//------------------------------//
// 10: Friendship Reports from Earth 
// Story: An Equestrian Princess in New York 
// by Tallinu 
//------------------------------//

	I’d just found out that Twilight had not only used more magic on me without even the courtesy of informing me after the fact, but had also preferred to lie about it than admit it to me. Twilight was not a good liar.
No matter how harmless any particular instance was, I really didn’t want her to think she could just do whatever she pleased to me without my knowledge, much less permission. Unless circumstances precluded any possibility of discussion beforehand, like saving me from a runaway truck. To be fair, I trusted her abilities and her good intentions. It was her judgement I had concerns about.
But the lie was what really lit my fuse. It was a shock, and I was angry — and, though I hated to admit it, a little scared. I wasn’t showing it openly like she was though. Maybe she was right about needing to turn down the sensitivity on the translation spell, or maybe she just realized how stupid a blunder she’d made a moment ago. She quickly disabused me of that hope.
“I’m sorry! I should have asked. I just… didn’t want you to be afraid again, or too embarrassed because of your taboos. I thought you’d refuse and then I couldn’t have done nearly as well with the transformation and it would’ve taken longer and you were so worried that we didn’t have time…” She had to pause for breath, and I turned and gently put my hand on her arm. I’m not sure if she flinched, or if it was just my imagination.
“Stop. I appreciate that, but you’re losing sight of a larger issue.” I drew a few slow, deep breaths while taking advantage of the translation spell’s mindlink to continue privately.
The magic isn’t the big problem. That first time, I was trapped, confused, and afraid I might have made a horrible mistake. You proved me wrong, and I’m over it. You’ve used plenty of magic on me, from this translator to teleportation and illusions… I hardly think a bit of magic x-ray vision is worth being upset about at this point, especially since you had a perfectly good reason. We both agreed that you needed a disguise, and I was willing to help with that. You were working under pressure in an unfamiliar environment and needed all the help you could get.
Yeah, I would’ve been embarrassed probably, but I’d still have let you go ahead, for all the reasons I just mentioned. I know you don’t really understand the nudity taboo, but you should still respect it and get permission. And it’s not an inflexible rule. Doctors see us naked, you’ve seen how skimpy swimwear can be, and there are even people who prefer to go without clothes whenever possible. I do understand your reason for not asking, but in the future, if you’re going to use magic on me I want you to ask first, or if that’s impossible, then tell me as soon as you can afterward. If you’ll promise me that, then you can consider that part forgiven.
My expression hardened. But here’s what I’m really upset about. I’m putting a lot at risk here to help you. My savings, my job, who knows, maybe my life — even my sister’s family could get in trouble, especially if we stay there. If I’m going to keep doing that, I need to know I can trust you. If you’re this willing to start lying to me, just because you think I might not like the truth… how can I know that you’re being honest about really important stuff? And can you be certain you’ll know what really is important and what isn’t, here on an alien world? A ‘white lie’ about something you think doesn’t matter might just get us into huge trouble!
Twilight’s glamoured brown eyes, wide with fresh understanding, fell to the sidewalk under the weight of enough regret to dampen even Pinkie Pie’s cheer. Her reply was contrite and punctuated with slow nods. “I’m sorry, Casey, you’re absolutely correct. I should have known better. It won’t happen again, I promise.”
I considered her for a moment and then let my tension dissipate with a sigh, rubbing her arm (fuzzy, despite the appearance of cloth and skin) in what I hoped was a reassuring manner. “Alright… I’ll accept that. I know you meant well, but… we have a saying here: ‘The road to hell is paved with good intentions.’ Anyway, let’s get going. — Come on, chin up, you look like a whipped puppy.”
I faced forward to resume our trip, slipping my arm around her back to comfort her. I made sure to keep it above her hips, just for my own peace of mind.
Twilight looked up at me in confusion. Actually, it only seemed like she was looking ‘up’ because of how she was slouching just then. It made her just a few hairs shorter than me.
“You use such disturbing expressions sometimes, and so casually,” she stated after a brief interlude.
“Hah. Yeah, sorry, our languages can be a bit… strange like that. I hope it doesn’t bother you too much.”
“It’s just strange, as you say. Cultural differences, I suppose.” She seemed to be putting the argument behind her, not dwelling on it or letting it keep dragging her mood down, and I took a deep, relieved breath.
“Well, so far you don’t seem to be taking the culture shock too hard. But I suppose I should really wait to say that until you’ve been here longer than half a day.” I grinned at her. “Hey, at least you’ve already got your first friendship report from another world.”
