She never thought she'd catch herself spacing out in class before today. Twilight Sparkle, princess of friendship, was a studious mare. Well, a woman in this case. She always paid attention to class but today she just wasn't into it. It left her both surprised and at a loss but it was true.
She knew it was because of everything happening. She was in a new world all alone, hunting down someone who spurned Celestia and friendship. Who stole the crown that house the Element of Magic. If she didn't return it to Equestria, they might end up facing another Discord level threat they couldn't beat on their own. On top of that, she was a mother now. She didn't know how to cope with all of that. Thankfully, she caught enough of the teacher's lesson to get the gist and answer a question or two when they called on her. That was good.
However she knew that the school library probably wouldn't have much in the manner of books on motherhood. That was something she was going to have to search for in the city library. Now that made her squirm in excitement. So much knowledge at her fingertips~ She was definitely going to bring Assassin with her. She needed as many books as possible. Who knows when she last had one.
Of course, she inwardly slapped herself. She couldn't lose sight of her true mission. Sunset still had the crown. It was odd as to why she hadn't done anything with it yet. Perhaps she had some long term plan in mind. No matter. She had dealt with arrogant magic users before. She could deal with some former pupil of her mentor. She could easily juggle this new school life and motherhood.
Her stomach grumbled. Of course, that was after she got something to eat. Ah lunchtime. It was so long ago when she used to go to the cafeteria to eat something with… Huh. Did she eat with other ponies? She could swear there was something at the back of her mind. Maybe she was forgetting something. Oh she'd think on it later. Food now.
She licked her lips as she surveyed the food. It all seemed good so she got herself some apples and vegetables and…
That was meat. That was meat in front of her. Why would there be meat unless…
SHE WAS AN OMNIVORE NOW!
Twilight shook slightly. She didn't want to think about it. She didn't want to think about the animals slaughtered for these humans. It was fine. She'd survive like the times she went to the griffons. At least humans could eat vegetables and the like. Griffons primarily ate meat and they were rather… open about it. Still though, it made her a bit sick to know that she might have to come to rely on meat. She really needed to find the crown and fast.
Taking the tray in her hands, she moved towards the table with Shirou and Sakura. The two people she had grown closest too over the course of the past few days. Shirou was just so helpful and cute that she couldn't help but like him. Of course, him being 'cute' was still a strange feeling given his species. She was thankful he was willing to have lunch here given how he commented he usually eats alone. Food is best shared with others after all. Sakura on the other hand was just like Fluttershy in most respects. She wanted to do everything in her power to protect her.
She let out a little 'eep' as she felt herself collide with someone. She shook herself and smiled apologetically at the spindly looking teen before her, "I'm sorry. I wasn't paying attention to where I was going."
"Of course you weren't," the boy sneered before he peered at her. Then he smiled and it honestly creeped her out. "We haven't met. I'm Shinji Matou and you are?"
"Twilight Sparkle," she smiled nervously back. Even if he was creepy, she shouldn't judge him. He could be a very nice guy.
"Ah the new girl," Shinji took a step forward, closing whatever distance there was between them. "I think you would love to sit by me. I'd help you get acquainted with Japan."
"Well that is very nice, but I already have Shirou helping me."
Shinji frowned, "Shirou Emiya?"
"Yes, that's me." Shirou spoke up from behind and both of them turned to look at him.
"Shirou," Twilight moved around Shinji. "You should have warned me about the meat. I nearly threw up over there."
Shirou gave her a soft smile, "I'm sorry. If I had known-"
"I should have told you," Twilight said. "Sorry. I get a bit jumpy around meat. I just… don't like the thought of it is all."
"I understand," Shirou nodded and lead her to the table with Sakura. "Do you want to join, Shinji?"
Shinji gritted his teeth, "And why is Sakura over there with you?"
"She's my new friend," Twilight spoke honestly. "I wanted to sit with her, just like Shirou."
"Ah," Shinji let out a breath. "I'll pass on that, but I do hope to see you later. I can show you a good time." He winked at her, which made Twilight's skin crawl for some reason.
She just hoped he wasn't always creepy.
Twilight was a bit sad this night as she, Spike, and Assassin stood inside the shed that she had summoned the latter. Well as sad as she could after eating more of Shirou's food. He was a master chef. It was like she was eating pure happiness. She should definitely get him to cook with Pinkie Pie one day. They would be the best duo, though Pinkie still was only best with baked goods and sweets. Anyways, she wasn't in her best mood.
