//------------------------------// // Chapter 4: Cleave // Story: Guiding Light // by Detsella Morningdew //------------------------------// Princess Celestia walked the winding halls of Canterlot Castle, leading the four ponies behind her. They stopped at the base of a tower, the open door revealing a narrow spiral staircase. "Mrs. Blossom, Mr. Script, this is the place where Aurora will be living over the next few years. I'm sure that you want to see it, and I assure you that we will get the chance to in a few moments. "First, I want to reassure you that I do not intend to take your filly away from you. Far from it. I will ensure that she has plenty of time to visit. In addition, both of you are welcome to visit her tower any time you wish - you have all been given all the security clearance required. However, you have only been given the caveat that gives you access to her quarters. You will not be able to follow her everywhere, so keep in mind, she may not always be available when you visit.” Cherry Blossom nodded in agreement. "I understand. Honestly, this is such an honor. I don't see how we would refuse your offer." Celestia smiled kindly. "Thank you. "Now, come along. I'm sure Aurora is excited to see her new room." She started to climb the steps, and the four of them started to follow. Aurora looked behind her suddenly. "Smarty, what are you doing?" The filly looked back up, confused. "Going up stairs, Mommy." Aurora's mouth went open, and closed again as her mind went temporarily blank. "Um... yeah. Just... um..." Aurora picked her up by the nape of her neck and put her on her back. "I'll... just carry you for now." "Yay!" Aurora numbly walked up the stairs. I'm not ready for this at all. Cherry Blossom and Written Script exited the door at the bottom of the staircase, but their minds were still firmly in the room they just left. Back with Celestia. Back with their daughter and her... filly. "Shouldn't somepony be taking care of that filly?" Written Script asked his wife, worried. "I mean, she's still only fourteen." Cherry looked back up the stairs. "I'm sure she'll be fine. That both of them will be fine. I trust the Princesses." "Also, I don't think even you missed what happened earlier. That filly stayed almost glued to her back the entire time we were there. I don't think it would be fair to either of them to force them to be separated." He sighed. "You're right, of course. It's just so... strange." "I know. But they're in good hooves. And anyway, we can visit any time, to see if they're doing all right." Aurora sat on her new bed, listening as the hoofsteps of her parents receded beyond the range of her hearing. She looked back at Celestia, who was smiling warmly. "It has been a long day for both of us. As much as I am sure you would like to start immediately, I believe it would be best for us to turn in for the night." "But-" "Aurora, it is past ten o' clock. I lowered the sun an hour ago. It is time for all of us to go to bed." Aurora opened her mouth in protest, then looked at Smarty Pants helplessly for support. She was yawning. Well, you're no help. "All right. I'll go to bed." She averted her eyes. "Sorry, Princess." Celestia turned to leave, hiding a small smile. "Good, night, my student." "Good night, Celestia." She was asleep before her head hit the pillow. Celestia walked softly out of the room. She didn't call me Princess that time... Aurora groaned, pulling the heavy, green blanket over her head as the morning sun utterly refused to stay on the correct side of her eyelids. She sighed with contentment as the darkness returned, then frowned. Now I'm too hot. She blinked. And these aren't my bed-sheets. What is going - The memories of the previous night returned like a flood... of bricks. She sat up, fully awake. Oh no! The sun's up! That means Celestia is up, and - ... and I shouldn't worry about it. She didn't tell me anything about what time we were starting lessons, anyway. Now... where would I get breakfast here? Aurora jumped off her new bed, her hooves making a soft "clop" as they hit the marble floor. A second head poked out of the covers, blinking slowly. "... Mom? Where... where are you going?" Aurora looked back, giving a reassuring smile to calm the filly. "I'm just going to find breakfast. I'll be back soon." "Oh, all right. I'm really hungry." Smarty Pants' head dropped back onto the pillow. Aurora turned, walking past her new bookshelves and to the door, her mind filled with conflicting emotions. On one hoof, she had seemed to develop an irrational fondness for the little filly. On the other, she knew for certain she wasn't ready for something like this. Not at all. And not just emotional maturity, either. I don't have the physical maturity to take care of a foal, either. And she's already hungry. Well, I'll just ask Princess Celestia about it. She reached the bottom of the staircase, and was immediately met with a pair of guards. "Excuse, me, miss, but Princess Celestia has requested us to escort you to her private dining hall." Well, that solves my first problem, at least. "Just a minute. I need to get somepony first." With her bronze compass securely on her neck, and Smarty Pants securely on her back, Aurora followed the guards as they guided her along the castle many, confusing pathways. As they took one more unexpected turn, Aurora shook her head trying to relieve her headache. How in Equestria am I supposed to memorize this? Even Canterlot's insane street layout makes sense in comparison! After what seemed like an hour, but was probably only about two minutes, they arrived, and the guards took their places at the doors, gesturing for her to enter. The dining hall was a small, well-decorated room with an obvious red motif. An ovular wooden table sat in the center