Chapters Chapter 1
Was it chaos or panic in the streets of Ponyville on that day? That was the question that remained unanswered for the time being as an orange glow as cast over the land. Earth Ponies, Unicorns and Pegasi could be seen racing all over the town in a panic over everything that had happened just recently and while the problem had been solved the chaos only seemed to get worse. It was evident as to why though as the sun slowly sank behind the horizon, bringing an end to the day as the night sprang forth. Stars began to appear, followed by the light of the full moon in place of the sun. As this occurred, a figure descended upon the ground, a few deep blue feathers falling from him as he landed. Amidst all the panic, he seemed to go unnoticed, just simply trotting through the streets without a care in the world, so it seemed anyhow.
Light from the full moon seemed to give him a bit of a glimmer, causing his very mane to sparkle as he trotted quietly, in hopes of remaining unnoticed. Parting his mane on top of his head was a medium length, pointed horn, but that wasn't just the only feature that stuck out on him. His eyes even glistened as he stopped in his tracks, gazing up at the stars and moon. A soft sigh slipped from his mouth as his silvery-golden orbs gazed up to the night sky. Already he could sense what was going on and while it was a positive thing for Equestria, was it really a good thing for her? This is what plagued him. He shook his head and continued on his path. As he trotted, his eyes slowly closed, looking back on everything that had happened over the past couple of months. Recalling the very day this began.
“You're late...Silver...” a voice rang out as he stumbled into the room, a bit of a snicker following behind it at his clumsy behavior. “You should've been here fifteen minutes ago.” his eyes narrowed up at the mare, picking himself up off the floor. His gaze was met with pale magenta orbs just inches from his own face.
“Bah!” his own voice rang out in surprise, this caused him to stumble back onto the ground, this caused his position to shift relatively quickly, now he rested on his back, still facing whom had met him at the door. His eyes first locked onto the flowing rainbow mane, which followed up to a horn. The first curious point came here, when he saw the empty space on her head where her crown should be. This caused him to slowly trail down her body, her fine white coat seemed to be a bit messy, which seemed especially unusual for her. What was even more unusual though, was the distinct lack of her gold collar with the amethyst gem. It wasn't until he looked up again did he also take note of the fact that her mane was an absolute mess as well. He knew right then and there something wasn't right. He quickly collected himself, getting up on his hooves in a matter of seconds before he spoke up. “Is something wrong, Celestia?” she paid little mind to the distinct lack of formal titles, knowing that Silver often preferred to call her by just her name. It seemed to ease her troubled mind a bit when she heard him speak, as she exhaled a held breath.
Hesitation was in her eyes, causing them to shift slightly, turning away from the alicorn stallion. “I...I don't know how to put it exactly...” Her voice seemed torn, broken, raspy even, looking as though she was facing an inner struggle. The stallion could clearly see that as he was sure to close the door behind him, ensuring that nopony would hear the conversation.
“Then...why don't you just start from the beginning?” Silver inquired, “But, before that, allow me to deliver the last part of my report on the Changelings in Manehatten.” From the saddlebag, a scroll appeared, surrounded in a silvery aura which also seemed to envelop the stallion's own horn. Gently, it moved from the bag, over to the nightstand. “For later.” Celestia only nodded, turning to the scroll for a brief moment, before turning back to the deep blue alicorn.
“W-well...where exactly should I begin?” her voice seemed to break here, which is where he placed a hoof on her shoulder.
“Just...take a deep breath and relax.” he advised, to which she listened. With her hoof on her chest, she inhaled deeply and while the exhale was a bit shaky, it seemed to ease her a tiny bit. “Feel better?”
“A little...” In truth, it was quite a significant difference than it had been a little while ago. From before, she couldn't even put her thoughts into words, but now, her mind felt calmer, more at ease. At least now she actually had someone she could talk to about the situation.
“Now...do you think you could enlighten me on what has you so worked up?” It was indeed unusual to see Celestia like this, especially for Silver, considering how close he was to her. Never in his life had he seen the princess so worked up before. Normally she was extremely calm and relaxed, able to handle anything that was thrown her way. This seemed different however, her eyes alone told a tale as they were clearly bloodshot, which said to him she had lost quite a bit of sleep over the issue. 'Least she's kept it contained...' he thought, still looking over her present state.
Celestia cleared her throat, standing up like the proud alicorn she should be, even given her present condition. “Silver, before I explain everything...I must tell you that...the reason I'm like this is because of something that just came to my attention very recently.” His attention was grabbed by this, leaning in a bit closer to the princess. “Your mother...brought me something a few days ago...” his eyes seemed to go as wide as plates when he heard mentioning of his mother.
“R-really? She was here?!” his own voice cracked here, he was astonished, the last time he heard from his mother was more than six months ago, back when he fought Nightmare Moon. “What...did she bring you?” he was almost afraid of the answer at this point, well aware of what she had in her possession.
“She...brought me two journals...” His heart dropped here, knowing full well which journals she may be talking about. “A dream journal and...Starswirl's magic journal.” Silver nearly fainted when these words slipped past his ears, sweat began to fall from his brow and if his eyes could grow any wider, they surely would have. These journals, he knew about.
“W-which...dream journal?” he had to ask this, to ensure maximum clarity.
“Your great-grandfather's.” Celestia added. This caused the alicorn's entire thought process to freeze for just an instant, fear shooting up his spine when he heard it. He knew what it meant too, his great-grandfather's dream journal wasn't just any journal...it was a journal that contained visions, premonitions and even...prophecies. Nearly all of which had indeed come to fruition up to this point in Equestrian history. While he hadn't read it himself, but he could only guess what was in it. “And...she very kindly pointed me to two of the predictions...two of the very last ones in the journal.” Silver gulped, now beginning to gain some understanding of what was going to happen. Apparently these two predictions in question had really stirred up something in the princess, something that hadn't been seen in quite a while. As he thought about this though, a question struck him.
His ears perked up, eyes locking onto Celestia. “What...do these predictions have to do with Starswirl's journal?” he questioned, this caused a smirk to slowly form on the princess' face, which only made him nervous as he recognized the type of smirk very well.
“Only one prediction relates to Starswirl's journal...at least, according to your mother's interpretation.” she added, her voice growing calmer by the second. “Now...allow me to enlighten you on it...In the dream journal, the second to last prediction alludes to somepony ascending.” At first he seemed confused listening to this, which caused him to turn away, gazing at the ground for a moment, tapping his chin in thought. It didn't take him more than a second or two to put the pieces together. Celestia's slightly frantic state, Starswirl's journal and the biggest clue, a pony ascending. It hit him the moment the word 'ascending' ran through his mind it was here where he understood everything.
“...Do you mean?” she nodded, as if she had read his thought process.
“She'll be...a princess by summer's end.” Celestia's voice seemed to become one of dismay here, looking down to the ground.
“You should be proud though!” Silver stomped the floor here, as if trying to get her attention. “From what you've told me of her, she's come a long way since you sent her to Ponyville...” Silence followed as the alicorn mare's gaze slowly moved up to him. This is when he felt his own heart break. Not even in the time they had been together had he ever seen tears in Celestia's eyes. The stallion couldn't even get a read out on what she was crying about either. Was it sorrow? Was it joy? He wasn't sure, but he could still indeed see the pain in her eyes.
“I-I am...” she sniffed, holding back the tears. “I...even had a feeling she may become one, especially after how she helped save the Crystal Empire.”
“Which, mind you, was impressive.” Silver remarked, adding more to it.
“But...I thought...that there'd be more time before it was meant to happen!” A few tears began to flow here, it was tough seeing Celestia like this. “There are...so many things I feel like I need to teach her still...so many things left unsaid!” the stallion took a few steps closer to her, placing his hoof on her shoulder.
“You're not sure she's ready to ascend, are you?” he inquired. She weakly shook her head.
“No...which is why...I called you back so suddenly...” she whispered, the tears still seemed to flow a tiny bit, as she looked back up at him. “I need your help with this...” Immediately, Silver was able to guess where this might lead, his ears lowering a tiny bit as he gazed back at the princess.
“Let me guess....you want me to go to Ponyville, to observe Twilight and her friends?” It was almost as if he had read her mind, she was surprised when these words came from his mouth, but not too much. “And then send reports back to you on them and whether they are ready for this?” she was then left speechless at this moment, unable to even come up with a coherent vocal response for the stallion. All she could do was simply nod. He chuckled softly, “Now pull yourself together, Celestia, its unbecoming of a princess to cry.” she giggled at his remark before embracing him.
At first he was shocked by this, but he soon wrapped his arms around the princess. This seemed to bring her comfort, the small amount of tears seeping from her eyes vanished quickly and she became her true self again. The worried look in her eyes remained as the embrace broke, but it was much more peaceful than it had been previously. A smile returned to her face as she took a step back, her wings extended and her horn lit up brightly with a gold aura. This brought the sun over the horizon, often she would actually go outside to do this, but there were few problems otherwise, as it was a simple spell for her.
“That's why you're my favorite spy, Silver.” she remarked, her body also having returned to its former glory, minus her crown and collar. He chuckled softly at her remark, in truth, he could be considered a spy for her, but in this case, he saw himself as an informant. It was only when he had to use dirty tactics to get information was he truly considered a spy.
“Informant.” he corrected, which made her smile vanish.
“Aw...” a look of childish disappointment appeared on the princess' face in place of her smile. This indicated that she had regained her true composure.
“I'm not just an informant though, I'm also your friend...which is why I'm glad I could make you feel better.” he added, “But...what is it this job really entails?”
“To be more precise...I want you to observe the traits of the Elements of Harmony, while I know a bit about them...Twilight's friendship reports are a bit vague on the details...could you gather up information on their natural abilities? As well as possible magic abilities?” Silver's eyes became a bit perplexed at her request, with the back of his hoof, he scratched his chin to think.
“But...I thought that, aside from Twilight, there was only one other unicorn among the elements?” he asked
“There is, however, even Earth Ponies can use some degree of magic, even without realizing it.” she explained, this only seemed to add to his growing curiosity. “Six individual reports.” Upon hearing this though, he became confused, he even had to do a double take of the princess.
“Wait...six?” confusion filled his voice at this point. “But, I thought...” Her hoof met his mouth relatively quickly though, before she began to walk quietly to her balcony. For a moment, she paused, turning to him with a gesture of her hoof. He complied, trotting right up to her side.
“Silver, the sixth report...is the most important.” They both grew silent now, sitting side by side upon the balcony, both gazing at the sky above. Silver began to grow worried in the silence, it caused him to turn to the princess still with a look of confusion in his eyes. “The final report...is on Twilight, whether you believe she's ready to ascend or not...” This caused his eyes to grow even wider than plates, his pupils shrunk and a bit of sweat even dripped from his brow.
“B-but...why me? Aren't YOU her mentor?” his voice began to shake, even more confusion filled his mind along with many more questions. However, he couldn't find the words to ask anymore, instead he just sat in place, a glare locked onto the princess.
“Yes...while that may be...” she began, only to stop in mid sentence, hesitant on what she should say next. After a few moments of silence, she was able to find the words in her mind again, speaking up to the stallion. “...the fact of the matter is, I would be biased...I care about her far too much to make such a decision...I would probably...hold her back from it for a few more years at the very least and put her through even more testing to prove that she was ready.” Slowly, Silver closed his eyes as he listened to this, this was why she was upset. She loves Twilight far too much, even as her teacher. He even came to the conclusion, that if she had the choice she'd most likely send Starswirl's journal to the moon or even the sun. In this matter however, it was different, she couldn't deny somepony their destiny, no matter how much she loved them.
“And...you want me to make the final analysis...am I correct?” She could only nod, now being forced into silence by the stallion. “Why me though? Answer that.” She turned to him in a flash, her eyes locked on to him.
“Because...I know you were a teacher at my academy for a few years...” His cheeks flushed here, a bit embarrassed that she even knew about this. “I read through your records and they said you were the toughest teacher there....” His blush only began to grow when she said this, he wanted to speak up about it, but was cut off again by the princess. “And plus...Twilight wouldn't know this...she wouldn't know that you were a teacher unless you told her.” This much was true, looking back on the last time he had met the lavender unicorn, he didn't recall ever mentioning he was a teacher.
