Behind The Petalsby GboydChaptersChapter 1: Behind The SchoolChapter 2: Behind the DoorsChapter 3: Behind the BushesChapter 1: Behind The SchoolThe sound of clanging bells rang for miles. Crowds of people lined up in front of the doors of Equestria's most prestigious academy: Princess Celestia's School for Gifted Unicorns. The sounds of chatter filled the air, with strong excitement along for the ride. Young children flitted around their parents, both eager and scared for what might hide behind those closed doors. Twilight Sparkle was one such young unicorn. She twiddled her fingers nervously, biting her lip and constantly alternating between holding her rag doll or her mother's hand. Smarty-Pants looked at Twilight. His red and blue button eyes seemed to regard her with concern, as if asking her if she was alright. She released a slight smile and let go of her mother's hand to snuggle the doll. Smarty-Pants knew. He always knew. "You'll be alright, Twily," said a rather shaky voice. A hand squeezed her shoulder, causing Twilight to look up at her brother with a curious gaze. While Shining Armor's bright blue eyes shone excitement and pride, they also held a note of worry. The kind of worry she usually saw when Cadence came over. Wait. 'Worry' wasn't the right word. She thought for a moment. He was... nervous? Yes! Nervous. He was nervous. She nodded in satisfaction and hugged Smarty-Pants closer. Still though, why was Shiny nervous? He had nothing to worry about. Like what could be hiding behind those royal purple Prench doors with the gold trim... Feeling another prickle of fear, she backed up until she hit her brother. Shining Amor said something, but she didn't hear it. She was too busy looking at the building that seemed to loom above her. Princess Celestia's School for Gifted Unicorns was sight to behold, even if one happened to be living there full time. The medieval roofs dipped and curved, forming lattice windows and balconies. Two towers perched proudly on either side of the school, one holding the Astronomy Observatory, and the other possessing the lounge. Every window and door was laced over with a gold trim, guarded by the stone gargoyles' balancing on the edges of the roof. The roof's purple tiles curved downward, giving the building an almost royal air. The early morning sun rays shone behind the building, finishing off the entire display in a prismatic aura. Yes, a sight to behold indeed. And fearful one at that. Twilight buried her face in Smarty-Pants's gray fuzz, hoping to blink the image away and not look at it again until she absolutely had to. However, while her eyes could see nothing but darkness, her ears were full of something else. "....Think about it, Twily," Shining Armor was saying. "Remember the first shield you preformed? The whole neighborhood thought it was incredible! Oh, and the time you lifted the entire house? Ah man... You'll be fine; you're gonna do great," and on and on. Twilight had half a notion to roll her eyes. She loved her BBBFF, she really did, but this was too much. He didn't know how she was going to do, and him spurring her on was just making her more nervous. "'Sounds like your tryna' convince yourself more than me, big brother," she grumbled. Shining gawked. "Well--I-" "Shining, honey, that's enough," said Twilight Velvet gently. "We KNOW Twily's going to amaze those judges in there. That fact that there's still books all over the house proves it," she said, smiling slyly at Twilight. Twilight blushed and hid away in the safe haven that was Smarty-Pants. "I had to study," she weakly protested. "Uh huh. Studying at two in the morning doesn't exactly count, Twily," her mother reminded. Twilight bit her lip and turned away with a pout. Twilight Velvet bent down. "Twilight, honey, face me." Twilight begrudgingly did so. "We know you're nervous. We all are. But you know the rules. You needed your rest if you're gonna through with this, right honey?" Twilight allowed her amethyst orbs to wander away. "Yes..." she mumbled in response. Twilight Velvet smiled. "There's my little girl." Her mother stood back up and continued conversing with Daddy and her BBBFF. Twilight rested her chin on Smarty-Pants head and continued to count the cobblestones that made up streets of Canterlot. As she gazed over the stones and trailed up the walls of Princess's school, it suddenly didn't seem so scary anymore. "Velvet, Night-Light, so nice to see you here." A unfamiliar, rather posh voice caught Twilight's attention, and she jerked her head up to see who was talking. "Burning Embers," her mother greeted warmly. Twilight relaxed, recognizing the woman as one her neighbors across the street. Then she froze in dread, instantly recognizing the piercing eyes glaring at her from Miss Ember's waist. Dimming Sparks. One of the many people she could gladly live without. Dimming sneered, and took on a look of pure innocence whenever her mother brought her up during the grown-ups conversation. "So, you're taking the test, too?" Dimming asked. The sound her voice grated on Twilight's nerves. It was like she was trying to be annoying on purpose. Twilight groaned inwardly. She didn't need this. "You make it sound like that's a bad thing," she muttered. Dimming scoffed. "Yeah, it is." "How so?" "Uh, we're going to be in the same room together, genius. You'll ruin my image!" Twilight had to try REALLY hard not to roll her eyes. "Right, as if her 'image' could get any worse," she thought. She sighed, and turned to face Dimming. "What do you want, Dimming?" Dimming smirked, and opened her mouth. Twilight braced herself. Here it comes. The tirade of nonsense that made up the incredible life of Dimming Sparks. However, before the little lady could open her mouth, a voice shouted. "Hey! You!" Startled, both Twilight and Dimming looked around to see who had spoken. "You! You know, the one who looks like she ate lemon for breakfast this morning!?" Now even more confused, Twilight craned her neck to try and catch a glimpse of the welcome intruder. Dimming scowled, clearly offended. "I did NOT eat a lemon this morning!" she shrieked. "How would I know?" the voice replied offhandedly. "I didn't have anything to eat this morning. But your face looks like you smelled somthin' nasty." Dimming went a shade of red. "You--" she started. "Who, me?" came the interruption, sounding greatly confused. "I'm sorry, are you talking to ME?" Mock amazement then took its place. "Whoa.... My dreams have come true.... The great Dimming Sparks has noticed me!" Dimming went under another color change. Twilight giggled, now knowing EXACTLY who it was. "Wow, you sure can turn allot of colors," the voice observed candidly. "You went from white, to pink, to red, and now you're turning purple. All we need is some yellow and green and you'll be good to go. Although at the rate you're goin' you'll be blue 'fore ya know it." There was a pause. Then, as if to goad Dimming on further, the voice burst into song; a terrible impression of E-Notes Parsley. "I'll have a blue, blue Hearthswarming… without you...." "ENOUGH!" Dimming exploded. "Don't fake it 'til you can shake it!" the voice chirped back cheerily. Dimming stomped a foot and made a beeline for the direction the voice was coming from. Twilight dissolved into giggles, unable to hold it in anymore. "Did you like my performance, my lady?" asked the voice in a mock accent, this time coming from behind her. Twilight turned around to see one of her most favorite people in the world. He blew a strand of his grey, unruly hair out of his face, brown eyes flecked with gold waiting for answer. Twilight gave a shy smile and nodded. The young boy did a smooth one-eighty to face an invisible crowd and raised his hands. "And there you have it, folks. My performance was superb-" he leaned in close to Twilight, "as usual," he whispered with a wink- "Thank you! Thank you very much." He ended the play with a deep bow to his invisible audience and took her hand, whisking them both into the nearby bushes. Twilight opened her mouth to shriek in surprise, but a gentle hand on her mouth prevented her from doing so. Looking up, she shot him a questioning look as why he had yanked her away so suddenly. He jerked his head in a direction, and Twilight turned to see Dimming Sparks heading back to where she and her mysterious friend had been standing mere minutes earlier. And although they couldn't hear Dimming from this distance, the scowl on her face was enough to show that she was far from pleased. Twilight giggled at the display. "You're right--she is turning purple." The boy leaned backwards, lounging on the bushes' roots. "Told ya," he winked. "Thank you," Twilight said. "No prob. You looked like ya needed the ticket outta there, anyhow." Twilight flashed him another smile and picked her way out from the bushes to the other side. Crackling behind her told her he was doing the same thing. Once out of their prickly prison, Twilight plopped out onto the grass. Suddenly feeling shy, she began picking at the strands. "I... didn't think you'd come," she said softly. "Are you kidding?" he asked in disbelief. "You should know me by now, Sparkle! I would've never've missed this." Twilight went pink and giggled. "Even if you have to tie balloons to your back and float up to the window to watch--?" "--Only to get caught by your ever-persistent brother and end up in the dungeon? Yes," he finished. Twilight giggled again, then remembered her parents. She looked away. Her companion clearly noticed her change in mood. "Somethin' on your mind, Sparkle?" Twilight gave a sigh. "I really need to get back with my parents." "But we just got here," he protested. "I know. but I gotta get back there so I'll enough time to--" "Panic about taking the test then study up a storm then panic some more?" He asked. Twilight blinked, then rolled her eyes. "Yes. That's exactly what I plan to do," she dead-panned sarcastically. He chuckled softly, causing delightful flutters to run up and down Twilight's body. She blushed furiously. "Clutterstep…" she groaned. "What?" he asked. "I know you, and I know you're gonna study until you can study no more." He shrugged. "Don't snap at me. I'm just tellin' them the truth." He turned and threw a rueful look at the innocent bushes. "Telling who the truth?" Twilight asked, raising a skeptical eyebrow. "My invisible audience," he dead-panned. Twilight burst into giggles. "Ha! There, see? I made ya laugh," he countered in a sing-song voice. Twilight, still laughing, shoved him away and then ran pell-mell down the hill. A rush of footsteps behind her told her he was on her heels. His hand caught her shoulder and she tipped, rolling all the way down the grassy knoll. She reached the bottom, and Clutterstep bumped into her. "Oof!" Twilight grunted and stood up, brushing off her dress. She frowned disdainfully at the grass stains blooming on the fabric in various places. She shot a displeased glare at her friend, who lounging luxuriously out on the grass. "You gave me grass stains," she accused. His eyes shot open, and he scrutinized her rumpled dress. "Hey, you were the one who chose to fall and roll down the hill, not me." Twilight merely harrumphed at this, unable to counter. She knew he was right. Still. He got up and eyed her dress. "I think it looks better now," he quipped. Twilight scoffed, cuffed him around the head, and darted away before he could respond. Clutterstep chased her down, and she pushed him away once more with a smirk. Laughter rang from the School's garden grounds as the duo ran around and played. Clutterstep took her along pathways and up side-walks. They climbed garden walls and buildings and hid from the guards. Hours passed the duo by, until the sun was getting close to the hills. The two sat on a hillside near the school, in the kinder-garden crisscross applesauce fashion. Twilight turned to her child-hood friend. Gray locks played across his forehead, and brown eyes flecked with gold twinkled at her. "Thanks for playing with me," she said shyly. "You made me forget my nervousness." Clutterstep crossed his legs and blushed slightly. His brown eyes flecked with gold faced the sun. "Aww," he dismissed. "It was nothin'." As if to ignore her, he promptly sat down and began playing with the grass. Twilight rolled her eyes ruefully at him. "Yeah, you're right. It was nothing," she shot at him. "Yeah!" he cheered weakly, pumping a fist in the air. "Score one for me!" Twilight giggled again. There was a moment of silence as the duo watched the sun sink ever lower. After a while, Twilight broke the silence. "How are you doing?" she asked softly, knowing the subject wasn't one he liked to talk about. There was a shrugging reply. "Eh, I could be better." Clutterstep continued to pick at the grass. Twilight paused. "Something happen?" "Well...…" Twilight turned her head to face him, suspicious. She knew something wasn't right; otherwise he wouldn't be looking sheepish. "I know what you said about stealing...." he began. Twilight sat up, her full attention trained on him. Her heart sank. What had he done this time? "Clutter.." she warned. He threw his hands in the air and turned to face her. "I know! I know. But I was just so hungry! So... I might have..." Clutterstep paused, and turned to face her, a guilty expression in his face. Twilight raised a suspicious eyebrow, waiting for him to finish. He was silent for a couple moments, then released a sigh. "....Yeah, I was kinda hoping you would finish that sentence for me while I pretended to remember the truth," he finished. Twilight blinked, then stretched on the ground, hands under her chin, a eager child waiting for a story. Clutterstep slumped. 