//------------------------------// // Ch21 - Twilight’s Birthday // Story: Celestia's Tiny Student // by CommanderX5 //------------------------------// Celestia’s Tiny Student - Chapter 21 Twilight’s Birthday It wasn’t long before Celestia found out about the failed attempt to capture Spitfire and Twilight for ransom. On one hoof, she was proud that Twilight was able to work as a team with Spitfire and defeat their foes, a good warm up before she faced Nightmare Moon. On the other hoof, she once again feared for Twilight’s safely, and Steel Blade and Overwatch were soon reassigned to keep a close eye on the tiny unicorn, cutting their vacations short. The Wonderbolts’ one month vacation ended, and Celestia visited their headquarters to bring Twilight back, only to find Spitfire offering to give her student a temporary job as the Wonderbolts’ medic. Celestia was caught off guard by the proposition, but agreed on the condition that it would last no longer than half a year, making sure that Twilight would be on standby when the time came to send her to Ponyville. Spike had gotten a bit antsy once he had heard Twilight was going to stay at with the Wonderbolts rather than return and insisted on spending more time with her, which gave Celestia an interesting idea; she enchanted his dragon fire so he could send messages back and forth, giving Celestia and Twilight an easy way to contact one another while keeping Spike from feeling lonely. Shining Armor and Cadence were updated about Celestia’s plans for Nightmare Moon, though both of them raised countless objections about the very idea of sending Twilight to Ponyville. Still, for the next couple of months, they trained alongside Celestia during her free time as she led sparring rounds with the guards, hoping to prepare herself and her soldiers for the upcoming battle. She even dragged in a few very specific Wonderbolts to assist with her aerial combat abilities. “I can’t feel my flank,” the tired wonderbolt whined as he walked along on his shaking hooves. His wings dragged lifelessly along the ground as he kept his head low from exhaustion, and several holes and burn marks covered his uniform, a very large one in particular revealing his tornado cutie mark. “This’s all your fault, Whirlwind.” Hurricane said accusingly before continuing in a mocking tone. “‘The captain will be on our side,' you said. ‘The princess doesn’t care about her little toy,’ you said. Well, thanks a lot.” She stretched out her sore wings with a grunt before bringing them tenderly back into place. “We really shouldn’t have listened to you in the first place. You know where it got us? As the princess’s personal flying teachers and...” She let out a defeated huff before adding on in a mutter, “Sparring partners.” Both pegasi finally reached their room at the Wonderbolts Headquarters, each slumping down on their beds without a word as they took inventory of their aches and pains. They had just finished wrestling themselves out of their uniforms, still lying down on the soft covers as they threw the destroyed garments to the floor in disdain, when their last roommate finally caught up with them, slamming the door as he approached his own bed. “Well, I take it you didn’t fare any better than us. Right, Winter Wonder?” the mare said, somewhat amused. The stallion shot her a quick glare before shaking his head in defeat, an embarrassed expression on his face. “I don’t know what hurts more,” he groaned, “my injuries from the training session or my pride for having my flank handed to me by a tiny princess.” With a huff, he jumped on his bed and buried his face in his pillow. “There’s still a lot we have to teach her about aerial combat, but daaamn. Even small, she hits hard.” “Well, what’d you expect?” Hurricane said, smirking. “Just because she’s royalty doesn’t mean she can kick somepony’s fla—” The door clicked open, and the Wonderbolts turned towards it, despite knowing full well who had just arrived. A tiny mare trotted in, wearing a small white medic’s coat rimmed with a blue stripe and a white nurse’s cap with the bright red medical cross. “Look who’s back,” Winter Wonder murmured, looking up from his pillow only to get pegged by another. “Oh, give her a break. She literally begged the princess to go easy on us,” Hurricane stated, flopping down on her belly onto the bed, the images of what would happen if Twilight didn’t stick up for them almost making her shiver in fear. In a flash of magic, Twilight teleported onto Hurricane’s back, her horn scanning several burned patches on the pegasus’s coat. She raised her eyebrows in surprise. “Wow, the princess really went all-out on you guys. I-I’m sorry I couldn’t convince her to turn