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// Harmony Days I: A meeting with the Princess 
// Story: Sometimes They Call Me Super 
// by KorenCZ11 
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Applejack




        “Oh goddess, Ah'm gonna be sick,” Ah said aloud as Ah sank outta that car. Ah don't know how Rarity drives this damned thin', but it's way too fast fer me. If nothin' else, today Ah learned that Ah could drive a stick shift if it really came down ta it. Let's just hope she's more grateful fer me keepin' her alive than whatever horrible thin's Ah just did ta her transmission. Ah returned it ta the spot where Ah got in it earlier today, and started pilin' passed out ponies on my back. They didn't weigh much, but it was more difficult keepin' them there with only three hooves ta work with. My front left wasn't bleedin' anymore, but it certainly wasn't healed enough ta walk on. Slowly but surely, Ah made my way back through the forest and inta the castle.

        “Wow, you're pretty banged up. What happened exactly?” Twilight asked.

        “Well, first we ran inta the Crow. She ended up stabbin' Diamond before Ah could get ta her, but then Ah did and she got knocked out. That's when Ah had Blur go tell ya about that. Ta our surprise, the Crow got up real quick. A lot faster than Ah was expectin' her to. She made it ta Target and... well, ya know what happened next. The Crow got smashed against a wall again, and Ah didn't really know what ta do at that point because ya never told me how ta deal with her like that. Blur came back, but was quickly grabbed and thrown through the roof. Out of the three of them, she's hurt the most. So, that happened, Ah got smacked, and then that's where the weird part kicks in.” Twilight tilted her head as she unloaded ponies off me with her magic.

        “Weird part?” Ah nodded.

        “Yeah, weird part. The Crow, somehow still alive, asked me ta help her calm Fluttershy down.” Twilight shook her head.

        “What?” Ah took off my mask and nodded.

        “Yeah. So, she told me how ta put Fluttershy back ta normal, and we attempted ta do so, that is until Ah got knocked out and forgot the last three hours fer about ten minutes. Beat my leg up pretty good too. Once Ah remembered everythin', Ah managed to knock Fluttershy out right before she just about squeezed the life outta the Crow.” Ah finally got outta the suit and decide Ah deserved a moment ta sit. My foreleg was real bruised, and there was a few shallow cuts where Ah was slashed, but nothin' that bad. Somehow, the suit managed ta hold up through it all. Ah need ta drop by Star's place and buy him a meal or somethin'. This is way higher quality than whatever Fluttershy was wearin. Twilight frowned.

        “So, what did you do with the Crow?” Ah shrugged.

        “Ah left her alone. She and Ah have... an understandin' now.” Ah took my suit, folded it up, and threw it inta my saddle bags. Then Ah laid back in that chair and relaxed. That was the most stressful outin' Ah've ever had. Most Power Ponies Ah've fought didn't have a stage two boss phase.

        “So... let me get this straight. You fought somepony who was hired to guard that basement, and didn't bring her here for questioning!?” She just about yelled. Ah opened one eyelid and stared at her.

        “That's right. She didn't necessarily do anythin' wrong, and was just a guard fer somepony else's questionable product. That bein' said, Ah still got ya this, and one of these.” From my saddle bags, Ah took out one of the crystals, and the client list with all those names on it. Twilight took the paper in her magic, and attempted ta do the same with the crystal, but couldn't.

        “What in the? Why can't I...?” Ah tossed it ta her, and she just about dropped the thing after jugglin' it with her wings.

        “Based on previous information, these thin's have the power ta interrupt magic somehow, and Ah don't think it's just one kind of magic either. Ah couldn't talk ta anypony through the brand, and when Ah tried ta talk ta ya while Ah was sittin' next ta one, Ah only got static and a few pieces of words.” Ah closin' my eyes and put my hooves over my belly. Maybe Ah should take a Criminal Justice course next semester

        “Hmm... I suppose I'll have to run tests on this later. For now, will you help me move them to my clinic? It looks like you did some kind of first aid, but I want them ready to go again after a day's rest.” Twilight said as she set the crystal down in the empty chair next ta me. Ah sighed and started ta get up when Ah noticed a blue light startin' ta form above the main room table.

        “Twilight, what is that?” Ah asked, pointin' ta it.

