//------------------------------// // Little things // Story: We're...Twins...yes...twins... // by Questionable Brony //------------------------------// Twilight and I were cuddled right next to each other, as we were reading the book. Shining Armor was lying at his "original" sister's side (couldn't really blame him) and well, I don't think he really bothered reading with us, except just barely enough to be in the loop as they say. Surprisingly I understood the text pretty well and could even relate to it...somehow. Get a load of this: The magical leylines in a unicorns horn are no physical manifestations. At the time this book was written the most common theory is that those leylines are part of the magical energy of a unicorn, since on instruments they can be seen in the same color as a unicorn's magic (see pic. 1). Since the lines disappear like any other magic after a unicorn's death, autopsies weren't able to neither confirm, nor deny the theory, however the simple fact of the lines disappearing after death is a strong indication of this theory being true. Now, let's hold it here. Is this really an appropriate book for a filly to read? I mean they already mentioned death and autopsies. Makes me wonder what else could be written in here or why Twilight's parents thought this would be a good book for her to read. I know it would have never made it into the show. But I digress. Let's keep on reading, shall we? Through the leylines the magic is transported into the unicorn's horn, when needed. Through the nerve endings in the horn, which are connected to the unicorn's brain, said unicorn can send an "order" towards the magic to make it take a certain "form" in order to fulfill a certain task. The "order" consists mostly of a magic spell, which the unicorn has learned. Beginners are advised to speak the spells out loud in order to prevent stray thoughts to interfere with once concentration and prevent accidents from happening. Exceptions are for example levitation, since it is, as the common tongue suggests a "no brainer". In other words, unicorns don't need to actively think in order to use levitation or illumination, since they learn it at an early age. Never thought I'd see the word combination "no brainer" being written into a science book. Leylines are not to be confound with nether waves. While at first glance they seem to fulfill the same task, nether waves carry the magic, while in the case of leylines the magic goes through them (See Chapter 9). Interacting with the leylines is often a problem for young foals, as they're not an original part of their body. There is only one way in order for them to get better into interacting with the lines: training. Each individual foal needs to discover for him or herself on how to compromise the magical flow in their body in order for the magic to flow through the leylines. It is impossible to describe for non-unicorns, except the unicorn needs to find a way to focus and at the same time relax, similar to meditation. Afterwards it gets easier for the foal or filly the more he or she uses the magic. Who wrote this? The wording was a little awkward to say the least. And what was that all about concentration and meditation? Last time I used magic, I was halfway into a panicky state. I had to ask though, how did Twilight understand any of this? I was an adult...once, but Twilight, I mean...was she really that smart already? My train of thought was interrupted by the door opening and Velvet coming inside. We all looked up at the same time and I imagined to adorable Twilight's reading a book must have been quite the sight. Velvet seemed....oh jeez how do I put this, off? Nervous? Nervousxited? Yeah, thanks Pinkie Pie. "Would you please come downstairs? The princess wish to talk to all of us." Earlier with the adults Princess Celestia sipped calmly on her tea, before putting her cup down and looking at the parents of her new student. "As you two are well aware, this is not an easy situation. In fact, even I cannot remember something like this happening in the past at any given time." She smiled down, as she noticed the little dragon curling into a ball right next to her and started snoring softly. "We have yet to wait for the final results, but as far as the doctors could tell Twivine is a perfectly little filly with strange looking eyes and inexperienced in using her magic, to put it bluntly." Nightlight and Velvet looked at each other for a second before looking back at Celestia. The husband spoke up. "So, princess...excuse me if I am a little rude, but do you really expect us to adopt...Twivine as our own daughter? I mean...looks aside, we just aren't prepared to take care of another child, if we're about to take care of a dragon too. Not to mention it almost seems like she has a complete personality of her own." "Exactly." Celestia nodded. "My theory so far is that, when Twilight cast the spell, she