//------------------------------// // Special Talents // Story: The Lies We Tell to Children // by GaPJaxie //------------------------------// Twilight took a moment to inspect her reflection in one of the shiny suits of armor that decorated the hallway. She was not given to vanity, but the customs of Canterlot’s high society placed a great deal of emphasis on appearances. Peasants and earth ponies walked around naked. A proper unicorn adorned themselves, and their choices said much about who they were. It was a subtle game, whose rules often changed without warning. But, Twilight thought she had played it a least reasonably well. She wore a set of silver hoof-boots, and a thin silver chest plate to match. The resulting combination was not entirely unlike Princess Celestia’s own regalia, a move that Canterlot’s elite almost certainly found to be bold. She wore nothing about her head or neck that could conceivably be taken as representing a crown—that would be a step too far—but she did wear a ruby earring on one ear. Once upon a time, Princess Celestia’s personal circle of advisors had all worn that symbol. Twilight smiled at her reflection in the suit of armor. A bit of a blush appeared in her cheeks. She reached up and removed the earring. Then, after a moment’s hesitation, she reattached it. She checked the little things. Her coat was brushed and shiny, her hooves were polished, her mane was tied back, and if she had a bit of teenage acne it was certainly much better than it had been recently. She was debating the merits of trying to pluck one of her stray tail hairs when the door to Celestia’s chambers swung open. She leapt to her hooves so sharply she stood at attention as the Minister of Public Works stepped out into the hall. He paused when he saw her, and inclined his head. “Ms. Sparkle,” he said, respectfully. “Mr…” Twilight spoke. Her voice immediately cracked, and it was with some blush in her cheeks that she cleared her throat and tried again. “Mr. Ditch. Is the Princess available?” “Yes, I think you can go in. Have a good day.” He nodded to her and went on his way, and it was only once he was around the corner that Twilight allowed herself a giddy little smile. She stepped in through the open door and pulled it shut behind her, looking around the sunlit office before her. “Good morning, Princess!” she called. Celestia sat at her desk, quickly scribbling down some notes. “Good morning, Twilight.” Celestia finished what she was writing and then looked back at the door. Her gaze paused over Twilight, and slowly, she raised a single eyebrow. “Eh heh…” Twilight smiled a stiff smile. “So uh… do you like it?” “I feel like it’s trying to send a message, but I can’t quite tell what it is.” Celestia’s tone was dry, and gaze remained fixed on Twilight. But though she blushed, Twilight didn’t look down at her hooves or back away. “I…” She cleared her throat. “I want ponies to take me more seriously around the palace. I know I’m only fifteen, but a lot of ponies have accomplished great things by that age. And, even if I am young, I’m not a mascot. I’m either helping you run the scholarship program or I’m not. So…” She coughed again. “May I?” Princess Celestia let out a sigh, and considered Twilight for some time. But, finally, she nodded. “I’ll be very disappointed if you misuse it.” “I won’t, Princess. I promise.” Twilight bowed her head low. “Thank you.” “Shall we begin your lessons then?” “Actually, if it’s alright. There was one other matter I wanted to ask your advice on first.” Twilight lifted her head. “A uh… a friendship problem. With Jump Cut.” “This isn’t about your Advanced Illusions final project, is it?” “Uh… yeah.” Twilight’s smile turned stiffer, and she scratched the back of her head with a hoof. “She feels that I… showed her up.” Celestia hid a small smile with her hoof. “Your final project was very impressive. You left the audience quaking in their horseshoes. For half a moment there, even I was convinced you’d turned Spike back into a raging giant.” “So… maybe the reason she feels I showed her up is because I showed her up.” Twilight let out a sigh and lowered her head. “Mmmm. Possibly. You certainly took first prize from her, but I’m not certain doing your best on a class project is the same as trying to steal her spotlight.” Celestia lowered her hoof, and for a moment, she watched Twilight curiously. “But,” she spoke softly, “you already knew all that. And that’s not what’s bothering you, is it?” “I’ve… apologized. And she’s accepted it. She’s not, like, yelling