//------------------------------// // Chapter 15 // Story: A Different Viewpoint of Equestria // by Christopher28 //------------------------------// After Johnathon had left, Cheerilee looked at Twilight curiously. "So... how long is this spell of yours going to last?" Twilight hesitated. "I'm not exactly sure, since I can't seem to sense magic at the moment... but it should wear off in about twelve hours or so. Why?" Cheerilee shook her head. "Just curious." she hesitated, blushing. "I'm a bit surprised at myself, actually, but I've really been enjoying the chance at being able to do something... scholarly for a change, and I find it's a bit addictive." Twilight smiled brightly at her. "I understand completely! It's wonderful finding out something new, isn't it?" Cheerilee nodded. "I do love teaching, and watching my students grow up, and I'd never give that up, but... I do like to learn and discover new things as well, although it's never really been my calling." Twilight smiled encouragingly at her. "I think you have a knack for it. Your papers on Johnathon's native language are really well done! If it wasn't for your work, I'd never have learned as much English as I had. I'm sure that the University of Canterlot's linguistic department would offer you a job if you wanted one." Cheerilee blinked, surprised. "Oh my!" she smiled slightly, shaking her head. "No... I would never leave my students. I love teaching too much... I love Ponyville too much to want to leave." she nodded to Twilight. "But I am getting a bit of a taste for research... perhaps just a taste." she frowned slightly. "Twilight, I'm no unicorn, but I would like to help you if I can, although Celestia knows that biology was never my best subject." Twilight smiled at her. "Well, I do appreciate the help. I can't use my magic right now, so even just helping me get around will be useful, and I don't want to miss this opportunity. We're not likely to get many opportunities to fully examine a human female..." she frowned slightly. "Assuming that the spell worked correctly." she looked at Cheerilee. "I do look human, right? Johnathon did seem to react as if I was." she gazed down her chest, to where her breasts were mostly concealed by the bed sheet tied under her right armpit. "I appear to have rather large mammaries... at least I think that's what these are." she reached up to fumble with the knot tied into the sheet at her side and frowned as she fought to get her new appendages to obey her. "Hmm. Hands are tricky." Cheerilee grinned and moved forward to help, taking the knot in her teeth and tugging it apart. "There you go." Twilight nodded her thanks as she clumsily parted the sheet, exposing her new form to the light from her bedroom's window. "Yes, that's what I thought... mammaries, and only two of them! How interesting!" she felt down her body with her hands. "Hmm... I believe... yes, I do appear to have the same sort of hip structure that Johnathon does as well." she held up her hands in front of her face. "And my hands appear very similar to his, if a bit smaller, I think." she frowned. "I really do wish Johnathon could have stayed, he could have told me if there were any noticeable differences from what a human female from his world should look like." Twilight tried to get to her feet, and managed to flop onto the floor before pushing herself up to her hands and knees. "Oh dear. Cheerilee, could you help me up? I want to go get my camera, so we can get some photos!" ****************************** Hours later, sitting down to a late dinner, Cheerilee was happily telling her house guest about her day. "So then we went and got Twiilght's camera, and she had me take lots of photos!" Johnathon blinked, then swallowed. "Er... photos?" he shut his eyes and promised himself he wouldn't ask for copies, no matter how much he might want some. Cheerilee nodded. "She's going to have them developed later, after she returns to normal, I suppose, and she wanted to know if you'd be willing to take a look? You know, see if everything looks right?" Johnathon sighed in defeat. "Of course she did." Cheerilee looked at him seriously. "Twilight wanted me to ask you if you were sure that the spell worked properly or not. She thinks that it did, and you seemed to agree, but she really wanted to be sure." Cheerilee looked thoughtful. "Twilight was saying that if the spell did work completely, then it means that either the spell could extrapolate very accurately from your physical structure, or that the... collective consciousness that it draws from is even broader than she was expecting." she wrinkled her nose. "Am I making any sense?" Johnathon nodded. "Actually, I was thinking along the same lines. Either the spell somehow extrapolated female DNA from my own somehow, or it took the image from my mind... or... I don't know... somehow there is some sort of... psychic impression of humans in Equestria left over from the last time any of us were here?" he shrugged. "I have no idea how we'd go about determining which of those are correct... if any. Magic is constantly surprising me. It seems to follow rules... but the rules themselves seem to be pretty flexible." he frowned. "I guess one way to find out would be to change me permanently into something, and try to change me back... after, oh, destroying any other traces of human DNA around, and if Twilight could change me back then, it's not either of my first two theories." he chuckled. "Not that I'd risk such a test... so I guess we'll have to think of something else." Cheerilee blinked. "That makes sense, I think... but... what's a DNA?" **************************** The next morning, after Cheerilee went to work, Johnathon stopped by the Library once more and knocked on the door, feeling just slightly nervous. "I hope she's back to normal." he muttered under his breath. "OK, part of me hopes she's not, but I'm trying to ignore that part...." he admitted to himself. "And now I'm talking to myself." he noted with a wry grin just as the door opened. "Who are you talking to?" Spike asked curiously. Johnathon grinned. "Never mind me, Spike, just being cryptic." he shrugged, then turned serious, glancing cautiously past the baby dragon. "Er... is Twilight in, and... um... is she decent?" Spike blinked. "Decent?" Johnathon hesitated. "Er... I mean, is she dressed? Or... a unicorn again?" Spike blinked again. "Johnathon, what are you talking about?" Johnathon sighed. "Never mind. Is Twilight in?" Spike nodded. "Yes, although she's still sleeping. I guess she was up late last night with some sort of project?" Johnathon blinked. "Er... you didn't... see her last night then?" Spike blinked. "Why? Did I miss something?" The archeologist chuckled. "If you didn't see her last night, then probably yes." he shrugged. "Well, if she's sleeping, don't disturb her. Just let her know I stopped by." The baby dragon shrugged. "Sure Johnathon. I'll let her know." "Let me know what?" Twilight Sparkle, once again a purple unicorn, asked curiously as she walked down the stairs from her bedroom, yawning slightly. "Oh, good morning Johnathon!" she glanced back at her room and her horn lit up. "Oh! I was wanting to ask you if you would..." A stack of photographs floated down towards him, and Johnathon nearly groaned. "Cheerilee mentioned." he interrupted. "Er...." he sighed. "I suppose I could take a look at them... in the interests of... er... science!" he declared, trying not to blush, and mostly succeeding. "What are those?" Spike said curiously. "Photos? What of?" Johnathon grabbed the stack out of the air before Spike could get a good