Applejack was an early riser. Always has been, always will be.
The apple farmer rolled over in her bed and looked at the clock, it showed five in the morning. With a smile, Applejack whisked the covers off of her and got up, feeling the hard floorboards beneath her hooves. She reached immediately for her lucky hat, which had pride of place hanging on a bed knob.
The earth pony, lacking both a mirror in her room and the unwillingness to bother with her appearance, walked straight out of her bedroom and downstairs into the kitchen, as was her routine. Her natural body clock was wound so tight that she woke up at five almost every morning. From then she would go into the kitchen and make enough breakfast for everyone else, eat her share and start her morning chores.
This morning wasn't so bad for the farmer pony, it wasn't time for harvest so she didn't have to go out of her way to get anything done, just make sure things were running smoothly. Applejack had learned to love these days, because some others were awful compared to them. Perhaps it was her innate honesty that gave her a sense of perspective on these things. She barely noticed herself eating whilst pondering this and when her eyes finally fell onto her plate, she was surprised to find only a few scraps left. Shrugging, she cleared her plate and set off outside.
Had she waited a moment longer however, she would have noticed the letter materialising on her kitchen table in a burst of dragon fire.
–
Fluttershy was awoken amidst the usual cacophony of bird song.
The mere sound of it brought a smile to the pegasus' lips, 'Nature's alarm clock, is there a greater sound?' She left the snug warmth of her bed and got up, stretching her wings whilst letting out a small yawn.
It was time to start the new day and that involved going downstairs to say hello to all of her animal friends, it was time for them to wake up from their lovely dreams and welcome the new day with a smile. Fluttershy didn't know if some of her animal friends were capable of smiling, but she knew when they were happy and that's what really counts in the end.
The yellow pegasus took a few seconds to check her mane in a small mirror in her room. She didn't do this to draw attention to herself like her friend Rarity would, but she took pride in her appearance and knew that a friendly demeanour meant a lot when it came to dealing with her animals. It also helped when dealing with other ponies, but Fluttershy didn't like the stares some of the other ponies gave her. Rarity had once told her that she was just the type of pony that drew the eyes of others, a quality that had made her such a successful, if reluctant, model.
It couldn't be helped though, so Fluttershy abandoned the mirror and headed downstairs to begin her morning routine, attending to the needs of her animals first before she attended to her own. Rainbow Dash had once told her, well... almost every day for the past few months, that she needed to be more assertive, but whenever she looked into the faces of her animals, her heart melted and she suddenly stopped caring about herself. It could be described as a maternal instinct, the ability to lose sight of ones own needs for the sake of another, but Fluttershy just knew that everyone, including the little animals, deserved a little kindness and you can't begrudge them that.
With the various bird feeders and bowls filled with food, Fluttershy walked over to her small kitchen and prepared the kettle, she loved a spot of tea in the morning. As she settled down on her lounger though, a rushing sound interrupted her quiet contemplation and the resulting burst of green dragon fire scared her animals into their respective homes.
Fluttershy smiled affectionately. “Come on out, it's just a letter. There's nothing to be afraid of.” Small heads poked out of small homes and watched as the yellow pegasus picked up the nondescript envelope and opened it carefully.
–
Rarity sighed contentedly, she had been awake for a while now, but had decided to lay in bed for a few more minutes.
As much as she may seem like a pony who liked to be on top of the latest happenings, sometimes she just enjoyed a quiet rest by herself. Quiet time however, wasn't a luxury one could afford when Sweetie Belle had come for a sleepover. The crash from downstairs sounded like something she had to attend to immediately.
Sighing again, although this time rather resignedly, Rarity got up, removed her eye-mask and wrapped herself in a fluffy dressing gown with matching fluffy slippers. Of course, Opalescence could have been the cause, but she highly doubted it. The temperamental cat was more likely to be found lounging around than causing trouble.
Downstairs, Rarity stood on the bottom step of the staircase with her mouth open. Two dress horses had been upended, clothes littered the floor, gems had been scattered everywhere and a very guilty looking Sweetie Belle sat amidst it.
“Sorry?” ahe said, trying to appease her sisters mood with a smile.
“Go on,” Rarity said, barely contained anger flaring in her voice, “tell me the latest story about how this wasn't your fault.”
“But it wasn't! Honest!” Sweetie Belle shouted, it was typical of her sister to automatically assume that everything was her fault. “A letter arrived and it scared Opal. I tried to calm her down but she kept running away and started knocking things over.”
