[Summer 9, 996 – Day 1219]
There was no journal entry for yesterday, but we didn’t crash, or explode, or anything. My sixteenth birthday party was pretty exhausting in and of itself, and Twinkleshine gave me a particularly amazing, but tiring, gift for it after everypony else had fallen asleep.
Anyway, I’m ashamed to admit I didn’t get much done today or even in the morning with Luna; my thoughts kept straying back to last night. Fortunately, she didn’t object to an easy night of talking and gossiping instead of lessons.
I’d bet Twinkleshine had the same problem as me. She’d barely said two words to me today, and she was way too embarrassed to look me in the eyes. That was something we were going to have to work on.
While I’m on the topic, I’m not looking forward to my next conversation with Cadance. There’s no doubt that she’ll somehow know I’ve slept with somepony, and she’s not going to stop pestering me until she gets every last detail.
It’s not that I really mind talking about it, but Cadance can get a little…obsessive about this kind of stuff. I wish I could give her the same treatment in return, but I don’t actually want to hear about what she’s getting up to with my brother, as much as I tease her about it.
As far as other events go, the only other notable thing that happened is Pinkie Pie roped me into preparations for Spike’s birthday party a couple weeks early this year. And she told me I couldn’t give him a book as a present this time, which is completely ridiculous! I mean, does she know how much effort it takes me to find the time to write a book!
Bah. I guess I can come up with something else and give him the story I wrote as a Hearth’s Warming present instead. Sigh…
Nothing further of interest to report.
[Fall 97, 997 – Day 1407]
Today has been another reminder of how much I simultaneously hate and respect Dash. She’s like a…an animal, working purely off of instinct. If she’d just sit down with a book once in a while, she’d probably be the best pegasus spell caster that ever lived.
*sigh*
I’m just getting myself worked up over nothing. She’s annoying at ti – often, but there’s nothing fundamentally wrong with her. She’s frustrating but fascinating? Yes, I think that’s a better way to put it. I’d say I should ask her to help me learn pegasus magic in a couple years, but her learning style – and presumably her teaching style, if she can even teach – is more or less incompatible with mine.
Oh, and if you’re reading this Fluttershy, no offense meant about the animals and instincts thing. Although maybe that’s why you like her so much.
*snerk*
Since writing doesn’t preserve my tone of voice, I should probably mention that I’m only joking. Well, mostly.
Anyway, as usual, my day started off in the library.
“Hey, Twi!” Dash shouted. “I need your–”
It was an automatic response at this point. I glued Dash to the floor with my magic, ensuring that she didn’t knock over any bookshelves, scatter any piles of paper, or crash into me when she went flying around. I swore that all of those past incidents had to have been malicious despite Dash’s claims to the contrary. She was too good of a flier.
Grunting first as she slammed to the floor, Dash said, “You really need to stop doing that Twi; you put a crack into my left forehoof last time.”
And maybe you should stop flying in the library. That didn’t use to be rule number one, but it’d quickly risen up through the ranks over the years faster than even my brother.
“I already apologized for that, Dash. My magic just flared a little that time, and besides, both Fluttershy and I looked at your hoof, and we both agreed it was just superficial damage that you could have gotten from jamming it in a door. And I researched how to fix it for you anyway when it would have simply grown out in a couple days.”
“So what’s your point?”
Sighing in exasperation, I felt like yelling at Dash to not fly in the library, but the message never stuck no matter how I tried asking. Even Fluttershy couldn’t get Dash to remember for more than five minutes.
“What do you want?” I asked.
“Oh, right. I need you to cast a lightning proofing spell on me.”
After a brief pause, I sighed, placed a bookmark, and shut my book. Turning on my chair to look Dash straight in the eyes, I asked, “And just why do you need a lightning shield?” She had the magic to survive unharmed just about any sane voltage put into a lightning bolt. Anything more might start melting holes in my ship.
“Well, I was like, ‘Chamomile is the head of the night guard, right?’”
For now, at least. I still wasn’t sure if I wanted to poach her as a knight or not. She was certainly nice, and helpful, and a solid fighter with an excellent knowledge of chemistry, but… Well, those were all excellent reasons to make her my knight, but I was still uncomfortable with the idea.
“So she must be good at fighting,” Dash continued. “I asked her to show me her moves, but she said that unless I wanted to die, get really hurt, or get really, really sick, she couldn’t.”
Who would have guessed the assassin specialized in killing, nearly killing, and crippling injury? What a surprise.
“But I kept the pressure up and asked her again anyway, and she told me about how she can shoot lightning at ponies.”
“No,” I interrupted. “You’re not doing that inside my ship.”
“Oh, come on, Twi,” whined Dash. “You’ve got that heavy duty room separated from the rest of the ship that we never use.”
I facehoofed. I just couldn’t help it. “Dash, that’s the room I go to when I’m about to kill everypony with a flare. It’s not a playground.”
“Come on.”
“No.”
“Let us use it.”
“No,” I said, deliberately turning away from Dash and reopening my book.
“Why not?”
“It’s complicated. It’s not a nice place to be.”
“Chamomile and I are tougher than you.”
“Physically.”
“Come ooooon.”
I slammed my head into my book, barely missing another pile of books with my horn.
After a very brief blessed silence, Dash said, “Please?” She shortly followed it with, “You can join us,” nudging me with a knee.
“How long are you going to keep this up?”
“‘Till I get bored.”
Which could be a very long time when it came to shooting lightning at ponies. I hadn’t forgotten how long Dash had pestered me to drink my first, and only, glass of alcohol. Decreasing my IQ was the exact opposite of what I wanted, and I’d almost destroyed the ship in the process.
Fortunately, I was less stupid than Dash, and had Twinkleshine on hoof after making absolutely sure she could cast a sobering spell. In the future, when I taught other Flares, I’d have to remember that alcohol mixes very poorly with them.
Sigh. At least this time the whole ship wasn’t in any danger from Dash’s fun.
“Meet me on the bridge in an hour with Chamomile,” I said into my book. “I have to disable–”
I was cut off by a hug which knocked the wind out of me and pulled me up into the air.
“Thanks, Twi! You’re the best!”
Dash, Chamomile, and I appeared inside my isolation chamber with a small popping sound. I’d turned off most of the spells designed to suppress magical effects, so being here only made my horn tingle in protest a little bit.
The very first thing I did immediately after that was to teleport the magic suppressor stored nearby to me. I had no idea if it was still strong enough to stop one of my flares or if it would just break, but better safe than sorry. It would, at the very least, stall a flare long enough for me to turn the other protection spells back on.
Setting down a cushy chair I’d brought with us, I said, “You two have fun. I’ll make sure you don’t kill each other or melt my precious ship.”
Dash flew over and swept me up in her hooves as I tried to sit down. I had no idea how she managed to carry my weight without the slightest bit of strain, but the flight was as smooth as it was brief.
“Oh, come on, Twi,” Dash said, setting me down in-between herself and Chamomile, the latter of whom looked half-scandalized. After all, this was no way to treat a princess. “I know you can do this, too. I saw that time you used one of my thunderclouds to–”
Glaring at Dash, I magically whispered into her ear, “One more word, and I’ll ground you for an entire week.”
It was a bluff. Dash usually managed to overpower my grounding spells pretty quickly unless I went out of my way to keep them in effect – which I wouldn’t waste a week of my time on – but she didn’t need to know that.
“Not cool, Twi.” The two of us had a stare down until Dash randomly gave up and moved on. “You should totally join us, though. I want to see what a princess’s apprentice is made of.”
“Not happening,” I said. The next moment, I was relaxing comfortably in my chair after a teleport, a book already on its way to joining me. Unfortunately, Dash was back hovering over me a second later.
“Why not? You do this kind of stuff all the time with the princess, don’t you? It’s fun.”
“Dash,” I began, opening my book, “I spar with Luna in an environment where both of us have equal resources at our disposal, where I’m not responsible for making sure nopony dies, where I don’t have to constantly fear using too much magic” – that finally got a frown out of Dash – “and where I can let loose and have fun with it.”
To make my point final, I snuggled even further into my chair and wrapped a blanket around myself. “I won’t be joining you.”
I didn’t even bother to look up. Either Dash would leave or I’d put up a shield next time to keep her out.
