Aurora and Smarty woke simultaneously, silently getting out of bed to prepare for their usual "morning" training session with Princess Luna.
Smarty looked sideways at her companion. "You ready for this?"
Aurora chuckled. "As ready as I ever am for one of these. I think I learned something with Celestia that might help this time around, but as you already know..."
Smarty sighed, but was still smiling. "Yeah, she's probably already made it harder in compensation."
Suddenly, they heard a knock at the door. Aurora opened it, and blinked in surprise as it revealed the Princess of the Night herself.
"Luna!" She tilted her head. "Don't we usually meet at breakfast?"
She smiled. "Yes, and I still would like your company there when you are ready. However, I simply wished to inform you that the format of our lessons will change slightly. As such, while I previously advised you to leave your... compass... behind, I would like for you to bring it tonight."
Aurora opened her mouth to speak, but Luna held up a hoof, and she silenced herself.
"Do not worry, it will be in no real danger. After all, bonded artifacts are notoriously difficult to destroy."
Aurora's jaw fell open. "Bonded..."
Luna sighed. "I'm sorry, Aurora. It pains both me and Tia that you would not be able to discover such a connection naturally, yet we felt it would be best if you learn to use it properly sooner rather than later."
"Use it properly...?"
Luna held out a hoof. "May I see it?"
Aurora blinked, then shook her head. "What? Oh, right. I'm sorry, Luna."
Luna's expression brightened for a split second, and Aurora trotted over to retrieve the object from her desk.
She does that almost every time I say her name... I wonder why.
In fact, I think I might have seen Celestia do something similar when she thought I wasn't looking...
"Here you go."
Luna took the compass in her magical grip and opened the cover, examining the inside minutely. "Yes, it is as I thought."
She floated it over to Aurora, fastening it around her neck. "There is one more matter to discuss before we leave, but that is something better suited for discussion at the breakfast table. I will let you get ready. When you are done, meet me there."
Aurora nodded, still slightly dazed, and still looking vaguely at the brass object around her neck. "Yeah..."
The door closed.
Smarty waved a hoof in front of her face.
"Wha- oh!"
Smarty looked her in the eye. "What was that all about? Why do you seem so surprised? isn't that what we thought it was? I mean, I don't know what Luna could really need us to do with it... maybe tracking things?"
Aurora shook her head dismissively. "No... we thought... I mean, I thought it was a cored artifact. Magical circuitry, programmable enchantments, recharging it when it runs out... This... this is different.
"Well, kind of the same, but... I mean, it still uses circuitry..."
She sighed. "I'm not really explaining this very well. To start with, a bond-class gem, a gem large enough and flawless enough to support the kinds of enchantments used, is extremely rare and expensive. Even then, very few ponies even know how to make them. The only time I've heard of a pony who owned one is when it was some sort of family heirloom... but... my family-" She coughed. "I mean, our family, was never rich."
"You mentioned that before, Mom."
"I mean, Great Grandfather Prism was technically a baron, but that kind of flopped. Due to some really incompetent cartographers, he "ruled" what amounted to a giant lake. And that title didn't really pass on to the rest of the family."
Smarty sniggered. "All right. So... it's basically just a really powerful gem core?"
"I guess so..." She slapped her forehead with a hoof. "No, no. Not at all. Well, kind of." She sighed. "Yes, but that's not the... interesting part. According to what I've read, at least. You see, they're called "bonded" artifacts for a reason."
She looked back at her, confused. "So... what kind of bond are we talking about here? I'm sure you don't mean adhesive."
Aurora rolled her eyes. "No, definitely not. It's... the empathetic kind. You see... um... maybe the spell matrix is just complex enough? But they're also supposed to have their own wellspring, which I really don't understand...
"Sorry, Smarty, but all I really know about them is from adventure-type fiction books. And maybe that one scandal a while ago about smugglers and that war."
Smarty stared at her blankly.
"Really, I'd swear nopony ever reads a history book. It should be a required subject in school."
"I never went to school, Mom."
Aurora blinked again. "Oh. Right. Sorry, I got off-track.