        “What? Oh...” Twilight sighed. “I guess she's here already. Applejack, meet my Aunt. Princess Luna.” The ball of light started ta expand and swirl the dust around it like a tornado. Lightnin' shot from it ta around the table edges, almost makin' music in a strange, but familiar melody. It flashed once and then stopped entirely, leavin' a smokin' figure standin on the table.

        She was taller than anypony Ah'd ever met, just about twice my own size. Her coat had almost a sparkly quality, like there was some kind of silver glitter stuck in it. She was dark blue with a black series of spots on her flank that sported a crescent moon cutiemark. Her wings had feathers that were blue at the top, but darkened ta black as they went down, and ended before the whole wing itself, which looked more like that of a bat below the feathers, claws and all.

        Her mane and tail were some kind of strange blue-purple hair the had little glowin' lights all over it. Some of the lights even had lines goin' between each other. One of them I recognized as a constellation that dad showed me a long time ago. She wore regalia on her neck and each hoof, all dark as night, but shined in the light with a rainbow of colors, like they were made out of oil or somethin'. Much like Twilight, her eyes had a sort of sparkly quality ta them too, little flecks of silver rather than copper in her bright blue irises. The alicorn looked around the room until she focused her attention on Twilight.

        “Greetings, Twilight,” The princess said, followed by a curtly bow.

        “And to you, Princess,” Twilight returned but almost with some kinda false enthusiasm. The blue Alicorn scanned the room again until her eyes fell on me.

        “And who might this be?” She asked, slightly tiltin' her head all the while. She made a face as if she was tryin' ta remember somethin', but couldn't. Ah got up, makin' sure not ta use my hurt leg too much and introduced myself.

        “Name's Applejack. Howdy.” Ah said, raisin' a hoof fer a shake. The Princess stared at it fer a moment like it was some kinda foreign gesture, but then smiled and met it anyways.

        “A pleasure to make your acquaintance. Tell me, are you from this city? You speak as though you come from a southern province.” Somethin' felt weird about it. She seems awfully nice fer somepony Twilight has issues with.

        “Uh, sorta. My mom was, and Ah was born in the south, but Ah've lived here fer all but four years of my life.” Her shoes were some weird kinda cold too. Not just the feelin' of cool metal on yer skin, but somethin' more like ice, like they'd spent a lot of time in the freezer before she arrived. Must be some kinda magic on 'em.

        “I see. Very well, if you have the brand, then I suppose you must be one of my niece's recruits.” She looked at the other three passed out on the couch by the dinin' table, then at my injured foreleg. “Twilight, why are they injured? I have told you more than once to keep your soldiers in good health, have I not?” She turned back ta Twilight, whom then rolled her eyes.

        “They returned from your request only minutes ago. I haven't had a chance to do anything yet.” Twilight said, a bit of ornery working it's way in her voice. Luna lowered her eyebrows.

        “You know I detest it when you take that tone with me. Take care of those in your service. I will discuss matters with... er, Applejack?” Ah nodded. “Right, Applejack, for now.” Luna and Twilight just about gave each other death glares, but then turned away from each other like two sisters in an argument. Twilight grabbed everypony on the bench seat in her magic, gave one last glare ta Luna, then warped away somewhere. And now, Ah was alone with the Princess.

        “So. Tell me of your exploits.” She took a seat in Twilight's chair and leaned forward like she was in some kinda conference. Ah shook my head tryin' ta figure out what exactly is goin' on right now.

        “Uh... well, Ah guess it started last night...”

        Ah told the Princess about all the thin's that went down in the foundry, explainin' the magic disruptin' crystals, the Crow, the client list, and finally Fluttershy. Somehow, it looked like she took it all at face value.

        “Ah, that is quite the tale. This Crow character you spoke of... what exactly is your relation to her now?” She asked. My relation ta the Crow? Well, Ah wouldn't call us enemies...

        “Ya know, Ah'm not quite sure. Ah doubt a Princess would really be able ta get this, but Power Ponies who work as heroes here are kinda like mercenaries a lot of the time. We sometimes fight over territory, and who gets ta capture who fer how much, but after doin' it fer three years, Ah've always had this uh... well, 'understandin'' with those Ah've come across. Uh... almost like, we get a sense of respect fer each other after we know how strong, or tactical, or smart somepony is in a fight. In a way, Ah can understand somepony better if Ah've fought 'em once, than if Ah talked ta 'em consistently fer a week. Before all this, Ah knew a bunch of heroes, but the relationships Ah had were just about all like that. It helps when you're just about the biggest fish in the pond, but the Crow made me remember what it is ta fight somepony just about on level. Ah guess Ah see her as somepony that Ah'd rather not fight if it came down ta that.” The Princess nodded.

