5 of August 983

I sat down in silence, having dinner with auntie Celestia, she was not using her disguise when we were together by ourselves, it was only for going out and not having to worry about unnecessary attention.

What happened a few days ago still left me confused, anxious and upset, I've been filling sad lately just thinking about it, I couldn't understand it, why? Why did some ponies just...

Why do they hate what's different? I've seen it before, growing up here the last couple of years.
Unicorns looking down on earth ponies and even pegasi because they can't cast spells, ponies looking down on griffons because of their talons, beaks and diet, even zebras because of their stripes and colors, their different culture.

I have been reading up on this lately, there is not much information on the why, just the fact that ponies seem to not trust what's different.

I've come across news articles of made up stories to paint other species in a negative light, of attacks against non ponies, older articles from a few decades ago about the arrests of inter species couples for not following the laws made to prevent reproduction.

I felt nauseous with the last one, I stopped eating, thinking back on it, what nobles may have conspired to make those laws even a thing? They were old laws too, but recently they were removed quickly as if they had never existed in the first place, yet I needed to talk to my auntie about how I felt.

Why didn't auntie stop those laws from passing?

How was I ignorant of this for so long? I haven't been taught by auntie about this laws even when they concern me, only after my research on old laws and pony to non pony relations I've learned about this, auntie never even mentioned this topic, as if she pretended it wasn't important.

It is for me, it concerns love and having her neglecting to teach me there are laws against love in Equestria makes me feel really bad, I can't keep quiet about it, even towards her.

"Auntie? I have a question for you." I asked and she looked up front her large meal to look at me, a look if slight concern evident as my tone clearly stated NY unhappiness with her.

"Why do some ponies fear and hate other species so much? And why were there laws against ponies and other races from reproducing? This goes against everything love stands for, its... wrong." I finally asked, not feeling like eating anymore.

Celestia went quiet, stopped eating and looked at me with a raised eyebrow and a slight frown.

"I'm going to tell you something that you may hate me for, but I need you to know so you can help me, my dear Cadence." Her voice held a weight I didn't usually hear, I doubt I could ever hate her, she's my family after all.

She sighed and nodded to herself, as if assuring herself that whatever she was thinking was worth it.
"It was me who came up with and who passed those laws a long time ago, the world was so much different back then, I was worried for my little ponies suffering in the claws of other species, there are things I don't want to ever have to repeat." I stared in disbelief at her at first, was she serious? My heart told me that was the case, I could feel her pain, and the truth in her words.

She continued before I could fully process it.

"Did you know that in the past, ponies died by the thousands due to conflicts with other races, and infighting between the tribes?" She asked with a frown that gave me pause, I didn't know this, I had not studied this in school yet, there was no mention of what happened before Equestria was formed, at least nothing other than Hearth Warming's story, or maybe I hadn't gotten that far in my studies yet.

"Before I was old enough to reign over them, they fought amongst themselves and at the same time they had to contend with the constant raids from warlords of many races, pirates, and even other nations trying to take a piece of their territories." So she's saying... Ponies aren't as nice and friendly yo each other as they seem?

"So... Ponies were much less peaceful, was this why they didn't teach this at school? The true nature of ponies wasn't much different than what ponies say other races are like, isn't that what you mean?" I asked and she looked away, unable to meet my gaze.

"They were, before Equestria unified, there were wars between pegasi and unicorns, while earth ponies were more varied, often choosing pacifism but sometimes rarely supporting one side or the other. So you would be right to say that ponies are just as violent as other races, ponies however have me to look after them." She admits the truth without much issue and keeps expanding upon my own theory.

"When... we came to power, Equestria was just formed as a coalition of the tree races for a few decades after the events of Heart Warming's Eve, which before that lived as their own nations separate from each other, unicorns had a similar system to what we have now, the pegasi had a military government who works like the Griffon Empire now, or at least until a week or so ago when they switched officially to a kingdom, and earth ponies had family clans who were more or less like the wolf tribes tribes from the far north." I felt intrigued to learn more about those societies, what they were like and more.

I've heard of the news too, it was incredible that another nation had gone from a purely militaristic government to a kingdom, I really hoped I could get to meet this new king, Treble was it? And I also wanted to visit the nation of the Black Wolves, that has recently made diplomatic ties with Equestria. I wasn't at the castle when the ambassador came here, but I hope next time I can get to meet him and ask all sorts of questions about their kind of love.

"So, to keep ponies safe, we forged an army, combining the strengths of all three tribes of ponies, all of this to help them keep themselves safe and keep the unknown and different away from our borders. I taught my little ponies to be wary of different creatures." She sighed, probably knowing what I was thinking, and she was right, I was not happy with her right now, but I couldn't really hate her over this.

I couldn't do more than disagree, I wasn't there, yet somehow I knew that this is not the way I would have done it, but what choices would she have had? I don't know, and I would probably never know, not until the day I had a similar responsibility, if that day comes, I will prove to her that kindness and love can overcome any obstacle.

"As we expanded, we had more interactions between ponies and different species, I created laws to protect my ponies from other species who moved in with us, that way the law would always benefit our kind, competition is not what I wanted for my little ponies after all, our peaceful way of life meant that sometimes, I had to get my hooves dirty to keep it that way, laws were put in place to prevent interracial relationships from bearing foals, as hybrids would be much too different, potentially dangerous and have a different way of thinking and seeing the world than my little ponies, do you understand now Cadence?"I knew I should have said no, then and there, there is no need for her to make any of this laws.

"I did all this to protect them. If I wanted to keep other creatures from living here and marrying ponies, It made most sense to make it as undesirable as possible for them." I felt sick, disgusted even, the worst was the fact that I knew she was serious, I could feel it in her heart, she believed this was for the best, and yet there was regret and guilt, not a little bit either.

I had to know why, why would she think this way? My sight started to blur as I felt like this was too much, I felt like someone was pressing my throat closed.

"I-I don't understand Princess... why didn't you find a compromise, something that benefited everyone equally? Why didn't you make alliances with other races instead? This... This makes the world a worse place for every single creature living in it, including ponies, don't you see?! Ponies who love others who aren't ponies suffer too, they would have been heartbroken when they find out they can't marry and have foals with other species, you CANT DO THIS!" I screamed out in fury at the last one, my wings extended in indignation and bitter tears falling down my face openly, I couldn't stop them or cared to pretend I was fine, I wasn't fine.

