**WARNING: Disgusting amount of exposition is in the following chapter, episodes are discussed. Discord has not escaped his prison but the Wedding between Shining Armor and Cadance has happened, a few other things have happened as well, but a good bit of Season two has not happened. Fair warning given.**
Twilight looked out at the rolling hills as the train crossed over the landscape. The grass rolled gently in the wind like waves of the ocean. But as beautiful as the view was, the grass didn’t hold her attention. No, instead, it was the golden light that seemed to emanate from the ground. It glowed brighter in some areas than in others and, seemingly at random, it even surged with thin wisps of pure magic, arcing over the hills then sinking back down into the ground.
Ever since she had gained these runes, she had been able to see magic. Not the kind of magic one sees every day from a unicorn, no. She saw magic in its purest form; energy... and power.
Magic has always been impossible to explain and those who have tried recording it have never even come close to its true meaning. Magic is something that flows, not only inside a pony, but around a pony. Magic is inside the trees, the water, the very air one breathes.
All unicorns in Equestria have always been taught that magic comes from Magical Founts somewhere inside them. For the average unicorn, this fount is located at the base of their horn. For some, it is located in their barrel somewhere because it is too big to fit in the usual spot. For Twilight, her fount was primarily around her heart and was bigger than normal for that area, but she knows other ponies that have bigger ones than her; The headmaster of “Celestia’s School for Gifted Unicorns” coming to mind.
Twilight’s ability to see magic comes from her Mage Sense; she was able to see, hear, touch, smell, and if she concentrated hard enough, even taste pure magic. The last pony known to possess this ability was fabled to be StarSwirl the Bearded and it was said to be how he was so powerful. Her thoughts continued to drift as, slowly, the magic outside faded into nothingness as Twilight suppressed her Mage Sight.
Half an hour passed in monotony before the cabin was plunged into darkness as the train passed through the tunnels on its last leg of the journey to Canterlot. Twilight looked around in the darkness and, as it came back out and went back into another dark tunnel, reactivated her Sight.
What she saw stole her breath away, like it did each time she did this. The magic lit up the tunnel, bright as day and the natural mountain walls looked as if they were alive. The magic in here felt much older than the magic outside in the hills. It felt like the magic had ancient secrets just waiting for the right pony to listen to its whispered tales.
All too soon, this sight was lost to her as the cabin was once again bathed in daylight as it exited the final tunnel and was on the straight shot to Canterlot Station. Twilight suppressed her Sight again and stood up, quickly putting her saddlebags back on and stretching to get the kinks out of her legs.
“Come on, Spike. We’re here.”
Spike hopped out of the seat, and jumped onto her rump as the train slowed to a stop into the station. As the doors opened, Twilight trotted out onto the platform, taking out a small scroll and quill from her saddlebags.
“Alright, first thing on our checklist. ‘Arrive in Canterlot,’ check!” Twilight checked off the first box on the list. “Second thing on our list is--”
“When did you make that checklist, Twilight?” Spike peered over her shoulder in confusion.
“‘Spike questioning where I got my checklist,’ check!” Twilight checked off another box.
Spike deadpanned. “Really.”
“Can never be too prepared,” Twilight simply said with a slight grin. “Third thing on our list i--” She was interrupted again by somepony clearing their throat.
“Lady Sparkle.” A white pegasus in golden armour, flanked by two dark gray unicorns also clad in golden armour stepped up to her. “The Princess is expecting you. Please, follow us.” They didn’t give her time to respond as they quickly turned on their hooves in a manner only Royal Guards could and marched their way back to the palace.
“O-oh!” Twilight hastily put her checklist back in her bags and ran to catch up with the Guardsponies.
They cut a path through Canterlot streets as they marched up to the Castle. Nobles, usually with their snout high in the air, were hastily moving out of their path; the guards made a great intimidating set of ponies that didn’t seem the type to tolerate civilians getting in their way.
They reached the front gates of the castle, normally an intimidating sight to the common pony, but it felt like coming home to Twilight. At the top of the steps stood a yellow unicorn, dressed in a standard maids uniform. Her mane was pink with golden hued tips, as was her tail. Like many maids did, she had it neatly cropped in quite the blocky, three-way cut. Obscured slightly by her dress was her cutie mark; a button that had a needle pulling thread through it.
Twilight’s face lit up in joy as she saw the pony and quickly set down her bags, running up the steps towards the maid.
“Mini!” Twilight exclaimed, throwing her hooves around the beaming unicorn. “It’s been so long since I last saw you. What are you doing here?”
“Well, I work here, for one thing,” Mini Needle said, smirking slightly, a teasing tone in her voice. “But I was told to bring you to Princess Celestia as soon as possible, so let’s not dilly or dally, Twily.” She turned and started to walk into the castle.
Twilight quickly trotted after her to catch up, but stopped and turned when a voice, panting in exhaustion, called out to them
“Hold up! Haa... Haa...” Spike was lugging the suitcase up the last of the stairs and then collapsed onto his back, heaving in deep breaths, clearly very exhausted.
“Oh! Sorry, Spike!” Twilight ran over to Spike scooping him up in her magic and settled him gently onto her back.
“Hurry you two~!” Mini Needle said to them in a sing-song voice, pressing forward. “We wouldn’t want to be late now, would we?”
“Not funny, Mini!” Twilight ran to catch up with the maid again, falling in step beside her, her bag trailing behind them both in her magical grip.
“Really? I found it quite funny.”
“Well it wasn’t. It was mean.” Twilight scrunched up her muzzle in a mock-pout.
Mini tilted her head back, laughing at Twilight’s reaction. “Oh, Twilight, how I’ve missed you.”
“It’s great to see you too, Mini.” Twilight moved in closer and nuzzled her neck lightly.
“Careful there, Twilight. Ponies might get the wrong idea if you act so affectionately.”
Twilight rolled her eyes. “Oh, come off it; you’re almost old enough to be my mother. You were also my caretaker for most of my time living here in the castle. You’re like a big sister to me.”
“Is that me you’re trying to convince, or yourself?”
“Oh, hush. Anyway, how have things been in the castle since I moved to Ponyville?” Twilight said, tilting her head in curiosity.
“It’s been borrrrrrring!” Mini practically whined out her words. “We used to play such great pranks to make this place more lively, and now I can’t get away with that anymore!”
Twilight giggled as she remembered some of the pranks they had pulled on the general populace of the castle. “Speaking of pranks, how is our ‘partner in crime,’ Blueblood? He rarely writes to me anymore. Last I saw him was at the Grand Galloping Gala, and we didn’t exactly have too much time to catch up then.”
“Oh, he’s been good, though he did break up with his coltfriend for good. Turns out he was cheating on him, with two other stallions no less!”
Twilight’s eyes widened in shock. “Oh dear, he’s alright isn’t he? He really seemed to love him.”
Mini nodded. “Yeah, he’s fine now. According to him, he went to his house after the craziness of the Gala, and wanted to spend some time with him. He didn’t expect to make it there at all that night and told him as such, so he decided to surprise him.”
Twilight cringed in sympathy. “Oof, he walked in on the two having sex, didn’t he?”
