Twilight stood nervously in the large castle dining hall. Her hoof tapping against the hard tiled floor. She turned to the large table beside her and began examining the various pieces of silverware and decorative plates that had been laid out. Using her magic, she straightened out the utensils that were placed beside the plates ever so slightly.
"Each table has one fork, one knife, and one spoon," she said aloud to herself.
Using her magic, she lit the candles that sat in the middle of the table. Making sure that each candle was exactly the same length and all sat perfectly upright in their elaborately designed holders. She wanted to make sure that her friends were all perfectly comfortable, as well as practicing perfect silverware placement. She then walked back over to the spot she had previously been standing at.
Twilight started talking aloud to herself, reciting the order in which the guests should arrive. "First Rarity, then Fluttershy, then Applejack and Rainbow Dash, before finally Pinkie."
"First Rarity, then Fluttershy, then Applejack and Rainbow Dash, before finally p-," she was interrupted by a knock on the door.
Twilight fixed her posture and stood up straight, lifting her head in the process.
"HELLO!" called out Multiple ponies called out as the large wooden doors swung open and her five long-time friends all came in the door at the same time.
"Oh, it's so nice to see everypony!" Twilight exclaimed, enthusiastically clapping her hooves together, the two golden hoof pieces colliding with a loud metallic clang.
"Oh, it's always nice to see you, darling." Rarity said before hugging Twilight.
"It's always a pleasure being with you, Twilight," Fluttershy said hugging Twilight as well.
Twilight looked on with happiness at her friends. It had been hard ever since they all started their own paths in life. But Twilight always looked forward to their meeting every moon.
"How are you doing, Sugarcube?" Applejack said, walking over before embracing the princess.
"Oh, things have been just as wonderful as they have ever been." Replied Twilight, who leaned down to match the earth pony's height before returning Applejack's embrace.
"And how have things been going with your royal duties, dear?" Rarity said before walking over to one of the six chairs next to the large table.
"Pffffftttt things have been just fine as always," Twilight said spinning her hoof in a circular motion.
"HAVE YOU BEEN DOING ANYTHING FUN!" Pinkie Pie said, with much enthusiasm, throwing confetti in the air from seemingly nowhere.
"As much as I can, Pinkie!" Twilight said with a smile.
"And how is your pupil doing?" Applejack said curiously.
"Oh, Opaline? Well as best as she can, I guess." Twilight said unsure, crossing one hoof in front of the other before awkwardly looking away.
Rainbow Dash and Apple Jack looked at each other, as did the other three members of the group, unsure of how to respond. Rainbow Dash then spoke up. "You don’t know?" with a confused tone in her voice.
"Well, it's just as of recently." Twilight hesitated to speak. "She just seems a bit off."
"Whatever do you mean, dear?" Rarity asked, turning her body in her chair so she was facing Twilight.
Twilight then turned to face her friends. "It's just well-" She hesitated to say anything else, but before she could continue speaking, the large wooden dining hall doors opened with a loud, audible creak. As Opaline poked her head from behind.
"Princess, I'm back." She said this before pushing the door wide open to allow herself in. Twilight's quiet and somewhat awkward attitude quickly shifted to one of happiness as she welcomed Opaline in, her shift in attitude and mannerisms not going unnoticed by her five friends standing behind her.
"Oh, Opaline, I see your back!" Twilight said. "And even sooner than I thought!" Twilight then rushed up to her student before hugging her.
Opaline quickly gripped her mentor before looking past Twilight and towards the other five ponies in the room. Twilight let go of her pupil before speaking. "Did you get everything?"
Opaline looked up at her teacher and nodded her head. She then reached into her saddlebag, pulling out some crushed yellow flowers, a beaten-up brown box, and a crumpled envelope. "I'm sorry that they're not in better condition," Opaline said with a bit of shame in her voice.
"Oh, it's fine, Opaline," uttered Twilight, who swiftly grabbed hold of the objects before placing them on the large table behind her.
"Well, look who it is!" Applejack said, walking towards Opaline. "You been doing okay, filly?" questioned the orange earth pony. Before tapping Opaline on the nose with her hoof.
Opaline quickly backed up from the small gesture. "Yeah, I'm fine," Opaline said, her voice slightly irritated.
"Have your lessons been going, okay?" Fluttershy then questioned the unicorn before walking up to her.
"Yeah, yeah, everything is just fine." Opaline expressed her annoyance at the sudden questions and attention she was receiving. She then backed up once again until she was standing side by side with Twilight.
