Of Dragons and Maternity

Chapters

(1) A Party to Forget
(2) By Morning's Light
(3) A Working Arrangement
(4) The Other Side
(5) Out On The Town
(7) Enrollment
(8) For A Single Bit
(9) Custom Order
(10) Relics
(11) Florilegium
(12) Open to the Public
(13) Introductions
(14) Returns
(15) Disclosure
(16) Scholastic
(17) Schoolmates
(18) Technicalities
(19) Great and Powerful
(21.1) Florescence (Scene One)
(6) The Morning Market
(20) The Stars of the Show

(1) A Party to Forget

Twilight tried to wave off the interrogative yellow pegasus as she stepped inside the library that Celestia had arranged for her brief stay in this backwoods town. Spike hopped off her flank and slumped further into the room.

“Have you checked for a fever? Normally at this age they should be more talka-“

“He’s a dragon, Fluttershy, they’ve always got a fever!”

“Is he ready for a mol-”

Twilight threw up a hoof past the mare, pointing back down the dusty path she had followed the pair from. “Look, he was fine this morning. I’ll talk to him. Just get that chorus ready for tonight.”

Fluttershy glanced inside, and let out a hesitant “But-”

“He will be fine, now go!” She straightened out her posture and cleared her throat. “Look, it’s been a long day. I need to rest before the ceremony.”

The pegasus looked inside once more, and with a confused expression on her face slowly turned and walked away. Twilight pushed the door closed as she walked to sit next to Spike in the center of the room. He stood there, a free claw picking at minute dirt seemingly stuck in one of his talons. The door to the library creaked on its rusted hinges and swung back ajar. A ray of light cut through the darkness around the two.

“Spike,” she asked, trying to get him to look at her, “What’s wrong? You haven’t said a word since the farm.”

He pulled his head away as it fell to his feet.

“Did you eat too much? Was one of the apples bad?” As the question left her lips, she recalled not seeing him eat a bite of whatever the blonde pony had placed in from of him. He mouthed out a soundless no. “Could it be allergies, we’ve never been out near the fields before. And it’s so dusty out here, that could be i-”

“I’m not sick.” He said, cutting her off. “I’m just not, not feeling well…”

She paused, collected her thoughts, and with a concerned voice asked “Why?” He had no answer to this. Her tone shifted to one more protective. “Was someone mean to you?” She’d lost track of him at the town hall. That fashionable pony had made her stare at a mirror for far longer than was necessary to just fix her mane before they set up the decorations. “The Bella filly seemed nice enough. If she did something to upset you should hav-”

“Sweetie-” the word caught in his throat, like he hadn’t known he would be saying it. “Her name is Sweetie Belle.” Twilight peered at his face. Were his scales turning burgundy? She moved forward cautiously.

“So,” with a slight pause, she continued “Sweetie Belle, she didn’t do anything to upset you?” He mouthed no. Twilight thought back to when Rarity and she were stringing up the banners. She’d looked over their way to check on the two children. Bella- Sweetie Belle had been talking and showing him something or another. They seemed content so Twilight had left them be.

Every time she’d checked, Spike had just been sitting there, not speaking a word. Twilight hadn’t noticed then.

“Was she nice to you?” When they’d left, the filly had waved at Spike with a smile on her face.

The scales on his cheeks reddened. A light, curious frown came to Twilight’s face.

“Would you like to meet her again?”

The dragon whelp mouthed a yes.

A faint smile crossed her lips. “Would you like to tell me why?”

Spike swayed on his feet, picking at his claws once again. He glanced up and around, looking past Twilight around the darkened library. She placed a hoof under his chin and brought his gaze to meet her eyes.

“It’s alright Spike, it’s just me, I won’t tell anyone else.”

“Okay.” He answered, leaving an awkward silence in the air.

She stood up. The light from behind her fell on some bottles on the table next to a few glasses. Either the past occupants of the library were slobs or someone had sent her welcoming gifts. Thinking over the ponies she’d met earlier that day, both options were likely. Checking the label, her hoof ran over a note.

Welcome to Ponyville, Lass.

How had Applejack known where to send the cider? She brushed off the thought as she uncorked the bottle and poured it into two glasses. Carrying them back to Spike, she sat and said “Take your time.”

After a few sips, he spoke.

“She was nice.”

Twilight smiled and nodded.

“I know that the kids back in Canterlot are scared of me…” he paused, rolled the cup between his paws, and continued “But her voice was so soft. She didn’t stare at my claws or try to walk away.”

“The other foals are mean to you back home?” Twilight blurted out in concern before composing herself. “Sorry, please continue.”

“She showed me how to sew. Or at least tried, I wasn’t very good at it. The needle’s too small so I couldn’t really grab it.” Twilight watched how he fiddled with his talons as he spoke. Had he been trying to flatten them? “It seemed really cool. I wish I could figure it out.”

Twilight waited a moment and spoke. “Maybe I could talk to that Rarity pony at the celebration tonight. See if she can tutor you?” Spike looked up, the smile and surprise on his face quickly fading as he went to take another drink.

“We live so far away though. And you need my help all the time, I couldn’t come back to se-” he took another drink. “come back for sewing lessons.”

She sighed. “Spike, let me talk to Celestia later. I think we’re in need of a nice vacation. Ponyville isn’t such a bad place to stay.”

The smile returned to his face. “Really, we can stay?”

“Of course, Spike. I’ll have it sorted out by morni-humph!” Twilight took a short, strong breath as the dragon flung himself into her chest, wrapping his arms around her sides. She draped a hoof over his back and pulled him closer. A hushed thank you came out of her coat. She let the hug answer him.

A few seconds or an hour later, he pulled away and asked “Could you, could you ask Rarity if I could see Sweetie Belle again?”

Twilight stood up and said “Of course, Spike. Now let’s get you to bed. You wouldn’t want to sleep in tomorrow, would you?” With a head shake as his answer, she picked him up in one hoof and walked towards the dimly lit stairwell at the back of the library.

The pair left the library floor in the darkness, save for the sliver of light that was slowly retreating through the front door as the stars began to claim their space in the sky.

As Twilight’s voice picked up the cadence of a bedtime story, a silence continued to hold over the shadows around the bookshelves. The adults of Ponyville collectively nodded. They quickly gathered up whatever they had brought before filing out the door, careful to leave it as open as it had been before the failed surprise party-goers had made their escape.

Rarity held back and glanced behind her.

“Are, you, are you alright?” Fluttershy asked from where she awkwardly stood outside the door.

“Oh dear, you’re still here?” Rarity asked through a startled gasp.

Fluttershy ducked her head and scooped at the dirt with her hoof. “I didn’t know when the party was going to start…” She gave a furtive glance up at Rarity. “Sweetie Belle wasn’t with you, was she?”

Rarity looked over the straw-capped houses at her boutique and answered. “No, I didn’t want her staying up all night. She’s back home in bed.”

“So,” Fluttershy began in hesitation, “What are you-”

“Let’s just get ready for the celebration, dear.” Rarity stood up straight and began to walk towards the town center.

“Alright.” Fluttershy mumbled.

Back inside the library, Twilight came back down the stairs and went to close the front door with a tired sigh and a slumping of her sore withers. It’d been a long day and she had much to think about.

Striding over to the table, she cast a quick spell that summoned a small orb of light. She reached past the bottle that Spike and she had drank from earlier and looked at the note wrapped over its label.

Fer the after-party.

Twilight let out a small chuckle. “Sorry Applejack, but I’ve got plans after the celebration, now.”

She scanned the room and levitated some loose paper and a quill to the table as she popped the cork off the new bottle. Pouring it into a larger glass than before, she sank to her haunches and stared at the paper in front of her.

Her night was just beginning

(2) By Morning's Light

Twilight lightly stepped up the last step onto the balcony of the town hall. She knew the room she needed to go to, she’d hung up the sign for her princess earlier that day. It was just down the hall and around the corner.

Twilight stayed standing at the top of the stairs.

She could feel the weight pressing down on her, the looming dread of the conversation to be had. She’d never been the best speaker, and she didn’t know if she’d be able to put her thoughts to voice. Maybe that’s why the roll of paper in her saddlebag had felt so heavy on her walk here. Her eyes drifted past the balcony railing to the ponies below.

They stood in clumps, talking and drinking punch. It seemed like they would occasionally glance up to the balcony and continue their hushed conversation. Were they looking at her or towards where Celestia would stand in just a few minutes? A dry patch formed in her throat as the idea of standing there and giving a speech passed through her mind.

“Enough stalling Twilight,” she muttered to herself, “You need to talk to her.”

She looked forward and toward one step after the other towards Celestia’s waiting room. Out of her sight, the conversations below picked up and more ponies glanced her way.

One mare pointedly avoided most of the conversations the groups started. Rarity walked between them and dropped the occasional “Of course dear,” and “No darling,” as ponies tried to address her with questions about a few hours prior. She had an itinerary to hold to, it was merely a casual miracle that it gave her the perfect excuse to avoid really speaking to anypony. Rarity looked up to see the purple mare round the corner to the back rooms of the upper floor. It wouldn’t take Shadow Spade to figure out where she was going and why.

“Best of luck, Miss Sparkle” she whispered.

Above, Twilight hesitated with a hoof raised to the door. A knock and she would be invited in. Or would Celestia turn her away, her speech about to arrive? A brief request to talk and she’d be sat down while tea was brewed. Or would Celestia send her to some new backwater town, another assignment for stepping out of line?

She lowered her hoof and went to bite the letter from her saddlebag. This was her decision, after all. She didn’t need to speak to Celestia about it, after all. Her heartbeat quickened in the same way it always did when she saw a problem without an immediate answer.

She froze as she heard “I can wait all night, Twilight, come in when you’re ready.”

She left the letter where it was as she pushed the door open and peeked her head inside.

“I’m sorry, Princ-”

“Come now, Twilight,” Celestia chastised softly as she poured tea, “You can skip that part.”

“I’m sorry, Celestia, I was just wondering if we could talk,” without a pause, Twilight’s faced donned a look of confusion. “Were you expecting me?” The flame was already doused as Celestia returned the pot to the stand over it.

Celestia answered as she slid a plate across the almost comically undersized table before her large frame. “How could I not hear you halfway across town? You get so stompy when you’re anxious.” She chuckled as she waved a hoof towards the empty stool. “And if I’m being honest, I expected to see you before the sunrise.”

“Yes, Ma’am, well” ignoring her teacher’s glance of Ma’am was my mother eyes, Twilight continued, “I was hoping to speak to you about earlier. I don’t know why you sent me here but”

“Oh, thank you so much for all your help today. It’s been such a long week arranging all of this. I never get the time to meet the preparation ponies in person. It was such a stroke of luck you were available to meet those lovely mares.” A faint smile crossed Celestia’s lips, ignored by Twilight.

“But I’m,” Twilight swallowed back a cough and spoke “I’m considering staying.”

“Oh?” Celestia asked in almost a laugh, “Have you made some friends?”

Twilight ducked her head. “Yes, I have. That’s the problem. I’ve made friends up in Canterlot, Minuette, Twinkle, Moon Dancer.” She didn’t see Celestia’s frown, the same one she wore whenever one of her students missed the point of her lectures. “But I never noticed how I was the one making friends.”

Celestia reached across the table and placed a hoof on Twilight’s shoulder. “What’s troubling you?” she asked in a comforting tone.

“Spike has,” Twilight placed a hoof over Celestia’s as she answered, “You entrusted him to me, and I’ve done such a poor job.”

Celestia’s face blanked and she blurted “What?”

“You made me his guardian and I never noticed how alone he was. I thought he was fine because he always seemed so happy working with me,” Twilight began to gesture thoughtlessly with her forelegs, almost spilling her tea with every other word. “Did you know that the foals are mean to him, up in Canterlot? Because he’s a dragon, and they think that he’s scary- I’ve failed.” Twilight’s voice dropped. “We came here today, Spike met one nice filly, and he had no idea how to talk to her, like a kid. Like a friend.” Twilight’s shoulders sank as she set down her tea cup.

Her voice quivered. “I need to care for him. Really care. I’ve been there since he was hatched and I’ve been doing a good job.” She sniffled as she ran a hoof over her nose. “I don’t think I can do that as your stude-”

Her words were cut off by Celestia leaning forward, reaching past her, and pulling her over the table into a hug. The teacup clattered out of the way, barely spilling before a gold aura surrounded and settled it. A moment passed before Celestia spoke “Twilight Sparkle, you are and always will be my best pupil. Of course you can stay.”

Twilight gulped once. Then twice. Then the tears fell. She cried and melted into Celestia’s embrace, the faint pink coat emanating a gentle midday heat. After some time, a muffled question came through a patch of fur. “Will I still be your student?”

Celestia pulled her tighter and said “Of course.”

Twilight sat back into her seat and straighting her mane. “How will I keep up with my lessons?”

“Keep up? Celestia let out a laugh. “You’ve been ahead in the curriculum for years.” A broad smile crossed her face. “You could take off a semester or two and I doubt I’d be able to keep up with you.” She finished her tea in one sip and grabbed the pot to refill her cup.

Twilight stammered “But there’s still so much left! I’m barely halfway through Starswirl’s Vowels and Invocations and I then I need to start Mystical Compendiums Appendexxies 4-7 and-”

Celestia shook her head as she set down the pot. “My dear, there is a different kind of magic to be learned in a place like this. You’ll find it soon enough.”

Twilght opened her mouth but closed it when Celestia raised her hoof.

“You can continue your readings as you wish, Twilight. I merely asked that you write me about your time here as you do. Before and after you send me any letters about your studies. That is your new assignment.”

Twilight stood from her seat, placed her hooves at her side, and bowed her head. “Of course, Pr- Ceslestia. I’m sorry for taking so much of your time. I’ll leave you to ready for the ceremony.”

“It’s really quite alright, Twilight.” Celestia smirked, “I can raise the sun all day long.”

“Thank you.”

“Of course.”

Twilight cantered towards the door, pulling it open. Just before she walked out, Celestia called to her. “Oh, and Twilight?”

“Yes?” Twilight asked as she turned to face her mentor.

“Do let me know how Spike takes to a small town. They can be such friendly places.”

“Of course, ma’am.” Twilight answered as a smile beamed across her face.

As the door closed, Celestia slowly drank another cup of tea before filling it again. She had a pot made for two mares to finish on her own now that Twilight had left her’s untouched. A cup that had been poured for her from a pot that had not been made for her, but for someone just as dear to Celestia, but for a far different reason. “I’m sorry,” She apologized to the empty room. “It seems like this will not be the year after all.”

The moon shone softly through the window.

“Maybe by next celebration. This isn’t how I hoped today would turn out, but it’s still remarkable progress. I’m quite proud of her.”

A cloud passed by, darkening the room.

“I can use the elements one last time, just to undo what was done before, and I need it to be perfect for you to find your way back to being yourself. I can go on missing you for another year.”

As the light returned to the room, it illuminated a tear upon Celestia’s cheek.

“Til evening, sister. It’s time for dawn.”

Celestia stood and left the room.

The Mare in the Moon continued to brighten the night.

(3) A Working Arrangement

In the lobby of the town hall, which now served as the common area for the Summer Sun Celebration, Rarity strode past the clumps of ponies waiting for their princess to come out on the balcony above. At least, that was the formal reasoning of their attendance.

It seemed like everypony in town was more concerned about gossiping.

Gossiping about what they’d all heard from the shadows of the library.

Some made comments about the dragon whelp. Others framed questions about the young mare and her sudden, now seemingly permanent, appearance in town. Still more, and almost all as she passed them, wanted to know what Rarity’s thoughts were on the situation.

She couldn’t remember ponies making this much fuss about something back in the schoolhouse.

She used the same hoofful of lines every few seconds as she crossed the room. A “I’m sure they’ll get along in town just fine.” Or “I’m just here to see the Princess, darling” to wave off rumormongers. She had other matters to tend to, her personal thoughts would have to wait.

At least until she had time to think them.

Ahead, she could see the candy shop apprentice, Pinkie Pie, and the town mayor, Mayor Mare, have a heated, if hushed, conversation. As she strode closer, she began to hear some of the exchange.

“I knew that it was a bad idea, Pinkie, I don’t know why I ever gave you the key.” the Mayor said, placing a hoof to her forehead.

Pinkie answered back, in just as spirited a tone as ever. “And I knew you’d be a killjoy about the whole thing, like always.”

Dropping her hoof to the floor with a light smack, Mayor Mare asked, mostly rhetorically “Then why did you even ask me!?”

“Because I had to find out where she was staying, duh.” Pinkie deadpanned.

The tan mare groaned and looked down as Rarity approached the pair.

“Darlings, could I have a moment?” she asked, trying to remain unheard by the rest of the gathering.

“Of course, Rar-” Pinkie Pie chirped the start of the sentence.

Rarity ended her own. “-alone, with the Mayor?”

“Oh, uh, sure. Later?” Pinkie shied away, a dejected look on her face.

“Yes, Rarity, how can I help you?” Mayor Mare snarked, the frustration with the day visibly on her face.
Rarity cleared her throat before she made her statement. “I’m sure that you’re aware that Golden Oaks has fallen into a state of disrepair and poor management after our dear librarian Buckram left us.”

“Yes, quite unfortunate it was,” the mayor answered, “Losing that old rocin and half my savings to that blasted lottery.” Her eyes glanced to the wall, where a plague honoring Buckram for his generous donation to the town hung next to a framed picture of the elderly pony in the tropics.

"Quite," Rarity confirmed, "But seeing how their summer vacation is going on two years long, I think it's time for a new librarian." She stepped forward and leaned closer to the Mayor. "Miss Sparkle is quite the studious pony. I'm sure she'd treat one of our town's most valuable locales quite well."

Mayor Mare paused, mulling the thought over. "Princess Celestia did speak quite highly of her knack for organization. And Sol knows just how easily this year's preparations have come along since she arrived," she chuckled and continued, "Even if that's mostly due to how Pinkie stayed out of the affair while setting up the surprise part-" she winced and looked at Rarity before asking, "Sorry, is it alright to mention that yet?"

Rarity looked above her to the balcony. It had been a few minutes since she'd seen Twilight walk into the back rooms. She'd not seen her come back out. It was doubtful she'd hear during her discussion with the Princess.

Rarity cleared her throat and let her voice carry across the room as she spoke. "I'm sure it's better if no one mentions the surprise party, Dear. Imagine how embarrassing it would be for them, knowing such a private moment was so public."

Mayor Mare nodded a response, "Of course. I'll just go see if I have an application lying around for the library. Thank you very much for your suggestion." With that, she walked away towards her office.

Rarity turned around see everypony's eyes looking her way. She huffed, "Now Darlings, there's already a spectacle. Celestia should be out any moment now."

As their head slowly turned away from her and up to the balcony, Rarity thanked the stars outside that Celestia's waiting room was far enough around the corner for Twilight to walk out unnoticed.

Her second whisper of thanks went to Pinkie Pie and Mayor Mare for having their spat next to the concessions table, warding the drinks and desserts from most of the party-goers out of the sheer awkwardness it emanate approaching the scene. Filling a glass with punch and collecting some treats on a plate, she left the table to the timberwolves, so to speak, and walked to the back of the room to find a seat.

Only after sinking back in her chair did Rarity notice the farm-pony Applejack approaching her.

"Would you like to say something as well?" Rarity asked, straightening her posture.

"Ee'nope," the country filly answered, taking the seat next to her. "Ye just took the last apple fritter." she said, taking it from Rarity's plate.

"Help yourself, I'm not too hungry."

A silence hung in the air.

Rarity turned to AJ and asked "Your sister, Applebloom? She's in Sweetie's class, isn't she?"

"I reckon they are," AJ answered with a shrug, "but I doubt they know it. Applebloom doesn't much care for schooling, ye see. Spends most of the time up in the clouds."

"Ah, I see..." Rarity paused, nodding her head. After a few moments, she continued her inquiry. "She wasn't, there, was she?"

"Course not, dahl. She's gotta wake up in the morning, same as yers."

Rarity let out a sigh of relief. "Good, good..."

The silence returned. Quieter than before. The majestic form of their Princess had appeared over the railing and was coming further into view. The scattered conversations between the ponies of the town ceased as her speech began, her voice filling the room.

