Crescent Moonbeam Ep 1: Introductions

by GlitterBit

Breakfast

Crescent woke up in her room and felt relief. Twilight had agreed to be her Mentor and it hadn’t been all that hard or awkward. There was still time to let her know the specifics before the hospital needed her to check in, so she could tell her when she felt comfortable. She crawled out of her sleeping bag with the blanket still wrapped around her smiling.

A knock sounded at the door. “Come in.” Crescent said sitting down and examining one of the bookshelves. She was squinting trying to read the titles, she hadn’t put her glasses on yet.

“Good morning. Twilight was wondering if you’d like to have breakfast with us.” Spike said stepping through the door.

“I would love to have breakfast with you guys.” Crescent smiled over at Spike. She looked over at her saddle bags. “Just give me a second. I’ll be there soon.”

“Don’t take to long we’re having pancakes today and you won’t want to miss them.” Spike walked back out through the door.

Crescent stood and let the blanket fall to the floor. She put her glasses on and began rummaging through her saddlebags, setting out different items on the floor, finally pulling out a stoppered bottle. She looked gloomily at it then began rummaging through the bag again, until she found a measuring spoon.

She stopped looking at the spoon and bottle. “I wish I didn’t need this.” She sighed and unstoppered the bottle carefully measuring out the shimmering blue syrupy liquid into the spoon. She gulped down the liquid and pulled a face before setting the bottle and spoon off to the side. She closed her eyes for a second and took a deep breath as she shuddered and her horn sparked briefly.

She sighed again and stood up walking through the door and out into the hall. She looked left and looked right. Both ways looked the same. “Uhh…” She said looking back down each hallway again. Her glasses slid down again and she adjusted them. “Maybe it’s in the main hall?” Crescent said, starting to walk back down the way Twilight had led her from.

She crossed through the hallway and down the stairs coming back to the main entrance. After wandering in the main entrance for a few minutes Crescent groaned and almost wandered deeper into the castle when she heard Twilight from behind the large doors in the entryway.

She cautiously walked over listening. “She’s a cousin of mine from Canterlot.” She heard Twilight say.

“And she’s staying here why?” Another voice asked. Crescent wracked her brain for a second. Twilight had a pupil. What was her name again?

“She’s only staying for a little while Starlight. Until she has a place of her own.” Twilight replied. Starlight, that’s right. Twilight had taken her in as a student after something. Crescent couldn’t remember what.

Crescent knocked on the door cautiously. The door opened revealing Spike. “Come in Crescent.” He said pushing the door further open. Twilight and Starlight were already seated with the pancakes and fruit between them.

Twilight smiled and waved to her. “Good morning Crescent. Come have breakfast.” Twilight pointed to a seat around the table. Crescent walked over and sat down. The plates were still empty and the pancakes were still warm so they hadn’t been waiting long for her it seemed.

“Crescent this is my student, Starlight. Starlight this is my cousin, Crescent.” Twilight said waving between the two.

“Nice to meet you.” Starlight said smiling.

“Nice to meet you too.” Crescent smiled back. Spike walked over and sat down next to Twilight.

“Can we start breakfast now? I’m starving.” Spike said reaching for a pancake. Twilight moved them away towards Crescent with her magic.

“Guests first Spike.” Twilight said. Spike sat back down. Crescent quickly put some pancakes on her plate before trying to slide it back across the table. She accidentally knocked her glasses askew and had to fix them. Twilight used her magic and moved it the rest of the way letting Spike take some before moving it over towards Starlight. Starlight was watching Crescent across the table.

“May I have some fruit please?” Crescent asked pointing at the bowl of fruit in the center of the table.

“Can’t you just use your magic?” Starlight asked as Twilight levitated the bowl over for Crescent.

Crescent looked a little sheepish and was about to respond when Twilight spoke. “She has Magic Dysphoria.” She explained also levitating the syrup over to Crescent. Crescent nodded and began pouring the syrup over her pancakes.

“So you just do everything with your hooves? Like earth ponies?” Starlight asked levitating an apple from the bowl onto her plate. Crescent nodded picking up her fork and digging into the pancakes.

She ate quickly tearing pieces away from the rest of the pancake with her fork, interchanged with bites of fruit. She chewed with her mouth half open and the fruit juice got all over her hooves and face. Twilight watched Crescent in surprise as she wolfed down her food. She finished eating and sighed licking her hooves off. Then she looked over at Twilight who still looked shocked.

“Sorry.” Crescent muttered looking off to the side and adjusted her glasses. “I realize I don’t have very good table manners.” She apologized reaching for the napkins in the center of the table. Spike nudged them towards her.

“It’s alright. I won’t hold it against you, Pinkie’s far worse.” Twilight smiled and Starlight chuckled.

“Isn’t that true, remember when she practically smashed that cake with her face?” She chuckled again, Twilight chuckled too. Crescent smiled as she cleaned her face.

“So Crescent. When would you like to get started?” Twilight asked eating her own breakfast.

“Umm… Whenever. I’d like to get a job first though so I don’t have to worry about bothering you for anything if you wouldn’t mind.” Crescent said.

“That’s okay. So what do you like to do? What are some of your talents?” Twilight asked. Crescent noticed a scroll and quill had floated over to Spike. Spike unrolled the scroll and took the quill.

“Umm… I always liked the math classes I went to.” Crescent said. Spike’s quill scratched on the paper. “And uhh… I think I’m pretty good at it.”

