Chapter 4: From Home to Home
Twilight's
✶✶✶ Odyssey
An MLP:FiM Fanfic by DemPonies
Chapter Four:
From Home to Home
"Here, boy! Look what I've got."
Twilight dangled a magically enclosed, purple gemstone some hoof-lengths up the air. The newest addition to her family, the little dragonling, laid curled up in a ball in front of her.
He grunted and opened one of his eyes, reluctantly waking from his midday nap—one of many, as Twilight had come to learn. He changed tune, however, the moment he spied the snack. He jumped out of his makeshift bed—an old, repurposed laundry basket—and scurried up to her, his reptilian tongue hanging from out of his mouth. Twilight chuckled as he leapt up the air for his prize, like a cat playing with a piece of string.
It had been nearly two weeks since she hatched Spike, two weeks since her examination and her talk with Princess Guinemare, who had lived up to her promise of providing her with enough gems to keep the baby dragon happy.
It had at first been quite a shock to her parents—Twilight's mother almost fainting where she stood—when a courier from the palace knocked on their door to deliver them a pony sized crate full of jewels. The feelings soon turned to relief, however, the moment they realized that gems weren't all Spike ate. Everything not stowed away was fair game for the little dragon, who happily munched on anything whenever his stomach rumbled. Though the most notable casualty was her mother's favorite rug, Twilight herself hadn't gone away scot-free either, as a few gaping holes in her bookshelves could attest to. Luckily, the gems had proved an effective teaching aid.
Schooling, however, wasn't on Twilight's mind at the moment. She had a much more imperative goal in mind, one that had gnawed on her ever since Spike had crawled next to her in her bed the first night—an affliction that had soon earned him a sleeping place of his very own. That was soon to be rectified, however. Not that she couldn't enjoy herself, meanwhile.
"No brain," she teased, as Spike hypnotically followed the gem swinging back and forth with a wide-eyed gaze. "All you can think about is what you want... No brain."
"Sounds a lot like his master," said a voice behind her, a chuckle bubbling beneath its surface.
Startled, Twilight turned around. "Oh! Hey, Mom!"
"Hello, Twilight!" she replied, stepping into the little filly's room, a light frown on her face as she looked at the mess around her; books and the occasional piece of clothing covering almost every bit of surface. She picked up the volume laying in front of her, the deluxe edition of The Standard Book of Spells, hummed, and said, "I hope you plan to bring along something other than books" while looking over at the next to empty luggage bag resting on Twilight's bed.
Twilight mumbled something incomprehensible in response, trying to keep her annoyance from shining through. "I'm working on it," she said, waving a hoof dismissively. "I'm taking a break right now."
Her mother snorted. "Well, as long as you do it before tonight. We leave early tomorrow morning." She was interrupted by the wailing sounds of the forgotten dragon, who all but drooled staring at the glistening jewel.
"Oops! I'm sorry, Spike!" Twilight said before she tossed the gem towards the dragonling, who effortlessly caught it in the air and started gnawing on it.
Her mother raised an eyebrow. "Spike?" she asked, causing the critter to pause for a moment before he resumed his munching.
"Yeah..." Twilight rolled her eyes slightly. "Not my idea," she said. "I spent a week reading through name books, trying to find something fitting. Then, Shining comes around and happens to call him Spike—'he looks like a Spike' he says—and now the little thing won't answer to any other name." Twilight had already put it on her mental checklist to punish him for his transgression.
"Garp!" Spike said to defend himself. He then took a sizable bite out of the crystal and rolled to his back, suckling the remainder of his snack like a pacifier.
Twilight could not help but crack a smile, even as a slew of bubbles flew out as he burped.
"Here I thought dragons were supposed to breathe fire, not bubbles," her mother said, eyes fixed on Twilight, who scoffed in return.
"I enchanted the gem with a foaming spell," she said, matter-of-factly. "His breath smells like burnt charcoal." Just the thought of it made Twilight wrinkle her muzzle.
Her mother, now sporting a grin of her own, said, "Well, I'll be going then. Dinner will be ready soon."
"What'll it be?"
"Daffodils."
"Again?" Twilight groaned. "I like daffodils as much as anypony else, but we've had them all week now!"