Applejack pulled her hat off and ran a hoof through her bangs. Rarity took a drink of her punch.

The mares looked towards each other, both grabbing a snack off the plate.

"Ehm just glad that Sparkle lass liked the cider."

"Quite the thoughtful gift, dear."

AJ smirked, "Would you like some too?"

Rarity looked back at the balcony. As Celestia's speech came to a close and the rays of sunlight crept in through the windows, she let out a sigh before turning back towards Applejack. "After a night like this, how could one say no?"

Without another word, the pair stood and left the hall.

(4) The Other Side

Running a hoof along the bannister, Twilight made her way down the stairwell into the main room of the town hall. Celestia had left a few minutes prior; Twilight had not heard the majority of her address to the town. She had dipped into one of the back rooms to re-attain her composure after speaking to the princess.

She had also shredded the letter she’d brought as a fallback.

Her eyes were clear and felt dry so hopefully nopony here would notice how she had been crying not ten minutes ago. It didn’t steady her nerves that it seemed the entire town was watching her as she made her decent. Or at least the entire town sans Rarity, the one mare she was hoping to meet here. Twilight had scanned the room several times and not seen her.

It was time for plan B; Improvise. Or would it be plan C?

She wasn’t sure there had been a plan A.

Trotting off the last step, Twilight tried to casually make her way towards the refreshments table.

She failed.

Her nerves broke when she noticed the sheer number of ponies who seemed like they were deliberately trying to not notice her. Speaking in obvious whispers in the middle of a party, the peeks past their withers, standing in front of her with their back turning where any normal partygoer would have made way. At least Twilight thought that was what they would do. She hadn't been to a party since Celestia made her attend Minuette’s cutsenara.

At least then, she’d been a nine year old filly overshadowed by the host. Now as a grown mare, it seemed she was the focus of attention. Part of her felt like that filly again.

“Excuse me,” she mumbled, stepping past a couple that simply stared her down, “pony coming through,” she continued, brushing against a stallion that had watched her on the stairs but looked away when she came close, “Please, I'm just tryi-“

“Miss Sparkle?” a voice called from behind her as the crowd parted. Twilight turned to see a remarkably youthful mare given the grey tone of her mane approaching her. “If you have a minute, I'd like to speak with you.”

Twilight responded “Of course!” and stepped beside the mare.

In her hoof was a bundle of papers and a small bag. “My name is Mayor Mare,” the mare, Ponyville’s mayor apparently, began “It's been brought to my attention that you are a burgeoning scholar in need of employment.”

Twilight hesitated. “Well I don’t know if I would really call myself a scholar, but-“

“But nonsense, you're the assistant to Celestia herself. Now, it may be beneath your station but I hope you will consider it,” Mayor Mare stuck out her hoof, offering the papers to Twilight. There came a quiet jingle from the bag that sat over them “I've taken the liberty of completing most of the necessary paperwork for you.”

“What is this?” Twilight asked through a confused smile. She didn’t know what else to do with her mouth in this situation. It seemed like all other conversations in the hall had come to a halt as the town’s attention rested on the pair.

Mayor Mare gave a confident grin as she stepped closer, placing a hoof on Twilight's shoulder. “An invitation to work as our new librarian. Along with a sign-on bonus, should you accept.”

“This is too kind.” Twilight objected.

“Your recommendation came from a good source,” Mayor More responded, stepping past her “several, in fact. You can leave the papers in my inbox tomorrow if you accept.”

Twilight clutched the papers in her hoofs and pulled them closer. A job, so soon? Just after arriving in town and in her preferred field? This must be some sort of trick, like one of those prank castivision programs. There were no camera-corns in the room.

Not to say she didn’t have an audience, though.

She sheepishly trot towards the refreshments once more. She realized that she hadn't eaten since yesterday afternoon at the orchard.

Rarity was still nowhere to be seen.

The ponies let her through easier now as she approached table. She took off her saddlebags and fit the papers inside, along with the purse. Tossing them back on, she grabbed a plate and started to place some treats on it.

To the right, she saw some spicy peppered sweetcakes. She shoveled a few on to the plate, Spike should enjoy them in the morning.

Her plunder successful, Twilight made her way towards the exit. It'd been a long night and it didn’t seem like tomorrow would be getting any shorter.

(5) Out On The Town

Twilight examined the papers on the library table, carefully reading the paragraphs until they were obscured by the mug she drank from. Aside from the occasional signature or personal detail the forms were entirely filled out, but she had to be thorough. She flipped the page over and read the backside, mumbling to herself, “Maintain a steady hours of operation posted a week prior, ensure a record of inventory, ahem, assign fines as necessary…”

It was a quite lenient offer. The work didn’t seem too difficult, especially for the number of bits on the table. Of course, Twilight couldn’t refuse even if it were terrible. The position of librarian came with free use of the Golden Oaks’ living areas and it would be impossible to find a decent rental home in the middle of Ponyville. It would hardly be a trip to carry groceries and Spike could just walk to…

Twilight leaned back in her chair. She didn’t really know where Spike could walk to.

The boutique was a few blocks away, but there would need to be more than sewing lessons for a young dragon if they moved to town. There was the orchard, sure, but what would he do there? She needed to learn more about the town than what had been necessary for the Summer Sun Celebration. She took a quill to hoof and carried on filling in blanks. After dropping off the papers, she could go for a walk with Spike. See the sights, meet the ponies.

She wondered if they had a Hayburger's this far from Manehattan.

The lanky teenage fIlly laid a tray down on the counter and called out a number, looking past the unicorn standing in front of her. Twilight thanked her, balanced the tray on a hoof and made her way back to one of the round tables.

A groggy dragon whelp sat in the booth, spinning a crayon that he'd taking out of a cup by the napkins. It'd been a tiring day for the both of them yesterday, she'd waiting until he'd crept out of his room to go on their little excursion. That was how she found herself ordering breakfast at half past noon by measure of Celestia's flank. When her stomach gargled, she'd doubled her order. In doing so, she'd earned a few looks from the other adults in the line. Or at least, she thought that was when they started looking at her.

She could swear that some were still looking their way. It was only naturally that the pair would draw some attention though.

"And there's your haycakes." She exclaimed, laying a plate in front of Spike. He absentmindedly picked up a fork and started poking at them, cutting off sections to dip in the syrup.

After a few bites, he looked up and asked "So when are we headed back?"

"Well, I need to drop off some paperwork but after that I was thinking that we could visit a few..." she paused, seeing the confused look on his face.

"I meant back to Canterlot."

"Oh." she said. "Well, I couldn't-"

Spike dropped his fork and leaned back in his chair. "I knew it." he interjected.

"-find Rarity last night, but this mare, the mayor actually, Mayor Mare, offered me a job."

"What?"

"It seems like Ponyville is in need of a librarian." Twilight beamed a smile across the table.

"So we actually are staying?" Spike returned his own.

Twilight nodded. "There's just a few more things to take care of, but yes."

"What about your studies?"

Her mind recalled her conversation with the princess the night prior. "Celestia's okay with my lessons being more of a 'play-by-post' format."

"Really?" Spike asked, a hint of surprise and doubt mixed into his voice.

Her smile widened, egged on by her relief that Celestia was so welcoming to the arrangement. "Of course!" she chirped, the corners of her mouth turning down ever so slightly.

Her mind had thought of what she may have done if Celestia had declined.

To the letter she'd written her dearest mentor.

That didn't matter now, Spike and her were here now. The drake sat up and began scarfing down bits of haycake.

"Hey, mind your manners," Twilight reprimanded the whelp as she picked up her burger, "Ponies are watching."

"I learned it by watching you."

The unicorn paused, finding herself muzzle deep and a mouthful into her burger. She chewed, swallowed and meekly let out half a chuckle. "Let's both not, then."

They ate in silence for a time, with the occasional number being called out over the counter or laughter breaking out at a nearby table.

What they couldn't hear was the occasional whisper following a glance in their direction.

Taking a drink from his cup, Spike looked up and asked "So what will I be doing?"

"Pardon?"

"At the library," he explained, "If you're the librarian, what's my job."

Twilight chomped on another prench fry and thought over the question. "I don't think you need to do anything." She waved a hoof as a frown came to his face. "Of course I want you around," Twilight assured him, "It's just, Ponyville's a small town. There's probably fewer books in Golden Oaks than back ho- in Canterlot. And less ponies interested in them, too."

Spike donned a dejected look and mellow voice as he spoke. "I don't want to be doing nothing."

"You can always help around the library, I just don't want you to be there all day."

"I don't mind being there all day."

"I mind it, Spike. Do you remember the building we passed on the way here?"

"The schoolhouse?"

"Yes. I was thinki-"

"No." A muffled grating sound accompanied the word as Spike's claws tucked into his paws.

"Hey, hey," Twilight lulled as she reached a hoof across the table and laid it over his hand, "Just try it, for me. A week or two, tops."

He didn't answer.

"If someone is mean to you," she joked, lowering her voice so that only he could reasonably hear it, "I can try out those incineration spells you found last week." She could see his cheeks lift as he suppressed a laugh. His eyes betrayed him. "I'm here for you, no matter what."

He smiled and said "Okay."

She wiped off her other hoof on a napkin and placed it on his other hand. "So you're alright with me talking to the teacher and finding you a class or two?"

The whelp nodded, his claws opening under her grasp.

"Thank you, Spike," she chimed, "I'm proud of you."

"Should we go drop off those papers then?" Spike asked, rising out of his seat as he gathered up his trash.

"Let's." She responded, mirroring his actions. The pair walked past the wastebins, set down their tray, and left the store after he hopped onto her back.

The activity inside continued mostly unaltered. Some of the chatter perked up in their wake. The speakers became less concerned that the unicorn and her young drake might overhear them.

As soon as the door swung shut, one mare across the partition from where they'd sat finished her meal and stood up. She'd tried her best not to listen in, but it was a difficult habit to break in such a small town. As she walked towards the exit, the filly behind the counter perked up and called out "Have a nice day, Miss Cheerilee!"

Cheerilee looked over her shoulder and flashed a courteous smile back their way. Facing forward again, the back of her head masked the frown that replaced it.

This was supposed to be her day off.

(7) Enrollment

Cheerilee could hear a hoof rap against the front door. She looked up from the papers and files scattered atop her desk and beckoned across the schoolhouse "Come in!" Pony might like to call it a schoolhouse, but she could still remember the days when it was Pollopdrop's grody hog shed. A dull coat of half-dried barn paint and a creaky bell tower Cheerilee bribed out of that Apple family colt could only do so much. She sighed as a purple hoof wrapped around the side of the door, inviting in the rest of the mare's form.

Her time in Canterlot had ruined Cheerilee's expectation of a school. Before seeking her accreditation, she'd have marveled at how much larger this was than Mrs. Spice's old shack. The patience that mare must have had...

"You finally come." Cheerilee greeted the burgeoning scholar, as Ivory Scroll had put it. She pursed her lips. It had slipped out, more or less, revealing her frustration with the day.

The mare halted in her stride, taken aback. "Were you expecting me?" Twilight asked.

"Word spreads when somepony new moves to town. How can I help you?" It seemed that she hadn't seen Cheerilee that morning after all.

Twilight let out a nervous chuckle, saying "Oh, right, small towns. I'm not used to everypony knowing everything."

Cheerilee sent a small thanks to Celestia for her dark coat; Ponies couldn't tell when she blushed, as she was at the memory of standing in the shadows of the Golden Oak the night before.

"Yeah, I know how you feel," Cheerilee agreed, tapping a stack of papers on the desk to align them, "it was jarring when I first moved back to town."

"Moved back?"

"I got my teaching degree up in Canterlot," Cheerilee rose from her chair before trotting over to the blackboard, "now what was it you needed?"

"Oh, right," the mare's face flushed, "I wanted to see if you would take Spike as a student." Twilight watched as Cheerilee erased the various notes and began to sketch the outline of a wing.

Cheerilee hesitated before she affirmed "Of course, I accept any and all here."

"Well, he's a dr-"

"A dragon?" Cheerilee interjected. "Word travels- Miss?" She set down the chalk and turned to offer her chair to the unicorn. Behind her was the rough sketch of just such a creature, drawn for an upcoming lecture planned weeks prior. The question was a formality, she'd heard Twilight's name many times over the course of the last twenty-four hours.

"Sparkle, Twilight Sparkle." Her horn lit and the chair glowed in a faint purple light. Cheerilee couldn't remember the last time telekinesis was used so effortlessly within the schoolhouse. It rolled behind the mare as she sat down. "I should have introduced myself earlier."

"Don't worry about it." Cheerilee leaned back against the board, careful to not brush against any of the occupied space. "I'm not partial to teaching anycreature, miss Sparkle. I'm not sure how the students will react at first," her mind drifted to the two fillies that always seemed involved in the issues of her younger class, "but I won't tolerate any sort of disruptions for very long. Most of the kids are pretty nice, especially those in the summer courses."

"Summer courses?" Twilight inquired. She had a confused look on her face.

"It's the off season, so to speak. Normal classes don't start until the end of the month. Right now I have a smaller session every couple of days for some of the children with nothing else to do around town," She saw a small Pegasus scootering down the street of her memory, "or those that need a little more help than usual. Where is Spike in his curriculum?"

"I'm, uh," Twilight mumbled, "Not exactly sure..."

"You're not sure?" Cheerilee asked spinning a piece of chalk against the lip of the trough. "You don't talk to him about his school work?" It rumbled against the wooden curve, slowing to friction before she flicked it again. Unconcerned caregivers were the most significant annoyance of her job. Had the engaged, supportive mare at the failed surprise party been a fluke?

Twilight was looking at her hooves, resting in her lap. "We do talk, there's just no school work to talk about."

"He doesn't have trouble with his assignments?" Cheerilee probed.

"There are no assignments. He's never gone to a school-" Twilight confessed before cutting off Cheerilee's gasp, "Well, he's been to school plenty. He'd come with me back in Canterlot. He's just never attended one on his own."

Cheerilee stood there, stunned, for a few seconds. "So, what does he know?"

"About as much as I do, I'd reckon."

"What do you mean?"

"He's been helping me for as long as he can remember. He might forget how to spell some words but he can write for royalty." The mare paused, seemingly in thought. "He'll sometimes handle intermediary equations for longer problems I am working on, or go through the library for research."

The library, Cheerilee thought, but hadn't they only just moved to town? And she said through, not to. Did she live in a library up in Canterlot as well?

"-it's probably related to magical history more than anything else, and I don't know how much he'll remember, but-"

Cheerilee tapped the chalk tray once with her hoof, then a second time. "It's alright, I can see where he stands if you're okay putting him in the summer course, then decide the age group he'll study with from there."

"If you could," Twilight gave a sheepish look as she requested, "could you see if Spike makes friends in the next few weeks and keep him with them?"

Cheerilee considered the idea for a few seconds, along with wondering why. "I could, yes." She took a few steps towards the desk and reached inside a drawer. Hoofing through the files inside, she pulled out a form and set it before the unicorn. Twilight took the quill from the inkwell and begin filling in the paperwork.

Good, normally Cheerilee had to do this part herself or suffer through a lengthy explanation.

To the sound of scribbling against the resistance of the hardwood desk, punctuated by the occasional clink as the writer returned to the inkwell, Cheerilee continued to write out her next lecture upon the board.

The two wrote in a muted silence to the sound of nature sneaking in through the aging walls. At least until Cheerilee caught a stall in the work of her company as she finished her own. She pulled down the curtain that hung over the chalkboard and covered her scrawls. The lesson could wait until Spike was properly introduced.

Turning around and peering over their shoulder, she read the line that had given Twilight pause.

Parent(s): __________

"The 'or Guardian' is assumed; I should have ordered new forms a while ago." Cheerilee mused off-hoof, trying to hide the hint of... Concern? Curiosity? She wasn't sure how to respond to the moment. Twilight obviously wasn't Spike's mother, but how did she see herself?

"Oh, yes, right!" Twilight chimed, returning the quill to and from the well once again. Cheerilee watched as she wrote out her signature at the same time as she ignited her horn, the aura seeping into the page where a blotch of ink had fallen out of line. It rose an inch above the paper, erasing the blemish, where she swept it into the path of the quill.

"Ms. Sparkle, if I may ask a favor?" Cheerilee questioned as Twilight spun in the chair to hold out the completed form.

"What?"

"It's been some time since the school had anypony to tutor magic. The ponies who could help are rather too," Cheerilee suppressed the urge to say many words, such as posh or insufferable, and settled for a kinder substitute as she took the page and laid it on the edge of the desk, "busy with their daily lives to help and I can only do so much with old instructional booklets."

"I've never taught anyone other than myself," Twilight explained, "but I can certainly give it a try."

"That would be much appreciated."

Twilight stood from the chair and asked "Is there anything else I need to do?"

Cheerilee took her seat and riffled through another drawer, pulling out a flier and hoofing it to her. She answered, "Buy him a backpack."

Twilight accepted the paper and looked over it. It showed her the time of the summer classes and if they met somewhere other than the schoolhouse. Glancing up, she said, "Thank you for all of this, I'll go see about having one made." Cheerilee caught a nervous glance as the mare spook, unsure of why. She slipped the page into her saddlebag and turned to leave. Cheerilee focused again on her desk. There was much work to be done, she thought, as she began to assemble more papers needed for enrolling a new student. It was a bloated mess that the EEA only made worse with each passing year.

Cheerilee paused on a line herself as she was copying Spike's paperwork for the official record.

Race: _______

She knew that griffons had recently started being accepted into schools and training camps in the past few years without much fuss, but dragons?

She penned in the word "Unicorn" and moved on to other details. It wasn't like the EEA would notice anytime soon.

Sliding open a drawer, she began to flip through the folders inside. Each one represented a class in the school and held the forms for foals in them. The entire discussion of class placement and waiting until the end of summer had been gratuitous.

Cheerilee cracked a smile as she dropped the collected paperwork, now stapled together, in a folder for one of her younger classes. She'd known where she would place Spike long before Twilight stepped through the door to the schoolhouse.

This was shaping up to be an interesting year.

(8) For A Single Bit

Spike stopped just outside of Sugarcube Corner, staring at the door and the small sign hanging off the handle. It read Out to lunch, back soon!

He watched as Sweetie took the handle and opened the door just enough to slip inside. "Are you sure about this?" Spike asked, glancing at the sign as a slight frown came to his face.

Sweetie beamed back at him. "Yeah! They just put that up whenever there's a bunch of ponies from out of town." She disappeared inside as Spike caught the door and lingered there. He looked down the street to his left, and then to the right. Two royal guards jogged down the street behind the drake. They were out of uniform, but he recognized the cut of their mane and the 'I'm still working' look on their faces. The stallions nodded his direction and then kept on their way.

Spike wondered why they seemed so anxious as he followed Sweetie inside. The light was dimmed, the windows half drawn and lamps turned low. She stood before an unmared counter, a hoof to the glass as she craned her neck to get a look in the backroom.

Seeing nopony, she turned and said "Huh, maybe they actually are eating." No later than the last word left her mouth, the door to a side room swung open. A blue mare with a red and pink mane walked through as Sweetie spun around to greet her, "Hey Mrs. Cake!"

The mare smiled, or maybe winced, at the sound of the young filly's voice. "Oh hello there, Sweetie Belle," she greeted in return, glancing over the counter, "who's your friend?"

Spike peered around the corner, absently mindedly looking into the room she'd come out of. He started to introduce himself, mumbling "I'm..."

"He's Twilight's so-" Sweetie chirped.

Behind her, the dragon whelp yelped "I'm Spike!" There was a hushed gasp from the side room at the sound of his interruption. Flustered, he looked to his feet as Mrs. Cake blushed.

Sweetie Belle paid little attention to either of them as she peered past Mrs. Cake. The mare shifted on her hooves to block the fillies view. "Is somepony back there?"

Mrs. Cake rushed a response, "Oh, nopony special, Mr. Cake was just helping me find..." A chime filled the room as a lanky orange stallion entered through the front door. He carried bags of groceries past the two children, leaned over the counter to kiss the mare on her cheek, and then continued into the kitchen area.

"Was that Mr. Cake?" Spike inquired.

Mrs. Cake sheepishly answered with a crooked smile, "I guess he found what we needed?"

A voice spoke out of the side room, saying "Nopony can say you didn't try, Ms. Swirl."

