“You are a failure, Twilight Sparkle.” Sunset shoved Twilight to the ground and smirked. Fillies and colts filled the hazy classroom air with laughter.

“I’m not!” The laughter quieted. Wobbling to her hooves, Twilight stared down Sunset.

“You think getting a cutie mark automatically makes you a hero?” Sunset cast a spell and pulled Twilight towards her with a blue smoke-like aura rather than flames. Up close, her teeth appeared sharpened. Seeing pale moonlight glisten off them reminded Twilight of the manticore.

Something stung Twilight’s side and her vision blurred. A snort pulled Twilight’s attention back to Sunset. Her breath prickled the hairs on Twilight’s muzzle, and her glare was so intense it was like her irises were aglow, shifting them from light cyan to an icy blue. “Even with Celestia’s training, you’re still a weak foal.”

Twilight jerked back. Three spots on her side throbbed, making her head spin. The classroom walls wavered, and the desks disintegrated into the air. Even the floor appeared to fade a little, revealing only darkness below. If there had ever actually been anypony else in the room, they had now vanished aside from Sunset. Twilight’s heart pounded. “H-how do you know that?”

Sunset appeared taller now and her coat a darker shade. Her eyes glowed and her pupils lengthened into slits. “I know everything about you, Twilight Sparkle. It’s time for you realize what you’re up against!”

Sunset’s last word rang like a thunderclap. Thick, blue smoke cocooned around her and then exploded outwards. When it raced over Twilight, a cold like the most bitter of winters took hold of her. It opened a void in her gut, and a sense of vertigo struck her. The completely dissipation of the classroom only intensified the feeling. In its place was an inky abyss, like a night sky bereft of the stars and the moon. The only source of light was the chilling smoke swirling around the thing that had assumed Sunset’s form.

An armored hoof formed out of the smoke and slammed into the ground. Twilight inched back. Three more legs coalesced out of the smoke, all of them rippling with muscle and blacker than the most monstrous of storms. Next, a torso wreathed in silver armor formed. Already, this thing stood as tall as Celestia. Leathery wings materialized out of the darkness and sliced the air apart. Gales erupted out of the void, forcing Twilight into a crouch. Just one more flap of those massive wings and it felt like Twilight’s skin would be torn off.

The smoke thickened upwards, forming a helmed head. With most of her body now formed, it was clear the thing was a monstrous version of a mare. An obsidian horn, sharper than Celestia’s and just as long, spiraled out of the mare’s forehead. What was left of the smoke flowed through the her helm and past the sickle-shaped moon on her flanks, forming a ghostly mane and tail.

When the mare opened her eyes, Twilight’s hooves froze to the ground. She wanted to scream, but her mouth would not move. The mare’s slitted pupils pierced Twilight’s heart and dredged up a fear so pure it did not attach itself to any dragons, or manticores, or even the black alicorn herself. This was the terror that only provoked two responses: succumb and remain rooted on the spot soon to be a grave or allow instinct to take over and flee, flee until hooves cracked and muscles ripped from the bone.

Twilight whipped her legs into a frenzy. The world blurred as she spun. The relief of not having to face the mare was drowned in a flood of adrenaline. No strategies this time. No spells. No attacks. Just escape. Where she could escape to in this void did not register to her. Self-preservation was at the helm and it only had one command: run.

The mare’s icy mane clenched around her throat before Twilight had gotten even a foot away.

“Coward!” the mare roared. She forced Twilight to look straight at her. Like the rest of her, the mare’s breath was frigid. It was another piece of the nightmare Twilight could not escape from. With her body and mind paralyzed, her lungs shriveling, and her vision darkening, she surrendered and cried in hysterics. The mare growled, “You are weak, Twilight Sparkle. As you are, you are no— “

“Enough!” Celestia’s voice boomed, turning the entire void white.

The mare snorted and the darkness returned to most of the void, but a part high above her remained bright. Heat, far more intense than even the hottest days of Twilight’s training rained down from the spot of light.

The mare dropped Twilight. Gasping for air, she watched the mare’s hooves turn back to smoke as she took to the sky. More and more of her faded away into the air. The inky abyss around her and Twilight shifted to a dark blue and pinpricks of light poked through it.