Bemused, she pondered that, trying to puzzle out my meaning. Then she laughed. “Oh, right! The morals from the animated stories.”
“Dear Princess Celestia…” I intoned, ignoring a raised eyebrow from a passing woman.
Twilight surprised me by continuing in the same playful manner. “Today I learned that what might seem like a little white lie to you might be something far different to a friend, especially a new friend whose trust you’ve not yet earned. No matter what world you’re in, honesty really is the best policy, even when it leads to uncomfortable moments. Working through them together can bring you closer and build a stronger foundation for that trust. Your faithful student, Twilight Sparkle.”
I narrowed my eyes suspiciously at Twilight, and her grin faltered.
“What? Did I mess it up?”
“Nnnnno…” I responded slowly. “That was perfect. Are you pulling my leg?”
The disguised alicorn shook her head. “Pulling your… Oh, you don’t have tails. Why would you think I’m joking?”
“You’ve never done those before, and you’re telling me you came up with all of that on the spot?”
“Written ‘friendship reports’ to the Princess?” She chuckled and shook her head again. “Not like that, no. But I hate to waste good ink and paper, so I have become proficient at planning out and organizing what I want to write. Sunny and I are very close, and we correspond frequently even when we can’t speak face to face. And of course, I do have friends, with whom I sometimes experience disagreements or other problems. Just talking about them often helps, and if I need more than that, she’s a very good source of advice, to the point that Mother sometimes gets jealous.”
She glanced at me and smirked. “Also, you did show me all those animated stories and memories earlier, and the format was not difficult to replicate.” I laughed. She chuckled with me and then continued.
“I generally address her by name in personal correspondence, though. ‘Her Royal Majesty Sunny Skies, Princess Celestial Reach, Lady of the Eternal Sun, Champion of Harmony, yadda yadda yadda’ would get very tiresome, especially since it would mean I’d have to sign with my own full title as well!”
“What would yours be?”
She sighed. “‘Her Royal Highness Twilight Sparkle, Princess Everfree’ is pretty much all there is to it at the moment, although I can tack on my degrees and such if I actually want to sound more pretentious or think it might have a chance of making someone realize I know what I’m talking about.”
“I’m glad they’re only required for official documents. And that she was able to get everyone to just call her ‘Princess Celestia’ most of the time.”
“Okay, I’m getting a little confused. You’ve called her several different things now. Princess Celestia, Princess Celestial Reach, and... did you say Sunny Skies?”
She gave me an odd look. “That’s right. Did they get some of that wrong?”
“I’ve only seen ‘Sunny Skies’ used in a handful of fanfictions, as an alias while she was disguised as a regular pony…”
“Curious. So what name does the show give her, then?”
“Celestia.”
Twilight waited for more, and when I shrugged, she arched an eyebrow at me, looking a bit disgruntled. “Her Royal Majesty Celestia, Princess Celestia?” It did sound rather awkward when she said it like that. “Your world’s usage of such titles must be somewhat different than ours to make a mistake like that.”
“Well, feudal systems of government and land rights and noble titles are mostly a thing you read about in history books, here. There are a handful of countries where remnants of them can still be found, but this one never had any of that. It’s also possible the writers were trying to keep things simple for the young audience…”
“Hmph. I suppose that makes sense.”
I couldn’t help grinning at her, and she gave me an annoyed glance.
“What?”
“You’re just — you seem so protective of her.”
Twilight blushed slightly. “Well, I guess it’s a bit silly to complain about how she’s portrayed by people who think they invented her as a character in a story. But she’s my friend! I can’t help it.”
“I get the impression ‘friend’ isn’t even the half of it, if your mother is jealous of your relationship.”
“Okay, that part may have been a slight exaggeration for dramatic effect.”
“But am I wrong?”
Her gaze locked onto mine, and she spoke quietly, passionately. “She’s my mentor, the wisest person I know, one of the two best leaders Equestria has ever had, and I love her like I love my own family. I’d do absolutely anything for her.”
It seemed like I could see Twilight’s heart laid bare before me, like her eyes really were windows into her soul. I felt like I was seeing something private and personal, something I shouldn’t see, like I’d opened a diary and read something embarrassing by mistake. Then I remembered the spell — it was two-way, after all — and I wondered just how much more than words it could convey, wondered if I really had ‘seen’ into her heart, and wondered if she’d meant for it to happen or just got carried away.
All that wondering left plenty of time for an awkward silence to develop, except somehow it didn’t. Instead she gave me a gentle smile, and finally added, “Does that answer your question?”
