Twilight was having a panic attack.
Frozen stiff and blinded, her breaths came in deep, ragged gasps. Feeling herself pulled against somepony and Shiny's soothing voice only vaguely registering to her senses. The practical wall of colours and sensations around her drowning out anything he was saying. The din of the crowd around her was polluted with expressions of her own fears and rampant thoughts, inserting words like failure and disappointment where they did not exist.
When her eyes are closed, the sound of the hundreds of families taking their children to their exams today became maddening.
One. Two. Three.
Twilight struggled to hold her breath. She could hear the desperate sound of her own ragged breathing as her body defied her will. Once she finally succeeded, she immediately felt the effects of her efforts. Her lungs burning and her body, desperate for oxygen already, shivering in Shiny's grasp. The concerned voices of her brother and mother reached her ears, understanding the words in her hazed state of mind was difficult.
She focused on one thing. Be Brave. Be Brave. Be Brave!
Three. Two. One.
When Twilight started breathing again. It wasn't driven by the panic instilled in her by the crowd, but from the desperate greed for oxygen, clouding her mind and allowing her to forget for a few seconds where she was. Shiny's voice began registering to her ears again.
"-ght. Twilight? Twily, are you there?"
She allowed herself a nod as everything swam back into focus.
Twilight opened her eyes, tearing her face from where it was buried in Shiny's chest, laying eyes on the promenade of Princess Celestia's School for Gifted Unicorns.
Students, applicants, and parents were packed onto the marble-brick path and vibrant green-grass pitch. Several fountains were dispersed evenly through the winding paths of the field in front of the school. Laced into the brickwork were the subtle spells of 1,600 years ago. Appearing like small flowing lines of light to Twilight's eyes were the simple but durable latices that ensured they do not tarnish or break.
The school itself is even more beautiful up close than the view she occasionally got before she isolated herself to a single street. A shining example of perfectly preserved Imperial Era architecture. Pillars line the facade of the Administration building, constructed of marble and dark steel that was in such heavy production at the time. Lining the path that leads directly to the main entrance are the silvery steel statues of the 227 Solarian Crusaders, hoof-crafted by Princess Celestia herself in the century leading up to the school's construction to honour the ponies that stood with her and her sister in the War of Dawn. On the plinth of each statue was their name. The details of each face and suit of armour were as unique as the owner. Seemingly cobbled together from half-a-hundred blacksmiths, each was flawed and outstanding in their own way. Her magesight only intensified their artistic value as whatever enchantments were laid into the metalwork created auras that glow and flicker like candles. Almost like crusaders were still alive somehow.
"Are you alright, little Sirius?"
Twilight tore her gaze from analyzing the building and statues, focusing on her concerned father. It was only now that she realized it wasn't Shiny who was holding her close, it was her mother. Her brother still stood next to her, hoof on her shoulder, but the fact that it wasn't him to grab hold of her surprised her. Some part of her choked up at the look of her mother, face twisted into an expression of concern and grief. That part of Twilight was swiftly crushed by a reminder that it is her fault that mom looks like that.
Twilight turns her head back to the school, pointedly avoiding looking at the dozens of ponies walking by her every moment, not that it helped her shaking hooves. "I-I'm f-f-fine, dad."
Her mother cuts in before her dad can reply, "Are you sure, Star? We can wait here for a bit if you want? And there's always next year."
Twilight almost missed the looks Shiny and dad sent her mom's way. Dad, wide-eyed that waiting was even suggested. Shiny however, narrow eyes and tight lips. He must have never forgave them for what happened.
She could feel her heartbeat start to accelerate again. 'Did they think I would fail? Is that what they were talking about when I was upstairs? I should just admit to everyone I'm a weakling and can't do it. End the charade. Stop lying to them.'
Her self-destructive train of thought was derailed suddenly. A singular, rogue thought standing against the storm of self-depreciation.
Be Brave. Be Brave. Be Brave!
Twilight manages to shake her head, terror still gripping her heart. Even knowing how quickly they would get her back to the safety of her room if she asked. She has to be a brave pony like she promised. "N-n-n-no, I . . . I c-can do t-this. C-come o-on."
Surprising even herself, Twilight let go of her mother and began moving back down the marble path to the main building, one shaky hoof at a time. After a moment her family caught up, Shiny moving up to her side and giving her a beaming smile.
Her heart felt lighter, after that. The auras of the ponies around her less bright, less painful to her eyes.
Still, every time she brushed against a stranger or had to stop to let someone pass, pressing closer into her brother's side was all she could do to not jump.
