//------------------------------// // 1 Foalish desires and Scholarly lessons // Story: Transformations and Nightmares // by QueenLunaMoth //------------------------------// Twilight was born at the crux of the night when the moon and stars rose above. Something connected with the filly there are few if any who could sense it, however, those that could be locked away or were simply just unaware however many somethings all knew of her birth and many say that the night of her birth the stars never shined down so brightly in such a long time that the. One who was left to feel the connection awoke to the brightness in fear and dread and a tiny bit of hope however as the brightness faded so too did the feelings. The little foal was terrible for several nights she wept and stayed awake all hours barely sleeping that is until one night the tired parents passed out outside with their foal as the night rose so so did the stars and the filly slept soundly. After a few more experimental nights to see what caused such a restful night they found a simple illusion of the night sky or the view of it was enough for their foal whom would sleep soundly every night ever since. As the years past now, a young filly no older than 6 she stood front a large stage upon it stood a large golden rod adorned with an upward facing crescent made to look similar to the sun shining. The stage itself black and white one side adorned with the moon the other the sun. IT was the summer sun festival the rising of the sun for all to see and she was in front. What the young filly saw was utter brilliance as the Princess walked up onto the stage the night sky still shone brightly with stars even as the moon now nearly was hid away. She was excited sure she'd seen a sunrise before but this was different. The large Alicorn radiated brilliance her mane shone as if a sea of colors. Though the little filly frowned she felt sadness, pain, heartache and even then as a little filly it was almost painfully obvious the princess had been crying though no one seemed to notice but her. And as fast as she noticed and since it, the feelings passed and were almost all but lost again in a new wave of excitement as the show began. At first silence and darkness Twilight once more felt...heard? Humming it was sad and yet beautiful. Time seemed to...slow as the princess raised the sun. Twilight felt..saw the magic the humming and song seemed to break away replaced by foolish glee and wonder. The young filly once more seemed to all but forget the strange connection she felt. She was filled with desier...need she wanted to learn magic it was used to create such wonder and beauty. The day after the festival she got her hooves on every magic book she could find. Pouring herself into studying magic she desperately wanted to become like the Princess. When she studied she would catch her elf humming a strange song again and again. When she slept she found herself dreaming of being Celestia..or a princess. Dreams of adventure, flying, magic all of it. She found herself wanting to be a princess too wings and all at least that what she thought what was needed to be a princess. Though as years passed the dreams and foalish desires faded 5 years later she was old enough to enter the Canterlot Academy sure over the years she had gone to normal magic school but this was the time she wanted to be the best at magic that dreams still lived on..so did the tinge of desire to be a princess though it was confused for wanting to be in the same school that the princess taught. The room was empty except for her parents 4 judges and an egg. Elsewhere 5 other fillies around her age. Two at a race, one in the big city lying to herself about her desires, one getting dragged to a rock and one working at a rock farm little did any of them know just how much their lives were about to change. "You may begin." the instructors told her Elsewhere a race began and destiny...fate or maybe luck all intertwined as Twilight began to try and hatch the egg, little did she know the test was a test for failure scenario the egg had been in Canterlot for over 100 years and had been a long standing entrance exam test after all who could hatch a clearly dormant dragon's egg. As her attempts failed to do more than light the egg up she frowned. "I'm sorry I don't think I can hatch it." Seeing them scribbling furiously she found herself wishing...no BEGGING the stars..wishing upon them in her heart and in her mind that she succeed she had never wanted anything more than this at this moment. Moments later a BOOM rang out it was loud and bright and magical. A young flyer had broken the magic barrier. The sound barrier was easy the Wonderbolts did that all the time but the elusive magic barrier was deemed unpassable any who tried were just tossed back into the air often getting hurt. However not this time a Sonic Rainboom erupted a mare tale as old as Equestria itself, maybe older, cracked through the barrier showering the world in a tidal wave of color and magical energy from the wave. It cracked a rock, pointed