//------------------------------// // Ch23 - Frenzy at Fancy's - Part 3 // Story: My Little Medic // by CommanderX5 //------------------------------// My Little Medic - Chapter 23 Frenzy at Fancy's Part 3 Cold. Such an unfamiliar feeling for Celestia to experience, despite her long life, as a chilling breeze struck against her fur and mane. Tiny snowflakes gathered on her muzzle and between her feathers. How long has it been since she last felt snow under her hooves, instead of the warmth of her plush, cushy throne? How long since she saw a white field over the horizon instead of the well decorated walls and windows of her castle? Celestia took a few steps forward, leaving a trail of hoofsteps right behind her as she followed her student, who was flying in a circle while perched atop a miniature plane. She could see a few snowballs floating by Twilight’s side, and at least three being levitated towards her. As she expected, her little student evaded each projectile by tilting the wings of the plane with her magic, and dropped snowballs towards the ground. Her attention switched to White Path, who was jumping backwards, a rather impractical way of evading the dropped snowballs in her opinion, but she would give White Path a few points for style. Watching the snowball fight between Twilight and White Path caused memories of similar event started to surface in the princess’s mind. Memories filled with entertainment, bone-chilling cold and heartwarming moments. Celestia closed her eyes and smiled, now deeply sinking into her pleasant memories. It is hard to believe how many years has passed ever since our little skirmish in the snow. I feel as if only yesterday I was leading my team to attack Twilight’s ice fortress, weighted vest tripling my weight as a rain of snowballs descended upon me. She sat, now perched against the snow, as she observed the playing duo. Twilight has come such a long way since that day, mastering many aspects of unicorn magic. With a forehoof raised up to her chin, she thought, As her mentor, I will need to find out how much progress she made in her studies regarding pegasus magic, the question is how? Should I give her a test… no, she always gets nervous when tests are involved… Maybe I should just ask her… or I can set up a trial for her, Twilight loves facing challenges after all. The alicorn lowered herself to the ground, now focused on the snow in front of her hooves. Maybe I should set up a challenge for myself as well. After so many centuries since I last used pegasus magic directly, I must be rather rusty. Celestia gathered a small pile of snow in front of her before slowly pressing her bare hoof against it. Her forehead wrinkled as she concentrated, her breathing slow and leveled. Seconds passed as the snow slowly melted in front of her eyes, leaving a small puddle of water which sunk into the ground, revealing few little blades of grass that survived the cold. Celestia released a relaxed breath out, a form of white fog as she observed her own work. Pegasi can heat up a cloud into steam or chill it so it will produce either rain or snow with a mere touch, and more skilled ones can cause a discharge to produce lightning. Maybe I am not as rusty as I thought, but I certainly would fail as a weather manager, Celestia thought with a hint of disappointment. I wonder if my connection to the earth and ability to grow plants is just as bad. After gently touching the earth next to the blades of grass, Celestia focused once again, but her concentration didn’t last long. “That’s quite impressive, Princess. I didn't see aura of magic around your horn, which means that you melted it with your hoof,” White Path said, now standing in front of the alicorn. “If I may ask, how did you managed to perform such feat without using magic, Your Highness?” Celestia sat to her full height and hid her disappointment behind a warm smile. “I used my pegasus magic to heat up the snow. This ability helps pegasi control the weather. I did nothing special.” “Pegasus magic?” “Correct. As an alicorn, I possess traits of earth ponies and pegasi in myself,” Celestia explained before looking to the side. “However, after neglecting those abilities for so long, my pegasus and earth pony magic weakened significantly over the years.” White Path opened his mouth, but closed it immediately as his eye twitched. After a moment of inner fight to not rain upon princess with a storm of questions, he fixed his scarf and said calmly, “This is a very interesting fact. Thank you for teaching me about it, Your Highness.” “Please, call me Celestia.” White Path nodded. “As you wish, Your Highness Celestia.” The princess rolled her eyes before looking at the sky. “Where is Twilight?” “She is tired. She said that while using my toy plane to fly with help of her magic is less draining and faster than with self levitation, it still drained her reserves a bit, Your Highness Celestia.” Tired? How could I forget? Twilight’s vigorous and energetic attitude makes me forget sometimes that her stamina and reserves of magic can barely keep up with her strength and raw power, Celestia thought as she looked around, quickly noticing two pegasi kneeling in front of the little mare, who sat next to White Path’s plane. Celestia took a few steps forward, but stopped upon hearing her guard’s voice. “Your Highness, permission to speak?” “Granted,” the princess responded, somewhat missing her previous personal guard Steel Blade’s and his more relaxed approach to his duty. “Considering the cold temperature, it would be most proper to wear the clothes Lady Fleur has provided us with, or at the very least, your royal accessories,” the guard said as he opened his saddlebag and pointed inside. Celestia shook her head before fixing her scarf. A memory of how Fleur offered her white socks with orange and yellow suns decorating it for the trip flashed