He froze in place, his mind growing blank for a few minutes. A response was out of the question to this job request, it may very well be beyond his skills. He wasn't even sure he should take this one, especially since it consisted of him having to gather personal information on particular ponies. This wasn't out of the ordinary for him though as he seemed to be accustomed to it. It wasn't until his body forced a yawn, that he finally snapped back to his senses. Should he take this job? Should he 'test' Twilight Sparkle? Was he even worthy to do such a thing?
“If its...too much for you, you don't need to take the job...the other five reports are optional.” Celestia added, “But...as a favor to a friend...please...can you evaluate Twilight and help me decide whether she's ready or not?” This seemed to hit him rather low. A favor to a friend...his eyes narrowed at these words, before closing. He sighed in his thoughts as if struggling with his decision. He wanted to help right away, but guilt seemed to strike his conscious very hard, which made him continue to think very carefully. By the time he snapped back to reality completely, the sun had completely risen over the horizon.
Celestia's face seemed to grow a bit darker as he turned to her. She assumed the worst, knowing how good of a pony Silver was, regardless of some of his bad habits. It was a high possibility that he might turn down the job. Very high. “I'll...do it.” he hesitated, “All of it...all of the reports, not just Twilight's final evaluation.” Her expression seemed to morph instantly at these words, before pulling him into an embrace instantly.
“Thank you!” the alicorn pushed her away however, seemingly in anger.
“I'm doing this for Twilight's sake...not yours.” his tone changed drastically here, filling with what seemed like anger and...disappointment. “None of us can fight destiny, Celestia...Twilight's...is a tough one to call...I don't know whether to say its a blessing...or a curse in disguise of a blessing...you and Luna, should know more than anypony else what it means to be an alicorn.” She knew alright, she truly did know. These words were like poison to her, stinging in a wound that struck her in the heart. His words made her bring a hoof up to her chest, right where her heart should be. She looked down for a moment, before gazing back up at Silver. By this time he was already trotting toward the door, his rage filled expression vanished.
“Be sure to return once your evaluation is complete!” she stated as he reached for the door.
“Don't worry...I'll be back once I'm done.” Those were his last words as he left the room.
No matter how hard he tried to forget, this day was forever burned into his memory. That was nearly four months ago. Rage boiled in him as he looked back, it was too late now. No turning back. Was it regret for the decision he had to make? Perhaps. Was it frustration with 'destiny'? That was yet to be seen as he trotted through the streets of Ponyville. As the chaos seemed to die down, he let out a sigh before stopping in his tracks. Once again his eyes trailed up to the sky, a strange sensation filling his very being. He could feel it from the base of his horn to the very tip. A spark of magic shooting out in reaction to it. His wings even trembled from what was going on. Even from this distance, he could sense it, he was certain all other alicorns in Equestria could as well, as it was an event that only happened once in a lifetime. A princess was about to rise. As he gazed up at the stars, his ears twitched. They picked up on approaching commotion, this sent him into a short-lived panic, causing his head to shift from right to left. The voices seemed to grow louder and he recognized them easily, knowing very well who they were. It was the voices of the other five elements and Twilight's dragon assistant.
'No...not yet!' he screamed in his head. His horn lit up without a second thought, before he vanished from the streets with a bright silver 'pop'.
Lies, Tasks, Parties and Cake.
Chapter 2
Inconceivable. This was the word that could best describe Twilight's present train of thought. In all of Equestrian history, it had been thought that it was impossible for a pony to actually become an alicorn, let alone royalty. Not even in her wildest dreams did she ever think that she'd become a princess. Why did she, of all ponies become a princess? She thought over everything that had happened to her over the past few years, starting with Nightmare Moon, going all the way to this day. Nothing about it seemed to point in the direction of her becoming one. Only one thing seemed to stick out in her mind right away and that was her brother's marriage of Princess Cadence, but aside from this, nothing else seemed to stick out. The more she thought about it though, the more she began to pick up on subtle clues that had been there. Normally she might not of noticed these clues, but her new form had invigorated her with energy that she hadn't ever felt before. It felt exhilarating to a certain degree. The first came to her in the form of her Object of Harmony. Why was it in the shape of a tiara? This made the events of today seem even more suspicious.
The next clue came in the form of Nightmare Moon, recalling what had transpired on that particular day as well. Why was it she was sent to Ponyville on that day? Could there really of been a deeper reason behind it all? It was possible, but it was also possible she was over-thinking her present situation, which wasn't really a situation. As she continued to trot by her mentor's side, Twilight let out a very soft sigh, letting it ease the thoughts still racing through her mind.
“Is something troubling you, Twilight?” Celestia's voice rang out, which seemed to snap her back to reality. Other thoughts, ones involving Discord and even the Crystal Empire seemed pointless now upon hearing her mentor's voice. Yet, it seemed to make her even more curious as she looked up at her.
“Princess...I...” Before she could speak further, and ask any questions whatsoever, the princess brought up her hoof, stopping dead in her own tracks.
“No more need for formal titles.” Celestia whispered, leaning down closer to her student. “We're both princesses now...so you can simply call me by name.” The thought of this made Twilight uncomfortable right away, she had become accustomed to formally addressing her mentor, yet, she seemed keen on dropping formal titles, it was particularly present especially with the look in her eyes.
“Celestia...I...I have to ask...Are you sure I really am meant to be a princess?” Twilight asked, the sun princess seemed relatively unfazed by the question. She simply smiled, placing her hoof on her student's shoulder for reassurance.
“Yes, Twilight, I'm sure you are.” her voice seemed to reassure the new alicorn a tiny bit, but not very much. It only worked to raise even more questions instead, which seemed to make her nervous. It was apparent by the look on her face.
“But...what if I'm not ready!?” Twilight's voice grew very shaky, a bit of doubt running through her mind.
“You've been ready for...quite a while.” Celestia replied, “I already told you this...you're ready to help both Luna and I lead the ponies of Equestria.”
“But...what if I....!?” Twilight seemed flustered, continuing to wonder how her mentor was so sure of everything.
“Calm down...everything will be answered once we get to the library.” The walk resumed as the two of them, followed closely behind by Spike continued on their trek to the library. All of them remained silent the entire way, even if Twilight seemed a bit jittery, still recalling all of her past achievements. Was this the reward for having saved Equestria the times she had? If so, why weren't her friends included, why was it that she was the only one truly receiving the benefits? Was it because she was Celestia's student? There had to be more to it than what was on the surface and she was determined to find her answers. One way or another.
The door opened slowly to the library and what the three came upon simply astonished them. Twilight's jaw was the first to drop when her eyes locked onto the sheer level of organization that had befallen the library. There hadn't been the smallest hint of a rearrangement, yet, something felt a bit different about it. The incredible organization aside, she had taken notice of a strange aroma that seemed to linger in the air. It was one she failed to recognize at first and one she could hardly notice unless she actually thought about it. It was a peaceful scent and one she seemed to enjoy almost right away. Before long it hit her, the scent, it was one similar to the smell of freshly fallen rain on a summer's day. It was then that she snapped back to her senses, locking right onto her desk near the window.
From a small box a bit of smoke rose up, circulating around the room. 'Incense!' she screamed in her head. Question was though, how could she of smelled it out from this distance? Better yet, who even brought it in here! In a mental quest to figure out who had left it, her gaze shifted around the room. Everything seemed to be in its appropriate place which had been strange, even stranger was the fact that, the scorch mark that should've been on the floor where Twilight had been zapped by the other Elements of Harmony had vanished too. It was almost as if somepony had cleaned it up, as well as all the mess in the library. What astonished her more was, as far as her eyes could tell, there wasn't even a single speck of dust on any surface. Whoever had cleaned the library, had gone the extra mile. Today, the questions seemed to stack up very quickly, leaving her in a state of confusion. To the point where she was just scratching her head.
That was, until a deep blue alicorn stallion with a long silver mane entered from the kitchen. Twilight, Spike and Celestia knew immediately who it was, what caught them off guard however was what he wore. Never in Twilight's life had she seen a pony wear that before, Spike immediately doubled over laughing at it. Celestia soon joined him, only laughing softer as she had seen him wear something like it before. Even the lavender alicorn couldn't help but laugh at the sight. It was almost too perfect when they saw it, a french maid's outfit, on a stallion no less. It was a sight to behold indeed, especially considering he was carrying around a feather duster while humming a tune. His ears perked up immediately when he heard the laughter, which only made his entire face glow a very bright red, so bright that even his dark coat couldn't hide it. The sun princess wanted to make a remark here about it right away, considering how cute he looked, but she refrained from it. Not wanting to cause any further embarrassment on the poor stallion than he already had.
“Oh damn....” he muttered, before he dove right back into the kitchen to hide his shame. Only to return once the laughter had died down and he had removed the maid's outfit. The question Twilight had though was, why was he even in that outfit to begin with? What purpose did it serve for him? Celestia seemed to know however, it was apparent by the look in her eyes. Even after he had returned without it.
“Silver...what're you doing here?” was the first question Twilight asked, above all the others she had assumed he had gone off on another job for the princess, even stranger, he was here in the library, almost like he had known everything was going to happen. It was suspicious to her and judging by how clean and organized the place had been when she entered, he had been here for at least a few hours working diligently. The stallion in question only smirked before he trotted over to the two others, first placing his hoof on her shoulder, only sending a brief glance to Celestia as if asking for something with his eyes.
She simply nodded before he turned back to Twilight. “Let me be the first...to welcome you to the fold, Twilight.” the tone of his voice was elated, she could sense this right away. “I congratulate you for passing your final test.” These words seemed to strike something in her, enough so for her to pull away from him. She took a step back from both of the alicorns, she felt as though something had been off from the beginning especially with the stallion here, but with what he had said, she was positive now.
“F-final...test...?” she inquired, bewildered by the two. Shifting glances between them only made her more uncomfortable, given that she couldn't even bring herself to make eye contact with either of them. “W-what...do you mean?”
The solar princess looked as though she was about to speak up here, however, when the stallion raised his hoof she froze for the first time. Almost as if she knew what he was going to say. The expression in Silver's eyes began to morph, going from a calm and peaceful gaze, to one of seriousness. “That spell...it wouldn't of been sent to you, had you not been ready.” he spoke up, this response failed to answer any questions for Twilight, instead it only raised more. “Starswirl's final spell...his magic journal...my entire family has guarded it for generations....” her pupils dilated a tiny bit when these words reached her ears, she knew a pony aside from the princesses, who had a connection to Starswirl!
“R-really!?” she asked, “Then that means you've...!”
Silver only nodded, as if he had anticipated what she was going to say. “Our ancestor...his most prized apprentice...was given this journal while he was on his deathbed...not to complete the spell, but to watch over it until the time was right.” He slowly closed his eyes, taking a step back from the new princess. “Which brings on my next point...” Here is when Celestia stepped in, clearing her throat as if to call attention to herself.
“About...three months ago, his mother came to me with two journals. One was Starswirl's journal and the other was a dream journal.” With more confusion added, Twilight took a step forward. Some of her fears and questions seemed to be answered, but only more questions seemed to rise. A dream journal was a way ponies recorded and interpreted their dreams, so she couldn't help but feel a tiny bit confused as to why a dream journal would've been mentioned. Yet, her curiosity seemed to burn as she listened on. “Not just any dream journal either...the dream journal of...Silver's great-grandfather...the Archmage from over a hundred years ago.”
“You mean...?” Silver nodded to Twilight's now shaky question.
“Yes...THAT Archmage.” their response was simultaneous. “And when Ivy actually pointed out one prediction in particular, I had the same look on my face as you do right now.” Twilight's expression was not just one of shock, but also one of astonishment and even greater curiosity. She had read about this Archmage in Canterlot's history. He hadn't been a very strong unicorn in terms of his magic, but he had a gift, the gift of foresight. Which even by pony standards was a very rare gift, one that hadn't been seen for generations. It had been said that every single thing he foresaw, had indeed come true at one point or another. While she was iffy on the details of each prediction, legend claimed he had left two predictions behind before his death, these predictions of which he claimed 'would shape Equestria for years to come'.
