• Published 16th Jul 2013
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They Never Knew - SilverEyedWolf



Human Spike living an AU life in Ponyville with friends.

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Spike's Employment

I awoke to find myself covered in flowers, with five or six blooms woven into my hair, the stems camouflaging with my darker green mop. I ran my hand through my hair, gently shaking the flowers out while I sat up. I heard a giggle and looked over my shoulder at a white table that had been erected in a patch of grass, away from the flowers.

Celestia and Twilight sat at the table, still barefoot. Celestia had grass stains from walking in the grass for what seemed to be all afternoon, seeing as the sky was orange and purple. Twilight’s feet were just as green, but hers dangled just out of reach of the grass, toes barely brushing the longest of grass blades.

Lanterns had been set up on poles around the table, but they were yet to be lit. I stood up and walked over to the table, taking a seat on the edge. There was an assortment of small finger foods, and a large pot of tea. I rubbed the sleep out of my eyes as I grabbed a teacup and poured myself some.

“What’s been going on the last… How long have I been asleep?”

“A few hours,” said the princess. “Long enough that you’ve missed the sunset, and a group of nobles that passed through to visit with me. The children really enjoyed trying to braid the flowers into your hair.”

“Your hair was too thin though, it just kept undoing itself,” said Twilight, grabbing a piece of food from a platter in the middle of the table. I sipped my tea and asked, “Does that mean you were one of the ones trying?” She paused for a second, then continued eating the food she’d plucked from the platter, ignoring my question. I chuckled and grabbed myself one, popping the small piece of food into my mouth whole.

I immediately spat it onto the plate in front of me, grabbing my teacup and emptying the entire thing into my mouth as Twilight laughed, trying to cover her mouth with her hands. “By Celestia’s braid, how on Equestria can you eat something so sugary! It’s almost gritty there’s so much sugar…” I poured another glass of tea and swigged that one down too.
Celestia reached out and grabbed a different bit of food from the platter and held it out to me. “These two are meant to be eaten together,” she said, stifling her laughter. I tossed it into my mouth and the sweetness disappeared almost completely. I sighed and drank some more of my third cup of tea, washing the last of the sugar out of my mouth.

Twilight was still laughing, but at some point the laughter became a yawn. She smiled at me bashfully and said, “I didn’t get very much sleep last night, between staying awake at your bedside and waking up to find that letter.”

Celestia looked up into the navy blue sky, and stood from the table. “Perfection. Night falls and you’re tired, sounds like bed-time to me.” Twilight’s face fell and Celestia grinned. “Don’t worry dear, tomorrow we start the actual learning part of your stay with me. I wanted you nice and rested for that anyhow, going to bed early is just a bonus.”

Twilight and I stood and walked with Celestia to the door. “Take the young one to her room; she has a big day ahead of her.” I started to follow her, but Celestia stopped me. “Me and Spike have a few things we still need to discuss; go ahead and go to sleep, and we’ll all three get together tomorrow morning.”

Twilight nodded and held her hand out to me. I raised an eyebrow and pulled her close, giving her a small hug and ruffling her hair. She blushed and smiled at me, then turned and left with the guard. Celestia watched them leave, then gestured for me to follow her down the opposite way.

We spoke a little, mostly me filling in the princess on what I’d done today. She remarked that my clothes needed to be more than dark earthy colors, I respectfully disagreed, and we spoke about my bad tastes until we reached a set of double-doors, the same ones that lead us to the courtyard last night.

She turned and looked me over, combing my hair with her fingers and straightening my shirt on my frame. “Uhm, what are we doing?”

“I’m taking you to meet the rest of the Royal Guard, the ones you’re now a part of. The ones who’ll teach you how to defend yourself and your charge. That’ll be me and Twilight, in case you hadn’t figured that out yet.”

“I had, though,” I said, leaning away from Celestia’s hand and running my hand over my head, putting my hair roughly back the way it was. She frowned, then shrugged. “Your first impression, your funeral.” She knocked on the wood and the door opened itself again, giving me my second viewing of the courtyard at night.

There were maybe fifteen people, half dressed in the normal guard’s attire, same as Morris and Allain had worn last night. The others were wearing clothing so black it was almost as if they were shadows come to life, and I knew that if there were less light I wouldn’t have been able to see them at all.

