It was night at the academy; Celestia had tucked the sun below the horizon a few hours ago. Trace sat at his desk toiling away into the night, preparing for a particularly difficult exam that he would have the following morning. His roommate, Draper, hummed to himself while reading a comic book every now and then letting out a fit of obnoxiously loud laughter. Each time that he heard it the white stallion could not help but wince. Though he would never ask his roommate to not laugh or at least be more quiet, he hoped one day his grey friend would notice the discomfort that it caused him. An insane hope he knew, but hope still.

The room was very small, the only two lights on in the room coming from candles on both the unicorn’s desks. After collecting himself from the latest outburst Trace leaned back over his desk, using his horn to move the pencil he held drawing a circular image on the paper. Around the outside of the circle he etched various magical runes, he would have to memorize this page perfectly if he had any hope of passing the exam tomorrow. Unlike most of the other unicorns at Celestia’s School for Gifted Unicorns, Trace possessed very little raw magical ability. He relied solely on his ability to memorize and create rune circles to pass the examinations that were given at the academy, and would spend days in advance creating and studying them should he need them come the fated day.

The white unicorn sat back from his drawing very pleased with himself, having finally completed it. He lifted it, with his horn, so that it hung in front of him; the elaborate circle would be what he used from now on if asked to perform any transmutation, and he had to admit that it was his greatest work yet. After looking at the page for a few minutes, and dedicating it to memory he crumbled the paper up and threw it in the metal bin next to his desk. Trace then placed a hoof to a rune etched into the bin and poured a little magic into it; the paper inside quickly caught fire and became ashes. The grey colt behind him did not stir for this was a regular occurrence in the room, and Trace had disabled the smoke detectors so that the little fire would not bring any attention to the room.

Just as the white stallion removed another paper from his desk intending to start on his newest light rune he heard very loud knocking at his door. He glanced at a clock and saw that it was eleven at night. He was irked by the sudden interruption, but all the same rose to his hooves, and went to see who it was that disturbed his studies. Before he opened the door he stopped, noticing that he had forgotten to put on his glasses. They were not prescription glasses, but ones of his own designs. To anypony else they would appear to be regular sunglasses; however for those who wore them they served a different purpose other than shielding the eyes from the sun. When looking through them anypony would see an aura around a unicorn of pure magic. The aura’s intensity showed the user how much magical ability they had, and the color told them the color of magic the unicorn possessed.

Trace had made the glasses over the course of his first couple of years at the school, and found that in a school of all unicorns they were useful a lot of the time. At the very least the glasses showed you who you really really should not pick a fight with at the school, which had saved the unicorn from getting his flank kicked on more than one occasion. Trace walked to his dresser and lifted the glasses off of it. He then brushed back his black mane so that the glasses could rest on his nose, and then let his forelock fall back to its usual position covering his left eye.

Ready to make his appearance before whoever had felt that they should disturb Trace at this late hour he made his way to the door once again and opened it. The unicorn that stood before Trace was a good six inches taller than the young adult. She had a pink coat and a turquoise mane, which was pulled back into braids. Trace knew her as Berry Grow, one of the teachers at the academy. In her magical grasp she held a parchment, which she began to real aloud.

“Cornelius Trace you have been summoned to the dean’s office and are to report immediately once receiving this summons. A matter of the utmost importance regarding your future needs to be discussed.” Having said her piece the mare turned and walked away grumbling something under her breath. No doubt she also did not want to be delivering messages at this time of night either.

Trace sighed knowing that answering the door he had sealed his own fate on the matter. He quietly closed the door behind him as he made his way down the hallway of the school. As he trotted, his mind sorted through many different scenarios that would explain why he was being called for so late at night. Nothing obvious came forth so he decided that he would discover the reason upon reaching his destination, and there was no reason to worry about it until then. He let the matter drop and proceeded to trot down the hallway.

The school was deathly quiet this late at night. As Trace walked through the dormitories leading to the main offices of the schools all he could hear were his own hoofsteps echoing off the marble floor of the hallway. It was not often that Trace found himself transversing the school so late at night, and the lack of anypony else made the scene eerily peaceful. While Trace was a pony that had no problem talking to others or sharing ideas, he was a pony that knew the value of silence. He found himself slowing so that he could admire the architecture of the building in the dim torchlight.

As he made his way out of the dormitory the torches that lit the walls were left behind and total darkness lay ahead. Trace lit his horn easily enough emitting a pure white light that caused shadows to begin to dance against the walls. Like the dormitory the main building of the school had white marble floors and white walls. No doubt the architect of the building had their ruler Celestia in mind when he had decided on the colors of the building. Trace turned down a halway to his left that led to the faculty offices and proceeded, not wanting to be late for his summons.

He reached the end of the hallway to be blocked by two very large metal doors. The dean’s office lay just behind the door, and Trace took a moment to gather himself so that he looked his most presentable. He then proceeded to knock on the door and waited for a reply.

“Enter,” said a feminine voice, distinctly not that of the dean.

Trace cast his magic out to encompass the handle of the door which was then encompassed in white, and pushed. He grunted a little at the effort and the door slid open. Trace was not prepared as the full fury of the sun struck his eyes, and he had to snap them shut so that he was not blinded.

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Though Celestia did not take a personal role in running her academy, she did often watch as prodigies were born within its halls, and sometimes guided these youths. The unicorn she now waited on could be said to be anything but a prodigy. From all accounts she had heard this particular student was barely able to ever pass his demonstrative examinations. On the other hoof, all of his written exams had perfect scores attached to them. The combination of the two made this student have quite average scores in the end, and average is not what Celestia usually took time out of her busy schedule to come and see.

While talking with the dean of the school she had been made aware of the young stallion through an offhand remark.

“True, many of the student here at the school very greatly. One example of course would be young Cornelius Trace who while is at the top of his class in theory, his ability to execute spells is just dreadful. I feel sorry for the young lad, he has so much potential but will always be held back by his lack of raw magical power,” The dean said with worry making its way to his face.

“If he has so much trouble at casting spells why is he still enrolled?” Celestia pressed.

“Well I have talked to him about dropping out and finding something he was more suited for, but he is very stubborn and would hear none of it. I believe he is trying to prove something to himself by staying enrolled. Far be it for me to remove somepony from the academy if they can manage to keep passing grades,” The dean replied.