in her mind. “My fur and this lovely scarf is more than enough to keep me warm. I appreciate the concern.” “Your Highness Celestia,” White Path called as she looked at the colt, noticing snowball levitating by his side. She quickly closed her eyes, but the impact didn’t came. “May I have a permission to throw this snowball at you.” Celestia rolled her eyes again and said in motherly tone, “Of course you can. Not having a snowball fight after coming all the way here would be a waste.” “Thank you for permission, Your Highness Celestia. Would you prefer if I aimed at your legs, side, neck or face…” He paused before half bowing. “I apologize, throwing a snowball towards head of royalty is very improper. My apologies for even suggesting it.” Celestia’s guards rolled their eyes while the princess knelt to the grown colt and said, “White Path, we are on a trip to enjoy ourselves. Royalty or not, I am still a pony, and my status should not get in the way of our fun.” “I… understand, but Twilight asked me to behave and restrain myself...” White Path responded. “So should I assume that you won’t mind if I throw this snowball towards your face, Your Highness Celestia?” “I will not,” Celestia responded before turning her head to the side and pointed at her cheek. “I can even let you have the first shot.” “Should I levitate it with half of my power, twenty percent of my power, or just ten?” Celestia facehooved and released an annoyed sigh. “Throw as hard as you wish.” Upon feeling as the snow gently touched her face, she stood up to her full height. “May I throw another, Your Highness Celestia?” Here we go again, the princess thought before saying, “Either you are doing it on purpose, or you are trying too hard.” “Doing it on purpose? What do you mean, Your Highness Celestia?” White Path asked with an innocent grin. Celestia blinked in confusion as she studied White Path’s face. Even with her many centuries of experience with nobility and the game of politics, she couldn’t read the challenger. Is he really that clueless when it comes to social interactions? Or have I just witnessed the best poker face in my entire life? “White Path, may I ask you something?” Noticing a hesitant nod, she continued, “Have your father or mother taught you etiquette?” “They didn’t. My dad always says that he don’t want me to receive a bad influence from other nobles, and my mother agreed with him that as a vigorous pony who is interested in sport and warfare, teaching me about politics and etiquette would be a waste of time. They encourage me to be myself.” This explains a lot, Celestia thought. “Just like your parents, I would like to ask you to be yourself.” She gestured over the horizon. “We are all away from the public eye, no need to keep appearances.” “But… what about my promise to Twilight?” Celestia placed her forehoof on Path’s shoulder and said, “I will talk with her.” *** “... and this is why I need your help,” Soarin’ said as he looked between Twilight and Steel Blade while lying atop the snow. “A gift for Spitfire?” Steel Blade said. “It can’t be that difficult to choose a good one. You worked with Spitfire for a long time. You should know what she likes.” “I do… but it is so hard to decide. I saw a bronze coat that, if paired with sunglasses, would look great on her, but it’s not too aerodynamic. I could cook her a large pie, but she doesn’t seem to like them all that much. I already gave her flowers and chocolate, and I can’t give her a Twilight shaped toy after Fleur gave everypony similar accessories as gifts.” Twilight raised her forehoof defensively. “Wait a moment!” She pointed at herself. “You wanted to give Spitfire a toy in my shape as a gift before asking her on a date?” Soarin’ rubbed back of his head nervously. “Yeah… During that break, when you went to help Dust, I went from shop to shop in search for a Twilight in Daring Do costume. It was one of the more rare ones, so I had to pay nearly two hundred bits.” “Two hundred!” Twilight shouted as she lost balance, landing on the snow by her side as small bits of snow spread around her. “Yes. I hoped I could give Spitfire something special and rare, but just today Fleur gave at least three of those to the team. It's not so rare anymore,” Soarin’ responded as he lowered his head. His ears dropped. “I’ve heard that you and Twilight sewed a little saddle and Spitfire confirmed that it worked perfectly. Maybe you can make something yourself,” Steel Blade suggested. Soarin’ raised his head as his wings spread. A big smile grew across his lips. “You’re right. Maybe I can sew a miniature copy of the uniform that Commander Easyglider was wearing.” He lowered his head and rubbed his chin. “I wonder if I could make a Twilight plushie that would be more cute and detailed than the mass produced version. What do you think, Twilight… Twilight?” He looked around, but the little mare was nowhere to be seen. “She’s here,” Steel Blade said as he pointed at small pile of snow. “Come on Twiny. It’s too early to play hide and seek.” “No, I’m not coming out!” Twilight yelled from under the snow. Soarin’ looked at Steel Blade and said hesitantly, “Maybe it wasn’t the best idea... to talk about Twilight’s toys in front of the mare they were based on.” “I am still here!” Twilight shouted as her voice was muffled by the snow barrier. “Agreed… Speaking of a present for Spitfire… aren’t you afraid that Blueblood will either woo her, or they kill each other,” Steel Blade asked curiously. Soarin’ chuckled and waved his forehoof at it. “Not at all. I am sure they are having a bit fun and forming a friendship bond, nothing more, nothing less.” “Flap harder,” Blueblood said as he lied comfortably on the carpet. His head supported against his forelegs while Spitfire provided a pleasant breeze by flapping her wing. “Is this hard enough for you,” Spitfire asked as she put more efforts into