//------------------------------// // Chapter 6: Family is Magic // Story: Sapphire Scales: Sisters' Tales // by Pennington Inkwell //------------------------------// "Now, Saphira... Still your mind. Be calm, and focus on feeling the flow of magic around you." Saphira nodded, closing her eyes and taking a long, slow breath. "Wild magic is not so easily called upon as the orderly spells that unicorns use. It has a mind and a will of its own," Celestia continued. Her voice was low and carefully measured, nearly hypnotic as it spoke to her. "When you beckon it to you, you become the filter through which that will is enacted, like light passing through a stained glass window." Deep, deep beneath her claws, Saphira could feel... something. It was like a pulse, a heartbeat from the world around her. For what felt like the first time, she was struck by just how deeply magic was wound into the land of Equestria. It was everywhere. Particulate in the air around her, rushing currents beneath the earth, at any given moment she was practically steeped in it, as unaware of it as she was of her own breathing. "Can you feel it, Saphira?" She didn't dare to speak and break her concentration, only giving a slight nod up and down to affirm. "Good. Now, the next time you inhale, I want you to try to draw that magic into you. Dip yourself into the flow of energy. At the same time, envision the action you want to take and the final result you desire." Saphira did as she was told, trying to pull in as much of that power as she could with her next breath. Her entire body began to shiver as the energy surged through her, like she had made an attempt to swallow an entire river at once. She felt herself tensing and digging her claws into the stone floor as her body resisted the unpleasant feeling. "Don't resist it! You have to let it pass through you. Keeping your goal in mind will give it a place to go." Saphira tried to focus on the image she had settled on, but there was something else nagging at the back of her mind, a thought that was quickly encroaching on the rest the more she tried not to think about it. The pressure on her body increased further and further until she knew that she couldn't take much more. She needed to stop. She forced her eyes open, completely breaking her concentration. She only saw Celestia and Twilight's concerned faces for a moment before a white flash and a sound like a thunderclap forced all three of them to cringe and stumble backwards. "SAPHIRA! ARE YOU ALRIGHT?" Twilight's voice barely managed to make itself heard over the ringing in her ears as they picked themselves up off the floor. "I'm fine, Twilight..." Saphira shook her head, trying to brush off the momentary haze. "What about you?" "I'M FINE, TOO!" "Twilight... You're shouting." "I AM? MAYBE I NEED MY EARS CHECKED!" A quick glance down revealed that the gemstones that had been hanging around her neck had all been dyed a deep blue to match her scales and were humming with magical power. They had served their purpose, protecting both Saphira and the ones around her from the surge of magic by absorbing the excess mana. "Saphira... is THIS what you had in mind?" Celestia asked, forcing them all to look at the result of her spell. It was a huge clock face, made of blue crystal and ticking with a sound like struck glass, grown out of the floor in the center of the room. "No, I had wanted to make a statue of myself, but..." Saphira couldn't help feeling somewhat sheepish. "I got caught up wondering what time it was and-" she blinked as she realized the time on the clock: 3:45. "Wait, is that time right?" "According to the position of the sun, yes." Celestia stated, not even needing to glance at the window. Saphira's eyes widened in horror. "We're going to be late!" "THAT'S RI-" Twilight rubbed at her ears for a moment. "That's right! We were going to go to the Wonderbolts exhibition today! I completely forgot!" She turned to Celestia and gave a low bow. "I'm sorry, Princess, but I promised Saphira that we would go to the show today! I was going to speak to you about it earlier, but when you said we'd be studying wild magic, I got so excited that I completely forgot!" "Oh? I had no idea that was happening today..." Celestia said with a smile that indicated that she absolutely knew that the show was happening today. She walked towards her throne, her horn beginning to glow with magic. "Well, I suppose that there's only one way to get to the airfield in time..." "B-But, I've never teleported anywhere CLOSE to that far, before!" Twilight stuttered. "I know." There was a flash of golden light, and Saphira felt something new pressing against her scales. Looking down, she realized that her gemstone necklace had been replaced by a harness made of blue-dyed leather. Beside her, Twilight had been outfitted with a similar item. "The only way to make it in time would be to fly there!" Celestia declared, looking altogether too pleased with herself. "WHA-WHAT?" Twilight stumbled backwards, only to be caught by Celestia's magic and lifted onto Saphira's back. "B-But princess, I've never- WE'VE