look. "You're a bit young for these, Spike." he said quickly, regretting his words almost immediately. "Why am I too young to look at photographs?" The baby dragon said curiously. "What's in them?" Johnathon hesitated. "I just meant... they're boring... just, er... anatomy stuff, right Twilight?" Twilight Sparkle was frowning in mild confusion. "Um. That's right Spike. Just anatomy pictures. For my research." Spike shrugged and seemed to lose interest. "Research stuff?" he shrugged, then headed for the library's small kitchen. "Oh... OK. So... what did you want for breakfast, Twilight?" Twilight blinked, then thought about that. "Pancakes?" Spike gave her a thumbs up. "Got it!" Johnathon took a deep breath, and glanced at the photos. "Huh." slowly he thumbed through them, one after another. "So... you wanted to know if I see anything that's... off, right?" Twilight nodded. "Well, I guess it's most likely that the spell did work correctly, or else you'd have noticed earlier, but it can't hurt to make sure." Johnathon's eyebrows raised at a couple of the shots, but otherwise he maintained a calm expression. "Well... I'm pretty sure. Nothing out of the ordinary for a human female." he told her finally. "In her late teens to early twenties, I'd say." Twilight Sparkled blinked. "Huh. Well, I just turned twenty one, so I guess it extrapolated age from me?" She frowned. "Interesting." she looked curious. "Did you notice anything else? Anything I might not think of that might be relevant?" Johnathon thought about that. "Well... no. I mean, I suppose your human form looked like she could have been related to me, vaguely... same general skin color, European facial structure...." he shrugged. "There is a lot of variety among humans, anyway, and the human you transformed into could easily be from the same geographical part of the world that my ancestors came from." he shrugged again. "Otherwise, that's about it." Twilight nodded slowly. "So... the spell was probably using you for a template?" He shrugged. "It does seem likely, but one test is hardly going to be sufficient to be sure." he handed her the stack of photos with some quickly concealed reluctance, and she floated them back upstairs. "So, what's the next step?" Twilight looked thoughtful. "Well, we still don't know if a permanent transformation spell on you would be reversible or not. If my own transformation spell had failed, we'd know for sure, but since it looks like my spell may have simply used you for a template, and somehow extrapolated a female form, we can't be sure of anything yet." The archeologist shrugged. "It was a good try. So I take it that it's probably not a good idea for me to volunteer to be a test subject?" he grinned slightly. "No offense, Twilight, but that's actually kind of a relief. I mean, it might be kinda cool to, I don't know, have wings for awhile, but I really don't want to get stuck as something else, and not be able to change back to myself, you know?" Twilight nodded. "I do understand. Unfortunately, I'm currently at a loss as to how we could find out if it's safe or not." Johnathon shrugged. "Well, it's not necessary for you to transform me to get me home, right?" Twilight nodded again. "That's true, I suppose I am branching off a bit, although I do want to be sure that Strangehorn's permanent transformation spell is safe before I try it, and since it's almost certainly not safe to cast it on myself, finding a willing volunteer is going to have to be next before I try it... and I don't want to ask Spike. He's always happy to help, but he's still just a baby, and this isn't something I'd ask of him." Johnathon looked curious. "Well, couldn't you try your permanent transformation spell on something else? I mean, change a house plant into.. I don't know, another type of plant, and then change it back?" Twilight blinked. "Oh! That is a good idea!" she thought about it. "And I could try it on an insect after that... a turn a fly into a butterfly, maybe?" Johnathon nodded encouragingly. "That's it. Baby steps... one thing at a time, and you'll figure it out." Twilight smiled. "Well, it it works, it'll get me one step closer to figuring out extending, or permanencing my spells, and we'll be one step closer to getting you home!" ******************************* Johnathon left the purple unicorn to her research, and went about the rest of his day. He was starting to become relatively fluent in spoken Equestrian now, although he still had a long way to go before fully understanding the written language. A week passed, and then another, and Twilight was getting frustrated. Johnathon was over at the library, picking up another history text, having finally finished translating his last one, as Twilight explained her problem to him. "It's just... Strangehorn's spell is so very complex." Twilight tried to explain. "I've been hoping that by actually casting it successfully, I could figure out how the individual components worked, which is fine in theory, except I can't get it to work at all." she frowned. "I've tried it on plants... and on insects... but it doesn't work. I set a fern on fire on my second try, but I have at least learned how to reduce the power I'm using to the mass of the target, but I haven't managed a successful transformation yet." Johnathon looked puzzled. "What's causing you so much trouble, anyway? I thought you were good at transformations." Twilight frowned. "Well, the problem is that Strangehorn's spell isn't anything like a traditional transformation spell, and to make things worse, it's got multiple weaves." she hesitated. "It's... it's like playing music." she frowned. "Most spells, well, you could compare them to playing a single series of notes. You have to get the notes in the correct order, and at the correct speed, and tempo, and at a consistent volume for the song to come out right... but you can follow a single line of music pretty easily, if you've practiced a little. Well, some musicians play multiple lines of music simultaneously, to produce a more complex melody. A unicorn can, technically, cast two spells at once, or even more, if they've got enough strength, and talent to do it, but it's exponentially more difficult. Strangehorn's transformation spell seems like it's three spells rolled into one, weaved together in a very complex way. I think I can piece out two of them, but the third keeps escaping me, and I don't know why." She frowned. "The problem is, the third... weave, is probably what binds the spells to make them permanent, or nearly so, and if I could successfully cast the spell, I could probably figure it out, but since I don't really understand that third weave, I can't make adjustments to the spell." Twilight sighed. "You see, a spell written into a spellbook almost always has certain restrictions locked in... Strangehorn's transformation spell seems to be designed to transform ponies into something else, and without being able to understand it better, I haven't yet been able to change it to be able to use it on other forms of life." Johnathon nodded. "I think that makes sense." he frowned. "You say you set a fern on fire... does that mean the spell is dangerous?" Twilight shook her head. "No, I've got the dangerous part out of the way, I think. I haven't... harmed anything I've tried the spell on for days now. I've got the power level required down, and if I'm careful, the extra magic just drains away without doing any harm." the unicorn sighed. "I'll keep working on it, I guess." Johnathon frowned, then nodded. "Alright Twilight." It sounds like she could use a volunteer, but even if