Growing Wings

by Twilicorn

Awake

This morning, Princess Luna was the first to awake, stretching her hooves through the air. Her eyes flickered open, and she wondered why she wasn't in Canterlot. The last two days' events flooded her mind, and she nodded to herself, affirming the events of the past. She continued laying there, too comfortable to wake up, when she remembered the guards who had been there all night. Her heart filled with pity, and she slowly shoved herself out of bed, kicking the blankets off with her long legs. Rolling over, she climbed out of bed, blinking away the last remains of sleep from her eyes.

"CHANGE GUARD," she commanded tiredly, then turned towards Twilight. What if she woke up today? She wondered to herself, though quickly dismissed it. If she woke up today, she'd have to be the strongest alicorn in history. Most alicorns took at least three days to recover, usually over a week. Then again, Twilight was special. She could wake up today... her mind began to wander when she noticed Twilight shifting in her bed. Luna flew over to her daughter and near light-speed, standing over her protectively. Twilight merely shifted a bit, her legs in a more stretched position, and went back to her sleep. Luna sighed, turning away and back towards the other sleeping ponies. Poor Spike, she thought to herself. "Guard?" She inquired, her voice still cracked with sleep.

"Yes ma'am?" Inquired the same guard as the previous evening.

"Please go locate Spike. If he wishes to come, and only if so, please bring him here quickly. Tell him Twilight may wake up today." She knew she was lying through her teeth, but she could, it was true, so it wasn't completely lying.

"Yes ma'am," he repeated, this time as a sentence rather than question, and flew off, using the same window as Princess Luna as she opened it magically before he hit himself on it. She then glanced up at the analog clock, its pale blue hands a beautiful contrast to its white face and dark blue numbers. It was nearly ten o'clock, and she debated whether she should wake the others up or not. Deciding against it, she decided she'd only wake them up if it was truly necessary. Sitting back down on her bed, she laid down, falling asleep again.

She was awoken by a gentle shaking from a guard, who was clearly scared of waking her up. She smiled, and the guard relaxed some. "We found the dragon, ma'am. He wished to come." The guard pointed to Spike, sitting with Twilight and slowly stroking her elongated mane.

"Thank you Sandy Feathers. You may go." The guard nodded and flew away, resuming his post outside the door. Princess Luna then turned towards Spike, walking slowly towards him. "Spike? How are you?"

"Fine," he replied stiffly, then sighed. "I just want to be here when she wakes up, and be sure she won't leave me." He choked at the end, and she could tell he truly loved Twilight Sparkle.

"Well Spike, what would you say to being Twilight's personal guest at the castle? I can make one final command before stepping down from the crown after all, and I think I know what to make it now." Spike's tears quickly disappeared, his mouth breaking into a grin.

"Really Princess! Wow, thanks!" He jumped off the bed, grabbing Luna's foreleg into a tight hug. She stumbled back half a step, then returned the embrace. They hugged tightly for a few minutes, when he finally backed away. "So is it true she could wake up today?" Princess Luna gulped awkwardly, shifting another half step away.

"She could. It's more likely that she'll wake up in a few days though." His face fell a bit, but he was still excited. "Based on the fact she collapsed performing a Rejuvenation Spell, something even I have trouble with, she could very well awaken today though." His smile stretched even larger, when Twilight shifted again. That's it, I'm waking them up, decided Luna, turning towards the five slumbering ponies. Closing her eyes and sitting down, she flared her wings, focusing on tapping into Rainbow Dash first. Within moments, she was seeing Rainbow Dash's dream, Rainbow Dash performing Sonic Rainboom after Sonic Rainboom in a Wonderbolts uniform. Princess Luna concentrated more, slowly separating Rainbow Dash from the dream world and waking her up. She exited the spell, and saw Rainbow Dash's eyes blink open slowly. She did the same with the other ponies, their dreams strangely excited, and she found it strange that none of them had nightmares. Aha! She thought, and closed her eyes once again. Focusing on Twilight Sparkle, she tapped into her mind, Twilight's dreams flooding into Luna's mind. They were all dim and foggy, and Luna gasped, breaking the spell.

"What! What!" Yelled Spike, seeing Luna's reaction.

"I do believe Twilight is going to awake very soon," she declared. The fogginess was the sign of separation from dreams, usually mere moments before awakening. Pinkie heard this and jumped up, hopping to Twilight's bed as though she had been awake for hours. The others followed slowly, Fluttershy mildly confused at Pinkie's jumping. Fluttershy slowly approached the Princess, her eyes touched with worry.