'I'm not getting outta this, am I?" "Nope." There was a pause. ".... Darn. " "So....." "So?" Twilight raised an eyebrow. "Ugh! Fine." *** Twilight studied the daisy chin, caressing the delicate petals. Her mind raced a million miles an hour, reliving the story she had been told over and over in her mind. She felt guilty, and sad for him. For someone his age, Clutterstep had it hard. And his tattered clothes and unruly appearance proved it. While some might find him rather repulsive; that 'some' being the entire the population of Canterlot except for maybe the princess, she liked it. It made for a nice change of scenery. She knew it was hard for some to believe, but one could get tired of seeing nothing but royal purple roofs and gold-plated clothes and knick-knacks along with the type of the people who wore them. Seeing someone who was... well, as real as Clutterstep was refreshing. However, as innocent as he seemed, for as long as she known him, she never met his parents, or his siblings. He would never talk about his life, instead opting to try and talk about hers. The only time he ever complied was when she asked a question he couldn't avoid, or when she would remind him of the promise he had made to her. A promise he had made to always be honest with her. Twilight always felt guilty whenever she reminded him of it, but Clutterstep never seemed to mind it, however reluctant he pretended to be--it was extremely difficult to lie to those big amethyst eyes of hers. But when conversation led to trying times in his life, such as speculating on who his parents were, well.... That's where things tended to get more heated. To put it simply, Clutterstep Peace was homeless. The clothes he wore were given to him by either Twilight or some kind soul who took pity on him. The only thing that Clutterstep could truly call his own was, well, Twilight. Everything he knew, every physical object he owned was because of her. Heck, he wouldn't even have his cutie mark if it wasn't for her. His name was something he took from the kids living in Canterlot who had christened him that because of his clumsiness. Back then, his name was all he knew, and stealing was the only way to survive. Until he met Twilight Sparkle. But that was a story for another day. Which led to his misgivings from the other day. Clutterstep had been wandering through the halls of Canterlot Castle. How he hadn't gotten caught by the royal guard yet was a complete mystery to everyone except him and Twilight. He had spotted a innocent goblet sitting unattended on an innocent side table and couldn't resist. He knew stealing was wrong, but his hunger drove him to desperation, and he really needed the money. And he would've gotten away with it too, had it not been for a certain guard. "I've never run so fast or so hard! He scared me. Came outta nowhere. I still dunno how I got away either," Clutterstep stressed, throwing his hands out in exasperation. "Did you give the goblet back?" "Well yeah. Wasn't really worth stealing if I was going to be run outta town." Twilight giggled. There was a long lapse of comfortable silence, and Twilight's smile slowly faded as certain questions came to her. "Clutterstep?" she began, hesitantly. He didn't seem to notice. "Hmm?" "Why... Do you like living here? I mean, don't you get hurt and hungry sometimes? And cold in the winter?" Twilight's words hung in the air, unwavering. She trembled inwardly, awaiting his answer. There was a long pause of silence as Clutterstep contemplated her words. "I don't like living here." He turned and took her hands. "I LOVE living here, 'cause it's where you are." Brown eyes flecked with glittering gold met sparkling royal amythist orbs. Twilight smiled. "Tell me your story again," she requested. "Please?" "Which one?" "Your life story." Clutterstep smiled ruefully and shook his head knowingly. "That one again? Twilight!" he begged. "Please!" She begged back. Shaking his head, he took a deep breath. "Growing up an Earthborn in Canterlot? Not fun. Everywhere I looked, there were people who could do amazing things without effort. Compared to them, I felt worse than little. I felt small." Twilight felt a tingle of excitement in her chest. She knew what came next. Clutterstep, seeing her reaction, smiled and continued. "One day, I tried to help a little girl..... " Author's Note Disclaimer: I do not own Clutterstep. He belongs to Silverquill (go check him out on Youtube; he's a great guy ) Hope you guys enjoyed! Feel free to comment down below. I do read them For those of you who are still wondering about Stroke of Luck, don't worry--I haven't forgotten it. Im just.... Waiting for the right time. *Rubs hands together deviously with a sinister smile* See you later! Huggies, --Gboyd EDIT: By the way, for those of you who didn't happen to get the reference, E-Notes Parsely= Elvis Presley Chapter 2: Behind the DoorsThe sound of flipping paper was only thing that could be currently heard at the moment. Well, that and the subtle hum of magic from the Princess's hair. He could only stare. Only stare, in pure disbelief, mouth open; a disgrace to one of his standing. But right now, his brain could barely function, much less give his body to command to close his mouth. He was, as most would put it, shocked. But those watching would see it as an understatement. Finally, he found his voice. "Wha….. HOW!!??" The sudden volume caused everyone in the room to jump in fright. Even the princess blinked in surprise. But the reaction was certainly expected, especially from what had just transpired an hour earlier. It was the day of Testing. The Princess's current, and now known as former student, Sunset Shimmer, had disappeared, so as per tradition, the school supers and professors were working with the Equestrian Education Association to find a new student to take her place. Mind you, this normally wouldn't happen so fast. According to Equestria's history, a unicorn above the average magical leverage power only appeared every hundred years or so. Sunset Shimmer had been a special case. Of course, everyone had questions, and rumors constantly abounded about what happened to the ambitious young girl. However, the Princess absolutely refused to discuss it, proclaiming that the student went to an 'undisclosed location'. But now... well, it seemed they found their replacement. It was supposed to be a normal testing exam. A simple exercise to see how strong she was. A few equations here, a growing plant spell there, a transfiguration hex here--simple. It was the same for all the young people who showed up. Some showed promise, others could barely get their spells to go right, and still others could barely manage to complete a firefly spell. That is to say, past the stage they reached upon turning a year old. It had varied that day. They had found at least three who showed enough stability and intelligence, not to mention enough magical prowess to hold the title of the Princess's pupil. Some had shown the usual average promise just enough to be able to enroll into the school. Suffice to say, the judges hadn't been expecting much, especially since all they had seen that morning was mediocre compared to the last promising candidate. In fact, truth be told, they had been quite bored. Until she showed up. Twilight Sparkle, a simple filly it seemed, from the lower, middle-class part of Canterlot, had surpassed all the testers and more. She had passed the test. THE test. The test that was deemed impossible by Starswirl himself years upon years ago! When Starswirl had established a temporal peace treaty between the three fighting tribes, a new threat came down. Dragons. Great scaly beasts that raged in all sizes and colors. And their nature's gifts that they used to a tee. The Equestrians could never see them coming, no matter how well they might have pre-pared for it. Sure, it was easy to spot the danger from the skies, especially for the pegasii tribe. But the fire-breath was the real problem. So, Starswirl the Bearded the Great came up with a solution... of sorts. It was a vow. A dirty vow, because they fought fire with fire, one would say. Every time a dragon attacked, a chosen individual from the victimized village would trek into the Dragonlands and steal an egg. Suffice to say, the attacks stopped happening pretty quickly. Unfortunately, too many deaths occurred when the dragons finally figured out who was stealing their eggs. When they attacked, they left devastation in their wake. This time, without provisions or shelter to call home, the three tribes began to fight against each other all the more fiercely, thus summoning the dreaded wendigos. The blizzard hit their land, driving the miserable Equestrians away from the place they once called home. However, one thing remained from that day. A single dragon egg, carried under the white wing of a Pegasus. Celestia found the unsuspecting egg years later, and decided to test it to see if it was fertile or not. Starswirl deemed it to be a dud, and tried to convince to Celestia to get rid of it. But the ancient Lunar princess had other ideas, saying that they needed to save the egg. At least, once it was opened, they could recycle it and use the materials for something else. Starswirl had agreed, and decided to also use the egg as testing device for future generations. Unfortunately, no one had been ever able to even crack the cement-like shell, so Starswirl was forced to label the egg impossible to open. But despite this, young unicorns kept trying to open it. It soon became a tradition of sorts, as the young ones made a clever game of it. They would randomly select one another to see who could open the egg. it was said that you could open it, or even crack, you would accepted into Celestia's school for Gifted Unicorns. From that day onward, Celestia had put the egg under guard under the false hopes that someone, someday, might be able to open it. It was a well-known fact that the egg would never be opened, and was widely accepted around the nation. Until now. The Princess regally turned to face him, a neutral expression on her face. "You seem alarmed, Superintendent. Is something wrong?" He wrung his hands, unable to form words. No, there wasn't something wrong, but it was shocking and worrisome, especially if the magic she possessed got into the wrong hands. So hence his words: How? Why? When? Was it her bloodline!? Her parents? Was she a descendant of the Princess? Maybe a descendant of Starswirl himself? Did she get hit with a magic blast when she was a baby that no one remembered? Was she secretly a princess? He rubbed his head in frustration. So many questions, with absolutely zero answers. "It's just.... " he trailed off, trying to find words. "She's.. what? Three, four?" "She's currently recorded as being six years of age, Super," an assistant chimed in. He waved a hand. "Thanks--six years old, and she cast something that.... that full grown unicorns, LIKE ME, can only dream of!?" He began to pace the room, with a wide-eyed audience. The princess sat calmly, just watching. He threw out his hands again. "How!?" he screamed. "There has never ever been a record of this! Not since the ancient times, at least! Is it her bloodline? Is she from an... an ancient super-powered unicorn race we've never heard of?! She cast a spell that sent me and the others into an immobile bubble!" He turned a one-eighty and faced the princess. "An IMMOBILE. BUBBLE. Me and my coworkers. Couldn't. Move." He turned and continued to pace, voicing the questions that came to mind. "She turned her parents into plants---I mean--that in itself is a feat that only a teenage unicorn can accomplish! And she's SIX YEARS OLD! This isn't normal! This is impossible! I mean---how? Why? When--did she get hit with super-power boost when she was a filly!?" The assistant timidly raised an eyebrow. ''I'm not sure about that last theory sir." The Super threw his hands in the air for what seemed like the millionth time today and shot the assistant a deadly glare. "I need answers! Who is she!?" The Princess stood up and held out a hand, palm up, signaling the Super. He instantly clammed up. "First off," she said in a gentle yet firm tone, "You need to calm down, Super. Yelling won't solve anything. Second, this young filly, first and foremost, has extreme raw potential. But while she may have some sort of a grasp over her power, it will only continue to grow. She will need to learn and grow into her power through focused study." The Super's eyes were wide. "You mean..." The Princess nodded. "I have considered taking Twilight Sparkle under my wing. She will prosper, and there is nothing for her to fear." *** There were a great and many things for Twilight to fear. And, to prove her point, she ranted and raved, ignoring her parent's amused expressions and the fact that Shining Armor was drooling in the corner, having had fallen asleep, despite his sister's yelling. "The Princess's student!? Me!? But why? I can barely lift a book, much less be the pupil to a goddess who raises the sun! There's no way I'll be able to do this! The Princess's personal student!" Mid-rant, she flew across the room and grabbed her brother by the collar and began violently shaking him. "Do you know how big this is!? This is big! Really big!" Just as quickly, she dropped him, leaving the teen to groan and his poor brain to wonder why the world was spinning. As more and more thoughts began to whirl in her head, Twilight plopped to the floor in defeat, tears picking at the corners of her eyes. "I don't wanna be her student. I mean, I would love to-- its a huge honor, but what will others think of me?" As she continued, her voice rose in volume as she ascended into panic mode. "What if I don't live up to her expectations? What if I'm expected live in the castle!? I can't do that! I'll for sure do something wrong and she'll kick me out, or put me in prison, or banish me, or kick me out and imprison me in the place she banished me to!" Night Light walked forward and bent down to her level. "Twily, she won't do that. We'll make sure of that." He pulled the now sobbing girl into his arms; the rest of the family practically piling on it to hug. "We are so proud of you sweetheart," her mother cooed, soothing Twilight's fears. "Everything will be okay, I promise." After a few more minutes of hugging, her mother stood Twilight up. "Come on, let's go see the princess." Wiping her nose and eyes, Twilight nodded and silently followed her mother down the castle halls. Her stomach was still in knots, but considerably less large now. They turned corners, went down a flight of stairs, and turned so many corners that Twilight briefly wondered if they were lost. Finally, they came upon an pair of entrancingly decorated doors. Talking resounded from inside, and the family waited silently, as told by the guards posted nearby to do so. Several minutes passed, and the door handle turned, revealing the Superintendent and his colleagues, along with the Princess. At the sight of them, Twilight hid behind her