The Schools of Stalliongrad

by Nadir

Rating: teen
Tags: Twilight Sparkle, Main 6, My Little Pony: Friendship is Magic, Alternate Universe, Romance, Princess Luna, Thriller, Adventure
Length: 59982

Commoners are given nothing, only having what they take. Twilight, lowborn that she is, won't settle for nothing. She'd rather have it all.

Magic, the most forbidden art. Only nobles are allowed to learn from the great wizards and witches, and only from special schools set up by the state. For commoners, learning the mystic arts is nothing but a dream, a fantasy that many strive for but none achieve.

With one exception: Stalliongrad. The great, northern city boasted more magic schools than any other, and among them, the only one that accepts low born ponies. It's a dangerous trek to get there, and even more dangerous to simply stay in the frozen city.

Twilight Sparkle, however, will not be stopped. Destined to become the archmage, destined to sit at Princess Luna's side, she will not be stopped.

After all, Archmage Twilight Sparkle has a nice ring to it.

Published 2021-04-08 22:50:01 UTC
Last updated 2023-02-18 20:31:11 UTC

Welcome to Stalliongrad

The world burned. Stalliongrad burned. The great schools of the North fell in flames and Luna could do nothing to stop it.

Luna’s city. Luna’s people fell to the fire. Yet, she could hardly will herself to move. Her balcony offered the perfect view to watch the destruction, an overview of her school, her castle, her everything. The flames rose all the more, threatening to engulf her even in her tower. The fire already consumed most of the castle, the great hall had fallen, as had her court chambers. Her tower would inevitably be next. She could picture it so clearly in her head, the way the carpet on each stair would burn, all her lovely tapestries, her paintings, everything that had reminded her of her loved ones.

Somehow, she could hear her citizens.

Please, sompony, help me!

Get the fillies! We have to go back in and get the fillies!

Keep your eyes closed, dear. Just a bit longer, just a bit-

Luna could hear their pleas, their screams, and their ends. There, another tower crumpled. The great library fell in on itself with a cacophony of crunches and desperate yells. Decades of knowledge, centuries of literature all lost at once, with a single crash. An entire row of homes burnt to a crisp in mere seconds, their thatch roofs and wooden siding kindle to the flame. The wall that once protected her city lay ruined already, holes wide enough for an entire army to march through left in its wake. Ash, like snow in the worst of blizzards, gave her the only reprieve, shadowing away the worst parts of the ruination.

The acrid smoke burned Luna’s nostrils, choking the air from her lungs. Tears stained her cheeks, threatening to spill over from her eyes once more. The mare’s ears pushed back against her head, desperately trying to stop the cries from reaching her, but it didn’t stop a single one. Somehow, she managed to close her eyes, but with each second that passed, another of her ponies passed.

Behind her, Luna heard a laugh, a cruel thing, borne from the depths of hell itself. Just out of her sight, somepony—nay, something lurked. The presence itself somehow rivaled the horrific sight before her. The thing moved, clopping against the floor with each step, closer and closer to a Luna that couldn’t move no matter how hard she struggled.

“Watch it burn,” the voice spat out. The words were seductive, silken, despite their very nature. Luna swore that she recognized it, every neuron of her brain screaming at her to figure it out, to make sense of it. Magic swirled around her eyes, forcing her eyelids back open, just in time to see the last of her school fall in on itself. A pang of hurt broke her heart, and painful tears threatened to spill over. Luna reached for her magic, desperate to force the power to the surface. Maybe if she could break whatever curse rooted her to the spot, she could do something.

Nothing came. Only now did she feel the pressure on her horn, and while she couldn’t see what it was, she guessed that somepony had slipped an inhibitor ring around it. “You failed them, Luna. You failed every single one of your precious prancing ponies. Reap what you sow.” It ended in a coo, something so out of place, so alien that it sent a shudder up Luna’s spine.

A whimper escaped her, pathetic for a princess but somehow the only thing that could leave her lips. The final tower of her school fell, crashing down into itself in a terrible spout of flame. Somehow, that alone galvanized her. A single word escaped her, echoing through the room and shattering whatever spell had bound her to the spot: “No!”

The word ended it all. Just as quickly as it had come, the vision melted away from around her and Luna found herself floating. The smoke lingered for just a second before that too dissipated away. Cool, crystalline light filtered around her, impossibly calm compared to the monstrosity of before. A single image appeared before her, a tiny mare, purple coated and horned. Find her, a voice whispered into her ear, so discrete, so quiet, she nearly missed it.

And then Luna woke up.

The cold night’s air bit at Twilight with every step that she took. Snow fell like a sheet of white, clouding the air around her and slowly dampening her few clothes and short fur. The wind howled around her, whipping the black cloak against her body. Few traveled this far north, and even fewer still made the journey with as little as the mare did. A cloak, a saddlebag, and her wits, nothing more and nothing less.

And even the saddlebags didn’t hold much. Inside, a photograph rested tucked inside a book, faded and old but still visible. The book itself hadn’t fared much better either, the edges of each page crumpled from weather damage and age, the once ivory color yellowed to something more jaundice. Other than that, a few bits, some food, and a canteen of now mostly frozen water waited inside. Her supplies had dwindled over the long journey, and this far into it, few remained.

Nopony came to Stalliongrad without reason. A massive city, but not one with bustling trade or a vibrant economy. No, Stalliongrad boasted a single export: magic. Magic schools and colleges cropped up here like trees to a forest, each one more impressive, more grandiose than the last. The veil between the more dream-like aether and the world itself thinned here, and magical feats possible nowhere else could be executed with… well, not ease, but as close as you could get to it.

Only here, could a commoner become a mage. Only a single damned magical school allowed commoners in, and it lived here in the frozen reaches of the bitter north. Run by none other than Princess Luna herself, the school took in all sorts from beginner to advanced mages. The path to archmage ran through it, despite what so many claimed otherwise. Twilight had seen pictures of it, the spiraling towers and massive lecture halls were things that occupied every corner of her dreams. She’d studied magic all of her life, but one could only do so much alone and without tutelage.

Twilight had read about the city, all about the different economies supporting the magic colleges, the different schools, and even the governing class. But, nothing she read had prepared her for how bitterly cold the city truly was, or how thick the snow around her hooves would grow. Nothing in her stories had told her of the looming wall in front of her either, a massive thing that had to be fifty feet tall, if not more. Torches dotted the parapets, flickering in the constant flurries of snow and wind. Ponies, townguard they had to be, kept watchful eyes on the darkness around.

Even if she had heard of it, nothing could have prepared her for the size either. Twilight hailed from a small village, one with barely a hundred ponies calling it home. In sharp contrast, Stalliongrad housed nearly a million souls and the wall somehow surrounded all of it. Once the day broke and the weather cleared, she’d have to study it. How had they kept something so massive up, and how long had the construction taken?

But nopony was out here, nopony but Twilight. Ever so slowly, she crept forward. The wind lessened, the guardhouse itself protecting her from the elements. “Halt.” The word accompanied a spear, suddenly leveled at her chest.

It would take Twilight but a moment to clear her eyes. Her horn stopped glowing, letting down the small shield she’d put in front of her face to keep the snow off it. Two stallions stood before her, both in the gleaming silver armor of the night.

Before Twilight could words out, the stallion with the spear leveled it to her chest spoke once more. “State your name and business for traveling this late in the evening, stranger.” A simple order, but one that Twilight actually took a second to process.

She licked her lips, warming up the frozen things as she cleared her throat. “Twilight Sparkle.” Her head tilted upwards, meeting the stallion’s eyes now. “I’m here to become the next archmage.”

A snort broke through the air around them, the other guard breaking down into peals of laughter. The spear retracted, pressed back against the ground once more. Even the formerly dead serious stallion with the spear had trouble keeping a straight face, though his was more conciliatory, pandering. “Oh, are ya now?” he asked, with a quirked up eyebrow. “And how exactly do you intend to do that? The post has been vacant for damned near a century now, and our dear Princess of the Night isn’t exactly going to change that any time soon. Not for a waifish little shit like you.” That broke him, the pair cackling out laughter, one having to even lean on his spear for support.

Twilight frowned. A deep breath calmed her down, enough to stop her from saying anything stupid. “If that’s enough, would you particularly mind letting me through?” she asked. Annoyance leaked in her voice no matter how hard she tried to stop it. Her nostrils flared, a huff leaving her and crystalizing in the air around her.

The laughing abated after an agonizingly frustrating minute or so. “Oh aye, go ahead,” the guard beckoned beyond, into the city proper. “Enjoy your stay in Stalliongrad, archmage.” Derision, derision and more laughter at her expense.

But Twilight ignored it.

She stepped forward, through the gatehouse and into the city. Already, it somehow felt warmer. Perhaps the walls and the city itself sheltered the inhabitants from the gusts of wind. Or perhaps the fires lit in the homes had an ambient heating effect on the streets too, Twilight couldn’t know for sure.

Yet, she’d find out. Nothing drove Twilight more than her insatiable curiosity. Even these little, seemingly unimportant things burned in her head until she found an answer. The Library of Stalliongrad would surely have an answer, because it held the answer to everything, didn’t it?

For now, she’d settle for finding a place to sleep. A wide square greeted her as she walked on, ringed with stalls and shops of all sorts. None of them were open this late, but during the day she could imagine what a busy bazaar this sort of place could be. The scraps of trash and discarded food wrappers gave that away, at least.

Where there was a market, there was an inn. Three streets branched out from the square itself and Twilight chose the middle one. This late at night, nopony braved the streets. Lights flickered inside of buildings, but most lay silent and dark, their denizens long since asleep.

The snow crunched under Twilight’s hooves as she walked, ahead of her she could see the sign for an inn. The Gilded Stallion. She might get a better deal elsewhere, but frankly the chill had set into her bones and she just wanted to be warm.

Twilight opened up the door and let the wave of warmth wash over her. The first floor of the tavern didn’t seem like anything special: a hearth on one side of the room with a smattering of chairs around it, a few tables and yet more chairs, and a bar with a row of casks and a stallion behind it.

It must have been later than Twilight realized because nopony filled the tavern room either, nopony drank or ate or told stories or anything of the sort. Even her tavern back home played host to all sorts of revelry until early in the morning. Or perhaps this tavern simply didn’t open it's doors to that sort of company.

Regardless, Twilight approached the counter, the stallion behind it seemingly half asleep as well. He noticed her after a moment’s time, eyes dragging over the small mare on the other side of the counter. “You missin’ yer parents, kid?” he asked, half leaning over the counter to fully see Twilight.

Twilight wasn’t some child. No, she was a full grown mare, if a bit small for her size, which made those sorts of questions all the more annoying for her. Yet, she did her best to not show it, one ear flicking as a tell-tale sign and nothing more. “No,” she answered, blunt but not cruel. “I need a room. For one.”

The stallion stopped leaning over the counter and gave a small nod. “Aye, we’ve got a couple rooms open. You got the bits for it? It’s twenty for a night, comes with breakfast and dinner too. Shit, you look half frozen to the bone, filly, I’ll give ya dinner now too if ya want it.”

Twilight’s stomach growled just at the thought of food. Her horn glowed, magic rooting around in her bag for the small bag of bits inside. She had just a bit more than twenty, thank the Goddesses, and out they’d come, settling into four even stacks of five on the counter. “There, that should do it. And dinner would be lovely, thanks. Should I just take a seat?” she asked, glancing around at the tables. Plenty of room at least, small victories.

The stallion swept the coins off the counter and into his waiting hoof, tucking them somewhere underneath the counter that she couldn’t see. “Aye, anywhere’s fine. Be right back in a few minutes, little miss.” With that, he clopped his way to a swinging door close by, pushed it open and let it swing back behind him.

Magic closed her saddlebags once more as Twilight took her seat at a table close to the fire. Warmth slowly started to fight the chill set into her bones, and with a grateful sigh, she shrugged off her cloak and saddlebags. They’d been on her so long that the saddlebags had left a divot in her fur and she hadn’t even realized how much of her fur had frozen. Of course, that now meant the vast majority of her fur had gotten wet from the ice melting but at least the fire would dry her up quickly.

With a pleased sigh, Twilight scooted closer to the fire, letting it warm her coat with its crackling heat. “Oh Luna,” she groaned out. The mare rested her head against the table, closing her eyes and letting herself just relax for a few seconds. Her hooves were sore and she had a raging headache, her tail quite literally dripped with melted snow, and she might have just fallen asleep right then and there.

Or she might not have heard the stallion come right back out. The smell of something warm and hearty opened her eyes right back up. Twilight peeked at the bowl left in front of her and sniffed at it, the scent of all sorts of veggies and delicious spices. She directed a thankful nod towards the stallion, grasping at the provided food with her magic. “Thanks. It's super late, so really appreciate you helping me out,” she smiled, the first time she had in who knew how long.

That got her a smile back from the tired stallion. “Don’t mention it, lass. This place here’s my pride and joy, I’ve spent more time getting this place in shape than… well, anything else in my damned life, that’s for sure. What brings ya to town, lass? We don’t get many mares yer age comin’ up alone. Er, how old are ya anyways?”

Twilight rolled her eyes, even as she sipped at the soup. It warmed her up from the inside out, and between it and the fire, she actually felt life breathed back into her. The cold had numbed her, and now that it had retreated, the soreness set in. “Nineteen,” she answered. She paused, considering her words before going on. “And I’m here to be a student at Princess Luna’s academy.” Without the cloak hiding it away, her cutie mark for magic shone bright against her flank.

“They started takin’ more students then, dinnit they?” he asked, with a low whistle. “Last I heard, they had closed up their doors for er, what was it, two years? Maybe three?” he mused.

Twilight stopped eating. The words had frozen her in place - stopped taking students? She couldn’t have come all this way for nothing. She’d given up her home, the only life she’d had to come here. Nothing else here existed for her but the school, and if it had stopped taking students, why had she even bothered to come? Tears welled up in her eyes, and the mare did her best to start mechanically scooping soup into her muzzle once more.

She didn’t even notice the way her tail and ears both drooped. Obviously, she realized that she slumped against the chair, and it apparently only took the stallion but a moment to pick it up too. “Err, lass?” he asked, tapping a hoof in the most delicate way possible against her shoulder. “Y’all right there?”

The sadness dissipated as quick as it came, replaced with sheer determination. No, Twilight hadn’t come this far just to fail. The journey alone had been hard enough, this was just another hurdle that she could overcome. “I’m fine,” she answered, though it took her an embarrassingly long time to get out. “It’s fine, I just… didn’t really expect to hear that. Do you know why?” she asked. At least she could look at him again, no more tears threatening to spill over.

“I can’t tell ya the details, lass. But I heard they had too many students. Luna didn’t have the time to devote to the school no more so she cut back. Only allowin’ ten per class now and the classes take damned near years to finish. Sorry to tell ya that, but I thought that you already knew and had been accepted anyways.” It was his turn to look awkward and uncomfortable, shifting back and forth where he stood. “Might wanna finish yer stew. Don’t want it to get cold.”

Twilight did look back towards her soup, seeing the steam still rise off the top. “It’s good stew. Thank you again. And uh, thanks for the information. Even if I didn’t wanna hear it. I’ll just have to think of a new way to get into the school,” Twilight resolved with a nod that mostly seemed directed to herself. Magic picked up the spoon again and she started to eat once more. Out of the corner of her eye, she could see the stallion give a nod and head back to the counter, leaving her in peace once more.

Okay. So Twilight would have to re-do some of her plans. That was fine, she could do that. First step, find a new way into the academy. Or perhaps fake papers and claim that she had noble blood.

Or not, the last time somepony had done that, they’d been executed. As much as Twilight loved magic and wanted to study it, she loved her head being attached to her neck even more. Her hoof had unknowingly started to tap against the ground, idly eating her soup as she thought.

Princess Luna ran the school. She also held court visits daily. Well, nightly from what Twilight had read. In fact, that meant she probably held court right now, right? What stopped here from simply marching up there and declaring her goal? Well for one, guards. Also, it probably would end up with her laughed out of town.

Quite honestly, she didn’t have the supplies to make the trip back. The school provided room and board to all of its students and Twilight had banked on that. If she had to take the same journey back, she’d probably perish. But there wasn’t a reason to stay here if she didn’t get into the school. No future.

No future anywhere, actually. Her spoon clinked against the bottom of the bowl, giving away that she’d run out of it entirely. She frowned, looking at the empty bowl as her mind kept working on overdrive. It’s not like she had many chances here. And by the princesses, she felt tired, so very tired, and sore.

Only one idea and a damned stupid idea. “Why can’t I think of anything?” she blurted out, smashing her forehooves against the table. It clattered the bowl and the spoon, the porcelain and silver making quite the noise against the wood.

“Oi!” The barkeep called, a swear under his breath that she barely heard. “I get yer frustrated but watch the goods, aye? That stuff cost me a damned fortune…” he complained, trailing off with a light growl.

Fair enough. With a sigh, Twilight stood once more, levitating the bowl and the spoon with her. She’d drop them at the counter with a muttered thanks. “Sir, thank you so much for the hospitality. I have to make one more stop before I rest for the night, will my room still be ready?” she asked, trying to affix the smile back on her face. Time to do a stupid plan.

“Aye,” he answered. “Be safe, y’here? I’d hate to hear ya froze to death in some damned alleyway. Keep your wits about ya, filly.”

A nod answered his words, and levitation brought Twilight’s things back to her side. “Can you give me directions to the castle?” she asked. Quite a bit easier than wandering around hopelessly.

“Aye, lass. It’s up the hills. Keep going up and ya can’t miss it. Normally, you’d see it, but with this damned weather it’ll probably be blotted out,” he explained. “Jes follow the hills.” A single gold bit left as a tip and Twilight had gone.

Out into the cold air she’d go once more, the blistering cold slamming into her like a wall. Fiery determination filled her up, keeping the worst of it at bay. Eyes looked up, scanning the horizon. The snow blurred most of it away from her view, hiding away the buildings as the city stretched on and on. It sloped upwards, the city built on some kind of massive hill. From what Twilight remembered, it had been purposefully built that way as a method to protect the city.

That did, however, make it all the more of a pain to traverse. The cloak wrapped back around herself once more, horn lighting up as a shield covered her eyes from the worst of the snow. Even as she just started to walk, she could already see great buildings looming in the distance. They had to be a dozen stories, perhaps more. Twilight didn’t even know that things could get that tall. Sure, she’d read about them in books, but that didn’t mean she’d fully believed the tales. Now that she’d seen them in person, she might just be able to believe anything.

And yet, she trekked on past all of them. On a normal day, her curiosity may have gotten the better of her, but not today. Going up the hills took the last energy out of her that she could, but Twilight preserved. The wind howled around her the higher up she went, fewer and fewer buildings providing cover.

She could recognize the different districts she passed through. This one was a merchants district, this a crafters, and this one a housing district. Each had their obvious signs: stalls in one, looms through the window in another, and fancy walls hiding away gardens in the last.

Yet, with her cloak wrapped around her, Twilight paid her no mind. The rest of the world faded away as one thought stayed in her head. She needed to be in Luna’s school. She had to be in Luna’s school. She hadn’t come this far just to fail, and no amount of bureaucracy or slowdowns could stop her.

The journey would at least give her time to make something of a plan. Teleportation? Maybe. That used to get the ponies back in her village excited. But for a princess, it probably didn’t have the same ‘kick’. Thaumaturgy? No, basic. Alchemical re-arrangement? Too complex and without the required materials. Battle spells? Oh, who did she kid? She didn’t know any!

Finally, she could see the castle looming ahead of her. Another wall surrounded it, this one not quite as tall as the earlier one, but thicker all the same. The castle rose still higher than it, just as high as the other buildings she’d seen on the way up. This gatehouse had twice as many ponies guarding it, but none of them even spared an eye for the poor mare stepping through.

No, Twilight recognized these guards. Silver armor, crested helmets, black coats all of them. Only members of the elite night guard regiment ‘The Silver Dragoons’ wore such extravagant equipment. They were heroes, they were legends, and Twilight felt just a touch of awe go through her from the sight of them alone.

Thoughts of her favorite stories filled her head as she entered a courtyard. It was nice enough, she supposed. Marble bricks with a fountain in the middle, Princess Luna set in stone, poised to strike down an enemy that no one could see. The Victorious Moon, of course. Benches and different outcroppings of flora surrounded the square, flowers somehow still blooming amidst the downpour of snow and constant cold.

It didn’t compare to all the stories she’d heard, though. Stories of Golden Lance, the pegasus who had slain three dragons in the battle of Stalliongrad. Or Lunar Wisp, the unicorn mage who could move an entire battalion alone with her magic. And who could forget Starlight Glimmer? The renowned Captain of the Guard who’s horn could turn the tide of any battle. Some even claimed she was an alicorn in disguise.

Preposterous, of course. Twilight still wanted to be like her more than she could ever admit. Starlight would have something amazing here, some grand plan that would turn the world on its head. Twilight, however, did not. As she approached the stairs leading up into the castle proper, that thought dominated her mind.

The great double doors on top were propped open, light spilling from within. Twilight found herself in the great hall, the very first room within the confines of the massive stone blocks. A small, orderly line had settled into their place, with one pony making their case already.

Twilight had never seen such finery. The inner walls and stone were carved from a brilliant marble, sparkling in the light in a pearlescent way, somehow reflecting all the colors of the night. Chandeliers, mammoth in size, dangled from the ceiling, the multi layered things a masterwork of glass and gems. Tapestries hung from the walls, spaced between stained glass windows depicting all sorts of scenes. Twilight recognized a few: that one depicted the Battle of Stalliongrad, another the invention of the teleportation spell, and another the rising of the moon.

Displays were interspersed against the ground, some showing vases intricately made, other pieces of armor, or jewels. One even seemed to be in the shape of Luna’s cutie mark, the silver a perfect representation of the Moon Goddess’s mark. A silver carpet embroidered with lilac ran down the center, towards the thrones.

But none of that mattered. What mattered sat on the throne. Luna’s radiance had been described before, but nothing did it justice. Her mane, lustrous as the night sky, flowed around her, hugging her neck tight. It sparkled with such colors, each of the stars contained within her mane. Her features, oh Goddesses, her features were seemingly chiseled from marble, the picture perfect visage of pony perfection. It almost made Twilight’s heart stop.

A white robe covered most of her body, dark blue tabard straight down the middle of it - the same color as the mare’s radiant fur. In the center of it, the full moon shone, somehow glittering despite being nothing but cloth. A pendant hung from her horn, wrapped around it with a silver chain and dangling down to a half moon between her eyes. Her tail curled around her, nice and tight but still flowing like a river in the winter. Despite the derisive, almost bored look on her face, Twilight had never seen anything more amazing in her life.

Twilight wanted to touch her. Was that weird? Probably. She just seemed like one of those things that shouldn’t exist in real life, something too perfect to last. The mare took a step forward, mesmerized by what was in front of her.

And found herself roughly shoved back by another guard in the finery of the Silver Dragoons. “Get in line, miss,” he grunted out. The scarred stallion nodded his head towards the line of ponies.

Oh. Right. Yes, princesses couldn’t just get approached, there were rules and decorum that needed to be followed. With a nod, Twilight got into line, antsy as could be. She watched the proceedings, but some sort of bubble stopped sound from leaking out. The princesses lips moved and the other pony shifted when they talked, but Twilight couldn’t hear anything no matter how much she tried.

On a whim, the girl reached out with her magic. She probed against the air around her, eyes closing as she focused in on her magic. Slowly, her consciousness spread, filling up the space around her and exuding outwards. She found what she was looking for nearly instantly, her own power touching against something hard, something strong, something… blue?

It only took Twilight a moment more to realize where the bubble radiated out from. Luna herself had cast the spell, somehow doing it without her horn glowing. But, that should be impossible - the laws of magic stated that that couldn’t happen! Then again, what made her think that the princesses had to follow the laws of the world?

Suddenly, Twilight found herself getting hurried forward, eyes opening as she caught up to the events surrounding her. The line had moved up several ponies and a gap waited between Twilight and them. She hurried herself forward, watching as the most recent petitioner left with a dejected look on their face.

Before the assembly could go on, however, Luna raised up a hoof. The disappearance of the barrier around her resounded magically through the room, enough to make Twilight wince when the veritable shockwave of magic hit against her horn. “Who dared to probe my spellwork?” she called, harsh words filling the room and echoing through the hall.

For a second, nopony spoke. Twilight didn’t, Luna didn’t, the guards didn’t, nopony. Yet, out of the corner of her eye, she did see the two Silver Dragoons go over to guard the entrance, spears crossing together and hiding the entrance away. A lump formed in Twilight’s throat, sudden worry blossoming through her.

Without even realizing it, a blue glow had started to surround Twilight’s body. “Found you!” the same, regal voice called, this time with a laugh. “Seize the unicorn, guards!”

Twilight only noticed it when she saw the dragoons beelining towards her. A squeak escaped her, and Twilight did her best to run. She shoved through the ponies still lined up in front of her, horn starting to glow as her mind focused on something, anything.

With a ‘pop’ of magic, the mare teleported. She didn’t go far, just clear of the crowd, out into the center of the room. She skidded to a stop a dozen or so feet in front of the throne. Frantically, she looked towards the princess, eyes meeting hers for the first time.

The world stopped. Their eyes had met and so much happened, Twilight’s mind nearly couldn’t take it. She saw smoldering anger, she saw fury. But that’s not all she saw - no, worry nestled deep in the depths, and… recognition? Twilight’s own eyes reflected so many emotions back too, desperation, fear, and hope, above all, hope.

Just like that, the spell broke. Twilight’s gaze dragged back towards the guards, panic flaring through her. One had seemingly appeared before her, horn sparkling with a cyan glow. A scythe of magic cut through the air, Twilight belatedly realizing that it was directed towards her horn. A shield of her own amethyst magic flared into being, the scythe bouncing right off of it, somehow.

“How!?” The guard barked out, a surprisingly feminine voice filling the air.

Twilight wasn’t the only surprised one. The feedback of magic on magic didn’t hurt nearly as bad as she thought it would, especially from a silver dragoon. Still, she tried to scramble her way back, keeping her shield up as she moved.

It didn’t last. From above, where she couldn’t see, somepony dive bombed her, hooves striking against her shield hard enough for it to pop. The amethyst thing shattered around her, pieces falling to the ground as feedback slammed into her horn. That time, it was enough to make her scream, a frantic cry combined with a ‘thud’ as the hooves slammed into her body too.

Twilight tried to get off the floor, but she couldn’t manage it. Hooves scrambled, pushing something around her horn. An inhibitor ring, cool and cruel. Like that, her connection to the magical world disappeared entirely, poofing out of existence and leaving her blind in the mystical sense.

At the same time, magical manacles closed around her hooves, forcing them together. Behind her, Twilight could hear hooves clacking against the ground.

Her breath came short and quick, panicked as tears stung at the edges of her eyes. She hadn’t meant to do anything wrong, it had all been an accident! The mare even spoke up to say as much, only to find magic keeping her mouth shut.

She’d found herself face to face with Princess Luna. The Princess inspected her quizzically, the pegasus pony still staying perched on Twilight’s back, keeping her from moving. Between the pegasus’ armor and their body weight, Twilight felt like she was being crushed. “How curious you are,” Luna mused. Her voice, oh goddesses, her voice made something shudder inside of Twilight Sparkle. It was full, honeyed, so sweet and so terrible at the same time. The voice of a Goddess. ”Take her to the dungeons. I’ll deal with her later.” An unimpassioned order, jerking her head towards a side door.

“Mmmm!! Mmmph!” It was the only thing that Twilight could say, words muffled by her muzzle getting stuck tight. Stupid magic, stupid inhibitor ring! The glow from the magic around her muzzle had even started to grow more intense, forcing the girl to shut her eyes.

With a quiet whimper, Twilight relented. “Up,” the order came out from that feminine voice, manacles slackening enough for the girl to walk at least. “Follow me, no sudden moves. Silent Knight, keep an eye out for her." A grunt from behind her, Twilight was just able to see the white fur coat and blue mane of the stallion behind her.

They led her quickly through halls that darkened with each step, down a winding staircase into the darkness below. Torches lit up the stone walls occasionally, but all the finery had disappeared. Twilight could hear moans and groans, as well as idle chatter from quite a few ponies. And most of all, it stank. It smelled to the high heavens, all sorts of terrible stenches swirling together into something all the worse.

At the end of the hall, the unicorn nudged Twilight into a cell. It didn’t have much to it, straw bedding, a bucket in a corner, and no light permeating through. Total darkness. The door clanged shut behind her, the magic fading away and leaving her at least somewhat free.

“Might wanna get some rest,” the unicorn spoke once more. “The Princess said she’ll be by soon, so she will. Breakfast is in three hours. I’ll uh… see about getting you a light down here too. Sorry about this.”

Twilight swallowed hard, giving a silent nod and only belatedly realizing the other mare couldn’t see her. “I-it’s okay,” she whispered, even though it was definitely not.

The clopping of hooves down the hall announced the departure of the two guards, leaving Twilight all by her lonesome.

Alone, neutered, and terrified, Twilight was left with one thought:

This was a terrible idea.

Author's Note

Enjoy your stay.

Enjoy your Stay

Luna had quite the conundrum. Court dragged on ever since the burst of excitement earlier, with each new petitioner seeming more boring than the last. Nothing occupied her mind more so than the purple mare, and every petitioner kept her from going down to the dungeon.

In retrospect, it may have been a touch harsh. Probing her magic and casting in the castle were both technically against the law, but usually it’d be punished with a fine. Only in extreme cases - like assassination attempts - would it end with the pony in the dungeon. Yet, here she was, one more pony in her dungeon and now watching someone beg on about-

Actually, what were they talking about? Luna had zoned out around five minutes ago. Oh. Something about food. She tuned back in, catching the tail end of whatever he’d been going on about.

“-west fields are completely dead, and the east aren’t doing much better. If we don’t get some sort of magical help, and soon, then we’re going to be dead in the water. And no offense, your highness, but that means that most of Stalliongrad will be too.”

Perhaps Luna should have been paying more attention. A normal pony might have blushed, but instead Luna simply sat herself up straighter and peered down at the stallion, as if she’d been listening the whole time. “You shall have your assistance,” she assured him. “See my seneschal and they’ll provide enough horn strength to keep your fields cleared.” Luna could only guess it had been about the snow - it’d been a particularly brutal season even for Stalliongrad.

It seemed like Luna had been right enough at least, because the stallion had already started to bow his head in thanks. “Thank you, your highness!” The stallion kept his head bowed down low, even as he started to back up. Part of Luna wondered if he’d fall down when he got to the edge of court. Nope, he managed it. Impressive.

Instead of allowing the next petitioner to come forward, Luna lifted a hoof, eyes glancing through the room. Her magic bubble dropped once more, the princess clearing her throat. “Guards, please escort the rest of the petitioners out. Night Court will be closing early this evening for important royal business,” she called through the room.

Luna couldn’t wait anymore. Most of these issues could, but Luna couldn’t. The mystery had started to prove too great, and the stupid, lavender mare occupied her thoughts too much. And yes, the ponies were disappointed. She could hear groans and see unhappy faces throughout the line but what would they do? She was a princess, their ruler.

Luna watched her ponies get escorted out, keeping her spot on the throne for the last few minutes of her court. Once the doors had closed tight, the Princess got to her hooves, standing at her full height, towering over even her muscle bound guard. Her eyes drifted over the pair nearest the entrance, the pair who had arrested the mare.

“Lieutenant Silent Knight, you’re in charge. I’m going to visit our newest prisoner, I trust the two of you and Miss Raven will keep things well under hoof until I return,” Luna instructed.

A salute answered her words and Luna turned towards the dungeons. Time to meet destiny.

You know, it really could have been worse, Twilight supposed. Sure, it was cold and she didn’t have access to her magic, nor did she have anything to eat or drink, and the closest thing to a bathroom was the bucket in the corner, but…

Actually, how could it get worse? It could be like those stupid stories where it suddenly starts raining somehow, but being inside made that feel rather impossible. Regardless, it was already snowing! That was already bad enough.

More than anything, Twilight found it boring. No magic to practice, no books to read, nothing to watch and only the sounds of snoring to occupy her head at all. At least the moaning from earlier had stopped, the poor thing either asleep or dea-

Twilight didn’t want to think about that possibility, oddly enough. They were probably fine, and she’d probably be fine. “You’re going to be just fine,” she mumbled to herself. But really, would she? Would she even make it out of the dungeons? Nopony had come back down to give her a light and it had to have been hours.

With a groan, the mare stood up from the straw bed against the ground, starting to pace, back and forth. Okay, she could figure this out. She just had to find a way out of here, then a way to talk to the Princess, and then a way to make sure that she didn’t get thrown right back into the dungeon and wow, the more she thought about that, the harder it seemed.

With a small groan, the mare pressed her head against the cell bars. The coolness of the metal against her fur almost hurt, the temperature almost too cold. But it cleared her head, let her think, push her mind to its limits.

And nothing came. Fuck. Why did she think that would work? It’s not like brains could overheat or something stupid like that. Yet, from this vantage point, she could see a light at the end of the tunnel - in a literal sense. Something blue floated near the entrance of the dungeon, enough to cast soft light against the roughly hewn stones of the floor and walls.

A few groans and whimpers joined the air, mostly from those woken up by the light she imagined. The light traveled down the hall, and the closer it got, the more and more Twilight could recognize the shape of a pony.

But not just any pony. No, Twilight could recognize that regality from a mile away. Princess Luna strode down the halls, ignoring every cell that she passed, every cell but one: hers.

Twilight backed up quickly, stumbling back until her rump hit against the back of the cell. She took a seat, hard, looking up at the imposing presence on the other side of the bars. Belatedly, decorum caught up with her and the mare bowed her head low, pressing her horn against the cold stone floor. “Your majesty,” she mumbled out. That’s how this was supposed to go, right?

The cell door creaked out, the high pitched noise making Twilight wince in discomfort. From her vantage against the ground, she could see the light getting closer and hear the door clatter shut behind the princess. Her breath stopped, heart thumping in her chest as mild panic flowed through her. This could be it, this could be her execution, her end, it could be her sentence to spend the rest of her life here.