It was this student that Celestia now waited on in the dean’s office. She sat at his desk reading through various reports on Cornelius Trace each one having something completely different to say about that student. They were entirely unhelpful. She tossed the latest report back into the pile letting out a sigh, and roused herself from the chair she was in. She proceeded across the marble floor to the window to gaze out upon her sister’s beautiful night, and became lost in thought. A knock at the door pulled Celestia back to the world, she turned to the door.

“Enter,” she announced to the pony standing beyond the door.

There was a short pause before the door opened, and white unicorn stepped into the room. He was tall for his age, which Celestia guessed was his late teens. His mane was black, interwoven with strands of dark blue. A lock of black hung from his forehead nearly obscuring half of the colt’s face, and he wore sunglasses, which Celestia found particularly interesting seeing as how it was eleven in the evening. The unicorn turned to cast his gaze on Celestia and suddenly turned away wincing.

“Wow,” he said in a startled voice. “Who dropped the sun in the middle of the room?” the unicorn asked removing his glasses and rubbing his eyes.

This was to say the least, not how Celestia was used to being addressed. She had to admit that she found the display slightly humorous, and suppressed a chuckle making its way up her throat. Celestia regained her composure, and cleared her throat loudly bringing the unicorn’s attention back to her.

Trace had been nearly blinded by the intense light the second he had stepped into the room, and was now clearing his eyes trying to remove the black spots he saw. The sound of somepony clearing their throat loudly caused Trace to hesitantly look back to the source of the light. There stood a tall alicorn smiling down at him, Princess Celestia. Trace managed to suppress a yelp that almost made its way out of his mouth before bowing; nearly slamming his head into the ground with the swift motion.

“P-princess Celestia, I did not see you there. Well I guess I did see you there, but I didn’t know that it was you. Please forgive me your highness I-I-I am not worthy to be in your presence,” he stammered trying to keep his voice even.

Celestia was unable to stifle a chuckle this time, which she noticed seemed to literally send a shiver down the unicorn’s spine. “Please rise, Cornelius Trace I have business with you that will be difficult to carry out if you keep your head to the ground,” she said in a gentle voice.

The unicorn lifted his head slowly to meet her gaze, and she had to admit to herself that this colt was at the very least amusing. A moment passed and Celestia was unable to stop herself from asking the question “Tell me, why did you react that way when you first entered?”

The unicorn took a second to word the next sentence perfectly before replying, “When I entered the room I suppose I was blinded by your radiance princess,” the answer elicited another chuckle from her.

“I must warn you now that I do not succumb to flattery that easily my little pony,” Celestia said with a slight grin stretched across her face.

“It was not an attempt at flattery I assure you. I was quite literally blinded by your radiance,” the unicorn replied motioning to the glasses that he held suspended in the air with magic. “I have enchanted these glasses to show me the magical power that anypony possesses, and when I laid eyes on you your highness I saw the sun standing in the middle of the room,” he said slipping the glasses onto his head making sure that they didn’t pass over his eyes.

“I see, well that is quite an interesting pair of glasses you have there then. But, I did not summon you here to merely ask about a pair of spectacles. I have come here to address your request to become a state researcher,” the princess stated flatly.

“Oh. I wasn’t aware that you did the interviews yourself princess.”

“Usually I don’t.” She announced “Most of the time I simply read the report handed to me by the interviewer, and decide whether or not a pony should be allowed admittance,” she paused as if thinking of how she should continue. “However, on rare occasions I take an interest in a certain applicant, and conduct the interview personally. Now is such a time.”

Trace tried to hide his shock. He knew that he was an unusual student to say the least, but he never imagined that the princess herself would call him in for the application interview. “I am honored to be considered in such a way your highness,” he replied bowing again.

“I am not sure you should be,” the princess continued. “From many accounts that I have heard you simply lack the magical ability for the position, but at the request of some of the staff at the school I have decided to determine that for myself. As you undoubtedly know a researcher into the field of magic must have a firm grasp on the arcane arts, and I am here to see whether or not you do.”

There was a pause, neither wanting to be the next to speak. Trace kept his head bowed not wanting to breach some unknown code of conduct that would have the Princess immediately fling him from the room if not the planet itself. Unfortunately for Celestia, he could not read his expression with his head bowed, so she decided to continue.

“Now Cornelius Trace tell me, why did you enroll in my academy in the first place?” the princess asked in a voice much softer than that in which she had been speaking.

Sensing that the interview had officially begun Trace lifted his head once again to meet Celestia’s gaze. A small bit of anger lingered from the mention of his obvious shortcomings, though he would not hold it against the princess, this was her job after all.

“I come from a long line of talented unicorns as you may know. My siblings all were what most would consider very talented in the way of magic. Unfortunately, I was not so lucky to be blessed with power at birth. By all accounts I was a weak foal unable to lift a leaf, which my father felt brought great shame on himself. On my tenth birthday he told me so. He said how I was a failure and didn’t deserve the family name of Trace. At this point I made it a goal to prove him wrong.

“For an entire year I studied the magical arts so that the coming year I could take the entrance exam for the school and hopefully gain admittance. All of my hard work paid off the following year when i passed the entrance exam, and was allowed entrance into this grand academy,” Trace finished his monologue that had been rehearsed many times to himself in anticipation of this question.

Celestia frowned, which Trace took as an obvious sign he had said something wrong. “While you certainly have proven that you can contend with other unicorns that were graced with magical ability, seeking power for power’s sake is not something that is a noble goal,” she replied looking over the colt, and saw a flash of remorse shine in his eyes before he quickly gathered himself to meet her gaze evenly.

“Though” she continued, “it is by far not the worst reason for enrolling in the school that I have heard over the years.”

“Tell me, how did you receive your cutie mark?” she asked pointing to the purple symbol on his flank. The cutie mark was of a circle, which held a triangle within it. Along the inside of the circle were magical runes. They formed a pattern unknown to even the unicorn on whose body they rested.

“It was during the entrance exam, Princess.” he replied, seeing her eyebrow arch asking some unheard question.

