Breaking Dawn

by Detsella Morningdew

Rating: everyone
Tags: Princess Luna, Original Character, Adventure, Princess Celestia, Twilight Sparkle, My Little Pony: Friendship is Magic, Alternate Universe
Length: 15349

Aurora learns the Princesses' secret, and it changes her life forever. This is a sequel - Guiding Light is required reading.

For those who have not read it already, Guiding Light is required reading. This is the second book in the series.

Warning: Description contains spoilers for Guiding Light, and the first chapter of this one.

After learning of her ascension from the Princesses, Aurora must deal with her changing instincts, the secrets she must keep, and the scorn of the nobility, who see her only as an undeserving student, and a threat to their lifestyle. A threat that must be removed.

Note: This story shares canon with Rites of Ascension (with permission), and is "set" a significant time after it ends. Since Rites is still unfinished, there may be minor differences in canon and story elements that have not been explicitly stated. New additions to RoA will most likely not result in a change in this story. Also, there may be personality differences - copying a character's personality doesn't do well for good writing.

However, this will certainly not be just a clone with an OC. It is part of the reason I had not cited the canon influences in Guiding Light, since readers would make assumptions. Even if there was no ascension element to my story, I still would have likely used the same canon.

Published 2017-08-11 22:10:12 UTC
Last updated 2020-01-11 15:20:31 UTC

Chapter 1: Matuta

Aurora yawned, stretching out each of her legs as she rolled over on the impossibly soft, warm, comfortable surface. She lifted her head slowly, then let it fall back down. No. No moving yet. Maybe I can go back to sleep?

She smiled, sinking deeper, then suddenly jerked upwards as a line of bright, hot sunlight pierced through her eyelids. Grunting in annoyance, she tried moving her hooves underneath herself. Well, too late for that idea.

The surface beneath her gave way underneath her hooves, letting her sink up to her barrel. With great reluctance, and a great deal of procrastination, she opened her eyes.

She saw a whole lot of red.

Ugh. I'm going to have to lift my head, aren't I? She sighed, looking up. There was now... red. And some white. And maybe some gold, too.

Well, at least I know my eyes aren't broken. She blinked, trying to get her eyes to focus properly. Her ears were also registering something, too. I'm not alone. And this doesn't look like my room at all.

Either of them, actually. Where am I? Suddenly, a thought came to the surface of her mind. She jumped up instantly.

"The cave!"

Or, at least, that's what she tried to do. What actually happened is that her hooves got horribly tangled in the odd sort of cushion she was laying on, she fell with a soft “thump” on her face, barely managing to mumble "Mgh knve!" before rolling over and falling off the surface and onto the cold, hard marble.

That woke her up quite thoroughly, and she scrambled back onto the cushion, her hooves having a frustratingly small amount of traction on the fabric itself. She looked around herself rapidly. "What's going on? Is everypony safe?"

Her head whipped around as she felt a hoof on her back, but relaxed when she saw the serene smile of Princess Celestia. She forced her breathing down, trying to slow her rapidly beating heart.

"You did it, Aurora. Everypony is... safe."

Aurora looked at her curiously. Something about her expression seemed... reserved. "What is it, Princess? Did something else happen? Why am I in your room? And why was I sleeping -" She pointed to the gigantic red cushion under her, and her mind made a connection. Her eyes widened.

"I’m... in... bed... Celestia..."

She shook her head violently. "Never mind. You're... you're obviously not mad at me, so it... it should be fine." Aurora looked up at Celestia with no small amount of worry. "But there's something wrong. What is it, Princess? Did something else happen? You said everypony is safe, but..."

Celestia and Smarty looked at each other, exchanging worried glances. Smarty spoke first. "Um, well... remember in that... training session... where Luna revealed that they were keeping secrets from us?"

Aurora cringed. "Yeah... um... I'm sorry. I mean, you probably had a good reason, but..."

Celestia held up a hoof. "Aurora... no. You need to know. I wanted to tell you when you were older perhaps, or when you started to see the signs yourself, but these last few hours have proven that it no longer can be that way."

Aurora looked up at her mentor worriedly, then at the other two Princesses that now occupied the room. "What do you mean? Is there something wrong with me?"

She stepped back she read the sadness in each of their expressions. Even Smarty seemed to avoid her gaze.

"No, my student. There is nothing wrong in who you are. But I only wish you did not have to carry our burden so soon."

"P-princess..? What are you talking about?"

Celestia looked down. "There is no easy way to say this, is there?" She sighed, bringing her head up to look her directly in the eye.

"Aurora, welcome to the alicorn race."

Aurora looked rapidly between the different ponies in the room, looking for anypony, anypony, who might refute that claim.

"No... this isn't possible! Nothing like this should be possible!"

Her gaze lingered on Smarty, who just shook her head gravely, still avoiding her gaze. "No, Mom, it's all true."

"But no! I'm just an earth pony! Nopony just changes tribes! It isn't possible!"

Princess Twilight stepped forward. "I'm sorry, Aurora, but it's true. Remember when you did that entrance exam? That magic you used? That was alicorn magic."

"But... but I got that from Celestia! That wasn't me!"

Celestia looked at Twilight, raising an eyebrow. "I didn't hear about this."

Twilight rubbed the back of her head with a hoof. "Uh, I kinda got distracted by the whole wellspring part. Sorry."

Celestia looked back at Aurora. "I'm sorry, my student, but only an earth pony can manipulate earth pony magic. Only a pegasus can manipulate pegasus magic."

"And only an alicorn can manipulate all three."

Aurora backed up further, bumping into the cushion behind her and falling on her rump. "But... wings... horn... mane..?"

Celestia laid down in front of her, bringing her head down to her level. "Do not worry. You will not be a full alicorn for a long time, and I doubt that you will exhibit many physical changes for a long time. And we will all be here for you."

Aurora attempted to smile, but it turned into a grimace as she gripped her head with her front hooves, a memory from the cave forcibly returning to the surface.

"I... know... You're right... It's... just really hard to think straight right now. Why did this have to come now‽ I spent so long trying to prove that Earth ponies had magic too, that they could do the same magic as Earth ponies… but all of that was just a damn lie."

Aurora suddenly found herself face-to-face with Luna, as her head was forced to meet her gaze. “Aurora, do you not remember your training with me?”

Her eyes darted to the side. “Of… of course.”

“So… those balls of magic that you put so much faith in. How often did you use them?”

“Um… well...”

“The point is, they’re inefficient. Those things cost roughly three times the energy a simple contact spell would require. They take longer to cast, and they are simply too flashy for any kind of stealth operation. Why is something like that so appealing for you?”

“I… I don’t know.”

Luna released her, softening her expression. “Do not trouble yourself with what other ponies believe you can do. If you do, then they are able to control you. Focus on what you love to do, and let everything else follow.”

Aurora sighed, falling back onto the soft, comfortable object she had been sitting on. “I understand, it just feels like… like all I worked towards was meaningless. I love magic, and I love researching how Earth pony magic works, but now… now it just seems like all that time, I just wanted to be a unicorn. Now I find that I am going to be one, and everything was just pointless.”

Suddenly, she grabbed her head in sudden pain. Her body lurched involuntarily, falling down completely on the bed. "Where... where is this even coming from?"

Celestia cocked her head. "What do you mean?"

Aurora gritted her teeth, and the other four ponies stepped back slightly as flashes of light flashed across her body, first appearing near her rear hooves, more and more appearing all over her as she twitched slightly.

Smarty looked worriedly at Celestia. "What is happening to her?"

Her eyes widened. "I... I don't know… Nothing should be happening this early."

She looked at the other Princesses, but they both seemed just as confused. All she could do was stare as Aurora endured the magic lancing across her body.

After what seemed like an eternity, the lights and magic died down, leaving Aurora laying on the bed, panting slowly.

She slowly rolled off the bed, then got to her hooves, looking back up at the worried-looking Princesses. “I...”

She paused, her balance slightly off. Her head turned towards Smarty automatically, but instantly snapped back to her own body as she realized that she had appeared three inches smaller than usual.

Aurora breathed in slowly. She was taller. Actually, measurably taller. She glanced at the three Princesses already in the room.

This was no joke. This was no dream. This was absolutely real.

Shivering slightly, her gaze traveled to her front hooves. She blinked. Was that… soot?

"After your body realizes what is happening to itself, your mind starts to reconfigure your instincts to that of an alicorn. However... I do not understand... Just realizing your transformation should not cause any magical imbalances. In fact, it should only serve to stabilize the wellspring."

Aurora attempted to “stick” one of her front hooves to the floor. She barely felt any resistance as she lifted it back up.

Oof, that’s a lot more damage than I thought.

She looked up. “Well, pretty much all of my magic is emotion-based.”

Twilight planted a hoof on her face. "Oh, right. I should have seen that."

Celestia stared past her. “Hmm. That is unusual.”

"Hey, at least you get to be the first Earth pony that ascended." Twilight put a hoof to her chin. "I think."

"Well, it doesn't matter anyway, since it's probably going to just get covered up anyway."

Twilight’s head whipped around so fast, Aurora could almost feel the breeze. "What do you mean?"

She took a step back hurriedly. "Um… well, I mean, you’re kinda absent from most of ancient history, Princess Twilight. Historical events and things that if you really are as old as most ponies think, you would have been alive for. I know most ponies don’t bother with reading about that kind of stuff, but..."