of the room, and seated around it were Equestria's three immortal Princesses. Aurora barely had any time to take in the contents of the room before she felt something like a wall of force hit her in the face. She grimaced, but the inviting smiles of the three Princesses gave her no other option but to sit down beside them, with Smarty Pants at her side. She looked around nervously, trying desperately to hide her expression of a sudden and irrational fear. Just like in the Throne Room! she thought suddenly. Except, this is... worse, somehow. I was able to ignore that feeling after a while. This... this is... overwhelming. And there's just so much magic in the air... She blinked once. That's it! Twilight looked over at the overly anxious filly seated across from her, and frowned in confusion. What is she doing? A point of light grew bigger and bigger, right next to her wellspring. Twilight blinked in surprise as the ball got bigger. Oh. That... that's actually really smart. But how in Equestria did she know that that of all things would negate the effects of the instinct? And how did she know about the instinct in the first place? Aurora shook her head, pushing the last vestiges of fear from her mind. It was a lot easier, now that the density of magic inside her body was about the same as the density of magic outside of it. But it also made her feel like she was entirely composed of electricity. "Good... good morning, your Highnesses." Celestia smiled, while Twilight still tilted her head, staring at Aurora. "Good morning, Aurora." Luna replied, unsubtly glaring at the still-oblivious Twilight. Finally, the weight of the midnight-black alicorn's stare was enough for Twilight to notice something was off. Jerking upright, she gave a sheepish smile. "Good morning." Aurora suppressed a bit of laughter. Not quite the unflappable ponies everyone assumes, are they? Her concentration interrupted, a slight imbalance in energy spread through her body, and she flinched as arcanoelectric lightning attempted to fix it. Her mind instantly traveled to the emotions of a few seconds prior and the sheer power she felt in the room. Heh. Maybe those ponies have an excuse for not noticing. Still kinda funny, though. I wonder what they eat for breakfast here. She looked at Smarty Pants. And speaking of eating, what is she going to eat? I'm pretty sure ponies her age don't eat solid food. How old is she, really? I don't think most newborns are supposed to talk! A chef walked in the back door, followed by two waiter ponies, placing plates in front of each of them. Well, Celestia didn't say anything specifically about it. I don't think she would just forget something like this... "Yay! Pancakes!" Aurora's train of thought crashed so hard, pieces of the wreckage could probably be found in the Griffin Kingdom. Wha... but.... what...? How? How in Equestria can she possibly know what pancakes are? I mean, sure, they're awesome, but seriously, she hasn't even seen food yet! Aurora pressed her hooves on either side of her head. All right, all right. I can ask later. I'm just going to sit here and eat these pancakes. These delicious, blueberry pancakes. Ooh, does that one have raspberries? She had just finished her first pancake and was about to start on the second when she was interrupted by stifled laughter. She looked up just in time to see Princess Celestia rearrange her face into a surprisingly good impression of indifference. Luna coughed pointedly. Aurora's eyes widened and she shot up straight in her chair as she realized - she had been eating the pancakes just like at home: whole, and with her mouth. Perfectly fine for a casual Sunday morning, at home with her family. Not at a dinner where you were the guest of all three immortal Princesses of Equestria. Aurora gave an awkward smile. All right. This should be fine. As long as I don't die of embarrassment, utensils are actually pretty easy to use for pancakes. Aurora placed a hoof on the table, reaching for her fork. The wooden table. While she was full to the brim with unstable magic. The circuit completed, and her eyes turned white as all of the excess magic flowed into the table. But as soon as it reached the three Princesses, the direction dramatically changed. A wave of magic exploded back into her, hurling her back out of the chair and onto the cold, marble floor. Shaking violently, she flipped herself back over onto her stomach, then struggled to her hooves. She shivered with something other than weakness or cold. All that power from before… and they were holding it in. "How... how powerful are you?" Aurora lay down, staring miserably at her bed sheets, tracing with her hoof the leaves that adorned them. Celestia stepped into the room quietly, and looked at her small form with concern. "Aurora... none of us were expecting what happened there. I am very sorry you had to experience something like that, and so early in your development... I assure you, that reaction was not intentional." "No, it's not your fault. I know that. It's my fault for using a passive spell like that. Especially when I was trying to hold in all that energy. It was just something so I could detect ponies in the area without physically looking at them. But... I mean... I already knew that you and Princess Luna, and Princess Twilight were all really powerful. You had to be. I mean, you and Luna raise the sun and moon each day. That takes a lot of magic. I... I guess I just never fully understood what that meant. Not completely. "I guess I never really thought of you as powerful earth ponies as well." Celestia smiled gently. "Yes, it seems that many ponies forget that." "It's just... I really like magic, and for a long time, I kind of... looked up to you. And Princess Twilight. I never really saw Luna