//------------------------------// // Snowy Dawn // Story: The Princess' students // by King Ice //------------------------------// 9980 years after Twilight’s coronation Snowy Dawn sighed while her mother inspected every hair on her mane, making sure she was the prettiest and most presentable filly in Equestria. Why was she doing this? A couple of weeks ago was Snowy’s 4th birthday, and that meant she was ready to pass the “sacred test”. Something taking place only every 30 years. Only ten unicorns could be chosen to participate, and their grades had to be perfect. “Alright, you look good enough! We mustn't be late! Have you revised all your spells? Do you know all the theories behind them? Don’t forget about the misleading questions! A lot of foals fall for that trap and they end up failing! Everything you do must be perfect!” Her mother repeated over and over as Snowy’s knees shook in fear. Fear of failure. Her mother also took that test 30 years ago, and failed, which explained the pressure she was putting on her. However, she wasn’t the only one to have failed it. In the last two centuries, nobody succeeded. Anyone outside of Equestria could only wonder, what was that test? Why was it so important for everyone involved? The answer was simple. Whoever succeeded would become the Queen’s student. The one talented enough to do it would be recognized everywhere throughout Equestria. They would have fame and respect. They would be considered the very best. Who wouldn’t want that? Of course, that had never been Snowy’s dream. The only reason she even applied was because her mother pushed her to it. Frankly, she wasn’t very confident. And considering nobody was able to be the Queen’s student for two centuries reassured her even less. However, she had no choice but to participate now. When she was fully ready, at least physically; mentally, not so much. Her mother accompanied her to the castle. The walk seemed like it lasted an eternity, and her legs were like jelly after only a few steps. She would soon meet nine other unicorns at least as good as her. Although, they would most likely be better than her. Snowy had her best to memorize the most spells she could from the Queen’s own spell book “Twilight’s 500 unique spells for foals and entertainment”. Spells for foals, but nonetheless hard to learn. Snowy read it multiple times and still didn’t think any of it was entertaining. But that wasn’t the hardest part. No. She would have a close look at the Queen. Not only that, but she would eventually even exchange a look or two. And that was… terrifying to say the least. A lot of ponies talked about her and her deeds. So many rumors that she didn’t even know which were true. The Queen was the supreme ruler of Equestria; the mother of magic as some called her. She never did anything bad to her parents or other foals, because all the adults told their foals the same thing: “The Queen is always watching, never commit a bad deed, or else you will be severely punished”. When she called her mother because she was scared of the monster under the bed, the answer was always the same: “Don’t be scared; if you are in danger, the Queen would come anytime. She always knows when there is trouble.” Adults depicted her as an angel and a savior to all ponykind, but a devil to any criminal. When the realisation of who she was going to meet fell on her shoulders; Snowy had to catch her breath and make sure her mother wouldn’t see her being close to a mental breakdown. How could a regular filly; a nobody like her be in the presence of the Queen?! How was she supposed to act?! What was she supposed to say?! That growing fear in her stomach was eating her away, and she didn’t even know what to do! “Only the examinees can go past this door, please wait here until the test is over,” A guard suddenly said, breaking Snowy away from her thoughts. The young unicorn opened her eyes in surprise and looked around, she was in front of the castle!” “You heard him! Go in! You mustn't be late! And don’t forget what I told you! Bow to the Queen when you see her and pay your respects!” Her mother said frantically as she pushed her inside. Snowy simply nodded as she shakily walked deeper inside the castle while the doors slowly closed behind her. Why did her mother have to be like this? It stressed her even more! Unfortunately, it wasn’t even new. She studied and trained herself her entire life (which is only barely four years long) just to be here. She suspected her mother gave birth only for this reason, but she preferred not to think about it. While walking in the long corridor, two guards met up with her and led her to a room where nine other unicorns of her age were. All of them were sitting behind various desks, all