I’d gotten through half a page when Dash finally mumbled, “Fine,” and flew away. “Alright, Chamomile, show me you moves!”
Sometime later, Chamomile called out, “Twilight! Is it okay if I damage some of the ground?”
Answering magically, I said, “Just try to avoid hitting me. It’s distracting.” I seriously doubted Chamomile could actually damage anything in here with lightning bolts, but it’d be easy enough to fix even if she did.
The thunderous crackle that soon followed left my ears ringing, having forgotten to protect them from the inevitable thunderclaps. How I wished I had pegasus magic already; I wouldn’t even need to worry about this kind of nonsense.
Mid-spell, a small pebble hit me on the horn out of nowhere. It didn’t really hurt, but it’d been annoying. After I fixed my ears and placed a protection spell on them, I glanced up at what was going on. There were still little sparks gently floating to the ground around Dash and Chamomile. Judging by the rocky ground below her – which Chamomile hadn’t damaged, just lightly scorched – Chamomile had just built up a massive charge and let is dissipate beneath her.
I watched Dash attempt to do the same but to far less impressive results. Her own scorch mark was barely even visible and nowhere near the size of Chamomile’s. The floor was rock a long way down for no other reason than to take abuse, but it was still rock. Dash wasn’t going to damage it with anything less than her best.
At least the cleanup would be easier than cleaning up after my flares. I cast a shield spell around myself in case of more wayward pebbles and returned to my book.
Pegasus-generated lightning had a tendency to go where its user intended it to go. This was as opposed to where it should go if it were to behave like normal electricity, namely nowhere interesting. The pegasus version of lightning was inherently magical until it hit something, in laypony terms.
And by hit something, I meant until it got close enough to something that it thought it’d had its fun ionizing air and wouldn’t it be a lark if it discharged into whatever caught it’s fancy. Books were pretty eye-catching, as were ponies reading them.
“Princess!” Chamomile shouted, reverting to Old Equestrian in her panic. Even with her being a lunar pegasi, the beating of her wings was easy to hear.
I just stared awkwardly in silence. My mane, and tail, and coat, and eyelashes, and nasal hairs all felt a little stiff, and I was pretty sure my book was emitting a small cloud of black smoke. But my chair wasn’t on fire, so that was something.
Chamomile scooped me up before I could react and laid me flat on the ground. She immediately follow it up by putting an ear to my barrel right above my heart.
“Ah…” I began listlessly. Despite how much fiction liked to portray it otherwise, CPR was not a pleasant experience, and I had no interest in going through it, no matter how stunningly beautiful Chamomile was. “I’m alright.”
At hearing me speak, Chamomile sighed and fell on top of me, which was not exactly helping. I gently lifted her off of me and levitated her to the side.
“Dear Luna, I’d never forgive myself if I lost you like this,” Chamomile panted. She wasn’t as fast as Dash, but she’d managed to reach me before I’d even blinked earlier. “And Princess Luna would have my legs torn off and the rest of me fed alive to a dragon if I’d lost you like this.”
Dash chose this moment to join us. “Sorry, Twi, my bad. You okay?”
“Yeah… Yeah, just – just wasn’t ready for that big of a surge in my magical output and a lightning bolt to the face.” I was a little worse off than I’d have hoped, but flaring was the worst that could have happened. “Just shocked. Nothing to worry about.”
“Pft. If you can make bad puns like that, you’re fine. Let’s get back to it, Chamomile. We’re not leaving here until I hit you at least once.”
Bad puns? What was – oh, I got it. No, that hadn’t been on purpose. Maybe I should have said I was dazed.
Seeing that Chamomile hadn’t so much as moved her wings, I said, “You can go. I’ll be fine. I’m sure I’ll get revenge at some future point.”
I might commission Pinkie Pie to do the deed for me. I probably wouldn’t even need to bribe her; she was behind in her and Dash’s endless prank war.
“Are you sure, Pri – Twilight? Dash put far too much magic into that bolt.”
“Yes, yes, I’ll be fine.”
I rolled over to my hooves to prove my point, casting a quick spell to unsinge myself. It wasn’t the first time I’d been burnt, although it was the first time it was from electrical burns. I was just glad it wasn’t dragonfire this time; that had been ridiculously difficult to fix, and I’d still lost half my tail.
The next time I looked to Chamomile – who still hadn’t moved – she looked almost more worried than before.
“May I ask an impertinent question?”
“Huh? Of course, but I really am fine, you know.”
“No, it’s…not that.”
“Hey!” Dash shouted. “What’s keeping you?”
I briefly replied, “Give her a minute, Dash.” Turning my attention back to Chamomile, I asked, “What’s wrong?”
“Well, I mean no disrespect to her. Dash is fun and enjoyable to be around.”
On rare occasions and in small doses.
“But… I once asked her what she does, and she said she was just a weather mare. However, she is too good for a weather mare. No disrespect to the profession, either, but she is far too overqualified.”
You could say that again.
“She never spoke with anypony on Equus through Queen Chrysalis, so I just ignored it. I know this is silly, but it’s my job to worry over these things. She’s learning from me too quickly, and in my professional opinion, looking back, there was always a bit of a…how should I put it…military discipline in her underneath everything else.”
Really? Discipline wasn’t usually a word I’d associate with Dash. Still, I thought I knew the source of Chamomile’s confusion.
“So you think she’s a spy?” I asked just to be sure that was where Chamomile was going with this.
“More mildly worried than think, but yes. I’m concerned that she has some means of ruining everything at the last minute, although I do not know what reason she or the sun princess would have to delay.”
I waited a moment to see if Chamomile was going to add anything else and then nodded when I was sure she was done.
“Alright, warning received. Honestly, though, if Dash is a spy, she’s hidden it so well that I’d be more concerned about being a spy myself. Long before we left Equus, we did a background check, and I made sure there were no unpleasant spells placed on her. Luna took a peek into her dreams as well, and even Chrysalis had no objections. So far as it’s possible for us to know, she has had no contact with Celestia or her agents in pony or by proxy.”
I may have also used some more underhooved spells to make absolutely sure.
“However, she did use to go on and on about joining the Wonderbolts when we first left.”
“Er…the Wonderbolts?” Chamomile asked.
“They’re a quasi-military organization of stunt fliers attached to the public relations division of the Equestrian military. They’re sort of part of the chain of command, but not really.”
And if I could have put that any more inelegantly, I would have won a trophy.
“She spent most of her life idolizing them and preparing to join them,” I added, “for whatever reason. What you’re seeing is probably an aftereffect of that.”
“Hmm… Yes, that makes sense. I’m sorry for wasting–”
“Nope,” I interrupted, “not listening to that. I’d rather have a thousand false alarms than miss a single problem as large as what you were concerned with. On the topic, the only pony here you could possibly need to worry about is Chrysalis, but her loyalty is not in doubt.”
Of course her loyalty which was certainly not in doubt was to the winner of this struggle. I couldn’t really blame her for that, but I did like knowing that Pupa, at least, liked me enough not to throw me under a coach intentionally.
“Anyway, keep up the good work,” I finished, giving Chamomile an appreciative pat on the withers. “And go have fun.”
“Thank you! I will!”
“And I suppose I wouldn’t mind if you roughed Dash up a bit to pay her back for her attempted assassination.”
Chamomile bowed, although I couldn’t tell if it was a genuine bow or a jesting one. “Your will be done, Your Highness. She certainly has been asking for it.”
I watched Chamomile fly off for a second or two before returning to my book and chair. Fortunately, there was only minor damage done to the book, so I was once again comfortable and reading within moments. I was having a hard time keeping my mind from wandering, though.
Dash had stopped talking about the Wonderbolts. I’d noticed, but I’d never noticed. I knew her pretty well by this point, I presumed, and I was almost certain that she wasn’t the kind of pony who would simply grow out of her dreams. I hadn’t prodded her away from the Wonderbolts, and I didn’t remember anypony else saying anything related, either. Strange, that.
Not that it was any of my business. Still, maybe I could talk Dash into sticking with me and reaching her full potential, whatever that turned out to be.
Heh. If I got one knight out of Chamomile, I might as well ask if Dash would be my second. If she agreed, the trap would be set. I could force her to do research into pegasus magic with me. Not the conventional use of a knight, sure, but certainly an effective one.
