Unicorn In Training

Chapters

Sisterly Love
Training, Begin!
Sweetie Sorcery
Who's Hungry?
A Different Approach To Magic

Sisterly Love

Rarity was what you would call a fastidious pony. Every piece of fabric had its own special place in her Boutique. Every sowing needle, every gem and every thread, each carefully organised and perfectly arranged to her exact specifications. This was the only way she could get any work done. Of course, from time to time, she would intentionally disorganise her space to create a suitable area where her mind could roam freely without restraint. Though these times were when she created some of her best masterpieces, she could never act on her thoughts until everything was put back into its rightful place.

After one such session, the dull whirr of her trusty sowing machine echoed through the halls. In the very last room of the hallway, Rarity stood gazing upon the mechanical device, slowly feeding a sky blue length of fabric through the machine.

“This will be the most fabulous dress ever! Though the last one will be hard to beat. Oh, Rarity, how do you manage to be such a brilliant dressmaker?”

Rarity continued to talk aloud to no one in particular as she levitated the fabric out and onto a dress form that she had positioned beside her. She ran a gentle hoof over the fabric, smoothing over any scuffs or imperfections. Unbeknownst to Rarity, the door behind her creaked open. From the small crack in the door, a white muzzle and a fluffy lavender mane came into view. Gradually, the the door swung open more to reveal Sweetie Belle, who was standing there with a sleepy look on her face.

“Rarity! What are you doing? Is that a new dress?” she asked, stifling a yawn.

Rarity flinched at the sound of her little sister’s quiet voice. Turning around, she smiled nervously at her polite intruder. “Oh, S-Sweetie Belle, I didn’t think you’d be up this early.” Rarity had in fact, counted on her not being up so early. The adorable voice of her sister could only mean that something was about to get broken, torn, or otherwise destroyed. The morning was the only time that Rarity had to do work without any well-intentioned chaos occurring.

“Can I help?” the little filly said with a newfound excitement. She bounced over to her sister’s side and looked up to her. Rarity did her best to hide her feelings and her face behind her sowing machine.

“Oh, You want to help? Umm, well you see, I’ve really got it all under control here.”

Sweetie Belle instantly deflated. “You sure?”

Rarity couldn’t stand the sight of her little sister looking up at her with big puppy dog eyes, seemingly almost on the verge of tears. With a sigh, Rarity bowed her head, ready for what was to come.

“Well, I suppose I could always find something for my special little helper to do,” she said, giving Sweetie Belle a pat on the head. “Lets see... Why don’t you go and fetch me my box of sewing needles from the top shelf of the cabinet over there.”

Sweetie Belle daintily hopped over to the cabinet and examined it. The cabinet was much taller than her and even taller than Rarity, the box was perched at the highest point, ensuring that there would be at least one accident before breakfast.

Sweetie belle steeled for her difficult task ahead. Tentatively, she placed her hooves on the highest shelf she could reach and began pulling herself up. Like a rock climber on a cliffside, Sweetie Belle scaled the shelf with a look of determination permanently etched onto her face. She was so close to her prize that she could almost touch it. Holding a hoof outstretched, she swiped at the box. A sudden weakening of her leg muscles made her lose her balance and almost slip from the shelf, only one of her hooves gripped tightly onto the wood stopped her from plummeting to the purple carpet. The cabinet wobbled precariously, daring to fall over and crush the filly and the treasured sewing box. Sweetie Belle screamed to alert her sister to the danger she was in.

Rarity turned from her dress form when she heard the scream and sighed at her sister. It never failed to amaze her how her sister could turn every menial task into a perilous mission.

“Sweetie Belle, must you make everything so complicated?” with a tilt of her head, Rarity’s horn sparkled with a brilliant blue hue. The light from her horn enveloped Sweetie Belle and the box, making them float in the air. The light gently placed Sweetie Belle back on the floor and the sewing needles went on the table besides Rarity. The cabinet that was previously destined to fall over gently rocked back and forth until it was in a stable position again. Rarity glanced at Sweetie Belle just long enough to see a frown appear on her face, the fashionista ignored her disapproval and continued working.

Sweetie Belle pondered on what just happened. Rarity used magic, that much was certain, after all she was a unicorn, that’s what made them different to the other ponies. A thought popped into Sweetie Belle’s head, one that she was surprised had never really occurred to her before. Why didn’t she use magic? It seemed odd, or downright strange that she was a unicorn and she had never used her magic. She ventured into her earliest memories to find any traces of magical use or ability on her part. Nothing. Not even a night light spell, not even a simple telekinesis spell. She decided that maybe her thoughts weren’t the most reliable, due to her having a lot of holes in her memories of being a baby. She needed an outside observer.

“Rarity?” she said in an oddly unsure tone. The larger unicorn neither turned around nor said anything to her, she simply hummed a note to indicate that she had heard. “Have you ever seen me use magic?”

Rarity sensed a slight change of tone in her sister’s voice, it was clear that she wanted to properly talk about this. Turning to face her, Rarity placed a hoof on her chin and put on her best pensive face. Throughout all her years of having a sister, Sweetie Belle had not once showed even the slightest hint of magical potential. It was understandable why her parents never mentioned it, since they would never dream of upsetting their little angel like that.

“Well, now that you mention it, no I haven’t.”

Sweetie Belle allowed herself some more time to think before raising a hoof above her head in a moment of inspiration. “Hey! Maybe I could get my cutie mark in magic!” she exclaimed in joy, not noticing her big sister’s vaguely condescending stare.

“Oh, Sweetie Belle...” she started with a motherly voice. “Only a few ponies can get their cutie marks in magic, like Princess Celestia or Princess Luna.”

Sweetie Belle huffed in annoyance. “Twilight has one, so why can’t I?”

“Because Twilight is the element of magic. I think it would be rather silly if she wasn’t skilled in the art that she represents.”

Sweetie Belle sunk down to the floor in defeat. It was true that the only ponies that she knew with magical cutie marks were special ponies, but even the simplest of unicorns could use magic to some extent, so why couldn’t she?

“Maybe you could teach me to use magic! You’re really good at it, like how you got the box down of the shelf just now, and how you use magic to style your mane and find gems.”

That certainly wasn’t what she needed, more time taken out of her schedule. Also, judging by Sweetie Belle’s track record with, well, anything, it was safe to say that teaching her magic would probably be a very long and arduous process.

“I don’t think so Sweetie Belle. I simply do not have the time to spare, this dress must be finished as soon as possible, or else my client won’t be too happy.”

Sweetie Belle shuffled in irritation. “Please! Please, please, please! I might never be able to do magic without some help!”

It was clear that Rarity had to do something to help her sister, otherwise, she may have to leave her precious dress for even longer. She just needed somepony who was good with magic...

“Twilight!” Rarity exclaimed, much to the confusion of Sweetie Belle.

“Uhh, what?” Sweetie Belle asked.

Rarity smiled at her own quick thinking. “I may not be able to teach you magic, but Twilight loves to teach ponies. I’m sure that if you ask her, she’ll be more than happy to give you some advice.”

This idea was evidently pleasing to Sweetie Belle, who jumped up off the floor and into her usual excited self. “Good idea Rarity! I’m going to go see her right now.” she said, already sprinting for the door.

“Hold it!” Rarity screamed, making Sweetie Belle freeze in her tracks. “Aren’t you forgetting something?”

Sweetie Belle turned around and instantly realised what she had forgotten. “May I please go out Rarity?” she asked with a cute smile.

Rarity’s glare turned into a happy expression. “Yes you may,” as soon as the words left her lips, her sister was out the door, slamming it behind her with a loud bang. “finally, a moment of peace.”

The instant she turned around, the cabinet that had perviously held the sewing box toppled over, releasing a loud crash as it hit the floor. Rarity placed her head on her dress form and sighed deeply.

Training, Begin!

Knock, knock, knock.

The rousing sound of a hoof on wood ripped Twilight from her book-induced stupor. She had taken to laying on her bed and reading on days like this, days when nopony came to the library, not that anypony ever came to the library anyway. She knew that the bed wasn’t the appropriate place for reading when she should be tending to downstairs, but sometimes she just felt an overwhelming desire to break the rules and be a bad pony.

Knock, knock, knock.

Someone was at the door. Sweat started to form on Twilight’s face, she had been shirking her responsibilities and now somepony had found out. What if it was Princess celestia? The Princess knew everything, how could she not know that Twilight was breaking the rules? Visions of punishments floated around in her head, banishment, imprisonment, forced relocation back to Canterlot. Twilight almost passed out from the sheer number of thoughts that were speeding through her mind.

Knock! knock! knock!

Twilight darted down the stairs in a purple blur, almost charging straight through the front door in her rush to get there. Using her magic, she promptly flung open the door and began grovelling.

“I’m sorry! I didn’t mean to! I promise I’ll take my responsibilities seriously just please don’t banish me!”

Sweetie Belle was frozen in confusion as she stared at the frantic mess that lay before her.

“Um... Maybe I came at a bad time.” she said nervously.

Twilight opened up one teary eye to look at the filly. Immediately, her stress and panicked thoughts subsided. It was only then that she realised how strange she must have looked. She picked herself up and smiled sheepishly.

