A Whole New World
Pain. Blistering pain. Blue light briefly flashed in Twilight’s vision as she regained consciousness.
Sunlight poked through her windows and illuminated the main room. Her head pounded, as if she had cast one too many spells last night. Perhaps that new long-distance teleportation spell was finally taking its toll on her. Contemplating the thought, Twilight stood up and reshelved the brown tome amongst the others in her library as her thoughts turned to Spike.
Odd. He should have woken me up by now. Since her coronation two months ago, her assistant had been finding the princess more and more sleep deficit, staying up odd hours to catch up on her studying. Princess Celestia no longer had such high expectations from her star pupil, understanding that balancing her magical studies and royal duties was difficult as the former unicorn adjusted.
“Spike?” Twilight called upstairs, standing before the bottom step. Spike had matured immensely since their arrival at Ponyville and had finally mastered his sleep cycle. However, Twilight knew from personal experience that it was easy to bounce back to bad habits and wanted to make sure Spike wasn’t cheating himself. The small indent on her forehead was proof. Books do not make great pillows.
She trotted upstairs toward her bed. Spike’s sleeping arrangements were strangely absent. Perhaps he slept over at the clubhouse. Since her new duties prevented her from constantly supervising the small dragon, she had allowed him more time to spend with his filly and colt friends. Apple Bloom in particular enjoyed having him over, even if she didn’t get a cutie mark in ‘dragon riding.’ Suffice to say, they had words about it.
It was still odd he had slipped away while she was gone last night. Maybe he had changed his minds about stargazing, and slept at the clubhouse with the crusaders so they could get cutie marks in astronomy. A likely outcome.
Twilight felt an urge to jump on her bed and catch up on her sleep, but abstained to avoid resetting her biological clock. It was enough that she had missed court, turning completely nocturnal would be dreadful. A shiver ran down her spine. The Night Court was much creepier that she could handle.
Instead of an impulsive nap, Twilight settled with a stretch. She arched her back, her lavender fur bristling as she let out a yawn. She puffed her chest out and rolled her shoulders as Cadence had taught her, making sure her wings wouldn’t cramp. As a princess, Twilight didn’t have much time to fly. Fluttershy probably flew more than she did. For once her wing joints weren’t aching, greatly boosting Twilight’s mood. Magical exhaustion numbed them, for some reason. That’s strange
Once downstairs, breakfast became the first priority. She hummed as she found some alfalfa for her oatmeal. Simple, yet eloquent for her tastes. Not that she needed it, she wasn’t scheduled for an appearance at the royal court today. She had double checked her schedule this time to avoid another spectacle.
“Let’s see… first I have to go find Spike,” Twilight said in between bites. Her horn glowed with magenta power as she wrote a new checklist on her notepad. It had the misfortune of being forgotten at home, leading to Twilight losing track of time yesterday. Checklists were nice, checklists prevented mistakes, checklists maintained order. “Then we’ll go visit Rarity, that’ll make him happy. Wait, no,” she muttered as she crossed that line out. “I have find Rainbow Dash; will she ever learn that I don’t have to hound her if she just remembered to turn her books in time?”
Twilight tapped her chin for a moment before adding, “find a butterfly.”
Adding a few things to the checklist as she finished her oatmeal was therapeutic for the recovering mare. Twilight was still rattled by her embarrassing behavior but knew Princess Celestia was only concerned for her well being. She had learned the hard way to not be absolutely obsessed with earning her favor. A little obsession was okay. If only Twilight had any idea what ‘little’ meant in that context.
Now with her whole day scheduled, Twilight cleaned up the kitchen and trotted to the front door. Her saddlebags were empty and ready for the library pickup. One last scan of the library reassured her that every book had been reshelved (twice) properly. Just because she was a princess now didn’t mean she could shirk her duties as a librarian, even if Spike complained about it.
The door shut behind her as Twilight left the carved tree, leaving the unprepared mare at mercy of the sun. Twilight squinted as she covered her brow with a hoof, shielding her eyes. Her head pounded as the light assaulted her vision. It felt like the hangover she had the morning after her last birthday when Applejack had gotten out the ‘special’ cider. Strange, I didn’t even drink last night!
Despite being the bearer of the Element of Magic, Twilight resolved to have more discretion with her magic. A simple train ride would have been sufficient, much more so than teleporting halfway across Equestria. Not to mention train rides were relaxing and wouldn’t have caused this behemoth of headaches. Becoming an alicorn had its benefits, such as boosted magical power, but not even the leaders of the nation could escape the mortal pain of cranial pressure.
