New Mentors, New Lessons

Chapter 3

Little progress behind her and with a long stretch of marble halls before her, the lavender alicorn let out a groan of displeasure as she leaned up against a wall for a moment. A wave of dizziness and nausea washing over her. Mostly it had been motion sickness from her line of sight being terribly distorted. Had the alcohol in the punch added to her exhaustion giving the sensation of being drunk? Perhaps, however she had only drunken a single glass and normally she could handle a few more before the effects had started to get to her. Then again, she had gone without sleep for the past three days so this could only be expected as she continued to struggle to walk down the halls. Pressing forth with her path, her legs felt like jelly. Twilight's knowledge of the castle didn't seem to help in this situation either, regardless of whether she knew it like the back of her hoof. The slow pace of her walk only seemed to slow even further as she began to focus on each individual step, barely able to even keep her balance by this point. It wasn't until she heard the hoofsteps of another that a bit of relief shot through her.

“Allow me.” a gentle voice said as it came up to her left side. “Will you accept my help?” Why would this stallion even ask? Couldn't he see that she was having a rough time even walking? It wasn't until she gazed up at him that she was met with a sight. The first thing her eyes saw was his gorgeous silver mane, then his luscious, yet dark blue coat. What caught her off guard though, was the very warm and inviting smile on his face and the serenely peaceful gaze in his silvery-golden orbs. Was it the alcohol or the exhaustion that was causing this? Twilight's heart jumped when her own exhausted eyes met his. It was racing almost immediately, going from a previously calm state, to intense palpitations. While it was a short-lived sensation, it was one she hadn't felt before and one she seemed to rather enjoy too.

“Please...” she begged. “...I don't trust my legs right now...” The sensation seemed to vanish almost as quickly as it had surfaced by this time. However, it had left its mark rather distinctively, as she seemed to gaze at him in a way she hadn't before.

“Would you like me to carry you or would you prefer to just lean on me?” came the alicorn stallion's next question as he tilted his head slightly to the side. Usually Twilight would've blushed at the very thought of being carried, but she was far too exhausted, and still mildly entranced from the previous sensation to even care.

“Carry....would...be nice...” she mumbled, her voice growing weaker and more distant by the second. Even the alicorn stallion would be able to see this, her eyes slowly beginning to close. Once again, Celestia had been right, as Twilight was indeed about to pass out while she leaned up against a wall. Who knows what kind of trouble this would cause if she fell asleep? It made Silver nervous as he thought about it. Even if he did find the angle her face was pressed up against the wall rather cute and mildly hilarious. Without even another word his horn lit up and a very soothing silver aura began to envelop the lavender alicorn, which lifted her up onto the stallion's back. As a precaution as well, he kept focus, leaving his telekinetic grip firmly around her just so she'd remain in place on his back as he proceeded to walk down the halls to her room.

This new sensation brought Twilight into a very strange state of mind. One that felt almost blissful as she felt as though she was being rocked to sleep. Even Silver's hoofsteps seemed to add a rhythm too it, creating a sort of lullaby for her, yet somehow at the same time, it prevented her from completely falling asleep. “Sorry...” she mumbled, “Thanks....” her voice was barely audible at this point, however he was able to pick up on it as he continued to walk.

“Its fine.” he cooed, turning back to her with a smile. “You've been through quite a bit in the past few days, so I understand.”

“T-thanks again...” was all she said, before nestling her head into his neck. Even with the telekinetic grip around her body, she felt at peace on his back. His fur was soft, very soft. It felt almost like a cloud to her as if he was cradling her like a foal. His neck, while muscular, was also very soft due to his fur. To the point where she could actually get used to something like this. Had she been aware of everything going on around her...she'd probably have a blush on her face that would be able to put even Big Mac's coat to shame.