“Um, no I-I was just, uh... Never mind, come in Sweetie Belle.”

After a brief moment of hesitation, Sweetie Belle entered the library. Twilight retrieved a towel with her magic and used it to wipe off a few beads of sweat that remained after her little episode.

“So, how may I help you?” as she finished her sentence, a moment of realisation hit her. “Oh, are you here to borrow a book!” She said with an almost disturbingly large smile. “I have so many choices for you: fiction, pony history, romance, adventure. Which one!?”

Sweetie Belle was caught off guard by Twilight’s overzealous attitude. “Sorry Twilight, but I’m not here to get a book.” she winced as she saw Twilight become instantly depressed. “B-but I came here to ask you for your help with magic!”

Twilight immediately flipped back to the happy end of her emotional scale. She bounced slightly on her front hooves at the thought of imparting her wisdom onto a younger mind.

“Really?! Well look no further because no matter what you want to know, I’m sure that I can teach you.” she proudly stated in an almost cocky manner.

Her enthusiasm gave Sweetie Belle high hopes. “I want to learn how to use magic. I’ve never been able to do it before.”

It was a simple request, a lesson in magic for a little filly, but the possibilities for teaching were endless in Twilight’s mind. Maybe some Teleportation spells? Or levitation? Even defensive and offensive magic, Though the last lesson wouldn’t end well for Twilight if Sweetie Belle eventually destroyed Rarity’s Boutique, it was probably for the best that she started small.

“So you say you’ve never been able to do magic before?” Twilight said as she entered teacher mode. Sweetie Belle realised she was in a lesson and promptly sat down on the floor.

“Nope, even Rarity says that she can’t remember me doing magic when I was a baby.”

“Well, you’re not a baby anymore. Have you tried actually doing any magic?” with all of Sweetie Belle’s excitement about learning magic, it had never crossed her mind that she may be able to do some magic already. She shook her head. “Well maybe you should try it now, just try to see if you can successfully perform a spell.”

Sweetie Belle tensed her muscles. She wasn’t sure what she was meant to be doing, and she had no idea what she was meant to feel. All she knew was what she learnt from her brief pony anatomy classes at school, Ms Cheerilee said that a unicorn’s horn is filled with magical receptors and nerves. This information did nothing to help the filly as she didn’t even know what magical receptors did. After a short while, it was clear that her current method of tensing every muscle in her body wasn’t working. She looked up at Twilight with a disappointed stare.

“How can I use my magic if I have no clue what I’m doing?”

Twilight smiled at her. “It’s fine, that was just a test to see if you had any innate magical talent.”

Sweetie Belle perked up. “So do I?”

“Umm... no,” Twilight said, hating the way that the filly deflated when she said those words. “But that’s okay! You can still learn how to use magic, it might just take a little longer.”

Feeling slightly more enthusiastic, though not as much as when she came in, Sweetie Belle sat back down and looked to Twilight again for help. “So how do I get started?”

Twilight glanced over her shoulder at a nearby bookcase. Immediately, a large book slid out of it’s place on the shelf and over to Twilight. The book floated in the air for a few seconds before falling to the ground in front of Sweetie Belle with a loud thud. Sweetie Belle examined the book, looking over its dull brown cover that showcased numerous scuffs and dents along its surface. In the centre of the book was a large title with golden, embossed letters which read, ‘The Complete Beginners Guide to Magic’.

“This was one of the first books that I read when I started studying magic, I think you’ll find it really helpful. I found the chapter on acute magical proprioception to be extremely fascinating!”

Normally, Sweetie Belle’s only use for a book this size would be as a doorstop or a shoddy roof in a pillow fort. She opened up the book and flipped through a few of the pages, trying to keep an interested face on as she looked at the bland rows of text. She looked back up to the eager eyes of Twilight.

“So? What do you think?” Twilight asked.

Sweetie Belle sighed in a less than joyous manner. “This book is almost as big as me! Don’t you have anything... smaller?”

Twilight pouted, children just didn’t appreciate the joys of diving into a five-thousand page book these days. She walked around the circumference of her library, searching for any books that would be easier for Sweetie Belle to digest. After rapidly removing and reorganising almost every book in the library, she happily hopped back to Sweetie Belle with a much smaller green book in her magical grasp.

“Here, I think you’ll find this one a little easier to read. ‘Magic: The Elusive Element’.”

Sweetie Belle looked at this book with a little more interest. The front cover depicted a white unicorn using magic to levitate a dragon. images of an epic battle between her and a mighty beast raged in her mind. She couldn’t wait to see what was inside this book.

“This book contains some helpful advice on how to begin performing some simple magical spells. I think you should study it, and then tomorrow we can start our real training.”

Sweetie Belle looked up at Twilight in confusion. “Why can’t we start right now? I’ve only been here for a little while, and it’s still early.”

Twilight smiled again, the thought of having a student that was so eager excited her and part of her wanted to teach her as much as possible today, but she had chores to attend to and since she had already faced the pressure of avoiding her responsibilities once today, she thought it would be best to pick it up tomorrow. “Don’t worry Sweetie Belle, there’ll be plenty of time for learning, but today, I want you to read the first chapter of this book and then you can come back at the same time tomorrow so we can review it.”

“Homework?! I didn’t think I’d have homework for this!”

Twilight giggled at the filly’s whining and slowly ushered Sweetie Belle towards the door. “Don’t think of it as homework. You’ll like the book once you start reading,” she opened the door and gave her student a small nudge. “I’ll see you tomorrow.”

With that, twilight closed the door behind her, leaving Sweetie Belle outside, holding the book. Flipping through the pages, Sweetie Belle saw detailed pictures of spells and other forms of magic. Slowly, her disdain for homework turned into excitement about the possibilities of magic. She began briskly trotting back to the Carousel Boutique, excited about getting into her new book.

The bell connected to the front door chimed as Sweetie Belle walked into the room. Rarity stood in front of a group of dress forms, using her magic to showcase a different dress on each one. She turned around as she heard the ringing of the bell, and was surprised to find her sister there with a book in her mouth.

“Oh, Sweetie Belle, I didn’t think you’d be home so soon.” secretly, she had hoped that she didn’t home so soon as she still had work to be done. “Did you ask Twilight to help you learn about magic?”

Sweetie Belle tried to speak, but her words were muffled by the book in her mouth. Spitting the book out, She tried again. “Yeah, I did. She gave me a book about magic to read and I’m going over there tomorrow for my first real lesson.”

Rarity smiled at her energetic sister. “I’m glad you’re excited, just don’t forget about your school work.” she said in a motherly tone that was unusual for her. Her comment got a drawn out ‘yes’ from Sweetie Belle, who had already started to look over the cover of her new book.

“I’m gonna go to my room and read this now!” She yelled whilst bounding for the stairs.

When she was sure she was alone, Rarity sighed quietly. “Maybe I will get some more work done today after all.”

Sweetie Belle shut her bedroom door and scrambled up onto her bed. Flicking on her bedside light, she opened the book, her breath stuck in her throat from excitement. She read slowly, her mouth moving slightly as she whispered the words that were on the page.

“Introduction: The art of magic. Magic is a very strange and complex force. A unicorn that can successfully wield this force can use it to punish their foes, or help their allies. however, as with every skill, practice is the key to understanding. This book is designed to guide you through the mysterious labyrinth of magical discovery and teach you about the many ways that magic can be applied.”

Sweetie Belle stared wide eyed at the book, enthralled by its captivating words. She flipped the page over, and was immediately drawn to a picture, drawn in the same style as the one on the cover. This picture showed the same white unicorn using her magic to make a large ball of light appear at the tip of her horn. The title of the chapter was above it, so Sweetie Belle once again focused on the words, this time, reading in complete silence.

‘Chapter one: Illumination Spells. An illumination spell is one of the most basic spells that anypony can learn. Often called a nightlight spell, it is often cast unwittingly by infantile unicorns in response to a fear of the dark. This spell is good for beginners since it is easy and mostly safe, though one must be careful as a powerful spell can daze onlooking ponies.’

“This is perfect!” squealed Sweetie Belle.

‘As with all spells, the illumination spell’s effectiveness is determined by the caster’s level of focus. It is also best to try this in a low light environment, as this will allow the caster to focus on creating their own light more effectively.’

Sweetie Belle rolled over to her bedside lamp, which was her only light source in the room with her curtains shut. flicking it off, the room was plunged into complete darkness; A pointless endeavour, as when she turned back to her book, she couldn’t see anything in the dark. She growled in annoyance and turned back on her light, continuing to read the rest of the page.

‘To perform this spell, you must first close your eyes and focus your mind. Try to imagine something that emits a bright light, such as a fireplace or a lantern. Now, capture every detail about that light, how warm it feels on your skin and how it reacts with the darkness. Focus on amplifying that light within yourself. Eventually, usually after a few minutes, your concentration will be so great that you will simply see a landscape of light in your mind, this is when you can open your eyes. If done correctly, your surroundings should be bathed in the lustrous glow emanating from your horn. After some continued practice, you will be able to summon a ball of light on command.’

This was it, her first spell. She turned off her bedside light once more and stood in the middle of the room, her eyes firmly shut.

