//------------------------------// // Ch1 - Royal Visit (Improved version) // Story: My Little Medic // by CommanderX5 //------------------------------// My Little Medic - Chapter 1 - Royal Visit “Mmm…” Twilight wriggled as she slowly opened her eyes, only to find herself in complete darkness. She could still feel the soft surface of Smarty Pants as the toy weighed on her, though with far greater force as if it become at least five times heavier. With some effort and a few pushes of her legs, her head slowly emerged from under the toy, only to feel her face being pressed against a few feathers. “Acho,” she sneezed before gritting her teeth, crawling and sliding under a sea of feathers until rays of light began assaulting her eyes. Twilight quickly covered her head with her hooves before carefully peeking behind them as her vision slowly adapted. After yawning and rubbing her eyes, she looked around, only to find herself trapped under a wing. With a grunt, Twilight pushed herself free before looking at her guard, whose head was pressed against the bed, still wearing his helmet. Poor Steelie. He fell asleep on his guard duty. Still, it is odd, I was pretty sure that it was Overwatch’s turn to take night shift today. Twilight’s horn flashed as a lavender aura surrounded her guard’s head, carefully lifting it and feeling his breath stream through her mane. With the help of her forelegs, she pulled his wing off her pillow, only to put Steelie’s head onto it before levitating the rest of his body onto the bed. With her snoring guard lying somewhat comfortably, she patted his cheek and turned around, focusing on the other bed. With a flex of her legs, she jumped, landing in front of the sleeping female guard before aiming her horn at her, only to send a small magical bolt towards her nose. “Huh, what?” Overwatch said, looking around in confusion, only to lower her head. “Oh hey Twilight, you’re up?” “Of course I’m awake silly! How else I would be talking with you?” Twilight asked in response. Being a morning pony she was, Twilight gave her guard a cheerful smile, but the guard didn't share her enthusiasm. Overwatch rolled her sleepy eyes before looking at the clock on the wall, only for them to shoot open widely. She slowly looked down with an awkward smile and said, “Umm… shouldn't you be… you know where?” Twilight scratched the back of her neck while responding with a clueless look. “What do you mean? Spitfire didn’t plan any lesson, training or trip for today.” Overwatch pointed her hoof at the sleeping guard. “Didn’t Steelie tell you who is coming today?” Noticing Twilight tilting her head to the side, and imagining a question mark above her head, Overwatch smirked. “So he forgot to tell you.” “Tell me what?” Overwatch lowered herself to the bed’s level, carefully moving her muzzle toward Twilight’s tiny ear as she whispered. It didn’t even take a few seconds before the hair on Twilight’s tail and mane started to frizz, only for the little unicorn to jump off the bed and dash towards the door before ope–BUMP. A loud scream of, “I’M TARDY!” soon followed. Overwatch closed her eyes the moment a loud thump of breaking wood reached her ears, opening them only to see a unicorn shaped hole in the door. She rolled her eyes before jumping from the bed and following Twilight, already feeling that this was going to be an interesting day. *** Twilight ran as fast as her tiny legs would carry her, breathing rapidly while yelling, “TARDY!” between her breaths for ten minutes of non-stop galloping. She was checking every hallway and room in search for the princess, not wanting to waste any more minutes of her mentor’s precious time. With her horn lit, she shot another beam of magic at the door, only to blast a hole for her to jump through. Noticing that the room was empty, she jumped out, only to run towards another door, her mind failing to remind her about the teleportation spell she could use instead. With her magic charged for another shot, she aimed at the door, only for a hoof to slam in front of her. Twilight’s eyes widened as she tried to stop herself, pressing her legs and flank against the floor as she slid towards the obstacle, but was too late as she slammed into the foreleg, her horn shooting upward. Twilight shook her head before looking up, her attention focused on a small hole in Overwatch’s armor, the smoke of burned fur steaming from it. Upon noticing the guard’s emotionless smile directed her way, she responded with an awkward grimace of her own, ears falling flat against her head. With a quick jump back, she bowed. “I’m sorry, I’m sorry, I’m–” she failed to finish as a levitation field pulled her. Twilight yelped as she was elevated up to the guard's muzzle before saying, "I understand you are angry Overwatch, but I will make it up to you. Please don't be mad." The guard chuckled before pointing her hoof towards the Hallway in the opposite direction from the one the panicked mare had been running down for the past ten