Though the anti-fogging charm needed a little juice, Twilight as happy to see the spell on the mirror was still in place after so many years. The hot shower had been precisely what Twilight’s neck and shoulders had needed after the late night hunched over the desk working, but it made the relatively large washroom closer resemble a sauna. For whatever reason, the exhaust fan was still broken despite numerous requests over the years to get it fixed. In fact, it probably never had worked.
Twilight had scarcely finished straightening her tail before she heard a knock at the door. “One minute!” she shouted. With a few quick twists of the towel, and a couple of quick spells to finish drying off and straighten her mane, Twilight answered the door.
A pale beige coated mare greeted her with a smile: Celestia’s secretary, Raven Inkwell. Her mane was every bit as black as her name suggested. “Good morning, princess. Did I wake you?”
“No, I was just in the shower. I was up a little late last night.” After Twilight had gotten home from her parents’ house, she had looked into touching up her proposal for education reform. Her parents’ words had made her consider her ideas from a different angle.
Raven smirked “At least the sun was still down when you went to bed this time.”
The comment drew a blush to Twilight’s cheeks. “I... I wasn’t that bad.”
She fixed Twilight with a disapproving look. “You and I both know that’s a lie.”
It was painfully true, so painfully true. As Celestia’s student, Twilight had spent far too many nights awake till the sun rose working on projects of one nature or another. Often it was Raven who was the first to find Twilight had spent the entire night awake, as she came to collect the filly for her lessons with Celestia. Those lessons had often turned into lectures about why sleep was important for growing fillies, even though Twilight would frequently deduct sleep to be an unnecessary waste of study time. She had even penned a nice little book now in the restricted section of the library about the eldritch horror of “super caffeine”.
That would be the last experiment Twilight was allowed to run regarding sleep and how to prevent it.
“Fine...” Twilight sighed and rubbed at her eyes. “Is there something happening today?”
“Seeing as how you have a few things going on today, or so I was told, I took the liberty of preparing a schedule.” She offered Twilight a piece of paper from her clipboard. “I’ve tentatively arranged for you to have breakfast with Lady Rosa. It was the only time she was available today.”
“She’s busy?”
Raven shook her head. “Not terribly. She was up this morning at four to start working. Anyway, after breakfast you have a few hours free ‘till your next appointment.”
“Thanks Raven.”
“My pleasure Twilight.” She reached into her saddlebags and pulled out a slip of paper. Twilight took it and stole a quick glance. It was brief directions. “That’s where you’ll be meeting. Breakfast will be served in forty...” Raven stopped to check her pocket watch. It was a truly ancient thing; passed down between each one of Celestia’s secretaries. “Forty-two minutes.”
Twilight nodded. “Alright.”
“Oh... And Twilight?”
“Yes?”
“Celestia mentioned what you’re trying to accomplish here, or at least start. If you are looking to take up more responsibilities, I know some ponies who would serve you well as a secretary.”
“I think I’m fairly organized, or at least I’m not that busy yet.”
“It would be easier to start looking for one before you get so busy that you need one.”
The idea was attractive in that respect, though Twilight wasn’t quite comfortable with the idea of somepony else conducting her schedule. “I’ll consider it. Spike generally helps me schedule, so I think I can manage for the moment.”
“If it works for you, I won’t criticize it,” Raven said. “I’m afraid I must be off now. I have the enjoyable task of trying to rouse Celestia after she slept in.”
She giggled. “Well, best of luck with that. You have my approval to use whatever method you see fit.”
A part of Twilight worried as Raven trot off with a spring in her step, but much of the morning was already gone and there was plenty of work to be done. The first event on the schedule, clearly highlighted, was breakfast with Lady Rosa. The only issue was, she couldn’t put a location to the name: Firefield Grotto. She knew it was in the castle gardens, from the directions on the slip Raven had given her, but nothing more. Perhaps she had just forgotten, but she couldn’t quite place her hoof on what seemed so strange.