I felt very disappointed and furious at her for making those laws, and also felt really sad for those poor souls who were separated from their loved ones, all the love she extinguished in such a cruel way, foals were the most wonderful result of love, I couldn't imagine what those interspecies lovers felt like when they learned of this law.

But why was she admitting all of this? Why would she want me to see her as such a terrible pony? I was very close to screaming out my thoughts on the unfairness of all this, or just get up and run away from her, to never look back, but I took a few deep breaths and let her continue, to explain herself fully.

"Being a ruler of a nation as large as Equestria is not easy, and peace had a terrible cost." She looked down, a frown that didn't convey all the emotions she was feeling on her usually smiling and beautiful face, she looked old like this.

"The reason it is so peaceful, calm and safe here, is exactly because I kept every other nation in check to prevent them from becoming a military threat, from even opposing us, imagine had I not done this, we would be under the Griffon Empire's flag by now, or under some other, more powerful nation, you see ponies don't innovate at the same speed as others, they are much more dependent on magic, earth pony magic, pegasi magic, and of course, unicorn magic. " Her eyes softened somewhat when she looked into my own, but she didn't stop explaining herself, I felt unsure as to what even say, was all of this worth the misery of others, just so we could be happy and live our peaceful and carefree lives?

"I was the deterrent for other nations to invade us, I'm the strongest spell caster in the last thousand years, and my little ponies have a gift with magic, now dear niece tell me, have you seen a foreign army marching on Equestrian soil in your lifetime?" Her question had an obvious answer. I never did even heard of something like that happening here, yet this... This peace came at a great cost, something I wasn't willing to accept, not fully, and yet I still couldn't fully blame her for wanting to protect her own nation, if she had done this only, I wouldn't care too much, It was politics, but the laws against the right to reproduce for loving interspecies couples... That was unacceptable.

"N-no, I never experienced any conflict like this, never has anypony I know either, but... I just think there has to be change, this isn't right, aren't we strong enough as a nation now to be able to help others to grow and prosper like they would be without your interference? Please... Auntie Celestia, you have to fix this mess you've created, you have to make things right." My tone was pleading, I was just a filly, but even I know this is all wrong, I knew this had to stop. "The laws... against love, against life, they should have never been made, EVER! And you know it, I... I don't know what to make of you anymore Celestia." I held my head with my hooves while sitting down, my eyes closed to try to pretend I was not crying, but my small sobs were pretty clear.

"The reason I'm telling you all of this, my dear Cadence, is because I need your help, I know... No one deserves to suddenly have this all dumped on them out of nowhere like I just did, but you're the only one I have that I trust with this, you and someone else, someone who you know well." She spoke a tone of genuine hope, a look that made her look quite vulnerable, she was asking for help, something that she may not have done in a long time. "I have ponies I trust, of course, but... They all lack the empathy and kindness that is required now, I don't need efficiency, I don't need the cheapest or the fastest way to do what is right, I want the right way, the kind and dignified way to uplift those who need it."

"Despite your age you are the Alicorn of Love, this was clear from the day I felt your ascension, you have... Incredible potential, and recently, a few years ago, I decided I would change my ways, I mean it seriously, I started by reversing all laws against interracial relationships, the ones that limit the reproductive capability of individuals of another race while in Equestrian territory, although this laws only applied to a few, very specific species. I suspect this will greatly increase the number of non ponies moving in." She paused and looked at me in the eyes. "I'm sorry for having written those terrible laws, I really am now, I had not realized the pain I was causing until I was faced with it."

"I know this isn't much of a change in policies, but a few years ago, I started a multi million bits construction project to connect Equestrian rail lines with the Griffon Empire's where they agreed to send workers and some of their materials to help construct a railway system that goes all the way to their capital city of Griffonstone, I am paying for everything, even paying to the griffon workers, enough for them to improve their lives and help their economy." Auntie explained, a small smile on her muzzle. I could see she was willing to change, she had taken a first step by now without my help and without me needing to tell her anything, so I decided to offer her my support, I set aside my anger, I was still sad, but I couldn't stay angry, if she was trying her best to change, was I going to just give my back to her, and not help? I had the chance to make a difference, despite what I may feel towards her now, she is still my family, she still clearly loves me and I still... I love her like family, and family sticks together even during difficult moments.

Now it was my chance to support her, to ensure no terrible laws are approved again, I will give her a few conditions though.

"You... Yes, yes I will help you with this Princess, I'll do my best to help, other nation's creatures deserve to live happy and peaceful lives too, and if it means ponies have to help them get back up, that's okay. I would rather give up the luxury of living in the castle if it meant that there would be even a single being with a roof over their head and food in their belly." Despite everything, I got closer to her and nuzzled her side and laid my head on her front shoulder. She still had a long way to go but I should be there to make sure she keeps going.

In all honest I didn't know much about other nations, not really, newspapers here didn't seem interested in writing about them, other than important news like the new Griffon Kingdom, as now there was a king in charge.

"I'm glad you decided to change, or I would not have been able took at you in the eyes again, but if you really mean it, I would say that the next step is to organize a talk with all of the world leaders, a conversation where every representative of every single nation is invited, and can speak freely to you and between each other, and you can talk with them, find out what they need help with in their own nations, from there I think you will figure out what the next step is after that." I wiped my nose on a handkerchief that was on the table, as well as wiping the tears off my face.

"Y-you also have to let me look at any laws that you pass before you do, and if I think one of them is going to be harmful, I'll tell you not to pass it, and you won't, that's my condition okay? I'll study the laws, I'll make I understand what everything means, and If I don't understand something, I'll expect you to explain, okay?" I ask, my voice going back to normal, and not my shaky, crying tone from earlier.

I understood now why she told me all of this, she was trying to change, she needed advice and for good advice I need to know the truth, despite how bad it was. Still I wanted to throw my food and every other dish at her face and mane, but... I have placed a new responsibility on my shoulders now.