“Thankfully not, but it was definitely heading in that direction. So, after a bit of screaming, Blueblood broke it off with him and stormed back to his house.”
They continued walking through the castle halls, reminiscing on their favorite pranks, most of which involved Blueblood as either their partner in crime or victim. They turned down into a deserted hall with no paintings or tapestries adorning the walls, and the silence seemed to go from comfortable to tense as the only sound audible was the echoes of clopping of hooves on marble flooring. Mini Needle was the first to break the silence.
“How goes it with the--” Mini looked side to side, as if searching for any prying ears. “--The Rune situation?”
Twilight sighed, lowering her head. “Nothing that I didn’t already know.”
“Nothing at all?”
“She’s all but eaten all the books on Runes.” Spike chimed in.
“All of them?” Mini tilted her head in confusion.
They turned a corner into a hallway that, as they walked, seemed to get brighter.
“All the ones I’ve been able to get my hooves on, at least.” Twilight said, scrunching her muzzle in remembered annoyance.
“Surely with all the different books, you must have learned something?”
“They all say the same things, just in different and more elaborate ways.”
“What about the friends you’ve made in Ponyville? Maybe they might know something your books haven’t told you.”
Twilight kept silent.
“You have told them about your runes... haven’t you?” Mini looked reproachfully at Twilight with a brow raised.
Twilight looked away guiltily, her ears splaying back.
Mini sighed heavily, exasperated. “Twilight, you shouldn’t keep this from them. You know that.”
“You know what happened last time I told someone about my Runes.” Twilight snapped. “They didn’t want to be near my freakiness and Princess Celestia had to personally order their silence.”
“But these friends are different--”
“Mini, they’re all normal, all things considered. They don’t have this freaky stuff happening to their bodies, and I don’t plan on telling them about my Runes if I can help it.”
They had finally arrived at the doors of Princess Celestia’s chambers. Contrary to the rumor mill, they weren’t very ornate or complex at all, for royalty at least. The doors were made from a white oak with a relief of Yggdrasil on the wood. Nestled in its branches were symbols of different kinds of magic. On the left side of the tree was the symbol for Chaos Magic, a slitted eye with a circle surrounding it, arrows pushing outwards in all directions; around the symbol was an ouroboros. On the right there was the symbol for Order Magic: a set of scales, and standing on the scales was a silhouette of an alicorn on one side and a silhouette of an earth pony on the other, with both sides at the same level. At the top of the tree was Celestia and Luna’s Cutie Marks, and practically woven into the roots of the tree was her Cutie Mark, the universal symbol for Magic.
“We aren’t done talking about this Twilight. You need to tell them sooner or later. Sooner rather than later.” Without waiting for a reply Mini knocked, then pushed the door open. The door opening from the middle from an unseen seam, perfectly bisecting Yggdrasil.
“Princess Celestia, Twilight’s here.”
“Talk to you later Mini.” Twilight gave a quick nuzzle to Mini Needle, and strode into the room.
“See ya, Mini.” Spike said, waving to her happily.
The doors closed behind them once more, the door’s seam disappearing as it fully shut. Mini walked away going back to her duties as she waited for Twilight to be done with Princess Celestia. As Mini’s shadow left the door, one of the symbols on the door changed. The Scales now had an alicorn silhouette on one side, and a unicorn silhouette on the other; the unicorn had strange markings on it and the scales were now tipped in such a way that the unicorn silhouette was slightly lower than the alicorn silhouette.
The doors closed behind Twilight and Spike without a sound, leaving the room in complete darkness. The dark was impenetrable, like nothing could hope to pierce its veil. Until a candle not far from Twilight caught aflame, illuminating the wall and cast Twilight’s face in a warm, orange glow. The candle flickered alone in the darkness, trying in vain to push it back. Several seconds passed when, finally, another candle slightly higher came alight as well, joining its sister in the fight against darkness. More candles lit up, pushing back the darkness. The speed and height of the candles lighting up quickly increased until it was a tongue of flame that spiraled up the circular room. When the candle at the very top finally caught aflame.
Silence.
FWOOSH!
At the very top of the room, a sigil in the shape of a stylized sun flared into existence. Sparks cascaded down like a waterfall, quickly gathering towards one point as they burst with a flash leaving only a tall white mare standing regally, her wings spread wide.
Spike cheered as Celestia alighted fully. “Best one yet!”
Princess Celestia smiled demurely and bowed her head. “I’m glad you think so, Spike.”
“Not that I disagree with him, Princess, but why did you go so...” Twilight waved her hoof a bit searching for the right word.
“Dramatic? Gaudy? Well, I am giving a little speech to some uptight nobles, and I do aim to impress,” she grinned mischievously.
“You’ll scare them half out of their wits!” Twilight protested half-heartedly, her mouth tugging upwards.
“Oh, those old fusspots could do with having their feathers ruffled every now and again,” Celestia waved a hoof dismissively.
“But Princess--”
“How many times do I have to ask you Twilight? When in private, please, call me Celestia.”
“Pri--”
Celestia levelled a gaze at Twilight, arching an eyebrow, looking somewhat vexed.
Twilight wilted slightly under her mentor’s gaze. “Okay, Celestia.”
Immediately, Celestia lit up like Hearth’s Warming came early. “Yay~!” She sat back on her haunches and clapped her hooves, looking quite pleased with herself.
Twilight giggled at her teacher’s antics, but trailed off as she shifted her gaze to the ground. She wrapped her right foreleg around her leg hugging herself, shifting her weight backwards.
“Um... Princess, about why you asked me here,” Twilight said, sounding quite meek.
Princess Celestia gracefully stood up and gestured to a door, seamlessly transitioning back into the kind teacher Twilight grew up with.
“Come. This isn’t a very suitable place to be talking about such matters.”
Twilight and Spike followed Celestia in through the door that led to her bedroom.
The bedroom was almost exactly as Twilight remembered it from all the times she joined her mentor during many cold, lonely nights. It was a simple room, sparsely decorated with a few paintings of landscapes along dark blue walls. A long, curved mahogany table hugged the wall of the room, pictures of various ponis littered about on it and other trinkets. In the center was an enormous, four poster bed. Dark blue translucent drapes were fastened to each of the four posts. The bed’s covers were a simple lavender colour dotted with celestial bodies such as comets, stars, asteroids, and in the center was a stylized sun. Directly across from the bed, crackling and bathing the room in warmth and comfort, was a fireplace.
Twilight smiled slightly as she thought of all the times she spent on that bed, curled up under Celestia’s wing with Spike as she read them bedtime stories, or sang a lullaby to help them fall asleep.
Celestia slowly walked over to her bed. She stopped about a meter before it and crouched slightly before she bounded on top of it, unfurling her wings and gliding down atop the covers, giggling in a very un-royal-like manner. Twilight rolled her eyes, smiling slightly and climbed onto the bed with Celestia, Spike hopping up and quickly sitting next to Twilight, his legs curling under him.
“So Pri- I mean, Celestia. Have you found anything new pertaining to my Runes yet?” Twilight asked.
“First thing’s first, Twilight,” Celestia looked down at her gently. “Take off the illusion; I know it’s not comfortable for you to wear it all the time.”
