//------------------------------// // Self Study // Story: The Ponyville Way // by Spica //------------------------------// The path from the Carousel Boutique to the library was one Twilight Sparkle already knew well, being a short one she had already walked through a number of times. However, as she made her way across the streets in the recently born night, her shaken mind caused her to veer off course. The color of her coat and the darkness of the night broken only by some lamps on the streets helped to hide the blush that colored her cheeks. She lifted her head to see that her legs had somehow carried her near Ponyville’s schoolhouse, which stood bright, with moonlight falling down on it. Cursing, she turned to take the path leading back to her home, fortunately not a very difficult one. She pushed all thoughts off her mind and trotted quickly back to the tree that housed her. Once she pushed the door open, she found Spike sitting at one of the tables with an open book. He raised his head and looked at her, letting out a relieved sigh. “Finally! Where have you been! You first go out in a rush without explaining anything and then you take a couple hours to get back home. Guess it’s better than being cooped up inside all the time but you should tell me at least what you’re doing.” “Sorry, Spike, I just had something to take care of and I went to ask Rarity.” Spike’s face of annoyance turned into an angry one. “You went to see Rarity and you didn’t take me?!” “Sorry, Spike,” repeated Twilight. “It was a talk for mares.”  He looked hard at her before shrugging. “Whatever. Dinner’s at the kitchen table. I’ll read some more before tucking in.” “Thanks, Spike, good night.” “Night, Twilight.”   The unicorn walked into the kitchen, finding on top of the table a plate covered by another one. She uncovered it, finding pasta with cheese sprinkled on top of it. Floating a fork, she rolled the pasta in it and began eating absent mindedly. I should write to Princess Celestia ------- Twilight carried the quill, the ink and the parchment towards the table in which Spike still sat, reading. She sat across of him; the small dragon lifted up his head from his reading to look at her. “Are you writing to Celestia? I can help you if you need.” She shook her head. “It’s ok, Spike. I’ll handle this one myself, thanks.” Spike shrugged and dived once again into the book. She unfurled the scroll with her magic and dipped the quill into the ink jar; several pieces of parchment ended up in the reject pile as she pondered how to better get her message across to her mentor. Dear Princess Celestia  My newfound life in Ponyville has been developing nicely. Being a comparatively small village, ponies here are more close-knit to each other and it provides an atmosphere that Canterlot greatly lacks. As such, I haven’t had any real problems adapting to my new life, with the help of Spike and my newfound friends, who make sure that I fit right in.   There was, however, a detail that was hastily overlooked by me when moving and it just hit me earlier today. The estrus cycle will begin soon and I did not know how Ponyvillians dealt with it; in the castle it was a very easy issue to manage. So I decided to consult my friend Rarity and she gently explained to me the ways in which the heat is regulated here. Unsurprisingly, the methods are pretty much the same ones used in Canterlot, with the exception of one.   Apparently, mares who desire to relieve their heat but don’t want to risk the possibility of conception can seek other mares willing to engage in sexual activity with them; this has even give birth to successful couples. I must acknowledge I didn’t expect this, given the rarity (heh) of such behavior in Canterlot, at least with such openness. I was totally surprised by this revelation, and even more shocked when Rarity offered to demonstrate me how it is carried off, and I must confess I’m intrigued by it. Before coming to Ponyville I had dismissed all the notions pertaining to interpony relationships as a nuisance, and heat was a very uncomfortable time. But now that I’ve discovered how friendship is such a warm and strong feeling that fills me, I can only muse curiously about how other types of relationship would feel. Estrus is still a little longer than a week away, so I can use the remaining time to become informed about it. Rarity also said we were going to talk to several ponies in Ponyville about how they dealt with the cycle starting tomorrow. Do you have any sort of advice for me, Princess? Now that I’ve put this down in writing, I realize how nervous I am about it.  I also hope it does not upset you. If if does, please tell me. I would really like the opportunity to experiment this however; I promise to approach it in a careful manner. I will be awaiting for your answer. Your faithful student, Twilight Sparkle. Finally satisfied, Twilight rolled the parchment, sealing it. She looked at Spike, still immersed on his reading, and at one of the windows.  The darkness outside was now deep. “Spike, it’s time for you to go to bed now.” Spike put down his book, stretched his arms and yawned. “Yeah, I’m going there.” Twilight floated the scroll towards him. “But first, please send this scroll to the Princess. She’ll read it tomorrow.” “You’ve got it, Twi.”  He took a deep breath and burned the letter away, picked up the book to shelve it and turned to go upstairs. “Good night, Twilight.” “Good night, Spike. Wash your teeth,” answered Twilight, walking over to the shelves. More mature titles were on the upper shelves, so she summoned the ladder. As she checked the titles, she picked books with her magic and began lowering them to the table, a slight blush on her cheeks. “I think that should cover it.”  She descended slowly and sat before the table, looking at the pile of books she had chosen.   She levitated a familiar one in front of her, a book she had used when her family and Celestia had deemed her ready to learn about reproduction. The Princess herself had pointed Twilight towards most of what the unicorn knew about sexuality, with no trace of dirtiness behind it. Celestia had been explicit but very proper about her lessons. She leafed through the book and then closed it again, her eyes gazing in front of her without really looking at anything. Shaking her head, she took the books with her to her bedroom, leaving them by her nightstand. From outside a window, the Princess of night and dreams observed the dreams of a certain unicorn who was in deep slumber. They are certainly tame compared to others we have seen since our return, but they are certainly interesting in relation to their subject. We wonder if our sister will be inclined to forgive certain indiscretions of ours...