//------------------------------//
// Chapter 4: Truth and Circumstances 
// Story: Daughter of Magic 
// by Moon Glow 
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The sunlight was what brought Aurora back to consciousness. A comfortable bed and sunlight waking her. Perhaps what had happened to her and her mother was but a nightmare. Soon, she would wake up, perform her morning routine, and join her mother for breakfast. Just the beginning of another normal day.

That was…until she opened her eyes.

The first place she saw was not her room. It was a beautiful pale blue room with a circling wall ending at the door. The floor was white and blue checked and, as she sat up, saw beautiful furnishings unfamiliar to her. She also found that she was in a large canopy bed with the foot facing one of the windows.

Aurora started to slide out of bed in the hopes of seeing out of said windows when she noticed something was off. The stone floor she was expecting to sense beneath her feet wasn't cold. In fact, she couldn't feel anything. Looking down, she quickly covered her mouth with her hands to cushion a scream.

Instead of human feet, she had horse's hooves.

The girl's eyes followed the hooves up to her legs, which were covered in lilac fur, and found that the horse's half only ended just below her navel under her nightshirt. With one hand, she tossed the blankets off to the side to uncover the rest of her. Lilac with a tail that matched her hair. Out of instinct, she placed her hands to the top of her head and was relieved to find that she didn't have horse's ears too. But she did touched her ears to be sure and what she felt made her look at a nearby vanity's mirror. Removing her hands, she found that hidden within her hair were her ears, but they were pointed and elfish.

Not moving from her spot, Aurora managed to choke out her words.

"W-what happened? What's happened to me?!"

She found that she had said the last sentence a little loud for a knock on the bedroom door caught her attention.

"Ya alright, sugar cube?"

Aurora immediately recognized the voice and a heavy feeling came from the pit of her stomach.

"M…Miss Applejack?"

Hearing the name, the door to her room opened and what was standing at the other side shocked Aurora. Instead of the woman she met the other day, it was a pony maybe about a few inches shorter than her. She was an orangish color with freckles. Her golden mane was hanging over one side and tied at the end as was the tail. On the pony's head was a familiar hat.

The pony's emerald eyes gave off a soft, kindly feeling that was beginning to make Aurora feel a little better as she spoke.

"I know what yer thinkin'. 'Why is der a pony in my room and why is she talkin'?'"

Aurora gave a slow nod, carefully absorbing the situation. She then looked down.

"And…my legs?"

Applejack took in a deep breath as she approached Aurora. It was no wonder Twilight said telling Aurora the truth was the toughest job she has to face as a parent.

"You might wanna get back on the bed, sugar cube. I've got a few things to say. Things yer mother was going to tell you."

Aurora's eyes widened not at this sudden information, but upon remembering what had happened to her mother.

"M…my mom?"

The pits in both pony and child's stomachs got heavier in the silence until Applejack spoke.

"I'm sorry, Aurora. But we couldn't find yer mother anywhere. Whatever it was that attacked you…it got away with her."

Grasping realization was worn on Aurora's face as she slid back onto her bed.

Her mother…was gone?

Quick to change the mood, Applejack spoke.

"But don't worry. Princess Celestia's got her guards looking every inch of Equestria for her. We'll find her. So don't go thinkin' otherwise."

But thinking otherwise was all Aurora could do. This was a situation she was dreading for nearly a year. She had already lost her father, she didn't want to lose her mother, too.

She felt a hoof on her shoulder, Applejack's no doubt, as Aurora herself managed to softly ask a different question.

"But…why…am I a…a centaur?"

Applejack raised an eyebrow at the word.

"Centaur?"

This only made things worse for Aurora.

Softly again, she spoke.

"A…a creature…that's half-human…half-horse… A creature of…myth."

She then turned her head to Applejack, whose face was back to concern.

"Why am I a centaur? Is it because of…of my mom?"

Applejack frowned sadly.

"You were able to see yer mother before she got caught…right?"

Aurora nodded as the farmpony continued.

"You see, sugar cube. The reason for why you look like a creature of myth and yer mother looked funny was because…well…"

Applejack had to force the words out of her mouth in order to get them said. It had to be done. For Aurora's sake.

"...yer mother…was never human."

She paused for a moment before she continued, letting her words sink into the child's mind.

"Yer mother was born a unicorn."

Slowly, the information wrapped itself around Aurora's mind as the words echoed in her psyche.

Her mother was a unicorn?

"And she was born here. In Equestria. In this here town, to be exact."

Still grasping the former information, Aurora managed to speak.

"E…questria?"

Before Applejack could speak, Aurora interrupted her.

"So…my mom's stories…they were true?"

Now it was Applejack's turn to be confused.

