Velvet’s home was quite quaint, there was small empty armchair in the living room near the warm fire. Astra noticed that the kitchen seemed much more like a muggle kitchen, there also was electricity in the building.

Astra smiled, this meant that the ponies were more adaptable to change than wizards and witches. It felt like a mix between a Wizard or Witch's home and that of a muggle. Astra smiled as she took a nice relaxing seat on the armchair.

Velvet smiled “Do you want me to make you something?’

Astra frowned “Do you eat any flowers or hay?’

Velvet nodded to her with a raised eyebrow “Yes, we ponies do. Is that going to be a problem?”

Astra nodded “Flowers and hay would make me sick. My species can’t eat those things, we are omnivores that can’t eat those types of things.” Astra raised an eyebrow “You don’t think I’m some strange or weird entity?”

Velvet smiled “You are very similar to a Minotaur. Yeah some ponies would find that weird but that is because they have never seen a Minotaur before.”

Astra smiled “Since you guys don’t serve meat very often, pancakes with some fruit would be nice if I’m not troubling you too much.”

Velvet smiled “It is not a problem, it is a pleasure to meet you. One so young rarely has good manners.”

Astra laid back quietly, happily enjoying the warmth of the fire. She would have to return home in a fairly short time considering everything that was going on. Plus her friends would want to see her soon, Nicolas Flamel and Perenelle Flamel as well as her much more recent friend Grindelwald.

Astra was able to pull a few strings to ensure that the former dark wizard was in good health, she remembered when him and Albus Dumbledore were young boys. She told them multiple times to get a room.

Astra turned to Velvet “I am biologically about ten nearly eleven but my ageing has been slowed all my life. I am over nine hundred years old, I haven’t kept track of my birthdays given how often other have hunted me.”

Velvet grimaced “That sounds horrible.”

Astra shrugged “It was worse for the dark wizards, the bad ones. I ate their souls and added their power to my own.” At her horrified expression, she shrugged “many of them murdered countless innocents and would murder countless more. I am putting their magic to better use than they ever did.”

Velvet observed Astra closely “You are different from anypony I’ve met, your world must be one of great strife.”

Astra nodded “The non-magical part of my homeworld has wars frequently and the magical part is recovering from the actions of two powerful dark wizards. One fortunately seems to have realised the error of his ways, the other has been hiding in the shadows pretending to be dead.”

Velvet frowned as she entered the kitchen “You won’t find any beings like that, the Princesses have defeated anything like that eons ago.”

Astra turned back to the fire, she wondered what she could learn here comparative. She also wondered what types of dark magic she could learn here to add to her own powers. She closed her eyes for just a moment, she awoke in a realm comprised of complete darkness only to see a short mare with a dark blue coat.

Astra’s eyes narrowed “Why are you here, Princess Luna?”

Luna scuffed her hooves “I’m here to apologise for my actions in the castle. I was not myself.”

Astra sighed “Princess Luna, there is a reason I don’t rule any nation when I could very easily do so. I try to keep away from power and only intervene in the affairs of mortals, beings like us are not fit to rule mortals. We should stay back until the situation becomes dire.” Astra’s eyes narrowed upon the Alicorn “Your actions threatened the very stability of the world because you threw a temper tantrum.”

Luna growled “They loved my sister more than they did I!”

Astra took a deep breath “That is why you should act as grand sages to Equestria, not it’s rulers. Unfortunately you are no in the position to do that, having said that you need to speak you mind to your sister before it bubbles over again.”

Luna smiled “Thank you.”

Astra shook her head “Thank me by never allowing such foolishness to happen again. I would like to…” Astra saw the darkness being punctured by light “It seems Mrs Velvet wishes me to awaken. Farewell.”

Astra awoke to see Velvet besides her with another pony, a pale gray-blue unicorn with a darker blue mane. Velvet smiled “This is Night Light, my husband. I have prepared your pancakes.”

Night Light smiled as Astra stood up, happily taking the armchair and making himself comfortable. Astra followed Velvet into the dining room, the walls were a dark blue like the night sky. Several family pictures hung from the walls. In some pictures in front of Night Light and Velvet was a white stallion and purple filly. In other it was just a white colt.

Astra assumed that the white colt and the white stallion were the same, the purple filly was born later. Astra shook her head and focused on the stack of pancakes on the white plate, she smiled as she took a bite. They were light and fluffy as pancakes should be. It wasn’t long before she devoured the entire stack.

Velvet smiled “I’m glad you liked your food.”

Astra smiled back “Could you show me to my room? I would like to rest tonight so that when I got to the school I am well rested.”

Velvet trotted over to her “I’ll show you to the guest room on the second floor.” Astra followed Velvet out of the dining room and up the bright red carpeted stairs. They stood in a corridor with a similar carpet and nice dark green walls. Velvet headed to the end to the hall and opened a door, Astra close behind.