For the stallion however, the hallway seemed to drag on forever and he had to be careful where and how he walked as so he didn't disturb the alicorn now half asleep on his back. Eventually though, after quite a long trek down the hall and up at least one flight of stairs, which seemed almost as endless as the hallway. After forcing a door open with his telekinetic grip, thankfully able to stop it before it struck the wall, his jaw dropped. The sight he had come upon was simply magnificent, almost so much so that it brought a single tear to his eye. The room reminded him almost of a library, there were multiple bookshelves, lined to the brim with book after book, scroll after scroll. All neatly shelved. The room itself also had been neatly furnished and painted a very fine shade, but low tone of velvet, ideal for reading. After taking note of the decorations his attention returned to the books that lined the shelves. This is where his jaw dropped, just by the bindings alone he could tell they were old, ancient even. Some of these he could even figure pre-dated Equestria's founding! That was just the books alone though, the scrolls were another story, some were even older than the texts, it was obvious by the type of parchment that the scroll had been made of. The final piece that caught his attention however, was the very fine telescope that sat out on the balcony as if begging to be used. It was one of the nicest models he had ever seen too. “You...are one lucky mare, Twilight...” he muttered, envious of all that she had received thus far. “One...very...lucky...mare....”

This sparked a smile to spread across her face as she slid from Silver's back, as if sensing that they had arrived in her room. Without even a second glance she just began her trek directly to the bed. This is where he once again had to guide her, walking right by her side to hold her up. Thankfully her bed wasn't that far away and she was able to collapse right on the soft sheets. It felt absolutely delightful as she inched her way up, searching for a pillow. It didn't take her long to find one either, before long, she was out completely.

“Sleep tight.” the stallion whispered, pulling the sheets over her, before turning around once again. It was here where the urge to begin reading one of the books struck him. It was almost like an uncontrollable urge, one that seemed to eat away at him as he gazed at all of the books. A bit of drool even hung from the corner of his mouth as he began to grow lost in the sweet embrace of knowledge. Silver fought hard against the desire, closing his eyes to make his way out of the room. As he reached the door, he turned back at the now-sleeping alicorn mare a bit of a grin forming on his face. 'I'd pay to see the look on her face when she sees the room in the morning...' he snickered, a soft chuckle slipping from his mouth before he left the room quietly.

“But Lulu....!” Celestia cried out, “Can't I have just one bite?!” The solar princess found it difficult to reach for her plate with the sweet chocolate cake as her own sister kept it just out of her reach with magic and a hoof to her chest.

“No!” the night princess replied, forcing her older sister back into her spot. This would be quite a sight to return to, as it was met with several ponies gazing at both of the royal sisters. For the first time in a long time they appeared to be acting like normal siblings instead of royalty. It was quite a sight for Silver to see as he returned to the party. It almost caused him to double over laughing seeing Celestia childishly trying to grab the floating plate that held her cake with her hooves. With many sorry attempts to reach around her smaller in stature sister.

“Please Lulu!” the alabaster alicorn pleaded, “Its been two months since I've had a slice!” Another attempt was made, her left hoof moved around the sapphire mare. She was denied however by the hoof, once again being pushed back with little effort.

“No Tia!” she snapped, only to be met with possibly the cutest and saddest face anypony had ever seen. Celestia's eyes had gone wide, to the point of watering and even her bottom lip was quivering. All the while she brought her front hooves together in almost a praying stance, begging her sister for the cake.

“Please...just one slice! That's all I want!” This even made Emerald double over, breaking out into a fit of laughter as he watched the hilarious sight continue to unfold. Other ponies began to follow suit as never in their life had they seen the princesses behave in such a manner. Luna only sighed as her cyan eyes gazed into the pleading magenta eyes of her sister. This wasn't a face she could resist, knowing full well she had done the very same thing over a thousand years ago for a different reason. Eventually, she gave in, unable to resist it further. As the plate lowered to the alabaster alicorn a smirk spread across Luna's face.

“I'll only give it to you....on one condition.” Luna said deviously, her smirk only growing.

“Anything!” This proved to be a death sentence for the solar princess, in her desire for cake she had forgotten one of her dear sister's most basic tricks.

“Run an extra hundred laps around the track tomorrow morning.” the night princess commented. This line seemed to snap Celestia back to her senses right away.

“A hundred extra?!”