and screaming and calling me a jerk mad. She smiles at me when I say hello.” Twilight gave a weak shrug, her shoulders suddenly limp. “But she’s still mad underneath that. Like, really mad. And I don’t know what to do. Sometimes I feel like we’re not even friends right now.” Twilight scuffed the floor with a hoof. Celestia’s expression softened, and she walked across the way room to sit next to Twilight. “Do you think Jump Cut is jealous of you?” “No,” Twilight said quickly. “I mean, honestly, I don’t think my project was even as good as hers. Like, yeah, the illusion was more convincing, but that’s because I burned like ten times as much magical energy as she did maintaining it. The class is about technique, not about how much time you’d had to build up your raw strength.” “You burned so much energy because you had many layers of illusions stacked on top of eachother,” Celestia spoke slowly, but with a certain firmness to her words. She spoke as though stating an absolute fact. “From the image of a monstrous dragon, to the warming spell to conjure its breath, to a lesser earthquake enchantment to make the ground shake, all working in harmony.” “I’m sure Jump Cut would have done that too. If she’d had you as a teacher and… gotten some time to practice more.” Twilight gestured at nothing, her hoof flicking in the air. “I mean, her spell construction was really efficient. She just had less raw material to work with.” “Are you looking at the facts and drawing a conclusion?” Celestia pressed, not letting up with her firm tone. “Or are you starting with the conclusion you want to be true and then looking for facts that support it?” Twilight let out a little breath. “No. I mean. I’m just kind of good at magic. Jump Cut is the illusionist. Like, sure. My special talent is magic. But there are a lot of wizards out there. I don’t want ponies thinking that I think I’m better than them.” She let out a little breath. Her mouth drew into a line. “So... if it’s okay with you, I think I might just take it easy next time. Shoot for a solid B+ and focus more on scholarship stuff. It’s important to study hard. But friends are more important. And it’s not like grades really matter at this point.” Celestia considered that. “You’re a bit old for me to put a wing around you.” Twilight frowned, and lifted her head. Celestia was smiling, and she raised a hoof with the flat facing Twilight. Then, gently, she tapped Twilight’s shoulder. “That is what the young mares are doing these days, yes?” Twilight paused. She laughed an incredulous little laugh. “Did you just try to play punch my shoulder?” “Is that what that is?” “Yes! I mean, no.” Despite herself, she laughed again. “Yes that’s a thing these days but you have to actually punch my shoulder, you can’t just give me a gentle tap.” Celestia pulled her hoof back. “No no!” Twilight spoke quickly. “I’m good! I’m good! I’m very… reassured. I’m good. We bonded.” Breathless, Twilight laughed again. Celestia joined her. Then, Celestia put a wing around Twilight anyway. “Twilight,” Celestia asked, “what is Jump Cut’s special talent?” “Illusions.” “Really? All illusions?” Celestia asked. “Because I met an earth pony illusionist during my last trip to the mountain core. He used a sleight of hoof to pull coins out of my ears. Can Jump Cut do that?” “No.” Twilight rolled her eyes. “She’s a unicorn. Illusion magic.” “So she intends to study magical theory then?” Celestia gently pushed. “Maybe write a few books on phasm theory? Become a professor and teach aspiring young magicians?” Twilight grunted. “Are you going to keep asking questions you already know the answer to?” “Are you?” Celestia couldn’t help but grin, barely hiding the expression with her hoof. “But please, indulge me for just a moment more?” Twilight let out a slow breath. “No. Er, I mean. No to your earlier question. Not, ‘no I won’t indulge you.’ Jump Cut wants to work for a movie studio and do special effects.” “And in a studio, when she is providing those lovely images for the camera to capture, will Jump Cut be expected to make the ground shake? Which would her director prefer—for her to layer a dozen skillful illusions on top of each other, or for her to understand the subtleties of how an illusion appears on camera vs to the naked eye?” “No. And the second one, obviously.” Twilight looked aside, glancing out the window to the beautiful fall day outside. “I guess school exams don’t really capture that.” “No. They do not.” Celestia nudged Twilight’s shoulder, and when Twilight looked at at her, Celestia smiled. “Nor do they capture her subtle artistic understandings of how to frame a shot. Nor her affable personality and clear speaking skills, which will allow her to coordinate with the cameramare, the stunt director, and the dozens of other ponies she must work with in an effective team.” Celestia gestured up at the chalkboard. “Magic tests measure only one area of an achievement. It is an area in which you excel, but it is not all there is to life. Jump Cut is young and unsure of herself, and when she sees your accomplishments she fears she is not valuable. But one day soon, she will find her place in the world, and when she does, she will go on to achieve things you would never have been capable of. Just like one day soon, you will discover your destiny. And in your way, each of you will make Equestria better.” “One day at a time?” Twilight smiled back, and shook her head. “One day at a time,” Celestia tone affirmed each word. “Some ponies talents are rare, and some are common, but all are precious. If I evaluated your father and mother based purely on their cutie marks, I would say they were somewhat talented writers. But that would ignore their compassion, and their love for their children, and their skills as parents that drove you and Shining Armor to where you are today. And so, in the end, their greatest contribution to the world may have nothing to do with the novels they’ve written.” “Heh. I guess that’s true.” Twilight looked back at her flank. “When you’re little, getting your cutie mark seems so important. You think that once you get it, your life is set. But… now that I’m older. I guess there’s a long way between knowing what you’re good at and understanding your destiny.” “There is. But you’ll find it in time, and so will Jump Cut. Everypony has something special to contribute.” Twilight nodded, but after a moment, she looked at Celestia anew. “Princess. When I was younger, you said I had a special destiny. That I was going to make the world better somehow. Was that… were you stating a general truth, or do you know something I don’t?” Celestia’s grin turned impish. “Spoilers.” “Really?” Twilight scrunched up her muzzle. “That’s how you're playing this?” “Really really.” Celestia giggled. “I know it’s hard to wait, but some things you’re better off discovering on your own. But I promise, when the time comes, you’ll know. I won’t let you miss it.” “Uuuuuugh!” Twilight grumbled. It took her a moment to work her way around to a terse, “Fine.” “Have you decided what you’re going to do about Jump Cut?” “Yeah. I think I’ll just talk things out with her. Let her know we’re both uncertain, show an interest in her filmcraft. She’s down with her family, so I won’t see her until class on Monday, but maybe I should ask if I could tag along for her studio tour next week.” “You want to see a film studio?” Twilight smiled a little. “Not really. But how will I know if there’s anything special there until I go and see?” “I used to wonder what friendship could be!” Twilight sang, lifting her hoof in time with the music. “Until you all shared its magic with me!” She belted out the notes with a clear and pure pitch, her head tilted at just the right angle to catch the camera and the mic boom at the same time. She took a breath to continue the song, but suddenly faltered. On rote, she continued to sing, the words “When I was young I was too busy…” emerging uneven and stilted. “To…” Finally, she trailed off. She looked directly at the camera. She looked down at her hoof. She was flickering, in and out of existence. The whole world was flickering, in twenty-four frames per second. The camera was the source of it all. Behind it, beside it, anywhere not in the view of its lense, she could see nothing but an inky darkness, and she knew in her heart that she would cease to be if she passed into that indifferent void. From the lense flowed light, flowed warmth, flowed life, a projected cone of motion and being that came and went with every frame. Twilight was standing close to the lense, and thus, close to the darkness behind it. Her heart fluttered, and she quickly stepped away. Turning her head to look behind her, she could see the rest of the scene that was her world. She was in a rustic little town, like many that were within a few days travel of Canterlot. It was full of green fields, and wide open spaces, and little picturesque structures inhabited by little picturesque ponies. It seemed so real. She could walk into it, and it would have depth. She could go and talk to the townsfolk, and