somehow transferred her own knowledge into the filly and created an alive artificial personality. Technically speaking you two just became grandparents this morning." Celestia giggled inwardly at the stunned faces of her poor little ponies. "As a result, an emotional bond was created between Twilight and Twivine, which as of yet is not so strong. If you truly belief you can't take care of her, I will gladly take her under my wing, so the two will be able to spend time together on a regular bases." "Are you sure this will be necessary?" Velvet asked and Celestia nodded. "Twilight surely will want to see her "sister" again, if she can't live with her at least. As for Twivine, she is obviously confused. She didn't even exist until this morning and then all of the sudden was brought into this world with knowledge that is not even her own and no experience whatsoever. True at the same time she seems to be mature for a filly of her age, but this could be because of all kinds of reasons. She will need someone she can connect with and Twilight is the most logical choice in this matter. To be frank, I think separating them from each other would do more harm than good. In case you decide to integrate Twivine into the family, I'm ready to provide some royal funds for your family in order to sustain both additional family members. I know this is not an easy decision, so take your time. No matter the outcome, I won't treat Twilight any differently during her lessons." Velvet and Nightlight looked at each other again. "Would you please give us a moment, your highness?" Velvet asked, to which the princess nodded. "Of course. As I said, take your time." Afterwards Velvet and Nightlight left for the kitchen, leaving Celestia alone in the living room with the dragon Twilight hatched this morning. She levitated the tiny dragon into her forelegs and started gently rocketing the little dear. There were so few opportunities where she could do this. Unfortunately for her, it only took Velvet and Nightlight ten minutes to make a decision. Present Velvet carried me downstairs, where Celestia was sitting with Nightlight on a table. Instead of chairs, cushions were spread around the table for all of us to take a seat. Velvet levitated me off from her back and placed me next to Celestia to my left. Before Twi's mother could say anything, little Twilight placed herself next to me. As everyone else was getting seated I was once again overwhelmed by the all too familiar feeling of my tail getting forcefully pulled. "AH! OH, COME ON!" I screamed as I looked around, seeing Spike once again using my tail as a chew toy. I was so close letting out some curses that were anything but appropriate for children at "my age". Everyone else giggled/chuckled at my little misfortune, which was getting pretty old. Luckily Spike soon lost interest in my tail, having caught something from the corner of his eye. He crawled over to Twilight, everyone expecting her tail to be his next victim, but nope. The little guy upon arriving stretched his arms, as he wanted to be carried by Twilight. My "sister" saw this as an invitation to hug little spike and proceeded to press their bodies against each other. As a result the two fell over with Spike landing on Twilight's belly. The filly giggled, having fun with her...brother? Son? God, this was so confusing. As far as I watched, the show never established the exact relationship the two had. Who knows? Maybe they do fully establish their relationship during the second half of season 5, which I won't be able to watch anymore, but rather experience it. Wow, not sure how to feel about that one yet. In any event, after watching the two simply wiggling around a little bit on the cushion, Velvet brought the two into upright position, so we could actually start our conversation or more their explanation of things. "Now then, Twilight, Twivine" we both looked up at the princess "it has been decided that I am going to take you both as my personal students." "YAY!" Twilight shouted, hugging me from behind. "I'm going to learn magic from Princess Celestia with sis!" she shouted. Me? I was...stunned. Really. I mean, I SHOULD have seen something like this coming, but still. I'm going to learn magic from one of the most powerful magic users in Equestria. "Wow...uh...thank you? I mean...arrgh, Twilight, that hurts." I hissed as she almost accidentally pulled me down, because she lost balance and was now holding onto my shoulders. "Sorry." "Is okay." I told her, while helping her back up. The princess waited until we both turned around, before continuing. "You'll both attend my school for gifted unicorns. Some of your regular lessons will be replaced with lessons with me. I'll bring your parents an exact schedule before school starts." she explained. "Twivine, we'll need to figure out how much you know as of now, but don't worry about learning anything. It's just