//------------------------------//
// — Interlude III — 
// Story: Finding Friendship 
// by Kamen-Zero 
//------------------------------//




June 11,
Year 1,005 on the Grand Celestial Calendar.

My first year at the Queen's School for Gifted Unicorns has been successfully concluded. My final grades were spectacular, and I was even able to get my Divination grade barley up to a C. I'm not particularly proud of that fact, but it's a drastic improvement over almost failing. It was an arduous and stressful endeavor, but it was all worth it in the end. In retrospect, I've come to realize that the process of becoming Spike's "babysitter," as the Queen calls it, was actually the least stressful series of events. Cadence's suggestion of keeping him around has, somehow, done wonders for my anxiety. I think it has something to do with the education regime I've set up for him. It's far less complex then what I'm used to, and I find it oddly therapeutic to teach him some basic linguistic and mathematic skills. Just the other day I finally got him to use an actual toilet. How many unicorns alicorns can say that they potty-trained a dragon?

Though the Queen's "spontaneous" visits are more than a little stress-inducing. I won't lie.

Back to the subject, I'm greatly looking forward to taking some time off and relax for a few months. Classes are only going to get more difficult from here on out, so I need to be ready for it all. It's also going to be nice to spend some time with my family again. Even if last week's visit was an absolute disaster by all definitions, I still love them with all my heart. 

They even agreed to let Spike come home with me, Dad even encouraged it. They've been surprisingly supportive of this little guy living with me, despite everything that's happened. It's comforting, in some regard. It makes me feel more at ease about currently being his primary caretaker, in spite of the Queen's obvious reservations about the whole situation. And seeing the way she treats him? I wouldn't blame Spike if he preferred my company over hers. Or anyone else's, for that matter. 

She is "clingy," to use a single word. 




Finally home.

Adjusting the cloak and saddlebags covering her form, Twilight stepped up the polished stone steps and pushed open the front door. Immediately her nose was assaulted by the scents of whatever it was that her mother was cooking tonight. It was distant, but the aroma was definitely familiar. She breathed deeply of this scent, the following exhale being long and loud. Some sort of soup or stew, based on the distinct aroma of mingled potatoes and onions. While Twilight was usually one to study and work with every fiber of her being, this summer would be a time for her to unwind and relax. To process everything that had occurred in the past six months of her life.

"Is that my favorite daughter I hear?" The voice of an older mare chimed out happily. Walking into view from what Twilight remembered to be the kitchen was the very familiar pale grey unicorn with tail and mane made up of light violet hues with several prominent white streaks. Unmistakably those of Twilight's mother, Twilight Velvet. "Ah-ha! I knew it!" She gave a welcoming smile as Twilight close the door behind her.

"Hi, mom," Twilight spoke kindly, a school-borne weariness present in her tone. She gently discarded the concealing robe and her saddlebags next to the door, soon afterward the two mares quickly met up and embraced one another in a warm hug. "It's really good to be home."

"You don't know how good it is to see you again," Velvet responded, pulling Twilight closer into the hug.

"Mom, you just came to visit me last week."

"I know..."  Bringing up that incident was enough to get Velvet to sigh in contempt. The hug ended shortly after that, a smile returning to her face as she returned her daughter's personal space. "Speaking of, where's your little friend? I thought you were bringing him with you?"

"Hello!" Spike yelped out of the blue, or rather out of the saddlebag, as he abruptly emerged with a toothy grin. At just under a year old, his growth spurts had become fewer and farther between, and less drastic over time. He was about the size of a young Border Collie now, albeit longer, and was just barely able to squeeze into the saddlebag without causing a noticeable distortion. His smile quickly faded into an investigatory expression, confused and amazed by the unfamiliar surroundings now laid out before him.

"Oh! There you are!" Velvet squeaked through a flinch, placing a hoof to her chest as she calmed herself down. "You scared me, little one."

Guilt became apparent on the dragon's expression as he sunk back into the saddlebag, only his eyes showing over the lip of the sack. "Sorry," he murmured out. While his growing had seemed to have slowed down for a time, his vocabulary had grown exponentially. He still only spoke in short one-to-two word sentences, if you could call them that, but he was learning remarkably fast and Twilight couldn't help but feel exceptionally proud about that fact.

"Thanks again for letting him come with me, Mom," Twilight continued, "I don't think his old guard would've been very happy if I had to dump Spike with him for three months... the Queen, on the other hoof..."

