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Illuminating Invitation (MLP: FiM AU)

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Flighty feels like a character who would be one of Shimmer's fellow Element bearers. Given Twilight and co's age and Celestia's initial plans for Shimmer, it does feel like there would have had to be other ponies in Shimmers age group that could have been wielders of the elements. Now, which one fits for Flighty I wouldn't say yet.
 
Alivaril said:
However, my heartbeat and sympathetic nervous system seemed intent on acting like I was in serious danger, and should be fleeing instead of eating.
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I would be quite happy to do anything you told me to — at least, in a few more years so that you know what you're getting into
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She had an odd grin as she said that last part, and I distrusted it immediately.
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I wasn't quite sure why I would need to wait a few years,
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Voice smiled and batted her eyelashes at me.
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She remained in maid mode. I looked away almost immediately, but the sight was still seared into my brain.
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Stop! Do you want to make Pinkie Pies? Because this is how you make Pinkie Pies. Or even worse, Discords. Please don't romance the eldritch abomination, or at least use protective wards.
 
Alivaril said:
Fortunately, Voice doesn't seem to be one of the Outsiders who will replace the ponies surrounding their victims with eerie puppets and/or additional extensions of themselves.

Seem to be.
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It's not always purposeful, sadly. :sad: Sometimes you get a little too aggressive spotlighting someone who would've been a background character without your intervention, and — whoops! That's your hand puppeting them! Just ask any JRPG protagonist; it's like an epidemic over there.
 
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The Honesty rune makes sense to me a couple of different ways.

It could be part of the anti-nightmare ward proper, making it so a subtle/deceptive corruption is impossible and the nightmare is forced to resort to the very same brute-force tactics that the artifact is meant to protect against.

It could be part of the binding of her emotions to the artifact, making them stickier or more useable by virtue of their genuineness. Presumably this wouldn't work if the emotions were faked.

It could be part of the way the artifact is powered long term, tying the artifact directly to Celestia's love. Its power will never fade so long as she still loves her.

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It could also be a protection against abuse, preventing the stored love energy (very potent!) from being stolen or tricked into being spent guarding the user from anything except precisely what it was made to protect against. Or even preventing the IFF from being fooled into functioning for someone who is only pretending to be Sunset (like a changeling).
 
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Are there seminars and continuous education for teachers in Equestria?

Is there pedagogy?
 
NHO said:
Are there seminars and continuous education for teachers in Equestria?

Is there pedagogy?
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In the original concept material for G4, the basic vibe was late 1800s Eastern Europe but with magic (and all that that implies, like even the idea of compulsory education being novel and sometimes controversial), with a contrast between Canterlot as a national capital and Ponyville as a sleepy village still well behind the times. Of course, much of that got lost as the showrunners implicitly and explicitly modernized things more and more for the sake of writing convenience, so it's very easy for fics to take things in almost any direction in that regard.
 
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Honestly, I don't know how much fortitude Celestia has in this continuity, but I think SHE will break before Sunset does.

"She will never recognize the love I have for her" is a soul-shattering revelation as old as time, after all.

It wouldn't surprise me in the slightest if what finally makes Sunset realize it is when Celestia's love finally turns into grief in front of her.
 
Sunset is just Cel's guard dog tbh

Gets depressed when Mom leaves the house

Barks at mailman if he tries to enrich himself with Equestria's tax funds

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Oh, Cadance held her own when I wasn't answering Twilight's stockpiled questions, but properly teaching Cadance might require the occasional side lesson so that she could catch up.
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Also love the progressive change in relative Twilight-Cadence expectations. Absolutely fantastic.
 
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Celestia: Let me Love you!(like a mother)

Sunset: Dang, I wonder what she wants from me.

Voice: She might turn into a Black Hole instead of an Alicorn at this rate.
 
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Chapter 25: Demon of Devastating Disappointment
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    Sunset Shimmer​

    What was supposed to be a quick consultation quickly transformed into something that was very much not. Thanks to my new sense, Flighty Flame's enthusiasm would have been infectious all on its own. Combine that with the fact that planning my regalia involved both our Special Talents, and it was a recipe for my deciding to deliberately skip lunchtime with Celestia for the first time in over a year. We did nibble on snacks Voice brought for us, though. Ensuring the staff knew of Voice's alleged addition to their number was Madame Inkwell's problem now.

    "Should we be including more defenses, Y—Lady Shimmer? I don't think we're using more than a fifth of the surface area for those. That feels low for a future princess."