Her mother shrugged."Well, I've got to do something with them, and having been a houseplant for a while really made me lose my interest in gardening." She scratched her chin thoughtfully before she turned around and walked out the door, muttering "Maybe I should take up knitting instead..." to herself.
Left alone, Twilight breathed out a deep sigh. I suppose I should try packing again, she mused while walking past Spike, who swallowed the remainder of his gem with a loud gulp.
Twilight had already packed the most obvious of her belonging: a set of clothes, a framed picture of her family, her toothbrush, as well as her treasured doll, Smarty Pants. It was, however, the most important thing that also gave Twilight the most difficulty.
Which books should I bring?
Choosing which books to leave behind was as impossible a task as choosing favorites. She ultimately opted for pragmatism, taking magic related books to the Royal Academy of Magic. The problem was that that only narrowed it down slightly. Her room was already littered with the books she'd considered, only to be quickly cast away, to reach this conclusion.
Twilight stood in front of a now half-empty bookcase, lighting up her horn and pulling one book after the other out from the shelves.
"Let's see..." she said, pointing her hoof at the covers. "Numerology and Grammatica: Fun with Numbers." Twilight shook her head. "Don't think so," she said before throwing it behind her back. "Potions of Most Potent Power? Hmm... Nah!" The tome gave a thud landing on Twilight's bed. "Defensive Magical Theory? Ooh... That's a definite maybe." She laid the book next to her.
This process went on for some time, the pile of books next to her, meanwhile, growing greater and greater in size, as did the mess behind her. Finally, she'd gone through her entire collection, the bookcase standing all but empty.
"Phew! Finally..." she whiffed, wiping some sweat off her brow.
Lighting up her horn again, she levitated the stack of books over to her bed and dropped the lot into the vacuous bag. Twilight counted them a final time, raising an eyebrow as she found them to be one less than she intended.
That's strange, she thought. I'm sure I picked the right amount...
Twilight pondered it for a moment until it suddenly hit her. "The Standard Book of Spells!"
While she distinctly remembered her mother picking it up before she left, the memory of where exactly she'd put it remained... nonexistent. Looking around her room, more specifically every book-covered cranny of its floor, she couldn't help but breathe a deep sigh.
Let's get this over with.
She immediately started the arduous task of going through each and every book she could find, hoping it would be the one she looked for. For an absurdly long time, she searched through the mess, turning around and reading binding after binding, her steps growing ever more forceful as time went on until she suddenly let out a loud groan at picking up Encyclopedia Magica for a third time.
"Curse whoever decided every book cover in Equestria should be pastel colored!" she exclaimed, before she thumped down on the floor and buried her face into her hooves.
That's when she felt the light shove of some small figure pushing against her backside.
"Not now, Spike," Twilight said, her voice muffled.
The dragon, who had previously contented himself to sit by the side and watch as his caretaker got more and more embittered, insistently pushed against her back again, harder this time.
"What is it!?" Twilight groaned as she let her hooves fall to the sides, only to be met by the sight of the little dragon standing before her, a book wedged into his mouth.
He promptly dropped it in front of Twilight, pushed it towards her using his head, then stared up at her with big, shining eyes.
She looked at the book, sporting a cover in blue and silver, picked it up and read: "Standard Book of Spells - Deluxe Edition..."
Twilight ogled it for a moment before she looked down to Spike, to the book, and then back to him again. "Did you..." she started to ask, but lost word.
Spike, in response, merely cocked his head to the side, smiling.
Nah! she thought, shaking her head. Coincidence.
"Twily! Food!" she suddenly heard Shining call from downstairs. "No need to hurry, though. It's daffodils again..." His tone perfectly reflected her own feelings on the matter.
Nevertheless, Twilight shoved the final book into her travel bag before she walked out her room and descended down the stairs, Spike following closely in tow.
---
Early the next morning, with the first rays of murky sunlight shining over the rooftops of Canterlot, Twilight and her family, again, stood outside by the gates of the Royal Castle, waiting.
Having stood in place for nearly an hour, Twilight shuddered slightly, and not just from the touch of nightly chill lurking in the air either. She blinked rapidly for a second, trying desperately to keep alert. She'd been so excited the night before that she'd had trouble sleeping, and her lassitude finally began to take its toll. Spike laying across her back like a stuffed toy, snoring, hardly helped matters either...