mother, clutching Velvet's pants in fear. However, the Superintendent merely passed by her with a gaze of indifference and lined up nearby with his colleagues. The Princess gave them a smile and clasped her hands together. "Well, I have good news, and bad news." She paused. "The bad news is, my staff have decided that you are to train under me, Twilight, and they will teach you as well." The family looked at each other, confused. That was the bad news? Looking up, Shining Armor caught a glimpse of the Princess's amused expression. Realizing it was a joke, Shining Armour shot her a smirk, which the princess responded to with a wink. After a few seconds, Night Light and Twilight Velvet realized the punchline and chuckled. it did wonders improving the atmosphere, and even the faculty staff seemed to relax a little. The princess knelt down to the little girl's level. "You have an incredible gift, Twilight Sparkle, and I am honored to help you learn how to use it." A tiny smile made itself known on the little girl's face. She shuffled behind her mother and peered out at Celestia shyly, earning a smile from the princess. "But first, there's someone who desperately wants to meet you." She leaned to whisper in Twilight's ear. "He hasn't stopped crying since you left." The princess stood up and gestured to the open door. "While you go meet them, I need to talk to your parents. Is that okay?" Hesitating for a second, Twilight nodded, and began to approach the room, only to freeze as a cooing sound came from inside. Looking back at her mother, who gave an encouraging smile. Twilight rip-toed into the room, following the sounds. The princess nodded and gently closed the door behind her. She turned towards the little girl's family. "Well, I can saftly say that she passed the test," the princess paused as the family gasped in joy and tightly hugged each other. "However, that's what worries me." The family looked at her, worry clearly written on their faces. "W-what do you mean?" the father stammered. "She has incredible potential, but her sheer raw power has a higher rate than anything I've seen." To give them perspective, she continued. "Her magical prowess is higher than Star-Swirl's." The reaction of wide eyes and open mouths was expected. Suppressing a chuckle, Celestia turned and began walking down the hall. "There is no need to worry, I will not lock her up. But measures will be taken. I do have questions, though." She turned to face them. "Was there an... incident in Twilight's childhood that caused her to have a strong magic?" The parents turned to face each other. "N-not that we know of... " There was a long pause, through which Celestia waited patiently. The young boy spoke. "Um... Mom, you don't think this has something to do with where she came from... do you?" "Where she came from?" Celestia prodded, with a raised eyebrow. Taking a shaky breath, the mother explained. "Our daughter is not... biologically related to us. She's.... adopted." Celestia was silent. Eyes wide. Tears began to glitter in the mother's eyes. "A-after I had Shining Armour," she squeezed the boy's shoulders, "I... had an accident. My stomach...." she trailed off and choked. "I can no longer have children." The mother closed her eyes, clearly struggling to keep her pain in check. Seeing this, the father took over. "After we recovered, we went to Canterlot Orphanage, where we found Twilight." "We named her," Shining Armour spoke up. "When I saw her, I knew.... I just knew." "They didn't know where she came from. The owner and director both said she was found off the coast just above Phillydelphia.... along with the remains of a ship." Celestia gasped. "We have our suspicions.... but its the last thing we want to think about. She's here with us, and here is where she'll stay. We love her, and she's our daughter, no matter what. When we saw her in that crib, she was just... perfect." A smile crept up Celestia face. "Perfect indeed." *** Twilight flinched when the doors shut behind her, but the cooing sound continued, calming her nerves. Taking a shaky breath, Twilight took another cautious step forward, encouraged. The room was rather small in comparison to other rooms in the castle that Twilight had seen. It was white-washed, with baby-blue curtains over a white-ribbed crib waving softly in the breeze. A very peaceful scene. Giggles animated from the basket. Twilight took a few more steps, only to come face to face with the brightest emerald eyes she had ever seen. Tiny white fangs poked out from under the baby's top lip, and messy lime green hair framed his face. Twilight's heart instantly melted at the sight, and she reached over the bars to pick him up. "Aren't you the most curious thing?" He babbled in response. She settled him on her hip and studied him. Emerald orbs locked with hers, and somewhere, deep down, both felt a connection place. Twilight blinked in surprise, knowing the connection was magical, but the baby cooed again and snuggled up under her chin. A realization began to make itself known as he traced her brand new cutie mark. "Wait a minute!" she exclaimed, holding him out at arms length, "you're the egg I hatched!" There a squeal of delight from the child. "But wait, does that mean....?" She looked at him again. "Nah!" came the response. Twilight broke out into a huge smile and danced around the room, while the baby just laughed and clapped at her joy. "I hatched you! I did it! I passed the test!" She drew him close to her chest, pausing her in celebratory dance. "Wait 'till Clutter sees this! He won't believe it!" The baby giggled and gave another coo as Twilight hugged him tightly once more. The baby giggled. Twilight held him out at arms length and gave him another long look. "You need a name," she mused. Emerald orbs blinked curiously at her, and the child cocked his head, spiky locks falling to the side. Twilight smiled as a name came to her. "How about.... Spike?" Author's Note Soooo sorry this took so long! Hopefully this will explain some things. As always, comment and enjoy, and I'll catch ya later! -Gboyd Chapter 3: Behind the Bushes"Waahh!" The shrill cry echoed across the house, shattering the first five seconds of peace that the Sparkle family had seen all day. Shining Armor groaned and slammed in head into his pillow. Why wouldn't that baby just shut up and go to sleep? It was nearly three in the morning, and that demon child had been crying his lungs out since noon. Shining now firmly believed he would never be able to grant his ears silence again. He heard his parents' and protests come from their bedroom, and Shining growled. Great, just perfect! Now his parents were up with only three consecutive hours of sleep, which meant tomorrow was going to be yet another day of walking on egg-shells. Another scream pierced the still air. Shining winced and pulled at his hair. If only he knew a silencing spell! He yawned, and swung his feet over the mattress and sat there, in a sleepy stupor, letting his thoughts wander. This house had been misery, pure misery since the demon child had arrived. True, in the beginning, he had been proud to tears--er liquid pride--when Twilight had both earned her cutie mark, became Princess Celestia's personal student, and hatched the legendary un-hatch-able egg, but now he was wondering about the princess's decision... and whether it had been the right choice. Had to have been a hasty decision, right? Who drops a dragon into a unicorn's family without thinking about the repercussions first? At first, things had been fine---great, actually. His parents were ecstatic at having yet another child, Twilight was obviously over the moon about her success, and he himself was beginning to entertain the thoughts of having a little brother to play with. But then the trouble came. At first, it was whimpers here and there, or a shriek of anger when the little demon didn't get his satisfaction. Thinking they had been doing something wrong, or spoiling him, if anything, the Sparkles soon backed off on their coddling and let Twilight take on the brunt of taking care of him. He was, after all, her responsibility. But no matter what Twilight tried, no matter what baby book she read or advice she got from all the mother-figures she knew, Spike continued to wail until his lungs gave out, or collapsed in a heap of exhaustion. Suffice to say, everyone was tired of it. Shining even heard his father remark on one or more occasions that he would gladly do anything to be rid of the 'little banshee' as the males in the family had come to call him. His mother was more patient than most, and helped in any way she could, when she had the patience to do so, that is. None of the family knew much about dragons, let alone taking a of a baby dragon, so most likely what little they did to help often backfired on them. The constant shrieking was running everyone's nerves down, especially his mother's. Twilight was the worst off of all of them. Shining would often catch her in tears, breaking down because she didn't know what else to do. The family had requested several times to see the princess in court to gain advice on what to do, but the grant for that request could take weeks, even if Twilight was her personal student. The only other option was to write letters, but, like the grant, responses could take weeks. Explainable. She was the Princess after all. Another cacophony of wails made themselves known, shaking Shining out of his sleepy stupor. As they grew in volume, Shining groaned in frustration. This baby had a problem. Whatever it was, Shining wished it would just quit! Crying never did no good for anybody in his book, and the devil had everything a child could possibly want! So what in the world was this baby's problem? A soft tune from Twilight caused the cries to lower, but they didn't disappear completely. Shining scoffed. He wasn't going to hold his breath that the baby would go to sleep. Both Twilight and his mother had sung every single lullaby they knew; even going so far a make up lullabies in the hopes to transport the baby to dreamland, but so far, nothing had worked beyond a period longer than five hours. Shining gritted his teeth, and made for his door, pre-paring to do whatever it took to get that baby to go sleep, regardless of Twilight's approval. Shining stalked down the hall and stopped mid-stride at Twilight's bed-room door. A soft pink glow peeked out from her door, but he ignored it. Shining raised a hand to wrench the door open, but Twilight's soft song made him pause. Even though her voice was muffled, he could still hear her. "In the golden morning hour We travel out of the valley and we joyfully dance into the early sunshine We go high into the mountain peaks To look into the eye of sky Let's celebrate this age That summer days hold ready" Shining had never heard anything quite like it before. It wasn't quite a lullaby, but it was close enough. The notes rose and fell, like the waves of the ocean, or rolling hills. Shining leaned against the door, despite his earlier intentions, never noticing that the cries from the child had ceased. He had heard Twilight sing before, but never like this. Her voice was soft, mysterious, chiming wind-bells through the playful hands of a gentle breeze. He wanted to hear more. "You let your ravens go When the fields turn to gold and the bright wheel revolves around the sky A year today ago Since I saw you at our dance oft' long nights hence I have thought of you" Shining gently grasped the door handle, and turned the knob. With a quiet protesting creak, the door opened, and Shining slipped inside. Twilight was sitting on the floor in front of her bed, holding Spike, gentle rocking back and forth. A soft raspberry glow surrounded them and seemed to move in airwaves around the two, keeping in tune with Twilight' song. Shining stared, at a loss for words. A realization struck him. The baby had stopped crying. It had stopped! They had finally found the answer! Shining pumped a fist in victory and instantly winced, realizing he was still in Twilight's room. He glanced at her, and relaxed. Twilight's eyes were closed. Shining looked down at the baby in her arms, and cocked his head in confusion. Spike wasn't asleep. He was simply gazing at his care-taker with all the wonderment of an infant. Twilight opened her eyes and paused within her song. She got to her feet, never releasing Spike, and ran one hand along her bed frame. The essence around her continued to move in tune as Twilight began to sing again. Shining felt a jolt go through him. This part of her song was grew deeper and deeper and more ominous, seeming to count down to something. As she continued, the magic around her grew darker and more intense. Shining instinctively drew back against the door, but movement from his little sister's arms caught his eye. Spike had shuffled deeper into his surrogate mother's embrace and closed his eyes. "Soon the wheel will turn Wild storms will blow We approach our final days and the circle begins again" With Spike now asleep, Twilight gently placed him on her bed, and pulled back the covers, still singing. Her tune returned to the one Shining had heard earlier. Bright, and bouncy... Hopeful. "Come and follow us in the dance As we form our circle When the fields turn to gold We'll meet again..." When she finished, she crawled on the bed and sat back on her knees, her amethyst irises meeting Shining's. "Yes?" she whispered. Shining blinked, realty coming back to shock him. "I--uh. When--how!? What did you do!?" he whisper-yelled. "Do you know what you did? You granted us peace for the rest of our days! What was that--that song? Can you sing it again tomorrow night--?" Twilight blushed slightly, growing flustered at all the praise; a smile beginning to grow on her face. She scrambled off her bed and, standing on her toes, reached up to silence her dumbfounded brother with a finger. "It's okay, since now, I sang, yes I know what I did, that is a harvest song, and yes, I can do it again tomorrow night." For the second time that night, Shining found himself without words. Twilight skirted around him and opened her door as quietly as she dared. She gently pushed her stunned brother out into the hall. "You need to go back to bed, and so do I. Don't you have that guard assessment thingie tomorrow?" "Well, yes, but I--" "Then go!" Twilight tried