Chapter 8:
Don't Belong Here
Night finally came, and with it, blessed relief from Luna's training, but Twilight's problems didn't end. The Furious Five left her behind, many of them giving worried looks to Luna, and Twilight was forced to slowly follow them to where hopefully the living quarters were. As Rainbow Dash joined them outside the training hall, talk quickly turned to the purple unicorn walking behind them. Twilight's head hung as she heard every word.
"Well, The Celestial Warrior sure was… something," Applejack muttered, she was honest to fault but also didn't try to say nothing bad about anypony.
"I… suppose," Fluttershy mumbled in agreement.
"Well, I like her. Just don't let Master Luna know. I think she still thinks…" Pinkie Pie tried to say before Rarity covered her mouth.
"Pinkie, shhh!" Rarity hissed before speaking, "Truly, I don't know what Master Celestia was thinking,". She didn't exactly hate the new unicorn, but it was obvious she was in over her head.
"Neither do I, Rarity. I mean she's just gonna get herself killed. Even though she did fall out of the sky on a ball of fire," Fluttershy said, agreeing with Rarity before pointing out how Twilight fell out of the sky on a ball of fire.
"That was them fireworks, Fluttershy. All that Twilight was-was in the wrong place at the wrong time," Applejack pointed out.
Rainbow Dash huffed, still angry over the whole situation, "Well, you'd think that Master Celestia would choose someone who actually knew Kung-Fu. Practicality over spectacle, maybe?".
"Oh, don't be cross, Rainbow Dash. Even Masters have to have an eye for the spectacle," Rarity declared.
"Eh, Ah'm with Rainbow on this one, Rarity. Style's nice, but pretty useless if ya got nothing else," Applejack said.
The words weren't totally mean, but it still hurt Twilight to hear. As they reached the living quarters, Twilight waited by the door, hoping that one of them would show her where she was supposed to sleep. But instead, they all retreated into various rooms. And one by one, the lights were snuffed. Twilight tried to make her way through the hall to what she hoped was an empty room. Despite her best efforts, Twilight tripped over a loose board. She groaned as her sore body began to fall… but she never hit the ground.
Gasping, Twilight found herself in the grip of Fluttershy, who had stopped her from face-planting into the floor.
"You should be more careful," Fluttershy whispered.
"Thank you, Master…" Twilight tried to thank, but her thanks were cut off in a hiss as she put pressure on the foot that had kicked the loose floorboard. Fluttershy gave her foot a nervous glance, before motioning into her room.
"Come inside," Fluttershy said, pulling her into her room.
Settling Twilight on the soft bed, Fluttershy placed a hand on Twilight's ankle.
"Master Fluttershy? I-If I may ask… how did you know I was going to fall?" Twilight asked.
"I heard the board you stepped on. Relying on one's other senses tends to have its moments here and there," Fluttershy said, reaching up to untie her blindfold as she smiled softly.
Despite her kind words, Twilight winced as Fluttershy pulled off her blindfold. Many of her scrolls had given the impression that the yellow Pegasus was blind, and that her eyes would be clouded… if they were there at all. But, to Twilight's shock, her eyes were fine. A beautiful whole azure color. Though, she still kept her head low and didn't make eye contact.
Twilight's eyes blinked in surprise and shock.
"Y-Your eyes…" Twilight whispered.
"Hm?" Fluttershy asked, still not meeting Twilight's eyes.
"W-Why would you wear a blindfold if your eyesight is fine?" Twilight asked.
"It becomes less scary when you can't see what you fear," Fluttershy replied smiling softly, as she examined Twilight's ankle before her smile faded.
"And… like some, I was born with a gift, one where my eyesight can be used to petrify those who look into them. It's just a light scratch, you'll be fine," Fluttershy said sighing softly, releasing Twilight's foot before wrapping a bandage over a small red cut.
Twilight looked around before exhaling deeply.
"I don't belong here, do I?" She mumbled.
Fluttershy sighed, putting her blindfold back on.
"I'm afraid not," Fluttershy mumbled softly, despite the apologetic tone in her voice, Twilight's head still hung in defeat.
"I was afraid of that. I should've just stayed in my library, and…" Twilight admitted as Fluttershy's head snapped up in horror.
"Oh, no! No-no-no, that's not what I meant!" Fluttershy stammered, swinging her arms in front of her.
Twilight looked at her in confusion, as Fluttershy glanced around in worry, despite technically not being able to see anymore.