“You’ve met some of my normal Royal Guard. The ones in black are my secret from most of Equestria. They’re the members of the Royal Guard who’ve seen the most action, drawn from the Royal Army and Royal Air Forces. And one of them,” she pointed to a woman with vibrant orange hair, “Is technically an honorary member, due to her other duties with the Air Forces.” The woman waved at me, grinning wildly.

“She tends to go a bit overboard on training new recruits,” whispered Celestia, “So she hasn’t had very many students.” I smiled and waved back. “Let’s go and meet everyone, and then I’ll introduce you to your teachers.”

“Teachers?” I asked. “Yes, teachers. All of them have their own specialties, and you’ll need to learn all you can if you’re going to be my chevalier, my full time Knight.”

I was swarmed by people, shaking my hand and clapping my back, congratulating me. “Good show last night,” Morris said to me, pulling me in close for a brusque hug. “Princess wouldn’t have chosen you for such a position otherwise,” he smiled, “Dragon-boy.”

I looked at Celestia and asked, “Anyone in the kingdom not know about me?”

“Considering Twilight’s parents, probably not,” she said cheerfully. Morris laughed and clapped one of his large hands on my back, nearly knocking me over. “No longer a secret’s a good thing boy. You’ll be a more effective guard with a reputation.” He gave me a not-so-gentle push towards the group, which was mostly just people chatting among themselves instead of any kind of actual organization now.

The bright-headed one immediately grabbed me by a shoulder and took my hand, pumping it up and down. “Spitfire, at your service,” she said, grinning. “I’ll be your flight instructor. Teach you how to really move in the clouds and all.” I frowned, looking her over. “How can you fly without wings?”

She laughed and flexed her back, rolling two orange wings from what seemed to be blank space. “All Pegasi have a basic hiding spell.”

“It’s a much simpler version of the spell I’ve used on you,” Celestia said from somewhere behind me. “Yours actually messes with the fabric of space and reality, while theirs only warps space around their wings, making them invisible… Except they’re not just invisible, more like they’re not really there.”

Spitfire nodded, a blank smile on her face. “Uhm, yeah, that’s what happens.” Celestia chuckled and turned to another of the black-clothed guard, and Spitfire shrugged her shoulders. “I’m not quite so read up on my theory as that,” she whispered to me, “All I know is that it works.”

“But,” I said, frowning, “Where exactly am I going to get wings? I barely had any in my other form, and none in this one…” Spitfire shrugged. “Celestia told me you needed a flying teacher, I said yes. If you don’t have wings, you’ll need to talk to her about that.”

“Can I… touch your wings?” Spitfire blushed. “Oh, I’m sorry, I didn’t realize it was an intimate thing, never mind…” She shook her head. “It’s okay, just a strange request.” She flexed her back and the wings appeared again. She turned and slowly extended her wing to me. I gently reached out and stroked the edge of her wing, surprised to find that it was very smooth and plush.

Spitfire shivered and pulled her wings back in, enclosing them in the spell again. “Your wing is very nice, soft and warm.” She blushed and motioned me away. “Go talk to someone else for a second, I gotta go find a drink,” she muttered and walked through the crowd, brilliant hair spikes bobbing around as she walked toward the gate.

“Morris,” I said, “Do you think my hair would look as good as hers in that style?” The older man eyed me carefully, then we both broke up laughing. “No lad, I don’t think it would,” he said between laughs. “Now c’mon, let’s go meet your stealth teacher.”

He walked me over to two people, a younger man and elder woman, talking between themselves, holding a crystal between them. They saw us nearing and the woman moved to hide the crystal, but the man shook his head and held the crystal in his hands. When we neared he held it out to me, nobody speaking a word. I looked up to Morris, who nodded, and slowly placed my hands on the glass as I had seen the woman do.

I felt my heart beat, and it felt as though it was going to tear through my chest. I saw two men fighting, using swords at first, then magic. I saw one man kill the other, and I watched him weep. I saw the man grow old, and I watched him lay in his deathbed. I saw him die with tears in his eyes and regret in his heart, and I watched his daughter pick up his wand and cry with her father. I felt my heart beat again, and wrenched my hands away from the crystal.

