Twilight's journey

by Skarsnik

Chapter 9 - Magic

Emerald and Spike were having breakfast, the morning’s sun was already bathing the house of his warmth. They could take their time as they were only expected at the middle of the morning class just to introduce themselves to the foals.

“Do you still think we should hide her. Sure she is getting better physically, but maybe a doctor could help her getting better mentally?” Emerald asked.

“You don’t trust the Princesses?” replied the drake.

Emerald gave a sad look to his bowl of coffee “It’s not what I mean, it look like all we are doing is making her cry or sad.”

“Hm. Maybe you are right, maybe it’s me being selfish and not seeing what is good for her.” Spike took a sip of his orange juice and both fell in the silence of their breakfast.

“No it’s alright,” said Twilight descending the stairs to join them at the living room table.

Emerald kept quiet, avoiding the alicorn gaze. However, Spike opened his mouth “Twilight…-”

“I am sorry for yesterday, you try to help me. I get mad at you and I hurt myself with the few things I remember” Twilight’s ears were down, but she still had a small smile on her face. After giving a look at Emerald’s bowl, she continued “Can I have breakfast?”

“Of course” said Emerald, then went in the kitchen to grab a bowl.

Twilight made herself comfortable in a chair and turned her head to Spike when Emerald get back, “So I have a niece?”

Spike smiled, happy that Twilight asked about her nephews instead of other mater “Yeah. Fairy Heart, she is an energetic filly. she looks a lot like her mother, she is ten now. She like hearing stories about you.”

“Great now I have a fan” giggled Twilight.

Spike chuckled “Her brother is more interested in Shining. He wants to be a guard like him.”

Twilight’s ears perked and she gasped “What? They have two foals?”

“He is their first foal, he is born two-”

The alicorn cut him again, “Thank you, Spike. It’s already a lot to take for me.” She noded to Emerald and thank him as he was poured milk in her bowl of cereal.

They eat in silence and when Emerald was done, he remembered the mayor words, so he asked “Do you want to come to school today Twilight?”

“Hu, Sorry?”

“Yes, you can see how Spike works with fillies. Even if today we will barely do nothing. The mayor said it could be a good thing that other ponies see you with us.”

Twilight looked at Spike, “I don’t want to trouble your work, but I have to admit I am rather curious, are you ok with this Spike?”

Spike was gathering Emerald and his own bowl “Sure.”

After Twilight finished her breakfast, Emerald was left to clean up. Spike went grabbing some school supplies. Twilight was resting on the couch on the living room reading her book about wings. She was able to turn the pages with her hooves.

Emerald went out the kitchen and saw a frown on the alicorn’s face, “Something you don’t understand, Twilight?”

She turned her head at the interruption “Hu? Not really. But preening look hard.”

Emerald chuckled “Haha, I almost hurt my marefriend when I tried. As I understand, wings are pretty sensitive.”

One the ears of the alicorn flicked “You have a pegasus marefriend?”

Emerald sighed “I had.” then put a smile on his face “but Don’t worry, it was three years ago and I learned a sad lesson about being a noble: some mares just want your title.”

“I am sorry.”

“Don’t be sorry for me.” Emerald didn’t want to have Twilight worry about his life, so he changed the subject and pointed at the alicorn’s back “You don’t seem to be happy having wings.”

“If you get past the fact that I have no idea why. I find them pretty annoying.”

“I wish I have wings. It must be good to fly.” the stallion replied dreamily.

Twilight sighed and started giggling. Emerald, confused by her reaction, asked “What?”

“I didn’t even think I could maybe fly now,” she paused to look Emerald, ”You must think I am stupid, only seeing the bad things?”

“Err. No. You probably take everything better than I would.”

Twilight gave a sad look at her book, “It’s too sad this book say nothing about flying, maybe Spike can teach me.”

Seeing that the frown on the alicorn’s face has disappeared and was now replaced by a smile, probably thinking of Spike, Emerald remarked, “You look in a better mood this morning.”

The alicorn looked at Emerald then her gaze felt on the book again, “I feel like it will help me to smile sometime.”

Spike arrived in the living room carrying some bags, “Ok, are you ready to go?”

Emerald and Twilight nodded.

“Good, just one more thing to do.”

---

In front of the school were standing some concerned parents. They were watching as a weird group of ponies walked toward us. They could identify one purple dragon with green spikes, he was taller than the green unicorn stallion walking at his right, the stallion was talking to a hooded pony. Most of them were told that the magical teacher would come today and some of them were told by other parents that he was an unexpected teacher. The few of them who have met Spike were more surprised by the hooded figure.

The dragon was the first to talk to the group, “Good morning everypony, I am Spike, I will be happy to talk to you, but I am expected inside.”