we knew that the spell could be reversed in my case, I'm not a pony... and, I really am not comfortable with the idea of another pony volunteering for a dangerous experiment like that when it's me that this research is for. *************************************** Back at Cheerilee's house, Johnathon was working on translating his new book when the earth pony school teacher got home. "How was your day?" she asked politely. "You were going over to see how far Twilight has gotten with her research today, right? Has she gotten anywhere?" Johnathon hesitated, then shook his head. "Not yet, Cheerilee. She's going to keep working on it though." The purple earth pony frowned. "Hasn't she made any progress yet?" Johnathon looked up from his book. "It's a pretty tough problem, I think, but I'm pretty sure she knows what she's doing, Cheerilee. I don't want her rushing or doing anything risky to anypony, so I don't mind if it takes awhile." Cheerilee hesitated before nodding. "I'm sure you're right." **************************************** Winter came, keeping most ponies indoors to weather the winter storms. Johnathon spend most of the time with his nose in a book, reading up on Equestrian history to his heart's content, and constantly improving his understanding of the language in the process. School had been over for more than a week, and Cheerilee and Johnathon spent a lot of time by the fire, reading, and playing games. Cheerilee had finished the final draft of her paper on the English Language earlier that day, and the two of them sat in front of the fire after dinner, not speaking, just relaxing as the snow fell quietly outside. "Hearth's Warming Eve is coming up." Cheerilee remarked. "Did you hear? Twilight and her friends have been invited to put on the Hearth's Warming Eve Pageant in Canterlot this year." Johnathon raised an eyebrow. "In the capitol? Wow. That's pretty impressive. Are the girls good actors?" Cheerilee smiled slightly. "Well, they did lead a nice musical number for the Winter Wrap up last year, and they were quite good, but I suppose I can't say for sure." she shrugged. "But I'm sure they'll do fine. It's nothing compared to saving the world, after all." Johnathon chuckled. "I'm not sure Fluttershy would agree. You know how she hates attention." Cheerilee smiled. "She'll be alright. Everypony knows the story. It varies a little from year to year, but I'm sure she'll be able to manage." Johnathon looked interested. "What play do they put on for Hearth's Warming Eve, anyway? I haven't read very Equestrian plays yet, actually, so it's quite possible I'm not familiar with it." Cheerilee blinked. "Oh, well, it's basically the story of the founding of Equestria, but if you don't know the story, maybe you should just go to the pageant with the girls! You can see it for yourself that way, and I won't spoil the story for you." Johnathon hesitated. "Oh... go to Canterlot? I don't know." Cheerilee blinked. "I'm surprised. You wanted to go to Cloudsdale so badly. Don't you want to see Canterlot? You've never been, have you?" Johnathon shook his head. "No, I've never been to Canterlot... but...." he frowned. "There'll be a lot of strangers there... aristocrats and businessponies... I'm not fond of being the center of attention, and every time I meet a new pony, that's how it goes, at least until they're used to me." Cheerilee frowned. "Oh, it wouldn't be that bad. I'm sure the ponies of Canterlot know about you by now. They might stare a little bit, but you've gone through the same thing before, when you first came to Ponyville, and I'd assume you got a lot of stares when you visited Cloudsdale as well." The archeologist nodded slowly. "That's true... but." he sighed. "I don't know. I'm a bit nervous about Canterlot, I suppose." Cheerilee looked worried. "Are you worried about meeting the Princess again? Do you think she'd be unhappy if she knew that... we know... about you know what?" Johnathon hesitated. "Well, unless she reads minds, I don't think that'll be a problem, and we just saw her a few months ago. I don't think that'll really be an issue." He shrugged. "And we don't even know if she's the one that caused... you know what." Cheerliee looked mildly confused. "Then why don't you want to go to Canterlot?" Johnathon hesitated. "I guess... unicorns make me a little nervous. It's silly, and I know it's not anything rational, but their magic... it scares me, just a little, sometimes." The school teacher blinked. "Really? You never seem frightened when Twilight uses her magic, or Rarity, or any of the other unicorn ponies in town." Johnathon shrugged. "Well, the first time Rarity used her magic on me? That spooked me... I have to admit. I've gotten used to her... and Twilight... and most of the other ponies in town, and I know they're not going to hurt me. Heck, I've known that for a long time now, but...." he frowned. "How do I explain this?" Cheerilee tilted her head to the side slightly and regarded the man with a gentle expression. "Is this a human thing again?" Johnathon hesitated. "Maybe a little... but I think it's more of a ME thing." Cheerilee nodded encouragingly. "Would it help to talk about it?" Johnathon smiled faintly. "Couldn't hurt." he shrugged. "Well, tell me, Cheerilee, what is the first thing you notice about another pony when you see them for the first time?" Cheerilee raised an eyebrow, but considered that. "I suppose... what kind of pony they are? If they have wings, or a horn, I notice that right away, I suppose... and then, I guess, if they are a mare or a stallion." Johnathon nodded. "That's pretty normal. It's the same for me... but there's a third thing I almost always notice about everypony... everyone, I meet, that's not quite as typical, especially in Equestria, I think.." Cheerilee raised an eyebrow. "Oh? Like what?" Johnathon shrugged. "Ever since I was little, one of the first things that I consider when meeting some... pony new, is how much of a threat they are. Not if they're nice, or mean, or wealthy or poor,... but if they're... I guess you could say, if they're powerful or not. If they have the ability to be a danger to me." Cheerilee blinked. "Oh. I see." she looked thoughtful, then frowned. "And you think unicorns could hurt you?" Johnathon smiled faintly. "Would? No, could? Very much so. While an athletic earth pony like Applejack, or a pegasus like Rainbow Dash are quite powerful in their own way, it's in a way I understand, and I have a great deal of training and practice knowing how to deal with that sort of strength. But a unicorn?" he shook his head. "What they can do, I have no defense against... and that bothers me on a... basic level." he patted his stomach. "In here. I know, intellectually, that unicorns are no more likely than any other pony to harm me, but with Unicorns that I don't know, I always get just a tiny bit nervous." Cheerilee looked sympathetic. "Sometimes being a predator species doesn't sound so wonderful. Did you always worry about if other humans were going to harm you when you were in your world?" Johnathon shook his head. "Not worry... not so much. I'm a capable guy, and while I notice someone else who is... skilled or athletic pretty much automatically, I just... notice it, and file it away. It doesn't bother me." He frowned. "I was... well, not afraid so much, as extra wary around people who carried a gun." he put up a hand. "And don't ask me to explain guns to you, your world doesn't need them... trust me." he shrugged. "Suffice it to say, a gun is a weapon for which I had no defense, something that makes all my skill and