> Opaline
>  by WhiteSails
> --------------------------------------------------------------------------

> Opaline Chapter 1
> --------------------------------------------------------------------------

Opaline, her name and the only thing ever given to her. As a small filly, she tried hard to "fit in" with the other foals. But she had found herself constantly alone, picked on by the other ponies her age. It seemed like everything about her was wrong. "Her mane was too odd," "her coat was too out of the ordinary," "why did her hooves look like that?" "Why was her mane styled like that?" It always struck her as odd that other foals would pick on her for such things.

Bright purple coats with splotches of lighter pink were not at all out of the ordinary; they were very common. Her mane was not out of place either. It wasn't like she was the only pony in Equestria with a white and green mane. But that’s just how it was, somepony had to be picked on for some reason, even if the reason was stupid, but she was different, and being different to some is a "bad thing".

But the one thing she found herself being picked on the most was her magic or lack thereof. It wasn’t uncommon for young unicorns to struggle with learning magic. But she wasn’t struggling. Well, struggling to learn at first, she had thought that maybe she wasn’t trying hard enough or maybe she wasn’t doing it the right way, but over time she soon realized that she wasn’t struggling to learn magic because she didn't have the ability to use magic.

She would try her hardest to use magic but to no effect. She would try to turn a page in a book or try to pick up an object but to no avail. Her horn would only glow for a few seconds and emit a few sparks before she would ultimately fail the task. It hurt her.

Why could others use magic and not her? It was unfair. It wasn’t her fault she couldn’t use magic, well at least she hoped it wasn’t her fault. The older ponies told her it was okay and that maybe one day she would be able to use magic. But even with no unicorn magic, there was still was a magic that she could possess. A magic anypony or creature could possess. The Magic of Friendship.

Every foal had grown up their whole Lives hearing the tales of these six great ponies, and how together they overcame every and any obstacle. It had reassured her somewhat that even a pony like the great Twilight Sparkle had lacked magic at one point Even if, of course, that magic was friendship and not unicorn magic. But still, she thought to herself, "Magic is magic no matter what form it takes. After all, that’s how Twilight got her wings and became the next ruler of Equestria. It comforted her that maybe she could experience some kind of magic and she could live her life not being completely magicless. Maybe if she made friends, she could finally get some kind of satisfaction.

She tried and tried to make friends with the other ponies, but as hard as she tried, she truly couldn’t make any friends. No pony wanted to be friends with the magicless unicorn. It was just one more thing she soon saw as unfair. It wasn’t for lack of trying; she just simply didn't click. And it only gave the other colts and fillies more of a reason to pick on her. How could Twilight do it and not her? How could she make friends and she couldn’t? It showed her that ponies were still capable of being negative toward one another. That no matter how hard the mane 6 had preached about love, kindness, and acceptance there would still be ponies with closed minds. But still, she hoped. Hoped that one day she could make just one true friend.

She would stay up past her bedtime. Reading the tales and adventures undergone by the Mane 6, the stories they told, the lessons they taught, the way they acted, the way they defeated Villans like Queen Chrysalis, Terik, Cozyglow, and King Sombra And how they helped reform others, like Starlight Glimmer, Discord, or Luna, the sister of the then ruler of Equestria. The tales had fascinated her. Maybe one day she could rise to a status like the mane 6? Maybe she could enroll in their school of friendship?

She had worked hard, doing chores and saving as many bits as she could. Her perseverance paid off, and she was able to obtain a first-edition Twilight figure. It was her pride and joy. The figure was relatively small. She had come with a small brush and a combable mane, but she didn't want to use it for brushing. It was one of many in a set of the Mane 6. She placed it on the shelf over her bed. Sometimes, she would find herself talking to the small figure. She knew it must be weird to be talking to a toy, but the figure was the only thing to talk to.

She would decorate her room with all sorts of memorabilia. She would put up posters, collect buttons, and make herself a small green saddle bag with the emblem of Twilight's Cutie Mark sown in purple yarn. The other foals would walk by her room and laugh, snickering at all the items she had on public display. But she didn't care. She was doing what she loved, and no pony could take that from her.

On her ninth birthday, she went to a Wonderbolts show. It was the first time she ever got to actually see a member of the legendary group, as at that point in time, RainbowDash had taken over from the previous leader of the Wonderbolts and was now their captain. She watched in amazement looking at the blue Pegasus as she went into spectacular dives and quick loops. mesmerizing her and the crowd of hundreds of ponies there. At the very end of the show, she even got a signed autograph and a pat on the head from the mare herself. It was so surreal for the young filly And it inspired her more.

She would go to the locations they had written about, attempting to act as they acted, all in an effort to learn about their magic. As days turned into weeks and weeks turned into months, she still found herself with a burning passion for learning friendship magic. But even after all the friendship lessons she would learn about and after all the attempts to make friends with the foals her age, she still found herself alone.
> Opaline Chapter 2
> --------------------------------------------------------------------------

Opaline leaned forward toward her window. She peered her head down to look at the grass. She sat there, studying each blade as if she had a microscope. She looked keenly at the light shades of green contrasting with the light browns and grays of the dirt. As she sat there on her bed, a knock came on the door. As it slowly opened, a mare's voice came through.

"Opaline?" She turned to the door. "Are you ready, sweetie?" said the mare, leaning in.

Opaline nodded her head and jumped out of her bed. The mare then closed the door. Today was the trip to Equestria's capital city, Canterlot. Opaline grabbed her saddlebag. Every year, the foals' home hosted a field trip for the young ponies. Last year had been to Cloudsdale, and the year before that, the Crystal Empire. But Opaline was more than excited about this year's trip. She could remember her unwavering excitement when the name was called from the raffle bin. She had leaped from the circle of other foals and happily pranced around the room, much to the surprise of the other ponies. She would be going to the capital of all of Equestria, but not only that, but it was also where the princess lived, her hero Twilight Sparkle.

As Opaline got ready to leave, she paused and looked at the wall in her room. On the wall stood a large painting she had made. It depicted Twilight Sparkle with her wings fully flocked. Her horn blazing with bright purple magic. Behind her bright purple figure and dark purple mane was her cutie mark. shining with a bright orange glow, like something you’d see from a morning sun. And under everything, five ponies stood surrounded by an orange Auroa. She remembered the reaction of the teacher when she made the painting. All the other foals had made necklaces from dry macaroni or simple drawings for the art class. When the teacher had come over, she said something along the lines of

"Oh... very creative Opaline. It may not have been what was tasked, but I appreciate your, uh... enthusiasm."

She walked up to the picture and swiped it with one grab before swiftly rolling it up and putting it in her saddlebag.
Soon, she and the other foals walked to the local train station. A train conductor stood on the platform near the locomotive.

"BOARDING FOR CANTERLOT LEAVES IN 5 MINUTES!" Bellowed the stallion.

Opaline piled onto the train, quickly finding a seat and sitting down. She had been waiting for this trip for weeks! She felt as if she would melt if she had to wait another day. She looked around the train car, watching the other unicorns, pegasi, and earth ponies take their seats. Equestria had been going through its longest period of peace in thousands of years. Any threat that had emerged was almost instantly dealt with. Railroads and trade connected empires and nations all throughout Equestria. Any creature was greeted with an open embrace, and it was all thanks to her heroes.

All the other ponies had talked about what they wanted to do on the trip. Some wanted to try different treats from the city's many stores and restaurants, some wanted to go sightseeing, and others wanted to get trinkets to remember their trip. But Opaline knew what she wanted to do. She wanted to meet Twilight Sparkle. As the train ran along its tracks, Opaline gazed out the window next to her seat. She saw nothing but trees and mountains. She had lived in a rather rural area of Equestria, so she understood that it might take a while for her to reach her destination.

As she sat, she found that her mind began to wander. She thought of all the things she could do if she possessed magic. Maybe she could move the giant boulders that lay alongside the base of the mountains. Or maybe she could levitate herself to the top of one of those big mountains. Oh, that would be really neat! And maybe if she possessed magic like Twilight, she could just simply teleport herself to Canterlot. But, alas, she was still reminded of her lack of magical abilities. She laid her arm against the chair, holding her face with her hoof, before letting out a sigh.

"That was never going to happen," she said to herself.

She then closed her eyes, paying attention only to the soft rocking of the train before eventually falling asleep.

The train came to a stop, waking Opaline up from her nap. It took her a second to regain her thoughts before remembering where she was. She shot back up, immediately correcting her hunched posture. She was finally in Canterlot! As ponies got up from their seats, she jumped down and rushed out the train door before any of her group had even left. "OPALINE STOP!" yelled a voice. It was the head mare. She trotted over.

"You need to wait!" she said, scolding the eager filly. "Please Opaline" she then said, in a much calmer tone of voice. "I know you looked forward to this trip more than any pony else. But can you try to contain yourself? Please? "

"Okay," Opaline said as she slowly nodded.

"Good, alright, every pony! Next stop, Cantorlot Square!"

As they walked toward their destination, Opaline gazed up in amazement at the tall spiraling structures protruding from the city walls. Each tower was built with beautifully placed white bricks each topped with a golden-domed roof. There were hundreds of flagpoles, all fixed with flags of every color. She remembered the expansion done to the city in the first few years of Twilight's reign. The city bustled with life. Ponies and all sorts of creatures walked to and fro on every street. It was so surreal.

"All right, everypony, please get with your buddy," the head mare said aloud.

Everypony got with a friend, but Opaline didn't. She would have been sad, but something like that would have only slowed her down. The group continued to walk.

"Now I want us all to stick together; we can't have any of you wandering off," the head mare said in an unenthusiastic tone.

Except for Opaline, whose mind eventually focused on the world around her.

The group all called out in unison, "Yes, Miss Shine."

As they continued deeper into the city, Opaline started to form a plan in her head. At a moment when the head mare and the rest of the group were preoccupied, she would quietly slip away and head to the castle. As the hours passed on the trip, Opaline grew more and more anxious. She knew that she was the only pony there who was truly invested in the trip. As they walked, she saw it as the opportune time; the head mare was ultimately too distracted to pay attention to the line. She quietly and quickly stepped out of the line before making her way into a back street.

She then ran through the thin streets, passing by and almost colliding with ponies in the street. If her memory had served her right, she was just a block away from the palace. She had, after all, memorized Canterlot's layout in her head. She then came out in a clearing, her hooves sparking against the ground as she made her sudden stop.

She then gazed up in wonder. She had made it to the front entrance of the castle. She remembered the stories she had read. remembered the royals, the events, and the ponies that had been there. She walked on the same ground they did. breathed the same air they did. she smelled the same smells they did. She was finally there. finally, at the place written about in all the books she had read. But she also remembered that any old pony couldn’t get into the castle. They had to have some kind of special access.

She dove behind the trimmed bushes. She’d have to find a way in. She put her hoof to her chin, thinking. She then quickly remembered something. The royal guards had medallions on the chest pieces of their armor. Maybe if she waited for one of the guards to open the doors, she could quickly sneak in behind them. She squirmed with excitement at the idea, thanking Rarity in her head for including that small detail in her autobiography.

She sat there, closely awaiting the change of the guard. Her mind was racing with the possibilities of what she might experience. She peaked her head up slowly, making sure she wouldn’t be seen. Almost coincidentally, at that same exact time, a guard appeared to be talking to another guard. She could see them conversing before one turned to the door. Now was her time. She sprang from the bush, and before the guard could even remotely enter the building, she went flying past him. Her blind excitement had made her almost immediately seen.

"Hey, young filly! "STOP!" the guard yelled.

But she was too fast even for them, her will powering her along, and the guards stood no chance of catching her. A guard stepped out from around a corner in one of the long hallways she had been running through. But she simply weaved beside them before they even had a chance to grab her. She turned her head around to take a glance at the small group of guards chasing after her.

As she was too distracted to look at where she was going, she ran face forward into a golden neckpiece. A loud crash sounded out as Opaline fell to the floor.

"Owwww," she groaned as she rubbed her head.

She looked up to see what she had run into. Almost instantly, the pain in her head stopped as her eyes widened at what she was looking at. No, who she was looking at.
> Opaline Chapter 3
> --------------------------------------------------------------------------

"Are you alright?" That seemed like a really hard fall. Are you lost?" the figure said in a concerned tone.

Opaline screamed with excitement, "YOU'RE! YOU'RE!" Opaline found herself unable to speak in a cohesive manner. "YOU'RE TWILIGHT SPARKLE!"

Twilight looked down at the young filly with slight confusion. "Yes, I am," she spoke in a calm and polite tone.

Just then, around a dozen guards filled the hallway.

"Your highness, we apologize for the inability to catch th-" 

Twilight motioned to them with her hoof, silencing the guard. "I believe there's no threat here. Thank you, "

The guards then saluted before walking away. Twilight used her magic and began picking up things that had spilled out from the saddlebag Opaline was carrying. As she was picking up the small objects, she paused and looked at the large depiction of her cutie mark sewn onto the bag and then at the piece of canvas laying on the palace floor.

She picked it up and brought it closer to her face. She looked at it puzzled. It was a depiction of herself in the center and her five longtime friends surrounding her. She looked back down, seeing a large grin on the face of the young purple pony in front of her. She let out a small smile. Just then, a Pegasus and an Earth pony entered the hallway.

"TWILIGHT!" Rainbow Dash screamed as she came flying in, trailing behind a bright rainbow.

"We heard that crash! Are you alright, sugar cube?!" Applejack yelled with concern.

They then stopped looking down at the filly on the floor and then at Twilight. 

"Everything is fine." Twilight said, "This filly accidentally ran into me."

"How in the blazing saddles did she get in here?" questioned Applejack.

"I don't know," replied Twilight. She then lowered her head and asked once again, "Are you lost?"

Opaline couldn’t believe it. Three of her heroes were addressing her directly. She must be the luckiest pony in the world.

"No," she responded.

Twilight then turned her head in confusion. "Then why are you here?"

"Because I wanted to see you! I'm- you’re, YOU'RE MY HERO!" 

Twilight let out a small nervous chuckle as Rainbowdash and Applejack looked at each other.

"You all are!" Opaline blared out. "I've read everything about you all!"

"Is that so?" said Twilight, not sure of what to make of the situation.

Rainbowdash flew over, nudging Twilight with her elbow. "Looks like we've got a pretty big fan of yours here, Twilight!" She said, smirking,

Twilight carefully used her magic, then rolled up the painting and floated it over to Opaline, holding it in the air in front of her before Opaline quickly snatched it and put it back in her saddlebag. Twilight then walked over.

"I can understand your excitement, young filly, but the idea of meeting your heroes shouldn’t lead you to trespass on palace property. "Come, let me get you where you need to be." Twilight then wrapped her wing around the small unicorn.

"What is your name?" she asked in a tender voice.

"Opa-Opa-" Opaline found it increasingly hard to talk. It was hard to get words out of her mouth. Her mind was racing, focused on the ponies around her.

"Opaline," "my name is Opaline," she said sheepishly.

"That's a wonderful name," Twilight replied.

They both began to walk through the palace halls. "Could this be real?" "Am I asleep?" Opaline thought to herself. They then walked into the courtyard, the very same courtyard that Opaline had been in only a few moments before.

It had worked. Her plan had worked. Opaline was now with her hero. She remembered all the times all the foals made fun of her when she said her dream was to meet Twilight Sparkle. But look at her now. She had been right; she would meet her, and it felt good to be right. As they walked, a guard came up to the princess.

"Your highness, a filly has been reported missing. Should we start a search party?"

"Oh, there's no need. "I believe the problem is already under control." Replied Twilight. 

But that was it; the one thing that Opaline hadn't really put too much thought into was the repercussions of running off. They reached the gates of the castle walls, and there stood the head mare of the foals' home.
Opaline had never really seen any emotions besides annoyance with the head mare but this was the first time she ever saw her panicked. She had been talking with a guard stationed at the gate before turning to see Opaline.

When she first saw Opaline, her worried face quickly turned to anger before quickly switching to shock when she saw who Opaline was with. She ran to them quickly, dropping her body down in a bow.

"OH THANK YOU, PRINCESS, I HAVE BEEN LOOKING EVERYWHERE FOR HER. THANK YOU! THANK YOU!"

Twilight placed her hoof on the shoulder of the head mare "There's no need for that. Just make sure you keep a closer eye on her. " Twilight said, radiating an understanding, warm smile.

The head mare quickly picked herself back up and motioned to Opaline. Opaline looked at her then back to Twilight. Twilight nodded her head down before Opaline slowly and reluctantly walked to the head mare.

"And Opaline," Twilight said, walking over before placing her hoof on her shoulder. "Next time you don’t need to sneak in, my door is always open." She then softly smiled at the filly, causing Opalines' eyes to sparkle once again and emit a happy grin.

As they walked back to the train station, the head mare began to scold Opaline. "WHAT WERE YOU THINKING? WHY WOULD YOU RUN OFF LIKE THAT? YOU JUST HAD TO WAIT FOR THE ROYAL PALACE TO BE A STOP ON THE TOUR! DONT, YOU DARE EVER RUN OFF LIKE THAT AGAIN! "

But the words only blurred out as Opaline was only focused on the thought of what had just happened. They walked up the wooden steps to the train and the group of colts and fillies standing next to it.

"Sorry everyone, I just needed to make sure everyone was here," the head mare said angrily through her teeth. 

The other foals turned their heads toward Opaline, who quickly became embarrassed by all the attention.

"Alright everyone, now that our trip has concluded, it's time to go back home."

The group started to get on the train. As Opaline was getting on, a few foals came up to her. "Why did you run away?" they said in a tone clearly meant to mock her.

"I saw Twilight Sparkle," she muttered, looking down at the train station floor. "She talked to me."

"That's it?" They all looked at her. "Is that so?" Well, she talks to everypony all the time. " One colt said to her,

"But she talked to just me..." 

"Yeah, well, I hope you know that her talk to you wasn’t very special; she comes and socializes with ponies all the time."

Opaline continued to look down, "but this was special."

"No, it wasn't," they quickly replied. "She meets with so many ponies all the time that there is no real special element there." "She just happens to be a pony with a crown."

The few foals then walked onto the train, bumping Opaline out of their way. Opaline slowly walked onto the train and took a seat. The train then jolted before slowly moving along the tracks. She once again looked out the window next to her.

"One day," she said to herself, "I'll be just like Twilight Sparkle."

Twilight stood motionless, looking over the rails of the balcony overlooking Canterlot. Applejack slowly approached her. 

"You all right, Twilight?" Twilight snapped out of her thought. 

"Yeah, yeah, I'm fine. I was just thinking."

"About that filly?" Applejack replied, 

"Yeah," Twilight said, looking down at the ground. "She didn't bump into me as much as I bumped into her."

"What do you mean?" questioned Applejack.

"Well, she snuck into the palace."

"I guessed that," Applejack responded in a firm tone of voice.

"It's just, well, you saw how she looked at us." She was enthralled by all of us and. "

"And what?"

"And it kind of reminded me of how I was with Celestia,"

Applejack began to giggle. "That's what you were thinking!"

Twilight looked back, confused.

"Twi, that filly was a near copy of you! The bag full of items, the eagerness to achieve a goal, the thrill of seeing someone they admired—don't think I never picked up on that sort of thing with you." Applejack said, grinning well waving her hoof in the air.

"Well, I guess I did have a close relationship with Celestia," Twilight replied, slightly embarrassed.

Applejack began to cackle. "You think!" 

They both began to laugh.

"Well, when you put it that way," Twilight said, behind an embarrassed smile.

She then wrapped her wing over Applejack's back, hugging her. Twilight then noticed how small Applejack seemed. Her growth as an alicorn had surprised her, as it seemed like only yesterday she had gained wings and the title "princess of friendship."

As their laughter slowly subsided, Twilight quickly remembered what else she had been thinking before Applejack appeared. 
"Applejack?" she said in a more serious tone.

"Yes, sugar cube?"

"Did you notice that she didn't use any magic?"

Applejack pulled away from Twilight and looked at her with a puzzled expression.

Opaline sat on her bed, reading a book placed on her blanket. She didn't really have much to do for the time being, as she had been grounded for the rest of the month. But to be fair, it wasn’t really like she did much of anything anyway. Usually, when she wasn’t reading her books or sorting her mane 6 memorabilia, she would be outside trying to catch grasshoppers in the grass that grew all around the foal's home. But for now, she wasn’t allowed to leave her room for anything other than food and bathroom breaks. She laid the rest of her body down on the bed, focusing intently on the book she was reading. The head mare had taken away most of her books, but this one she found had fallen behind her dresser. It was a book about the founding of Equestria. How the three pony tribes had been divided, but then, with the power of friendship, they were able to beat the evil wendigos and unite all ponies. She paused. 

"That must have been some magic," she said to herself. She then continued reading,

"Ever since that day Unicorns, Pegasi, and Earth Ponies have lived together in harmony."

"The End."

She closed the book. A small amount of dust was thrown up from its pages.

She thought to "herself, Had there really been a time in pony history where they were separated by their races?" If so, how long had it been since they came together? Twilight never seemed to mind that her friends were from different tribes, but how easy could it be to cause disharmony between them? 

As she was thinking to herself, an envelope slid under her door. She peered over the bedframe, surprised. She then got up and picked up the envelope. The front was marked only with "for Opaline." She turned it around. Her surprise and confusion quickly turned into contentment. On the back of the envelope was the royal seal, marked with a six-pointed star. It was Twilight's cutie mark, and that meant only one thing. It had to be from her; it just had to be. Without any hesitation, she ripped open the envelope, exposing the letter. She began to read it.

"Dear Opaline, I have been unable to forget our first encounter. Though I don’t approve of your methods of meeting, I must admit your character has interested me. I have already paid for your tickets and spoken to your guardians, and I would like you to come to Canterlot once again for a more formal meeting. I'm sure you already know the locations you need to go to. Come on the 20th day of this month. I am rather curious about our next encounter. Yours truly, Princess Twilight Sparkle. " Next to the signature was another depiction of Twilight's cutie mark. But under the star was another message "P.S. Is it possible you could also bring with you that painting? Many thanks!"

Opaline slowly lowered the letter in front of her face.

"OH, MY CELESTIA!" she screamed as she jumped up and down in the air.

She could hardly believe it. Only a few days earlier, she had met her hero, and now her idol was writing letters to her! It was the most unbelievable thing to have ever happened to her. Somepony recognized her. Somepony saw who she was. All the things her bullies ever said to her were proven wrong. as she had gained the attention of her hero.

Opaline stood on the platform. Her excitement caused her to rock back and forth.

"BOARDING FOR CANTORLOT BEGINS NOW!" The conductor yelled out.

Opaline rushed onboard the train, quickly finding a seat. She sat down and once again peered out the window as the train slowly began to move on the tracks. Her mind raced with possibilities. What if Twilight had some kind of mission for her to do? What if Twilight wanted to enroll her in magic school? Or maybe she would take her on as a student! She could feel the tingling excitement building.

As the train slowly arrived at the station, Opaline saw something out of the corner of her eye. There was Twilight standing on the platform, flanked by two royal guards. Opaline hurriedly rushed off the train and to Twilight, hugging her. Her action somewhat startled the princess.

"OH, THANK YOU TWILIGHT!" she screamed in joy as she strengthened her embrace of the princess. 

"It's nice to see you too, Opaline."

Opaline let go of her embrace, looking up at Twilight with a twinkle in her eyes.

"You remember me?"

"Of course I do," Twilight replied. "Now follow me; we have much to discuss."

All Opaline could do was let out a high-pitched squeal as she followed the princess. As they walked, Opaline took in the appearance of the princess. She gazed at her golden armor as it glowed in the sun. Her hair was flowing like water, emitting a light glow. Her large wings tucked in at her sides and the legendary 6-pointed star cutie mark on her flank she was more elegant than any form of media could describe. As they reached the front of the castle,

Twilight spoke. "Was your train ride okay?"

"Oh, yes, yes, it was fine," Opaline replied. 

They continued trotting.

"Um, princess, why am I here?"

"You'll find out soon enough," replied Twilight, with a smile on her face.

As they stepped into the great halls of the palace, Twilight turned her face to Opaline,

"You are going to be staying here for a while. I want you to make yourself at home."

Opaline put her hooves to her face in surprise.

"REALLY!? She said agape. 

"Really." Twilight smiled down at the unicorn.

Later that night, Opaline stood in the guestroom that had been given to her. She was admiring the architecture and other intricate designs that covered the room. Twilight, the ever-kind pony that she was, had let her friend Rarity try her hoof at designing some of the castle's additions during the extensive renovations she did in the years following her accession to power. Though Rarity had claimed that she wasn’t one for anything other than fashion, Opaline thought she did a good job. As Opaline sat there, a knock came from her door.

"You can come in," she said.

Twilight peeked in before properly walking through the door.

"Are you alright with everything?" she asked.

"Yes, I believe I am," Opaline said, back.

It was somewhat awkward for her. Only weeks before, she had dreamed of meeting Twilight, and now she was in Twilight's castle speaking to the princess herself, Twilight motioned with her hoof.

"Did you bring that painting?" she asked.

"Mmh," Opaline muttered back as she walked over to retrieve the painting. 

She then handed it over to Twilight, who picked it up with her magic. She then intently gazed at the picture as Opaline sat there nervously awaiting what the princess might say.

"And you made this?" Twilight inquired, peering out from behind the canvas.

"Yes!" Opaline said, a little embarrassed.

Twilight moved her head back to the painting, looking at it before setting it down on the nightstand. She then spoke,

"I asked because I might need your help with a project I am working on."

"Ohhh," Opaline said back in surprise.

Twilight continued, "As part of a new building project, I was looking for somepony to design some murals for me." You know, like the ones lining the hall of the castle. "

Opaline nodded her head,

"And I believe, Opaline, you might be just the pony I am looking for," Twilight concluded her sentence.

"I don’t understand," Opaline said, pressing her hoof to her chest.

Twilight then walked over and sat down in front of her.

"It doesn't need to be too complex, just something that echoes what we have here." "Do you think you can do that?"

Opaline then looked down before looking back up again.

"Yes," 

"Good," said Twilight.

Twilight then got back up, but before she could walk anywhere, 

Opaline called out to her. "Is this why you brought me here?"

Twilight looked down at her. "No, I brought you here for something else." But we can go over that in the morning; for now, you need to go to sleep." She then smiled before walking out the door.

Opaline sat on the floor, dumbfounded. Now the princess was asking her to make a stained-glass mural. Opaline quickly got up and ran to the desk that stood in the corner of the room. She pulled out a piece of blank paper before thinking of what to draw. Soon, an idea popped into her head.

The next morning, Opaline walked into the massive dining hall of the castle. A loud echo sounded as the giant wooden doors closed behind her. There at the far end of the table was Twilight, evidently waiting for her.

"Good morning, Opaline!" She called out,

"good morning!" Opaline replied back before trotting over and taking the seat that was laid out for her next to the princess.

"I trust you slept well?" Twilight questioned. 

"On no! "I stayed up all night!"

