Chapter One-A Routine Morning
“Alright, let’s try this again Twi.” Rainbow Dash said as Twilight picked herself up off the ground. Twilight dusted the blades of grass off her coat, flapping her wings to shake off any stragglers.
“Rainbow, is continuing with this really a good idea?’ Twilight asked, turning to look at her friend perched atop a large cliff above her. “We’ve been at this since ten in the morning, and I didn’t really get a good breakfast-”
“Nope! No excuses, Sparkle. You asked me to be your flight trainer, and Celestia knows I’m going to follow through whether you want me to or not. So dust yourself off and try again!” Rainbow called down, a teasing smirk appearing on her face. Twilight just sighed, and assumed her takeoff position.
They’d been at this for a good month now, with Rainbow Dash showing up at the library every Saturday and dragging Twilight out to some field outside of Ponyville for flight practice, whether she was awake and ready or not. Twilight herself had been enthusiastic at first- her initial attempt at flight during the coronation had ended with her trapped dazed and bruised inside some poor mare’s bedroom window. Rarity had been appalled by the damage she’d already done to her ‘regal attire,’ but Twilight was personally glad to be rid of the thing.
Either way, Rainbow had immediately jumped at the opportunity, and now she was the new alicorn’s flight teacher, for lack of a better term. The pegasus had promised Twilight that, with her guidance, she would be soaring with the birds in no time at all.
Progress so far had been slow.
“Okay,” Twilight whispered to herself, “so, knees bent, wings unfolded, and…flap!”
Twilight’s wings began to beat at a slow, but strong pace, and she found herself rising of the ground fairly quickly. She looked up and saw that she was already halfway up the cliff face.
“Nice job, Twi!” Rainbow called down. “That took you way less time than last week!” The pegasus jumped from her position, spread her wings and glided down beside Twilight, who had achieved a steady altitude and was looking at her tutor for her nest instructions.
“Alright, now, let’s see if we can’t try for horizontal. Keep your wings beating, and shift your weight towards me.” Twilight nodded, and Dash started flying back towards the town. Twilight thought on Dash’s instructions, and slowly she began to glide after her friend. After a bit, she started growing more confidant, and flapped her wings a little faster.
She started going faster, speeding through the air and gazing down on the town below her. Most ponies were already out and about, and while some turned their gaze skyward to watch Twilight as she passed, most simply continued on their way. After a month of watching her and coming to the realization that Twilight had in no way gone mad with royal power, most of the Ponyvillians had simply moved on with their lives. That didn’t stop some ponies from saying “Your Highness” to her when they came to the library, she thought a little ruefully.
She passed over the town square, and waved to Applejack down at her stand. The apple farmer took a moment to wave back before turning her attention back to her customers. She flew over Sugarcube Corner, smelling the delicious scents of the Cakes’ baking as she plowed through some chimney smoke. And finally, she spotted the unmistakable silhouette of the Golden Oaks Library her home and workplace, in the distance.
Twilight couldn’t help but feel extremely happy at the moment. She was a Princess, she was flying, she had a great group of friends, and best of all, there was nothing trying to kill her, break her, or threaten the town that she had learned to love. This time, she could actually say that things were perfectly fi-
“TWILIGHT! PULL UP!”
She snapped out of her reverie with a “Wha?” as Rainbow’s voice entered her mind, and she suddenly came to the remarkable realization that the library had ceased being a silhouette and was now a full corporeal object.
An object that she was mere seconds from hitting head on.
Twilight reacted appropriately by screaming, slamming her head into a branch, falling down through the branches of the tree and onto the balcony, moaning briefly, and then being knocked out cold by a small heavy object that seemed to come out of nowhere.
Her last thoughts before embracing sweet, sweet unconsciousness were simple.
Not again...
~
Twilight awoke to the sound of worried chatter. As the fog in her eyes cleared, she could clearly see that she was surrounded by three of her friends, Fluttershy, Applejack, and Rainbow, all of whom were looking down at her with worry. Fluttershy was talking.
“I think I’ve managed to bandage up the head wound okay, but I’m still not entirely sure…I’ve never had to work with head trauma on a unicorn before.” She said.
“Well, Ah think you did alright, sugar. Look she’s already comin’ around.” Applejack responded. Twilight groggily sat up, and she realized two things: she was in her bed, and she had a rather sizable bandage wrapped around her forehead.
“Ow…what happened?” Twilight asked.
“You wiped out epically while you were flying.” Rainbow said. “I tried to warn you, but you were kind off in your own little world.”
“Yeah, sorry about that.” Twilight said sheepishly.
“Well, all the same, I think you should hold off on the, um, flying for a least a week or so to let yourself heal. We sent Spike into town to gather some more ointment for your head.” Fluttershy said. Twilight nodded.
“Thanks for your help, Fluttershy.”
“Oh, it was the least I could do. Anything to help out our local Princess.” The butter-colored pegasus smirked. Twilight’s new status had become something of a little joke between the six friends. Twilight just chuckled, and took a look around her room. It was just as pristine as always, the books dusted and alphabetized, and the hourglass by her bedside was shimmering as it always did.
“Wait. Hourglass?” Twilight said, and turned her eyes to the small timepiece sitting on her nightstand.
It was about the half as tall as her leg, made of smooth crystal coated in grime and held in a slightly rusty bronze frame. A small amount of sand lay at the bottom, glowing a bright bluish-white color through the dust. Small symbols, illuminated by the glow, covered the casing.
“Where did this come from?” Twilight wondered aloud.
“We found it next to ya when we came up to help ya.” Applejack said. “It must have been sittin’ in the tree branches when you hit. We reckon it’s what knocked you out, along with the whole crash and all.”
Suddenly, they heard the door downstairs being flung open, and a voice proclaimed, “WE’RE HERE!”
“Ah, that would be Rarity.” Fluttershy said. Suddenly, the potted plant near Twilight’s window erupted in a shower of confetti as a pink pony suddenly burst from the leaves, bearing a cupcake that had ‘GET BETTER SOON TWILIGHT’ loving inscribed on it with purple frosting.
“Hey Twilight! I heard you went and bumped your head against your tree!” Pinkie Pie said happily, placing the cupcake beside the hourglass. “But don’t you worry, your Auntie Pinkie Pie is here to make sure have all the tasty Get-Well treats you want before you’re better!”
“Pinkie, dear, I think what she needs most right now is some rest.” Rarity came climbing up the stairs. She looked at Twilight. “I do hope you’re not too hurt, darling. I was already on my way over to ask you about those books on Saddle Arabian attire you loaned me last week. Is it alright if I return them with a few cat scratches?”
“Girls, seriously, I’m fine.” Twilight said, throwing off her covers. “I can still walk, and-cat scratches?”
“Opal’s been in a bit of a mood lately, and I made the mistake of leaving the books near her bed. A tragic accident, I’m afraid.” Rarity responded.
Twilight looked at her incredulously for a moment before taking a deep breath. She silently thanked Cadance for teaching her that technique.
“The fact remains, I can still walk, and I just need to take a few days off from flying. I’m fine.” She turned her attention from her friends back to the hourglass. It seemed to shimmer brighter than before, and as she stared at it she could have sworn she’d seen the symbols etched on the crystal somewhere else.
“Now this on the other hoof…”
