//------------------------------// // Internships: Start! // Story: My Little Academia: Friendship is Heroic! // by Fullmetal Pony //------------------------------// Gilda groaned when light slipped through her apartment’s windows and hit her eyes. She brought a claw to her head to try and contain what felt like her brain seeping through her skull. Lifting her upper body, she felt some of the talons of her other claw slip through something. Her eyes flared open. Her mattress and pillows were shredded. Claw marks raked through her covers as well. She squawked with a mixture of anger, shock, and anxiety. “Again?” she growled. “What in Grover’s name is wrong with me? I’m not a hatchling!” With a sigh, she went to work cleaning up, even as her head pounded. She took solace that she had a doctor’s appointment in a few days to get this sorted out. Just a few more days and the night-clawing, the migraines, and the hunting dreams would be dealt with. Between the waves of pain breaking on her head, blurred images of the dreams came to her: a silhouette of prey, something hitting her in a last desperate act of survival, the smell of a fresh kill. All griffons got them from time to time— a remnant of the era before markets and non-aggression treaties— but the frequency of them lately combined with everything else had convinced Gilda to schedule a checkup. ~~~ “The Minotaur Hero?!” Rarity gasped. Twilight, Pinkie, and Rainbow Dash all stared at Fluttershy with raised eyebrows. Spike scratched his head. Applejack stared at Fluttershy but kept her face neutral. Fluttershy blushed. “W-well, I’ve heard Mr. Iron Will is good at instilling confidence in his interns.” “I have heard that too,” said Twilight. “But I’ve also heard he can be quite the taskmaster.” “I can handle it.” Fluttershy managed to smile just a little. “My fight against Sunset got me thinking about what I need to improve on as a Hero.” “I see.” Despite it only being early fall, Rarity used her magic to clutch her scarf tighter. There was sweat on her brow, but she kept a coat on as well. With Rarity’s uneven gait and the black eye Sunset sported, it did not take many guesses as to what had happened. Yet, the air between both seemed far less tense than yesterday. “You’ll make it work.” “Hay yeah she will!” Dash wrapped a hoof around Fluttershy’s back and gave her a cheer. “Th-thanks.” Fluttershy peered at Twilight. “What about you? I’ve never heard of the Nightmare Moon Agency.” “It’s a bit obscure, but it’s an old agency that actually stretches back a few centuries,” Twilight recited the lines from the letter. “They periodically open and close, but they’re known for dealing with Heroes that have…” Twilight glanced down. “…hard to manage Talents.” “Bull,” said Dash. “Your Talent kicks all sorts of flank… It’s just…” “Impractical given my current usage?” Twilight interjected. “Cheer up, Twi!” Pinkie slid over and gave Twilight a pat on the back. “I’ve got a good feeling about your internship!” “Yep,” said Applejack. “It’ll be a good time in Ponyville too. Keep the peace. See old friends. Do some apple bucking. All good.” No one immediately responded. If they had not read the paper over breakfast, they had seen the headlines on the way to school: Big Mac to Retire Due to Injuries; Black Griffin Still At Large “Applejack…” Twilight spoke up after a moment. “If it ever gets too much and you need to talk, just say something. We’re your friends.” Everyone nodded in agreement. Applejack smiled, but everyone felt something hollow about it. “Right.” ~~~ Spike gulped. His grip tightened around his briefcase’s handle. The mouth of a cave on the outskirts of Canterlot gaped in front of him. He could feel heat flowing out from the large opening. Steeling himself, he entered the cave. The darkness increased as he went deeper into the cave as did the heat. Like all dragons, his eyes quickly adjusted. Some distance in, a scent drifted into his nose. His pupils narrowed and he tensed up— it was the smell of gems and gold. With more tepid steps, he advanced until he rounded a corner and was met with a hoard. It glistened in his eyes for a second before he averted his gaze. “Relax, whelp,” came a voice at the base of the hoard. “You’re winged now. It’ll take more than this paltry hoard to trigger sickness in you, especially if what Smolder tells me is true.” Spike opened his eyes and focused on the source of the voice. Amidst the gems and gold was a stone slab. There were various papers stacked on it along with writing implements. Behind the slab sat a cyan dragon with a slightly lighter underbelly. Her flare-like red eyes gazed at Spike. Spike also noticed Smolder off to the side with drooping eyelids and deep bags, barely able to stand on her feet. The cyan dragon stood. She was a good six feet taller than Spike— the biggest dragon Spike had seen at this point. Yet, unlike Garble, her body was sleek rather than angular. She marched around the