Time to calm down, deep breaths, remember that she is asking for help, she's willing to change, yes, love is forgiving, and she did enough for me that she deserves another chance, at least she changed since then, clearly she is trying to do the right thing.

"I've been thinking the same thing, my dear niece, you would be an amazing help when dealing with laws and it would be great training for you, also... it was thanks to one of your friends that I made up my mind about telling you all of this, although I was questioning myself about some of this topics a long time ago, who really convinced me to change my mind was your friend, after I had a talk with him, he just... Struck a cord in me that I couldn't have expected, and now I want to do everything in my power to change my ways for the better, I haven't told you everything just yet, if you would allow me... I will let you know about a secret that I've been keeping from ponies for a long, long time." I felt extremely confused by her words, who? Which one of my friends could have changed her mind? And what is that secret? I couldn't keep my curiosity in check any longer, and also my worry for whoever friend she talked to.

"W-what do you mean? What could one of my friends do to change your mind on something like this? And what secret you mean? I thought you already told me what you did." I decided to be safe just in case and outright ask, because while I had my suspicions, I wasn't sure.

She rolled her eyes good naturedly and smiled at me. "Onyx of course, what other non pony is part of your friend group? I went to visit him at his house, we had a really interesting conversation, after I threatened him, insulted him, hit him and humiliated him, I made it clear to him that I was in charge and that any misbehaving would not be tolerated, and do you know what his reaction to all of this was?" She mentioned casually, but I could see the hurt in her eyes, I could feel the pain and sadness she felt, she regretted this dearly for some reason, any normal pony would think she didn't feel anything more than contempt, because she kept a very tight leash on her outward emotions, but she did feel bad for what she did.

I could understand she was sad, but she went this far and did this to one of my best friends, I felt like my mane was going to catch on fire from the sheer fury I felt at the time, my magic flared and lit the room, and my horn glowed menacingly with an unreleased overpowered stun spell, the one Onyx taught me, just dozens of times stronger.

"No, I don't, but I really hope you apologized to him, or... You won't have a niece anymore, because I'll leave the castle. I know a few families who would take me in as one of them if I were to leave here, but first I will make sure you're sorry!" I answered with barely restrained fury, letting out a snort and then taking a deep breath to calm down, I shouldn't jump to extremes right now, I need to act civil.

I sighed and asked in a soft, worried voice. "Please, tell me, what did he do after you hurt him? Celestia I really hope you change, because if you don't, you won't be my auntie any longer, im serious." I gave her an ultimatum, hoping that she gets the seriousness of the situation.

She lowered her head slightly at my words, not defensive or angry as I expected, nor demanding anything, instead she is resigned and sad.

"I haven't... not properly. I want to give him a proper apology, something that he appreciates and it's meaningful, not just words, and I'm waiting for the right time for that." She admitted, then continued.

"Well I'll tell you what he did, he begged me to change, he hugged me and showed me affection as of I was hurt and needed it." Of course he would do that, showing his care and love is in his nature, I've felt it before and he couldn't let anypony feel miserable if he could do something about it.
I felt tears starting to form in the corners of my eyes as I thought about how she hurt him and despite that he offered kindness.

"What he said next really changed my perspective.
He promised me he would do something, not for me, but because it's the right thing to do, he will help bring back my sister! C-can you believe it?!"
I could, of course he would find a way to diffuse the situation, the same thing he tried when Flaming Rose started becoming aggressive, yet here it seems it worked on his favor this time.

"Even after all I've put him through, he turned around and offered his help, instead of fighting back or trying to run away, he offered me kindness in return for the pain I inflicted on him, he offered me something I haven't had in centuries, a second chance to be a good sister. I-I know I never told you about her, my little sister before." By the time she was done explaining, we were both openly crying, her more than me and for different reasons, her body was shuddering from sobs, something I never thought I would see.

I was crying over my dear friend suffering in her hooves for no good reason, she had no reason to do what she did to him, he hasn't even done anything wrong. Onyx, if you ever want to get back at her, I'll be on your side.

Princess Celestia was wiping tears from her eyes with her fetlock as she thought about her long lost sister, and what their reunion would be like, then she summoned a handkerchief and wiped her eyes and nose, yet fresh tears formed again, soon after.

I wiped away my tears and sniffled, unable to even say anything for a few seconds, instead of cowering, or fighting back, that I'm sure he could have, instead he tried to help her and give her a reason to be better. That was truly admirable and made me see him in a completely new way. It was clear he didn't want to fight her, he just wanted things to be peaceful and happy.

The fact Celestia had a sister didn't register for a while yet, but if she hadn't told me it must have been for a reason. "I-I don't really mind if you didn't tell me about your sister before, I hope that whatever he has planned works, and your sister can get back with you safe and sound. What is her name, if I may ask? And how come I've never even heard or read about her?"

Our dinner forgotten and cold by now on the table, Celestia looked at me, with a small spark of hope in her eyes. "Her name is Luna, a thousand years ago, she used to rule beside me for a few decades when we were young mares, but... She was taken over by something evil, I had no choice but to put her in magical stasis and banish her to the moon, there she still remains.
This was almost a thousand years ago, and... In only eighteen years, the spell holding her in stasis will fail, and she will be able to return to our world." I gasped, having heard of the legend somewhere, it was familiar. Despite my feelings towards her at the time, I held onto her chest tightly, shivering in fear at the thought of an evil alicorn, then I remembered something.

Celestia hugged me back, comforting me with her wings.

"Y-you mean... Nightmare Moon is... r-real?! I heard stories about her, back in my old village, we used to celebrate Nightmare Night, and we would offer candy to her so she would not go after us foals, I always thought she was just... A way to keep foals obedient and make them go to sleep early." I felt frightened at this news, was she really the same mare? And what would her return mean? I trembled at the thought of having to face her, I hope there is way to heal her from this thing that took over her.

And despite what Celestia did, I'm sure Luna wasn't equally as guilty as her, she, as far as I know, could be the complete opposite in that aspect. I was willing to give her the benefit of the doubt.