training feel useless. If nobody had guns... if they had never been invented, I'd probably be a lot happier. Magic kind of makes me feel like that. If someone I know and trust carried a gun, it wouldn't bother me, but a stranger with one? I'm always just a little bit nervous." He sighed. "The thing is, even though I know that the ponies here in Equestria aren't violent... not at all, and that they wouldn't hurt me, the fact that if they did want to, they could so easily, is something that's hard for me to ignore, that's all. In the case of those I've come to know, it isn't an issue. I don't even think about it. But I will be nervous among a bunch of unicorns I don't know, and Canterlot is populated mostly by unicorns." Cheerilee frowned. "Is this another one of your phobias? Like the way you don't like bugs?" Johnathon thought about that. "I don't like standing on the edge of a cliff either... at least if it's high enough that the fall will kill me. I tend to stay a full step away from the edge if the drop is too high. It's not... frightening, exactly, but I'm automatically careful. I think this is more like that." he sighed. "Maybe I should go anyway. In a big way, you're right, it is like a phobia, because I'm nervous... a little frightened, about ponies that are no threat to me, not really. I should just try to get over it, shouldn't I?" Cheerilee smiled at him softly. "You don't like feeling weak. You prefer to be in control of your emotions, and feeling nervous when you know you shouldn't bothers you." He nodded. "Yeah." the archeologist looked at her curiously. "Thanks for listening. I don't think I would have even thought about going... facing my fear, if you hadn't talked me through this. I might not have even really figured out why I didn't want to go. You seem to have a talent for getting me to see things clearly." Cheerilee shook her head. "I didn't do anything special." Johnathon smiled at the school teacher. "You don't see it, because you do this sort of thing everyday. You bring out the best in your students too, I think." Cheerilee blushed slightly. "Any teacher would do the same... and any friend. You're my friend, Johnathon, and listening and trying to help are just what you do for a friend." Johnathon smiled warmly at her. "Well, you are a very good friend, Cheerilee, there's no mistaking that." he looked curious. "So... do you want to come to the pageant in Canterlot with me?" ********************************** They shared a passenger car on the train with Twilight, Spike, and their friends. Quite a few ponies from Ponyville were on the train as well, and those of them that weren't helping with the play had agreed to sit together to watch the performance. At the moment, Twilight and Cheerilee were chatting. "So, are you going to give a presentation at the University sometime, Cheerilee?" Twilight asked the pony schoolteacher politely. "I know it's a small department, but I've heard that the head of the history department is also interested, and I'm sure there would be plenty of ponies who'd like to meet you." Cheerilee blinked. "Oh my. I don't know. It's just a series of language primers in English, really." Twilight beamed at her. "They're very good primers, Cheerilee, and I really liked how you incorporated phonetics into the learning process." she nodded thoughtfully. "And the bits of history about the origins of many of the words, it's really fascinating." Cheerilee shook her head. "Oh, well, it's really all thanks to Johnathon. He was very helpful." Johnathon waved a hand dismissively from the next row of seats, where he had been peering out of the window. "I only supplied the basic information. You're the one who turned it all into into something interesting, and easy to learn." Cheerilee flushed in mild embarrassment, then decided to change the subject. "Speaking of projects, Twilight, how is yours coming along? Are you still working on figuring out how to extend your spells?" Twilight sighed. "Unfortunately, yes. I'm starting to think I'm going to have to approach the problem a different way. I've been trying to make small changes to the formula for Strangehorn's transformation spell, on the off chance that I could figure out how it works that way, but there are... nearly infinite combinations to try. If I could just cast it once or twice, so I could actually sense how the mana patterns flow, I could figure it out, I think, but... well, I can't do that, for obvious reasons." Rarity spoke up from the seat in front of Twilight, looking interested. "Why ever not, dear?" Twilight hesitated. "Well, the spell is meant to transform a pony, and I don't understand it well enough to use it on another species, and I wouldn't feel right using another pony as a test subject." she sighed. "I'd try the spell on myself, but it's permanent, and if I transformed myself, I wouldn't be able to reverse the spell." Rarity blinked. "Oh." she frowned. "Why didn't you ask one of us, dear? I'm sure we'd have been glad to assist." she looked curious. "What kind of transformation would it be, Twilight? Could you transform a unicorn into a pegasus?" Twilight blinked. "Well yes... but that would be dangerous for the unicorn. You see, the spell is supposed to leave the inherent magical qualities of the subject intact, but a unicorn without a horn would not be able to channel their magic, and the side effects could be dangerous." Rarity sighed. "Oh. That's too bad." she looked thoughtful. "Well, how about the other way around? Could you transform an earth pony, or a pegasus, into a unicorn?" Rainbow Dash, who had started listening in as the conversation got more interesting grinned. "Oh! Could you turn me into a griffon? That'd be cool... you know, just for fun." Twilight blinked. "Well... I could, theoretically give the outward form of a unicorn to an earth pony or a pegasus, but they wouldn't gain a unicorn's powers, they'd still have their own, inherent magical abilities. A pegasus in the form of a unicorn could still walk on clouds... and buck lightning from them, and they'd have a horn, but no wings." She glanced at Rainbow Dash. "I could turn you into a Griffon, Rainbow Dash, and, actually, I expect that the spell would work perfectly for something like that, since you'd keep your pegasus magic, and still have wings." Rainbow Dash thought about that. "That would be pretty cool. Maybe you could do that for next Nightmare Night!" Twilight hesitated. "I suppose it's possible, but... there's one problem with that idea. Like I said, the spell is designed for ponies. I could, theoretically turn a pony into something else, but I can't use the spell on a non-pony... at least, not until I figure it out, so I wouldn't be able to change you back right away... and maybe not ever." Rainbow Dash grimaced. "Never mind then. That sounds bad." Applejack spoke up, sounding slightly curious. "So... you can turn a pony into another type of pony, but you can't transform unicorns... because they need their horns... and if you turned one of us into a Pegasus we wouldn't have their magic, so we'd fall through clouds?" Twilight frowned. "Actually, you might not be even able to fly. Pegasus use magic to fly... it's part of their nature. Their wings alone shouldn't be quite enough for anything more than gliding." Applejack snorted. "So what you're saying is that this Strangehorn fella's spell is pretty much useless?" Twilight nodded slowly. "Yes. I was wondering why they didn't teach it in school, and why none of the regular magical textbooks included it even in the more advanced studies. It's because while it's a tempting spell to