Royal Consanguinity

Chapter 1: Polar Opposites
“To you, princess of daylight, you shall be called Dawn Star."
"AND TO THOU, PRINCE OF THE DARK NIGHT, THY NAME SHALL BE MIDNIGHT!”

“Aunt Luna! I’ve mastered the spell!”

The princess of the night was awoken from her sleep by her student’s voice. She got up from her bed, a little tired after having stayed awake the whole night, but nonetheless ready to hear from him. She had never really needed to guide the moon consciously at night, but as princess over it she felt obligated to every once in a while. The previous night was such a night.

Princess Luna yawned. Rubbing her eye, she took her time to speak. “Good morning, Midnight. What spell is it, now?”

Midnight straightened himself, looking proud as ever. “The transformation spell.” He floated in front of himself the quill that was tucked behind his ear. Shutting his eyes, he poured his concentration into the magic that was emanating from his horn. It glowed with a dark blue aura, similar to the one enveloping the quill.

POOF. In a flash of white light, the quill had changed itself into a pink lily, stalk and all.

Luna was impressed. Midnight was a magical prodigy, she always reminded herself. Yet even she, the second most powerful pony in Equestria, had never ceased to be amazed by the speed at which her student learned things.

“It’s for you, Aunt Luna.” Midnight floated the lily upwards and tucked it behind his teacher’s ear. The contrast between its petals and her coat made her look rather cute.

“Why, thank you, Midnight,” she smiled as she reached out to tousle his jet black mane. “It’s lovely. Continue with your studies; I shall see you at lunch.” She walked out the open door of her chambers where Midnight had barged into, and decided to take a stroll along the castle halls.

Her nephew had grown to be so big; she could barely reach the top of his head with her hoof now. Well, specifically he was her grandnephew, related through Cadance her niece. But she had always shunned the g-word. It made her feel old.

*** *** ***

“Dawn Star! Where are you?!” Princess Celestia stepped inside from the castle tower’s balcony and shut the glass door behind her. The sun was set on its routine path along the sky; it required no more minding till midafternoon. Now, it was just her student that needed her attention. As always.

The study, where she was supposed to be, was empty. A stack of spellbooks lay on her student’s desk, unopened and unread. The inkwell was as full as ever. And knowing Dawn Star, she couldn’t have been in the Canterlot library. Of course, Celestia knew just where she’d be.

Princess Celestia teleported out of the castle, into the sky and straight in the path of her student. The young alicorn, who bore the same color coat as her teacher, stopped in her tracks. She laughed playfully as she saw that her teacher had come to join in her fun. But her smile faded as she noticed the bemused look that Celestia bore.

“Dawn Star,” Celestia spoke, employing the use of her royal Canterlot voice that she had come to so often use for the past decade or so. Sometimes, only volume could reach through to stubbornness. “Stop this revelry at once. Meet me in your study, now!!” She teleported back into the empty study. Her student flew through the window a minute later.

“Dawn Star,” she began, speaking normally. “What are you doing again flying among the clouds? Have you even started on anything today? What chapter of The Political History of Equestria are you on now?”

Dawn Star landed, hoofing the ground and not daring to look her teacher in the eye. “I was... I was practicing my weather manipulation?"

Princess Celestia nickered. “Weather manipulation, my hoof. And even if you were, your brother mastered it years ago.” The comment elicited a subtle eye-roll from Dawn Star, but Celestia caught it. She chose not to act upon it. “Now stay here and complete your studies for the day. Be glad that I don’t make you make up for all those days you’ve wasted having fun.”

She stepped out of the study and closed the door behind her. Princess Luna was standing in the hallway, looking at her sister with a blank stare.

“I’m tired, Luna,” Celestia sighed as she joined Luna’s side in her morning stroll. “Two thousand years I’ve ruled this kingdom, controlled the sun, and for half that time the moon as well. And I feel better than ever to be Equestria’s leader. But in the fifteen years that I’ve tried to raise Dawn Star, I don’t think I’ve had a night of peaceful sleep. I worry about her future.”

“You’re too hard on her, ‘Tia,” Luna replied. “She is but a filly.”

“But she is destined for greatness. I do not see that greatness in her just yet,” Celestia frowned as she spoke. “How goes it with you and Midnight?”

“Midnight is... brilliant. Especially for his age. But I wish he would spend more time among his friends, and more inclined to have fun.”

“I wish the opposite were true of Dawn Star,” Celestia remarked. “I almost miss my previous student. She was just so studious. And hardworking.”

“Twilight Sparkle?” Luna asked. “Yes... She was one exceptional unicorn.” Suddenly, her eyes widened. “‘Tia, what would you think of introducing Dawn and Midnight to a few friends? They’re mature enough to be without us, and Twilight and her friends could supervise their studies while in Ponyville.”

“Go on...”