→ ↔ ←
The Royal Gardens consisted of several elaborate and expansive areas of the castle grounds. While more frequently used by the princesses for pleasant walks, the gardens often served to host diplomatic discussions with ambassadors for other nations, or garden parties by the affluent elite. The remainder of the time, they were a common place for the castle staff to have their breaks. With the Equestrian government ever expanding as the population bloomed, rooms used less critical functions were shifted elsewhere, often to the subterranean levels. The castle dungeon had long since been renovated for other purposes, but they made for very dreary break rooms.
The gardens could be roughly divided into five sections: the maze, the banquet field, the statue garden, the gardens proper, and the conservatory. Each were frequently used, some for pleasure others for business. The directions Raven had given her took her along the outer few pathways of the hedge maze. It was unspoken but common knowledge that the maze also served another purpose; elicit romantic meetings. There were several stories, all plausible, about why Celestia had it grown. The two most popular: it had been built as a gift for young nobles to escape prying eyes of their peers and parents, or for Celestia and an unknown suitor. Needless to say, the latter was normally followed with rather scandalous guesses.
Twilight suspected the maze just to be a shortcut though, and was proven correct as the directions led her towards the statue garden. She was nearly starting to wonder if Raven had played a joke on her, when she heard a gentle rasp of stone on metal. A quick glance down at the note confirmed the sound and her destination to be in the same direction. The statues gave way to a few trees, then a clearing.
And a dragon.
A slate grey dragon stood on his hind legs, smoke pouring from his nostrils. His glowing fire-red eyes seemed to look over the whole clearing at once without focusing in any one place. The pillar he stood on rose up and split, letting him lean one arm on a ledge while the other held an oversized hammer at his side. It was only after a moment of staring that she realized the dragon was a statue which formed an elaborate chimney to a forge. Granted, it was probably the most lifelike statue of a dragon Twilight had ever seen, but it was still a statue. She was glad that the dappled tawny mare working at the anvil hadn’t seen her little blunder.
Twilight ran her hoof through her mane then cleared her throat. “Lady Rosa?”
“One sec’ princess,” she replied without even looking up. Her body shielded what she was working on from Twilight’s view. “Dammit,” she muttered. With a sigh, she placed what she was working on into the furnace, then turned to face Twilight. “Yes?”
Twilight’s initial impression of Rosaceae was very off from the imagery ‘lady’ suggested. Rosa was a large soft-tawny earth pony who’s dappled appearance came from the large splotches of soot and ash across her body. Her silver mane was tied back into a tight ponytail, and was slick with sweat. A few wayward strands framed tired pale blue eyes, but what stood out the most was her physique. Lady Rosa’s wiry build would barely have looked out of place on Big Mac.
“I take it you are Lady Rosa, right?”
She bobbed her head, taking a moment to brush back the few strands of her mane which had come loose.“You can drop the Lady, though. Makes me feel old.”
“Just so long as you don’t call me Princess.” Twilight answered.
“Your highness?”
She grimaced. “No.”
“Your grace, your eminence, your majesty... Am I getting warmer?” Rosa asked with a teasing grin.
Twilight’s ears flopped down, and she harrumphed. “How about I start calling you Granny Rosa.”
Rosa loosed a short bark of laughter. “Not a fan of the title, huh?”
“Not really,” she admitted. “It gets tiring after the first few... hundred times.” It was downright ridiculous at times. Ponies insisted that they address her as princess despite her protests, as if it was her name.
Elsewhere in the castle, Celestia sneezed.
Rosa held up a hoof, chuckling. “I like you, Twilight, and trust me, I get it.”
The hoof bump left Twilight’s hoof just as dirty as Rosa’s was. Twilight casually scrubbed it against a flagstone when Rosa turned to the forge. “Do you know anything about this statue?” Twilight asked. “I’ve never been in this part of the gardens.”
Rosa tossed her head towards the statue. “Him?” she asked. “Went by the name Firebrand.”
The name ticked Twilight’s memory. “Firebrand... Wasn’t he responsible for most of Celestia’s and Luna’s regalia?” That, and most of the throne room’s metalwork.
