//------------------------------// // Sowing Seeds // Story: Time Goes On // by Fangren //------------------------------// “In conclusion, the spatial requirements for class-3 transmutative spellwork to be seeded properly restrict its use to a far greater degree than does simple magic power limitations. It is for this reason that the ability to perform such spellwork does not conform to Stellar's First Law. Therefore, a unicorn trying to do class-3 transmutation should first ensure that the surrounding environment does not have too high a density of ambient magic before enlisting any necessary casting assistance from other unicorns.” Twilight finished the reading with a satisfied nod, rolled up the scroll, and waited. And waited. And waited. And looked down at her assistant, who was balancing a spoon on his nose. Or trying to, anyway – it fell off when she cleared her throat at him. “Well, Spike?” “Huh-wha? Oh!” the dragonling stammered, focus returning to his eyes as he looked at Twilight. “It was, uhh... academic!” he said after a blatant attempt at searching for the right word to say. “Yeah, real academic,” he added with a proud nod. “Good job, Twilight!” She wasn't amused, and frowned accordingly. “Spike, this is important,” she told him, trotting past him for no real reason beyond a need to move about. “Princess Celestia is expecting my report on class-3 transmutation in three days, and it has to be perfect! I have to spend as much time working on it as possible.” “Well, it's not that big a deal,” Spike said, watching her pace. “I mean, you already finished it, right? So all you have to do is revise it, and you've got three whole days!” Twilight immediately spun around to face him. “But what if I find something wrong that requires me to rewrite an entire section?” she asked, unable to stop her growing panic. She gasped. “What if I have to rewrite the entire paper?!” Spike scoffed. “Since when has something like that ever happened to you?” “There's a first time for everything, Spike!” “Well if you're really that worried,” Spike offered, “just have Sunset look over it when she gets here!” He motioned down towards the front door just as there was a knock at it. “Hey, right on cue!” Spike said brightly, hustling downstairs without hesitation. Twilight hemmed and hawed for a few seconds before setting her rolled-up essay on her desk and trotting after him. She reached the bottom just as Spike opened the door and Sunset walked in. “Hey, you two ready to go?” she asked with a smile, looking directly at Twilight. “Uhh, yeah! Definitely!” Twilight answered, forcing herself to smile back. “Twilight's having essay problems,” Spike answered after Sunset gave him a questioning look. “Could you look it over so she'll stop worrying about it?” “Yeah, sure,” Sunset said without hesitation, looking back at Twilight. “You want me to look at it now, or when we get back?” Twilight suddenly found herself laughing nervously and walking past her towards the open door. “Mmmmaybe later,” she answered. “I'd rather not keep my brother waiting, you know how busy he is.” Sunset shrugged and turned to follow. “Hey, no complaints here. The last thing I want is to throw you off schedule.” She said this in a teasing tone, and both mares laughed. Behind them, Spike closed the door to his and Twilight's apartment before scurrying forward and hopping on his surrogate sister's back. “Ha ha,” she said dryly as they walked side-by-side down the stairs and onto the pathways crisscrossing campus. “Thanks for helping me keep it, then. Though I am still surprised you wanted to come have lunch with me and Shining Armor.” Again, Sunset shrugged. “What can I say? I kinda just wanna meet him.” She looked up in thought for a moment, then said “Well, meet him in a way that lets me talk to him, anyway. I don't think seeing him for a few seconds after meetings and stuff really counts.” They laughed again. “Well, that's my brother for you,” Twilight said. “He's barely had time for anypony since he became Captain of the Royal Guard. I'm lucky he had any spare time to have lunch with me.” “And on such a nice day, too,” Sunset said, the three looking up at the bright sun and cloudless sky. “Only a few of these days left before fall really sets in.” “I know!” Twilight said, feeling herself beam as bright as the sun. “I only wish he had time for more than just lunch.” “Yeah,” Spike said in a teasing tone, “I bet he'd love to proofread your essay.” Sunset laughed, and Twilight rolled her eyes. “Yes,” she told him with a smile. “But I was thinking more along the lines of just spending more time with him catching up. I'd love to tell him about everything I've learned, and I'm sure he has lots of stories