“And...what did the prediction say?” she gulped, to be truthful she feared the response, although it was predictable as to what it could say.
“It said...that a student of mine would become an alicorn on the eve of the summer solstice.” Her mentor seemed to hesitate at this moment, bringing her hoof up to her chin to think. “The better way to put it is...he predicted that YOU would be an alicorn...one unlike any other....the translation however wasn't very clear...” The lavender alicorn's eyes grew as wide as saucer plates and her jaw dropped. “But, to be clear, it WASN'T a prophecy, it was merely a prediction...which meant to me that...I had the final say in whether it happens or not.”
“And...you believe I'm truly deserving of it?” Celestia only snickered at her student's question.
“No...not me in this case...” Was her only response, this proved to confuse Twilight even further than she had been previously. That was, until Silver raised a hoof with his signature smirk plastered over his face.
“I am actually the one that made the final decision in this situation.” he explained, “You remember when I came to Ponyville back in March on one of my 'jobs' for Celestia? Well, that job...wasn't actually to gather a bit more information on the Elements of Harmony, but...to test you, to evaluate you and see if you're truly ready for your destiny.” This came as even more of a shock to the new princess, it was almost enough to cause her to faint, however with some deep breathing exercises that she had picked up on just recently she was able to calm herself.
“Y-you mean...you LIED TO ME!?” Twilight snapped here, even with the deep breathing she was upset. Anger began to surface a tiny bit, however, both of the other alicorns simply shook their heads.
“I didn't lie Twilight. I had two jobs here.” he continued, “My prime task was to evaluate you and see if you're ready to become both an alicorn AND a princess. To see if you were mature enough to handle it, in both magic and mind...I was also given an optional objective that I still did in my free time...gather information on the other Elements of Harmony.” Right by his side stood Celestia, only nodding in reassurance. Upon hearing this explanation, Twilight relaxed a bit finally. Put at ease by the fact that one of her newest friends that she had made over the past couple of months had just explained everything. With the information that he had indeed been evaluating her, it explained everything, not just how he was there, but how Celestia had known she was ready and even though she was unsure of this, she knew she could trust the judgement of both of the alicorns.
“I think...I'll be taking my leave now.” Celestia uttered, taking both Twilight and Silver by surprise.
“But what about...?” Silver questioned.
“I trust you'll help her gather all of her belongings...her coronation will be in a few days.” He was stopped dead in his tracks, only to chuckle softly.
“Understood, Celestia, I'll handle all the arrangements from here.”
“Huzzah!” came Luna's shout as her final horseshoe twirled around the stake. That was the third time in a row that she had beaten somepony too. The green orbs of the mare in question had watched as the horseshoe was flung from the princess' hoof, before twirling gracefully around the stake, only to land very softly in the grass around it. It was...another victory for the lunar princess. How had she done it? How had she landed a perfect shot like that? Even with all of her experience in this game, she hadn't ever gotten a shot that flawless before. Her eyes only narrowed in the direction of the princess, at first she'd assume that her opponent had used magic, but that was quickly tossed out the window. Especially when she trotted up to her side with a hoof extended. “That was a great game, Applejack, I'll have to play you again sometime.”
A grin spread across the earth pony's face as she took the princess' hoof. “Ah didn't think you'd be THAT good at this game.” Luna only laughed in response to this, as a forest green unicorn stallion trotted up to her side. Evidence of a minor limp in his front right leg were still present, but hardly noticeable among all the festivities. Especially given he had seen the entire round from the very beginning. Keeping a watch on how well the princess had played the entire time. Especially considering it was only her fourth round.
“You'd be surprised how good Luna is at games.” he remarked.
“Really now?” Applejack asked, her attention now on the unicorn. A subtle smirk began to move across his face when she asked this, before he looked down with a small laugh.
“I can't beat her in anything....” Luna laughed at this remark, but it wasn't out of arrogance. It was here that the look in her eyes began to change when they met the look in the unicorn's brown eyes.
“Well now, I wouldn't say that, Emerald.” These words seemed to spark something in his eyes, which brought a smile to his face. The change was almost immediate too as she moved in a little closer to give him a very soft peck on the cheek. It was a rather sweet sight, especially when he leaned in a bit closer to give her a small kiss on her forehead, right beneath her horn. An odd sound emanated from the princess' throat the instant he did, which only made her cheeks glow a rather soft shade of red which was concealed by her sapphire coat. The very tips of their noses touched right after this and they seemed to gaze into each other's eyes. This moment however seemed short-lived as the childish singing of a certain other alicorn could be heard from across the garden.
“Luna and Emerald, sitting beneath a tree...!” a stallion's voice echoed, the tone rather teasing and obnoxious too. His voice seemed to snap the two right out of it, which everypony else had simply turned away from out of respect. Well, except for a certain marshmallow colored unicorn, who seemed to be eyeing the entire moment between them. The reaction proved to be instantaneous, especially from the unicorn stallion, his face turned red entirely, before pulling back from Luna. She followed suit, before both of them turned their gaze on the alicorn.
The harsh gaze silenced him instantly and he resumed what he had been doing before. From the two, he turned back to somepony that grasped Emerald's attention. Was it the light shade of cerise of her coat or was it the violet, rose and gold colors in her mane that seemed to draw his attention? The unicorn stallion couldn't put his hoof on it, but something felt familiar about her, as if he had seen her somewhere before. He took immediate note of the stallion that stood beside her, a white unicorn. This pony he recognized however, as he had spoken with him on countless occasions before he had moved to the Crystal Empire.
'If that's Shining Armor...then she must be Princess Cadence.' he thought, as he trotted up to his brother's side. Where had he seen her before?
“This is my brother Emerald.” Silver stated, “I take it you remember him?” It took only a few seconds after simply hearing his name before the cerise alicorn reacted. Immediately she pulled the green unicorn into a tight embrace which seemed to break him from the intense gaze he had locked on her. It came as a shock to him right away, as he attempted to pull away from the embrace.
“Emerald!” she called out, as she held him out in her hooves for a moment. “You've gotten so big!” Her eyes trailed over every inch of his body, taking note of how well taken care of it was. He was in excellent shape, rivaling even her husband. For a moment she even had to turn to him to check for physical differences. “And...your fitness...it even rivals Shiny too.” Both Emerald and Shining Armor's face lit up with a bit of a blush when they heard these words, which made caused a soft chuckle. “Who would've thought that, the cute little foal I watched, would turn out so handsome.”
Frozen would be the best way to describe the green unicorn here. Frozen mostly in embarrassment, given he wasn't quite used to the attention he was now receiving. It was at this moment however, that everything about her came flooding back. He remembered her caring for him when he was younger. She had been like a mother to him in those days, they were indeed happier times, although not as happy times as things stood now. As she continued to eyeball him, his eyes seemed to trail off just slightly over to Shining Armor. The look on the stallion's face was one of displeasure, directed at Emerald no less. One filled with jealousy, namely due to the fact that his wife was now eyeballing another stallion a tiny bit. The looks soon ceased as the green unicorn took a step back to indicate his discomfort. Which is when the princess snapped back to her senses.
“Oh! I'm sorry Emerald.” she acknowledged, her cheeks burning red a tiny bit.
“Its not me you should apologize to though...” Emerald stated, gesturing a hoof in Shining Armor's direction. Without question, she immediately placed a kiss on the white stallion's lips, which seemed to soothe his frustration immediately. The kiss only lasted a few moments, but when it broke his demeanor had changed drastically and he did appear to be more relaxed. “I'm sorry Shining Armor.”
His eye twitched slightly, before he sighed. “Its fine, Emerald...no harm done.”
The subject seemed to change relatively quickly once Silver spoke up however, a grin on his face. “So...how have things been going for you and Cadence lately?” he asked, “Last I spoke with her...you two kind of hit a rough spot.”
“Everything has calmed down since then, your advice was right...we just needed a bit of time to let the dust settle.” he replied, a smile forming on his lips. “So, thank you Silver.”
“Its not a problem, anything for my best friend.” he remarked, earning a small glare from his younger brother. He spotted this right away, his gaze shifted for a moment. “Well, its true!”
“Speaking of relationships....how's yours with Aunt Luna?” This question caught Emerald completely off guard, which caused him to shift glances between all three ponies. Now, he was one to keep his affairs private and in this case, he did it not only for his sake, but for Luna's as well.
“Nearing the six month mark and still going strong.” Emerald muttered,
“That's great to hear! Especially for Aunt Luna's sake, I've never seen her so cheerful before.” Cadence exclaimed, her smile only widening.
Meanwhile, the guest of honor, Twilight Sparkle sat quietly next to her mentor. Both looked on as the party continued, whether it was Luna's constant victories over ponies in horseshoes, this time it had been the cyan colored pegasus with the chromatic mane that she had beaten in a round. She could only laugh as she watched her friend challenge Luna to a rematch right after the defeat, which to her seemed rather fruitless as by this time, the lunar princess had gained the ability to get at least two shoes around the stake.
Overall, everypony could be seen enjoying the party, save for Twilight herself. It wasn't that she didn't enjoy a good party, it was just something else seemed to be bothering her, and even Celestia could see it very clearly. The past few days alone had been exhausting as she had packed up all of her belongings in the library to have them moved back to Canterlot. Not only that though, adding to her exhaustion was the simple fact of her new body. While brimming with energy, it required quite the adjustment and she had overdone it in the few days she spent packing up. Regardless of the fact she had help with it.
“Twilight, are you okay?” Celestia asked, expressing her concern to her student.
With a sigh and a restrained yawn she smiled. “Yes pr—Celestia. Just a little tired is all. I haven't really had the chance to rest over the past few days is all. I'll manage though, don't worry. I don't wanna fall asleep at my own party after all.” A bit of worry flowed through the solar princess as she watched her student push herself up to her hooves, taking note of just how hard she was pushing herself just after becoming an alicorn. It was painful to watch. “I think I'll get myself a drink.” With this said, she began to trot in the direction of the refreshments table, where Emerald, Silver, Shining Armor and Cadence could still be seen chatting.
Silver took immediate note of this, turning in Twilight's direction. “I'd be weary of the punch, Twilight.” he pointed out.
“Why's that?” she asked, only glancing at him for a brief moment.
“The punch was spiked.” he retorted, earning a snicker from the lavender alicorn.
“This isn't my first Pinkie Party, Silver. I know she spikes the punch when there are no fillies or colts coming. Thanks for the warning though.” He frowned in response to this, his attention returning to Cadence and Shining Armor. Only to laugh softly, along with Emerald.
“Last time Silver was at a party with spiked punch...it got really out of hand.” the unicorn remarked, earning a sneer from his elder brother.
“Is that so? Then he should keep his hooves off of the punch, right?” the alicorn turned his attention back to Twilight.
“It only got out of hand because they roped me into a drinking contest...a few too many, and of course something will get wild.” he added onto the story.
“But you only had THREE DRINKS!” Emerald snapped, “Count them...THREE DRINKS before you cracked!”
“But! It was strong alcohol Emerald!” Silver retorted.
“Still no excuse.” the unicorn laughed, taking a small sip of his own glass of punch. “What was in that punch is nothing...and compared to this party...its also kind of weak. You just can't hold your alcohol.” Silver felt defeated here, having been bested in an argument by his own brother, his jaw dropped, leaving him speechless.
“Not everypony can handle alcohol well. Rarity gets quite tipsy after just two glasses. Its nothing to be ashamed of.” Her gaze locked onto Emerald here. “And especially no reason to poke fun at somepony.”
“Its not the fact of how little he can handle though...but, of what he does once he's past that point.” the unicorn explained, “Its part of the reason we don't allow him to drink anymore...even a party among friends...” Twilight only nodded in understanding. With her own glass of punch levitating by her side she quickly embraced her elder brother before returning to her mentor's side. Another few minutes seemed to pass before Silver gestured softly, excusing himself from the conversation. Only to make his way over to Celestia and Twilight.
“Would the princesses mind if I joined them?” he smiled.