Twilight then spoke to Opaline. "By chance, Opaline, what kind of flowers did you get?" she said, puzzled, as she examined the yellow flowers in front of her face.
Opaline put her hoof to her chin to think. "Umm, I think their yellow carnations?" She said somewhat unsure.
Twilight let out a small "hmm" before hovering them into an empty vase that stood on top of the table. "Well, thank you again, Opaline, I appreciate you doing that for me. "Now, if you want, you can go out and do whatever you desire for the rest of the evening," Twilight said to Opaline before she then turned and walked back toward her friends.
As she walked away, Opaline felt that same feeling of anger once again, but this time it was soon replaced by a new feeling of fear. She now felt that, after doing something for the princess, she was being pushed away once more. She was afraid that she was being told to go do something else. She didn't want to feel as though she was being rejected. She needed to think of something that could quickly get her mentor's attention. Just then something suddenly popped into her head.
"I SOLVED A FRIENDSHIP PROBLEM!" Opaline blared out so loudly that her voice ended up echoing across the large room.
Twilight instantly stopped walking. The other five ponies in the room all stopped what they had been doing and looked at Opaline with surprise. Twilight then turned around before speaking to Opaline directly. "You did what?" she asked.
"I solved a friendship problem," Opaline said it again, this time with more confidence than before.
Rainbow Dash flew over with unmatched speed toward Opaline. "That's great news!" she exclaimed, before grabbing the unicorn and lifting her off the ground in excitement.
"Now hold your horses there Rd," Applejack said. "Isn't there always some kind of indicator for a friendship problem?" Applejack then said, Turning to Twilight.
Twilight put her hoof to her chin. "Yes. Usually, some ponies are called by the map in my old castle, or their cutie mark lights up. And I don’t see how Opaline would have gotten either of those signals" Twilight said in a state of somewhat skepticism.
Opaline then hung her head down with a face of melancholy at the statement Twilight had just made, as it only served to remind her of her lack of a cutie mark. Twilight instantly noticed this facial change, as did Rainbow Dash, who was still holding the unicorn. Rainbow Dash then gave Twilight a somewhat disapproving face at what she had just said, understanding that Twilight's statement might have upset Opaline. Rainbow Dash then put Opaline back on the ground. Twilight chuckled nervously, realizing how her statement had come across to her student.
"What if this is something new? You’ve said yourself that magic is always changing. Maybe this could be an example of it?" Raity said to Twilight.
Twilight looked at Opaline. "How do you know this was a friendship problem?" she asked.
Opaline took a second to ponder before speaking her head, coming up with a quick story to tell. "Well, there were these two ponies in the marketplace, and they were arguing over who had the better cupcakes." Said, Opaline.
"That's pretty reasonable." Pinkie Pie said.
"And how do you know they were friends?" Twilight then questioned.
"Because they told me!" said Opaline, who then finished the rest of her sentence in one breath. "And they wanted me to help them figure out their issue! And I did it!"
Opaline then gave her teacher a nervous smile. She knew in her mind that this was not at all true. That she had clearly twisted the events from earlier in the day into her own crude version of the encounter, but she hoped that maybe, just maybe, she could get Twilight to believe her. Opaline felt a trickle of sweat run down her face as she looked at her mentor. She began to realize that she was indeed lying to her teacher. But she still held onto the hope that her false claim could lead her to receive the much-desired praise she felt she had been lacking.
Twilight reflected as she looked down at Opaline. Had Opaline really solved a friendship problem without an indicator? If so, then this must be some kind of magic she had never seen before. For the longest time, she had been led to believe that Opaline was an odd case of a unicorn without any connection to magic whatsoever. But Rarity was right to remind her that she had said multiple times that magic was a unique element that always seemed to morph and grow with time. Twilight relaxed her face, cracking a small smile, before speaking. "Well, if you did solve a friendship problem, then I'm very proud of you, Opaline." Twilight then hugged her student.
The other five ponies soon followed as they congratulated Opaline on what they thought was a new magical discovery and a job well done. still completely unaware of the fact that they were all being deceived by the unicorn.
Opaline felt a burst of satisfaction flow through her. She felt as though she’d somewhat curbed her need for attention from her hero for the time being. She closed her eyes and smiled as she basked in the praise she was currently receiving, but at the same time in her mind, she congratulated herself on the fact that she was able to sway the leader of Equestria and the five pillars of friendship into believing her false claim. And soon with time even she slowly convinced herself that the misinformation she had spoken was true.