"Yes she is very much real, as well as partially my fault, please keep this between us for now, my little sister was... Infected with something from a different dimension after I failed her, she was stricken with resentment and grief and her will weakened, I could feel it in her magic after it happened, it was otherworldly and much different than what Luna would use, and she proclaimed to be Nightmare Moon, I tried everything, but she was stronger than me after her transformation into this being." She sighs and looks tiredly at the ground, remembering how they fought, a part of me wonders what a fight between two Alicorns looked like, but I knew it would have been deadly for anyone caught in between.

She continued retelling her memories, while I tried to put myself in her hooves, to imagine what was going through her mind at the time. Wait... What did she mean it was her fault?

"You may wonder, why is it my fault? This is the short version, I conspired against her, I turned everypony against her until she was hopeless and alone, dependant only on me, or so I thought.
Then Nightmare Moon happened, it was my fault Cadence, I... I broke her spirit, she gave up and the Nightmare took over then." I was unsure of what to say or do, somehow I wasn't surprised, not after what she told me before.

I knew it was a long time ago, but it still made me feel sick, I didn't, couldn't think about this now, on top of everything else, or I would get overwhelmed.

"Just... Tell me what happened after, for now, we will talk more about the reasons and what you did some other time, okay?" I got a small nod, it was clear she felt the worst regret over what she did to her sister.

"I couldn't defeat her or even imprison her, so in a desperate attempt, I used powerful magical artifacts to put her in a magical stasis and then I banished her to a place where no one could try to disrupt the spell, the empty surface of the moon, this is all I can tell you for now, we should go back to eating, food is cold by now and you need to go to sleep, maybe you can help me up tomorrow to come up with a way to apologize to your friend Onyx, but its my responsibility, I just... I want ideas from one of his closest friends." She finished her explanation and I knew not to pry further, for now anyways.

Her emotions were a mixture of self loathing and grief over her sister now, but there was a spark of hope somewhere there too, it shone like a beacon in the endless void of negativity, that beacon shone brighter when she mentioned apologizing to Onyx, she clearly felt that he was the key to getting her sister back, I needed to ask him about this.

"When you mean getting her back, you mean restoring her as she was before... Before she was... changed right?" I ask in concern, but thankfully she nodded right away.

"Of course, Onyx said that much, that there was a way to get Luna back, not Nightmare Moon, Luna, my sister, he will help me bring her back, and for that I owe him... A lot, I don't even know how much that is, I'm willing to give him anything he may want, once he gets her back to me that is." I smiled at her, knowing she was willing to go that far for her sister and Onyx, maybe... I could help too.

She still has a long way to go, if she truly has changed I could forgive her, I didn't want her to fall back into her old habits, so I decided to be supportive and kind, maybe there was hope for her yet.

"I'll talk to Onyx about this, I'm going to help him too, whatever he has planned to make this happen, I'm sure he could use my help and my emphatic abilities, as well as my knowledge about relationships! If this means getting back your sister, and if it means you become a better pony thanks to having her back, then you have my support auntie!" I gave her a big hug, squeezing her quite hard, smiling slightly.

She may have done terrible things, and hurt countless others, but she is changing now, who was I to condemn her for it? I benefitted from her actions as well as all other ponies, I still think it was wrong of her but I can't leave her to make more of this mistakes by herself.

Now that she told me, it's my responsibility too, maybe it was her plan all along.

She's my aunt, we are family, I feel like... It's my duty to keep her on the right path, to help her be her best self, now that she told me her flaws, it was clear she liked to be in control, she also didn't like change, yet she was doing her best to change for the better, and to relinquish control of every single detail of her little ponies lives, she was doing something that must be really hard for her.

She removed the laws keeping them 'protected' from reproduction with a non pony, specially those who could produce very exotic creatures, like dragons and ponies.

Who knew? From what I've read on, a creature called a kirin was born, a very unique creature capable of using magic like a unicorn and fire like a dragon, and what's more interesting, they could transform when they were in a heightened emotional state, and were highly dangerous because their fire coming out of their bodies.

Yet they could be raised in a safe environment and with proper care I'm sure they wouldn't be dangerous to anypony.

"Thank you, my dear niece, don't let me make the same mistakes of the past, please? I want Luna to be proud of me when she comes back, most importantly, I want her to... to forgive me, to see I changed for the better." At this she closed her eyes and hugged me back, much gentler and softer than I hugged her, she felt regret over her actions and that was real, I will be the one to stay with her, to share her burdens with, at least until Luna comes back.

After that I sat down next to her and levitated my food over to my new spot.

I have regained some of my appetite, finally feeling well enough to eat dinner with her.

It has been an interesting talk, and very emotionally and mentally draining, but it was good that it happened.

After that we ate dinner reheated by a spell, I would never see her again the same way, as the perfect mare that I thought she was, I just couldn't see her the same, but maybe... That wasn't a bad thing, she had as many flaws or even more flaws than the average Canterlot noble, but unlike them, she was willing to change, she is changing, and not only when it came to herself, but also the laws and policies of Equestria.

I will still help Onyx get back at her if he ever planned something, he should prank her.

Luna however... I'm gonna help him get Luna back, I'll help him with whatever he has planned, once I figure out what, because it's the right thing to do.

Earlier that day.

It was a surprise when Flaming Rose came back to school, everypony was thinking she had been kicked out by Princess Celestia, but she was just suspended for four days, what surprised everyone was the lack of horn on her head, and the way she carried everything with her hooves or maw, she was very much clumsy when it came to using her hooves to write and it showed, eliciting some giggles from other foals when she would drop something or when she messed up in another way.

I didn't laugh, I felt concerned for her, what happened to her horn? Why was she acting so... Unlike herself, she wouldn't even look at other ponies, too shy to meet their gaze, let alone me or the girls, she kept well away from everyone, even from her former friends who now also didn't want to sit anywhere close to her, instead she chose to sit on the back of the class every day now, focusing solely on the classes and reading to pass the time, not going out other than to use the bathroom or drink water, what I was sure of, is that she is all alone now, and doesn't seem to want to even talk to anypony.

I thought about going to check on her, but knowing she hated my guts and has been trying to bully me for months before, I didn't feel so inclined, of course she didn't have any interest in talking to me, so we stayed distant.

