//------------------------------// // Part 7 // Story: Change in Plans // by jessekruz //------------------------------// Twilight was still asleep when someone knocked on the door. She got up and groggily made her way toward it, trying not to think about how horrible her mane must have looked. When Twilight opened the door, she was met with one of Princess Celestia’s private guards. He saluted. “Nice to see that you’re awake, Princess Sparkle. Princess Celestia wanted me to inform you that dinner will be served at the normal time today. However, she requested that you come to the royal gardens for the meal.” “Thank you; tell the princess I’ll be there. If you don’t mind my asking, what time is it?” Twilight replied as she rubbed the sleep out of her eyes. “It’s exactly four in the afternoon.” “Alright, thank you.” “You’re welcome, Princess Sparkle,” the guard said as he bowed. He then shut the door, giving the young princess her privacy. I can’t believe it’s already four… I figured I’d be asleep for a while, but not that much. I’m surprised none of the guards tried to wake me up. Hm… I’ll have to ask when I leave. Twilight thought to herself. She went through her usual routine of getting ready, taking as much time as usual. Once she was finished, she figured it would be a good idea for her to go for a walk and get some fresh air. On the way out, Twilight remembered her question for the guard and decided to ask him. “Good afternoon, Twilight.” The guard saluted again as Twilight stepped out. “Good afternoon! Before I forget, why didn’t you try to wake me up this morning?” Twilight asked curiously. “Princess Luna sent me a message telling me to let you sleep in.” “Oh okay, that makes sense… Thank you for telling me.” “Of course, Princess Sparkle. If you need any more help, feel free to ask.” “Thanks, but I’m good now. Just do me a favor, will you? If anypony comes looking for me, let them know I’m walking around the grounds.” “As you wish, Princess Sparkle. Have a nice walk.” “Thank you,” Twilight said as she began to walk away. As Twilight trotted around the grounds she couldn’t help thinking about whether or not she could actually perform the spell. Rainbow Dash was her BPFF, but she didn’t know if she would be able to give up her wings. In every case that Twilight had read about, it was the parent sacrificing themselves for their child. It was never for a friend—that alone made Twilight question it the most. As Twilight continued trotting aimlessly, she eventually wandered into the gardens. Her expression was still twisted in thought. “You’re early, Twilight!” Princess Celestia smiled when she saw Twilight. The younger pony jumped. “What?! Oh, it’s just you, Princess Celestia… Sorry, I was so lost in my thoughts I wasn’t really paying attention to where I was going. I didn’t even realize I was in the gardens,” Twilight said as she snapped back to reality. Her cheeks reddened in embarrassment. “That’s understandable, Twilight, but if you don’t mind my asking, what’s bothering you? You only get like this if something is really troubling you. Does it have to do with the spell?” Princess Celestia asked as if she already knew the reason for her student’s plight. “Well, yes. I’m not sure if I’ll be able to go through with the spell. I know that after I perform it I’ll lose my position as a princess because I won’t be able to represent all of the different tribes. Once all of my magic has been drained, my wings won’t be able to do anything for me and my magic will be weaker for a long time.” Twilight sighed, a deep frown strewn across her muzzle. “I see… Unfortunately, I can’t help you, but I can promise to be there for you no matter what you decide,” Princess Celestia said, giving her an encouraging smile. “Thanks, Princess. That makes me feel a little better, but still…” “I know, Twilight… Well, how about this? Why don’t you invite all of your friends to Canterlot for a couple of days? Maybe they can help you figure everything out,” Princess Celestia suggested, trying to think of a way to cheer Twilight up. “I don’t know, Princess… Are you sure? I wasn’t planning on telling them about it until after I made my decision,” Twilight responded. “Yes, I’m sure. I know that their presence will clear your mind and enable you to make a decision.” “Alright, Princess, I guess you’re right… Would you mind letting me wait until they get here to tell them about everything?” Twilight asked. “Of course, Twilight.” As soon as Princess Celestia was done speaking a servant trotted over to them. “I’m sorry to interrupt, Your Highnesses, but your lunch is ready.” “Thank you for letting us know,” Princess Celestia said in response to the guard. “My pleasure, Princess,” the servant said as he backed away. “Would you like to have lunch now, or do you want to wait a little and just talk?” Princess Celestia asked politely. She hoped food would take Twilight’s mind off the spell for a while. “I think I would rather have it now.” Twilight smiled bashfully as she realized just how hungry she was after missing breakfast. Both Princess Celestia and Twilight started to make their way toward the table, which wasn’t too far away. The delicious smell of a well-cooked meal made Twilight’s mouth water. “So, did you get