Twilight then spit back into her glass, choking, before wiping her mouth with a napkin.

"All night?" she questioned, setting down her napkin.

"Oh yes!" said Opaline. "I spent all night working on something!"

Twilight looked at her. "Working on what?" she asked.

"This!" Opaline shouted with excitement before reaching into her saddlebag.

She then pulled out a rolled-up piece of paper held together by a bow. Twilight picked it up with her magic and unraveled it. Her confused expression quickly turned into surprise. Sketched on the piece of paper was an image of three ponies. On the left, a unicorn; on the right, a pegasus in flight; and in the middle, an earth pony. All of the ponies' heads were pointed upward, looking at something. They were looking at a bright purple six-pointed star. Twilight instantly knew what it was. It was her cutie mark.

"Well? Well? " "Do you like it?" Opaline asked, rocking back and forth in joy.

"See, and look at the ponies!" Opaline placed her hoof on the part of the drawing with the three ponies. "The Pegasus and Unicorn both have their wings and horn highlighted in gold. It's meant to show that each pony from a different tribe is united! "And your cutie mark is the symbol representing friendship!"

Twilight gently placed the picture down on the table. A single tear then rolled down her face. Opaline backed up slightly, her happy expression quickly turning into a worried one. She quickly became afraid. Did she just upset her hero? Twilight turned her head before grabbing Opaline and hugging her.

She began to laugh. "Oh, thank you, Opaline! It's wonderful! " 

Opaline then returned the embrace. only saying the words "thank you."

Later that evening, they walked through the halls of the palace. Opaline turned to the princess,

"So Princess Twilight, why did you bring me here?"

Twilight turned her head to Opaline, "I wanted you for something very special." "Ever since I became the leader of Equestria, I've been lacking something."

Opaline responded back. "What have you been lacking?"

Twilight stopped and turned to the unicorn, pointing her hoof out.

"Some pony like you, Opaline." "I think you have the potential to be very special." Twilight placed her hoof on her cheek. "You remind me of how I was with my mentor," she smiled. "And I want you to know that I'm willing to teach you if, of course, you are willing to learn."

Opaline then gave the princess an ear-to-ear smile.

"Yes, of course! I would love to! " 

"Good," said Twilight.

"A pony's mind like yours should be encouraged to grow. And I want to be there every step of the way. Now hurry along to bed. "I want you to be well rested for tomorrow."

Opaline squealed with excitement, "Thank you, princess!" She screamed with joy as she quickly ran off to bed.

As Opaline got beneath the covers, she began to think to herself. She must be the most special pony in all of Equestria for Twilight to want her as a student! She closed her eyes. She was finally going to become some pony special. And maybe, just maybe, Twilight, and all her ultimate wisdom, could give her magic. She was, after all, the element of magic. Opaline slowly dozed off. The idea of being the student of her hero filled her head before she fell asleep.

Twilight peered into the room to see that Opaline was sound asleep. Twilight began to walk the halls, thinking to herself. She had been quite nervous about the idea of having a personal student again. But this wouldn’t be in the same vein as Starlight Glimmer. Instead of an already grown pony, she would be taking on a younger, less experienced pupil or some pony that had previously been a foe. She gazed up at the stained-glass mural of herself. She would be starting fresh, just as Celestia had done with her. But soon Twilight's mind raced to another thought. After spending some more time with Opaline, she noticed that she still failed to use her horn. Was she shy about using her magic around the princess? Or maybe she wasn’t very good at magic? Or maybe she didn't have a very good grip on her magic? It was odd to Twilight. When she was her age, she had used magic in almost every aspect of her daily life. It wouldn’t surprise Twilight if she was a late bloomer when it came to her magical abilities. But it still struck her as odd. Why was she not using her magic at all?
> Opaline Chapter 4
> --------------------------------------------------------------------------

Opaline stretched as she rubbed her eyes with her hooves. A warm, gentle breeze blew into the room from the window. She got out of bed and went to the mirror on the nightstand, brushing her mane.

"I wonder what Twilight wants me to do?" she said aloud to herself.

As she finished brushing her mane, a knock came from the door. She walked over and opened it. Twilight greeted her.

"Good morning, Opaline!" she said in an enthusiastic tone of voice.

"Oh, good morning, Princess." Opaline said, rubbing her eye.

"Breakfast is prepared down stairs. I made haycakes!" Twilight said, grinning.

They took their seats at the table as they began to eat. Opaline turned to Twilight.

"So, princess, what exactly are we doing?"

Twilight turned her head to the filly and spoke,

"Oh, we are going to perform a magic test." Twilight then turned her head back to her food.

Opaline's blood ran cold; she could feel her stomach drop as her face began to sweat.

"She didn't know," she thought to herself.

She turned her head back to the princess, looking quickly before turning it back.

"Twilight doesn't know. She doesn't know."

Opaline began to shake. What would she do? She couldn’t just tell Twilight she didn't have magic; she couldn’t embarrass herself in front of the pony she adored. But she was too far in; there was no going back now.

Twilight noticed Opaline's state.

"Are you okay, Opaline?"

Opaline turned and said, 

"Yeah, yeah, I'm fine." "I'm just still a little tired, that’s all."

Twilight let out a suspicious "hmm" before going back to her food, making sure to keep her eye on her pupil. Opaline looked down at her food. She couldn’t eat anymore. She felt a wave of nausea wash over her as she began to get nervous.

After breakfast, Twilight walked her to a large empty room.

"Are there going to be any other ponies in here?" Opaline said timidly,

"Oh, no, it will just be us."

But Opaline was still worried; that meant that only Twilight would be the only pony to see her when she would eventually fail. In the center of the room stood a table, and on top of the table was an empty glass. Opaline gulped as she slowly walked forward to the glass. 

"Now Opaline, all I want you to do at first is lift the glass upwards." said Twilight. 

Opaline looked forward, focusing on the glass. She closed her eyes and thought.

"All I have to do is lift it."

She focused all her energy into lifting the glass. She imagined it slowly floating off the table. She opened her eyes to see the glass still standing in the same place. She looked at Twilight, who gave her a supportive glance. She focused in on the glass again. She clenched her teeth and squeezed her eyes shut. She opened them again to see the glass still stood untouched. Twilight watched, confused. Opaline tried again for a third time, this time putting all her energy into moving the glass; she could feel her hooves anchoring to the ground as she lifted her head upwards, screaming with all her might. Only a few sparks came out of her horn. She looked and saw that the glass had not moved. She fell to the floor in defeat.

She felt wet tears run down the side of her face.

"I'm so sorry, Princess; I just can't do it," she finally muttered, defeated.

She then felt a warmth grow around her body as Twilight lay down beside her.

"It's okay, Opaline, it's okay," she said in a reassuring tone.

"You didn't do anything wrong." "I'm sorry for doing that to you."

Opaline looked up at Twilight with tears in her eyes.

"I can't use magic; I've never been able to," she said.

Twilight hugged her,

"It's okay, Opaline."

Opaline wiped away her tears.

"Will I ever be able to use magic?" she questioned.

"I don’t know," Twilight said, hanging her head.

"I've never seen a pony without the ability to use magic."

Opaline hung her head low. "But can you give me magic?" asked Opaline.

Twilight was unable to think of a response to the question. She then sat in front of the unicorn, looking her in the eyes.

"Opaline," she said, lifting her chin up with her hoof. "You can be special even without magic." I will not let this get in the way of me teaching you. It was my mistake to make you do this; I should have known better. But you never know, you might be able to get magic one day. and I'll make sure I'm there when that happens."

Opaline looked back up at the princess hugging her.

As Opaline got into bed that night, the events of the day replayed over and over in her head. She thought of what Twilight had said to her over and over again. Twilight still wanted to teach her, and that reassured Opaline somewhat. But she was still unable to shake the feeling of embarrassment she felt. She failed to complete a task that her hero had wanted her to do. Sure, Twilight was going to teach her, but it just wasn't the same. Why couldn’t she use magic? But more importantly, why couldn't Twilight just give her magic? She was the most powerful pony in Equestria. She had to have some way of giving her magic. She tossed and turned in bed. Twilight said she might be able to get magic, but that’s all Opaline ever heard her entire life, and it never happened. Why would Twilight be right? Was she just not trying hard enough? Did she just need to work harder? Twilight was an alicorn because she had made friends, and her friends helped her fall into a position of power and soon become the most magical being in the world. So was that what she had been missing? Was making friends just a step in the direction of becoming an alicorn? If it worked for Twilight, then it could most certainly work for her. If Twilight was unable to give her magic, then maybe all Opaline needed to get magic was a couple of friends.

Moons soon began to pass, and Twilight would make an effort to teach Opaline all about making friends. She took Opaline to Ponyville one particular day and tasked her with the objective of making one friend. Twilight felt confident that Opaline would be able to properly socialize, so when Opaline came back to her with a Pegasus filly and exclaimed, "She had made a friend!" Twilight was delighted. Twilight invited the filly to dine with her and Opaline at the castle. But when they were at the dinner, Twilight would be told by the Pegasus that she was only there because Opaline told her that she was the student of Twilight Sparkle and that to see the Princess, she would have to be friends with her.

Twilight was horrified at the idea that Opaline manipulated her association with her to get a friend. Twilight would confront her, telling Opaline that manipulating ponies into becoming her friends was not what she was trying to teach her. She would always be patient with the young pony and try to understand her. After all, she had never really understood the concept of making friends when she was young. But every time Opaline made a friend, the relationship would never seem to last long. and Twilight would find herself back at square one.

Every time this would happen, Opaline would ask Twilight how friendship was magic. And Twilight would tell her time and time again that making friends was the magic, but Opaline never seemed to understand this. Opaline would continue to use her connection to Twilight in an effort to easily get ponies to be her friends, unbeknownst to the princesses' knowledge, as she would never really try to make an effort to get to know the ponies, only thinking that if she could show Twilight that she was progressing and making relationships, maybe Twilight would grant her the status of alicornhood finally allowing her to use magic.

But every time she would do this, the quote-on-quote friend would soon learn what Opaline had done, causing the relationship to die before it had even started. And every time she would fail, she would notice Twilight's slight annoyance at her inability to progress.

This would cause Opaline to start to fear the idea that if she couldn’t prove herself to her teacher, she might lose her forever. She would need to do something to prove herself to Twilight. She knew that she couldn’t continue to try to make friends the way she had. She needed to try something different. In an effort to help Opaline, Twilight would try to use the help of her friends to teach Opaline different aspects of friendship and different pony viewpoints. But all Opaline was concerned about was the approval of Twilight and the ability to somehow gain magic.
> Opaline Chapter 5
> --------------------------------------------------------------------------

Opaline descended the castle stairs, her hooves making a thudding sound that echoed through the castle halls. She glanced out the window, which stood only a few feet from her current position. A bright orange ray of light emanated from the frame, cascading down a bright orange rectangle on the ground. It was a beautiful, sunny day outside. Birds flew by the window as ponies below seemed to walk in every direction. She then turned her head back in front of her before continuing to her desired location. 

"Good morning, princess," she said, pushing open the large doors of the dining hall. 

Twilight lowered her book and turned to look at the unicorn. "Good morning to you too, Opaline," she said, raising a teacup to her mouth before drinking. 

Opaline climbed onto the chair she always sat in every morning she had breakfast with the princess. A unicorn servant came over and hovered a tray of fresh fruits and pastries in front of her, and placed it down on the table. Twilight hovered over a few cubes of sugar on a spoon and gently stirred it in her cup. Opaline quickly became somewhat entranced by the light purple glow of magic coming from Twilight's horn. 

"Opaline dear?" Twilight said, causing her student to quickly stop staring. "I have something a little different for you today," Twilight said in her usual calm tone of voice.  

Opaline fixed her posture before responding with a startled "What?" at her name suddenly being called.  

Twilight then continued, "As you know, me and my friends meet every moon, and I was hoping you could go to town and get some things for me."  

Opaline responded only with a surprised "oh?"  

"Fluttershy just loves yellow roses," and I've been unable to find some things here in Canterlot that happen to be in Ponyville. "Do you think you could do that for me?" Asked Twilight.  

Opaline responded only by nodding her head. "Great!" said Twilight, now exhilarated. "Now finish your food. Well, I write a list for you. I don’t want you to miss the afternoon train." Twilight then quickly teleported in a quill and a piece of blank paper before she began to write out a list.  

Opaline turned her head down to the ground. She closed her eyes and then ground her teeth in annoyance. She then looked back and looked at Twilight. "Why can't you just do it?" She then responded.  

Twilight stopped mid-sentence and looked at Opaline with a slight look of confusion on her face. "I have a tight schedule today. "Why do you ask?" She then questioned.  

Opaline paused, relaxing her body, and only responded back with, "I don’t know." 

Twilight then gave her student a quick smile before she went back to finishing the list. Opaline smiled back at Twilight before, turning her head away from the princess making sure that she wouldn’t see her expression turn into one of disappointment.  

Opaline hopped off the train as it rolled into the station and onto the wooden floorboards. They emitted an audible creek from the sudden shift in weight. She looked up to the sky and saw a pair of pegasi flying high above her. She watched as they swirled and spun gracefully in the air. Opaline felt a fit of slight jealousy towards them. Watching them freely flaunt their abilities, well she still stayed there, held back by her limitations. Ponies all around her walked either alone, in pairs, or in small groups as the town emanated with the sounds of busy day-to-day life. Opaline then hopped off the train platform and onto the small path in front of the stairs. Before she retrieved Twilight's note from her saddlebag, before reading it aloud to herself. 

"a bouquet of yellow roses."

"Half a dozen muffins."

"a new set of quills."

Opaline lowered the paper before she got onto a bench and next to her and looked at the list again. She then turned, placing her hoof in her bag, and fished out the small sack of bits that Twilight had given her. As she held the bits in one hoof and the list in the other, she suddenly felt something emerge from the surface inside her. It was a feeling she had never truly felt before: the feeling of unexpected anger. Soon, negative thoughts quickly began to flood her mind.  

It seemed rather strange to her that Twilight needed, out of all ponies, her pupil to do something as mundane as go shopping for items she could easily get herself. She then paused. Did Twilight simply not see a good use for her anymore? She thought.  

Opaline then shook her head at the sudden idea, quickly reminding herself that she was the personal student of Twilight Sparkle and that if Twilight tasked her to do something, it must be of the utmost importance. But the thoughts once again continued. What could be so special about being an errand pony? Yes, it was the princess who tasked her specifically with this errand, but why wasn’t Twilight spending her time teaching her student about something she was interested in, like hopefully learning to finally use magic? Opaline then shivered at a new thought that suddenly popped into her head. 

Was she really so bad at being her student that Twilight felt some kind of pity, making her feel as though she had to give Opaline something to do that would make her feel actually useful? Did Twilight simply see no use in teaching Opaline because she knew she couldn't help her and felt as though she needed to give her student mundane tasks in the hopes that she would remain happy and forget about her lack of magic? 

She placed her hoof on her forehead. Surely, she was just overthinking this. It was only a simple task that needed to be done because Twilight was busy and she needed the next best pony she could trust, which just so happened to be her personal student. But still, Opaline thought it did seem a little odd. 

Opaline brushed her hoof back towards her mane, feeling the braids around her ears as she looked at the massive clock tower on one of the buildings in town. She still had a few hours before she was expected back in Canterlot. Opaline then got off the bench, putting away the list and bag of bits. She then started walking forward, looking at the various buildings that lined the streets of the town. 

She eventually found herself in the Ponyville marketplace, where the smells of various baked goods and spices filled her nose. A pair of young fillies ran past her playing a game that only they would know the rules to. The market was a buzzing hive of life. Hot rays from the sun beamed down from the sky as she continued forward. Eventually, she made her way to a flower store tucked between other buildings and vendors of the marketplace. The store itself was covered in many different assortments of colorful flowers and plants, all wrapped in bows and dotted all over the front entrance as well as inside. She then walked into the store and up to the front counter, where an earth pony stallion was standing.  

"Good afternoon, what can I do you for?" asked the shopkeeper in a joyful tone.  

Opaline turned and reached into her bag, retrieving the list. She lifted it up to her face and squinted her eyes at the beautifully written cursive.  

"Can I get one bouquet of yellow roses, please?" she asked, pulling the list away from her face.  

"Sure thing!" said the stallion, who then turned around and walked to the back behind the counter.  

As the stallion fumbled around out of Opaline's field of view, she quickly became bored, putting her head down and tapping her hoof against the floorboards of the store. As she stood there tapping her hoof against the ground, she heard a noise that suddenly became audible in her ear. She could identify it as some kind of conversation between two ponies. but quickly she noticed that the volume seemed far louder than a normal conversation. Her sudden curiosity took hold of her, and she turned around, peering out the store's window. She saw that the sounds were coming from two ponies on the other side of the street, who was leaning over their stands and pointing at each other. She swiftly concluded that they were arguing. But about what? she wondered. 

Perhaps it was some kind of miscommunication? Or was it that one pony wanted to do something the other didn't? Or maybe just maybe the two ponies were friends, and they were having a friendship problem. Just like the one's Twilight and her friends would have been tasked to solve in the oh-so-many adventures they had. Usually, when a problem like that presented itself, it manifested by glowing on the cutie mark of a pony's flank. But Opaline didn't see any kind of glow coming from her cutie mark as she didn't have one. But still, maybe a situation like this could be a good thing. Maybe this was an opportunity she could use to prove herself to Twilight. Twilight would be most definitely delighted at the idea that Opaline solved a problem between what she hoped were two good friends.  

The shopkeeper then came back to the front counter. "I'm terribly sorry, miss, but it looks like we have run out of yellow roses."  

Opaline continued to stare out the window, not paying much attention to the shopkeeper's sudden return.  

"Is there anything else I can get you?" inquired the earth pony curiously.  

"Yeah, yeah." is all Opaline responded with, as now she devoted all her attention to the two ponies that were arguing right outside the shop. "Anything that’s yellow," she said, not taking her eyes away from the argument. 

The stallion then quickly bent down behind the front counter and retrieved a bouquet of yellow flowers before typing on the nearby cash register to ring her up. "That will be 2 bits, please." the storekeeper said in the same enthusiastic tone as before.  

Opaline retrieved the bag of bits from her saddlebag and placed two on the counter, pushing them toward the shopkeeper. After the purchase, she said a quick 'Thank you' to the storekeeper before she closed the door of the flower shop behind her. Now that she was on the street corner, she had a much better view of the two ponies. She walked closer, she could see it was a unicorn stallion and a pegasus mare. She watched as they pointed their hooves and exchanged heated words. She began to cringe at the fact that they had been arguing for so long, and decided now was the time to intervene.  

"Um, excuse me." I hate to interrupt, but I just find it a little unfortunate that an argument like this is happening. "Do you care to tell me how it started?" Opaline said shyly, walking in front of them.  

The two ponies quickly stopped their bickering and looked down at the young unicorn in front of them.  

"Go away, filly!" "This does not concern you!" The unicorn stallion growled at her.  

Opaline then stood for a moment before she mustered up some courage and spoke to them once again.  

"Oh, but I believe it does; you see, I am the personal student of Princess Twilight Sparkle!" Opaline then placed her hoof on her chest and raised her head as if she were some sort of royal advisor. She then spoke again, making sure that she looked at both ponies while still maintaining her posture. "And I believe I can help solve this argument. So please, tell me why two friends like you would be arguing?"  

The two ponies gave Opaline a somewhat surprised look, almost offended that she even suggested the idea of the two of them being friends in the first place.  

The pegasus gawked at her before she spoke. "We aren't friends!"  

Opaline lowered her hoof back down to the ground. The sudden realization that the two ponies were not friends caused her to get somewhat disappointed, as now she would be unable to tell Twilight that she had solved a friendship problem like she originally hoped.  

"Oh," Opaline said in a bland tone. "Well, could you at least tell me how this all started then?" She asked the two ponies.  

The pegasus then blared out. "This pony here has been stealing my customers!" She then raised her hoof and pointed toward the unicorn stallion that had been arguing with her.  

"I have not!" the stallion said, clapping back.  

Opaline watched as the ponies started vigorously arguing once more. She intervened once again before the argument could become any more heated.  

"Do you mind telling me why you think he has been stealing your customers?" When Opaline questioned her, she then found herself speaking in the same tone of voice that Twilight always spoke in. Perhaps, in some kind of subconscious effort to calm the two ponies down.  

"Every time a pony comes over, they always seem to pay no interest to my products and go straight to him!" The Pegasus yelled before slamming her hoof down in anger.  

"It's not my fault that ponies like my products more than yours!" The unicorn replied back.  

The Pegasus vendor glared at the unicorn visibly shaking in anger. 

Opaline then looked at the name of the stand being run by the Pegasus. It read, "Cloud Wind’s sky-high baked goods!" She then turned her head to the unicorn's stand and read its name, "Duke Starstreaks Fresh Cakes and Pastries."  

Opaline lifted her head up and turned her attention to the unicorn. "Do you think this is true?" She asked.  

The unicorn replied, folding his arms and smirking. "Like I said, kid, it's not my fault if my products are more popular than hers." He said in a smug tone of voice.  

"So, you believe that he is stealing your customers?" Opaline said, then turned her head to the Pegasus.  

"Yes!" the Pegasus replied quickly in confidence. 

Opaline then took a second, placing her hoof on her chin, she suddenly remembered the sight she had seen earlier of the two pegasi flying in the sky above her. This caused her to become angry once again. She had felt as though The Pegasi were trying to show they were above unicorns, and now this particular pegasus in front of her was trying to prove themselves better than what she saw as a fellow hardworking unicorn.  

She then spoke, placing her hoof down and looking at the winged pony. "If it's such a problem, why don’t you just give up?"  

The pegasus suddenly recoiled in astonishment at the statement. "Wh--what?" she said in a state of shock and disbelief.  

Opaline looked the Pegasus right in the eyes and spoke again. "I mean, if Mister Duke here is simply outperforming you at your craft, maybe I suggest you try somewhere else?" She then trotted over to the stand belonging to the unicorn and tapped her hoof on its wooden surface, before speaking directly to the Pegasus once more.  

"And besides, this unicorn used his gift of magic to make his products, and I don’t see you having the ability of unicorn magic," Opaline said, raising her hoof and pointing towards her own horn in an attempt to illustrate her point.  

The Pegasus stood baffled at what she was hearing. She then fanned up her wings in a defensive manner and exclaimed. "B...but I thought you were the student of Twilight Sparkle! "Why in Celestia’s sake would you just tell me to give up? What would she think about what you're saying?"  

Opaline thought about the pony's question for a moment before quickly replying. "Well, since this isn't what I would consider being a 'friendship problem', it wouldn’t really even fall under her jurisdiction." Opaline then turned her head back to the unicorn vendor and spoke. "Can I get half a dozen muffins, please?" The unicorn unraveled his arms and looked in surprise before responding to Opaline. "Uhm, sure thing, kid."  

The unicorn then hovered over a box of muffins to Opaline. Opaline then paid for the muffins, placing a few bits on the counter. She then turned back to look at the pegasus.  

"You see miss wind. "This unicorn has clearly honed his craft more effectively than you. "And I believe that he deserves recognition for his talents," Opaline said, placing her arm on the counter of the unicorn's stand.  

The unicorn vendor then chimed in. "Uh, yeah, she's right! There aren't many unicorns that are bakers around here. It's almost always either earth ponies or pegasi!" He said eagerly. "The fact is that I work very hard, Cloud Wind. I put in countless hours in order to perfect my pastries, and it's about time that I finally get some more recognition and respect for everything I do." He stated boldly as the pegasus tried to think of something to say in response to what she was being told. 

Opaline then pointed her hoof out at the Pegasus before speaking. "And clearly you need to understand that he's doing better because he's a pony with actual REAL magic."  

She then grabbed the box of muffins, thanking the unicorn before walking away. To Opaline, the solution had seemed rather simple. The argument had clearly started because both ponies were selling the same kind of items. But the fact that the unicorn had outperformed the Pegasus vendor, at least in her mind, showed that the unicorn was much more skilled in his craft. And therefore was the better pony to buy from. Opaline felt a strange confidence in what she had just done; sure, she might have come off as a little harsh, but in her mind, she was simply speaking the honest truth. After all, she was always reminded by Applejack, the element bearer of honesty herself, that being truthful to other ponies around you was one of the most important elements in understanding Twilight Sparkle's teachings. She had also felt like this ever since the reign of Twilight Sparkle that the significance of unicorns had been somewhat brushed aside by the other two pony tribes and the other miscellaneous creatures within Equestria. To her, all she did was use the most logical and reasonable way of solving the problem. 

As Opaline walked away, she failed to notice what was going on behind her at the spot where the two ponies had been arguing. The pegasus pony got up from her stand, she wiped away tears, before quickly getting up and flying away. And the unicorn vendor stood still, pondering what he had just heard.
> Opaline Chapter 6
> --------------------------------------------------------------------------

Twilight stood nervously in the large castle dining hall. Her hoof tapping against the hard tiled floor. She turned to the large table beside her and began examining the various pieces of silverware and decorative plates that had been laid out. Using her magic, she straightened out the utensils that were placed beside the plates ever so slightly.  

"Each table has one fork, one knife, and one spoon," she said aloud to herself.  

Using her magic, she lit the candles that sat in the middle of the table. Making sure that each candle was exactly the same length and all sat perfectly upright in their elaborately designed holders. She wanted to make sure that her friends were all perfectly comfortable, as well as practicing perfect silverware placement. She then walked back over to the spot she had previously been standing at.  

Twilight started talking aloud to herself, reciting the order in which the guests should arrive. "First Rarity, then Fluttershy, then Applejack and Rainbow Dash, before finally Pinkie."  

"First Rarity, then Fluttershy, then Applejack and Rainbow Dash, before finally p-," she was interrupted by a knock on the door.   

Twilight fixed her posture and stood up straight, lifting her head in the process.   

"HELLO!" called out Multiple ponies called out as the large wooden doors swung open and her five long-time friends all came in the door at the same time.    

"Oh, it's so nice to see everypony!" Twilight exclaimed, enthusiastically clapping her hooves together, the two golden hoof pieces colliding with a loud metallic clang.   

"Oh, it's always nice to see you, darling." Rarity said before hugging Twilight.    

"It's always a pleasure being with you, Twilight," Fluttershy said hugging Twilight as well.  

Twilight looked on with happiness at her friends. It had been hard ever since they all started their own paths in life. But Twilight always looked forward to their meeting every moon.    

"How are you doing, Sugarcube?" Applejack said, walking over before embracing the princess.  

"Oh, things have been just as wonderful as they have ever been." Replied Twilight, who leaned down to match the earth pony's height before returning Applejack's embrace.  

"And how have things been going with your royal duties, dear?" Rarity said before walking over to one of the six chairs next to the large table.   

"Pffffftttt things have been just fine as always," Twilight said spinning her hoof in a circular motion.   

"HAVE YOU BEEN DOING ANYTHING FUN!" Pinkie Pie said, with much enthusiasm, throwing confetti in the air from seemingly nowhere.   

