Years later it was time for Twilight Sparkle to get her Cutie Mark. But that mark won't show up! For a while, she considered if it would come if she didn't have to hide her wings. Maybe her Mark is related to flying. Scratch that idea, she can't read while flying, so that isn't it. She had her cyan eyes on the Princess' Academy. She wanted to study magic! What better place than Princess Celestia's academy?
While Twilight was confident she will ace the entrance exam – her wings have to mean something – the other Twilight was a nervous mess. Twilight Velvet wasn't that nervous since introducing her daughter to her family – making her eyes cyan was a good call to get their acceptance – until they found the adoption papers. She worries Twily will be taken from her if her Alicorn status get discovered. What if the glamour breaks fully? They didn't manipulate the glamour in a cleanly mannrt. That spell was like a stain that just won't go out, regardless of what one tried. They may have cracked it, broken it, chipped it. It is frail, now.
The exam then came. The family was in the school, the exam itself taking place in the class rooms in which three teachers each conduct it. Waiting in a waiting area for Twilight's turn, the nervousness crept into Twilight's mind. The filly started to fidget with her necklace. Her brother told her, "Twily, don't fiddle with the necklace before it breaks."
"Mm, okay, Shiny…" she replied softly.
Soon, it was her turn and she walked into one of the rooms where three teachers were waiting. She was told the task at hoof, to hatch a dragon egg. She wasn't sure what to think of that task. Aren't dragons super dangerous? Is it a good idea for filly's her age to hatch them? Maybe this is essentially a trick question? Hopefully not, Twilight hates those. On the other hand, it would be a new born, maybe it can be raised to be friendly to ponies?
She stepped in front of the egg, took a deep breath and charged up her horn. Like all Unicorn fillies that aren't in tune with their magic yet, her magical aura was just white. It won't take on a color until she gets her cutie mark or gets in tune with her magic. Or both if her mark is magic related. She could hear quills scribbling on parchment, probably taking note of her white aura.
A white beam came from her horn to the egg. Her eyes closed, Twilight focused on the egg. She felt something was happening, but not enough. She tried to put more magic into it, but there was an obstacle. She knew her magical reserve would allow her to do more, but that obstacle won't let the rest of her magic though. She tried to push against that inner obstacle. Twilight opened her eyes in frustration, why can't she use more of her raw power?
In the corner of her eyes, she saw the windows, and then a blast of color flashing past the glass. With a bang, she felt her magic surging, the obstacle breaking into smithereens. Blue light engulfed the room. It dimmed down and the egg was no more. A little dragon in it's place. "Aw, he is cute!", she said.
"The egg wasn't supposed to hatch...", muttered one of the teachers. "But I suppose that is the least of our problems. Look at her wings!"
"I call the Princess!", said a second teacher.
"And the horn.", said the third, the only mare in the trio.
Wings? She tapped her chest, her necklace was gone. Looking to the ground, the necklace was broken. She felt her wings twitching. And her horn, it was so weird. She started to tear up. Why can't she have a normal horn? What will happen now?
Her family came into the room as one of the teachers ran out. Her parents came to her. "Twilight! What happened?", asked her father, seeing the glamour is gone.
"My necklace broke...", she said, nearly crying.
"We can fix it." The necklace, but not the glamour. "We need to go home. Now.", decided the older Twilight. She also picked up her daughter's necklace, making sure she got all the pieces captured in her magic.
"You can't leave!", said the third teacher, breaking out of the shock of the magical surge. "The Princess needs to know of this! Of her! That your daughter is an Alicorn!"
"Yes. You have to stay here.", said the first teacher. "I hope Noteworthy reaches her fast."
"I suppose Noteworthy forgot to teleport with the stress.", said his colleague.
"But we have to leave!", argued Twilight Velvet.
"You have to stay.", argued Noteworthy, the teacher who left. He came into the room, the Princess behind him and a Thestral – Bat Pony as the Princess demands them to be called – right by her side.
Everyone in the room – besides the dragon baby – bowed to the Princess of the Sun. "No need to bow, my ponies. We have things to attend." She turned to House Stars. "Who are you four?" she asked.
"My name is Night Light." answered the dark blue stallion.
"Sh-Shining Armour." He stood close to his father. He may talk to Cadence with confidence, but her aunt is a different matter.
"My name is Twilight Velvet and this is my daughter Twilight Sparkle.", said Velvet. "I-I... what now?" She kept her daughter close to herself.