Spike's posture relaxed. The voice brought a familiar sort of comfort to him, like a melody from his youth. He took a few steps towards the end of the counter as he said "Hey Celestia, how was the-"

"PRINCESS CELESTIA!?" Sweetie Belle squealed as the alicorn's head peeked around the doorframe.

A gilded boot rose over the monarch's mouth as she shushed the filly. "Not so loud; you'll rouse the guard." She bid the two inside, shutting the door behind him. It was a small room, probably for birthdays or other celebrations. Spike had seen ponies at such events on the rare occasions Twilight ventured out into the city. Little leagues, cuteceañeras, anniversaries, ponies seemed to enjoy having reasons to party.

Ponies other than Twilight, at least. She wasn't like the ponies at the parties from what he'd seen. Sure, she'd laugh from time to time, but it was after solving some riddle or learning some advanced spell. Never with other ponies, or at jokes.

She was there, though. Not at a distance but always including him in everything she did. She wasn't like the ponies at the parties; they'd never invited him to anything.

He walked forward and hopped onto one of the stools by the banquet table. Sweetie Belle remained at the door, stuck in awe at the sight of the princess before her. Celestia returned to her seat out of sight from the main room. She motioned to the stool at the head of the table and smiled at Sweetie. "Would you care to join us, my little siren?"

Sweetie took a hesitant step forward, then clambered onto the chair. She donned an anxious face, averting her eyes from Celestia.

Spike looked between the two before addressing the princess. "Weren't you supposed to be on the chariot at dawn?"

"My guards seemed to have overslept, so I thought I'd take some time for myself."

The drake nodded in understanding. "You gave them the slip."

"It is not my fault they forgot to turn their alarms back. Who's to blame, really?" She flashed a grin at him. Sweetie Belle let out a giggle, Spike blushed, and Celestia observed them both. "What's your name, little miss?"

"I'm Sweetie Knell-Belle, Sweetie Belle." The filly spoke faster than she could manage.

"I'm only here to shop the confections, Miss Belle," Celestia promised, placing a hoof on the foal's withers, "there's no need to be so worried. I'd never try to gobble you up." She playfully gnashed her teeth with a brief lurch, as if she were a hungry timber wolf.

Sweetie Belle giggled again. "I'm sorry, I'd just only ever dreamed that I would get to meet a princess."

"You get used to it after a while," Spike mused, placing his chin in a claw, "especially when they're an overgrown pigeon like this one."

Sweetie Belle turned to Spike with a shocked look on her face as Celestia let out a hearty chuckle. "Oh Spike, it's been too long. I knew it was a mistake when I increased Twilight's reading allowance. How long has she had the two of you wrapped up in those studies?"

"Months, she's not even finished Starswirl's Encyclopedia of the Arcane yet."

"Twilight studies under Princess Celestia?!" Sweetie Belle blurted out in astonishment.

"Yeah," Spike confirmed, turning back to Celestia, "She rewrote her last letter about twenty times, she was so worried she'd described it all wrong."

"That sounds like my favorite pupil, alright."

Sweetie looked at the table, bewildered. "Is Twilight like a famous celebrity?" Spike scoffed and Celestia held back a snort.

She recomposed herself and affirmed "Yes, she is to me." There was a warmth in her face, like there were too many words she wished to say but would not have the time.

The door swung open as Mrs. Cake brought a platter of sweets into the room. She set them on the end of the table before the three and announced "Go ahead, it's on the house Princess Cel-"

"Just Celestia is fine, and I insist, I'll pay for what I take. How much do they cost?"

Sweetie Belle stared at the platter, her eyes darting from one dish to the next. Spike gave a bemused look, seeing far too little to eat with far too much decoration. Mrs. Cake extended a hoof, pointing to one of the closer desserts. "This one is 10 bits-"

Sweetie Belle's focus went up to the mare as she said "But." She stopped as Mrs. Cake shot her a glance.

Celestia waved her hoof. "No discounts, Miss Swirl."

"25 bits."

Spike tilted his head at the Princess. Had she grimaced at the price? Celestia declined the offer, “No thank you, sounds a little too fancy for my tastes. Have you got anything a little, simpler?” There was a pause after little, as if she were wondering whether another word would get her meaning across more clearly. Spike knew the process; Twilight would do the same while composing letters. Like mentor, like student…

Mrs. Cake pointed to a plate in the center of the platter. “12 bits?”

“Is that almond flour?” Celestia peered towards the slice of cake, as if she would be able to see the component after baking. “I’m not feeling almonds today.”

“Okay then,” Mrs. Cake remarked, pointing to another dish, “4 bits?” On it sat a small cupcake with a single cherry resting on top of a dollop of frosting.

“Really?” Celestia leaned forward. “Only 4?”

Mrs. Cake shrugged. “Well, technically 5 after taxes, but...”

The princess gave her a nod. “That’s fair.” She placed her hooves on the tray and spun it to face Mrs. Cake. “You know what, let’s have some fun. What could you make me for a single bit?”

“Just one?” Mrs. Cake asked, reluctantly picking up the platter.

“Just one, with another few for your time.” Celestia confirmed.

“Alright Princess, oh! Sorry,” the confectioner apologized, “just Celestia.” She acknowledged Sweetie and Spike with a look towards each. “Anything I can grab for the two of you?”

Spike didn’t know what to say. He didn’t know what all the store made or what he would like from it. Sweetie reached into her small coin purse, dug out some bits, and laid a stack of eight on the edge of the platter. “Two cones, please!” She questioned Spike, “Chocolate or Vanilla?”

“Um,” his eyes averted her gaze, “both?”

“Neo and a twist, coming right up.” Mrs. Cake declared as she left the room.

Spike caught Celestia tracing the platter as it left. She’d been eyeing it since Sweetie pulled out the bits. He addressed the princess, “Celestia?”

“Yes, Spike?”

“Why are you being stingy?"

"It's the duty of the monarchy to be frugal."

She was using the same voice as when he was younger and the treasurer caught them sneaking baubles out of the vaults. He hadn't put much thought into it back then when she had explained to the pony how the gems were for her to snack on. It wasn't until several years later that he learned how equines didn't eat minerals. "Celestia, what are you hiding?"

"I... May have an issue." The children watched as Celestia reached up into her yoke to retrieve her purse.

She laid it upon the table. Spike took it to a claw and turned it inside out.

Out fell four lonely bits.

(9) Custom Order

"Do you have cut resistant fabric?"

"Whatever for, darling?"

"It's his scales, they're very harsh on what he wears." Twilight snorted back a laugh. "Why, he used to shred the bed nearly every week before I bought his current sheets!"

Rarity chuckled as Twilight brought her glass up for another sip. The two had been talking for nearly half an hour since Twilight had approached her stall. She'd packed up her display and moved the conversation into her boutique shortly after.

"What are they now, if I might ask?"

Twilight rubbed the back of her neck with her free hoof and answered "Chainmail. He says it makes him feel like a knight."

"Boys will be boys," Rarity mused through a smile, "what was it that you wanted exactly?"

"Cheerilee said that he would need a book bag so," Twilight explained as she shaped a rectangle with her hooves, "one of those?"

Rarity stood up and meandered over to her drawers of sample fabrics. She selected a few that would match the purples and greens of the drake but paused before turning to face the mare. She had thought of when she'd seen his scales from the shadows of the Golden Oak. She'd yet to formally meet him during the day "Does he..." fancy somefilly, the thought intruded, "have a favorite color?" She laid down the scraps and waited to pick up any that would match a response.

"He, he likes red. Rubies are his favorite."

"Specifically ruby? I can't say I've encountered many colts that knew the name of shades."

"No, rubies. He eats them."

Rarity's hoof hovered over a crimson strip of cloth. He eats them? "I see," she feigned comprehension, "anything else?"

There was a hushed pause behind her. Just before Rarity was about to check if the mare was still there, she heard Twilight simply state "Sky blue." Her tone carried the tune of betrayal, as if it were secret not to be shared.

Rarity had heard tales of dragons taking to the wind. She'd seen no wings on her guest's young ward.

"I see," Rarity repeated, this time with a measure of sincerity, "do you think he would like these?" She returned to the table with the samples and placed them before Twilight.

"They're... pretty?" Twilight postured. She immediately sat up and wrapped her glass in both hooves, stammering "I mean it's very aesthetically pleasing. From what I've read of color theory it's a foundational pairing, very stimulating to the ocular proces-" Twilight set her glass down and looked up at Rarity. She declared "I'm not good at this sort of thing."

Rarity sat down, unsure of what to say next. "In my first year as a seamstress, I couldn't have told you the difference between a hem and a stitch." She added a short laugh for emphasis. "Why, if ponies could see some of my early work, I'd close up shop!"

"I, I mean here. This town," Twilight lamented, "I don't know what I'm doing with Spike, his education." The addendum nature of those last words was not lost on Rarity.

An awkward pause followed as Rarity tried to parse the situation. More compassion? "When I first started to care for Sweetie Belle, I was also confused." She watched as Twilight took another drink, rubbing the glass like some sort of pet. She'd say that it's a shame Pearl was nowhere to be found but knowing her familiar their presence would likely be anything but comforting.

"How old were you, if I may ask?"

"Well, our parents started their vacationing when she was three, so I was... Why would I mind you asking that, dearie?"

"Oh," Twilight harped, "no reason! Carry on."

Rarity took a long sip from her cup before she continued. "I'd just moved into my boutique and my parents felt that it would be safe to let me watch Sweetie for a short time. Did, did you think that I was-"

"When did you," Twilight interjected, rolling her nearly empty glass between her hooves, "feel like you were doing, doing well?"

Rarity sighed. "That took a few years. Of course it was difficult, she and I were always a little distant given the gap between us, but... I promise, I wouldn't bother me if-"

"How did you know things were changi-"

"Twilight, darling, we met yesterday. You and I know very little about one another. However, I am not opposed to learning more. I will not be insulted if you assumed a few details."

Twilight drew in a deep breath through her nostrils. She released it all into one word, "Okay." Her withers fell with the previously rising awkwardness in the room.

Rarity smiled as the mare finally began, ever so slowly, to tell her their thoughts.

She did not yet know if she would speak her own.

For now, Rarity concluded that a sip and courteous refilling of the pair's glasses would suffice.

(10) Relics

"You're wearing hundreds of pounds of gold, how can you be broke?" Sweetie Belle asked.

"I can't just pawn off my regalia, they are an Equestrian relic." Celestia responded. She smirked and leaned closer to the filly.

"Besides, how else am I to keep my royal figure?" Spike and the princess spoke in unison.

Spike laughed at the princess' annoyed expression. "It's not my fault your humor was part of Twilight's studies on antiquities."

Sweetie let out a singular "Ha!" before covering her mouth and flashing a guilty look.

Celestia made note of how Spike's smug visage softened at the foal's reaction. It wasn't like him to seem ashamed of his quips.

Perhaps his new friend had made him nervous. She'd expected Twilight to be the one in need of encouragement. "Would you rather listen to my jokes or one of Cadence's speeches about the power of hope? I'm sure that she'd be more than willing to answer if I sent along a little call..." Blazing gold runes awoke in the air, forming a circle in front of the mare. The unicorn's eyes went wide as she traced every motion. Celestia thought back to her time with Starswirl and all the things she'd seen him do prior to learning the spells herself. Fascination was such a wonderful aspect of youthful.

Spike tossed up his claws and turned to the side. "You, any day of the week. Calling Cadance, come on, I thought they banned torture."

Good, Celestia smirked. Her 'niece' had told her something about being busy today and she would have hated to interrupt.

"You know Cadance!?" Sweetie Belle's voice cut through the air. Celestia felt a ping of pride; the filly's reaction to the second monarch had not reached the same volume as with herself. "That's so cool, can we talk to her? I've got so many questions!" The ping faded. The filly had not been so enthused to interact with Celestia.

"We'd better not," Celestia abdicated, "she has many duties to tend to." Such as gallivanting around the continent, keeping her head of security on leave for months at a time to keep her safe between speeches. Why was Shining Armor needed for that again, anyway?

"Oh, okay."

The drake peered at Sweetie's dejected face and frowned, as if to question his stance against Cadance. Celestia sighed and resolved to shift the topic back on its previous track. "To tell you the truth, I am in a spot of bother when it comes to finances." She quelled the urge to refer to it as her allowance, like some sort of school-filly. Like how Luna and she had called it for decades. Hopefully that would derail both childrens' current attitudes.

"But you're a princess," Sweetie objected, "you live in a castle!"

"The ponies of Equestria own the castle. While I do collect a salary from my work as royalty, it's... Meager."

"Meager?" Spike questioned.

"Are you familiar with inflation?"

"Oh, ooh!" Sweetie Belle sat straight up on her stool and waved her hoof in the air. "I know this one! Cheerilee talked about it in class last year," Spike's face flushed at her mention of school, "it's where bits buy less stuff as time goes on."

Celestia tilted her head in curiosity. "Your teacher is covering economics?"

"No, she was just complaining about rent."

"Ah, of course. Yes, bits mean less over time and you see, my salary was set in the year..." Celestia thought back over the centuries, trying to recall the events recent to the congressional motions of the time, "8? Maybe 9? It was just after our regent passed on full authority." She hid the sadness that came with thinking of those days in the wake of Starswirl's vanishing. Her and Luna had been thrust into quite the precarious arrangement looming over the fledgling nation.

Spike rested his elbows on the table. "How much do you make, then?"

"It was quite exorbitant at the time, I assure you. It was meant to be used to requisition the services of any number of ponies should the need arise."

"How much?"

"Somewhere in the order of thirty." Celestia said flatly.

"Thousand?"

She shook her head.

"Hundred?" Sweetie Belle's voice was a mix of hope that would prove the answer and fear that it would not. Again, Celestia shook her head.

"Only thirty!?" The filly cried out. "Rarity gave me ten bits this morning just for the market!"

"It's not just the value; Bits were larger back then. It was the practice to cut coins down to pay smaller costs," Celestia instructed, "To present a pony with a fresh, solid gold bit was almost a luxury. It faded away as the economy was stabilized across the three tribes."

"So why do you still have it?"

"It was forgotten with time," like sisters, her mind told her, "as the need faded and everyone subscribed to the new government. There's other, more important topics for the senate to discuss than some archaic payment plan."

"Well, you're archaic too but they still-" Spike held his comment as the door handle turned. Mrs. Cake entered the room carrying two ice cream cones and a small plate. She hoofed the cones to Spike and Sweetie Belle before setting the plate in front of Celestia.

"Is there anything else I can get for y'all?"

"Thank you, Mrs. Cake!" Sweetie Belle answered.

The princess's wings ruffled. "Oh dear, have I still been calling you Ms. Swirl?"

"It's quite alright," Mrs. Cake ran a hoof over the bits on the table, sweeping them into her apron, "it reminds me of the first time you came to town." She walked to the town and leaned back inside as she grabbed the handle. "I'm going to open the shop back up, feel free to stay in here as long as you'd like." The door closed, leaving the three of them the room's only occupants.

Celestia examined her plate. On it sat several pieces of hard, gold tinged candies with green stars painted on. Her aura surrounded one and lifted it up to her mouth. It had the distinct taste of pineapples...

"Celestia?" She heard Sweetie Belle say her name.

She shook her head and looked at the filly. "Sorry, were you saying something?"

Sweetie nodded. "Spike said that you were archaic too, but ponies still think you're important. You should bring it up, you deserve more pay for what you do." She licked the side of her scoops of ice cream. After a moment of pondering, Sweetie asked, "What does archaic mean?"

"Nostalgic!" Spike blurted out before he buried his face in his ice cream cone. He waited until Sweetie accepted his definition to swallow and go back to talking. He looked back at her and asked, "Hey, Celestia. Are you... Alright?"

"Hm?" the alicorn brushed a hoof over her eyes. "Yes, of course. These are just, very tart candies. That's all." A new memory surfaced, one of a grown mare and a dragon hatchling standing among piles of gold. Caught with their metaphorical hoofs in the cookie jar as the treasurer filled out a bill for the gems she'd allowed the drake to pick out, 'As my royal bedtime snack'. She couldn't tell what was worse; that she was still paying off some of those jewels, or that Spike should recognize the sound of her lying.

Pineapples always had been her favorite.

"It has been quite the morning with you two," Celestia grabbed her empty purse and slid it back under her yoke, "but I fear it is time to face the music. The day court should be opening soon enough." She stood, walking to the door. "It's been a pleasure meeting you Sweetie Belle, and Spike, tell Twilight just how proud I am of her."

"I will," Spike promised, "it was good seeing you again."

"Do you really have to go so soon?" Sweetie pleaded.

Celestia nodded and smiled. "Yes, how else am I to ask for my raise?"

"I hope you get it!"

Celestia opened the door. "Goodbye for now, Sweetie, Spike." She crossed the main room of the store, weaving between gawking towns ponies and their startled children. Not more than two steps into the street was she approached by her two escorts.

"Princess, thank-the-sun we found you." one of them muttered.

"Welcome." Celestia looked them over before inquiring "Why are you not in uniform?"

"We," one of the pair stuttered, glancing to their partner before drooping his head, "we couldn't find our armor..."

"Well obviously you didn't search my room well enough while looking for me." She cast down a disapproving glare as the stallions looked to one-another in worry. A moment later, she began to laugh. "Oh my little colts, go find it already. I'll see you back in Canterlot."

A blazing sphere surrounded her and Ponyville vanished in an instant. Normally Celestia would not resort to teleportation to escape her security detail, but she needed some time alone before returning to her official duties.

The world around her was dark and arid. The landscape was spotted with small, flat topped trees. The Zehara was beautiful at this time of night.

A tear rolled down her cheek as she peered at the moon.

"I faltered, earlier. I said 'Our regent', sister."

The night air was cold and silent.

"It hurts, truly, to think that nopony knows of you. That I'm the only one who misses your presence. I don't regret the censor, or the fake story in that day..."

A gentle wind rolled over her, chilling her dampened cheeks.

"I just couldn't bear the thought of ponies hating you, the real you."

She ran a fetlock across her face, wiping away the evidence of her penitence.

"I'll keep on missing you, for now. Until you return. I love you, Luna."

The night erupted in flame and Celestia felt her hooves fall onto marble floors. She cantered the short ways to her meeting hall throne and sat in wait.

The court used to be more bearable with a partner.

(11) Florilegium

Cadence jumped a little when the gilded emblems manifested in the air. She quickly unfurled her wings to envelope them, startling and awakening her companion who had been napping on her shoulder. Shining Armor whispered in the shadowed theater, not wanting to interrupt the play. "What's going on?"

Cadence raised her head out of the bundle of feathers and peeked at the stallion. "Celestia's calling me!" She hissed under her breath. In a moment, Shining Armor had barrel rolled onto the floor of their private balcony suite. She would always be amazing how he managed to do so without making a sound in so much armor. And also at the staggering number of situations he found to justify demonstrating the skill.

Cadence twisted her body, keeping the glow of the runes hidden from rest of the theater-goers.

She pulled back one wing to fix her mane and waited for Celestia's face to appear.

A second later, they vanished and left her in the dark once again.

"False alarm?" Shining asked.

"Yeah." She confirmed. As Shining returned to his seat, Cadence leaned over and rested her head on his forehoof.

It was her turn to nap.

Rarity looked down at the collection of fabrics before her. There were swatches of reds and blues and the pattern of a colt's backpack that could be fitted for a young drake, but...

It just didn't seem right. It lacked a personal touch, that extra oomph of meaning that showed was added to its creation. Any mare could buy or sew a bag, but Twilight had come to her for this.

The seamstress walked away from her sewing desk and walked down the spiral staircase to the lower floor of her boutique. She began to rummage through the drawers again, looking for that spark of inspiration.

It was a shame that she didn't know more about the whelp. She could probably learn more of his caregiver, if it were easy to engage her socially. Rarity could pretend that her little speech in the town hall had any sort of effect on these ponies, but she'd been raised in a small town, this small town. Twilight coming to town was exciting enough without the fiasco of a situation Pinkie had brought about. It would be the only thing on their minds until something more exciting happened. One would think that one of the princesses, the embodiment of the Sun no less, would have been enough but Rarity had seen the way the locales had been following Twilight through the market.

