Canterlot
Celestia felt a fog lift from her mind as she slowly woke up. She let out a quiet groan and shook her head to clear it. Blinking her eyes open and closed for a moment, she then took stock of herself. Thankfully she was no worse for wear, and a quick glance around found Raven sitting nearby. The pallor grey alicorn had a dull frown on her muzzle as she stared at one of her hooves. "I really miss my hands," the little alicorn filly stated flatly.
Celestia giggled dispite herself and smiled kindly. "While a bit different to what you're used too levitation can work just as well, if not better, than 'hands'," the princess of the sun stated. The pallor grey filly blinked for a moment then looked to Celestia with a frown. She'd been lifted up by that 'Rarity' pony when she was a bunny. But that seemed far closer to telekinesis than levitation, if only for the fact a pony was concentrating to accomplish it.
'Then again, levitation 'is' known as any force lifting an object against gravity. So technically speaking you could call it levitation,' Raven noted inwardly. She then hummed and brought he cloak off of it's hook and threw it over her shoulders with her magic. Snapping her broach closed with it as well she then looked to Celestia. Said pale pink alicorn frowned to herself. She'd taken that moment to study the 'black' aura Raven's magic had. Contrary to belief, it actually had a white border to it. Thin yet still there.
"Is that what you meant?" she questioned casually, "Cause I've been able to do that for a few years now," the pallor grey filly stated simply. Celestia silently nodded her head to the fillies question. Putting her thoughts on the color of Raven's magical aura away for later. Instead she wondered why beings with 'hands' would learn such a spell. Ponies learned it, well Unicorns did, so that they could pick up or move objects. A creature such as Raven once was had hands for such manipulations. Were they just lazy?
"I see," Celestia murmured thoughtfully. Aside from wondering why the creatures knew levitation, it still seemed strange, she also wondered about Raven's teachings. Aside from being horribly isolated, having lessons in control and apparently levitation, she had no idea what she knew. It was as such that Celestia looked to Raven thoughtfully. That 'world' she had visited was also worrying as she'd never encountered something like it.
"If you don't mind my asking Raven, but what was that world we were in just now?" Celestia questioned curiously. The pallor grey filly sighed and brought her mirror over from the vanity.
"It's a mind scape or mental plane. I created it to sort out my thoughts and emotions and keep them in check," the filly replied. Celestia hummed and tapped her chin, deep in thought. That certainly did explain a few things, though why her mind was so bleak was worrying. Not to mention those evil ravens and the enormous beast within it. 'Clearly there is more to this filly than I can possibly imagine,' the pale pink alicorn thought to herself.
"I see, so I would have to assume you've primarily had mental training then?" Celestia questioned. Raven frowned deeply for a moment then nodded her head. She could admit that while she had learned some magic, her mental training had always been far more prevalent. She also pulled her hood up and over her head to shadow her features. Due to the fact she now had a muzzle she was only half successful.
"I did learn a few spells, but you're right. Azar felt that learning control was more important than teaching me spells," the pallor grey filly replied. Celestia looked pensive for a moment but nodded all the same. She hated to admit it but she could see where 'Azar' had been coming from. Learning control was always important, even to an average unicorn foal. Their own magic could be wild and dangerous if not properly looked after.
"Then what else have you learned aside from your mental exercises?" the pale pink alicorn questioned curiously. Raven frowned and brought a hoof to her chin. Celestia inwardly smiled at how cute the filly looked. Sure, she was the close to the size of a grown mare, but she was still a filly in age.
"You do realize that the moment I figure out a way off of this world that I'll take it, right?" the pallor grey filly questioned seriously. Celestia rolled her eyes and smirked despite herself. Although she could tell that Raven was very reserved, she hoped she was at least curious. If she was curious then Celestia felt she could keep her around for quite a while.
"Please humor me," the pale pink alicorn pleaded teasingly. Raven rolled her eyes and then let out a sigh as she considered her training for a moment. While she had extensive mental training and conditioning her knowledge of magic was actually significantly less. The monks had felt it more prudent to teach her control. She knew enough magic to defend herself, but that was pretty much it.
'Well it's not like I'll be in too much danger on this strange world,' she admitted to herself. That in mind her list of powers and abilities wasn't all that impressive. "Well, first of all telekinesis or levitation," the pallor grey filly stated. Celestia nodded and motioned her to go on. "Mistress Metrion taught me healing spells... of a sort," the moody alicorn noted cautiously.
"What do you mean?" Celestia questioned. She also admitted she knew next to nothing of healing magic. She had never been injured to such a degree she would need it. She was also virtually immortal so had never seen much of a point. The few times she caught the cold such magic would be useless anyways. Added she only knew of typical white magic healing. Though she had a feeling Raven's was different. Thus she was curious about what Raven had meant.
"Err, besides my healing trance which puts me into a coma and allows me to recover from most injuries I know two other spells. I can cast a basic healing spell with white magic that can deal with cuts or minor broken bones. Anything serious can only be made less serious," Raven began then frowned. "I also have an ability based around blue magic Mistress Metrion referred to as 'empathic healing'," the pallor grey filly finished.
"Blue magic is the school in which you duplicate and absorb spells, energy, or objects correct?" Celestia questioned with a frown. Blue Magic was, unfortunately, very rare in Equestria. The one place she knew it to be prevalent was in Neighpon to the far east. She had only gone there once in the years since her sister was lost. Besides making a friend in the form of an immortal wolf, and an enemy in an equally immortal fox, Celestia had still learned very little about Blue Magic.
"It is, but I only learned a relatively small amount from that school," Raven admitted.
"I see, now, what exactly is empathic healing?" Celestia questioned with a growing sense of worry. Raven fidgeted in place for a moment and looked away from the far older mare. She and Mistress Metrion had discovered the power. It was unusual in that it came in tandem with her empathic abilities. It essentially meant she felt all the pain of someone else and caused their body to heal rapidly while she dealt with the pain for them. As of yet, she'd never had cause to actually use the ability.