it down a bit more than this,” she murmured, wearing an expression of pity as she lowered her head and lit her horn. Hurricane frowned as Twilight began to patch her up, one wound at a time. The other Wonderbolts watched as the unicorn worked, finding it ironic that the one they picked on would be the one to heal them after their punishment. The pegasus mare was the first to smile, making a bit of effort to raise her head and look back at Twilight. “The princess was kind enough to share a few stories of your hardships between sessions, and I was particularly interested in one. Did you really fall from a tower all the way down to Canterlot?” The little energetic unicorn took her work seriously, healing injuries and wings with incredible precision thanks to her tiny size. Her occasional preening service from time to time allowed her to gain useful experience and to get on the Wonderbolts’ good side, despite their initial reactions. Her job as a healer had not only taught her the ins-and-outs of pegasus anatomy, but was also slowly turning the hatred of the Wonderbolts into professional neutrality. Twilight’s family had also been informed about recent events, and while they’d felt proud of their tiny filly for becoming a personal medic working for an organization as prestigious as the Wonderbolts, they had to first overcome their initial attack of insanity once Twilight mentioned how a group of criminals tried to capture her and Spitfire for ransom. As she had done everyday for thousands of years, Celestia walked back to her bedchamber, though her walk was no longer as spirited as it used to be. I miss Twilight so much. Whenever she woke me up, whenever she welcomed me with that cheerful smile, whenever she learned from me with her undying hunger for knowledge, or whenever we had a small, but entertaining, adventure together, those were the happiest moments of my entire day, the moments when I could drop the mask of a ruler and just enjoy the day. I may still have Philomena for company now, but it’s just not the same. She sighed as she continued on, her eyes unseeing as she stared straight ahead. “Greetings, Your Majesty,” said the guard standing at the entrance to her bedchamber, opening it immediately with a half-bow. Celestia did her best to hide her boredom as she walked into her empty bedchamber. “Ahhh, Your Majesty! You're just in time!” “Yes, we’ve been waiting here for hours.” “Please sit with us, Princess! We have a lot of planning to do.” Celestia was floored. Only hundreds of years of practice keeping her calm prevented her from jumping back in surprise. She blinked a few times, rubbing her eyes for good measure, but the bowing ponies in front of her were indeed real. Twilight’s parents sat directly across the central coffee table, and from what her student had told her, they had a very memorable family reunion a little more than a year ago. On her left side sat Fancy Pants, Fleur, and White Path while her right was host to her niece Cadence and her special somepony. Sitting at the back were two of the Wonderbolts Twilight had befriended, who, surprisingly enough, were sitting quietly beside her nephew Blueblood, a miracle in every sense of the word. Moments later, Steel Blade flew in through the balcony with Overwatch and Spike, the charcoal unicorn and the dragon releasing their stranglehold on the pegasus as the trio moved to sit quietly with the rest of the group. Finding her voice, Celestia said, “I must say, I did not expect so many visitors, especially so many uninvited ones. What brings you to my humble bedchamber?” “My deepest apologies for the intrusion, Your Highness. However, Lady Cadence convinced us that you wouldn’t mind a little surprise, especially considering the reason we are all gathered here today,” Fancy Pants said, bowing his head again. “Yep! All me. Consider it payback for when you conveniently ‘forgot’ to tell me and Shining that you’d shrunk Twilight before either of us had met her that first time,” Cadence said cheerfully, Shining Armor giving a small grin in agreement. Celestia raised her eyebrow. “Hmm... fair enough, and I’d have to say I’m quite interested in the purpose of this meeting,” she said calmly. “Your Highness, permission to speak?” Night Light interjected. “Please, speak freely. I see no point in formalities,” Celestia replied with a small chuckle. “Of course, Your Highness. You see... tomorrow is our daughter’s birthday, and we hoped that we could organize a surprise party in the ballroom. I-if it’s not too much trouble for you, Your Highness,” Night Light said respectfully. Celestia smiled as she looked over the small crowd gathered in her bedchamber. Twilight, you’ve gained so many friends