Rarity walked over to her sister, staring at her whilst using her magic to begin tidying some of clothes and standing up the dress horses. “Why would dear Opal be afraid of the mail? I happen to know the mailmare and she's a perfectly pleasant pony who wouldn't hurt a fly.”
Sweetie Belle decided to help by sweeping the gems into a pile using her tail, she was glad to see that Rarity didn't snap at her for doing it. “The letter wasn't delivered by the mailmare, it appeared in the middle of the room with a bunch of green fire.”
“Green fire? That must mean...” The white unicorn realised what her sister was talking about and immediately smiled. “I imagine a surprise like that would scare little Opal, I'm sorry for assuming it was you, Sweetie. You must realise that Opal doesn't like being touched, so I can't say you didn't help instigate some of the mess.” Rarity gave her sister a stern, but fair, look.
Sweetie Belle nodded glumly. “Sorry, sis. Oh, I put the letter on the kitchen table to stop Opal from ripping it up.”
“See, Sweetie, you can be sensible when you want to be.” Rarity gave her sister a rather condescending pat on the head and trotted into the kitchen to retrieve the letter.
–
Pinkie Pie always found silence disconcerting, that's why she had woken up today, usually Mr. and Mrs. Cake would be doing something that made noise. Although there was one time that Pinkie Pie really wished that she couldn't hear what they were doing.
Today however, the party pony found herself somewhat alone, at least, she was alone in her mind. Silence always reminded her of her childhood and that never lead to many happy trains of thought. In a moment of desperation, the pink pony hit her alarm clock, causing it to set off. 'That's better.'
Now with a smile on her face, the earth pony hopped out of bed and over to her window, staring out onto the streets of Ponyville. Pinkie loved pony watching, with her over-active imagination, it was easy for her to just look at a pony and imagine a background for them. When Pinkie said that she knew every pony in Ponyville, this is what she meant. She could probably tell you their name if you put them in front of her, but she wouldn't be able to give you much beyond that, unless she started talking about their fictional backgrounds that Pinkie had made up one day. Ponies tended to stare oddly at her when she did that though, so she kept it to herself mostly.
A mint green unicorn walked by with a cream coloured earth pony, Pinkie knew those two of course, it was Lyra and Bon Bon. She had only seen them around town though, so she didn't know what they did in their spare time. In Pinkie's mind however, Lyra and Bon Bon were a couple who did everything together and were madly in love. Bon Bon would be the motherly, caring type whereas Lyra was the quirky, lovable type, they would often become annoyed with one another but they would always overcome their problems in the end.
Pinkie smiled, Lyra and Bon Bon always cheered her up. She went to turn away from the window, but saw Rarity walking down the street. Pinkie thought about calling to her, but the unicorn looked like she was in the middle of something, so she thought better of it.
The pink pony headed downstairs into the main area of Sugar Cube Corner only to be confronted with a note.
Pinkie, be a dear and open up the shop. Mr. Cake and I have nipped out to pick up some supplies, so we're leaving the shop in your capable hooves until we get back. A letter came for you as well, we left it on the kitchen table. - Mrs. Cake
Jumping with joy, Pinkie rushed into the kitchen and began setting things up. She loved it when she could run the store on her own, she may not seem like it on the surface, but Pinkie was very serious about Sugar Cube Corner and helping run it to the best of her abilities. It was the least she could do for the Cakes, she knew she could never repay them for their kindness, but she'd try her best as often as she could.
Pinkie looked around and saw the letter in question, it was plain but had her name in an untidy scrawl.
“I recognise that hoofwriting.”
–
Rainbow Dash, despite her athleticism, was a notoriously lazy pony, thus often only woke up when the noise of ponies about their business grew too loud.
The pegasus pony lived in a cloud home after all and unlike the infamous Cloudsdale architecture, Rainbow Dash's house was pretty much just an elaborately styled cloud, so things like alarm clocks couldn't stay up there. She didn't however, have to pay a thing for it, which she'll gladly tell you every time the topic of houses came up.
You wouldn't tell from her demeanour, but she was incredibly creative and had excellent hoof-eye co-ordination, qualities that allowed her to create the columns and general shape of her house. The same qualities also allowed her to be a fantastic flier, something Rainbow Dash was a lot more known for and if you didn't know it, she'd be quick to tell you.
Today was the cyan pegasus' day off, which meant a whole day of practising and perfecting her tricks, unless of course she gets roped into helping somepony do something. It was surprising how often that happened. Rainbow scrunched up her eyes in annoyance at the thought, but it also urged her to finally get her flank up off her cloud bed and into the sky, her wings were beginning to itch.