"Well I essentially absorb all the pain of someone else, say they broke their leg and couldn't do anything cause of the pain. I would basically use my abilities to feel that pain for them, their body would also heal itself faster as a result," the filly explained. She then looked away at the shocked look on Celestia's face. While she could of course see the merit of quickened healing. It was that the spell made some pony else experience the pain that shocked her.
"Who in there right mind came up with a spell like that?" she all but demanded.
"Uh, Mistress Metrion had a patient and I wanted to help, I think I just did it without thinking," Raven admitted sheepishly. She wasn't embarrassed that she saved someone, just that she had had a case of accidental magic. Her control of her emotions had still been tenuous at the time. So her powers randomly activating hadn't been surprising... the sudden surge of pain and then the amount of destruction her power caused because of the pain however...
"I see," Celestia stated drawing Raven from her thoughts. She looked to the older alicorn and saw the mare frown deeply. The said pale pink mare tried to calm herself down. She could understand the benefit of such a power, if she had it she'd likely use it as often as she could. However, using it herself and allowing some pony else to use it was entirely different. Or at least she felt it was. 'Don't be a hypocrite Celestia, just let it go,' the old alicorn thought with a sigh.
"Anything else I should know about?" the pale pink mare questioned. Raven silently nodded her head.
"I can teleport, use astral projection, create a 'soul-self' of sorts, I have some minor precognition, and I'm empathic," the pallor grey filly replied. Celestia frown as some of those abilities she'd never heard of before. Astral projection sounded strange, and she wondered if it was similar to dream walking.
"Would 'Astral Projection' entail some form of meconomancy?" Celestia questioned curiously. Raven blinked and then raised a brow as she mentally examined the world. Meconomancy referred to 'dream or sleep' divination or magic. While she could in fact enter and exit dreams with her astral projection, that was not the full limitations of that ability.
"In a way, however I can also explore the conscious mind or even an area with astral projection," the pallor grey filly replied. Celestia hummed and nodded her head in understanding. She then tapped her chin as she returned to the list of abilities Raven had mentioned. Precognition was something that no pony could really teach, you either could or couldn't do it. Empathy however...
"I assume the Empathy is why you were so isolated?" the pale pink princess deduced. Raven nodded her head and closed her eyes with a sigh.
"Yes, the longer I spend around people the more their emotions affect me. While I lived on Azaroth the only people I was really around were Lady Azar, Mistress Metrion, and Master Zinthos. Even the other monks were given the suggestion to keep their distance. Though when I slept my mind was less guarded so their emotions could more easily slip in," Raven explained. Celestia hummed and nodded her head in understanding.
"Hence the rings 'Azar' gave to you," the pale pink princess assumed. Raven merely nodded her head. "I see, but what of what Master Zinthos taught you?" Celestia questioned curiously. She knew 'of' alchemy, but it had been a long time since it was considered practical. Alchemy in this age was now considered more of an obscure form of chemistry.
"He mostly taught me Alchemy, so I'm well versed in it, but it was sort of an umbrella term for potion making. Besides that he was the one who taught me how to perform a few rituals," Raven admitted. Celestia nodded her head and then frowned. Potions was still a very well respected form of magic even in this age. However the amount of potion masters in Equestria was always on the short side. Although Zebra's were well versed in potion making having some pony close to call on for potions would be nice.
That in mind Celestia hummed and considered what Raven could still learn. Besides getting the filly to come out of her shell that is. First of all, Celestia needed to help the moody alicorn with control of her emotions. Celestia had been dealing with delicate situations for centuries. She'd long learned how to keep herself calm and collected even under stress. That would have to be the first thing she started training Raven on.
"Is that everything? If so I think I have a rough idea of what I can teach you," the pale pink mare questioned. Raven clicked her tongue and then twitched. She did have another ability, but it wasn't exactly something most would consider good.
"Umbrakinesis," Raven stated. Celestia blinked and then tilted her head.
"Excuse me?" Celestia questioned. Raven sighed and closed her eyes.
"I have an ability to control and manipulate darkness," the pallor grey filly explained. Celestia made an oh with her mouth then shivered. That was basically the exact polar opposite to her own magic. Luna's magic, while geared toward the night, was still based on luminance. Raven's was therefore the exact opposite in that it blocked light. 'Unfortunately the only pony with an ability like that was Sombra,' Celestia noted to herself.
"I see, how much control do you have over darkness?" Celestia questioned. Sombra, in the days of which he ruled, had only a limited control of darkness. Besides essentially changing himself into a living shade, not to mention shunning the light, he'd never shown much else in terms of ability with the dark.
"I can basically turn the darkness into a weapon I can control," Raven replied. Truth be told though, no one on all of Azaroth had powers like hers when it came to umbrakinesis. She'd had to learn what she could do with it on her own.
"That is, impressive," Celestia admitted softly. Truth be told she was deeply impressed, and a little scared. Sombra had powers of darkness, but it seemed Raven was far more proficient. Had the unicorn king had the ability to turn shadows into weapons she and Luna would have had far more trouble with him. When Luna was Nightmare Moon she also had powers of darkness, but they were all still linked to the light of the moon.
'I'll likely leave that one alone. Not only do I have absolutely no idea how to work with it, but she's clearly learned enough on her own. For now I'll concentrate on control since it's clearly what she has the most trouble with,' Celestia inwardly decided. The pale pink princess then took a moment to consider how she was going to explain the fillies sudden appearance. Her prior idea was unfortunately the only one that made sense at this point.
Not only that but she could have Raven close at hand with what she had in mind. It was then that Celestia heard a sigh and turned to the filly in question. She had to admit that she found it strange to think of her as a filly, considering her size. Anypony else her age would've been smaller, meaning Raven was exceptionally tall. Then again, her niece Cadence had also been quite large at that age, so perhaps it was an alicorn thing.
"So do you have any more questions?" the filly in question queried with an arched brow. Celestia hummed for a moment and considered what she had thus far. Celestia mentally noted the filly still hadn't learned to mask her body language. 'That wouldn't help more mundane ponies understand her though,' the solar alicorn admitted to herself. Few ponies knew how to properly read body language as she did.