having a certain amount of space between each other, certainly to keep foals from cheating since it was a written test. When she entered, all eyes turned on her, staring at her in silence. She was pretty sure they were all about the same age, but she still was the smallest of the bunch. “Please, take a seat. The written test will start soon,” The white-maned unicorn sitting at a frontdesk said as she lit her horn and levitated a stack of papers. “You’ll have an hour to complete it,” Snowy simple gulped and walked to her seat. She only had to wait around a minute before the unicorn, who would most likely keep an eye on them, started giving the test papers. The young unicorn’s sweating only increased when she saw the written test had at least twenty pages! That was crazy! She read through it to see what questions there may be, but her vision got blurry, making it impossible to read anything. When she looked around, all the other unicorns were writing on their sheets at top speed. Were they this good?! As for herself, she could only stare at her blank sheets. She managed to calm down enough to write down her name, but she wasn’t sure she would be able to do more than that. Suddenly, as all hope seemed to be lost, she remembered her mother's words. Everything she had done until now was so that she could pass the Queen’s test! If she failed… She didn’t want to know what her mother would do to her! The others at school would probably mock her, too! The nerd who failed a simple test! So she calmed down as much as she could and read through the questions. She answered with the utmost care, and explained everything to the smallest details. And before she knew it, an hour passed. “Pencils down. The Queen will now inspect your papers,” The blue unicorn explained as she took the tests in her magic hold and walked out of the room. Snowy raised an eyebrow. The Queen was going to look through them, now?! There were at least a few dozens of pages to correct! They would have to wait for hours to get the results! And then, they’ll have the practical exam! However, much to the young unicorn’s shock, the examinator came back ten minutes later with a single sheet in her hold. “White Horn, Snowy Dawn, and Crystal step. Can you step forward, please?” She read the sheet as the three unicorns perked up. They did as she said. Snowy didn’t know how the other felt, but she was terrified! Did they fail?! Was she going to tell them to go back home?! “Congratulations, you passed the written exam. These two guards will guide to the practical one. As for the others… I’m sorry, but you have failed. One guard will lead you to the exit. You can try next time! Just kidding, you can’t. Please, don’t cry…” Snowy followed behind the guards and the two unicorns as they were led to the next part. She couldn’t believe she passed! Her mother would be so proud! Unless… She failed what was about to come… In a few minutes, she will meet the Queen herself. The excitement she just felt was quickly replaced by fear. For the next hour, she had to stay in a corridor, waiting for her turn. Each examinee had to go in a room, alone with the Queen. And they would try to pass the practical exam, whatever it was. The order of passage was designated at random, and fortunately, Snowy was the last one to pass. Or maybe it was unfortunate? She didn’t know which one was more stressful. Although, the first unicorn who went in… came out as a crying mess. It was pretty scary. The second one wasn’t shedding any tears, so it was reassuring. However, it was obvious with the look she had that she had failed, too? And that only left her. She breathed in and out, then opened the door and came in. There, the Queen stood in all her glory on an elevated platform. Snowy’s legs shook as she walked in front of Equestria’s ruler.  She had a cold and emotionless look, at least from Snowy’s perspective. She was taller than other pony she had seen, and her horn looked really… cool. Moreover, the Queen was prettier than most adult mare Snowy had seen. She was… impressive. Snowy Dawn bowed respectfully. “H-Hello, your Majesty. My name is Snowy Dawn. I am honored to be in your presence, and deeply grateful for giving me some of your time,” Snowy said, just as her mother told her to. The young unicorn only met silence. She hesitantly raised her head to look at the Queen. It looked like she was looking at a certain part of Snowy’s body; and she instantly knew which one. The spot where her cutie mark should be! Unfortunately, she didn’t get her yet, and was often laughed at by the other foals. She could only hope the Queen wouldn’t be harsh on her because of her seemingly lack of talent. “Tell me a little about you,” The Queen simply answered while the