//------------------------------// // Part 4 - Best Laid Plans // Story: Luna's Eclipse // by enamis //------------------------------// The Dragon's Kin' Chapter 1 - Luna's Eclipse Part 4 Best Laid Plans My most faithful student Twilight Sparkle, I regret to inform you that after your departure my dear sister Luna has become more and more ill. My advisors and royal medics along with the elders of the council cannot find a cure nor even find the cause of this illness. Twilight, your assistance is greatly needed in Canterlot. ~ Princess Celestia Twilight crumpled the letter and threw it in the corner. Not today. Not now. She was lying on her back on the wooden floor of her library. A thought crept in her mind. This was the first time she had been so disrespectful against one of the Princess’s letters. She slowly and unwillingly got up and walked over to the little ball of paper. She picked it up with her magic and straightened it. It was still a bit ruffled, but at this point, Twilight didn’t care. She placed it in one of the drawers nearby and returned to the spot where she lied just a second ago. At first she sat down on the floor but eventually she fell on her back. She stretched out her hooves and waved them in the air. Something about this decision just made Twilight uneasy. She expressed it by not showing any signs of life. She just blankly stared at ceiling for a couple of minutes and pushed herself off the floor once more. Twilight walked over to her kitchen. It was still messy ever since Rainbow and Spitfire left. Twilight remembered the lunch she had with Rarity yesterday as they were going around and about this entire thing. It had been only a day since she used the spell on the Wonderbolt couple so there was no point in trying to wait on any kind of results. All she could do was to see it in practice. Under a pile of papers Twilight finally found the book. She couldn’t remember how in Equestria the library had gotten so messy, but then again, she was prone to sleepwalking. The fact that Rarity wasn’t here with her made Twilight a bit more worried. She knew that these kind of spells could easily knock her unconscious so having somepony with her would be beneficial to say the least. But alas, her best friend was somewhat ill. Ever since she woke up she was cramping up whenever she tried to stand, so she obviously couldn’t make it. That worried Twilight… but she couldn’t wait. Not this time. Twilight scanned through the page containing the appropriate spell. She pushed away some of the books and papers that were on the floor near her. Twilight took a steady position and began to take large breaths. Nothing can stop her this time. Not her friends. Not her conscience. Not even Celestia herself! --------- Her mind was blank. Blanker that it had ever been before. Twilight couldn’t remember the last time she had completely lost track of everything she was doing. But despite that, the extraordinary exhaustion and numbing pain in her stomach assured her that the spell had been cast. Now it was just a matter of waiting it out. --------- Twilight was happily trotting through town. It had been about two weeks since she cast the spell and so far nothing had changed. As Twilight turned the corner of a market stall she ran into another mare. They both fell to the ground but Twilight managed to grab both of their groceries just before they splattered against the ground. “My sincerest apologies, I wasn’t watching where I was…” Twilight’s apology was cut short as she saw the mare in front of her. A cyan pegasus with a rainbow mane. “Rainbow Dash!” Twilight exclaimed as she got back up on her hooves. “Twilight!” Dash replied with the same enthusiasm. They exchanged a quick hug as Twilight handed Dash her groceries. “What are you doing here?! Why haven’t I seen you around? Have you been staying in a hotel or something super-secret?” Twilight asked as the two were heading down an alleyway. This wasn’t the direction Twilight had to go but she didn’t have anything important to do anyway. Besides books… lots of books… “Oh! Twilight, you have to keep quiet about seeing me in Ponyville!” Rainbow looked at Twilight with her puppy-eyes. “Umm... ok? But may I ask why?” Twilight gave her a confused stare as they turned another corner. “Ya’ see…” Dash rubbed the back of her head, “Remember two weeks ago? Spitfire said that we were going to sell our