Author's Notes:

Thank you all so much for the reviews! It's always nice as a writer to hear that my work is appreciated. I've got a couple more completed chapters after this one that I'll post every day or so, and then for the rest move to probably once a week. As always, this is owned by Hasbro, who could spend its legal fees on much better things than suing someone broke like me

Herding – Celestia and Luna

Twilight wasn't sure she would be able to sleep well, with two new wings temporarily protruding from her spine, but surprisingly her body seemed to know how to respond to them so that, despite how fitfully she usually slept, they didn't add any extra problems. She supposed it had something to do with how the wings were created, crafted to her unique specifications. When she had given Rarity her beautiful fairy wings, it was the first time she had ever even heard of the spell, and she had carefully and painstakingly constructed the wings from gossamer and morning dew. Over the next several weeks, however, the spell's spectacular and potentially deadly failure had haunted her, and she began to work on the tedious process of deconstructing the spell's components. The final product she ended up creating had taken the original spell-work and had manipulated it based on the dimensions of Twilight's own dimensions and musculature. She doubted it would work for anyone else, but the end result amazed even her. The wings on her back, though still under the same three day time constraint, looked as if they had been there her whole life.

The previous day, she'd given Rainbow Dash the chance to learn that she could teach Scootaloo to fly, and had fun flying with one of her best friends, even discovering that the brash Pegasus wanted something more with her. She'd promised Dash a flying date the next month, but in the meantime there was one other pony she wanted to… show off to. So the next morning found her flying, under her own power, to Canterlot, specifically to the Princess's castle.

Twilight arrived at the castle in the early afternoon, and knew from her time there that the princess was in the throne room, hearing petitions from local tradesponies and some of the faux-nobility that spent time around the castle. She flew as silently as possible to a high perch overlooking the princess, designed for Pegasus guards but currently unoccupied, and settled in to wait for her mentor to finish, enjoying the ability to watch unnoticed.

Well… almost unnoticed. Celestia had been in the middle of responding to a unicorn's demand to have the tax on apple resellers increased by 2 percent when she happened to look up where Twilight was sitting. She trailed off, confusion entering the last notes of her speech as she cocked her head, projecting the question of "How did you get up there" to Twilight almost as clearly as if she had spoken it. Twilight blushed at having been caught out in the middle of court, and ducked her head, before standing and letting her new wings flare out.

She'd never seen the Princess caught flat-hoofed before. Celestia was a bit of a prankster, and could take it as well as she dished it out (recent rumors were that she and Luna had abit of a prank war running), but never had she ever looked as dumbfounded as she did in that moment.

It took her about a minute of uncomfortable shuffling on the part of the courtiers before she finally could speak.

"My dear friends… Something has come up that requires my attention. I promise each of your requests will have its due attention, but for the moment, I need to ask everypony to leave me for a short time."

Confusion reigned amongst the others in the room, but they wouldn't dare disobey such a simple request. Celestia had never ignored or disregarded them or their concerns before, so they believed that she would give them their chance to speak. So despite their unsettled feeling, they filed from the throne room, a few at a time, until it was empty but for Celestia and her guards.

"Guards… I could use some privacy for a few minutes. Please excuse me?"

The guards exchanged glances, "It is our job to protect you, princess…" One said slowly.

"I know. But please. Just a few minutes is all I ask." The guards nodded and left, taking up positions just outside each exit door.

Twilight was blushing fit to set the palace on fire as she stared down at her princess and mentor, who hadn't taken her eyes from Twilight's new form as she had cleared the room.

"Twilight Sparkle… how…." She extended her own wings and sailed up to float gently just in front of Twilight. "Twilight, this is remarkable. How in Equestria did you do this?"

Twilight stuttered through an explanation of how she modified the spell in the ancient book, before she was stopped and asked to land. She took to the air, chancing a few loops and twirls that Dash had shown her the previous day, before fluttering to the ground, her bemused teacher landing as well. Celestia circled her a few times, before shaking her head.

"Absolutely remarkable, my dearest student," Celestia said after finishing her examination. "I have to admit that such a thing may even be beyond my ability to create."

Twilight was speechless at that admission, further stunned by the entry of Princess Luna, who froze seeing the pseudo-alicorn facing her sister.