“Last time I checked. Some ponies wanted to build him a statue. He didn’t. This was a compromise.”
Twilight glanced up at the statue. The fact it was a compromise which sacrificed nothing spoke volumes of the sculptor’s talent. “The books I’ve read never mentioned if he was still alive.”
“Maybe, though he’s probably sleeping.” She turned to Twilight. “So, this about me seeing Blueblood?”
“Well... yes. The topic of crown advisors came up and I wanted to meet you. Not just everypony looks to be a crown advisor.”
Rosa leaned up against the table and arched an eyebrow. “This an interview then?”
“No,” Twilight admitted. “I’m still too inexperienced to be making that call, but it’s a good opportunity to observe the process and see what the ponies who want the position are like.”
“Well, that’s one take on it... Blueblood said anything about me then?”
It was a question Twilight had anticipated, and one she had prepared for, but it would seem no amount of practice would let her keep a straight face and feign ignorance. Rosa clearly recognized her expression as what it was, but the reaction was not one Twilight expected: laughter.
Rosa carried on for a few more seconds before noticed Twilight’s confusion. “Twilight, I know you’re new to politics, but it’s hard to believe that you don’t know about Blueblood.”
“I... I don’t follow.”
“Why in the world would I want an endorsement from Blueblood? That’s like a fire extinguisher getting the endorsement of an arsonist. Only ponies Blueblood would endorse are ones which could further his agendas, or to prop up one of his followers.” She shook her head. “Nah, I’m glad to hear... Well, know that.”
“Then why did you see him in the first place?”
Rosa’s smile fell. “That’s something I’ve been trying to figure out. It’s no small secret I get along well with Luna, so I asked for Celestia’s endorsement instead. I figured that way ponies would see it as a bit fairer. But I’m guessing somepony went and changed it on me.”
“Do you mean maliciously?”
“Eh? Oh. Yeah. I mean, it could be a mistake, but I certainly wouldn’t put any money on it.”
It was a sad truth that underhanded and subversive politics were alive and well in Canterlot. “Be that as it may,” Twilight said, “the fact it’s a crime to tamper with government documents would discourage some ponies.”
“True,” she admitted.“But, you’re forgetting one thing about ponies like them: it’s not a crime if you don’t get caught.” She turned and took a peek inside the furnace. A throaty laugh bubbled up at the sight. “Finally!
Twilight craned her neck to try and catch a glimpse of what it was. “A... Sword?”
“Commision piece for Luna,” Rosa explained. “It’s been awhile since I’ve made one. She supplied the metal, but I’ve never seen anything like it. It needs to be hotter than it has any right being before I can work it.”
There was a slight blue tinge to the metal in spite of it glowing from the heat. “I can’t say I recognize it either.”
“Well, I think I can make it work.”
“Do you need any help?”
“Not much with this, but do you know how to sharpen edges?”
“Yes, though I hardly make a practice of it.” Her laboratory equipment at time had instruments which needed to be sharp to reduce noise in collected data. Learning how to properly sharpen to a high precision had been far less wasteful than buying a new set each time.
Rosa gestured at the table set up, towards a set of chisels, knives and other tools. “If you wouldn’t mind sharpening some of them...”
“I can do that. ” Twilight picked up a couple of the tools, examining the ones which were most in need of maintenance. Her eyes drifted down the table, and fell upon a knife so different from the other. It was immaculately crafted, with fine lines through the hilt and blade, and a slight but gentle curve as it tapered to a point. The metals gleamed to an almost mirror polish, and the small pommel was sculpted into the image of a roaring dragon.
“Like it?”
Twilight looked up at Rosa, whom had an amused look in her eyes. “It’s incredible.”
“It’s one of my graduate pieces,” she explained.
“Where did you graduate from?”
Rosa laughed; the sound suited her. “Graduated my great-grandfather’s expectations. He wouldn’t leave me alone with his forge otherwise. Unlike my parents, he saw smithing as an art. He spent a couple of years teaching me the finer points of shaping metal, and some less than common techniques too. He was a crotchety old bastard, but dragons his age usually are.”
