//------------------------------// // Learning A Little More // Story: Shimmering Sunsets // by Evowizard25 //------------------------------// Blizzard glanced inside the room with the prisoners. He didn’t like this development at all. They weren’t supposed to be found. It was far too early. He had his daughter to thank for this. Why couldn’t he hate her? She was a disgrace to his legacy in every meaning of the word, but he just never could hate her. Bah, he was too soft. Too involved with the little filly who liked to bounce on his belly some mornings so she could ‘pway wit daddy’ before he went off for patrols. He sighed. She was going to get herself killed one day at this rate, even with all of his training. He just wished her the best of luck. His wyvern nuzzled him softly, detecting his distress. Blizzard rubbed the beast’s snout reassuringly. “I’m alright, Grag. Don’t go worrying about this old stallion. He can take care of himself.” My soldiers here on the other hoof? He glowered. They weren’t the best of the best. This venture didn’t call for them, but he’d seen fit to watch over the proceedings. There needed to be one level headed soldier amongst them. He noticed how Pansy seemed to be getting along with the newcomers and sighed once more. “Too soft.” “Sir,” a soldier walked up to him and saluted. He returned and dismissed it shortly after. “Yes, soldier?” “We’ve spotted enemy concentrations near some of our entrances,” the soldier said. “They seem to be preparing themselves for an attack.” Blizzard scowled. “Keep an eye on them and give them Tartarus if they try something. If they take even the tiniest step inside our tunnels, I want them torn to shreds.” He trotted off to look over the defenses himself. None of the soldiers noticed something sneak past them. _______________________________________________________________ “You really turned Nightmare Moon into a potato in a dream?” Pansy asked, chuckling behind her hoof. "Yep. But not like a random dream dream. It was in dream combat." Rainbow said. "It was kind of awesome. Then boom, Rainboom to the face...sort of. Potatoes don't have faces after all." “Wow,” Pansy said. “I can’t imagine something like that happening. I mean, isn’t the land of dreams her domain?” "Yes? What's your point. It was my dream and I'm awesome." Rainbow pointed out. “Hmm,” Pansy nodded. “If your story is true, than you are pretty awesome. I can’t believe I’m talking with an Element bearer really.” She squeed. "Meh, it's not that big a deal." Rainbow said, shrugging as much as her restraints allowed. "Really, it's less impressive than it sounds. We've only ever used the Elements twice." “But Celestia herself used the Elements,” Pansy pointed out. “To wield weapons that before only she could wield is one of the highest honors.” She slightly bowed her head in reverence, saying a little blessing in Celestia’s name. "You are aware that Princess Luna wielded them too right?" Twilight pointed out. "Also, in case you were wondering, there are two thousand seven hundred and six individual crystaline growths that make up this cell." Pansy stiffened up at Luna’s name. “We aren’t allowed to speak of the night devil. It brings back luck.” "Hey, Luna's cool." Rainbow argued. "Yeah, Nightmare Moon is a huge jerk, but the Princess is very nice." “Maybe yours is,” Panys shivered in fear. “Our’s evil. It’s why she was locked up after she was defeated by the Elements.” "That...huh, I guess you have a point there." Twilight admitted. "Though I have to say, if you're that scared of Princess Luna why are you going after a world where she's out and about and teamed up with Princess Celestia?" “I’m not going to be doing any of the fighting….I hope,” Pansy muttered. “We’re just looking for a homeland for ourselves.” "If that were the case, you'd be taking the peaceful options we mentioned. Instead you rejected them for war." Twilight pointed out. "If you really just wanted a homeland, you would have been interested in my peace offering. You're just using it as an excuse to wage war." “....We’re a warrior species,” Pansy looked away in slight shame. “That’s what we’re supposed to do. It’s in our blood.” "If it was "in your blood", you wouldn't be scared of fighting." Twilight pointed out. Pansy scuffed the ground. “They said I would grow into it. That I was just a late bloomer.” Twilight just gives her a flat look that sums up her feelings on the issue. “What?” Pansy tilted her head in confusion. "That's stupid. I mean, what about pegasi that don't fight for a livin? Mail carriers, painters, weather personnel, grocery clerks, writers, doctors, construction workers, scientists, historians, teachers, and loads more." Dash explained. "You can't ALL be warriors. Society doesn't work like that." “We can’t be soldiers all the time, but we can still fight to the death.” Pansy said, more like spoke as if reading it somewhere. “Every station of pegasi performs a duty to the whole, but we must all be prepared to give our lives for our cause.’ "...it's like talking to a brick wall." Dash sighed. "Okay, let me ask you this. How many of those ponies I listed work for the Enclave? And how many of them don't? You'll find that a lot more are against fighting than you think." Pansy fidgeted about. “I don’t know how many. I never asked. I’m...not exactly good at talking with a lot of ponies.” Twilight perked up a bit at that. "Well then, how do you know what non-Enclave pegasi are like if you never talk to them? I mean if the Enclave is right, they should be just like your group because they have that same "warrior blood". If they don't, it means the Enclave is wrong." Pansy deeply frowned. “My parents were good ponies and they supported the Enclave, but I’ve heard a lot of us don’t.” “Yes, like the guy holding the musket behind your back.” A familiar stallion said, before Stonewall shimmered into existence, his musket at the ready. “Not exactly a big ‘Enclave’ fan myself.” "Stonewall? How they hay did you get in here?" Rainbow asked. “Oh that would be my doing~” And just like that, Twilight Velvet shimmered between them. “Nice to see you’re safe.” "Mom? What are you doing here, this place is dangerous!" Twilight shouted in surprise. “I would keep it down if I were you, young lady.” Velvet chided. “And I know. I’ve been a few ‘nasty’ situations myself. How do you think I’ve kept my books so well informed?” "....wait what?" Twilight asked. "My Mom is some sort of Daring Doo action hero? What?" "Iiiii think you broke Twi's brain." Rainbow pointed out. Velvet rolled her eyes. “No, I tend to keep my work as fiction instead of self-glorification. I just draw inspiration from books and ‘personal’ experience. Like say, how to pick Enclave locks.” Her horn lit up for a fraction of a second and the chains around Twilight and Dash broke. “They honestly never change it and don’t you go tiring yourself out, Twilight. I might be a tad bit of an adventurer, but I’m still your mother, in a sense.” She giggled and motherly nuzzled her. "That's nice. Oh right." Twilight used her tail to grab her inhibitor ring and slide it off. "Guess I don't have to wait till we're alone now to do that." “No you don’t,” Velvet nodded. “Now, let’s get you two out of here and someplace safe.” "Right. Well Pansy, it was nice talking to you. Think about what we said, you're too nice to hang out with these jerks. After." Rainbow said, getting up and walking off. "Come on guys, we need to explain the evil plan." “Now Twilight,” Velvet nuzzled Twilight’s cheek. “I don’t want you to try and cast anything. I know magic in this world is still foreign to you and even the tiniest discharge can disrupt my illusions. So try and keep a clear mind.” "Got it mom. Total control." Twilight said, nodding. “Good girl,” Velvet beamed. She may not be ‘her’ daughter, but she was still Twilight. Her horn lit up for a second before the group was cloaked and invisible. “Now follow closely, otherwise the illusion will wear off of you and you won’t be able to find us.” "Gotcha Missus Velvet." Rainbow said. Velvet nodded. “Now come along. I don’t think we want to stay here longer than we have to.” She started to trot off, keeping a slow pace. "Got it." Rainbow said, following along. "Twilight, your mom is awesome." "Yes, yes she is." Twilight said, nodding. "I'm glad she rescued us." “I would never let anything happen to you, Twilight.” Velvet said. “And I would think the other me would feel the same way. You’re my little filly, no matter the dimension.” "Awww, that's so sweet." Rainbow teased. Velvet chuckled. “Don’t