The world was quiet, her life hanging in the balance. The only thing Twilight could hear for a while was each breath leaving her, each one coming faster, more worried than the last. Thankfully, it didn’t last long before something else broke the silence.

“Rise, mare.” Luna’s voice sounded exactly like she remembered it, the regality, the richness, every part of it made her want to obey. It settled into her very soul, something that she’d never forget.

Her body almost moved on it’s own, getting up to her hooves once more, though she kept her head low, deferrant as could be. Luna continued to speak, not stopping with the first command. “Your name, mare. What is it?” she asked.

Twilight finally looked up, catching the closest look of Princess Luna she’d ever had in her life. Her beauty was unmatched, the Lunar Goddess was radiant even in the bleak dungeon. Her mane, so vibrant and full of stars, enraptured Twilight’s attention. Only the glory that was the rest of her body broke it away. Twilight took a moment to peek at Luna’s wings, admiring the loveliness of the feathers, how soft yet strong they looked. And oh Goddesses, those eyes, those pools of radiance, the deep, dark blue that swam with the knowledge of the universe, of things that Twilight could never hope to know.

She was perfect.

“I demanded your name, mare! Do not make me ask again!” Luna’s voice, suddenly filled with frustration, broke Twilight from her stupor.

Twilight blinked, looking away from Luna’s eyes to get her thoughts back. “Twilight Sparkle, your Highness,” she answered, quietly, deferrantly. She was already in hot water, no need to throw herself into the fire too.

Another bout of silence left Twilight Sparkle to stew before the princess answered her. “And what exactly were you doing in Stalliongrad? Nay, in my courtroom? Did you even think before casting spells amidst the presence of a Princess and her most faithful guards?” The words were accusatory, fierce, and Twilight wilted beneath them.

Twilight’s eyes closed, the only way she could stop herself from staring at the woman in front of her. “Curiosity, your Highness,” Twilight answered. “I noticed that no sound leaked out from um, your court and all that. And I wanted to know why. Your horn didn’t glow either, so I wanted to see how that worked, if it was from you, o-or some kind of enchantment. So I poked and prodded, your Highness, and I’m sorry, I really, really shouldn’t have! A-and I shouldn’t have tried to resist the guards either, your Highness. I was uh, panicking. I’m new to all this, you see. I come from a small village to the far south, we don’t… we don’t have royals, o-or nobles, any of that.” Twilight was rather aware that she’d started to ramble, on and on with too much info, way more than the Princess asked for.

Apparently, Luna thought the same because Twilight suddenly found her muzzle sealed shut with magic. Her eyes opened once more, ears going back against her head as she tried to look apologetic as possible. “Simple answers are just fine, Ms. Sparkle,” the princess started, sounding almost exasperated. “I understand your curiosity and your unfamiliarity with our laws.” The magic released itself, letting Twilight work her jaw once more, though she stayed quiet.

Luna kept going instead, pacing across the floor in front of Twilight, just as the unicorn had done mere moments before. “But ignorance is not an excuse to fall into bad habits. Nor am I able to simply pardon you for committing a crime against our laws, and a transgression against me. Do you understand, Twilight Sparkle?” Luna asked. Magic touched against her chin, lifting it up and forcing her to look into Luna’s eyes.

Twilight nodded her head, her muzzle suddenly feeling dry, words not wanting to come out. She forced herself to speak, even though it felt like she choked on each word. “Yes, Your Highness. I understand.”

Her thoughts drifted back to her earlier fears, feeling as if each of them had damned near been confirmed at this point. She’d broken the law, transgressed against a royal, and the mare wondered if she’d ever see the light of day again or if she’d spend the rest of her life down here, wasting away in the dark.

Perhaps it was a bit dramatic. It couldn’t be that serious, could it? She peeked at Luna’s expression, seeing something pensieve there, something considering. SHe had to be deciding Twilight’s fate, her punishment. The mare dropped her head, the magic no longer holding up her head as tears started to twinge at the edges of her vision.

“However,” the princess went on. “Your talent cannot be mistaken. Your ability to stop one of my Dragoon’s magical attacks is not something that just anypony could do. Nor could just anypony sniff out my spell. I hide it rather well, I think.”

If Twilight didn’t know better, she might have said that Luna sounded a bit miffed about that last part, like no one should have figured it out. Still, she stayed silent while the princess continued. “I’m not foalish enough to let such an asset slip through my hooves. You will serve your time, you will be punished, but you will also be taught. You will learn, and you will serve your debt by serving me directly. Make no mistake, you are an asset, and you will be taught to make the best of your abilities. Come the weekend, you’ll be enrolled in my school. This is, of course, non negotiable.”

Luna’s final decree hung in the air as Twilight’s mind struggled to catch up. On the surface, it seemed like all of her dreams come true. Teaching, lessons, learning from the best. Yet, the other parts seemed darker - serving her debt directly? Then again, it just sounded like community service, the favored punishment of her village elder.

Besides, it’s not like she had much of a choice. And when the punishment for breaking a law consisted of your wildest fantasies, one simply had to grin and bear it. So, she would, simple as that. “Of course, Your Highness,” Twilight answered. “I’ve… I’ve always wanted to go to your school, I just never pictured that it would be like this, Your Highness.” Part of her wondered if she was overdoing the title thing, but hey, no correction, probably meant it was okay, right?

Twilight looked up in time to see the Princess nod her head in satisfaction. “Good. I had hoped that you wouldn’t be difficult to persuade. I’ll send my seneschal shortly to fetch you and bring you to a room somewhere that isn’t so… ghastly.” Luna frowned, looking around at their surroundings with clear distaste.

Shouldn’t she be happier? Twilight had accomplished the goal she’d set out to do in under a day but something about it felt wrong, felt off. It shouldn’t have been like this, and it shouldn’t feel like this. The mare spoke up, despite her head telling her not to. “Why me, Your Highness? No offense, but it doesn’t feel right that just some magical aptitude took notice from one of the Princesses themselves. I’m sure that there’s a thousand ponies like me, and I’m sure you see one of them nearly every day. So why me?” Twilight asked, taking a step forward, lifting her head.

Of course, it didn’t last long before she wilted underneath the Goddess’s stare, looking right back down to her hooves. “If it’s okay, Your Highness,” she added, as if it would soften the blow.

But Luna didn’t snap at her or strike her, no, the Goddess only laughed. It was a beautiful thing, so clear, so pretty, like stained glass floating through the air. Twilight felt something in her chest pulse, but only for a moment and nothing more.

“Well, you’re certainly more spirited than I thought!” That silky voice teased her, another laugh sounding through the air. “I’ll be honest with you, Ms. Twilight Sparkle. There’s something special about you, something that I can't quite place.”

Twilight stayed quiet as Luna kept talking, her ears starting to burn from how bad she blushed. It was enough that Luna talked to her at all, but the fact that she kept complimenting her pushed it over the top.

“And that specialness needs to be nurtured somewhere that I can keep an eye on,” Luna continued. “Somewhere that I can make sure you won’t get into something you shouldn’t. I’ve seen ponies like you do great things, but I’ve also seen them do terrible, terrible things. Sometimes, all it takes is a single push in one direction for a pony to decide which path they’ll go down. I hope this is the push needed for you,” Luna finished. “Now, I really must be going. The morning comes and it doesn’t wait for me, you know.” A smile. The first one that Twilight had seen grace the Princess’ lips. It looked so kind. It somehow made her already radiant visage all the more beautiful.

“Thank you, Your Highness,” Twilight whispered out in reverence, right as the cell door opened behind the Princess. A nod would be the only answer that Twilight received as the Princess departed, taking her light with her.

Once more, Twilight would be left in the dark. This time, however, indecision didn’t claw at her brain. Instead, she knew what her future held. Honestly, now that she looked back, her hesitance seemed downright foalish. Of course the Princess would want what was best for her. After all, she’d read the stories, heard the tales, all of them telling how benevolent, how kind and yet, Twilight had doubted her.

It had been reasonable, hadn’t it? The Princess had thrown her in the dungeon with just a promise of a talk. Even now, she implied that Twilight would be working for her. But then again, that’s what she’d wanted to do from the start. The archmage worked for the crown, doing whatever needed to be done. Twilight wanted that, so why did she feel so strange about all of this?

Luckily, Twilight wouldn’t be left alone with her thoughts alone. Another light came down the hall, this one a bright white, accompanied with yet another set of groans from ponies trying to sleep, one particularly rude one screaming: “Turn that fucking thing off!”.

Twilight, however, stayed calm, waiting until the light shone through the bars of her cell. In front of her stood a mare, white furred with a brown mane tucked into a bun, glasses hiding away black eyes. She wore a black dress with a white sash around the center, and a red neckerchief, something to give her outfit some color. Behind her, a guard followed along closely, one that she recognized from their scuffle earlier, the unicorn mare.

“‘Ey there, kid. Me and Miss Inkwell here are about to let ya out and all that,” the mare chattered away, seemingly happy as a clam even in the darkness of the dungeon. The door groaned as it opened up before her, the mare gesturing her forward in the light of the unicorn’s horn. “Lemme get all that off you too, sorry about the whole… trying to fight ya deal. Just my job, y’know?”

Twilight stepped forward, stepping into the light. “It’s okay. I understand.” And she really did, had she been in the same position, she likely would have done the same. “Oh, I’m Twilight Sparkle by the way. And I’m sorry to have caused you trouble.” An apology earned another one in turn.

“Azure Sickle! Here let me just…” Careful finagling took the ring off her horn, letting it drop to the ground. The shackles came off as well, and without apparent effort, Azure simply disappeared them away from being. “There we go! No uh, no funny business, right?” she asked, flashing a smile. “Miss Inkwell, why don’t you lead the way, yea? I still have no idea where we’re going!”

“Of course.” Twilight heard Raven speak the first time. It was a cultured and refined voice, the kind that you expected from the highest of nobility and the most high born of ponies. “Follow me. And do behave. Princess Luna has put an immeasurable amount of trust in you, if you were to mess this up, I imagine nothing like it would ever happen again. And an immortal’s life is quite long,” she finished.

Without another word, the secretary like mare started out of the dungeon, back into the world of the light. A small spell shielded Twilight’s eyes from the sudden intrusion, keeping them shaded just enough so that they could adjust slowly instead of absolutely getting burned out.

But it only took Twilight a moment to adjust before the light became bearable, and before she knew it, they’d started out through the castle.

It really was quite radiant. Scarlet runner rugs covered the entirety of the marble floor, making the journey pleasant on hooves that weren’t used to anything so plush. Twilight couldn’t help but look around. It seemed like every direction she looked, she saw some sort of new piece of art, or amazing pottery that would have sold for a fortune anywhere else. The ponies they passed were regal as could be too, dressed to the nines, talking in accents, clearly nobles, more wealth in a single stretch of this hall than Twilight’s entire village.

They made it back outside the castle as Azure Sickle started to speak up again. “So uh, gonna be one of them mage students, right?” she asked, conversationally.

The trio trudged through the streets, back out of the courtyard and beyond. The absolute darkness and the pouring snow kept her from seeing much of her surroundings, but the light illuminating from around Raven’s horn somehow kept them warm and safe from the downpour, enough that Twilight felt just fine talking and chattering away.

“Apparently!” she answered, with a nervous little giggle. “It’s the last thing I expected. H-honestly? I thought I would get um, executed after all this. Or imprisoned, something like that. I mean, I attacked you! And like, broke the law!” Twilight’s anxiety had started to come back, because of course it had. No matter how had she’d tried to quash it, the mare always found herself being the awkward sort, the weird sort.

Azure only laughed though, and gave a wave of her hoof as they walked. “You didn’t attack me or nothin’, little lady. You tried to defend yourself from what you thought was an attack, and I can’t uh, fault ya for that shit. Just don’t do it again and we’re cool. All good?” she asked, stopping so that the two of them could hoofbump.

And Twilight actually did it! Her first one ever! She’d never done that before! “All good!” Twilight agreed, as they walked down the cobblestone streets of Stalliongrad.

Ahead of them, another wall loomed, this one smaller than all the rest. Only ten feet high or so, and ringing a domed topped structure with more than a few outbuildings around it. A tower jutted up, one that ended with an observatory at the top of it. The colorful painted spiral patterns against it giving a pop of color to an otherwise drab atmosphere.

The gates before them opened and they entered the campus proper. It seemed to be quite taken care of even now in the midst of winter, the grounds were clean and the walkways clear of snow. Oddly, even the ground underneath Twilight’s hooves felt warm, some sort of magic enchantment that kept the snow from it and provided warmth all at once! How wonderful!

The outbuildings seemed to have quite the variety to them. One looked like your standard apartment block, nice but definitely old. Another, a greenhouse that functioned even in the arctic chill. Was that one a ball room? Just barely out of her vision due to the snow that poured down. Was this where she was staying? Part of her couldn’t believe it.

Only then did Twilight realize that she probably should have said something back to Azure. “All good,” she agreed, a little quietly. “And uhm, is this where I’m going to be staying?”

Raven took that answer. “The Royal Academy of Magic. Luna’s school, I’m sure that you’ve heard of it.” Of course Twilight had, everypony had, everypony that had even thought about magic before had considered this place, hoped to walk through its doors at least once. “Tomorrow, you’ll enroll in classes and get yourself settled into the minutiae, and tonight we’ll get you to a room so that you don’t have to sleep in such… ghastly places,” Raven finished, with a scoff.

Belatedly, Twilight realized that Luna and Raven spoke damned near the same, but she supposed being around someone like Luna all the time would rub off on you. “I- I can’t wait,” Twilight managed to get out, her eyes starting to widen as she really realized what she looked at. The Greenhouse of Life, home to many advancements in medicine, botany, and so much more. The main building with the striped tower, Luna’s own personal observatory. She’d bet that the library tucked behind the building too, something filled with so much knowledge, so many books, that Twilight might spend the rest of her life reading.

“Good. Because I’d rather not be out here in the frigid night as much as possible. Come along. Azure, you may guard the gate.” It was worded like a suggestion, but definitely sounded like a demand, and with the salute the guard mare gave, it became pretty obvious which of the two it really was.
Raven started to lead the way again, towards the small apartment block building. “There’s a room waiting for you. It won’t have much in it, but the crown will give you a small stipend to decorate as you see fit. But, it’s a warm room and an entrance to a prestigious university, so I’m sure you can’t complain too much.”

If Twilight didn’t know any better, she might almost think that a slight against her. But the way that Raven talked made it seem less edgy, less cruel, just a manner of speaking rather than anything serious. The two of them entered the apartment building, only to find that the inside looked nothing like what Twilight expected.

The entire first floor seemed to be a shared space. The foyer itself had quite the comfortable seat arrangement, armchairs and sofas placed nicely apart to give everypony just enough space, while also keeping some close for groups. In the middle, a lovely staircase split at the middle, one side going left, the other to the right. Back on the ground floor, on the left, a wide, open kitchen with booths and tables for eating and speaking, well kept, clean and taken care of. On the other side, a foyer with a fireplace, bookshelves galore, each of them stuffed to the prim. A pool table took up one part of the room, a dim light hanging above it with magic providing it’s source.

In fact, magic seemed to be everywhere. She could feel it swimming in the air around her, the stove itself had to be powered by it, all of the lights, the bookshelves too? Experimentally, her horn pulled at a book, letting it drop… only to have something grasp it and fit it right back in place. Twilight couldn’t help but squeal in excitement, ready to spend the next few weeks studying that enchantment if she had to.

Unfortunately, Raven broke her out of the spell. “Don’t tarry.” A light chastisement, nothing more. “Your room is on the second floor. I’ll be giving you the key, getting you settled, and then it’s on you. Breakfast is at eight every morning in the common room, being late is grounds for missing it entirely,” Raven lectured as the two of them trekked up the stairs.

It wasn’t far to her room, maybe the fifth one down off the right side. Raven levitated a key up and unlocked the thing. The two of them would step in, showing off simplicity just like Raven had promised. Wood floors, a simple bed shoved into a corner, a dresser on one side, and finally, a nice, wide desk with a relatively comfortable looking chair.

As for decorations? Nothing to speak of save for a rug in the middle of the floor, an old fur one that had definitely lost some of it’s fuzz over the years, probably something meant to be warm and nothing more now. Somehow, her saddlebags sat on the bed, the same ratty old things that she’d worn for her entire journey, safe and sound.

“This is your room, Ms. Sparkle.” The same magic as before levitated over the key to open the door, allowing Twilight to surround it with her own purple glow. She looked at it like a treasure, a rarity in this world.

Twilight had never had her own room before. In her village, houses weren’t built large, and her brother and her had split a room for years and years. Their parents had taken the other bedroom, leaving her no privacy of her own. But Raven - or perhaps Luna, really, had given her privacy, a place to study all on her own where she wouldn’t be interrupted.

The same giddy smile as earlier had come back with a vengeance, the mare’s tail starting to swish back and forth behind her. “Thank you, Ms. Inkwell!” she squeaked out, the excitement getting the better of her. Part of Twilight wanted to hug her, wanted to dance around the room in joy but she composed herself. She may be an awkward mare, but she wasn’t that awkward. She was, however, just awkward enough to start pacing around the small space, covering every inch of it that she could to try and get used to it.

To her credit, Raven finally smiled, breaking the cold and collected demeanour and replacing it with a subtle grin. “You’re most welcome, Ms. Sparkle.” But that’s all that would come before launching back into business once more. “The bathroom is shared at the end of the hall, but it has warm, clean water for you to use. The kitchen is open at any time if you get hungry, be respectful of anything marked. And finally, be sure to spend some of your time outside of your room.”

Strangely, Raven’s tone of voice had changed. Instead of the clipped, refined manner, it had gotten warmer, almost caring. “It’s important to make friends and to see the city. This may be your dream and it is direly important to study, but it’s also important to live a balanced life.”

Raven finished with a nod of her head and one last look around the room. “I’ll leave you here, Ms. Sparkle. Settle in and get some rest, tomorrow is the first day of the rest of your life and you’ll dreadfully need it.

“Thank you,” Twilight managed to whisper out. “Thank you so much, a-and please- if it’s not too much trouble - could you please tell the Princess I said thank you as well? And that I appreciate what she’s given to me?” Twilight asked.

A bow of her head answered Twilight’s questions with the affirmative, along with the smile on her face. “Of course. In the meantime, please get some rest. You’ll need it for tomorrow.” With that, Twilight found herself alone in a room once more.

But not the same as last time. Instead of a cell, this felt homely, warm. All the things around her were her own, and she lived here, not just existed. With a smile, Twilight started to dig through her saddlebags, working through them to find the picture she always carried with her - her and Shining, smiling at the camera. It had been the only one they could afford, and every day it brought her new strength.

Twilight put it on her night stand, along with a minor enchantment to keep it standing up. A simple thing, really, but one that did it’s job. Her spare clothes, of which not much existed, went into the dresser, a simple shirt and pants, more utilitarian than anything. Some of the heavier furs draped over her body would come off as well now that heat radiated around her, draped against the back of the bed so they could properly dry off after being in the snow for hours and hours.

And then, for a second at least, Twilight just stood there. Her mind emptied, her breathing slowed, and Twilight just… relaxed. It’d been a while since she took the time to relax and just do nothing. For the last few months, it’d been go, go, go, keep moving, don’t look back. For once, she could sit there and do nothing, nothing but rest.

Her mind wandered, because of course it did. It wandered over her time in the dungeon, the darkness and the fear, but mostly, it wandered over towards Luna. She thought about the mare’s beauty, the way she talked, and the way that she almost seemed to manipulate Twilight.

Twilight wasn’t a fool. Nopony did something for nothing, and that included the Princess. The more she considered it, the more she had to realize that Luna wanted something from her. But what could she want from a peasant girl? Yes, she had magic, but so did the dragoons.

Without even thinking about it, Twilight’s body had gone onto autopilot. It walked towards the end of the hall, key around her neck, towards the bathroom. She’d push the door open, finding something modest, but workable. A few stalls for toilets, a row of sinks in stone. But what about-

Ah, there. A small curve in the wall had hidden away another compartment, and as Twilight ventured forth, she found a row of showers, each with their own curtain. A sigh went through her, hurrying herself on over towards the first one. Belatedly, she realized just how much she stank, months and months of traveling without access to a proper restroom had made her this way, and now she could fix it.

Goddesses bless, the water actually felt warm too! No, downright hot! The mare yipped, jerking back and turning the heat back down as fast as she could. It’d take a few moments, but she’d finally manage to get it to a comfortable level. Better.

Oh Goddesses, the water felt so perfect washing over her, she almost didn’t ever want to leave. Her mane hung around her face, clinging to her neck as it got soaked through. A pleased sigh escaped her, and in that moment, Twilight knew nothing but bliss.

It somehow soothed all of her aches, all of her pains, even the mental ones that showers should have no right actually fixing. For a brief moment, she thought about sitting down, then remembered it was a shared shower and decided against it quite quickly.

Instead, her mind went back to Luna. There had to be something more there. Her body on autopilot again, scrubbing behind her ears, getting her mane nice and clean, all while crunching over her thoughts. What did she want?

The reasoning had been sound, but even then, it was a lot of resources to invest into a single pony. And no matter what else happened, Twilight wouldn’t let herself get taken advantage of. From the lowliest beggar to the highest royal, none of them would take advantage of Twilight Sparkle.

Another sigh escaped her as the shower flicked back off, the last trickles of water leaving her. Belatedly, she realized that she had no towel. Even more belatedly she realized that she was a unicorn. A simple spell that she’d known forever would leave her dry once more.

Mind heavy, Twilight headed back towards her room. The sun would be coming up soon, she could tell by the light peeking over the horizon, window positioned just perfectly enough to have it flood her eyes every morning. Mental note: get some curtains for this room, because she’d absolutely not stand for that.

In the meantime, she pulled the covers over herself, facing away from the window and snuggling tight into the sheets. She could figure out the paradox that was Luna in the morning, once she’d had more sleep. The next day would start with her in a new position in life. No longer Twilight the peasant, but Twilight the student.

And no matter her reservations about Luna, or about Raven for that matter, nothing could stifle her excitement for learning. The secrets of the arcane would be hers, just as planned.

It’d been a great plan.

Settling in

Luna really shouldn’t still be awake. By the time the morning rolled around, she usually had long since settled in for bed. Not today. Today Luna split from her routine to check in on her pet project.

Sure, it had only been one night, but it had been an eventful evening indeed. So instead of heading to bed, Luna found herself marching down to her school in the glaring morning light. A scowl had seemingly taken up permanent residence on her face, the constant headache pounding against her skull setting her in a poor mood. She hadn’t even had the time to change yet, still wearing the same gown from the night before. But that was okay - it was a nice gown.

Yet, as Luna entered the grounds and saw the faces of her students, things changed. Not all of them smiled - no, quite a few of them looked like they were about to drop dead from lack of sleep, and some looked like they were about to fight anyone they saw. Yet just seeing their faces filled her with such joy. These were the people she really cared about - not the nobles, not the petitioners, these children with all their life ahead of them.

Which really was why Luna was here today, at this time. She’d make her way over towards the dorms, giving little hellos here or waves there, greeting all the ones that she’d come to love. Up the stairs, finally stopping in front of the room of one Twilight Sparkle. She listened for a second, but heard nothing from within, despite the fact that the little thing should already be awake.

Without a sound, Luna picked the lock and pushed the door open with her magic. For a second, she just wanted to look at Twilight. In the bed, she seemed so small. Covers wrapped around her like a cocoon, horn barely poking out, waifish, with a coat that seemed to go every which way and a mane that somehow managed to be worse.

Was this the mare that was supposed to change everything? Was this the mare that supposedly would save her city? Laying there, drooling into the pillow?

Luna didn’t feel impressed or particularly hopeful. With a sigh, she closed the door behind herself and stepped back out into the hallway before knocking twice, loud enough to wake the dead inside the room.

A groan answered her, a groan and a sudden thump, one that Luna could only surmise was somepony falling out of their bed. It would take almost a full minute before the door opened in front of her, leaving Luna to imagine what exactly went on inside that room. She imagined it involved quite a bit of tripping and struggling to get to hooves, blankets wrapped around oneself and magic trying to tear them all off. Something like that.

Finally, the door would open, a sleepy, grumpy looking head poking out. “What-” Naturally, Twilight cut herself off once she saw who hid behind the door. “Oh! Your Highness!”

Luna smiled, a teasing, playful thing that hid away just how tired she felt. “Yes, it’s me. And you are late for your classes.” Light chastisement and nothing more. “Then again, I suppose we can be lenient on your first day.”

Twilight blinked up at her, and Luna could practically see the thoughts etched on the pony’s face, running at a million miles a second. “Yes Princess,” the words finally came out. “I don’t really know what classes I’m supposed to be taking though. Nor where I show up for them.”

“And that’s why I’m here, Ms. Sparkle. Come with me. Or… I suppose I’ll give you a moment to get ready. Join me downstairs when you are adequately prepared, Ms. Sparkle. We have a busy morning ahead of us before I can rest,” Luna reminded her.

An eager nod and another ‘yes Princess!’ would answer her, but Luna had already started to head downstairs. The hustle and bustle had already started to calm, most of the students either beginning their morning classes, or in some cases, just now getting to sleep after night classes.

Luna sat alone due to the lack of students. She didn’t mind however as it allowed her to ruminate on her decisions.

The dream still haunted her, even now, lingering in the back of her head and threatening to come up at any moment. The same dream that told her to watch out for this mare. “Oh, Luna, you old mare. What’s with the obsession? It is just a dream,” she whispered to herself.

Yet, she was the Queen of dreams, the Matriarch of the Night. If anyone should follow the call of the dreamscape, it should be her. Above her, she could hear a door open and close once more, and Luna settled herself in. Time for a lovely chat with the mare who would save her empire.

Twilight, as a rule, hated mornings. The sun was too bright, the food generally sucked, and her head pretty much always hurt. Granted, that last one might have had a reason, thatreason being staying up late studying and/or training her magic, but it didn’t make her headache any less painful, therefore, that made it the morning’s fault.

Twilight made herself presentable as quickly as she could regardless, hardly expecting a morning visit from the Princess. A spell brushed her coat, styled her main, and even made her bed - how did ponies get around without magic? It made absolutely no sense to her, the amount of frustrations!

Maybe she should have instantly gone down. She had literal royalty waiting on her, but she was so tired and achy, not to mention Twilight didn’t really know how to handle a princess, not like this.

Yet, the day marched onwards and so would Twilight. Down the stairs she went, hooves clopping against each one of them. The light shone through the window, letting Luna’s mane sparkle in the morning light, showing off every star, every constellation within.

With a newfound vigor for the morning, Twilight joined the Princess in the common room. “Your Highness,” she started, in a quiet tone. She’d stay standing, right by the couch until acknowledged. It was polite, wasn’t it?

“Please sit,” Luna answered, looking towards her with a smile. “You’re looking more alive by the moment. I suspect you didn’t sleep particularly well?”

Twilight sat as requested and took her spot on the couch opposite Luna. “Once I got there, it was fine. The room is nice, thank you for the accommodations,” Twilight bowed her head again.

The Princess waved a hoof, brushing away the compliment. “Think nothing of it. It’s standard for all of my students. Of course, I’m sure that Raven told you about the stipend, didn’t she?” Luna asked.

Another nod from Twilight, stilted and awkward just like the rest of the conversation. She’d keep silent for a second, before finally blurting out, unable to stop herself. “What are you doing here? Er, sorry,” she apologized, quite quickly. “It’s just that I didn’t expect the Princess to keep checking up on me. Aren’t you supposed to be asleep? I mean, the moon has already set and all.” Once the dam had broken, she couldn’t really stop herself. “Aren’t I supposed to have classes too? Raven didn’t really like, tell me where I was supposed to go or anything though,” she admitted. Finally, she managed to shut her damned muzzle, stopping the tsunami of stupidity that somehow managed to make it to her muzzle.

Luna looked on all the while, expression inscrutable to the smaller mare. “I should be asleep, yes, but quite frankly, I decided to take the time to speak with you first. That, and I prefer that you hear about your course load from me,” she added. The Princess locked eyes with Twilight, all the more serious before she went on. “In the mornings, you will attend the same classes the other students take. You’ll begin with an Intro to Thaumaturgy at nine sharp every day, and then spend two hours in various history lessons. After a short lunch break, you’ll finish your day with combat training.”

“But,” Luna went on as she started to smile. “I expect you to rest afterwards, because at the stroke of midnight, you’ll have classes with me. I shan’t put any sort of label on them, because it won’t be any one thing. I will show you the secrets of the universe, I will help you master the arcane, and in return you will be my personal student. In time, I assume that you’ll be something useful to me. Nopony with your magic skill can be allowed to fester in their own mediocrity.” A scoff finished those words, as if Luna were disgusted at the simple concept of it.

Twilight took a moment to process. Like it or not, things seemed to keep escalating over and over again in her life. From prison, to a student, to the student of the Princess herself? “Princess, I…” she started, head just catching up to the last few words. “You don’t have to worry about that from me, I promise,” Twilight swore.

Luna arched an eyebrow up, looking over towards Twilight. “A thank you would be expected. As well as a title,” the Princess instructed, stiffly.

Oh, right. “Thank you, your Highness,” Twilight corrected.

Only for Luna to laugh. “Oh, you poor thing. I’m sorry, I’m teasing you. If we’re going to be developing such a close relationship, I’d like to do away with all of those titles,” Luna offered. “So, to me, you will be Twilight, if that’s what you prefer, and you will call me Luna. Princess is also acceptable if you aren’t comfortable with that, quite yet.”

Twilight’s tension melted away just as quickly as it’d come, the blush on her cheeks already starting to fade away. She settled back into her chair, and the nervous energy that had started to pulse through her faded away. “Oh,” she started, her mind taking a second to catch up. “Uh, yes Luna,” she added. A tentative smile now, making up for the clear worry earlier.

“Good. I’m really glad we could have this conversation. I hope, in the coming days, to really get to know you better, Twilight. Our sessions will start on the coming Monday - even you get the weekends off,” she allowed, with another bit of light laughter.

Every time Luna laughed, something in Twilight skipped a beat. It was so pure, so golden, so glorious that Twilight didn’t really know what to do about it. So instead, she tried to just… enjoy it. “Thank you,” Twilight said again, despite not really needing to. “I’m sure it’s going to be great!” she added, her smile growing all the wider.

Luna stood from her seat, letting her dress fall back around her hooves once more. “Now, you should be getting to class. If you hurry, you’ll be able to make the first of your history classes. If I recall correctly,” Twilight would later find out that she totally did, “your class should be on the second floor of the main building, room two oh four. I’ll have Raven come around this evening to help you get your stipend set up, until then, the common room will have lunch and dinner served at twelve and at six. Don’t be late, or there might not be enough for you.”

Luna started to walk towards the door, each step graceful, fluid. She stopped near the door, looking over her shoulder with a smile. “And Twilight? Do enjoy yourself. A mare of your talents should thrive in this environment and relish the opportunity that she’s been given. I expect the best from you.”

Twilight barely had a second to respond as Luna marched on out the door, a squeak coming from Twilight. “Yes Princess!” Twilight called after her, the blush somehow coming back even with the smile on her face.

It was with a certain giddiness that Twilight stood up from the couch and started forward. The directions were stuck in her mind as she walked, tail swishing behind her. Into the sunlight she’d go, pausing as it damn near blinded her, but that wouldn’t stop the mare for long.

Private lessons with Princess Luna herself. She’d thought that the introduction into the school had been enough, but then it’d gone even further. The Princesses were among the greatest mages in history, and certainly the most powerful ponies to have ever existed. Their long lives alone would have given them more than enough time to study and amass knowledge that nopony else could. They were walking miracles, talking universities, able to impart such wisdom that Twilight could hardly wait.

It left Twilight with a spring in her step even as she stepped into the main building. The inside of it was nice. Quite nice, even. Wood floors, couches around the outer edges with their own end tables. Instead of typical lamps, swirling balls of energy floated above them, providing all the light that a waiting pony could need. Unlike the common room over in the dorms, there was no great staircase here, no obvious way up. No, it just looked like a sitting room, though a fireplace did roar in the center of it.

And above the fire, a portrait of Luna hung in all of its majesty. It looked of older days, days when she didn’t stand quite as tall, when her hair didn’t swirl with constellations. No, the Luna here had simple, light blue hair, and she wore… glasses? Yes, definitely glasses over the bridge of her nose, the outfit decidedly hundreds of years out of date - no one wore dresses with that many poofs anymore.

Part of Twilight wondered why the picture had been left up. They could have used a newer one, a more flattering one, but Luna had left it up regardless. Something about that amused her, and she couldn’t help but let out a little giggle.

Her giggle would be absolutely drowned out by the sudden ringing of a loud bell, one that echoed through the halls around her. It was a simple dinging noise, a few times before it stopped. And before Twilight knew it, the halls to her left and right were suddenly flooded with students.

Ponies of all shapes and sizes flooded the halls, more than Twilight could see considering most were taller than her. She watched them move, watched them flow like a current through a sea of ponies. She pressed herself against a wall, trying to remember what Luna had told her. Two oh four, right? The mare just had to find a way to get upstairs!

She started to trudge forward, looking to go against the wave, the sea of ponies. Of course, she didn’t get far until she slammed straight first into one.

Twilight yipped, staggering back and barely avoiding falling to her butt. The other pony she’d run into hadn’t been as lucky. Twilight saw them stagger back and fall to the ground. On instinct, her magic flared.

Amethyst magic surrounded the two of them in a flash, a small dome that protected the two of them. It, at least, seemed to divert the flow of traffic around them, enough that the mousy looking mare could start collecting her books.

Now that they were closer, Twilight could see more of the one she’d bumped into. Purple and red hair intertwined together, pulled back in a messy updo that honestly didn’t do much to flatter the other mare. She had glasses on, held together by tape and mumbled something to herself while she magically collected all of her fallen books, of which there seemed to be way too much for just a few classes.