never-" "Now, I had this harness made so that all you have to do is attach THIS clip here, pull this strap tight, and then you're all set!" Celestia continued, talking completely over Twilight's stammered protests. "It should be virtually impossible for you to fall off when you're tethered like this, even if Saphira flew the entire way upside down!" Saphira wasn't entirely certain how she felt about the situation, but it was definitely better than being late to the Wonderbolts show. She'd been large enough to carry Twilight for months, in theory, and she was more than capable of handling the extra weight, but Twilight had always objected to the idea on the grounds of not having any way to catch herself if she fell. No matter how many times Saphira had tried to assure her that she would never let her fall, Twilight had refused to budge on the matter. However, Celestia was right: flying was the only way to make it in time. Twilight continued stammering as they walked to the nearest window, Celestia's magic swinging the stained glass out on a hinge. From behind her, Saphira heard Twilight swallow loudly. "I-I-I-I don't think I can do this..." "Twilight, you promised we could go..." Saphira placed one clawed foot up on the window sill. "I swear, I will NEVER let you fall. You just need to trust me." There was a long pause, and Saphira could hear Twilight take a shaky breath and hold it. "Fine. Just... do it." Beside them, Celestia gave a wink. "Better hurry, I've been told that it's best to be there five minutes early..." Saphira hated Celestia's obvious manipulation, here, but they didn't have a choice to argue right now. Besides... I suppose it IS for a good cause, this time. With a single leap, Saphira flung herself out into the air outside the castle. "You're going to love this, Twilight!" "AAAAAAAAAAAHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHH!" If they were going to make it to the airfield in time, they were going to have to cross the city in a matter of minutes. That meant speed. Saphira kept her wings close to her sides, only slightly guiding herself as they plummetted downwards faster and faster. Twilight's screaming threatened to deafen her, but it didn't break her focus. Just as they had nearly reached terminal velocity, Saphira spread her wings and caught them, levelling out at a blistering speed just above the rooftops of Canterlot. They were just high enough to avoid having to make any breakneck turns, and the harness seemed to be holding firmly with no problems or discomfort, clearly being custom-made for her body. After a few seconds of level flight, she began flapping to keep their speed steady. By her estimation, they would make it to the airfield in about... nine minutes. That was cutting it close, but it was the best that she could do. "How are you liking flying without being bound to the winds, Twilight?" "I WANT MY HOT AIR BALLOON BAAAAAACK!" Saphira huffed and rolled her eyes. "Can a hot air balloon do THIS?" She gave her wings a tilt and arched her neck to point her nose upwards. They began to rapidly climb into the sky, moving further and further up until they were in a perfect vertical flight. "No it can't, that's why I LIIIIIIIIIKE IIIIIIIIIIIIT!" After taking a moment to make sure Twilight's hooves were wrapped firmly around her neck, Saphira pushed herself just a little farther. Together, the two of them looped up and around through the air, rotating a complete three hundred and sixty degrees in a perfect loop-de-loop until they were once again flying horizontally. As Twilight's grip around her neck loosened, Saphira smirked. "You should just try to relax and enjoy the ride. For pegasi, this stuff is just the basics!" "I'm... NOT... a pegasus!" Twilight panted. Saphira felt like part of her wanted to apologize, but there was a much stronger part of her that was affirming to her that there was something... right about this. Not being ridden, of course, but having Twilight with her while she was flying. "Next time, I promise we'll take it slow, okay?" she chuckled to herself. "NEXT TIME?" "If you don't fly with me voluntarily, I have a sneaking suspicion Celestia will keep engineering situations like this one." There was a long pause as Twilight seemed to be pondering her options. "F-Fine! But no more crazy dives or loop-de-loops!" Saphira resisted the urge to cheer at her victory as the stadium came into sight. She pushed her wings harder and faster, her motivation renewed as the caught the whiff of sulfur and gunpowder on the breeze: pre-show fireworks. Together, the two of them closed the remaining distance in less than two minutes, barely managing to land and slide to a stop before they had crashed into the outside of the stadium. "Uh, Saphira? The entrance is that way..." Saphira smirked as she walked up to a door labeled "Staff Only" and gave it three firm knocks with her tail. "Who said we were going in with the audience?" The door cracked open, revealing a pegasus stallion with a light blue coat and dark blue mane. "Password?" "Do you really need a password from ME, Soarin'? It's not like I could