"No, I believe that is everything I'll need to know for now," Celestia finally replied. Raven nodded her head and then sat back on her haunches. A frown crossed her features as the position felt rather awkward to her. "Now then could you please lower your shield so we can explain to my little ponies that you're not an evil alicorn come to destroy them?" the pale pink alicorn questioned teasingly. Raven frowned and mentally groaned at the 'my little ponies' bit. She just hoped the mare didn't talk like that all the time.
She also wasn't quite so used to peo... er, 'ponies' being so friendly. 'Then again, most ponies I know aren't sapient,' the moody teen thought with a roll of her eyes. She then inhaled and exhaled a breath, the shield around the library melting away. With the shield out of the way Celestia smiled and closed her eyes in concentration. Raven watched her only to take a step back as the pale-pink alicorn began to glow as brilliantly as the sun.
The moody alicorn raised a wing to shield herself from the intense light. As the glow soon came to an end, Raven lowered her wing to see what had happened. However her eyes widened at the sigh before her. Celestia now stood at least double her size. Her wings were being fluffed while her regalia were sized to fit her larger frame with a quiet spell. Strangely, her mane and tail now sported multiple pastel hues to resemble an aurora, and her coat had paled to near white. Both her mane and tail also billowed in an ethereal wind that wasn't really there.
However while the physical changes were certainly surprising, it was her power that truly caught Raven's attention. It was unlike anything she had ever felt in her life. Azar had been powerful, true enough, and wise as well. But compared to this mare she was like a candle compared to the sun. Pun aside, Raven now truly understood just what kind of power this mare contained.
'Okay, now that is more like what I'd expect from someone who controls the sun,' the pallor grey filly admitted to herself. That wasn't to say she hadn't believed Celestia when she said she controlled the sun before. But to be fair, before she hadn't been nearly as impressive as she was now. Not only that, but Raven felt the right to be susceptible of a 'pretty pink pony princess' controlling the power of the sun.
"Much better," Celestia stated with a smile. Raven raised a brow as she heard the mare's voice. It sounded deeper and more wizened in some way. As if she had suddenly aged several years. 'Even her voice is more impressive now,' the pallor grey filly thought to herself. "Come now there is much to be done." With that said, the solar alicorn trotted off down the stairs. Raven frowned but quickly followed behind her. She grabbed her mirror along the way and put it into a pocket dimension.
Trotting down the stairs of the library, Raven took a moment to look around. Much like the loft upstairs the main part of the library was covered in a fine layer of dust. The pallor grey filly mentlally sighed and shook her head. She also took a moment to glance out one of the windows. As such she saw throngs of ponies outside all trying to get a glance inside. The moody teen raised a brow and frowned at the sight.
'Uh, is a winged unicorn really that important?' she wondered to herself. She kind of got that they were special in some way. However she'd never considered just how special they could be. As such she considered what little she knew about Celestia. She was a princess, extremely long lived, had control of the sun, her mane / tail looked like an aurora, and she was physically bigger than any other pony. Taking all that into account, Raven felt a frown cross her features.
'They see her as some kind of goddess, don't they,' she mused to herself. She also kept a step behind Celestia. She honestly wasn't too eager to meet with all the ponies outside. She wasn't really too much of a people person after all. Or, pony person... or whatever they called it.
"You ready Raven?" Celestia questioned. The pallor grey filly merely nodded her head. She was as ready as she was going to be. The solar alicorn nodded her head and opened the door of the library. Almost instantly several flashes from cameras attempted to blind her and Raven. 'Well, the news ponies certainly didn't waste any time getting here,' Celestia noted to herself. She then stepped out of the library, while Raven hung back in the shadows.
Celestia glanced back at the pallor grey filly and noticed how she seemed to stick behind the door frame. 'She's still shy,' Celestia mused to herself, 'I'd say one pony is fine, even if it is me, but a large group makes her nervous.' That in mind Celestia turned to face the mass of news ponies and curious towns ponies who had gathered around the library while she was inside. It seemed that the ponies present during her court had informed the press. She also assumed the ponies who discovered her had mentioned Raven around town as well.
"Greeting every pony," the princess of the sun stated warmly. She ignored the groan from Raven for her choice of words.
"Princess Celestia! Princess Celestia!" one of the reporter ponies questioned eagerly. The solar mare nodded her head his way and sat back. "Is it true that there was an unknown Alicorn inside the library?" the little pony questioned. Celestia merely nodded her head as her answer.
"Princess!" another news pony cried. Celestia inclined her head and raised a brow in her direction. "Is it true that the alicorn was actually a bunny before returning to her true shape?" the mare questioned. Celestia mentally giggled, then nodded her head. She still wondered what was up with Raven turning into a bunny of all things.
"Princess!" yet another reporter pony declared while all but shoving his way forward. "What did you do with the intruding alicorn?" the news pony questioned rapidly. Celestia felt a slight frown tug at her lips but exhaled through her nose and smiled calmly.
"I merely greeted and calmed her," Celestia calmly explained, "she was quite shaken from an unknown assailant turning her into a rabbit." Yet another reporter pony barreled his way through the mas to come forward with his question. Celestia idly hoped that no pony got hurt to get through.
"Princess Celestia, what about the black magic that split the ground in ponyville?" the stallion questioned. Celestia hummed and tapped her chin for a moment. She wondered whether she should be totally honest or try to hide it. However a lie could have problems later on. With a nod she decided it was better ponies knew that Raven was powerful.
"As I said before, she was quite frightened and confused, she did that in order to evade her pursuers. Once she reached the library and calmed down for a moment she broke the enchantment placed upon her. While still confused by what happened she took refuge in the library in order to try and figure out what happened," the solar princess explained calmly. It wasn't a lie exactly. In fact it was more or less all true. She just took the liberty to omit a few rather crucial details.
"Princess," a news mare called and got close to her, "when will she be coming out of the library?" Celestia smiled and turned to the door of the library. Raven was trying her hardest not to be noticed by any of the news ponies. The fact she was succeeding was a testament to her ability to hide herself. 'She does seem to represent the dark, so I suppose hiding herself would also be a talent of hers,' the solar princess mused to herself. That aside she backed up and leaned down next to the pallor grey alicorn filly.