“You okay?” Twilight finally managed to askm looking over at the other mare with concern.

For her part, the yellow mare pushed her glasses back up, getting them centered over her muzzle again, looking over at Twilight with contempt. “Yes,” she answered back, in a short, clipped tone. “Can you please drop your bubble? I need to get to my next class and this isn’t helping.”

Oh. Right. “O-of course. Sorry! I’m new here, my name’s Twilight Sparkle,” she offered, trying to get the conversation flowing correctly. She even dropped her bubble, horn light going out. By now, the crowd had started to thin, everypony getting where they needed to go, leaving just the two of them in the midst of the great hall.

“Moondancer.” The same, clipped tone as before. “Now if you’ll excuse me, I really must be going.” Before even giving Twilight a chance to respond, the mare had gone, already hurrying off to a class that Twilight had no idea about.

She frowned, finding herself no better off than she’d been ten minutes ago. And what kind of pony hurried away like that? Then again, she likely would have to had she had someplace to go-

Wait, she did have someplace to go! Her class was starting soon and that knowledge kicked her rump into gear. Without any basis for it, the mare started her way down the left hallway, glancing between the doors. Each of them had a small plaque in front of them, denoting their room number: ‘101’, ‘103’, and so on.

Luckily for her, that meat she saw one labeled with ‘stairway’. Her magic would pull it open, and Twilight hurried her way inside. Up the stairs she went, going just as fast she could, skidding to a stop on the landing above.

The hallway on the second floor looked nearly identical to the first. Utilitarian, straightforward with interspersed windows, and doors on the other side leading to classrooms. Her eyes searched for the number she’d been given, finding it after only a few more moments.

Perhaps she shouldn’t have simply jumped her way into the class. She might have knocked first or made sure that she was allowed in, but no, the mare simply stepped through and into the room beyond. Really, she thought it’d be more impressive. But instead, it looked like any sort of classroom that she’d imagined. A single, theatre like room with maybe two dozen seats, all angled towards a teacher with a desk and a blackboard. A teacher who seemed to be gazing at her, in fact.

“You must be our newest student,” the stallion started. He gave her a warm smile and ambled his way over. It took her a moment to realize that he limped, one of his hind legs gone, replaced by something wooden and metal, something that she’d never seen before. His azure coat had grown out and looked a touch unkempt, and his gray mane went in all sorts of directions, none of them exactly making sense. “Twilight… Twinkle, is it?”

Twilight suddenly had a couple of dozen eyes on her, staring her down, judging her. Why did her muzzle suddenly feel dry? Why did it seem hard to speak? Why was this so difficult? Every time. She hated being stared at, dammit!

But something about the stallion before her let her focus in. The stallion smiled a kind smile at her, sweet enough to break the attention away from the rest of the world. “Twilight Sparkle,” she corrected, with a nod of her head. “A-and yes. I’m new here, just arrived this morning. I’m sorry to come late, I didn’t know where or when classes were until just before this one,” she tried to explain. Yet, another look out towards the class and that concentration broke once again. Unknowingly, her tail went underneath her rump, pressing against her stomach as her ears went back.

Why were they all staring at her? It wasn’t all bad, not really. She could see a few smiling at her, even one that gave a wave - some silver haired mare in the middle of the room. The sound of the stallion talking brought her back to reality. “Well! Ms. Sparkle! Well met! I’m Dr. Livy, have a seat, anywhere that’s open. We are absolutely happy to have you here, take a moment to get settled in and we’ll get right back to the lesson!” he promised.

Twilight flashed her best smile towards the class and watched them as she walked. Hey, an open seat. And right next to the silver haired mare that had waved at her! Why not? A few ‘excuse mes’ and she’d find her way over, plopping down in the seat next to the mare.

“Hi,” the mare whispered, holding out a hoof. She wore a black cloak for some reason, despite the warmth of the room, with a blue coat and that silvery main, slicked back and looking quite fine. Her cutie mark, which Twilight could just barely see, was a wand with a shimmer around it the same color as her mane. “I’m Trixie. Nice to meet you,” she whispered, offering out a hoof.

Twilight took the hoof with only a slight bit of uncertainty, a small shake and back down again. “Do you need paper for today? Maybe a notebook?” The other mare asked, producing a small, leather clad notebook from within her backpack. And a spare quill too.

How absolutely nice! Twilight smiled a wide, happy smile, magic reaching out to grip the offered things in her magic. “Hey, thanks. I really appreciate this, I mean, I literally came in here this morning and I don’t have any of my things and-” she cut herself off, with a small giggle. “Sorry, I’m totally rambling.”

Trixie reached a hoof out, gently patting at the top of Twilight’s. “It’s okay. We were all like that before. Why don’t I let you take some of my notes after class so you can copy them and maybe get caught up. How does that sound?” Trixie asked.

Twilight’s smile grew all the more, and she nodded her head as fast as she could. “That would be great! Thank you so much, I really can’t say thank you enough! And-”

A clearing of somepony’s throat brought the attention back to the center of the room. Dr. Livy looked at the two with an arched up eyebrow, though the smile on his face certainly lessened the severity of it. “Come on you two, class is starting. Getting to know each other is absolutely important, but you know what else is? The Fall of the Second Zebra Triumvirate!” He announced, talking long steps back to the board.

Twilight and Trixie fell into silence once the lesson started in earnest. To be completely fair, Twilight had heard this a dozen times before. Well, not heard so much as read. She didn’t have many books back home, but a few were history ones, some fiction but all providing at least some truth to them. Granted, the empire of the Sun and Moon distributed what she considered propaganda about the whole conflict too.

Regardless, Twilight took notes, she’d jot away against the notebook she’d been given, studiously doing all that she could because at the end of the day, all of this would be on a test. She knew how schools worked, even if she’d never been in one herself. The class felt like it went by in an instant, a second and then it was over. The bell had started to ring just as they entered the second Horsian wars, and Twilight had really gotten interested in the subject.

She even stayed seated for a second, forgetting that classes were supposed to end. Only when the other students started leaving was she keyed off, Twilight stood up quickly and nearly smacked face first into Trixie.

The two of them giggled, ever so amused at each other. Trixie got herself under control first, hoof reaching out to rest against Twilight’s shoulder. “So! Seeing as you're new around here, I figured that somepony should be your mentor!” Trixie announced. “And I see no reason why that mentor shouldn’t be me! Unless… unless you’re against that?”Trixie added, with a bit of a feeble smile. “But! I have many fantastic qualities! My magic!” Trixie’s horny sparkled. “My intelligence. My friendliness! And coming from a great line of witches and wizards! I’ll get you settled in better than anypony else!”

Twilight had already decided pretty much the moment the other mare spoke, but she let her go on and on just for fun, seeing how long she’d go. She’d finally stop her with an upraised hoof and a smile, along with a little giggle. “Yes, I’d really like that, Trixie. You’re the um, you’re the first student that’s talked to me since I came here, you know?” she asked. “It’s been really nice to have somepony to talk to. What’s our next class?” she asked.

Trixie’s eyes lit up with happiness, forelegs reaching out and wrapping up around Twilight in a quick, light hug. “Come on, it’s lunch time. I’m sure you’re going to love the food here. They make it fresh every day and it comes straight from the royal palace. It gets a bit crowded in the dorms, but if you know the servers - or know somepony who does-” Trixie bragged, with a bit of a gesture to herself, “then you can always get some of the good stuff!”

They left the classroom and bagan moving out towards the outside of the building again, down the slightly musty stairs and over towards the door, chatting and talking all the while. “So are the lessons normally like that? And are the teachers normally that great?” Twilight asked. Twilight had already learned a lot of this stuff before, sure, but it had never been presented in this way, and she’d never found quite the thorough understanding of it. She glanced upwards, looking at the notebook that bobbed over her head with each step.

“It’s hit or miss,” Trixie admitted. “Oh, did you want to stop by your room to drop your things off? There’s plenty of food, don’t worry. Twily, you definitely look like you need it!” Apparently they’d already made it to the nickname phase!

“That’d be great but… but what do I call you?” Twilight asked, looking over at Trixie with a teasing expression. “Trix? Ixie? Something like that?” she proposed, before devolving into giggles.

“How about THE GREAT AND POWERFUL!” Trixie practically shouted the words, letting them echo through the courtyard and earning them more than one or two strange looks.

Twilight rolled her eyes as the two entered the dorm proper, back into the din of students. The common room had been packed full of ponies, crowded around a counter which Twilight couldn’t make out quite well from here. She could make out the ponies behind it, however, each of them wearing what she figured was servant’s attire - simple black suits, a nice black dress with an apron, that sort of thing. They chatted amicably with the ponies on the other side of the counter, everypony seemingly in quite the good mood.

“Come on, G and P,” Twilight teased, abbreviating the nickname. “Let’s go put our stuff down and get in line. Wow, I don’t think I’ve ever seen a place this crowded in my life,” she admitted, leading the way up the stairs.

“It’s like this every day, you do get used to it after a while,” Trixie answered. The hallway on the second floor at least was shielded from most of the noise, and as Twilight unlocked and entered her room, the din died down until just the two of them remained. The notebook would be left against the bed, placed carefully along with her quill. Even Trixie shrugged off her saddlebags, leaving them close to the door for later. “Ready?” she asked. “You’re going to love this, trust me!”

Twilight, for a second at least, just breathed in, letting the reality of the situation sink in. She’d found herself exactly where she wanted. In the school of her dreams, with her own room, talking to somepony that might just be her friend. How had she gotten so lucky? “Yea, absolutely. Do you know what we’re having today?” Twilight asked, as the pair made their way back downstairs.

Then again, did she really want to have the surprise ruined? Besides, it wasn’t far to the downstairs, the ponies already starting to thin out. They’d settled into their little cliques, gathering around tables and excitedly chattering with each other. Twilight tried to see if they’d fallen into certain categories, but really, the only consistent split that the mare saw was based around age. It made sense - each class would probably have more to talk about with each other than the others, but then again, there was still quite a bit of intermingling.

Back where Twilight came from, you stayed within your family and your small clan of associated families. You didn’t mix with others, you didn’t go out of your way to make friends or anything foolish like that. In her mind, it felt stagnant, boring. How could she grow and learn when the only ponies she talked to were the same ones she’d always known? And when Shining had gone off to join the military when she was still young, she’d had even less of a chance to learn anything. After all, Shining had been the only one to challenge her, to let her grow.

And now she had so much more. She could hear Trixie answering her, but her mind had fallen back into daydreams. Personal classes with Luna, so many students to learn from, classes every day, how could one ask for more?

Only a jostling from Trixie brought her back into reality. “Twilight? You okay?” she asked, worry knitting the mare’s brows together.

Just like that, Twilight’s head came back down from the clouds and she gave a small nod of her head. “Yep!” she answered, leading the way down the stairs with a smile on her face that spread across the entirety of it. “You know, I just thought about how lucky I am,” she explained, leading the way through the crowd with a new spring in her step.

“What do you mean?”

“Well, two nights ago, I camped in the middle of the Tundra all on my own. I didn’t think I’d have a big chance of making it into the school and while I had my confidence from my skill, I knew it’d be an uphill battle. But here I am, just existing in space, making friends and already taking classes a few days after arriving in Stalliongrad, it’s amazing, isn’t it?” she asked. At some point, the two had started to make it closer to the serving counter, the scent of all sorts of goods wafting over her nose. Baked alfalfa lasagna, potatoes mashed and fried both, so many different kinds of sauces and drinks. Oh Princesses, her stomach growled with need.

Trixie nodded along with her words, walking beside her as they got up to the front of the line. “Well, it’s certainly improbable,” Trixie agreed. “You didn’t exactly tell me how you ended up here regardless. But! That’s not something that friends have to say on the first day, is it?” Trixie asked, smiling wide enough to stretch her cheeks. “Besides, we absolutely have to get something to eat. Go ahead and tell them what you want,” she instructed.

And eat they would. Good food, good friends, and a wonderful day ahead of her. Twilight couldn’t believe how lucky she got it.

Author's Note

Hi hiii!! Next chapter may be a tiny bit, some life stuff happened but it's coming!

Evening Explosions

The rest of lunch passed quickly with Trixie and Twilight talking back and forth, sharing their life stories. Unfortunately, after lunch found them going separate ways, Trixie had her afternoon classes while Twilight found herself returning to the castle for combat training. Apparently, most students didn’t have that class.

At least, in the light of the day, Twilight knew her way and could make the trip quite a bit easier than the night before. Yes, the air still practically froze around her, but the sun helped dull most of the chill, and with the chirping birds, the whole outdoors almost seemed pleasant really. This time, ponies were out and about, tending to their business, laughing and spending time together or visiting shops. It made Stalliongrad seem more like an actual town, a city rather than some sort of icy wasteland.

It definitely helped that Twilight had enough clothes to fit in now. A lovely, downy cloak borrowed from Trixie, the softest of blue with wool lining the inside. It kept her body warm, her old saddlebags thrown over her back, stuffed with yet more things that Trixie had loaned her: books, quills, even a textbook or two that Trixie had kept over from classes she no longer took. Sure, Twilight didn’t even take one of the classes she’d now procured a book for, but you never knew.

The journey to the castle really didn’t take long. Ten minutes, all told, there and back again. Twilight had gotten directions from a fellow classmate as well, go to the square but don’t go into the castle proper. Instead, head left and out through another portcullis and straight into quite the wide field. Once upon a time, it’d been used for maneuvers with the military. With the army population here severely reduced, it’d been repurposed as a training ground for the guard and for any other ponies that were deemed worthy.

Apparently, Twilight had been deemed worthy. And by none other than Luna herself. Still, she felt strange stepping onto the field. In the distance, she could see a group of royal guards marching in their cadence. Off to the right, a circle had been crudely magicked into the ground, unicorns whipping spells at each other faster than Twilight could think. Above, Pegasi fought against each other, with training weapons but somehow looking no less deadly to Twilight’s amateur eyes.

For a while at least, Twilight let herself be occupied by the unicorns dueling. Flashes of golden light intermingled with a fiery red. Shields, teleporting to get an angle on the other, even magical blades appearing in the air. Yep, Twilight definitely couldn’t keep up with that, it almost looked like some kind of dance with how close the two moved sometimes. It took her another second to spot the helmets off on the ground near the circle. Royal Dragoons. No wonder they were so far beyond everypony else.

Somepony was supposed to be meeting her here, right? That’s what she’d been told at least. The mare awkwardly shifted on her hooves, looking around her and spotting… well, pretty much the same as she’d been seeing. Twilight frowned, letting out a huff as she looked to pop open her saddlebags. Might as well start to read while she had the chance, get caught up on the things she’s missed coming in late.

Twilight never got the chance. Magic exploded beside her, a flash of bright golden light that made her yelp and stumble to the side. Suddenly taking its place stood a yellow coated pony, with a red and yellow striped mane and tail, the former of which had been bound into a ponytail, trailing off the side of her youthful, if scarred, face.

That’s what really stood out at first. Scars marred a good half of her face and neck, deep, cutting things, over her eye, on her cheek, even on the side of her nose. Despite the way it made half of her muzzle droop, she still smiled, her cyan eyes still gleamed with happiness, intelligence too.

Eventually, Twilight managed to pull her eyes away from the mare’s face to look over the rest of her. The mare’s right foreleg had suffered the same affliction as whatever happened to her face, though the rest of her body was covered in some sort of barding so it was impossible to tell if it ended there. The barding looked like leather, treated with something that made it practically glimmer in the light of the morning.

“Twilight Sparkle!” The words were said with exactly zero doubt or questioning. An announcement of utter certainty. “Hi there!” Despite everything, this mare was… bubbly? Yes, that’s the word. A hoof came out in introduction. “Sunset Shimmer, happy to meet ya!”

Carefully, Twilight reached her hoof out and gave it a shake, with a nod of her head. “Are you my combat instructor?” she asked, magically snapping the saddlebags closed once more. “You’re not exactly who I expected,” she admitted.

Sunset just giggled, pulling her hoof back. “Well! Luna herself ‘recommended’ me! Or should I say forced me?” she asked, one hoof tapping against the bottom of her chin in thought. “Voluntold! That’s the word!” Sunset finally settled, with quite the enthusiastic nod of her head.

Twilight wondered if she should be offended by this revelation. Surely there had been somepony that actually wanted to mentor her? And this one seemed strange to say the least. Well, she’d do her best regardless. If the Princess had chosen her, then it must have been for a good reason. Twilight did her best to smile. “Well, I’m sure that you’ll do a fantastic job, Miss Shimmer. I am super new to all this, so any help that you can give me is definitely appreciated!” Twilight perked up the best she could and she thought that she did a pretty damned good job all things considered.

Another giggle and Twilight suddenly wondered if that was all that Sunset did. But perhaps the growing headache made her shorter tempered than she normally would have been. “Well, I’ve been in the Dragoons for uh, about a decade now, so if I couldn’t fight I wouldn’t be doing much good for them, would I?” she asked, with a wink. “Scoot close, I’ll take us over towards where we’re gonna be training today. You’ve teleported before, right?”

Twilight started to answer, she really did, but the sudden yank of magic forced the words back into her throat. The world collapsed around her and the noise roared in her eyes. Vision shrank to pinpricks and nothing more around her, the darkness collapsing in. Yet, at the same time, she could see things, other things. She could see a fast moving deer, bow floating above them, locking and loaded to something.

She could see one of the castle walls pitching inwards, the great screech of stone marking the collapse of such a marvel of engineering. She could see Luna in combat, a vicious, bloody monster cleaving her way through lines and lines of enemy foes that seemed to be nothing more than gray blobs of smoke. She saw herself, channeling some great magic atop a tower, in the midst of a ritual circle that she couldn’t even begin to understand.

And yet, just as fast as all these visions had come, they disappeared once more, snuffed out and returning Twilight to the world of the living. Lovely, green grass rushed up to meet her, and she realized that she was falling flat on her face. She didn’t catch herself - no, something else did. Shimmering, golden magic surrounded her, suspending her barely an inch from the ground, so close that she could quite literally feel the blades of grass tickling her nose.

“You okay?!” Sunset practically yipped out. The magic uprighted Twilight, and she got back to her hooves again. Physically, just fine. Mentally? Head spinning just a touch. Still, the instructor pony was practically nose to nose with her already. “Oh Celestia! I really should’ve let you answer before I teleported us, that was super rude!” Sunset apologized the best she could. “I’m totally sorry, are you still well enough to go through training today? I think Luna - the Princess - would totally get it if you weren’t feeling up to it!”

Twilight brushed herself off the best she could, though she quickly realized that she had absolutely nothing to brush off of her. Despite the journey, they’d not actually touched the ground even for a second. “I’m-” she started to say, despite her head absolutely spinning. Her eyes squeezed shut, and in and out she breathed over and over. “I’ll be okay,” she tried to reason once more.

It hadn’t even been the first time that she’d ever teleported. It had, however, been the first time someone else’s magic had ripped her through that sort of space. When she did it, it was smooth, quick, instantaneous and no lingering effects plagued her. Nor did she see things in the realm between, if only-

Oh. She’d always been told that teleportation was amongst the most dangerous spells that one could cast. She’d read about it - something about the space in between being as close to raw magic, to the creation of the universe as you could get. If there was even the slightest thing wrong in your spell, you could get trapped there, in limbo, for the rest of your life. Granted, it’d be a very short life full of pain and confusion and then you’d simply stop existing.

Perhaps Sunset’s spell had let her see into that aether. Without the same protective spells wrapped around herself and in more of a side car, she’d been able to peek out into the universe beyond.

Then, Twilight had a terrible idea. A no good, awful one. What if she started to strip away some of the protective spells on her own teleports? Perhaps one or two of the more modern ones weren’t needed? Those visions, they had seemed important. The memories of them still danced in her head, almost taunting her with knowledge that she couldn’t have. Why not push the boundaries? Why not try and see more? Not always. Never always. But after some study? It was worth a try for something that could potentially hold the secrets of the future.

Sunset smacked her.

Well that brought her back to the world of the living. Her head slowly pointed over towards Sunset with a long, long look. “Did you just-”

Sunset smacked her again, though she at least looked apologetic for this one.

“Sorry! I used to do that whole thing you just did, with the zoning out and we definitely don’t have time for that today! It does mean you’re feeling better though, doesn’t it?” Sunset asked, with a big smile on her face that somehow managed to look apologetic at the same time.

Twilight would need to learn how to do that someday. It might get her out of some trouble. One hoof came up to delicately rub at her face, but she couldn’t help but understand where the other mare came from. “I do tend to zone out sometimes,” she admitted, with a little giggle. “I’m sorry, and yes, I’m definitely feeling better now. Um, sorry about that,” she apologized again.

Sunset just waved it off with a gesture of her hoof and stepped clear of Twilight, letting her see the space around them. A few things had already been set up - a couple of clay targets on the ground, a circle like the dueling circle from before, and a length of rope that seemed like nothing special. “Don’t apologize, let’s just get started, I only have you for fifty seven minutes now and we’re going to use absolutely all of that!

Today, we’re going to judge your base capabilities. I can’t really do a whole lot of training if I don’t know how strong or accurate or tough you are, so we’re gonna do some basic stuff and see where you’re at. Sounds good?” Sunset asked, though she didn’t exactly wait for Twilight to answer. Granted, the purple mare did give a nod.

“So we’re a good way away from everypony else now, I’m gonna launch these clay targets up in the air and you’re going to blast them. Use a low power spell just in case you miss, but try and keep some… some zip in it, alright?” Part of Twilight wondered why Sunset kept asking these questions if she didn’t want an answer, especially because Sunset already started to levitate up one of the targets.

This time, at least, she did seem to wait, looking back towards Twilight with an expectant look. “Oh. I didn’t expect you to wait,” Twilight admitted. Twilight took a few steps forward up beside Sunset, doing her best to get in a somewhat decent stance. Hooves apart, horn upwards, she could absolutely do this, couldn’t she?

“I always wait!” Sunset absolutely lied. Twilight could tell she lied, especially because right as she said that one of the clay targets launched into the air.

Go time! Twilight really did try her best, head tracking the target, keeping her eyes on track and firing a bolt of bright, amethyst energy towards it. Whatever it hit wouldn’t be affected that much, just be lit up and shoot sparkles from it. Unfortunately, she happened to miss entirely and the clay pigeon continued whizzing through the air, magic bolt going off into the distance. Total miss.

“Try again!” Sunset called out, not even giving Twilight a second to think things over. Again, a pigeon would fly through the air, just as quick, just as arched as the last one. And again Twilight would do her absolute best to murder the thing with a bolt of magic.

And yet again, the pigeon whizzed through the air uselessly, probably hitting something miles and miles and miles away. Or nothing at all. One of the two, really. With a huff, Twilight stomped against the ground, a tiny bit of frustration boiling through her. “This should be easier than it is! It’s just a calculation of the ar-”

Once more, Twilight’s words would be interrupted by action. This time, however, included the clay thing flying right at her face, way faster than the ones before. A normal, logical pony probably would have just zapped it. It would have been easiest, the least amount of power, all that good stuff.

But Twilight panicked. Realistically, this thing couldn’t and wouldn’t hurt her, but she wasn’t thinking about that. Right now, it seemed like an absolute existential threat to her and, more importantly, to her horn.

So Twilight dealt with it in the most reasonable way possible.

She exploded.

Magic flared out from her in a tidal wave of energy, scorching the grass to soot and ash, nothing more. The clay pigeon evaporated from the sudden energy, turned to nothing but dust. By all accounts, Sunset Shimmer should have had the same fate befall her as well.

For thirty feet around Twilight, the devastation reigned, her eyes were a bright white, horn glowing with energy, pulsing and sputtering. It was a silent explosion too, the expansion of magic was accompanied by no noise, no fanfare beyond the fiery cataclysm in its wake and the bright light show on the ground.

Everything within a thirty foot radius had ceased existence. The dueling circle, the rest of the pigeons, the grass itself, and probably even the oxygen molecules in the air but nopony really had any way of knowing about that.

Sunset didn’t even stand in the same place anymore. Belatedly, Twilight realized that she might have killed Sunset. The realization absolutely sent her mind into a panic, glancing around with panic in her eyes. What exactly was the punishment for killing a pony in Stalliongrad? Did it matter that it had been an accident? Knowing the laws of the land, she doubted that would even come up in her trial.

If she got a trial. She’d hurt somepony that Luna personally trusted and oh my Celestia, she was definitely going to die. Twilight whimpered and plopped her rump down against the ground, already trying to rationalize ways that she could explain this.

Turns out, her worry was for naught. With a pop of golden magic, Sunset reappeared in front of her. “Woah!” she chirped, looking around at the destruction around her. “You really did a number on this place, didn’t ya? Well, I think we definitely don’t have to worry about reflexes! Nope, seems like accuracy is the thing you need to work on!” Always upbeat, always chipper, Twilight didn’t know how she did it.

Twilight slowly got back to her hooves again, inspecting Sunset with quite the closeness. It couldn’t have been a clone or something, right? Twilight wasn't a murderer. That meant she wasn’t going back to jail. Oh thank the Goddesses. “Sorry,” she squeaked out.

From the outside, Twilight looked like something of a mess. Hair messy and half exploded on its own, horn literally smoking, coat fritzed up and looking like she’d gotten the worst static shock of her life, and tail mimicking her hair in the same way. It didn’t help that she sat in the middle of a crater, quite the blast radius around her. She might have been impressed had she not been humiliated.

Sunset, however, seemed absolutely impressed! She let out a low whistle as she looked around the space beside them. “You really did a number on the ground, didn’t you?” she asked. “I’m impressed! I don’t think I’ve seen somepony do that in like, years. Back in my own training, I think!” she mused, with another nod of her head. “Look, don’t worry about it, okay? I know you’re feeling worried and all, but it’s okay! These kinds of things happen, and it’s why I took you really far away from everypony else. See?” she asked, gesturing around them.

Absolutely true, too. Twilight hadn’t realized it before, but they were on the other side of the castle now, maybe around the back of it? Had she not been totally absorbed in Sunset’s words, she might have noticed it before. The part where the two of them stood still looked like the normal practice field. But over to the right, directly behind the castle, she could see the start of the gardens.

Twilight didn’t know so much could grow up here. Despite the cold, despite the snow, the gardens still exploded with color. They were blues and purples, whites and all sorts of cool colors, in low planters stretching out in a pattern that Twilight was sure was beautiful if she could see it up close. Somehow, they’d even managed to grow a hedge maze on the far side of the gardens. That shouldn’t be possible up here, but Twilight imagined that magic could make anything possible.

At this time of day, a small army of gardeners tended to the plants, each dressed in the same uniform as they continued watering, tending, clipping, pruning, all sorts of tasks that would keep the plants healthy. An urge poked at Twilight’s mind, an urge to head over and take a look; how could one not want to? The royal gardens of Stalliongrad. Something so amazing made in the most hostile of places. A work of art.

And Twilight got slapped again.

“You were doing the thing again! Sorry!” Sunset apologized, taking a few steps back just in case.

But, there wouldn’t be any explosion, any overreaction. Instead, Twilight just laughed. Maybe it was because she’d had a hell of a day already, maybe it was the outflow of magic earlier that left her filled with endorphins and not much else, or maybe it was just getting slapped three times, but Twilight absolutely laughed.

Probably to the point of seeming at least a little deranged. Though, it likely helped that Sunset had started to laugh with her. Not quite as loudly, but still there. The other mare stopped first, speaking up once more. “This has been the weirdest day of training I’ve ever done! And we haven’t even started training! I’ve never had a mare blow up on me but wow, you sure are an exciting one, aren’t you?” she asked.

Twilight’s laughter slowly petered out, a small shake of her head chasing the last bits of laughter out. “I’m sorry!” she apologized, mimicking Sunset’s chipper tone for once. “This has been a really weird day for me too. It started with me getting arrested and now I’m the Princess’s personal student. I’m sure you can understand that I’m totally weirded right now. I swear I’m not usually like this,” she promised.

Sunset just waved a hoof. “It’s okay! You’re fine, this has been really exciting and that’s awesome. We’re going to have plenty of sessions together, I mean, three times a week for forever if I can help it! No, wait, that’s a lie. Not forever, because I need you to graduate at some point!” Sunset came over, draping a hoof over Twilight’s shoulders and pulling her closer, giving a squeeze and all.

“You got it all out of your system now? Cause we definitely need to keep going!” Sunset added, with another squeeze around Twilight’s barrel. “Though, I guess I’m gonna have to get us more equipment, huh? Least I know how strong that horn on top of your head is!”

One last squeeze and Sunset scooted away once more, Twilight clumsily smoothing down her hair. “All good,” Twilight agreed, with a nod of her head. “Do you need any help? I can maybe fix it. Maybe.” The second maybe sounded even less sure than the first, and the more she looked around herself, the less sure she felt. “Want me to give it a try?”

Sunet seemed to consider it for a second before shaking her head. “Sure, why not? You got some crazy magic, might as well see what you can do!” A pop of magic and Sunset appeared some dozen or two yards away, outside the circle of destruction. “Go ahead!”

Twilight only really had a vague idea of how she could do this. It’s stuff that she’d tried on a small scale before, but never on anything larger than a glass of water. The concepts had to stay the same on different scales, right?

It just meant knitting time into something not quite straight and linear. By all accounts, it should be impossible to do on a pony, they were too complicated for anypony but the Princesses and Starswirl himself, though the latter had long since disappeared.

Twilight closed her eyes, her horn starting to glow once more. She’d need to be careful, just moments before, she’d expended more magic than she’d meant to. On the bright side, Twilight happened to be something of a special type of unicorn.

To be specific, there were two main types of unicorns. The first were the standard, the ones that most ponies thought of when they saw a unicorn. They had power, and sometimes a lot of it, but it was focused on one particular thing or in a small area. Take her brother for instance - he couldn’t pump out nearly the raw energy that Twilight could but his shields could lay so intricately that even she couldn’t pierce them most of the time.

He also got the added benefit of being able to light a candle or do the dishes. Twilight had tried that once, and she’d blown up the fireplace and shattered all their porcelain. Her mother had never forgiven her for that, no matter how much she tried to say otherwise.

Twilight’s type were rarer. That didn’t make them better, just different. Twilight had a deep well of magic that she could reach into, and it came out like a firehouse. She’d had to train for many, many years just to hold a quill or read a book, something that came by default to most other unicorns.

But at least she could do these sorts of things. They were flashier, sure, but could a pony like her do surgery? No. Fix a watch? Not even a little. Cons and pros, ups and downs.

For now, Twilight focused. Her magic started to expand around her in an orb emanating from her horn and capturing anything that it passed over. Magic signatures lit up in her mind’s eye, the most prevalent her own from the explosion earlier.

Within the bright amethyst of her magic signature were others too - a golden one over there from where Sunset had popped out of being, a splotch of blue and green from ponies doing something earlier that Twilight couldn’t discern. This acted like an imprinting sort of deal, not seeing the past.

It did mean that she could revert some things at least, mostly small damage to inanimate objects. Like a cloth getting ripped, or a plate getting shattered. Those things took a flood of magic, and Twilight figured that if she could do it for those small things, making grass not be burnt counted as well. RIght?

Another deep breath. Okay, yea, she could totally do this. And hey, it might impress Sunset too, another reason to get it done. Her magic stopped it’s inexorable march of movement at the edge of the circle around herself, nearly a perfect, sculpted sphere really, above and below the ground. Though, it’s not like there was anything to fix underneath her.

An overglow coated her horn, another layer on the already overcharged horn. It made her head ache all over again, but ever so slowly, she started to pull the magic circle back in. On the way back on, she laced it with the spell from earlier. Really, it was a particularly clever piece of magic. At its base, it was just transformation. Everypony could do basic transformation, turning coins into buttons and the like - temporarily for those, of course. Twilight just added another element, the dimension of time in addition to the physical three dimensions.

Time made it a great deal more difficult than the physical dimensions, but it could still be pulled and pushed around with magic. It just used more. So as the circle pulled back, time would pull back with it. The dark, burned ground replaced itself with green, fresh, even sparkling with morning dew grass. The clay pigeons even reformed as the magic dragged over the spots where they’d sat along with the dueling circle that was etched into the ground.

Twilight’s horn glowed all the brighter again, and her headache became near head splitting. She could make it all stop if she just let the magic go, if she let it flow outwards and break the spell, the glow would stop, the searing headache would follow it, but she was devoted now.

Besides, the circle had already made it half of the way back to her and the less area made every inch easier. She sucked in a deep breath, holding herself tight to the spot. Finally, it touched against her hooves, the sphere closing up into something marble shaped right around her horn.

Spell done, Twilight slumped over, smoke trailing from her horn in a lovely spiral shape. She gasped for air, but didn’t fall to the ground. The piercing pain slowed to a dull ache now, barely in the back of her head as a reminder of the stupid amounts of magic that she’d channeled. A step forward would show that the places where her hooves had planted still burned away to a crisp, black ash, but the rest of the field looked perfect, barely touched from a few hours ago.

With the smallest of smiles, Twilight looked up towards Sunset, gesturing to the grass around her in a miniature ‘ta-da!’ sort of gesture. Sure, it was probably diminished by the fact that she quite literally sucked in each breath, but the gesture totally counted regardless.

Sunset continued to show her niceness by giving a clap of her hooves and an appreciative nod of her head. “Wow, that was really something, Twilight!” Sunset called out, ambling her way back towards the center of the circle.

Twilight did her best to smile at the other mare, the thin sheen of sweat covering her no longer so easy to ignore. “Thanks,” she answered, looking down beneath herself. The spots, however, vexed her. Not enough for her to cast the spell again, but definitely enough for her to be ever so minorly annoyed at their existence. They should have fixed too, darnit.

“You okay to keep training or did that take it out of you?” Sunset asked, looking over the grass once more. “Cause I was going to totally test your strength next but after that I’m not really sure that I need to. I was also gonna teach you some pretty basic self defense spells, but uh, after seeing that I think I have to re-write the curriculum. Or probably steal most of it from Luna. Sorry, I haven’t actually worked with one of your kind before!” Sunset explained, then quickly went on.