“This is not over, Twilight Sparkle!” the mare snarled. “I’ll be watching!”

With one last flap of her wings, the mare blasted Twilight with icy winds, knocking her off her hooves. Whatever had kept the plane solid under Twilight faded away. As the world tumbled around her, the pinpricks widened until they consumed the void in a blinding light.

Twilight bolted upright and gasped for air. Looking around, she realized she was in Celestia’s bedroom.

“Twilight!” Spike hugged her tight. “Thank goodness! I tried to wake you up, but nothing I did worked!”

Twilight hugged Spike back. “What a nightmare.”

“You talking about whatever you were dreaming or the manticore?” Spike sighed and sat down on the bed.

“Both.” Pulling off the covers, Twilight sat up. She noticed Spike had a few bandages on his arms and legs. “What happened?”

“I don’t know. I woke up when you started screaming in your sleep.”

More of the fight came back to Twilight through the haze of her dream. Recalling her last waking memory, she turned and looked at her side. The pain of having her wounds seared shut felt like it had been part of the nightmare, but she still braced herself for the sight. Only a few faint scars and burn marks remained. The wounds could have passed for a months-old culinary accident now. “Huh?”

Before Twilight could ponder about the miraculous recovery or let the thought of how long she had been unconscious bloom into paranoia, the doors to the room flew open. Celestia stormed in. Her eyes were ablaze and her jaw clenched tight. But, when she spotted Twilight and Spike up, her features softened. Her entire body seemed to sink closer to the floor. “Oh, thank the stars. Twilight, Spike, please forgive me. If I had known this would happen, I would never have left you on your own.”

“It’s…” Twilight chewed her lip. “Well, it’s not fully okay, it was a manticore attack after all, but I’m just glad we’re safe. We weren’t in the best shape though, how did you manage to find us?”

“Your gear,” Celestia answered while keeping her eyes to the ground. “It was enchanted to track you in case you got lost or…”

“Or a manticore attacked us?” Spike asked. Both Twilight and Celestia stiffened.

“Spike…” Twilight shivered. “Th-there’s no way...”

With sharpened eyes, Spike glanced at Twilight and then back at Celestia. A bit of smoke curled out of his mouth. “You’re the one that said it, Twilight. That monster shouldn’t have been outside the Everfree.”

“Spike! Princess Celestia would never endanger our lives like that!” Twilight’s words echoed through the bedroom. With her heartrate quickening, she turned. Celestia stood as still as a statue with her head bowed. Twilight paled. “You… you wouldn’t, right, Princess? Th-that thing nearly killed us.”

“Your lives were never in true danger.” Celestia’s voice was little more than a whisper. Her head dropped lower. “I promise you, I would never do anything so stupid and reckless like that, no matter what benefits it yielded.”

“Benefits?” Spike snarled. Balling up his claws, he advanced closer to Celestia. “What the hay kind of benefits does having a manticore maul us give?”

Celestia lifted her head upwards as if the ceiling or the sky beyond held an answer. When she turned towards Twilight, her eyes appeared even more sunken than usual. “You recall our first day of training? When I mentioned the Elements require a certain mindset?”

Twilight nodded.

“Aside from intense concentration and a vast outpouring of mana, the Elements require a deep desire to protect others in order to activate. It gets easier over time, but for those unfamiliar with the Elements, only devoting all your might to save someone will awaken them. Receiving your cutie mark and melding your magic with mine allowed you to bypass the first two requirements and activate them with just that selfless devotion.”

Celestia glanced at Spike. “Once I was certain Twilight had enough stamina to withstand activation and I had given her some advice on the concentration aspects, I had planned closer to the end of summer to stage something that would put you in false peril. I swear on all the stars, I would never have let either of you sustain any injuries as serious as this.”

“Was…” Twilight gulped. “Was that mare the one who sent the manticore then?”

“Mare?” Spike asked.

“In my nightmare.” Just thinking about it made Twilight’s skin crawl. “There was this mare. Maybe. She was…she was as if you took everything about you, Princess, and made the opposite. An alicorn, no, a monster. I thought she was Sunset at first, but then she said knew about our training and changed.” Twilight now shook with every word. “I… I couldn’t’ do anything.”