Rainbow stood up, stretching out each limb carefully, making sure to warm herself up before her day of flight. It was essential for a pony like Rainbow Dash to warm up at the start of the day, getting injured because she hadn't prepared was a rookie mistake, one the Wonderbolts wouldn't look too kindly on, so the pegasus always took extra care to do this. At the end of a long day, Rainbow would sometimes visit the spa for a warm down massage, not that she'd ever mention that tidbit of information to Rarity, the fashionista would demand they go together and get makeovers or something. Rainbow Dash retched slightly, forcing a hoof down her throat at the mere thought.
Fully warmed up, Rainbow Dash walked over to her window and leaped out, free falling towards the ground and feeling the rush of wind against her face. She watched as the ground rushed up to meet her, but at the last moment she opened her wings and pulled up, gliding through the sky at incredible speeds. She went full circle around Ponyville, coming to a halt at the ground underneath her home.
An orange pegasus filly was there to meet her, a huge smile on her face and an envelope balanced on her head. “Rainbow Dash!” she said happily, “I found this letter on the floor underneath your house, so I thought I'd wait here and give it to you.”
Dash laughed nervously, “Okay... thanks.” She grabbed the envelope of the top of the filly's head, noticing the untidy scrawl of her name on the front.
“Bye, Rainbow Dash!” Scootaloo said, running into town with the sound of joyous laughter with her.
Rolling her eyes, the pegasus opened the letter.
–
Twilight Sparkle hadn't slept, it was five in the morning and the chemistry book she was currently absorbed in had a drool stain on it from when she had nodded off that one time.
Petty things like sleep had no place in Twilight Sparkle's schedule however, she had knowledge to accrue and mysteries to unravel. There was also something about friendship in her schedule, but it often got overlooked, a habit from her past that she was still trying to break. At the thought of her friends however, she looked at the chemistry book, which had become a blur of undecipherable multicoloured blobs, before shutting it with a thud.
A ray of sunlight peeked in through the window, the sun had begun it's ascent into the sky, which meant that Princess Celestia was awake. Twilight didn't want to think what her mentor would say if she found out that she had been studying all night again.
“Twilight Sparkle.”
The unicorn in question froze, she knew deep down who it was, but her mind was currently trying its level best to ignore that and pretend that she's hearing things in her sleep deprived state. She rationalised it by thinking, 'Surely the universe can't be this cruel and unusual?'
“Have you slept at all during the night?” the patient, maternal tone of Princess Celestia came from behind Twilight. The breeze she felt meant that the Princess had entered through the upstairs balcony.
Twilight turned around slowly, averting her eyes from the majestic figure of her mentor. “Er... yes?” It was a weak attempt, but Twilight blurted it out before she could think.
The Princess merely regarded her with a patient stare, looking at Twilight's bloodshot eyes and the prominent dark rings around them.
“Okay, no I haven't. I'm sorry, Princess, but I couldn't stop reading this book. I kept telling myself that I'd stop at the next part and then the next part and the next part.”
“Calm down, Twilight.” The Princess walked over and knelt down, putting herself at eye level with the unicorn. “You should know that the tired mind learns little and that being well rested aids your studies as well as your social life. Catching up on sleep that you spent studying cuts into the time you could be spending with friends.”
Twilight nodded, still not meeting her mentor's eyes. “If you don't mind me asking, Princess, why are you here so early? Why arrive now only to tell me to sleep?”
Celestia smiled and the room seemed to glow with warmth, “Am I not allowed to check up on my most faithful student? Every time I come when you're awake, you make too much of a fuss. When you're asleep, I can see by the smile on your face that you're doing well and that's all I need to know.”
The lavender unicorn paled, the implications of that statement sent her mind whirring about ways she could prevent herself from doing anything embarrassing whilst fast asleep.
Celestia stood. “I'll send you a letter in a few hours time, I'd like you to rest between now and then. It's a surprise.” With a final smile, the white alicorn strode out of the room and onto the balcony, disappearing into the dawn with a mighty flap of her wings.
“Spike!” Twilight called, looking around for the purple dragon, “wake up, I need you!”
The baby dragon's head appeared from the upstairs bedroom, overlooking the living area where Twilight stood. “What time is it?” he asked, still in a state of tiredness.
