New in Town
A pony walked through the streets of Ponyville in the night. She had a cloak on and tread quietly as she walked. The moon had just barely been raised and most of the towns ponies were settling down for the night. The pony walked through the town heading for the castle at the edge.
The pony walked up to the front of the castle and knocked on the door. She pulled the cloak she was wearing closer. It rustled against the saddle bags that were under it. The pony shuffled awkwardly from foot to foot and adjusted the cloak again.
A set of footsteps echoed from the other side of the door, approaching slowly. The pony lifted her hood away from her face. She was a unicorn with a dark orange coat, a blue and purple mane that stuck up at odd angles, like it couldn’t be combed for some reason, and a set of light blue glasses sat on her nose. Behind the glasses lay one blue and one green eye that seemed to shimmer just slightly.
The door was cautiously opened. Spike peaked out through the door. “Hi Spike. May I see Twilight?” She asked. Spike sleepily rubbed an eye and yawned, he was carrying a cup of hot cocoa.
“It’s a little late for visitors, I’ll see if she’ll see you. Come in while you wait.” Spike pushed the door open and let her in. She cautiously walked in looking around as Spike closed the door behind her and began walking away up the stairs to go find Twilight. The unicorn took off her cloak and her saddle bags and sat down in the middle of the hall. She opened one of them and nervously took out a scroll. She sat fidgeting passing the scroll from one hoof to the other.
Eventually she heard voices coming down the staircase. “Thank you for letting her in Spike. It’s never too late to help somepony with a problem.” Twilight said as she came down the stairs, Spike following behind her.
“Okay Twilight. I just thought it was getting a little late is all.” Spike said as he followed her down.
They stepped off the stairs and the unicorn stood and bowed slightly. “Princess Twilight.” She said.
“It’s okay, you don’t need to bow.” Twilight said crossing the hall. The unicorn stood and shuffled on her feet. They stood silently for a few seconds, before Twilight gestured off to one of the doors.
“Let’s go sit down and you can tell me about your problem.” She said walking over to the door. Spike followed as Twilight pulled the door open with her magic. She waited for the unicorn to gather her saddlebags, packing her cloak into one, and walking through the door before she entered the door. The unicorn still carried her scroll in one hoof.
The room had a pair of couches facing each other and a low table between them that currently had a scattering of books. “Sorry for the mess. I was studying with my pupil earlier.” She cleared the table off with her magic, stacking the books and scrolls neatly at one end. The unicorn nodded, the rest of the room was crystal like the rest of the castle and had a pair of window looking out at the night.
The unicorn put her saddle bags down and took a seat on one of the couches. Twilight sat on the opposite couch. Again there was silence, broken only by Spike sipping his hot cocoa. Twilight glanced over at Spike and he started sipping quieter. She looked back over at the unicorn who shifted uncomfortably and kept staring at the floor or ceiling like she was trying to think of how to explain something.
“So, what’s your name?” Twilight prompted as the silence continued to grow.
“Crescent Moonbeam.” She responded shifting the scroll again. Twilight watched the scroll with interest, before looking back up at the unicorn.
“What are you here for Crescent? May I call you Crescent?” Twilight asked. Crescent nodded and tapped the scroll against the couch looking worried. Twilight looked at the scroll again, it looked like it had a seal on it, but she couldn’t make it out from where she was.
“Is this why you’re here?” Twilight asked trying to lift the scroll with her magic, but Crescent gripped it tightly. “Fine.” Twilight let go of the scroll. “Will you tell me why you’re here?” Twilight asked, annoyance creeping into her voice.
Crescent took a deep breath and looked up at Twilight. “We’re cousins Twilight.” Twilight looked surprised but Crescent continued. “You wouldn’t know about me, at least not well, we haven’t met before, and I was born shortly after you became Celestia’s student.” She took a breath and continued on as Twilight listened. “A few years passed, and well, I wasn’t doing very well you might say.” She held the scroll and looked at the floor.