“She,” Celestia spat out the word, “has been dealt with, for now.”

“For now?” Spike shouted. “You mean there’s another Alicorn out there that knows about Twilight and wants her hide and you didn’t finish her off? Why don’t you use whatever the Elements have left in you and turn her to ash?!”

“You know nothing, so keep your mouth shut!” Celestia roared, eyes suddenly ablaze one more. Their intensity withered Spike, forcing him to inch back. As quickly as the fire had appeared, it went out from Celestia’s eyes. Twilight glimpsed a pained grimace before Celestia turned her back to them.

“Please,” Celestia said, voice cracking, “This matter has become personal. I… I’m sorry, so sorry, but I cannot say more right now. You are not ready.”

“Princess…” Twilight dared to take a step closer to Celestia. Confusion laced with anger forced words out of her mouth. “We’re sorry too, but we need to know just what we’re up against. Whatever this is about, we’re a part of this now.”

“I know. I now know that all too well.” Celestia raised a leg and wiped her eyes. When she turned, she stared at Twilight for a moment.

In the months since her training had started, Twilight had come to know a Celestia far different from the noble all-powerful ruler she had idolized in her youth, and not just because of her physical appearance. As a teacher, Celestia was strict with a mischievous side that took a bit of enjoyment watching Twilight toil away, but was always there at the end of the day to get her back home. When she disciplined Twilight, she was harsh, but when she acknowledged Twilight’s accomplishments, she was genuine and warm.

A Celestia that was neither ruler nor teacher now faced Twilight. Twilight’s gut clenched when she realized she had seen this side of Celestia once before: when she had first shown Twilight her wound. The sunken eyes and stretched skin spoke not only of her injuries but her age and exhaustion as well. Whatever had transpired to make her so enraged when she had entered the bedroom or what she had done to rescue and heal Twilight and Spike had allowed that raw emotion to come to the surface.

Then, Celestia did the one thing—the only thing—Twilight could never imagine her doing to anypony. She wanted to scream at her to stop, but Celestia’s act held her transfixed. It could not be happening, not to her, but unless this was still a nightmare, her sight did not fail her.

Celestia got on her knees and bowed her head. Twilight felt the ground fall from underneath her. Spike reached out to steady her when she faltered. His grip was only thing assuring her that this was real: Princess Celestia, the most powerful pony in Equestria, her teacher, her idol, was prostrating herself before her, grinding her horn into the floor. “When you can control the Elements, I will explain more. I promise from the deepest depths of my being. Please, I beg of you to forgive us for our foolishness.”

“S-stop it,” Twilight stuttered. “Y-you’re a Princess. I’m j-just...”

“An incredibly brave pony that has now stood against two of Equestria’s most powerful beasts.” Celestia ground her horn against the floor. “And I am just a teacher that failed to look after her student.”

Twilight rushed forward and wrapped her hooves around Celestia. Tears spilled down her face. “That’s not true, Princess! You gave me the chance to be a hero! You’re the greatest pony in Equestria! You could never fail!”

Celestia embraced Twilight as she devolved into sobs. As she held Twilight close, she noticed a puff of blue smoke trail out of the fireplace. Words were on the tip of her tongue, but with every last scrap of willpower she had, she sealed them away. But I did, Twilight.

The trio walked back home in silence. Spike did not even complain about wearing the locket again. Ponies celebrated all around them with sun themed foods, dances in the street, and cheers to Celestia. Were it not for the crowds being so thick and celebratory, somepony may have noticed and questioned why two fillies and a dog looked so glum.

When Twilight’s house came into view, Celestia brought the trio to a stop. “Twilight, rest today. The spells used to heal you and Spike take much of your stamina. If you are still feeling weak, we can cancel tomorrow as well.”

Twilight shook her head. “Whoever that mare was, she said she’d be watching… and that I was a failure. I’m not going to let her insult all the hard work we’ve done this summer, and I’m going to prove her wrong.”