get me started with your mother, Rainbow. She would have punched out every soldier here to get to you.” "This version." Rainbow muttered. "And what took you so long Stonewall? Weren't you supposed to be my bodyguard?" Stonewall frowned and looked away in shame. “I...I got lost.” He blushed in embarrassment. Dash almost stopped walking in shock, but remembered to keep pace. "You got lost? You? You actually know where this place is, I had to stop and get directions because this place doesn't even exist on my side. But you got lost finding a place you actually know about?" “Well….In my defense, I went out alone and this place only appeared a little while ago. It’s not exactly on many maps yet.” Stonewall did his best to defend himself. “I promise it won’t happen again.” "Oh be quiet you two, you can flirt later." Twilight groaned. "We're trying to be sneaky." “I am not flirting,” Stonewall squeaked out, blushing. “Oh that reminds me of when your father kept ‘bumping’ into me at the comic convention,” Velvet giggled. “So adorable~” Stonewall grumbled in silent shame. ___________________________________________________________________ Shining Armor stared at the group as they lined up at the start of his tent. “So let me get this straight. Mom was able to bust you all out, cloaked, with no ill repercussions and without the Enclave spotting you? Is that about right?” "Yes." Twilight said. "Really, this version of Mom is just as awesome as my own just in different ways." “Thank you, dearie.” Velvet nuzzled her. “Glad to be of help.” Shining put a hoof to his forehead. “You know, I keep forgetting she can do these things.” He sighed to himself. "How? If I had a mom this awesome I would brag about her nonstop." Rainbow pointed out. “Oh he doesn’t have to brag about this old mare,” Velvet went over and pinched his cheek. “My little Shiny’s grown up with a very important position.” Shining just stood there, his face showing annoyance but he wasn’t one to stop his mother really about anything. "Yeah, Shiny is great. Anyway, what's the plan now?" Twilight asked. With his mother letting go of his cheek, Shining stood at attention. “We’re going to flush out the Enclave. My forces are to alternate between routes, keeping the Enclave guessing and unsure of where we’ll strike.” He used a magical, holographic map to showcase the troop movements. “Thanks to mother, we’ve located two pathways the Enclave aren’t using.” He highlighted them. “We’ll send in a small task force in each while the Enclave is distracted by the bulk of our troops. The task force is to then find the source of this portal and find out how the Enclave are keeping it stable.”   "Oh, that would be the warlocks from our dimension." Twilight explained. "They're working with an evil warlock called Dominion and his dark forces to get the Enclave's army over to our world where they think they can conquer a new homeland for themselves. Dominion is probably bargaining to use the Enclave as muscle for his own plans for conquest." "Oh, right. The guy in charge is called Blizzard, his daughter is Fortune, and they've got some super mercenary called Suri working for them." Rainbow added in. "Unfortunately they were too smart to let anything else slip while talking to us." Shining scowled. “Warlocks? Suri? Blizzard? Well isn’t this peachy?” “Yes, sir?” A mare soldier stuck her head inside the tent. “Not you Private Peachy,” Shining said, to which the soldier quickly ducked her head back outside. “We’re going to have to add a couple of Priestesses to the infiltration group to keep up with these warlocks. Blizzard’s going to be tough. He’s smart, too smart for my liking and his affinity with the cold can be dangerous for even Knights. Suri? Can’t imagine why they would need her, but she’d have Blizzard’s head on a platter in less than thirty seconds. I might have to strengthen the front lines.” He looked over the map once more. "Yeah, Suri is who captured me after I gave a bunch of those Enclave bozo's the slip." Rainbow said. "Totally dirty ambush." “Dirty or not it worked,” Shining muttered. “She’s dangerous. They all are. I’m expecting at least twenty percent casualties and that’s just hearsay.” He snorted. “We just have to be thankful we outnumber them, but numbers don’t mean much in tunnels.” "Wait, casualties?" Twilight asked. "Why not just block off the tunnels and starve them out? They can't have that many supplies." “We don’t know what’s on the other side of that portal,” Shining stated. “They could have even more of them, or finding some super weapon. These warlocks are dangerous and I will not have them step into ‘our’ world. I am going to flush them out now and end this.” "Plus, if that is the mirror portal, we're kind of on a deadline before it closes." Rainbow pointed out. "Cause I don't know about you, but being stuck here for a really long time would be bad." Shining nodded. “I apologize if you abhor violence. I don’t like sending my soldiers to their death either, but sometimes sacrifices must be made in order to ensure the safety of our nation. I assure you, we’ll get you back to your world and our own ponies back here in no time.” "So...what do we do now?" Twilight asked. “Now,” Anrain materialized behind her. “I train you, young one. I can’t have you ‘blasting off’ again on my watch without the least bit of training.” "That wasn't my call I did that to me...we really need better pronouns for dealing with alternate uses." Twilight noted. "Anyway, training, right. Where do we begin?" “First of all,” Anrain looked about. “We’ll need a quiet location. Someplace away from idle distractions which you ponies are so fond of losing yourselves to.” Said local ponies grumbled beneath their breath about ‘deer’. "Alright I guess. Lead the way." Twilight said. “Wait,” Velvet got in between them. “This isn’t combat training, is it? She isn’t going to get hurt?” “She won’t be harmed by me, I assure you.” Anrain answered in his own way. “Be still at mind, Miss Velvet and perhaps one day your heart will be still as well.” Velvet frowned. “That is none of your business.” “And I want no part in it either,” Anrain snorted. “Now let us be off Twilight. Let us leave the soldiers to fight and the wounded of heart to heal.” "Alright." Twilight said. "Mom, I'll be fine. I'm sure he knows what he's doing. Princess Celestia trusts him after all." “I know,” Velvet hugged her and kissed her forehead. “Just take it easy and stay safe and don’t overeat either. You’ll get a bad stomach and that’s no good for a fletchling spellcaster, especially one of your strength.” "Yes Mom, I am aware that I need to stay in control." Twilight said. "I'll be careful I promise." Velvet nodded. “I know you will. I love you, Twilight and I hope you get back home soon. Other me must be worried sick at this point. I’d probably be a wreck if something happened to you.” "....right Shiny, be sure to get that portal back or my mom will probably find a way to break physics if that's what it takes to get me back." Twilight notes before she starts hurrying out. "Well, where are we going Farseer Anrain?" Anrain tapped his cane and the pair weren’t walking on crystal roads anymore. They were in the middle of a field. Unlike a regular teleport, it wasn’t shiny and overbearing. It was like the blink of an eye, less so really. “Here would be good, young one.” "How did we get here? Teleportation? Special folding? Pocket dimension?" Twilight asked, looking around and trying to figure it out herself. Anrain glanced at her. “Which do you believe it is and why?” "Hmm, teleportation. It seems to be too far for a spatial fold, and it seems to be too big for a pocket dimension." Twilight concluded. "I am however basing this off of knowledge about how magic works in my own world. It could be quite different here." “You are correct,” Anrain inclined his head. “This was a teleport, but not one from the mind, but that of the soul. You see, this field is often used to train Farseers and it is by that a piece of our history remains. No other being can find it and no one can follow. However, one can place a ‘soul mark’ in other places of value. While they can’t be traced, they can still be found. They are much softer versions of a teleport, but limited in scope.” "Limited how?" Twilight asked. “Tell me, do you have a special connection to every place you visit?” Anrain asked. "Uh, not quick visits, and not every place. Are you talking about an emotional bond?" Anrain thinly smiled. “Yes, that is what I am referring to. A Teleport can take you anywhere you know at