Armed with the name of the place, Blue ran a hoof through the air, her horn flipping a book quickly. "Sire's Hollow, sire... Here we are." She slapped a hoof down on the page, the flipping stopped. "Right in the middle of nowhere. At least they have a rail line." Any settlement with a rail line wasn't entirely isolated. It could have been much worse. "I look forward to seeing it."
"You smell of magic."
Blue looked over her shoulder to see Fire Paradox lounging. "Ah, I had a question for you." She set down the book, her horn going dark a moment before a letter appeared over it. "What is the meaning of this symbol?"
"I didn't teach you that one." Fire huffed softly in obvious annoyance. "Are you two timing on me?"
"A royal offered magic lessons," Blue explained without pause. "One does not deny the gifts of nobility without reasoning, and she is a princess."
"You're noble too." Fire rose to her hooves. "So?"
"So I am even more beholden to courtly etiquette." She huffed softly. "Now, the letter. I assume you know it?"
"Of course." She glared at the letter as if it were an enemy. "Passivity, flow, surrender. I hate it." She rolled her eyes. "There are a few useful spells with it, but there are usually better ones without it. Whatever, you learned it, you can go right on to never us..." her words were cut off, seeing another letter appear over Blue's head.
"How many did you learn?!" Her body flared with heat in a bright burst of her irritation. "I have a lesson plan and you're stepping all over it." In the corner of her heart, she cheered at the self-driven aspirations of her student. Perhaps yet she'd become an all powerful sorcerer that conquered the world. That'd be just lovely...
"Three more, including this one." She pointed up at the one hovering there. "Princess Twilight seemed eager to instruct. Perhaps you two should meet?"
"Pass. Hard pass." Fire sank back onto the bed. "That one isn't nearly as repulsive. Air, blow, gusting, the kind you'd feel on a nice spring day, mussing your fur, a good day." She smiled wickedly as her body glowed with the same rune, gentle wind filling the room. "You can feel it... Another reason I hate that other one. You can't do anything with it, just modify other things. Passivity is not, itself, a thing."
"I see." The wind carried a bit of her scent, but Blue had long ago grown used to the strange aroma of her teacher. Even as she conjured the third letter, she asked, "Why not? You both seem quite the good hoof at magic. Together..."
"I doubt she wants to talk to me anyway." Very few ponies were just the right mix of ambitious enough and talented enough to actually cast the spell and foolish enough to... cast the spell. "If you enjoy her teaching so much, go ahead. It, in the end, means you're learning more." She licked over her lips, watching Blue. "Try not to burn yourself out." That could be amusing to see...
Blue pointed up at the hovering letter. "Which is this?"
"I was getting to it." Fire rolled her eyes softly. "Another letter I despise. It is one of a set that restricts spells, putting limits on their reality. With it, permanent effects become temporary. There are situations where you might want that, I admit... But not for what you're doing. Entirely useless for what you're aiming for."
Blue considered that. It would certainly not help her with the goal of becoming a mare, still... "How do I add it to a spell?"
Oh, the smile on Fire's face. "You wish to enter the field of magic engineering? How bold. Deliciously, sinfully arrogant of you." Fire looked all too pleased, rather than affronted. "To create spells of your own is to imprint your own will on reality in such a way as to change it forever." She stepped down from the bed, approaching Blue at a sedate walk. "Do you want to try it?"
"You are being overly dramatic." She pushed her teacher back when they got too close. "I was just wanting to make a permanent spell temporary, if I wanted to."
"A start." A gateway drug, Fire Paradox more saw it. A tempting easy target that got one in the position to reach higher on that tree of power... "And not a difficult one. But, first, you need the other letters of..." Blue flashed two more letters. "Nevermind... Those are the ones. Who was teaching you, right, Twilight was it? What a whore."
"Language!" Her teacher was such a boor at times. "She is a princess, I remind. There are rules for addressing such."
"Fine, right." Fire rolled her eyes before taking a step back. "I'll show you what you want to learn, so you can make any spell temporary, if you want."
