Starlight groaned as she closed yet another book with a thump. "Are you sure you can't tell me how any of this happened? Think of what this could mean for Equestria if the magic you three use could be used by everyone."

Twilight shook her head, as she too closed her book. "For the hundredth time, Starlight. No. Aside from the fact that we don't understand it completely ourselves, think of how it could go wrong if this became available to all," Twilight replied, three voices speaking as one and in perfect harmony with each other.

Starlight's eyes twitched. Dealing with Twilight, Star, or Cobalt, by themselves was a task at times. But dealing with all three of them at literally the same time could drive even Discord up a wall. Literally. He was actually rather proud of them for that, it must be said.

Twilight and her mates rather enjoyed the effect all three of them together had on someponies. Cobalt in particular. Alone, they were formidable enough. United, very few could out anything them. It was an effect of how their fusion worked. One of them at least.

Starlight saw the look in her mentor's eyes and sighed. She was getting nowhere like this. "Look. I'm trying to understand you. All of you. But you're not making it easy. Help me to understand this. Understand you. Friends shouldn't do this to each other."

Twilight, Cobalt, and Star sighed. "Fine, Starlight. Where do you want us to start?"

The unicorn fought back a smirk. Bingo. "Let's start with the basics. How do you three make this work?" She held up a hoof as Twilight started to reply. "One pony at a time, please. It might help me."

Twilight's eyes shimmered for a second before she responded. "You mean how we work as three ponies in one body, three ponies across two bodies, or like we were a second ago?" Cobalt said, her voice now dominant in Twilight's body, though Twilight's voice echoed alongside hers.

Starlight nodded, grabbing a parchment and quill. It was as good a start as any. "All of them if you can, Cobalt. This has been driving me crazy for months now. And I know our friends feel the same way."

Cobalt rolled her eyes. "Fine. So you know how it sounds like I'm running everything at the moment?" Starlight nodded. "That's because I am. Oh sure, Star and Twilight are still here. But I have complete and total control of our body. They can only listen in. This is my body basically, Twily has a bit more than Star does. But only a little."

Starlight rubbed her chin. "How does that feel?"

Cobalt rolled her eyes. "Not as weird as it sounds. I don't feel any different than if we were all separate." Looking up at her horn, she smiled. "Magic is another story though."

Starlight blinked. "You can do magic? But you're a Pegasus. Even being in an alicorn body as you are."

Twilight's horn ignited, now a deep shade of blue, picking up the book Starlight had put down earlier. "Does that answer your question, Starlight? Yeah, I'm a Pegasus. But I'm also a unicorn and an earth pony at the same time. I'm no expert. But I can still use it," Cobalt replied with a grumble.

Starlight smiled sheepishly. "Sorry. I know how much you hate getting this. There is just so little to go on. But every little bit helps."

Cobalt ruffled her feathers. That was an understatement. She had been getting the same thing for close to nine hundred years now. It never got easier. "Moving on. There's a bit more to this. But I think we all need to get in on this. Not just me."

Her eyes shimmered for a moment before a new voice came from the alicorn. "At least that isn't as weird as it used to be," Star grumbled, while Twilight's voice echoed alongside hers.

Starlight picked up on the change. It was a good segue to her next question actually. "How do you three even do that? I'm still getting used to it myself, and I know the girls are still freaked out about it sometimes when you do it."

Star rolled her eyes. "But it's so much fun. As for how we do it? Me and Cobalt need to agree to do it. She can't force me into being in charge of our body. The same applies to me and Twilight. I can't force Cobalt to move over and let me in, and Twilight can't force herself in and push either of us out."

Starlight noted this down. Strange, but it made sense, and it was a good way to make sure none of them butted in when the others didn't want her to. "And all three of you at the same time?"

Star's eyes shimmered again, but this time in a rainbow of colors. When next she spoke, it was her, Twilight, and Cobalt, all speaking as one, no one voice overpowering the other two. Harmony at its finest it seemed. "That's a bit harder to explain, Starlight. I guess the best to describe it is all three of us working as one. One mind, one personality. I feel... Stronger like this. More powerful," Twilight replied in her threefold voice.

Starlight blinked. That was not what she had been expecting. But she could feel their power now. Almost like Princess Celestia, but different in some ways. More humble, more approachable in a way. Was this what it meant to be the Princess of Friendship? Friendship was magic. Did that make Twilight, Star, and Cobalt the Goddess of Magic?

Starlight shook her head, putting the thought aside for later. "So how did you girls come to be like this? Our friends already know the story, as does your adopted family. I'm feeling left out here. I know I'm still new to all of this. But I still want to know."

Twilight smiled, gaining a faraway look in her eyes as she did. "Well, Starlight. It went something like this."

Author's Note

I know this was exposition-heavy. But it was a good way to lead into the main meat of the story. Cobalt and Star's life as Twilight, and how the three of them came to be as they are now. And to answer something TheUltimateBalanceChaos and Cyrus Colter brought up, Sci Twi is something I do plan to address at some point in the story. Just not anytime soon.