the time, but a ‘Soul Teleport’ can take you anywhere your heart remembers. It can be a useful trick when one wishes to be alone in a place they love, or in our case, a place for me to teach you.” "Wow." Twilight said, eyes sparkling. "Um, are there any downsides to this method?" “Only in the number of locations you can visit,” Anrain said. “Though, this is not a technique those of blackhearts can use. That of course, is none of your concern.” He tapped the edge of his cane against her heart. “Your heart is still pure and I don’t sense the darkness that could harm you. Otherwise, I would not have risked bringing you here.” "Yeah, evil, never touch the stuff." Twilight joked. "I'm all about focus, discipline, and control." Anrain stared deep into her eyes for a moment. “Which is why, if given the time, you could become something greater than you are now.” "...um, no thank you, I'm fine as I am." Twilight said, a little unnerved by his stare. “That is your wish,” Anrain remarked, pulling away. “I cannot change your fate, not now however. Of course, that isn’t the reason why we are here. Now Twilight, before we begin, tell me what is magic and what it means to you?” "Um, I'm going to have an answer based on my world but, here I go." Twilight took a deep breath. "Magic is an underlying metaphysical aspect of nature that saturates all things, accumulating more fully in life, and even more so in intelligent life. Everything has magic, though this may be a truly insignificant amount everything has at least some. Magic is just a fundamental part of reality like magnetic forces or gravity. As to what magic means to me...I'm not sure, I have mixed feelings." Anrain nodded. “Magic means something to everyone, young mare. The definition at its core is the same, but what we allow it to define a being is not. For ill or good fortune, it makes us who we are. We wouldn’t be here as we are now without it. So tell me truthfully, what does it mean to you.” "...I don't know." Twilight said again. "Like I said, I have very mixed feelings about it. I love it. I hate it. I want it. It scares me. I want to know more. I want less power." “You are off balance,” Anrain shook his head. “A figure with no base. If you wish to stay like that, you will become the same as your counterpart here: Broken.” "It's...it's very complicated. Do you understand how special talents work?" Twilight asked. “You ponies are a unique species,” Anrain spoke, glancing at her mark. “You manifest talents and excel at them far and beyond that which any other species can, but you are like children sometimes. Playing with things you do not understand. Your talents define you, but many take them in the wrong way. To me however, I believe they are a gift moreso than a curse, however primitive your species can be at times.” "Do you know what my talent is?" Twilight asked. “Do you?” Anrain countered her question with his own. "....magical catastrophe." Twilight admitted. "My power is naturally inclined to lash out. That's why I'm so focused on discipline." “So you say you are a living weapon?” Anrain remarked. “That it is your talent to destroy? Then tell me, why can I stand at ease as of now?” "Because I chose not to do it. I don't want to cause problems." Twilight explained. "I choose to be in control. I love magic. I hate what my magic wants to do. I want to know everything I can about it. I'm scared of what I can do with that knowledge. I want the power to help others with it. I want less power so it's easier to control." “You are missing the point,” Anrain shook his head. “You ‘choose’ not the destroy. You ‘choose’ to take the magic you possess as a sign of destruction. You are thinking with this.” He conked her on the noggin with his staff. “While this rages within you.” He tapped her heart. “That is why your magic rages. You are indecisive and your magic and nature shows it.” "How am I indecisive?" Twilight demanded. “Because your heart and mind do not think as one,” Anrain declared. “A ponies special talent is only mastered when the heart and mind can work together. Your mind is strong. It is one of the strongest I have seen in a long while, perhaps even matching Starswirl himself, but your heart? It has no sense of direction and no firm idea on what it is. So you ‘choose’ to control yourself, but you cannot fix yourself until you learn to give your heart stability.” "So you're saying I should want to destroy stuff?!" “Are you not listening, young mare? Your heart is where the problem lies. You have no set feeling for your talent. You love it. You hate it. You are two extremes and then some and your talent cannot be at peace until you are able to control your heart as you do your mind.” He conked her head with his staff. “Does your mind wish to destroy, or does it have a firm sense of what it wants?” "...what I want right now is knowing how to do this new type of magic." Twilight said, Anrain sighed. “Then I will begrudgingly teach you and I wish for you to take heed. You are one of the few ponies to step hoof in this field.” "I understand it's a great honor." Twilight said. "And I will try to be worthy of your teachings." “Then take my staff,” Anrain held it out to her. Twilight grabbed it with her tail. Instantly, the orb at the end of it glowed in bright colors, matching her cutie mark. Anrain was silent for a moment. “Hmm, I was right about you.” "What? Is it bad?" Twilight asked, nervous. “Twilight,” Anrain looked at her face with a stern gaze. “A farseer’s staff can only be used by that of one worthy of the title. I brought you here on the basis of that, assuming my hunch of your aura was correct. I still find it odd, even after seeing it with my own eyes.” "Wait...Farseer...me?" Twilight asked, jaw dropped. “You have the potential,” Anrain nodded. “But I would have to train you for quite sometime for you to reach it. Which is odd. Do you know how many ponies in the history of our world that have had that same potential?” "Uh...not sure...three?" Twilight guessed. “One,” Anrain said. “And she is standing before me now and I scarcely believe it myself.” "But I'm not from your world and I'm not sure what a Farseer is and only one I what?" Twilight asked, quite uncertain as to what was going on. “Farseer’s are being’s of knowledge and wisdom,” Anrain explained. “They are powerful in the arcane arts. It is their duty to help guide their fellows to a better future, no matter the personal cost. To this date, only we deer have been able to do so...other than one other, but she wishes for that to remain in the past.” "Who?" Twilight asked. “Who would you put these words to?” Anrain asked. “Wisdom, knowledge, power, and the sacrifice of self to help others at all cost.” "Princess Celestia?!" Twilight shouted. Anrain nodded. “She was and is the only non-deer to master the art and to be able to wield it. Celestia earned her position amongst many of us through her skill and leadership, not just to you ponies. She is, to this day, the strongest Farseer I have ever seen. You hold a similar spark.” "Wait, spark...Celestia put a piece of her magic in me so that I can use magic in this world. That might be what you're sensing." Twilight suggested. “Then the staff would have glowed with her colors,” Anrain remarked. “She just gave you a...Hmm, what is the term. ‘Kickstart’?” "...why would you kick something to start it?" Twilight asked. “I have no idea,” Anrain remarked. “You ponies come up with the wildest of euphemisms. No matter, we are to start your training. Thankfully, you are in need of just the basics of the mind. This should be easy for you, young farseer.” He chuckled. "Okay then. Where do we start? That realm of magic thing?" “Which requires a clear mind in order to start,” Anrain explained. “You need to focus your mind, not on yourself, but something more. Something beyond yourself. To a magic user of this world, it’s like breathing. Imagine ‘breathing’ in the magic. I want you to close your eyes and imagine. We’re not going to use or tap into the realm as of now, but I want you to practice.” Twilight nodded, and sat down. She closed her eyes, and focused on her breathing. In and out. In. Out. In. Out. In. Out… “Now imagine a river,” Anrain said softly. “A river you can touch, not with your body, but that of your mind. Just imagine.” "Done." “I want you to focus on that river,” Anrain instructed. “Not too hard, but I want you to focus on it as you would a book.” "Done." “Now I want you to focus on your horn,” Anrain said. “And then to your staff. A magic user can often find themselves feeling