"Yes, please." She bobbed her head with a smile. "Then, perhaps, we can review other letters?"
"You learned enough letters today." Fire rolled her eyes dramatically. "This technique will be the end of today's lesson. I look forward to you making use of it in interesting ways."
And the lesson began, Blue learning her first metamagic technique to modify other spells she knew.
"How has it been treating you?" There stood Fancy Pants, on the other side of the mirror. "Fleur has been beside herself with joy that another pony has joined the craze, as I call it. It will probably pass, as most fads do, but it is an interesting device, is it not?"
"Quite so," easily agreed Blue, smiling at her friend. "It's allowed me to touch hooves with good friends, and even repair some old frayed threads."
Fancy's left ear quirked up. "Did you speak to lady Rarity?"
That was met with a quick look of distaste. "I should hope not."
"She isn't as bad as she made herself to be." Fancy lifted a hoof. "I am not one to do this, old friend, but I must set my hoof down."
A chill ran through Blue. It was very rare that Fancy set their hooves down about anything. "Have I offended?"
"You will give Rarity another chance." His lips turned up into a little smile. "If it helps, I do not think she is attracted to mares in that fashion, so you've already dashed whatever machinations of hers you fear."
Blue went red at that. "I... We are distanced by some measure, both physically and socially."
"And I would like that to change." Fancy inclined his head faintly, looking over Blue's uncomfortable form. "I truly am sorry. I do not want to see you looking so, but this is for your own good."
"In what way can this lead to my betterment?" demanded Blue, sitting up tall. "Rarity--"
"--made a mistake," cut in Fancy. "Much as you had. Give her the chance to apologize... Perhaps apologize for your own missteps... At the very least, should she prove to be a bore about it, you can be confident that you did all in your power to be the bigger pony."
"The bigger pony," sighed out Blue miserably, resting her head against a hoof. "I had called hoping to show you something."
Fancy perked up. "And I would like to see it. Is it a new spell? Delightful, I'm certain, but you must put things to right."
"There is no escape for this, is there?"
"I'm afraid not, old bean." Fancy smiled gently. "I can come with, if you'd prefer?"
Blue considered that a moment before hesitantly nodding. "Actually, that would be... lovely. If it isn't too much trouble?"
"It was my idea," reminded Fancy with a gentle expression. "I'll reach out to her and arrange the meeting. You just bring your best and I ask nothing more than that."
"You are the worst." Blue rest a hoof on the mirror. "I'm glad to have you."
"I'll drag you, kicking and screaming, to better things." Fancy looked proud of the part he was playing. "Let's see if we can't repair a little mishap between two ponies that didn't see eye to eye."
"And we're all better," pronounced Cadance into her mirror, smiling at Luna on the other side. "Cousins, reunited! Oh, it's nice. I mean, this is, was? Blueblood, I never expected us to be... warm, but I felt at ease. Maybe she has the right of it and she just needed to be a mare."
"When a pony does not understand their inner self, they can act in ways most irrational and frustrating." Luna inclined her head faintly. "If she is behaving better now, it could be a sign that she is more comfortable with herself." A hoof began to tap. "On the other hoof, it could mean she is withdrawing. I should check in on her."
"You're overanalyzing it." Cadance brought her hooves together in merry clops. "I can only imagine how cute they will be as a mare. Do you think they'll become more or less self-assured? Their pride was quite a powerful part of their personality. I can't imagine it all going away just like that."
"There is nothing 'just like that' about this," huffed Luna, looking irritated the idea. "She is... She was quite beside herself and lost. Despite any amount of pride she may have, she lowered her head low and came to me for help."
"Jealous!" Cadance leaned forward. "Why don't ponies trust me enough to come ask for help about big heavy topics like that?"
Luna quirked a smile at her excitable niece. "I have cultivated a reputation for being even keeled and patient with pony's flaws. She knew quickly that I would not mock her for her doubts, or cast judgments when trying to learn more."
"And now you're lying." Cadance wagged a hoof at Luna. "You are many things, but you can be very judgy. Still, she trusted you anyway."