try, it really doesn't seem to have much practical application, besides the one that Stranghorn designed it for." Rarity spoke up. "What DID he design it to do, darling?" Twilight shrugged. "He wanted a transformation spell to turn himself into a native of whatever world he ended up in if his dimensional gate spell worked. He's the one who created that translation spell as well, for the same reason, although, unlike his permanent transformation spell, that one actually is in the advanced magic text books, because it actually works!" Twilight shrugged. "His theory was that a temporary transformation while on a dangerous alien world would be a major handicap, which makes sense, as maintaining such a spell is extremely difficult over long periods, and would leave the unicorn weakened. When his assistant tried the spell on herself, she expected that she'd still be able to use her unicorn magic... but she was sadly mistaken. She turned herself into a pegasus, you see, and she tried to use her own inherent magic without a horn... but she couldn't. She kept trying until her magic started to burn out... thankfully they were able to reverse the spell before any permanent damage was done." Pinkie Pie spoke up. "Well, I think it'd be neat to have feathers for awhile!" she said cheerfully. "Even if I couldn't fly with them. And you already know how to put cloudwalking magic on us anyway, Twilight. Why couldn't you give us a spell to make our wings work like pegasus wings while we had them?" Twilight blinked. "Um...." she looked thoughtful. "Huh. I hadn't thought of that. I could probably extrapolate the magic needed to increase the lift generated enough to make flight possible... and of course, the cloudwalking spell is quite simple, really." she shook her head. "Although without pegasus instincts, flight would probably be pretty tricky... although I do have a spell for that too..." Pinkie giggled. "That's our Twilight!" she raised a hoof. "I get to go first!" Twilight blinked. "Pinkie, it could be dangerous!" she frowned. "And besides, aren't you supposed to be playing the role of Chancellor Pudding Hat for the pageant? It'd probably take me a day or so to recover enough to reverse the spell." Pinkie looked thoughtful. "I know! Rarity can adjust my costume so that it covers up my wings!" Rarity shrugged. "A trifle." she sighed. "Oh, I envy you Pinkie. I do miss being able to fly. It was a most lovely experience." Twilight smiled at her. "If you really miss it that much, maybe I'll do the spell for you again for your birthday. Although you might want to have Rainbow Dash nearby, just in-case you happen to fly too close to the sun again." Rarity chuckled slightly. "Well... as much as I do enjoy a good rescue, I'd prefer to avoid falling to my death in the near future. I'm not sure if I'd really want to try wings of gossamer and morning dew again. They're lovely, of course, but just a bit too fragile for comfort." she sighed. "It would be lovely to have real pegasus wings... even if just for a short time, but obviously that's not possible." Twilight shrugged. "No... it's just too dangerous to use this spell on a Unicorn, unfortunately." Johnathon spoke up, looking thoughtful. "Why don't you just turn Rarity into an Alicorn? They have a unicorn horn, right?" Everypony turned to him, with a mix of shock and astonishment. "What?" He flushed. "Er... did I say something wrong?" Twilight shivered, her mind racing as she considered the spells it would take. "I... I couldn't... I mean, I... technically, it's possible, in a way... the spell only imitates the physical form... but..." she shook her head. "No... it's... no." she looked frightened. "We can't talk about this! What if Princess Celestia thinks I want to become an Alicorn and replace her! I don't want to be a princess!" Johnathon held up a hand. "Whoa... Twilight, slow down. It'd just be a physical transformation, right? It's not like it would give anypony the power to raise the sun or moon, right?" Twilight hesitated. "Well... no. It wouldn't change their actual magical energy at all. If I turned an earth pony into an alicorn, they'd still have their enhanced strength and endurance... but they wouldn't be able to use magic like a unicorn, or even fly very well, without external spells." she frowned. "It's the same for anypony, really. If I made Rarity an Alicorn, she'd be much weaker physically then the princesses are, and she also wouldn't be able to fly without magical aid, I believe." She frowned, her ears going flat against her head. "I... I just don't really like the idea of doing that...." Applejack spoke up quietly. "What are you really worried about, Sugarcube? I don't think the princesses would mind if somepony else looked a mite like them. They're not the sort to be jealous or mad about something like that." Twilight shook her head. "It's just... I... I think I could... to myself... I mean, I couldn't really, not really, but... I could fake it... but it'd be worse than anything Trixie did...." Rarity blinked, figuring it out. "You mean... you could make yourself into an Alicorn? Or close to one?" Twilight's whole head drooped. "I... yes. I think so. I know all the spells I'd need to... to fly, and to walk on clouds... and even to be strong and tough like an Earth pony, although that last one is really hard...." she shivered. "And... I've got enough magic to do it all... I'm pretty sure. I might not be able to do it all for another unicorn, not as completely, but I could... for myself...." she shivered, and looked panicked. "But I wouldn't! I mean... I'd never be strong enough to raise the sun or moon... and I wouldn't want everypony to hate me for pretending to be something I'm not." Applejack snorted. "We all know you're a very powerful unicorn, Sugar cube. And that doesn't bother us a mite. I don't see how you learning a new spell would change anything." Johnathon spoke up finally. "I can understand why the idea scares you, Twilight. I've had... well, I've had ideas that scared me too, and... I've been avoiding talking to Celestia about them, but..." he frowned. "Maybe you should just ask her what she thinks about the idea?" Twilight blinked. "Just... ask Princess Celestia what she thinks about me becoming an Alicorn?" Johnathon shrugged. "Well, you don't even know if you can do it yet, right? You haven't tested any of the spells you'd need... not all together, anyway, right? It might not even work. But, well, if you're worried about what the Princess would think, just ask her. If she doesn't like the idea, you can... well, you can just not do it, right?" Twilight blinked. "You're right. If the Princess thinks it's a bad idea, I can just forget about it." she sighed. "Of course I can." she looked relieved. "The Princess will know what I should do." she glanced at Johnathon and frowned. "But... what were you talking about? What are you afraid to talk to the Princess about?" Johnathon opened his mouth, then closed it, then put up a finger. "Er... I think I'll wait before explaining that. It's just... I've got something I want to talk to her in private about... and... I've been struggling with whether or not I should." he glanced at Cheerilee for just a moment, then shrugged. "But... well, I think I'm going to talk to her." Twilight hesitated. "Do you want me to ask her to meet with you while we're in Canterlot? We can both go talk to her, if you want." Johnathon hesitated, then nodded. "If she's free, yes. It's not time sensitive or anything. It can wait." Twilight smiled slightly. "The Princess will be hearing petitions throughout most of Hearth's Warming