That night, as Opaline slept, she dreamt of various scenes. She saw herself and Twilight happily conversing about things like literature, ancient equestrian philosophers, and history as though they had known each other for as long as Twilight had known her friends. She saw Twilight bestowing upon her many honors. She saw the moment that Twilight would summon all her skill to give her the much-desired ability of magic. And most surprising of all, she saw the sight of Twilight crowning her as her successor.
Opaline got up from bed the next morning more energized than ever. She happily trotted over to her nightstand, grabbing her comb and brushing her mane before braiding it in the unique style of ear braids she constantly sported. She looked in the mirror and smiled to herself. She sorted through various different expressions before giggling at the array of faces she was making. For some reason, she had never felt this happy since the day she first met and became the student of Twilight. She then trotted over to the window, pulling away its curtains. She felt a warm breeze touch her face. She closed her eyes as the warm air tingled all over her body. She then began to think about the vivid dream she had had the night before. She remembered the many scenes her mind had conjured up. but she thought about one in particular—that being the scene of her being crowned the personal successor of Twilight. It seemed quite possible that something like that could eventually happen. And to her, all she needed to do was continue to prove herself to Twilight by any means possible. Opaline then opened the door to her room. She turned around her gaze, focusing on the small figure of Twilight she had brought with her from her days in the foal's home.
"One day I will be just like you," Opaline said smiling before walking out of her room.
As Opaline entered the dining hall, she immediately noticed something was off. She must have had breakfast with the princess hundreds of times. But something seemed different this morning. She looked around and took note of the lack of royal guards in the room. That seemed very strange to her. There were always a few guards in the room whenever Twilight was there. Opaline looked down the full length of the dining table and saw Twilight.
"Hello Princess!" she said. But there was no response from Twilight.
Opaline walked over to her usual spot and took a seat. She took note of the fact that there appeared to be no breakfast of any kind on the table. She then looked at the princess. Twilight sat there, staring intently at a piece of paper she held suspended in the air with her magic.
"Hello, Princess?" Opaline responded for a second time now, with more confusion in her tone of voice.
But still, Twilight seemingly paid no attention to her.
Opaline looked back down at the table and then saw a torn-open envelope with the words "to the princess" written on it. When Opaline looked up, she saw Twilight staring at her with what seemed to be a face of disappointment.
"Um Princess, is everything okay?" Opaline said uncomfortable with the way Twilight was looking at her.
"I Don’t know Opaline is everything Okay?" Twilight then spoke with a somewhat surprising tone of sternness in her voice.
Opaline sat back in her chair. "uhhhhh yes?" She said unsure of what to make of the situation.
Twilight then spoke once more. "The reason I asked Opaline is that I have something here that is telling me that everything is not fine." Twilight then hovered over the letter she had been reading in front of Opaline. "Care to explain?"
Opaline looked at her mentor, confused, before squinting her eyes to read the little words written on the piece of paper.
"Dear Princess Twilight
Yesterday afternoon, I had the unfortunate displeasure of running into your "pupil." Though you may see great things in this young student of yours, I am more than disappointed in your choice. This unicorn on whom you have bestowed high honors seems to only be concerned with themselves and their toxic ideas. Your student used your name and spread harsh claims against me. They told me that due to my apparent "lack of magic," I was inferior to unicorns. And that she was only telling "the truth," making me wonder just what you are teaching that pony. I must ask why a pony, seen as the embodiment of friendship, would pick someone that seems more like a fiend than a friend.
"Sincerely, a concerned Pegasi."
Opaline finished reading the letter. She recognized who had written the letter and what it was about right away. She looked back at Twilight, who still had the same expression on her face.
"Do you mind telling me what this is about?" asked Twilight.
Opaline quickly sat up and slammed her hoof on the table. "How do you know this pony is telling the truth?" "How do you know they aren't just some pony lying to you?!" Opaline then screamed in a defensive manner.
"Because I've also received reports that a unicorn has been going around Ponyville telling others that the personal student of Twilight Sparkle wants her fellow horned ponies to know just how much better they are than everyone else?" Twilight shook her head in disappointment. "I don’t even want to know what else you might have been spouting behind my back."
Opaline's face sank as she quickly felt the happiness, she had been feeling earlier melt away. Her defensive attitude quickly vanished as she tried pleading with the princess. She fell to the ground as wet tears began to form in the corners of her eyes.