“Just get down here and bring some parchment with you.” The unicorn began rummaging through cupboards and drawers looking for a writing quill. Spike began walking downstairs clutching a mass of parchment and grumbling to himself.
“What is it this time, Twilight? Don't tell me you're writing a letter to Celestia.” He dropped the parchment on the floor at his scaly feet.
Twilight used her magic to grab one of the pieces of parchment and began hurriedly scribbling something on it before slipping it inside an envelope. “Send this to Applejack.” She gave the envelope to Spike, but he merely stared at it. Twilight had already started scribbling another note.
“What's Applejack got to do with this?” the dragon asked, confused.
“I'll tell you later, just send that note to Applejack. Oh, send this one to Fluttershy.” The lavender unicorn never lost her pace, scribbling notes at a speed that would make Rainbow Dash proud.
Spike shrugged his shoulders and summoned a burst of dragon breath. He watched it consume the note and zoom out of a nearby window.
Twilight finished, staring at the three envelopes that sat before her. “Send these as well. I'm taking a quick nap.” Smiling with the prospect of sleep, Twilight walked lazily upstairs and collapsed onto her bed without even climbing under the covers.
--
Inside the library lobby, five ponies were chatting amongst themselves, all confused as to why they had been brought there, especially if the pony in question wasn't even around to greet them.
A dragon appeared from the staircase at the back of the room and when he spotted the ponies he waved genially, beckoning for them to come over. “I've just told Twilight that you've got here, she was up all night apparently, so she's getting some rest. I've got no idea what she's planning either, so don't ask me.” Spike took a seat on a nearby chair and crossed his arms, the dragon seemingly not very happy with the unicorn's attitude as of late.
“Well, she shore seemed urgent in that letter o' hers.” the apple farmer said, “Ah'm jus' lucky ah caught the letter when ah did. Woulda been outta th' farm all day otherwise.”
Rainbow Dash nodded agreement. “If that Scootaloo kid hadn't have found the letter, I probably would have missed it as well. What Twilight was thinking sending a letter to my home, I don't know.”
Spike coughed nervously. “That was er... me. I forgot about the whole, cloud thing.”
“I hardly believe the poor dear was in her right mind at all when she sent the letters.” Rarity stepped forwards in defence of her fellow unicorn. “Up all night and probably tired out of her mind, it's a wonder she even had the strength to write the letters. She couldn't have imagined the trouble it might cause.” Rarity momentarily flashed back to the destruction of her shop floor, forcing back the rebuke currently forming in her mind.
“Yes, let Twilight rest... if you don't mind, that is.” The pegasus fluttered onto a nearby cushion, shying away from the potential, and most probably imagined, backlash.
Pinkie Pie, oddly enough, was missing from this discussion. That was until the staircase leading upstairs suddenly filled with confetti and the sound of party blowers. A pink head appeared in the entrance to the staircase. “Twilight's awake, you guys!”
Shrugging, the four ponies and Spike went along with it and followed the pink earth pony upstairs.
When they arrived in Twilight's living area, the confetti was gone and a tired looking Twilight was making her way slowly down the stairs, staring daggers at the baker. Pinkie thought that all of this was especially hilarious and had collapsed into paroxysms of laughter on the floor.
“I'm glad you received my letters, I just wanted you all to be here.” She gave a mighty yawn before hugging each of her friends. “I had a feeling I'd need you.”
Rarity stepped forwards, looking confused, “Need us for what, darling?”
Twilight sighed and turned away, facing the balcony where Celestia had appeared mere hours before. “The Princess said that she would have a 'surprise' for me. I don't know what it'll be but I can't imagine it'll be good, I haven't exactly been an exemplary student as of late.” The unicorn's mind lingered on the possibilities and on her past performance and how she could have improved.
“I love surprises!” Pinkie Pie jumped onto Twilight's back and lowered her head into the lavender pony's field of view. “Not all surprises are bad, silly!”
Stepping out from underneath the exuberant party pony, who seemed to hover slightly before falling to the ground, Twilight stared at her friends. “What reason could there be for giving me a nice surprise? I haven't done anything particularly good over the past few months, I surely don't deserve a reward.”
“Hush now, sugarcube, y'all know that's not the case.” Applejack stepped forwards this time, placing a gentle hoof on the unicorn's shoulder. “Y'all can tell by lookin' at 'er that the Princess is proud o' ya. Aint nothin' to worry about.”
Twilight couldn't ignore the honesty in Applejack's eyes, she soon found herself smiling. “You really think so?”
“As sure as ah grow apples,” the orange earth pony replied with a wink.