It was different than before, she or her friends didn't bother me, but Lemon Drops and Right Angle at least talked to me, as well as Cadence and Ruby, we all sort of became friends, it was much slower and cautious than my other friends, but I could say we were acquaintances by now, if anything at all.

Today was different, at recess, I stayed in the classroom reading Enchantment and Runes Vol. 3 and everypony else was outside playing or just talking, except for us.

I'm becoming more of a nerd than I was before, aren't I? Well at least I got my first kiss, that brought a small smile to my face and a light blush.

Flaming Rose and I stayed in the classroom, she didn't seem to care or even know I was there, as she had her face covered with her hooves and silent, as if she was sleeping.

That's what I thought at first at least, until I started to pick up crying, soft and barely audible but my sharp senses picked it up clear as day, it was Rose, she laid there and cried almost silently to herself. It went on for a while and I felt bad, so I approached, I couldn't just... Ignore her like this any longer, despite anything that may have happened I still had empathy.

"Hey Flaming Rose, right?" I commented quietly, trying to get her attention.
She ignored me, instead, she kept crying quietly.

Deciding I needed to press on I tried to show some kindness. "What's wrong? Why are you crying? I... Noticed you are missing your horn too, if there is any way I can help, let me know, we can talk too." I offered, standing in front of her desk.

She uncovered her face, looking at me with a frown, tears falling down her face, she stared into my eyes and I stared into hers for a few seconds before she spoke at barely above a whisper.

"It's your fault, you... And Cadence, even that red filly, you all made me really angry, I was so furious! So... I lost it, I attacked... Princess Celestia's niece, a future Princess, and I paid for what I did, happy now?" She said with a gradually raising voice and angry tone, then she slumped in her seat, looking sad.

"Now you know that's not fair, look... I don't want any trouble with anypony, I've never fought back against you three, did I?
None of this would have happened if you didn't bother me and try to make me leave in the first place, you know?" I asked in a neutral tone, not really angry but a bit sad that she still thought so lowly about me, and my friends.

"I won't ever bother you again, I just don't care anymore, I just... I thought I was helping out the ponies here by getting rid of you, but when Lemon and Angle sided with you and your friends over me, all I saw is red.
I wanted to hurt them, and you, and everypony." She looked down in shame, I could tell she didn't feel the same right now, there was regret on her face.

"Now because of that, I'm an earth pony, and I don't know how long until the Princess forgives me, but at least since she used that spell on me, I've felt a lot less angry at everything. Still I-I miss my magic." She exclaims with a sad pout.

So... Princess Celestia was behind this change, I wasn't sure if being an earth pony suited her or not, but I could think of a way of fixing this. At least a way that didn't involve me using a forbidden spell that could get my parents in trouble. No way I was showing I could dispel magic, not that I believed myself able to easily unmake one of her spells, it was probably a much higher tier spell than what I could use, but perhaps with enough trial and error maybe I could get it disrupted and dispelled.

No spell is perfect after all.

"You may need to go along with what she said then, show her you really learn your lesson." I could not see any easier way for her to get her horn back, by the frustrated look she is giving me.

"S-seriously? You expect me to... just play nice with the ponies who caused all of this?!" She asked in disbelief.

"I'm sure the Princess will return your unicorness to you if you prove you aren't going to go hurting other ponies or non ponies again, just... Prove her wrong, prove that you have changed, if you do, I promise I'll help you with magic practice as a gesture of good will between us, okay?" I encouraged her, a small smile on my face, I hope she will at least give me a chance, but I could still see she has doubts.

"W-why would I ever believe you have any talent in magic? You don't have a cutie mark, so... Why would I take lessons from you? Y-you're not even a unicorn..." She questioned me, but her expression softened somewhat, she didn't say no, she didn't throw my offer away. We had written magic lessons but I never really got to show my talent yet, as everything we did was too basic and easy, for now.

I couldn't believe it, that he, a dragon of all things, showed more kindness to me than everypony else, they all just ignored me like I wasn't even there, he offered me help me get my horn back, even if that help was just advice, to do what Princess Celestia says.

What else could I do? He is right, I can't go against the Princess.

My dam was wrong, I kept believing and trusting her on that, I kept worrying over and spying on him every single day, looking for some sign he was a rotten and vicious as dam says, that he was hiding something bad, but all I could see was that he didn't seem too concerned about anything, he seemed so carefree and... Happy, always excited to learn magic and reading his books on magic and runes with a damn smile.

Thinking about it more, it wasn't that uncommon for somepony to want to learn what they like, that is exactly how I felt when Vine taught me fire magic after I discovered my special talent with fire.

He seemed genuinely surprised and wary of us first when we started to pick on him.

But after a few more attempts, he just stopped caring, he didn't show any emotions other than mild annoyance at us, and most times, he didn't even show that, to the point that he smiled when we tried to beat him up. I knew now it wasn't because he was crazy or stupid, I learned the hard way.

One buck from my hind hooves on his side, and I had a limp for the entire day afterwards, after that I didn't try it again, using magic wasn't much better either.

When I tried to cast directly on him, most spells would just slide right off like as if he was slippery, some would stick, but he always got rid of them somehow as soon as we moved away.

It was infuriating.

I just kept doing what I did because I felt I would let down my dam, and my friends seemed to agree with me, maybe their parents told them the same thing I was told, they were our parents and we did what they told us, at first doing what they said was fun, but ever since I hurt myself trying to hurt him, it started to feel like a chore, it got harder, and the only way we realistically could hurt him was to destroy or damage his stuff, his school books and bags, its the only thing that made him react.

That is, until Cadence happened, she convinced my friends to sit down and talk, and to make friends with them, I didn't like Cadence, ever, she has that... prim and proper attitude and way of talking and being an alicorn and all.
It just... It makes me want to show her that not everypony looks up at her just because she's royalty.

When I saw my friends were with her and turned their backs on me, I felt fury, I felt jealousy and betrayal.

They decided to side with her instead of me, and that's when I felt a deep anger and fury overcome me, and I attacked the one who tried to convince my friends to leave me, and my former friends too, they didn't want to be my friends anymore after talking to Cadence for just a few minutes, yet I shouldn't have attacked, dam told me to never use the spell unless I was in danger.

