//------------------------------// // Enter: Twilight Sparkle // Story: The Apprentice // by TheNewYorkBrony //------------------------------// In the bustling city of Canterlot, lived a smart and curious girl named Twilight Sparkle. She lived with her parents and her brothers Shining and Spike. She was a gifted child, very talented in the field of witchcraft starting at the age of six. So talented, that Princess Celestia, the empress of the land, requested that Twilight live with her at her castle so that she can further her studies. When she turned fourteen, the princess noticed that her faithful student wasn't very social. She decided to enroll her in Little Pony Academia, a prestigious witch school for aspiring witches like Twilight herself. At first, Twilight was completely opposed to the idea. She begged the princess to let her stay. But Celestia was firm. "I want you to make friends." She had said. "Witchcraft in itself is a very powerful magic, but nothing compares to the magic of friendship." Twilight didn't understand. "But Princess Celestia I want to stay here with you and Luna! I can learn all that I need from you! You're the only friend I need!" She hugged her dear teacher tight. Princess Celestia was a full figured woman, a face bright with motherly compassion, and skin just as bright as her smile. Twilight had no doubt that she was the right person to be in control of the sun. The princess chuckled. "Twilight, I meant friends your own age. I'm four hundred and twenty seven years old. I think I have better things to do than hang around a teenager who's too smart for her own good." She teased. "Hey! I am not too smart for my own good!" Twilight protested, crossing her arms. She hated when the princess teased her. Frankly she thought it was unbecoming of the older woman. She secretly liked it though. It made her feel like they had a special connection. A bond that only a teacher and her student that were so close that they seemed like sisters could have. "You can write to me every week. I'll even request that Spike come see you off." Celestia threw in. Twilight's face lit up. "Spike?! Really?!" Twilight was thrilled. She hadn't seen her younger brother in years. She yearned for a chance to see him again and catch up with him. She didn't really have to worry about Shining, he married Celestia's niece and Twilight's babysitter Cadence. He was in the castle practically all the time doing royal duties and what not. She would have loved to see her parents too though. But she knew her studies were important. Celestia smiled. “Of course! Why not?! Anything to get you off my back!” she giggled. Twilight gasped. “Tia! That isn’t funny!” She whined, calling the princess the nickname she had adapted for her when she was just a little girl. She had heard Luna call her the name many times over, and at the age of seven she was a quick learner. Though it frustrated her that she could never pronounce the princess’s full name. It used to embarrass her. The princess thought it was silly to be ashamed of such a thing, after all, the girl was still a child, and children often have difficulty pronouncing certain words. But Twilight insisted on trying to pronounce her name. And by the time she was nine, she had done it. Celestia didn’t see this as much of an accomplishment, but to see the sparkle in Twilight’s eyes... She made sure to praise the girl. “Alright, alright. You go get some rest. I’ll inform your parents of your departure so that you can say goodbye.” The princess gave her student another warm smile before gliding down the hallway. Twilight pumped her fist in the air. “Whoo-hoo! Yeah!” She cheered. She almost didn’t notice Luna had left her bedroom and come into the main hallway. “Someone’s a happy little witch.” She commented. “Eh?!” Twilight spun around on her heel to see the younger darker princess sipping on a cup of what she presumed to be soda. Her hair was just as dark as the sweatshirt she had on, and her demeanor was more laid back than her sisters. Luna was always the calm and collected one, Celestia the more assertive take charge one. To watch these two rule was like watching two koi fish swim. It was a constant flow, back and forth, harmony within itself. Twilight guessed after being alive for almost five hundred years and living with each other for almost all of it, the sisters had to find some common ground sometimes or else it would be chaos. Though Celestia was her mentor, Luna was her friend. The only friend she had to goof off with besides Celestia. (When she’d allow it.) Twilight cleared her throat. “Well, yes. I get to see my brother again. Though, I doubt I will enjoy this school.” The tan girl made quotation marks with her fingers as she said the word school. Having spent most of her adolescent years with both princesses, she wasn’t thrilled about leaving them to go somewhere less familiar. “But don’t you want to venture out and make other friends?” Luna asked, shifting her weight. Twilight rolled her eyes. They weren’t going to let this go, were they? “I believe that is my choice to make.” she growled. Luna sighed before closing the space in between them. “Look, we don’t always believe in the way that Tia teaches her students