‘Focus. Focus on something bright.’

An image of the sun appeared in her head. That was the brightest thing she could think of. She tried to imagine being outside on a hot sunny day, looking up at the sun, feeling the heat of it blanketing her body and comforting her. In the real world, her face scrunched up slightly as her concentration grew. Her sun grew bigger, gradually pushing past her internal field of vision. after a minute of it increasing in size, the sun had almost completely enveloped her vision, nearly overlapping the blue sky that surrounded it. Sweetie Belle could sense that she was so close to her first spell, which caused her to get excited and slightly lose her focus. Her sun shrunk back slightly and she fought hard to regain her composure and enlarge it once more. Again, she had nearly succeeded in painting her mind with light, when a knock came at her door.

“Sweetie Belle, would you like some lunch?” Rarity asked as she opened the door. tendrils of light flowed through the opened door and latched onto sweetie Belle, cutting off her link to her imagination. In her mind, her sun disappeared and her dreamscape started to crumble while she desperately fought to bring it back. She opened her eyes, shooting a deathly glare at her intruder.

“Rarity! I was practicing!” she yelled with surprising force, catching the larger unicorn off guard.

“I just wanted to know if you were hungry.” Rarity mumbled in a hurt tone.

Sweetie Belle responded by pushing her out of the room and slamming the door behind her. Rarity stared at the now closed door, still surprised at what just happened. “I guess that’s a no on the food then.” she huffed as she walked back down the corridor.

Sweetie Belle tried again to bring back the visions of light that she had before, but every time, her world dissolved around her, leaving her with nothing. After multiple tries, Sweetie Belle screamed in frustration and turned on her light.

“Stupid Rarity!”

She sat back on her bed again and suddenly realised how tired she was. It seemed that all this concentration took its toll on her. Opening the book again, she tried to continue reading, but her efforts were in vain due to her fatigue. Her eyes slowly closed and she fell asleep with the book spread across her stomach.

By now, it was dinner time. Rarity stood in the kitchen, removing a tray of hot food from the oven. She collected two plates and precisely added the food onto them, making sure that both had enough food on them, although Sweetie belle’s plate was smaller to accommodate for her stature. Her thoughts drifted away from the food and onto her sister. Not a single peep had been heard from her since Rarity had entered her room at lunchtime and as much as her sister annoyed her when she interfered with her work, she did miss her when she wasn’t around. She made a mental note to spend some time with her after she finished her order. In the mean time, she carefully tiptoed down the corridor that lead to Sweetie Belle’s room. With great care, she laid her hoof on the doorknob and opened the door, not wanting to disturb her again. She peeked through the gap in the door and saw the filly, curled up against her book in bed.

Rarity continued to tiptoe until she was beside the bed. Part of her didn’t want to disturb her sister’s peaceful slumber, but Rarity knew from experience that she would just snack in the middle of the night if she wasn’t fed. Bringing up her hoof onto the sleeping filly’s shoulder, she whispered softly whilst rocking her. “Sweetie Belle, it’s time for dinner.”

Her eyes opened slightly, and with them, came an adorable yawn. she focused on Rarity, looking at her confusedly. “What time is it?”

“It’s six o’clock sweetie.”

Sweetie Belle’s eyes widened. Had she really slept for that long? Before her training she had barely felt any drowsiness. Her stomach growled slightly, not allowing her to think about it anymore. She stretched out her legs and walked with Rarity to the kitchen.

Sweetie Sorcery

Spike stood looking towards a bookcase. Behind him, Twilight was standing with a hoof pressed against her chin in deep thought.

“Maybe we should arrange them by author.” Twilight said after careful deliberation. Spike sighed and turned to her in annoyance.

“Twilight, do we have to go through this every time! You always make me shuffle them around five times and we always end up with the exact same filing system that we’ve had since we got here!”

Twilight blushed slightly. When he put it that way, it made her seem slightly obsessive. “I guess you’re right Spike, you’ve done a lot of work this morning as it is. Besides, I need to get ready for my lesson with Sweetie Belle.”

“Right...” Spike said nonchalantly, before looking up at her. “What is it you’re doing with Sweetie Belle?”

Twilight gave the dragon a small pout. “Spike, I told you. Sweetie Belle wants to start learning magic and she asked me for help,” her pout morphed into a proud smile at the thought of being asked for help. “I can’t believe I have my very own student!”. a knock sounded from the library door, slightly startling the purple unicorn. “Oh, that must be her now.”

Twilight bounded over to the front door and opened it, revealing a bright-eyed Sweetie Belle on the doorstep with a purple saddlebag draped over her back.

“Hi Twilight!” she said cheerfully. Twilight returned her greeting and lead her inside. “Hi Spike.” Spike gave an absentminded wave to her as he began dusting some shelves.

“So, did you manage to read the book I gave you?” asked Twilight as she motioned towards a small chair for the filly.

Sweetie Belle shook off her saddlebag, pulled out the book and sat on the chair. After reaching her desired page, she turned back to Twilight. “Yeah, and I tried to do the light spell but I couldn’t concentrate. I think was so close too, but then Rarity came in and ruined it.” She said the last part with more force than she had intended.

Twilight thought for a moment, then walked to Spike’s side and whispered in his ear. Without hesitation, he ran over to all the windows in the library and pulled the curtains closed, plunging the room into total darkness. After a few seconds of nothing, a small candle ignited in the middle of the room, allowing Sweetie Belle to just about make out Twilight’s face and a small portion of the floor.

“Okay, I want you to do exactly what you did the first time, but this time, don’t worry so much about performing the spell. Just focus on feeling the magical energy inside of you.”

Sweetie Belle was skeptical of Twilight assumption that she would succeed in something that she had already failed at multiple times, but she decided that she wouldn’t get anywhere in the magical field if she didn’t take her advice. She planted her hooves firmly on the ground and shut her eyes tightly. Rapidly, the image of the sunny day from before filled her mind. That was the easy part, the hard part was focusing on the light itself. Whilst she was focusing, she tried to mentally search around her body for any sign of magical energy, which would have been easier if she knew what magical energy was supposed to feel like. Every little twitch of her muscles could have been magical energy, but how would she know?

After what seemed like forever, Sweetie belle felt an unfamiliar sensation in her body, almost like a vibration or a tingling sensation like when you sleep on a hoof for too long. The sensation could be felt through her legs and in her body, gradually growing stronger, but never more than a tiny nagging itch. This unknown feeling only increased Sweetie Belle’s resolve, as she knew that something was about to happen. The feeling left her legs, inching it’s way up her back towards her head. In her mind, the image of her imaginary sun tilted and swayed, giving Sweetie Belle the feeling of dizziness. Then, as it was just about to the tip of her horn, the tingling feeling subsided in a second, taking her internal picture with it and leaving her with nothing but a blank canvas.

Sweetie Belle’s eyes shot open in anger. “It didn’t work! Again! I was so close too!” She screamed as she stomped around the room. Twilight giggled, as did Spike, which confused and angered the filly.

“Sweetie Belle,” Twilight said calmly. “The candle’s gone out.”

This confused the filly even more. The candle was out, what did that have to do with anything? Then, like a flash, she noticed that she could still see. She looked up at her horn and saw a small ball of white light, shining softly.

The high pitched squeal of joy was powerful enough to shake the foundations of the library. Twilight and Spike watched the filly hop around with glee. With every leap and bound she did, the light atop her horn dimmed slightly. As the ball was almost extinguished, Sweetie Belle collapsed in a heap on the floor, panting heavily. Twilight and Spike opened all the curtains to reveal the sunlight just as her magic faded completely.

“I... did it...!” Sweetie Belle gasped in between her bouts of ragged breathing and joyful wriggling.

Twilight passed her a glass of water, from which she took a few small sips. “I knew you could do it!” she said happily. “It can be very exhausting using magic for the first time, so try to take it easy.”

Sweetie Belle smiled at her mentor and took another sip from her glass before resting her head contentedly back on the floor.

“Rarity, I’m home!”

Sweetie Belle trotted into the main room of the boutique. As she glanced around for any sign of life, the fashionista trotted down the stairs with a huge, bright grin spread across her face.

“Hello Sweetie Belle! How was your lesson?” she asked cheerily.

Sweetie Belle threw off her saddlebag and bounded over to her sister. “It was great! I did my first spell today!”

“Oh that’s wonderful Sweetie Belle! I’m very happy for you,” Rarity gave her a hug for her achievement. When they were finished, Sweetie Belle returned to her bag and took out her book. Looking over it again to make sure it was okay. “You know Sweetie Belle, I have some good news as well.” Rarity said, walking over to her sister.

Although she was now flipping through the book’s pages, Sweetie Belle still managed to break her gaze away long enough to answer Rarity. “What’s that?”

“While you were out practicing with Twilight, I worked extra hard and I managed to finally finish the order that I was working on, so we can spend some time together as sisters,” A look of unusual eagerness could be seen in Rarity’s eyes. “So, what do you want to do?”

Sweetie Belle looked up at her with an apologetic gaze. “Sorry Rarity but I wanna read some more of my book so I can impress Twilight tomorrow.”

