, there's always the possibility that the princess is among us."

A combination of groans and laughter followed, as everypony eagerly put their books in their saddlebags.

"Miss Bright," the professor said. "Could you remain a moment."

Perfect. The last thing Noonlight needed right now. Sighing audibly, she sat back down and waited. The other students continued leaving the room. Princesses being the gossip topic of the day, all standard school rumours were mostly ignored. Finally only ponies two remained - Noonlight and Endless.

"Err," he began hesitantly, pretending to look at his textbook. "Thank you."

"It was nothing, sir," Noonlight said. Her exterior was calm, but deep inside there was a small voice yelling victoriously. Went to show she was not as helpless as he had pegged her to be.

"I also wanted to apologize," he went on. "My behaviour..."

This was quickly getting awkward again.

"You don't have to, sir, it's perfectly..."

"It's not perfectly alright!" he said loudly, followed by a short uncomfortable silence. "Academia has been my life ever since I could remember. I am told Celestia herself welcomed me to the school. That's what a photo hanging in my room claims anyway. Truth be told, I don't remember, nor do I remember anything outside these halls. Each year students would come - a few of them exceptional, most of them not. They would spend a few years and move on. The same over and over. Can you guess how many unicorns have ever come to my visiting hours?"

"A dozen?" Noonlight ventured a guess. She really hoped she hadn't been the only one. The entire talk was making her feel uncomfortable.

"Two," he sighed. "I don't have to tell you that theoretical disciplines aren't particularly liked outside of academic circles. When you shared your..." he paused to think of a suitable word, "...circumstances with me, it was the first time anypony asked for any real help."

"I was afraid how the older professors might react," she admitted.

"I know. Aether Magma would have kicked you out there and then," he shuddered as he said the name. "Even back then I knew I was taking advantage of the situation. But when we started our magic sessions, I thought... I hoped..." he sighed deeply. "Guess I just needed somepony to talk to. Other than the old goats and mares of the faculty."

"Sir, I..." Noonlight didn't know what to say. She had been right about his behaviour, but also wrong. At the end of the day he was only a few years older than herself, and totally oblivious about real life.

"I'd like our lessons to continue," he said quietly. "But I also don't want you to do something you don't like. So I leave the choice to you. I can take care of the Headmistress. And to be honest you don't need supervision for the standard spells."

Sure, he was taking the easy way out. The decision would rest entirely on her. Still, Noonlight couldn't blame him. Hadn't it been for Trixie, she too would have remained a social wallflower. Seems like that crazy blue mare had rubbed off on her.

"I don't know, Endless," she said. "I'm not mad at you, Celestia knows I'm not, but I still need to think things through. Everything is a bit complicated at the moment."

"I understand," Endless smiled sadly. "I'm still glad we talked. It was getting weird staring at each other in class," he laughed nervously.

"That's for sure."

"Well, I guess you better get going, Miss Light. Your next class awaits."

"Yes, Professor," she stood up and headed for the door.

"Just one last thing," he said behind her. "Tomorrow. Third period."

"What tomorrow?" Noonlight looked at him, puzzled.

"I have no idea. But I would recommend being at your best." He started cleaning the blackboard for his next class. "As I said, there always is the possibility."

7. The Visit

Twilight's surprise visit took place the very next day, just as hinted by Endless Scroll. Noonlight and Trixie had spent the entire evening removing all traces of their mail magic activities and moving them to a 'safe' location. That is, if anypony could call Trixie's cart safe. On the plus side it was the last place anypony would look. For good measure, Trixie had cast a number of ward spells to keep a low profile. Hiding the material evidence, however, was only half the work. Noonlight had to pretend everything was normal. Being too anxious would clearly identify her as Starry Sun, not being anxious at all would create a bad impression.

The amount of Royal Guards at the school hadn't increased since yesterday - a single pair stationed at the entrance. Nothing indicated the Princess of Friendship was making an appearance today. At the start of third period, right on cue, she did, and what an appearance it was. As Endless Scroll was about to start his usual lesson, a purple light flashed on the podium. A split second later she was there - the alicorn princess that had saved Equestria several times over.

Noonlight felt herself become nervous. Usually she was not the pony to become star struck. Living in Canterlot she believed herself above such things. Sitting literally a few steps from a princess, however, quickly proved she wasn't. Now it finally sank in - this was the pony she had been exchanging letters and spells for weeks. Trixie had been crazy to start this challenge, Noonlight thrice so for agreeing to go along with it!

"Hello, everypony," Twilight said cheerfully. "I cannot tell you how glad I am to be here, among you all."

Nopony said a word. They were too shocked to respond.

"Well," the princess laughed uncomfortably. "I guess, my surprise visit really was a surprise..." She glanced at professor Endless Scroll, who shrugged and gave her a 'what?' look. "Anyway, as you have probably been told, the School for Gifted Unicorns, was gracious enough to invite me to see the best and brightest Equestria has to offer. And although, I personally never formally started a master class," a slight sigh of regret came along with those words, "I would still like for you to consider me... one of you. For the next few months at least," another attempts at a joke, another nervous laugh.

The silence remained unbroken.

"Well," Twilight smiled tensely. "So we'll be seeing more of each other in the weeks to come. And... Well I best leave you to your studies. I'm sure Professor..." she looked at him expectantly.

"Scroll," he whispered.

"Professor Scroll has a lot to teach you today. Ha, ha, ha," she made a step back. "If anypony has a question before I leave you to him..."

Suddenly all Tartarus broke loose. Unicorns everywhere started bombarding her with questions. Everypony wanted to be the one to get answered by the princess, even if it meant yelling the question at the top of their lungs. A few, Noonlight among them, covered their ears in a vain attempt to be spared. It was worse than being at a rock concert. By the time it was over, Noonlight considered skipping the rest of her classes and going to bed. The meeting wasn't what she had expected, not with so many eager ponies around. There was little to be gained by staying. Packing her books, she patiently waited for the princess, and the crowd surrounding her, to leave the hall. Noonlight was just about to go herself, when she felt a hoof tap her on the shoulder.

"You must be Noonlight Bright," an all too familiar voice said.

Turning around, Noonlight saw, to her utmost horror, that before her stood none other than Twilight Sparkle herself.

"Wha?" she glanced at the doorway, then back at the princess. Her pulse quickened. Drops of sweat appeared on her face. Had she been found out?

"Teleportation spell," Twilight explained helpfully. "Sorry if I startled you, I just wanted to have a word with you without so much noise around.

"Really?" Noonlight smiled guiltily. A voice inside her head kept yelling she knows.