"She took me as her adopted mother figure." Luna put a hoof at her chest. "A position I accepted proudly."
"Jealous!" squealed Cadance, her hooves quivering like balled fists. "I want to help too."
"That is up to her and not any pony else," stated Luna with finality.
"Good thing I've been talking to her." A wicked smile spread on her face. "I'll be lending a hoof, have no fear."
Luna had many fears, none of them involving Cadance's failure to get involved. "Walk gently, niece. She is in a delicate place."
"And I want to help them get past it, to a happy place, in themselves." She brought her hooves closer together at her chest. "She deserves it, and I want to see it."
"In that, I can find no argument." Luna smiled at her energetic niece. "Just be careful. She is a delicate flower we could smash with a careless step, and neither of us want that, do we?"
"Harmony forfend." Cadance rose up to her hooves. "I'll be careful, promise." A thought ticked. "If I fail, I'll visit just so you can tug my ear."
Luna snorted at that. "While I appreciate your commitment, that wouldn't undo any harm visited on my niece. Hurting one in spiteful rage for the other hardly seems fitting to me. I would rather you two not hurt one another, hm?"
"I will do my best." The call ended between them.
"Fancy, darling! It's so good to see you." Rarity closed with Fancy, the two almost touching nose to cheek in proper greetings. "Oh, and Fleur, good day, dear."
"Bonjour!" Fleur cried with a brilliant smile, not that she did much that wasn't bright in its own ways. "I hear you have been doing très bien. A Rarity store in every city, n'est-ce pas?"
"Merci beaucoup," replied Rarity, trading Prench for Prench. "Things have been going quite well, très bien as they say." She giggled softly, apparently having fun practicing her Prench. "Now, Fancy Pants, what did you call me for? Is this a social call? Because I am here for that, darling."
"I feel certain that is true." He raised a hoof to his chest. "But first I must admit I have misled you, Miss Rarity. Please, forgive me."
Rarity blinked with growing confusion, batting her long lashes. "You have me at a loss, dear. Whatever do you mean? You've never been the pony to lead another astray before."
"I do try to compose myself." He turned, directing with an extended hoof. "But I came to make amends for a mistake between two ponies I happen to both like dearly."
Rarity's ears twitched, confusion growing. "If they're friends with you, dear, I can't imagine they're that..." That is when Blue Belle walked in, looking sheepish. "Oh... Oh dear."
"Yes, dear," corrected Fancy, backing up a step for Blue to take up a position somewhat between them, forming a triangle. Fleur was draped over his back, as she liked to do. "Now, you both... made some mistakes. Let's start with admitting that much."
Blue coughed softly into a hoof. "Yes, well... I needn't have been... quite so impolite in our dealings... You pressed--"
"Apologies only," cut in Fancy. "We can get to other topics when that is done." He looked to Rarity. "Your turn, madame."
Rarity began to color, caught in a place she wasn't expecting. "Really, dear... A little warning..." She stepped from hoof to hoof to hoof, fidgeting. "You aren't the worst pony I ever met."
Fancy frowned at that. "That is not an apology or admission of fault, madame. Please try harder, hmm?"
"Yes, of course." She flopped down onto her haunches, regarding Blue, before it hit her. "Dear... you are... standing oddly..." She couldn't put her hoof on what it was, but Blue was... what... mincing? It wasn't right!
Blue's ears twitched before she stood up, all the more certain in her stance. "You noticed? Good. You are speaking to--"
Fancy stepped forward, barring their view with himself and Fleur. "We're getting off topic."
"She doesn't know," complained Blue. "It's rude to speak to ponies you don't know."
Rarity inclined her head, unable to see Blue for Fancy and Fleur in the way. "What does he mean by 'not knowing'? I know them quite well."
"You stand before Baroness Blue Belle, of Sire's Hollow." Blue inflating herself to all the majesty she could muster. "Charmed to meet you."
Her mouth opened and closed slowly, trying to parse what had just been told to her. "But... you're a stallion."