to tell me about being Captain of the Royal Guard.” “Probably,” Sunset said with a bemused smile of her own. “Say, you don't happen to know if he's bringing Princess Cadance with him, do you? I know it's a long shot given how busy she is, but I've been meaning to talk to her and it'd be pretty convenient. I...,” she looked down and away, “have some things I need to apologize for.” “My old foalsitter?” Twilight asked, cocking an ear and a brow. “What does she have to do with anything?” “She's-” Sunset began to reply, giving Twilight a look of utter incredulity that Twilight didn't understand. Then Sunset blinked, did a double-take, and gave her a look that was somehow even more incredulous than the last one. “Wait, you were foalsat by the Princess of Love? Seriously?!” Her question was hostile enough to spark a flash of fear and worry in Twilight, who flinched and folded her ears back. “Wh-what? Th-that isn't a problem, is it?” she stammered, eyes darting around to see if anypony was judging her for her apparent wrong-doing. “No, no,” Sunset said, a hoof over her closed eyes. “It's fine, Twilight. I'm just surprised that a princess would resort to foalsitting.” “Ohhhhh, ha ha ha, right...” Sheepish laughter out of the way, Twilight allowed the tension to leave her body. She and Sunset resumed walking shortly after. “Well, whatever her reasons, she sure was the best foalsitter ever!” she said, smiling brightly at the memories. Sunset chuckled. “I'll take your word for it. So, you know if she's coming to lunch with Shining Armor?” “Why would she?” Twilight replied, raising an eyebrow. Sunset mirrored the gesture. “Because she's dating your brother?” “She is?” Spike asked. Twilight laughed at the absurdity of it. “What? No she's not... Shining Armor? Dating? Him?” Whatever else she meant to say was lost to the giggles and snorts, which didn't stop until Sunset fixed her with a level glare. “Sparkle, they're like the most famous couple in all of Equestria. They've been on magazine covers! How do you not know about them?” “Because there is no 'them',” Twilight replied, rolling her eyes and snorting. “You might be good at figuring out other ponies, Sunset, but I know my brother, and he does not have a marefriend. Clearly,” she said, letting herself be just a little bit smug about it for all the times Sunset had done the same to her, “you are mistaken. I mean,” she laughed, “if Shining Armor really were dating somepony, why wouldn't he, I don't know, tell me about it?” “An incredibly busy life combined with a misguided belief that even you couldn't possibly be that dense?” Sunset answered with so little hesitation that it nearly shook Twilight's confidence. But it didn't, though, and so she laughed a single, short laugh. “Well then, I guess we'll just have to ask him ourselves, won't we?” Sunset was quite for an awful long time before she donned a small smile and said “Yeah, I guess so.” It was only a few more minutes before the three reached their destination, a small upscale cafe off Restaurant Row called 'The Creme & Sugar'. Twilight had never been to it before, but with a glowing recommendation from Shining Armor she was more than willing to give it a try. She barely even had to look to find him there; the cafe's patio was mostly empty but she knew she'd be able to spot her BBBFF even if it was crowded. Shining Armor had seen them too, and grinned and waved them over. Then Twilight noticed the pony sitting next to him, and shortly thereafter felt Sunset's hip bump into her own. She took one look at the told-you-so smirk on Sunset's lips, looked back at the familiar pink pony with a horn and wings sitting with her brother, and hissed “This! Proves! Nothing!” Twilight ignored Sunset's snickering as they walked over, and allowed herself to become excited over the prospect of reuniting with her old foalsitter. And before she knew it she was darting forward and leaving Spike behind, making a beeline for the older mare. “Cadance! Is that you?” she asked excitedly. “Sure is,” Cadance answered with a warm smile, getting up from her seat and moving around the table to greet Twilight. “Sunshine sunshine, ladybugs awake! Clap your hooves and do a little shake!” Their ritual complete, the two hugged and giggled like a couple of schoolfillies. “It's so nice to see you again! What are you doing here?” Twilight asked as they broke the embrace. “Oh, well, you know,” Cadance answered, her laughter dying down as both mares moved to take their seats, “I heard you two were having lunch together and I had an opening in my schedule, so I figured why not ask Shining Armor if I could tag along?” She looked at him as she said that and even placed a hoof on his for some reason, quickly