Eve... it's traditional for her to do so during the hours of the celebration, and she often will hear them in private, if the petitioner wishes. I don't think she'll mind making some time for us." she got up. "I'll go have Spike send her a letter now." The other ponies went silent, glancing at each other with mixed expressions. Cheerilee caught Johnathon's gaze, looking worried, and he smiled at her, and shrugged. She sighed and nodded back silently. ************************************** The Hearth's Warming Eve pageant had been a lot of fun, although the story it told, one that was more legend than history, raised more questions than answers in the archeologist's mind. Afterwords, Twilight had led him through town to the royal palace. There was a long line of petitioners waiting to speak with the princess, but the guards opened a side door for Twilight and Johnathon Dwire, and two armored unicorns escorted them to the Princess's personal chambers. Twilight looked surprised to find Princess Celestia waiting for them, but cantered up to nuzzle her mentor regardless. "Princess!" she said happily. "Thank you for agreeing to meet with us..." Celestia lowered her head to rub necks with her student, and smiled. "Of course! I'm always happy to spend time with you, Twilight, when I can." she smiled. "Luna was most pleased to take over greeting petitioners tonight, and I feel it's about time she got to spend some time with the people in an official capacity, so we have all night, if you need." Twilight glanced at Johnathon. "Well, Johnathon and I both had something we wanted to ask you... in private." she hesitated, looking nervous, but Celestia only smiled gently, and nodded to the two unicorn guards, who both bowed and stepped out of the room, closing the doors behind them. Twilight shivered, then sighed. "This is... a bit difficult to explain, but I wanted to talk to you about it first." Celestia nodded gently. "You can tell me anything, Twilight Sparkle." Twilight sighed again and nodded. "Well, as you know, I've been researching Strangehorn's the Mad's magic in order to get an insight into creating a dimensional portal, and I've been, well, a bit stuck on one particular spell, his permanent transformation spell, which I thought might hold a key to sustaining a dimensional gateway long enough for it to work properly." Celestia nodded. "Yes. I assume you figured out why that particular spell is not taught?" Twilight nodded slowly. "I think so. It's because it doesn't work right. I mean, if you transformed a unicorn with that spell, their magic would build up and injure them... or worse, and since it's only designed to transform ponies, you can't reverse it unless you transform the recipient into another type of pony.... and since it doesn't change their inherent magical nature, you couldn't transform an Earth Pony into a pegasus, for example, and expect them to be able to fly." Celestia smiled. "I believe that is the conclusion that Starswirl the Bearded himself came to when he studied the works of Strangehorn the Mad, yes. Some of Dr. Strangehorn's spells were quite useful, but many were dangerous, or useless, or both." Twilight hesitated. "Well... I... er... I did think of a few uses for Strangehorn's permanent transformation spell, actually... which is what I wanted to talk to you about." Princess Celestia blinked. "Oh?" she beamed. "I would be most interested to hear your ideas!" Twilight smiled slightly, obviously happy to please her princess, but obviously still worried. "Well... er... I... kinda figured out how to turn myself into... a... partial... I mean, not a real one, but... mostly...." she closed her eyes and spoke the words in rapid fire succession. "Ifiguredouthowtoturnmyselfintoanalicorn!" The Princess blinked. "I'm sorry... could you repeat that?" Twilight's ears were down. "I kind of figured out... how to turn myself into an alicorn... I think." the purple unicorn admitted, looking a bit scared. "I mean... not really... just... I think... I could physically transform myself... so I'd have wings... and I know the spells to make myself able to fly properly, and to walk on clouds... and be strong and tough like an earth pony...." she lowered herself onto her belly and bowed. "It all just sort of... came to me... but... I wouldn't do it! I wouldn't be a real alicorn or anything anyway, just..." Princess Celestia finished for her, raising an eyebrow. "You'd just look like an alicorn, be able to fly like a pegasus, be as strong as an earth pony, and still be the most talented mage in Equestria?" she shook her head and sat down next to Twilight, putting a wing over her shoulder lightly. "Oh, my most faithful student, don't be upset. I'm not angry with you." she smiled at her. "I wondered if any pony would ever figure out how to do it." she chuckled. "I should have known it would be you. I've always known you were something special." Twilight looked up at the Princess in surprise. "You're not mad?" Celestia shook her head. "It does not bother me in the slightest, my most faithful student. You sometimes make mistakes, but I trust your heart." she grinned. "I'd actually like to see how you look as an Alicorn. I think you'd look spectacular with wings...." Twilight hesitated. "But... won't it confuse ponies if I changed like that? And... I wouldn't want anypony to think I was royalty or anything!" Princess Celestia smiled. "Just because all the alicorns that currently exist are considered royalty, does not mean one goes with the other. My sister and I became the rulers of Equestria because after Discord was defeated, the old government was in shambles... and my little ponies were united in requesting for us to lead them... to restore order to the chaos that was left behind." she looked thoughtful. "I have considered stepping down as ruler many times, but, it always seems that my little ponies do not wish it." she giggled. "Why, around fifteen hundred years ago, Luna and I held an election, in order to try and raise another worthy pony to lead... but the people insisted on electing us." she shrugged. "But that does not mean that if you transformed yourself into an alicorn, that you would be expected to rule." The Princess looked sad. "It would be nice if you could somehow give yourself ALL of our gifts... including our longevity. It sometimes gets lonely, being the only immortals on Equestria." Twilight looked stricken. "Oh, Princess... I don't know if that is even possible!" Celestia shrugged. "I don't know myself, Twilight, but if you did manage it, well, I would not be unhappy." she smiled softly. "But I would not ask it of you. It can be most difficult, living on when your friends and family do not." she looked curious. "Is this what you wished to speak to me about, Twilight?" Twilight nodded slowly. "I wanted your advice on what I should do. I think that... if I did figure out how to do it... to really do it, not just a theory, but to actually cast the spells and have them work? Well... I think a lot of bad things might happen. A lot of ponies might think I... that I want to... well... to do something bad." Princess Celestia laughed. "I can imagine some ponies might at that." she smiled at Twilight. "But I know better." she nodded. "If you want my permission, you have it. I trust your judgement. If you want my advice? Well, I would certainly advise caution. Several of the spells you mention are dangerous in practice. As for what other ponies think?" She shook her head. "Let them talk." she looked curious. "Twilight, would it be possible for you to transform ANY pony into an alicorn?" Twilight blinked, then