For the second time in her life, Twilight woke up in a clinic. This time, however, instead of grogginess and general malaise, Twilight felt refreshed when she woke up. She felt bruised all over, especially in the back of the head, but nothing too bad. The only real issue was that she couldn’t remember how she ended up in the clinic. She remembered the duel, of course, but she had won, hadn’t she? Why was she in a clinic?
Twilight’s stomach lurched as Blueblood’s crumpled form flashed in her mind. She felt like she was going to… oh, right. She passed out after seeing Blueblood crumple into a heap. Was he… No, thought Twilight, I can’t think like that. Blueblood’s fine. No pony has died in a duel for well over a decade. There’s no way I’d be the first to break that tradition.
Twilight took a couple deep breaths, trying to hold onto that thought and not let guilt overwhelm her. Sure, she didn’t like Blueblood, but that didn’t mean she wanted to kill him. And even though Eclipse had taken over, Twilight allowed it to happen. She couldn’t give in to thinking she had become a killer. Besides, with all those noble ponies watching, there had to be somepony to prevent any serious harm.
Twilight tried to push the violence out of her mind and focus on the one positive aspect of the duel: she had won it. A fourteen-year-old mare managed to defeated a stallion in the prime of his life, one who had practiced dueling longer than Twilight had been alive. Granted, she had the magical edge, but even in her guilt, she couldn’t help but smile at her accomplishment.
Twilight struggled to sit up, still feeling sore from the intense battle and magic feedback. Twilight had never fought so long and so hard in her entire life. She may have won, but the impacts from Blueblood were hard. She winced as she remembered the kicks to her head. But beyond those points, she felt the fatigue of being controlled by somepony else. Eclipse had stretched her to her limit and she felt it now.
Even beyond the physical, Twilight could feel the magical strain. She had never fought so long with her enhancement spell, and she was beginning to feel the drawback. Twilight could feel how little magic she had at her disposal. I suppose that I can’t have been out for too long if my magic is still so low.
As Twilight managed to sit up, she noticed that, like her first time in the clinic, somepony had stripped her while she was out; they had even taken off her horn wrapping. Whatever nurse did that better keep her secret.
Thankfully, Twilight was alone, and except for the dull hum of distant activities, the only sound in the room was her breathing. In a way, she didn’t want to leave the room and break the calm she found herself in; after a week of worrying and an intense duel, Twilight decided to use the calm to recenter herself.
Twilight settled into the bed and meditated on the duel. She could actually fight. She’d thought herself useless, but at least in a one-on-one duel, she could hold her own. In the week leading up to her destined fight, Twilight assumed she would lose. She had always lost to Roamane, and while the earth pony was a master swordspony, he was the only dueling experience Twilight had.
Then again, Blueblood had been a surprisingly competent opponent. While Twilight won, it seemed that even a do-nothing noble like Blueblood still had the training to overpower a teenager. He’d moved frighteningly quick, despite not casting any enhancement spells. Twilight wondered if the stallion even knew enhancement spells, or if they were even useful for most ponies. Twilight had an abundance of magical energy, and even with the benefits of magical enhancement, the magical drain they proved to be were too much for Twilight to ignore. Sure, Queen Luna could use them, but she had an abundance of alicorn magic at her disposal. For Twilight, was it worth it? Blueblood’s strategy of rely solely on energy waves and his physical advantage appeared to work.
Although that didn’t help him in the end. Twilight shuddered at the thought of the noble’s blood pooling at her hooves. Okay, maybe the silence wouldn’t do her any good. Twilight looked around for something to read, but the clinic had nothing. Twilight’s urge to read grew. What was keeping her in this room? Could she just… leave? There was no nurse or doctor present, and there was certainly no instructions for her. Twilight was still sore, but she felt like she could make her way to some food and some reading material. Why not just get up and go-
The door burst open, Fleur stepping in. The white mare’s eyes darted around the room before falling on Twilight, her muzzle splitting into a wide, genuine grin. “Twilight, darling! Thank the goddesses you’re alright; I was worried about you, dear!” Fleur magically closed the door and took one of the visitor seats. She was obviously ready for a conversation.
Twilight, on the other hoof, was not.
The injured mare managed a weak smile. “I’m fine, Fleur.” Twilight braced herself for a conversation, and her mind went to the question that had been bothering her since she woke up. Fearing the answer, Twilight meekly asked, “Is Blueblood still… is he still alive?”
Fleur laughed, clearly surprised at Twilight’s concern for the hated stallion. “Yes, yes, the fool’s fine. Sure, you certainly cut him, but with all the medical ponies that Celestia had scattered around the arena, you might as well have been using a training sword.”
“That’s good,” Twilight sighed. The tension was relieved instantly, and she found it easier to continue sitting up knowing Blueblood’s death wasn’t hanging on her shoulders. With a slight smile, Twilight turned to Fleur. “I guess that means I won.”