Rounding the statue of Moonlit Heart, Twilight seized the opportunity to examine it, to tear her mind away from agonizing over every single pony around her. It was equal in size to the others, but placed so the path had to split and flow around it before rejoining on the other side. He was the only one of the Crusaders that didn't wear a helm. She couldn't help but wonder at the expression on his face, a soft jaw and lax posture might have made one think he wasn't a warrior, though scars adorned his soft expression. Twilight couldn't help but imagine he was yearning for something far in the distance. A quote on his plinth was positioned to be at the eye level of ponies that passed by; 'My Creed is Love, and Equestria its only tenant,' the motto of the Equestrian Legion.
Twilight allowed herself to become lost in her mind, using her position against her brother to ensure she didn't run into anything. Thinking back to the stories surrounding the Crusaders, those brave ponies of the end of the Discordian Era who joined forces with the Moon and Sun to free the world from chaos.
These musings kept her distracted until they reached the front door.
All of Twilight's conscious effort were directed at keeping her breathing under control. The waiting room around her was thankfully devoid of any other students as she was the first to complete the written exam and be escorted to the next area. On the other edge of that blessing was the fact that neither her parents or her brother were allowed to be with her now. While Shiny's attempt to bypass the policy made her feel more at ease, she was still alone.
Alone in a school filled with hundreds of ponies less in any direction. She felt her chest tighten at the mere thought, constricting when reminded of the reality.
Be brave, Twilight. If I could just make it through today, then I could do it every day. . . right?
It's only 1000 hours a year.
That didn't help, Twilight scolded herself.
If you weren't a weakling you wouldn't be like this. If you could use your magic. If you didn't seize up when you needed it the most. If you weren't useless. It's just like she said. All that magic and all you're good for is -
Her self-destructive thoughts were interrupted by the sound of the door at the far end of the room clicking open, a dark-furred proctor poking his head through. "Miss Twilight Sparkle?"
All she could do was resist a shiver and nod. The proctor gives a smile, "They're ready for you, follow me and I'll show you to the testing room."
Twilight gathered herself, hooves shaking as she rose from her cushion in the corner of the room. The slow clip-clop of her movement across the room is the only sound alongside her rampaging thoughts.
When she reached the door the proctor gave her a smile and led her into a hall. Spaced a few dozen yards apart are doors with their small head-high windows covered by construction paper. Much like the rest of the school, the floors and walls were alive with magic. Small, fading trails of largely transparent magic were laid atop the more permanent enchantments fused with the tile floor and stone walls. The interior of this wing was very different from the Imperial architecture outside, as a result of renovations after a fire at the start of the Harmonic Era three hundred years ago.
The pair came to a stop outside a plain brown door, identical to the others in every way, down to the hardening and intent-based protections. Identical except for the small sign suspended above; 'Auditorium 4.'
"Well here's your room, your proctors are already inside. Would you like to use the bathroom or get a drink of water before you go in and start?"
Twilight shook her head in a silent 'no' and he nodded, then opened the door. "Good luck."
Stepping through the threshold was jarring. The sudden shift from artificial magi-lights to Celestia's rays was not noticeable to most, but to Twilight it always mattered. The light from magi-lights filled rooms with an almost unnoticeable grey haze to those given magesight, at least in her own experience. In contrast, the rays of the sun seemed as divine as Celestia herself. A gentle radiance carrying magic from the sun directly to Equus, coating everything it touched in energy and life. Basking in it through her window was a favourite past-time of Twilight's, while reading a book of course.
All of this was thanks to a giant window of perfectly clear glass, a feat of some magical ingenuity. Rivulets of concentrated reinforcement enchantments carried the weight of the wall above it through the glass into the floor safely. Beyond the window was a stunning view of the countryside beneath Canterlot, stretching for well over a hundred miles before the landscape fell below the horizon. In the far distance, she could make out the towering forms of Cloudsdale's high towers and the top of Windwalker Citadel at the centre of the pegasus city.
A small cough brought her harshly tumbling back to the present. Her head snapped from the window to the source of the noise and she froze on the spot. Five unicorns were patiently considering her. Their faces and colourings were obscured by anonymity spells, covering them in a thick veil of mist that clung to their fur. She noted the steady veil of magic was sourced to small bracelets around their forelegs. The rest of the room was largely unremarkable, any seats or desks had been cleared, except for the ones the proctors were sitting in. Then her eyes found the small purple-black orb sat atop a small wooden plinth, carefully laid in velvet cloth.
Twilight's heartbeat quickened again. The seemingly unobtrusive sphere was anything but. Her mother had given her a tome on magical artificing a year ago and it had an entire chapter devoted to orbs just like this; Observation Orbs and their classifications.
Five classes, she quickly recited to herself, attempting to ignore her own shivering from the looks of the proctors. Civilian - Blue, Crafting - Green, Research - Red, Military - Yellow, Astronomy - Purple. Was this the test? It had to be. Her mother had spoken about the issues illegal spheres could cause. The one so casually sat on the table could peer through Twilight's skin and measure the marrow in her bones. Someone of sufficient mental strength could read the newspaper in the distant Cloudsdale from here, in small print through a solid brick wall.