"Please, princess, don’t believe in these lies!" Opaline cried out.
Twilight cringed at what she had just heard. "This is not what I'm trying to teach you, Opaline!" Twilight then got up from her seat "I can't believe you lied about a friendship problem! And I can't believe that I fell for it! "I'm disappointed in you because clearly, you were the problem."
Opaline looked up at Twilight as tears fell from her face. "Please, princess, I will-" Opaline said, but she couldn't finish the sentence as she gasped for air, before beginning to cry louder.
Twilight watched as her student lay on the floor sobbing. She felt angry at the fact that Opaline would even remotely say something like this to ponies. She also found it annoying that after everything, she was trying to teach Opaline, she still really didn't seem to understand. But soon Twilight's anger faded away as she began to feel pity for the young unicorn. She only wanted the best for Opaline, but it hurt her to see that Opaline was still, at least from what she could tell, struggling to understand her teachings. She then began to feel as though she might have come off too harsh toward the unicorn. She felt her feelings conflict within her at the situation, as she wanted to punish Opaline for what she had done but also not come off as resentful. She remembered the fears she had felt at Opaline's age. how much she feared Celestia denouncing her or becoming angry with her at the idea that she had even remotely failed a task.
"Opaline, dear," Twilight said now in a much calmer tone of voice, Rasing her hoof to the unicorn. But Opaline swiftly got up and ran away. Twilight watched as her pupil exited the room.
Twilight stood motionless, her hoof still raised, as she watched her unicorn student run out of sight down the large, winding castle halls, the large doors slamming behind her. Twilight lowered her hoof back down. She was unable to think of how to proceed with the situation next. Should she follow Opaline? Should she wait till Opaline came to her? Should she try to talk to Opaline in a more collected manner? Twilight stood still, unsure of how she should handle the dilemma.
Opaline slammed the door shut behind her. She then jumped into her bed, burying her face in the pillows, before continuing to cry. What would she do now? She thought it seemed as though her fears were coming true. Twilight was angry at her. She feared that next she would be cast out by the only pony she ever looked up to. Opaline knew how much something like that would destroy her, and it terrified her. She had to think of something that could prove to Twilight that she was a student to keep around. Opaline raised her head from the pillow, wiping away tears and sniffling. She tried desperately to think of ideas that could help restore Twilight's vision in her. But what She thought? Opaline stared blankly across the room and at the mirror that was above her desk. She looked at herself, seeing her dark purple coat, her white and green mane, and the little splotches of pink on her body, before looking above her eyes to the horn on her head. For as long as she had been alive, it stood as a crown of shame for her. a constant physical reminder of something she could never do. A useless appendage she was only able to use in her dreams.
Something then suddenly clicked in her head. Had this been Twilight's plan all along? Did Twilight not give her magic because she knew that eventually, Opaline could one day finally master the ability of her horn? It soon became simple to Opaline all she needed to do to regain Twilight's admiration was get the ability of magic. Even if it meant by any means possible. She jumped out of bed and ran to the door. She slowly opened it, looking at both ends of the hall, before descending the stairs nearby.
Opaline knew from many years of being with Twilight, the layout of Canterlot Castle as if it were the back of her hoof. She knew that the castle had a room full of scrolls, books, and artifacts containing all sorts of magical powers that sat locked away in the very back of the library. The few times she had been there, she never truly looked into its contents for two particular reasons: the first being that many of the items there dated back to ancient times and were extremely fragile and historically significant. Many of them had been collected and preserved by the Princess before Twilight and were all handled with extreme care. And the second reason was that she always saw the room as a monument to something she had believed she'd never possess. as it only made her sad, reminding her of what she lacked. But now Opaline felt different; she was ready to conquer that space. As she walked the halls, Opaline began to plan out her actions. She was sure that at least one piece of literature had to have something she was looking for. As she entered the library, she made her way to the back. As she arrived at her desired location, she saw a pair of royal guards standing on either side of a locked gate door, blocking her from what she desired. Without any hesitation, she walked up to the two guards, who then fixed their gaze on her.
"I need to go here, please," Opaline spoke in a calm but serious tone.
The two guards looked at her. She then spoke once more "Twilight's orders." Opaline then watched as, without any hesitation, the two guards moved aside. completely unaware of her true intentions.