Twilight’s ears splayed back, cringing slightly. She nodded, lighting up her horn as the illusions peeled off of her, exposing her runes. Celestia draped her wing over Twilight and Spike, hugging them close like a mother would.
“Before I say anything, let’s go over what we do know as a refresher,” Celestia said.
“Okay. So, we know that I got them shortly after my Cutie Mark appeared. It happened the first night I stayed in the Castle. I had been feeling really homesick and scared, so you let me sleep with you. At about half past three in the morning, you said you were woken by a sudden surge in magic, and after removing your wing from over me to search for the source, you saw me covered fully by the Runes. Afterwards, we tried many things to try and figure out what they all meant, magical tests, reading through books about Runes, history texts, and sometimes even going to old towns that held rumors and folklore about ponies with runes covering their bodies.”
Celestia nodded magnanimously. “And what did we learn from those visits?”
Twilight snorted in disdain. “Ugh, we learned practically nothing out of all those visits. If it wasn’t lies just to get more publicity and tourism to their town, it was dead ends because of poor record keeping or some other event. It’s so frustrating that we have found so little with how much work we put into this.” Twilight stamped a hoof into the bed, glaring at a stray thread as if it were the cause to all of her problems. “Not only that, but many in the towns were extraordinarily rude to Spike!”
Celestia nodded again. “Yes, that is all true, but you didn’t answer what it is we learned from those visits.”
Twilight blushed, and ducked her head. “Sorry. Right. Of the few visits that were of any use, all we really learned was that, before Equestria was even founded, Runes were supposedly commonplace, and that they were said to be the origin of where magic came from.”
“Correct, Twilight. Full marks,” Celestia smiled slyly at her student, her eyes twinkling.
Twilight deadpanned. “Funny.”
Celestia shrugged slightly, still smiling. “I thought it was, but back to where we were. I have done some searching in my spare time and found something that I believe will lead to some answers.”
Twilight’s ears perked up and her eyes shone with her hunger for knowledge.
“As you know, I found traces of Rune usage in the ancient, pre-discordian era pony tribes. We assumed that earth ponies or unicorns had been the last ones to use them. While looking through some manuscripts, I found mentions of pegasi using runes to help them manufacture weather, rainbows and many other items and trinkets.”
“So we should start looking through the historical pegasus cities, then?” Spike asked.
“Sorry to say, but that is not possible, Spike. You see, during the Discordian era, the magic that held the cities together dispersed, and the majority of the knowledge that was held within them fell to Vale. The majority of the historical pegasus cities today are simply recreations of the ones before Discord.”
Twilight visibly wilted as this new information came to light. “That means we can’t get the knowledge since Cloud cities back then were more free roaming than they are today. And not only that, but who knows what Discord did to the land after they fell?”
“Do not despair, Twilight. While, yes, Discord did change and reshape the world to his liking, he never did much to change the way it was laid out. The geography itself never moved around too much. We have a lot of work still, but if we can find the remains of the old cities, we may find our answers.”
“What are we waiting for, then?!”
Twilight wiggled out from under Celestia’s wing and jumped up. Her ethereal eyes meeting Celestia’s, glowing with excitement alongside her magic.
“We can head out immediately and finally get the answers I’ve needed for so long! Who’d have ever thought that pegasus ponies would be the ones to give up runes last. If anything, I thought for sure it would be Earth ponies because of their stubborn nature and adverseness to change, but I guess that would also attribute to them giving it up as well since it WAS primarily something the unicorns would use. Ooooo this is so exciting!
Celestia's laughter cut through Twilight’s excited babble. “Calm down, Twilight. You’ve only just gotten here and I’ve missed talking with you. Come, sit.”
“But--”
“But nothing, Twilight, the ruins have been there for well over a few millennia. A few more days, or weeks, even, will not cause any more damage that hasn’t already been caused by time. So come, sit down, and tell me about your everyday adventures in Ponyville.” Celestia pat next to her and opened her wing in invitation.
Twilight’s posture had wilted and she looked ready to offer more resistance. She sighed as her body relaxed and slumped, nodding her head as she plodded on back to the bed.
After settling under Celestia’s wing again, Twilight looked up at her mentor. “What would you like to know?”
Celestia dipped her head, slightly tilting it to the side. “Weeeell, how about you tell me the full stories behind some of your friendship reports? I must admit I’m curious about the details that helped you learn such valuable lessons.”
“My reports? Wow.. umm.. There’s many of them. Which one to start with?” Twilight tapped her chin in thought.
“Start with the one that you labeled ‘Bridle Gossip.’ I was very curious about whom you judged first without getting to know them, especially with how you are about that, usually.”
“Ooo, that was when we first met Zecora, the semi-local zebra shaman. Not only did I learn not to judge somepony at first glance, I also learned how easy it is to be dragged into believing rumors. Zecora lives around ten minutes into the Everfree forest at a hard trot, give or take a minute or so. She is very kind and wise beyond her years. She is also very mysterious, and that’s what caused the problem with the townsfolk in the first place. You see, the ponies of Ponyville are a very skittish bunch, especially the flower sisters Roseluck, Daisy, and Lily, who panic at the sight of a simple Bunny Stampede. The day started out fantastic, and I was heading into market to get some grocery shopping done. I knew something was off, though, when I saw the streets were completely empty. I was pulled into Sugarcube Corner by Pinkie Pie, and there I learned that everyone was terrified of a cloaked pony in the square that they had dubbed ‘The Evil Enchantress.’ ”
Celestia huffed out a small laugh of disbelief. “ ‘Evil Enchantress’?” Her voice was laced with humor.
“I know, right? Anyway, they tried so hard to convince me of how evil she was simply because she looked different and she lived in the Everfree. I tried to convince them how foalish it was to assume so much about a Zebra they haven’t even met and just label her as evil without any hard evidence. While we were arguing, Applebloom gave us the slip and decided to get answers to why Zecora was like she was. We tracked them down to a Poison Joke patch, not that we knew it was Poison Joke at the time, though.”
“Oh dear.”
“Zecora warned us to beware of the flowers that we were standing in, telling us that they were ‘no joke.’ Of course, the girls immediately assumed it was Zecora threatening them, so they assumed Zecora had cast a curse on us all. Throughout this whole time, I didn’t believe a word they were saying. I mean, come on; curses are just an old pony’s tale. That night, though, I didn’t sleep well at all. I kept hearing the paranoid words of the girls and Zecora was laughing evilly in the background. All in all, not a very good night’s sleep. In the morning, I learned what the Poison Joke had done to all of us: Rarity’s hair had become some uncontrollable mess, making her ‘Hairity;’ Fluttershy’s voice became really deep, making her ‘Flutterguy;’ Rainbow’s wings went to her belly, making her crash all over, making her ‘Rainbow Crash;’ Pinkie Pie’s tongue swelled up so she couldn’t speak and only spat, making her ‘Spitty Pie,’ and Applejack shrunk down to toy size, making her ‘Appletini.’ The names were made up by Spike, though they did make sense.”
“And what about you?” Celestia tilted her head in confusion. “What did the Poison Joke’s magic do to you?”
Twilight’s eyes widened slightly and she blushed, looking away and mumbling unintelligibly.
“I’m sorry, what?” Celestia leaned down, smiling slightly.