“My parents thought it would be best if I stayed at a hospital until I got better.” She quickly tossed the scroll onto the table and sat back. Twilight cautiously lifted the scroll with her magic. “That’s the specifics of my time there. I think reading it would be best.” She flinched slightly as Twilight broke the seal. She recognized it as one of the hospitals in Canterlot. She couldn’t remember what, but there was something special about this one in particular. Crescent went back to studying the floor silently.
Twilight opened the scroll and read.
Patient: Crescent Moonbeam
Parents/Guardians: (Figure this out)
Doctor: Silver Remedy
Diagnosis: Acute Schizophrenia and Magic Dysphoria
Treatment: Medication (Name), Awareness Practices, and Focus Groups
Notes: Crescent has been receptive to all forms of treatment and is seeking to get better. However her conditions remain unresponsive to all treatments so far. This is discouraging for her and I fear she might grow worse if the pattern continues. Recommending her for one final treatment before considering permanent internment.
Twilight read the scroll then looked up at Crescent worriedly. Crescent pointed at the scroll. “Turn it over.” She said. Twilight turned the scroll over and saw more writing extend onto the back. She checked the rest of the page over to make sure she hadn’t missed anything else and continued reading.
Dear Guardian/Mentor,
Crescent Moonbeam has finally recovered from her illness and is ready to reenter society. She has requested a fresh start in her life and asked for a letter of recommendation. I am doctor Silver Remedy and have been overseeing Crescent Moonbeam since she was first admitted back when she was a foal. She has made tremendous progress since then and has shown that she is responsible enough to try and make it on her own. We will still maintain contact with her and ask that you update us on anything out of the ordinary, but I have confidence she will be fine. If you accept I have provided miss Moonbeam with the appropriate papers and contacts that you will need in order to contact us. I hope you will consider helping her through this difficult transition and thank you for your support.
Sincerely,
Dr. Silver Remedy
Twilight put the scroll down and Crescent looked up at her and smiled a little crookedly. “You sure you want me?” Twilight asked a little worried.
Crescent nodded. “You’re the only family in the area and unfortunately Ponyville is about the only place outside of Canterlot I can stay.” She said.
Twilight raised an eyebrow. “And why is that?” She asked inquisitively. Spike, who’d been nodding off, woke up at Twilight’s changed tone.
Crescent pointed at the scroll with a hoof. “They mention that nothing seemed to be working for me right?” Twilight nodded. Crescent continued. “They finally found something in an old book somewhere. Apparently zebras have an unusual number of schizophrenics, I think it has something to do with all of them being together with those stripes, but anyways they found a remedy that worked from one of their texts. As long as I can take the remedy I’m fine, otherwise, um…” Crescent fell silent.
Silence fell again. Spike was interested now. “So why are you here in Ponyville then if you need some specific long lost remedy that only zebras know?” He asked.
“You’re here because of Zecora right?” Twilight asked. Crescent nodded quietly. “How do you know that Zecora can make this remedy for you?” Twilight asked.
“The hospital checked before I was ever let out. Zecora knows some pretty old zebra magic apparently.” Crescent responded.
Twilight nodded. “So you want me to look after you? Like a parent? Will you be staying here?” Twilight asked as she rolled up the scroll and set it aside.
“Well, sorta. I do need someone to check in on me just in case I do something or miss the remedy one day, so you don’t need to parent me just keep me from going off my rocker occasionally and tell the hospital if I do. And I wasn’t planning on staying here long.” Crescent quickly assured Twilight. “I brought just enough for about a week while I look for a house to stay in and a job in town.” Crescent said pointing at her saddle bags.
Twilight looked like she was thinking for a second. Then looked back at the scroll. “Magic Dysphoria? You have trouble with magic?” She asked. Crescent nodded a little sheepishly. “How much trouble do you have?” Twilight asked.
Crescent mumbled something from the other couch. “What was that?” Spike asked. Twilight nudged him.
“Quiet. She seems a little nervous about the subject.”
Crescent shook her head. “No it’s alright. I’ll show you.” Crescent took a deep breath and looked across at the scroll in Twilight’s hooves. She closed her eyes and concentrated. Magic flickered around her horn and around the scroll. She screwed her eyes tight and it solidified and the scroll shakily lifted and moved across the room. It landed next to Crescent who let out a breath and sigh of relief.