her appointed task. “I suppose it will do… for now,” Blueblood responded in a bored tone. “How did you like my lessons upon how properly welcome a stallion with a kiss on the forehoof?” Spitfire grit her teeth, struggling to not say something that would regret later. “Quite informative.” She looked at the mansion and said, “I need to use the bathroom…” “Once you get to the first floor by the stairs, you will see a mare’s bathroom in front of you,” Blueblood said with relaxed voice. “Thanks. Be right back,” Spitfire said before flying away towards the pointed direction. Blueblood waited for the captain to to enter the mansion before yelling, “Hot Tea!” The unicorn butler approached with professional posture and asked, “Yes, Prince Blueblood?” “I forgot to take my saddlebag after I used the bathroom on the first floor. Would you be so kind and fetch it for me?” “Right away, Prince Blueblood,” Hot Tea responded before heading towards the residence. Blueblood smirked, wishing he could see Spitfire’s reaction after finding out that she is using stallion's bathroom. Especially after he removed labeling on the door to the bathroom in advance. “Forming a friendship bond… riiight…” Steel Blade said to himself. “Speaking of presents for mares, did you ask Overwatch out yet?” Soarin’’ asked. Steel Blade jumped to a standing position. “Date? We aren’t a couple.” He looked to the side as a small blush formed on his cheeks. “Our relationship is purely professional.” “If you say so,” Soarin’ said, now looking up at the stressed pegasus. “Still, it is a pity that Spitfire grounded her. She is missing a lot of fun.” Steel Blade took a few slow breaths and shook snow from his forelegs before answering with more relaxed tone, “I’m sure she’s alright. She isn’t missing all that much anyway.” A small crack grew in size on the wall of the hallway as another loud thump echoed through it. “Spitfire swore to be nice to Blueblood because of a bet!” she shouted before slamming her head against the wall. “Spitfire promised to give him a chance, to befriend him.” She slammed her head again. “Knowing Blueblood, he no doubt assumed that Spitfire is trying to get on his and Twilight's good side! He’s probably already in his jerk mode.” She took few steps back and massaged her aching forehead before whimpering. “And I am missing every single second of this…” She sat and rubbed her forehoof against the floor. “How much I would give just to witness this epic fall… with my own eyes.” “Excuse me.” Both pegasi turned their heads towards the source of voice. “Yes, princess,” Steel Blade asked. “Have you seen Twilight? I wish to talk with her.” Both pegasi pointed at the pile of snow. Celestia lowered herself to it, quickly noticing movements in it before the little head of her student emerged from the top. “Yes, Princess?” Twilight said as small drops of snow fell from her ears. “I have a question and request for you.” With some effort, Twilight pushed herself free from the snow and shook herself before saluting. “I’m listening.” “You have learned much under Spitfire’s wing, and I am curious how much progress you’ve made. How is your work on a spell that can give a common pony pegasus-like wings going?” Twilight stood up to her rear hooves, which sunk into the snow, and smiled proudly. Forelegs on her sides. “It’s going great. I mean, they aren’t usable yet, but in terms of bone structure and feathers, the wings are identical to a pegasus, all thanks to the body scans I performed on nearly every Wonderbolt.” She sat and rubbed her foreleg while Soarin’ looked between his wong wing and Twilight’s tiny horn. “However, in terms of converting the magic type of the pony using it... I am still working on it, but I am making steady progress.” “I am glad to hear that,” Celestia said with a satisfied smile before rubbing the top of Twilight’s head gently with the tip of her forehoof. Which caused the little mare to half sink into pile of snow. Celestia gave Twilight moment to dig herself out before asking, “Do you know Spike’s whereabouts?” “Over here!” Celestia turned her head towards the source of voice, before noticing a baby dragon emerging from the snow, several snowballs in his grasp. It didn’t take more than two seconds before the alicorn’s face was covered in snow. So were Soarin’s and Steel Blade’s. White Path dodged one projectile, but another one struck him in the flank. “Got you!” Twilight looked at the covered in snow muzzles before turning towards Spike. “What about me?” Spike shook his head. “You’re too fast and small, but I guarantee, I will pelt you with a snowball before our trip is over.” Steel Blade whispered to Soarin’, “Five bits says that Spike will fail.” “Deal.” Celestia wiped snow from her face and chuckled. She looked down at Twilight and said, “As for the request.” “I am all ears.” “Can you release White Path from the promise he gave you?” Twilight looked at the colt, only now noticing him peeking from behind the princess’s legs. “But… why?” “Because we are here to have fun and enjoy ourselves. From now on, please treat me as a common pony, or a friend, but not as a princess,” Celestia said as she pushed White Path with her wing gently. White Path took a few steps towards the little mare and looked down at her, as if awaiting her judgement. “Well… if this is the princess’s wish…” A large grin formed on White Path’s face as he looked between Twilight and the princess. The alicorn took a step back, suddenly wondered if it was a wise decision. White Path shouted with growing enthusiasm, “This is going to be… the-best-day-ever!” *** “Come on, Princess, the ice isn’t so thin,” White Path said as he slid across the ice with Soarin’ by his side. His attention shifted to Twilight, who despite her best efforts, slipped, and was now struggling to stand back. Twilight frowned. A memory of the duel against her brother flashed