mansion? Well, we did! But I wanna’ make a surprise party since you’re the only pony we told.” Dash lightly smiled. “I understand.” Twilight smiled back “But how did you get the money?” “Oh, well… we’re Wonderbolts! A single areal show gives us the same amount of money that… I dunno’ Pinkie earns in an entire year…” Dash waved her hooves in the air just to show how much she meant. “I'm pretty sure we’re set for life at this point.” She added. Twilight snickered “So that’s why you wanted kids, am I right or am I right?” Dash blushed “I-I guess so… I still managed to live my dream… but I want to stay loyal to you guys… and Ponyville too…” they fell quiet. “It’s alright Rainbow...” Twilight whispered and hugged her friend as they entered the suburbs. --------- After a few minutes of walking Rainbow stopped. “Well, here’s my stop.” “Is it?” Twilight looked up. “I remember it being almost at the end of Rainbow District, we still have ways to go.” “Yea about that… Remember how I rented my home before and after The Fire? Well, let’s just say that family didn’t have anywhere to go so I let them keep my old house.” Rainbow put up a slightly nervous smile. “Besides, this one’s gonna’ have three bedrooms instead of one.” She added. Twilight just smiled, not sure on what to say. Luckily she was saved by something dashing down from above. “CANNONBALL!!!” shouted a yellow figure as it fell on Rainbow Dash knocking her to the ground. About a dozen apples rolled in their own direction. “OW! What’s wrong with you?!” Dash squealed. The yellow figure was rolling on the ground laughing as Rainbow got back on her hooves and brushed the dirt from her hooves. “What in Equestria is wrong with you Spitfire?!” Rainbow angrily poked the yellow mare. “Pfft, how should I know.” She laughed and shot back up on her hooves. “Oh, hey Twilight.” She coldly greeted her as she noticed the purple pony. She turned back to Rainbow, resumed her smile and continued. “Your stupid turtle gave me a random idea… Sorry I'm just a bit too energetic today.” Spitfire gave Dash that ‘I'm sorry I'm a rebel’ look. Twilight wanted to say something regarding symptoms and the spell and all that but for once, she didn’t. It’s not like she and Spitfire were oh-so good friends. Twilight just rolled her eyes and sighed to herself. “Tank is a tortoise Spitsy’. We’ve been over this before.” Dash wasn’t amused. Twilight couldn’t hold back any longer so she managed to interrupt. “Tank? No offence Rainbow but I'm surprised seeing how you held onto him ever since the shenanigans at the wedding.” “Oh that? Hah! It was funny seeing how that slowpoke and Scootaloo got into that fight about whose gonna’ be the ring bearer.” Dash laughed. “It was even more funny seeing him actually win!” she laughed again. “Oh, poor Scootaloo…” her smile slightly dropped. “Wonder what that kid’s been up to… haven’t heard from her for awhile.” Spitfire leaned over and hugged Rainbow. “She’s fine Dashie. I'm sure she is.” Rainbow eventually hugged back and as always Twilight was left in that really awkward 3rd-wheel situation. While the two were busy embracing Twilight drew out a ‘BYE’ in the dirt and teleported away. How she hated awkward moments like that. --------- Time flew by. Days turned into weeks and weeks turned to a month. A month and still noting… Twilight was once again at Rarity’s, wasting away at her coffee table and beanbags. “I'm sure it’s not as bad as you say it is, now is it dear?” Rarity gently asked as she sipped their usual peppermint tea. After everything Twilight had been through she’d finally let the depression sink in. She just shook her head instead of saying a single word as she let her head dangle above the table. “Oh come now dear, I'm sure you can do or think of, at least something!” Rarity said in a surprised tone as she placed down her cup whit a small *click*. “BAH! Don’t you see!?” Twilight snapped at her. “It’s like I'm immune to my own spells! For how long I’ve tried at it just doesn’t do ANYTHING!” Twilight smacked her head on the table and groaned. The impact made the porcelain cups clink and the silver spoons tremble. One even fell off the table and made a slight rattle. Rarity looked even more surprised at the pony’s sudden outburst. She knew Twilight had a couple of temper issues but at least this wasn’t as bad as anything regarding Pinkie and her hunk-a-ba-lulu. She leaned