“Fine by me.” Celestia replied, before her gaze shifted down to her student, who only gave a simple nod, not even bothering to look up at Silver.
“No objections, just don't call me princess, alright?” With this, he took a seat right beside the new alicorn. Twilight gazed back up at him and even though she was used to the sight of alicorns she couldn't really shake the odd sensation she felt when she was around this particular one. Was it the fact he was a stallion that made her feel like this? Or was it just her new body playing tricks on her? As the sight of a male alicorn was quite uncommon, even by alicorn standards. Even with the constant barrage of questions though, nothing seemed to want to come out of her mouth, save for a single smile. The smile was broken however by a very quiet, yet very long yawn.
“So...is there anything you need, Silver?” Even with her level of exhaustion she was still able to think coherently to a degree as well as listen.
“I just want you to know...my information gathering services are now at your disposal.” he stated, “As an informant its my duty to ensure you remain updated on all the details of what is going on in Equestria.”
Her gaze remained stoic, given her mind was barely able to process the information before she spoke up again. “So...you are to Celestia and to me now I assume, as to what scouts are to my brother?”
“In a sense, yes....However, my job is much more complicated than I've made it sound.” he explained, “I've only used the word 'informant' as the easiest way to describe it...but, considering I have to use more...devious methods to gather information at times...you can even consider me a spy.” When this registered in Twilight's exhausted mind, her gaze shifted to her mentor, with a small head tilt.
“We have spies?” She enquired, her eyes growing a tiny bit wider and a bit of energy shooting through her.
“Of course we have, Twilight.” the alabaster alicorn replied, taking a sip of tea after the statement. “They're a bit old fashioned, given the peaceful times we live in today, but keeping up to date on all the affairs around the world is still vital. For example, when engaging in diplomacy with the other kingdoms.”
Silver caught her here, clearing his throat. “Except the Griffin Kingdom...you know very well I'm not allowed to go back there.” he remarked.
“You may not...” Celestia chuckled, “But you know as well as I do, that you're not the only source of information, Silver.”
He smirked here, “Too true.” he added, chuckling softly. “But overall, my information, as I've already told you, often remains in Equestria. I don't leave too often.”
“I can imagine.” said the lavender mare, now rejoining the conversation after having listened to it go back and forth between the solar princess and the stallion. “Its hard enough for an alicorn to keep a low profile inside Equestria already. I can only guess how difficult it'd be outside our borders.” This earned a nod from the stallion.
“Indeed it is...its even worse given alicorns are seen as royalty or nobility.”
“Tell me about it...” Twilight's new wings seemed to unfold by themselves, as if it had been second nature. It caused her to shift a glance to them. As she gazed at them, she began to realize that she didn't quite understand how she had moved the yet, but just the fact that she could even without giving it a second thought was enough for her at least for the moment. “I always wondered why there were so few of them anyway. Its pretty much just a mix between a pegasus and unicorn. So I'd assume that there would be more alicorns in Equestria, given the number of pegasus-unicorn couples out there.” Celestia kept quiet as Twilight spoke and she was actually thankful that her student wasn't at her best right now, as it prevented her from taking notice of her silence.
Silver on the other hand was already eager to answer this, a grin plastered on his face as if he was wanting to teach again. The solar princess seemed to take notice of the smile as well, which seemed to bring about her own smile. “Well...” he began, “In terms of genetics, it can be a rather rare occurrence. It requires a very strong bloodline of unicorn magic and a very strong pegasus bloodline too...without both, the only other way to become one, is essentially the way you became one.” Twilight's wings seemed to fold up here after she took a second glance at them, this time gazing at them a bit longer.
“I guess unicorns and pegasi will never get around, huh?” she giggled softly, thinking back to the founding of Equestria. True, none of the three tribes had really seen eye to eye back then, but in particular, the pegasi and unicorns seemed to really be at each other's necks the most.
“Oh they got around, in terms of my parents.” he chuckled, “And on my travels, I saw quite a few unicorn and pegasus couples...Las Pegasus is one wild city.”
Twilight rolled her eyes. “Guess I really should leave the jokes to Pinkie...” she mumbled, before taking another sip of her punch, thus emptying the glass.
“I'm sorry...I've never been good at telling jokes.” Silver frowned, lowering is ears a tiny bit. Twilight only giggled here, it was one that was very short lived though.
“Wow...I must be really b ad at it if you can't even tell that I was the one telling it.” in the middle of her second laugh however, she stopped. Closing her eyes for a moment, she visibly wobbled, feeling a bit light-headed and rather dizzy. “Wow...” came her voice once her eyes had opened again. “Sorry princess, Silver, but I should really get some rest. I feel like I could pass out on the spot.”
“Of course Twilight...I bet Spike is waiting for you as well. You shouldn't make him worry.” Celestia nodded. Twilight only smiled back at her mentor, knowing full well she wouldn't ever lose that image she had of the princess. Before embracing her briefly.
“Thank you...it was a great party!”
“Have a wonderful rest, Twilight.” Silver said, his attention shifting to Celestia as the new princess trotted off.
“I'd be disappointed if you didn't follow her.” the solar princess said, her smile never vanishing. “I didn't think I had to order you to.” The stallion's expression seemed to melt, going from one of seriousness to a very kind smile.
“I had every intention of escorting her back to her room...but...I have the feeling you have another job for me to do...another job on top of the previous one you gave me.” Her magenta eyes seemed to lock onto the stallion at this point, even though her smile hadn't vanished or dimished in the least.
“I do...” she spoke up, “But, I will tell you about it later. For now, I simply just want you to ensure she reaches her room safely.” the princess giggled softly here. “If she passed out on the floor and one of the guards found her...Shining Armor wouldn't let me hear the end of it.”
Silver gave a soft salute to the princess with his left hoof before picking himself up. “I'm on it.” were the last words she had expected to hear from him. However, this wasn't the case as he spoke up one more time as he began to trot, slowly turning back in her direction. “One more thing...I'd be careful in eyeballing that cake...Luna and Emerald even said, they'd keep you away from it if they had to.”
Celestia froze completely when these words passed through her ears. She had expected him to go after Twilight immediately, but now here she sat with him gazing at the back of her head. A piece of cake floating before her. The cake was coated in chocolate frosting, with chocolate whip cream. And at the very top of her slice, sat a single strawberry that had been coated in chocolate. Her mouth had been watering for just a single slice since she had laid her eyes on the scrumptious cake. It would be a delight to even have just one bite. This slice in particular she had snuck, hiding it beneath the small table she sat beside hoping that nopony would notice her eating this sugary delight. If it was an award for an awkward moment, this would indeed be the winner.
“Luna even said you're on a diet...party or no party.” he remarked, “But, I won't tell...but you better hope neither of them find out though.” He couldn't help but laugh as he resumed his trek down the halls after Twilight, picking up his pace to a gallop. This left Celestia frozen with the evidence unable to even react. How had he figured it out? The solar princess wasn't surprised at what happened next either, having a pair of cyan eyes locked on her from across the table.
“Tia....” the lunar princess began.
“Ehehehehe....”
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...
Chapter 4
She probably would've slept the rest of the day away had it not been for the soft ray of light piercing through one of the windows in her room. With the curtain open just enough, this ray could slink in and blast the unsuspecting and still sleeping alicorn directly in the face. At first she was able to just ignore it, but after just a few seconds of a direct blast it was quickly able to pull her from dream land. Not only was the heat from the ray intense, but the brightness seemed to add to it. Right away she rolled over onto her left side, which helped, but the relief was short-lived as the ray had done what it had intended on doing. With a yawn, the lavender alicorn pulled herself up in her bed rubbing her eyes with her hooves at first. It didn't seem to take all that long for her eyes to adjust to the brightness of the room, considering most of the curtains were closed for the time being. Her horn quickly lit up, closing the cause of her awakening. With the incriminating curtain closed she could relax a tiny bit. That was, until her mind began to register her surroundings.
Even with the curtains closed she could clearly see what was in the room, but with her current level of grogginess it took a few minutes for her surroundings to even register. Once she was able to register them however, her wings shot out immediately, as if in excitement. With how fast they shot out, a 'fwoomph' sound could be made out. Along with her wings, her eyes also grew wide as they trailed over the seemingly endless rows of bookshelves. Where was she? In the Canterlot Archives? No that couldn't be it. Why would she be in there? It was as her eyes were trailing over the shelves that she truly began to take notice of everything. First it was the tomes that tipped her off, the bindings and hard covers of them were...terribly worn, as if they had been through quite a bit. As if it wasn't enough for her, she took a second note about some of the scrolls that were so very neatly stacked on the shelves, the parchment looked old, as if they had withered quite a bit as well. What did these tomes and scrolls mean to the princess, aside from new reading material? She didn't quite know yet, especially given she had just woken up.
While Twilight was still in a daze, a knock came to the door followed by the sound of a voice. “Are you awake, Twilight?” It was Silver's, it was a relief too to hear a familiar voice with her new surroundings. As if on instinct her horn lit up briefly, causing the doors to swing open just enough to indicate he was welcomed inside. Upon his entry a snicker could be faintly heard from him as if he had been expecting to see the present look on the lavender unicorn's face. It wasn't JUST this that made him laugh however, even though with her eyes as wide as they were and her mouth slightly agape, what really sold it for him was the fact her wings were fully extended while her eyes gazed around the room. This was the reaction he had hoped for, the one he would've paid to see. To him, it could be described as one word. Priceless.
Soon after he stepped in however, the scent of something very sweet wafted by Twilight's nostrils. The delectable scent made her stomach growl rather loudly which caused her attention to shift over to the stallion now approaching her bed. It was only when her eyes met with the approaching stallion's did something else occur, a sensation, a feeling she had never felt before in her life washed over her. It wasn't a positive sensation like last night's, but something far...more painful. What she saw only seemed to last a brief instance, but it seemed to hit home with her relatively hard. Something in the back of his eyes, buried deep within, she had caught a glimpse of it. His eyes couldn't hide it, nor could the strange, barely visible glow around him. That is, if you could call something that black a glow. Never in her life had she felt something so empty...something so broken. How was it this alicorn was still in one piece?
“Twilight?” Silver called out, as he pushed the tray to the side of her bed. This proved to snap her right out of the trance she appeared to be in, even though it left her with an abundance of new questions. Right away she wanted to ask them, in hopes she could possibly help him. Before she could though, the strong scent of the food returned to her, passing right by her nostrils. Slowly, her eyes shifted down, their gaze locking onto what was on the plate before her and it was enough to make her drool, in fact, it actually did. Which seemed to bring the stallion even more amusement. “Unbecoming of a princess to drool.” he remarked, laughing softly again. Twilight didn't seem to care at his remark however, as her eyes had already locked onto what rested on her plate. Pancakes, sweet, sweet pancakes. It had been quite a while since she had them. Even better though, they were blueberry too! She loved blueberry pancakes, they had been her all time favorite breakfast meal since as far back as she could remember. On top of that, they also had raspberry syrup! This was going to be a great morning for her, she could already tell just by the breakfast. Without a second thought, her horn lit up again, taking ahold of one of them, wrapping it up in a tortilla shape as if it was a burrito, before taking her first bite.
That first bite was met with a rush of flavor she had never experienced before. In it not only could she taste the baked batter of the pancakes, but with it, the sweet and savory flavor of the blueberries. It seemed a bit overwhelming as the flavor flowed through every corner of her mouth. It wasn't until the taste of the raspberry syrup struck her that everything seemed to change. In a moment her mind was swimming in sweet bliss. She had never tasted something this delicious before in her life and yet, she had eaten blueberry pancakes with raspberry syrup before. What was it about this time that was different? She didn't care at this point, as the intense burst of flavor seemed to only increase her appetite.
The look in her eyes, the ravenous gaze in Twilight's violet eyes was one Silver had seen before, it was the look he often saw in the eyes of other alicorns when they had eaten something they enjoyed. It was also the look Celestia's eyes seemed to get every time she saw a slice of cake, it only seemed to make him chuckle very softly again as she woofed down each of the flapjacks. It was almost scary as he watched on, how voraciously she would attack them. 'I hope Celestia knows what she's doing...' he thought as he watched her continue to eat. As he continued to observe, his eyes began to wander, first over the body of the young alicorn, then over the bedsheets and finally throughout the room. It wasn't until his eyes locked onto the clock did something snap in him. The analog clock read very clearly: seven-thirty, which only made his eyes widen. Instead of panicking and rushing out of the room, he instead took a very deep breath.