“It made my horn mrrgfrrga.”
“I couldn’t catch that last part.”
Spike decided this would be a good time to interject, “Her horn got all floppy and had dark purple spots all over it!” and promptly started laughing at the memory of seeing her horn flop to and fro when talking to him.
Twilight thanked the stars that some loose bedding was nearby and covered her blushing face, otherwise she was certain it would have given off light with how red it was.
Celestia giggled at her student’s embarrassment.
“Moving on! After we learned what it was it did to us and I couldn’t find a cure, the girls immediately assumed Zecora had done it to them and we went right back to arguing. While we were arguing, Applebloom, who had brought Applejack since she was so small, decided to go to Zecora and see if she had a cure, since she lived in the Everfree. She slipped out and Applejack hitched a ride, but Applebloom apparently ditched her at the edge of Everfree. We followed the path to her hut, when we got there, we saw Zecora singing over a cauldron. Here is where I finally gave in to the girls and agreed with them that she was evil, and that she cooked Applebloom into a stew. We barged in there.. and made a mess of the place, sad to say. Thankfully before it came to bloodshed, Applebloom had come in. After some explaining, we learned that she was brewing the cure for Poison joke, which was a simple herbal bath. We headed back with Zecora and I had to have a talk with the flower sisters about jumping to conclusions at the slightest thing.”
“Well, that was certainly an interesting adventure. Are all ponyvillians that judgemental?” Celestia asked.
“It’s only the three sisters that are the big problem with new things; the rest are just easily riled into a frenzy. One of these days, I’m going to get them psychiatric help. Only reason I wasn’t able to convince the girls was because of how much Rainbow Dash and Applejack got the wrong idea and started badmouthing her and, with how stubborn those two are, they wouldn’t hear anything to the contrary."
“Well, I’m impressed you were able to keep such a level head for so long and didn’t jump to conclusion. But I assume you have now learned to get the information from the source before presuming you know the entire situation.”
“That’s another thing, though. I had presumed that there was no knowledge of the problem in my library, but I learned at Zecora’s that the book that had the cure and explanation for what happened was in a book I had assumed was about superstitions, not natural remedies. So, not only did I metaphorically judge a book by its cover. I literally judged a book by its cover!”
Twilight slammed her face into the bedding in front of her, muffling her next words. “Needless to say, I’ve learned not to do that anymore.”
Celestia nodded, eyes closed in a serene manner. “I’m glad you were able to learn such a valuable lesson with such minor consequences.”
Twilight nodded. “I am too, to be quite honest. What else would you like to know about?”
“Hmm, lets see.” Celestia rummaged through her small chest of Twilight’s friendship reports. “Ah, this one. Tell me about the ‘Cutie Mark Chronicles.’ It must have been interesting, for such a cheesy line at the end.”
Twilight huffed, her light blush hidden beneath her fur. “Oh, come on! Spike said the exact same thing when I asked him to write it. Am I not allowed to be cheesy if I so wish?”
“Of course you can. I just recall when a certain little filly gagged dramatically whenever we read such cheesy lines in your night-time stories,” Celestia grinned mischievously
Twilight blushed again and blustered on with her story. “Anyway! There really isn’t much to tell about that day. The Cutie Mark Crusaders had tried, and failed yet again, to gain their cutie marks, this time in zip-lining. if you can believe it. After their latest failed attempt. they got the idea that if they heard other ponies’ tales of how they got their cutie mark. it would help them, so they set out to find Rainbow Dash to hear her story first. They couldn’t find her and went to find us. since we were her friends. One by one. we told them our stories, I’d tell you the full stories but you know it’s always best to hear it from the one who gained it. In short though, Fluttershy gained hers after falling from Cloudsdale and landing in a beautiful nature grove, Pinkie Pie gained hers after throwing a party for her family on their quite depressing rock farm, Rarity gained hers after seeing the beauty inside of a giant boulder that was filled with gemstones. Applejack received hers by realizing that she belonged home at Sweet Apple Acres and not with her relatives in Manehatten. And you know how I got mine.”
Celestia giggled. “I would certainly hope so, since I had a helping hoof in your attaining it.”
Twilight giggled as well. “True, true.”
“What of young Rainbow Dash? How did she gain her cutie mark?”
“Now, here’s where it gets interesting. See, Fluttershy was being bullied in the beginning of flight camp and Rainbow Dash challenged them to a race in the name of Fluttershy’s honor. Rainbow got hers by leaving those bullies in the dust in a race and realizing just how much she loved to win and be the fastest there is. The way she did it was to do her signature technique. The Sonic Rainboom.”
Celestia’s eyes widened “She did it as a filly? Surely she must be exaggerating; a filly couldn’t possibly reach the speeds necessary to break through that barrier.”
“It’s one-hundred percent true, with no embellishment, Celestia. You heard it all those years ago, the great big boom. Undoubtedly you went to investigate it after you heard it, right?”
“I had to send my guards to investigate for me. Right as I was leaving the castle after hearing it, I saw your mishap at the school--” Celestia’s eyes widened in realization. “No... surely not.”
Twilight giggled at her mentor’s expense. “It seems I was able to surprise you for once, Celestia.”
“Yes, as you might have guessed by now, she was inadvertently the cause for my magical outburst. But that’s not the most interesting part. No, what’s truly interesting was the common denominator in each of the cutie mark stories: They all saw an explosion of rainbow and it helped them realize who they were meant to be. Fluttershy had to calm all the animals that had been frightened by the explosion and it made her want to care and nurture for every living thing; Pinkie Pie saw the wonder of the Rainboom and it made her want to be happy and make others happy with her; Rarity’s giant rock cracked open from the shockwave revealing the beautiful gems, and it made her want to bring out the inner beauty in everyone, pony or otherwise; Applejack saw a rainbow trail leading all the way to ponyville and it made her realize she had to be honest to herself and return home, where she belonged. And Rainbow Dash, it was the determination and loyalty to Fluttershy that made her feel she needed to beat those jerks, and because of that she was able to break the barrier and do the sonic rainboom.”
In her excitement, Twilight’s runes had been glowing steadily brighter and brighter casting a light of their own in the darkened room, her smile wide and bright.
“It connected all six of us together long before we ever even knew each other, not counting Fluttershy and Rainbow.
“And what did the Rainboom make you realize?”
Those simple words, said quietly and innocuously, took the wind out of Twilight’s sails, her runes dimmed considerably and her smile vanished.
“It... didn’t really make me realize anything, I got my cutie mark during the magical outburst.” Twilight shrugged, looking down at the bedding. “And all I remember from the outburst was pain. Unbelievable amounts of pain.”
“What about before it?”
“Huh?” Twilight eloquently asked.
“When I interrupted the surge, your eyes were glowing intensely. I am assuming that your eyes filled with magic before the rest of your body. Did you see or think anything that might have given you a revelation of sorts?”
Twilight was silent for a moment, looking down at the covers in thought.
“Twilight?”
“Everything.”
Celestia blinked, “Pardon?”