ending what Twilight could tell was him holding back a snicker. She looked to the side to see Spike still doing the same, while Sunset's gaping mouth and wide eyes were all twitching like she didn't know whether to be horrified or amused. “And I said yes, obviously,” Shining Armor added a moment later. “It's just been so long since we've seen each other!” Cadance continued, looking over Twilight. “You've really grown!” Twilight laughed and waved a hoof. “Oh, well, you know how it is, growth spurts and all... But enough about that, how have you two been?” she asked, leaning towards them with an eager smile. “You know, Sunset here actually thinks the two of you are dating?” she said, pointing a hoof at her strangely silent friend and laughing. “Crazy, right? I mean can you imagine?” Cadance and Shining Armor shared a confused look, then in unison said “But... we are.” Twilight's laughter petered out, and her smile fell away. “I'm sorry, what?” “We are,” Shining told her. “Dating, I mean.” He put a foreleg around Cadance as she leaned into him. “I told you so,” Sunset said. Twilight was too busy gaping in shock to look at her, but she just knew Sunset had an irritatingly smug little smile on her face right then. “Buh... wha...” she stammered, her mind racing and her muzzle struggling to keep up. “Since when?” “For a few years now,” Cadance answered, frowning. “You really didn't know?” “No!” Twilight replied, unable to keep herself from shouting. “Sorry, Twily,” Shining said, sheepishly rubbing the back of his head. “I really should have told you, but I... guess I thought you'd find out on your own. We haven't exactly been secretive about it or anything. I mean, we've been on magazine covers!” “Several magazine covers,” Cadance added. Twilight sighed glumly and hung her head. “That just makes me feel even worse. What kind of sister am I if I completely missed this?” “One that's been incredibly busy these past few years?” Sunset answered, putting a hoof on her shoulder. “Both with her studies, and dealing with Princess Celestia's incredibly bossy and demanding other student?” Twilight looked up into Sunset's unexpectedly soft smile and couldn't help but snort. “Seriously Sparkle,” Sunset added, “this is bad, but it's not that bad. All of you have been too busy to keep up with each other's lives, isn't that the whole reason we're here? So you and your brother can catch up on all the stuff you've missed?” Shining looked from her to Twilight, and nodded. “Exactly. I don't think any less of you for not realizing I had a girlfriend, Twily.” He reached across the table and put his hooves on hers. “What kind of BBBFF would I be if I did that?” That got a smile from Twilight, albeit a small one. “Good question. One I don't wanna find the answer to, thank you very much.” The siblings started laughing, and moments later their friends joined in. The laughter petered out, and a nearby waiter used the opportunity to hustle over and get the party's attention. “Are Her Royal Highness and guests ready to place their orders?” he asked, bowing low to Cadance as he approached but standing tall as he looked at the other four. “Hmm...,” Cadance murmured in reply, taking one of the menus lying on the table in her magic. The other ponies followed suit; Spike used his claws. “Personally, I gotta recommend today's special,” Shining Armor said after quickly flipping through the menu until he found what he apparently wanted. “Yeah, the special sounds good,” Cadance replied, smiling and setting her menu down. “Special it is!” Twilight happily chimed in, neatly folding her own menu. She looked to Sunset and Spike expecting them to join the chorus, only to find them still looking over their options. “You know what?” Sunset said after a minute, lowering her menu and looking the waiter in the eye. “I think I'll have the stuffed peppers.” “Very well, Miss,” the waiter replied with a bow. “And the, ah, young... sir?” he said next after a bit of hesitation, looking at Spike who was still reading his menu with a noticeable frown. “I don't even know what half this stuff is,” he admitted, scrunching his face up in distaste. “Much less how to say it.” Sunset, sitting next to him, craned her neck over to read his menu. “Yeah, I think you just wanna stick to the appetizers.” Spike raised a brow and turned to the relevant page, and Sunset pointed at an item with her hoof. “Try these. They're basically just hay fries. You like those, right?” “Yup,” Spike nodded. He folded the menu open and pointed out his selection to the waiter, saying “I'll take an order of these, as crispy as they come.” The waiter nodded. “But of course, sir. And what would the party like to drink?” he asked, looking over