Celestia stood there for a moment. Before Twilight could react, Celestia had her in a hug. Twilight could have sworn she felt where Celestia’s face pressed close to her own grow damp. “I know you will, my faithful student.”

As suddenly as she had embraced Twilight, Celestia pulled back and stood as tall as her shrunken form would allow. “I must be off now. My stand-in can only last so long. Send a letter if you need anything, anything at all.”

Celestia’s movements and words had struck Twilight like a barrage. They combined with the tense exchange, the lingering thoughts of the mare, and the ache from the manticore encounter to cloud Twilight’s brain. All she could manage to respond with was a nod.

As Celestia turned back toward the castle, Spike waved a paw at Twilight. “See you tomorrow.”

“Yeah, of course,” Twilight said, forcing her lip’s muscles into a smile.

Once Celestia and Spike had disappeared into the crowd, Twilight let the smile drop from her face. Despite having only awoken little over an hour ago, Twilight felt her knees bend under her own weight, and her eyelids drooped down. She shuffled over to her house, slipped through the door, and slunk up the stairs.

“Twilight?” Night Light called out. “That you?”

Twilight paused. She glanced back and saw Night Light at the foot of the stairs. “Dad… sorry. Mom probably had a fit when I didn’t come back.”

“Oh no worries, Twilight. Your friend sent a letter. Sounds like you had quite a wild night,” Night Light chuckled. His grin faltered when he noticed the slump in Twilight’s back and the frown pulling down the rest of her face. “Sweetie, is everything okay?”

“Just tired.” Twilight whipped her head forward, out of Night Light’s sight. “I’m… I’m going to take a nap now.”

“Oh, okay. If you need anything, your mother or I will be in.”

Without a reply, Twilight dragged herself to her room. For two months, she had trained day in and day out, working herself repeatedly to the point where just climbing the stairs at the end of the day was a near-insurmountable task. Yet, she had always propelled herself forward, up the steps, through the Everfree, and past whatever challenge Celestia threw at her.

Now, that zeal was gone and all that was left was exhaustion. Making her way to her bed, Twilight curled up and fell fast asleep. Neither dream nor nightmare came to her, just sleep.

Jostling awoke Twilight. Velvet stared down at her. “Sorry, sweetie, I know you were absolutely beat, but Sunny wanted to make sure you were okay.”

The sleep instantly cleared from Twilight’s vision. She sat up straight. “She’s here?”

Celestia poked her head through the door with a sheepish grin on her lips. “Hi.”

“Oh, um…” Twilight bowed her head. “Good morning?”

A glance back at Celestia brought a grin to Velvet. “Twilight, I was worried after you started seeing Sunset less and less, but it looks like you’ve met another hero fanatic. Been having your little midnight rendezvous again, haven’t you?”

“Mom!” Twilight yelped, her face now bright red. “I was like, six, and it was just that one time at camp!”

Celestia corked her head. “What’s this?”

“Nothing!” Twilight blurted out. She went white with the realization she had just yelled at the highest point of authority in all Equestria.

“Oh, I don’t know why she hides it,” Velvet chuckled. “You’d never guess it on the surface, but when Twilight was younger, she and her friend Sunset were quite the mischievous duo, going on ‘patrol’, keeping the rougher colts and fillies in line, and occasionally facing their greatest foes, disobeyed parents, teacher, and camp staff. From the sound of it, seems like she’s gotten back into her old habits with you.”

“It’s not like that, Mom!” Twilight practically felt steam rising off her face. “I haven’t done anything like that with P— “

“Oh, Twilight, nothing to worry about,” Celestia interjected. Turning to Velvet she said, “Ms. Velvet, I don’t know what Twilight did with her friend Sunset, but she didn’t do anything bad, I promise… eating a full platter of hoofburgers isn’t bad, right?”

“No, no.” Placing a hoof at her chest, Velvet gave a laugh. “Honestly, I’m just glad Twilight had a chance to relax. She’s been working quite hard this summer on getting into the School for Gifted Ponies.”

“Yeah, she tells me all about it.” Celestia glanced at Twilight. “I know she’s working really hard. No matter what gets in her way, she takes it like a champ!”