over and gently stroke Twilight’s shoulder with her marshmallowy hoofs. “Why jump to such sudden conclusions? Maybe you’re just not trying hard enough, mmh?” Twilight slightly lifted her head and placed her chin onto the table’s surface. She sighed and looked her friend with the ‘are you kidding me?’ look. “Do you think I haven’t tried? Day after day but the spell just doesn’t work on me…” she let out another grunt of sorts and covered her eyes with her hooves. They sat there for a good few minutes and all of a sudden Twilight shot up almost basing her skull against Rarity’s chin. “You’re a unicorn!” She cried out in some kind of new-discovery joy. “Took you long enough to notice.” Rarity sarcastically replied. She felt a bit offended come to think of it. “No, no, no… I, I mean… you… YOU can cast the spell for me!!!” Twilight cried out in joy smiling all across her face, her depression had suddenly vanished. Rarity stood wide-eyed gazing at her friend for a while until she processed the information. When she thought her eyes couldn’t go any wider they did and she spoke the words extremely fast “Nonono. I can’t. Don’t ask why.” “Why?!” Twilight asked out of sheer curiosity. “It requires a mastery over C class magic’s and I’ve seen you do much, much more than that!” Rarity was chewing her lip and her eyes were all over the place just like when Applejack tried to lie. “I said no.” she cut the conversation. Twilight eyed her a bit weirdly and said something that really struck her. “Element of Generosity much?” Rarity gasped. Now that was an insult. She broke. “BAH! I can’t take it anymore!!!” she followed Twilight’s preview and let her head smack on the table. She sighed. “Who am I kidding?! I'm a failure to magic! I have disgraced my family! All my amazing magic is just gracefully executed levitation!” she buried her face in her hooves and sobbed. Twilight looked at Rarity as if she had suddenly turned into a changeling. She unsurely patted her sobbing friend on the back. Twilight noticed a small tissue box next to an ugly plant on the window frame and levitated it closer while softly saying: “What are you talking about!? You are amazingly gifted!” “You flatter me… but that doesn’t change the truth.” Rarity sniffled. “It may take some skill to make dresses but any earth pony can do it… it’s just much more convenient for us unicorns...” Rarity wiped her eyes with a tissue. “But what about your gem finding ability? I don’t see any pony besides me and you who can do it.” Twilight spat out. “Cutie marks don’t count Twilight. They are special abilities only some have. Say, nopony can grow apples quite like the Apple Clan.” Twilight lifted an eyebrow. “Applejack’s family, dear.” Rarity explained. “And nopony can make a shield like your brother Twi’…” Rarity continued. “How is he doing anyway? I heard he and Cadence are the new ambassadors in Ziberia.” “They’re fine, but don’t change to subject Rarity!” Twilight eagerly interrupted. Rarity sighed once more. “What is that you want from me dear?” “Answers, help, cookies…” Twilight replied, “I can do with just some answers… Like, why exactly you can’t do any advanced magic? I never noticed that…” “Nopony did Twilight… and I was happy they didn’t…” Rarity looked away. “I… Ineverpassedmagickindergarten…” “What? I didn’t catch that.” “*inhale* Ineverpassedmagickindergarten…” “WHAT?! I can’t HEAR you!” “I NEVER PASSED MAGIC KINDERGARTEN!!!” Rarity shouted on the top of her lungs. They sat quietly for a good 10 minutes. “Now you know! *sniff* Now you know what kind of a failure I am!” Rarity blew her nose. “Now you know…” Twilight collapsed in one of the beanbags behind her. “Is there a single pony out there who could help me? A single soul to hear my cries… anypony?” She lifted her hooves above her and waved at the ceiling as if asking for something. “Nopony…? At all…?” She sighed and closed her eyes. “Umm Twilight…” Rarity spoke. Twilight lifted her head just a tad to see her. Rarity bit her lip. If you looked closely enough you could see her brainstorming or maybe just battling herself deep down in her mind. Eventually she closed her eyes and sighed. “There is one way…” She opened her eyes and almost gazed into Twilights soul. “You won’t like it… but it’s pretty much your only chance. And that is…” --------------------------------------------------- A thanks to Midge Mannequin for editing