In another part of the castle, the bright flash of magic briefly illuminated one of the rooms, fading just as quickly to reveal Celestia and Twilight now standing in the centre of the room.
“-at has b—whoa…”
Celestia braced against Twilight’s side, keeping her from toppling over as her legs wobbled beneath her. “Easy there, Twilight. Any dizziness will pass momentarily.”
“Ugh…” Twilight rubbed the side of her head as the world around her slowly stopped spinning. “What was… huh?” As the dizziness passed, Twilight became aware of the fact they were no longer in the castle’s main lobby.
Instead, the Princess and her were standing in a spacious chamber with shelf like grooves dug into the walls that reached up to the ceiling, only stopped from taking up the whole room by circular windows set at equal distances along the walls, allowing sunlight to stream in. Several round tables were set up around the room, cushions set nearby to allow for a comfortable sitting environment.
“Wha… how did we get here?” Twilight asked, clearly bewildered by the sudden change of location.
“I simply teleported us.”
To the casual observer, Twilight’s eyes appeared to sparkle with wonder as she spun around to face the Princess. “Teleported? As in traveling between two distant points in space in an instant? Magic can do that?”
“Let that be your first lesson in magic: there is very little magic can not do if one sets their mind to it. The only limit is one’s imagination.”
“Fascinating…” Twilight’s brain kicked into high gear as she considered the implications of this new aspect of magic. The sheer volume of energy it would take to instantaneously relocate two bodies across even a short distance would need to be immense, and yet I suspect that not even that might be anywhere close to the outer limits of magic! Just imagine all the things I could do back home if I could–
Twilight’s brain came screeching to a halt mid-thought, her eyes widening as she finally fully registered the room around her. For in taking in her new surroundings following the disorienting experience of being teleported, the human-turned-pony had initially overlooked one crucial detail:
Books.
For the room Celestia had teleported them to was in fact the castle’s main library. The shelves Twilight had previously noticed were stocked to the brim with literature, ranging anywhere from short pieces of fiction to tomes whose author had clearly been paid by the pound.
“Books! So many books!” Galloping up to the nearest shelf, Twilight’s eyes flittered back and forth as she scanned the titles around her, a grin splitting across her muzzle. “So many things I could learn about this world, its culture and its magic, all from just this one room!”
Unbeknownst to Twilight, her tail wagged back and forth excitedly at the sight of the veritable treasure trove. “I hardly know where to start!”
Celestia looked on, greatly amused as she watched the spitting image of her former student become so enthralled at the library around her. Twilight will always be Twilight, she mused as she watched Twilight stop to focus on one book in particular.
“Warm Hearts Will Prevail: Spells and Transmutations of the Post-Warming Era.” Twilight read aloud, the use of the word “era” in the title catching her attention. No doubt indicating a major point in this world’s history, she thought as she reached up with her hoof to pull it loose, only for the book to not so much as budge from its spot. Growling, Twilight used her other hoof to try and get some kind of grip. “Come… on!” She grunted as she pulled with all her might, unprepared for when the book, rather than slide out gracefully, popped clean from its shelf.
“Wah!” Twilight flailed as she lost what little grip she had, the book soaring clean over her head as she stumbled back on unsteady hooves. Ultimately, her hooves fell out from under her as she tumbled, falling to the floor with a thud. “Oof!”
Twilight groaned as she stared up at the library ceiling. The sound of hoofsteps drew closer as a shadow passed over where she lay. Peering up from her place on the floor, Twilight was greeted to the sight of the Princess smiling down at her, the book Twilight had sent flying floating next to her in her magic.
“Before you dive head first into magical theory,” Without even looking, Celestia slid the book back into place on its shelf with her magic as she spoke, “perhaps we should begin by going over the basics, don’t you agree?”
“Oh… right. That might be a better idea actually.”
“Perfect. Let’s get seated then and we can begin your lessons.”
Rolling over and getting back to her hooves, Twilight followed Celestia over to the nearest reading table. Once they were both seated comfortable, Celestia looked to the mare sitting across from her. “Now tell me, Twilight, how much do you already know about magic?”