Celestia flexed a leg. With no muscle on it, her display elicited pity from Velvet. Twilight took in the act and the true meaning hidden behind Sunny’s playful mask. With a hop, she landed on the floor, stretched out, and stood tall.

“So, did you want to hang out again today?” Twilight asked.

“Only if you want to.” Celestia’s smile shrank. “Spike is a bit tired from yesterday, so it will just be us today.”

“Well, let’s not waste any more time then.”

The wind carried the clink of a spoon against porcelain over the tall hedges. The warm summer breeze drifted through the granite muscles of ancient heroes, and blew around the marble curves of legendary heroines. When wind whistled by the mismatched limbs of a serpentine statue, it produced a discordant note that pricked up Twilight’s ears. Celestia did not appear to notice and took a sip of her tea.

Everypony in Canterlot, and probably most of Equestria, took at least one trip to the Statue Gardens. It was technically as a part of the castle, but outside the moat, making it the easiest “royal” tourist spot in Canterlot to visit. Today though, it was just Twilight and Celestia. Bereft of crowds, the gardens had a slightly unsettling silence to them. And, with all the statutes, it was impossible for Twilight to not have at least a faint feeling that she was being watched.

“I want to thank you again for coming out.” Celestia’s slowed her hoof as it swirled her teaspoon. “It would not be unreasonable for you to never speak to me again after yesterday.”

“You…” Twilight paused and thought on her next words. “You were worried and I can’t blame you for being mad at that mare.”

Celestia stopped stirring her tea. The action sealed Twilight’s lips. Celestia sighed, “Things involving her are complicated, but it’s not an excuse for how I acted. That mare is an ancient creature, neither villain nor hero, but a force you, as Bearer of the Elements, must face some day. Until then, I will use every piece of power at my disposal to keep her at bay.”

“There’s more to this, isn’t there? A pony that terrifying that’s not a villain is hard to believe.” Twilight furrowed her brow, but Celestia met it with the same steely eyes reporters filled front pages with whenever Celestia stood triumphant over a villain.

“I could have explained things much better yesterday.” Celestia sighed once more. “But my promise and my plea still stand. You cannot handle her right now, and if I were to tell you more, it would only be a distraction to your training. Just know that no matter what she said, you did your best and managed to use teamwork with Spike to prevail. That mare fails to see the bond you two share, but friendship like that is the key to the Elements.”

“I…” With a breath, Twilight leveled her gaze at Celestia. “I don’t want to just use Spike just to activate the Elements though.”

“You won’t.” Celestia bowed her head. “The Elements are a part of you now. They are not just a spell to cast. When your friends are in danger and your bond with them shines bright, that is when the Elements will lend you their strength. Only a pony already willing to give it her all can call upon them. You, Twilight Sparkle, are such a pony, and you proved it when you had neither magic nor cutie mark. No manticores or other nightmares can change that.”

A gust of wind howled through the gardens. When it whipped around the serpentine statute, it almost sounded like a screech. Celestia’s eyes sharpened.

“How are you feeling, Twilight?” Celestia furrowed her brow, further steeling her eyes. “Do not hold anything back.”

“How am I feeling?” Twilight repeated the questioned and weighed it in her mind. There were three paths she could pursue: reply to Celestia, the ruler; reply to Celestia, the teacher; or reply to Celestia, the tired. She answered, “Confused. So much has happened, and I have so many questions. It’s all a little overwhelming.”

“I see.” Celestia clasped her hooves in front of her face. “And how do you feel about that mare?”

“Curious now, but mostly terrified.” The vision of the mare’s slitted eye forced Twilight to shudder in the warm summer air. “Just looking at her made me afraid. It… it was something deeper than just regular fear. I think the closest thing is the flight response cranked to eleven.”

Celestia clenched her jaw. “I was concerned this might happen. That mare is able to wield fear like a weapon and plant its seed within you. Unfortunately, even I cannot stop her from spying on you and that seed makes it all the easier. Luckily, there is a simple solution to deal with the seed that carries quite a number of additional benefits as well, including sharpening the concentration needed to activate the Elements.”