here in Canterlot. I hope that you’ll manage to befriend the other Element Bearers when the time comes. “I think this is a wonderful idea. Still, if I may ask, how did you all come up with the idea in the first place?” Cadence giggled. “It’s not as complicated as you might think, Auntie Celestia. Shining Armor told me that Twilight’s birthday was coming up and asked if I could come with the rest of his family.” “And then Cadence suggested that we ask you for your permission to use the ballroom,” Twilight Velvet said cheerfully, “as well as invite you and all of Twilight’s friends.” “So she sent Overwatch to invite me and my family,” Fancy Pants continued, “and while we all felt honored to attend, I asked her to extend the invitation to Prince Blueblood as well.” “I still don’t know why I had to be the one to deliver those invitations,” Overwatch muttered, perhaps a little louder than she intended. “Hey, I was busy helping out Twilight with her research!” Steel Blade said, perhaps a little louder than he had intended. Overwatch turned to him with a devilish grin. “More like you were busy getting your wings preened by the magnificent Twilight Sparkle,” she said, exactly as loudly as she had intended. “But seriously though, if I had wings, I’d be all over that.” Steel Blade suddenly turned to the rest of the group, blushing a deep red as he realized that he had gained a few more listeners than he would like. “S-so how about that party?” he said with a nervous smile before whispering out the side of his mouth, “That’s not what it started out as, and you know it.” “Yay! A party with a super pony and two princesses!” White Path said enthusiastically, drawing everypony’s attention. “I always have a lot of fun whenever Twilight and Spike comes to visit, but I wish it would happen more often.” Fleur de Lis gave her child a warm smile as she nuzzled him. “How many times do I have to repeat myself, mon chère. Twilight is not a super pony. She is very talented and powerful, but she is still a unicorn. She does not have skin that can deflect arrows, she does not shoot lasers from her eyes, she does not fly, and she does not fight crime.” Spike jumped up onto the coffee table, crossing his arms as he looked directly at Fleur. “Oh yeah? I saw her create a barrier that can deflect arrows. She can also shoot a powerful laser from her horn, and she recently learned how to levitate herself,” he said, before his face lit up in a grin. “Not only that, a few months ago, she and Spitfire captured some criminals who tried to foalnap them for ransom, so yeah, White Path is right. She is a super pony! Or, at least, a super pony in training.” White Path looked up beaming at Fleur. “See mom, I was right! I do know a super pony!” “Well, what about the part where Twilight was almost foalnapped?” Twilight Velvet said, leveling a serious glare at Celestia. “Don’t get us wrong,” Night Light interjected. “We’re happy that Twilight made it through safely, but how could such a thing have happened? Where were the guards who were supposed to keep her safe?” Celestia opened her mouth to respond, but found herself unable to speak and instead lowered her head guiltily. Twilight… She’s been hurt so often under my care, hasn’t she? Almost drowning in a bathtub, being attacked by my pet phoenix, and being the subject of a foalnapping attempt. The guards... my protection spell... I have measures to keep her safe and yet with all my power, I can’t keep her away from danger. I should know better. I should do better. And yet, I’ve even hurt her myself, haven’t I? And for what purpose? Is this part of fate’s plan to make her stronger? Does she truly need all this to confront Nightmare Moon? Or is there something more? She was snapped out of her contemplation when Spitfire cleared her throat. “I don’t want to tell you what to think, but to be honest, your daughter can take care of herself. If it weren’t for her quick thinking and spell casting, we would never have escaped those scumbags in the first place.” Spitfire said defensively. “Not only that, your daughter performed a very complicated magical surgery to heal my damaged wing so I could kick flank and get her back safely.” Steel Blade nodded in agreement. “That’s right. Your daughter’s become very skilled with a lot more than just her magic. As for why we weren’t there… I’m sorry, I should have stayed with her,” he said, his ears pressing down submissively. Overwatch bumped Steel Blade with an elbow. “What he means is...” she said sternly, speaking more to her fellow guard than to Velvet, “...is that her safety was entrusted to the Wonderbolts so that we could get a bit of vacation time to recover from our mishap with the princess’s phoenix. He