"Stories?"

Slowly nodding, Aurora answered her.

"Wh-when I was little, Mom would tell me bedtime stories of a magical kingdom of ponies called 'Equestria.' She told me those stories like she was there. But…I thought that's what they were. Stories."

She then looked out to the window, the sun still gleaming brightly. Then, she struggled to get off the bed. She was able to stand, but when she tried walk, she nearly fell weren't for Applejack catching her.

"Easy there, sugar cube. Ya ain't used to these legs yet."

She then helped Aurora make her way to the window, seeing the longing look in her eyes. She then proceeded to guide the child to the window.

"Start with the side you normally start with. Back hoof first, front hoof second. Same with the other side."

Following Applejack's instruction, Aurora tried walking again, this time slowly. She was still new to this way of walking, but at least she was getting somewhere.

With Applejack's help and instruction, Aurora was finally able to cross the room and look out window without the suns glare. What she saw furthered surprised her. She found that her room wasn't part of a house, but a tower in a beautiful-looking castle. At least, from her angle. Below the castle was a town that seemed to fit in with the setting: ponies of different sizes, colors, age, and gender walked the streets below. She had to squint her eyes to see that there were not only normal ponies, but unicorns and pegasi, too.

And beyond the town was a wide world that was both beautiful and unfamiliar to her. And that somewhere out there…was her mother.

Leading Aurora back to the bed, Applejack proceeded her lecture.

"This is the world yer mother was born, Aurora. And whether or not you accept it, yer a part of this world too. You just need to discover what you never knew."

As she propped herself on her bed, Aurora spoke.

"Then…can you tell me why my mom never told me any of this herself?"

Applejack agreed to the child's request as she sat on a chair she brought over from the other side of the room.

"Yer mother was tellin' me an' Fluttershy the same answer the other day. She wanted to wait until you were both ready. She wanted ya to have a normal upbringin' first before telling you. Yer father wanted you to know sooner, but yer mother felt neither you nor her were ready."

"So my dad…knew?" asked Aurora.

Applejack nodded.

"He did, sugar cube. And despite that, he still loved yer mother dearly from the way Twilight told me."

Another word came to Aurora's attention as she continued to ask question after question.

"How do you know my mom's nickname? I thought me and my dad were the only ones who knew Mom's nickname was 'Twilight'."

Applejack knew this and answered.

"Actually, Twyla is yer mother's nickname. Her real name is Twilight Sparkle."

Applejack then proceeded tell Aurora nearly everything she knew about Twilight, the child listening intently.

There was one part she left out, though. And that was the fights between Twilight and her friends while preparing for a wedding between a fake Princess Cadence and Shining Armor.

It was probably best if she didn't know the nastier facts that lead up to the climax.

"…yer mother found Princess Cadence suspicious and went to investigate. She discovered that the princess her brother, yer uncle, was about to marry was a fake and was able to send the real Cadence to us. But then she disappeared. We figured something' happened that sent yer mother to go through the gate forcefully and end up in the world where you were born. She met yer father immediately after she arrived."

Once she was finished, she found Aurora completely mesmerized by the tale. Over the course of the story, Aurora gave hard looks at Applejack's eyes, searching for anything that could tell that she was lying.

Being the Element of Honesty, Applejack's eyes were giving nothing but truth.

Aurora did not know whether to be amazed or terrified. On one hand, she found that the truth about her mother was really cool and she wanted to know more about her and Equestria. Yet, there was a strong fear growing inside her. A fear that would try many times to consume her. She then proceeded to ask another question.

"What am I gonna do now?"

Applejack knew this was coming. She would be wondering the same thing if she found herself all alone in a strange world with nopony familiar to her. She was lucky that she had her Granny Smith as well as her older brother and younger sister to help take the feeling away. Aurora, however, wasn't as lucky. But experience prompted Applejack to take charge in helping her.

"Well, sugar cube, I've been talkin' about it with the princesses and my friends and we believe the best thing for you is to stay in Equestria. Nopony knows when we will find yer mother, and the gate is only open for three days every twelve years. I know you don't want to, but we can't just leave ya all alone back in yer birth-world. My friends and I are willin' to help you."

Aurora brought her front legs to her face as she asked, "But how?"

Applejack explained the plan.

"Well, my family and I can take you in at our apple orchard, Sweet Apple Acres, in Ponyville. We'll gladly give you a home until ya feel better. Rainbow Dash will help you learn how to use yer new legs, and Rarity will make you new clothes. Fluttershy and I are right here if you want help and Spike can help you learn anythin' you want Equestria-related. He can even tell you more about yer mother. You can even ask Princess Celestia and Princess Luna about her."

"And…what about when I've gotten used to this place?" Aurora asked.