"Of course! From what I learned you are one of the five stars of the master class to be given an assistant's position after graduation. And the only one brave enough to tackle Theoretical Magic! I remember it was one of my favorite subjects when I used to study here, along with the practical variety, of course."

"Oh?" Noonlight looked around for support, yet the only pony remaining was professor Scroll. "Maybe because I'm really bad at practical magic," she laughed nervously.

"Nonsense," Endless Scroll approached. "Miss Bright is our theoretical prodigy!" he patted Noonlight on the back. "Once she even demonstrated how to place safeguards on a circular spell, so as to..."

"Professor!" Noonlight shouted red as a beet, causing both him and the princess to stare at her. "I'm sure the princess has more important things to..."

"And so modest," he said to Twilight, who nodded. "Unfortunately, I believe We are expected in the Headmistress' office," he reminded.

"Riiiight." the princess' expression suggested that she wasn't overly thrilled to go there. Apparently some things never changed. "I'm sure we'll have a chance to discuss magic theory a bit more some other time, Noonlight. I'll be here until your graduation, after all."

"Thank you, Princess," Noonlight replied like a filly fresh from kindergarten.

"Don't be so formal," Twilight laughed. "I used to study here too, you know."

"Yes, Ms Sparkle," she said quietly before the princess and professor Scroll vanished in a teleportation flash.

The next few seconds the unicorn just stood there motionless. What had just happened? Was she dreaming? Quickly she levitated a book and opened it. Page 132. Bending the corner she closed it then opened it again. The page number was the same. So it couldn't be a dream. Which meant... A scream of joy filled the room. This had turned out to be the best day of Noonlight's life! She was to officially become an assistant, and not only that, but Twilight, THE Twilight, had given her a compliment and asked to discuss magic theory. What in Equestria could beat that?

"In your face, Aether Magna!" Noonlight said victoriously. The old mare had once stated that she didn't believe this new generation would amount to anything. If only she could see Noonlight now! In a few short months the unicorn had moved from "Miss Ever Mistakefull" to theoretical prodigy. Even princess Twilight had acknowledged it!

There was no way Noonlight could remain at school now. Using a teleportation spell of her own, she proofed out of the hall and into Trixie's wagon. Unfortunately, Trixie was there, which made the experience a bit uncomfortable.

"Aw!" Shouted Trixie as a hoof ended in her face. "Noon!" She pushed it away annoyed, moving to the nearest empty space. "When I said it wasn't safe to teleport to the dorm, I didn't mean the dorm specifically. The point was different!"

"I know, I know," Noonlight was too happy to bother.

"And I don't see how you can mistake 'no magic'," she went on giving her friend an annoyed look.

"I know, I know, but Twilight..."

"Teleported in class?" Trixie waved a hoof in the air. Noonlight just stared at her. "Oh, please. Did you think the Great and Powerful Trixie would miss this? I was there, five rows behind you."

Noonlight blinked. Had Trixie really been there?

"But I didn't see you," she said confused.

"Recolour spell," Trixie sighed. "Changes mane, fur and eyes. I picked it up after my last duel. Very useful for getting away from over-appreciative fans."

"So you heard what she told me?"

"All the squealing and shouting was too much for me so I left," Trixie grumbled. "Just because she has a pair of wings and a crown doesn't mean everypony should faint at the mention of her name. I bet half those ponies don't know a thing about her. Why, back when Trixie had the Alicorn Amulet..."

Noonlight's look made the blue unicorn stop. Her actions at the time weren't something to boast about, especially since they had lead to her bringing the Autocorrect tablet to Noonlight.

"A new letter came today," Trixie changed the subject. "I made myself purple, so if anypony was watching they would never guess it was me," she levitated the envelope out of a drawer and to Noonlight, who instantly grabbed it.

There were two scrolls, as usual - one spell, one note. Noonlight put the spell aside and started reading.

Dear Starry,

Your last spell was quite the headache. That's certainly one way to use double negative elements. I bet you didn't know that's what they were originally used for. With the development of better chain spells, however, the practice became obsolete, since the pony capable of casting more would always win.

On a separate note, I've come to visit Canterlot. You have no idea how much I wish we can see each other, but I'm here on official business. Sadly, this also means that we might have to postpone our duel. While here, I'll be staying at Princess Celestia's castle and having wild magic floating about might not be the best thing. Sorry.

Everyone from Ponyville says 'Hi', and Spike asked that I remind you to 'leave a few piles of fusion gems' somewhere for him. He's here with me, but since my business in Canterlot doesn't involve him, he is quite bored. I think you've spoilt him with those new gems of yours. If that keeps up he'll have to go on a diet.

Hugs,

Your pen pal friend and adversary,

Twilight

"Well?" Trixie asked once Noonlight put the note aside.

"She says she's in Canterlot."

"You don't say?" Trixie rolled her eyes.

"And that we'll have to postpone the duel until after her visit."

"Typical," for some reason the blue unicorn was unnaturally annoyed. "Can't have her look bad in front of her mentor."

"Are you saying we should go on?"

"What's the point? It's not like she'll bother casting any spells we send her. No, if I know Twilight, she won't change her mind. Unless an Ursa or something appears."

"What about her challenge then?"

"What about it?"

"Think we should cast it? It's already here, and since she won't send anything until graduation..."

"Sure," Trixie shrugged. "Why not? Any suggestion what defense pattern to use?"

Last time Twilight had gone with a gravity spell. That meant this time she would go with something insect related. Being over organized, the princess tended to cycle her attacks to the extent they became predictable. Only the secondary components varied.

"Full protection and creature counters," she said. "You might need to coat the inside of the wagon as well. Oh, and the scroll itself."

"Fine, fine," Trixie started casting the spells. "You go outside. With your books, It's crowded in here as it is."

No arguments there. The space was barely enough to hold one occupant, let alone more. Noonlight tiptoed outside. She could still see enough from the side window to give directions if needed.

"Ready?" she asked.

Trixie cast the last spell of the defensive pattern. Layers of blue glow covered her, the scroll and the entire wagon interior. Now it was time to cast Twilight's spell. Unlike all previous ones this was surprisingly short - a simple summoning. Like little dots, insects started appearing in the air. Without a second though, Trixie cast a bubble barrier around them. Initially, she expected her spell to trigger a response, but none such followed. The insects just continued increasing in number, filling the bubble.

"What do you think?" Trixie asked. "Seems a bit too easy."