Fancy backed away, giving up on blocking the view. "I didn't want to stray into this yet, but it is true. She has declared herself a mare, and, as a civilized pony, I have accepted that."
"She is mon petite soeur!" cried Fleur in obvious delight. "You have one of those, do you not? A darling little filly. Mine is larger, but just as dear to me."
"I see..." Like many brave ponies before her of late, she did not see, or understand. "You are right, Fancy. I'm allowing myself to be drawn right off the topic at hoof." She smiled nervously, looking to Blue...Belle? "Nice to meet you, Blue Belle... I'm Rarity." She gestured to herself. "But we were speaking of a specific thing, were we not?"
"We were," agreed Blue, inclining her head. "I apologized for my part of how things were."
"Oh, yes, my turn, I do suppose..." Rarity eyed the prince of her former dreams. "A mare, really?"
"Lady Rarity." Fancy gave her quite the withering look. "Please remain on task."
"Yes, of course. Sorry, dear." She looked up and down over Blue. "It was... uncouth... to attend any function expecting romance if that wasn't formally agreed upon ahead of time."
"Thank you," gusted out Blue, looking measurably relieved. "You... came on quite strongly."
"I did get a little carried away." Rarity laughed nervously, a hoof raised over her mouth. "That's all behind us, water passed beneath the bridge, as they say, yes darling?"
Fancy reached to nudge her. "Is the water passed in both directions?" Fleur giggled at the joke she saw but didn't speak out loud.
Rarity was still a moment before offering a hoof. "My problems were with one Blueblood, and I don't even see that pony here, now do I, dear? Just a Baroness Blue Belle. She looks like a pony worth knowing, hm?"
Blue extended a hoof, the two meeting in a loud clop of union. "Very well." She blinked softly. "Did Fleur mention you have a little sister?"
"Oh I do!" Rarity set her hoof down. "Little Sweetie Belle, what a treat she is! Sharp as a tack, already she and her friends have a business going, and doing so much good with it." Rarity looked quite proud of her sister. "Mayhaps she will follow in my hoofsteps."
"An office in every metropolitan?" offered Fleur, imagining it. "That would be something, would it not?"
Fancy swiveled an ear to each of the mares he had brought together. "What are the chances? Two little sisters with a last name of Belle coming up in the same conversation." He smiled gently at the thought. "Perhaps this is a sign that you two are meant not to be bitter about the past."
Blue pointed at Rarity. "I would like to meet this other Belle. I... presume they are... Well, you did mention they were a sister, did you not?"
"That they are, though I admit to not knowing what you're hinting at?" She arched a brow. "Now, this all aside, am I permitted now to ask questions?"
Fancy shook his head. "Please, don't let me stand in the way."
"Darling, I love you, but that is precisely what you've been doing." She looked towards Blue pointedly. "Darling, I must be forthright... Though I found your behavior... unlikable... your... appearance is quite compelling." She waved a hoof over Blueblood, that handsome prince she knew, even if he had become Blue Belle. That prince still stood there. "Did you not know that?"
Blue had the humility to blush faintly at the praise. "I will be of royal blood, be I a mare or a stallion. I... think I take after my grandmother, to be precise."
"La mémé," burst out Fleur. "How delightful. It shows the forte amour to look to the grandparents like that." She nodded with bursting approval. "They pass on so much to us, but it can be so easy to miss."
Rarity raised a hoof, struck silent for a time. "I... see... Blue Belle?"
"Hm?"
"I would like to learn more." Rarity smiled gently. "I admit it, I don't understand. I don't understand what you're doing or why. I don't understand the idea of a stallion becoming a mare like that outside of... strange magic spells forcing the issue." She tittered at the idea. "But... I am open to learn. Teach me of this grandmother that inspires you.
Blue's expression lightened from a guarded look to one of rising hope. "Do you speak honestly?"
"Darling." She shook her head with a soft chortle. "I may have been... ahead of myself, that night, but I don't make it a habit to lie to ponies." She rolled her eyes dramatically. "Applejack would ride me forever if I did."
"Applejack?" Click, there it was. "Ah, a friend of Princess Twilight Sparkle?"