“Give me an example.” Twilight said as Spike continued writing.

“Well, uhh… okay. The third repetition of a menzene scalar will have a magnitude of…” Crescent went off on a dialogue of various forces and technical terms to which Twilight listened intently and Starlight gaped. Spike continued eating his pancakes, setting the scroll and quill down on the table.

“...So in other words, the more magical effects you overlay the needed energy increases tenfold for each.” Crescent finished, pushing her glasses back up her muzzle.

“That’s almost word for word Cubic Root’s Theory of Power!” Twilight clapped happily. Starlight sat back in her chair impressed and slightly confused.

“Why do you know so much about magical theory and mechanics if you can’t do it?” Starlight asked raising an eyebrow.

Crescent looked away and blushed before looking back. “I’ve never been good at magic, I just can’t do it, but for some reason the math behind it comes naturally for me.” She shrugged.

“Where did you learn that?” Twilight asked.

“Books.” Crescent said. “Magical Mechanics, Cubic Root’s Compendium of Magical Numerology, Time Briefly, and other books. It was something I could get at the hospital and when I was alright enough to go home on the weekends with only an aide or two my parents would take me up to the school of magic and let me listen to the lectures.” Crescent smiled. “It felt good to be able to understand something. You know for real.”

“Hospital? For Magic Dysphoria?” Starlight asked looking at Twilight. “And what else did she mean, ‘Well enough to go home on the weekends’?” Starlight asked again a little warily.

Twilight looked over at Crescent who looked off to the side and wiggled where she sat. “Well… Let’s not get into that right now. Maybe later, right now I think it would be best to show Crescent Ponyville so she can get a start on finding a job, a house, and get an idea of what it’s like living here.” Twilight said sliding her plate away as she stood. “Of course we need to put breakfast away first.” She levitated the plates off the table, stacking them, then levitated them over to Spike as he walked towards the kitchen.

“I can help with that.” Crescent said standing up and walking over next to Spike.

“You don’t need to do that Crescent. I usually help Spike.” Twilight said standing up.

“No. You’re already helping me it’s the least I can do.” She said.

“No Crescent. It’s your first day here. Sit down, get to know Starlight, I can take care of this.” Twilight said walking with Spike into the kitchen.

Crescent walked back to her spot and sat down, looking over at Starlight. They sat silently for a few seconds. Then Starlight spoke. “So you’re a cousin of Twilight’s?” Crescent nodded. “Which side?” Starlight asked.

“Her mom’s side. My dad is Twilight Velvet’s brother.” Crescent explained.

“And I haven’t met them yet why?” Starlight asked raising an eyebrow.

“Well they came out for Shining Armor’s wedding, and Twilight’s coronation, but since then we haven’t received any invites. Cadence and Shining Armor wanted the Crystalling to be between immediate family and your award ceremony was hardly a family affair, even though you are Twilight’s pupil.” Crescent said. She looked down at the floor. “And I wouldn’t have been able to come anyways.” She muttered quietly.

“What was that?” Starlight asked.

“Nothing.” Crescent said.

“No you said something about not coming and you mentioned earlier about going home on the weekends when you were well enough. What do you mean?” Starlight asked.

“It’s not something I want to talk about.” Crescent said looking off to the side, her glasses slid down again.

“It’s alright.” Starlight said walking over to Crescent and sitting down next to her, who pushed her glasses back into place. “I have things I’m not proud of and I can understand not talking about them, but sometimes it’s best when you tell somepony about them anyways so they can help you.” Crescent continued looking away at the floor and shuffled awkwardly.

She sighed. “Alright, you’re Twilight’s student. You wouldn’t be the Princess of Friendship’s student if you couldn’t keep a secret, and Twilight knows already so you’d probably find out anyways.” She paused for a second, taking a deep breath. “I was in a mental hospital.” She shuffled around again. “I have schizophrenia and back when I was a little filly it got bad enough that my parents couldn’t take care of me, so they had to commit me to the hospital. I’ve pretty much been there since.”

“Well that doesn’t sound too bad, and you’re not there anymore. So I assume you’re doing better right?” Crescent nodded. “That wasn’t to bad was it?” Starlight asked holding out a hoof.

Crescent smiled and shook it. “No. It wasn’t all that bad.” She said. They were silent for a second. “So what do you wish ponies didn’t know about you?” Crescent asked.

“Oh! Um… Well.” Starlight sighed. “I’m going to have to tell you aren’t I?” She asked.

“It’s seems fair, since I told you.” Crescent responded tilting her head and eyeing Starlight.

“Well, mine’s a bit different is all.” Starlight said, but Crescent wouldn’t let it drop. “Alright. I enslaved an entire village of ponies, took their cutie marks, and forced them to all be the same in the name of ‘Friendship’.” Starlight said quickly, adding in air quotes as she talked.

Crescent was quiet for a second. “You figured out a way to steal cutie marks? How’d you manage that? I thought that was extremely personal to each pony and couldn’t be manipulated by magic. I mean magic can’t make one appear, so how did you take one away?” Crescent asked looking perplexed. She caught her glasses as they slipped.

Starlight looked a bit surprised. “Well it’s actually a slightly different mechanic than making one manifest.” Starlight began as Twilight and Spike walked back into the room.

Twilight looked at the two of them. “So did you two get to know each other a bit better?” Twilight asked. Starlight and Crescent looked at each other.

“Yes.” They both said and laughed.