//------------------------------// // She Blinded Me With Science // Story: The Study of a Winning Pony // by Ponibius //------------------------------// The Study of a Winning Pony Chapter 18: She Blinded Me With Science Even by the standards of most cemeteries, the Canterlot Catacombs were extremely morbid and creepy. Since there was a lack of space along the side of the mountain, it had been decided long ago that the dead of the city should be buried within the mountain, and thus the catacombs had been carved out of Mount Avalon. Made up of passages carved just for that purpose, old mining tunnels, and natural cave networks, the catacombs stretched on for miles. A Royal Guard post was positioned to stand watch over the one gate that served as the main entrance to the catacombs. The gate was always closed when the sun went down, and the ponies within ushered out, both to leave the dead in peace and to protect the living. As I walked through that gate, I could not help but feel I was entering a place not meant for the living. There was a sense of aged death permeating the place. The stone on the floor and walls had long been smoothed out by the passage of ponies over the centuries, and despite the wide passages and periodically placed light gems, it still felt cramped, constraining, and dark. Thus I walked along the passages in silence, Spike riding on my back while carrying some flowers. I glanced from side to side, noting the urns that lined the carved shelves in the rock. In order to prevent would-be-necromancers from raising an army of skeletons, it was mandatory that all of the dead placed within the catacombs be cremated. Most of the urns had long had their luster worn away by the passage of time. As one walked further into the network of tunnels, the variety in the monuments to the dead increased. While less wealthy and influential families from the city often settled for having an urn placed on a shelf, the great houses of Canterlot had whole branches of passages carved out just for them. I stepped before one such passageway and used the key on the ancient door. Within was a large cavern that was filled with the mausoleums of the dukes, duchesses, archmagi, grand viziers, and family members of my house from nine centuries’ worth of Sparkles. The elaborate tomb showcased the changing trends and personal tastes of centuries of ponies. Old history permeated the place, and I couldn’t help but be a little bit awed by the immensity of it. A hole had been carved through the side of the mountain, allowing natural sunlight to help light the place, in addition to the light gems spaced throughout. I walked past the first two mausoleums, dedicated to the progenitors of House Sparkle. Grand Vizier Sunbeam Sparkle’s statue loomed over me as I made my way past it, impressive and bombastic as it struck the pose of a supremely confident archmagus. Opposite was the statue of Archmagus Midnight Sparkle. Rather than the more aggressive stance of her mother, Midnight’s effigy took a more calm and collected pose, that of a leader showing steady competence in face of the storm. Shame the image was somewhat ruined by the unkindness of ravens infesting her—and only her—mausoleum. Most likely they had flown through the hole carved to the outside and had decided to take up residence in the tomb. The ravens squawked at us menacingly as we walked by them, their heads slowly turning as they watched us walk past. “That’s still kinda creepy,” Spike said, echoing my own thoughts. “Let’s just get past them quickly.” I picked up my pace to a trot to work deeper into the tomb and away from the ravens that tracked us with their eyes as though with a single intelligence. Towards the back was where the most recent mausoleum had been built and my destination. My parents had visited earlier due to Dad having to go into work early and them letting me sleep in a bit. Part of me felt guilty for that, but my parents had assured me it was fine. In the end, I had decided in favor of more sleep since Spike seemed like he still wanted more rest. I pulled out a brush from my saddlebags and started the process of wiping off the worst of the dust and cobwebs from one of the mausoleums. Spike coughed on some of the dust. “Why’re we doing this again?” “Because it’s respectful, Spike.” Using both the brush and a few cleaning spells, I managed to make the old mausoleum of Duke Dusk Sparkle presentable again. I remembered from my readings how he had helped streamline the governmental structure six centuries ago. “These are my ancestors. We can at least keep them from looking too bad with a little cleaning every few years.” It was a bit of a family tradition to visit the Sparkle tomb once a year, both to visit the dead we knew and to pay respect to those who had come before us. Also, everypony had to pick a mausoleum and clean it. There were holidays where ponies would come down to the catacombs, and every once in a