a mare home, helped a mare commune with animals, brought a smile to a young ponies face, and lastly the wave of magic hit twilight little did she know she was absorbing it and a startled gasp her horn shot out magic hatching the egg but it grew worse as the wave hit she was rocked with immense power she transformed her parents held the judges captive, grew the dragon huge. She felt immense magic coursing through her, silent whispers of welcome a feeling of acceptance, images flashed and played in her mind what looked like a great battle. she felt pain and sadness and more the images faded..as did all the sensations as a hoof came down on her shoulder. As she calmed down the wave of magic rolling from her faded and everything turned to normal once more. "Greeting little one it's ok..you're not in trouble, never before have I seen a unicorn with such raw potential as you. I have seen no mare even I even crack this egg and I did spend many years trying to hatch him. You have much to learn and much potential little one..would you be my personal student?" Twilights little mind broke.. the princess the mare who she had worshipped as her idol and hero for many years now was asking her to be her student...she only had one answer...she didn't even look to her family for permission. "Yes yes yes yes yes yes yes yes yes yes!" she said bounding about like a small filly she was. "There is more...it appears in the ruckus you earned your cutie mark..you indeed have much potential for few unicorns in Equestria's long history ever earn a mark signifying magic such as yours. "Magic what?" she asks looking at her flank to see a purple star surrounded by many white stars on her flank. "I got my cutie mark...I got my cutie mark...princess how do you know my talent is magic?" "That star is the symbol for magic it fills me with joy to see it again after so many years." the Princess's voice grew sad. "However you have great potential I look forward to teaching you, my student." The day, of course, would go down in her mind as the best day ever she got her cutie mark, she became the princess's personal student and she got to go to her dream school. Spike became her adopted son by all rights though upon asking if she was ready to be his caretaker she firmly answered yes. Though it took several yes answers before the princess trusted her as well as a promise to ask for help should and when it was needed. Twilights life was changed since that day. The first year she spent learning control, magic schools, branches, magical theory all things magic and her talent grew as did her hunger for knowledge all of which she devoured at an amazing speed, accuracy, and skill. She also took care of Spike as often as she could, of course, going to Celestia for books on dragons and what to feed them her family aided as well. Her family took the change in their own ways. Her mother, a famous writer who before her acceptance had been in a slump had begun a writing frenzy and often asked Twilight for every detail of her days for the first few months. Her Father ever the astronomer of the family tried his best to give her all he knew knowing she'd cared about the night sky more than any astronomer he had met in a long time including himself. He was inspired and often began studying the night sky again though while something did bring him warmth and joy again with the same old overstudied sky above it merely became star gazing not true study. Her brother, already in the guard recruits pushed himself harder than ever sure Twilight was learning from the Princess but she was still his sister and he'd work to become a guard so he could spend time in the castle with her. Another strange yet wonderful change was the addition of Cadence Celestia herself often would ask Cadence to watch over Twilight when she could not as a 'foal-sitter' despite Twilight not being a foal as she proclaimed numerous times. But of course the two became fast friends and Cadence's warm and caring demeanor made Twilight form a strong bond. She often caught her self almost calling her sister numerous times after only 5 months together. "It's ok Twilight I know I'm an Alicorn like Celestia but I'm not her remember I told you you can treat me as if you would another pony." "I..I know that..but I keep..I keep." she blushes and mumbles. "I keep wanting to call you sister." Cadence simply giggles. "Then little sister what is wrong with calling me that?" "B..but we're not related i..isn't it weird?"Twilight asked utterly shocked Cadence was so welcoming of the idea. Cadance looked askance looking at a training Shining Armor before turning back to Twilight her pink fur hiding her own small blush "Well let's say I can grow used to the title and no." she paused collecting herself. "Calling some pony a sister isn't bad if you REALLY think of them that way I know of many adopted fillies and colts with siblings and of course there are even some who have big or little sisters despite having no relation at all it's very lovely." she giggles. "But Love is funny like that it works in