"As much as I can, Pinkie!" Twilight said with a smile.   

"And how is your pupil doing?" Applejack said curiously.    

"Oh, Opaline? Well as best as she can, I guess." Twilight said unsure, crossing one hoof in front of the other before awkwardly looking away.   

Rainbow Dash and Apple Jack looked at each other, as did the other three members of the group, unsure of how to respond. Rainbow Dash then spoke up. "You don’t know?" with a confused tone in her voice.   

"Well, it's just as of recently." Twilight hesitated to speak. "She just seems a bit off."  

"Whatever do you mean, dear?" Rarity asked, turning her body in her chair so she was facing Twilight.  

Twilight then turned to face her friends. "It's just well-" She hesitated to say anything else, but before she could continue speaking, the large wooden dining hall doors opened with a loud, audible creak. As Opaline poked her head from behind.   

"Princess, I'm back." She said this before pushing the door wide open to allow herself in. Twilight's quiet and somewhat awkward attitude quickly shifted to one of happiness as she welcomed Opaline in, her shift in attitude and mannerisms not going unnoticed by her five friends standing behind her.  

"Oh, Opaline, I see your back!" Twilight said. "And even sooner than I thought!" Twilight then rushed up to her student before hugging her.   

Opaline quickly gripped her mentor before looking past Twilight and towards the other five ponies in the room. Twilight let go of her pupil before speaking. "Did you get everything?"   

Opaline looked up at her teacher and nodded her head. She then reached into her saddlebag, pulling out some crushed yellow flowers, a beaten-up brown box, and a crumpled envelope. "I'm sorry that they're not in better condition," Opaline said with a bit of shame in her voice.    

"Oh, it's fine, Opaline," uttered Twilight, who swiftly grabbed hold of the objects before placing them on the large table behind her.   

"Well, look who it is!" Applejack said, walking towards Opaline. "You been doing okay, filly?" questioned the orange earth pony. Before tapping Opaline on the nose with her hoof.   

Opaline quickly backed up from the small gesture. "Yeah, I'm fine," Opaline said, her voice slightly irritated.  

"Have your lessons been going, okay?" Fluttershy then questioned the unicorn before walking up to her.  

"Yeah, yeah, everything is just fine." Opaline expressed her annoyance at the sudden questions and attention she was receiving. She then backed up once again until she was standing side by side with Twilight.  

Twilight then spoke to Opaline. "By chance, Opaline, what kind of flowers did you get?" she said, puzzled, as she examined the yellow flowers in front of her face.   

Opaline put her hoof to her chin to think. "Umm, I think their yellow carnations?" She said somewhat unsure.    

Twilight let out a small "hmm" before hovering them into an empty vase that stood on top of the table. "Well, thank you again, Opaline, I appreciate you doing that for me. "Now, if you want, you can go out and do whatever you desire for the rest of the evening," Twilight said to Opaline before she then turned and walked back toward her friends.    

As she walked away, Opaline felt that same feeling of anger once again, but this time it was soon replaced by a new feeling of fear. She now felt that, after doing something for the princess, she was being pushed away once more. She was afraid that she was being told to go do something else. She didn't want to feel as though she was being rejected. She needed to think of something that could quickly get her mentor's attention. Just then something suddenly popped into her head.    

"I SOLVED A FRIENDSHIP PROBLEM!" Opaline blared out so loudly that her voice ended up echoing across the large room. 
 
Twilight instantly stopped walking. The other five ponies in the room all stopped what they had been doing and looked at Opaline with surprise. Twilight then turned around before speaking to Opaline directly. "You did what?" she asked.  

"I solved a friendship problem," Opaline said it again, this time with more confidence than before.  

Rainbow Dash flew over with unmatched speed toward Opaline. "That's great news!" she exclaimed, before grabbing the unicorn and lifting her off the ground in excitement.  

"Now hold your horses there Rd," Applejack said. "Isn't there always some kind of indicator for a friendship problem?" Applejack then said, Turning to Twilight.    

Twilight put her hoof to her chin. "Yes. Usually, some ponies are called by the map in my old castle, or their cutie mark lights up. And I don’t see how Opaline would have gotten either of those signals" Twilight said in a state of somewhat skepticism.    

Opaline then hung her head down with a face of melancholy at the statement Twilight had just made, as it only served to remind her of her lack of a cutie mark. Twilight instantly noticed this facial change, as did Rainbow Dash, who was still holding the unicorn. Rainbow Dash then gave Twilight a somewhat disapproving face at what she had just said, understanding that Twilight's statement might have upset Opaline. Rainbow Dash then put Opaline back on the ground. Twilight chuckled nervously, realizing how her statement had come across to her student.  

"What if this is something new? You’ve said yourself that magic is always changing. Maybe this could be an example of it?" Raity said to Twilight.   

Twilight looked at Opaline. "How do you know this was a friendship problem?" she asked.   

Opaline took a second to ponder before speaking her head, coming up with a quick story to tell. "Well, there were these two ponies in the marketplace, and they were arguing over who had the better cupcakes." Said, Opaline.    

"That's pretty reasonable." Pinkie Pie said.    

"And how do you know they were friends?" Twilight then questioned.  

"Because they told me!" said Opaline, who then finished the rest of her sentence in one breath. "And they wanted me to help them figure out their issue! And I did it!"  

Opaline then gave her teacher a nervous smile. She knew in her mind that this was not at all true. That she had clearly twisted the events from earlier in the day into her own crude version of the encounter, but she hoped that maybe, just maybe, she could get Twilight to believe her. Opaline felt a trickle of sweat run down her face as she looked at her mentor. She began to realize that she was indeed lying to her teacher. But she still held onto the hope that her false claim could lead her to receive the much-desired praise she felt she had been lacking.  

Twilight reflected as she looked down at Opaline. Had Opaline really solved a friendship problem without an indicator? If so, then this must be some kind of magic she had never seen before. For the longest time, she had been led to believe that Opaline was an odd case of a unicorn without any connection to magic whatsoever. But Rarity was right to remind her that she had said multiple times that magic was a unique element that always seemed to morph and grow with time. Twilight relaxed her face, cracking a small smile, before speaking. "Well, if you did solve a friendship problem, then I'm very proud of you, Opaline." Twilight then hugged her student.   

The other five ponies soon followed as they congratulated Opaline on what they thought was a new magical discovery and a job well done. still completely unaware of the fact that they were all being deceived by the unicorn.   

Opaline felt a burst of satisfaction flow through her. She felt as though she’d somewhat curbed her need for attention from her hero for the time being. She closed her eyes and smiled as she basked in the praise she was currently receiving, but at the same time in her mind, she congratulated herself on the fact that she was able to sway the leader of Equestria and the five pillars of friendship into believing her false claim. And soon with time even she slowly convinced herself that the misinformation she had spoken was true.   

That night, as Opaline slept, she dreamt of various scenes. She saw herself and Twilight happily conversing about things like literature, ancient equestrian philosophers, and history as though they had known each other for as long as Twilight had known her friends. She saw Twilight bestowing upon her many honors. She saw the moment that Twilight would summon all her skill to give her the much-desired ability of magic. And most surprising of all, she saw the sight of Twilight crowning her as her successor.  

Opaline got up from bed the next morning more energized than ever. She happily trotted over to her nightstand, grabbing her comb and brushing her mane before braiding it in the unique style of ear braids she constantly sported. She looked in the mirror and smiled to herself. She sorted through various different expressions before giggling at the array of faces she was making. For some reason, she had never felt this happy since the day she first met and became the student of Twilight. She then trotted over to the window, pulling away its curtains. She felt a warm breeze touch her face. She closed her eyes as the warm air tingled all over her body. She then began to think about the vivid dream she had had the night before. She remembered the many scenes her mind had conjured up. but she thought about one in particular—that being the scene of her being crowned the personal successor of Twilight. It seemed quite possible that something like that could eventually happen. And to her, all she needed to do was continue to prove herself to Twilight by any means possible. Opaline then opened the door to her room. She turned around her gaze, focusing on the small figure of Twilight she had brought with her from her days in the foal's home.  

"One day I will be just like you," Opaline said smiling before walking out of her room. 
  
As Opaline entered the dining hall, she immediately noticed something was off. She must have had breakfast with the princess hundreds of times. But something seemed different this morning. She looked around and took note of the lack of royal guards in the room. That seemed very strange to her. There were always a few guards in the room whenever Twilight was there. Opaline looked down the full length of the dining table and saw Twilight.   

"Hello Princess!" she said. But there was no response from Twilight.  

Opaline walked over to her usual spot and took a seat. She took note of the fact that there appeared to be no breakfast of any kind on the table. She then looked at the princess. Twilight sat there, staring intently at a piece of paper she held suspended in the air with her magic.   

"Hello, Princess?" Opaline responded for a second time now, with more confusion in her tone of voice.   
But still, Twilight seemingly paid no attention to her. 

Opaline looked back down at the table and then saw a torn-open envelope with the words "to the princess" written on it. When Opaline looked up, she saw Twilight staring at her with what seemed to be a face of disappointment.   

"Um Princess, is everything okay?" Opaline said uncomfortable with the way Twilight was looking at her.  

"I Don’t know Opaline is everything Okay?" Twilight then spoke with a somewhat surprising tone of sternness in her voice.   

Opaline sat back in her chair. "uhhhhh yes?" She said unsure of what to make of the situation.   

Twilight then spoke once more. "The reason I asked Opaline is that I have something here that is telling me that everything is not fine." Twilight then hovered over the letter she had been reading in front of Opaline. "Care to explain?"   
Opaline looked at her mentor, confused, before squinting her eyes to read the little words written on the piece of paper.   
 
"Dear Princess Twilight    
Yesterday afternoon, I had the unfortunate displeasure of running into your "pupil." Though you may see great things in this young student of yours, I am more than disappointed in your choice. This unicorn on whom you have bestowed high honors seems to only be concerned with themselves and their toxic ideas. Your student used your name and spread harsh claims against me. They told me that due to my apparent "lack of magic," I was inferior to unicorns. And that she was only telling "the truth," making me wonder just what you are teaching that pony. I must ask why a pony, seen as the embodiment of friendship, would pick someone that seems more like a fiend than a friend.    
"Sincerely, a concerned Pegasi."  

Opaline finished reading the letter. She recognized who had written the letter and what it was about right away. She looked back at Twilight, who still had the same expression on her face.  
"Do you mind telling me what this is about?" asked Twilight.  

Opaline quickly sat up and slammed her hoof on the table. "How do you know this pony is telling the truth?" "How do you know they aren't just some pony lying to you?!" Opaline then screamed in a defensive manner.  

"Because I've also received reports that a unicorn has been going around Ponyville telling others that the personal student of Twilight Sparkle wants her fellow horned ponies to know just how much better they are than everyone else?" Twilight shook her head in disappointment. "I don’t even want to know what else you might have been spouting behind my back."  

Opaline's face sank as she quickly felt the happiness, she had been feeling earlier melt away. Her defensive attitude quickly vanished as she tried pleading with the princess. She fell to the ground as wet tears began to form in the corners of her eyes.  

"Please, princess, don’t believe in these lies!" Opaline cried out.  

Twilight cringed at what she had just heard. "This is not what I'm trying to teach you, Opaline!" Twilight then got up from her seat "I can't believe you lied about a friendship problem! And I can't believe that I fell for it! "I'm disappointed in you because clearly, you were the problem."   

Opaline looked up at Twilight as tears fell from her face. "Please, princess, I will-" Opaline said, but she couldn't finish the sentence as she gasped for air, before beginning to cry louder.  

Twilight watched as her student lay on the floor sobbing. She felt angry at the fact that Opaline would even remotely say something like this to ponies. She also found it annoying that after everything, she was trying to teach Opaline, she still really didn't seem to understand. But soon Twilight's anger faded away as she began to feel pity for the young unicorn. She only wanted the best for Opaline, but it hurt her to see that Opaline was still, at least from what she could tell, struggling to understand her teachings. She then began to feel as though she might have come off too harsh toward the unicorn. She felt her feelings conflict within her at the situation, as she wanted to punish Opaline for what she had done but also not come off as resentful. She remembered the fears she had felt at Opaline's age. how much she feared Celestia denouncing her or becoming angry with her at the idea that she had even remotely failed a task.   

"Opaline, dear," Twilight said now in a much calmer tone of voice, Rasing her hoof to the unicorn. But Opaline swiftly got up and ran away. Twilight watched as her pupil exited the room.  

Twilight stood motionless, her hoof still raised, as she watched her unicorn student run out of sight down the large, winding castle halls, the large doors slamming behind her. Twilight lowered her hoof back down. She was unable to think of how to proceed with the situation next. Should she follow Opaline? Should she wait till Opaline came to her? Should she try to talk to Opaline in a more collected manner? Twilight stood still, unsure of how she should handle the dilemma.  
  
  
Opaline slammed the door shut behind her. She then jumped into her bed, burying her face in the pillows, before continuing to cry. What would she do now? She thought it seemed as though her fears were coming true. Twilight was angry at her. She feared that next she would be cast out by the only pony she ever looked up to. Opaline knew how much something like that would destroy her, and it terrified her. She had to think of something that could prove to Twilight that she was a student to keep around. Opaline raised her head from the pillow, wiping away tears and sniffling. She tried desperately to think of ideas that could help restore Twilight's vision in her. But what She thought? Opaline stared blankly across the room and at the mirror that was above her desk. She looked at herself, seeing her dark purple coat, her white and green mane, and the little splotches of pink on her body, before looking above her eyes to the horn on her head. For as long as she had been alive, it stood as a crown of shame for her. a constant physical reminder of something she could never do. A useless appendage she was only able to use in her dreams.   

Something then suddenly clicked in her head. Had this been Twilight's plan all along? Did Twilight not give her magic because she knew that eventually, Opaline could one day finally master the ability of her horn? It soon became simple to Opaline all she needed to do to regain Twilight's admiration was get the ability of magic. Even if it meant by any means possible. She jumped out of bed and ran to the door. She slowly opened it, looking at both ends of the hall, before descending the stairs nearby.  

Opaline knew from many years of being with Twilight, the layout of Canterlot Castle as if it were the back of her hoof. She knew that the castle had a room full of scrolls, books, and artifacts containing all sorts of magical powers that sat locked away in the very back of the library. The few times she had been there, she never truly looked into its contents for two particular reasons: the first being that many of the items there dated back to ancient times and were extremely fragile and historically significant. Many of them had been collected and preserved by the Princess before Twilight and were all handled with extreme care. And the second reason was that she always saw the room as a monument to something she had believed she'd never possess. as it only made her sad, reminding her of what she lacked. But now Opaline felt different; she was ready to conquer that space. As she walked the halls, Opaline began to plan out her actions. She was sure that at least one piece of literature had to have something she was looking for. As she entered the library, she made her way to the back. As she arrived at her desired location, she saw a pair of royal guards standing on either side of a locked gate door, blocking her from what she desired. Without any hesitation, she walked up to the two guards, who then fixed their gaze on her.  

"I need to go here, please," Opaline spoke in a calm but serious tone.  

The two guards looked at her. She then spoke once more "Twilight's orders." Opaline then watched as, without any hesitation, the two guards moved aside. completely unaware of her true intentions.   

The two guards had only budged at the mention of the princess. It was common knowledge that Opaline had standing with the princess, so to them, it seemed only natural that the princess would send her pupil on what they thought was an errand. Opaline walked past the pair of guards and proceeded further into the library unimpeded. As she walked, she noticed large particles of dust floating in the air. She then sneezed from the particles that tickled her sinuses. The section of the library she was in was rather dim, only being lit by a few candles and lanterns hanging from the stone walls; she could hear mice scurrying past her hooves, and occasionally she would slip on a loose piece of paper on the floor. Eventually Opaline decided she had gone far enough into the library and began to start combing through the books there. She would grab a random text and skim through it. She would only stop at the parts that were entitled "magic" or "sorcery," but would quickly stop reading if the magic was either too hard or something she didn’t know before carelessly throwing the book away. Soon she found herself doing this repetitive motion for what seemed like hours. She began to quickly grow desperate once again. She just wasn’t finding anything she was looking for. She continued to throw aside books that she had deemed useless, but soon, just as she was about to give up, a single book caught her attention. She picked it up and lifted it to her face before reading the title.  

"A ponies' guide to all types of equestrian magic."  

She opened the book and read through its pages. The book contained all types of different magics and spells. But one of the pages, in particular, caught her attention.

"The uses and benefits of dragon fire." Opaline continued to read the page.  

"Though dragons may look like ferocious creatures, they do have the unique ability to breathe fire." Though many only seem to breathe regular flames, a select few seem to have a more unique aspect to their fire abilities. Some dragons possess a light green flame that is capable of extraordinary abilities. One of the most common of these seems to be the means of teleporting objects. Most of the dragons who possess this skill may use it to send various objects or letters to certain locations. In even rarer cases, some even seem to have an extra powerful version of this ability, allowing them to possess the ability to change objects at random. But a more overlooked aspect of dragon fire is the raw magical power it possesses over non-dragons. In some cases, some might be able to capture this fire and use it to increase their own magic, with this factor proving especially potent with unicorns."   

Opaline stopped at this sentence. Could this be it? Could this be the answer she had been looking for? It seemed like a Stretch, but she felt she might just have to try it. Opaline then, without any care of what she had been holding and being too blinded with excitement at a possible answer, ripped out the book's page and gripped it between her teeth. Opaline then slammed the book shut and shot up before running out of the library still clutching the page in her mouth. All she needed was a dragon and she felt she knew exactly where to find one.   
   
   
Twilight swiftly trotted down the castle halls. Every time she would pass a royal guard, she’d grow uncomfortable and trot faster. After what she had witnessed earlier with her student, she, for one of the first times in her life, didn't know what to do next. She was torn. Had she been too stern to her pupil? Was she not stern enough? She truly wanted Opaline to understand what she had done, but she was torn about how she should have approached the satiation. It was her job as a teacher to have Opaline understand her, but she found herself still unsure how. Twilight then arrived at the door to Opaline's room. She paused for a moment, taking in a deep breath before she knocked.    

"Opaline dear? Are you in there?" I just want to talk to you." Twilight was suddenly surprised to see the door slowly open from her hoof tapping on it.   

She then pushed the door fully open before taking a quick look around her student's room. The room was exceedingly Tidy. The bed appeared to have just been made, and the room seemed to not have a speck of dust in sight. Twilight slowly walked in, looking around the room. There was indeed no pony in there except for herself. Twilight then walked over to the beauty stand before taking a minute to look at the wood furnishings, all neatly polished by her student. She noticed Opaline's makeup kit neatly placed beside her brush. Twilight smiled at the well-organized room; it reminded her of her younger days as Celestia’s student and how she always prided herself on being well-organized. This definitely showed her that Opaline was indeed her student. Twilight's attention was soon caught on a small object sitting atop Opaline's nightstand. She hovered it closer with her magic. It was a little toy figure of her when she was still a unicorn. She confusedly poked the messy hair of the toy before realizing that the mane on the toy appeared to be brushable. Twilight couldn’t help but giggle to herself at the little object.  

"I knew eventually I'd become a toy," Twilight said aloud, still laughing to herself.  

Just then, Twilight noticed the green saddlebag Opaline had leaning against the nightstand. She placed the small toy down before sitting and looking at the bag. After all the moons Opaline had been with Twilight, she still used the same saddle bag she had made as a young filly. The purple yarn sewn to make the picture of her cutie mark was still in relatively good shape. There had been multiple times when she had offered to get Opaline a new saddlebag, but Opaline always declined on the basis that "this one was special." Twilight still hoped that Opaline was still that starry-eyed filly that accidentally bumped into her all those years ago. But as of recently, Twilight felt Opaline was becoming disconnected from her and that it was slowly tearing her apart. Twilight went to pick up the bag, and as she did, a book fell out and onto the ground. Twilight then looked down and read the book's title. 

"a guide to understanding unicorn magic."  

Twilight went to pick up the book but was suddenly interrupted by the door to the room slamming open. Twilight expected to hear the soft voice of her student, but she was unexpectedly greeted by a deep, raspy voice.  

"Your highness excuse my interruption, but I regret to inform you that an infant dragon has gone missing from the castle's nursery!"  

Twilight looked at the guard standing at the door.  

"What?" Twilight responded confused. "Are you sure?" she then asked.  

"Yes, princess," the guard responded. "Do you wish for us to start a search party?"  

"YES!" Twilight quickly responded.  

The guard quickly saluted before running off, closing the door behind them. Twilight stood alone in her student's room once again. She looked around before looking back at the book on the ground. Twilight had a feeling deep down inside her that something she feared was soon to happen.   
   
Opaline rushed into the large, empty room, quickly closing the door behind her. She took a moment to regain her breath. She looked around, making sure she was the only pony there. Opaline then focused her attention on the object wrapped in a light purple blanket she had been carrying. She had a feeling that what she was about to do was going to change her life for the better. She understood that there might be some repercussions to her actions, but inevitably, she would finally be able to truly prove herself. Opaline then placed the bundle gently on the floor before slowly unwrapping it.  

"This has to work, it just has to." Opaline then said to herself, pulling away the blanket before throwing it on the floor behind her.  

Opaline gazed in curiosity at the small dragon in front of her. Its reflective scales glowed in the bright evening light. Its large eyes gave off an aura of innocence as its small, feeble body gently moved around on the floor. Opaline retrieved the rolled-up piece of paper she had torn from the book and quickly read over it again.  

"Now just how to get your fire I wonder," Opaline questioned looking around the room.    

She then noticed a shelf on the wall. She walked over and grabbed an empty glass bottle. She then popped off the cork before walking back to the baby dragon. Opaline looked at the bottle before looking back at the small dragon in front of her.  

"I hope you can forgive me for this, buddy," Opaline spoke with a hint of nervousness in her tone.  

She gulped before placing the empty bottle in front of the baby dragon's mouth. She then, with her hoof, stomped on the dragon's tail. The small dragon let out a high-pitched yelp before burping a small green flame into the bottle. Opaline hastily popped the cork back on the bottle. Opaline began to grin with joy as she looked at the flame. The baby dragon began to cry loudly, but Opaline paid no attention as she was too distracted by what she had just managed to accomplish.  

"Well, here goes nothing, I guess," Opaline said, placing her hoof back on the bottle.   

She was either about to burn herself or experience something truly amazing. Opaline lifted the bottle to her face before closing her eyes. She let out a deep breath before popping off the bottle's cork once again. Opaline then suddenly felt a surprisingly cool flow of what felt like wind followed by a tingling sensation all over her face that quickly began to spread down the entire length of her body. She let go of the bottle, hearing it shatter on the ground. She opened her eyes and looked down to see that she was hovering above the ground. Her horn then suddenly lit up before she felt a rush of pure magical energy all throughout her body. She felt powerful, this strange feeling...it felt good, it felt like nothing she had ever felt before. Opaline then felt something else and looked down to see a symbol had materialized on her flank. It was her cutie mark. For the longest time, she had given up hope of ever getting one. She was way past the age range at which ponies usually get one, but there it was. What looked to be a purple pointed gem flanked by a pair of blue flames. Opaline closed her eyes and began laughing. Finally, for the first time ever, she was experiencing true magic. Something shed gone her whole life never experiencing before. But soon after what seemed like only a few seconds, the sensation quickly disappeared, and she was once again magicless. With nothing keeping her in the air, she fell back onto the floor with a large thud, her body going completely limp in the process. Opaline then lay still on the floor, not moving an inch of her body. Her mane laid out messy as some locks of hair covered her face. Light reflected from the small broken shards of glass and into her eyes. Opaline started thinking about what had just happened. The baby dragon still lay on the floor beside her, crying. Opaline slowly got herself back up. Her body felt sore all over, and her limbs gave the feeling of pins and needles. But to her, it had all been worth it for even a few seconds of magical power. Opaline looked back at the baby dragon. 
 
"So that’s what you can do, huh?" Opaline spoke interestedly. "Well, it looks like I'll have to make some plans for you." Opaline then smirked.  

The answer had been so simple. For as long as she had lived, she thought that there could be no possible way of obtaining magic without the help of a Pony like Twilight Sparkle. There had been many times she had pleaded to Twilight to just give her magic. But Twilight had always replied that she saw things in her student that were just as powerful as unicorn magic and that everything would make sense in due time.  Opaline knew very much that anything in the land of Equestria was possible. So why was something as simple as giving a unicorn magic such a hard thing for Twilight to do? Twilight had cast hundreds of powerful spells in the past that many would have seen as too difficult. But Opaline, a unicorn with little to no magical experience, had found by herself a way to obtain magic in an incredibly simple manner, so why couldn't the one pony who possessed the element of magic do it? She thought, how come a magic-less unicorn could do something that a full-blown alicorn couldn’t?" The thought angered her to her very core. Her whole life, she waited for Twilight to give her that privilege. She spent her entire youth obsessing with who she thought was one of the most important ponies since Star swirl the bearded. Had she not already proven herself to her mentor hundreds of times? It seemed now that Twilight had only been a liar, a stuck-up fool, only interested in her special way of "magic," a pony who couldn’t see real potential even if it was right Infront of her. Twilight owned her this and she had never delivered.  

Suddenly the door that Opaline had closed earlier opened behind her. "Opaline!" a voice called out. Opaline slowly turned her head back to see the figure of Twilight Sparkle behind her.   

"Opaline, what are you doing!?" Twilight said. Opaline was able to hear the buildup of anger in her voice.    

Twilight looked down and behind her student to see the baby dragon on the floor, still crying. She then looked back up at her pupil, her face full of disappointment. "What is going on?!" 

Opaline froze. "I have magic." she sheepishly muttered. "And it's all because of this dragon."    

"The one you dragon-naped!?" Twilight said her anger beginning to build. "First the two ponies at the marketplace, then trespassing in a restricted area with the destruction of property, and now taking a baby dragon!" "Opaline, what has gotten into you!"    

Opaline looked at the ground. She began to feel tears building at the sides of her eyes. She then spoke, her voice cracking with fear and emotion. "I just wanted to impress you!"    

"Impress me?!" Twilight said in shock. "You wanted to impress me?!" by committing various crimes?" Opaline, I thought you would know better after everything I've taught you!"   

Opaline squeezed her eyes shut. Anger began to flow within her before quickly turning into hatred. Twilight was trying to say she had taught her. taught her what? that something as easy as getting magic wasn't important? 

"I did something you refused to do!" Opaline screamed back. "I got magic, and it wasn’t through your moronic methods of ‘friendship’ I did this on my own! little magicless Opaline did this on her own!" Opaline then pounded on her chest with her hoof as she bit her lip hard and glared at her mentor.    
"But now I know that you were just trying to stop me from getting magic! All you would ever do is just task me with pointless lessons that you knew would fail when all this time I could have done this simple thing and gotten the ability to use my horn sooner!" "I Hate you!" she then screeched.