“Wow. You really aren’t good at magic are you?” Spike said. Twilight nudged him again, but Crescent smiled a little weakly.
“Not always.” She muttered quietly.
“What was that?” Asked Twilight.
“Nothing.” Crescent said. She shifted in her seat. “So… will you be my Mentor while I’m getting used to being on my own?” She asked.
Twilight looked over at the scroll and thought for a second. Spike whispered something to her and Twilight whispered back. Crescent shifted uncomfortably in her seat. Twilight looked back across at Crescent and smiled. “Sure I will. We’re family.” She said walking over and hugging Crescent who looked a little surprised.
“Really? I was so worried you wouldn’t think I was telling the truth. I brought all the invitations I’ve gotten for your coronation, Shining Armor’s wedding, and all the other events the hospital turned down for me.” She hugged Twilight back tearing up slightly. “Thank you.” She said as they stood apart and wiped her eyes.
“Come on. Let’s get you settled and we can start looking for a job and a house in the morning.” Twilight said leading her out of the room, up the stairs, and down a hallway stopping outside one of the doors.
“This one should be good. Sorry I don’t have a room made up for you I wasn’t expecting anyone to be staying for awhile.” Twilight opened the door and gestured Crescent in.
Crescent walked in with her saddle bags and put them down on the floor taking in the room. It was a moderate sized room and was circular. The room was mostly barren except for a few bookshelves that had a few books on each of them.
“It’s perfect.” Crescent said getting a blanket and sleeping bag out from among her saddle bags. She looked back over at Twilight, who was looking around the room. “Thank you again Twilight.” She said smiling and yawning.
Twilight stepped back through the door. “Well I guess I’ll let you rest and I’ll see you tomorrow and we’ll start getting you settled in town.
She waved and turned walking back down the hallway. Crescent set up her sleeping bag and wrapped herself up in the blanket and settled in for the night sighing contentedly as she drifted off to sleep.
Crescent woke up in her room and felt relief. Twilight had agreed to be her Mentor and it hadn’t been all that hard or awkward. She crawled out of her sleeping bag with the blanket still wrapped around her.
A knock sounded at the door. “Come in.” Crescent said sitting down and examining one of the bookshelves.
“Good morning. Twilight was wondering if you’d like to have breakfast with us.” Spike said stepping through the door.
“I would love to have breakfast with you guys.” Crescent smiled over at Spike. She looked over at her saddle bags. “Just give me a second. I’ll be there soon.”
“Don’t take to long we’re having pancakes today and you won’t want to miss them.” Spike walked back out through the door.
Crescent stood and let the blanket fall to the floor and began rummaging through her saddlebags, setting out different items on the floor, finally pulling out a stoppered bottle. She looked gloomily at it then began rummaging through the bag again, until she found a measuring spoon.
She stopped looking at the spoon and bottle. “I wish I didn’t need this.” She sighed and unstopped the bottle carefully measuring out the shimmering blue syrupy liquid into the spoon. She gulped down the liquid and pulled a face before setting the bottle and spoon off to the side. She closed her eyes for a second and took a deep breath as she shuddered and her horn sparked briefly.
She sighed again and stood up walking through the door and out into the hall. She looked left and looked right. Both ways looked the same. “Uhh…” She said looking back down each hallway again. “Maybe it’s in the main hall?” Crescent said, starting to walk back down the way Twilight had led her from.
She crossed through the hallway and down the stairs coming back to the main entrance. After wandering in the main entrance for a few minutes Crescent groaned and almost wandered deeper into the castle when she heard Twilight from behind the large doors in the entryway.
She cautiously walked over listening. “She’s a cousin of mine from Canterlot.” She heard Twilight say.
“And she’s staying here why?” Another voice asked. Crescent wracked her brain for a second. Twilight had a pupil. What was her name again?
“She’s only staying for a little while Starlight. Until she has a place of her own.” Twilight replied. Starlight, that’s right. Twilight had taken her in as a student after something. Crescent couldn’t remember what.