“If you'll excuse me, Twilight. I have a meeting to get to about my next job.” She hardly took notice of these words however as he trotted from the room and back into the hallway. Like usual it had been quite empty, especially in the mornings, but unlike his usual mannerisms, his pace was quickened considering the fact he was a few minutes late having recalled that the princess had requested that he come in at seven fifteen. Upon his arrival at the door to the solar princess' room he gave a very soft knock.
“Come in.” a calm voice called back in response and he complied with the request, entering the room. It was well furnished, the walls painted the color of flame instead of the color most would assume—pink. Out of the corner of his eye as he entered, he took notice of the magnificent bird that sat atop a perch, one that seemed to just be waking up as he entered, giving him a proper greeting having been accustomed to seeing the other alicorn. He nodded in response to her, as if using it as a form of greeting, before his attention once again shifted. She sat upon the balcony, one that seemed to overlook the eastern district of Canterlot.
“Good morning, Celestia.” he greeted, trotting right up to her side. She didn't even seem to shift her gaze over to him at all, her eyes just remaining focused on Canterlot and the outlying land surrounding it. His eyes remained trained on her however, taking note of the slight differences than what she usually had. She lacked her crown for one, along with that she also lacked her gorget. In place of her crown however, she wore a simple sweatband around her head which he figured was for the laps she had to jog in less than a half hour.
“Good morning, Silver.” Came her reply, a smile slowly spreading across her face. Her horn briefly lit up here, and the door to her room shut before she turned her focus onto Silver.
“If I might ask...why is it you called me here this morning?” This was a good question and often the type she enjoyed answering too. There was a brief period of silence between them before she raised a hoof, gesturing it to the city as if pointing at something.
“Look out there...” she began, her eyes never even leaving whatever she had been gazing at. “What do you see, Silver?” This seemed to puzzle the stallion at first, but he had grown accustomed to things like this since he had first met the princess. His attention shifted, his eyes gazing out in the direction she had gestured to. As he looked on, a smile began to spread across his face. At first he saw the buildings of Canterlot, but his eyes gradually looked deeper, searching for a much greater and more significant meaning to it. He saw ponies trotting along the streets, some conversing with one another, others making deals. From here he looked even further beyond, his focus shifting from Canterlot to the fields and forests past it. After nearly five minutes of complete silence between them he turned back to her.
“The land of Equestria and its citizens.” he replied simply, earning a nod from the princess. Celestia never seemed to stop smiling even for a moment as she sat beside the stallion, before finally turning to him.
“Anything else?” This is where he was left utterly stumped, it was enough to actually make him briefly turn back to Canterlot, his smile only vanishing for a brief moment before he finally caught on to what she was asking.
“Our homes as well, happiness and peace.” Celestia's smile widened when she heard this. It brought her joy to know just how perceptive Silver really was.
“If you are really seeing this, then your eyes are very sharp, Silver.” she began, her gaze shifting from the stallion, back onto Canterlot. However this time they seemed to lock onto the city's central square. Here it was overflowing with activity and life, ponies going in every direction. Some to take care of business, some heading off to make an appointment or just simply enjoying another day. Even though to the two of them, they would appear to be more along the lines of ants running around on a forest floor. It was clear though from the sudden shift on her face that she cared deeply for every single one of them. “Because its also what I see....I see friends meeting with each other, ponies falling in love at the exact moment...couples out with their foals just enjoying the day...I even see ponies who argue with each other fiercely over the most trivial of things, perhaps even some important points too....I also see relationships of all kinds...new ones being forged, old ones deepening or being repaired...some...even breaking. I see life itself out there, Silver.” she grew silent for simply a moment, slowly closing her eyes. “Life I have sworn to protect until time itself ends. However, I also see something else...” The stallion listened very closely as she spoke, every single word. What caught his attention the most however was what she had said at the end, it caused his ears to perk up. What else could she see?
His head tilted slightly to the side, the smile he once held on his face having vanished. “What else do you see?” he inquired with great curiosity.
“Death.” she stated, her voice growing dark. “I see death, Silver....Endless streams of blood, drowning the very ponies in which its veins used to run through...Nightmare Moon, Discord, Chrysalis, and King Sombra...All of them threatened peace and harmony in their own way. As one of the rulers of Equestria, it falls on me to protect my beloved subjects...” While it was harsh, it was also very true. It was a reality that both of them had realized. What came next however was really a shock. “Yet...I was powerless each time they needed me the most. All of these threats were defeated by Twilight Sparkle and her friends. She is the true defender of these ponies down there.” Once again, Celestia gestured her hoof to the ponies galloping about the central square. Not only her eyes, but her voice seemed to hold a bit of sadness along with the love she felt toward her subjects. “I may rule this land, but I am now unable to defend it should the time come...And that is why I have summoned you here today.” When he heard this, a part of him knew immediately what it meant for him. He swallowed, preparing himself for what was coming next as Celestia's gaze returned to the alicorn stallion, this time facing him directly in the eyes. A sense of seriousness seemed to radiate from them, one that had rarely ever been seen before. “You know more about magic than any other pony alive. Probably even more than I do...That is why I want you to take Twilight under your wing and teach her everything you know about magic.” This didn't come as too much of a shock to him when he heard it, as he had figured it might come to this. “But not just regular magic though...her powers as an alicorn as well. I doubt she has discovered any of them yet, but its only a matter of time. As of now...I am unable to provide the guidance she'll need for the future...but you can.”
Silver's eyes seemed to grow slightly wider as the realization dawned on him. He was being entrusted to teach Celestia's student. To say the least, out of all the ponies possible, why would she give this job to him? His ears lowered a moment to think. Should he object to this decision? It was an excellent opportunity though. Especially to teach not only spells and magics that had been lost to the ages, but also spells he had written and designed himself. Compared to other alicorns though, while he had the knowledge, he couldn't use a fair amount of it. Even some unicorns trumped him in terms of magical potential. “Even though I know the magics...and how to perform them.” he began, “It doesn't mean I CAN perform them.” He inhaled deeply, his voice holding back a bit of frustration. “And you know very well just how tough of a teacher I can be. I mean, its in the records at your school...so I have to ask....Why would you choose me, knowing all these facts? Regardless of the knowledge I have.” Celestia seemed to giggle softly upon this question.
“You ARE a good teacher, Silver. No matter your history in my school. To be honest though, Twilight found out the majority of her knowledge herself. Even though I was officially her mentor, there were times when I couldn't answer any of her questions in the time she came up with them. And some of these went way over my head too. Can you believe that? A small filly outsmarting an old alicorn like me?” Now it was Silver's turn to laugh quietly upon hearing the age remark, which sparked the solar princess to jab him in the stomach with her hoof. “Well...that's Twilight for you, as soon as she finds out about her new powers she'll be needing a teacher to show her how to use them...and as much as I'd love to teach them to her myself...I can't simply make the time to teach her properly...it'd take days alone just to teach her how to activate her alicorn magic, and even longer to show her the basics of how to bend it to her will.” she sighed, hanging her head a little lower, before shaking it. “I...just can't make it happen...” Finally, she turned to face him again, her magenta eyes gazing right at him. It was true too, considering how everything stood at the present moment she couldn't really sacrifice any time. Especially given how much of a slave driver Luna had been over the past couple of weeks in terms of her diet and that was the LEAST of the problems. “But you on the other hoof...” As she trailed off, he closed his eyes entering a state of deep thought. In his mind he weighed the pros and cons of undertaking such a task, at the same time he was also eager to teach again and perhaps this time the student would be able to actually perform the spells and LEARN from him. He already knew from his previous analysis that Twilight was indeed a very talented and intelligent pony, especially when it came to magic. The question came though: how would he go about it?
When he finally reopened his eyes, the look in them had changed. It was as if something had awakened deep within him, something once thought to be lost, it was a certain passion that he once had for life, this seemed to create a chain reaction with his appearance, his mane seemed to gain a bit more luster than it had before, shimmering in the early morning sunlight like never before. A smile spread across his face, one of unbridled joy and determination. This look in his eyes though, it was one she had only seen one other time and it was back when she thought he had been just another unicorn working at her school. Did this mean what she thought it meant? “I understand...and....” he paused, she knew what was coming next here, it was painful as she waited for his answer, almost to the point where she had begun to tap her hoof on the stone of the balcony. “...I accept this task.” Inwardly, Celestia wanted to cheer for this, but, she was able to withhold her enthusiasm as it appeared he had something else to say. “However, I request that, regardless of my teaching methods...you keep your distance. During the lessons anyhow, but you may help her when she approaches you regarding something.”
Celestia laughed softly, covering her mouth slightly. “Of course. She is still 'my' student after all. How could I ever turn her down when she needs my help? And I highly doubt that you are in the position to tell me to stay away from somepony in my own castle....unless of course, it's for the duty of what these lessons clearly are. As for your methods....well, you know how I truly feel about her, so lets just hope you'll be prepared for a journey to the moon should you put her in more danger than what she has to be in. Hehe.” Silver couldn't help but chuckle very softly.
“I wouldn't think of it...plus, would you really want tos end the brother of your sister's stallion to the moon?” he inquired deviously, a smirk spreading on his face. “I will say this though, only because I DID hear of the situation involving her entrance exam...those who are unprepared and walk into danger, might actually have more harm done to them, including you. Its for YOUR safety.” It was very true too. While Silver could only speculate just how bad it could get, if she lost control, given how last time she had nearly destroyed the school.
Another nod came from the solar princess. “That was just an outburst of raw unicorn magic. Nothing I couldn't handle....but honestly, I don't think I'd be able to, I may think of her as my own daughter, but I don't think I'd ever be able to face Twilight Velvet, her real mother, should something happen to her because of something I could have prevented.” The stallion's smirk vanished in an instant, almost as if he knew what he was doing right away.
“Which is why...during the major lessons, where I teach her certain spells....I will take her to a place of seclusion, away from anypony that her magic could possibly hurt.” he stated, confident in his abilities. “While I set up my lesson plans however, I'm going to have to teach her the basics of being an alicorn...both the good and bad.” Celestia knew full well what this meant, Twilight's reactions might not be that pretty at first when the reality dawns on her. It was painful to even think about such a thing.
All the solar princess could do was simply nod. “Yes, I wouldn't want it any other way...perhaps teaching her the...darker traits of being an alicorn is even more important than the good ones. Not that I doubt the strength of her character...but, I just don't want temptation to turn her into a second Nightmare Moon.” Blood drained from Silver's face at the mere mentioning of Nightmare Moon, he remembered in detail the fight he had, he still had the scars to prove it too. That Nightmare Moon though wasn't all of Luna's power at the time, yet, it was still enough to make him shudder.
“That....wouldn't be pretty....especially considering just how powerful Twilight is.” he retorted, his body shaking at the thought. “She was a very powerful unicorn...and with alicorn attributes enhancing that, she's even stronger now...It'd be safe to assume that, if she was corrupted, she'd be a far more terrifying threat than the dark version of your sister.” Here, his mind began to wander for a brief moment, with a curious thought in mind. He attempted to put a bit of imagination to what would happen to Twilight if she did in fact become corrupted. It wasn't so much the power he saw though, but her appearance more, and this thought only seemed to make him drool a tiny bit as he envisioned her corrupted form. 'The dark forms are always the sexiest...' he thought, 'Why are the evil ones always so damn attractive?'
His train of thought however was quickly cut off by Celestia's speaking again. “Exactly. And keep in mind that she is also one of the Elements of Harmony, and the most important one too. Should she fall to darkness, it would be gone, and there might not be a way to know if we'd be able to return her to normal like she and her friends did for Luna.” Now this was a thought and a half for Silver, but it seemed to help his situation too as a bit of inspiration struck him.