Twilight stood horrified at what she was hearing her student say. "Opaline, just calm down," she pleaded, "just use your head, I beg you!" "Think past this anger and understand I was only trying to help you!" But Twilight's pleas were of no use to the now-enraged unicorn.   

Opaline ran up to her teacher and pushed the princess away with all her might. She could feel the alicorn topple over, followed by a loud thud from the princess hitting the floor. Opaline quickly rushed out of the room as fast as she could, knowing that guards would swarm the area after hearing all the commotion.   

"Opaline wait!" Twilight yelled in vain, raising her hoof as she cried out on the floor, but it was too late; Opaline vanished down the winding halls of the castle and out of sight.  

Opaline ran with great speed, tears flowing down her face. She knocked over any pony or object that got in her way. Eventually, with her speed, she got to the front entrance of the castle and pushed open the large front doors before running into the cool night air. She ran and continued running, not even knowing where she would go or what direction she was heading. As she ran the thought of what she did filled her mind. There was no going back after what she had just done. After she had traveled a considerable distance from Canterlot, she stopped atop a hill and looked back at the city behind her. She could see the city's blazing golden lights from where she was standing. She reflected to herself. Twilight had been right about her; she was indeed special, just not for the reasons that her teacher had hoped. She then turned back in the other direction and disappeared into the darkness. 
 
> Opaline Chapter 7
> --------------------------------------------------------------------------

Opaline’s hooves slowly dragged along the gravel path. Her head hung low, her mane a messy heap of loose locks and greasy knots. Her eyes stung from dryness; her throat burned from dehydration, and her legs ached and wobbled. She had no idea how long she had been walking or where she was even going all she knew for certain was that she must be extremely far from Canterlot. Opaline then fell to the ground from exhaustion. She felt all the sharp little rocks on the path poke into her body. She looked up at the sky, at the fluffy white clouds reflecting the sun's golden rays down to earth. The only other thought occupying her mind more than exhaustion was what had happened the night before. She had abandoned the only pony she had ever admired. She had been with her teacher since filly hood and now she was on her own. 

She continued to lie on the gravel path. The sharp pain of the small rocks stabbing into her back was only countered by the sadness and fear she felt about her uncertain future. She didn't feel like she had enough energy to keep going. It was as though the only thing she had ever looked up to turned out to be a fraud. As she lay there, still uncertain of what to do next, a lone Pegasus suddenly flew over her. She then shot up at the sudden appearance of another equine and looked in the direction where the winged pony was flying. The paths she had been walking had seemed either abandoned or isolated from other ponies. Off in the distance, she could see what appeared to be rooftops rising ever so slightly above the tops of trees. She stood up quickly but then paused in hesitation. 

She was unsure of exactly where she was, and she knew that Twilight would still be looking for her now-missing student after the previous night's events. Opaline had no intent on returning to Canterlot. The anger that was currently burned inside her toward her now-ex-teacher was only countered by the intense exhaustion she had been feeling. She was on the verge of dehydration after walking for almost an entire day. It might just be smart to take her chances and find somewhere to quench her thirst and a place to rest her aching body in that small town off in the distance. 

As she walked along the path into the small town, she would notice the looks she would get. It was not every day that the ponies of the town would receive a newcomer with such a ragged appearance. Opaline gazed around the street corners before settling on a small café tucked away in the local marketplace. Opaline walked to the café and then pushed open its doors a little ring sounded from a small bell hung above the doorframe. 

"I'll be with you in just a minute!" a voice yelled out from behind the store counter, just out of sight. 

Opaline Found a seat and sat down. As soon as her body stopped moving, she felt a wave of exhaustion wash over her. She lifted both hooves and cradled her head in them. She felt that if she closed her eyes, she'd fall asleep. A pony then came over to the table Opaline was sitting at. The barista was caught rather off guard at the sight of the disheveled unicorn sitting in her shop but then continued by asking Opaline what she would like. 

"Hello, miss, is there anything I can get for you?" said the barista, her voice warm and welcoming. Opaline didn't budge, evidently too lost in her thoughts to respond.   

"Miss?" the mare said again. 

Opaline noticed the voice talking to her and fixed her gaze on the café employee. She took a moment and looked at the pony's appearance. The mare wore a green apron and had some of the brightest orange eyes she had ever seen. She had a golden wheat-colored coat matched with blonde hair done in a bun behind her ears. Opaline then fixed her attention from the pony’s eyes and to her forehead, looking at the pony's horn. The pony that was trying to talk to her was another unicorn. Opaline felt a bit puzzled about why her mind had cared about the pony's appearance.   

"Are you getting anything, miss?" The unicorn barista said now slightly annoyed at the lack of response from the strange, raggedy unicorn. 

"Tea is fine, thank you," Opaline replied, her voice a bit Shakey and raspy as her mouth was dry due to dehydration. 

She watched as the unicorn nodded her head before returning behind the counter and out of sight to prepare the drink. Opaline then placed her head back down on the table, continuing her train of thought. As she sat, she noticed a lone Earth pony inside the café sitting in a seat adjacent to her taking a sip of his drink before making a face of disgust. Opaline then focused her attention back on herself, deeming her ideas more important than that of the lone pony's small issue. But just out of the corner of her eye, she saw the earth pony get up from his spot and walk past her. This Aswell she didn't fully pay attention to still too preoccupied with her thoughts. But it's soon what she heard that piqued her interest. 

"This is one of the worst drinks I've ever had!" screamed the earth pony, who slammed a cup onto the front counter of the café.   

The barista poked her head out from behind the counter, watching as the pony slammed his fist down, spilling the drink over the unicorn's workspace.   

"I'm so sorry. I will make you a new one right away." The barista said her voice Shakey from suddenly being startled by the angry pony.   

"A new one won't cut it!" the Earth pony growled. "You uptight unicorns think you can do so much just because you have magic!" He then slammed both hooves on the counter, saying, "And the fact that you think you can make a traditional earth pony drink is despicable!"   

Opaline watched as the Earth pony bickered to the mare behind the counter. He was seemingly angry for no other apparent reason other than a minor mishap with the result of his beverage. As she continued watching, she felt rage begin to build, as it had done many times before. She began to get angry at the earth pony and the way he was acting toward a fellow member of her race. She then, without any hesitation, got up and walked toward the earth pony. Ready to give him a piece of her mind. Opaline tapped on the shoulder of the angry pony. The Earth pony turned around before showing a perplexed face at the sight of the smaller scruffy unicorn   

"Why are you so upset?" Opaline spoke in an aggressive yet curious tone toward the earth pony. 

"What business do you have in the matter?" The pony responded, clearly annoyed that his argument had attracted someone else's attention. 

"Why are you giving this mare such a hard time?" Opaline then questioned her anger beginning to slip from her control.   

"Get lost; this doesn't concern you!" the Earth pony said, showing his frustration at Opaline's butting in. 

"Oh, but it does!" said Opaline. "If it's a unicorn problem, it's my problem!" she exclaimed, motioning to her horn. 

"Who are you, the Official Unicorn Diplomat of Equestrian?" the Earth pony said back sarcastically before chuckling to himself. "Get lost, kid," he said once more before poking Opaline in a joking manner with his hoof. 
That was it! Opaline thought now the earth pony had officially gone too far for her liking.   

"DONT, YOU DARE TOUCH ME!" Opaline screamed she then with all the remaining strength in her body placed both her hooves on the Earth pony's chest and pushed him to the ground in a similar manner to what she had done to her mentor the night before.   

"You stupid Earth ponies think you're all that! "Well, let me tell you something, bud!" Opaline lowered her head to meet the height of the earth pony, who was now lying on the floor. "Maybe we’d be better off without your kind!" she shouted. 
Opaline looked into the face of the earth pony his cocky and arrogant expression quickly turned into one of fear. 

He darted his eyes around before quickly getting up and sprinting out the door. Opaline chuckled to herself. "Yeah run away you coward!" She yelled. Opaline then turned around behind her to see the shocked expression of the barista pony.

"You..." The barista pony was too stunned to speak. "Why did you do that to him?" she then questioned.

"Do what?" Opaline Questioned back. 

"You pushed him, you pushed another customer!" The barista said loudly.

"Did I now?" Opaline said back. "Tell me what was that customer?" 

"A pony! you hurt another pony!" the barista shouted now noticeably irritated at Opaline's treatment of another customer.

"But what kind of Pony Specifically?" Opaline then said her tone shifting to one of confidence. 

"He was an earth pony! But what does that have to do with what I'm asking you?" The barista yelled.

Opaline walked closer to the pony. "Tell me miss what is something you associate with an Earth pony?" She then asked. 

The barista gave Opaline a confused look unsure of where the unicorn was going with her point. "Um, dirt I guess?" she said.

"Ah yes, something like dirt and what does dirt do?" Opaline then Questioned. 

"Um, it gets things dirty I guess?" Said the barista now confused.

"You see miss That pony was trying to give you a hard time over what a tea?" Opaline then possed both her hooves in front of her body. " you see I simply ended the argument before It could devolve into anything more." 

"YOU HURT A CUSTOMER!" The barista shouted at Opaline.

"I understand what you are trying to say but I'm merely trying to tell you that maybe he hurt you first," Opaline stated. "You are most definitely a skilled unicorn. One who's been able to successfully run a business and Perfect the art of drink making. and here comes along a dirty Earth pony who is unappreciative of the excellent craftsmanship you a pristine unicorn put into your beverages."

The Unicorn Barista Puased Trying to understand Opaline's point.  

"He came into your Place of sanctuary, a place where you take your time to make these excellent crafts and show your skills. Only for him to belittle you and make a mess of your establishment. Now comparing my actions to his whom do you think was more in the wrong?"

The barista went to reply but then hesitated. as much as she was angry at Opaline's treatment of a paying customer. She did feel that the Earth pony had overreacted. She was just trying to do her job and just trying to make sure her customers were happy. And Opaline saying that she was a hard-working pony that did love her craft made her feel somewhat good.

"That dirty earth pony was no good to you. He was unappreciative of your craft. You tried to make it the way an Earth pony would enjoy it but of course, it wasn't to his liking and why is that, ma'am?" Opaline pressed the barista for a response.

"Because I'm not an earth pony?" The barista muttered back.

"Exactly your not an Earth pony You are a unicorn! You make things the way a unicorn would. don't try to bow down to the traditions of another tribe Embrace and preserve your heritage!" Opaline then came closer to the barista. "We unicorns gotta stick together. you know just as much as I do how much we are pushed aside by the other tribes. but you know how much better we are than them." 

"your right!" the Unicorn Barista said. " I wanna make my things the way I want to make them! The unicorn way!"

Opaline Grinned at the pony's response. There had been very much a large enthesis of unity between all kinds under Twilight’s rule. The Princess had encouraged the intermingling of different traditions and aspects of life between not just pony tribes but all creatures. and that was always something that made Opaline uncertain about her teacher. Twilight began prioritizing all creatures and no longer the ones who she believed displayed real talent. It was always about the "magic of friendship," but never any other magic than that. Sure, Twilight still ran magic schools, but these always seemed to fall behind her school of friendship, which she seemingly put more emphasis on. It was somewhat ironic, at least to her, that a pony who claimed to be the embodiment of all magic only ever focused on this one small aspect of it and not the entirety of magic as a whole. When Twilight found out that Opaline had no magic, it seemed like she never really seemed to try to teach her anything magical, only ever trying to fill her head with ideas of friendship magic and claiming that was all Opaline needed to learn. She never sent her to a magic school. She never had one-on-one magic lessons with her. When she tried to make friends and would fail, Twilight simply made her go out and do it over again. When Opaline just the other night finally figured out how to obtain her much-desired magic, Twilight didn't focus on her achievement, but rather on what she did beforehand to obtain that brief moment of magical power. It was as though she didn't even care about what her student had accomplished. 

Sure, maybe she went a bit overboard on the method of how she did it, but she would think that out of all ponies, Twilight would understand the magical success her student had found and that magic may take different complicated ways to be obtained. But no, she was angry at Opaline, not happy for her. Twilight Sparkle was known as the biggest bookworm in Equestria. Yet how come a method her very own student discovered in a book never even crossed her mind when it came to the pony that begged her to be just like every other unicorn? Twilight, who was once herself a unicorn, seemingly took her magic for granted and had become far disconnected from the problems faced by any unicorn. only interested in the sake of other creatures and no longer the tribe that she was praised to be a proud member of. Twilight wasn't just a stuck-up fool or a liar but now also a traitor to her very own species. An incompetent ruler of a nation, she shouldn’t be in charge of leading. Just because Twilight had wings and a crown didn't automatically mean she was fit to be a ruler. 

Opaline thought that now, more than ever was the perfect time for a change. Now it was time for a new pony to be put in charge, one who understood the difficulties of magic and her kind and one who wasn't just simply given power from seemingly nowhere. And Opaline felt that she was just the pony to do it; she felt she could make things right once again. Ponies needed to know that unicorns were the most important key to restoring Equestria by any means possible. And why those who wielded magic should be seen as superior to others. Maybe that Earth pony had been somewhat right. Maybe Opaline wasn't born to look up to what she now sees as a false icon but rather to be a messenger, or ambassador, if you will, of her kind. Ponies will no longer see her as just a filly at the side of a powerful alicorn. She could now understand something. That maybe words could be more powerful than magic.
> Opaline Chapter 8
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It had been a few moons since the sudden unexpected rise of disharmony in Equestria. Ponies of all types had shown higher levels of aggression and hostility than ever before. Unicorns ran around angering Pegasi and Earth ponies to the point where the other two groups began lashing back causing a seemingly endless cycle of hatred and paranoia. Twilight seemed to slowly be watching the crumbling of everything she and her friends had worked for fall all around her. And it hurt her, it wasn’t the first time that she had dealt with something like this. Far from it to be exact. But she dreaded the idea that in almost what seemed like, an instant ponies could simply give up on unity and pave the way for hatred. It was baffling even to her how fast division could spread. Ponies who now would have grown up with her in power could so easily cast her message aside. They hadn't been alive at the time; she was a unicorn to see her and her friend's accomplishments. They had learned and heard about them sure. But had never been around to truly feel their impact. Twilight and her friends had tried desperately to show the ponies of Equestria that she and her group of friends had hailed from all three groups of ponies and that the differences between them had never gotten in the way of their friendships. They would host events, try to help bring different aspects of pony culture together, arrange state-funded trips and relocations allowing ponies to move wherever they pleased, and teach acceptance. But ponies didn't seem to care about this. "That is your friendship, not ours!” they would say in response. Twilight knew once ponies heard something that was either in favor of them or against them it was extremely hard to change their ideas. 

Twilight had been perplexed by this sudden influx of hatred it had seeming come from nowhere. Every pony had seemed fine just a few moons before. But then suddenly, they became hostile toward one another. She would spend her nights trying to understand how this could happen. Seeing herself as the only pony that could solve this issue. She had come up with many different theories and possibilities on how it could have started. Was it all by a group of disgruntled ponies unhappy with the current state of Equestria? Could it be a result of a planned attack by enemies of Equestria? Or could it have all originated from a simple misunderstanding? The possibilities seemed endless when it came to a difficult factor like this. When She would be trying to figure out the origin of this disharmony and how its influence was impacting Equestria. One small idea had popped into her head amongst hundreds of others. One that she could seemingly not get rid of no matter how hard she tried. And as more days and nights passed on. This small idea in Twilight's head began to grow louder and louder as if it were some kind of beast Trying desperately trying to get her attention. Could it be that maybe Opaline had something to do with the sudden rise of disharmony in Equestria?  

Twilight would cringe at this idea; she would continually try to rule it out. But it just seemed to keep returning to her mind. It had been only recently that Opaline had run away from the princess. Twilight was still trying to cope with the actions and the disappearance of her student. She remembered it so vividly. She remembered how the young pony looked at her. How her Eyes had burned with hatred and anger. It was something Twilight had never seen before, and it scared her. And Opaline’s assault on the princess was something Twilight could have never imagined her student doing. It was as though she was a completely different pony. 

The Idea of Opaline would constantly come up in her head even at the most random and unpredictable of times. Twilight would rethink their last encounter repeatedly. trying to figure out if there could have been anything different, she could have done in the situation. Twilight’s feelings jumbled together making it hard to come to a simple conclusion. Had she failed Opaline as a teacher? Had Opaline failed her as a student? This battle in her head would weigh heavily on her conscience. Twilight hadn't even had the heart to tell her Friends, her closest allies, and her family about what had happened between her and Opaline. And she hated it, she hated the fact that she was lying to her friends. Opaline had just left so quickly, she had left before Twilight could even know if it would be the last time, she might see her. She had spent most of her years as the princess of Equestria with Opaline. Opaline couldn’t do that Twilight would tell herself. Opaline was not the type of pony to do something like this she'd say again and again. Trying desperately to Hold onto the version of Opaline that she had met when the pony was just a filly. But the idea just kept eating away at her. Eventually Twilight could no longer take it and the idea manifested inside her head to the extent that it was all-consuming.  

Twilight had known Opaline to possess quite a powerful silver tongue. Being able to get ponies to believe in certain things and even lie to get her way. Thinking of the times she had found out about Opaline's actions at the Ponyville market, or the numerous “friends” Opaline would claim to make only for it to just turn out as ponies Opaline had misled in an attempt to prove herself to the princess. Other times Opaline would talk Higley of unicorns to Twilight and the effect that unicorns had on Equestria. Twilight would constantly remind her student that it wasn’t just unicorns that played an important part in keeping Equestria stable. This always seemingly struck an accord within the young pony. 

When Twilight would go to areas of Equestria showing the highest levels of disharmony. Angry unicorns would seem to focus on her in particular. She would hear rumors and whispers from unicorns about her. Things like the idea that she was trying too hard to force her ideology on Equestria. Seeing her as too detached from the problems of normal ponies. Twilight had hoped that her presence could simply be enough to help restore harmony. And she also hoped that with her experience of at one point in time of being a unicorn she could help ease tension in the group of ponies. They would seemingly just get more and more upset the longer she would stay there. Twilight seemingly would return back to Canterlot with even more questions than answers to what exactly was going on. As Twilight continued her research, she would eventually learn that apparently, the beginning of disharmony seemed to have all started with the assault of an Earth pony by a unicorn. Twilight was instantly struck by this fact. She wanted to believe that it had nothing to do with her former student and it had been another unicorn that had done it, still trying on to hold on to the smallest bit of hope for Opaline. Any pony could hurt some pony like that she’d think. 

Then One day Fluttershy had come to her bruised and battered seemingly attacked for no other reason than her not being a unicorn. Twilight was instantly concerned by the state of her Friend. How could anypony do something like this to such a kind soul as Fluttershy? But what frightened Twilight for the safety of her friend was not just the fact, that the element that was meant to display kindness had been attacked by hate. But who had attacked her, when Twilight asked Fluttershy to describe her attacker she was then frightened to her very core by the pony's response. Twilight Had no reason to doubt Fluttershy even though she desperately wanted to find one. She had to face the fact that it was indeed most likely her former student. It was Opaline that had attacked her. Twilight was now snapped to the gravity of the situation.

Twilight would then try on multiple occasions to capture and put a stop to Opaline before she could do any more harm. But it seemed like now the Princess had met her match not from a threat coming from outside but from one that had come from within. Twilight had sent guards to capture Opaline in any location she had been thought to have been spotted at. But she always seemed to allude to capture. When this didn't work Twilight, herself went after her former student but once again Opaline always seemed one step ahead of the princess. Opaline had proven herself a very smart pony. She had spent her whole life studying Twilight and her friends, so it made sense why she was able to evade them. 

Of course, some might ask Twilight if she was the bearer of the element of magic why couldn’t she do something like simply teleport to her and get her that way? But once again Opaline had her former teacher in checkmate. For Twilight to teleport to a pony they must be giving off a weak magical aura, but Twilight knew that with Opaline's lack of magic, this simple factor helped aid Opaline in remaining uncaptured by the princess. And Opaline was free to roam all over Equestria appearing in one area for a few days to spread her horrific ideas and say things that ponies wanted to hear only to disappear before facing the consequences for her actions.
> Opaline Chapter 9
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Twilight and spike walked into the great crystal halls of her old castle pushing open the twin doors in front of them.  

“Thank you all for coming,” Twilight said hurriedly rushing to the large crystal table in the center of the room.  

“of course, anytime dear.” Rarity said in a tone of voice radiating a cool collected yet still somewhat unnerved manner.   

“You come callin'! and well come runnin'!” Said applejack as confident and reassuring as ever.  

Twilight paced her eyes around the table looking at her friends. “I'm sure we have all seen the disharmony spreading around Equestria,” Twilight said her voice Shakey and unnerved.  

“It's been pretty hard to avoid sugar cube,” Applejack replied. 

“So, what is it that you need us for Twilight?” Said pinkie pie.  

“We are the Guardians of friendship; our little group is seen as a symbol of harmony between friends. What has been happening out there has begun to strike fear in me. That ponies may not use magic as a way of friendship but as a weapon.”   

“What are you saying Twi?” asked Rainbow Dash.  

“What I'm saying is that how long before Unicorns wielding magic do harm to others? How long before Pegasi refuse to make it rain, causing drought? How long before Earth ponies stop giving crops causing starvation?” Twilight continued. “We’ve been able to stop it before but those were only small isolated incidents. This is all of Equestria!” Twilight stopped and looked down hesitant about what to say next. “It's my job as a leader to ensure the safety of all creatures. Even if by any means necessary.”  Silence fell on the five ponies seated around the table. They were uncertain of what to say to the princess.  

“You all remember what brought us together all those years ago right?” Questioned Twilight. They all looked at each other and nodded their heads. 

“The elements.” Said Twilight. “A crystal for each of us representing the unique quality of our characters.” Twilight then with her magic Teleported onto the table a large brown book. The book's spine was adorned with golden symbols each representing the other princesses before Twilight.  

“This book contains every powerful spell and enchantment used and documented by all princesses including myself,” Twilight said.  

“What are you trying to say, darling?” Rarity questioned.

“I'm saying that I know we’ve all tried to help end this current division we’ve been facing. And I feel as though I have something that could help us restore peace, but even I'm not sure it will work.” Twilight continued. “But we must try.”  

“Is this why you asked about the elements?” Rainbow Dash then questioned.  

“Yes,” said Twilight. “They were a symbol of unity between all of us. And now I believe Equestria needs a symbol of unity.” Twilight then with her magic opened the book. She looked once more at her friends. “I'm going to need to call upon you all a large favor can you all, do it?”   

Without any hesitation, the ponies responded.   

“Without a doubt!” said Rarity.  

“Yes’em!” replied Rainbow Dash.  

“Always!” pinkie called out.  

“Of course.” softly said Fluttershy  

“Anything for you Twilight!” Shouted Rainbow Dash.  

Twilight smiled and chuckled softly. “Thank you all I know you’d all be here for me,” Twilight said now fully reassured with the backing of her friends.  

Twilight moved her body, so it now faced the book in front of her. She let out a deep breath and closed her eyes. Her horn blazed in a bright purple glow. Particles of magic slowly began to grow around her and soon grew larger. The room grew dimmer before a bright purple flash appeared from seemingly nowhere startling the rest of the members of the mane six. The apparition of what appeared to be three shapes began to manifest over Twight. The princess raised one hoof to the air above her. Her flowing mane began to flow upwards seemingly toward the apparition. Twilight then clenched her teeth gathering all her power and magic. She was doing something she knew might be drastic. But as she had said before she was a leader, and a leader might need to take drastic measures to ensure the safety of her people. She knew just how powerful magic could be, and she knew that it could prove horrific if in the wrong hooves so she wanted to make sure it could never be pitted against anyone. but Twilight also had a small glimmer of hope for something she wanted to happen. she wanted this magic to bring Opaline back to her. Just then a large magical blast flung Twilight into the air as if she were a doll. She was launched into a bookshelf behind her throwing up pages of paper and dozens of books in the process. 

“Twilight!” Everyone called out in concern before rushing to the princess. “I'm fine I'm fine don’t worry about me,” said Twilight who quickly got up and brushed herself off.   

Twilight then looked in the direction where the blast had come from. Her friends followed her line of sight to see just what she had been looking at. Hovering suspended above the table lay Three brightly colored crystals. Each of which has a distinctive shape. The group of six ponies and one dragon then looked upon the sight of the three crystals. They Glew brightly and with a strong aura surrounding them.   

“What in Equestria are those?” Applejack said, mesmerized at the sight of the three crystals.  

“I called upon all the magic in the world to make them,” said Twilight. “Each crystal is linked with the magic possessed by every pony tribe.” Twilight then walked over to them and placed them in the glow of her magic. “They are powered with all the magic in Equestria and if separated only friendship magic and unity can restore their power.” Twilight then hung her head low. “I know it might be drastic, but something must end this division.”  

Twilight then looked toward her friends. She could read the expressions on each of their faces. They all seemed slightly frightened but somewhat understanding of what Twilight had done. Twilight looked back at the crystals and their radiating glow before falling to the floor from exhaustion. Twilight had never cast such a powerful spell before all the energy had been zapped from her body. As she lay there, she hoped that everything would eventually be okay for Equestria.
> Opaline Chapter 10
> --------------------------------------------------------------------------

A gentle dusk breeze flowed in through the cold air. The large trees gently rocked back and forth in the soft wind. As the dusk sky began to grow dimmer a pony galloped across a large open field. All day the pony had been snaking around corners and tucking behind the buildings of random towns she had been staying at. The pony then arrived at the edge of a large dark forest. A small dirt trail lead into the dark woods that seemingly stretched on forever. The pony then pushed up her cloak hood to see exactly where she was. It was Opaline. She looked down and towards the sign overgrown and covered in plants and roots.    

The sign read. “EVERFREE FOREST WARNING ENTER AT OWN RISK.”  

Without any hesitation, Opaline trekked on, seemingly unbothered by the sign and its warning. Some areas in Equestria remained either untamed or untouched due to certain circumstances. Twilight understood from personal experience the pointlessness of trying to deal with something as difficult as the Everfree forest. As the area was an unkept maze of trees and foliage, filled with unsavory creatures and tricks. So aside from a few select locations Twilight left the Everfree forest alone. Which would then mean that it would be the perfect place to hide. Opaline looked behind her towards the trail that she had just followed. It would be the last time she might see pony civilization for a while, but she was somewhat delighted at the idea of getting away from Equestrian life as she’d no longer have to deal with ponies she saw as inferior to herself. As she then continued into the forest, getting deeper and deeper, her mind thought of why she was there in the first place.  

Since the creation of the unity crystals, Opaline had slowly watched as the unicorns fell victim to the contagious ideas enforced by Twilight Sparkle and quickly gave in to the princess. It surprised her how fast they could change their ideas and go against everything that she had promised them. She Promised unicorns prosperity and success that if they followed her, she could lead the race to greatness. That had been the only time Opaline had felt fully in control of her life. And Twilight had taken it away from her yet again. It seemed like all Twilight had ever done was cap Opalines potential. And she was still able to control her even though Opaline had long since left her.    