From what they had seen so far, when Twilight was concerned, this never was the case. If something appeared too simple, they were looking at it from the wrong angle. Just like the storm cloud she had used a while back. Noonlight and Trixie were so preoccupied in preventing lightning from striking, that they almost missed the obvious - the cloud wasn't in fact a cloud, it was a mass of wool that had shot tendrils at them in an attempt to tie them up.

"Maybe she just wants to swarm us?" Noonlight suggested as the insects continued appearing. They had pretty much filled the protection bubble in its entirety.

"Well if that's all, I might as well..." suddenly she stopped. Her terrified expression suggested she had realized what was going on. "Noon, grab all your stuff and poof with it to the dorm," she shouted, as a second bubble enveloped the first, this one pitch black.

"Why? What's going on?" Noonlight leaned forward to get a better look inside the wagon.

"These are aetherflies." One by one, Trixie discontinued all her other spells focusing only on the barriers. "They feed on magic, it makes them glow. Once they eat through the bubble they will act as a beacon, letting Twilight teleport here."

Definitely an out of the box idea. The spell itself was just part of the equation. Twilight had probably cast another spell elsewhere to react to the beacon. Once she knew the direct location she would teleport there and the duel would be over.

Suddenly terror gripped Noonlight. If Twilight were to appear here and now more than the duel would be over.

"Stop daydreaming, filly!" Trixie was trying her best to keep the aetherflies in check. "Grab anything that is yours and poof out of here!"

"But..."

"Even if Twilight gets here, the Great and Powerful Trixie will take care of things. Now shoo!"

The pressure was too much. There were dozens of things that Noonlight could have done. With her knowledge of spells, there definitely was something she could have used to help. Instead she froze. The only thing that filled her mind was intense fear of her dreams being shattered. And she could not allow that, not when she was so close to achieving them. Closing her eyes the unicorn started her spell...

8. Caught

A series of flashes filled the Trixie's wagon. All of Noonlight's belongings were teleported away to her room. Inevitably, there were a number of misspells, though nothing disastrous, fortunately. Moments later Noonlight teleported herself. Panicked, she locked the door. Concern over Trixie crossed her mind, but was quickly replaced by more immediate worries. Trixie would be fine, she had gotten out of worse spots than this. The main thing Noonlight had to do now, was hide her notes and spell materials. In the short period they had been developing mail magic, she and Trixie had managed to compile three tomes of spell patterns, as well as over a hundred scrolls. Test spells, practice spells, final versions, variations, all of them needed a place to go. The tomes were easy - they could go on the shelf with the rest of Noonlight's books. The stacks of scrolls, however, were more problematic. Leaving them in the open risked somepony finding out her secret. Alternatively she could probably burn them?

"Think, Noon, think!" She scolded herself.

What would Trixie do in a situation like this? Probably not care. Knowing her, she would even flaunt them, proving how superior she was to everypony else. Hardly the best solution. Or maybe it was? Placing them near the desk would create the impression they were work related. Out of the entire school less than a basketful of unicorns had a good enough grasp of theoretical magic to understand what was written on them.

Not a perfect solution, but Noonlight hurried to do it nonetheless. Finished, she quickly checked the time. Lunch hadn't ended, so if she hurried she could get back to school in time for her next class. Nopony would suspect a thing then. As long as she didn't do any more magic, everything would be fine.

Leaving her room, Noonlight quickly rushed down the corridor, only to bump into a pair of first year fillies, knocking one to the ground.

"Oof," the filly managed to say as she plopped on the floor.

"I'm so very sorry!" Noonlight said alarmed. "Are you hurt?" She offered a hoof to the unfortunate filly, as her friend stood beside looking with concern.

"I'm alright, Miss," the young unicorn said despite evidence to the opposite. It was just a small scrape on her muzzle, but enough to make Noonlight feel guilty.

"Come along," she said with a smile. "I'll take you to the nurse."

"Aww, Miss," the filly protested.

"We'll miss Princess Twilight if we go!" The other added.

Princess Twilight, of course. It was every filly's dream to meet a princess. Noonlight could understand perfectly. If only she could use magic in the open she could probably heal the wound right away. At the moment, however, she didn't dare to.

"Well then," she smiled. "We better get going, don't we? It would be a shame to keep the princess waiting."

"Yay!" Both fillies started jumping wildly around Noonlight. "Thank you, Miss Bright!"

They knew her name? Surprised, Noonlight took a closer look at them. Come to think of it, they did seem somewhat familiar. Noonlight had helped them a bit in theoretical basics. Strange that they remembered her, though. Most ponies their age hated theory with a passion.

"You are Water Spark?" Noonlight said, trying to remember the filly in question. This was embarrassing! She was acting like an old mare who couldn't remember the names of her students. "You had trouble remembering longer spell sequences?" she suggested uncertain.

"Not anymore, Miss!" The filly beamed. "Thanks to you I can remember anything! I even shared your secret with Morning Dew!"

The other filly nodded.

"Glad to hear it," Noonlight smiled, although still not sure what advice she had given that would be so much liked. Possibly the colour trick? When she had first run into the problem of creating complex spells, Noonlight had used shapes and colours to sketch out the composition of the entire spell. Of course, that hadn't achieved much, since she hadn't bothered to write down the elements themselves. Still, if it worked for the fillies, all the better.

The trip back to school was faster that Noonlight expected. Maybe because she spent the time chatting with two excited fillies, or maybe because she feared what might expect her when she got there. Trixie was still in the back of her mind. How could Noonlight be so foolish to just her friend behind like that? They were supposed to friends. Trixie had never abandoned her, regardless of the circumstances. Maybe she should go back, see what had happened? It was always possible that everything was alright? Twilight had a tight schedule, after all, it was unlikely she would just teleport to her aetherfly beacon.

"Miss Noonlight Bright?" an imposing voice asked. Noonlight looked up to see two Royal Guard pegasi towering above her. "Would you come with us, please."

"Ri.. right away, sirs," she did the utmost to keep her composure. "I have to go now, girls," she turned to the fillies, forcing a smile. "You go ahead. And if you need any help with in magic, you can always find me in my room after school."

The fillies smiled, then merrily trotted into the building. At their age everything seemed an adventure, and all the problems were a lollipop away from disappearing. If only it could be the same for Noonlight.

Escorted by the Royal Guards, she was taken to the second floor of the school, right where the Headmistress' office was located. Her worst fears were about to come true. With every step, the lump in her stomach grew. On a few occasions she considered asking the Guards what was going on, and each time she decided against it.

Arriving at the Headmistress' office, one of the massive white pegasi opened the door and stepped aside.

"Please, Miss," he said in his stern voice.

