The lost princess

The train to Canterlot rattled on, passengers chatting softly as it sped along the tracks. Rainbow stared out the window, watching trees and hills blurred past. She curled up with tank on her seat, feeling a mix of excitement and nervousness. In a few short hours she'd be in Canterlot, specifically to finally spend time with Celestia, and the anticipation fluttered in her chest.

It wasn't that Rainbow was nervous, not completely anyway, but she'd be in the publics eye as a princess for the first time, she was never one to be shy, but she was about one of the least princess like ponies outside the farming families in ponyville, being an athlete and frequently being found napping in clouds, far from the proper and elegant attitude her mother held effortlessly.

As the train continued its journey, Rainbow gazed at the passing scenery, lost in her thoughts. Tank nuzzled against her wing, providing a comforting presence. The rhythmic sounds of the train wheels on the tracks and the hushed conversations of fellow passengers created a soothing backdrop. Canterlot, with its promises and uncertainties, loomed closer. Rainbow took a deep breath, preparing herself for the upcoming venture into the spotlight as a princess as the train rolled into the station.

As rainbow stepped out, tank resting on her back and bags at her sides she was greeted with several royal guards standing at attention, the foremost guard, a unicorn, quickly stepped forward. "Welcome princess, we've been given orders from princess Celestia to escort you to canterlot castle."

Rainbow internally groaned, there goes trying to get to the castle without much of a show, before she could rapidly introduce her face to her hoof she attempted to school her expression. "Thank you, lead the way then" she managed out, trying not to let her annoyance with her mothers decision show as one of the guards lifted her luggage in his own magic.

The walk through the canterlot streets was filled with an awkward silence and many stares and whispers as they made their way from the commercial district to the housing district closer to the castle, rainbow couldn't blame them, seeing as she was a previously unknown alicorn walking through canterlot surrounded by a guard detail. Thankfully the trip through the residential district was swift and soon they'd arrived at the castle gate, where her guard detail mostly dispersed, leaving her only with the leading unicorn as they made their way through the castle towards the throne room.

The moment the door opened Rainbow could hear the telltale pop of something being teleported away in a hurry as she stepped in, finding Celestia sitting on her throne, even with the fact that she now knew Celestia was her mother, it was an imposing sight. The ruler quickly stood up and made to meet her daughter halfway. "Rainbow, I hope the train ride was pleasant?"

Rainbow caught herself just before she bowed, that'd be something to get used to as well. "The train ride was fine. I didn't expect a guard escort to the castle, though." she tried to hold back the annoyance in her voice at that last part.

"I'm glad, the guards were just incase, sadly the paparazzi has been ravenous lately, unfortunately I still need to finish off some paperwork, but the castle staff should be finished with your room if you'd like some time to settle down." Celestia offered, gesturing towards the door.

"I'd like that, thanks, and uh, thank you, for having me here." Rainbow internally grimaced at that, she really did not know how to speak to her.

Celestia waved a guard over, quicky informing him where to take her daughter. "I'll send for you once I'm done, then we should be able to spend some time together." Celestia spoke as Rainbow was led off towards her room

Rainbow sighed as she set down her saddlebags, the rest of her luggage already there when she'd arrived.

She was just about to rummage through her belongings when a knock was heard at the door. Rainbow crossed the large room swiftly, opening the door to find a messenger pony.

"Your highness, a letter arrived for you, I was sent to deliver it." The stallion saluted, the letter floating in the air before him.

"Thank you." Rainbow sighed, taking the letter in her own magic before shutting the door. She quickly moved to the desk in the room, opening the letter freed a burst of confetti, Rainbow Dash couldn't help but chuckle at that as she removed the letter from its envelope to read it.

Rainbow dash.

I hope you got to canterlot alright, I've enclosed some materials so you can keep up your magic lessons in canterlot, also pinkie wanted to send a note.

Twilight sparkle

Well that explained the confetti. Rainbow removed the small amount of magic scrolls to reveal a folded note with pinkies cutie mark pasted on it.

Opening it revealed a whole lot of glitter. Alongside a small set of words.

WE MISS YOU RAINBOW DASH!!!!!!!!!

Pinkie pie.

Rainbow couldn't help but giggle at that, setting the two notes down at the desk, instead taking a look at the magic scrolls that twilight had enclosed.

"Basic levitation exercises..... illumination spells...... basic illusions..... borriiing....." Rainbow Dash sighed as she set aside the scrolls, sure she needed to work on her magic, but twilight really gave her some really boring ones to learn whilst she was in canterlot.

"I'd go out for a fly.... but the canterlot weather team always gives them clear skies this time of year so nothing to really give me a challenge....." she sighed, looking over the room once again before her eyes spotted the bookshelf, currently empty.

"I'm sure twilight wouldn't mind if I skipped straight to some more fun spells, I can get back to those boring ones later!" She grinned before slipping out of the room towards the nearest patrolling guards for some directions towards the library.

"Okay! Now this is more like it!" Rainbow grinned, she'd found a book filled with much cooler sounding spells, now which to try first.

"Prestidigi..... yeah no, too long sounding, maybe flame conjuration? Nah, I'd probably burn the castle down...... ooh! Teleportation!" It wasn't her style, but it'd be a neat one to show off when she got home.

"Okay, let's see...." Rainbor murmured as she buried her nose in the spell book.