stronger and more intuned with the realm of magic when holding an item. Of course, keep the magic in your horn. Just draw it in slowly now.” Twilight's horn started to glow, slowly building. “Funnel it into the staff,” Anrain told her. “You are still a beginner, so the staff will be your crutch. It was help you guide your magic until you can funnel it well on your own.” Twilight's brow furrowed as she struggled with this one. It's quite different from anything she'd ever done before. Still she slowly managed to get it starting to move from one point to another. “Now I want you to will your staff to float,” Anrain said. “Keep the channel between the two open and strong.” "Okay, that one’s easy." Twilight said, levitating the staff before her. Anrain eyed her and the staff. He then looked over at a nearby apple tree. “I want you to keep your eyes closed and ‘feel’ the aura of that apple tree.” Twilight focused....and focused...."Okay, this is harder. Any tips?" “Expand your mind,” Anrain said. “Let it feel everything around you. Everything has a surge of magic, but perhaps this might be a tad bit too advanced as of the moment. You may open your eyes.” Twilight did so. "Sorry. I tried, I just couldn’t feel it. Or much of anything actually." “You can feel your staff, can you not?” Anrain asked. "When I'm putting magic into it, yeah." Twilight said. "It's weird sensing stuff at all like this." “You will get used to this,” Anrain commented. “For now, I will be content with simple levitation. You were quicker at it than I thought you would be.” "Well, I am a highly trained mage in my own world. I'm adapting what I know for this." “Perhaps you are,” Anrain inclined his head. “What do you feel when you grab that staff with your magic?” "That I am grasping it." Twilight said. "Nothing different from doing it physically." Anrain stared at the staff and then to her. “Hmm, yes. Now then, were there any questions about anything?” "Nothing really." Twilight admitted. "It's pretty straightforward so far." Anrain smiled. “You are indeed a natural. Now I wish for you to pool your magic into the orb in your staff.” "Okay." Twilight aid, closing her eyes. Breathing carefully, she started to move her magic. Anrain watched her intently as she moved her magic. “Imagine the orb to be a bucket and that of your magic to be water. Let it flow through you and ‘fill’ the orb. Keep your mind clear.” "Um, how will I know when it's full?" Twilight asked. “It would take years to fill that orb at your current rate,” Anrain remarked. “As of now, you can stop.” "Alright then." Twilight said, finishing it off for now. "So, now what do we do?" “The apple tree from before,” Anrain looked to his side. “Do you see it?” Twilight took a look at the tree. "Yes, what about it?" “I want you to bring me an apple,” Anrain said. “I don’t want you to move a single inch from your spot, nor levitate it. I want you to ‘want’ it to be here. Take the apple, store the image in your mind, and think it here.” "Uhhhh...what?" Twilight asked. "This is a little abstract for me." “You are aware of ‘teleportation’ are you not?” "Yes...oh you want me to teleport it." Twilight realized. "Alright, let's try this." Closing her eyes, she focused. After several moments she opened her eyes and...had a mulched apple in her hooves. "Okay, my world's mental constructs for teleporting does not work." “How were you teleporting?” Anrain asked. "Converting to energy and then changing back." Twilight explained. “Teleportation here is different,” Anrain explained. “You do not ‘convert’ your target to and fro. Instead, you will the target to be where you want it. You move it’s place in the universe to the location of your choice.” Twilight...looked very confused. "I just...will it to be where I want it to be?" “Think of it as ripping a hole in fabric,” Anrain said. “And holding another ‘fabric underneath to catch it. You are moving an item or a person from one point to the next, warping them through holes in the world. It is up to you to pick where the ‘hole’ will be.” Twilight nodded, and focused resulting in...an apple that was turned inside out. “I’m glad the unicorns of this world do not suffer so,” Anrain winced. “Or there would be many a sight I would not want to see.” He sighed. “You must be careful. Keep the picture of the ‘object’ strong in your mind. Waver and you can throw yourself off.” The next apple was twisted like a wet towel. The next was compressed down to the size of a golfball. The third was turned blue. "...okay, not sure how that last one ever happened." Anrain sighed. “Are you keeping the image firm in your mind and that of its destination?” "Yes. I don't understand, I'm great at mental constructs." Twilight moaned, frustrated. “How much power are you putting into the warp jump?” Anrain asked. “Into the hole itself?” "...I'm not sure how you guys measure power." Twilight admitted. "I'm not sure what scale you use to describe things." “I’ll ask it in another way,” Anrain asked. “Are you punching the ‘hole’, or gently but quickly pulling it open?” "...bucking it open." Twilight admitted. "Tone it down?" “You must always be gentle with a teleport,” Anrain said. “Yes, you need to put more force into the ‘buck’ or prod the bigger and heavier the item, but it should always be at minimum power. Too much and you risk hurting something and yourself. It will quickly come naturally to you.” "Right. Let's try about a tenth of the power I was using." Twilight said. Breath. Focus. And..."Half an apple? ...well at least the half is intact." “Imagine the apple in its entirety,” Anrain said. “Not just the part you can see.” "Right. Focusing a bit too much on power, not the apple." Closing her eyes, she focused on an apple in full and "...there we go. Got it down now...at least enough for a baseline to practice from." Anrain nodded with a smile. “That you do. A few more tries than I thought it would be, but you have it down well enough. Now then, I’d suggest eating the apple. Sometimes, magic use can be taxing, especially for ones not familiar with certain spells.” Nodding, Twilight started snacking. "So, eating restores magic reserves here?" “While the main source of our power is drawn from the planes,” Anrain remarked. “Those of the magically gifted races, such as unicorns, can store enough magic in their own bodies to use when needed. Some spells can drain the body's reserves, so it is best to find time to relax and restore your energy until your body can get used to the spell itself.” Twilight nods. "Right, external energy source. I forgot that's how it works here for a second. Wait, I can store magic in my body here? Like my world's mana reserves?" “As I said before,” Anrain explained. “Only the more magically gifted races can do that to any extent and that includes unicorn ponies. Of course, it also matters on the individual. Many can’t store that much, so draw more from the plane of magic and it’s also wise to do so when you are low and have nowhere to sleep or eat.” "So, emergency use only." Twilight summed up. Anrain nodded. “If you were to use up all the magic inside of you, you run the risk of damaging yourself. Your kind is tied to magic. As well, if your connection is severed through the loss of your horn, your inner magic will have nowhere to go and will ‘pollute’ your body.” "Pollute?" Twilight asked, concerned. “A unicorn needs an outlet for their magic,” Anrain said. “If you have none, the magic will build up inside you, until it starts bursting your cells around your body. Not all at once. It’s gradual and painful. Thankfully, you unicorns have treatments for it until they can regrow their horns.” "That's...it can break down your body?" Twilight asked. "That's...bad." “Indeed,” Anrain said. “So I would advise you to keep an eye on your horn. It’s more than a tool. It’s your lifeline.” "Got it." Twilight said, finish off her apple. “Now then,” Anrain said. “You have a basic understanding of manipulations and teleportation. Good. You’re taking to this new field of magic quite admirably fast for your kind.” "Well, like I said earlier, I'm already highly trained in my own worlds form of magic." Twilight said, shrugging. "And Princess Celestia said I was a remarkably fast study." “Then you will have no problem with moving yourself over to that tree without taking a single step,” Anrain gestured to the tree. "Wait, I'm supposed to go from apple to me with no in between stuff?" Twilight asks, shocked. "Shouldn't I practice on some more stuff first?" “My master would have made you attempt this spell on yourself at