After a moment of nothingness, the filly’s horn flickered then sparked to life. Her eyes clenched shut, and a bead of sweat formed on her brow as she struggled to maintain the gentle green aura.

“Very good, Sweetie Belle,” said Twilight, her wings flitting at her sides. “Now try and focus your energy on the marble.”

Sweetie Belle grunted in exertion, then tried to do just that. Her magic slowly, carefully reached out, coming in contact with the cold, small sphere. The aura encased the marble halfway before a loud knock at the library door shattered Sweetie’s concentration, causing her to break the spell and crumple to the floor in exhaustion.

Twilight trotted over to the door and swung it open. Inside trotted Rarity, sporting an exotic sunhat. She turned around and smiled at the alicorn. “So? How was it, Twilight? Tell me everything.”

“She did great! Didn’t you, Sweetie?”

Legs still wobbling a little, she pushed herself up onto her feet. Between heavy breaths, she managed, “H-hardly. I can barely even… light up my horn.”

Rarity trotted over to her sister, wrapping a hoof around her and pulling her close. “That’s quite all right, darling. Magic is hard for all unicorns, especially when they’re first learning.”

“Yeah, but all the other unicorn fillies at school can pick up, like, five marbles at once. I can’t even pick up one!” Sweetie said, her lips curled into a pout.

“That may be so, but with a teacher who’s a princess and the Bearer of the Element of Magic, you’ll be better than all of them in no time. Right, Twilight?”

Twilight smiled at each of them in turn, making sure that her eyes lingered on Sweetie Belle for a little bit longer. “Of course. You’ve got a lot of magical potential, Sweetie.”

Sweetie Belle turned to Twilight, looking up at her wide-eyed and hopeful. “Do you really think so?”

Twilight giggled, and her smile grew just a little bit bigger. “I know so. With a few more lessons, you’ll probably be able to lift ten marbles.”

“Ten whole marbles?” Sweetie asked incredulously.

“Maybe even fifteen,” added Rarity.

“Wow! That would be awesome! …So, uh, can I go play with my friends now, Rarity?”

“Of course, dear. Just be back… for… dinner…” Rarity trailed off, as Sweetie Belle had already taken off down the road in search of her friends. Rarity sighed and rolled her eyes. “What am I going to do with that silly filly?”

Twilight smiled and shook her head. “She sure is something all right.”

“So,” Rarity began, her expression leveling, “how did the lesson actually go? Did she make any progress?”

Twilight’s own expression sobered, and she turned back to the marble that rested in the middle of the floor. “It’s… certainly an uphill battle, that’s for sure. She was able to tap into her magic, but that’s about as far as she got.”

Rarity’s nose crinkled, her mouth contorting into a frown. “I feel so bad for her. I know she feels out of place at school, and I’m positive that the other foals tease her about it.”

“Don’t stress yourself over it. It’s not exactly uncommon for unicorn foals to be magically stunted,” explained Twilight. “In fact, the foals who are stunted usually happen to be the strongest once they’re fully developed. It’s just a matter of getting a feel for your own magic, and if your magic is unwieldy, then it takes more time than most.”

“So there’s hope for her?” Rarity asked.

“Of course! If you recall, I was a late bloomer myself,” Twilight added with a blush.

“Oh, yes! Must’ve slipped my mind, heh…” Rarity said with laugh. “Well, thanks again for agreeing to tutor her, Twilight. I have no idea what I would do without you.”

Twilight’s blush deepened, and she kicked at the ground with a hoof. “Oh, it’s no big deal. It’s just nice to be the teacher for a change. Besides, a little bit of a distraction is always nice.”

“Distraction?”

“Yeah… I suppose that all this ‘princess’ business is finally catching up to me. I’ve never been so exhausted in my life.”

“Now that you mention it, you have seemed a little bit out of it lately. Do you want to talk about it?”

“No, it’s fine. I’m sure it’ll fade with time. And besides, you’re a busy mare. I don’t want to hold you up any more than I already have,” said Twilight.

Rarity cocked an eyebrow at that, but didn’t press the issue any further. “If you say so, Twilight. But I really do have to go, though—far too many dresses to make in far too little time. We should absolutely have lunch after Sweetie’s next lesson, though! It’s been far too long since just the two of us have gone out.”

At the mention of food, Twilight’s stomach let out a low grumble, eliciting a giggle from Rarity. “Heh, that sounds wonderful, Rarity. See you then!”