“Yep...on top of the original amount...which brings it to...one hundred ten laps.” Luna remarked, her devious grin only growing.

“No! I'd rather go without the cake then run that many laps!” Celestia snapped, turning away from the cake almost as if it had betrayed her. The smirk on the night princess' face never seemed to vanish however, instead the cake began to lower before the solar princess. It moved gently in front of her, the sweet, luscious scent of the chocolate filling her nostrils. The chocolate alone was bad enough, making her stomach cry out, growling even louder than it should've naturally.

“If that's the case Tia...then I'll....” before Luna could finish speaking however, the single slice of cake seemed to vanish entirely from the plate. It was as if it hadn't even existed, yet, a few crumbs remained on the plate like it had. This is what caught the night princess completely off guard, her gaze shifting from the plate to her own sister. This is where she couldn't help but laugh as the evidence couldn't even be hidden very well. Smeared around the solar princess' lips was said evidence, remnants of the chocolate frosting that had been so carefully placed on the cake. How did she do it? How could she have eaten it that fast? “One hundred ten laps it is then.” was the last comment Celestia heard, her cheeks now going a bright red. Had it been worth it? Most definitely.

Once the commotion had settled down, the orange earth pony mare approached the alicorn she had seen chase after Twilight. She adjusted her hat as she approached him while he watched Luna trot off. “Where's Twilight?” Silver's ears twitched when he heard her voice, causing him to tilt his head in her direction.

“She went to bed, she was exhausted.” he replied. This caused the mare in question to have a bit of visible disappointment on her face, lightly kicking at the ground.

“Aww shucks...Ah was hopin' to play some horseshoe toss with 'er.” Her strong southern accent took a few moments to adjust to and while he did understand what she was saying, it was difficult at first.

“Well, she did seem quite tired.” a white unicorn mare joined in. “Let her rest, Applejack. I'm sure there'll be a chance for you two to play tomorrow morning before we leave.”

“Ah guess...” she smiled, her gaze shifting over to the mare. “Thanks Rars.”

Silver snickered a tiny bit, listening to the conversation very carefully. “To say the least though, when she wakes up, she'll be in for a surprise. Namely when she sees her room.” This seemed to raise a bit of curiosity in her, which he was able to quickly answer. “Chances are, she'll get lost in the books and scrolls there.”

“What?” Applejack asked, her head turning back to him. “Did ya bring the library from Ponyville to the castle or somethin'?”

“Well...you could say that.” he answered, giving a soft chuckle. “Celestia apparently went all out for her, there are some very old...and valuable scrolls, tomes and pieces of literature among the shelves...magics that were thought to be lost.” his gaze abruptly turned to Celestia, who had calmed down quite significantly now. Sipping on her tea peacefully. “Oh how I'd love to read some of them...” a shiver shot up his spine in excitement as his mind wandered back to some of the books and scrolls.

“Then....why don't ya?” the earth pony asked.

“They're Twilight's books technically.” he replied, “And it'd be inappropriate for me to read any without her permission.”

“Ah guess that makes sense.” She smiled widely at him as an idea came to mind. “Say, do you wanna join in for a game or two? It's already set up, but all the other girls are busy with something and Rars here won't play a game like this. Would be a shame to set it up just to build it down again, right?” He nodded in response, shifting a glance back at Rarity, the one who had made the tuxedo he now wore. He could understand why as well, seeing that she was a rather prim and proper unicorn. Standing firm he, grinned, now sure of it.

“Gladly, although I've never played....so I don't know the rules.” He grew a tiny bit nervous here, his ears lowering in his own embarrassment for not knowing the rules of what appeared to be a simple game.

“Don't you worry about that. You'll get it quickly.” she replied. “Now follow me and I'll show you how it works.” With this, the orange mare guided him closer to the horseshoe area before turning up to the stallion. “Its fairly easy,” she said as they arrived at the section of the garden, which was actually a short distance away from the party. “See this here stick?” she gave a small gesture in the stake's direction, which was made of a single piece of wood that was now stuck into the ground. He nodded, carefully observing. “Well, the goal is to toss these here horseshoes.” she then gestured toward the six horseshoes that rested on the ground before them, three of which were silver, the other three gold. “As close to the stick as possible, if you get one around the stick you win....however if neither of us can get one on the stick...then the closest one wins.”