"Aren't you going to go inside?" Noonlight asked, mustering what little courage she had left.

"Only you, Miss."

It sounded serious. Swallowing, the unicorn made a few shaking steps forward. Seconds later the door slammed behind her.

The room was as imposing as ever. Large enough to hold an entire class, it was filled with ancient artifacts and finely crafted furniture handed down since the creation of the SGU. The price of each was immeasurable, given to the school by Princess Celestia or dignitaries from foreign lands. The walls were covered in huge portraits of important mares and stallions whose contributions in magic had helped advance the field to its present day, starting from Star Swirl the Bearded himself.

Seated behind a massive mahogany desk, was the Headmistress herself. Always a displeased look on her face, she glanced briefly at Noonlight with scorn and disapproval. So far, Noonlight had only been here twice - the first time to receive a stern warning what would happen to her if she did not improve her spell casting, and the second when the truth of the Autocorrect spell had become known. In both cases it was an unpleasant experience. This time, it looked it would be worse. There were four other ponies present - Endless Scroll, princess Twilight Sparkle, Trixie, whom Noonlight avoided to look in the eye, and finally princess Celestia herself.

Noonlight swallowed. This didn't look good.

"Miss Bright," the Headmistress said in her typically cold tone. "Are you missing anything?"

A trick question. The answer was obviously yes. The real question was what exactly was she missing. Noonlight's mind raced as she tried to figure it out. Had she forgotten one of her belongings in Trixie's wagon? Hardly. She had been extremely careful. What then?

Slowly Noonlight shook her head, causing the Headmistress to sigh audibly. That was never a good sign.

"Does this book belong to you, Miss Bright?" The Headmistress levitated a large tome titled "Basic Principles of Magical Theory" in front of Noonlight. And just to make sure there was no confusion, the old unicorn opened it on the first page. A badly written "Property of N. Bright" stared at Noonlight.

"One of my books on theory," Noonlight replied feigning ignorance.

"Quite." The Headmistress adjusted her glasses, returning the book to her desk. "It was found among the possessions of Miss Lulamoon. Care to explain how this came to be?"

Noonlight bit her lip. She could come up with an explanation, but nothing that would fool the Headmistress or the princesses.

"The Great and Powerful Trixie demands you put an end to this charade!" Trixie interrupted. "So, I borrowed a book from Noony, big deal," she waved a hoof dismissively. "It's not like she was going to miss it. With the amount of spelling mistakes she does it would hardly matter anyway."

It was an act, of course, a perfect act. Trixie could easily convince anypony anything. Noonlight too would have fallen for it, if she didn't know the truth behind the matter. The book happened to be a gift she had given Trixie during her last visit. There was no way for her to have borrowed it, since Noonlight had insisted she take it with her.

"Trixie!" Twilight shouted.

"What?" the blue unicorn asked, in a fashion suggesting she had done nothing wrong. "It is the truth. If it hadn't been for my help she would still be the hopeless filly she was when we were roommares."

Noonlight froze. What was Trixie doing? No pony knew of her involvement with the Autocorrect tablet. Why bring it up now? And why make a scene of it? Didn't she know what the consequences would be? Using harmful magic on another was among the most serious crimes for a unicorn. She could end up with a permanent disabling spell, or banished from Equestria altogether.

"Your help?" the Headmistress asked.

Don't say it, don't say it, Noonlight begged.

"The Autocorrect spell, of course," Trixie said in a matter of fact fashion. "How else do you think she would become smart enough to help the Great and Powerful Trixie in her magic duel against Twilight?"

Silence reigned supreme. Everypony was so shocked with the statement that they just stood there, mouths wide open. Only Princess Celestia kept her composer, quietly observing events from her chair next to the desk.

Ears flopped, Noonlight cowered in fear expecting the worst. In front of her the Headmistress' glasses slowly slid down her muzzle, as she stared at the blue unicorn. Even Twilight could hardly believe what she was hearing. Wings ruffled she teleported right in front of Trixie.

"You challenged me?" she asked in anger and disbelief, her muzzle almost touching Trixie's.

"Who did you expect, Twilight 'Know-it-all' Sparkle?" Trixie snorted. "It's hardly the first time. And since you were always saying that anything is possible with friends, the Great and Powerful Trixie decided to follow your advice."

"But the spells, the letters..." Twilight seemed at a loss. "The magic was way too advanced for your level!"

"Oh please," Trixie laughed theatrically. "There is hardly anything the Great and Powerful Trixie couldn't achieve, as long as she puts her mind to it. Maybe there were a few occasional questions now and again," she shrugged nonchalantly, "but Noony was only to glad to help. After all, before me hardly anypony bothered to talk to her. Isn't that so, Professor? Headmistress?"

The points were well made. Endless Scroll looked uncomfortably at the floor. The Headmistress, however, was not one to be so easily intimidated. Gaining her composure, she adjusted her glasses, then cleared her throat loudly.

"Miss Lulamoon," she began, eyes half narrowed. "Are you saying that you are responsible for using a dangerous artifact on one of my students? One whose theoretical expertise has earned her the respect of her peers, as well as the faculty, I might add. Did you just admit you so shamefully used a dangerous spell, all but crippling her magic ability and risk her being expelled, only for your selfish desire to challenge Princess Twilight to a magic duel?"

"Trixie!" Twilight interjected. "What were you thinking?"

"Well, you certainly didn't mind before, MISS Sparkle," Trixie snapped back, stressing on the 'miss'. "Or have you changed your mind, my so called 'pen pal friend and adversary'?"

Noonlight, felt her heart stop. Trixie had read the letters! All this time, she had known and had never once said a word. Not only that, Trixie had been silently helping her the entire time. The sandwiches she would force feed her, the memory taste spell, even the constant suggestions Noonlight go visit one of the parties Trixie was providing amusement for. And now she was still protecting her, making sure that no harm would come of her at the hooves of the Headmistress.

"I distinctly remember you having nothing against me bribing your dragon into sending our letters," Trixie continued, at which point Twilight shot a worried glance at Princess Celestia. "And you were certainly okay when the Great and Powerful Trixie sent gifts for your friends."

"This is hardly the point, Miss Lulamoon," the Headmistress raised her voice. "Your personal dealings with the princess, however contemptible, are a matter of a different conversation. What I ask you, is whether you willingly subjected a member of this school to untested, hazardous and potentially crippling magic?"

All eyes turned in Trixie's direction. Even Princess Celestia leaned forward, awaiting an answer. Noonlight couldn't take it any longer. She opened her mouth to say something in her friend's defense, but her words never reach the air.