Unblinkingly, or close thereof, Twilight stared through the gate's iron bars and into the courtyard, anticipating somepony to come greet her, to welcome her into the Princess's Academy, at any moment now. The minutes kept ticking away, however, with nopony yet in sight.
As Twilight suppressed a yawn, she heard the sound of weighted gravel coming from behind her.
"You know, staring at the entrance won't make whoever you're waiting for come any faster," she heard her brother say, all but seeing the wry smirk on his face.
Twilight rolled her eyes slightly. "I'm perfectly aware of that," she said.
Shining then proceeded to playfully bump his hoof against her side. "Well, why won't you come talk with us then, while you still have the chance?"
Glancing off towards the entrance one last time, Twilight wordlessly agreed, turned around, and followed Shining to their parents some short distance away. Her mother and father, standing next to the pile of trunks and suitcases that was her luggage, were in deep conversation about something, before they suddenly stopped as Twilight and her brother approached.
"Ah, there's the filly of the hour!" her father blurted out, almost leaping towards Twilight to stroke her head, ruffling her mane up and making it stand out in all directions.
While Twilight smiled and giggled, her mother just looked at him, frowned, and said, "I wish you'd stop doing that!" before she magically straightened out her daughter's mane.
"Why would I do that when you love fixing it so much?" he coyed, sporting a small, sidelong grin.
Her mother refused to respond, instead making a point of straightening out Twilight's mane in silence.
And so, she straightened. And straightened. And straightened.
...And straightened.
"Mom!" Twilight finally snapped, reaching a hoof up to the top of her head. "I think it's straight enough now!" As she looked upon her mother's face, however, she saw that her eyes had begun to water.
"Goodbye, sweetie!" her mother suddenly exclaimed as she clung her front legs around Twilight’s neck and clasped. Both she and Spike yelped in surprise and discomfort.
"Don't forget to wash your hooves with soap and magic, or to be polite to your teachers, and, most importantly, don't forget us!"
All this fell to deaf ears, however, as Twilight nearly suffocated as she was pressed against her mother's chest, being rocked back and forth.
Luckily, Shining soon came to her rescue. "Mom, you better let Twily loose before she turns even more purple than usual", he said, a humored smile on his lips.
Their mother, as if Twilight had turned as hot as an oven, suddenly whipped away. "I'm sorry, sweetie!" she said, while Twilight gusted for air. "It's just... you're growing up so fast, we're both so proud of you, and... I'm just not sure if you need us anymore, or when will be the next time we see each other again..." Her voice drifted into silence, her words weighing heavily in the air, until:
"Don't you think you're overreacting a bit," her father suddenly said, shrugging. "We live less than half an hour away—" Abruptly, he stopped and flinched as her mother shot him a sharp, icy stare. "Just a statement of fact..." he muttered to defend himself, turning away so as to avoid his wife's unsettling gaze.
"... And quite a fortunate fact it is," her father resumed, breaking into a smile. "It seems somepony has finally come to greet you after all, Twily."
Sure enough, as Twilight turned her head to look the same direction as her father, she could see, through the gate and from the other side of the castle's garden, a small pony-like figure in black, white, and blue slowly walking towards them from a distance.
"Well, we probably shouldn't stand here and linger," her father said before turning his head towards Twilight. "You think you'll be alright on your own, Twily?"
She slowly nodded in response, vigorously hoping it was true.
Her father's face lit up. "Ha ha! I knew you would!" he said, right before he stopped himself from almost mussing up her mane again. With a low cough and a glance at his wife above his shoulder, he lowered his hoof slightly, and settled for a hug instead. "Good bye, Twily," he said, squeezing her tightly together. "See you soon!" He managed a quick rub against the back of her head and a wink before he let go.
The moment after, her mom walked up to her instead. She beamed at Twilight, a big grin that seemed to contain more than could possibly be said. Then she leaned down, embracing her daughter in a firm grip. "I love you, sweetie," she said, her voice trembling slightly.
"I love you too, Mom."
Reassured by her words, her mother carefully let her go, wiping a single tear away.
Next was her brother, Shining, who walked up to and hugged her, leaned next to her ear and whispered, "You remember what I said about time and distance?"
Twilight did, almost vividly so. Yet, so much had happened since that day at the Summer Sun Celebration that it felt like it might as well have happened to some other filly, in some other lifetime. Still, she gave a near indiscernible nod.