in her mind. “Note to myself, practice balance on ice in the near future,” Twilight said to herself as she once again lost balance and slammed her face against the ice. After massaging her chin, she lit her horn and scanned the ice under her hooves. “Hmn… If my calculations are correct, this ice is thick enough to withstand the weight of common ponies, maybe even stallions…” She looked at the alicorn who stood on the edge of the frozen pool. “However, I wouldn’t advise you to use it, Princess, it may be to risky… not that I am calling you fat or anything… it’s just that… Princess, do you hear me?!” Twilight paused upon not receiving any reaction. Despite strength of her voice mastered over the years, the distance and her small size prevented her from delivering the message. The little mare grit her teeth and stood up to her hooves before carefully walking towards the princess. “Twilight, watch out!” Steel Blade shouted as the little unicorn looked up. Her pupils shrunk upon noticing a huge mass in the form of a pegasus descending upon her. Her horn lit with magic, but not fast enough to charge a teleportation, while her forelegs slipped on the ice once again. Twilight closed her eyes as she felt cold ice chilling on her belly and the soft but heavy belly of her guard pressing against her. Celestia’s talk with White Path was interrupted the moment she felt Spike’s hand poking her foreleg. She looked down at the young drake, who pointed at Steel Blade and said, “It seems that Twilight just ended up under her guard.” A golden aura surrounded the pegasus and helped him stand while freeing the now dizzy unicorn from his overwhelming weight. “I appointed Overwatch and Steel Blade to protect my student, but it seems that they are doing the exact opposite.” Spike shrugged. “Nah, such accidents have only toughened her up. I say they’re doing a fine job.” Celestia chuckled before taking a few steps forward, doing her very best to maintain balance on the slippery surface. “See, what did I tell you,” White Path said enthusiastically before sliding in circle around the princess. “Lets play tag!” He quickly poked the alicorn’s foreleg before retreating, crying, ”You’re it!” Celestia took a deep breath before pushing herself with her right hind leg, now sliding on her three hooves. She repeated the process as she followed White Path, though clearly outmatched by his manoeuvrability. In her attempt to turn, Celestia’s left foreleg slipped, causing her to fall on her side. “Are you okay, Princess Celestia?” White Path asked as he approached the alicorn. “I am fine,” Celestia said, when suddenly her ears perked upward, capturing noise of cracking ice. With the help of her magic, she levitated the scarf of off her neck towards White Path. “I am going to practice my swimming. Would you be so kind and hold this for me?” “Will do,” White Path responded before the crack on ice grew in size, and the alicorn in front of him dropped into the water with a loud plop. “Princess Celestia!” Twilight shouted as she levitated herself before landing on Steel Blade’s head, who in turn land next to White Path. They both looked at the hole in ice with panicked expressions as Twilight shouted, “Oh no, what do we do?” “We wait for the princess to end her swimming exercise in the freezing water,” White Path said with a firm nod. “Your mentor sure is hardcore.” The water splashed in all directions as Celestia flew upward. Drops of water raining upon the surrounding ponies as Twilight shivered upon feeling the drops of water striking against her fur. Celestia landed carefully and sat, making sure to spread her weight so that ice wouldn’t break under her for a second time. She shivered and took a few slow, deep breaths of cold air while drops of water continued to cascade off her body. “That’s it? I expected your swimming exercise to last much longer than that. So much for being a hardcore princess in my book,” White Path said with crossed forelegs. Celestia looked between the worried faces of the pegasi, her alerted guards and her student, who was on the verge of panic while sitting on Steel Blade’s head. Hoping to calm their worries, she looked at White Path and responded with a carefree tone, “Sorry to disappoint you.” “It’s okay, I suppose,” he said while ignoring disapproving stares from the guards. “I am sure there will be more opportunities for you to shine.” “I am certain of that,” the princess responded while wondering what else the energetic fifteen year old colt had in store for her. “How was the water by the way?” White Path asked curiously. “Refreshing,” Celestia joked. *** “You cannot be serious,” Celestia said while blinking in disbelief. “I am very serious,” White Path responded as he pointed at a small mountain behind him. “You once said that you can cut a mountain in half. This one is very small, so it should be a breeze.” Twilight poked White Path’s head from her position on the top. “Actually, it looks more like a hill…” “Details,” White Path responded before looking at the alicorn with excitement. He shot his foreleg up as he cheered, “Come on, Princess, you can do it!” Soarin’ sat next to White Path and cheered as well as Celestia sighed and shook her head. After a moment of concentration, she started charging her magic, causing the aura around her horn to glow and pulse with energy. After a few minutes of struggle as a few beads of sweat formed on her forehead, she released a large blast of magic, as it slowly melted the snow in large radius and pierced through dirt and rock, making steady progress. White Path levitated sunglasses from his saddlebag and observed the spectacle while one word left his mouth, "Cool." *** “Done,” White Path said as he levitated one of his mom’s hats and placed it on top of a snowpony. “Mine’s better,” Soarin’ said as he pointed at snowpony in shape of a Wonderbolt. Small fragments of