Her eyes finally adjusted to the warm light of the sun, allowing her to lower her hoof and continue walking. Flying to Sweet Apple Acres had crossed her mind, but she couldn’t focus enough to move her wings properly. Not that she could fly at the moment. Besides, her muscles were finally relaxed and adding pain on top of pain was the last thing she wanted to do.
There were few places to check for Spike: Applejack’s home and her sister’s clubhouse were the most likely prospects. Rarity’s Boutique was a possibility, but Twilight bemusedly thought how flustered Spike would have been if he had attended one of Sweetie’s sleepovers.
Watching her number one assistant grow up over the years made her heart warm; his crush on Rarity was somewhat adorable. Twilight wished his first crush didn’t have to be somepony older than him, but how he handled it was completely up to him. Twilight would do what she could, but it would only hurt Spike if she interfered, just like Apple Bloom and her quest for a cutie mark. Regardless of the outcome, Spike would have to grow up. Maybe when he was older there might be a chance, but by then he would have moved on or at least grown more independent.
Now that her eyes adjusted, her headache began to lessen to a dull throb. Twilight quickened her pace to a steady trot, her muscles surprisingly limber after a night on the books. Sweet Apple Acres was all the way across town, making it a perfect morning walk.
Before she knew it, Twilight had begun a steady canter as her muscles rolled seamlessly. No cramps, no knots, no pain. Even her headache melted away. She began to hum to herself as she broke into a gallop. If she was lucky, she’d make to Applejack’s and find Spike before noon.
“HEY TWILIGHT!”
Twilight skidded to a stop, barely avoiding accidentally tackling her pink friend. Pinkie Pie had appeared seemingly out of nowhere, her wide grin taking up most of Twilight’s vision as she leaned close to her friend. Twilight gave a sheepish grin and took a step back, regaining her personal space. Pinkie Pie didn’t seem to mind.
“Hey Pinkie Pie,” Twilight said. “Wonderful morning, huh?” The weather team were true to their schedule, clearing the sky for a sunny day. Pinkie Pie cocked her head in confusion.
“Silly Twilight. It’s the afternoon!” Pinkie Pie sprung in place, her poofy mane bouncing as well. Twilight frowned. She really slept in today. Fortunately she didn’t have any important duties today, but that didn’t make the daylight any less precious to her.
“Woops!” Twilight smiled, finding it hard to be upset around her cheerful friend. “I really hit the books last night, didn’t I?” Pinkie Pie zipped in front of Twilight and rubbed her forehead with her hoof, just under the horn.
“Sure did! But you shouldn’t hurt books like that! You love books, Twilight! Well, except maybe that book but that doesn’t excuse hurting books! You might hurt their feelings and make them cry and then they’ll get all wet and you’ll have to dry them!” Pinkie Pie said in a single breath, all while rubbing Twilight’s forehead. As random as Pinkie’s behavior was, Twilight felt a numb indent on her forehead fade away. Odd, but an effective treatment. Twilight chose not to comment. It was the Pinkie Pie way.
“Thanks Pinkie, I guess,” Twilight said as she began to walk with her pink friend following. “I’m just heading over to Applejack’s.”
Pinkie Pie gasped. “Oooh are you going to show her a new apple spell? I bet you’ve invented lots since last time!” Pinkie bounced behind Twilight, her bubbly excitement building in every bound. Twilight pretended to ignore her friend’s antics, but the corners of her lips slowly crept up into a smile.
“Not sure about a new spell, but I have been practicing lately. After I pick up Spike, maybe I’ll show you something new,” Twilight suggested as Pinkie Pie stopped bouncing, rubbing a hoof on her chin. Twilight stopped walking and turned around. “Is everything alright?”
Pinkie Pie’s tail and ears twitched in a random, erratic sequence. “Strange, Pinkie Sense never did that before! Silly filly, Spike’s in Canterlot right now!” Pink muzzle nearly met lavender as Pinkie Pie zipped to Twilight. Pinkie Pie gave an affectionate nuzzle as her friend stood still, a confused expression slowly spreading across her visage.
“Canterlot? What’s he doing there?” Twilight asked, stepping back from her friend. “I thought he had a sleepover with the crusaders while I was gone.”
Pinkie Pie shook her head, her curly mane slightly bouncing. “No no no. He’s at Canterlot getting snuggles with the princess! Which is kind of weird because he grew up as a hatchling with her and now he’s all lovey dovey and only just got over-” Pinkie Pie froze, her tail frozen stiff horizontally. Her right eye twitched. Twilight opened her mouth to speak, several questions on the tip of her tongue, when Pinkie bolted.