Twilight rubbed the back of her head. "Oh."

Luna stepped forward. "Aurora, I understand that it will be very difficult to adjust, but if it makes you feel any better, most ponies will only think of you as an earth pony for a long while yet."

Aurora sighed. "All... all right. Just... could we hold off on the Princess title for now?"

Celestia chuckled. "Of course. We haven't even announced your scholarship yet."

Aurora tilted her head. "I thought the School was free to anypony that got in."

Twilight covered her mouth with a hoof, chuckling. "No, no. She means that she hasn't announced that you're her student yet."

Aurora blushed slightly. "Oh, right. The other definition." She suddenly winced, thinking of the disapproving officials. "I don't think that's really going to go over well.

"...not to mention the other thing."

Luna's voice gained a certain amount of steel. "Well then, we will know exactly who to remove from office."

Celestia sighed. "I only wish it were that simple, sister. Still, we are all here for you, just as I said before. Do not worry." She smiled warmly. “And when you do, remember to come to us for help.”

Aurora’s mouth opened to protest that no, of course she wouldn't worry, but the words died in her mouth almost instantly as her brain kept coming up with more and more examples to the contrary.

"Yes, Princess."

She let out a breath. "And could you please go back to calling me Celestia again? I was quite enjoying that."

Aurora froze. "Wait, I was?"

Smarty facehooved.

Celestia laughed lightly. "Yes, you did. For a while, I was under the impression that you knew about your own ascension. But your fateful discussion with my sister proved that wrong."

She put a hoof on Aurora's shoulder. "I know you are still very young, but I would rather have another friend than another subject. We all would. So please, our titles are not necessary."

Aurora sighed. "I'll try. But... what about in public? Surely I can't -"

Celestia's smile gained a slightly predatory aspect. "It will provide a perfect demonstration of your position. Ponies need to know that you are no mere student."

She exchanged a knowing glance with Twilight. "And if anypony is giving you a particularly hard time, just call me 'Tia.' Their reactions are priceless."

Aurora blanched. "But..."

Celestia removed her hoof sadly. "Only when you feel ready, of course. For now. Just..."

Aurora stretched each of her legs, rolling smoothly off the bed and onto the floor. She yawned. "I'm not sure if I would be really comfortable with that, but I suppose I'll just have to get used to it."

Smarty blinked, looking up at her. Key word up.

"Um, Mom? Are you... taller than me?"

Aurora blinked, looking back at her, a bit embarrassed. “Um…. Maybe?”

"Yeah, you are! You look... you look almost like you're fully-grown or something." Smarty looked at the Princesses behind her. "Which you're not, obviously, since they're, like, super-tall."

Twilight trotted over, looking her over. "Well, growth certainly is something to expect, but it is unprecedented this early on." Aurora jumped slightly as Twilight's hooves poked at her experimentally.

She stepped back again, still staring at Aurora critically. "It doesn't look just like the kind of growth I went through, though. There is a significant amount of accelerated maturity as well. Perhaps because she started so young?" She looked at Celestia and Luna. "Like when you two actually reversed your aging when you two started?"

Smarty whipped her head around to stare at the two oldest Princesses. "Wait, you two weren'tborn alicorns?"

Celestia shook her head. "No, we were both once unicorns. Don't let that get out, though. It was bad enough when Twilight grew her wings."

Aurora looked up at the Princesses. There might… there might just be a way to fix all this. "Is... is there a way to stop this?"

Luna raised an eyebrow. "Stop ascension? Aurora, you have to realize - this is a completely natural process. Even if we were able to, we wouldn't."

Aurora pressed both her front hooves underneath her eyes, trying to relieve the tension. "Sorry, it's just... I don't know. A lot to take in, I guess."

Celestia climbed onto the cushion, shifting her body closer to Aurora and wrapping a wing around her back.

Aurora started to relax, leaning against Celestia’s large body, but stiffened a few seconds later

This is Princess Celestia. This is my teacher. This is the ruler, Sovereign of Equestria! I can’t...

Aurora’s eyes suddenly found Celestia’s face. Suddenly, she was a lot less sure.

Celestia removed her wing.

She looked around the room, searching for any opportunity to look away from that expression. Twilight gave her a nervous smile. Luna stared at the floor.

No… No, these are ponies, too. Ponies that need comfort. Ponies that need friends.

Aurora looked back up at Celestia.

Her eyes widened slightly, and she quickly made up her mind. Purposefully, she moved to Celestia… no, Tia’s side, leaning against her and her warmth.

As her mentor’s muscles started to relax again, and Aurora was just about to close her eyes, she felt another weight on her other side, looking up to see Twilight smiling brilliantly down at her.

Grinning slightly at the absurdity of the situation, but too comfortable to move, she looked at the only remaining occupant of the room.

Luna chuckled. “Oh, no. That bed is crowded enough with three of you.”

Twilight grinned. “Oh, I’m sure you could fit somewhere.”

“Yes, but I believe Aurora values her ability to breathe.”

Aurora looked blearily around the room. Somepony was missing, she was sure of it…

“Where…” She covered her yawn with a hoof. “Where’s Smarty?”

Luna rather unsuccessfully tried to hide her smile.

Aurora opened her eyes. Slowly, she breathed in, completely relaxed, yet aware of everything around her. Sighing, she looked beyond the glass of her room’s ceiling and into the stars as the cool night air brushed past her fur.

Her body told her that it was midnight, as usual, but there was no moon that lit her little corner of the castle.

She smiled. A new moon? Luna doesn’t do that often.

Indeed, without her “night light,” Aurora found her room cast in many, oddly-shaped shadows. Yet the stars themselves looked almost twice as bright without the comparison.

Looking to her right, she was unsurprised to find Smarty absent from her usual spot. Even with their shifted day-night schedule, Smarty always seemed to wake up early.

Seriously, I know she’s technically still growing, but I know for certain that I never needed that much food. Maybe it’s a pegasus thing?

Her head flopped sideways, towards the door. The door to the kitchens.

I should probably get up, shouldn’t I?

With a small, groan, Aurora rolled off the bed and onto the floor. She immediately froze.

No….

That was supposed to be a dream...

No part of that was supposed to be real...

There was no doubt about it. She knew her body well. Luna made sure of that. And this certainly was not what she trained with.

“I… I suppose I need to get some breakfast…”

She walked over to the door and opened it. Her hoofsteps were deafening.

Aurora shook her head violently. “No, just forget about it. Worrying won’t help.” She closed the door, descending each step of the staircase with a cringe, overstepping each one by about half an inch.

The castle corridors were almost deserted, and for once, she was glad.

No, of course nopony would notice if I gained a few inches. It’s not that obvious or anything. And besides, the Princesses are here to help me.

…but they don’t want me to call them that anymore. Did I really…? Yes, I suppose I did.

Why is it that when I have the most reason to use their names informally, it feels more wrong than ever?

She sighed, turning into the castle kitchens. There was nopony on duty, of course, but Aurora expected that. Princess Luna would have finished her lunch long before now, and her personal staff left when she did.

Aurora was just about to grab a cast-iron skillet hanging from the rack, but she was interrupted by a plate of eggs near her face.

“Hey, I already made some for the both of us. Come on!”

She smiled, willing for the moment to discard her confused thoughts. They didn’t seem to be doing anything useful at the moment, anyway. She took the plate from Smarty with her mouth, guiding it securely to the staff’s small dining table they both liked to use when nopony was around.

Ooh, nice, some hay bacon, too!

“Thanks for the breakfast, Smarty!”

She waved it off with a hoof. “No problem, Mom. I like doing this sort of thing, anyway.”

They ate a few minutes in silence, only the sounds of their forks on their plates penetrating the castle’s night air.

Eventually, Smarty spoke up once again. “So… I was talking to Luna a bit ago…”

Aurora cocked her head. “Wait, you always use her title. Why did you stop?”

Smarty sighed. “And you only notice now,” she muttered. “Well, for one, she told me not to. Two, you really need to loosen up. I figured if you hear it more from me, it will be a lot more comfortable for you in general.”

Aurora opened her mouth.

“And three, I’m a freaking sapient suit of armor. I really don’t care what other ponies think.”

Aurora closed it, letting out her breath. “I know, I know. It’s just still not something I’m used to. Not something I’m comfortable with.” She lifted a hoof to about eye level. It was heavier than usual. “None of it.”

Smarty looked towards the ground silently. “...I guess I never really got the chance to get used to anything. Not yet, at least. I know it’s kinda selfish, but I sorta wish you did just turn into an alicorn immediately. Sure, there would be mass panic and all that, but at least it would die down after a while. At least we could get into some sort of routine.”

She reached over the small table, placing a hoof on Smarty’s shoulder. “I’m sorry. I’ve been so focused on my own problems, and… and you always seemed to just be able to handle everything. I guess I never really stopped to think how you would feel about this. I never realized how much this actually affects you.”

Smarty looked up again, smiling. “Don’t worry about it. Neither of us really know what is going to happen, and if I’m right, neither do any of the Princesses. But that’s okay, because we still have each other to lean on.” She took a deep breath. “You didn’t know what I was feeling, but that’s because I didn’t tell you about it. I know you care about me. I just need to remember that.”