Whatever had occurred just then had been no mistake, and my throat wouldn’t work until I cleared it. “Yeah. Yes, it does.” I tore my eyes from her and made myself look where I was walking, so I could… you know, get back to walking. And I pounced upon the first bit of conversation I could come up with. “So, you… didn’t mention her name until now. Was there a reason for that?”
“Well, before, I was just… giving you a general overview, you know? I wasn’t talking about my personal relationship with her.”
“That makes sense. Um, how about Princess Luna? Are you friends too?”
“Oh, yes! Not to the same extent as Sunny, but I have a lot of respect for her, she’s always been willing to help me with my magic studies and history, and we share a number of interests, like astronomy. Plus I know it’s hard for the Princesses to make real friends, so I’ve tried to be there for them as much as I can. I know it’s not much, especially with so much of my time spent in Ponyville in recent years, but… Moonshine can seem harder to approach, especially since she likes to use an older dialect. I think it’s because of how she’s lived through so much. Maybe she feels like it helps keep all those memories from slipping away.”
I almost choked, trying not to laugh at the name when she said it. Applejack was one thing, but a princess who also shared a name with an alcoholic beverage seemed almost scandalous.
“So her name is Moonshine?”
“Her Royal Majesty Moonshine, Princess Crescent Lake, Lady of the Eternal Night, Champion of Harmony, etcetera…”
That was another surprise. Two of them, in fact, although I could see how a title like ‘Lady of the Eternal Night’ made sense if you didn’t twist it like the cartoon and its fans had. Half the planet would always be in darkness, after all, save for the stars and moon.
“Princess Crescent Lake?”
“Officially, yes. Crescent Lake is a small lumber and mining town. It’s on the opposite shore of a long lake tucked up against the east slope of the Celestial Reaches, in a valley between them and some hills farther east, all of it covered with great forests. The locals call the lake itself Lake Luna, after its shape — and the way the moon seems to perch atop the tallest peak before setting at certain times of year. Its reflection in the lake makes it look like it’s sinking into the calm water. It’s a beautiful place. And she likes ‘Luna’ a lot better than ‘Crescent’. It’s more musical.”
“So Celestia gets a whole mountain range, and Luna just gets a lake… and a title that fits her name better?”
Twilight seemed to be on the verge of pouting at me. “And the lands surrounding the lake. It’s not a small valley. Just remember, all of Equestria answers to them, not just those two territories. Beyond the hills and mountains in every direction are a large number of territories held by various dukes, barons, and so on. Some of the land on the west side of the Celestial Reaches belongs to Celestia as well, including a certain small town near the Everfree border.”
“Ponyville, right?”
“Except it’s called Ponyville, not Ponyville.”
I blinked at her a few times. “As far as I can tell, you just said ‘Ponyville’ twice.”
She grimaced. “Oh. Well, that’s… great. Splendid. Wonderful! No matter how I say it, I end up the ambassador from talking animal town.”
“Whoa, don’t get upset! It’s just a translation glitch. You know I don’t think of you like that, right?”
She rolled her eyes. “I know, I know. It’s just irritating — it’s working so well, and then it fails so spectacularly on a place that’s so important to me…”
“Well, what does the name mean to you? Maybe a definition would help, or knowing about the background, the etymology of it…?”
Twilight’s expression turned thoughtful. It was a puzzle now, a challenge, and she was looking for a solution instead of griping about the existence of the problem. She started talking, and after definitions proved unhelpful, she quickly got into the town’s background. The generation of earth ponies who founded the town, the Apple family among the first to till the land and plant their crops and orchards. The hard work, the sweat, the blood, and the tears that came with living somewhere that could hardly even be called a town yet, just a series of homesteads. The ponies who came after, whether to join their kin, to escape them, or simply looking for a quiet, simple life away from Canterlot’s politics or the crowds in other big cities. The first local weather team, paid for by the farmers themselves, not some subsidy from the crown. The tradition of Winter Wrap-up, with the farmers carefully clearing leftover snow from fallow fields while the pegasi worked with their planting schedules to help ensure the spring rainwater went where it was most needed, when it was needed. And even as unicorns moved in or were born among the gradually mixing population, the traditions held, and nobody could find fault with the pride those founding families took in their town’s success.
“It’s not Ponyville…” I finally said. “It’s Earth-Pony-ville.”
“Yes! That’s it! Except that you don’t need both words, we generally leave the first part off because they always go together, and when you see the second it’s just assumed… and for you there’s no such inherent association. Of course.” She facepalmed, her bag swinging from her elbow, and I chuckled.
“Were you shortening it while talking about earth ponies? Because I was hearing both parts.”
“I was. Yes, that explains the problem. I should’ve guessed when you weren’t dropping ‘soil’ from the name, despite using the short forms for unicorn and pegasus, but I assumed it was just the translator being thorough.”
