I suppressed a yawn as I started to slowly stir awake. The last rays of the sun were filtering in through the darkness-dome that covered our bed.
Sunset was already missing. As usual nowadays, she was up far before Sparks and myself, usually before dusk.
Sparks stirred in the darkness next to me. I shifted slightly to roll to face her. What I saw was a pile of every blanket we had shifting and stirring.
They rose and then lowered. First slowly and then suddenly. The pile shifted, wiggled and then Sparks let out an annoyed sound. There was a bright flash of purple light beneath the pile, and she reappeared on top of it.
I smiled sleepily, “Did the dangerous blanket monster eat you?” I teased.
Sparks grumbled something before she yawned and stretched, arching her back, her wings raised high. I watched sleepily with a small smile.
Twilight waking up may be one of my favorite sights in the universe. Luna was beautiful all the time and Sunny was cute while sleepy, but Sparks was completely adorable with her mane all mussed up, her wings in disarray, her eyes half-closed, and ears drooping slightly.
Yawning again, she scooted closer and cuddled close, nosing in beneath my chin until I rested my nose against the base of her horn.
I wrapped a foreleg and a wing around her and then we just stayed like that for a bit, feeling her warmth against me.
“Sneak,” I whispered after a while.
Sparks shifted and I felt her smile, “Talk to Luna then?”
“Mhmm,” I agreed and ran my hoof along her mane softly, “You know, you could just have filled me in on the fact that Sunshine needed a vacation.”
Sparks relaxed with a small sigh, “I know,” she said and cuddled closer, “But Luna didn’t want me to unless she thought it could work.”
“And it has nothing to do about getting me to take a vacation either, huh?” I teased.
Sparks shifted back to bump her nose softly against mine as she smiled, looking into my eyes, “You know I've been Celestia's student too, right?” she said, sounding amused. "Which part of a month of magic lessons sounds relaxing?"
“It would to you.”
Twilight laughed and then rolled onto her stomach, stretching again, “Maybe a little,” she admitted before she flicked one ear, eyeing me in the darkness, “Well?”
I sighed and rolled onto my stomach before also stretching. I cracked my neck, causing Twilight to shudder in disgust before shooting me a glare.
“I agreed,” I finally said, pushing myself up to sit. I flicked my tail and canceled the dome of darkness over the bed, squinting against the last rays of the sun playing across the room. “If everypony else thinks it’s a good idea, I won’t stand in the way.”
Twilight grinned happily and jumped to her hooves, “Good,” she said and kissed my cheek before sitting down.
“And… “ I continued with a small sigh, “I really do need practice,” I admitted, “My spell-casting is still below par.”
Sparks looked at me strangely, one eyebrow raised, “No you’re not. Have you seen the average unicorn? They know like two or three spells related to their special talent and perhaps a couple of utility spells and that’s it. If even that.”
I shrugged. Intellectually I knew she was right and even three spells were way more than some unicorns who only had telekinesis and maybe a light spell.
But I'm not just an educated unicorn, I'm an alicorn, and I have to do better. Especially out in the world of matter, I couldn’t just throw power at the problem.
Sparks shook her head and brushed her wing across my side before jumping off the bed and using her horn to light the magic crystals as she moved over to the mirror, starting to brush her mane and tail.
I settled down to watch, running my magic through my own mane and tail, giving them both a good shake. I then picked my silver circlet from its stand on the desk and settled it onto my head.
Climbing off the bed, I moved up to Sparks, starting to work on smoothing out her feathers. She didn’t comment but her breath caught in her throat for a second as her wings spread. Smiling to myself, I worked my way along her left wing, “So…” I asked, “Think she’ll go for it?”
“I think so, she loves teaching,” Twilight said after a moment before she glanced at me, “Luna’s going to bring it up with her, you just need to say you want to do it.”
“You do know that she’s going to see straight through it, right?” I said and moved to her other wing, “She has some experience in subterfuge you know.”