or what she teaches them,” She held up a finger. “But, we have a good feeling that whatever she’s trying to prepare you for is something that you’re just going to have to go with. Okay?” Twilight only nodded, adjusting her tie. “Fine.” The younger girl nodded. “I’ll give it a shot.” The next morning, after a much needed night of rest, Twilight woke up to the smell of her favorite breakfast: waffles. “Oh my Celestia please tell me those are the ones with the little candies in them.” She mused hungrily as her mouth watered. She took another sniff of the air before sighing. It was. She jumped out of bed and put her slippers on before bounding down the stairs two at a time, almost stumbling over her own two feet. As she skid into the kitchen she was welcomed by the sight of Celestia in an apron and Luna at the table, her fork hanging out her mouth face glued to her DS. “Hi! Hey! Waffles! Where?!” Was the first thing to come out of Twilight’s mouth. Luna rolled her eyes and Celestia smirked. She made Twilight a generous stack before holding up a finger as Twilight reached for it. “Ah, Ah. Go say hello to your family first.” Twilight ran full speed into the foyer where her family was and straight into her mother’s arms. She was happy to see them again. She released herself from her mother’s grip to hug her father and then lastly, Spike. She jumped a little, not expecting him to look as old as he did. “S-Spike? Is that you?” “Of course it is! Why wouldn’t it be?” He answered. She pulled him in close. The last time she had seen him was before she had left to live with the princesses. She was seven, he was six. And now he was thirteen. He was incredibly tall, and handsome for his age. His green hair had grown out, and his fangs were starting to show. She guessed because he was a dragoon he aged more progressively. “Oh, Spike.” She murmured as she buried herself in his musky scent. She actually loved the earthy smell of her brother. It reminded her of the times when they were young, playing in the sandbox in the backyard before going to catch fishes at the pond near their home. He wrapped his arms around her. “I missed you too, Twi.” His voice rumbled into her and she smiled. She would never get tired of hearing him. He was the only other brother she had. She knew she had to spend as much time with him as she could before he outgrew his love for her. (Her parents thought this was silly because they had explained to her that she will always be his sister no matter what.) But still, she felt like she owed him a duty to make him and everyone else proud. Just then, her stomach rumbled. “Looks like someone’s a hungry little witch.” He teased. Twilight blushed. She had forgotten all about her stack of candy waffles waiting for her in the kitchen. She groaned. They were probably cold now. “Race you to the kitchen!” Spike hollered before passing Twilight. She was left standing in the spot where he was, clueless as a swift wind rushed past her. She turned on her heel before developing a run of her own. “Don’t you dare eat my waffles you little reptile!” Six hours later Twilight found herself at the front of the Little Pony Academia main dorm building. “Ugh.” She groaned. She was still tired from the breakfast she had earlier and jet lagged from the ride over here. She also was a bit irritated, having seeing her family for the first time in years and then leaving so suddenly to go to a boarding school. The uniform was incredibly tacky, she noted, after fighting with Celestia on whether or not she would wear the the hat. She had a feeling she wasn’t going to enjoy this place at all. Stepping up the first few stairs in front of the staircase, she huffed as she dragged her suitcase with her. Stupid school. Stupid uniforms. Stupid Celestia. Stupid Luna and her logic. Stupid friendship. Stupid, stupid, stupid. When she reached the front doors she sighed before opening the front doors. She then took this time to look around herself, at the interior of the dorm. It reminded her of the boarding school dorms she’d heard about as a child. The ones Shining used to go to and live in before he graduated and joined the royal guard. She growled as she felt a pang of guilt. She wanted nothing more than to be at home with her family right now. With Luna and Tia and everyone else she held dear. But she knew that couldn’t happen, at least not just yet. Because she had a task to do. A task so daunting that she’d thought about turning around twice while she was walking to the bus stop. She gulped. To make friends. Which didn’t seem like a difficult task at all. If she had any social skills. Twilight scolded herself for not getting out of the castle more. Or making friends. But she guessed she couldn't change that now. She looked down at the piece of paper Celestia had given her with all the information she needed on it including her dorm room number. “Room 484.” She read to herself as she made it down the hall to the last room on the left. She took the key out her pocket and turned the lock. Before she could even get it open the door swung open on it’s own. “Hey! You’re not our pizza!” The slightly taller girl that stood before her mused confusedly. Twilight brushed her plaid skirt off and