that much, so... Anyway, I mean, it's kind of a foalish dream, but I kind of wanted to be like you or Twilight. I mean, when I was older. Better at magic. "I kind of already knew that it was impossible, but... I guess I never really wanted to know just how impossible it was.” Celestia laid herself gently beside Aurora's bed, putting herself at eye-level with the filly. "Aurora, listen to me. I understand. I understand how you must feel right now, but remember this: you are not insignificant. Nopony in that room ever thought you were. Not me, not Luna, not Twilight. Not even little Smarty Pants." She chuckled. "But she might have a slight bias." Aurora smiled weakly. "Thank... thank you, Princess." "Now, I believe you wanted to show me some of those books about earth pony magic." As the excited filly leapt off of the bed, beckoning her to follow, Celestia couldn't help but release a sigh of relief. Celestia looked with some amusement at the materials that Aurora insisted they bring. "So, what are you planning with that wagon and rope?" "Well, they're going to help us actually get the books out. The passage is really narrow and smooth, but it's just enough for this wagon to fit. If I just tried to bring them out myself, I'd have to bring each of them out individually with my mouth. And since some of them are quite fragile, I don't think that's a good idea. "So this way, we can load up the wagon, then pull it up with the rope." "I see. That is a good idea. However, it might be easier for me to teleport them out for you." Aurora shook her head. "No, that would destroy them. The walls of the passage are narrow, and they reflect and refract magic. The teleportation matrix would collapse almost instantly." She looked up at Celestia. "But maybe you use a different kind of teleportation?" Celestia shook her head. "No, not for this." She smiled thoughtfully. Still, that was quite perceptive of you. They stopped at the tunnel entrance, which was still heavily dented. Celestia raised an eyebrow. Aurora gave her a sheepish grin. "I was panicked, okay?" She pushed open the door gingerly, wincing at the sound of the scraping metal. "Watch your step, Princess. There's a ledge." Celestia looked at Aurora curiously. "Aurora, this is solid steel." Aurora opened her mouth, then blinked. "Wait, really?" She examined the door. What the... This is, like, six inches thick! Celestia put a hoof to her chin. It's amazing what ponies can do when stressed like that. I wonder what got her in such a state... "Well, Aurora, we should hurry if we're to get all those books sorted into your library today." Aurora paused. "Wait, so those books in my room..." "Are on loan for as long as you need them. But I do consider it to be your library, and these books, while I may require you to keep them in a secure location, are yours by right of discovery." Aurora blinked. "Oh. Huh. I didn't expect that... Well, the study is right down this path here. Watch your step, though. This part is still jagged crystal." Celestia lit her horn, following her down the narrow path. Almost immediately, she found herself forced to take the path sideways, using her front hooves to brace herself against the wall. Once at the bottom, they ignored the first path off to the right, and entered the second, walking through a room containing a large pit to the opposite side. Aurora led her through this new path, almost impassable for her large form, into a final cavern. Finally, they stopped at a small, well-worn hole in the cavern floor. Aurora awkwardly untied the small wagon attached to her back, letting it fall to the ground. Quickly, she tied one end of the rope to the wagon's handle and hoofed the other end to Celestia. "Could you hold this for a minute, please?" Celestia nodded with some amusement. Of course, she could see how essential this was to Aurora's plan, but it was quite refreshing to be asked for help like this without any of the usual hesitation. Now if only I can break the habit of calling me "Princess" all the time, this will be a resounding success. Aurora slid down the path, letting the wagon roll after her. leaving the wagon at the opening, she skirted the subterranean lake and opened the door, lighting the lamps in one fluid motion. Carefully, standing upright, she took a large chunk of the books on the shelf in her hooves, balancing the top of the stack with her muzzle. Anchoring herself with her back two hooves, she walked back to the wagon and set the books down as delicately as possible. "All right! It's ready to take up!" Celestia gripped the rope in her telekinesis, then winced as the part of the rope touching the crystal twisted her magic in an unexpected direction. I suppose a more ...direct method is required, then. She grabbed the rope with her teeth, backing up as the cart ascended. She chuckled internally. It's certainly been a while since I did something like this. An image of the Council members seeing her like this flashed in her head, and she had to suppress audible laughter. Aurora called out from the base of the passage. "Now, could you try to keep the order that they're in? That'll make it a lot easier when we organize later!" "All right!" Celestia levitated the books out, then sent the wagon back down the slope, keeping the rope held in her mouth. She started to set the books down, then stopped suddenly. It would be better to hold them. The cave floor would cause far too much hassle when she moved them later. Aurora looked around the now-empty room, the room that had come to be her second home for the past two years. She blew out the lamps, watching the fading wisps of smoke as she closed the heavy wooden door for the last time. "...That's all of it." "All right. Just hold on to the wagon for a minute." "Huh? All right." Aurora placed