//------------------------------// // The Present and the Past // Story: Earth, Magic and Sparkles // by Dreams of Ponies //------------------------------// "Uncle!" Twilight gasped with shock and confusion. She looked back and forth, between Night Light and myself rapidly until she put a hoof to her reddening face. Well then, it seems Night Light has been busy in the last decade or so, since the last time we've seen each other. I looked at Twilight, thinking that being related to a princess could complicate life. Well, we've already had our first family squabble, so I guess it's official. Night Light looked at me, and then dead panned, "So what do I owe the pleasure, Azure? You said you had something to talk to me about? Knowing you its either that you're looking to start a fight," he stopped to look at me seriously, "or did you want to borrow more bits from me." I felt the heat grow behind my ears, and I had compose myself before speaking. "Firstly," I said, pulling out a small bag of gold coins, "here's the bits I borrowed years ago, plus interest." I enjoyed his shocked expression for a moment before continuing, "And I didn't come to fight, unless you would care to have a duel later." I stared at him for a moment, and then let my head drop, before raising it back up to meet his gaze. "I actually came to say"—I swallowed hard— "to tell you I'm sorry," I murmured. "What?" he said, not having understood me, or maybe he just didn't believe me. I took a breath, and then repeated myself, making deliberate eye contact, "I'm sorry, Night Light. I'm sorry for not coming to see you sooner, or the terrible attitude I had when I left." I stopped to collect my thoughts, and continued my rant, "I know I was a right pain growing up, and it was probably hard being related to me. Our lives would have probably been easier if I had just kept my interests to myself. All I had wanted to understand, was the mysteries surrounding earth pony magic," I said, before he cut me off with a hug. "Azure, you might have been a pain in my flank all my life, but that doesn't change the fact the we're family. And family is supposed to look out for each other," he said, releasing me but still keeping a hoof on my shoulder. "I'm sorry for the way I behaved as well, and for the pain I caused you in our fight." Twilight, who had been a statue for the last few minutes, finally broke her trance, "You guys fought with each other, why in Equestria did that happen?" "It's kind of a long story, sweetheart, we can talk about it over dinner if you wish," Night Light said before glancing at me. "That is, if you would like to stay to eat, Azure." I nodded, giving him a weak smile. "Now, before we speak further, I need to go upstairs to wake your mother, Twilight," he said before walking into the living room. We followed him into the cushy living room, a small fire crackling in the hearth, and picked out pillows and sat down. Twilight was looking at me, her face impossible to garner any information from. I gave her a small smile, and she turned her head away, aware that I had caught her staring. "Dinner will be ready soon," Night Light said, and then walked out of the room. I heard his hoof-steps as he trotted up the stairs, and then I pushed down on the cushion to make it more comfortable. I laid myself down, and then rested my head on my hooves. I sighed, then said, "It's been quite a day, I really didn't think everything would go this well." Twilight snorted, giving me a flat look, and then said, "You mean apart getting into a fight with the royal guard, jumping off a mountain, or attacking a princess?" My face reddened as I felt a pang of guilt. "How is your horn, Twilight? I hope I didn't do any permanent damage," I said while frowning. "It's fine now, Azure, I can say I hadn't given you much of a choice," she said, turning her head to avoid looking at me. "It just gave me a really bad headache, almost as bad as the time I tried to figure out the Pinkie-sense." "Pinkie sense?" I said, my voice raising, "Care to tell me the story behind it?" I smiled at her when she looked back at me, trying to show that I really was interested. "Alright, since you asked," she said. "One of my really good friends, Pinkie Pie, is a pink earth pony that loves to party," she said. "She's very eccentric, and always seeming to appear out of nowhere—or pull random objects out of the ether. I had never given it much thought, however, until I noticed her having these premonitions. Her tail would twitch, or maybe her ear would flop, before a corresponding prediction would occur," Twilight massaged her head, maybe remembering something specific. "In the end, I just gave up trying to figure it out, I just left it as one of the mysteries I would never solve," she finished before looking at me. I considered this for a few moments, and then