"Anyway, most of my information comes from sources that are... lacking in detail. I doubt many ponies alive still know exactly how they function. But, yeah, from the information I know, they only really bond to you if you have a very similar magic to the original owner, or if you actually have your magic used in its creation. And, somehow, they are supposed to have personalities? Like a normal pony, but... not a pony. I really don't know how it's supposed to work. I always thought it was just a cheap narrative device to get another pony into the story."
She looked at the ground. "But if the magic has to be extremely similar... well, at least I know why mine has been so silent. Still, it's supposed to be a powerful item, anyway."
She looked critically at her neck. "Still, why a compass? It barely uses any power, and I'm sure the enchantment isn't that complex. Not enough for a bonded core. It could have easily been made with a simple one."
Smarty nodded, taking a closer look. "Yeah, that is a bit odd. I mean, the enchantment basically does what I can do naturally. I mean, even with my senses dulled in that cave, I still could find my way out just as well as your little compass there. But Luna seemed optimistic about it. Maybe there's more to it?"
Aurora opened the clock face on the opposite side. What she once assumed was another gem cut to the same standard as the one on the compass' face was in fact the opposite side of the massive gem core.
"We should probably get to breakfast, though. Princess Luna said she wanted to talk about something, and we don't want to keep her waiting."
Aurora looked back up. "Oh, right!" She closed the compass, letting it fall back to her chest.
I hope we get pancakes again.
Eh, waffles are still good.
Luna, who had already finished eating, waited for Smarty and Aurora to sit down before she started speaking.
"Now, as you may have noticed, I have periodically increased the difficulty of our training sessions."
No kidding.
"While it has no doubt been frustrating for you both, I assure you that it is for good reason. Simply put, creativity is something I cannot teach.
"As you most likely suspect, I have done so again for your lesson today. However, I felt that if I gave my golems weapons, you should have access to them as well."
Oh, great, now they can be clever with a sword.
"Now Smarty, as a pegasus, you already have a significant weapon in the form of your lightning, and I have taught you the method that makes it near-impossible to redirect in the way that has caused much of our military weaponry to switch to mounted weaponry. As most of your defensive capability comes with maneuverability, a weapon may be more of a hindrance than a help. However, you have the option to request one should you so choose.
"Aurora-"
Aurora held up a hoof. "Sorry for interrupting, Luna, but couldn't I just stick with using my hooves? A sword really is a unicorn's weapon, and using something like a spear in my hooves would really hinder my magic, as I use my hooves for almost everything. It just wouldn't work."
Luna put a hoof to her chin. "I see what you are trying to say. However, hooves cannot parry attacks, and you do not have the luxury of shields. If you do end up in a fight, the opponent will almost certainly have an enchanted blade. Your armor will not alone be enough to block the full force of a determined attack..."
She suddenly grinned. "Of course! It may not be a perfect situation - it certainly won't stop everything, but... all you have to do is use your armor!"
Smarty cocked her head. "Didn't you just say that wouldn't work?'
Luna laughed. "Yes, I did. But this time I was referring to a different sort of armor - that armor." She pointed at Aurora's neck.
Aurora picked up the brass object with the inside of her hoof. "This is armor?"
Luna continued to grin. "Put some magic into it."
Aurora placed her other hoof on top of the casing, and concentrated briefly, forming her usual ball of magic where the gem would be.
Almost instantly, there was an inexorable pull on her magic reserves, a pull that grew exponentially to the point of an almost excruciating pain in her hooves.
Smarty lurched suddenly, falling backwards out of her chair.
Aurora clamped her eyes shut as a feeling of ice spread out from her chest, as if each of her molecules had decided they had moved around for long enough and decided to take a break.
After what seemed like a full five minutes, but was only about five seconds in reality, the feeling subsided, and she opened her eyes to find... armor.
Very plain-looking bronze armor. It was thicker than usual, perhaps, but it didn't seem all that different than the stuff they used in practice.
Feeling an odd weight, she looked down at her neck again. The "necklace" was gone, replaced by a bronze torc. The large green gem shone in the center.
But where did the compass go.
She turned her head to look over the rest of the armor, but then blinked as her brain received additional information.
Oh, it's in my head now... Weird.
It's ironically disorienting.
Ugh... My head...
Aurora's eyes widened. What was that!?
Smarty's head whipped around from where she was sprawled on the floor, and she stared directly into Aurora's eyes.
She spoke. "This is freaking weird."
