My Little Medic

by CommanderX5

Prologue (Improved version)

“...and that is the reason behind this particular phenomenon where a normal cloud can turn into a rain cloud upon contact with pegasi.” Spitfire finished before grabbing a glass of water with her wing as that long-winded explanation of cloud manipulation sure left her throat dry. After taking a well-needed drink, she placed the cup back onto the table and continued her lecture. “Unlike unicorn magic that is controlled and managed on will, our magic is released in the air around us and can be affected according to our mood. For example, unleashing rage and anger will force even a small cloud to shoot lightning, while a depressed pegasus may cause it to rain.” After noticing one particular hoof lifted, she asked, “Do you have a question Twilight?"

Twilight, who was sitting on a table, quickly climbed onto a book about pegasus’ anatomy. Standing on her rear hooves she spoke, “Not really a question, but I just wanted to point out that unicorn magic is also affected by emotions. To a certain degree, anyway.”

Spitfire raised an eyebrow. “How so?”

Twilight cleared her throat before raising her left foreleg while placing the right one behind her back, her eyes closed and nose raised proudly. “The best example is dark magic that feeds on a user’s fear, anger and hate. Of course, every unicorn with enough skill, knowledge and raw power can control it. But only by focusing one’s emotions into a spell will it reach its’ full potential. That is the main reason why using dark magic is banned unless one has signed permission from the Captain of the Royal Guards or the Princess herself. After all, we wouldn't want dark mages driven by malice running rampant, right?” Twilight cleared her throat with a cough before continuing, “The same applies for the love and light magic that Cadence and Princess Celestia taught me. Those with good character, kindness, and compassion can use them with the best results."

Spitfire didn’t dare take her eyes away from the tiny unicorn as she proceeded to be lectured. For the past few weeks she had been teaching the Princess’s protege about pegasus’ magic and anatomy, and much to her astonishment, the little unicorn absorbed it like a sponge. But considering how much she herself learned about unicorn magic and spell casting made her wonder who the real teacher was. After a quick shake of her head, Spitfire put the chalk onto the table while her wing grabbed a very small white cloud that quickly turned dark as she spoke, “That is, umm… a very interesting fact that you’ve shared with us, Miss Sparkle; However, I believe that it is time for recess,” she paused as, despite the distance, her eagle-sharp eyes could easily notice a pout forming on Twilight’s tiny face. “Please don’t give me that look, Miss Sparkle, even teachers need to take a break sometime.”

As an athlete who lived for action, teaching for hours day after day was not something Spitfire enjoyed as much as her little student, more or less be lectured by her. With a bored yawn, she turned around and grabbed a cloud with her wing and directed it towards the blackboard, ready to wipe it clean, only for it to slip from her hold. Spitfire watched as a lavender aura surrounded the cloudy sponge and took over the cleaning duty. With a deep sigh she grabbed the glass of water with her wing as the liquid inside froze in an instant, affected by her boredom. Luckily without breaking it… this time.

As she proceeded towards the exit, Spitfire took one last glance towards the now shining blackboard and one proud little unicorn, and wondered if maybe they should start hiring unicorn janitors.

Soarin' carefully put his pen on the table as he stood from his cloudy seat, straightening his legs and wings with a quiet ‘mmm...’ while his neck flexed to the sides, small popping sounds coming from it. As he examined the room, he saw a table with chalk, books, maps and a few small, dense clouds, while behind it was a large blackboard. The classroom itself was more of a briefing room, adorned with black curtains in every window along the soundproof walls. There was also a movie projector and at least ten tables with clouds that served as a seat, a rather large water cooler, and several pictures and gadgets with the Wonderbolts’ insignia attached to the walls.

Soarin' looked to the right as his attention focused on his little friend, Twilight Sparkle. He had learned to like her for the cheerful personality, adventurous spirit and, most importantly, love for books, something he could relate to. The pegasus blushed at the idea: A Wonderbolt, elite flier and captain’s right-hoof pony who loves reading books, sewing and other non-flight related activities. With a shake of his head, he woke up from his thoughts as his attention once again focused on Twilight, who just finished cleaning the blackboard.

