Questioning Answers (ENDED)

[RainbowFoxxy]

 

 

Spike welcomed the colt into the castle and nodded as she asked to speak privately to Twilight. "Oh! Yep that's uh," He smiled and rolled his eyes. "That's totally fine by me Valen! She's in the library organizing her books." He began to step out the door. "I have some errands to run... yep! Lots of errands! Let her know I had to go out if she asks ok?" 

 

As the library door was opened Twi turned from levitating a tome onto one of the higher shelves. "Oh Spike! I'm glad you're back! I hope you brought the index cards for the reverse alphabetica-" She stopped, noting the pony coming into the library was certainly not her number one assistant! "Valen! Hi!" She trotted over to him through piles of books and fluttering papers. She smiled as he inquired about her organization. "Yes, you could call it that!"

 

The princess nodded towards a small table that wasn't far away. "So what bring you here Valen? Can I get you a cup of tea? I can spare a few minutes break from the books!" The cups on the table began to glow with her magic as she asked about tea. The princess knew she wasn't exactly looking her best but she didn't feel that was a problem. 

[SteelEagle]

If this had been just a few years ago, the somewhat manic and disheveled nature of the Princess of Friendship would have set off the alarms of his royalty-revering head, but he had grown to understand that all ponies had their own foibles and follies. Twilight Sparkle, Princess or not, was no different. Her need to place everything in its proper position and to constantly retask herself towards the organization of almost all things- but especially books, such was her love for them- could only ever grow louder and louder until she answered the clarion call and took action. Then it would die down- only to build back up, to repeat the cycle once more. You couldn't stop yourself from answering the questions being asked in your head that spoke in your own voice. He knew that better than most, even if he tried not to. 

 

"Oh, some tea would be wonderful, thank you," he said as he took a seat, allowing her to fill up a cup and then taking a deep drink. Refreshing, for a change. He had already filled himself up while with Rainbow Dash but he knew that it was the height of ill-manners to deny such a welcoming gift. "It tastes like Mare Grey. Good taste, as I expected," he said with a gentle smile, putting the tea down. "I'm not here for tea, though I am thankful for it. No, instead I am here to discuss very recent...events. I'm sure you're aware of everything that has transpired between Silver Spoon and I? And namely, how she was able to achieve it?" He asked, hoping he didn't have to recount the history once more. If anypony would know it would be Twilight, who was a sounding board for every last one of her friends when it came to matters of import or issue.

[RainbowFoxxy]

 

Twilight took a comfy padded chair that matched the one Valen had chosen into her magic grasp. She tugged it until it was adjacent to his and took a well earned seat. She nodded as he took a sip and began to share his reasons for the impromptu visit. She sipped at her own steaming mug until he mentioned the events with Silver Spoon. To this she gulped the mouthful she had and set the mug down gingerly.

 

"Oh heh heh...that." Yep she knew all about it. Her friends had come to her when the news got out and she'd had to hash through quite a bit of rumors and hearsay before getting to the bottom of the matter. Silver Spoon had come to visit her and she'd offered some pointers. It seamed though that Silver had taken more than pointers from the laboratory that day. The Princess had her suspicions now that the filly had taken something or a few somethings that she hadn't had the permission to take. Twi had meant to catch up on the situation and bring Silver Spoon in for questioning but so much had been going on she'd yet to do so.

 

"I'm so sorry about everything that happened Valen..." She was genuinely upset by the whole issue especially knowing that she'd had something to do with it. "I had meant to have you over to apologize for all of it, on behalf of myself and whatever it was that went on under my rule." There wasn't an easy way to say it but she did feel it was her fault and she'd dropped the ball on the apology in the midst of the events that had been taking place as of late.

 

"I'm afraid the way she achieved what she did was undoubtedly via magic... possibly magic taken from my laboratory. I had brought Silver Spoon in to offer her help as I would any little pony," She sighed and leaned in, hoping he would believe that she was sincerely sorry. "But she may have taken some items of magic that were not offered," There at least that was out there now. "If there's anything I can do to remedy what's happened please don't hesitate to tell me Valen."

[SteelEagle]

Valen thanked his lucky stars that he didn't have to rundown the list of Silver Spoon's sins once more, this time to the pony who knew it the best. As expected, she was well-connected enough to have heard all the pertinent details and to have hashed out the truth behind the matter. For all the faults she had, a condition she shared with the majority of Equestrians, nopony recovered from a mistake quite like Twilight Sparkle. That, more than anything else, was why she would make an excellent orchestrator of the Equestrian state. Perfection was impossible and mistakes would be made, but what defined success was how one responded to such crisis of success. "I am glad to hear that, Your Majesty. I assumed you would be displeased to hear about how you were taken advantage of, assuming you knew. I cannot say that at first I didn't have a little...anger directed at you, but Silver Spoon is an adept liar and manipulator. I can't think of anypony more deserving of needing the Friendship School myself," he said with a laugh at the end, shaking his head.

 

"I'm not sure what can really be done, to be honest. I'll be fine. I require nothing to make it up for me, as long as we can ensure her ability to do this again is stopped. I'd also like to make sure that whatever she did to me is entirely out of my system. I don't want to have a repeat of this because something lingers deep inside. That would be the major thing," he responded, repositioning himself to take advantage of this luxury. He hadn't experienced it since his home in Manehattan. Ponyville was far more of a function over form place and while he had come to appreciate it, that didn't mean he didn't prefer the luxuries of high society. He took more sips from his tea. "I'm less angry at her and more angry at myself, for having allowed it to happen. I felt helpless, embarrassed, ashamed. It just reminded me of all the ways I've doubted myself, amplified by cruelty," he whispered. Then he sighed.