ice resembled Spitfire’s mane. “Not bad, but look at ours,” Spike said as he pointed towards an ice sculpture of Celestia, her wings spread and her head raised high, while rays of golden sunlight glimmered off of it. The real Celestia sat next to the sculpture , while Twilight sat on its wing, fastidiously and meticulously carving a few more feathers into it with the help of her magic. As White Path and Soarin’ could do nothing but stare in disbelief, admiring the detailed statue with their mouths hanging agape, Steel Blade approached and placed Twilight statuette onto the head of Celestia’s statue, perching her carefully behind a crown. *** “Time to go back now,” Celestia said firmly as she clopped her forehooves together in attempt to catch everyone’s attention. As much as she wished their fun could last a bit longer, White Path’s parents were waiting for them at the party, and she didn’t wish to test their patience. “Awww,” whined White Path, Steel Blade and Soarin’ in unison as their ears drooped. The alicorn pointed at the hill, or rather at two hills as a small canyon of her making separated them. Smoke and melted ground barely visible among the raining snow. “We already slided down this hill. Made snowponies and statues. Built a snow fortress.” She pointed at a large construction, which was at least three times the size of the small forts that she and Twilight had made during the last snowball war. The entrance was decorated with an icy, chiseled crest, composed of four tower walls surrounding a radiant sun. “But we completely forgot about the snowball fight,” White Path said as he levitated a snowball and threw it at the princess. The alicorn smirked and bent her legs before jumping to the side. “I call the fortress!” Spike followed White Path and shouted, “Me too!” “Me three!” Soarin’ said as he flew on top of the closest tower with snow between his forelegs. He placed it on top of the tower made of ice and perched himself against it before making snowballs of his own. Steel Blade approached the princess while Twilight climbed up onto her mentor’s head. “Are there any rules, Princess?” Twilight asked from behind the horn while the noise of the closing gate made of ice reacher her ears. “Just two,” Celestia started. “To give them a fighting chance, I and Steel Blade will not fly, and I will not use my magic. You on the other hoof can to make up for your size.” “Sounds fair,” Twilight said before levitating few snowballs and pointed at the fortress. “May I give the signal?” “By all means, do.” Twilight inhaled cold air into her lungs before yelling, “Charge!” The alicorn galloped with Steel Blade by her side, narrowly evading the chilled, scraping hail of snowballs being launched by Soarin’, Spike and White Path from the battlements of the fortress. Her memory of how well White Path and Soarin’ performed on the frozen lake her told her enough to know that this ice fortress was giving her foes a huge advantage. Celestia chuckled as she noticed her personal guards throwing snowballs at each other in distance, though a direct hit in her cheek by a snowball reminded her on the confrontation at hoof. Twilight held her mentor’s horn to not fall as the princess proved an impressive display of agility. “It seems our small adventures really paid off, Princess. You are so much faster and more agile than the first time you shrunk yourself.” “All thanks to you,” Celestia responded as the distance from the fortress disappeared with each passing second. Twilight countered the rain of snowballs by levitating her own, but White Path either slid upon the ice to evade her projectiles, or hit Twilight’s snowballs with his own. “It seems your friend is athletic too. Have you both had adventures I am not aware of?” “Just a few wargames, though I must admit, White Path is quite energetic.” “With you as an example, I am not surprised.” Steel Blade ignored the talking mares and grabbed two icicles that not long ago were used by Spike and Soarin’ during fortress construction, though from what he saw, Celestia was the one who did the heavy lifting, while the rest of the party focused on decorating duty. Once he was under the tower, he released the icicles from his wings and grabbed with his forehooves. One step at a time, he climbed up the cold and sloppy surface, slowly reaching the top. After taking one deep breath, he pushed himself upward, landing on top of the tower while Soarin’ flinched in surprise. “I have been waiting for this,” Steel Blade said before forming a snowball from the snow gathered by Soarin’. “Any last words?” “C-can we talk this over?” Soarin’ asked as he chuckled nervously, a sheepish smile cresting his face. “Nope,” Steel Blade said before throwing his snowball against the Wonderbolt. Soarin’ jumped to the side and threw snow against Steel Blade with his wing. Being temporarily blinded, Steel Blade didn’t notice lack of snow in front of him. With nothing to separate the sloppy surface and his hoof, he slipped towards Soarin’, and a moment later they both fell down from the tower into a pile of snow. *** Twilight bit her lip as she noticed her pegasi friends falling down from the tall tower, somewhat grateful for the snow that amortized their fall. She looked up at the tall wall, which from her perspective was like a large dam. “Do you want me levitate you to the top part of this wall, Princess?” Twilight asked. “This will not be necessary,” Celestia responded before bending her legs. With a swift jump, she punched the wall with tip of her forehoof, which ended up stuck in the ice. She repeated the action with her other hooves and started climbing while ignoring snowballs that struck against her. With the help of self levitation, Twilight reached top of the wall and faced White Path, who already stood in his fighting stance, a snowball levitating by his side, her miniscule body floated above