while a scholar would wish to study the family tomb for one project or another. “It’s just going to get dirty again.” Spike waved at the dust hanging around him. “And not in the ‘your bedroom needs to be cleaned’ way, either. I mean, it’s a graveyard. Who cares if it’s old, decrepit, and dusty? That kinda comes with the territory.” “First, this is technically a tomb, not a graveyard. Second, it doesn’t have to look awful.” I put the brush aside, happy with a job well done. “There, good as new... As new as the resting place of a pony that’s been dead for six centuries can be.” Spike rolled his eyes and sighed. “Can we get moving?” He waved around the flowers he had been carrying. “I don’t want to be holding onto these all day, you know.” “Fine, fine.” I tried to keep the irritation over Spike’s impatience out of my tone. “We won’t spend any more time in the somewhat spooky catacombs than necessary.” “Thanks, this place always creeps me out.” Spike let out a cough and puffed out his chest. “Not that I’m scared or anything. I just don’t want you getting scared, Twilight.” I snerked at Spike’s bravado. “Never said you were. Come on.” I went deeper into the tomb until the mausoleums reached an abrupt end as they met the mountain. More mausoleums would be carved out of the mountain as more Sparkles came and passed, but for now this was where the tomb ended. As morbid as it’s going to sound, I entered my mom’s mausoleum. Thankfully, Mom did not occupy it and hopefully would not do so for many decades. Same with Dad, considering he wanted to be laid to rest alongside her when the time came. The whole issue of mausoleums had been a long and awkward one as a child. It was considered practical to carve out at least the basic features of a mausoleum well ahead of when the pony would usually need them. It allowed the costs of digging them out of the mountain to be spread out over the years, though many of the final touches were added after the deceased had been laid to rest. Shiny’s and my own mausoleums were almost completely bare at this point. By this point, Mom’s mausoleum had a number of flourishes added. In addition to artwork to her tastes, her more notable achievements had been carved into the walls along with descriptions of those events. None of that really held my interest at this moment as I stepped over to an urn sitting on a shelf along one of the walls. I craned my neck to look at Spike. “Hey, Spike, can I see the flowers now?” He held out the flowers for me, their fragrance reaching my nose. “Sure,” he said somberly. “Thanks.” I cast a preservation spell upon the flowers to make sure they would last for at least a while, and then gently laid them down before the urn. Spike hugged me around the neck, comforting me. My eyes turned to the writing under the urn. Amethyst Sparkle Beloved Daughter and Sister I gave the remains of my sister a sad smile. “Hey, Ammy.” After the depressing visit to the catacombs, I was ready to do something to lighten my mood. Thankfully, there was the shopping trip that I had planned to have with my mother and my old tutor. I wasn’t the type to normally go about town on shopping trips for the sake of it, but I could do so for my mom and a friend, and I did have a few things I would like to pick up in Canterlot while I was here. Mom and I had offered Spike the opportunity to come with us, but he had little interest in doing so. He was probably like most guys and didn’t want to come with the ladies for a nice shopping trip, for whatever reason. I had dropped him off at the manor and went out to town with my mom. For our first stop, the two of us headed to the School for Gifted Unicorns. Thankfully, it wasn’t very difficult to get onto the campus. There were benefits to being Princess Celestia’s personal student and Mom being a royal magus. It helped that we knew a lot of the staff too. After going through the entrance, the buildings of the campus spread before us. Quickly orientating myself with the familiar environment, we made our way to the research wing. Once inside, Mom lead the way to a door with a large sign reading “BEWARE! Magical Science in Progress!” Mom grinned and poked me with a playful nudge. “I remember when you made a sign like that for your room.” I couldn’t help but grin myself at the memory. If I remembered right, it was also accompanied by a “No Colts Allowed!” sign, for I was convinced as a little filly that colts carried the mysterious pathogen known as cooties. “Well, I was doing some super important experiments. For a little filly, anyways,” I amended. While making tornados in a bottle, tracking the germination of seeds, and building rockets weren’t exactly groundbreaking, I had the time of my life. Mom chuckled, no doubt also remembering my many experiments. Some of which became more ... interesting as I got older. “I still have no idea what you were doing to your poor doll, but by Celestia did you ever take notes on