“You learned to smith from a dragon?” She paused as she connected what Rosa said. “Wait, your great-grandfather was a dragon?
Rosa smirked. “To the first: yes. It’s also why I’m using this forge instead of the ones in the guard tower.”
“Why’s that?” Twilight asked.
She disappeared under the table for a moment, and came back up with a burlap bag. She tugged out a translucent orange crystal of sorts, and tossed it to Twilight without a word.
There was something vaguely familiar about the piece, but Twilight couldn’t quite place her hoof on what... it...
She dropped the shard with a shriek, and scrambled back a couple of steps. “Fire elemental shards! You’re using fire elemental shards as fuel!”
The look Twilight got was half confused, half amused. “Yeah, and?”
“They burn almost hotter than an elder dragon’s fire!”
“When they burn,” Rosa added.
“Exactly!”
“Mind passing me one over?”
Confused, Twilight did so, standing well back from the little shard as she levitated it to Rosa. But to Twilight’s horror Rosa accepted it with her bare hooves. “Rosa!”
The warning went unheeded. “There’s one thing that most ponies forget about these things,” she said as she lay it onto the table. With a flourish, she drew the poker resting on the edge of the furnace. The tip came away cherry red, and she lay it against the shard as Twilight’s shout strangled in her throat.
And nothing happened.
“The ignition point is stupidly high,” Rosa explained as she returned the poker to the furnace. “They may burn hotter than dragonfire, but it takes dragonfire, or at least a well stoked charcoal furnace before they burn. If you have a special forge like this one, it’s barely worth fretting over.”
“I see.”
“And as for great-grandad being a dragon, it’s really not that big a deal. Only thing I get from him is a couple of scales here and there, a love of warmth, and...” she pursued her lips and blew a small gout of fire. “That.” She smacked her lips a couple of times. “Makes my mouth taste like ash though.”
“You’re a hybrid?”
In a world of many races and species, marriage outside one’s own kind was almost an inevitability, even if uncommon due to cultural and physical differences. Offspring of such unions were even more infrequent, displaying characteristics and magic of either parents. But the unique traits usually died out within a generation or two at most if the races didn’t intermingle any further. It was particularly rare to hear of traits surviving several generations, with a few exceptions.
Rosa stopped, then gave a disgruntled snort. “Yeah, if you think of it that way. But go back far enough, and I’m sure you can find another race in your family tree. Five generations back and you’re looking at a pool of thirty-two. Ten, and you’re looking at a thousand or so.”
“Still there are very few dragon-pony hybrids. They’re about as rare compared to hippogryphs, as hippogryphs are to ponies.”
Twilight couldn’t quite place the expression Rosa wore, guarded as it was. “And why do you think that is?”
“Different lifespans, cultural differences...” She hummed. “Neither of those would explain the low numbers though.”
“How big is a dragon?” Rosa asked with just the right amount of emphasis.
“What do you...” Twilight trailed off as her mind started to connect the dots. “Oh.” She suddenly felt all too warm as she blushed all the way to the tips of her ears at the mental picture. “Oh,” she repeated, this time more of a squeak than anything else. The blush doubled as Rosa cackled.
“I’m not saying you walked into that one but...”
She sighed. “Yes, I suppose I did.”
“You pretty much got it right, except maybe for diet, but I’m betting you were thinking something a little different. It’s hard to start a relationship knowing that one of you will still be living when the other’s bones have turned to dust. That’s what Great-grandpa said at least.” She snorted, and gave her head a dismissive shake. “It doesn’t exactly make for cheery conversation, does it?”
“No, I don’t mind,” Twilight confessed. “It’s actually similar to what Celestia has said about her age.”
“Really? How did you coax that out of her?”
“It’s a bit of a funny story, actually. I must have been about twelve, and I was determined to find Celestia a special somepony for heart and hooves day that year. There were flowcharts, lists, and diagrams about who would be the perfect match. I even had Cadence help me plan the date.”