a little test to see, where you might need help. Also, don't worry about figuring out your magic. If you can't use it by the time school starts, I'll gladly help you with that as well." "Thank you." I replied, when she was finished. "Now have you two any questions?" Immediately Twilight raised her hoof. "Yes Twilight?" "Will you be staying for dinner?" she asked. I snorted barely suppressing the laughter that wanted to come out. I so expected a question about science or magic. I faked a cough for good measure. Twilight's parents, excuse me, our parents (still not used to the idea) didn't seem too fond of the idea. "Now Twilight, the princess is a busy mare-" Velvet began, but was interrupted by, you guessed it, the princess. "Actually Miss Velvet, I am free for the rest of the day. Of course I don't want to impose on your family, since this would be a rather sudden request." "Oh no, no, no. Please Princess, feel free to stay with us for dinner." Velvet said quickly. Nightlight and Shining Armor seemed to be just as nervous as Velvet was. Only Spike, Twilight and I weren't affected by the prospect of the princess dining with us. Okay, I admit it. I was a little nervouscited. "I'll get right to it then. If you would excuse me, princess." "Miss Velvet?" the princess spoke calmly. "Y-yes your highness?" "Please don't make let me be any trouble to you. Whatever you planned for dinner will be fine." At that my stomach started to growl really loudly. That was right, the entire day I had neither anything to eat or drink. The princess chuckled, as I sat there embarrassed over the circumstance. My throat started to feel a little dry too. "Can I have a glass of water please?" Alright. You can do this. Just grab this glass of water with both hooves and drink from it. Child's play. I told myself. It always looked so easy on TV, seeing the ponies drinking and generally doing everyday stuff. I'd would have to learn all of this, starting with today's lesson: drinking a glass of water. I screwed up. I managed to like raise the glass a few inches, until I accidentally leaned my entire body backwards. I don't really know why I did it, but most likely I was just not used to being a pony. I just planning raising my head a little after all and must have gotten the wrong muscle or too many. Whatever it was, I leaned backwards, lost balance and "Crap!" fell on my back, losing the glass. The water got soaked up on the body and I expected the sound of glass shattering coming any moment. Only it didn't came. In fact there was an eerie silence in the room. Turning myself around, shivering a little from the water in my fur, I found everyone was looking at me and some black thing next to me. It didn't take long for me to connect the dots. I accidentally used my special magic again. A vine broke through the ground and caught the glass before it hit the ground. I felt the tingling on my forehead. It must have meant that my horn was glowing from the use of magic. That's...pretty cool and all, but how do I get this thing to place the glass on the table and disappear? Not to mention the whole in the ground... Just as these thoughts passed my mind, the vine placed the glass on the table and then disappeared from where it came from. The whole sadly didn't go fixed. "....Er...oops?" I tried carefully. Silence. "Ta da? Maybe..." Spike clapped his claws. Well, at least it was something of an reaction. Then Twilight was right in front of my face. I swear that mare must have teleported at that very moment, there was no other explanation. "That was amazing! How did you do it? What kind of spell was that? Can you teach me to do it too?" she asked all at once. "Ermm...thanks, no idea, no idea, probably not." I answered her questions one by one. Makes me wonder if I've gotten the wrong cutie mark. Twilight looked at me disappointed, while the others looked at me with a mixture of curiosity, fear and astonishment. "This is certainly...interesting." Celestia stated after a while. She wrapped her wing around the both of us (because it was too big for only me) and gently stroked our backs. "Maybe you can do it again? For me?" she asked. "I'm not sure..." I trailed off a little. "I...every time I used magic today, it was an accident. Back at the hospital, when no one was in the room, I managed to move the mirror to me. And now...I wasn't really thinking both times." I explained. "I see." Celestia nodded. "Eh, sorry about the floor." I turned towards Nightlight. "I would pay for it, but child labor is illegal, so....hehehe..." And that's when I realized how bad I was at attempting to brighten up the mood. Celestia cleared her throat and it was then, when Nightlight snapped out of his days. "I-It's alright...child." Celestia didn't seem too happy about this answer. She may have not noticed, but being so close to her I could feel her body tensing slightly. Seeing as Nightlight wouldn't come up