I looked to the man, who seemed to be swimming in a film. I felt moisture on my face, and wiped away the tears from my eyes. I looked at the man, who nodded and handed the crystal ball to the woman. “Brace yourself,” Morris said, and the man clamped his hands onto my temples. I felt all of my muscles slacken, and I know I would have fallen if this incredibly strong man hadn’t been holding me up by my head. I felt my eyes roll into the back of my head, and felt something like a river pour into my head.

I hit my knees, suddenly released from the young man’s hands. I looked up into his eyes and felt myself almost pierced by blue eyes so pale they were almost white. He smiled and straightened, looking above and behind me. I turned my head and saw everyone now unspeaking, staring at me. Celestia cleared her throat, and yelled over the crowd, “Well Dawnbreak?”

I looked back up to the man, who smiled and spoke quietly, “Pass.” I can never remember what his voice sounds like, only that I am always overjoyed to hear him. He reached out to me, and I used his help to regain my feet. When we were both standing again, he bowed to me and took the crystal ball back from the woman, who turned to me smiled, offering her hand.
“Glorious to meet you, Spike.” She had a rich voice that sounded much younger than her face looked, and her handshake was warm and firm. “I am Dawnbreak’s companion, Shadowfall. We make up the stealth and reconnaissance branch of her majesty’s secret guard.” She glanced over at the princess, who was talking to Allain and Spitfire, the latter with a dark bottle in her hand. Celestia stopped talking and looked over to us. She nodded at Shadowfall, then turned back to her group and began speaking again.

“We used to be called the Darklighters,” Shadowfall continued. “Dawnbreak and I’ve been around since nearly the beginning, when a group of Changelings tried to ransack the castle. We were pretty much trapped in a room with the princess and a couple of other guards, but she wanted to reward us for keeping her protected. This is what our instructor asked for, this special mission.”

“But, I thought the Darklighters did a lot more than just reconnaissance?” Shadowfall shook her head.

“We two,” she said, pointing to herself and Dawnbreak, “Are the only Darklighters left. “The princess redefined the secret guard’s mission some time ago, so we’re the last of the originals. She didn’t want to transfer the old name, so now it’s just a nameless group of guards, taking care of the princess when we can.”

“When we can? The members in black are only part time?” Shadowfall made a face, shaking her head. “Yes and no. Nearly no members work during the day, unless they have a side-mission of course, and nearly no-one works more than three consecutive days. We make up the schedule daily, of whoever can be here that night. Sometimes all of us work in a night; sometimes it is one person alone.”

I looked around, taking in again how little this regiment seemed to be. “The process seems to be very… selective.” Shadowfall shrugged, a noncommittal look on her face. “Very few people get close enough to the princess to gain her trust. And of those few, even fewer get placed on this squad. Not a lot of them are strong enough, see.”

“So… why was I placed on the squad?” Shadowfall grinned. “You have more potential than any of us, Spike. You’re young and old, loyal to two people only, you sleep as rarely as the princess does… You’re here because you’re the perfect recruit. Top that off with the fact that a killing spell only sizzles on your skin? No way you could’ve gotten out of joining us. If the princess hadn’t put you up, Dawnbreak himself might’ve come after you.”

Dawnbreak smiled and nodded. His crystal ball was flashing slowly between silver and white lights. I had the sudden urge to steal the thing and watch its cloudy depths forever… until Shadowfall snapped her fingers in front of my face. “Dawn is the only one who can hold that thing without going insane. Dragons included.”

I flushed and nodded, looking away from the ball. “Did you test it or something?”

“Dawn took it from a crazed Wyvern himself,” said Shadowfall, sounding almost smug. “Fought it hand to claw and everything.” Dawnbreak frowned and shook his head. Shadowfall sighed and said, “I may have helped him out with some enchantments, but the martial arts was his completely.”

Dawnbreak shrugged, then smiled at someone behind me and waved them over. I turned and felt a shiver run up my spine. The librarian I’d angered earlier was making her way over to us, smiling slightly. She reached our small grouped and bowed, first to Dawnbreak and then to Shadowfall. She turned to me and smirked.

“Nice to see you again, Spike.” I gulped and bowed to her, doing my best to copy her. “Ma’am,” was all I could say. She laughed and patted my head. “Don’t worry about it, Spike, you didn’t know.” Dawnbreak raised an eyebrow at us. “We’ve met previously, and I offended her greatly,” I said. “He tried to use the oath on me,” she said, smiling. Dawnbreak shot up both of his eyebrows and looked me in the eyes, surprised. Shadowfall grinned and clapped me on the shoulder. “And it worked,” she said, the smile dropping from her face.