That was because she hadn't been able to go to the library that day. Apparently Shirou and Sakura had a paper to finish and they wanted to get it done that night. She understood but that meant she couldn't read her new books. She was desperate to know more about this world and if it had magic. That and motherhood books.
Speaking of which, she glanced over at Assassin. She was sitting down and reading a book. Her face was covered by one of the textbooks she had given her. Twilight couldn't help but smile proudly at her. New mother or not, her daughter was going to grow up to be a bright star. She was going to give her all the book love she could give and the little one deserved it. She was a good kid, aside from the killing intent. Which wasn't that off given how she wasn't exactly the most sane person herself.
She still kicked herself for hexing children into physical violence and not feeling a shred of guilt until long after the fact. She had made sure to apologize to the CMC and their sisters. It had worked out in the end although Rarity seemed to stick needles into her for a few months afterwards whenever she helped with making her dresses. She said nothing because she knew she sort of deserved it but that was all in the past.
So she would never dislike Assassin for that mind set. She'd just do her best to correct it so no one got hurt. That and so her little girl could live a full and normal life. Her mother did well for her and she would do that for her own child. Even if the circumstances for her creation were…. Strange.
"So," Spike spoke up from his spot not five feet from her person as she crouched low to the ground. "What are you doing?"
"Studying," Twilight wrote down a few notes into the notepad she had in her fingers. Fingers. That was something she was still getting used to seeing on her 'hands'.
"I got that," Spike responded. "But what are you hoping to learn? Didn't you already figure out how it works?"
"Yes but I want to see if I can replicate it," Twilight said as she continued to write.
Spike stared at her for a moment, "Twilight, that's a bad idea."
"I'm not going to activate it," Twilight rolled her eyes. "I just want to put it back in place so whoever made it won't miss it. You can never be too sure about magic and I'd hate to ruin someone else's experiment just because of my own curiosity. I only have one issue."
"What?"
"I need a blood sacrifice."
"And here is where I stop you from diving into stupid and crazy ville," Spike shuddered. "Didn't we explain to Assassin that killing was wrong?"
"Exactly," Twilight grinned. "Which is why tomorrow we'll gather some rocks and turn them into chicks. It won't be killing something if it technically isn't alive."
Spike narrowed his eyes, "That still seems really wrong to me."
"Oh hush and let me concentrate," Twilight said. She stuck out her hand to feel over the old lines. Even if she had activated the spell, she found it odd how there was barely any trace left of it. It was as if the world itself was doing its best to erase magic. Thankfully she hadn't felt anything of the sort. Perhaps the 'natural' magic of this world eroded quickly or there was something foreign about this spell. Either way, the only way to know is if she experimented.
It would of course require some sacrifices. As she told Spike, she'd used animated beings instead of real ones. While technically, they did become 'real', they didn't count under Equestrian law. It's why some sacrificial spells could be used but only under the watchful eyes of instructors and law enforcement. Given that she was a princess, Twilight was sure she could get away with this attempt. At least, for now.
She nodded as she smiled. It didn't seem like a complicated spell. She was thankful she had such a good memory. Princess Twilight Sparkle was the princess of magic after all. Even before she got the crown and found her friends, spells always came easy to her. Once she was able to perform a spell, no matter what, she could always perform it again. So now she just needed the right ingredients. A part of her thought about letting Assassin kill the 'animated' life forms but thought against it.
Her daughter would grow up to be a kind soul. Twilight hated killing anything, but if it was for the sake of knowledge, she'd do it. Now she just had to turn some rocks or small objects into some frogs or birds. That's when she heard a sound. It made her frown. It was a sound that made her pause in her experiment.
It was a sniffle.
Twilight blinked in confusion before turning to see Assassin. Her little hands were shaking and she couldn't see Assassin's face still. It didn't sound good. Was she sick? Could a being like her get sick? Was it her fault since she was magical too? The princess stood up and walked over to the little girl, "Assassin? Are you okay? Are you sick?"
She peered over the book and her body went rigid. Assassin was crying. She was sobbing her little eyes out and it made her heart sink. It made her inwardly panic. A small part of her even wanted to destroy something. Just anything to make her little one happy. She looked back at Spike, "Head back inside. I'll call for you when Assassin's better."
