Growing Pains

by Peroth E

End of Training Day

Rarity stared in confusion. She was under the impression this so called ‘Sanctum of Horns’ was supposed to be a magnificent place, full of wonder and magic and answers to the world’s many questions. It was supposed to be a fantastic palace of mystery based on the stories she’d picked up!

She imagined floating buildings of white, gold and purple. She imagined silver-topped spires and staircases laden with - urgh - brass! She imagined magic-formed statues of the inhabitants, adorned by many colors and trinkets, and the greatest, tallest, most majestic statue of them all would have been of the Archmage herself!

She did not imagine a thin, humorously proportioned building made of sandstone and wood, with a single bird bath sitting in the middle of the yard in front of the building. The building was four stories high, yet its width was made more for a building one story tall. It was supposed to be much longer than what was visible, but it was impossible to tell thanks to the building being hugged by the forth-ring walls.

The only thing magnificent about the outside of the sanctum was the tower sitting prominently on top of the very front of the building: Archmage Sul’s living quarters. And even that was only special because it was cylindrical compared to the rough angles and edges of the rest of the building.

The guard who lead them to the building had been chatty the whole way, regaling her, Twilight, Fluttershy, and Sabine with stories of the Sanctum and its unicorns. It had been a fascinating walk as he spent the whole time telling them about the rumors surrounding the place. The Belezians were all knowing, the Belezians were all powerful, the Belezians were mysterious riddle-crafters whose true meaning came to be when you needed the answer the most. Wise and intelligent, the only unicorns Coltriella’s ponies, were at the very least, respected.

The fifteen unicorns of Coltriella were all housed in the Sanctum and worked every day of their life inside of it. They studied magic, history, economics, warfare, every aspect of civilization to learn the best ways to improve their country. They worked daily to find just the right spell to restore farmland to Coltriella, to bring rain, to better defend their home in the case of an attack.

Rarity noted with great suspicion that the guard leading them had gone quiet the moment they walked through the gates leading into the Sanctum’s courtyard. He held his chin high and did not stare straight at the door. Rather, he stared just above it and a little to the left. Perplexed, Rarity looked back at Sabine to ask her what was going on, but noticed she was also staring just above the door… But a little to the right.

Staring all around, Rarity could see the common ponies - both rich and poor and everything in-between alike - standing around and chatting quietly, but none of them watched the door. In fact, they stared at everything but the door when they could. When ponies turned around or turned their eyes, they went up and around the door, or along the steps leading to the door, but not at the door.

Rarity couldn’t see why. It was a simple wooden door with a big pair of brass knockers. It had no door-handles, but that was the only strange thing about it! She stared intently at the door, daring it to reveal its secrets to her, yet it did not, for it was a door.

“Sabine.” Rarity huffed to the Coltriellan mare. Sabine turned her head to look at her - but never at the door! - and gave her a curious smile. Twilight and Fluttershy, quiet up until now, also looked to the earth pony. “Would you mind explaining this odd behavior?” Rarity waved her hoof at the door of the Sanctum. “Why does nopony look at the door?”

Sabine’s smile came up a little further and she glanced back at the Sanctum, but just above the door. “It’s bad luck to look at the Sanctum’s door before you’re invited to go inside.”

“What?” Twilight asked by Rarity’s side, turning her head back to look at the simple wooden door. “Why?” Rarity and Fluttershy stared at Sabine with puzzled expressions.

Their guard cleared his throat. “T’was the eighth day Sir Hamerond sat before the door of the Sanctum of Horns, with no questions but a dozen accusations bristling at the tip of his tongue, yet eight days of watching for the door to open and he had yet to be invited in.”

Sabine continued without missing a beat, “One by one the other visitors were called inside by name, the doors opening just briefly for them to come inside and speak their piece and learn the solution to their problem. Yet Sir Hamerond, proud and angry, was never once given even a glance by the Belezians.”

“They tended to all the others, both poorer and richer, both more noble and more disgraceful, and never once did they tend to Sir Hamerond. On the ninth day, Sir Hamerond threw a fit, shouting and screaming at the door in all his rage, demanding an audience, then begging for an audience, then breaking down and pleading for any sort of answer.”

“He covered his eyes with his hooves and wept in fury, for the first time in nine days taking his eyes off the doors of the Sanctum, and when he dared to uncover them, Lady Sul’o’Amnitanus, the greatest of the Belezians, stood before him.”

“'Speak your mind.' She ordered, and Sir Hamerond, shocked, asked the first question that came to mind-”

“'Why have you taken so long to answer me!?' He cried. At that, Lady Sul smiled.”

“'It’s rude to watch one’s door for an invitation.' And with that, she disappeared, leaving Sir Hamerond a wiser, more patient stallion.”

The guard and Sabine bobbed their heads and smiled at Rarity. Twilight, by her side, sputtered at the inanity of the story. “Really?” Rarity asked, flabbergasted.

“I thought it was a nice story…” Fluttershy whispered.

“The Belezians are so petty they won’t invite you inside if you stare at their door!?” Rarity was close to shouting, but kept her voice level for her own sake. She knew that Sul was a bit standoffish but that was ridiculous!

“Actually no.” Sabine began to laugh. “The Belezians hated Sir Hamerond, since he spent most of his life up until that point trying to get all the native unicorns kicked out of Coltriella. He’d gone to the Belezians because he was really suspicious and believed that one of them had stolen some documents that served as ‘proof’ of the Belezians evil and was going to demand it back. Anyways, after trying to kick the door down and failing, he sat around until he could get audience and the Belezians just let him wait until he freaked out.”

The guard nodded his head. “Turns out the documents were actually stolen by Sir Hamerond himself. He took them from the original author, some old crotchety misanthropist that had notes on why all forms of ponies were inherently evil. The author had stolen them back to get them published elsewhere.”

“So…” Twilight scrunched her snout up, staring at the two Coltriellans in confusion, “Everypony knows this story?” The two nodded. “So why the hay do you still not stare at the door!?”

Rarity watched as the guard and Sabine glanced at each other, shrugged, then looked back at Twilight. “It’s bad luck.” Sabine answered honestly.

“AUGH!” Twilight nursed her temple with one hoof.

“Not to mention it is somewhat rude.” The five ponies turned quickly to stare at their interrupter. Her coat was a sandy yellow, and her mane was bright orange, collected into a neat braid. She wore a black cloth around her eyes, blinding her, while a yellow horn stood prominently just above it. “Twilight Sparkle,” She turned and bowed her head to Twilight, “Rarity.” The mare turned her head and offered her a small bow.

The two ponies gaped, shocked that she knew where and who they were through the blind. Rarity noted that Sabine was giving them both a very distant look, while the guard looked a bit confused that the Belezian knew them. Rarity cleared her throat. “Yes?”

The unicorn cracked a smile and raised her voice high and loud, throwing a hoof about dramatically. “We are honored to have you grace us with your presence!” She announced, the entire courtyard stopping to stare. “It is rare we have the opportunity to attend to ponies of such high caliber! We are humbled that you would come to us for your questions.”

Rarity felt her jaw go slack with shock as the unicorn suddenly bowed before them. There was a loud, collective gasp from the audience, and as one, every Coltriellan was groveling on their knees… everypony but Sabine, who was staring at the two with wide eyes.

The unicorn pulled herself up slowly, grinning so hard it looked painful as the rest of the Coltriellans kept to the ground. Twilight gave the unicorn a pleading look, begging her to stop, but the unicorn swept her hoof out again. “Queen Twilight Sparkle!” she shouted. Sabine blanched. “Lady Rarity!” The two Equestrians wavered in embarrassment. “Will you please follow me into the Sanctum? Lady Sul’o’Amnitanus is waiting.” The unicorn disappeared, leaving behind a fading silhouette of white light. The doors to the Sanctum opened wide.

Rarity slowly glanced around when she got her wits back. Everypony was still face planting the ground, not daring to move a muscle in their presence. She saw Sabine, open-mouthed and wide eyed staring at them in disbelief. Fluttershy looked like she was about to have a heart attack. Rarity stared back at the doors, and a thrilling feeling shot down her legs.

She picked her chin up high, and turned to give Twilight a pleasant smile. “Well my Queen? Shall we go?” She asked, her voice high as she collected all the nobility she could muster into marching towards the open doors. She stopped a few steps away from Twilight when she noted the lavender unicorn had not moved a hoof, and looked like she’d been hit by a body-lock spell. Rarity cleared her throat to try and beckon her, but Twilight continued to stare at the empty space the unicorn once occupied with the single most horrified expression on her face.

Rarity politely walked around Twilight, grabbed her tail in-between her teeth, and dragged the frozen purple pony up the steps of the sanctum and through the door. The wooden portal mercifully shut itself behind them.

----------

The blade was a small, bright blue as she swung her head slightly. The sword quickly flashed left and right, hardly visible in the bright light. Vega twisted her head lightly again, swinging the sword so quickly that it seemed to hiss.

Rainbow Dash watched the cloaked general testingly swing her gift from Anemone again and again, finding the proper balance for it. The pegasus didn’t stop doing her push-ups alongside Applejack and Pinkie Pie, but she kept watching Vega.

The big pink mare showed no strain when using the blade. Her body moved smoothly with each motion, taking a few seconds between each swing to admire the razor-sharp sword. Vega, in clear view of the girls, suddenly turned and made an impressive leap towards some of the practice dummies still set up.

Rainbow Dash paused and stared.

Vega turned her head and the short sword swept through the air. Using the momentum, the sword ran through the side of the dummy, opening a deep gash. There was no hesitation in the general’s moves as she turned once more and brought her hoof down, knocking the dummy flat on the floor, ending the fall by bringing the sword down into the dummy’s head. Two seconds of work, and the dummy was spilling sand from its side while its split-open head quickly deflated.

The three ponies glanced to each other in surprise at the ease Vega wielded the sword as the general flit around the rest of the dummies, seeming to use only the slightest head movements to open the deadliest of wounds. She danced so easily around the eight dummies, passing from one to the next, each swing drawing open a new, fatal line in one of the fake soldiers. Despite being a good bit larger than the three ponies, Ha’Jin’Vega was a quicker fighter.

One dummy’s head was nearly cut off by a slice to the neck. Another dummy had its knee cut open, then the sword ripped open its side with a quick spin. The spin carried Vega to draw a line across one dummy’s neck, then was quickly shoved over by a punch from her hoof. Still raising up, Vega leapt over her fallen “enemy” and drove the blade into the next dummy’s chest.

In less than thirty seconds Vega had torn apart and delivered fatal or crippling blows to the dummies. The three Equestrians kept doing their push-ups as Vega approached, looking pleased with herself. “That’s enough of a warm up. Get up.” She ordered, a hint of joviality in her voice.

The three did. It had been a good work out. They’d been jogged around the perimeter of the yard a few times, made a good number of jumps over steadily higher walls, then they cooled down with a little yoga, bending in strange and stressful positions, and just now ended on sit-ups and push-ups. It was intended to give them speed, flexibility, and strength.

While they were a little bit tired, they still had enough in them to continue with the lesson. “Not bad Blue.” Vega carefully set the sword before Rainbow Dash to pick up and sheathe. “I’ve handled a good number of short-swords in my life, gotta say that one is the best I’ve used.” She turned around, flicked her tail to indicate they should follow, and walked towards an open end of the training field. “I prefer heavier swords myself, much better for hacking through armor and cutting through bones, but I love short swords in group fights. Nothing gives more mobility and slashing power, and they’re nice for finding weak points in heavy armor. Quick as you are Blue, that thing’s perfect for you.”

“Err, thanks?” Dash glanced back at her sword for a moment. Vega was a weird mare. She sort of reminded her of her flight instructors back in the day. Intense, but careful to make sure you learned correctly.

Vega placed them carefully, spacing them far apart from each other so they wouldn’t get in each others way or, worse, accidentally attack each other. “I don’t exactly have the time to give you bitches the star treatment. Normally I’d be busting your asses until you couldn’t move, but I was given orders to teach you how to swing a sword so I’m gonna rush you through this.”

Vega reached to her side and pulled out a sword. It was nearly twice as long as Dash’s own short sword, and quite a bit thicker from the base to the tip as well. It was clear from even a cursory glance somepony had painstakingly polished it. Vega set it in front of Applejack. “A pony with your strength needs a bigger blade. It’ll sit better and swing harder, and it prefers a much more stable position rather than dancing around like a damned monkey.”

Applejack was careful as she picked up the blade, positioning the handle in her mouth until it was comfortable. Testingly she moved her head around, getting a better feel for its weight. She smiled as she set it down. “I like it. Feels right.”

“Figured. I got a dozen of those bastards in my bedroom so go ahead and take that one.” Vega ordered with a nod. Applejack’s eyes lit up, until Vega leaned in and gave her a very stern glare. “But if I find out that you somehow fucked that sword up I will bury you alive. Got it?” Applejack nodded slowly, eyes wide with ‘please don’t kill me’.

Vega nodded. “Alright. Rainbow Dash, approach.” Vega ordered. The clipped pegasus approached, wincing at the tone in her voice. “Unsheathe.” Dash tugged out her blade, got a firm hold of it, and glanced back to Vega. “A short sword is not meant to hack nor is it meant to stay still. A light blade uses slashes, stabs, and a lot of mobility. Your body builds a lot of momentum when you’re trying to keep your ass from getting riddled with holes, which you can turn into cutting power. You don’t want to throw yourself around like a dumbass out there, but you want to constantly be moving to build up your attacks. You find a lot of openings that way, and even the lightest cut hinders your opponent a little, so don’t hesitate to go for an attack and back off for another opening.”

Applejack and Pinkie Pie watched as Vega taught her the correct stance and corrected her swings. The attacks weren’t all in the neck, they were in the chest and legs. Dash learned to not rely on her neck for swinging power, rather learning to use her legs to bring herself forward for a good hit. Vega then quickly instructed her on how to move about with the sword, and left her practicing the steps to dodge, counter, and bring herself into a better position.

Vega then moved to Applejack. Like Dash, she corrected Applejack’s use of her neck and showed her how to ground her stance, and how to move without throwing off her balance while wielding the heavy sword. “Heavy blades like this are meant to weaken armor and hack through other solid objects, like bones. It’s also very good at defending yourself with since its weight can toss most other weapons out wide when you counter. Don’t hesitate to bring all your weight into each swing, but don’t screw yourself over by losing your balance.”

With Applejack teaching herself how to swing her sword, Vega approached Pinkie Pie. The two pink ponies stared at each other for a good while. Pinkie Pie watched Vega nervously, wondering if Vega was still going to teach her, while Vega observed her tiny counterpart carefully. “So.” Vega spoke up. “What the hell does an itty bitty, tubby thing like you need?” She seemed to be asking herself.

Pinkie gulped loudly and glanced to Applejack and Dash. They were still practicing, but kept a close eye on Vega and Pinkie. “A-anything you can teach me…” Pinkie started, but trailed off as Vega turned her head away from her.

Vega grabbed a short sword, one appropriate for Pinkie, from underneath her cloak. “Take it.” Vega ordered. The general turned her mouth up to undo her cloak, and with a flick of her head the cloak sailed overhead, landing on the floor a short distance away.

With the cloak gone, Pinkie could clearly count the number of swords, spears, axes, and daggers the Ha’Jin had on her person. Resting on top of brass-colored armor, there were dozens of swords of varying lengths, alongside axes and spears that went from small and light to painfully large to wield. Daggers lined her legs, having at least two on each, and a third of her forelegs. The smaller pink mare’s jaw dropped a little as Vega began to carefully inspect her personal arsenal, before tugging out a blade bigger than the one she’d given Applejack. “Ma’am?” Pinkie eyed her nervously.

Dash and Applejack had stopped to stare until Vega shot them a furious look. “We’re going to do a little test. The sword I gave you and the one I have are too dull to cut unless you’re really freakin’ unlucky so don’t hesitate to fight back.” Pinkie stared up at the mare in bewilderment, up until Vega took a single step forward and swept the heavy blade towards Pinkie’s chest.

Pinkie’s eyes widened and she quickly cocked her head and parried the blade with the short sword she was given, the weight sending her backwards. At the last moment she caught her footing, avoiding a fall, but then she glanced up and let out a high shriek before sprinting to the side as the massive blade sailed overhead. “Pick up the speed!” Vega ordered sharply, suddenly barreling towards the smaller mare with the sword sweeping towards her legs.

Pinkie hopped backwards, instinctively turning her head and block the swinging sword with her own, the blow nearly ripping the sword from her mouth. She quickly reaffirmed her grip as she shifted backwards, dodging the second swing.

Vega was nearly a blur as she came to Pinkie, head low and sword primed to cut into Pinkie’s leg, but a quick hop sent the smaller pony over the low blade. Vega’s expression changed as she let the swing go wide, purposely exposing her chest and legs. She watched Pinkie’s eyes widen, indicating she saw her chance. She lunged.

The short sword shot through the air towards Vega’s chest, but the High General primed herself. Just before the blow could land, her hoof punched Pinkie squarely in the forehead, flooring the pink mare with the dazing hit. ‘Hmm.’ Vega smirked. She brought the blade down towards Pinkie, but the little mare rolled out of the way.

The pink mare stumbled to her hooves, the sword held at an awkward angle in her jaw.

Pinkie’s vision cleared in time for her to scoot left of a crushing blow, Vega deliberately taking her time with recovering to watch Pinkie shoot forward quickly to try and get in a quick blow to the mare’s chest. Vega rose up above her swing, her hooves nearly crashing down on Pinkie’s skull. The smaller pony was out of range quickly though, so Vega twisted her body to swing her sword with all her might. Pinkie raised her sword to parry, then realized her mistake. It was far too late to correct it.

“Pinkie!” Dash shouted, watching the little mare get thrown a good few feet through the air. She landed hard on her stomach, the sword landing a foot away. Pinkie coughed, opening her eyes slowly as she watched Vega approach. Dash was about to spring in close and put a stop to the attack, but Vega sheathed her big sword.

“I’ve figured it out.” Vega nodded, helping Pinkie to her hooves. “Defensive, tricky little fighter. You’re more active than I thought a tubby little mare like you would be.” Vega smirked in amusement as Pinkie gave her a very worried look. “I’m not going to hit you more you little wuss. I do know what to teach your sorry ass though.”

With Pinkie back on her hooves, Vega turned her head again and reach underneath her side. She fiddled with a buckle with her teeth, and when the sheath came undone she pulled out a leather-encased blade. She laid it down in front of Pinkie. “When I was your age, my father was the High General underneath To’Sivo’Coltriella. I was learning how to be a baker from my mother.”

Ha’Jin’Vega calmly took the sword out of its sheath. It was the oddest looking blade Pinkie had ever seen. It was somewhere between a heavy sword and a light sword, but it seemed far too thick to cut through anything. The edges of the blade were a jagged wave, curving and spiraling slightly before tapering into a vicious point. While a closer look showed that the blade had lethally sharpened edges, it seemed much more suited to stabbing.

“One day, my dad took me to the Bladehold to see if I had any of the fighting blood our family had. He tossed me a short sword and we dueled for maybe ten seconds. When he got me down, I got up and we fought again. I realized that I was a little too thick and small to fight him on his own terms, so I started relying on dodging and parrying like you did, only going in when I saw he was open. He floored me each and every time.” She sighed, a happy sound. “When I went home, I was sore and bruised beyond belief, but it was exciting. Up until that point I’d focused only really on baking. Then, good ol’ dad decided to train me how to use a sword and refine my style. I got bigger and stronger, soon being able to fight him aggressively, but I never got rid of the sword he made me to compliment my style those first eight years he trained me.”

With the utmost care, Vega set the sword in front of Pinkie Pie. Pinkie glanced to the sword, then Vega, looking stunned. “Th-this sword?”

“Yup.” Vega nodded for Pinkie to pick up the blade. “Notice how the grip is good and tight? How heavy the blade feels? It’s good for deflecting blows, but just light enough to let you do your little hops and skips to get out of the way. Those weird curves throws swords wide when you catch them, and they’re sharp enough to made a good cut. Even the point’s fine enough to make a good stab. That sword is all about defensive fighting and taking advantage of your opponent’s mistakes. It’s weird and hard as all hell to learn but it taught me how to be a tricky bitch.”

Pinkie stared at the sword sticking out of her mouth and then at Vega. Her eyes were wide with surprise. “And… And you’re letting me use it?” She asked. She couldn’t imagine how effective the sword might be, but if Vega was sure of it…

“Hell, if you figure it out you can have it, To’Ao knows it needs to see more action. Besides,” Vega’s smiled smugly, “it’s like tradition or some shit to pass down old, funky swords to a pony willing to learn it. Just a warning though.” That smiled turned dangerously manic as Vega glared down at Pinkie, “Hurt my father’s blade and I will personally make your ass mine, clear?”

Pinkie bobbed her head as fast as she could.

----------

The outside of the Sanctum was hardly a good indicator of the inside. Not a single speck of dust floated through the air or rested on the marble floors and pillars of the Sanctum. Candles hung from the ceilings on brass chandeliers and gold candlestick holders on the flawless pillars, but the building was so long and tall that it barely lit the windowless interior, casting long shadows all across the walls and floors.

The middle of the huge entrance had rows of tables with books piled high on them, around seven unicorns standing at them and reading, talking, and laughing with each other. Twilight and Rarity both recognized the blinded one, whose black cloth was now resting above her horn so she could look around with her brilliant blue, clearly unflawed eyes.

Looking up, Twilight could see multiple levels to the Sanctum. On each side there were three more levels, but she could not see how many doors or what features each had other than a guard rail. The place was peaceful, pleasant, and surprisingly cool… Twilight shivered. It reminded her of her learning days, of her room when the night fell and the land was peaceful.

Simple yet magnificent. An area for scholarly study, suggesting a good bit of class and cleanliness but not cluttered with needless wealth and finery. She hadn’t felt so at home since she last visited Canterlot on more casual terms.

“My.” Rarity whispered, for once awed by what Coltriella had to offer. That seemed to get the attention of the unicorns around the table, who at once move together to greet the two.

“Is it true?” One of them asked, a curly haired brown colt with bright eyes. Twilight smiled nervously at the male as he carefully looked them both over, though the other six were just as curiously watching them. “Is it true you two are from Equestria?” He asked excitedly.

Twilight looked to Rarity, meeting her eyes as they both shared a very nervous moment of being caught out in the open. Twilight turned back to face the curious male, and let out a tiny sigh. “I guess there isn’t much of a point in hiding it if you already know. Yes, my friend and I are both from Equestria.”

The seven unicorns let out a collective ‘Oooh’ and energetically badgered each other for information. “I hear they worship an Alicorn of their own!” “Two Alicorns actually, the Alicorn of the Sun and the Alicorn of the Night.” “The magic there is supposed to be phenomenal.” “Everything is phenomenal in the Sacred Land of the Gods!”

Twilight and Rarity gave each other a small smile. “Pardon.” Rarity called quietly. The seven unicorns immediately stood at attention, like trained soldiers. It surprised them both. The unicorns of the Sanctum had interesting discipline. “If I might ask, how do you know we’re from Equestria?”