the very beginning,” Anrain stated. “So I think I have given you a bit more guidance in that department. However, you are still not all that aware of this world, nor am I has stern as my former master. If you do not think yourself capable at this time, then we will try an easier exercise.” Twilight shifted her hooves a bit, thinking and looking at the tree, before shaking her head. "I'm powerful enough, but I don't feel comfortable enough yet to try it. I'm still rather new to the magic here and haven't had enough experience using it in enough ways to get an instinctive feel for how to use it safely. A few more exercises to get me better adjusted first is probably a good idea." Anrain put a hoof on Twilight’s shoulder and smiled down at her with a tinge of pride. “That is a wise answer, Twilight. Many a fool would have tried without a second thought after succeeding with the apple. One should never rush into anything and perhaps I was a bit hasty to rush into teleportation so soon with our training. A bit on that is how you are the student of Celestia herself, the only non-deer I have come to respect quite highly.” "Princess Celestia is the one who taught me to take my time and get things right." Twilight explained. "It also helped that my world's Sunset was around to occasionally serve as an example of what happens when you rush things in magic." Anrain nodded. “Of course. Still, I offer my sincerest apologies for rushing you, Twilight. I was far too eager to teach you, for I have always wanted a student of my own. Unfortunately, we deer aren’t as numerous as we once were so it is….hard to find a proper student these days.” "I'm sorry to hear that." Twilight said. "The deer aligned with Equestria back home are thriving actually. I figured it was the same case here." “It is difficult for us, but we manage.” Anrain stated. “We make up for our lack of numbers, with everything else. It’s just….hard for us to have children, or as many children as you races have. Not to mention that most of them are so bull headed as to battle us whenever they can.” "Ahh kids. My son can be like that." Twilight said, nodding. "Well moving on to happier things, what are we going to try next?" “I think we best study the realm of magic for a little while longer,” Anrain stated. “It was wrong of me to jump to teaching you spells when you know so little about the realm your magic comes from. Without knowledge of it, you won’t get far in your training.” "I guess that makes Sense, if magic comes from an outside source." Twilight noted. "I'm still getting used to the idea that I'm not providing all the energy for my spells." “Just as I find your inner magic odd,” Anarin noted. “The Realms of Magic, Chaos, Druidic, Light, and Darkness all play a part in keeping this world alive. Without one, the others would collapse in on themselves. However, the realms of Chaos and Darkness are not ones to be trifled with by anyone and you are never to enter them. You could very well become like Luna or your twin here.” "Got it. No touching. What about the Light realm? And...I can do Druidic magic here?" Twilight asked, eyes shining with curiosity. Anrain nodded. “You can, but it takes study and determination to master more than one of the realms. As for the Realm of Light, that is Celestia’s realm. It is more of a ‘tether’ for the others and what many would consider holy magic. Only the pure of heart can wield it. If you have any taint in your heart, even the tiniest bit, it will burn you. Even kill you if the taint is large enough.” "...I'm not sure if I'm worthy to do that. I mean, what counts as taint here?" Twilight asked, uncertain. “Many things,” Anrain explained. “If you are a being of the dark realm, even the rare ‘nice’ being, you cannot wield it. The dark and light realm cannot interact and only one has done that before. As for the rest, well, a person who thinks only for themselves or wishes to harm another unjustly cannot wield Light. Only those worthy of the blessings of the realm and who devotes themselves to helping others can do so. It is why your Priestesses of Celestia are masters of healing and kindness.” "Wow." Twilight said. "The priestesses I've met so far have been earth tribals. Is that a requirement, or is this a universal?" “Universal,” Anrain said. “Any tribe can have a priestess in their ranks. It is most likely by coincidence you met just two of the Earth tribe. The Realm of Light is open to all and all can wield the Light there.” Twilight nodded. "What about the other realms? Who can use those?" “The realm of Druidic magic is open to some,” Anrain stated. “While many can ‘learn’ the ways of the druid, only some tribes and species can truly master it. The most capable are the Earths and Tatzlponies.” "Rainbow Dash mentioned meeting one of those, they sound fascinating." Twilight said. "So, who is the realm of magic open to, and anything special I should know about it?" “The realm of magic is special,” Anrain stated. “While it can be wielded by many, it has aspects of all the others but twists them in a unique way. Magic in itself is both wondrous and horrifying in the power it wields. Of course, it is also the underlying layer of many races, yourself included. It is their lifeblood and if the realm was cut off….There would be no unicorns or other magic races.” Twilight blanched, "And um, if a unicorn from your world got thrown into mine that doesn't have that realm as a higher plane of existence?" “She would be in constant pain and she is,” Anrain said. “The unicorn Quickfix is however hardier than most so she’s pushing through it. She’s adjusting to the ‘aura’ of your world, so she would survive being cut off. Perhaps her inner magic will restore itself given outside aid. We can only hope, for I am not an expert on your world.” "!Food and rest provide unicorns with magic in my world, but I don't know if that will work for her. Otherwise she...you can see into the other world?" Twilight asked, jaw dropped in wonder. “Glimpses,” Anrain nodded. “The portal isn’t stable nor it is a healthy one at this time with the warlock’s interference. All I can do is assure you that you’re friends are alive, Twilight Sparkle and they are getting closer. The rest cannot be seen as of this moment.” "I see. Thank you for even that much." Twilight said, bowing her head in reverence. “You are welcome,” Anrain bowed his head in return. “I don’t often wish to help ponies. You can be such a crude species, but you are still growing. As well, I am fond of your teacher, so I am always willing to help those she trusts.” "The ponies here are a bit...violent for my tastes." Twilight allowed. "I can see why they think of my world as soft, even if they're mostly too nice to say so." “They never got the chance to be soft,” Anrain stated. “This world is harsh, Twilight. We cannot have peace and we’re too hard headed to even try, or at least, it doesn’t work out in the end for some such as with the Flutterponies.” "That's just sad." Twilight said, sighing. "I guess we got lucky with our world." Or they got unlucky with there's, but Twilight had enough tact to not suggest that out loud. “It is not all that bad,” Anrain stated. “It is in fact much calmer than it has been in eons thanks to Celestia. Before her, the races didn’t even want to talk to each other. Now, most of are cordial enough to at least talk before we do something crass. She has brought your country a long way from its barbaracy.” "Well that's a good start." Twilight said, nodding. "Has she tried to propose Articals of War yet? You'd be amazed how much it helps the peace process once you have a baseline of wartime conduct everybody can agree to." “It’s been signed by many of the races,” Anrain nodded. “But rejected by others still. The griffins are vehemently opposed to it, stating how war shouldn’t have ‘guidelines’ or ‘rules’.” He snorted. “This is just justification for their needless slaughter.” "I still don't get how your griffons got to be so bad." Twilight huffed. "Mine are quite civil. There has to be a reason for the difference." “Discord,” Anrain stated. “He thought it would be funny to turn the proud race on its head so that it would tear itself apart.” "That...yeah I can see that." Twilight admitted. "Anyway, we're getting off topic. Back to the lesson, or we will be here all year as I ask questions." “That is true,” Anrain chuckled. “I want you to tell me what you saw and felt when you focused on ‘the river’ in your mind.” Twilight furrowed her brow in concentration. "Um, I was seeing the river that flows through