Fleur waved a hoof and nodded her head excitedly. “Of course! You drew first blood, so the victory is yours, even if you passed out moments later. Oh! I was supposed to bring you-” Fleur’s magic fished around at a scabbard that Twilight only just now noticed. Wait! That was Twilight’s scabbard! With a little bit of effort clear, Fleur deposited the scabbard with sword inside beside Twilight on the bed, “-that! I’ve had it cleaned, so it’s good as new. Silverhorn insisted that you shouldn’t go without it too long, seems to think you’re smitten with it or something.” Fleur giggled, clearly finding such a notion ridiculous.
Cleaned? That was nice. She hardly wanted Blueblood’s… well, blood on the blade. Her own magic lit, honestly not even thinking about the green glow right now. Fleur already knew her secret anyways, so it didn’t matter much. Hopefully, somepony would bring her a damn horn wrap soon. The green glow lifted the sword out of the scabbard and up above her. With a careful eye, she inspected the length, verifying that every last little drop of blood had been cleaned off.
With a satisfied nod, Twilight’s magic slid Eclipse back into the scabbard and rested it against the side of her bed. Twilight was glad to have it back, although, strangely, the sword was completely silent.
“Thank you, Fleur,” Twilight responded sincerely. Fleur delivered two good things to Twilight today, and she was actually glad the mare had taken the time to see her. Twilight turned, repositioning herself to lay on her side and better talk with her guest. “So, Blueblood’s agreed to his defeat. No wiggling out of it?”
“Of course. Even Blueblood couldn’t pretend he won, especially with the Princess as a witness,” Fleur explained, leaning back in her chair. “Have you thought about how you’re going to make him pay?”
Twilight opened her mouth to respond, only to be cut off by her stomach rumbling loudly.
Fleur giggled, hiding her muzzle behind a hoof. “Oh dear, you must be hungry. It makes sense; you haven’t had anything to eat since the duel yesterday.”
Twilight’s eyes widened. Yesterday?! Had it really be that long? She quickly glanced at Eclipse. I need to be more careful about using it if I’m going to be out for that long.
Fleur interrupted Twilight’s silent pondering. “Well Twilight, I must get going,” Fleur stood up, straightening the wrinkles in her clothes.
“Already?” Twilight was surprised. While she didn’t want it to be Fleur specifically, it was nice to have somepony to talk to.
“Yes, you know how it goes. Duty calls. Plus, Silverhorn is waiting to talk to you. But, before I go, would you like me to send something down for you to eat?” she asked with a sly grin.
Twilight nodded, a slight flush coloring her cheeks. “Yes please.” Fleur opened the door with her magic. “Thank you again, Fleur.” Fleur turned around, and gave a soft smile before exiting the room.
Twilight had only moment to herself before Silverhorn burst into the room. Always the opposite of Fleur, Silverhorn looked flustered, almost angry. He kicked the door shut behind him with a slam, the noise echoing throughout the room.
“What the hell were you thinking?” he yelled. “You could have been killed! Why didn’t you talk to me about it?” Silverhorn bore down on her, perched right beside her bed and even craning over it.
Twilight blinked and thought about the week before the duel. Had she really not talked to Silverhorn? She spent most of her time with Roamane and reading up on the rules, but surely she must have…
Nope. Twilight blushed in embarrassment. She must have forgotten to talk to Silverhorn in her anxiety about the duel. But Twilight was a young mare, and as any pony can tell you, yelling at a young mare will not make them more receptive, even if they are wrong.
“It...it wasn’t a big deal,” Twilight lied. “No pony’s actually been killed in a duel for years.” Twilight cleared her throat, trying to regain her composure. “Fifteen, actually.”
“Twilight, he cheated!”
Twilight blinked at the claim. Blueblood cheated? How? Twilight had used an enchantment spell, for Goddesses sake! How could she miss that? She had thought Blueblood moved much quicker than he should have. But honestly, she hadn’t thought much of it. Roamane moved quicker and struck stronger, and he was an Earth Pony. She just assumed that Blueblood would be slower than Roamane, and since he had been, she didn’t expect foul play.
“H-how?” Twilight asked. “How could he cheat and nopony notice?”
“He had another unicorn channeling an enhancement spell on him the whole time. He paid one of the guards who maintained the bubble, so no pony outside the bubble could notice. Goddesses, didn’t notice how fast he moved? Unicorns can’t do that without spells Twilight! How did you not notice!?”
Twilight prickled at Silverhorn’s disbelief. Here she was in the clinic and this is how he treats her? “So he cheated, what does that matter? I still won, didn’t I?”
Silverhorn’s eyes went wide. He obviously didn’t expect the mare to bite back. “Twilight, he’s crazy!” the stallion began again. “There are a lot of ponies who hate the Students, especially ones that aren’t of noble blood. Having you forcefully resign would not only shame the Queen, it would have been proof of the program failing. That’s why you need to talk to me before you do anything rash! You don’t know what you’re doing yet, and you don’t know what the consequences are for your actions!” Silverhorn with breathing harder now. Part of Twilight saw the validity in his claims. At the same time, Silverhorn was treating her like a child who knew nothing. She didn't so much appreciate that.