And yet I let that anger out in the worst way possible.

I expected to get expelled, but the Princess had a lesson for me instead, or a punishment, to be humiliated by everypony and to relearn how to be a pony, and I had to admit I was really bad at using my hooves like an earth pony.

My coordination with hooves wasn't magically improved by becoming an earth pony, nor was my ability to hold things with my maw like they did, it still felt clumsy and I lacked practice, something I had to get used to for days at home, then coming here and getting laughed at by other foals was just... Humiliating beyond anything I've experienced before.

Not all of my classmates laughed at me, he didn't laugh nor did Cadence or Ruby, they just more or less kept their distance and didn't want to interact with me, however he looked concerned ever since I came back and decided to approach me instead.

At first I ignored him, sitting there and crying like a little filly that can't even do anything right anymore.

But he showed something that made me want to listen, he tried to help, he offered to help.

A kindness I would have never shown him if I was in his place, he did it without mocking me, other than pointing out the truth when I tried to blame him or the others.

I can't believe I'm even considering his offer, but... Why the hay not? I had nothing to lose now, I cried out all of my sadness by now, at least it felt that way. I felt no intense anger ever since the Princess changed me into an earth pony, only the sadness.

"So you don't believe me, hmm I guess there's something I can do about it.
There are a few ways I could show you, but I think the easiest one is by showing you my home right now, and coming back before the bell rings." He spoke confidently while offering his clawed hoof-paw, claw?

I considered his genuine offer, he is smiling at me and it feels genuine, an offer of peace in his own way. I wanted to say no at first, but I saw something in him that made me hesitate.

His absolute obsession with magic, it's the same I felt towards my own magical fascination, fire magic.

"Yes prove it! Wait... Going home and coming back? But the bell is about to ring, it's... Only four... five minutes away, so how?" I asked him with a small challenging smirk, feeling better than before.

I wanted to see if he truly could do it or he was all talk, I looked at his paw and steeled myself, before grabbing it with my hoof, it felt a bit different, grasping something as an earth pony, I felt a lot more and I could grab onto his paw better somehow.

I was getting used to this, little by little.

I felt him holding gently and without his claws that I knew he could extend and retract, I've seen him do so while holds some things, his large claws coming out, looking like daggers, black as night.

Knowing he could hurt me so badly if he wanted, but he didn't somehow made me feel more relaxed about him.

"By teleporting there and back, how else?" The dragon shot me a wink, I was certainly skeptical but hopeful.

I remember dam told me once that the Archmage could use the real Teleport spell, and of course the Princess, but no one else was at that level, i decided that even if he failed, I'd get to ask him to try another spell.

I decided that also a warning would be a good idea, as I didn't want to be played into some sort of prank.

"If you can do it, I'll take lessons from you, but you better not be playing a prank on me, I've already made a fool of myself by crying in front of you, I don't need another humiliation today..." I shot him a small glare, daring him to lie to me, before sighing in resignation, it was obviously a joke of some type, right? Why else would he talk to me after what I did to his friends.

He didn't look any less confident on his abilities, surprisingly enough.

"If you never teleported before, you could experience nausea, but because this is a shorter range teleport you will not feel too bad, here we go!" His eyes glowed brightly and we were both surrounded in his magical energies, and teleported away in an instant, appearing in a very different place.

There was a strange crack of magic that I heard when we arrived, I looked around the room, in one corner there was a work desk with parchment and an inkwell as well as pencils and various other writing utensils that I didn't know much about, strange gemstones and tools were also spread around the desk.

Some paintings are hung around the white room, depicting strange places, some were forests and nature, others were of cities, I couldn't help but think of Manhattan and Phillydelphia.

There was a few ones I couldn't quite place, but I didn't know much about other nations. There was one that caught my eye the most, a large canvas that depicted a village with beautiful fields of wildflowers and giant crops all around, in the background there was a castle with colorful banners and the sky was made of a rainbow of colors, seemingly swirling about randomly and forming clouds, it looked like a place right out of a dream.

"Oh my goodness! You really... teleported us?! Where... are we exactly?" I asked feeling in awe at his ability to teleport, and fascinated by the place, then I realized we were on a circle on the ground, a magic circle, it was carefully painted by hoof, and while I didn't know what it meant, it was no coincidence we teleported here.

It made more sense now why he could teleport, but it was still an awesome display of power.

"Well, not only unicorns can cast magic, you know? Dragons also have magic, they use their natural ability to breathe fire, to cast and channel spells with a special fire." He winked at me and showed off, opening his muzzle, the long fangs looked honestly rather scary, and... Different, inside his muzzle a sphere of energy formed, a small spark of color indigo, magic focused without a spell, the arcs of energy jumped between his fangs.

Then he closed his muzzle and smiled at me, turning around and gesturing to the room around excitedly.

"Welcome Flaming Rose! This is my home, where I live with my family, this room is the exercise room, and my personal study is over there on that side.
It's where I do my hobbies, enchantment and the like. What do you think?" He turned to me and asked with his ears perked, paying attention to my every word and expression.

"You... Practice enchantment? That's where you place runes for effects or spells on regular items, right?" I ask with curiosity, remembering about reading something about it during class.
"Who's your teacher?" I wondered who taught him that school of magic, as it was not exactly part of the regular school's program for our year.

"I read some books, I got motivated and learned by myself." He answered casually, before gazing at the clock on the wall and frowning slightly.
"Let's go back before classes start again, 'kay? I can tell from your face that you had at least some fun, I'll take pride in that." He offers his paw with a smile, I hold him with a small smile of my own.
I have to admit, for a non pony, he's not so bad.

"Y-yes let's go back, sorry for doubting you, I wasn't expecting you, or anypony to be able to be able to teleport other than Princess Celestia, just.. how? How did you manage to even comprehend this spell? Let alone to have the power to cast it yourself..." Just how could a foal, a colt be able to do what most ponies who studied magic for ages couldn't? He doesn't have a cutie mark! And yet he still could, he made it look easy too.