to push him further, but Shining held his ground, ceasing her efforts. "Twilight, wait." She stopped backing up into her room and looked up at him, a hand curling around her door knob. "Did you make all that up on the fly?" Twilight smiled softly, once again, reminding Shining that her intelligence far surpassed her age. "No, I didn't." Her door softly closed, leaving Shining Armor lost on the other side with more questions and no answers. He walked back to his own room, stewing. "Are there other songs like that one? Mom never sung anything like that to me, at least none that I can remember." He looked up and back down the hall at her bed-room. "If she didn't make it up, then... where did she learn it?' *** The weeks soon passed in relative peace for the family. Even though her parents didn't quite know what miracle their daughter had performed, they were grateful for it all the same. As the school year, Twilight continued to run back and forth between her house and the castle, arms bursting full of books the Princess was having her read as well as homework papers. Within the passing of week-days, Princess Celestia's niece, Princess Cadence, came by to keep Twilight company whenever her parents went to a conference call, or a date to take a break from taking care of Spike. Sometimes, her brother stayed as well, turning what would have been a dull night of studying into a fun-filled evening of squealing and trying to hide from Shining and Cadence's attacking fingers. Spike accompanied Twilight wherever she went these days, including classes and personal lessons with the Princess. He refused to be separated from her. The family knew from what the school staff had told them that Spike had essentially imprinted on Twilight as his mother, but ever since Twilight had starting singing those mysterious lullabies, he clung to her closer than ever. Twilight made it a point to spend as much time with Spike as she could, but sometimes she was able to slip away. Luckily, Spike was the only one who ever seemed to notice. But, being a baby who could only pronounce certain syllables, communication was a problem. Today, was one such day. Their father, Night Light, was off at the castle. Being the head-servant over the castle staff, he was currently over-seeing a new stain-glassed window that was being set in. As for Velvet, she was off at a book signing. With school over for the day, Spike was currently crawling down the stairs towards the family room, where Shining sat in the love seat, reading a book. The critch-critch of tiny finger nails against marble in the brief space of floor between the living room rug and the carpeted stairs caused Shining to glance up. Spike caught his eye and babbled. "Well hey there, little buddy. You already up from your nap?" he asked, going over to pick up Spike. "Shine!" Spike warbled. Shining chucked. "Am I supposed to know what that means?" he asked. Shining tapped Spike on the nose. "You know better than to crawl down the stairs on your own," he admonished. "Where's your mommy?" Spike whimpered in reply. Shining was oblivious to the baby's response, going up the stairs to his little sisters' room. "Twily!" There was no response. Shining stopped, suddenly realizing how quiet the house had become. There no sound, anywhere. Usually at around this time, he would a creaks of the floor boards over head as Twilight moved around in her room, or the tell-tale sound a magical spell being done. But... there was nothing. No sound. It was like she wasn't even home... Panic consumed Shining. Maybe she hadn't heard him? "TWILY!" He called louder. There was no reply. Shining raced up to her room and wrenched her door open. Nothing. She wasn't there. He bolted down the stairs and began to pace back and forth, trying to come up with a logical reason as to where she had disappeared to. "No! No no no no no no no. Okay, okay, okay, Shining, don't panic. Maybe she's outside, or at the castle? Maybe at the fire-pit? No she would have heard me--" In his ranting, Shining forgot about the baby dragon within his arms, who was getting jostled and squeezed. Spike didn't appreciate it. And he let Shining know. Even though Spike hadn't gone through teething yet, he still had his tiny claws. And when loud whimpering wouldn't work to gain attention, Spike would scratch. And scratch he did. "Ouch!" Shining yelped as a tiny slash of fire made itself known on his lower arm. He looked down and was met with furious emerald eyes and a pouty lip. "Oh. Sorry little buddy." Shining held Spike out at arms length. "Do you know where she is?" "Gra'," Spike grunted, still disgruntled. "'Gra'"? came the echo. "What's 'Gra'? Am I supposed to know what that means?" Spike waved his arms and kicked his legs in frustration. "Gra!" he said louder. Shining shook his head. "I wish I knew what you were trying to tell me," he muttered. "Twily would know." Shining looked around the middle level of the house before going outside into the front yard. His panic had lowered somewhat, but he was still worried. While Twilight was a responsible young girl, she was still young and susceptible to being lured away. And even though Canterlot was considered the safest place in the world, crime still happened. Or maybe Shining was channeling his instructors' pessimistic personality. Shining looked up and down the street, hoping to see a familiar indigo, pink, and purple hue. Nothing. Shining tightened on Spike. "Twily, where are you?" he whispered. *** Twilight knew exactly where she was. And what risk she was taking, even though she'd done it before. And what she knew what she was carrying. And what she was carrying was annoying her to no end. Twilight twisted around to unsnag her drawstring bag from a branch, wincing as several branches poked her in the back. Twilight grunted, yanking the bag from the branch, or rather, trying to. "Why are castle bushes so grabby!?" she wined. Straining with the effort, she leaned backward and pulled with all her six-year-old might. With a loud pling the bag struck with freedom, sending them both tumbling out of the bush and onto the ground with a plop! "Oof!" Twilight shook her head, trying to get her bearings. Standing a little unsteadily, she froze slightly, waiting for a palace guard to come around the corner. When none came, Twilight hiked the bag higher on her shoulders and set off with a small giggle. Another victory achieved. The bag bounced with ever stride she took, and the grass shone through with a golden light as the sun made it way to crest the sky. Twilight skipped the field, singing happily as the rising sun lifted her spirits. It was no small feat for a thief to make their way through the castle gardens, since they were so heavily guarded. it was, after all, where the Princess did her work on most days. Therefore, it was no small feat that a six-year-old could do the same sneak route three times a week. One would think she'd have been caught by now. But if Clutterstep could live this way, then she could do the same thing at least three times a week to help him live! Twilight stopped at the edge of the field, stopping for a moment to admire the scenery around her. The knee-length grasses had a golden sheen due to the sun above, and the entire field was framed with perfectly planted trees, with the Canterlot Royal Maze bushes lining the back. Clusters of flowers could be seen here and there, adding splashes of color to what would have been an otherwise, golden-green meadow. Looking ahead of her, Twilight spotted a small dip a few yards away. She ran the last few remaining steps and disappeared from the castle's view. Her feet landed on soft moss, making a quiet squishing sound. She slowly turned around, facing the the small den that was Clutterstep's home. A small collection of knick-knacks and rusted, twisted pieces of metal stuck out of the ground, a warning for any predators' that might try to make him dinner. An sack cloth hung of above the entrance of the den, hanging from to pieces of metal that had been shoved into the ground. Twilight pulled aside the cloth and peered inside. A bag lay to the side, while in the middle the was a pile of old clothes and blankets. Clutterstep was curled on top of the pile, asleep. Twilight smiled giddily and crept inside. She knew better than to scare him awake, even though the thought crossed her mind. What happened last time was still fresh in her mind, and the magical burns on the ground outside his den was still visible, if one was standing close to them. Most of the time, she was lucky if she gently shook him awake, but these days he was more jumpy than ever. And that was what bothered her most. He simply wouldn't tell her why. Then, her IS a boy---and it was very well known for all males to have stubbornness. The easiest way for her to wake him up without either of them getting hurt was for her to sing. It had worked before... somewhat. She had only tried it once before, but maybe it was time to try it again. Twilight set her bag down, and shuffled over to the wall. She curled up and watched him for a while, her smile falling. He looked frailer than before she'd seen him last. Granted, that was over three weeks ago, but still! No one person can get that frail that fast! No one should have to live this way either... A small groan caught her attention, she sat up straighter. Clutterstep turned and shifted over. He slowly sat up, rubbing his eyes sleepily. Something must have caught his eyes because he looked up at her with dazed eyes without warning. Twilight couldn't but smile. "Hey," she greeted softly. Her voice woke him fully, and he smiled brightly. "Hi!" He scrambled over and squeezed. "Where've you been?" Twilight glanced away, ashamed. "I'm sorry I haven't visited. The Princess's been keeping me busy with books to read." She turned and dragged her satchel closer. "Here," she drew out a wrapped sandwich. "To make it up to you, I brought your favorite." His eyes lit up even brighter at the sight. "Sweet!" He stole a glance at her. "That's right. I forgot. You're the one who'd been chosen--what's it like? Being the Princess's personal student, I mean?" Twilight shrugged. "It's... I dunno. It's a little harder than what I'm used to, and the princess really hasn't taught me anything, so..." she trailed. Clutterstep noticed, and he stopped chowing down. "Something happen?" Twilight blinked. "No...?" "C'mon, Twi' you can't lie to me. What happened?" Twilight looked away. "Mom and Dad are over the moon about it, obviously, but... it's different now." Clutterstep stopped chewing and gave her his full attention. Twilight sighed. "Everyone is now under this sudden impression that I'm this miracle worker that my parents have been hiding, and now they want to show me off to all their friends. It's the same at school---all the sudden I'm the Princess's paper doll, and everyone thinks I can do amazing things. I'm not beyond Level 2 Levitation." Twilight huffed. "I can't do anything because the princess hasn't taught me anything worthwhile yet. It's all review." There was a pause. "And that not even the worst part..." she mumbled. Clutterstep gazed at her a minute. He held up a finger. "Let me guess: You're in a position that allows you so many privilages that you don't know what to do with, the expectations on you have rocketed sky high, and people expect you to produce something mind-blowing out of the blue---not to mention allowing others favors. And... I'll bet there are certain people who are jealous of you." He grinned triumphantly at her stunned expression. "Tell me I'm wrong." Twilight shook her head. "No. You hit every nail on the head." She gazed at him. "How did you..." He tapped her nose, chuckling. "Because I know you." He bit into his sandwich again with gusto, leaving Twilight to giggle. "Sho, howsh Shipke?" he asked with his mouth full. Twilight rolled her eyes and face palmed. "Oh for the love of--swallow!" He did so. "You get any sleep lately?" he smirked. Twilight folded her arms. "Yes I have, thank you very much." Twilight unfolded her arms and began to fold the wrapping paper. "He's actually a really sweet guy, and he's smarter than I anticipated. He's only a few months old, and already he's trying to imitate simple words.' Clutterstep whistled, clearly impressed. "Wow. Then again he is a dragon. Guess they're smart." He pushed her bag towards her. "Not much is known 'bout them." Twilight sighed. "Isn't that the statement of the century?" Clutterstep looked up again. "Is that part of the problem?" Twilight looked away, trying to hide her anger. "Yes." She snuck a peek at him. Clutterstep was just sitting there, waiting. Twilight released another sigh. "People are claiming he's a monster in hiding, or that Celestia's training him to be a monster, that I'm her secret slave---all kinds of nasty rumors." Twilight slumped, putting her face in her hands. "And I'm tired of it." She stood up, and snatched her bag. "I just want it to stop, so that I can study in peace, and take Spike to the park without getting glomped by strangers." There was yet another long pause as this information was digested. "You what you need?" Clutterstep spoke up. Twilight looked at him with a deadpan expression. "What?" "C'mon!" He grabbed her hand and took her back the route she'd come, through the maze bushes and out onto the street. "Stealth mission time." Twilight didn't have time to respond to his ridiculous idea before he yanked her behind a wall. "What are you doing!?" she hissed. Clutterstep peered from behind a wall, mischief written all over his face. He put a finger to her lips and paused. Clutterstep's smile spread the most mischievous expression she had seen on him yet. He turned to face her, got down one knee, and put his hands over his heart respectfully. "Twilight Sparkle, personal student of the Princess, herself, and, most importantly, friend of my heart, I would like to take this opportunity to graciously welcome you to one of my most favorite pastimes." He looked up at her, his mischievous grin never leaving. "Bothering your brother." Twilight gasped, before a similar smile split her face in two. Clutterstep peered around the corner once more. "Let the games begin." Author's Note Twilight, you better watch your step. Your brother's not so happy with you at the moment. lol. Enjoy! ;) And as always, please leave your thoughts and comments down below---I love to see what you guys have to say!