"Good," he said, nodding in return. "Remember that."
He seemed like he was just about to let her go before he suddenly stopped, keeping her at an arm's length distance. Looking at her with bright, chuffed eyes, he said, "One more thing!" as if something had just struck him. "Since I won't be able to look after you anymore, try to make some friends!" His tone, while larky, seemed almost pleading.
I'm here to study magic, not making friends! she wanted to say, but couldn't find it in her. Instead, she just forced a smile and nodded silently.
Satisfied, Shining let loose of his grip, turned around and walked away with their parents.
Twilight stood and watched as her family walked back towards to the city, soon to disappear within the shadows of its crooked, maze-like streets. She felt a lump in her throat as all manner of emotions flooded to her, and she became acutely aware that “home” from now on would be a place she’d visit, not live in.
"I'll miss you!" she screamed after them, but received no reply other than the faint sound of hoof-steps against gravel coming from behind. Before she knew it, a shadow had engulfed her, causing her to turn around and face its source.
"Hello there, young miss!" a warm, cheery voice said to Twilight, the shadow-figure of a stallion standing before her, with the sun behind his back and a crown of light circling around him. "Do I have the pleasure of speaking to Twilight Sparkle?" he asked.
Twilight squinted for a second, trying her best to get a better look. As her eyes adjusted, she could see a blue-maned, white-coated stallion of some build, sporting an expensive-looking black suit and purple bow-tie. He slowly came into view, smiling down at her.
As Twilight realized that she'd spent the last few seconds staring at him, with her mouth hanging open, she felt her face turn warm and she lashed her head away, becoming unusually interested in the stone tile covered ground. "Y-yes," she finally said, forcing the word out as she glanced upwards again. "I'm Twilight."
"Garp!"
"That's Spike."
The stallion chuckled slightly, looking at the curled up ball of scales at her back, who himself seemed rather beguiled by his beholder. "Why hello there, little fellow!" he said, addressing Spike. "I'd say you've grown since last time I saw you, but that would be a lie."
His curiosity regarding Spike seemingly sated, the stallion leaned back slightly, his attention entirely turned back unto the filly. "I do apologize, Twilight—may I call you Twilight?" the stallion asked, raising a single eyebrow.
She nodded silently, to which his smile grew even wider.
"In that case, Miss Twilight, it seems that I have yet to introduce myself." The stallion made a quick, gracious bow and, while rising back up again, said, "My name is Lord Minister Fancy Pants, and it is my pleasure to welcome and escort you to your castle-lodgings."
Twilight looked at him blankly for a few seconds. "So... you're not one of the teachers?" she finally asked, cocking her head to the side.
Fancy Pants chuckled, shook his head slightly, and said, "Sadly, I can't take the credit for enriching the lives of our nation's brightest young fillies and colts. No, I'm little more than your run-of-the-mill civil servant who, today, decided to take the time to escort a certain filly to her new home."
Mistakenly taking Twilight's confused silence for a sign of understanding, he smiled, pointed his hoof towards the castle gate, and asked, "Shall we?"
"Oh! Ummm..." Twilight turned her head slightly, looking at her baggage from out of the corner of her eye.
"Don't you worry about that," Fancy Pants said. "It’s already been well taken care of. I sent for Strong Back to come carry your luggage for you. A most dependable stallion, that one. It will be in good hooves, believe me!"
With those words, he slowly made his way to the Royal Palace, Twilight following in tow. Though the two passed through another, larger gate than during Twilight's last visit, the grounds were still the same, with its spread-out flower gardens and marble statues standing along the cobbled pathways.
"Exquisite, aren't they?" Fancy Pants said as they passed one of a mare standing on its hind legs, holding a giant scroll within its hooves while a second scroll opened up and swirled around it. "They represent the greatest of unicorn virtues, you know: Grace, Dignity, Beauty, Honor, and Wisdom can all be found here," he said, his glance jumping from one statue to the other. "No matter how busy I get, I always take a time to stroll through the statue garden every now and then. Brings about a certain... sobriety."
Before long, they reached a great, arched entrance, much larger and grander than any doorway Twilight had ever seen before. A giant carving of the Royal sigil watched them both from above the port's frame, Unicornia's flags waving from either side of it, as if to inform potential incomers, intruders and guests alike, whose roof they were about to stand under.
