The Rebel and The Bookworm (CANCELLED)

by qiley

Chapter 3: Lessons With Twilight

“Good morning Sunset,” Celestia greeted her student.

“Morning,” Sunset mumbled, dragging herself to the table.

“Why are you so tired on such a fine morning? Aren’t you excited for our lessons today?” Celestia wore a small smile.

Sunset slammed her head onto the table, landing dangerously close to her plate of pancakes. “I have no idea, Celstia,” Sunset sarcastically remarked, frowning. Celestia said early lessons, but she didn’t think it’d be this early! Celestia hadn’t even finished raising the sun when she barged into her room.

“Eat up Sunset,” Celestia giggled. “I made these especially for you.

“How are you not tired?” Sunset groaned, lifting her head slowly from the table. “Does being a morning pony come with raising the sun?”

“Unfortunately not,” Celestia said, forking into her stack of pancakes. “If that were true, I’d be both a morning and night pony.”

“That wouldn’t make much sense,” Sunset nodded, chewing on a bite of pancakes. Sunset’s eyes widened slowly as she chewed more and more. Swallowing, she smiled. “Wow, these are great!”

“Why thank you Sunset,” Celestia put a hoof on her chest. “I pride myself in my cooking and baking abilities.”

Sunset continued to dig into the pancakes, one bite after another. Not only were they perfectly golden, they were also soft and fluffy. It was like taking a bite out of a cloud, but if clouds actually tasted like something. To complete it all, there was a mixture of fruits and whipped cream on top, all of it perfectly harmonized together. Soon enough, her plate was empty and her stomach was full. Sunset rubbed her stomach with a satisfied sigh.

Celestia’s giggling prompted Sunset to look up at her. She was too focused on her pancakes to really care about anything else around her.

“You sure were hungry,” Celestia commented, not even half her plate gone.

Sunset smiled, rubbing the back of her neck. “Heh, I guess they were just that good.”

“I guess we should start our lessons now,” Celestia said, getting up from her chair, Sunset following suit.

“You’re not going to finish breakfast first?” Sunset asked. “I’m fine if we start a little late.”

“I promised Twilight two extra hours, remember?” Celestia reminded her.

“Oh yeah, something like that did happen,” Sunset said, nodding.

The two walked together out of the dining area and through the hallways. They made their way to the courtyard where they would begin their second lesson.

“So, what are we doing today?” Sunset asked excitedly. Yesterday’s lesson was way more fun than everything else they’ve done so far. “Are we going to learn new spells? Maybe learn how to double cast? Or even learn a forbidden ritual?”

“No, no, and absolutely not,” Celestia chuckled. “We’re just going to do what we did yesterday, Sunset.”

“What?!” Sunset groaned. “C’mon Celestia, you saw me yesterday! I did it.”

“I know you can do it Sunset,” Celestia said. “But you need to be able to control your magic easily before we go any further.

“So the faster I do this, the faster I can move on? ” Sunset asked.

Celestia nodded. “But don’t rush it,” she warned. “Magic is something that cannot be learned overnight. It takes years, or even decades, to become proficient in some things.”

“Are you still studying magic?” Sunset looked up at Celestia.

“Everyday,” Celestia smiled. “There are some things even I don’t know, Sunset. I am not some perfect, all powerful being ponies make me out to be.”

“You do kind of seem like one though,” Sunset chuckled. “Between being who knows how many years old and being an alicorn, it makes sense ponies would start thinking you’re a god.”

“I’m thankful they’re not as crazy as they were back then,” Celestia sighed. “A few decades ago, ponies created whole cults around me.”

“Isn’t that like, an honor?” Sunset asked.

“It is, until they start doing crazy things and justify it with your name,” Celestia said.

Sunset frowned. “Do I even want to ask what they did?”

“It’d be in your best interest to not,” Celestia simply replied.

“Sheesh, it was that bad?” Sunset continued on.

“It was worse than you’re probably imagining,” Celestia answered.

“Now I’m curious,” Sunset admitted.

“There’s tons of books in the library about the past, Sunset. Some of the books are very graphic, so tread carefully,” Celestia advised.

“Can’t you just tell me?”

“I’d prefer not to,” Celestia smiled ominously.

“Oookay…” Sunset said, giving up.

---

Arriving at the garden, the two stood in the same open area they were using last time. Celestia stood over Sunset, looking over her student.