Shadowfall stopped grinning and joined Dawnbreak in looking at me, wide-eyed and surprised. “Was that the first time you’d used it?”

“Well, I practiced with the guard who taught it to me a couple of times, while the tailor was messing with my arms and that piece of cloth.”

“A tape measure,” the librarian muttered. I nodded, but she wasn’t really paying attention to me anymore. She seemed lost in her thoughts, and her eyes weren’t really focused on anything. “She’s gone into her private library,” Shadowfall told me. “She’s probably looking for some incidence of someone as strong as you at the oath. While she’s busy, I’ll tell you a little more about her.”

“Maybe we should wait until she comes out of her… library?” I looked into her eyes, still glazed over. “…Maybe you could explain the ‘private library’ thing.”

“Well, that’s simple enough. Her name is Silent Scroll, and she has what she equates to a library in her head. She’s the only person we’ve found who can do it naturally, but she can unlock the ability in other people. It’s pretty much what it sounds like, she stores information in her head that she can retrieve anytime she wants.”

“How does she keep herself safe?” Shadowfall smirked and kicked a rock up towards Silent’s face. I twitched towards Silent, putting myself between her and the rock. I saw Shadowfall’s smile drop off of her face, and she reached towards me with panic evident in her eyes. Before she could reach me I felt pain in my back, and I saw myself flying over the crowd. I landed heavily on my back, the ground knocking all the air out of my lungs.

I gaped for a few seconds. I’m sure I looked like a fish, and it would’ve been funny if I’d been able to breathe. I saw Morris’s face pop into view, and I reached up to my mouth and tapped my throat. He shook his head and tapped my chest. “It’s in here, just breathe. Take deep breathes, even if you can’t.” I shook my head and pulled in a small puff of oxygen. “… no sense…”

Morris grinned and stood up, addressing the sudden crowd around me. “He’s fine, just got the wind knocked out’a him.” He grabbed my arm and pulled me into a sitting position. I tried to lean over towards my knees, but he grabbed my shoulder and kept me upright. He started rubbing my back, and I asked, “So, what just happened? Last I remember… I was over by Silent Scroll.”

“Well, that right there tells you what happened. She go into her library?” I nodded, and he smiled. “And then you got close to her, right?” I nodded again, and he ruffled my hair. “You’re not the first, and I doubt you’ll be the last. She’s got a sort of programing in her head, it automatically attacks anything that gets too close to her when she’s ‘away’. You’re actually lucky, she only threw you. You could be pinned right now, and we’d have to wait until she woke up again to get you out.”

I looked over at the direction I’d come from and saw Silent still standing as she had been when I last saw her, facing the opposite direction. Her eyes were still glazed over, but her hands we in different places then they had been what felt like only seconds ago. One was much higher, one lower, both with bladed palms.

“Why would you have to wait until she woke… up to get me out? Surely someone here could do something about her…” Morris sniffed and gave me a severe look. “I’m not getting thrown just because you got to close to something dangerous, and I’m not gonna hurt her to get you out. You would have been fine, just uncomfortable.”

I pulled in more clean oxygen and nodded, getting my arms beneath myself and rising to a standing position. “Right now I’d agree with you, I don’t want her hurt for my sake. Now, if I was folded up under her… might be a different story.”

Morris grinned and patted my shoulder, saying, “No boy, I don’t think it would be.” I shrugged and started back over to where I had been, making sure to keep a safe distance from Silent. Shadowfall was looking at me worriedly, but Dawnbreak only smiled at me. I smiled back at both of them, and looked back over to Silent. “How much longer us she going to take?”
Dawnbreak shrugged, and Shadowfall said, “No real way of knowing. Seeing as how rare that bit of info probably is? Gonna be awhile. We might as well go meet the rest of the crew, ask Celestia who your main teachers are going be.”
I grinned. “I thought you were all gonna be my teachers, I was worried for a second.” Shadowfall grinned back.

“We all are, but not all of us are going to be here all of the time. Silent’s definitely gonna teach you her library trick, and probably how to read and other bookish things. Morris is pretty good at tactics and military stuff. I heard Spitfire’s going to teach you how to fly, Celestia’s probably going to speed up the growth of you wings… Me and Dawnbreak’ll end up training you in stealth, more than likely… Alain’s good with a sword, and Celestia herself will teach you magic if you can cast.”