Rarity pushed aside purple and green color squares, digging through the contents of the drawer. This was her penance for having such poorly managed assorted hues of fabrics. A gold could be nice, she thought as she laid it aside. Yellow would be tacky, black a cliche.

Pink would be for a filly, like her sister. Rarity swept the drawer closed and slapped her hooves against the top of the counter.

"Celestia's sake, he didn't even really say it," Rarity objected to the empty room, "this is all just rampant rumormongering."

He hadn't said much of anything in the library, that was right. Just that Sweetie Belle had been nice to him. She was a rather kind filly, whenever she wasn't getting on Rarity's nerves. What else could you expect from sisters?

And he'd said that she'd been nice to him. Unlike other foals. She'd heard about Canterlot from some of the other adults in town. She'd worked with a few Canterlot clients prior to Twilight. She knew the attitude of the city, and the attitude of their children on the rare occasions they came along to the boutique.

That superiority was directed at other ponies. Spike had grown up there, a dragon whelp...

Rarity opened the draw again, and brushed off the top layer of bundled cloths. Beneath it sat a color she'd overlooked before. It would be perfect, she knew now.

Returning upstairs, she laid down a matte gray swatch and grabbed a fresh page of parchment.

On it, she sketched the outline of a shield.

The sound of wheels skirting over gravel crept through the old schoolhouse windows. Cheerilee's lips spread into the slightest smile.

"Finally got bored of gallivanting around Ponyville?" she asked as the door creaked. Her question was answered by a shrug of the filly's wings as they set their scooter against the wall by the door.

Scootaloo wandered past the teacher's desk and grabbed some loose paper and an eraser. "Do you have the- oh, thanks."

Cheerilee had retrieved her study book from a lower drawer and laid it on the corner of her desk. "Complete pages twenty nine through thirty two and bring it right back up," Cheerilee chastised with her best authoritative voice, "I mean it, little miss speedster."

The filly scoffed and took the bundle back to the desk she'd claimed over the course of the past few months. Cheerilee could recall from cleaning that the window looked out over the open field on the edge of the town. It was a Monday afternoon with fair weather; Cheerilee didn't have to look to see the source of the distant popping noises.

No doubt, Dash was out there 'practicing' her new routine on some unsuspecting clouds.

Scootaloo might stick around the rest of the day as long as that mare kept it up. Cheerilee stood from her chair and addressed the distracted filly, "I'm going to fetch dinner. What would you like?"

A few seconds later, she heard the usual "Pear and a slice of pumpkin pie, please."

Cheerilee left the school house and proceeded down the dusty road to the town square.

As per tradition, the day court dragged on into the late evening hours. Celestia drew a long gulp of water from the pitcher beside her throne and beckoned for one of the court scribes. Pulling a note from her throne-side table, a levitating quill inked down her name and an antiquated series of numbers. Her aura surrounded the letter and thrust it over to the pony as they approached the princess. "Could you please go to the First Equestrian Bank and ask for the sum of this account?" Celestia requested to the mare's frantically bobbing head. As the pony hurried off, the note passed under a waning ray of sunlight. Even through the folded paper, Celestia could make out the radiant glow of the royal ink penned within. It normally sufficed for regal business even without her signature.

The recess was closed and court resumed. The dreary business of noblepony squabbles carried out for what seemed like an eternity even to a being as long-lived as she was. Her greatest feats of strength in this age was surpressing the urge to groan with each new height of trite her subjects reached each day.

Granted, it probably seemed that way because given how she avoided committing most of these hearings to memory and had started doing so several centuries ago.

On the topic of centuries, how long had it been since she'd last checked on the "Goose's Gold", as the bank attendants of old had referred to one of the oldest accounts in Equestrian history. Years? Decades? There were so few situations to justify her snooping in on the amount.

She could never quite shake off the feeling that it didn't belong to her.

She'd told the children that morning that she was paid thirty bits a year but that was only half true. The law itself allotted a royal stipend of sixty...

'Sixty bits for the ruling sisters' she recalled the exact line from the ancient memorandum on the national budget.

As the current pompous speaker blabbered on, Celestia saw the scribe from earlier enter the room and shakily make their way back to the throne, avoiding the watchful eyes of the audience as she clutched the note tightly to her chest.
"Mah-" the mare stammered as she presented the note to the princess, "Ma'am..." Her eyes darted back and forth, as if at any moment she would be beset by some marauding griffon or drake, or highwaypony.

Celestia took the note and thanked the scribe, "You have my gratitude, as you were..."

She unfolded the note and scanned the amount.

She flipped the missive over to glance at the backside, and then spun it top to bottom.

The pony who hoofed that transaction when she withdrew it for the rightful recipient was going to make quite the commission...

Celestia sighed. They would just be another addition to the day court.

Mayor Mare emptied out the last of her inbox onto the table. There were several envelopes with the familiar clunk of bits, no doubt for fines or licenses, some correspondence from others in her line of work and finally a pamphlet of papers that she recognized from the night before. She hadn't that application those for at least another few days. Celestia had told her that Twilight would be punctual.

The mare stood and walked to the side of the room. She readjusted her tea set and started a new pot. She had a secretary for a reason but while she trusted the colt with many things, her beverages were not one of them.

She thought back on the conversation she'd had with Celestia...

The princess had told her that Spike was Twilight's assistant.

She couldn't recall ever having any heartfelt conversations with Rimonim in a moonlit library.

Mayor Mare filled a teacup and returned to her desk. She moved the application to the completed pile. It was always just a formality, anyways.

Author's Note

Think of this as some sort of intermission or season finale. It's a collection of some short scenes I wanted to write that didn't entirely justify their own slots as a chapter or a spin off.

Up next, we have the first days for Twilight and Spike. Not sure who is having their turn first.

(12) Open to the Public

The morning had passed by so quickly for Twilight. She'd dusted every shelf, done as much alphabetizing as she could, and tried to bundle up her fraying nerves. The library was so much larger for the unicorn when she was preparing it for other ponies. She'd hardly noticed when Spike came downstairs. "Twilight," he paused as she spun around, "do I really have to go?"

"Yes Spike," she'd confirmed, hoofing him a small coin purse, "would you like me to walk you there?"

He'd glanced at the door and shook his head. "No, I know the way."

Twilight nodded. "Alright. That should be enough for a lunch. I'd have made something but..." A survey of the room at the time showed a hectic mess in need of attention.

"It's alright."

"Would you," her question halted, unsure of the course, "maybe like to get lunch together?"

"I'll be fine. The Hayburgers isn't too far."

"Okay..." They'd lingered there for what felt like several minutes. Neither could remember the last time they'd planned to spend the entire day apart. Twilight dropped to her haunches, wrapped her forehooves around the whelp's shoulders, and pulled him into a tight embrace. "Say hello to Cheerilee for me." Her chin lightly bounced off the drake's head.

Just after Spike walked out the door, Twilight reversed the small chalkboard sign hung in the window. The unicorn returned to the back of the main room and sat behind the small desk she'd set up on the table that had been there before. She then waited for ponies to arrive.

And waited.

And waited...

There must not be much of a need for books in a small town, Twilight thought to herself several hours later as she stood and stretched. With her back arched, she peered over her withers to the small clock hung on the wall.

It had been little more than twenty minutes.

"Ggggghhhhrrr..."

Twilight ran her hoof down the page of the local newspaper, following along some article about a break-in at the grocery.

After a brief commotion the culprit, a common red squirrel, was found and detained by Sheriff Daisy Chain. They were to be brought to a local wildlife expert for questioning before being excised to the Everfree.

It was honestly difficult for Twilight to tell if the article was serious or there were some number of running jokes she was missing out in.

The levi-sketch picture of the officer putting miniature pawcuffs on the critter was quite comical, if doubtfully accurate. The unicorn in charge of the publication's illustrations was rather talented for what she assumed to be an operation ran by yearlings.

A glance over the top of the newspaper confirmed what she assumed from the continued silence; there was nopony outside or in the library.

Twilight frowned. There were was always somepony at the public libraries in Canterlot. Granted, that was usually her but if she could visit then surely other, more outgoing, ponies could manage to do the same.

A flex of her hooves straightened the page as she flipped it over the next insert. Scanning it, she saw a collection of crossword puzzles and coupons to shops around town.

Her aura surrounded the quill and scissors on the table.

"Hello miss Sparkle!"

The newspaper ruffled in Twilight's hooves as her chair fell forward. She'd gotten a little too focused on a thirteen letter word for flower. She hastily folded the newspaper and laid it on her desk.

"Sorry, I didn't hear you come in," a confused look crossed Twilight's face, "shouldn't you be at the schoolhouse Sweetie?"

The filly cantered into the library and responded "Nope! Rarity says summer classes are for wonks and nitwits!"

"Oh," the mare sighed, unsure whether to see offense in the statement, "does she?"

"Yeah, but my grades are fine and I don't want to go," Sweetie chimed, half-jumping to get her front hooves on the table, "so I don't." The filly scanned the puzzle for a moment and then asked "Have you tried Chrysanthemum?"

Twilight pulled the paper closer, investigated the surrounding words, and then said "No, no I hadn't. How did you know?"

"Rarity played it this morning and you have some in the window!" She hopped down to all fours and walked over to a bookshelf. Twilight watched the filly and leaned back in her chair. The floor creaked as Sweetie Belle stepped to the side and continued mouthing out the names written down the spines.

"Do you," Twilight mildly inquired after a minute of observing the unicorn foal survey the shelves, "need help finding something?"

Sweetie did not acknowledge the mare as she tilted her head and silently read out the final half-dozen books on the wall before her. As she hopped towards the opposite side of the library, Sweetie answered "Nope!" With a new wall of books in front of her, the filly returned to her search.

After a few more seconds of a pertinent stare, the rookie librarian slowly picked up her newspaper and began writing out Sweetie's suggestion. A minute passed to the sound of a quill dipping into an ink pot and the gentle murmur of a filly's voice. Another passed before Twilight let the back of the paper dip down enough to view the foal. She mustered up her best imitation of Celestia's stern-but-kind teacher voice. "Sweetie, what are you looking for?"

"Rarity wanted- Elements of Harmo-nah! Wanted a book on metagurgling."

"Metagur..." Twilight broke down the syllables and cross-referenced them with the numerous words in her memory. "Metallurgy?"

"Yeah, melaturgey." Twilight could almost swear she heard a snicker from across the room. Before she had time to question it, Sweetie Belle looked at her and asked "Do you have any books about dragons?"

The back of the newspaper pulled up as Twilight spread out her hooves. It blocked the sight of her reddening cheeks. "I'm, I don't think we do, sorry." She allowed herself a moment to collect her nerves before unraveling them again with a "Why do you ask?" Up the wall behind her, a small book on the topic of blacksmithing was pulled from its rest by her aura.

"They're really cool!" The filly announced before she took notice of Twilight's levitation. Her voice rang out in disbelief, "You aren't even looking at it?!"

"I, ah, already knew where it was..."

Sweetie continued to gawk. "I can hardly hold up something I'm staring at..." She held out a hoof as the book floated into her grasp. The filly held it there with a manner of reverence, like some sort of treasured hoof-me-down.

Twilight closed her eyes and mentally read over the list of books inside the library that she'd been using earlier that day. None of the titles struck the mare as the sort to talk about dragons, at least none that she'd seen while reorganizing. Perhaps one of the townsfolk had checked it out. There were many discrepancies between the inventory and what was on the shelves. "I apologize; There doesn't seem to be any books on dragons in the library. I can, um, check around the basement later?" The mare, semi-aware of the motion, turned to glare at the section of the wall that held the D titles. "There might be something down there."

"That's okay, I was just curious!" Her voice hung in the air as if she meant to continue her statement.

Several seconds later, Twilight asked "About?"

The filly broke her attentive look at the book in her hooves and stared rather intensely into the mare's eyes. "Miss Sparkle, where do dragons come from?"

What followed could only be described as verbal floundering on the scholar's part.

(13) Introductions

Spike entered the schoolhouse and took a brief survey of his surroundings. The walls were loose and creaked while the paint chipped away around the windows. There was a fresh green trim around the exposed woodwork, and a teal counter followed the three walls opposite the front of the classroom. In some places, he could make out small inlets for books and other classroom supplies. Near one such shelf, in the very back corner of the large room, sat the only other occupant of the schoolhouse. She was an orange-colored filly just about his age. On her desk sat a book and one of her hooves, lightly tapping the surface to a rhythm he couldn't catch. Her other hoof supported her cheek, on which rested an immensely bored expression. Spike waited for her to acknowledge him, hoping to ask her where he should sit, but she did not look up. A glance back out the door failed to show the teacher so the drake simply walked back to the center of the room, looked between two of the empty desks there, and clambered up into the seat.

Several minutes passed before he heard the beat pause, a page flip, and the beat resume. It wasn't until another such interval went by that Spike turned to her and noticed, for the first time, the rather small wings at her side. For a moment, he considered asking whether he'd shown up to a younger class on accident until the filly ceased tapping on the desk. Her hoof ran through her purple bangs and swept them out of the way as she met his gaze. "I know a unicorn or two if you want a levisketch made; it'd probably last longer." Halfway through her remark, Spike saw a shift in her expression. Her eyebrows rose in surprise as she looked him over from spines to scute.

"Sorry," he apologized, "I just wanted to ask if the teacher was late."

The filly returned to her book as she said, "No, class doesn't start till half-past eight." She flipped the page and added, "You're early, dude."

Spike glanced at the clock. His curiosity got the better of him as he turned back to the filly and asked "Why are you here, then?"

She just shrugged and flipped another page.

The drake leaned closer and tried to get a peek at the contents of her book. She placed her hoof on the page, blocking his view.

"Is that for class?"

"No," she answered, closing the cover and sliding it into her saddlebag.

"What is it for?" Spike asked.

The filly rested her chin on the desk and responded "Miss Cheerilee thought I would like it."

Spike waited a moment before he asked "Do you?"

She merely shrugged again and turned her face away from him, refusing to comment further. Dejected, Spike hopped down and moved up a row in the seats.

No sooner than he had sat down did he notice the form of a mare approaching down the road outside. Behind her followed two colts, one lanky and the other rather squat. She seemed to be saying something to them until she neared the door.

The mare entered the building and smiled at him. "Goodmorning, Spike. I see you've met Scootaloo already," he glanced back at the filly before hearing something slap against the teacher's desk as she spoke again, "this is Snips and Snails, two more of your classmates." The pair collected notebooks from where Miss Cheerilee had set them down and lumbered to their desks.

"Hello, Miss Cheerilee." The drake answered back. He watched as she dug around in a drawer and started to approach him with two notebooks clutched to her chest. She placed one on his chosen desk and continued past him to set the other in front front of the filly behind him. He flipped over the cover and skimmed the pages. A moment later, he raised a claw and began to ask "Um, Miss Cheerilee, I don't have a..."

His question trailed off as she tapped the underside of his desk, drawing his attention to a quill and inkwell stashed inside.

"Oh, thank you."

Spike took the quill to claw and began to fiddle with it as he read over the material. There was a number of blanks and questions interspersed with infographics and summaries. Rolling his thumb across the edge of the booklet showed a variety of topics.

It seemed rather... trite, given the breadth of Twilight's studies. At the very least, he wasn't being required to talk to anyfoal right now. With a dap in the inkwell, Spike flipped back to the start of the notebook and started filling in some of the more recognizable answers.

Five questions and about half a minute in, the drake heard a scratching on the blackboard and looked up to see Miss Cheerilee writing down names on a portion visible from the side of curtain.

"Okay class," the teacher hollered for the others' attention, "we're still waiting on a few ponies, but how about we start pairing off and learning more about eachother?"

His cheeks deepened to a crimson.

Author's Note

I apologize for this taking the entire summer to finish up (And the general quality of it in the first place) but I sort of lost my creative spirit for a while.

My family lost our canine of twelve years or so to complications after a surgery. It happened just after I got her back to the vet, something that troubled me for some time, but after some thought it was the best way for her to go from her perspective. She was already getting suspicious lumps on her body, so it was probably going to be a long, painful passing otherwise.

The way it went, she went on a long car ride getting ear tubs (Her favorite) the whole while before having her owner love on her right up until the end.

I think if she could talk, Dance would have been happy with that and it's been a comfort to me to think of it that way.

Back on topic, things should be going a lot quicker now that I'm back in the headspace for writing and I'm switching over to adults for the next few chapters. I don't know what it is but the kids just really feel like they hold up my flow in writing. Not that I'll be focusing on them any less, I just prefer an older perspective most of the time.

Thank you for your time, and there should be more soon enough.

(14) Returns

Murmurs filled the schoolhouse as Cheerilee's pupils continued discussing which of them would pair off for the morning's busywork. The EEA had a checklist of subjects to cover and quizzes to hoof out, no matter how applicable they may or may definitely not be. Still, it gave the young ponies, and dragon, some time to goof around and get to know one another. The least she could do was grit her teeth through all the additional grading it put on her desk. Cheerilee sneaked a peek at the creatures as she pretended to arrange the papers in front of her. She knew the colts would inevitably split off on their own, leaving Spike and Scootaloo to their own work.

That assumed, of course, that Scootaloo wouldn't talk Snails into joining her so she could avoid dealing with someone new or more nosey like Snips. Cheerilee had been hoping that the filly would give the drake a chance; Miss Sparkle had made it seem like he was well studied. Spike could turn out a productive study buddy for the pegasus.

For better or worse, it looked like the colts were the only creatures uttering a word. Specifically, Snails was drowning on about some topic as Snips offered the occasional aside to emphasize some embellishment or another. Spike and Scootaloo sat there not responding to the colts, or eachother, even if they engaged and nodding along to the tale. This was... acceptable. Snips and Snails would tire themselves out eventually, and there was still some time before the royalty arrived.

A chill ran across Cheerilee's withers. Why must vacations end, she thought as she returned to doing nothing behind her desk.

It was obvious that Mr. Rich would want to return home in time for the Summer Sun Celebration and all the business that would bring, even without an actual princess in attendance. The idea of the stallion taking this year off with his family was just such an easy daydream for Cheerilee to entertain, up until she saw their carriage pulling into town.

Filthy was such a gentlecolt. She, and the rest of the town, would never understand how he put up with either of the "ladies" in the household.

Cheerilee heard the steps outside creek and groan before a knock sounded from the porch. She leaned back in her chair and squeezed her eyes shut. Just one more minute, she whispered in her mind as she turned to face the door. A peek revealed the small form of Pipinto.
"Oh! Pip," Cheerilee chirped in excitement, "I didn't know you were back from Trottingham." She breathed out a sigh of relief and thanks to Sol for appeassing her wish.

"Hey teach," spoke a voice deeper than the speckled colt's, "I'm back." From behind the little Pip, a grey colt stepped into her view. A new worry intruded into her thoughts as she glanced in Scootaloo's direction.

Cheerilee addressed him a moment later, "It's nice to see you, Rumble. Is flight camp over already?"

"Nope." He stated as he strode through the door. As the colt cantered towards his seat, she noticed his wing wrapped in guaze and held tight to his side. "I'm just that good." Rumble said in a tone as flat as ever. He sat at the desk in front of Scootaloo's and focused on Snails' monologue. It was not until she looked at him that Rumble acknowledged her, "Hey Scoots, I... uh..."

"How was instructor Thunderlane?" Scootaloo interjected.

The colt spent a few seconds in silence before he ducked his head and revealed "There was a 'scheduling' thing... bro wasn't able to make it."

No sooner than he had finished the sentence did it take for Scootaloo to hop out of her seat, grab her packet and say, to a rather perplexed Spike, "Comon' let's get to work." The drake awkwardly left his desk and followed the filly towards one of the far corners of the room. Cheerilee couldn't tell if Rumble's confused visage was due to Scootaloo's reaction or the presence of a drake in the schoolhouse.

Snails kept orating, having never noticed the new arrivals or recent departures.

"-and then I got to meet a griffin! She gave me a feather for a pence!" exclaimed a jubilant Pipinto, barely able to peek over the edge of her desk. He either couldn't see that she hadn't been listening or just didn't care.

Cheerilee nearly laid her chin down to be more even with his eye level. That's lovely, Pip. I'm glad that you enjoyed your trip," she said as she slid two of the assignment booklets his way, "could you do me a favor and take one of these back to Rumble?"