Soarin' pushed his books into his saddlebag before taking a closer look at his own notes, filled with information about unicorn magic and anything that Twilight counter-lectured. He made a mental note to read them later. With a smile spreading across his lips, he walked towards the little unicorn who put her notes into her own miniature saddlebag. With his wing spread towards the table Twilight was sitting on, he spoke, “Hey Twilight!” Noticing that he got her attention, he continued, “May I carry your books for y-aaaaaa,” Soarin' yelped as he felt something slam him to the side. With a shake of his head, his attention focused the pegasus guard named Steel Blade, who bore a cutie mark of a single intricately-decorated sword. It was the tenth time this guard butted him this week, and this time just so he could spread his wing and gesture for Twilight to hop onto it. Slightly agitated, Soarin' observed as the tiny unicorn hopped onto Steel's wing with books levitating above her head before they both disappeared behind the closing door.

“What’s his problem?” Soarin' spoke to himself, only to feel a hoof on his shoulder. With a turn of his head, he saw the lean charcoal unicorn mare named Overwatch, whose cutie mark was a single apricot with a leaf. Wrapped around her neck was a heavy scarf patterned with wide stripes of gold and scarlet, along with the standard royal guard’s armor that one would mistake for gold.

Overwatch just smiled at him and spoke, “Don’t worry your pretty little head. Steelie is just a tiny bit jealous that a new pegasus will take his place as his little crush’s mascot. Poor guy still doesn’t realize that he’s been friend-zoned years ago.”

Soarin' blinked in confusion and murmured “Mascot?” before noticing a ‘follow me’ hoof gesture. With a nod, he trailed the unicorn guard towards the exit as Overwatch continued, “Twilight is very smart, but also clueless and naive at times. Because of her charm, cuteness, small size and adventurous spirit, she has stolen the hearts of at least half of the castle guards, and even now she still thinks they are just friendly.”

Soarin' glared at Overwatch with shock before chuckling as it slowly turned into weak laughter. “Good one, Overwatch. You really like messing with other ponies, don’t you?”

Overwatch smirked and said, “Oh, you think it was a joke, huh? Well, let’s leave with that, then, my poor naive soul.” Soarin’ could feel the guard’s armored hoof pet his head and ruffle his mane as he blushed before pushing it away. “Did anypony ever tell you that you are just like an enthusiastic pie-loving kid?” Soarin' responded with an annoyed glare as Overwatch chuckled again. “I met you only two weeks ago, but I can already say that you have a good, naive heart. Never change that.”

“Hey!” Soarin' frowned as only his calm nature prevented his face from turning red from embarrassment. He then quickly turned his head away, which forced Overwatch to giggle. Soarin' walked in silence for several more seconds before looking once again upon the amused guard as he pointed his hoof at her. “May I ask you a question?”

Overwatch stopped and nodded. “Sure, shoot.”

“Why doesn’t the enchantment that makes every soldier look the same work on you? And what’s the scarf for?”

Overwatch replied with a poke in the muzzle, which forced the red color to return on the pegasus’ cheeks, “I dunno and I don’t care. Illusion magic always slides off me. As for the scarf, I just like wearing it, it matches my style.”

Soarin' raised his eyebrow. “And the officers in the royal guard don’t mind?”

Overwatch shook her hoof. “Nah. Ever since Steelie and I were promoted to the rank of specialists, we received some privileges.” Noticing a nod and expression of ‘fair enough,’ she asked, “Now, will you mind if I ask you a question?”

“Sure, what do you want to know?” Soarin' asked curiously.

“Date: bed or kiss first?”

Soarin' was stunned. Blinking rapidly with his mouth agape, he stammered “W-what?” as Overwatch turned around and stretched her legs as if preparing for a marathon.

“I was just curious about when you’ll finally take Spitfire on a date, or kiss her for that matter. You must be pretty blind to not see how she looks at you everytime you both meet,” Overwatch said while faking a gasp. “I’m really shocked that you both are not in bed already!” With this final sentence, she dashed, leaving the blushing pegasus behind as his wings and tail shot upward.

Soarin' kept staring at the running guard with his heart beating rapidly before gritting his teeth. “Ah Overwatch! Just wait until I get my hooves on you!”

The female guard looked back with a smirk as the pegasus was getting closer with every second. With a well calculated timing, she jumped towards a random door and closed it right into Soarin's face. As she hoped for, a loud barrage of crashing followed as the door now had a pegasus shaped hole in it. She then patted Soarin' on the head, only for him to growl at her. Overwatch spoke, “Sorry kid, I don’t let young stallions put their hooves on me until after the first date, but keep trying.”

Soarin' was glad that every Wonderbolt and staff member other than Spitfire and him were on a vacation, because if they were present, he would sink underground from embarrassment under their undying laughter.