"Then you get to go and live with yer Aunt Cadence and Uncle Shinin' Armor in the neighboring Crystal Empire. We're afraid that whatever took yer mother might come after you next and since the princesses' guards will be stretched so thin to find her, it would be safer for you to stay in the Crystal Empire with yer kin."

A growl from Aurora's stomach interrupted Applejack, causing her to give a slight giggle.

"I'll go and get ya somethin' to eat and have Rarity help clean ya up. We can talk more after you got a full belly."

Aurora gave a nod before Applejack left.

It was about ten minutes before the door opened again, the gap giving Aurora additional time to process what she had just learned.

From the way things sounded, she could return home and await being sent to an orphanage, never seeing her mother again, or she could relocate to Equestria and perhaps help find her mother. But she would have to deal with being the only half-pony there. Weighing both options, she found that there was no way she could escape loneliness.

There was only one beneficial option for her.

When the door opened, Aurora snapped out of her thoughts just as she was on the verge of crying as a whitish-grey unicorn with a curled violet mane and tail entered her room. On her flank was a mark with three diamonds on it. Her sapphire eyes coupled with her smile sent a warmth at Aurora.

And it turned out that she wasn't alone. Flying next to her was a cyan-colored Pegasus with a rainbow-colored mane and tail. On her flank was a mark that looked like a storm cloud with a rainbow-colored lightning bolt from it. Her magenta eyes focused on her.

The unicorn was the first to speak.

"Aurora?"

Aurora nodded at the unicorn.

"I am Rarity. And the Pegasus next to me is Rainbow Dash. We're friends of your mother."

Aurora remained silent as the cyan Pegasus flew towards her.

"Alright, kid. The first order of business is to get you to the washroom."

Rainbow then held out her hooves so Aurora could use her as support.

"Ok. Applejack said she already got you started. Let's continue that pattern from there."

Aurora nodded and took the Pegasus' hooves and used her like a walker, practicing the pattern as they moved.

As they made their way out of the room and down the corridors, Aurora couldn't help but notice the beauty of the castle's interior as well. A part of her kept saying that she's still dreaming, but the rest of her senses told her otherwise.

Once they were halfway down the corridor, Rainbow spoke.

"Ok. Wanna try it on your own?"

The very thought made Aurora nervous, but she knew she had to pass the task of walking before she could continue. She just had to try. Giving a nervous nod, Aurora released her grip and spread out her arms to balance herself. Rainbow hovered close while Rarity watched nearby.

Remembering the pattern, Aurora took her first steps as a quadruped. She only got to five paces before she collapse, prompting Rainbow to catch her. With a knowing smile, she helped the half-pony up.

"Not bad for your first try. We'll just keep practicing."

The trio then continued down the corridor until they reached a lavish washroom unlike anything Aurora had ever seen. It was practically the size of her school's gym and just as pretty as the rest of the castle.

Rarity took on the task of helping Aurora getting herself cleaned up, which the unicorn did not need to do much. This was something Aurora was familiar with, with the addition of using shampoo and conditioner on her tail as well. This left Rarity to work on the shirt she made for Aurora. It wasn't fancy like her normal designs as Applejack advised her not to overdo it. It was a plain turquoise blouse with silver trimming. At the bodice was a small plum bow with a pink diamond in the center.

Hey, she said she would lay off. She didn't say anything about making an outfit appropriate for the location.

After Aurora was finished with her bath and dried off, Rarity then took to styling the child's hair and tail, much to Aurora's confusion until she decided to ask a question.

"Um…Miss Rarity?"

Rarity looked at the child's reflection as she used her magic to brush Aurora's thick hair.

"Yes, dearie?"

"Why am I getting dressed up like this? I'd be more than happy to wear something plain and left my hair alone."

Rarity was in shock for a few seconds before she remembered what Applejack told her.

"Oh. I guess Applejack hasn't said anything to you yet."

This alerted Aurora and her anxiety deepened.

"What?"

Rarity's eyes expressed concern towards the girl as she told Aurora what Applejack had yet to tell her herself.

"Well… Princess Celestia wants to meet you after breakfast."

If she had a beverage, Aurora would've immediately done a spit-take as she swallowed a gasp as she looked to Rarity's reflection.

"P…Princess Celestia…wants to see…*gulp*…me?"

The unicorn immediately took notice of Aurora shaking in anxiety as she placed a hoof on her shoulder, hoping to calm her.

"Well…yes. But you don't have to worry, dear. Princess Celestia is very nice and she was your mother's teacher. I bet she'll be very happy to meet you."

"But I don't know what to do! I mean, what if I accidentally insult by bowing the wrong way? What if my appearance grosses her out? What if…"

Rarity had to place her hoof over Aurora's mouth to get her to stop panicking.