“I saw everything. I saw the planet, the universe, the cosmos, Existence. The infinite majesty of the reality in which we live. There were nebulae and auroras. Comets, supernovas and shooting stars. I saw life and death. Beginning and ending. Throughout all the events happening, small or large, there was one thing that was constantly prevalent. Magic. It was everywhere, entwining and connecting. Even when things died, there was still a connection to the magic of existence. It went on forever. Magic never ends and never will. It is all encompassing and consuming and it doesn’t stop, never stops. Never starting, never ending a circle within a circle folding in, oh dear Faust make it stop, it hurts it hurts I’m fading, i’m burning I’M--”
By this point, Twilight was hyperventilating and shaking violently, her eyes were wide and frantic, like she was trapped within a nightmare, her words having trailed off long before she could start yelling. Spike stood at the foot of the bed, looking distraught and helpless. Celestia’s horn immediately sprang to life, glowing with its familiar golden light and she touched the tip to Twilight’s forehead, right at the base of the horn.
When Celestia spoke, it echoed and layered over itself like she was in a deep cavern. “Twilight, listen to the sound of my voice. There are no star creatures here; you are safe here. You are not out alone in the cosmos, you are here, in Canterlot, held within my embrace. There is nothing to fear; I will protect you. Listen, and come back.”
Celestia continued to soothe Twilight, cooing comforting words, hugging and nuzzling her. Bit by bit, Twilight calmed down, her eyes closed, ears relaxed against her head, breaths came even and steady. Celestia stopped casting her spell and just held Twilight there.
Celestia’s being pervaded through Twilight’s senses. Petrichor. The thought flitted briefly through Twilight’s mind as she took a deep breath, relaxing even deeper.
Celestia leaned down and nuzzled Twilight again. “Are you okay now?”
Twilight stilled, tensing slightly and blushed in embarrassment. “Sorry, Princess.”
“Don’t be, my dear Twilight. Have you been having the nightmares again?”
Twilight shook her head against Celestia’s chest. “No. I haven’t had one of those nightmares the whole time I’ve been in Ponyville. It’s just... remembering that day brought about a panic attack. Sorry.”
“You have nothing to be sorry for, Twilight; it was a very traumatic experience. Do you remember what I promised you that first night you came to me?”
Twilight nodded and said in near unison with Celestia. “You/I will always be there to protect and comfort me/you day or night. Whenever I/you need you/me. No matter what.”
Celestia nuzzled Twilight again and Twilight reciprocated her mentor’s affections.
“Thank you, Celestia.”
“You’re welcome, Twilight.”
Twilight lifted her head. “Would you like to hear about any more of my friendship reports- ‘behind the scenes,’ so to speak?” she asked with a giggle.
“Of course I would. This one I’ve been most curious to hear about. The one labeled Boast Busters. I read the incident report stating the Ursa Minor rampaged through town. It neglected to mention, however, how the Ursa got there, nor did it say why it was there in the first place.”
Twilight sheepishly grinned. “That would be my doing. I used my status as your student to protect a couple of colts since they are only children, and I felt I had to protect Trixie, the showpony that was there, from any potential backlash that the incident would have caused her.”
“Oh? Consider my interest piqued.”
Twilight shifted in Celestia’s embrace, getting into a more comfortable position. “Well, it started out pretty nice. I had just finished mastering my twenty-fifth unique charm spell and Spike was kind of laying the praise on me thick.”
“Well you are the best unicorn I have ever met, you know more unique spells than over half the teachers at Celestia’s School for Gifted Unicorns combined.”
“Oh, I don’t know that many spells, Spike.”
“Oh, really?” Spike raised an eyebrow with a smug smirk. “I have kept track of all the spells you have attempted and mastered. Over the course of your tuition you have attempted one-hundred and fifty-four unique spells -not counting levitation and other cantrips. Out of those, you have mastered around sixty-five of them, to name a few: the Blink spell, Magic Bolt, Fire Arrow, Calming Lullaby, Feather Fall and my personal favorite, charm number twenty-five: the hair growth spell, modified in this case to grow fantastic facial hair.”
Celestia, while not surprised, was certainly impressed by the number of spells and the level of those listed.
“But that’s not everything Twi. Of all the spells you have attempted, you have been able to cast every single one after a bit of practice. Not one has been beyond your grasp of skills, not even the headmaster of the school can boast that.”
Twilight flushed a bright red. “W-Well the headmaster has tried so many more spells than I have and he’s also mastered more than me. And he has crafted a few spells as well.”
“Only because he is such an old pony and has had plenty of time to devote his life to studying magic.”
“Well... Whatever! We are digressing from the story, anyway. Where was I?”
Celestia, clearly amused, replied, “Spike, laying the praise on thick
“Ah, thanks. Well, while we were walking through town, Snips and Snails came running past, talking about a unicorn with unrivaled power. Our curiosity piqued, we decided to go to the town square to see what all the commotion about this unicorn was. There, Trixie had set up shop and was putting on a big show. It was quite spectacular and interesting, to say the least; she had fantastic pyrotechnic spells and other illusion spells. Spike and I were getting ready to sit and enjoy the show when we heard our friends start to disparage her show, saying things about how she was being a boastful unicorn and that just because she could do more magic than others, it didn’t make her better. Trixie had overheard them and apparently had an act to deal with hecklers all prepared. She challenged the crowd as a whole that anything they could do, she could do better. One by one, Rainbow Dash, Applejack and Rarity went up to try to upstage her, and one by one, she beat them in their own fields while barely trying.”
Twilight sighed. “I don’t want to speak ill of my friends, but they were kind of asking for it. Here was a unicorn stage performer trying to put on a good show, and they instantly start to boo her? Anyway, after that, Spike tried to get me to go up there and, what was it you said? To ‘Avenge Rarity’s beautiful hair’?”
Spike blushed and looked away while he grumbled.
Twilight smiled. “I had heard what my friends had said about how “just because a unicorn has magic doesn’t make them better than others.” I hadn’t wanted to go up there and seem like a braggart trying to upstage Trixie, so I beat a hasty retreat away from everyone there. Fast forward to that night, and I get woken up from the whole of Ponyville shaking. At first, I thought it was an earthquake until I heard the roar. Apparently, Snips and Snails were so enamored by Trixie saying how powerful she was that they sought out the toughest creature they could find: an Ursa Major.”
Celestia’s eyes practically bugged out of her eyes and her jaw dropped in disbelief. “Two colts tried to find an Ursa Major?” Her brow furrowed at the sheer stupidity of the act.
“I know what you mean, but they were only foals. They thought for certain that Trixie could do everything she said. They were too young to understand that the stories she told were anything other than that: stories. I quickly ran out of the library, trying to see what it was that had happened, and I saw Trixie quivering in front of the Ursa Minor, with Snips and Snails cowering behind her in fear of the Ursa, hoping that she would vanquish it. Surprisingly, instead of running like most ponies would have done, she tried a few spells to distract it or make it go away; it ignored them like we would gnats. Then, she did something spectacular; she called up an illusion of the Great Five Headed Dragon, Tiamat.”
Celestia looked impressed by the skill Twilight said Trixie had wielded. “She certainly sounds powerful. I wonder if she would consider joining the Guard as our Illusion Specialist.”