minutes. “Princess Celestia arrived at the landing pad five minutes ago. Sorry Twilight, but you are already too late.” Noticing the tears forming in Twilight’s eyes, her sad pout, and hearing her depressed squeaky voice, Overwatch added in a reassuring tone, “Cheer up! You can always make it up to her.” “M-making up… for b-being tardy?” Twilight said before wiping away her tears, only for her guard to whisper into her ear again. Her mood lightened in an instant as she smiled. She could not turn back her grave mistake, but she could at least assuage her mentor’s disappointment by giving her a welcome worthy of a Princess. Princess Celestia felt a breeze pass through her prismatic mane while her majestic wings flapped strongly against the wind. No longer bound by her personal image or a chariot, she once again experienced the joy of flying, all thanks to the inspiration her student’s elated disposition imparted on her. Even if it cost her the comfort of the soft cushion in her chariot that delightfully warmed her flank, she gladly paid it. With the landing pad on top of the Wonderbolts Headquarters in her periphery, she slowed down and gracefully descended, landing on the tips of her rear hooves, only to slowly put her forelegs down as the metal horseshoes on her hooves hardly made a sound. Upon hearing weak thumps from her sides as the two pegasi guards flanked her and a sudden reduction of weight on her back, she closed her wings and advanced towards the awaiting group, guards and Spike following closely. In front of her, Celestia could see several Wonderbolts standing in line, wearing their usual uniforms with pride. In front of the line was Spitfire in a formal officer’s attire, bowing in respect as her subordinates followed her example. Celestia lifted her right foreleg and spoke, “Greetings Captain Spitfire, it is a pleasure to see you again. I hope that the time spent while assisting my student with her education was pleasant for both of you.” Spitfire nodded and raised her nose before speaking, “It was indeed, Your Highness. I would even say that your student has the spirit and heart of a true Wonderbolt.” Celestia didn’t show it on the surface, but she was somewhat surprised by this response. She carefully studied Spitfire’s expression, her two millennia worth of experience letting her notice any sign of dishonesty behind the captain’s formal mask, but what Spitfire said was without a doubt honest. “I am glad to hear that,” Celestia said with a cheerful smile as she looked around, only to give the captain a curious glare. “Where is my student and her guard? I had hoped they would greet me as well.” Spitfire looked back at her subordinates and next at the alicorn, only to shake her head. “I don’t know, Your Highness. I told her guards to inform Twilight about the time of your arrival, and until now, she has always been diligent and obsessive when it comes to punctuality.” Princess Celestia, Spitfire and the Wonderbolts waited patiently for Twilight and her guards to arrive, nopony daring to speak or move in the presence of royalty, all focused on the stairs that lead to the platform. Feeling something poke her in her right foreleg, she looked down to her side at Spike, quickly noticing boredom on his face with his arms crossed. “Maybe she’s having another one of her panic attacks for some ridiculous reason while Overwatch and Steelie are trying to calm her down. May I go get her?” Celestia shook her head before walking towards Spitfire as she knelt and whispered, “Since Twilight is not yet present, there is something I would like to ask you.” Spitfire looked at the alicorn, only to notice her foreleg straightened towards three shackled Wonderbolts as both their forelegs and wings were tied together with chains. “Oh, those three. They are here to await your judgement for assaulting a, umm… a very important... civilian.” Celestia’s cheerful expression sharpened as the shackled Wonderbolts flinched under her gaze. Among the Wonderbolts, it was Spitfire’s jurisdiction to keep discipline, and since the captain gave the rights to decide judgement to her, it meant that there was just one pony they could pick on before their departure. I knew that hidden dislike towards nobility, especially my nephew, grew among the Wonderbolts. To pick on my precious student however just for being his friend though... I think that I could use some moving targets for my combat training before I face Nightmare Moon. Celestia thought with a smirk, only for a loud whizzing sound to distract her. With her attention focused on the sky, she could see a barrage of exploding fireworks, causing her to blink in confusion as the colorful light was barely visible under the rays the sun. She could see a small letter of light forming on the sky, a capitalized ‘W’. New letters flashed one after another as Celestia could read ‘W.E.L.C.O…’ when suddenly one firework changed it’s trajectory directly towards her… although it didn’t really resemble a