Rarity frowned slightly, though not enough to be noticed by Sweetie Belle, who had returned her eyes to her book. “You’re... going back there tomorrow?” she muttered sadly.

“uh-huh,” picking up her book, she casually walked past Rarity towards the stairs that lead to her room. “We can do something some other time though.”

As she disappeared up the stairs, Rarity sat down on the floor with her head hung low and her ears drooping slightly. “O-ok...” she whispered softly.

In her room Sweetie Belle had returned to her previous position on her bed, grasping her book tightly as she read. She almost fainted from excitement as she wondered about what spells she would learn next.

By the time night fell upon Ponyville, Sweetie belle had read through her book multiple times. Due to the extreme fatigue that she had felt whenever she tried any spells, she resigned herself to reading all of the chapters before she passed out from exhaustion. As her trained eyes flew over the last sentence in the book, she pressed her hoof to her mouth to stifle a yawn and turned off her light. It took only a few seconds for her to fall straight into a deep slumber.

Downstairs, Rarity sat on a luxurious red couch, staring into space with a frown. ‘I can’t believe that Sweetie Belle would rather spend time with Twilight instead of me!’ she thought to herself. ‘This is my own fault for not teaching her myself. I was so obsessed over my order that I didn’t realise how much I was pushing her away! And now she doesn’t even want me anymore!’

She shook herself out of her dramatic thoughts and placed a laid her head on her hoof, giggling lightly. ‘Oh Rarity, you’re just being silly. Sweetie Belle is your sister and just because she’s too interested in other pursuits to spend time with you, doesn’t mean that she doesn’t want to be with you...’

Her light smile that formed quickly crumbled, turning back into a frown. ‘...But what if it does?’ Rarity dejectedly rested her chin on the arm of the couch and resumed her pondering.

Another day came with Sweetie Belle visiting The library for more tuition, though today she entered in a decidedly foul mood. Twilight could see that something was amiss from the way she flung her bag down onto the floor by the door. She tentatively neared the filly to see what was wrong.

“Um, is everything okay Sweetie Belle?”

Twilight jumped a little as Sweetie Belle stomped her hoof angrily. “No! I couldn’t do any spells in the book! I thought it was just because I was tired from our lesson but I woke up extra early to practice today and I still couldn’t do anything! I couldn’t even get the light spell to work again!” she drooped her head in self pity.

Twilight was torn between being happy that her pupil had woken up early to practice and being sad that her efforts were wasted. Not knowing what to do, she glanced around the room for something to cheer her up. Her eyes rested on a plate of Pinkie Pie’s special cupcakes, which she had bought just this morning.

“I know what’ll cheer you up, how about a cupcake before we start our next lesson?” Twilight moved in close to the filly and smiled widely. Sweetie Belle just pouted even more.

“No thanks. I don’t feel like having a cupcake right now.”

Twilight, still keeping the cheeriest smile possible, levitated one of the treats over and wiggled it in front of her. “You sure?” she asked temptingly.

Sweetie Belle glanced up from the floor to steal one look at the frosted treat that hovered in front of her, its bright colours daring her to take a bite. She quickly nibbled at the cupcake, part of her not wanting to give into the baked dessert. Twilight watched as her protégé’s eyes widened as she sampled the cake.

“Feel better?” Twilight asked kindly.

Sweetie Belle pushed the cake away and wiped some frosting away from her mouth. “A little, can we start the lesson now.”

That was not the reaction that Twilight had hoped for. When she tried Pinkie Pie’s special treat, she was practically overloaded by its extreme tastiness. Sweetie belle had barely taken a bite.

Feeling a little upset that her plan hadn’t worked, Twilight decided to just carry on with the lesson in the hopes that Sweetie Belle would perk up on her own if they continued practicing the light spell. Something that she knew Sweetie Belle was capable of doing.

This, sadly, was not the case. Even with their combined efforts, Sweetie Belle had failed to produce even the faintest spark from her horn during the many hours that they practiced. Twilight had tried every method of coaching that she could think of, but in the end, Sweetie Belle just seemed to be having a decidedly non-magical day.

This constant failure was grating on Sweetie Belle. After another failed attempt, she screamed in frustration. “Why can’t I do it! I did it yesterday!”

“Don’t worry Sweetie Belle, sometimes ponies just have bad days. If you want, we could take a break and try again tomorrow.” to be honest, Twilight was the one who needed a break. Sweetie Belle’s unusual reluctance towards magic was wearing on the unicorn.

Sweetie Belle angrily opened her book, the rough way that she handled it causing Twilight to gasp in horror. She frantically flicked the pages, skimming over the words and pictures. “There must be something that I can do in this book!” she abruptly stopped about halfway through the book and pointed to a page. “What about this!”

Twilight peered over her shoulder at the book. “An illusion spell? Sweetie Belle, That’s quite a difficult spell to do, even I-” She was halted by Sweetie belle pounding her front hooves into the ground.

“I need to do something today! Otherwise it will be a complete waste of time! I didn’t try this one at home.”

Twilight was more than a little offended at the thought of one of her lessons being deemed a waste of time, but she was more concerned about Sweetie Belle’s safety. “Sweetie Belle, You’re already tired from all of the practice you’ve done today, I don’t think it’s safe to attempt a higher level spell right now.”

This made Sweetie Belle even more upset. “I’m not tired, I could do this spell if I wanted to.” she glared at Twilight with a look of anger mixed with determination.

Judging by the stare she was getting from Sweetie Belle, Twilight knew there was no talking her out of this. It almost reminded her of herself when she was a filly. She gave a defeated sigh and stepped back, allowing Sweetie Belle more room for her attempt.

Sweetie Belle stood up tall with her chest puffed out, still holding her determined expression. She closed her eyes, took a deep breath in and held it. It was her final chance to show that she still had some magical potential. She concentrated as hard as she could to find at least a hint of magic in her body. Maybe if she at least knew she still had some magic in her, she could do it. With no luck, she tensed even harder. Her heartbeat pounded in her ears but she carried on, blocking all feeling from her mind. A swirling sensation started to creep up on her, meshing with the deafening drumbeat in her ears and threatening to make her lose her balance and bring her out of her meditation. She knew she was close, all she had to do was hold on for a few more seconds...

Sweetie Belle groaned and tried to open her eyes, an action that created an explosion of pain inside her head and momentarily paralysed her. She tried to look around as much as she could, only seeing a hazy darkness and the slightest shadow of a figure standing over her. Through the searing pain in her mind, her other senses slowly returned. It came to her attention that she was on the floor, though she couldn’t bear to move. A faint voice sounded over the powerful ringing in her ears, sounding like it was in distress. bit by bit, her sight was brought back to her. The looming figure was revealed to be Twilight, looking down at her with tears in her eyes and repeatedly saying something to her. As another wave of pain overtook her, she closed her eyes again.

“Sweetie Belle, Sweetie Belle!” Twilight almost shouted. She put a shaking hoof on the filly’s shoulder and gently nudged her, hoping to get a response. “This is all my fault.”

Sweetie Belle’s mind loosened its grip on her body slightly, allowing her to open her eyes and focus on her teacher. Twilight visibly relaxed seeing a pair of green eyes locked onto hers.

Battling through her dry throat, Sweetie Belle managed to speak, coughing and stuttering as she did. “W-what happened?” she asked, clasping her hooves to her head in an attempt to fight her migraine.

Twilight gave a final sigh of relief as she heard Sweetie Belle speak and wiped the tears away from her eyes. “You fainted Sweetie Belle...” although her tone was kind and motherly, It only served to make Sweetie Belle feel about ten times smaller.

“Right. The spell...” Sweetie belle mumbled in the quietest voice possible. If she had the energy, she would have galloped out of the library and never returned. The embarrassment that she felt was minor compared to the guilt she felt about making Twilight worry and the shame of failing once more. “I’m sorry...” she said with tears forming at the corners of her eyes. “I just wanted to be good at something for once. I didn’t mean to upset you.”

She finally gave up and burst into tears, only exacerbating the pain in her head. Twilight instinctively wrapped her hooves around the filly and hugged her tightly, letting her heartbeat soothe the crying unicorn. Her heavy sobs slowly softened until she was lightly crying into Twilight’s shoulder. They stayed like that for a few minutes, Twilight lightly stroking the filly’s mane to calm her. She had a feeling that cupcakes definitely weren’t going to help her now.

“My head hurts...” Sweetie Belle choked through her tears. Twilight pulled her away and looked into her eyes. After a few seconds, a trail of light slowly made its way up Twilight’s horn. Before it reached the tip, Twilight rested her horn on Sweetie Belle’s head, letting the light transfer from Twilight’s body to hers. Almost instantly, The Piercing pain that Sweetie Belle felt began to lessen, fading into a dull throb and then into no more than a light twinge.

“Feel better?” Twilight asked with a gentle smile. Sweetie Belle nodded and allowed herself to grin a little, even though her face was stained with tears. She hugged Twilight once more, enjoying the protection she felt as she did. Twilight let go and smiled at her. “You did nothing wrong Sweetie Belle, you just got a little carried away. I know you can do it, you just need to give it time, it’ll happen eventually.”

Sweetie Belle looked unsure. “I don’t know... Maybe I’m just not meant to be a unicorn.”