“Ahem!” The female with the black cloth on her forehead took a few steps forward and bowed her head in low respect, “We had learned of the arrival of you and your allies, Lady Rarity, from the Archmage. She put us at ease with the news after the glorious victory we had earned against you yesterday!”

“GLORIOUS!” The rest of the unicorns cheered, making Twilight and Rarity blink slowly.

“She filled us in on all the details! Your part in the saving of the world and Coltriella, your power and your origins, the great ponies you have met and have become blessed by! We are truly humbled by your presence, Queen Twilight.” The orange-haired unicorn bowed her head low.

“YOUR MAJESTY!” The rest of the unicorns followed suit. Twilight felt her face heat up at the display, whereas Rarity gave a lovely chuckle.

“Yes, well, her majesty here is the modest sort, and would much prefer you do not refer to her as ‘Queen’.” She instructed. The seven unicorns glanced to each other, then to Twilight.

“Please.” Twilight nodded, taking a moment to mouth ‘thank you’ at Rarity. “I’m a simple pony that just fell into my position and power. I’d rather not make a big deal of it.” She smiled sincerely.

The unicorns stared at her, positively stunned, until one scrawny female at the end spoke up. “Did you hear that? She sounds so sincere!” She whispered loudly.

“She’s so humble! Yet she’s so magnificent, so bright, so beautiful!” Another spoke up, making Twilight’s entire body turn red. Twilight glanced to Rarity with a pleading look, but the white unicorn had joined the other seven and was whispering very loudly.

“And did you see the magic she performed yesterday? She’s so powerful!” Rarity urged them, making the ponies clamor in excitement as Twilight shot Rarity a look of dismay.

“She created solid walls with no troubles!”

“She mastered the strength of the wind!”

Rarity walked along their backs, “She fended off an Ursa Major without harming it! She fought off an ancient, evil Alicorn!”

The unicorns merely grew in excitement, sparks of uncontrolled magic hopping off their horns as they stared at Twilight and gaped. Twilight glared hard at Rarity. “Don’t listen to her! She’s a dirty dirty liar!” Twilight accused, but Rarity shook her head.

“My dears, I wouldn’t lie to you about the Queen’s accomplishments!” She assured them, and the seven unicorns beamed at Twilight like she was their childhood heroine.

“My Queen!” One of the unicorns leapt forward, bowing low, rump high, nearly kissing the floor to Twilight’s eternal embarrassment. “May we please see your horn?” He asked, looking up to her with begging eyes.

Twilight felt her jaw twitch nervously as the seven unicorns watched her with big, hopeful eyes, while Rarity laughed into the crook of her knee. She gave Twilight as apologetic a look as she could manage. Twilight shot her a very stern glare. “No no! Do go on Twilight, show them your magnificent horn!”

The lavender pony tilted her chin high and kept her evil eye on Rarity. “Dun’ wanna!” She pouted heavily, trying to keep her voice from shaking.

“Come now!” Rarity swept forward as the unicorns’ faces collectively fell. “Be a good ruler of the Skies and Seas and show them what makes you you. Please?” Rarity held up her hooves in a begging position, but Twilight ignored it and turned her head away, closing her eyes to show she’d have none of it! “Well then.” Rarity huffed. “If you must be so stubborn, then I will have to do the deed for them.”

Twilight cracked open an eye just in time to see Rarity step behind her. She briefly wondered what she’d do, until a sharp jab to her flank made her squeal and stand. “Rarity!” Twilight gasped loudly, staring at the unicorn, stunned. The white pony then jumped up onto Twilight’s upper back, pushing the unicorn down with her weight, while Rarity’s horn appeared in a flash of light.

The seven Belezians watching them ‘ooh’ed and ‘aaw’ed at the sight of the perfectly white horn. Twilight’s eyes widened as Rarity’s horn began to glow, and tried thrashing underneath her fellow unicorn in a desperate attempt to free herself. Rarity nonchalantly leaned her head down and tapped her horn against Twilight’s forehead. Twilight’s eyes nearly bugged out as her horn appeared in full view.

The unicorns before them gasped in awe, and stared at Twilight’s beautiful horn in a mixture of envy and joy. “Goodness, the size of that thing…”

“I feel feint!” One of the mares squeaked excitedly.

“She must have so much magic with it!”

“Can I touch it?” One of the unicorns asked.

“No!” Twilight shouted in a panic, knowing full well what the unicorn’s horn could do other than conduct magic, and she had no desire to go into heat in a foreign country! Or ever for that matter!

“Now now.” Rarity tutted, climbing off Twilight’s back and lovingly fixing her friend’s mane. “Let’s keep our manners.” She nodded to the Belezians. “It is improper to ask a queen to touch her adornments, much less her horn! Come now, surely you know what such a thing would do to our poor, humble, modest, all powerful, all wise Queen?”

“Rarity!” Twilight hissed in a whisper, but she went ignored. The Belezians slowly nodded their heads in shame.

“We’re sorry, your majesty. We meant no disrespect, it just looks so,” one of them sighed heavily, eyeing the horn with open love, “amazing…”

“And I can assure you it is amazing.” Rarity gently stroked Twilight’s back as the purple pony grumbled and growled surprisingly dirty things at Rarity. “The acts of valor and power it has committed are not as humble as she would have you think! Back home, she has many trophies of her accomplishments set up in one of our Princesses’ very treasure rooms!” The Belezians were immediately captivated again as Twilight could only watch Rarity, stunned by the ease she changed sides. “She has learned magic from the very Princess Celestia herself!” A loud, amazed gasp from the Belezians. “She tapped into the raw power of one of Equestria’s most ancient artifacts to defeat the evil Nightmare Moon and change her back into the gentle and loving Princess Luna!” The unicorns leaned in, watching Twilight as her horror grew. “She has solved many-a-problem by her lonesome, whether it be harvesting an entire crop of apple trees to feed her hungry citizens, or calming a great beast the size of this VERY SANCTUM!” Rarity threw her hooves out wide, her voice echoing around the room.

“Good gracious! Your majesty!” The unicorns were once again groveling, and Twilight finally got fed up.

“Rarity! Will you stop that!?” Twilight shouted, making the Belezians peak up and stare as Rarity feigned ignorance.

“Stop what, my Queen?” She asked innocently, putting on her most adorable pout.

Twilight ignored it. “Stop…. Stop blowing things out of proportion!” She demanded.

“Blowing things out of proportion?” Rarity asked curiously, eyes wide and sparkling gently, “But… But Twilight… Are you saying that you didn’t defeat Nightmare Moon?”

Twilight opened her mouth, then snapped it shut quickly as she reconsidered and glanced to her hooves. “I- I mean I helped but-”

“Wasn’t it you who saw the signs? Didn’t you know she was coming to take over Equestria? Wasn’t it you who lead the search for the Elements of Harmony, and you who gathered the right allies to do so, and you who confronted Nightmare Moon head on, and you who activated-”

“Yes yes, okay! I did do all that but-”

“And Twilight! Wasn’t it you who stopped a rampaging Ursa Major from destroying Ponyville?”

“… It was an Ursa Minor…” Twilight defended weakly.

“An Ursa Minor the size of a two-story house! Wasn’t it you helped me get along with Applejack?”

“Well-”

“And you who charged a hydra trying to devour your friends?”

“That wasn’t-”

“So none of that was you?” Rarity looked deeply confused. Twilight fidgeted in place.

“I… I guess I did some of those things…” She slowly turned to see what the Belezians were doing. They were bowing again, mumbling something about being ‘unworthy’.

Twilight turned back to glare at Rarity, who was smiling too smugly for Twilight’s tastes. “And, if I may remind you, if I may remind ALL of you,” she slowly swept her hoof across the line of Belezians watching them intently, “wasn’t it you Lord Anemone picked to travel the world, find the other two Alicorn Lords, to put them at peace, to save the world, restore its former glory, and protect Equestria from Lord Galio?”

An even louder gasp from the Belezians. Twilight tried to babble out an excuse, tried to assure them that it wasn’t such a big deal, but she stopped when one of the unicorns fainted in amazement. The Queen’s eye started to twitch.

“Well then.” Rarity nodded her head politely at Twilight. “If you don’t believe you deserve to be praised for that, then I suppose it’s not our place to question that, miss Savior of Coltriella.”

“R-Rarity!” Twilight hiccupped. “S-Stop!”

“Of course, your majesty!” Rarity bobbed her head and let Twilight try to whimper her way out of this one.

“What did you do to my little ones?” Came a low, curious question from behind. Twilight and Rarity both turned quickly to find Archmage Sul standing just a foot from them, one purple eyebrow raised high in curiosity. Twilight’s jaw fell in horror as she tried to babble out exactly what happened, but Rarity easily covered her snout.

“Very sorry, Lady Sul.” Rarity bowed low, respectfully. “I was just telling them about Queen Twilight’s accomplishments, and they were, well…” she smiled as she glanced back to the now standing Belezians, “Impressed.”

One of the Belezians bounced happily. “She defeated Nightmare Moon!” He squeaked in joy.

Sul calmly turned her head back to stare at the two Equestrians, and let out an amused snort through her nostrils. “So I’ve heard. If you’re done exciting my little ones, can we please move on to the lesson?”

Twilight bobbed her head enthusiastically, anything to get away from this embarrassing little wreck! Rarity sighed, but offered the unicorns behind them a gently blown kiss before picking up the pace to join Twilight and Sul as they walked towards one of the magically powered elevators.

----------

Compared to the incident Twilight had just left, walking with Sul was reflectively quiet. The larger, older mare walked with a sense of self-esteem normally left with the wealthy Canterlot ponies Twilight had grown accustomed to in her youth. Yet she seemed to shun that same aura of superiority they had. She raised her hooves high but brought them back down softly to not raise attention. She held her head and chin way up but did not leave her nose in the clouds. She walked with a roll in her upper legs that would have been attractive on a much younger mare, but with Sul it suggested a history of being quite the looker with old habits.

Rarity was also quiet by their side, but she still had a glowing smile on her face. Twilight gave her an unamused look. She countered by giggling silently into her hoof, earning a pout from the other unicorn. Yet she kept the laugh quiet, as if afraid to disturb Sul’s peace.

As Twilight fathomed Sul’s history, the platform they rode came to a stop in short time. Sul stepped out and finally spoke up. “As amusing as it is, I’m going to have to ask you to not excite my charges too much.” She ordered as she lead Twilight and Rarity down the long third floor balcony to the very end, where a carved marble door stood.

“Oh? Why is that, Lady Sul?” Rarity asked. Twilight glanced to her fellow unicorn with an eyebrow raised high. Rarity was, for whatever reason, insisting on speaking a with a much more flowery accent than usual. Why, she’d dare say her friend sounded like she was from the Canterlot Elite. Whatever floated her boat, Twilight supposed.

Sul didn’t seem to notice, or be bothered by the change in accent at all. She merely flicked her horn and opened the marble door, leading them into a perfectly round room with several book cases lining the walls. A metal plate suspended in mid-air above the floor with a pair of thin staircases spiraling up to the platform. Above and beyond the plate Twilight could see a stained-glass window took up the ceiling. The picture was incomprehensible, and the longer she stared at it the more she got a headache.

“Simply put: they don’t get out much.” Sul gave a wary sigh as she stared at the mess on the table just beneath the plate. “They have to find ways to entertain themselves since there are still quite a few ponies that would have their heads on pikes if they poked around some of the darker parts of Coltriella. They read and study a lot, mostly for the benefit of Coltriella but sometimes they get story books. They get excited by the fantastic adventures within and want to go exploring the world.” Sul walked into the middle of the room, underneath the platform. She took several books laying on the table and started shelving them along the walls. “Now they meet a supposed ‘legend’ and get their first taste of action in many years and they’re getting bigger ideas. I’m hoping, at the very most, they form a fan club and leave it at that.”

“Fan club?” Twilight gulped loudly, nervously staring back at the door behind them. She was already in hot water with Sabine at the moment, and certainly wasn’t on the best of terms with To’Ao’Coltriella at the moment. Somehow she doubted getting worshipped by the enigmatic Belezians would make her life here any easier.

“Why not let them out of the city then? Surely some countries would accept their venture.” Rarity asked, taking a look at some of the book titles on the walls. Water and Fluid Management: Edition 14, Greener Plants, Browner Dirt: A Farmer’s Guide, Building Health and Safety Regulations: Edition 12, Volume 3, Rancore and the Scarab King’s Treasure: A How-To on Removing Bug Infestation. “It would seem terribly boring to be stuck in this building all day.”

“It is.” Sul answered simply, then gave Rarity a very unpleasant glare suggesting she drop the topic. “Moving on, this is the room where I have taught my little ones the magic they use up to today. This room was constructed by me and me alone, and I use it both to teach one-on-one and to study when my own room becomes unbearable. Welcome to my inner sanctum.”

Twilight managed to hold back a laugh. “Your Sanctum has an inner sanctum?”

“Indeed.” Sul answered dryly as Twilight giggled. Sul continued to walk about, putting the books in their proper places.

Rarity leaned over to Twilight and lowered her voice to the tiniest whisper. “I wonder if her Sanctum’s inner sanctum has an inner inner sanctum?” She asked. Twilight bit her inner lips to keep herself from laughing out loud.

Sul walked by them as she continued moving books. “It does, but nopony’s been inside it for some few decades.” Sul’s face remained completely unchanged, but Rarity’s slowly fell in horror. Twilight just glanced between the two, confused. “What I will be teaching you two today will be your first steps into Coltriellan and Ardennian offensive magic. Bolts of arcane power, the manipulation of fire, turning the air into slicing razors, and as you get stronger and stronger in your mastery of magic, making powerful admixtures capable of destruction you could only imagine before. I am assuming,” Sul glanced to Twilight with a raised eyebrow, “my Queen,” Twilight grit her teeth, “that you have excellent magical experience?”

“Yes.” Twilight said with a very annoyed expression that Sul took great delight in.

“She is one of the most well-versed unicorns in Equestria.” Rarity confirmed, making Twilight growl just a little more. “Really dear, does it annoy you that much?”

“MAYBE.” Twilight grunted. She really and truly was a simple mare. She liked to read, to write, to practice her skills and hang out with friends. While she didn’t mind being appreciated for her accomplishments, worship, royalty, and an unusually supportive peanut gallery were a bit much. She had been looking forward to visiting Sul to learn more about magic, and was slowly regretting the decision.

“Tsk. You shouldn’t be afraid to let yourself be admired, dearie. It’s one of life’s few truly great accomplishments.” Rarity delicately bounced one of her purple curls as if she were showing them to a crowd, and Twilight sighed.

“It doesn’t feel great though! Stopping Nightmare Moon was my duty, not my goal! And that Ursa Minor would have hurt you guys and destroyed the town! I’m just doing what anypony would do…” Twilight shyly scratched at the ground with her hoof as Rarity pat her back.

“That’s admirable Twilight, but really! Most of the time you were the only one capable of doing such feats so quickly! Besides, part of feeling like it was a great accomplishment is being told it was! What’s a great accomplishment to you, Twilight?” Rarity asked, expecting something like ‘getting Celestia’s approval’, ‘taking care of my friends’, or ‘winning Dash’s hoof in romance’.

Twilight thought about it, Sul standing idly by and watching the mare curiously for her answer, when the purple unicorn smiled wide and looked up, “Finishing a really good book.”

“…” Rarity could feel her mind blank for a moment, “Of course dear.”

“A good book is truly one of life’s great pleasure.” Sul bowed her head in agreement, lifting up a book with her horn. “But wasting time with pointless banter is one of life’s greatest wastes.” Sul’s tone turned icy cold, making the two mares freeze up and stare up at her. “We are starting the lesson now. Get up on the disk and ready yourselves.”

Twilight and Rarity turned away from Sul quickly and climbed the stairs up to the floating platform. Twilight took a testing step, found it to be sturdily held in place, and walked out onto it. Rarity followed close behind. The top of the disk was reflective, bouncing both the colored light and the reflections of the two girls back as they waited.

It wasn’t a long wait. Sul appeared in a comfortably gentle flash of light just in front of them, eyeing the both of them carefully. “I am unaware of how Equestrian magic works, true, so your concept of control and mine could vary wildly. That said, when using the magic I’m going to teach you, you must exercise absolute caution. Clear your mind and senses of any and all distractions.” Sul’s horn glowed white. Twilight and Rarity watched curiously as a tiny ball of yellow light appears in front of them.

It was not your standard lighting and effects spell though. The closer Twilight looked the more she realized it wasn’t just simple manipulation of light. Her own horn began to glow while the ball of light slowly traced through the air, leaving behind a trail. She took a much closer look at the ball, and realized it wasn’t made of lights or wind or color or any of the things Twilight would have used. It was a complex mix of various elements that were super-heated and sucked into a singular heavy point that Sul moved in order to - sweet Celestia it was a miniature of the sun.

Twilight had to take a step back and reorganize her thoughts just to understand the implications. The amount of studying such a simple feature of the sky, the attention to detail, the massive amounts of power poured into it, and the ease at which Sul controlled it… “Something wrong?” Rarity whispered to Twilight. The lavender unicorn shook her head and didn’t speak, too fascinated by the spell to want to get interrupted.

Sul finished tracing an intricate network of lines that Twilight quickly recognized as a pony’s, specifically a unicorn’s, magic lines. With that, the tiny sun moved to where the heart would be and expanded. Having finished, Sul’s horn flashed brighter, and the air around the intricate line-drawings turned a bluish tint, forming a crude, ghostly body of a pony.

Sul nodded, satisfied with her work, and set the translucent body of the faux-unicorn in front of the girls. “We’ll begin the lesson with an easy spell: creating fire. Observe. From the heart,” the sun in the heart began to pulse, expanding and contracting rapidly, and white-hot points of energy began to run along the lines of the pony. “You must focus your anger.”

“Anger?” Twilight repeated, glancing from the show-unicorn to Sul. Sul looked back and stared at the two unicorns she was teaching, her eyes narrowing. The two of them seemed unsure, as if entirely unused to the emotion.

“Yes. Your anger. Any amount will do. You must summon it up. It can go straight from the heart to your horn, it does not need any other direction than straight forward. When it reaches the tip of your horn, imagine the object of your anger in the middle of a raging fire, whether it be an old enemy, somepony that slighted you even a little, or your current opponent, and stare at the spot you wish to ignite.” Sul’s horn glowed and the three of them looked upwards as, ten feet up, a small explosion of flames filled the air for a single moment.

Twilight and Rarity stared at each other uncomfortably, and Twilight gently waved a hoof to get Sul’s attention. “It has to be anger?” She asked, Sul’s expression growing more frustrated.

“Yes. Anger is the quickest and strongest catalyst for fire. No other emotion will be as effective, least of all sorrow.”

Rarity spoke up this time, “And you say we can imagine anything that makes us even a little angry?”

“Correct. You must wreathe it in fire in-”

“Oh! I’ll have to rethink then…” Rarity murmured, rubbing her chin. Sul sighed wearily.

“Is it really so difficult?” Sul asked with a little more bite in her voice than she meant. She had come to understand that Equestria was supposed to be a peaceful place, but she assumed they knew anger at the very least.

“Well, it kind of is. Not a lot makes me mad.” Twilight admitted, only to get a raised eyebrow from Rarity. “Okay, not a lot makes me mad enough that I want to set it on fire.”

“It can be simply harmless. You don’t have to imagine the thing dying, just on fire. It’s just something that makes you angry, not something you want to kill, as often as the two come together…”

“Still!” Twilight pursed her lips in frustration. She tried to focus on somepony or something that had made her angry, something she did not mind seeing surrounded by flames. By her side, Rarity seemed to have reached a conclusion and was eyeing the path of the lines the miniature sun was powering in their example pony.

“So focus your anger…” Rarity repeated slowly, drawing the sides of her mouth up tight. “Picture the target surrounded by fire…” She whispered, Sul nodding slowly to confirm each step.

“And pick your target carefully. You must focus on a single focal point, whether it’s a target or a bit of space separating you two, and allow the magic to erupt from that point.” Sul whispered, walking around slowly to watch Rarity as Twilight slowed her thoughts to see how her friend performed. “Do not worry about scorching my walls or windows, they’re enchanted to resist magic.” That reminded Twilight of something she’d wanted to ask about, but shelved it for the moment.

Rarity took a few moments to scan the area, then picked a target. On the wall across from them was a single imperfection in the walls, a simple chip in the stone, possibly caused by weathering, a misaimed book, maybe even a spell that had gotten too powerful, and it served as the perfect target. Rarity stared at it as hard as she could, willing her magically enchanted anger to the tip of her horn. With a release of her breath, let it go.

There was a tiny puff of smoke on the wall and nothing more.

Rarity stared at the spot, then stuck out her lower lip in frustration as Sul let out a low chuckle. Twilight hummed in thought, trying to take a guess at what was wrong, not noticing the smoke drifting towards her and slowly disappearing as it reached her body. “Well what went wrong?” Rarity asked Sul.

“Hn.” Sul looked Rarity over, “Your streams are fine. If I had to guess, whatever you pictured did not make you angry enough. What did you think of?”

“Well,” Rarity’s face turned a little red, “There was an incident quite a few years back where my little sister had spilled ink all over a dress I had spent weeks perfecting. I just pictured the dress and-”

“Were you angry at the dress or your sister?” Sul interrupted with a curious eyebrow.

“…” Rarity put on a guilty face. She was not comfortable putting her sister in that sort of position, no matter how clumsy the little thing was.

“Rarity.” Twilight called politely as she tried to remember particularly aggravating moments of her life. “What about at the camp we made on our first night of travel? You made a campfire with a match.” It actually surprised her Rarity hadn’t remembered it.

“That is true, dearie, but there’s a difference between making a fire with magic and expanding a fire with magic.” Rarity pursed her lips and went through her memories again.

“A useful talent in itself, especially when you learn to make it.” Sul noted. That seemed to make Rarity a bit happier.

“Ugh.” Twilight rubbed her forehead. There were dozens of ways in Equestria to make fire without anger. There were spells that ignited wood, candle wicks, but not empty air as far as she knew, and making fake fire with special effects did not count. She supposed they took their time and a little effort, having to make sure they went through the right motions, making sure they used the right material for the specific spell, expending the correct amount of energy… though she herself only ever really used the candle-lighting spell, she knew that grabbing a few Equestrian books would open her mind up to many other fire-related feats.

Though there was also the question of their regulation. Fire was… not popular with ponies for obvious reasons, so fire spells that passed inspection were so incredibly specific that not even her candle-lighting spell could be tricked into lighting wax-covered rope. Not to mention even gaining approval of using a fire-based spell had its own bureaucratic headaches since the potential for abuse was still there. ‘How do you plan to use the chosen spell? How many times do you think you’ll use it per day? Are the local buildings up to inspection code and have proper fire exit procedures? Are you willing to take full responsibility in the case this spell goes out of your control?’

Twilight looked over to Sul as the elderly mare talked to Rarity about the applications of a fire expansion spell. Even that spell had its huge magical bindings. A magically expanded fire in Equestria would only grow to a certain height and width, would not spread to other flammable materials, nor would it last longer than a few hours. It all made sense and made the fire fairly safe, and all the regulations and specifications made defending an accused unicorn in court incredibly easy if a fire mysteriously broke out and it was not the unicorn’s fault. Of course, it helped that there was a heavy magical suppression spell in place over Equestria to prevent unregulated magical fires from appearing. That was probably why some young, angry unicorn never discovered this wildfire in the first place.