"Yes!" said Trixie defiantly. For a split second Noonlight caught her glance. There was calmness mixed with determination, as if she was telling her everything would be alright. "Yes, I am saying just that."

"In that case, our conversation is over," the Headmistress said bitterly. "Professor Scroll, please escort Miss Bright to her room. Our next conversation doesn't involve her."

9. Trixie's Fate

Noonlight wanted to protest, she wanted to shout the truth to everypony. Instead she let herself leave the room accompanied by the professor. Behind her the door closed, like the gate of a prison. What had she turned into? She had betrayed Trixie twice in less than an hour. All her life Noonlight had grumbled against ponies like this, and now she had become what she despised the most. It was not Trixie who had abused their friendship, Noonlight had.

The walk to her room was silent, as if Noonlight were walking through a dream she couldn't wake up from. News of princess Twilight being at the school, had cleared the hallways, bird songs and the sound of Noonlight's hooves were the only thing remaining.

"Noonlight?" a voice brought her back to reality. "Do you need me to get anypony?"

It was Endless. Noonlight had completely forgotten about him. At this very moment she wanted to break down and cry. She wanted somepony to console her, to say everything would be alright. But those were empty hopes. Nothing was going to be alright.

"I'll be alright," she said quietly. "Thank you, Endless. For everything you've done for me. I just need to spend some time alone."

He nodded, offered some words of assurance, then watched has she continued onward.

"Not from the heart, from..." whispered Noonlight as she walked. The phrase was too painful to complete. Breaking in a trot, then a full gallop she dashed forward, as if speed could help dull the pain. Why? It was as if the cosmic order didn't want to her happy. Every time she dared find some happiness, something pushed her back in the mud. Maybe it was better to be alone? At least she then would become used to the constant boredom and solitude, and not have to suffer.

Arriving at her dorm, she locked the door and leaned against it, unwilling to move. Tears trickled slowly down her cheeks. A few sandwiches were placed by her bed stand, but Noonlight had no appetite. She didn't have a desire to do anything, just sit there and stare blankly forward, emptying her mind of all thoughts.

Evening came, then night. Noonlight's condition didn't change. This wasn't the first depression she had, but this one hit hard. Tired, but sleepless, hurting, but oblivious, she slowly used some magic to move her nightstand drawer to her. Inside were all the letters and postcards Trixie had sent her. Seven in total, each represented a memory. Very much like Noonlight's correspondence with Twilight. Soon that too was scattered on the floor around her, as she desperately search for a spark of happiness in the moments of the past.

Heya Noony!

Guess what? Trottingham was much more fun than I expected! Ponies here loved my performance so much that I couldn't make a few steps without being surrounded by a mob of fans. They just can't get enough of the Great and Powerful Trixie!

I guess I'll stay for a while longer, before going to Rainbow Falls. With luck I'll be able to find something for you at the fair.

Shine bright,

Trix

Trixie had spent a while going through the fair back then, all in search for a cure to Noonlight's condition. To be honest, Noonlight doubted her friend had been anywhere else. The dates didn't match up, and the time she got from one place to the next was ridiculously short. Still, she preferred to believe in what was written. It made for better memories.

Dear Starry Sun,

Really sorry for the delay. I haven't forgotten you! Just something really important happened, and I had to leave Ponyville for a few days. All is good now, so we can resume our duel.

You last spell gave me quite a fright. Literally. I knew they were illusions, of course. Didn't occur to me that you had placed the illusion on a water bubble. The first time it touched me, I really thought I had summoned a star fox. Guess I know what spells I'll be using next Nightmare's Night.

I hope you have as much fun unravelling my spell.

All the best,

Twilight

That was when Noonlight had devised a spell that would appear and behave as an animal. A simple illusion and, thanks to a bubble spell, solid to touch. Noonlight and Trixie had great fun when testing it out, especially since the pesky illusion had started jumping all over the place, knocking over books and furniture.

The hours stretched on, each spent rereading letters. On a few occasions a few classmates came to check on her. Endless too visited twice. Each time Noonlight's answer would be the same. Not budging from the door, she would ask for more time and continue living in the past. On the third day Noonlight was called back to school. Endless explained that she and the other top students would be announced as future assistants. It clearly felt like a hasty attempt to make her forget the incident with Trixie. Nonetheless she went through with it.

The event seemed so alien to Noonlight, in her present state, that she didn't even bother to force a smile. She behaved as the proper mare should - listening to speeches, enduring the excuses the Headmistress passed as academic jokes. The old mare had the nerve to call her "the brightest star" among the students. Not a mention that one year ago, she barely registered her existence, nor that she was still officially forbidden to perform spells unsupervised. Ironically it was exactly that joke that pulled Noonlight out of her darkness. 'Bright Star' - that was close to the name she and Trixie had used when challenging Twilight. Thanks to Trixie, everypony believed that Trixie alone was involved in the mess. But what if they were made to think otherwise? Then maybe they could show some leniency. In any event it would give Trixie a chance, and at the moment this was all Noonlight could hope for.

Noonlight started working on her plan the very same night. One final challenge, one that would make Trixie proud. There were a lot of hurdles along the way, but it was going to be worth it. The first step was to get the cooperation of Twilight's dragon. The princess had mentioned he was with her in Canterlot, and very looking forward to some tasty gems. Well, he was going to get them, as well as more than he bargained for.

Using the the test scroll of the Gem of Four Seasons, Noonlight filled her saddlebags with fusion gems. Now all she had to do was find Spike. Hardly a difficult task, knowing he thought mostly with his stomach. Twilight's letter had made that much abundantly clear. Donut Joe's was the ideal place to start from, and sure enough after a few hour's wait he was there. That was the easy part. Now the real magic began.

"From the heart," Noonlight whispered to herself as she took a deep breath. What she was doing was both risky and dangerous. Risky, because she might get found out. Dangerous, because she was going to use magic in the open.

A yellow aura surrounded her horn. A flash of light burst over her, causing a thick woolen blanket to fall on her back.

"Damn it!" she hissed. Her nervousness had brought out the curse of the Autocorrect spell again. Panicking, she looked around. There didn't seem to be anypony around, but what if one was approaching? With everything going on she could hardly explain what she was doing skulking in the park, with a hoof full of gems in one saddlebag and a costume in the other. Quickly, she tried to cast the blanket away, only to make it freeze over.

"Stay calm, Noony," she whispered, although her heart was beating like wild. This was a simple spell. She should manage. Just a trick, like Trixie's fireworks. The thought calmed her down a bit. "It's all a matter practice," her voice sounded much surer. Maybe. It was best to focus on the mane changing spell. That was the important one.