the ice. “Well, well, well, who we have here?” Spike asked from behind with snowball in his hand. “We don’t have much time, Spike. Attack Twilight before the princess gets here!” White Path commanded as he levitated his snowballs from above, forcing Twilight to land on the sloppy surface. “Whaaa…” Twilight yelped as she nearly lost her balance, only to feel a snowball hit her from behind. The little mare slid across the ice with her tail and hind legs covered in snow. She was about to charge up a barrier, but for the sake of equity decided against it. With one swift move of her forehoof, she pushed herself to the side and rolled, avoiding the volley of snowballs directed at her. Twilight stopped rolling by anchoring tip of her forehoof against the ice, only centimeters before the edge of the wall. “Ha. I dodged those without the help of my magic.” “Dodge this!” Spike yelled as he slid across the ice on his belly and threw a snowball against the little mare, pushing her off the wall. Twilight shook her head and recovered in mid air before landing on her four hooves, only to slip against as the floor of the fortress that was made of ice as well. “Ouch… Ice… my only weakness.” After a moment to regain her balance, Twilight looked upward, now focused on her mentor who was facing Spike and White Path in a snowball fight. She could see as the princess spread her wing, releasing snow she held under it before making a snowball. She didn’t bother to evade as it would result in her falling from the wall, and instead used her large wing as a shield. One after another, snowballs shattered upon contact with her wing while White Path and Spike tried to dodge. Spike was first to lose his balance as he fell down from the wall, only to be grabbed by three levitation fields at the same time. Spike sat next to Twilight and waited for White Path to give up, and after few minutes of snow combat, the princess flew down with a shivering colt on her back. “I believe we’ve had enough fun for today,” Celestia said before spreading her wing, a gesture Twilight understood instantly. The little mare shook her head and asked, “Can we do one little thing before we leave?” “One little thing?” Celestia asked as she raised her eyebrow. Ironically, if her tiny student asked for a little thing, the scale of request usually ended up to be quite massive. “I am listening.” Twilight stood up on her rear hooves and puffed her chest. “Do you remember how, during our last snow fight, I challenged you?” “Yes, I do?” Celestia said before continuing in a worried tone, “You are not going to challenge my strength again?” “Challenge the princess’s strength?” White Path said as he looked down at the little mare. “What are you both talking about?” Twilight braced herself for the impact and shouted, “I have became stronger ever since then. Please, don’t hold back on me.” Celestia levitated over a snowball and placed in her forehoof. “You do realize that I practiced my strength during our adventures,” Celestia said. Not to mention my training against the guards. Twilight, you have no idea what you are getting yourself into. “And I would like to test your strength as well, Princess,” Twilight responded before once again standing on the ice with her four hooves. She raised her hind leg up before bringing it back down hard, digging her leg deep into the ice. She repeated it with her other hind leg. With both of her legs stuck in ice, she stood on them and braced herself once again. “I’m ready.” Celestia chuckled. “I see you are really excited about it. As much as I hate to hurt you, I will do my best to grant your request, despite my personal feelings.” Twilight could see as the alicorn stood on her hind legs and spread her wings, now looking even bigger and more mighty than before. Twilight grit her teeth and gathered her resolve while preparing for what was about to come. The alicorn swung the snowball in an instant as it shattered against her student. Ice that Twilight’s legs were anchored against cracked a little. The little mare wiped snow from her forelegs and shouted, “Nice warm up, Princess. I hope you put more strength into the next one.” Celestia nodded. “I prefer to slowly increase the difficulty, my dear student. Be patient.” She deftly swung her foreleg once again, this time throwing the snowball with a bit more force, but Twilight once again held her ground. While Celestia didn’t like the concept of hurting her student, she felt pride upon seeing as her little pony is taking hit after hit despite her size disadvantage. The very idea of testing her own strength and how tough her student has become was thrilling as well. Upon seeing as Spike and White Path started to cheer for Twilight while Soarin’ and Steel Blade entered the fortress, she swung her foreleg and threw the snowball, this time with moderate strength as Twilight was pushed away. Now rolling and sliding on the ice. Twilight took a moment to stand and massaged her foreleg while the princess approached. “Not bad, Princess, but this is still not the strength I was expecting from you.” She slowly slid upon the ice towards the wall and once again anchored her hind legs by pressing them into the ice. With her back now supported against the wall and forelegs covering her head, she shouted, “Please, if you respect me at least a little, don’t go easy on me!” Celestia opened her eyes widely upon her student’s words. How could Twilight even dare to think that she respected her only a little. With growing determination, the princess decided to stop holding back. “Twilight, you are my beloved student, and I respect you for your willingness to learn and to improve. I admire your strength of character.” She looked at her student with growing hostility as she prepared to throw another snowball. “Allow me to show you how much I respect you.” With one solid swing, the cold projectile flew