“Is that offensive? I mean, it’s honestly just awesome!”

The ache had nearly disappeared entirely now, only taking a couple of moments really. Magic worked funny like that. “It’s not offensive,” Twilight answered, with a giggle of her own. “It’s just the way that things are. I also wouldn’t mind taking a break. I can keep going, but this really has been exhausting,” Twilight admitted. It’s not like her magical stores were exhausted, but her horn still smoked and that meant bad things could happen if she kept going. The last thing she needed to do was give herself a burnout on the very first day of school. “Also, I think I need another shower before dinner.” Twilight looked down at herself as she spoke, soot still staining her coat.

Sunset clapped Twilight on the back again, pulling her close for a tight squeeze. “Sounds good to me. Same time uh…” she looked up at the sun, like that’d somehow give away the secrets of time. “Wednesday?” she proposed.

It’s not like Twilight could argue with that scheduling, but the way that Sunset carried herself was just so darned infectious! “See you then,” Twilight promised. “And don’t worry, I got my own transport!” she swore.

One last wave towards Sunset and Twilight would teleport. It didn’t get her all the way back, but it got her to the front of the gates, enough that she could pleasantly walk her way back down to the dorms to save her horn. Next time, she’d do it without some of the wards.

And next time, she’d remember to come to training without wanting to blow up the field. Sunset wouldn’t hurt her, she just had to remember that.

Twilight shrugged her saddlebags off and the mare went out looking for Trixie. Time for a long, long shower.

Luna hadn’t slept well. She normally didn’t these days what with so many things going on. Yet today was worse than normal, she tossed and turned for so long that all told she only managed about four hours of actual sleep. She could work with that, not perfect, but doable.

A certain mare vexed her mind, along with the realization that she’d have to start teaching somepony for the first time in nearly a decade. Her last student had gone well, quite well until an accident that had left her scarred. Quite honestly, Luna had sworn off students altogether when it occurred, but now she found herself falling into the same old habits.

And now she dressed with the realization that she’d gone back on yet another promise she’d made herself. Those seemed to break by the week these days, what a shame really. A gown covered her body, a midnight blue one that matched her coat, the bottom of it turning into a lovely gauzy thing, sparkling with glitter. Other than that, it was fairly simple, a loose gown with her cutie mark on the front of it.

What would she teach this mare? Her old lesson plans were still valuable, but they were warlike in nature and for some reason Luna didn’t particularly feel like that was what was needed here. Maybe something about dream magic? Dark Magic?

That hadn’t worked out well two students ago, even if said student had made a wonderful statue in her garden. Maybe that could come later. Bah, she had started to overthink this already, hadn’t she? She still needed to get breakfast, have evening court and see her council before Twilight’s first lesson as well. So much to do, so little time.

Luna strolled over towards her balcony, looking out over her beautiful city. The sun had just set over the horizon, painting it in the most wonderful of twilight colors, purples and reds painting the sunset. Mere minutes till the moon would poke it’s lovely head out as well, minutes that she’d spend watching her children go through their days.

She smiled as she saw her ponies laugh and play. There, a group chatting as they exited some expensive restaurant, dressed to the nines. Another there, getting off work and pushing his way into a bar. Still another wearing masquerade masks on their way to a party that Luna envied.

And in the back of her mind, the constant, fearful reminder that this could all end in a tsunami of flame and destruction. That thought reasserted that she had to think of something to teach Twilight, something that could be useful in stopping whatever-

Why not introduce her to it?

That’s a nice thought. Share the gift of prophecy with her newest student, perhaps Twilight would be able to see the future the both of them could change. Perfect.

With newfound confidence, Luna would slip away. Time for breakfast.

Hello Night

It would have been easier had Luna been slower. Had she been slower, she might have still been setting up about now. But no, the small room she used for her students had already been prepared.

The room looked pleasant enough. It was part of her tower, just one of the lower rooms instead of the ones she kept specifically for herself. At its base, it looked like nothing more than a comfortable sitting room, two couches around a table set up with a tea set already, various snacks accompanying the drink as well. A pair of bookshelves ringed one of the couches, the one closest to the wall, cut in a distinctive circular shape to follow the curve of the tower.

That wasn’t really the interesting part of the room, however. No, that was the center of the space, where a great ritual circle had been seared into the floor. It could be changed with her magic, and provided an excellent base for one to channel their magic into. Today, it’d been set up to reflect a focus in prophetic arts, two cushions on either side of it and a small bowl of divining crystals in the center of it. They had no magic fed into them right now, but eventually, when things started to heat up, they’d be full of it, taking whatever magic fed into the circle and running wild with it.

On the other side, a chalkboard with more chalk than one could ever want, another pair of bookshelves, and a cupboard with all sorts of materials hiding in it. A great chandelier hung over the top of the room, wrought silver supporting a dozen or so candles to light up the room perfectly - especially since they were magically enchanted candles set to burn without heat and without wax.

And Luna herself waited, in the same gown from earlier, sitting in front of the tea set and staring at the thing like it would move or change or something that she couldn’t quite figure out. Twilight would be here any moment, and despite having everything prepared, she couldn’t help but feel like she’d missed something.

It wasn’t food. Snacks were enough, as Twilight would have already had dinner before coming here and Luna had already had her version of breakfast. Nothing magic related, prophetic arts were more about getting in touch with your inner eye than outside things to spend bits on. Perhaps she should have given the girl more time to settle in? Probably, but time was of the essence, who knew when the prophecy could come true?

It could even be tomorrow. The Princess sighed and shook her head, standing from the point and ambling her way over towards the balcony of the room - nearly every room in the tower had one, she never wanted to be away from her citizens for too long.

She’d take a moment to look outside, glancing over her city, her paradise, resolving once more to protect it for as long as she lived and as long as she could summon magic to her horn. It would only be a moment, because behind her, a knock sounded at the door. It had to be her.

Luna turned, hastening her way over towards the door and pulling it open with a fierce pull of magic, enough that it nearly pulled the thing entirely off its hinges. She’d look down at Twilight, doing her best to smile.

It was time.

Twilight had tried to sleep, she really had. But who could have slept when they had a meeting with the Princess. The second dinner ended, she’d found her way into bed and tried to sleep. It didn’t come easily, and she spent hours and hours tossing and turning in the bed, rolling around, pulling the blankets around herself. It was both too hot and too cold, the bed too soft and too hard.

Suffice to say Twilight had not slept, and had been afflicted with the bedtime illness that all ponies found themselves afflicted with at least once in their life. Questions had burned through her mind all night. What would she be taught? What Luna was like in person? What would her evening be like?

As the evening rolled around, Twilight found herself rolling out of bed. A groan escaped her, her head aching more than she could honestly admit. So much magic and so little sleep had started to wear on her. But it was okay, once her class was over, she’d have quite a bit of time to sleep before Thaumaturgy in the morning. Her body also ached in the strangest of ways, limbs limp and her barrel sore as could be. Probably from all the magic, but Twilight would deal with it and move on.

She dressed in the only clothes that she had, making a mental note to get new ones, settling into the same outfit that she’d traveled in and worked with for so long. The same trek started back up to the castle, this time with saddlebags filled with only paper notebooks and a quill for her to write down anything that the Goddess would say.

The trek at night reminded her of the one before. Light snow flurried through the air, coming down around her in the lightest of ways. A simple spell had it divert to either side, pushed off so that it could compile around here rather than wetting her fur and clothes. Belatedly, Twilight realized that she had no idea how to get to Luna’s room - or wherever the Princess aimed to teach her.

The castle loomed ahead of her as she stepped into the courtyard, the guards only giving her nods of acknowledgment this time instead of challenges. Something about that felt good, something about that felt right more than anything. Twilight couldn’t help but smile a thin smile at the thought of it, holding her head all the higher as she walked into the castle.

Of course, nothing had changed in… well, under twenty four hours. The throne room looked the same, with the only difference being the absence of ponies outside the two guards. Different ones this time, ones that Twilight didn’t recognize.

However, who Twilight did recognize was Raven, coming from one of the side halls with a scroll in front of her, one that she scribbled across with a levitated quill. The severe looking mare looked up, glancing around and spotting Twilight quite quickly. Over she’d come, prim and proper as always because Raven probably didn’t have another mode.

“Good morning, Miss Sparkle,” Raven started, Twilight picking up the implication that this was morning for Raven and Luna both. “I’m here to escort you to Luna’s tower, please stay close.” With that, Raven turned, looking to lead the way deeper into the castle.

Naturally, Twilight followed. Her eyes drifted over the halls as they walked, the lovely stone masonry on the floor was not left unappreciated. As they walked, portraits and vases waited on plinths or hung on the walls, Twilight vaguely recognizing a few of them. A mayor of Stalliongrad there, a captain of the Wonderbolts there, all sorts of famous figures recognized and glorified as portraits in the most hallowed hall of them all.

Doors opened here or there on the way as well, some Twilight could see behind. One, she swore was the kitchen, but she couldn’t verify and frankly the placement made no sense since the great hall, the place for all the feasts and parties, waited on the other side of the castle. Maybe they had something like servant’s tunnels? Twilight would have to explore eventually. It would simply mean not getting caught - probably at least. Maybe Luna let her students roam around the castle freely. I mean, why not? It’s not like things were supposed to be secretive. Just things that she didn’t really need to know.

Twilight belatedly realized they’d taken a left, starting to go up a staircase and she’d yet to say even a word to Raven. She should probably fix that. “So, have you worked as the Princess’s assistant for long?” she asked, aiming to strike up conversation.

Raven glanced over her shoulder, looking half shocked that somepony had actually said something to her. “Oh, for years. Since before-” Raven cut herself off, considering better on that apparently. “Since before you were born, I’m sure. It’s something of a familiar job, one that we pride ourselves on taking care of with each new generation.”

That absolutely fascinated Twilight, despite the way that Raven said it so disinterestedly. “Oh, so it’s a family job! How long has your family been tending to the Princess then?” Twilight asked. They’d reached the third story now, leaving the staircase with only a minor huff and puff going on. Twilight’s body actually seemed quite fit. Trekking across the world to the furthest city in the north would do that to you. Her doughy, student’s body had been replaced by something not quite ripped or strong, but lean and athletic. Distance running and walking came naturally to her now, and combat training would only help it all the more.

Raven didn’t turn this time, instead continuing on her journey forward. “Yes. For generations upon generations. My entire family has worked in the castle in some way, I don’t think we’ve even left Stalliongrad in a few hundred years - the same as Luna. Why?” It wasn’t said with malicious intent or distrust, just actual curiosity.

Curiosity Twilight could absolutely respect. Curiosity defined Twilight’s life, so what was a little right back to her? “I always wonder about the families who serve their majesties. It must be a great honor to spend so much time around the Princess, and I’m sure that her sister visits too. So I bet you get to see both,” Twilight noted, with a hint of excitement to her voice.

Excitement that Raven would squash rather expertly, though unintentionally. “Celestia? No, she hasn’t visited in… goodness, a decade?” Raven mused. “Mind, she did promise to visit later this year, and stay for a while at that. But with the construction of Canterlot ongoing, Celestia hadn’t had the time to come and visit somewhere so far north. Even for the Goddesses, it’s a few day’s journey.”

Which really said something because Twilight had lived nearby to Canterlot and it had taken her multiple months to get here. To make the same trip in a couple of days was borderline unbelievable. But Twilight believed it regardless, because if anypony could do it, Celestia and Luna could, bless their names. “I hadn’t heard about any construction,” Twilight admitted, thinking that this conversation actually went quite well. “I lived in the middle of nowhere, a tiny village that nopony really came to. Nopony really left either, save my brother and I. He went over to Canterlot to join the army.”

“Oh yes, for quite some time. Something of a disaster hit around a decade ago, a magically enhanced storm that wrecked the palace and most of the upper districts.” Raven had actually gotten into the conversation, something that Twilight considered a massive success. She still sounded prim and proper and didn’t look back, but Twilight guessed that’s just how she was. Nothing wrong with that.

“Celestia has overseen the rebuilding herself. As well as dealt with all of the insurance claims and tax disputes involving the destroyed properties. A complete kerfuffle, if what I’m told is true. But!” Raven went on, stopping in front of another staircase at the corner where two walls met. “This is your stop, Miss Sparkle. Up the stairs, it’ll be the first and only door on the landing. It has been a pleasure.” Raven finished, with a nod of her head.

That was quite a bit more than Twilight got last time the two of them had spoken. She considered this whole thing a rousing success. Mostly. “Thank you for the talk and for showing me the way, Raven,” Twilight bowed her head in thanks. “I’m sure I’ll see you soon!”

And with that, Twilight made her way up the spiralling staircase. All the finery of the castle had started to disappear the further up she walked, the stairs carpeted but nothing else showing that royalty lived here. The walls were barren, save small windows slotted every now and then, though they’d likely be used more for defense than for decoration. She knew the basics of siege warfare, after all, if only because Shining had sat her down and talked about it for hours and hours. He was an absolute nerd about the stuff.

The door came quicker than Twilight expected. She thought she’d have more time, and now that she stood in front of it, she wasn’t sure what to do. Okay, that was a lie. She technically knew that she should knock on the door and let herself be allowed in. But how did she move forward? Did she just talk to the Princess like any other pony? What did she actually do in a royal’s presence?

Twilight had no idea. And not a lot of time to figure it out. Twilight couldn’t just awkwardly stand in front of the door the entire night, especially because Luna would probably think to check at some point. Besides, it wasn’t even the first time the two had spoken. Granted, the other times had been more of a surprise than anything, this was the first one where they actually had a planned time together.

Okay Twilight, no more dilly dallying. Her hoof came up and she knocked. She barely waited as the door creaked open with midnight blue magic spurring it’s movement. The Princess came into her view, and for a second, the world stopped.

Eventually, Twilight would have to get used to this, to get used to seeing the Princess, to get used to drinking in her radiance. But she hadn’t quite managed to do that yet, and Twilight openly stared. Her mouth suddenly felt so dry, and her eyes were wide and searching, looking over every part of the Princess that she could. Distantly, she knew that her hooves actually existed, but she couldn’t prove it, and she certainly couldn’t move them as she stood stock still on the doorstep of the most powerful pony in Equestria.

It’s like she became more beautiful every time Twilight saw her.

Luna shattered the illusion first as she smiled, looking down at Twilight with benevolence in her gaze. “My student,” she started, in that lovely, full bodied tone of hers, something about it almost velvet like. So smooth. “It’s wonderful to see you once more, and I cannot wait to show you all that I can teach you. Come in, my student, come in,” she urged. Luckily for Twilight, Luna turned to lead the way further inside, meaning that she didn’t have to stare at Luna’s face anymore. “Take a seat,” Luna instructed, vaguely gesturing with her head towards the two set up couches.

Twilight didn’t need to be told twice. The unicorn ambled her way over towards it, the fog only now leaving her head and clearing once more. She’d take her spot on one of the couches, looking down to the tea set and - was that a nice snack spread? “Good evening, your Royal Highness,” Twilight finally spoke, her words coming out ever so quietly and unsure of themselves. Could she have possibly been any more awkward? Most definitely.

The Princess took the spot opposite of Twilight, settling into place and looking over the smaller mare with scrutiny. “Would you like something to drink? Tea, perhaps?” she asked, gesturing towards the table. “Hungry? I understand that dinner was hours ago for you, and we’re going to use a lot of magic tonight. It doesn’t hurt to spend a few moments to replenish thy- yourself.” Luna corrected.

Another look down at the spread and Twilight started to fix herself something with magic. A bit of the cheese, some of the fruits and crackers all made their way onto her plate, magically levitated up. She could still feel the tension in the air, and if she wasn’t completely misreading the situation, it seemed like Luna had some of it on her side too. It was, likely, probably just some ice that needed to be broken. After all, their first meeting had been anything but peaceful and relaxed.

Not that Twilight really minded. It had results and that’s not something that most ponies managed. She nibbled at some of the fruit as Luna settled in, pouring some tea for the both of them. The set itself really was lovely too, wasn’t it? Midnight blue with shadowy black parts, the cups painted with iridescent, glimmering stars. Everything here looked beautiful, the princess the most beautiful of all.

“So what are you going to teach me, your Highness?” she asked, finally saying something important. Her magic grabbed another piece of fruit, busying her muzzle with it so she couldn’t follow up her words with something stupid and embarrassing.

Luna had been in the midst of a sip of tea when Twilight’s question was asked, meaning that she took a moment to place the cup back down, graceful in all things. “Today, I’m going to show you how to read portents of the future,” Luna started, as if that were simply the easiest thing in the entire world, “It will try you, it will be hard, but I have full belief that you can do it. We’ll begin with the basics and the theory and move on from there. However, after seeing your magic in the hall as well as the report from Baroness Shimmer, I have full faith that you’ll grasp these concepts rather easily.” Luna’s accent couldn’t be placed. It was ancient, it was probably from a people that no longer existed. At least, not in the same way.

She kept on: “If you don’t, there is no worry. We will help you learn this skill one way or the other. Don’t be hard on yourself if it doesn’t come easy like other magic, prophecy and fortune telling are a very delicate art that isn’t easy to learn - or teach. It’s specific, it’s finicky, and rarely does it truly make sense. But that’s why I want a pony of your calibur learning this skill,” Luna finished with a slow nod of her head.

Twilight caught up, albeit a little slowly. “Wait, Sunset is a Baroness?” she asked, realizing that she’d been mistaking the girl’s title the entire time.

Luna chuckled, a strange thing to hear. Not that it sounded weird, just that a laugh coming from a Goddess felt weird to Twilight, almost like it shouldn’t exist. They were supposed to be serious and enigmatic, forces of nature that destroyed the opposition and nurtured the ones they loved. They weren’t supposed to chuckle, they weren’t to serve tea and talk with you about seeing the future- oh, well that part actually checked out.

The rest of it, however, was new to her. “Oh yes, a royal line that stretches back centuries. Her family was part of the original Stalliongrad founders in fact, but I don’t believe that she particularly cares for the title. Most of the people you are going to meet are nobles of some sort. Raven’s family hold a duchy to the south, though it’s admittedly rather poor and irrelevant. Serving my sister and I looked better to her family than managing a land with nothing there. Then again, the majority of the nobles I’ll have you speaking to don’t care about their status. The ones that do…”

Luna made a face. It took Twilight a second to recognize it as a grimace really, a displeased one at that. Then again, pretty much every grimace looked displeased. “Well, those are something else entirely. But fear not, my student,” Luna went on, using the title for the first time. “You shan’t have to deal with them.”

Twilight knew she would eventually end up dealing with those nobles. That was simply how things worked. “Oh. Huh. I never thought that I would just meet nobles in my day to day life. It didn’t seem like something that, well. I grew up in a small village away from any city. A baron technically ruled over us, but beyond collecting taxes, we never saw hide nor hair of him,” Twilight explained.

A sigh escaped Luna and she gave a small shake of her head. “Too often, that’s what the nobles have come to. Making out like bandits and doing nothing for the cities and villages they’re supposed to protect and nurture. Even in Stalliongrad they clamor and talk for political favor and then what do they do with it? Another concert hall that only they can afford to go to? Another private school for their children and nothing more? A pox upon the entire idea of it, it may have been useful once upon a time, but that time has long passed.” Luna practically ranted, though it was a very reserved and calm rant all things considered.

She kept on: “But I suppose that I shouldn’t talk too much on the matter. Especially since we’ve come for very different things. However,” Luna went on, magically taking her teacup back in her grasp once more, “I would quite enjoy hearing more about my newest student. You and I are going to spend quite a lot of time together, I imagine, and work closely. It would be good for the two of us to know each other in more than a superficial manner.” Luna’s smile came back once more, leaving Twilight with quite a bit to address.

Okay, in order then. “To be honest, I can’t say that I know much about the nobles, your Highness. Raven and Sunset seem like good sorts, and that’s most of my experience. That, and um, you,” Twilight added with a sly smile towards the Lunar Goddess. “But, anything that you say will absolutely be kept between the two of us,” she added. That seemed like a good start, didn’t it? Secrecy. “Although, I’m really uh, I really don’t think that there’s much to say about myself, Your Highness. I grew up in a small village with my older brother. Nothing much happened, if I’m honest.”

“The most exciting thing that happened in my life was coming here and having this.” Twilight went on, looking down at the tray of food. “Before this, I just studied and talked, lived and did nothing more. This… this is something more,” Twilight finished. She toke another bit of fruit and popped it into her muzzle, letting it occupy her mouth instead of talking.

A nod answered her words. “Your silence is most appreciated. And fear not, young student of mine, you are interesting in your own way. Have you eaten your fill? Are you well? We should begin before the night grows too long!” Luna proclaimed, already starting to stand up from her spot.

Twilight followed her with a nod of her head. “Oh yes, Your Highness. How do we begin?”

Luna gestured her forward, over towards the ritual circle already inscribed on the ground. “The best way to start with fortune telling, is to witness an instance of it yourself. There is something strange about this sort of magic, something that must have a certain part of you open. And nothing can open it, but the actual thing. This peculiarity is the reason that we can’t be sure who actually started prophecy magic. Anypony that claims is usually a liar because we can tell who opened their inner eye. Tonight, I’ll open yours,” Luna explained, taking her seat across the circle. She gestured again, towards a cushion close to Twilight.

Naturally, the student took her spot across from her teacher. Twilight looked over the circle, recognizing it from one of her magic books but knowing nothing more about it. She knew the vague theory behind this sort of thing, but had frankly always considered it quackery and nothing more. It didn’t make sense half the time, and when it did make sense, it never became true so what did she care?

But now that Luna intended to show her, Twilight had a newfound belief. There’s no way a Goddess would go for something like this if it didn’t have at least a little truth to it, and she fully intended to learn anything that she could. “Is there anything I need to do, Your Highness?” Twilight asked, getting as comfortable as she could on the cushion. Really, it was quite nice, nicer than the bed she’d had back in her home village.

A shake of Luna’s head answered her easily enough. “It’s unneeded. The majority of the work tonight will be done by me, you are here to enjoy the ride and keep a close eye on how things are done. It shouldn’t be difficult on you, but if at any time things get too intense, or too heavy, please say something and we’ll take a break. Are you ready?” Luna asked with a sense of finality to her tone.

The Princess had really made this seem like more of a thing than it was, hadn’t she? Or maybe Twilight underestimated the magic that was about to occur. “I’m ready, your Highness,” she finally answered.

With that, Twilight settled in, expecting something to happen at any moment. Something did happen in short order too, magic flaring from Luna’s horn. The color remained the same as the other night, but the sheer volume shocked Twilight.

That said something too, considering how much Twilight herself could pour out at once. This was a magnitude beyond, perhaps even two magnitudes, something that Twilight couldn’t even fathom. She could feel the magic in the air, the oppressiveness surrounding her and threatening to force her into the ground. The pony’s eyes closed, rasping in a breath as her own magic swelled - not to fight back or do anything, but to stop Luna’s magic from pouring in on her and overwhelming her.

When she managed to open her eyes again, she’d see Luna glowing. But despite the sheer amount of power radiating off of her, it didn’t seem like she put any effort into it. Her body language looked the exact same as before, natural, graceful, the perfect Goddess without a flaw on her. “Steady yourself, Twilight,” Luna warned, her voice doubled over, echoing with magic.

The circle around them started to fill, the outline glowing with the bright blue of Luna’s magic. It traced the lines against the floor, shining the rune all the brighter. A bit of magic flared from Twilight, not to join it, but to shade her eyes, to make the light a bit less bright and able to be handled. The air felt thick around her, and she didn’t even know if she could talk. It was almost agonizing to watch it move, inch by inch towards it’s inevitable conclusion.

The magic finally finished the circle and brightened again, Luna opening her muzzle to speak once more. “Close your eyes, Twilight Sparkle, and embrace the magic. I’m going to show you what my dreams have shown me, and I want you to interpret it to the best of your ability.”

Without another word, Twilight closed her eyes and readied herself the best that she could. Her own buffering, a natural resistance to other’s magic, would be lowered, slowly but surely and on purpose rather than being overwhelmed. She let the magic in, the sudden torrent of a river threatening to drown her. It infected every part of her and pushed her own magic deep, deep inside of herself. For a while, it was something of a humbling moment.

Twilight was a powerful unicorn, a rare type that could channel and hold more magic than any other. She could do things that most would consider impossible. But Luna? Luna’s magic was the sea, vast and endless, a neverending tidal wave that made her own small pond completely obsolete. It was all that she could do to hang on to her sense of self.

Images flashed before her all at once. Images of the world burning, images of the world torn to shreds. They were images that her mind couldn’t process for a while, images that were too overpowering, too dark. That was Stalliongrad, wasn’t it? She could tell, just barely, since she could see the spires and the wall from earlier.

The wall had been punched through, but that should be impossible. No amount of magic could do something like that, could it? The images kept coming, going backwards this time, the city repairing itself slowly in the strangest of ways. It came together whole once more with a flash of blue, a flash of midnight blue that blinded her mental eye.

And all at once, everything stopped.

The world snapped back to place and the magic receded just as quickly as it had come, leaving Twilight almost feeling empty. It felt like a void inside of herself, a strange sensation of emptiness now that only her own magic existed to fill her up. It took her quite a few seconds to even be able to see the world around her, a haggard breath escaping her as her head exploded in pain.

“Deep breaths, my student,” Luna’s voice broke through the edge of it. “How is your head?” Does it ache?”

Twilight could only nod as an answer, but it wouldn’t hurt for long. Another wave of magic washed over her, but this one was so much more gentle, so much more kind. It soothed her head, pressing back the feelings of overwhelming hurt and replacing them with a cool warmth. “Thank you,” she whispered out, her voice husky without even realizing it.

The sound of Luna’s hooves against the floor could be heard even from her place on the ground. “Perhaps I pushed you too far.” The words came out from somewhere distant. “Perhaps you weren’t ready for this and I should have started you on something smaller. This is… my fault. These lessons might need to end until you’ve built up strength to stand what I intend to show you.” Even in her grogginess, Twilight could hear the disappointment in Luna’s voice, she could hear something akin to despair.

It sparked something in Twilight, and she pushed through being dazed beyond belief. Her mind went into overdrive as adrenaline kicked her ass into gear. Magic spread through her, her own flaring out to fill her body up, mind processing the events from before. The mare struggled to her hooves, getting onto them with a light ‘nng’ of effort.

“I believe that I can handle it, Your Highness,” Twilight tried to assert, opening her eyes once more. She spotted the princess over by the tea set from earlier, fussing with it and apparently setting another plate for Twilight. She was hungry again, somehow. Probably from the massive amount of magical energy that she’d used throughout the day. “Forgive me, it just took me a second to get used to it. I think I’m ready now,” Twilight re-asserted.

Luna looked back over her shoulder towards the smaller mare, considering her closely. “Take a seat.” She offered, gesturing towards the couch across from her. “Eat. It’ll help your head.”

Twilight really only realized what Luna meant when she took her first step and dizziness threatened to put her right back down on her rump. Of course, she’d fight it because she wanted to prove, to show that she could still deal with things. So, she did the absolute best, most logical course of action and tried to teleport instead. That would be a hell of a display of power, wouldn’t it?

To her immense surprise, it actually worked. She managed to travel the few feet and land in her chair, quite safely at that. She looked over towards Luna with quite the happy expression on her face. “See? I’m just fine.” Twilight looked to assure her mentor.

Luna didn’t look convinced. The plate she’d been making ended up shoved in front of Twilight as another cup of tea was poured for the both of them. “Still eat. You need it, whether or not you can still do magic doesn’t change the fact that you’ve been put through the wringer,” she warned.

Twilight didn’t realize exactly how hungry she was until the first grape touched against her lips. From there, it became more of a flurry, working at each piece of food that’d been given to her. Cheeses, fruits, some nice grains and even oat bars that were surprisingly delicious. How did they manage to flavor them so well? She’d never know.

The Princess talked all the while. “Perhaps you can handle it. I’m sorry to have doubted you, my student. I’ve seen ponies go catatonic from the first part of awakening their eye, and I truly didn’t want to see it happen to you as well.” Luna took a seat across from the hungry mare, sipping the tea that she’d poured herself with a sigh. “My last few students have had unfortunate endings. I blame it on myself, on teaching them things too early. One, too early for black magic, unable to control themselves. Another learning war spells of destruction and couldn't control it, obliterated an entire block. Those two made me swear off students forever. Until you,” she added, sounded slightly begrudging about it. Or at least, that's what Twilight heard.

Twilight wouldn’t talk with her move full, she’d been raised better than that. So instead, she swallowed first, wiped her muzzle off with a hoof, and answered with all the pride that she could muster. “I’m not like other unicorns. I’m not like nobles, I’m not like peasants, I’m something more. This is my destiny, to be your archmage.” Twilight had always felt that inside of her from the very second she’d been born. “And I will do it. Nothing will stop me, not a little wooziness, not a little magic, and certainly not past failures. I can do this, Your Highness. Put some trust in me and you won’t regret it for an instant.”

Later on, Twilight would probably break down crying about that. She couldn’t just… just assert herself like that and not panic! Inside, she was absolutely worried, so much so that her stomach had already started to hurt and it’d been but a few seconds. In fact, she thoroughly figured that she’d be admonished for such words, that they were unworthy for somepony as great as the Princess. Not to mention, her head still spun, her body still felt weak, everything that could be wrong, did feel wrong, but Twilight had to summon her courage for this, because there was no way she was giving up her position now. Bull headed till the end.

“Call me Luna.” The first words came out and they weren’t damning. “Confidence is to be admired, especially after the ritual I just put you through. You likely can handle this, and I should have kept faith in you,” Luna finished, with a smile. “Tonight, you’ll likely dream and dream vividly. It’s a way for your mind to process what’s happened over the last few hours - yes, it’s actually been hours since you’ve arrived, it’s nearly one in the morning already.” Twilight blinked at that, looking over towards the balcony and seeing where the moon hung in the sky. “So, you have homework, my student,” Luna kept on. “Tonight, you’ll think about what you’ve seen, on how the magic made you feel. Then on Wednesday - two days from now - we’ll discuss it. In the meantime, you’re to continue learning everything that you can. I have full faith you’ll come with even insights that I have not.”

How did Twilight respond to that? Was there anything she wanted to say except how perfect it was? Not really, especially since she’d just taken a sip of the tea. She’d finish it off before smiling brightly at the Princess. “Of course, your highness. Thank you again for choosing me. I- I will never be able to pay you back enough,” she admitted, with a bowed head.

Luna chuckled and gave a wave of her hoof. “Think nothing of it. I expect a lot from you. Now, hurry home. Get rest before your classes and I look forward to seeing you very soon, my student.”

Twilight finally stood and found her legs much less wobbly than before. She’d give a bow, not too low since a table stayed in the way, but a bow nonetheless. “Yes, Your Highness. I’ll see you soon,” she repeated the words.

Without another thought, she’d turn to leave, back out the door and down the stairs all over again. She had a lot to think about - and a lot of sleep to catch up on!

A Moment of Peace

Twilight’s life settled into a routine. Classes in the morning, lunch with Trixie - every day - afternoon classes, dinner then a quick nap before time with Luna. Then do the whole thing over again. Of course, she got weekends too, because not having some time off from that schedule would probably be a literal crime.

Trixie was the first real friend that she ever had. Make no mistake, she’d had friends before, but they were ancillary. They didn’t understand her, they didn’t know what she liked, they just hung out with her every now and then. That sort of thing is absolutely valuable, but it didn’t compare anything to the depth of friendship that Trixie and Twilight had. The two of them were practically inseparable, and the longer they stayed together, the tighter they became. Frankly, Twilight thought it’d be over before it started for a while, the idea of telling her about Luna something that worried her to the core.

But it had worked out.

The room itself really hadn’t changed much now that Twilight had settled in. There was an actual bookshelf, full of all kinds of things that Luna had given her - and things she’d bought with her stipend. The picture of her and Shiny had actually been framed and put by her bedside, and a small row of multi-colored succulents covered the sil of her window, something to add color to the room. Beyond that, a nice, colorful rug took up the most space, pretty and warming in the deadly winters of the north. She’d even gotten herself nicer sheets and a comforter, lilac just like her coat. Finally, her most expensive possession, a telescope pointed out her window and up to the stars. That had been a small fortune, but definitely worth it.

Today, Trixie half hung off the bed, looking up at the ceiling. She wore a standard brown skirt with a white blouse, the most recommended uniform for the school. Hardly required, but most students wore them, if only because the school also supplied it for students who didn’t have the money to afford clothes. Granted, going without could work but nobody did that in Stalliongrad because who exactly wanted to freeze their bits off?

Twilight wore the same, though she lay out on the floor, a book open in front of her and reading over the thing as her friend rambled on. Honestly, she only caught about half the words. “—and then we had to go back for—” another page or two of reading. “—with the most AWFUL of outfits—” Oh, something about the Mareintine wars, those were interesting and were on the test weren’t they? “You should have seen them, it was—” Okay yea, definitely taking some notes about that. A quill came out, and she looked to write in the borrowed notebook.

A wad of paper bounced off Twilight’s horn, disrupting her magic and sending the quill to the ground. “You are not listening to me, Twilight Sparkle!” Trixie accused, wiggling a hoof in Twilight’s direction as she spoke. She wriggled on the bed, setting herself upright once more to really look down at Twilight with all the condemnation in the world.

Twilight knew better. Trixie wasn’t serious, and she answered the stare with a roll of her eyes and a smile. “Well, some of us have to make up for missed work. Not all of us can come to school and not miss a single day you know,” Twilight answered right back. In fact, she’d take the ball and toss it back over Trixie’s way, aiming for her head.

A squeaky yip escaped the pony as she ducked, trying to catch it with magic but only sending a book on the bed thudding to the ground. With a harumph, Trixie collapsed against the bed once more, shooting a dirty look over towards Twilight and crossing over forelegs against her barrel, not pouting at all, totally. “Honestly, Twilight, your grades since coming here have been practically perfect and you still spend all of your extra time studying. When do you sleep?” Trixie asked. “I came to your room once in the midst of the night to fetch you for a grand caper and you weren’t even here! Do you know how embarrassing it is to raid my father’s house alone?”