Twilight smiled a bit, “I’m sure she can. But it would also be something she not only likes to do, but would be good for you. No need to call it subterfuge when it’s the truth.”
“Yes, because I have nopony here that can teach me practical magic skills,” I teased and carefully pulled out a loose feather, bringing a gasp from her.
She fluffed up her wings before folding them again, glancing at me, “Do I point holes in your plans?”
“Yes, constantly,” I said and put the feather in a box for future burning.
“Well, it’s a good plan,” Sparks said as she got up, turning to me, “She gets to relax, you get to practice magic and get time away from Nocturnis. It’s literally win, win, win.”
I just nodded and returned to her, “I know, I know. Just pointing things out,” I said before I smiled, “...You don’t need to convince me, you know. Luna already did that.”
Sparks smiled and then led the way out into the other chamber and the waiting breakfast.
Got to love the comment section fun we are having.
Did the two ponies in the guard are at least cooperate now or did Page made a new lesson about teaching ponies to lose their home for their own actions?
Don't burn feathers... Collect them and build Pony sized pillows out if them.
Celestia
Luna
Cadance
Twilight twins
Flurry Heart
Blank Page
These pillows would be glorious ♡
Centuries later we have a museum full of Alicorn feather puppets ♡
Nice
great chapter
Noooo, of course not
It doesn’t matter if she sees through it or not, what matters is if she acts as planned... and she will
Thanks for the chapter!
Have a great day!
11593024
He will one way or another, I’m sure Luna will make sure of that
...MEANWHILE IN CANTERLOT...
Celestia: You really think I'm dumb? That I can't see the REAL plan for this month-long retreat far away from civilization?
Luna: Hey listen! You been putting it off for long enou--
Celestia: I DONT NEED A DIET!
Luna: ...
Celestia: My trips to the donut shop are moderate! These hips are perfectly portioned! They are not lying!
Luna: Umm...yes? That was it. I'm sorry that I tried to trick you..but please consider doing this regardless?
Celestia: Well..can I bring the Castle Chef?
Luna: Yes you can.
Celestia: THEN OKAY!
Luna:
11593580
I didn't even see that angle, brilliant 🙏
Alternativ:
...MEANWHILE IN CANTERLOT...
Celestia: You really think I'm dumb? That I can't see the REAL plan for this month-long retreat far away from civilization?
Cadance: Hey listen! You been putting it off for long enou--
Celestia: I might be singel, but I am not that desperate... yet...
Cadance: ...yet
Celestia: : i can wait, blueballing him is a lot of fun actually.
Cadance: Umm...yes? That probably is fun, but don't you would like to get it?
I'm sorry that I tried to trick you... but please consider doing this regardless?
Celestia: Well... I wait probably for his mortals to die out, maybe i get Sunset to accend in the mean time. But I will be there to cry his eyes on my shoulder out. I love that cliche...
Cadance: Yes you can do that, also I call dibs on foals after his herd got one eatch.
Celestia: OKAY! But I get to be his strong mare in his time of needs! I waited forever to get my metaphorical big mare in shining armor moment.
Discord: "Mares are drama queens..."
I can see this retreat turning into a crazy adventure or something crazy happening with the world where Tia and Page have to fix it after the fact… ooh! Maybe both of those things?
Wasn’t there a decently large plot thread with the Changelings still flopping around out there? And a fair amount of other canon villains yet to be introduced…
11593462
Well, that one might be the one that survived for the G5 Movie. 😂
Early drafts of last chapter and this one:
Since when have you ever thrown power at a problem? You are a human, not a pony. You think like a human. It was a human that made peace with the changelings. It was a human that killed Tirek. It was a human that threatened the Storm King. A pony would never do any of this.
media.discordapp.net/attachments/1136365691570757773/1212176220553355304/large.png?ex=65f0e214&is=65de6d14&hm=367c282c6babc84c2922615ce66c1d23926ee74bcc42fdd344061cc28f15a33c&