//------------------------------// // Ch1 - Welcome Ponyville // Story: Ponyville's Tiny Librarian // by CommanderX5 //------------------------------// Ponyville’s Tiny Librarian - Chapter 1 Welcome Ponyville Twilight yawned. After closing her mouth, she rubbed the sleep from her eyes and slowly adjusted to the blinding rays of the sun. Her vision still blurry, she groggily turned her head to and fro in search of her mentor, exclaiming cheerfully, “Rise and shine, Princess!” The little unicorn blinked a few times as the world came into focus. “P-princess?” Twilight said as she took in the bookshelves lining the walls and the open door revealing the wooden stairs leading downstairs. The decorations and the room’s shape were nothing like her mentor’s wonderful, spacious bedchamber. Twilight slowly looked down at what she believed was her trusty pillow, something she had slept on for most of her life, only to notice she had been sleeping in a basket lined with mere soft linens instead. “Oh. Right. I’m not in Canterlot.” Twilight blinked the sleep out of her eyes and sighed deeply, already missing the morning routine when she would wake up her mighty mentor and put the golden regalia on her without using magic. A morning exercise she had enjoyed doing for the past five years she had spent in the Princess Celestia's presence. Ever since Twilight's first magical surge, she had felt vulnerable. She understood that Celestia had shrunk her to this size in order to protect others from her uncontrollable magic surges, but at times over the first few years, she had missed her original size. Still, her power, strength and skills had grown immensely through the many thrilling experiences and relentless training she had endured. The size reduction spell had become more than simply a way to keep other ponies safe. Instead, it had become a part of her lifestyle, an exciting new world filled with new challenges and adventures that ordinary ponies could not even dream of experiencing. Now she could grow back at anytime, though she was not in any hurry to do so. The last time I hadn’t slept in my mentor’s bed was during my studies of pegasus magic under the Wonderbolts. It seems I will need to get used to being independent, Twilight thought as she examined her surroundings, looking in all directions. While both the room and bed seemed big from her perspective, it seemed small when compared to her mentor’s sizeable bedchamber. Twilight shook her head and stretched again, driving away reminiscences of climbing up and down her mentor’s humongous bed as she liked. A purple tail protruded from under the eiderdown blanket on the bed, and she stood on the tips of her rear hooves, leaning against the top of the basket to get a better look. Extending her head a bit, she noticed Spike’s head pressed comfortably against a pillow, deep in blissful sleep. She quietly watched Spike for a few moments, a warm smile on her face. She was happy with her decision to give up the bed to make sure her dragon child could sleep comfortably, especially since there was no reason to waste an entire bed for her tiny self, and upon noticing Spike’s cheerful smile, she wondered what kind of pleasant dreams he was having. Twilight looked down at the basket she woke up in and let out another sigh. “Hmmm…. it’s just not the same,” she murmured to herself. She dropped down from the basket’s edge where she propped herself up and had turned to leave through the little opening when she found herself staring face-to-face with Overwatch’s wide, predatory grin. She was mere split-second away from letting out a surprised yelp when Overwatch’s hoof shot out and stopped Twilight’s instinctive shout. In a loud whisper, the guard mare admonished, “Shush, Twilight. There are still ponies trying to sleep, you know.” Twilight pushed the hoof away from her muzzle, glaring at her guard of thirteen years. Overwatch was still wearing an infernal grin, the type of grin that should have fangs poking out of it. “I think I could’ve lived without you sneaking up on me so early in the morning,” she said, looking between the unicorn guards-mare and Spike, who was still sound asleep. “Why’re you awake so early? And where’s Steel Blade?” “Oh, Steelie’s still passed out on the couches downstairs. Something about a giant party and having to travel between Ponyville and Canterlot twice has him all tired out.” Twilight raised an eyebrow and put on what she thought was her most intimidating face. “Didn’t you travel just as far as he did? Aren’t you tired?” Or at least tired enough not to try giving me a heart attack? “Yep and nope! I’m still running off of the high from the party. There were just so many sweets and excitement everywhere, I-I couldn’t help myself. I’m just brimming with energy!” she said with a gleeful giggle, her voice still a few notches over a whisper as she bounced in place. “You’ve got a good week before I stop being a morning pony again.” Overwatch suddenly perked up, as if remembering something. “Ahh, right. Celestia came in here while you were sleeping and she left you a few things,” she whispered, tossing the tiny mare a rolled letter followed immediately by a pillow to the face that she pulled from around the bed. “I’m going to see if Steelie’s up for making breakfast. Later!” Twilight scrambled to get the offending object off of her face, flipping it off just in time to see Overwatch’s tail disappear from the doorway downstairs. She frowned at her retreating guard, but all thoughts of vengeance evaporated when she looked at the pillow which had been thrown at her. She grabbed the giant pillow in a wide hug, nuzzling the familiar surface energetically. It felt right. It certainly smelled right, and Twilight curled up into it happily before she unrolled the scroll she’d received and began reading. My Dearest Little Faithful Student, Twilight Sparkle. I thought you might be missing your favourite pillow, so I teleported to Ponyville at night and snuck into your library to drop it off. I did my best not to wake you. Hopefully, you can forgive me for this rather un-princessy act and think of it as a farewell