chuckled a bit. "Earth pony magic can be very complex, Twilight, I've been studying it for years, and there is still so much left to discover. Mind you it's hard to find good books on the subject, but I've uncovered a few in my travels." "Did you try the Royal Canterlot Library?" Twilight asked. The Canterlot Library was the largest collection of knowledge in Equestria, that I know of at least, and would certainly have had the information that I required. I really didn't want to get into this conversation, at least not yet, but I would have to eventually. "If it had been that simple, Twilight, I would be much further along in my research by now," I said, before I heard ponies descending the stairs. Night Light walked back into the room, and then announced, "Dinner is ready, everypony. Please wash up in the kitchen and meet back in here." "We're not eating in the dining room tonight?" Twilight asked. "The living room is more comfortable, and tonight, that's more important," Night Light said with a warm smile. I stood up to walk into the kitchen, pausing to give my brother another hug, before going to wash my hooves. Back in the living room, I reclaimed my cushion and licked my lips while sniffing at the fragrance of tonight's meal. I hadn't tasted my brother's cooking in a very long time, and all the ways he could prepare a carrot still amazed me even now. I heard the chink of plates and cups in the kitchen, before Night Light walked in, our dinner levitating in front of him. He set each plate and cup in front of us, and then turned to watch Twilight Velvet follow him inside. "Hello, Azure, it has been quite a while, hasn't it?" she asked, smiling down at me. I blushed and nodded to her, and then quickly looked down at my food. I stared appreciatively at my brother's sautéed carrots and chives, before looking up to speak. "Thank you, Night Light, and may the princess bless our meal" I said, watching all the Sparkles levitating their food, Twilight Sparkle suppressing a grin. "You're quite welcome, Azure," he said before he face-hoofed. "Ah, I'm sorry, let me get you a fork," he said, and then started to get up. "No, no," I said as I raised my hoof and spun my collar, feeling for the engravings of my levitation gem. I tapped it, and then spun the collar back around quickly, before rapping on the white gem in the center. A small beam of green light shot out in a line and touched the bowl, which began to glow. I scooped the bowl up with a hoof, raising it slowly and then lowered it back to the ground. The contents remained in the air as glowing gourmet goodies. I stepped forward, and then smiled at my audience, before biting the floating food out of the air. The Sparkles looked on at my performance in awe, before bursting into good-spirited laughter. I bowed to them, before coming back up to finish the job. "Thank you, thank you," I said, a goofy grin on my face. Night Light was the first to regain control of himself to ask me, "I can tell you haven't been slacking during all those years away from Canterlot. I'm glad to see that, despite all that's happened, that you continued on your own path," he said, looking at me with a mixture of emotions. "So was that earth pony magic?" Twilight Velvet asked. "Or was it something else?" "It's a mixture of earth pony crafting and natural arcane magic," I said, looking from one pony to the next. "The design is pretty complicated to explain, but that's for later. I was just telling Twilight a story, one that you'll be familiar with, brother." Night Light groaned, then shook his head at me. "You mean the reason you left, Azure, that story?" his wife asked. I nodded at her, before directing my gaze to Twilight Sparkle. "Well, everything really went downhill after I inquired about the restricted section in the Royal Canterlot Library," I said to Twilight. ----- I walked up to the information counter at the library, and then cleared my throat. "Excuse me, Mr, um..." I looked around for a name plate, before the grey unicorn stallion turn to me, giving me a stern look. "Written Word, if you would, now what can I do for you?" he said in a no-nonsense voice. I stammered momentarily, before finding my balance, "Mr. Written Word, I've been going over the catalogs in the library, and the only place I can find the books I require is in the restricted area of the Starswirl the Bearded wing, " I said. His eyes narrowed slightly before I continued, "What is required before I'm allowed to access that area, or just the books themselves?" "Before I explain the process, please enlighten me as to what books you require, and why you have need of them?" he asked. I nodded at him. "I would like access to Starswirl's notes and journals, specifically those on the oddities of earth pony magics. I looked at him, giving him my best, honest smile. "Very good, you