Karma Isn't Always Fun
Celestia rubbed her temples irritably. “I do not think you understand what all of this means, Pearl. You are not ready for all that it means to be an alicorn.”
Pearl, for her part, snorted. “No. I don’t think you get it, princess. I don’t care! What can I learn from you that I can’t learn from Twilight?”
Celestia frowned. “Quite a bit, my little pony. My former student is many things. But she is still new to what it means to be one of us.”
Twilight frowned as well. The four of them sat around her dining room table. Off to the side, Luna seemed deep in thought. Hearing this from her mentor cut deep.
Celestia saw this as well and tried a different tactic. “I do not mean to impinge your ability, Twilight. But there is still much that you do not know, that you can’t teach Pearl.”
Pearl rolled her eyes. “So? I’ll take my chances with Twilight more than you. Save Equestria a few more times, and then we’ll talk.”
Celestia’s eyes twitched as she looked at her sister. “Luna. You agree with me, don’t you?”
Luna finally shook her head. “Nay, sister. While I agree that there is still much Pearl and Twilight have to learn, I know of no one better than Princess Twilight to teach her.”
Celestia’s brows came together in a dangerous way. “Luna…”
That was all Twilight could take as she cleared her throat. “No, Princess Celestia. You are overstepping your bounds. What gives you the right to tell my student what she should do?”
Pearl watched in growing shock as the heat in the room rose by the second. She didn’t know how to teleport, but she wished she could right this second.
Celestia stood to her full height and advanced on the shocked filly. “None of you seem to be thinking clearly. Your time in the Blight has done more than I thought.”
That was all Pearl could take, as she clenched her eyes shut, her horn ablaze with power, before blinking out of existence.
Everypony blinked in shock, Twilight especially as she closed her eyes and tried to follow Pearl’s unique alicorn magic signature.
“Where did she go?” Luna asked, putting a hoof on her sister’s shoulder, glaring at her as she did.
After a moment, Twilight opened her eyes and stood up. “Somewhere safe.” She bowed her head to Luna. “I am sorry about this, Luna but I must go to her.”
Celestia cooled off slightly. “Twilight…”
But Twilight was having none of it. “That is Princess Twilight. I suggest you leave, Princess Celestia. I love you too much to lose you now. Don’t push me. Please.”
That was a dagger to Celestia’s heart as Twilight blinked out of existence. Only now, with only her sister by her side, did her words finally catch up to her. “What am I doing, Luna? What kind of pony am I, demanding something like this?”
Luna’s frown melted away, and she sighed. “You are letting your head run ahead of your heart, Tia.” She rolled her eyes. “Again. We have trusted Princess Twilight before. Why can’t you now?”
Celestia’s ears fell. “I do trust her, Luna. More than I do anyone else. But I fear what could happen if Pearl loses control of her magic. Twilight has not seen that.”
Luna nodded. It was a fear she held as well. “I think Pearl knows this as well. Her dreams of late are full of her fears of her magic going wild.” She shook her head. “And more. But I cannot say for sure what.”
Celestia gave her a confused look. “Won’t tell me you mean?”
Luna shook her head. “No. As in I do not know myself. Something is blocking my sight of certain things. Pearl herself is not doing it on purpose it seems. That is all I can say for now.”
Luna frowned. She did not like this. The Dream Realm was something only Luna knew well. How could anything do something like this?
For now, though, she could only hope that Twilight could give Pearl the friend she needed right now. She had messed up enough today.
It did not take Twilight long to find her student. The clearing around them was deep in the Everfree Forest. How Pearl had first ended up here was beyond her as she landed beside the despondent Pegasus, sitting on a stump.
Pearl looked up at her with a heartbroken look, and it broke Twilight’s heart. “I wanted to be so wrong about this. That she didn’t want to stick her nose into this. Why? Why me?”
Twilight sighed sadly as she sat down next to her and wrapped a wing around her student. “I don’t know, Pearl. Her fears are not without merit.”
Pearl shook her head. “I know. How do you think I feel? You know what my temper’s like. I’m a ticking timebomb. And that’s just with me being an alicorn.”
Twilight nodded. It was a fear she held as well. She smiled though as she fixed her student’s mane. “A fear I hope never comes to pass. But look around, Pearl. Don’t you know where we are?”
Pearl blinked as she looked around, before shrugging. “Should I? Doesn’t look any different from anywhere around Ponyville.”
“It’s where we first met. I had to point you back towards Ponyville once you stopped screaming,” Kohaku smirked, popping up behind the pair, chuckling as Pearl shrieked and jumped a hundred feet in the air. “And after you had done that as well.”
Pearl growled as she came back down and snorted. “Damm it, Kohaku. What have I said about sneaking up on me?! Especially now?”