At that, the fashionista turned tail and left for the boutique. Once she was out of sight, Twilight closed the door behind her. Her stomach let out another earth-shattering rumble, and she laughed sheepishly to herself.

“Spiiiiike!” she called out.

“Whaaaaat?” came the sarcastic reply.

Twilight rolled her eyes. “It’s Saturday.”

“And?”

“Saturday is shopping day.”

“So?”

“Do you want to come grocery shopping with me?”

His head poked around the doorframe upstairs, and he looked down at her. “Not really, no. But I doubt that I actually have a choice in the matter.”

“Aw, don’t be like that, Spike.” Twilight smirked devilishly up at him. “You can stop by Rarity’s and get a bag of gems if you come with me.”

“Count me in!” he said, bounding down the stairs toward her. Unfortunately, his legs couldn’t bring him to a stop quick enough, and he went flying into the wall adjacent to the door.

Twilight found herself rolling her eyes for the umpteenth time that day. “Come on, Casanova. Let’s go.”

She trotted out the door, and the little dragon followed. After a moment, Spike skidded to a halt and ran back inside to grab the grocery list off the fridge, shaking his head all the while. Once it was in his grasp, he ran to catch up, then pulled himself up onto her back, taking his usual perch.

After patting Twilight’s head playfully, much to her chagrin, he asked, “So, what’s first?”

Twilight levitated the list up in front of her face and squinted. “The first thing is a dozen carrots, so we’re headed to Golden Harvest’s stand.”

He nodded in understanding and rested his chin atop her head, taking special care to avoid her horn. He let out a contented sigh, and they drifted into a companionable silence.

In truth, Twilight hadn’t been lying when she told Rarity that she was stressed. Being a princess—an actual princess—was harder than she had imagined. Rarity’s request that she tutor Sweetie Belle certainly wasn’t the first she had gotten, especially after her magical display a few weeks ago during the whole Tirek fiasco. Hell, she was still getting letters from enamored fillies and colts talking about her “super awesome rainbow powers”.

But that wasn’t what bothered her most. What really irritated her was how ponies had started acting ever since she was crowned Princess of Friendship. No, she corrected herself—it started before then. She couldn’t quite remember when it had truly started, but it had gotten steadily worse and worse as time went on. The citizens of Ponyville just seemed so… distant. Like they were scared, or nervous, or worried.

Almost like they had something to hide.

It was a silly thing to think. It was completely reasonable that they were scared; after everything that had happened in Ponyville over the last few years, they had every right to be. But, in all honesty, the thought didn’t comfort her any. She was their princess now, and it was her duty to help them in any way she could, even if they didn’t know it yet. Their pain was hers now, and that’s the way it would be for the foreseeable future.

Suddenly, she felt the absence of Spike’s chin on her head. His hand pointed out into the crowds of Ponyville Plaza, across the marketplace. “Golden Harvest’s stand is over there, Twi.”

She nodded and followed his outstretched claw. Weaving in out of the crowd, she eventually reached her destination.

“Hi, Golden!” Twilight said, sporting her best winning smile. “How’ve you been?”

The marigold mare’s left ear twitched, and she chuckled just a little too loudly. “Heh, pretty good. Long time no see, right?”

Spike cocked his head to the side. “We just saw you last week, though.”

“Yeah, but it still feels like it’s been forever,” she quickly amended, shifting her weight from side to side. “So, what’s your name, little buddy?”

Spike turned around to see who she was talking to, only to see that there was nopony behind him. He looked back down at her incredulously. “Are you talking to me?”

Her ear twitched again. “Erm… yeah? Who else would I be talking to?”

“So you’re saying that you don’t remember me, Spike, the only dragon in Ponyville? The only dragon in Ponyville who moved here over two years ago? The only dragon in Ponyville who moved here over two years ago, and who has come to your stand with Twilight—a princess—almost every single Saturday since?”

Again, she let out an uncomfortably loud, brief laugh. “Heh… sorry, Spike. Some of the mares from town and I had a pretty late night last night, so I’m pretty out of it. So, erm, how can I help you both?”

“Uh, we’ll take a dozen carrots, please,” said Twilight.

“Sure thing! Just give me a second.” She ducked underneath her stand and grabbed the produce, tossing it down on top of the counter. “That’ll be twenty bits, please.”