Luna looked between the two fillies. "What? It doesn't look that strange. Well, it usually doesn't leave so much... exposed..."
Smarty and Aurora both ignored her, continuing to start blankly at each other.
Luna waved a hoof in front of Aurora's snout.
She blinked, shaking her head. "What...? Oh, sorry Luna. We were..." She gave an involuntary chuckle. "We were having a telepathic conversation about how insane it was to have a telepathic conversation."
Luna stepped back, surprised. "You found a spell that facilitates telepathy?"
Aurora looked uncomfortable. "Well, um... no."
"Then... what?"
"Uh..." She tapped a hoof nervously against the floor. "...because, um... that's what bonded artifacts are supposed to do."
Luna suddenly turned to Smarty, looking at her intently. "You're not implying...?"
Smarty shifted under her gaze. "I think... I mean, we think... I must have gotten transferred here when Mom made, uh... this body.
"The magic Mom used would have made a wellspring, but... it would just be alive, not... not a real pony. We think the magic she used must have passed through the compass or something..."
She rubbed her forehead with a hoof. "I'm sorry, Princess. It's just a bit overwhelming. When Mom did that spell, I don't think all of me got in... well... me. Now..."
Luna placed a hoof on her back. "Now you have memories of being an artifact and a pony at the same time."
Smarty looked up at her in surprise. "Yeah... How did you...?"
She smiled. "While this certainly has never happened before, I am well-versed in how such artifacts operate. I can understand how such a situation might feel." She put a hoof to her chin. "Actually, now that I think about it, would it still be correct for you to call Aurora 'mother?'"
Smarty glared at her. "Yes."
Luna blinked, removing her hoof, then laughed at the intensity of the stare.
She softened her gaze. "But as I was saying before, now that Mom connected to the core with her magic, we think that might have caused me to connect with it as well, since I still have so much of her magic in me. So there's definitely a sympathetic connection there. And so now, I suddenly have a huge amount of information that I didn't before, like how to make that armor. And now that I think about it, I might have been receiving information from the compass all this time."
Luna looked over at Aurora, who had decided to sit down and inspect her new protective equipment.
"Did you influence the shape in some way? That is not particularly standard for bonded armor."
Smarty looked at her, surprised. "Oh! You noticed that? I didn't exactly know there was a standard, but... there was a sort of blueprint there before."
"No, there is no particular standard. But this kind of armor usually covers the entire body, with no gaps. This leaves more open to attack."
Aurora tapped the marble floor experimentally with an armored hoof.
Smarty smiled. "Yes, but that is precisely what makes it good."
Luna rolled her eyes, smiling as well. "Okay, I'll bite. How does a vulnerability make it stronger?"
Aurora stopped examining the plating on her barrel and listened in.
Smarty looked slightly nervous about the additional audience member, but she breathed in and continued anyway. "Well, I just remembered what you were saying in that conversation. Armor can't really parry. Well, when it covered everything, it could effectively block non-magical weapons, but enchanted ones would still hurt. So I... I kind of changed it. Now, she can block with her hooves. Or any covered part, really.
"I also thought of something else. If every spot is covered, then anypony trying to attack would have no target, making it more unpredictable. Having six known spots to protect is actually easier than just trying to guard everything. It's... a psychological defense. Like when a unicorn shoots a lot of low-power bolts to force their enemy into certain spots."
Luna looked thoughtful. "That is a very good point. However, is it still possible to change back?"
Smarty scrunched up her face. "Yes, it's possible to go back. But it kind of hurts to change things like this, so I don't really want to do it that often."
Aurora spoke, still examining the armor that now covered her hoof and cannon. "Yeah, this will actually be really useful. It protects me surprisingly well when I stand on two hooves, something that the old armor was definitely not made for. And I think it will work really well with the new technique I thought of."
Luna suddenly smirked. "Are you implying that you think this will be easy?"
Aurora's eyes widened, and she quickly put her hooves back on the floor. "No! Of course not! You most definitely do not need to make it harder than... harder than whatever you were already planning."
Luna fake-pouted. "Oh, fine." She looked at Smarty, who was in the corner of the room, getting ready for their session by putting on her standard-issue armor. Suddenly, she chuckled, putting a hoof to her mouth.
Aurora stood up, preparing to leave, herself. She tilted her head. "What's so funny, Luna?"
