The Cat, Witch and the Wormholes

Chapter 2. Filly from high castle

Looking like a typical tabby cat has its advantages. You can roam free through the castle, and no one will try to stop you or suspect that you may have some sinister plan in your little head. Not that I had such a plan, but still. Therefore, I spent most of my time in my new luxury residence exploring the castle, palace gardens, meeting new ponies who always tried to pet me or play with me (even if they were royal guards), or try new treats from the palace kitchen. This was also the time when I found out how cruel Celestia was.

The number of statues of petrified enemies of the kingdom in the palace gardens numbered in the hundreds, or maybe even a little over a thousand. There were all sorts of creatures - ponies, griffins, minotaurs and one or two dragons and even some kind of chimera of the parts of each of the species. Honestly, I’m not sure that even Ra would be so merciless as to put so many of his defeated enemies in front of his palace on public display. Yes, it serves as a very good warning for everyone and demonstrates the consequences of their disobedience to the crown, but even my ex-goa'uld self shuddered at the sight. From this I concluded - not to buck with Celestia, and I always faithfully followed this rule.

But let's digress from these dark thoughts, because I have news for you. Very good news.

Do you remember that my little trip together with Cadence to some mysterious, overly bright place where she became Alicorn? It turns out I got some reward for that too. I not only became much sturdier with my body, I also became stronger physically, and my claws can now cut through marble and steel. Very good upgrade indeed. Which perhaps was not well received by the palace serving staff, but I always didn’t care about their opinion. And in case even if someone starts asking me uncomfortable questions, I now have a very good excuse - "that whitey-white place did it to me". It certainly will not hold out against somepony like Celestia, but this should be enough for any other pony.

And so I and Cadence began to live in luxury and bliss, as we should be. I became satisfied with my life and stopped worrying about anything at all. At least until one morning at breakfast, Celestia suddenly uttered words that fell on our heads.

"Cadence, you should take learning magic seriously. It is unsuitable of Alicorn to be unable to use even basic magic and continue to eat with her hooves. You are not limited to them anymore, you know."

"I knew this, Auntie, but I cant even make my spoon to levitate. It's hard to concentrate on doing magic and doing something else simultaneously."

"Yes, of course it was hard, because magic is like a muscle. If you never used it before it would be weak and untrained. But the more you trying, the more you would have success with it in future."

"Yes, Auntie, I will do my best", dejectedly answered Cadence.

"Now, now, don't be so gloomy, I knew that you trying your best, but doing it without some guidance would be unproductive. Of course i can put you into my school of Gifted Unicorns...", Celestia smile widened at Cadence flabbergasted expression, "...but you are little too old for that, and so I found another solution! It would be like an old proverb of striking two birds with one stone!" with that exclamation Celestia smile started to shine brightly in morning sun lights. And in this exact moment I got a feeling that she is up to something.

"Yes, Auntie?"

"I will introduce you to a new friend! Somepony who would make you company and who would help you in learning ropes!"

"No! No! No-no-no! NO! I don't need no friends! Not now, not ever! I have everything i need already - my books, my notes and my quills!"

And like that me and Cadence found ourselves before closed door leading to a room on top of most tallest tower in the castle while hearing somepony shouting their protest to Princess Celestia. You have to admit, they were very ballsy to say their no to the Sun Goddess.

"But my faithful student, you cant live without friends!"- of course you can, I did it myself for five thousand of years. - "Being alone is unhealthy to you!"

"I'm not alone! I have you, and maids, and guards! Why should I need anything else?!"

"But they are not your friends! Right? Do you friends with any of them?"

"Well no, but i have you! You are my friend!"

"Yes, and thats not a point! You need friends of your own age, who would play with you, who would support you, who will be happy with you, and who you would be happy with!"

"I'm not a child to play! I'm adult, and all I need is my studies! And so i don't need any friends!"

An adult. Right...

"But you cant! No one can be without friend! And she is a lonely too."

"She? Who are you talking about?"

"A filly I came with to introduce you to each other. She is all alone here and she need some friends, and she is also need help with her magic."

"Oh, I see. Another untalented straggler who wants my help", hearing this Cadence became downcast with sad expression on her face.

"It's not like that, it was my idea, and you two would make a good friends, I assure you!"

"As if."

"Just give her a little chance, please?"

"Okay, I will try, but I'm not promising you anything!"

"Thank you!"

"Well, where is she?"

"Oh, she is right here, right behind a door. Cadence, dear, please do come in."

Cadence looked at me with pleading expression on face wordlessly forcing me to accept inevitable and with a sigh I step forward in front of her, shielding her from some imaginable danger. A stoic Royal Guard opened a door letting two of us walk inside. And they were there. Princess Celestia, and somepony I never seen before. She looked as young as Cadence, and had light orange coat, her head was adorned with red-yellow striped mane and so is her tail, and she obviously was a unicorn. Who looked at us with very annoyed expression.

"Cadence meet my personal student Sunset Shimmer, and Sunset meet Cadence my adopted niece", happily announced Celestia.

"Hello, I'm Cadence, and it is nice to meet you", shyly answered my pink caretaker.