The door of the school opened and the group was greeted by the local teacher. He invited them to come inside. He spoke to the classroom when Spike and Emerald moved in “Fillies please says hello to Professor Spike and his assistant Emerald.”

The fillies were surprised to see a dragon and a green stallion with a suit entering the classroom, but the teacher give them a serious look and they obey the request “Good morning Professor Spike. Good morning Emerald”

“Good morning, young one. You can just call me Spike” Spike smiled and nodded at the teacher.

The teacher clapped his hooves “Class is over for today, only unicorn foals have to stay, don’t forget to do your homework.”

There was a mix of “You are lucky!” “Yeah, school is over!” “A dragon, awesome” on the mouth of the fillies and colts rushing out the classroom.

When all the non unicorn had left, the teacher spoke again “Professor Spike will teach you magic for the next month, just be nice to him as you are to me.”

“Thank you” replied Spike as he place himself near the desk of the teacher.

As Spike was explaining the schedule for the next month to the foals and presenting himself, outside a mare came to talk to the nervous hooded purple mare left behind. There was a lot a suspicion in her voice “Who are you?”

Twilight was too nervous seeing so many ponies watching at her, some wearing frown of worry. She didn’t respond immediately.

The white coated mare insisted “I said, who are you?”

“Hu? sorry Miss. I am Twilight Spa... Scroll” she paused, remembering her story, “I am traveling with my brother.”

“Why are you dressed like that?” the mare shouted nearly throwing dagger with her eyes.

Twilight was feeling a bit scared at the insistence of the mare. She grew more anxious and was in a bit in pain as her wings were pushing against the belt that restrain them under her cloak. It was an idea of Spike to avoid her wings showing up unexpectedly. Meanwhile, the other ponies were talking among themselves. The alicorn stayed frozen, unable to speak.

The teacher hearing the ruckus outside get out the classroom, Emerald was following him, Spike stayed to keep the foals at bay.

“What is going here? You are disturbing the class.”

Emerald noticed the distress of Twilight, he trotted toward her. “Are you alright Twilight?”

The angry mare turned her head to Emerald and asked him “You know her? Who are you? Is the dragon your pet?”

Emerald didn’t mind adult pony talking with disdain toward him, but he didn’t like ponies insulting Spike. He knew that most pony talking like that were some nobles or some rich pony who think they are better than everyone. Sadly for the mare he also knew how to distinct the two categories.

The stallion straightened his posture “I am Emerald Scroll, of House Scroll. You are insulting my friend and scaring my sister.”

The mare back off from Emerald, a apologized look on her face. Emerald was always amused how most rich ponies fear to be judged by the nobility, when most noble just didn’t care about them.

Other parents were not that startled by Emerald words, some were smiling at the mare distress but were still having doubt looking at the hooded mare. Luckily Emerald and Spike had anticipated question about Twilight’s appearance.

The stallion looked at the crowd of pony “I am Spike’s assistant, my sister is ill and must hide from the sun. The doctor says it will be better for her to not stay in Canterlot, so she is traveling with me.”

The teacher took the relay after Emerald explanation “Thank you, Mister Scroll for the clarification. Now if you can get back to your home or stay quiet.”

Most parents just left the school with their foals, some parents of the unicorn fillies were still there, trying to not act too curious at what going on in the classroom.

Before going back in the classroom, Emerald spoke to Twilight, “I need to get back inside, do you want to come? The foals will be less bothersome."

The alicorn shook her head “I... am fine, I shouldn't have come. And I don’t want to distract the class.”

Emerald chuckled “You think you can distract them from a dragon teaching them?”

She replied with a small smile “Probably not.”

Emerald led Twilight to the classroom but the teacher give him a worried look. “Sorry I don’t want to let my sister alone like that.”

He simply shrugged “It’s ok, it’s your class now.”

Upon seeing Emerald reenter the class, Spike said, “Ah, you are back Emerald, I was going to introduce you properly to the foals.”

“So here is Emerald, he is a noble pony so you must call him Lord Emerald. He will assist me to teach you, and maybe teach you alone you when I can’t come” Spike wore a grin on his face.

The class said cheerfully “Good morning Lord Emerald.”

Emerald threw a ‘I will kill you’ look at Spike before looking at the class “Good morning, but just call me Emerald. I am here to show you the spells while Spike explains them to you.”

What seem to be the oldest foals in the bunch spoke while looking at Twilight, “Who is she?” is she your assistant too?”

Twilight smiled at the colt’s curiosity “No, I am Twilight. I am only Emerald’s sister”, she choose to remove her hood, Spike was nervous about that.

But one of the fillies only reacted with more curiosity seeing the horn on the mare’s head “Ho, you are an unicorn too! Will you teach us magic too?”

“No sorry, I just here to watch you.”