"Sure thing Miss Cheerilee!" Pip harped as he picked up the pages and set off.

The teacher sighed and leaned back in her seat. Her eyes darted between Snips and Snails, Spike and Scootaloo, Pipinto and Rumble. This was going to be a long day.

"Your darling pupil has arrived!" Declared Diamond Tiara, embellishing her entrance through the schoolhouse door.

Cheerilee stifled a groan as she lazily pointed a hoof at a chair by the whiteboard.

There was an odd number of students and she would have to be the one to help Tiara.

Sleep would not come soon enough tonight.

As was tradition, day court carried on much too long. Celestia slouched back in her throne and placed her head in a hoof to ruminate on the discussions over the course of the day. There had been mention of extending school throughout the year, some chatter of adding a quota on griffin confectionaries, one noble bringing a lawsuit against another for the 'good of the public health'...

The monarch swore to herself that she'd have left long ago if her magic wasn't needed to rally the dawn. The innocence of youth to have once desired all the glory in the land for herself. Celestia stood and adjusted her collar. "I think that will be all for today, scribes. I'm feeling parched." She strode past the throne-side table with the glistening pitcher of ice water and started her return to her chambers. Not the most gracious exit, she asserted, but it wasn't entirely uncalled for. She had been feeling... Off, the past few days. It would be good to have Cadence back on the morrow. Quite the shame that teleporting herself and her retinue was frowned upon by the young royal. Why, Celestia might possibly suspect that Cadence enjoyed the fanfare she received on her travels, and the extra time away that traveling by carriage afforded her.

In the hallway, the princess noticed a clock in her peripheral vision and beside it a window displaying a full view of the afternoon sky.

The alicorn frowned at the sight. It was a beautiful display, no doubt, but something wasn't right and she couldn't quite put her hoof on it. Celestia glanced at the clock again before a flash of green light was cast about by a swirl of flames in the air in front of her. A short page, barely larger than one of those post-it-notes her secretary had been raving about, fell to the marble below. She peered at the letter, immediately recognizing one that had been penned without Twilight's dictation.

It read, in the telltale quillmareship of her protege's... protectorate, "Sorry to bother you, but the other students wanted to see me do something cool and Twilight is working." The alicorn reached down and flipped the letter over. The back was marked with the address "For: The Swan."

In truth, Celestia was rather perturbed. Had he sent it a good hour or two earlier, she could have excused herself from the day court in record speed...

The reassurance that he was at least partially enjoying himself at school warmed Celestia's heart. She folded the letter into a quarter and slipped it into her yoke. Once more before leaving, she glanced at the clock and out the window. 'Ah', she thought as she summoned a mote of magic, 'that's it.'

The sun, ever so slightly, accelerated a brief distance towards the horizon.

It was probably nothing; She had just been a little distracted this day.

"You know what tah do, hun."

Pinkie nodded, seemingly in agreement with what the drawl asserted. As she tapped at the register with her hooves, she informed the mare "I can't refund the whole purchase, but I can give you a coupon for 60% off your next order!" A wide smile failed to hide her attempt to divert attention towards the actual transaction on the counter.

An orange fetlock swept aside the assorted party supplies on top of the glass case, shortly after folding over its pair. Their owner leaned into the glare that peaked out from under the brim of her cattlemare cap.

Pinkie Pie let out a nervous chuckle. "Come on AJ, she doesn't even know that any of us were in the library!" Pulling her hoof from the register, she limply waved it in the air in an attempt to brush the topic away while she spoke on. "I'm sure that the town will forget all about the party before the end of the..." The nervous chuckle resumed as Pinkie tried to determine whether week, month, season, year, or none of the above would make for a reasonable deadline.

"Like it or not," Applejack started, "yer the one to blame whether it's yer fault or not."

Pinkie behind her and peeked inside the kitchen of Sugarcube Corner. Seeing nopony in earshot, she returned to pleading with her customer. "Come on AJ, you heard what Rarity said; she wants us leave it be!"

"Rarity's comin' from a good place but," Applejack paused as she lifted her hat from her head, "it's just not gonna end well here. They need to hear how they were heard." The mare ran a hoof over her bangs and returned her hat to its home.

Pinkie clapped her hooves together and almost doubled over as she leaned to the side, a begging expression adorning her face. "Ponies are already not talking about it as much and Twilight is so busy with moving in, and-"

"Pinkie."

The clerk offered a deflated smile from over the counter in response to the agronomist's kurt tone.

"Think 'bout what finding out later would do to that colt."

"Well he's not a-"

"Do ye know what tah call a young male dragon?"

Pinkie conceded with a shrug and looked to the floor. "He'd feel pretty embarrassed by it, huh?"

"Ee'yup." Applejack confirmed.

"I really should tell them, shouldn't I?"

"Ee'yup." She repeated.

Pinkie Pie dragged her hood over the floorboards and tapped the wood several times before asking "Could you... come with me when I tell her?"

After a few seconds of silence, there came a cautious "Ee'yup."

Pinkie smiled awkwardly in thanks to her employer's business partner as the mare stared at her from across the countertop.

The smile faded a minute later.

The stare continued.

"Was there," Pinkie spoke tentatively, "Something else you needed?"

"I want my bits, hun."

As she swooped over the register Pinkie exclaimed, "Oh, right!" She began sifting through the party as she calculated the amount due. A short time later, she slid several short stacks across the countertop.

Applejack studied the pile and inquired "That many back, in coin?"

"Well, it should be in store credit," Pinkie grinned the first genuine smile since the two ponies' encounter began, "don't worry; I'll leave Mr. Cake a note and cover the rest."

Applejack's concern faded as she swept the bits into her saddlebag. "Eh know that we havin' really spoke much aside from deliveries but," she mused as she adjusted her bags, "you've been a good thing for the town ere' since you moved in with the Cakes. I'd hate for anything to change that, Miss Pie."

"I-" Pinkie blushed and ducked her head, "thank you, Applejack." She watched as the mare turned away from the counter and walked towards the door.

Applejack paused just before the threshold and started a request, "Could you write up a order for-"

"Applebloom's favorite, draco's treat cake?" Pinkie giggled. "I was wondering when I'd see that on the schedule."

Applejack chuckled before confirming, "Yeah, she doesn't want anything big this year. Just a lazy day fer her an' Twist."

"They grow up fast, don't they?" Pinkie bit her tongue as she saw a haunted look morph over Applejack's smile.

After reaching a hoof up to tip the brim of her hat, the mare gave Pinkie a courteous nod before declaring "It's alright, dahl. We've all had to do a little growin' since. You didn't know them so no harm, no foul."

There was quiet in the air as Applejack spun on her frogs and trotted out of Sugarcube Corner.

Celestia sat alone on a waiting chair in the main hall of Canterlot Castle. She had arrived early in anticipation of her coruler's chariot from... whichever city Cadance's lectureship circuit had concluded in. No doubt the younger princess could handle her moving back in, between her vibrant magic and the sway she possessed over a number of the guard, but to be honest the old diarch missed her presence in the capitol and longed to see her.

There was something to Cadance's pep, the way she beamed over any happy detail, that reminded Celestia of time spent with her sister so, so long ago. Before the dreary work of ruling the kingdom had gotten to them. Before the reverence of their subjects had gotten to her ego...

She could bear to surrender the zeal of guard to Cadance. After all, most of them likely knew that Celestia could protect herself. The other princess deserved the adoration of the population. Glancing out the window across from her, Celestia could see the light of the sun crawling into the sky. Cadance's chariot should be arriving any moment.

She peered out the window again, before seeking confirmation from a nearby clock.

Perhaps she was frazzled from her thoughts the night before. It seemed her placement of the sun had lagged. Or maybe it was her hip acting up, that always threw her off. It was the reason she took this seat after all, how sore it had gotten from just her standing there. That was probably it...

She summoned a mote of energy and brought the sun back to its expected location. Her hip popped as she shifted her weight, the sensation painless but the surprise caused her to close her eyes. The Earth pony resilience had lasted her millenia, and was bound to last her another, but these odd creaks had sure flared up in the last few years. Decades? A century, perhaps. Her eyelids were weary, for sure. Ever so weary...

"Celestia," came a voice from the hallway behind her, "what are you doing all the way over here?"

The princess blinked her eyes and sat up straighter in her chair. The motion called to mind how much more energetic she felt from a few seconds earlier. "I'm just waiting for Princess Cadance," she turned her head to the voice as she answered, "oh!" Before her stood her younger match, an itinerary in hoof and no luggage in sight. Celestia glanced back at the window, noting the afternoon hue of the sky.

Cadance let out a short laugh. "I guess the staff wanted to leave you be. I arrived through the back entrance. Too many ponies trying to get an autograph up here. Don't worry, I covered day court for you."

Celestia rubbed her eyes and slid a blanket off its perch over her front and around her wings. Somepony had gone all the way up to her chamber to retrieve one of her bedsheets. "Thank you, Cadance, how," she paused for a moment as she formulated the rest of her response, "were your lectures? Did the public enjoy them?"

The alicorn's cheeks reddened as a grin spread into them. "Quite!" she chirped with a little flaring of her wings to match. Celestia would always find that gesticulated trait amusing, presumably owed to the pegasus Cadance had been before and one shared with so many of that tribe. Witnessing it made her wonder whether her own lack of the display came across as distant or indifferent to the group. "In fact, I was thinking about starting another around Hearthswarming, focused on fostering community. I got several comments and- could we just meet later to discuss it? I've got so much to say!"

Did she ever. A smirk crossed Celestia lips. "Of course, Cadance."

There was a metallic clank behind her. "Already wanting to return to the fray, Princess?" She recognized the voice speaking as that of the newest captain of the guard, Shining Armor.

"I just can't wait to spend more time with," Cadance rubbed her neck awkwardly with the elbow of her wing as her eyes turned to the ground, "the public, you know?" Celestia could name the color of her cheeks as several shades deeper that prior.

Captain Armor responded, "I'm sure it would be a lot of fun." Though his tone suggested a conclusion, a single moment passed before his mouth rushed to add, "-For you! Fun for you, as the Princess."

Celestia looked between the two as she continued to lazily blink her eyes awake. A minute later, Cadance passed her the schedule in her forehoofs and exclaimed "I'll see you later to talk about them!" After, she practically galloped down the hall past the loose clutch of servants traversing the arched room.

Celestia looked down at the papers as the captain approached her.

"Ma'am!" Shining piped out before tossing up a salute.

"Stop that," Celestia chuckled, amused by his rookie behaviour, "What do you need, Shining?"

His stance loosened a decent amount before he issued his query, "Do you know where Twilight is? I couldn't seem to find her around her library, or the one on main, or the one across from Beard Avenue, or the one by Hayburgers, or the one-"

"I do know, yes." Celestia interrupted what could be assumed to be a rather extensive list. She laughed and patted one of the empty chairs next to her with her hoof. "Why don't you take a seat, captain? This may take a little while..."

Author's Note

~~There was originally a fourth section, but I am considering moving it to the next chapter and having a single narrator for that whole chapter.~~

The order of the events was lightly shifted to include an old bonus scene that was reworked into this chapter to avoid continuity errors.

In other news, I have opened a discord channel for my fics. Feels free to join; https://discord.gg/nWEhrkAD2A

(15) Disclosure

"Okay, what was something good?" Twilight prodded as her hoof scooped a clutch of glass beads from the divot in the gameboard.

Spike's claws clacked against the wooden floor the pair laid on as he thought. "One of the guys wanted to see me do something... 'Dragony'."

"Oh," Twilight cooed, "what did you do?"

"I wrote Celestia a note and burped it to her. They all thought it was cool."

Twilight smiled and waited for Spike to decide on a move. She had found the game amongst a small clutch of others while sortificationing the main room earlier. When Spike got back, she'd suggested that they play a game that Celestia had played with her after her when she was just a filly.

His claws wrapped around a pile on his side of the board and slowly deposited a bead in each spot after it, skipping the largest spaces on either side, until he finally set the last one back in the original bowl. He pointed to the pile opposite and checked "I get all those now, right?" He smiled and snorted a tuff on green flame as the mare nodded her head, "Okay, tell me something... bad."

The rules were, as Princess Celestia had described after Twilight's first day of studies at the Academy, this; when one player scored, the other had to tell them something good or bad about their day.

Twilight reflected on Sweetie Belle's small, silvery form standing where the gameboard now sat as she tried to explain the process of incubation to the filly, only to have her clarify that she meant geographically and not "like chickens". The unicorn's cheeks reddened as she looked at Spike and explained, "Somepony wanted to check out a book and we didn't have anything on the subject..." She hung her head in shame as she hoofed one of her piles over the board, slowly distributing the marbles into each of the bowls. The last fell into the now empty space left after the drake's turn. She claimed the two occupants of the opposite space on Spike's side.

He nodded in understanding and made a few quick drops before taking the last bead she had placed. He glanced up and said "You first."

"Um... something bad."

"I just wanted to complete our pages," Spike griped as he placed his chin on his crossed arms, "but my partner just sat there glaring at the colts most of the time."

"Scootaloo, right?"

"Yeah," he confirmed, "and at lunch she dragged me off with Miss Cheerilee when the sporty one started walking over."

Twilight arched an eyebrow and inquired, "Where did the three of you go?"

Spike mumbled "Hayburger's, which was kind of nice-"

"Ah-ah," Twilight matched her chastising tone with a smile, "it has to be something bad!"

The dragon thought for a moment and finished his statement "-if they didn't spend the whole meal yapping. Something good, Twi."

She pondered what she should mention as she weighed a pile in hoof and counted down the spaces. For the longest time, Twilight didn't understand what the objective of the game over the board was. The players merely spoke. There were no pieces or score to track, unlike the game that rested at her hooves. It wasn't until much later that she realized Celestia was just getting her to talk.

Knowing that hadn't made the game any easier.

"I got my first return," she exclaimed, "someone dropped a book by the door just before you got here!" Twilight distributed her pieces, placing the last on top of an existing pile.

Spike grinned as he planned his own play. "That would be good for you, wouldn't it?"

"Immensely," Twilight acknowledged as she peered across the room at the yellow-bound novel, "and funnily enough, just the book I needed."

"How's that?" The drake asked.

The mare waved a hoof and pointed at the game board. "Don't worry about it, just finish your turn. I want to try out more of these games."

He grumbled and went back to counting.

Twilight stole another glance over her shoulder.

She mulled over the memory of hearing peebles crunch outside over the faint hum of wheels turning. Then came a low knock, low by way of coming from only a third of the way up the door, rang out a moment later. No pony was there when she opened it, having already taken off by the time she made it across the room. The slip inside the cover bore no recent signatures, a trait shared with most of the books inside the library given the near abandonment of formal records. All she could find was a single sepia feather to mark the pages at the very end of the tome.

Twilight would have to make time to stop by Rarity's boutique and deliver this Traveler's Guide to the Dragon Lands, Vol II to Sweetie Belle.

Not before finding the time to read it herself, that is.

Author's Note

And with this, oDaM breaks 20k words and firmly graduates out of being a novellette.

The upcoming chapters will take a little more time and I also have some updates in the works for Academy and By the Book, but there should be more soon enough. I'm getting back into the swing of writing, but am also trying to manage not burning out my creativity.

(16) Scholastic

From her spot by the fireplace, Rarity could hear the front door swing shut and the squeal that followed a moment later, "I'm back from Twilight's!" She had expected her sister to be out until evening; Sweetie had an uncanny ability to occupy herself given the free range to do so.

Rarity excused the thought as she set down her tools, stood from the hearth and replaced the paper shutter that normally hid the inlet. She stepped towards the hallway called out into the main room, "Just a moment, dear." Her fetlock impacted a small, silvery form that almost sent her stumbling into a loom of lily and lavender locks. Rarity let out and exhasterbated yelp as a point found her jaw, causing her to hop back and exclaim "Sweetie!"

Her sister merely skipped past as she chirped out an almost rehearsed "Sorry!" Rarity rubbed her chin as she moved to follow Sweetie. The filly cantered forth with surprising speed as she balanced a hefty tome across her withers. She approached the screen blocking the fireplace and pushed it aside before sliding the book off onto an awaiting hoof. She stared at it intensely as she said "I got your mayolichen thingy!"

"Metallurgy, my little pony," Rarity chided as a faint lime aura swept over the cover. It stuttered as Sweetie Belle started to giggle and then vanished as the mare added, "You do know that I saw you spell it on your hoof earlier, correct?" The young unicorn's horn flared as the tome left her magic and wobbled in her grasp. Her shocked gasps as the tomb tumbled toward the tiling turned to delighted laughter as the book quickly rose above her and hovered in the open air. Sweetie's glee dissipated a moment later as the filly recognized a sapphire glow instead of her own.

She pouted as she took a seat, then showed a slight smile even as she grumbled, "I had it in-hoof..."

"You did not," Rarity responded as she moved the book over and laid it down between the clippers and pliers, "remember, the weight is illusory to a levitation spell. Your magic is lifting the object, not your hooves." The mare walked over and flipped open the front cover, her eyes scanning the table of contents for any variation of the words 'pattern', or 'construction', perhaps 'assembly'...

Sweetie Belle was looking at her.

Rarity side-eyed the filly to try and gauge what she was after. Food? She had already made them an ample breakfast and set out a lunch platter. Amusement? There were far more interesting activities around town, and Sweetie hadn't wanted to play their old board games in years. "How was the library?" Rarity asked, phishing for whatever was on her sister's mind.

"Good!"

"That's all," she remarked, "just good?"

"Yeah!" The filly's hoof reached over and started to idly roll one of the tools in place.

Rarity's eyebrow rose as she tried to parse what few clues Sweetie was presenting. "Did you happen to run into your little friend, Spike, again?"

"No." She continued to mindlessly roll the handle back and forth while she stared at the book in front of Rarity.

"He wasn't home?"

Her sister shrugged. "I didn't ask."

The mare took note of the page she was on before closing the cover of the book and angling her body toward Sweetie Belle. She paused for a moment, trying to parse a proper way to phrase her curiosity around the filly's statement. "Do you... not want to see him again?" Her sister had seemed rather cheery after her first encounter with the drake, and equally as enthused to invite him along to the sweets shoppe. Had that changed there?

Rarity gently kicked her hoof against the frame of the schoolhouse door, knocking loose the dust and grime from the road she took to get there. Cheerilee perked up her head at the sound. The seamstress addressed her as she looked over, "Darling, it is so goo-"

"What do you need." The teacher brushed aside a pile of papers and rested a cheek against her hoof, sharing an empty glare with her visitor.

Rarity cleared her throat as she walked into the classroom. Resting her flank against one of the desktops, she said "Right then, dispensing with the pleasantries. I was hoping that we could speak about Sweetie Belle's schooling."

Cheerilee sighed, "Are they coming back already?"

"Hm? No, I haven't heard from my parents since the cruise departed."

"Another fashion show caught your eye?" Cheerilee tapped her quill against the wall of the inkwell before spinning it around the rim. "Look, I've had a long day, I can give you the material for whatever unit she'll be missing this time."

A drawer clicked as her hoof tapped against it, sliding it open as the pony bent over to reach inside. Rarity leaned forward and tried to interject, "What? No, I think you're misunderstanding-"

"I could just save us both the time," Cheerilee cut her off as she skimmed through the files, "and just give you the homework for the year." She slapped a bundle on top of the desk and pointed towards the door. "She can come in for the tests whenever she's around town," the teacher grumbled, "I'm tired of trying to keep track of who has her for what and watching her run around without any stability."

"Miss Cheerilee!" Rarity yelled as she rose to stand on her hind legs. She paused to allow a breath to leave her nostrils. This was not how she had hoped the conversation would go, despite how her talks with Cheerilee normally seemed to progress. Perhaps this would require a different approach... "Listen; I know."

The teacher lowered her hoof, placed it on her lap, and, though she remained tense, awaited Rarity's next words.

"My parents have done so much to care for Sweetie Belle and I, but their presence has been fleeting on occasion since I was able to start watching my sister. They have earned the breaks, it's not like they can't afford the vacations or to care for us, but I will admit," Rarity sat back down against the desk, and crossed her arms over her chest, "that the frequency of which they partake them has been... a bit much."

"A bit?" Cheerilee's eyebrow shot up, a look of frustration crossing her face.

"And more, yes," Rarity acquiesced, "Now, the reason I came."