Twilight simmered in her rage. “Please, do not lecture me.” Twilight’s words come out deathly calm, despite internally being anything but. “I know what I did. And I won, didn’t it? It really wasn’t that hard of a duel, even! That’s the best he can do even when cheating? Ha! No wonder I’m the Student of the Night!” Twilight sat up straighter, trying to match Silverhorn’s overbearing confrontation, but her sores kept her from standing up.
“If anything, this duel proves that I’m above the noble ponies, so why should I have to bow to them any longer? So, why should I need to come to you for everything? If the nobles are corrupt, then you must be just as bad.”
In an instant, Silverhorn’s magic clamped around her muzzle. His fury had disappeared, instead staring at her with a cold, clearly displeased looked. “Twilight, I am very disappointed in you,” he said, quietly.
Twilight’s facade swept away. Twilight looked down, ashamed of herself and quite viscerally remembering that she was the child and Silverhorn was the adult. Twilight almost felt like crying tears of frustration. How could she let herself be overwhelmed in anger by something that clearly didn’t matter. Silverhorn only acted out of caring, and what did that get him? An ungrateful brat who couldn’t stand scolding out of worry.
“You know better than that. Your teacher has taught you better than that. Think about what you’ve said, and for your sake I hope you don’t truly believe it.” Silverhorn spoke deliberately, slowly, giving each word the impact of a hammer.
“There’s one more pony who wanted to see you, but before she comes in, put this on.” Silverhorn’s magic deposited a horn wrap on the bed beside her, black like she liked it. “For now, everypony will probably just think your horn is burnt out. Good-bye for now, Twilight. We’ll talk later.”
Without another word or chance for her to reply, Silverhorn left the room. For a moment, Twilight simply sat dumbfounded. Gods, she’d been an idiot. Numbly, Twilight fastened the horn wrap back on tight, hiding away her still mangled horn. She hoped to find a way to fix it soon.
Twilight’s mind weighed heavily with everything that Silverhorn had said. But, she could worry about that later. Twilight sighed and looked up towards the door, waiting for the entrance of her last guest. She would have assumed it would be Cadance, but if it was, Silverhorn wouldn’t have told her to hide her horn. As she magically fastened the horn wrapping, Twilight tried to guess what pony would want to visit her and also not know about her horn. She honestly couldn’t guess who it would be.
To her pleasant surprise, in walked a very worried looking Matron. The griffon had a covered basket on her back, though Twilight could guess what was in it by the smell alone. The scent of pastries and bread graced her nose, instantly reminding her of her already hungry stomach.
Twilight’s mood brightened. How long had it been since she’d visited Matron? A month? Longer? How had she forgotten about that? She loved Matron! Matron deserved so much more than what she’d been giving. Now there was an idea - perhaps she could order Blueblood to use the bits on Matron’s orphanage. She had thought about it before, but feared that it would signal some sort of personal kick-back from what was supposed to be a selfless deed.
“You alright, filly? I came as soon as they told me you’d found your way back into the hospital.” Matron shrugged the basket off her back onto one of the spare chairs. Before Twilight could answer, Matron moved closer to the mare to inspect her body. Twilight's coat had been cleaned while asleep, so Matron got a clear view of the bruises that had decorated Twilight’s body. Being kicked into the ground tened to do that. Twilight hadn’t noticed the bruises, aside from the pain they denoted, but seeing Matron’s scowl made each of them stand out.
“Yes Matron, I’m fine.” Twilight uneasily tried to pull away from the poking and prodding. Okay, so her body was a little banged up in minor ways, but she was fine. Matron, however, would not be denied, and Twilight simply had to grin and bear it while she finished her inspection.
Mercifully, Matron seemed fairly assured of her well-being. With a light pat on an unbruised part of Twilight’s arm, Matron stepped away. “Alright, you’re fine.” Matron grunted out, nodding her head. “You hungry? I brought food, fresh baked this morning.”
Settling back in the bed, Twilight nodded her head rapidly. “Oh, yes please. I’m absolutely starving!” A faint growling proved that Twilight's stomach agreed with her.
Matron laughed. “You always are, aren’t you?” Matron rooted through her basket before pulling out a small loaf of bread. “Try this. Hazelnut and peach.”
With little effort, Twilight grasped the bread with her magic, taking it away from Matron. For a brief second, she’d forgotten that the color of her magic had changed as well. There would be plenty of ponies who might not notice, but if anypony knew her well enough to see the difference, it would be Matron.
With her eyes wide, Matron ripped the horn wrap off. She gasped at the shattered horn before launching at Twilight. “What’s wrong with your horn?” she snapped in a mixture of worry and anger.
Twilight swallowed hard, roughly clearing the bread from her mouth. She winced away, a hoof tentatively coming up to try and hide the scarred length. “You heard about the assassination attempt?” she asked, hesitantly. Matron nodded roughly. “Right, it was in that. The stuff that was supposed to kill Luna splashed against my horn. I’m fine, promise, it just looks ugly.”
