//------------------------------// // Chapter 1 // Story: The Price of Magic // by Raichu //------------------------------// “I know, it’s last minute, but would you please consider it?” Twilight Sparkle pleaded to her former mentor and friend, Princess Celestia. Celestia’s expression never changed as she stared down at her former student. She hadn’t seen Twilight in over ten years; her young student had dropped contact with her five years ago, and, despite Celestia’s visits to Ponyville, Twilight never seemed to have time to see her whenever she was there. Despite her attempts to get Twilight to leave her house, she finally left her alone when Twilight had yelled at her. What she’d said exactly was something that Celestia would like to forget. But that was five years ago. And now Twilight Sparkle, her former student and friend, wanted Celestia to foalsit for her. It surprised Celestia that Twilight actually had a foal. Neither Twilight nor her friends had mentioned a pregnancy, but Celestia had not seen or heard from her former student in over five years. Perhaps it wasn’t much of a surprise after all. Celestia was shocked, however, when Twilight showed up at her castle door, asking her to foalsit as if she hadn’t broken off their friendship all those years ago. “You have a foal?” she asked as she glanced around the room. Twilight hadn’t come in with anypony else. “She’s in the hall,” Twilight said, noticing Celestia’s searching look. “I told the guard to watch her.” So she’s a filly, Celestia thought. “She can get into trouble at times, but I told her that you were her aunt and to listen to you,” Twilight explained. “She’s a complete sweetheart but-” “Why couldn’t you have somepony else foalsit her? Like her father perhaps?” Celestia asked calmly. She suspected there was no father and Twilight’s flinch only confirmed her suspicions. “She doesn’t have one,” Twilight said plainly. “It was a one night stand.” “Then why can’t somepony else foalsit her, Twilight?” Celestia asked with a slightly suspicious tone. ‘What aren’t you telling me?' Celestia thought. “There‘s nothing wrong with her,” Twilight said as though she could read Celestia’s mind, and having known Celestia for so long, she probably could. “But I couldn’t get anypony else to do it on such short notice,” she explained. A loud thump came from out of the room. Both alicorns looked to the door, then back at each other. “I hope she didn’t destroy anything,” Twilight muttered. She coughed then looked back up at Celestia. “I know that I haven’t really talked to you in the past few years, but I really need you to do this for me, Celestia. I’ll only be gone for two weeks. Please?” “Mommy?” A loud young voice came from outside the door. “I’m hungry and I have to use the bathroom.” “We’re almost done!” Twilight said loudly, in a gentle tone. “Wait just a little longer.” “Okay!” The voice yelled back. Twilight seemed to pause. “Actually, come in and meet Auntie Celestia!” The door creaked open. A gray hoof pushed through the crack and shoved the door open a little further. A small filly slid through the thresehold and trotted into the room. She stared at Celestia with wide eyes before quickly running behind her mother and peering out from behind her. “Hi.” She whispered. She was small unicorn filly. She had a light gray coat that seemed match her golden eyes, her mane was a dark purple with blue stripes. Her tail… Celestia squinted. “Come from your mother, young one.” Celestia said kindly. The filly inched from behind Twilight and sat down, wrapping her tails around herself. She didn’t have a normal pony tail. Instead, the lower half of her body, while the same color as her upper half was a fox’s lower end. She had fox legs for hind legs and white paws rather than hooves, she had two fox tails that were as grey as her coat with a white tip. Her cutie mark was a blue flame on the end of a stick. “I’m Spirit Blaze!” She said cheerfully, sticking out a hoof. Celestia shook it. “Nice to meet you!” “You too,” Celestia said distractedly as she stared at the tails. She noticed Twilight’s glare out of the corner of her eye but ignored it. “Spirit, will you give Twilight and I a moment? The bathroom is also down the hall and the first door on the right.” “Thank you!” She rushed from the room. Celestia looked to Twilight. “What was her father?” “He’s not important,” Twilight said casually. “It was just a one-time thing.” “I believe that he is important, considering that Spirit is only a half pony,” Celestia said, her voice adapting a much more stern tone. “It’s not that important,” Twilight stated calmly. “Then what was it?” Celestia pressed. “It doesn’t matter!” Twilight snapped. “All I need you to do is take care of her for two weeks and then we’ll be out of your life!” “Auntie Celestia?” The door creaked open and Spirit slipped inside once more. “Am I not going to stay with you?” Celestia paused. “Of course you are,” Celestia said gently as she and Twilight both stood. “Stay in my study for a second.” She looked at Twilight and frowned. “The guards will escort you out, Twilight.” Twilight nuzzled her daughter before leaving. As soon as she had gone, Celestia sat on the floor. “Have a seat,” she said, gesturing at the floor in front of her. She levitated a pillow down next to her. Spirit sat on the pillow and then looked up at Celestia. “Hello Spirit Blaze. I’m Princess Celestia, but you can call me Aunt Celestia or Auntie Celestia. I’d like for us to try to get to know each other better while you’re here,” Celestia said with a gentle smile. “Would you like to do that?” “Of course!” Spirit said happily as she nearly bounced out of her seat in excitement. She did fall over however, but got up just as quickly. “If you don’t mind me asking, I would like to know your species.” Spirit Blaze tilted her head and frowned. “I know that you are part pony but you do have a fox tail…” One of her tails stood up straight while the other lazily tapped the floor. She stared at her hooves then looked back at Celestia. “I’m part Kitsune.” She said quietly. Even though Kitsunes were real and though Celestia had met a few in her life, how Twilight had slept with one was, for once, something Celestia never imagined could happen. Kitsunes were wise even when they were young and had a problem with mating beyond their own species unless it was for good reason. They never had sex just to have it. They were wise and proud. This sort of thing didn’t just happen. There was more to this story, but Celestia didn’t see how she could obtain the rest of it. She supposed she could only get so much of the story from Spirit Blaze, assuming she even knew the story of her own birth and Twilight didn’t lie to her. “Are you ok, Auntie Celestia?” Spirit asked. Celestia snapped herself out of her thought and smiled down at Spirit. “Of course. I was just thinking. Do you know your father?” Spirit shook her head. Of course, if Twilight wasn’t going to tell Celestia, then why would she tell her own daughter? And yet, Twilight had met a Kitsune whom she also just happened to have sex with. And as Kitsunes didn’t exactly go around doing that with everypony they met, she had no idea how Twilight managed it. Let alone how she let herself get pregnant. Even Twilight would have been smart enough to use a spell to make sure she didn’t conceive. But Celestia was here to foalsit and not to sit around and think. Thinking could be done later. “What is your favorite food, Spirit?” Celestia asked as she stood. Spirit stared up at her for a few moments before she followed her to the door. “I like watermelon,” Spirit murmured. Celestia glanced back at her; she was staring at the floor before she looked up at Celestia. Spirit grinned. “I like watermelon!” She repeated in a more enthusiastic tone. Then she raced past Celestia and out into the hall. She turned around, sat down, and waited for Celestia, quietly. “Are you sure you like watermelon?” Celestia asked, suspicious of Spirit’s initial reaction to the question. “Or is that what Twilight told you to tell me?” “How did you know?” Spirit asked, looking up at Celestia in surprise. “Can you read minds?” “Why would Twilight tell you to lie to me?” Celestia queried, ignoring the young filly’s question. “I don’t know. She just said to,” Spirit said, nervously pawing the ground. “I’m sorry Auntie Celestia.” “It’s alright. You don’t need to lie to me. Just from now on, tell me the truth, alright?” Celestia asked, bending down to smile at the young filly. “Now what is your favorite food?” “I like chicken!”