Sighing, Twilight replied, “Not much, it seems. While I was able to locate and quantify the magical energy in my world, as well as determine that it still adheres to the laws of energy conservation based on all my findings, the sheer applications are like nothing I could have imagined. Levitation, teleportation, conversion and transmutation of matter and the list just keeps getting longer and longer the more I see. Even after experiencing it first hand, I’m no closer to truly understanding it.”
Twilight’s shoulders sagged as she gazed out a nearby window. “Being in this world, where magic is such a fundamental part of life, just proves I’ve barely scratched the surface of what magic can really do.”
“All the more reason I decided to take you on as my student. From what Princess Twilight has told me, magic is only just beginning to flourish in your world, so there may come a time when the people of your world will need someone to guide them in its use. For you see, magic is not simply a source of energy.”
Turning away from the window, Twilight looked confused. “It’s not?”
Celestia shook her head. “No, magic is the very lifeblood of our world, flowing through and manifesting in every living being ever to grace Equestria’s soils and beyond, from the mightiest dragon, to even the simplest of plant life. Magic has existed on this world since the first seeds of life were planted eons ago and has become the very foundation for life itself. To tap into magic is to harness a fragment of the power of creation itself, and to strip another being of its magic, whether they be pony or otherwise, is to take away a piece of their very soul with it.”
Twilight listened with rapt attention, hanging off of Celestia’s every word, though she couldn’t help but feel a pang of regret and shame at the mention of stealing magic from another. I should have smashed that thing when I had the chance.
Celestia paused as she watched the anguish briefly cross Twilight’s face, vanishing just as quickly as it had appeared. Knowing that pressing her about it right now could result in her clamming up, Celestia made a mental note of it before moving on. “While there are many races that call Equestria their home, most of which harness magic in some capacity, for this lesson I will be focusing on only one in-particular, one that possesses an innate sense for magic straight from birth. I believe you may be quite familiar with them.” With a flash, a beam of magic shot from Celestia’s horn into the centre of the table, taking the form of three miniature ponies standing in a row: an earth pony stallion, a pegasus mare and a unicorn mare.
“These are the ponies of Equestria.”
Twilight stared wide-eyed at the figures. “Amazing… energy based three-D projections.” She reached out to touch one, drawing back when the Pegasus jumped out of reach of her hoof, giving her a dirty glare as it flapped in place. “Oh, sorry.”
“While multiple types of ponies exist,” Celestia continued, “the three most common are the earth, pegasus and unicorn ponies, each utilizing their magic in different ways.” Glancing down at the three constructs, the earth pony stallion stepped forward.
“Earth ponies, for instance, harness their magic internally, often leading to greater physical strength as well as a deeply rooted connection to the land. It is this connection that allows them to cultivate even the most barren of lands with life.”
True to Celestia’s words, projections of flowers began to bloom around the stallion’s hooves, as well as a full-grown tree springing up directly behind him. Leaning down to sniff one of the flowers, the pony idly kicked the trunk of the tree with one of his hind legs. The tree shook briefly, before three apples dropped free from its branches, coming to rest on the small patch of grass that had grown underneath the pony.
“Next, a pegasus pony’s magic, while also largely internalized, tends to translate more into speed than strength.” The small Pegasus mare saluted right before she began to fly around their heads, performing aerial loop-de-loops and other maneuvers that made Twilight’s head spin just from watching.
“Their magic allows them to fly and helps them maintain flight in even the harshest of conditions. All pegasi can also walk safely on top of clouds and, with the right amount of concentration, pegasi have been known to even walk on water.”
With another flash of her horn, the projection of a cloud popped into existence, which the pegasus was happy to flop on top of and nestle into like one big fluffy pillow. Peering over the edge, the pegasus spied the earth pony still enjoying the flowers, oblivious to her presence.
Twilight swore she could just make out a mischievous grin on the pony’s face right before she unfurled her wings and used them to gradually push the cloud through the air, positioning it directly above the stallion. Just as he noticed the sudden shadow hanging over him, the pegasus mare bounced up and slammed all four hooves down onto the cloud, unleashing a downpour that swiftly drenched the stallion from head to toe.