"Who's watching my animals?" Asked Fluttershy, clearly more worried than she should be.

"I sent off Bumble Buzz to watch them," smiled Luna, recalling yet another command she had issued the previous day. Fluttershy smiled, and Luna was glad she had chosen the proper pony for the job. Fluttershy joined her friends, who were gathered in a tight circle around Twilight, and Princess Luna stood behind Rarity and Pinkie, watching carefully. Spike sat on the bed, and they all were filled with the same emotions-worry, happiness, and confusion. Twilight stirred again, and they all held their breath, leaning in over the alicorn. She didn't wake up, however, and they all exhaled simultaneously.

"I do wonder what's going on in her mind," stated Rarity, talking to herself.

"Do you really?" Inquired Luna, before falling back into the dream-searching spell. It came easily to her, considering she was the goddess of dreams and the night, though Celestia would have great troubles with it.

Twilight Sparkle ran through a long maze, her hooves banging against the stone floors. The walls were closing in on her, and though she had wings for no apparent reason, she couldn't use them. You could hear scratching footsteps behind her, and Discord's voice echoing through the stones. She increased her speed, but the exit got farther and farther... Luna backed out of Twilight's mind, smiling at the common dream, though still feeling bad for Twilight.

"She's merely dreaming of being chased by Discord in a stone maze that keeps getting smaller," sighed Luna, and Rarity's eyes widened. "Soon, the maze should flatten her, and then she'll wake up. I'm impressed," she added, "At how fast she's waking up. It's uncanny, honestly." Applejack nodded, remembering the dream herself. Twilight Sparkle began moving once again, and they all gasped, watching intently over her. Spike continued stroking her mane, narrowly avoiding being kicked, and the tension increased exponentially with every passing moment. Princess Luna pushed through the throng of ponies, now nearest to her daughter's face. She leaned into Twilight, gently kissing her on the cheek. Leaning back, she smiled, and Twilight's eyes flickered open.

Her eyes shut again, but they had all seen it, gasping loudly. Twilight opened her eyes once again, then blinked them rapidly to clear away the gunk from her extended sleep. "P-princess?" She stuttered, then saw Spike. "Spike? Everypony?" She blinked a final time, and the world became clear. "Where am I?" Twilight's friends remained silent, so Luna began to speak.

"Twilight Sparkle, what I am going to tell you will leave you extremely confused, but you have all the time in the world to question it. You are my daughter, and you... you are an alicorn." Twilight's face had morphed into shock at the first statement, but at the alicorn statement, she simply stared. Slowly moving into a sitting position, she opened her wings experimentally, flapping them a few times. Glancing back at them confusedly, she saw just how long her mane was, and how big she had become.

"Why?" Twilight's voice had changed also, a smoother, slightly more elegant tone to it. And Princess Luna smiled. They all began explaining to Twilight in scattered voices, melding together into a mess Twilight somehow understood.

A few hours later, they had finished the story, and Twilight had pieced it together, asking all the appropriate questions. "What will happen to you and Celestia after you pass the crown?" She inquired worriedly, still flapping her wings.

"Tia and I will fall to our old forms-her as a unicorn and myself as a pegasus. We will still live in the castle, but we will be old. Not that old," she added, seeing Twilight's worry, "But about seventy*. We have lived for thousands of years-in fact, five thousand, four hundred as of your coronation for me." Twilight gasped, a new question forming in her mind.

"Am I going to live for that long? And that means one hundred pony years equal one alicorn year! You could live nearly forever!"

"We could indeed. Alicorns are immortal, after all. Until we pass the crown." Princess Luna's voice bordered on wistful at the final comment, and her eyes flickered with an unidentifiable emotion.

"When am I going to learn to fly?" Twilight's question was an abrupt change of subject, and Rainbow Dash was just about to tell her when Princess Luna raised a hoof warningly.

"After I pass the crown."

"Whoa, wait. So I'm not going to be taught by my mother how to be a princess, but by my aunt?" She was so indignant she nearly squeaked, but Spike resumed stroking Twilight's mane and she calmed down a bit.