It actually started to make Twilight feel rather uneasy about learning how to make wildfire. Uncontrolled flames could easily backfire and unavoidably spread where you did not want it to. The lightning spell she’d picked up from that first attack the day after getting out of the hospital was similarly dangerous. She wasn’t even entirely sure how she picked it up or how she knew how to use it but she did and she could. She hadn’t even been thinking about safety and regulations when she’d used it to collapse a wall on those magic-immune ponies trying to catch them.

Despite the danger, the spell had been undeniably useful at certain points. Twilight supposed wildfire could be equally useful, especially when warding away ponies. A degree of control had to be made of course, just as Sul had warned.

She blinked rapidly as a burst of light interrupted her thoughts. She saw the remainders of a ball of flame, not very big or very strong, untangle itself and drift off into rapidly cooling waves of heat. Twilight looked to Rarity to see a look of pleasure on her face. Sul nodded down at her. “A good improvement.” She noted, though her eyes were following the trails of distortion made by the suddenly heated air as they traveled to Twilight and disappeared.

“What did you think about?” Twilight asked Rarity. The white coated unicorn beamed with self-pleasure.

“Oh, you know, Prince Blueblood and that accursed Gala.” Rarity snorted heavily, stomping her hooves in agitation. “I can’t think of anything else that gets my blood boiling faster!” Twilight snickered a little, and Sul quietly approached Twilight.

“It’s your turn to show me, Twilight. Focus your anger.” Sul ordered. Twilight’s eyes widened, she’d been so caught up thinking about Equestrian rules and regulations she’d forgotten to come up with something that made her mad.

“Err, okay. Can I get a few moments?” The purple pony smiled nervously, and Sul let out a low, bothered sigh. She thought over her past to try and remember something that had made her angry enough to not care if it was on fire or not…

Rarity, meanwhile, was creating small balls of flame around the room. They lacked power, but had Rarity’s keen-eyed precision with each shot, appearing where she wanted them. It was actually getting easier with each use.

Twilight relaxed a little as something came to mind, but she could barely remember the pony that started the incident. “Rarity?” She called to her friend. “Do you remember-“ Rarity glanced over, horn glowing. Sul’s eyes widened as Rarity gasped, the spell releasing in an instant. A hundred little problems flashed through their minds at once as a spark appeared in Twilight’s face.

The spark flared, turning into a hot ball of flame right in front of Twilight’s eyes. In a panic, Sul prepared a cleansing spell at the tip of her horn.

Twilight blinked. The fire dissipated harmlessly in front of her, melting into an orange aura. The aura seemed to boil around her, flicking at the air and rolling along her body. Twilight remained untouched, but Rarity had her forelegs around the unicorn’s neck in an instant. “Twilight! I’m sorry I’m sorry I’m SO sorry! I hadn’t meant to be so careless!” Rarity whimpered loudly.

The orange aura simply flowed around Rarity’s grip and kept to Twilight as tightly as possible, slowly disappearing as the unicorn laughed nervously. “I-it’s fine Rarity, it is. I’m okay.” Twilight glanced down at her legs and watched the orange dwindle into nothing. “But… I haven’t seen that in a while… weird…”

“Twilight.” Sul spoke up, making the two unicorns look to her. “What was that aura you had?” She asked, a deep frown on her face as she inspected the pony in front of her, eyes glowing with magical power as she tried to see… something. Anything…

“I, well, it just became part of me when I got my horn.” Twilight gently touched the monster of a horn on her head with her hoof. “I don’t know much about it. It shows up sometimes, but I really haven’t had much of a chance to study it.”

When was the last time “the orange” had showed up? Last she could recall it had been just before she and Dash were whisked away to Laputa. She had been panicking. And before that, the first time the aura had manifested itself physically to ponies without magic, was when she’d been attacked by lightning. And now it appeared to block another spell that had been - accidentally - cast at her.

Twilight glanced back up to Sul. The elderly unicorn looked back down at her without a hint of curiosity. If anything, Twilight would say Sul was concerned. “Twilight?” She asked, as if her tongue was thick and dry. Her horn was glowing, and Twilight could feel magic surrounding her. The orange aura was quick to spring up around her, readily devouring the magic trying to hold her. “Does the name ‘Sellina’ mean anything to you?”

Twilight shot a look to Rarity. The white unicorn shook her head and frowned, so Twilight looked back to Sul with a confused expression. “No, I don’t know a Sellina at all.” She said as honestly as possible. The magic Sul was casting around her disappeared, and in time, so did the aura.

Sul turned around and started walking down the stairs. Twilight just barely caught the concern on the Archmage’s face before she disappeared from view. “Sul?” Twilight called after her. “Sul, I promise I’m being serious!” Twilight ran to the edge of the disk to watch Sul approach a bookshelf. She looked up and down the rows of books before a flash of her horn pulled one out.

Sul took it between her teeth and walked back up to the platform and set it in front of Twilight. Twilight barely caught the title before Sul opened it up with another glow of her horn: ‘Golding Royalty and Nobility’. The pages finally stopped flipping near the end, showing Twilight a picture of a mare.

Rarity approached to look with Twilight as she read. The text itself was in an entirely different language from Equestrian or Coltriellan, but what really got her attention was the picture of the mare. She was a gorgeous thing, showing a soft, reserved smile yet bright, intelligent golden eyes and a coat that could only be described as platinum. Her snow-white hair was curled, tucked, and bowed, allowing her bangs to hang just above her eyes. Two thin collected strands of hair ran from the sides of her forehead to where the hair was gathered in a bun at the neck. The mare must have spent hours on her hair and let it grow from a young age. Just beneath the bun the rest of her mane flowed freely along her back, much in the manner water flowed along a ridge. She was not decorated, she was not clothed. She had been groomed and her mane had been styled, but her natural beauty would outshine any piece of clothed or jewelry put on her.

And then Rarity noticed she had a horn and wings. A young Alicorn. “My goodness.” Rarity said breathlessly, feeling quite meek compared to this beautiful young mare. “Who is this?” She asked both Twilight and Sul.

“Princess Sellina, of Golding.” Both answered at once. Rarity glanced once more to the picture, and it explained so much at once.

“This is strange.” Twilight’s eyes narrowed as she read. It had information on her history and standing in Golding. “I’ve been reading up on Golding, Galio, and Firago, and none of the books I’ve found here even mention Sellina!” She read closer, scanning over each word briefly. “It doesn’t even mention a mother!”

Sul let out a low sigh as she gently touched the picture of the Golding princess. “It’s not known if she has a mother. Lord Galio simply gathered his servants one day and informed them he had a child, and little Sellina was there on his back. He did not want word to spread, but the nobility books had been updated.”

“Why would he not want other ponies to know they had a princess?” Rarity asked incredulously. “Surely such an occasion would call for nationwide celebration! An heir to the throne, a beautiful young alicorn mare taking her first tentative steps into the world! She should be treated like a-… like-… like a princess!” Rarity stomped her hoof.

“And how did you come across this information, Sul?” Twilight raised an eyebrow, flipping the book to the first page. According to the publication, it was first edition and on loan from the Golding Library.

Sul gave a tiny smile. “It was rather happenstance, actually. After the second war between Golding and Coltriella, I chose not to side with either one or the other. I was not an enemy to Golding and I had no grudges against them, so before To’Ao’Coltriella asked me to become his Archmage I worked in Golding just beneath Galio as a scholar. I personally wrote Princess Sellina’s entry and even had a hoof in raising her for a few years.” She spoke fondly, nearly rubbing the picture of Sellina’s back with her hoof.

“My.” Rarity blinked slowly. “So you knew Galio?” She asked. Twilight didn’t look up, and continued to stare at the page in thought.

“Quite.” Sul nodded.

Rarity hesitated for several seconds, then, “What is he like? What sort of pony is he?” She asked. It seemed like a logical question to her, knowing everything they could about their enemy would be useful.

Sul was quiet. The older unicorn closed her eyes slowly, lowered her haunches to the ground, and thought about it. Rarity watched her with curious eyes. Twilight glanced upwards at the sudden silence. “There is,” Sul started slowly, eyes opening, “a way to describe him accurately. Not entirely accurate, but the closest I could come up with. From when he is on a warpath to greeting his citizens, from when he is happy to angry…” She let out a slow breath. “When he walked, the thunder in the clouds rolled with him, announcing his presence with each step he took. When he talked, honesty and trust honeyed each word, keeping your attention with the purity of it. When he breathed, he sucked in the frigid winds of winter and let out the invigorating air of the summer, bringing life to his land and his people. When he became serious, the kindling in his heart turned into a raging inferno, filling his followers with warmth and inspiration. Yet when he stared…” Her voice faltered. She gulped audibly, “When he stared, the endless void stared with him, the dark chill of space spread over you, and reduced you to the nothing you really are before him.” She ended in a whisper, staring up at the walls as the memories simply flowed out into words.

Rarity watched the unicorn with some disbelief at the poetic detail she attributed to the Lord, but as she thought about it, the more it made sense. Were there any words that could truly describe Princess Celestia when dropped the personal act to let the true ruler of Equestria shine through? Was there even a string of them that could describe Princess Luna when she stopped being so gentle and unleashed her real strength?

She could call them both beautiful, majestic, powerful, and noble, but just like Sul considered Galio to be more of a force of nature and will, the Princesses’ attributes were simply too far beyond even the most perfect of non-alicorns.

“He was a powerful pony then.” Rarity concluded.

“He was one of the most interesting experiences of my life. He was a perfectly sane, normal, and even-tempered pony, yet every step and every fey mood he took spread throughout his castle to everypony that worked near him. Each day was rich, productive, and fulfilling underneath him because our work pleased him, and we knew it and we wanted to please him. Even the smallest smile was a treasured gift.” Sul glanced back down to them, her face no longer neutral or fraught with worry or annoyance. “One of my happiest memories to this day, one that I still don’t understand why, was the day he told me he was proud of the work I did and told me how much he liked the color of my coat. It was a short-lived conversation with his duties abound, but I was giddy for weeks after that. It sounds so ridiculous now, but to be complimented by him was so-”

“Fulfilling?” Rarity smiled a little as Sul calmly nodded. “Princess Celestia is very much the same way. She asked about a dress I’d been hard at work for a while at a gala she hosted, one full of the most upper-class, elite, powerful, rich, influential ponies, and oh my did she go on about it! She thought it had been made by Hoity Toity himself, special-tailored for me, but when I told her I was the maker she gushed with how proud she was of me and how beautiful it was and-” Rarity went on, unaware she was blushing at the memory.

“I hate to interrupt.” Twilight called, eyeing Sellina’s picture more closely. “But I have two questions. This picture looks recent.” Twilight touched the snout of the pictured mare and glanced up to Sul curiously.

“An enchantment, Twilight.” Sul stated as if it was blindingly obvious. “It updates to show her current profile every birthday. It changed six months ago, it will change again six months past.” Twilight huffed softly. “And your second question?”

“My,” Twilight lifted up a front hoof and waved it around her like she was swatting flies, “‘orange’ thing. This brought you to Sellina. What does it have to do with her?” She asked. She glanced back up to Sul. The Archmage’s mirth was gone, replaced, instead, with seriousness that Twilight could barely comprehend.

“You claim you have no contact whatsoever with Sellina?” Sul asked. Twilight shook her head and frowned. “You have no prior knowledge of her? Nor of Golding itself?” Once again, Twilight was shaking her head. “Well then. Sellina was noted from a very young age to have remarkable magical power. She did not cast through her horn, she cast through the environment around her, a skill that escapes even Lord Galio’s explanations.”

Sul calmly lifted the book up with a tug of her magic, filling Twilight’s eyes with Sellina’s image. She then went on, “Each unicorn’s magic has a unique coloration. There is no real reason for this as far as we’ve seen, it just is. The magical aura, however, is normally contained around the horn, since that is the implement of magic on a pony. Sellina was different in that her entire self was such an implement. Her unique magical coloration was orange.”

Twilight could feel time stop for the few ample seconds she needed to let the impact hit her. “Say what!?” Rarity shouted, one eyebrow raising high. “I don’t think I understand. Twilight has this Sellina girl’s magical aura?”

“A more likely explanation, in accordance to the power boost in your stories, is that Twilight has Sellina’s magic.” Sul slowly glanced to Twilight. The lavender unicorn watched those old eyes turn very hard.

“Whoa!” Twilight reared back a little at the accusation. “Hold on, how is that even possible? You can’t take another unicorn’s magic! Or an alicorn’s for that matter!”

“You can. It’s been done before” Sul walked towards the middle of the platform where the pony dummy was sitting, its fake magical core still pulsing with solar energy Sul lightly touched it with her horn, turning it a bright red. “It is a rare occurrence, and it is a very brutal one at that. Your magic comes from your very soul.” As she spoke, she created another small sun to design another pony, this one being bright blue. “To steal a pony’s magic, you have to use some very very dark spell work to rend another’s soul in two without killing the host immediately.”

“That sounds awful!” Rarity gasped, covering her mouth with her hoof as the second dummy was completed.

“It is.” Sul nodded. Using her horn, she divided the blue sun in half. “Dividing the soul in half is almost assuredly fatal. Almost. Part of the spell requires keeping the first half alive long enough for the transfer to be complete, otherwise the magical energy, and the soul itself, will peter out. If the victim is kept alive long enough, the second half can be transplanted into another pony’s soul.” The free half of the blue sun was moved over to the red-sun pony, and the two suns were pushed together to create a larger, purple sun.

“But I never even knew about Sellina or even magical transplants before!” Twilight insisted. Sul walked around the two pony figures, one with a barely alive blue sun and one with a boiling purple sun. “I couldn’t even perform those sort of spells! They sound too advanced!”

“I don’t doubt they were. Or, they were back then for you. This is part of what disturbs me. Here, where my will is absolute,” she waved around the sanctum, “I know that you are not lying to me.” She went back to the two magical figures and slowly formed a mist around their necks and flanks. The blue sun pony grew a curled mane and tail, the formerly-red sun pony grew completely straight hair. “Another concerning bit is your lack of disfigurement.”

Twilight’s tail stood up on end and she stared at Sul. Rarity coughed violently, “Disfigurement? Why would Twilight be disfigured?”

“The soul splice is not easy for even the taker. The victim dies, assuredly.” The blue sun went out in the transparent pony form. “While the taker’s soul is absorbing the piece of soul they took, the taken soul will violently and painfully change the body until it is fully integrated.” The purple-sun pony’s mane began to curl slowly as the blue was eaten away into nothing, leaving the pony’s mane and tail curled to a lesser degree than the blue-sun pony. “It attempts to remake its old home before it is fully absorbed, and the process itself normally takes a few long, painful days.”

Twilight gulped loudly before reaching up to touch her big horn, while Rarity eyed her fearfully. “Surely you can’t mean… I mean, I know it seems like such an amazing coincidence but there’s no way Twilight could have, or even would have taken another pony’s soul! We didn’t even know about this Princess Sellina mare! She couldn’t have taken her!” Rarity gently wrapped her forelegs around Twilight’s neck protectively, and despite the severity of the situation, Twilight gave Rarity, leaning against the other unicorn.

“And besides.” Twilight spoke up and leaned forward, bobbing her horn. “I got the longer horn, didn’t I? That’s kind of a deformation. I didn’t exactly come out of it normally.” She hoped this was enough to appease Sul, but the large mare did not look convinced.

“I will admit that I don’t understand alicorn souls very much, nor your own, nor Equestria as a whole, or even the circumstances surrounding the transfer and who it was done by, where it was done, why it was done, and what it was meant to accomplish. But judging by the way Golding is reacting and you having no idea how to handle the magic handed to you,” Sul paused, took a breath, and shut the book,“I can only assume this is all some very strange accident with some incredibly deadly consequences.”

Sul went back down the stairs to put the book back. Twilight and Rarity watched after her. Twilight rubbed her horn again gently, calmly wondering if this was all correct. Sellina’s horn wasn’t as strangely big as her current one was, did it just compound or something? It hurt her head to think about. “Sul, if I did end up getting a part of her soul somehow, would it make my horn bigger?”

Sul glanced up to Twilight, then back to the book she’d put away. “I wouldn’t know. I’ve seen a soul splicing maybe ten times in my life, yet the horns have never combined to create one new, solid length.” She climbed the stairs again, and leaned in close to stare at Twilight’s magnificent horn. “It hardly seems like there was a transfer at all, but now that I have the proof I am very sure of it.”

“Is it possible you could help her master the orange thing?” Rarity spoke up from the side, glancing over Twilight slowly as if seeing her for the first time. As far as she could tell there were no changes. Same skinny, lanky, purple Twilight she always knew. She walked around her friend slowly to confirm this.

“No. I knew little about Sellina’s magical ability when I’d first seen it, and I know even less now that she’s grown up. It has been a long time since I’ve seen Sellina. I mostly gather what information I can from Golding visitors, though they’ve become rather sparse recently.” She glanced to Twilight sadly, and the little unicorn gave a tiny sigh.

“I’m sorry.” Twilight apologized, gently rubbing her temple again.

“Don’t be.” Sul walked past her to the middle of the mirrored platform again. “Rather, let’s work on your fire spell, I’ve yet to see you cast one, Queen.” She sniffed indignantly, and hid a smirk as Twilight groaned.

----------

Fluttershy chewed her lip a little as she walked by Sabine. She felt rattled this morning, though with good reason. As happy as she was for Dash, she just couldn’t suppress those pangs of jealousy anymore. A part of her, a part of her she was not comfortable with, kept questioning why it was Rainbow Dash who got to spend the night in Twilight’s embrace. It didn’t seem fair… She was the one who took care of Twilight while her horn grew out, and the one who did her absolute best to rescue her from those lightning pegasi on the trip home…

… Though it was Dash who got imprisoned with Twilight, who escaped with her, who got blessed with her, who vowed to stay and fight by her side forever… Fluttershy gave another tiny sigh. She knew it was perfectly fair Dash got to win Twilight’s attentions. Dash would always be useful to Twilight, unlike the little mellow-yellow mare who denied learning swordplay in the Blade Headquarters.

Vega terrified her, she even terrified Dash, and Applejack, and Pinkie. But they stayed behind, and Pinkie had even kicked her just to prove she could be tough. Fluttershy ran. She was not confident, she was not strong, she was not-

“Hey.” Fluttershy glanced up as Sabine nudged her side. “We’re here.” The Coltriellan mare pointed to the house the six of them were currently calling home. Fluttershy stared at the house in silence. She would be here all day, alone, with nopony to talk to. At least back home her little isolated cottage was filled to the brim with her little animal friends. Even if nopony but herself was there she could speak to the animals she lived with.

Here? She would be by herself. Sabine had to go to the CYU, while she was left behind to stare at the walls or sleep. She winced, and turned to Sabine with a forced smile. “Thank you Sabine.”

Her smile felt way too plastic. She knew she didn’t even look halfway convincing, and Sabine only confirmed it with a small frown. “You alright, Fluttershy? You seem a little nervous.” Sabine leaned in closer, but Fluttershy took a step back and hid one eye behind her bangs.

“Yes I-…” She glanced back to the house. “… I’m fine. I really am. It’s just…” She trailed off in thought. She wasn’t sure Sabine would understand. “I haven’t been alone for a long time. I’m a little, well, worried. About the house that is.” Fluttershy quickly whispered.

Sabine cocked her head to the side, one ear twitching as she thought. “It would be a pretty safe place to be, what with it being the first ring and all. But hey, I sorta understand.” The brown mare smiled. “Hey, if you’re worried about being alone, why not come with me? The CYU is always accepting help, and there aren’t any fees or anything!”

Fluttershy had to admit, it sounded much more… safe? Safer than staying in the empty house. She gave Sabine a small, thankful smile and walked up to her side. The two mares started for the gate again. “Oh! Uh, one thing.” Sabine raised a hoof and pointed at the pegasus. “Do you like kids?”

Fluttershy gave her a long, slow blink. “Of course.”

It had been a long walk through five checkpoints, each progressively less difficult to get through than the last. Much to Fluttershy’s relief, it hadn’t been as bad as it was yesterday, since a simple flash of the royal seal on her papers were all the guards cared to check for before getting her through. That, and with Golding all but booted from Coltriella, and the hoo-hah of the Equestrians’ arrival died down, the checkpoints were much less time-consuming. Merchant wagons were let through without a thorough checking of the contents, ponies by themselves all but walked through without a fuss being made, and it just became easier and easier as they moved further from the palace.

With so many ponies out and about, Fluttershy couldn’t help but feel self-conscious. In the forth ring, the two found themselves in a sea of cloaked ponies, no where near as finely groomed as she was. It slowly became clear that bathing was more of a luxury than a requirement around here. She got a few looks, sure, but with a good amount of richer ponies present she was mostly dismissed as another shopper.

That changed in the fifth ring. There were no rich ponies mingling with the lower-class, there was only hats and cloaks. Many eyes went to Fluttershy the moment she emerged with the ever-perky Sabine, and they followed her as Sabine lead the way through the crowds.

Much to her embarrassment, the ponies often moved out of her way as quickly as possible, as if they were afraid to offend her. Fluttershy softly and politely apologized for each pony she accidentally nudged or walked in front of or that stopped for her, wondering if this was standard practice.

Finally feeling she caused enough of a ruckus on the ground, she spread her wings and took to the air, staying out of everypony’s way. “Oh, um, Sabine…” She called as she hovered just overhead. “I’m not sure, I mean, I hope I don’t offend you, but, I’m not sure it’s such a good idea for me to…? Because, well, I seem to stand out and ponies around here seem a little hesitant and-”

“Oh, relax, Fluttershy! Everypony here is as nice as can be!” Sabine smiled proudly at that as she approached the guard to the sixth ring.

“Morning Sabine.” He said gruffly, not even bothering to ask for papers. “Busy day, isn’t it? Seems like everypony alive is trying to work there way in and outta here.” He was a big, thick colt, with some dark hairs collecting on his chin and muzzle.

“Oi, you can say that again! Then again, I’m usually out of the fifth ring by now and working a district over.” Sabine conversed brightly. The guard looked past her, up at Fluttershy. The pegasus offered a nervous wave. “Don’t mind her any, she’s with me! Gonna be working on a playground today.”

“Glad somepony is. Jemit’s caught a bit of a Spring Fever and is dancing all over the sixth ring looking for a place to play. Go ahead on through, don’t let me keep ya.” He took an unnecessary step to the side to let Sabine and Fluttershy on through.

Sabine was right, they did seem pretty nice. Even if he did seem a bit suspicious of her, he didn’t call any attention to it. As Fluttershy was beginning to feel a little better, she heard him say to his partner, “Glad to see a Pegasus do something for us for once.”

She paused in mid-air, Sabine slowing down to look at her as Fluttershy glanced back through the gate. She hesitantly followed after Sabine, doing her best to ignore the stares of all the Coltriellans. The sixth ring was quite a bit dirtier than the fifth ring, and no where near as crowded. It was still hard to walk in a straight line, of course, but the extra room and the less ponies it had made it much more manageable for Fluttershy to land.

