//------------------------------// // Meetings and Reunions - Chapter 2 // Story: Lysithea and Twilight: The Twin Sisters of Magic // by Lusaminia //------------------------------// To my dear student Lysithea Velvet, I appreciate your sister’s concern for my well being. It is always nice to know that my little ponies care so much for me, and it lessens what insecurities I tend to feel as a ruler. That said, please tell your sister that she must get her head out of old fairy tales. I am more familiar with that tale than anyone, and I can assure both you and her that, even if she does return, there is no reason to worry. That said, I’ve actually been meaning to ask you a favor. It has come to my attention that neither you or your sister have that many you can call friends outside the city. So, I am sending both you and your sisters to Ponyville. While part of this is to make friends, as I just mentioned, I would also like you to check on certain things in preparation for the Summer Sun Celebration tomorrow. The addresses are on the back of the letter. Your teacher, Princess Celestia. P.S. I hate to butt in on such personal things, considering I wasn’t present for the experience, but I know somepony in Ponyville who could help your sister. I know you wish to help her yourself, but there is only so much a normal pony can do before needing others. “She didn’t believe me. She didn’t believe me. Why didn’t she believe me?” Twilight asked herself as she, her sister, and Spike traveled by chariot to the small town known as Ponyville. “It all made sense. The date, the circumstances, everything lines up to say that Nightmare Moon is supposed to return. So why doesn’t she believe me?” Lysithea did her best to tune her sister’s words, not because she didn’t want to hear them, but because this hadn’t been the first time her sister had talked in such a manner. In truth, it had happened more and more frequently as the years went on, causing the mare to grow obsessive over certain topics to the point where she wouldn’t talk about anything else. It was like being with Raphael all over again, though at least with him the obsession was always food or training. Looking over the edge slightly, Lysithea peered down to the countryside below her. Compared to Canterlot, the countryside reminded her a lot of Fodlan. Large green fields made a majority of it, with farms dotting the landscape every now and then. Those fields were joined by forests, one in particular seeming to span for a large part of the journey. The only real change she could make out was that of the railroad. Sometimes she found it hard to believe that something like steam could be used to power a machine, but she was proven otherwise as a train passed below her. “You know,” Lysithea said to herself. “Somehow, this feels more like home than Canterlot ever did.” Her words seemed to bring Twilight out of her rant, drawing the timid unicorn to join her at the left edge of the chariot. It didn’t last long before Twilight let out a squeak, tumbling backwards.. “W-w-why are we so high up?” Twilight asked. “Uh, because we are being taken there by Pegasus and… never mind,”  Lysithea replied. “I got to ask Twi, you’ve been a lot more jumpy than usual, and that is saying a lot.” “I-I guess it’s because I’ve been trying to get out more recently,” Twilight said. “I-It’s just, you’ve been saying to me for a while that I need to work past that experience and I was trying to do just that. It’s been successful, or at least I believe it is.” “Successful in this case meaning trying to hide from nearly any pony that comes across her,” Spike replied. “It’s as if she is trying to get better and yet not at the same time.” “Well who knows when somepony is going to come after me,” Twilight said, looking away as she continued to speak. “That and… I can still remember their faces. It’s like I see them on everypony I meet besides you, and every word they said is still there as well. Their threats, their terrifying promises...” “So you’ve been trying to do this all on your own?” Lysithea asked. “Is this why you keep on refusing to see somepony about this? You want to do it on your own?” “Well, if I only feel comfortable with you around, then I have to learn to start feeling comfortable without you around, right?” Twilight replied, trying to look as determined as possible. Her shaking form did nothing to help that. “It’s just, I want to be able to go to a store without thinking I’m going to die. I want to be able to visit you without making you worry. If I don’t do it on my own…” “Thus why you came to look for me instead of sending a message,” Lysithea whispered to herself. “Twilight, I understand that you want to deal with this all on your