The sight of her bubbly student just giving up drove Twilight to the brink of tears once more. “Don’t say that Sweetie Belle!” she said with a sterner voice. She placed a hoof on Sweetie Belle’s chin and lifted her head up. “If I didn’t think you were capable of using magic, I wouldn’t have given up so much of my time to teach you. Don’t let one silly accident scare you away from something that you could be great at.”

A dash of hope broke through Sweetie Belle’s dispirited expression. “You really think I could be great at it?”

Twilight nuzzled her lightly, making her giggle. “I think you could be the best.”

They stayed in a close embrace for a few more moments before Sweetie Belle pulled away. She slowly rose to her hooves, but buckled under the pressure of her fatigue. Twilight caught her with a hoof and steadied her, allowing her to stand upright. Building up her strength, Twilight and her walked to the door, picking up Sweetie Belle’s saddlebag on the way. Twilight gently rested the small bag on the filly’s back and stroked her mane.

“Do you want me to walk you home?”

Sweetie Belle shook her head. “no, I’m fine. It’s just around the corner, I can do it myself.” Twilight was about to object, but it looked like the filly needed some time to herself.

“Okay. Promise me you’ll come see me tomorrow for another lesson.” she said as lovingly as Princess Celestia would have. Sweetie Belle smiled and lightly nodded before she began her walk home.

Twilight stayed at the door, watching Sweetie Belle walk down the street, swaying gently as she went. Even though she was sure that it was just the after effects of overexertion, Twilight wondered if she should’ve made her stay, just to make sure she was alright. The moment had already passed after she was done pondering, as Sweetie Belle had turned a corner and had now disappeared from view. Twilight shut the door, asking herself whether she had done the right thing.

Who's Hungry?

“Sweetie Belle, what happened?!”

Rarity rushed over to the boutique’s front door, where Sweetie Belle laid in a disoriented state. She levitated her sister onto her red sofa and placed a pillow under her head.

“I’m fine.” Sweetie Belle murmured, although it would’ve been more reassuring for Rarity if she could’ve actually opened her eyes and said it.

“You most certainly are not fine! Did something happen at the library? Are you hurt?” Rarity was beside herself with worry, and also fear that she would have to face the wrath of her parents for letting something happen to their little angel.

“I’m just tired from practicing with Twilight. I think I need to go to sleep for a while.”

“Twilight?! Did she do this to you?” Rarity felt anger well up beside her concern for her sister.

It was almost painful for her to do so, but Sweetie Belle slowly opened her eyes, feeling her headache return. “I’m tired... can we talk about it later?” It wasn’t really a question, as Sweetie Belle had already shut her eyes and curled up into a ball.

Rarity almost objected, but she saw how weak her sister was and decided to drop the subject, even though it pained her not to know. “Alright Sweetie Belle, you can go to sleep, but we will be talking about this later.”

She would’ve gone on to lecture her sister but the sounds of light snoring told her that it would have been futile. She kissed Sweetie Belle gently on her forehead and got her a blanket. She walked upstairs into her bedroom and slumped down against the door.

‘Oh, Sweetie Belle, this is all my fault! If only I hadn’t been so caught up in my work. I should’ve seen the signs when you were so tired the other day.' Rarity placed a hoof to her eyes, trying to stop herself from crying.

‘No!’ She thought, stamping her hoof into the floor. ‘This is not my fault, This is Twilight’s! She’s been putting pressure on Sweetie Belle right from the start, making her read that book and putting all sorts of ideas into her head! I think I might just pay her a little visit tomorrow to see what she has to say for herself.’

Bang! Bang! Bang!

Spike jumped up out of his bed with a yell, startled by what sounded like cannon fire coming from downstairs. He glanced over at Twilight, who was sound asleep. He wondered how she could even use an alarm clock if something as loud as that couldn’t rouse her.

Shaking with fear, he tiptoed down the stairs, brandishing his nighttime blanket as a weapon. He looked around, searching for any sign of whatever made the noise.

Bang! Bang! Bang!

The return of the loud noise only made Spike jump again. This time, he was awake enough to be able to hear where the noise was coming from. The front door. Now, his fear became curiosity as he wondered who would come to the library before it was so early, and who would need to get in so bad that they would be prepared to break the door down with such forceful knocking. Not wanting to face another round of thunderous thumping, Spike walked up to the door and unlocked it.

On the porch stood Rarity, her eyes brimming with anger, which scared Spike more than the thought of any intruder. She stared unblinking into Spike’s eyes, an act that on any other day would send his heart skyrocketing to the moon, but today, only served to make him flinch and back away.

“Spike, I would like to speak with Twilight. Now.” Rarity said as she walked past the cowering dragon, coming to a stop in the middle of the room. Spike stood motionless for a second before he sprinted up the stairs with speed that would rival Rainbow Dash.

After a minute, Spike returned, walking down the stairs with Twilight close behind. Spike still carried a fearful look whereas Twilight was just confused. Rarity once again turned her attention to spike, this time trying to soften her angered tone. “Spike, would you please go upstairs. I need to speak with Twilight alone.”

The dragon wasted no time in grabbing his blanket and clambering up the stairs. He found a spot where he was hidden from view, but could still listen to the conversation that was happening downstairs.

“Hey Rarity, what’s up?” Twilight asked innocently, not noticing the tension in the air.

“I know what happened yesterday.” Her voice was unreadable now, neither angry nor happy.

Twilight shuffled nervously. Now she knew what this was about. “Oh...”

“Oh, is right...I let Sweetie Belle come over here to learn because I thought I could trust you!”

Twilight gasped, she stepped forward, bowing her head down slightly. “You can trust me! it was just an accident but everything’s okay now.”

“Everything is not okay!” Rarity snapped. Twilight recoiled and put her ears down, making herself as small as possible. “You pushed her too hard with your books and spells and whatnot, then when she inevitably got hurt you just sent her away without a care! Well I won’t let my sister be stolen from me by somepony who isn’t concerned for her safety!”

Rarity was quite distressed now, her eyes were watering and her mane was slightly disheveled. Twilight was in tears over Rarity’s yelling, amidst her soft whimpering, she managed to say a few words. “I am concerned about her, I just... I don’t know. She was so determined to do the spell...”

“Don’t try to blame this on her! As her teacher it was your job to make sure that nothing bad happened to her.”

Twilight cried even harder. The side of Rarity that begged for her to comfort her was growing fast. She needed to leave soon, or else she wouldn’t be able to bear the sight any longer.

Now, Rarity spoke with a softer tone, one which had an inkling of sympathy for the purple unicorn. “Sweetie Belle is at home resting. We have talked, and I’ve told her that she’s not to come back here again.”

Twilight only responded with a half-hearted nod, not even bothering to look back up. Rarity quickly turned and rushed out the door. When she was sure that it was closed, she wiped the tears away from her eyes and ran home. Inside, Spike rushed down to comfort Twilight, who now rested her head on his chest.

“I’m the worst friend ever.”

Back at the Carousel Boutique, Rarity had just gotten in and had hoped that the bell on the front door wouldn’t wake Sweetie Belle. She trotted to the filly’s bedroom and peered through the door. Sweetie Belle was sitting on her bed in the dark looking sadly at a green book. The guilt that Rarity had felt at the library returned even stronger than before.

“Sweetie Belle? Are you feeling better?” Rarity asked quietly. She was expecting a flurry of angry comments or maybe something to be thrown at her. Instead of that, all she got was silence.

“Sweetie...?” Rarity moved closer to the bed. She was almost sitting on it when Sweetie Belle finally acknowledged her.

“...I’m ok.” She mumbled gloomily. Though Rarity knew this wasn’t the case.

“Would you like something to eat?”

“No” Sweetie Belle said flatly, not even looking up.

“Something to drink? I have your favourite juice in the fridge.” Rarity said, trying her best to entice the filly into giving her some sort of reaction.

“No, I just want to go to sleep.”

“Sweetie, I know you’re mad at me about Twilight, but I really think-”

“Just leave me alone!” Sweetie Belle screamed. Though she expected it, Rarity was still shocked and hurt by her sister’s outburst. She tried to put a hoof on the filly’s mane, only to have it batted away as Sweetie Belle curled up into a ball away from her.

There was nothing she could do at this point that would make Sweetie Belle any more inclined to talk to her. As she left the room, she gave a cursory glance back at the bed, hoping that she her sister would’ve at least turned to watch her leave. But despite her hopes, Sweetie Belle had no intention of acknowledging her exit.

She walked into the kitchen and sighed, sitting down and resting her chin on the table. ‘I feel awful. Not only did I make one of my best friends cry, my sister doesn’t even want to see me anymore,’ Giving a small look over her shoulder, she watched the door in case Sweetie Belle decided she wanted to come in and talk. Unsurprisingly, nothing came through the doorway, prompting a sigh from Rarity. ‘...Maybe I shouldn’t have yelled at Twilight. It was quite mean.’

Rarity quickly shook her head and furrowed her brow. ‘No! I suppose I could have handled it with a little more grace, but Twilight still needed to know that what she did was wrong,’

‘Sweetie Belle is sure to come around, and then things will be just like they were before, just me and her. I just hope it doesn’t take too long for her to talk to me.’