Trace decided that he would attempt to demonstrate and hopefully earn favor with Celestia. On the underside of his left fore-hoof he had inscribed a rune for such circumstances. He concentrated his magic and pressed his hoof to the floor causing a brief flash of white light. When he removed his hoof a piece of chalk lay on the marble ground of the office.

“As I have told you I do not posses much raw magical power,” he continued encasing the chalk in white light before removing it from the ground.

“So when I went to take the entrance exam I was very nervous. The proctor asked me to transfigure a rock into a potted plant, a simple task I suppose for somepony expected to be able to enter the academy. Though for me, this task was near impossible.” As he continued to talk he began to etch runes on the marble floor with the chalk he held.

“My brain was racing trying to figure out how I could possibly complete the task set before me with my tiny bit of magic. I remembered back to the countless books I had read on transfiguration and remembered all my failed attempts to do something even smaller than changing a rock into a plant. But, that is when it struck me. If I could not do the spell with the little power I had, perhaps I could change the spell so that I could pass.” He had nearly finished creating the large circle in the middle of the room. The princess watched as he moved, seeing where he was going with this.

“I do not know exactly where the inspiration came from, but I fetched a piece of chalk from a nearby chalkboard. I began to write on the ground around the rock a collection of magical symbols that I had read could aid a pony in pulling off very difficult transfigurations. I however was using them for something so simple, and was skeptical as to whether it would work. As you know, Princess Celestia runes can be used to focus a unicorn’s power so that a specific task can be completed, and while most magic is done by simply using the horn as a focal point I lack the ability to pull of much by doing so.” Trace had completed his rune circle and now pulled a pen from the dean’s desk and placed it in the middle.

“On that day I had some how cobbled together a working transfiguration circle like the one I have now drawn. My last hope was to pour as much magic as I possibly could into the circle and hope that the rock changed,” as he said this Trace placed his left fore-hoof onto the circle, which bore a slightly different set of runes on the underside. With a quick white flash the pen had vanished, and in its placed stood a tree, which just barely reached the ceiling of the room. “On that day after completing the entrance exam my mother pointed out to me that I now had my cutie mark,” he finished, motioning to his flank.

Celestia kept her stoic expression standing silently as she watched the conclusion of the demonstration. She now understood why the dean had been so adamant that she take a look at this pupil. It had been a while since she had seen a unicorn show such promise though she would not tell this particular one. No, he had a certain confidence about him that she did not quite trust. Confidence while not an out right bad trait to see in a pony, always carries with it the risk of arrogance, which is not something that was ever good in a unicorn especially when given the high ranking position he was asking for. Despite knowing this, Celestia could not help but like the colt.

“Though I didn’t ask for an actual demonstration, I believe that it was well performed. How long have you been rehearsing?” Celestia said after a long uncomfortable silence.

Trace’s confidence cracked at the last question, was it that obvious that he was doing things the he had rehearsed a hundred times for this interview? Was that even a bad thing?

“I have been waiting for the interview a long time Princess,” he said after a moment. “I have many such answers well rehearsed. I can divert from them if you wish,” he finished.

The comment earned him another chuckle from Celestia. Yes she did indeed like this colt, and she had to admit that he had potential. Potential of course, was one of the main requirements for the position, but there was another just as important.

“I have only one final question for you Cornelius Trace,” the princess announced. “The dean is a personal friend of mine and he tells me that on more than one occasion he has tried to encourage you to drop out of school and find something else to aspire to. Now tell me, why did you refuse to do so every time?” she asked, the final question rang in the air.

Trace saw that this question was greatly important, and stopped to think of an answer. Admittedly this was not a question he had prepared for, and this was obvious to the Princess.

“I don’t wish to drop out of school because… I want to learn more. Over my years here I have seen many a student with great power kicked out because they did not understand how to wield it. I have seen others who while not possessing the most natural ability have continued on to become great mages because of their perseverance. I wish to learn how I may one day do the same, and this is the only place in all of Equestria that I can do so. Learning to be the best unicorn I can is my dream, and asking me to leave here would kill that dream. So every time the dean asked me if I would consider finding something else to do with my life I refused, because this is the only thing in the world that I truly want,” he punctuated the final sentence with the stomp of his hoof on the marble floor.

He realized that he had raised his voice a few seconds later and quickly shrank away from the Princess. ‘I blew it, how could I have raised my voice to the princess. I am such a foal to do something so blatantly disrespectful. There is no way she will allow me to become a State Researcher now.’ The thoughts filled Trace’s mind, and he did not even notice that Celestia was smiling down at him.

She could see it now. The thirst for knowledge and the drive to improve oneself. These were the traits she was looking for and this young stallion had showed just how passionate he was about his studies. He was everything that she was looking for, and he would undoubtedly prove his worth in the future.

“Well then,” she spoke, Trace once again looking up to meet her gaze.

“I believe that I have come to a decision on this matter. You have shown yourself to be a capable unicorn that has a thirst for knowledge; these things are paramount for anyone to even be considered for the position of State Researcher.”

“However,” she continued, Trace wincing, as he knew the rejection was coming. “It was your passion for your dream that has won me over this day. I hereby bestow upon you, Cornelius Trace the title, and position of State Researcher for the land of Equestria.” She finished he proclamation in the most regal of voices.

Trace could not believe what he was hearing. She had accepted him, it seemed impossible, but it had just happened. He was hardly able to form a coherent thought, and felt tears of joy begin to well at the edges of his eyes. He snapped back to his senses pushing the tears back, not wishing to spoil this moment.

He bowed deeply before the Princess once again “You do me a great honor to grant me this position Princess, I will not allow it to be a mistake,” he stated in a steady voice.

“I know you won't Trace,” she said warmly smiling down at him. “Now that we have gotten that out of the way you will leave to academy immediately to begin your research,” she stated.

At this Trace looked up not only wondering how she knew his official nickname, but also why he would be leaving the academy. “I do not understand Princess Celestia. Why would I leave the academy to do my research?” he asked.

“I have seen in you great promise Trace, and being the greedy Princess that I am I wish to keep you all to myself. So I am sending you to Ponyville where you will have lodgings of your own, and all of the research equipment you could possibly ever want,” she stated still smiling down at the white unicorn.

“Ponyville? Do you mean the small town right outside of Canterlot?” he asked.

“Yes, my personal student Twilight Sparkle lives there and has told me that it is a great place with much to offer. I believe it will be a most fitting location for your future studies,” she assured him.