"Ready to come out now?" Celestia questioned softly. Raven immediately shook her head. "I see shyness hasn't left you," she noted with a smile. Raven however shook her head and looked outside the door warily.
"No... well yeah, that's part of it, but there are just way too many reporters out there," the pallor grey filly replied nervously, "I don't want to be mobbed." Celestia blinked and idly nodded her head in understanding.
"I understand, however you have to come out eventually," the solar princess intoned. She then smirked and nudged Raven's side almost teasingly. "Better sooner than later, no?" Raven merely glanced at her for a moment then let out a soft sigh and nodded her head.
"Fine, but I won't be held responsible if I freak out," the little pallor grey filly grumbled. Celestia giggled and then trotted out of the library with Raven at her side. Coming out of the library, Raven winced at several bright flashes of light. Although she also wondered how they could use cameras with hooves. As such the blue cloaked filly pulled her hood down to block out the bright flashes of light. Upon seeing how the filly struggled, Celestia cleared her throat and brought the attention back onto herself.
"Please calm down my little ponies, I'm afraid she's a bit shy," the solar alicorn pleaded. The reporters heard and obeyed their princess. The flashes stopping and allowing Raven to look out from her hood. Glancing around the pallor grey filly resisted shivering. There were far too many eyes on her, it caused her to shrink back behind Celestia despite her calm. 'Calm down, find your center and remain calm,' she inwardly ordered and recited her mantra internally.
"Princess! What's her name? Where does she come from? Does she speak our language? How old is she? Does she have a favorite color? Ooh ooh! Does she want to be friends? Can I throw her a party?" a pony suddenly questioned quite rapidly. The rapid fire questions caused both Celestia and Raven to find the pony in question. Raven felt physically ill just looking at the mare in question. Cotton candy mane and tail, bright blue eyes and a wide smile, pink coat and three balloons on her flank... it was like she had found her happy side if it weren't trapped in her head.
"Er, hello my little pony, just who are you?" Celestia questioned with a raised brow. She had expected questions yes, but the pink pony had just asked everything in the span of a few seconds. Though that last one was a bit unusual, and she doubted Raven would appreciate her enthusiasm.
"Oh, I'm Pinkamena Diane Pie, but every pony just calls me Pinkie Pie the party pony and unofficial welcome wagon here in ponyville," the pink pony stated with a smile. Raven blinked and then raised a brow. She really had to wonder what was with all the horse puns? Celestia merely nodded her head and then thought to the mare's questions. Most of them were fine, but again, that last one would have to be denied. 'I should let her down easy, Raven will have enough trouble adjusting to Equestria as it is,' Celestia decided.
"Her name is Raven. She comes from..."
"That's kind of a weird name for a pony isn't it?" the pink pony questioned. Celestia blinked and then considered it for a moment.
"Err, I suppose so, but it is her name, and as I was saying she's from far away but does know our language."
"Wait, if she's from far away how can she know our language? Oooh, did she take classes?" Pinkie Pie questioned. Celestia raised a brow and stared at the pony for a moment. 'I have the strangest feeling I know who a new element of laughter would be...' she thought with a slight smile. If any pony embodied laughter, it was definitely this pony. Regardless she cleared her throat and got back to the mare's questions.
"She only lived far away miss Pie, she didn't need lessons as she already knew our language. She's a filly, and..." Celestia tried to say only for Pinkie to interrupt her again.
"Wait, she's still just a filly, at that size?" the pink party pony questioned seriously. Celestia sighed but nodded her head.
"Yes, yes she is," she stated flatly. Pinkie hummed, then shrugged her shoulders and motioned for Celestia to continue. "Anyways, I assume her favorite color is blue." Celestia glanced to Raven for confirmation. The pallor grey filly merely shrugged her shoulders as her response. Her 'favorite' color actually just depended on her mood. Typically it was blue. If she was happy it was pink. Feeling confident it was green. Angry it was red. Etc, etc...
"Yes, now I can't speak for her on if she wants to be your friend. However I'm afraid Raven is rather shy and a party wouldn't be the best idea for her right now," Celestia told the boisterous pink pony as gently as she could. Pinkie hummed and tapped her chin for a moment, then nodded her head.
"That's fine, I kind of figured she was shy with how she kept every pony away," the pink pony admitted. "But do you think I could throw her a party later? I throw every pony in ponyville a party at least once?" Pinkie questioned then smiled widely and loudly declared, "it's a tradition!" Celestia giggled and smiled toward pinkie calmly.
"I'm certain that could be arranged miss Pie, but perhaps at a time when she's more comfortable around other ponies," the solar princess suggested. 'And until she gets used to being a pony,' she added in her thoughts. Raven highly doubted that but chose not to voice her thoughts on the matter. She in general wanted to keep as far from the pink pony as she could. 'I can't take so much pink, it's practically nauseating,' the pallor grey filly thought with a shiver.
"Okey dokey Loki princess," Pinkie declared and bounced off. Literally bounced off. Raven stared at the pony as she did so with confusion etched across her features. 'How in Azar's name does a pony bounce?' she wondered internally. Celestia wondered about the bouncing as well, however turned to Raven. Celestia merely turned to Raven with a wink and a smirk. The look did little to put the younger alicorn at ease.
'I've got a really bad feeling about where this is going,' the pallor grey filly thought to herself. "Now then every pony, while I am certain you all have more questions," Celestia began. Raven could practically feel the mischief coming from the older alicorn at this point. 'Scratch that, I know I'm not going to like where this is going,' she decided. "But sadly, my daughter and I must return to Canterlot," the alicorn stated.
Raven looked at her incredulously just as the older mare cast a spell to take them away. The reporters, and other townsponies, gasps and looks of shock the last sight she had before seeing a golden light. A moment later they appeared in a large wide open castle. Celestia snickered and trotted off, while Raven frowned and gave her a look.