        “You may find it hard to believe, but I have felt that notion before.” What? Isn't she royalty? Why would she fight?

        “Really?” The princess nodded.

        “Really. Since you have the brand I assume you know, but I was alone when my sister was with child so many years ago. For seven months, I ruled without somepony else to really help me make decisions for the first time in several centuries. I had to change my sleep habits and deal with new responsibilities I was not aware Celestia had, and there was even a time when I was almost overthrown during this period.” Okay. That's news ta me.

        “Overthrown!? By who?” Luna laughed, though it wasn't the kinda sweet, endearin' laugh ya might expect a princess ta have , it was a little too deep and kinda off puttin'.

        “One of my most trusted knights, no less. However, this was not the case back then. He was the earth pony General at the time, known for his prowess on the battlefield and his almost unhealthy devotion to my sister.” The Princess giggled. “I'm sure if he were ever granted his wish, he would be Twilight's father. But that is neither here nor there. Her general believed that I was unfit to rule after seeing my poor performance adjudicating the day courts among other things. I wasn't cut out to handle all of the responsibilities my sister and I shared, and I hated it. Even with all the things that she did wrong, my sister still had the capacity to rule the government flawlessly for whole months at a time when I fell ill years ago, yet somehow, I could not.

        It did not get out of hoof, thankfully, but there was a point before we had come to an... understanding, as you put it, that it was quite unstable. With a loyal troupe of his own trainees, they tried to seize the throne on a particularly quiet day. He called out to me,

        'Princess, today shall be the final day of your reign as I have deemed you unfit to rule! I demand to see Princess Celestia, and if you do not comply, then I will use force to find her myself!' I might have been known to have a temper back then, and even now, there are times when I have to remember to calm myself, but then it was different. I was stressed with trying to fulfill all of Celestia's duties and failing to meet half of them, and on top of that I still needed to meet my own responsibilities, so I lashed out.

        I said to him, 'If you believe you are so fit to rule then be my guest! But know this General, if you dare take another step toward me then you will feel the weight of my crown!' The fool was of course dumb enough to take my warning as a challenge, but to be completely honest, that is exactly what I wanted. With his guards he charged me, and with my anger, I decided to relieve my stress. Nopony is old enough to remember that wars were once fought in this land, and that history books were written to omit how they were won, but that does not change the fact that they happened. Needless to say, his trainees were little more than gnats to be swatted down, but the general himself... he was something to be dealt with caution.

        I had believed that intimidation was the best way to scare him off, so taking out all of his troupe was my first course of action. Once that was done, I offered him a chance to surrender himself, but he was still determined to fight me anyways. That stallion has the highest tolerance to magic I have ever seen. I could hardly touch him with my telekenetics, let alone hit him with a projectile, and he displayed a strength I had never seen in a pony. Mind you, the General is not a power pony yet he still had the power to crush boulders under his hooves. We fought for nearly an hour without pause. My magic was very quickly realized useless and so blade to blade we danced. Before I knew it, I was enjoying the fight more than anything, and when I finally did corner and disarm him, I was disappointed.

        He was made to pay for his actions, but after that was done, I struck a deal with him. He was branded as my advisor, and I told him the truth of my sister's absence. He was, well, devastated to say the least. I think this may have been the first instance I had seen the same rage I felt when I discovered her myself, and we formed a sort of bond over it. He's grown old and retired now, but up until last year, he had been my sparring partner since then. Of all the ponies I have come to know over the millennia, he would be the only true friend I have known, and it all became that way over a fight.” Over the story, she'd slowly drifted to looking at the ceiling as if the distant memory wasn't too far off.

        “Wow. So what did he do when Celestia got back?” The princess scrunched up her face like she was tryin' ta remember.

        “Hmm... I certainly would say there was a falling out of sorts, but they eventually reconciled with each other. There are only so many ponies in the know about that after all, but there were still many that Celestia had to apologize too. Lies were spun, tales were grown, and after nearly ten years, they were finally grounded as truth to the masses. If I had to guess, there are probably about thirty including yourself that know the real truth.” Ah'm not sure how Ah'm supposed ta react here. This is one of the rulers of my nation, but she's talkin' ta me like Ah'm somepony she knows.