"Oh, don't I know it. It's almost every other day, she's going off about him. It's almost impossible to get any real work done when she starts." The two mares shared a small laugh at their leader's expense, Twilight growing the tiniest bit uncomfortable in the meanwhile. With all that had happened, it was hard to remember at times that her mother was a Pillar of Equestria, and thus had a direct working relationship with the Queen.

Maybe that's why...?

"But it really is no problem, dear," Velvet continued, interrupting Twilight's dreary thought and pulling her back to the now. "But... I have to ask. He is housebroken, right? I know you remember how bad it was with Shining's dog, and I don't want to go through that again with a dragon's—"

"Mom, that's the third thing I taught him," Twilight reassured with a small laugh, "And if he does make a mess, I'll clean it up."

"Alright..." Velvet glanced back to the long dragon as he slowly began to venture forth from Twilight's luggage. She leaned in close to whisper to something to her daughter, not wanting Spike to hear. "I didn't know how he... you know, so I went out and bought a litter box. Is that bad or...?"

"Mom, seriously, stop worrying about that," Twilight spoke sternly, lightly pushing her mother away. "I have everything taken care of." 

With the conversation over, the alicorn returned her attention to the dragon she had brought home. In the time Twilight had been caring for and examining him on the Queen's behalf, she had noticed that many of the long dragon's mannerisms and behaviors were similar to that of common canines. This being shown off at the moment by Spike's insistent and rapid investigation of Twilight's childhood home through his sense of smell. 

With his belly and snout low to the ground and his tail held high into the air, the tuft of green fur at the end flowing like a small flag, Spike slowly crawled his way through the interior of the house. Twilight was unsure if he was simply exploring, or if he had caught the scent of something in particular—the food, if she were to guess—but the alicorn was willing to see where her little friend would take her. She also needed to make sure he didn't end up destroying anything of value. The first few weeks of his stay with her, he had gained a habit of clawing into various things. And Twilight did not want a repeat of that particular struggle, especially with her parents around. Though the little game of follow-the-leader was cut short with the sound of a hoof knocking on the front door.

"Would you mind getting that, Sweetie?" Velvet called, already back to her work in the kitchen. "I'm a bit preoccupied at the moment."

"Okay, mom." 

Twilight turned her attention towards the entrance, looking back to the long dragon every now and then as he sniffed about. Spike seemed to be fascinated with a large potted fern at the moment, meaning he shouldn't be getting into to much trouble for the time being. With that anxiety settled, for the time being, her attention was drawn back to the front door. Gesturing with her horn, her heavy cloak was redonned and the barricade was slowly opened to reveal whoever was on the other side.

The first thing Twilight took notice of was the absolute explosion of rainbow-colors that sat atop the pony's head. It took a moment for the young alicorn to register that this was someone's mane, a very shaggy and very roughly cut mane that served to cover one of its owner's reddish eyes. The haircut that was a well-known symbol of teenage rebellion, which fit seeing as how Twilight and this pony looked to be in the same age group—give or take a year or two. The cyan pegasus stood at the door with a dull look of mixed animosity and boredom—again, another staple of adolescent revolution and was passing the time by very loudly chewing a large wad of gum.

It didn't take long for Twilight to see that the pegasus in question was donned in a blue and yellow jumpsuit. Though it was admittedly a bit hard to tell, as the blue shade was very close to her cyan coat. A brief glimpse and one would be able to safely assume that she was unclothed. But no, this was a mare in uniform. And based on the asymmetrical bolt of lightning going along her chest, it was clear that this was a Wonderbolt in training.

Is she lost? That was Twilight's immediate reaction as she stared down the cadet with a raised brow. "... Hello? Can I help you?"

"Sup." The cyan pony's greeting was accompanied by an upward jut of her chin, before quickly blowing and popping a pink-tinted candy bubble. "You Twilight Sparkle?"

Concern began to take its course through Twilight at the question. She could count the number of pegasi she had met with a single-digit number, none of them being this particular individual. She knew for a fact she'd recall someone with that distinct of a mane. So the fact that this pony knew the alicorn's name was more than a little disconcerting. 

"... Yes?" Twilight was barely able to squeak out the answer.

"Awesome! The name's Rainbow Dash," the colorful pegasus stuck out her chest in time with her name as an obvious show of pride, "As you can see, I'm a Wonderbolt. And your new flying coach. So come with me, we got a lot of work to do!" Twilight didn't think she could hold her wings that tightly against her body, but she quickly learned that she could as she reflexively pulled them inward in a panic. 