through the air as gathered ponies could feel the wind and hear the noise of the speeding snowball. Before they could even turn their heads, the snowball shattered, and Twilight ended up pressed deeply into the wall while several large cracks spread in all directions.” White Path bit his lips as he couldn’t even imagine how much force was put into this throw. Should the snowball be made of ice instead, Twilight would have no doubt pierced through the wall and ended up outside of the fortress. Celestia raised forehoof up to her face, clearly surprised by her own strength. From what she remembered, the last time she threw snowball at Twilight with all of her strength, the little mare ended up stuck in the wall of her own fort. This time however, she nearly pierced the little unicorn through the wall that was at least more than twice as thick. Now I am glad I didn’t use all of my strength. Poor Twilight.” The group surrounded the little unicorn while White Path pulled her from inside the hole in the wall. Upon noticing that her student was unconscious, the princess cast her scanning spell before saying in relief, “Please, calm down everypony, there is nothing to worry about.” After casting a basic healing spell on her student. Celestia carefully levitated Twilight onto her back and cast magical ropes, something she didn’t do ever since the day she took Twilight as her student. “May I suggest that we return to Fancy Pants residence? Any objections?” Everypony shook their heads, and after picking up little toy plane, White Path perched himself against Soarin’s back while Spike embraced Celestia’s neck. Two guards with small dents in their armor flew by the princess’s side. “Princess Celestia,” White Path called. Celestia looked to the side, now focused on the grown colt. “Yes?” “You still didn’t answer some of my questions, would you mind if I ask them again while we head back?” “Of course I do not mind,” Celestia responded before her pupils shrunk as she realized what she just did. “Are you single?” White Path asked as guards and Soarin’ now looked at the alicorn with full interest. The princess sighed. This was going to be a long trip. “Curse you, Princess,” said a pegasus in a white camouflaged coat as he observed the leaving group from a great distance. So much for capturing White Path for ransom. The boss won’t be pleased. The unicorn sighed. “I prefer to disappoint our boss than get on the princess' bad side.” He pointed at two hills that few hours ago were one. “Did you see what she could do?” “So, what now?” “For now, we wait until the princess returns to her duties and grab White Path then.” An ear of the pegasus perked upward at the noise of an incoming sword, he pushed his partner to the side before flying upward, just in time to avoid a sharp blade that levitated against them.” “Vapor? Diamond Blade?” the unicorn said as he faced approaching unicorn and a pegasus. “Can’t your family mind your own business?” Vapor smirked as his katana reflected an incoming arrow while the one he used before turned back and cut the levitated crossbow in half. “Oh, but you see. Dealing with scum like you is my business.” “Take that, you self centered buffoon!” Spitfire shouted as she threw piece of cake at the enraged prince, who was using an overturned table for cover. “So you finally show your true face,” Blueblood responded as he threw grapes at the Wonderbolt, who swiftly evaded it and grabbed a few apples. She immediately went airborne and threw the tasty projectiles at the unicorn. Blueblood levitated the table and used it like an umbrella. “What’s the matter, jerk! You don’t like my services?” Spitfire asked before picking up few bananas and threw at her target while circling around him. “Is the cake too hot for you, or too cold? Maybe common food is not good enough for a pony of your position.” Blueblood walked around the banana peels, trying not to slip off while a plate with vegetable salad levitated by his side. His elegant cloth now covered dirty after a bombardment of tomatoes. “Oh, I do not mind ordinary food. It depends who is serving it.” He smirked. “Speaking of which, I hope you enjoyed the pepper I put into the vegetable salad.” “It was you?” Spitfire asked, gritting her teeth and diving towards a plate filled with salad. Now armed, she flew for the prince. The group of Wonderbolts observed the battle while hidden behind a table, not wanting to get between their angered captain and her prey. “Popcorn?” Fancy Pants asked as he levitated a few bags towards the pegasi. Fleur by his side. Fleetfoot pointed towards the food fight as another table was shattered to pieces while more food ended up on the grass. “They are ruining your party. Aren’t you even a little bit upset?” Fancy Pants shook his head. “As long as they clean up after themselves and pay for property damage, I do not mind if they have a little fun.” Fleur poked Fancy Pants and said, “I believe that they are not really enjoying this food fight.” Fancy Pants fixed his monocle and took a closer look at the enraged ponies. “Really? In that case, we’d better intervene.” “After you,” Fleur said with glee. Fancy Pants walked boldly, unfazed by the flying, aerial food, as he caught a carrot salad with his magic before it could land on his back. Fleur levitated over two platters and shielded both herself and her husband from the tornado of food. Upon noticing a small tornado created by Spitfire, Fleur focused her magic. The Wonderbolt yelped in surprise as she was pulled towards the unicorn by her wings, who restrained them with one foreleg and whispered, “I believe you’ve caused enough damage already. May I suggest you take few deep breaths and calm down a little?” Spitfire followed the advice, and after taking a moment to calm down, she looked around and examined the destruction she caused. Her ears dropped as she looked back at the