Ah, well, that would just lead to the quickest betrayal of knightly vows in history, but it would still be funny.
Still, what had made Dash stop talking about the Wonderbolts? Distance? That could certainly be a factor. Disillusionment, maybe? She was more talented then all of them, in my opinion; maybe she’d finally realized that.
Oh, actually, Fluttershy. If I remembered correctly, the Wonderbolts had almost yearlong performances all around Equestria. That didn’t leave much time for friends outside the group, and even less time for ground-bound ponies like Fluttershy. And forget about relationships.
Would Dash really give up her dreams for Fluttershy? Yes, of course she would. We were talking about a mare who graduated two years early just to stay with Fluttershy.
Hmm… Underneath all the annoying, Dash was a pretty good friend. A pony really could depend on her when it actually counted.
Not that I wasn’t going to rant about her later in my log to let out stress. Seriously, who hits ponies with a lightning bolt by accident? And she’d made me feel all the horrible nonsense she’d done with her magic while she was learning just minutes ago. If poor technique and sloppy, brute force execution could make me sick, I wouldn’t be able to eat lunch for a week.
Honestly, I was a bit surprised that Dash hadn’t blown herself up. She’d pretty much been casting semi-random arrangements of magic as spells until she’d gotten them right, which almost never ended well.
Oh well. She’d made it to nineteen years old without dying; she must have known what she was doing well enough to make it to twenty, too.
Nothing further of interest to report.
[Spring 46, 997 – Day 1556]
Chrysalis said the strangest thing today. We were nearing the end of dinner when she just started laughing for no reason. Like, uncontrollably laughing and pounding her hoof on the table, shouting, ‘I was right!’ over and over again.
Eventually she petered out, ending with, ‘Of course she wouldn’t leave it up to chance. Decisive action. No negotiation.’ I think I also heard her mumble, ‘I might be in over my head,’ but I could have misheard.
I managed to extract a tiny explanation out of her once we were alone, but it was no less bizarre and cryptic. She said, and I think these were her exact words, ‘Some advice, Twilight. When you know there is at least one plotter involved and it seems like there are too many coincidences, then the situation was almost certainly engineered. I’ve had my hive looking for a particular little orphan, and we finally found her. And if I want to keep my head, I think that’s about all I can say.’
Yeah. Weird. I’m going to ask Luna if she knows what Chrysalis was talking about after I head to bed. I’m really hoping she can leave me less confused.
Nothing further of interest to report.
[Spring 47, 997 – Day 1557]
Not much happened today other than Dash clipping a wing on a particularly strong bolt of lightning. I know she and Chamomile have really grown to enjoy sparring with each other, but I really need to tell them to tone it down. Just two days before it was a severe case of frostbite on Chamomile’s right wing. One of these days they’re going to do something I can’t fix for them.
Anyway, I did talk to Luna about Chrysalis’s strange behavior yesterday. When I asked her about it, her eyes actually widened in horror. She tried to dismiss it as nothing, but in the end, I pressured her to the point where she actually said she didn’t want anypony to know about the filly Chrysalis had found, not even me.
I don’t really know how to feel about that, but I guess we’re all entitled to our own secrets…
At any rate, Luna confessed that she just wanted the mystery filly to live a happy, ignored life and that it would be best for everypony if nopony went and bothered her. And that was that.
My guess is Chrysalis found one of Luna’s descendants, probably one from a particularly well-loved suitor. It doesn’t really fully explain the rest of Chrysalis’s comment, especially the part about keeping her head, but I don’t really see why Luna would be so bothered by a random filly she’d never even talked to before otherwise.
*hmm*
Oh, maybe Luna had her original foal in secret, or something, and Celestia only recently – in the past two decades or so – managed to track down this descendant. That’s entirely possible, and it would explain both Luna’s and Chrysalis’s reactions if Celestia had tried to do something horrible to her. Luna must have pulled off something spectacular to get the filly out of trouble.
Oh well. Unless Luna asks for my help, I’ll let the matter drop. She made her wishes on the subject pretty clear, after all, and it’s not like there’s much I personally can do from the middle of nowhere, space.
Nothing further of interest to report.
Dear Luna,
It’s only been two days, but I’m missing you already. I knew this was coming, of course, but I don’t think I’d honestly understood and processed that Chrysalis’s hive mind would outrange your connection to dreams while banished.
Spike misses you, too, although he’s acting tough. I don’t even understand where he’s getting that from. It has to be from books, or at least I hope it is; the only masculine role model on the ship would be Dash, and she does not set a good example for foals, colts or fillies. Her actions and decisions are too complex to really explain to Spike at his age.
I mean, I wouldn’t want him taking Fluttershy, the opposite extreme, as a role model, either, but I do wish he wasn’t going to go through this whole ‘feelings are lame’ phase.
Well anyway, obviously I received your letter, and I found the books you asked me to read. I’m halfway through Pony Genetics, although I think I’m unfortunately going to have to read it twice to get a real understanding of it. Biology hasn’t exactly been a focus of my studies, but I think I can manage something this technical.
Speaking of Dash and Fluttershy, I’ve been meaning to ask your advice about something. A few weeks ago, Dash asked if that old – well, not old for you, but she asked if captains really could marry ponies. She never said why she asked, but only she would consider the reason anything but obvious.
The answer to her question was ‘No, of course not,’ but I answered her real question and said, ‘Both Chrysalis and I have the authority to marry ponies, but so far as I know, it’s not because of any captaincies we hold.’ I was assuming I do have that authority, being a princess; feel free to correct me if I’m wrong or if you never officially saddled me with that. I’m curious if Chamomile does, too, being a high ranking military officer, but that’s not really all that important.
Anyway, what I wanted to ask was if I should marry them if Dash asks. On the one hoof, I’m philosophically opposed to the idea, but on the other hoof, I don’t really want to say no to either of them over something like this just to make a point. Especially when they could just ask Chrysalis instead; I doubt she would refuse them, Fluttershy in particular, even if I asked her to.
In happier news, Berry Pinch cast her first successful real spell today. I know I was hesitant when you said I should try to teach her every field – yes, I know that’s a bit hypocritical – until we found something that stuck, but you were right, as always. It really was worth it. You should have seen the smile on her face when she flew around with butterfly wings, or the completely baffled look she had when they vanished and she fell flat on her barrel. She’s not a prodigy, but we got our hooves on her when she was young enough to make something great of her.
Really, the spell only lasted a few seconds, but she was so infectiously happy about it. Berry Punch might have been even happier. I mean, it was obvious to her that her daughter was learning under my tutelage, or she would have just tried to teach Berry Pinch herself, but the fake wings spell is the first big, fancy, impressive spell I’d taught Berry Pinch, not just another cantrip.
Of course, there was another reason for both of them to be happy, too. Berry Pinch finally got her cutie mark when she cast the spell! It was a golden horseshoe. I have no idea what it’s supposed to mean, but we had a party anyway. I still don’t know how Pinkie Pie manages to set them up so quickly, but she did.
Anyway, I suppose I’ll leave it here. I wouldn’t want to overburden my parents with memorizing my letters.
Twilight
Dear Twilight,
I cannot say I much appreciate letter based communication either. I know the post serves most ponies well enough, but it does little good for those of us capable of long-range telepathy or teleportation.
Unfortunately, I have little recent experience with parenting, so I will have to direct you to your own fantastic, wonderful, understanding parents who miss you everyday and whom you now have an excuse to talk to more often for advice.
In my experience, it is pointless to argue against marriage to those who are engaged in a happy one or who are about to propose. It strikes a sense of loyalty, which to reevaluate or revise, most would feel would be a betrayal and thus will hear you but not listen.
All things considered, marriage is not such a terrible fate in the present day, although the reasoning ponies give for pursuing it continues to baffle me. Divorce is not uncommon in Equestria ever since the fool in charge finally legalized it, although the frequency has ‘mysteriously’ dropped a significant fraction in the last decade or so since a certain pink alicorn appeared. In any case, ponies have a tendency to die before their feelings are strained beyond the breaking point.
Unless, of course, somepony involved happens to know enough alchemy magic for an age spell, which has been known to turn very ugly. I once kept the company of a handsome earth pony stallion for well over a hundred years – in secret, unfortunately. I was not yet quite old enough for ponies to overlook my actions as the whim of an ancient alicorn whenever I did something unusual.