Crescent knocked on the door cautiously. The door opened revealing Spike. “Come in Crescent.” He said pushing the door further open. Twilight and Starlight were already seated with the pancakes and fruit between them.
Twilight smiled and waved to her. “Good morning Crescent. Come have breakfast.” Twilight pointed to a seat around the table. Crescent walked over and sat down. The plates were still empty and the pancakes were still warm so they hadn’t been waiting long for her it seemed.
“Crescent this is my student, Starlight. Starlight this is my cousin, Crescent.” Twilight said waving between the two.
“Nice to meet you.” Starlight said smiling.
“Nice to meet you too.” Crescent smiled back. Spike walked over and sat down next to Twilight.
“Can we start breakfast now? I’m starving.” Spike said reaching for a pancake. Twilight moved them away towards Crescent with her magic.
“Guests first Spike.” Twilight said. Spike sat back down. Crescent quickly put some pancakes on her plate before trying to slide it back across the table. Twilight used her magic and moved it the rest of the way letting Spike take some before moving it over towards Starlight. Starlight was watching Crescent across the table.
“May I have some fruit please?” Crescent asked pointing at the bowl of fruit in the center of the table.
“Can’t you just use your magic?” Starlight asked as Twilight levitated the bowl over for Crescent.
Crescent looked a little sheepish and was about to respond when Twilight spoke. “She has Magic Dysphoria.” She explained also levitating the syrup over to Crescent. Crescent nodded and began pouring the syrup over her pancakes.
“So you just do everything with your hooves like earth ponies?” Starlight asked levitating an apple from the bowl onto her plate. Crescent nodded picking up her fork and digging into the pancakes.
She ate quickly tearing pieces away from the rest of the pancake with her fork, interchanged with bites of fruit. She chewed with her mouth half open and the fruit juice got all over her hooves and face. Twilight watched Crescent in surprise as she wolfed down her food. She finished eating and sighed licking her hooves off. Then she looked over at Twilight who still looked shocked.
“Sorry.” Crescent muttered looking off to the side. “I realize I don’t have very good table manners.” She apologized reaching for the napkins in the center of the table. Spike nudged them towards her.
“It’s alright. I won’t hold it against you, Pinkie’s far worse.” Twilight smiled and Starlight chuckled.
“Isn’t that true, remember when she practically smashed that cake with her face?” She chuckled again, Twilight chuckled too. Crescent smiled as she cleaned her face.
“So Crescent. When would you like to get started?” Twilight asked eating her own breakfast.
“Umm… Whenever. I’d like to get a job first though so I don’t have to worry about bothering you for anything if you wouldn’t mind.” Crescent said.
“That’s okay. So what do you like to do? What are some of your talents?” Twilight asked. Crescent noticed a scroll and quill had floated over to Spike. Spike unrolled the scroll and took the quill.
“Umm… I always liked the math classes I went to.” Crescent said. Spike’s quill scratched on the paper. “And uhh… I think I’m pretty good at it.”
“Give me an example.” Twilight said as Spike continued writing.
“Well, uhh… okay. The third repetition of a menzene scalar will have a magnitude of…” Crescent went off on a dialogue of various forces and technical terms to which Twilight listened intently and Starlight gaped. Spike continued eating his pancakes, setting the scroll and quill down on the table.
“...So in other words, the more magical effects you overlay the needed energy increases tenfold for each.” Crescent finished.
“That’s almost word for word Cubic Root’s Theory of Power!” Twilight clapped happily. Starlight sat back in her chair impressed and slightly confused.
“Why do you know so much about magical theory and mechanics if you can’t do it?” Starlight asked raising an eyebrow.
Crescent looked away and blushed before looking back. “I’ve never been good at magic, I just can’t do it, but for some reason the math behind it comes naturally for me.” She shrugged.
“Where did you learn that?” Twilight asked.
“Books.” Crescent said. “Magical Mechanics, Cubic Root’s Compendium of Magical Numerology, Time Briefly, and other books. It was something I could get at the hospital and when I was alright enough to go home on the weekends with only an aide or two my parents would take me up to the school of magic and let me listen to the lectures.” Crescent smiled. “It felt good to be able to understand something. You know for real.”
