//------------------------------// // Chapter 9 // Story: Becoming Twilight // by RandomGreymane //------------------------------// Becoming Twilight - Chapter 9                by RandomGreymane (Mike Hebel)         <--- Several Weeks Later --->         Humming to herself Twilight was once again stuck in her office reading reports from all around Equestria to ready herself for the upcoming first Twilight Council meeting.  This morning she was particularly content as after watching Scootaloo roll out of sight she flew herself to her office without being too tired to work and only brushing a lone tree in the process.         “Magick kudzu....racist clothing...” Twilight said under her breath “...well at least Rainbow won the two contests she entered.”         Massaging her temples Twilight failed to notice a pink pony creeping down from the ceiling behind her.         *FWEEEEEET!*         Without thinking Twilight surrounded herself with a tight shield and panicked in a way she had never been able to do before.  She immediately flapped her wings and promptly shot headlong into the ceiling denting the wood in the shape of her head.         “OWWW!” she cried slowly flapping back down to her desk chair “PINKIE!” she exclaimed at the pink pony with the party favor that had made the noise hanging half out of her mouth.         Pinkie for once said nothing but looked extremely sorry with her tail drooping. In apology she just held out an invitation to Twilight who took it with her magick and opened it.         Reading the invitation Twilight found that it was an invitation to a party for her and the rest of her friends.  Unfortunately it was also on the date of the first council meeting.         “Oh Pinkie!” said Twilight in a sad tone “I can’t make this one!  The date is the same day as the first Twilight Council.  I’m so sorry!”         Pinkie frowned slightly then her expression bounced back to it’s normal happy demeanor.  “Okie Dokie!   I can reschedule it no problemo!”         “Thanks for understanding Pinkie!” said Twilight relieved “I’ll make the next one!”         “Promise?” said Pinkie.         “Promise!”         “I’ll see ya then!” said Pinkie opening up a door and quickly stepping through it.         “Pinkie!  That’s the coat closet!” Twilight said rushing to open the door back up.  She was only half surprised when the closet contained nothing but coats.         Shaking her head in wonder Twilight went back to her reports her floating red quill sketching notes for her on a separate sheet of paper. ===================================================         Several hours later Twilight was walking her way back home as her accidental connection with her office ceiling officially ruined her taste for flying for the day.  And she was slightly grumpy as after all that she had had to postpone the first Twilight Council anyways due to one of the other council members having parasprite issues.         Glad they chose to isolate themselves until they could get the cleanup band out there. Twilight thought grimly The last thing we need is another infestation of those darn things!         As was her habit she read while she walked this time not reports but one of her favorite books on the history of Clover The Clever.         And as always the book kept her attention.  So much so that she didn’t see the obstruction in front of her before walking into it.         “Whaaaa?!” exclaimed Twilight as she tumbled head-over-hooves and tangling herself in a mass of strings and balloons.         Laying in a heap all Twilight could see was the mass of balloons in front of her face.  Trying to stand she found her hooves were firmly stuck in place by the balloon strings.  She stopped struggling momentarily to assess her situation.  She knew that she wouldn’t be stuck long before somepony passing by would notice her predicament.  The wait wasn’t even that long as the balloons parted and the face of a pink pony she knew all too well peered at her with a worried look in it’s face.         “You okay Twilight?” Pinkie Pie asked “I’m sorry!  I meant you to bump into the balloons but not get all tangled!  I mean I went through all the trouble of thinking twice since you were reading and all but then I noticed that you were reading the book about Clover The Clever again and I knew that you’ve read that book like a billion times so I knew interrupting would be okay because you wouldn’t lose your place because you can pick up reading that book at any time and still be happy reading it.  Now if it had been one of your reports from the office like say the report on Rarity I wouldn’t have even considered bothering you because that’s serious stuff and you really need to do that serious stuff although sometimes I think you’re too serious and...”         “PINKIE!” said Twilight interrupting her friend “Ummm....strings please?”         “Oh!” said Pinkie quickly tugging at tangled cords around Twilight’s hooves “Sphrry!”         “It’s okay Pinkie” said Twilight righting herself and smiling “No harm done!”         Bouncing from on set of hoofs to the other Pinkie just grinned madly.  