“Of course Princess, whatever you think is best is what I shall do.”

“Very good then.” She levitated a folded piece of paper to the new researcher. He took it in his magical grasp and opened it.

“On that paper is the address of the house that I have prepared for you, below it the number of your new bank account so that you can furnish it upon your arrival in Ponyville. That will also be the account you can use to purchase all necessary research materials that you may need, though many books you may be able to find at the town library. Now I wish for you to depart as soon as possible, there is a chariot waiting for you in front of the school. Hurry back to your room and gather anything you feel that you will need at your new home.”

Trace turned to leave, and once he reached the doors pulled them open. He stopped to look back a moment. “Thank you Princess, you don’t know what this means to me,” he gave his thanks before quickly heading back to his dorm where he would jump up and down on his bed in pure elation.

____________________________________________________________________________

The house he stood before was huge, or at least compared to the tiny room he had been staying in. It was two stories tall and painted navy blue, and to his eyes, was the most magnificent building ever built because it was his. He turned the doorknob with his magic and proceeded inside levitating behind him a single bag containing his entire life up until this point. All the lights were off, and at three in the morning the dwelling seemed foreboding. Trace quickly lit his horn; even though he was considered to be weak in magic he was always able to produce a pure white light easier than any other unicorn.

As anticipated there was no furniture in the house, and he felt that he really needed a rest. He crossed the empty living area, and trotted up the stairs oh his new home searching for the bedroom. There were three empty rooms on the second story of the building, but inside the largest stood a magnificent king size bed. Trace felt his heart leap at the thought of sleeping on a comfortable mattress instead of the hard floor. He made his way over to the bed and saw that a note lay on it. He placed his bag on the floor before and levitated the paper to his face so that he could read it.

Dear State Researcher Cornelius Trace,

I hope that you will find your new life in Ponyville every bit as exciting as you hoped this new position to be. You have a great responsibility now as you are tasked with furthering the study of magic for the benefit of all of Equestria. I recommend that you do not take this position lightly. However, I hope that you remember that the ponies who most furthered our grasp of the arcane in the past lead full lives. They did not simply devote their entire lives to studying magic, and I recommend that you do not either. You should spend some time in the town getting to know ponies. This I have no doubt will help you further your dream more than staying cooped up in a dark room.

Hopeful of the Future,

Princess Celestia

Trace curled up the note and placed it into his bag. He smiled to himself, and thought of the kind words offered to him by the ruler of all ponies. He would do as she suggested, since he was not one to be pent up all the time it wouldn't be very difficult. He pulled back the covers before climbing onto the bed. Once on top of the mattress he pulled them back over himself, and magically tucked himself in. Before turning off the light of his horn he thought to himself of just for fortunate he was. He had worked hard to get to where he was now, and now that he had done so a whole new life was going to open up before him. The only light in the house went out and Trace found sleep quickly, with sunglasses still resting on his forehead.

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“You dare stand before me, how foalish of you.” A fit of laughter erupted from a black alicorn causing his white mane to twirl more furiously in the wind, the light of his mane casting shadows across the deserted ruins. Standing on the ledge of a decrepit castle the black figure abruptly ending his laughter stared at the white alicorn hovering in the air, thirty feet away. “Well then,” he said challenging her, “Come at me.”

Celestia felt exhausted at this point, and was barely managing to keep aloft. The trees below were swaying in the violent wind, and the alicorn was fighting to keep her position. The night sky was blank, and was completely blocked out by the clouds. A drop of rain struck the Princess’s nose, and soon became a torrent. The sky let loose its floodgates and lightning cracked in the distance. Celestia continued to hover in the air before her enemy.

Celestia was staring directly at him knowing that she was unlikely to win this engagement. However, she wasn’t going to be deterred that easily. Her horn lit as she let loose a brilliant light that temporarily blinded her opponent. While he could not see she charged straight at him, but he knew this was coming. The dark alicorn smiled, planting his feet and lowered his head so that Celestia may be impaled on his horn. The princess barely managed to spin out of the way at the last second, crashing into a pillar behind the dark alicorn. Another fit of laughter broke through the air.

The dust in the air was quickly cleared by the falling rain, revealing Celestia breathing heavily. She lay in the gaping hole in the wall that was left by her crash. Turning her gaze so that she could see the black stallion the white alicorn began to get to her hooves. She drew herself as high as she could and began stepping towards her opponent, only to be stopped by a shooting pain in her side.

She looked down to her side where the pain had erupted from and found a red streak along her side where she had brushed his horn. Blood slowly trickled from the wound, but was stopped by her skin sealing itself off, rapidly healing. She looked back at the black stallion who had not moved an inch, and was smiling to himself facing away from her.

“YOU WOULD DARE TURN YOUR BACK ON ME!?” she screamed at him unable to contain her anger at the obvious insult.

“Why would I not, you have already failed. Your Equestria has fallen, and yet you seek to fight me. Do you not understand that what I have done is for the love of ponies everywhere? I wish paradise for this land. I have delivered it,” he stated flatly. “Why do you still defy me?” The question was sincere, the dark alicorn truly did not know.

“You are insane, and you are a mass murderer. You have torn this world apart, and the only way I can make up for allowing this to happen is to take you down,” Celestia raged. Lowering her horn she charged him once again.

The black alicorn sighed pressing his hoof to the ground. A purple ring erupted around the two alicorns and chains shot from the ground entangling Celestia. The princess was slammed to the ground, knocking the air out of her. Straining against her bonds she tried to move, but the chains would not allow her an inch, her magic also would not come when she called on it. One of the chains had wrapped itself around her horn preventing her from drawing on her power. The black alicorn turned to face the bound goddess. Slowly he began to trot over, until he was standing completely over her.

“I truly pity you Celestia, you ruled to the best of your ability but were just not up to the task. I on the other hand am the perfect pony for the job, and as you know I have already found a replacement for you.” The dark stallion stated, hoping that he could see even more anger build in Celestia’s eyes. She was unfortunately unable to make a reply, since his magical chains had bound her muzzle shut. “My queen will you not join me in my final moment of triumph?” he turned calling to a figure standing at the top of stone stairs leading into the room.