“That’s if you are able to find her- I’ll explain what I mean when I finish. She had just conjured up the image of Tiamat, and it was very high quality; its entire body looked completely solid and she even had her spewing hellfire. It was so realistic that I could even faintly smell brimstone. It was a truly fearsome illusion, but since it wasn’t nearly as big as the real Tiamat, the Ursa Minor was not intimidated and took a swipe at it, dispelling it almost instantly.”
Celestia listened on intently,. “So what happened next? Did the Ursa crush Trixie?”
Spike piped up, “Nope! Twilight unleashed a can of whupass on that Ursa!”
Twilight levelled a gaze at Spike. “Watch your language, Spike.”
Spike glowered at nothing in particular. “That’s what Rainbow Dash said, though.”
“I’m gonna have to have another talk with Rainbow about cursing in front of children, then.” Twilight cooly said. “And I didn’t whup its butt, Spike, I weakened it so I could get a Sleep spell to work on it. I first teleported Trixie, Snips and Snails out of the line of fire so as to not to harm them. I then cast, in quick succession, Flame wall between it and the nearest buildings and three Lesser Orbs of Fire to get it to back away and to have it in the open in case it stumbled and fell. It roared loudly and reared up on its back legs, I cast an Earthshake spell focused right under where its forepaws would land and as the Ursa slammed its legs into the ground, it collapsed under it, burying its forelegs all the way down, slamming its head into the ground hard, dazing it. Seeing my chance, I immediately cast Sleep on it, which thankfully knocked him out cold for at least three hours.”
Celestia’s eyes were wide in surprise. “Exactly how long did this take Twilight?” She did her best to keep her awe out of her voice.
Spike puffed out his chest and said with a smug grin on his face. “She cast all those spells within eight seconds. Twilight has been improving her casting speed in her spare time. Ever since that close encounter with the Hydra in Froggy Bottom Bog, she has cut down on most of the casting time on Category four spells and below, and a few in categories five and six.”
“Hydra?” Celestia raised an eyebrow and looked pointedly at Twilight, whose eyes had gone wide.
“I-It’s nothing Celestia! Me and my friends had a little problem when we went into Froggy Bottom Bog. We had a small run in with a Hydra and I wasn’t able to cast any sufficient spells in time. No big problem.” Twilight started to sweat slightly, her sheepish grin strained.
Celestia’s eyebrow remained raised as she regarded Twilight’s statement. “Alright, Twilight, I’ll drop it. For now.”
Twilight sighed in relief. “Well when the Ursa had been fully knocked out, I called for Fluttershy’s assistance in tending to the wounds I was forced to cause it. Thankfully the worst of its injuries was a mild concussion. So, after quickly healing the minor lacerations and concussion, I levitated it out and back to the cave from where it came before the Ursa Major realized its cub had left the cave.”
“By this time, I was exhausted; I had just cast many spells in quick succession and carried it over twenty miles back to its cave. At this point, I just wanted to fall asleep on my bed for a week, and what do I see when I turn around? I see Trixie shackled by the local guards!”
Celestia reared back slightly, eyes slightly wide from Twilight’s outburst. “Why would they have her shackled?”
“That’s exactly what I demanded to know!”
Twilight seemed ready to go off on a whole tirade at her experience. “I don’t mean to interrupt you, Twilight, but I think it would be better to show rather than tell me; things seem to get lost in translation when merely told. How about you share the memory with me?”
Twilight brightened at the suggestion. “Ooh! That’s a great idea! I modified the memory share spell recently and have been dying to show someone else. This will be the perfect time to put it to good use. Spike would you please grab the diamond from my saddlebags?”
Spike snapped a salute and scrambled down the bed to the saddlebags in the other room. Twilight was squirming in excitement, the smile on her face threatening to tear it in half. “Oh! And you can have three of the turquoise that’s in the other bag!” Twilight called out after a bit. A faint “woohoo!” sounded through the door. Twilight and Celestia shared a giggle at Spike’s enthusiasm and Twilight returned to squirming while waiting.
The door cracked open and Spike slipped in, munching on a turquoise in one claw while carrying the five inch diamond in the other.
“Thank-you, Spike,” Twilight said, grabbing the diamond in her telekinetic grasp. Spike nodded absently, practically in bliss with the turquoise in his mouth. “Okay, the way this spell works, Celestia, is very similar to the memory sharing spell, but instead of touching my horn to the center of the forehead of a pony, I instead, think of the memory strain and I infuse that with magic and send it into the crystal of my choosing. The only problem with this spell is that the memory for some reason takes the same shade of the crystal you put it through, so if you put it through a ruby it would take on a reddish hue, or if I put it through an amethyst, it would take on a purplish hue. Since a quality diamond is clear, it will show it in the normal colours everything has in reality.” Twilight’s horn was charging up the spell as she spoke, images going through extremely fast motion in the diamond, too quick to focus on only one image.
“Almost...” The glow in her horn intensified for a moment, then cut back down to the minimum. “And done! All it needs now is a basic spark spell to trigger the memory to start playing as if it were happening right in front of you, I even made it so you could see things from a third person point of view.”
“That is quite impressive, Twilight. You’ll have to send me the details of this spell; I may be able to use it some day,” Celestia said while peering at the diamond, seeing the images of the memory stored within flashing wildly through at the speed of thought.
“What are we waiting for, Twilight? Zap it! I want to see those guards’ faces again when you practically tear them a new one!” Spike laughed out.
“Alright, calm down.” Twilight carefully aimed at the diamond and sent a spark of magic at it. It shot to the other side of the room, hovering three inches off the ground, where it spun in place like a top, the tip glowing a brilliant white.
A big screen emerged out of the top and showed Twilight without the runes covering her, her horn glowing very brightly while sparks flew off it and into the ground. The view panning out showed the Ursa Minor, its body clear of any injuries, fast asleep and cradled by the levitation field heading out to the Everfree and towards the cave that was its home. After about thirty seconds of that, Twilight’s horn cut out and she slumped where she stood, clearly exhausted.
The Townsfolk cheered, relieved that the crisis was over. Twilight smiled and turned around, hoping to crawl back into bed and get some well deserved sleep.
But it looked like that wasn’t going to happen as, when she turned around, she saw Trixie shackled and her horn with a suppressor on it, and flanked by two guards, a pegasus and a unicorn. Her eyes narrowed and she marched quickly towards the three. Trixie cringed, waiting for the tongue lashing she was certain to get from the furious unicorn.
“What the hell do the two of you think you’re doing?! Why is Trixie shackled and why the FUCK is her magic suppressed?!”
The two guards quickly cowered and trembled before the fury that was Twilight Sparkle. “S-she is being detained for d-destruction of property, and endangerment of others.”
“Have you taken leave of your senses?!” Twilight practically roared at them. “ She has not done anything to have endangered anypony! And the only property that has been fully destroyed in this whole fiasco has been her own home! So again, I ask: HAVE YOU TAKEN LEAVE OF YOUR SENSES!?”
Trixie just stood there, shell-shocked that a pony that is clearly in a position of power would defend her against the law, especially with how she tried to target said pony to humiliate them next in her show.
The guards were equally shocked, but the unicorn blustered on, unaware of the hole he was about to dig himself into. “But she b-brought that Ursa into town, and then she summoned a giant five-headed dragon!”