“You know, I have no idea if I can. I haven’t had the opportunity to try, with no wand and all.” Dawnbreak smiled and tapped me on my shoulder, then started rummaging around in his pockets with his free hand. Shadowfall sighed and took the orb, flinching slightly as she held it.

Dawnbreak pushed his now free hand into his other pocket, then pulled both out and pushed his right hand into his left sleeve. His face brightened and he pulled out a small cloth pouch. He gestured me closer, then drew a clear, flat stone from the pouch. He pulled my hand out and placed the stone in my palm, wrapping my fingers around it.

“Hold it until it gets warm, then let Dawn see it,” Shadowfall said, switching the orb from one hand to the other. I squeezed the cold stone, feeling its smooth surface on my fingers and palm.

“What’s he doing, exactly?” I asked Shadowfall, watching Dawnbreak pull a measuring tape from the pouch.

“He’s measuring you for a wand. Among our other talents, Dawn’s unusually good at reading personalities, which is very important for a wand.” She snickered and leaned in close. “Celestia was using this awful ceremonial thing made of diamond before Dawnbreak made her the ivory one.”

“I didn’t think it was awful,” said Celestia, walking up to us from behind Shadowfall. “I will admit it was a bit tacky, though.” Dawnbreak bowed to her, then took my arm and held it straight in front of me, measuring me from my shoulder to my wrist. He held out a bit of parchment and a burned piece of charcoal to the princess, who smiled and took them.

“Fifty-eight and a half,” he said, and Celestia wrote it down for him. He walked around me and measured from the base of my neck to the ground, then from my wrist to the ground, spouting numbers that the princess took down.

“Nothing!” A sudden yell caused everyone to look over at Silent Scroll, who was standing by herself now. She looked around and targeted me, striding over to where we all were now standing. “I found absolutely nothing! No one has ever had a successful attempt on someone as strong as me, not after only a day of learning!”

“Well, has there ever been a Dragon in the ranks?” asked Shadowfall. Silent thought for a second, then shook her head. “Well there you go then.”

I smiled, then looked down at the stone. “This thing’s getting kind of hot, how long do I need to hold it?”

“That’s long enough, let’s see it.” I held out my hand and opened it, revealing the stone. It had turned a translucent gold, with an opalescent sheen. It had a large vein of brilliant cobalt running through it; it was hard to look at anything else.
Dawnbreak studied the stone for a second, then took the paper and charcoal from the princess and began sketching on it. “I’ll need a Rune Smith majesty. A good one.” Celestia looked startled. “For a wand?” Dawnbreak nodded, still sketching. “Also a good amount of steel, a little gold, and wood from the Hawthorn and Willow trees.”

Dawnbreak and Celestia looked startled. “I’ve never heard of a wand of two different woods,” said Celestia. “Wouldn’t they work against each other?” Dawnbreak shook his head. He stopped sketching and looked closely at the paper, then stuffed it into a pocket. “I’d like to get started now, please,” he said, looking around the crowd. “Of course,” said Celestia.

She waved on of the normal guards over, and gave him a small pouch she pulled out of a sleeve. “Give this to Graphite and instruct him to come here at once, along with all his supplies. Tell him he has free reign of the supplies room, and that this will probably be an all-nighter.”

He bowed and hurried off, marching through the castle doors and into the hallways.

“Who’s Graphite?” I asked, holding the stone back out to Dawnbreak. He shook his head and pulled out a leather cord with a little steel frame hanging off of it. “One use only,” said Shadowfall as she picked up my stone. Using just her free hand she popped it into the frame, and Dawnbreak looped the leather over my head and onto my neck.

The cord was long enough for me to pick the stone from where is rested on my chest and look at it. I looked up to Shadowfall and asked, “Does everyone have one of these? Does Dawnbreak do this for everyone?”

“Mostly. He usually just gives out advice though, you’re only the third person who he’s actually made a wand for.” I raised an eyebrow. “Celestia, you, and me?” Shadowfall nodded. “Mine he made as a sign of friendship, Celestia’s he made as a sign of loyalty… I believe he’s making yours as a sign of honor.”