“Midnight and Dawn Star, they would do well some friends. Influences. Good ones, hopefully, but friends nonetheless. It’s unhealthy to keep them here as such,” Luna said. “And I know that you, of all ponies know the power and significance of friends.” Luna smiled at her sister.

Celestia pondered the thought for a moment. “You know, if anyone knows how to teach our students a thing or two about magic of friendship – which they should already be learning by this age – it’s them.”

“Mmhmm,” Luna agreed. “Besides,” she yawned. “We could do with a break from all this mentoring.”

*** *** ***

Twilight Sparkle was rearranging the books in her library, putting back the returned books into their proper places. Owloysious helped her with the books on the higher shelves, though she could have easily done it with her telekinesis. Spike was having his claws full at the borrowing counter where several ponies were queueing up.

The Ponyville Library was now a much more popular hangout among Ponyville residents than it was when she first moved in, Twilight realized. She still remembered how empty it always was back then, when it would be just her and her studies along with Spike. Except when Pinkie threw her a party there to try and win over the Grand Galloping Gala ticket, she chuckled. Though at the very least, she could hang out with her friends anytime she wanted then.

In the years past, the library had expanded to several times its original size, with new additions to the treehouse built every few years. Twilight looked out the window. It wasn’t just the library that had grown; the whole of Ponyville had developed beyond recognition too. Her close friends had expanded their businesses as well. Sweet Apple Acres had increased its land by dozens of acres and now had its own apple market. The Carousel Boutique was now more of a department store, though Rarity still liked to design and sew choice clothing personally. Pinkie Pie had become the stand-in manager of Sugarcube Corner until the Cakes’ kids graduate from high school and took over. Rainbow Dash now had her own weather team, clearing the skies over the enlarged Ponyville. The only pony who led her life pretty much the same as ever was Fluttershy, in her cottage on the outskirts of Ponyville and tending to animals.

Ponyville was no longer the farming settlement that it started out as, nor was it any longer the town that Twilight had first moved in to. It was now a major trading city in the heart of Central Equestria.

The purple unicorn glanced in Spike's direction. He wasn't a baby anymore, and she wanted him to have his own life. Not that she didn't want him around, but he deserved no less than to be given the choice to lead his own life. It was on that particular day that she had planned to offer him relief of his duties as her assistant. She would be much more busy without him, but that was alright. It was just that the young dragon had been with her since she was just a foal. He was family, and it was no easy thing to part with him.

Twilight waited till the crowd of book-borrowers had dissipated.

Clearing her throat, she walked up to Spike. “Spike, may I have a word?”

The adolescent dragon looked worried, probably worried that he was in trouble. He stroked his green scales backward. Seeing this, Twilight forced out a smile. “Come, let’s go to the balcony,” she gestured.

“Is something wrong, Twilight?” But Twilight was looking at Ponyville’s skyline, distracted by how things have changed. Spike respectfully kept silent until the middle-aged mare turned back her attention to him.

“Oh, sorry Spike,” she apologized. “I was... I was just thinking.”

Silence.

“Remember when you told me when you wanted to be with your own kind? Back when you were younger – and you packed off to follow the dragon migration?” Twilight chuckled in nostalgia. "And I let you go. Even though I really really didn't want you to leave me at that point of time."

"Twilight? What are you trying to say?"

"Oh, nothing, Spike." Twilight looked away from the cityscape to Spike, who was now a head taller than her. "I'm just saying that if you... If you wanna... Look. You're no longer a baby dragon, and I have no right to keep you here with me, so should you wish to–"

Her words were cut short by a blast of golden-green fire that singed the hairs on her muzzle.

"Manners, Spike!" Twilight scowled. "What have I been teaching you all these years?"

She looked down and saw a bound scroll on the floor. Her scowl disappeared. "Sorry," she said, snatching up the scroll and unfurling it. She was hardly fazed by the seal of Princess Celestia that was imprinted on it.

Her trained eyes took in the words line by line, and at the end of it her eyes widened. "Spike, forget our talk. Take a letter," she said, leaving the message from the Princess in his open claws and stepping around him back inside the library.

"Dear Princess Celestia, I have received your message regarding sending Prince Shining Armor's two children here to Ponyville for further studies. I will prepare accommodations and a curriculum for them at once. Your majesty may rest assured that I as well as my friends will do our best to give Prince Midnight and Princess Dawn Star the best advancement in their education, including the lesson of friendship.

"Sincerely, your loyal subject Twilight Sparkle.

"P.S., How are my brother and Princess Cadance doing?"

Before the letter had even finished being burned away by Spike's flaming breath, Twilight was pulling books from the shelves and laying them on the table in front of her.

"Spike, do up a checklist," she said as she trotted up to the balcony. Through her telescope, she caught a fine brown stallion with a dark brown mane. It's been 15 years. Romance can wait a little longer.