"I-I'm sorry, but I think you have the wrong 'Twilight Sparkle,'" she quickly explained, pointing a hoof to her horn. "As you can see, I'm clearly a unicorn. Why would I need a flying coach?"

Blank confusion came over Rainbow's face at the unexpected reaction. Her left-wing gracefully unfolded, and with a great show of dexterity and control the feathered appendage was made to pass a small note to a waiting hoof. As the pegasus squinted over the document, Twilight was impressed that the appendage was able to move like that. And as Rainbow looked to the address-label bolted onto the side of the house, Twilight found herself asking if her wings could do that.

"Nope. I have the right address, says so right here." Rainbow stated with apparent glee, returning the note to her wing to be tucked away at her side. The flying pony's eyes over-dramatically shifted back and forth before she leaned in close, resting the still raised hoof towards her mouth to conceal the whispered message. "I already know you're an alicorn, by the way. The old blanket's a dead give away... I was also told you didn't like to talk about it, so I wasn't gonna bring it up."

Twilight quickly reclaimed her personal space with a sudden step back. Feelings of intense transgression and violation were building up with no sign of slowing or ceasing. It was one thing to know her name, that information wasn't exactly private or hard to get, but knowing about her being an alicorn? That had been a closely guarded secret given only to her family, Princess Cadence, and Queen Celestia II. And all parties involved had been made to specifically promise to keep that information to themselves. Yet here was this random pegasus, who Twilight barely knew, just casually informing her that she already knew. 

"I'm sorry, who are you again?!" Twilight's tone was slathered with a bitter venom, her eyes drilling a hole into Rainbow's very soul. She felt a strong spark of energy surge through her horn, and she allowed it to brightly glow as a method of intimidation. This Rainbow Dash person was either very brave or very stupid, as her reaction to the arcane static was minimal at best. She flinched but wasn't otherwise bothered by the obvious threat.

"Whoa, calm down, kid!" Rainbow blurted loudly as she took a step back. If nothing else, it was clear that she realized that a line had been crossed. "I already told you who I am, and why I'm here!... Oh, wait!" She quickly unfurled her wing again and presented the note within to Twilight. "Don't believe me? See for yourself! Officially sanctioned!"

The note was practically ripped away from Rainbow as the magenta light lashed at it like a whip, crumpling the stationary in the process. Twilight gave the pegasus another dirty look before she began to skim the letter she had just been given. It looked official enough, addressed to the pony that had shown it to her. The work of a typewriter, it was just a decently sized blurb explaining that the sender wanted one Rainbow Dash, the recipient, to teach one Twilight Sparkle the basics of flight. The actual note itself had a much wordier way of saying that statement and even included Twilight's home address, but that was the general basis of it. Twilight was ready to disregard every single piece of this as pure nonsense, but then she caught sight of the signature at the bottom.

Princess Mi Amore Cadenza

There it was, clear as day. Cadence's signature, in her distinctive curly hornwriting, starring Twilight square in the face. The last a's tail even curled up into a small heart and everything, it was unmistakably hers. Anger turned into shock and embarrassment, her attention turning back to the pegasus, Rainbow Dash having returned to bearing a confident posture and cocky smile in the meantime. Something that didn't exactly help her case.

"As I said, I'm your new flying coach," Rainbow spoke with newfound bravado. "And you lucked out because I'm the best flyer the Wonderbolts has to offer!" 

Still not believing what was happening, the purple pony looked back down to the note to try and process what was even going on. After a moment's hesitation, she overlooked the second pony and her uniform. For some unfathomable reason, Cadence had pulled the strings to have this mare teach her how to fly? There was no end to the torrent of emotions Twilight was feeling right now. Betrayal, confusion, undying burning rage, they all congealed and conflicted within the alicorn's mind. Why? That was the only question she was able to ask herself. Though some rational part of her brain still fought to break through the commotion, doing everything and more to keep her outward persona calm. And it did this the best way it knew how, by noticing small details. Like the trainee's uniform, for instance. 

"The lightning bolt on your chest is asymmetrical," the alicorn calmly retaliated before gesturing to the pegasus's flanks, "And your uniform doesn't have your cutie mark on it. You're a trainee, aren't you?"

Rainbow's confident persona clearly took a heavy hit, but she was able to keep herself together. Her ego had taken a hit, which had been Twilight's objective in the first place. Sanctioned or not, she had no right to come to Twilight's home and cause such a flurry of negative emotions like this. If nothing else, Twilight was entitled to the counterattack. Or at least, that's what the angry side of her kept telling her. 