Closing her eyes, the unicorn tried again. Fortunately for her, this time her spelling was better. Her yellow fur and mane were now shades of light blue. With a star covered hat, a purple cape and she should pass for Trixie. At least that was the plan. And now to perform a teleportation spell.

Noonlight swallowed. Everything hinged on her getting it right. There was no reason she shouldn't. She had spent the entire previous night practicing. Of fifty three teleport spells, forty six had been acceptable. It had to be enough! Determined she cast the spell.

"...and make that to go," Spike said waving a claw, as he appeared in mid air, a few steps from the disguised Noonlight. At first the dragon hadn't realized what had happened. He remained there, puzzle expression on his face, until gravity pulled him to the ground.

"Why hello, Spike," Noonlight said in her best Trixie impersonation. "Fancy you dropping by."

"Trixie!" the dragon said with disdain.

"Now, now," Noonlight quickly cast a levitation spell lifting him from the ground. "This is no way to address an old friend." Several fusion gems levitated from her saddlebags, starting to circle round Spike. "One who created the recipe for all those delicious treats?"

"Let me down or Twilight will make you sorry!" He struggled in the air, but the levitation spell was holding him right. "And they weren't that good!"

"Oh?" Noonlight said, levitating a gem to rub against the dragon's cheek. "I remember reading something else."

"Forget it, Trixie! I don't know how you managed to escape, but I won't fall for your tricks!"

"A shame," Noonlight sighed dramatically and moved the gem away from the dragon. "And the Great and Powerful Trixie thought you would be such a dear and help her."

"Ha!" Spike crossed his arms. "You can give me all the gems in the world and I still won't!"

"Really? Even to protect a friend?"

Concern appeared on Spike's face. Just as Noonlight expected. He was a baby dragon after all, a very loyal baby dragon, who wouldn't let any of his friends come to harm. Noonlight really hated herself for what she was about to do, but it was the only way.

"You believe that Twilight's magic is a match to the Great and Powerful Trixie?" Fireworks shot in the air above Noonlight.

"Well, duh! She beat you twice before, remember? And that was when her magic was way weaker than now!"

"Really," Noonlight smirked. "Then how do you explain she hasn't defeated me in the mail duel? She cheated using that last spell. She promised not to use external magic to try and figure out who I was, and she did just that!"

In truth Twilight had done no such thing. There was no rule about her that forbid her using any spells to uncover 'Starry Sun's' identity. Spike, however, couldn't know that. Even now, Noonlight could see doubt in his eyes.

"Getting Trixie put away on some ridiculous charge, that had nothing to do with the duel, was also not very nice," the unicorn added. "I might as well have won the duel!"

"No way!"

"Then how about this, little Spike," Noonlight levitated him closer. "One final letter, one final challenge. I will make the greatest spell ever and you will deliver it to her! If she manages to overcome it, the Great and Powerful Trixie will admit defeat. If not, Equestria will know that I defeated the Princess of Friendship and am the greatest unicorn in all of Equestria!"

"Deal!" Spike was quick to agree, just as Noonlight expected he would be.

"I'll come here again in three days, with my spell," she said. "You will then take it to her, and we shall both see what the result would be! If you tell her about our conversation, or warn her in any way, I win by default."

"Fine!"

That was all Noonlight needed to hear. Casting a teleportation spell, she abruptly returned to her dorm. Her entire body was trembling. Thank Celestia all that had gone alright! Never before had she impersonated anypony before, nor cast so many spells successfully. She still couldn't believe she had managed to pull it off.

"Calm yourself, Noonlight," she whispered. This was just the first step. From here on the real work began - creating a spell that would be her best ever, and doing so alone. So far she and Twilight had exchanged a variety of complex spells in a number of fields - light, water, wind, ice... In no instance did any have the upper hoof. Their theoretical skills appeared to be evenly matched, and the method of dueling made practical skills all but irrelevant. Obviously something else would decide the final outcome - something unexpected.

10. Dreams and Truth

Placing Trixie's makeshift outfit away, Noonlight went to bed. Her mother had once told her, that the best answers come to a pony in her dreams. Up to now, Noonlight had never believed it, but after this morning's excitement that might well prove to be the best course of action.

"Something unexpected," she repeated, closing her eyes.

What could pass as unexpected? The classics were exhausted, the modernists were focused too much on efficiency and the avantguard were way to weird for Noonlight's taste. She could, maybe, attempt the pre-classical masters. Her newly acquired position would allow her to enter some of the restricted sections, including the Star Swirl wing. Time magic? Potentially possible, but only as a last resort. Complicated time spells and Autocorrect interpretations was a recipe for disaster.

Slowly the unicorn dozed off, thoughts replaced by dreams. Noonlight was in class again, as in all her dreams, only this time she was different. No longer a unicorn, she was an earth pony - the only one in her class. Trixie was sharing a desk with her, as was Endless. This was slightly weird - Noonlight noticed that theirs was the only triple desk in the room. The Headmistress was there as well, far older than she remembered, handing out assignments.

"What d'ya get?" asked an overly eager Endless and together with Trixie looked at her test sheet.

Is Trixie Lulamoon a traitor? read the question, followed by a yes-no option.

"Oh, I know the answer to this one!" Trixie clapped her hooves. She seemed awfully happy. "Don't forget to answer the secret question for bonus points."

Secret question? Noonlight looked back at the sheet of paper. Surely enough, a second question had appeared.

What is the correct punishment for her offense?

A) Permanent disabling spell

B) Banishment

C) Tartarus

D) All of the above

"Better hurry up," Endless Scroll whispered. "If you don't answer by the end of class you'll never earn your horn."

Right! Noonlight had worked really hard to earn her horn. With it she would become one of the class, and be able to sit on the popular pony table.

"It's all of the above," Trixie nudged her. "It's always all of the above."

"Right," Noonlight's quill moved to mark the answer. Was it the correct one though? "Are you sure? What about you?"

"Please," Trixie waved a hoof. She was dressed in a prison outfit, the usual stars that decorated her cloak now replaced by by thick black and white stripes. "I've done this test already. Besides you want your horn, don't you?"

It was as simple as that. Choosing answer D would earn Noonlight enough points to achieve her dreams, but something didn't feel right.

"Endless, what do you think?" she turned to ask the stallion, but instead just saw a shrugging copy of herself.

"Are you quite done, Miss Bright?" The giant figure of the Headmistress loomed in front of Noonlight. "You're keeping the entire class back, you know. Just pick D and get it over with."