Opaline knew that she was a wanted pony. It had been made clear by the princess that she wanted her to be captured. But Opaline had tried everything in her power to avoid getting caught. She saw herself as a Pony wanting to bring back the strong role of unicorns in Equestrian society as a messenger who was just trying to help her tribe. And Twilight was an evil attempting to stop her from perusing what she saw as the natural order of things. But Opaline understood the power Twilight held more than anypony else and she knew she had no chance of being able to combat it.

Opaline focused her attention back on the path in front of her. A crow called out from somewhere above her and a cold gust of air flowed between her hooves. Opaline shivered and put a little more sprint into her step. She knew that she could easily fall victim to the Everfree forest just as any other pony could. She didn't have a map and was only following the trail that lay in front of her. She stopped and looked around. The sky was beginning to grow darker, and Opaline didn't want to be alone and lost in the dark forest at night. She looked ahead and walked toward a large rotting log. She then retrieved a quill and a piece of loose paper before sketching down the log and its features. She understood she'd need to start marking locations in order not to get lost. Opaline then put the paper scrap into her dull brown saddlebag. She looked around once more and then down to the ground of the trail. It was possible some other pony could follow the same trail as her and happen upon her, exposing her location. It might be best to stop following it now and wander in a different location to avoid possibly being seen. She hoped she could find a cave or hollow tree nearby so she could spend the coming night somewhere. Opaline looked around one final time to memorize the location and its features. She then walked off to her side and hopped down a small trench before pressing on through the brush. 

She continued for a bit counting her steps and trying to go in a straight line so she wouldn’t lose her way. The darkness was fast approaching, and the air was beginning to get cooler and cooler. She began to shiver from the cold her cloak seemingly too thin to keep her warm. Opaline then pushed away a branch and suddenly felt her body fall and tumble down a sudden incline. She rolled for only a few seconds before meeting the ground with a thud. 

“gahhh...” Opaline groaned as she picked herself up and dusted herself off. Apart from a few cuts and bruises and a few new tears in her cloak, she seemed to be relatively fine. As she was dusting herself off Opaline looked up and was surprised to see what appeared to be a small stone shack in front of her. She turned around and looked all around her. It appeared that the shack was in a small clearing as the area she now found herself in didn't contain any trees or foliage. She felt a shiver go down her spine at the sight of the dark abandoned shack.  

She appeared to be the only pony there. She perked one of her ears up and listened. All she heard was the soft swaying of the trees and crickets now beginning to chirp. Yep, she was defiantly alone. This might be the only place she would be able to stay for now she thought. Opaline cautiously approached the quiet building. As she got closer, she could begin to make out more of its features in the darkness. The shack had a lone wooden door and a window. The roof was made of old timbers and a little gravel path lay in front of the door. Small weeds had begun to grow from the dirt and Opaline felt glass cracking under her hooves evidently from the building's window. Opaline cautiously pushed open the wooden door. 

“Hello?” she called out into the darkness that engulfed the inside of the small shack. To which she got no response.    

It did appear to be abandoned. The wooden floorboards were coated in dust and the roof had a few holes which moonlight shined through. Opaline closed the door finding a small lock before locking it behind her. The inside of the shack was relatively small, there appeared to be only a few shelves, an old desk, and a crooked old cot in the corner. Either than that the room was almost empty. Opaline fumbled around in the darkness throwing down her saddle bag before searching the desk's drawers. She found a half-empty box of matches and an old oil lamp. She then lit the lamp, finally illuminating the room. Now that the room had more light, she could see the various cobwebs and dust bunnies that littered the room, the shack's walls were slanted, and a lone centipede crawled up the wall. It might not be much she thought but it will have to do.     

Opaline carefully laid her body on top of the old cot as she was unsure if it would be able to support her weight. But the cot proved itself still sturdy. She laid down getting into a more comfortable position. She looked up to the ceiling, focusing her sight through a hole in the roof and to the stars above. She felt as though she might fade away to the sands of time. She feared that she’d be known as the failed student of Princess Twilight Sparkle forever. She had led what she saw as a unicorn revolution. Only to see it come crashing down in flames in front of her. Maybe she had put too much faith into the unicorns of Equestria when it came to wreaking her vengeance on Twilight. The saying “if you want something done right you better do it yourself.” rang throughout her head. She felt now was a perfect time for her to begin to reorganize her plans and ideas before trying to take down Twilight once again. But soon drowsiness began to take hold of the unicorn. The days she spent running began to catch up to her and in no time at all the pony fell asleep.    

The following morning Opaline awoke to the sounds of birds chirping and the bright orange glow of the sun. She got out of the cot her hooves making contact with the wooden floorboards. She walked out the door of the shack and onto the grass. She looked up at the sky, lit up in a beautiful orange color. The green Leaves of the trees swayed back and forth all around her. Above the treetops, she could see a large mountain of which Canterlot was protruding out from its side. And in this scene, Opaline could see a long beacon of light reaching high into the sky and beyond the clouds. It was the Prisbeam generated from the magic held within the unity crystals. The very same ones that had caused Opaline to lose the growing power she had. The beam of magic always lit up and could be seen from anywhere within Equestria. It almost felt as though they were taunting her. She had heard those crystals contained all magic in Equestria.  

If her horn had served as a reminder of her lack of magic, then Those crystals symbolized to her just how powerless she had been her entire life. To think that all that power was just sitting there foolishly Contained in a single spot. It enticed Opaline. She had Promised great power to the unicorns only to see them eventually betray her when they so quickly Switched sides at the mere sight of Twilight Sparkle flexing her power. She knew that those crystals had been made because of her. So, she felt that they should truly belong to her and not to the ponies of Equestria. Unicorns, Earth Ponies, And Pegasi had all shown her how much Ponies took their magic for granted. And what about her? She understood the value of magic and she had never had any. Opaline thought back to her ideas the previous night. She would take the magic she rightfully saw as hers and finally defeat Twilight by herself. But she still was at one final roadblock, how would she do it?    
As Opaline Stepped back into the cottage. She then suddenly tripped and fell to the ground landing on her side as dust flew up into the air all around her. Opaline looked back to see what exactly she had tripped on. On one of the floorboards, she saw a single book. One that’s pages had yellowed by time and crumbled. She walked over and looked at the book puzzled. She then closed the book with the motion of her hoof to reveal its title.    

“Potions and Alchemy a pony's guide” it read.    

Opaline picked up the book and walked to her cot, she then laid down before opening it up once more. What she soon discovered was a wealth of Knowledge that she realized could be of extreme benefit to her. Different ways to make potions and guides to incantations lined the book's pages. Opaline was fascinated and enthralled by the book's words as they seemed to dance off the pages and become absorbed in her mind. She remembered how the previous magic book she had read had given her something she’d craved her entire life so she knew now that another similar book might be in her best interest. Opaline soon realized that Something as simple as potion brewing could be the closest substitute, she could get to Magic as both had similar properties and results. But once again Opaline was reminded of limitations. As she didn't possess any proper supplies needed to make such concoctions. Sure, the Forrest could provide the plants and herbs needed for potion making. But she’d need access to things such as burners, bottles, and funnels too, as no such ingredients would help if she didn't have the means of making them. And these such things she couldn't just simply make herself. She’d have to go out and find them but where was the question? She was wanted all over Equestria. Surely, she couldn’t just waltz into a town without being recognized. She would have to weigh her options. Ponyville was just on the other side of the forest but that would be like going into the belly of the beast. But still, it would most likely be her only option if she wanted to proceed any further with her plans for Twilight Sparkle as the book soon gave her all sorts of ideas she could use to plan. The best bet for her would most likely go in very late into the night when no pony would be awake as that meant she could proceed hopefully uninterrupted.    

The following few days Opaline would scout out Ponyville from afar using an old spyglass she had found in the old shack. She spent nights seeing and documenting what times would be the least busy for ponies. And what times they would go to bed or what areas were less populated than others. She also would explore the surrounding areas near her newly acquired shack. Finding a stream of fresh water that flowed nearby and various eatable plants for her to feast on. The rest of her time she’d spent reading the book which she had quickly put so much faith into.  

One day well-gathering resources she would stumble upon a newspaper stuck in a Nerby bush. When she pried it from the pointy sticks of the bush, she was baffled at what she saw. Almost dropping the paper and allowing it to flow back into the wind. On the newspaper was a picture of Twilight. Twilight stood tall, her figure sticking out and above the crowd. Behind her was a large glass mural which Opaline instantly recognized. On the left of it was a Unicorn, on the right, a Pegasus in flight, and in the middle, an Earth pony. It was the drawing that she had made all those years ago for her teacher now brought to life. But something was different about it. Now above the ponies' heads were images of those crystals. The ponies weren't looking at Twilight’s cutie mark but at those crystals. Opaline's eyes then gravitated to the side of Twilight. Next to the alicorn was a smaller unicorn pony. Her coat was a bright pink, and her hair was colored with bright shades of orange. Opaline looked under the photo and at its description.  

“Princess Twilight Sparkle and new personal student Luster Dawn Unveil a Mural in the new Pegasus city of Zepher Heights to celebrate the creation of Equestrias' unity crystals.” Opaline quickly Crushed the newspaper between her hooves and rolled it into a ball before throwing it into the woods that surrounded her.  

“How could she!” Opaline screamed out.  

Opaline was filled with anger. Her ideas of Twilight now becoming even more muddled. She had been replaced! Replaced! Furthermore, Twilight was willing to vandalize something she had made for her as a filly?! Had she meant nothing to Twilight? Was she so worthless that the princess could both change her gift to make it reflect her own interest and then pose in front of it with Opalines' replacement? Opaline's eyes moved above the tops of the trees and to the mountain where Canterlot was. She was once again looking at that beam of magical energy that reached high above the Capital city. She needed to do something about those crystals soon. They would only stand in the way of her plans for Twilight. And they would only continue to serve as a reminder of how much of a failure she was.  

As the darkness of night blanketed the town of Ponyville all was quiet. A fog crept around the streets as the air stood still uninterrupted by any wind. The streets and town were quiet. It was perfect for Opaline’s plan. She crept forward slowly making sure to stay quite well, also not trying to trip in the darkness. She was sticking to only the shadows and dimly lit areas of town to hide. As Opaline crept around a corner, she soon came face to face with herself. On the side of a wall was a poster of her that had been hung up. It read “Wanted Opaline Arcana by order of Twilight Sparkle for the disruption of harmony within Equestria.”  

Instead of a reaction of concern or fear Opaline simply scoffed. Not at the poster and what it read but by the rather old picture of her used in it. That fool Twilight still uses old photos of her when she was a filly. Opaline then pressed on, soon arriving at a street corner. She looked both ways before running across to the other side of the sidewalk. She soon arrived at her destination, a small magic store. She knew inside could contain all the supplies she’d need to enact her plan for Twilight. But how would she get in? She walked toward the shop's door raddling its doorknob. The shop door was locked tightly. Opaline stepped back.  

“of course, it would be locked dummy,” she said to herself quietly.  

She next peered through the large glass window of the shop. She was unable to see much as the inside was too dark. Opaline looked around in the hopes of finding some method of entry. Suddenly something caught the unicorn's eye. Situated next to the wall of the store was a lone wooden barrel. Opaline walked over to the barrel in a state of curiosity. She was quickly surprised to see that the contents of the barrel consisted mainly of stone bricks. She reached into the barrel and pulled out a single brick. Opaline walked back to the store's front door looking over to both sides before smashing the doorknob. She then pushed the door open with next to no resistance. Opaline reached into her saddlebag and retrieved a large sack which she soon began to fill with all sorts of items. Once Opaline felt as though she had collected enough, she threw the sack onto her back and rushed out of the store and back into the darkness.  

Opaline's nerves were high the entire journey back to her abode. She knew what she had just done. But it was worth it to her if it meant she could be one step closer to finishing her vendetta with her former mentor. She was constantly looking behind her, paranoid of being followed. Eventually, after what felt like hours of running and navigating back, she finally returned to her place of shelter. Opaline locked the door behind her. She rushed over to the desk in the corner and poured out the contents of the sack. She counted and sorted the things she had grabbed. She had over a dozen bottles, a few beakers, a burner, and other various bits of potion brewing equipment. Opaline quickly began to utilize the resources she had stolen. She was unsure just how much time she had left before she’d be compromised or before her anger became so great, she’d jeopardize herself. But one thing remained certain in the pony’s head. Twilight was going to suffer, and she was going to keep the magic she deserved.
> Opaline Chapter 11
> --------------------------------------------------------------------------

As the guards of Canterlot Castle patrolled the various halls and walkways, all was quiet in the city. A large harvest moon lit up the dull brownish-red sky; we'll all other light came from homes, parks, and shops littered all over the capital city. A lone Royal guard walked over to the parapet of a castle wall. His eyes moved from side to side scanning the surroundings, he peered into the courtyard, the area of which was lit by the light from the moon, and castle. The light only seemed to show a few neatly trimmed bushes and shrubs. Not seeing anything out of the ordinary the guard then swiftly turned around and trotted away to patrol the other section of the castle’s wall. But it was in this short movement of the guard that somepony would be able to slip through.   

Opaline quickly pressed her body against the castle wall. She moved swiftly running to the corner of the wall before diving behind a bush. The sound of glass bottles rattling together in her saddlebag was thankfully drowned out by the trotting of hooves coming from the royal guards above her. Opaline took a moment to lay still, listening out for the movements of the guards. Once the sound of their hoof steps grew quieter, she quickly got up and rushed to the other end of the courtyard. There she climbed through a small gap in the wall and into the area where the castle's back entrance was located. Opaline had been thankful for the time she had spent in Canterlot when she was younger. There had been many episodes of boredom for her where she would watch the movements of the royal guards from high above in the castle. She'd memorize the movements and schedules of which they marched in their patrols and how they fulfilled their duties. Opaline stopped once again behind the corner of a wall. She carefully peaked out to see what the guards were doing. She saw a pair of royal guards both stationed on either side of the castle's back entrance. Opaline Pushed away her cloak and reached into her saddlebag. She felt around feeling small glass bottles before pulling out a small note scrap. If her time in Canterlot and the notes she had taken severed her right the placement of the guard's changes around every hour. Opaline then retrieved a small timepiece. It read ten fifty-nine, which meant that within a moment the royal guards would switch. And at that moment of time where the guards would switch there would be a small window of around fifteen seconds where the back door entrance would be completely unsupervised. Opaline remembered that hallways lined both sides of the wall near the back entrance which would allow her to quickly dive into cover before anypony could come around and possibly notice her.  

Opaline had carefully planned out everything from the movement of the guards, to making sure that it was just Twilight alone in the city and not in the company of her Friends. There was nothing that would deter her from her plan of taking the unity crystals and their magic for herself. She had even set fire to the shack she had spent her time in to make sure all evidence of her being there was destroyed. She hated the isolation she had felt there, it drove her insane from being alone for that long. Opaline was confident that she would succeed. She moved closer and soon, just as she had planned, she bore witness to the changing of the guards. Both guards walked in a line before turning to face each other. They both then stepped back and raised their heads before turning to the door and walking toward it. Now was Opaline's chance. Both guards with their unicorn magic opened the large wooden doors before proceeding in. Opaline quickly leaped up and in no time at all rushed into one of the dark hallways inside the castle unseen.  

She was now once again in the royal palace. Instead of a feeling of giddy she possibly would have as a filly when entering the palace, all she felt was confidence. She was there for a reason, and she had a job she was going to finish. Opaline then quietly walked out of the darkness. The large hallway was completely devoid of anypony. The unicorn was easily able to maneuver her way through the castle, ducking behind walls and into empty rooms when she would hear anypony coming. The movement of the guards was incredibly predictable. Their patterns had not changed in the slightest since her time with Twilight.   

Opaline in no time at all found herself getting closer to where she wanted to go. She was somewhat surprised it had been this easy to sneak into the castle. Suddenly Opaline heard hoof steps coming closer to her. She dove into an empty room to her side to avoid being seen. She listened as the steps grew closer to her location. She soon began to fear that she’d become too cocky and that in her trek through the castle, she alerted some of the guards. But she soon realized that the stepping of hooves was only coming from a lone pony. Opaline carefully peaked her head out ever so slightly well hovering her hoof over her saddlebag ready to retrieve a potion if needed. A Small light then illuminated the hallway in a dim orange glow and the figure of a pony was soon visible to her. By the sound of a magical aura and the hovering of the light Opaline was able to deduce that the pony was a unicorn. She slowly reached down, popping open her bag in anticipation that she’d need to grab a potion. But Opaline was then surprised to see just who this pony was. It was not a royal guard at all but instead, a pony that angered her just as much as Twilight Sparkle. It was Luster Dawn, the new student of Twilight and who she saw as her replacement. The pony was holding both a candle and a book with her magic. Opaline watched as the mare slowly trotted past her completely unaware of her presence, evidently being too distracted by the book she was reading. The pony then walked down to the end of the hall and descended a pair of stairs. The light from her candle soon grew dimmer before completely disappearing altogether. Opaline walked out of the room she was hiding in. She smirked as she found it amusing that the incompetence of Twilight’s new student was so high, that she didn't even have to use one of her valuable potions to dispatch her.   

Opaline reached a long hallway after climbing many flights of stairs. She looked around and noticed a balcony to her right that overlooked a large lobby. She walked closer and peered over the side of the railing. She noticed a group of about four guards below her. She watched as the guards chatted completely unaware of the unicorn above them. Opaline had been somewhat curious about the potency of her potions, and she felt a sudden urge to test one as the fewer guards patrolling the area could only benefit her. She slowly opened her saddlebag and pulled out a random potion. She stared at it for a moment looking at the nauseating green liquid that filled and bubbled in the bottle. She then leaned over the railing and dropped the potion directly onto the guards. She saw the small glass bottle explode into hundreds of glass shards startling the guards. The Guards quickly looked up at her.  

“Hey wh-!” one guard shouted before quickly stopping.  

Opaline then watched as the four guards began to stumble around. Their faces quickly turned pale from the gruesome smell coming from the area from which the potion had been dropped. Opaline laughed as she watched the scene, finding it amusing to see the well-trained and disciplined guards quickly become sick and break their routine from something as tiny as a small potion. Quickly the guards fell to the floor groaning from the intense bout of nausea caused by the potion. Opaline quickly turned around and ran away from the scene giggling to herself. Every time Opaline would stumble upon any guards in the castle, she’d deploy the potions she had brewed. Before watching their various reactions, and responses to her creations. Some would faint, some would get sick or dizzy, and some would run around unsure of what was happening before succumbing to the concoction. Opaline found it delightful as she was finally feeling a release. Getting out all those years worth of anger and disappointment that she had felt. She was keen on causing as much damage as possible on her trek through the castle but doing so in a quiet manner.  

After what felt like hours of her trekking through the castle she finally got where she wanted to be. The area of the castle where the unity crystals were housed. Opaline Stood in the darkness of the long hallway. She could see a Pair of royal guards stationed in front of the hall leading to her crystals. She quickly grabbed a purple potion from her saddlebag before continuing to walk toward the two guards. She watched as both guards suddenly noticed her and turned pointing their spears at her. Opaline threw the small purple potion in their direction, watching as it hit the ground and shattered. The purple liquid released a visible fume that quickly found its way into the two guards' noses. The Two guards quickly toppled over from breathing it in. There wasn’t anything a sleep potion couldn’t do, Opaline thought to herself. Opaline walked over the two guards and into the hallway leading to the crystals.   
  
The tall stone walls of the castle hall soon were replaced by the golden railing and marble parapet walkway that was open to the night air. Opaline began to feel her heart pound in her chest. This was it, she thought to herself, it was the end of the line from here. Opaline stopped as a bright light beamed into her face, she looked on and saw the three crystals housed in a small, rounded balcony. A large golden rot iron dome was all that lay above the crystals, she looked on with wonder at the sight. The brightly colored beams of different magic generated from the crystals shinned brighter than a Moring sun. The beam flowed upward through a large circular opening in the dome and into the night sky. The prisbeam emitted a beautiful rhythmic hum. Opaline walked closer; she could see the three crystals were held tightly together and suspended in the air within the beam of magic. She could feel the power they radiated. It was like nothing she had ever felt before. She felt herself being drawn toward them not too dissimilar as a bug to light. She stepped closer, examining the three crystals, they were the most beautiful thing she had ever seen in her life. The idea of all the power they held blossomed in her mind. And soon she thought, it would all be hers. Opaline unbuttoned her cloak and threw it away from her, it fell to the ground before a gust of wind picked it up and floated it off the balcony and into the night. She knew that these crystals would hold all the power she needed. But she was unsure of just how powerful they actually were. She turned and dug around in her saddlebag. She then pulled out a small golden pocket mirror decorated with an alicorn design. The mirror itself was nothing special, just something she had come to acquire over the years. But she was curious and unsure of what would happen if a solid object made contact with the beam from the crystals. And she wasn’t keen on finding out until she tested it. Without a second thought, Opaline then tossed the small mirror into the magical beam. She watched, seeing that as soon as it contacted the beam of magic all gravity seemingly stopped. It then stood suspended in the air for a moment. Before It was zapped by small bolts of magic. Gravity then quickly returned, and it flew behind the crystals in the direction it was originally tossed landing with a clunk. Opaline walked around the beam and to the mirror. It lay on the ground seemingly unaffected but also unbroken. 

“Hmph” is all she muttered in response. She was incredibly intrigued by the magical beam generated by the crystals. 

Opaline then turned around and took a few steps closer. She lifted one of her hooves and held it to the beam. She suddenly felt a sensation that she could only describe as one similar to putting a limb under running water. But after only a few seconds the sensation quickly paved the way for one of pins and needles before quickly turning numb. She quickly pulled her hoof away. She then looked down at her hoof. The sensation of numbness quickly dissipated before returning back to normal. She shook her hoof before looking at the crystals once again. They felt as though they were calling to her. It felt so stimulating, their power feeling as though it was calling out for her and her alone to seize them. Opaline’s eyes opened wide she could feel both her hoofs raising to grab the crystals. All that power. All that magic. It could be hers right now.  
 
Opaline was suddenly startled when a voice called out her name. One that she recognized and one she expected to eventually hear.  

“Opaline is that you?” Twilight called out; her voice radiated a tone of surprise.   

“Well look who it is!” Opaline shouted.  

The Princess was surprised by the sudden appearance of Opaline. She felt a wave of emotion begin to overcome her as she looked at the unicorn before her. “Opaline, is that you?” Twilight said. “I-I...” The alicorn was unable to get her words out.  

“I had a feeling I'd bump into you again,” said Opaline. “But I wouldn’t think you’d care this much to see me.” she stepped forward.  

Twilight stood still for a moment. “Opaline I-” But the princess was interrupted before she could continue.  

“You were expecting me, weren't you?” said Opaline. “You knew I was coming, didn’t you?”   

Twilight was silent. She looked upon the unicorn's appearance. Opaline was much larger than the last time they had been together. Her mane was longer, her hooves now adorned with gauntlets, the metal shined in the glow of the moon and the crystals. Twilight could see the small quintuple-pointed symbols on them. They had been the same she’d found when looking into the disharmony in Equestria. They were the mark of Opaline and the pony she had become.  

“ANSWER ME SPARKLE!” Opaline Yelled baring her teeth. Twilight stood silent not responding to her demand. “I always knew deep down you were weak,” Opaline said at Twilight's lack of response before swiftly turning around, redirecting her attention back to the crystals.  

“Opaline, I've missed you so much,” Twilight then said her tone radiating a melancholy sadness.  

Opaline snapped back toward her former teacher. “Missed me!?” She said Offended. “you've missed me?!” Opaline chuckled. “Well, maybe you should have done better at holding onto me!”  

“Opaline this isn't you!” Twilight called out full of emotion.   

“isn't me!? Isn't me!?” Opaline said surprised “Well maybe you didn’t even know me.”  

“Please Opaline try to understand! I know you, the real you! And this isn't you!” Twilight Shouted out trying to plead with the unicorn.  

Opaline grabbed her now empty saddlebag and slammed it on the ground in anger. Twilight looked down at it. Seeing only a dull brown leather saddlebag and no longer a bright green one adorned with her cutie mark.  

“Get out of my way Princess before you get any more hurt.” Opaline Growled.   

“Is this what you have come to? Where is that starry-eyed filly that loved me so much? Please Opaline just think, use your head I know how smart you are! You are so much more than this! Please, I can help you! I can help you learn magic! We can work out our differences and put everything right. You just need to trust me, Opaline! Please.” Twilight begged fruitlessly. The Princess could feel the tears beginning to swell up in her eyes. “If not for me then for yourself.”  

Opaline Slammed her hoof down her anger exploding inside her to heights she'd never felt before. “YOUR SUCH A FOOL TWILIGHT! YOU HAD ALL THE CHANCES TO HELP ME, AND NOW YOU TRY TO PLEAD WITH ME BECAUSE YOU KNOW IM A THREAT!” Opaline Raised her hoof and pointed it behind her to the crystals.  

“You never gave me magic, but you had enough to make these!? Why?” Opaline shouted demanding an explanation.  

Twilight hesitated unsure of what to say. She hoped an explanation might help resolve the situation as unrealistically as that sounded. But she was also afraid that Opaline already knew the answer and was only waiting for the princess to confirm her suspicions. Twilight still felt a deep sense of regret within her. It was after all her decision to pick a student who had no magic. Even Twilight still didn’t fully know why she had picked Opaline out of the many hundreds of promising candidates in the various magic or friendship schools she ran. Perhaps it was out of some kind of pity, she had chosen a student like Opaline because she could simply never imagine what it would be like to live without magic. Or perhaps because as ruler of Equestria she felt pressured to carry on the tradition of picking a student to soon become the next in line for a successor?  
Had she been too confident that all she needed to do was step aside in Opaline's learning and let her have room to grow and not let her be an ever-watching presence? Twilight had learned from many years of experience with ponies, that everyone had their own rate at which they learned things. Twilight had always hoped that Opaline could demonstrate the proper characteristics she had when she was Celestia's student. She’d also hoped that maybe Opaline wouldn’t need her help and could possibly find magic on her own. Or perhaps even if Opaline was unable to find a way to use magic, she could find an equivalent to make her just as happy either by means of Twilight's teachings or by the resources provided to her. Or could it just have been that Opaline was just bound to become her own pony no matter what she did? Was it in her nature to lash out and only do things that she wanted and to not obey the commands and orders of others? 

Twilight breathed in before explaining as simply as she could. “I never gave you magic because I knew you had it in you to obtain it. Whether it meant you displayed incredible talent or the means of finding it on your own.” I always knew you were special.” Twilight then Approached her former student. “But I also did what I had to Opaline. I did it to protect Equestria and you.”  

“ME!?” Opaline shouted in anger.  