be impersonated..." Saphira rolled her eyes. "Save Ferris." "Hey, you and I both know Spitfire would have my flank if I didn't follow procedure!" Soarin argued back as he opened the door completely. "Yikes, head of the Wonderbolts for a month and she's already whipped the spirit out of you, huh?" "Oh, shut up!" He glanced up, catching sight of Twilight for the first time. "Is that your partner you're always going on about? You can't just sneak any old friend in here!" "Yes. Where I go, she goes." "Alright, can't argue with that..." Saphira felt Twilight tapping at the back of her head. "Saphira, what's going on?" Saphira smirked, keeping her next words just between the two of them. "Why do you think I was so frantic to get here in time? I set up a special surprise for you..." ----------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------- Twilight had never felt too comfortable among the Canterlot Elite. Sure, they were all ponies in high positions, but everything about them was inefficient, often too focused on social rituals and managing their status to get their priorities straight... but sitting in the VIP box of a Wonderbolts show made it all worth dealing with. "FILLIES AND GENTLECOLTS! WELCOME TO THE BIANNUAL WONDERBOLTS EXHIBITION!" the announcer boomed. "Jolly good! It's about time they got started!" One stallion nearby declared. "I can't imagine what's been keeping them..." another mare said with a snooty tone. "THIS IS YOUR FRIENDLY REMINDER: NO FLASH PHOTOGRAPHY, NO EXCESSIVE MAGIC USE, AND THE RECORDING OF THIS SHOW BY ANYPONY EXCEPT AUTHORIZED BROADCASTERS IS PROHIBITED! WITH THAT OUT OF THE WAY, PUT YOUR HOOVES TOGETHER FOR... THE WONDERBOLTS!" The entire stadium erupted into deafening cheers as the blue-suited pegasi came racing through the skies, leaving a trail of smoke behind them. In the VIP box, the Wonderbolts were practically just above her head, and Twilight could feel the breeze they left in their wake against her face. As the show continued, Twilight could hardly believe her eyes. The Wonderbolts were more that simply fast fliers. Their display of precision and coordination was enough to leave her awestruck. Sometimes, they would miss one another by distances too small to see with the naked eye, even from the VIP box, and by the time Twilight managed to wrap her head around one of their maneuvers, they had already executed three more that tested her spatial awareness. The sheer amounts of planning and organization that must have gone into their performance brought tears to her eyes. It's no wonder Saphira wanted to see this so badly! Twilight could hardly bear to even blink through the entire show, as one marvel of flight after another left her blown away. Eventually, however, she could feel that the show seemed to be winding down towards a close. "AND NOW, FOR THE GRAND FINALE, THE WONDERBOLTS WOULD LIKE TO INVITE A SPECIAL GUEST! PLEASE WELCOME CLOSE FRIEND OF THE WONDERBOLTS AND ONE OF THE JOINT STUDENTS OF PRINCESS CELESTIA, SAPHIRA SPARKLE!" "WHAT?" Twilight nearly leaped out of the box as Saphira walked out onto the field, greeted by a swell in cheers from the crowd. Four of the pegasi flew down onto the field, and Twilight could barely make out Saphira exchanging greetings with them, bumping wings and nodding to one another before they all took to the air together. "HOW did you keep this a secret?" "A LOT of night flights..." Twilight watched as they all flew into the sky together, two pegasi flanking Saphira on either side. They flew higher and higher, circling the stadium until they were specks among the clouds. "If you thought our dive out the castle window was something, hold on to your seat..." "AND HERE THEY COME, FOLKS!" Twilight's eyes widened as the entire stadium seemed to hold their collective breath. The fliers had turned downwards, and were diving towards the ground headfirst. The pegasi were all being followed by differently-colored smoke trails, but Twilight couldn't see any sign of Saphira. Together, all of the different colors, red, yellow, green and violet, wound into a towering pillar just behind them, like clouds that had been braided together. "Saphira? Where did you go?" "Wait for it..." The pegasi were all getting dangerously close and showing no signs of pulling up when the sound of an explosion drew everyone's attention back up into the sky. Saphira was there, breathing her blue flames in a wide arc before diving straight into the colored smoke column. Whatever the trails were made of, it was clearly flammable, immediately igniting with a burst of colored flames and blue sparks. The explosion followed the path downwards, almost immediately outpacing the pegasi and closing the distance in a matter of seconds. Ponies all throughout the stadium cried out in dismay as the Wonderbolts picked up speed, refusing to break formation as they were caught between the incoming explosion and the rapidly-approaching stadium floor. Just when it seemed that they were about to hit the ground, all of the pegasi split into different directions and pulled up, now with the flames just barely