young unicorn looked away, afraid to cross eyes with her. “W-Well… I’m four… I like reading a lot and am good in school. I often play tag with my friends… although, I don’t have many. I love studying, too, but mostly biology,” She answered hesitantly. “Biology?” Twilight whispered under her breath, too quiet for Snowy to hear it. “I see. Thank you for answering. We’ll start the test now. You’ll have to cast three spells from the book of spells for foals I wrote. Two of your choice, and one that I’ll give you myself. Do you have any questions?” “N-No… I-I’ll do it. The first spell I’ll cast will be t-the bubble making one… Is that alright?” Snowy replied while stuttering. Twilight simply nodded, letting her focus. Snowy lit her horn, thinking about the spell she wanted to cast. It was one of the ones she used the most since it was fun. It should be easy to cast for her; however, the fear inside her kept growing and growing until her legs started shaking. Her horn was still lit, but no bubble came out of it. Why?! She always did it right! Why did she have to struggle now?! She didn’t dare to look at the Queen while she tried to cast the spell as much as she could. But still nothing. She was too stressed and scared to cast anything! She still tried her best to hide her heavy breathing, so the alicorn wouldn’t notice her struggle, but she knew it was in vain. It was all over anyway; she’d come back home as a failure… Suddenly, warm and soft wings wrapped around her, pulling her into a hug. She widened her eyes, surprised by the caring touch. She never felt anything like that. She looked up and looked into the Queen’s eyes. They were gentle; and the smile she had only showed reassurance. “I see that you are very stressed about this, but there is nothing to be afraid of. Breathe in and out,” Twilight explained, giving her a warming smile. “All you have to do is stay calm, and I’m sure you’ll succeed. You seem like the type of pony who would,” She added as she unwrapped her wings from the filly’s small form, then flew to where she stood before. Snowy looked at her in awe as the fear inside her magically disappeared. That was the devil some talked about? She found it impossible to believe! She was so kind that she reassured her, gave her hope, and gave her confidence! S-She was like an angel! She did as the Queen told her, and lit her horn again. A couple of seconds later, pink bubbles came out of her horn, some even had different shapes. Although Snowy couldn’t see it, the Queen had a barely visible smile. When her spell was done, the young unicorn breathed in relief when she saw she succeeded. The second spell she casted was a success, too. However, that meant it only left one spell… the one chosen by the Queen herself. No matter how hard Snowy studied the book, there were still a few spells she hadn’t learned, and some were really difficult! “You will have to cast…” Twilight started as Snowy was sweating nervously. The Queen paused and stared at her, inspecting her from head to toe. The alicorn suddenly lit her horn and the door to the room opened, startling Snowy and making her step back. “You will have to hatch this egg,” She stated as a small red egg, surrounded by a lavender glow, floated in the room until it was gently placed on the floor in front of the young unicorn who could only gasp in horror. “W-What is that?! A spell like that isn’t in the book!” Snowy thought as she stared at the egg. “Take your time,” Twilight said as the filly breathed heavily. Snowy shook her head, then breathed in and out. Slowly calming herself. She lit her horn; a few seconds later, multiple strings of magic came out of it and wrapped around the egg. The unicorn channelled as much magic as she could while scanning the egg to find the heartbeat inside. However, the egg didn’t even move, as if the creature resting in was already dead long ago. Although Snowy felt its heart, she couldn’t seem to do anything to hatch it faster. Her horn’s light died down as she fell on her knees, trying to catch her breath. She shot another beam of magic; same result. She tried again and again, but in vain. And the more she tried, the less she even dared to look at the Queen. She felt like a disgrace. She was a failure! There was no way she would succeed after so many failed attempts! Still… deep inside her, something pushed her to try again. Was it the fear of what would happen if she failed? Or the shame she would feel? “It can’t be helped,” Twilight sighed as she looked at the small unicorn. “Since you can’t do it…” She started only to be interrupted. “No! I-I can! J-Just look!” Snowy shouted as she lit her horn again. Focusing all the power she could muster while the emotions dwelling up inside her seemed ready