The two guards had only budged at the mention of the princess. It was common knowledge that Opaline had standing with the princess, so to them, it seemed only natural that the princess would send her pupil on what they thought was an errand. Opaline walked past the pair of guards and proceeded further into the library unimpeded. As she walked, she noticed large particles of dust floating in the air. She then sneezed from the particles that tickled her sinuses. The section of the library she was in was rather dim, only being lit by a few candles and lanterns hanging from the stone walls; she could hear mice scurrying past her hooves, and occasionally she would slip on a loose piece of paper on the floor. Eventually Opaline decided she had gone far enough into the library and began to start combing through the books there. She would grab a random text and skim through it. She would only stop at the parts that were entitled "magic" or "sorcery," but would quickly stop reading if the magic was either too hard or something she didn’t know before carelessly throwing the book away. Soon she found herself doing this repetitive motion for what seemed like hours. She began to quickly grow desperate once again. She just wasn’t finding anything she was looking for. She continued to throw aside books that she had deemed useless, but soon, just as she was about to give up, a single book caught her attention. She picked it up and lifted it to her face before reading the title.
"A ponies' guide to all types of equestrian magic."
She opened the book and read through its pages. The book contained all types of different magics and spells. But one of the pages, in particular, caught her attention.
"The uses and benefits of dragon fire." Opaline continued to read the page.
"Though dragons may look like ferocious creatures, they do have the unique ability to breathe fire." Though many only seem to breathe regular flames, a select few seem to have a more unique aspect to their fire abilities. Some dragons possess a light green flame that is capable of extraordinary abilities. One of the most common of these seems to be the means of teleporting objects. Most of the dragons who possess this skill may use it to send various objects or letters to certain locations. In even rarer cases, some even seem to have an extra powerful version of this ability, allowing them to possess the ability to change objects at random. But a more overlooked aspect of dragon fire is the raw magical power it possesses over non-dragons. In some cases, some might be able to capture this fire and use it to increase their own magic, with this factor proving especially potent with unicorns."
Opaline stopped at this sentence. Could this be it? Could this be the answer she had been looking for? It seemed like a Stretch, but she felt she might just have to try it. Opaline then, without any care of what she had been holding and being too blinded with excitement at a possible answer, ripped out the book's page and gripped it between her teeth. Opaline then slammed the book shut and shot up before running out of the library still clutching the page in her mouth. All she needed was a dragon and she felt she knew exactly where to find one.
Twilight swiftly trotted down the castle halls. Every time she would pass a royal guard, she’d grow uncomfortable and trot faster. After what she had witnessed earlier with her student, she, for one of the first times in her life, didn't know what to do next. She was torn. Had she been too stern to her pupil? Was she not stern enough? She truly wanted Opaline to understand what she had done, but she was torn about how she should have approached the satiation. It was her job as a teacher to have Opaline understand her, but she found herself still unsure how. Twilight then arrived at the door to Opaline's room. She paused for a moment, taking in a deep breath before she knocked.
"Opaline dear? Are you in there?" I just want to talk to you." Twilight was suddenly surprised to see the door slowly open from her hoof tapping on it.
She then pushed the door fully open before taking a quick look around her student's room. The room was exceedingly Tidy. The bed appeared to have just been made, and the room seemed to not have a speck of dust in sight. Twilight slowly walked in, looking around the room. There was indeed no pony in there except for herself. Twilight then walked over to the beauty stand before taking a minute to look at the wood furnishings, all neatly polished by her student. She noticed Opaline's makeup kit neatly placed beside her brush. Twilight smiled at the well-organized room; it reminded her of her younger days as Celestia’s student and how she always prided herself on being well-organized. This definitely showed her that Opaline was indeed her student. Twilight's attention was soon caught on a small object sitting atop Opaline's nightstand. She hovered it closer with her magic. It was a little toy figure of her when she was still a unicorn. She confusedly poked the messy hair of the toy before realizing that the mane on the toy appeared to be brushable. Twilight couldn’t help but giggle to herself at the little object.
"I knew eventually I'd become a toy," Twilight said aloud, still laughing to herself.
Just then, Twilight noticed the green saddlebag Opaline had leaning against the nightstand. She placed the small toy down before sitting and looking at the bag. After all the moons Opaline had been with Twilight, she still used the same saddle bag she had made as a young filly. The purple yarn sewn to make the picture of her cutie mark was still in relatively good shape. There had been multiple times when she had offered to get Opaline a new saddlebag, but Opaline always declined on the basis that "this one was special." Twilight still hoped that Opaline was still that starry-eyed filly that accidentally bumped into her all those years ago. But as of recently, Twilight felt Opaline was becoming disconnected from her and that it was slowly tearing her apart. Twilight went to pick up the bag, and as she did, a book fell out and onto the ground. Twilight then looked down and read the book's title.