"I mean... yeah, everyone's gotta start somewhere, ya know?" Rainbow deflected Twilight's accusation after only a few seconds and swiftly flipped her mane with a jut of her head. "They can't just let me go straight to the top because I've got mad skillz. I gotta earn it with blood, sweat, tears, and awesomeness!" She paused for a moment. "... And teaching an alicorn how to fly because everyone else is too busy or doesn't want to," she bitterly muttered under her breath, seeming to be just as unhappy with the situation as Twilight was. Something that served to quench the anger building up inside of the young alicorn, if only a tiny bit.

And even now, Twilight could respect this pony's work ethic, as warped as it may or may not have been. Despite the ego that had been shown off, she was at least cognizant enough to know that she wasn't entitled to success just because of talent. That was something Twilight could respect, given her own circumstances. Either that or Rainbow was just trying to defend her self-image after Twilight had brutalized it. It was more than likely some combination of the two. The fact that she was wearing that uniform at all was proof enough that she was at least qualified to even get into the training course. But at the same time, Twilight still had some very strong opinions about Cadence's whole "flying coach" idea. And after calming her thoughts, and dismissing the still buzzing magic around her horn, she finally found the words to convey that.

"Listen," Twilight interrupted with a much more neutral tone after a loud sigh, "I'm sorry for the trouble, but I just got home. I'm tired, I want to see my family, and I want to sleep. I do not need a flying instructor. I do not want a flying instructor. I'll talk to the Princess about it, so don't worry about getting fired or whatever. Good luck with those 'mad skills' of yours." As she turned to reenter her home, a slight tug could be felt on the cloak concealing her true nature, not that it mattered with this particular pony. Spinning around revealed that the cyan pegasus had placed a hoof atop the slack in the cloth, frustratingly halting Twilight's progress. 

"I... can't let you do that," Rainbow spoke with an awkward grin, "I was specifically told that I couldn't take 'no' for an answer." Her other wing unfolded, revealing yet another piece of paper neatly tucked in between the feathers. "And I was also told to give you this if you tried. By the Princess herself, if you can believe that." With a tired groan, the second letter was mystically seized and opened. This time, it was actually addressed to Twilight and was once again in Cadence's horn writing.




Hey, Twily.

If you're reading this, which I know you are, it means you've met your new flying coach. Now before you go and have a meltdown about this, I would just like to clarify that this wasn't my idea. It was your father who wanted this. He sent me a letter last week about your wings. He wanted to make sure you were actually taking care of them and not letting them just sit there and rot, his words not mine. Knowing him, I'm sure he's brought the subject up to you as well. And since I got that letter, I'm sure you were pretty defiant about the whole thing. I know he may not seem like it, but he is a doctor, and he does know what he's talking about when it comes to this kind of stuff. 

So, at his request, I pulled a few strings and talked with a few people. And I arranged for you to take some lessons over the summer. Private lessons since I didn't want you to be put through the wringer too bad. Plus, I'm one hundred percent positive that you'd find a million uses for flight once you actually learn how to. I wanted the Wonderbolt Captian to be your instructor, I know from experience that she's a remarkable teacher, but even Princesses can't get everything they want. It took a few days to sort everything out, but the Captain and I were able to come to an agreement. I've been assured that Rainbow Dash is a prodigy in her own right, and I'm hoping that her being closer to your age will get you to start socializing more.

I know that it might not seem fair. I know that it was pretty scummy of your dad to go behind your back like that. And I know it was pretty scummy of me to not tell you until now. And I'm sorry about that. But if you want my honest opinion? He's absolutely right. Like it or not, those wings are a part of you now. So to be healthy, you need to take care of them.  

You can yell at me as much as you want the next time you see me. But please don't take any of this out on your dad. He loves you, and he just wants what's best for you. I do too, which is why I agreed to this. I'll see you as soon as my schedule clears up, I promise. Hopefully within the next month or so, but I don't want to jinx myself.

With love,
Cadence. 




Twilight. Was. Furious.