Her head twitched in the direction of the oven. Her pout slowly changed into a smile as she was overcome with inspiration. ‘That’s it! I just need to do something special for her, then she’ll be sure to forgive me! I’ll cook her favourite meal tonight, just for her!’ In a flash, Rarity was at the kitchen counter, collecting pots an pans in preparation for what was sure to be the meal of the century.

It had been a few hours since Sweetie Belle had heard even a peep out of Rarity, a fact that she was truly grateful for. Sweetie Belle didn’t truly hate her sister, but that didn’t mean that she had to like being around her at this time either. There was only one problem, being angry was extremely boring!

Sweetie Belle hadn’t left her room since Rarity had come home and since her living situation in Rarity’s home was always a temporary thing, her room had barely anything in the way of entertainment. She had a few books in her room, most of which were cheesy romance novels that she had ‘borrowed’ from Rarity. She did have her magical guide, but at this point it would only serve to make her sad, since she no longer had a teacher.

Just as she breathed in to let out a groan of boredom, she caught the faint smell of something coming from downstairs. Gradually, as the scent got stronger, she could make out the details of the aroma, mainly that it smelt really good. It was unmistakably her favourite dish, something that she hadn’t tasted for far too long. Her mouth watered in anticipation and her hooves carried her forward towards the door. It was as if she was being hypnotised by the food that was waiting below.

‘Wait.’ Sweetie Belle said to herself while she fought to keep her own hoof away from the door handle. ‘It’s just a trick. Rarity thinks that by being all nice, I’ll forget about everything. Well that won't work!’

Sweetie Belle walked back to her bed and sat on the side with a determined expression. Although, it would have been easier to keep her composure if her stomach wasn’t rumbling so loudly. In an attempt to escape her cruel torture, Sweetie Belle buried her face in her pillow.

The bedroom door creaked open for the first time in hours. Rarity gingerly poked her head in and saw Sweetie Belle with her head embedded in her pillow. “Sweetie Belle?” She called out, not knowing whether she was asleep.

The little pony being apparently devoured by her pillow twisted her head, so one eye peeked out from the pillowcase. She responded to her sister with a low mumble that was almost completely muted by the material around her.

“I made you some dinner.” Rarity said sweetly. She was tempted to move closer to her sister, but thought against it. She was already treading on thin ice.

“I’m not hungry.” Sweetie Belle said bluntly, though her muffled voice was hard to understand.

“Are you sure? I think you’ll enjoy it,” Rarity said enticingly. Her response was another suppressed refusal. “Pleeeaaasse! I know you’re hungry!” Rarity was almost dancing on her hooves as she begged her sister. Sweetie Belle clutched the pillow tighter around her face. “Please, Please, Please, Please, Please, Please!”

“Alright, fine!” Sweetie Belle screamed, lifting her head up so fast that the pillow was thrown over to the other side of the room. She got up and angrily walked out of the door, making sure to growl loudly as she passed her sister. Rarity silently giggled to herself and followed Sweetie Belle down the corridor.

The amazing aroma she had smelt from upstairs was even more powerful the closer she got to the kitchen. When her waiting meal finally came into view, it took all of her willpower to not lunge at the plate like a rabid manticore. Rarity watched her closely, hoping to evoke any reaction from the filly that wasn’t a look of distant apathy.

Sweetie Belle sat down to her meal opposite from where Rarity had now placed herself. Rarity stared at Sweetie Belle with a wide smile whilst Sweetie Belle kept her eyes locked onto her meal. With her fork in hoof, she gently rolled her food around on the plate.

Rarity’s expectant grin began to fade. “Well? aren’t you going to eat it? It’s your favourite, grilled carrots and asparagus!”

Sweetie Belle sluggishly cut a piece of carrot and placed it into her mouth. In a moment of simultaneous euphoria and torment, the taste of various spices and flavours washed over her tongue. The overwhelming sensation combined with her hunger almost made her want to forgive Rarity right there on the spot, but she knew she had to persevere. On the outside, she looked like she had barely noticed the food at all. Not tempted to prolong her punishment any more, she swiftly swallowed the rest of her mouthful.

"I'm not hungry." Sweetie Belle said flatly as she placed her fork back down.

Rarity frowned and opened her mouth as if to chastise her sister. She drew back and took a moment to think her words over before she spoke. "Sweetie Belle, I know you May be angry with me, but not eating isn't going to solve anything."

A tense silence filled the room as Sweetie Belle regarded her plate. She wanted so much to enjoy her meal, but her stubbornness wouldn't allow it.

“I’m. Not. Hungry." Her plate screeched across the table in protest as she pushed it away from her.

Rarity looked down at her own meal. Suddenly, it didn't look so appetising anymore. With a loud sigh, Rarity conceded. "Okay, I'll leave these in the oven if you want it later. You may leave the table." Rarity placed the two Plates in the oven and began cleaning pans in the sink, keeping her back to her sister.

Sweetie Belle hesitated for a moment, then got up and walked out of the room. The thought of another stretch in her bedroom prison cell haunted her. She passed by the open door to Rarity's work room and spotted something that could possibly alleviate some of her impending boredom: a drawing book and a set of coloured pencils. She quickly darted into the room and collected the items, then ran to her room and slammed the door. The bed creaked as she hopped onto it and rested her new book on her legs. There was a pause while Sweetie Belle pondered on what to draw. As her eyes wandered around the room for inspiration, she noticed a familiar green book, still lying on the same spot it had been on since her last trip to Twilight’s. Just looking at the book was enough to form a lump in her throat. After shaking her head to rid herself of the thoughts, she began drawing in her book.

Rarity walked into her living room and reclined on the couch. 'Well, that went well.' Opalescence jumped on the arm rest next to her and began her usual routine of jamming her claws into the delicate upholstery. Rarity was about to shoo her away, but couldn’t find the strength inside of her to care for the well-being of her furniture.

‘What am I doing? She’s made it quite clear that she doesn’t want to speak to me ever again. She never turns down dinner!’ Her stomach growled in an uncouth display of anger towards Rarity for denying it its food, but her mind was in no fit state to comply with her physical demands. ‘I guess I’ll just have to try again tomorrow...’ All of Rarity’s previous pep had been sapped away from her. ‘She’s my sister, and I won’t lose her.’

She buried her head into the couch pillows and tried to fall asleep.

A Different Approach To Magic

Ribbons of light danced along Sweetie Belle’s closed eyes, partially rousing her from her slumber. Unconsciously, she raised her hoof to swat away the troublesome pests. She knew it was time to wake up when her outstretched hoof collided with something hovering over her face, followed by a pained yelp. Her eyes blinked open a couple of times, allowing the rest of her sleepiness to be flushed out. Rarity sat on the floor beside her, holding a hoof up to her muzzle.

“Rarity?”

Rarity instantly forgot her wounded snout and beamed at her sister. “Sweetie Belle, you’re awake! I have a surprise for you.”

Something felt a little off to Sweetie Belle about Rarity. Her mane had a few loose strands sticking out of it, which in Rarity’s eyes, was a crime punishable by death. She also had bags under her eyes, where she had obviously forgotten to apply her makeup.

“Are you a changeling?” Sweetie Belle said nervously. Surely this wasn’t her sister.

Rarity looked confused by the odd question. “What? No! Why would you even think that? Is there something different about me?” She immediately began running her fore hooves over her body and mane, which did nothing to tame the unruly strands of hair that refused to bow down to anything less than a comb.

Sweetie Belle had neither the energy, nor willpower to explain to Rarity why she looked different. She rolled over to shield her eyes from both the light, and her sister. “I’m going back to sleep.”

Rarity gave her hoof one last wiggle, then stopped fussing over herself and focused on the task at hand. “No! You can’t go back to sleep! You don’t know what the surprise is yet!”

There was no chance of returning to the dreamworld now. She was too tired to even feign curiosity at her sister’s surprise, so instead she settled for grumpily acknowledging her. “Fine, what’s the surprise?”

The bluntness of her reply caught in Rarity’s ears, making her subconsciously press them flat against her head for a brief second. Though she was soon back on the offensive. “I can’t just tell you what the surprise is, you have to come downstairs and see it for yourself!”

She bounded off out the door, only to peek her head back in a few seconds later as she scanned for any sign of movement from Sweetie Belle. Once the little filly groggily placed her hooves on the floor, Rarity was gone again, only leaving behind the faint sound of hoofsteps and giggling as she sprinted down the stairs. Sweetie Belle sighed roughly and rubbed her eyes, trying to psych herself up for whatever Rarity had prepared this time.

Rarity was just about to run back upstairs to escort her sister, when the soft patter of hooves on carpet sounded her approach. She frantically glanced around to make sure that everything was perfect for what she had planned.

Sweetie Belle trudged into the room with half-closed eyes. “Rarity, what’s this all abou- huh?”

The usually organised living room was littered with bits and pieces. Assorted pieces of fabric were hung up in a line to one side, opposite a row of random fashion objects, each increasing in size from the other. Rarity stood in the middle of the room, accompanied by a group of dress forms with crosses drawn on various points of their bodies. There were other items piled up in the corner, but they were too jumbled together that Sweetie Belle couldn’t work out what they were.

