Business is Magic - Starswirl's Successor
There was small chatter at the table as Twilight ate her pancakes happily, her short 8-year old legs swinging under her seat. The young filly had gone down to get food before even changing, so she still wore her light purple nightgown, which was speckled with white stars. She was quietly humming to herself as she barely glanced away from her book, called A Wolf and His Pony, which was one of her favorites. She soon took another bite of her breakfast before turning the page, going to the next chapter.
"Here there, Twily!" Shining Armor said excitedly while taking a seat beside her, still in his light blue tee and pajama pants. "How's my favorite sister?" He asked while lightly ruffling her mane, being careful not to hit her horn. All she did was giggle before looking up at him, her eyes seeming to shine even brighter at his sudden presence.
"I'm your only sister, silly!" Twilight said while lightly punching her brother, who just chuckled with a big grin.
"That just makes you even more my favorite!" He said before hugging her tightly, and they both started to laugh. "Anyway, what are you reading there, sis?" The young stallion asked while peering down to the book, which was opened wide in the middle of the book.
"A Wolf and His Pony, it's a really good book. A young colt adopts a wolf pup from the woods, and they grow up together and become best friends! But then the colt becomes a hunter and since the wolf technically didn't become part of his family, his boss tells him to find any wolves! So, he has to choose to either find a new job or kill his best friend, and it's right at the climax where everything really exciting goes down!" The filly said excitedly while holding up her book, while the young stallion raised a brow.
"You sure you should be reading something like that at your age? It sounds like it could make you cry when it goes to the end, whether the tears are of sadness or joy." Shining asked while pressing the book down a bit, hearing that the story had a bit of an emotional ending no matter what the outcome was.
"It's okay, Shiny, I'll be able to handle it. Judging from the previous hints thrown through the story, and how the climax has gone so far, I'm going to guess that he ends up not only saving his best friend, but starts a nature reserve so other animals are safe."
"Really, you got all of that from a few clues?"
"The clues are really big actually." Twilight said calmly, starting to get her 'smarty-pants and know-it-all' look that Shining sometimes dreaded. "For instance, his cutie mark is three paw prints, which has nothing to do with hunting. Second, he has some conflict with starting the job as he sees the pelts and statues in his new work place. And finally, he slightly questions his boss why wolves, and then why they can't just hunt timber wolves as they are natural threats-"
"Okay, I get the idea. You don't have to explain the whole story for me, I can just read it when you finish it. Man, you really analyzed the story there, maybe you should be a writer in the future. Looks like you love books enough, so you could write your very own." Shining said while resting a hand on her shoulder, while Twilight just looked up at him.
"I like books, but not sure if I want to write my own. Plus, I love the structuring, story arcs, and drama more than the plot itself. Plus, you know science and math are better subjects for me than writing, or any creative arts really." The young filly said while returning her glance to her book, stuffing a bit of pancake in her mouth while her legs started to swing again.
"I'm just saying, it's always good to have a future career in mind, especially one that matches your talents. Like me, I'm planning on being part of the Royal Guard, and I'm good at defending others. Maybe you don't want to be a writer, but you still need to think of some kind of job for the future." The stallion said while lightly leaning on his sister, which was something that annoyed her a bit.
"Well then, what are some jobs?" She asked while leaning on her hand, continuing to read and eat at the same time.
"Ah well, there's being a teacher, professor, physician, and if you want to get real serious, you could be a mayor or maybe even the next princess-"
"Next princess, are you serious?" She asked while slamming her hands on the table, catching her brother off-guard. "How could I ever become the next princess, I'm just a simple little filly! I'm not like Cadence, she can magically make ponies fall in love with each other with a simple spell, I can't do anything near that."
"Okay yeah, I'll admit that one was a bit high on the scale. How about... oh, maybe a business pony? You could use math and science to help with whatever company you have, and you will be high in power, but not ruling-over-all-of-Equestria high in power." Shining said while hugging Twilight, who seemed to think a bit.
"Hmm, that does sound very interesting, and it wouldn't make me the boss of, literally everypony. Shiny, I have decided I will study to be a business pony in the future!" She said excitedly while holding a hand up to emphasize, making her brother laugh. But she was dead serious. She, Twilight Sparkle, would study as much as she could, ace every test, and win every competition so she could become the best business pony in Equestria.
I'll be the best business pony, and I'll be right here in Canterlot. With my family, my brother, and right in the best shop center here, near the castle! And nothing any different!