to explode. Before Twilight could tell her anything else, Snowy’s eyes became totally blank and glowed brightly, just as her horn did a second later. The alicorn widened her eyes as the floor shook and the unicorn was surrounded by a bright light. As tears streamed down her face, the filly released her magic at the egg, which seemed to quickly give her signs of life. The Queen leaned forward as she witnessed the display of magic being released, far above the usual common foals. Soon enough, the egg cracked open and a majestic (and quite big) bird with dark blue feathers flew out of it. Only a second later, Snowy’s magic died down while she stumbled on the floor, about to collapse from exhaustion. However, just before she did so, the alicorn rushed forward and caught her in a warm embrace. “Y-Your Majesty… Did I do it?” Snowy whispered with the last bit of her strength drained. “You succeeded; you can rest now, my dear subject,” Twilight replied warmly as Snowy’s eyes closed while she drifted into sleep. Twilight smiled as she looked at the young filly in her wings. After all these years; she had finally found a student. Although, unlike a pony she knew very well, this little filly didn’t get her cutie mark during the test. 8 years later Snowy closed her locker as she levitated a couple of books out of it. She was in Twilight’s school for gifted unicorns; it was still early for a class to begin, but she wanted to be ready nonetheless. She didn’t want to fall behind everyone else since only the best unicorns (among all the foals in Equestria that is) were going to this school. Moreover, she didn’t want to bring shame to the Queen’s name. It had been years since she became her student, and she learned so much about magic. The queen taught her about magic, friendship, respect and more. She felt indebted to her. She couldn’t simply be regarded as a failure here. Fortunately, she was the best in every class. Mostly because she studied a lot. However, just before she could walk away, she was roughly pushed against her locker, forcing her to face her. It was a blue unicorn; a filly with a light blue mane. Her name was Midnight Candy, and besides her were her two (only) friends which she liked calling lackeys. “My dear Snowy… You still haven’t learned your lesson, have you?” Midnight chuckled. “I told you to stop cheating!” She added sharply, and angrier than a second earlier. “B-But I wasn’t cheating! C-” Snowy started only to be shoved again. “Oh, please! Nopony is better than me! And you still have better grades?! Of course, you’re cheating!” Midnight shouted, drawing attention from the other unicorns in the corridors. “Midnight’s the greatest-” The first lackey started. “And most powerful-” The second continued. “Unicorn in this school,” Midnight finished. “Well... greatness wise… it depends what you’re referring to exactly since I learned what one think is great is pretty subjective. And power wise-” Snowy started only to be hit by a small beam of magic which only stung her, but made her fall down nonetheless. “Stop spouting nonsense! Or are you maybe trying to sound pretentious?! You’re not better than me,” Midnight shouted as she lit her horn. “Just because you’re the Queen’s favorite doesn’t mean you are any good, punk! I, on the other hand, am the daughter of the captain of the royal guard! That means, the only way to see who’s really better is a magic duel! Get up and fight me!” “I’m not thinking I’m better than you…” Snowy whispered as she started standing back up. “I don’t want to fight,” Midnight rolled her eyes and shot multiple beams restlessly, making Snowy curl into a ball to protect herself. “Look at that guys! A fight broke out! Come on, kick her butt!” A random colt unicorn with missing teeth: and an apple as a cutie mark, shouted. “Fight! Fight! Fight!” “Why don’t you just fight me?!” Midnight screamed as she continued with her nonstop attacks. Meanwhile, Snowy could only wait for her to get tired of this and leave her alone. One would wonder why she refused to strike back. The first reason was to avoid getting in trouble, and the second was quite simple. She feared that if she wiped the floor with Midnight; then everyone else would believe everything that her bully had said. That she would be showing off her magic; showing to everyone that she was the best. Midnight was actually despised by pretty much the entire school because of her attitude. “I don’t want to fight. Please, leave me alone,” She begged as tears threatened to roll down her cheeks. “Somepony could get seriously harmed!” She added. “And that would be you!” Midnight clenched her teeth in fury. “Is that all the Queen’s student has to offer?! You really are a pathetic worm! Why did she even choose