is absolutely not to blame for something that he had no idea would occur.” She turned to Twilight Velvet, her expression serious. “Rest assured that with the recent failed attempt to capture Twilight, we will be on our guard now more than ever to keep her safe.” “And we will be ready to defend her with our lives!” Steel Blade concluded, only to withdraw as every pony in the room stared at him, a small blush on his face. “Ahem,” coughed Blueblood, drawing the group’s attention. “I believe we are going off topic here. The reason we’ve gathered here today is to organize a surprise birthday party for Lady Sparkle, an important occasion that I believe should be open to everypony.” “Whoa whoa whoa, no way,” Spitfire interjected, leveling a challenging stare at Blueblood. “The last thing we need is a bunch of attention-seeking nobles turning it into another Grand Galloping Gala. This party should be private.” “Pffft. I understand that you and the other Wonderbolts object to much of what the noble unicorns are up to, but I advise you not to push your opinions on others,” Blueblood replied evenly, though he couldn’t hide the hint of annoyance in his words. “So you knew! The Wonderbolts and I detest the nobility because they are useless, self-centered jerks. The only reason I would even talk to you and Fancy Pants is because you’re both Twilight’s friends, and she said that you’re both cool,” Spitfire said firmly. “It’s funny, really. I promised Twilight to give you and Fancy Pants a chance, and in the end, I’m much more inclined to believe Twilight’s evaluation of Fancy Pants.” Blueblood frowned. “If you and Fancy Pants are now friends, then where does that leave me?” he asked curiously. “Well... I don’t think you’re a jerk inside, but you act like the biggest jerk in the world. Fancy Pants tries to manipulate nobles into doing something useful, maybe give them a bit of brain while they’re at it. You manipulate them by acting like you don’t have a brain at all,” Spitfire replied calmly, giving him a smirk as she added, “You’re weird.” Celestia burst out into a fit of laughter, though once she recovered and noticed that everypony in the room was staring at her, she quickly reasserted herself. “I think that a private party with friends and family is a wonderful idea. After all, with so many famous ponies in one ballroom, we’d end up with half of Canterlot on our heads, and it wouldn’t be Twilight’s birthday party for very long,” she said firmly, much to the agreement of everypony in the room. Soarin', however, sat silently the entire time until Spitfire punched him lightly in the wing. “O-oh yes, A private birthday party would be best. It would certainly leave us with more cake for everypony,” he added absentmindedly as he began to compare the merits of cake and pie. “Where is everypony?” Twilight asked curiously. Spike, Soarin', and Spitfire had been conspicuously missing since she’d woken up, and the group of Wonderbolts bothering her to join in on the exercises in the training room or for wing preenings was not helping at all. They no longer hate me, but there’s no way they would suddenly want to spend this much time with me. Something’s fishy around here. When she questioned one of the pegasi, however, all she got were attempts to stonewall her from the truth. “How should we know?” Winter Wonder said with a shrug. “The only thing Spitfire told us was that she and Soarin’ went to hang out somewhere. Maybe they’re on a date? Iunno.” “And what about Spike and my guards? Their disappearance doesn’t seem odd to you?” Twilight asked, growing more and more suspicious. “We already told you. We don’t know,” Whirlwind said, sounding a touch peeved. “I’m not sure where your friends or your guards are, but you looked a bit lonely so we thought we could at least try to involve you in our daily routine. You sure you don’t want to fly with us?” Hurricane pled, her expression nervous. Twilight gave her former bullies a stern glare, but found that each of them intentionally avoided her gaze as she passed over them. They’re hiding something, but if they think that they can stall me from finding out what it is... Twilight smiled cheerfully. “Actually, I do feel like flying with you all. To be honest, I was hoping to find somepony who could teach me how to use my wings.” All the pegasi looked at Twilight confusedly as she began to focus a large quantity of magic into her horn. Moments later, the gathered ponies stared in awe as the tiny unicorn began to float above the ground, her horn glowing brighter and brighter. The magenta glow of her magic had turned white, enveloping her in a tiny orb before dropping her unceremoniously to the ground, gasping as she swept the