“SorryTwilightIcan’tbreakaPinkiePromiseIhavetogoironGummybeforehisjobinterviewkaythanksbye!”
Twilight tilted her head in confusion as the pink blur disappeared over the horizon. That was the third time that week she promised to iron her own pet. Twilight hoped she was just joking, or whatever Pinkie Pie does when she spouts her non-sequiturs.
She continued a casual canter toward the farm. Better to take it slow. A few minutes of light exercise led to the first trees of the orchard. A quick visual scan did not reveal any Apple family members bucking trees. Sighing, she continued down the dirt path with a light trot.
A few minutes later she slowed down to a crawl and turned her head, taking in her surroundings. Something was… off. A mysterious fog gathered from the far reaches of the orchard and surrounded her. An ominous shiver ran down the back of her neck. Quickly, she burst into a gallop.
Tree after tree blurred in her vision as she galloped away from the presence she felt chasing her. She raced down the curved path, pounding hoof after hoof on the dirt underneath. Something strange was going on. The fog hardly obscured her sharp librarian eyes, but the tree laden path seemed to stretch forever. Mental calculations confirmed she was supposed to have arrived several minutes ago.
As she slowed to a cautious canter, she eyed the fog slithering underneath her barrel. Unlike normal fog, there were tiny blue sparkles subtly winking. Sighing, Twilight slid to a stop and turned around.
“Okay, it was fun while it lasted. Can you please stop? I’m on important business and need to speak to you.”
The fog gathered into a small cloud and swirled together, merging and becoming a tiny pink butterfly. The butterfly squeaked and tried to fly away as Twilight’s magic wrapped around it. Her magic caused her temples to throb once, but she ignored it. The butterfly struggled.
“Give it up, Discord!”
“Oh phooey,” the butterfly squeaked as it flashed bright, turning into the chaotic draconequus himself. Discord crossed his arms and pouted, lying on a pink cloud.
Twilight rolled her eyes. Princess Celestia had taught her to take his antics in stride. Fluttershy kept him in line, but now and then he would pull a fast one on her. She still remembered the time he replaced her shampoo with bat guano. Fortunately he swore to never repeat the prank again after being strapped to a gurney while Twilight sorted her surgical tools. Having a veterinarian for a friend was useful when your test subject was a amorogram of animals. Not to mention her experiment would benefit the research field magical anatomy.
“Discord,” Twilight said calmly, careful to keep her tone level. Discord was more likely to act mature when he didn’t get a rise out of her. “Please give my wings back.”
Discord raised an eyebrow to the mare. Twilight sighed, rolling her shoulders. It was probably the fifth time that month he had pulled the same exact prank. Not that she minded the relief, but her duties as a princess required the added appendages. If only they weren’t required. She snorted at the ground regretfully, waiting for Discord to concede to her request.
A moment passed without the familiar sensation of wings materializing.
Twilight looked up at Discord. He stared at her with an amused expression written all over his face. The presently unicorn decided to nip the prank in the bud. “Look, Discord. I have very important princess business to attend to and I need my wings back.” Discord covered his mouth in his lion’s paw, trying not to laugh.
“What?” Twilight asked, taking a step back. Something was confusing here. “Look, I don’t have all day. If it makes you feel better, I’ll ask Princess Celestia about having Fluttershy over at the castle for a few days. I just need my wings back.”
Discord yawned and sat up on the cloud. Using Fluttershy to reason with him had a high success rate, especially if it meant seeing her more. Rarity occasionally joked about them ‘tying the knot,’ whatever that meant.
“Please?” Twilight resorted to humility. “I know you must have heard me last night, but please. I need those wings. Princess Celestia would be disappointed if I just threw them away.”
Discord snickered and held out his claws, forming a square with his fingers. It took a moment for Twilight to realize he was framing her in his vision, as if he was an artist examining a subject.
“Well?” Twilight lightly stomped the ground, becoming impatient. Discord took out his eyeballs and wiped them on his coat before replacing them. He blinked a few times and stared at Twilight. Finding that to be useless, he conjured a monocle and placed it on his left eye. He rubbed his chin for a moment, contemplating. Twilight grew irritated. The prank was becoming old, fast. “What?! Just give me my wings back!”
Discord shrugged. “I have no idea what you’re talking about.”
Rarity panted, her horn hot from casting a multitude of spells in succession. A single tear dripped down her cheek as her vision returned, formerly blurred in rage. She made to move her hoof forward, but hesitated, pulling back when shattered glass shuffled underneath. The fog lifted from her consciousness as her surroundings began to sink in.