you? You don’t even have a cutie mark! She must have lost her mind,” She added, making everyone silent. It was well known that speaking ill of the Queen was… a bad idea. What kind of fool would insult a god? Even foals knew that. Snowy went silent, too. But not for the same reasons. Her fear soon turned into anger as she heard the insult directed at her mentor! The Queen had always been so kind and so forgiving to her. She showed how much she did for everyone’s safety! How selfless she was! How perfect she was! And some pitiful unicorn no one ever cared about dared to speak ill of her?! A bright white glow filled Snowy’s eyes as she lit her horn, which was soon surrounded by sparks. The Queen’s student was ready to stand up and blast her all the way to the moon, and make her apologize at her mentor’s hooves! However, before she could do any of that; a kick came flying towards Midnight’s face. The unicorn had no time to react and was thrown back with a bleeding nose. Her lackeys quickly tried to help her up, but in vain since she was unconscious. The glow in Snowy’s eyes died down as she opened her mouth in surprise and looked at the unicorn who delivered the kick. It was a filly with an orange coat and a yellow mane. As for her cutie mark, it was a set of gym equipment. Yes, this particular pony was a unicorn, and quite good at magic; and her cutie mark had nothing to do with her being in this school. She was known to be one of the most athletic foals here; and trained her body more than she did her magic. If she wasn’t so focused on sports, she would easily be the best unicorn, in terms of magic, in the school, second only to Snowy. Her name was Rune Blazer. “Anyone wanna mess with me or my friends?!” Rune shouted as she glared at everyone, but got no response. “Yeah, that’s what I thought! Get out of my sight or I’ll punch your teeth out to you too!” She added, making everyone go back to their initial occupation while Midnight’s two lackeys ran away while holding her with telekinesis. “Are you alright, Snowy? I’m sorry, I shouldn’t have left you alone,” Rune said as she helped her up. “It’s not your fault,” Snowy said as she threw her an apologetic look. “But you’ll get in trouble. All because I couldn’t defend myself,” Snowy looked down. “Pfft! I couldn’t care less if I was in trouble! I was helping my friend and that’s the only thing that matters!” Rune replied as she pulled the Queen’s student into a side hug. “Besides, if they throw me out; I could always become a wonderbolt!” “A unicorn wonderbolt?” Snowy looked at her quizzically before bursting out laughing. “Hey, it could happen,” Rune replied while trying to make a serious face, then burst out laughing too. “Yeah, I admit it’s ridiculous,” “But seriously though. You’ll be in huge trouble… I guess I can get the Queen’s help. When she’ll know you did it to protect me, she’ll be on your side,” “How could I not believe you when you don’t stop talking about her?” Rune grinned. “I’d like to meet her for real one day. She looks so cool,” “I’m sure she’d love to meet you, too! She told me she'd be interested to see what kind of pony my best friend is,” Snowy said excitedly. “I’m flattered you told her about me,” Rune replied as she put a leg around Snowy, side hugging her. The young unicorn simply smiled at her, but remained a little worried as she feared the punishment Rune could receive for kicking a student. And it didn’t take long before both of them were called in the headmaster’s office. The headmaster was an old unicorn with grey hair and a white coat. He had a lot of experience with magic, but students mostly knew him as a real pushover. In front of his desks were three seats, and Midnight was already sitting on one of them with a tissue filled nose to stop her bleeding. Beside her was a blue maned stallion wearing a guard armor. His horn was also longer than most unicorns the two fillies had seen. “Ah, I see you two are finally here. We have much to discuss,” The Headmaster said as his eyes landed on them. The two other unicorns in the room fiercely glared at them. “W-Wait! Her dad’s already there?! But we’ve just been called! How did he get here so fast?!” Rune shouted in disbelief. “I’ve teleported here as soon as I was called, but I guess little brats like yourselves don’t even know how that spell works,” Moonshadow, Midnight’s father, said in a calm tone that clearly hid anger beneath it. “Actually, we studied it in class-” Rune began, not intending to let him badmouth her. However, Snowy nudged her on the side, stopping her from going further. “That’s the one that punched me, Daddy!” Midnight pointed at Rune. “Actually, it wasn’t a punch, but a kick. And I would do it all over again if I could!” Rune