Matron glared at Twilight’s horn, evaluating the answer. For a while, both Twilight and Matron held their breath. For Twilight, it felt like an eternity.
Finally, Matron broke her glare, sat back in her seat, and breathed. Twilight shortly followed suit. “You need to be more careful.” Matron spoke shortly. “Don’t say anything, just listen.” Twilight closed her mouth, the words stuck in her throat.
“What you did was a great thing. You’re a hero for some fillies, but also an enemy to just as many. Was there really no other way for you to stop? Couldn’t have just let the guards handle it? I don’t want to see you hurt, some Queenly goddess be damned.” Matron frowned; she had never had much love for the diarchy, and much less once Luna ascended to the position of Queen.
Twilight shook her head. “No Matron. Nopony else noticed, and if it wasn’t my magic, it would have been my body. That… that would have killed me.” Twilight felt like a failure. She’d promised she’d take care of herself to Matron, but instead, she nearly got herself killed. That was anything but taking care of herself.
“Alright, I’ll trust you,” Matron sighed. Twilight looked the griffin in the eyes. The anger was gone, but she could still see the worry. “But be more careful in the future or else I’ll take you back home. I don’t care how all powerful you get!” Matron pointed roughly at her, punctuating the statement.
Twilight almost smiled as the tension started to melt away; she knew Matron was always a griffin of her word.
“But I’ll try to keep the fact that you’re a mare in mind. I know that you can take care of yourself. The life of a Student is just so… dangerous.” Matron waved a claw in the air before smoothing out her skirts. “Come visit me this weekend, filly. I need to go, the little ones will be up soon. Saturday by one o’clock, understand?”
Twilight nodded, “Yes Matron,” she intoned, the same way she had back at the orphanage. Nopony made her feel quite as young and inexperienced as Matron did. Although, unlike Silverhorn, it didn’t bother Twilight. Matron knew best.
Matron nodded, satisfied. “Good girl. Now I have to go now. You know how hard it is to find time away from the fillies and colts.” Matron rubbed Twilight gently on the head, making sure to stay away from Twilight’s horn. “See you then, filly.” Matron took her exit, leaving Twilight on her own once again.
Twilight quickly and quietly finished the rest of her food. Twilight, still a little peckish decided to wait for the food Fleur sent for. Then it would be off to business.
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
Twilight took the next few days easy. She visited Matron as promised, but spent the rest of her time cooped up in her room. After all the excitement, she wanted a few days to herself. Besides, her off time proved to be valuable - Twilight got a lot of research done, both on her personal interests as well as on the plague. Silverhorn’s research team still plugged away at it, and Twilight helped wherever she could. Her magic was quite useful for the bigger spells they needed.
Most important, Twilight finally managed to find an enchantment spell to hide her horn. It would need to be recast every week, but Twilight’s horn would look good as new. She honestly had thought that it would be some big spell, or ritual, or something like that. In the end, she managed to cast it within a few minutes and forget about it. She felt lucky that she caught a break, now, if only everything could be like that.
After her healing period, Twilight re-started her training sessions with Roamane. Part of her thought that the experience of overcoming a cheating noble in battle might have improved her skill, but Roamane brutally reminded her that she still had a lot to learn about swordsmareship. No matter how much she tried, he still defeated her handedly. At the same time, he’d started to grow much more encouraging rather than dismissive. He had evidently been at the duel, although Twilight couldn’t remember seeing the stallion. All he said about the duel was that she handled herself well enough, and for Roamane, that was the highest praise that Twilight could expect.
Twilight felt good to get back into the routine. Her magic training started again with equal explosiveness, as the mare spend more and more time at the university. Many of the professors recognized her as an equal already, and while she was still learning, Twilight’s insights had started transforming herself from pupil into peer.
After a week of studying and training, Celestia called for another war update. Twilight had been engrossed in her research and hadn’t heard much from the front. It was during the update that she found out that the fighting had finally begun en masse.
It was here that Twilight found herself. As usual, after the general announcements, Twilight remained in the room as the rest of the nobles were shooed out, only the inner circle remaining. “Report please, Azure. How goes it on the fronts?” Celestia called the meeting to action, her voice subdued.
Azure stepped forward, a frown present on her muzzle. “It goes, your highness. The north and south are routing, both heavily in our favor. They have the forces to hold it, but are retreating. As of yet, we don’t know the cause of their retreat, but our information network has a working theory. As far as we’re aware, their border troops are conscripts, ones unwilling to fight. Nothing has really exploded there save for skirmishes. They are making it difficult on us; the bastards are burning their own food supplies, making the re-supply difficult.”
“Luna’s command doesn’t go quite so well. General Stormbeak, the griffon high command leads their main force. He’s reluctant to engage directly due to our mages, but every step of our advance has been constantly harassed. Luna has managed to force him into a major defensive several days ago, but only after the actions of a pony named Sunset Shimmer.” Twilight’s ears perked up at Sunset’s mention, hoping for more information, but Azure had already moved on.