gift from me towards your new independent life. Also, Luna sends her best regards. She has convinced me to invite you to another celebration where we can reunite once again, so I have attached two tickets to the Grand Galloping Gala for you and any friend you wish to bring. Think of it as Luna’s own farewell gift. You can also thank your foalsitter Cadence for reminding me to leave Smarty Pants in the chest next to Spike’s bed. She wishes you the best of luck in Ponyville and sends you her love. I am sure your family and all of your friends from Canterlot will send you their own housewarming gifts for your library in due time. Shining Armor and I will inform them of your decision to stay in Ponyville when they are fully awake. Your Forever Grateful Mentor, Princess Celestia. P.S. You look so much like a kitten curled up in that basket! Hope you don’t mind, but I took a few pictures for Luna. Twilight blushed and bit her lip when she reached the end of the letter. She wore a wide smile as she rolled up the scroll and carried it over to the chest around the bed, opening it with a glow of magic. She crouched down like a hungry panther ready to strike and, with a great bound, leapt right into the wooden confines just next to her favorite doll. She looked fondly at the buttons serving as the doll’s eyes, one of which was held together by little more than a thread. Even at her age, she could barely resist the urge to wrap herself around Smarty Pants and give her a big hug, despite the doll still being at least twice her size. After levitating the letter into the chest, Twilight placed it carefully next to her doll as if it was the most delicate object in the world. With the letter in its rightful location, Twilight readjusted the hanging button before tightening the thread holding it in place and tying a knot, restoring the doll to its former glory before nuzzling it. With another deep breath, Twilight jumped from the chest towards her giant pillow, grabbing it awkwardly and lifting it with her forelegs above her head. The pillow itself proved rather light, but because it was designed to match the size of a certain large alicorn, it made an awkward burden to move without falling over for the much smaller unicorn underneath. With a solid jump and a good push of her hooves, she threw the giant pillow into her basket before hopping atop it to push it in further, fitting it all in perfectly. Twilight breathed out a nostalgic sigh as she sunk into the soft surface of her pillow. A pillow she’d slept on for thirteen years. A pillow from which she looked up at the face of her mighty mentor every morning. It had endured hundreds of magic surges, more than a few pillow fights, and even survived being burnt in the crossfire when Philomena set the entire room on fire defending her territory. This single pillow had been repaired by sewing or magic several times a year, and it was a miracle it had not succumbed to the abuse it received over time. It belonged only to her and, just like with Smarty Pants, she held it very close to her heart. Once her moment of reverie was over, Twilight turned around and levitated the two Grand Galloping Gala tickets into the chest, letting out a contemplative hum. Odd. Princess Celestia knows there are six Elements of Harmony, plus Spike. Why did she send just two tickets? Twilight narrowed her eyes suspiciously. A second passed before she let out a breath and shrugged. On the other hoof, Rarity sounded as if she would enjoy that kind of stuffy event, so the second ticket must be for her. Smart move, Princess. Very smart move. Now, didn’t Overwatch mention something about breakf— “AAAUUUGGHHHHHhhhhh!” There was a sudden clatter of books and a thump of somepony falling onto the floor from the doorway downstairs. “Get that thing away from me!” Twilight looked hurriedly at Spike, but the drake only let out a few snores and turned in his bed before pulling the covers up further. She rolled her eyes and proceeded to trot over to the door. “It’s a frying pan! For food!” “You were looming! Looming over me while I was trying to sleep! Don’t even try to deny it!” Twilight decided to trot a bit faster. “CELESTIA!” The white alicorn looked up from the desk she was working at to see Luna kicking down the door to her bedchamber before stomping in. “Is something wrong, my dearest sister?” Celestia said innocently, opening a drawer behind her with magic and levitating out a red stamp. She tilted her head slightly to the side to see her two royal guards at the entrance crumpled on the floor, stars fluttering around their heads. Her expression changed into a pout, and she refocused her attention on the raging alicorn in front of her, absentmindedly stamping the well-intentioned but poorly thought out proposal on her desk. Luna slammed an armored hoof into the floor. “Thou darest to ask?” she boomed, levitating up five tickets to the Grand Galloping Gala and threw them at her sister’s hooves. “Thou gave thy word that thou wouldst send invitations to thy student and all of her friends to this occasion of merriment and celebration, yet We have discovered thou hast sent but two!” “Really? They must have slipped out,” Celestia said with a knowing smirk, though it evaporated quickly under the sight of her sister's hostile glare. “Do not take such a tone with us!” Luna exclaimed. “It infuriates us that thou findest such jest in deceiving thine own student!” Celestia flinched and bit her lip, slowly lowering the stamp to the desk and trotting over to her sister. She let out a sigh. I should know better than to tease her like in the old days before I regain her trust. “I am sorry, my dearest sister. I’ve made a terrible mistake, teasing you as if it was still the olden days,” Celestia said calmly, sitting down in front of Luna. “I suppose I should explain myself. I sent those two tickets to give my student a chance to learn a valuable lesson. I had every intention of sending the rest of the tickets to her later.” Luna let out a snort, but seemed to be partially pacified by that answer. “Thou knowest how We despise thy manipulative ways. We thought thou