Suddenly she stopped with a look of surprise on her face.  “Oh I almost forgot!” she said rummaging in the pack on her back “Here!” she continued triumphantly producing an envelope and passing it over to Twilight.         Opening the envelope Twilight found that it was exactly as she expected - an invitation.  This time though the date was a couple of weeks in the future and easily scheduled.         “Thanks Pinkie!”  Twilight said closing up the envelope “I can definitely make this one!”         “AWESOME!” shouted  Pinkie the air around her and Twilight suddenly filled with confetti “I’ve already started all the preparations.” the pink pony said smiling broadly.         Giving Pinkie a hug Twilight thanked her again as she watched her bounce down the road and around the bend.         Around the bend thought Twilight with a grin Totally appropriate where Pinkie is concerned.         Not for the first time Twilight mildly regretted promising not to dig into the strange occurrences that surrounded her friend.           Re-opening her book Twilight continued the walk home without further interruption. ===================================================         By the time Twilight reached the library she had finished a chapter and a half and closed the book before entering the building.  Inside as usual Spike was cleaning up after the patrons who often left books unshelved and in mild disarray.         Smiling at Spike for a moment Twilight ascended the stairs to her bedroom.         Not even the first council meeting and I’m already tired. she thought I can only imagine what it’ll be like once we actually start the sessions.  Applejack will likely ‘tan muh hide’ if I come anywhere close to her level of insomnia.         Setting the book on her nightstand she opened the folder of papers that miraculously had survived the balloon incident tucked safely inside her saddlebags.  Scanning them she noticed that two of the pages were stuck together.  Separating them carefully she read the previously obscured page.         The page contained a summons from Princess Celestia and Princess Luna to attend one day court and one night court each before the first council session.         Well at least re-scheduling the first council session worked out. thought Twilight calmly.         Re-reading the papers she noticed something that blew that calm from her like a winter wind.         The chosen court dates flanked the day Pinkie had chosen for Twilight’s party.         Swearing under her breath Twilight paced back and forth in the room the paper floating back and forth in time with her like a small pet following it’s owner.         Well what in the name of Tartarus am I going to do now? she pondered I’ve already approved the date for Pinkie’s party.  She knows a summons from the princesses takes precedence but this would be the second time I’ve turned her down!         Continuing her pacing Twilight considered her options.         First - I could try and reschedule Pinkie’s party.  Again.  She’s not going to like that.  Second - I could try and reschedule with the princesses and they would almost certainly allow it but how would that look?  thought Twilight in consternation.         Twilight paced back and forth so long that when she was done she had to cast a repair spell to remove the scratches she’d worn into the wood floor.         There’s only one solution. Twilight thought to herself   I’ll have to attend all three functions.         Something tiny passed in the back of Twilight’s thoughts but she ignored it and concentrated on her plans. ===================================================         “There!” said Twilight not for the first time surrounded by charts and graphs in her workspace “I think I’ve worked out all the bugs....except for this time chance here of time and space exploding...” she concluded poking her hoof at one of the graphs.         Satisfied with her work Twilight levitated all but a small calender into a nearby chest she kept just for this purpose.  The calender she carefully put in her saddlebags.  Looking at the clock Twilight realized that again she’d spent an entire evening working on something.  Another reminder was the sound of Scootaloo knocking on the front door.         In haste Twilight ran to the door dropping her bags against the wall as she headed out for training.         Sighing to himself as he watched Twilight close the door behind her Spike picked up the thin bound volume that fell on the floor.  Looking curiously at it he recognized it.  This goes with the other one I saw just like it. he thought.  Tucking the book under his arm he picked up a nearby stack of books to be re-shelved and got to the business of the day. ===================================================         It was twilight and Twilight was exhausted.         The days events had included handling the fallout from Rarity’s new line of clothing, some crooked ponies peddling junk as “lost treasures”, and gathering research on a strange insurgences of bunnies that looked remarkably like Fluttershy’s pet Angel.  To say the day had been full would have been the understatement of the year.         