The pegasus rolled with laughter as the earth pony scowled up at her, his soaking wet mane sticking to his face.
“Pegasus ponies can also use their magic to control the weather, and are in charge of producing and managing the weather all over Equestria.”
Twilight raised an eyebrow at the last bit. “Controlling the weather? The walking on clouds I could believe, but even for magic that sounds far-fetched. Even to do something like making it rain, you would need to simultaneously control over a dozen different weather systems from the humidity in the air, to the fluctuations of cold to hot air, to—“
Twilight paused when she noticed Celestia staring at her with an amused smirk on her face, leaning forward as she rested her front hooves against the table. Blinking in thought, Twilight sighed before she put her foreleg of her eyes. “… Right, different world, different rules.”
Celestia giggled as she turned her attention back to the three little ponies. The pegasus mare had tears in her eyes from laughing so hard, which may have been the reason why she had yet to notice the stallion walking over and picking up one of the apples he had knocked down earlier, grinning as he plotted.
Twilight pulled her hoof off her face just in time to see the earth pony toss the apple over his shoulder and buck it into the air. The apple shot off like a bullet, piercing through the cloud with enough force that the cloud instantly disintegrated, sending the pegasus crashing into the ground. As the mare pulled herself up, she glared at the stallion as he laughed, her face red with anger.
During all this, the apple continued on its trajectory, arcing in flight and hurtling back towards the ground…
… straight for the unicorn mare, who glanced up to see the apple heading directly for her.
Instead of moving out of the way though, the mare’s horn glowed seconds before a dome shield sprang up around her. Slamming against the shield, the apple harmlessly bounced off like a rubber ball hitting a wall and dropped back to the ground, bouncing against the ground twice before rolling to a stop.
With her horn still aglow, the unicorn mare dropped her shield as she sauntered off towards the two arguing ponies, which had now escalated into an angry staring contest with one another. Picking up the discarded apple in her magic, it floated next to her as she walked.
“Finally, there are the unicorn ponies. Using their horn, a unicorn can cast any number of spells to fit just about any situation. While many only ever focus on a particular subset of magic related to one particular field or talent, there have always been ponies throughout history who have strived to advance the understanding of magic though leaps and bounds.”
Twilight poked her horn with her hoof. “So, what, is this like some kind of magic wand or something?”
“It’s a bit more complicated than that, but yes. A unicorn’s horn is a natural focal point, which not only allows him or her to channel magic directly, but is attuned to magic in such a way as to offer greater control and precision. It is this control that is critical to the art of proper spell casting.”
By this point, the unicorn mare was standing next to the two other ponies, who were still glaring at each other as if daring the other to blink. Or at least they were right up until the unicorn bopped them both in the head with the apple. When they both turned to yell at her, they were instead cowed into silence when she scowled at them in turn, prompting the two of them to bow their heads in shame under her gaze.
Twilight and Celestia watched as the mare pointed and gestured to the two ponies, silently scolding them for their actions. Looking thoroughly embarrassed, the pair sat still for a moment before they both reached over and gave the other a hug, which brought a smile to the unicorn’s face. Sitting down on her haunches, she focused her magic into the apple, neatly splitting it into three sections, which she passed amongst them. With smiles on their faces, they all dug into their food with glee.
“And, in the end, friendship will always be the strongest magic of all.”
Dismissing her projections, Celestia unfurled one of her wings, eliciting a gasp from Twilight as she did so. Tucking her head under her wing, Celestia bit down onto the edge of one of her feathers, easily plucking it free with a jerk of her head. Twilight winced at the action, but Celestia seemed to pay it no mind as she leaned over and set the feather down in the centre of the table.
“Now, one of the first and most versatile spells that a unicorn ever learns is that of levitation, allowing manipulation of any number of objects both big and small with far greater dexterity than with hooves, mouth or tail. Therefore, I want you to try and lift this feather using magic, like so.” Keeping her eyes locked on the feather, Celestia’s horn shined with the same yellow glow as before, the same light enveloping the feather. Then, as if attached to unseen strings, it rose into an upright position as if preparing to write a letter, floating an inch above the table. It hovered in place for a few seconds before fluttering down to rest back on the table.