it.” “Taking notes is important to science.” Smarty Pants had been my chief lab assistant and experiment subject growing up. Given how little of her was still the original doll, the experiments had taken their toll. Even repair spells had their limits. Mom rubbed her chin. “I should see if I still have them tucked away with your other fillyhood projects one of these days...” She shrugged and knocked on the door. “Who iiis it?” asked a mare in a sing-song tone. “Maggie, it’s us!” Mom called through the door. “Is it okay for us to come in?” “One second!” There was a muffled explosion from behind the door. It probably said something that neither me nor my mom flinched at the sound. Nor did anypony walking through the hallway, for that matter. It’s strange what you could grow used to with enough exposure. The door swung open, revealing a wild-maned mare who was grinning enthusiastically. Magetrix’s stained and slightly singed labcoat covered her pink coat, and I could only guess the last time a comb had touched her light purple mane. “Velvie!” she cried while wrapping Mom in a big hug. The two embraced each other for a long moment before Magetrix’s eyes fell on me. “And Twilight’s with you!” She wrapped me in an equally enthusiastic hug that I returned. “Great to see you both! How've you been?” I smiled at my old tutor, remembering fond memories from my fillyhood before I became Princess Celestia’s student. “I'm good. I’ve been wanting to see you again.” “Fantastic, thank you.” Mom paused to look over Magetrix’s mane, probably to make sure it wasn’t on fire again. Always a bit of a risk with her. “It's been too long.” “Yes. Too long. Need to visit more often.” Magetrix hugged us both again, lingering a bit with Mom. “Was working with a matter collider. Exciting stuff.” She waved for us to enter her lab as she led the way. Magetrix’s lab was the type of lab I would like to have someday, but budget limits, lack of space in the library and the odd small cataclysm had thus far denied me of such a thing. Sadly, even science was held back by the material realities of the world. As we walked inside, we were surrounded by a variety of scientific equipment from mundane charts, measuring devices and beakers, to more advanced equipment such as scanning devices and arcane machinery. Some of it I had only read about in science journals, and I felt my curiosity rise. Magetrix had a brilliant mind and had been a joy to learn from. She had always been so passionate about everything, and her lessons had always been something I looked forward to. She had come to work in a fairly elaborate laboratory of her own. It wouldn’t have surprised me to learn that Mom might have pulled a few strings to make sure her friend got her current position. Magetrix certainly deserved it, but a little bit of influence in the right places to get the right ponies in place never hurt. It had been too long since I had been in a proper lab. The setup I had in the library’s basement let me perform a variety of experiments, but it was a bit of a cobbled-together affair that often disallowed a certain level of specialization due to the restrictions placed on me. None of my own problems seemed to affect Magetrix, at least to the same degree, since she had a literal wealth of equipment available and the space to store it. The sheer scale of it was a bit awe-inspiring, with the lab taking up the space of a warehouse. “What project are you working at this time?” Mom asked, glancing about the lab. Magetrix’s grin widened as we approached a machine that dominated half of the lab, and her speech came in the short, clipped manner I was accustomed to when speaking with her. “Matter collider. Smash matter together. See what happens. So far, just lots of explosions. Fascinating.” “Err, that sounds kind of dangerous,” I said, approaching the complex device to get a better look it to see how it might work. “And yet very fascinating...” My old tutor nodded enthusiastically. “The Super Strong Singularity Sustaining Space Smasher Solution good at job. Data still being analysed. Machine still under repair from explosions. Parts expensive.” Taking a second look at it, I could tell there were a few burned-out conduits and scorch marks here and there. Good thing there were automated sprinkler systems in the building. Chuckling, Mom shook her head in resignation. “Maggie? Never change.” “Always changing. Body in constant state of flux.” Magetrix waved dismissively. “Cells grow, die, are replaced. Stasis impossible.” She finished with her scientific explanation and blinked in realization. “Oh ... right.” She grinned and nuzzled Mom. “I won't change.” Mom nuzzled back. “Wouldn’t ever want you to.” She sidled up to Magetrix and led her towards what I guessed was her friend’s office. “Come on, let’s find someplace to have a nice chat.” “Yes, yes, come in, come in.” Magetrix gently pulled Mom closer to the middle of the aisle we were walking