She stood back up, taking each of their empty plates and placing them on her back. “I’ll take these for you while you think up some fun things to do. I was talking with Luna, and apparently, we only have a few hours left until the world knows you’re “Celestia’s student.” They’re having some sort of press conference at dawn, and you bet it’s going to spread like wildfire.”

Aurora gulped. “Yeah… that… I’m definitely not looking forward to getting recognized by everypony I meet.” She thought of a certain examiner. “Especially a particular kind of everypony.”

Smarty nodded sagely. “Well, we’d better use our last remaining anonymity as well as we can, then.” She placed the dishes carefully in the sink with her hooves, staring out the small, arched window into the city below.

“And brace ourselves for the worst.”

Chapter 2: Aftermath

Aurora wandered aimlessly thought the castle's rooms and corridors. Now that she had nowhere to be, she walked slowly, gazing at the odd stained glass window, gardens she didn't know existed, and even a painted ceiling with so much detail, she could have sat there for an hour.

But her heart just wasn't in it. She continued to walk. It was something to do.

...It was different. It was all different. An image flashed through her mind. Her parents, her friends, everypony.... All shying away from her.

Aurora knew that she was influenced at the time. All that death magic she carried was made by so much hate. She shuddered at the memory - she had almost followed through. But that would have never happened if a small part of her didn't already agree with what all those ponies had wanted. That scared her. Almost everypony in Canterlot could have died, and it would have been her fault.

I made the right decision in the end. But it was too close. I let my anger decide what I did way too many times. Those examiners may have been bigoted idiots, but I could have killed them. No matter what they did to me, none of it deserved death.

Another image surfaced, this one of that one bully that had chased her into the mines. Aurora sighed. I I need to be more careful, too. With Luna's training, if I got angry and bucked somepony like that now...

She shook her head violently, trying not to think about the all-too-realistic pegasus golem, bleeding on the ground.

Aurora started walking again, once more stumbling on her too-long legs.

And then this. Alicorn. Why would I deserve that? I've been so focused on what earth ponies could do... Aurora hung her head. No, that's not it. Meadowlark may have been nice... Mom and Dad are great... but I started to treat any nice unicorn as an exception. And then I start dreading growing a horn... She shuddered, gritting her teeth.

I don't deserve this at all.

The press conference was already in progress, and she had already been there. Just for Celestia's announcement. It went better than expected, but she could only take so many veiled insults before she had to leave. But after what happened in the cave, she couldn't bring herself to be as angry as she should have been.

Aurora winced as her hooves clacked loudly on the marble floor. All that stealth training from Luna was now almost worthless, just by growing a few inches.

That was another problem, but one she couldn't blame anyone for. Nopony at that press conference treated her like a foal. To them, she was just a young mare. And looking at her reflection in the glass of a colored window, she couldn't help but see the same. And she didn't just look like a bigger filly, either. Her build was entirely different. As much as the Princesses insisted that ascension was natural, it certainly didn't feel that way.

Was the only reason she could project magic in the first place because of this "alicorn" thing? Was it because she was part unicorn the whole time?

She shook her head. No, those books weren't written for alicorns. They were for normal earth ponies. Aurora sighed. But why should I care so much to begin with?

On a whim, she walked under an archway, stepping into one of the castle's many open-air gardens. Marble walls closed it in, and there were no exotic plants or trimmed hedges, but it was open to the sky, and it was peaceful.

Aurora frowned at herself. She had been so angry at the stereotypes ponies had placed on her, she had been avoiding anything to do with them. Plants, that is.

Her cutie mark represented life, growth, and vitality. Everything that should be associated with plants. Even the images were leaves. But she had been so focused on being different and special that she ignored half the meaning. Half of her potential.

Aurora laid down in the soft grass, nibbling at it absentmindedly. She stayed there for a while, only lifting her head when she heard Smarty fly in, Princess Celestia close behind.

"Is it finally over?"

Celestia chuckled. "Don't think too badly of them, Aurora. There were just as many questions when Twilight became my student all those years ago. Not to mention when she became Grand Mage."

She rose slowly to her hooves. "Grand Mage?"

"Not a position that is given often. Really, it's just a code word for 'Alicorn Ascendant,' but the position has only ever been given to a unicorn, hence the name."

Aurora sighed. "Yeah, I don't think that would work well. Not to mention I'm still legally fourteen." She looked nervously at her mentor. "This whole... business... Am I allowed to tell my parents?

Celestia suddenly looked a lot more serious. "Certainly. In fact, I insist on it."

She blinked, surprised. "Wait, really?"

"Aurora..." Celestia stepped close, wrapping a wing around her barrel. "Whatever you do, don't let anything come between the relationships you have. Cherish them. Yes, we want to keep your alicorn status secret. Ponies knowing that right now would put you at a lot of risk. But family and friends - you only have them once."

Smarty and Aurora exchanged worried looks. Neither of them had fully considered what their status actually meant in the long term. Aurora smiled slightly. At least I know I'll always have one friend.

Of course. But... we should think of now. Not then. Nopony is gone yet.

She sighed. I suppose you're right. And I guess that's kinda what Celestia meant.

Celestia coughed politely, causing both of them to jump slightly. "Sorry, Princess," Smarty said awkwardly. "We were just... talking."

"It kinda became a habit after... everything that happened two days ago. Sorry about that."

"No, I see that. But don't let yourselves forget the rest of the world when you do so."

Smarty smiled. "Yeah. Princess Luna said something about it being a really good tactical advantage. So we should keep it a secret."

Celestia chuckled. "Not exactly what I meant, but yes. That would be best." Celestia stepped further into the small garden before closing the wooden door. "But we should talk more about your ascension, Aurora. I have spoken with my sisters, and it seems that for reasons we can only speculate, you are progressing faster than is usual. Whether this is due to you ascending as an earth pony, or simply due to your particular magical talent - the fact remains that you might not be able to pass as an earth pony much longer."

Aurora sat back down in the grass. "All right... but why does it matter that much? What did Pr-" She paused to correct herself. "Twilight. What did Twilight do?"

Celestia groaned in frustration, causing both of them to flinch at the normally reserved mare.

"Twilight was already a competent fighter, already had thwarted many threats to Equestria, and was widely known as the Grand Mage, second only to me and Luna. She could handle a threat to her life!"

Aurora cringed. "Wait, that's what you're expecting? But Equestria isn't as bad as it was then! I read about that part of history, and it was... messy. The worst thing I've seen today is the education system."

She sighed, sitting down beside her student. "No, Aurora, we can't just assume that. Killing a fully-grown alicorn is practically impossible. If anypony opposed the existence of another... the best time to act would be now.

"If everypony found out now, it would create that messy part of history. I truly am sorry, Aurora, but this is the reason your training with Luna was so important."

Aurora just sat, staring at the grass underneath her hooves.

"But we can't just keep you here, cooped up in the castle, either. You need to meet ponies. Make friends. Live."

"What am I supposed to do, then? You said we don't have much time before ponies realize what's happening, and because of that, not enough time for me to defend myself properly, but you also said I should spend time making friends. There just isn't enough time to go around."

Celestia took a deep breath. "You have no idea. But Aurora... the truth is, based on how rapid that growth was, there is almost zero chance you will be ready when the world realizes what is going on. The only option I see is that when those big changes start to happen, you can't be seen by anypony else." She sighed, giving Aurora a pained glance. "You would have to stay here in the castle, away from any public areas, until it's safe to reveal yourself to the public."

Aurora flopped the rest of the way onto the grass, staring at the open sky.

Celestia leaned into her side. "You won't be alone. You'll have me, Luna, and Twilight. Smarty, too. And even if I wanted to, I doubt I'd be able to stop your parents from visiting. And your friends - any of them that are strong enough to know are welcome. The last thing I want is to make this castle seem like a prison."

Aurora took a breath, smiling slightly as Smarty laid down next to her. "I suppose that's just what makes it so important to go outside and visit them now.

Celestia nodded. "Still, I doubt your extended stay in the castle will be as long as you might think. Once you can maintain some sort of disguise spell, it shouldn't be much of a problem anymore.

Aurora blinked. "I guess it doesn't seem so bad. Still, it feels weird that I'd be casting illusion spells. Or flying, for that matter."

Celestia smiled, embracing her student with a wing and nuzzling her. "Ascension changes what you are, not who. Remember that."

She nodded.

"Now, I've gotten the chance to be with you for quite a long time." She folded her wings, starting to stand up. "But your parents, on the other hoof, are some ponies who are long overdue."

Aurora's walk outside Canterlot Castle felt almost surreal. Everything was in sharp focus, but she felt dazed. It almost felt like summer vacation, but without the playful cheer that usually accompanied it.

It would have been so much easier if I just never found that cave. Never got into that stupid fight. I'd never have to deal with being Celestia's student. I wouldn't have had to go through all that training. And this Alicorn business would have never happened. But at the same time, I wouldn't have gotten my cutie mark. I wouldn't have met Meadowlark. I wouldn't have met the Princesses of Equestria as the real ponies they are. And...

Aurora shuddered at a thought. And thousands of ponies might have died if it wasn't for those caves, and our over-curious expedition.

And all that alicorn stuff might have just happened anyway, just without the Princesses to guide me through it.

She sighed. All I need is some rest. And that's what Celestia sent me here to do. Be normal for a while.

Aurora approached her own door cautiously. Sure, her adventures had done a lot of ponies some good, but at the same time, she couldn't help but notice she had all but ignored the two ponies that were most important in her life.