Luna gave her an embarrassed smile. "Oh, nothing important. Now I am simply seeing your 'daughter' in a whole new light. It isn't every day you see a suit of armor put on a suit of armor."
Aurora gave an involuntary grin, repressing chuckles of her own.
Smarty gave her a look.
Very funny, Mom.
Aurora and Smarty scanned the terrain. Instead of the usual flat, grassy field, there were hills to maneuver around, rocks to hide behind, and even a small lake.
Their eyes fell on the enemy - approximately twenty hyper-realistic looking golems. Though functionally the same as the stone ones that Luna had started with, these looked exactly like the ponies they were supposed to represent. Luna was good at this. And each of them had some sort of sword, spear, or other such implement.
Aurora looked over at her companion. Is it just me, or is this looking like it might be fun?
Smarty snorted. ...Yeah, actually. Just don't tell Princess Luna that.
"Aaand... Begin!"
Aurora dove aside with practiced ease, dodging the first stunning bolts that sped in their direction. This time, however, she had something to hide behind.
Yeah, definitely going to be fun.
This last one is proving to be a lot more difficult than the others. Can I get some help here?
Aurora looked at the small lake in the center. She grinned.
Hey, Smarty. I have an idea. Can you lure her over the lake? I might just have something that might work.
Aurora looked back up at the surface of the water above her head.
Can you hurry up? I mean, I may be good at holding my breath, but I'm not that good at it.
Almost there, Mom. All right, ready in three... two... one... NOW!
Aurora pushed as much power as she could into her legs, pushing from the bottom of the small pool.
Then she concentrated on her hoof. Many earth ponies unconsciously made objects lighter, allowing them to lift far more than usually possible.
This was the exact opposite.
Aurora's hoof hit the pegasus golem overhead like a freight train, shattering its armor and hitting the golem underneath with a heavy thud that send an odd sort of vibration vibrating along her hoof.
Instead of shattering like the others, the pegasus grunted at the impact, folding its wings and falling to the ground, motionless.
Aurora, shocked, fumbled her landing, rolling uncomfortably as she hit the ground, hard. Smarty landed next to her, checking her to make sure she was okay.
What in Tartarus?
Luna landed next to them, smiling. "Congratulations! You seem to have gotten very well-accustomed to blocking weapons, Aurora. I am quite impressed. Still, none of my golems were made to be any particular expert with them. You still have much to learn in future lessons."
Aurora stared at the pony now crumpled on the ground. "Luna... something... something was off about that last golem."
Luna glanced at the place she was looking. "Oh, right. That. Well, I was talking with Tia, and something you said during your entrance exam really intrigued me-"
Smarty's gaze became suddenly riveted on Aurora, her face a mixture of horror and disgust. "Mom. You have to trust me. Don't look at your hooves. Just go back in the lake and... wash off."
Huh?
Just do it, Mom.
Aurora looked at her uncertainly, but shrugged and went into the lake, swimming around a bit underwater before surfacing again.
To find her Smarty shouting at Luna.
"What were you thinking?"
To Aurora's complete surprise, Luna actually took a step backwards, her face looking pained. "They're not like you, Smarty. They're just golems. Made for practice. You said yourself that they aren't really ponies."
Smarty's glare intensified. "Practice for what, exactly? Princess, this has gone way past self-defense. This is way past 'realism.' This," she said, gesturing towards the broken pegasus. "-is not what we signed up for."
Aurora looked at the body, and gagged as she saw the pool of red that was slowly spreading outwards.
"Both of you are hiding something from us, Princess." Smarty stomped her rear hoof, shattering the rock beneath it. "And you'd better have a damn good reason for it."
"Smarty!" Aurora said sharply. "This is Princess Luna you're talking to!"
She doubled over again, clutching her chest. "Sorry," she forced out. "I just need... time."
Instead of the anger she expected, however, Luna just looked down at the ground.
"No," she said firmly. "Her anger was perfectly warranted. I acted as though we were already friends, yet still, I keep so much from both of you. All of us did. As much as I would like to remedy this immediately... I still must speak with my sister about this. And perhaps Twilight should be aware as well."
She gave a weak smile, then sighed, bringing them back to the castle with a dark flash.
"Practice... is over. Class is dismissed."