He just smiled. “It’s not my fault you were so caught up that you didn’t see or hear me coming. And you still haven’t explained why you can do that,” he added, as a burst of lightning came from Pearl’s snout.
Quirking an eyebrow she looked at her friend. “Okay. How is it that did nothing to you?”
Rolling his eyes Kohaku laid out comfortably. “Please, I’ve been struck with my sister’s lightning bolts. Compared to that, what you just produced was little more than static. So. why is it your shooting fire and lightning from your mouth? Does it have to do with you now having a unicorn horn?”
Pearl smirked. She had been holding this back for a while now. “Quite a bit. I don’t know all that it means since I’m an alicorn now. But Tiamat wouldn’t have given it to me for no reason.”
Kohaku snorted. “I still don’t see what ol’ rainbow lizard saw in you to give you that. But you do wear it well.” Yawning softly he rested his head down on his forelegs. His body still weakened but thanks to the efforts of his oneechans, he was recovering quickly.
Pearl smirked. “Oh, there’s more to it than that. Way more. I wanted to show this when we got back. But…”
“Yeah, that wasn’t much fun for me. I’m just glad you didn’t have to see me like that,” turning his gaze to a pack of wild bunnies. “I hate seeing me like that, and it’s just worse the older I get.”
Pearl didn’t want to think of how much worse her friend could be but felt it wasn’t the time or place to ask. “There are a few things actually. But first.” She walked over, and lightly punched her best friend. “That’s for scaring me half to death with the golem.”
Kohaku didn’t bother to move when he saw that hoof fly at him. He deserved it and knew it. Feeling the hoof hit his face he rolled over backward into a seated position at a nearby stump groaning. “Mmm yeah, sorry about that. Solid hit by the way.” He chuckled along with her as his paw rubbed his sore cheek
Pearl looked at her hoof. She hadn’t hit him that hard. Had she? “Well, here’s something else I’ve been holding onto since then. And a little more that not even Twilight knows about. Found this out yesterday myself. By accident actually.”
Twilight blinked in surprise. This was news to her, while Kohaku only snorted and waived it off. "Pbsh. I doubt anything you have to show me will shock me that much."
Pearl’s smirk only grew as she backed up, as did Twilight. “Oh yeah? What about this?” She asked, before closing her eyes and letting her full power out.
Kohaku’s eyes widened as Pearl’s shape began to change. Into a shape, he had not seen in many years, but remembered all the same, as a five-headed dragon was revealed once the glow subsided. But why did it look like there was something else on the central head?
Twilight saw it as well, but that didn’t make any sense. Did it? But as Tiamat lowered her head, her jaw dropped in shock at what was revealed on the brow of the Red head.
Kohaku had seen a lot in his young life, and very little could shock him anymore. But this? This was something else entirely.
Pearl’s head was fused into the brow of the Red head, seemingly asleep as the draconic head smirked at him. That was weird enough. But then the pony head opened her eyes and smirked as well. “So. How’s this?”
Twilight’s eyes twitched. She had read stories of something like this in Tiamat’s library, but she had always dismissed them as fantasy, even when the Chromatic Dragon herself had said they were true.
Kohaku stood there, his eyes wide as he looked up at the multi-headed dragon with his friend’s head seemingly fused to the top of the central. His body trembled noticeably as his breathing increased. His tails all puffed out and stretched out behind him. His muscles tensed up before his eyes rolled back into his head and he passed out on the ground. His body collapsed with a thump.
Twilight dashed over to her young apprentice and placed a hoof on his neck as her eyes widened. “Pearl… he’s not breathing. Change back NOW!”
Pearl’s eyes widened in horror, before doing as she was told, rushing over to her friend’s side.
Twilight rolled Kohaku over onto his back and placed her hoof over his heart. Her body trembled as she didn’t feel anything there. Her eyes teared up as she closed them. Her horn lit up as she whispered several words in rapid succession. With each completion of the incomprehensible sentence, she shocked his body. After the third time, Kohaku gasped and shot up looking about with a look of panic on him.
Turning her look to Pearl she frowned. “You are even now. No more.” Twilight looked back at Kohaku and rubbed his back slowly “It’s okay Kohaku. It’s okay.”
Shivering noticeably, Kohaku’s breath came hard to him. “D.. dra… dragon ate pearl…. No..” His eyes were completely unfocused as he was lost in his current fright. His paws gripping his head.
Pearl’s head fell in despair, letting her tears fall now. “I didn’t want this. I never asked for any of this. First Princess Celestia wants to use me, and now my best friend is afraid of me.” She turned her gaze to the south. “Maybe I can get Tiamat to take all of this back. I don’t want it if this is all I get out of it!”