“That's something I'd have to do a bit of research on....just as a precaution.” he muttered, his gaze shifting away from Celestia briefly before he spoke again. “Better to be safe than sorry...although, she's too good-hearted to actually let that happen....which gives me an idea, in order to prevent it from happening, I'd have to teach her the different classes of magic in the right order.” With his gradually increasing passion, the princess smiled.
“So...you'll accept the task?” She asked for maximum clarity.
He nodded with a smirk on his face. “Gladly.” In the back of his mind he was beginning to formulate what options he had to start with in terms of magic. He first figured he would start with something simple and work his way into the more advanced magics. “But I still intend on performing my duties as an informant...if they're necessary.”
“Of course.” She retorted, at this precise moment the door was pushed open again, standing on the outside was Emerald, whom she took notice of immediately. “Now off with you. I believe you have quite a bit to think about and to prepare.” He nodded, before spotting his brother out of the corner of his own eye, knowing why she was now rushing to actually get him out of her mane. With this, he stood up, giving his wings a brief stretch considering how long they had been folded up. “One last thing though. I want to be informed about everything you teach her and how you plan to do it...I'll stay out of it as I promised, but...I still would like to know.”
Silver grinned as he began to walk to the doorway. Slowly he turned back to the princess with that very same grin. This grin worried her a tiny bit, especially considering who was sending it to her. “Of course....And you know...sometimes it pays to have created your own personalized spellbook.” That was his last remark to Celestia before he trotted by his brother. As he was however, he turned to the unicorn. “Emerald...I need a small favor...”
Chapter 5
Frustration is what filled the forest green unicorn's mind as he trotted angrily down the halls. This would be one of the first few times he could be seen angry, although his reason seemed almost...childish in this case. His anger though wasn't without good cause as he began to recalculate his plans for the next couple of days in his mind. Why had his brother asked him for such a task? One that would send him a fair distance away no less? As he turned back toward Celestia's room, he could see the deep blue alicorn returning the gaze with that obnoxious grin on his face. This sent his blood boiling as if he wanted to smack it right off his face. With a huff, he continued on, turning the corner into his and Luna's room.
The curtains were drawn as it was nearing the middle of the day, as he entered, he took note of the dark sapphire mare sleeping comfortably on the bed. This sight seemed to empty his mind of all of his frustration right away, the very presence of the princess somehow easing his frustration. The scowl on his face was quickly replaced with a smile as he entered, being sure to close the door very quietly behind him before moving over to the dresser to collect his saddlebag as well as a few other things he needed. A faint green aura enveloped the handle of the drawer, after which he carefully pulled out a small bag of bits. As he continued to rummage through the other drawers, collecting what he believed he needed, the sound itself would cause the sleeping princess to stir.
The sound of drawers being pushed closed and pulled open seemed to even reach Luna in her dreams. Upon hearing them, her ears perked up, followed by a very quiet yawn as she rubbed the sleep from her eyes. What they opened up to was a whole other story though, the simple sight of her lover sifting through drawers with a saddlebag on worried her a tad, especially given the mild aura of frustration he was putting off. While the drowsiness wore off, the level of perception she had began to improve, taking note of the look in his eyes. They were determined, serious, and frustrated at the same time. But with what? Was the question on her mind as she gazed at him.
“Is something wrong, honey?” asked Luna, her head tilting slightly to the side, still remaining on the bed.
Emerald didn't even turn to her in response, his anger having calmed a bit more from just hearing Luna's voice. “Silver.” was the only word she heard from his mouth and this one answered quite a bit right from the get-go. Her eyes dropped a tiny bit as she climbed off of the bed, trotting over to his side to gently nuzzle him.
“What happened now?” she pressed, pecking him on the cheek.
The unicorn only sighed as he closed the last drawer, having found what he was looking for. “He requested that I find an item...” he replied, this seemed to puzzle the princess a bit more. What was so bad about that? After all, didn't his previous profession have him search for items?
“You are a former treasure hunter, Emerald...” the princess reminded, smiling very softly. The smile was short-lived though as the expression on his face hadn't changed in the least.
“Its not so much the fact he actually made a request of me...” the unicorn began, turning to the princess. “But, of what he requested...THAT is where the problem lies.” This is where it became a bit clearer for her, giving a very soft nod in understanding.
“So, what was it he requested?” she inquired, her curiosity growing just a tiny bit.
“Specifically speaking...he requested I find a small crystal with unique properties, or a specific necklace to aid in Twilight's training.” said Emerald, Luna almost snapped here, the word 'crystal' is what tipped her off in particular. Everything became as clear as well, crystal, only to have her ears drop just a tiny bit when she realized what it meant.
“A crystal...did he specifically say, an energy siphoning one?” he nodded, Luna could only sigh. “Does this mean...you'll miss our date?” While Twilight's training was truly important, it wasn't exactly vital for Luna. She did care for her sister's student, but, this date in particular was extremely important to them as it was their sixth month anniversary. It was also the most important date they had ever had too, as it was the first one they'd actually be having in public since their relationship began.
Briefly, he closed his eyes to think. Unlike some, where it would take at least five minutes to come up with something, when he opened his eyes again, a smile had returned to his face. This was a good sign for Luna right away. Without a vocal response, he pulled her into a passion-filled kiss, using it as a way to convey his thoughts to her, instead of expressing them with words. This kiss was very brief, lasting no more than thirty seconds, but upon it ending, the lunar princess had a very sly grin on her face.
“I'll hold you to that promise.” she remarked, winking. It was as if the two had an unspoken communication, working more with action rather than words. After receiving the go-ahead, the unicorn proceeded out of the room, possibly with the biggest grin on his face anypony had ever seen.
“Three days...” muttered the princess.
Elsewhere, the alicorn stallion found himself trotting quietly through the halls, lost deep in his own thoughts. These thoughts first consisted of what he should teach Twilight in the beginning, at least in terms of magic, but it was then when the realization dawned on him—he needed to assess her abilities first before he made any decisions. Both her physical and mental abilities were a key factor in this and he needed to know just how capable she was in terms of her endurance, otherwise he might end up causing more harm than good. How would he go about it though? Just as he reached the door to her room, an idea struck him, a grin now appearing on his face. It was here he began to formulate and organize what he needed to teach her completely. It was something he had to be sure to write down a little later, but for now, he was getting ahead of himself. Without hesitation and a fair amount of courtesy, he knocked on her door very quietly.
The silence from that moment was a bit troubling, but he paid little mind to it as he attributed it to the fact that she may actually be reading. Considering the vast number of books she now had at her disposal. “Come in.” Twilight called out, her voice very clear. Silver did as such, pushing the door open with his hoof before entering. Once inside, he gave a very soft chuckle at the sight he saw. The studious alicorn was sprawled comfortably on her bed, now reading over one of the many books that lined the shelves with a pile of at least five others right by her side. It was actually rather cute for him to see, especially given the rather odd position she was resting in, while still continuing to read.
'Precious...' he thought, a smile growing on his face. This seemed to break his concentration for a moment. For just that one moment, a side of the alicorn that hadn't been seen in many years surfaced, a very peaceful feeling along with the smile seemed to overcome him. However it vanished almost as quickly as it had appeared, as he pushed the feeling down, reminding himself as to why he was there. Thankfully, Twilight hadn't noticed that single instant, at least...he hoped she hadn't. “So, how was breakfast?”
“As Dash would say, it really hit the spot.” said Twilight, not even looking up from her book. This response heralded another soft chuckle from the stallion.
“I see you didn't waste any time getting right into reading.” the alicorn said, “Anything in particular grasping your interest yet?” With this, he tilted his head slightly to the side, as if he was wondering whether she had grabbed a magic book or not. Most of these books were ancient, even the fictional ones, thus it kind of made it difficult to tell what was what. The covers had worn considerably, and so had a fair amount of the letterings, thus leaving numerous books unmarked until they were opened. If she had indeed picked up a magic book though, it would be a clue as to what he could teach her first.
“Nope, I just took six books from the shelves at random, and started to read.” At which, she held up the book she had been reading over, while the cover was mostly worn, in desperate need of restoration, he could faintly make out the author's name and the title. His ears only dropped when he did, realizing that the book she had picked up was a simple adventure novel, an ancient, but legendary tale. The author of which he greatly adored, especially considering how valuable the books had become in the past few years. “It's not Daring Do, but, I don't know this series yet so I gave it a try.” It took him a moment to shift his gaze from the title as he recalled the entire story by heart, having read each of the books over a hundred times so far. It wasn't until his brain registered the words 'Daring Do' did he snap back to his senses. Both were great series, but this one, the one Twilight was reading, was essentially the Daring Do of its time.
“That book you're reading...I loved its series growing up. Along with Daring Do.” This seemed to break the ice between them, his nerves beginning to die down as his facial expression morphed to one of a more serious nature. It was here where he actually began to realize what he needed to begin with, what aspect of training he should focus on first, more so than any of the other aspects. This was a new experience for him, as he had to teach an alicorn rather than a unicorn. Or better yet, as his mind had just put it, teach a unicorn how to be an alicorn. He could only frown as he gazed at Twilight, simply shaking his head as he continued to watch her read. Finally, he sighed, having thought of where to begin, it actually frustrated him to no end, given he hadn't planned ahead for the lecture this early, but it looked as though he had no other option. “Now, I believe you should know this...Celestia has given me a new job and its possibly....the most important one I've ever been given.” This sparked Twilight's interest, the book becoming seemingly unimportant as the words reached her ears, it was enough to cause her to slowly put down the book, placing a bookmark in it before closing it. “And you're involved in it too.” This is what really caught her off guard, drawing her interest even further. How could she be involved in one of his jobs? He was an informant and she was a princess. However, he was also an alicorn, a very wise one at that, having seen examples of his wisdom back in Ponyville. Showing he didn't even NEED his magic to settle a dispute, using words to solve it instead.
“Me?” Twilight gulped, gesturing her hoof toward herself.
“Yes.” he assured, “The task Celestia has requested, was to teach you new magics and help you become more acquainted with your new body.” If he hadn't had Twilight's attention already, he defiantly had it now.
“N-New magics?” asked Twilight, her voice shaking with a combination of excitement and curiosity. “What new magics? I thought becoming an alicorn simply increased my magic itself. Like enabling me to cast more complicated spells without exhausting myself as fast as before.” While she was accurate with this, Silver snickered a bit, this was the part he particularly enjoyed and it showed too, as a very devious smirk began to spread across his face, one that seemed almost evil to Twilight, yet, it wasn't evil. It seemed more twisted than anything, it was almost as if he had taught before and enjoyed it. It took only a second for her to actually pin down the type of smirk he had now, but when she realized it, a bit of fear shot through her mind. 'He's a...former teacher...and a good one at that...' she thought, as she had only seen this particular smirk on a few others, most of which were teachers, and they were some of the toughest, but often the best teachers in Equestria. The look alone terrified her though, what was running through the mind of the stallion at this particular moment?
“What you say is true, Twilight, but there's more to being an alicorn than just greater magical strength...even being an alicorn has its limits...at first.” This puzzled Twilight, as she found herself scratching her head. “What Celestia wants me to do is, teach you new spells, and to teach you about the many different classes of magic...as well as how to perform them.” It took less than a second for these words to reach her and a very wide grin began to spread across her face, this time it was Silver's turn to be frightened as he had never seen a student of his ever have that wide of a grin plastered on their faces. It did speak to him however, it did say this would be quite an interesting experience for him.
“I see....when do we begin the training?” Eagerness, he could sense it very easily in her. The degree of the eagerness seemed to shoot through him, it reminded him of a former student, only making a small, but genuine smile appear on his face once again. It only seemed to make him more and more enthusiastic about teaching her, which was a good thing, considering his lack of enthusiasm when the job was given to him.
“Well...first, before I teach you any magic...” Silver began, this seemed to crush Twilight's spirits a bit, her ears dropping. Right away he felt a sudden bit of panic, hoping that he hadn't lost her attention already. Before he lost her further, he cleared his throat. “The first step would be to explain to you the advantages and disadvantages of being an alicorn....AND to teach you how to fly.” he continued, smiling the entire time. “As some of the lessons I have in mind, may require flight.” The spark of interest returned quickly to the new princess as her wings unfolded, this caused her to gaze back at them very quietly. She knew they were hers, but they still didn't feel quite like they belonged there.