“Honor? I’ve done nothing deserving; not yet.”

Celestia shook her head. “You’ve defended me against that assassin already, that’s more than deserving of recognition. I don’t know a lot of things any more deserving.”

Out of the corner of my eye I saw the guard return with a man dressed in heavy cotton clothes with a black smock on over everything. We all turned to them and the stocky man bowed to Celestia. “You summoned me, highness?”

“I did indeed Graphite. Dawnbreak here requires your services for tonight.” Graphite turned to Dawnbreak. “I require someone who can work steel into something stronger than usual. This will need to be able to withstand being beaten against stone with no blunting on its edge.”

Graphite grinned and said, “I’ve been working on this new alloy. I think it’s what’cha need.”

Dawnbreak grinned and bowed to Celestia, then departed after Graphite, with Shadowfall in tow. I turned to Celestia and asked, “Why does it need to be able to hold an edge? Wands don’t have edges…” She grinned and said, “We’ll see, probably tomorrow morning if Dawn drives Graphite as hard as he wants to. Now come on, we have more people to meet.”

The rest of that night passed quickly, with very little else happening besides Celestia formally introducing me to the Royal guards and the rest of my teachers. Mostly I stuck with Celestia, listening to her tales as she chatted with the rest of the unnamed guard. One by one the guard dismissed themselves, until it was just me and Celestia again.

“Let’s go see what Dawnbreak’s up to, shall we?” I nodded and followed her into the castle. She went straight up the corridor, a new direction I’d never gone before. It led us out a back door, into a courtyard. I saw a stable across the way, and heard the ringing sound of a hammer hitting steel from a half open stable door.

We walked up to the doors and peered into the workshop just as Graphite lifted a sword into the air. He seemed to be studying it, as if he could tell the sharpness of the blade just by eyeing it. It was impossibly long; double-edged and straight, ending in a point. The hilt was surprisingly small, two sharp points upwards. Graphite swung it suddenly, slicing through a training dummy he had nearby.

Dawnbreak and Shadowfall were sitting on a bench by the opposite wall, Shadowfall sleeping on Dawnbreak’s shoulder. He was wide awake, watching Graphite carefully. Graphite turned and offered the sword to him, and Dawnbreak took it in both hands, looking it over very carefully.

“These runes are very well done, you must really be experienced. The gold is a nice touch.” He turned the sword so that he could look at the edge, and I saw clearly for the first time the flat of the blade. It was mostly a matte black, but golden runes run all along the center of the blade.

“I cannot believe that you finished this sword in one night,” Dawnbreak said, balancing it in his hand. “It helps that I had one mostly prepared, this was mostly just adding the magic and shaping the hilt. I just can’t believe you wanted the bugger five feet long.”

“That’s a wonderful looking sword,” Celestia called into the shop. “But I thought you were making a wand?” Graphite jumped, but Dawnbreak just smiled. He walked over to us, still holding the sword. He held the sword out to me, displaying an exquisitely carved handle, Hawthorn and Willow wood wrapping around each other.

I reached out and took the handle, and Dawnbreak twisted the sword. A quiet click was heard, and I slowly pulled the handle away from the blade. The wand was long, almost a foot and a half. There was a gold ring with a small extrusion where the handle locked into the blade, and the wand slowly tapered off after this ring. It was very light, and I held it straight up, admiring the way the woods twisted around each other.

“What kind of core is it?” Graphite shrugged. “Something your friend there pulled out’a his little bag of tricks.”

Dawnbreak smiled widely and held up his finger in a sort of hushing gesture, then covered his mouth to stifle a yawn. He held out his hand to me, and I gave him back the wand. He snapped it back into place, then walked over to the table. He picked up a piece of leather and walked back over to me. He slid the sword into the sheath, then, making sure I was watching, he twisted the hilt. Four snaps popped open and the sheath split in two, baring the blade.

“Make sure you twist the hilt,” he said to me, snapping the leather back together. “Or you’ll draw your wand, and not your sword.” I nodded, then gingerly took the sword. It was much lighter than I expected it to be, it felt light enough for me to wield it with one hand.

I tried tying the belt around my waist, but the sheath dragged along the ground. Dawnbreak smiled and took the sword back and secured it to my back. The tip very nearly touched the ground still, but I could reach back and grab the handle comfortably. I twisted the handle experimentally, and drew my wand. I looked at it, and reached back and put it away.

