An unknown sensation

She awoke after another night of dreamless sleep.

Only that this time, she did not feel so relaxed. She only just began to notice the world around her slowly. Unfinished thoughts danced through her mind like Parasprites.

Slowly, she drew lines between the individual Parasprites. She was the unicorn Twilight Sparkle, lying in her bed in Ponyville's library. Her face was warm, like the sun had shone on it for hours.

Which it had!

Twilight's eyes opened in shock. Once again, she had slept in a tiny bit, but this time nobody was there to wake her up. Once again, the sun was high already, but not at its peak, at least.

It was then when she noticed there WAS somepony to wake her up, knocking on the door impatiently.

Twilight rushed down to open it, making a light blue pegasus tremble from knocking onto a door that was no longer there.

"Oh hi Rainbow Dash! Why are you visiting me today?" She asked, unable to surpress a hint of annoyance at being robbed of two hours of sleep.

"I'm not coming at a bad time, right? 'Cause, I might have overdone my last morning nap..." Rainbow Dash responded, picking up the unwanted tone in Twilight's voice.

"Oh, not at all. Why don't you come in? You look like you have something important to tell me."

"Well, yeah," the pegasus began while following her friend into the library, "you know, I and Applejack have known each other for some time..."

"It's hard not to notice. How long have you been together now? I keep losing track."

The pegasus' wings unfolded a little. "Ever since she admitted me her love, two and a half months or something ago. And now there's a special... occasion I'd like your presence at."

Twilight felt the tension in her body rising. Was she really?

"Well, I proposed to Applejack... and we've scheduled it to be soon after Winter Wrap Up."

The lavender pony did some quick calculations. "So that'd be... directly after my final exam! Did you plan it like that so that I wouldn't be hindered at study?"

Rainbow Dash blushed slightly. "Wait, what are you talking about?"

"I didn't tell you? Sorry! You see, I have to take the finishing exam at Celestia's School for Gifted Unicorns, and it's in about two months from now."

"You're gonna ace them anyway, aren't you?"

"Aw Dash..." Twilight replied, but did not object to the compliment.

"Well, actually, it's because we both would be too busy before. But if it doesn't conflict with you, that's even better!" She explained with an honesty worthy of Applejack herself.

"So, back to the subject. Are you just inviting everypony that way, three months ahead, or is there something special you have in mind for me?"

"Indeed I do! If, you would like..." the pegasus squirmed, still having a blush on her face, which seemed to intensify a little. "I suggested, and AJ approves, that you'd be the ring bearer."

That had been two weeks ago now. In the meantime, Twilight had started going back to class and living in Canterlot. To make up for the loss of her library, Celestia had given her one of the better rooms in the castle and allowed her use of the royal library.

"You might want to dye your hair magically and start wearing dresses to cover up your Cutie Mark. Any unicorn the rank of a teacher or higher will see through the spell, but it should save you the trouble of being recognised by your class mates."

"Right, Princess."

"Fine, I'll be off then. Don't be afraid to contact any of the staff, including me, when you encounter any problems."

"Uh... Princess? One more thing," Twilight had asked her mentor after setting up her room. "Don't you think I'd stand out? I mean, the rest of the class's only little younger than me, but I'd still be clearly the oldest pony."

"Are you afraid of them thinking you were forced to repeat class once too often?"

Twilight didn't answer, keeping her head down. Despite her efforts to keep herself under control, the unicorn could feel her face heating up.

"Don't be ashamed. In fact, you just reminded me of something I would otherwise have forgotten." After saying this, the alicorn lit up her horn, touching her surprised student with it briefly.

The feeling Twilight got from it was beyond what she could ever have imagined. She could feel her body aging, backwards!

After the spell had finished, Twilight stood up fully again and adressed Princess Celestia, who was standing over her, smiling, "Wow. Did you... rejuvenate me?"

"If only it was this easy. A pony's growth is a force too powerful to be truly altered by any magic. The spell will fade not so long after you finish your exam and, once again, trained unicorns will see through it."

"Thank you, Princess, for all of this," She whispered. Her mentor had already flown off the balcony, though.

Twilight Sparkle was a new pony.

"Hey, Sparkle! You are still awake, right?"

The call from her friend made the sleepy pony snap out of the memories that had temporarily taken her mind out of reality.

"Uh? Yes, yes."

"Good. 'Cause I don't know if I'm casting this spell here right. Mind to take a look?"

Twilight (currently under the cover name of Sparkle) watched as Midnight performed a spell well known to her, used to teleport short distances.

Even though she had barely finished her first month and dove right into a finals class at school, she had already found new friends, who appreciated somepony with her magical talent.

Especially Midnight, she thought, as said pony teleported around her faster and faster. But she couldn't explain her increased attraction, she hadn't ever met that pony before and certainly didn't feel romantically attracted to her, either.

So she just shook it off and became satisfied with the two of them being best friends.

"I think you're casting that right. At least, I always did it that way." 'Sparkle' said, pushing a strand of her night blue mane aside.

"I guess you're right..." The pink maned pony stopped, the force of the canceled spell dizzying her. "Ngh," Midnight sighed, tipping over to lie on the floor.

Of course, Midnight's pink mane didn't fool Twilight. She, her mind still in the state of her older self, saw clearly through the spell her friend had used to dye a wonderful blue mane pink. The same she had used.

At that time, Twilight wondered whether her friend could see through HER spell, seeing her purple mane the way it really was. If she could, she surely did hide it well. Out of politeness, trying not to discourage Twilight for using such a weak spell, perhaps.

The thought brought a smile to Twilight's face.

"Oy, Sparkle! What's so funny?" The floor suddenly asked.

"That's...nothing. Just thinking about something back at home," She lied.

"Well, mind lending a hoof?" Midnight asked, stretching all four legs in the sky, lying on her back.

Twilight just chuckled and lifted her back onto her hooves with a levitation spell.

"You sure are a powerful magician, aren't you?" Midnight reacted to the spell Twilight had subconsciously used out of habit. "I'm sure you could take on an Ursa on your own, like that!"

The way her friend joked about a feat she had already achieved made Twilight both put out a short laugh and blush slightly.

"By the way, what's the time?"

Twilight took a look at the clock in Midnight's room, the result of which slightly shocked her. But, determined to keep up Midnight's mood, she answered with a joke. "Purple pony. Almost."

"Uh?" Midnight whirled around, looking at the clock herself. "Oh you..."

"Right. I think it's time for us both to get some sleep." Twilight said. Consequently, she rose, stretched her legs and went to the door.

Midnight rushed to her side to bid her farewell. "Suppose so. To be honest, I'm a little jealous of you. You're gonna ace the exams anyway, even without sleeping for a whole week, right?"

Amused by how Midnight kept guessing parts of her past right without wanting to, Twilight laughed at her. "It's half talent and half training, dear. You can surely catch up to me someday!"

Twilight 'Sparkle' Sparkle went back to her room in the tower. She was happy. Preparing for the exams, despite her talents, was keeping her busy enough so that she didn't have to think about the talk she had had with Rarity six weeks ago.

She slept soundly and quickly.