"a guide to understanding unicorn magic."
Twilight went to pick up the book but was suddenly interrupted by the door to the room slamming open. Twilight expected to hear the soft voice of her student, but she was unexpectedly greeted by a deep, raspy voice.
"Your highness excuse my interruption, but I regret to inform you that an infant dragon has gone missing from the castle's nursery!"
Twilight looked at the guard standing at the door.
"What?" Twilight responded confused. "Are you sure?" she then asked.
"Yes, princess," the guard responded. "Do you wish for us to start a search party?"
"YES!" Twilight quickly responded.
The guard quickly saluted before running off, closing the door behind them. Twilight stood alone in her student's room once again. She looked around before looking back at the book on the ground. Twilight had a feeling deep down inside her that something she feared was soon to happen.
Opaline rushed into the large, empty room, quickly closing the door behind her. She took a moment to regain her breath. She looked around, making sure she was the only pony there. Opaline then focused her attention on the object wrapped in a light purple blanket she had been carrying. She had a feeling that what she was about to do was going to change her life for the better. She understood that there might be some repercussions to her actions, but inevitably, she would finally be able to truly prove herself. Opaline then placed the bundle gently on the floor before slowly unwrapping it.
"This has to work, it just has to." Opaline then said to herself, pulling away the blanket before throwing it on the floor behind her.
Opaline gazed in curiosity at the small dragon in front of her. Its reflective scales glowed in the bright evening light. Its large eyes gave off an aura of innocence as its small, feeble body gently moved around on the floor. Opaline retrieved the rolled-up piece of paper she had torn from the book and quickly read over it again.
"Now just how to get your fire I wonder," Opaline questioned looking around the room.
She then noticed a shelf on the wall. She walked over and grabbed an empty glass bottle. She then popped off the cork before walking back to the baby dragon. Opaline looked at the bottle before looking back at the small dragon in front of her.
"I hope you can forgive me for this, buddy," Opaline spoke with a hint of nervousness in her tone.
She gulped before placing the empty bottle in front of the baby dragon's mouth. She then, with her hoof, stomped on the dragon's tail. The small dragon let out a high-pitched yelp before burping a small green flame into the bottle. Opaline hastily popped the cork back on the bottle. Opaline began to grin with joy as she looked at the flame. The baby dragon began to cry loudly, but Opaline paid no attention as she was too distracted by what she had just managed to accomplish.
"Well, here goes nothing, I guess," Opaline said, placing her hoof back on the bottle.
She was either about to burn herself or experience something truly amazing. Opaline lifted the bottle to her face before closing her eyes. She let out a deep breath before popping off the bottle's cork once again. Opaline then suddenly felt a surprisingly cool flow of what felt like wind followed by a tingling sensation all over her face that quickly began to spread down the entire length of her body. She let go of the bottle, hearing it shatter on the ground. She opened her eyes and looked down to see that she was hovering above the ground. Her horn then suddenly lit up before she felt a rush of pure magical energy all throughout her body. She felt powerful, this strange feeling...it felt good, it felt like nothing she had ever felt before. Opaline then felt something else and looked down to see a symbol had materialized on her flank. It was her cutie mark. For the longest time, she had given up hope of ever getting one. She was way past the age range at which ponies usually get one, but there it was. What looked to be a purple pointed gem flanked by a pair of blue flames. Opaline closed her eyes and began laughing. Finally, for the first time ever, she was experiencing true magic. Something shed gone her whole life never experiencing before. But soon after what seemed like only a few seconds, the sensation quickly disappeared, and she was once again magicless. With nothing keeping her in the air, she fell back onto the floor with a large thud, her body going completely limp in the process. Opaline then lay still on the floor, not moving an inch of her body. Her mane laid out messy as some locks of hair covered her face. Light reflected from the small broken shards of glass and into her eyes. Opaline started thinking about what had just happened. The baby dragon still lay on the floor beside her, crying. Opaline slowly got herself back up. Her body felt sore all over, and her limbs gave the feeling of pins and needles. But to her, it had all been worth it for even a few seconds of magical power. Opaline looked back at the baby dragon.