hadst learned thy lesson.” Celestia took a deep breath and nodded solemnly. “I know, yet I had forgotten yet once again. I am truly sorry for not taking your feelings into consideration.” Luna smiled as she placed a hoof on her sister’s shoulder, “We will forgive thee this shortcoming this one time, but do not test our patience, dear sister. Thy student deserves trust and honesty, not lies and tricky lessons.” Celestia’s mood lightened a bit as she stood. “You are right, sister. But as the old saying goes, it is hard to teach an old horse new tricks." Celestia felt a great sense of relief as Luna giggled, taking her hoof off Celestia's shoulder to cover her mouth in a vain attempt to restrain the happy emotional outburst. “Thou need’st not worry. We will help thee change thy manipulative ways and show thee the road of honor and honesty, as long as thou art willing to try.” Luna said confidently. Celestia nodded her head. “I will, sister, and it looks like the first step is to send the rest of those tickets and a letter of apology,” she said, the edges of her mouth lifting up. “Exemplary, sister!” Luna exclaimed, clapping her hooves together excitedly. “Just today, We had a most enlightening discussion with the elder brother of Miss Sparkle. He told us of his methods of training his younger sister in the arts of combat magic. As thy sibling, We shall heed his wisdom and follow his example for thine own benefit.” Luna grinned widely as she levitated over a quill, scroll, inkpot, small writing desk, blotter, and ribbon she just 'happened' to have with her, plopping them down in front of her sister. The moment the objects of Celestia’s redemption were down, Luna used her magic to temporarily transform some materials from around the room, creating a whistle, a trainer’s cap, and a miniature hourglass. "Thou hast until the sand falls to the bottom. Art thou prepared? On our mar- ReadySetGo!" Luna blew into the whistle hard enough to fracture eardrums, alarming the Royal Guards outside the door enough that they poked their noses into the room to make sure everything was alright. It took precious writing time for Celestia to convince them to return to their posts, and in what little time she had left, Celestia bent to her task. It didn’t help her concentration to have Luna calling out the time every ten seconds or to have her shouting at minor grammatical differences that had occurred in the language over the last few centuries. What have I gotten myself into? Shifting uncomfortably in his sleep, Spike rolled over on his side and belched. The resulting contrite apology letter, done ten seconds before the deadline, and five golden tickets fluttered to the ground, wedging themselves behind the bed and outside of Twilight's sight. Relieved of his discomfort, the little dragon returned to his happy slumber. Twilight took the last few steps into her room, wiping her mouth with a napkin after what was left of her morning food. It was the first time she’d eaten with both Overwatch and Steel Blade, and she was surprised that both of them were fairly experienced cooks, tossing the necessary spices and ingredients to each other from across the kitchen with practiced carelessness, almost as if they’d been doing this for years. They were preparing to unpack the rest of their personal possessions, leaving Twilight to herself for the day. The tiny mare stretched out like a cat with a yawn. Now that I’m in Ponyville, I can’t exactly start my day by lifting my mentor’s golden regalia onto her like I normally do. She turned her head to-and-fro, rolling her neck restlessly as her eyes traced lines around the bedroom. I’ll have to find another way to warm up in the morning, an alternative activity, something hard… something exhausting… something challenging… Twilight’s gaze stopped on the balcony, which featured an old, but clean telescope sitting a few hooves away from the railing. Without further ceremony, she galloped over to the balcony and climbed up onto the telescope. She took a few extra moments to steady her balance before straightening up at the high end of the instrument, gazing down at the town before her. The little mare turned to look back at the mighty oak tree the balcony was attached to, following it down all the way to the ground, which was a long way down, but nothing compared to the heights in Canterlot. Twilight sighed. The scenery was a bit disappointing compared to the view from a Canterlot Castle tower. A sea of tall stone buildings sprawling out from the higher ground, the orange rays of the sunrise gleaming off the smooth castle walls. Despite the distance, the city still seemed to shimmer in the light, as small as it appeared from Ponyville. It was almost unbelievable that she would find reasons to live in Ponyville, the tiny, insignificant village that she’d glimpsed only once or twice from Princess Celestia’s balcony. She shook her head then jumped forward off the telescope, narrowly missing a flower bed and landing solidly on all four hooves onto the grass below. Twilight turned towards the large tree, admiring it for a moment as she began to stretch out her legs. “Time for some tree tackling,” she murmured before stopping. On second thought, even climbing such a large tree might be a bit too straightforward. What else could I add? She looked around for some inspiration, but the only thing she found were some smooth rocks in the nearby flowerbed next to the entrance of the library. Twilight sighed, embarrassed at the lack of creativity of her idea. They're not golden regalia, but they look heavy enough. She shot magic ropes from her horn and bound herself to the small stones, which were still five times heavier than her one kilogram weight. After double checking the ropes to ensure that they were securely fastened, she turned to the tree again and crouched down, her legs ready and eyes burning with determination. “Let's do this!” *** “Should we help?” Steel Blade whispered out of the side of his mouth to Overwatch, massaging his left wing nervously. Their duty as Twilight's personal guards was to protect her from danger, after all, a