"Envision the place in your mind..... check!" Rainbow grinned, focusing on the other side of the room. "Focus on the magic surrounding you..... check? I think?" She was definitely aware that there was magic around her. "Now allow your magic to envelop you and...... break yourself down into pure magic, shifting it on the......... magical plane towards the location relative to yourself......"

Rainbow sighed, all that sounded like gibberish to her, but she'd seen twilight do it a bunch of times, how hard could it really be?

As if already knowing the minor chaos about to ensue in the room Tank crawled under the bed.

Rainbow appeared in a flash less than a quarter of the way to her destination, her face a sickly green.

"Okay..... that was better at least......" Rainbow murmured before rushing towards the bin, emptying the contents of her stomach.

She'd been at it for an hour, and she really had improved. Especially from her first attempt, where she'd succeeded in teleporting herself a little bit...... away from her desired destination.

"Okay..... teleportation attempt number..... who knows at this point, go!" Rainbow huffed determinedly, igniting her horn.

As she was about to fully activate the spell a knock came at the door, startling her into activating the spell prematurely, with a yelp she collapsed...... exactly where she'd been trying to teleport.

"Of course now the spell works....." Rainbow sighed, moving towards the door, opening it to reveal a solar guard unicorn with a pure white coat.

"Your highness, Princess Celestia has sent for you, she is in the throne room." He spoke stiffly before saluting and walking away.

"Thanks!" Rainbow called out towards the unicorn before stepping out, closing the door with her hoof, she'd give her magic a rest for a bit.

Rainbow sighed apprehensively as she walked into the throne room, there upon her throne sat her mother.

"Rainbow dash, I hope your room was to your liking?" Celestia spoke gently, tilting her head at the sweat dampening her daughters coat. "Are you okay? You look a bit.... worn out....."

"Y-yeah, the room was great, i was just- uhh.... practicing some magic, Twilight's been helping me learn.

"I see, I'm glad to see you're taking the time to learn, what has my student had you working on at the moment?" Celestia smiled, stepping down from her throne.

"Just some minor spells.... illusions, levitation exercises.... that sorta thing." Rainbow waved her hoof dismissively.

"I see, those spells shouldn't have such a strain on your magic, have you been experiencing struggles like this since you started?" Celestia worried, looking over her daughter for any signs of something or other.

"U-uhhh, no, i just.... kinda found them a bit boring so i thought I'd go to the library and find some spells that seemed a bit more fun to try out." Rainbow admitted sheepishly.

"I see." Celestia sighed out gratefully. "And what kind of spell have you started on? Conjuration? Transmutation?"

"Teleportation." Rainbow admitted, scraching the back of her neck.

Celestias eyes widened in shock. "Teleportation...... that's a dangerous spell for a beginner, i typically have students in my school learn that when they're a few years older than Twilight, she only had authorisation due to her high level of talent in magic."

"It didn't feel all that dangerous, just had me feeling a bit woozy, and i even managed to get to where i wanted to go....... even if it was just the other side of the room...." Rainbow shrugged.

Celestias eyes widened even further. "Rainbow dash that spell entails breaking down your entire body into pure magic and reforming it, if unprepared a pony could never reform their body or reform it wrong."

"Wait, what!?" Rainbow shouted, an image of herself splayed out in pieces on the floor of her bedroom now playing in her mind.

"Y-you didn't read the warnings?" Celestia narrowed her eyes slightly at that.

"I-it was after the description on how to do the spell, I didn't think it was that important!" Rainbow was really trying not to hyperventilate at the image still playing in her mind.

"Rainbow, dear, whilst I will not stop you from learning magic, if you plan on continuing learning spells beyond what Twilight has chosen for you to learn I'd at least like to be there to make sure it's done safely." Celestia placed a hoof on Rainbows shoulder, helping to calm her down.

"U-uhhh yeah.... I get that...." Rainbow sighed once she'd finally gotten her minor panic under control, only for her stomach to growl out.

"I can imagine that you're hungry, when Twilight first started to learn that spell she'd puke after every attempt." Celestia chuckled

"Uhh yeah.... something like that." Rainbow admitted sheepishly.

"I'll have the chefs get some food ready, once I've lowered the sun we can go to the dining room." Celestia sighed, talking to one of the guards by the door before leading Rainbow dash to the balcony that she raised and lowered the sun from.

Rainbow Dash couldn't help but imagine doing that herself. Raising and lowering the sun each day, it sounded exhausting. Yet still, she found herself asking. "What's it like? Moving the sun?."

Celestia chuckled as the moon appeared in the sky. "It feels like a great warmth is surrounding me, like a perfect summers day. The moon feels cold, not in a bad way, more like a cool drink or the shade during a heatwave. Why do you ask?"

"I just..... I can't even imagine what it's like, moving it every day." Rainbow admitted.

"I will admit, when we first became alicorns and gained our cutie marks Luna and I weren't the best at keeping up with our responsibilities, but to me, it fills me with a great confidence, that no matter what I will still have the strength to lift the sun for my little ponies." She smiled gently.

"It sounds.... kinda scary to me, to have all of equestria depending on you to bring night and day." Rainbow sighed.

"It was, at first, but with time, it becomes a comfort, now, lets go get some food, you look like you're starving." Celestia smiled, leading Rainbow Dash off to the dining room.