The room was fairly plain, clean white walls with nicely folded white beddings. A small vanity near the door, a wardrobe in the right corner and a bedside table in the room. There was also a small bathroom next to the room. Astra smiled “Thank you, Mrs Velvet. I can settle in myself.”

Velvet smiled “Very well.” As Velvet left, Astra clicked her fingers the wardrobe opening as a portal opened beside her, clothes on hangers flying out of said portal into the wardrobe. She then took off her clothes and walked into the bathroom.

Astra clicked her fingers once more and out of the portal came all the bathroom supplies she needed. Her tooth brush in a glass flew over to the white sink along with a bar of soap, another soap and shampoo flew into the shower. She looked around the bathroom, it was plainly white. She tossed her clothes off and stepped into the shower.

After her shower, Astra exited the bathroom and turned off all the lights She then got under the sheets and laid down drifting into peaceful slumber. She awoke with a groan as sunlight pierced through the window, she waved her hand mumbling “Go away, Sun.”

It got dark for a moment the Sun returned, Astra groaned as she waved her hand again mumbling “Stay down!”

Back in the castle, Celestia was desperately trying to raise the sun but something powerful was blocking her. She tried to force but then a huge being made of incredible darkness appeared in front of her knocking her back. The creature spoke “I am a weak manifestation of my master subconscious magic, she wishes to sleep and your sun is impeding that so I am keeping it down till she awakes. If you persist in opposing me, I will kill you.”

Celestia nervously looked at the being “Who is your master?”

The creature smiled “Astra is my master, she should wake shortly and then I will go.” Seconds later the sun returned to it’s position as the creature vanished.

Celestia proceeded to leave the room with a slight scowl on her face, Raven saw her face and scribbled in a scroll “Cancel everything, Princess Celestia doesn't want to wipe the asses of useless nobles this morning.” Celestia smiled, grateful that her secretary understood she didn’t wish to be disturbed.

Celestia left the castle and headed to the Light residence, she soon arrived at the household and knocked. Astra exited, saying goodbye to Velvet as she did so. Astra frowned “I’m sorry about this morning. I need to shut my curtains from now on.”

Celestia frowned as they left the residence together “The fact you were able to hold the sun down unconsciously is an incredible feat of magic” she then whispered “even as one of me and my sister’s former enemies Discord as powerful as he is needed to direct conscious attention to the activity, if he was trying to stop me from moving it. You did it subconsciously. I know of only of a couple beings a who could maybe do that, and one who definitely could.”

Astra frowned “Who?”

Celestia sighed as she whispered “Tirek may have been able to if he absorbed the magic of everypony other me and my sister. I can’t say for sure, likely that Scorpan had done the same thing he could do it. The only other one is the father of monsters, Grogar at full power. Something that is impossible.”

Astra frowned “This is why I keep out of affairs unless the need is dire, mortals need to be able to grow without the help of gold beings like us. We should only step in when it is dire, sadly it is too late for you two to make that choice.”

Celestia nodded as the two approached the school, a large multi-story structure with three towers emerging from the top. They entered the halls that were made of solid granite and had tiled floors. A unicorn that was greyish combat blue coat galloped over. Celestia smiled “Professor Top Marks, Astra here is to learn how our magic works in order to add to her own abilities.”

Top Marks nodded “I’ll take you to my class then. Follow me.”

Celestia smiled “I’ll leave you to it then.” Astra nodded with a smiled as she followed Top Marks she entered a classroom full of older students and took a seat. All of them were unicorns, the room had pretty standard wooden desksand a wooden teacher’s desk as well as a chalkboard.

Top Marks smiled “Since we have a guest student, why don’t you all show her some of the things you have learned at the school.”

Astra smiled as she saw a student teleport assessing the spell closely “That is far better than the Apparition I know, let me try.” Astra took a deep breath and she found herself in the spare bedroom that she occupied. She repeated the process disappearing in a flash.

Astra reappeared in her seat. All the students look at her confused, Top Marks was bewildered “I’ve never seen a student learn a spell that fast.”

Astra smirked “Well I have been studying magic for a long time, figuring out how to do a new spell isn’t that hard.” The other students admired her, she they hadn’t thought much of the non-pony but now. She was clearly gifted and that’s all they cared about.

They showed Astra a few more spells, ones she would definitely practice later. Astra was surprised that they were so accepting of her despite her different species, yet again unlike most others who gave her odd looks. It was likely thanks to Celestia’s influence that anything happened at all.

After a day of picking up some unique spells, observing some new spells. The healing magic seemed incredibly useful, being able to heal wounds and even cure diseases with spells was some different from back home. Sadly knowledge of combat magic was limited here. Astra made her way to the Light household only to see an angry white stallion with a dark blue mane with streaks of teal running through it standing outside the door.

Author's Note

I hope you enjoyed this chapter.