“Don’t let the ponies here get to you.” Sabine advised as they walked towards the remains of a few buildings against the sixth ring’s outer wall. “We’re a big earth pony country. Any pegasus born here are immediately put under the care of the palace. Pampered and all that. A few loud, snooty ones get the publics’ attention and suddenly everypony thinks they’re a bunch of snobs.”

“I-” Fluttershy stared at the ground as they stopped in front of the remains of the building. There were ponies working hard to pull the rubble away and load them onto carts to be pushed off. “I hope I don’t act like a snob…” She sighed softly.

An old mare with long, curly black hair walked over with a bit of a limp. She wore a coat and a hat, and had a good dash of tar on her ears and eyelids. “Sabine! Dang girl, I thought you caught something! You’re usually here bright and early!” The mare immediately glanced to Fluttershy, and her neutral look sank deeply. “Don’t tell me: you’re hunting for another sponsor?”

Fluttershy opened her mouth to explain herself, but was quickly interrupted by Sabine. “Nah, sorry Ma. I was visiting some new friends to make sure they got their wits about Coltriella. Y’know how it is for new ponies.”

Ma snorted, glancing back to Fluttershy and her wings. “Do I ever. So what’s this one want? Another play ground in the second ring for her litter to have for themselves?” The old mare sighed heavily, likely having heard it a hundred times before. Fluttershy’s face lit up with embarrassment, her wings flaring.

“Oh! No no no no, Ma, you got it all wrong!” Sabine rested a foreleg on Fluttershy’s back and gave her a firm squeeze, and Fluttershy gave Ma her best smile. “This is one of the friends I was showing around. She’s cool! She and a few of her buddies came here from someplace else, got that old woman Sul scrambling to keep them safe. Her friends are busy so she volunteered to come help us out here.”

Ma raised an eyebrow and lifted up the front of her wide-brimmed hat to get a better look at the yellow pegasus. She snorted loudly through her nostrils the entire time she looked the nervous Pegasus over. “Just to clear the air, between you and me, missy, this isn’t you sitting back and passing out nails. Have you used a hammer?”

Fluttershy hesitated at answering, struggling to choke out an answer. She gave a small nod. “Yes.” She said softly. She hated how weak she felt, how unconfident she could be. This was why she shouldn’t be here Even if she had volunteered she would just slow her friends down, no matter what Rarity had said before they left…

“What did you use a hammer for?” Ma persisted, accusation in her tone. Sabine gave Ma a displeased stare.

“W-well…” Fluttershy dug at the ground nervously. “I built a chicken coop with a friend’s help, and I helped that same friend put up a barn, and I like to build roosts and houses for the birds I take care of…”

“Hm.” The old mare grunted. “Screwdriver? Wrench? Saw?”

“Well, yes, yes, and yes, on the same things…”

“You realize this is dirty work? Dust, sand, dirt, rocks and all that? Gonna get those filly-baring hips and those perfect little wings of yours all dirty and messed up, y’know? If not because of the building, it’ll be because of the kids.” Ma jerked her head. There was some fifteen young colts and mares helping cart and carry rubble in-between bouts of playing and joking. They were incredibly active, and loud as well.

“M-ma’am…” Fluttershy blushed and nervously rubbed one leg with her hoof. “I don’t mean to sound rude, but, I work with animals daily. They aren’t very clean, and, well, I spent two entire days flying through a desert to get here and camping in the sand, so, I don’t mind dirtiness…”

Ma openly stared at the pegasus in front of her, then rubbed her chin and cocked it out at an odd angle. “Well alright then.” She shrugged, turning away to get back to work. “If you think you can do it, I’m not gonna stand between you and some honest work. If you need some make-up, it’s in the shade with the water.”

Fluttershy watched the old mare go to a wagon and help unload several long, metal bars, and the yellow mare looked to Sabine. “Make-up?” She asked, getting up to follow her friend to a bench set up in the shade of a building, where a large water jug had been set up, alongside a few small pails full of tar.

“Sun-block stuff. Keeps the light out of your eyes and keeps your ears from getting burnt.” Sabine dipped the tip of her hoof in a pail and reached for Fluttershy’s face. “Hold still, won’t hurt a bit!”

Fluttershy kept still and closed her eye as the black, sticky ooze was spread along her eyelids and on her upper cheeks, then repeated on the other eye. She bet she looked incredibly silly right now, being bright yellow with big black eye circles… like a raccoon. She giggled a little and kept her ears flat as more make-up was spread along the tops of her ears. The stuff was cool, and though the weight was unusual she barely felt the heat on her ears and face as she stepped into the sun again.

She was surprised at how capable she was of doing this sort of work. She supposed all those peculiar adventures they went on in Ponyville really helped her out. Not to mention handling all the animals gave her more strength than she thought she had. Oh, she couldn’t buck these boulders around like Applejack could, but using both her wings and her legs at once she could drag them around without straining her jaw as she used ropes to pull the chunks of old building along.

She and Sabine double-teamed most of the work. Ma, as old as she was, spent most of the time unloading metal beams and tools. The kids helped where they could, but got distracted easily and normally ran about playing.

And in time, Fluttershy started to feel less like a stranger as she got more and more compliments on her strength from the other nine workers, Ma included. She supposed she didn’t look like much coming in. She wasn’t dirty, she wasn’t muscled, she wasn’t big, and she wasn’t rough. She was dainty, clean, lean, and… compact, unlike most of the ponies here whose strength showed through height and width.

Despite the glaring differences between herself and the other workers, she shared in the workload as much as she could, and certainly did get quite a bit dirty. While she did spend a few moments checking a few chips in her hooves, she didn’t run off or ask for a break, usually accompanying Sabine to water up, have a few pieces of bread and cheese. Then it was back to work.

It was only when the area was completely cleared and Sabine called for another break did Fluttershy note how much time had passed. The bench had been moved to the other side of the mostly cleared lot to rest in the shade of the other building. The sun had crossed its apex some few hours ago, taking the day into its afternoon. Fluttershy was surprised. She had been working good and hard for several hours and she wasn’t anywhere near as tired as she thought she’d be.

She was sweating, achy, and wanted a shower, a nap, and a meal, but she wasn’t sprawled across the ground begging for a break. It felt good to be stronger than she thought she was. She couldn’t help but smile as she helped reapply some make-up to Sabine’s eyes and ears.

“Lunch break!” Ma called suddenly, staring up at the sun with a tired pair of eyes. “Anypony who’s hungry enough, go grab a bite to eat! If any of you are working for some brownie points, stick around.” She announced, prompting the other nine workers and the bundle of kids to stretch, chuckle, and head out. “Fluttershy!” The yellow pegasus paused as she sipped from her water cup to glance to the old Coltriellan. “It’s your first day, we don’t want you stressing anything. Why don’t you get something to eat?” The old mare offered kindly.

Fluttershy smiled sincerely, but shook her head. “I would love to, but I’m not that hungry. I’ll keep Sabine company and help where I’m needed. Thank you though, ma’am.” Fluttershy bowed her head in thanks, but got a swift whap on her ear for it.

“Oh don’t go bowing to me now, these old bones don’t need to feel any more proud than they already do. And it’s just ‘Ma’ to all my friends, honey.” Ma turned and walked away, taking care to not bother her old body any further. “Grab a snack when you need it you two!” She shouted before disappearing in the crowd.

Fluttershy let out a low breath, and smiled. Sabine nudged her ribs from the side. “There, see? Ma likes you already. And if you’re serious about work, let’s try and get the swing’s base installed. Grab a shovel, will you?” Sabine pointed to the load of tools resting against the wall.

Fluttershy did as she was told and joined Sabine in the middle of the grounds. The brown mare had a large spike gently pushed into the dirt and was smacking it with a hammer, breaking up the compact earth. She tugged the spike out as Fluttershy pushed the shovel into the dirt.

Sabine came back a few moments later with another shovel to help. “So.” The girl started, holding the shovel handle steady with her fore hooves while she used her back hoof to drive the spade into the ground. “This whole ‘mysterious foreigners from no where’ thing, I can dig it. No pun intended.” Sabine tossed a load of dirt to the side. Fluttershy’s heart skipped a beat. She could see where this was going. “I mean, it’s mysterious and all, kinda neat too. I mean, I guess I don’t have to know, it’s not like there’s anypony forbidden from being here. Anyways, like I said, I’m okay with it right now. But you have to level with me.” She pushed the spade into the ground. “Twilight Sparkle, that nerdy little purple puss, is a Queen?”

Fluttershy fumbled while driving her shovel into the ground, nearly sending the sharp tip skipping into Sabine’s shovel. She looked back up, eyes big and wide with panic, until she flattened into an incredibly bad reassuring smile. “Oh, no no no no! See, it was a joke! You know, uh… Haha! Twilight’s a Queen! How funny! Haha! Hah! Hahaha! Hah… Hah…” She coughed politely in the other direction while a cold bead of sweat ran down the back of her neck. “Oh dear, it’s quite hot out now, isn’t it?”

“So…” Sabine scooped out more dirt. “Twilight’s not a Queen? At all? The Belezians like to play their pranks but they normally aren’t that big on it…” Sabine pointed out politely, managing to look casual despite the possible revelation.

“N-not at all! Well not completely!” Fluttershy paused, using the moment to hastily, and powerfully drive the shovel into the ground, nearly burying the entire blade as she grinned in nervousness. Sabine had paused in her digging to watch the pink-maned mare suspiciously. “See, she’s only mostly not a Queen! Well, not mostly, but not completely either! She’s… She’s like a Queen because she, well…” ‘Think think think!’ “She has that magnificent, and, err, majestic, and maybe royal horn? And her regal, and, erm, powerful position and, um… Power! And she has the respect of many many ponies and… Uh… Uhm… Dragons! She has the respect of dragons!” Her thoughts raced quickly, “F-for instance! She has a baby dragon who loves and cares her very much!”

Sabine’s eyes widened, nearly filling her face with surprise. “… Twilight gave birth to a DRAGON!?”

‘ABORT FLUTTERSHY ABORT!’ “No no no! She’s just raising one because her mentor had an egg and she hatched it and raised it as her own!”

“… Twilight’s teacher gave birth to a dragon!?” Sabine asked, eyebrow nearly flying off her head it was twitching so much. Then she stopped. “Well, unless her mentor was a dragon, in which case Twilight’s mentor was a DRAGON!?”

“Noooo! No no! No! Not even-” Fluttershy was bouncing in place, trying to look for a way out. “Her mentor had an egg on hoof that had been abandoned for whatever reason and Twilight hatched it and chose to raise the baby!” She finally managed to articulate, taking a moment to catch her breath while Sabine calmed down.

“Oh.” Sabine touched a hoof to her chin. “So Twilight’s raising a baby dragon, huh?” Fluttershy nodded, smiling a little, happy to get the air clear. “And she most definitely is not completely a Queen?” Fluttershy hesitated, but still nodded. “Okay. Level with me one more time. Do you, Fluttershy, want to be Twilight’s Queen?”

Fluttershy could feel her eyes widen to the size of dinner plates. She knew it because she was very suddenly aware of everything happening in every possible direction at the same time. ‘ABORT ABORT ABORT ABORT-’

“I’m serious.” Sabine reached a hoof out to touch Fluttershy’s chin. “I’ve seen the way you sigh in her direction. How you look so longingly after her. Are you looking to be that special mare in her life?”

‘MAN THE DENIAL, ARM THE RIPOSTE, BATTON DOWN THE NERVOUS HATCHES-’

‘IT’S TOO LATE CAPTAIN, WE’RE ALREADY BLOWN INTO FULL-ON EMBARRASSMENT! SHE’LL BE SINKING ANY MOMENT!’

‘BLAST! LOOSEN THOSE JOINTS, KEEP US CONCIOUS! WE MUST REVEAL NOTHING!’

‘WE’RE GOING DOWN! WE’RE GOING DOWN! I ALWAYS LOVED YOU CAPTAIN!’

‘UP YOURS, SPINE!’

“Fluttershy?” Sabine asked with worry, gently nudging the twitching, prone pegasus laying in front of her. “Uh. Yo. Hey?” She leaned down and listened for breathing. Yes, the pink-haired thing was still alive. Sabine hummed in thought, then turned and walked off.

For a brief moment, Fluttershy thought she was safe and her dead-mare’s ploy had worked and made the violent predator turn tail in disgust. But no, she was not a lucky mare today. She was up in the air the moment something cold hit her face

Sabine stood nearby with an mug in her mouth. She dropped the cup and gave her a relieved smile. “Man, I thought I struck that nerve a little too hard! Touchy subject, huh?” Sabine asked with a chuckle.

Fluttershy stared at the ground with a big frown and wide eyes. She shook herself half-heartedly to dry off, then gave a heavy sigh. Sabine slowly began to match the frown. “Very touchy then?” The Coltriellan asked, and Fluttershy closed her eyes and nodded slowly. “Wanna talk about it?”

“N-not really…” Fluttershy sighed, grabbing a shovel between her teeth and guiding it with her hooves before striking it into the earth. “It’s… It’s silly is all.”

“Silly?” Sabine repeated curiously, moving over to grab a shovel and help.

“Yes. Silly.” Fluttershy murmured, ducking so low her hair hid her eyes perfectly. “Because it’s about a silly mare with silly desires who made a silly decision to love a taken mare.” The pegasus gave a little sniff, and drove the shovel in harder.

“Just talk to me Fluttershy. You love Twilight?” Sabine asked, as comfortingly as possible. There was not a bit of judgment in her voice, none that Fluttershy could pick up.

“Yes.” Fluttershy answered without emotion, but she couldn’t hide the quiver in her eyes..

“But you’re worried she and Rainbow Dash have a thing.” Sabine continued. Fluttershy gave a tiny, heart-felt cough and dropped the shovel.

“Shoot.” Fluttershy muttered a little louder, picking up the shovel again.

“Yes then?”

Fluttershy let out a long, low, sad sigh, and this time willingly let go of the shovel. She took a seat on the sandy ground and pressed a hoof to her forehead. “I see it. Rarity sees it. Applejack sees it. Pinkie sees it… they care for each other very much. They’d fight for each others’ lives, and wouldn’t dare abandon the other, or hesitate to help. I’m…” Fluttershy looked up. Sabine felt her heart sink at the look on Fluttershy’s face. “I’m not as good as Rainbow Dash.”

“Don’t tell yourself that!” Sabine said hurriedly, setting a hoof on Fluttershy. “There has to be plenty you’re good at! None of your friends have even suggested anything bad about you! Heck, every time Twilight sees you she’s all smiles!”

“They’re nice.” Fluttershy rubbed her forehead again with her hoof. “Very nice. And I’m very thankful for that. But I’m just not as good as they are. I’m slow, I’m scared, I’m shy…”

“You didn’t hesitate to fly in and attack that jumpy pony attacking me, Twilight and Dash.” Sabine pointed out, checking over the mare. She was a mess of tensed muscles and tight nerves. She was scared. She was sad. She was just a little bit angry…

“I wasn’t…” Fluttershy paused in thought. “I wasn’t really thinking…” That was true… she just saw the colt, and in a flash, dropped him with one of her more potent neck-massages. But it was just a dumb massage, not a real attack…

“So?” Sabine smiled and rubbed Fluttershy’s back. “Your body jumped in to help before your head did. That says something! You were helping your friends!”

“I guess…” Fluttershy sighed, unimpressed. Sabine chewed her inner lip in thought.

“You’re just going to give up on Twilight like that?” Sabine pressed, hoping to get the pegasus to keep speaking. “I mean, you helped save her life. You’re here helping her out, even though you clearly don’t want to!”

“Nopony else with me does either.” Fluttershy mumbled.

“Still! You said you’re slow, scared, and shy, but you’re here with them! Just…” Sabine bit her lower lip. “Why are you giving up? I mean, you like her, don’t you?” Anything to keep Fluttershy speaking and not just slump over.

“Of course I do!” Fluttershy looked up suddenly, looking Sabine in the eye. “She’s nice, she’s brave, she’s strong, she’s smart, she cares for me and looks out for me, likes to try new things with everypony, has fun doing it too… And she’s so thoughtful and helpful. When she’s around, when she tells me she believes in me, I believe her…” Fluttershy stood up, but her eyes slowly fell to her hooves. “I feel strong around her, because she thinks I can do something right when nopony else does. She helps me succeed, and is always smiling and keeping close the whole way.”

“Then why not pursue her?” Sabine prodded. Fluttershy calmly scraped at the rock beneath them with her hoof.

“I can’t do that to her. I can’t do that to Rainbow Dash either.” Fluttershy sighed heavily once again, eyes shutting. “It’s unfair. They should have their chance together. Dash cares about her, she cares about Dash. It’s their choice, and it’s not right for me to go mess it up.”

Sabine felt the side of her mouth twitch. “You know for sure Dash likes her like you think she does?” She tried, but got a very stern stare from Fluttershy.

“I have known Rainbow Dash since we were little fillies! I’ve never seen her so happy with another pony. She’s not treating it like a thing, she’s careful and supportive of Twilight the whole time. She wants to make it work. Dash is my best friend, I can’t go getting between her and something she loves. It’s unfair… It’s better I just stay out of the way.” Fluttershy turned to head for the shade, staring at the ground the whole time.

“… That doesn’t mean Twilight’s off-limits though.” Sabine walked after her after a few moments of thought. Fluttershy paused and turned her head quietly to give Sabine another stern look. It was a very treacherous look, that suggested all manner of stern talking-to’s if you didn’t explain. “She’s still your friend, Fluttershy, you can still hang out with her and stuff.”

“All that would do is make me like her more!” Fluttershy sniffled loudly. “It’s better if I just don’t-”

“No it is not.” Sabine rounded on Fluttershy, standing in front of her as stonily as possible. “What will she think if you just stop hanging out with her? She clearly likes you and thinks you’re her friend, so kindle that! Be her friend! Be her best friend! Support her, love her, care for her, you could even tell her one day! Just don’t abandon her. It’ll hurt her as much as it’ll hurt you.”

Fluttershy stared at her for a long time, but her eyes fell quickly to the ground. She pawed at the stone once again. “I can’t…” She whispered.

“Why not!?” Sabine demanded, exasperated, watching Fluttershy’s wings flex, extend, fold, flex, extend, fold…

“I’m not…” Fluttershy whispered. “I’m not confident. I-I would get worried I’m in the way again, and I’d mess up and hurt us both, or hurt her and Dash. I can’t live with that. I don’t want to risk anything…”

Sabine took in a slow breath through her nose as she got a brilliant idea, a wickedly brilliant idea that would end in either hilarity or tears, depending on how the night went. “Look, you have to take risks in life, it’s the only way to improve things for yourself! If you’re still so worried about hurting her, that you’re not confident enough to stand up for her and yourself, then I know the perfect cure. It’ll make you braver, open you up, open Twilight up, and you two can, y’know, grow close! You don’t have to hurt Dash with it, but you can be Twilight’s good friend that way. There are few positions as sacred and rewarding as ‘best friend’.”

Sabine tensed, watching Fluttershy slowly look up. The yellow mare’s mouth was a tiny ‘O’, and as unsure as she seemed, Fluttershy slowly leaned forward. “A cure?”

Sabine bobbed her head rapidly, her smile huge. This could go well. Or it could go horribly, but Sabine was sincerely praying it would go well for her, Fluttershy, and Twilight. “Yup. A cure.”

Fluttershy looked around slowly, and then looked Sabine in the eye; a promising sign. “What is it?”

“Come out drinking with me and Twilight tonight.” Sabine nodded her head promptly. Fluttershy stared at her for several long moments, blinking sparingly in either deep thought or complete disbelief. Sabine could live with either/or, as long as the answer was-

“I don’t know…” Fluttershy stared down, this time at her hooves as she nervously rubbed her front legs together. “The last time I drank-”

“Was something that you shouldn’t start with anyways. Coltriellan Cactus Juice isn’t treated as alcohol, it’s more of a hallucinating drug. No side-effects. Well, none on you. Anyhow, you should definitely come with us. We can start light, get you buzzed and comfy first. Y’know, get you out of the shell some. Then when you can start talking freely, we get some heavier stuff! The good stuff that makes you laugh and want to dance and sing! When we make it there, it should be smooth sailing. You and Twilight can just, y’know, talk! I can even play moderator and keep you two from doing anything raunchy!”

“Oh.” Fluttershy blushed a little. Then her blush grew a lot hotter as her eyes widened. “Oh. That doesn’t sound like a good-… maybe…” Fluttershy’s eyes darted around as she tried to sort her thoughts, and then she pressed a hoof to her forehead. “You’ll… You’ll keep us safe?” She asked Sabine. She didn’t look scared anymore, but her eyes were full of trust. Sabine knew she couldn’t let even one little kiss slip through.

“You have my word, Fluttershy, that you and Twilight will remain in the friend zone.” Sabine nodded, holding up a hoof. “But! You will have to match Twilight, drink for drink. You two will be talking and laughing like no other. Just, when you get home, tell Twilight you want to go drinking with us and that I invited you along. If she turns you down, I’ll bring you as my guest and let her sit and bluster. Deal?”

Fluttershy stared at the ground for a few moments longer, then lifted her head up and nodded. “Deal.”

----------

“Slash!”

Dash shifted her upper-body quickly, turning her head just enough to let the sword swipe through the air with ease.

“Turn!”

Sweat poured down her face and dripped off her chin, her whole body feeling baked as the sun refused to relent so high up above. She spun on her hooves, her back hooves rising and cocking into position.

“Kick!”

She thrust her back legs out, feeling them connect with the flour bag she was practicing on. Something in her back left knee pinched, and with a pained shout she lost her balance on her front hooves and fell face first into the ground.

“Turn! Twenty!”

The voice was directed at her. Dash shot up onto her front hooves, her back leg still shaking from the pain as she began to do push-ups. Beside her, Applejack swept around, her movements no longer sure and fluid from the exhaustion. Dash rose up and down, counting out loud as she watched Pinkie Pie stumble in her turn, just barely managing to catch herself.

“Upper cut!”

Pinkie and Applejack bowed meekly and lifted their heads up high, their blades slicing trough the flour sacks again until Pinkie collapsed on her front next to Dash. “- nine, ten, eleven -” She muttered with each shaky rise and fall.

“Backstep! Twenty!”

Pinkie lowered her body and lifted onto her front hooves. Her eyes were closed, her face fur stained with sweat as slowly she started lowering herself painfully close to the ground. Dash got up to her hooves reluctantly, taking a step back with Applejack as she blinked away the perspiration collection on her eyelashes.

“Slash!”

Her blade sliced horizontally once again, for what must have been the four-hundredth time that day. Applejack swung wide and couldn’t keep herself up, hitting the Hold’s floor with a rough grunt, her heavy blade spinning away from her mouth as she sucked in her breath.

“Turn! Twenty!”

Dash turned around, and suddenly her head felt very light. Her vision blurred, she spun off balance, the whole world leaning in one direction as she fell the other, and she grunted painfully as she fell on her side. Applejack laid still, groaning in pain as Pinkie made it to eight and collapsed pitifully.