down. “Careful. Several experiments in delicate state. Explosive. Or implosive? Can’t remember. Doesn't matter. Still dangerous.” Knowing what a few of her experiments must be and only being able to guess at the others, I kept well away from accidentally touching anything. That is, until I spotted a green glowing object within a mug-sized glass attached to an apparatus. The spark drew in my attention, and I stopped at the table to look at some of the notes attached to a clipboard. “You finally managed to stabilize a Van Mareson Particle? I remember you writing about it being theoretically possible in your article in Super Science Monthly, but I didn’t know you had a working model yet.” Magetrix stopped to see what I was looking at. “Mostly stable. Don't touch.” She stepped over to me and slowly prodded me away from the apparatus. “Or breathe too hard... Or look at it the wrong way.” “Right, I’ll keep that in mind.” I guessed the apparatus still had some kinks to work out, and, upon further contemplation, I decided it best to probably keep moving given what a destabilizing Van Mareson Particle could do. Mom quirked an eyebrow in Magetrix’s direction. “‘In the wrong way’? You're not dabbling in the quantum xeno effect again, are you?” Grumbling under her breath, Magetrix said, “Particle temperamental. Has an attitude.” She narrowed her eyes at the particle. “Nasty sense of humor.” The particle let off a puff of smoke. It seemed she had been literal about not looking at it the wrong way. “This is why I had you tutor Twilight at my home,” Mom said, a hint of exasperation in her tone. “You had fewer options to get into trouble there. Though I did have to put my hoof down a few times, as I recall.” “No-Day Experiment would have been perfectly safe,” Magetrix said confidently. “Less than two percent chance of ionization.” Mom’s only response was to patiently roll her eyes. I scratched at the side of my head as I tried to recall what information I could on this topic. “Was that the experiment where you dragged home that box filled with uranium?” “Yes.” Mom gave Magetrix a pointed look. “That one.” “Would've been fun. Perfectly safe. Velvie overcautious.” Magetrix grinned and gave Mom a playful nudge. “I'm sure it would have been fine.” I let out a sigh, remember the disappointment of being told I wasn’t going to be able to help with what had sounded like a very fascinating experiment. Helping my old tutor with her experiments had been one of the highlights of my childhood. “I was looking forward to that experiment, too...” Mom gave me a flat look. “I should hope you don't have to be a mother to know why uranium plus daughter equals no, Twilight.” “Velvie wants to keep her daughter safe.” Magetrix gave mom a smile. “Can't blame her. Even if a bit silly sometimes.” “Okay, so I can see your point why you shot that idea down, given the circumstances,” I admitted. “Little fillies should probably not be dealing with radioactive materials.” “Among other things.” Mom grinned as she hip-bumped Magetrix. “Many, many, many others. I swear, your lessons are half the reason I'm greying early.” “You look fine, Mom,” I said on reflex. “More than fine.” Magetrix gave Mom the once over. “Attractiveness still within top tenth percentile.” Mom chuckled coyly, covering her mouth with a hoof. “Oh, you.” I couldn’t help but note how I had escaped Cloud Kicker only to run into this back in Canterlot. “So how have you been, Magetrix?” Magetrix started leading us to her office again. “Doing well. Experiments performing acceptably. Learning. You?” “I’m doing well,” I said, entering the office. “I've been doing my own studying and experimenting in Ponyville.” Magetrix’s office was on the messy side of things, as far as offices went, with papers, bits and pieces of lab equipment, and office supplies scattered about. Once again, I had to suppress the urge to organize what I’m sure Magetrix would have described as ‘organized chaos.’ Frankly, I always hated that phrase. “Oh? Interesting results?” Magetrix asked while plopping down on an old sofa. I sat down on a cushion across from her. “Well, I have been working on some new alchemical formulas thanks to a friend in Ponyville named Zecora.” Mom joined Magetrix on the couch, asking, “That zebra friend of yours in the forest?” “Yep.” I shifted around in my seat to get comfortable. “She moved to the Everfree Forest to harvest unique plants there for her potions. I’ve been learning more about alchemy from her, and now I’m trying to create some synthetic copies of them. It’s been a bit rough at times, but I’m starting to make progress here and there.” Magetrix rubbed at her chin. “Zebra alchemy? Fascinating. Been following Archmagus Runeseeker's work with gryphon and caribou runes. Cross-species magical integration unexplored territory.” I nodded. “That’s why I wanted to see what I could do in the field. A lot of ponies have always said that we've just been getting