“Soil? Not earth?”
She gave me a confused frown. “Be careful not to call someone a dirt person…”
“Let me guess. Old insult a pegasus or unicorn might use? I think we’re starting to figure out some of your translator’s limitations.”
Twilight nodded. “Too close to one, at least. You’re right. Taking words on their own when they have a lot of variations or different meanings, and then trying to put them together without context, would be a good way to confuse it. But it’s fascinating to see that in action!” She had clearly leapt back into eager sholar mode. “It’s hard to find a language this different from ours back home. Even the griffins have experienced some degree of cultural cross-pollination, to say nothing of the zebras, although the more isolationist tribes have always tried to keep their languages uncontaminated. But here, there are dozens of new languages that have never been influenced by Equestrian culture! I can’t wait for a good chance to study them and start making comparisons…”
Chuckling, I shook my head. “I have to keep reminding myself that you’re not the same,” not the cartoon character I’m familiar with, “but the way you act, some of the things you say and do, make it hard to remember that.”
She laughed and leaned against me as we walked, giving my waist a light squeeze. “That’s pretty impressive, actually, when you get past how creep—” She stumbled badly, letting out a startled cry. I reflexively tightened my arm around her as she did the same. She managed to avoid falling and quickly regained her balance.
“Whoah… You okay?” Despite the save, I started to wonder if I shouldn’t have had my arm around her. Maybe I’d thrown off her stride or distracted her. On the other hand, it fit our ‘tourist couple’ disguise, and I’d seen no sign that she was uncomfortable with it. She’d initiated a lot more physical contact than I had, too.
Twilight nodded and shot me a relieved smile. “Thanks for catching me.” My hooves are a lot closer together than usual. It’s surprisingly easy to trip myself if I’m not careful.
That put my doubts to rest. “I’m glad I’m not expected to learn to walk in high heels,” I muttered with a smirk. “I’d probably break something, falling all over the place. The subway station is just around the next corner. Hopefully we won’t have to stand in the car, it should be far enough past the evening rush. But either way, we’ll have a break from walking. Hmm, I should probably make sure the stores I’m thinking of will still be open…”
“How will you do that?”
“Look it up on my phone while we wait.”
“That really is a useful gadget.”
I patted my laptop tote bag under my arm. “They can do practically anything their larger cousins can do, if you can work it into the small, clumsy interface.”
“Really? Your computer and phone are that similar?”
“It’s just a matter of scale. The size of the package limits the complexity of the hardware, not to mention things like battery life. But every year we’ve managed to pack more into less. A few decades ago, a machine the size of a room couldn’t do what I can carry in my pocket today.”
“Hmm. I wonder how small we could make a crystal array… Perhaps if energy was supplied externally…”
“What’s a crystal array?”
“They’re used for storing permanent spells or groups of them, especially spells of greater complexity, and for making ‘enchanted’ objects. Though, technically, any imbued crystal qualifies as enchanted.” Seeing my curious look, she grinned and expanded on her summary.
“Certain crystalline structures are very good at storing intricate patterns of magic or large amounts of energy. Some high quality gems are prized for their ability to do both, though if you just need one or the other, there are better, and less expensive, choices. The range of applications is practically limitless. Energy requirements and safe dissipation of entropy are the main limiting factors, although the resilience of the crystals used is another important factor. Try to push too much energy through a flawed or weaker type of crystal and it can crack or shatter.” In a more subdued tone she added, “Sometimes rather violently.”
I noted a fleeting grimace, and made a guess as to the reason. “You’ve had that happen?”
Twilight sighed. “Way too many times. And not just when I was younger and my control wasn’t as good. Some of my recent work has involved power ranges that most unicorns simply can’t achieve, which is one reason there’s so much left to explore there. It comes with the territory, I suppose. You can’t advance knowledge in meaningful ways if you’re unwilling to accept the slightest amount of risk.”
“Hey, even life is never free of risk!” I put in, and she nodded enthusiastically.
“Exactly! And it would be so boring if it was. ‘The risk-free path leads only to stagnation.’”
“Well, there’s an old Chinese curse: ‘May you live in interesting times.’ I guess some people just prefer boring lives.”
We shared a laugh as I motioned toward the stairs leading down into the subway station. I was glad that I had kept my arm around her during our walk, and it wasn’t just because I was enjoying her company so much. I swear no romantic notions were involved. I just didn’t want her tumbling all the way down the steps if she tripped again. I made sure she was next to a handrail, too, just in case she needed to grab for it, but the descent was uneventful.