they would talk back. She could lose herself here, and never leave. “This is the dream world,” she said. “I come here every night. And you are Princess Luna. You are my teacher.” “You know, you don’t have to say that every time.” Luna’s voice came from behind Twilight, and when Twilight turned back, there she was. She stood behind the camera, and did not flicker, but was solid as it was. Her hoof rested upon its controls, and briefly, she checked the view through its eyepiece. “It helps me remember. Remember everything, I mean.” She touched her unreal hoof to her chest. It felt to her like she should be able to simply push her hoof through her torso, so insubstantial was her flesh. But whenever her hoof was solid, her chest was solid, and whenever her chest didn’t exist, she didn’t exist. And so her chest resisted her hoof like it was solid, as the ground resisted her, and it all felt so real. Twilight took a stiff breath. “Does the dream trouble you?” Luna asked, frowning over her camera. “I can change it, if you wish.” “It’s a little creepy. Yeah.” Twilight looked back at the town behind her. “But, don’t change it yet. What town is this? I feel like I’ve been here before.” “This is Ponyville,” Luna said, with a quiet, flat tone. “It is here that you will discover your destiny.” “You know what my destiny is?” Twilight turned back to watch Luna, and saw her nod. “Well?” “If I tell you, you and all of Equestria will suffer.” Her stone stayed cool, and she watched Twilight like she were watching nothing but a slow paced film. “There are truths you are not prepared to accept. If you hear them now, you will block them from your mind, and will not be able to perceive them with the time comes.” “Keeping secrets? After all your talk about the absolute truth?” Twilight snorted. “The truth is the most precious thing of all. I will never lie to you, even by omission. But sometimes, when I think it necessary, I will delay telling you something until you are ready to hear it. It is no different from my delaying giving you ‘the talk’ until you were at an age to notice colts.” Twilight snorted, but she turned away from the town. “Is there anything you can tell me?” Luna paused for a long time. Then she spoke. “A time will come, Twilight Sparkle, when you stand in Ponyville, and I stand before you. And on that day, the longest day of the thousandth year, I will speak to you a truth.You will hear my words, and you will know them for what they are, and will not be able to deny what stands before you.” Twilight rolled her eyes. “Is it ‘Celestia is actually just a thousand gerbils in a pony suit’? Because that would actually be surprising.” Luna frowned. She tilted her head, and stared at Twilight. Twilight sighed. “Nevermind. It was… sarcasm, Luna. Sarcasm.” “I don’t like sarcasm.” “I know, Luna.” Twilight licked her lips and rubbed her hoof over her face. “Actually, I’m sorry. Can we... skip the lesson tonight? I don’t feel like studying magic. I’d kind of just like to have a relaxing dream and wake up feeling well rested.” “Certainly. There is one matter we should discuss before I go, but it will be brief.” Luna paused. “How do you feel about the baths? You found that dream relaxing when you were younger.” “They’re okay, I guess.” “If you prefer, I could arrange a dream with you and that nice colt who-” “Baths are great,” Twilight said forcefully. “Perfect, even. They’ll be great.” She sharply clapped her hooves together. “What else did we need to talk about first?” “My sister’s instruction today on the nature of special talents.” Twilight frowned. “Surely you aren’t suggesting I go with my original idea and phone it in.” “No.” Luna gently shook her head. “Coddling Jump Cut’s jealousy by not applying yourself at school was a foolish notion. Unfortunately, you have merely replaced it by coddling her in a different way, and have lied to yourself for the bargain. Each of you is in denial, and must come to terms with the simple truth.” “And that simple truth is?” Luna blinked. For a moment she didn’t answer. “You’re more capable than her. You always have been.” “Ugh,” Twilight let out a sharp breath, and a weak half-laugh. “Luna. I did pretty well on that exam, but Jump Cut is a straight-A student too. Maybe I’m a little better than her on the theory, but—” “For the last eight years, she has studied the craft of illusions without pause,” Luna spoke swiftly, and her formally quiet voice rose. “It is nearly her entire elective magic curriculum. It is what she practices in her spare time. It is the