the same results through different methods, but I'm trying to see if I can hybridize the best from both pony and zebra magic to create something better.” “Worthwhile venture, no doubt.” Magetrix leaned her shoulder against Mom’s and smiled. “Good to see you two. Seems like forever.” Mom leaned back against her. “And we've missed you and your zaniness, you know.” “No kidding. It did feel like forever since I last saw you.” I suppose that wasn’t a surprise, given that it felt like a lifetime since I moved to Ponyville. “Well, no time like the present to fix that, right?” “I couldn't have said it better myself.” Mom smiled and leaned more heavily on her friend. “And that’s why we’re going to have a nice fillies’ day out on the town. Do some shopping, have a nice meal. All the good stuff.” “Would love to shop with you. Or other things. Anything. Been too long.” Magetrix wrapped a leg around Mom’s hip to hold her close. “Stay. Science, shopping ... less important, for the moment. Bonding, friendship what matters now.” She nuzzled Mom. I leaned back on my cushion, letting my former teacher and Mom have their moment. “Sounds good. There are a few things I was hoping to pick up in town later, but it can wait.” “Oh, of course. If you have things to pick up while you're in Canterlot, of course we can do that.” Mom said, in no rush to move from her spot at Magetrix’s side. “Like the good old days.” There was a moment of silence before Mom continued. “And I believe I just made myself sound old by saying that.” “You're not that old,” I replied instantly. Not just because it was never polite to point out a mare’s actual age, but because if Mom was starting to get old, then that would mean I was starting to round my way to some numbers I didn’t want to think about. “Are old.” Magetrix grinned as she poked Mom teasingly in the ribs. “Not bad old. Still look good.” “Oh, 'old' am I?” Mom said with mock indignation. “I don't have that much time on you, if memory serves.” Magetrix thought that one over for a second before replying in an embarrassed tone. “Not old? Young. Very young.” She nodded confidently to herself. “Could mistake you for Twilight's older sister.” “Nice try.” Mom chuckled, giving Magetrix another nuzzle. “But my children are getting old enough to have families of their own soon, and before you know it I'll have grandfoals to deal with.” “Not so bad,” Magetrix said. “Will be good grandmother.” I felt an eye twitch. “Right, grandfoals, someday. Far in the future. Certainly no plans of that right now.” I looked around the room to try and find something interesting in the room to avoid eye contact, and found an old note journal on top of a pile of books and papers stacked up by the cushion. “Well of course, Twilight, but I'd still like to be a grandmother,” Mom said with calm assurance. “I would like to see my children have their own children, and then have a bouncing, giggling little grandfoal, watching them grow just like I watched my children grow...” I could understand my mom’s reasoning, at least on a hypothetical level. Not that I was against foals someday, but that was someday. Not soon. “Still have a few more steps to go in life before I get to that type of thing. I mean, Shiny is older than me, and he doesn’t have a fillyfriend or a foal that none of us know about yet.” My mouth curved into a smile that felt strained at the edges. There was a pregnant silence before Mom broke it. “Of course not. But everything will happen in good time.” “Right ... good time,” I agreed. Magetrix hummed to herself as she levitated over a notebook and a pen. “Could draw up chart of traits Twilight would find desirable in a mate, cross-referenced with available ponies.” I choked on air. “What!?” Mom’s mouth curved into a cheshire grin. “That could be fun; it would give me an idea of what to expect when she finally brings somepony home.” Scribbling furiously, Magetrix also grinned. “Start with physical traits, or personality? No, too far ahead. Should establish basics first. Mares? Stallions? Other?” “Of course, we need to know what her preferences are.” Mom waved a hoof dismissively. “After gender, we can move onto things like personality.” I let out a groan. “We are not seriously talking about this, are we?” “Are,” Magetrix said with a nod. “Thought it was obvious. Personality, then?” “I don't know!” I grumbled. “I've never thought about it before.” Mom shot Magetrix a conspiratorial grin that spoke only of evil. “I think it’s fair to guess that Twilight has recently become more open.” I put aside the notebook I had been looking at since it wasn’t going to do anything to get me out of this conversation. “And what do you mean by that?” “Your friends, dear,” Mom said. “You've met so many ponies and made so many potential connections...” I blinked at where my mom was leading the conversation. “But they're my friends. I don't think of them like that.” “Oh, don't be so quick to dismiss