Twilight lifted her hoof trying hard to calm the pony down. “Opaline I-”   

Opaline then suddenly shrieked at the princess, releasing years of repressed anger and hate. “DONT EVEN SAY MY NAME! YOU THINK YOU KNOW ME BUT YOU DONT! I ONLY EVER LOOKED UP TO YOU! I SAW YOU AS BEING AWAY TO GET RID OF SOMETHING I'VE STRUGGLED WITH MY ENTIRE LIFE! I WANTED TO BE JUST LIKE YOU! BUT NOW I SEE YOU FOR WHO YOU ARE A HYPOCRITICAL LIAR!”   

Opaline then pushed Twilight away from her for the second time. Twilight quickly recovered and stabilized herself from Opaline's assault. The princess looked at her former pupil with horror. This was no longer the filly who loved her. She was now a random mare, a stranger who only looked like Opaline and shared her name.   

Opaline then suddenly slowly began to back up toward the unity crystals behind her. Her face of anger and rage quickly turned into one of menacing intent.   

“You are a fool Sparkle, and you must think I'm a fool to accept such hollow offers.” Opaline grinned at the princess. “But I'm not going to play your games anymore Princess. I, the all-powerful Opaline, am going to fix everything! And I will start by getting my magic!” Opaline then turned around and sprinted directly toward the crystals before jumping directly into the beam of magical energy.   

“Opaline NO!” shouted Twilight.   

But it was too late. Opaline’s body made contact with the crystals. The unicorn felt herself get forcibly tugged by beams of magic that instantly began to pierce into her body. A bright flash of light lit up the entire area as if it were day. Twilight put her hoof in front of her to shield her eyes from the bright light. The magical energy flowed throughout Opaline's body. She felt her horn begin to grow crooked and the sensation of bone and feathers protruding from her back. All the magic in Equestria flowed through her. The feeling was beyond any explanation. Twilight watched as the pony's transformation took place in front of her.   

“Opaline...” was the only word the princess could find herself uttering.  

The three crystals began to violently shake. Small cracks began to grow all over from the intense rays of magic they were rapidly releasing. The amount of hate and anger that Opaline had spent her life building up clashed with the peaceful aura they produced. Already weakened due to the rapid and sudden release of magic, topped with the large amounts of hate that radiated from Opaline, and the simple fact that they were doing something Twilight had never designed them to do, the crystals split from one another. The Light that had engulfed the area grew brighter than the sun and an explosion rang out destroying the features of the tower before quickly being extinguished. Twilight lowered her hoof and looked on in front of her. The crystals fell to the ground with a loud crash emitting smoke from the intense release of magic. Twilight then watched as Opaline's figure emerged in front of her. A pair of large wings suddenly spread out from the pony. All that magic from the crystals had turned Opaline into the highest for any pony could take, an alicorn. Opaline stepped forward in her new form. She looked down and to her sides and to her newly acquired wings. She then looked up to her forehead which was lit up in a bright hue of magical fire. She then began to laugh.  

“AHAHA! THIS FEELS INCREDIBLE!” Opaline cackled.  

“Opaline what have you done?” said Twilight, her eyes and face wide with shock and horror.   

Opaline then clapped her hooves together in joy. “Oh, this feels amazing princess!” laughing once more.  

Twilight looked at Opaline. The effects of all the magic from the unity crystals had changed her. She was now almost the same height as Princess. Her horn was curved, it emitted a white flame and sparks. No Pony had ever had that much magic before. Opaline had wings, and her mane flowed with magic like hers. And White mist emanated from Opaline's eyes.  

“What was it you said about those crystals hmmm?” inquired Opaline “They had All the world's magic in them? And now all that magic is in me? Would that mean I'm more powerful than you now?” Opaline grinned as she watched her words be processed by the princess.  

“I believe a little test of power is in order wouldn’t you agree?” Opaline said before charging up her horn. 

A bright beam of purple magic then shot out of Opaline's horn with pinpoint accuracy. Opaline swiftly turned her beam and aimed it directly at one of the many towers that lined Canterlots skyline. With almost no effort the beam met with the white stone of the castle tower. It instantly cut clean through the foundation splitting the tower in half. Twilight watched as a large cloud of dust shot from the destroyed area of the tower before it fell and collapsed into a pile of rubble raining down on the city below.   

Opaline continued to laugh hysterically at her newfound power. Twilight stood still like a statue she was petrified; she knew that something like that would have only injured many of the citizens below them in the city, but she was unable to move she was afraid. She was afraid of what Opaline had become. She knew she had to do something. But what could she do? Everything was happening so fast it was overwhelming. 

Opaline turned her head back around to meet the gaze of the princess. “You know I think with this newfound power I will have the ability to rule over all Equestria as Princess! Opaline then stopped for a moment snickering to herself before continuing. “No Queen!” Opaline lifted her head making a sinister expression to Twilight. “But first I'll have to deal with you.”   

Twilight knew that even her powers we nothing compared to Opalines. She needed to get her out and far away from Canterlot before she could cause any damage and possibly hurt any more ponies. Twilight then Flocked her wings and with great speed jumped into the air and High above Opaline to fly away.    

“A USELESS GESTURE I HAVE YOU IN CHECKMATE!” Shouted Opaline, she then flocked her Newly acquired wings before flying after Twilight.    

Twilight Flew faster than she had done ever before. She wanted to try to get Opaline away from the populated city, but she was unsure of the pony's plan and the patterns of which she might attack. Opaline now possessed all the world's magic. This would make her in theory more powerful than even Twilight herself. She couldn’t get close as it would all but result in her defeat. But giving Opaline space would only allow her attacks to cause more damage. Twilight needed to do something fast. Suddenly a realization came to the princess's mind. Of the one possible advantage she might have over Opaline. If the ways in which Opaline had acted in her life proved one thing to her It was that Opaline could act extremely irrationally. She saw it when Opaline used dragon fire, she saw it countless times she was her student, and she saw it when power had slipped from Opaline's hooves. Opaline would almost instantly go mad with the newly obtained magic she possessed. Instead of her looking at the situation rationally and using her power sparingly and effectively. Opaline would let her rage for the princess drive her. Another added benefit to this was that Opaline had no experience or prior training in learning how to use magic. She would all but definitely try to see the extent of her new powers without trying to learn how to properly and effectively use them first. The princess then landed on a dome of one of the towers. She looked up to see Opaline's figure in front of the moon. A bright beam of magic came right at her. Twilight swerved out of the way, nearly missing the beam which blew away half the roof of the tower.    

“IT FEELS AMAZING ALL THIS MAGIC!” Opaline screamed. She then with her magic lifted up the spire of a nearby tower off its foundation and threw it at Twilight. Twilight quickly hit the spire with a spell teleporting it far away from the city.   

Twilight then flew away from Opaline. She rushed past the buildings of Canterlot and over various landmarks and streets. Well, flying she could see ponies below her looking up at her, most likely drawn out from the sounds of Opaline’s attacks. Opaline raced close behind the princess. She grabbed a cart that was parked on one of the streets and threw it at Twilight. Twilight dodged this attack, the cart exploding into shards of wood upon making contact with a building near the princess. Opaline then blasted beams of magic at Twilight as she flew on with Twilight narrowly dodging these as well.  
“GET BACK HER NOW!” Opaline screamed.  

Twilight didn’t want to use her magic to fight Opaline. She had been with this pony since she was a filly, and the idea of possibly harming her sickened Twilight. But at the same time, Twilight had a duty to protect her citizens and Equestria from any and all threats. She looked back down at the ponies below her, now running away to avoid the battle. It didn't matter if the threat was a pony she had been with since fillyhood. It was still a threat and she needed to think of other ponies besides herself. Twilight then flew to one of the many towers around her. She positioned her back hooves in front of her and used the tower's base to jump and swiftly turn around toward Opaline. She then reluctantly charged up her horn with her own attack unconsciously making it less powerful than it should be. A few beams of magic shot out of Twilight's horn peppering the area around Opaline. Smoke was kicked up from roofs as Opaline swiftly flew around Twilight's attack.   
“You're going to have to try harder than that!” the Alicorn then screamed out.   

Opaline then fired a ball of magic at Twilight. The princess teleported out of the way as the spell exploded behind her. Well, Twilight was dodging various other attacks, she noticed down below her that the royal guards were preparing to aid her in the battle against Opaline. She knew those ponies would stand no chance against Opaline’s new power. Opaline stopped her attack for a moment and observed Twilight’s line of sight. The alicorn then saw the guards Twilight was looking down at. Twilight turned her head back to Opaline and saw that she was beginning to charge up her horn to shoot at the royal guards. Twilight then flew with incredible speed and tackled Opaline in the air. Opaline’s magical beam went projecting through the night sky cutting down various buildings that were in its path. Twilight then Quickly gathered the guards with her magic and teleported them away to a safer location.   

“HOW DARE YOU TOUCH ME!” Opaline screamed. She then slashed at Twilight with her horn before kicking her away.    
Opaline then shot the princess in her wing. Twilight screamed in shock and pain before losing her ability to fly quickly plummeting down to the city below.

Opaline watched as Twilight fell below her. The princess' crown slipped from her head symbolizing to Opaline that Twilight was no longer the one in control of their engagement. Twilight fell through the roof of a castle hall crashing down onto the floor with tremendous force. The princess lay still for a moment. She coughed from all the dust in the air that had been caused by the fall through the castle. Twilight then slowly lifted one of her hooves before slowly picking herself back up. She groaned in pain. The thought of Opaline and what she could do if she wasn’t stopped rang loudly in her mind. Opaline slowly flew down before landing just above the gaping hole in the hall's roof.    

“Are you still at it?” she asked surprised. She flew down to meet Twilight. “I'm surprised you were bested this easily where is that powerful alicorn I spent my youth reading about?” Opaline then placed her hoof on Twilight's head and shoved her back down to the ground. Twilight felt tears run down her face. She couldn’t do this she couldn’t bring herself to hurt Opaline. Opaline then lowered her head down and whispered in the princess's ear. “I'm sure your friends won't be too difficult either.”    

Twilight suddenly felt a wave of anger rush over her at the statement Opaline had made. She realized that Opaline had been playing her the whole time, Opaline knew fighting her former student would be hard for her to do. And her Inability to act would give Opaline an opportunity to beat her.   

Twilight screamed in rage at this realization and at Opaline's comment. “You leave them of this!” she shouted before exploding upward. Her movement threw Opaline across the room.  

Twilight then flew out of the hall. Opaline quickly followed. They battled, exchanging shots and beams of magic. Twilight teleported around rapidly making herself a difficult target. Opaline lit up her horn and quickly whipped her head in Twilight's direction. A spread of magic then came at Twilight. The princess quickly threw up a magical shield to protect herself. As the spread hit her barrier, she could feel herself getting pushed back as the wall of protective magic began to crack. She then teleported away at the moment her shield shattered. Opaline looked on unsure of where Twilight had gone. She looked around igniting her horn in case the Princess reappeared at any moment to attack her. Opaline backed up well doing so. When one of her back hoofs moved away from her body. She heard a small click sound. She quickly reacted by flying out of the way just in time to avoid a barrage of magical rays. She then heard another click from her new position and then another. Opaline deployed a defensive shield as magic rained down all around her. Twilight had trapped her in an area surrounded by a magical defense that covered the area in a complete three hundred and sixty defense trapping her. It was cast to shoot out at even the slightest of movements. After a moment of relentless attack, the beams raining down on Opaline stopped. Opaline then dissolved her shield. She looked up to see Twilight above her. Twilight glared down at her. 
 
“I must admit I'm impressed you’ve made it this long!” Opaline shouted up to her. Twilight didn't respond. “But if I was in your position I'd stop now!” Opaline then smirked at the princess. “I’d hate for it to be renamed to “the mane 5.”  

Twilight clenched her teeth in anger. She teleported behind Opaline and grabbed her with her magic before throwing her far away into the distance. She watched as the figure of Opaline grew smaller and smaller before disappearing into the distance. At that moment Twilight realized what she had just done. She had given into her anger and rage just as Opaline had done. She felt ashamed of herself for not keeping her mind clear and her emotions in check. She knew what she had been trying to do would and probably did physically hurt Opaline. It made Twilight upset with herself that this had happened under her rule. Twilight closed her eyes she felt her heart racing in her chest as she breathed in deeply. She was suddenly hit by a beam of energy that sent her flying into a nearby Tower.  

Twilight let out a groan. She saw she was embedded into the stone inside a room in the tall tower. She looked around trying to determine where the magical blast had come from. She now understood that if Opaline defeated her, she would also have no problem defeating the rest of her friends. It all depended on her, the security of Equestria, the protection of her citizens, and the survival of her friends were all in her hooves. She needed to stop hesitating and just defeat Opaline now as quickly as possible. She thought back to moments before when Opaline had gained her power. In that memory, her mind began to gravitate to the crystals that Opaline had abused. If the crystals could have given Opaline that power could there possibly be a way for her to reverse, it? Could she possibly find a way to remove the magic from Opaline?  

“SPARKLE SHOW YOURSELF NOW!” Opaline's voice called out.    

Twilight charged up a powerful spell and went flying full speed out of the tower in a last-ditch effort to finally finish Opaline's reign of terror before it could even truly begin. The moment Twilight burst out of the rubble she instantly stopped. Her facial expression turned to one of unease. She saw Opaline flying directly in front of her. But she wasn’t flying toward or away from her, she was merely hovering. Opaline was holding a pony in her grasp. One that Twilight would never have thought or wanted to see anywhere near the evil Alicorn. It was Luster Dawn.    

“In case you're wondering I drained her magic!” Opaline called out to Twilight.   
“Twilight!” cried out Luster Dawn.    

Twilight stopped the magic emitting from her horn. She looked on with concern. She could see Opaline’s devious grin as she Tightly held her student in her grip. She could see the exhaustion on the face of her student. It was clear the draining of her magic had taken a toll on her. Opaline's eyes were crazed, her pupils were red, and her mane was messy from the fighting, Sparkes of magical energy zapped all over the pony's body. She gripped Luster closely to her body squeezing her to make sure she wouldn’t let go.    

“Opaline, what are you doing?” Twilight Questioned.    

“I'm giving you a choice. My whole life I felt as if you were in control of my every action and now, I am the one holding the cards.” Opaline smirked. I know we are both equally matched in power. And we can continue to fight until all of Equestria has been turned to ash. Or you can end this all now!    

Twilight quelled the remainder of the magic in her horn. She stopped for a moment in hesitation “What do you want Opaline?” she then asked.    

“Your magic!” Opaline called out.   

Twilight perked up her ears in surprise. Luster looked back in forth confused and scared.   

“Give me the rest of your magic! All of it! And you, your friends, and this pony here can live the rest of your lives with me as Queen!”   

Twilight clenched up at Opaline's deal. Her head began to pound as she tried to process the alicorn's offer.   

“Or you could just Stop me! But if you do your student here will serve as a constant reminder of me and your failures. I want you to know that everything will be mine one way or another no matter any means I might deploy to defeat you. I drained her magic so even if you deny my request your student here will live the rest of her life like I did. Magicless! And who's to say that her inability to use magic won't lead her down the same path as me?”   

“Don't do it please Twilight!” Luster Cried out to her teacher.   

Opaline looked at the expressions and body language of Twilight. It was delightful to see such a powerful pony scared of her and her power, it brought joy to every fiber of Opaline's being. Twilight hung her head low. She was presented with a discussion she was not ready to make. She looked back up. Seeing the expressions of both ponies she had called students and saw as daughters. Opaline’s face radiated anger and hatred. Luster’s radiated fear and anguish.    

“Opaline please don’t do this! I can still give you a chance! You can keep your power just give her back to me!” Twilight Bargained fruitlessly.     

“NO!” Opaline shouted.    

There would be no satisfying Opaline Twilight thought to herself. Opaline was so far gone, so far removed from reality that she was only going to be stopped if she got her way. There would be no way to stop her via the means of magic, or discussion. Twilight realized something. She was going to have to banish Opaline. Send her someplace far away where she wouldn't be able to hurt any more ponies just as Celestia had done before her. Twilight felt as if she was an idiot for letting history repeat itself. But what other choice did she have now? She saw just how unhinged Opaline had become and the damage she had caused. And now she was planning who knows what by using Luster as a bargaining chip. Opaline began to quickly grow impatient from the princess' lack of response to her offer she had no way of telling just what the princesses might be scheming it might be in her best interest to dispose of both her and her replacement now before they could interfere any longer in her plans for Equestria.   

“I knew you wouldn’t be able to do it.” She said. Opaline looked Twilight directly in the eyes before letting go of Luster letting the pony fall. “Oops!” Opaline then said covering her mouth with her hoof.   

“NOOOOOO!” Twilight cried out before diving after her student.    

Twilight knew Luster wouldn’t be able to avoid the ground in time. Twilight Quickly snatched Luster in the air before teleporting herself and her student to the other end of the castle. Twilight placed Luster down on the stone floor. Twilight then hugged Luster tightly.    

“I'm so sorry this had to happen to you Luster,” Twilight said Well tears and emotion flowed from her.   

“It's okay Princess.” luster said back.   

Twilight took a moment longer to hug her student. “Luster I'm going to have to call upon you to do for me.” Twilight then let her grip go of Luster.    

“What is it, princess?” Luster responded curiously.   

“I need you to bring me the crystals. You remember where they are?” Twilight asked.   

Luster nodded her head in response.   

“Good.” is all the princess replied. Twilight then teleported away entrusting her student to retrieve the unity crystals for her plan.   

Once Twilight came back to the battlefield in the sky where she and Opaline had been fighting, she quickly blasted a containment bubble at Opaline. She knew that it would only hold for a moment, but it was a moment more she could let Luster have. Twilight's new goal was to try and tire out Opaline to make sure that eventually, she could get close when the moment was right. She saw Opaline Quickley shatter the bubble and pursue after her. Twilight swirled and dove around the Canterlot skyline flying past buildings and castle towers making sure her movements were quick and erratic. Twilight knew it must seem strange to her student for her not to retrieve the crystals for herself. But Twilight knew Opaline was truly only after her and she feared her suddenly grabbing the crystals would alert Opaline who would then try to target and possibly destroy them. The crystals were too important to Twilight's new plan and she needed to make sure that they would remain away from Opaline until just the right time.    

Luster Stood for a moment looking out a large hole in the wall of the castle. She then quickly raced down the hall. Royal guards and royal servants ran past her trying to escape the onslaught. Luster swerved her way through large chunks of stone wall and rubble that had fallen from the battle. Every few moments the castle would shake, and dust would fall from the ceiling. Luster had no way of knowing what was going on outside the castle walls. She ran up a flight of stairs that would lead her to the crystals. Luster had known of Opaline. There had been a few times in her and Twilight's relationship where the princess had mentioned a student before her. From what Luster could get from the princess and public records she understood the two had parted on not-so-good terms. But to the extent of which Luster was unable to deduce. She had come back to Canterlot to meet with Twilight and tell her about the various friends and journeys she had made. Luster then collapsed on the stairs. She felt her body give out under her. It had been the magic that Opaline had drained from her.  

Moments before the battle had begun, she had been in her room in the castle. She had sat at her desk studying when large rumbles suddenly shook her room. She got up and sprinted out to find out what was going on only to find the hallways completely deserted. When she looked out a window, she saw the sight of beams of magic and bursts of light brightening up the night sky. She immediately understood something bad was happening and raced down the halls to see what she could do to possibly help. Before suddenly she was teleported out of the castle and into the magical aura of a Purple alicorn. There had only been a few moments in Luster's life where she had been truly frightened. And the moment she gazed upon this alicorn was the most defining one of them all. She floated there helplessly as this large pony grew nearer. She could see the Firey hate that filled her eyes. She then watched as the alicorn began to drain her magic in front of her. Luster felt the energy ripped from her body as the magic then made its way into Opaline’s horn. The pony then hoovered her toward her and tightly squeezed onto her. When She was being held in the grips of the alicorn she saw then Twilight suddenly burst from the ruins of a tower seemingly ready to attack them. She then saw the expression of Twilight's face at the sight of her and the sinister alicorn she was immediately able to deduce just who this alicorn was.    

Luster's mind then snapped back to the task at hoof. She raised her body from the stairwell. She needed to help Twilight end this terror before it got any worse. The adrenaline soon overpowered the fatigue in her, and she trekked on with swift determination. She soon made it to the walkway leading to where the crystals had been. She ran with great speed, the sounds of magical battle roaring behind her. She then suddenly halted. The small little area where the crystals were had been seemingly blown away. Large masses of stone and bent railing covered the area. And the crystals were nowhere to be found.    

“Oh No”. Luster muttered to herself. But she knew that she couldn’t give up now. The crystals must be somewhere here. A gust of wind then blew around luster reminding her of the urgency of her task. She got down and began moving debris searching for the crystals.    

“Come on, come on, come on!” she said panicked.   

She pushed away some railing and then discovered the Pegasus crystal underneath. Luster felt a sense of relief to have found one of the crystals. It was a good sign and must mean the other two were still there. Luster then began rummaging again. She quickly discovered the earth pony crystal between a few chucks of stone.   

“That's two!” she said aloud.   

Suddenly a bright beam of magic whizzed past her. Luster jumped out of the way as the beam cut through half of the balcony. She then looked forward to seeing that the blast had uncovered the final remaining crystal which was situated extremely close to the edge of the part of the balcony that had been blown away. Luster then dove toward it without a moment of hesitation. But the sudden vibration of lusters body caused the last crystal to roll off the edge. Without a thought luster quickly engaged her horn and luckily caught the crystal. She then hovered it over to her. Her magic quickly sputtered out and the crystal fell into her hooves. She smirked for a moment, realizing that Opaline hadn't drained as much magic as she thought she did.   

“Twilight!” luster then called out into the night.   

Twilight’s head turned in the direction of the shout and she teleported to its location. She then grabbed Luster and the crystals and teleported once again to the outskirts of Canterlot. She placed Luster down in a grassy field and then quickly hugged her.   

“Thank you luster. You have saved more than you know.” Twilight then took a few breaths of air. Before hugging Luster tighter. She knew this might be the last time she would ever see her again. Twilight then collected the crystals and teleported away.    

Opaline Flew around the city. “TWILIGHT SPARKLE WHERE ARE YOU!” she screamed “ARE YOU FINISHED NOW!?” Opaline then flew down to the ground.    

She put a hoof down and looked all around her. Twilight was nowhere to be found. She then looked around at the smoldering pieces of rubble that lay all around her from her and Twilight's battle. Suddenly a bright flash of light lit up everything around the alicorn.    

“There you are!” she said smirking before teleporting to the light's location.   

Opaline Teleported in only to feel wrapped in beams of magical energy. She then slashed with a beam of her magic to cut herself free, but the beams quickly regenerated and wrapped tighter around her. As Opaline struggled to break free the bright light in front of her grew dimmer before going out, revealing the princess. Opaline paused at the sight of Twilight.   

“WHAT ARE YOU DOING LET ME GO!” she shouted.   

Twilight was silent, she then summoned in the crystals. Opaline watched as Twilight closed her eyes and tilted her head back before quickly bobbing it back to the crystals. The princess's horn then lit up and a beam of purple magic hit the crystals. The three crystals began to spin around the princess. Opaline’s face of anger turned to one of fear at the Princess’ actions. More beams of light then redated out of the crystals and then surrounded Opaline encasing her.   
Opaline began to Panic “No! NO! STOP!” she screamed out. But Twilight didn’t react to Opaline and then within a flash, the two ponies were gone.    

Opaline opened her eyes. She was in a dark stone room. She looked around panicked and confused, unsure of just where she was. The stone was cold and damp and the only light was that of the moon pouring in through the windows above her. Opaline went to use her horn to illuminate the area. But nothing happened.    

“No!” she shouted panicked. Opaline then went to try again. But once more nothing came out of her horn. “Work! Work! oh please work!” she then shouted panicked by the lack of magic.   

“It's no use Opaline,” said Twilight's voice said behind her shaky and out of breath.   

Opaline turned around behind her to fight the alicorn but then suddenly stopped. She was expecting the large figure of Twilight behind her. But instead, she was met with a pony half the size of herself. She watched as Twilight took a moment gasping for breath. Her head was pointed to the ground and a fine pink smoke radiated off of her. Twilight then looked up at Opaline. Opaline was dumbfounded by the new appearance of the princess. Twilight looked as how she did before she became the ruler of Equestria. Pieces of her golden armor lay all around her having seemingly fallen off by the sudden decrease in her size. Her mane no longer flowed with magic, it lay at the sides of her neck and her forehead still and motionless. Her wings hung at her side small and unmoving, and her cutie mark was gone.   

“Twilight what have you done?” Opaline asked. But Twilight remained silent. “IM ASKING YOU TWILIGHT WHAT DID YOU DO JUST NOW!” Opaline then shouted.   

The princess lifted her head and looked at Opaline before speaking. “I've stopped you.” is all she responded with.    
Opaline instantly went to shoot a spell at the princess but once again nothing was produced.    

“Your magic is gone, Opaline.” Twilight said. “it's back in the crystals. You can't use it anymore.”   

Opaline backed up in fear. “No No NO!” she shouted.   

“you're not going to hurt any pony anymore. You can't.” Twilight then began to walk forward to Opaline. “This place is a castle I had renovated. When it was made and why doesn't matter anymore as it will now be your new home. I knew deep down inside I might have to use it to banish some pony and I knew I couldn't bring myself to do something as Celestia had done, it seemed too Cruel.” Opaline began to Back up from the Princess approaching her. Twilight continued again. “you'll be safe here and in return Equestria will as well.”   

Opaline hit the wall behind her. Twilight approached Opaline before stopping directly in front of the alicorn's neck. She then looked up and directly into Opaline's eyes. Opaline felt repulsed and disgusted by the sight of the princess. Her vibrant colors were now replaced with dull ones. And her eyes were colorless and devoid of anything.   
 
“I used all my magic to contain you and protect all of Equestria. You won't be able to leave. You can't.” Twilight then poked Opaline’s chest with her hoof. “I had such hopes for you, you could have been so much more.”   
Opaline fell to the ground shaking in fear. “STOP! PLEASE!” she shouted as tears began to flow from her eyes. Twilight backed up from her.   

“I'm sorry Opaline for all of it. I'm sorry it had to be this way. I didn't want this to happen.” Twilight lowered her head. “I loved you like a daughter. And it pains me to do this.” Twilight then turned around and began to walk away from the Alicorn now laying on the ground.   

The once great Opaline Arcana a pony who singly hoofedly almost brought down all Equestria utilizing division. And was able to briefly steal all magic in the world for herself. Now lay on the damp cold floor of a castle far away from any pony civilization, curled up in a ball from fear.  
 
“I'll come back for you one day I promise you that,” Twilight said.   

Opaline raised her head and looked up at Twilight. She watched as the pony she had once admired began to walk away from her. Opaline then called out to the princess. The small innocent filly inside her took control of her for that brief moment. “Don't leave me I'm scared!” she shouted out.  