“Okay Sunset, remember what I told you yesterday,” Celestia said.

Sunset nodded, closing her eyes and breathing in deeply. “Imagine your magic…” she mumbled, feeling it flow through her entire body. Just a few moments later, Sunset redirected it to horn with more ease than the day before. A magical aura surrounded her horn, less sparks than before.

“Very good Sunset,” Celestia praised. “There’s a lot of improvement from yesterday. Now comes your favorite part.”

Sunset smiled, opening her eyes. Her horn sparked out more, but Sunset didn’t falter. She fought for control, but won easier than yesterday, only a few seconds passing . Grinning widely, she looked at her teacher.

“You know what to do,” Celestia smiled back.

Sunset didn’t need to hear that twice, launching a red beam in the sky, once again illmanting the garden. As the beam dissipated, Sunset panted, falling onto her butt.

“That wasn’t as bad as yesterday,” Sunset chuckled, looking up at Celestia.

“You’ve most definitely improved,” Celestia nodded in content. “It’s far from perfect, but you learned it quicker than others.”

“Does that mean we can move on?” Sunset asked, hopeful.

“Not quite yet,” Celestia instantly shot her down. “I predict a couple more days of this and you’ll be able to.”

Sunset shrugged. “It was worth a shot.”

“Now, let's repeat this at least five more times,” Celestia smiled.

“Five. More. Times?” Sunset’s mouth was agape.

Celestia simply nodded. “At least.”

“COME ON!” Sunset shouted as she fell down backwards.

---

The sun was high overhead, shining down on Equestria. The Canterlot Royal Garden was quite a wonderful place, providing animals with protection for the sun. The vegetation, and more particularly the beautiful trees and tall hedges, cast their shadows onto the grass below them.

In a small clearing surrounded by trees two ponies were present. The unicorn was lying on her back, heavily panting, while the alicorn stood over her, her shadow covering the unicorn.

“How about a little break, Sunset?” Celestia looked down at Sunset, smiling.

Sunset lifted her head, looking up at her. Celestia’s frame was blocking the sun, outlining her entire body with a glorious light. “That would be amazing,” Sunset weakly smiled back.

“It wasn't as easy as you thought, huh?” Celestia chuckled.

“Why is just controlling magic so tiring,” Sunset closed her eyes, turning onto her side. The cool, sharp grass was comforting. A slight breeze swept through the clearing, reliving some of the sun’s heat.

“I assume it’s a lot more tiring for you because you have more than the average unicorn,” Celestia hypothesized. “That means that just controlling it will take a lot out of you. A small price to pay for the power you have though.”

“I guess,” Sunset sighed. Rolling to her other side, she opened her eyes. She stared off into the garden, the bushes and trees rustling with the breeze. The gardens were always so peaceful. Not many ponies roamed around here, making it nice and quiet.

Sunset continued staring till something caught her eye. A small, unnatural rustling in the bushes. Sunset sat up, still looking in that direction. She remained quiet as she slowly approached bushes.

“What’s wrong, Sunset?” Celestia called out, her head slightly tilted.

“I think I saw something moving over here,” Sunset called back.

“It was probably just one of the many animals that inhabit the garden,” Celestia said. Sunset didn’t falter, approaching the bush. Celesita sighed, shaking her head.

“Gotcha!” Sunset shouted as she quickly peaked over, trying to catch whatever was spying on them. The culprit let out a short shout followed by a tiny thump. Whatever was watching them fell on it’s butt, a bit of dust flying up.

“Twilight?” Sunset asked, looking down at the purple foal. She was holding a book much larger than herself. Twilight looked up at Sunset.

“You scared me,” Twilight replied, pouting.

“Sorry,” Sunset weakly laughed. “But why are you watching us so suspiciously?”

“I-I wasn’t spying or anything,” Twilight quickly said. “I was just reading in the garden when I saw that giant laser go into the sky. Then it happened again, and again!”

“And?” Sunset’s right eyebrow raised.

“I got a little curious so I came over here to check it out,” Twilight admitted.

“Why didn’t you just come talk to us then? “

“I didn’t want to be a bother to you two…” Twilight looked down, poking at the dirt.

“You would never be a bother, Twilight,” another voice said. Sunset and Twilight both looked in the direction of the voice. Celestia tilted her head, smiling. “What, did you forget I was here already?”