quickly shook her head. "I don't think so. I mean... I could fake it, myself. Another Unicorn with enough power could do the same... but I couldn't give another pony the power of an actual unicorn... I could imitate the inherent abilities of pegasi and earth ponies, but even that would require a great deal of power. I don't think it would be possible for most unicorns." she sighed. "That's another reason the idea worries me. Other ponies might not like me... pretending to be..." she blushed. "Well, a princess. And others will want me to do the same to them, and I wouldn't be able to." Celestia nodded her understanding. "It sounds like it's something you should carefully consider before you actually try it." Twilight nodded again. "I will." she frowned. "Some of my friends volunteered for me to practice Strangehorn's spell on, so that I could learn the principles of it... but... it might be better for me to experiment on myself first. That way I don't have to take any chances with them." Celestia raised an eyebrow. "Well, I do not think your friends trust in you is misplaced, Twilight Sparkle, and surely a simple test would not be dangerous." she looked thoughtful. "Still, if you do decide to try the spell on yourself, I would appreciate you letting me know ahead of time, so that I can study a reversal spell. Strangehorn's magic is beyond most unicorns, and if you did accidentally lock your own magic away, I'd want to be able to reverse the spell right away for you." Twilight nodded quickly. "I'll let you know, Princess, I promise." she glanced at Johnathon, who had been patiently waiting, standing by the doorway with his hands in his pockets, his eyes roaming idly over the various pieces of artwork and ornate pieces of furniture in the room. "I think Johnathon had something he wanted to speak with you as well, Princess, if that's alright?" Johnathon turned to face them, and gave a short bow. "Princess." he smiled slightly. "I did have a few things on my mind, if you have some time to talk." he hesitated. "One of the things I've been concerned with, however, I think might be better said between just you and me, if that's acceptable?" Twilight blinked. "Oh. Should I go?" Johnathon looked sheepish. "Well, I don't want to kick you out or anything, Twilight, but there is one thing that it might be better if the Princess heard first. She can decide if it's a good idea to mention it later though." Twilight looked a bit crestfallen. "Oh, of course. Should I... wait in the hall?" Princess Celestia eyed the human with interest. "The two of us could step out onto the balcony if you wished to speak privately, Johnathon, while Twilight could wait in my chambers." she raised an eyebrow. "If that's acceptable?" Johnathon nodded quickly. "That would be fine. Thank you for hearing me out, Princess." Celestia turned toward her balcony doors, and they opened for them as she led him outside. The balcony was huge, nearly fifty feet in length, and the doors closed behind them as they walked slowly, side by side, toward the far end. When they were at the end, looking out over the city, the Princess turned to him. "So, what is it that you do not wish my faithful student to overhear?" Johnathon hesitated. "Well... I've, sort of stumbled across something... almost by accident, really, and I thought... well..." He frowned. "Well, to be as straightforward as possible, I believe that some sort of massive spell has been cast on... well, at the least, all of Equestria, that keeps ponies from thinking about how Twilight and her friends used the Elements of Harmony to save the world... twice." Princess Celestia blinked. "What brought you to that conclusion?" Johnathon hesitated. "Well, it seemed... odd, to me, that the girls didn't seem to receive much in the way of fanfare or press for what they did... stopping Nightmare Moon, and Discord? Those were... huge, incredible events. But nopony really talks about them. But lots of ponies talk about, oh, when Applejack saved the town from a stampede, or when Twilight stopped that Ursa Minor, or about Fluttershy's fashion career, or even recently, when Rainbow Dash made a bunch of rather spectacular saves around Ponyville...." he looked thoughtful. "I think that the mysterious Mare do Well was probably the rest of the girls as a group... especially the part where Mare Do Well fixed that dam...." He shook his head. "Anyway... it seemed strange... and then I figured out how to break the spell." Celestia sighed. "Oh. Who did you talk to about it then?" Johnathon frowned. "So you knew?" Princess Celestia nodded slowly. "Yes. Are you wondering if I was the one to cast the spell?" Johnathon nodded. "Frankly, yes. I mean, I can understand why, but..." Celestia smiled slightly. "I also understand why it was done... but it was not my power that caused this." she shrugged slightly. "Although I would understand why you might find that difficult to believe." Johnathon shook his head. "If you say it, I'll take your word, Princess. You haven't lied to me yet. What did cause this... effect, then?" Celestia raised an eyebrow. "Have you no idea, Johnathon Dwire? You must have a theory or two." The archeologist frowned. "The Elements of Harmony... it's the only other thing I could come up with. It makes sense, really. I mean, the elements are powered by the qualities of friendship... and I know how disruptive great fame can be, especially on a young person... er... pony. If they became corrupted by too much fame, their friendship might be broken... or worse." Princess Celestia nodded slowly. "Yes. I was an element user myself... and both when I used the Elements of Harmony with my sister to turn Discord into stone and when I banished... Nightmare Moon, both times, no one really remembered it afterwords. Oh, if I spoke of it, they would remember, and some... became afraid, but...." she sighed. "But so long as the spell was not broken, no pony recalled the truth of the matter. That is why, after a thousand years, only Twilight Sparkle knew who my sister was, and why she had come back. I left the book with the story where she would be able to read it... and trusted my student to piece together the truth for herself." Johnathon frowned. "You mean, you manipulated the situation? You knew your sister was returning, and arraigned for Twilight to find out about it?" Celestia sighed. "It goes back farther than that. I sensed Twilight's connection to the Element of Magic at an early age, and I trained her myself. I knew she would find the other elements in Ponyville... I am not quite sure how, but somehow, the elements themselves made sure that Twilight met those she would become friends with... those that matched their natures. Their power is greater and more mysterious than even I understand." Johnathon blinked. "Does... does Twilight know any of this?" Princess Celestia smiled slightly. "Most of it, I think. She is very intelligent, and quite insightful. I am most fortunate that she is understanding as well. She still trusts me... even though I put her into that situation without explaining the truth." Johnathon frowned. "But you couldn't tell her, I suppose? I mean... if you told her that Nightmare Moon was really coming back, and that she had to make friends with five ponies who matched up with the Elements of Harmony... well, she'd have failed... probably. I know Twilight, and she's a wonderful, strong individual, but I don't think she could have genuinely formed friendships under that sort of stress." Celestia nodded. "The power of the Element's of Harmony can not be taken by force. Seeking them for a noble