//------------------------------// // Chapter 5 // Story: Dreams About Friendship Are Magic // by Soft Story //------------------------------// “You need to greet ponies as you walk by. Just a simple ‘Good morning’ should be enough, but you usually greet everypony by name. You’ll have to start relearning those.” Spike was brushing Twilight’s tail as he explained to her how she was supposed to act walking around the palace. The maids had not returned once they ran out to get Celestia, thankfully giving Twilight and Spike time alone for him to talk through things with her. He had already gone into great detail all about the report that Celestia put out that he had written. It was huge national news when she had been cursed; after all, she was a high profile public figure, second only to Celestia herself. Twilight had been a bit embarrassed to know that the whole country was aware of her condition and now recovery. Obviously the part about her memories being mostly wrong was kept a secret. A brush floating in Twilight’s magic was brushing her mane gently, trying to get it under control before they left the room. Tangles were tackled and dismantled with smooth efficiency. “Okay, greet ponies. I hope I’m friendly towards the staff?” Twilight asked. Spike nodded. “You are, so give them a smile. But remember that we are headed for breakfast, so we’re not expected to stop and chat. Most of them will bow and address you as Lady Sparkle, so don’t act surprised.” “Right,” Twilight said with a bit less confidence. “Oh, and you need to wear this!” Spike jumped off the bed and ran over to a dresser. He pulled open the top drawer and rummaged through it for a brief moment before he removed an ornate jewelry box laced with winding trails of gold and platinum. “Celestia gave this to you, and you always wear it when you go out.” Popping open the chest with one quick flick, the inside revealed a necklace with a thick silver chain and her cutie mark printed on the front. It reminded Twilight of a similar but smaller version of Celestia’s own neck-piece in shape. She gently took it with her magic and slipped it around her neck. After a moment, she commented with interest. “It’s a lot lighter than I expected. I can barely feel it.” “Well, it’s enchanted,” Spike said casually as he put the box away. “Now, we need to get going. It’s nearly time for breakfast.” Twilight moved over to a nearby mirror and quickly double checked that her mane and tail were presentable. “Okay, I’m good to go.” When Spike didn't climb onto her back she turned to him, frowning a bit. “Don’t tell me you don’t ride on my back.” Spike blushed a bit. “No, I did. It’s just that I didn't want to add any extra strain for you. I mean, you struggled a bit-” He was cut off as Twilight’s magic grabbed him in a lavender aura. He was gently lifted up and placed on her back, the brief--nearly forgotten--sensation of weightlessness sending a small bout of butterflies to run amok in Spike’s stomach. Twilight turned and gave him a smile. “There we go. I feel much more relaxed with you there. It’s a... familiar weight.” “Okay, if you say so.” Spike sighed, giving in. If it made Twilight comfortable, he wasn't going to argue the point. Besides. The nostalgia of riding on Twilight’s back was enough for him to be silent and savour the old feeling. “Do you remember the way to the dining room?” Twilight nodded and headed for the door. “I believe so. Tell me if I miss a turn.” With almost hesitant trotting, she slowly made her way out into the hallway. It was empty, but the sound of hoofsteps echoed from around the corner. With a deep breath, Twilight held her head up high as she started to walk down the hall. Spike sat as he normally did on her back, his claws gently holding onto the fur of her coat near the base of her neck. “Last chance for breakfast in bed?” “Not going to happen, Spike,” she whispered. She rounded the corner and froze mid-step. There were dozens of ponies all standing about in the hallway, talking to each other idly. Only a few mares dressed in maid outfits walked down the hall with any purpose. Somepony spotted Twilight and called out. “Lady Sparkle!” Almost immediately the throng of ponies were lined up along either side of the hall, watching her. Even the maids had cleared a path for her, and stood diligently should they be called upon by the Countess. Twilight forced a smile and started walking down the hall. The sight, admittedly, was rather unnerving. “Good morning, everypony.” The crowd bowed, somehow completely in sync. “Good morning, Lady Sparkle,” they replied in unison. Awkwardly, Twilight continued to walk down the line of bowing ponies. Once she was most of the way through them, though, she stopped. “Please, as you were.” It might have been an awkward command to give, but it seemed to work. All the ponies raised their heads and began milling about once more, breaking the neat lines they had formed in seconds. Spike gave her side a tap and she continued walking before any pony attempted to start a conversation with her. As she rounded the corner she could hear them muttering to each other about her being awake and looking just as good as ever. It was a bit strange and it made Twilight feel uncomfortable. As it turned out, she did remember the right path. And after only a few more encounters with staff members, Twilight grasped the handle of the door and swung it open gracefully. At least her comatose state hadn't dampened her ability to cast magic, to her knowledge. Celestia was just getting settled in her usual seat. She looked up at the sound of the door. “Twilight! I didn't know you were feeling up to eating here. I was going to order breakfast to be sent to your room.” Twilight gave the princess a warm smile as she walked over. “I’m feeling just fine, and I don’t want to be stuck in bed all day.” She let Spike jump off before she sat down. He took a seat next to her, putting Twilight between him and Celestia. “Then I am very glad to have your company,” Celestia gave her a smile. “I see you’re wearing your necklace.” Twilight glanced down at it; she had already gotten completely used to it’s weight. “Spike said it was a gift from you. It’s very pretty.” “I gave it to you shortly after granting you your title. I very rarely saw you without it on after that.” A joyful expression threatened to arise from Celestia’s face. “You have no idea how happy I am to see you with it on again.” Spike leaned forward, looking over at Celestia. “All of us being here like this is almost like how it used to be!” Celestia chuckled softly. “Almost, Spike.” The door opened as three stallions marched in, each carrying a large plate of food in their magic. They floated the plates over in varying hues to the table and set them down gently. They bowed in