“Celestia!” Twilight yelped, turning her head towards the princess.

“That is my name, yes” Celestia nodded with a small chuckle. “Now, what brings you to the garden Twilight? Our lessons don’t start for another couple hours.”

“I-I was just reading in the garden…” Twilight stuttered.

“Unsupervised?” Celestia asked.

“No!” Twilight quickly denied. “I was with Cadence.”

Celestia looked around but Cadence was nowhere in sight.“So where is she now?”

“She went to the bathroom,” Twilight said.

Celestia nodded. “And how long ago was this, Twilight?”

“A little more than an hour ago, I think…”

“Who’s Cadence?” Sunset asked

“You haven’t met Cadence yet? She’s my adopted niece,” Celestia reminded her.

“No I haven't,” Sunset said, nonchalantly.

Celestia shook her head, turning her attention back to Twilight. “Now Twilight, why would it be bad for you to leave without Cadence knowing?”

“Uh… well…” Twilight thought about it. A few minutes of silence passed. “I don’t know?”

“Oh for bucks sake,” Sunset said, her patience running thin. Looking over at Twilight, she scowled. “Twilight, Cadence is probably looking for you right now!” Sunset scolded the filly, a tinge of harshness in her voice.

“Language Sunset,” Celestia frowned. “Twilight…”

Twilight cringed at the scolding, shrinking down a bit. She sniffled, wiping her eyes. “I-I…”

“It’s okay Twilight,” Celestia comforted the filly. “Sunset is just worried about you. She just shows it differently than most ponies.”

Sunset looked at the sniffling filly, her eyes clearly watering. Sunset sighed, realizing her mistake. “I’m sorry for being so harsh, Twilight, but you need to understand where we’re coming from. Imagine how worried Cadence is, for example.”

“W-Why would she b-be worried?” Twilight stuttered out, taking in deep breaths.

“Well Twilight, remember how your brother was when you went missing last night?” Celestia reminded the filly. “He was worried because he couldn’t find you. He imagined you were scared, or even worse, you were hurt in some way.”

“But that would never happen to me here in the castle, right?” Twilight asked, her voice still shaky.

“It’s very unlikely, but not impossible,” Sunset answered.

“Exactly,” Celestia nodded. “Plus, when somepony is worried, they tend to make up the worst scenarios in their mind.”

“Why would they do that?” Twilight sniffled slightly, rubbing her nose.

“Although we don’t know the exact reason, some ponies have theorized that if they think the worst scenario possible, then it's easier to feel relieved when it doesn't happen,” Celestia answered.

“Isn’t that a little counterintuitive?” Sunset asked. “Wouldn’t that just create more anxiety?”

“It is, and it does,” Celestia nodded. “But ponies still do it as a defense mechanism.”

“Huh…” Sunset pondered on that, rubbing her chin.

“Back to you Twilight,” Celestia smiled, lifting her downcast head by her chin. “What I’m saying is that Cadence is worried about you and probably searching for you right now. How about we bring her back to you?”

“O-Okay…” Twilight nodded, standing up. The three ponies started their walk towards the garden’s main entrance.

“Will this cut into my lesson time?” Sunset asked, following behind Celestia and Twilight through the garden.

“Unfortunately, yes,” Celestia answered.

“Aww phooey,” Sunset frowned. “But that means you’re going to make up for it, right?”

“Possibly,” Celestia simply said.

“And I still have my two extra, right?” Twilight asked, obviously excited.

Celestia nodded. “Yes Twilight, you still get your two extra hours.”

“That isn’t really fair Celestia,” Sunset complained.

“Remember Sunset, life isn’t fair,” Celestia chuckled. “Although if you would like, you can join Twilight’s lesson.”

“I mean I don’t really have anything else to do, so why not,” Sunset shrugged, happy enough with the compromise.

The rest of the walk to the main entrance was nice and peaceful. The path was smooth and shady. Tiny slits between the leaves allowed beams of sunlight through, providing light to the darkened path. A cool breeze shook some leaves, causing them to fall slowly to the ground. Birds chirped, rustling some of the branches above their heads.

Suddenly, a voice cut into the peaceful silence.

“Twilight! Where are you Twilight?” The voice, that of a mare, called out. “Twilight, we aren’t playing hide and seek right now!”

“You see Twilight,” Celestia looked at the filly. “Cadence was looking for you.”