Chapter 1: Behind The SchoolThe sound of clanging bells rang for miles. Crowds of people lined up in front of the doors of Equestria's most prestigious academy: Princess Celestia's School for Gifted Unicorns. The sounds of chatter filled the air, with strong excitement along for the ride. Young children flitted around their parents, both eager and scared for what might hide behind those closed doors. Twilight Sparkle was one such young unicorn. She twiddled her fingers nervously, biting her lip and constantly alternating between holding her rag doll or her mother's hand. Smarty-Pants looked at Twilight. His red and blue button eyes seemed to regard her with concern, as if asking her if she was alright. She released a slight smile and let go of her mother's hand to snuggle the doll. Smarty-Pants knew. He always knew. "You'll be alright, Twily," said a rather shaky voice. A hand squeezed her shoulder, causing Twilight to look up at her brother with a curious gaze. While Shining Armor's bright blue eyes shone excitement and pride, they also held a note of worry. The kind of worry she usually saw when Cadence came over. Wait. 'Worry' wasn't the right word. She thought for a moment. He was... nervous? Yes! Nervous. He was nervous. She nodded in satisfaction and hugged Smarty-Pants closer. Still though, why was Shiny nervous? He had nothing to worry about. Like what could be hiding behind those royal purple Prench doors with the gold trim... Feeling another prickle of fear, she backed up until she hit her brother. Shining Amor said something, but she didn't hear it. She was too busy looking at the building that seemed to loom above her. Princess Celestia's School for Gifted Unicorns was sight to behold, even if one happened to be living there full time. The medieval roofs dipped and curved, forming lattice windows and balconies. Two towers perched proudly on either side of the school, one holding the Astronomy Observatory, and the other possessing the lounge. Every window and door was laced over with a gold trim, guarded by the stone gargoyles' balancing on the edges of the roof. The roof's purple tiles curved downward, giving the building an almost royal air. The early morning sun rays shone behind the building, finishing off the entire display in a prismatic aura. Yes, a sight to behold indeed. And fearful one at that. Twilight buried her face in Smarty-Pants's gray fuzz, hoping to blink the image away and not look at it again until she absolutely had to. However, while her eyes could see nothing but darkness, her ears were full of something else. "....Think about it, Twily," Shining Armor was saying. "Remember the first shield you preformed? The whole neighborhood thought it was incredible! Oh, and the time you lifted the entire house? Ah man... You'll be fine; you're gonna do great," and on and on. Twilight had half a notion to roll her eyes. She loved her BBBFF, she really did, but this was too much. He didn't know how she was going to do, and him spurring her on was just making her more nervous. "'Sounds like your tryna' convince yourself more than me, big brother," she grumbled. Shining gawked. "Well--I-" "Shining, honey, that's enough," said Twilight Velvet gently. "We KNOW Twily's going to amaze those judges in there. That fact that there's still books all over the house proves it," she said, smiling slyly at Twilight. Twilight blushed and hid away in the safe haven that was Smarty-Pants. "I had to study," she weakly protested. "Uh huh. Studying at two in the morning doesn't exactly count, Twily," her mother reminded. Twilight bit her lip and turned away with a pout. Twilight Velvet bent down. "Twilight, honey, face me." Twilight begrudgingly did so. "We know you're nervous. We all are. But you know the rules. You needed your rest if you're gonna through with this, right honey?" Twilight allowed her amethyst orbs to wander away. "Yes..." she mumbled in response. Twilight Velvet smiled. "There's my little girl." Her mother stood back up and continued conversing with Daddy and her BBBFF. Twilight rested her chin on Smarty-Pants head and continued to count the cobblestones that made up streets of Canterlot. As she gazed over the stones and trailed up the walls of Princess's school, it suddenly didn't seem so scary anymore. "Velvet, Night-Light, so nice to see you here." A unfamiliar, rather posh voice caught Twilight's attention, and she jerked her head up to see who was talking. "Burning Embers," her mother greeted warmly. Twilight relaxed, recognizing the woman as one her neighbors across the street. Then she froze in dread, instantly recognizing the piercing eyes glaring at her from Miss Ember's waist. Dimming Sparks. One of the many people she could gladly live without. Dimming sneered, and took on a look of pure innocence whenever her mother brought her up during the grown-ups conversation. "So, you're taking the test, too?" Dimming asked. The sound her voice grated on Twilight's nerves. It was like she was trying to be annoying on purpose. Twilight groaned inwardly. She didn't need this. "You make it sound like that's a bad thing," she muttered. Dimming scoffed. "Yeah, it is." "How so?" "Uh, we're going to be in the same room together, genius. You'll ruin my image!" Twilight had to try REALLY hard not to roll her eyes. "Right, as if her 'image' could get any worse," she thought. She sighed, and turned to face Dimming. "What do you want, Dimming?" Dimming smirked, and opened her mouth. Twilight braced herself. Here it comes. The tirade of nonsense that made up the incredible life of Dimming Sparks. However, before the little lady could open her mouth, a voice shouted. "Hey! You!" Startled, both Twilight and Dimming looked around to see who had spoken. "You! You know, the one who looks like she ate lemon for breakfast this morning!?" Now even more confused, Twilight craned her neck to try and catch a glimpse of the welcome intruder. Dimming scowled, clearly offended. "I did NOT eat a lemon this morning!" she shrieked. "How would I know?" the voice replied offhandedly. "I didn't have anything to eat this morning. But your face looks like you smelled somthin' nasty." Dimming went a shade of red. "You--" she started. "Who, me?" came the interruption, sounding greatly confused. "I'm sorry, are you talking to ME?" Mock amazement then took its place. "Whoa.... My dreams have come true.... The great Dimming Sparks has noticed me!" Dimming went under another color change. Twilight giggled, now knowing EXACTLY who it was. "Wow, you sure can turn allot of colors," the voice observed candidly. "You went from white, to pink, to red, and now you're turning purple. All we need is some yellow and green and you'll be good to go. Although at the rate you're goin' you'll be blue 'fore ya know it." There was a pause. Then, as if to goad Dimming on further, the voice burst into song; a terrible impression of E-Notes Parsley. "I'll have a blue, blue Hearthswarming… without you...." "ENOUGH!" Dimming exploded. "Don't fake it 'til you can shake it!" the voice chirped back cheerily. Dimming stomped a foot and made a beeline for the direction the voice was coming from. Twilight dissolved into giggles, unable to hold it in anymore. "Did you like my performance, my lady?" asked the voice in a mock accent, this time coming from behind her. Twilight turned around to see one of her most favorite people in the world. He blew a strand of his grey, unruly hair out of his face, brown eyes flecked with gold waiting for answer. Twilight gave a shy smile and nodded. The young boy did a smooth one-eighty to face an invisible crowd and raised his hands. "And there you have it, folks. My performance was superb-" he leaned in close to Twilight, "as usual," he whispered with a wink- "Thank you! Thank you very much." He ended the play with a deep bow to his invisible audience and took her hand, whisking them both into the nearby bushes. Twilight opened her mouth to shriek in surprise, but a gentle hand on her mouth prevented her from doing so. Looking up, she shot him a questioning look as why he had yanked her away so suddenly. He jerked his head in a direction, and Twilight turned to see Dimming Sparks heading back to where she and her mysterious friend had been standing mere minutes earlier. And although they couldn't hear Dimming from this distance, the scowl on her face was enough to show that she was far from pleased. Twilight giggled at the display. "You're right--she is turning purple." The boy leaned backwards, lounging on the bushes' roots. "Told ya," he winked. "Thank you," Twilight said. "No prob. You looked like ya needed the ticket outta there, anyhow." Twilight flashed him another smile and picked her way out from the bushes to the other side. Crackling behind her told her he was doing the same thing. Once out of their prickly prison, Twilight plopped out onto the grass. Suddenly feeling shy, she began picking at the strands. "I... didn't think you'd come," she said softly. "Are you kidding?" he asked in disbelief. "You should know me by now, Sparkle! I would've never've missed this." Twilight went pink and giggled. "Even if you have to tie balloons to your back and float up to the window to watch--?" "--Only to get caught by your ever-persistent brother and end up in the dungeon? Yes," he finished. Twilight giggled again, then remembered her parents. She looked away. Her companion clearly noticed her change in mood. "Somethin' on your mind, Sparkle?" Twilight gave a sigh. "I really need to get back with my parents." "But we just got here," he protested. "I know. but I gotta get back there so I'll enough time to--" "Panic about taking the test then study up a storm then panic some more?" He asked. Twilight blinked, then rolled her eyes. "Yes. That's exactly what I plan to do," she dead-panned sarcastically. He chuckled softly, causing delightful flutters to run up and down Twilight's body. She blushed furiously. "Clutterstep…" she groaned. "What?" he asked. "I know you, and I know you're gonna study until you can study no more." He shrugged. "Don't snap at me. I'm just tellin' them the truth." He turned and threw a rueful look at the innocent bushes. "Telling who the truth?" Twilight asked, raising a skeptical eyebrow. "My invisible audience," he dead-panned. Twilight burst into giggles. "Ha! There, see? I made ya laugh," he countered in a sing-song voice. Twilight, still laughing, shoved him away and then ran pell-mell down the hill. A rush of footsteps behind her told her he was on her heels. His hand caught her shoulder and she tipped, rolling all the way down the grassy knoll. She reached the bottom, and Clutterstep bumped into her. "Oof!" Twilight grunted and stood up, brushing off her dress. She frowned disdainfully at the grass stains blooming on the fabric in various places. She shot a displeased glare at her friend, who lounging luxuriously out on the grass. "You gave me grass stains," she accused. His eyes shot open, and he scrutinized her rumpled dress. "Hey, you were the one who chose to fall and roll down the hill, not me." Twilight merely harrumphed at this, unable to counter. She knew he was right. Still. He got up and eyed her dress. "I think it looks better now," he quipped. Twilight scoffed, cuffed him around the head, and darted away before he could respond. Clutterstep chased her down, and she pushed him away once more with a smirk. Laughter rang from the School's garden grounds as the duo ran around and played. Clutterstep took her along pathways and up side-walks. They climbed garden walls and buildings and hid from the guards. Hours passed the duo by, until the sun was getting close to the hills. The two sat on a hillside near the school, in the kinder-garden crisscross applesauce fashion. Twilight turned to her child-hood friend. Gray locks played across his forehead, and brown eyes flecked with gold twinkled at her. "Thanks for playing with me," she said shyly. "You made me forget my nervousness." Clutterstep crossed his legs and blushed slightly. His brown eyes flecked with gold faced the sun. "Aww," he dismissed. "It was nothin'." As if to ignore her, he promptly sat down and began playing with the grass. Twilight rolled her eyes ruefully at him. "Yeah, you're right. It was nothing," she shot at him. "Yeah!" he cheered weakly, pumping a fist in the air. "Score one for me!" Twilight giggled again. There was a moment of silence as the duo watched the sun sink ever lower. After a while, Twilight broke the silence. "How are you doing?" she asked softly, knowing the subject wasn't one he liked to talk about. There was a shrugging reply. "Eh, I could be better." Clutterstep continued to pick at the grass. Twilight paused. "Something happen?" "Well...…" Twilight turned her head to face him, suspicious. She knew something wasn't right; otherwise he wouldn't be looking sheepish. "I know what you said about stealing...." he began. Twilight sat up, her full attention trained on him. Her heart sank. What had he done this time? "Clutter.." she warned. He threw his hands in the air and turned to face her. "I know! I know. But I was just so hungry! So... I might have..." Clutterstep paused, and turned to face her, a guilty expression in his face. Twilight raised a suspicious eyebrow, waiting for him to finish. He was silent for a couple moments, then released a sigh. "....Yeah, I was kinda hoping you would finish that sentence for me while I pretended to remember the truth," he finished. Twilight blinked, then stretched on the ground, hands under her chin, a eager child waiting for a story. Clutterstep slumped. 