“She did not bring that Ursa into town, and I wonder how the HELL you passed basic if you couldn’t tell that was CLEARLY an ILLUSION! She was attempting to scare the ursa away so it wouldn’t harm anyone, which is more than what you can say!” She poked him hard in the chest with a hoof. “You and the rest of the guards were too busy shaking in your boots and pissing yourselves that you didn’t even do your Celestia-damned job!”
By this point, both the poor guards were cowering before Twilight, shaking quite badly. “Now, you are going to release Trixie from her shackles and remove that suppressor ring and you are going to get on your hocks and knees and beg for her forgiveness! Or do I have to tell my brother, which, in case you have forgotten, is your superior how much you have messed up and forgotten his training?!”
The two scrambled to unbind Trixie, who still stood there, eyes wide and quite clearly shell shocked.
The last of the bindings fell to the ground with the clatter of metal on metal, and the guards prostrated themselves before Trixie.
“P-Please forgive us Miss Trixie!” They said in unison.
Trixie numbly nodded. “U-um, yeah. You’re forgiven?”
Twilight huffed and nodded with finality. “Good. Now, get back to where you are supposed to be, whether that be your post or on patrol or whatever.”
“Y-Yes, Lady Twilight!” They snapped a hasty salute and beat an equally hasty retreat.
Twilight sighed in exhaustion and turned to Trixie. “I’m sorry you had to go through that after such a trying night. I am grateful that you tried to scare the Ursa away. it was quite brave of you.”
Trixie shook her head, trying to clear the fog in her mind. “But my illusion failed; it tore it apart like it was rice paper. You did all the work and, not only that, succeeded where I failed.”
Twilight smiled softly and put her hoof on Trixie’s shoulder. “But at least you tried. You did something even the town’s guards couldn’t do. Which is a wonder in and of itself since the guards should be used to town destroying disasters every other week or so by now.”
“Who are you? You’re so powerful you can’t just be some country bumpkin.”
“My name is Twilight Sparkle. And I’m not that powerful, I’m just lucky enough to know the right spells is all.”
Trixie’s jaw dropped. “Not that powerful?! I just saw you not only use high level spells, but you also carried that Ursa Major all the way to its cave! If that’s not powerful, I don’t know what is!”
Twilight scratched the back of her head, embarrassed by Trixie’s words. “Well, that wasn’t really an Ursa Major, that was an Ursa Minor. It is much weaker compared to an Ursa Major. Not only is it’s spell resistance much lower, it can’t take many attacks before it falls.”
Trixie fell on her butt, jaw dropping farther than should be physically possible. “Th-that was only an Ursa Minor?! H-how big is an Ursa Major?”
Twilight’s horn lit up once more, a silhouette of a pony showed up. It shrunk as another image came up in the shape of an Ursa. “This is an Ursa Minor. It averages in size anywhere between fifty to one-hundred times the size of a full grown mare.”
The image of the pony and ursa shrunk until the ursa was about the size the pony had been just a second before and an image of a huge Ursa showed up. “This is the Ursa Major. While they haven’t been documented extensively, the princesses have said they can grow up to forty times that of an Ursa Minor.”
Trixie was speechless. What she was hearing was impossible; there was no possible way that such a creature could grow to that size naturally. “I think I need to lie down.”
Twilight once again placed a comforting hoof on Trixie’s shoulder. “My home is inside the Golden Oaks Library, head there while I have some ponies gather up the remains of your wagon. I am too weak to repair it for you now, but I’ll gladly do so in the morning.”
Tears gathered in Trixie’s eyes and she blinked excessively trying to not let them fall. “Why are you being so kind to me? What do you hope to gain from me? You are clearly more powerful, and I know you are Princess Celestia’s student. I didn’t recognize you at first but it’s obvious it is you. What can I do for you that you cannot do yourself?”
“I do this because it is the right thing to do, nothing more, nothing less. I do not desire anything out of this, not even words of gratitude. You don’t do things only because they benefit you in some material way. Sometimes, just doing a good deed for the sake of doing good in the world is all that is needed.”
Tears were streaming down Trixie’s cheeks, dripping onto the dirt below. “I need to lie down...” she said faintly once more.
Twilight nodded sympathetically. “I understand. Spike, escort Trixie back to the Library and show her to the guest room. I need to talk to the girls before heading home.”
“Yes, ma’am!” Spike mock saluted and ran over to Trixie, leading her back to his home.
Twilight rubbed a hoof on her temple and sighed in exhaustion. “This is going to be a long night.”
She turned and walked over to her friends, who were standing around the wreckage of Trixie’s wagon, softly talking.
The screen faded to black, and the diamond fell over as the magic left it.
Celestia tilted her head. “What happened to the rest? Did it just run out of magic?”
Twilight shook her head. “No, but what happened afterwards kind of leaves a bitter taste in my mouth and I’d rather not show one of my more unsavoury memories. Or go into that much detail about it either, for that matter.”
“I understand, my dear Twilight.” Celestia leaned down and gently nuzzled against Twilight’s cheek.
Twilight affectionately nuzzled her back. “To summarize, though, what followed after sending Spike home was me effectively chewing out Rainbow Dash, Rarity and Applejack for their appalling attitude towards Trixie.”
Twilight’s ears splayed back and she frowned sadly. “It led to a heated argument and some nasty words were said to one another; it wasn’t a very pleasant night... Things were said that I still regret saying to them. It had to be said but..”
“Sometimes one must do things that are hard to do, but necessary.”
“I know that. Doesn’t make it any less unpleasant,” Twilight huffed. “In essence, I told them off about assuming that, simply because Trixie was showing off, it meant she was a braggart or a jerk. I mean, she’s a showpony; being extravagant and over the top is practically the definition. It’s just who they are as a pony.”
Twilight took a deep, calming breath, trying not to blow up at something that had already happened. “Anyway, I later helped Trixie with her wagon, repairing it for her, and even lacing a few enchantments into the woodwork that would help protect it from further destruction or damage.”
Celestia smiled proudly at her student. “That was very kind of you to do so. It is rare that those who have the power to help others do so.”
Twilight flushed and smiled at the praise. “It was the least I could do for her with all the crap that she had gone through the previous night. I just hope that she is well and is still doing what she loves to do.”
“One can hope,” Celestia said while nodding.
For a time, they just lay there, a comfortable silence falling over them all.
Spike yawned very cutely, as a baby dragon does, snuggling deeper under Celestia’s wing, revelling in the warmth it brings him.
“Twilight, I must admit I am curious about one thing.”
Twilight’s ears perked up and she tilted her head in confusion. “What did you want to know?”
“Why didn’t you tap into the leylines to help augment your spells? You were quite exhausted at the end there. If it had gone on any longer, you probably would have suffered from magical exhaustion.”
Twilight felt the cold spike of fear shoot right through her heart. She thought quickly for an answer.
“I didn’t want to have my runes be exposed to the whole town; you know me doing that overloads the illusion spell.”
Celestia’s eyes gained a hard glint to them as suspicion at Twilight’s actions set in. “That is true, but you are resourceful and the townsfolk trust you very much; they would have bought a simple excuse and gone on their way. And your friends already know about your runes, so what problem was there?”