Twilight pulled the bits out of her saddlebags and placed them on the counter. After giving Golden Harvest an obligatory thank-you, she grabbed the carrots and headed on her way.

As soon as they were out of earshot, Spike’s chin rested upon her head once more. “That was super weird.”

“You can say that again,” said Twilight.

She could practically feel the smirk spread across Spike’s face. “That was super weird.”

Twilight took a deep breath and exhaled, shaking her head at his antics.

“So, where to next?” Spike asked.

Squinting, Twilight looked down at the list suspended in front of her. “We’re headed to Sugarcube Corner for muffins.”

The older of the pair trotted across the plaza and over to the large, brightly-colored bakery. Once there, Twilight pushed inside, causing a bell to ring out and alert the ponies inside of her arrival.

Almost immediately after she walked in, Pinkie popped up from behind the counter with frosting coating her face. She quickly licked it all off, except for one spot right on the tip of her nose.

“You missed a spot, Pinkie,” Twilight said, gesturing to her nose with a giggle.

She swiped it off with her tongue and hopped around the counter to greet them. “Hiya, Twilight! Hiya, Spikey-Wikey!”

Spike cringed a little at her greeting, but still managed a smile. “Hi, Pinkie.”

“How can I help you guys today?” she asked.

“Half a dozen muffins, please.”

“What kind? We’ve got chocolate, double chocolate, triple chocolate, death by chocolate, death by double chocolate, death by triple—”

Twilight silenced her with a hoof to the mouth. “Just six chocolate chip muffins, please.”

“Mmphkay!” Pinkie said, Twilight’s hoof muffling her voice. She dove back to the other side of the counter and tossed the muffins into a plastic bag, all in one fell swoop. She then tossed the bag over to Spike, the weight of which knocking him off Twilight’s back and onto the floor with a thud. Both mares had to fight back the urge to laugh as Spike clambered back onto his feet, grumbling all the while.

“Sorry, Spikey-Wikey! It was an accident, I promise.”

“Yeah, yeah, likely story,” he said, wiping the dust off his knees.

“So, how’ve you guys been? I haven’t seen you since, like, yesterday!”

Twilight shrugged. “I’ve been good. A little out of it since Tirek incident, but good all the same.”

Pinkie’s expression softened, and she smiled at Twilight. “Don’t get all upset about that stupid doo-doo-head. Heck, I’m pretty sure everypony in Ponyville is still down about that whole gigantic mess—” she interrupted herself with a gasp “—ohmygosh, we should totally throw a party! That would make everypony all happy again and not super stressed and stuff!”

“Pinkie, don’t be ridic…” she trailed off. “Actually, I think you might be onto something.”

Pinkie let out a barrage of giggles. “Of course I’m onto something! I’m onto the floor, for one. Sometimes I’m even onto the ceiling, when the cakes make me clean after I fire a cake from the party cannon. Oh! ANd I’m also onto Gummy’s secret plot to overthrow all the ponies.” She spun around and looked up at the top of the stairs, where Gummy’s head was poking out the doorway looking down at them. Her eyes glowered, and she muttered, “I’m onto you, buddy.”

“Can we please go get my gems now?” Spike asked.

Twilight reached into her saddlebags and pulled out a bag full of bits. She passed it over to him along with the list. “Sure, but can you do the rest of the shopping too? Pinkie and I need to do some talking.”

Spike looked down at the bits in wonder, weighing them in his hand. “S-sure thing, Twi. Shopping…”

As he walked out the door, Twilight turned back to Pinkie. “Can you come to the library at six o’clock tomorrow afternoon to help with this party?”

Pinkie nodded vigorously. “Yep. Gotcha. Six o’clock tomorrow.”

A smile spread across Twilight’s face. “See you tomorrow then, Pinkie. For now, though, I have some planning to do.”

With a tired groan, Twilight rolled out of bed. She let out a drawn-out yawn and stretched out her wings, resulting in a loud pop. She looked over at her mirror, and, noticing her mane looked like a feral creature resting atop her head, viciously brushed it down until it looked like a domesticated creature resting atop her head.

After letting loose another stray yawn, she headed downstairs and into the kitchen. She flipped on the coffee machine and brewed herself a nice, warm cup of coffee. After putting in some sugar and cream, she took a few large gulps and spun around—

—only to be met by Pinkie’s face mere inches from her own.