Twilight stopped. “Goodbye Opaline.” is all she said. Opaline then watched as the princess faded away in front of her. Opaline was left in complete silence. She lowered her head down and closed her eyes.    
> Opaline Chapter 12
> --------------------------------------------------------------------------

The air was still. The cold stone surrounded every area of the castle. Some rooms were littered with objects, well others were empty. In one of these rooms lay the Alicorn Opaline Arcana. Her body lay unmoving, her eyes shut tightly, her mind empty and thoughtless. The pony had stayed in the same spot for days. Nights before the alicorn had been defeated, brought down, and punished by someone who she had once looked up to. Opaline's mind was unable to comprehend her defeat. She wrestled with herself back and forth trying to process what had happened. Had she really been beaten? Had she failed Twilight? Did anything she did even matter? She thought to herself. Opaline then lifted her head. She felt her back and neck pop and crack. She then opened her eyes; her vision was blurred. light from the sun stung her eyes which quickly began to water. She shut them tightly before blinking a few times as the stinging sensation slowly went away. She looked around the room, trying to see if there was any way for her to get out of there. She then noticed a wooden door on the other side of the room. It was an escape she thought. Opaline had no true idea of where she was. Twilight had said she was in a castle. But what if she was just being held in some room in Canterlot? Opaline wanted to see the princess. She wanted to finish her off and take Equestria for herself. There wouldn’t be anything that possibly could stand in the way of the great and powerful Opaline Arcana! She thought. Opaline then went to finally rise from the position she had been in. She put one hoof in front of her. She went to rise only for her to fall over suddenly. She then tried again only to fall over once more. She looked down at her legs confused.

“Wha- wha...t I-” Opaline then paused her face making an expression of startlement. She then tried speaking again. “H... how can I Opa-” She then quickly stopped meeting the same result as before. Her voice came out only as a weak raspy whisper.
Opaline lay there unsure of what was happening to her. 

She would then conclude that the sudden acquirement of all the world's magic and its swift removal from her body, as well as her battle with Twilight, had left her sore and weak. as her body had experienced something that no pony had ever felt before. For the rest of the day, the alicorn would struggle to pick herself up. She would crawl halfway through the large room before stopping due to the weakened state of her body. When she was recuperating on the ground she took the time to look up at the roof of the castle above her. It was rounded, and the castle’s colors were surprisingly vibrant and warm. The light purple stained glass window above shaded the room in a dim purple glow. Opaline closed her eyes; trying to process what was going on, and in doing so it allowed exhaustion to take over.

Opaline would find herself waking up every few hours. When this would happen, she would continue to crawl a little bit more. Eventually, she finally had regained enough energy to get up and limp to the wooden door. She went to turn the doorknob with her magic, but nothing was produced. She then slowly twisted the doorknob open with her hoof. She hoped to see herself walk out and onto a balcony overlooking Canterlot. But when she pushed open the door, she was only met with a long winding hall of an unfamiliar castle. Opaline quickly became angry, she wanted to know where she was and where Twilight was. She then slammed the door before collapsing again, as the sudden reactions and movements proved too much for her body to handle. She tried to get up but her body cried out telling her it hurt too much. She rested in that spot for a moment longer she then opened the door once more.

“TWILIGHT!” she screamed out. “TWILIGHT SPARKLE WHERE ARE YOU!?” But there was no response to her yelling, only the quiet ambiance of the castle.

Was she the only one there she thought? She quickly remembered back to the night Twilight had put her in that room and what she had said about the castle.

“I used all my magic to contain you and protect all of Equestria. You won't be able to leave. You can't.” were the words that Opaline recalled. She then limped out the door and into the hall.

“TWILIGHT! TWILIGHT SPARKLE!” she cried out again. But there was still no response.

Opaline franticly turned her head around in all directions. What had the princess done to her? Was she truly alone? Or was this some kind of trick the princess had done to get her to finally surrender? Opaline began to panic her head began to spin and she started to breathe heavily. She pressed her hoof to her temple. She felt her body was weak and she felt the anxiety caused by the situation but out of all the feelings she noticed that hunger wasn't one of them, she paused as this new realization quickly scrubbed out how she had felt. it seemed too minuscule to her as she hadn't consumed anything for the past few days. it was odd she hadn't felt hungry at all. In fact, she hadn't felt thirsty either. Was this due to her being more focused on her surroundings perhaps? Opaline then quickly thought of her stomach in order to make herself feel hungry. But the sensation didn't come to her neither did thirst. Was this Twilight’s doing She thought? Why would the princess do something like that to her? Was that because the princess was planning on keeping her here for a long period of time? Had Twilight made it so she wouldn’t feel hunger or thirst? Opaline looked around once more. Was this her new home or a prison?

Opaline would then spend the next few days becoming familiar with the castle. One room she stumbled upon was that of a large library. Every shelf was stocked with thousands of copies of fresh books. They all varied in different topics and texts. It would seemingly take years for a single pony to read through all of them. Somewhat reaffirming Opaline's negative suspicions. She’d stay in the library treating it as some kind of sanctuary. There as she was slowly physically recovering, she would take the time to reflect on all she had done. The events of that night with Twilight stayed clear in her consciousness. She could still see the looks of both Twilight and her student clearly. She had everything working in her favor until the very end. If it hadn't been for Twilight, she could possibly be ruling over all of Equestria right now. But instead, she felt like a bird trapped in a cage. As she began to once again grow stronger, she decided she would try to escape. She found a window and tried to open it. But it quickly became apparent that seemingly no matter what she did to it she could not find any possible way of forcing it open. She would kick at it with her hooves, kicking harder and harder before they would hurt. She then tried to throw objects at the window in hopes of breaking it. But they would only bounce off the glass. Glass should easily be shattered but it wasn't most likely due to Twilight's containment spell. She then went to a large red door situated at the base level of the castle that seemingly served as the building's entrance. She tugged on the latch trying to free it. But it held firm she tried kicking but this also failed. Then in an act of desperation, she grabbed a candle and tried to burn the door down. But the flame would not spread. She tried this until all the wax had melted and the candle's flame burned her. Opaline began to cry, realizing the gravity of the situation she was in. Twilight was right, she couldn’t leave.

“LET ME OUT SPARKLE!” Opaline cried out bashing on the door. She continued to bash on the door till her hoof went numb and the energy left her body. Her body gave out on her and she tumbled onto the floor in front of the large wooden door. 

She felt as though now she only had enough energy left to think. And soon the isolation began to take hold of the pony. Minutes turned into what felt like hours, well hours felt as though they only lasted minutes. Days went by, before weeks, and months, until what eventually felt like years. She felt trapped both inside the castle and in her own mind. She was a prisoner punished to stay in her head alone with only her thoughts as the world passed by before her. She lost all sense of time, there was never anything she could do to entertain herself, there was nothing there that interested her, nothing there except eternal boredom and loneliness. She’d confine herself to rooms shrouded in darkness where she would stay for long periods of time. How much longer before the isolation would eventually cause her to stop thinking? She'd wonder to herself. Twilight said she would come back for her one day but when would that day come? And would that day ever come? Would she ever be able to leave or was her fate now sealed indefinitely? Opaline stayed there holding onto the hope that one day Twilight would come back and free her. But as time began to pass more and more the princess never returned.
> Opaline Chapter 13
> --------------------------------------------------------------------------

Fat raindrops hit the window making a small thud as each drop made contact with the glass's surface. Opaline rested her head on her hoof. She stared out the window expressionless as she watched the oncoming rainstorm. The fire she had lit behind her crackled illuminating the room in a soft orange glow. Opaline turned her head to the candle she had lit beside her that had barely any wax left and watched the flame intently as if she had a microscope. The candle's flame quickly went out leaving a trail of gray smoke that reached above her. She then placed her head on the windowsill. She closed her eyes and listened to the raindrops hitting the walls of the castle. 

She stayed there for a time before getting up from the window and walking over to the fireplace. She stopped and stared at the flames. She had always found fire to be somewhat relatable. It stood as a force of nature able to grow and destroy anything that stood before it. But it also served as a cruel reminder to her that like herself it would always remain trapped by those who controlled it. Unable to grow to its full potential and only ever limited to a small flame that burned under the tight restraint of someone else. Stunted forever and never allowed to reach out and become the thing it so desperately desired. She remembered the time she had spent as Twilight's student long ago. Not a day passed when she didn’t think about the outside world. She wanted to know what had become of her teacher, what had happened to Canterlot after her and Twilight's great battle. And just what was the state of current Equestria. She then walked closer to the fire, feeling its warmth. She stood there lost in thought as the rain outside began to come down harder. 

As she stood still, lost in the deep reaches of her mind, she then felt as though she heard something out of the ordinary. Something so slight she was surprised that the sounds of the rain and the crackles from the fireplace hadn't drowned it out from her hearing. Opaline had been there so long now she had grown used to the various sounds the structure around her made. Whether that be the sounds of the castle settling, or the howls of wind that sounded through the long winding halls. But soon she heard this strange sound again, and then again, and then again. It persisted and only seemed to grow louder and louder. Soon seeming to drown out even the rumbles of thunder that now radiated from the storm. The noise was almost deafening to the alicorn. Opaline placed both her hooves against her ears in an effort to no longer hear it, but the noise continued. Opaline squeezed her hooves harder against her ears trying desperately to get rid of this noise, but it persisted. She then fell to the ground screaming, pushing with much force at the sides of her head. 

“STOP! MAKE IT STOP!” She screamed out as tears fell down from her face. 

And then suddenly just as she had pleaded the noise stopped. Opaline slowly removed her hooves from her ears and looked around perplexed. She got up from the ground and rushed out to the castle hallway. She looked all around her. Everything seemed to be okay. She then quickly rushed down the stairs and to the balcony overlooking the castle’s entrance. She stared down looking at the brick walls, windows, and doors. Before she finally settled her eyes on the large red wooden door that served as the entrance to the castle. It stood barred and locked. Opaline was then startled to see as the door began to frantically Shake. It didn’t merely shake from the wind of the storm outside pushing against it. There was something on the other side, something behind it, that was trying desperately to get in. Opaline stepped back, her eyes wide with terror. Was this merely a sinister Trick her former mentor was playing on her? Was this all just some grim hallucination? Or was there something or someone on the other side of that door? 

Opaline felt fear build inside her. She had no idea what was out there and why it was trying to get in so badly. But at the same time for some odd reason, even Opaline couldn’t determine the origin of, she felt the urge to get closer to the door. She slowly began to creep forward cautiously making her way toward the door as it violently shook back and forth. It sounded as though it would fall off its hinges, it was shaking so hard. Opaline took a deep breath as she slowly lifted her Shakey hoof towards the door. She then watched as the large door swung open, loudly slamming hard against the wall. A gust of howling wind blew into her face as wet specs of rain hit the floor around her. Opaline saw the outline of a figure blanketed behind what she could only describe as a dark void. She froze in fear, closing her eyes expecting something bad to happen to her. But instead of the roar of some terrible monster or the swipe of a claw in her direction, all she heard was the sound of a body hitting the floor. She slowly opened a single eye and to her astonishment, she saw the body of a blue earth pony stallion lying on the floor in front of her. She then looked up behind the pony and into the darkness still visible from the open door before it closed with a loud thud. 

She looked down at the pony's appearance. He was wearing a faded yellow vest now soaking wet from the torrential Downpour. His mane was a darker shade of blue that was followed by little purple and light blue streaks that were neatly combed back and ended in a ponytail behind his head. Small bits of facial hair lined each side of his cheeks and little locks of his mane had popped out of place in the wet conditions. But out of all these small details she picked up on, she was perplexed by something, in particular, the pony had on. She turned her head as she focused more. Around the stallion's neck hung a necklace carrying a small sanded-down round piece of wood. But it was what was on that necklace that perplexed her. It was a star, a six-pointed star. The very same star as her mentor's cutie mark, Twilight’s star. The strange pony then shakily got up from the floor. He tried brushing the water out of his vest but gave up as his article of clothing was too wet to be dried off. He quickly turned his focus to Opaline. She watched as she saw him quickly step back in surprise. 

“OH, my I'm so sorry!” said the pony surprised, his voice Shaky and high-pitched. “I didn't think any pony lived here! I saw this castle and thought It was just another abandoned ruin. I was cold and wet and needed to get out of the rain I'm terribly-” The stallion then suddenly stopped mid-sentence before looking back at Opaline. She could then see his face light up in a state of amazement and wonder. 

He looked at her horn before looking at her sides where her wings rested folded. He spoke once again, now very surprised and full of energy. “Oh, my Sparkle! you're you're you’re-” The stallion struggled to speak in amazement finding it hard to arrange his words. “YOU'RE AN ALICORN!” 

Opaline jumped in surprise at the fact that this new pony was seemingly so excited to meet her. Opaline watched as the mysterious pony quickly reached into his saddle bag to retrieve a small bound journal and pen. Opaline then noticed the second appearance of the 6-pointed star on the cover of the pony's notebook. As he did this fumbling with his task, Opaline then caught a glimpse of something she thought she'd never see again. The stallion's saddle bag bared a striking resemblance to that of the saddle bag she used to carry around as a filly. The very same one she left behind the night she ran away from Twilight. Opaline felt a twitch in her eye as she started to boil over with anger at the sudden appearance of this strange pony covered in the markings of her former despised teacher. 

“WHO ARE YOU? WHAT DO YOU WANT!” Opaline shouted angrily at the intruder, who she believed was trying to mock her with the flashings of Twilight’s star. 

The earth pony stumbled clumsily dropping the pen and journal. The pony then lifted his hoof for her to shake before speaking. “The name is Argyle Starshine! amateur explorer and ancient Equestrian historian! At your service!” He then gave her a wide smile seemingly unaffected by the words that had come from the alicorn in front of him. 

Opaline stood motionless not returning the greeting gesture. The earth pony placed his hoof back down and chuckled nervously giving an awkward look at the Alicorn. “So...” The earth pony paused seemingly embarrassed. “Are you the only one here?” He said looking around the castle curiously. 

Opaline Pressed her hoof against her head. She looked at the earth pony that was still in front of her. She watched as he walked around Admiring his surroundings seemingly completely unaware of just who he was talking to and where he was. She was angry that a seemingly random earth pony had found her sanctuary. She remembered what she had said oh so long ago about earth ponies. And now there was one in her castle. She became even more angry when she realized that for as long as she had been a prisoner in this castle. She, an alicorn, was powerless against whatever magical spell Twilight had used to keep her there. And the fact that a lone earth pony whose tribe she had preached to be full of incompetent magicless buffoons had easily bypassed that magical spell that was holding her back, angered her. She slammed her hoof on the hard-tiled floor. Sparks flew as she made contact with the ground. 

Opaline ran at the Pony swiftly grabbing ahold of him and holding him up pinning him against the wall. “DONT, YOU KNOW WHERE YOU ARE?!, I COULD DESTROY YOU IN ONE FOWL MAGICAL SWOOP!” She screeched. Baring her teeth and lowering her head down so her horn was pointed directly between the pony’s eyes. 

Argyle turned his head away from Opaline's curved horn. “But you can't,” he said, struggling to free himself from the Alicorn's grasp. 

“WHAT DO YOU MEAN I CAN'T?” Opaline Snickered, strengthening her grasp on the smaller pony. 

“Because there is none!” said Argyle in a gasp of breath. "There's no magic!” 

Opaline's face lost color as she was somewhat repulsed and baffled at the statement. She let go of the pony. Argyle caught himself wobbling from side to side before finally correcting his posture. 

“There's no magic...?” Opaline said to herself in a state of disbelief. What did he mean by this? Opaline then quickly reminded herself of the pony’s placement in her mind. What if he was trying to deceive her in order to gain something? 

“YOU EARTH PONY! HOW LONG HAS IT BEEN LIKE THIS?” she then said pointing her hoof at the stallion. 

“Ummm? For a long time?” He said a bit unsure of her question. 

“HOW LONG?” Opaline yelled back. 

“Since before I was born, and my parents were born, and my grandparents were born. So, I guess a really long time?” Argyle said somewhat unsure before dusting off his vest and picking up the various pens that had fallen out of his pocket. 

“I feel as though out of all ponies you’d know about this?” he said. “Hey by the way are there more of you guys? I would like to start an entirely new line of study! Is that okay?” Argyle said clapping his hooves together in a chipper attitude. 

But Opaline only drowned out the curious earth pony's comment. She tried to wrestle with the fact that if what this pony was saying was true then it could mean that she had indeed gotten the last laugh over Twilight. That even now if it wasn’t intended Equestria was now magicless. Just as she had been. 

“What was your name again?” Opaline said, swiftly turning around. 

“Argyle, Argyle Starshine,” he said. “Say are you really an alicorn?” he asked curiously. Ponting to her sides where her wings were. 

Opaline looked down to her side and opened out one of her wings before turning back and giving the pony an annoyed look. 

“Oh my,” he said in response covering his mouth with his hoof seemingly in shock of the pony in front of him. She then watched as he once again grabbed his book and pen before fiercely scribbling away at its pages. 

“Do you know where you are?” Opaline then said, still angered. 

Argyle stopped writing and looked up. “NO! And that’s the best part!” he said cheerfully before giving Opaline a wide smile. 
Opaline moved her head up trying to assert her superiority to the earth pony. “Well, how did you get here?” Opaline then asked confused and annoyed. “Where are you even from?” 

“Oh well, you see I usually take a certain path when I go out adventuring. But because of the rain, I must have taken a wrong turn and ended up here!” Argyle then went back to scribbling away in his book still blissfully unaware of just who he was in the presence of. 

He then spoke once more. “As for where I'm from I live in a bay town just south of here!” He then motioned behind him with his hoof to what Opaline could only assume was the direction of his home. 

“There's a town that way?” Opaline questioned slightly lifting her hoof roughly in the same direction the pony had pointed. She was now more confused than angry. 

“Oh yes, full of earth ponies! we like to call it maritime bay!” Argyle said full of joy. 

Opaline found it odd that there was a town at a distance that ponies could walk from she also found it disturbing that said town was full of inferior earth ponies. Perhaps Twilight hadn't remembered that there was one there. But again, it could have been built after Twilight sent her here. It also seemed odd that the stallion only mentioned earth ponies. as all the towns she had ever gone to contained creatures from every walk of equestrian life. Making Opaline wonder once again how much time she had spent trapped in this castle. She then realized that if she wasn't careful the pony could possibly tell his kin about her and her castle's location. She didn't even want this one here, so the thought of more of them invading her sanctuary made her shiver. Opaline then turned her head looking down at the pony before her. At that moment a realization came to her consciousness. This pony had been her first contact with the outside world since her battle with Twilight. If she could play her cards right, she now could possibly have a tool in which to learn about what had happened to the world outside the castle walls. Opaline then lit up, her mood swiftly changing to one of gratification. She could even possibly use this stallion to her advantage. If she could gain his trust maybe, he could lead her back to the unity crystals where so she could once again take their magic for herself and finish what she had started all those moons ago with Twilight Sparkle. Opaline chuckled to herself in delight. Feeling the pleasure of a new opportunity before her. 

“I'll say miss it's very nice to meet you even if I may have been a bit too intrusive.” Argyle then said. 

A silence then befell the area for a moment as the two ponies stopped talking. Argyle then closed his notebook before putting it into his saddle bag. He then dusted himself off before speaking once more. 

“Well, you seem to not want me here so I guess I have to respect your wishes." The pony’s voice seemed a bit saddened saying this, as he’d have to leave a pony that seemed so fascinating to him. He then turned away from her. And tried to make an effort to reach the door. 

“NO!” Opaline called out surprising Argyle. 

Argyle stopped and looked back at Opaline. “I thought you didn't want me here?” he said confused. 

“I...I” Opaline found it hard to speak. She was nervous as it had been so long since she had talked to any pony else. “It's still raining out there. You could slip and hurt yourself or possibly get lost again. Just stay here for now.” said Opaline. She surprised herself with how nice her words were. 

She knew how much she had seen herself as higher than earth ponies, but she could not risk losing this one, as he would be too important if she ever wanted her plan to succeed. She then forced herself to change her attitude to one of a more welcoming nature. After all, she needed to trick him if this was to work. 

Opaline then raised her hoof and forced herself to smile. "Opaline Arcana." She said.  

Argyle then walked toward her. greeting her with a warm smile before shaking her hoof. "It's a Pleasure, Opaline." He then placed his hoof back down and looked around once more. “This is a mighty impressive place you've got her Opaline," Argyle then stated looking around. 

As the stallion was distracted Opaline whipped her hoof on a nearby banner trying to rid herself of what she saw as "Earth pony filth." 

Argyle then turned and walked right up to her side. Opaline felt a bit repulsed by his action but stayed her ground not showing her displeasure to the earth pony. 

“Hey umm, you never answered my question are you the only one here? Is any pony else in here with us?” Argyle then questioned. 

“Don't worry about that right now,” Opaline said she then turned and began to walk with Argyle quickly following behind her. “Now how about you tell me more about Equestria.” She said smirking. 
> Opaline Chapter 14
> --------------------------------------------------------------------------

The dawn of the next morning, bright beams of sunlight slowly began beaming in through the large windows of the cramped castle hallway. Opaline had spent that morning pacing around her study cursing at herself. She had awoken earlier to find that the Earth pony she had only just met and the one she saw as vital to her new plan was gone. She had searched every square inch of the castle but had only come up empty hooved. She thought back to the previous night and her meeting with the strange stallion. She was perplexed by his mannerisms, the way he spoke, and the way he explained everything in extreme detail. It was quite an odd encounter and Opaline had viewed him with the same respect as a young pony might view a centipede. An odd fascinating little creature that was just as interesting as it was disgusting. 

When Opaline then took him to the castle's parlor, she asked him various Questions like what it was like out there, how is magic missing, and why is your town only populated with earth ponies. But for somepony who had claimed to be a historian Opaline was surprised to learn that he really didn’t know much. His Answers to her questions were simple and basic and lacked anything of interest. When she asked about Twilight Sparkle, he had a somewhat unsatisfying response saying that he knew who she was but that he had only been able to find records that went up to her coronation as Princess of Equestria. She then asked him about how magic had been lost, but once again he responded with a disappointing answer saying that everypony said it had something to do with the unicorns and that he didn’t know much beyond that. Opaline was less than displeased by these responses. When she went to ask about what had become of the three unity crystals, he corrected her and asked if she meant the elements of harmony. She then finally asked him if he knew of Canterlot. His response then surprised her when he said that it now lay in ruins and had been long since abandoned. Remarking that he had been there several times before but it had seemingly been long since picked clean by the elements and looters. And that the only notable thing he had found was the green saddlebag buried under rubble.  

Opaline’s mind was seemingly at a loss by the earth pony's information. Had Canterlot been abandoned due to her and Twilight's battle? Had the magic she took from the crystals caused the loss of all magic? Why was information about the Twilights era so hard to find? And why did he not know what the unity crystals were? And why in Equestria had Twilight not come back for her as she promised? She was now seemingly left with more questions than answers about the world outside her castle. Opaline walked over to a large window, she then looked out from it and toward the morning sun. What had happened? She thought. Opaline then shook her head quickly reminding herself once again that it had been an earth pony that had told her all this. A pony whose tribe she had only ever seen as unsophisticated and idiotic. Was it not possible that if she had plans for him, he might have plans for her as well? And that knowing she was an alicorn he was only making up vague responses to possibly lure her in so he could obtain something like power or wealth? But after all the interaction she had done the night before with him one thing stood out to her. The fact that he had seemingly no idea who she was. When they had met, she noticed that he seemingly didn’t recognize her name. There had only been a few alicorns in Equestria’s history and for someone like him, he should have easily deduced which one she was. After all, aiding in the destruction of half of Equestria’s now former capital city should have easily landed her a place in the history books. But he remained in her presence blissfully unaware of who she was.  

She had always dreamed of one day becoming more known than Twilight. But the fact that a simple earth pony had no idea of who she was unnerved her. Had Twilight scrubbed her from the history books after she had been trapped and defeated?    
She spent what felt like the entire night listening to that pony drone on and on about things he either didn’t have the answers to or things that were not as complex as he thought they were. In a way, he reminded her about how she was with Twilight as a filly. She had become so bored of his talking that she had evidently fallen asleep, seemingly allowing him to slip away. This had been the eventual moment she had woken up too. Once again finding herself completely alone in her castle. Opaline felt as though the years of isolation had made her weak. That she had quickly become too close to someone only for them to betray her once again. She should have expected that from an earth pony. But seemingly she had also felt upset by the pony's disappearance. Even if he belonged to a tribe that she despised and even if he was not as smart as he claimed to be. It had been her first contact with the outside world for what felt like thousands of moons and now it was gone. Who knew if he might ever come back? She had no way of telling. What if this had all been some kind of trick enacted by Twilight to continuedly wear away her mind?    

“Hello, Opaline!” A voice called out.  

Opaline jumped in surprise. She swiftly turned her head and looked in the direction the voice had come from.  
“DONT DO THAT TO ME!” She yelled. She was then surprised to see just who had called out to her.  

“Oh, please forgive me Opaline I didn't mean to startle you, the door was unlocked, and I know you-” Opaline cut him off from the rest of his sentence.  

“Just get to the point Argyle,” she said angrily. Opaline was somewhat surprised to see that this pony had returned. As she believed he wouldn’t due to the way she had treated him the night before.  

“I um brought you some apples.” Said argyle who then lifted a basket full of said fruit. “They are the symbol of honesty! Well, at least to me everypony else just sees them as a red fruit.”  

“You what?” She said surprised.  

“Yeah, I thought since you had said that you wanted to know more, I'd come back and bring something with me!” Argyle then smiled at her.  

Opaline felt somewhat uneasy with the kindness that this earth pony was showing her. She wondered if he even knew who she was. And she was even more curious about why he had come back.  

“Well, uh...” Opaline hesitated. “that's very nice of you Argyle.” Opaline said between her teeth in a tone radiating both embarrassment and anger.  

“Mhm!” said Argyle who then Smiled widely and walked into her room. 

Opaline watched as the pony trotted into her personal study before stopping and curiously looking around. She felt as if it was the same as introducing a new pet to an unfamiliar area. She watched as he set down the apples and reached into that cruised green saddlebag.  

“So, Opaline I was wondering since I told you some things yesterday that you could tell me some more things about you!” Argyle then retrieved his notebook and flipped it open seemingly trying to find a particular page.  

Opaline's suspicions were confirmed. This stallion did in fact have no idea who she was. Why else would he be trying to get to know things about Her? 

“Okay, Hundred and forty-one Questions for an Alicorn! Question Number One! Do you use magic on command, or does it happen randomly? Do alicorns really get taller? Did you get your wings first or your horn? Do you-” Opaline lunged at Argyle and grabbed his hoof, cutting him off from his questions.  

“Why are you really here?” she questioned. “Do you want something from me is that it? Do you see me as a possible way of getting power is that why you’re here?” Opaline stared into Argyles' eyes trying to determine his character. “You understand that with my power I could destroy you extremely easily.”  

“But you haven't,” Argyle said back in a gasp of breath.  

“What?” Opaline replied releasing the pony's hoof. “What did you say?” She was baffled by the pony's response.  