A queen-sized bed, formerly made with silk white sheets and light blue covers, was torn to shreds and letting off light smoke. The drapes were tattered, the windows completely destroyed. Shards of glass and marble littered the floor, remnants of busts and sculptures that had decorated the fancy abode. A pink rose-bordered vanity mirror had once been a companion with the cyan wardrobe until Rarity had shattered it without a second thought. The marble walls and floor were cracked and sizzled with arcane vapors.
Her panting slowed down to small intakes of breath as she cooled down. Right now she was in control. She felt powerful. She felt good.
Rarity shook her head. This was completely unlike her! She was a lady of class, above such primal, beastial emotions. Even if the circumstances were… heart wrenching.
Once again, she had woken up in an unfamiliar bed in an unfamiliar home with no memory of her arrival or inebriation. To say she was surprised was an understatement. Only the unbridled fury of a victimized mare remained. Recent memories flashed in her mind as her vision seared a fierce shade of magenta, blood pulsing in her temples. Her anguish had induced a magical rage she hadn’t felt since she was a brat of a filly, but with the arcane power of an adult.
With her anger finally released, Rarity could only bow her head in shame. Her talent, her destiny was to create beauty, not destroy it. The misshapen head of a former marble statue rolled by with only one perfectly carved eye remaining, a reminder of what she had become.
Tears began to flow, released after an entire day of bottling them up. Waves of repressed grief blew through her, driving her to submit to her grief as the small flow of tears became a steady stream of despair.
Her mind strayed to that day, after she had fled the unspeakable stallion’s home and after she had recovered inside her own. Well, only partially recovered. Out of respect, she had refused to speak to Sweetie Belle and sent her on her way, leaving Rarity to her boutique. Alone. Fortunately none of her friends had noticed her dreary mood last night, otherwise she might have burst into tears. Or worse. Poor Fluttershy would be too afraid to ever visit the spa again if she did that to her…
Rarity held her breath, attempting to stop the tears. Hopefully the owner of this home wouldn’t punish her too severely for her outburst. She didn’t believe she could handle any more punishment. Not again. At least she wasn’t wearing one of those dreaded rings on her horn. She wasn’t completely defenseless.
The glass door handle behind her jiggled as somepony turned it, attempting to open the extravagantly engraved mahogany door. Rarity froze, her breath burning in her chest as her lungs refused to release. Her mind screamed to run, to escape, even to fight but her legs refused. Her hooves were stone, anchoring her in place as the door creaked open. She heard glass scatter across the damaged floor as the stranger’s steps parted the sea. She could hear him come only a few inches behind her when he came to a stop.
“Rarity?” a silky, masculine voice called. It sounded familiar, comforting even. Rarity knew this was a trap, to make her drop any guard and willingly submit.
Her ears unconsciously perked up, listening for the shuffling of clothes and fur. She closed her eyes, ready to submit once more. A burning sensation flared in her heart, erupting and spreading a fiery heat throughout her body.
NO!
Her eyes snapped open, her horn glowing and ready to smite the cretin who dared to defile her! No longer would she be a pretty damsel in distress to some uncouth brute! No, she would put up a fight and show him the true power of an element of harmony! Her vision tinted shades of violet as she whipped around…
Arms wrapped around her neck from behind, stopping the mare in her tracks. The stranger’s rough skin rubbed against hers as he held her in gentle arms. Rarity’s stress melted away as the male rocked her, whispering calming words in her ears. She didn’t understand the words, but the intention was clear. She was safe.
Sensing her newfound calm, the stranger released her. Rarity turned around, only to be blinded with purple visage completely filling her vision. Something stroked her chin and brought her muzzle high. Surprise erupted inside as warm, rough lips met her own. The stranger reached behind her head and stroked her mane, refusing to pull her close out of respect. Rarity felt comfortable in this embrace as fireworks sparked. Her eyes closed, willingly returning the kiss.
She moved closer and placed a hoof on the tall stranger’s shoulder, allowing him to respond by pulling her into his embrace. The two held together, a warm passion exchanged through their lips. Rarity begged him to explore her as her tongue darted, but the stranger refused the advances and remained chaste.
After what seemed like a single heartbeat and a lifetime, the two parted. Rarity blinked several times, holding her hoof to her burning heart. A heat spread through her belly and chest, invoking several emotions within her. The swooning mare ran a hoof through her mane as she collected her thoughts. Once cognition had been restored, she faced her unexpected suitor like a proper lady should..