beads of sweat from her brow. Once she had caught her breath, Twilight turned to look at her back, where she saw a pair of feathery, lavender wings. “Yes! It worked! It worked!” she exclaimed, before indulging in a bit of hysterical laughter. “You... how... Is this the spell you’ve been working on all this time?” Hurricane asked as she and the other Wonderbolts lowered their heads to take a closer look at the winged unicorn. “Well, you don’t really look like an alicorn like Celestia. The wings are way too small for that, but without your horn...” Winter Wonder said, pausing as he appraised Twilight’s new appearance, “I’d say you’d look just like any other pegasus.” “Thanks!” Twilight replied proudly. “Preening and healing your wings during my job really gave me plenty of opportunities to examine your wings feather by feather, and I think I did a pretty detailed job of it too.” “Wait... So you crafted a spell that can give a pony pegasus wings? And you based it on our wings?” asked a curious pegasus. “Of course I did! You all are the best fliers in Equestria, so I designed the spell to replicate your wings as best as possible, but since wings alone won’t allow a pony to fly, the spell will also temporarily change a pony’s inherent magic into pegasus magic.” “Wait a moment. Does that mean that you turned all your magic into pegasus magic? So if you’re one of the most powerful unicorns this side of Equestria, wouldn’t that make you the fastest pegasus too?” asked a worried Whirlwind. Twilight simply burst out laughing. “I… The fastest pegasus in Equestria? That’s hilarious! It’s true that my spell is advanced enough to grow temporary wings and change muscle and bone structure, but changing magic types is the hardest part. Only a small fraction of my magic is actually pegasus magic, and furthermore, that still doesn’t mean I know how to use these wings in the first place.” Whirlwind let out a sigh of relief. “I see... So you’ve gained the ability to fly and managed to keep your horn. Does that mean that you can fly and cast spells at the same time?” Twilight shook her head. “I’m afraid it’s not that simple. In order to let a pony fly as fast as a pegasus, my spell must also change body structure temporarily. My bones are lighter and more flexible now, but they’re terrible conduits of magic, and as a result, I can cast only weak spells,” she stated calmly, though with a tinge of disappointment. “I’m still working on increasing the amount of magic that I can transform. Otherwise, this spell won’t be any more useful than the spell that gives you butterfly wings.” Hurricane clapped her hooves excitedly. “But you still need to learn how to use your wings, right?” she said cheerfully as she looked between the members of their group. “C’mon, I’m sure we can teach you something!” Twilight simply smiled as she followed them outside, making a quick note of where the castle was. After all, all she needed was an alternative to self levitation that won’t exhaust her magic reserves in ten minutes, and she would be on her way. “She has to be somewhere around here. Keep looking,” Whirlwind said, flying low while keeping his head on a swivel. The whoosh of his flight ruffled Twilight’s feathers as he passed her. They may be far faster than I am, but I’m the master of hide and seek here, Twilight thought as she left her hiding spot under the overhang of a building’s roof. She felt a bit guilty for bailing on the Wonderbolts as soon as they’d gotten through the basics, but she was more curious about the recent disappearances. It took a while, but Twilight had managed to reach the castle, gliding in silently. Without wasting any time, she banked upwards, flying very closely under the ceiling and hoping that whatever was going on, she would find answers here. She quickly dove behind a pillar when she noticed Lady Cadence walking calming down the hallway, accompanied by the castle cook. Twilight moved surreptitiously between the pillars to follow them, her ears picking up a short snippet of their conversation. “Once again, thank you for providing us with all the food for the party, and I expect that you and the rest of the kitchen staff will keep it a secret,” Cadence said kindly. The cook gave a curt nod. “Yes, of course, Lady Mi Amore Cadenza. The only thing left to bake is the birthday cake, and I guarantee you that this cake will be delicioso!” he replied confidently. Twilight flew carefully as not to attract attention, wondering whose birthday party it could be if Spitfire, Soarin', Spike, and even the other Wonderbolts were involved. The door to the ballroom slowly opened, and as Cadence and the palace cook walked in, Twilight took the opportunity to fly inside