Noonlight looked back at the test. All answers, other than D, had vanished. This no longer was a choice, it as an ultimatum.

"You have to pick an answer," Twilight whispered. The alicorn was sitting where Trixie was a moment ago, a huge pile of papers in front of her. The top one had a picture of Noonlight, hornless, with 'Pending' written underneath. "Not choosing is the same as choosing D," she added.

There was hesitation. If not choosing was the same as choosing, why bother give Noonlight the test at all? They might as well fill the answer in for her! There was no reason to bother with a useless choice.

"There always is another choice," a warm voice said.

The next thing Noonlight knew, she was in her bed, covered in sweat. A dream? Still confused, she got out of bed. To be on the safe side she grabbed the nearest book and looked at a few pages in rapid succession. No changes in the words, so it meant she was awake. So far, so good. If only the dream had been useful. It had shown her latest fears, as well as what a horrible pony she had become, as if Noonlight needed reminding. What she did need was a way to proceed from here. Going to sleep was supposed to give her an idea how to end the duel. Instead, she was just as clueless as before. All that about tests, choices and responsibilities was fine, but by no means useful. She had a decision to make, a...

Noonlight froze. A decision, right like in her dream. There, like here, it seemed one choice was available - to show Twilight she was worthy, and from a position of respect convince her to be lenient on Trixie. That was the logical thing to do, the sure-proof plan, the best chance Noonlight could hope for. Or maybe it wasn't? A glint appeared in Noonlight's eye. There was a way, and it was definitely unexpected. Revitalized she went to her desk.

Part of the spell elements were reused directly from the previous challenges sent. Conditional magic, light magic, sound magic. That still left a whole lot of components that Noonlight had to add on her own. Trixie would be able to write those down in less than an hour, yet she wasn't here now, which meant a lot of trial and error, as well as constant checking and rechecking. Noonlight's days became split in two. Up to noon she would go to class, just as the bright unicorn everypony believed her to be. Afterwords, however, she would focus on spell making. That presented a few problems. She was still not allowed to perform magic, and a visit from any faculty member, or Twilight herself would put an end to her whole plan before it started. The solution was writing the spell components by hoof.

As fate would have it, Twilight did come to visit. They had spent a large part of the vending discussing theoretical magic and pre-classical practices. Under different circumstances Noonlight would have enjoy that, but at present, every moment was torture, fearing she would say something that would make the princess suspicious.

Two sleepless days passed, and only on the third was the spell finally complete. The process was incredibly slow by anypony's standard. Noonlight couldn't have guessed that putting spell components on paper would prove so challenging. Classes, Twilight's visit, and the occasional distraction had nearly caused her to miss her deadline. Strictly speaking, she didn't have to work on it nonstop. She could always delay by a few days. Another 'Trixie meeting' with Spike and she would easily remind the dragon the duel was still on. What friend would she be if she did, though? Her heart hurt at the thought what Trixie was going through right now. And things were only likely to get worse as time went by.

As Noonlight gazed upon the white scroll, she felt a certain sense of pride in her creation. From a technical point, this wasn't her most complicated spell by far. However, it was one she had done on her own from start to finish. Trixie would be proud. Now all that remained was for it to be delivered.

11. The Final Duel Spell

The following day, on a lazy afternoon, a scroll appeared on one of Donut Joe's tables. There it was instantly spotted by a small dragon, who grabbed it before anypony could notice. From there, the dragon quickly ran to Twilight, who had taken the opportunity to relax in her room at the palace, rereading the latest Daring Do novel. Spending time with students aiming constantly to impress her had turned out extremely tiring.

Initially Twilight did not believe Spike's story. The whole notion that Trixie had teleported to him in secret seemed far fetched. Although it did sound like her to claim the duel wasn't over. More annoyed than curious, she opened the letter. Surely enough, there was a mail duel spell there, the rune changer distorting the spell elements, so they weren't intelligible until casting. No accompanying letter this time. Apparently Trixie didn't bother pretending she was somepony else, now that her identity had been uncovered.

Warning Spike to move to a safe distance, Twilight surrounded herself with a protective magic vortex, then read the spell. Her expectation was that it would be violent, dangerous, breaking every rule they had agreed to abide by, out of pure spite. Nothing of the sort happened. Instead the spell started duplicating itself. Powered by Twilight's magic, five glowing orbs spun in the air, then without warning shot off in different directions. One stopped a few steps from Twilight, another ended in the office of the SGU's Headmistress, the third popped up in professor Scroll's class, the fourth - in front of princess Celestia herself. As for the final one it was reserved for Trixie, locating her thanks to the blue unicorn's aetherprint. Then, when all components were in place, the actual spell began.

"Hello, all," the orbs morphed into an image of Noonlight, her features clearly recognizable. "My name is Noonlight Bright, and I have been in the SGU ever since I was a filly. But that is not all I am. I am also Starry Sun, and a few months ago, with the help of my friend and former classmare Trixie Lulamoon, I challenged Princess Twilight Sparkle to a magic duel by mail. The spell you are now observing should be ample proof, that indeed I was responsible, and have used my theoretical knowledge to achieve that. Trixie was only involved in as much as to write my spells down on paper and send them to the princess."

A band of moving pictures appeared round the magic image of Noonlight, each representing a memory of her working with Trixie.

"But that is not all. Before the duel started I did something else. A dangerous artifact came to my possession - a tablet that contained a single spell that would correct any mistakes made by the caster. Trixie claimed she had used it on me. The truth is, she didn't. I cast the spell on myself!"

Twilight, along with a whole lot of ponies watching the spell, gasped.

"The temptation to be finally able to perform magic was so great that I didn't think of the consequences. As a result I put my fellow students in danger. Since then I have been forbidden to perform magic without supervision. As you can all see, I did not follow the rule."

The image of Noonlight took a deep breath.

"That is why I no longer consider myself worthy to be part of the School of Gifted Unicorns. In all likelihood this is the last spell I will ever cast, and it will mark the end of my magic duel, as well as my time in Canterlot. To all those, who considered me their friend, I apologize for everything I have caused. To the princesses, I simply ask that you release Trixie. She has done nothing wrong and mustn't be punished for my mistakes. Everything that she's said up to now was only to protect me and help me achieve my dream. And although it was only for a short while, I can say she succeeded. With this I bid you all farewell."

That was it. The magical image exploded in a ball of bright green fireworks, a fitting end to a great performance.

Back in her room, Noonlight waited patiently. She had no illusions what would soon follow. Within minutes a knock was heard on the door. A pair of Royal Guard pegasi had come for her.