responsibility they had held ever since the princess’s shrunken student had proven herself too vulnerable and reckless for her age. Overwatch took one look up at the tree before rolling her eyes. She chuckled to herself and turned back to her original task of sorting through their armaments supplied by the Royal Guards, a piece of toast floating nearby in her levitation. Steel Blade hung his head and let out a sigh. The most difficult part about guarding the tiny, powerful unicorn was not protecting her from the dangers the reckless mare got into ever so often, but figuring out when she was actually in danger and when she could handle the challenge. *** Twilight had made it halfway up the tree in about a minute, but she was forced to reconsider when she ran into an obstacle she wasn’t quite expecting. She hung upside-down with all four of her hooves clinging tightly to the long branch supporting her balcony. Sweat dripped up her muzzle, and her breathing was a touch faster than normal. The stones she was tied to dangled directly below her, rocking back and forth as she swayed in the breeze blowing through the huge oak tree. The situation was fairly common for her. The other party raptly observing her, not so much. "I'm j-just p-passing through," Twilight called out to the cloud of bees buzzing around their nest beneath her. "D-don't m-mind me." Each of the bees was the size of her muzzle, with stingers that seemed as long as knives. “Yeah, I’m sure she can handle it herself,” Overwatch said offhandedly as she ticked off an item on the list floating in front of her, tossing another bit of toast into her mouth. “Having fresh honey around is nice, but we may have to relocate that nest if it becomes too much of a bother.” “I-I’m just p-passing by. D-don’t m-mind me,” Twilight said nervously, slowly inching along the branch. One of the bees split off from the rest of the swarm, briefly hovering a few centimeters away before deciding to delicately land on her nose. Twilight’s eye began to twitch as she tried to ignore the tickling and the urge to sneeze. Now that I think about it, I can always set up a barrier around myself, so what am I even afraid of? Twilight sighed and ignored the bees examining her, and the farther away she was from the hive, the less interested they were in her. The one on her nose thankfully flew off before any lasting damage could be done, and the rest of her journey to the end of the branch and onto the balcony was uneventful. Twilight didn’t stop on the balcony, taking only a quick breather before she jumped on top of the railing and then from branch to branch moving ever higher. The magical ropes that tied her to the small stones often got tangled amongst the branches, slowing down her progress. Finally after one more jump, the little unicorn reached the tallest branch of the library tree and stood upon it for a better view after untying the ropes from herself and levitating the rocks down for tomorrow’s exercise. Her tiny ears failed to hear Steel Blade’s yelp of pain and regret towards his decision not to wear a helmet today. Not bad, but still too easy. I'll have to find something heavier for tomorrow, maybe consider climbing the other side of the tree away from the bees. After all, I still need to stay in top physical and mental shape, even away from Canterlot. She wiped away a few droplets of sweat and took a long, deep breath of the fresh air blowing around the top of the tree. She sat there for a moment in silence to relax and admire the view in peace, the wind in her mane felt amazingly cool after such a good workout. "What's up?!" The loud voice right in her ear startled Twilight, which would normally have not been a problem if she hadn’t been holding onto a thin branch so high above the ground. Leaves and branches whipped at her face as she fell from the top of the tree. Twilight braced herself for impact, only to feel something grab her in mid-air and jerk her sharply upwards again. She was placed onto the railing of her balcony, her heart rate significantly higher than she wanted it to be. With a shake of her head, Twilight turned and glared angrily at the pegasus hovering in front of her. “Sorry.” The little unicorn maintained her glare for a few seconds more. “Rainbow Dash, didn’t anypony teach you how impolite it is to scare ponies?” She pointed towards the ground. “Especially if said pony is a few stories above the ground and has no safety measures preventing her from falling.” Rainbow Dash rolled her eyes. "No sweat. I could have caught you waaaay before you even got close to the ground. Besides, can't you just telepop back inside if you fall down?" Twilight thought for a moment as logic overcame aggravation. "It's teleportation, not 'telepop.' And I suppose you're right, this time. So, what are you doing here?" Twilight took a glance at the sun, which had not managed to climb completely over the horizon yet. "Particularly so early in the morning." Rainbow Dash’s hooves began to fidget. She may have been the fastest flyer in Ponyville, but she took a long time finding the words to respond. “Well,” Dash started, looking around as she searched for the correct words, “I was just passing by on my morning exercise and noticed you standing on top of the library, so I decided to check what my little friend was up to.” Twilight examined her surroundings before looking back at Rainbow Dash, raising an eyebrow as she pointed her hoof towards a cloud. “Oh, and it just happens that on a clear sky, there is exactly one cloud floating next to the library, just big enough to accommodate one sleeping pegasus?” Rainbow Dash blushed. “Oh, I must have missed that one when I cleared the sky for the Summer Sun Celebration. My bad,” she said innocently. The pegasus flashed Twilight an awkward smile, but the little mare could easily see the sweat falling from her friend’s face. “Oh, so you didn’t sleep on this cloud next to my library last night?” Twilight asked, smirking. “Waiting for me to wake up and go outside, so you could ask me to hang out with you, did you?” Dash shook her head nervously. “‘f’course not, that’d be