This seemed to raise a question for him, as his head tilted slightly. “What happens if both of us get one on the stick?” He assumed, believing that the game only ended when you ran out of horseshoes.

“Those are Princess Luna's rules.” she remarked, laughing quietly. He too laughed when he realized this. “Easy game, right?” From here he nodded, having listened to the instructions carefully. Once he knew he had a full grasp of them he kicked up one of the horseshoes, without even realizing it he had grabbed one of the silver ones. He had picked it up with his magic, before gently placing it in his hoof. The toss was weak as his horseshoe didn't even come close, in fact, it barely made any distance.

Applejack giggled a little bit seeing how little distance it had made. “Ah figured you'd take the silver ones.” she remarked, before stomping the ground with one hoof. Somehow that made one of the gold ones fling into the air, where she caught it with her mouth. “Lemme shof you how it'f done.” With a fling of her head, the shoe would be sent flying, before coming down with a thump about five inches behind the stick, overshooting it. “Darn...I missed.”

“Great shot though.” he remarked, mimicking Applejack's movements. He stomped the ground himself, which brought up the horseshoe. Right out of the air he snatched it with his mouth before flinging it. Something he didn't count on however was the length of his mane getting in the way. While it didn't cause too many problems, it was briefly caught on the shoe, which in turn caused a bit of drag. So instead of landing five inches past the stake, it landed about ten inches short of it. “Shoot.” was the only thing that came from his mouth after that.

“You're getting the hang of this quite fast.” Applejack added, smiling at the challenge. She loved a good competition, especially in farm games like this one. “Alright...” she held her next one in her hoof, like he had done before and took careful aim. After about ten seconds, she tossed it. Instead of spinning around the stake, it struck it before bouncing off. Coming to rest right next to it instead of around it. “Oh...come on!” she cursed, before Silver spoke up again.

“Well, I was a teacher for a few years...and like your students, you must learn fast so you can stay a step ahead of them!” he said, enthusiastic. Like last time he kicked it up, however he did it a tiny bit differently than before. He snapped the edge of it with his hoof which sent it spinning in the air before landing a blow with the other hoof. Not even bothering to aim. This one landed gracefully, within about three inches of the stake. Although not as close to Applejack's last shot.

“Nice shot.” she commented, before gazing down at her hooves. She gently picked up the shoe, a little shaky about it given it was her last shot. “Last one...” she muttered, before aiming very carefully. It took a considerable amount of time, and several minutes of silence before she finally tossed it. Both hers and Silver's eyes followed the shoe's flight, it spun gracefully like a boomerang, before twirling around the stake, clanging with the one that had landed there previously. Thus making her the winner. “YEEHAW!” the earth pony cheered, casing some of the other guests to send her glances. Luna on the other hand could only giggle quietly. The actions had drawn a bit more attention now, as the green unicorn began to walk toward them. “Sorry partner. Ya sure gave me a run for mah bits though...ya're mighty good for a first timer...want revenge?”

“I'm not one for revenge.” Silver spoke up, “Plus, I have the feeling that you'd probably beat me again.” Both of them began to laugh at this point. “However...if you think I have a better chance the second time around, I believe I could give it a go.”

“Then let's give it a shot.” With these words, the mare proceeded to collect all the horseshoes. At the same time, Emerald had arrived at his brother's side with a devious grin on his face.

“I have an idea...how's about we make this game a little more....interesting? And add a bit of pressure to it?” Right away, this caught the alicorn stallion's attention. He knew what it meant too. “That is, if its fine with you.”

“Ya're a gambler, eh?” Applejack smirked, as she trotted back. “Well, Ah'm always up for a good competition...what's the call?”