Hesitating slightly, she knocked on her door before pushing it open. "Mom? Dad?

She jumped back as a pair of light orange hooves wrapped tightly around her neck. "M-mom?"

Cherry Blossom nuzzled the back of her neck before pulling back. "Sorry, honey, but it's just been so long!" She turned her head. "Dear! Aurora decided to visit for a change!"

Aurora rubbed the back of her neck with a hoof. "Sorry about that, Mom."

Cherry sighed, shaking her head. "I'm sure you've been plenty busy with the Princesses. But it doesn't mean I'm less relieved to see you again." She gave Aurora a critical look. "So... is it reversible?"

Aurora blinked. Uh oh. She gave an uneasy smile. "What do you mean?"

"That age spell? I mean, that surge was felt all over Canterlot, and you can't tell me I won't recognize my own daughter's magic."

Aurora shifted uncomfortably, as Written Script made his way into the main library. "Um, well... that's actually part of what I needed to talk to you about."

Her mother snorted, chuckling. "So the only reason you got around to see us was because you needed to tell us something?"

She took a nervous step back. "No! Well... I mean, kinda, but I really didn't mean to..."

"Dear, just let her speak. I'm sure she would have visited earlier if she was able to get the time. Now, let's just all relax and sit down. I just finished making lunch."

Aurora chuckled nervously, looking down at the wooden paneling on the floor. "I'm sorry, Mom and Dad. I've only been gone a few months, and it barely feels like I'm home anymore. I... I should have visited way sooner than this."

A few moments later, she was wrapped in a soft hug once more. "I'm sorry, I've just... well, both of us can't help but worry about you."

She closed her eyes, still avoiding her mother's gaze. That's almost worse. I need to tell you everything, but making you worry about even more... I don't want to put that on you.

"Come on now, let's go sit down and eat. Standing around and talking like this only makes me nervous." Cherry let go of her daughter, but let her lean close as they walked upstairs. ...You really need a rest, dear. And not the kind you get from sleep.

Aurora sniffed as she reached the top of the stairs. She looked at the table, where the plates were already set out. She suddenly smiled, pulling away from her mother's side. "Dad! Is that sauteed onions? And peppers? I thought those were out of season or something."

He grinned back. "First of the year. I just had to put good use to them."

Aurora rushed over to give him a quick hug before hurrying to her own seat.

He chuckled. "I'd say you have pretty good timing, certainly."

Cherry rolled her eyes at both of them before sitting down herself.

Written Script, took a bite, chewed it, then cleared his throat. "Sorry, honey, but I'll have to be the bad guy here and get this over with. What's with that surge yesterday. It had quite the impact on a lot of ponies."

Aurora froze, her mouth halfway to her plate. "It didn't hurt anypony, did it?"

"No, no. Nothing like that at all. If anything, I felt better. But everypony was talking about it. Blew some ponies off their hooves, certainly. It just have been some surge. I mean, just looking at you, it must have been that growth magic you were talking about. But you also said something about not being able to reverse it? That doesn't make much sense."

She sighed, then chewed faster to clear her mouth.

Her mother spoke before she could, though. "Dear, you haven't even touched your utensils. Is there something wrong?"

Aurora slumped in her chair. "I know I should tell you all of this... and I want to... but I just really hate making you worry about anything. Not more than you already have."

"Dear..." Cherry put a hoof to her head and sighed. "We already know what you were doing was dangerous when you came back trained for something. But we can't help if we don't know what's going on. That's what makes us worry the most."

She looked down at her plate. "But it's not just me. That would be easier. Two days ago... the day of that surge? Both of you were in a lot of danger... and I almost let it happen."

There was a few muffled thumps, and some rustling of feathers before a gray pegasus flopped in. "Okay, I'm going to have to stop you right there. You were being influenced by, like, a thousand ponies' dark magic right then. You can't take all the blame. Besides, if anypony should feel guilty, it's me for setting it off."

"Hey, you had no idea it would react like that! Besides, the site wasn't exactly ancient. Those ponies would have come back eventually, and then who knows what would have happened?"

Written Script waved a hoof in between them. "Hey! As entertaining as it is to watch you two play the reverse blame game, none of us have any clue what is going on. You said something like dark magic, and a not-ancient "site?"

Both froze, blushing. "Sorry Dad."

Smarty sat down in an empty chair, tail tucked firmly between her legs.

He took a deep breath. "Now, can we start from the beginning?"

Aurora nodded, a sheepish grin on her face. "Well, I guess it started when we decided to explore that cave I got those books from."

Smarty put a hoof on her shoulder. "Wait. I think... I think we should start with the reason we decided to run away in the first place."

Her head turned sharply to look at Smarty, but she winced when she saw her face. "Yeah... I guess you're right."

Author's Note

Also a bit short, but it seemed like a good stopping spot.

This also means that the next chapter is already in progress. Not much progress, but still. It's not stagnant anymore.

Chapter 3: Plans

Both of Aurora's parents were silent as Smarty finished the end of their story. It was almost half a minute before either of them attempted to speak.

"It's... strange," her mother said. "I almost wish I didn't know. That you'd be dealing with things like that, I mean. But at the same time, knowing how well you handled it... how well each of you keep the other safe... I'm proud of you Aurora, and the pony you've turned into." She smiled. "You too, Smarty. It feels like I'm letting you go far too soon... both of you... but please don't let me be the reason you keep these things to yourself. As much as I hate to hear that you were hurt, I can't stand not knowing."

Written Script nodded firmly. "If you need to tell us anything... it won't leave this room." His gaze softened as he looked at his daughter. "The reason you won't pick up your utensils... you can't, can you?"

Aurora shook her head. "It's not permanent, but the leylines in my front legs were destroyed in the struggle."

Both of them winced.

"It should only be a few days at most, though. I can manage."

Cherry set down her spoon. "Wait, that doesn't add up. I'm no medic, but aren't leylines supposed to take months to heal?"

Aurora tilted her head. "But Celestia said... oh wait."

"What is it, dear?"

She sighed. "It probably has to do with the second big thing I need to tell you."

Both blinked in mirrored surprise and apprehension.

"I didn't really explain why I got taller."

Written frowned. "Wait, I thought it was all that magic... no, you said that growth magic was different than life magic, I think." He looked back at his daughter. "But this is a pretty... sudden change. How could this not be from all that magic?"

"Not directly, no. In a way, it's the reason why we ended up running away."

Smarty winced. "Remember that secret they kept from us? There was actually a pretty good reason for it."

Cherry snorted in frustration. "Just out with it already! Stop stalling and just tell me. My heart can't take it much longer."

Aurora took a deep breath. "Mom... none of the Princesses were born alicorns."

Both her parents froze for a few seconds. "Um... wow. Sweetie, I don't think either of us are supposed to know that. But what does that have to do with you growing two inches in one day -"

Cherry froze suddenly, exchanging alarmed looks with her husband, before turning back to a guilty-looking Aurora.

"A-also, Princess Celestia doesn't just... take students randomly."

"So all alicorns were unicorns once? That doesn't seem fair."

"All the Princesses, yes. I don't know if there were any before Celestia and Luna. I think it's more of a biology thing, though. When most Earth ponies and pegasi use magic, they need to use muscles and stamina, too. Even with the stuff I know, the pure magic stuff is actually the least useful. It was only my obsession with not doing anything most Earth ponies did that ended up training my magic like unicorns do. And it's not like pegasi just shoot off lightning constantly, when flying is a lot more useful and fun."

Her father sighed. "I guess. It still doesn't seem very fair, though."

Cherry gave her daughter another worried look, this one for a completely different reason. "I'm really glad you can stay for a while, Aurora, but if this is slowing down your training with Princess Luna... I guess I'm just not sure what to think."

"I'll... find some time for training. Celestia seemed to think this was important, though. Almost more important than the training part. Especially before I have to hide for a while."

Cherry shook her head vigorously. "We could visit more often! If this ascension thing is really as dangerous as you said it is, we'll make the time to come visit."

"No, it's not just that. It's the time to make friends... and visit old ones. The time to go outside. Things the Princesses don't have the time for. Or have too much status for. Sure, they have each other, but.."

Her mother sighed. "No... I understand now. As your mother, I hate it. I only want for you to be safe. But at the same time... you need time to have fun. Be with ponies your own age." She chuckled. "Or just your own maturity level. I'll take what I can get."

Aurora smiled. "Thanks, Mom." She looked at the clock on the wall and blinked. "Wow, it's really late." She glanced at the door. "But I suppose I need to get back to normal sleeping patterns if I want to visit my friends."

Written Script chuckled. "Seven is a perfectly reasonable time to go to bed. Besides, it isn't like the Princess never sent us letters; I know how much you like to watch the sunrise."

She grinned. "Thanks for the food. And the advice." Aurora looked down. "But I'm sorry for dropping all of this on you at once."

"It's okay, dear. Really. Now, go get some rest. I'm sure you have plenty of plans for tomorrow."

Aurora trotted into her old room and laid down on her old bed. It was surreal, returning to something so normal, after so long. Compared to her bed at the palace, it was small, a bit lumpy, and the plaid blanket clearly clashed with her coat. But it was home.

She fell asleep within seconds.

Aurora woke to the familiar feeling of Smarty nuzzled up against her, but everything else felt strange and foreign. Yet at the same time, it felt like the most normal thing in the world.

