Bonds
Chapter 1: New beginnings
Load Full Story Next Chapter“You’re sending me where?” Twilight could only stare at her mentor, mouth agape as her mind processed the new information. She threw herself at Celestia's hooves and begun to frantically pleed with the princess, “Oh Princess whatever it is I did to warrant this punishment please have mercy on me! Learning magic is my life! Please don’t send me away!" Twilight’s mind whirled as she struggled to think of something she had done to warrant Celestia displeasure. As a memory about her most recent piece of work, Twilight face contorted in horror, "This is about that book report, isn’t it! Oh no no no no no! I knew I should have chosen 'Battle Magic: Everything you’ll need to become a royal magus' rather than 'Magic 101'. I’ll get started on my corrections right away!”
Celestia sighed; she should have known Twilight would jump to conclusions. Sure, she loved the little filly like her own daughter but sometimes her overactive imagination was a real handful. Especially when she heard some of the more...malicious rumours surrounding the Princess. A week ago, Twilight had entered into the restricted section of the library despite the princess putting in place wards to keep her out. While Celestia was pround of her student's power, Twilight had immediately prostrated herself before the Princess and begged her not to, in her own words, 'banish her, or throw her in prison, or banish her and throw her in prison in the place that she was banished to'.
“Twilight, you’ll always be my faithful student. Though it is true I’m enrolling you in the Manehattan Institution because of the book report.” Seeing Twilight’s face fall, Celestia hurriedly continued, “It’s not that it was badly done my faithful student. It’s simply you mentioned an interesting theory. You hypothesized that magical ability is not consistent even within a single individual as the amount of magic a pony is capable of projecting is proportional to their ability to be in touch with their emotions. Therefore, I'm sending you out of your comfort zone. The Manehattan Institute is one of the better academies in Equestria and Manehattan is one of the more social places in Equestria. You will definetely be able to get in touch with your emotions there. Consider this a control experiment, when you return, your magical advancement will be compared to some of your peers.”
Twilight had been given just two hours to pack before she found herself on a chariot to Manehattan. As she sat in the chariot, she became acutely aware that the last time she had interacted with a pony her age was a whole year ago before she had left the school for gifted unicorns to be hoof-trained by Celestia. She fervently wished that Spike was with her. Just the day before had he fallen ill with a particularly nasty illness known as dragon flu, the nurse said that he would be unfit to travel for at least another few weeks. As the chariot pulled into the school’s driveway, Twilight braced herself for the new life she would be starting here.
It was a rather unremarkable office. The floor was not tiled and there was a simple grey carpet in the middle of the room. An unremarkable Ivory table rested on top of the carpet, an unremarkable colt was sitting on a cushion on the other side of the table, and unremarkable bare grey walls surrounded him.
He turned to the lavender filly that had entered his office and regarded her with disinterested eyes. When she stood before him, the table between them, he spoke, “Welcome to Manehattan Institute. Twilight Sparkle, is that correct? My name is Shimmering Dawn and I’m the principal of this school. I understand that you will be studying here until the end of the year and thus, the Princess has arranged for you to stay at the Dormitory at the centre of campus.” The dark grey colt stood before the lavender filly. Reaching into his drawer, he took out a pair of spectacles and slid it across the table “Here is a pair of Digital Interface Spectacles(DIS). They will allow you to access your homework, schedule and keep in contact with the teachers and your peers. It is crucial that you do not lose it, as the various facilities, such as the doors ,require them to activate.” Pausing, he clapped his hooves, the door to the office opened, and an orange unicorn entered the room. “The student council president, Mrs. Goodwill, will now to show you to your dorm.”
Wordlessly, Mrs. Goodwill led Twilight out of the office and to her dorm. Twilight tried multiple times to start a conversation with the other unicorn but the silence was too oppressive for her to break. When Twilight first saw the dorm, she felt that it was more of a luxury hotel than a dormitory. The building was blue and white, the two colours found on the school emblem, and was three stories high. A posh green garden surrounded the dormitory and behind the dormitory, a pool with clear, glistening water was just barely visible from the main gate. After Twilight checked into the dormitory, Goodwill spoke to her, “You feel... Forget I said anything, just don’t let me catch you causing trouble.” Just like that, Goodwill walked up the stairs and vanished from sight, leaving a completely befuddled Twilight behind.
She would have bothered more about the strange behaviour of the orange mare but at the moment, she was too exhausted to care about anything other than sleeping. Finding her room, she opened the door and threw herself on the bed. She was asleep before her head touched the pillow.
Celestia looked out at the night sky, lamenting her decision. For all the times she had called twilight her faithful student, guilt pricked at her conscience, she was after all keeping a large secret from the young pony. I need you to find the other elements of harmony. In truth, I only made you my protégé because I could sense the element in you. As far as I am concerned, after the elements free Luna, your life is of no concern of mine. Celestia turned to look at her desk. In the bottom drawer was a letter, penned three years ago, on the day Twilight entered her life. It was a letter she intended to send Twilight after Luna was released from the Nightmare. In the letter, Celestia did not hold back as she wrote that Twilight was a fool for believing that she ever mattered to the Sun Goddess, how everything she had ever studied, everything she had ever accomplished was all according her wishes. Three years ago, she would have meant every word and relished in the fact that the mortal pony was such a willing puppet. Now...She wasn’t so sure anymore.
A certain Draconquus spirit floated into the ivory tower that was Twilight’s not so humble abode. Floating around the room, he mulled over what he had heard that afternoon. Celestia was sending Twilight to Manehattan. He knew that Celestia rarely let Twilight wander far from her, after all, if Twilight died her plan to save dear Luna would be invalid. He was curious, why had she allowed Twilight to venture to Manehattan of all places, the furthest Equestrian city from Canterlot. Eventually, his thoughts strayed to his 'private' time with the little filly.
A certain Draconquus spirit floated into the ivory tower that was Twilight’s not so humble abode. Floating around the room, he mulled over what he had heard that afternoon. Celestia was sending Twilight to Manehattan. He knew that Celestia rarely let Twilight wander far from her, after all, if Twilight died her plan to save dear Luna would be invalid. He was curious, why had she allowed Twilight to venture to Manehattan of all places, the furthest Equestrian city from Canterlot. Eventually, his thoughts strayed to his 'private' time with the little filly.
To anypony concerned, he was her imaginary friend. He had appeared before her the first time in an attempt to traumatise Celestia’s new chess piece. In her panic, she had toppled a couple of bookshelves from the royal library on him. To his surprise, he had actually felt pain from his astral projection. From then, he had taken a personal interest in her. Her magic was extremely chaotic, breaking all the rules set by prior mages. Astral projections couldn’t be hurt. She did it. Magical energy cannot be focused to levels required for spells without a horn. Well, he had taken away her horn once and goaded her into trying to catch him. She tried to seize him with magic but wound up blasting him out of the training hall. She was an interesting filly, one who didn’t really bother at all about his mismatched appearance. Casting his mind’s eye on Twilight sleeping form, he continued his silent vigil.