Business is Magic - Starswirl's Successor
There was loud bustling across the town, the local market selling their goods, ponies going in and out of houses, and the pegasi busting the unnecessary clouds in the sky. Probably the loudest commotion however, was the train station nearby where ponies sat in line for tickets, waited for their train, or getting off at the station. One pony calmly stepped off of the train, a suitcase in one hand and a briefcase in another. A couple ponies stopped to gawk at her, but as well as her companion.
"Hmm, this place seems a little underwhelming, considering how Celestia talked about it." Twilight muttered while fixing her tie, which had been displaced over the trip. She wore a white long sleeve with a dark purple vest over it, and a dark magenta-white plaid skirt. Her wings were neatly folded behind her back while her mane was tied up into a bun, with her bangs hanging barely over her eyes.
"Eh I don't know, it's a lot better than seeing every preppy or snobby pony in one place." A dragon muttered while pulling out a couple bigger suitcases, but carried them with some ease. His green spines were sticking up a bit as he walked up to the alicorn, his purple scales matching her fur. He wore a simple white tee and black jeans, with his claws being bare.
"Spike." Twilight said with a playful smile as she glanced over to him, which he returned with a small smirk. "Anyway, let's go find the Starswirl Inc. building, we're supposed to meet a guide in about five minutes."
"Alright, the sooner we get these suitcases empty, the better." He muttered before starting to walk away from the station, the alicorn quickly following as her hooves clacked against the wood, like everyone else's. Both of the Canterlot locals could feel every other ponies eyes on them, but honestly there was no surprise why. How else would a pony from a small town feel if there was a sudden appearance of an alicorn and a dragon, yet neither of them looked like a royal?
The pair soon walked through town with their eyes everywhere, looking for any kind of building similar to the small, and quick, description from Twilight's teacher. She kept her eyes in the sky as she looked around, before levitating a picture from her briefcase. It held a picture of the previous owner, and the creator of the company itself, Sir Starswirl 'The Bearded'. In the picture he wore an entire blue suit, with a golden tie and stars decorated across the wrists. Celestia had given it to her, saying it would help her find the building.
Twilight could understand why he was given the nickname 'Starswirl The Bearded', the unicorn either didn't know what a razor was or refused to ever shave. His pelt was a dark gray as his mane and beard led to a pale gray, with his amber eyes looking calmly at the camera. Embroidered on his pants was his cutiemark, a symbol everypony had on their hip, and it was of gray stars connected in a swirled blue line.
"Geez, these pegasi are really busy with those clouds, not even letting a single one go." Spike muttered while looking up, making Twilight look up as well. Just as he said, there were dozens of pegasi flying through the air, busting every cloud in the sky. One that had been busted had caught her eye, because behind it from a distance was a steel wall. It had a large symbol on it, having stars connected by a swirled line.
The same symbol. She thought to herself as she looked back to the picture, then to the distant building. "Hmm, Spike I think we found it." She said before walking towards the building, her assistant quickly following. After a couple more minutes they soon reached the building, which seemed to cover nearly a fourth of the town. Luckily it also seemed eco-friendly, as there was a forest nearby, and there were no gas pipes leading up into the sky.
"Wow, sweet place. Kinda glad we got sent here now, I mean we get this entire place to ourselves." Spike said while giving a small whistle to the building, the suitcases tucked in his grasp. "So, where's that guide you were talking about anyways?"
"I don't know, Celestia said that she should be here right now. In fact, most guides are usually here before the new owners, unless there is traffic of course, But this is such a small town, I don't think there could be anything near traffic." Twilight said while looking around the area, not seeing any ponies walking near them at all.
"Maybe they're inside." Spike muttered while gently pushing the front door, and it slowly swung open. "See, they've already went inside and probably waiting for us."
"Or it could've been robbed." She stated before walking inside, the dragon following with the bags still. They were soon met with a vast inside, practically bare across the walls except for a few engravings into the walls. The symbols were various, but they all had something in common; magic. The symbols had a wand, the sun, the moon, and even a heart in what looked like a four-pointed star.
"Wow, this place is huge. Imagine all the comics that could fit in here." Spike said with a toothy smile as he set the bags down, before looking down the hall. He then heard something that sounded like a song, raising a brow before walking down the hall. "Hey Twilight, I think someone is down here." He mustered while slinking down the hall, being careful in case it really was an intruder.