'I'm not getting outta this, am I?" "Nope." There was a pause. ".... Darn. " "So....." "So?" Twilight raised an eyebrow. "Ugh! Fine." *** Twilight studied the daisy chin, caressing the delicate petals. Her mind raced a million miles an hour, reliving the story she had been told over and over in her mind. She felt guilty, and sad for him. For someone his age, Clutterstep had it hard. And his tattered clothes and unruly appearance proved it. While some might find him rather repulsive; that 'some' being the entire the population of Canterlot except for maybe the princess, she liked it. It made for a nice change of scenery. She knew it was hard for some to believe, but one could get tired of seeing nothing but royal purple roofs and gold-plated clothes and knick-knacks along with the type of the people who wore them. Seeing someone who was... well, as real as Clutterstep was refreshing. However, as innocent as he seemed, for as long as she known him, she never met his parents, or his siblings. He would never talk about his life, instead opting to try and talk about hers. The only time he ever complied was when she asked a question he couldn't avoid, or when she would remind him of the promise he had made to her. A promise he had made to always be honest with her. Twilight always felt guilty whenever she reminded him of it, but Clutterstep never seemed to mind it, however reluctant he pretended to be--it was extremely difficult to lie to those big amethyst eyes of hers. But when conversation led to trying times in his life, such as speculating on who his parents were, well.... That's where things tended to get more heated. To put it simply, Clutterstep Peace was homeless. The clothes he wore were given to him by either Twilight or some kind soul who took pity on him. The only thing that Clutterstep could truly call his own was, well, Twilight. Everything he knew, every physical object he owned was because of her. Heck, he wouldn't even have his cutie mark if it wasn't for her. His name was something he took from the kids living in Canterlot who had christened him that because of his clumsiness. Back then, his name was all he knew, and stealing was the only way to survive. Until he met Twilight Sparkle. But that was a story for another day. Which led to his misgivings from the other day. Clutterstep had been wandering through the halls of Canterlot Castle. How he hadn't gotten caught by the royal guard yet was a complete mystery to everyone except him and Twilight. He had spotted a innocent goblet sitting unattended on an innocent side table and couldn't resist. He knew stealing was wrong, but his hunger drove him to desperation, and he really needed the money. And he would've gotten away with it too, had it not been for a certain guard. "I've never run so fast or so hard! He scared me. Came outta nowhere. I still dunno how I got away either," Clutterstep stressed, throwing his hands out in exasperation. "Did you give the goblet back?" "Well yeah. Wasn't really worth stealing if I was going to be run outta town." Twilight giggled. There was a long lapse of comfortable silence, and Twilight's smile slowly faded as certain questions came to her. "Clutterstep?" she began, hesitantly. He didn't seem to notice. "Hmm?" "Why... Do you like living here? I mean, don't you get hurt and hungry sometimes? And cold in the winter?" Twilight's words hung in the air, unwavering. She trembled inwardly, awaiting his answer. There was a long pause of silence as Clutterstep contemplated her words. "I don't like living here." He turned and took her hands. "I LOVE living here, 'cause it's where you are." Brown eyes flecked with glittering gold met sparkling royal amythist orbs. Twilight smiled. "Tell me your story again," she requested. "Please?" "Which one?" "Your life story." Clutterstep smiled ruefully and shook his head knowingly. "That one again? Twilight!" he begged. "Please!" She begged back. Shaking his head, he took a deep breath. "Growing up an Earthborn in Canterlot? Not fun. Everywhere I looked, there were people who could do amazing things without effort. Compared to them, I felt worse than little. I felt small." Twilight felt a tingle of excitement in her chest. She knew what came next. Clutterstep, seeing her reaction, smiled and continued. "One day, I tried to help a little girl..... " Author's Note Disclaimer: I do not own Clutterstep. He belongs to Silverquill (go check him out on Youtube; he's a great guy ) Hope you guys enjoyed! Feel free to comment down below. I do read them For those of you who are still wondering about Stroke of Luck, don't worry--I haven't forgotten it. Im just.... Waiting for the right time. *Rubs hands together deviously with a sinister smile* See you later! Huggies, --Gboyd EDIT: By the way, for those of you who didn't happen to get the reference, E-Notes Parsely= Elvis Presley
Chapter 2: Behind the DoorsThe sound of flipping paper was only thing that could be currently heard at the moment. Well, that and the subtle hum of magic from the Princess's hair. He could only stare. Only stare, in pure disbelief, mouth open; a disgrace to one of his standing. But right now, his brain could barely function, much less give his body to command to close his mouth. He was, as most would put it, shocked. But those watching would see it as an understatement. Finally, he found his voice. "Wha….. HOW!!??" The sudden volume caused everyone in the room to jump in fright. Even the princess blinked in surprise. But the reaction was certainly expected, especially from what had just transpired an hour earlier. It was the day of Testing. The Princess's current, and now known as former student, Sunset Shimmer, had disappeared, so as per tradition, the school supers and professors were working with the Equestrian Education Association to find a new student to take her place. Mind you, this normally wouldn't happen so fast. According to Equestria's history, a unicorn above the average magical leverage power only appeared every hundred years or so. Sunset Shimmer had been a special case. Of course, everyone had questions, and rumors constantly abounded about what happened to the ambitious young girl. However, the Princess absolutely refused to discuss it, proclaiming that the student went to an 'undisclosed location'. But now... well, it seemed they found their replacement. It was supposed to be a normal testing exam. A simple exercise to see how strong she was. A few equations here, a growing plant spell there, a transfiguration hex here--simple. It was the same for all the young people who showed up. Some showed promise, others could barely get their spells to go right, and still others could barely manage to complete a firefly spell. That is to say, past the stage they reached upon turning a year old. It had varied that day. They had found at least three who showed enough stability and intelligence, not to mention enough magical prowess to hold the title of the Princess's pupil. Some had shown the usual average promise just enough to be able to enroll into the school. Suffice to say, the judges hadn't been expecting much, especially since all they had seen that morning was mediocre compared to the last promising candidate. In fact, truth be told, they had been quite bored. Until she showed up. Twilight Sparkle, a simple filly it seemed, from the lower, middle-class part of Canterlot, had surpassed all the testers and more. She had passed the test. THE test. The test that was deemed impossible by Starswirl himself years upon years ago! When Starswirl had established a temporal peace treaty between the three fighting tribes, a new threat came down. Dragons. Great scaly beasts that raged in all sizes and colors. And their nature's gifts that they used to a tee. The Equestrians could never see them coming, no matter how well they might have pre-pared for it. Sure, it was easy to spot the danger from the skies, especially for the pegasii tribe. But the fire-breath was the real problem. So, Starswirl the Bearded the Great came up with a solution... of sorts. It was a vow. A dirty vow, because they fought fire with fire, one would say. Every time a dragon attacked, a chosen individual from the victimized village would trek into the Dragonlands and steal an egg. Suffice to say, the attacks stopped happening pretty quickly. Unfortunately, too many deaths occurred when the dragons finally figured out who was stealing their eggs. When they attacked, they left devastation in their wake. This time, without provisions or shelter to call home, the three tribes began to fight against each other all the more fiercely, thus summoning the dreaded wendigos. The blizzard hit their land, driving the miserable Equestrians away from the place they once called home. However, one thing remained from that day. A single dragon egg, carried under the white wing of a Pegasus. Celestia found the unsuspecting egg years later, and decided to test it to see if it was fertile or not. Starswirl deemed it to be a dud, and tried to convince to Celestia to get rid of it. But the ancient Lunar princess had other ideas, saying that they needed to save the egg. At least, once it was opened, they could recycle it and use the materials for something else. Starswirl had agreed, and decided to also use the egg as testing device for future generations. Unfortunately, no one had been ever able to even crack the cement-like shell, so Starswirl was forced to label the egg impossible to open. But despite this, young unicorns kept trying to open it. It soon became a tradition of sorts, as the young ones made a clever game of it. They would randomly select one another to see who could open the egg. it was said that you could open it, or even crack, you would accepted into Celestia's school for Gifted Unicorns. From that day onward, Celestia had put the egg under guard under the false hopes that someone, someday, might be able to open it. It was a well-known fact that the egg would never be opened, and was widely accepted around the nation. Until now. The Princess regally turned to face him, a neutral expression on her face. "You seem alarmed, Superintendent. Is something wrong?" He wrung his hands, unable to form words. No, there wasn't something wrong, but it was shocking and worrisome, especially if the magic she possessed got into the wrong hands. So hence his words: How? Why? When? Was it her bloodline!? Her parents? Was she a descendant of the Princess? Maybe a descendant of Starswirl himself? Did she get hit with a magic blast when she was a baby that no one remembered? Was she secretly a princess? He rubbed his head in frustration. So many questions, with absolutely zero answers. "It's just.... " he trailed off, trying to find words. "She's.. what? Three, four?" "She's currently recorded as being six years of age, Super," an assistant chimed in. He waved a hand. "Thanks--six years old, and she cast something that.... that full grown unicorns, LIKE ME, can only dream of!?" He began to pace the room, with a wide-eyed audience. The princess sat calmly, just watching. He threw out his hands again. "How!?" he screamed. "There has never ever been a record of this! Not since the ancient times, at least! Is it her bloodline? Is she from an... an ancient super-powered unicorn race we've never heard of?! She cast a spell that sent me and the others into an immobile bubble!" He turned a one-eighty and faced the princess. "An IMMOBILE. BUBBLE. Me and my coworkers. Couldn't. Move." He turned and continued to pace, voicing the questions that came to mind. "She turned her parents into plants---I mean--that in itself is a feat that only a teenage unicorn can accomplish! And she's SIX YEARS OLD! This isn't normal! This is impossible! I mean---how? Why? When--did she get hit with super-power boost when she was a filly!?" The assistant timidly raised an eyebrow. ''I'm not sure about that last theory sir." The Super threw his hands in the air for what seemed like the millionth time today and shot the assistant a deadly glare. "I need answers! Who is she!?" The Princess stood up and held out a hand, palm up, signaling the Super. He instantly clammed up. "First off," she said in a gentle yet firm tone, "You need to calm down, Super. Yelling won't solve anything. Second, this young filly, first and foremost, has extreme raw potential. But while she may have some sort of a grasp over her power, it will only continue to grow. She will need to learn and grow into her power through focused study." The Super's eyes were wide. "You mean..." The Princess nodded. "I have considered taking Twilight Sparkle under my wing. She will prosper, and there is nothing for her to fear." *** There were a great and many things for Twilight to fear. And, to prove her point, she ranted and raved, ignoring her parent's amused expressions and the fact that Shining Armor was drooling in the corner, having had fallen asleep, despite his sister's yelling. "The Princess's student!? Me!? But why? I can barely lift a book, much less be the pupil to a goddess who raises the sun! There's no way I'll be able to do this! The Princess's personal student!" Mid-rant, she flew across the room and grabbed her brother by the collar and began violently shaking him. "Do you know how big this is!? This is big! Really big!" Just as quickly, she dropped him, leaving the teen to groan and his poor brain to wonder why the world was spinning. As more and more thoughts began to whirl in her head, Twilight plopped to the floor in defeat, tears picking at the corners of her eyes. "I don't wanna be her student. I mean, I would love to-- its a huge honor, but what will others think of me?" As she continued, her voice rose in volume as she ascended into panic mode. "What if I don't live up to her expectations? What if I'm expected live in the castle!? I can't do that! I'll for sure do something wrong and she'll kick me out, or put me in prison, or banish me, or kick me out and imprison me in the place she banished me to!" Night Light walked forward and bent down to her level. "Twily, she won't do that. We'll make sure of that." He pulled the now sobbing girl into his arms; the rest of the family practically piling on it to hug. "We are so proud of you sweetheart," her mother cooed, soothing Twilight's fears. "Everything will be okay, I promise." After a few more minutes of hugging, her mother stood Twilight up. "Come on, let's go see the princess." Wiping her nose and eyes, Twilight nodded and silently followed her mother down the castle halls. Her stomach was still in knots, but considerably less large now. They turned corners, went down a flight of stairs, and turned so many corners that Twilight briefly wondered if they were lost. Finally, they came upon an pair of entrancingly decorated doors. Talking resounded from inside, and the family waited silently, as told by the guards posted nearby to do so. Several minutes passed, and the door handle turned, revealing the Superintendent and his colleagues, along with the Princess. At the sight of them, Twilight hid behind her mother, clutching Velvet's pants in fear. However, the