“Now you try.”
Staring at the feather, Twilight breathed in, then out as she prepared herself for the task at hand. “Alright, here goes nothing.”
Based on what she had seen both in her world and during her short time in Equestria, magic responded to the will of its caster. With that in mind, Twilight focused all her attention on the feather, willing it to float. She could see it in her mind's eye: the feather lifting up as if caught in a breeze, held aloft solely by magic.
And yet, nothing happened. No matter how long she stared or how hard she tried to will it, the feather remained where it lay, not even so much as twitching.
Huffing, Twilight tried again, even more determined than before. Her face scrunched up into a look of deep concentration, her cheeks puffed out as she tried to channel even a sliver of magic. All the ponies she had seen using magic back in the market had made it look so easy!
With one final mental push, she willed the feather to lift up off the table.
Just like before, the feather didn’t even shake.
Gasping, Twilight just sat there, still staring at the feather as she breathed in and out. “I… I can’t… I can’t do it. I’m sorry…” Twilight’s ears wilted as she bowed her head, ashamed that despite her experiments and experience with magic, she hadn’t even been able to do something seemingly as simple as use it to lift a measly feather.
Before she could wallow any further in self-pity however, she felt Celestia’s hoof on her chin, her head raised to look the Princess in the eyes, where not a trace of disapproval could be found.
“There is nothing to apologize for, Twilight. I understand that magic is still a foreign and alien concept and as such there will no doubt be some initial difficulties. Were I to travel to your world, I do not doubt that abilities and ideas that you take for granted would be equally as unknown to me.
“Whether you could lift the feather or not was not what this little experiment was about. It was a way for me to gauge your current magical ability in order to determine how to progress further. And I believe I have the perfect exercise in mind.”
“R-Really?”
Any uncertainty Twilight still felt was cast aside from the warmth of the Princess’s smile. “Yes, although this will be something a little bit different. I’m going to need you to close your eyes for me.”
“What? Why?”
“This will be a visualization exercise.” Celestia explained, chuckling as she added, “I believe it would be rather difficult without closing your eyes first, wouldn’t you agree?”
“Oh, ok.” The crystal library around them slipped into darkness as Twilight shut her eyes. The sounds of birds chirping outside briefly made her realize that her hearing was elevated as a pony now, right before it was replaced by the sound of Celestia’s voice. Even though Twilight knew that the Princess was still sitting across from her, her voice seemed to take on an almost ethereal quality, as if being projected from afar.
“To start, I’m going to have you do a little mental stretching. Imagine something simple: basic shapes, strings of words perhaps or anything of that nature, doesn’t matter as long as it’s not overly complex. Just let your mind wander for a few minutes, I’ll let you know when to stop.”
As instructed, images began to flow before Twilight’s eyes, filling the darkness with mathematical equations, excerpts from books she had read recently and simple depictions of objects like plants or food, among other things. Twilight almost compared it to doodling in the margins of her notebook.
After several minutes of this, Celestia’s voice echoed in Twilight’s ear again. “That’s enough. Clear your mind once more.”
With but a thought, the images all scattered to dust in Twilight’s mind, as if she was wiping a chalkboard clean.
“Now, I want you to visualize yourself, much like what you would see if you were to look in a mirror.”
“Sounds simple enough.” Within seconds, Twilight had formed an image of herself in her mind, trying to get every detail down from the exact color of her socks and skirt to the hair clip in her hair. She looked just as she remembered, glasses and all. Strange that the pony her didn’t seem to need—
Wait… Twilight thought, this is an exercise created by and for ponies. So… didn’t that mean it would only work if I imagined myself as a pony?
Clearing her mind again, this time she tried to picture herself as a pony. She hadn’t had a chance to take a long look at her new body yet, but she had seen enough ponies around town to have a basic idea in mind. No, their legs aren’t that long… I’m a unicorn apparently, so I have a horn now… Tail should match the hair, or would it be a mane? ... Ears look fine… Shoot, doesn’t there need to be some kind of picture on either flank? Maybe the same one as my hairpin?
“Is something wrong, Twilight?”