"Hmm, hmm, hmm, mhmm." A girl hummed as Spike and Twilight peered pass the corridor, looking around for the source of the voice. They soon saw a mare standing in front of a large window, her horn glowing blue as she levitated multiple banners, all having some kind of royal figure on them. Her magic swiped through every one as she glanced up to them, adjusting her dark purple with a single movement.
"No, no, no, oh heavens no, no- OH! Yes, this is the perfect one!" She exclaimed as she levitated a banner, holding not a royal figure, but a royal symbol. It was that of an eclipse, with the sun's golden rays beaming out across the dark purple cloth, a black circle in the dead center. "Now, to put you up, and add all the others." The mare said in some kind of accent, her pure white fur shining a bit in the light.
"Wow, she's perfect." Spike whispered as he goggled at the mare, a bit of drool his lip as he had a dazed/dreamy look in his eyes. Twilight just rolled her eyes before ruffling up his spikes, which were surprisingly similar to a pony's mane.
"Yeah yeah yeah, buy her a drink first, Casanova." The alicorn said before straightening her outfit, then walking towards the mare. "Hello there, my name is Twilight Sparkle. May I ask what you're doing here?" A small squeal came from the mare before she turned to the alicorn, with the dragon quickly walking up to the alicorn.
"O-oh, well I'm actually the caretaker for this building and- wait, did you say you're name is Twilight Sparkle?" The mare questioned with a somewhat blank face, before it changed to complete shock. "Oh my Celestia, my sincerest apologies! I didn't mean to leave you waiting, it's just I was doing a final check-up for the décor, and there was a dreadful banner up on all the windows! So I had to go and find a better design, but then there were so many to choose from, and well, I got a bit carried away."
"It's alright, we actually just got here so we didn't wait too long. Plus, the new banner is very appealing, so that was a good find. You said you were the caretaker of the building?" Twilight explained while setting her suitcase and briefcase onto the table, her wings unfurling a bit.
"Yes I am, my name is Rarity. I was one of the newest workers for Starswirl before he retired, and he said I would be in charge, so I have been taking care of this place for awhile. It really is an honor to work not only for the next boss for Starswirl Inc., but an alicorn as well!"
"And a dragon!" Spike said while lightly bumping Twilight aside, giving a grin to Rarity who stifled a laugh. Twilight rolled her eyes while facepalming a bit, while Rarity shook Spike's hand.
"Who's this little fellow, is he an assistant for you?" The mare asked while gently holding the dragon's face, making him blush a bit with a melty smile.
"Yes, he's also my brother."
"Brother? Not to sound rude in any way, dear, but how do you have a dragon as a brother?"
"Her family adopted me from the Canterlot orphanage when I was five, and she was ten." He said while wrapping an arm around his 'sister's' shoulder, though he had to stand on his toes to do so. What they were saying wasn't a lie though, Twilight and her family had gone to the orphanage since the filly needed volunteering hours, and they stumbled across the young dragon. The young filly and dragon simply made eye contact, and then fifteen minutes of begging later she had him as a little brother.
"Mhmm, I had always wanted to be a big sister, but also want an interesting sibling too. Plus, it looked like he had been there for awhile, so I wanted to help him out. Fourteen years later, we're still incredibly close." The alicorn said while pulling the dragon into a hug, making him chuckle. Rarity just giggled a bit while covering her mouth, before letting her shoulders fall.
"My, you two look like me and my sister. Well, how about I show you around the building? I mean, this is your new home." The unicorn said while pointing a hand to the rest of the facility, causing the alicorn and dragon to look at her.
"Yeah, that would be great. By the way, I call dibs on the best room!" Spike shouted before running out of Twilight's arms and down the next hall, the mares laughing at his energy.
"He should probably know that leads to the kitchen." The unicorn said while laughing even more, and the alicorn laughed more as well. "Well I can tell he will be a good help for you, especially if people try to get in."
"Huh, what do you mean by that?"
"Recently there have been some people lurking around the building, and the security cameras have even caught some ponies going into the back. But they usually spot the cameras and run off before they can steal anything."
"How come Starswirl didn't have any guards or defenses, not even a fence to keep unwanted ponies out? Didn't he have to focus on his work, so he wanted to keep intruders away?"
"Yes, but no one even dared to go near the building with bad intentions. His magic was very powerful, which is why he had strong connections with the princesses. Once, there was a griffon that tried to break in and steal plans for a force-field device, and they left with barely any feathers." Rarity explained while starting to walk down the hall, Twilight walking beside her. "I know you make most of the leading decisions, but I suggest getting some kind of defense for the building."
"I will definitely take that into consideration."