Miss Cheerilee relaxed her glare.

"I have already sent a letter to the next port they were scheduled to dock at; Sweetie Belle will stay here, in Ponyville. Be that whether my parents refrain from taking more trips this year, or if she will continue to stay with me. I have also sent notice that I am cancelling my reservation at this year's "

The teacher leaned back in her seat and, once again, her eyebrow reclaimed its elevated position on her forehead. "Why now, Rarity? Sweetie hasn't finished a whole year in my classroom yet."

The mare looked out through the windows of the schoolhouse and saw the leaves of the town's great oak visible in the distance. "Miss Cheerilee, if you don't mind me asking... do you have the class rosters prepared yet?"

(17) Schoolmates

"Sweetie has been missing her friends this summer."

"Oh, really?"

The mare raised an eyebrow at Cheerilee's remark. Mouthing 'sorry' as she returned to sifting through the papers in her drawer seemed to sate the diva's momentary ire. Cheerilee knew exactly where the folder for her upcoming fifth grade class was, but she didn't mind making her uninvited guest wait a bit longer.

"When I started watching her this past June, I hadn't considered the more social aspects of the school's summer activities." Rarity sat there on the desk, waving her hooves around like none of this mattered. And why should it matter to her? All she cared about was peddling her dime store garments-

Now, now. She already said that she was canceling her reservations for the dress-up. Cheerilee closed her eyes and shook her head in an attempt to cancel out the harsh thoughts she was harboring. Rarity was still the warden of one of her darling students, regardless of whatever else had happened. Ugh, darling...

Rarity peered over the edge of the desk, having come closer while the teacher was distracting herself. "Is there, something wrong? Did you misplace it, dear?" she asked, using that half sing-song voice the mare took whenever she was trying to get a hoof up in a conversation.

Cheerilee looked up as she took hold of the folder she had been 'searching' for out of memory. "Nope, I got it! I just, ah, put it in the wrong order." She pushed the drawer closed, hopefully before Rarity had the chance to notice the elaborate rainbow colored sorting tabs sticking out from all the dividers.

Unlikely, colors are her thing and all...

The seamstress leaned against her desk and patiently waited for her to flip the folder open. Cheerilee casually attempted to peel off the tab as she did. Inside rested the forms for the students that she had meticulously scheduled to study with one another, at least so long as she wouldn't have to deal with the parents complaining about it to no end whenever they saw her in public. She'd have moved Silver Spoon up a grade at least two years back if she could do so peacefully. "I'm not entirely sure who I put Sweetie Belle with," Cheerilee lied through her teeth, "but I can still see about moving her around. Was there anypony she wanted to be in class with?" She put on a light-hearted smile, honed through dozens of parent-teacher conferences, and waited to see what Rarity might say.

"Well, she'd mentioned that filly Scootaloo, and told me quite the humorous story of the three of them, her, Scootaloo and Rumble I mean." Cheerilee winced ever so slightly as Rarity spoke. "And then there is also the matter of- Is something wrong?" She cut her sentence short with a mote of concern as Cheerilee realised her composure had broken.

"Oh! Sorry, nothing to do with Sweetie Belle, it's just that..." Should she really bring this up? Now, with Rarity of all ponies?

Rarity looked on, a curious gaze filling her eyes.

She is a socialite. And a drama queen. Cheerilee sighed. "Scootaloo was also missing a friend of hers."

"Rumble?" The seamstress guessed with a tone of self-assurance.

"Yes," the teacher confessed, "she was looking forward to the summer, and then he went off to flight camp. Without her."

Rarity relaxed into her posture, placing her hooves one over the other. "I see..."

"Do you," Cheerilee glanced out the door to check for anypony in earshot, no matter how lightly she was speaking, "remember back when we were in school. When Thunderlane went on that trip to-"

"Sol, do I!" The mare lifted a hoof to her chest and she gave out a hearty chuckle. "To think I'd almost forgotten, we were all so dramatic back then, why if I could go back and..." Cheerilee could see the look that spread across Rarity's face when she realized the connection. "Oh dear. Is Rumble being just as oblivious?"

"I think so." Cheerilee confessed.

Rarity looked down and let out a tsk, tsk as she shook her head. "Like brother, like... bro?"

"Indeed."

"Well, given time it should all work out. Things went well for us all," she waved a hoof in the air, much more exaggerated than before, "since we still had our friends."

Cheerilee sat there for a moment, reflecting. "Yeah, you're right..."

"They're growing up, they'll figure these things out as long as we're here for them." Rarity stood up and walked around the desk, resting a hoof on the teacher's shoulder. As Cheerilee looked up, Rarity continued. "I promise, I want to be there for her. She's independent, but that doesn't mean alone."

Cheerilee looked back at the papers and fanned through them. She pulled out the forms for Sweetie, Scootaloo, and Rumble and laid them next to one-another over the file. "Anyone else?"

"Well, there is..." Rarity looked down at the papers and paused. Cheerilee checked them herself and noticed the freshly penned, scholarly T that was peeking out from behind the edge of the three student's forms on a line marked Parent. She looked back up at Rarity and blushed slightly.

The mare patted her shoulder and said "That will be all, thank you." A smile crossed her lips that put the teacher's own to shame.

"Shining, it will be fine. What can happen?"

The restless captain paced back and forth before the royal meeting hall throne. She had chosen to relocate to the spot for the privacy it provided, given that day court had concluded hours prior.

"A lot of things, Ma'am. That town has no guard presence, barely a police force, who knows how many hooligans-"

Celestia chuckled as she interrupted the stallion. "Hooligans, Shining, are you listening to yourself?"

"She's just dropping everything and flying off to some town?!" He tossed a fetlock up in frustration.

"Twilight is doing this because she cares. You should go visit her, she seemed quite determined when we spoke. And please, 'Flying off?' She's not some pegasi tween stepping on the wrong cloud for the first time." Celestia rose out of her seat and strolled over to one of the cabinets in a side-room. She retrieved two glasses and a pitcher that had been left there at her request. Shining followed her as she walked through the doorway.

"What about her studies? Has she even finished them?"

"I know that you are concerned about your sister, but she is a grown mare, Shining. She's been ready to take on life for a long time, now. I've just been keeping her busy." The princess poured a drink and turned to hoof it to the captain. Upon meeting her gaze, she scoffed and said "Yes, she's still working on her studies. They're coming along wonderfully, and this should be a great boost for her con-"

"What about rent, does she have a co-signer? I can make time to go meet with the-" his mouth stilled as Celestia thrust the drink into his meandering foreleg. Under her prudent gave, he raised the glass to his lips and downed half of it before her eyebrow returned to a normal elevation. The momentary break had done its job in silencing the stallion, as he did not resume his rant.

"It will all be fine, Shining. This is good for her, and for Spike. They couldn't stay cooped up in my reading suite forever." The princess finished her own water in one gulp and walked past the stallion. He turned to follow her until she raised a hoof. "Just, take the rest of the night off. Think it over. Stop by Ponyville when you have the time. You'll not find a hooligan on those streets."

"They have streets?" Shining remarked.

Celestia chuckled again. "Yes, my little pony, they have streets. Not everything has to be a garish conglomeration of a million cobblestones."

His features continued to bear the weight of worry until the princess stepped forward and wrapped him up in a hug. "Don't stress yourself out."

"Fine." He answered.

"Ta-ta, then," she chimed, releasing the captain and stepping out the doorway, "I've got a freshly abandoned canopy bed calling my name in the east wing. Til the morning, Shining."

He waited there, until the hooffalls of the princess disappeared in the distance. He finished the rest of his glass before gathering a few pages of loose paper and a quill from the countertop, left there by some scribe or another. He'd told Celestia that he would be fine, but the truth was that he'd remain unsure until he knew for certain that someone was watching over the town.

When Celestia had hugged him, he'd noticed the royal seal still resting on the stand by the throne.

He couldn't just diverge a contingent of guards to the town. That would be costly, terribly obvious, and run the risk of catching the attention of the princess, or worse yet, his sister.

What might work, he had thought to himself, is one or two guards, those that wouldn't be recognized by Twilight or Celestia, going to the town out of uniform under orders of the princess.

He knew two mare cadets that would be perfect for the job...

Author's Note

The second scene here sets up Alewhine's Gun.

(18) Technicalities

Scootaloo could hear the clack of her wheels against the stones embedded in the dirt road. It lacked the hollow ring that her helmet would normally give the sound. She hadn't planned on going across town when she left the schoolhouse today, but she needed to take a take a few laps. She'd returned her book on Monday, so there wouldn't be any more reading of that, and Rumble was sticking around with Snips and Snails, so she couldn't just hang out there, either. It was too early to head to bed, though, so... scootering.

The filly rounded the corner by Sugarcubes and slowed to a stop. Going further down this street would have her cross in front of Sofa'n'Quills and if she went that way then Davenport might see her. If he did, he may step outside and chide her not wearing the helmet he got for her last Hearthswarming or, even worse, simply shake his head as he looked out the window.

The back street wouldn't be much rougher than the main road. She turned the handlebars to point behind Sugarcube Corner and pushed off her front hoof. She felt the ground rest into a gradual decline as a steady acceleration overtook her scooter. For good measure, and the fun of it, the filly kicked off once, twice, three more times as she left the candy store behind her. The burst of speed sent a gust ruffling through her feathers and under her wings. It felt right, as if it was something she'd been missing.

Could she really blame Rumble for wanting to go to flight camp? Cheerilee told her to try and understand his point of view while they were at lunch after he came back. It'd only made her upset at the time.

Scootaloo looked up at the sky. Couldn't she understand him? Wanting to fly, to feel the wind this way at any time? She spread out her wings and felt them catch the air.

They only slowed her down.

She pressed them back to her side and kicked again. She regained her prior speed as a pop sounded from overhead. The filly might not have heard it if she had her helmet on. Up above, in the open sky, she saw the weather team captain busting a few rogue clouds. The way that mare chained together her loops and dives, how she could barrel roll out of a casual glide, while Scootaloo struggled to raise herself off the ground...

Could she ever understand Rumble wanting to spend time with Thunderlane? She doubted whether she could imagine having a Wonderbolt as a brother, or having a brother at all.

She just knew that if she had the chance to meet Rainbow Dash, she would take it.

In the next moment, the filly's view of the pegasus flying through a stray stratocumulus shifted to the dirt below her as the scooter jerked back and she went flying over the handlebars. She tried to open her rings and correct herself, but the attempt only set her off balance as she tumbled towards the ground. Scootaloo squeezed her eyes shut and waited for her spiraling to stop. She'd fallen from her scooter before, maybe not going quite this fast or without her helmet on, but she she could take a few scrapes.

The impact was softer than she expected it to be. She'd read that adrenaline could dull pain. That was a far more interesting fact to experience than it was on a page of a book. The matron should have some of those large bandaids around once she got back to the orph...

"Hey kid, you alright? That was quite a leap."

The unfamiliar voice of a mare was talking to her. It didn't sound like Mrs. Cake. Maybe one of the shoppers had heard her crash, as quiet as it had been. She opened up one of her eyes and saw nothing more than a cotton swab. As she peeked through the other, she saw two things; the gutter up the street that had caught the wheel of her scooter and the face of Rainbow Dash hovering beside her.

The filly's eyes shot wide as she scrambled to sit up. The cotton swab beneath her collapsed and swallowed her whole. She passed through it and gently landed on the ground. Dash pushed the cloud aside and looked down at her.

Scootaloo stared back up at her, unhurt and stammering for the words to say.

"Good thing you were making such a racket," Dash said as she flew over and picked up the scooter, "otherwise I might not have noticed you about to bite it." She effortlessly floated back and held the scooter out to the filly. "Though I guess you probably wouldn't have needed my help if you weren't on it..." The mare waited in the air, watching Scootaloo.

What should she say? Tell Dash her name, apologize for causing her hassle, declare herself the mare's biggest fan? The filly wanted to tell her how awesome she was. How grateful she felt, how stunning it was that Dash had caught her so quickly.

Instead, she said nothing as the words caught in her throat.

Dash laughed as her hooves touched the ground. "Left another one speechless, huh?" The mare crouched down and met Scootaloo at eye level. "Don't worry, kid, it happens to everypony." She quickly glanced up and down the street and, seeing nopony to hear her, leaned forward to whisper "Just last week, I went tail first into a Honeycrisp tree... let me tell you, not a sweet experience."

Scootaloo tried to hold back her giggle, but failed.

Behind her, a stallion chuckled as well. She craned her neck to see Davenport standing there, leaning out the back door of his store. As he opened his mouth to speak, her cheeks went flush and her eyes went wide.

He'd caught her without her helmet.

She hastily stood up, grabbed her scooter from Rainbow Dash's hooves, and took a few shaky strides before she exclaimed "Thank you!"

Scootaloo was about to roll away when the mare called after her, "Stay safe kid; Awesome's hard to find."

She grinned as she sped off.

As the filly disappeared down the bend, the mare turned and greeted the stallion, "Hey Davenport."

"Good evenin', Dash," he said in turn before nodding after the fading clatter of scooter wheels, "'Ave you met little one 'afor?"

She shook her head and he sighed. Dash paused for a moment, then asked "Should I go talk to her parents or something? It looks like she broke your spout, maybe more if I weren't around."

"Scootaloo is... she's heading back to Little Hooves."

"Oh."

(19) Great and Powerful

The schoolhouse was quiet again. Scootaloo sat at her desk, alone, equal parts looking at the assignment in front of her and staring out the window. This silence would be normal for the classroom, after the exchange of morning pleasantries and ignoring the endless chatter of Snips and Snails, but...

It didn't feel the same now.

Cheerilee turned the page of the booklet in front of her, the sound a minor pause in the pattern prior. She scrawled some words at the top of the page and returned to scanning the answers, and to her thoughts. The room returned to to its silence. She hadn't stopped to consider how much livelier it had been since Spike joined the summer group. His occasional musings offset the youthful energy of Pipinto and Diamond Tiara's blaring of her own trumpet.

Or rather, flourishing her own flute. 'Too refined to play something as podunk as a jazzer's horn' was how the filly had put it. Figuring out the band for this year's play was going to be as much a headache as ever.

Cheerilee looked up to see Scootaloo staring out the window. The pegasus had a forlorn look on her face and her quill rested in her desk's inkwell at the same angle that Cheerilee preferred to set them at.

As if she could sense the mare's attention, Scootaloo asked in a dejected tone, "Wasn't Rainbow Dash supposed to work today?" Her voice lacked all the exuberance it carried that evening when she rambled on about crashes, clouds, and coolness. Cheerilee frowned at the memory of the filly's excitement in the words 'Rainbow Dash thinks I'm awesome!'

She'd always thought that Scootaloo was awesome. The filly kept her eye on the sky outside.

What makes kicking vapor and napping in trees so cool? Cheerilee tried to clear her mind and answered, "I don't usually check the weather team schedule. It might still be in the news, if the colts didn't get too far in their paper-mache..." She knew they'd barely started. Three of them just couldn't stop talking and the fourth was too busy trying to catch a perturbed filly's attention.

Scootaloo slid out of her chair and walked over to the boys' workstation, if the loosely organized pile of papers and glue could be called such a thing. She drove into the task of sifting through the scraps. A minute later, she looked up with an unfolded page of the local times in hoof. Scootaloo flipped it around to check the back and inquired, "What section would it be in?"

Cheerilee tried to put herself in the horseshoes of the editor and guessed, "Missaleaineuss?"

The filly grabbed a separate paper in front of her and gleamed over it. A brief moment after seeing the headline on paper she groaned, "That's not how you spell that!"

"I'd tell you to write them about it but I don't think they can read Ponish." Cheerilee grinned as the pegasus started giggling. It was a merry sound in these weary walls. She stood from her chair and walked across the room to peer over Scootaloo's shoulder. They read through the contents and saw, halfway down the page, the full schedule of the weather team. Scootaloo's withers sagged with her disappointment on seeing Dash's name on the line for the day's date. "I'm sure she's just taking one of her breaks." As the teacher spoke, Cheerilee saw a notice further down the column of a letter mailed into the press.

'Entertainer's Caravan Bound For Town This Weekend.'

It was Saturday now, maybe that was the fuss she had heard earlier? She reached past the filly and tapped the blurb. "Wanna go check it out?"

"I still have to finish my reading guide..." Scootaloo looked back at the untouched work on her desk.

Cheerilee shrugged, "It's not due today, right?"

Scootaloo perked up at the prospect. "Can we?" Her eyes sparkled, and even if Cheerilee hadn't been the one to suggest it, she would have had to say yes in response to the sight.

"Come on then," she bid with a nod towards the door, "it'll be fun!"

Twilight pushed through the crowd of assorted ponies in an attempt to reach a more advantageous spot to view the show. She thought back to just a few minutes prior when she had been reading a book on magical theory and enjoying a warm cup of tea in the library. At home, she corrected herself. It was home now.

The thud of the front door being thrown open had disturbed that moment of peace and startled the mare. A filly's voice squealed through the atrium, "THERE'S A SHOWPONY ROLLIN' IN!" Twilight could smell the waft of chamomile from what little she'd spilled on herself while trying to put her book down. She'd barely caught a glimpse of Sweetie's tail while the filly left as quickly as they'd arrived.

Somepony bumped into her and she felt a claw poke her withers. Spike swayed on her back, where he stood to watch for Sweetie Belle. Twilight halted her shuffle to let him find his balance first. A half dozen "Howdy Twi!" and "What's up, Spike?" immediately greeted them. She couldn't even begin trying to place any of the ponies around her.

She turned to each of them, one after the other, and churned out as many "Hello"s. It felt as awkward as it no doubt looked. A proper greeting at any diplomatic function would have included their titles.

Spike looked at a taller stallion next to her and responded, "Pretty good, Mr. Cake. Do you know when the show starts?"

"No clue, kiddo!" Mr. Cake smiled back before inquiring, "Were you hoping for anytime in particular?"

As the drake shook his head, Twilight saw a mare in a matching apron lean past the lanky stallion. "Why doncha head up front, dearies," she, presumably Mrs. Cake, said, "should be a good show up there!"

Twilight groaned, "We'll see if we can make it up there."

Mr. Cake hollered, "Let'em sneak on by, y'all!"

The crowd parted before the pair. Twilight looked on in awe as the Cakes shooed her forward. Spike's heel poked her again as he spun around and yelled back "Thank you!"

"Just don' overuse it!" Mrs. Cake replied.

She felt his claws clench into her mane as he face forward again. It was not until after she winced that she saw the reason why. At the front of the audience, visible at the end of the isle, was Sweetie Belle. "Are you sure," Spike pleaded, that she invited us?"

"Yes, Spike, I'm sure," she affirmed, "she was quite vocal about it."

"She just said the caravan was coming into town."

"After barging in the front door, and at the top of her lungs?"

His grip lightened, "I guess you're right."

"Even if I wasn't, it's a public show."

She walked further through the crowd, unabated by the packed mass that it had been before. A glance over her shoulder showed the ponies quickly closing in behind her. They continued to mutter greetings as she went by. She flashed a sheepish smile and continued on her way. Spike leaned down and she heard his scales clack off of a hoof bump. A small white and brown fool disappeared into the sea of ponies. "Who was that?" Twilight asked.

"Pipsqueak," Spike answered, "he's been at the schoolhouse a few times."

"Oh. A friend of yours?"

She felt him shrug. "Friendly."

Friendly was a start.

As they approached the front row, Sweetie noticed them out of the corner of her eye. The filly smiled, raised a hoof and waved at the pair. Spiked waved back and, as Twilight was getting ready to greet the filly, she saw Sweetie's older sister Rarity standing by her side. Her urge to say hello was suppressed by the recollection of Sweetie's voice repeating "Dolts and fools"...

She said nothing as she took a spot next to Sweetie.

Today was an Apple Family Outing sorta day.

Granny Smith had that off-beat rhythm to her snoring durin' the pre-morning call, so Applejack and her siblings knew she'd be under the Mare'n'the'Moon's watch ‘til half past dusk. Their grandmare needed the rest every few weeks and, other than Apple Bloom complaining about the extra chores most of the morning, none of them paid any mind to rushing through their responsibilities to spend the added free time on whatever suited their fancies. They each had their own little rituals for the occasion; Apple Bloom would run off into Ponyville to find Twist, Big Mac would spirit himself away into his acres to the east, and Applejack… She'd hate to admit it, but her guilty pleasure was to brew up some extra-strength double shot espresso, take it up to her room, and curl up on her bed to laugh at those ponies in her stash of Vanity Mare magazines hidden under her nightstand.