it,” Mom suggested to me. “Friendship is a wonderful basis on which one can build romance. Your father and I were friends before we started dating.” “And even if not, useful for reference on desired traits.” Magetrix tapped the side of her notebook with the pen. “Which of friends do you find most attractive? Would be useful for reference.” “I don’t know.” I crossed my forelegs over my chest. “I’ve never thought of anypony like that. My friends are special to me, but romance isn’t why I spend time with them. That’s for fun and because I like to hang out with them. And I already have enough on my plate without becoming wrapped up in stuff like this.” Mom turned her head to give Magetrix a concerned look. “Now you see why I'm so worried.” “Worried?” I narrowed my eyes at the pair. “Worried about what?” Mom’s tone became more somber as she gave me a serious look. “Twilight, have you seriously never thought about your love life?” “Not really, no.” I shifted uncomfortably in the cushion seat. “It’s just not that important.” “Just like how making friends wasn’t important?” Mom asked levelly. That made me wince a bit. “Love and romance are way different and you two know that.” “Different, but related.” Magetrix stood up and walked over to a small icebox set up near her desk. “Drinks while we talk? Juice? Water?” “Some apple juice might be nice,” I said, and Magetrix levitated over a bottle to me. “And yeah, love and friendship are tangentially related, but are still very different things.” “Some grape juice if you don’t mind, Maggie.” Mom took the offered bottle without turning away from me. “Let me ask you something just so we are clear with one another. Do you have any interest whatsoever in dating?” I thought carefully before answering. Did all children have to have this type of conversation with their parents at some point? “It’s ... something I considered trying sometime down the road, when I’m less busy. Dating or any of that stuff just isn’t a priority right now.” Mom unscrewed the top of the bottle. “And when will that be?” I opened my own bottle and took a long sip to delay for a few valuable seconds before answering. “I’m not sure. Maybe in a couple years? It depends on how my studies go.” “Which could be years and years from now, depending on what Princess Celestia has planned for you.” Mom took a sip from her bottle. “There’s more to life than studying.” “I’ve learned that much,” I insisted. “I have friends now, and I’ve helped with a local school talent show, Ponyville’s Winter Wrap-Up, and a dozen other things. I don’t just study anymore.” Mom put a hoof up to forestall me. “I understand that, and that’s all good. But you also need to understand that if you put something off ‘until later,’ sooner or later you’re going to realize you’ve waited too long.” Magetrix nodded as she sat down next to Mom again. “Want you to be happy. Friends good. But so would loving spouse. Foals someday. If you want those things.” “Those are good things to ask about.” Putting a hoof on Magetrix’s shoulder, she gave the both of us a supportive smile. “Do you want a family someday? Whatever you want is fine with us, Twilight. We would just like an idea of what’s on your mind.” I let out a long sigh and looked down at my drink. “I don’t know. Like I said, I haven’t really put much thought into it until recently. It never felt very important.  Objectively, ‘love’ is just a chemical reaction within the brain intended to create pleasure and a desire to ... procreate with a suitable mate.” “That's part of it, certainly.” Mom leaned up against her friend for support. “But love is far, far, far more than just that, and you should know that.” Magetrix gave Mom a smile. “More than chemical. Some factors insubstantial. Unquantifiable. Magical.” I let out a long sigh. “So ponies keep telling me.” I remembered more than one conversation with Cadance about the topic. Big surprise considering her special talent, but she could be very enthusiastic about the topic of love and romance and its many features. It had all sounded really nice when I had been a little filly. “Experimental data needed. Pure theory insufficient.” Magetrix sipped from her drink, looking content with Mom. “Some ponies have a lot more experience with love. Just trust them on this, Twilight.” Mom put her bottle down on the floor so that she could focus on me. “You'll understand in time. Maybe you could ask your friends about this? I’m sure some of them would be more than willing to help.” “Maybe I will.” I rubbed at the back of my neck. “I mean, it all seems a bit pointless since I’ll get an arranged marriage someday, right?” Mom leaned against the back of the couch, and I got the sense she was carefully considering her next words. “That is how things have been done on occasion, but ... well, I prefer a more organic romance, if it's possible.” I stopped from taking another drink of my bottle when I heard that. “What do you