“Flight, huh? I must say that I haven't even thought about that yet...” as she spoke, she gave her wings one or two good flaps before folding them back up again. It felt a bit unnatural to her, the muscles even felt rather weak in them as well, as if they had been in a cast for two months after being broken. “It seems so....foreign to me. Guess I still have the mindset of a unicorn.” This made it a bit more difficult for Silver, but, then again, it had taken him quite a bit longer than most to learn to fly as well, given how similar he and Twilight were in the regards of knowledge.
“I can figure its a major adjustment...but, aside from the wings there are other aspects you must be aware of before venturing further.” Silver explained, Twilight leaning in a bit closer, by now sitting on the corner of her bed right next to him. “Such as...your senses.”
“My...senses?” Twilight scratched her head with his words, confused by what he meant. This caused her to fall into a bit of thought, it was then it clicked. “Now that you mention it...the music DID seem to be a bit louder than usual yesterday.” He was glad for this, he wouldn't have a need to point out tiny details with this, instead he could continue on with his explanation.
“Exactly. Which brings me to the first point in being an alicorn...all five of your basic senses should be, at most, ten times stronger then they had been before.” he began, “At the least, twice as strong...it might take a few years before they reach their full force.” It wasn't until after he said this that he caught himself in his own error. This was quite a poor explanation of the senses for Twilight. Before he could speak though, she spoke up in response.
Eyes wide, she took over with a clever retort to his words. “T-ten times? You must be kidding. If that were the case, then my ears would've exploded from the volume yesterday!” She was smart indeed, able to pick up on his mistake without realizing it. Once she had said this though, he cleared his throat and thought more carefully.
“Without focus an alicorn's senses are just considered heightened.” he corrected immediately. “But, if we focus one particular sense...we can reach that level, it takes quite a bit of practice to attain that though...and its not something that can be done while we're on the move either...we have to be stationary and we have to be able to concentrate.” With the correction, Twilight couldn't help but sigh in response to it, a bit disappointed that an apparently experienced teacher would phrase something so terribly.
“I see....then sorry but, you phrased that horribly. If that's how it is then our...” she began, not even noticing the fact that she had used the word 'our' when talking about alicorns. “...senses have just gained a higher capacity. If they were stronger like you said it, then they would always be at that level and not just when we want them to be.” This is where the stallion felt a tiny bit humiliated, his pride having taken a hit for the first time, considering she was the first student to ever correct him on a lecture. His ears lowered in response before he spoke again.
“I'm sorry, its just been a while since I've given a lecture.” he stated, before a smile returned to his face. This might actually be easier than he had thought and perhaps even more fun too. He had taught many before, whether it was pegasi, earth pony or unicorn. Yet, this was the first time a student had ever corrected him on something. Even if it was just his choice of words rather than a particular fact. As his smile grew a bit more, he couldn't help but feel joy in the fact that Celestia had given him this task, no matter what lied ahead from here. “And the reason for an alicorn's heightened senses, is due to our increased overall magical potential...both in stamina and overall strength of spells. Without proper control, given your strength when you were a unicorn...and a filly on top of that...it might get really ugly if a repeat of your entrance exam occurred.”
He was right and Twilight knew this. These words were nothing to sneeze at in her case, she could already figure that alicorns have a high capacity for magic, and have a high level of power overall, but, imagining that on top of her already previously strong unicorn magic was truly a terrifying thought. She shuddered at the thought of loosing control, her mind going over the possibilities of it. Before they could reach the worst of the worst however, she took a deep breath, pushing aside the thoughts with some carefully placed words of wisdom. “'Power without control is worthless', I read that in a book once.” Slowly, she closed her eyes it was only for a brief moment, but when she opened them she spoke out again. “I guess I should start to fear my own magic for now.”
Silver nodded, as if agreeing with her choice. “I would too...and to clarify an alicorn's magical limitations...as long as we limit our magic usage to nothing but basic spells, or spells we've grown accustomed to using, such as the spell that Luna and Celestia use to raise the sun and moon respectively in their case, an alicorn can go a full week without sleep and it won't effect us at all either.”
“I kinda figured that would be the case. I've seen prince—Celestia going for several days without sleep when I was studying under her. It got me worried sometimes, but she always assured me that she would be fine.” This was a clever observation by Twilight, spending a fair amount of her time around Celestia actually proved beneficial for her teachings rather than a hinderance to his teaching method, so far anyhow. His smile seemed to grow wider after a few seconds.
“But now...as for some of the more negative aspects of being an alicorn.” he began, at first, he wanted to mention the fact that they were physically ageless, holding the life of something that'd be considered immortal, he wanted to say this at first, but something stopped him. It was the worst-case scenario, he thought that if he told her now, she'd do something irrational. It only took him a moment to snap back to his senses, realizing that she wasn't ready for that information yet. After a few moments of silence, he decided on another fact instead of the most important one, at least for the time being. “One negative aspect, if we're not careful is...the amount of energy we alicorns tend to have...Alicorns need to keep busy, mentally at least, otherwise we tend to have a few...shall we say, problems.” He hoped she'd figure it out right away, as so he wouldn't have to explain it. Not that he was uncomfortable with it, it was just a subject he tended to stray away from.
A helpless laugh slipped from Twilight when she heard this. “Oh great...and I thought my anxiety attacks were bad before this....” While this was a pretty good insight on herself, gifted from having become an alicorn, it wasn't what Silver had hoped for. An inward sigh of defeat left him struggling with his next response.
“That....is more of a personal thing, what I refer to on the other hoof is a bit more complicated....and its particularly difficult for all alicorns.” he explained, “Namely, in question, lust.” Twilight's cheeks began to glow a bright red when she heard the word 'lust' come from his mouth. “You see, boredom isn't a good thing for an alicorn....when we're inactive, whether it be physical, mental or both...the excessive energy gets redirected...mostly to something more primal...” Her face couldn't of possibly grown a brighter shade of red with each and every word he spoke. What he said next however, is what pushed everything over the line. “I've seen...some alicorns go mad from the desire.”
Words couldn't describe this any further as she couldn't even think of a way to respond. It wasn't an overload of information, it was just something Twilight didn't know how to discuss in polite company and while she understood every single word of his explanation, it didn't change the impact of it. What did this mean for the new alicorn? Could she really handle such an odd aspect? Shaking off the embarrassment, she forced herself to speak up. “There...are ways alicorns handle it, right?”
Once again, this earned a nod from the stallion. “Several, as a matter of fact.” Silver replied, “The first and foremost include...actually having a lover help with it.” That one was immediately ruled out, however she remained silent, listening in for more. “The next, is actually taking care of it yourself through other prescribed methods...such as...well, you're probably aware of one, so I need not go into detail...while the other is...preening. How the pegasi handle their desires over actually...” Even the alicorn stallion seemed a bit awkward in explaining this, his cheeks glowing a very light shade of red.
“And what does preening do, aside from keeping our wings tidy.” This is where he almost broke into laughter, the mood quickly shifting in the blink of an eye.
“Well, there are many ways to actually explain this...you see, for pegasi AND alicorns...preening serves multiple purposes, the prime one of which, to express trust towards those we have feelings for.” Silver chuckled, trying to keep the laughter suppressed for the time being. “But...for both, the wings are also very sensitive...much like a unicorn's horn.” Right here is where the entire realization dawned on her, she read on countless occasions that a unicorn could achieve an orgasm like no other if the horn is stimulated in the right way. While it was different from a conventional orgasm for either mare or stallion, it was a very unique experience. However, it wasn't one that a unicorn could experience on their own, as they couldn't simply stimulate their own horn, which made her figure that it was a similar case with a pegasus' wings. “However, unlike a unicorn's horn, a pegasus can actually preen themselves...and they can achieve a true orgasm in some cases.”
“And...with the heightened senses...Alicorns...” Silver would cut Twilight off here by giving just a simple gesture, words didn't even need to be spoken here as she had come to realize the first of many truths of being an alicorn....She really had her work cut out for her now...
First Lesson
Chapter 6
She had to ask, didn't she? This day was proving to be the most interesting Twilight had ever lived to date and it was just beginning too. The princess' jaw hung open as her violet eyes were locked onto what was floating before her. Thicker than she had ever seen in her life, surrounded by an air of mystical energy to the point where it was simply intoxicating, a lesser pony might've actually passed out from the sheer amount of magic that surrounded it, but thankfully she wasn't just any pony. Although its aura alone did seem to cause a bit of a headache for her or was it the fact that, it was possibly the largest tome she had ever seen in her life. This begged the question again as her gaze shifted from the oversized tome, back up to its owner. Why did she have to ask if she had to read something for her lesson? This was by far the first time she had ever regretted asking if she did.
He found himself chuckling softly as he gauged her reaction, watching every movement she made very carefully. Eyes wide, jaw hanging open, a reaction he often received from ponies who saw this book. Something else, however, hid behind his eyes, it was that of the smirk that was beginning to spread across his face, as he could figure what was about to happen next. This would prove to catch Twilight off guard especially when she heard it echoing across the room. “You called, Silver?” the voice itself was deep, eerie and very mystical, seeming to be filled with very profound wisdom and magical power. Where had it come from though? The sound of the voice caused her head to shift in every which direction as if trying to pinpoint the source of it. However, there was only one other pony in the room and he didn't have that deep of a voice.
“Yes, I did.” Silver finally replied, his gaze turning down to the book, as if admitting to the princess that it was the source of the voice. This is what really threw Twilight for a loop beyond all possible thought. It was illogical, nay inconceivable that a book could talk! This caused her to climb right off her bed, and with slow strides, she inched closer to the book. As she did, everything began to become clear to her. With a brief glance back up to her new teacher and then back down to the book, she took note of the fact that it was levitating, yet...it wasn't the stallion who was making it levitate. The book seemed to just float before her without any assistance from its owner.
“What in Equestria?” Was the first thing Twilight asked, as she poked the tome with her hoof, as if trying to inspect it. Simply searching for a logical solution for why it was able to levitate by itself and even speak if she wasn't hallucinating. “I-I know magic can make objects float...but...TALK? What the hay is going on here?” The stallion could only laugh as she began to inspect the book, recalling a similar reaction when it first spoke to him and began to float on its own as well.
“Well...you see, Twilight...” Silver began, that was until he was rather rudely interrupted by the object now floating in the room.
“I'm not just an ordinary book!” the tome announced, “I've passed through the hooves of very many unicorns and even a few alicorns. In that time, I received an assortment of enchantments, some to protect my contents from unworthy hooves, others that link me to my present owner....and over those very many years, the enchantments began to pile up...eventually, I became what you now see today, a book with a mind and a voice of its own.” As the book spoke, the stallion's eye seemed to twitch. Being interrupted wasn't something he particularly enjoyed, especially by his own spellbook. However he knew full well he couldn't argue with it, so he simply sighed in defeat, with a very careful nod to Twilight.
“And...this is the book you want me to read?” she inquired with a small tilt of her head, gazing back up at him.
“Yes...well...” he began, clearing his throat. “Consider this book more of a study guide for you. While I'll be teaching you new spells directly and even be helping you practice, in your down time, this book will be the one aiding you.” With another glance toward the book and then back to Silver, she couldn't help but feel a bit overwhelmed. Thoughts from before quickly returned, between the book and the alicorn stallion, this was quite a bit of information to take in, not to mention what else she had learned today. This was enough to make the already-brewing headache far worse than it had been before. On top of that, anxiety mixed with her excitement at the prospect of learning new spells was starting to eat away at her. In just a matter of seconds, she found herself reaching out to the book, as if attempting to open it, but before she could, she found herself blocked by the stallion's hoof, whom shook his head. “No...not yet.”