Canterlot and provides water and power to the city. Except it had a sort of rainbow sparkling effect to it, which was interesting. Was I not supposed to focus on an actual river?" “You did well, Twilight.” Anrain said to placate her concerns. “But I was more interested on your ‘thoughts and feelings of the river. How did it feel to touch it, to draw power from it?” "Um, I thought it looked very pretty? And you said to touch it with your mind, not your body, so...I thought at it." Twilight blushed slightly. “A good answer as any,” Anrain smiled. “The Realm of Magic is purely focused through the mind and that is where your power lies. The stronger the mind, the stronger the magic.” "Oh. Well that's a relief, for a second I was worried I was doing it wrong." Twilight admitted. "So, what's next?" “With the your mind,” Anrain started. “I want  you conjure up a ‘light show’ of sorts. Nothing spectacular, but I want you to bring forth balls of physical magic around yourself.” "Physical magic? You mean like a force field?" Twilight asked. “Akin to it,” Anrain nodded. “Something you can touch. To start off simple, they do not have to be as hard as diamonds. Instead, just give the magic a physical presence here with you.” "Alright. I'll try." Twilight said. Closing her eyes and focusing, she imagined a ball simply now existing on front of her, and willed her magic to forge itself into the ball. Opening her eyes, she smiled at the bowling ball sized mass in front of her. "I did it. I wonder how tough it is?" She prodded it a few times to no response. She then shoved it and...it refused to budge. "The hay? It's heavy." “Do you believe it to be heavy?” Anrain asked. "Well I...should it be?" Twilight asked in return. “Your mind is strong,” Anrain stated. “I have stated that before, so you could theoretically make this as hard as dragon scales easily enough. It matters on what you believe it to be in how strong your spell is. Most magic users vary in how strong they can cast their spells, for their minds can waver. You can choose how strong a thought or belief can be at any time, though the unicorns here have a slight advantage over most given how their ‘brains’ operate.” "So...it depends on what I was thinking at the time?" Twilight asks. "And how I felt about what I was thinking?" Anrain nodded. “You’re the one channeling the magic. You choose what or how much you wish to draw out.” "Huh. I wonder if I over powered it again." Twilight mused. "I was forging the item by pouring in as much energy as I would from my world until I was sure it was solid instead of energy." Anrain shook his head. “Don’t pour the magic into the spell. You risk overpowering it. What you have to do is focus on the idea of the spell itself and give it strength. Use your thoughts to forge the spell and the magic will comply.” Twilight price ended to facehoof. "Oh. Our magic kind of does the same thing. I didn't think it would work the same way here because, well, it's separate from me so how does it know what I'm trying to do?" “You have to keep the connected to the Realm of Magic open as you think,” Anrain stated. “Keep the thought at the forefront of your mind as you draw in the magic. The thought is the most important factor in this.” "Wait, it reads my mind on what I'm trying to do?" Twilight asked, ear twitching. "It's not sentient is it? Or sapient? Because mind reading is a bit of an invasion and what if I think of something it doesn't like would it stop working for me or maybe make the spell go wrong I mean I'm from another world will it be able to understand my intent properly? Or is it worse if it isn't intelligent so it can't try and derive what I'm thinking logically and so misfires with nomill intent? Is that better or worse? Quick, is the Magic Realm judging me?" Anrain just stared at Twilight for a moment. “If you were any other pony, I would think you were making fun of me. You’re jumping to conclusions here, Twilight. The Realm of Magic isn’t alive. It is just energy. There is nothing living there. What I meant is that your are bringing your thoughts to life by pooling the magic into them.” "Oh good, that's a relief." Twilight said. "Sorry about that. My mind tends to follow things to...less than pleasant conclusions. I should probably calm down and meditate before I do anything else huh?" Anrain smiled. “An answer befitting a farseer, I approve. Meditation helps calm the mind and keep it focused. Of course, we both already know that well enough and this meadow will keep both our minds at ease so nothing should bother us.” Nodding, Twilight lay down and focused on her breathing. In and out. In and out. ____________________________________________________________________________ Rainbow watched as Twilight and Anrain just simply vanished. "Woah. Shouldn't there have been a flash?" “Anrain is a farseer,” Velvet stated. “They are quite advanced in the art of magic and more subtle.” "And he's teaching Twilight? Sweet." Rainbow said. "Speaking of sweets, where is Sweetie?" “Probably resting,” Shining stated. “She is hanging out with Sunset. I know I’d rather be sleeping than actually-” Velvet tugged his ear with her magic. “Ow.” “No badmouthing the princess,” Velvet chided him. "So, resting? What happened?" Rainbow asked. “Over saturation,” Redheart said as she trotted inside. “Her body was absorbing too much Earthern magic and she needed some rest in order to balance it. That and a little herbal soup.” Rainbow blinked in confusion. "Over saturation? How did that happen?" “Her body was stabilizing the magic within and around us,” Redheart commented. “The crystals and ‘earth’ of the Crystal Empire can give us Earths quite the boost. Add in Celestia’s trinket and it was a bit too much for her to take in.” "Ouch. We don't have anything like that back home. What happened? Is she going to be okay?" Rainbow asked, quite concerned. Redheart smiled. “She’s fine. She just needs a little rest, though I don’t think she needs her necklace anymore.” Rainbow nods. "Cool. Any idea where my double is?" “She’s helping gather the forces,” Shining stated. “She should be here-” to which Dash was right then at his side. “Impeccable timing as always.” “Thanks,” Dash nodded. “Though I’m not looking forward to this. It’s a bit too cramped for our fliers and the Enclave know that. I’m awesome and all, but yeah. Tartarus holes are what I’m looking at.” "Aren't they flyers too though?" Rainbow asked. "Why wouldn't they want a good fly zone?" “Because tunnels are very good at cutting down larger numbers,” Shining stated. “They won’t feel comfortable and they won’t have the advantage when it comes to close quarters combat, but they are going to hit us with everything they got and they’ll be able to turn it those tunnels into literal meat grinders. If we can push them hard and fast enough, we can make up for this.” Dash nodded. “Yeah, I agree on both accounts. This isn’t typical Enclave fighting style. Probably those warlocks forced them to pick this spot to defend and they’re making the most of it. Still a good defensible position if you ask me. Just not the best for pegasi.” "And we don't know what, of anything, those warlocks might have given them to help." Rainbow pointed out. "I'm not a big magic expert, and dark magic can do all kind of weird things, so I don't even want to guess what they might have." “We’ll manage,” Shining stated. “We’ve faced hardships before and we’ve pushed through. I doubt they’ll be any worse than Nightmare Moon or Sombra.” "Well no...on the first one, can't comment on the second." Rainbow says. "But they can be pretty nasty all the same." “Then we’ll go in and kill ‘em quick,” Dash shrugged. “But yeah, I’m not an expert on ‘your’ warlocks, so we might need to be a teensy bit more careful.” "Juuuust a bit." Rainbow agreed, nodding. "So, where's Sweetie? Not much I can do and I want to let her know me and Twi are okay." “She’s in one of the homes of the nobles,” Redheart stated. “The Crystal Ponies are quite welcoming once they’ve warmed up to you.” "Good to know." Rainbow said. "Well, lead the way." Redheart nodded and started to trot off. “It’s not far from here.” ___________________________________________________________________ Sweetie woke up, yawning. "I fell asleep? How did that happen?" “Oh you just got a little high on earthern magic,” Pizzelle smiled at her from the side of the bed. “That happened to my Uncle once. Oh he got so jittery he was literally bouncing off the walls. Kept us all awake for two days straight, it was that bad.” "Too much? How can you get extra