“Hospital? For Magic Dysphoria?” Starlight asked looking at Twilight. “And what else did she mean, ‘Well enough to go home on the weekends’?” Starlight asked again a little warily.
Twilight looked over at Crescent who looked off to the side and wiggled where she sat. “Well… Let’s not get into that right now. Maybe later, right now I think it would be best to show Crescent Ponyville so she can get a start on finding a job, a house, and get an idea of what it’s like living here.” Twilight said sliding her plate away as she stood. “Of course we need to put breakfast away first.” She levitated the plates off the table, stacking them, then levitated them over to Spike as he walked towards the kitchen.
“I can help with that.” Crescent said standing up and walking over next to Spike.
“You don’t need to do that Crescent. I usually help Spike.” Twilight said standing up.
“No. You’re already helping me it’s the least I can do.” She said standing.
“No Crescent. It’s your first day here. Sit down, get to know Starlight, I can take care of this.” Twilight said walking with Spike into the kitchen.
Crescent and Starlight sat silently for a few seconds. Then Starlight spoke. “So you’re a cousin of Twilight’s?” Crescent nodded. “Which side?” Starlight asked.
“Her mom’s side. My dad is Twilight Velvet’s brother.” Crescent explained.
“And I haven’t met them yet why?” Starlight asked raising an eyebrow.
“Well they came out for Shining Armor’s wedding, and Twilight’s coronation, but since then we haven’t received any invites. Cadence and Shining Armor wanted the Crystalling to be between immediate family and your award ceremony was hardly a family affair, even though you are Twilight’s pupil.” Crescent said. She looked down at the floor. “And I wouldn’t have been able to come anyways.” She muttered quietly.
“What was that?” Starlight asked.
“Nothing.” Crescent said.
“No you said something about not coming and you mentioned earlier about going home on the weekends when you were well enough. What do you mean?” Starlight asked.
“It’s not something I want to talk about.” Crescent said looking off to the side.
“It’s alright.” Starlight said walking over to Crescent and sitting down next to her. “I have things I’m not proud of and I can understand not talking about them, but sometimes it’s best when you tell somepony about them anyways so they can help you.” Crescent continued looking away at the floor and shuffled awkwardly.
She sighed. “Alright, you’re Twilight’s student. You wouldn’t be the Princess of Friendship’s student if you couldn’t keep a secret, and Twilight knows already so you’d probably find out anyways.” She paused for a second, taking a deep breath. “I was in a mental hospital.” She shuffled around again. “I have schizophrenia and back when I was a little filly it got bad enough that my parents couldn’t take care of me, so they had to commit me to the hospital. I’ve pretty much been there since.”
“Well that doesn’t sound too bad, and you’re not there anymore. So I assume you’re doing better right?” Crescent nodded. “That wasn’t to bad was it?” Starlight asked holding out a hoof.
Crescent smiled and shook it. “No. It wasn’t all that bad.” She said. They were silent for a second. “So what do you wish people didn’t know about you?” Crescent asked.
“Oh! Um… Well.” Starlight sighed. “I’m going to have to tell you aren’t I?” She asked.
“It’s seems fair, since I told you.” Crescent responded tilting her head and eyeing Starlight.
“Well, mine’s a bit different is all.” Starlight said, but Crescent wouldn’t let it drop. “Alright. I enslaved an entire village of ponies, took their cutie marks, and forced them to all be the same in the name of ‘Friendship’.” Starlight said quickly, adding in air quotes as she talked.
Crescent was quiet for a second. “You figured out a way to steal cutie marks? How’d you manage that? I thought that was extremely personal to each pony and couldn’t be manipulated by magic. I mean magic can’t make one appear, so how did you take one away?” Crescent asked looking perplexed.
Starlight looked a bit surprised. “Well it’s actually a slightly different mechanic than making one manifest.” Starlight began as Twilight and Spike walked back into the room.
Twilight looked at the two of them. “So did you two get to know each other a bit better?” Twilight asked. Starlight and Crescent looked at each other.
“Yes.” They both said and laughed.