trade to which she dedicates her love and care. You attended one, single class on the subject, while taking eight other classes, learning from Celestia personally, and administering the school’s new scholarship program. And you vanquished her.” “I get extra training from you every night.” Luna tilted her head. “Eight years worth?” “Oh my gosh.” Twilight let out sound somewhere between a sigh and a growl. “You’re missing the point! Maybe…” She sighed again, and lifted her hoof to her face. “Maybe I am a little brighter than her. But what does that matter? Ponies who brag about their IQ are losers. Life isn’t about who does the coolest tricks or memorizes the most facts. It’s about what you do to make the world better for your fellow pony. Everypony has their own special way of contributing. And one day, Jump Cut will do something that I could never—” Twilight Sparkle ceased to exist. Alone in the darkness, Luna unloaded the roll of film. She loaded another. She turned the camera's crank. “—do! She’ll…” Twilight nearly leapt out of her hooves, her heart racing as she looked around wildly. She was on an apple farm, standing out in the fields in front of an old red barn. Standing next to her was the flickering image of an earth pony mare, a tan, blonde creature with three apples on her flanks. “Luna!” Twilight shouted. “Don’t do that!” She backed away quickly from the camera and the mare alike, but the mare took no notice of her shouting. She only smiled vapidly and stared into space, her breathing and the occasional twitch of her tail the only things separating her from a statue. “You know this pony, do you not?” Luna asked. Without waiting for Twilight’s answer, she went on. “She is a farmer. She tends her trees. She feeds the animals. She keeps up the house and the barn. When it is time to harvest, she puts apples in baskets and brings them to town.” “I know! I know, Luna. That’s Apple…” Twilight took a slow breath. “Applejack. What about her?” “What will she do one day, that you can never do?” Twilight looked from Luna to Applejack and back. “What do you mean?” “That is your thesis, is it not? That everypony has some special way of contributing that is uniquely theirs? That Jump Cut, that Shining Armor, that Applejack, that all the others, will each bring some good into the world that you could never have created.” She nodded her head to Applejack. “You know this mare. You know who she is. You know what she is. You have seen her destiny, and where it leads. What can she do, that you cannot do better?” “She’s a farmer. Obviously. She knows her plants better than I ever could.” The camera roll clicked, and Applejack abruptly teleported a few feet away from Twilight. It was a splice-cut, away to another scene where the actor stood further from the lense. “I think you will find that your formal training in biology and herbology trumps her informal experience.” “She has more practice. She can work faster. Or better!” Again, the camera clicked. Applejack jumped another dozen paces away, now solidly in the orchard, and the middle ground of the shot. “She can harvest perhaps a hundred trees in a day. Your telekinesis lets you harvest a hundred trees in a minute.” “She could be a leader in her community. Make Ponyville better.” The click sounded louder, and suddenly Applejack was on the horizon, staring at Twilight from so far away. “You administrate Celestia’s personal charity program and have relentlessly campaigned for civic improvement in the largest city in Equestria. She opposed the construction of her community’s railroad station because it was an unnecessary modern contraption.” “She’s taking care of her sister! Apple Bloom could go on to do great things.” The camera clicked one last time. “Applejack doesn’t have a sister. She has a daughter. Apple Bloom has been sent away to Manehatten. They couldn’t care for her properly after Granny Smith died.” Applejack was gone. Twilight stared at the orchard. Her throat was tight, and her eyes started to water. Luna frowned, and leaned around the camera to look at Twilight more closely. “You are upset.” “Of course I’m upset, you-!” Twilight bit her lip hard. “Luna, I just want to be nice to my friend. I want us to be equals.” “Then be equals.” Luna shrugged. “Then be nice to her. There is no rule of Celestia’s world or my own obligating you to treat those of lesser ability with disrespect. She may contribute less than you, but she contributes in her own way, just as a copper bit is less than a brick of gold but they are both money. More