Walking through the entrance, passing beneath an upped portcullis dangling menacingly above their heads, Twilight could scarcely believe it was the same castle she entered as last time. Unlike the murky hallways of her examination day, the main-entrance corridor was brightly lit, with sconces lined along its sides, and sunlight coming from the windows facing outwards. It was almost entirely made in white marble, with golden embellishments sprawled across its roof and walls, which its well-polished floor made to look like they stretched down into infinity.
It felt almost sacrilege to Twilight to walk there bare-hoofed, yet she soon found herself following Fancy Pants down the hallway, their steps echoing behind them. It didn't take long before theirs joined up with others’, however, as the occasional group of ponies—from guards in shining armor to clerks carrying stacks of papers—either pranced or scurried through the castle halls.
Every now and then, a pony in expensive-looking clothes would walk up to and chat with Fancy Pants for a minute, all bows and smiles, exchanging courtesies and prattling on about something that invariably forced Twilight to suppress a yawn. Fancy Pants, however, gave each of them ample time and attention: listening intently, nodding and smiling at the right places, and even chuckled at the driest of japes.
As Fancy Pants's last acquaintance left, rounding the corner of one of the hall's countless passages, Twilight finally summoned the courage to speak.
"Um, Mr. Fancy Pants?" she asked, her words staggering.
"Please, Twilight, call me Fancy. All the young mares do."
"Uh... okay. Fancy." Given a gentle smile and encouraging nod from the stallion, the knot around Twilight’s tongue loosened slightly. She even managed to keep her voice steady as she asked, "How come you know so many ponies? And why does everypony seem to know you?"
The question made him smirk. "Why, it's what I do," he said, looking down on Twilight. "Knowing the ponies everypony should know is my profession and trade, and my own little way of assisting the Princess."
Then, as he looked back up, his entire posture suddenly changed. His shoulders tensed, his until then near-constant smile turned into a frown, and a certain darkness swept across his face.
"Even those you would prefer not to..." he muttered.
Following Fancy's line of sight, Twilight could see a pair of stallions walking towards them from down the hallway. One was a cotton-white stallion with his muzzle up the air, a flaxen blonde mane and stern face, and a dark blue fabric wrapped around his neck before welling down his back like a mantle, held together by a blue pin that seemed to be the shape of a single water drop. The other was an older stallion, gaunt and tall, with a dull, grey tone to his coat, and whitening edges around his soot-black mane.
They spoke to one another, their voices echoing down the hallway.
"Oh, I'm sure the Lord Minister does his best, Your Grace" the grey stallion said in a raspy voice, to which his companion gave a loud snort.
"Please, Counsel, I know you prefer to play the neutral party, but between the two of us—"
The pair stopped mid-step as they approached and saw both Fancy and Twilight standing before them. A look of surprise briefly swept over the white stallion's face, before it swiftly changed into a sidelong sneer.
"Ah, Minister Fancy Pants!" he said in the mocking of a friendly tone. "We were just talking about you."
Twilight frowned. Something in this stallion’s tone made her wary, as she wasn’t sure if he was giving Fancy Pants an insult or a compliment.
The Lord Minister must have picked it up also, as he made no attempt to reciprocate the smile, but simply replied “So I heard” in a firm manner. "Only nice things, I hope?" he eventually added.
The stallion cocked his head. "Only just things."
With those words, the group turned silent. Twilight's gaze shifted rapidly from one stallion to the other, until it finally landed on the grey-coated one, who, with a cough, took a step off and said, "Well, it's been a pleasure, Your Grace, but, as I said, I have urgent matters that I need attend to."
The white stallion—the one he'd called "You Grace"—didn't respond, and only barely seemed to notice that his companion had bid him farewell. Even Fancy Pants only managed a nod as he was given a cordial "Lord Minister", never taking his eyes off the stallion in front of him, before the grey-coated stallion resumed his walk down the hallway.
With the last echoing sounds of his steps phasing out, silence loomed over them once again, more earnest this time. As the silence dragged on, the tension seemed to rise until, almost by mere happenstance, the white-coated stallion glanced down at her.
"Who's the filly, Fancy Pants?" he asked, smiling narrowly. "This isn't some playhouse for the commoners... unless it's another one of your so-called bills, that is."