unison. “Breakfast is served,” the middle stallion said. “Thank you; you are excused,” Celestia replied. She waited for them to swiftly leave the room before turning to Twilight. “So, tell me Twilight: What was life like in your version?” Twilight grabbed her silverware with her magic, surprised by how good her food smelled. “It wasn't as busy as this, that’s for sure. I think the staff was only a dozen or so ponies, minus all the nobles and politicians who came in every day.” “Only a dozen? How did everything get done?” Twilight tapped her chin. In hindsight, she never questioned it before. “You know, I have no idea. I never saw anypony cleaning, but it was always spotless. Must have been magic.” Celestia and Spike chuckled softly. “And you never helped run Equestria, right?” Spike asked. “No, I was typically too busy studying to pay any attention to court or politics,” she answered with a blush. The conversation died off for several minutes as they started to eat. The food before her tasted even better than it smelled, which was quite the declaration. Questions started to form in Twilight’s mind about her history in this world. Eventually she had to ask. “Celestia, in my memories, I’m still considered your student… What made you decide that I was ready to be graduated and work on the court?” Celestia hummed softly as she thought back. “You know, I think it was your idea.” After another brief pause she nodded. “Yes, I’m sure it was. I believe you started asking if you could help me. I gave you an actual court case to work on, disguised as a hypothetical assignment from me. I applied the solution you came up with and it worked. When I told you what I had did you were furious with me. You thought it was irresponsible to let ‘a mere student’ make such big decisions. So I graduated you on the spot and over the next few days the royal court gained a second member.” Twilight blushed a bit; she completely agreed with her other self about it being irresponsible to apply her solution to a theoretical problem to a real world solution. “That does sound like something I would do…” She muttered, a bit embarrassed. “If you’re feeling up for it, I would like for you to spend your day with me in court,” Celestia said, suddenly changing the topic. “I anticipate a large number of ponies will show up simply to see you once more.” Nervously, Twilight nodded. She wasn't expecting Celestia to ask her to do something of this magnitude so soon. “Of course, I think I can handle that. As long as you don’t make me make any huge political decisions, I believe I should be fine.” Celestia laughed. “No, I wouldn't do that to you.” With a quick spell, a golden ethereal pocket-watch appeared in front of her, before it vanished just as suddenly. “Let’s say... Forty minutes from now we get settled, and then we’ll begin court shortly thereafter.” “Sounds fine to me,” Twilight replied. “Spike, please make sure you get her up to speed on court procedure. If you need me, I shall be taking a hot bath.” Celestia winked at Twilight and vanished with a flash. The pop of the teleportation spell seemed to echo in the empty dining room. Spike groaned, but continued eating without even pausing to finish his groan. “Well, there goes my plans. Once we’re done eating, I can take you to your office, I guess.” Twilight blinked several times;she had been staring directly at Celestia when she teleported out, and nearly blanked out in thought. “You had plans?” “It’s double donut day. I was going to go pig out until I couldn't move, but I suppose helping you is a better use of my time,” he replied casually. Twilight blinked once more, this time out of surprise. “Better eat up; court usually lasts ‘til sundown.” “R-Right.” Twilight was a bit shaken by the sudden change in events. What had been a nice breakfast had suddenly turned into her last few minutes of free time before her entire day would be spent trying to learn how to be a good leader for an entire nation. A nation whose history she only somewhat knew. Spike was standing on a large desk, ruler in his hand. He swung the ruler out and pointed it at the purple unicorn in front of him. “Again!” Twilight sighed and resisted the urge to pull the ruler away from him. “Be courteous, but firm. The best solution may not make them happy. Think of the bigger picture. When in doubt, trust my gut judgement of the situation. Above all else, don’t ever trust Celestia’s math without double checking it.” “Good, very good. We don’t want a repeat of when she accidentally gave the zebra tribes ten times as many bits as she thought we were giving them. That really hurt us economically.” Spike jumped down to the floor. “If you can remember all that, you’ll do just fine. I’ll be there to fill you in on anything you don’t know.” She got up and gave him a quick nuzzle. “Thank you, Spike. You’re a huge help.” “Well I am the personal assistant to both the Countess of Canterlot and the Princess of Equestria. I know my stuff!” He puffed out his chest and grinned. Twilight giggled and patted him on the head. A knock on the door interrupted them, “Lady Sparkle. Princess Celestia has requested your presence in the council room.” Spike climbed onto Twilight’s back as she headed for the door. Standing just outside the room was a tan unicorn mare. Spike smiled his childish grin towards the visitor. “Heya, Jot Down!” Jot Down bowed slightly as Twilight exited the room. “Lady Sparkle. Mister Spike.” Twilight had not seen this pony before now, but based on Spike’s reaction, she figured it would be best to appear friendly. “Good morning, Jot Down. I presume that Celestia is preparing for court.” “She is,” Jot Down replied, standing back upright. “I have been asked to escort you to the council room.” “Then please, lead the way.” Twilight gestured in what she hoped appeared to be an absentmindedly way to prompt Jot Down to lead her in the right direction down the hallway without giving away the fact that she did not know where she was going. It seemed to work as Jot Down turned and strode off towards Twilight’s right. Twilight followed just a few steps behind her, trying to be as casual about it as she could. The layout of the palace was just different enough that she didn't know where they were headed. She had found the dining hall just because she had been there once before and could remember the path. “I can’t tell you how nice it is to see you up and about, Lady Sparkle. We were all quite worried that you’d never wake up.” Twilight nodded, unsure how to reply to her. Even though Jot Down’s tone was formal, she could feel the emotion behind those words. Here, Twilight was someone very important to the ponies in the palace. Important to all of Equestria. She was starting to feel even more like she wasn't the right pony to be in this position.