Twilight frowned. “I’m sorry…”

“It’s alright, as long as you understand why you shouldn’t do it again,” Celestia said calmly. “But I’m not sure I’m the one you should be saying sorry to.”

Twilight nodded silently, walking towards the voice. They were still calling out her name. A faint rustling could be heard as well.

Sunset looked towards the rustling, seeing a pony searching through the bush “Is that Cadence?” Sunset pointed at the bush.
“I believe it is,” Celestia said, looking at the bush. “Cadence!” she called out, grabbing her attention.

Cadence’s head popped out of the bushes, a few leaves and sticks caught in her beautiful multicolored mane. Her pink coat was dirited, some patches sticking out unnaturally.

“Auntie Celestia?” Cadence looked towards where she heard the voice, seeing the three ponies. “And Twilight?!”

Cadence ran over to the three, quickly picking up Twilight. Examining her thoroughly, flipping her in every direction, she sighed. “Thank goodness she's not hurt.”

“Quite the similar reaction to Shining Armor,” Celestia simply stated.

“A little more excessive, but yeah,” Sunset nodded.

“Where did you find her?” Cadence asked, picking some twigs out of her mane.

“She was near the clearing,” Celestia answered.

“All the way over there?” Cadence gasped. “Twilight! Why would you go over there without me?”

“There was a giant laser fired into the sky!” Twilight tried to defend herself. “I got a little curious.

“Even if you were curious, you should’ve waited for me to get back,” Cadence said. “What if you got hurt?”

“I’m sorry…” was all Twilight said, her head hung low.

“I can’t stay mad at you,” Cadence giggled, hugging the filly. “Just never do that again, okay? You scared me.”

“Okay Cadence,” Twilight said, returning the hug.

“You know, I’ve heard of you Cadence but never actually met you before,” Sunset said, looking at the new pony.

“Cadence is the greatest foalsitter in all the history of foalsitters!” Twilight beamed. “I’m so lucky to have her as my foalsitter.”

Cadence shook her head, slightly smiling. “I’m the one who’s lucky, Twilight.”

“But you’re a princess!” Twilight said, causing Cadence to roll her eyes. “I’m just a regular old unicorn.”

“You’re anything but a regular old unicorn,” Cadence cooed, hugging the filly close.

“Cadence is right, Twilight,” Celestia said, nodding. “Maybe someday you’ll be a princess too.”

“If you can become Celestia’s protege, I would hope you're not just a regular unicorn,” Sunset added. Turning her attention to Cadence, she smiled. “So you’re a princess, huh?”

“I guess so,” Cadence shrugged. “I don’t really care much for the title though.”

“That’s cool,” Sunset simply said. Sunset examined Cadence a little closer, something catching her attention. “Wait, why do you have wings and a horn? Doesn’t that make you an alicorn?”

“I guess,” Cadence nonchalantly said.

“Cadence is the only other known alicorn besides me,” Celestia explained.

“So did she become one? Or was she born like that?” Sunset asked.

“I was once a pegasus,” Cadence answered. “Two earth ponies found me alone in the outskirts of their town. They took me in and loved me as their own.”

“That’s so sweet!” Twilight smiled.

“It was,” Cadence smiled back, nuzzling Twilight. “Wanting to share the love they gave me, I tried to be as compassionate and caring as possible. I’m sure that’s what I got my cutie mark for,” Cadence looked at her flank.

“I guess that explains why it’s a heart,” Sunset said. “But how did you get your horn?”

“I was getting there,” Cadence giggled. “There was this enchantress that lived in our town that got jealous of the love I spread,” Cadence said, slightly frowning. “She drained love from everypony in the town using a curse, causing pain and strife.”

“What a meanie!” Twilight frowned.

“So you beat her up?” Sunset guessed.

“Nope!” Cadence said, surprising Sunset. “I kind of just showed her the same love and compassion I showed everypony. It proved to be enough though, because the curse was broken.”

“Then you tossed her in prison?” Sunset tried again.

“No,” Cadence chuckled. “Believe it or not, that’s all she needed. She learned how to love through me.”

“Oookay…” Sunset processed the story. “But still, where did your horn come from?”

“Someone’s a little impatient,” Cadence teased.

“Sunset doesn’t like beating around the bush,” Celestia shrugged.