        “That sure is somethin'. Ah never really imagined that Ah'd get caught up in anythin' political in my life, but here Ah am.” One hell of a turn life decided ta take.

        “In any case, I believe it might be good for you to seek this Crow character out. Friendships forged over the heat of battle tend to be tempered the best.” Ah had ta take a moment ta process exactly what she was askin' me though.

        “Are ya... you're tellin' me ta go make friends with her?” Ah asked.

        “Indeed. An ally you consider to be your equal is nigh invaluable.” Ah frowned. Make friends huh? Ah wonder if she knows who Ah'm talkin' about. They don't call her the Bloody Crow fer no reason. Isn't she wanted? Ah don't think Ah ever saw a bounty posted fer her... Well, maybe she's not that bad after all.

        “Ah guess Ah'm not opposed ta that, but Ah'm not sure Ah'll even see her again if we're bein' honest here.” Luna leaned back in her chair.

        “Take it from somepony who has seen quite a bit over the years. If you have seen one who is meant to be your ally once, you will see them again.” Ah simply nodded.

        “Ah'll keep that in mind, Princess.” She nodded, then leaned back inta conference position.

        “Good. Now then, originally, I had intended these for Rarity to employ, but I feel you will make better use of them.” The Princess magic'd up a pair of black hoof bands from nowhere and levitated them in front of me. Ah took and inspected them, but all Ah could make out were a button and rune on one side and a round hole on opposite side of each band. They weighed a lot more than they looked, and when Ah shook it, it almost felt like it was full of loose wire.

        “Uh thanks? What are these?” Ah asked, a little more than confused.

        “A new prototype that my R&D team have been working on for the army. An increasing concern that has recently popped up is that our ground forces do not have the agility necessary to deal with powerful targets. A number of beasts have been slain in the Manehattan's forest to the north of this island over the past year, but not without taking several casualties with them. These were designed based on one of my power pony researcher's abilities. While wearing them, click your hoof against the button on the back to fire a steel cable, then click the button again to retract it. The cable has a blade at its end that can lodge itself into just about anything, it extends up to one hundred twenty meters at about four hundred meters per second until it detects collision, and retracts at about half of that with an average pony connected to it. If you press the button quickly twice while any length of the cable is out, retraction or extension will hold at it's position, then retract if the button is pressed again.” She explained.

        “Oh... kay? And yer goal was ta use her ta test this out so it could help ya fight... beasts of some kind?” Ah asked.

        “Precisely. However, the problem we've been having is that using it sometimes causes fractured hooves and damaged eyesight. This is the newest model right now, and since your friend can become like the beasts we've been dealing with, I believed it would be best to see it in action before handing it to the average soldier.” At this Ah frowned.

        “Now hold on. That implies ya need Fluttershy ta transform ta see if this is helpful or not. And now that Ah think about it, isn't it kinda harmful on the body ta move from a restin' position at a two hunderd meters a second? That's like goin' zero ta forty-five without the rest of the car protectin' ya! Normal ponies can't use this, you'll kill em like that!” The half smile Luna had been wearin' all this time just about faded away in an instant.

        “And what seems to be the problem? Your protective suit deals with much worse than that, and I assure you that the armor the guards wear is heavily enchanted for that sort of thing. All I need you to do is tell me whether or not you feel pain when using the device, and if it increases your mobility to the point you could slay a beast.” Her tone had turned almost metallic, like all the warmth in her voice had vanished.

        “Slay a beast!? Goddess, just what the hell are ya up against that somethin' like this gets made? Look, Ah'm sorry, but my suit ain't nothin' more than a decoration that don't rip. My body is a hell of a lot tougher than most, and this ain't gonna hurt me because of that, but Ah can't let ya give this ta Rarity. She's gonna hurt herself tryin' ta use somethin' like this. Thanks fer the offer, but that thin' is just too dangerous fer ponies with normal bodies.” Ah pushed the bands back ta her. She stood up.

        “No thank you? No, that is unacceptable. You may not be harmed by these bands, but you will test them for me. That, my dear Applejack, is an order.” Ah stood up too. Ah'm not any near as big as she is, but Ah'm not about ta let her intimidate me.