licking at their tails. They didn't stay separate for long, however, all plunging straight into the smoke left behind by the now-burned trails and vanishing from the audience's view. There was an earth-shattering crack, firework-like blasts in each of the four colors, and everything went silent. "Saphira? What ha-" Twilight's thoughts were cut off my the sound of Saphira's roaring. The entire stadium was lit by a flash of blue, and with the sound of huge wingbeats, the smoke parted to reveal Saphira and the Wonderbolts all unharmed and hovering together. The stadium erupted into eardrum-splitting applause, and Twilight couldn't help feeling a swell of pride as she watched Saphira take her bow with the rest of the Wonderbolts. "I had no idea you liked doing these kinds of things..." "Well, I DO enjoy being the center of attention, and a few of these pegasi are good friends of mine, so how could I say no when they asked me to help with a fire-based stunt?" Twilight could almost FEEL Saphira winking at her. Twilight sniffed at the air, her eyes widening as she recognized the scent of the smoke. "Wait... Is this- Was it ALL you?" "Yes, we've been bottling the gases I breathe to make fire. It's a great way to practice my firebreathing without destroying my throat, and they get one-of-a-kind pyrotechnics!" That only left Twilight with more questions, but her thoughts were cut off by a huff from another pony nearby. "That's all well and good, but they could have done it just as well without the overgrown lizard... Even if she is the princess's pet." Twilight turned around slowly, focusing one hundred percent of her attention on finding out which of the "upper crust" ponies had just spoken. "Excuse me?" "I'm simply saying," continued a unicorn mare in an absurd-looking hat, "The Wonderbolts are and have always consisted of ponies, and they should remain so! Thank heavens that dragon is only a guest and not a memb-" ----------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------- "Was that truly necessary?" Saphira asked as they flew back in the direction of Twilight's observatory. "I appreciate the effort, but I can defend my own honor..." "Nopony talks about my little sister that way..." Twilight huffed, scratching at the irritated spot on her horn where security ponies had put a restraining ring while they escorted her to the Royal Guard. Thankfully, the guard in charge had recognized her as Shining Armor's sister and, once he'd heard the whole story, decided to let them off with a warning. "Nopony." "... you know, I have never taken it for granted how you and your family took me in. You've never once treated me like I wasn't one of your own, even though I intruded on your home the way I did." "Saphira, you never intruded-" "I was unsure if I would ever mention this, but... I was not unconscious in my egg, not entirely. I had waited for..." she paused, considering her words carefully, "a VERY long time... for someone with a kind and brave heart whom I could call my partner. I do not remember much of my life before I met you, Twilight Sparkle, but I know that there had been great strife and turmoil over who possessed my egg and when I would choose to hatch. So thank you, Twilight, for letting me be a part of your family." Both of them fell silent for a moment before Saphira heard Twilight sniffling loudly from her back. "Are you... crying?" "OF COURSE I'M CRYING!" Twilight shouted, throwing herself against Saphira's back and doing her best to hug her with her entire body. "You can't just SAY something like that and expect me NOT to cry!" Saphira kept her own shed tear to herself as she tried not to laugh at Twilight's display of emotion. Together, the two of them sailed through the night sky towards the place they both called home. "But seriously, Twilight, making her EAT her hat?" "SHE HAD IT COMING!" ----------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------- Reluctantly, the elder sister harnessed the most powerful magic known to ponydom: The Elements of Harmony. Using the magic of the Elements of Harmony, she defeated her younger sister, and banished her permanently in the moon. The elder sister took on responsibility for both sun and moon, and and harmony has been maintained in Equestria for generations since... "Hmmm..." Twilight hummed to herself as she finished the latest chapter of her book. "Elements of Harmony... I know I've heard of those before! But where?" "Perhaps in one of the ten thousand books you read over the last week?" Saphira quipped from where she was laying between Twilight and the nearby lake. "Seriously, with all of your studying lately, we haven't had ONE flying practice this week!" "I'm sorry, Saphira, but you know that it's been three months, three weeks, and-" "And four days since your last exam from the princess, I KNOW. And just like every fourth month since you were a filly, you're freaking out over the end of the sixteen-week semester that DOESN'T EXIST for us." "Well, I'm still not taking ANY chances! If the Princess decides to change our format to a more traditional course calendar, I want to be