“Gah!” Twilight shouted, falling back onto her rump and tossing her coffee up into the air. It came crashing back down again a moment later, only to shatter into millions of tiny pieces, spilling what little liquid was left on the floor around the shards.

Pinkie smiled sheepishly at her. “Heheh… sorry about that, Twilight.”

“Pinkie, how in Equestria did you get in here?”

The party pony turned and pointed across the room to a shattered window. “There.”

Twilight raised a hoof to rub her temple. “Okay, I know I’m going to regret asking this, but why are you here?”

“You told me to be here at six o’clock sharp.”

Twilight turned to look at her clock, and sure enough, it read five after six. With a sigh, Twilight said, “Pinkie, I told you six o’clock in the afternoon, not six in the morning!”

“Oh. I’m sorry… Again.”

“It’s quite all right, Pinkie,” Twilight said, wrapping Pinkie in a hug: a hug which she happily returned. “I really shouldn’t have snapped at you like that.”

“It’s okay! So, uh, are we still going to plan the party now? Or do you want me to come back again later?” Pinkie asked.

Twilight’s tail swished back and forth, her lips pursed. “I suppose now, since you’re already here. There’s no use in you leaving and coming back. Just let me get another cup of coffee and we’ll start.”

After a few minutes, Twilight had gathered her notes from the previous day, a few party planning manuals, and, most importantly, another cup of coffee. Together she and Pinkie sat at the dining room table, talking about the to-be party.

“So, what kind of party are you gonna throw? Oh, oh, oh! Can it be a masquerade? I love masquerades!”

Twilight shook her head. “Pinkie, haven’t you seen the movies? Something bad always happens at masquerades, like a murder or a robbery or something. We’re trying to get ponies to relax, not freak out!”

“I guess you’re right,” Pinkie conceded. “So, what kind of party did you have in mind then?”

“I was thinking of just a regular themed party, but I’m not sure what to make the theme.”

“How about the beach? Black and white? Summer in Prance? Oh, oh, oh! How about winter!”

Twilight’s nose scrunched up in thought. “Actually, winter could be good. Cozy foods, a fireplace—I can see that being good. It would fit well, too, with winter approaching and all.”

“Okie-dokie-lokie,” replied Pinkie. “But where are we going to have this party? Can we have it at Sugarcube Corner? I really wanna have it at Sugarcube Corner.”

“Are you sure?” Twilight asked. “I don’t mean to impose.”

Pinkie smiled. “Heck yeah I’m sure!”

Twilight chuckled, shaking her head. “All right, then we can check that one off the list,” she said, crossing it off her list with her quill. “Now we’ve got to worry about decorations.”

The other mare dismissed her with the wave of a hoof. “Pfft, that’s easy. I’ve got tons of old Hearth’s Warming decorations in my closet that we can use.”

“How about food and drinks?”

“I can totally make a bunch of sweets for the party, but you’re on your own for drinks.”

“I’ll just ask Applejack for some cider, then,” Twilight said.

Twilight scanned her list, stopping when she reached the next unchecked item. "Invitations?”

Pinkie scratched her chin, thinking. “I’m pretty sure that I have some blank invites that we can use.”

“Enough for everypony in Ponyville? I want to make sure everypony personally feels welcome.”

“Yuppers!”

Twilight nodded. “Okay, so when do you think we should have the party? I want to have it as soon as possible, but I want to give us proper time to prepare.”

Pinkie twitched in her seat. She wouldn’t admit it, but it was obvious that she was growing antsy from sitting still for so long. “How about next Wednesday at seven o’clock?”

“Sounds good. I’ll be there a few hours early to set up everything,” said Twilight. “I think that about covers everything. That is, once I contact Vinyl Scratch about DJing the whole thing.”

“Awesome! So, uh, are we good?”

Twilight nodded. “Yes. That… was surprisingly fast. Thanks again for your help, Pinkie!”

Pinkie smiled, getting up from her chair. “No problem! I’m happy to help out, especially when it comes to parties. See you around, Twilight!”

At that, the party pony hopped from her seat and bounced out the door, leaving a droopy-eyed, coffee-filled Twilight behind her.

Suddenly, Twilight’s eyes shot open. “Wait! My window!”

“Do you remember what I taught you last time?”

“Focus. Channel a small stream of magic through your horn. Keep focused. Reach out with your magic like you would with a hoof and grab the marble. Stay focused. And finally, gently lift up the marble… while focused.”

Twilight nodded. “Good. Now try to pick up the marble.”