"Your daughter, really?" the pallor grey filly questioned with a frown. Celestia merely smiled and nodded her head. "I reiterate, really?" the moody alicorn questioned flatly. The older alicorn giggled to herself at the statement. Aside from the slight emphasis on the 'really' part, she had been spoken in a dull monotone. Much as Raven obviously tried to make some kind of point, she just amused the older mare.
'She really is quite amusing for some pony so dull,' the solar alicron noted to herself. She then smiled and motioned for the moody teen to follow her. The filly sighed tiredly, shook her head, and followed behind the older pony. As they trotted through the castle, Raven took note of all the wide open corridors, not to mention windows all around them.
"I felt that the best way of explaining you is that your a 'secret' daughter I had some time ago." Raven was broken from her observation by Celestia herself. Glancing at the older pony she couldn't help wondering what she meant.
"How would me being your daughter explain me existing?" the pallor grey filly questioned seriously.
"Alicorn's are the rarest beings on the planet, those currently alive are all related to me in one way or another. Saying you are a distant relative would be hard to explain, my niece Princess Cadenza was hard enough to explain," Celestia began with a tired sigh. "I ended up having to look up dozens of records in order to find even the slimmest relation to her, she is my niece but my family disowned her own when my great great nephew married a pegasus over a thousand years ago," the solar princess continued.
"So, rather than try and go through a very convoluted plan that would entail forged records and such, I'm taking a quick route to explaining your existence. You have no parents in this world, no records of your birth, no records of any kind of schooling. This is highly unusual and I foresaw a great many ponies going in search of such records the moment you were introduced to Equestria," the older alicorn continued.
"Now if you're my daughter who has been abroad for some time now, and if I just so happen to have kept your existence a secret for your protection, no pony would question it," Celestia stated. She then glanced to the pallor grey filly and nodded her head. "Your schooling will be explained that I home schooled you, not a lie as I will be doing that, your cloak actually helps the story, when you're wearing it you don't appear to have wings. This means you were masquerading as a unicorn for years, or at least that is how the story will go," the solar alicorn explained with a nod of her head.
"I see," Raven replied. She was admittedly impressed with the amount of thought the mare had put into this idea. However there was one thing that still confused her. "So, why did you have to explain your niece's relation to you?" the pallor grey filly questioned curiously. Celestia clicked her tongue and looked to Raven with a serious expression.
"Princess Cadenza has power over love, as such I made her a princess of love," Celestia began, then blew a breath into her bangs. "Unfortunately, the nobility were more than just displeased when I did and demanded to know how I could grant a 'common pony' even an alicorn the tittle of princess," the solar alicorn thought with a shake of her head. However this only mare Raven groan and bring her hoof to her face.
"So you have even more nobility here, great, now I get to play politics," Raven grumbled sarcastically. Celestia gave an apologetic look to the young alicorn, then turned stone serious.
"Yes, I'd assume you will as technically you would be the 'alicorn of darkness' with your powers," the solar mare informed. Raven blinked and then shivered at the title. She wasn't exactly comfortable with the idea of being considered a goddess of darkness after all.
"Does that mean I'll have to be a princess at some point?" the little pony questioned. Celestia merely nodded her head and the pallor grey filly groaned. "Ugh, can't I be a duchess or a something less cliche than a princess instead?" the moody teen pleaded. Celestia chuckled and smiled to Raven fondly. She could already tell that things were going to be a lot more interesting with her around.
"Perhaps, but listen Raven, while you're here I'll be teaching you primarily about control. I will also have tutors instruct you on the history of Equestria, and the laws of the land. I'll attempt to keep you out of any politics, but you will be expected to appear at most royal functions. On the flip side you will have near unlimited access to the royal library in your free time to search for a spell to leave if you so desire," Celestia began to explain. Raven silently nodded her head in understanding.
"Now, asside from that your lessons in magic will be minor at best until you have your control down," Celestia stated firmly. Raven merely nodded her head, in full agreement with the older alicorn. Her lack of control was dangerous, she'd seen what it could do first hand and so had no delusions about just how dangerous she was. "Good, now I also have a more personal request to make while you are staying here," Celestia admitted.
"And that would be?" Raven questioned with a raised brow.
"A few years back my guards located a dragon egg on a nearby mountain," Celestia began with a sigh, "they brought it to me in order to find out what to do with it. I had it sent to my school for gifted unicorns as a test to see if any pony could hatch it," the solar princess stopped for a moment. 'I had also hoped I would find an element of magic when I did,' she mentally admitted to herself.
"Now then, no pony ever hatched it and so I did so it wouldn't rot out and the dragon inside die. Ever since I've taken care of him, but my duties to my little ponies often require my attention. As such my nephew, Prince Blueblood, has often looked after Spike in my absence," Celestia explained. Raven frowned and had a feeling she knew where this was going.
"Okay, so what did you want me to do?" Raven questioned. Celestia shifted nervously for a moment and came to a stop. Raven noticed they were in yet another hallway. Again like the one they were in before, it was wide open and had several windows and openings throughout it. 'I'm gonna take a guess that someone is a bit claustrophobic,' the pallor grey filly mused inwardly.
"AllI ask is that you look after Spike while you're here, Blueblood can only do so much and I'm a little afraid of his worse traits rubbing off on him," Celestia requested. Raven frowned for a moment and considered the request. She admitted, if only to herself, that she was not exactly a patient person. She highly doubted that she would make a good babysitter. She also realized that this was only a request from Celestia. It likely had no standing on her training with the older alicorn.
On the other hand, it sounded like she was more worried about this 'Spike' ending up too much like her nephew. Celestia also had taken her on as a student without even knowing her. If it had been anyone or pony else they likely wouldn't have been so quick to help her. Even less so if they knew just who her father happened to be. As such the pallor grey filly finally sighed and looked to the older alicorn.
"Fine."
"Excellent, then let's go introduce you to Spike then," the solar alicorn offered chipperly. Raven merely rolled her eyes and followed behind the older mare. Their continued trip through the castle was mostly in silence, however that was fine as far as Raven was concerned. Although she admitted she'd have to learn more than a few things soon enough. Not the least of which was the specifics of her new species and race.