firework. Celestia then remembered. That’s a flare. “Your Highness, watch out!” a guard screamed while getting between her and the projectile, but Celestia didn’t flinch as a small golden forcefield formed in front of her and the guard, the flare exploding upon contact with the shield with a startlingly large flash. The alicorn rubbed her eyes and dropped the barrier, when suddenly she noticed at least fifty more fireworks flying like arrows towards the landing pad. It was as if they were magically powered rockets shot by long range artillery. “Those are not fireworks... They’re flares! Close y–” The Wonderbolt was cut off by explosions in the air as a large flash covered the sky. Unlike common mass produced flares, the ones the Wonderbolts’ used were larger and more powerful as one would notice their light from several miles away, night or day hardly making a difference. While the light of explosions temporarily blinded the sharp eyes of the Wonderbolts, Celestia’s eyes adapted to it quickly as compared to looking directly at the sun from time to time, the light from a flare was like staring at a candle. With everypony temporarily blinded while harmless projectives rained from the sky, Celestia thought, Let’s see how much I learned from Lighthoof and Flag Collector during my secret training in aerial combat. She clapped her hooves and chuckled. This may even be fun. Celestia raised her hind legs and left foreleg, gracefully taking a pose that would give Fleur-de-Lis a run for her bits as two flares passed her, one under her belly and another just inches away from her foreleg. Noticing three more headed towards Spike, she lit her horn, a small orb of light emerging from it, only to levitate from one blinding projectile to another before they reached the blinded drake while melting it before it could explode. The same could not be said for the Wonderbolts who ended up inside a rain of explosions and dust. Noticing that Spitfire was rubbing her eyes with a huge salvo of missiles headed their way, Celestia focused her levitation on the advancing projectiles, changing the missile’s course slightly as a memory of her training flashed in her mind. “Flying fast is not everything, Your Majesty,” Lighthoof said while evading several weak projectiles shot by Celestia, alongside a few beams coming from the unicorn guards on the opposite side of the arena, only to land in front of the mighty alicorn. “A good flier is constantly aware of his or her surroundings. Our ears and eyes not only need to be sharp all the time, but multitasking is important as well.” With the Wonderbolts no longer in attack range and not wanting to pass such opportunity to test her newly learned skills, Celestia spread her wings as she focused on the flares new trajectory. Without hesitation, she flew upwards, positioning herself in front of a barrage of projectiles. With one strong flap of her left wing, she dodged to the right as two flares flew in front of her muzzle before being melted by the princess’s magic. Another flap later, she dived down with her back exposed towards the ground as more missiles passed above her belly and exploded in mid air before her magic could strike them, but her eyes endured it. Noticing a few more heading towards her wings, she closed them, only for one firework to bounce off her foreleg. With another salvo passing overhead, as the princess destroyed them one by one, Celestia dived towards the landing pad, her attention focused on the Wonderbolts who were already in the air, evading shot after shot with ease the moment their eyes recovered while scanning the area in search for the culprit. With the sound of calm wind replacing the whiz of artillery, Celestia landed, her no longer blinded guards running to her side, examining her for any wounds. The alicorn just rolled her eyes at their overprotectiveness as her flesh could easily withstand the blazing flame of a few grown dragons, what could a flare or two do compared to that? Celestia walked towards the edge of the platform while a few Wonderbolts were already looking for the source of the attack under Spitfire’s leadership, only to notice as somepony emerged from the stairs. Slowly, Overwatch walked onto the landing pad with the little unicorn perched on top of her helmet, satisfied expressions visible on their faces. Their smiles dropped and were replaced with one of confusion under the stare of the angered bolts, many of whom were covered in dust. The princess’s full attention was focused on her student, or rather on her panicked expression, lowered ears, wide eyes, opened mouth and trembling hooves. Surely her welcome with fireworks didn’t go according to plan. Expecting her student to break at any moment, she advanced in front of the group and spoke, “Welcome Twilight, it is nice of you to finally join us.” Celestia chuckled. “I also must praise your creative greeting. You never cease to surprise me.” While Overwatch blushed and scratched the back of her neck, Twilight quickly hopped from her helmet and ran to Celestia’s foreleg. The alicorn looked down at the little mare who bowed with her head pressed against the floor and hooves embracing the sides of her golden horseshoe. Celestia just rolled her eyes, listening to the squeaking rain of apologies, ignoring the comments about tardiness while giggling at Twilight’s explanation of how she wanted to make up for it with magically enhanced fireworks. One look at Overwatch, who refused to look her in the eyes, immediately told her who came up with this idea. The quiet laughter ceased immediately the moment her little pony demanded dungeon punishment for what she squeaked was, ‘an attempt of assassination against royalty.’ With her horn lit, the Princess levitated her shrunken student towards her head, looking at her with a raised eyebrow, resisting against her closed mouth to say: ‘Assassination, with fireworks and flares? Seriously?’ “Twilight, calm down,” Spike said as the levitated unicorn looked down at him, only for Celestia to place Twilight into his opened hand. “Those were just fireworks and flares, jeez. Do you remember how I once told you that you would need to drop an entire tower on your mentor for her to be even a little bit angry at you?” “B-but… tardy…” “Spike is correct. After what I had to put you through, there is very little that I would not forgive you for. And besides, I found your ‘welcoming’ show rather entertaining.“ “See, what did I tell you,” Spike said before his firm smile turned into a pout, his ears dropping and eyes watering. Twilight now somewhat calmer, lifted her hoof towards Spike’s eye in an attempt to wipe away his tear, only to yelp as Spike’s hand pressed her against his cheek. “Oh Twilight, I missed you so much. Please, don’t leave me alone ever again!” Twilight didn’t resist Spike’s hold as she turned her head to the side to take a breath. “But you weren't alone. Princess Celestia, Blueblood and Cadence kept you company. And it was just one mo–” she was cut of by an increasing pressure that silenced her, pressing her head much harder against the drake’s cheek. Twilight grit her teeth as she struggled to free herself, only to give up a few seconds later and embrace Spike, tears forming in her own eyes. “Who am I trying to fool, I missed you too Spike. It is so good to see you again,” she said with a muffled voice. The hug lasted for several more seconds, but Twilight didn’t care how hard she was being squeezed. All she wanted to do was embrace her adoptive son. “Wait a moment!” Spitfire said, capturing their attention as Spike weakened his hold, giving Twilight a moment to catch her breath. “Why did you oversleep? I personally informed Steel Blade about the princess’s visit. Didn’t he tell you?” Twilight was about to answer, but she was cut-off by the sound of hoofsteps coming from the staircase. The group turned their heads towards the door as a rapidly breathing pegasus stopped in front of the royalty and bowed. After a closer look, Twilight noticed several dents in his armor, bruises on his wings, and sweat sliding from his forehead, most likely form his short marathon and unlucky adventure with the stairs. Meanwhile, Celestia looked between Overwatch and Steel Blade, wondering what Twilight’s guards had gotten themselves into this time. Steel Blade sat and took a deep breath while wiping the sweat from his head. He glanced at his surroundings and noticed several Wonderbolts covered in dust with their uniforms perforated. Perplexed, he looked at Twilight in Spike’s hand, who then scowled back with a chagrined appearance and crossed forelegs. “What happened here? It looks like a scene after some sort of disaster. Twilight?” Steel Blade looked at the smiling princess, and then back to Twilight, who began growling in frustration. With an awkward smile, he walked backward and said hesitantly, “Umm… hehe… I think I forgot to tell you about your mentor’s visit… You aren’t angry, are you?” Twilight simply glared at him. The guard turned around and said fearfully, “I better take my leave, I am sure you both have a lot to talk about… bye!” Overwatch giggled as her partner flew towards the stairs with speed that clearly impressed the present Wonderbolts, though her cheerful mood didn’t last long as another pony climbed the stairs: a sleepy Wonderbolt wearing pajamas and a fake mustache who yawned and rubbed his eyes. “Soarin’, what is the meaning of this?” Spitfire yelled with a firm stomp of her hoof. “Not only are you late, but you’re missing your uniform! And what’s on your face?” Soarin’ shook his head as the mustache fell off his face. His vision slowly came into focus, and then he flinched, shocked by several stares of confused Wonderbolts, the worried glare of Twilight and the neutral stare from Princess Celestia. A large blush began spreading across his cheeks. Overwatch began sneaking behind Soarin’, walking on the tips of her hooves to reduce the noise and began advancing down the stairs. “Not so