enough sleep this morning? Luna said she had one of her guards tell yours to let you sleep in.” Princess Celestia took a seat and began to eat. “Actually, yes. Though, I didn’t get out of bed until your personal guard started knocking on the door.” “Oh, I see… I apologize for that. I figured you would have woken up by then.” “It’s fine, Princess, I needed to get out of bed anyway.” “That’s good, then,” Princess Celestia said with a smile. The two ponies ate in silence for a few minutes. Twilight wracked her brain for a good way to tackle what she wanted to say next. She swallowed. “Um… Princess, I have a question. Do you know if there were any other ponies who attempted the spell I’m working on with Princess Luna?” “Well… There was only one that I remember. His name was Jonathan Reiki and he was another student of Luna’s. He performed the spell after she’d turned into Nightmare Moon, so she doesn’t know about it.” “Wait, I thought Luna said that almost all of the information concerning the spell was destroyed. How did he perform it?” Princess Celestia set her silverware down and smiled fondly. “That’s a good question. Before Luna became Nightmare Moon, she was teaching him the spell. They were working on the final preparations when she transformed, which led to the destruction of almost all of their research, rendering him unable to perform it. “He became distraught after what had happened and came to me for help. Unfortunately, I was unable to do anything because I was never interested in the spell and hadn’t bothered learning anything about it from Luna. Instead of giving up he decided to start researching the spell himself, learning everything he could about it. For years he researched the spell, and one day he finally did figure out how to successfully perform it. He came to me once again for help, asking if I could watch and make sure nothing happened. I agreed, remembering how saddened he was when I couldn’t before. “However, on the day that he was supposed to do the spell, his wife—the pony he was going to perform the spell on—had second thoughts. She ran away, fearing the changes that would occur from the spell. He still showed up that day and requested that I find any pony with the disease. I tried to talk him out of it, but he wouldn’t listen. Eventually I gave into his demands and let him do the spell on a foal. I had my guards contact the parents and within thirty minutes they had arrived, trusting that I would make sure their baby was safe. The spell ended up working as well as you would have expected. Jonathan’s wings shrunk while the foal’s wings grew. The foal also regained the ability to walk on clouds.” Twilight frowned. “I see, but why won’t you tell Luna about this? It sounds like he did an admirable thing even though it wasn’t on his wife.” “Yes, it was an admirable action. But the reason I can’t tell her is because of what happened after the spell. Over time, he started to grow depressed, becoming more and more detached from society with each passing day. One afternoon, I was delivered a book with a letter attached to it. It said he was going to leave Canterlot in search of his long lost wife. That was the last I heard of him. The book contained his entire life story up to what had happened to him after the spell.” “That’s terrible… He just disappeared?” “Yes, and now you can see why I can’t tell my sister about it. She doesn’t need anything else adding to her struggles now.” “I understand, but why hasn’t Princess Luna ever asked about him? I’d assume she would have been curious about her last student.” “She has asked about him, but thankfully something comes up in every instance.” Princess Celestia took the last bite of her meal and started getting up. “Well, I guess that’s lucky…” Twilight said as she followed after the princess. “…I hope you don’t mind, but I won’t be able to join you for lessons tonight. I have certain royal duties that I must uphold, and I’m afraid they’ll keep me too busy.” “It’s okay, Princess. I understand.” “I’m glad. But before I leave… Don’t forget to write a letter to your friends,” Princess Celestia said as she began to walk away. “I won’t,” Twilight replied. “Excellent. Goodbye for now, Twilight,” Princess Celestia said. “Goodbye, Princess Celestia!” Twilight called as she watched Princess Celestia disappear into the castle. Twilight turned toward a servant when she couldn’t see the princess any longer. “Hello, sir, I have a question…” “Yes, Princess, I will assist you with whatever it is you need,” the servant said, dropping what he was doing on the spot and bowing down. “Would it be possible for you to let me borrow some paper and a quill to write a letter to my friends?” “Of course, Princess, just give me a moment,” the servant responded, jotting down a quick note before handing Twilight his pad of paper and quill. “Here you go.” “Thank you, I’ll give them back to you as soon as I finish.” Twilight smiled lightly as she took hold of the quill and paper magically. “That’s fine, Princess, take your time. If you need anything else, just let me know.” “Okay, thanks,” Twilight said, making her way back to the table where she had just finished eating only a few minutes earlier. Once seated, Twilight laid the paper down and began writing.