“Up! Twenty!”

Dash weakly got to her front hooves, slipped, and laid still as her whole body shook. Tired. So very tired. She raised a hoof and tried to pull herself up, managing to get on her front two hooves and do one push-up before collapsing again. “Damn…”

“Girls! UP!” Vega shouted nearby, trotting over to them. Pinkie opened her eyes slowly and looked up to their instructor pitifully. Vega stared down at her, then Dash, then Applejack, then glanced to the sun. “Shit.” The big mare sighed. She walked over to Applejack and kicked her sword back over to the mare. “I’ll hand it to you, you’re a tough group of bitches. You wanna get up and go for round ten or is that enough?” Vega raised an eyebrow.

There was a collective groan to answer her question. Dash was pushing herself up, her legs wobbling the whole time before she got to her hooves. She watched Vega attentively, as if waiting for her next order, but Vega walked over and gently nudged Dash’s side. The pegasus immediately tipped over with a grunt.

“Hah!” Vega rolled her eyes and used her front hoof to roughly pull up the three ponies. “You kids are persistent, I’ll give you that, just don’t have the muscle to back up the balls! Pack up girls, that was a good first day.” Vega nodded dismissively and started walking back to the headquarters, leaving the three exhausted mares alone.

Dash watched after her as the High General went inside. Shakily, she pulled her head up to try and rouse herself, and Pinkie Pie immediately fell over by her side. “I don’t wanna move anymore!” Pinkie wailed, rubbing her throbbing legs together.

“Drivin’ us inta the ground…” Applejack clumsily made her way to Pinkie Pie and nudged her back with her head. “C’mon Pinks, let’s get home. We can rest and get water and never ever move again.”

“Never move…” Rainbow Dash repeated almost worshipfully, helping Applejack lift Pinkie up onto her hooves. So much practice. So much swinging, jumping, push-ups, and kicking. Dash was sore as hell, and her legs were screaming for her to give them a break. She pushed past it though. No point sleeping on the hard ground.

Pinkie wearily made it to her hooves and the three pressed in on each other for support. “I thought learning to fight with a sword would have less kicking…” Pinkie groaned, taking slow steps with the other two towards the exit.

“I usually like kicking things.” Dash growled. She puzzled out how they would get home. She knew the way back, it wasn’t a complicated trip, her worry was that they were in the third ring and they needed to be in the first ring to get to bed. That meant two gates had to be passed through, and there’d be a good bit of ground between the second gate and the first gate.

If Dash had her wings, she’d just fly there. Or go find a cloud. Or hang out on a roof top. And throw racial slurs at agoraphobic squirrels while humming Caneighdian Dandy in a top hat…

“Ow.” Dash lifted her muzzle from the ground and groaned in pain. Another dizzy spell. Fun.

“Jeez Dash, I’d think you’d be sittin’ through this easy-like.” Applejack moved to help Dash to her hooves, and the latter nodded in thanks.

“Ah got watcher call ‘dee-hai-dray-shun’.” Dash snorted, and earned a good nip on her ear for that. She winced, but took the pain.

“You ain’t gonna get any water or help fer that matter if y’all keep that up.” Applejack bumped her side and lead the way on home.

“Lay off me.” Dash grouched, taking careful steps this time to not slump over again. Applejack rolled her eyes. Dash always got grumpy when she was tired. She probably needed some food. Heck, they all needed some food. Even Pinkie’s hair was drooping from the lack of energy.

“Oh my!” The three girls turned their heads as one at the surprised voice. Rarity, tailed by Twilight, broke through the crowd, both baring a worried look. “What did that boor do to you three!?” Rarity quickened her trot, Applejack managing to smile as she hobbled a short ways to meet her.

“I thought harvestin’ season was a work out, ain’t got nothin’ on Vega…” Applejack mumbled just loud enough to be heard. She expected a hug, or a worried coo, but instead she felt her hat get pushed off her head and around her neck. She opened her eyes and gave Rarity a pout as the latter started stroking her mane. “Rare…”

“Oh no, look at all of this dirt!” Rarity choked back a sob of horror. “Sweaty, split-ends, tangles and knots! Oh my poor sweet Applejack!” Rarity wrapped her forelegs around the farm pony. Applejack groaned in annoyance, but accepted what she could take.

“Thanks fer the concern…” She managed to keep the sarcasm out of her voice.

“Not a problem dearie, but I will certainly have to spend some time on you at home!” The fashion pony declared. Applejack’s eyes opened wide and she started to weakly wiggle in her grip. “Oh, it’s so bad you’re shaking? You poor thing, Ill have to give you the extra special spa treatment!” Rarity bobbed her head.

Applejack gave a vocal whimper, making Twilight grin. Dash had her eyes closed and was rocking back in forth in place, trying to keep her balance, whereas Pinkie watched with amusement. Very tired amusement.

“I don’t- I- I’m fine! You don’t need ta- please Rarity!” Applejack looked up to her with big, pleading eyes. “Please don’t! I don’t think I can bare another minute o’ torture! Anymore ‘n I’m gonna die, Rare!” Applejack’s lower lip quivered.

Rarity just huffed. “You are clearly delirious! Passing up my treatment. The very thought of it!” The white unicorn - horn hidden - sniffed loudly. “It’s much worse than I thought. Ah! I have the perfect idea.” Rarity bobbed her head, Applejack wailed unhappily. “I shall bathe you personally, soothe these pained muscled of yours, then work out this mop of a mane!” Rarity fussed with the blonde’s hair.

“Rarity!” Applejack begged in her grip. “First ya try an’ kill me, now ye’re tryin’a humiliate me? I-I don’t need the help Rare! I just need a bed ‘n-”

“Of course,” Rarity interrupted, “I’m none too clean myself at the moment. I will simply have to join you in the bath.”

Applejack paused. The other three girls stared at them, Pinkie raising a hoof to her mouth to keep from laughing as Applejack unwound immediately. “Join me?” She repeated.

“Of course! I will be able to tend to both our hygienic needs at the same time.” Rarity confirmed with a little smile.

“But…” Applejack took on a look of curious innocence, “We’ll be all wet together ‘n…”

“Oh as if it matters. Please Applejack, it’s just a bath.” Rarity squeezed her little farm pony close and shot Twilight the most smug grin she could, making the other unicorn hang her head to hide her laughter. “I promise to take extra special care of these big, aching, bulging muscles of yours…” Rarity whispered into Applejack’s ear.

Applejack shivered in joy. “Well… If it’s the only way fer us t’get better…” Twilight just matched Rarity’s grin.

Twilight finally walked past the two to meet with Pinkie Pie and Rainbow Dash. Pinkie Pie was holding herself up just barely, but she managed to smile at Twilight. “How did that thingy you did go?” She asked around a dry tongue.

Twilight chuckled. “It went fine. We may have learned something really important though, when we get to the house I’ll tell you all about it.” Pinkie nodded at that. Twilight felt something nudge her side and she turned to see a particularly exhausted Rainbow Dash resting her head on her back. “Hi Dash.” She whispered calmingly.

Rainbow Dash sighed against her side and closed her eyes. She didn’t say anything, she kept her head on Twilight. As the purple mare looked close, she could see just how tiring the whole thing must have been. She couldn’t guess the ordeal they went through, but even Dash was shaking in her horseshoes…

Twilight wasn’t an incredibly self-conscious pony. It didn’t matter to her what a few strangers thought of her, so long as she accomplished what she set out to do. That was why she didn’t hesitate in the slightest to pull away from Rainbow Dash, duck underneath her, and lift her up onto her back.

Pinkie squeaked as she stared, forming a big smile as it became Applejack’s and Rarity’s turn to stare. Dash’s legs wiggled in the air as she was carefully adjusted on Twilight’s back, and she shot the back of her friend’s head a glare. “Twilight, what do you think you’re doing!?” She demanded in a low, tired voice.

Coltriellan ponies of all flavors were stopping to stare at the sight as Twilight used her hooves to calmly adjust Dash until the pegasus was laying directly on top of her. Twilight smiled up at her, not caring about what the others thought. “Giving you a ride home, silly!”

“This is embarrassing!” Dash insisted in a low growl, feeling strangely peaceful up on top of Twilight. Still, the less rational, incredibly thirsty part of her mind raged at being treated so childishly. “Lemme down.”

“At home.” Twilight nodded. She knew Dash would be grouchy. Of course she would, Dash preferred to do everything herself. Not that Twilight cared. She’d make her take the ride. “Pinkie, Applejack, you two can walk alright?”

“Yeah.” Applejack mumbled, still blushing as Rarity let go of her.

“I can make it.” Pinkie wiped her forehead.

“I can too! Let me down!” Dash grunted, trying to squirm her way off but failing. “Seriously Twilight, I’m fine!”

“You collapsed on the way here.” Applejack pointed out.

“Okay, I’m thirsty! Just let me down!” Dash squeezed her eyes shut and stopped moving so much. She started panting, mumbling a few unintelligible things here and there and finally just accepting it with a groan.

“Is she alright?” Twilight asked Applejack worriedly, glancing back to Rainbow Dash.

“She hasn’t eaten all day is the problem.” Applejack sighed. Rarity walked over and calmly adjusted Rainbow Dash to make her more comfortable.

“She gets nippy when her blood sugar’s low. Come now, let’s go home. I have a bath to take.” Rarity looked to Applejack slyly, while Applejack managed an adorable smile.

The walk home was slow, but nopony minded. Pinkie and Applejack picked their steps carefully, resting against the walls at each checkpoint, but they remained in good humor. “I never thought swordplay would be so energetic! You use your whole body to fight! Front hooves, back hooves, forehead, Ha’Jin’Vega even said she used her teeth more than once to get an upper hand in a fight!” Pinkie explained rapidly to Twilight as Dash snored quietly on the lavender mare’s back.

“- nearly blew up Twilight’s face with it!” Rarity told a nervous looking Applejack.

“But that glow she got stopped it, right? Gracious Rarity, is it really such a good idea t’be learnin’ ‘bout fire all a’sudden? Fire ya make by bein’ angry?” Applejack asked while keeping close to the unicorn. She was still sweaty, she smelled like dirt and salt, she was sticky and unkempt and all around nasty to be around at this state, yet Rarity, the daintiest of them all, insisted on keeping side-by-side with her.

Rarity smiled. “Well, it’s true it could just, I don’t know, go off if I lost control of my magic even briefly while I’m mad, but come now Applejack! I have excellent control, and I wouldn’t dare try to hurt anypony while I’m angry.” She smiled triumphantly. It was true, Rarity did have good control. She just didn’t have Twilight’s power.

No, she was glad she did not have Twilight’s power. That fireball she’d created would have blown out the stained glass above the learning circle if it wasn’t enchanted. Rarity had always thought flames were beautiful, their colors and their dance, and comfortable with their heat, but…

'He was just some stupid boy who pushed me into the mud all the time…' Twilight tried to explain as Sul stared up at the ceiling. ‘I-I wasn’t that mad at him! I only wanted to make it small!’

‘You’re very in touch with your emotions, Twilight.’ Sul noted, glancing down at Rarity, who was hiding between her legs for protection. The shield around them faded into nothingness, but Rarity was still stunned by the noise the explosion had made. ‘And your magic is abnormally strong. A lethal combination.’

‘I-I meant to make it small…!’

When the spark of Twilight’s first combustion spell appeared, Sul was quick to place up a barrier around herself and Rarity. Rarity had no idea what was going on until the sound of fireworks exploded by her ears, and the roar of rushing flames washed over the barrier keeping her safe. In the middle of the inferno, flashes of red, orange, yellow, and white swirled around her dangerously, pressing against the barrier like it was trying to find a way in, all while the scream of the flames kept burning in her ears.

When it ended, when the barrier was lifted, Rarity was on her stomach, shaking as her ears rang. The heat was intense, almost unbearable outside the shield, but it went away quickly. The smell of fire was still present, and the tingling scent of ozone in her nose told her to leave, and leave quickly.

‘We will have to work on it then. Rarity, go downstairs and study. Do not cast any fire spells.’ Sul had ordered. Rarity complied shakily, barely noticing the sorry look on Twilight’s face.

She did what she was told. She studied a few magic books on the shelves, but she barely learned anything between the explosions and roars above her.

“Twilight and I will have to spend some alone time together to help her tone down her own spell work, though.” Rarity mumbled out loud to Applejack. She did not fear Twilight. That would be ridiculous, she knew Twilight too well for that. She was just worried about the untamed power she had in her.

“That bad?” Applejack winced as they stepped back into the sun.

Rarity didn’t speak right away. She looked left and right, then up, then cocked her jaw and hummed. “… Did you know explosions are terrifying?”

“I have a pretty good idea, yeah.” Applejack gave Twilight a calm glance. “She’s not gonna go crazy with it, will she?” She watched Twilight bounce her sleeping passenger on her back and giggle with Pinkie as the two kept a close eye on Dash.

Applejack envied Dash. She wanted a cute little unicorn to ride on-

She glanced to Rarity, then eyed her back. “Don’t even think about asking me.” Rarity ordered with a serious look. Applejack met her eyes and did her best to give her the sweetest, pleadingest face she had. Normally, Applejack would be against cute, but she was desperate to get off her legs. “Applejack, you can pout as much as you want but I am a lady of class. I carry my sister and that is all!”

Applejack let go of the cute face and stared at Rarity sourly, but softened as she realized what would be waited for her at home. She picked her hooves up a little faster.

----------

Dash cracked her eyes open just a little as she heard the commotion. All at once she remembered her earlier work-out, and all the soreness in the world hit her limbs at once. She scrunched her eyes shut, her stomach rumbled dangerously loud, and just nearby there was another burst of giggling.

Momentarily, Dash felt like the worst she’d ever been in her life. It was such a bad idea refusing breakfast this morning. All the butterflies in her stomach tricked her into thinking she wasn’t hungry. She needed food. She needed something to eat now. She lifted her head up, but her neck popped and she flopped down on her pillow again.

She blinked and reached a hoof up delicately to touch the pillow. She didn’t remember getting home… did she pass out and get taken to a hospital? Oh that would be embarrassing. How would she explain to Twilight? And when she did, Twilight would get that motherly look and try to lecture her and-

Wait, hadn’t Twilight carried her here? Dash turned over to face the other bed in the room. She didn’t know what she’d been expecting, Twilight wasn’t there. Had that scrawny little unicorn really carried her the whole way here? Dash groaned again. What a disaster. She must have looked like a total wimp…

She was supposed to be protecting Twilight. She was the Guardian! She wasn’t supposed to be carried around on her back like some baby! Some Guardian she was. No wonder they had to bring the other four along, somepony competent had to keep an eye out for Twilight.

Dash felt a bitter taste in her mouth. What if they’d come here alone? They’d have been captured by Golding the day before. Twilight would be dead. Maybe they’d both be dead. Because Dash was weak. Because she couldn’t remember to eat. Because she worked herself to the bone and exhausted herself.

Twilight didn’t need her. Twilight needed ponies with some common sense. Twilight needed Applejack and Rarity, Twilight needed Pinkie Pie and Fluttershy. Dash was just a pointless addition. She’d been caught up by accident, introduced to Anemone’s plan by accident, she’d taken up the Guardian mantle by accident.

‘You’re a failure Rainbow Crash!’

‘You’re going to smear all across Equestria!’

“Hey, don’t worry.” She heard from the other side of the door. Dash lifted her ear. It was Twilight’s voice. “I know you can do it.” Dash’s laborious breathing calmed. The door opened and Dash watched Twilight walk in. She was smiling. She looked so pleased with herself. Who had she been talking to?

“Ah! You’re awake!” Twilight beamed. She smelled positively delicious. Like cinnamon and bread, and potatoes… Dash blinked and finally noticed the plate on Twilight’s back. “You must have really needed that nap, you seem a lot more alert.” Dash winced.

“Uh. Yeah…” Dash muttered. Twilight didn’t seem to notice her distress as she walked closer and turned, helpfully setting the plate of food in front of Dash, and a glass of water on the nightstand nearby. The pegasus lifted her head and took a closer look, leaning in for a better sniff. There were two buttered bread rolls with a dusting of cinnamon and some powdered sugar on top, and a baked potato with all the right fixings steaming on top of unwrapped tin-foil.

“We decided to pick up a late lunch rather than make anything. All our cooks are,” Twilight suppressed a laugh, but not so much her grin, “well, they’re occupied at the moment.”

Dash began to feel a little better as she smelled the food and drank greedily from the water cup. The promise of a full stomach was more than enough to lift her spirits. “Right.” Dash took a bite of her potato, and her eyes rolled into her head as she tasted the cheese, the ranch, the butter! Lots of pepper, little salt, it was perfect. “Who made this?” She finally asked, lifting her head, her eyes a lot brighter now that she was eating.

“A nice old mare named Magdalene. She runs a little grill just outside the third gate. I told her exactly how you liked it and she put it together, no problem. It’s good?” Twilight inquired with a bright smile.

Dash just nodded, hungrily, and messily ate the potato, skin and all. She didn’t care about the taste of the outside, she just needed to eat. “‘ou ‘ow how ah ‘ike mah o’a’o?” She asked around a mouthful of it, somewhat surprised.

Twilight nodded. “It’s how you order all your potatoes. We grilled out at Applejack’s at least once a month, and you two always got into a fight about salt and pepper.”

Dash raised her head and looked positively serious. “She always adds too much salt! She’s crazy!” Dash snuck her head down and finished off her potato with a few big bites. When she swallowed, she let out a happy little groan. “That was good…” It impressed her a little that Twilight remembered that. Then again, the egghead always did have a mind for details… ‘Surprised she hasn’t noticed what a loser I am without my wings…’

“Good!” Twilight smiled, leaning forward to gently press her snout to Dash’s cheek, affectionately pecking it. “I’m glad.” She wasn’t sure why she’d done that.

Dash froze in place, blushing hotly as she stared down at her plate. She briefly glanced to Twilight, then chose to cover her burning cheeks with her hooves. ‘I’m the luckiest loser alive.’

“Hey, just to let you know,” Twilight spoke up, making Dash glance up. Twilight’s tail was nervously wiggling behind her, “I’m still going to go out drinking with Sabine tonight. Would you like to come along?”

Ah yes. Drinking. Dash stretched out a leg and winced in pain, then carefully curled back in. She was still sore. “I don’t think so.” Dash sniffed at the dessert roll on the plate and took a nibble. It tasted like something Pinkie would make. “I can barely move. Not to mention go get drunk? Ugh. I’ve seen what it does to a pony.”

Twilight gave a short chuckle as Dash gobbled up the rolls. “It’s not that bad. Everything goes loopy a bit, but Sabine said it’s not so bad after a little training.”

“Know what else is supposed to happen after a bit of training?” Dash asked with a raised eyebrow. Twilight stared at her curiously, and Dash stretched her neck out, and swiftly twisted it. CRACK!

Twilight almost jumped in fright as Rainbow Dash reached back and rubbed her sore neck with a groan. “Yeah, see? A day of practice isn’t going to keep my neck from doing that, four drinks isn’t going to stop you from going loopy.”

Twilight stuck her tongue out at Dash, still cringing from the noise. “Trust me, I’m not going to overwork the alcohol like Vega overworked you. I will be safe.” Twilight smiled promisingly and leaned down to kiss at Dash’s neck, making the pegasus squirm.

“Somepony could walk in and see you doing that.” Dash warned in a low mumble. Twilight just smirked.

“I’m not worried. I’ll be back in just before I leave to make sure you’re alright.” Twilight smiled all the brighter, but Dash just sighed.

“If you absolutely have to.” The blue mare teased, rolling her eyes in an over-exaggerated fashion.

“Trust me.” Twilight snickered. “I have to.”

Before Twilight had the chance to turn away, Dash reached up and held her still with a hoof to the unicorn’s chin. With great struggle, Dash sidled up to Twilight and leaned over to give the mare a small kiss on the cheek. “Good.” With a triumphant flop onto her pillow, Dash turned over and began to snore.

Twilight had a difficult time suppressing the blush on her cheeks when she walked out, but she never really cared who noticed or not.

----------

“Alright Fluttershy. Here’s your big break.” Sabine smiled encouragingly from the foot of the Gardet Home’s stoop. “You can go ahead and go on in. Ask Twilight. Y’know. Aaannny second now.”

“I-I know, I know…” Fluttershy whispered for what must have been the thirtieth time now. Fluttershy stood at the door and stared at the knob with mind-bending intensity. This door was the only thing separating her from a night with the mare she loved, and it was proving an incredibly defensive opponent. The knob itself gleamed almost smugly, as if mocking her affections, daring her to push it open and embarrass herself in front of Twilight. The door stood like an impassable brick wall. An impassable brick wall made of wood. That was actually a fairly passable door. Made of wood. Not brick. Or walls.

Ordinary wooden door. And a doorknob. A smug doorknob. A smug doorknob that was mocking her. Mocking her because she had feelings. Well nuts to it! What would that doorknob know? It didn’t have feelings! It didn’t have feelings at all! How dare it mock her feelings!? It didn’t understand what she went through! It didn’t know! It had no right! NO RIGHT!

“Fluttershy?” Sabine asked, noticing the way Fluttershy’s eyebrows slowly knit together and her eyes widened. Her pupils shrank to pin-pricks as she glared at the sinister doorknob of the Gardet House. Her wings rose upwards, stiffening in defiance of all that the doorknob represented.

The door to the house fell inwards.

“… Fluttershy!?” Sabine squeaked as the pegasus calmly walked over the door and into the house. The shy little yellow pegasus glanced up at the table and found herself in the middle of the attentions of both a very surprised Twilight and Rarity, in the process of overfilling a cup of tea. They didn’t notice the drink spilling across the veneered wooden table top.

“Oh.” Fluttershy slowly glanced down at the door she was standing on. A blush crept across her face as she realized what a terribly… silly… thing she’d done. “Oh my.” Realizing she let a panic attack get the best of her, Fluttershy promptly locked up and keeled over, stiff as a board.

Rarity and Twilight continued to stare at Fluttershy, both wondering what brilliant chain of events lead her up to this scenario, when the answer chose to walk right on inside. “Hello hello everypony!” Sabine called with a friendly smile.

“Sabine!” Twilight stood up, a shot of nervousness and excitement running through her in an instant. She glanced back to Fluttershy and walked forward, leaning down to politely help her friend up. “Good to,” she lifted up with a grunt, but Fluttershy stayed stiff on her back, “see you both. What happened?”

“Being honest here, I have no idea, but I think she may have actually stared a door into submission.” Sabine walked up to Fluttershy’s head and began rubbing her face. “Hey, Fluttershy, wake up!”

“Please!” Rarity pushed herself between the two. “Twilight, take Fluttershy to the kitchen and splash her with some water, cold as you can get it.” Rarity nodded to Twilight. The lavender unicorn trotted to the kitchen as Rarity turned back to Sabine for a little interrogating.

----------

Fluttershy sat in the kitchen, miserably dripping cold water from her hair as Twilight toweled her down. “Sorry.” Twilight whispered again, giving Fluttershy her best apologetic smile while she dried her.