“Ha too bad!”

Spike interrupted “Sorry but today I will just evaluate you, only tomorrow we will start real lesson” Spike grabbed from one of his bag a feather, a small rock and a metallic polished ball. He put the three items on the desk in front of him.

Spike pointed at the three item in front of him “You will come one by one and try to lift one of this object. I just want you to try to lift, you don’t need to move them. It’s not a test, there is no success or failure.”

“We have to lift the three of them?!” asked a panicked filly.

Spike put a reassuring smile on his face “No just pick the one you want.”

The first colt came and focused his magic to try lifting the metal sphere, he give up after one minute. Then he tried with the stone, he managed to make it shake but not to lift it. He switch to the feather and had no trouble to make it rose above the desk to one centimeter.

The next filly tried to lift the metal sphere for five minutes and switched directly to the feather.

The three other foals tried, two of them just skip trying to lift the metal sphere, the last one even manage to lift the stone. When they were done Spike talk after taking some notes.

“Good. Now I want to know if there is a lesson to be learned from this.”

One of the fillies shouted “The metal ball is too heavy!”

Spike shook his head, “Yes, but that’s not the issue.”

“The feather is lighter than the stone?” another colt offered.

“Yes it’s true, and the stone is lighter than the metal ball. Can you tell me why some of you try longer and some give up after some time.”

“Because some are better with magic?”

“Yes, but that’s not the complete answer” Spike seeing still the confused look of the fillies he finally answered “The lesson is: you have to be aware of your limit when attempting using magic. But there are two ways to look at that.”

“First, knowing your limits is a good way to avoid magic accident or exhaustion, but it’s also good to test your limit to improve yourself. I want you to think of this for tomorrow’s lesson.”

Spike concluded his speech with “You are free to go now.”

Emerald expected the foals to rush out the classroom like their friends before, but they were all watching Twilight. She was looking at the metal sphere a frown on her face ‘What is she doing? it looks like she is trying to… lift it?’

It was Spike turn to look at Twilight, her horn started glowing, she had closed her eyes. Spike panicked when he felt her focusing power on her horn ‘No!’ “Emerald stop her!”

“What?” but before the stallion thought of something to do, he could see the items on the desk were starting to shake. Soon it was followed by the entire desk, then he could felt the floor and the whole house following. ‘are you kidding me?’

Spike reached Twilight and slapped her to hopefully break her focus. “I am sorry for that Twilight,” He whispered.

The alicorn opened her eyes wide in reaction “Hu? What did I do?”

“That was awesome!” all the fillies in the room shouted at unison.“Do it again!”

Spike looked back at the foals “No sorry kids, she will not do it again, she is too tired, right?”

“What? Hu right” Twilight replied.

“Aww.”

Spike smiled to the classroom “Maybe tomorrow, you can go play with your friends now.”

The drake and Emerald watched the fillies left the room, leaving a confused alicorn. Spike closed the door when they were only the three of them in the room. He put a claw on one of Twilight’s shoulder “Ok, what were you trying to do, Twilight?”

“Hu? I saw that the foals were happy about lifting the things. That looked fun I wanted to try! Did I succeed?”

Spike massaged his forehead with one claw “I don’t know, you were starting to lift the whole school.”

“What?”

The drake sighed in reply “Ok now I understand what Princess Luna mean by not letting you use your magic. How I am going to explain this to the parent?”

The alicorn looked at the door then at Spike “What do you mean, Spike?”

“For Celestia sake. I know you don’t remember everything, but there are very few unicorns that can lift a whole house!”

“I can always say he was me,” proposed Emerald.

“When the filly saw clearly Twilight doing it?”

“You think parent believe everything their foals say?”

“Hm yes, fair point,” Spike replied before rushing outside. Waiting for him, were confused parents listening to their foals, shouting thing like “Awesome”, ‘Ok there is no way Emerald explanation will work, even if I say it’s really Twilight they will think she tried to harm their foals. I am doomed’

A worried mare went to talk to Spike, “What happened here, why the school was shaking?”

“Err, Sorry about that, Emerald’s sister wanted to impress the kids and she got carried away.”

The earth pony mare hugged his colt “Should we worry about her? I mean no offense, but it doesn’t seem harmless”

“What? Oh no, it was just unfocused basic levitation.”

Another mare get into the conversation “It’s hard to believe.”

“I understand your concern, but look. Your foals are ok and we will not bring her at school again.”

The two mare nodded at him, then he get back in the school. Without sitting in the teacher chair, he started writing on a scroll.

“Ok Emerald, can you ask for an isolated area, while I finish writing the foals result down?”

When Emerald was out, he looked at Twilight that had remained silent, a bit confused, like a filly that has done something bad but doesn’t understand what.