fast!” Soarin' yelled, giving her a glare of doom before giving chase. “Soarin’!” Spitfire shouted again as the secondary officer, her right-hoof who should be an example to the other Wonderbolts, ran down the stairs, chasing Twilight’s guard in his pajamas. “Get back here this instant!” “There is no need for that,” Celestia said as she put her hoof on the captain’s shoulder. “I believe that your subordinates could use a shower and a change of uniform, won’t you agree?” Spitfire nodded before turning to her pegasi and ordered, “You heard the princess! Get yourself shaped up this instant, Go! Go! Go!” *** When the landing pad emptied, leaving only Celestia, Spitfire, Spike, Twilight and three shackled Wonderbolts, the alicorn stomped her hoof with sharp CLANG. “What are your names!?” Two of the shackled pegasi gulped as their relaxed friend pushed forward to speak for the group. “My name is Whirlwind, Your Highness.” He tried to point his hoof towards his friends, only for the chains to remind him of the situation he was in. “The stallion on my left side’s name is Winter Wonder, while the mare on my right is called Hurricane.” Celestia turned to Spitfire and asked, “What are their charges?” “Mental and physical assault against your student, Your Highness,” Spitfire said when suddenly Twilight appeared on the captain’s muzzle in a flash, standing on her rear hooves as she tried to get her mentor’s attention. “Actually, it was kind of my fault,” Twilight said, “I got angry at their teasing and pushed one of them with my levitation, they just defended themselves!” Spitfire, now forced to look at Twilight cross eyed, cleared her throat, not realizing that the action would cause the little mare to fall on her flank and try to anchor her rear hooves against the sides of her muzzle. “They provoked you, Twilight, and the idea of them defending themselves against a mare of your size is just stupid.” “Wait, so you three hurt Twilight?” Spike asked with half-closed eyes and a stomp of his leg as smoke emerged from his nostrils. “Why would you do that you jerks?” Whirlwind frowned at the insult and answered sharply, “For being a showoff. She levitated herself around as if she owned this place. I would not tolerate a tiny brat who decides to show everyone how superior unicorns are to pegasi, especially in our very headquarters.” Spike lunged at Whirlwind for calling his mom a brat, but was quickly pulled away by Twilight’s magic while the two Wonderbolts behind their representative bit their lips and started to sweat. Whirlwind frowned before continuing, “All we did was put that little rat in her place so she wouldn’t bother our captain for the next month.” Spitfire stomped both of her hooves as Hurricane flinched, though Whirlwind stood his ground with a passive expression. “Because of you, Twilight was avoiding me like the plague for an entire week! If you want to keep your rank in the Wonderbolts, don’t do me any favors ever again, is that clear?” Spitfire shouted, but her speech brought about the opposite effect she had hoped for, as the Wonderbolt just gave her a satisfied smile. As Captain of the Wonderbolts, she knew her subordinates better than anypony else, and what she admired in Whirlwind was his honesty as he always spoke his mind, but his attitude always angered her. Celestia cleared her throat to capture everyone’s attention and spoke, “I think I’ve heard enough. Guards!” The two pegasi on her side saluted as she pointed her hoof at the trio of Wonderbolts and added, “Escort them to Canterlot and lock them in an interrogation room. I will decide a proper punishment on my way back.” The guards looked at eachother, wondering if it was safe to leave the Princess unguarded, when suddenly a purple flash appearing over Celestia's nose, catching their attention. Celestia narrowed her eyes at Twilight, who was now standing on her rear-hooves, forelegs curled under her neck and staring at the alicorn with wide eyes. “Please go easy on them Princess! It was just teasing, and I hardly felt anything when they pressed me against the bed, please!” Despite her sharp and strong mind, Celestia could hardly resist the puppy stare of her student, more or less refuse her plea. She was about to answer, but Whirlwind beat her to the punch. “That’s right, it was just some harmless teasing, just like your pet said, Your Highn–” His speech was cut of by his teammates, who shoved their hooves on his mouth as much as their shackles allowed them to, which resulted in some rather awkward positioning. “Please, do not listen to him, Princess. He is not thinking clearly, lack of sleep and all,” Hurricane spoke. “Yeah, he probably drank far too many hard ciders last night,” added Winter Wonder, only to get a ‘shut up’ glare from Hurricane while Spitfire face hoofed. Celestia raised her eyebrow before levitating Twilight onto Spike’s head and said, “I think I’ve heard more than enough.” As the alicorn was about to capture the trio in her levitation field, with