Sweetie Belle’s gaze shifted from Twilight down to the marble sitting on the floor five feet away. After taking a deep breath, she squinted her eyes and focused on the object. Her eyes suddenly slammed shut, and her horn flickered to life. After a moment, the flow of magic became constant. She took another deep breath and slowly but surely reached out for the marble.

After what felt like an eternity, her magical grasp reached the small object. Her nose twitched in concentration as her magic enveloped the marble. After a second passed, it slowly rose from the floor by one inch… three inches… five inches…

Clack.

Sweetie Belle’s eyes shot open at the sound of the marble hitting the floor. She watched, transfixed, as the marble rolled along a crack in the floorboard, only for it to come to a stop a few feet away.

“Oh, c’mon!” she shouted. “I was so close…”

Twilight smiled down at her. “What do you mean ‘close’? You picked it up!”

“Yeah, but only just a little.”

“So? That’s still much better than what you did last week. I’m proud of you, and you should be proud of yourself too.”

Sweetie’s lips curled into a gentle half-smile. “Y’know, you’re right. Thanks, Twilight!”

Twilight leaned down and nuzzled the younger filly. “Just keep trying and you’ll get there. I promise.” Pulling away, she added, “So, are you ready to try again?”

“Yup!”

Twilight nodded. “Okay, this time I want you to be more gentle when you pick up the marble. You’ve got to have finesse; brute force is just going to cause your horn to feed too much magic into the spell, causing you to lose control.”

Sweetie Belle bit her bottom lip. “So I’ve got to be forceful, but not too forceful?”

Twilight let out a chuckle. “Yes. It’s a delicate balance to be sure, and it’s hard to get just right. It’s something that’ll only come to you with practice.”

In lieu of a reply, Sweetie Belle turned and approached the marble once more. After taking in a large breath and exhaling, she narrowed her eyes. Much like all of her previous attempts, her horn lit up with its signature forest green color. The tiny tendrils of magic danced from her horn, slowly encircling the marble. A second passed. Then another. And another. And another.

The marble went nowhere.

Sweetie Belle sighed, dropping the spell.

“You didn’t use quite enough power that time. The trick is to—”

Twilight was interrupted by a knock at the door.

“Has it been an hour already?” Twilight wondered aloud. “Come on in, Rarity!”

Rarity nosed the door open and trotted inside, heading straight for the two mares. “How’d it go?” she asked.

“I picked up the marble!” Sweetie cheered. “It was only by, like, a little bit, but Twilight said I did really good!”

Rarity pulled Sweetie Belle into a big, warm, comforting hug that only an older sister would know how to give. “I’m so proud of you, Sweetums!”

After a moment, Rarity pulled away and smiled at Twilight. “Thanks again, Twilight. I don’t know how I will ever repay you for this.”

“Please, think nothing of it. Seeing Sweetie Belle making progress is payment enough,” Twilight replied.

“So, are we still on for lunch, Twilight?” Rarity asked.

Twilight’s eyes lurched open. “Oh my gosh, I totally forgot! I… I’m sorry, Rarity, but I’m going to have to call a rain check. Pinkie and I are getting together put some finishing touches on the party decorations.”

Rarity looked at Twilight incredulously. “Party decorations?”

Twilight nearly facehooved. “Oh, I forgot to tell you, didn’t I? Now is as good a time as ever, I suppose. Pinkie Pie and I are throwing a party this Wednesday.”

“Oh, that’s perfect! I’ve been looking for an excuse to try out my newest winter ensemble,” said Rarity.

“Party?” Sweetie butted in. “Am I invited?”

“Of course!” Twilight said. “Everypony is invited. In fact, that’s exactly why we decided to throw the party. Everybody needs to let loose a little after the whole Tirek incident. A lot of ponies have been acting really tense lately.”

“Well if you need my assistance with anything, don’t hesitate to call,” said Rarity.

Twilight smiled sheepishly. “Actually, now that you mention it, would you mind helping Pinkie and I pass out the party invitations tomorrow? There’s no way we can get to all of Ponyville on our own.”

Rarity smiled. “Sure thing, Twilight. Like I said, I’m happy to help out however I can.”

“Oh,” Twilight added, “and if you see any of the other girls, can see if they’ll help as well? Trust me, we’re going to need all the help we can get.”

Next Chapter: The Harbinger Estimated time remaining: 29 Minutes