“I mean the story was nice and all, but I still don’t see where the horn came from,” Sunset said

“So after I broke the curse, I found myself in this strange yet beautiful place. It was like being in the starry, night sky,” Cadence tried to explain. “Celestia was there, telling me that my dreams were going to come true.”

“And then you became a princess!” Twilight butted in.

Cadence giggled, ruffling Twilight's mane. “You’re right about that, Twilight. I was granted the title of princess and suddenly a horn appeared on my head. That’s pretty much the end of the story.”

“Well that was a little anticlimactic,” Sunset frowned.

“I guess it does seem that way when you tell it as a story,” Cadence said. “Believe me when I say it was a lot more epic in the flesh.”

“One of those ‘you have to be there’ type moments, huh,” Sunset concluded.

“Exactly!” Cadence chirped.

“So essentially Celestia took you in after you defeated the enchantress?” Sunset summarized. “And the horn came from this feat?”

“That’s the gist of it,” Cadence shrugged, playing with Twilight’s mane.

“Hey!” Twilight pouted. “You’re messing up my mane.”

Cadence giggled, putting Twilight’s mane into pigtails. “I think this style suits you,” Cadence said. “Now if only you had glasses.”

“I do have glasses,” Twilight said, trying to get her mane back to normal. “I just don’t like wearing them.”

Celestia nodded. “She’s adorable with them.”

“What?! How have I not seen this yet?” Cadence pouted. “Can you please put them on?”

“No!” Twilight shook her head, her mane finally falling back to normal. “They hurt my head.”

“Pretty please?” Cadence pressed on.

“No!” Twilight kept denying her.

“Pretty please with a cherry on top?” Cadence grinned.

Celestia placed a hoof on Cadence’s shoulder. “No means no, Cadence. I’m pretty sure they taught you this already.”

“That was for something else,” Cadence frowned. “This is different!”

“Are you talking about consent?” Sunset cocked an eyebrow.

“Maybe,” Cadence smiled innocently. Sunset shook her head with a sigh.

“Anyways,” Celestia coughed. “I think it’s almost time for our lessons, Twilight.”

“Yes yes yes yes!” Twilight cheered.

“Wait, has it seriously been that long?” Sunset frowned, realizing their lessons were coming to an end for the day.

“I should probably get going then,” Cadence nodded to everypony. “Have fun with your lessons Twilight! Make sure to listen to Auntie Celestia!”

“Okay Cadence!” Twilight smiled, hugging her foalsitter one more time.

“See you tomorrow,” Cadence said, hugging her back.

After their quick hug, Cadence made her way towards the castle doors. With one last wave, she disappeared behind them.

“So, care to join Twilight in her lessons, Sunset?” Celestia asked.

Sunset shrugged. “I don’t see why not. What are you going to teach her anyways?” Sunset asked, looking at the excited filly.

“You’ll see,” Celestia winked. “I guess we’ll start early today Twilight. Come on now,” Celestia said to her new protege.

“Awesome!” Twilight beamed, running after Celestia as she walked deeper into the garden.

Sunset watched the filly run towards her teacher. She was so energetic and happy to learn just as she was. In some ways, Twilight reminded Sunset of herself; especially self when she first became Celestia’s student.

Sunset was elated when she heard that she was going to be Celstia’s student. What pony wouldn’t be? Celestia was revered as the most powerful and influential pony in all of Equestria. Getting to learn from somepony like that was a once in a lifetime opportunity!

Sunset let out a small sigh, a smile on her face.

“Aren’t you coming too, Sunset?” Celestia called back to her.

“Oh, sorry!” Sunset ran, quickly catching up to the two. “Was just caught up in thought.”

“Always the thinker,” Celestia shook her head gently. smiling. “What were you thinking of this time?”

“Nothing important,” Sunset brushed it off with a shrug.

“If you say so,” Celestia said.

The trio made their way back to the clearing, the sun shining down on it. They walked to the center, the gentle breeze sweeping the grass and rustling the trees.

Celestia took a seat in the grass, her two students following in suit.

“So Twilight, what do you expect from me as your teacher and mentor?” Celestia asked, somewhat surprisingly.

“What do you mean?” Twilight tilted her head. “Is this some sort of trick question?”

“I mean exactly what I asked, Twilight. What do you expect from me?” Celestia answered, repeating her question.