Twilight didn’t have an answer to that immediately, mostly because she was thinking about her nightly duties, her times with Luna. “Yea, I definitely uh, study too much,” Twilight agreed, with no small amount of awkwardness in her voice. “Why do you have to raid your dad’s house? Can’t you just go over there and get whatever you need?” Twilight asked, lazily flipping through another page in the book. She’d gone over this part before, no reason to re-read it three times.

Trixie stood from the bed and stretched herself out much like a cat, something that she did quite often and Twilight really never got it. There were so many different ways to stretch! She mostly just assumed that Trixie did it for the effect, like everything else she did. “Because,” Trixie went on, “it’s a lot more fun that way! I could totally come over there and just,” a hoof suddenly stepped on the book in front of Twilight, obscuring her view of everything, “take whatever I wanted but sneaking is fun! And we could do it together as friends, tonight even!” Trixie proposed, with a little giggle. Twilight recognized that giggle, Trixie giggled that way when she had a really bad idea.

Luckily, Twilight already had a pre-built excuse. Her horn lit up in the pretty purple color, lifting Trixie up - despite the other woman letting out a squeak - and deposited her back on the bed. “Don’t step on my books, Trixie, we’ve totally been over this,” Twilight reprimanded, though it was light and not actually meant to be anything bad, just a light teasing thing. “And I can’t come tonight, sorry. I have some plans,” Twilight answered, keeping it purposefully vague.

Which was not what a resurgent Trixie wanted to hear. In fact, Twilight suddenly found a pony laying over the top of her, pinning her to the ground as she let out an ‘oof’. “Why do you keep having plans in the middle of the night? It’s getting ridiculous!” Trixie accused, one hoof poking into Twilight’s side to emphasize her words.

Of course, Twilight had an answer for that too. She rolled her eyes and tried to look over her shoulder at the beast atop her. “It’s for my religion. I have to worship three nights a week at midnight and tonight is one of them,” Twilight reminded Trixie. A total lie, but one that Twilight had definitely started to get used to saying. And no one really questioned it.

Truth be told, Twilight didn’t know why she lied. Luna didn’t seem to want to keep it a secret. She’d told Raven and most of her other staff by now. But something about the situation tickled the back of Twilight’s mind. Perhaps it was jealousy - others might be jealous, others might try and tear her down for getting something that they hadn’t. Perhaps anxiety - maybe she wasn’t good enough and others would point that out. No matter what it was, Twilight didn’t tell people. Not yet, anyways.

Trixie whined and poked at Twilight’s horn, lightly and carefully because you never disrespected another unicorn’s horn. “When are you going to tell me the truth about where you go at night? I know you aren’t. I followed you once, you know. You were headed towards the palace, and if you simply needed to worship you could do it at the church down the road. I’m your best friend, Twily, surely you can tell me, the Great and Powerful Trixie!” she proposed, with all the fanfare she normally had.

In fact, she’d sent glitter through the air, something that Twilight noticed because some of it landed directly on her nose. Oh bother. She stayed silent for several seconds, working through the thing in her head. She could bring up another lie, or she could say something so outlandish that it actually sounded like a lie. That might work.

“Well, you know me, I go up and have tea with the Princess and she teaches me magic,” Twilight answered back, in that noncommittal non serious way that definitely showed you somepony joked around. She even started to leaf through her book once more after the words, because who would actually believe that? Luna hadn’t taken a student in decades.

Trixie let out a gasp and quickly scampered off the creature below her, coming around and - once again putting her hooves on Twilight’s book - pressing her nose right into Twilight’s. “You’re the princess’s personal student? You were the one chosen? After all the others have tried!?” Trixie asked, boring her eyes into Twilight.

She couldn’t help it. The purple pony took a small step back, though it was more of a shuffle since she was mostly on the ground still. “You know I was totally joking right?” she asked, horn lighting up and making the book a single barrier between herself and Trixie.

It was slapped aside by a kick and followed by a flare of magic that cut off her own. “You are not! You are not that good of a liar, so you told the truth to try and trick Trixie! I mean me,” she added, only seeming a tiny bit flustered at the correction. “I know you, Twilight Sparkle, you lied to me about being right on the last Thaum exam, and I saw right through you. This isn’t a lie. So answer my questions!” Trixie finished with a huff, turning her nose up towards the thing on the floor.

Twilight considered it. She had to, because it was giving up a lot. Sure, Luna didn’t care, but Twilight had wanted to avoid things that were exactly like this! Eventually, she sighed, looked down and gave the smallest of nods. With a groan, she started to pull herself up, back into a sitting position as a glance finally met Trixie’s eyes. “Yes. My first night in Stalliongrad, I did something stupid, got arrested, and the Princess um, kinda took note of it.”

Trixie’s body quivered all the more at the news, and she leaned in, looking Twilight over like a hawk staring at a mouse. “You?” she started, in her snide whine. “You got arrested? Doing what? Stealing from the library?” she asked, with a scoff and a turn up of her nose.

Perhaps it was time to tell the whole story. Twilight got up from her spot and worked her way over towards the bed before plopping herself down on it. “For stupid things, actually. I tried to visit the Princess’s court my first night coming here, after I heard the school had closed for new students. I noticed that I couldn’t hear her or the petitioner, but her horn wasn’t glowing and it didn’t feel like an enchantment. So I tried to prod her magic. Apparently, uh, that’s against the law to do in the royal chamber-”

“Duh!”

“Well obviously I know now! I just didn’t know at the time and was curious. So I tried to check and three royal guards instantly dogpiled on top of me. But hey! I did a sort of good job of fighting them off and managed to break one of the Dragoon’s spells, so Luna said she’d visit me in prison.”

Twilight kept on with her explanation, though she looked towards the window, out towards the moon. “And she did and I saw her for the first time and…” she cut herself off, a placid smile spreading across her face. She stared off into space for a second, long enough apparently that Trixie had to wave a hoof in front of her face once more. “Oh right!” Twilight yipped, getting back to reality.

“Anyways, she saw me fight her guards half off and thought I was impressive enough that she had to teach me. Apparently, not many ponies can really deal with the dragoons like I did and that was enough for her to induct me in the school and take me on as a personal student. Isn’t that absolutely insane?” Twilight asked, finishing with a goofy smile to try and downplay her luck at least a bit.

Trixie, at the least, seemed to be taking it well. She stared at Twilight with a frown across her face, inspecting her with the closest and most intimate of looks. “I believe you,” Trixie started, beginning to pace across the room. “But that doesn’t make sense! I know plenty of ponies who could stand their own against a dragoon. My father Artemis is one of them!” Trixie bragged, in that lowkey way that she always did.

Trixie stopped, turning towards Twilight and poking a hoof in her general direction. “So there’s something else going on. You may not know it yet, but she totally picked you for a different reason,” Trixie said in the most triumphant voice that she might have heard. “You are lucky, Twilight Sparkle. Lucky to be chosen, and lucky because you do have a good excuse to not come on my heist tonight.”

Another humph as Trixie started to head towards the door. “Good luck with your lessons,” she added, face going softer, more friendly like Twilight knew. “I trust they will go well. I know they will, because it’s you. But good luck nonetheless.”

Twilight smiled, giving a small shake of her head. “You too, Trixie. Good luck with the heist.” With that, the door shut behind Trixie, leaving Twilight alone with her thoughts for a couple hours yet.

That had gone well, surprisingly well really. Then again, Trixie had become her best friend for a reason. With a smile on her face and a weight off her back, Twilight started to settle into bed. She cleaned up her books, dressed in her pajamas and fell asleep thinking about how lucky she was.

Twilight jumped. Well, it was less of a jump and more of throwing herself to the side, desperate to avoid the bolt of golden magic that flew through the air directly at her face. She managed it, though it sent her skittering across the grass, the duel circle’s edge right beside her. Can’t step out, one step out and it would be a loss.

Granted, she’d lost every single time she’d fought Sunset. Seventeen to zero or something like that. The heavy armor plate that she wore didn’t help. It’s not like she was unfit or out of shape, but running around with armor on was an entirely different story and-

Twilight eeped as she ducked, a bolt going right over her head. They were keeping it simple for now, simple spells and counter attacks, mostly because Sunset wiped the floor with her when they went all out.

“Don’t stand there, Twilight!” Sunset’s chipper, annoyingly happy voice rang out. “Keep walking, keep moving, what is it that I always say?”

This time, Twilight deflected the incoming spell, sending it wizzing up into the air. Okay right, keep moving. “Yes ma’am!” she chirped back, deciding maybe she should go on the offensive at some point.

She darted forward, as fast as her legs would carry her, though admittedly it wasn’t as fast as she could with all the armor weighing her down. She made things a bit more complex than what Sunset had done, a dual spell. A flurry of magical arrows flew towards Sunset, and at the same time, the ground underneath her hooves turned into mud.

Sunset tried to jump away, only for her hooves to get stuck. She smiled at Twilight, and gave her a bit of a wink. The arrows, instead of striking their target, caught on fire and melted, the mud hardening under the sudden fire.

It left Sunset able to surge forward, cracking the mud under her hooves and dashing towards Twilight. Twilight’s eyes went wide, letting out a yelp as she started to retreat, blasting back with raw magic, nothing shaped or curated, just a beam of energy.

Of course, it was off target by quite a bit, and Sunset laughed out loud. “Why are you looking at me? Look in front of you!” Sunset warned, just in time for Twilight to thud into a big old yellow wall.

It didn’t knock her senseless, but it did force the air out of her. She fell in a clamber, bubble shield surrounding her to try and get some space. But Sunset wouldn’t give it to her - the thing about bubbles is that they did good with general attacks, but with something sharp and specific?

A hoof tip struck against her shield hard, a warrior’s strike, shattering the thing and sending the feedback right back into Twilight’s horn. She yelped, looking to force something else up and-

Finding a horn leveled right at her, Sunset’s easy going smile almost taunted her with her failure. Twilight looked back with a pout on her face, but sighed.

“You know, for only a few weeks of practice, you’re doing really good, Twilight!” Sunset chirped, stepping back and offering a hoof for Twilight to get up with.

She’d take it, and pull herself up with a groan. Twilight's body ached from the exercise, but it was the good kind of sore. It would burn tomorrow, but Twilight had started to pack on some muscle - good food and good exercise would do that. “I’m trying to be more creative. I mean, blasting at each other is good and all, but I watched the Dragoons fight. They don’t just do that, they trap their opponents, force them off balance. I really hoped the mud would do something at least,” Twilight groaned, huffing out her discontent.

But Sunset simply patted her on the back, trying to cheer her right back on up. “Hey, it was a good thought! You have to remember that I’m like, really good at this Twily! If you were battling somepony your own level, you probably would have beaten them! Which once more brings up that we don’t have to do these every time. I mean, we already go over our allotted time by like an hour every session, I don’t need to beat you up a bit too!”

They were intense. Reflex tests, horn strength training, target practice, shielding versus stronger and stronger forces, and finally, environmental quizzes. They could range from a wide open field like this, to a pseudo city set up, to a mountain environment, anything that Sunset could think of - and make with her horn too, of course. She ran Twilight through the gamut every other weekday, the duels were just a cherry on the top.

Twilight shook herself out, getting the last of the kinks out. “No, no, I’m really glad that we do these,” she answered back. “They give me something to compare myself against. I’m trying to get better, and if I don’t see any progress, what’s the point?”

Really, it was true too. The first time they’d ever dueled, it ended in seven seconds. Sunset shot a bolt at her and then another as she dodged, it landed and that was it, simple as could be. Now, she could last like a full minute in the ring!

Sunset gave a small cheer and a laugh. “That’s the spirit! You really are getting better too!” she assured me. The golden mare started to take her time going around the ring, idly cleaning up after their fight, fixing the field as it were. The burnt patches were solved, the mud fully solidified, and the scorches from their horn blasts were patched over. “Seriously, you’re improving super duper fast! I don’t know what it is, but you’re taking to this like a fish to water!”

Twilight blushed, belatedly realizing that she should have probably been helping clean things up. By now, Sunset had pretty much cleared it all up, darn her speed! “Thanks,” Twilight answered, feeling the blush sting at the edges of her face. “It’s because I have such a great teacher, there’s no way I would have learned all this on my own, you know.” Twilight threw some of the attention back, trying her best to be polite.

Sunset laughed and came over again, throwing a foreleg around Twilight and holding her close. “Now let’s not hear any of that! I’ve taught hundreds of fillies before and you’re the first one that’s pushed yourself this hard! If you were in the military, you’d be an officer faster than you could blink!” she snickered, giving Twilight another tight squeeze before letting her go.

The blush didn’t exactly go away from the compliments, Twilight brushing her tail against the ground back and forth ever so slowly. “I appreciate that, you know Sunset?” she asked, in a quiet voice. “You’re always so relentlessly positive and happy and I’m not. It always makes me feel better to come out here and just be around you. You’re just so infectious,” Twilight finished, with a nervous little giggle. Maybe she was being dumb.

She wasn’t being dumb. Sunset looked back with an absolutely heartfelt look on her face, tears in her eyes and everything. It was probably just because Sunset was overly dramatic about everything, but it absolutely made Twilight’s heart throb in her chest. “You are such a sweet little filly!” Sunset’s words came out with a hint of emotion to them. A sudden hug enveloped Twilight, tight enough that it was just the smallest bit hard to breathe, though she managed it after a second. “You are so sweet and so nice and I am so grateful that you’re my student instead of some of those bitches down at your school!”

Twilight had never heard her curse before, definitely a first. But the overall message definitely felt nice and warmed Twilight’s heart up right back. “Can’t breathe,” she choked out, the constant pressure against her throat building up more and more. “Thank you too,” she added again, in the same raspy, choked up voice.

Sunset finally released her - thank the Goddesses - and beamed right into her face. “This has truly been a great experience! You’re a great student and a great pony and I know you’re going to make us all proud! Why, just last night Luna and I were talking about you and your progress and don’t tell her I said this, but she seemed super impressed!” Sunset went on, something that instantly caught Twilight’s attention.

“I know that may not seem like much, I’m sure she praises you all the time when you two are on your own, but gosh, she really did love hearing my reports about your fighting. I think she wanted to give you a shot someday!” Sunset proposed, waggling her eyebrows over at the petrified mare.

Twilight was petrified for two reasons really. One, because Luna had been talking about her. Though she really should have expected that. She was her student and apparently Sunset and Luna talked a lot and they had her in common. Two, because Luna wanted to actually spar against her. Sunset wiped the floor with Twilight, how in the world would she deal against an actual alicorn? The thought of it made her go pale, the absolute ridiculous gap in power impossible to ignore.

A boop to her snoot broke her out of that reverie quite quickly. “Calm down, silly! It’s all good things, and she was hardly serious! She does duel the dragoons sometimes, but it’s like, ten or twenty against just her. She says it’s to keep herself in fighting shape.” Sunset leaned in conspiratorially. “I think it’s just because she likes to beat us up every now and then.” A giggle as she pulled back showed that she wasn’t serious there, not serious at all.

Twilight breathed a sigh of relief and let out a light, relieved chuckle. “Yea. You’re totally right. I’m overreacting, it’s just so incredible to me now that a Princess talks about me on a daily basis. That should be incredible for anyone, shouldn’t it?” she asked, with a small tilt of her head. “It just blows my mind that I’m talked about at all, so uh, my first thoughts automatically go to the negative.”

Before Sunset could speak and dispel that rumor, Twilight kept on. “I know it’s not true!” she clarified, especially because she could see Sunset already starting to speak. “It’s just how my mind works! A little pessimistic, no big deal. Really, I’m thrilled!” she promised, though Twilight had started to pace back and forth in a small circle. “Flattered. Even if the Princess would absolutely wipe the floor with me. You two talking about me is definitely not something-”

And she got stopped in her tracks by golden magic rooting her to the place and Sunset looking at her with the most serious expression Twilight had ever seen on her face. “Twily. Twilight. Twi. You gotta stop thinking like that,” she spoke, words coming out in a soft, caring voice. The serious expression melted away as she looked on with sympathy and affection - ears back, eyes full of care, body relaxed and open, receptive. Her smile started to come back, though it was a little thing, encouraging. “You’re an amazing pony. Don’t let anypony ever tell you otherwise.”

Twilight couldn’t help it. A little tear teased at the edge of her eyes, the very things stinging from the amount of emotion flooding through her. She tried her best to push it back down into herself but it was hard. “Thank you,” she mumbled again, quietly and heavy, voice filled with tears that she’d never shed.

Twilight hadn’t had the easiest life back in the village, not with her skillset. But it was hardly time to talk about that, if it ever would be. “But you should be going,” she tried to note, looking to slowly pull herself away from Sunset.

The other pony would allow it, giving them space though the smile never left her face. Her ears had, however, perked back up atop her head and she gave a big, goofy nod. “I really should, and so should you, missy, or you might go and miss dinner if you aren’t careful!” And there came back the chipper Sunset that everyone knew. So happy and bright.

“You’re right, Sunny,” Twilight agreed, the first time she’d ever used a nickname, letting herself get back into her good mood.

Strangely, Sunset’s face twisted up at that, and she started to loom over Twilight. “Don’t you mean Lieuti-” The mare only got that far before collapsing in laughter, rocking her body and sending her crashing down to the ground.

Which was good, really, because Twilight had already started to shirk backwards, the relief and mirth flooding through her earning giggles of her own. “Gosh, you uh, you really had me going!” she admitted, with another giggle. A shake of her head and an offered hoof helped Sunset back up once more. “I figured since you had a nickname for me, I should have one for you,” Twilight reasoned, with a nod of her head.

Sunset managed to stand once more, somehow, despite the laughing and beamed over at Twilight. “You’re fine, you’re fine. I love nicknames!” she chirped, with an eager nod of her head. “I’m so glad we’re starting to become like, friends! I normally try to be with my trainees, it just adds something special to the whole thing. And-” she leaned in to whisper with another giggle, “-some of them send me gifts from the field. They’re all so special. Or delicious.” Another giggle and she moved right back.

Well, that was a relief certainly. “You know, maybe I’ll grab you something whenever I go out on a journey!” Twilight proposed, letting the levity infect her too. Sunset always had a way of doing that. It’s what she was meant to do in life.

“But for now, you should really get back, Twi. It’s late, dinner is soon, don’t miss it! And go eat a whole bunch for Sunny, okay?” she asked, with another little giggle.

Another nod and Twilight started to ever so slightly step away. “I will. Have a good night, Sunny! See you next time!” With that, she’d be off. Another successful day of training.

Twilight had rarely been as nervous as she was now. Surely in her younger days she had, but for the first time in a while, she’d actually started to tremble from the built up anxiety inside of her. She rested herself against a cushion on the floor in Luna’s tower.

Today, it’d been done differently. All of the furniture had been removed, and vanished away for a time. Instead, two cushions sat on the floor, one for Twilight and one for Luna. Even the book cases had somehow been taken away, along with all of the books. In fact, the only normal thing was the food platter set up against the ground, the normal different fruits and cheese for Twilight to snack on, along with a mulled wine.

She’d busy herself with crackers and cheese because you could never go wrong with it. Luna, for some reason, hadn’t arrived on time. Raven had let her in regardless and even showed her to the room, but Luna not being there felt wrong. It wasn’t the truth, but oddly, she felt as if she were intruding amongst the space. Without Luna, it simply felt that she didn’t belong.

Added to the fact that the duel earlier had left her with bruises and aches, Twilight felt downright uncomfortable. Mentally, she reminded herself that Luna was her teacher, that Twilight received instruction from the Goddess herself. And, in true form, Wednesday night meant that she had a lesson. A lesson that she had no idea about, but a lesson nonetheless. They’d gone over the basics of fortune telling so many times Twilight’s head had started to hurt, and Luna had brought her through so many different fates and portents, some fake, some real.

At the least, she’d started to get good at spotting the fake ones. They were always a little too coherent, too orderly. And the others, the real ones started to come into more and more focus. Something about a wall? A city on fire? Twilight thought she’d recognized it as Stalliongrad by now, but it couldn’t possibly be the truth.

Regardless, all this time alone in the middle of the Princess’s chambers didn’t sit well with her head. She squirmed on the cushion, closing her eyes and working on her breathing exercises that she’d been taught long, long ago. Meditation, basically, helped her clear her mind and get back on track, because she desperately needed to relax.

From behind the door to the entrance, Twilight finally heard noises. It sounded like Luna and somepony else, somepony that she didn’t recognize. A super feminine voice at that, maybe one of Luna’s servants? But Luna sounded angry, and as she opened the door and Twilight heard the words, she could tell what about.

“You are getting absolutely nothing from the crown with the way the nobles have been acting. I implore you to leave me to my student before you actually see me angry!” Yep, that was Luna. And she was shouting, like actually shouting. It was enough to shake the tower the two of them stood in, enough to rumble the stones around her, and enough for her to want to bury herself underground and pretend she didn’t hear it.

The feminine voice started back up, trying to say something before Luna interrupted it with her ridiculous volume once more. “I will have nothing more to do with you today! Come to my court and we shall talk then. Good day!” With that, the door slammed shut as the alicorn came in in a hizzy. The door didn’t just shut either, it was locked tight due to chains wrapping around it that shouldn’t exist, no doubt magical in nature. On top of that a great big bubble surrounded the room, locking them away from everything in the world. Even the sounds of the city didn’t permeate through it.

Now that she’d actually come in, Twilight opened her eyes, looking over towards the resident Goddess with something akin to awe in her face. She wore a wonderful gown of the deepest purple, the trail of it changing into the blackest of night with sparkling stars dotting across it. The bottom of it even had brilliant greens and blues, a manifestation of the aurora above that occasionally graced Stalliongrad - a shame Twilight hadn’t seen it yet.

But beyond the gown, Luna looked furious, face twisted up, pacing back and forth and speaking in a language that Twilight couldn’t even begin to understand. It sounded ancient, ancient and furious and full of magic. She didn’t even seem to notice Twilight.

At least not until Twilight cleared her throat. A few weeks ago, the noise and fury would have cowed her, but now? She knew Luna well enough that she could at least draw attention to herself. It probably seemed minor to outsiders, but again, it was a huge step for her. “Luna?” she asked. Despite her newfound bravery, she absolutely kept her head down.

The mare turned towards her with fire and fury in her eyes, a snarl on her face and-

It disappeared just as quickly as it came, replaced with a frown that etched deep into the corners of her mouth. “Forgive me, my student,” she started, with a light sigh. “It’s been a trying day. A long, ridiculous, stupid day,” she clarified, with a shake of her head and a toss of her mane. Luna did her best to smile before going on. “But now you’re here and we can begin our lessons, and things will get better.” A nod that seemed to assure herself more than Twilight, and the princess took her seat across from Twilight.

Already, her magic wrapped around the tea, starting to pour herself a glass that still seemed to be hot somehow, despite it sitting there for at least thirty minutes. “So what happened?” Twilight asked, with a tilt of her head. Damn her curiosity, but she’d barely ever seen the Princess perturbed, and that had been downright fury. Something bad had to have happened, right? Luna would get all of her attention too, Twilight studying the facial expression like it held the keys to the universe - sometimes it did.

Another sigh from the Princess, something that Twilight really should have expected. “It’s not something that you should concern yourself about. More trouble from the nobles when I already expect it of them. The nobles in the city have a new leader and they’ve been… pushy to say the least,” Luna complained. She’d lift the glass of tea up to her lips, taking a sip before resting it back down against the tray of snacks.

“Usually, I can deal with it. But they’ve been so insistent on taking special privilege, on seeing me during my off hours that it’s reached a boiling point. I’m afraid, at some point, I may have to do something about it, something that the rest of the nobles won’t like. But-” she went on, with a wave of her hoof to dismiss the whole affair, “-that’s still thoroughly a future problem and you and I have a lesson,” Luna reminded Twilight, with a wiggle of her hoof.

Oh right, the reason why they were here. “Yes Luna,” Twilight answered, dutifully enough. “I’ve been going over those notes you left for me, and I think I’ve finally started to understand what you’re getting at. I mean, it makes sense at least. But um, there was something else I wanted to mention before we begin. Do you and Sunset really talk about me?” she blurted out, before she could stop the urge. How could you not want to know? It wasn’t gossip, mind, but she still had to know.

Luna just chuckled in answer, taking some of the snacks for herself. Come to think of it, this was the first time that she’d ever seen Luna actually eat before. Usually, it was just her. It did mean that she found herself a little taken aback by the other mare’s movements, seeing her be a regular pony was… strange, oddly enough.

The Princess finally answered after letting some of the chocolate melt against her tongue. “Yes, we talk about you. Not often, mind you. But we talk about your progress, how you’re doing in school, and what we think of you. It’s all positive,” Luna assured. “But it’s the best way for me to understand how your training is going. I, no matter what powers I possess, cannot be everywhere at once, and no matter how hard I try, I can’t see everything. It’s important for me to have ponies I can trust that can teach you and report back to me how you’re doing.”

Luna smiled all the more, the anger from before now completely melted away. “And you’re doing wonderfully. You continue to impress us every day and I can’t wait to see what you do next. With your mind assuaged, perhaps we could begin our lesson for tonight?” she asked, gesturing towards the circle. “I’m going to show you a different way of getting to where we’ve been. It’s easier for some and may possibly be easier for you.”

With a renewed smile on her face, Twilight eagerly nodded. All was well within her world.

Fancy Dinners

Sometimes, Twilight went into the city by herself. It had quite a few amenities for a filly who had grown up in the middle of nowhere. Now that she actually had the chance to shop, go to restaurants, spend time amongst the ponies and all the things they could do, she never stopped. Generally, it would be weekends, but even on school nights without Luna’s instruction she’d head on into the city itself and spend a little bit of time.

Today, however, was the weekend, a lovely Saturday with quite a bit of warmth for the burgeoning spring in Stalliongrad. Warm enough, at least, that she could wear a lovely pink blouse with some ruffles at the tap and a form-fitted black skirt that went to the midpoint of her hind legs. She’d even tied her hair up and all and put on some nice, black shoes that matched the skirt.

Trixie had called her a librarian.

Which, at the least, had been an improvement over ‘sexy librarian’. That was her first outfit, one that Twilight had quickly tossed after Trixie’s comment forced her face to turn absolutely beet red.

Thinking about it alone earned a huff from the mare, but nothing could keep her down today. A stroll through the city had found her in the upper districts, and with quite a lot of bits stored in a pocket in her skirt, she figured she could splurge. So why not some nice place? One of those fancy restaurants that only nobles and the like went to?

Not really.

Still, she tried her best to step with confidence into La Petit Mare. Even the outside had seemed positively opulent, the royal blue painted exterior complete with a carousel topped entryway, white and golden paint covered the two columns on either side of the lovely door, though Twilight could only see half of it since it was left open and welcoming, something that she didn’t really see in a lot of the high end restaurants.

She trotted her way in, onto a literal red carpet as she looked around the place with mild awe. The red carpet went on straight forward, on a raised platform with no tables, leading directly towards an open kitchen, open enough that anypony viewing could see tight laced chefs work in shiny metal implements, cooking wonders.

The dining room itself was split in two by the red carpet, the tables in a lower section were ringed by stairs on every side. Hardwood covered the ground beneath them, patterned in a spiral kind of way that culminated in the center of each side’s space. The tables themselves were made of the same wood with lovely white tablecloths and perfectly set places, complete with cushions colored with fabric the same blue as the outside walls.

And speaking of the walls, the inside ones matched the outside color, complete with paintings by renowned artists, landscapes, portraits of the city, and of one pony that showed up in a couple of places that Twilight couldn’t quite place. Has she seen them before?

Oh. Yes. She had, because they were over at the counter of the kitchen, saying something that Twilight couldn’t hear from this distance. They must be the founder, she surmised, a newfound respect for the olive green fur she’d seen in the paintings welled up inside her.

A server, wearing a full suit, waited at a small podium at the front. He gave a small bow towards Twilight as she approached, before speaking. “Welcome to La Petit Mare, mademoiselle. Is it just you today?” He asked, a picture of professionalism.

Twilight gave a nod as she looked around, spying a table for two that she could probably grab. “Oh yes! Just me. It’s my first time coming to a restaurant like this, so I’m really excited to see what kind of experience it provides!” Twilight chirped, sounding like a scholar completely by accident. She couldn’t help it, that kind of thing just came naturally to her.

The stallion gave a nod, selecting one of the menus from a stack with his golden magic. “Right this way then,” he started.

But he didn’t get very far, not at all. “Twilight? Twilight Sparkle?” The voice behind her sounded almost sickly sweet, adorable and cute while also being mature and refined. To this day, Twilight didn’t understand how that worked, it simply did.

Twilight, of course, turned at the sound of her name. In front of her stood a pink colored mare, gold, pink and purple striped hair, a horn splitting the midst of it. Her mane lay long, the beautiful tresses straight and orderly, the colors mixing together in perfection and honestly looking magnificent in their own right. It was further complimented by the gold leaf tiara in her hair, a Roaman style that had started to come back.

In fact, she wore a white toga style dress, clasped at one shoulder with a golden heart. The bottom of it, the train of her dress, turned transparent and shimmered near the end, an effect that showed off her golden horseshoes to complete the outfit. Around her neck hung a blue, heart shaped pendant on a golden chain, thin and glimmering in the light.

Twilight had absolutely no idea who she was. How did this mare know who she was, speaking of? “Yes..?” Twilight started, with a bit of trepidation in her voice. It’s not like she was scared - she was in the middle of public with tons of ponies around her. “Who are you?” she asked. Not particularly blunt, but more questioning and confused.

The other mare giggled, half hiding her muzzle behind her hoof and looking oh so amused at the question. “Dearly sorry, Duchess Mi Amore Cadenza,” she offered her hoof out, looking expectantly at Twilight. “But you can absolutely call me Cadence, you adorable thing, you!”

Twilight looked at the hoof, then back at the face, then back towards the hoof. She finally settled on giving it a little shake, since that’s how ponies treated each other. It seemed to satisfy the other mare enough to not say anything at the very least.

“I’m sorry. I still don’t really know who you are, and I’m not sure how you know me,” Twilight apologized again, yet didn’t feel like she should have for a second. This mare came out of nowhere, said her name and called her adorable? It was almost patronizing if it hadn’t been said in such a downright sincere way, or at least sincere as far as Twilight could tell.

Another giggle and a wave of that hoof. “Oh, Twilight! Everypony who is anypony knows who you are by now! The news of Luna taking a new student has absolutely spread through the noble classes like wildfire. You are spreading through the noble class like wildfire!” Cadence noted, with another giggle.

It was news to Twilight. Then again, Luna had specifically mentioned keeping her away from the nobles. A small frown crossed her face and she looked down, though her attention was brought back up by the server trying to get her attention.

"Mademoiselle? Your table?” he asked, insistently.

Cadence squeaked out in excitement, hooves clapping together in front of her. “How about you eat with me, dear?” she proposed. “We could really get to know each other! You are such a fascinating individual, and I would absolutely not mind paying for dinner tonight if you’d do me the honor of sharing a table?” Cadence proposed. Her lips had gone so delightfully pouty and eyes so pleading, how could Twilight say no to a beautiful mare doing something like that?

Her frown slowly turned into a smile as she watched on and with a nod of her head, she acquiesced. “Very well. I suppose it’ll be a table for two then?” she asked, glancing between the server and Cadence. The pink mare confirmed it, and with a simple levitation of another menu, they were off, lead towards a small table fit for the two of them.

“I didn’t know I would be that popular,” Twilight admitted, making conversation as the two of them were seated. A glass of water for each of them and they’d be left alone with the menus and their conversation. “I guess popular isn’t the right word. Known? I didn’t think I’d be this well known. I really only talk to Luna and a few friends of mine.”

Cadence levitated the water glass to her muzzle, taking a sip and showing off that her magic shone in a bright, cyan light. And only now that they were quite close did Twilight realize the depth of the conversation she’d about to find herself in. A single hint gave it away: Cadence had wings.

Wings and a horn.

Both of them. Only alicorns had both. There were only two alicorns, Luna and Celestia, and they were both Princesses. How could Cadence have both? Shouldn’t she be a princess?

You could likely forgive Twilight for staring in quite the open mouthed way. Her eyes darted back and forth between the wings and the horn, trying to see if one of the two happened to be fake. She couldn’t tell, and nothing in the air spoke of magic. As far as Twilight knew, only the Princesses could do magic without showing it. Then again, she also had thought that only the Princesses had wings and a horn and here she was.

A giggle interrupted her reverie, as well as a hoof half reaching across the table to wave in her face. “What are you staring at, hmm? I know I’m attractive, but you should try and restrain yourself. It’s improper,” Cadence offered, with the smallest, subtlest of winks to show that she teased and nothing more.

Of course, that alone was enough to send a faint flush on Twilight’s face, mostly because Cadence spoke the truth. She was attractive. Very much so, even. But that hadn’t drawn her attention, not really. Twilight licked at her lips, buying a bit of time before speaking. “I didn’t know there were other alicorns. I’m… sure that people say that all the time to you, but I really thought that Luna and Celestia were the only ones.”

At the least, Cadence didn’t seem offended. She seemed amused, like she had since the start of the conversation, but not offended. “Everypony does ask that eventually. Some, at least, wait until we’ve ordered drinks for it.” This time, Twilight couldn’t tell if Cadence teased or not, or if she actually did finally show something other than bubbly happiness from the start.

And speak of the devil. A water came over, a pleasant looking, buttoned up mare with a blonde mane and brown coat. “Good evening, ladies, can I start you off with a drink?” she asked, looking between the two with a light smile.

Cadence answered first. “The Pinot, if you don’t mind. And-” she looked over towards Twilight for a moment, inspecting her. “A chardonnay for her, your best. If that’s alright with you, of course, Twilight.” A smile towards Twilight, one that left her utterly confused.