Aside from the obvious perks of being an alicorn. Immortality though she was already long lived, being a demon's spawn she had no idea the upper limit she could age to. Unsurpassed magical potential, though again as a demon's spawn she already had nigh unsurpassed magical potential. Wings for flight, though yet again she had no need for the wings as she could fly with magic before. Actually, now that she thought about it, being an alicorn didn't really change much of anything.
'Except the part where I'll have to be a princess, not to mention how the nobles will probably hound me,' the pallor grey filly thought with a frown. However, she also admitted that this was all based on her casual observations thus far. Whether or not there was more to being an alicorn would have to wait until she had a chance to speak with Celestia. 'Although I guess I could do that now,' the moody alicorn admitted to herself. That in mind she hurried to fall in step beside of the older alicorn.
"Celestia," Raven began, gaining the older alicorn's attention, "I'm a bit curious about Alicorns, as you know I'm not normal. Nor was I normal compared to most people on Azarath. What little I've guessed doesn't seem all that different to my already unusual traits. So I'm wondering if I became an alicorn because it was the only form my body could take because of those unusual traits," the pallor grey filly explained. Celestia blinked and then nodded her head in understanding.
"I see, well first of all we're very long lived. We also have a great level of magical potential in our chosen field, like how I am able to control the sun. Princess Cadenza can control love. Or... others," Celestia ended with a strangely vague tone. "We also have the ability to fly with our wings of course, and use pegasus magic to control storms and the weather. Finally we have earth pony magic, which typically pertains to physical endurance and strength as well as an affinity for plants. Though the latter is less prevalent for some reason," the solar princess finished.
Raven frowned, idly noting that most, if not all of that was similar to being half demon. Though she assumed that it was far less 'unholy' to be an alicorn than it was to be a half demon. 'Okay, so Given I changed after overloading a spell I'd have to assume this was the only form I could take aside from my normal one,' the pallor grey filly mused inwardly. 'Now then, where does being royalty fit into all of this?' the moody teen wondered with a frown.
However before she could ask about that, they arrived at their destination. Raven merely glanced at the doors and then to Celestia with a flat expression. Celestia's horn gave a golden glow for a moment before the pair of doors were opened. Inside Raven found a rather sparsely furnished room, though she idly noted a great deal of gems and gold lying around. 'From what little I know about dragons, they are typically drawn to shiny things,' the pallor grey filly inwardly mused.
That in mind, Raven scanned the room for this 'Spike' dragon. She idly wondered how old he was as Celestia had been pretty vague on that front. Aside from the gems, gold, silver, an old basket, and a few other nicknacks around the room, she didn't see anything too strange. Wait...
"Do gemstones normally breathe in this universe?" Raven questioned. She did so upon spotting a pile of gems that were rising and falling. Celestia groaned and trotted over to the pile with a shake of her head. A frown marring her features, the solar mare kicked the pile lightly. Instantly several coins and gems were knocked off of a purple scaled blob. Raven blinked and then raised a brow as she saw the creature.
"Kind of small for a dragon," the pallor grey filly noted.
"He's still just a baby," Celestia replied. She then shook her head and lifted the baby dragon with her magic. Raven idly took a moment to examine him. He was small, a bit chubby, with purple scales, green spines and underside, he was really rather short, had small yet sharp looking fangs, and a barbed tail. All and all, he looked as far from threatening as physically possible. 'This is supposed to be a dragon? Baby or not, this is pathetic,' Raven thought with a shake of her head.
"Spike, wake up, you have a visitor," the solar princess urged. However the baby dragon merely yawned and curled up into a ball. He muttered something unintelligible and yawned before his snores sounded anew.
"Certainly does like his sleep, doesn't he," the pallor grey filly noted with a slight smirk. Celestia sighed and frowned down at the snoozing lump of a dragon.
"Perhaps I've allowed him a bit too much freedom around here," the older alicorn grumbled. She then shook the baby dragon trapped in her magical grasp. The little fellow yelped and then shook his head and looked around. His eyes first landed on Raven and he raised a brow.
"Huh, who are you?" he questioned. The moody teen rolled her eyes and replied in her usual dull monotone.
"Raven." Spike scratched at his head for a moment and stared at the pony with clear confusion.
"Then why are you in my room?" he questioned suspiciously. Instead of answering, Raven pointed behind the baby dragon with a slight smirk. Blinking for a moment, he turned around and gulped at the sight of Celestia. "Eh he he... hi mom," the baby dragon offered with a nervous grin. The solar princess merely shook her head and trotted over to Raven with Spike held firmly in her magical grasp.
"Hello to you as well Spike, allow me to properly introduce you to your new caretaker and technically sister, Raven," the solar alicorn reported and placed Spike beside of the pallor grey filly. The purple lizard blinked for a moment, then looked over to the pony in question. He frowned, then lifted Raven's cloak to see her wings, before he seemed to turn sheet white.
"Uh... hi sis," the little dragon offered with a nervous grin. Raven merely rolled her eyes and looked to Celestia.
"So what do I have to do to take care of him?" the pallor grey filly questioned.
"Wait, what's this about her taking care of me?" Spike interrupted with a frown. Celestia smiled to the baby dragon and answered calmly.
"I've asked Raven to look after you while she's staying in Canterlot, I thought you could use a friend close to your own age and she's still a filly. Raven also needs a friend so it seemed like the best option available," the solar alicorn replied. Spike however stared incredulously at the said filly with wide eyes. The moody teen shifted uncomfortably under his gaze and narrowed her eyes.
"What?" she questioned sternly. However Spike ignored her comment, pointing at her and then turning to look at Celestia with wide eyes.
"That is supposed to be a filly?" he all but demanded. Celestia giggled for a moment, then nodded her head with a smirk. "Uh wow, she's really big for her age then," the Baby dragon mumbled with wide eyes. Rolling her own, Celestia quickly regained her composure and looked back to Raven to finish answering her question. Celestia picked up a few gems off of the ground with a frown, then showed them to Raven.