her hooves on the back end of the cart, then yelped in surprise as she found herself rapidly ascending the smooth, narrow passage. Aurora opened her eyes, and she saw Celestia at the far end of the cavern, dropping the rope from her mouth and holding the large collection of books in her magic. Her mouth opened slightly. Oops. I didn't think this one all the way through. As soon as they exited the cave, there was a bright flash as Celestia teleported them back to the castle. Aurora was secretly glad for this. They had already attracted so much attention on the way there. Now with all of these books... well, they wouldn't exactly be secret. And she was sure that one of the curious passer-by would have seen at least one of the titles. But Celestia probably already thought of that. The floating books organized themselves into neat stacks on the marble floor. Still, that did not help my directional sense at all. Oh, wait, she's looking at me! "Take all the time you need, my student. Even experienced unicorns experience mild disorientation after teleporting such a large distance." "...It's all right, Princess. I just wasn't expecting it, that's all. We should get to sorting, though, if we're going to have time today for me to show you what I've learned." Celestia levitated the first few books off a stack. "What is your organization system?" "Well, I'm not sure how the books here are organized, but I don't think it will be easy to use the same organization system for both. Most of my organization system has to do with the branch or general area of magic that each book tends to use. Then I organized them by author in those groups as much as possible. It made it a lot easier to understand each of their individual viewpoints or philosophies. That last section," she said, pointing at a stack at the end, "is the... miscellaneous, or special, category, where I put books that didn't fit in anywhere else, or I just thought were important for me to be able to find quickly." Celestia set down the first set of books she was looking at, and replaced them with a few from this "special" pile. She focused particularly on the book labeled "Passage". She turned to Aurora. "Such a book exists?" Aurora nodded. Yes. At first, I thought it was very strange that there would be an entire book dedicated to one spell, but this book is simultaneously the most technical I have seen, and also the most personal. Even the author admits that his book is inadequate to fully explain the nuances. "It's a bit frustrating, though. That would be so useful." "Yes, I see why you would focus on that particular skill." "But I quickly found out that it was far outside my skill level. I just kept it so I could find it again later." With a burst of telekinesis, Celestia cleared the bottom two shelves, finding places for the displaced books. She filled in the now-empty shelves with the new arrivals. "Don't be discouraged, Aurora. While it is currently beyond your skill level, that does not mean that practice will not improve your abilities tremendously. Many unicorns frequently practice spells they have no chance of performing in full. It is a common method for strengthening your magic capacity. "Still, all of that is for another time." Aurora looked around the room and shuffled her hooves around nervously. "So... um... what now? I don't really know what to do next. I mean, I'm mostly used to a formal school, so..." Celestia looked at her with an expression of sadness mixed with a bit of pride. "I'm sorry, Aurora, that I can't quite be the teacher that you want me to be. The teacher that can guide you, showing you the grand and exciting, the unknown. While I have the ability to perform earth pony magic, and I have the experience of lifetimes, you already know much more about the subject than I do." Aurora looked up, suddenly worried. "So you can't-" "I will still teach you magic, Aurora. After all, you mentioned your desire to learn about all different kinds of magic. And I will still use my vast experience to guide you in your studies. But you will be as much of a teacher to me as I will be to you. Equestria has to see you as my student, but there is a lot more to it than that. So for these first few days, you will be teaching me. We will learn together. I'm afraid we don't have much time left, though. Only about an hour." Aurora looked up through the large observatory window. She looked back at her mentor, confused. "But it's not even noon! Is there something you need to do later?" "Yes, I suppose I do have something to do. But that is not the reason. That is your new bed-time." "Huh?" Aurora felt that she probably should be protesting this new change, but her mind was so busy trying to sort through the implausibility of that statement, she missed the opportunity. Celestia smiled inwardly. why do all of my students have to look so cute when they're confused? "As I said before, there is far more involved with your student-ship than the rest of Equestria knows. I may not be an expert on earth pony magic, but my sister Luna knows a decent amount of the practical application. Think of her lessons as... endurance training for the spells you learn. And I'm sure Twilight will get the chance to work with you as well. She's been trying to invent a spell script for pegasi and earth ponies for years now." Aurora breathed in and out. It was slightly overwhelming, but she nodded. "All right. So... the early bedtime is..." "So that when you wake up at midnight for your lesson, you'll be well-rested and ready for my sister's training." "Okay. I guess that makes sense... Well, while we still have a bit of time..." Aurora gestured vaguely at the books. Celestia smiled brightly. "Of course. Lead on!" It's so nice to be a student again, she thought with a contented sigh.