her attention focused on the most talkative one, she was beaten to it. Celestia could only stare at the awkwardly levitating Wonderbolts who looked back at her from their upside down position. “You may not like me, you may not respect me, but there is only so much rudeness I can take. I am Twilight Sparkle, the Princess’s Protege, and I am like this because of my talent, power, and hard work!” Twilight shouted while giving the trio an enraged glare. “Would a pet or a living toy the size of a large rat be capable of levitating you all in front of the princess?” Upon noticing their shaking heads, a golden aura replaced her lavender one. Twilight released her breath as her frustration receded. Spike quickly fist-bumped her for showing the bullies who the boss is, though the little mare hesitated, realising what she had just done. Twilight turned towards her mentor who looked at her with an amused smile. She bowed and said, “I apologize for my outburst, Your Highness. I let my pride get the best of me. I didn’t mean to lash out like that, and I still forgive them, please, I beg y–” but was cut off by the gesture of Celestia’s regal hoof. The proud alicorn looked down at Twilight and spoke, “I will take your plea to go easy on them into consideration, Twilight. Rest assured,” Celestia then turned towards her prisoners, speaking fervently, “You three should be thankful for my student. If it wasn’t for her, I would not tolerate such a lack of respect in as prestigious an organization as the Wonderbolts.” She smirked towards the one who called her student a pet. He will make a wonderful target for practice. Hopefully it will teach him a lesson or two. The rest of the Wonderbolts, now in clean uniforms and Soarin' no longer in his pajamas, landed at the platform, achieving a new academy record for cleaning and changing clothes, only to take a step back at the scene in front of them. Princess Celestia continued without pausing, “-For the disrespectful act of mental and physical violence against my student, I am personally going to escort Winter Wonder, Hurricane and,” her glare hardened, “Whirlwind... to Canterlot Castle. There I shall contemplate their punishment.” The group’s attention focused on Twilight, who tried to hide behind Spike’s head by hanging to his scales, as the princess knelt to her student and spread her wing. “Hop on Twilight. Your studies regarding pegasus magic are over. Let’s return to the castle so you can share your experiences and learned lessons with me.” Celestia waited patiently for Twilight to climb up on her wing, but the little mare didn’t budge. She became concerned as it was evident that Twilight was not moving. Perturbed, she asked, “Is something wrong, Twilight? I already told you that I will not be to harsh on those who wronged you.” As the sad smile on her student’s face didn’t change, it made the alicorn uneasy. She moved her wing to lightly stroke her student’s back and asked, “Whatever is bothering you? Please tell me.” Noticing her little friend’s hesitation, Spitfire walked closer and spoke, “Your Highness, I have a request that involves your student.” Celestia looked between Twilight and the captain before she nodded. Spitfire continued, “I would like to ask for your permission to let Twilight work for me… as a medic.” Celestia blinked in confusion, her muzzle almost touching Twilight’s face as she searched for confirmation. Her student just nodded and said, “Can I, Princess? I know that I still have a lot to learn, but I never had a chance to put my knowledge and power to use. Working as a medic will help me learn more about pegasus magic and anatomy first-hoof.” Twilight’s hold on Spike’s scales strengthened as he started to move his head. Surely the idea of being without Twilight any longer didn’t please him. Celestia rose her head to Spitfire’s level and asked, “Are you sure that my student can handle this responsibility, Captain? Twilight was not planning to dispel the effect of the shrinking spell anytime soon.” Spitfire nodded and said, “I am confident in her abilities, and that her size will help her perform hazardous operations.” “I promise to work hard, Princess. But if you don’t want me to…” Twilight added as Celestia closed her eyes, losing herself to a storm of thoughts. There is only one year before my sister’s return, I need Twilight in Canterlot on standby by then… but I cannot hold my student back, and she can learn a lot about teamwork from the Wonderbolts… surely such lessons would help her befriend the other potential bearers that live in Ponyville... The group of Wonderbolts began whispering to one another while Soarin' started to bite his own hooves as they awaited Celestia’s decision. As the silence ensued, Spike decided to break it. “You can’t be serious, Twilight. You left me for an entire month, and now this?” He frowned and crossed his arms, annoyed that his mom was attached to the back of his head and yet, she’s still out of his reach. Twilight climbed