        “Ah'm not one of yer damn militants, and my friends didn't sign up ta be some military outfit either. We joined this ta help ponies, not kill ourselves by bein' guinea pigs in yer damn experiments!” Ah yelled. The Princess began to form a wicked smile, revealing unusually sharp teeth. She leaned in close and grabbed my tongue with her magic.

        “Oh? Were you not told? You see, this little mark here means that you have the authority of a captain, and it also means you are sworn to the royal family. I would know. I made it. You might have yet to realize this, but that little misbegotten niece of mine is not the only member of the royal family.” The pressure of the magic started ta increase, and the brand started ta burn. Black smoke started ta rise from my tongue and the pain became more and more intense with every second that passed. “I dislike it when ponies argue with me, but due to your status with my niece and this city, you will not be punished for your actions here today. Mark my words, Applejack, fail to accept an order from me in the future and there will be consequences, understand?” The icy tone had turned to sour, and my tongue was startin' burn about as bad as leavin' yer hoof over a flame fer too long. With as much force as Ah could muster, Ah ripped my tongue out of her magic and wiped my mouth. Luna was taken aback fer a moment.

        “Fine. Ah'll take yer damn toy. But don't you go around givin' crap like this ta the others. If ya need somethin' like this again Ah... Ah'll do it. Just... don't do somethin' like that ta them.” Ah felt defeated. If Ah kept up my lip, thin's would only get worse fer Twilight and the others. But, at the same time, this just isn't safe. And usin' Fluttershy like some kinda lab rat... there's no way Ah'm gonna let that happen. Luna lowered her eyes again like she was about ta do somethin' else when we both heard Twilight.

        “Well that took long enough. I thought you said that Rarity was just stabbed? All the nerves in her left foreleg were dead! I could only get so many of them working on my own, she's going to need to see a real doctor about that.” Twilight said as she started ta walk in ta the room. She stopped when she looked at us though. “I-is something the matter?” She asked. Ah tore my eyes off of Luna and sighed.

        “Nope. The Princess and Ah were just... discussin' some memories, that's all.” Ah said. The princess put an icy wing around me and pulled me close.

        “Yes... fond memories. Your friend and I have many similarities. But now that you have returned, I would like to discuss another matter,” She said, taking her warm tone again. She folded her left wing away and picked up the crystal out of Twilight's chair with the other. She placed the object on the table and motioned for us to join her in front of it. Ah quickly tossed the bands over by my saddle bags while Twilight wasn't lookin'. Yeah, that needs ta be kept between us... at least until she leaves.

        “Do you know what kind of crystal this is, Twilight?” Twilight shook her head.

        “No, I'm afraid I don't. I've never read anything about crystals that interfere with magic like these seem to.” Luna nodded and then her horn lit up. Four little magic balls of light formed above her, and then she organized them by the crystal. The orb about a third meter above the crystal was fading in and out of existence like visual static. The orb two thirds a meter above was affected by it, but not as severely as the first. The third orb was about the same way, and the last orb was unaffected by it entirely.

        “This is what is known as a disruption crystal, original, I know,” Luna said, rolling her eyes. “These crystals, when charged with magic, have the ability to dissipate magic completely within a one third meter radius around them. However, when another crystal is near by, the radius combines. For each crystal next to each other, that is how large the radius of dissipation is. Centuries ago, these crystals were discovered in the northern mountains just outside of our border. Celestia and I decided it would be best if we kept the existence of these hidden, but as it seems, that did not stay the case. You said you found these at the foundry, did you not?” She was lookin' at me, so Ah assume Ah was the subject of the question.

        “Yeah.” Ah almost spat. She narrowed her eyes at me, but then turned her attention back to the crystal.

        “Then that means Argent has plans to use them in the making of... something. Something that cannot be acted on by magic. I am sure that if he has found a way to incorporate these in steel, both of you could see the repercussions of that.” Twilight's eyes widened.

        “Steel that magic can't touch!? But... why? I could understand from a defense stand point, but horned creatures are the only known able to cast magic, and of those, Unicorns are about the only ones who actually practice it here. The Deer and Moose clans are next to nonexistent in this country, so... why? Wait... you aren't planning a war are you!?” Twilight exclaimed as she looked up ta her aunt. Luna smiled and shook her head.