"She's—"
"My name is Twilight," she muttered, crossed of being referred to as if she wasn't there.
The stallion waved a hoof dismissively. "Yes, yes, I hardly see how that—"
Suddenly, he stopped. The stallion gave her a long, measuring look; like he'd never seen a filly before. His eyebrows rose as his gaze reached the sight of Spike laying on her back and giving a hiss of a yawn.
"Your name doesn't happen to be Twilight Sparkle, does it?", he asked, an indicative tone to his voice.
"Y...yes. Yes it is," she replied, shying together.
The stallion smiled wide and mischievously again as he turned to Fancy Pants, who, with clenched jaw and narrowed eyes, looked as if he was just about ready to strangle him.
"Well, well, well," the stallion went on, shaking his head slightly. "I suppose you're not one to waste time, are you Fancy?"
Fancy Pants did not respond, other than in hardening his stare.
The stallion-wrapped-in-blue only chuckled at Fancy's loss of words. "Aren't you going to introduce us?" he asked, pointing his hoof at her.
"Twilight," Fancy Pants finally said through gritted teeth, "This is His Grace Blueblood the 39th, Lord of Castle Blueblood and Duke of Whitetail." Every sound seemed a struggle to him, his voice as sharp as a razor.
"Nice to meet you... umm, Your Grace," she mumbled, not sure what else to say.
"Likewise, Miss Sparkle." Duke Blueblood's smile narrowed further. "Tell me," he said, "why is it that you've followed... our most illustrious Lord Minister around the Princess's castle?"
"Well..." Twilight raised an eyebrow, unsure where he was going with this. "He's been showing me the way to my new room."
"Your new room?" he asked before his face lit up in understanding. "Ah!" he said. "Your place at the Academy, of course. I'm sure that's the only reason..."
Twilight having no idea what he meant to infer, and Fancy Pants offering no explanation, the subject seemed firmly exhausted and the group turned silent once again. This time, however, before the awkwardness got unbearable, Duke Blueblood loudly cleared his throat. "Well, as delightful as this has been," he said in a tone ladened with sarcasm, "I am afraid it is time for me to take my leave."
Walking by Twilight and Fancy, Blueblood stopped next to the Lord Minister. "I suppose we'll meet soon again, Fancy Pants. And you, Miss Sparkle" he said, looking towards Twilight, "we will be watching your future career with"—he turned his head back to Fancy, grinning widely—"great interest..."
Only once the Duke was a safe distance away, the rhythmic echo of his striding hooves disappearing down some lateral hallway, did Fancy Pants close his eyes and breath out. "I'm sorry you had to see that, Twilight," he said. "I'm afraid that that stallion hardly brings out the best in me."
Their walk from that point on was mostly similar to before, except that the number of Fancy's acquaintances lowered drastically as they went deeper and deeper into the castle. Which was unfortunate, as the few there was served as a comforting pause to the awkward silence that had formed between the two of them. Twilight's unasked questions hovered above them like some dark cloud.
Who was that stallion, really? How did he know who I was, and what did all those strange things he said mean?
Up and down stairs they went, through corridors and passageways until they finally reached a long, frugal hallway. The polished marble and gold had long since given way for grey stone bricks. Sconces still littered the walls, however, spread between rows of wooden doors to both the hall's left and right side.
"This, Twilight," Fancy said, turning his head towards her, "is the filly dormitory, and here"—he stopped before one of the numbered doors—"is your room." His horn glowing, the door creaked open, allowing Twilight to peek inside.
While simple, the room was surprisingly snug and well-furnished, with a thick carpet on the floor and a bookcase made of oak standing against a wall, its empty rows causing a slight tickle in Twilight's hooves as she thought of her books filling it. Two doors led further inwards into some unknown rooms.
As Twilight walked in—her face flushed by the warm wash of sunlight coming from a crude, square window—Spike jumped off her back onto the crimson carpet. He yawned and stretched, the joints in his back giving a loud crack, before breaking out into a smile and wandering off to explore his new home.