"First of all, I want you all to calm down. Secondly... what do you know about your daughter being an Alicorn?", asked Princess Celestia.
Night Light took a deep breath and explained that Twily is adopted, the necklace, how they discovered she is an Alicorn to now. "W-We are sorry we didn't tell you of all people, but we didn't want to loose our daughter."
"What makes you think you would loose her?", inquired Celestia.
"Because she is an Alicorn! Won't the government want them close?", answered Velvet, adding her own question. "We weren't sure what would happen, considering Princess Mi Amore Cadenza left Roam."
"I see, but I won't do that. But you are right that I'll take her under my wing. As my personal student.", explained the princess to Velvet's relief. Then shock, which the teachers share. "Not only is she an Alicorn," - And her niece she had been looking for. - "She hatched the egg – which is essentially a trick question, it was never meant to hatch." A teacher chimed in, "We reused the same egg for the last two centuries." "And her cutie mark intrigues me. It clearly relates to magic." And the Elements of Magic, but she won't mention that.
"My what?" Twilight realized she got her Cutie Mark. A pink star, surrounded by multiple tiny white stars. "Yay!"
"Twilight, calm down. Not in front of the Princess.", scolded her brother.
"Let her, Shining Armour.", said Celestia, scaring the young colt slightly. "Weren't you excited when you got your mark? I sure was."
"Your Highness, what would entail for her to be your student?", asked Velvet nervously.
"First of all, she would spend a lot of time in the palace. Essentially living there. She can visit you and you her. I would offer you all to move into the castle if the distance is too great, you could work at the palace as well. She would, to some extent, attend the classes here at the school, but that would be to socialize her properly more so then to learn.", explained Celestia. She can't just take her niece from her adoptive family, partly because she isn't sure if she should reveal their connection to Twilight.
"So, she passed the exam? Understood.", said Noteworthy. "The other kids have a high bar to reach. What happens to the dragon?"
"This depends if Twilight wants to keep him.", stated Celestia as if it was the most obvious thing in the world.
"I get to keep him?!", asked Twilight shocked and happy.
"Yes, of course, as he is a dragon, you would receive help raising him.", said Celestia. "Alternatively I would take him." Albeit she could imagine that Cadence wants him. She yearned for a pet for a while now. "Now, lastly... this isn't related to your status as my personal pupil, but your status as an Alicorn. You, Twilight, will become a princess. But that would be kept a secret until you are of age. The royal status at your age would be taxing. You should enjoy your youth." Cadence complains a lot about that type of attention.
The family froze at these news. Their little star, a princess?! The parents are proud, while Shining is worried how dealing with two princesses will be.
"How do we hide my wings? The glamour it carried broke.", asked Twilight, looking at her necklace..
"Simple. I repair it." She took the necklace from Velvet and repaired it. She reinstated the glamour, it would now only hide the wings and change the horn. She is impressed that they managed to ditch the eye glamour. She also added a charm that would make the necklace more durable and instead of blocking her magic, it would help control her magic. She then gave it back to Twilight, her wings vanishing.
"Th-Thank you, Princess Celestia." said Twilight.
"You're welcome.", replied Celestia. "Now what do you call the dragon?"
"Spike!" was her decision in a heart beat.
A week later, the family moved into the palace. Which meant Cadence learned about Twilight's true self. The one the family knows and the one Celestia knows. While she can't force Celestia to come clean, she can bug Shining. While she already knew of Aurora Dawn, she is still insulted her best friend didn't tell her a lick of information.
"Why haven't you told me?!", she asked her friends after cuddling with Twilight as he saw her with her wings and inspected the horn. "Mm, like a crystal, how pretty. Now answer, Shiny."
"Uh, Princess Celestia is your adoptive aunt and mom worried she would take Twily from us?", answered Shining more as a question. "You don't exactly spend a lot of time in Roam… that tickled her insecurities and paranoia."
"Oh, Auntie won't do that." promised Cadence. "My situation was different..."
That's why Celestia moved them all into the castle. The parents now worked for her. Velvet as an Astrologer and Night Light as an Astronomer. Shining Armour got a little push into his career choice by Celestia. The family as a whole got an upgrade to their nobility. From Minor Nobles – Baronets to be specific – to Viscounts, the second lowest Major Nobility. She could raise them higher, that would be too suspicious. Celestia offered them to raise them higher when Twilight makes her debut as a new Princess, but the parents denied.