strange ways...I should know..now...HUGS!" the small unicorn was met with an infamous Cadance hug. While Twilight was too young to understand fully that Cadence was the Alicorn of Love she did know that Cadence's hugs were 'feared' and loved by all she could make even the grumpiest melt in her embrace...and Twilight was pretty sure she had heard she tackled a large gryphon official in a hug once when she was younger and tackled him to the floor. But of course she did not use such ferocity with Twilight, at least Twilight thought so often hugging her back in kind. The early years were also the hardest on Twilights nerves and budding personality. For the first few months she worried about every little test and practice scared of failure once again, after all, it was pure luck she got accepted...or so she worried and fretted and thought. However, Celestia, seeing this slowly helped nudge her away from this path. Even giving her new tests for failure after succeeding at 3 of them Celestia almost gave up until something happened. A resounding CRACK and crunch could be heard as Celestia walked by an old Study room. She had given it to Twilight until she could get the tower she had planned as the mares dorm and study area and small observatory all in one it was the perfect little tower for her student but it wasn't ready yet. A panicked whimper is heard from within. Pressing her ear to the door to see if Twilight was ok she heard. "Oh no oh no oh no how did I break the desk..it's solid oak!" Celestia could not believe her luck she thanked magic and then called through the door. "Twilight...I thought I heard a noise are you alright," she said barely containing a grin. This was perfect she'd catch her student having done wrong and let her realize failure and mistakes were ok she needed worry so much about them "N...no Princess nothing happened I..um..dropped a book on your old study desk." This caused Celestia to stifle a small giggle though she did wonder how it broke she herself had struck the desk with magic several times in frustration though all those left where old scorch marks. "Oh well then let me come in I need to get something." she smiles beginning to open the door with her magic." "NO!" came a cry and to Celestia's surprise, the door was slammed shut in Twilight's purple magic aura. "Twilight..what have I told you about control and over reacting?" she said sternly not mad no she'd never grown mad at twilight, Tartarus knows she was never mad at her sister either..just sad. Shaking off the sad thoughts she didn't hear Twilight's answer. "Twilight I'm coming in whether you like it or not," she calls out and barges in not letting the filly try and stop her. To her surprise, she was trying her hardest to fix the desk with magic she REALLY was. "So which book did you drop on it my faithful student I don't know a book large enough to do THAT to a desk and if there was I'm rather sure I'd see it." she smiles down at the filly who starts crying. "Don't ban me from the school please or send me back t magic kindergarten I..I can fix it I swear." "Twilight it's ok...it's just a desk..I've been TRYING to teach you how to fail and you kept succeeding I almost gave up you know I couldn't think of a task suitable for a filly your age that I knew would make you fail. Twilight..the dragon egg you hatched is a test for failure test as well...every test like it you have done the impossible and succeeded each time. I am loath to admit it Twilight but you frustrated me..and that's ok. You also made me proud. I want you to know that even if you fail or are tardy or all the things I see you worry about they aren't as important as you think. Twilight do you think I have ever failed..answer truthfully." "N..no Princess..never you're a princess you raise the sun and the moon and rule Equestria I have never seen you fail." Celestia giggles. "Then you have not been paying attention dear student. I fail I am reminded of my greatest failure of all every night..but that's not a story for now. I will tell you other tales such as how when Canterlot first was being built it fell off the mountain it took me years to clean up the wreckage fully I'm sure you can probably still find a pillar or two if you look deep enough. The nobles...hmm no I believe I know what we will study next to my dear student." "W..what." Twilight sniffles wondering what failure was so bad it made her remember it every night. "We'll be teaching you politics and culture I believe it is time to take a break from magic, for now, you may still study and practice on your own and I will give you magic assignments but I think today shows me you need to be given some more worldly experience after all you are my personal student." "O..of course Princess anything for you,"Twilight said eagerly "Hehe lesson one my student don't be so eager to please while it can be good at times it can also be a weakness here come with me." Celestia stands and her student follows both forgotten about the destroyed desk as they head back into the castle for Twilight's new lessons.