slab, over to Spike, bent down and gazed at him, particularly his wings. He wondered if some dragons could project heat through the eyes given the intensity of her stare. “Hmm, so it is an actual molt.” She bowed back. Suddenly, she let out a burst of flame. Spike yelped and tried to escape, but the fire washed over him. It only lasted a second and it felt no worse to Spike than a pony touching a hot stove for a split-second, but it scared the life out of him. Before he could be thankful the flames had somehow avoided the briefcase containing his costume, the blue dragon remarked, “Good, good! That’s winged-age heat resistance too! Oh, you’ll make a good tr—” “What the Tartarus is wrong with you!?” Spike yelled. “You really don’t know?” The dragon kept a cool expression. “Such a fascinating little trinket. Well, consider that a dragon greeting, from Princess Ember no less. All newly winged face the flames to make sure the molt is complete.” “You could have warned me.” “To most dragons, it’s common knowledge.” Ember smirked. “But there’s nothing common about you, is there? That’s why you’re here. That’s why you’re mine.” Spike could not help but feel like he had just been put on a dinner plate with the way Ember’s eyes glinted and her fangs shined. ~~~ “What are you doing here?!” Rarity and Suri both yelped when the latter walked into the office. “My internship, of course,” Suri huffed. “This is the perfect internship for a fashion-minded Hero.” “You realize it will be more hooves on than that.” “Well…” came a third voice from behind a desk. A svelte cerulean mare with a vivid vermillion striped mane and heavy eyeshadow looked over both Rarity and Suri. “… the Sassy Saddles’ Agency is a boutique business, so we’ll work to make the best of both worlds.” ~~~ “First rule of starting an internship right is a good cup of tea.” Time Turner swirled a spoon around in his cup. Gears and other apparatus clicked and tocked around him and Derpy. Various tubes and beakers boiled and steamed, including one device that twisted itself into knots but was no more than the kettle Turner had used to boil the water for the tea. There was also a great pillar-like machine in the center of the room just a little to the right of the coffee table that gave off a rhythmic mechanical hum. All this and a desk fit into what, on the outside, appeared to be too small a room, but it was quite spacious on the inside. Derpy took a sip of the tea and recoiled at its bitterness. She blushed in embarrassment but Turner laughed it off.  “Oh, my dear, no fault on you. Always been a terrible cook. So much for my pride as a Trottingham citizen.” “I can make it in the future… oh and muffins too!” “Hmm…” Turner tapped his chin. “I suppose that is a thing interns do, but do tell me if it’s too much. I want the main focuses of this internship to be on your growth and helping with my investigations.” Derpy’s eyes lit up. “Oooh, so you’re like a detective too?” “Somewhat.” Turner glanced at one of his machines. “My investigations are just a bit more on the… theoretical side.” ~~~ Sunset stared up at the agency’s name. Like the letter’s seal, it contained a heart overlaid with a piece of bread broken in half. Taking a breath, she stepped inside. The heavy scent of perfume greeted her. She recalled aspects of it, but the majority of it was new to her. She made her way to the receptionist, who wore a big grin despite the natural clenched jaw Sunset bore. “Can I help you miss…” “Sunset Shimmer.” “Ah, Ms. Shimmer!” The receptionist stood up and extended a hoof. Sunset took it in a professional manner and gave it a shake. The receptionist turned to the side and opened a door with her magic. “Bread Breaker is waiting in her office.” “Do you call her that even here?” Sunset asked. “Lots of Heroes do that, but I’m sure it’s fine if you use her actual name inside the agency at least.” Sunset nodded and went through the door. The door led to a short hall decorated with plaques, medals, and pictures. Bread Breaker stood beside a different pony in each one, all of them being around Sunset’s age. There were also group photos of Bread Breaker with dozens of other Heroes. It painted a vivid history that Sunset correlated with her own. “She really picked up business quick,” Sunset noted. Reaching the door at the other end of the hall, she knocked. “Come in,” sang a voice from inside. Sunset braced herself and opened the door. Immediately, she was caught in a hug. “Shimmy!” cried the cerise unicorn who squeezed Sunset close. Her violet, rose, and golden mane brushed against Sunset’s. “Oh, it’s been way way too long! You won’t believe how happy I was when you accepted my invitation!” Shit! Cadance hasn’t changed at all! Sunset internally groaned while trying to free herself. “This internship is going to be perfect!” Mi Amore Cadenza AKA Cadance AKA Rank Three Hero Bread Breaker cheered. ~~~ “Alright.” The muscular thestral stallion clasped his hooves together. They were covered with studded leather shoes—a hit from them would be quite painful. A bulky fur jacket covered his frame, making him look less like a pony and more like a yak. Multiple hairy spikes protruded out of his goatee. A mask adorned his face, framing his eyes in white surrounded by shadow. On top of all that were his natural fangs. Overall, he looked like a particularly dangerous resident of the Everfree Forest. Yet, his voice had a smooth quality to it. “Any questions?” “A bunch!” Pinkie replied. “First, does the costume help with the pie business, Mr. Mincemeat?” Mincemeat grinned. “Surprisingly, yes.”   ~~~ Tantabus led Twilight through the Castle. At a split in the path, instead of going to the east wing, like Twilight normally did when visiting Celestia, Tantabus turned toward the west. Neither had said anything when they met at Twilight’s usual secret entrance, but now Tantabus chose to speak as they walked down a hall stained blue by the windows like a clear night. “You should know, I voiced my concerns about this,” she said, having assumed her true form of a living galactical shadow of a mare. “Princess Celestia had some as well, but Princess Luna insisted that the progress you made during the Sports Festival guarantees this internship will be successful. Personally, I would have preferred you continue training with Princess Celestia, but unfortunately her schedule is packed.” Twilight did not respond. Her eyes scanned around, making note of various moons framed in the stained glass and images of night across Equestria. Whenever there was a full moon, it bore the same mark that had been on Luna’s letter: the cratered side profile of a mare. They stopped before a grand door marked with stars, galaxies, and all the phases of the moon. Twilight braced herself. Given Celestia’s true state, just imagining how Luna must have looked set a chill down her spine. ~~~ Celestia, fully empowered, stood over a table covered with pieces of rock. Most of the pieces were indistinguishable, but a few could be made out as fangs, claws, horns, and the remnants of a serpentine body. With her horn aglow, she pressed it against a piece. After a good minute of concentration, Celestia backed away. “A different signature from this piece as well.” “That’s seven.” Redheart made a check on the notepad she had on hoof. “Is this normal?” “Nothing is normal about a draconequus, but so far, this doesn’t match with what I’ve observed from Discord. Petrified at least, his signature is literally sickening to observe— it would probably drive an untrained pony mad.” Redheart shuddered. “And this?” “It’s a hodgepodge, but a traceable one.” Celestia furrowed her brow. “Rather than a creature born before time, this was a creature made through a specific process, I hypothesize a fusion.” Redheart gulped. “Of what?” Celestia looked straight at Redheart. She had not worn a smile throughout the entire investigation, but the tranquil fury she had shown at the WTF kept her jaw clenched. Now, there was a hint of something not seen in Equestria in many moons: horror on Celestia’s face. “Of Talents and bodies.” ~~~ Tantabus opened the door and allowed Twilight to step inside. The room was quite similar to Celestia’s: large canopy bed, walls lined with books, and a great stargazing window above. The main difference was the color: whereas Celestia’s room was decorated with vibrant crimson and gold, Luna’s was marked by deep violets and blues. Twilight spotted something glint from the bed and called out, “Prin— I mean, Luna?” There was no response. When she peered closer, Twilight found there was only a tiara, a chest scarf, and a set of shoes. Then, the regalia were covered in a deep blue aura and lifted up. “Behind you,” came Luna’s voice. Twilight turned and was met with Tantabus shrinking down. Her eyes appeared but the pupils were rounded rather than slitted. Her flanks stopped swirling and instead became black splotches adorned with a crescent moon that matched the scarf. Said scarf wrapped around Tantabus’s chest and the shoes and tiara also fitted onto her. Shadowy wings materialized out of her sides. “It’s good to see you again, Twilight,” Tantabus said with Luna’s voice. “Princess?” “I’m borrowing Tantabus’s body for now.” Luna glanced down. “I suppose we should clear this up. In our battle, Celestia suffered a great injury to her thaumic system, as you have seen. I’m the opposite case. My magic, the core of my being, still exists, but my physical body is no more.” Twilight was left speechless. Her shock turned to confusion as Luna took up a battle stance. “Now,” said Luna. “Let’s see what fruits our little talk has yielded.” “Wait, wh—” Luna launched off her hooves and rammed into Twilight, knocking the wind out of her. While Twilight wobbled back to her hooves, Luna beamed, “I think a game of tag is a good way to start things off. You’re it, so let’s see if you can catch me.”