“Aww… Just five more minutes, please.”

Steel Blade turned his head, not daring to look into Twilight’s tiny eyes as her puppy stare would win this fight before it even started. “No Twilight, it’s late and even you need some rest.”

Twilight frowned before walking off an opened book, only to close it with a loud slam. Steel Blade turned to his little boss, a pony he was more than proud to guard and protect, observing as the little mare began closing book after book. Even though there were at least ten left opened and spread across the entire bed, Twilight closed them all in no time at all.

Steel Blade rolled his eyes and spoke, “You know that you could close and levitate all those books in mere seconds rather than do it with your hooves. Each of those books is at least twice your size.”

Twilight shook her head before sliding under the tower of books she gathered, only to lift them all on her back as she spoke, “And make this easy for myself? What kind of challenge would that be?” The little mare walked to the edge of her bed and jumped onto the floor with a quiet thump as her legs bent under the pressure, struggling to keep the books balanced on her back. Step by step her trembling hooves advanced towards a bookshelf on the other side of the room as the weight didn’t even make her sweat.

Steel Blade observed the struggling unicorn. He had to admit, Twilight’s hard work, training and endless adventures while facing a huge world for the past twelve years really paid off. Despite weighing no more than one kilogram, this unicorn could face any obstacle. That, and the protection spell that Celestia cast on her which doubled her strength, raw power and endurance, had all but ensured Twilight’s safety. If anything, the guard felt jealous over Twilight’s dedication to her studies and self improvement, wishing to have at least half the vigour she possesed.

“Specialist Steel Blade!” The guard turned his attention towards the source of the voice, only to see Spitfire standing in front of the opened door, gesturing with her foreleg. “May I have a minute?”

The guard nodded and walked towards the door, only to close it and follow the captain into the hallway. “What is it, Captain Spitfire? Is something wrong?” he asked, resisting the urge to salute as unlike the Royal Guards, the Wonderbolts were not part of the military.

“I Just wanted to inform you that Princess Celestia will be arriving tomorrow to take Twilight with her, not to mention the rest of the Wonderbolts and staff will be back from their vacation. Please remind Twilight to arrive at the landing pad tomorrow morning at 10:00 AM.”

Steel Blade nodded and saluted, only for Spitfire to raise her eyebrow. While slowly lowering his foreleg, he asked, “Is that all?”

Spitfire rubbed her hoof, expression suddenly less formal. “Well… I have some personal questions regarding Twilight. If you don’t mind me asking that is.”

Steel Blade shook his head as the captain spoke, “Twilight seems to hold you and Soarin’ in high regards, so go ahead.”

“Was it difficult for Twilight to adapt to her size? Whenever I ask her about it, she just shrugs it off by saying how much she loves adventures and how much more she can improve herself. Outside of mentioning the incident of when she fell from the biggest tower in Canterlot after learning a teleportation spell, I didn’t learn anything new.”

Steel Blade took a deep breath, wondering if answering this question would intrude on Twilight’s privacy, but the concern in Spitfire’s eyes swayed his mind. “I think the beginning was the hardest. After her first power surge during the entrance exam, back when Princess Celestia shrank her to save her life and protect the school from being destroyed, Twilight refused to use her magic for two weeks.”

Spitfire kept her firm facial expression, but her wings and ears slightly drooped at the idea of a magically talented unicorn afraid of her own magic. How depressing it must have been to give up on something that makes you special? How would it feel if it happened to her; to be afraid of using her own wings in fear of having yet another accident? It would be painful enough for an adult, and Twilight endured it as a filly.

Steel Blade, noticing Spitfire’s reaction, continued, “Overwatch and I were assigned to guard her after a bathroom incident when Twilight overcame her inner fear of magic and her own mentor.”

“Bathroom incident?” Spitfire said and raised an eyebrow. Part of her wanted to laugh at the idea of what words like: incident, tiny filly and bathroom would mean together, but her logical part slapped her for even considering it funny.

Steel Blade opened his mouth to respond, but restrained himself for an instant, taking a step back while his head turned to the side. “I think I better not tell you what happened without Twilight’s permission, but ever since her magical surge saved her life… with some help from Princess Celestia, she overcame her fears of them… though she was afraid of water for quite a while.” Spitfire nodded while motioning with her hoof for the guard to continue. “To be honest, we didn’t do our job very well, as more accidents followed, including one involving a needle and another, a heavy book, but if anything, Twilight had the tendency to get into trouble despite our best attempts to keep her safe, and it only got worse as Twilight grew more fearless.” He turned his head back to the captain with a sad smile. “I bet many ponies heard about Twilight’s accident when she learned the teleportation spell, right?”