"Oh my stars you're gorgeous!" Luna blurted before blushing and covering her mouth. "Sorry. It just came out." Luna admitted, shaking her mane out to rid her embarrassed flush before turning to Celestia. "The guards told me you emptied the throne room so I had to come see what happened. Tia, did you do this?" She asked, indicating Twilight's wings.

Celestia shook her head. "No, sister. This was all my dear student's work."

Luna blinked, and then turned to regard Twilight again with a critical eye. "Twilight Sparkle… I've seen spells that give ponies wings before, Celestia told me about you using the most common one during the Best Young Flyer's competition, but this… what have you done?" She circled the silent and embarrassed purple unicorn while making a running commentary. "I can see the basic spell… three day wings… but you've added a growth component… some transmogrificaton… gracious is that a bone restructuring spell?" She shook her head, looking baffled. "It is clear to me why you're the element of magic, Ms. Sparkle. This spell… you could easily win awards with it." The dark alicorn grinned, "Honestly, I'm tempted to give you one right now."

"That wasn't why I made it." She whispered quietly in response, prompting Celestia to nuzzle her in a motherly fashion.

"Then why, my dear?" She asked.

Twilight stumbled on her words for a moment, before slowly explaining. "There are three little fillies in Ponyville… two are sisters of my good friends Applejack and Rarity… that are trying everything they can to find their cutie marks. The third is a little Pegasus filly that can't fly very well. She wanted my friend Rainbow Dash to teach her, but… Rainbow was scared she couldn't do it, and that she'd disappoint Scootaloo, who idolizes her. So… So I made this spell to give Rainbow Dash a chance to let her teach me to fly… to show her if she could teach someone who wasn't born with wings to fly that she could certainly teach a little filly who was a late bloomer."

She looked up to see Celestia regarding her with a look she had seen proud mothers wearing when looking at their children who had done something remarkable. "You amaze me, sometimes, Twilight. I was worried when you were younger you would never find a friend, but the amount of love you have for your… your circle of friends is simply astounding."

Luna butted her head against Twilight's shoulder playfully. "So is she your fillyfriend?" Luna asked playfully, "Or maybe one of the others?"

"Now Luna…" Celestia chided playfully as Twilight blushed deeply.

"N… No. She's just one of my best friends. They all are." Her mind flashed back to the stuttering Rainbow asking her for a date, and a smiling Pinkie Pie bowing to her. Ireallyneedtoresearchwhatthatmeant. She thought to herself.

Luna smirked at her distraction, and decided to tease a little more pink into the face of her sister's favorite student. "Well if you're still single when you figure out how to make those permanent, come find me. I'm sure I could teach you some other things about those wings."

Twilight could only squeak as Luna laughed and flew away quickly, her tail swishing behind her.

"Forgive my sister, Twilight. She can be a bit of a flirt sometime, but she means well." Celestia said, attempting to ease Twilight's embarrassment.

"I… she… I didn't…."

Celestia giggled and caught her student's eye. "I need to let the guards back in and reconvene court, Twilight, and I think it may be too distracting for you to be here with me. Why don't you go back to your perch and wait for me? I'd like to fly with you for a while tonight after Luna has raised the moon."

Her eyes shining, Twilight agreed quickly and flew back to her hiding place as Celestia allowed the crowds back in. Every so often, the princess would look up and smile at her in her hiding place, making Twilight's own smile never dim even slightly.

When they flew together that night, it was everything Twilight had imagined. The two stayed alone for a while, Twilight showing off some of the tricks she had learned the night before. Luna joined them later, her playful flirtation unabated, but seemed to enjoy the time with Celestia and Twilight.

Twilight stayed in Canterlot for the rest of the night, and when she woke the next morning she checked the spell to ensure she could make it back to Ponyville on her own, bid farewell to her teacher and Luna, and took to the skies one last time while her wings were still on her back. One the way home she reflected on Rainbow's love of the sky, and began to understand just why the multicolored Pegasus spent so much time in the air, and even why Fluttershy, who was afraid of going too high, still stayed airborne even close to the ground. The freedom of flying was like nothing she had experienced, and felt herself drawing closer to Rainbow and Fluttershy, just as her time with Pinkie Pie had drawn her closer to her enthusiastic friend.

She made it back to the library with an hour to spare, and watched in the mirror as her wings faded into nothingness. She then made a note to place next to the mirror, reminding her that she needed to get some rest, because she had made a promise to spend some more time in the air.