Azure tapped a hoof against the table, frowning deeper. “Our current estimates are far too optimistic. If this trend continues, it’ll take four months rather than two to reach the griffon capital, and we’ll be heavily depleted by the time we arrived. I myself am planning on heading over to examine the situation personally, but for now, I’ll let Mustang address the supply issues. If you will, General?”
Mustang stepped forward, taking Azure’s place at a podium. Today, he left his trademarked hat behind, dropping the pleasant public character. A fresh scar decorated his cheek, still festering; Twilight found it rather disgusting. “Just got back from the front lines myself, good to get our boots on the ground occasionally.” Mustang explained.
“As for now, we’re going to be doubling the supply runs. The coin will come from a new tax on the nobles. Now, they’re not going to be happy about this, but thankfully our Princess will be handling that rather than our Queen.” Twilight bit back a scowl. She was sickened Luna’s casual dismissal, but it would do no good for either pony if Twilight made a scene. “Our troops are fairly well supplied in weapons and armor, it’s mostly food they lack. Hopefully with the new tax, we can prevent our ponies from starving. In addition, we’ll be running a drive for donations as well through a charity organization. Every little bit helps; right, Princess?”
Mustang deferred the stand to Celestia who somehow still smiled benevolently despite the rough news. “Thank you, both of you, for your hard work. Phrase three of our deployment is now in effect, and the remaining royal guards are going to be deployed to the front lines. They’ll rotate out with our first shift, bringing home several of our more important and wounded members. They’ll be home for roughly two months before being rotated back in.” Celestia explained; Twilight was always surprised by her voice, which was simultaneously quiet yet always heard.
“Luna and my house guard both will be coming back for a one month shift home. Those who haven’t seen much action will remain behind. It’s important to balance our troop’s actions with their morale. At the worst, it will be three days to one, away to home.” Celestia frowned for the first time that Twilight had ever seen; she had never thought that she’d ever see the Princess frown in grief. “It’s a shame that our ponies are stuck so far from home. With any luck, this terrible war will not last long and justice will be served.”
Celestia bowed her head, starting to smile once more. “Thank you everypony who has worked tireless hours to save our ponies’ lives. Please have a restful day.”
And with that, the meeting came to an end.
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
Twilight’s birthday came around. It was odd; her fifteenth birthday and most of the ponies she expected to be there weren’t available. Shining and Sunset couldn’t attend for obvious reasons. Her friends amongst the guard were still several weeks away from returning. And Matron’s duties prevented her from taking the night off. Twilight also thought about sending her former mates in the orphanage invites, but getting in contact with them would be nearly impossible. Plus, without Shining, she didn’t have anything in common with them, so they were out as well.
As a long shot, Twilight sent one of to Celestia as well, but she didn’t expect very much to come of it. The Princess had better things to do than come to her sister’s Student’s birthday. There was a war going on, which may have been a teensy tiny bit more important than Twilight’s fifteenth.
The only two ponies that Twilight invited were Cadance and Silverhorn. Seeing the lack of guests, however, Twilight briefly considered Fleur before rejecting the idea. Twilight had gotten to know the mare politically, sure, but not personally enough to invite to a private dinner.
Twilight found herself having a quiet dinner with two of the of the only ponies she called friend in the capital. The three of them had dressed up nicely despite the quietness of the occasion. Twilight wore her mother’s locket along with her favorite amethyst dress. Cadance, on the other hoof, wore a brilliant sky blue piece that accentuated her curves. If Twilight was a bit less mature, she may have even called it sexy. Silverhorn opted for a simple suit, classy nonetheless.
The three of them pretended they were eating at only the most exclusive of Canterlot restaurants. They had taken one of the castle’s more casual dining rooms; it was more a nook than anything: a simple booth and a wide window, overlooking the castle gardens. Cadance had conjured up something truly magnificent for the occasion. Ponies didn’t often eat meat, but for tonight, Cadance had cooked lobster. Apparently, some pegasi ate fish and other sea animals when dining with griffons.
Quite honestly, Twilight didn’t expect much from it. The red creature looked like something out of a nightmare and actually eating it was a lot of work. Her magic could crack the shell, but what was the point of fighting so hard for something? Not only that, but it was meat, something that sort of revolted Twilight despite being around it before.
Yet, Twilight relished it once she actually tried it. Lobster certainly had a unique flavor, especially when paired with butter, and it went wonderfully with the wine that Silverhorn had brought. Twilight wanted to help with the cooking, but the older ponies refused; it was her birthday after all.
The meal was topped off with ice cream, something that Twilight had never even heard of before. Ponies to the North took snow and added the strangest flavors to it. The one Twilight and the other two shared was called chocolate. Twilight very much enjoy chocolate.
The night started to wind down, the entire affair taking only a few hours. The conversations stayed light the entire time, none of them wanting to bring up what was really on their minds. For one night and one night only, nopony spoke of politics, or the war, or the recent duel, or anything like that. It was all centered on Twilight; her studies, how she felt, and what she wanted. Twilight couldn’t have thought of a more relaxing birthday.