"Now then Raven, most dragons eat gemstones, however he can metabolize most pony foods as well," Celestia began while she also picked up the coins littering the floor. "And aside from keeping him out of trouble, he is allowed a few gems to eat a day, but not too many or he'll remain pudgy until he's full grown," the solar mare explained with a nod. Spike huffed indignantly at the accusation. He wasn't pudgy at all! Raven mutely nodded her head in understanding, idly sweeping a mass of coins and gems together with her own magic.
"Anything else?" the moody teen asked with a bored tone. Celestia hummed while depositing the mass of gems and coins into a large pile next to Spike's basket. She then tapped at her chin for a moment while considering anything else she might have to tell the filly.
"Well, when Spike was young I worried about ponies kidnapping him so I imbued him with a spell that allows him to send me messages and vice versa. So really if you have any questions about him you can just use the 'dragon mail' to send me a letter and ask," the pale pink princess replied. Raven raised a brow and tilted her head in confusion at the admittance. Spike however was glad to be forgotten by the two as he was not looking forward to where things were going.
"How did you put a spell like that on a dragon?" the pallor grey filly inquired, "I kind of thought they were resistant to magic," the pallor grey filly admitted. Celestia nodded her head, that was actually a common misconception. Although not entirely untrue it wasn't entirely accurate either. Spike on the other hand scoffed and glanced at the pallor grey filly.
"We are when we're full grown, but baby dragon's have thinner scales and lack the magic resistance until were a few decades or so old," the baby dragon responded with a frown. Celestia sighed and nodded her head. This was a bit of a sour subject for the little dragon. Ponies generally knew very little about Dragons as few ever took the time to learn about them. Well, aside from 'run away before they eat you' that is.
"So then baby dragons aren't as resistant to magic as adults?" Raven questioned curiously. The solar alicorn nodded her head. The fact Spike was hatched with magic also had to do with it, but she didn't feel like explaining that to the filly for the moment. However she did feel she should explain how the message system worked. Just to be on the safe side.
"Yes. But the spell I put on him is actually a two part spell, Spike is registered by a 'burn away charm' which allows him to receive messages after I burn them. The second part of the spell is based on magical dragon fyre which burns away a message and brings it to me in the same way a burn away charm works," the solar alicorn explained. That done she trotted off and waved a wing to urge Raven and Spike to follow. The two glanced at one another for a moment, then followed behind the older mare.
"Now then Raven, since I'm sure you'll want to start your studies as soon as possible," the alicorn began then shot Spike a stern look, "and since a certain baby dragon needs to work off a little excess weight." The said dragon chuckled nervously and rubbed the back of his head. Raven felt oddly jealous of the tiny fellows little claws when he did. "I'll show you both to the royal library where Spike can assist in your studies," the princess stated with a nod of her head.
Raven looked down at the baby dragon with a frown. Spike looked back with a confused expression. Once they felt they were finished looking at one another, they turned back to the princess.
"How is he supposed to 'assist' me exactly?"
"Better question, why do I have to be her assistant?" Celestia merely rolled her eyes and glanced at them over her shoulder.
"Because you know next to nothing about how we arrange our books here Raven," the ancient mare stated seriously. The pallor grey filly blushed and looked away from the older alicorn. That done, the solar princess looked at Spike with a deep frown. "And as for you my dear little dragon, you've been getting lazy and eating your weight in gems. So I think it's time you earn your gems for a change," Celestia stated with a nod of her head.
Spike scoffed and crossed his arms over his chest. He didn't see why he had to 'assist' this new alicorn. Although if she was his sister he was honestly curious about her. Mostly because he'd never heard about her from any pony before. Though after looking at her, he did not she had similar eyes to Celestia and Cadence. 'Maybe purple eyes are some kind of a family trait or something,' the little dragon considered. Shaking such thoughts from his mind for the moment, Spike took a better look at Raven.
The cloak made it all but impossible to see much of her. Her horn was somewhat short for an alicorn, she was around the size of an average pegasus mare, what little of her coat he could see was pallor grey, and her eyes were violet. The rest of her was covered by her cloak, but he did recall she had a purple tail and wings with feathers that darkened until they turned black at the tips. 'Pale coat so I guess that's also kind of like mom,' the little dragon thought to himself.
"Here we are," Celestia stated suddenly. Spike came out of his thoughts and looked up as they entered into the royal library. He'd seen them before so he didn't really feel anything other than boredom from the sight. Raven on the other hand widened her eyes and looked around with a small ghost of a smile. The pallor grey filly trotted forward and pulled a story from one of the shelves. It was from the fiction section but she still sat down on her haunches and began to read it. A moment later she looked to Celestia and nodded her head.
"I think I could learn to like this place," she declared. Celestia chuckled in her throat and smiled to the little alicorn. Spike on the other hand tilted his head and raised a brow.
"Why is her voice so dull?" the baby dragon questioned with a look to his mother figure. The older alicorn rolled her eyes and patted the baby dragon on his head.
"Raven is a very reserved and shy pony," the solar alicorn offered in explanation. Spike crossed his arms and mumbled that that didn't explain anything. However he decided he'd ask about it later on once he got to know the young alicorn. While she seemed pretty dull, but perhaps she would turn out to be more interesting later on. 'At least I hope she'll be more interesting than a book worm,' the purple dragon hoped.
Celestia looked to Raven and saw that the filly was deeply engrossed in her book. The solar alicorn only hoped that it would be so easy to get the filly to come out of her shell. 'Her empathy is the problem with that, she feels the emotions of others, so if those around her emotional, her own emotions go out of control as well,' the older alicorn thought with a frown. That would clearly be a problem for Raven wanted to learn control. She would need to think about how she would be able to work around it.
"Now that you're situated Raven, I need to attend to some duties and so leave you to your own devices," Celestia stated. Raven merely nodded her head and waved a hoof. Spike snickered and took a seat next to the purple pony as she read her book. Celestia smiled and hoped that the two would take to one another. She felt that Raven needed a friend, and knew that Spike could really use some pony his own age to hang around. It was mere coincidence that putting them together solved both problems easily enough.