Pushing open the library door, and the Closed sign, Twilight entered the library to find Spike standing there wringing his claws.         Oh Celestia what now.... moaned Twilight to herself in her head.         Putting on a face she hoped was comforting she asked “What’s the matter Spike?”         “Well I was shelving books like I always do all the time and I found this one book on the floor when you left which I recognized and went to put in on the shelf next to the one just like it and...well...look!” he finished pointing to a shelf.         Looking up Twilight was surprised to find her calender sitting next to one identical but more than a little worn.         Both were glowing with a pale red light.         Celestia burn me... thought Twilight reflexively putting her hoof to her forehead ...I recognize that glow.  It’s temporal leakage.         “Spike there’s nothing to worry about.” she said in a calm voice “I know something about this but I do need you to send a note to Princess Luna for me.”         Twilight was surprised that for once it took Luna time to respond - it was more than an hour in fact before the royal princess appeared in a flash of blue.  Without missing a beat the Princess of the Night focused on the pale glow coming from the nearby shelves.         “I will assume my dear that this is what all the fuss is about?” Luna said not taking her eyes off the glowing books.         “I just...well not to beat around the bush but I have no idea why this happened.” Twilight said taking an intense interest in the small wear marks an blemishes of the floor beneath her.         “Well what we doth have is almost a paradox indeed.” said Princess Luna looking back over her shoulder at Twilight before studying the books in more detail. “The one on the right has considerably more wear on it than the left.  One would assume that it’s the older of the two but they are undoubtedly the same book folded back on it’s own timeline.  Quite remarkable actually!”         “I don’t need remarkable.” said Twilight a little peevishly “What I need are answers.”         Turning to face her Princess Luna looked directly at Twilight with a slightly annoyed look on her face “Careful where you step my little princess.” she said in a calm voice that sent shivers up Twilight’s spine.         “Sorry.” said Twilight wanting to look anywhere but the blue eyes confronting her. “I’m just worried.”         “Apology accepted!” said Luna with a smile that erased all trace of the coldness from her face. “Truth be told this, while remarkable, is little enough to cause worry.  The second book will become the first after a certain time as time itself passes.  They are safe to handle but absolutely do not let them touch!”         “And I suppose I shouldn’t read the second one then?” asked Twilight with a raised eyebrow.         “Oh I never said anything of the sort!” replied Luna with a small laugh “Read away!  Just be prepared for the consequences of knowing the future.” she finished with a tilt of her head and a wink.         “Did I ever tell you having a pair of all knowing and eternal sisters was a pain in the flank?” said Twilight wearing a mock frown upon her face.         Luna, unable to keep her composure, laughed at an astonishingly loud volume and vanished in the same flash of blue with which she arrived.         Ooh I’ll get her for this one! though Twilight I think I’ll ask Pinkie the best kind of prank to play on her.         Chuckling to herself Twilight stopped abruptly as her eyes landed on the second of the two glowing books.         First things first... she thought “Spike?  Could you please take the first book and put it on my bookshelf in my room?  You heard Princess Luna it’s safe to touch.”         With great care Spike took the first book down from the shelf and held it against his chest “You going to read the second one?” he asked.         “I’m still debating.” Twilight said with a sigh “You remember what happened the last time I got information from myself from the future.”         Nodding to himself Spike turned and headed off to Twilight’s bedroom.         Twilight stood for several hours looking at the second book.  As Spike had left the room the red glow dimmed until it was gone.  Still Twilight was concerned.  With a shake of her head she decided.  She levitated the book onto the highest and most remote shelf then placed a small protection spell on the shelf location itself to keep anypony from tampering with it.         I’d feel better if I could put a locking spell on the book itself, she thought, but there is a chance it could interact badly with it.  Best I can do for the moment.         The question of course is how the hay did this happen? Twilight mused with her hoof to her chin I mean all I did was schedule all the events for three days.  I didn’t even plan to use any more magick than usual for those days either.  I was able to work out the tolerances so that I didn’t have to.         