The problem with age spells is twofold. First, they do not work forever; eventually, a pony loses their magic and dies. Second, a pony who should otherwise have already died becomes dependent on the pony casting the spell. I trust you can think of how unpleasant that can make an intimate relationship. Although the spell is naturally permanent unless additional effort is expended, as with all alchemy spells, it doesn’t eliminate the fundamental problem of aging. However, I have digressed from your primary concern.
It is certainly well within your rights and powers to marry whomsoever you choose. Since your friends are likely to marry in either case, I see no reason for you to refuse and darken their lives, however little, but the choice is yours.
As for Berry Pinch and her mother, it has been a long time since I have helped an ordinary pony with an ordinary problem, even if only by proxy through you. I could not say I wish to do so often or have the time to, but…it is not a bad feeling.
Princess Luna
P.S. Try teaching Berry Pinch the breezie transformation spell. It should be somewhere in a book called Faerie Culture. I suspect you have an alchemist on your hooves; she will need a lot of guidance from you if so. When you return to Equus, there is a pony named Quartz who she should meet to further her studies; he was the pony who gave you the replacement suppressor.
Currently, he lives in Manehattan, which is not very close to Ponyville, so you may wish to discuss the idea with Berry Punch sooner rather than later.
That said, as far as I know, Quartz is the only unicorn alchemist on Equus. He is rather crotchety, even for a two-hundred-year-old stallion, but he makes for good conversation, and I know he has always wanted an apprentice for himself. I owe him a rather large favor, and sending Berry Pinch his way would be the perfect opportunity to repay it.
[Fall 72, 998 – Day 1782]
Eeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeee!
Today was the day. Today was the day I’d finally try to use real alchemy on myself instead of those ridiculous specialized spells that turned ponies into breezies and apples into oranges. Seriously, whoever thought a spell that specifically turned apples into oranges was important enough to invent was crazy.
No, I couldn’t lose focus now. This was too important. This was a moment I wanted to remember forever. This was a culmination of half a decade of studying and hard work.
A little bit of power here, a careful inscription there, and my magic danced before me as I wove together my spell. Directing the spell toward myself, I felt the effects wash over me, tugging at every part of me as the spell did its work.
I had no idea how changelings managed to transform so easily, although I was sure I’d learn after ascending. For now, I directed the second target of my spell toward a feather I’d borrowed from Fluttershy. If I did this exactly right, I’d find myself with a lovely pair of purple wings without any of Fluttershy’s other features, like an inconvenient lack of a horn.
With a final burst of magic, I added the finishing touches to make the changes all temporary. No matter what, I’d still have only unicorn magic, so I’d be able to get myself back to normal, but it would be hard without a horn as a focus. There was always the possibility that I’d messed up the spell in other ways, too; I could get really sick and maybe even die if I had and if I made the changes permanent.
My eyes closed, I performed an initial check of my body. I could still feel my horn. That was a good sign. I hadn’t accidentally lost all of my mane or tail or coat so far as I could tell. That was even better. I could still feel my legs, and I was breathing normally. My sides felt a little heavier than normal, and my back felt a little weird. I could tell I was moving something, and I dearly hoped that something was a pair of wings.
I took a deep breath and opened my eyes. I turned my head around to gaze at my back, and my eyes fell upon a pair of yellow wings attached to a yellow coat just in front of the strangest mix of colors I’d ever seen on a pony’s tail before, as if somepony had dumped a few of their favorite eye-searing paints into it and mixed them all around.
But never mind that horrible yellow and pink and red and purple monstrosity. I had wings! Real wings that I could move! I flapped them once just to prove to myself that I could. Sure, this hadn’t been a complete success, and my lack of pegasus magic meant I couldn’t leave the ground, but – but wings!
A thought struck me. I might not be too heavy to glide! I teleported myself straight up into the air in the middle of my library, and I gave myself a little telekinetic push to get me going. Pegasi gliding broke all kinds of physics rules, especially when Dash did it, but I could still try to fly like a regular bird.
That was the idea, at least. I was falling fast – not fast enough or from high up enough to be scared, but still fast. And naturally, being focused on the ground, I swerved right into a bookcase headfirst and fell to the floor with a thud, landing on one of my previously unblemished new wings.
I winced as I hobbled to my hooves. At least I hadn’t broken any of the bones in my wing. I just needed to preen a bit…and maybe wait a few more minutes for my wing to stop throbbing, and then I could try again outside the library. I really didn’t know what I’d been thinking. No flying in the library was the number one rule to begin with, and I was the one that had made it.
Actually, thinking about that reminded me of something. As counter intuitive as it was, I should probably go ask Dash for help. I’d learned to fly in a dream with pegasus magic – or how I dreamt pegasus magic worked – by watching Luna and using alicorn-sized wings. For all I knew, I’d been doing everything wrong in ways Luna hadn’t been able to notice or correct.
I scryed across the ship and quickly found Dash tucked away in Twinkleshine’s room with Fluttershy, Pinkie Pie, Chamomile, and, of course, Twinkleshine. It looked like they were watching an old Appleloosan flick, but I had no idea which one. At any rate, I teleported directly into the room with them and stopped the film projector on arrival.
“Hey!” Dash said, only to cut off when she got a good look at me.
“Fluttershy?” Twinkleshine asked, only for the real one to quietly nudge her with her muzzle. “Um… Chrysalis? What’s going on?”
“And who are you disguised as?” Pinkie Pie asked. “I love what you’ve done with your mane and tail! It’s like a bunch of cotton candy types all mixed together into one super swirl of sugary deliciousness.”
Before I could get a word in edgewise, Twinkleshine said, “She sort of looks familiar. I think I saw a picture of somepony like this back at Princess Celestia’s school, but the mane and tail were different. I think hers was…red, maybe? And her cutie mark wasn’t…Twilight?”
“Yes,” I said, sparing a quick glance back at my haunch. Apparently my cutie mark hadn’t changed to Fluttershy’s – not that it was an impossible change to make, despite popular opinion to the contrary.
It was, however, impossible to change a pony’s special talent. Well, probably. Kind of. A special talent was a laypony’s way to describe the magic that came naturally to a pony, and there were a lot of factors at play in determining what those magics were. It might not be impossible to change somepony’s special talent, but so far as I knew, nopony could. Maybe if you really injured your magic…
At any rate, the cutie mark was just an expression of a pony’s own magic on their body. In other words, it was a personal magic at work, not some grand magic of destiny enforcing its will upon a pony. Ponies, in theory, caused their own cutie marks to appear when they used their magic to the limit, whatever that meant for each pony.
That was why there were so many different cutie marks for the same special talent and why there were so many similar – or even identical – cutie marks for different special talent. Ponies grew up with certain expectations of what cutie marks should look like and what they meant, and only rarely would ponies get something fundamentally new, like a bowling ball, which was a relatively new sport in history.
As another example, my own cutie mark was a star burst. The usual cutie marks – in our current culture – for special talents in magic involved either the stars or the sun. In…in all honestly, I was kind of surprised I hadn’t ended up with a sun of some kind. It would’ve made a lot more sense than stars when on considered my filly years.
But I’d take a half-dozen stars on my flank over a sun any day!
“Hey, Twiliiiiight,” Pinkie Pie called out. “You in there?”
“Huh? Oh, yeah. I just wanted to borrow Dash. I’m trying to make these things” – I ruffled my wings – “actually work.”
Slipping back into Old Equestrian, hopefully on purpose, Chamomile asked, “Have you managed to ascend already?” Her face showed a shock that hadn’t been there earlier, and all but one other pony shared it. I didn’t think they’d really processed that I had wings right now, considering how much of an eyesore I was otherwise.
At the same time, Pinkie Pie said, “Oh my gosh, this calls for a ‘my friend is an alicorn now’ party!”
“You’re an alicorn now?” Twinkleshine shouted.
“Wait. Quiet!” After the rabble died down, I continued, “This is just a spell. I’m still just a unicorn with just unicorn magic. These wings don’t even work properly without pegasus magic. I just want some help to figure out how to glide right now so I can feel the wind on my feathers and get that rush of laughing at the ground that thought it could tame me.”