Superintendent merely passed by her with a gaze of indifference and lined up nearby with his colleagues. The Princess gave them a smile and clasped her hands together. "Well, I have good news, and bad news." She paused. "The bad news is, my staff have decided that you are to train under me, Twilight, and they will teach you as well." The family looked at each other, confused. That was the bad news? Looking up, Shining Armor caught a glimpse of the Princess's amused expression. Realizing it was a joke, Shining Armour shot her a smirk, which the princess responded to with a wink. After a few seconds, Night Light and Twilight Velvet realized the punchline and chuckled. it did wonders improving the atmosphere, and even the faculty staff seemed to relax a little. The princess knelt down to the little girl's level. "You have an incredible gift, Twilight Sparkle, and I am honored to help you learn how to use it." A tiny smile made itself known on the little girl's face. She shuffled behind her mother and peered out at Celestia shyly, earning a smile from the princess. "But first, there's someone who desperately wants to meet you." She leaned to whisper in Twilight's ear. "He hasn't stopped crying since you left." The princess stood up and gestured to the open door. "While you go meet them, I need to talk to your parents. Is that okay?" Hesitating for a second, Twilight nodded, and began to approach the room, only to freeze as a cooing sound came from inside. Looking back at her mother, who gave an encouraging smile. Twilight rip-toed into the room, following the sounds. The princess nodded and gently closed the door behind her. She turned towards the little girl's family. "Well, I can saftly say that she passed the test," the princess paused as the family gasped in joy and tightly hugged each other. "However, that's what worries me." The family looked at her, worry clearly written on their faces. "W-what do you mean?" the father stammered. "She has incredible potential, but her sheer raw power has a higher rate than anything I've seen." To give them perspective, she continued. "Her magical prowess is higher than Star-Swirl's." The reaction of wide eyes and open mouths was expected. Suppressing a chuckle, Celestia turned and began walking down the hall. "There is no need to worry, I will not lock her up. But measures will be taken. I do have questions, though." She turned to face them. "Was there an... incident in Twilight's childhood that caused her to have a strong magic?" The parents turned to face each other. "N-not that we know of... " There was a long pause, through which Celestia waited patiently. The young boy spoke. "Um... Mom, you don't think this has something to do with where she came from... do you?" "Where she came from?" Celestia prodded, with a raised eyebrow. Taking a shaky breath, the mother explained. "Our daughter is not... biologically related to us. She's.... adopted." Celestia was silent. Eyes wide. Tears began to glitter in the mother's eyes. "A-after I had Shining Armour," she squeezed the boy's shoulders, "I... had an accident. My stomach...." she trailed off and choked. "I can no longer have children." The mother closed her eyes, clearly struggling to keep her pain in check. Seeing this, the father took over. "After we recovered, we went to Canterlot Orphanage, where we found Twilight." "We named her," Shining Armour spoke up. "When I saw her, I knew.... I just knew." "They didn't know where she came from. The owner and director both said she was found off the coast just above Phillydelphia.... along with the remains of a ship." Celestia gasped. "We have our suspicions.... but its the last thing we want to think about. She's here with us, and here is where she'll stay. We love her, and she's our daughter, no matter what. When we saw her in that crib, she was just... perfect." A smile crept up Celestia face. "Perfect indeed." *** Twilight flinched when the doors shut behind her, but the cooing sound continued, calming her nerves. Taking a shaky breath, Twilight took another cautious step forward, encouraged. The room was rather small in comparison to other rooms in the castle that Twilight had seen. It was white-washed, with baby-blue curtains over a white-ribbed crib waving softly in the breeze. A very peaceful scene. Giggles animated from the basket. Twilight took a few more steps, only to come face to face with the brightest emerald eyes she had ever seen. Tiny white fangs poked out from under the baby's top lip, and messy lime green hair framed his face. Twilight's heart instantly melted at the sight, and she reached over the bars to pick him up. "Aren't you the most curious thing?" He babbled in response. She settled him on her hip and studied him. Emerald orbs locked with hers, and somewhere, deep down, both felt a connection place. Twilight blinked in surprise, knowing the connection was magical, but the baby cooed again and snuggled up under her chin. A realization began to make itself known as he traced her brand new cutie mark. "Wait a minute!" she exclaimed, holding him out at arms length, "you're the egg I hatched!" There a squeal of delight from the child. "But wait, does that mean....?" She looked at him again. "Nah!" came the response. Twilight broke out into a huge smile and danced around the room, while the baby just laughed and clapped at her joy. "I hatched you! I did it! I passed the test!" She drew him close to her chest, pausing her in celebratory dance. "Wait 'till Clutter sees this! He won't believe it!" The baby giggled and gave another coo as Twilight hugged him tightly once more. The baby giggled. Twilight held him out at arms length and gave him another long look. "You need a name," she mused. Emerald orbs blinked curiously at her, and the child cocked his head, spiky locks falling to the side. Twilight smiled as a name came to her. "How about.... Spike?" Author's Note Soooo sorry this took so long! Hopefully this will explain some things. As always, comment and enjoy, and I'll catch ya later! -Gboyd
Chapter 3: Behind the Bushes"Waahh!" The shrill cry echoed across the house, shattering the first five seconds of peace that the Sparkle family had seen all day. Shining Armor groaned and slammed in head into his pillow. Why wouldn't that baby just shut up and go to sleep? It was nearly three in the morning, and that demon child had been crying his lungs out since noon. Shining now firmly believed he would never be able to grant his ears silence again. He heard his parents' and protests come from their bedroom, and Shining growled. Great, just perfect! Now his parents were up with only three consecutive hours of sleep, which meant tomorrow was going to be yet another day of walking on egg-shells. Another scream pierced the still air. Shining winced and pulled at his hair. If only he knew a silencing spell! He yawned, and swung his feet over the mattress and sat there, in a sleepy stupor, letting his thoughts wander. This house had been misery, pure misery since the demon child had arrived. True, in the beginning, he had been proud to tears--er liquid pride--when Twilight had both earned her cutie mark, became Princess Celestia's personal student, and hatched the legendary un-hatch-able egg, but now he was wondering about the princess's decision... and whether it had been the right choice. Had to have been a hasty decision, right? Who drops a dragon into a unicorn's family without thinking about the repercussions first? At first, things had been fine---great, actually. His parents were ecstatic at having yet another child, Twilight was obviously over the moon about her success, and he himself was beginning to entertain the thoughts of having a little brother to play with. But then the trouble came. At first, it was whimpers here and there, or a shriek of anger when the little demon didn't get his satisfaction. Thinking they had been doing something wrong, or spoiling him, if anything, the Sparkles soon backed off on their coddling and let Twilight take on the brunt of taking care of him. He was, after all, her responsibility. But no matter what Twilight tried, no matter what baby book she read or advice she got from all the mother-figures she knew, Spike continued to wail until his lungs gave out, or collapsed in a heap of exhaustion. Suffice to say, everyone was tired of it. Shining even heard his father remark on one or more occasions that he would gladly do anything to be rid of the 'little banshee' as the males in the family had come to call him. His mother was more patient than most, and helped in any way she could, when she had the patience to do so, that is. None of the family knew much about dragons, let alone taking a of a baby dragon, so most likely what little they did to help often backfired on them. The constant shrieking was running everyone's nerves down, especially his mother's. Twilight was the worst off of all of them. Shining would often catch her in tears, breaking down because she didn't know what else to do. The family had requested several times to see the princess in court to gain advice on what to do, but the grant for that request could take weeks, even if Twilight was her personal student. The only other option was to write letters, but, like the grant, responses could take weeks. Explainable. She was the Princess after all. Another cacophony of wails made themselves known, shaking Shining out of his sleepy stupor. As they grew in volume, Shining groaned in frustration. This baby had a problem. Whatever it was, Shining wished it would just quit! Crying never did no good for anybody in his book, and the devil had everything a child could possibly want! So what in the world was this baby's problem? A soft tune from Twilight caused the cries to lower, but they didn't disappear completely. Shining scoffed. He wasn't going to hold his breath that the baby would go to sleep. Both Twilight and his mother had sung every single lullaby they knew; even going so far a make up lullabies in the hopes to transport the baby to dreamland, but so far, nothing had worked beyond a period longer than five hours. Shining gritted his teeth, and made for his door, pre-paring to do whatever it took to get that baby to go sleep, regardless of Twilight's approval. Shining stalked down the hall and stopped mid-stride at Twilight's bed-room door. A soft pink glow peeked out from her door, but he ignored it. Shining raised a hand to wrench the door open, but Twilight's soft song made him pause. Even though her voice was muffled, he could still hear her. "In the golden morning hour We travel out of the valley and we joyfully dance into the early sunshine We go high into the mountain peaks To look into the eye of sky Let's celebrate this age That summer days hold ready" Shining had never heard anything quite like it before. It wasn't quite a lullaby, but it was close enough. The notes rose and fell, like the waves of the ocean, or rolling hills. Shining leaned against the door, despite his earlier intentions, never noticing that the cries from the child had ceased. He had heard Twilight sing before, but never like this. Her voice was soft, mysterious, chiming wind-bells through the playful hands of a gentle breeze. He wanted to hear more. "You let your ravens go When the fields turn to gold and the bright wheel revolves around the sky A year today ago Since I saw you at our dance oft' long nights hence I have thought of you" Shining gently grasped the door handle, and turned the knob. With a quiet protesting creak, the door opened, and Shining slipped inside. Twilight was sitting on the floor in front of her bed, holding Spike, gentle rocking back and forth. A soft raspberry glow surrounded them and seemed to move in airwaves around the two, keeping in tune with Twilight' song. Shining stared, at a loss for words. A realization struck him. The baby had stopped crying. It had stopped! They had finally found the answer! Shining pumped a fist in victory and instantly winced, realizing he was still in Twilight's room. He glanced at her, and relaxed. Twilight's eyes were closed. Shining looked down at the baby in her arms, and cocked his head in confusion. Spike wasn't asleep. He was simply gazing at his care-taker with all the wonderment of an infant. Twilight opened her eyes and paused within her song. She got to her feet, never releasing Spike, and ran one hand along her bed frame. The essence around her continued to move in tune as Twilight began to sing again. Shining felt a jolt go through him. This part of her song was grew deeper and deeper and more ominous, seeming to count down to something. As she continued, the magic around her grew darker and more intense. Shining instinctively drew back against the door, but movement from his little sister's arms caught his eye. Spike had shuffled deeper into his surrogate mother's embrace and closed his eyes. "Soon the wheel will turn Wild storms will blow We approach our final days and the circle begins again" With Spike now asleep, Twilight gently placed him on her bed, and pulled back the covers, still singing. Her tune returned to the one Shining had heard earlier. Bright, and bouncy... Hopeful. "Come and follow us in the dance As we form our circle When the fields turn to gold We'll meet again..." When she finished, she crawled on the bed and sat back on her knees, her amethyst irises meeting Shining's. "Yes?" she whispered. Shining blinked, realty coming back to shock him. "I--uh. When--how!? What did you do!?" he whisper-yelled. "Do you know what you did? You granted us peace for the rest of our days! What was that--that song? Can you sing it again tomorrow night--?" Twilight blushed slightly, growing flustered at all the praise; a smile beginning to grow on her face. She scrambled off her bed and, standing on her toes, reached up to silence her dumbfounded brother with a finger. "It's okay, since now, I sang, yes I know what I did, that is a harvest song, and yes, I can do it again tomorrow night." For the second time that night, Shining found himself without words. Twilight skirted around him and opened her door as quietly as she dared. She gently pushed her stunned brother out into the hall. "You need to go back to bed, and so do I. Don't you have that guard assessment thingie tomorrow?" "Well, yes, but I--" "Then go!" Twilight tried to push him further, but Shining held his ground, ceasing