READY for a final exam!" "You think Celestia would give you a SURPRISE final exam?" "We'd never be expecting it, and that would make it the PERFECT test!" Saphira started to roll her eyes, but stopped when she seemed to spy something that made her frown. Twilight followed her gaze and found herself staring at a trio of unicorns who had walked up to them. It was Minuette, Lemon Hearts, and Twinkleshine, all carrying some kind of gift-wrapped package on their backs. Minuette seemed to be regarding Saphira with some trepidation, and Twilight shot her sister a silent thought. How many times do I have to tell you to let go of that grudge? Quit giving her the evil eye! "There you are, Twilight!" Twinkleshine declared. "Moondancer is having a little get-together in the West Castle courtyard. You wanna come?" All three mares leaned forward, clearly expecting an affirmative answer. "Moondancer? That DOES sound like-" "Oh, sorry girls! I've got a... lot of studying to catch up on!" Twilight cut Saphira off with a hastily-made excuse before jumping up onto her back. "Speaking of which, we were just about to head back to get the next textbook I need to look at! Come on, Saphira!" Saphira twisted her head around, directing her annoyed gaze at Twilight as she wrapped her hooves around the revised harness, which had been pared down from matching full-body harnesses to a glorified saddle and pair of hoof straps. Twilight gave Saphira her best pleading look, making it clear she didn't want to stay in the awkward situation a moment longer. After a silent moment, Twilight spotted a glint of mischief in the dragon's eyes. Saphira spread her wings and, without another word, took to the air, leaving the partygoers far behind. "Phew... Thanks, Saphira." "One of these days, you're going to have to overcome that social anxiety of yours." "It is NOT social anxiety!" Twilight argued. "I just don't see the point in going to parties! It's not like I'm going to learn anything THERE!" Twilight paused as they climbed higher and higher into the sky, nearly bushing her horn against the cloud cover. "You don't need to fly so high, we're just heading home..." "Oh, are we?" Those three words made the bottom fall out of Twilight's stomach. "Saphira..." "Well, home is just below us, I suppose I had best begin my descent..." Saphira smirked as she pulled her wings tight against her body. For a brief moment, the two of them were suspended in the air, completely untethered from the world... and then gravity took over. "SAAAAAAPHIIIIIIRRRRRRRAAAAAAAAAA!" Twilight screamed as they plunged downwards. Her attention instinctively turned to her saddlebags, but it was too late: she had left them open, and all of their contents had floated out into the air during their free-fall. Saphira, of course, seemed to find the entire situation hilarious, laughing heartily as she spread her wings and turned upwards again. Twilight only barely managed to catch all of her books, papers, and other belongings in her magic before she realized that they were doing more than just turning back upwards: Saphira was taking them into a loop. "SAAAPHIIIIIIRRRRRAAAAA CUT IT OOOOOOOUUUUUUT!" Twilight screamed as centripetal force pressed her hard against Saphira's back. "I'm just burning off extra speed!" Saphira argued as their flight leveled out again. Moments later, they had landed on the upper balcony of her tower, and Twilight was able to finally release her death-grip magical hold on all of her items so she could arrange them back into their proper order. "Thank you for nothing, you useless reptile..." she grumbled as she put her pages of notes back in numerical order. "Well, maybe you'll remember to go flying with me more often in the future, and I won't get antsy." Saphira lifted her snout upwards as she walked past Twilight and into the observatory, though Twilight could still see her making no attempt to hide her smile. "Ugh... Okay, well, luckily I still remember what I came back for..." Twilight muttered as she returned everything to her bags. "Elements of Harmony. That's what I'm looking for." She stepped back indoors and set her bags in their usual place. "Can you make yourself useful and find me an old copy of Predictions and Prophecies?" "Which volume?" Saphira asked, giving Twilight a sideways look that made it clear the "make yourself useful" jab would NOT go unrepaid. "Oldest one we have, before the numbering system!" Twilight stated, heading towards the shelves where she kept her antique volumes. She pulled out one book, glancing at the cover and seeing it read "Pronghorns and Practicality." "No..." She pulled another one. Predilictions and Productivity. "No..." Premeditation and Prosecution. "No!" Preparedness and Professionals: A Guide to- "NO!" Presumptuous Prognostications of Pompous Ponies. "No, no, no! UGGH!" "Over here, Twilight." Saphira declared, tapping the tip of her snout against a certain tome. Twilight hastily pulled the book from its place with her magic, forcing Saphira to use the side of her face to stop the rest from falling. She gave the spine a momentary inspection to make