“Oh, Cadence must have loved that.”
Giggling, Twilight nodded. “I want to say it was the sous-chef who won our selection, but I really can’t remember. It all went just about as well as you’d expect. Once it was all over, Celestia took us aside and explained to us why she didn’t have a special somepony. Even with everything she sees, the best of Equestria even, she still has to steel her heart against time.”
“So, has she ever been married?”
“That was my next question for her. Her exact words were: ‘I’m as flesh and blood as any other pony.’ ”
“Hmm...” Rosa was silent for a few seconds, then gave Twilight a conspiratorial look. “Makes you wonder if Princess Celestia’s ever hooked up with a dragon. There’s certainly features a mare her size could appreciate.”
“Rosa!” Twilight exclaimed sharply.
“What? I was just thinking it must get tiring being taller than everypony.”
She sighed, and rubbed her temple with a hoof. “Sure you were.”
The two fell into silence after that, Twilight turning her attention to the grindstone, while Rosa tended to the forge. Twilight had to admit, there was something very soothing about the work. There was a rhythmic pace to the motions, serenaded by the scent and sound of the fire, and the chirping of the birds in the trees. The noise of the city did not even reach this part of the gardens.
“Say, Twilight,” Rosa said after ten minutes.
She didn’t look up from the straight knife she was working on. “Hmm?”
“Is it true you’re working on an education reform?”
Twilight lifted the knife from the wheel, and set it down on the table. “Where did you hear that?”
“News travel fast.”
She nodded. “One more focused on magic, but yes.”
“Huh. Didn’t hear about the magic bit.”
“I’d still be happy to hear what you think.”
Rosa continued to tap the hot metal as she spoke. “I don’t mean to sound self serving, but formal education can be a bit of a bust for some professions.”
Twilight caught on quickly. “Traditionally, safety has been a large concern for teaching trades like smithing. It’s part of the reason why some trades have never been adopted by schools.”
“And it never will be, but that’s fine,” she blurted. “But it’s ridiculous that school is the only avenue considered. Apprenticeships are rare enough in Equestria.”
“I think I know of a few ponies in Ponyville in apprenticeships.” The first that came to mind was Bon Bon taking on Twist as an apprentice confectioner.
“Well... In the minotaur capital of Crete, they started a program just to match apprentices with masters. That was two hundred years ago. Now, it spans their entire country. Meanwhile in Equestria, there’s nothing. Word of mouth and searching are the only way apprentices find somepony willing to take them on. The ponies you know, they know each other, right?”
“Yeah,” Twilight admitted. She made a mental note to look into other countries’ education arrangements when she had time.
“To top it all off, there’s no place which really teaches how to integrate magic jobs not taught at school. Plus, I’d have to figure out how my magic fit in. When you can handle molten metal, things are a little different.”
Twilight found herself nodding, but stopped as she retook what Rosa said. “You can handle molten metal? Really?”
With a roll of her eyes, Rosa grabbed the glowing sword with a hoof. “Tada. Surprised you didn’t notice earlier.”
“I know dragons are capable of bathing in lava, but I’ve always presumed it was due to their scales.”
“Eh, something like that anyway.”
“Surely you’ve experimented.”
Rosa shrugged. “I’m not exactly in a rush to figure it out. If it’s something which is always ‘on’, it’s all good. But if it’s not, I hardly want to be swimming in lava when I figure it out.”
“You don’t even know that much?”
“You’re the expert on magic, you tell me what it is.”
“Hmm...” Twilight went silent for a minute. “Assuming your magic is the union of dragon and earth pony magic, it may be possible that your thaumatic field exists with both in some sort of synchronization. With the usual foci absent in your, the dragon magic may be, in essence, graffed to your skin by the earth pony magic.” She didn’t notice Rosa’s eyes glazing over. “The combination of the fields might result in a Quiche disruption though, rendering a natural equilibrium state impossible. So to be safe, I would lean towards it being a matter of concentration on the subconscious level. But–”
“Ah buh buh buh,” Rosa exclaimed, holding up her hoof in protest. “Seriously, Twi, not all of us know as much as magic as you do. Slow it down, dumb it down, and give me the short version.”