the group again until; his gaze landed on Cadance. “Umm, just water for now,” Cadance answered for them all, looking around and seeing no objections. “Right away, ma'am,” the waiter said, bowing low. He gathered the menus up with his magic, and walked away. Cadance quickly filled in the lull he left behind. “So, how have you all been doing?” she asked, looking over the three youngest before settling her gaze on Sunset. “I won't lie, Sunset, even after hearing about how you've changed from Auntie Celestia I wasn't expecting you to be here.” Sunset answered with an awkward laugh, rubbing the back of her head and looking away briefly. “Yeah, well...” She trailed off there, then took a breath and looked Cadance in the eye. “Part of it is that I was hoping you'd show up. I... kinda want to apologize for a few things. The Gala, the parade, Hearts and Hooves day,” she explained, pausing to sigh, “the 'study session'... Pretty much every time Princess Celestia made us interact, really. I was a brat, and gave you a harder time than you deserved.” “'Was'?” Twilight said, the corner of her mouth twitching. “Ha ha,” Sunset said, rolling her eyes. Cadance laughed into her hoof. “Well, I forgive you for all of it, Sunset.” “Really?” “Mmhm,” she nodded. “It's water under the bridge. Though I am curious about what brought on the apology.” Sunset sighed, more out of aggravation than anything else. “It's honestly just because somepony,” she gave Twilight a pointed look, and got smiled at in return, “has forced me to realize that I'm not quite as great as I've always acted like I was. I've been rude to a few ponies who didn't deserve it,” she explained, rolling a hoof and tilting her head listlessly, “so I've been apologizing to them when I get the chance.” The princess giggled. “Wow, Sunset, looks like you've really changed a little.” “Yeah,” Shining added with a beaming smile at his sister. “I guess Twily's a good influence on you.” Twilight blushed. “Oh, no, I'm not...,” she said, waving her hoof. To her surprise, Spike snorted. “Yeah. As much as Twilight's an influence on Sunset, Sunset's an influence on Twilight, too. You've been pushing yourself way harder in your studies, and you barely talk to anypony anymore besides me, Sunset, Princess Celestia, and your family!” Feeling Shining and Cadance's eyes shift onto her Twilight squirmed uncomfortably on her seat, then looked at Spike. “S-so I'm a little more competitive in my studies nowadays,” she said, “nothing wrong with that! And I'm a busy mare, I don't have time to just...-” she rolled her hoof vaguely- “stop and chat with anypony I meet. I talk to who I need to talk to, and let everypony else go about their business without bothering them. Besides, they wouldn't be interested in what I want to talk about anyway.” “What about your old teachers and classmates?” Spike asked, raising a brow. “I'm sure they'd be interested.” “They have their own research to worry about, Spike,” Twilight countered. “Or studies, or classes, or jobs, or whatever else! They have things they want to do, and I have things I want to do. No sense in two ponies trying to strike up a conversation when both of them have other things they'd rather do, right?” Spike looked down at his claws. “I guess...” “It's gonna be hard to make friends if you don't talk to ponies though, isn't it?” Shining Armor pointed out. Twilight rolled her eyes. “Shining Armor, I don't need to make anymore friends. I mean, I already have all of you, right?” she asked, sweeping her gaze across the others. “Seems like enough friends to me,” Sunset said. “Exactly!” Twilight nodded, giving Sunset a smile. “There's no need for me to make any more friends,” she told her brother. “Oh yeah?” Spike said, drawing her attention back to him. “If that's so true, then why does Princess Celestia keep bugging the two of you about it?” Twilight and Sunset shared a look, then shrugged in unison. “Beats me,” Sunset turned and told him. “If I knew that I'd have gotten her off my case years ago.” It was then that their waiter arrived carrying a tray of drinks. “Here you are, Ma'am,” he said, bowing as he levitated Cadance's water to her first. From there he proceeded clockwise around the small table, floating glasses to Shining Armor, Sunset, Spike, and lastly Twilight. “Your meals shall be ready soon,” he offered as parting words before turning and heading back inside. “Thanks!” Cadance called after him, though he gave no indication he'd heard it. After a moment, she turned back to the others. “Well... enough about all that,” she said to the younger mares, her smile somewhat awkward. “You two are friends now, and I gotta say I'm pretty glad to see it. And I know Auntie Celestia is