silly.” Twilight giggled and said, “Yeah, that would be really silly.” Dash sighed in relief. “Actually, I was hoping to hang out with you and have some fun during an epic adventure today, but since that’s not the case, why are you here?” Rainbow Dash panicked and grabbed Twilight in between her hooves. “Epic adventure? I’m in!” She blushed upon noticing a smirk. “I mean…” Twilight chuckled as she slid her foreleg outside of Rainbow Dash’s grasp and poked her in the nose. “Got you.” Dash sighed in defeat. “Fine, fine, you got me. So what if I slept next to your house? So what if I waited until you woke up? We just became friends and I wanted to spend some time with you, to get to know you better.” The little mare let out a wistful sigh. “I know, Rainbow Dash, I feel the same way. However, I’m afraid I can’t spend time with you right now. I have something else planned for today.” “Hey, why not do both? Whatever you have planned, can’t I come along?” Dash asked. Twilight smile returned as she struggled against Dash’s hooves, pushing herself from the pegasus’s grip in order to sit on her hoof. “Actually, you may,” she said, lightening her friend’s mood a bit. “The main reason for me staying here in Ponyville is to progress in my studies of earth pony magic, and I was about to go to the farm—” “Sweet Apple Acres.” Twilight nodded. “Yes, there. I wanted to ask the Apple family to guide me in my studies as well as for permission to observe them during their work and even set up a small experiment or two.” The pegasus smirked and landed on a nearby branch, her wings spread. “No prob. Just hop on and I will get you there in less than a minute.” Twilight shook her head. “Thanks, but no thanks.” She jumped from Dash’s hoof onto the branch, shaking a little from the impact before regaining her balance. “I’d rather gallop there and get a better look at the town. Flying there would be just too easy.” Dash frowned and crossed her forelegs as the tiny unicorn was jumping from branch to branch until she landed back on the balcony and trotted inside. *** Twilight didn’t have it in her heart to wake up Spike, so instead she just wrote a memo that she would be at Sweet Apple Acres and placed it on a pillow in her basket. She grabbed her tiny saddlebag and somehow managed to push in several bits before declaring herself ready to depart. With a gallop she ran towards the balcony and jumped from it to the ground, saving her the time of using the door. “Oh, silly me. I forgot about the map,” the little mare said to herself as she turned around, only for a giant pegasus to land in front of her with a loud thump, forcing her to jump back reflexively, coughing from the dust that spread around Dash’s hooves from the impact. “I know the way,” Dash said as she lowered her wing, forming a bridge onto her back. “Hop on, I’ll get you there.” Twilight wiped the dust from her face and frowned. “You really want me to ride on you that badly?” Rainbow Dash nodded as Twilight gave her a challenging glare. “Then let's turn it into a challenge, shall we?” she said, causing Dash's ears to perk up as the pegasus knelt, head lowered to her level. "I will ride on you, but only if…” Dash’s eyes and smile widened. “Yes?” “If…” Twilight said with a teasing tone. “Yes!” Dash’s face moved closer, her nose almost touching Twilight’s muzzle. “If… you can catch me!” Twilight said as she poked her friend’s nose. With this action the little unicorn galloped away, her horn charging a teleportation while Dash looked at her with a smirk. “Game on.” Rainbow Dash was flying towards the farm, her little passenger holding her neck tightly, pressing herself against her soft fur without even bothering to tie herself down with magical ropes. Twilight felt her mane blow in the wind as she leaned around Rainbow’s neck, catching sight of rows of hundreds of trees on the horizon. Nearly at her destination, she whispered to Dash’s ear, “How did you do that?” The pegasus smiled proudly. “How did I catch you? Simple, I am the fastest pegasus in Equestria. There’s no way you could outrun me.” Twilight frowned. “But I’m tiny! And I can teleport!” she pointed out before closing her eyes as her ride collided with another cloud and puffy leftovers washed against her face. Rainbow Dash rolled in mid-air, forcing Twilight to tighten the hold of her neck so as not to fall off. "Oh yeah, I'm totally awesome. But you knew that already, right?" Twilight was about to protest, but just sighed instead. “Fine, Rainbow Dash. I admit defeat.” The pegasus only answered with a grin, before slowing down as they leveled out over the farm. Her tiny passenger released her neck and said, “Thanks for the ride, Rainbow, but rest assured, I won’t rest until I can beat you in a game of tag. Mark my words.” Twilight narrowed her eyes briefly at Rainbow, but her serious expression broke quickly into a giggle. With a just, she jumped from the pegasus onto an apple tree, grabbing a branch before judging her next hop down. She released the branch and landed effortlessly on the ground, only to jump forward as the giant pegasus dropped like a brick next to her, kicking up another puff of dust. After waving away the cloud, Twilight wiped her face with her own tail and released the breath she was holding, shooting Dash an annoyed glare. “You really should stop doing that.” “Sorry,” Rainbow Dash said before following her friend, one of her steps to every five of the tiny mare’s. “Nice tree climbing by the way,” she commented, “I’ve never seen a unicorn who could pull off something like that without using magic, let alone one as small as you.” “I like to exercise almost as much as using magic and reading. It’s very exciting,” Twilight responded cheerfully. “Though I admit, it was a bit easier than what I’m used to.” The pegasus gave Twilight a curious glance. “What do you mean by that?” “Well, a year after I started working on my physical training, I decided to push it to a whole new level. Every morning, I took it upon myself to help Princess Celestia don her golden regalia by hoisting them up and putting them on for her. The crown was heavy, but her petryal