//------------------------------// // Part Teacher, Part Student // Story: The First Pony to Time Travel Without a Spell // by Razor Blade the Unicron //------------------------------// The Summer Sun Celebration had been really fun. After returning from the Everfree Forest, the ponies were greeted with an anxious crowd who cheered upon seeing them. Luna had been a bit shy to join in the Celebration, until Rainbow pulled her into the dance competition and the two had an extreme dance-off which Luna ended up winning. "The Winter Moon Festival!" said Rainbow eagerly to Luna after they finished the dance-off. "What?" asked Luna as she sipped some fresh water. "Today is the Summer Sun Celebration and it's the longest day of the year, right? So you need to make the Winter Moon Festival where it will be the longest night of the year!" "That... is an excellent idea! Did you just come up with that?" "Yep!" "Oh, I will tell Celestia as soon as we return to the castle! Speaking of, wasn't the castle that you fought Nightmare Moon in-" "Yeah, the Everfree Forest grew around the Castle of the Two Sisters about 900 years ago, so Princess Celestia built a new one in Canterlot." "Oh..." "Hey, I bet she has an entire section of the castle designed just for you!" "Knowing my sister, she most has done that." Rainbow causally grabbed an apple fritter an started eating it. Luna also grabbed an apple snack, but nibbled on it a bit before speaking. "Rainbow Dash, may I ask you something?" "Sure!" "You consider me your friend, right?" "Of course I do! Why would you ask something like that?" "Well... My sister has Twilight Sparkle as her student, and has her sending Friendship Reports, so I was wondering if..." "I could be your student?!?" "Well, sort of. You'd be more like teaching me about friendship again." "I'd love to do that for you! Plus, I also have a lot to learn about friendship. Kinda haven't had any friends in a hundred years or so." The two shared a laugh, and Rainbow's face lit up. "Oh! I wanted to tell you something that I found out with Twilight! It has to do with the magic in me!" "What is it?" "I have unicorn, dragon, and alicorn magic in me!" "WHAT?!?" "I'm not kidding! She used a spell to see what magic was in me after some magic prevented me from talking about when I was a filly- ouch!" Rainbow flinched as all-too-familiar sparks of blue and pink jumped up from her. "That is very strange..." said Luna, as she used her magic to grab one of each colored spark, "Good. Now I can examine these to find out what specific spells they are." Rainbow smiled, eager to find out what the magic was doing. "Back to the being-your-student thing. I know that Twilight will be sending letters to Princess Celestia via Spike's dragon fire, but what will I use?" "I can give you- wait, how do you know about dragon fire being used to send things?" "I..." Rainbow trailed off, "Have no idea..." "Perhaps this knowledge is tied to the dragon magic in you. Shame I cannot get a sample of that. Anyway, I can send you a dragon fire candle to use to send me letters. I think that one every week on the going-ons in Ponyville would be good. What do you think?" "I think that's good. They'll always contain something about either friendship, major events happening here, or both!" "Thank you, my friend." said Luna, giving Rainbow Dash a hug. "Luna," said Princess Celestia, approaching her, "I do believe we should head back to the castle now. I want you to know that the castle is no longer-" "It's okay. Rainbow Dash told me that it is in Canterlot now." "Oh! Thank you, Rainbow." "It's no trouble at all for a friend!" said Rainbow happily, "Bye, Luna!" "Hopefully I'll meet up with you soon!" responded Luna with a smile. "And hopefully your magic will have been restored!" said Rainbow, smiling back. Rainbow waved along with the other ponies as Princess Celestia and Princess Luna headed back towards Canterlot in their chariot. They were also bringing the Elements of Harmony for safekeeping, which Rainbow thought was a bit foolish if something were to happen in Ponyville, but decided that it was for their safekeeping. I'll always have Loyalty in me, even if the gem isn't with me. thought Rainbow, I hope Luna can find out what the magic is doing in me to stop me from talking about my fillyhood. Until then, I'll just have to be an excellent student, and an even greater friend. "Hey, Rainbow Dash!" said Pinkie, popping up in front of her, "Another dance-off is starting! Think you can beat me?" "Oh, Pinkie, you're so on!" said Rainbow, running out on to the dance floor. "Sister, I can tell that you are confused by something." said Luna. "Is it really that obvious?" asked Celestia, looking anxiously at her sister. "No, but it's something you sister would notice." "I've just been wondering about Twilight Sparkle and Rainbow Dash." "Ah, you are wondering why Rainbow Dash bears the crown and not Twilight Sparkle." "Yes. I mean, the Tree of Harmony has her cutie mark on it! The Element of Magic was already shaped like her cutie mark! I thought Destiny had already written everything out!" "Perhaps you are focusing too much on Twilight, and not enough on Rainbow." "What do you mean?" "Rainbow told me that she met the Element of Loyalty today when she was fighting the shadows." "Already?" "I was as surprised as you are to hear that they met so soon. Also, did you not see how her first reaction upon seeing the shadows coming towards me was to protect me?" "She did do that..." "Though you student may bear the binding Element, Rainbow Dash bears the strongest because of herself. She is extremely Loyalty to all of her friends, to the point of not letting me be sent back to the moon." "Sorry, what? I thought you said that you were going to be sent back to the moon." "I did. When the Elements of Harmony had powered up and sent a rainbow towards me, I could sense that for whatever reasons, they were going to send me back to the moon. Rainbow Dash could also sense it, as she broke away from the rest of the rainbow and stood to protect me." "I see what you're telling me, Luna." "Indeed. Rainbow Dash, through her extreme Loyalty, simply rewrote Destiny." "But if she did, then that means that she will-" "Tia, she has alicorn magic in her." "What?" "As well as unicorn and dragon magic. So even if she did complete the spell, she would not become one." "But that means that something happened to put that magic in her!" "I got samples of the unicorn and alicorn magic to study. It sparks when she tries to speak of her fillyhood." "Why would such powerful magic prevent her from speaking of her fillyhood?" "Because clearly, somepony else rewrote Destiny first, and won't let Rainbow Dash say who."