“Do you like it? I stayed up all night making this just for you!” Rarity chirped happily, she was almost hovering a few inches off the ground from sheer excitement.

Sweetie Belle examined the room, seeing no explanation for the random assortment of items other than that Rarity had finally snapped. “Umm... what’s this all meant to be?” Now she was more confused than grumpy.

“This is my classroom and you are my student! I am going to be teaching you how to properly use your magic, it’s going to be so much fun!” She wandered over to one of the dress forms and lightly bopped it on the nose. “I designed each part of this room with a different magical skill in mind: The line of small things over there is for levitation practice, the fabric over there can be cut down with simple spells, and these dress forms were a little worse for wear after Rainbow Dash crashed into them, so I thought we could use them to work on precision, as well as some other miscellaneous areas of practice.”

Rarity had reached the end of her rehearsed speech, so she settled for nervously waiting for a response from her sister.

“Well? Do you like it? Shall we start now?” She said shakily, her smile faltering slightly.

As Sweetie Belle continued inspecting the room, she couldn’t decide whether or not to be happy, or angry. She wasn’t about to just forget that Rarity stopped her from seeing Twilight, but it was hard to stay mad at her when she clearly went to so much trouble, and even forfeited sleep just to make her happy. Even she wasn’t stubborn enough to deny her now.

“Okay, we can do it now.” Sweetie Belle said quietly, giving her sister a faint smile.

Rarity almost jumped at the first smile that Sweetie Belle had given her in a while. “Wonderful! So, what do you want to do first?”

“Well, I’ve always wanted to be able to pick things up with my magic. I think it would help me write better in school.”

“Ah, a fine choice, something that will help you in your studies and in any other pursuits. It’s much more dignified than using your mouth,” Rarity trotted over to the row of small objects and flicked a hoof, motioning for Sweetie Belle to join her, which the filly did. “Levitation is really very simple. All you have to do is...” The rest of her sentence trailed off as she wondered how she actually performed the spell. It was so natural to her, that it would be like trying to teach a pony how to breathe or think.

“All you have to do is what?” Sweetie belle asked impatiently.

‘Come on Rarity, think! What do I do when I want to pick something up...’ Rarity raised a hoof to her chin and tapped it a few times. ‘First, I look at something...’

“Look at something and focus on it! try that small gem on the end of the row there.”

Sweetie Belle squinted her eyes and glared at the gem on the floor. She looked more like she was about to pounce on it.

‘What next?! Umm, let’s see. Focus, it floats, done! Wait... there has to be another step that I’m missing...’

her mental search was cut short when Sweetie Belle’s concentration ran short. “Come on Rarity, what do I do next?”

Sweat started to form on Rarity’s brow. “Okay, the next step is to, um, imagine that it is floating up into the air.”

Sweetie Belle redirected her focused stare to Rarity. “That’s it? I just have to imagine it floating?”

‘I hope so.’ “Yes, that’s all there is to it.”

After a brief pause for thought, Sweetie Belle was back to glaring at the small stone opposite her. Rarity watched as the filly subconsciously twitched and tensed her muscles while she focused on her task. An excruciatingly long minute passed, with Sweetie Belle’s expression becoming more and more strained, almost reaching the point where she looked ready to explode on the spot. Rarity considered using her magic to ‘help’ her, but quickly dismissed the thought, since it would do no good to anyone. This was Sweetie Belle’s lesson.

A loud gasp came as Sweetie Belle collapsed on the floor. The gem remained in its previous spot, mocking her with its shiny green luster. “It didn’t work!” She exclaimed, with more than a hint of anger in her voice.

“Maybe you just need some more practice on your focus.” Rarity said reassuringly. ‘Perhaps I should have read a book on magic teaching beforehand, if only I had one.’

Sweetie Belle slowly picked herself up off the floor. “Yeah, or maybe I just can’t do it at all.” She muttered.

“Don’t worry Sweetie, I’m sure your magical talent is just a bit more ‘specific’ than most. All we need to do is find you your niche,” Rarity trotted over to near to the pieces of fabric and again motioned for Sweetie Belle to join her. “This one is really easy, All you have to do is store some magical energy, then release it in the direction of the fabric to cut it, like so.”

In one graceful swoop, Rarity lifted her head up slightly, then swung her horn down in an arcing motion. A light blue blade of magical energy fired from the tip of her horn and flew in the direction of the fabric. One of the pieces was detached from the line with surgical precision before the blade dissolved into the air. Rarity looked over to her sister with an encouraging smile.

“Rarity, I don’t think I can do this,” Sweetie Belle said unsurely. “This looks really hard, I’ve never tried anything like this before.”

“Nonsense! You are my student and my sister, you can do anything that you put your mind to. Just try it.”

Sweetie belle inhaled deeply and turned back to the line of fabric. Taking the same stance she used for her levitation spell, she diverted all of her mental power into locking onto one of the cloth strands. She let herself settle for a while, shifting her weight on her hooves as she did. Finally, she leaned her head to the side, then swung it back in the opposite direction. The force that went into her movement knocked her off balance and tipped her over onto her side. After she regained her bearings, she opened her eyes and looked to her intended target, which was still perfectly intact.

After letting sweetie Belle vent some of her frustration, Rarity helped her back onto her hooves. “Don’t worry Sweetie Belle, everything takes practice. Just try it again and you’ll do better, I’m sure of it.”

Sweetie Belle huffed at her sister. “I can’t! Twilight said that I need to work up to things like this and take my time.”

“You don’t need to take your time. This is really a very simple spell, you should have no problem doing this. Try it again, please.”

“But Rarity I-” the rest of her sentence was caught by Rarity’s hoof. Sweetie belle gave up trying to argue and resumed her training. Her next attempt at cutting made her tilt to the side, but she managed to right herself before she fell over. The material rippled in triumph as a mocking breeze blew past it. Even the wind could do more than she could.

“That’s alright, try again.” Rarity said.

With another quick swipe, she only succeeded in giving herself a small headache and making herself more angry. She rapidly flicked her head from side to side, trying in vain to get something to happen. It took several seconds of frantic shaking before she finally ran out of energy and slowed down.

Rarity calmly walked up beside her. “All you have to do is-”

“Rarity stop it!” Sweetie belle screamed. The sudden outburst caused Rarity to recoil. “This is your fault! I’d be able to do something useful if you hadn’t stopped me from seeing Twilight! I don’t want your help so just leave me alone!”

Both mares gasped in unison. Rarity tried to speak, but only succeeded in voicing a few small whimpers before she fell to the ground sobbing.

Sweetie Belle was too absorbed in her shock to fully process the scene. ‘What have I done?’ Seeing her sister so distraught brought tears to her own eyes and she did nothing to stop them as she rushed to comfort Rarity.

“I’m so sorry Rarity! I didn’t mean that!”

The volume of Rarity’s wailing only seemed to increase. “Yes you did! And it’s true, I’m a terrible sister!” Her sobbing paused for a brief moment to allow her to take a sharp breath before she let it out with even greater ferocity. “I’m so sorry Sweetie Belle, you were so caught up in Twilight’s training that you didn’t want to speak to me at all! I just wanted to spend more time with you, and then you got hurt and I was so worried and angry at myself for not being there for you!”

Sweetie Belle bent down and hugged her sister tightly, letting both of their tears form a puddle on the floor.They stayed in their embrace until they both had calmed down to soft whimpering. Sweetie Belle was the first to pull away as she wiped the few remaining tears from her cheeks.

“I’m really sorry that I yelled at you Rarity. I know you were just trying to help.”

Rarity sniffled a few more times to hold back another flood of tears. She wiped her eyes with her hoof and looked up at Sweetie Belle, who smiled back at her.

“It doesn’t matter to me if I can’t do magic. All I want is for us to be happy again.”

Sweetie Belle raised herself up off the floor and held a hoof out to help Rarity up. The two shared one last hug and Sweetie Belle lightly kissed her sister on the cheek.

“Thank you for being so grown up about all this, you’re much more mature than I,” Rarity glanced around the room. A whole night spent organising and rearranging, all about to go to waste. “Are you sure you don’t want to carry on practicing, just for fun?”

Sweetie Belle looked around herself, staring sadly at the un-levitating gems and the intact fabric. She sighed softly, but just loudly enough for Rarity to hear. “No, it’s fine. I’m sure I’ll find something else that I could be good at eventually. I’m just gonna go make myself some cereal. I haven’t eaten anything in forever.”

Rarity felt the need to say something as Sweetie Belle left the room, but her own emotional fatigue stayed her hoof. She levitated a few pieces from around the room, and took them with her upstairs to be sorted back into their original positions. Before she trotted up the stairs, she managed to catch a glimpse of the kitchen, where Sweetie Belle stared forlornly into a bowl of milk.

Upstairs, Rarity got to work on the careful arranging of her supplies. The mundane task freed up her mind and allowed her to think about what she just experienced.

‘I wish I could just be glad that we managed to patch things up and leave it at that, but Sweetie Belle just seemed so sad, even after we had made up.’

Opalescence calmly strode into the room and leapt onto the table. Rarity stared through the cat, her mind still hazy from her thoughts. Eventually, she took a deep breath in and sighed.