Newly named Sunset Shimmer facial expression changed from annoyance to incredulity, and than to pure rage.

"What in Tartarus is meaning of this?!", hissed through her teeth Sunset.

"What do you mean?", feigned ignorance Celestia.

"Why the buck she is an Alicorn?!", shouted Sunset and startled Cadence pressed her ears to her head.

"Well you see.."

"Yes?"

"She was already like that when I found her!", with strained smile answered Celestia.

"Oh really? And you want me to help her with what? Move the Moon, or may be the Sun?!", with tone full of contempt said Sunset.

"Sunset stop this right now! No one trying to mock you!"

"R-right."

"I truly found her in some small village on outskirts of country living among Earth ponies, and because of this she didn't learn how to fly or do even basic magic."

"Are you serious?"

"Absolutely!", Celestia answered with tone leaving no room for any doubts. It's not like she lied or anything, just slightly omitted some truths. Like any good leader would do.

"Argh! Alright, I will do this, but please remember that I was against that stupid idea from the very beginning."

"Thank you Sunset!", immediately beamed Goddess. "Then I living you two alone for studying, or playing, or, well I should go."

And with that she simply teleported out of the room living us alone with this feisty unicorn filly.

"So, an Alicorn. Huh?", Sunset finally decided to break uncomfortable pause.

"Uhm, yes?"

"And you cant fly or do magic?"

"Well I tried levitation tutorials from book, but cant concentrate long enough to hold anything floating in the air."

"Great, someone who managed to became an Alicorn, and cant even do kindergarten level of stuff. How you can even managed to ascend?!"

"Well you see, there was an evil enchantress who lived in forest.."

"Whoa, whoa, stop! I don't need a story of your life. That was rhetorical question. Do you even know what 'rhetorical' means?"

"Yes, I maybe a novice at magic, but I'm not stupid", answered Cadence suddenly became very annoyed with Sunset.

"Okay, 'not stupid', let see what you can do."

"Levitate, levitate, levitate...", whispered Cadence trying levitate a quill.

"Why in Tartarus you doing this mind numbing noises?!"

"Well I'm trying to concentrate on levitating the quill you gave me!"

"You want to tell me that you trying to levitate a quill chanting 'Levitate' again and again?! Are you for real?"

"And what do you want me to do if this stupid quill not moving an inch from the spot!"

"Stop chanting, there is no need for chant for something as simple as levitation charm! All you need is just imagine this quill enveloped by your magical aura and mentally command it to move where you want it. Any foal unicorn can do this! "

"But I'm not an unicorn!"

"Yeah, and what are you? A hyppogryph?!"

"No, I'm a pegasus!"

"What?! How in the world you managed to become Alicorn in first place?!"

"Well you see, there was an evil enchantress.."

"Urgh!"

"It's levitating!", gasped Cadence looking at levitating quill surrounded by teal aura.

"Bucking finally! It's only got you seven hours to stop chanting and use your horn properly!"

"Well not everyone is a genius like you!"

"And how right is that!"

And while two of them argued one inconspicuous tabby cat was fully immersed in his own tries to move that damned quill with his own will, staring intensively at one that lied before him on a floor.

"That cat is creepy.", suddenly said Sunset.

"What?! You take that back! Mister Silky Paws is best cat ever! He even saved my life!"

"Really? Silky Paws? Who in their right mind would named a big cat like that as Silky Paws? And he is still creepy!"

"And why you think he is creepy?"

"His face looked like he was trying to murder that quill with sight."

"May be he just want to play with it? Or may he just trying to levitate it like I did?"

"Him? Levitate a quill? Pu-lease, he isn't a unicorn, and he doesn't have a horn, so no magic for him."

"And what if he can? What then?"

"If he do it I would acknowledge you as my friend, but no way in Tartarus he would do something like that."

And we all knew that you shouldn't tempt a Fate like that never and ever, because right in that moment quill became enveloped with slightly yellow aura and floated few inches into the air, before aura dissipated and quill smoothly descended to floor leaving two fillies with hanged mouths open onto unbelievable sight before them, obviously they were in shock.

"That cant be right?", weakly mumbled Sunset.

"I.. I don't know. He never did anything like that before."

But cat only looked at them with a very smug expression on his muzzle, staring deeply into their own souls with his yellow eyes.

I can congratulate myself! My life was not lived in vain, I tell you. It turns out I can do magic again! And all by myself. I managed to levitate that quill even if that was for a very short moment, but for someone who lost his ability to do magic for millennia that was a breakthrough. Over untold number of years I tried to do magic, but because I cant chant spell, and with my paws limited dexterity I was unable to draw to save my life, so no magical circles or runes for me, all my previous attempts failed. Up until now. And even if this will ruin me, even if this will put me on spotlight, I still would be happy, because I finally got some part of me back. And with this thoughts I proudly looked into faces of two dumbfounded fillies, and was ready for everything future will hold for me.

"Should we tell someone?", timidly asked Cadence.

"Are you stupid? No one would believe us! They will laugh and say that we are finally gone bonkers."

"Yeah, they would."