Her life had changed so much since that day of school. The fight with that bully. Broad Strike was his name. She remembered.

But now, everything he said seemed so trivial. Nothing a simple talk with one of the teachers couldn't solve. Really, the compass seemed more like an excuse, in retrospect. It was the insult that really pushed her over the edge.

In a way, it was both the best and worst thing that happened to her. The chain of events it set off were certainly not an easy ride. But even aside from what might have happened underground, was she really going to be happy, continuing to bounce from school to school, void of direction in her life?

It wasn't just those books that led her to attempt entry into Celestia's school. It was her cutie mark. Her purpose in life. To deny that would be unthinkable. Life had been hard, but even someone like a donut shop owner worked hard to do what they loved.

As she looked out at the sunrise, Aurora sighed. As scary as everything seemed, she really was happy. And today, she would make decisions that would affect the rest of her life.

It was far too early to visit Meadowlark and still be polite. Not that she knew where she even lived. Only ponies working in retail got up this early.

At least it wasn't Sunday or Monday. She should be working at the school around nine in the morning.

This left Aurora at least two hours of doing nothing.

Or...

I need to keep up with my training. Even Mom agreed with that. I have Smarty to help me, but despite our training with Luna, we aren't exactly experts.

An image flashed in her head, of the golem's broken form.

More importantly, I need to learn how not to hurt ponies. Despite what Luna might think, there are plenty of times where lethal force is not required.

She leapt from the bed onto her hooves. She had an idea how to spend her morning.

"Smarty, come on. We have somepony to visit."

Aurora had seen this old place many times in her exploration of Canterlot. It was a small martial arts dojo, yet unlike the ones usually meant to appease tourists or most city folk, she had met the owner. He seemed like the kind of pony that could help her.

It was also closed. As in, out of business.

But he still lived here, based on the lights in the second story window. She knocked.

Smarty raised an eyebrow, but otherwise kept silent.

As she had expected, the stallion in charge was awake, and Aurora could hear him come downstairs to check what crazy pony would be knocking at this hour.

He sighed when he opened the door and saw the two ponies waiting for him. "Can't you read? I'm not accepting any new students."

Aurora blushed in embarrassment. "Sorry, sir, but you're the only pony I could think of in Canterlot that could help me."

He rolled his eyes. "Flattery won't help you. I'm done with helping every teen in Canterlot fulfill their little power fantasies. Even the ones that don't just quit after they realizes it takes real work."

The old stallion had started to close the door, but she reached a hoof out to stop it. "Wait! No, it's just the opposite."

He opened the door slightly. "Hm?"

"I have too much power. I want to learn how to fight ponies without... you know... killing them."

The stallion's eyebrows skyrocketed. "Well, I must admit, I've never heard that one before." He opened the door more fully. "But such a statement requires proof. Come on in."

Only when they both were in and the door closed did he speak again. "You don't look like a pony who has tasted the guilt of death. But your eyes show me genuine fear."

Smarty spoke for her. "It was a golem. In training. A bit too realistic."

"Even stranger. Most instructors do not bother with such a method, as the concentration required is far too great. Especially when the students are so young."

Smarty simply nodded.

"Let's just say I believe you for now. But I still have to test your strength. As much as I abhor the practice, I do have a few concrete slabs in the basement. Wait here, and I'll go retrieve them."

The old master stared at the ground, and the concrete slab that had been shattered. The young mare had insisted that he not place it on supports, and he had been skeptical. But this showed far more conclusively what she had been telling him. She was dangerous, and she had asked to be less so.

Still, he was advanced in years, and had given up teaching for more than just the attitudes of the residents of Canterlot. And he knew of no ponies she could realistically spar against. Certainly not the pegasus filly who followed her around. This mare's strikes were most certainly reinforced with a large amount of energy.

"Are you familiar with the magic that flows through your hooves?"

Aurora blinked. "Yes, actually."

"Do you know how to control that flow?"

She paused for a moment. "To an extent, though I have a feeling that you mean something more precise."

He shrugged. "Not really. Just... use less. I find that the simple solutions are the best."

"I suppose." Aurora gave him an uncertain look. "But in a combat situation, I would usually need to run around a lot. Having a bigger concentration on my back legs than my front would be rather... strange."

He blinked. That was certainly unusual. As a master of his own sort of martial arts, he normally dealt with one-on-one situations. But this mare was talking like a guard, even though she still looked far too young to join.

"Are you, by any chance, a member of the Junior Guard?"

Aurora blinked. "I hadn't thought of that. Do you think they'd teach me this sort of thing?"

Apparently, his assumption was incorrect. This mare certainly was strange. But she didn't seem to be the sort that would be involved in criminal activity. Whoever she was, it wasn't up to him to pry.

"They would, of course, teach you plenty of non-lethal methods of takedown. That is, after all, a large portion of a guard's job. But moving around with suppressed magic - that is something you will have to practice on your own. Still... what you have said confuses me. What you said implied that you would be fighting with your front hooves, yet you stomped on the concrete with your back hoof. Most ponies buck their opponents. And if you did plan on using your front hooves, why did you not punch it?"

Aurora cringed. "Sorry. The leylines in my front hooves are destroyed."

The old stallion jumped back. "Destroyed‽ What manner of spell..?"

Aurora paused. "I'm... not sure I should tell you. It's... I guess I could say that it's a kind of dark magic, at least."

He sighed. "I suppose I shouldn't press. In fact, I think I might recognize you. You're the Princess' new student, aren't you?"

She blushed. "Yeah."

"Well, I don't know what kind of free time you have, but that Guard stuff might be what you're looking for."

"Um... thanks for your help, I guess. Sorry for bothering you so early in the morning."

He smiled. "What are you talking about? The sun's up, ain't it?"

Aurora returned his grin, walking back outside. It wasn't what she was looking for, certainly, but he had given her a start, at least. Something to try.

And just maybe, a place where she could make friends like Celestia had said.

First, though, she had an old friend to visit.

Author's Note

Next chapter will be longer, I swear!

Chapter 4: Camaraderie

Aurora's walk to Celestia's School for Gifted Unicorns gave her an odd sense of nostalgia, despite her last visit being so recent. For the first time in a while, she was visiting it from "outside the castle," so to speak.

It wasn't that she was physically using the front entrance. Not really. It was more that her home was back where it was before. She wasn't "of the castle" anymore. It didn't even feel like she was part of the school. She was just another pony walking through the front doors.

"Aurora! It's so nice to see you again!"

Her face brightened at Meadowlark's greeting. There were few ponies that Aurora trusted completely. There was Smarty, of course. And her parents. And more recently, she had become comfortable with the Princesses, for the most part. But with all the changes in her life, her brain couldn't help but pin some of the blame on them, even if ascension wasn't really their fault.

Meadowlark, however, had only been supportive from the beginning, even if they didn't talk as often as Aurora's conscience assured her they should.

"Good morning!"

The beige unicorn smirked. "I heard the news. I suppose I'm allowed to brag about you now?"

Aurora blushed. Smarty just nodded. "Yep!"

"Smarty! Not helping. But, um... Meadowlark?"

"You can just call me Meadow if you like."

"Right. Um. Celestia kinda gave me a... break, of a sorts, in my studies. So I have a lot more time now. And I kinda want to tell you a few things-"

She nodded briskly. "Of course. CSGU's foyer isn't exactly the most private of locations." Her smile became a lot more cheerful. "And I'm looking forward to meeting you properly, rather than a few random conversations. My house is just down the road, the light blue one with the tiled roof."

Aurora blinked.

"I get off at twelve, by the way."

"Oh, um, thank you. See you then?"

She chuckled. "See you then."

Aurora walked out of the glass double doors, slightly dazed. She turned to Smarty. "What was that about?"

Smarty just rolled her eyes. "Most ponies are actively trying to make friends. Meadowlark likes you. You finally gave her the chance."

She looked down. "Now I kinda feel guilty it's just to tell her about this whole mess."

Smarty bumped her lightly at the shoulder. "Hey, it doesn't have to just be about... all this. She's your friend. Or at the very least, the closest thing you have to one. We can stay up a bit late if it means we get to know her a bit better."

Aurora took a deep breath, letting it out slowly. "Okay. I guess you're right. But what do I even talk about with her?"

"Earth pony magic? I dunno, Mom. Figure out what she likes, I guess."

"Is friendship really that simple?"

Smarty shrugged. "Heck if I know. But if we're going to keep up with the training thing, we should probably find that Junior Guard place."

"Right, right. Do you know where that is? I thought it was organized by schools."

"Don't look at me. I know less than you do."

Aurora gave her a look.

"...Well, I might have paid attention to something you didn't, I guess."

"Why I asked. You like watching Day Court, for crying out loud."

Smarty huffed, blowing her mane out of her eyes. "Well, I don't know where the Junior Guard might be, but I do know where the actual guard recruitment area is. Maybe we can ask there."

Aurora chuckled. "Yeah, I guess that makes a lot of sense." And after a brief hug, they were on their way, with Smarty in the lead. While the recruitment building for the Guard was quite close to the castle geographically, it was not a building that ponies needed to pass every day. Ponies that wanted to join the Guard sought it out, usually soon after they finished school. Usually with an appropriate talent that matched Guard activities.