Spike knew Twilight wanted to be alone with Assassin and try out this 'mommy' thing. A small part of him wanted to stay to help, but he knew better. Twilight could be a dense idiot sometimes, but she was a carrying soul. He simply nodded, "Okay." Then he walked away.
Twilight sat beside Assassin, "What's wrong?" She moved her hand closer to her, but stopped the moment the magical girl flinched.
"We're sorry," the little girl whimpered. "We're sorry. Please, please don't hate us."
That… that felt like someone just stabbed her in the heart. Hearing Assassin talk like that. Flinch away from her… Twilight couldn't help but feel hurt. "Assassin, what did I do wrong?"
"We're sorry," Assassin didn't seem to hear her. She dropped the book and curled up into herself. "We're sorry. Please don't hate us. We're sorry."
"Assassin-"
"Please don't hate us. Please don't hit us."
Twilight's eyes widened, "Hit you?" What was the meaning of this? Who could hit her? Who would dare hit her little girl to make her like this? She would tear them to pieces!
"Please don't hit us and leave. We're sorry. We're sorry. We're-"
"Assassin," Twilight pulled Assassin into a hug, causing her to gasp in surprise. She caressed the little girl to her bosom, gently rubbing her back. "It's okay. I will never hit your or leave you. I'm not that kind of person."
"But…"
Twilight kissed her head, "In my country, ponies treat each other with kindness. I've only known you for a short time, but I will never let you go. I promise that." She moved her head back to smile down at Assassin. Using her fingers, she wiped away her tears. "So please stop crying. I care about you, my… daughter." It felt so good to say that.
Assassin sniffed, "But… We can't read and you love reading and we…"
Twilight's eyes widened and she wanted to smack herself. Why hadn't she asked before? She felt so stupid and selfish. Her daughter was hurting and it was all her fault. What sort of mother didn't teach their daughter the beauty of reading? She steeled herself and pressed on, "Then I'll just teach you then. In no time flat, you'll be a master of reading."
Assassin sniffed again and hugged her, "You're going to teach us to read?"
Twilight nodded and patted her head, "Of course I am. I would be a terrible mother if I didn't."
Assassin stared up at her, her face beaming. Her smile was the widest she could muster as she stared up at Twilight as if she was the best thing ever, "We love you, mommy!"
That just made her heart melt and soar at the same time. Twilight's cheeks heated up at the cute sight before her and hugged her daughter, "I love you too, Assassin. I couldn't ask for a better kid then you."
Twilight could postpone the experiment tonight. She had a daughter to teach. Besides, tomorrow was a day off from school. She had plenty of time to do something then. For now, she had to cheer up her little girl.
Sakura lay inside her home. As always, she felt so miserable here. Even now, she could feel the worm stirring inside of her. A constant reminder of her place in this family. She wasn't a person. She was less than a person. Someone to be used for the family's wishes. It made her sad but she had learned to deal with it. That is until she met Shirou.
She could never stop herself from smiling when she thought of the kind boy. He was her reason for getting up in the morning. He made her feel whole again.
Then Twilight came along. Oh Twilight was a nice girl. In fact, Sakura wouldn't be lying when she thought of her as a friend in the making. Yet Twilight seemed to quickly grow close to Shirou. She could see it in Twilight's eyes even if she didn't know it yet. She knew that feeling because she also felt it. Maybe she should talk to Twilight about it.
No. That would be too embarrassing. She could wait it out. Twilight wasn't staying here that long anyways. As well, she wasn't Sunset. Sunset was her tormentor and she was also after Shirou for one reason or another. Now she was someone to look out for. Of course, Shirou was too good for her. Sakura knew that as well.
She gritted her teeth as her anger started to bubble up. No. She shouldn't think about that. She had to suppress those types of thoughts. That's when she reached underneath her pillow and all of a sudden, her body felt better.
The jewel tiara hadn't taken much to smuggle into the house. Her grandfather never really cared for what type of jewelry she brought over anyways. He was nice deep down. She knew it but still. A small conspiratorial part of herself knew she was fooling herself with that thought but she couldn't let herself think that aloud.
The jewel tiara made her feel safe. It made the hate go away and the fear. Not to mention the pain. The worm inside her always went still. It was as if it was being suppressed. It wasn't going anywhere, but it made it all the more bearable.
Yes she was still going to find the owner of the tiara. She could wait though. For now, she would lay in peace. Thinking of Shirou and her new friend Twilight, who's jealousy went away bit by bit as she held the tiara in her fingers.