    "'Lady Sunset' is fine, and not really. We just need to make sure I'm not disabled by surprise attacks or poison. Enhancing my attacks after that means the enemy won't be able to throw as many attacks at me. There's a reason 'the best defense is a good offense' used to be such a popular saying."

    "I thought 'the best defense' was having Princess Celestia as our ruler."

    "Well, you're not wrong–"​

    Her tendency to bounce from idea to idea with a minimum of warning did take some getting used to; I was the sort to explore an idea for viability before moving on from it, while she seemed to prefer firing a volley before going back and picking out the best thoughts. Still, it was nothing I couldn't easily follow once I adjusted.

    "Obsidian would help elemental stability, but it would break the budget–"

    "Dragons send it as gifts all the time, we literally have a hoard of the stuff. Selling it would be an insult, but repurposing a compliment."

    "Are there any scales we can use? Those are almost impossible to source, and the prices are always highway robbery. The older the dragon, the better."

    "In terms of growth cycle or actual chronological age?"

    "Chronological, please! Hoard growth only lends power instead of density."

    "I'll have to ask Princess Celestia for those, but I think we'll have more than enough. I mean, dragons literally shed the things."​

    So what if it was called 'Princess Celestia's School for Gifted Unicorns?' Interacting with Flighty for more than two minutes had more than convinced me that it shouldn't be. She could still use magic, just not the 'normal' unicorn way; she needed charged runestones instead. She ran into the problem of clearly having access to fewer resources than most ponies, too; she was an expert at some facets of magic, such as glamour, and distressingly ignorant of others through no fault of her own. I discreetly checked, and she did incorporate new information into her work after I'd mentioned it once.

    "I'm—not really familiar with Flux's First Law...?"

    "I'm not surprised, your usual clients probably don't know how to teleport. Basically, we need to be sure that everything is magic rather than just containing magic, or else they'll break the first time I teleport."

    "Oh! That shouldn't be hard. I think the enchantments are more efficient when we do that, too."

    "Remind me to get you a pass and standing permissions to access the castle library."​

    Princess Celestia's School for Mediocre Magicians might be more accurate, but I was sure nopony would go for that. 'For Gifted Thaumatologists' was probably the best I could get. I would undoubtably face opposition by demanding such a name and policy change, but so what? Few scholars directly derived magical power from their subjects! Training more ponies well-versed in magical theory could only help Equestria. I would need to wait until after my adoption to broach the possible change — the last thing we wanted was for anypony to think I was being adopted because I'd demanded changes to their precious school — but I most certainly would be pushing for allowing students of other tribes.

    "Oooh, if this one is disrupted by enough physical force, it'll explode! Absolutely terrible to have on you under most circumstances, but if we shelter it under a shield until you throw it…"

    I don't know who kept you from being part of my life until now, but I'm going to find them and burn them.​

    The worst part was that Flighty was my own age, albeit (probably) a few months older. She'd even been inspired by the same Summer Sun Celebration that catapulted me toward studying magic in earnest! If Flighty hadn't been refused entry under the pretext of not being a unicorn and therefore not being able to complete the usual practicals, I would have had a classmate who actually wanted to learn more than the bare minimum.

    "I think the clash here might let Deflect drain unused resources in an emergency–"

    "Oh, yeah, nice thinking. It'll need a new coating after every use if we do that, though."​

    Flighty's ears flattened, and for the first time in hours, her overwhelming enthusiasm dimmed. In the process, it became easier for me to finally tear my attention away from the project itself. I made a mental note of the issue. Being caught up in another pony's enthusiasm and hyperfocus could pose a problem in the future if it was this difficult to focus on other subjects.

    "Oh," Flighty sighed. "I suppose we should be thinking about upkeep for the rest of this, too. It's escalated beyond attire solely for your introduction, Lady Sunset, and any time it's spent being fixed is time that you aren't wearing it. We could alleviate that with multiple sets, but the cost would be prohibitive. I'm not even sure we'll be able to fit half of what we want to as it is."

    She stared down at the pages and pages of scribbled and overlapping notes we'd compiled over the last several hours. I wanted to say that the Crown had resources to spare, but Flighty was actually right. Celestia was allergic to spending money on herself, and I doubted she would approve of something as expensive as this for my benefit, either. We could mitigate the costs by repurposing materials she'd been gifted over the centuries, but that only solved most of the problem, not all of it.

    "I'll see about getting an inventory for old gifts we're allowed to repurpose," I promised. "Why don't we table this for now and reconvene tomorrow, or if not then, as soon as I can manage? In the meantime, you can use some of the budget to make yourself a protective necklace or something."