need to fill out form 7-b for the request, and also you must present a notarized letter from the university board. I stopped and cocked my head sideways. "Why do I need a letter from the university?" Written word gave me a pointed look before saying, "All requests for restricted access of Starswirl's documents must be authorized by the university, in accordance with Celestial Information Act." "Alright, thank you for your help Written Word, I'll be back later with that letter then," I said, before turning to trot out of the library. "Not likely," I heard him mutter before I turned the corner. --- The main branch of the university was adjacent to the library, standing as a tall marbled monument to learning. I trotted up the many steps into the front office, looking around for informative plates or signs. I walked over to my right, seeing a directory hung on the wall there. Skimming the list of names and offices, I found what I needed, "University Board Chairman, Golden Quill," I said aloud. I walked down the halls, looking at the room numbers as I passed. 303, 304, 305, and 306! I knocked on the door three times, then waited for a response. I heard the shuffling of papers and then a stallions voice, "Come in, whomever you are." I opened the door, and then stepped into a large office, which had its own fireplace and a window facing the palace. Golden Quill, an older yellow unicorn stallion was staring at me, looking bored and irritated. "I thought I had told all the earth ponies that construction on the new wing doesn't start until next week. You walking plows hard of hearing or something?" I swallowed hard, already feeling my legs start to wobble. Just ignore him, Azure, think about the books! I forced a smile upon my face, an act that took a stronger effort than anything in my life, and said, "I'm afraid you've mistaken me for somepony else, I'm actually here to request access for some restricted books." Golden Quill raised an eyebrow at me, and then said, "What books might those be, earth pony?" I flinched. "My name is Azure, and the books I need are Starswirl's collection of studies on the oddities of earth pony magics." He scowled at me, looking at me with the same level of irritation as I might give a fly in my food. "I'm sorry to inform you, but access to restricted magical research, outside of university magicians, is only given to the highest level unicorns," he said with no sympathy in his voice. "So then I will become a student magician," I said, hopefully sounding as determined as I felt. My smile faded when his eyes went wide, and then he began to laugh. "Give me a break, Azure, you're not a unicorn and therefore cannot be a magician," he said with absolute confidence. My face got red hot as I opened my mouth, my voice trembling, "Who says I can't do magic! I might not have a horn, but earth ponies have magic too, even if it's not the same." Golden Quill huffed at me indignantly, and then said, "This university is allowed to set whatever restriction it chooses for enrollment, and to be a university magician, you must be a unicorn. Now if you have an issue with campus regulations, you may take it up with Princess Celestia," he said, and then pointed his hoof at the door. I stomped my way out of his office, pulling the door hard so hard the knob broke under my hoof. I dropped it on the floor and brushed the tears out of eyes. Walking away, I heard the door handle jiggle before he started pounding on it from the inside. I took a small amount of satisfaction from this as I walked out from now cold feeling university building. ----- I took a breath, feeling emotionally drained, after reliving the story during its retelling. "Golden Quill was rather out of line, how can he be in charge of a place of learning?" Twilight Sparkle asked me. She frowned, avoiding my gaze. "I've learned some ponies believe they are above others—usually because that's how they were raised to think," I said. "Did you ever get access to the library?" she asked me, curious to know more of my story. "No, unfortunately, I did not," I replied. "I did go to make an appointment to speak with Princess Celestia, only to find the waiting list for my request was a bit over a year." Twilight blinked twice, mouth open before asking, "So you gave up after that then?" I shook my head, and then gave her a little smile. "No, Twilight, I didn't give up at all. Instead, I decided to take the year to do my own type of studying," I said while looking towards Night Light. "That's when you spent a year up in the Canterlot mountains by yourself, right?" he said, giving me an upward tilt of his head for conformation. "That was a major turning point for me, all those months I spent isolated from everypony," I said to them as much as to myself. "I'd really like to hear about that, uncle," Twilight said to me. I