was the hardest of all." Twilight puffed out her chest proudly, much to Dash's amusement. "Trust me, that thing is heavy. Even after all these years, I still don’t understand why my mentor wears it every day.” Rainbow Dash laughed. “Wow, you sure have very original ways to get morning exercise. I bet no pony can say that they’ve climbed Mount Celestia every morning.” Twilight shared Dash’s laugh, but she stopped at the sight of another pony, a big, red earth pony. He must be one of Apple family members I met during the ‘Summer Sun Celebration’. What was his name again? Twilight thought as she turned to her companion. “Rainbow, what’s his name?” Rainbow Dash looked at the pony in question, pausing for a moment before responding, “If you want to be official, it’s Big Macintosh, but everypony calls him Big Mac. He’s Applejack’s older brother.” Twilight looked once again at the stallion. Big Mac? How strangely fitting. She trotted towards him as he, with one strong kick, dropped a huge amount of apples into the waiting baskets. Impressive. He’s way stronger than Applejack. His inner earth pony magic must be incredibly powerful, perfect for my studies! Twilight grinned widely, stopping in front of the red giant and taking in a deep breath. *** “Excuse me!” Bic Mac heard somepony speak, but when he swept his eyes over the orchard, there was only a singular pegasus sitting under a tree a short distance away. “Hmm, wonder what she needs,” he murmured under his breath. Wiping his brow, he began trotting towards her until his hoof abruptly got stuck. Big Mac looked down, finding his hoof suspended a little above the ground. He put a bit more strength into moving it, but to no avail. “Down here!” somepony called again, but it didn’t come from the pegasus in front of him. Big Mac’s brow furrowed, watching as a purple magical aura moved his foreleg to the side and onto the grass. “Ah. Ah’m sorry,” Big Mac said as he lowered himself to the ground to get a better view of the tiny mare. “Ah almost stepped on ya.” Twilight shrugged. “Don’t worry about it, Big Macintosh. It wouldn’t hurt me anyway even if you did,” she remarked with a smile. Big Mac was big, but she had been stepped on by Princess Celestia without major injury, and that was years before she hardened up and began exercising. Big Mac simply nodded, watching the tiny unicorn expectedly. A moment of silence later, as Twilight's confident smile was slowly replaced with an awkward one, she cleared her throat and began speaking, “You’re probably wondering why I came here in the first place.” “Eeyup.” “Well, I’m here to study earth pony magic. I want to ask the pony in charge here for permission to observe, maybe perform a few tests, as well as for assistance from the Apple family.” “Ahh, then you’d want to talk to Applejack,” Big Mac said, sitting up. “She’s working the patch o’ trees a few rows that way.” “Your younger sister’s in charge?” He simply nodded. “I see. Thank you for your time, Big Macintosh.” Twilight bowed politely before trotting towards Applejack, keeping her eyes on him. “It was nice talking with you… I guess.” “Eeyup.” *** Applejack’s attempt to kick an apple tree was interrupted by a bright flash on her muzzle, causing her to miss the tree entirely and lose balance, her side tumbling into the grass. “S-sorry,” Twilight said as she held herself onto Applejack’s nose, who blinked back in mild surprise. “Howdy, Twilight. What can Ah do ya for?” she asked, forcing her friend to hold on tighter whenever she spoke. The little mare cleared her throat. “First off, I would like to make sure about something. Big Macintosh said you’re in charge of the entire farm. Is that true?” Applejack tipped her head forward slightly, grinning widely. “Sure am, sugarcube.” “I see, I’ll get straight to the point then,” Twilight said, hopping off onto the ground and levitating a miniature pen and paper from her tiny saddlebag. “My mentor has allowed me to stay in Ponyville on one condition: that I study earth pony magic.” The farm mare picked herself up, rubbing at the back of her neck. “Earth pony wha’?” Twilight stood on her rear hooves and repeated herself. “Earth pony magic! You know, the magic that every earth pony possesses. Aren’t you an expert in this field?” Applejack smiled awkwardly. “Ehehe... Ah have no idea what yer talkin’ about. Ah can’t cast any spells. Ah don’ have no horn to perform any fancy magic. Where’d ya get that idea?” Twilight stared back dumbfounded for several seconds, the concern that she had said something stupid or silly growing in strength with each passing second. The tiny unicorn slowly cleared her throat. “I see. You lack theoretical knowledge on the topic. It’s fine, I am here more for the practical knowledge anyway.” Applejack lowered herself to the ground, her nose almost touching the unicorn’s muzzle. “Care to explain, sugarcube?” Twilight let out a sigh. “Well, in short, back when I was still studying in Canterlot... *** “Ah don’t believe it!” Applejack said firmly as Twilight stared back from her spot on Dash’s wing. “But it’s the truth, Applejack. Please trust me, I’ve researched this topic extensively.” The farm mare looked around her farm, admiring the trees she had kicked for years before looking back at her little friend. “So what yer sayin’ is that every time Ah kick a tree to get apples, Ah give some of mah fancy magic in return to let it grow apples faster?” Twilight jumped onto Applejack’s muzzle and anchored herself against it with her forelegs, her head nodding energetically. “Not only just grow faster, its fruits are also of a higher quality and give much more energy when eaten. Furthermore, it doesn’t just apply to the trees but also to the seeds you plant and everything you farm as long as you make contact with the plant or with the ground it grows in,” she lectured, before adding hesitantly, “In theory at least. That’s why I’m here, to gain practical knowledge and see everything for myself.” The little mare climbed up Applejack’s muzzle before sitting on the top of her head, gesturing her hoof over the farm. “Just think about it, Applejack. During