as well. What she saw left her speechless. Though there were only a few tables, those tables were packed with all sorts of decorations and a wide variety of food. A big banner with the words ‘Happy Birthday Twilight’ hung between two chandeliers above it all, and the entire area was a bright motley of colors as the light coming in from the stained glass windows reflected off the centerpiece flower displays. A quick scan revealed that her entire family, Spike, the princess, and all of her friends were present. Twilight looked back quickly and, before the doors could close again, dashed outside and hid behind a pillar. Oh dear Celestia, I completely forgot it was my birthday! They even tried to throw a surprise party for me! A surprise party... that I just blew up, Twilight thought with a pout. Now that I’ve seen everything, it’s no longer a surprise party. I could always act surprised, but it wouldn’t be the same. Hey, wait a moment, it can still be a surprise party, but I can just surprise them instead! Twilight smiled devilishly as she flew towards the kitchen, though her attempt at speed combined with her unsteady flying caused her to collide into a few of the pillars. “Ouch,” Twilight said as she face planted into the door to the kitchen, rubbing her nose as she took a few flaps to position herself above the doorway. Well, it seems like that part of the spell’s working. Considering how many times I crashed today, even with my protection spell, the only reason I’m not in horrible pain right now is that I now have pegasus magic and bones. Twilight waited patiently for the doors to open before quickly flying inside, unnoticed by anypony on the kitchen staff. She continued to fly close to the ceiling, her eyes sweeping the kitchen until she finally noticed a group of differently-sized pans filled with batter. Bingo. Twilight flew towards to the batter, examining it at a closer range. Looks like this cake will be far larger than I expected, especially with this many pans. They’re making enough for everypony at my birthday party to eat themselves sick. Perfect. Surveying the pans, Twilight noticed a small figure of a pony made of sugar lying nearby, which she flew over to examine in awe. They even made a sugar replica of me to use as a decoration! And it’s even my size! At first, I’d thought I would have to hide in the cake before jumping out and surprising everypony, but maybe I can just wait till the cake is ready and then climb on— Twilight’s thoughts were quickly interrupted by the sound of approaching hooves. She looked around urgently for a hiding spot, but found the pans too low to hide her properly. In her panic, she dove into the biggest pan, waiting beneath the surface for the pony to go away, only for the pan itself to suddenly lurch up and begin gliding to another part of the kitchen. Twilight was suddenly jolted as the pan was placed down again, the sound of metal sliding on metal grinding her hiding place down to a halt. Oh, this can’t be good. Twilight's head slowly emerged from the unbaked mass to take a peek at what was going on, only to discover that she was now at the very interior of a large stone oven, the other cake pans sliding in after her own. The blazing fire at the back blasted her with a wave of heat, casting an eerie flickering light over the space. Twilight desperately flapped her dough-sodden wings in a dash for the exit, only for her face to make an unpleasant acquaintance with the reinforced steel door as it slammed shut. Twilight massaged her poor nose with a groan, before suddenly realizing she had been trapped. “Oh no no no no no. This is bad, this is baaad,” she muttered as she tried futilely to push the door open. She tried to light up her horn, but found that she could only eke out a weak telekinesis spell, thanks to her pegasus anatomy. Twilight shook off the batter that still stuck to her, moving to the back of the oven before charging like a bullet straight at the door. She collided heavily with it, but besides giving her a few more aches to worry about, the effort had yielded nothing. Sweat already began to bead down Twilight’s face, evaporating soon after each drop formed. That fire’s starting to make it really hot in here, and—oh sweet Celestia, they’re going to bake me! “Lemme out! Lemme out!” Twilight shouted, slamming her hooves against the exit as she began to hyperventilate. After realizing that her efforts barely made a sound worth noticing, she stepped back, dancing lightly on the hot surface. Calm down Twilight. They’re baking a cake, so that means that they’re going to keep the temperature around one hundred seventy-five degrees Celesius and bake for about half an hour, give or take. There should