“Oh, Opal, what do you think I should do?” She asked sincerely, as if she expected Opal to finally reveal her true voice. The cat responded by pouncing on a ball of thread that was currently gripped in magic, and running out the door. “Opal! I’m trying to talk to you! And how many times have I told you not to play with mommy’s work supplies?” She ran out the door in hot pursuit.

She reached the hallway just in time to see a fluffy white tail disappear into Sweetie Belle’s room. A brief feeling of apprehension crossed her mind, as it wasn’t right to just barge into somepony’s room. These thoughts were quashed instantly. It would only be to retrieve something, she would be in and out in a flash.

Opalescence hissed at Rarity from her impromptu fortress which was the space underneath Sweetie Belle’s bed. Seemingly oblivious to the cat’s warning calls, she advanced in a straight path towards her, forcing her to hide further under the bed with her prize. Rarity stooped down low enough to see underneath the bed, and saw her captive ball of thread. Her hoof reached into the darkness in an attempt to rescue it, but she drew back with a small scream when Opalescence swiped at her with a sharp claw. She shuffled away from the bed and looked at her new wound, but her eyes were drawn to something else out of the corner of her vision.

“my notebook? What’s that doing in here?” She wondered out loud. Opalescence growled in response.

Not paying attention to the monster under the bed, Rarity scooted closer to the opened book and picked it up. The book contained many scribbled out drawings of Sweetie Belle doing various things, all of which involved magic. As she flipped through the book, silently noting that she would have to purchase another notebook, she came across the last drawn picture in the line. Sweetie Belle stood in the middle of a crudely drawn room, to her sides, were both Twilight and Rarity. It seemed as though Sweetie Belle was performing some sort of spell as the other two watched on. The page was littered with dark splotches, which Rarity quickly realised were tears stains.

Rarity’s eyes watered and she put the book down to prevent it from becoming more stained. Opalescence had since climbed out from under the bed and was now sitting beside Rarity with her newly acquired toy in her paws and a look of smug satisfaction.

“How could I have just thought that everything would be alright?” She picked Opal up in her magic and held the stunned cat up to her face. “Thank you Opal for showing me this. I know exactly what I’m going to do to make this right.”

She placed the cat down and stood up tall, a determined look in her eye. “I’m going to write a letter!”

As she galloped out of the room, Opalescence smiled as much as her little face would allow, eyeing up her new toy. She pounced on it, only to hit the floor as the ball of thread floated away from her. Rarity poked her head back through the door. “This is still mine.”

Opalescence waved a paw in the air for having been bested again.

The clock struck twelve. Rarity counted down the minutes. Thankfully, she had managed to catch the mailmare flitting around town and had managed to ask her to deliver the letter she had written. Inside the letter were specific instructions to meet her at the Carousel as soon as possible, all she had to do now was wait for that time to come.

She was so preoccupied with watching the little birdie emerge from the doors in the clock, that she almost didn’t realise that someone was knocking at the door. The knocks were so slight, that she could be easily forgiven for nearly missing them. Almost frantically, she rushed to the door and opened it with a bright smile.

“Twilight!” She chimed happily.

Twilight appeared less than happy, her ears were pressed flat against her head and her shoulders were drooped. Though the unexpectedly cheerful response of Rarity helped a little to heighten her mood.

“Hey Rarity.” Her voice was on the same level as Fluttershy’s, but Rarity did her best not to lose her upbeat attitude.

“Please, come in. Would you like some tea?” Twilight was ushered in and led to seat as if she were Royalty. Rarity floated over a tray with some small teacups and began pouring, not waiting for Twilight to say yes or no.

Both of them sipped their tea in silence, Twilight acting extremely interested in the floor patterns and Rarity, hoping that a coherent sentence would enter her mind any time soon. Twilight took the last sip of her tea, took a deep breath, and spoke.

“Your letter said that you needed to see me urgently and that it couldn’t wait, what’s wrong?” She had spent all of the journey there coming up with possible scenarios that may have been linked to her. In that moment, she mentally slapped herself for not thinking of one obvious possibility. “Oh no! Is it Sweetie Belle?! Is she alright, what happened?!” Twilight started to rapidly hyperventilate.

“No no dear, you’ve got it all wrong.” Rarity said, trying desperately to calm the unicorn down. This was quickly getting out of hoof.

“I’m sorry Rarity! I know it was my fault and I didn’t mean to put her under so much stress but I just wasn’t thinking properly Rarity and I’m really sorry!” Judging from her erratic breathing, she was either a few seconds away from either bursting into tears, or passing out.

Rarity knew just how to handle this. In a single move, she slapped Twilight in the face with her hoof. “Get a hold of yourself darling!”

Twilight yelped and clutched her cheek. She sat stunned for a moment while Rarity praised her techniques. ‘It works in all the novels.’ She thought.

And indeed it did work. Twilight’s breathing slowed back to its usual tempo and she gradually became more relaxed. “Thanks Rarity, I guess I needed that.”

“That’s quite alright. What I was trying to say was that there really is no reason to worry. Sweetie Belle is fine, I just needed to talk to you.”

Twilight instantly became happy, then apprehensive. “You, wanted to talk to me about the other day, right?” She said glumly.

Rarity placed her teacup back onto the tray and attempted to articulate her feelings. “I’m so sorry for how I acted towards you Twilight. It was unfair of me to blame it on you and say the things I did.”

Before she continued, she took another sip of her tea, allowing Twilight to speak. “No Rarity, you were right, it was my fault. I knew that the spell was too strenuous for her and I should’ve stopped her.”

“Nonsense!” Twilight flinched at Rarity’s sudden outburst. “You are the most talented unicorn in Equestria when it comes to magic. If you had said no, Sweetie Belle probably would have done it by herself. I’m just glad that you were there to take care of her when she needed you.”

Blushing lightly from the flattery, Twilight smiled kindly, feeling much less dejected than when she first entered. From behind her, soft footsteps could be heard coming from the kitchen.

“Rarity, who’s that?” Sweetie Belle asked as she entered the room, clearly just reemerging from a midday nap. Her eyes lit up when she saw her former magical tutor. “Twilight!”

She ran up to greet her, but stopped just short of the two unicorns, feeling that they were talking about something important. “What’s going on?”

Rarity took a deep breath. “I was just about to ask Twilight... if she would consider continuing her magic lessons with you.”

Both Twilight and Sweetie Belle gasped in surprise. After the brief pause, Twilight was the first to speak. “Are you sure you’re okay with this?”

Rarity waved off her concerns with her hoof. “Of course. I realise now that what I did was selfish, and I want Sweetie Belle to be happy. I know she would be happy learning magic with you.”

There was a long pause where Twilight thought about the possibility of another incident happening again, and whether she could deal with it. Sweetie Belle watched them both intently, darting from one mare to the other.

“I think I would like to try again.” Twilight said confidently. “Sweetie Belle, would you like to be my student again?”

Sweetie Belle looked to her sister, who was looking back with an expectant expression. After mulling it over, she had made her decision.

“On one condition,” The two were shocked that Sweetie Belle was bargaining with them. “I want Rarity to be there with me to teach me too.”

Stunned silence was all that came from Rarity. The two unicorns looked at her for a few moments, quietly waiting for a reaction that never came. Sweetie Belle briefly wondered whether she had broken her sister, until Rarity emitted a few quiet sniffles.

“Of course I will!” She cried, scooping her sister into a hug. They both affectionately nuzzled each other while they shared the tender embrace.

“Hey Twilight,” Sweetie Belle said as she broke out of the hug. “I still have your book, do you think we could practice some more now? I’m feeling lucky this time.”

Twilight giggled and nodded, giving the cue for the filly to dash up and get her book. Twilight and Rarity both shared a laugh, confident that this lesson would be better than the last.

One Month Later

“Hey Scootaloo, Ah’ thought you said you knew the way outta this forest?” Applebloom called from the back of the line. She kept her eyes pinned to the ground so as not to get tripped up by any loose vines.

Scootaloo huffed in annoyance. “I did, I mean, I do! It’s just so dark in here, I can’t see a thing!”

Sweetie Belle walked in the middle of the two, giggling to herself, though loud enough for the others to hear.

“What ya’ laughin’ about Sweetie Belle?”

“Oh, nothing.” She said nonchalantly, continuing to share her own private joke.

Scootaloo froze in place, making the other two bump into her. “That’s it! we came here for our exploration cutie marks, one of you must have a flashlight in your saddlebags.”

Applebloom dug around in hers, finding nothing but a half-eaten candy bar, which then became a completely eaten candy bar. “Nope, nothing. What about you Sweetie Belle?”

Calmly, Sweetie Belle backed away from the others, standing up as tall as she could manage. “I’ve got something that might help.” She closed her eyes, confusing her two friends as they tried to figure out what she was hoping to accomplish.

A minute passed with Sweetie Belle hearing only the sound of her heartbeat. Until she felt a familiar sensation, followed by the sound of gasps from her friends.

“Whoa!” They both said in unison.

Sweetie Belle slowly opened her eyes, seeing a white light encompassing the area in which they were standing. She looked up, smiling at the bright shining orb originating from her horn.