"Well," Fancy said from out the hallway, prompting Twilight to turn around, "as everything seems to be in order, I'll leave you here for now. Your belongings should be here shortly; you could spend the time to befriend your roommate, meanwhile. If there's any kind of problem, don't hesitate to come to me." His horn lit up again, and a glow engulfed the door-handle. "I look forward to our next encounter, Miss Twilight!" And, with those word, Fancy closed the door behind him, leaving Twilight and Spike free to—
Wait! A roommate!? Nopony said anything about a roommate!
Twilight looked around her, quickly scanning the room as if somepony would be hiding in the corner. All the while she pressed her lips together, imagining all the kinds of ponies she could be saddled with: the brutes, the bores, the slobs...
Finally, she calmed herself down, taking deep, soothing breaths.
Don't worry so much, Twilight, she told herself. It's going to be fine! How bad could she possibly be?
The moment she finished that thought, one of the room's doors flung open with a loud bang. Sparks in all manner of different colors flared up as a filly jumped out, striking a dramatic pose.
"Welcome, most honored roommate of the Great and Powerful Trixie!"
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Great chapter, Can't wait for the next - your story is the one I am always hoping is on my updated list
i was wondering if princess Celestia and princess Luna are eventually going to be in this
2558737 Actually, it's a false logic. It's based on fears which are based on lack of knowledge, which is anything but logical.
Self-deception can seem logical to the mind that wishes to rationalize away true insight and rational analysis.
Also, it is abundantly clear that there is a strong self-interest at work, again undermining any logical foundations of thought.
3061156 they don't exist in this timeline.
I have my own theories I'm not saying incase spoilers.
3061572 If there was no Discord, there'd be no reason for them to descend from the heavens or Digivolve into Ultimate or however they came to be.
Of course, this also means there are no Elements of Harmony, at least not as we know them, since Celestia and Luna found them in their quest to defeat Discord.
Hmm, no castle of the Royal Pony Sister in the Everfree... actually, maybe even no Everfree Forest at all, since it's apparent that the magical disruption that created it was Luna's NMM rebellion.
So much changes with the absence of Discord. He's a major world-shaping event.
May your grandpa rest in peace. I'm sure he was a good man.
Anyway, boy am I glad I stumbled upon this in the feature box! This is the kind of AU I find really interesting. I hope we get more world-building soon and those little snatches of foreshadowing in the first chapter are enticing. So does Ponyville or the Crystal Empire exist yet in this AU? I certainly am curious.
Of course it's Trixie.
Of course Trixie acts like a performer-magician in all fics regardless of whether she is one or not.
Naturally.
Filly Twilight has got the eye of stallions that she probably shouldn't have. Curious to see what Fancy Pants has to do with things, if he has any greater role at all.
First days are always awkward. New setting, new ponies, new annoyances...
Yeah, looking forward to more of this. Have at it!
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Thanks a bunch! That means a lot!
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Now now, that would be telling
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Of course, of course. Magician doesn't reveal his cards before he plays them, right?
Trixy
for a second i was thinking it was sunset shimmer. 
cool story.
keep doing it plez
Trixie... Oh Hell No!
Twilight you just had to say that.
Bummer about your grandfather. A morbid reminder to spend some more time with your family.
IT'S TRIXIE! ... Damnit, it's Trixie!
Lol, very well done chapter. I eagerly await the next.
I am pretty sure if Twilight cannot stop Trixie from speaking in third person then she might just kill her.
I am sorry for your loss, and hope that your grandfather is in a better place. I'm sure he was a wonderful man.
aww fuck. trixie?! really?! why do you hate twilight?!
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Maby things will turn out better between them this time
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Actually, the description says:
That Celestia and Luna never came to power does not mean that they do not exist. Maybe Equestria simply optet against being ruled by two immortals and the both of them are now somewhere, maybe hiding, and simply enjoy their lifes. They'd probably make for great historians and archivists.
3064697 until she pops that stupid swelled ego of hers, she's gonna be the rival.
Aw, we're gonna have to wait a while for the next chapter, aren't we
3065003 Well, if they never came to power, they were either mortals who are now dead, or they were misty astral thingey's who are still floating about up in space.
Either way, they ain't around.
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Actually, Word of Faust wants them to be born as alicorns, which means that they never had to ascend or something like that (if your last sentence was meant to imply that they not exist--if you simply meant to acknowledge the fact that they don't seem to be in Canterlot or anywere else near the political theater, I wholeheartly agree). True, it wouldn't be hard to find an explanation why they are not around any longer, but the same is true for the opposite and the description, while incredibly vague, explicitly leaves that possibility. Long story short: we can't say anything definitive right know, it's up to DemPonies.