purpose, when they are truly needed, however, is something else entirely... and I had to trust in that. Knowledge of the truth would have hampered her ability to complete her quest." she sighed. "It was a terribly stressful time for me, to be truthful. I knew what was coming, but could do so little to prevent it." Johnathon rolled. "Yeah I can believe that... whoever designed those things must have had a wicked sense of humor." Princess Celestia looked thoughtful. "That much is probably true. Still, the magic of friendship is at its most powerful when it is not forced, when it is something that comes naturally, and honestly. The Elements are only capable of their full power under those conditions. I think that their creator truly understood that." Johnathon frowned. "So... what should I do about it? I mean... if I tell anypony, the spell will be broken for them... but, well, Twilight and her friends are happy the way they are. Do I have any right to force fame on them?" Celestia smiled. "I think you already know what you should do, Johnathon, but I can't make the choice for you." Johnathon looked at her strangely. "I could start telling everypony I meet... they do deserve the recognition, you know." Celestia nodded. "You could, and they do. If they could have the recognition they deserve, without suffering the cost of the fame that would follow, I would have spread the word far and wide myself. As it is, I have set their deeds down in our histories, in stained glass in my throne room... and deep in my heart. They will never be forgotten while Equestria stands. Still, while they live, while they are young, and still just learning the true magic of friendship, I thought it would be best to leave them the peace that the Element's gave them." Johnathon sighed. "Yeah. Well... I suppose I do feel better about it, a little." he shrugged. "To be truthful, that wasn't the most difficult thing I wanted to bring up with you..." Celestia blinked. "Truly? Now you have me curious, Johnathon Dwire. What else could bother you more than suspecting that I might have bespelled my entire kingdom?" Johnathon hesitated. "Well... how about this? You've been to my world, right?" Celestia nodded slowly. "Yes, long ago, but I do remember." The archeologist frowned, then plunged forward, deciding that he would simply trust Celestia to understand his reasons. "What do you know about my world? Specifically, the sun and moon." Princess Celestia blinked. "Oh!" she looked curious. "What do YOU know about your sun and moon, Johnathon Dwire? What have your people discovered in all the many centuries since I was on your planet?" Johnathon shrugged. "That... the sun is ninety three million miles away, that it's a thousand times bigger than our planet, and that our planet orbits around it, not the other way around." Celestia smiled. "Ah." she nodded, smiling wryly. "Yes, I could not help myself. When I first arrived on your world, I reached for the sun... just a light touch, to see what it might feel like. It took more power just to sense it than it takes for me to actually raise our sun. Your world... is very, very different from our own. Our sun is a tiny ball, a very small fraction of the size of your own, much, much closer to our world. I do not believe that our two worlds operate on the same... principles, as you would understand them." Johnathon sighed with a smile. "Oh... well, that's..." he blinked. "Um... really weird, but I'm glad as well." Celestia looked thoughtful. "You were concerned about talking about this with me. Why is that, Johnathon?" Johnathon hesitated. "Well... to be honest, I know... well, intellectually, how big the sun is, at least on my world. I understand a lot about how our solar system came to be the way it is, how our Earth came to be orbiting our sun... and well, magic has nothing to do with it. The thought of... any one creature being strong enough to move a sun? It... I couldn't wrap my head around it." Celestia nodded slowly. "Well... I can't imagine anypony being strong enough to move the sun that your world orbits... you are correct about that. I do not have such power. But, things work quite differently here." Johnathon nodded slowly. "Well, they... have to. I mean... the stories I've heard. That when Luna came back, the sun didn't rise for an entire day... that Discord made the sun rise and set every few minutes?" He frowned. "Those could have been illusions, I suppose, but..." he sighed. "I guess... well, it bothered me. I didn't see any reason to mention my worries to anypony, however. What good would it do them?" Celestia raised an eyebrow. "Would it comfort you if I was to demonstrate my control over the sun for you? Or if Luna were to alter the course of the moon for a night?" Johnathon blinked. "You'd do that, just to make me feel better?" Celestia considered that. "If it bothers you so much... I might consider it, yes, so long as the disruption was minor, but... in fact, I do alter the Sun's course in a... well, rather dramatic fashion once a year in any case, during the Summer Sun Celebration each year. I hold it just below the horizon of the town the celebration is being held at, and then, at the correct time, I raise it rapidly into the sky... and then set it on it's course. You're welcome to come see for yourself in six months." Johnathon blinked. "Oh. That's pretty cool, actually. I'll have to be there for that." Celestia smiled. "It is kind of... cool, isn't it? All of my ponies do seem to enjoy it quite a bit." she shrugged. "I've been doing it for a thousand years now... as a way of reassuring my little ponies that the endless night will not return. Of course, most of them do not truly know the reasons behind it now, but they've come to expect it every year, and I do not mind... performing for them just once a year. It is part of being a princess." Johnathon shrugged. "Makes sense to me." he glanced at Celestia. "Would it be alright if I told Twilight about the... physics of my world a bit then? I know quite a bit about the subject, and it would be nice to have someone to talk to about it." Princess Celestia smiled. "You may tell her whatever you wish, Mr. Dwire. I trust my student, and for some strange reason, I trust you as well. You have been most circumspect with my subjects, I feel, and I do appreciate your caution. You are not one for careless action, I think." Johnathon chuckled. "Perhaps not so much anymore. I have made more than my share of mistakes. I'll probably make more." Princess Celestia smiled. "Age does not make us perfect... although perhaps it helps a little. Even I make mistakes on occasion, Mr. Dwire. And no, that's not a state secret. Discord had me beaten before I knew what was happening. Twilight succeeded in banishing him as I hoped, but through no action of my own. My careful plans for his return failed, and only my student's own strength of character, and Discord's failure to understand the power of the bonds of friendship between her and her friends, saved us that time." she shivered. "I can certainly make mistakes." Johnathon put a hand on her shoulder. "You try your best, Celestia. And your best is very good indeed, if I'm any judge. You have nothing to be ashamed of." Celestia raised an eyebrow at him. "You are a strange man, Johnathon Dwire, but I do like you. It is rare for me to have anypony offer me comfort. Thank you." The human shrugged. "You're welcome." he glanced back at the doors to her chambers. "I expect Twilight is wondering what we're talking about, and worrying. Shall we go back and reassure her as well?" Celestia smiled, and nodded. "We should."