“Thank you both so much,” I said to Graphite and Dawnbreak, bowing to both. “If there’s anything I can do, for either of you, ever…” Dawnbreak grinned and bowed back, and Graphite looked away and mumbled, “I’ve already been paid…”
I straightened, then looked at Celestia, who was smiling. “What’re we going to tell Twilight about the sword?” Her smile dropped a little, then got even bigger. “Time for you to learn your first spell.”

I felt my eyes widen, then I smiled and drew my wand. “What is it, princess?” She laughed and took out her own wand, then said, “Lean your sword and sheath against the wall there.” I did so, then joined her where she stood, about twenty feet back.

“Now, hold your wand as I am, and think very hard about your sword getting smaller.” I did as she asked, concentrating as hard as I could. “Now, just flick your wand, as so…” She flicked her wand quickly at the sword, and a stream of pink energy shot out of her wand tip.

The energy hit the sword and shot off, racing towards the stables. It hit one of the planks of wood, which began rapidly shrinking. It splintered and tore as the nails held it in three different places. Celestia stood, frozen and unmoving as the plank finally finished shrinking and Graphite poked his head out the door.

“Princess, I put a few spells on the sword. The only magic that could target that thing is probably its own wand, and that’s still no guarantee. I’ve also carved a rune into the pommel so that Spike is the only one who can use both the wand and the sword. I actually need to activate that rune, so if you could come over here for a second…”

He disappeared into his shop once more, and I walked over to the doors. He reappeared with a knife and looked at me. “I think you know what needs to be done,” he said to me. I nodded and held out my palm. He sliced into it, making a straight and shallow cut. “Now press it to the rune, and it should register to you alone. No-one else will be able to use your wand, at least not very effectively. And definitely not against you.”

“Again, thank you.” He shrugged. “It was mostly that sorcerer’s idea, he even taught me the rune to use.”

I looked over to Dawnbreak, who was busy attempting to wake up Shadowfall. “Did he teach you anything else interesting?”

The blacksmith grinned and put a finger to his lips, just like we’d seen Dawnbreak do. I smiled and nodded, then rejoined Celestia. “Ready for me to try it?” She nodded, and gestured to the sword. I stared at the sheathed blade, imagining it shrinking down to the size of a quill.

I snapped my wand forward and flexed my wrist, flicking my wand as I’d seen Celestia do. I felt the wand pull a small amount of energy, and saw the magic swirl towards the sword, violet this time. The sword seemed to absorb it, and it started slowly shrinking. The magic continued until it was the size I wanted, then I twisted the wand away, breaking the connection.

I walked over and picked up the sword, inspecting it. I buckled the belt around my wrist, making it into a bracelet. It was the same weight as it had been; I swung my arm around experimentally. I still had about the same reaction time, but I couldn’t stop my hand as quickly as possible.

“I don’t suppose you have a spare wand holster lying around I could have?” He walked back into the shop, passing the newly awoken Shadowfall. She smiled up at Dawnbreak, then stood up and stretched her back. Dawnbreak had been collecting his stuff, and he offered his arm to her. She smiled, took it, and they both walked out of the shop.

“Pleasant dreams,” Celestia said as they passed us, and they both smiled and bowed before disappearing into the castle. “Those two will have a fine child,” Celestia said absently, and I grinned and turned back to Graphite, who had reappeared with a leather holster. “That one’ll fit on your belt, anyhow.”

I slipped my belt off and then looped it through the holster. My wand fit comfortably in it, though the point stuck out from the end quite a bit. “Do I have to worry about snapping this?” I asked Graphite, who smiled. “Nah, I worked a spell into the wood as I carved it. That thing’s harder than steel, could probably use it as a knife and not worry about it.”

I frowned, thinking about when I would have to use my wand as a knife. Dismissing the thought, I turned to see Celestia wander into the stables. I said goodbye to Graphite and followed her.

She was scratching a horse’s neck when I walked in, murmuring gently to it. She smiled as I walked to her and turned to me. “Let’s go see if the Tailor’s awake yet. I want to see you in some clothes that actually fit.” I smiled and nodded, and we left the stable and went into the castle.

Author's Note:

Apologies if something's off structurally, I'm very sleepy as I edit this. Let me know of any errors and I'll fix them.