sure it was the right book. Predictions and Prophecies. "Ah!" She let the rest of the books drop to the ground. Clearly, her organization system needed reworking, so there was no point in putting them back. At least that will make for a fun activity when I need a study break! She cheerily took the book to her favorite stand and set it in place, letting her focus on flipping through the pages as fast as she could. "Elements, elements, e... e... e... aha! Elements of Harmony: See... Mare in the Moon?" Twilight read out loud. "Mare in the Moon? You mean the old story that your mom used to tell us to get you to stop studying and go to bed?" Saphira asked. "I'm not sure you're on the right track, Twilight. That's just an old ponies' tale." Twilight ignored Saphira's skepticism, flipping swiftly from the E's to the M's. "Mare... Mare... Ah! The Mare in the Moon: Myth from olden pony times. A powerful pony who wanted to rule Equestria. Defeated by the Elements of Harmony and imprisoned in the moon. Legend has it that on the longest day of the thousandth year, the stars will aid in her escape, and she will bring about nighttime eternal!" Twilight gasped. "Saphira! Do you know what this means?" "That you're all done brushing up for your exam on ancient folklore that isn't coming?" Twilight rushed to her writing desk, producing a piece of parchment and a fresh quill. "My dearest teacher," she spoke the words out loud as she wrote, a habit that usually let Saphira act as a secondary proofreader. "My continuing studies of pony magic have led me to discover that we are on the precipice of disaster!" "'Precipice?' Are you certain you're not being overly dramatic?" Saphira raised an eyebrow. Twilight didn't THINK she was being dramatic at all, but she reconsidered. "Threshold?" "Ehhh..." Saphira waggled her claw uncertainly. "Brink?" Twilight suggested, feeling that making her language any simpler would steal the gravity from her message. "That's better." "For you see," Twilight continued, "the mythical 'Mare in the Moon' is, in fact, Nightmare Moon, and she's about to return to Equestria and bring on her eternal night! Something MUST be done to make sure this terrible prophecy does not come true! I await your quick response. Your faithful student, Twilight Sparkle!" "Really took the 'overly damatic' critique to heart, didn't you?" Saphira rolled her eyes. "Oh, hush..." Twilight muttered, rolling the parchment into a scroll and stamping it with her personal seal. "If I'm right, then the fate of all of Equestria could be at stake! That deserves a little bit of dramatic language!" With a well-practiced spell, Twilight sent the letter on its way to the intended recipient. "And, considering the Summer Sun Celebration is the day after tomorrow, you think that this old legend should really be something Princess Celestia gives her time and attention to?" "That's just it, Saphira! The day after tomorrow is the thousandth year of the Summer Sun Celebration! It's imperative that the princess know right away!" "Alright, but I wouldn't hold my breath waiting for a response..." Saphira started to walk in the direction of her bed, only to stop as the sound of an arriving scroll echoed through the room. "See? I KNEW she would want to take immediate action!" Twilight smiled as she picked up the scroll and unrolled it as she began to read the royal response out loud. "My dearest, most faithful students, you know that I value your diligence and that I trust you completely." That brought a swell of pride to Twilight's chest. "But you simply must stop reading those dusty old books- WHAT?" "HA HA HAHAHA HA HA!" Saphira began to laugh so hard, she was forced to lean on a nearby shelf for support. "Bu-Bu-But..." Twilight stammered for a moment before continuing to read. "My dear Twilight, there is more to a young pony's life than studying! So, I'm sending you to supervise preparations for the Summer Sun Celebration in this year's location: Ponyville. And, I have an even more essential task for you to complete: MAKE SOME FRIENDS?" Twilight balked completely at the contents of the letter. If it hadn't mentioned her by name multiple times, she might have thought that it wasn't intended for her at all! "I have arranged for you to stay at the Golden Oaks Library, and I expect that you will approach these tasks with the same zeal you have given every other task up to now. Given your love of checklists, I will be sending you an Official Overseer's Checklist in a letter to follow. Your loving mentor, Princess Celestia." Twilight shook her head. "I- I don't believe it! There's no way this can be right, right? Saphira?" Twilight turned to look at her partner, only to catch the tip of her tail disappearing down the stairs. "SAPHIRA! Where are you going?" "To get our bags!" After a second, she poked her head back around to give Twilight a smug look. "It's a long flight to Ponyville, so pack light, or I'll lighten it FOR you over the Everfree Forest!" Twilight groaned and pressed her hoof to her forehead, hardly able to believe her eyes and ears. "This is a TERRIBLE idea, I just know it..."