Turning his attention back to Celestia as hoofsteps behind him indicated that his queen had joined the two in the room he began to perform another spell. Magic crackled and a sword appeared from the black alicorn’s horn. The sword was long, and made of steel crackling with purple lightning. Trace looked down at the bound goddess and lowered the blade to her neck.

“Any last words Celestia?” The dark alicorn chided, raising the blade into the air. Another fit of laughter almost broke him from his pose, but he brought himself under control. Trace took one final look down at Celestia, whose face was calm and stoic.

Then he swung.

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Trace awoke sitting straight up in his bed panting. His purple silk sheets were damp with sweat, and his comforter lay on the floor. His throat was dry and soar, he wondered if he had been screaming. Panic swept over him as he realized he wasn’t in his dorm room, but quickly subsided. He was in his new house in the town of Ponyville, and had just arrived a few days ago. He swung his hooves over the side of the bed and hopped down.

Night terrors were not foreign to him, but he hadn’t had one in a very long time. He trotted over to his dresser and pressed down on a magical seal that lay atop it. He removed his hoof and after a moment there was a small flash of light, and a glass of water appeared where his hoof had been a moment before. He took the glass in his magical grasp and drank greedily from the cup. His parched throat thanked him for the water with an audible sigh.

He placed the glass back on his dresser, and looked around the room. Besides the dresser and bed he had a dark mahogany desk set against a window stacked high with books. He had already placed seals along the top of the desk to bring him pencils and pens when activated. Trace took his glasses from the dresser and put them on before he trotted over to the desk so that he could look out the window.

Trace telekinetically pulled back the white lace curtains to allow clear beams of sunlight to shine in. The sun itself was eclipsed by a tall purple building directly across the road. The building seemed to be constructed of several floors of varying length stacked atop each other. Near the top of the structure was a marry-go-round that went completely around a central spire. Trace laughed to himself as he couldn’t help but thinking that it looked somewhat like a giant purple cake. He gazed down and noticed that most of the ponyfolk were already going about their day blissfully unaware of the white stallion observing them.

He had yet to get out and mingle with the ponies in the town, as he had spent the last couple of days furnishing his new dwelling. Today however, he had business that he needed to attend to. While he could summon a glass of water from downstairs, food on the other hoof, was a completely different matter. He had run out of the stock of food he had found on the first morning, and would need to go and purchase some more today.

Trace let the curtains fall back to their original position causing the room to become darker once again, and turned to leave. Once in the hall he looked to the left to see that he had left the study open last night. He trotted over and peered inside the room before entering. One window near the back of the room allowed the sun to beam into the room revealing the dust that was floating in the air. ‘This house needs to be cleaned out’ Trace thought.

He once again looked about at the room noting the desk he had up against the near wall, an exact replica of the one he had in his room. A single black bookcase sat against the far wall, and held a measly five textbooks, which Trace had brought with him when he left the academy. Trace frowned at this, he would also need to find some books while he was out, and begin to build a library. In the center of the room was a huge transfiguration circle Trace had finished last night, it would no doubt come in handy during his research.

Trace left the room, closing the door behind him this time, and descended the stairs into the living room. Upon reaching the bottom he was struck by the sight of the mustard yellow couch that lay in the middle of the living area. This had been what greeted him every morning since the couch first arrived and he had begun to grow irritated that it was here. He had never ordered that couch in the first place! It was supposed to be red and go with the rug, which it was settled on. But, the grey mailpony with the blond mane had insisted that this was the correct couch when she arrived with it. Trace had reluctantly given in and allowed the yellow monstrosity to be placed out in the open where it declared that Trace was color blind, and unable to make his living room look like anything but the ketchup and mustard sompony would get when ordering hayfries.

Trace hung his head as he walked through the living room, which was furnished with common condiments. He slowly made his way towards the kitchen, which was only clean because of how empty it was. Trace placed his hoof on a seal that was inscribed into the counter top, and after a brief second the empty glass from his bedroom appeared. He settled the glass into the sink along with others, and with nothing better to do this morning began to wash the dishes.

‘I don’t think that I have actually ever done dishes’ he thought after a while. He remembered back when he lived with his parents that the cooks had always done the dishes for the family. He would often find himself hanging about in the kitchen away from the watchful eyes of his father talking to the serving ponies, but had never actually done any himself. ‘This wasn’t so hard’ he mused. At that moment water shot from the sink and hit him in the face in what seemed like an effort to prove him wrong. Trace retrieved a washcloth from a nearby drawer, and washed the suds off his face. With a grimace he allowed the glassware to settle into the soapy water, he had always heard it was good to allow dishes to soak.

Having bested the dishes he decided that now it was time to leave the house and begin on his errands. He opened the door with a flick of his horn, and proceeded into the sunlight not bothering to lock the door behind him. ‘In a small town it is customary for many ponies to leave their doors unlocked’ he recalled reading in a book on small town life. As he began to turn towards his first destination he was stopped by the sight of a pink mare trotting towards him. No, she wasn’t trotting. She was bouncing. In what appeared to defy the laws of physics the pink earth pony bounced on all four hooves down the road in his direction.

Trace realized that his mouth was hanging open, and he pulled himself back together. This was to be the first pony in the town that he met, and he was determined to make a good impression. As she neared Trace sifted through his mind to find exactly what he should say.

“Hello I…..” he was caught off guard as the mare in front of him froze in midair with a gasp. She then turned tail and galloped away disappearing from sight. “am Cornelius Trace, and may I ask what your name is,” he continued though she was already gone.

Trace rolled his eyes, if all ponies in this town were scared of new ponies perhaps he should just stay inside. ‘No!’ he thought ‘I will not allow one pony to shape a prejudice against this town.’ He decided, and turned back to the road to see if there was anypony else he could become acquainted with. Then he noticed movement at the front door of the cake building across the road.

A white unicorn mare with a marvelous purple mane stepped out into the sunlight. Trace could see her coat shine in the light, and also able see the light blue wisps of magic coming off her. The unicorn bore three diamonds on her flank as a cutie mark, which seemed to fall short of accenting her beauty. It was true that almost all the mares he had seen in this town were attractive, but this one across the street was on an entirely different level. She paused for a second once outside as if deciding which way she should head. Picking a direction she trotted off, no doubt busy with whatever work beautiful ponies like her were busy with. Then she disappeared from sight, never even seeing Trace standing across the street. Trace let his gaze fall to the ground and turned in the opposite direction, then he proceeded towards his first errand of the day.