unicorn and apologized, “Sorry… I got carried away… I will cover the damage.” Fleur gave Spitfire a satisfied smile before releasing her wings, while Fancy Pants approached them with Blueblood by his side. “Prince Blueblood, I believe you have something to say,” Fancy Pants said while the wind in the background calmed down. “S-sorry.” Spitfire didn’t wait to be asked and spoke next, “I’m sorry as well. I lost my temper and ruined your party.” Her head lowered. Fancy Pants cleared his throat and said, “I forgive you, however I believe there is another pony who also deserve an apology.” Spitfire frowned. “With all due respect, Princess Blueblood has been nothing but a jerk to me this whole time. Why should I apologize?” Blueblood stomped against the grass. “Because you were acting nice to me and Twilight to get on our good side. I can see your motives from a mile away.” “Excuse me?” Spitfire said as she raised her foreleg defensively. Blueblood pointed accusingly at Spitfire. “No matter what I did, you didn’t stop, how should I put it… ‘kissing my flank.’ You were the most stubborn fortune digger I ever had to deal with!” Spitfire pressed her muzzle against Blueblood’s. “I am not a fortune digger, I am a captain of a well-respected organization. If it was up to me, I would stay kilometers away from you.” Blueblood pressed his muzzle as well and held his ground. “Speaks the mare who acts nice to nobles with fake smiles. I can see the annoyance and boredom under your friendly mask from a mile away.” "I'm acting nice as a professional. Being polite and patient is important for many reasons, but it doesn't mean that I have to like everypony I perform for." Blueblood frowned as he started to gain more ground. “No matter what I did, you didn’t stop acting nice to me, acting! You were forcing yourself to do it.” “You can thank Twilight for that!” “Twilight?” Blueblood asked in confusion as he retreated his muzzle and took a step back. “What does Twilight has to do with it?” Spitfire stomped. “She made a bet with me. She asked me to give you a chance, you jerk. At first, you were kind of nice, but it didn’t take to long before you showed your true colors.” Blueblood blinked in confusion as his brain tried to process the facts. He massaged his forehead and took a slow deep breath. “So you are telling me, you acted nice to me because of a bet. Not to get on my good side for my fortune and connections?” “Of course not!” Blueblood smiled and looked at Spitfire, who took a step back and asked, “Are you feeling alright? Your smile is kind of… creepy.” Blueblood laughed for several seconds before reasserting himself, while Fleur and Fancy Pants decided to give him and Spitfire some privacy. “It seems that Twilight’s bet screwed us both,” Blueblood said. Upon noticing confusion on Spitfire's face, he continued, “The Blueblood you first met was the real one. This so called ‘jerk’ Blueblood is just a facade.” “W-what?” Blueblood raised his forehoof in a lecturing gesture. “I can see past masks and recognize hidden motives with ease. Whenever a mare tries to ‘score a hot prince,’ so to speak, I act like a jerk to scare them off. When I am around nobles, I take on a stage persona of an arrogant and important pony.” Spitfire sat and pointed at the unicorn as her breathing became more stable. “Are you saying that this whole time you were acting? You fooled everypony, even me!” Blueblood puffed his chest. “Auntie Celestia always said that I had a gift for acting. She even suggested that I should work in the entertainment industry, but I decided to try my luck in politics by her side.” “So let me get this straight: You thought that I was trying to get on your good side, so you acted like a jerk, and the harder I tried to befriend you, the harder you tried to make me hate you?” Upon noticing a nod, Spitfire facehooved and covered face with her own wings. “Why does this kind of stuff keep happening to me?!” Blueblood responded with an encouraging tone. “After you spend more time in Twilight’s company, you will get used to it.” He approached and half bowed. “Please, take my sincere apologies, and allow me to cover for the damage our misunderstanding caused.” Spitfire was taken aback by Blueblood’s change of attitude. She rubbed the back of her neck and said with a forced smile, “Well… if you’re offering to make up for his mess, I suppose I can forgive you…” Except that hoof massage. I will get you back for this one. Just you wait, Spitfire thought before continuing, “You are a really good actor.” Blueblood stood up to his full height and said with raised muzzle. “Thank you for the complement, Lady Spitfire. Also, considering that forced smile you just displayed, I assume you are already planning some sort of revenge.” Spitfire took a step back as her wings spread. “You’re good.” “In reading other’s motives, I am second only to Celestia.” Spitfire looked around at the mess, while her team slowly walked out from behind their cover and started cleaning. Surely creating a miniature tornado for a food fight wasn’t the brightest idea. She raised her forehoof and straightened it towards the prince. “I suppose we started off poorly. How about we act as if today never happened and start over.” Blueblood nodded as he shook Spitfire’s forehoof. “Agreed.” “What in Celestia’s name happened here?!” Both Blueblood and Spitfire looked towards the source of voice, quickly noticing Twilight who observed the scene from her spot on the princess’s head. Spitfire responded in a panicked tone, “Twilight, it’s not what it looks like!” The little unicorn lowered her head and rubbed the fur on her mentor’s head. She next slowly approached the princess’s muzzle and anchored herself against it. “Princess, do you know any spells that can put me in a statue like state for a few hours?” Celestia glanced up in confusion at her tiny student. "I lost a bet..."