all your work, part of your magic, part of you is in every single tree, and in return, they’re giving back the fruits of your work.” Applejack took a deep breath and closed her eyes, proud smile on her face. “There’s a lot of wisdom in yer words, sugarcube. Ah always thought there was some of the Apple family in every tree of our orchard, but Ah never thought of it quite like that. Twilight cheered as she jumped from her friend, landing softly on the grass. “Great, then let the studying begin!” Applejack blinked a few times. “But Ah told ya Ah know nothin’ of mah magic. Ah didn’ even know Ah had it.” “That won’t be a problem,” Twilight remarked cheerfully. “After all, I’m here to learn from practice.” “Okay Applejack, everything is set. Are you ready?” Twilight asked, sitting in a nest of leaves. She was in full research mode, a tiny pen behind her ear, a small notepad in her hoof, a tiny bottle of ink next to her hind leg, and her horn lit with magic. Applejack stood in front of a tree and looked back at the marked point. “Ah’m ready, sugarcube.” The farm mare settled into a wide, stable stance, fully prepared to buck the tree as she had done for years. Even though this was an experiment, baskets were still scattered around her, ready to receive the rain of apples. “Good, but first, I need to cast a scanning and marking spell,” Twilight said. Her horn flashed, and a few seconds later she wrote something in her notepad. The tiny unicorn let out a hum. “That's odd,” she muttered. “What’s weighin’ on ya, Twilight?” Applejack asked, but she just got a shrug in response. “Nothing important. Probably just a minor discrepancy to look into. Anyways, go ahead and kick… now!” Applejack did as ordered. A standard kick with pretty normal results, judging by the baskets around her. Twilight cast another spell, and to everypony’s astonishment, Applejack’s legs began to glow, as did the point at which she hit the tree. Even the apples that fell off were illuminated lightly. Applejack’s face furrowed as she leaned in closer to the apples. “What in tarnation is that?” Twilight smiled. “This, my friend, is your magic. Wonderful, is it not?” she remarked excitedly, clopping her hooves together. The farm mare turned to the tree as the light began to spread across its trunk, down to the roots and up to its branches. Twilight’s grin only widened as she spoke again. “As you can see, your magic revitalises the tree, which is why earth ponies will always be superior to pegasi and unicorns in agriculture, as there’s no spell that can replicate that.” “Darn right! No fancy magic can beat me in what Ah love to do,” Applejack said proudly before giving her friend an apologetic glance. “No offense, Twilight.” “None taken,” she said cheerfully. “Say, could I borrow your brother for a trial?” Applejack shrugged. “Y’should probably be askin’ him, but Ah can get him here for ya.” She turned to the side and hollered, “Hey Big Mac! Twilight wants ya to participate in a little somethin’!” The big pony perked up at the sound of his sister, and approached them with slow, deliberate steps. As soon as he entered hearing range, Twilight cleared her throat to attract his attention. “Big Mac, could you buck that tree over there?” she said, pointing to a marked area on another tree. “Just a normal buck will suffice.” Big Mac turned to the tree in question, stating simply, “S’plannin’ on buckin’ that tree later t’day anyways,” before turning around and letting loose a thunderous buck dead center on the mark. Twilight quickly ran through the spell again, and as she had expected, his magic burned far brighter than his sister’s; if Applejack was a light bulb, Big Macintosh was a spotlight. “Now your turn, Rainbow Dash,” Twilight said. The proud pegasus walked towards a third tree and imitated Applejack’s technique, without much success. Twilight once again cast her scanning spell, only to frown and rub her eyes in confusion. As she recast her spell, the little unicorn drew in a sharp breath, tapping at her notepad in agitation. “So, how was it?” Dash asked as she looked at the apples she forced to drop, noting that her baskets had only half of what Applejack’s gathered. “Stupid apples.” “Everythin’ okay, sugarcube?” Applejack asked as she walked towards the unicorn. Twilight looked up from her writing. “Mostly, everything was making sense up until that happened!” she said, jabbing her hoof at the tree that Rainbow Dash hit, or rather, the very small glow of magic emanating from it. “I don’t get it,” Rainbow Dash, tilting her head to the side. Twilight’s magic pulled her head to the ground, and the little unicorn touched her nose with a hoof as she hopped in place in excitement. “Neither do I! Rainbow Dash, you just used earth pony magic!” she exclaimed, much to the confusion of Dash, Applejack, and Big Mac. “I’ve scanned many ponies, and I’ve never seen any unicorn, pegasus, or earth pony use any other type of magic than their own. Well, outside of the princesses of course, but they’re alicorns!” Rainbow Dash put a touch more strength into her hooves to free herself from Twilight’s levitation. “And this means?” she asked, her expression confused and unamused. “In Equestrian, please.” Twilight stepped back and frowned. “It means, Rainbow Dash, that you’re the first pegasus I’ve met—maybe even in history—who in addition to your incredibly high amount of pegasus magic,” she stated, making Dash smile proudly at the compliment, “also possesses a tiny bit of earth pony magic as well. It’s just a little bit compared to how much Applejack uses, but it’s still there.” The farm mare approached and patted her friend hard on the back. “Congratulations, Dash. Ah always knew ya had tha’ determination an’ stubbornness of an earth pony.” “Don’t laugh just yet, Applejack,” Twilight cut in, her horn lighting up again. “It also seems you have some pegasus magic inside of you as well.” Applejack’s mouth opened, and Rainbow Dash patted her back in return, faking a sniffle and hugging AJ as if she was a long lost sister. “Welcome to the club, airhead.” Big Mac approached and looked down at the tiny unicorn with