Dash was openly laughing, and Twinkleshine and Chamomile were both snickering. I slowly put my raised hoof down and folded my wings back to my sides, ending my unintentionally dramatic pose.
Pinkie Pie, on the other hoof, was already in my face, asking, “Can you cast that spell on me, too? I love flying, and I had to leave my helicopter on Equus since there’s nowhere to use it on the Nebulous, but this would be a lot of fun, too, and much easier on my legs since I wouldn’t have to pedal.”
“Um… You left your what?” I asked, only to decide better of it immediately after. “Never mind. I guess I can cast it on you, but I’m still working out the bugs.”
“Is that why you look like Flutters after losing a fight with a rainbow?”
I sighed. “Yes, very funny, Dash. I used one of Fluttershy’s feathers as the base for my spell to build my wings from, and I didn’t manage to successfully filter out all of her other physical features.”
Fluttershy made a small little, “Oh,” from next to Dash.
“Ehem. Might I suggest you ask somepony else to teach you,” Chamomile said. “Dash can be a bit…”
“Hey!” Dash shouted, flying herself to land right in front of Chamomile. “What do you think I was gonna do, kick her off a cloud and tell her to flap?”
“The thought had occurred to me, and a big part of my job is protecting her.”
“A little fall never hurt anypony.”
Fluttershy tried to say something, but she was drowned out by Dash.
“It’s not like she’s going to break her neck or anything.”
“Just because she can heal herself doesn’t mean it’s okay for Twilight to get hurt.”
“Oh come on, it’s not like I’d actually let her hit the ground. I’d totally catch her.”
Chamomile just looked at Dash skeptically.
Why was everypony just assuming I’d hit the ground? I wasn’t a natural like Dash, but that didn’t mean I wasn’t a good flier. I just needed a few real life tips.
“Are you trying to say something?” Dash asked.
“No,” Chamomile replied calmly. I’d never found out if she was just hard to rile up or if she acted calm on purpose to make Dash lose her temper even more. “It’s just that you have a higher accident rate than I would like.”
Dash’s hooves crackled with lightning where she stood. I really wished she would stop doing that; it wasn’t hard to fix the damage she caused, but it was annoying.
“Come on, you and me,” Dash said, tapping her chest and Chamomile’s with a hoof.
“Must we? We were watching a movie.”
“Yes! I’m going to crush you this time for sure.”
Sighing, Chamomile turned to me and said, “If you would, Twilight.”
“Wait, but…I still want to fly, or at least glide.”
“Huh?” Dash turned to look at me like I was crazy. It was kind of scary how quickly Dash could forget what she was originally arguing about. “Oh. Don’t.” As I opened my mouth to protest, Dash added, “You’re too heavy without magic. Even I can’t make that work.”
“Wha? If that’s all, I can just make myself lighter…” Even as the words came out, I knew that wasn’t what I really wanted. “I mean, I could just levitate myself…but I’d have wings!”
I tried just that to see if it felt any different with wings, but it didn’t. It really didn’t.
Dash rolled her eyes, and Chamomile gave me a sympathetic look. I turned my gaze away from them as my hooves touched back down on the floor, only for it to fall upon Pinkie Pie eating popcorn. Typical.
“Hey, Twilight, are you okay?” Twinkleshine asked.
“No, not really. I was looking forward to flying.”
“I think she means your magic,” Chamomile added. “It was light-blue instead of raspberry.”
Nodding Twinkleshine added, “I know your magic changes when you…you know.”
“Dark magic is not evil magic,” I said. I’d tried to explain that to everypony on the ship for years now, but the only pony who had really listened – and learned – was Chamomile.
“Anyway,” I continued, “I doubt you want to hear about how normal magic auras get their color, but it’s not all that hard to change it. My parents once told me that my own aura changed from a light pink to a dark pink when I was… Um… Stars, I can’t remember, but I must have been really young. Three, maybe? Two? It’s not all that unusual for growing unicorns.”
“So if Fluttershy were a unicorn, she’d have light-blue magic?” Pinkie Pie asked. Even before I shrugged, she asked, “Can you do me? What color magic would I have?”
“Maybe later, Pinkie Pie. I’d have to figure out how to mess up the spell in just the right way to keep my horn but take on most of the rest of your features, which could take a while, given that I designed the spell to give me wings.”
What would it even mean to turn myself into an earth pony with a horn with only unicorn magic? That pretty much was the definition of a unicorn. Maybe I would have more muscle?
“Seriously, Twi,” Dash said, interrupting my thoughts, “don’t try flying with those things. You’ll just fall.”
I sighed, the wind completely taken out of my sails by this point. “Whatever. I don’t care anymore. Maybe I can use these things to write or something.” I experimentally tried fiddling with the tiny joints at the ends of my wings and successfully managed to move a few feathers.
“Pft, good luck,” Dash said. She reached into Pinkie Pie’s bowl with a wing and grabbed a single kernel of popcorn as if it were the most natural thing in the world, following it up by tossing the kernel into her mouth. “Three words, Twi. Years. Of. Practice.”
I turned to Fluttershy, silently asking for her opinion.
After biting her lip, Fluttershy said, “It is hard.”
“Great…”
I canceled my spell and reverted myself to my normal unicorn form. I fully intended to properly learn how to use my wings, but I wanted them to be my wings, which meant I needed to perfect the spell first.
“Well anyway, do you two still want to go at each other?”
“Oh. Yeah!” Dash said, smirking this time instead of snarling. “Let’s do this!”
I turned to Chamomile, and she said, “I’m fine with it.”
Nodding, I cast the necessary spells on the two of them and teleported them to what had long since become their sparring arena, rather than my flaring room. I kept a scrying spell up so I could keep an eye on them, although I wasn’t paying too much attention.
“No offense, Fluttershy,” Twinkleshine said, getting to her hooves. As she crossed the short distance between us, she added, “But Twilight is much cuter like this.”
I leaned into the kiss Twinkleshine gave me. For once, I knew Twinkleshine wasn’t just flattering me; I really had been an eyesore.
When we finally broke apart, I asked, “So what movie were you watching?”
“Blazing Saddles,” Pinkie Pie said through a mouthful of popcorn. “You wanna watch?”
I raised an eyebrow. “Are – are there saddles on fire?”
Fighting back her laughter at my expense, Twinkleshine said, “No, that’s not what it’s about at all. It’s a comedy. I think you’d like it.”
“Eh, I think I’ll pass. I need to be getting back to work.”
“But that’s what you always say,” Twinkleshine said, looking at me with a pout and big, sad eyes, her lower lip quivering every so slightly, and–
“Okay, fine. I suppose I can work and watch.”
“Yay!”
Twinkleshine immediately busied herself with rewinding the tape reels while I took a seat next to Fluttershy.
“Thanks for the feather, by the way.”
“Oh, it was no trouble, Twilight. I was happy to help. They just fall out, anyway. The only other things they’re good for are quills and pillows.
Twinkleshine plopped down next to me as the movie started. She leaned into me, and we shared a brief nuzzle before settling into a comfortable position. This was the perfect pick-me-up after messing up my polymorph spell today.
I sighed contentedly as I leaned further into Twinkleshine.
There’s not much more to say about today. I managed to find the mistake I’d made in the spell after supper, and I have a wonderful new pair of lavender wings now. I wish I had one of Cadance’s feathers so I could make alicorn-sized wings, but normal pegasus wings are still great.
They’re really soft and warm, too.
Wha? Twinkleshine, what are you doing up this early?
I got cold.
I…
Nothing further of interest to report.
[Spring 85, 998 – Day 1995]
Nope, too tired to write a real log today. We had to make a huge course correction, and I am magically exhausted. Flaring twice certainly didn’t help. From now on, Twinkleshine doesn’t get to use less than six significant figures. Chrysalis is in charge for the next couple…couple…
[Winter 70, 999 – Day 2280]
She found it! She actually found it! I won’t go into detail of what we did after Twinkleshine showed me an image of Mona, but we’re almost there. I’ve seen it! It’s a real thing I’ll be able to touch with my hooves! Just – just – stars, I’m so excited! I don’t think I’ll be able to sleep until we’re there; I can barely stand still. I’m like Pinkie Pie after eating a cake meant for a hundred ponies.