mean, Mom?” “Arranged marriages are just that—arranged.” Mom picked up her drink to take another swig. “That doesn't mean the ponies involved can't fall in love with one another by any stretch, though. If we were to arrange anything, it would be with somepony you would be fond of.” Magetrix nodded. “Always best when politics, personal desire coincide. Velvie loves you. Would want partner who makes you happy.” “I know, I know.” I rubbed at my face, not sure how we had gotten into this conversation in the first place. “You and Dad have said you wouldn't hook me up with some pony I couldn't stand.” “Never in a million years,” Mom said instantly. “Velvie wants you happy, Twilight.” Magetrix stepped over to nuzzle me. “We all do.” I nuzzled her back, feeling comfort from the touch while in the middle of an uncomfortable talk. “I never said she didn't. Just that it seems all kind of—predestined, you know?” “I understand that, a little bit.” Mom swirled her bottle around in her telekinetic grip. “You've studied under Princess Celestia for most of your life, so that sense of ... oh, what's a good word for it? ... Convergence? Yes, a sense of convergence might make things seem like they were destined to fall into place.” “Yeah, right.” I massaged the sides of my temple. “In some ways, my life feels like it's racing along, almost out of my control. It’s always felt like certain things have been expected of me, because of who I was born to, who my teachers were, my relationship with the princess, and with all my abilities... That’s a lot of weight on my shoulders, and I just keep trudging on forward, hoping for the best. That Princess Celestia has a plan and that it will all turn out for the best in the end.” “Twilight...” Magetrix placed a hoof on my shoulder. I shook my head, feeling my ears droop. “I’m probably making it sound worse than it really is. I mean I’m happy, I really am. Never been happier, I think.” Mom’s ears flattened to her head and she opened her forelegs for me. “Come here?” I made a shaky nod and stepped into her outstretched forelegs for a hug. I rested my head against her shoulder as Magetrix stepped up from behind to hug me too. I welcomed the embrace and stayed quiet as I felt comforted by the hold. “I'm always, always here for you, all right?” Mom kissed the side of my head.  “Just the same as I am for your brother.” She stroked my mane for a bit before continuing. “If things ever feel like they're getting too crazy for you to handle, just remember I'm here for you, all right?” “Will help too. Any way I can,” Magetrix added. “Thanks, that means a lot to me.” It felt like some of the stress that had been building up for the last couple of weeks was starting to roll off of me as I held onto the hug. “Sorry if I'm creating a bunch of drama. I didn't mean to.” “Fine.” Magetrix nuzzled me. “As long as we help.” I nuzzled them both. “You could say I've had a lot on my mind lately.” “Can relate.” Magetrix gave me a final squeeze before breaking the hug. “Life busy, stressful.” “Anything in particular you want to talk about?” Mom let me go but held onto my hoof, encouraging me to sit down on the couch between her and Magetrix. “We can go shopping later.” “Right.” I took a long breath to steady myself. “I do have this assignment that's been driving me a bit nuts.” Magetrix’s ears perked. “Oh? Science? Would like to help.” I made myself comfortable on the couch, knowing that this might be a long talk. “To keep it simple, I was given this assignment to study this mare, Cloud Kicker, as part of a sociology study. She's ... infuriating.” “'Infuriating'?” Mom’s eyes narrowed. “What do you mean?” “She's ... different than anypony I normally deal with.” I struggled for a couple of seconds while I thought of the best way to put it. “Cloud Kicker is very promiscuous, I guess the word would be. Sex is a big part of her life and well ... it’s not for me.” “Aaah.” Nodding, Mom leaned in to murmur to Magetrix. “Shut-in studying a looser pony, I could see that causing a bit of a conflict of personality.” “Sharp contrast, leading to complications,” Magetrix agreed crisply. “That's putting it mildly,” I grumbled. Magetrix pull out her notebook again and readied a pen to write on it. “Advances made?” “A few, yeah.” I watched as she scribbled furiously, and Mom made a contemplative frown. “Unwelcome?” Magetrix asked. “It's not exactly welcome, so probably.” I leaned against Mom for support. “I ... it's not something I've dealt with before, and it just complicates stuff.” Magetrix continued writing notes to herself. “Considered accepting?” That question caused my cheeks to burn a bit. The thought of me and Cloud Kicker... “N-no!” “Unattractive?” I took a moment to regain my composure. While the questions were somewhat embarrassing, I knew both Mom and Magetrix were just trying to help. “She's aesthetically pleasing. In that large, muscular mare type of way.” Magetrix tapped her pen against