too.” Shining Armor chuckled. “You sure about that? From what I've heard, these two have caused her a fair bit of trouble.” “H-hey! That's not-!” Twilight tried to explain, horrified that anypony could think that. Sunset apparently felt the same way, crying out “No we haven't!” Cadance just giggled, ignoring them. “Oh yeah! Remember what they got her last Hearth's Warming?” Before she knew it, Twilight had screamed in panic and slammed her hooves down on the table. “Last Hearth's Warming? Wh-what are you talking about? Nothing happened then! Nothing at all! Certainly nothing we agreed to never ever ever speak of, ever again!” Vaguely she noticed Sunset making a similar plea, but all they were getting from Cadance and Shining Armor was more stifled laughter. And Spike was just muttering something about a cake. “You, uh, you do know everypony's looking at us now, right?” Shining Armor said, pointing past Twilight and Sunset. Sunset immediately blushed and turned her head, Twilight following suit after a puzzled blink. As he'd said, ponies were looking at them – from the cafe's other tables; from other restaurants along the street; from the sidewalk as they passed by; and even from inside the cafe itself. All Twilight could do was laugh nervously and sink back into her seat, ears plastered against her head. She let out a pitiful groan. “Hey!” Sunset practically hissed at Cadance and Shining Armor, cheeks nearly as red as her mane and a wide grin forced onto her muzzle. “Enough about us and our totally unimportant past deeds, how have you two been? I'm sure the Princess of Love and Captain of the Royal Guard must have loads of gossip! Do share!” Cadance giggled into her hoof. “Oh, come on now, you know I can't tell you! At least not the counseling stuff anyways. And I'm sure you two wouldn't be interested in the matches I've made for other ponies.” Spike laughed. “Hey, know anypony you could fix these two up with?” he asked, gesturing to the mares on either side of him. “I bet it'd do wonders for their social lives.” “Spike!” Twilight and Sunset cried in unison. It only earned another giggle from Cadance. “Hmm... well, maybe...” she said, a coy glint in her eye. “Shining Armor, please!” Twilight pleaded, looking at her brother. “You wanted to catch up, so let's catch already!” He laughed, too. “Fine, fine, we'll stop teasing you two,” he told her, glancing at Cadance who finally lowered her hoof. “Of course, I wouldn't say I have loads of gossip, exactly, but I do have plenty of stories if you're interested.” “We're interested!” Twilight said immediately, practically lunging across the table in desperation. “Well okay then,” Shining said with one last chuckle. “Turns out being Captain of the Royal Guard means more than just running training drills and organizing guard schedules. Let me tell you, I've been called in to deal with some weird stuff...” And so lunch proceeded, with Shining Armor regaling them with tales of the bizarre adventures that came with protecting Canterlot and accompanying Princess Celestia. Cadance was persuaded to share vague details and lessons she'd learned in her duties as Princess of Love, and once the food arrived and they'd been assured they wouldn't be teased much Twilight and Sunset began talking about their research. “...so yeah,” Sunset said after swallowing a bite of pepper, “even though ancient artifact stuff isn't exactly what I was expecting to study, I gotta say I'm pretty glad the Princess pushed me down that path. Having something physical in my hooves to pick apart and study is surprisingly thrilling.” “Sounds like you've got a focus, then,” Shining Armor remarked between sips of the day's special – a hearty and aromatic soup. “Good for you. Most unicorns I know with a special talent in general magic end up finding an area they like best sooner or later. Not that you need to, it's just-” “-easier to focus on getting good at one thing at a time?” Sunset finished, waving a hoof. “Yeah, I know. I mean, obviously I'm still going to keep myself well-rounded, but excelling in the study and use of ancient artifacts seems like a good way to make myself stand out.” Twilight rolled her eyes in jest. “Same old Sunset. You already know exactly how you're going to do that, don't you?” “Wwwweeellll...,” Sunset replied, rolling her head to the side and putting a hoof to her chin, “maybe. There is something in particular I have my eye on, but...” She glanced briefly at the others, then shrugged. “It seems like it's a pretty top-secret thing, so I don't wanna talk about it in public. Princess Celestia will barely even let me look at it as it is.” “Still, she hasn't even said a word about it to me,” Twilight said, unable to keep a bit of