Okay, okay, be cool, Twilight. You can manage this. Don’t trip at the finish line just because it’s so exciting! I’m finally going to ascend! I won’t even have to worry about being discovered and executed anymore! This is such a big change! Luna once said that adjusting to peace is hard, but I’m so ready!
Alright, in and out. In and out.
*whew*
Much better. Seriously though, as much as I want to leave everypony behind and teleport myself to Mona immediately over the next hour or two, we need to make a slow, careful approach. I need to make sure we don’t stumble into any magical traps or wards. I’d ordinarily say that there’s no way there could be any all the way out here without an enormous source of magic to warn Celestia back on Equus, but she could always visit Mona every few weeks, or far more likely, the Elements of Harmony could provide the magic themselves.
Honestly, I doubt that anypony who could make it this far would be unable to detect and dismantle any wards or traps, so in theory there would be no sense in placing them, but that itself could be the real trap. Just one little ward placed at the end of the journey to ruin years of work. It wasn’t like it would cost Celestia much to do so.
We did find out why Mona burned green when it passed by the sun, though. It turns out that Mona is not a real comet, but a giant lump of rock, dirt, and a few metals, copper in particular. Now that I thought about it, it seemed obvious in hindsight. It wasn’t that a comet without a period just so happened to fly by for Celestia to place the elements on. No, she took a lake-sized chunk of Equus into space with the elements and tossed it as hard as she could.
Well, maybe not as hard as she could, but certainly with far more than an escape velocity.
We have a little under half a year left before Luna’s banishment ends, and unless Twinkleshine begs me to write more, I think this is going to be my last journal entry. If she’ll have it, I want to put this log with the books Luna wrote about history back on the moon. I suppose that’s a lot like putting a crayon picture on a refrigerator in comparison to her art, but it would still mean a lot to me.
To whoever is reading this, may you have something of interest to report.
if you're referring to the one spell twilight uses in the breezie episode *doesn't feel like typing it out* that spell wasn't just designed for breezies. the way the spell seems to work is that it temporarily partially changes the form of the pony/ponies the spell is cast on (twilight and rarity kept their horns) by using an already available template (aka what you want to change into)
when rainbow asks at the end of the episode for twilight to change her into a griffon or dragon, she just says she won't, not that she can't.
still loving the story, just that stuck out to me.
can't wait for the next part(s)
Not a coincidence... so, I have a theory. Let's say you're Luna. And you know Celestia is training an apprentice to use as a weapon against you. And you know how long it takes her to do it. Would a good plan be to turn the apprentice against Celestia, perhaps by telling her about Alicorn Acension and encouraging her to ask it of Celestia before she is ready? Maybe to do it close enough to the date of your return that Celestia doesn't have time to train another apprentice?
Because I'm pretty sure lots of fanon postulates Sunset Shimmer is an orphan. And she's someone Luna wouldn't want found and might help hide.
Alternately, it's Twilight/one of her ancestors, but that would make things pretty complicated, since she has a family and a crush on Luna.
YESYEYESYESYESYESYESYESYES!
:D
This chapter was wonderful. But next chapter sounds amazing.
ya double update!
Wow this was a great update! Thanks for sharing!
So how'd you do on that final exam? I didn't even try to find the optimal-outcome solution; I just went with a baseline conservative answer that fulfilled the minimum requirement to avoid the threatened consequences.
Also, I suppose that copper is going to be relevant later. I have a couple suspicions about the orphan...
Nitpick:
stuck
not long in till the 1000 years!
Can I get a pairings list please? I assume it's TwilightxNightmare Moon/Luna, but who knows these days.
IM SO EXCITED,
AND I JUST CANT HIDE IT!!!!!!
you know whats going to happen right
twilight will get to the comet
she will be reaching for the element then celestia will teleport there go ''enope'' and teleport off with the elements
and twilight will cry going so close
Ah, so Twilight finally... ahem. :)
And Twilight writes Spike's birthday present books. Delightful. :)
(Though she probably didn't start until they were in a closed environment.)
Huh. Interesting perspective on the Flutterdash, with the instinct thing.
"Pegasus generated lightning"
Ought that to be "Pegasus-generated"?
Hm. Yes, why has Dash stopped? I'd like to think, of course, that it's because she decided to work for Twilight instead...
Oh, or that.
Yes, Twilight, she seems pretty Loyal, doesn't she? :D
re cryptic Chrysalis:
...Hm.
Something about Scootaloo? But what? Is she even an orphan in this universe. I don't know, that's all I can think of at the moment...
And Luna knows what's going on too? Worrying.
Oh dear! I didn't think that the dreamwalking had a range. Well, hopefully it will be okay...
"something that sticked"
"stuck"?
Oh, Berry Pinch is that old already? Time has been passing quickly for us, I suppose.
"I was not yet quite old enough yet for"
One too many "yet"s there, I think.
"my lack of pegasi magic"
"pegasus"?
Hm, it looks like Appleloosa was built much earlier in this universe than in the show. Given the... problems... with Over a Barrel, I'm not too bothered.
"bowling ball"
Do bowling balls have holes in this universe, I wonder?
Nice bit about how cutie marks work, though.
"“Okay, fine. I suppose I can work and watch.”"
Might want to make this a new paragraph? It's someone else speaking.
"normal pegasi wings"
"pegasus"?
And the romance seems to be going well. :)
...
This chapter is going to end just as they arrive, isn't it?
Three arcs remain? Wonderful!
Only three arcs remain? Nooo!
And now I have to wait for the next chapter... Sigh...
Well, I certainly enjoyed these two, though. :)
...Still a bit curious and worried about that orphan thing...
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Hahaha! You can search through the MoR comments for the final exam chapter until you find mine somewhere in there if you want. My username is Forthwith - The Real One (a very neglected account). The answer I came up with with a friend was spot on, down to nearly every detail. There was much back patting after the following two chapters were released.
Also, if you have suspicions about the orphan, do feel free to share. No one has noticed the hints in the previous chapters, or at least no one has and has said so in the comments, so I tried being far less subtle in these two.
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TwiLuna, of course, or MoonLight, depending on your perspective. Twilight x Twinkleshine is there as well, and FlutterDash is in the background.
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Aye, I didn't find the solution used either. I did think of maybe trying to do something like it, but I deemed it too risky and instead tried to construct a logical argument for not being killed.
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Well, there's Flutterdash as a side pairing, and Luna and Twilight are romantically interested in each other. Both of the latter would probably object to the term "pairing", though. Currently, I suppose you could say LunxTwilightxOther.
Why do you want to know?
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re the exam:
Ah, congratulations on getting it so right!
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Ah, yes, as you said at the end of the second of the two.
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So we have Rainbow x Fluttershy, Twilight x Twinkleshine, Twilight x Luna (mind you that Luna and Twinkleshine aren't being shipped), Twilight x Chamomile as a princess and Knight ship that has been addressed barely and likely won't mean anything, and Celestia x Discord, as there is in every fic written (not just mlp).
Somehow I'm not surprised that you read HPMOR. it's a pretty good story even if I don't fully agree with all the ideas in it.
I really liked the use of the obliviate spell on Voldermort. I've only ever come across one other story where that is how he was defeated. It was the one where Lockhart raised Harry
I really, really hope nothing goes wrong , and I hope Twilight gets to become an alicorn soon! It really would suck if all the work was for nothing...
It's coming! YES! the face off soon to arrive.
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"mind you that Luna and Twinkleshine aren't being shipped"
...Well... I'm not so sure about that. We've not seen any of it, true, but then, they do have some private dreams. Might just be the shipping goggles, of course, and I doubt much of anything has happened yet, but...
Further thoughts on the orphan matter:
...Hm... Actually, Applejack is almost certainly an orphan, isn't she? And, unlike Sunset, she might still be young enough to be called little (though that could just have been Chrysalis)... But no, if she was the object of the search, it would have been over quickly, if they knew it was her, and how would they know she was an orphan if they didn't?
I bet this relates to the nomenclature hint thing that was mentioned earlier... but I wasn't able to find anything for that either. Hm. I seem to be better at deciphering your physics than your secret plots. :)
...Cadance, maybe? ...No. No, even if such an elaborate deception was being pulled off, I don't think Luna would try to hide it from Twilight here. Too much effort put towards something that unnecessarily weakens their own side.