As such they soon left the main roads with their large, smoothed flagstones, and onto rougher (though still well-maintained) cobble. This was the kind of stone that paved the roads in the residential areas of Canterlot, and Aurora couldn't help but find the arched mosaic of squares somehow reminiscent of home.

Her face slowly looked up from the ground, taking in more of the carefully landscaped, yet natural looking surroundings. It was a familiar sight, the trees, flowers, and grass placed strategically in between clean and elegant buildings. It was... beautiful, even if she did prefer the locations Luna brought them for their training. There obviously was a good reason that tourists still came to visit Canterlot, even without visiting any of the Princesses, or sightseeing at the castle.

It was strange, seeing Canterlot as if she hadn't lived here all her life, but for the first time, her life felt... empty. In a good way. No longer did she have to worry about what school she went to, or how ponies thought about her. Sure, she had to worry about ponies not accepting that she was in this position as Celestia's student... but somehow their opinion mattered far less. She didn't even have studies to worry about at the moment. Not that she didn't control herself. The only pressing matter was her own body messing things up. Forcing her to live in the moment until that happened.

Looking at this Guard thing? It wasn't even something Celestia suggested.

They finally stopped at building that seemed rather plain. The sign above the door clearly marked it as the "Equestrian Forces Recruitment Center," but the building was plain brick. It certainly wasn't in disrepair, and it didn't particularly stand out from the more civilian businesses nearby, but it was quite utilitarian. Aurora found it odd that anything so closely related to the Princesses was like this. The castle behind the establishment seemed equally strange to her. If Canterlot Castle had a bad angle, this was certainly it. It was certainly not optimized for aesthetics, at least.

Like the building itself, the Castle didn't appear ugly or disheveled, just jarringly practical. While certainly, the whole picture was fitting for a military setting, it was still surprising to find in Canterlot.

After a quick check to make sure the building was open (there were no hours posted), they walked inside.

The place was surprisingly cozy, a thick but firm carpet softening the noise of their hooves. There were two tables set up opposite each other across the room, each in the colors of their respective Guards. Aurora briefly made a note to herself that Princess Twilight did, in fact, have her own branch of guards. But they amounted to a sizable personal guard, and nothing else. They obviously weren't looking for recruits.

The main thing that surprised her was that, while there were a few guards near their respective desk, the recruiters themselves did not have their armor on. Perhaps the lack of uniformity helped with the personal relation with potential recruits. Or maybe they just didn't want to be hot when they didn't need to be. Aurora knew first-hoof from her training armor. Smarty's protection never had that problem, of course.

As soon as the door closed, all eyes were on the two of them for a few seconds, before the Day side of the room focused their attention back on the one pony already there.

But the Night Guard ponies' eyes still remained on her, their expressions seeming almost curious.

Noticing that the Day table was still busy, Aurora shrugged and walked over to them. They were just looking for information, anyway.

The mare at the desk was a thestral, a common sight in the Night Guard due to their nocturnal tendencies, but Aurora had to admit that she had always associated the dark grey color of the disguised Guards' coats with the tribe themselves. The pale yellow thestral, therefore, gave her a small moment of confusion. Her bright red hair likewise made Aurora momentarily consider that the Night Guard's disguise might serve a secondary, stealth utility.

She greeted Aurora warmly, though the slight smirk on her muzzle gave her an impression that she noticed the momentary surprise.

"So, what can I do for you two?"

Aurora managed to look embarrassed. "Actually, we're just looking for where to find the Junior Guard."

The mare looked thoughtful. "Hmm. I could certainly give you that information, and of course, I'll do so immediately should you indicate that, indeed, that is the path you want to choose. But before that, I feel that I should rephrase my question.

"What do you want from the Guard? And more importantly, what do you want from your life?"

When Aurora froze up at the question, Smarty looked to the recruiter. "Do you mean in the short, or long term?"

"Both. The short term lets me check if the Junior Guard is indeed your next step, and the long term lets me check if the Night Guard would suit you overall."

That shook Aurora out of her stupor. "Oh. Well, in the short term, both of us want to learn nonlethal ways to take down an opponent should combat occur."

"Hmm."

"In the long term..." Aurora took a few moments to think of a way to say anything without giving away too much information. "While I do want to protect ponies... and Equestria... I have current responsibilities. Responsibilities that tie me to Canterlot."

The mare looked at her closely. "You are Princess Celestia's new student, right?"

"Right. And while Celestia's... curriculum is rather flexible at the moment, that might not be true for very long, and isn't there a minimum amount of time you have to commit to the Guard? Also, I'm... a bit younger than I look."

She smiled. "That last one is a bit of a misconception. While new recruits usually wait to join after finishing school, the only notable requirement that most fail before that time is a minimum amount of physical fitness. While vanishingly rare, it is possible for a filly or colt as young as twelve to join with their parents' approval.

"More importantly, in your case here, the Junior Guard is not what you are looking for. While you were correct that it is a wonderful program to get some basic Guard training before joining, the skill you were looking to learn is not taught there. Subduing somepony requires that you have more strength, or more refined techniques than the opponent, not something that foals naturally possess. You are more likely to find things like survival skills, basic discipline and physical training."

"Oh."

"For the second point of yours, the Night Guard is a lot more... irregular than the Day. A lot more flexible. Especially if those irregularities are endorsed by a Princess, if that tells you anything. And as for staying rooted in Canterlot... while we are sent on missions to every city in Equestria, we have no other base other than Canterlot. Only the E.U.P travel in that fashion."

"Ah. So I should ask Celestia? Or would it be better to ask Luna?"

"We aren't quite so... biased as we used to be. While we only take direct orders from Princess Luna, the other Princesses' words still hold quite a bit of weight. If this is indeed the direction you feel your life should take, I would suggest asking your teacher directly."

Aurora nodded, thinking. This was certainly not what she had planned this morning, but it was making more and more sense. Celestia had been worrying about personal relations with family and friends. The problems with learning with Celestia and training with Luna had been that it was only them and her. And for security reasons, it needed to stay that way.

But if she was with the Guard, she would not only learn with them and keep up with her training, she would be around other ponies. Possibly making friends like Celestia suggested. And her current friend was always working for most of the day, except for maybe the weekends. If she woke up in the evening, maybe around the ninth hour, and stayed awake for most of the night instead...

Her parents might not be too happy with the change, but as long as she made sure to spend time with them often, it might just work.

Aurora nodded at the recruitment mare. "Thank you. I think I might do that. What was your name?"

She gave them a slight smile. "Silent Wind. I hope to see you soon."

Once they were clear of the recruitment center, and on their way back to the castle, Smarty turned to her. "Mom, are you sure about this? Being a Night Guard is a lot different than just getting some extra training."

Aurora sighed. "I know that, Smarty. And if you don't want to, you don't need to follow me on this one. I can always teach you later when I have time. But I need this. With all that happened recently, I don't know my body anymore, and I don't want to spend another year doing nothing but forgetting more of our training."

"I get that, but the Guard is a lot more than just training."

Aurora looked down. "I know that too. But down there, in that cave, I realized something important. All this time, I've been thinking of myself, and how everypony wronged me. Sure, magic is my talent, but if I don't do anything with it, it'll be all for nothing. Protecting others, whether they deserve it or not... that seems like a good use. Not to mention good practice."

Smarty nodded.

"And there might even be a hidden benefit to this as well, but I'll have to talk to Celestia about it to see if it would work."

"I think I'll join you."

Aurora looked back. "Wait, are you sure?"

Smarty rolled her eyes. "How else am I going to spend time with you?"

Aurora opened her mouth, but was cut off almost immediately.

"That's not the only reason. I like protecting ponies. I like protecting you. And I'm pretty sure there's a system in the Guard where you can ask to be in the same training group and stuff as your friends, if you sign up together."

Aurora looked around. "I mean... you don't even have your cutie mark yet."

"Can I even get a cutie mark? Does it even matter? I already know my purpose."

She started to look extremely uncomfortable. Smarty noticed.

"Look, I already said, I want to do this with you. And you aren't the only reason why. Besides, what else am I supposed to do with my time?"

Aurora nodded, but it was clear she was still uncertain.

"Look, I went through the same training you did. I know what we're in for. But if I wasn't so... close to you, I might have tried joining already. I only said what I did to make sure that you didn't just join for the lessons, that's all."

Aurora nodded again, a lot more firmly. "All right. Thanks, Smarty." She pushed the castle doors open. "Now, let's go see Celestia."

Fortunately for both of them, Day Court had paused for lunch, and it was quite easy to find Celestia in the dining hall, rather than wait until court was over.

Twilight was also there for her breakfast, which was nice. She seemed to have already drunk her morning coffee, which was even better. She might actually be coherent enough to understand what they were talking about.

Celestia smiled as they walked in. "Aurora! I didn't expect to see you so soon. What is the occasion?"

Smarty answered first. "She wanted to join the Night Guard, and wanted your go-ahead."

Celestia raised an eyebrow.

Aurora glared at Smarty, then turned back to Celestia. "This wasn't completely on a whim. This would just solve a lot of our problems at once. I would still have enough time to visit with my family and existing friend... and might have a chance to make some more, at the same time as learning to defend myself and protect others. Maybe not as good as Luna's training, since we couldn't use certain abilities... but still."

Celestia nodded. "I see."

"And the recruiter said the Night Guard is a bit more flexible should I need to retire early, especially if it came from you or Luna."