replied proudly while Snowy facehoofed. Meanwhile, Moonshadow’s calm demeanor quickly changed. He was fuming! “You impudent little brat! How dare you harm my daughter?! And you! Are you her accomplice?!” Moonshadow spat at Rune and Snowy before turning to the Headmaster.” Expel these two immediately!” He stepped on the floor in anger. “Now, now; let’s not be hasty. We should wait for their parents to come,” The Headmaster shook in fear under the captain of the royal guard’s glare. “Why?! She clearly admitted she kicked my daughter! Punish her already!” Moonshadow replied as he walked closer to the desk. Fortunately for the Headmaster, the door was shot open as a pegasus landed on the room’s floor, nearly crashing down. “Alright! I’m here! You better have a good explanation for this, Runey!” The pegasus, Cloudy Fire, said. She was a very beautiful mare (at least from Snowy’s perspective) and really looked like what could be an adult version of Rune Blazer. Rune didn’t bat an eyelash, seemingly not afraid of her mother. “I was just helping out Snowy. She was being bullied!” Rune replied as a smile crept up Cloudy’s face. “Ha! I knew it! You’d never do anything to disappoint me!” Cloudy said as she ruffled her daughter’s hair. “What?! You believe her?! My daughter would never do such a thing!” Moonshadow grumbled. “And who are you exactly?” Cloudy raised an eyebrow. “I’m the captain of the Royal Guard!” “Really? You certainly don’t look the part,” Cloudy answered with a chuckle while the fillies looked at the two. “Why, you!” Moonshadow gritted his teeth. “Now, let’s calm down-” The Headmaster started only to be interrupted by a green cloud coming from a little black box on his desk. The cloud soon formed what looked like a mirror; although it showed the face of his secretary. “Sir, Miss. Dawn’s mother called; she can’t come directly, but she asked if she could speak through the spell call,” The secretary explained. “Alright, put her on the line;” The Headmaster replied. A second later, the secretary was replaced by Snowy’s mother. She looked like she was in a store. Unfortunately for Snowy, she also had a scowl on her face. “Hellos, Miss. We were just waiting for you. I’m glad you were available.” “Snowy!” Her mother shouted, instantly making her look on the floor, too scared to meet her mother’s eyes. Rune moved one step closer to her friend, to try and reassure her. “What did you do this time?! I thought I told you not to cause any trouble! Do you ever listen to what I’m saying?!” She screamed, almost making the Headmaster go deaf. “Your daughter and her friend are a disgrace to our kind! They should be ashamed of themselves for attacking an innocent filly like Midnight!” Moonshadow shouted at her, only making the mother more angry. Midnight simply smiled proudly while Rune glared at her, and Snowy stayed still. “Excuse me? Runey did nothing wrong! Your daughter’s not right in the head!” Cloudy replied, trying to keep her calm, and ready to fail doing so. “You ruffians!” Moonshadow retorted. “Now, please-” The Headmaster started, only to be interrupted yet again. “Snowy?! Did you cause trouble with that Rune girl again?! I told you to stay away from her! Her whole family’s insane! I swear when you get back home, you’ll get the spanking of your life!” Snowy’s mother scolded her yet again while the little filly could only look away. Before Rune could say anything, her own mother beat her to it. “Insane?! Have you even heard yourself talk?! “ Cloudy retorted with a yell. “Teach your kid some lessons, you crazy bag of feathers!” Mother screamed with rage-filled eyes. “What did you say?! My daughter’s educated and well mannered unlike you!” “Stop with the bickering and let’s talk about my Midnight! You women are crazy!” Moonshadow screamed just to be ignored. “Listen to me! I’m the Captain of the Royal Guard!” “Let’s talk like civilized ponies,” The Headmaster said in a low voice, which was barely heard by anyone. “Your foolish daughter is a bad influence on mine, so keep her in a cage and get her the hell out of this school!” “Come and tell that to my face, you horned bitch!” “If you keep ignoring me, I’ll arrest both of you!” “Oh, shut up will you!” “Oh, shut up will you!” Snowy and Rune looked at each other while the adults argued and the Headmaster looked like he was on the verge of depression. “My Midnight is like a diamond, and the monkeys you call daughters dared to harm her!” “Captain of the Royal Guard or not, I’m going to break your bones! Don’t talk about my daughter like that!” “This is all happening because of you, Snowy! Because you never listen to me! You better not return home without a good excuse!” “This is enough! Since you are all clearly insane; I’ll take you