“No, it’s just…” Twilight bit her lip, wondering if it would be rude to ask what she was thinking. The Princess did say she shouldn’t be afraid to ask questions. “Do… do I have to imagine myself as a pony for this?”
“Ah, I see. Imagining yourself as something unfamiliar would make things quite difficult. For this exercise, it’s preferable that you take the form you are most comfortable with, whether that be a pony or not.”
Nodding, Twilight switched back to the image of her human form, still dressed in her Crystal Prep uniform. She could have pictured something better, but she had worn that uniform for so long that it just felt… familiar to her. Looking herself over, she nodded when she was sure she had everything right, taking an extra moment to iron out a crease in her skirt. “Alright, what’s next?”
“Very good. Now, picture yourself standing at the very edge of a body of water. It can be a pond, lake or even something as simple as a swimming pool, just as long the water level is deep enough to stand in and the surface is undisturbed.”
Focusing, the void around her began to fill in bit by bit, a landscape developing right before her eyes. Sand formed beneath her feet as water poured in to meet it, an expense of crystal blue water reaching far beyond her line of sight. Twilight didn’t need to turn around to know that she would see a rock wall behind her where the sand ended, stairs running up the sides to a quaint little cabin perched on top, as well as a balcony perfectly situated to sit back and take in the stunning view.
She had fond memories of spending her summers here with her family. She smiled as she thought back to only a few years back when Cadence had come with them, and Shining had tried his hardest to impress her, only for his attempts to end up with him flipping off his surfboard into a bank of seaweed and walking back to the shore covered head to toe in it. Everyone had laughed, especially Cadence when Shining had chased her across the beach, his arms raised above his head and groaning like something out of a B-Grade horror movie. Attack of the Beach Doofus she would have called—
“Enjoying yourself?”
“Oh!” Twilight prayed the Princess couldn’t see her blushing. “Sorry… I guess I got a little carried away.” Looking around, she found that it looked just as she remembered, right down to the smallest detail. Facing the water once more, she looked out towards the horizon, putting her arm in front of her face to try and block out the glare of the sun. “I assume I’m going for a swim?”
“In a sense, yes. Step into the water first.”
Taking a step forward, Twilight dipped her foot into the water—
“EEK!” Twilight shrieked as an icy chill shot up her leg before running straight up her spine and spreading across her body. Jerking her leg back, she hopped up and down on the sandy beach as she tried to get feeling back into her toes.
Twilight could almost feel rather than hear the amusement in Celestia’s voice as she asked, “How’s the water?”
“It’s cold!” Twilight answered through chattering teeth, hugging her arms against her body to try and stay warm.
“Yes, that’s normal. Try again when you’re ready.”
Twilight shivered as she rubbed her hands together, desperately trying to ease the chill from before. Reluctantly, she dipped her toe into the water once more. The water was still cold to the touch, but it was nowhere near as bad now that she was ready for it. After a slow process of acclimating to the temperature of the water, Twilight finally managed to get both feet into the water.
“Alright, so far so good,” Twilight muttered, noticing that despite being submerged ankle deep in water, her socks and shoes still felt dry. “What’s next?”
“Now, start walking in deeper and don’t stop until the water rises just past your legs.”
Doing as instructed, she began treading deeper into the water. As the water rose up her legs, she could feel the water warming around her, going from icy cold to a lukewarm temperature, comparable almost to a warm bath. After what felt like nearly a minute of walking, the water had risen up well past her knees and only when her skirt began to sink below the surface did she finally stop.
“Tell me, how’s the water now?” Celestia asked again.
Twilight idly ran the tips of her fingers through the water, sending small ripples across its surface. “It’s still cold, but it’s warmed up a lot more since before. It’s kind of nice actually.”
“Good. Focus on that warmth, Twilight. Try and draw as much of it towards you as you can.”
“Al…right?” Breathing in as she submerged her hands wrist deep, Twilight did her best to concentrate on the warmth of the water around her. Gradually, she could feel the warmth flowing from her fingertips into her hands and up her arms.
When she looked down at her hands though, she was met with a sight that made her blood run cold.