"I started studying this spell years ago, mom bought it to me at the library since it's a publicly available spell, she got it for me and I tried it every day along with all of its variations and little by little I learned them, it seems I do have a talent for magic after all. No need for rump emblems when you have actual skill, hm?" His confident smile made me remember how I felt the time I got my cutie mark, out camping with my sire and he couldn't might the fire.

We were caught by a strong, wild snowstorm on the Foal Mountain range and we could not get the fire going, matches weren't cutting it.

At that point, amidst the fear and worry I felt the magic within me grow hot, my intent was to help, to protect both of us.

I focused on my magic and called out to it, and as if by instinct I casted a constant stream of fire from my horn, thawing the snow off it, drying it and lighting it up, allowing us to have warmth and a place to cook our food for the rest of the day.

I remember the flabbergasted look he first gave me and the big beaming smile he had when he realized what happened, he thanked me and we celebrated together by sharing the best of our rations.

I still love camping, and the outdoors, it's the only place where I feel my talent is useful, what good is fire at home if magical stoves can heat up food just as good? Maybe that's why dam got in the royal guard, because she could make use of her talent and practice it further.

I looked around a while more for a minute while he started casting the spell to take us back, then we blinked back to the classroom, right were we left.

Now, I looked at him in awe, one thing was using a magic circle to help teleport, but another was to teleport back where there was no magic circle, how?! Maybe he was even more impressive than I thought.

His eyes retained that indigo glow he had when he started casting for a few seconds more before slowly returning to normal.

I couldn't help but smile at having experienced a spell like this, he probably understood how I felt, maybe I should talk to him about it in the future, how having a talent that doesn't fit in society can cause you to feel isolated.

Maybe he felt the same, having magic so potent that he couldn't use it outside of very special cases.

Somehow I doubted it, he had far too much practice with that spell, he didn't seem to focus too much to cast it.

"I-I guess cutie marks aren't really that important, if you didn't need one to become so powerful... I would like you to teach me, please." I asked in almost a whisper, he didn't answer just yet but he looked at me, clearly thinking about what to say.

This was all so surreal, what would have my past self from a few days ago thought about this? Would she be furious? Maybe becoming an earth pony put things into perspective instead of being the punishment I thought it was at first.

The Princess told me to not listen to my dam Vine, maybe she's right, I had no one now, because of Cadence I have no friends, my family doesn't understand me, I lost my horn and I can't use magic at all, not even my telekinesis for everyday tasks.

But I think I had somepony who cared, that was... More than what I could say I had for the last four days. Nopony wanted to talk to me, not even my sire after what happened and Princess Celestia's visit, everyone is disappointed and distant.

"Keep this between us, and remember, if you keep this up, I'll make sure that you'll get your horn back and you'll learn and train with me, just imagine how far you could go if you had someone to practice with that could easily push you past your previous limits."
He spoke with a determined and very confident voice, and I somehow knew he was telling the truth.

He had more than proved it now.

"Do we have a deal?" A deal... It may be weird, but I didn't feel worried anymore, I didn't feel afraid of him like I used to, sure he was still a bit intimidating compared to other ponies, but I could see myself hanging out with him, he showed he was protective and strong, dependable and kind.

His paw started glowing as he offered it, indigo sparks dancing on the appendage, his smile widened just a bit creepily making back away. "Just kidding, there's no magical shenanigans." The glow disappeared and his expression returned to a less predatory one.

I rolled my eyes at his attempt to mess with me.
"Hmph, I know you're harmless."

I took his paw and shook it, feeling myself smile a bit. "Deal, you have proven that you are more than capable of keeping your word, now it's my turn to prove to you that I'm not just a filly with anger issues."

"I know you're better than that, but please don't blame Cadence for what happened, learn to accept responsibility and you will become the very best you can be, okay?" He pleaded with a hopeful look in his eyes. Of course he cared about his friend, I knew he hadn't just abandoned because he decided to be nice to me.

I thought about it, I did blame Cadence for what happened, but... Had she really started it? She never stopped my friends from talking to me, she didn't try to talk me down as much as she did with them, I didn't like her, no, but I don't think I'm going to try anything with her again.

"I'm not going to do anything to her, but I don't like her anyways, i guess it's fine but I don't want to talk to her, at least for now, is that... Acceptable? I don't wanna talk to Lemon or Angle either..." I sighed, lowering my ears, I felt still upset about what happened and the consequences, sure it wasn't as bad now, with the new perspective, I could have had it so much worse, if I really had hurt Cadence or the other fillies, Princess Celestia would be furious and who knows what she would have done?

Thanks to him, who shielded his friends, I was let go with only a lesson to learn, and the chance to redeem myself.

I was surprised when he moved in and held me in a hug, my eyes widening for a few seconds, not expecting that. "You don't have to talk to them if you don't want to, they're my friends, at least Cadence and Ruby are, but I don't want to force you to talk to them, you will talk with them all when you're ready and only then, meanwhile I'll keep them off you, and tell them not to bother you until you are feeling better, I promise."

His words made me relax and nod, then I did something I couldn't imagine myself doing just a few days ago, hugging a non pony, hugging him quite hard, my new earth pony strength manifesting for the first time. "Brr you're really cold!" I was taken by surprise by how cold he felt, but I didn't stop hugging him, it's summer after all.

He made a small grunt of surprise at my sudden stronger hug, then he smiled wide and hugged back just as hard as I had squeezed him, surprising me in return, we both let go after that, sharing a small laugh, dam really got it wrong, didn't she? He's nothing like what she kept telling me.

I felt a kinship start to grow, he isn't my enemy like I used to think, and neither is he a monster, maybe dam wanted me to think so, but I had more fun with him than I ever did with ponies.
I couldn't deny that.

Powerful magic was something i wasn't used to seeing, and he had shown me a teleportation spell, maybe I could return the favor and show him my special talent spell someday...

I decided I will make this right first.

"Thank you, c-could we start over? As if this was the first time we meet? I'm sorry, about all I've done and said to you." I asked shyly, but I had hope, he looked me over for a few seconds, then nodded.