both to the dungeons!” “Try it! I’m going to break you in half!” Cloudy replied as they both entered a combat stance. The Headmaster’s eyes drifted from pony to pony every time someone screamed, clear panic visible on his face. Suddenly, a second green cloud appeared beside the one showing Snowy’s mother; it was the secretary again. “Sir, the janitor wants to see you. You still didn’t give him his pay,” She said as the Headmaster slammed his forehead against his desk. “You’re under arrest!” “Come and get me, junk guard!” “Snowy, I’ll kill you!” “And then you wonder why your husband left you?!” Rune and Snowy didn’t even know what to think anymore. Everything was going too fast for them to follow. “May I know what is happening here?” A calm voice said, making the Headmaster look up again in fear. “You may if you want to be arrested, too!” Moonshadow answered, not looking at the door frame, where the newcomer stood. However, Cloudy did, and instantly shut up as if she was a foal about to be scolded. “Are you sure about that, Captain?” The voice asked, making Moonshadow’s eyes widened in terror as he recognised the voice. He looked at the Headmaster with pleading eyes as if asking if it was who he thought it was. The old unicorn simply nodded, making the Captain gulp in fear as he turned around and saw the Queen looking at him. “I… didn’t see you there,” “Oh! What a bad timing! I’m going through a tunnel!” Snowy’s mother said before the green cloud suddenly disappeared. Cloudy rolled her eyes while Twilight ignored it. She would deal with her later. “You were saying something very interesting, Captain,” The Queen stated calmly. “Was I?” He asked while sweating bullets. “You were talking about arresting somepony just now,” “W-Well, I must have made a mistake! Happens to anypony! Except you, of course!” He stuttered. “Daddy, are they going to be punished or not?” Midnight inquired, getting tired of this. “Shut up, will you?!” Moonshadow snapped at her through clenched teeth. “Anyway, the issue here is taken care of! It was a pleasure to meet you, Milady,” He said to Cloudy, then looked at the Queen again. “But I must be going. Guard matters and stuff,” He said nervously before stepping out of the room. “Since there’s no issues anymore, I’ll be going too, I guess. Don’t be late for dinner, sweetie!” Cloudy said as she kissed Rune’s cheek; then flew out of the room. “You can return to class, my little ponies,” Twilight said to the three fillies, who only nodded before going out. Midnight looked at her in fear, Rune with admiration, and Snowy’s look was unreadable. “Thank you, your Majesty. I don’t know what I would have done,” The Headmaster thanked her as he wiped off the sweat on his forehead. “Let me just remind you of one thing, Headmaster. The more you will have to thank me, and the less you will deserve the position you have,” Twilight answered in a cold tone, making his legs shake. “Replacements aren’t hard to find these days,” She added as she left the room in a flash of light. The old unicorn opened a drawer in his desk and got a flask out. Without even thinking twice about it, he started drinking ir all in one go. “Why did I ever take this job?” He asked himself as his vision was spinning. The three fillies walked alone through the corridors; all the other students already being in class. “You got lucky, but next time you’ll pay for hurting me!” Midnight said as she stomped the floor, then walked faster to leave them behind. The other two simply looked at each other before Snowy looked down. “I’m sorry I got you into this, Rune,” Snowy sighed in shame. “Hey, you have nothing to be sorry for! I already told you! I liked kicking that prick’s face, anyway! Besides, you really think I’ll leave you on your own?” Rune asked as the other unicorn looked her in the eyes. “You’re not getting rid of me that easy; I’m staying with you as long as I can!” She added. Snowy remained silent as a small smile crept up her face. 12 years later Snowy was kneeling down in front of her beloved Queen. The young student had grown into a fine and beautiful mare. Around them, only two guards stood in the room; one of them being Moonshadow. He was glaring at the younger unicorn. “You have saved Equestria; and on behalf of all of its inhabitants, I must thank you,” Twilight said. “It was nothing, your Majesty. I did my duty as your student,” Snowy replied with a bow. “This was your last assignment; and that means your apprenticeship is finally over,” Twilight continued as Snowy raised her head and looked at her. “Your Majesty, I’ll miss learning under you,” She said as she had to hold her tears back. “Don’t worry; I can assure you still have much to learn. But for now; I couldn’t be prouder of