own, but please listen to me for a moment. While I do admire you trying to do it by yourself, you shouldn't feel bad relying on others. I’m your sister, let me help.” Twilight didn’t reply with words, giving a shake of her head instead. “We don’t have time to focus on this,” She said. “Celestia may not believe me now, but I have to make sure she does. We don’t have time to make friends or do anything like that. Nightmare Moon is real, and she is coming back, I’m sure of it, and that means that we focus on her after we finish checking on the celebration.” -------- At some point during the ride Lysithea had given up completely on getting Twilight to listen to her. The mare had returned to theorizing how she should explain to the princess how Nightmare Moon was real. She couldn’t help but wonder how her sister ever expected anypony to believe her in the first place, considering how paranoid she was about nearly everything. It made her wonder how her sister had never decided to leave the city altogether, though she quickly reminded herself that she was the reason Twilight stayed. As the chariot got lower to the ground, Lysithea found herself sighing in relief. Though the trip had been rather enjoyable outside of her sister’s ramblings, it hadn’t been fun to constantly have to move her mane out of the way. That was even getting to the wind, but that was to be expected. Either way, she found herself feeling joy when they touched solid ground in the middle of town. Lysithea guided Twilight out of their ride, the latter lowering her head and eyeing the passersby that had watched them land. When the chariot took back off, the stares left, but the unease the unicorn felt didn’t. She took a few deep breaths in and out, telling herself to not cause another incident like what had happened at the library. Grabbing the princess’ letter from her sister, she gave it one look over. “So, what do we need to check out,” Spike asked. “Don’t know about you guys, but I never had anything to eat before the ride.” “Well, um,” Twilight checked around to make sure nopony but Spike and her sister were listening. “We have food to check up on, which is being handled by Sweet Apple Acres. Decorations are by Rarity. There is a weather team being led by the Dash twins, wasn’t really specific there, and music will be by one Fluttershy Breeze.” “Well, might as well go from top to bottom, right?” Lysithea replied, turning around only to have her eyes covered in pink. She let out a small yelp in surprise, which in turn sent her sister. Backing up a little bit, the pink that she had seen ended up belonging to the face of a pony “Uh.” “New… faces…” The pink pony said, first staring in awe at the two of them. The quickly turned into one of the longest and loudest gasps that Lysithea had ever heard. “Ohmygosh. New ponies!” With that, the pink pony was off like a rocket, speeding down the street and accidentally taking out a poor stallion’s marefriend in the process. Lysithea watched, baffled by everything she had seen and yet somehow not surprised by any of it. She had seen a particular unicorn rush off like that before, though the reasons seemed to be very different. This one seemed more out of excitement than fear. “Uh, mom?” Spike said, causing Lysithea to turn and see that her sister had decided to hide in a nearby fountain. “She’s gone.” “A-a-are you sure?” Twilight replied, sticking her head back out. She shook herself out, taking another deep breath in and out as she climbed out. “S-s-sorry Thea. She just came out of nowhere and–” Lysithea sighed. “It’s fine. Perhaps we should start outside of town before working our way in. Work you up to interacting with a smaller group of ponies, like a family that owns a farm for instance.” “Aunt Lysithea, are you sure that is a good idea?” Spike asked. “I don’t know much about what is outside of Canterlot, but isn’t Sweet Apple Acres the largest supplier of apples in Equestria.” Lysithea rolled her eyes at the dragon. “Doesn’t mean that it’s a big family. Probably the size of ours if anything,” She turned down the road and motioned for her sister and Spike to follow her. “It’s a farm, how bad can they really be?” Twilight and Spike looked at each other, both gulping as they heard Lysithea say a phrase that was known to cause much chaos throughout Equestria. Nevertheless, in order to not get left behind, they followed. -------- Baking cakes that not to sweet Baking pies for all to eat Add cinamoon fritters to finish this plate of sweets for Ponyville to eat. Use flour to make the greatest dough And sour apples that all well now Come from the greatest orchard in all the land Sweet Apple Acres… huh? ... “Is something burning?” ... “Oh no, the shortcake!”