Finally, it was time for gifts, despite Twilight’s protests. The three gathered around their table, flush with good cheer and mess cleaned up. Now, the only thing on the table was three gift wrapped packages, two small ones and one much larger.
“Cadance! I said I didn’t need anything!” Twilight protested, cheeks burning.
Cadance propped her head up on a hoof, giving Twilight a devilish smile. “Twilighttt!” she started, mocking, “you’re getting them whether you like it or not. But I’ll cry if you don’t like it, so you better choose right. Oh, and don’t you want to open the one from Luna?”
Twilight’s eyes lit up. “T-there’s one from Luna!?” she asked, inspecting the presents with much more vigor.
Silverhorn looked at Cadance with a flat look. “Told you that would get her, didn’t I?”
Cadance sat back up straight and waved a hoof at Silverhorn. “Oh hush, I agreed,” she teased. “Now Twilight, which one do you want to open first? Luna’s, I presume?”
Twilight slyly grinned. “Yes please.”
Cadance giggled, azure magic pushing the smallest present forward. “Slowly, Twilight. It’s not going to disappear.”
Twilight blushed; her horn lit, the glow still green despite her horn illusion. Slowly, she unwrapped the bow, gently opening the present. She had to suppress her instincts to rip it open, to tear at it without restraint. She just wanted to see what was inside, and the anticipation was killing her!
The wrapping fell away to reveal a small, white box with a folder letter on top. Twilight’s magic opened the letter and yanked it in front of her face. Her magic trembled from how excited she was.
Dearest Twilight,
I hope this letter finds you well. I’m sorry that my correspondence has been so scarce. The truth is that this is war, and I barely have free moments anymore. I hope to make up for them soon, but as of now, heartfelt apologies are all I can send.
Second, I want to tell you about how those you care for fare. Everypony is going to be fine. Sunset was injured, but it wasn’t severe. She will be healed by the time this message reaches you. Shining has managed to escape injury, and he is a constant pool of morale for our troops. Be proud of them both; this war would be considerably harder without their bravery. My own house guard has had minor injuries, but nothing that will prevent them from their homecoming.
As for myself, I’ve had to lead, which means that I have to face danger from time to time; how can I ask for ponies to follow me if I won’t extend myself? But, I have tried to keep my promise and stay out of the worse of the war, much to my own chagrin. All I can swear to you is that we will be home safe very soon.
Thirdly, I have thought often about you during the nights. I’ve thought about what we said to each other before we left and have only come to one conclusion: my heart yearns for you. I want you Twilight. Some ponies will think it inappropriate, but I’ve lived in eras where our love wouldn’t have to be a secret. Unfortunately, now childhood has extended and fifteen-year-olds are no longer considered adults, and our love has to remain a secret.
There is a chance that, by the time you receive this letter, you have moved on from me. If my long life has taught me anything, it’s that the heart is a fickle beast. If you have, know that I understand, but if it hasn’t, I would like to ask for your hoof in courtship when I return. We must keep it quiet until your older, obviously, but I’ll happily wait for that day. But before you proceed, understand that this would mean a great deal of hardship for the both of us. You are my student and many thousand years my younger, and if anypony knew before the time was right, it would be disastrous.
But I believe the risk to be worth it. This may seem sudden, crazy even, and it very well might be. But I cannot lie about what my heart wants any longer. I have cared for you since the day I first saw you, and now those feelings has grown into love. You are still so much my younger, but what does age mean to one who is ageless? Nothing. Nothing would erase the desire, and it did not seem to hinder you confession either. Do not respond to this letter, instead, give me your answer when I return.
Yours Always,
Luna.
PS: I hope you enjoy your gift. There isn’t much downtime as a general during wartime, but I did what I could.
For a while, Twilight just stared at the letter. Then she re-read it. Then she re-read it again. And then again. And again. She couldn’t believe the words written on the page. Had they truly come from Luna?
“This is definitely from Luna?” Twilight asked to nopony in particular.
“Straight from the Rainbow Courier herself,” Cadance answered softly. Twilight was still engrossed in the letter, but she could almost hear Cadance’s soft smile.
Twilight sniffed, holding back tears. Luna wanted her. Luna wanted her for good, wanted to court her and love her. It was all Twilight could have dreamed of and more, enough to make her want to scream and shout and laugh and play. Goddesses, she needed to get herself under control.
Twilight wiped away a tear with a hoof, finally putting the letter down reverently, careful to keep it out of any of the mess on the table. For a while, she continued to stare at the letter, still shocked at its contents. When she finally looked back up, she noticed that both of her companions stared rather unabashedly at her.
Cadance broke first. “Good letter, Twilight?” she asked, warmly.