        “No, we would never intentionally go to war unprovoked. How low do you think me that I would start a war because I want to?” Luna patted Twilight's head with her hoof, but then went back ta bein' stern faced. “Jesting aside, I believe Argent himself may be willing to go to war. I have had my eyes on him... ever since I asked you to investigate a month ago. I have not been able to see him outside his main office in all that time. No tracking spell has worked, and once he leaves visibility in that window, my spies lose him almost immediately. I believe that the building itself may be lined with these crystals as well because there is no easy way to get a layout of it without electronic instruments. On top of all that, we do not know how many floors it has either. Other than the pictures we've gathered, we know next to nothing about what is inside, and that is what worries me.” We sat there in silence fer a minute, and then somethin' came ta mind.

        “Ya know... well, where exactly is this Argent buildin'? Ah didn't really know anythin' about the guy until a few days ago.” Twilight grabbed the crystal, then lit up her horn. A map spawned in violet light on the table of the province. The Island of Manehattan is just the capital city of Manehattan Province within Equestria. The land here is mostly covered in dense forest leadin' up ta the border with the northern mountains. The map zoomed in closer ta the border, just about where the trees stopped and focused in on a town eclipsed by a very, very large buildin'. This 'tower' looked like it coulda been a skyscraper from the Manehattan skyline that was ripped out and dropped by the edge of the forest.

        “This is Argent Industries. Twelve years ago, the company owned the Trade Center here and operated out of that, but after it collapsed for unknown reasons... er, well... ahem, after it collapsed, they relocated to the northern border of the province, which is close to the original mine that Argent started. Tin city, as it's called, is the community that was originally just a mining town that Argent owned, but it has grown exponentially since Argent built his new facility there. He took a lot of Manehattan's business with him when he left, and that's why this district is how it is now. Those that could afford it moved to Tin, and those that couldn't... well, they're still here.” Ah looked at the buildin' and noticed that just like the foundry map, it wasn't filled in.

        “Huh. Well, one thin's fer sure, this looks almost exactly like the trade center used ta. Somethin' tells me you're not just here ta see how the mission went, especially since ya didn't know we left last night. What is it exactly you're here for? Ah assume it's somethin' ta do with this, right?” Ah turned ta Luna, and her eye twitched, but she kept her tone the same.

        “That is correct. The oldest Belle daughter works for you. I want you to send her there to get more information on this building, specifically to see how many floors there are, and whatever else she can find out while she is there. Argent produces a majority of this country's steel, precious metals, mirrors, and half of our precious jewels. I want to know if he's up to something dangerous before anything happens. As for your last task, you may consider it complete at this time. With the knowledge that he does have disruption crystals, the missing workers are of little concern now.” Ah rolled my eyes. Maybe ta you, but those families would still probably like ta know what happened.

        “Oh... but... what about the families of the workers?” Twilight asked. Well that was unexpected.

        “You may tell them that the missing workers are dead, if you wish. As far as I am concerned, they are. I will be taking my leave now. I will send a lavalier camera later with your mother when she comes to visit you today. As soon as The Belle girl has recovered, I want this taken care of.” Luna took a step on ta the table, cuttin' out Twilight's map. Her horn started ta light up the room, but then stopped and turned ta me. 
“One more thing. I look forward to hearing from you about what we discussed, miss Applejack.” She looked at me with that damned smile again, and then went back ta castin' her spell. Her horn lit up again, makin' it like a blue daylight underground, and then lightnin' started ta shoot around the table. With a final flash, Princess Luna was gone. Twilight took a seat in her chair and let out a sigh of relief.

        “Oh thank goddess she's gone,” she said. Ah just about did the same.

        “You and me both,” Ah replied. That made Twilight sit back up.

        “Wait, why?” Ah rolled my eyes.

        “Oh, ya know. She wanted ta force some leg shatterin' tool on Rarity and have her test it out by settin' the Beast off. Nothin' special.” Ah took my hat from my saddle bags and lowered it ta my eyes. Ah don't know why, but a suden wave of 'tired' hit me, and Ah was ready ta sleep. Twilight let out an exasperated breath.

        “Again? Damn it, that's why she made me go heal the others! She didn't really care, she just needed an excuse to get me out of the room! I swear, every time I see her, she tries to connive her way into getting my friends to test out dangerous things! What did she give you? I know she wouldn't leave here without passing it off somehow.” Ah grabbed one of the bands and started ta fiddle with it, tryin' ta see just how ta put it on. Ah tapped the little rune off ta the right of the button. It lit up and the whole band started ta lose... tangibility? Ah sorta slid my hoof through it in this weird state till none of my foreleg was touchin' it then tapped the rune again. It became whole once more and even shrunk ta fit snug on my wrist.