“It’s okay.” Fluttershy whispered, shivering a little as Twilight run the towel along her head. She didn’t mind. It really was okay. The only reason she was shivering was because Twilight was being as gentle as she could in toweling her off. She liked it. “I understand.”

Twilight just nodded slowly and pulled the towel away when she was confident Fluttershy was dry. She smiled at the pegasus and sat down in front of her. “So what got you all worked up? You seemed pretty confident with yourself coming in.”

Fluttershy meekly hid behind her own hair to hide her blush, and the tiniest of smiles. “Oh. Nothing.” She whispered. She’d excited herself was all. Excited herself and made herself look like a fool. Twilight didn’t seem to care though. And it wasn’t all bad… It got her a towel-down by Twilight.

“No? Nothing?” Twilight cocked her head curiously. Fluttershy chastised herself for not telling Twilight the truth. She needed to tell her if she was going to get close to her. Going to be her friend. Her very close friend.

“I-it’s…” Fluttershy stammered, trying to stymie a smile. “It’s just that… maybe… could I… possibly…” She gulped loudly while Twilight leaned in, a smile forming. “Well, you’re… you’re going out drinking so… maybe… could I join?” Her voice went into a high squeak, and the red showed through her yellow coat as she blushed.

Twilight leaned back, glancing upwards in thought. Fluttershy sat still and watched with big eyes, hoping hoping Twilight would say yes. She would hate to come along despite Twilight’s wishes. “Are you sure you’d like to come?” Twilight asked. She did not look hesitant to accept, just a mite worried. “That cactus juice got you pretty smashed.”

Oh yes, that was true. What Twilight didn’t know was that, as crazy and weird as it had been, Fluttershy had had fun. For once she hadn’t felt so exposed being out in public, and she hadn’t cared about who saw her dance, or-… Sabine was on to something. “Yes. I mean, yes I know what the juice did, and it wasn’t bad. It was,” she smiled a little, “it was fun. I would like to try it again. With you. Or friends in general.”

“Well…” Twilight pressed her hoof to her mouth in thought. “Dash would kill me if anything happened to you, but I’d feel a lot more comfortable if you were there. A familiar face would add a little life to it.” Twilight nodded, and Fluttershy grew an excited smile that stretched from ear to ear. “And besides, I still need to treat you to something for watching me while my horn was growing.” Twilight winked.

Fluttershy didn’t care about that, though she still smiled happily. As long as she had the chance to go out and spend some time with her. Get confident. Just talk. Get close. Be friends. That was all she wanted. She was still smiling as she followed Twilight back out.

Telling everypony they would both be gone that night had been interesting. From worried (“Oh you brave little thing! Do be careful?) to excited (“Drink an extra few for me guys! Be sure to have fun!”) to outright refusal (“Y’all’re lucky I can’t get outta this bed and get my rope!”) and to inattentive (“zzzzzz…”), the girls said their goodbyes or meekly struggled to try and lasso them in.

Twilight had also insisted they wear some form of disguise to cover their heads a little, so they stopped by a clothing shop and bought Twilight and Fluttershy a pair of overcoats, hats, and some eye make-up. Sure their coats would still stand out some, but they’d blend in much easier in a crowd.

“Alright.” Sabine started, leading the way. They were going into the second ring, taking a long walk towards the market side. “It’s still sun-up so we’re going to be starting with the easy drinks. I mean it. If you order anything higher than eighteen-proof, there’s going to be trouble.” She was sauntering as she spoke. She was a lower class pony in an upper ring, and she was getting a few of them to stare after her.

All the while, Twilight was flicking her ears as they kept bugging her about the tar on them. While they kept her nice and cool, her ears did not like having the protection. She did her best to ignore it but she was failing. “What do you mean ‘trouble’?” Twilight asked from behind.

“If you start light and slowly build up to hard, you’re going to take it a lot easier during the night and the morning.” Sabine grinned back at the girls. “The tough stuff won’t burn your mouth and you’ll be numb enough to handle swallowing it. I won’t get you guys too hammered tonight, but I’ll let you sample some of the really good stuff. Oh!” She whirled around, and raised a hoof warningly at the girls. “Don’t accept drinks from anypony else, no matter what they look like. You want to know what you’re drinking, otherwise you’ll wake up on the palace roof with a box of stolen lampshades and about four dozen muffin tins.”

Twilight and Fluttershy stared at Sabine as the Coltriellan turned and went off. The two Equestrian girls looked to each other, then back to Sabine, then caught up.

Fluttershy pulled off the whole ensemble nicely. She looked like a sweet, shy, lower class mare blessed with a few different colors. She was getting all sorts of attention from other ponies, despite being covered up. She didn’t notice. All she cared about was the two ponies around her right now. “Sabine?” Fluttershy called, just barely reaching her ears. “Did… did you wake up on the palace roof with a box of stolen lampshades and four dozen muffin tins?”

“Three times.” Sabine admitted rather proudly. Fluttershy looked somewhat horrified. “With a different flavor of each muffin too! First morning was blueberry, the second time I had cranberry, but the third had chocolate chip! Drunk me is finally narrowing my favorites down.”

“This,” Twilight quietly moved closer to Fluttershy, as if defending her, “this is a common thing for you?”

“No, not really. It normally happens during holidays.” Sabine stopped in front of a large, very nice looking building that was advertising a ‘ladies’ night’ on it. Twilight read that drinks would be thirty-percent off for all mares attending, and realized Sabine probably planned this. “Well here we are! C’mon girls, let’s grab a booth by the walls. I want some peace tonight.”

The inside of the bar was not what Twilight or Fluttershy had pictured. They were used to the small town bars of Ponyville and Apple-loosa, with a single bar, a few tables, a jukebox against the wall…

Marinious’ Dining Hall was a little more than advertised. It was a massive building on the inside, being bigger than probably all of the buildings in Ponyville. It had several parts: the area up front they’d just walked into was casual dining and drinking, with a few ponies grabbing dinner and getting a bit buzzed while the bar nearby maintained a steady flow of cheap, light alcohol to the patrons. Beyond that was the dining hall itself, a huge open middle area with around thirty tables set up in a lowered, tiled area with pretty chandeliers and candle stands lighting them up, and a gigantic bar being staffed by three ponies in the back. Next to it was a high-raised platform with stairs leading up to it, a VIP area with its own bar and a few bouncers keeping it in check. Opposite of the raised area, past the dining area in the middle, was a lowered area that was much darker, but had interesting neon lights flashing about, a dancing area, and another bar serving much harder drinks while the music shook the place with a steady, leg-moving bass. It was an expensive, and judging by the number of ponies gathered, popular bar for the upper class.

That was why a few of the ponies looked surprised to see the coated and fedora’d Sabine walk straight up to the Maitre d’ just by the door. “Well well!” The waiter raised a curious eyebrow, smiling in a very pleased manner. “If it isn’t little miss Sabine! I haven’t seen you in a week, I thought we lost you.” She said almost affectionately as she hopped down from her seat to greet the girls.

“Please, like you could keep me from your selection. Nah, I’ve just been busy with the CYU.” The two hugged briefly, and then Sabine turned to point at Twilight and Fluttershy. “Hal, these are my friends, Twilight Sparkle and Fluttershy - don’t ask about the names, I have no idea. They’re foreign.” Sabine winked at Hal, who’s eyes lit up with intrigue.

Fluttershy and Twilight both moved in closer to each other with a worried look passing between them. “Ooooh, spicy foreign or bland foreign?” Hal said in a loud whisper, watching the two mares close.

“Mysterious foreign. No idea where they come from. They’re pretty clean-cut but they got some freaky stuff going on about them.” Sabine nodded, and Hal suppressed a laugh. Twilight winced at the accuracy of the statement.

“You always did have a thing for mysteries, Sabby.” Hal smirked and looked back to the two foreign mares. She approached, graceful and beautiful with her solid white coat and golden hair, and gave them both Twilight and Fluttershy a low bow that made them blush. “A friend of Sabine’s is a friend of mine. Welcome to Marinious’, esteemed founder of our greatest brewery in Coltriella. My name is Haliburinae, daughter of Sir Gazafa Perini, Keeper of Second Ring Affairs, and I will be serving you tonight.”

“Twilight Sparkle.” Twilight smiled in embarrassment as she extended a hoof, and Hal took it without so much as a second thought. “Uh, I’m not allowed to say too much about myself, but I am a student of Sul.” Hal suddenly paused the hoofshake.

“I’m Fluttershy.” The other pony whispered by her side, low as she could without being missed, but Hal didn’t notice her. She was still staring at Twilight. Hal slowly backed away next to Sabine.

“She is a student of Sul?” Hal whispered, staring straight at Twilight’s forehead. Sabine was rubbing her own forehead, as if a headache was coming on. “She has no horn.”

“Alright, um, Hal, I need you to ask you to trust me.” Sabine calmly lowered her voice and stuck her snout in the waiter’s ear, while Twilight squirmed in discomfort. Did she already screw up? “Yes, she is a unicorn, she’s just hiding her horn. She is cool, and calm. She won’t hurt anypony.”

Hal raised an eyebrow and slowly looked Twilight over. “You’re sure about that? Aren’t these witches supposed to be good liars?” Twilight wasn’t sure what a witch was or what she meant by it, but she did not like the name.

“Trust me Hal, I’d know if she was bad voodoo. She saved my life with her magic, she’s trustworthy.”

“You’re positive she is?” Hal persisted. Sabine nodded quickly. “Absolutely?” Another nod. Hal then very slowly approached Twilight with a serious expression on her face. Twilight shrunk down, feeling about an inch high. By her side, Fluttershy got to all four hooves, getting herself ready to defend her friend. “Okay, listen here Twilight. I don’t know two things about ‘magic’ or whatever tricks your sort pulls, but Sabine trusts you. Let’s be clear on this: there will be no magic, whatsoever in here. Understood?”

Twilight lowered her head a little, hiding her eyes behind her hat. She felt Sabine press to her side comfortingly. “Yes ma’am.”

“Good. If anypony even suspects you’re trying to do anything, I will have you escorted out. I don’t care if it’s an emergency, leave any troubles up to us and us alone. Clear?” Hal continued to watch Twilight seriously.

“Yes, Hal, it’s clear.” Sabine said flatly, lifting Twilight’s chin up. “She’s a good girl, don’t you go pointing hooves at her. Now can we please get seated?”

Hal continued to eye Twilight for a few moments, but stopped when she noticed the glare she was receiving from the other mare. Despite being so quiet, that yellow mare had a glare that could knock a door off its hinges. “Alright.” Hal turned and began to lead them through the tables.

Twilight felt worried, as well as a little victimized. She’d heard that unicorns did some pretty rotten things during the war, but she didn’t know the sentiments ran this deep. “Hal, can we get a spot in the top section?” Sabine called ahead. “Like, a booth specifically.”

Hal turned back briefly to grin at Sabine. “Yeah, I can get you three in. All the booths are supposed to be reserved for tonight but Andercrom wants the corner booth all to himself again, so I can just trade a few tables and clear it up for you three. You owe me though.”

“Are we talking ‘A Night in Lom’ owing you or ‘Hader’s Tryst’ owing you?” Sabine had a growing smile. Hal’s tail raised up just a little in excitement. Both Twilight and Fluttershy noticed with some confusion.

“Let’s start with Lom and if things end up in Hader’s, well, who am I to complain?” They were walking to the stairs of the VIP area, and the bouncer at the bottom stood aside to let them through.

“Hey Sabine.” The huge pony grunted.

“Hey Din.” She came up after Hal, Twilight and Fluttershy moving as quickly as they could to get by the big, sour-looking colt guarding the stairs. “That’s right, you and your boy toy had a falling out?”

“That ass was in it for the family’s money.” Hal mumbled, leading them straight to the corner of the section. The tables here were even better than downstairs, with premium tablecloths woven with beautiful, intricate patterns, candle stands made with solid gold and silver, the silverware embroidered with lovely designs, the plates big and painted, and the bar was manned by the most gorgeous mare Twilight had seen outside of the princesses. “And Bastion is concerned about taking our relationship out of the friend zone, so I’ve hit a dry spell lately.”

“Well shoot.” Sabine smirked as they stopped by a big circular table in the corner, surrounded by comfortable looking cushions. “If you just came out and told me you needed a pick-me-up I would have called in sick for a day.” Twilight and Fluttershy both slid into the seat, both blushing a bit but watching the scene with intense fascination as Sabine and Hal talked.

“Oh but Sabine, could you imagine the scandal? Me, an upper ring princess dirtying my tongue on the hide of a lower class worker? My family would be a laughing stock!” Hal faked terror and embarrassment.

“What, again? I thought you were a laughing stock when your dad’s pals caught us in your room with that broom handle.”

“Not to mention when daddy caught us in the garden on that ladder.”

“Didn’t your neighbor find us on the roof with eight tubs of chocolate frosting?”

“No, they caught us there after the guards found us underneath a restaurant table with the apron and the spoons.”

“Oh oh, right! But it was still before your uncles found us in your family retreat with the dog collars and the riding crop.”

“You forgot we also had the two-hundred feet of rope and the bucket of Charlemagne.”

“It wasn’t Charlemagne, it was two bottles of rum, four flasks of whisky, and a tub of cherry ice-cream.”

“That was an awful idea.” Hal sighed fondly.

“Why? You were the dominant one for once.” Sabine rolled her eyes, while Hal gave a goofy smile.

“Heh. Yeah… anyhow, you girls enjoy your drinks, mind the rules, and don’t mix drinks unless you’re looking to make new bed fellows. I’ll be around when I can but tonight’s looking busy.” Hal walked off and Sabine slid into her seat.

Twilight didn’t notice she was staring as her head tilted slightly to the side. Fluttershy didn’t notice she was chewing through the table cloth in nervousness. Sabine nodded promptly. “So, yeah, that was Hal. We’re best pals.”

“U-u-uh-huh…” Twilight just continued to stare at Sabine. Part of her was disgusted that Sabine so openly discussed her relations with a mare in front of ponies she barely knew. Another part of her, the one that wasn’t a whiny little bitch, was tempted to ask for further details and possibly advice.

Fluttershy was completely quiet, her imagination swimming with thoughts. Swimming with terrible, wonderful, hot little thoughts that a good mare shouldn’t have. No matter where you were or who you were with. More than once she quietly glanced to Twilight, but she couldn’t form words.

“Anyways, let’s get started on drinks. Marc!” Sabine turned her head to face the mare behind the bar. The gorgeous blue mare smiled prettily at Sabine and came to the edge of the bar to listen. “I’d like a round of martinis. Low-key stuff! Let’s save the goofing off for nighttime.”

“Of course, Sabine.” The mare smiled perkily and started putting together the drinks. The mare behind the bar was fluid grace as she worked, not letting any amount of movement go to waste on being bland and boring. Even Fluttershy stared.

“You seem pretty well known here.” Twilight finally ventured to point out. Sabine was scanning over a menu left on the table when she answered.

“Yeah. Comes with being a regular. The staff here is pretty well-trained, but I think they like to relax when they’re serving me. I’m no stiff, just give me drinks and we’ll be best buds.” Sabine’s goofy smile made Twilight chuckle a little.

Fluttershy stayed quiet as the two discussed the place. The Dining Hall was nice. Clean, pleasant, open. There were a good number of ponies sitting back, relaxing and drinking, but they were all spaced out in their own individual groups. The girls wouldn’t be bothered. It was a nice thought, but Fluttershy still felt uncomfortable.

They were still in a completely different setting than normal. They weren’t in calm, quiet Ponyville, where every resident was familiar with each other to an extent that Fluttershy felt she could bare to do her shopping by herself. They were in big, sprawling, loud Coltriella, a place that, up until a week ago, she had no idea existed.

On top of that, she was sitting right next to Twilight. That part wasn’t so bad, but no matter what came to mind, she couldn’t well up the courage to voice it. What could she talk about anyways? ‘It’s a nice place.’ ‘Why yes it is Fluttershy!’ End. ‘What are you going to order?’ ‘Not sure yet, gimme a moment.’ End. That wasn’t conversation, that was just… talk. Small talk. Very bad small talk.

What would Rainbow Dash do here? ‘Well,’ Fluttershy thought, ‘if I was Rainbow Dash, I would discuss the training I did and ask how hers went, and when she opened her mouth to speak I would grab her and throw her onto the table and kiss her so hard I’d-’

Sabine waved her hoof in front of Fluttershy’s face while Twilight quietly nudged her friend. “Fluttershy? Fluttershy!” They both called as Fluttershy stared at the table with a giant blush and a twitchy eye. “Marcelle!” Sabine called to the bartender as a second drink was set on the bar. “Speed up those drinks, somepony just went catatonic!”

“I always said you moved too quickly for most ponies.” Marc clucked her tongue as she quickly mixed the third drink and came around with a serving tray. “You were bound to scare somepony. Honestly Sabine, rugged charm only gets you so far.” The pretty bartender smiled as the wide-brimmed glasses were passed around. Twilight smiled thankfully, and received a sultry wink from the girl.

“I wasn’t planning on sleeping with these two! I had to make a promise and everything.” Sabine helped tip the glass to Fluttershy’s lips. Fluttershy immediately took a sip, and her ears shot up straight and stiff. She finally broke free of her spell and stared at the glasses’ contents. “There you go. Is it good?” Sabine asked.

Fluttershy politely bobbed her head and took another sip. Then a mouthful. She regretted that. Her eyes began to water as the alcohol burned her mouth, and she swallowed it all with a cough and a gag. Marcelle looked amused. “You are not used to alcohol I’m guessing?”

“N-no. That was my first one.” Fluttershy whispered, sniffing the glass. It had a strong scent, but if you drank it slow it tasted good. “Well, first one I knew about…”

“Tsk.” Marcelle’s smile grew, and her happy face seemed to light up the corner significantly. Twilight could see why this bar would be popular. Not only was the martini good, but the pretty lady who served it was quite a thing to look at. She’d never even realized she found mares attractive until she watched Rainbow Dash sleep on her. “I’m so glad to be your first then. I’ve spent many years perfecting my art, and I am satisfied to impress a first time drinker.”

Fluttershy just nodded slowly as Twilight finished her glass. “I haven’t had much alcohol before myself.” Twilight mentioned idly, nodding her head to her glass. “But that was really good! I can’t wait to see what else you have to offer!”

Both Sabine and Marcelle beamed. “Sabine, my friend, you have picked a real winner. My name is Marcelle, vice president of the Coltriella’s Bartender Association and server during royal gatherings, as well as the wife of the Blade’s Coordinator.” The graceful mare bowed low, earning a similar bow from Twilight.

Remembering her lesson from earlier with Hal, Twilight introduced herself. “My name is Twilight Sparkle.” She took a moment to think of how to properly title herself. “Queen of Laputa.”

Marcelle let out a giggle that reminded Twilight of wind chimes in a soft breeze. “Oh, you! It is impolite to make fun of another culture’s traditions!” Marcelle said with playful admonishment.

“I’m sorry.” Twilight said honestly, still smiling. “Can I buy a drink to make up it up to you?”

“Not for me, no, but for yourself and your friends? Certainly. Come to the bar, let me show you my selection.” Marcelle turned around breezily, her slender, tight dress waving softly as Twilight followed with the most goofy smile. Even Fluttershy was staring after the dream-girl’s flank.

She stopped, though, when an elbow nudged her side. She glanced up to Sabine, who pointed to Twilight subtly. “C’mon Fluttershy, this is your chance!” She whispered. They watched as Marc showed Twilight the many bottles of alcohol she had, explaining their differences, tastes, textures, the ways she could serve them… Twilight looked fascinated beyond belief, and drank in every word as she sampled a few of the drinks. They could see her enthusiasm growing. “We’re all here like we planned. Just talk to her! Be pals!”

“I-” Fluttershy stopped and stared down at her half-full glass. She promptly grabbed it, downed it, and let out a choking breath as she stomached it. “I’m just… a little…”

“Unconfident?” Sabine finished, lightly rubbing the pegasus’ back through her coat. Fluttershy lowered her head to hide her eyes. “Listen girly, I promise you and Twilight are going to talk by the end of the night. Not just little stuff either, I mean a big ol’ conversation. You just have to tell yourself that Twilight’s your pal and won’t mind anything you do. Once we get enough booze in the both of you, you should be chatting away! Okay?”

Fluttershy stared down at her hooves for a few seconds, but then she started to nod. “Okay. I’ll do it. I can do this.” Fluttershy whispered to herself, gently pushing the empty glass to the side.

“Sabine!” Both girls turned to see Marcelle very caringly nuzzling Twilight’s head with her cheek. “I don’t know where you found this one but I like her!” Twilight was blushing, and trying to not smile like a loon as Marcelle bathed her with attention. “Such a delight! I have met few ponies so interested in my line of work! You will keep this one safe and keep bringing her with you so that I may treat her.” Twilight slid back into her seat, looking on with bliss as Marcelle happily deposited another trio of drinks on the table and beamed.

“You keep bringing the drinks out and I promise I can turn her into a regular.” Sabine nodded as she examined the glass in front of her. It was brown, with an orange tone. There was a lemon slice in the edge of the glass.

By her side, Fluttershy took the glass, slugged down the contents, and set it back on the table, fighting the burning on her tongue. Sabine and Marcelle both just stared at her. “I know you’re trying to overcome your shy dealie, but you could at least savor the drink first.”

“Please?” Marcelle asked with big, pleading eyes. Fluttershy whimpered. She thought alcohol was supposed to make you not care what other ponies thought. “I spend all day perfecting my drinks, watching them go to waste just puts lead in my heart.” Her head drooped in sadness, and Fluttershy gasped.

“I-I’m so sorry!” She reached out to touch Marcelle’s neck, not noticing the contact with the beautiful mare. “I hadn’t meant any disrespect! I’m just trying to, I don’t know, make myself less shy. I really think you do some very good work.” Fluttershy nodded. Marcelle beamed once more.

“That is what I like to hear. Thank you. Sabine!” Marcelle turned to face Sabine. “Bring them both. The more cute mares I have to serve, the better my nights go.” She calmly nuzzled Fluttershy until the latter was practically melting in embarrassment and warmth.

“Don’t worry Marcelle, if the drinks stay this good I may come on my own.” Twilight sipped what Marcelle had served her. Alcoholic, clearly, but nice and bubbly as well. Just beyond the bitterness was a hint of sweet that made her ears twitch.

“Please, Twilight, you may call me Marc. The both of you may call me Marc and-”

NEW FRIEND ACQUIRED
MARCELLE THE BAR BUNNY
+2 Friendship Points!

“- it will be an honor to serve you both. Place your orders however you please, I shall get them to you post-haste.” With a turn and a wiggle of her gorgeous flank, Marcelle returned to her place at the bar to continue mixing drinks.

The drinks kept flowing. Slowly. Each glass was replaced with another small glass of something light to drink. Marcelle was a skillful server and never pushed them over the edge with the amount of alcohol in them. Fluttershy remained quiet while Twilight and Sabine chatted, savoring her drink rather than slamming it down at Marcelle’s request.

The drinks were good. Once she got used to the initial burn she began to enjoy them even more. The alcohol was light enough that she was still coherent though, and she wasn’t feeling any braver. Maybe it had been a lie…

“Marc.” Sabine suddenly called over her shoulder. The yellow-haired bartender looked up with a curious smile. “What’s the time?”