The water around her now glowed with a purple light, almost as if neon lights had been placed just below the surface. That same glow flowed from the water up her arms, illuminating them in the same purple light. Shrieking, Twilight yanked her arms out of the water, but the glow remained.
“What… what is this?” Twilight demanded, unable to hide the terror in her voice. “Princess, what’s happening?!”
“Twilight, please calm down. Everything is—“
A sinister laugh echoed in Twilight’s ears, drowning out Celestia as a fierce ripple radiated through the waters. The laughing continued, slowly transitioning into a voice identical to Twilight’s own, cackling with glee as they spoke into Twilight’s ear:
I didn’t understand magic before… but I do now!
“No!” Twilight clutched the sides of her head, her eyes growing unfocused as the once calm waters thrashed and churned around her, becoming a violent maelstrom with her at its eye. “Not again! I can’t turn into that monster again! I can’t!”
“Twilight!”
Celestia’s voice cut through the chaos with such force that the thrashing waters ceased, though the previously calm surface was still marred by frequent ripples caused by the still terrified Twilight. Though still racked with terror, Twilight felt a new presence appear next to her, radiating a calming sensation that wrapped around her shoulders like a warm blanket.
“Twilight, everything is alright.” Celestia’s voice had lost its ethereal quality from before, now sounding like the Princess was standing right next to her. “As long as I’m here, I won’t let anything bad happen to you.”
“Pr-promise?”
“I promise.”
Silence reigned as Twilight basked in the feeling of Celestia’s presence. Her fear slowly began to disappear, enough so that she worked up the courage to look back down at her arms. Though still infused with the purple light from before, Twilight noted that it felt almost… pleasant?
“I believe a break may be in order.” Celestia suggested. “We can pick this up again after—“
“No!” Twilight shouted, still looking down at the glow coming off her arms. “I… I can do this, Princess. Just… just give me one more chance, please?” Twilight pleaded, her fear from before replaced with stubborn determination.
Celestia didn’t respond right away, no doubt still reluctant after witnessing Twilight’s previous reaction. “Alright, if you’re sure.” She eventually conceded. “All that’s left for you to do now is to concentrate all the warmth you’ve gathered into a single point in front of you.”
Nodding, Twilight once more focused on the warmth flowing through her. Holding her hands out in front of her with her palms facing up, the purple light began to flow from her arms back into her hands, forming into a ball of pure light that nestled into the palm of her hands.
Twilight found herself unable to look away, a pleasing glow illuminated her face and a steady warmth radiating against her palms. “It’s so pretty. Princess, is this…?”
“Yes, Twilight, that is magic. Your magic.”
“My… magic?” Twilight continued to stare into the depths of the purple light, unable to believe that this was magic at first.
The last time she had felt magic like this, it had burned, searing her inside and out with a ferocity that had felt like she was being torched alive. Indescribable pain had lanced through her body, twisting her in both body and mind into a dark shadow of her former self, driven only by a desire to seek out and understand magic, no matter the cost.
But this… this was nothing like that. This was hot, yes, but a soothing kind of heat, like the welcome embrace of a loved one, or the feeling of curling up in front of a fireplace on a chilly winter night.
“My magic. This is… my magic.”
“Twilight, you can open you eyes now.”
The open waters faded away as Twilight opened her eyes, finding herself back in the castle library. Shaking her head, she pushed her glasses back up before they fell right off her face. In doing so, she noticed Princess Celestia looking up at something with a smile on her face. “What?”
Celestia’s grin widened as she pointed a hoof up at Twilight’s horn. Puzzled, Twilight looked up to where the Princess was pointing…
… To see a small ball of violet light hovering on the very tip of her horn.
“Is… is that…” Reaching up, Twilight poked the ball with her hoof just to make sure she wasn’t seeing things. It was no bigger than a coin, yet she could still feel a significant amount of heat against her hoof. “But how?”
“The exercise you just performed,” Celestia explained, “is meant to help a pony tap into their inner stores of magic, as well as teach the necessary steps on how to draw it forth. From now on, whenever you need to call upon your magic, simply remember the feelings from before. With enough practice, it may even become second nature.”
