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The Ordinary Adventures of an Extraordinary Unicorn

by RoyalBardofCanterlot

Chapter 4: Twily is Scared

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The velvet cloak of night had descended upon the spires of the great city of Canterlot. The stars and the moon, which normally shone down upon the city, were obscured by grey and threatening clouds. A spring storm had been planned. Only a few unicorns were out as the clock got closer and closer to midnight. Most were hurrying home to avoid the downpour that was on its way. A few, drunken ponies were staggering home, leaning on one another and singing bawdy drinking songs. Their laughter and singing rang through the streets of the city.

In one house, just outside the city limits, all was still. After a hearty dinner, the inhabitants had gone on to bed. Shining Armor had attempted to stay up to read a graphic novel under his covers. He had fallen asleep just before eleven. Twilight Velvet was resting in the forelegs of her husband Night Light. Night Light was snoring, a trail of drool coming down his face. His wife's tail curled against his own. Velvet was in the state between sleep and wakefulness. Having had two children had made her hypervigilant to the least little noise. She knew that her youngest was scared of thunderstorms. She had offered to let the filly sleep with them, but a few months ago Twilight had decided that being a big filly meant that she should be sleeping in her own bed.

Velvet was actually a little proud and a little sad that her daughter was growing up. She had just now turned five and was always asking Velvet to read to her. Velvet had to help her sound out the big words, but Twilight had become a voracious reader. They had gotten her a library card a few weeks ago and every weekend Twilight would insist her parents take her there. Velvet had never met another filly who loved reading so much or was so good at it. Night Light had caught her in his personal den reading over his military history book. He had been amazed because Twilight had understood enough of the words to be horrified by what she was reading. Still, she had sat in Night Light's lap and continued reading until he had taken the book away from her.

They had decided to go get her tested after that. Their little daughter, who liked to steal cookies when she thought nopony was looking and liked to tackle hug her big brother, was a genius. Her magical potential was off the charts as was her intellect. The revelation had made Velvet both proud and afraid. Was that why Twilight was unable to relate to fillies her own age? Was that the reason she preferred doing her homework and studying to even attempting to play with other foals?

Velvet turned in her bed. They had taken her to the park, but all Twilight had done was spend an hour following a ladybug around. They had told her foalsitter about it. She had only giggled and nicknamed Twilight Ladybug. She had studied foal psychology and assured them that Twilight was perfectly normal.

Still, a hobbyist foal psychologist's word did little to assure Velvet. Most of the other foals ignored Twilight and Twilight ignored them in turn. Velvet wished her daughter could make at least one friend.

Meanwhile, a little purple, unicorn filly huddled beneath her sheets. She knew a thunderstorm was coming and that she shouldn't be afraid. Sure, the thunder sounded like a horrible monster come to eat her. But that was silly. Thunder was just...just...actually, Twilight hadn't gotten that far in her natural science book yet. She had gotten distracted by the chapter on insects.

Besides, the alchemy book was so much more interesting. If she wasn't so sure it'd end with another lecture from the head of the firefighter's brigade she'd try one of the experiments.

Above all, she couldn't get scared. She was a big filly, not a foal. Only foals were scared of thunderstorms.

A distant rumble began. Twilight whimpered and grasped her Smarty Pants doll, closer, nuzzling it. She burrowed into her pink covers, drawing the blanket over her head.

No, she wasn't going to be scared. She was determined to not be frightened by what was most certainly not an evil dragon come to gobble her up in a single bite.

The very thought was ridiculous. She was also glad that she had listened to her mommy and gone to the potty before bedding down for the night. It wouldn't bolster her case that she was a big filly if she wet the bed and had to go back to diapers.

Not that she was sure her mommy would put her back in diapers and Shining had sounded like he'd been joking, but one could never be too sure about such matters.

Suddenly, a clash of thunder roared through the city. Twilight's eyes shot open. A second clash rolled and the sky was alight with streaks of lightning.