Albeit Velvet really would brag it to her family if she was a Marchioness – and Night Light a Marquess at that – after they mocked her for marrying down, a Baronet, while all her relatives remained Barons. Well, she is now over them, but that isn't enough revenge. Well, Velvet can hold over their heads that the daughter they rejected is a princess. Heck, she can brag now that Twilight is the Princesses personal student! Her husband just wonders why they just don't cut contact with them as they bother Velvet to much and only consider Shining family.
After a while, Twilight made friends with five Unicorns. Moondancer – who had a very similar hair style to Twilight – the only commoner of the group, but the most similar to Twilight in character as she shared the secret princess's love for studying. Then there is Twinkeshine, a Baronet. Minuette was in a weird spot. She would inherit the title of Viscountess from her father, but the title of a Countess by her mother. She'll be both. Lemon Hearts was a Baroness and Lyra was also in a weird spot, but for different reasons. She would be a dame. People argue if that counts as minor nobility at all. Not that she cares, she sees herself more as a commoner, having voiced that she will move away from Canterlot one day.
That is Canterlot. A whole friend group of nobles isn't unheard of in the capital.
These five girls know of her feathery secret. They were very excited about it and Twinkleshine was definitively not jealous. They established the joke to call Twilight Princess as hilariously as they can. Moondancer somehow was more annoyed that Twilight in the end.
Something else that happened was, that besides Twilight got the habit to bully the guards into submission – especially the ones aware of her true status – Crowley got assigned as Twilight's assistant. Not like Spike developed to be, but more like a lady in waiting, a personal servant, that type of assistant. Velvet was a bit unsure about having a Thestral – a bat pony – be his daughter's care taker, but they soon realized Crowley couldn't hurt a fly. And Twilight really liked her. Not to mention, the nocturnal mare could keep up with Twilight's nocturnal tendencies and teach her to fly. Something no Unicorn could.
Years later, the closer to the return of Nightmare Moon they came, the more her adopted niece pushed Celestia to tell Twilight the truth. Her main argument being, "When Auntie Luna returns, she will learn that for sure."
Crowley agreed with Cadence, "I have to agree with Princess Mi Amore Cadenza." She won't call her just Cadence. "Princess Luna will come for her daughter the moment she returns to earth. If the darkness still corrupted her, that is."
"Apropos darkness, that thing that was after Aurora, was it related to Nightmare Moon maybe?", asked Cadence.
"No...", said Celestia darkly. "That's why I was so worried. I still don't know what it was. Even Luna's magic as Nightmare Moon wasn't so, so…" This lick of darkness she found was the darkest magic she ever saw in her life. Nightmare's curse had some light, like a night sky sprinkled with stars, but this lick of magic was more akin to Sombra's shadows.
"I see. Any signs that the darkness returns?" asked Cadence, even though she isn't fully sure what the two ancients mean.
"Luckily not, Cadence. We can focus on my sister for now.", said Celestia. "Mm, we need to find the bearers for the elements."
"Or talk to Princess Luna.", chimed Crowley in. "Like you should have a millennia ago." After all that time, Crowley stands by Luna, that this all won't have happened if she had listened to Luna for once.
"Maybe... but after so long, drenched in her darkness on the moon…" Celestia wasn't sure if this would work. Magic can corrupt and play with the mind like nothing else.
"Maybe Aurora can come through.", offered Crowley. "The love of a mother does wonders."
"I agree with Crowley.", said Cadence. "Now, have you anything planned for the Summer Sun Celebration?"
"Yes. I want to hold it in a small place near Everfree – yes, partly because of Luna – and I want that Twilight plans it. She will have her debut soon, I want her to take on more responsibility slowly. I think planning such an event – albeit in a small town – would do well as a start." Albeit 'soon' can mean a lot if you're as old as Celestia.
Cadence looked at her aunt as if she won't believe it. "Are you sure you aren't giving her the task at a small town to trick her into taking a vacation? We both know she doesn't need friendship lessons. And what is your definition of 'soon'?"
In an alternative universe she may have, but after sharing her secret with Moondancer and the others, their bond became unbreakable as Twilight trusts them to keep it. If anything, Twilight could give friendship lessons herself. Twinkleshine and Moondancer could use a few.
"That's the other part, I admit." said Celestia with a sigh.
"Oh, a rarity. You admit something, princess!", said Crowley. "I suppose I accompany Aurora?"
"Of course, Crowley, albeit the town I choose is Ponyville, so...", said Celestia.
"Oh, Discord, that town?" She said skeptically. "I wonder if they remember me…"