“One hundred bits to the winner...I'll pay out of my own pocket too.” As he spoke, a small sack of bits levitated from one of the pockets in his tuxedo, a devious smirk still on his face. Now, normally, Applejack might've turned down the bet as she ran a farm. She knew full well just how much one hundred bits could be and she never wanted somepony to lose that sum over a bet...if that's what it can be considered. However, the cider she had drunken earlier on top of Pinkie's punch had made her a bit more...open for the idea.

“Is that okay with ya, partner?” she enquired to Silver. He nodded, gazing sharply at his brother.

“I'm not really a gambler, I just love to add a bit of flare to games.” he replied, “Plus, I love putting a bit of pressure on my elder brother.” He gave a small nudge to the alicorn, laughing softly.

“I'm up for it too...since its Emerald anteing up...he's the only one that'll lose something.”

“Ah guess...Well then.” Once again she stomped the ground, sending one of the shoes flying again, this one was a silver one which landed right on the end of the alicorn's snout. “Ya lost the last game...so ya'll go first this time.” His eyes went cross as he gazed at the silver horseshoe. He first used his magic to move it a bit, placing it in his mouth. Once the aura was gone, he flung it with far more gusto than he had used previously. That proved to be a fatal error, as it landed three feet to the left of the stake instead of going straight for it. Applejack giggled, Emerald laughed as the alicorn took note of his own mistake. He had forgotten to aim in all of his eagerness. “Oops...” was the only thing that came out of his mouth.

“Hehehe....And ah thought ah was the one who's had the hard stuff.” she taunted the alicorn. His eyes only narrowed in response. She carefully picked up her own horseshoe still laughing a tiny bit.  “Let me show ya how its really done!” She took quick aim here, and then flung the shoe. It fell a bit short, but nowhere near as off as Silver's had been. “Shucks...still not too shabby. Your turn.” To be truthful now he was starting to get a bit frustrated, almost to the point where he struck the shoe with a fair amount of force, this sent it spiraling into the air before he struck it with his front hoof like in the previous game. This shot was nearly flawless, about the only mistake he had made was the amount of force he had put behind it, causing it to fly a foot past the stake. “Seems like ya're getting back into it.” Applejack turned her head, giving him a smile. This time she used her mouth to toss it, but, to her misfortune it had landed right where the other one had. Which was something she had never seen before. “What in tarnation? Well, that's a new one for me.”

“Last one for both of you..pressure's really on now. Its all or nothing.” He said, his words proved to provoke Silver a tiny bit, causing his nerves to grow. Sweat began to form on his brow as he kicked up the last horseshoe. He took very careful aim as it was falling. At the precise moment he landed his strike. It worked perfectly as his shoe flew through the air. Through the tension he closed his eyes, waiting to hear it land and once it did he reopened them to an astonishing sight. The shoe had bounced right off the stake, landing less than an inch away, just barely making contact, but not around the stake. The pressure was on for Applejack now, she slowly closed her own eyes as she picked up this one. The mare didn't even seem to aim this time as she tossed it. What happened next was nothing short of a shock. The gold horseshoe landed perfectly, spinning right around on the stake before landing. Whether it was a fluke or not was yet to be seen, but it had happened. Upon opening her eyes, she cheered loudly, having beaten an alicorn made her day.

“Well done, it was a great game.” Silver said, extending his hoof to her. “You deserved to win.” The bag of bits levitated from the ground, a bright green aura enveloping it. This is where the mare tipped her hat, allowing the bag to fall into place before she put it back on and took the alicorn's hoof.

“Thanks a bunch ya'll. It was a mighty fun game. Ah'd like to repeat it sometime.” she remarked, shaking his hoof.

“As would I.” stated Silver, “Maybe when I'm in Ponyville again, we can go a round or two if neither of us are busy.” Her smile only grew as she listened to this.

“Then drop by whenever ya're in the area. Ya'll find me either at Sweet Apple Acers or the marketplace.”

“I'll be sure to.” he said, grinning. Emerald seemed to vanish after this moment, returning to Luna's side. After which the two seemed to vanish from the party. The rest of the evening was rather quiet, everypony there conversed quite a bit. This party went on well into the night...