Twilight was only half listening, too enraptured by the tiny ball of magic. Her thoughts gradually shifted as an idea came to her, glancing down at the table between Celestia and her. The feather Celestia had plucked from her wing still sat in the centre of the table, largely forgotten until now.
Squinting, she locked her eyes onto the feather. Like her first attempts, she willed the feather to float, but this time, with the experience of channelling magic still fresh in her mind, she imagined magic flowing from her horn like strings into the feather, a slight throbbing at the base of her horn the only indication that anything was happening.
A magical glow flickered into life around the feather, but unlike the yellow of Celestia’s magic, this magic shone in a now familiar bright purple. Held within the magic, the feather slowly floated above the table just like before. Twilight’s eyes went wide with disbelief, her mouth hanging open. Reaching across the table, she ran a hoof under and then above the feather, but her hoof met nothing but air.
Pulling her mouth shut, she moved her head left and then right, the feather following her movements while still remaining aloft. After a moment, the glow of Twilight’s magic at the tip of her horn stuttered and then dissipated, losing its grip on the feather and dropping it back down onto the table.
“I… I did it…” Shock gave way to happiness as a massive grin spread across Twilight’s face. “I did it!” Overcome with joy, Twilight began hopping around the room, shouting, “I did it! I did it! I did it!” over and over again.
Unable to help herself, Celestia chortled at Twilight’s antics, fond memories of a filly Twilight doing much the same at the forefront of her mind. “You’ve done well, Twilight Sparkle. You’ve taken your first step in understanding and mastering magic—oof!” Celestia’s wings flared outward as a sudden weight hung from her neck. Looking down, she blinked in surprise at the sight of Twilight excitedly clinging to her.
“Oh, thank you thank you thank you, Princess! Thank you so much for teaching me—“ Twilight’s eyes snapped open as the full implications of what she’d just done hit her like a ton of bricks. Releasing her grip and scrambling back, Twilight hastily bowed her head, keeping her eyes fixated on the floor. “I’m sorry! That was rude of me and I shouldn’t have done that without asking and—“
“Twilight?”
“Um…” Reluctantly, Twilight looked up from the floor. “Yes, your Highn—EEP!” Twilight was unprepared when Celestia scooped her up with her wing and pulled her close, holding the shocked Twilight against her body. “Pr-Princess?”
“I’m so proud of you, Twilight.” Celestia said as she pulled the mare closer. “Nothing makes me happier than seeing the joy in a pony’s eyes at each achievement they make.” Leaning down, she lightly kissed the top of Twilight’s head. “I thank you with all my heart for giving me the chance to experience that joy again.”
“Er… you’re welcome, Princess.” She’s so warm… Twilight noted as the initial surprise faded, unable to stop herself from shifting closer into the Celestia’s embrace. Part of her still felt awkward about snuggling up with was essentially a demi-goddess, but she brushed that thought aside as a peaceful feeling settled over her.
*Grumble*
Blinking, Celestia ears perked up at the sudden sound. Glancing down at Twilight, she saw her staring up at her, her face more red than purple.
Twilight tittered as she glanced down at her belly. “S-sorry. I guess I was hungrier than I thought…”
“Hmm… Well then, it wouldn’t be right to continue on an empty stomach.” Unfurling her wing, Celestia climbed back to her hooves, glancing at the doorway before looking back to Twilight, a mischievous glint in her eyes. “I don’t think Princess Twilight would mind if we made use of her kitchen, do you?”
When Twilight didn’t raise an argument to the idea, Celestia gestured towards the doorway. “Come on, the kitchens are right down the hall.” Her shoes clicked against the floor as she walked towards the library doors.
Getting back on her hooves as well, Twilight made to follow after her, but paused as she took a step. Turning to look at the window again, she smiled at the sight of the sun in the distance.
Thank you, Sunset, and thank you, Princess Twilight. Equestria is everything I could have dreamed of, and I wouldn’t be here if it weren’t for you two. I hope you’re enjoying yourselves as much as I am.
“Twilight?” Celestia asked from the hallway.
“Coming!” Twilight replied as she trotted after the Princess towards the castle kitchens.