 

"You know what its been like for me over the past while, since I came to Ponyville. I've had a lot of great moments but I can't help but feel like...something is wrong. Or has been wrong. And that everypony else has these opinions about it and I don't think I agree and-" he let out a frustrated groan before leaning back and finishing his tea. "Bah. No matter! I'll be fine. Everything will be fine."

[RainbowFoxxy]

 

It was obvious from his groan and his words that the situation that she had caused had frustrated the poor colt to no end! She could see why too. What a horribly embarrassing thing to have happen. That plus it seemed everypony in town had at least some rendition of the events in their head. News like that was juicy gossip and those little ponies sure knew how to make a small spark go like wild fire when they wanted to!

 

"Oh Valen," She sighed. "You are right of course everything will be ok." She smiled sorrowfully and took a sip from her mug when she had levitated it near enough. "Perhaps you're right though. Maybe we should do a quick scan of your aura just to make sure all traces of the magic induced on you is out of your system for good."

 

The thought of doing a magical aura sifting did tickle her interest. "I actually just finished a book by Starmancer the Mystic on the very topic!"

 

The Princess set the cup down and released it from her magic before standing. By now she was practically insisting on the matter. "Why don't you follow me to the solarium and I'll preform the scan?" She'd be helping out Valen whom she'd certainly wronged and of course getting to practice some new spells to boot! What could possibly go wrong?

[SteelEagle]

Valen nodded, absolutely certain that everything would be fine. Twilight Sparkle was the most powerful practitioner of magic in all of the land and while he was none too excited to see her face light up with the prospect of experimentation, he knew he was in the right hooves. Nopony else could handle this magic with more safety than she and he wanted to ensure that when he stepped away from this place it was with a clean bill of health, for now and into the future. He strode alongside her with a strong gait, excited to have this solved. He'd have to write home after this, informing his parents that he got a medical checkup by the Princess of Friendship herself.

 

How jealous they would be! 

In no time they found their way to the Solarium. It was bathed in open light, the sun having had broken through the short showers and shining aggressively through the window. It was barren except for a single desk, a carpet with some symbols, and a lonely bookshelf with some scrolls and items he didn't know about. Only then did he get curious as to the situation. A magical cleanse could easily be performed in any location, could it not? Of course he had to leave open the possibility that this new spell required solar energy. It was said that it was uniquely tied to a pony's aura, after all. But why something so complicated for a task that, on its head, appeared simple?

"Hmm...Princess Twilight, why do we need to perform this spell in a solarium? I'm not aware of magic that requires sunlight for a simple scan," He asked as he wandered around. Then he laughed. "Well, admittedly, I'm not an expert on the matter! So, where do you need me, Your Majesty?"

[RainbowFoxxy]

 

Twi watched the colt thoughtfully as he trotted about exploring the sun bathed space. She nodded to herself while he was looking away. Yes, this would be the perfect way to make sure she paid poor Valen back for all the hardship she had caused him. She'd do the cleanse of course, but she intended to imbue some extra magic into the situation. To bolster him up and make him feel strong. To lighten his mood and help him along his way. None of those things would have an ill effect, she was sure of it!

 

"Well," She blew dust off the edge of the ancient bookshelf she'd had brought over form the castle of the Two Sisters. "I enjoying using magic in here every now and then! plus, it's really nice in here today now that the sun's out!" She was cheerful enough but her mind was already whirring away. The cogs and gears setting the correct incantations in the right stanzas. This was a big spell she was gearing up the perform and she found she did some of her best complicated magic in this room.

 

"Ok Valen!" She called to him as she levitated the run with markings on it to the side. Underneath were a set of scorched ruins that had been taken from were Star Swirl had originally made them and laid into the floor of the solarium. The ones on the carpet would have worked but these held a deeper, more pure sort of magic. Twi could feel it in her horn as soon as the runes were exposed. The sunlight danced down the triangular edge of a rune that had been inlaid with silver. Another sparkled of gold and still another platinum. "You can go ahead and stand right here!" She pointed enthusiastically to the center of the circle.

 

"This shouldn't take very long. Just don't move." Her horn was already starting to spark as she spoke.

 

The air became thick with magic then. It swirled about the alicorn in purple and pink swaths. Twilight muttered incantations under her breath while straining to wrangle in the tendrils of power that had begun to dance around the room. Sparkles and pops of power showered down here and there and Valen was slowly levitated a few inches above the center ruin in the floor. The alicorn Princess dug her hind hooves into the stone floor as the magic's energy began to push her backwards. A curious wind picked up out of nowhere and howled around the room.

 

"I've got this!" The Princess told herself as she conjured up every ounce of what the spell she had researched called for. It was a dozy for sure and Valen would be so happy with the outcome. Sure she'd mixed in a few of her own hopes and dreams for the colt, it was almost impossible not to do so. She tried to keep her focus on what he wanted only but she cared about him and that would of course leak into the spell. 

 

"Uh!" Twi faltered for one moment trying to grapple with the enormity of the spell, right before a bright pink column of magic blasted from her horn towards Valen. Her eyes went glowing white as the magic wrapped itself around her target. The whole room turned brilliant white and then... darkness.