"I'll send a guard to bring you to your room later, until then please enjoy yourself," the solar alicorn said and Raven silently nodded her head. Seeing as the pallor grey filly was obviously engrossed in her book, Celestia bid Spike farewell and was on her way. Once she was gone, Spike idly looked to the book that Raven was reading. It was an old adventure story, he'd read it once out of sheer boredom. Raven seemed to be enjoying herself though if the slight smile was anything to go off of.
That said, Spike frowned and wondered what he should be doing to 'assist' the quiet pony. As he couldn't come up with anything himself, he looked to the pony in question for answers instead.
"So what should I do to 'assist' you?" the baby dragon questioned curiously. Raven hummed and turned a page of her book with her magic, then looked at Spike from the corner of her eye.
"Just be quiet and I don't care what you do," the pallor grey filly replied. She then frowned at Spike's surprised look. "No really I mean it, just be quiet, don't annoy me or destroy anything and we'll get along just fine," she intoned seriously. Spike blinked and grinned despite himself. Stretching out his limbs for a moment and letting a yawn pass his lips. Spike then proceeded to lay back and rest his head on the fillies flank like it was a pillow.
"Sis, I think this is the beginning of a beautiful friendship," the little purple dragon declared happily. Raven shot the purple dragon a brief look, then returned to her book. As she told the baby dragon, so long as he didn't bother her, make noise, or get into trouble she was fine with whatever he did. She would watch him to be sure, but she really didn't think she needed an assistant. Besides that, she didn't think someone as lazy as Spike would be of much help in her research...
'Which I'll get started on after I finish this book,' the pallor grey filly decided to herself. Giving a glance to the now sleeping baby dragon, Raven sighed and shook her head. 'Something tells me that this is the start of the worst headache of my life,' the pallor grey filly thought to herself. She also couldn't shake the feeling that things were going to be really interesting from now on...
TBC...
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its good to see that this has started up again as it is one of the most if not the most enjoyable teen titains crossover ive read
I must admit, I'm not as well versed with the DC Universe as I am with Marvel's. Nonetheless, Raven always was my favorite Titan
Hell keep these golden chapters a coming. Also when nightmare moon shows up is raven going to move back into the library also how much older is the rest of the mane 6 going to be compared to raven? also why does raven have her cutie mark in the cover art if she doesnt have it now?
Ah, just imagining Raven talk in this situation is nostalgic. The Titans where my fav show growing up, and Raven my fav character, her snarkiness is unlimited.
Thanks for the story! 
The chapters are getting longer!
Really liking the story so far, looking forward to more chapters.
How old is Raven?
3496587 15 or higher, I think.
Curious that not long after I took an interest in and read the first two chapters it updated. I had hoped for an update, but I didn't think it would be this soon.
Aside from the usual grammar mistakes anyone can make, this is a great story and an interesting update to the saga. Raven is my favorite character from Teen Titans so it will be interesting to see how she assimilates into the plot progression of the show.
3496069 Raven is fifteen years old, she is also three or four years younger than Pinkie Pie, making her the youngest out of them all.
She has her cutie-mark in the picture because she will eventually get it. She just didn't get it the moment she became a pony.
As for the rest, just wait and see.
3496866 You are correct sir.
3497386 Actually, I had like sixty faves on this story over three days, so it's not that surprising I decided it needed a few updates. The fact The Overworked Alicorn is actually getting close to complete doesn't hurt either.
amazing.... Thank you for another amazing chapter!
I'm really enjoying this story. While it's kind of sad that Twilight won't be in it, I am curious how Raven will deal with a lot of her responsibilities. Although it looks like you called Raven "purple" at some point. Perhaps she's filling Twilight's role a bit too well, eh?
Great chapter.
I think my favorite part was Celestia telling everypony Raven is her daughter. I'm really looking forward to seeing everypony's reactions and thought's to that in the aftermath. Any chance of Raven and Celestia having some mother daughter bonding times as the story goes on?
Spike looked after by Blueblood! Let's just hope he hasn't taken any of Blueblood's worst traits. Like how he treats his dates for example.
need new updat
I like the story concept I just see one problem with this. Didn't raven already discover the power that friends can give you?
3685924 This takes place before the TV series, back when Raven first left Azarath.
That was pretty good. Can't wait for it to continue!
I heard Titan and thought Warhammer 40k.
3770877 You and quite a few other people actually.
3771369
If you were into 40k, and thinking about how big some of those titans can be... the Lolz from a relaxed titan crew. God now I am wondering how one of those stories would pan out.
3497386
Could you, if you want to, look at my story and see if there are any mistakes, please?
So it seems Spike would have less work to do than the version of him that was raised by Twilight and Celestia.
Grammar error. Also, I was kind of looking forward to interactions between Twilight and Raven...
Here's why you shouldn't be so surprised:
#1 You have quality writing
#2 There's few Teen Titans/FiM crossovers or just Rave/FiM
#3 Your story is very entertaining to read
Huh...well, first off, "Unfortunately, the nobility were more than just displeased when I did and demanded to know how I could grant a 'common pony' even an alicorn the title of princess,"
Second...Alicorns are not common! They are extremely rare!
No Twilight magic exam fiasco...
Hold on to your butts, this fic is going off the AU deepend.
While I love both Raven and Celestia, this story isn't my cup of tea. Besides some minor grammar issues—a your instead of you're, a there that should be their, asside rather than aside, miscapitalization of titles, numerous 'Azaroth's instead of 'Azarath's, missing commas before an address—I had issue with Celestia and Raven's dialogue after the stint in Raven's mind.
First off: Celestia never actually introduced herself? And I'm a bit disappointed that Celestia didn't set out some tea, but that's more understandable than her interrogating a creature from a different species who suddenly found herself as a pony in Equestria. Okay, I'm exaggerating because Celestia was still too polite to interrogate, but the questioning was just very one-sided. Celestia took a jaunt through Raven's mind and memories, and then learned all about what she's been trained in; and Raven learned...what, that the very old and very powerful ruler of wherever-she-is just went through her memories and now wants to teach her because of this sister who was never brought up again?
A loose grasp of grammar I can endure, but this quality of characterization and conversation I cannot, unfortunately.
I thank your efforts for writing, and wish you the best of luck.
Now to just tell them that the father is a demon