        “Well, she gave me two of these thin's that kinda act like grapplin' hooks Ah guess, but way more dangerous than one of those. It fires as blade that moves as fast as a bullet inta some kinda surface, then retracts at some ridiculous speed with a pony on it. If it helps ya any, she said it has a tendency ta break bones, damage eyes, and weighs about five pounds.” Ah figured that since Ah have ta use it anyways, Ah'd play with it. Ah could guess just about where it fires from, so Ah aimed it at one of the walls. Ah clicked the button, and damn did that thin' have a kick. A loud thunk came from the wall where Ah was aimin' at and the cable extended all the way back ta the bracelet. Ah took in a breath and pushed the button again. In a second, the thing started ta reel in and Ah was yanked out of my chair like somepony hit me with a car. Ah managed ta react in time ta stop myself from crashin' inta the wall and clicked the button twice. Ah shook my head, because that was one hell of an experience, but then looked over the room from above it.

        “So uh, how do you get down?” Twilight asked. Ah blinked a few more times, then replied.

        “Oh, Ah just have ta let the blade retract all the way or pull it out. Ah'm just kinda hangin' here right now. As dangerous as this would be fer a normal pony, this thing might actually be real useful fer me... She might be a shrewd bitch, but if they could make it so this wasn't so harmful, ya might actually see some royal guards with these.” Ah ripped the remainin' cable and the blade outta the wall and jumped back ta the floor.

        “That is some kind of force to pull you that fast. No wonder it breaks bones, that is dangerous. Speaking of, do you mind if I take a look at your foreleg? It looks like it's scabbed over by now, but not healed just yet.” Reluctantly, Ah walked over ta her chair and held out my foreleg. Twilight took a hold of it and then put her magic ta work.

        “Well, now you know how my aunt really is. She'll act civil at first, but the minute you tell her no, she gets mad. At the very least she pretends to be sweet when others are around. She doesn't typically care when it's just me though. If it weren't for the fact that Mother is basically her keeper too, she'd probably be a tyrant by now.” Ah watched as the violet light began ta seal up the wounds and replace the scabs with skin and hair.

        “Does normal healin' magic do all that? Ah feel like Ah remember seein bald spots on ponies who come outta treatment like this.” Twilight shook her head.

        “No it doesn't. This isn't quite a healing spell either. It creates a kind of dimensional space where time moves faster and then freezes. It will age you a little bit, but depending on how fast your body regenerates, it will only make the afflicted area a week or two older. Once real time catches back up, the spell dissipates and the rest of your body is just as old as the healed wound. As long as you aren't elderly, this spell is usually better to use than actual healing magic, though more taxing on the user. Regular healing magic manipulates regenerative speed, which can also burn out your regenerative ability, and that, is irreplaceable.” The violet glow faded and Twilight relaxed a little.

        “That's kinda weird. Isn't manipulatin' time kinda dangerous too?” Ah asked.

        “Not as long as you don't do two things. One, go backward, because nopony knows how to do that, and two, manipulate space at the same time. That causes atoms to dissipate, and that will kill you. Magic will let you do one or the other, and if anypony ever figured out both, then we would probably have already seen it by now.” Twilight explained mid-yawn. “I think, since everypony is at least as healthy as I can get them, I'm going to sleep. Since you are a member now, You're welcome to any vacant room in the castle to keep as your own. If you follow me, I'll take you to the spare room where you can rest for the day if you like. My mother should be coming to visit this evening if you want to meet her, but it's up to you really.” Twilight got up from her chair and stretched out and yawned again. Should Ah? Ah'm just as tired as she looks, but Ah don't wanna worry my family. Well, it should be fine if Ah can call. Mac is probably up right now.

        “Well, if ya've got a phone, then sure.” Her yawnin' was infectious, and Ah was about ta yawn myself. Those thin's are contagious, Ah swear.

        “If that's all, I'll just grab my cell when we pass my room. Come on then.” She started toward the back hallway and Ah grabbed my saddle bags and trotted along behind her. What a night. It's nights like these that remind me just why Ah sleep as much as Ah do.