The mention of a seed formed a lump in Twilight’s stomach. It was not hard to envision some black thorn-riddled monstrosity bursting out of her chest while the mare cackled above her. For the first time in her life, Twilight regretted her love of comics, especially the space-horror genre. “What should I do?”

“Meditate,” Celestia answered.

Images of Twilight sitting atop a mountain with rocks swirling around her as she floated inches off the snow-covered peaks flitted through her mind. With a shake of her head, she brought her focus back to the garden. “Okay, but without somepony in danger, will that actually help with activating the Elements?”

“I’m not sure.” The words were blunt. Celestia’s stony face intensified their impact. “I know that is not the most encouraging thing to hear, but trying to force the Elements to activate is foolish at best. Dealing with the seed is our top priority though. Aside from that, at the very least, mediating and ridding yourself of that mare’s taint will strengthen your focus. A cool head makes a massive difference in the myriad of emergencies heroes face daily.”

“Hmm, that is true.” Twilight grinned. “I’ve never heard of mediation being used in such a way though. Is this another one of Starswirl’s secret teachings?”

“This is actually a discovery Princess Luna made.”

Twilight’s eyes widened. “Really?”

Celestia bit her lip. “Yes, but perhaps do not think too much of it, or it may seep into your dreams. Luna only discovered this technique due to her injuries and she is hesitant to share it with anypony. Her permission for me to teach it to you was not exactly forthcoming.”

“Oh.” Twilight couldn’t help but glance at Celestia’s wound. “How is Princess Luna? I mean, actually?”

“She…” Celestia turned her head upwards. Her gaze fell upon a tower jutting up from the center of the castle. Where the tower that held Celestia’s room glinted with gold coating, this tower soaked up the sun with its deep lilac hue.

“Sorry!” Twilight blurted out. “You don’t ha—“

“It is fine.” Celestia’s vision lingered on the tower for a few more seconds before she faced Twilight again. “Princess Luna’s injuries are of a different nature than my own. Combined with her nightly tasks, they keep her mostly confined to the castle. The Luna you’ve seen or heard about on Nightmare Night and Hearth’s Warming or perhaps the Gala is just a doppelganger—one of her trusted guards. Maybe, once you have gotten into the School, I will properly introduce you to her.”

Excitement rushed back to Twilight’s face. “I can’t wait.”

“Well, let’s focus on training for now.” After one last sip of her tea, Celestia pushed away from the table. She made her way over to a grassy knoll away from the path and the table and took a seat. With a tap of her hoof on the ground, she beckoned Twilight over.

Twilight followed her and sat beside her. Celestia sat up straight. Her exposed ribs, sunken cheekbones, and stretched skin reminded Twilight of the some of the fillies and colts she occasionally saw at the lab. Yet, the calm yet focused look on Celestia’s face called another image to Twilight’s mind: Celestia atop her throne. Stretching out her spine, Twilight assumed the same position as Celestia.

“This is just the start. There is no right or wrong in this meditation,” Celestia instructed as the breeze brushed her mane. “For today, just feel your body. Later, you will learn to focus on magic. Feel the wind swell your lungs. Feel the air leave your mouth. Embrace the touch of each blade of grass.”

Twilight listened to Celestia’s words and then shut her eyes. Her chest pushed outwards as the breeze swirled around her. Then, it sank back down.

“Right now, there is just you and your breath” Celestia’s voice drifted along with the wind. “Training, heroes, and the Elements can come later, but we must always remember our breath. If other thoughts come to you, do not reject them, but gently set them aside and come back to your breath.”

Twilight did as she was instructed and breathed. Every couple of inhales, words or visions would come to her. Training the Everfree. Practicing spells with Spike. Defending herself from Sunset. At first, she did as Celestia said and put the intrusions aside. Then, more recent memories started assaulting her. Watching powerless as Spike rampaged. Facing down the manticore. Falling into the abyss of a slitted iris. Twilight’s eyes flew open and she gasped for air. A hoof shot to her chest to steady her heart.

“Meditation can lead our minds to all sorts of places. That mare’s influence may lead it to unpleasant ones.” Celestia remained rooted to her spot, even as Twilight scrambled to get back into a proper seated position. “No matter what you may see or feel though, you always have to breath. Fear can only truly conquer the mind when it steals our last breath.”