“I think it’s a matter of concentration, but it is governed by your subconscious instead of actively having to focus on it.” She shrugged. “I could be wrong, but I’d have to do some testing.”
“Well, Vert could probably help you there better than I could.”
“Who?”
“The colt who is late bringing breakfast along.”
Twilight cocked her head. “You sound annoyed.”
Rosa snorted and went back to hammering the unfinished sword. “When you were a filly, and running late when you were around the kitchens, why were you late?”
Twilight saw the point Rosa was trying to make. “Cookies and sweets.”
She nodded. “I’ll be right pissed if he’s spoiled his appetite.”
Five minutes later, the sound of a squeaky trolley gave way to a set of hooves. The trolley, almost comically overburdened, shook as it crossed the cobblestones, but every platter was still in place.
“Vert, you took your sweet time,” Rosa exclaimed. “You had better not have snuck any cookies.”
“I didn’t, honest!” a young voice protested. “Chef didn’t have it ready yet.”
“Hmmm,” she hummed, sounding unconvinced. “I might check with him later, but for now, be on your best behaviour. The princess is here.”
Vert’s head darted out from behind the cart, followed by the rest of him, and Twilight instantly understood what Rosa meant by “helping her better”. Vert was just like Rosa, only decisively more of a dragon. At a quick glance, he was a cloud-blue pegasus, but only if one’s eyes did not linger for more than a second. Vert’s face was more angular than a pony’s, and he had scales under his chin and neck, and around his startling draconic eyes. He had feathers along the leading edge of his wings, and a claw at the elbow, but no primaries or secondaries, just the leathery skin of a dragon’s wing. His forehooves were decidedly equine, with a set of very stubby claws, but his rear legs were built after a dragon.
But what Twilight missed in her analysis was Vert’s smile fading into a scowl. He huffed. “Take a picture, it will last longer.”
“Vertiginous Vapour Brontide, what did I just say!” Rosa exclaimed.
“But she was staring at me!” he protested.
Twilight spoke up before Rosa could respond. “I was Rosa, and I’m sorry for staring at you, Vert. I’ve never met a pony like you, but you look very similar to Spike.”
“Spike?” Vert scrunched his muzzle, then brightened. “Is he a dragon?”
“Why yes. I hatched him from his egg, and he’s lived with me for years. He’s a little brother to me.”
“That’s so cool!” he exclaimed, his annoyance already forgotten. “I’ve never met a dragon before. Is he here in Canterlot?”
She couldn’t help but grin at his enthusiasm. “No, Spike’s in Ponyville right now, but he comes to Canterlot frequently enough. He’d probably be happy to meet with you.”
“Yes!” he crowed. “What’s Spike like? Does he like comic books? Oh! Maybe I could make him something.”
“Vert,” Rosa chastised, though she couldn’t keep the smile from her voice.
But he didn’t hear her. “Yeah, I could probably make him something. But what to make?” Vert’s train of thought was derailed when Rosa blew a tongue of flame across his snout. He yelped and rubbed the side of his leg across his nose. “Why?”
She chuckled. “You’re thinking aloud again.”
He blushed. “Oh.”
“I'd be happy to answer your questions, Vert,” Twilight said, “but why don’t we don’t we do it over breakfast. I’m sure we all must be a little hungry.” She wandered over to the cart, and lifted one of the lids to reveal several slices of pound cake with gems baked into them. “Gemloaf?” She and Rosa looked at Vert.
He squirmed under their gazes; one amused, the other annoyed. “I haven’t eaten any of it. They just gave it to me.”
She set the lid back down. “Well, why don’t we save that for dessert then.” Underneath the next platter were much more appropriate omelettes.