onto his head and stroke it before moving to the edge. “Sorry Spike, I should’ve considered your feelings first, but what would you say about accompanying me… as a medic assistant?” Spike’s mood lightened up like lava in an erupting volcano as his eyes looked up at Twilight’s head. “Really? I can really stay?” “If the princess agrees, that is.” Celestia looked down at Spike’s pleading expression, though compared to Twilight’s, it was nowhere near as effective. Suddenly her eyes opened wide as an idea struck her. Celestia knelt, her horn surrounded by a golden aura as she send wave of magic through the confused drake, while Twilight started to examine the spell with a thoughtful expression. “What was that?” Spike asked. Celestia smirked. “You will find out in a moment,” she stated, levitating a small piece of a Wonderbolts’ uniform, only for it to disintegrate mid air. Suddenly Spike burped as the same uniform part appeared from his green flames. “S-sorry.. wait, what just happened?” “Woow…” Twilight said, her mouth agape. “I have never seen a teleportation spell like this before. How did you do it, Princess?” Celestia didn’t responded as she levitated the piece of material back to Spike and pointed at it. “Now Spike, I want you to blow your flames at this material, but while doing so, think about sending it to me. The spell should recognize your desire and work accordingly.” Spike nodded and did as he was told, only for the piece of clothing to disappear and then rematerialize in front of the princess. After receiving several stares, pleading for an explanation, she spoke, “I have enhanced your flames, Spike. Thanks to this, we can communicate with one another. I am counting on you to keep Twilight company on her new job and send me her letters with reports on her progress.” The alicorn giggled as she could swear that Spike’s and Twilight’s eyes were filled with stars. No words were needed as their expressions told her that she made the right choice. With her attention focused on Spitfire, she spoke, “While I agreed to let Twilight work for you, Spitfire, as it will be very beneficial for her, Twilight’s studies under my guidance are not yet over. I will expect her to return to the castle in half a year. Do you find these terms satisfactory?” After receiving a nod, Celestia spread her wings and embraced Spike and Twilight, pressing the drake against her chest while the tips of her wings moved Twilight up to her muzzle. She nuzzled her student who returned it affectionately before hugging princess's muzzle in a firm hold. “Even though I missed you princess, and will miss you even more for the next six months… Thank you! I will work really hard and report my progress regularly!” Spike blushed and pushed himself out of the group hug. Although he felt warm and safe between Celestia’s strong wing and soft chest, he also felt slightly embarrassed. “Yea, thanks. And if somepony would dare tease or capture Twilight, I’ll burn their flank!” Celestia chuckled before releasing her student and her adoptive son as Twilight landed on Spike’s head. “I am sure you will. Now, if you'll excuse me,” she said before pointing her hoof at the still awkwardly levitated Wonderbolts. “I have some lessons to teach.” Twilight and Spike waved goodbye as Celestia took off, her guards and levitated Wonderbolts by her side. The little unicorn kept waving until she felt a hoof pat her on the back, almost throwing her off Spike’s head, her forelegs grabbing his scales just in time. “Welcome aboard Twilight, or should I say, Miss Wonderbolt Medic,” Spitfire said with an encouraging tone as the captain’s hoof straightened towards her. With growing excitement, Twilight embraced the hoof and shook it energetically, only to feel Spitfire’s muzzle touching her ear as she whispered, “By the way, congratulation on standing up for yourself. I knew you had guts when it came to facing dangers, but to stand up against those who bullied you takes real courage.” Twilight lowered her head slightly as her ears drooped. “I… I didn’t mean too. I had forgiven them for bullying me, but when he called me the Princess’s pet, in front of her… I… I just couldn’t restrain myself." “I take it that was not the first time somepony called you like that?” Twilight nodded in response and said depressingly, “The nobles often did until after Blueblood’s party, and it always really hurt. I always tried to not be angry, but…” “I understand. It is not good to bottle your emotions inside. No matter how humble you may be, sometimes you must defend your pride,” Spitfire said as Twilight’s smile returned to her the moment she heard the clapping of somepony’s hooves. The smile vanished in an instant as only Soarin' was clapping for her accomplishment, while almost every other Wonderbolt looked at her with open hostility and distrust. Ears flattened against her lowered head and her confidence crushed, she gulped as her fears that the other Wonderbolts may dislike or even hate her became reality.