her chin. “Personality problems, beyond being more forward than accustomed to?” I shifted on the couch, trying to not disturb the two mares sharing the same confined space. “Her advances are a bit infuriating, and her teasing is a bit more than I am used to.” “Oh, one of those.” A slight grin crept onto Mom’s mouth. “Those ponies can be the most tricky to get a handle on, from personal experience.” “Quite so,” Magetrix said. “Why are advances inducing anger? No objectionable traits named beyond the making of advances.” “I don't know.” I rubbed at my forehead, feeling a headache coming on. “It's confusing. How she acts seems immature somehow.” “Maybe you're used to a more structured approach to courtship and intimacy?” Mom said in a measured tone. “Canterlot society—especially for ponies of our standing—is a bit less straightforward than ponies of a lesser societal placement.” Magetrix nodded in agreement. “More rules. Outside of Canterlot, few rules.” “Maybe,” I said, not really sounding convincing. “Cloud is very straightforward. Odd, given she grew up in Canterlot too.” Magetrix crossed her forelegs in a contemplative gesture. “Might be why she isn't in Canterlot now. Not all Canterlot ponies perfect fit for Canterlot society.” “Possible.” I shook my head. “I'm not sure yet. She's not exactly the definition of a Canterlot lady. She's ... lively—if you will.” I let out a long breath. “At least she's stopped making advances, for right now anyways.” “That’s good,” Mom said. “At least she knows her boundaries.” Magetrix nodded. “Respect important. If behavior wrong, tell her. ” “Still, I’m not exactly having fun with this project.” Closing my eyes, weariness started falling on my shoulders. “I’ve had tough assignments in the past, but this one is more stressful for whatever reason.” “Then maybe you should finish it quickly and be done with it?” Mom wrapped a leg around my head and rested the side of her brow against mine. “I'd say it's time for you to present your findings to whomever gave it to you and avoid further field work. If she’s causing you this much stress, then maybe you should try and avoid her in the future. This can’t possibly be worth the trouble it’s giving you.” “Finish assignment, move on to other things,” Magetrix agreed. “Assuming you or Princess Celestia don’t have something planned next, you could always work with Maggie on something.” Mom grinned and poked me playfully in the ribs. “You would like that, wouldn’t you?” I jerked from my mom’s hold to look at her. “But then I might not get a perfect score on my assignment!” I protested. “I mean, I would like to work with my old tutor someday, but I can’t just give up on something like this.” “What aspects uncompleted?” Magetrix scribbled onto her notebook some more. “Make a list of things to complete. Do them, cross them off, move on quickly.” “Well, I don't know everything about her.” I tried to take another sip of my apple juice, but found it to be empty. I sighed and threw it into a nearly full trashcan. “There's still big holes about her background I have, reasons why she did certain important things, just this and that.” Magetrix wrote down a couple more items on her list. “Said she was from Canterlot, yes? Can find answers here.” Mom nodded in agreement. “Surely secondary research can fill those gaps?” “Maybe.” I stroked my chin, thinking the possibility over. “She does have relatives here in Canterlot, now that I think about it.” Mom smiled as she gave me an encouraging pat to the shoulder. “Talk to them, then, if you can. If they don't want to answer your questions, I'm certain whoever gave you this assignment will understand when you write up your final report. You can hardly be blamed for something that happens that’s out of your control.” Magetrix added another item to the list. “Could make inquiries at clan compound, learn which family members available.” “I hope so.” Though I had doubts about pulling some kind of fast one on Princess Luna. Still, if I could do my honest best with what I had been given to work with... “It would be nice to finish it up, and not have to think about it. So I'll go ahead and do that, then. Then I can finish this up, and not have to deal with Cloud Kicker anymore.” “Do it, then.” Mom hugged me again and kissed me on the forehead. “I hate it when your projects leave you frazzled.” “Frazzling, risk of science,” Magetrix said, nodding. “Frazzled is the right word for it.” I smiled at the both of them. “Thanks for the advice, Mom, Magetrix.” “Anytime. Here to help,” Magetrix said. “Maybe I'll be able to get my mind clear once I have that off my plate.” Then maybe I could move onto something I actually enjoyed, and I could put some of this relationship stuff behind me. “There you go. And until then—after then, before then—in the meantime...” Mom gave me a maternal squeeze. “Don't ever hesitate to come to me if something's bothering you, alright?” “Alright, I won’t.”