Twilight flinched slightly and looked away.
“You have told them, haven’t you?” Celestia asked with a raised brow.
Twilight cringed at the familiar words she heard earlier from Mini Needle.
“Not... exactly,” Twilight said hesitantly.
Celestia sighed, knowing the reason why before she even asked. “And why haven’t you told them yet?”
Twilight wilted, Celestia’s sigh of disappointment cutting her to the bone. “I can’t tell them about the runes... They wouldn’t understand, they would leave,” She wetly retorted
“Oh? And what has brought you to that conclusion?” Celestia’s face and tone were impassive, making it impossible to know her true feelings.
“Because it’s happened before. I trusted others and things almost exploded in my face. As it were, I should be thankful that I was only laughed at and insulted by them.” A few tears fell down her cheeks, distorting the light from the runes
“Those were not true friends, Twilight, they only pretended to be your friends to gain influence. Not everypony is like that, though, most certainly not your current friends.” Celestia laid there, her wings twitching subtly. Whether it was in agitation or a desire to comfort Twilight was rendered moot with the action being restrained.
“How can you know that? You don’t know them. They could be lying! The second they learn of this little problem of mine, they will either leave or hold it over my head to get what they want,” Twilight heatedly said.
“You’re right, I don’t know anything about your friends, and I wouldn’t presume to. But I have been alive for well over one thousand years; I like to think I would know ponies of all kinds, and I’d like to say I’m a pretty good judge of character. But don’t just take my word for it, Twilight, talk it over with them and tell them how you feel. They can't be sincere if you yourself aren't and don't express how you feel about a situation, after all."
Twilight just silently sat there, tears streaming down her face. Celestia watched on, her emotions hidden behind a stone wall of emotionless detachment.
“I-I’m just so scared to lose them. I’ve been hurt one too many times to risk them leaving me. I don’t know what I’d do without them by my side.” Her whole body shook with restrained sobs. With no warning, Celestia pulled Twilight towards her and tightly held her against her barrel, her wings gently wiping the tears from her eyes as sobs of fear and pain came from her dear student.
“Why me, Celestia? Why did I have to have these freakish runes all over my body?” Twilight said into her mentor’s barrel between sobs.
“Your runes aren’t freakish, Twilight! They’re awesome, and very pretty!” Spike exclaimed, making Twilight jump, whipping her head towards what she thought was a sleeping baby drake. “You are an epic pony and the runes only make you even epicer!”
Twilight just sat there, shocked by his bold statement. Celestia nodded, gently nuzzling Twilight. “I’m going to agree with Spike. Every bit of you is wonderful, and that includes your runes.”
Twilight could do naught but bury her face into Celestia’s barrel and let her tears silently fall, her silence only broken by the occasional sniffle.
The three of them sat there in silence, taking comfort in each other’s presence.
Celestia was the first to break it. “To answer your question, Twilight, I don’t know why it was you to bear these runes. What I do know is that everything happens for a reason, and whether they are good or ill events, you must keep moving forward. You may find the answers in time, or you may never know. And while it is good to search for the answers, you mustn’t let it consume your life.”
Twilight nodded. “I understand, Celestia. It is just so very frustrating to not understand things. I have so many questions unanswered.”
“It is okay to feel frustrated. But if you wallow in everything that is going wrong and how frustrating it is, you’ll never make progress. So on that note, let’s move the subject onwards.”
Twilight nodded once more resolutely. “Alright, but I will figure it out sooner or later. This is clearly magical in nature, and, after all, Magic is my talent.”
A light smirk tugged at Celestia’s lips. “Oh? I hear a lot of certainty in that tone of yours. You might give the nobles a run for their money in pride at this rate.”
Twilight and Spike both covered their mouths, giggling. “That’s impossible, Celestia, nothing could compare the sheer arrogance of the nobles,” Twilight said.
Spike flopped onto the back of Twilight, eliciting a slight grunt from his choice of improvised furniture. “Well, I think we can exclude Fancy Pants from that category; he gives me very tasty gems whenever we visit him, he’s so nice!”
Twilight nodded. “Yes, he’s one of the exceptions to the rule, thankfully, but i’m surprised the majority of the Nobles haven’t drowned yet.”
Celestia quirked her left eyebrow, a bemused smile on her lips. “Oh? What exactly do you mean by that?”
Twilight smirked. “With how high their noses are in the air, the rain must drown a few of them per year at lee-heeeeast.” A yawn broke through her sentence, her jaw nearly cracking from how wide it was.
Celestia smiled and brought her head down to nuzzle Twilight softly. “I do believe it is time for sleepy little fillies and drakes to get some sleep.”
Twilight looked up at Celestia, a deadpan expression on her face. “Two things. One: I am not seven years old anymore. And Two: Has it really been that long?”
“When one gets to be as old as I am, Twilight, everybody who is not at least one-thousand years of age seems but a child.” Celestia’s smile softened. “ But you’ll always be my little star.” She pushed her muzzle in between Twilight’s ears, using her teeth to lightly groom, and making Twilight blush in embarrassment. “And yes, I lowered the sun about ten minutes ago.”
Twilight blinked owlishly, and turned her head to the clock on the table. Its small and large hands rested on the nine and three respectively.
‘Huh, I must be really out of it if I didn’t notice her lowering the sun.” Another yawn, ears splayed back, and a hoof raised to cover her mouth.
Twilight made to get up, her voice sounding sleepier as she spoke. “I guess it is time to head to bed then, come on Sp- eep!” Letting out a squeak, she fell onto her side, white feathers filling her vision.
“Stay tonight, Twilight; I’ve missed the nights we used to spend together. It can be like our late nights again, with you falling asleep while i’m reading to you.”
Twilight, still on her side, looked up at Celestia, a hopeful glint in her mentor’s eyes.
“Um,” Twilight hesitated. She looked behind her and saw Spike curled up in the center of one of the oversized pillows. “Well.. Spike is already asleep, so, why not, I guess.”
Celestia beamed and her horn lit up. With a quiet pop, two books hovered in front of her. “I’ll let you pick which book you want to read together; I grabbed your two favorite series.”
Twilight looked at the covers of the books. One was a yellow book labeled “Pawn of Prophecy.” The art on the cover was of a mare with a snow-white coat and with a mane and tail of black with a thin stripe of white through the mane, and a young colt with a gray coat and brown mane and tail. The mare had her hoof on the young colt’s withers and had him close to her, doing her best to shield him from the figure on the left side of the book. A very heavily armoured stallion stood there, seeming to stare straight at the young colt despite the fact that he had on a full helmet obscuring his face.
The other was a purple book with the words “Magician: Apprentice” and on the cover of that book was a Wizened old unicorn mare, her fur a crimson red, an oak staff resting against her withers as she looked at a map held in the magic of a teenage unicorn mare. The mare had a golden yellow coat with a very dark brown mane.
Twilight pondered her choices briefly before pointing to the purple book. “It’s been awhile since I read the Magician series.”
Celestia nodded and opened the book up to the first page and started reading, her voice gentle and calming. “Chapter one: Storm. The storm had broken. Pug danced along the edge of the rocks, her hooves finding scant purchase as she made her way among the tide pools.”