"Easy, dear. I'm certain you don't have to worry. From the sound of it, your parents did a fine job at teaching you good manners. And this won't be the first time the princess saw you, either."

Aurora then cast a confused glance at Rarity's reflection as the unicorn got to work on making a waterfall braid on both hair and tail. "What do you mean by that?" Rarity answered her, not taking her eyes of Aurora's hair.

"It was Applejack, Fluttershy, and Princess Celestia who found you unconscious near the Gate. You were also visited by Princess Luna while you were in bed."

Despite the information clearly not easing the child, Rarity couldn't help but laugh inwardly as she saw Aurora's look.

"She is just like her mother when she worries."

After the unicorn was finished, Aurora was ready to go physically. But mentally, she was in a state of unrest. So much was happening and it wasn't even breakfast yet.

The fact that she was meeting the Sun Princess from her mother's stories was the icing on the multi-layered cake.

She had no idea how to act when meeting royalty. Heck, she never even met the officials of her island town. The closest she got was the local policemen who visited the school every year for safety checks and that was it.

She soon snapped out of her thoughts as Rainbow Dash returned to help the groomed Aurora to the kitchen. Unfortunately, the next hurtle were stairs. Seeing the winding staircase and couple going down said stairs with her new legs gave Aurora a nauseating feeling, freezing her in her tracks.

Rainbow noticed this and ceased the training.

"You ok?"

Aurora placed a hand over her eyes to keep herself from fainting from vertigo.

"Sorry. Stairs."

Rarity noticed and motioned Rainbow to speak with her privately.

"And how exactly are we going to get Aurora down? One misstep and it could prove disastrous."

As Rainbow and Rarity talked amongst themselves, Aurora looked around for any other pony before she could put her idea to the test. After careful positioning, and making sure no one else saw her, Aurora slid down the banister until she was at the bottom, gaining the attention of both the unicorn and Pegasus.

"Sometimes it's a good idea to practice sliding down the railing." Waved Aurora.

Rainbow approved while Rarity made notes to continue Aurora's instructions so she wouldn't need to do something so unladylike.

Without another word, the trio continued onward to the kitchen.



Meanwhile, with Twilight…

Twilight awoke in the same place she succumbed to sleep. A dark, dank cell. She looked at her right hind leg and saw the shackle that kept her imprisoned, the glowing symbols on it keeping her from using her magic. It was daylight according to her window, but it still felt like Celestia's sunlight was a million miles away from her.

She then went on to remembering why she was brought to this place. The…monster…that took her. He wanted her to use her magic against Equestria. How he would've accomplished it, Twilight had yet to find out. But what she did know was that something happened in the caves that severely weakened him. Twilight's instincts immediately told her who was responsible for the delay.

Aurora.

Even though she was concealed in the sludge, she felt the warmth of a strange power emanating from where her daughter was. Even though she wished she could have seen it for herself, Twilight knew what that power was.

It was Aurora's awakening magic.

The very thought of Aurora inheriting her magical abilities thrilled and frightened Twilight. While she was proud that her daughter did have the makings of being able to perform magic, there was the threat of uncontrolled outbursts.

Aurora was brought up with no training in magic whatsoever. This would mean that if used, her magic may become extremely difficult to control. Amplify that with the challenges the girl will have ahead of her and you've got a ticking time-bomb of magic set to go off. In the end, there was one thing that Twilight could do until she can escape.

She had to pray.


I pray you'll be my eyes

And watch her where she goes

And help her to be wise

Help me to let go

Every mother's prayer

Every child knows

Lead her to a place

Guide her with your grace

To a place where she'll be safe

I pray she finds your light

And holds it in her heart.

As darkness falls each night

Remind her where you are

Every mother's prayer

Every child knows

Need to find a place

Guide her to a place

Give her faith so she'll be safe

Lead her to a place

Guide her with your grace

To a place where she'll be safe


As she prayed, Twilight could have sworn she could feel her late husband comforting her. But when she opened her eyes, she found nothing, yet the feeling still lingered. And she had no qualms about it. In fact, she welcomed it. 

It was then that Twilight finally allowed her tears to fall.

She wanted to get out of here and hold her daughter in her arms. Well, forelegs now. She wanted to go home, whether it was on the islands or in Equestria and just forget about this nightmare. How she wished her beloved was still alive, then at least he could care for their daughter. But most of all, she wanted to be in his arms again. The safest place in any dimension to her.

Tears staining her cheeks, she turned her attention to the morning sun and made another plea.

"Please, Princess Celestia. Please Princess Luna. Please watch over Aurora. Please protect my child."