The central unicorn opened his muzzle and spoke with distorted, unnatural tones, "Twilight Sparkle, welcome to the practical portion of the entrance exam. We will be carefully monitoring and grading the following minutes after we reveal your test and begin the counter. Do you have any questions?"
She almost didn't. Twilight felt the horrible urge to just close up in that moment, hide away and nod and proceed with the exam, but she felt something odd in that moment. The formerly innate orb on the desk began to leak twisting energies around it before a white mist began to fall away from it. She felt the eyes watching her from somewhere far away.
With her eyes locked on the orb, she struggled for a moment before asking, "W-w-what i-i-s t-the o-o-obse . . . observation o-orb d-doing here?"
The auras around the room the spiked in intensity. The sudden burst of light forced Twilight to wince briefly. The anonymity spells must be struggling to mask their faces as they rapidly expressed new emotions. The larger burst in the room came from the orb as the twisting magic drowned the room for a second.
The lead unicorn replied shortly after, "Our sixth proctor is unable to be here personally, and opted to use an observation orb."
Why would they lie? Is she just being paranoid, another failure? Why would you use an astronomy orb to observe a test? Unless this was super important? Did everyone else have to do this, or did they know she was a failure and plan to tell everyone?
Even if she was a failure, and even if that orb could tell everyone how much of a liar she is, Twilight knew for a fact that there are only three Astronomy-Class Observation Orbs in existence. One in the Royal Astronomical Society, kept under lock and key, brought out for incredibly important projects only lest it be damaged in some way. The second was kept for war-time use in the Royal Armories in a secure vault. The final was in Canterlot Castle, the Palace of the Princess. Part of her briefly made the argument that there could be more, but another swiftly strikes it down. The combination of secret techniques and raw power required to produce these wonders died with Princess Luna 989 years ago.
I'm not a war criminal, nor am I important enough for the Royal Astronomers. Twilight Sparkle's heart caught in her throat. The final in the possession of the Princess. Is Princess Celestia watching her exam?
"Miss Sparkle, do you have any other questions?"
All she could do to numbly shake her head, eyes never leaving the orb.
A new fear overtook her now. A deep-seated, primal thing of a creature backed into a corner. Princess Celestia was watching her at this very moment. Watching her entrance exam, her performance and her panicked state. Peering with all her ageless wisdom at her right now.
A moment of clarity struck her. She wasn't afraid of the Princess herself or of flunking the exam. She trained for this, hours on end, day after day. It never bored her.
The door to the room opened once again, interrupting her thoughts. She watched another cloaked figure wheeling in the last possible thing she could have expected. "Your test is to hatch this dragon egg, Miss Sparkle," one of the seated figures said as the recent entrant left. "You have thirty minutes. Your time begins now."
She still wasn't afraid of the test. Twilight Sparkle was only afraid she really was a failure, and that Princess Celestia would see it too.
Her heartbeat was like thunder in her ears.
Princess Celestia did not often find herself curious. Not anymore at least. The world had become very predictable in a sad, twisted way. Today was an exception.
The Princess of the Sun couldn't be more pleased at the sight of young Twilight Sparkle. She had almost regretted her decision when she first activated the orb and took in the sight of the filly. Twilight didn't need a test of this difficulty, she needed a therapist. Then she had stuttered out a question about the observation orb! Professor Honey Mint had done her best to pass it off, but it was plain to the Sun's eyes that the young filly had seen through it. Celestia should have expected such from the daughter of Artificer Twilight Velvet and Director Night Light, both ponies she had met a handful of times personally.
The following moments had been most enlightening. The filly was wracked with fear. Her eyes wide as they flitted back and forth through thoughts private to her, but her face bared all. So many insecurities and terrors flashing through those young eyes. Celestia had seen such fears in many ponies through the years of exams, but what she saw next had made her curious once again. Twilight's eyes suddenly locked to the egg, jaw set and posture still. Before Celestia's eyes became the reminder of Luna so many years ago, when she had proclaimed to Discord that she would slay him with her own two hooves. Must be the family resemblance, Celestia mused.
It was a thirty tense seconds of breath-holding before the filly acted. Impressive was not a term the Sun wielded lightly, but what happened next was deserving of it. The filly's horn burst to life with a flame of magic that most adult unicorns couldn't manage . A bevy of first-year spells, taught to students six years Twilight's senior in the Solarian Academy, had scanned the egg and its enchantments. Undoubtedly uncovering more details than the filly's untrained magesight could make out.
Then the prodding had begun. A smile crept across Celestia's muzzle.