The frilly outfits, the outlandish poses, all of the all-too serious expressions plastered on their faces, it was almost as if that Photo Finish gal wanted to models to look ridiculous and nearly make Applejack wake Granny Smith with her mad cackling.

However, there'd be no such shenanigans today.

Apple Bloom had seen some magician's caravan rolling down the road towards Ponyville and gone on beggin' her and Big Mac to take the filly into town to see what was what ‘fore either of them could be off to their own ventures. There weren’t no reason to decline, and it was nearly her birthday, so here they were; walking down the path from the Acreage, Apple Bloom standing on Mac's back with her hooves balanced on his yoke and Applejack running over a mental checklist of any groceries they might need while they were around the market.

“Ye' think they're an earth pony or a pegasus?” Her little sister perked up over Mac's head, fielding the question to either of her siblings.

Their brother responded with a hearty, “Ee’nope.”

“Now why woulda pony other than a unicorn bother-round with putting on a show like that?” Applejack added.

“I dunno,” Apple Bloom said, “it'd be cooler. Make ye think ‘bout how they're doin' all that magic stuff without spells.”

Big Mac shook his head, slowly, so as to not topple the filly over, and mused “It wouldn’t be magic without spells.”

“Yeah it would!” Apple Bloom exclaimed. “It'd just be one uh'dem illusion sorta magics.”

Out of sight of her sister's ire, Applejack rolled her eyes in reaction to the ridiculous assertion and smiled as the trio approached the final cluster of trees before the village would come into full view. Her normal schedule for trips into town a'fore long days selling apples and apple accessories in the market would have the mare round this bend just in time to watch the town bask in the first rays of morning sunlight. On the stroll today, at quarter-til brunch, the sun was well up into the sky above and the town rested on the valley floor with a dull sort of normal glow. Up above the town square she saw a streak of rainbow shades dash about the open air collecting stray scraps of cloud. ’Well eh'll be, that’s a first,’ Applejack thought, ’must be enough folk gathered ‘round fer that laze-about to do her job.’

As the blur slowed, a blob of blue cane to a stop atop the newly formed cloud couch. It laid halfway falling off the edge, no doubt staring at the crowd beneath as a few smaller clouds floated past the mare. ’Shoulda expected that… To conclude the thought, Applejack hummed a resonate ‘Mhmm’.

The act was all to loud, it seemed, as Apple Bloom flipped around to face her elder sister while she leaned against their brother's neck. “Eh'm just sayin', they had a big ‘ole hat on and I didn’t see no horn,” the filly continued ranting, “and they had a cape, too, coulda been hiding some wings under there.”

Big Mac prodded at the filly's theory, “Yet they couldn’t hide a horn under a hat?”

“’course not, how'd they cast their spells?”

The stallion belted out a rolling chuckle. Apple Bloom was forced to slide back onto his withers and wrap a hoof over his yoke to keep from falling off.

“What?!” The bewildered filly blurted out.

“’Bloom, dahl…” Applejack said as she started to reminisce over her own days as a filly, “unicorns can still use magic with their horns covered.” The number of evenings she's spent at the swimming hole with her friends, tryin' to prank one-another with towels or the odd ‘accidental' burial in the beach only to be met with magically charged plumes of sand to the rump… She still had a scar by her cutie mark from a rather ornery crab caught up in one of Acryllic's blasts. He'd of course not been able to see it on account of the soggy hay cake she'd plastered on top of his head just prior. Nothing the two of them couldn't look back on and laugh about now.

“Ah, well,” Apple Bloom huffed, “I ain't got one so eh wouldn't know.”

The rest of their stroll into Ponyville proceeded in relative quiet as Apple Bloom brooded over her temporary embarrassment and her siblings chuckled about it every minute or so. As the trio neared the edge of the town, Applejack saw a small pegasus streak out from behind Minuette's house on a scooter. In a blink of an eye, they were across the street and vanished behind Noteworthy's place. She'd seen that blue helmet just about every day the past few months whenever she was in town on errands as it went scooting along every which way around. She'd seen the filly squeezed into it far longer than that. Never could quite catch her name.

“Slow down!” A familiar voice beckoned from around the corner. “I still have to walk, you know!” The town's teacher cantered out onto the street in front of the three as the filly circled back around to join the group.

“Hey Miss Cheerilee,” Apple Bloom greeted the mare, “whatcha up to?” She hopped down onto the trodden dirt and shuffled in front of Big Mac.

Cheerilee stopped and put a hoof to her side as she caught her breath. She knodded and greeted each of them in turn before answering, “Good day Applejack, Big Mac, Apple Bloom. I was just on my way to a show with-“

“Yer off tah see the wizard? That's where we're headin'!”

Applejack spoke up after her sister butted in, “Don' go bein' rude now, Apple Bloom, let the lass finish.”

“It's alright,” Cheerilee dismissed the reprimand, “they're both excited.” She smiled at Apple Bloom, held up a hoof at the pegasus and asked “Have you two met?”

The fillies shook their heads in unison as her sister stated, “Eh don' reckon we ‘ave. I’m Apple Bloom.”

Cheerilee's companion was about to say something when a gust of wind distracted the group. It was accompanied by a new voice saying, “How could you have not met Scootaloo, she's like, the best.”

It took no time at all for the Cheerilee and the Apple siblings to recognize Ponyville's laggard braggart. Scootaloo's registry of her arrival took a few seconds more but came with an excited gasp.

“Sup, dude.” Dash extended one of her legs for a hoof bump, then commented, “Y'all should hurry up, I just saw the mare light up some fireworks and dip into her wagon. Might miss the start of the action.”

Scootaloo flapped her wings for a short hop and clacked one of her hooves against Dash’s. Applejack could hear her sister whisper to Big Mac, “Now why woulda unicorn need somethin' like fireworks?”

“I’ll be right there,” Scootaloo declared, pushing through a nervous crack in her voice, “I just have to let Miss Cheerilee keep up with me!” The filly rolled her scooter back and forth a few times for emphasis.

Rainbow Dash flared out her wings, crouched into a take-off stance and offered to Scootaloo, “How about we leave these slow pokes and just bolt on over? No speed like a pegasus in clear skies!”

”Dash-" Cheerilee tried to interject.

Scootaloo hung her head and looked at the ground, awkwardly swaying on her hooves as she tried to confess, “I, I can't…”

Hovering above the ground in front of her was the tip of Rainbow's wing. “I’ll give you a lift. There's a spot waiting on a cloud back, if you want it.”

The filly turned to Miss Cheerilee, who scanned over Dash and shared a furtive glance with Applejack and Big Mac. By the look in her eye, Applejack could assume the mare had been put on some sorta spot…

“Go on ahead, Scootaloo,” the teacher said, “I’ll catch up later. There’s some errands I have to run anyway.”

Scootaloo beamed back at her, the prior melancholy faded. “Thanks Miss Cheerilee, I’ll see you there!”

In a flash, the winged pair were gone. The filly's scooter slowly teetered and fell into Cheerilee's grasp. Applejack could see the hints of a frown hiding behind her eyes even as a smile sat on her lips. Well, couldn’t just leave her there all alone.

“Let's get along then, Miss. That Dash is a mite impatient.” Seemed ‘armless enough. Didn’t call no attention to what might be making things awkward between the lot of ‘em, hopefully.

“Actually, I better be off…” Cheerilee digressed as she held up the scooter, “seems like I have to run this back by the home now, I guess.”

Apple Bloom pleaded, “Are ye sure, we'd love fer ye to join us!”

Big Mac caught Applejack's attention with a gesture towards the square, patted his younger sister on the back, and walked over to Cheerilee's side as he bid, “We'll be along soon enough, sis, just head on over with AJ. It's been a while since I took a walk across town and I'm fixing to join Miss Cheerilee on her’s.”

“Alright then,” Apple Bloom agreed, “don' miss too much now.” Satisfied, the filly galloped away down the street.

Applejack took a few steps after her before she looked back. Cheerilee and Big Mac had been classmates back before she transferred up to Central Canterlot High, he would know the best hoof on which to approach whatever was bugging the mare… “Have a good day, Cheerilee. See ye later, Mac.”

Her brother answered with a kurt, “Ee'yup.” Cheerilee gave her a short wave Goodbye, and Applejack ran off after Apple Bloom.

Rarity might not have noticed the arrival of the librarian and her ward without the incessant whispering of the aggregated audience. The only clue the two of them gave was the crunch of Spike's claws as he slid off Miss Sparkle's back. She, however, offered no greeting. Oh well, Rarity determined, it was rather early in the morning and perhaps the mare wasn’t quite up for chit-chat yet. Canterlot was not a morning city, to her knowledge, unexpected as that may be for Princess Celestia's township. The life of the city was far more centered around afternoon dinner parties and evenings at the exquisite shopping centers. It’d hardly been more than a week, now, since Twilight had arrived. She may not yet be acclimated to the up-with-the-dawn nature of Ponyville.

Rarity could certainly respect the delaying g of pleasantries.

Sweetie, it seemed, could not.

“Spike, you made it!” her sister chimed as the drake stood next to her. Without skipping a beat, she leaned past him and addressed the newly present mare, “Hey Twilight!”

“Hello again, Sweetie.” Twilight answered the filly with a smile before glancing up at Rarity. They had hardly made eye contact before she turned her head away to look at the caravan, her lips turned down to a neutral expression.

Before Rarity had the opportunity to question the interaction, her focus was stolen by a flash of lights and a flurry of cracks as a round of fireworks erupted from the wagon.

”Come one, come all,” a loud voice sounded from in front of the crowd as their attention was brought forth, ”come and witness the amazing magic of the Great and Powerful Trixie!”

An entire side wall of the wagon unlatched and swung down to slam into the ground. On impact it expanded to form a stage a theatrical smoke billowed out from inside. It swept over the poured, poured over the edge, and rolled along the ground towards the crowd. Sweetie giggled and hopped on her hooves in a vain attempt to dodge the gas.

As the showmare cantered into the daylight, the sight of her outfit soured Rarity's demeanor.

It was little more than an old foal's blanket slung over her back, clasped in the front with an under-faceted emerald-cut cubic zirconia masquerading as a true diamond. A beast which mocked a hat was in the midst of an attempt to swallow the mare's head. This Trixie's voice sure seemed loud and obnoxious but it was nowhere near the volume and vitriol of the showmare's ensemble.

The yellow accents, haphazardly hoof-stitched at random locations on the garment, clashed with the colors of the fabric and the unicorn's own coat. It was too pale and lacked the reddish hue that may have complimented the lavender tone of her irises. Rarity might have stayed ambivalent, as she had been after Sweetie dragged her out to the town square to stare at a heap of plywood, but this affront to fashion was irredeemable. She was moved to speak and found herself leaning into Twilight's earshot to gripe, "My, my, what boasting!"

The librarian turned to her and softly asked over the heads of their young companions, "There's nothing wrong with being talented, is there?"

Talent was not boisterous. It should be reserved, considerate, honed and practiced. The attribute resided in solemn studios, not streetside stunts. "Just because one has the ability to perform lots of magic," Rarity asserted with a sour note on her tongue, "does not make one better than the rest of us."

Twilight frowned. Her eyes bore the gleam of confusion and, having spent plenty of time around Cheerilee to recognise the sight of it, disappointment. Rarity was taken aback by the reaction. She hadn't meant it as a slight, not one against Twilight.

"Watch in awe as the Great and Powerful Trixie performs the most spectacular feats of magic ever witnessed by pony eyes!" Both mares looked to see the unicorn on stage rise up on her haunches, brush her cape back and unleash a swirl of sparks that sizzled about her shoulders. The crowd gawked as she spun around, the stars sewn into her cape shining with the reflection of the spell as the cloth swayed with the motion. It was... spectacular. The execution was crude but the effect was creative and captivating.

Spike leaned back and asked of Twilight, quiet enough that Rarity almost didn't hear him, "You know that one, right?" Sweetie watched the act in delight, unphased by the question of how it was performed.

Twilight placed a hoof on the drake's back and nodded as she gently faced him forward again. Her eyes passed over Sweetie, pausing to witness the filly's apparent engagement and enthusiasm, before she locked eyes with Rarity once more. "Let them enjoy the show." Her tone was flat, and she looked away.

Her sister bumped into her and tilted their head back to mime a quick apology. For a moment, Rarity saw the grin pressing into Sweetie's cheeks before her mane blocked it from sight. It bobbed to the side as she made some comment to Spike and laughed. He giggled as well as Rarity glanced up at Twilight.

The mare had stepped forward away from the trio and sat down just in front of Spike, paying no mind to anything else she might have to say.

What on earth had she done?

Author's Note

I feel like the Apple section is particularly rushed, but I wanted to get this out while I can despite how tired I am.

There's one more important scene just after all this, and then that should be the last of the second arc for oDaM's main story.

The current hope is that I will begin paying attention to some of my other works while I figure out some interim events between this fic and the sequel, as well as expanding on some of the other tie-in stories.

(21.1) Florescence (Scene One)

Author's Note

Hello, everyone.

I want to apologize for the gap. I hit a slump and might be in it for a bit longer, but I was able to finish the following scene of a longer update that will be published later.

I left things at a bad spot considering how much I dislike dialogue and the sheer amount of talking to come between most of the cast up to this point in the story.

There may be some edits to the following, but I wanted to get something out to all of you as an assurance that I am still here and before my better judgement shelves what I have written for another few months. That said, most of this is what I intended from the scene, as muddled as the execution may be.

Please, enjoy.

(21.1) Florescence (Scene One)

Even through the distant sounds of hoofclaps, hollers and the hiss of pyrotechnics, it was a nearly serene day on the outskirts of Ponyville. The staunchly sweet scent of apple blossoms, so prevalent in months prior, had faded away to herald the approaching harvest. In its place, at least this far into town and away from the edges of the Everfree, Mac could smell the notes of anise from the coreopsis' foliage. It was fainter here than nearer to that strange place, where the flower that Daisy, Lily and Rosebud called a tickseed grew unfettered by the local wildlife, except for the occasional peckish grazing by one striped mare...

Big Mac may have just hazarded to buckle down and enjoy himself if his companion carried a less frazzled composure.

"So then," the stallion finally enounced after some time of walking beside Miss Cheerilee, "Are ye' gonna speak wha's on yer mind?"

Cheerilee let out a sigh. "Please, can we just walk for a bit?"

"Na' if yer huffin' is gonna ruin arh stroll."

Cheerilee groaned this time before condemning his verbage, "You know I reviewed all of your essays our graduating year, right? Sure, it was anonymous but who else would be able to use all their pomological terms correctly? Or even choose to write about pomology in the first place."

He snorted and asked, "An' was that suppose to be for?"

"I know you've got a lot more words up there, McIntosh. You can use them around me if you want."

Big Mac reflected for a moment before he asserted, "That is a fair proposition, Miss Cheerilee. I will admit that most o' what I say is not verbatim to my thoughts but it is far from equipoise for you to ask me to act all sesquipedalian when you are over there all closed off."

Cheerilee chuckled and echoed the word, "Sesquipedalian?"

"Apple Bloom learned it from ya durin' some lesson about Puddin'ead, an' then she called me one the next time ah' used a word that did not staht with two E's!" Big Mac stressed his pronunciation of the letter, in direct contrast to his normal casual rolling of it before his characteristic answers. "O' course she missed a few syllables, which was ironic in the moment, but aye find what she was goin' for in Granny Smith's thesaurus the next time sha was nappin'."

"Why does Granny Smith have a thesaurus?" Cheerilee questioned.

"I reckon she used to use it fer crafting insults ta hurl ore' the fence at Grand Pear," Mac answered before belting out a round of laughter, "that's what started muh vocabulary in the first place!"

Cheerilee laughed with him for a spell until he fell silent and sighed.

"Don' dodge the question, Cheers. What's on your mind?"

"Please," she implored once again, "Can we just walk for a while more?"

Mac glanced up and down the street ahead and behind them before lowering his voice. "Just tell me, did they accept your application?"

Cheerilee fell quiet and cancelled her stride. After looking up and down the street, she whispered, "How did you know about that?"

Big Mac spoke low in response, "There weren't no desire to snoop but aye saw the paperwork on your desk when you had me fixing up the schoolhouse roof. Any ole' parent could have spotted that on summer school enrollment weekend so I slid it in your drawer 'afor they started to waltz in."

Cheerilee thought she had been the one to do that before remembering her frazzled state of mind from around the end of the prior school year and the much conflicted choices it had urged forth of her and the myriad of mistakes she'd nearly made. "Thank you," she muttered, "and no, not yet. There's still other steps. Interviews, visits, fees, it's a whole... Thing."

They stood with a silence between them for a minute until Cheerilee inquired, "Do you think they will?"

"They would be fools not to say yes." McIntosh answered emphatically. "Miss Cheerilee, you are finer mare than you are a teacher, and if my Apple Bloom is anyfilly to hear on the matter, all those foals in that school treasure you."

"Do you really think," Cheerilee paused, before deciding keep the conversation nominally ambiguous, "they all do?"

"Well," Big Mac switched his tone to a defeated inflection as he continued, "that one young filly may be too wrapped up in her own narcissistic affairs to appreciate your lessons now, but she will one day, and hopefully one day soon."

Cheerilee rose her voice slightly in frustration as she said, "I didn't mean Diamond Tiara, Big Mac."

He wasted no time in saying, "Neither did I, I was referring to Silver Spoon!"

Cheerilee let out a scoff that quickly morphed into a chuckle at the stallion's farce.

"Scootaloo will understand," Big Mac confirmed to her as he set aside his attempt at levity, "ye both want the best for each other. However that comes to be."

A few moments passed before she welcomed him with a simple, muted, "Thank you..."

She took a few steps before he met her stride and their stroll continued unfettered by the hushed exchange.

"Since we are being so honest with each other now," Cheerilee reasoned at a more regular volume after they turned at the next street corner, "How's about you tell me her name?"

Big Mac let out a bewildered, "Ah'who now?"

"McIntosh, please," Cheerilee nudged his side with her shoulder, "You varnished your collar. The last time you did that was when you had that thing for Acryllic's cousin back in school. At least until Granny told you she was a Pear."

Big Mac let out a snort and raised a hoof to adjust his yoke. "That's ridiculous Cheerilee. That lass said she just wasn't interested be'in from out of town and all that."

"Not interested in an Apple, you mean?"

"Besides, I wax this ol' thing down every year or it'll start to warp."

Cheerilee leaned forward and made a show of peering closer at the wood. She asked, "Do you normally varnish it with a bottle of Lugnut's Lustrous Lumber Lather? Just admit someone new caught your eye, there's no other reason for you to spend far too much time polishing your knobs." She stood on her back hooves for a moment and flicked the face of her reflection in one of his collar's horns.

"Fine, fine..." Mac sat in the road and looked up and down the street for any creatures within earshot. Cheerilee placed her four hooves back to the earth and met his gaze. Satisfied in their privacy, he admitted, "Ay met a mare from out of town. That's all to be said now."

"I'm happy for you Mac, I hope it turns out better this time. Celestia knows you broke plenty of filly's hearts when you swore off dating last time." She saw his expression shift to one she hadn't oft seen on his face; .

"You were wrong just there, Cheers," the stallion corrected her, "Ann Jo wasn't the last lass I fancied. You spent how many years up there by the castle before coming back down like nothing could've changed?"

"Mac, I'm sorry," Cheerilee hesitated.

"Aye have been tryin' to be considerate but you never asked. Not about home, not about what's new, not about..." Big Mac held something back in his voice even as some tears swelled up in the corner of his eyes, "Not about what you weren't here fer."

She couldn't think of many things that could shake a stallion like Big Mac. Not many more than one of the few things a small town like Ponyville didn't speak of. "I didn't know... Not until I came back. It was too late then, I didn't want to bring anything back up..." Cheerilee tried to comfort him as she rested a hoof on his withers.

"You could have asked. I woulda told ya whether..." Big Mac groaned in frustration as he admitted, "It weren't yer job, Cheerilee. Everypony stopped asking, once Apple Bloom were old enough tah hear'em."