~~~~~~~~~~~~~
Half an hour later, Twilight and Rosa sat beneath one of the trees, watching Vert work enthusiastically at the forge making nails. The task would familiarize him with the forge, and make him realize that the bulk of smithing wasn’t crafting fancy gadgets and gizmos, but basic work and repairs. Nails were all but guaranteed to sell or have a use somewhere, even with them being mass produced.
Rosa patted her stomach. “Shame you can’t eat gemloaf. That was awfully good.”
“And here I thought you didn’t want Vert to have any sweets. Come to think of it, you’re probably the one who ordered some.”
“Guilty.” She sighed. “It just feels wrong not cutting Vert a little slack, he’s been through a lot for someone his age.”
They were silent. Across the clearing a Lunar guard emerged from the treeline, evidently looking for Twilight the way he brightened when he saw her. She signaled or him to wait. “Vert’s an orphan, isn’t he?” It was a bit of a rhetorical question. What Rosa had said, and something else Twilight couldn’t quite put her hoof on, tipped her off.
“Yeah,” Rosa said plainly. “He was bounced around from orphanage to orphanage till he ended up with nowhere left to go but a spartan room in the castle. It wasn’t behavioral problems, but the fact there’s nowhere really designed for somepony like him. The princesses caught wind and try to right the wrongs, but by then he had closed up to everypony. I was Luna’s last option, and as luck would have it, it worked.”
Twilight looked at Vert in a newfound light. “You adopted him? That’s–”
“I didn’t,” she interrupted, “and that’s the problem. I’m no social worker, or some motherly saint. I’m a long ways from being ready to have kids, but Luna told me I was the last pony who might be able to draw him out of his shell. She said it was because I was like him, but all I knew how to do was make him my apprentice. I’m scared for when that’s not enough.”
The guard on the other side of the clearing gestured for Twilight to finish up. She stood, levitating her saddlebags over. “Rosa, while I don’t claim to be a physiatrist, I’ve read a lot of books on the subject. All of them make one thing very clear though: no two ponies are the same, and the answer is often different for every situation. Whatever you’ve done, it’s obviously working, and that means everything. Heck, you just said that you were the last option they had. What does it say when you’ve managed where everypony else failed him?”
“It means it’s just a matter of time before I mess up,” Rosa said glumly.
“Then you mess up,” she answered. “So what. You mess up, and you get over it together so you don’t mess up again. Maybe you’re too close to Vert to see it, but I think he respects you far more than you realize. I’m sure being like him might have helped at first, but it’s who you are that w0uld have made the difference. And if he’s really opened up to you, it would take a lot more than a mistake to ruin what you two have.”
Rosa was silent, then chuckled slowly. “Figured you were made a princess for something after all. Thanks, Twilight.”
“It’s what I’m here for.”
That got another laugh out of the mare. “Hey Vert,” she shouted, “come say goodbye to Twilight!”
“She’s leaving?” he asked, a hint of panic colouring his voice as he ran over.
“Sorry Vert,” Twilight said, “but I suspect the guard needs me for something.”
“But I’m not finished yet.”
The two mares shared a look. “Finished what?” Twilight asked.
“And weren’t you supposed to be working on nails?” Rosa asked.
“Well, I made a mistake... I bent one of the nails, and I was trying to... But it gave me a really cool idea! I wanted to give it to Princess Twilight.”
“That’s so thoughtful of you Vert,” Twilight said, to which he blushed, “but why don’t I stop by tomorrow and you can give it to me then. That way, it gives you some extra time to work on it.”
He brightened, his ears twitching happily. “Ok. Bye Princess!” Then he darted back over to the anvil. Rosa just dipped her head, then followed his lead, albeit at a normal pace.
Twilight trotted over the guard, who bowed halfway. “Princess,” he said, “It is imperative you come with me at once.”
“Why, what’s the matter.”
He broke into a trot, and she quickly fell into step. “A guard has stolen from the crown,” he explained. “Princess Luna requests your presence in dealing with the matter.”
“Why? Who is it?”
“Private Thistle Down.”