The resonation between the spells caused the enchantments to glow visibly. A filly of ten years old not only wielding enough raw might to overpower a fully matured unicorn but having the control and precision to direct and use it? She had never been so sure of her choice than at that moment.
It was a rather time-consuming method of breaking down an enchantment, but it was likely the only way that she knew of. The filly may be a prodigy daughter of Twilight Velvet, but she unsurprisingly lacks advanced knowledge. The simple fact that she could perform even one of these techniques was still impressive. Starswirl's First Circle was not simple by any measure.
There is no way she would undo the enchantments in time, but that didn't matter. As far as Celestia was concerned, Twilight Sparkle was already her student, all that was left was to watch her reaction to the true test, failure, and speak to the family about her impending move to the castle.
The next task was enough to taint her elation with worry. Celestia took a few moments from her close observation of the filly's casting to use the Star Orb's immense analytical powers to scan over Twilight's body. No scarring. No bruising, except lightly on her barrel, was that self-inflicted? It seems so. Most concerning. She makes a note to herself to directly look into the High Street School of Elementary Learning herself. This is painting a disturbing picture that coincides with her observations of the other Homeroom 1A students that switched to homeschooling.
With the thought noted, she returned the orb's gaze back to watching the scene before her.
Desperation has set in. The filly had become frantic as the time ticked past ten minutes remaining. She likely knew that she wouldn't unravel the magic around the egg before time ran out.
Under normal circumstances, the Princess would avoid aggravating Twilight's mental weaknesses and call the test to an end, informing the lavender unicorn that she had passed in person. Unfortunately Celestia had to see this to the bitter finale, for both the safety of Equestria and Twilight's sake.
The minutes ticked by, the focus of Twilight's attention changing suddenly to perform the equivalent of a desperate unravelling of the enchantment's nexus.
That is two, the wide eyed Celestia thought. The fact that the filly knew the calculus necessary to even attempt a Clover's Gambit is spectacular, and dangerous. This needed to be stopped immediately before Twilight triggered some unpleasant reaction. Yet . . . Celestia could see no flaw, yet. The filly had just enough time to do this. If she could get it exactly right then she might unravel the enchantments in time.
So Celestia waited. She realized now she was holding her breath, more eager than she has been in quite some time.
Six seconds later, in a flash of light almost as bright as the sun, someone performed a feat unheard of for centuries, the view captured perfectly in the window of the auditorium. A Sonic Rainboom.
As the ebb of the magic passed through the room, Twilight Sparkle began to glow. The smile fell from Celestia's face. "Oh ponyfeathers."
Oh ponyfeathers! That number doesn-
Pain.
Her throat seized, trapping her cry for help. Her muscles ignored the filly they were bound to. Her eyes clamping shut did nothing to halt the blinding light of her magesight as every iota of magic in the wing of the school seemed to funnel through her horn. Her horn was the worst of it as it was the path to her mind. The fire of pain followed it straight to her brain. Her mind flayed alive as she couldn't even cry for help.
Crack.
Her world was filled with the sound of the reinforced glass cracking. The subtle sound quiet against the screaming in her skull. She tried to hold onto it until it transformed into a shatter that felt loud enough to splinter her bones.
Thump.
Her mind reeled. Thought and will were gone. Her heart shurly exploded and there was nothing pony-like left in her mind.
Light.
I-is that the sun?
Twilight felt something take hold of the surge, gripping it with a strength that the filly could not have imagined existed. Guiding the energy and cutting it off with white-hot finality, cutting her off from the surge of magic that had been ravaging her. She felt her senses awaken again.
She felt her legs fail, sending her crashing against the marble ground, writhing and twitching. Her head felt incredibly hot. The glow of magic and power around the room still intense enough to shine through her closed eyes like her eyelids weren't there.
Twilight felt her breaths coming in ragged, exhaustion filling every pore of her body. She had difficulty conjuring thoughts, and the heat radiating off her horn was almost unbearable against her head. The sound of metal-shod hooves approaching her with a steady gait held what remained of her attention. A guard?
Oh, yes, she realized. She failed the test. Whatever energy she had left filled Twilight with despair. Not only had she failed, but she had probably destroyed the auditorium. Who knew what happened to the egg, orb, or the proctors. She was going to be locked up, like the failure she was. Maybe they had sent Shiny to do it?
Twilight struggled to open her eyes, blearily managing the feat after a few moments.
Standing before her was Princess Celestia. If she had breath left to catch, it would be stuck in her throat. A new fear grips her heart; Was the Princess going to banish her? Or worse, send her back to her old school as punishment?
The alicorns face filled her vision, halting any other thoughts that could have come. Those eyes peered directly into hers with so much magic welled up behind them. Like sitting in the sunlight again with a good book to read. Wa-was her horn g-glowing? So comfy...
"Don't worry, my little pony. You're safe now."