"You already spoke to a recruiter? Did you get their name?"

"I think it was Silent Wind?"

She nodded again. "I trust her methods more than most. And if what my sister says about her guard is indeed true, she was right about that statement."

"There was also another thing I thought of. Earlier, you said I would have to stay in the castle until I learned some disguise magic. I don't know if this would work, per se, but wouldn't Guard armor's glamour spells work as well?"

Celestia smiled. "We might have to do some tricky work with identity paperwork, as it does not change the number of limbs you have, but that is a decent idea. We can only hope that your mane does not change too soon. While it is the easiest to learn how to hide on a personal level, the glamours will not be able to disguise it unaided.

"It is still limiting to be forced to wear your armor when leaving the castle, but I feel that it will be significantly healthier for your mental state. If you are looking for my approval, you have it."

Twilight looked up from her food. "Aurora, after the basic training, there is an oath before you become a full Night Guard. Make sure you mean it."

Aurora nodded, looking at her uncertainly.

"Don't worry about it. I just wanted to make sure you weren't falling into a common trap. Joining for the potential benefits rather than because you actually wanted to. If you really needed it, we could send a qualified trainer to watch over you."

"No, the more I think about it, it doesn't just make sense, I feel like it's something I should do."

She smiled. "Then I certainly won't keep you from it. Just... make sure to tell Luna before you're in front of her to give your oath."

Author's Note

I swear my characters do whatever they feel like. Yes, I have a general direction the plot goes in, but I really wasn't expecting this.

Chapter 5: Honesty

It was still six hours until Meadowlark would get off work, and for obvious reasons, Luna was not yet available. Smarty told her that Luna would randomly switch with Celestia for their courts to switch things up, but today was obviously not one of those days.

And while apparently, full alicorns did not need sleep, it was still probably unwise to disturb Luna from hers.

So it was back to Silent Wind at the recruitment office. She smiled as they walked in, a strange sight for a guard. Though maybe perhaps not for a Night Guard. Aurora had to admit, she almost never saw them around. Even at night. But given some of Luna's training, that was probably the point.

Once they got closer to the table, she brought out a clipboard with a small form attached.

Ah, paperwork.

"So, I take it that you are ready for the next step?"

Both of them nodded. She hoofed over the clipboard, which as it turned out, had two copies of said form.

It was surprisingly short. Basic information followed by a short questionnaire about any potential medical conditions. Aurora looked up, confused, but Silent Wind apparently was prepared for her question.

"We acquire most of the relevant papers from the city hall, including the test that determines your magical signature. That is the only identifying feature of a pony that is completely impossible to forge, which is why all three branches of the Guard now use that for identification."

As Aurora passed her finished paper back to the thestral and passed the clipboard to Smarty, a relevant fact stuck out in her mind.

"Oh! I'm pretty sure some of Smarty's papers have a security clearance attached to them. Will that be a problem?"

The mare smiled. "Don't worry. Information is distributed on a need-to-know basis, and the correct ponies handle these sorts of situations."

Aurora briefly wondered when, exactly, another pony's identification papers had been classified.

Smarty hoofed over her paper along with the clipboard, which Silent Wind slipped into a pair of saddlebags behind the desk.

The mare got up out of her chair. "All right, that seems to be in order. Now for the simple physical evaluation. If you would come with me?" She made for a door at the back of the room, gesturing briefly for the two of them to follow.

Aurora and Smarty looked around the hall they stepped into, the concrete floor and white-painted brick walls a stark contrast to the cozy room they had just left.

"So, by your statements earlier, you have had some sort of military or perhaps police training, though the second is unlikely in this case. Since it obviously is not from the Guard, where exactly did you get it?"

Aurora's discomfort showed clearly on her face as she tried to think of a way of saying it without revealing anything important. She didn't exactly know Silent Wind's clearance level. "Well, Luna-"

The mare waved her off with a hoof, suddenly stopping in the hallway. "I see. I don't think we need to do this, then. If Princess Luna gave you even a second glance, you will have met these requirements already. These standards are merely to make sure that a recruit's basic training won't have any damaging long-term effects." The mare smirked. "And if our Sovereign really gave you actual, more-than-a-few-days training, I suspect you will find your first few weeks as a Night Guard a fair bit easier than most."

Aurora thought back to their training, this time not to the image that had haunted her for weeks, but before that, when she enjoyed it. In around the same way that a bodybuilder likes lactic acid.

"I guess that makes sense."

They walked back out of the hallway.

"So... when do I see you next? And where?"

"How soon were you hoping to start?"

Aurora shrugged. "As soon as possible?"

She smiled. "Then tonight seems like as fine a night as any."

Aurora suddenly remembered that if somepony gives you a choice, you need to choose. Otherwise ponies will choose for you, and not necessarily in a way you will like. Getting used to a new sleep cycle would have been nice. But she had a feeling that just like Luna, this mare was not going to accept redos.

"Besides, we already have one other recruit ready to start his training. And don't worry about the location - we'll find you."

They both nodded before leaving through the front door.

Smarty turned. "Is everypony in the Night Guard like that? I mean, before Luna, I had no idea somepony could be so nice, yet sadistic."

Aurora rolled her eyes. "I wouldn't exactly call that sadistic, Smarty. I'm pretty sure they'd take things that literally in the Day Guard, too."

"I know, but she knew exactly what you meant. She did that on purpose. And it was fun to her."

"Were you really expecting the ponies in Luna's guard to be that different from Luna herself?"

Smarty shrugged. "I dunno. I just didn't expect the resemblance to be so uncanny."

"You aren't having doubts about joining, are you?"

"Of course not! I didn’t even have to go through Luna’s training, but I stayed because I liked it. And because of you, but that’s besides the point. I didn't say I didn't like Luna. It was just... one of her more obvious traits. And since this is so related to our training..."

"Yeah, yeah. I’d be lying if I didn’t say I’d noticed, too.” Aurora chuckled. “I just can’t believe myself for not remembering Luna’s lessons."

"Really, Aurora? You couldn't have told us before you signed your life away?"

Aurora looked down at the floor, blushing. "Sorry, mom."

Her mother's glare softened, and she sighed in resignation. "I knew in my mind that fillies often started to exhibit independent tendencies after they get their cutie marks... but I guess it's just hard for me to really feel that in my heart. And I suppose that probably counts double, given your situation. Still, even though I wouldn't stop you, would it kill you to think of us first, and let us know?"

"No... I'm sorry. I... I just got excited about it, and then one thing lead to another..."

"We understand, sweetie. You're very busy. I don't need you to tell me everything. But this just feels... out of the blue. I thought you were supposed to focus on making friends... socializing... that sort of thing. Before, uh... it's too late."

Her father gasped in sudden recognition. "Wait, if you're going to join the Guard..."

"I can possibly find time to do both. Make friends and... uh, prepare myself." Aurora shuddered, the golem's body appearing in her mind forcefully.

She shuffled her hooves. "It's not perfect. But I should have at least some time off for you, and probably Meadowlark as well."

Cherry tilted her head. "Meadowlark?"

"Oh, she's a nice unicorn I met when I went to apply to the school. I was going to meet her after the school lets out, at twelve."

She sighed again. “You’ve been friends since you started school, and we haven’t met?”

“Well, uh…” Aurora rubbed the back of her head with a hoof. “I met her then, but I guess she tried a lot harder than I did to be friends. She has known me for a while, though. And she helped me a lot, too.”

“Don’t be too hard on yourself, sweetie. Both your father and I spent a good portion of our lives with our snouts behind a book. As long as you take some time to look up, you’ll be fine.”

“But the real reason why the Guard is a good idea-”

“-Is that you can hide your nature that much longer. Isn’t that right?”

Aurora looked at her father with surprise. “Yes, that’s exactly it.”

He nodded. “So that means you’ve already cleared this with Princess Celestia, am I right?”

She nodded, looking down. “I’m sorry that I thought of telling her, but completely forgot-”

“Don’t worry about it, Aurora. I had a feeling that you’ve inherited my remarkable single-mindedness. And don’t worry about my support, either. You have it. Any extra time you can spend not cooped up in that castle is a win in my book.”

Her mother smiled. “You have mine as well. Even without Equestria-shaking events forcing your hoof, the Guard is quite a respectable profession. I’m only frustrated that we only get this second-hoof.”

Aurora blushed. “Thank you. And I’ll uh… be better about telling you stuff.” She paused. “As long as I can tell you.”

Smarty cleared her throat. “And I’ll make sure to help, to make sure there’s at least a 50% chance of that being true.”

“Hey!”

“What? I forgot about it this time, too. That’s why I said fifty percent.”

“Hey!”

The house that Meadowlark described wasn’t particularly hard to find. It was rather close to the school, actually. It was nice. Not just “Canterlot” nice, either. The home-y kind of nice. The little flower garden out front didn’t seem to be arranged carefully to impress the neighbors. There were just some flowers in there, not arranged in a particular way. But they were pretty, and they smelled nice.

It made Aurora a lot more confident to knock.

“Aurora! You came! Come on in!”

She stepped inside, wiping her hooves as she entered.

“Is this the filly you were talking about?” What must have been Meadowlark’s mother stepped into the entrance hall of the house. “She looks older than you described.”

Meadowlark shrugged it off. “She had a growth spurt. Aurora’s not that much younger than me.”

Aurora looked at her in surprise. “Really?”