"Yes. Princess Celestia is a better ruler-she wasn't banished to the moon, was she? And it makes more sense than to have mother and daughter ruling. As much as I would love to, my dear." Princess Luna stroked her daughter's mane as well, her hooves gliding along the multicolored assortment of hair. "Twilight, if you don't mind me asking, why are you taking this so well? It... it's shocking that you'd be so accepting of this." Twilight's face changed to one of contemplation, then relaxation as she replied.

"I... I always knew I was special. And I had a feeling something was going to happen. And I don't look that much like my parents, do I? Of course, more so like my mom than my dad, but still..." her voice trailed off, but her eyes sparked and she continued. "I know that sounds conceited, but I really did know something was going to happen. And this isn't as shocking as what I thought would happen..." a blush rose to her cheeks at the final part, and she hid her head under her hooves.

"And what would that be?" Asked Spike, ceasing the mane-brushing for a bit.

"N-nothing," stammered Twilight, her hooves still covering her face.

"C'mon!" Insisted all of the others simultaneously, and Twilight poked an eye out from behind her hooves.

"Well... I kind of thought I was Celestia's daughter, or Discord's." She whispered the last segment, but no one in the room laughed.

"Actually, that's not that shocking. Considering how close you are to Celly, and how Discord never discordified you, it seems almost logical." Luna stumbled over 'discordified', the word simply designed on the fly, but Twilight nodded, not noticing.

"When do I get to tell everyone? Like the others in Ponyville?"

"On your coronation. No sooner, no later. Knowing before hand would cause quite a disturbance, especially to the Canterlot citizens." Twilight sighed in agreement, remembering several scenes of how snooty and melodramatic Canterlot citizens were. Like that one time with Cadance and the punch... her mind trailed, and her friends all watched her, still not saying anything, when Twilight's stomach let out a long, loud growl.

"Somepony's HUNGRY!" Declared Pinkie, hopping around and producing a cupcake from no where. Twilight lifted it with her magic, but quickly dropped it, landing back on the plate Pinkie had also produced. "What's wrong with it Twilight? Don't like vanilla? I have chocolate, and strawberry, and cherry, and candy..." Pinkie continued listing off the cupcake flavors until Twilight stuck a hoof in Pinkie's mouth.

"Magic is so much easier now. Effortless, almost. Why?"

"Because you were a unicorn before you became an alicorn. If you had been a pegasus, flying would be incredibly easy. And if you were Rainbow Dash, you'd never have to walk again, because your wings would be your hooves."

"Oh. And Pinkie, I'll take that vanilla one," smiled Twilight, grabbing it with her magic once again.

"Okie dokie lokie Twilight!" Pinkie giggled, stuffing the other cupcakes back into nowhere before sitting back down.

"I'll get you some real food," sighed Luna as Twilight finished off the cupcake. "Guard?" She inquired for the millionth time, and the same guard came in. "Can you get me five normal meals, one large meal, one extremely large meal, and a large plate of gemstones?"

"Of course, Princess." The guard saluted before marching out, this time not flying, and Twilight raised a hoof to ask a question.

"Yes Twilight? And you don't need to raise your hoof. You're an alicorn!" Twilight giggled at the reminder, flapping her wings again eagerly.

"Can I command the guards?"

"When I hand off the crown, my guards will become yours, as well as the ones Tia and I share. After she hands off the crown, all the guards will be under your command."

"Even my big brother?" Twilight was hit with yet another flashback, this time of her brother's wedding, and she launched into a set of laughter, its sound similar to musical bells in the wind.

"Yes, even your big brother." Princess Luna smiled at the idea, just as the guard came in, struggling with the plates in his mouth or balanced on his back. Rarity grabbed a small plate with her magic, setting it down in front of her, and the plate of gemstones for Spike. Twilight grabbed her extremely large plate and Luna's, while Luna grabbed the other four plates and set them down in front of the other four ponies. Before they knew it, Twilight had scarfed down the plate of food with the ferocity of a manticore, before even Spike had finished his first gemstone.

"My my Twilight, that isn't very ladylike," sighed Rarity, gently patting off her face with a napkin.

"Don't say that or I'll banish you to the moon!" Declared Twilight, her eyes twinkling as though she would burst into another fit of laughter at any moment.