be plenty of oxygen here to last me that long, so all I need to do is wait patiently until the baking is over. Yes, sounds like a plan. She looked around the interior of the oven, the flickering of the flames providing a bare minimal distraction from her new ordeal, the latest in the line of problems she’d gotten herself into. She felt just like the time she was trapped waiting in Philomena’s cage: helpless and incompetent. She sighed mournfully. Where are you this time, Princess? *** Twilight made an attempt at meditation as she tried to endure the high temperature, feeling her hooves and flank burning as the seconds passed mercilessly, one by one. Come on, this should be nothing compared to the temperature of a fire spell. I’ve endured worse than this! Utilizing what she learned from Fleur, Twilight stood on the tip of a hoof to minimize her contact with the hot metal, changing her hoof every fifteen seconds as she tried to distract herself from her own baking. Despite her best efforts to brave the heat, she could no longer stop herself from dancing around frantically, repeating “hothothothot” as the temperature ate away at her resolve. Unable to take it any longer, she jumped from the burning floor onto the partially cooked batter, and, no longer feeling the hot metal surface, Twilight facehoofed. Why didn’t I do this in the first place? Stupid, stupid, stupid. Immediately, she dug a hole through the surface to the wet batter underneath, hoping that the damage she’d done would be unnoticeable by the time the baking was finished. Hopefully I’ll be able to endure the temperature a bit better in here, provided I make myself a tiny breathing hole, and when the cake arrives in the ballroom, I can just jump out and surprise everypony! What could possibly go wrong? With her plan updated, Twilight waited patiently inside the hot mass, wishing fervently for a cup of water to quench her dry mouth. And after that, I’m going straight to work on figuring out how to reverse this spell ahead of schedule. Last time I’m ever going to be caught helpless as a pegasus with only a fraction of their magic. Several more minutes passed before Twilight finally fell asleep, lured into unconsciousness by the drying heat and the monotony of the sounds of baking. Her dreams brought her to an endless desert, sand stretching out to the horizon in every direction, swirling as the wind carved out dunes and hills. The sun beat down on her heavily, watching her, but never lifting the sweltering heat that she was wrapped in. She began to walk, each burning step marking a small hoofprint in the sand behind her. She began to squint through the sand as the wind picked up, blasting her with stinging particles as she looked hopelessly around. “P-Princess?” she said hesitantly as she caught sight of a familiar figure on the horizon. The unicorn picked up her pace, speeding up to a run as Celestia disappeared over the dune. “Princess Celestia!” Twilight shouted as she finally crested the hill, only to find that her savior from the heat was but an illusion. She sat down somberly as the swirling dust covered her tracks behind her, leaving her lost and alone. “P-princess...” she murmured to herself, dipping her head down, the lone sound of the gusting winds her only companion. She pounded a hoof into the sand in frustration. “Where are you, Princess, when I need you the most?” She sighed, looking up at the sun with dry eyes as the sand slowly enveloped her, bringing her into its endless solitude. “How many guards are in the area?” “Just three. Apparently it’s a private party and nopony was informed about it outside of the kitchen staff and the guests themselves,” the baker pony replied, looking around nervously to ensure that they were alone.. “Good,” replied the hooded mare, shoving a heavy bag into his outstretched hoof. “One thousand bits for the information. Now go home and remember: you didn’t see anything.” The pony nodded trotting away quickly as several more hooded ponies gathered around. The hooded mare turned to her associate with a grin. “See? Medical degree. Planning. I’m not stupid, you know.” The hooded stallion gave a snort before turning to the rest of the group. “You heard that, everypony. All the observation targets Celestia cares about the most are together in one room, and there are only three guards in the area. Take out the guards silently and prepare your equipment. Our operation starts in two hours. It’s now or never.” “That cake looks simply magnificent,” Fancy Pants said, almost salivating as he looked over its towering height. “I wonder if it tastes anything like a good apple pie,” Soarin' murmured, resisting the urge to dig into the giant birthday cake in