Mostly cause that’s exactly what she’d planned on having.

“That’s perfect,” Twilight finally answered, getting her smile back on her face as best she could. “Thank you,” she added, towards the server with a bow of her head.

“Thank you, deary,” Cadence added, and the two of them would be left alone once more. “There we have it, drinks are ordered so I can absolutely answer your question.” Cadence had slipped back into that teasing voice of earlier, but Twilight didn’t mind. The smile on her face had come back, meaning that the question probably didn’t sting too badly.

Naturally, Twilight would reprimand herself for this later. How rude she’d been to somepony who’d only been nice to her. Free dinner and this is how she treated Cadence?

Even further along, Twilight would feel justified in it after all. But let’s not get ahead of ourselves.

“So!” Cadence started, clapping her hooves together. “My wings!” A flutter of the aforementioned appendages would accompany her words, a single, downy feather lazily drifting down to the ground. “They are the strange bits, really, since I was born with a horn. The wings came later, much later,” Cadence began.

Cadence settled back in her chair, getting nice and comfortable before she went on with her story. “I am not from Stalliongrad, or Equestria in general, actually. I'm from far away, a village outside the borders, unclaimed land. Equestria has its own charms, but my village couldn’t be beaten.

Peaceful is how I’d describe it, quiet and idyllic. Or rather, that’s what I would have called it before all this happened.” Another sigh and a shake of her head. “A necromancer came with ill intent and quite the horde of minions following him, zombies, skeletons, you name it and it was there. Now, my village didn’t have the protections of Equestria, didn’t have an army or princesses to swoop in and save the day, so we were left for ourselves.”

For just a moment, Twilight could see the light leave Cadence’s eyes as she thought back on something horrible, something horrific that she’d had to go through. It didn’t last long, Cadence recovering just as quickly as she’d broken, the smell coming back to her face and all.

“My village didn’t do well under her rule. Many good ponies died, but there were some of us who fought back. My mother - Celestia rest her soul - found a ritual, a dark, ugly one that did exactly what we needed. In the dark of night, in caves far away, my mother and several of the villagers enacted the ritual. It shouldn’t have worked, it shouldn’t have been possible. Celestia and Luna later looked over the ritual and found it to be fundamentally flawed in every way. And yet…”

Cadence trailed off, but only for a moment. “It worked, somehow, and I became an alicorn. Granted, that didn’t make me suddenly a genius in combat magic. Really, the shock and awe of the wings and the horn scared the necromancer more than anything, and most importantly, the ritual feedback through leylines alerted Luna and Celestia of what happened. The two of them showed up and quickly defeated the necromancer.”

Their wine arrived, the server giving them a quick bow and a pour before heading back on out. A muttered thanks from the two mares answered the server, leaving the two alone at the tail end of the story.

“My village,” Cadence went on, a hoof coming up to brush her mane out of her face. “Was completely devastated. After the fight and the months of rule by that beast, most didn’t want to stay. Luna offered them refuge in Stalliongrad, and the majority took it, as did I. After the events, the two of them figured that an alicorn should be part of the noble class at the least and gave me a title of my own, a small duchy that consists of my own people. We’ve done our best to move on, to assimilate and really, I think we’ve done quite the good job!”

And with that, she finished. A slightly worried smile graced Cadence’s lips, magic gripped at the side of the glass, bringing it up to her lips. A pleased sigh escaped her, and to Twilight it seemed like the wine washed away the thoughts on her past.

Twilight hadn’t touched her glass yet, ears pressing back on her head. “I’m sorry,” she blurted out, the words coming hurried and worried. “I shouldn’t have asked, that’s your private business and it was none of mine! I didn’t mean for you to have to-” To what? Relieve it? Bare her soul? Talk about things that nopony should have to talk about? Twilight froze up, not sure how to go on.

Cadence’s smile became more sympathetic, despite the fact that she should have been the one being comforted, not the other way around. “Twilight, take a breath. It’s okay,” she promised, with a small nod of her head. “You don’t need to worry about it, I’m used to sharing this story. What happened to me, what happened to my village, it’s all in the past now. I’ve moved on from it and dealt with it in my own way. And-”

She went on, fluttering her wings with an all the more cocky smile. “I think I came out of this with quite the benefit, don’t you?” she asked, with a tiny, itty bitty wink. “And as much as it pains to admit me, the remnants of my people have a much better life here than they would have back home. Equestria provides a number of benefits that we simply never had. Safety alone has given us leaps and bounds in our quality of life. But alas, you should taste your wine, dear,” Cadence reminded her, with a thin lipped smile and a gesture towards the glass that had never been filled.

The gesture spurred her back into action, no longer staring quite so heavily over towards the other mare, but instead letting her magic awkwardly work at the top of the wine bottle, mercifully popping it open after only a little struggle. She’d shakily bring the thing to her lips and let out a pleasant ‘oh!’ at the flavor. “That’s very nice!” she let out, her words rather high pitched all things considered.

Twilight recovered wonderfully. “It’s a wonderful flavor, isn’t it? I’m glad that you’re safe here though, and I’m glad that your people get to live a better life. I really am sorry to have brought something like that up,” Twilight pressed on, intent on apologizing. Her mood had started to recover, ears coming back up and tail idly swishing behind her “Oh. I uh, meant to ask,” she kept going, trying to change the subject to more peaceful, easy ones. “What do you recommend here? It’s my first time and I have no idea what’s good.”

Cadence took to the new subject quite easily, also quite eager to get off the old topic. “Oh, nearly everything is good! May I suggest the ratatouille? I know it’s considered peasant fare up here, but I assure you, this restaurant does it like no other!” she offered, planting a hoof tip against the menu.

Luckily, Twilight had never even heard of the dish, so any preconceived notion couldn’t exist in her head. She nodded, looking down towards the menu and reading the description of the thing. “It looks great,” she agreed, with a nod of her head. “What about you? What are you going to get?”

And there Cadence’s smile went, back to that charming wonderfulness that had made Twilight say yes to all this in the first place. “The same thing! What kind of mare would I be if I suggested something and then didn’t get it myself?” she asked. A little giggle escaped her, amusing herself. To be fair, it made Twilight smile too, a light, pleasant thing as the conversation got all the more easy.

Another sip of her wine started to loosen her lips. The alcohol in it had hardly kicked in, but the taste of something sweet and pleasant enough company had started to relax Twilight quite a bit. “Right, right, I bet it’s gonna be great,” Twilight agreed. She shuffled in her seat, getting comfortable and letting the tension out of her body. Awkward conversation over, she could do this, right?

It’d be up to Cadence to lead the conversation, which made sense considering that Twilight, at the end of the day, still boiled down to being an awkward school student. “So how are your studies? I hear that Luna herself took you under her wing. What’s that like, if you don’t mind me asking?” she asked.

Before the two could continue, the server did come back, but it took them only a moment to relay their orders, a quick back and forth that seemed easy enough all considered. It left Twilight to answer in turn. “Oh, uh, it’s been wonderful!” Her tail started to wag behind her unintentionally, showing off her bits of happiness without her even knowing it. “She’s taught me so much, and showed me so many things. It’s a wonder what a mare of her stature knows, it’s one of those things that-”

Twilight made a face, trying to think of how to phrase her next few words. “It’s one of those things where you don’t know what you don’t know, you know?” she asked, giggling to herself at the series of ‘knows’ back to back. “I didn’t know how much my knowledge lacked before I got here, and to be completely honest, I didn’t even think that I’d care about the topic we focus on.”

Twilight shifted in her seat, taking a second to sip at her wine again before going on. “Prophecy and portents still don’t really make a whole lot of sense to me, but I think I’m getting there. Some of the things I’ve seen are-” Another cut off, Twilight frowning as she stared at her glass. It wouldn’t stay as a frown, melting back into a smile

“I greatly appreciate her trust in me, and that she’s deigned to share the burden of what’s to come with me. It means a lot to know that I’ve been chosen by a mare so wondrous as her.” Twilight had admittedly started to gush. “Seriously, how can you not absolutely adore her?” she asked, with a light tilt of her head, smiling going wide enough to share a bit of teeth.

“She’s the most wonderful mare that I’ve ever met, and honestly, she could teach me basic mathematics and I think I’d still appreciate every word that she said. It just helps that we’re working on something really interesting - albeit something that I was quite skeptical on at first! I know I’m probably rambling, and I’ve definitely answered the question by now, but I really did have to add that. She did kind of save my life in a strange way!”

Twilight hadn’t really talked or thought much about it, but she hadn’t had plans if this one had failed. She really should have, considering the chances, but it’d been something of a hail mary of hers. Truth be told, Twilight had found herself in an unwinnable, rather stagnant position back home, and with magic schools limited to nobles what were her options?

The military? Possibly, it’s what her brother chose. Or getting used to living in a small village doing nothing of importance for the most of her life. But really, could anypony see her doing that? It’s why this plan seemed so ridiculous - who honestly thought that traveling across a nation and looking to join a school in the middle of the arctic north made sense? Nopony, not really. So when ponies asked Twilight what she would have done had she failed? She had no answer. Not one that anypony wanted to hear, so she’d keep it to herself.

Well, she had planned to keep it to herself. Belatedly, she realized what she’d given away, and it stopped her in her tracks, the mare looking gobsmacked for a moment as she rallied once more. “Er, set my life on the right track, I mean,” she added, with a touch of bashfulness and the faintest of pink blushes on her face. Her tail had stopped it’s wagging too, settling back down while she busied herself with the wine glass. Nearly empty now.

Oh, that’s why she felt buzzed, wasn’t it? Because she was.

“Goodness, that just sounds wonderful, doesn’t it?” Cadence didn’t poke at her moment of vulnerability, and Twilight, admittedly, felt a rush of relief. Perhaps she’d started to grow fond of Cadence with that simple display alone, the emotional awareness to just move on from that part of the conversation wasn’t something that anypony could do. “I didn’t even know that Luna knew things like that. Or that she taught them. To be honest, I always thought fortune telling was… something of a scam,” she finished, with a little giggle that poked fun at herself.

Twilight eagerly nodded her head. “Same, but it’s not! Not now that Luna has explained how it really works. Um, granted, most of the ponies that you see around the city who say they can do it are lying. It takes a LOT of power and I’m not even really sure I could do it without her. Er, not that I mean to brag, I am a rather powerful unicorn,” Twilight figured. “Granted, you probably have me beat with your alicorn powers. I did mean to ask,” she went on. “How do you know Luna? Beyond the first arrival at your city.”

Another small interruption from the waiter announced the arrival of their food and a refill on both of their glasses. Once more, they’d be left alone, but this time, Twilight had turned the tables! Now Cadence had to talk!

Cadence poked at her food, starting to cut off a small bit for herself. In addition to the ratatouille, a small side of rice graced their plates, brown and full of other roasted veggies. “Well,” she started, with a small sigh. “Luna and I don’t always get along with each other, admittedly. I speak for quite a bit of the nobles and we’ve butt heads every so often. Can you believe that when I came, the nobles were in disarray and chaos?

“They only really looked out for themselves and scrapped for every instance of power. I don’t think they realized that they’d have a whole lot more power working together. With their money and influence combined, they went from forces working within their own spaces, to a great group working towards a better tomorrow.”

For a second, Cadence looked out over the room, gesturing towards a couple on the other side, a blue haired stallion with a pink haired, svelte mare. “Take Fancy and Fleur de Lis for example. They’re wonderful sorts really, kind, sweet, charitable, and while they do love their vices and admittedly can be a bit… open about their passions, they really do their best to improve Stalliongrad as a whole. Before this, they gave money, established benefits, all that sort of thing. Now?”

Cadence smiled and looked back towards Twilight. “Now, they’re able to influence laws, to get Luna’s hoof to move on issues. It’s real change, not small things every now and then. And honestly, sometimes Luna and my group don’t see eye to eye. Oftentimes they do, but when we don’t, I still push my absolute best to enact their will. That, of course, means that Luna doesn’t always love me. It’s a… a working relationship, I think. Does that make sense?”

All the while, Twilight had started to eat, working at the food slowly but surely. “It does!” she answered. Not everypony got along, and despite the fact that Twilight absolutely adored her mentor, she understood that ponies really did have differences of opinions. As long as they weren’t enemies, what did she care? “And this food is absolutely amazing, thank you for the recommendation again! You know, your group is super fascinating. What’s it called? Do you have any events coming up?” she asked, finishing her talk with another sip of the wine. Definitely buzzed now, but in a way that made her all the more talkative.

Not a bad thing, for sure. “Oh! We do have a name, it’s the Silver Collective, and we have a few events coming up. I can, perhaps, send you our mailing list?” Cadence proposed, finally popping a piece of her own food into her muzzle for the first time. Some quick chewing, a pleased expression on her face, and she’d keep going. “You’re perfectly welcome to come to our public events, but I’m afraid that private ones are reserved for our members, I’m sure you can understand. And speaking of events, have you ever considered accompanying Luna to some of hers?”

Cadence looked over the other patrons for a moment again, before looking back to Twilight. “We’d all absolutely adore seeing you!” A flutter of eyelashes punctuated the sentence, enough to make Twilight feel decidedly weak in the knees. Nopony should be that attractive except Luna, dammit! “Those stuffy old things could use some lightening up, and I dare say that this is the most interesting conversation that I’ve had in… in weeks, actually,” she admitted, with a girlish giggle that was practically a titter.

Twilight paused in her appreciation of the food to blush and take a moment to compose herself before answering. “I can make it!” she volunteered, and then laughed at her own eagerness, lightly shaking her head. “I should say, I’ll absolutely talk to Luna about it and see if we can arrange something. Honestly, I’m so swamped with my studies that I barely have time for other things! I actually,” she blushed at this, more so than from Cadence’s teasing, “fully intended to take some time to read while here. But I’m glad it went this way instead. It’s not often that you have such a great conversation!” Twilight finished, perking right on back up.

Glasses were running low and food had started to disappear on plates. Like it or not, the end of the dinner started to draw close. They still had time, time to talk, time to chat, but in the middle of a busy life, how often did one find themselves with the time to simply talk to a stranger and nothing more.

“I look forward to seeing you there. And I absolutely look forward to what dazzling outfits you’ll choose for your debut, shall we say. Don’t get me wrong, the librarian look is absolutely adorable on you, Twily, but I’m sure you look positively elegant when you’re dressed to the nines,” Cadence proposed. Normally, that would have made her flush, but something about the words caught her off guard. In fact, a single one of the words had done it: ‘Twily’.

How many ponies were going to call her that? At first it had just been Shining Armor, but now Trixie had done it too, and Cadence as well? Twilight made a decision in her head.

“Sorry, I don’t get called a nickname often. I’d prefer if you used my full name, if that’s okay. That one definitely has some extra baggage to it,” Twilight apologized the best that she could. She’d decided that only her brother and her best friend could call her that, and right now, Cadence was neither of those and could never be one of them. “It was what my brother called me, you see, and it’s special for that. But!” she went on, with a better smile than before.

“I actually don’t have any dresses. I really only have my traveling outfit, my school uniform, and a few things I’ve picked up here or there. Say, do you know somepony I could get a couple of dresses from? Luna gives me an allowance and I haven’t really been able to spend it all since most of it goes to books. Why not buy a few new outfits, right?” she asked, with a light cant of her head. A glance down to her plate told her that she’d nearly finished her meal, and that it’d soon be time to go home. The second glass of wine had left her head buzzing and not quite wanting to head out yet, not when the conversation felt so lovely.

Cadence pushed her plate away, signaling to herself and the world that she’d finished. Another drink at her wine glass and that’d be empty too, leaving Twilight to get second place. Not that that actually mattered, mind you. It truly didn’t matter who finished eating first or anything, it just meant that Cadence could talk more. “Oh, absolutely. There’s a mare who lives in the castle - first floor, towards Luna’s castle but go past it and it’ll be the first door on your right. Her name is Rarity - Baroness Rarity, actually - and she’s an absolute delight to work with. She can definitely get you suited up in the most wonderful of clothes, she’s truly a miracle worker,” Cadence bragged about someone not herself, something that made Twilight like her more.

It was easy to see yourself as ‘all that’, but much less so to praise your friends and peers in the same way. “Baroness Rarity. I’ll absolutely take the time to go see her then. I bet if she makes some of your clothing, she’s the best there is,” Twilight complemented the both of them at the same time, with a big smile and an enthusiastic wag of her tail.

Another giggle from Cadence, one that was interrupted by the sudden appearance of the bill, something that Cadence took care of with no ifs ands or buts from the younger Twilight. “She truly is,” Cadence agreed, slipping the slip back towards the waiter with a form of paper money that Twilight hadn’t seen much of. Honestly, only the richest ponies used the new paper money. Some argued that it looked and felt cheap, but nopony could argue about how much easier it was to carry around. Thus, the rich adopted it first for convenience and because they simply had more to lug around with them.

“So, what do you say about an appointment… Thursday, four P.M, hmm? Get you set up with a nice dressmaker and see how you feel,” Cadence proposed, with the same easy smile as always.

Twilight barely caught a glimpse of the bill and saw that it numbered in the three digits. She couldn’t have afforded that, and another rush of gratitude welled up inside of her for Cadence. “That’s perfect. I, admittedly, don’t have a whole lot of money, Cadence. Is Rarity going to be expensive?” she asked, with only a touch of embarrassment, the hint of red on her face.

A waved hoof answered her question. “Not at all, not at all! She works practically for free if you can impress her! And if you don’t - which I sorely doubt - I’ll cover for you, fear not, my little pony,” Cadence assured her. Still, at the same time, the pink alicorn stood up and let her lovely dress fall back to her hooves. “But, I must be going. I’m afraid I have another meeting after this one and it’s of utmost importance.” Cadence grinned, leaning in real close for a moment, “I’m getting my hooves painted,” she admitted, with that girlish giggle.

Of course, Twilight giggled right back! “Good luck, do be careful!” she imitated Cadence’s tone for a second, giggling at her own silliness. “You’re so generous, Cadence, thank you again for the time. I’m super excited to see you again sometime, and be safe!” Twilight said her goodbyes, starting to get up herself and look the restaurant over.

A blown kiss and Cadence would take her leave, ending with Twilight standing there ever so awkwardly as she watched her go. It’d been a hell of a mealtime, something that she couldn’t have expected in a thousand years. Twilight started the night only knowing a couple of nobles, and those were the ones who didn’t want the title, and now she ended it with a meeting with another and a friendship with quite the special one. Cadence definitely had an air of uniqueness around her, didn’t she? How could an alicorn not?

Twilight, naturally, made her way home, back towards her dorm room, practically giddy to tell Trixie of what the night had borne for her. And above all else, she went home with the thought that she just had to tell Luna about this! Sure, Cadence said they had a working relationship, but after meeting Twilight too? They’d be the best of friends, she was just sure of it!

Parties and Shows

Another day, another lesson that went well. The visions had, once again, made their way into the ‘understandable’ category. Now, Twilight could definitely see what happened to the city, how it destroyed itself, how Luna - and her in that position - could do nothing about it.

Next lesson, apparently, would go beyond what they’d worked on for the last few months. Instead of seeing the same vision over and over and working on it’s clarity, they’d start scrying the steps that lead up to the problem. That way, they could start forging the future so that these sorts of things didn’t come to pass. Apparently, it would be quite delicate work, but Twilight looked forward to it. Just like she looked forward to every lesson of theirs.

Today, she wore her ‘sexy librarian’ outfit - Trixie’s name it, not hers - and Luna herself wore nothing more than a simple blue gown trimmed with silver. Much more calm than her normal attire, but today had been a calm day. No court, no duties, mostly just relaxation and some time with Twilight. At least, that’s what Luna had told her. Twilight wasn’t entirely sure if she believed her. When did Luna ever actually rest? Hardly ever.

Still, as the lesson came to an end and Twilight started to pack up her notes, she found a question on the tip of her tongue. “I’ve been thinking, Luna,” she started, carefully.

“Oh, well that’s quite dangerous, isn’t it?” Luna drawled out, teasingly, playfully, yet still regal all the same. What a trick.

“Only for you,” Twilight shot back, only blushing the smallest of pink. She’d started to get used to their relationship - Luna no longer stood as this godlike figure in front of her. She still was, in every aspect, godlike, but she had become far more approachable. At the end of the day, she at least acted like a regular pony for the most part, and that meant Twilight could tease right back.

“But,” Twilight went on, actually starting her thought as the last of her notes joined the rest in her bag. “Could I possibly start seeing more of the governmental side? Maybe some events? A few meetings with your council? I know it’s sort of inappropriate for a commoner, but I don’t really think I’m just a commoner anymore,” she went on, rather matter of factly. “And I think it’d be good for my education to learn the ins and outs of the legal system and how all that works!”

The question gave Luna pause, the alicorn looking down at her student with an imperceptible expression. Perhaps another could have deciphered it, but not Twilight. “What do you think you’ll gain out of long, droll meetings?” Luna asked, magic starting to levitate bits and pieces from their lesson away.

Of course, Twilight already had an answer to this since she’d basically planned the entire conversation the day before. “Archmage is a hybrid position. It does a lot of research. A lot of magic, a lot of helping people and fighting battles. But it’s also a court position, one that’s made to advise on magic and act as a pseudo noble when it comes to decisions that need to be made. I need to be prepared for that as well when I become archmage,” she finished, with a nod of her head.

The words alone earned a laugh from Luna, and a curious glance back towards Twilight. “You’re so sure of yourself, are you not?” Luna asked, with a raised eyebrow.

“Well, being the Princess’s student is the path for Archmage,” Twilight pressed, taking steps closer to get beside her tutor, trying to meet her eyes with her own eager ones - as well as a smile that stretched across her lips. “And I’m sure that you’d hardly want your archmage to be unprepared, right?” she asked. Some of the tension had melted away from her time spent with the Princess. One never quite found themselves comfortable with regality, but every little bit of time helped and Twilight had started to get there.

But no amount of getting used to things could stand the sudden turn from Luna, and the sudden close inspection. The princess moved her face mere inches away from Twilight’s, blowing air from her nostrils as she looked her over. Naturally, Twilight wilted backwards, something that earned a fanged smile from Luna - how odd that she always had fangs considering they were herbivores, but it definitely added to her character. “An archmage wouldn’t have flinched for that, my little star,” Luna reminded her, with the lightest of chuckles. “You have a long way to go, but the ambition is…” A thought while she pushed it around in her head. “Good. It’s good of you. And I would be remiss if I left my future archmage unprepared, yes?” Luna finished, with yet another of her chuckles.

Twilight took the time to recover, unflustering her flustered self and swishing her tail lightly behind her. She didn’t move quite so close this time, if only so that she’d have some time to prepare if the Princess suddenly turned on her once more. “You would,” she agreed, though with a slightly pink face this time. “So does that mean that I can come to one of your court sessions? Maybe a council meeting?” Twilight asked with enough hope that her eyes had even started to sparkle.

Luna drifted her way towards the door - time for the night to progress on. “Very well. My next appearance is something quite simple and at a friend of yours place. The Lulamoon household is hosting a small get together this Saturday. Small, simple, a few friends, but there will be a few ponies there that are quite important. A good first step where you have a bit of comfort already. How does that sound?”

Well, it did sound quite nice. “That would be lovely, Luna, thank you. Are you sure that Trixie’s going to be okay with her schoolmate crashing the party?” she asked, with a small snicker.

One that Luna returned. “From what I’ve been told by her father, the young Lulamoon is quite fond of you. Speaking of, why don’t you run along and let her know the good news then? It’s high pastime that our lesson ended, and no matter how much I enjoy your presence, the both of us have duties and things to do,” Luna reminded her, with a nod towards the door.

That, of course, begged the question about whether or not Trixie would even be awake that night, but the dismissal seemed clear enough regardless. “Of course, Luna. I’ll be seeing you in a few days then?” she asked. Another nod and a warm smile. With that, Twilight took her leave, stepping back to her dorm in the silence of the night. Step by step, she made progress every day.

It turned out that Trixie wasn’t awake when she returned, but they found each other the next day, after morning classes. Trixie had suggested they go into town for lunch, just a quick trip to a local corner store that everypony at the school knew. It did, however, mean that they could talk while they walked down the small lanes.

“So anyways, I said, oatmeal, are you crazy!?” Trixie asked. Twilight burst out laughing, giggles going through her while her tail wagged back and forth. Even Trixie chittered at her own joke, smiling as if proud of herself.

It took her a second to calm down, but calm she did as she nudged her friend. “Your dad is totally weird,” Twilight teased back. “Oh! Speaking of your dad,” she started, carefully. “You know how you’re always trying to get me to come to your house on midnight capers or what have you? Well, how would you like it if I did come? Like, this Saturday for instance.” Twilight supposed, looking ahead and down the road rather than at her friend. For some curious reason, this made her feel rather nervous. She had, after all, been invited to Trixie’s house through somepony else entirely unrelated to the family. Where she lived, that might have been rude.

But apparently not here. “Twily!” Trixie squeaked out, so high that her voice actually cracked. “It is about time! Wait- Saturday? You mean the day of the part- TWILY!” Trixie squeaked out all the louder, stomping her hoof against the ground and staring over at Twilight with a long, accusing look.

“You’re only coming over for that absolutely dreadful party, aren’t you? Did the Princess put you up to this!? Ugh! If you go, I’m gonna have to go,” she drawled out, with a harumph that ended her words with a snort out her nose. “Do you even have anything to wear? Because I refuse to let you go as the ‘sexy librarian’!”

Twilight blushed, if only because she’d absolutely worn that for Luna - and the Princess hadn’t even said anything about it. “Well, I have a meeting with somepony called Rarity-”

“THE Rarity!?” Trixie interrupted again. Twilight suddenly found her face gripped between two hooves, held dangerously close to Trixie’s as she stared her in the eyes. “How. Did. You. Do. That?! She’s booked out seven months in advance! Trust me, I’ve tried to get an appointment with her for ages!”

That, Twilight hadn’t realized. With her ears going back, Twilight shrinked away from Trixie with a blush on her face. “Um, Cadence got me an appointment for Monday? Which I guess is too late for the party, so maybe I can-”

Another interruption, Goddesses dammit. “You talked to Mi Amore Cadenza?! Twily!” Trixie practically stalked her this time, so much so that she found herself pressed against a wall as Trixie’s snout pressed against hers. “You must tell me everything! How did this happen!? She’s the most popular mare in the entirety of the city! Besides the Princess, of course,” she added, finally pulling back and glancing up to the castle. Her hooves came out, pressing against the wall on either side of Twilight and pinning her there. “Tell me, tell me, tell meeee!” she whined out, even closing her eyes to punctuate her words.

Twilight rolled her eyes. Trixie could absolutely be the most dramatic mare that Twilight ever met, and every time she saw this sort of display, that simple fact got pounded into her head. “It’s not that big of a deal!” Twilight protested, with a face that had rapidly started to turn red. “Cadence and I met at a restaurant that I just happened to see her at. She saw me and thought I was interesting so we talked and had dinner together. She’s really an interesting pony though, even if she and Luna don’t get along!” Twilight prattled on, answering the question as best she could. “She’s really pretty too! I don’t think I’ve ever seen a mare so pretty - except the Princess,” Twilight added. Luna was transcendent, not pretty.

Trixie lowered her hooves, but she still kept a close, tight eye on Twilight, as if judging the story for falsehoods or not. “Just at a random restaurant?” she asked, with disbelief etched across her face like a mask. “Do you really expect me to believe that?” A huff, forelegs coming back to cross against her chest instead.

“Yes!” Twilight answered back in a squeak. “Because it’s the truth! I mean, it was one of those really high class ones. I was uh, using some of the money that Luna lets me have to try out something like that since I’d never been! And there she was, in a toga style dress and just… radiating elegance.” Twilight sighed, a dreamy look in her eyes, if only for a second. Luna was the most wondrous mare that she’d met, but she’d be remiss if she didn’t put Cadence up there too. And really, Twilight was a young mare with needs, could anypony blame her for thinking about them sometimes?

Trixie apparently didn’t blame her at all, because she nodded along with the explanation. “Hmph. Well, you should consider yourself very lucky! She’s usually very busy, and for her to take an interest in you-” Trixie didn’t make it offensive, “-no matter how wonderful you are as a friend, is strange. Then again, you are close with the Princess,” she mused, as the two started to walk once more.

A nod from Twilight confirmed that. “That’s kind of what she said in a roundabout way, that I was interesting because of how I’d come from nothing and suddenly found myself as the Princess’s student. I thought she was just as interesting considering that she was an alicorn and all, and somepony born from outside Equestria.”

Their walk down the street took them closer to the corner store, where a small line of students was already reaching out the front of it. Quite popular at this time of day, lunch break meant that you could either spend time in the cafeterias - which admittedly had great food - or go get something a little different. The cafeterias did fall into something of a routine, and while they changed it up every now and then, going somewhere outside changed it up all the more. “But really, it’s not a big deal. I think I just lucked out with my connection to Luna and all that. I mean, can you imagine either Cadence or this uh, Rarity person talking to me normally?” she asked, with a roll of her eyes.

Of course, Trixie held no punches. “Absolutely not!” she scoffed as the two settled into line. “Twily, you know that I love you so very much, but you are absolutely unimportant… save for Luna. I mean no offense by that and-” Twilight knew that she didn’t, yet she sent a withering glance Trixie’s way to punish her regardless. In response, Trixie had the wherewithal and the good nature to actually shrink away, coughing to get back on track. “I mean, you’re amazing and powerful, and studious, but not a noble!” she finished, with that squeak to her voice.

That felt more acceptable and Twilight would let her live. For now. Joking, of course. “You’re right,” she admitted, glancing down at her hooves. “It is kind of strange, I’ll admit. But Luna has to have a good reason for picking me beyond the whole display in front of the guards, so I’m going to trust her the best that I can,” Twilight finished with a nod of her head.

“So loyal,” Trixie droned, half in sarcasm, half teasing. “I think she could kill somepony in front of you and you’d still be all about her.”

A twist of her muzzle and another roll of her eyes dismissed that thought. “A false equivalency. If she killed somepony, there would be a damned good reason for it, don’t you think so?” she asked, with an arched up eyebrow. “But I’m really digressing here. You’re okay with me coming this Saturday, right? I mean, it’s really important for me to be there. And can I maybe borrow a dress for it? Just for a few days! I’m sure you’d have something that would make me look better than ‘sexy librarian’, right?” Yep, that had started to become a thing, and that worried Twilight because Trixie only needed to say it at the wrong time once and then they were in trouble.

A roll of her eyes and a nod of her head. “Sure, Twily. We’ll get you set up. For now,” she finished, quite convincingly. “Now come on, the line’s gonna fill up if we don’t hurry!” Trixie commanded.

The day of the party came and Twilight had done her absolute best. She’d borrowed a dress from Trixie, a blue bodice with glimmering sequin like things and a skirt that went over her back half like a wave, colored deep blue with a light blue sash tying the two parts together. She’d even done her mane up, tied it up into a bun with two little curls coming down on either side of her face to frame it nicely. An attempt at makeup had been made, but then removed once she realized that she had absolutely zero idea how to do it without looking like a clown.

Regardless, now she played the waiting game, nervously fidgeting with her dress. This had to be, by far, the most expensive thing that she’d ever worn. Her traveling clothes were sturdy and good quality, but they weren’t well put together in the same way, they weren’t a veritable work of art in their own way. She hadn’t asked the price tag of it, and Trixie hadn’t told her - it probably helped the both of them that way.

Eventually, a knock on her door caught her attention, focusing back on something other than her own worry. Trixie let herself in after a moment, her own dress rather pretty as well. The back of her dress was a white and gold trim, layered in a way with the top of it being a deep blue, dotted with stars. Two golden and blue sashes tied it around the front of her, giving it a half toga look as well, similar to what Cadence wore before. It seemed to be the style, at least as far as Twilight could tell. “Finally!” Trixie whined out, reaching out to try and start pulling Twilight along with her. “Come on, we’re already late!”

Twilight resisted the pull, but only for a second before going with it. She rolled her eyes, and looked over at the other mare. “You know, I’ve been waiting on you for like an hour! I don’t wanna hear any of this ‘finally’ stuff!” she protested. Still, she let herself get dragged through the halls of the school and out onto the street, heading up the hill towards where the nobles lived. “So how far is your house anyways?” Twilight asked, nervously smoothing her skirts with magic.

Trixie’s horseshoes clopped against the ground, something Twilight realized that she hadn’t worn. Should she have? She glanced down, peeking at the crystalline things - they did look quite nice. But hey, if she didn’t have any, she didn’t have any, plain and simple. Another thing to add to the list. Jewelry had found its way on there too, especially seeing Trixie’s pierced ears, but that would be a longer term thing. Stupid money.

“Not far,” Trixie assured her, with a flick of a hoof. “Just up the road.” Granted, up the road could describe roughly half the city from the school. It held a rather unique position between the commoner districts and the more noble ones, a reminder that anypony could attend. Or should be able to, even if that hadn’t been the truth lately.

As they walked, Twilight watched the houses progressively become nicer. What started as small town homes that fit roughly together became homes of roughly the same size but with lawns and gardens, then bigger homes, then even bigger. The transformation of wealth fascinated Twilight as she watched it happen before her eyes, the different priorities of each house ever so interesting.

It showed what ponies valued, really. This house had a particularly large space around it, meaning they’d spent more on land than their actual house and thus, likely valued privacy quite a bit. Another had developed gardens, greenery and plants everywhere, likely a pony that wanted to get outside. Still another she passed had white marble statues gleaming in the moon’s silver light, works of art each and every one of them. Granted, as they walked further and further, it seemed like ponies needed to compromise less and less to get exactly what they wanted, as more and more spaces seemed fully filled out.

Twilight briefly wondered what Trixie’s home would say about her family.

“Not far,” Twilight repeated, squinting up towards her comrade. “This seems like it’s a bit far,” she protested. Now, the houses were mansions, each and every one of them, practically a block of city to themselves. The usual square like structure of the streets deviated to something more twisting and organic instead of planned, this area either having come first or been shaped by the owners rather than city planners. Twilight didn’t know which.