"So that’s what you can do, huh?" Opaline spoke interestedly. "Well, it looks like I'll have to make some plans for you." Opaline then smirked.
The answer had been so simple. For as long as she had lived, she thought that there could be no possible way of obtaining magic without the help of a Pony like Twilight Sparkle. There had been many times she had pleaded to Twilight to just give her magic. But Twilight had always replied that she saw things in her student that were just as powerful as unicorn magic and that everything would make sense in due time. Opaline knew very much that anything in the land of Equestria was possible. So why was something as simple as giving a unicorn magic such a hard thing for Twilight to do? Twilight had cast hundreds of powerful spells in the past that many would have seen as too difficult. But Opaline, a unicorn with little to no magical experience, had found by herself a way to obtain magic in an incredibly simple manner, so why couldn't the one pony who possessed the element of magic do it? She thought, how come a magic-less unicorn could do something that a full-blown alicorn couldn’t?" The thought angered her to her very core. Her whole life, she waited for Twilight to give her that privilege. She spent her entire youth obsessing with who she thought was one of the most important ponies since Star swirl the bearded. Had she not already proven herself to her mentor hundreds of times? It seemed now that Twilight had only been a liar, a stuck-up fool, only interested in her special way of "magic," a pony who couldn’t see real potential even if it was right Infront of her. Twilight owned her this and she had never delivered.
Suddenly the door that Opaline had closed earlier opened behind her. "Opaline!" a voice called out. Opaline slowly turned her head back to see the figure of Twilight Sparkle behind her.
"Opaline, what are you doing!?" Twilight said. Opaline was able to hear the buildup of anger in her voice.
Twilight looked down and behind her student to see the baby dragon on the floor, still crying. She then looked back up at her pupil, her face full of disappointment. "What is going on?!"
Opaline froze. "I have magic." she sheepishly muttered. "And it's all because of this dragon."
"The one you dragon-naped!?" Twilight said her anger beginning to build. "First the two ponies at the marketplace, then trespassing in a restricted area with the destruction of property, and now taking a baby dragon!" "Opaline, what has gotten into you!"
Opaline looked at the ground. She began to feel tears building at the sides of her eyes. She then spoke, her voice cracking with fear and emotion. "I just wanted to impress you!"
"Impress me?!" Twilight said in shock. "You wanted to impress me?!" by committing various crimes?" Opaline, I thought you would know better after everything I've taught you!"
Opaline squeezed her eyes shut. Anger began to flow within her before quickly turning into hatred. Twilight was trying to say she had taught her. taught her what? that something as easy as getting magic wasn't important?
"I did something you refused to do!" Opaline screamed back. "I got magic, and it wasn’t through your moronic methods of ‘friendship’ I did this on my own! little magicless Opaline did this on her own!" Opaline then pounded on her chest with her hoof as she bit her lip hard and glared at her mentor.
"But now I know that you were just trying to stop me from getting magic! All you would ever do is just task me with pointless lessons that you knew would fail when all this time I could have done this simple thing and gotten the ability to use my horn sooner!" "I Hate you!" she then screeched.
Twilight stood horrified at what she was hearing her student say. "Opaline, just calm down," she pleaded, "just use your head, I beg you!" "Think past this anger and understand I was only trying to help you!" But Twilight's pleas were of no use to the now-enraged unicorn.
Opaline ran up to her teacher and pushed the princess away with all her might. She could feel the alicorn topple over, followed by a loud thud from the princess hitting the floor. Opaline quickly rushed out of the room as fast as she could, knowing that guards would swarm the area after hearing all the commotion.
"Opaline wait!" Twilight yelled in vain, raising her hoof as she cried out on the floor, but it was too late; Opaline vanished down the winding halls of the castle and out of sight.
Opaline ran with great speed, tears flowing down her face. She knocked over any pony or object that got in her way. Eventually, with her speed, she got to the front entrance of the castle and pushed open the large front doors before running into the cool night air. She ran and continued running, not even knowing where she would go or what direction she was heading. As she ran the thought of what she did filled her mind. There was no going back after what she had just done. After she had traveled a considerable distance from Canterlot, she stopped atop a hill and looked back at the city behind her. She could see the city's blazing golden lights from where she was standing. She reflected to herself. Twilight had been right about her; she was indeed special, just not for the reasons that her teacher had hoped. She then turned back in the other direction and disappeared into the darkness.