Okay... Organization! What do we know? Assuming that we can trust what Twilight heard from Chrysalis and what Luna said to her afterwards.
1: Some female is not leaving some even up to "chance or negotiation".
2: Discovering that her suspicions were correct about this causes Chrysalis to think that she might be in a game she's not qualified to play after all... maybe. Twilight isn't sure that that's what she heard.
3: This involves an engineered situation spotted because there seemed to be too many coincidences.
4: The changelings have been looking for a particular female orphan, likely but not necessarily a young one ("little" could just mean "significantly younger than Chrysalis").
5: Chrysalis is afraid to tell Twilight any more about this.
6: Luna does not want anyone to know about this, apparently having strong fear-related feelings on the matter.
7: Luna wants the mystery orphan happy and ignored, claiming that this would be best for everypony.
For 1, the event is almost certainly related to Luna's return and takeover, but it could be Luna's victory (with Luna as the she), Celestia's victory (with Celestia as the she), Twilight's ascension (with Luna as the she again)... It might even be a plot by Cadance, though that doesn't seem especially likely.
5 suggests that it's something that would greatly upset Luna or really greatly upset Twilight. It could be that it's something that ensures Celestia's victory and Chrysalis switched sides, but I have trouble believing that she couldn't avoid visibly reacting to the arrival of news that important.
So... Twilight and Luna could both be upset by something Celestia did. Twilight could be upset by something Luna did.
Some people have suggested that Sunset was involved and Luna engineered her disappearance to get to Twilight (Hm... And Twilight does mention that it seems a bit odd she got stars instead of a sun for a cutie mark...), but... I really don't see Luna, this late in the game, still trying to keep that secret from Twilight when she starts asking about what Chrysalis did. Twilight is too well-disposed towards Luna, too ill-disposed towards Celestia, and too accepting of being manipulated so long as it benefits her. There's still a possibility that Luna is waiting to tell her until after the Elements are drained, but, adding in the personal factor... it seems to me unlikely. And that's about the only thing I can think of that would fit Luna upsetting Twilight (though, admittedly, I have a bias I'm pretty sure I'm not entirely eliminating, as I want things to go well between them).
Oh, wait, actually, it pretty much has to be something that would upset Twilight, not Luna, because Luna already knows what's being talked about and Chrysalis would almost certainly know both that Twilight would report it and that Luna knew, assuming that Chrysalis wasn't looking for the orphan for a completely different reason.
So... Something about an orphan that would really upset Twilight, enough so that Chrysalis would be in danger before Luna could reign Twilight in (assuming that it's not something unforgiveable that Luna did). Ah... Except that Twilight's not the sort to shoot the messenger, and she's got procedures for her flares, so... I can't be just a risk of upsetting either of them? Eh? But then how would giving Twilight the identify of... I suppose that there's a chance Twilight was the orphan, adopted? Luna's words don't quite fit then, but... argh.
"I’ve had my hive looking for a particular little orphan"
Not "a particular little someone, who we discovered, after finding them, was an orphan". If Chrysalis's words can be trusted (...which we don't actually know, because maybe it was a coded message through Twilight from Chrysalis to Luna, even, but we have to get data somehow), the presumed-filly's status as an orphan was one of the characteristics they were seeking. So... A known couple with a known and somehow important filly, but the parents died and the filly vanished?
...I don't recall Trixie's parents being mentioned? She'd probably be checked first, though, in a hunt for someone...
Aaaaand I give up for now. Much as I love this story, I'm stuck and do have other things to do. Maybe this will provide some useful information for someone else's work, at least.
5715702 Sadly, my initial idea had to do with Sunset Shimmer but upon rereading the prologue I am thinking it's less likely than I had thought. If I reread the whole story looking for orphans ... but nah, I'm too lazy for that right now. Luna's look of horror may mean something incredibly dramatic like they're on the ship, but it could also simply reasonably mean she is aghast that her plans are not as well hidden as she thought.
three arcs left hmmm...
shes gonna get their and then its not going to work
or theirs some form of being that's protecting the elements
Three arcs left? does that include this arc or is this one done or three arcs after this one?
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This one is done, and there's three left.
Heh, so anyone considered that this is all a wild goose chase?
That the Elements are still sitting inert in the old castle, and Celestia set up Mona as a trap for anyone with the power and knowledge to chase them down?
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Improbable: would you set a trap that works for just a couple of ponies throughout history? It's more reasonable to place a huge obstacle (like space travel) so that the smallest possible number of ponies could reach the elements.
Love this so much, keep up the AMAZING work.
Great chapters! Really interesting read, but you got me so hyped now! :D Can't wait till the next chapter!
Also, small typo: you wrote Celesta instead of Celestia at some point, not that it really matters.
Wow, this fic never stops amazing me. The last two chapters have been fantastic, but it's a real love and hate thing for me. I love how fast and quick time went by, keeping us interested and never dragging...but I hate it all went by so fast! I'd of loved to have seen her sixteenth birthday party, more conversations with Cadence, further chats with Twilight and Twinkleshine about magic and their relationship and junk, Twilight giving more thought and talking with Chamomile about becoming her knight. But alas, I understand less is more and the fact that I'm left wanting more is much better then feeling like it's dragging. So amazing job on giving the perfect balance.
Very interested in the development of this knew filly. Who is she, why is she important...will we even find out? Time will tell.
I still have mixed feelings on Twilight and Twinkleshine's relationship. On the one hand it's adorable and I love it, but on the other...well, I've talked about that plenty in past chapters. But something was said that brought up a question I've been wondering from sometime and I don't think it's ever really been said. Twilight mentions Twinkleshine becoming used to having to share her with Luna, is that purely from a student teacher standpoint or more? In Twilight's mind, does she plan or have thoughts that when she's older she'll have a more sexual relationship with Luna? It's a question I've wondered for a while and now seemed like the right time to ask.
Anyway, loved both chapters and am really looking forward to the next....wow, sure feels like the fic is getting close to the homestretch now
Edit: Miss understood about the three arcs statement. Guess we aren't in the home stretch after all, hurray!
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Both Twinkleshine and Twilight mean it mostly platonically; whether or not Twilight sleeps with Luna, it's obvious to both of them that Twilight loves Luna a ridiculous amount, and it's primarily her love that Twinkleshine had qualms sharing. On the other hand, Twilight would love to sleep with Luna, partially because Luna is a two-thousand year old night goddess, but mostly because of the meaning she and Luna attach to sex.
Cap.
____________
Holy cow, I knew this arc had to end someday but it was a rather good one. Now we get to see them challenged by the Elements, and Twilight become the bearer for the Element of Magic. We can also see who's who in the Elements. I mean Pinks, Flutters, and Dashie are obvious. Since they haven't deviated from their characterization in the M!Verse.But the others / contenders for the elements will be interesting to see.
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Well, honestly? Yes.
There are only a handful of beings that can even do anything with the Elements if left in the Everfree hidden in plane sight : Luna, Sunset Shimmer, Cadence, Discord (if he got free), maybe Tirek or Sombra (once again if they got free), and as an outlier possibly Chrysallis.
The trap/distraction would be for the actually dangerous elements, not random pony explorers, and would give her some time to move/grab the inert Elements as they offender has to race back from Mona (Discord not counted as he could likely teleport back instantly).
Truthfully, the reason I suspect this scenario is because I, while GMing, have used a similar setup to the one I have described in order to hide a set of powerful artifacts and make my players adventure all over the world just to return home to find the object of their quest.
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With the suspicion raised about Dash being a potential spy, I can't shake the feeling someone on that ship isn't playing for the team she's supposed to be. With geas and memory wipes being brought up, I feel like maybe she might not even *know* it...
...add to that that polymorph spells can apparently be made *permanent*...
...as can *aging spells*...
...and that this:
...strikes me as being a very odd detail to just throw in out of the blue...
...as does this...
...and this...
...and this, and a particular image bubbles to mind.
Maybe I'm just grasping at straws here, but:
...
...or just to claim her apprentice for herself (and conveniently rob her of the bearer of magic)?
As for Luna's reaction, I feel like learning your entire identity is a lie might be enough to upset someone to the point they turn on you even if they're okay with being manipulated.