____________________________________________________________________________

Twilight sat at her desk reading one of the several books that were delivered to the library late last night. Equestrian Amphibians and Water Foul was the book currently fascinating the lavender unicorn. Twilight had previously read many books on either amphibians or water foul, but she had never read one that covered them both together. It was amazing at the relations the two had to each other within their environment.

“Spike, can you get lunch ready?” Twilight called to her number one assistant who was stacking books on one of the shelves.

“Um, yea I guess so Twilight,” he replied “But isn’t it kinda early to have lunch?”

“I was thinking about stepping out in an hour or two, and I don’t think I’ll get a chance to eat until later this afternoon,” she explained.

“Oh… Well in that case I guess ill make us some sandwiches,” the baby dragon said as he slid down from the ladder. He then made his way into the kitchen and began to rummage through the pantry for sandwich supplies.

Twilight turned back to her book and continued reading about how newt population had an inverse relation to that of ducks in any given pond. The ring of the bell above the door snapped Twilight out of her concentration. A white unicorn with a long black mane stepped through the doors and began to look around. When his eyes fell on Twilight he quickly looked away.

“Can I not go a couple days without being blinded?” he asked under his breath.

“Are you okay?” Twilight asked, as the stranger removed his glasses and began rubbing his eyes. Twilight caught a glimpse of something on the bottom of his hoof before he placed it back on the floor.

“Quite fine, thank you,” he replied. “Am I right to assume that this is the library in Ponyville?”

“That would be correct, we have whatever you could want here… well mostly everything,” Twilight answered. The white unicorn rested his gaze once again on Twilight, this time his sunglasses were on the top of his head. Twilight could now see that his eyes were a brilliant shade of azure, and he also had a streak of the color that ran through his long mane.

“My name is Twilight Sparkle,” she said greeting the new comer properly. “I don’t believe I have seen you around Ponyville. Are you new to the town?”

“My name is Cornelius Trace,” he replied with a bow, “and yes, I just moved in to town a couple of days ago.”

“Well welcome to Ponyville, it’s a pretty great place to live,” Twilight said returning the bow.

“Yes, I find it… Quaint. Very different than Canterlot, but it has a warmth that isn’t found in some of the bigger cities.”

“You are from Canterlot?” Twilight asked taking a step closer. “I am from Canterlot also. May I ask why you have moved all they way out here to Ponyville?”

“Well I have finally received my license to be a State Researcher, and Princess Celestia was convinced that I should conduct my research here. A little odd, but one should no argue with the royalty I suppose.”

The answer seemed odd to Twilight. This unicorn just did not seem old enough to be a State Researcher, only unicorns that had proven their prowess in the magical arts, and had studied for years were given the title. The unicorn that stood before her was about her age, maybe a year younger. It just didn’t seem to fit, but then Twilight remembered what he had said his name was.

“Wait. You said your name was Cornelius Trace. Of the Trace noble family?” she asked, her voice rising a little.

The unicorn seemed to sigh at the mention of his family name. “Yes, my father is Augustus Trace, and my mother Cornelia Trace. Though I myself hold no noble title,” he replied.

“You have no title? Why is that?” Twilight realized how insensitive the question was a moment to late.

“My father disowned me when I was younger. I don’t really like to talk about it.”

“I am so sorry I shouldn’t have asked. That was really wrong of me.” She sputtered.

“No, no. It is quite all right. Now tell me Miss Sparkle you mentioned that you were from Canterlot also, what brings you to this quaint little town?” Trace asked, attempting to change the subject.

“Well Princess Celestia sent me here so that I might study the magic of friendship,” she answered quickly. Talking of The Princess always got Twilight in an excited mood.

“Oh so you are the personal pupil that the princess spoke of. She said that you would be in the town, but tell me, what is this magic of friendship. I don’t believe I have ever heard of such a thing.”

“Well there is power between the bonds that ponies make with each other, and one of the stronger bonds is friendship. In fact it is what is required for the Elements of Harmony to reach their full potential,” Twilight stated matter of factly.

“Well that seemed a little rehearsed. Do you get asked that question a lot I wonder?”

“Yea well. There are a lot of ponies in the town that ask me what the magic of friendship means. I guess you just get used to it after a while.”

“Yes well, I came here today to see if you had a couple of books that I may need for my research,” Trace said steering the conversation to his errand.

“Well I have many books that you might need, but I wont know for sure until you tell me what it is you are looking for.”

“I know of one book that I will particularly need, Transfiguration and Transmutation by Wilhelm Colttington,” he replied looking about the room. This place seemed awfully small for a library that would have anything he would need, but it was his only option short of ordering the books from Canterlot.

“Oh yes, that’s a great read I think I have a copy over here,” Twilight said trotting over to a bookcase marked with a C. She pulled a large tome off the middle shelf and floated it towards Trace, who took it in a magical grasp. He seemed to be straining as he placed the book on the ground next to him. ‘This is really odd.’ Twilight thought. ‘How could a State Researcher be hardly able to lift a book. Perhaps he wasn’t telling the truth about why he was in town.’

“Thank you Miss Sparkle, now if you don’t mind I would like to browse the rest of the shelves to find any books that I may need.”

“Be my guest, this is a library after all,” Twilight said stepping aside so that he could pass her and reach the books on the wall.

Trace smiled and walked past Twilight, which is when Twilight saw his cutie mark. ‘A runic circle. That isn’t such a common cutie mark.’ she thought as she sat back down at her desk intending to resume her reading.

At that moment Spike walked out of the kitchen carrying two plates with sandwiches. “Twilight I made your sandwich, sorry it took so long,” Spike declared turning all eyes in the room on him.

Spike didn’t notice the white unicorn standing near the books staring at the baby dragon until he had already placed the plate in front of Twilight and taken a seat at the desk, prepared to eat his sandwich. When Spike finally spotted Trace he turned and gave a wave.

“Hi I’m Spike,” he stated.

“I am Cornelius Trace.” The unicorn gave a bow. “It is a pleasure to make your acquaintance,” he added before returning to the shelves looking for various books.