Almost as if the alicorn had been watching the conversation, as soon as Twilight's fears had been assuaged, Spike doubled over and spewed forth a letter. It swirled through the air until Twilight caught it in her magic, unfurling it in front of her eyes. With obvious trepidation, she began reading aloud...
My most faithful student, Twilight Sparkle,
I do hope that you've gotten some rest after we last met. Every time I see you I can see how much you've grown as a pony, with your experiences and your friendships; it makes me proud to say that you are my student.
In that spirit, I would like to reward you and your friends for all of the work you have been doing. Reading your letters always brings a smile to my face and in return I've decided to reward you for that. I imagine you remember the fiasco at the Gala and I feel responsible for making that possible. With that in mind, I felt that I would go down a different route this time, the Grand Galloping Gala isn't an option this year and Luna came up with a most marvellous idea that I imagine will be much more to your tastes.
Luna, as you may know, has had a little trouble readjusting to modern life and part of helping her has been introducing her to various forms of modern media. She tells me that there is a band that she particularly enjoys, playing in Manehattan. The show, Luna insists, is very good and I would like to extend an invitation to you and your friends. You would, of course, have the Royal box available to you for however long you desire to use it.
The show doesn't start until the weekend so you have a few days to get ready for the journey. The specifics will be sorted out in the mean time, so let me worry about that. Hopefully you'll enjoy yourself a lot more this year.
Her Royal Highness, Princess Celestia of Equestria
Twilight sighed in relief. It seemed that all of her worrying was for nothing after all.
“A concert?” Rainbow Dash said suddenly, a big smile on her face, “I may not get to see the Wonderbolts again, but a band might be just as good.”
“And in the Royal Box!?” Rarity exclaimed with a gasp, “just imagine what they'll say when I'm seen there, the exposure will be amazing.”
The group had began to murmur amongst themselves, each discussing the letter and what it might possibly entail on the night. Fluttershy had started a conversation with Applejack about what kind of music it might be, the pegasus concerned about whether it was going to be too loud, whereas the earth pony just hoped that it wasn't too 'fancy schmancy'. Pinkie Pie had joined Rainbow Dash in the excitement for the upcoming event, both ponies were seemingly huge music fans and were chatting animatedly about their favourite bands.
One pony however, wasn't too thrilled with the contents of the letter. Twilight was solemnly re-reading the letter and looking no better for it.
“Twilight dear, what's wrong? You don't seem too happy.” Rarity had noticed her expression and come over to try and cheer her up.
The lavender unicorn looked up, the shock making it seem that she was genuinely surprised to see other ponies in the room. “Oh, sorry Rarity. I don't mean to be ungrateful, I just really hoped that I could spend more time with the Princess this year.”
“Who says she won't be there? It didn't say that she couldn't go in the letter, so you just have to hope she decides to join us.” Rarity gave a genuine smile. “Besides, even if she isn't there, at least you have your friends.”
Twilight shook her head, snapping out of the trance she seemed to be caught in. “Yes, you're right. I've got my friends, that's all I need for a good time.” Happy for the time being, Twilight joined the rest of her friends in conversation, she even asked Spike to bring some food from the kitchen so they could have a mini-party in celebration.
Twilight's hopes of a small party however were dashed when she realised that a certain pink pony was with them. One party cannon blast had turned the dial from 'casual get together' to 'full on soirée'.
Not that she really minded of course.
==
A few days had passed since Twilight had received the letter from Princess Celestia. It was Friday morning and each of the six ponies had their saddlebags packed and were aboard the train to Manehattan.
“So Applejack,” Twilight asked, trying her best to sound casual, “what's Manehattan like?”
The farm pony in question grunted, muttering something about 'uppity city ponies', she suppressed it with a sigh and went on anyway, “Busy. Ponies up an' about at all hours o' the day so you aint gonna get a lick o' peace an' quiet. Y'all can git disrespected till the cows come home but soon as ya show the least bit of incivility, they'll be on you like stink on pigs.”
There were a few seconds of awkward silence as everypony digested the bitterness in the earth pony's voice.
“Surely there was something positive about your stay there?” Twilight asked hesitantly.
“Not really.” Applejack kicked her hooves against the floor of the train, checking to see if they were free of dust. Not that she cared if they were full of dust, it was just something to do, she wasn't exactly fond of talking about her time in Manehattan.