"Miss Bright," one of them said, "would you come with us."

No 'please' this time. After what Noonlight had done, she hardly deserved it. Nodding silently she left her room and went with them. Initially she expected to be taken to the Headmistress' office, but the guards turned in the opposite direction. Apparently the time for scolding had passed, now it was directly to princess Celestia, where her fate would be decided.

The Royal Guards silently escorted her to the palace and into a small antechamber. This was the first time Noonlight had ever been inside. Pity it had to be under such circumstances. The first few minutes she sat there patiently expecting to be called in. As time passed, anxiety started to kick in. What had she done? Probably the stupidest thing since the creation of Equestria. Interestingly enough, she had no regrets. Even if she had to start fresh, somewhere far from Canterlot, she felt she had done the right thing.

The minutes stretched like hours. Only the sound of distant noises broke the monotony, mostly doors opening and closing, occasionally accompanied by the clatter of hooves. Tired of walking around, Noonlight sat back on one of the chairs. Waiting was the worst part. After so much fearing the worst, she just wished they would get it over with.

Finally a door opened. A new pair of white Royal Guards, this time unicorns, entered. Without a word, they indicating to Noonlight to follow them. This was it - the final walk. The three went along a long corridor into the throne room, where everypony had gathered. Celestia was seated on the throne, her motherly expression masking any thoughts she might have. Next to her was Princess Luna, her dark blue mane contrasting with the whiteness of the hall. Unlike her sister she didn't seem pleased. Eyes glared at Noonlight, making the little unicorn feel insignificant. Twilight also was also there, a short distance from the throne, together with Spike. Catching Noonlight's glance she smiled uncomfortably, apologetically almost. And finally there was the Headmistress of the SGU, and she definitely didn't look pleased. Her expression of disapproval alone was enough to crush a student's body and soul, and right now it didn't look like she had the intention of going easy on Noonlight.

"Noonlight," Celestia said, "do you know why you are here?"

A good question.

"Because I lied," she began quietly. "Because I let somepony else take the blame for what I did. And also because I cheated, put members of the school in danger, and..."

"No!" Princess Luna's voice boomed, filling the room. "That is not why you are here!"

Startled, Noonlight took a step back. Fear was visible in her every move. Fear and doubt that she might have made a mistake, that she might have been too overconfident, that her actions would achieve a thing.

"You are here because you made a choice," the Princess of the Night stated. "We are here to ask if you stand by it."

Slowly Noonlight nodded.

"Have you considered the consequences of your actions, child?" Luna made a step forward. "You will be expelled from school, never achieve the position you have been striving for?"

"Princess Luna, Princess Celestia, please," Twilight teleported in front of Noonlight, shielding her from them. "This was not her doing alone. If I hadn't accepted the duel, as I shouldn't have, none of this would have happened. Mistakes were made, but this is no reason she shouldn't be forgiven. You taught me the importance of friendship, and everyday I spent in Ponyville I learned more. Now I know I should never turn my back on a friend. And Noonlight has become my friend. We might have only met in person a few days ago, but we have gotten to know each other through our challenges and letters, and..."

Twilight stopped. Both other princesses were staring at her, baffled expressions on her face.

"Whatever do you mean, Twilight?" Princess Celestia asked. "She is not here because of your magic duel."

"She's here, because she's a complete idiot, who constantly acts as a filly!" a new voice sounded. Both Noonlight and Twilight gaped, as Trixie hopped out from behind the throne. "I told you the Great and Powerful Trixie would handle this," she started confidently, however, a stern look from Princes Luna made her quiet down.

"You are here because you made the other choice, child," the Princess of the Night said. "You could have blamed your friend, or done nothing, and you probably would have lived an accomplished life."

"But not a full life," Noonlight looked at the ground.

"If I may, Miss Bright," the Headmistress coughed. "Despite your misguided opinion, the SGU, has never put the establishment before its students. Do you think you are the first unicorn to do something unorthodox? Although, I admit few have gone to such lengths," she gave Trixie an accusatory look. "The fact of the matter is that all could have been avoided, if you simply had been more open about it. And in the end I trust this has also shown you the importance of proper spelling."

Noonlight facehooved mentally. No matter the circumstances, the Headmistress was a lost cause when it came to speeches. Her skill to inject boredom even in the grandest and most serious of occasions was unparalleled.

"Of course, there would be consequences," the old mare adjusted her glasses. "Although interesting, the type magic you have been developing could be quite dangerous. Further supervised study would be required in the matter before it could become public knowledge. And let us not forget your use of magic," she shook her head disapprovingly. "As has become obvious, you have performed it without supervision. For the moment nopony seems to have been hurt, yet that is not something that could be allowed to continue. Officially, from this moment on you will be given the role of faculty secretary. However, neither you nor Miss Lulamoon will be allowed on school grounds unaccompanied by a faculty member. Naturally it would be in everypony's best interest for all involved to be discrete. There is also the non-trivial matter of some sort of punishment."

So much news, so little space in Noonlight's head. For a moment she felt like she was being bombarded will all sorts of things that she had never considered before. The Headmistress continued enumerating all the responsibilities she would have, as well as the punishment she and Trixie would receive, but Noonlight wasn't paying attention. The change that had just occurred was so great it rivaled her receiving her cutie mark. So far Noonlight had always been safely tucked away from the real world. Her parents were paying for her education, and apart from occasional temp jobs involving the school, she had never actually held a job. Everything had been provided for her, and maybe for that reason she had never had to make any life changing choices. Well, she had just now and from this point on everything was going to be different.

"There's just one thing, I don't get," Spike broke the seriousness of the occasion. "Who won the magic duel?"

Everypony looked at one another. Despite not showing it they too were just as curious. All glances fell on Twilight. As the recipient of the final mail duel spell, it fell on her to determine the outcome.

"I guess it's a draw," she smiled placing a wing on Noonlight's shoulder. "Your truth spell caught me off guard. Although, before that, I did outdo 'Starry'," she chuckled as an annoyed Trixie snorted with anger. "I'm just glad it was so much fun."

Many more things were said that day, but in Noonlight's mind that was the phrase that marked end of the whole adventure. It had all started as a simple dual, a desire to match wits with the Princess of Friendship. In the end it had brought them closer together. Not only that, it had helped Noonlight grow. No longer the confused pony, she was ready to experience all that life had to offer, knowing full well that whatever decisions she made she would have to live with them. Frightening, but also liberating. What would happen to her in the future? Only time would tell. Yet there was one thing she knew for certain - the sun was indeed starry.