"If you do that, you'll have to banish all of us!" Applejack's exclamation was accompanied with her bouncing onto Twilight's bed, followed by Fluttershy, Rainbow Dash, Rarity, and Pinkie respectively. They all began tickling Twilight, Spike as well, and Twilight's wild laughter echoed through the room, as Luna watched with the caring gaze only a mother could have. As the laughter began to slow, the ponies jumped off of Twilight and back into their chairs, when Princess Luna glanced at the clock.

"Twilight, stand up!" She declared suddenly, and Twilight bounced up immediately, pushing the bed away with new found strength. "You six, I need you to leave. Twilight needs to get to Canterlot! If she's going to be having her coronation tomorrow, she needs to be in Canterlot by tonight! Do not breathe a word of this to any one. Say she is ill and is going to Canterlot for extreme medical procedures should anyone ask. I will leave first. Twilight, you can do an illusion spell, correct?" Twilight nodded slowly, taken aback by the sudden energy. "I need you to create an illusion of you being a normal, sick unicorn. We will board the normal train, I with several guards. Cast it now!" Twilight complied, the spell coming incredibly easily, and she began stumbling down the stairs, Luna following closely. Her friends followed, shocked by their alicorn friend now looking like her old self. The guards began following Princess Luna, six of them surrounding her and Twilight as they left the hospital. They stumbled slowly to the train station, and were immediately allowed to the front of the ticket line.

"How can I help you?" Asked the old ticket master, his voice creaking.

"I need two first class tickets to Canterlot for the soonest train!"

"There's one leaving in two minutes. It'll arrive at nine fif-"

"I'll take them!" She felt slightly guilty for simply cutting him off, but he held out the tickets. She lifted a small bag of bits, shoving them at him. "Keep the change!" She insisted before dashing off to the platform, followed by a green-faced Twilight. The ponies parted and bowed as Princess Luna passed, and they made it to the platform just as it pulled in. Luna magically lifted the tickets, then dragged Twilight onto the train and into a large private car, complete with beds and bathroom. "Twilight, when we get there, you need to know a few things. Keep the illusion until we are in your old chambers-where you stayed as a student. Then we will elaborate on what you must do tomorrow. Get more rest, you've had a long day." Twilight nodded, obeying the orders of the Princess, and collapsed on the bed, her eyes shut tight. Princess Luna smiled at her, then turned outside. Once again, the sun was just setting, and Princess Luna grabbed the moon, lifting it into the sky. Glad to have that out of the way, she turned back towards Twilight with a caring smile. Leaving the car, she went to the dining car. The ponies bowed, but she waved them up, approaching the "waiter".

"Can I get you anything, Princess?" His voice was smooth, and his mustache was perfectly curled.

"A cake please. A very large one." The "waiter" nodded and turned around, searching the desert cart. He lifted one, setting it on the table in front of him.

"Normally? Three hundred bits. For you? One hundred." She snickered in spite of herself, and lifted another small bag. Each bag held three hundred bits, while the larger ones she carried held a thousand. She set it on the table and magically lifted the cake, carrying it back to her car with a careful elegance. Upon returning, she set it on the table and magically sliced it into twenty slices, thanks to the cake cutter that came with the cake. Lifting two pieces, she stuffed them in her mouth, filling her cheeks like chipmunks. If the press could see me know, she snickered again. All Princesses had a fault for cake. A large fault. It apparently came with the magic. Or the wings. Either way... She stuffed another piece of cake in her mouth, then swallowed them all. She heard her guards flying alongside the train, and the train tooted its horn. Lifting another piece of cake, one though ran through her mind. It's going to be a long, cake-filled night.

Comments

[Twilicorn]

Chapter three and eighty favorites~ I'm so proud! I may start chapter four today, if not some time this week. Enjoy a dancing penguin.
s.myniceprofile.com/myspacepic/58/5851.gif

[Deathpony]

yay cake filled night

[azednew]

I did notice that almost every story involving the princesses involves them and cake. One I read even had Celestia obsessing over Jaffa Cakes in more of a Yogscast way.

[Reader Wolf]

CAKE!!
And then Twilight comes in, sees only crumbs where the cake had been, then falls to her knees and screams "THE CAKE IS A LIE!"

[Yobikir]

huh, is there a fic where Twilight is the daughter of Discord? would probably interesting to read.

[SirBarmy]

cake can fix all ills! don't believe me? see for your self.

CAKE *eats cake*

the pinkie test is 100% accurate, 100% of the time
*warning cake cures are meant for uses on ponies only. cake is not a lie. how ever it has been known to mislead*