Edit: as for timeline issues...
I wonder if Luna is above murdering children?
Actually:
Oh I'm sorry Twilight! I guess you've never been stuck on an island and in dire need of citrus, but surrounded by nothing but maniacal non-vitamin C holding apples taunting you with their lack of orangey goodness, you heartless bitch!... Wait what was i talking about... uh cool chapter...I think I need to go lie down for a bit.
I'm fairly certain it's NOT Luna's descendant she found, but Celestia's. The only reason Chrissy and Luna would purposely keep the filly's identity a secret from Twi is because if she found out that Tia had a biological daughter, she might do something rash. You know, like something that would screw up years of planning.
---------> The Orphan is probably Scootaloo. roundstable.com/forums/images/smilies/nnghaloo.png
That being said, I sincerely hope that this tidbit of information isn't just going to be thrown into the garbage and never mentioned again.
tardislock.files.wordpress.com/2015/02/desktop.jpg
I'd like to request that you wait with that until the rest of the story is finished. If you don't mind, of course.
umm, appaloosa was built in one year, and the mane 6 visit it at the end of that one year, so that wold mean that at this point, iether it doesn't exist yet or it's only partially built and twilight wouldn't know about it, just a small nit pic.
Woo-hoo! This is so exciting~! I can't wait to find out what happens next!!!
I can't imagine Twilight managing to immediately ascend, but I don't know what the author is planning! Maybe she will! I'm just itching to find out, either way!
Its adorable
I have something interesting to report:
*Ahem*
THIS STORY IS AWESOME!
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Hm. An interesting hypothesis. A... very interesting hypothesis. And Luna mentioned that she owed a big favor to the pony who is, as far as she knows, the only unicorn alchemist on Equus. And if "Twilight" replaced Twilight, Twilight would have lost her parents...
Yes... Very interesting indeed. You may just have hit it!
...I'm still thinking that there's a good chance Twilight would be okay with it, but that chance has dropped enough that I can see why Chrysalis wouldn't try it. Even if Twilight was okay with it anyway, Luna would not be happy with Chrysalis for risking everything that way.
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I don't think that those ought to be capitalized, actually, sorry. "Night Guard", maybe, but not "public relations" in this context.
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Aye, as I mentioned in my own comment, that bit definitely doesn't fit with Over a Barrel's show canon. However, as this is already tagged AU and I much prefer Forthwith's work to that episode, I don't think that it's a problem.
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http://www.grammarbook.com/punctuation/capital.asp
Yep the Night Guard is an orginization.
As for Public Relations Division of the Wonderbolts. Just looked this over on http://www.businesswritingblog.com/business_writing/2007/09/sales-departmen.html and Division should also have been caped. Since it's a group within the organization (both get capitalized. Since groups and organizations are capitalized.)
5718660
Ah, I stand corrected on the Night Guard; thank you.
And yes, if you capitalize "Division" as well, that's good; it just doesn't work if you only capitalize "Public Relations".
Some typos I found:
I wish I could give you some constructive criticism, but I'm too busy enjoying myself with this...
Also:
TWI^2 IS A THING YEEEESSSSSSSSS
5717184
Oh my.
I think you may have frightened me. I need to go lie down now.
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I facehooved so hard when I noticed that oversight. But yeah, everydays a chance to learn something new.
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Very nice point! I missed that one entirely.
This would also make Luna responsible for absolutely everything all of her neuroses are built on; Celestia *did* in fact accept her as a student. Regardless, I definitely wouldn't want to take the chance if I were Luna, and so close to their objective.
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That's a good idea!
5719039
"Celestia *did* in fact accept her as a student"
I don't think she did, though. Celestia accepted Sunset, not Twilight, and even if Twilight was partially made from Sunset, she's her own person. I think that there's a better than even chance that that person would accept Sunset's death as an at least semi-legitimate casualty in the conflict. I see Luna certainly not wanting to take the risk yet, but there's also the fact that Luna has, I think, been shaping Twilight into someone who wouldn't mind being told her history.
And really, what reason does Twilight have to object? It sounds like even the born-Twilight is being well taken care of, so the only casualty is Sunset, who would, if not dealt with, have been used by Celestia to attack Luna. This new information does not change what Twilight knows of Celestia (among other things, Luna may have acted on a prediction that Celestia would reject Twilight, but Luna did not make Celestia reject Twilight). I doubt Twilight would think that Celestia would have let Sunset ascend, and yet here Luna is helping Twilight. For mutual benefit, certainly, but that doesn't change what it is. Luna either genuinely cares for Twilight or is willing to be a very, very good actor to keep a highly valuable tool working, and any value Twilight loses to Luna upon the latter's freedom will be made up for by the former's ascension. If Twilight objects, she does so for an action no one knew about, a mare who's already dead, and another mare she still dislikes intensely; in the process, she loses a very powerful ally and likely either gets herself incapacitated and imprisoned immediately or plunges the world into a war. Pretty much the only reason to object would be a short-term emotional effect pulling counter to not only short and long term logical interests but also long term emotional interests. Luna's concern at the moment, of course, is that even a quickly-regretted action could still ruin everything at this point.
Oh, and if I may indulge in a bit of metaanalysis... I note that Forthwith recently favourited a story in which Chrysalis redirects Twilight's love for Celestia to herself and then takes her on as a partner and student. The Twilight of the present, at the end of the first chapter, is aware that that Twilight of the past would be horrified at the Twilight of the present's feelings... but that doesn't change what those feelings are.
I suspect that this may possibly not be wholly unrelated.
Anyway, assuming that this hypothesis is correct, I wonder if/how it will come up in the story?
As I see it, if there is a radically transformative event such that the subject before going through the event sees the post-transformation state as bad and the transformed subject sees the post-transformation state as good, neither of those views invalidates the other. Additionally, even the post-transformation subject may view the event itself as bad without bearing an obligation to seek its reversal; their origin does not give them a lesser right to exist than the pre-transformation subject, and as the currently-living one, they have the right of way, as it were, to live.
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Hmm. That's a solid argument. Actually, Twilight's response to the whole Cadance/Emotional Manipulation/Flaring fiasco is probably pretty telling... which, in and of itself seems awfully conveniently analogous.
So Luna's concern isn't whether Twilight would accept this, but how *quickly* she could come to terms with it. Yes, that seems perfectly reasonable.
My money's on the Elements not being especially fond of keeping this information hidden. Twilight's feelings aside, this certainly wouldn't be a situtation that matches their ideals. And if a polymorph spell can partially reveal things, then...
Also, I don't think it's a coincidence that:
Forthwith would decide to do this in the chapter that comes, presumably, right before they reach (where we believe) the elements are.
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No comment on if the hypothesis is correct or not, but The Moon's Apprentice was entirely plotted out since Chapter One. Anything after June 28th of 2014 could not serve as an influence for this story's outline.
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"Hmm. That's a solid argument. Actually, Twilight's response to the whole Cadance/Emotional Manipulation/Flaring fiasco is probably pretty telling... which, in and of itself seems awfully conveniently analogous."
Ah, yes, good point; I'd not thought of specifically tying that in.
"So Luna's concern isn't whether Twilight would accept this, but how *quickly* she could come to terms with it. Yes, that seems perfectly reasonable."
Aye. After they've won, Luna might even volunteer it for reasons of trust. Right now, though...
Twilight: You what?! Why, oogh... Grr!
[stomps through one of Celestia's wards]
Twilight: ...Though, actually, applying proper ethical reasoning to this, it really isn't all that bad, and in any case everyone alive at present is better off if... And I just did something really stupid, didn't I?
[Celestia teleports in]
Chrysalis, facehoofing: Yes, yes you did.
Hm, it might be the Elements, yes... But then again... I don't know that they'd mind, unless Chrysalis is up for Honesty. Hard to say.
"Forthwith would decide to do this in the chapter that comes, presumably, right before they reach (where we believe) the elements are."
Another good point, I think.
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Oh, I didn't think that it was an influence, but it could indicate an interest in exploring that sort of thing; if that interest was also present when The Moon's Apprentice was plotted, you might have decided to include it. Not that I expect you to tell us if that's correct either, of course. :)
...Oh, and, um, I hope you don't mind the meta-analysis. I was using readily and publicly available information.