Beyond furious, even. The academic alicorn couldn't think of a single word to describe just how enraged she was at all of this. The moment she had read the words 'last week,' she knew what this had all been about. Her parents had come over to visit during a lull in her preparation for the year's final exams. She needed someone she knew to help her process some stress and to help keep Spike distracted for a few hours. At some point during the reunion, her ever-observant doctor of a father had begun talking about how Twilight's wings were looking a little ragged and scrawny, that she needed to take better care of them. The conversation that followed only served to contradict the very reason she had requested their presence in the first place, adding onto the mountain of pressure that had been sitting firmly on her shoulders alongside those very wings.

The unneeded argument was one thing. But this? Just going behind her back, making decisions like this for her? Twilight didn't want this right now. She didn't need this right now. This was the absolute last thing she needed in her life right now. And unlike before, where some still-cognizant shred of herself managed to keep her calm, this time there was no such restraint. Her anger began to boil hotter and hotter, stirring up the latent magical prowess within her. Once again, her horn began to flicker and spark. Quite literally, even. 

Normally, unicorn and alicorn magic wafted and waved like an ethereal smoke. Refined, elegant, controlled. But this? This was raw arcane might surging about her horn now. It danced and lashed out like bolts of lightning, quickly striking Cadence's letter and reducing it to ashes. And as the magic continued to build, so to did an all too familiar heat began to well in the core of Twilight's being, her heart pounding like a thousand war drums. 

That was enough to get her to stop, the small tempest of energy flickering out of existence now that its fuel source was cut off. She stared down at the ashes with absolute horror, clearly remembering the last time something like that had happened to her. Magic and emotions were undeniably linked, even more so with alicorns, and the former had very drastic effects on the later. If she hadn't stopped when she did, she would have certainly gone through another magic-overload. A preventable ailment caused when a unicorn, or alicorn, in this case, lost control over the magic energy within them. With varying degrees of trauma and damage that could be caused by it. There was only one time in her life where Twilight had gone through a magic-overload, and she distinctly never wanted to go through that again.   

All of this happened in the span of only a second or two, and Rainbow Dash seemed none the wiser to what had almost just happened. From her perspective, it just looked like Twilight didn't take to that message too kindly. There was an awkward moment where Twilight glared back at the wide-eyed pegasus, the conversation growing cold and quiet as neither of them spoke up. 

"So..." The Wonderbolt-in-training lightly kicked at the pavement, "... Is now a bad time?" 

The sheer audacity of that question was well past infuriating, given everything else that had happened in this conversation. Twilight wanted to kick and scream every profanity and obscenity she knew as loud as she could. And she knew quite a few examples of less than appropriate language, some she was certain that this pegasus had never even heard before. But the near-overload-experience just now served as a strong reminder to keep her head in the right space, and the anger was quick to fade with the sound of her steadily normalizing heartbeat. 

It wasn't Rainbow's fault. She was just caught in the middle of a bad situation, another thing that Twilight found herself having in common with the colorful pony. It was, however, the fault of her father and Cadence. But at the same time, Twilight knew it wasn't out of malicious intent. As the letter said, it was an act of love that led them all to this scenario. The more she thought about it, the more irrational it seemed to be actively angry about this.

But she was still going to be unimaginably bitter and passive-aggressive with her father at the dinner table tonight, she was owed at least that much. If she played her cards right, she might even be able to get her mother on her side to yell at her father for her. And anything Twilight could say to him paled in comparison to what her politician mother could do to the doctor of the family. The thought of her dad being put in the dog house over this—literally—further served to better her mood. With that, she allowed herself to take a long and deep breath, holding it in for a few seconds before finally releasing it. After that, she answered Rainbow's question. 

"Do we have to start tonight?"

"Uhh... I guess not," Rainbow scratched at the back of her head with a hoof, "Truth be told, I wasn't supposed to come until tomorrow. I just wanted to get a bit of a head start." The statement slowly became more and more silent, like a filly who had been caught with a hoof in the cookie jar. That statement sparked a new but short-lived sense of anger in Twilight. 

"That's—!... Tomorrow sounds fine. I'll see you then. Have a... wonderful day." 

The alicorn barely paid any mind to whatever response had been given to that as she reentered her family home and shut the door, flicking the lock closed with the horn atop her head. She took several moments to collect herself, most of her weight supported by the wooden barricade as she leaned against it. And after listening to the sounds of the outside world for a time, as well as the sounds of the colorful pegasus departing with a loud windy woosh, she finally found the strength and resolve to continue on. But as she continued into the familiar home, every ounce of her being was suddenly directed towards a much more prevalent problem.

"Spike, NO!" She shouted, scrambling over as quickly as her hooves could carry her. "Ferns are not for eating!"