you,” Twilight replied as she caressed Snowy’s cheeks, nearly bringing her to tears. Those words… She dreamed of hearing them for years. And now, the Queen had finally said them! The unicorn couldn’t be happier… For all these years… The only thing she wanted was to make her proud. “What will happen now, your Majesty?” Snowy asked as she took a hold of her emotions. “You will fulfill your destiny,” The Queen started while her former student raised an eyebrow. “You have grown and learned so much over the years; and the friends you’ve made only helped you further. You have all the great qualities necessary: compassion, charity, devotion, integrity, optimism and finally the leadership of a great leader,” As she finished her sentence; Snowy was suddenly surrounded by a bright light which raised her in the air. “W-What is happening?” Snowy asked as the guards shielded their eyes. The light engulfed the entire room, and grew brighter and brighter until it could be seen throughout Equestria! In the guard’s training camp An older Rune wiped off the sweat on her forehead as she finished blasting the last training dummy to bits. Suddenly, a light appeared at the corner of her eyes. She turned towards the castle, where the light was coming from. “What is that?” She asked herself, a tad worried for her friend. “I hope you’re okay, Snowy,” The Crystal Empire A tall alicorn looked out of her castle’s windows, focusing all her attention to the light. “This power… it’s coming from auntie’s castle… You can rest easy, it’s not from an enemy,” She said to one of the guards. “She finally found somepony worthy,” She whispered under her breath. Somewhere far in the mountains; a draconequus stared at the light. He clenched his fists and frowned with an angered look. “Looks like the brat has found herself a good guard dog,” He grumbled as he flew back into his cave. The Canterlot Castle’s garden, where a statue of three people stood. “Oh, look, Chrys! That light is so pretty!” A young and joyful voice yelled from the statue. “Not as pretty as you, my bestie!” Another female’s voice replied while snickering. Soon, the first voice joined in, and they both laughed. “Thank you, Chrys! You’re pretty, too!” “For the love of Celestia; would you two shut up?!” A gruff voice screamed at them. “Why don’t you become our bestie, too, Tiwek?” The young voice asked. “Never! Chrysalis already went completely insane; I’m not going to do the same!” ‘Tiwek’ screamed. “You heard that, Chrys?! Tiwek is being mean again!” “Stop making my bestie cry, you animal!” “Get me out of here! I’ll be good, I promise! Don’t let me be trapped with the two!” He screamed before crying a couple of seconds later. Back to the Castle, the light died down as a new figure set their hooves on the floor. The two guards were suddenly pressed against the floor by the high magic pressure in the air. Twilight looked with pride and satisfaction at her former student. Her height didn’t change, but Snowy’s horn got longer. Her coat became white as snow; and finally… two wings stood proudly on her back. A white aura surrounded her body as she inspected it in disbelief. “I-I feel like I am going to explode,” She muttered as the floor cracked and while the guards were still being pressed on the floor. Moonshadow could only clench his teeth as he witnessed the miracle in front of him. A regular pony just became an alicorn! “Focus on your magic, and you should be able to control and tone it down,” Twilight explained while Snowy closed her eyes. Suddenly, the white aura and the pressure in the room disappeared, allowing the guards to stand up again. “I can’t believe it! I-I am an alicorn! I have wings!” Snowy exclaimed as she inspected them. “How is this possible? “It is an answer I am still seeking… The origin of all magic is also what allows chosen ones like us to be on a new plane of magic: Alicornhood. We will work on it in due time, but we have a lot of duties to attend to now that you have begun fulfilling your destiny,” Twilight explained while Snowy nodded hesitantly, still finding it hard to believe. “I don’t know what to say, your Majesty. I’m honored,” She said as she bowed her head. “No need to bow your head, my pony,” Twilight replied with a content smile. After all these years; she had finally done it. She found someone worthy of becoming an alicorn. Someone ready to protect Equestria. To do what’s right. To help her keep the order and the peace in all the lands. There couldn’t be any more reasons for all of Equestria to celebrate their first princess in centuries. She could easily fight the forces of evil. Snowy looked out the window, admiring Canterlot’s beauty, and thinking about her future and her friends’. Everything was different now.