The filly sat there, obviously deep in thoughts. Her facial expressions varied, from strained to distant. She seemed to really be thinking about her answer for this question.

Sunset stifled a laugh as she watched the filly. Celestia too had asked her this question, and she too sat on it for a while.

“I wonder how long it’s going to take for her to get it,” Sunset thought, watching the filly.

Twilight was perplexed. Although Celestia had said she meant exactly what she said, there had to be more to it. No teacher really asked what the students expected from them, at least not her magic kindergarten teacher.

What did Celestia mean by it? Did she want to know what she expected to learn? Or how she conducted their lessons? Was there a right or wrong answer?

Twilight bit her lip, scratching her head. Maybe it was just as simple as the question is. What did she, Twilight, expect from her teacher and mentor, Princess Celestia. Twilight’s face relaxed, realization hitting her.

Seeing this, Sunset and Celestia both smiled.

“I expect you to teach me and lecture me to the best of your abilities and to push me and help me grow as a pony!” Twilight confidently answered, a smug smile on her face.

Celestia nodded contently. “That’s a very good answer, Twilight.”

“Eh, I still think mine was better,” Sunset shrugged.

“Sunset, you said you expected me to teach you how to destroy a nation,” Celestia said.

“It was a joke!” Sunset crossed her hooves. “I wanted to make a good first impression, you know.”

“And you did,” Celestia said, a gentle smile on her face.

“So did I get it right?” Twilight grinned widely.

“There was no right or wrong answer, Twilight,” Celestia turned towards the filly.

Twilight tilted her head, frowning. “How is that possible?”

“Sometimes questions aren’t just black and white, Twilight,” Celestia explained. “Some questions are gray. These questions are the ones that make you think, just like you did now.”

“Questions are colored?” Twilight asked, causing Sunset to chuckle.

“No, Twilight,” Sunset shook her head. “She means that some questions don’t have definitive answers.”

“Exactly,” Celestia nodded.

“Does this have something to do with magic?” Twilight tapped her chin, trying to connect the two.

“Yes it does,” Celstia answered. “There are no absolutes in magic. That’s why we’re still studying it to this day. If magic had absolutes, then we’d probably have stopped studying it years ago.”

“Magic is so broad and open-ended that it allows us to continue finding out new things about it to this day. New ways to cast, new ways to use old spells or chants. There are a plethora of things that still remain hidden, but that’s what makes magic so interesting.”

Twilight nodded. “That kind of makes sense.”

“It’s quite an intricate topic,” Celestia smiled. “I don’t expect you to grasp it just this minute.”

“She’s just saying that there are many ways to do things with magic,” Sunset simplified it. “Just because somepony says you have to do it that way doesn’t mean you have to.”

“Exactly, Sunset,” Celestia agreed. “There are a lot of ways to perform one spell, some more optimal than others of course.”

“I think I’m starting to get it,” Twilight nodded slowly. “So basically you’re saying I should try and do things my own way?”

“Essentially yes,” Celestia said. “Of course you should learn the most common way first. There’s no doubt in my mind that you’ll find a much simpler, and quicker way.”

Sunset chuckled. “I’m pretty sure you said the same thing to me.”

“I did,” Celestia nodded. “And that’s because I know you’ll be able to do it. Why do you think I chose you to be my student?”

“I guess you’re right,” Sunset said, shrugging.

“That was your very first lesson, Twilight,” Celestia said. “I hope you took notes.”

“Of course I did,” Twilight nodded her head rapidly. “Take a look!” She finished, holding up her notepad. The notes were organized, lines and arrows connecting ideas. Large lists with lists within them, bulletin points and all. Twilight smiled proudly, showing off her work.

“You must love lists, huh,” Sunset chuckled. “My notes are unreadable most of the time.”

“Lists calm me down sometimes,” Twilight said. “My dad says I get it from my mom.”

“It is good to be organized,” Celestia smiled. “Being organized and prepared makes life easier.”

“Meh, you can only be so prepared,” Sunset said.

“Indeed, being prepared can only get you so far,” Celestia agreed. “You also have to be able to make decisions in the moment. That’s what separates good leaders from great leaders.”

“Why would I be a leader?” Twilight tilted her head.

“Ah, sorry,” Celestia apologized. “That was just a little tangent. Though, I believe being able to make decisions under pressure is something all ponies should be able to do.”

“Yeah, especially during magical duels,” Sunset nodded.