“Twilight, I am happy you want to use your magic, but you understand I can’t let you use it?” Spike said softly to her.

“Did I do something bad? I don’t understand” She paused then her ears fell down behind her head “I… don’t understand.”

“Don’t get the wrong idea, I am not mad at you”, Spike looked at Twilight for a reaction but she held her head down. He watched her for some time. Hum look like she doesn’t want to talk, she had probably too much excitement for the day.

Spike packed his bags, getting back his little supplies and notes on it “Ok Twilight, let’s go somewhere quieter.”

“I…”

Spike put her hood back on her head, she said nothing. Spike escorted her outside and then he locked the school’s door.

Emerald was waiting for them, all parents were now gone. “Ok follow me, there is a small clearing in the east part of the forest.” He got closer to Spike to ask him, not wanting for Twilight to hear “is she-”

Spike cut him, “Alright? I don’t know. she probably want some peace.”

They walked through the forest, Spike and Emerald were walking side by side, Twilight was behind walking slowly, her head near the ground. Ten minutes after they entered the forest they heard sobs sound coming from Twilight. Spike and Emerald stopped.

“What is wrong, Twilight?” asked Spike

Barely raising her head, she answered “I... don’t...understand.”

The drake sit on her knees to get at Twilight’s level “What you don’t understand?”

Tears started rolling on the cheek of the alicorn “It’s... magic, I don’t... understand, I…remember nothing” she stopped and felt on the floor still crying “I… am… afraid.”

“Afraid of what Twilight?”

Before falling in a sobbing mess, Twilight managed to say “...magic..”

‘Now I realize how Emerald can feel so helpless some time’ though Spike. but I don’t understand, she tried to use magic with the foal, and she looked happy? Emerald said her cutie mark feel faded? hm maybe’

Spike lifted the head of the alicorn “Twilight, listen to me. I want you to try to remember something.”

“...and have some other nightmares?”

“No trust me Twilight, It’s not like that. I want you to remember the day you hatched me.”

“I told you, I don’t...”

Spike tried to keep a soothing tone “I know, but it’s important, try at least for me. Can you do it for me?”

Twilight nodded shyly.

Spike put a claw in his chin “I don’t know, maybe I can tell you.”

The eyes of the alicorn opened wide. “No! no more nightmare”

“Hm, I can try to guide you, you stop me when you want.”

“Ok...”

“Do you remember Celestia’s School for gifted unicorn?” Twilight just nodded “Do you remember the day you get accepted?”

There was a small pause before Twilight answered ”No.”

Spike kept going “Ok, I don’t know all the details but try to remember that day. There were your parents, I am not a doctor, but try to picture your parents maybe”, this time Twilight noded and closed her eyes “There was a test, the last test” I am not sure if it’s a good idea anymore “It was me”

“You?”

“Yes, but I was still in my egg, you hatched me, remember?”

“Yes”

“Good, try to imagine how.”

Twilight took a breath “I…was a filly. There was my parents. Shining was waiting outside. I was nervous. The test… it... was hard. Pain...No! not pain, hard, warmth, It’s...”

Suddenly the alicorn glew with a bright lavender aura. Spike started to panic but as the aura expand from the alicorn and reached him, he felt. ‘warmth, it’s so warmth, she… my mother.’

Emerald watched the scene from far away, feeling it was not a conversation he needed to take part. When the alicorn start glowing and the aura reached him, he felt peaceful, ‘it’s so beautiful, it’s... beautiful’

The alicorn stopped glowing as suddenly as it started. Spike and Emerald were awakened from their thoughts by the excited cheer of a young purple alicorn jumping in circle.

“Yes! Yes! Yes! Yes! Yes! Yes!”

Spike rushed to Twilight and hugged her “Mom!” she could not stop the strength of the hug of the dragon, It stopped her but did not prevent her from returning the hug.

She buried her head on the back of the drake “Oh Spike, thank you, thank you, thank you, for making me remember that.”

After fives minutes of seeing Spike and Twilight share a hug and crying of happiness, Emerald cleared his throat and spoke “Sorry, I don’t want to be rude, but what happened?”

The mother and son broke the hug. Spike wiped a tear with his claw “Oh sorry Emerald, I should have told you, the day she hatched me was the day Twilight get her cutie mark.”

After some more minutes of Twilight and Spike smiling at each other, Spike finally asked, “How do you feel Twilight, about your magic?”

Twilight paused for a moment, “I...am not sure... but I am not afraid.”

Author's Note:

Small teaser, next chapter title is Emerald

Comments

[Commander Darklight]

i have to ask english is not your first language is it

[Skarsnik]

6460953

Yes, sorry if it's not the easiest thing to read :)

[Commander Darklight]

6460972 nah its not to bad just you can tell its not your first language
anyway looking forward to more