a hopeful smile. Twilight just shook her head. “Sorry Mac, just earth pony magic in you,” she said, much to his disappointment. Twilight noted the gathered data before levitating a few tiny memos onto the trees, pointing out which one was hit by whom. “Good, now all there is left to do is to observe the growing progress from time to time and see how long it will take for the apples to grow back, as well as check their quality.” The little mare walked towards the last tree, looking at it from top to bottom. The tree itself resembled a tower, and each apple was at least half her size. Twilight gulped as she turned around and raised her tiny forelegs, though she set them down again as somepony cast a shadow over her. She raised her head to look up at the towering form of Big Mac in front of her. “This tree’s a bit too big for such a little pony.” Twilight smiled and said, her voice filled with confidence, “Correction: this tree is too big for my strength, but not for my magic.” Big Mac raised an eyebrow, but kept staring down curiously. Twilight lit her horn, summoning two small barriers before slowly wrapping them to her rear hooves. The purple aura around her hind legs grew with each second, catching the others’ attention. “Is she is going to...?” “She sure is.” Both mares giggled as they watched their tiny friend preparing herself to kick the large tree. “I bet ten bits she’ll drop at least one apple,” Dash challenged. Applejack snorted. “Ah’m sure she won't. Why’d ya think otherwise?” Rainbow Dash smirked in response. "Because she's awesome. Not as awesome as me just yet, of course, but still pretty far up there on the awesome chart. There’s no way she can fail.” The farm mare blinked at her friend’s logic before she spat on her hoof and held it towards Dash. “Yer on.” *** This is gonna hurt, she thought as the aura of her magic grew a bit brighter as she sent more and more of her magic into her legs. This is gonna hurt… a lot. Finally, her legs stopped glowing brighter as Twilight released a long sigh, her ears flattened against her head. I am so going to break a bone or two, but science sometimes cannot progress without sacrifice. Worst case scenario, I can always heal my legs. The little unicorn closed her eyes and grit her teeth as her levitation spell—which had reached enough strength to lift more than a thousand times her own mass—pulled her legs towards the tree. In fraction of a second, her hind legs slammed against the wooden surface, the two barriers that were shielding her hooves shattering like a glass. Twilight could feel an incredible amount of pain as the jolt of it passed from her legs into her entire body, her forelegs giving out and her head slamming against the dirt. Her hind legs were now half-stuck to the tree, leaving small, but deep holes in it. Twilight’s ears shot upward as she heard a loud thump, and then another as apples fell into the baskets around her one by one. It wasn’t even of half of what Rainbow Dash managed to gather, but still enough to put a proud smile on her face despite the aching pain in her fractured legs. She raised her head to look up at Applejack standing over her, staring down as if seeing an apple-eating insect of some sort. “Ah can’t believe it!” the farm pony said in astonishment as she carefully eased Twilight out of the wood. The unicorn’s tiny hind legs rubbed against the wood, a few flakes falling off as she placed Twilight on her back. “How’d ya do that?” Twilight smiled and spoke, her voice strained. “I j-just used my magic to compensate for my s-s-size.” She bit her lip before taking a deep breath. “Though I put too m-much magic into pushing my h-hooves into the t-tree…” Twilight groaned, focusing her magic on her sore legs. “and too little t-to p-protect them from the impact.” Applejack grinned. “May’ve lost my bet with Dash, but darned if Ah’m not happy to witness such a thing. Unicorn or not, yer like an earth pony at heart.” Rainbow Dash shot Applejack a challenging glare. “No, she’s not! She’s an adventurous pegasus at heart.“ “Ah think she’s all three,” Big Mac commented to everypony's surprise as he pointed towards the tree Twilight kicked. The effect of the marking spell was noticeably still present as a small, but strong flare coming from the holes left by Twilight's hooves. “Earth p-pony magic?!” Twilight lit her horn and scanned herself, running her aura over herself multiple times. “No no no, that’s impossible!” “Problems, sugarcube?” Applejack asked as the tiny unicorn tried to stand on her hind legs and promptly collapsed under her own weight. Twilight ignored her trembling legs as she levitated her notepad and made notes before speaking, “I have a little portion of pegasus and earth pony magic inside me.” Big Mac smiled. “Ah’ve known ya just a few minutes, but Ah say you’re as smart as a unicorn can be.” Rainbow Dash spoke proudly, “Adventurous like a pegasus.” Applejack added firmly, “Determined an’ strong like an earth pony.” Twilight’s panic attack waned at the praise from her friends and she just thought deeply. There must be a logical explanation. Only alicorns like Princess Celestia, Princess Luna, and the former princess Cadence possess all three types of magic. There must be a reason why my friends have more than just one type, and why I have all three... I’ll just have to research it alongside Luna’s blessing later on. Twilight smiled and spoke energetically, her notepad and pen once again in her saddlebag, “I think it is best to research one thing at a time. I will figure it out later, but for now, we still have more earth pony magic research to do.” She levitated over a sickle that might as well have been an overgrown scythe from her perspective. “Let’s get harvesting.” *** Overwatch simply rolled her eyes from the top of the hill she had set as her perch, overlooking the small clearing in the orchard where her charge was staying. It was good that she left Steel Blade doing the rest of the inventory so she could make sure Twilight doesn’t hurt herself, but really now… “Twilight, you almost broke your legs,” she muttered to herself. “At least fix them first.”