“So Twilight. Who is that guy?” Spike asked lowering his voice so that only Twilight could hear him.

“His name is Cornelius Trace like he said,” she replied.

“No I mean like, why is he just looking through the bookcases. You usually just find whatever book anypony is looking for,” he countered.

“He said he was a State Researcher,” Twilight said lowering her voice to a whisper also. “Though I don’t know.”

“A state researcher?” Spike whispered back. “But Twilight, he looks younger than you are, aren’t state researchers supposed to be old grumpy ponies?”

“Well usually they are but I guess I am an exception,” came a voice from behind the young dragon causing him to nearly jump out of his skin.

Spike turned to see Trace standing behind him smiling, and barley holding in his laughter at the baby dragons reaction. For reasons he couldn’t explain he loved sneaking up on unsuspecting ponies just to see what their reaction to him speaking would be. This hobby had on more than one occasion earned the unicorn a black eye, but did little to stop him from continuing to startle others.

“Did you find everything you needed?” Twilight asked, also holding in a giggle.

“Well I found most everything I thought I might need, for now.” He motioned to the pile of books near the door.

“You should let me know if you need anything else,” Twilight added before she turned back to her book.

“I will be sure to do that.”

Twilight was engrossed in her book, and didn’t even notice that the white unicorn had summoned a piece of chalk and had begun to draw on the floor. Spike however, had noticed and was watching in rapt attention. There was a quick flash of light that pulled Twilight away from her books to find Trace brushing chalk marks off the floor with his tail.

“Did you burn my books?” Twilight asked in a mix of annoyance and curiosity.

“Aw Twilight you missed it.” Spike replied from him. “He started drawing on the floor with this chalk around the books and then he put his hoof down and FLASH, all the books disappeared. It was really cool.”

“So what did you do exactly?” Twilight asked curiosity beating out annoyance.

“Well I drew a simple summoning rune on the ground around the books that matched one I had on my desk back at home,” Trace stated as if it were the simplest thing in the world. “Then with a slight application of magical force the books were transported back to my home.”

Now Twilight could see that his earlier statement was true, and he was in fact a State Researcher. The display though it may be small had massive potential, and Twilight caught onto this immediately.

“Wow you need to show me exactly how you did that.” Twilight stated in a moment of unbridled curiosity.

“I do?” Trace asked.

“Well I mean, could you please demonstrate that again so I could learn it?” she asked much more politely this time.

“And what may I ask would I get in return for this demonstration?”

“What?” Twilight deadpanned.

“The only thing I have that sets me apart from other unicorns is my understanding of runic circles. You have probably noticed that I have difficulty levitating a large book, so what could you offer in exchange for this knowledge?”  Trace asked.

Twilight had no answer for this question. While it was true that when two scholars got together to exchange magical insight the exchange usually went both ways ponies weren’t usually so bold as to ask that they be compensated for their insight. Trace could see that she was having difficulty coming up with an answer. When he had first arrived he had seen that this unicorn possessed immense power, perhaps comparable to Celestia herself.

“I have an idea,” he offered, “in exchange for me sharing my knowledge on runes you could help me with more basic spells such as simple levitation. You no doubt, have had to curb the power you put into levitation seeing as how much power you are able to wield. I on the other hand have to try really hard to pick up a medium sized object. If you would help me find ways to make such simple spells more efficient I would certainly help you delve into the mysteries of magic runes.”

Twilight thought this over for a few moments. She had been asked to swap spells with other unicorns before but she had never really been asked to help another unicorn become better at a particular spell. However, her curiosity had been aroused and she just had to learn more about what Trace had to offer.

“I think that’s a great idea. When can we begin?” Twilight asked, thoroughly excited at this point.

“Well I have errands I need to run today,” he stated, “How about I come back tomorrow and we can see about exchanging some knowledge.”

Twilight deflated at the thought of putting off a new intellectual pursuit. “I guess that would be okay.”

“I will see you then, Miss Sparkle,” Trace said with a bow before he turned to leave.

“I guess I’ll see you tomorrow, Cornelius.” Twilight replied.

“Please just call me Trace,” he called back shutting the door behind him, and leaving the library.

____________________________________________________________________________

It was nighttime in Ponyville as Trace walked back to his house. The well-worn path crunched beneath his hooves. His recently purchased saddlebags were full of apples, carrots, and other various foods he had purchased at the market today. This was the first time that Trace had walked through the town at night, and he found that there was no pony to be seen. He thought it was odd, but continued on home.

In the distance crickets could be heard playing their music. When Trace looked up he was astonished at how many stars could be seen. Growing up in Canterlot there was always too much light from the city to see the stars clearly, but out here in the small town every single one could be seen twinkling. The slight breeze carried with it the smell of the farmlands that were just beyond the edge of town. Trace wasn’t accustomed to the smell of so much nature, but he didn’t find it unpleasant.

He paused. “I think I’m going to like it here in Ponyville,” he said to himself before continuing along the path.

He rounded the corner on the street to see his house a block away. Once again he thought about how strange it was to not even see another pony on the street all the way back from the market. He pushed the thought from his mind ‘It probably just means that ponies in rural towns like this don’t stay up as late as they do in Canterlot’ he thought. Trace reached his doorstep, and twisted the knob with some magic. He pushed the door open and stepped into the darkness of the house.

He was immediately forced to the ground as something tackled him. Trace tried to move but was completely caught in a vicious bear hug unable to move. He struggled for a moment longer before finally he finally resigned himself to his fate. ‘This is it.’ He thought closing his eyes waiting for the stroke that would finish his short life. ‘Why was I so naïve as to leave my door unlocked. Now I’m done for.’

All of a sudden all the lights on the lower floor flashed on and a chorus of ponies shouted “SURPRISE.”

“What?” he asked as he cautiously opened his eyes to take in his surroundings.

Trace looked up to see that a particularly bubbly pink earth pony was what had tackled him and was smiling down at him. She moved off of him and began to help him up. Once Trace was back on all fours she began to rapidly talk to him.

“Hi, I’m Pinkie Pie. Remember we met today and I was all like I don’t think I’ve seen this pony around town before, but you didn’t hear that because I thought it. And then, I thought that if I hadn’t seen you around town before that was because you are new, and if you are new in town that means I haven’t thrown you a party yet. So I went back to Sugercube Corner to get stuff for a party, but then I thought if I can’t have a party if I don’t know what your name is so then I went and asked everypony around town if they knew who you were.”