with a decent reply anytime soon, she decided to reassure me a little more. "Don't worry. We'll help you getting a hold of your own magic." she smiled down at me. "Thank you, again." I nodded politely. And awkward silence. "Mmm, hey Twi. While we wait for dinner, er, mind helping me getting a hang on how to walk?" Apparently I am also bad at changing the subject. But it worked with Twilight. "Of course! Wait here and I'll get my copy of: 'How to help physically disabled ponies.'" "Why do you have a book on how to help physically disabled ponies?!" I exclaimed. Celestia was just as shocked as I was. "Because Shining Armor wants to join the guards and in the last twenty years 5% of the guards came back to their families somehow physically disabled." she explained before walking up the stairs. I looked after her, shocked. "My brain tells me a filly isn't supposed to know this. But I'm not too sure, since well, wait a moment. I'm not even a day old! I'm not allowed to attend any schools!" I exclaimed. Of course I knew better than that and technically I was older than even Shining Armor at this point. I was about to ask Nightlight if they have given Twilight already "the talk", but a smarter part of my brain stopped me from making any more comments. Celestia pulled me into a hug, thinking Faust knows what was going through my head. "Ow~" I groaned once again, ignoring the chuckle coming from Shining Armor. By this point, everyone had calmed down about the plunder vine, even Velvet who had almost thrown a temper tantrum at the hole I made in the floor. From time to time she would return to the kitchen, but as of now, everyponys eyes were on me and Twilight, who wore a small lab coat in her size and a stethoscope. The exercise Twilight pulled out of her book, consisted of me positioning my hooves on her rear, then she would slowly start walking, while I followed only moving my hind-legs. It was a small exercise to get the rhythm of those legs. It worked fairly well, with little failures happening every now and then. But the way I made progress in this exercise, it didn't look like I'd need to see the docs about this problem. The next stage would be only using my front legs, by putting my hind legs on someone's shoulder. However, we didn't came to that, since Velvet called for lunch. Twilight made some final notes on a notepad, before getting rid of her coat and stethoscope and trotting into the kitchen. Shining took the liberty to carry me into the kitchen and put me into the chair. The kitchen itself had the general things every kitchen had. Everything, except the fridge, the stove and the oven, was made of dark wood. It looked like the old table in my parent's house, which was from the eighties. Apparently Velvet prepared something special for Twilight's success during the entrance exam. Hay fries, hay burgers, grilled potatoes made in herb butter, some of them backed over with cheese, salad and a ton of orange juice. Who drinks that much orange juice? Each of the rest took a seat, Celestia between me and Twilight, Spike getting placed on Velvet's lap, who took out an old baby bottle (who keeps those things?), since apparently as I later found out, dragons can drink milk or eat gemstones the moment they're born. The alternative would have been minced meat. Yeah, try that one on ponies. "Well then" Nightlight spoke up "today indeed is a special occasion. Not only did Twilight pass her entrance exam, but she also became the personal student of princess Celestia AND added two new additions to the family." Everyone could hear him getting less enthusiastic at the last part. This would go on for a while, wouldn't it? Celestia not so subtly cleared her throat at that and not so subtly shot Nightlight a short glare. Okay, to be honest, I only caught it, because I was more focusing on her, than Nightlight's speech. Why? The mane was tickling me. "Well then, it has been a long day, so I suggest we start eating." "Yay!" Twilight shouted, causing Celestia to giggle. Talk about mood swings. "So Twilight, what do you want?" Nightlight asked, while Velvet walked around to me. "What can I give you, dear?" she asked. It didn't sound forced at all. "Umm...I'll try the potatoes with the cheese." I told her. She levitated a few over to my plate and filled my glass with a little bit of juice. "Just tell me if you need anything else, okay?" "Yes, thank you." I replied. Velvet walked back to her place and I found myself with a problem. Not really a problem, but something I was uncomfortable in doing: eating with my muzzle straight from the plate. Common in pony land, but at that moment I really wished I had hands again. Ha, who am I, Lyra? Sighing inwardly I was about to get to it, when the familiar feeling of me using magic came up. A second later, two vines came straight up through the ground and grabbed a fork and a knife. "Well that's convenient." Is all I could say.