cleared her throat. “No, but I am your new roommate.” she answered. “Oh, oh! Hey, come in!” The girl answered, opening the door wide enough for Twilight to come in. She looked around the room. It was surprisingly big, with a stainless steel bunk bed pushed against the wall to her left and a single to her right. There were three desks, one filled with pictures of a acrobatic team Twilight had briefly heard about called the Wonderbolts, the other with pictures of bunnies and other cute animals, and the last one completely bare. The bathroom door was next to the bunks. “Nice place.” She commented. It really was. It had a great view of the training fields in the back of the school. She decided it was now an appropriate time to introduce herself. “Erm, I’m Twilight, Twilight Sparkle.” “Ah.” The other girl commented. “So you’re the egghead the princess made her personal student.” A vein in Twilight’s forehead twitched. Egghead? The girl laughed. “Sorry sorry. I’m Rainbow Dash.” She added, pointing to herself. Only then did Twilight take notice of the girls brightly colored mane. “What... a fitting name.” Twilight answered. Rainbow laughed. “Yeah. You can call me Dash for short. Or Rainbow. Or RD. Everyone calls me that. Just don’t call me-” “Dashie!” Dash’s shoulders slumped. “That.” She sighed. “What is it, Fluttershy?” She called in the direction of the bathroom. “I think-” Came a soft spoken voice then a crash. “I think I need your help!” Fluttershy called. Twilight dropped her things on the floor as she followed Rainbow into the bathroom. “Fluttershy?” the rainbow haired girl asked. “What the heck happened?” “W-Well I was doing some d-dishes and I slipped and fell.” The pink haired girl on the floor whimpered out like a scolded puppy. Dash rolled her eyes and helped the thin girl up. “You need to be more careful.” She warned, patting her on her back. Fluttershy was just as tall as Rainbow, maybe a tad shorter. She had long pink hair that covered most of her face and a wary expression on it as Twilight unknowingly stared at her. “Um, sorry. I’m Twilight.” She offered. “F-Fluttershy.” Fluttershy answered. Twilight smiled at her, hopefully making her feel more comfortable. It worked, only a little, because Fluttershy giggled. “I’m such a klutz.” She sighed. “It’s not that bad.” Twilight told her. “I’ve messed up a few spells in my time as a student that made me a total disaster.” This time everyone laughed, and suddenly She felt something bubbling deep inside her. Something happy, something glowing. Is this what friendship felt like? There was a knock at the door and all the girls left to see who it was. A full figured girl about Twilight’s height sporting bright pink hair stood in the doorway holding a pizza box with a stupefying grin on her face. “Did you guys order a pizza and not tell me?!” her effervescent voice babbled. Dash came up behind Twilight. “Yeah, because every time we get one you eat it.” She reminded her, snatching the box from her. She set the box on the bottom bunk, (Which Twilight guessed was Fluttershy’s courtesy of all the pink butterflies that adorned the green comforter) “Aw come on, Dashie!” -Rainbow Dash flinched- “I don’t eat it all!” “Yes, you do.” A new voice answered, coming in, bringing soda with her. This girl was taller than all of them, had blonde hair, and had a deep rich southern accent. “Last time you ate mah slice right off mah plate!” She set the soda down and put her hand on her hips. Twilight was confused as to why a fourteen year old would have such prominent hips. “Hey!” The pink haired girl aimed at the blonde one. “You weren’t eating it!” She countered. “That is not a legitimate excuse, Pinkie Pie. AppleJack is right.” A third voice tsked, running a hand through her hair. This girl had purple hair and spoke with poise. It reminded Twilight of the common folk in Canterlot back home. “If you keep this up you won't be able to ride your broom.” Pinkie Pie’s cheeks puffed out. “Rarity you are such a downer!” She mumbled, but decided against having a slice thanks to the reminder that her broom was more important than her desire to be gluttonous. She plopped down on a purple beanbag by the bunks. “Hey, I haven’t seen you before! What’s your name?!” Twilight was so enveloped in what was going on around her she had completely forgotten that she was in a room full of practically strangers. “Ah, well I’m Twilight Sparkle. I’m Dash and Fluttershy’s new roommate.” “Oh darling, you must tell me what it’s like being the princess's apprentice!” Rarity cooed as she sat Twilight down on her bed. “Um, well-” “You’ve must’ve seen the Wonderbolt in person at the galas and parties and stuff right?! Have you met their capitan, Spitfire?!” Rainbow interrupted. “Well, I-” “Ooooh! Speaking of parties are they as good as everyone says they are?!” Pinkie blurted. “Not really-” “Oh for pete’s sake ya’ll let the girl speak!” AppleJack budded in. “Well?” Everyone leaned in real close giving the witch in training their full attention. She finally opened her mouth but before she could say anything her stomach rumbled loudly. The girls around her laughed. AppleJack chuckled. “Maybe we should get some food in you first." Twilight blushed. "Um, yeah."