Spitfire nodded. “Who didn’t? That was the day when Celestia having a student was no longer a secret. Many rumours of her having a tiny pony as a toy for entertainment or as a pet followed.”

Steel Blade rolled his eyes at those stupid rumors as he shared Twilight’s dislike towards the nobility since that day, and according to Spitfire, many Wonderbolts didn’t like the nobility even more. He continued, “No longer than one year later, Celestia accidentally stepped on Twilight during a game of tag, and after participating in her final exam, Twilight ended up in coma for two days.”

Spitfire’s eyes opened widely as her flank hit the floor. After a quick shake of her head, she grabbed Steel Blade’s hooves and looked him in the eyes. “If her life was so full of dangers and suffering, why didn’t Celestia return her back to normal? Twilight seems to have full control over her magic from what I can see.”

The guard just smiled, much to the captain’s confusion. “It’s funny you mention that. The final exam that put her into a coma was meant to test Twilight’s control of her outstanding raw power. But that restless mare got used to her new size so much that she ran away in panic. It took Cadence and Fancy Pants to convince her to stop hiding and talk with her mentor.”

The talk went on as Spitfire learned even more about her little friend than she had hoped for. She already respected Twilight ever since some criminals tried to catch them both for a ransom, back when the little mare healed her broken wing, but in all her career she never met a pony who endured so much. A pony who, despite all the hardship, willingly put obstacles in her way just to be the best she can. A large smile spread across her lips as she turned around and walked away while considering how much she and the Wonderbolts would learn from Twilight… if the Princess accepts the offer to have her join the Wonderbolts as their personal medic.

With Spitfire no longer present, Steel Blade walked back into the room, ready to share the important information with Twilight, only to stop himself in front of the bed she was sleeping on. Steelie’s heart skipped a beat, his hooves refused to move, his wings spread, tail flapped to the sides and words refused to leave his mouth. In front of him was Twilight, perched comfortably on a pillow that Princess Celestia was generous enough to send from her own bedchamber, a pillow that served Twilight as a bed for so many years. The little unicorn was sinking into its’ surface, curled into a ball as her head lay on her own tail, and her rear hooves touched her muzzle. On top of the tiny mare was lying her favourite toy, the one she received as a present from Cadence; Smarty Pants. The toy itself was almost twice Twilight’s size, but she didn’t mind it as it kept her warm.

Steel Blade just stared at her for what seemed like minutes before walking backward, unwilling to wake up his little charge. She sleeps so peacefully. I am sure it won’t hurt if I tell her about the Princess’s visit tomorrow morning, he thought before the opening of the door captured his attention.

“Sup Steelie… oh, my apologies,” Overwatch called before faking a bow, “I had no idea you were busy stalking Twilight in her sleep.”

Steel Blade growled at her before responding, “Will you ever let this go?”

Overwatch just shook her head. “And no longer see your embarrassed look? It would be like giving up eating a strawberry cake covered in cream for dessert or not drinking hot chocolate during a cold winter’s day. Not a chance.”

Steel Blade just rolled his eyes, only to notice a few scratches covering his partner’s fur, and many dents in her armor. “Wow, what happened to you? Did you have a fight against a Cerberus or something?”

Overwatch shook her foreleg and smirked. “Nope, just a friendly game of tag with that Wonderbolt colt, Soarin' I think? Though I'm pretty sure it was more like hide and seek, as that poor exhausted pegasus is sleeping in his bed with a small surprise I left for him.” She suddenly yawned, her heavy eyelids threatening to close.

Steel Blade chuckled and said, “And here I thought that Twilight was the master at that game, you sure learned a trick or two from her. Anyway, take a rest, I’ll take the night shift.”

Overwatch nodded before taking off her armor and placed it next to her temporary bed, only to jump on it with a weak thump, her eyes and nose sinking into the pillow. Steel Blade stood next to the bed with their sleeping VIP as his attention focused on the door and window, ready to strike any foal-nappers who would try to sneak in. Hours passed, and he yawned one yawn after another, as taking a second night shift in a row was getting the best of him. Surely nothing would happen if he closed his eyes for a few minutes.