That was definitely a dragon! She had read all about dragons! A great blue dragon was coming to gobble her up! A third clash of lightning shook the sky and Twilight could not hold back the scream that she let out. She dived beneath the blankets and shivered, waiting for the big, scary dragon to swoop down and gobble her up.

No such dragon came, but its roars and growls still swept through the city. She clutched Smarty Pants and promised Mother Epona that if the dragon didn't get her she'd be a good filly and eat her vegetables and stop stealing cookies and not do any more dangerous experiments.

The dragon was getting closer, she could hear its roaring.

Shining, in the next room, felt his big brother instincts activate at hearing his little sister's scream. He darted from the bed just as Velvet and Night Light raced down the hall. They met outside Twilight's door.

Shining scratched his head. "So, uh..."

"You have school in the morning, you have work, I'll handle it." Velvet told her husband and son, taking charge of the situation. Night Light and Shining nodded, yawned and returned to their bedrooms.

Twilight continued huddling beneath the blankets, expecting the terrifying dragon to come gobble her up any second. The door opened a crack and Twilight heard hooves trotting on fabric. The next thing she felt was the blankets being drawn away and a comforting hoof running through her mane.

"Twilight? Twilight, Sweetie?" Velvet slid on the bed and drew her daughter close. Twilight buried her face into her side. Velvet held her, stroking her mane.

"It's just thunder, Twiliy. It's going to be alright." She continued stroking her mane.

Twilight nuzzled against her mother's chest. "I...I thought it was a big, scary dragon." A blush spread across her face as she admitted the silly idea. She couldn't believe she had thought something like that!

Velvet hugged her. "It's alright, Sweetie. Everypony gets scared sometimes."

Twilight eyed her dubiously. "Even you?"

"Yes, Sweetie. Even me. Even Daddy and Shiny. Everypony gets scared sometimes." A thought came to her. "You know what thunder and lightning are, don't you?"

"No." Twilight shyly admitted, wishing she had looked it up. "I know there are 4,300 types of ladybugs though!"

Velvet bit her lip before the giggle came out. "That's..." Adorable. "Nice, sweetie."

"And they smell with their feet and antennae!"

A peal of thunder crashed. Twilight yelped and buried her face in her mother's chest. Velvet continued stroking her mane and nickered to her. She struggled to remember her science lessons in high school. That had been a long time ago. She used her magic to flip on a light and levitated over a natural science book that was on Twilight's overcrowded bookshelf. She held the book in her magic and flipped through the pages while she sat up against the pillow. Twilight settled into her favorite reading spot, her mommy's lap.

Velvet searched for the chapter labeled atmospheric science. Looking over it, she realized her daughter might have to help her read it.

"Thunder," Velvet began, "is a sound caused by lightning."

Twilight read along. Velvet continued. The thunder continued outside, but Twilight was absorbed in the book as Velvet explained about sonic shockwaves and atmospheric pressure. Lightning, the book explained, was what happened when negatively charged particles and positively charged particles met.

Velvet wasn't sure how much Twilight understood, but she used her hoof to read along and sounded out the bigger words. Velvet realized she was getting sleepy. The thunder had slowly come to an end. Twilight yawned.

"So, you see pegasii are in charge of all this. They try their best to not let it get out of control." Velvet ended. Twilight closed her eyes and curled up against her chest. Velvet set aside the book.

Twilight stirred. "Mommy?"

"Yes, Sweetie?"

"Stay with me? Please?"

Velvet kissed Twilight's forehead, just below Twilight's horn. "Your bed's a bit small for me, but you can sleep with me tonight."

"...Okay." Twilight said, letting Velvet pick her up in her field and lay her on her back. Twilight spent the rest of that night in her parent's embrace.

Years later, Twilight decided, that was where it had all began. Watching Celestia raise the sun had sparked her love for magic. Her second love, her love for science, had been sparked on a long ago, stormy night when her mother had comforted her with knowledge. The comfort of rationality, the assurance of a world that was well-ordered by both natural and mystic forces, as well as her life-long quest to combine the two.

It was there, in her mother's lap, that it had all began.

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