practically, Jump Cut is a good friend to you for many reasons. She is supportive and loyal.” “You make her sound like my sidekick,” Twilight snapped. “I merely state facts.” “Then why do you care!?” Twilight whirled. “If the end result is the same, what does it matter?” A shaky breath escaped Luna, and she stepped away from the camera. It took her a moment to speak, and when she did her voice was soft. “Because lies always come out in the end. If your friendship with Jump Cut is predicated on the notion that you two are of equal ability and equal importance, then your friendship is doomed. Only by acknowledging the truth and coming to terms with it can you truly support each other.” She looked at Twilight, and reached out a hoof to her. Then, she thought better of it, and put the hoof down. “I’m… sorry. I did not mean to hurt you.” Twilight sniffled, and rubbed the tears from her eyes. “Was that everything you needed to tell me?” “Yes.” “Then, we’re done,” she snapped. “Go away. I don’t want to see you for the rest of the night.” Luna vanished, and after a moment, the crank of the old camera ceased to turn. Jump Cut and Twilight had their second period class together: Advanced Thaumic Decomposition for Specialists. The subject matter was legendary for its difficulty, and the mathematics involved were generally considered unintuitive for species that didn’t evolve inside seventeen dimensional folded space. Jump Cut arrived fifteen minutes early, and sat in the front row like she did every class. She took our all her notes, her textbook, and her pencils and colored pens, and took the time to review them to ensure she’d be absolutely on top of the lecture material. She looked at the seat to her left, but it was empty. Twilight made it to class twenty minutes late. She didn’t scramble or run, walked to her seat at an unhurried pace. She was polite, but not ashamed. She moved like like she owned the building. The professor paused the lecture for a moment, and gave her a pointed look when she sat in the front row. “I apologize,” she said. “I was at the palace and an important matter ran long.” The professor nodded, and without a word, went back to the lesson. Twilight took studious notes, while Jump Cut alternated between looking at the board and looking at Twilight. Eventually, the class ended. The other students packed up and hurried out, and the professor erased the board. “Nice outfit,” Jump Cut said, eyeing Twilight’s hoofboots and chest plate. “I assume that’s your next Nightmare Night costume?” “Okay, Jump Cut? I can’t deal with this passive-aggressive stuff any longer.” Twilight snapped her notebook shut and turned to face the pony beside her. Her voice turned forceful, and she spoke with a quick, sharp cadence. “I’m sorry I upstaged you. I didn’t mean to, and I didn’t mean to hurt you. I didn’t know what that project meant to you and if I had I would have done things differently. But that was not a one-off incident. ‘Twilight does something cool with magic’ is a recurring trend with me, and I need you to deal with it.” “Oh, you need me to deal with it? Ms. One-Step-From-The-Sun needs me to adjust to that fact.” “Yes, Jump Cut, I do! Because you’re my best friend, and I miss you, and because it is literally true.” Twilight gestured sharply at the air, ignoring entirely the small crowd of students that had paused to listen to the exchange. “Because I miss us being able to hang out, and because I need your advice and…” Twilight make a vague, helpless gesture, and her hoof hit her desk. “And because you’re going on your studio tour soon. What if you take an apprenticeship? I want to go with you and see where you’re going to be.” “It’s a studio lot, Twilight. It’s nothing special.” “So what?” Twilight threw up her hooves. “It’s special to you. And you’re special to me because you’re my friend. And…” She sighed. “We’ve been friends since we were fillies and I don’t understand why you’re acting this way.” “Because you always act like you’re the next big thing! You just assume you’re the most talented, most important, most capable pony in the room.” She let out a sharp snort. “Maybe I have some trouble dealing with that.” “I know you have trouble dealing with that, but you need to deal with it, or we can’t be friends anymore. Because I’m not hanging out with somepony who constantly snaps at me, and I’m not pretending I’m somepony else.” Jump Cut shook her head. “You know I remember when we were little, you were really humble?” Twilight drew her lips into a line. “Yeah, well. Ponies change.”