Twilight nodded and closed her eyes. More breathes. The thoughts returned. Her focus shifted from the air filling her lungs to the blood pumping through her heart faster and faster. Visions of claws came to her mind. Visions of blood. Visions of Spike clenched and skewered between the manticore’s fangs. The manticore shifted into the mare.

“Breathe.”

Celestia’s voice cleaved through the terrors. Twilight sucked in the hot air, and the illusionary Spike vanished from the mare’s maw. The mare hooves turned wispy and bits of them flicked into the air. Twilight’s heart still throbbed in her chest, but she managed to gulp down some more air. The mare’s limbs dissipated and her torso wavered. Twilight’s next inhale was smoother, and she took notice of the steady rise and fall of her chest.

Only the mare’s head remained now, but it was quickly crumbling aside from her eyes. Her glare was just as icy as in the nightmare and stared past Twilight to peer into the darkest corners of her soul. Twilight’s next breaths were still steady, but she had to pause when a thought of Sunset shoving her or her classmates laughing at her invaded her mind. But, with another intake of air, she turned her attention back to her breath.

For how long this continued, she was not aware. There was just her and the air. That is what she felt, but at the edge of her mind, the mare’s eye still glared at her. At some point, her neck grew slack and her legs bent.

Twilight awoke to find her head on a pillow. She heard claws drop onto the floor from nearby. Spike came into her view and took a seat beside her bed.

“How are you?” he asked.

“Better.” Twilight smacked her lips. “A lot better actually. Guess meditation is more relaxing than I thought.”

Spike raised an eyebrow. “Medi-what-now?”

“A new technique Princess Celestia taught me. I’ll ask her to teach you too.” Twilight threw off the covers and advanced over to Spike. Thinking over what had transpired, she stopped a few feet away from him and pressed her lips together. “What about you? How are you feeling?”

“Still a little out of it,” Spike sighed. “I mean, I feel bad for yelling at the Princess after all she’s done for me, but not dealing with that mare after what she did to us still really ticks me off.”

“I know.” Twilight got closer and gave Spike a pat on the shoulder. “But Celestia does have a point. You may not have been there, but that mare is strong, stronger than any manticore. The only way we’re gonna learn more about her and fight her is to get stronger. Overall, I definitely don’t want to do it again anytime soon, but defeating a manticore has got to be a good milestone on the way to becoming a hero. So, are you still in this, partner?”

“How can I say no to that?” Spike chuckled and shook his head. Clenching his fist, he gave Twilight light thump on the chest. “No way am I letting that mare or anypony else get the better of us. Plus, I’ve got a reputation to uphold as the soon-to-be greatest dragon hero in Equestria.”

Twilight smirked. “Didn’t the Princess say there was only one other dragon hero…” Her hoof lifted from Spike’s shoulder and tapped at her chin. “I should really look into whoever she is sometime.”

The air behind Twilight warped and grew warm. With a flash, Celestia appeared behind them. “Do you really think you have time for that with all your training?”

Twilight yelped and jumped up. However, she was still quite close to Spike, so when she launched into the air, one of her hooves decked him right on the schnoz. Stumbling backwards, he smacked into a pillar supporting a large orange and black vase depicting blocky ponies playing a variety of ancient instruments. The vase wobbled and then crashed to the floor. Its shattered remains petrified Spike and Twilight.

With a sigh, Celestia shrank down. “I should have saved my pranks for when I was more rested.”

“Please tell me that wasn’t priceless,” Spike managed to choke out.

Celestia offered Spike a sheepish grin. “Well, it cost me twelve dongolas at the time if that makes you feel any better. Just, um, don’t look up how much that costs now. Given how I’ve acted recently, consider that repayment.”

Spike was silent for a moment. A nudge in the ribs from Twilight stood him straight up, but he quickly bowed his head. “I’m sorry too, Princess. Just the thought of what that mare did makes me want to spout flames, but if it hadn’t been for your training, we could have ended up a lot worse. So, please let me continue to get train with Twilight.”