"And me," she corrected. "Now, let's hear more of this grandmother of yours. Perhaps, along the way, I'll understand you a little better."
The conversation slid forward, the rusted wheels between them given a fresh coat of grease as they learned more of one another. Perhaps they didn't need to dislike that particular pony. They didn't seem so bad...
"Good afternoon." Twilight sat across from Blue, smiling. "Are you ready for the next lesson."
"I wanted to show you something first." Her horn began to glow, playing the magic with that little tweak she had been shown. Twilight shone with Blue's arctic blue magic. With a sparkle, she rendered down her own clothing to fashion a set for Twilight, garbing her as a princess should be and leaving Blue unclothed entirely. "There we are."
Twilight blinked rapidly at the sudden change of dress. "Oh, well... thanks?" She raised a hoof to press at the new cloth. "Interesting..." It was lovely to look at, but a bit thin, she discovered quickly. "Why?"
"Because my other mentor showed me a little trick. It should..." And it did before she could even finish explaining. With a fresh flash, the cloth was back over her, covering her front in a little tie. "Oops. I must have emphasized the temporarity of it too much."
Twilight tilted her head. "Wait, this wasn't my spell, so... that was a permanent spell, but it wasn't permanent." She put a hoof behind her head. "Unless it was a concentration spell?"
"It was not," agreed Blue. "But I learned how to make permanent spells temporary. It will require more practice to do it right, I admit."
"Still an amazing achievement!" She threw up her hooves in obvious delight. "Is there no way I could talk you into coming to Ponyville? Such a talented pupil of magic should be given more than a weekly lesson from me. Why--"
"I have responsibilities," deflected Blue, raising her hoof at Twilight. "My social circles will ask questions if I suddenly move. Now, please, could we continue?"
"Of course..." That didn't stop her from looking a bit upset at the decision. "Today, since transformations are the topic, let's do a classic. Turning things into oranges." Her horn began to glow with her magic, showing the letters of the spell above her. "There's a trick to this one. It's not just what you say, but how you aim it, and what letters you emphasize."
"Hmm." Blue watched, some of the letters seeming bolder than the others. At least she knew most of them, except that one. "What symbol is that?"
Twilight gladly spent the day teaching Blue how to turn things into oranges. It was a classic, even if not useful in most day to day situations.
"I'm glad you could stop by." Celestia gestured to the spot across from her.
Twilight obediently scurried to take the place. "Bluebl--Belle is learning quite well! I'm quite proud of hi--her. I asked her to come to Ponyville, but they're--"
"Twilight."
"Hm?" Twilight paused in her report. "What is it?"
"Are they learning magic properly?" She inclined her head. "I have had no few students that learned magic well... but improperly, turning it to dark and selfish ends."
Twilight's ears went up. "I don't think that's the case? She was eager to show me what she could do, and was careful not to hurt anything in the process." She inclined her head faintly. "Has something happened?"
"I would rather find out before anything happens," explained Celestia as she brought her forehooves together. "What sort of pony is Blue Belle these days?"
"Nervous? Excited?" Twilight clopped her forehooves with a grin. "I can imagine. She's so ready to cast larger spells and make her teachers happy. I've been there. I... am still there, at times." Her cheeks darkened, looking to Celestia, still her mentor, bashfully.
Celestia smiled at that. "Calm yourself, Twilight. This is not a test... I did some digging... Starlight, a friend of yours, isn't she?"
Twilight colored. "Are you still angry with how she... fixed things between you and Luna."
"She has a fertile imagination." She could still remember Daybreaker, born of the mind of Starlight. "But no, I do not harbor ill will towards her. In fact, I was hoping she could help..."
Twilight looked to Celestia curiously, but said nothing.
"Her foalhood home is Blue Belle's barony. Who better to take her there and show her around? Blue Belle has professed great interest in taking up the reigns of her barony."
Twilight perked up with excitement. "How nice! I can have them train and educate each other along the way. Oh, what magic will be worked!"
Not exactly what Celestia had in mind, but, perhaps, close enough...