“If you saw me as a threat, you would have dealt with me already.” said Argyle “But you haven't used any magic. And whether or not that’s due to the lack of magic in the world I still haven't determined.” Opaline released the pony. he stepped back and straightened his vest “You probably see me as such but I'm not stupid Opaline.”  

Opaline’s eyes widened at the sudden unexpected remarks of the earth pony. She backed up to make space between her and Argyle. She felt she needed to teach this puny earth pony a lesson. After all, who was he trying to act all smart towards her? But she strangely felt a bit of respect toward him. No pony had ever stood up to her like that and was willing to talk back to her. It was an odd feeling, to say the least.  

“I...” Opaline hesitated to speak. How could she suddenly be the one in the position of bewilderment and not him? “I just found this all... perplexing,” she said. “Why did you come back here?” she then asked him.  

Argyle walked forward a little and began to pick the apples that had fallen out of the basket. “I just found it fascinating that I stumbled upon a pony like you.” He then collected the last few apples before looking up at her. “You fascinate me, Opaline.”  
Opaline felt herself unexpectedly blush at his remark. “Well, um...” She felt flustered.  

“It's just I had never imagined myself finding a pony who seemingly knew just as much as me. Let alone an alicorn!” Argyle then rested the basket of fruit on a small table next to him. “it's just nopony where I'm from seems to take me seriously. It's always “Oh you focus too much on the past argyle focus on the future.” or “Oh Argyle you need to start to do other things aside from looking into old legends and tall tales.”  

“But the past isn't a legend,” Opaline said.  

“That's what I've been saying!” Argyle responded. “It's not just an old foal's tale! It's history and there is so much that can be learned from it!” Argyle chuckled. “You know Opaline you’re the only other pony that seems to get me.” Argyle then paused. “Say how is it that you know all this stuff about Twilight and the past?”  

“Oh well, I'm a historian. Just like you!” she then said quickly, forcing herself to smile once more.  

She then watched the stallion's face light up in front of her. She knew to make sure she didn’t lose him again she’d needed to make herself seem relatable to the pony so that he would continue to come back to her.  

“Are you really?” Argyle asked.  

“Yes, I am!” Opaline responded. She then walked up to him. “Say you mentioned that finding information about old Equestria was shotty correct?”  

“Well yes, usually the information I find comes from extremely old books and they can be so old and fragile that there isn't much I can do or learn from them.” Argyle looked at her. “Why do you ask?”  

Opaline smirked. “Well, you see I have an entire library full of the information that you might just need.” 

“Oh, my stars?! Really!” Argyle then lit up in excitement.    

“Oh yes! And you look at them as much as your little heart desires Argyle!” Opaline then playfully tapped Argyle motioning him to follow her.  

Opaline then led the pony to the castle’s library. She noticed how excited Argyle seemed to be. And well leading him there she began to iron out more of her plans for him. The library was full of books that dated back to before her banishment. Each text had little to no mention of her and Twilight’s relationship meaning that for now, she could continue to keep her identity vague to the Earth pony as this might prove to be of some benefit to her in the future. As well as the fact that she knew it would seemingly take decades if not hundreds of years for a single pony to read all the texts there. After all the time she had spent trapped in the castle proved this to her. So, for a pony like Argyle, he would have to continue to keep coming back to her for more knowledge of old Equestria, and in turn, this would allow her to slowly gain the trust of the pony. She knew personally how much this would be like a dream to him. And how it would all work out perfectly for her.  

The alicorn then pushed open the large wooden door of the library's entrance. The stallion's reaction proved to be just as she had predicted.  

“Oh wow!” Argyle stated in wonder. He then walked around looking at the thousands of books that lined the shelves of her castle. “This is incredible! I don’t think even Maretime Bay has this many books in its library!”  

“Like I said I'm a bit of a collector just like you,” Opaline said down to the pony.  

Argyle then ran over to a shelf and picked out a book. “A pony's travels throughout Equestria!” The Earth pony then flipped through its pages. “I've never seen one in such good condition before!”  

“That one was always a favorite of mine,” Opaline said before radiating an honest grin.  

Argyle closed the book and turned to her. “Really?” he said surprised.  

“Oh yes, the adventures that Nimble Mark got himself into always excited me. It felt as though I could read it a hundred times and it would still be as fresh as it was before.”  

Argyle then shot up and rushed to her in excitement, getting right up into the face of Opaline. “I always loved this one too! The way he talked about his adventures and expeditions. And how he wrote them in such a way the words seemed to flow like a song!” Argyle then Squirmed in excitement. “It was what inspired me to start adventuring in the first place!”  
Opaline was surprised by this fact. Even more so how odd it was for him to have the same book she saw as her favorite to be his as well. Nimble Mark had been an adventurer Twilight had hired in the early years of her reign to map out all remaining blank spots on the maps of Equestria. He had then recorded all his adventures in a massive manuscript. She had always loved reading about his adventures when she was a filly and long before she had ever become Twilight's student. She had tried to get the other Foals at the Foal’s home to read it as well. But they had seemed to show a lack of interest in it. With the headmare even telling Opaline once to “find simpler reading material.” But to her surprise and interest, Argyle knew the book just as she did.  

Argyle looked at Opaline. “How did you even find a copy in such great condition?”  

“a friend of mine gave it to me. She gave me all the books here.” Opaline cringed at the idea of addressing Twilight as her friend in her lie.  

Argyle paused for a moment and then spoke with much joy. “Well, I'd sure like to meet ’em!” 

Opaline nodded her head awkwardly. 

Argyle then walked around the library gazing at all the books that rested on its shelves.  
“Feel free to take as many as you want,” Opaline said. 

“Really!?” Argyle responded excitedly. 

“Sure, just make sure you bring them back when you're done,” Opaline replied. 

Argyle nodded his head. She then watched as he walked around stopping every few minutes to pick a book and place it in his saddlebag. Opaline had no use for any of these books. She didn’t care at all what could happen to them. But she knew Argyle was not the type to steal other ponies' belongings and that he’d be back to return them. Opaline found a sofa and laid down on it watching the earth pony. Opaline smirked to herself. For all she knew she was the last remnant of Twilight’s era left. And seemingly now with Twilight, her friends, and her allies all gone and possibly nobody to stop her, she could begin her plans for this brave new world she found herself in. Argyle had no way of knowing it but he might be just as important in her life as Twilight had been. But this time she would make sure it would end her way. He would serve her and not even know it. 

Argyle came back to her after a few moments. “Is it Okay if I take these?” he asked. 

“Oh of course dear,” she said. Opaline then got up and walked with Argyle. 

“Oh, my look at the time." Argyle then said. Looking at a clock that stood above one of the castle's many mantles.

Opaline stopped walking. She froze, fearing that she might lose him again. “Are you leaving now so soon?” 

Argyle stopped trotting. “Well, I suppose there were a few things I needed to do today in the bay.” 

“But you'll be back?” Opaline asked concerned. 

“Oh yes I'll be back soon don’t worry.” Argyle then approached her. “you're a good friend to me Opaline, thank you.” 

Opaline then nodded her head surprised that he had addressed her as a friend.

Argyle then smiled at her and trotted off to the castle's entrance. Opaline didn’t go to stop as she was powerless against Twilight's containment spell. Opaline stood still for a moment listening out as the door then closed behind the pony signifying, that he had left. And once again she was alone. Opaline then made her way back to her study. She was confused as she felt as though her feelings were beginning to become mixed. On one hoof she was reluctant to have another pony there within the castle with her. But at the same time, it felt good, nice even to not be alone anymore. And to have come across a pony who was seemingly in some way just as unique to her was very interesting. Opaline walked back into her study, she looked out the window and was then surprised to see Argyle off in the distance. The stallion waved to her from outside. And to the alicorn's surprise, she found herself waving back with a smile as she watched him disappear off into the distance. When she walked away from the window, she then saw the basket of apples still laying on one of the desks in the room. Argyle had left these for her. She walked up cautiously to it. It had been so long since she had actually eaten something. She picked one up. She sniffed it before taking a bite. It had been so long since she had tasted something. And Opaline was finally happy that a small bit of joy had come back to her. And it was thanks to that pony. Opaline continued to eat the apple well thinking. He was not at all what she had expected, especially for an earth pony. There was something different about him. And Opaline knew that deep down within her. Below all the hate, anger, and malice. There was still that small lonely filly from the foal's home. One who now was no longer alone.
> Opaline Chapter 15
> --------------------------------------------------------------------------

Argyle walked forward along the dirt trail. He could feel the gentle breeze of the afternoon. The trees of the forest soon gave way to the large open plains and grassy fields of the Maretime bay area. Argyle's hooves met a stone path that led to the town he called home. The Stallion had had his mind fixated on the night before and his morning with the strange alicorn the entire walk. He could feel the books the pony had given him rubbing up against his side in the saddlebag. Argyle then walked forward with a stride in his step excited to see just what the books might contain. Ponies all around him began opening their shops and carts ready for another day of work as Argyle arrived in the small bay town. A few foals rushed by him clearly on their way to school. He chuckled to himself and gently shook his head happily from the scene. As he trekked further on, he could feel that he was getting looks from other ponies around him. It would always happen every time he’d come back from adventuring. Ponies in the bay saw him as a rather interesting fellow for his habits. He would stay up till the early hours of the morning while all the other ponies in the bay slept. He would disappear for days at a time without any notice. and everypony there knew of his interest in Equestrias past. 

He had built up somewhat of a reputation in the town as the weirdo history hermit. ponies would move from his path as he walked, and mothers would grab their fillies and colts and leave afraid that the stallion would feed the young ones with knowledge and lessons about Unicorns and Pegisi. ponies here were afraid of what they didn't know. And because he knew that there was a much bigger world outside the bay, they were afraid of him. That even if he was an Earth pony everypony still treated him as an outsider. As he walked a mare approached him.

“Well Look who's back,” she said loud enough so everypony around her could hear.

Argyle cringed and looked around seeing all the looks he was receiving for his return.

“Good afternoon, Phyllis,” Argyle said back to the mare Cleary uninterested and a bit annoyed.

“Why Argyle I'm just wondering how you are. Is it that much of a crime for a pony to try to be friendly?” Phyllis asked.

“No Phyllis,” Argyle replied still uninterested.

“Say Argyle, where do you disappear off to? Aren't you afraid a Pegasus might come and snatch you up? Or a Unicorn might zap your brain?”

“Phylis the only brain I'd be concerned about is yours,” Argyle responded.

“What?!” Phylis responded insulted by the stallion's comment.

Argyle stopped walking. He took a deep breath before looking over at the mare. “Look Phyllis I'm not interested in buying one of your earth pony protector whatchamacallits, nor am Interested in selling you the land to the lighthouse.”

“Oh, but Argyle,” Phyllis replied. “I'm just trying to make sure you stay safe in this world of unknown horrors. And besides what's a lone stallion like you need with that lighthouse? You don’t have a family and that space could easily be used for something more important.” Phyllis then wrapped her hoof around Argyle.

“You should know more than any pony here how dangerous those unicorns and pegasi can be. This town needs some kind of defense if they ever decide to invade here and that-”

Argyle cut the mare off removing himself from her grasp. “Like I said. I'm not interested. You can go build an armaments factory or whatever somewhere else.” Argyle then trotted away from the mare. Phyllis stood there mumbling to herself before walking off insulted.

Argyle made his way up the hill and up the steps leading to the Lighthouse. He lifted the doormat and retrieved the keys before unlocking the door and letting himself in. Argyle closed the door behind him and took a moment before setting down his things. He had purchased the lighthouse from an old salt of a pony for a rather inexpensive cost. It was large and secluded, perfect for his research and his privacy. Ever since his younger years, Argyle had been seen as somepony who never fit in. And he had always found that studying the ways in which ponies made friends was much more interesting than actually making them. he paused for a moment as much as he hated to admit it Phyllis was right he had no family, no true friends. he was alone. Argyle made his way into the kitchen and made himself a cup of tea. He then made his way up the stairs of the lighthouse and out onto its balcony where he then sat down. He opened one of the many books Opaline had given him and took a sip from the mug before reading. Argyle read the text as he sat on the lighthouse balcony, the sounds of crashing waves and seagulls made for a relaxing ambiance. The pony yawned before taking another sip of tea and flipping through the book's pages. He would spend the rest of the day sitting in the warm glow of the sun reading through all the books he had taken from Opaline. After a significant amount of time had passed Argyle closed the last book, he yawned and looked up, seeing the sky beginning to fade to the red of the setting sun.

Argyle pulled a small timepiece out of his pocket. The stallion then collected his things before making his way back down the stairs of the lighthouse. He placed the books on the kitchen counter. before walking over to the coat rack and grabbing the lighthouse keys. He then walked toward his saddle bag and retrieved it. He had decided he was going to go back to Opaline as aside from studying he had nothing else to do. As he was about to step out the door, he realized that he didn’t want to come back to her castle empty-hooved. It would seem a bit disrespectful for him to not have anything to show his gratitude with, especially with how nicely Opaline had treated him. He looked around the lighthouse. Before setting his gaze on something. a small golden pocket mirror, it almost felt as though it was calling to him. He went up to it and picked it up Raising it to his face. It had been something he had found in the ruins of Canterlot. It had stayed surprisingly intact like it had been placed there or had just recently been lost as it looked too neat for an object that was supposedly centuries old. Argyle opened the small mirror looking at his reflection for a moment. He then closed it and looked at the alicorn design that decorated its exterior case. It seemed fitting, he had no use for a pocket mirror, and it was a bit of a Plesant coincidence for it to have something to do with an alicorn. Argyle then tucked the mirror into his saddle bag before leaving the lighthouse completely.

As the darkness began to surround him, Argyle made his way to Opaline’s castle, Trekking forward through the unknown. He once again made his way through thick forests and steep hills before eventually once again he could see the spires and towers of the castle off in the distance. And in a moment's time, Argyle was at the entrance of the castle. He pushed the door open its creeks echoed.

“Opaline?” he called out, his voice echoing off the castle walls. But there was no response nor the appearance of Opaline.
Argyle was confused. He looked around briefly before walking in further. Opaline's castle was Quiet not a pony insight. Argyle then assumed she must be in some other part of the castle, most likely unaware of his sudden appearance. After all, he did arrive without notice. He made his way to the castle library, where he put back the books that he had read. He took some time looking through the many shelves before picking a few new books that piqued his interest. Opaline had still not appeared, only making Argyle believe that she was indeed not in that part of the castle. After grabbing the books Argyle began to wonder about the many hallways of the castle. He had never seen so many rooms in one place before. It made him wonder why a castle seemingly made to house so many ponies only contained one. As he walked through the hall he then stopped. Argyle noticed that up ahead of him was a door that was partially swung open. An orange glow slipped through the opening crack. He walked up cautiously to the door before slowly pushing it open. He was looking into a parlor like room. A single candle was lit and had evidently been the source of the light he saw. The candle stood on a small table, next to it was a chessboard with two seats. Argyle walked fully into the room. The candle and room were arranged almost as though it was set up with the idea of gaining his attention meaning somepony knew he was coming. As Argyle looked at the table a pair of eyes opened in the darkness behind him.

“Hello, Argyle.” The voice said.

Argyle jumped not expecting any other pony to be in the room with him. He turned around and watched as Opaline's figure stepped out of the dark corner of the room.

“I wasn’t expecting you back so soon Argyle.” Said Opaline moving closer.

“Well, I read through what you gave me, and I thought I would come back for more.” Argyle chuckled nervously as the alicorn continued to walk toward him her stride unimpeded.

Argyle backed up as Opaline got closer. He felt a tingle of anxiety from Opaline’s emotionless walk toward him. He quickly felt himself bump into the wall behind him. Opaline then stopped inches away from his face.

“Hmmm” Muttered Opaline. Argyle watched as she looked at him, her expression blank and empty. He took a breath and held it.

She continued to look into his eyes. Opaline could feel the fear she was instilling in the Earth pony. Best not to scare him away she thought to herself. She then backed off and walked away from the pony. Argyle let out his breath as he felt relief fill his body.

Opaline walked over to the chair set by the table before taking a seat. “Do you know how to play chess Argyle?” she then asked.

Argyle backed away from the wall and moved closer. “Yes? Why is it that you ask?” he said curiously.
“How about a game?” Opaline responded.

Argyle paused and looked for a moment before walking over to the table. “Alright.” He then sat down looking up at Opaline. A fire was then suddenly lit behind them in a fireplace Argyle wasn’t even aware of.

Opaline, not waiting for Argyle to be ready moved one of her pawns forward starting the game. She then watched as Argyle placed a hoof on his chin and thought of his move. To her, Argyle had proven himself a bit more confident than other members of his race. She was curious to see just how smart he was compared to her. Argyle then made his move, moving up his pawn. Opaline smiled quickly moving another one of her pawns. Argyle then with the swift motion of his hoof moved one of his pieces.

“Checkmate!” He called out.

Opaline was unprepared to hear him call out those words so Quickly. She looked down ready to call his bluff. But to her surprise, she saw that having moved her pawn allowed Argyle to quickly find a path that directly led to her king. She saw that the pair of pawns she had moved allowed her king to be left open. And of a speed at which Argyle had noticed and acted on this she had never seen before. He had bested her before she was even ready to test him.

“I must say Argyle you are full of surprises,” Opaline stated relaxing back in her chair.

“Well, I saw an opportunity and I took it,” Argyle replied moving back the pieces to how they were before the game.
Opaline then picked up the queen and looked at it for a moment. “Every time we meet, I'm always surprised by your character. I must admit Argyle you have me impressed.”

“How so?” Argyle responded puzzled.

Opaline looked upon the chess piece for a moment. “That even I don’t know.” Opaline then placed it down. “Your continued tenacity and intelligence are something I'd never thought I'd see in another pony let alone an earth pony.”

Argyle got up from the seat and trotted over “I'm not that impressive Opaline. I'm just another earth pony. Another weirdo, I'm not much of anything other than strange!” he paused. “At least that’s how everypony else sees me.” Argyle then looked down quietly. “Truth be told I'm a nobody.”

Opaline cocked her head back surprised. “What do you mean by Everypony else sees me?”

“Well if I'm going to be honest Opaline every pony in the bay has always seen me as a bit of an outcast.” Argyle then walked over toward one of the windows of the castle. “Ponies don’t like what I research that’s for sure.”

Opaline walked over to him “You're seen as an outcast?” she asked curiously.

“Yeah...” he responded not looking back at her. “The reason I've come back so much is that nopony else understands me like you do.” Argyle turned from the window and then made his way to Opaline. “I know I've been taking up your time and using things that are yours. And I felt it was only right to return the favor.” Argyle reached into his saddlebag retrieving the small golden Mirror. “It's not much but I thought it would be good to show my appreciation.”

Opaline looked down at what Argyle was trying to give her. Instantly she knew what it was. She looked back at Argyle who gave her a smile. She then grabbed the mirror holding it in her hooves.

“Where-Where did you get this?” she asked confused and dumbfounded.

“The Canterlot ruins. Honestly, I'm surprised something like that hadn't been taken by now.” He stated.

Opaline bit her lip and was unable to express any words in response. She suddenly got up and turned away from Argyle to avoid seeing his face. She didn’t understand why he was just so nice to her. It was unnerving. He had proven to her that he wasn’t doing any of this for his own means but simply because it was in his nature. She had never met a pony that could put her at such ease. If anything, he was what she would have wanted from Twilight. Not some pony whom she felt she had to look up to. But one who was just like her. He was a reflection of herself and the happiness she once had. And she was afraid of losing it. She didn’t understand why she was still testing him as he had passed the first time they met.

“Thank you.” she sheepishly muttered.

“You're welcome,” Argyle responded.
> Opaline Chapter 16
> --------------------------------------------------------------------------

Opaline awoke from her sleep. She rubbed her eyes and yawned, getting eyeliner all over her hooves. She looked down and scoffed to herself. Her mane was messy and unkept and she had fallen asleep on a sofa in the castle hall. She rubbed her mane back in order to correct it when suddenly a small piece of paper glided down to the floor in front of her.

“Be back soon out to make breakfast.” It read.

Argyle had put a sticky note presumably on her forehead. Meaning he had found her sleeping just outside of the room she had let him stay in the night before. The previous evening, after the two had finished a few more games of chess, she had then invited him to stay in a spare room near the library. She knew just how much he’d like to be left to his own devices once again. And it made her somewhat happy to see it. She got up from the sofa placing the note on a nearby table. Shen went to go to her room when she felt something. She then paused trying to deduce what it was that she had just noticed. Then suddenly she felt it again and then again. it was a sensation she had not felt in a very long time. it was the sensation of magic. Instantly she could feel herself getting drawn toward it almost as if somepony else was controlling her. She turned around For a second, she was confused about what she was trying to look for but then a glint of shiny metal caught her eye. The mirror she remembered. The mirror was resting on a shelf near the chess table where she had placed it the night before. She walked over to the small object. She could feel the sensation of magic growing as she approached, radiating and calling to her. She then poked the mirror with her hoof. A purple spark then shot out zapping her. Opaline quickly pulled her hoof away and shook it from the pain. She then watched as the mirror began to gently vibrate before violently shaking. Its case then quickly flipped open seemingly on its own accord and a small mist of purple magic flowed out and into her. She felt a surge of magic shooting through her like a spear. The sudden surge rejuvenated her tired body, her horn and wings lit up in magical glowing flame. she began to flap her wings and she soon found herself in the air. The mirror then seemingly closed of its own accord, but to her surprise, the small amount of magic it had given her stayed. 

She looked around the room and then focused her attention on a book resting on the mantel. She charged up her horn and levitated it towards her. The book then without warning spontaneously combusted in her grasp and turned to ash. She was handling too much magic at once and her lack of experience was causing it to become unstable. Quickly the magic within her fizzled out and she fell to the floor with a loud thud.

She groaned not expecting something like that to happen so suddenly.

“Opaline...” a voice whispered to her. She looked around confused. “Opaline...” the whisper said again. She got up from the floor. “Hello? Who's there?” she called out.

“Come here by me...” the voice said again. Opaline froze startled, the voice was hers. But how was that possible, she thought? The small mirror then fell off the table and onto the floor alerting the alicorn to its location.

Opaline walked over. “Who are you? How did you get in here?” she questioned. She then picked up the Mirror and flipped it open. 

Opaline was then startled to see a reflection of herself. But this wasn’t her normal reflection. Her or its Mane wasn’t messy, and it didn’t look as disheveled as she was. The Opaline in the mirror was different, it was still her but at the same time, it wasn’t.

“Who are you?” she asked.

“I'm you” the Opaline in the mirror responded. Opaline was baffled by what she was seeing and didn’t have any idea what to make of it. “Is this some kind of Prank Argyle?” She questioned. But the mirror Opaline just nodded no in response. “I'm your inner voice, I'm the Opaline you are refusing to be.” the reflection said.

Opaline tilted her head confused giving the mirror a side-eye glance. “How so?” she asked.

“I know what you have been feeling toward that Earth Pony. And I must say I'm less than impressed.”

Opaline was caught off guard by this. “What do you mean?”

“I see what he's doing to you. For a pony who possesses no magic, you are certainly falling under his spell.” The mirror stated. “don't let that pony make you weak.”

“He's not making me weak!” Opaline shouted defensively. “It's just nice to have somepony to talk to that’s all!”

She watched as her reflection looked at her disapprovingly. “You're an Alicorn and he's an earth pony. He’s beneath you in every way. Remember who you are as he will only make you weaker than you are now! Remember who you are and Your goals for all of Equestria!” The mirror then shook before closing itself and falling from her hooves.

Opaline was puzzled by what had just transpired. Was she dreaming? How had what just happened to her just now even taken place? Was that her inner voice? Her head was filled with Questions.

“Opaline?” Argyle's voice called out. The stallion then walked into the room. “Oh, there you are Opaline-”. He then stopped when she turned to him. Argyle put a hoof on his mouth. “Are you Okay?” He then walked over and retrieved a handkerchief from his saddlebag.

Opaline then felt the sensation of the cloth rubbing her chin. She closed her eyes focusing on the feeling. Then from within her, she heard her voice, the same voice from the mirror. “you’re an alicorn and He's an earthpony.” Opaline then swiftly with her hoof slapped Argyle away from her. “DONT TOUCH ME!” she screeched.

Argyle fell backward startled by the sudden outburst. Opaline found herself panting. She looked up in surprise at what she had just done. “Oh my,” she said.

Argyle recovered himself and looked at her. The pair of ponies stared at each other for a moment not saying anything. Opaline then broke the silence. “Are you okay?” she asked.

“Are you?” Argyle responded.

“I think so. Why were you whipping my chin?” She then asked.

Argyle with his hoof lowered the Handkerchief down showing a small patch of red blood against the solid white of the cloth. Opaline then rubbed her chin. It stung confirming that she had a wound there. It must have been from when she fell, she deduced.

“What were you doing?” Questioned Argyle.

Opaline looked beside her on the ground and to the mirror. She then quickly searched around the room with her eyes to find something else so as not to tell Argyle about what had actually transpired. She then saw a small crease in the rug that lay on the floor in the room beside her.

“I fell.” Opaline then motioned to the rug with her eyes.

Argyle looked to where she was looking, seeing the rug her eyes were motioning to. “Must have been some fall huh?” He responded.

Opaline pushed her chair into the table. Argyle placed a plate in front of her. “What is this?”

“Blueberry pancakes.”

Argyle then put a plate down for himself. She watched as he bent down and took a bite. Argyle opened his eyes and looked at her face. He swallowed before chuckling nervously.

“Sorry,” he said chuckling.

Opaline then looked down at the food Argyle had prepared for her. She poked it with her hoof. She then leaned over and took a bite. The batter was incredibly sweet and rich and was complemented very well by the sweet and sourness of the blueberries.

“How did you do this? These are incredible!”

“Oh, just something my dad used to make me when I was a kid. Guess I'm useful for more than just knowledge huh?”
Opaline paused for a moment, she then swallowed. She didn’t need to eat she was never hungry. But it was nice to sit down and enjoy a meal with somepony. She whipped her mouth with a napkin.

“So, Argyle, how far of a walk is the bay from here?”

“Mhm a few hours or so I'd say. But I'm used to it. It's nowhere as long as the trek to Canterlot is, that one can take a few days.”

Opaline took a bite from the pancakes, chewed, then spoke. “I was thinking Mr. Starshine how about you stay here for a while with me?" Opaline then swallowed. "It would sure make things easier, and I wouldn’t mind the company.”

Argyle then stopped. “I'd love to opaline but-”

“I will take No refusal,” she said cutting him off.

Argyle looked unsure. “Like I said Opaline for now I don’t know if I can I have things to do in the bay and these-" he stopped. The air seemed to grow cold suddenly and Opaline's face looked at him with blank expression.

“I know what they think of you, Argyle. You're different, too curious and they hate you for it. You're nothing but a loner a laughingstock to them. Would they even care if you were gone? Really Have they ever cared?" Opaline then came over to him and whispered in his ear.

"Stay with me."