Celestia smiled. “Apology accepted. Now, it’s getting quite late, so what say we get Twilight home and get ready for tomorrow? You’ve had a well-earned break, but we can’t let up on your training.”

“Yeah!” Spike and Twilight replied, pumping a claw into the air and stomping a hoof.

The manticore battle and the encounter with the mare had left a mark, but the entrance exam was still fast approaching. The group resumed their daily regimen in the Everfree. With each passing day, the pile of rocks and cinders grew larger, as did the rocks and saplings themselves. Twilight could not help but smile the first day she felled an actual tree. True, she did not tear it out of the ground, roots and all, like she imagined Celestia would have, but the exhilaration she felt when her spell finally cleaved the trunk from the base was worth it. Celestia had said she just needed to clear the sector, she did not say how Twilight could accomplish the task.

Every day, when the sun began to sink to the west, Celestia would give Spike and Twilight a five-minute warning to wrap up whatever task they were on. Their pace quickened to get one last boulder out of the Everfree, or cut down one last tree, or incinerate one last pile of timber. But, when Celestia called the time, they stopped and sat down beside her to meditate.

For most days, it was a relaxing note to end training on. On some days though, the sweltering heat or the torrential downpours made meditation just as difficult a task as clearing the Everfree. When the hot air assaulted them or the rain filled wind whipped them, Twilight and Spike remained seated and focused on their breath and clearing their mind. Through it all, Celestia sat still as a statue, the only sign of life from her was the slight rise and fall of her chest.

For Twilight, the meditation carried an additional challenge. Every couple of days, the mare’s eye would appear when she closed her eyes. To disrupt her breathing and break her concentration, it would summon memories of the manticore, conjure images of Shining, Spike, her parents, Celestia, and even Sunset crushed under claws or hooves, or just try and pierce through Twilight’s mental fortitude to instill the instinctual terror. These attacks came most frequently on days when Twilight was already spent from cutting down trees and hauling off boulders. Sometimes, they succeeded and left Twilight gasping for air with her stance broken.

When this had first happened, Spike had stopped his own meditation and gotten up to go to Twilight’s side. A raised hoof from Twilight had given him pause. Inhaling deeply, Twilight took her seat, diving back into the exercise even with the mare’s eye still upon her. With Twilight back to her meditation and Spike lingering on Twilight for a moment before sitting back down again as well, neither noticed the small smile on Celestia’s lips.

Twilight forgot which day it was, but there was one time she was showering after a harsh day of training. From the tip of her horn to the end of her tail, everything was sore and throbbed. At least the shower helped wash off the sweat and grime. Yet, as it did, Twilight noticed the definition in her leg muscles and the rigidness of her barrel. It was not close to Celestia’s frame or even Sunset’s, but it still made Twilight marvel over her change from a scrawny filly.

Unicorns in general were not particularly known for physical strength. Magic was their forte. Even most unicorn heroes were not known for physical prowess. Training anything but her horn had always been on the back burner for Twilight. The way reading texts and learning about spells entrapped her had cemented an unbalanced focus on magic. She could only recall a brief period of time when she had devoted herself equally to both magic and physical fitness.

Sunset ground her hooves to a halt, sending up a cloud of dust. Sweat glistened off her. With a snort, she glared back. Twilight stumbled forward, gasping for air and yards behind Sunset. When she finally reached Sunset, she fell to her knees.

“Really, Twilight?” Sunset growled. “This was your idea after all.”

“I…” Twilight wheezed. “I know. Just gotta… gotta get used to it. Nothing like P.E.”

“Damn straight. You don’t shape up soon, you’ll get a snail as a cutie mark.” Lighting up her horn, Sunset summoned a bottle of water from her bags. “Get some and then we’re on to the circuit. Think you can handle it?”

After Twilight gulped down some water, she nodded. “Yeah!”

With narrowed eyes, Sunset spun around. “Yeah, we’ll see.”

Twilight flexed a leg and smiled. “I guess we will, Sunset.”

Author's Notes:

Anyone else feel like they tried to get Sam Elliot to also star in the new ep but he didn't take so they were just like "Eh, let's just make this stallion look and sound like him. The fans will take the Big Lebowski jokes from there."