He was strikingly tall, standing on two legs and wearing a handsomely woven sleeveless silk shirt with brown breeches that appeared to be stitched by none other than Rarity herself. His scaled legs rippled with toned muscles, as did his exposed biceps. His purple scales shimmered in the light as he backed away, smiling. He brushed the green scales on his head as an awkward smile crept onto his face. Rarity’s jaw dropped as the dragon blushed in return.
“I guess that was a little sudden, huh? Not as sudden as this, though.” The dragon motioned with a muscular arm toward the room she had completely trashed. “Must be those nightmares again, huh? Good thing I was around; who knew what you would’ve done without me?”
Rarity could only stutter in reply. “Sp-Spikey W-Wikey?” Her dashing little dragon was an adult? Not to mention handsome to boot. It was a dream come true! But for who? She had no idea why, but a peculiar amount of blood rushed to her cheeks as her shoulder blades shifted. No time was left to ponder the thought as the (formerly) baby dragon placed his hands on his hips.
Spike shuffled his feet and pretended to pout, throwing out his lower lip dramatically as he did so. “Oh Rarity, don’t you remember? That’s Prince Spike to you!” His jolly laugh pushed her to the edge in perplexion. Was this truly her Spike? Or was he..?
Yes indeed, she was dreaming. Rarity hardly noticed Spike catch her as her consciousness faded into a peaceful faint. Spike smiled and lifted her up, cradling her and taking care to tuck in her extended wings as he did so.
The peculiar sensation on her sides rustled the white mare back to a waking state. Her sides rippled with new muscles she had never experienced before, dormant until this very moment. A surge of electricity, as if like magic, trickled through her shoulders and back. Whatever Spike’s claw had brushed against moved on its own accord, pressing against the dragon’s hand. Rarity shivered, the sensation causing equal amounts of perplexion and pleasure. It felt alien and taboo, but completely sensational.
It was strangely familiar, like when she had entered a competition against Rainbow Dash….
She shook her head, blinked her eyes, and stared wide-eyed at her side. When her heartbeat finally slowed down, she looked up to the dragon with sparkling sapphire eyes full of wonder.
“Oh my, are those wings?”
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Oh you
Damn it Flint Sparks
That's genius!
Also my reaction to seeing this story update.
3349023
Uh... that was accidental...
Yeah, I've been super busy with the 'write a one-shot every single day' deal for the past month.
At first i was under the idea this would be a rarity-twilight clop fic but now seems like it turned into something better
I...I don't think Twilight's going to be happy once she finds out what happened to her wings
3350995
I don't think she's going to be happy about a lot of things...
Sparity?
No thanks
3354587
Is it? Is it really?
You might be surprised...
3354623
ok
mmmhhh
3354645
but please keep an open mind. He is grown up here for some non-specific reason I will never touch up on *hint* *hint.*
I can't provide spoilers,
Keep in mind what she wished for, and that should provide you an answer.
3354456 How often will you be updating this story?
3354759
It depends on my mood. I got thrown off the first time around because of the first round of complaints about Spike and Celestia and a whole bunch of other things. I just can't win. 
I'm doing One-Shotober, so this month is pretty busy. Once November rolls around, I'll attempt bi-weekly.
After a bit of reflexion i came to realize this is a spinoff of the prince and the beggar/The Prince and the Pauper...Kinda obvious giving the name...
Cant wait for next chap.
3355558
It's nice to have someone say nice things, right? 
Heh, if only other people shared that sentiment.
3355713
But of course, couldnt be happier!!!!! :ioweUalunaminicon:
You're featuring two of my fav chars so yeah
I'm really liking the route you struck out on, whatever happens at the end; you've made it clear enough already that Spike won't be the distraction/bad guy who plagues so many old sitcoms. It'll be fun to see how the three of them handle the little guy being this romanticized hunk. I wonder how many mares in Equestria daydream about having a dragon lover...
WHAT!?
3483260
Finally someone gets it!
Oh, and that quote was a joke. Mostly. I might actually have to write that for bucks and apples.
3483296 You could also write about Spike fighting three assholes laying into one guy while everypony else watches. As you can see from my avatar, I'm a fan of the concept.
3483345
Yes. YES!! I LOVED THAT MOVIE!!!
Already reading this so go ahead and have this
24.media.tumblr.com/a257ad5165644b1f79354634dfdee284/tumblr_mqo61uYbwk1rj6vd5o1_400.png
3483362 first of all, why did you delete me comment? all I asked was if it was dead or not...
Will this story ever continue? Cause it has great potential. I would LOVE to see it finished.