“And then when I asked Twilight she said that you were Trace, and I was all, that’s a weird name, but then I have a weird name to so it was okay. And then I made this banner,” she said pausing to breathe and pointed to a banner that hung across the ceiling spelling out WELCOME TO PONYVILLE TRACE.

Trace unfortunately committed her entire monologue to memory and cursed his near flawless memory for doing so. He looked around and found that nearly fifty ponies were stuffed into his small house, and were in fact having a party. There was a flash of pink and once again the mare that claimed to be Pinkie Pie took up his entire vision.

“So then I got all the stuff for the party and brought it here, and then I asked everypony in Ponyville to come but not everypony could make it, but I still got a lot of ponies to come see,” she said motioning back to the ponies mingling and drinking punch.

“So what do you think?” she continued, “Do you like the party?”

Trace looked down at her and saw that she was really worried that he wouldn’t like the party.

“Um… Yes I think it’s a great welcome party. Thank you.” The pink mare brightened at his approval and once again brought him into a strong hug.

“THAT’S GREAT,” she exclaimed, “now that everypony is here you can make friends, and get to know everypony,” she said releasing him from her viselike grip.

“Yea I think I’ll go… mingle,” he stated as he picked up the now spilled foods that had once been safely tucked in his saddlebags.

“Okie Dokie Loki.” Pinkie Pie saluted before bouncing off into the crowd.

Trace watched as she left. ‘What an interesting mare’ he thought before he trotted to his kitchen to put away his groceries. As he began placing the various foods in their proper places he noticed that the entire kitchen counter was filled with cupcakes and cookies. ‘Perhaps she puts something in the food that keeps her going a mile a minute.’ Trace mused while he placed the last apple in the cupboard and closed it.

He picked up a cupcake with a bit of magic and stared at it intently. ‘Well if there is something odd in this cupcake I don’t think ill ever know unless I try one.’ he thought weighing his options. ‘FOR SCIENCE!’ he mentally yelled taking a bite into the dubious pastry. There wasn’t a hint of anything dangerous that immediately greeted his taste buds, and he had to admit that the cupcake was perhaps the best he ever tasted.

Trace finished the small pastry and made his way out of the kitchen to begin looking over the crowd. He didn’t know any of the ponies at the surprise party. He frowned, he had been hoping that at least Twilight would have come and been a familiar face. Then he spotted her. The beautiful mare he had seen earlier today was staring at his couch intently, while levitating a cup of punch beside her. Trace could clearly see that she was not pleased with his décor. A thought popped into Trace’s head and he smiled as he made his way over.

“I wonder who decorated this room, a server at a fast food place perhaps,” he stated standing slightly behind the mare.

“I know what you mean,” she replied without turning to face him. “It looks like someone put a glob of ketchup and mustard in the middle of the room.”

“That’s exactly what I was thinking, the only thing missing would be a green chair to be the relish.”

“Oh you are just awful,” she said back letting out a chuckle, and Trace joined in the good-natured laugh.

“Yes, I curse the day that couch was delivered here,” he continued

“Well maybe if….” Whatever else she was going to say was cut off as she froze. Then she slowly turned to face the smiling Trace who looked down on her, taller by an inch or two.

“Oh darling I didn’t mean to say, well what I mean is,” the beautiful white unicorn stammered only to be silenced by Trace raised hoof.

“It’s quite all right I hate the furniture in this room myself,” he stated. “That couch there was supposed to be a nice crimson, but I received this yellow monstrosity instead.”

“Well that would be a much better match I think.” She then turned back to the couch and mentally pictured what the room should have looked like. “Yes, crimson would go very well with the carpet and the rug.”

“That is what I thought, if I may say so I think you have a very fine eye for décor Miss...”

“Rarity,” she replied.

“It is a pleasure to make your acquaintance Miss Rarity,” Trace said with a bow, “My name is Cornelius Trace.”

Rarity’s eyes shot open at the mention of the surname. “Trace as in the Canterlot Traces? Would you happen to be related to Margaret Trace?” she asked.

“Margaret is my older sister, one of my few sibling that I keep in contact with.”

“Oh my, your sister is Margaret Trace the designer and model? I have followed her work for years,” Rarity said allowing a bit of glee to enter her voice.

“Yes that would be her. I suppose you are a model too aren’t you?” Trace asked hoping that his obvious attempt at flattery would go unnoticed.

“Oh my no darling.” Rarity said trying to keep herself from blushing. “I am a dress designer.”

“Is that so? I suppose that would be your studio across the street wouldn’t it?” Trace asked.

“Why yes it is, but how did you know.”

“I noticed you rushing off when I went outside to run some errands today. I can only assume that beautiful structure belongs to a beautiful mare such as yourself,” he stated with a sly smile.

“Oh Mr. Trace flattery won’t get you very far with me,” Rarity said letting out a very unladylike giggle.

“Are you sure about that?”

____________________________________________________________________________

The party had ended at about two in the morning and everypony had made their way home. The entire down stairs was a mess, and all the groceries he had bought that day were completely gone. But as Trace picked up the paper cups and cupcake wrappers up off the floor he couldn’t help but thank Pinkie Pie for allowing him to meet a mare as beautiful as Rarity.

He sighed to himself fully knowing that he had a schoolcolt crush on her, but at the moment he didn’t care. She was truly a magnificent creature. The two had talked for a long time before she had excused herself saying that she “needed to take care of her sister” and left the party. After that Trace had spent the remaining party meeting a few ponies and making small talk. The entire time however, his mind was stuck on Rarity.

He finished picking up the trash and placing it into the trashcan. He then proceeded to incinerate it by touching a hoof to a rune on the side of the bin. Now that the house was in order he turned and made his way up the stairs back to his room. He was exhausted from the long day, and hated the thought that tomorrow he would have to go out once again and buy more groceries.

Trace made his way to his room and settled into his bed prepared for sleep to come to him quickly. It did not however, as thoughts of Rarity kept him awake for another hour. The last conscious thought he had before slipping off into blackness was ‘Didn’t it seem like she was flirting back with me?’