"We, should have wrote. I'd have read, of you wanted to quill me."

"There's no use dwelling on the could've. We're here now." Big Mac gulped back the knot in his throat before he apologized, "That was out of line of me. Uncouth, as that seamstress would put it." He patted her hoof with his own before moving it back to the ground.

"Let's just finish our walk, big guy," Cheerilee redirected the conversation before asking, "What would the neighbors think if they saw us out here alone while the town was all back at the square?"

He almost answered before the two of them realized that the air carried no noise of any traveling showmares or haphazard and gratuitous explosions.

"We should probably get back that way before." Cheerilee asserted.

"Ee'yup," Big Mac agreed. "Granny has a knack for waking back up when the town gets too silent."

They turned onto main street and trotted for a ways before Big Mac noticed a smirk on the teacher's face.

Against his better judgment, he asked "What's that for, now?"

Cheerilee giggled and said, "Sesquipedalian."

(6) The Morning Market

"Would the young sir like to buy some flowers?"

Twilight glared at the mare and almost shouted "No, why would he want to buy flowers?"

Spike patted her on the withers and said "Twilight, it's fine, let's just go."

With a snort, she resumed their trot. It seemed like every street she turned down somepony wanted to heckle her or Spike about something. First it was that pink mare that ran off the first time they met offering them coupons to the candy store. An awkward acceptance had warded her off.

Then it was the photographer, and the jeweler, and now the flowers, what would he even do with flowers?

"Don't you eat them?" Spike inquired.

"Oh, ah," Twilight realized that she'd been voicing her thoughts, "Yeah, ponies do. Why would she ask you?"

"I don't know," he answered, "Maybe I'd like them though."

Twilight didn't need to turn around to feel the made looking at her. "I'll pick some up another time. Aren't you full?"

"Kinda. I could go for some gems."

She thought she'd seen him finish an entire plate at lunch just a few minutes ago. "Oh, uh, I can go ask the jewelry pony?" She proposed, stopping mid-gait.

She could feel him shake his head on her back. "They'd be overpriced."

"Alright." She affirmed, resuming their walk. Her thoughts drifted again; had Spike started to eat more lately?

He was about the age for a molt. Or was that a few years from now? Or several months past?

She'd forgotten.

"It's just plain rude," she mused, catching herself off-guard, "we're just walking here and they keep coming up."

"I kind if like it," Spike answered, "these ponies seem friendly."

They kept pace down the surprisingly busy street. It seemed to Twilight like this was a sort of holiday, ponies hustling around. Rounding a corner, she saw more vendor's stalls set up before her. At the end of the block, hanging before the town hall, was a banner spread over the road that read '1108th Annual Morning Market'.

Dear Celestia, it was a tourist trap.

She remembered AJ mentioning that she cleared out an acre or so of farm equipment to host a campground for visitors. Royalty appearing in such a small town for such a large event was bound to attract some creatures.

She could pick them out now, the locals from those out of town. Many of the ponies had perturbed looks on their faces, a visage Twilight likely shared despite only being in town for a day.

They weren't even entirely moved in yet.

Many of the tables had banners or signs in front of them, displaying the name and address of the business or pony that worked them. Those without seemed to have more of the annoyed ponies present. No doubt locales talking to their friends.

In contrast, Twilight could make out a number of unicorns who seemed rather out of place. They flocked to the larger, more decorated booths in the street. No doubt posh unicorns just off the chariot from Canterlot.

Her cheeks reddened as she thought of her arrival the day prior.

At least she wasn't as dressed up as they were, and Spike lacked the snobbery some of their children displayed as they followed their parents. It seemed like, for the first time since she arrived, Twilight was going somewhat unnoticed in the town.

One affluent gentlecoat stepped away from a vendor's table, a new hankerchief tucked into his vest pocket, and the mare behind him was revealed to Twilight.

Purple eyes met blue as Twilight felt the sudden sensation of being noticed.

Their gaze broke as Rarity turned to speak to some customer. It had only lasted a moment, but something felt different than the last time they'd met.

Why should it, though? She didn't hear the conversation in the library.

Twilight had seen a tension on her face. She just couldn't put her hoof on a reason why.

"Hey Spike!" A high pitched voice split the air as Twilight turned to notice Rarity's... smaller self standing beside them.

She'd never quite caught their relation yesterday.

"Oh," Spike mumbled, "hi?" An empty claw brushed over his wrist as the drake shied away.

"Hello, Sweetie Belle." Twilight started as she lowered her stance, both so that Spike could hop off and she would be speaking even with Sweetie's height. She'd read about that trick to talking to kids in a book. "How are you today?"

"Rarity said I could go look around!" The filly exclaimed with a small hop.

"That sounds, fun." Spike said hesitantly.

Sweetie looked at him and asked, "Want to come with me?" She glanced at Twilight and followed it with "If that's okay by you, I mean."

The mare gave a smile and said "Of course it's fine by me. Spike?"

"Oh- K!" Spike's answer, if it was one, was cut off by the filling wrapping a hoof around his arm and sprinting off into the crowd with him in tow.

Spike looked at her once before she lost him amongst the larger ponies. His eyes were full of surprise, a dash of concern, but also some measure of joy.

Her face stayed mirthful as she faced city hall.

A smile was shared by Rarity, just for a moment between customers, as she saw her sister abducting the young drake.

It had disappeared by the time Twilight might have seen it as she answered another customer's inquiry.

(20) The Stars of the Show

Author's Note

Hello everyone, I just want to clarify for any who haven't checked the fic by now that I published a part two as a chapter "21" but given that the majority of readers have gotten around to it, I've added that chapter to this one, this combining both halves of Stars of the Show.

(20) The Stars of the Show

It was a beautiful day outside. Birds were singing, flowers were blooming, on days like these ponies like Trixie should be working in a profession less apt to burn her house down.

She'd already singed the fringe of her cloak after casting her 'dazzlers' too close to her person. It was simple enough spell to simulate with a Dash of powder and a stripped sparkler but the concoction was far more fiery than the magic itself would be. A quick spin had been sufficient to snuff out the cinders and it appeared that nopony had noticed, which was preferred. The less ponies taking the stage with buckets of water, the better. That'd dampen the mood of the colts and fillies...

And drake?

Couldn't say she'd seen one of them at her shows before, or much at all in Equestria. Well, maybe the town would enjoy having him in the show, if he'd enjoy coming up on stage. Time for the litmus test. Trixie stood straight up on her back hooves and projected her voice, "Enough, Trixie tires of these trivialities." She grabbed the left side of her cloak, turned right away from the crowd, and, from their perspective, slowly rose in the air until she was laying down five feet above the layer of smoke. Nothing could be seen supporting her and it surely couldn't be the fabric of her cloak, flowing and fluttering underneath her. Trixie turned her head as if she was napping, let out an exaggerated yawn, and scanned the crowd for their reactions. The pegasi and earth ponies, as well as the younger unicorns, were surprised because they'd probably never seen one of their unicorn friends or family levitate themselves. The adult unicorns were confused and intrigued, no doubt because they knew the difficulty of the effort and that her cloak should have been caught up in the aura, if there was an aura to be seen.

Yet, judging by the bemused expression on the drake's face, she may have to cancel the tours to the Dragonlands which she'd never thought to schedule. Stage magic may not be the dragons' forte... The filly beside the young dragon, however, seemed particularly gleeful watching the act. She could be a good call up in his place.

"Who among you would have the courage to face true magic first hoof?" Trixie asked as she lowered her outstretched foreleg and the stick, attached to fake hooves, that it was holding back down to her haunches that had never left the stage.

The filly leaned over and had some hushed chat with the little dragon before vigorously throwing up her hoof.

The correct and enthusiastic Trixie held back a beaming grin, restricting it to little more than a smirk.

This, was going to be fun.

Rainbow Dash snickered as the showmare called for somepony from the audience. From her elevated position, she could tell that Trixie's 'body' had been far too skinny during that last trick. She didn't know how it was performed, really, but knowing that something was up made the puzzled looks on all the other adults' faces ever more amusing.

"Should I?" The filly next to her asked.

"Huh?"

Scootaloo clarified, "Should I go down?"

"Nah," Dash erred on the side of comfort, "show's better from the outside. Besides, I think we've already got our volunteer..." She nudged the filly's withers to pull her attention from the stage and pointed to the front of the audience. There stood Sweetie Belle making a small ruckus to try and have herself selected. 'This should be entertaining,' Dash thought as she reached into the belly of the cloud they sat on.

The mare put a hoof to her lips as she motioned for Scootaloo to keep quiet and pulled out a camera from bellow.

"You should go up."

Spike jumped a little as he heard Sweetie's voice speaking softly in his ear. It was such a sharp contrast to Trixie shouting on the stage in front of them. Confused, he asked, "I should what?"

"She wants someone for a spell," she clarified before nudging him on the back with a hoof, "you should your hoo- claw? Hand?"

He eased down a little at her suggestion and prodding but his gut rose as he looked behind him to see the entire town staring up at the stage. Even if he wanted to go up and watch the mare make a mockery of sorcery in comparison to Twilight, he couldn't do it with so many ponies watching. What if he fell, or said the wrong thing, or Trixie didn't know what to do with dragon magic and had to call for somepony else, or-

"Well," Sweetie tipped Spike's run-away train of thought off it's railway, "do you want to?"

He shook his head and stepped back. The drake lifted a claw with his palm open and up to gesture for Sweetie to step forward. "I get to watch cool magic all the time. You should try to get up there."

"Alright, wish me luck!" The filly chirped out as she hopped out into the gap between the crowd and Trixie's wagon. Just before throwing her hooves in the air and calling for the blessing of Celestia herself, Sweetie glanced over her shoulder and squeaked, "Thanks Spike!"

As the showmare answered the filly's din by beckoning, "You there, come forth!", Spike was surprised again as Twilight's hoof wrapped around his shoulder and pulled the dragon into her side. He looked up to see her smiling down at him.

Spike smiled in return and turned back to the stage.

Throughout the crowd, numerous adult ponies grinned as the librarian shared a moment with her young companion. Two such ponies were the mares Pinkamena Diane Pie and Mrs. Cake, the former of which had taken note of who the drake had been speaking with just prior. She leaned over and whispered in her employer's ear, "Who do you think invited whomst? I can try and slip them some coupons again."

"It was Sweetie, dearie, and I already hoofed her a few after the two'oh them got those cones last week, dontcha know." Mrs. Cake whispered back.

Pinkie's response was, slightly, above a whisper. "They did what?!

Throughout the crowd, numerous foals frowned as their attempts to be chosen by the town's second blue braggart fell on deaf ears.

Sweetie Belle cantered across the gap to the wagon and hopped into the air. Her hooves caught the edge of the stage and her momentum continued upwards with a slight pull until her back hoof kicked over the side. With the newfound leverage, she twisted her torso and swept herself into a patch of fog that hovered over the stage. A second later, her head and shoulders popped out.

The mare in front of her peered down, visibly puzzled, and stated below her breath, "I, uh... could have helped you up."

"That's alright!" Sweetie declared and resumed waiting for the trick to begin. The jump wasn't difficult, she'd spent plenty of time running obstacle courses on the cruise last winter. Her eyes skimmed the crowd out of a fleeting moment of curiosity. She saw a curly blob of fuschia hair out there, peaking up over the sea of ponies, just across from Mr. Cake's very clear head. Faultline, the young mare who supervised the courses, had the same bubbly personality as Pinkie Pie. Both hid candies in their manes to surprise others with the sweets. She might be working there over the next break from college.

Sweetie wondered if she'd see Faultline again, though she knew that depended on when her parents returned and where they would go next.

"Now then, little one," Trixie started to yell again, and the filly looked forward to meet her gaze, "if you are prepared to witness true sorcery, proclaim your name to these guests of the Great and Powerful Trixie!" As she finished the line, Trixie pointed a hoof towards the crowd. At the same time, lights hidden under the roof of the wagon switched on and flooded the stage around them in a pink glow.

"Hello," Sweetie trilled as she waved at the audience, "I'm Sweetie Belle!" It seemed like the entire town was there to watch the show. Just about everypony knew her name already, but Trixie probably wanted Sweetie to say it for showmare's own benefit. She could see almost all the townponies from here. Applejack and her little sister were just coming into the square from the road to their acreage. The mare had the same hop to'em strut to her step as Cherry seed, the lead chef at the Baltimore resort her parents had taken her to in the spring. AJ's older brother, when he wasn't with Rarity on the quartet's stage, was just as verbose as her snowboarding instructor that trip, Dusting.

"How about a spot of chance before we begin, Miss Sweetie Belle?" Trixie asked as she pulled a deck of cards from her cape.

"Okay!" Sweetie answered, once again turning to face the entertainer.

Trixie popped open the lid to the card box, slid the deck out on to her frog, and dropped the box back into some obscure pocket of her cape. She then began to shufffle cards and bridge them back and forth, each time broadening the gap between her hooves until they were being flung in a wide arch over her head yet still landing perfectly square on her awaiting hoof. Sweetie frown, despite her best effort to suppress it.

Though the pink-lit mist in the air nearly masked it, the filly could still make out Trixie's aura guiding the cards along their path.

The deck landed on the showmare's shoulder, and with a pass of her hoof the cards slid down the length of her extended leg as she stood and leaned towards the filly. With the deck fanned out and deceptively balanced in place under her magic, she bid the filly to "Pick a card, one card!"

Sweetie heard Trixie mutter something about not making some mistake a second time as she peered at the cards before her.

She knew that it didn't matter which she picked. All the cards had the same chance, one fifty-second, of appearing. Her favorite card had only one-fourth chance of belonging to the suit of diamonds and one-thirteenth chance of being her favorite number, three. Those odds were shared with every other possible combination since no card had yet been revealed. There was no adding to twenty-one as her mom enjoyed or searching for runs and pairs as her dad preferred.

She lifted up a hoof and selected the first card it fell on. Hiding it with her other leg, Sweetie Belle glanced a peek and saw the ace of spades.

How trite, everypony liked that card. She tipped it face down and returned it to a new spot.

Trixie immediately condensed the deck and shuffled it again. As the cards fluttered into one-another, she commanded "Remember, my little pony, that not everything is as it seems..." The mare held the deck aloft in her hoof and tipped it back, allowing the cards to slide back with their face forward.

Though they flashed before her too quickly to see them all clearly, Sweetie couldn't make out any cards that were not from the suit of spades. The showmare's move was angled so that the crowd could also get a glimpse at the cards, though they could probably only see that the cards were all black. Trixie caught the cards as they fell, covering her eyes with the hoof that they had dropped from. She then tossed the deck in the air and spun, her cloak stretching out to somehow catch the cards and fan them out along the hem. They were all now of the suit of hearts yet on her second spin, they ruffled and somehow switched to the suit of clubs.

Sweetie could still make out the glimmer of Trixie's aura controlling the cards through the glow hanging over the light fog, though at this point anypony would definitely suspect magical tampering even without it.

The showmare halted her spinning and caught the corner of her garment in a hoof. The cards slowly piled up again before Trixie brushed away her cloak and presented the deck to the filly once more.

"Cut the deck," Trixie commanded, "And the great and powerful Trixie will cut away any doubts you may harbor."

Sweetie reached out and plucked off the top third of the deck. Trixie immediately flicked her hoof over the card resting above the bottom part of the deck. It flew into the air and tilted back around Sweetie, boomeranging underneath her belly and once again around her shoulders. The filly danced in place for a moment, excitedly spinning to try and trace where the card was at in its flight. It curved up and fluttered in front of her face, slowly losing momentum and starting to fall down towards the fog at her haunches. Sweetie quickly raised a hoof to catch it. The aura faded as it landed there. She could tell that the card was guided on the path by Trixie, but it was still fun to watch.

Turning it face up, she saw the Three of Diamonds looking back at her. The sight brought a smile to her face, the sight of which brought a concerned frown to Trixie's face. "Is," the showmare began as Sweetie's smile leveled flat, "that your card?"

"No," the filly responded as she remembered that it was supposed to be the Ace of Spades, "it's... not."

"What?!?" Trixie objective in disbelief, her frown shifting to a much more animated expression of disbelief. "The Great and Powerful Trixie could never fail at such an act! Her performance must have been Sabotaged!"

The mare stood tall, waved an accusatory hoof towards the audience and kicked her hoof into the stage as emphasis.

Immediately, the lights mounted to the top of the wagon switched off, and the fog returned to a muted shade of grey.

Immediately after that, the cards fell out of Trixie's hoof. No aura enveloped them as they raced around her leg and swirled under and over her cloak. A startled gasp escaped Trixie's mouth as she spun around, confused by the deck's sudden animation. "Cease this insolence," she shouted as the cards vanished into the mist, "get back here!" Sweetie heard some of the parents start to snicker as the cards appeared quickly climbing up the posts to the top of the wagon. They sped across the roof past the stage lights as the showmare hopped up and down, uselessly trying to swipe the cards down. Sweetie giggled at the display as the crowd's laughter intensified. Once more, the cards dived into the fog under the stage and just narrowly avoided Trixie's reach as she leapt towards them and disappeared along with them. "Hey, hey hey," the mare's disembodied voice called out from some hidden spot, "those are mine!"

"Oh!" Sweetie called out in surprise as something brushed against her shin. She jumped up from her haunches and looked down to see the cards circle around her back leg. "Woah!" she squealed as they rustled around her back and flourished up her shoulder towards the lone card still clutched to her hoof. The last of the cards rounded off her collarbone and swung loose in the air above her, transforming the string of cards into a whirlwind of chance and cardboard. It neatly collapsed into a perfectly piled pack of playing cards. Sweetie stared down at it, stunned, until she realized that nopony was laughing anymore.

They were all looking over her. Above and behind her.

Sweetie turned around to see the Great and Powerful Trixie glaring at her. It was quite intimidating to see her whole face, unobscured by the brim of her hat or the curl of her bangs. The mare looked down at her and declared, "It was you..."

"Wha- what?!" Sweetie stuttered.

Trixie stamped her hoof against the stage and the fog turned a deep red as the stage lights flared back to life. "Have not the cards gone to you, you- you charlatan! You've stolen Trixie's magic and hijacked her performance!"

Sweetie shook her head vigorously and said "No, I, I'm not even that good at magic! I swear..." She pressed her eyes shut and held back a tear. Everypony was still watching the show, she knew, she could feel their eyes on the stage, and-

"How could it not be your magic to have done this, my Great and Powerful Protégé," Trixie said as she knelt down and spun Sweetie around to face the crowd, pulling the fillies' hoof up into the air as she did so, "when it has done what the Trixie could not and discovered your card!?"

Sweetie opened her eyes and saw the Ace of Spades resting on the very top of the deck. The worries that had so stressed her just a moment before washed away as a feeling of euphoria rushed through her. Had it been her own magic? Could Trixie have planned such a display into the show?

The crowd started to laugh again as they saw a grin spread across Sweetie's face and heard the excited giggle escape her mouth. A few of the stallions even whistled as others began to clop their hooves together. Trixie plucked the cards from the filly's hoof and slid them back into some pocket of her cape, before pausing, glancing back at her, and then pulling out one of the cards for the filly. "Well, it seems to have chosen you. Why don't you keep it, as a souvenir."

Sweetie spat out, "Thank you!" She grasped the card in one of her hooves and quickly hugged the showmare before cantering off the stage, landing on her hooves and trotting forward with not a halt in her pace.

Trixie yelled out once more, "Now, prepare yourself, ye simple ponies, as the next Daring and Dangerous act of magical prowess unfolds before your very eyes with the terrors of the cockatrice and..."

The mare's words faded away as Sweetie looked down at the card in her hoof. She could see Twilight, Rarity and Spike waiting for her at the front of the crowd, all three smiling as they waited for her to join them.

She wouldn't have tried to go up if Spike hadn't suggested it. She looked at him again and once more at the card. The spade kind of reminded her of the last scale on his tail. Well, there was at least one reason to like the ace of spades for, the same reason she liked the three of diamonds.

She sat down at Rarity's side and smiled at Spike.

She couldn't think of anyone she'd met in town or on her trips that reminded her of him.

The filly threw a hoof over his shoulders, pulled him into her side, and whispered, "Thank you."