Good thing Twilight’s conditioning had developed so far. Trixie rolled her eyes and gestured ahead, towards something at the end of the block. The road ended there, in a pseudo cul-de-sac, though only one house occupied the tail end of it. A great thing, stretching out from side to side, with at least three stories - as Twilight could see three lines of windows staring back at them. Made of a red brick,and topped with a sloping roof of blue, the house stood out like a veritable palace. The windows were white and and shuttered in the same blue of the roof, and a full on garden led up to the place.

The entryway had a single path leading to double wooden doors, though it was half obscured by a great fountain of a stallion unicorn, standing on two legs with water erupting from it’s horn into a wide basin around it. On either side of the path, flowers and plants blossomed, some magically enhanced as they glimmered and shone in the light of the moon.

Coronets decorated the roof, lovely little spires that stretched out into the night sky. They weren’t the only ponies arriving now, a few fancily dressed sorts going up the path as well, towards the great house in front of her.

For a second, Twilight stopped moving. She knew that Trixie’s parents were nobles, but she didn’t expect them to be that wealthy. Ever so slowly, day by day, Twilight realized exactly how out of depth she’d found herself. A simple village girl, taken in by a princess, friend to nobles, doing things that somepony like her should never do.

It suddenly made her feel quite out of place.

No. She banished that thought. She deserved these things. She had worked hard, she had talent, she’d devoted her life to her craft and it had paid off. Not just a simple village pony, but a soon to be archmage. Right?

“Why are you just standing there, Twily?” Trixie asked, her voice cracking at the start of Twilight’s little nickname. A glimmering blue field surrounded Twilight, pulling her forward with a huff from Trixie. “Come on, you have to meet my dad! You’re really going to like him!” Trixie asserted.

Just like that, the two started to move once more. “Sorry, sorry,” Twilight apologized, though she really didn’t feel like she should’ve. “I didn’t expect this. I expected you to have a nice house and everything, but this?” she asked, nodding towards the doors that they rapidly approached.

Trixie rolled her eyes in the most exaggerated of ways. “It’s unimportant, because it’s grandeur is nothing compared to the Most Great and Powerful Trixie, and you are able to stand in my presence without bowing in awe. So this should be easy,” Trixie finished, with a harumph and an upturn of her head.

A smile broke out across Twilight’s face as she chuckled, the sense of worry starting to melt away. If anypony could get her acquainted with a place like this, it had to be her best friend, didn’t it? Not to mention that her best friend had grown up here. The air around them started to fill with conversation as ponies clustered around the entrance, talking and chatting about who knew what. Twilight didn’t try to listen in - she couldn’t have, not when she needed to concentrate to hear Trixie.

“So, this is the foyer,” Trixie started, showing off an entryway the size of the common room back at the school. Hardwood and colorful walls decorated it, sitting furniture here or there with lavish decoration, including what Twilight figured was a portrait of a distant Lulamoon ancestor considering the similarities - a dark blue stallion with Trixie’s lighter mane, and a rogue-ish smile on their face.

“I can see that,” Twilight answered, though distantly as she looked around the room with quite a bit of interest. “It’s nice.” The small rug underneath her hooves certainly felt quite nice as well, comfortable enough for her to shift back and forth on.

Trixie shrugged, grabbing her friend with magic once more and pulling her deeper into the house. Of course, the connecting rooms looked much the same, or at least had the same style. The hallways were different of course, but styled the same, though with long rugs running the length to make walking along them quite nice. “It’s okay. That’s not where the party is though, and not where I want to show you either. You need to see my room,” Trixie asserted.

Why not? She’d come this far, she could totally see her friend's room. Twilight did her best to smile every so often at whoever they passed, trying to be social enough even as Trixie pulled her along. “Wow, there’s a lot of ponies here. Are your parties always this big?” Twilight asked, looking along. She even spotted a few of the royal guards, in their full regalia and everything. She didn’t know they did private security! Or perhaps they were here because Luna intended to be here.

They took a right, leading into a hallway that emptied out quite quickly. A couple spoke near the entrance of it, but other than that, it seemed utterly empty, a quieter part of the house. “Father loves his little… shindigs,” Trixie settled on the word with something of a drawl. “So yes, they’re nearly always this boisterous. Admittedly, I wasn’t a huge fan of them growing up but now they’re simply a place for me to hone my magic show!” she finished, gleefully. Yet, her smile dropped quite quickly and she scoffed. “When father lets me. Time and place he says, time and place.” A sigh punctuated Trixie’s words and Twilight read just a bit of frustration.

Still, she couldn’t feel that bad for her. Not when she lived here of all places! Twilight would have killed for a place like this growing up, especially since she had always wanted a place to practice her own magic as well. “You can show me sometime if you want,” Twilight allowed, looking to lightly nudge her friend in the side. “Your tricks are pretty awesome and I bet in a show they’re even more impressive,” Twilight figured as they plodded down the halls.

“Of course they’re impressive,” Trixie answered back, quite haughtily. She stuck her nose in the air, though Twilight could see the ghost of a teasing smile on her face. “They’re by the Great and Powerful Trixie!” Right as she said her words, she stopped near a door, one that stood out from the regular wooden doors that she’d seen before. Granted, there were only a few out this way, which Twilight figured meant that they were in Trixie and her father’s personal wing.

The door that Twilight found herself in front of had sequins on it. Not only that, but big, accentuated wings made of some sort of shiny cloth material arched out on each side, enveloped a few feet of the wall on either side of them. A purple plaque presented itself in front of Twilight, inscribed with Trixie’s full name in golden lettering as well. The rest of the door kept on with the splendor, with golden and purple sequins dominating most of it. Oddly, there didn’t appear to be a door knob so Twilight didn’t exactly know how to get itn.

Trixie stayed by the door, perching beside it and looking over at Twilight with quite the enthusiastic look. “Are you ready to feast your eyes on my room? Are you ready to enter my safe haven, the most precious place in the entire world? What you see here must not be shared anywhere,” she warned, her eyes flashing with magic as she spoke. Of course, Twilight couldn’t help but smile a goofy smile the entire time. Trixie looked so serious, but honestly? This all just felt like a fun time for her. She nodded her head along with each question, giving her consent.

Twilight’s amused smile didn’t leave even as she started to talk. “I’m absolutely ready, and I will take your secret to my grave,” she swore, even bringing up her hoof to swear over her chest. “You’re my best friend, right?” A wink punctuated her words and something about that sent a tingle through Twilight’s chest.

She hadn’t had a best friend before.

That thought would have to wait as Trixie’s magic flung open the door, revealing the room before her. The first thing that Twilight noticed was the color purple. That also happened to be the second, the third, and the fourth things as well. Like, so much purple.

Of course, it looked nice as well, but everything seemed to be in some shade of that cool color, either purple itself, or close to it with blues and the like. The only colors that seemed not to be in that spectrum were gold accents and white parts on the bed and furniture. Everything else? Purple as could be.

“Wow,” Twilight finally managed to get out, hardly wanting to leave Trixie hanging. Not that the other pony would let her mind, magic gripping Twilight once more to bring her forward into the room. Behind her, the door slammed shut, sequestering her away from the world outside and leaving them within Trixie’s miniature palace.

Trixie’s foreleg reached around Twilight, holding her close, her other one gesturing out to the world, showing it off. “Welcome to paradise, welcome to the most wondrous place in the world, welcome to my humble abode!” Trixie finished.

Naturally, with Trixie being a showmare and all, she couldn’t deal with Twilight just looking around. No, she had to ignite her horn and let out a wave of magic, one that sent glittering sparkles throughout the air, the things suspending in the air around her and giving a certain air of magic and mystery to the space.

Now that Twilight had a chance to actually see things closer too, she could really appreciate it. Trixie’s room had a certain elegance to it that she hadn’t seen often, likely because she hadn’t lived with this kind of opulence before. The bed drew her eye the most, something that she could imagine herself laying on for days and days of reading. A white skirt with lace trimmed the bottom of it, with the top bit embroidered with shimmering gold strands. It transitioned into a lovely lilac bedspread, with wispy, ethereal white and purple curtains hanging around the thing. The pillows alternated between white, gold and the purple of the spread, blending the colors together perfectly.

For the most part, Twilight could recognize most of the furniture in her room, she just didn’t understand why ponies could need so much of it. Two night stands of blues on either side of the bed, two dressers, a couple chests, rugs layering over each other on the floor in thick coats of purple, blue and white - with the tiniest touch of gold in there too. Even multiple bookshelves pressed against the walls, six or seven all in a line. A golden chandelier made of colored glass hung above them, providing sparkling light beneath that flashed different colors depending on the angles, giving the room an ethereal feel to it.

In the dead center of the room sat the center piece as well, a great stage of wood, the base painted a white with golden filigree and the backing to it the splashes of blue and purple that Twilight started to associate so strongly with Trixie. Different sorts of props and magical materials scattered across it, some that Twilight actually knew to be magical and some that seemed more trickster in appearance - like a loaded deck, for example. The top of the stage even had a few pinwheels spinning in a wind that didn’t exist, likely enchanted special for the purpose.

All in all, Twilight couldn’t have expected this. Her mind, her expectations and knowledge of how the world worked still needed to adapt to high, fancy living. After spending so long in a village, small and out of the way, she expected everypony to live like her. So far? She’d been nothing but wrong.

Trixie suddenly appeared in front of Twilight’s face in a flash of purple smoke. “So!?” she asked, pressing close enough that their muzzles nearly touched. “What do you think? Isn’t it just as I told you, the most wonderful, amazing place to live in the entire world?” Trixie asked. Apparently, Trixie decided that today should be the day that she got touchy-feely with Twilight, because once more, she’d find herself gripped tight by the sorceress.

Twilight smiled, a wide, toothy smile as she looked to extricate herself from such closeness. “Yes,” she answered, fully and openly honest. “It really is amazing.” How could she not think so? Once she found herself free once more, Twilight started to take her first real steps through the room, gradually approaching the stage.

Quietly, Twilight reached out a hoof to touch against the thing, letting it glide over the smooth wood. “This is all really impressive Trixie. I’m so glad you were able to have something like this in your childhood.” Twilight should be a better pony. She should be selfless. She should be kind. She should be happy that other people were able to live in such comfort.

Yet… all she could feel was some sort of bitter pain and regret. Why could so many ponies live like this while her own kind struggled to put food on the table? How did they have such opulence when Twilight’s family had nothing? All of Twilight’s relatives had nothing, everypony in her village had next to nothing. And here these nobles sat living on wealth that would last lifetime after life time. It could have been used for something other than this. Yes, some part of her did love that Trixie managed to grow up and not suffer, but everypony should have had that same privilege.

And Twilight hadn’t. That’s what hurt.

Still, Twilight kept that mask on her face, a smile even as internally she fought against her own emotions. Luckily, neither of them actually had to say anything about that simple fact, because someone knocked on the door. That somepony didn’t even wait for an answer before opening the door, letting it magically fling open to let themselves in.

Twilight really couldn’t have guessed who it’d be either. Who else but Luna? Well, to be fair, Twilight had expected literally anypony but Luna, but alas, it was her. The Lunar Matriarch wore a lovely white gown trimmed with gold, with a doubled up skirt to give it an airy look with each movement. The brocade had gems flashing across it in light blues, the same kind of sky appearance that Luna always sported.

“I wondered where my student hid from me,” Luna intoned, though her words were clearly teasing judging by the smile on her face.

Trixie, however, had other thoughts. The sorceress stomped her way forward and placed herself in between Twilight and Luna. “You are intruding on my room! This is my safe haven, this is my home, this is my stage and you shouldn’t-”

Luna held a hoof up, and Trixie knew enough to stop talking at that sign. But Luna didn’t seem mad or angry, she seemed amused beyond all else. “I know, and I am deeply sorry, my little pony. It is your haven, and I only intruded because I too wanted to get away from the crowds, and I wanted to ensure that my student had arrived safely at her first real party. I also wanted to remind her that she should spend some time around the nobles since it was her goal, as lovely as your room is.” Luna finished her words with a gesture to the room around them, as if showing off it’s grandeur with each move.

A bit of guilt wormed its way into Twilight. But, before she could speak, the lights in the room disappeared, and new lights turned on, focused on the stage. Trixie appeared rearing back on her hind legs and dressed now in a purple cape and wizard’s hat decorated with stars. “You may take her, but first you must watch the show of the Great and Powerful Trixie!” she announced, sparkles and glitter erupting into the air and falling all around them.

Twilight glanced over towards Luna and Luna looked back. Were they doing this?

Oh.

They were doing this.

Author's Note

This and the next chapter were supposed to be 1 chapter but I'm afraid that I have zero self control.

Magic Show

Alright, they were doing a magic show. She didn’t really know how she’d gotten here, but Luna and Twilight were now settled on cushions in front of the stage, watching as Trixie climbed back up after getting their cushions arranged.

Trixie cleared her throat, that familiar cocky grin spreading across her face. “Welcome to the Great and Powerful Magic show!” Trixie went on her hind legs as she said the words, her forelegs going up as the cape swirled behind her. Lights flashed and flared, sparkles and strobes exploding around them. “Thank you all for coming tonight!” she announced, as if the two of them had any choice. “I assure you I have a wonderful show planned for every single pony in my crowd!” she gestured out towards them, though her eyes lingered on Twilight.

It, of course, dawned on her about then that Trixie did all of this to impress her. It made sense - why else would she want to bring her into her room during a huge party? Why else would she try and start the show the second that Luna walked into the room? Trixie wanted to impress her and Twilight oddly felt fine with that. With that in her mind, she settled in and smiled back. It was time to enjoy the show.

“Now, most ponies might stand before you and show you simple illusions! Not I!” Trixie kept on in her bombastic manner, prancing across the stage. She tilted her head downwards and pulled her hat half over her face as her eyes locked now on Luna instead.

Real magic. Trixie’s horn glowed and all at once, the lights in the room stopped. In fact, even the lights that were still lit in the room stopped shining somehow. The light beams instead started to drag inwards, coalescing together at Trixie’s horn. It wasn’t instant, not jerking, but slow and plodding, coming together to replace the colored glow around Trixie’s horn with one of pure white light. All the while, she kept her pose, the hat half over her head, concentrated on Luna, and from this close, Twilight could tell the concentration that ran through her.

Concentration that paid off. With a single cry, the pony threw her head upwards, casting off the light in a single moment. It arced through the air, spreading across the room in a great dome around the three ponies. The sudden infusion of light in the air left Twilight blinking, eyes struggling to adjust for the briefest of moments. A quick few blinks let her gaze upon the light as it formed into shapes, shapes that anypony who knew magic would know.

The constellations. The night sky itself had etched itself into the air around them, reflected perfectly with the captured light from Trixie’s horn.

Almost perfectly. A hole in the stars looked almost like a scar, a hole that centered itself around Luna. In the bright lights, Twilight hadn’t seen it before, but with everything dimmed she noticed something different about her Princess. Her coat, her mane, and her eyes especially seemed to absorb the light in on itself and emit a black sort of glow around her, disrupting the magic, the show.

Trixie stared at the spot, but only for a moment before the magic snapped back. Just as quickly as it’d gathered around her, the magic started to spread back to its original sources, losing the shape of the stars and becoming mundane once more. It was an impressive display of magic, one that had left just the thinnest sheen of sweat on Trixie’s coat.

Luna started clapping first, hooves clopping together and sounding out through the room. Twilight, getting the point, followed soon enough, giving their adulation towards Trixie in the middle of the room. The showmare had already started to bow as if the act was over, though as she stood back up to her full height, Twilight could tell it was anything but.

“Thank you, thank you, ladies and gentlecolts!” Trixie called out, despite the fact that only Twilight and Luna were in the room. “For my next act, I could use a volunteer on stage! Is there anypony brave enough to join the death defying, mystifying Trixie on stage?” she asked, eyes glimmering with amusement and something deeper that Twilight couldn’t pinpoint as her gaze settled on Luna.

Before Twilight could volunteer herself and stop whatever this had become, Luna stood up from her spot, letting the dress flow around her as she stepped forward, as fluid as the most calm of rivers. “I suppose I can,” she volunteered, with a light bow of her head. “I look forward to seeing what you have planned for me. That is, if you’ll accept my offer.”

Judging by the way Trixie grinned in practical glee, Twilight could assume yes. With a soft sigh to herself, Twilight stayed in her place, tail wrapping around herself as the tiniest bit of worry seeped into her mind. Trixie had a lot of pride, but surely she didn’t have the pride to think that she could best a princess or anything of that sort? And why exactly did she posture like this? She’d never done this with anyone else that Twilight talked to. Then again, the whole Princess thing put Luna on a tier above everypony else in every sort of way.

Trixie ushered her up as she spoke - “Ah yes, you will do nicely. Now, you may be wondering, what could Trixie use such a plain and ordinary pony for? She’s already so wonderful and great, so why would she need to compare herself to others?”

Luna quirked an eyebrow at those words, even as she stood front and center on the stage. Twilight couldn’t help but let her eyes slide over to the Princess instead. No matter what room and no matter what crowd, Luna always seemed to be the most radiant pony in the room. Possibly ever.

Trixie stepped forward, taking the centerstage from Luna as she stepped towards the front of it. “But fear not, as I’ll show you how even the most plain and boring ponies can become the most wondrous with a little help from me, the Great and Powerful Trixie!” Again, Luna looked less than enthused, but she didn’t move from the spot and even gave a small smile and wave towards Twilight, as if this were a full magic show and everything.

Yet, Twilight couldn’t help but feel a little off, a little worried. She exchanged a glance with Luna, silently asking the Princess to go along with it and that hopefully things would be fine.

They’d be fine.

Right?

Still, the show must go on. “Now, hold very still as Trixie is going to make you disappear and reappear all the better than before!” There was that sinking feeling again, digging through her stomach and threatening to make her feel sick. But she needed to trust her friend, trust that she wouldn’t do anything stupid.

Trixie’s horn started to glow once more, this time the light enveloping her teacher and her Princess. From the very tip of Luna’s horn, the pony started to disappear. It was inch by inch, and unlike before, Trixie appeared to be straining with the magic, eyes closed and cheeks puffed out in a way that didn’t seem very show-y. Granted, Twilight assumed that Trixie had never tried such a spell on an alicorn, legendary beings that had more magic resistance than any other.

Still, the spell inexorably moved on, down her horn, over Luna’s face. There was a hint of shock in Luna’s eyes for just a moment before they too disappeared. A headless pony appeared before Twilight and yet, the spell kept going. It kept going even as Luna scooted a tiny bit on the stage, even as her tail stopped flowing and instead looked like a static image in the middle of the room. It was a strange thing to watch since she’d only seen it the one way.

It didn’t take much longer after that for the disappearing to finish, and Trixie looked like she was absolutely drenched in sweat by now. Even the hat sagged on her head, like it’d been subjected to the same sort of torment as the pony casting the spell. Still, she had the energy to make a “ta-da!’ gesture towards the thin air in front of her.

“Now,” a gasping breath from Trixie, “ watch as Luna is returned more,” another gasp, “more great than ever!” Now this was the part that Twilight had bad feelings about. What did ‘more great than ever’ even mean?

Without even a minute’s rest, Trixie started to cast once more. A great wooden case floated up onto the stage, in the same purples, whites and blues as the rest of the room, complete with glittering stars plastered on the side. Magic channel through her horn, enveloping the thing in the bright glow of Trixie’s magic. With a ‘pop’ sound, everything reached a fever pitch. A shockwave of magic erupted from the mare, echoing through the room enough to knock picture frames, books, and even a glass of water left there for who knows how long over.

The case opened once more and Luna emerged, the same Luna that Twilight knew all along, the same Luna that she cared about and served dutifully, just with one clear difference. Instead of the tiara atop her head, the princess wore a big, goofy, wizard’s hat, an exact clone of the one that Trixie wore in her shows.

Cheers sounded from nowhere, rapturous applause filling the room and Twilight allowed herself to get into it as well. With a small smile on her face, her hooves came together, all of the tension leaving her at once. All along she should have trusted Trixie, and now that everything turned out fine, Twilight really let herself enjoy the display she’d seen. A laugh escaped her, and her applause joined in with the chorus around them, Luna adding to the symphony as well.

Trixie, for her part, basked in it all. It mattered not that she probably accounted for a vast majority of the sounds, just that she’d gotten what she wanted from it. The mythical moment lasted for quite a while, the presence, the magic still swirling in the air.

And then Trixie fell flat on her face. The lights, the applause, all of it stopped at once, taking them back to a normal bedroom once more, nothing special whatsoever. The cape and hat crumbled up around Twilight’s friend, hiding them from her view for a moment. Luna reacted first, of course, looking over with mild concern on her face. One of the princess’s hooves came out, lightly poking Trixie in the side.

“It appears like your friend has passed out.” Luna broke the silence first, looking down as she delivered another poke right to the side. “How interesting.” Blue magic, the princess’s this time lifted up Trixie, holding her in the air in front of Luna. “Magic overload. A classic mistake for mages that go too far.” The overloaded pony that was Trixie levitated over towards her bed, pressed atop the covers. Yet, Luna went all the further, magic flickering as the sheets wrapped up Trixie, tucking her in nice and tight.

By now, Twilight could see the rise and fall of the other mare’s chest, letting her breath out a sigh of relief. Not dead, no more panicking. Twilight hadn’t killed her friend via complicated magic. Thank the Princesses. “That,” she started, looking back towards Luna with quite the confused look on her face. “That was actually kind of impressive, wasn’t it? I can’t say I’ve been one for magic shows. I always found them childish and the way that Trixie acted worried me,” she admitted. As she talked, she’d step closer towards her Princess, getting close by her side like she preferred.

Luna started to lead them over towards the door, student in tow like always. “Actually, yes. The invisibility spell especially. I suppose not many know that casting magic on an alicorn is actually quite a bit harder than on a regular pony. She could have chosen you and done it much more painlessly and with one hundred percent less passing out.” It took Twilight a second for her to realize that that was a joke, and when she did, she couldn’t help but let out a little giggle and a shake of her head.

They’d head out the door, the wooden thing magically closing behind her. “Once she gets some sleep, she’ll be perfectly fine. I don’t think she needs us taking up her space in the meantime, do you? Besides, it’s a party and you did say that you were interested in the nobles!”

Definitely right about that. Down the hall the two made their way once more, the sounds of the party starting to get louder and louder the more they walked. “I did!” Twilight answered back. After the display of magic and now the possibility of getting into the nitty gritty of politics? She’d had quite the nice night so far! All she had to do was keep it cool and be nice and normal during introductions. And stick right by Luna’s side. “So what kind of stuff do ponies normally do during these things, your Highness?” she asked, defaulting back to the title in public.

“Well,” Luna started, looking towards the end of the hallway. “It really does depend on the type of person. Some use this kind of thing as a networking opportunity, others as a way to plug their charities, others as a way to seek power and some…” she stopped, with a grin on her face. “Some just want to have fun, my student. ‘Tis why I am here - while Cadence and her ilk make my teeth ache, Artemis and his group are absolutely lovely. He used to put on magic shows much like his daughter, you know.”

They reached the crowd once more, the noise reaching an almost deafening volume - though it didn’t stay that way for long. Something shimmered over her, a weird feeling of energy and the noise fell to something more manageable. She looked to the side, noticing the faint glint of Luna’s horn. After so much time with the Princess, Twilight had started to be able to see her magic even when she hid it, something that Luna said not many could do.

Twilight took a second to look over the crowd, looking over the assembled pones in all their finery and all their different colors. She stood stock still for a second, unsure where to go, where to start.

Luckily, or unluckily, it seemed like ponies would come to them instead. A stallion, powder blue with a marvelous purple sequin suit approached first, shimmering silver mane, short cropped, with a mustache of the same color. Twilight instantly could tell who it was - Artemis. Who else could have possibly been Trixie’s father?

A smile appeared on her face and she gave a small bow of her head. The stallion gave a bow right back, deeper and even more theatrical. There was a glint in his eye even now, and a smile on his face that was somehow both confident without being cocky and suave without being pretentious. “Artemis Lulamoon!” he introduced, holding a hoof out to shake. Twilight met it half way, and an enthusiastic shake nearly knocked her half over! “You must be Twilight Sparkle! My daughter has told me so much about you, it’s absolutely wonderful that the two of you have become such good friends!”

He didn’t stop there, going on to level with Luna instead. “And Princess Luna Aurorium! What a great blessing it is to have you at my humble abode. I dearly hope that this small event is enough for such a magnanimous personality such as yourself!” His words seemed sarcastic at first, but his tone didn’t imply it at all, though Luna’s eye roll and earlier words about liking the man left Twilight to surmise this as ‘a joke’.

“You hurt me, Artemis. You know that I care not for the surroundings and the ponies, simply being around those that I am friendly with are enough. And you should count yourself lucky that you are one of them lest I decide that you don’t deserve all of this.” That was another thing that seemed sarcastic but also looked to have a serious tone. With a blink of confusion, Twilight looked between the two, frowning and trying to get a bead on exactly what was happening in front of her.

Twilight opened her muzzle to speak, only for a bright eyed Artemis to go first. “Oh that would be absolutely disastrous! Imagine if I couldn’t hold my magic shows or my daughter’s tea parties anymore! Woe is me, woe is-” he didn’t finish. He finally burst into laughter, and to Twilight’s surprise, Luna followed him with a fit of giggles.

Alright, well she’d never seen that before.

Laughs? Sure. Cackles? Surprisingly, yes. But a giggle fit? Definitely not something that she expected from Luna. “Er,” she finally began, the picture of perfect decorum and charisma. “Sorry, am I missing something here?” she finally asked, with a nervous smile.

A foreleg from Luna reached out, looking to grasp against Artemis’s shoulders and pull him into a hug. “Worry not, my dearest student. Artemis and I go way, way back. He was once one of my students - though not in the personal way that you are, just at the Academy. He worked hard, graduated with honors, became a teacher and the two of us became… close.” The hug released, Artemis stepped back, fussing with his suit and getting all the shimmering scales pointed the right way once more.

“Lunatic here means to say that we dated for a while. Of course, nothing came of it but I like to bring it up every chance I get because it makes me-”

With a flash of dark blue magic, Artemis disappeared. A second later, in a burst of azure magic and sparkles, he reappeared. “And that’s why we broke up!” he announced, before he, once more, disappeared entirely.

With a less than amused face, Luna looked to Twilight with a deadpan expression. “He is still wonderful, don’t get me wrong. I think he’s a great stallion who has and will do great things. But I think the both of us can agree he’s stupendously obnoxious, don’t you think?” she asked, cracking a smile once more.

Twilight just nodded along, not really sure how to process the news that somepony had dated her teacher. There were a couple conflicting thoughts there -the first being about how weird that was. Luna actually dated ponies? Did that mean she was straight? The second bit was that they seemed legitimately happy and seemed to have a lot of fun around each other and that felt kinda special in a weird way. Maybe she just liked seeing other ponies happy and she cared the most about her teacher. And the last thing that was stuck in her mind somehow seemed the most important.

That meant that Luna might date other ponies. Or be with them. Somehow, that felt thrilling. She’d think about that later. “He seems nice though. But also very chaotic,” Twilight answered back pleasantly enough. “Him and his daughter have a lot in common, don’t they? Overly boisterous, proud, but… but really good people with kind hearts.” That was about as sappy as Twilight would ever get, and only because she talked about her best friend, the one who probably meant the third most out of everypony in the world.

The answer seemed to please Luna at least and she gave a nod as she looked back to the spot where Artemis once stood. “Don’t talk him or Trixie up too much cause he should be back in three...two-”

Artemis beat her projections. A minor explosion and a blast of water announced the now soaked stallion’s arrival. He shook himself off, sending droplets everywhere. “Lunatic, did you have to send me to the bottom of the ocean?” he asked, with a bit of strain to his voice. “I know you think I’m wondrous with my magic, but that was a bit far, don’t you think?”

Luna just laughed, the same laugh that sent Twilight’s heart all a flutter. “The bottom of the ocean?” Twilight blurted out, looking amused. That had to be a joke, right? Surely they weren’t serious. She’d chuckle, joining in on the joke. “Imagine how hard it’d be to actually get back from the bottom of the ocean so fast.” Another chuckle and a shake of her head.

But neither of the other two were laughing like Twilight was. Luna looked amused, sure, but Artemis looked strained still. The moon princess would respond first, delicately looking over towards Twilight and giving her a slow blink. “Exactly as much as he expended. I know that likely seems absurd to you, but Artemis here has one very special gift.”

A hoof came up to tap against the stallion’s horn, something he wouldn’t shy away from. “He’s able to teleport in a way that doesn’t expend energy based on the distance, but instead how good he can imagine it. I know that’s already required for most teleportation, but it’s the only real requirement for him. Since he was in this room just moments ago, he was easily able to imagine the destination and return once more.”

Her hoof touched the ground as Artemis nodded, opening his own muzzle to speak once more. “Oh yes! Every pony has their own special talent, this one just happens to be mine,” he beamed. “It does help with my tricks - hardly anyone can teleport in the situations that I do, so my disappearing acts are quite a bit more,” he’d chuckle, “believable than most.” A quick pop and he was behind Twilight, a hoof reaching out to tap her shoulder. It was silent except for the quietest of pops, “Surprise!”

Twilight nearly jumped out of her skin. She hadn’t felt the power, and it was so quick. She scooted away quickly and caught herself, letting out a nervous chuckle at her own foolishness. “Sorry, sorry. That was-” she cleared her throat, a hoof covering her muzzle to be polite. “That was quite the surprise. So that makes you-”

She thought it over for a second. “That makes you quite special actually.” Another look over the stallion, inspecting him in a new light. “Have you ever had somepony study you? Have you submitted your magic for analysis?” A look towards the princess. “Has she looked you over yet?” She asked, with a new enthusiasm.

A hoof came up between the two of them, delicately pushing the inquisitive young student away. “In order,” he began. “Yes, yes, andddd yes! Lunatic here has tried to figure me out so many times. The best that we’ve managed to come up with is that something affected me in my birth, some otherworldly force. It isn’t a huge deal, I suppose,” Artemis dismissed.

Luna stepped up, getting even with Artemis and wrapping a wing around him. “We’ve cataloged his magic for future generations to study as well. If we don’t figure it out in his lifetime, then at the least his magic and his technique will hopefully be understood eventually. I’d actually love for you to take a look, Twilight - once we are home. Tonight is for fun,” Luna reminded, ever so gently.

“Which means,” she’d go on, a free wing gesturing towards a food table across the way. “It’s time to eat! Come, the both of you, let’s grab something and sit, find us a table will you Artemis? I know what you like but I have yet to figure out my newest student’s favorite foods. Perhaps that will be something you divulge tonight?” Luna’s smile was always so contagious.

Why not? Why not relax a little bit? She’d had a series of very busy days, a recent test at school something she’d crammed for. Dinner sounded nice, especially with somepony interesting, the father of her best friend even! “Yes princess,” Twilight chirped automatically, ambling behind the mare as she stepped forward.

The buffet table itself was quite astounding. Foods of all types were arrayed in front of them, and as Luna levitated two plates above her, Twilight let herself feast her eyes before she started working on her tummy. A couple of spinach quiches, a strawberry tart and a blueberry cheesecake slice, little cucumber sandwiches on tiny buns, and even an array of fresh, crazy purple and green fruit with weird spines all magicked up onto her plate. She’d be so focused on her food that she didn’t notice the princess casting a couple of looks her way. “Dragonfruit. Rare this far north. Have you ever had one?”

The princess’s voice so close broke her out of her reverie from staring at the food, with a little shake in her magic from the surprise. A tinge of pink colored her cheeks for a second before she’d give a little shake. “No princess.” Plate in magic, she’d turn and see one plate entirely of sweets, all the tarts and cakes and one entirely of fruit in Luna’s grasp.

She could make some educated guesses here. She’d seen Luna’s diet. And despite the princess’s incredible figure and lovely wings, she ate… well, bad. Lots of cake, lots of cheesy things, a bit too much bread, the typical diet of a princess.

No wonder it hadn’t worked out.

No, wait, that was rude to think. She shouldn’t think that Luna or Artemis would be shallow enough to care what the other ate. He seemed like a nice stallion even though he definitely wasn’t right for Luna and definitely not good-

Where were these thoughts coming from? She realized she’d been staring at the princess for a few seconds and shook her head, clearing the thoughts from them. “I thought I’d try something new. Sorry, head in the clouds thinking about Atremis’s magic,” she lied, but it was smooth and accompanied with a giggle at herself, as if she were being very silly. She was, just not in her normal ways.

A hoof clapped against her shoulder and Luna’s smile made those bad thoughts disappear from her head. “Don’t worry, we’ll-”

The statement wouldn’t ever be finished, as the sound of shattering glass drew Twilight’s attention to the side. A pony stood, mere feet away as the crowd split around them. A brown stallion wearing a bright blue tux, with sequins and everything. He sneered over at the princess, the glass dropped beside him. Presumably, it was from his magic halting while it held a glass, but the way that he looked at Luna had Twilight… perturbed? That felt like the right word. The look on his face spoke of anger and Twilight vaguely remembered seeing something similar years ago, when a local bully had tried to fight Shining.

Wait.

Why would anypony want to fight the princess? That made no sense. No, he must have been mad for some other reason. Yet, the tuxedo’d pony stalked his way over, each step looking like it planned murder. “Who invited you? Was tonight not supposed to be for the nobles? For our peace? A place without you looking over our shoulders for once,” the hothead snapped out.

Luna, on the other hoof, seemed rather unperturbed. She stood her ground, though she would hand the two dishes off to Twilight, the latter’s magic taking the handoff. “I’m afraid we’ve never met,” Luna began with her usual calmness. “But the current proprietor of this establishment sent me an invite. Artemis and I are long time friends. I am not here to watch over anypony’s shoulders, I am simply here to enjoy an evening with my student.” She’d cast a smile down towards Twilight, a gentle thing.