whine out of her voice. “I'm a little jealous that you're so close to studying something so big.” Sunset smirked and flipped her mane. “Hey, it's only natural Sparkle. I have been her student for longer, after all. I'm sure you'll reach that stage of your studies soon.” “I hope so...,” Twilight said, her whole body drooping a little. “So... any idea what area you'd like to focus on?” Cadance asked. Twilight lifted her head, blinked, and chewed her lip in thought. “I don't know, there's just so many,” she admitted. “Transmutation, thaumaturgy, elemental magic, metamagic, the list just goes on and on! How am I ever going to choose just one?” “You don't have to. You can just stay a generalist,” Shining told her. “Or just let Princess Celestia figure out what you're suited for like she did with me,” Sunset added. “She does know what she's doing, after all. In fact, I wouldn't be surprised if she started pushing you in one direction or another any day now. You've already got a solid understanding of most magical disciplines.” “I hope so,” Twilight sighed, letting her head hang. “The only direction she's pushing me in now is to make friends...” “Maybe she wants you to study the magic of friendship?” Spike jokingly suggested. It was enough to make Twilight snort. “Like that's even a thing.” She took in a deep breath, and let it out as another sigh. “Oh well. I probably will just stay a generalist like I am now. It's not like anything else has stood out to me yet.” “Not for very long, at least,” Sunset said with a chuckle that Spike soon copied. “You tend to burn your way through subjects as fast as you can.” Twilight blushed, particularly once Shining Armor and Cadance joined in. “I-I just like to learn, that's all.” “I know, Sparkle, I know,” Sunset told her, smiling. “Nothing wrong with devoting yourself to your studies. You just need to keep yourself from overdoing it, or one of these days you'll get so focused on whatever new thing you're researching that you'll completely space on something important.” “Well... that's what I have you for,” Twilight told her, looking away for a moment before meeting Sunset's gaze. “In the event that I mess up like that – no matter how unlikely it may be, of course – I can count on you to get me back on track.” She smiled, giggled, and added “And Spike too of course,” while rubbing the top of his head. “Naturally,” he said, puffing himself up and beaming. Cadance and Shining smiled at each other. “It's nice to see you have friends who're looking out for you, Twily,” Shining said. He took a sip of soup, tapped his chin in thought for a moment while the others used the lull to eat as well, then perked up. “Oh yeah, I've been meaning to ask – what are your plans for after you've finished studying with Princess Celestia?” Twilight looked up at him, eyes wide and a bit of soup dribbling down her jaw. “After?” “Well, it's not like you two can keep being her students forever,” Cadance said to her and Sunset. “Sooner or later Princess Celestia won't have anything left to teach you, right? At least about magic, anyway.” Twilight blinked, then looked down at her soup. “You know, I haven't really thought about that. I suppose I'll just... find some other way to continue my studies. What about you, Sunset?” she asked, turning her head to see her friend smirking. “Easy. Once I'm done learning everything Princess Celestia can teach me,” she explained with confidence that soon shifted into wistfulness, “I'll do some traveling. See new places, experience new things, all across Equestria and even beyond. I'll learn whatever I can, and make a name for myself as a wizard. And,” she smiled at Twilight, “I think I'll drag Sparkle here along for the ride.” “Oh really?” Twilight said, raising a brow but smiling all the same. “What makes you think I'll let you?” Sunset snorted. “Like you'd have anything better to do. Besides, you know you need me to keep you on your hooftips so you don't slack off and fall behind.” “Oh really?” Twilight repeated, raising her brow even higher and even tilting her head down slightly. “Well maybe I'll be the one dragging you across Equestria and beyond,” she said poking her in the chest with her hoof. “Hey, if that's what you wanna think will happen then fine with me,” Sunset replied with a shrug and a smirk. Unbeknownst to her and Twilight, Cadance and Shining Armor shared a smirk of their own. “W-well,” Spike interrupted, standing up on his seat between the two and looking from Twilight to Sunset and back again, “no matter who's dragging who around, wherever Twilight goes I'm going too.” “Obviously,” Sunset said, rolling her eyes. Twilight giggled and rubbed Spike's head again. “I wouldn't have it any other way.”