I hope your grandfather rests in peace, I lost one of my own back in May.
I think Twilight's quest will eventually be to find the fabled Elements of Harmony and with the help of Spike, Trixie and the Mane 5 whom she meets while travelling the nations searches for the EoH.
Well this is a neat little how do you do of a story. So far I like it. It's as if Celestia and Luna not being the princesses some how means that the ponies were never desegregated so naturally the unicorns became or stayed the "dominant" race or at least more sophisticated. I'm just wondering if your going to do a time skip or if Twilight is going to go on a unification quest as a filly. Also, Trixie as her dorm mate was so expected.
Hope you update soon, your chapter posting history does not 
bring me confort but one can still hope. 
Now is this some sort of thing set up by Trixie's mom to help Twilight and her destiny or something else...
Yay =D. Great chapter.
Oh, poor Twilight.
Well, hopefully Twilight's influence early on in Trixie's life will make her actually work at powerful magic instead of simple 'parlor tricks', as it were. 
The Standard Book of Spells.
Wat.
You mean, THIS Standard Book of Spells?
images4.wikia.nocookie.net/__cb20111102124713/harrypotter/images/1/1b/StandardBookofSpells5.jpg
Umbridge would approve.
Defensive Magical Theory
Four chapters in fifty weeks...
Um, will updates be coming a bit more... er, frequently?
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Hey, Jake The Army Guy! First, I'm a fan of your work, so I'm glad you took the time to read mine
Unfortunately, I'd be lying if I'd say that I foresee any significant upturn in my writing pace, at least for the next chapter. I just started university last week, and I'm prepping to move to my new apartment as I'm writing this.
Still, I'll say that I'm constantly working on this story, so it'll come to those who are patient
3114271
Oh... Wow. Thanks!
And don't worry too much about it. I haven't written in a while, freaking out about the big sequel. I'll be patiently waiting for more.
I hope your muse does well here with this very interesting story.
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Feel free to drop it off at my virtual office again once you get it written. Interested to see where you plan to play your cards.
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Wouldn't dream of doing otherwise. Your feedback is always invaluable!
When is the next chapter coming out
..... not to rush you. 
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I don't mind so much people asking me how things are going. Shows me that you care
I'm not sure exactly sure when the next chapter is coming out, but (If I'd have to take a wild guess) I'd say I'm about halfway through. But, then again, there's an exam week coming out, and then there's the whole proof-reading and editing process afterwards...
So, overall, my pace has been going slower than I hoped, but faster than I feared. In the end, though, I can't give you a proper prognosis, as it just depends on so many factors of things happening in my life right now.
It's moving forward though
Good luck with your exams.
(I was away for 1 out of 2 teasts and it was the one i wanted to do for good marks...... i hope the techers not angry)
My hope: Trixie and Twilight grow to be best friends.
What may happen: Trixie will grow into Twilight's rival, but remain adorable.
Awwwwww, I saw this fic and thought "oh my gosh this sounds awesome", then I started reading it, got to the half of the second chapter and thought "oh my gosh this is awesome" and now I notice that it's incomplete. I'll read it when it's close to completion, otherwise I'll lose interest.
So, an AU where Celestia and Luna aren't there, and Equestria is still divided into the three tribes. Seems like a logical AU, but I can't say I've seen it before, or at least not well-developed like this. I like how you take your time and show us all the details and intrigue that make the world seem real.
Can't wait for the adventure to get started.
3621976 Thanks!
Yeah, one of the reasons I started writing this story was because I liked the simple, yet fascinating, idea behind it that no one had taken advantage of yet, at least as far as I had seen.
Also, look forward to a new chapter sometime before Christmas!
Or perhaps Writing? How about adventure stories? I see where this could be going...
So the Elements of Unicornism?
Grace- Vinyl Scratch
Dignity- Sunset Shimmer (Yes, I went there.)
Beauty- Rarity
Honor- (I got nothing. Any ideas)
Wisdom- Lyra (SHe knows a lot about Humans)
Magic- Twilight (Duh)
A romemate... there is only two ponies I can think would apear.
The most logical choice.
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For Honor? Trixie