“Magical duels?” Twilight asked. “What are those?”

“I was going to tell you about it another time, but I guess I can explain it now,” Celestia said. “Although the teaching style at my school is similar to other schools, the extracurricular activities are somewhat different.”

“We of course have sports and other more common ones, we also have activities focusing mainly on magic. One being the magic duels. Essentially, magic duels are fights between two students to see who’s the stronger magic user. They’re held weekly and there’s a ranking board.”

“Although there isn’t any prize for to being at the top, it’s a fun way to put a competitive spirit in ponies pursuing magic,” Celestia finished.

“So ponies just fight each other?” Twilight frowned. “What’s the point of that?”

“For fun! I haven’t participated yet, but I really want to. Celestia says I have to wait a month or so.” Sunset frowned, crossing her hooves.

“That’s because you can’t completely control your magic right now,” Celestia stated. “Once you can, then you’ll be able to.”

“Will I be able to participate?” Twilight asked.

“Not quite yet Twilight,” Celestia answered. “You just started learning magic, so you’re kind of in the same boat as Sunset. Give it a few months, then maybe you’ll be able to.”

“Okay!” Twilight smiled, nodding.

“Wait, you’re seriously going to allow her to participate in just a few months?” Sunset asked, blinking slowly. “Isn’t she like seven?”

“If she wants to she can,” Celestia simply said. “I’m sure she’d be able to beat some of the students already. She just needs to learn to control her magic just like you.”

Sunset shrugged. “Whatever you say.”

Celestia clapped her forehoove together. “How about we start with the basics of magic control, Twilight?”

“Really?” Twilight grinned widely. “Let’s do it!”

---

The sun was nestled between the peaks of the mountains. The garden was shaded even more than before, only a small tint of orange casted through the trees. Three ponies were still in the garden’s clearing.

Twilight’s horn glowed a beautiful magenta, illuminating the darkened field. Her face was strained, beads of sweat dripping down her head. The glow faded in and out, sparks flying off of her horn.

“That’s enough, Twilight,” Celestia said. With that, Twilight fell onto her side.. “That was very good.”

“I wasn’t expecting her to be able to keep it up for so long,” Sunset chuckled, sitting down next to the filly. “Hey, you alright?” she asked, poking Twilight.

“Y-Yeah,” Twilight panted, catching her breath. “That sure is tiring.”

“I mean you’ve been doing it for the past five hours,” Sunset said.

“Has it really been that long?” Twilight sat up, looking around the clearing. It was darker than she last remembered. “Huh, that’s odd. Where’d the sun go?”

“Behind those mountains,” Celestia answered, signaling towards the horizon. “Guess that means we should wrap up.”

“Awww, already?” Twilight frowned.

“You’ve been practicing for hours Twilight,” Celestia said. “Although you could keep practicing, rest is also very important.”

“I-” Twilight’s mouth opened wide, a yawn coming out, “guess so. I am a little tired.” Twilight stood up, wobbling a bit.

“Woah there,” Sunset said, supporting the filly with her body. “Are you sure you’re just a little tired? It sure doesn’t seem like it.”

“I’m fine,” Twilight said, her eyes droopy.

“I think she’s used up the majority of her magic reserves,” Celestia nodded, wrapping Twilight in her magic. Levitating her up, she placed the tired filly on her back.

“I’ll bring her to Lieutenant Shining Armor,” Celestia nodded at Sunset. “You should also get some rest. We have an afternoon session tomorrow, but that doesn’t mean you get to skip class.”

“Fineeeee,” Sunset groaned, making her way towards the door. “See you tomorrow!”

“Indeed,” Celestia nodded, walking in the opposite direction. Twilight was sound asleep on her back, spent from all their practice.

Sunset shook her head, a small smile on her face. Today wasn’t bad at all. Twilight seemed to be progressing quickly, and at least she wasn’t a pain in the butt like most kids were. Maybe this condition isn’t going to be as bad as she thought.

With a sigh, Sunset made her way back to her room, ready to knock out.

Comments

[silverMEGAlicorn]

“Sunset, you said you expected me to teach you how to destroy a nation,” Celestia said.

That got an insanely good laugh out of me 🤣

[qiley]

11177348
It's awesome to hear that! I chuckled a bit myself when writing it

[Bronycommander]

Sunset really needs to control her tongue better