front of him. “How long before the guest of honour arrives?” Spitfire rolled her eyes. “Those blockheads should’ve gotten Twilight here ten minutes ago. They probably lost track of time,” she said, looking impatiently at a nearby clock before letting out a groan and dashing out. “Ughhh. I’ll just bring Twilight here myself. Hold on a sec.” “Alright alright, it’s good enough!” Steel Blade said, pouting as Overwatch ran a comb through his mane again. Both of them had left their armor behind at the barracks for the party, and though Steel Blade had put on a suit, Overwatch had come in nothing but her signature gold and scarlet scarf. “‘Good enough’ isn’t going to get you noticed amongst these rich nobles, especially with your coat colors,” Overwatch said, gesturing to his indigo mane and stark white coat, barely a few shades off from the official colors of the pegasi guards. “Just be thankful I haven’t gotten the hair pins out.” Steel Blade brightened up in a blush. “Again, I’m not trying to get noticed by Twilight. You were the one who insisted that a gentlecolt should dress for the occasio—Oh forget it.” He sat patiently as Overwatch finished, stowing the comb back into his pocket as she plucked a nearby rose and tucked it into his lapel. He raised an eyebrow at his new decoration. “Uhh, thanks, I guess,” Steel Blade mumbled before turning to the massive cake. “Anyways, doesn’t that look good? Looks like they’ve taken every expense to make it perfect.” Overwatch turned towards the cake as well. “Wow, that really does look good. It’s just...” she looked suspiciously at it, her eyebrows knitting together in a small frown. She suddenly shook her head. “Sorry, I guess I’m not at the top of my game right now. Just some strange feelings, is all.” “This cake really does look delicious,” Blueblood whispered to Celestia, “but considering the number of guests, isn’t it a bit too... big?” The princess nodded happily. “Yes it is! Perhaps we should fix that,” Celestia said, licking her lips. There was just something about the huge cake, with its creamy vanilla icing, chocolate borders, and strawberry decorations carefully arranged into Twilight's cutie mark, that made it simply irresistible. “Your Highness, it’s improper to start eating it without the guest of honour,” Shining Armor protested, though he quickly took a step back when Soarin’ and Celestia shot him hungry stares. “O-of course, I’m sure that she won’t see the difference if we just eat the top part of the cake. J-just make sure you don’t eat the figurine.” Soarin’ gave a determined nod. “Spitfire should return with Twilight in few minutes, so let’s eat the top quickly before they arrive,” he said as Celestia eagerly used her magic to split the top part of the cake four ways, leaving the knife untouched where it sat. Celestia licked her lips expectantly as she levitated her own slice of cake up, leaving the other three quarters to whoever wanted them. She slowly put it into her mouth, removing half of it in one fell stroke before settling down to enjoy it. However, her enjoyment of the delicious cake was quickly cut short as she encountered something unusual in it. She put a little more effort into figuring out what it was as she ran her tongue over it and bit it a few times experimentally, but in the end decided that she would have to ask what it was later and swallowed it. It got stuck in her throat, and as Celestia moved a hoof to touch it, it began to move. Her eyes suddenly went wide, and she opened her mouth in a gagging sound, sweat beginning to fall from her face. Nonononono... Please, no, please, don’t let it be her, DON’T LET IT BE HER. Her mind began to panic, feverish as she began to realize the small purple flecks in the uneaten half of her cake were tiny lavender feathers. *** Everypony stared at the stock-still Celestia uncertainly. “Is everything alright, Princess?” Shining Armor asked curiously, though the princess simply replied with a gagging noise and a desperate look. Celestia’s breathing slowed down as she tried to push what was almost certainly her student out of her throat with a hoof, making a few failed attempts to cough the blockage out. Don’t swallow, don’t swallow, don’t swallow. Celestia fought against her own reflexes with all her willpower, despite every single muscle in her throat begging her to gulp down whatever was stuck in it. “I think she’s got cake stuck in her throat!” Blueblood said, levitating a glass of water towards the princess. Celestia closed her mouth urgently, blocking the glass from entering, but an unexpected cough opened the way for the besieging liquid. With water flowing down her throat, she could no longer resist her nerves, and she swallowed.