her efforts. "Twilight, wait." She stopped backing up into her room and looked up at him, a hand curling around her door knob. "Did you make all that up on the fly?" Twilight smiled softly, once again, reminding Shining that her intelligence far surpassed her age. "No, I didn't." Her door softly closed, leaving Shining Armor lost on the other side with more questions and no answers. He walked back to his own room, stewing. "Are there other songs like that one? Mom never sung anything like that to me, at least none that I can remember." He looked up and back down the hall at her bed-room. "If she didn't make it up, then... where did she learn it?' *** The weeks soon passed in relative peace for the family. Even though her parents didn't quite know what miracle their daughter had performed, they were grateful for it all the same. As the school year, Twilight continued to run back and forth between her house and the castle, arms bursting full of books the Princess was having her read as well as homework papers. Within the passing of week-days, Princess Celestia's niece, Princess Cadence, came by to keep Twilight company whenever her parents went to a conference call, or a date to take a break from taking care of Spike. Sometimes, her brother stayed as well, turning what would have been a dull night of studying into a fun-filled evening of squealing and trying to hide from Shining and Cadence's attacking fingers. Spike accompanied Twilight wherever she went these days, including classes and personal lessons with the Princess. He refused to be separated from her. The family knew from what the school staff had told them that Spike had essentially imprinted on Twilight as his mother, but ever since Twilight had starting singing those mysterious lullabies, he clung to her closer than ever. Twilight made it a point to spend as much time with Spike as she could, but sometimes she was able to slip away. Luckily, Spike was the only one who ever seemed to notice. But, being a baby who could only pronounce certain syllables, communication was a problem. Today, was one such day. Their father, Night Light, was off at the castle. Being the head-servant over the castle staff, he was currently over-seeing a new stain-glassed window that was being set in. As for Velvet, she was off at a book signing. With school over for the day, Spike was currently crawling down the stairs towards the family room, where Shining sat in the love seat, reading a book. The critch-critch of tiny finger nails against marble in the brief space of floor between the living room rug and the carpeted stairs caused Shining to glance up. Spike caught his eye and babbled. "Well hey there, little buddy. You already up from your nap?" he asked, going over to pick up Spike. "Shine!" Spike warbled. Shining chucked. "Am I supposed to know what that means?" he asked. Shining tapped Spike on the nose. "You know better than to crawl down the stairs on your own," he admonished. "Where's your mommy?" Spike whimpered in reply. Shining was oblivious to the baby's response, going up the stairs to his little sisters' room. "Twily!" There was no response. Shining stopped, suddenly realizing how quiet the house had become. There no sound, anywhere. Usually at around this time, he would a creaks of the floor boards over head as Twilight moved around in her room, or the tell-tale sound a magical spell being done. But... there was nothing. No sound. It was like she wasn't even home... Panic consumed Shining. Maybe she hadn't heard him? "TWILY!" He called louder. There was no reply. Shining raced up to her room and wrenched her door open. Nothing. She wasn't there. He bolted down the stairs and began to pace back and forth, trying to come up with a logical reason as to where she had disappeared to. "No! No no no no no no no. Okay, okay, okay, Shining, don't panic. Maybe she's outside, or at the castle? Maybe at the fire-pit? No she would have heard me--" In his ranting, Shining forgot about the baby dragon within his arms, who was getting jostled and squeezed. Spike didn't appreciate it. And he let Shining know. Even though Spike hadn't gone through teething yet, he still had his tiny claws. And when loud whimpering wouldn't work to gain attention, Spike would scratch. And scratch he did. "Ouch!" Shining yelped as a tiny slash of fire made itself known on his lower arm. He looked down and was met with furious emerald eyes and a pouty lip. "Oh. Sorry little buddy." Shining held Spike out at arms length. "Do you know where she is?" "Gra'," Spike grunted, still disgruntled. "'Gra'"? came the echo. "What's 'Gra'? Am I supposed to know what that means?" Spike waved his arms and kicked his legs in frustration. "Gra!" he said louder. Shining shook his head. "I wish I knew what you were trying to tell me," he muttered. "Twily would know." Shining looked around the middle level of the house before going outside into the front yard. His panic had lowered somewhat, but he was still worried. While Twilight was a responsible young girl, she was still young and susceptible to being lured away. And even though Canterlot was considered the safest place in the world, crime still happened. Or maybe Shining was channeling his instructors' pessimistic personality. Shining looked up and down the street, hoping to see a familiar indigo, pink, and purple hue. Nothing. Shining tightened on Spike. "Twily, where are you?" he whispered. *** Twilight knew exactly where she was. And what risk she was taking, even though she'd done it before. And what she knew what she was carrying. And what she was carrying was annoying her to no end. Twilight twisted around to unsnag her drawstring bag from a branch, wincing as several branches poked her in the back. Twilight grunted, yanking the bag from the branch, or rather, trying to. "Why are castle bushes so grabby!?" she wined. Straining with the effort, she leaned backward and pulled with all her six-year-old might. With a loud pling the bag struck with freedom, sending them both tumbling out of the bush and onto the ground with a plop! "Oof!" Twilight shook her head, trying to get her bearings. Standing a little unsteadily, she froze slightly, waiting for a palace guard to come around the corner. When none came, Twilight hiked the bag higher on her shoulders and set off with a small giggle. Another victory achieved. The bag bounced with ever stride she took, and the grass shone through with a golden light as the sun made it way to crest the sky. Twilight skipped the field, singing happily as the rising sun lifted her spirits. It was no small feat for a thief to make their way through the castle gardens, since they were so heavily guarded. it was, after all, where the Princess did her work on most days. Therefore, it was no small feat that a six-year-old could do the same sneak route three times a week. One would think she'd have been caught by now. But if Clutterstep could live this way, then she could do the same thing at least three times a week to help him live! Twilight stopped at the edge of the field, stopping for a moment to admire the scenery around her. The knee-length grasses had a golden sheen due to the sun above, and the entire field was framed with perfectly planted trees, with the Canterlot Royal Maze bushes lining the back. Clusters of flowers could be seen here and there, adding splashes of color to what would have been an otherwise, golden-green meadow. Looking ahead of her, Twilight spotted a small dip a few yards away. She ran the last few remaining steps and disappeared from the castle's view. Her feet landed on soft moss, making a quiet squishing sound. She slowly turned around, facing the the small den that was Clutterstep's home. A small collection of knick-knacks and rusted, twisted pieces of metal stuck out of the ground, a warning for any predators' that might try to make him dinner. An sack cloth hung of above the entrance of the den, hanging from to pieces of metal that had been shoved into the ground. Twilight pulled aside the cloth and peered inside. A bag lay to the side, while in the middle the was a pile of old clothes and blankets. Clutterstep was curled on top of the pile, asleep. Twilight smiled giddily and crept inside. She knew better than to scare him awake, even though the thought crossed her mind. What happened last time was still fresh in her mind, and the magical burns on the ground outside his den was still visible, if one was standing close to them. Most of the time, she was lucky if she gently shook him awake, but these days he was more jumpy than ever. And that was what bothered her most. He simply wouldn't tell her why. Then, her IS a boy---and it was very well known for all males to have stubbornness. The easiest way for her to wake him up without either of them getting hurt was for her to sing. It had worked before... somewhat. She had only tried it once before, but maybe it was time to try it again. Twilight set her bag down, and shuffled over to the wall. She curled up and watched him for a while, her smile falling. He looked frailer than before she'd seen him last. Granted, that was over three weeks ago, but still! No one person can get that frail that fast! No one should have to live this way either... A small groan caught her attention, she sat up straighter. Clutterstep turned and shifted over. He slowly sat up, rubbing his eyes sleepily. Something must have caught his eyes because he looked up at her with dazed eyes without warning. Twilight couldn't but smile. "Hey," she greeted softly. Her voice woke him fully, and he smiled brightly. "Hi!" He scrambled over and squeezed. "Where've you been?" Twilight glanced away, ashamed. "I'm sorry I haven't visited. The Princess's been keeping me busy with books to read." She turned and dragged her satchel closer. "Here," she drew out a wrapped sandwich. "To make it up to you, I brought your favorite." His eyes lit up even brighter at the sight. "Sweet!" He stole a glance at her. "That's right. I forgot. You're the one who'd been chosen--what's it like? Being the Princess's personal student, I mean?" Twilight shrugged. "It's... I dunno. It's a little harder than what I'm used to, and the princess really hasn't taught me anything, so..." she trailed. Clutterstep noticed, and he stopped chowing down. "Something happen?" Twilight blinked. "No...?" "C'mon, Twi' you can't lie to me. What happened?" Twilight looked away. "Mom and Dad are over the moon about it, obviously, but... it's different now." Clutterstep stopped chewing and gave her his full attention. Twilight sighed. "Everyone is now under this sudden impression that I'm this miracle worker that my parents have been hiding, and now they want to show me off to all their friends. It's the same at school---all the sudden I'm the Princess's paper doll, and everyone thinks I can do amazing things. I'm not beyond Level 2 Levitation." Twilight huffed. "I can't do anything because the princess hasn't taught me anything worthwhile yet. It's all review." There was a pause. "And that not even the worst part..." she mumbled. Clutterstep gazed at her a minute. He held up a finger. "Let me guess: You're in a position that allows you so many privilages that you don't know what to do with, the expectations on you have rocketed sky high, and people expect you to produce something mind-blowing out of the blue---not to mention allowing others favors. And... I'll bet there are certain people who are jealous of you." He grinned triumphantly at her stunned expression. "Tell me I'm wrong." Twilight shook her head. "No. You hit every nail on the head." She gazed at him. "How did you..." He tapped her nose, chuckling. "Because I know you." He bit into his sandwich again with gusto, leaving Twilight to giggle. "Sho, howsh Shipke?" he asked with his mouth full. Twilight rolled her eyes and face palmed. "Oh for the love of--swallow!" He did so. "You get any sleep lately?" he smirked. Twilight folded her arms. "Yes I have, thank you very much." Twilight unfolded her arms and began to fold the wrapping paper. "He's actually a really sweet guy, and he's smarter than I anticipated. He's only a few months old, and already he's trying to imitate simple words.' Clutterstep whistled, clearly impressed. "Wow. Then again he is a dragon. Guess they're smart." He pushed her bag towards her. "Not much is known 'bout them." Twilight sighed. "Isn't that the statement of the century?" Clutterstep looked up again. "Is that part of the problem?" Twilight looked away, trying to hide her anger. "Yes." She snuck a peek at him. Clutterstep was just sitting there, waiting. Twilight released another sigh. "People are claiming he's a monster in hiding, or that Celestia's training him to be a monster, that I'm her secret slave---all kinds of nasty rumors." Twilight slumped, putting her face in her hands. "And I'm tired of it." She stood up, and snatched her bag. "I just want it to stop, so that I can study in peace, and take Spike to the park without getting glomped by strangers." There was yet another long pause as this information was digested. "You what you need?" Clutterstep spoke up. Twilight looked at him with a deadpan expression. "What?" "C'mon!" He grabbed her hand and took her back the route she'd come, through the maze bushes and out onto the street. "Stealth mission time." Twilight didn't have time to respond to his ridiculous idea before he yanked her behind a wall. "What are you doing!?" she hissed. Clutterstep peered from behind a wall, mischief written all over his face. He put a finger to her lips and paused. Clutterstep's smile spread the most mischievous expression she had seen on him yet. He turned to face her, got down one knee, and put his hands over his heart respectfully. "Twilight Sparkle, personal student of the Princess, herself, and, most importantly, friend of my heart, I would like to take this opportunity to graciously welcome you to one of my most favorite pastimes." He looked up at her, his mischievous grin never leaving. "Bothering your brother." Twilight gasped, before a similar smile split her face in two. Clutterstep peered around the corner once more. "Let the games begin." Author's Note Twilight, you better watch your step. Your brother's not so happy with you at the moment. lol. Enjoy! ;) And as always, please leave your thoughts and comments down below---I love to see what you guys have to say!