Unexpectedly, Rainbow Dash spoke up to help Applejack feel better, “At least now, if anypony looks at you weird you can buck 'em into next week. Then again, if anypony insults my friends, they'd have to be quicker than me to deal out their own justice.” Dash chuckled, smirking brashly. “And I don't see that happening.”
Applejack rolled her eyes. “I know you don't do feelings RD, but at least you tried.”
“You know it, AJ... wait what?” The colourful pegasus wiped the smirk off of her face, only for it to be replaced by a look of confusion.
Her friends laughed politely, except for Pinkie Pie that is, she broke out into what could only be described as raucous hilarity. “You're pretty quick in the air, but you're slow on the uptake!” she said between laughs. It looked like she wouldn't be done laughing for a while, the way she going, but she stopped almost instantly and shoved her head out of the window. “Ooh look, it's the statue of harmony!”
The other five looked out of their nearest window and indeed Pinkie was right, the iconic monument was visible in the distance, along with the Manehattan skyline.
“Not long now,” Rarity said, a content smile on her face, “I'll be relaxing in the private suite the Princess arranged for us, plenty of time to prepare for my appearance in the Royal box.” Her daydream was ruined however when a certain rainbow maned pegasus interrupted her.
“Let's not forget about the music, it's kinda the whole reason we're coming out here!” Rainbow Dash sat herself in the seat opposite the violet maned fashionista and glared at her.
Rarity merely glared back. “Just because I'm more excited about the other aspects of the trip, it doesn't make my reasons for going any less valid.”
“Pfft. I doubt Princess Luna would like it if you didn't care about one of her favourite bands, especially after she bought you tickets to see them.” The pegasus snickered as she saw Rarity gasp in horror.
“You just had to say that Rainbow Dash, didn't you! Now I won't be able to get that out of my head, I'll worry myself silly over it.” Rarity got up and sat herself with Twilight a few stalls away whilst the pegasus doubled over laughing. After a few moments, she flew over towards Applejack, Fluttershy and Pinkie Pie who were chatting amongst themselves.
The lavender unicorn was sat alone, staring dolefully out of the window. She seemed to be looking at Manehattan in the distance, but her eyes didn't take in the awe and wonder of the famous landmarks, they seemed to be staring through the buildings and off into the far distance. Twilight was in so much of a trance that she didn't even notice Rarity sitting with her until the white unicorn waved a hoof in front of her face.
“Twilight darling, you look troubled. I'm starting to worry.” Rarity said, her voice laced with genuine concern.
“Sorry Rarity, I suppose I was just lost in my own thoughts for a moment there.” The lavender unicorn blushed slightly.
Rarity moved closer, taking the seat next to her friend. “You must be having an awful lot of thoughts for them to distract you like that.”
“I don't know, there's just this feeling I have and it's telling me that something bad is going to happen.” Twilight looked out of the window again. “I know I'm not usually the type to believe in things like that, but Celestia always said I should trust my senses, especially when there's magic involved; my horn has been tingling ever since we got on the train.”
“Strange, I don't feel anything,” Rarity remarked.
Twilight smiled warmly. “I mean no offence, Rarity, but I'm just more magically attuned than you are. I pick these... feelings up every now and then. After that, it's just a question of trying to figure out what they mean.”
“No offence taken my dear.” Rarity nudged her friend with a hoof to reassure her. “I'm not what you would call a studied magician, of course there are things about magic I am unaware of. Humour me, won't you, what exactly do these feelings... well, feel like?”
The lavender unicorn looked out of the window again, it was evident that she was thinking hard. “It's hard to explain. There's a dull buzz in the forefront of my mind, but it's not all physical. Most of the time it's a knowledge, like an idea or a concept just infiltrates my mind and waits to be discovered. I know the feeling is there rather than actually feeling it.”
Rarity leaned towards her fellow unicorn, she wore a look that she often reserved for gossip-mongering, a curious and frantic look that hungered for knowledge. “What are these feelings telling you?”
“That there are latent traces of magic in the air.”
Rarity scoffed, “That's not very special though is it? Surely it would be like that everywhere there are unicorns.”
Twilight sighed, but went on, “There has to be a real significance behind the magic for it to be recognisable. Obviously this pony has come this way and that's important for me. Considering that I haven't met many nice magicians, I can only think that something bad is waiting for me, or worse... something from my past.”
“You're... past?” Rarity shuffled closer, if she played her cards right she could strike gold. “As in, when you were studying under Celestia?”
Twilight stood, her head down, striped mane covering her eyes. “Please, Rarity... I'd rather not talk about it.”