Twilight could have sworn she heard Princess Luna laughing again and reflexively gritted her teeth before heading up to bed. ===================================================         In the morning Twilight carefully took the book from her bedroom and placed it in her saddlebags checking the clasp on the bag to make absolutely sure it would not fall out this time.         She was still pondering the implications of what happened yesterday while doing her morning routine with Scootaloo and once again came to the conclusion that she would not read the second book despite the temptation.         Still it had to be sent back in time for a reason. she thought while doing wing extensions I mean things don’t randomly just go back in time!  Do they?         Her shift of focus caused her to miss a beat and earned a scowl from Scootaloo.  Smiling to her would-be trainer Twilight re-doubled her efforts.           Exhausted from her workout Twilight set off in the direction of her office her joints sore from the effort.  Reaching the council building without incident she sighed deeply as she sank into her chair.         Before too long she was back to normal her pain forgotten among the day-to-day tasks and preparations for the first council meeting. ==================================================         The the next week passed uneventfully as did half of the week after that.  As the days of her assigned appointments of night and day court, not to mention Pinkie’s party, came closer Twilight had an increasing feeling of dread.  She thought several times about reading the second book but resisted the temptation every time as too much to risk.         What I need here is a temporal detector to make sure nothing goes out of whack in all this. she thought during a break in her daily duties That way the minute something went out of whack I’d be able to do something about it.         During the time she set aside for her magickal studies Twilight dug into the problem and just before the day she was able to attend day court Twilight had what she felt was an effective temporal detection device in the form of a tiny button that clung by magick to the back of her right ear where it met her skull.           This should buzz every time there’s a temporal disturbance beyond oh... though Twilight quickly calculating to herself ...5 - 10% out of normal.  On top of that it’s almost indestructible. I’d love to know why it has the strange background hum though.  I just couldn’t filter that out.         Smiling to herself Twilight levitated the button and fixed it behind her right ear where it clung out of sight from anyone not actively looking for it.         Humming tunelessly Twilight ascended the stairs and exited the lab by passing through the heavy duty protection field covering the doorway and out a reinforced door that opened upon the central chamber of the council building.         Nodding her head to the bowed guards she exited the council building and headed home to prepare for tomorrow. ================================================         The morning sun shone through Twilight’s bedroom window warming her face as she woke from an unusually pleasant set of dreams.  Yesterday she’d let Scootaloo know she wouldn’t be able to make their morning workouts for a few days due to the appointments with the royal courts.         Sleeping in is a luxury I better not get used to. Twilight thought yawning and stretching. From what I’ve seen of all three of my sisters they get very little sleep.  I wonder if I’ll sleep less as I age?         Yawning again and rubbing the sleep from her eyes Twilight brushed her hair then headed downstairs for breakfast.         After a hearty feast of oatmeal with brown sugar and numerous apples Twilight felt ready to face the grueling schedule she’d set for herself.  Opening the book she studied it as she walked back upstairs to change into her royal crown.  Upon reaching the top of the stairs she found Princess Celestia waiting for her with a large set of regal robes laid out on her bed.         “Ready for the ceremony sister?” Celestia asked with a smile that could only be described as beaming.         “Er...ceremony?” Twilight asked flipping through her schedule in a panic “I don’t recall a ceremony.”         “That’s because we didn’t tell you about it.” said Celestia not breaking a smile “Each of us that has held court has had a formal ceremony the first time.  It’s held not only for alicorns but anypony who holds command in the courts even for a brief period of time.  Tradition dictates that it’s a surprise.  It helps keep everypony on their hooftips so to speak.”         “Oh...okay.” said Twilight with her nose in her planner “Umm...give me some time to re-write my schedule and we’ll be good to go.”         “Twilight.” said Celestia with a sad look on her face “First you don’t have time.  Second you need to learn to do more on the fly.  That said...you have about 15 minutes.  Meanwhile” Celestia said the smile returning to her face “let’s get this tried on!”         It was a struggle but Twilight did it.  Between the fitting of the dress and accouterments Twilight furiously re-wrote the schedule without issue.  And without a word or bye-your-leave Celestia teleported them both to Canterlot.