earth magic?" Sweetie asked. "Oh wait, different rules. Got any water? My throat’s dry." Pizzelle nodded. “Right. Sunset?” “On it,” Sunset came trotting inside with a glass of water and Hikaru laying on her back, taking a nap. “Guess you weren’t the only one tuckered out, Sweetie.” "Awww." Sweetie cooed, looking at the cute little fox. "So, how are things going right now?" “Not so good,” Sunset used her magic to put Hikaru to bed and the glass of water to Sweetie. “The Enclave are holed up in there pretty tight, but we managed to get Twilight and Rainbow out.” "Well that's good. Are they alright? They weren't too hurt or anything where they?" Sweetie asked, concerned for her friends. “They’re fine, deary.” Pizzelle put a comforting hoof on Sweetie’s shoulder. “I heard they’re talking with Shining Armor right now and making up a plan. It should be a good one. Shining Armor isn’t the youngest field marshal of Canterlot’s finest for nothing.” "Well that's good. So, Any idea what the Enclave are actually after?" Sweetie asked. "They can't have captured my friends at random." “Hay if I know,” Sunset shrugged. “Probably bargaining chips or something. It doesn’t matter anymore anyways since they escaped. What matters if we have to stop the Enclave.” Sweetie frowned. "Do we? I mean, can they even do anything down there now?" “We don’t know,” Sunset said. “They could have anything at the ready with them.” "Well that doesn't sound good." Sweetie said. "Are you sure our soldiers will be okay?" Sunset shrugged. “War’s tartarus. Someone’s bound to get hurt anyway we go at this.” "Does it have to be war?" Sweetie asked, looking rather upset. "I mean, they're kind of trapped. Wouldn't they just surrender?" “I’m pretty sure they’ve got some aces up their sleeves,” Sunset quipped. “They wouldn’t put themselves in a position like that if they didn’t have an escape plan. Enclave never surrender anyways.” Sweetie looked rather uncomfortable. "Well that's...well..." And that's when Rainbow came bursting into the room. "Tada! Guess who's back?" With a burst of shadow magic, Shade appeared beside her with a tray of cookies. “It’s me! I got the cookies for Sweetie you wanted, sweetie.” He grinned at Sunset, who then sent him a withering glare. "Warlock!" Rainbow shouted, punching him in the face. "Oh wait, it's just Shade. Eh he, sorry, kind of startled me after being kidnapped by guys working with warlocks from my world." “No problem,” Shade grunted. “I used to work for a warlock, even one in training, so I know all their tricks...Of course, it was a Shadow Warlock and we were supposed to go around collecting souls for the Dark Goddess, but I’m sure they’re similar.” "Eh, I don't think they go in for those soul thingies." Rainbow noted. "Not that we ever ran into anyway." "Still, you should get that looked at. It looked like it hurt." Sweetie pointed out, giving Shade's snout a once over. “That was nothing,” Shade shook his head. “I’ve been punched a bunch of times before. Crushed, stabbed, all that and more since I work for Quickfix. Though I mostly just get set on fire when I mess with Sunset.” He leaned over to Rainbow Dash and whispered. “Her cute angry pout is worth it.” "And you never invested in, like, an anti-fire amulet or anything like that?" Rainbow asked, confused. Sweetie had other concerns. "Sunset, it is really inappropriate to be setting your special somepony ablaze." Sunset broke out into a deep blush as she sputtered. “H-he’s not my special somepony. He’s a pervy idiot and he deserves it. I-I don’t like him like that. I’m a princess. I have standards.” She nervously roamed her hoof through her mane. "Sunny, it's blatantly obvious you like him." Rainbow pointed out. "Hey, where is Stonewall? He was right behind me. Did he get lost again?" Stonewall quickly entered after her. “Do you honestly have to keep flying off on me like that?” "What's the matter?" Rainbow asked, smirking. "I'm staying below the sound barrier, can't you at least keep up with that?" “Perhaps you could learn a bit restraint and walk,” Stonewall said. “I’m your guard. It’s my duty to keep you safe and I can’t do that if you’re flying off like you are.” "Well then, maybe I shouldn't be going slower, you should be going faster." Rainbow argued. "You expect me to just wait for you all the time?" Stonewall just put a hoof over his face and sighed. Shade put a hoof on his shoulder and said, “I know that feel, bro. I know that feel. Just be glad she doesn’t have fire magic.” "What's that supposed to mean?" Rainbow asked, looking confused. “Nothing,” Stonewall shook off Shade’s hoof. “Just...We’ll fly somewhere in the middle or something.” Rainbow thought about it, and nodded. "Fine, I'll turn down my awesome a bit so you can keep up." Stonewall nodded and before he could say something, a green blur smashed her way into the building. “BON BON!” “AGH!” Shade, unfortunately, was in the way of the green blur and was thus trampled. Nothing unusual. “You’re okay!” Lyra shouted, jumping into bed, pulling the mare close, and licking all over her face. “YAY!” "...thank you for your...enthusiasm Lyra, but I'm Sweetie Drops, not Bon Bon." Sweetie said, trying not to cringe at the face licking. Lyra stopped licking and pulled her into an even tighter hug. “I know, but you’re a ‘version’ of Bon Bon, so that makes you my friend. That’s why I had to come and make sure you’re alright and smash the heads in of whoever hurt you. Because that’s what friends do. They smash others for them...Well, I do that….You’re safe and that matters.” "Nopony hurt me, I got a little overcharged on magic..which is a thing that can happen here apparently." Sweetie assured her. Sure, this wasn't her Lyra, but it was a Lyra, and that was hard to ignore. "Speaking of, I didn't do anything weird did I? The last couple of hours are kind of a blur." “You were just a little jittery, deary.” Pizzelle assured her. “I haven’t seen somepony so jittery since my last family reunion. Oh, my little nephew Peter Pepper is such a lively little colt and he had so many candies, and I will not deny I was the one who gave him most of them, that he was literally vibrating.” She giggled. “It was adorable and you were kind of like that, but not nearly as bad.” "Oh good. As long as I didn't go crazy on the baking." Sweetie said. "Last time I magically got enhanced, I would up baking so much stuff I wound up almost flooding Ponyville with baked goods." “Pizzelle does stuff like that when she’s upset,” Shade thought out loud. “Like that time Bon Bon wanted to take Hikaru away or when her-” He was cut off when Pizzelle put a hoof over his muzzle, giving him a slight glare that pretty much said ‘say one more word. I dare you’. "Well, that doesn't sound too bad." Sweetie said, feeling relieved. "...Lyra, hug time is over." “Snuggle time has begun!” Lyra cackled, snuggling her as only a wicked ‘best friend’ can. Sweetie was paralyzed, blushing furiously. 'Not my marefriend. Don't cuddle back. not my marefriend. Don't cuddle back. If there's somebody listening, help me please.' Just then, a certain earth pony, sun priestess barged into the room. “Lyra, where the buck have you...Lyra! Get off her!” “No!” “Get off her, or so help me, you won’t get any new chewtoys for a month!” “Not gonna let go! She needs me!” “You need my scepter upside your head, is what you need!” Bon Bon was quite ferocious when she was upset….Okay, she was ferocious all the time, which is why you didn’t want to get on her bad side. '...not sure if I approve of this help or not.' Sweetie pondered. "Um, Lyra, you should probably stop." Lyra pouted. “But you’re comfy.” “My scepter will feel just as comfy on your head in a second!” Bon Bon seethed. "Well this is all kinds of awkward." Rainbow said. "Oh yeah, Sunset, good news. Twilight is getting some training from Anrain, so she should be able to help with her own magic soon." “Well that’s good to hear,” Sunset nodded. “Anrain helped train me a little bit when I was young. He was always going on about ‘Ponies are inherently slow minded. How you survived this long is surprising’,” she mimicked the farseer. Then she rolled her eyes. “Yeah, not the biggest fan of him, but my mom’s sweet on him so he’s fine enough.” "Cool. Wonder how Twilight's training is going?" Rainbow asked. “I’m sure it’s going well,” Bon Bon grit her teeth in anger. “Now if you’ll all please excuse me, I have to check up on the patient. That’s the ‘least’ I can do after being dragged out halfway across the country by an insane dog-mare!” “But she was in trouble,” Lyra