“It’s getting to be about seven o’ clock.” Marcelle answered. Then, as if realizing what was going on, she took out a few large bottles full of dark liquids and started putting a few glasses together.

“Good girl!” Sabine turned back to her friends. “Sun should be falling soon! Now we can move onto the good stuff.” Sabine grinned.

Fluttershy calmly wondered if “good” meant “better at making your mouth open”. She had barely joined in on the conversation Twilight and Sabine were having.

“- but I haven’t ever thought of doing something like that in a pillow fort.”

“Hal started it! It wasn’t difficult to convince me to get into it, we just had to keep the noise down to keep her family from poking their noses in. When you get that close to a mare and had a few drinks, things just come together naturally.” Sabine smirked.

What could she say? What would she say? That it sounded nice? Fun? Embarrassing? She lowered her eyes to her current glass and tried to hide a disappointed pout.

“So if it was that confined, how’d you do it? Be specific, I haven’t ever been… intimate before.”

“Alright, well, first we started to kiss, right? Well, rather than make things difficult, we got on our sides and locked as close together as we could. Whenever things heated up, I rolled over so I was facing her lower half and things went from there!”

“Did you two get caught?” Twilight was blushing.

“Oh yeah. Hal’s a screamer.”

“You’re one to talk.” Hal grinned as she walked by, two ponies slipping into their seats a few tables over. Sabine gave her flank a good whack as the Maitre d’ walked away cackling to seat more ponies.

Fluttershy just sighed. She had no questions or insights for the conversation. She was just a pointless addition here. She needed help…

“But you two never get in trouble?” Twilight sounded surprised. Sabine just started to laugh.

“Are you kidding? Hal got grounded so many times I’m surprised her dad even lets her out for her job. I think part of it is because I’m a mare, if there was any chance of her getting a kid I’d probably be dead by now. I’m technically not allowed within five-hundred feet of their estate but I move that line further and further out every time he stumbles in on us making out on his bed.”

“Wow. So you and Hal are…?”

“We’re close. Not relationship close but we do like each others’ bodies, and we think the other’s fun.” Sabine just shrugged.

Marcelle came by again, this time with four drinks. The mare distributed three orange-colored drinks that fizzled and popped and every now and then set itself on fire. The forth glass was a tiny tiny shot glass filled up with a completely clear liquid. Marcelle winked to Fluttershy as the shot glass was set next to her. Sabine chose to ignore it.

Since no attention was called to it, Twilight kept talking. “If you two are that close, why not just get together? She was talking earlier about a… boy toy that fell through?”

Fluttershy sipped at the glass of orange booze and found the burning sensation was even stronger than the others. It also had this odd, grainy texture… And then she shrieked as it popped and burped out a fireball. “Whoa! Damn, Marc, lay off the Ignus!” Sabine smirked as she sniffed her own drink. “She went overboard on these.”

“What are they?” Twilight asked as she glanced down to her own glass. The rim was currently on fire…

“Salamanders. Maraebay specialties, down by the south coast. Have this special ingredient called Ignus, tiny little rocks harvested from the insides of active volcanoes imbued with elemental fire that create small bursts of flame when put into alcohol. They get you drunk!” Sabine downed her glass into one gulp, burped up a small black cloud, and sighed. “Gotta drain ‘em fast so you don’t get burned. Trust me, that feeling going down is better than a face full of fire.”

Twilight watched hers closely for a moment, watched it pop out a small blast of flame, then quickly downed the whole thing. When she set the glass down, her eyes were wide and watering, and she began to cough. Sabine slapped her back a few times, until Twilight let out a loud, very unlady-like belch that made Fluttershy’s jaw drop as a good-sized smoke-cloud came out of her belly. “P-ponies - hack! - dri - cough - drink th - sputter - this stuff!?”

“Of course! It hurts a little but then you get the- oh there it is.” Sabine suddenly shivered and puffed her chest out.

“There’s what?” Twilight asked as she scratched her throat, and then her pupils shrunk and she let out a long, low whistle, a stream of smoke emerging from her lips as she did. The two sat there, completely still.

Fluttershy watched in confusion, unsure about this, but… Twilight seemed to be taking it okay. So, Fluttershy quickly drank the full cup, tipping the empty glass over as soon as she let it go while coughing and gagging. The burn down her throat had been nearly unbearable, and her stomach began to bubble and boil dangerously. She could feel the air welling up in her throat, and she quickly covered her mouth with her hooves as a deep burp escaped her.

She couldn’t stop her embarrassed blush as a good smoke cloud hovered just in front of her eyes before disappearing. That had been awful. She was still coughing up smoke. She couldn’t believe a pony would drink this! Why would anypony- oh my.

Just beneath her skin she grew very warm. Very warm. All over the place she felt hot. Not just bodily, but internally. She pressed her thighs together as she realized just what the drink was doing, and she didn’t even mind the long, low burp she gave, a blast of smoke rolling across the table as she did. Was everything this wonderful when you were warm?

Her mind swam lazily, and she didn’t hesitate to bring the small shot glass near. She drained it, not even caring that it practically incinerated her mouth and throat from being nearly pure alcohol. The three girls stared at the middle of the table for maybe half a minute, puffing out black smoke until the feelings began to lessen. Sabine shook free first.

“Not a bad way to start a night.” She stretched herself out, grinning lazily as she rubbed her forehead.

“That was amazing.” Twilight was staring at her own hooves curiously. Things like that existed? She would definitely have to talk to Marcelle about the business later. It might be fun to learn more.

“Wow.” Fluttershy mouthed, shaking off the wonderfully warm feeling. She clenched her thighs together again as another feeling came over her: she needed to visit the restroom. “Um.” She looked up, the other two glancing to her. “I’m going to go find the bathroom.” They nodded and she slid out of the booth.

Okay. So here she was, alone now, weaving through the tables towards a set of labeled doors. She should have been at least worried about being separated, but the truth was, she didn’t care that much. It was actually kind of nice, since she could form her thoughts more articulately without Twilight and Sabine’s conversation distracting her.

She was still worried about talking to Twilight. She was still scared stiff that she would say the wrong thing. She needed help. Somehow, some way she needed help.

She entered the bathroom and took over a stall. How would she get this help? There was nopony nearby, no books she knew of, no spell she could guess, or object to help increase her courage. She truly felt alone in this. Not even Sabine was being a big help, despite her promises on the drinks boosting her confidence…

Maybe she couldn’t rely on normal pony matters to help her? She washed her hooves and stepped out of the bathroom, and spied a window in the ceiling that revealed the moon coming out. She knew that moon. She knew that moon very well. It was the same moon that rocked her to sleep at night, the same moon she watched keep the sky warm and friendly. It was Princess Luna’s warm and loving eye in the sky.

The night was a time of revelry, wasn’t it? So wouldn’t it make sense that Luna had revelry under her domain? Surely the Princess didn’t think of herself as being a lord over alcohol, but Fluttershy noticed all the ponies in the building besides the servers were getting alcoholic drinks, getting drunk, enjoying themselves. Like Luna would want.

Fluttershy’s mind explored the possibilities of Luna being the Alicorn of Alcohol, of good times and good feelings, of… Liquid Confidence. Fluttershy quietly slipped behind a table to hide herself as she prayed. “Princess Luna?” She whispered. “Hi, it’s me, Fluttershy. I’m Twilight’s friend. You probably don’t know me but, I was one of the ponies that helped defeat Nightmare Moon? Yellow coat, pink mane? No? Okay, that’s okay, I understand if you don’t remember. I’m not a real important or special pony, but… A-Anyways, I need your help.” She gulped loudly and stared directly up at the moon, which seemed to be facing her and her alone. “I… I need help talking to Twilight. See, I think she’s a real special pony, and she is, she really is, but you might know that already. I know it seems silly, and I know you’re having trouble at home, but could you give me just a little bit of confidence to just talk to her without sounding like a foal? I want to tell her all these things, and talk to her a lot, but, I’m worried I might screw up and… and… I want help talking to her. To just start something. Please?”

She stared up at the big white being hanging in the air. She imagined Luna heard her, she imagined that somewhere, somehow, Luna was considering it… And then the Everclear she drank finally smacked her brain upside-down.

----------

“It’s not that I don’t think she’s beautiful and desirable, she really is! It’s just that she’s a close friend before anything else. We don’t have that spark between us, y’know? We love each other but don’t love each other. I am perfectly okay spending an afternoon making love to her and snuggling, but we both agreed that’s all it would be: close contact between friends. I mean, sure it’d be intimate, but I can’t see us getting married or anything. I just wanna screw her and hang out.” Sabine was halfway through a drink twice as strong as what they had before seven.

Twilight was sipping hers as she listened, finding the burn to be difficult but manageable as she drank more and more. She was feeling a bit light-headed now, but good. Very very good. “Well, I mean, you two don’t have to get married. You two could say you’re in a relationship for the sake of it.”

“We could but we’d be lying. We see each other a few times a week and can’t exactly live together. Not to mention the class restrictions and all that. Sure we’ve had sex, but to be in an actual relationship? Her family could get ostracized from the Affairs Management Organization for it.”

“But you two have been caught having sex like, eight times!”

“Twenty-two times.”

“Twenty-two - oh my GOODNESS!? - times! Shouldn’t that count for something?” Twilight finished off her glass, her face now baring a permanent red stain across her snout.

“It’s not that uncommon for an upper class Coltriellan to have a favored lower class Coltriellan. They usually meet up in the bars and become regular bed fellows. Her dad has like two mares wrapped around his hooves from the fifth ring. The head of the Organization has anywhere between twelve and thirty, depending on his mood. They all think I’m just her care-mare, they don’t know that we’re actually best friends.”

“That’s silly.” Both girls turned to face Fluttershy as she… Sauntered up. “Why should it matter? You two seem to share common interests.” Her face was redder than Twilight’s, who was bobbing her head in agreement.

“I just can’t.” Sabine grunted in frustration. “Imagine living in a place where who you’re friends with means positively everything when it comes to living richer and better. Hal and I can stick our hooves in each other all we want, but if we actually got together and somepony found out, her family would just be known for being too cheap to look into upper-class ponies. There are hundreds of other ponies in the upper rings she could be with, but they’re all snooty jerks with all sorts of messed up issues.”

“Then she shouldn’t concern herself with what other ponies think! You’re a great mare, Sabine, and everypony in Coltriella seems to know you! The Archmage, Ha’Jin’Vega, Marcelle looks like a supermodel and she likes you plenty! You know enough ponies you could beat the system!” Fluttershy urged, Twilight nodding rapidly as Sabine brooded.

“I just know ponies because I’m all over the place helping build stuff for everypony, or in a bar warming up to the bartenders because they manage my hobby. Doesn’t mean I have any real power…” Sabine huffed quietly.

Twilight raised an eyebrow and reached over to rub the mare’s back. “Sabine, I’m sure there’s plenty more that you’re just not looking at. If you and Hal were to get together, like really actually get in a functioning, loving relationship, I’m sure her father would understand. He had to be in a relationship to conceive Hal after all.”

“His wife was the third court justice in the court system around here. She spent all day dealing with the Coltriellan government and helping dictate the new laws being passed. Heck, she personally stopped a few laws from passing through influence alone.” Sabine grumbled and growled. “At least before she got sick.”

“It’s not the position and wealth I’m talking about though.” Fluttershy slid into her seat, grabbed the third drink left for her, and began to sip at it. “I mean, he must have felt love for her, he must know what it means to love somepony. That unstoppable feeling of joy and romance, the cloudy, light-footed feeling you get when that pony looks at you and smiles, the flighty stomach, the clogged throat, the inability to think about anypony else!” Fluttershy sucked a mouthful of the drink down in one go and let out a heavy sigh. “He must understand that feeling, and how keeping his daughter from it would be positively monstrous!” She slammed her hooves on the table. Sabine just stared, but Twilight’s jaw slackened in fascination.

“Wow.” Twilight mouthed, her head tilting slightly. “I’ve never seen you like that Fluttershy. Wow. You sounded like Rarity.”

Fluttershy did not apologize for her outburst. Instead, she drained the rest of her drink in a few gulps and let out a happy sigh. “Oh, she may have influenced me. Those passionate speeches always touch me in the most beautiful ways. Why, her voice alone thrilled me enough to give the spa a try, and I have never regret my decision! Why would I not want to emulate such power and prestige?”

Twilight’s smile grew and she nodded. “Definitely. Just the way she goes on, her ostentatious use of complex, oversized words. I must say, though, her literacy astounds me at times! I bet if she truly put forth the effort she could be a poet!”

“A poet or a true romance novel author. I would read her work from sun-up to sun-down, allowing that her magnificent voice to overcome my senses and indulge my fantasies, whisking me away to a grand world dominated by the theme of true love, betrayal, and heart-break!” Fluttershy raised her chin high and closed her eyes as she spoke loudly, clearly, hardly missing a beat between each word, each sentence.

Twilight rose to match it. “Surely such a tale would rend our very perceptions of the world, composed by a true maestro of word-play and intrigue! Could we go a day without believing that our soul-mates await us to stumble upon them? Would we dare allow ourselves to trust the arbitrary plans of the universe and its managers to guide us to that one pony that would sweep us from the brow-beaten normalcy of our young lives into a vast land of playful romance and adventurous love-making!?”

“Oh Twilight, could you imagine what Rarity would plan for us, her true friends!? Can you just picture that grand atmosphere, the perilous treks, the beauty of the ponies destined to be our lovers!? The wit, the care, the magnificence of the ponies she would choose for us!?”

“Fluttershy, if I were to hoof-create a pony to suit Rarity as she is, I believe I would fail utterly! I care for her too much to give her anything less than absolute PERFECTION! I cannot, would not, dare to trust myself, a mere mortal mare the task of crafting Rarity the perfect suitor! I would rather be struck down where I speak than fail my dear companion and dash her deserved love-life!” Twilight rose up, setting a back hoof on the table while raising a front in a dramatic pose.

“Oh but Twilight, have you not seen it!? Have you not seen her as of late? She and Applejack, Twilight! Applejack! Rough, honest, hard-working Applejack appears to be her choice of lover!” Fluttershy rose up on the table on her front two hooves. “The graceful, fantastique mademoiselle, the rugged, unstoppable farmhand!”

Twilight raised both her front hooves high. “Gathered in the embr-r-race of true r-r-romance! Two ponies from the different walks of life coming together, coming to the terms of their feelings, of their LOVE for one another! They dare shun familiarity to bring themselves closer to one another, to understand they were meant to be!”

“Yes Twilight, oh YES Twilight! They speak so openly to each other, stare into the other’s eyes and see the LOVE! Do you believe that on this dark night-”

“- that they dare to gather the other -”

“- in a warm, caring embrace?”

“Lips catching the other-”

“- tongues dancing in tandem -”

“- hooves exploring wantonly -”

“- elicit moans of desire between them -”

“- drawn from the most selfless of touches -”

“- given by the most selfless of ponies!”

The two mares collapsed in their seats with a lovestruck sigh, staring up at the ceiling as the alcohol tingled in their limbs.

Sabine turned her head very creakily to face Marcelle, who was watching with wide eyes and her jaw somewhere on the floor. The rest of the bar had gone completely quiet to stare at the two foreign mares. “Marc?” Sabine finally called in a raspy voice.

“Yes Sabine?” Marcelle answered automatically.

“Can you get me two of what you gave the yellow one?”

----------

“- though by carrying over the twelve into the Pen Dance Equation we get a lower vibration effect that could reduce turbulence in the upper atmosphere for a swine-” Twilight whispered as she used a borrowed pencil to scribble down a long, winding equation into the napkin she was using.

“- which I know sounds ridiculous but I felt I couldn’t let the issue drop. The winged pigs of Las Pegasus were taking offense to the phrase so I eventually turned in a formal complaint to town hall. It never got anywhere butcha know what? It stopped that smug jerk from using the expression, and I won that gold medal in the popsicle eating contest, so shows him!” Fluttershy nodded her head in defiance before downing her next drink.

Sabine was giggling to herself as she sipped at the dark, thick drink set in front of her, one that smoldered and smoked and exuded heat while giving off a very spicy smell. “Yeah! But is it really such a big problem from Whereversville you guys come from? I mean, it’s just a couple of words.”

“Words have power.” Fluttershy huffed.

“- although the lack of hollow bones would imply enormous wings, probably three to four times larger to compensate for the heavier skeleton-”

“Twilight!” Sabine reached over and shook the unicorn, who picked her head up with a surprised expression. “Quit writing, the next round of drinks are here.”

“Writing?” Twilight glanced down at her napkin. It was filled to the brim with coherent numbers and symbols that any sober aerial specialist would declare genius. “Oh yeah. Huh.”

“You are a weird drunk.” Sabine grunted while a waiter dropped off three more drinks. It was electric blue, and the glass had none of the ice the others were filled with. “Oooh, Shallom Special! C’mere baby.” Sabine took the glass and sipped at it happily.

Twilight took her own glass and drank slowly, just as she’d done with every drink before it. She didn’t think about the name, she was too far-gone to care. The taste was exotic, very fruity, but it had a strange, subtle coppery taste, and it felt like lines of electricity were running down her tongue and throat as she swallowed. It was good. It was exciting. It was fun.

“Quite an improvement from that Lavalanch. Much smoother texture, much more appealing taste.” Fluttershy sighed as she pushed the now empty glass away.

“You think?” Twilight examined her glass closely. “I liked how thick it felt. It was good and hot, felt nice going down my throat. I also liked the taste.”

“Bah!” Fluttershy snorted. “Too spicy.”

“No, it was trying too hard to be spicy.” Sabine spoke up. “Ardennians aren’t the greatest at making fancy drinks, they try to put their peppers in everything.”

“True.” Twilight hummed to herself in thought. “But it was practically ignorable. The rest of it was good. This Special thing is kind of coppery though.”

“It’s how they get the sparks in it.” Sabine shrugged.

“Also seems a little forced.” Fluttershy mumbled, setting the glass to the side.

“Pfft, everypony’s a critic.”

“Hmm.” Fluttershy calmly nibbled at the edge of her cup in thought. “Twilight, do you think we could learn how to do this?” She asked, holding her glass up to eye it curiously.

“This?” Twilight repeated, looking up from her winding equation curiously. “You mean drink? I think we’re doing a pretty good job of that.” Sabine snickered right next to her.

“No no, not drink, I mean what Marc’s doing.” Fluttershy pointed to Marcelle, who was busy dispensing drink after drink with a hum in her throat and a bounce in her pretty step.

“Please Fluttershy.” Twilight rolled her eyes. “I’m not even close to looking like eye-candy.” Now Sabine was laughing, giving Twilight a high-hoof.

Fluttershy blew her hair out of her face and gave Twilight a small glare. “Hmph! Well I guess I do disagree with you on something!” Sabine stopped laughing to look up.

“Huh?” Twilight asked, a tad bewildered.

“You may not think you’re a piece of eye-candy, but I haven’t seen a mare as attractive as you in all my life!” Fluttershy stated confidently, with a smugness in her tone that dared the world to prove her wrong.

“Oh please Fluttershy, you’re such a flatterer.” Twilight grinned and leaned back, but her eyes went away from Fluttershy’s as she blushed. “If there was one pony in this world that deserved the title ‘eye-candy’ I’d say the Princesses could share it.”

Neither of them noticed the slip, but Sabine had. She was just aware enough to understand this, and leaned in for a closer listen. Fluttershy went on unabated. “I don’t dispense simple flattery unless I were being honest, Twilight! The Princesses are beautiful, for sure, but not as unashamedly simple and endearing like you! You could have ponies eating out of your hooves with the right touch-ups and smiles.”

Twilight laughed a little, accepting her next drink without hesitation, as did the other two. “I don’t know, Twilight.” Sabine spoke up, smirking at the purple pony. “Fluttershy may have a point. After all, it’s hard for princesses to compete with a Queen.”

Twilight stuck her tongue out at Sabine. “Please! I may be a Queen but that doesn’t mean anything compared to the Princesses. My domain is in the clouds, in the intricacies of magic, and the fulfillment of the old lords’ wishes! Beauty is not a requirement.” Twilight haughtily tossed a bit of hair back behind her head and drained her drink without even waiting to see what it was.

Sabine stared at her, utterly dumbfounded. “Wait, but… Uh… Huh? I thought you were-”

“It doesn’t have to be if the mare in question is already beautiful.” Fluttershy persisted, sipping her drink. “True, there is amazing beauty, such as Marcelle, Rarity, and the Princesses, but they are those esteemed untouchable beauties that we’d dare not sully with our bare hooves for fear of tarnishing them. You, Twilight, are the sort of beauty any pony would love and care for, the sort that any pony would approach with a blush and a smile, the sort that would not cow your subjects into quiet subjugation based on blinding looks! Your subjects, your friends, complete strangers would find you fascinating and endearing, desirable yet completely approachable. The Princesses may be the models of looks, but you are the very model of purity!”

“Whoa!” Twilight raised a hoof, stared at it curiously for a few moments, wiggled it, then got back to the topic at hand. “Let’s not take it that far Fluttershy. Purity is a touchy debate when describing a single pony.”

“Ahem.” Fluttershy lifted her chin high, “Purity is defined by a lack of negative traits that would muddy the object or person in question! You, Twilight sparkle, are kind, gracious, beautiful, polite-”

“- distant, bland, unathletic -”

“- gentle, caring, graceful -”

“- underwhelming, inattentive, non-social -”

“- UPLIFTING, FRIENDLY, OPEN-MINDED -!”

“- EASILY ANNOYED, DETAIL-ORIENTED, PLAIN -”

“GIRLS!” Sabine roared before the two could get any louder. “Inside voices!” She reminded them. “And not all Queens are pure, just like not all Princesses are. I’m sure your princesses have some flaws as well.”

“No way!” Twilight was standing up again, looking near furious. “Princess Celly is totally chill!”

“Yeah! She’s so pretty and smart!” Fluttershy was standing now too, locking furious eyes with Twilight.

“And sociable and friendly and warm!”

“And she accepts all ponies before her, bar none!”

“She believes in everypony to do their duty to their fullest!”

“AND THE PRINCESS OF THE NIGHT HAS USHERED FORTH A NEW ERA OF ART AND EXPLORATION!”

“SHE HAS DECORATED THE WORLD WITH HER BEAUTY AND WISDOM!”

“SHE WATCHES OVER US WITH HER KIND, CAREFUL EYE!”

“TIS SHE, THE PR-R-RINCESS OF THE NIGHT, WHO BLESSES OUR TR-R-RAVELS TO SCOUR THE WORLD FOR HER BR-R-RETHREN SO THAT WE MIGHT PROTECT OUR LAND!”

“TO PROTECT ALL OF US!”

“FOREVER AND EVER!”

“HAI-YAY!” The two mares’ glasses smashed into each other, and the two downed the drinks set in front of them by the stunned server. Sabine covered her face with her hooves and groaned.