Twilight laughed at the understatement as tears threatened to overflow once more. “Yes. She’s okay and, well, there was a lot to it.” Twilight cleared her throat and pushed back the tears. “I needed that.” Her magic popped the top off the white box, revealing a delicate, velvet lined interior. Inlaid inside was a horn ring, but not just any horn ring. The ring was made from the finest silver, grooved on the inside to make removal and application easier. The outside was inscribed with delicate script in a language that she couldn’t read. A little thrill went through Twilight when she realized she would have to decipher it; Luna knew her well. In the very center of the band, three gems glistened in the light. The outer two were a light lilac, with the middle one being a much deeper violet.
With absolute delicacy, Twilight lifted the ring up and slowly slid it down her horn. She shivered at the cool touch of the metal, the grooves ensuring that it wouldn’t get stuck on her chipped and jagged horn. Magic flooded through her mind as soon as it rested against her horn base. Luna’s magic. There wasn’t much, just enough for a couple enchantments. Twilight instantly recognizing a self cleaning and ‘ageless’ spell. No matter how old the ring, no tarnish, no depreciation would mar its service. It was perfect, immortal, just like her love.
Twilight sniffled again, holding back tears. “I love it,” she whispered, voice hoarse. “U-Um, should I open another one now?” she suggested, trying to ignore the funny look from Silverhorn.
Cadance nodded and nudged the other small package forward, placing it right in front of Twilight. “This one’s from me. I don’t think it can compare, but I do hope you like it, Twilight.”
Twilight nodded in thanks and unravelled the wrapping just as carefully as she had Luna’s. A similar white box greeted her, a jewelry one much like Luna’s. Twilight popped it open. Inside, two peridot earrings rested on the pillow. They were inlaid with gold, providing a brilliant, beautiful contrast. Twilight swallowed - just how much had her friends spent on her?
Twilight closed the top again delicately, placing it to the side with her letter. “Thank you, Cadance, they’re beautiful,” she assured her. Twilight really meant it too. With her new pursuits, she really could use all of this jewelry. Darting between parties meant she needed a wide array of shiny trinkets to prevent too much overlap.
“And now mine.” Silverhorn used his silver magic to push the much larger package towards her. Twilight could hear jingling inside of it. As she reached out and grabbed it with her magic, she could tell that the package definitely had some weight to it as well.
Twilight sat up in her seat, taking the extra leverage to look inside. Inside the wrapping was a wooden box, solidly built and sturdy. Twilight pried the top off and looked in to see...chainmail? Glimmering, silver links greeted her, each one tiny and interconnected.
“Don’t get it out here, but I took the liberty of commissioning you armor,” Silverhorn explained. Twilight looked up, confused. What did she need armor for? “With your penchant for getting into duels, I figured you may need it,” he teased, almost laughing at his own joke before his face grew serious. “Twilight, as long as you’re a Student, you may go to very dangerous places with the Queen, in which case, you’ll need armor. I would feel much better knowing that you had armor that I knew would stand up to whatever tests you’ll face. Does that make sense?”
Twilight could feel how much he cared for her with that simple explanation. It was easy to say that you wanted no harm to come to a pony, it was another to commission a set of expensive armor. “I understand. Thank you Silverhorn. Really.” Twilight replaced the lid and moved it over with the rest of her gifts. She couldn’t thank them enough; each gift was amazing and Twilight almost felt like they were too amazing.
Cadance’s yawn broke the silence. “Well, it is getting late, isn’t it? I think it’s time for me to go get my beauty sleep. Goddesses know I need it!” Cadance scooted out of her seat, Silverhorn going as far to help her up; what a gentlestallion. “Will you two be staying up?”
“Perhaps a little bit, if Twilight isn’t tired yet.” Silverhorn glanced to Twilight for an answer.
Twilight nodded again, smiling. “I still have a little bit more in me.”
“Then I’ll leave you two to it. Don’t stay up too late, Twilight.” Cadance warned. She shrugged her way into a light jacket, preparing for the cold halls.
“I won’t, Cadance.”
With a blown kiss, Cadance took her leave.
For a while, the two sat in a comfortable, familiar silence. Happy memories swam through Twilight as the two relaxed, the night’s events finally catching up to her. She couldn’t wait to get back to her room to bask in the joy and calmness of the day. After the hellish few weeks, this was just what the doctor had ordered.
Silverhorn broke the silence first, the stallion leaning against the counter and smiling broadly. “You know, I’m very proud of you Twilight,” he started. Before Twilight could ask for clarification, he held a hoof up, silencing her. “Please, let me finish first. I meant to say that when we first met, you were raw, untrained. You were an orphan in the lower city with a thirst for knowledge and a wealth of power, few things seen down there.”
Silverhorn stood up from the table and started to pace near Twilight, staring down at her with something in his eyes that Twilight couldn’t quite recognize. “But since then, you’ve grown so wonderfully. You’re like a butterfly that’s spread its wings for the first time. In the year and a half that I’ve known you, I’ve watched you transform to something more, something greater. You’re a beautiful young mare now, Twilight, and with that transformation has come an even greater one. Beyond all else, you’ve made us all very proud.”