This caught Twilight's attention right away, especially having his hoof on hers. Right away, she pulled her own hoof back as a new sensation traveled through her body. At first, she didn't know where it had come from, but, before long she was overcome with the exact same feeling that she had felt before, the very same feeling that Silver had entered the room with the first time. It felt like ice traveling up her hooves and throughout the rest of her body and it seemed far worse than she had felt before too. The sensation seemed to cause the color of her coat to grow a bit dull for a moment, as if responding to his touch, this reaction only lasted a second however as she turned her head back over to him. What was with this pony? Why is it he felt so cold? Was this intentional or was it something else that was causing it? It couldn't of been a coincidence that she had felt what she did earlier, there had to be something more to it, and she was determined to get to the bottom of it, eventually.
The stare Silver had been receiving from Twilight was a bit unnerving for him, as he hadn't ever received a look like this in his life before. After a few seconds though, the odd look seemed to vanish completely, especially when he cracked a smile again. “The book will remain in here...as you'll need it more than me...you may study it later tonight if you find the strength to...” These words caught her attention right away, what did he mean by 'find the strength'? Could it have something to do with today's lesson? With the curious look on her face he could only give a very small chuckle before he proceeded to trot from the room. As he opened the door again, the stallion turned back with quite the smile on his face. “You coming Twilight?” Without another word, she followed him, wondering where he planned on taking her for the first lesson.
The breeze was very gentle, causing the grassy field to seemingly roll as they stepped out onto it. The two alicorns had chosen it out of all the possible locations, not because it was the closest to Canterlot, but because of its natural beauty. What really got her though, was not so much the rolling grass, but the gentle breeze itself. It made everything feel so serene, especially as Twilight felt it flowing through her mane. It seemed to clear her anxiety right up as well as any possible fears she had. Silver couldn't help but smile as he looked back at the princess, he knew full well this would be a tough day for her, but at least he could give her something pleasant before they began.
Twilight closed her eyes and inhaled deeply, feeling the fresh, cool air enter through her nostrils before flowing out her mouth. It was simply intoxicating as she felt it. For the first time, she didn't even seem to have a care in the world as she sat in the grass. It was impressive just how relaxed she had become in such a short amount of time. Had it been the scenery? Or was it the fresh air? This wasn't important though as Silver stepped forth, turning to her very slowly.
“Alright...today's lesson serves multiple purposes.” he began, the very sound of his voice snapping the lavender alicorn back to her senses. With renewed enthusiasm, she sat quietly and listened to what he had to say.
“The first purpose of today's lesson, is to help you connect more with your new body.” he continued, “Part one of the lesson will teach you how to control each of your five senses and the sixth all alicorns have...” Wait, a sixth?! She didn't recall him mentioning something about a sixth sense before now! Did this have something to do with what she had been sensing from him before? What was this sixth sense? She was about to get her answer as he continued on with his lecture. “But, before that, allow me to explain. The sixth sense has little to do with your other five, its more of a psychic sense, per say....this sense...allows us to sense the auras of other beings, some have even taken it to the point where they can even see the aura itself.”
In her curiosity, Twilight spoke up right away. “What purpose does it serve to be able to see somepony's aura?” she inquired.
“Well, you see, the aura is like a natural energy that exists around all living things...but when its around a sentient being, it allows us to feel their mood...and no matter how hard they try, they can't hide it completely.” he explained, “And often, the aura of sentient beings will rub off on their belongings, or things they've had contact with, it better allows us to actually track something...magical objects also often have their own auras, which in turn allows us to sense these objects.” This could only make her smile, with each passing second she grew more and more eager to learn, reaching the point to where she was actually tapping her hoof impatiently.
“The first step though...is to learn to focus your other senses. Sight, Smell, Taste, Touch and Hearing...I will explain what focusing each one can accomplish....although I wouldn't recommend focusing your sense of taste.” this remark sparked a bit of a giggle in Twilight as she could only assume what it would do if she ate something at all while focusing it, especially something sweet like cake. At first, the thought made her shiver as she imagined what a chocolate cake would be like if she ate it with a focused sense of taste. At the same time though, she also began to understand as to why Luna and Celestia loved their sweets so much, which only made her laugh again.
“Now...we'll begin with touch.” Silver began, pressing his hooves into the dirt. “When you enhance your sense of touch, it allows you to 'feel' everything within a significant distance...you literally feel everything. From a flowing river, to the smallest of insects crawling across the ground. All without disturbing a thing...the sad part is though, you can't feel anything beyond the surface of the ground.” She watched as he demonstrated the proper technique, his wings briefly flaring before his eyes closed. With each breath he drew, he grew more and more relaxed, but this was all she could see until he opened his eyes again. “With these senses, I won't be able to give that great of examples...but I can guide you through the technique...now first, close your eyes.”
Twilight complied with the request, following his instructions right down to the T. Silver's voice became like a river to her fairly quickly, especially as he instructed her to clear her mind. Without a thought running through her head, his words flowed over her like silk, her body simply reacting to every word that slipped from his mouth. With each breath she became more and more relaxed, the world around her quickly coming into a focus that she hadn't ever attained.
It was like a state of bliss for the lavender alicorn, not only could she feel the breeze flowing over every detail of her body, weaving in and out between every single hair of her coat and mane, but she could also feel the the breeze flowing over each blade of grass and each flower among the blades which caused it to roll. She could envision it in her mind very clearly, every detail of the land around her, from the smallest dip in the land to the full height of the hill they were on. She could even feel the ants marching in the dirt not more than ten feet away from her! She could've sworn they were actually crawling up her leg, which mind you was a bit of an unnerving feeling.
“Now...slowly bring yourself back, let it recede back into your hooves.” he whispered, “Let the thoughts flow back through your mind.” Slowly, the sensations began to fade from her mind as her eyes fluttered open. Never in her life had she felt the world in such detail and while in motion too! This was defiantly something she'd have to practice with later to see what other possibilities there were. Silver didn't even have to ask how it felt either as the evidence was plastered on her face. She had enjoyed what she experienced, which was a good thing for the lesson.
“Is it really like that for the other four senses?” she asked without hesitation. “I mean...does it always feel that blissful?” He shook his head to her disappointment.
“No, the other senses...aren't so friendly depending on where you use them.” he stated. “Which is why we won't be practicing with three of them...hearing is the last one we'll work with for now. The other three require more specialized practice. As for hearing...” This is where Twilight smirked, she wasn't clueless. With her mind back in full gear, she could easily figure out that touch wasn't all that different than hearing.
“Wait, let me guess...I'll be able to hear the ants crawling?” This impressed the stallion and it only seemed to make him a bit more excited to be her teacher. This became apparent as his wings fluffed out. This was followed by a giggle from the princess, whom simply gestured to it, and he swore a few times as a response. With the next part of the lecture he explained that she simply has to perform the same technique, but instead of touch, she simply listens. This was a simple enough task, the tough part however was actually accomplishing it without his voice to guide her as he couldn't speak without risking damage to her ears.
This was real practice, unlike before, where she had his voice carrying her. This time, it was a real struggle to find her peace. It was rather nerve racking for her as she continued to try various times, but to no avail. It was only when she was reminded of his words and voice was she able to finally relax. A single deep breath was all it took as she felt herself being lifted. Her ears perked up and everything began to flow into place.
It was sensory overload at first, as the world around her became twice as loud. The first thing she was able to zone in on was the buzzing of a nearby fly, this agitated her to no end as the buzzing rang in her ears. She pushed past this obnoxious noise, only to zone in on the subtle, yet flowing sounds of the grass in the breeze, their very movements weren't without sound, the air flowing around each blade. Listening deeper, she could hear a tune flowing over the grass, it was on the breeze, and by far one of the most beautiful sounds she had ever heard. Then, the realization dawned on her, this is why he wanted her to just practice two senses, this is why he had chosen this particular field. Nature itself was in motion around her. On this day, the grass even held a tune and it was one of the most beautiful things she had ever heard in her life, bringing her to the point where a tear fell from her eye as she opened them.
Twilight wanted to speak, but she couldn't find the words as she gazed back up at Silver. Nature had been a beautiful thing to her in the past, but never like this! She had appreciated the land back when she was a unicorn, but now everything seemed different. Was this the meaning of being an alicorn?
“Understand now?” Silver asked, taking note of how the look in her eyes had begun to change. Unable to find the words to respond, she only nodded. 'She's learning fast...' he thought, 'I'm going to need to really step it up now.' In truth, with how fast she had figured out her senses, as well as her reaction, it was beginning to excite the stallion even more. It wasn't just the fact that she was essentially absorbing the information like a sponge, but it was also the fact that she was picking it up even faster than some of his previous students. “Good...because I think you're ready for part two...where not only will I teach you a new spell, but one that'll help you get more in touch with your pegasus side....least I hope.” It only took two words to make the joy in her mind overflow.
“A new spell?” She asked, virtually bouncing, her eyes beaming with excitement. What could this new spell be? Already she had several ideas in mind of what he'd teach her on the first day, ignoring over half of what he had just said in turn. Twilight was caught off guard by what he had done next, his horn lighting up before swinging his head off to the left, unleashing a small blast spell. The result wasn't what she had expected at all though, in the place where the spell had landed now sat a large, fluffy white cloud, to which simply caused her jaw to drop.
“This, is actually one of my favorite spells, its not that commonly known either, but very simple to perform.” Silver explained, “I don't think it has an official name either, so I call it the drifting cloud spell.”
“What purpose is this spell supposed to serve?” Twilight asked, pushing her jaw back into place. “I mean...all it does is conjure a cloud...”
“You see...this spell serves only one real purpose, as a comfortable way for an alicorn to relax and observe.” he pointed out, patting the cloud with his hoof. “But...in this case, it serves another purpose...its to help you connect with your pegasus side.” While he spoke, the lavender alicorn would be patting the cloud herself, just feeling how soft it could really be. Right away she noticed a distinct difference between this cloud and other clouds she had felt back in Cloudsdale. The first distinction she discovered was, it was much softer and even fluffier than other clouds, not only that, it also seemed sturdier than others, having more of a firm surface, but then again, that could also be attributed to the fact she had recently gained the abilities of a pegasus. What was he planning? That was all she could ask as her head turned in his direction, where he simply gestured for her to climb onto the cloud.
“Y-you mean...?” he only nodded, she gulped, feeling her nerves starting to get the better of her. “A-are you sure its safe?”
“Twilight...I'll promise you, that as long as I'm here, you will not get hurt.” Silver assured, which seemed to ease her nerves a bit, before she was able to climb on. The surface was a bit slick at first, but relatively easy to get a hold of, even with a hoof. With her mentor's help, she was able to pull herself onto the surface of the cloud, where he proceeded to join her. Thankfully it was large enough for the both of them.
The lesson itself had been relatively simple, after adjusting to the surface of the cloud, came the rather challenging part, especially for Twilight. Thankfully though Silver had made it relatively easy for her. What he had decided to teach her was something that, while not very common anymore, it was a game often played by young pegasi to help strengthen their wings before they learned to fly, giving them the appropriate time to feel them out. It was something known as cloud-hopping and it was quite the strenuous workout for the lavender alicorn, but one she seemed to greatly enjoy once she was able to catch on.
Before long, Twilight was able to leap from cloud to cloud with ease, utilizing the combination of her wings and legs. It reached the point where she was even laughing rather loudly as she leapt from one cloud to another, following her mentor's exact path. She took another small step back, before leaping into the air. A thermal quickly caught her fully extended wings, bringing her a bit higher up into the air, this allowed her to land rather gracefully on the next cloud, standing right before the stallion with a large grin on her face, breathing rather heavily at the same time.
“I...never knew training could be this much fun!” she laughed, “Its not a wonder why Dash loves the skies...it makes a pony feel so free!” Twilight was overjoyed to actually be standing atop a cloud this high up, it felt simply liberating, especially to a pony who had spent most of her time with her hooves on the ground and her nose buried in a book. Without even thinking and in a great amount of gratitude she threw her arms around the stallion, embracing him rather tightly for having shown her such a wonderful experience. Right away, it seemed like he wanted to pull away, yet, he found himself unable to, his own hooves pulling her in a bit closer.
It had been quite a long time since he had experienced this, his heart pounding in his chest even harder than it ever had. Twilight noticed the difference right away, as his body felt much warmer than it had been earlier. She didn't seem to mind either, this time actually savoring and enjoying the embrace.
“Thank you.....Twilight.”