pouted, holding Sweetie to her chest. “I had to help.” “She had plenty of help here!” Bon Bon shouted. “You didn’t need to go to her aid.” “I’d go to your aid if you were hurt,” Lyra said. “Wherever you were, I’d go. You’re my bestest friend….My only real friend. I’d go through Tartarus for you, so I don’t regret this.” Bon Bon coughed into her hoof, trying and failing to stop her massive blush. “B-Be it as it may, I’m still annoyed with you.” And then Twilight was in the room, cradling a Farseer staff glowing with her colors. "Teleportation check." And then she vanished. Rainbow blinked. "Did you all just see that? The whole no flash instant teleporting?" “Guess it’s going better than I thought it would,” Sunset muttered. “You don’t know how long it took me to learn that spell….Of course you need ‘happy’ memories of places and I didn’t really have that much if any of those back then.” She frowned. "Wait, how does she have happy memories of this place?" Rainbow asked. Sweetie rolled her eyes. "Because it's the Crystal Empire, the place of her fillyhood dreams and it's real?" “Well good for her,” Sunset rolled her eyes in annoyance. Bon Bon just ignored everyone and walked over to the bed. “Move over, Lyra.” “Nu-uh,” Lyra shook her head. “Stop being a spoiled puppy and move.” “Why don’t you come into the bed too.” “Because that would look inappropriate.” “And I care, why?” Lyra asked, causing Bon Bon to blush slightly, before she whacked Lyra on the head with her scepter. “Ow.” "Violence is wrong." Sweetie said very mechanically on reflex, her brain still occupied mostly by the cuddles and running on automatic. “It’s not with her,” Bon Bon grumbled. She closed her eyes and started recanting a few prayers to Celestia. Quick as a whip, Lyra was surrounded in a sun-like aura before being dragged off the bed and onto the ground. “Sit.” She held up a dog treat, causing Lyra to sit. “Stay.” She booped her nose, before giving her the treat. “Good girl.” Rainbow was struggling not to burst out laughing at the sight. “Urgh,” Lyra swallowed her dog treat. “Why do they have to make those treats so good? It’s criminal, I say. CRIMINAL!” She shook her hooves at the sky. “Stop being a drama queen,” Bon Bon grumbled. “NEVER!...Can I have another dog treat.” “I’m fresh out.” “NEVER!” Bon Bon sighed and looked at Sweetie Drops. “Is your Lyra this….hard to handle?” "Nope." Sweetie said. "Though she does get a bit enthusiastic when talking about theoretical metaphysics, but it's a bit over my head...my Lyra is a genius with five degrees." “Hey,” Lyra pouted. “I’m smart too.” “In what way?” Bon Bon gave her a flat look. “...I know how to punch stuff,” Lyra looked down at the ground. “Yeah,” Bon Bon huffed. “Now just sit there and remind yourself not to drag me around again, or you’re banned from the bedroom.” “But...But snuggles.” “No snuggles!” “YOU’RE CRUEL!” Lyra cringed in fear. "Wait," Rainbow said, confused, "I thought neither of you were into mares." “What does sleeping together have to do with that?” Lyra asked, confused with the question. “I mean, just because we share a bed doesn’t mean we have to be in a relationship. Friends can snuggle. It’s not like we kiss or anything.” "Makes sense...I guess." Rainbow said, shrugging. "Not like I know anything about relationships." Shade put his hoof on Stonewall’s shoulder. “I feel for you, bro.” “Knock that off,” Stonewall swatted the hoof off. “Who said I wasn’t into mares?” Bon Bon asked. “Are you listening to that decrepit stallion at that cafe? The one who said I was a raging she daemon.” “Well….” Sunset started. “Like you’re one to talk,” Bon Bon glowered. “What did you say?” Sunset butted heads with her, glaring. "Okay, enough you two." Sweetie said, pulling them apart and doing her best "mom glare". "We have enough problems right now without you two fighting over what some silly waiter says." "Yeah. I mean, the idiot thought I was pregnant, and was in a relationship with Stonewall." Rainbow said. "Shows what he knows." “Many feels I share with you, bro.” Shade commented to Stonewall. “...Are you going to make that a thing?” Stonewall gave him a tired glare. “Depends,” Shade shrugged. Rainbow looks confused. "Anypony have any idea what they're talking about?" “They’re idiots,” Sunset answered. “Don’t listen to them.” “You don’t even know me, princess.” Stonewall commented. “You’re hanging out with Shade, so you’re an idiot.” Shade hoof-pumped. “Yes, upgrade. Idiot’s much better than pervy bastard.” “...When did my life become-” Stonewall looked at Rainbow. “You know what, I’m not finishing that thought.” Rainbow nodded. "Glad to see somepony is learning." “I have to be when I’m guarding you,” Stonewall huffed. “Where’s Fiddlesticks and her love songs when you need her?” Pizzelle chuckled, nuzzling her little sleeping boy. It was a wonder he had slept through all of that. "Why would we want that sort of mushy stuff?" Rainbow asked, sticking her tounge out in mock disgust. Pizzelle squished Rainbow’s cheeks with her hooves. “You are so cute. Mushy stuff?” She giggled and pulled Rainbow into a bear hug. Since Pizzelle herself was half Earth, her hugs were much stronger than the average pegasus. “Oh that kind of talk reminds me of my sister at your age. She was such a feisty mare. Always challenging the other pegasi to races and hooffball and…” “We get it,” Sunset cut her off. "Hoofball is awesome." Rainbow said, focusing on the only parts she really got. "But not as cool as racing at supersonic speed." Bon Bon placed a hoof on Sweetie’s head. As she recanted the beautiful words of holy sun magic, it surged through the mare, purifying her of her ailment. She pulled away. “Are you feeling better?” "Yes actually." Sweetie said, smiling. "You did a very good job. I guess it makes sense you'd know your own body so well..." She slowly facehoofed as she realized how that sounded. "I am so sorry I was not thinking." “That’s alright,” Bon Bon said, giving her a comforting smile befitting a priestess. “I’ve heard worse at confessionals.” Sweetie smiled in return, not asking what a confessional was and just accepting the assurance at face value. "So...where's Coco? And Spike?" Sunset’s eyes widened. “He bucking better not!” She raced out of the room. Pizzelle rolled her eyes. “You’d think that she’d put a little more trust in them. Just because her brother has a tendency to romance pretty much every female he comes across, doesn’t mean he’s going to romance Coco.” "Actually, I'm more concerned about Redheart." Rainbow said. "I mean, you'd think this is where a nurse would be if her friend fainted." “...He’s doing something,” Sunset was being pushed inside by white hooves. “Just let me at him. He won’t feel my flames!” “Calm down,” Redheart spoke up. “They’re alright...Oh hey everypony. Sorry I’m late. I was overseeing some of the local cases at the hospital.” "It's fine, you haven't missed much." Sweetie lied, trying to ignore the small crowd of ponies that had shown up and the various shenanigans that had occurred. “Hmm,” Redheart hummed in thought. “Strange. Usually a lot happens in our group, but I seem to be wrong this time.” And then Twilight teleported back in. "Hey guys, Anrain said I should take a break. Want to get some...is it lunch or dinner now? I've kind of lost track of time." “Anrain’s giving you a break?!!” Sunset pointed her hoof at Twilight. “Changeling!” “Knock it off, Sunset.” Redheat quipped. “Dinner time, actually.” "Alright then, sounds like a plan. It needs to be quick though." Twilight explained. "I only have an hour before I have to get back to Farseer training." “That’s more than what I got,” Sunset grumbled. “....Wait a moment, why are you holding a farseer staff? And why is it glowing with you color? That’s not supposed to happen unless you’re...OH COME ON!” "What?" Sweetie asked, confused. “You’re a farseer?” Sunset whined. “That’s not fair. I should be the pony chosen to be the farseer. Come on, I’m the chosen one for my mother’s sake.” “Well, more like part of the chosen set.” Redheart quipped. "Uh, what's the big deal?" Dash asked. "Welllll..." Twilight hedged, "I might be the second pony since Celestia to be one. We can discuss this later. Food now, our captors didn't really feed us." she said quickly, hurrying out of the room. “So….Dinner anypony?” Redheart asked, gaining many nods in return. “Are you going to let the rest of us keep pace with you?” Stonewall asked Rainbow. There was no response. She was already gone. “Celestia curse it!” Stonewall growled, before he took off in hot pursuit.