Silverhorn stepped close to Twilight’s seat, trapping her in. The mare shrunk back in her chair, instinctively trying to pull away from the stallion. She didn’t know what he was going on about. Why would he bring all of this up now? Why was he getting so close? Twilight wanted out. Her mind jumped to teleportation, but she knew how rude that would appear. She couldn’t do that to one of her few friends. Instead, Twilight bit her lip.
Silverhorn started his speech once more, leaning in close to Twilight. “So, please forgive if I seem presumptuous. I just… I know what the Queen means to you. I’m not foolish. And I know your age, but I have to say this. Twilight, I have certain… feelings for you. I don’t expect you to choose me above the Queen, but I couldn’t keep quiet forever, especially after Luna’s gift tonight. I had to give it a chance.” Silverhorn moved closer all the while, closing the gap between their muzzles. This close, Twilight could smell the alcohol on his breath. Had he simply drank too much?
Panic flared through Twilight as what his ‘feelings’ really were. No. That was all wrong. That couldn’t be right. Twilight loved Luna and Luna loved her. She didn’t even like stallions! Oh Goddesses, was he trying to kiss her? He was, wasn’t it? With a yelp, Twilight’s magic flared, a shield coming to life between the two of them.
The force of her magic pushed SIlverhorn back, sending him staggering away. The stallion grunted as he landed against the wall. Twilight stared in shock, her mind not processing anything as Silverhorn slowly pulled himself to his hooves. She shook her head slowly, trying to find her words as Silverhorn tried to find his bearings.
“S-silverhorn. N-no.” Twilight finally managed to choke out, still shaking her head. She shrunk behind her shield. She didn’t want to use magic on Silverhorn. He was supposed to be her friend!
Silverhorn’s eyes finally met Twilight’s. Confusion and pain swirled in his eyes, even Twilight able to tell that. “I should-” Silverhorn swallowed hard, clearing his throat. He choked back his emotions before continuing. “I should go,” he finally completed.
“Please.”
Silverhorn left without a word.
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
Twilight was roused out of her sleep by an insistent hoof rubbing at her shoulder. It felt cold against her. Ugh, what now? Twilight wondered why a hoofguard was in her room. In fact, why were they even wearing armor in here? Actually, come to think of it, how had they even gotten into her room? The lift was locked to her, Luna, and Ce-
Oh.
“Twilight, wake up,” a majestic voice whispered. Yep, definitely Celestia. But why was she here at- 5:30 am? Goddesses dammit. “Twilight, I need to talk to you, now.” Celestia shook harder, forcing her mind to blink away the sleep.
With a loud groan, Twilight rolled over in bed. She re-positioned to lay on her back and looked up at the Celestia, slowly blinking her eyes. “Celestia, why are you in my room?” Twilight demanded, devoid of pleasantries. She would get her princess title after breakfast.
“First, just know that everything’s fine.” Twilight’s grogginess evaporated. She sat up straight as she started to run through all the reasons the acting ruler of the kingdom would wake her up in the middle of the night.
“What is it?” Twilight probed.
“It’s about Luna.”
Hearing Luna’s name made Twilight’s heart beat out of control. “What happened?” Twilight whispered, afraid of the answer she might get. Celestia sat on the bottom of the bed and started at Twilight intensely. Twilight gulped; she didn’t like that look.
“Twilight, I just need to stress that she’ll be one hundred percent fine, so breathe.” Twilight closed her eyes and filled her lungs slowly. She exhaled, trying to push out the worse of her fears. She opened her eyes to look at the princess once more. “Better?” Twilight nodded.
“Alright, so the bad news is that Luna is injured. Her wings were shredded and she broke several bones in her back. Her alicorn abilities will heal them, but she needs to come home first.” Celestia paused to collect herself. It was dark in the room, but Twilight could tell the princess was worried. “Again, she will be completely fine.”
Twilight felt like she’d been dunked in a lake as her breathing seized up. Luna had been injured? How? How badly was she hurt? Why was she hurt? Why wasn’t her guard with her? Why didn’t Shining protect her?
Twilight sucked a deep breath in, trying to keep herself calm. “W-what happened?” she managed to stutter out.
Celestia laid a gentle hoof on her shoulder. “The information report wasn’t clear on that; apparently nopony saw what happened. We won’t know until she’s back here within the month.” Celestia removed her hoof as she stood from the bed. “I need to go Twilight, but I’ll send Cadance up after me. You need a friend right now.”
Twilight nodded absently, mind racing. Luna was injured. She’d broken her promise and gotten hurt. Twilight couldn’t imagine her perfect Queen like that, couldn’t imagine her making a mistake. It was almost too much to process.
“Once again Twilight, I’m sorry. I’ll be back to check on you later.” Twilight’s eyes darted up in time to see Celestia disappear, leaving Twilight with one thought.
Luna was injured.
Twilight’s stomach churned. The Queen, her Queen had been hurt. It was hard to believe Luna could even be hurt. Twilight’s mind went back to the duel, replacing Blueblood’s body with Luna’s. She felt like she was going to throw up as tears streamed down her face. Twilight pushed the worries out. Twilight held on to the one good thing about this terrible news.
Soon, Luna would be home.