She smiled. “I didn’t go for higher education. Most of my skills are more of the practical variety.”

“Regardless, dinner is almost ready. Aurora, you are welcome to join us. You too, Smarty.” Meadowlark’s mother left.

Aurora looked at her new friend in slight panic.

Meadowlark laughed. “Don’t worry, my parents aren’t huge sticklers for manners. You’ll be fine.”

“That’s not the problem! I’ve read all about proper table manners, and Celestia even taught me a bit. But I can’t use any of them! I have no magic in my hooves!”

She blinked. “Wait, really? I thought-”

Aurora lowered her voice. “My leylines were destroyed by dark magic.”

Meadowlark winced. “Ouch. What happened?”

“I’m not entirely sure if I’m supposed to tell you this part until the investigation is finished. Wait, never mind. If I can trust for you to not talk about that, then I can tell you about this.”

Meadowlark took a deep breath. “Okay. Whatever it is, though, this isn’t the place for it. I’ll go tell my parents that I’ll be late for dinner.”

“You don’t have to do that. I can deal with the embarrassment, and this can wait until after.”

“And my parents will want to know how a filly lost her front legs.”

“They’re not completely lost.”

Meadowlark shuddered. “It’s still a long time to be without magic.”

Aurora stopped herself from replying. This isn’t the place to talk about it.

“I’ll just go tell my parents. My room is the second door on the left down the hall.” She pointed with a hoof.

Aurora walked hesitantly in the direction she had pointed. It felt weird being in somepony else’s house. The castle was different, somehow.

Meadowlark’s parents were not exactly poor, it seemed. It wasn’t often that you saw flooring that was entirely carpeted. The walls were painted a soft pink, and vines were painted subtly across the top. The doors were made out of some sort of dark wood that was heavy and looked expensive.

Her room was similar. It had a lot fewer books than Aurora was used to, but that was to be expected, really. Most of the books that were actually there seemed to be hoof-written. Is Meadow an author?

“All right. We should be good now.” Her horn lit up, and the sounds that Aurora had been hearing from the rest of the house abruptly ceased.

“What was it that you wanted to talk about?”

Aurora gaped. Privacy spells were not exactly easy magic.

Meadowlark blushed. “I’m not exactly a powerhouse of a unicorn, but I can do fiddly spells like this just fine.”

“Right. So you attended the School before working there?”

“Yeah. Most unicorns in Canterlot at least try.”

Smarty coughed. “So, we explored those caves some more. Found a city. That sort of thing.”

She gasped. “Really? You’re not just pulling my leg here?”

“Yep. She even uncovered a plot to-”

“Smarty!”

“-kill most of Canterlot and managed to stop it pretty much on her own.”

Aurora put her head in her hooves. If she wanted anypony to know that they had almost died, it certainly wasn’t Meadowlark.

Okay, she probably would have still told her. But certainly not so bluntly. And with a lot less personal praise.

“I didn’t actually know all that much about the plot, really. I just made a whole lot of assumptions based on context.”

“Yeah, only because I was the clumsy idiot that set the doomsday device off.”

“You can’t actually prove that you set it off, specifically. It could easily have been on a timer and your investigation was just a coincidence.”

“...Really, Mom? That’s your excuse?”

Meadowlark cleared her throat, and both of their heads snapped onto her.

Aurora rubbed the back of her head. “Oh… sorry about that.”

She turned to Smarty. “And what’s this about Aurora being your mother?”

Smarty blanched.

Aurora nodded. “It’s okay, Smarty. The whole reason we’re here is because we can trust her.”

“Uh, well… I wasn’t there, so it’s hard for me to explain. Okay, I was there, but that’s not the point.”

Aurora decided to help her out a bit. “For my practical examination, I had decided to make a completely lifelike golem from genetic material. Nopony except Princess Twilight seemed to be paying attention, though, so I… uh… tried to create a wellspring, too.”

Meadowlark gaped. “It worked?”

Smarty decided to take over. “The only reason it did was because of some very unique circumstances. Mom using some of her own wellspring. The fact that I already existed as a rather small wellspring in her bonded artifact-”

“Bonded?”

“She didn’t know it at the time.” Smarty pointed at the compass around Aurora’s neck. “That’s me, by the way. And there was a third thing, but we can get to that part later.”

Meadowlark nodded weakly. “I knew something was special about you. Both of you, that is. There had to be a reason why your test results were classified. Once I knew that you had become Celestia’s student, I thought I understood why. And the way you and Smarty interacted was a little… off. But what happened in the caves? What’s this about a ‘doomsday device?’”

She sighed deeply. “That’s quite the story.”

Aurora nodded. “Still, I wouldn’t go down there quite yet. Aside from your magic probably not working very well, we don’t want to disturb any evidence. We still don’t know where the ponies are that set it up in the first place.”

“It’s a shame this has to be kept secret, though. Saving everypony in Canterlot definitely deserves a medal or something.”

Her expression told Meadow that she didn’t agree, but she nodded anyway.

“Still, everypony knowing that they were in that much danger would probably cause a panic. Even after the fact, I’m still a bit nervous.”

Aurora looked a little guilty.

“Don’t worry about it, I’ll be fine. Thank you for telling me, though.”

“There is, uh… there’s more I wanted to tell you. The kind that really has to stay secret.” The location of Meadowlark’s house sunk in a bit more, and she suddenly realized that they were probably minor nobility of some sort. “Even from your parents.” Especially, she added in her head.

“I thought I was already supposed to keep the cave thing secret.”

Smarty shook her head. “No, that was just the normal type of secret. Sure, it would cause a panic, but it wouldn’t be a disaster if it got out.”

“Oh.”

Smarty locked eyes with her. “Meadowlark, you are one of the few ponies that Aurora considers to be her friend. She trusts you. If you betray her on this, it will mean her death, you understand?”

Meadowlark gulped. “Okay.”

“Smarty! Stop scaring her!”

Smarty sat down.

“If you don’t want to tell me-”

Aurora took a deep breath. “No, it’s okay. She’s just being a bit… protective of me, that’s all.”

Smarty huffed.

“But she was correct.”

Meadowlark suddenly felt like her silencing spell wasn’t nearly good enough. “What sort of secret could end up… like that?”

“Well… I’m slowly Ascending.”

She blinked. “Did I imagine the capitalization of that word?”

“No. I’m, uh… I’m turning into an alicorn.”

Smarty raised a hoof. “Well, technically, you already are. You have all three types of magic, just not that much of pegasus or unicorn magic.”

“Did the other Princesses… go through this?”

“Yeah.”

Meadowlark gulped. “Uh… why aren’t there more alicorns, then?”

A flash of fear ran through Aurora’s eyes. Smarty answered the question. “All of Equestria’s Grand Mages were once alicorn ascendants. Starswirl the Bearded. Crimson Spectre. Stellar Horizon. Twilight Sparkle.”

“Oh.”

“All except Twilight died.”

Aurora looked at Smarty thoughtfully. She certainly didn’t know about all of this. Twilight, yes. That she had been Grand Mage, definitely. Nothing about Starswirl or Stellar Horizon. What is Smarty doing with her free time?

My job, Mom.

“So you really weren’t just being extra protective.”

“I know her parents understand a little of the danger, and they would never hurt their daughter, but I don’t really know you. I know you’re a nice pony, but I don’t want you to let something slip in the spur of the moment. As much as Mom doesn’t want to worry you, you need to know the stakes.”

“No, you’re right, Smarty. I’m not sure it was even a good idea telling me this. I’ll definitely keep the secret, that’s for sure, but I still don’t know how wise it was.”

“Well, Celestia thought it was a good idea to tell the truth to your friends.”

Meadowlark smiled. “I suppose you’re right. Then I have something to tell you two as well. It’s, uh… not exactly as big as what you two told me, but soon, I’m going to be a bit more than a clerk. I’ve been studying to be a part of RGIS for a while now!”

“You’re going to be a guard?”

She chuckled. “I don’t exactly look like the type, do I? But I’ve always had a certain eye for detail.” She glanced at her cutie mark. Now that she wasn’t behind a desk, Aurora could see it, too. A quill and ink certainly didn’t look anything special, but Aurora knew personally that cutie marks could be very different from a pony’s initial assumptions. “And protecting ponies with knowledge is exactly the kind of thing I want to do with my talent.”

Smarty laughed. “So basically, you might soon be the only pony who actually has the clearance to know what we just told you?”

Meadow blushed. “I don’t think I’ll get that far up. I’m not some sort of genius. But while I liked working at the School, I just felt like I could be doing more with my talent.”

“Well, we have one more thing to tell you, then.”

Meadowlark looked at Aurora with trepidation.

“I promise it isn’t as bad as the last two things.”

“Right.”

“We just joined the Night Guard.”

She looked at them incredulously. “Okay.”

Aurora explained. “All right, so other than, uh, actually liking the Guard, things are going to get a little dangerous for me going forward.”

“No kidding.”

“So basically, I can still get training that is at least similar to Luna’s-”

“Wait, Luna trained you?”

“We didn’t tell you that yet?”

Meadowlark waved a hoof. “Doesn’t matter for now. Please continue.”

“So I can still get training, but I can still have time to be with my family and stuff. Friends. That kind of thing. Plus, the armor kinda disguises me, so when the changes start becoming a bit more visible… I can actually leave the castle still.”