"Go ahead, and... apology accepted! maybe you'll make it up to me sometime, but for now an apology like that is enough, it's more than I ever got out of the other two." He chuckled and shook his head.
I smiled happily and nodded quickly, owing him a favor wasn't as bad, he didn't ask for anything like bits or for me to embarrass myself for his amusement.

"Hey, I'm Flaming Rose, it's good to meet you." I spoke with a friendly and confident tone, stepping forward with my right hoof extended offering a hoof bump.

"Howdy! Name's Onyx, a pleasure to meet a friendly face." He made a hoof shape with his claw and bumped my hoof, I giggled at his fake accent, now that I didn't feel like I had to do what dam told me, I felt free, and in a way making friends with him felt freeing.

Now I could be true to myself, and I felt curiosity overtake my worry that he may be doing this as payback, it's clear that he is being genuine.

I was curious, I felt my thoughts wander to his smooth scales, his body is different, unique, I want to feel his scales, I've felt them a bit before when we shared a hug and all, but I don't get to properly study him.
"Could I... Get a closer look at you? Your scales, they're very interesting and it's all new to me."

"Oh? M-my scales? Y-yeah sure!" he blushed and looked unsure for a moment but then shrugged and stood on a more relaxed posture. "Ookay you can, but there are... Some limits, I'll tell you when to stop, yeah?" I nodded at that, knowing that it's not okay to touch certain areas was some of the first things that we were taught in school.

"I'm aware, I promise to be respectful." I reassured him, and he relaxed his posture at hearing that.

I used my hooves and started to feel his back first, the scales were not rough, they were more like metal, smooth polished metal.

I pressed down on them, and they had a bit of give, so like metal but flexible. "Do you feel that? How does it feel when I touch your scales?"

"I do feel it, just like your hoof can feel whatever you touch, but probably less because you are touching my back." He answers with very simple and clear logic.

"I-I see, hooves are like... Sensitive to pressure and detecting movement around, but not to feel very soft touch on the hard part of the hoof, I suppose I should ask how it feels when I touch your paws."
I should have realized that it made the most sense, his paws equal my hooves probably they are just as sensitive there than ponies on their hooves are to feel vibrations on the ground.

"So, do you like my back? Because your hoof is very invested into kneading my midsection." He playfully asked me, and I could only look away, unsure.

As I kept kneading him, I could feel the muscle beneath the scales, it felt very strong and dense, I felt him flex his back, and the muscles swelled in response. "Don't respond, I can already tell you do."
He stuck his tongue out at me, and I just shrugged.

"Just curious, is all. What about your tail? Why is it so long?! I was always curious about that, is like twice as long as you."

I kept prodding and squeezing until I was satisfied, having traced the shape of the different muscles on the back, his tail next, I noticed it's really long too, and while I squeezed at it near the base, he got all flustered and gently nudged me away. "N-not there, it feels... Odd, you can touch my tail but not near where it connects, okay?" His tone left no room for comebacks, but maybe I did go too far.

"I just think my kind are fond of swimming and my tail reflects that, at least I think so." He answers with a small shrug.
I nodded and moved onto the middle section of the tail, it was different than anything I've seen before, I lifted it and it was heavy too, seeing I wanted to lift it, he easily did it for me, placing his tail on an upward curve, making it so the tail gradually curved up and he held it like that effortlessly.

"Whoa, is it not heavy for you? That looks... Really hard to do, don't you get tired?" I asked but he smiled at me.

"It is heavy, yeah, but I can keep it like this for a while, it helps that is almost entirely made up of muscle too, It's actually very good for swimming, same as my paws." He started wiggling his tail around like a snake, showing how it would be used for swimming, I've read about gators and it's more deadly cousin, cragdiles in my wilderness survival guide and I guess his tail moved like that of an alligator, his paws are webbed with a layer of light blue skin between each of his individual digits.

Another thing that really surprised me was how cold he is.
"Are you... Cold blooded? I like reading on animals and nature, and I've read that some lizards are cold blooded, but you are cold cold, not just regular room temperature like they are." My question made him smirk a bit, but he nodded quickly, lowering his tail now that I was sufficiently convinced of his ability to hold it up, he didn't look tired so I believe him.

"I'm ice cold, or at least close to it, I think it has something to do with my magic but I'm not sure, I haven't ever seen another dragon like me, and I don't want to experiment with myself too much, what if I'm the last of my kind?!" His tone is lighthearted and playful but I can tell he means what he's saying, magic... Could it be that his magical element, his affinity to the element is the opposite of mine? But to such an extreme as to make him literally almost as cold as cold is...

Before we could talk about anything else or do anything more, the bell rings again, we ran both to our seats and pretend we are doing something else, a mutual understanding of keeping things secret was clear, I smiled, pulling out one of my favorite books and started to read.

Wilderness Survival, part 2

I opened the book on a random page and I came across a curious coincidence, this section spoke about survival in the frozen north and the cold areas around it, the long sections of tundra right outside.

How to build a shelter in deep snow and to keep safe from the elements.

As the classroom filled back up with ponies, and his friends got back, he talked to them like always, but he didn't mention me. Good, for now I wasn't ready for any extra attention, and I didn't exactly mind that he had friends, because I knew he still would make some time for me, oddly enough I trust him.

Out of the corner of my eye I caught something disturbing though, Cadence was smiling my way, I glanced at her and she had a stupid smirk on her muzzle, one that spoke volumes about what she knew, and she somehow knew.

I glared at her a silent threat, silently telling her to not speak a word of it. My angry glare seemed to get the point across thankfully.

She nodded and went back to her own stuff, good. I really didn't like her, it was like she was reading my mind, some stupid alicorn ability or something, must be.

I couldn't trust her, not until she came clear and apologized for reading my mind, not until she stopped whatever she was doing.

How did she know me and Onyx were in good terms now? If it wasn't mind reading I don't know what it was, maybe I'll tell him about it, maybe he will be wary of her if he knows.

The class went on as normal, it was interesting and related to biology, a topic I'm curious about.

Best of all, I didn't get any other weird glances from Cadence anymore. It seems that my anger at her perceived mind reading got her to back off.

Author's Note

Cadence learns that Celestia isn't as good as she used to think, and decides she needs to get into politics to make sure that her fellow Alicorn doesn't fuck up anymore.