----------

It must have been three in the morning by now. Sabine wondered if she should have cut the drinks out a few hours earlier but it had just been so much fun. Not to mention both Fluttershy and Twilight were having the times of their lives…

“- but she gave it back to me, and asked ‘why can’t you see? You and I were never… never meant to bee~eeee!’” The two drunk, foreign mares wobbled down the street, leaning against each other for support, sporting full on alcohol-induced blushes, smiling and waving at ponies they didn’t know.

“Second verse!” Twilight announced perkily, leaping up to wrap a leg around Fluttershy’s neck while the latter squealed in joy.

“I stay at home and dream of a time, where you were there to complete this rhyme!” Sabine chuckled at the girls singing behind her and went around them again to push them forwards, keep them moving. They were barely out of the second ring now, walking to the Gardet house now. “Without you to complete me I have no end, just an incomplete poem with no author to tend! I need yooo~oouuuu!”

Sabine didn’t understand a word of their language, but she was okay with that. She’d fulfilled Fluttershy’s greatest wish. That was all that mattered. Well, that and she got an adorable pair of mares drunk and partied with them all night, and she got them to their doorstep unscathed. “Alright girls, we’re home.” She told them, keeping the slur out of her voice.

They stared at her for a few seconds, blinking owlishly like she’d sprouted a second head, then Fluttershy wrapped her leg around Twilight’s neck in kind and they both raised their snouts up. “I wish I was there with you while you roam, because without you this house is not a home!” Fluttershy carried on the ‘oo’ of the song while Twilight broke down laughing. Sabine rubbed her forehead and chuckled.

“Alright, enough singing girls, there are working ponies trying to get some sleep. Go on.” Sabine opened the door to the dark house and walked around the girls to push them in. “Shut your yaps and get some sleep. You’ll need it for the head-ache tomorrow.”

“Tomorrow is just another day without the liiiggghh~”

“Thanksh Shpabinny.” Twilight slurred, her unfocused eyes looking directly to Sabine’s left. “Youf been awshum. Ah’ll getcher a fruit bashk’t t’more.” Twilight drunkenly saluted with her one standing front hoof. She nearly fell face first into the ground, had the currently howling Fluttershy not had one hoof to support them both.

“No need. I’ll stop by with a cure when you wake up. Just make sure you sleep near the bathroom or you’ll regret it.” Sabine winked and turned, flicking her tail. The girls waved their goodbyes before shutting the door and stumbling to the table.

Fluttershy collapsed on a cushion with a dumb smile, hiccupping happily while Twilight managed to get herself into the kitchen. She poofed her hat and coat away, her long, beautiful horn in full view as she filled up two glasses of water and walked into the living room. Fluttershy took her glass happily and, rather than sip at it, lapped at it like a dog, sending water everywhere.

Twilight casually drank hers, or tried to and ended up spilling most of it down her front. “Hee~eeey… Fluttershy…” She called, the water loosening her throat and tongue some to speak. Fluttershy looked up curiously, all but beaming. “Y’know… Tonight wash coo’.” Fluttershy began to nod her head rapidly. “You were coo’.”

Twilight didn’t see it, but Fluttershy was now blushing even harder, if it was possible. “Thanks. You… you were cool too.” She mumbled and slurred, semi-coherently, but even drunk Twilight was a master of all languages.

“We’ll do it again. Yeah.” Twilight nodded, setting the glass down. She walked on over to Fluttershy, and with a broad smile, gave her a peaceful kiss on the forehead. “For now, sleeeep…” Twilight stumbled her way down the hall.

Fluttershy laid still on the ground, sobering up at what had just happened. She raised a hoof, and with a pathetically happy smile, whispered: “Yes!”

----------

In an instant, the dream was gone.

Her bleeding wings were gone, her weak, skin-and-muscle body was gone, the great pony with the sword butchering Twilight was gone.

Her tears remained.

Dash opened her eyes slowly, fluttering them. Her face was wet. Her eyes burned. Her heart hammered, and sweat poured down her skin. Her chest hurt, like something heavy was pressed against it.

Once again, she’d been too weak, even in her own dreams.

She couldn’t protect her. Not now, not ever. Why bother? Why try? She would fail. She was too weak to succeed.

She couldn’t protect Twilight.

She let out a loud, angry sob and squeezed her eyes shut. Then, the heavy pressure on her chest moved.

Dash glanced down quickly, tear-filled eyes wide to see what it was.

Twilight laid on her chest, blushing, smiling softly. That smile went away though. Twilight stared at her for a few moments. That beautiful, purple-furred face was focused solely on her own.

Dash’s throat felt dry.

Twilight leaned in, and without so much as a warning, kissed both of her cheeks, removing the tears on her face. Then Dash shut her eyelids as Twilight kissed each one gently, using the tip of her hoof to wipe away the gathered moisture.

Dash’s heart began to hurt it was pounding so hard. Twilight smiled at her, so full of life, unlike what had happened in her dream.

The dream… the details were escaping her now. All she could think about was the peace and warmth Twilight brought her while she gently kissed at her face. Her tears slowed down.

“Twilight?” She whispered, feeling the mare crawl up her body, pushing her head back onto her pillow as Twilight’s head hovered just over hers.

“Shh.” Twilight whispered. “Dun’ be shad…” Her words were strange, kind of unnatural, but then Dash’s eyes widened as Twilight leaned down and pushed her tongue into her mouth.

Every doubt just seemed to slip away.

She tasted heavily of alcohol, bitter and dark, but there was something else that drew Dash into it, made her tongue carefully join in. Her heart was hammering harder, and she could feel Twilight’s doing the same.

A warmth she never knew before filled her. It wasn’t like any of the other mares or colts she’d ever kissed. She’d never cared about them this much, let her feelings simmer like this for so long…

Dash wrapped her forelegs around Twilight and pulled her closer. She didn’t care about the taste, just as long it was Twilight. She didn’t care about the influence, just as long as it was Twilight.

She’d do anything to preserve this feeling. She would defend it to her dying breath. That pleasure and fulfillment that ran along her body… she would guard the mare who could make her feel this way without hesitation.

Her eyes closed, and consciousness left her slowly, easing her into a dream. All she dreamt about that night was Twilight, and the feel of her lips against her.

Comments

[OniLinkPlus]

Well well well, look who finally got every chapter up on FIMFiction!

[JohnnyTsunami]

This was my first ever fanfiction, and it's still one of my favorites. Thanks for uploading it here!

[Gwenio]

452548

Yes, but it lacks formatting.

[ugugg93]

Wow! Finally all of them are on the site! So now I feel obliged to comment on the story as a whole!

This was one of the first pony fictions I read (started way back in September I think), and I have to say, I still find myself loving it more than most of the stories that I see out there. The character interactions are great, the settings are great, and while I wish you had had the ponies go to a different place that a country filled with ponies, its a very minor thing that I can forgive you for. The slow and steady building of the relationships in the story are nice, and while I feel bad for Fluttershy the entire story (and I can just see the timer on that bomb ticking down to zero), it is all in her character.

The major complaints I have about the story are, honestly, kinda minor. I feel like the whole "buildup" of Equestria is downplayed way too much. Yes, I agree that it is the mane 6's story, and that "Team B" as I call them should get less attention, I feel like you aren't getting into the sense of dread and worry that the Equestrians are feeling. How is Spike coping? How about the CMC? You mentioned them once, but then they kinda went to the wayside. Another minor complaint is how you haven't even mentioned Luna's gift at all yet. You had it given to the mane 6 (sans Twilight and Rainbow), but then never again mentioned. I'm sure that you are going to bring it up, and I'm sure that it is much more subtle than the living fire that Celestia granted Rainbow, but the ponies should've mentioned it by now, even if to say something like, "If that's what Rainbow has, I'm scared to to think what Luna gave us," but I digress.

The final main issue I have with the story is the moments that you break out of your normal narration voice. You are using a very detached 3rd person narrator, which is perfect for a story like this. However, there are moments that you say odd things, like during one of the earlier chapters (forget which), you said something close to, "... gave the biggest wtf face...", which threw me for a loop, mostly because it was completley against what I had been reading. There are a few other moments like this, but this was the biggest one I could think of at the moment.

Overall, this still ranks as one of my favorites, and I'm surprised that it doesn't have more views on this site than it does. I blame the massive size, but I'm not sure. Either way, I love it, and I will continue reading!

[John Smith]

Who can dislike a story this awesome?

[Thespurgin]

452547
Sorry did you mean "acquire?" and what does reading a long chapter have to do with my monetary purchases?

[Gwenio]

452835

It is part of a larger phrase that could be paraphrased as "ponies first, everything else is secondary." (The full thing is something like "screw life, acquire ponies")

Running inside joke of some fans.

[Thespurgin]

452895
That very thought sickens me. For one, I have my own worlds to build. For two? I have a frugal gene that can be a curse at times, and I have no interest whatsoever in purchasing horse-toys. Finally, I am enjoying the writing and creativity of these stories as much or more than I am the fact that it's in the MLP universe.
It's just a strange coincidence that some REALLY good fanfiction comes out of this fandom... more so than STH fandom at least. I love a good STH story, but really? Most of the sonic fans are just... overenthusiastic.

[Gem]

Yeah! This story keeps getting better and better!

[Gwenio]

452912

Now you are being redicuous about this.

It is not about toys, it is about pony stuff which includes reading, writing, drawing... all activities pony related. Not just purchases. Most often it is used in conjuction with disregarding other things to read pony fan fiction.

[QuantumFire]

Twilight's magical prowess shines again.

[Thespurgin]

and now that I've read this story... I haz a true sad.

I should have expected it though, this isn't a kid's story after all, but now... the innocence of all those pretty little horses has been robbed. Thank the author that this is fanfiction.

[Thespurgin]

452999 Not rediculous, just far to literal, but that's something I do a lot.

Just to settle the question now... MLP is not the center of my life (-insert attacks by other bronies here-), though ATM reading in general is dominating my focus and there's a lot of good reads coming out of this fanfiction group.

[Peroth E]

453306 You're blowing a joking comment out of proportion. He didn't mean to imply it is the center of your life. It's a meme, it's not something to take seriously.

[Thespurgin]

453554
And there's the problem I suppose. I take everything with a serious face.

And it didn't help that I haven't seen the meme before. Sorry about that.

[Taffymore]

WOOOO!! Been waiting for this to appear here so I can molest it with my eyes

[Relevant Heavy Metal]

Colossal - Wolfmother

Holy fuckballs, this chapter is massive.

[Mossflower]

think it took me about 3-4 hours to read through this, i enjoyed every second of it. extremely good chapter. i think you pulled of the influence of alcohol brilliantly as well.

im hoping that dash, AJ, pinkie, rarity and especially twilight gets time to learn more in the art of combat so they can defend themselves before ending up in the middle of a fight again. a question on that as well; sul said:
*“What I will be teaching you two today will be your first steps into Coltriellan and Ardennian offensive magic. Bolts of arcane power, the manipulation of fire, turning the air into slicing razors, and as you get stronger and stronger in your mastery of magic, making powerful admixtures capable of destruction you could only imagine before./.../"*
do i understand correctly when i assume that "today" only referred to the "first steps" and "the manipulation of fire" and not the other stuff as well?

another thing; we haven't been told what was written in the book twilight got from anemone (<-don't know if i'm spelling this correctly) yet, right? (just making sure, so i didnt forget anything)

something else i have to ask: since this is was last chapter separating this site's chapter progress from being completely up to date (as far as i know at least); how much time usually pass between the release of two chapters? (its the 'i.want.MORE!' part of me talking, sorry )

edit: i just love it when they call twi queen as well, especially when she cant get them to stop!

[DovahKaaz]

Best fanfic I've read, and that, to me, feels like a lot! I read a lot, and this is a prime example of fanficton!

[Frost Shard]

No way! Princess Celly is totally chill!
i laughed so hard at that.

[djthomp]

And finally caught up! 300k or so words down, here's hoping at least that many to come.

So many things were awesome about this chapter that I can hardly remember them all. Shy staring the door into submission probably tops the list for me. I am a tad disappointed that we haven't seen Twi ask about anti-magic yet, seems like a question she would be burning to ask.

Side note about the story as a whole, I do hope you plan on letting Dash have her wings back at some point. As interesting as her mirror powers are, they would be even cooler combined with flying.

Mainly I just want to see 6 simultaneous sonic rainbooms. Or maybe they would be 6 sonic mono-color-booms. Either way, I want to see 6 of them.

[DjentDelaCroix]

Oh, and check two off the Dangerous Guide to Fillies check-list. If drunk kissing counts… Does it?

[NoTimeCavy]

Pushing buttons for the sake of the people around me seems to be a feat I somewhat pride myself in.

Any ETA on the next chapter?

[Peroth E]

476461 No. Been too tired lately to work. Will get back to it when I feel better.

[NoTimeCavy]

478203

Ah, no problem.

Feel better. I'm sure we can all wait as long as ya need, haha.

[Starcat5]

266345
Lady Faust, Mother of Luna, how long has this fic been ON FimFiction?!?!?!?!?!?!?

Finally, a place I can track this OTHER than waiting for EqD to flag it as updated!

*Prances around like an overly happy Twilight Sparkle*

[Jykinturah]

I just kind of shotgunned all of this at once.

1) Ow my brain
2) Dash's ability is a freaking amazing concept.
3) I WISH I WAITED UNTIL THIS WAS COMPLETED, now I have withdrawal.
4) I noticed errors and such, but story was too interesting for them to jar me out of it. I would point them all out, but I forgot where they were and I suck at helping with editing. I end up changing too much stuff.

[enigma of souls]

Exreamly good story . Biggest problem i had with the entire story is that it was almost too good, i mean how dare you make me stay up till 5 in the morning 2 nights in a row . Yea i read all of this story in one go, well with breaks of course. I love the ideas behind the ummmm alicon gods? and how everything was created. i'm still having trouble seeing twilight with and Alicorn horn. I like how your setting up blueblood to fall for derpy its kinda cute in a way.The scene where derpy was being attacked kinda had me on edge ready to hurt someone if she died though. Oh and I loved the dunken tilight and rainbow scene extreamly touching and cute.

Sooo yea i have alot more comments on it but my mind is kinda fried atm with all the reading (once again shame on you ). Also sorry that all of what i wrote was random and not very well done i was just typing what came to mind.

But i do have one question well accualy a few .
1. where did you come up with the names of the Alicorn gods(not sure if saying alicorn gods is being redundant or not)?
2. Did you use a certian language for the names of the uhhh people in the city(forgot the name of it even though is mentions a million times sheesh i feel airheaded ) or did you kinda smack the keyboard randomly and say "yea that looks good"(no offence by the way just found the names long and odd).

but yet yea im loving how your doing the twidash and umm rarejack?(that sounds weird)

mmk im going to stop spouting random stuff now. So good job so far on the story and i will try my hardest to wait for the new chapter and if you could suggest me to any more storys that you find good?

[Peroth E]

494899
1: Atmos - taken from Atmosphere.
Terraria - sounded better than Vivarium, at least in context of "name to badass" ratio. A terrarium is a class-front cage made to hold small animals, like a mouse cage.
Anemone - chosen because it's a pretty word and deals with sea-life. Later shows that, despite his beauty and innocence, he can't reach out and touch anybody without hurting them.

2: I made it all up. I do my best to keep certain consistencies to make it more, I don't know, "realistic", but it won't be explored much.

[enigma of souls]

494932

Ahh cool cool i agree with the terraria sounding better than Vivarium. I mainly liked the names becuase they sounded awsome and they where creative(by creative i ment they were at least origanal sounding most of the time with any type of god representing earth you get atlas, gaia, or something equally overdone. It just seemed like you accualy put some thought into the names rather than go with something generic. I might be wrong with the generic part but from all of what ive read I've never seen those names pop up), plus the names fit the elements they represent perfectly. I kinda figured with the other names but it was cool the meaning you put behind them though.

Oh and i forgot to mention it before in the last post but im loving the OC(?) charaters you add in and how they have diverse and mostly humorous personalities. Although I don't like the jester( because he is creepy not because he wasn't done nicely.) You did a good job with marselle( i know i spelled that wrong) the biggest reason why i say that is cause its easy to picture her serving the drinks and joking around. Sabine is done really well also and is so far my favorite OC charater. Also yes hero is a bad ass but thats not the biggest thing that makes him seem like a "hero" that his name implys its the fact that he choose to take care of that filly or at least i think he choose to i might have missed something.

Also I love how you dont favor any one specific pony well not that i see in your writing. Your always trying to improve on all of the at the same time (or thats how i seems at least.) so that none are truly overpowered compared to the rest. Even Twilight doesn't seem that overpowered probably because she doesn't know that much about distructive magic yet, but still.

Also one last thing your author notes are exreamly funny and usually put a smile on my face.

Ok im going to try and stop typing now . but yea if i were to say everything i like about this story it would wind up being as long as one of your chapters. Not to inflate your ego or anything.

[Andy-025]

505240 Blessed be thy Emperor's name for we are his faithful servents

[DovahKaaz]

Every time I read this, I get this urge to make my fic better. Still don't have the skill to, though. Please update soon!

[Ranubis]

Awesome! Just caught up to this story, had to comment. Growing Pains was the first 'major' adventure pony story I started reading, and really helped me realize what awesome potential this fan base has. Thanks for writing so much of a great work, and I'm looking forward to your next project, sounds awesome!

[RoastCabose]

Wow, I've been behind the curve! I thought this was only on FF.net and was about to message you to put it up here! then I realized, maybe he already did so I searched and to my great pleasure, it was here! LOve it followed, liked, and you may need to post your A/N from FF.net, to explain a little. Oh, and rereading! again!

[Fidelis]

This remains one of my favourite fanfics I've ever read, for any series, and especially among pony fics. The downside is that I read Upheaval, by Visiden Visidane first, and his version of the earth Alicorn is Terrato. Now every time I see Terraria in your story my mind automatically switches it with Terrato because of the similarity between the two.

I eagerly await your next chapter.

[rainbowloyalty]

Wow, this story is really long. 1000+ pages if it were in a book? I'll read it when I have time. Some of the chapters are longer than the vast majority of fics

[Peroth E]

556054 Go eat. I've hit writer's block and won't be writing for a little while.

[Peroth E]

570316 Sorta.

[Peroth E]

575482 Just Twilight trollin'.

[Cedric Bale]

“It does, but nopony’s been inside it for some few decades.”

Is she- Does she mean- Oh lawdy.

---

But they staid behind,

I believe you meant "stayed" there. I generally ignore little typos unless they're running rampant, which they definitely aren't in this story, but it's another matter altogether when you type the completely wrong word, lol. If anything, FLUTTERSHY was the one being staid by not going through with weapons training. :P

---

"Twilight gave birth to a DRAGonFJO{GJU (BVj ml hnL OLOLOLOL, ABORT INDEED FLUTTERSHY. Omg, this is gold.

“… Twilight’s teacher gave birth to a dragon!?” Sabine asked, eyebrow nearly flying off her head it was twitching so much. Then she stopped. “Well, unless her mentor was a dragon, in which case Twilight’s mentor was a DRAGON!?”

GOLD GOLD GOLD GOLD GOLD-

‘WE’RE GOING DOWN! WE’RE GOING DOWN! I ALWAYS LOVED YOU CAPTAIN!’

‘UP YOURS, SPINE!’

-GOLD GOLD GOLD

Comedic potency aside, I'm glad this didn't get shippy between Sabine and Fluttershy, like I half-expected it to given Sabine's thoughts about Fluttershy in past chapters. Introducing an OC randomly, completely out of left-field, and almost immediately making her an important enough character to write from her perspective, has already raised my eyebrow. If she starts getting shipped with a main character, I'm gonna' throw in the towel. :| That said, I feel obligated to mention that I hope Trixie and Blueblood end up in some sort of abusive love-hate relationship. I never noticed before, but this fanfic has made me realize that, as far as their personalities go, they are VERY similar ponies. It's a wonder I've never seen them shipped before... I mean, sure, Trixie is a 'lowly commoner', but all they'd have to do is meet at some Canterlot party while Trixie is heavily berating some hapless servant for barely bumping into her, and they'd start talking about how useless ponies are and whatnot, hitting it off like nobody's business. Yeah, they'd run into a problem when Trixie refuses to let him walk all over her, but that's why it'd be an abusive love-hate relationship, instead of the usual fluffy d'aaaaw-inducing stuff you always see in this fandom.

What was I talking about again...? Right, Growing Pains. I should probably finish reading this chapter.

---

So, wait... did Fluttershy actually STARE that door into falling off it's hinges? I thought she turned around and bucked it or something. O_o

---

Another part of her, the one that wasn’t a whiny little bitch,

Wow, that seems waaay too harsh, even for narrative. Especially for narrative.

---

Sabine grumbled and growled. “At least before she got sick.”

Firago, Ao's daughter, this completely random pony that's only known to the reader through word of mouth, some other pony I can't remember... you either really like making ponies sick, or there's something fishy going on behind the scenes here. I've got my eyes on you, Mister Illness...

---

I couldn't help but wince through the whole 'conversation' between Fluttershy and Twilight about romance. I think it was supposed to be comedic, but it just came off to me as... I don't know. I don't really know how to feel about it. I know they're getting drunk and all, but they shouldn't be acting so completely out of character as to seem like body-snatchers. I don't know, maybe it's just me. I kind'a hope there's not too many drunken scenes now.

(seconds later) And then immediately followed by Twilight doing equations, THAT'S what I was expecting.

(more seconds later) And then back to the screaming and yelling and Twilight randomly rolling her R's.

---

Dat ending. :3

Wait... dat ending... it ended! I'm caught up with nothing more to read! And the next chapter is promised to be all about Equestria, meaning minimal Main 6 presence! D: Brb, building a time machine.

[Zaqup]

Something that I couldn't get out of my head is the three alicorn gods:
Atmos:Air
Anemone:Water
Terraria:Earth

Shouldn't there be a Fire god aswell or am I just overthinking things?

[Peroth E]

605912 Heeheehee.

[Zaqup]

606200 *le gasp* there is a Fire alicorn then! I knew it

[animeyasha66]

Anemone.
Terraria.
(what ever the fire guy's name is).
Atmos.
long ago the four alicorns lived in peace.
than everything changed when two of the brothers fought
only Twilight sparkle blessed by Anemone himself could stop them
but when the world needed her most
she was out drinking!!

idk where that came from, but i felt the need to post it
so i did...

[Peroth E]

649983 The world can wait for the hero to get her booze on. You don't expect her to go help them sober do you?

[ThunderDash]

I need the next one now!!!!!!!!!!1 please

[ThunderDash]

lh6.googleusercontent.com/-tEOpTbU5dis/T8lVk2s9PPI/AAAAAAAADp0/YywPkiW16xg/s1600/twilights_experiment_by_nyuuchandiannepie-d51vd8q.png

found this image that i think represents wats hapening with dash powers XD

[reader238]

this is a great story i cant wait to read more of it but there was one part that still makes me sad and that is rainbow dash not being able to fly that is just mean and cruel she can no longer do a sonic rainboom the one thing that earned her, her cutie mark.

[Master85414]

Love this story! I honestly think it count for at least one of the million words I have read on this website. I cannot wait for the next update.

[Firedon]

760797 That's actually one of my favorite parts of the stoy