That didn’t seem to be enough to calm the stallion down though, as he’d snort and turn up his nose. “You lie. We know you want to push us out. We’ve heard you, heard that you talk about what leeches the nobles are. My family has lived in Stalliongrad longer than you’ve been alive, princess-” The word was said very sarcastically, “-and you have another thing coming if you believe that you can take what we’ve made.”

Again, Luna tried to calm the situation down, stepping forward with a genial smile on her face. “I have no desire to take what you built. You all do wonderful work in your estates and I’m eternally grateful for the assistance you all have given me in having Stalliongrad be my home as well. Please, why don’t you take a seat and talk with me? Twilight, dear, I’m sorry, can you give-”

She didn’t finish the sentence. The stallion shot a blast of magic towards Luna, a jettison of golden sparks as a huge wave of energy erupted.

Everything seemed to slow for a moment. Twilight’s instincts kicked in, but Luna had absolutely no problem with such an obvious, unsubtle thing. The magic, the golden wave simply… ceased existing. It disappeared from reality, replaced with a flow of blue and purple butterflies, light wings flapping as they flew towards the ceiling before fading into dust. Her horn hadn’t even glowed from the effort, still able to suppress the color even when doing such an advanced spell.

Twilight’s own hornlight had started to brighten, but stopped as she realized the situation was handled. It’d be handled all the more as Artemis appeared directly in front of the stallion, which was probably for the best because Luna had sent out another spell. This one had manifested a silver spear, the thing arcing towards the stallion’s chest but stopping a mere foot away from the now intercepting Artemis.

Luna scoffed, letting the thing disappear once more. “You dare?” she thundered out. Her eyes seemed lit with fire from the heavens, anger radiating off her. “In front of my student. In the middle of a party. Where there’s bystanders that can get hurt! You dare hurl an attack at your princess?” Luna thundered, taking a step forward in an almost predatory way.

It felt like she was watching everything happen in slow motion. She felt petrified, stuck. Realistically, she should be moving, getting to her teacher’s side and supporting her, trying to stop the situation from escalating but she couldn’t move. Had someone put her hooves in cinder blocks? She tried to open her muzzle to speak but her tongue felt locked against the bottom of her mouth, mind blank.

The other stallion spoke first. “You are not my princess! You invaded these lands and forced yourself upon us! My family and our fellow nobles are the rightful rulers of our land and-”

Artemis brought his hoof up and pushed it over the stallion’s muzzle. “Lunatic, dear,” Artemis tried to soothe. “Why don’t you take your student to the study? I’ll deal with this and then we can have a nice night together, how does that sound?” he asked, conciliatory and surprisingly sweet.

Part of Twilight wondered why the crazed stallion didn’t keep going, but she’d notice the faintest of silver shimmers around his muzzle, and on Artemis’s horn. Alright, magic. Oh. And he was looking at her with something of a pleading expression, she should probably finally do something.

Twilight got her hooves to move. Somehow she managed to get them out of the blocks and came over to her princess. She tried her best to smile and step in front of her, even as the princess sucked in breath after breath. “Princess, can we go see his study? I bet a unicorn of his caliber has very interesting books!” Twilight proposed. She’d kind of convinced herself with that, no longer lying for the benefit of the princess. No, she actually wanted to go over there. And then she’d play the pity card too, for extra measure. “Your Highness, it’s my first party,” she’d add a little quieter. “Let’s make it end well, okay?”

That earned Luna’s attention, finally prying it away from the stallion who’d been so brazen. She finally gave a nod and lifted her head once more, peering over the crowd. They were silent, frozen in the place but as she looked, they each tried to seem busy, the reverie over the crowd finally breaking. “Then let us go,” she agreed. The stallion would earn one last, withering look before Luna stalked forward.

For now at least, Twilight kept the plates in her magical grip. Luna led the way towards their inevitable location and Twilight followed. She glanced over her shoulder every now and then, ensuring that they weren’t followed, though Luna plowed ahead without even seeming to think to look back.

One more look back would be cast before Twilight spoke again - “Your Highness, are you-” She stopped, for a moment. There were many things she wanted to ask. She wanted to ask what had happened, wanted to ask how it’d gotten that bad, wanted to ask who it was, but she settled on a single question that seemed more important than any of them. “Are you okay?” she asked, finally. Yes, that’d been the right choice.

Luna stopped peering ahead for the briefest of moments, a chance to show surprise on her face. “I am…” Another pause, this time not by Twilight. “Well enough. This was supposed to be a night of revelry and a triumphant introduction for you, my student. I apologize that it wasn’t as advertised.”

Twilight had already started to bob her head. “Don’t even worry about it! Regardless of that… that stallion! It has been great! Between you and Trixie and Artemis - and the food - I’ve enjoyed myself!” Twilight promised, nodding again.

Another faint smile from Luna. “Well then. Let us relax tonight. We shall explore rare books with Artemis and tomorrow I promise I’ll inform you of everything, my dearest student. Is this acceptable?” she’d ask.

A smile greeted the words as well as acceptance. “Of course. Tomorrow.”

Until then.

Author's Note

I lived, bitch.

Hey guys, I know it's been a while. I know this is probably a weak chapter.

I gotta get back in the groove. I am still not fully well but I'm committing to a chapter a month starting in January (and hopefully december too, but im traveling a lot for medical apts and holidays)

Hope you're all well.

Gathering Storm

In the murky depths of the darkest portions of magic, great power waited for somepony to reach out and take it.

Stalliongrad’s borders were harsh. Living in such a desolate wasteland was difficult, every scrap something that had to be fought and clawed over. But for so many of her ponies it was home. A home they could not leave. A home they had ties to. A home full of rich history and care.

As much as she liked to pretend otherwise, Luna shared many commonalities with her ponies. Like them, she dealt with hunger. Not as much, and it might not kill her, but it was there. Like them, she felt the cold of the winter on her coat, though she did not freeze. And like them, this was her home and she fought with all she had to keep it safe.

Which sometimes meant getting your hooves dirty.

Each and every night her sleep grew worse, torn asunder bit by bit from the visions she ripped from reality's future. The day fared no better, plagued as well by those same sights. This night was no different than any other - she tossed and turned, and those teasing images seemed to live in front of her.

A gathering of ponies, noise polluting the air around her, making it difficult to think. Not only that, but concentrating on any one spot proved difficult, and her normal vigil could not be kept up. In the midst of the chaos, a gunshot reigned above all else, and Luna’s supernatural senses felt it in the air before it hit its target. Frustratingly, the dream did not let her see who was hit and instead simply clouded her vision with blood, so much blood.

The mare rolled over in her palatial bed. She did not wake, for better or for worse. It was difficult, nigh impossible to do her duty as keeper of the dreams so long as these torturous visions kept taking all of her time at night. She tried to regardless, working her way into another pony’s dream.

It lasted but a few moments, ripped away once more. She tried for this one, she really did, dug her hooves in and watched in sadness as the pony she needed to help cowered from a Nightmare of their own - one that she might match soon enough.

A crash of thunder grabbed her attention first this time, if only because the world around her was dark. It took her eyes but a moment to adjust, rain cascading around her and wetting her cloak. She stood atop one of the buttresses, a runic circle inscribed in cyan underneath her. She floated, mages of all types around her chanting-

Chanting something. Her ears could not translate it, and a burst of pain shattered the vision leaving her free to float in the dreamworld once more.

That did not last long either. Luna awoke in the midst of her bedchambers, moonlight filtering in through windows and gauzy silver curtains. Her heart raced in her chest and a single, lingering thought emblazoned itself onto her mind.

Trouble comes.

Tomorrow had not come.

Well, tomorrow had come, just not in the way that Luna promised Twilight. Instead of studying rare books and going over different types of magic with the Princess, Twilight found herself sitting in a side room of the castle. To be completely fair, the room wasn’t awful at all. In fact, Twilight admittedly found it downright pleasant.

A sitting room- a few comfortable couches were strewn about, a fireplace in one corner, a low coffee table with different sorts of snacks and drinks, a lovely place to sit while waiting really. And good Goddesses did Twilight wait. Raven informed her that it might be about an hour, so go ahead and take the time to do homework, or read, or anything else to pass the time.

Twilight had finished her last assignment two and a half hours ago. She waited three hours — three full hours — and nothing had changed! She finished her first pot of tea ten minutes ago, and a fourth cookie a half hour before that. Normally, she felt like the priority, like the thing that Luna placed above all else. Today was the first in a very long while that made her feel… unimportant. Ordinary.

Perhaps that was a foolish thought. She was the Princess’s personal student, they had JUST gone to a party the night before, and personal time had been promised. But everypony had their insecurities, and this might just be one of Twilight’s. It ate at her, clawing at the back of her mind despite all the evidence to the contrary,

As much as she wished to claim that she was always logical, always centered and smart, she couldn’t.

Regardless, by this point, Twilight practically begged for anything to interrupt the tedium, anything to change up the waiting pattern. Downtime usually consisted of practicing spellwork, runework, looking to the future with the prophecy work that Luna taught her. But in this room, there was little she could actually do in the way of magic and power, so instead she entertained herself with theory alone. But that? That made her restless.

She got her wish. Not in the way that she expected or wanted, but it was granted nonetheless. The door opened, the wide wooden thing cracking with silvery magic coloring the door knob. A burst of conversation broke the silence, a mare’s voice she recognized calling goodbye. Cadence, perhaps?

Up she looked, but instead of the pink maned alicorn, a new pony stood instead. He wore glimmering silver robes draped about his form in a way that seemed comfortable rather than ceremonious. His face remained unblemished despite the way his mane had turned fully white, a silver coat matching the robes nearly one to one in color. His horn gleamed like the metal itself, though a single crack down the center of it belied some sort of accident in the past. Despite that, he had a genial smile on his face, and his horn glowed silver showing that his magic was the one to open the door, which also likely made him the same one that Cadence called goodbye to.

A chuckle escaped him as he turned, though he paused once his vision fell on Twilight. “Oh goodness,” he began. His voice was deep and relaxing, slow and calm. Strangely, the feeling Twilight felt despite never having one of her own was grandpa. “I didn’t expect anyone else to be in here.” He hurried over in a flutter of silvery robes, offering a hoof to shake. “Hello there, I’m Duke Silverhorn but please just call me Silverhorn,” he offered, genial smile never leaving his lips for a moment.

Twilight returned the shake after a moment, having to catch up with the fact that she now shared her waiting room with someone else. Even better, it meant that the monotony of the day had finally been broken. “Oh, nice to meet you, I’m-”

“Twilight Sparkle?” he interrupted, with a sensible chuckle. He retreated for a moment, coming instead to rest on the couch directly opposite of the mare. “Dear, everypony in the castle knows who you are, it would be-” he cut himself off as he tried to pour a cup of tea. “Ah, you’ve finished the pot it seems!” He spoke the words good naturedly, teasingly, but not rude in any way.

Like usual, Twilight found herself on the back hoof. Everypony knew who she was, everypony knew what she did and she didn’t know a damned thing about them. She could not help but to furrow up her brow in slight frustration though she did answer after a moment. “I’m afraid I’ve been waiting here multiple hours. There is supposed to be another pot coming but my apologies,” she answered.

The older stallion hardly seemed troubled. He fetched himself a biscuit with magic, breaking off a piece and politely munching on the morsel with a closed muzzle. Only when finished did he answer once more. “Oh, worry not, worry not!” he assured. “I mean nothing by it, surely I would have done the same had I been in your situation. What brought you to the castle today?” Twilight had not noticed at first, but when he smiled, crow’s feet showed on either side of his eyes.

It took her a moment to decide if she should answer fully and truthfully or not. She decided against it, giving only a half truth instead. “Her Highness and I were going to go over some strange aspects of magic.” Part of her didn’t know why she lied for something so trivial, but the other part of her remembered the night before and the way the different nobles could act. It wasn't a fear, per say, but perhaps an anxiety for a potentially unpleasant conversation with someone allied against Artemis or even Luna herself.

So a neutral answer had to do. The stallion finished the other half of the cookie before answering, magic light dying out. “Fascinating. From what I’m aware of, her highness is the expert in several magical fields that most seem to not believe exist. Prophecy, lunar magic, dream magic. It’s all rather mysterious stuff, and if she’s chosen you to learn part of what she knows, you must be extraordinary indeed.”

The stallion shifted where he sat before he went on. “But! I’m sure that I don’t have to tell you that! Being here alone is likely proof of that. It really is dreadful that all the business with poor Arty ended up delaying your lesson.” Well, that had been what Twilight intended to avoid, spoken plainly. “Have you heard what’s happening with the stallion who committed such an atrocious offense against her highness?” he asked.

Twilight shifted where she sat. If Luna had already decided on what to do, what exactly took her this long to come and get Twilight? Regardless, she’d entertain the questions for now. “I’m afraid not. I really like to believe the stallion just didn’t understand things correctly. That he misunderstood Luna’s intentions. And to that end, I hope he’s well enough and being treated properly. I mean, being completely fair, I broke several laws before I became Luna’s apprentice and those were forgiven.”

“Ah, on a first name basis too! You two must have become truly close, I don’t think I know of anyone who has had that privilege with her since Arty himself!” He leaned forward, making the crow’s feet on the edges of his eyes all the more visible. “It does my heart good to see our matriarch having someone she holds so dearly. I don’t know what you did to get your way into her heart, but I’m glad it happened and-

“The stallion is to be imprisoned for two weeks to do manual labor repairing some damage in the castle. Then he'll be set free once more. Another kindness, I believe.” Silverhorn’s hooves came together there, lightly clicking the tips of them together.

“Oh, well-” Twilight glanced towards the door, wondering if somepony might come and tell her of that, that it’s time for Luna to see her. She’d have no answer yet. “Well, that’s certainly good news. I know it’s up to the Princess to decide those things, but considering I was right there and all, I feel like I have a pretty good handle on what happened. As for how the two of us grew close?” She tilted her head to the side. “I like to believe that we just connect in a special way. That we are both interested in the same things and have minds that work in similar patterns! It’s easy to connect when you work the same way or at least…” She piled another pastry onto her plate, placing it beside her on the couch. “That is what I like to believe.”

Up the pastry levitated, Twilight taking a small bite out of it as the stallion started to speak. “And what a wonderful connection that must be! I-”

He didn’t get any further than that. A knock sounded on the door and after a moment, Raven entered in her usual finery. “Twilight? Luna’s ready for you now. Come along, please.”

Silverhorn gave a wave. “Don’t let me keep you! Though, if you don’t mind, perhaps the two of us could talk soon? There’s a lot I would love to pick your brain about and a lot that I think might be good for you to hear. That is, of course, if you have the time. I know you’re already friends with Cadence, but it might be good to have multiple perspectives on the noble’s issues. But alas, that’s for another day.”

Did she actually want to talk about it? Twilight stood from the couch, casting a longing look at the pastry. She could probably come back and grab it after. Her levitation returned it back to its spot on the table and she nodded towards Silverhorn. It couldn’t hurt to make more connections, she supposed.

“I guess we can make some time. I’m busy with my teachers and school but-” She paused, mentally counting the hours in her head. “Two days from now. Dinner. Meet me here?”

Another clap of the stallion’s hooves answered her. “Wonderful, wonderful! I’ll hold you to it!” he chuckled, bobbing his head up and down once.

With one last wave, Twilight followed Raven out the door.

Time for lessons.

[br]

Of all the things Twilight had thought she needed to improve, one of the few things that never came up was her wardrobe. She thought the smart skirts and tops and even the occasional dress could make do and deal with nearly every situation. And if she needed to travel or exercise? She still had her clothes that she wore while coming up here too, the breeches and the tops with layered jackets and furs and so on.

Admittedly, watching the mares and stallions in the castle with their fancy robes and dresses and all that did make her somewhat jealous, but she also didn’t really have the extra cash flow for such things. How fortuitous then that Luna planned to pay for everything.

And so, Twilight found herself in the waiting room for a boutique. It was a very nice boutique with a wide-open floor plan, dress racks off to the side with a golden trimmed, white stage dominating the other direction. The walls were done up in purple curtains and drapes, with chiffon fabric interspersed throughout to give different splashes of color. On the back of the stage, three mirrors ringed the edge to provide a full three hundred and sixty degree range of vision. For such a nice place, the room seemed oddly quiet. Shouldn’t there be ponies in here shopping and-

Wait. It was eight in the morning. Right. Nopony in their right mind actually wanted to come here at eight in the morning. Even the proprietor of the place hadn’t made an appearance quite yet, and Twilight could only imagine that she was taking her sweet time waking up, much like she herself might have preferred.

It did give her a moment of time to reflect on her last lesson with Luna. In their short time, they ended up talking mostly about Artemis’s magic and how his unique quirk might work. Luna had some theories that he was simply able to create ‘anchor points’ wherever his magic touched before and simply return to them more easily than how teleportation worked for others with the visualization and opening a tunnel to that point. It did seem vastly easier to play with the thought of having that place already defined and just skipping the inbetween.

Naturally, there were no great ways to test this and the only one who could emulate it was Artemis so it might just be one of those oddities of magic that may never be found out, or at least, not within Twilight’s lifetime. She didn’t particularly want to settle for that, however, so she’d continue to think about it in her spare time - like now, for instance.

Though, not for much longer. On the far side of the room, the door opened with a sharp click. It blended in well with the drapes to make it hard to see, and Twilight only now noticed it.

A mare stepped out. She seemed older to Twilight, with a wonderfully cared-for mane of deep purple, with a slight curl to it. Her white coat and piercing blue eyes stood out against the color, and she had already done a perfect makeup job despite it being so early - cyan eyeshadow around her eyes, nice, plump mascara job, a tiny bit of blush and-

And a big, fluffy, purple bathrobe, complementing the white mug of what she could only assume was coffee floating in an azure, telekinetic grip.

The peace in the room existed for roughly seven seconds.

It was a very nice bit of peace.

“Wa-ha-HA!” A yelp of surprise escaped the refined mare, somehow even that accented with a Canterlotian accent. She jumped, scurrying back so fast that some of the coffee sloshed onto the ground. “Oh my Celestia, what are you-” The white mare sputtered. “How did-”

She frowned, looking over towards the clock. Her face fell right after and the red on her face clearly came from embarrassment now rather than from the blush. In fairness, Twilight did seem to be staring.

She snapped herself out of it just as the mare warded off whatever stupor she had found herself in. “I am so sorry!” she crooned. “It appears that I’ve allowed myself to somewhat lose track of time this morning. Darling, if you’d allow me five minutes to put on something a little more appropriate, we can get on with the styling appointment that you so clearly need!”

Okay, kind of bitchy.

Twilight didn’t even have a chance to answer before the mare disappeared behind the door once more, leaving her in a strange silence that she had to actually adjust to for a quick moment. A small ‘oh’ escaped her, but once that was out, only the clip clop of ponies outside on the street could be heard once more.

That must have been Rarity. Or at least, Twilight could only assume as much. She’d heard the name when Luna mentioned the stylist, so from there it was just basic deduction. In the meantime she stood up and stretched herself out, skirt swishing with the movement. She had dressed somewhat sharply, wearing a burgundy skirt with a cream colored cardigan that covered a white, button up shirt- another one of the outfits that Trixie claimed to be ‘sexy librarian’.

Ridiculous.

She didn’t need to wait long before the door opened once more, though instead of a bathrobe, Rarity now wore a slinky cyan dress that matched her eyes. It ran high on one leg and low on the other, with a string of pearls around her neck as the only jewelry that she wore. “Very sorry darling, very sorry. Not many actually schedule this early.” A pad and a pencil floated near her head and she looked down at it for a quick moment. “Twilight Sparkle, was it?”

Finally, a chance for her to actually answer. She nodded. “Yep, that’s me. Her Majesty thought I should come over here to help me with my style.” She looked down at herself for a quick moment. “Admittedly, I’m not exactly sure what’s wrong with it. I’m a student of magic and a researcher, I don’t think that I need to-”

“Nonsense!” Rarity interjected, setting the pad and paper down on the stage as she trotted over. She started to circle Twilight, much like a shark circling the prey that they’d smelled from underwater. “You can be those things and look wondrous,” she insisted. After a single circle, she stopped and looked at Twilight from the front instead. “You have very pretty eyes, and your mane is an interesting color. We can work with that, we can work with that. What does your day to day look like?”

Twilight took a moment to compose herself before she spoke. “It depends on the day. Monday, Wednesday, and Friday, I have classes from nine in the morning to four in the afternoon, with a one hour lunch break. From there, I generally take my time to do dinner and then meet with Luna in the castle for evening lessons. What we work on is mostly sedentary. On Tuesdays, Thursdays, and Saturdays, I do the same thing but with classes from nine to twelve, then an hour of combat training, then a lunch break and classes till five. The rest of the day from there is generally mine to do what I wish but… Normally it’s studying or homework. It’s rare that I have true free time outside of Sunday, which is all mine.”

Twilight paused for a second before amending. “All mine in that I generally spend some time around friends or getting in extra practice. I don’t often waste the day lazing around. There’s way, way too much work to do to actually do nothing.” She chuckled to punctuate her words, shaking her head in amusement.

Rarity stared. Perhaps that was an inappropriate way to phrase it, but there was little blinking and a whole lot of looking. “You really don’t spend any time pampering yourself?” she asked, a hint of a whine in her voice. “Why, darling, you’re going to get wrinkles by the time you’re my age, that simply won’t do!” she cooed.

A few steps carried Rarity away to a drawer across the room, and then into another set of them close by. From one came a small box, about the size of Twilight’s head. From the other, a series of things- creams in tubs, small, ball shaped chiffon wrapped things, more tubs full of liquids, and even what looked like a fizzy bubble bath mix? “You really must be taking care of yourself, lower your stress, take some time for you to look good and you’ll feel much better for it.”

Before Twilight could even react, the box was shoved into her arms by the other mare, forcefully enough that she swayed on her hooves. “I’m not really sure that I need this. I relax plenty and-”

A hoof. Of all things, Rarity shoved a hoof against her mouth, silencing her. “Darling, your teacher sent you to me. She must trust that I’ll know what’s best for you then, isn’t that so? If not, why would Princess Luna of all ponies send you my way? She wants you to look nice, and part of looking nice is taking care of yourself in mind, body, and soul. Now, I’m going to remove my hoof, and when I do, you’re going to say ‘yes Rarity’, okay?”After a moment of eye contact, she lowered it down.

Normally, Twilight had a firmer spine than this. Normally, she could tell people like this that she could make her own decisions, that she could decide what was best for herself. But under the pseudo assault both physically and mentally, she found herself rather flustered. After a moment, she mumbled out- “Yes, Rarity.” Her ears pressed back against her head, and later, not now, but much later she might absolutely judge herself for something silly like this.

But in the moment, she could only watch Rarity nod in approval. “What are you standing around holding that box for, dear?” she tutted lightly. She’d honestly nearly forgotten about the box after just a few seconds. “We need to get you up on the stage so we can get something nice on you, how does that sound?”

Idly, Twilight placed the box on the chair she sat on moments prior. “I suppose I can find that amenable,” she struggled. Being flustered made even talking harder and Twilight definitely failed at it in comparison to her normal speech. That just felt… blocky? Yes. Blocky. That didn’t make sense outside of her own head, but she certainly got it.

Regardless, Twilight set the box to the side, adjusting it on the seat she’d sat on before, then directed her attention to the stage. She trotted on over, hopping up and looking at the store from a new perspective, that new perspective being an extra half foot in height. Shockingly, not much had changed. “Do you need me to do anything? Like should I twirl or…?” She trailed off, eyes locking onto the white mare in the nice dress.

Rarity followed after her, taking the time to step around the outside of the dais, looking over her current patron. “No, no, just give me a moment to see you from all angles.” As promised, the white mare needed nothing more than that, simply looking at her with an appraising look. One hoof came up, tap tapping at her own chin before giving a nod. “How do you feel about dresses, darling?” she asked.

Twilight glanced down at her own hooves, then off to the side. It was only a few inches down, but being up here really did change a lot in it’s own way - it made her feel like the center of attention despite how Rarity was looking through a dress rack rather than at her. Just to pacify her own mind, she stepped down. “They’re fine. As long as they’re loose enough for me to move around in, then I guess I don’t really care that much. But I do a lot of combat training so anything too stiff seems like it’d be bad for me.” A simple, utilitarian outlook from a utilitarian mare.

A scoff answered her. “You aren’t always going to be doing combat and you don’t always need to be able to move fluidly. You must focus on looking good sometimes or you’ll find yourself in a position where the Princess has to leave you behind because you simply cannot look good enough for the occasion.” Rarity lectured. Twilight, however, didn’t really agree. None of that seemed right to her, Luna might never leave her behind.

Regardless, she sighed, consigning herself to being dressed up. “Then what did you have in mind?”

Rarity turned just as she finished speaking. In her telekinetic grasp, she had something rather lovely. A light blue dress that darkened to midnight towards the bottom of the skirt, with glimmering small silver stars around the train of it. The body kept the lighter blue up to the bodice, where a pleated pattern all combined together at a collar around the neck. There was a slight gauzy tulle over the bodice as well, with silver and lilac glitter inside, adding an extra spark. “THIS is what I had in mind!” Rarity declared as if she had cracked the intrinsic code of life.

She wasn’t entirely wrong, per say. Twilight did actually like it, she didn’t think any of the things here fell into her taste, but this one… Maybe it was the stars? The color? Part of it felt like it’d match Luna perfectly when standing beside her, and that’s something that Twilight desired more than just looking nice. “I’ll try it on,” she answered, keeping herself calm, cool and collected. Part of her felt that if she showed her enthusiasm for the piece, Rarity might actually become insufferable in her smugness - she was probably right about that.

Rarity beckoned for her to come, telekinetic grip kept on the dress as she led over to a purple door inlaid in the wall, inconspicuous and just large enough for one pony. “Try it on! Go on now, we might as well see how wondrous you look in one of my creations!” The last word was stressed, and another bout of cyan magic opened the door.

Inside waited a simple dressing room with a raised dais, a couple hangers on one side, and two mirrors on the free walls. Rarity ushered Twilight in, handing the dress over to the other mare’s magic. “If you insist,” Twilight replied, slightly sardonically, though she would have been lying had she denied a slight smile on her face.

“I do!” Rarity punctuated her words by closing her into the small room.

Very well.

With a light shake of her head, Twilight removed her current clothes. Doing so was rather easy with magic, and she couldn’t help but feel bad for earth ponies for a quick moment. Generally, their clothes seemed simpler, with larger buttons and things like that to make dressing not impossible but… well, Twilight couldn’t imagine dressing like that. She didn’t judge them, it simply was not for her.

Perhaps she mildly judged them.

Regardless, it took but a few moments for her to figure out how the new dress went on, and a few moments more to get it fitting. There were some things that showed it was meant for someone bigger- the trail trailed just an inch or so too far and the bodice has some space between her actual chest and the fabric, but she supposed those were things that could be fixed without too much pain.

For now, she contented herself with turning in front of the mirrors, letting herself see the dress from all sides. Part of her had to agree with Rarity from outside, that her hair - while nicely colored - seemed too simple to go with something as fine as this. A hoof came up, tapping lightly at her hair, as if that might somehow transform it into a more glorious mane.

Surprisingly, it did not.

Her smile turned into a slight frown, perhaps that could be fixed if only so that she could see the dress how it was actually supposed to be. A knock brought her attention away from the mirror and back towards the door once more, Twilight glanced over in time to hear Rarity’s voice- “Ah, darling, may I come in and see how wonderful you look?”

“Oh, yea, sure,” Twilight answered, stepping back just a touch. It probably wasn’t needed, there was enough room for them both to scooch in, but she didn’t want to be rude.

The door popped open and in stepped Rarity in all her glory, instantly giving an appraising look to the dress and Twilight both. One hoof came up, lightly tapping against her chin. “Well!” she began, “I think that it has a great deal of potential. The bodice needs to be drawn in, obviously, and if you went out wearing that with that hairstyle I might very well kill you myself.” Her hoof touched against the ground once more. “All in all, I think you should absolutely be going home with this if nothing else, but the most IMPORTANT part is-”

She scooted, getting face to face with Twilight despite the close space. “How do YOU feel about it? Does it make you feel beautiful? Do you feel REGAL? Do you feel like the Princess you must match?”

It was hard to move backwards in the already small space, but somehow, Twilight managed a few inches to get away from the sudden invasion. “Uh, yes,” she finally spoke, the faintest of blushes starting to color her face. She cleared her throat, the blush only getting worse. “That’s to say. Yes. I feel beautiful. I feel great. I feel regal, definitely. I’m not close enough to Luna, don’t be silly, but I do feel nice. I think I would like to take it home with me.”

Rarity moved away, clapping her hooves together in a rather excited way. “Wonderful, wonderful! Then get changed back and I’ll ensure that I get the bodice drawn in and the tail shortened. Oh, Princess, you are going to be a fun project, do you know that? I have SO many different ideas, so many-”

She stopped, most of the way out of the changing room. “Well, they’ll take a while for me to make, so you’ll have to come back periodically to model for me.” Now Rarity finally stepped fully out, giving Twilight some room to breathe. “And I do hope you’ll be willing to have tea with me occasionally- you must have some absolutely fascinating stories, and knowing your background will surely help with my labor. But!” Her head pointed up. “Get changed, I won’t keep you much longer than this, I did only have you jotted down for thirty minutes. What a busy filly you must be.”

Before Twilight could respond, the door shut once more. It took her but a few moments to change once more, and fewer still to step back out, dress back on its hanger and in her magic. She spoke first this time- “You’re right,” she began, after spotting Rarity sitting close by. “I do have a lot to do today. But this was nice. I think that your words have some truth to them at least. I mean, it does feel nice to look good.” She admitted, absolutely begrudgingly.

Cyan magic took the dress from her and Rarity’s smile turned positively impish for a moment. “You’ll come to see, darling, that I’m always right,” she chuckled. “I’ll send a word to the Princess when I have more of your ensemble ready, fear not. I’ll be seeing you very soon, I’m sure.”

And with a goodbye of her own, Twilight was off. Back to school and to the rest of her day with dresses on her mind.

Author's Note

So this one's a weird length cause I had to split the chapter up.

Sorry for being late.

Editing took a while and a patch come out on this game I like that's really big.

To my credit it's a really fun game. Once I post this, I'll be starting the next chapter the same day. So expect around 20 days after this for the next one, 12-16 days for writing, 8-4 days for editing.

This was actually done like a week and a half ago. Oops.

Interlude: Nobles and Nuisances

Luna stood on her balcony, looking down at the practice field below. Most ponies wouldn’t have been able to make out much from this distance, it was simply too far away. Luna was not most ponies, she was something so much more.

Despite the distance, she could look down and see two ponies practically dancing across the field, ones that she recognized and held a great deal of infatuation for. The yellow pony led the dance, thrusting and jumping forward, blade wrapped in her horn’s glow. The purple pony followed shortly behind, parrying and defending to the best of her abilities. Weapons training; an important part of everypony’s military education.

It became quickly apparent that Twilight would lose. She was on the backhoof the entire time, stepping back, parrying, never getting a thrust or strike of her own in. Naturally, magic joined in the fray every now and then - a spell there, a blast here. If it were a real duel, Sunset likely would have been casting up a storm, but considering that Twilight hadn’t gotten that far in her training, she imagined that the sunny mare held herself back specifically due to Twilight’s inexperience.

But what impressed Luna, despite the clear loss to everyone but Twilight herself, was how quick she managed to pick things up. Fourth sword duel and already she held her own for more than a few moments? It was prodigal. Not just that, but the sword that she’d chosen… a type of longsword. Thin, with cracks on the length of it, places where it could shatter and be used as multiple pieces. A weapon that took skill, intense magical concentration, and no small amount of power to control.

Twilight hadn’t split it yet. Luna imagined that she didn’t even know she could, but it could really only be a matter of time. Her thoughts drifted, for a moment, as the two danced around the ring, Luna’s thoughts turned towards a spot in the vault and a very special sword of similar design. Perhaps… Perhaps it could be a gift.

Her face twisted up as she watched Twilight slip and fall to the ground, Sunset’s sword instantly at her throat. Or perhaps not. That kind of thing could only happen when ready, that sword practically had a mind of it’s own half the time, the last thing she needed was Twilight to hurt somepony during a practice session.

A step away from the balcony took Luna closer towards the door, the fight finished. Despite only just moving away, something in Luna’s mind tickled her in the strangest of ways. She wanted to keep watching Twilight, keep an eye on her. Something just felt right about it, something that told her to keep on the same track and this would all work out.

It wasn’t love, before anypony get such a foolish idea. Affection, possibly, and maybe attraction, but that sort of love was stupid and hardly developed between ponies that didn’t know each other. She couldn’t argue that Twilight had grown attractive to her, the smaller mare had a certain air to her that others didn’t, mind sharp as a tack too. All the exercise had done wonders for her figure too, Luna couldn’t deny that. And yes, she cared for her a great deal.

For many reasons really, if only because Twilight apparently would save her city. But it wasn’t just that, Twilight’s personality had grown on her as well, studious, loyal, impertinent sometimes, and not always one to follow the rules. She saw a lot of herself in the young mare, actually.

But even that didn’t quite fit the feeling, not really. It felt like an obsession, something that made the back of her eyes itch in the strangest way.

At least she’d be taken from her thoughts by the sudden knock at her door. She glanced over to it, considering slowly whether she should actually open it. It was before her normal appointments, Raven wouldn’t have taken anypony to her rooms at these hours. Maybe she should just ignore it and move on with her life. But no, she had obligations, didn’t she?

A sigh and over she’d head, magic opening the door. In front of her stood the most obnoxious, ugly display of pink that she’d ever seen. A bright smile paired with it, one that taunted her, one that haunted her souls. A small tiara atop her head sparkled in the low light, one that she absolutely didn’t deserve - the same with her horn and the wings on her back.

“Hello Duchess Cadence,” Luna intoned, looking down at the only slightly smaller mare with a headache already forming. “It’s wonderful to see you.” She somehow managed to avoid being sarcastic.

It would be a hell of a day.