"I… meant… here! You don't belong here. I-in this room. See, this is my room, so technically… you don't belong in here. Y-Your room will be two doors down," Fluttershy gasped out as she smiled and pointed down the hall.
Twilight stepped back out into the hallway, quickly finding the door Fluttershy was talking about.
"Oh, thank you. So yeah, you want to get some sleep and I'm keeping you up. And we've got a big day ahead of us tomorrow," Twilight said in relief, grinning at the yellow Pegasus.
Fluttershy gave one final grin to Twilight.
"We sure do. Good night and sleep well," She said before shutting the door.
Smiling at Fluttershy's kindness, Twilight made her way to her room. But before she could open the door, Rainbow Dash yanked open the door to her room.
"You don't belong here," Rainbow Dash growled.
Twilight spun, trembling as she beheld the cyan master's hostile rose-colored eyes.
"I-I know. T-This is your room, and…" Twilight stammered as her voice trailed off as she spotted a light brilliant gamboge Pegasus filly with a moderate cerise mane and tail sleeping in Rainbow Dash's room cuddling up to a green tortoise.
Rainbow Dash stepped in front of Twilight and almost backed her up against the wall.
"I mean you don't belong in the Celestial Palace. You're a disgrace to Kung Fu. And if you had any respect for who we are and what we do, Then you'll be gone by morning," Rainbow Dash growled as she moved away from Twilight and stormed back into her room.
With a hard THUD, she slid her door closed, leaving Twilight leaning against the opposite wall. For a moment, Twilight almost slid to the ground, "Big Fan…." She said as she curled up and cried. She couldn't help wondering and not for the first time, what exactly she was doing here?
Twilight had enough strength to wobble out of the building, and out towards a peach tree at the end of a cliff. Finding peace in the bright pink blossoms and the solid trunk, Twilight slid down next to the tree… and started to weep.
As Twilight privately mourned the loss of her former life and feared for her dragon brother, how was he coping without her? She was unaware of an alicorn ascending the stairs to the tree. A lantern was in one hand, her staff in the other. In the light of the full moon, her hair looked more like silver than ever before.
"I see you have found The Sacred Peach Tree of Heavenly Wisdom," Celestia commented.
Twilight gasped, yanking herself from her grief.
"M-Master Celestia! I-Is that what this is? I didn't know it was sacred. I thought it was a regular peach tree," Twilight jumped up and bowed to the alicorn.
Celestia eyes grew heavy with regret. She wished that the burdens that were coming didn't rest on the unicorn's shoulders, but they did. Still she wanted to comfort the young one as best she could. She then lifted Twilight's chin so she could look directly in the unicorn's eyes.
"Tell me what bothers you, my little pony?" Celestia asked as she knelt next to Twilight.
Twilight looked away from the old master, and sighed, sinking back against the tree trunk. When she spoke, she worried her voice sounded petulant. But she couldn't stop the grief from coming back.
"Why did you choose me?" Twilight whispered before speaking out loud, though the alicorn heard it, and just gave a mysterious smile.
"I-I've never… I've looked up to the Furious Five for so long and I probably sucked more today than anypony in the history of Kung Fu!" She said looking down as tears were brimming in her eyes again.
"I'm afraid that's true." Celestia agreed. There were times you couldn't sugar coat the facts.
"And the Furious Five. Man, you should've seen them, they all hate me!" Twilight added.
"All of them?!" Celestia asked, her tone was coy, but the worry in her eyes was real.
"Well, Fluttershy was nice. And Pinkie Pie…I don't know if she even knows how to 'hate'," Twilight admitted with a chuckle but her smile faded.
"But Master Luna… and Master Rainbow Dash…I'm not like them. I'm not strong… or brave… or… Reckless? I really feel like I should just quit. Go back to sorting books at my brother's library… and let them be the real heroes," Twilight said as she looked back up at Celestia before leaning her back up against the tree with a sigh.
Celestia sighed, gazing out at the moon.
"Quit… don't quit. Sort. Don't sort. You are too concerned with what was and what will be, my little pony," Celestia said, almost whimsically as she brushed the tears from Twilight's eyes, making her look up at the old master.
Twilight tilted her head.
"There's a saying: 'Yesterday is history. Tomorrow is a mystery. But today is a gift'!" Celestia continued as she stood, "That is why it is called the 'present'," She whispered, before turning away.
Celestia paused and tapped the tree with her staff. A peach fell into Twilight's hand. And as Twilight gazed after the elder master, she began to smile. A plan was already forming in her mind.