looked at her and gave a small smile. Night Light coughed into a hoof, and then spoke up, before we got too much more involved, "Not tonight, Twilight, it's gotten rather late. Princess Luna has already raised the moon and I'm sure my brother is tired." I looked at him gratefully, exchanging a nod before asking, "Twilight Velvet, would it be alright if I slept here tonight? I'm a little too exhausted to go trotting around Canterlot this time of night." She closed her eyes and smiled, "Of course, Azure, if you gather the cushions together in here, it makes quite a comfortable bed." She turned to face her daughter, and then asked, "Darling, would you like to sleep in your old room for the first time in years?" Twilight Sparkle giggled in response, and then frowned, "I'm sorry I haven't been to visit in a while, Mom, life has been crazy for me," she said. They hugged and turned to walk up the stairs. I smiled while watching their exchange, and then moved to grab some cushions for my bed. "Azure, can we talk for a moment?" Night Light was looking at me with concern. I nodded at him, a cushion in my mouth, and he stepped into the room further before sitting down. "I'm sure that my daughter will have other questions for you about your past," he said as he watched me make my bed. "And I know that there's no point in asking you not to tell her, if she wants to know. I just hope that she's not too hard on me, when she hears what I did to you," he said, his head hanging low. I placed the last pillow down and snuggled down into the pile. I gave him a stern look, before chastising him out of his depression, "You have raised a wonderfully intelligent daughter, who loves you and was even able to put up with the likes of me." He looked at me with appreciation as I continued, "And for you to have named her after me, brother, shows more than anything else how sorry you were." I got up, walking to him, and then we shared a strong brotherly hug, before releasing each other. "I'll see you in the morning, Night Light, I've got one more thing to tell all of you," I said, suddenly sleepy. He nodded at me and we went our separate ways for the night. That night I dreamed of purple stars and cheese-filled tortillas, how odd. --- Morning time came too soon, the sun peeking through my window and reminding me that life waits on nopony. I got up and stretched out my aching hooves, it seemed that yesterday's activities has taken more out of me that I had thought. "Azure, what would you like for breakfast?" I heard Night Light call from the kitchen. I looked out, gauging the time by the sun's position. It was only about two hours after dawn, so I still had enough to finish my business, if I left now that is. "I'll pick something up on the way, Night Light, I really need to leave now if I want certain things done today. "Alright, alright. So what did you have to tell me then, before you go?" he asked, reminding me of our last conversation. "Oh, right, go ahead and gather the girls first, then I'll explain," I said, placing the last cushion back into place. A short while later, all of us were gathered in the foyer, my saddlebags secured to my back. "Thank you both for being so welcoming after all these years, and thank you, Twilight," I nodded at my niece, "for listening to a grumpy stallion's story." She nodded at me earnestly and I continued, " I was away for quite a long time, and I do have a few things to show for it." I pulled out a an old scroll from my saddlebag and handed it my brother. "This is my gift to you brother. It is the key to finding what I believe is Starswirl's lost library, which I found in my travels. I was hoping maybe, we could go explore it together," I said giving him a hopeful look. Night Light looked at the scroll for a long moment, and then took it in his magic and floated it over to Twilight Sparkle. "I think you should take Twilight here instead, I feel she would enjoy the journey and learning experience, much more than myself," he said. Twilight Sparkle squeed with delight, bouncing up and down, before turning to me with wide eyes. "Can I go, Azure, can I please?" she asked, my will bending in the wake of her wide, pleading eyes. I looked from her to Night Light, and then to Twilight Velvet, both who nodded to me in confirmation. "Very well, Twilight Sparkle, Princess of Friendship, we shall make this journey together. After I finish my business in the next day or so of course," I finished, before she groaned in protest. I smiled at her readiness to suddenly head out on an adventure with me. "First today I need to see Princess Luna, and then a few other ponies. But we'll also stop for some food along the way to the palace," I said. "Ooh, what did you have in mind?" she asked, her stomach rumbling in response. "Quesadillas," I said, watching her lavender coat turn pink.