“P.. Pearl?” Kohaku blinked and looked over at his friend. Leaping out of Twilight’s limbs he tackled his friend and hugged her tight. Tears fell from his cheeks as he bear-hugged her tight. “You’re alright! I thought the dragon got you.”
Pearl ooofed as she felt her breath benign squeezed out of her. “Can’t breath…” she squeaked out as Kohaku released her. Taking in a deep breath she saw his face, tear-streaked and smiling wide. Her head spun at his confusion. “The dragon never got me. That dragon is me. All of them. It’s like how I was on Nightmare Night when I came to my senses. I don’t know why I got it. It’s been nothing but a pain, having to learn everything that goes with them.”
Kohaku blinked and tilted his head. “What do you mean like how you were on Nightmare night? Honestly, I don’t recall most of it. Everything after that big dragon knocked me into the graveyard is kinda hazy. I must have passed out or something. All I know is when I woke up you were there. And you couldn’t have been a dragon just now. I saw that dragon appear and….” His whole body shivered. “Well anyway. I like that alicorn form you have. It suits you. And if you like I can help you control those dragon-like powers you got. So you don’t go breathing fire at anypony.”
Looking up at Twilight Kohaku smiled. “I’m gonna head over to Neechan Fluttershy’s. I promised to help with some songbirds.”
Nodding Twilight patted his shoulder. “Go ahead.”
Giving his friend an easier hug, Kohaku dashed off.
Pearl was stunned. “I remember all of it like it was yesterday. How come he can’t? He was himself that night. Mostly. Shouldn’t he remember too?”
Twilight sighed sadly. “There is a reason. But it is not my place to say, but you deserve to know and I know Kohaku won’t tell you this because he can’t.”
“I don’t get it?” Pearl looked up at Twilight.
“Kohaku has a level of PTSD. I know you have seen it.” Pearl nodded remembering when Kirouac’s roar had frozen him solid, his usual bravado and smugness washed away into a level of terror she didn’t think he could experience. “Kohaku as a child, saw a legion of dragons tear through his cousins, aunts, and uncles. If not for his father, he might well have joined them.”
Pearl took a step back.
“It’s what sparked his father’s rampage through Tiamat’s brood.” Twilight looked at her student seriously. “His brain blocks out all interactions with dragons and kind of shifts his perception. He never saw you turn into a dragon. He saw that dragon tear into you.”
Pearl’s ears fell. “Now I feel even worse. I don’t care if I didn’t know all of that, I shouldn’t have done that at all. Just like you told me not to.” Looking up at Twilight she saw her teacher nod slowly looking at her like when she had finished a lesson. “You LET me do this? Why?”
“Because it is a lesson you needed to learn Pearl. Kinda puts his pranking into perspective, doesn’t it? As bad as he is, he always knew how to pull his punches. He never let his pranks hurt you. Even though he’s capable of it.” Twilight wrapped a wing about her student. “I know it hurts. I remember when Ember came around with her guards before you came to Ponyville. I hadn’t known any of this myself at that time. Not even Discord could have displayed as much chaos as Kohaku did that week.”
Pearl giggled a little at the thought.
“I won’t tell you what to do about your dragon form. Keep it, give it back, seal it away. That is up to you. But you are an alicorn now and you certainly have not lost your best friend.”
Pearl thought about it for a moment and sighed. “A part of me wants to. Damn how hard it would be. But another part is slapping the first one upside the head, and calling them stupid. I’ll keep it. I like it too much.”
Twilight nodded. “Then I suggest you only use it when you are by yourself. Or it is just the two of us. At least until Kohaku is old enough where dragons are no longer a threat to him. So probably around another ten years or so.”
Pearl smirked. “I’ll get Sweetie Belle to hold him down if I have to. Love is weird like that. I’m staying single.”
Twilight giggled. “You say that now, Pearl. But in a few years, you will change your mind. As an alicorn, your options are limited for a long relationship.”
Pearl gagged. “No thanks. Cadence is taken, and Celestia and Luna are way too old. It took going through all of that to make me realize I like girls way more than boys. So there’s that, I guess.
Twilight giggled a bit. “I guess Kohaku wins his family bet. He guessed around this time."
Pearl’s eyes twitched. Oh, she would be having words with him about this. But it reminded of something. Her dream that first night. While she had told Twilight most of it (and then forced a Pinkie Promise out of the princess to never speak of it,) Pearl hadn't told the princess everything.
Involving the two of them. How could she? Pearl still couldn't believe it herself. But a growing part of her wanted to believe it. Wanted to believe what they would do together.
As the two began the long trek back to Ponyville, Pearl felt her flanks tingle. Looking back, she grinned widely as her cutie mark finally came in.
A sleeping red dragon.