    Flighty blinked and pointed a hoof at herself.

    "Wait, for me?" she questioned. "I would never dream of using any of the budget on myself!"

    I snorted and shook my head. While it was good that her knee-jerk reaction to skimming was instant denial–

    "You really do have permission, I'll pay for something reasonable out of my own pocket. Frankly, I consider the politics of my introduction to be less important than the long term. I'm already immortal and will have plenty of time to sort out that mess once I'm ascended. I care more about ensuring that the only brilliant mare my age sharing my work ethic doesn't get trampled should you be caught up in a stampede."

    Flighty's eyes widened, and a new, savory sensation saturated my senses. I wouldn't have any idea what to do with it were it not for Flighty's reverent expression accompanying it. Worship? Awe? Whatever it was, I wanted more of it, and looked forward to becoming an alicorn so that I could have that.

    "I understand, Your Grace," Flighty acknowledged, and bowed deeply enough to fit the rank I didn't yet have. "Thank you for your generosity."

    "While I appreciate the thought, I'm not a duchess yet," I pointed out.

    I was sure my initial reaction to Flighty's kowtowing was the wrong one. Discomfort was the wrong reaction, and I blamed Voice for it. Thanks to Her, hearing 'Your Grace' had started to provoke unease even from somepony completely different.

    Flighty's eyes flicked up, but she didn't yet stand.

    "With all due respect," Flighty said firmly, "you're Princess Celestia's only daughter, and worthy of respect. I think 'Princess' would be more appropriate, but I'm not allowed to call you that, so the title you will be given soon will have to do."

    The flattery would normally have me rebuking whatever pony was issuing such an obvious attempt at currying favor, but I couldn't feel even a little grease from Flighty and the savory feeling had only somewhat diminished, not vanished altogether. Even if the respect was just some splash from Flighty's worship of Celestia, it was still sincere.

    "You can get up, but feel free to take your time sorting everything out," I said, waving one hoof to encompass the pile of notes. "I should go see if there's anything I should help Princess Celestia with."

    After a moment of thought, I cast a quick cantrip to dry the ink while Flighty stood. We wouldn't want anything to smear after all that work.

    "Library access might take a couple days, though," I added. "If any Guards come to visit you in the next few days and ask about your life, it doesn't mean you're in trouble. They'll just be making sure you aren't in desperate enough straits to potentially go running off with valuable books."

    Flighty perked up and happily bounced in place.

    "Thank you very, very much for offering it at all! Most 'public' collections on magic won't let me through the door, and nopony else with a private collection would even look at me."

    She gestured to the empty space where a horn would be on a unicorn, and I scowled.

    "Well, I'll see what I can do about making your access permanent," I promised. "You've done ridiculously well considering your lack of resources — and on that note, it sounded like you find your runestone method of 'unicorn' magic easier than the traditional earth pony sort? Do you have your old notes or sources for either? I'd appreciate them."

    Strangely enough, this demand finally seemed to be the one to make her balk. She hadn't batted an eye when I'd asked if she could manage much more difficult feats over the last few hours.

    "Oh, Harmony, um–" Flighty glanced away sheepishly. "My hoofwriting from back then was terrible, Your Grace. I don't think it would help."

    "I'm sure it's nothing a text to sound spell can't parse," I reassured her.

    "...And some parts are written in crayon."

    I paused. That was trickier, I would admit. Most text to sound spells relied upon ink or indentations, and crayon produced non-standard results for both of those. It would be good practice for foalsitting Twilight, though.

    "I'm sure I've managed worse," I hedged. "Not even two weeks ago I was working with a book that changed every word on the page every few seconds, and not even all at the same time."

    Flighty blinked and looked back at me with eyebrows held high.

    "What kind of a madmare thought that was a good idea?" Flighty questioned.

    "You don't want to know, and I shouldn't share," I admitted. "At any rate, this was actually quite fun and we should do it again once we know what we have to work with, but I think we should both be going. May Celestia's Sun watch over you."

    "And to you, Duchess Shimmer!"



    Three minutes later, I reluctantly looked at the 'maid' flanking me and raised a quick privacy spell.

    "I don't suppose you'd be willing to help?" I asked halfheartedly. "Keeping me alive seems easier than the alternative, right?"

    Voice stood up straight and met my eyes, attendant act temporarily suspended.

    "Corporeals versus material constraints is a conflict I am loathe to involve myself in without imposing additional costs of my own," Voice admitted.

    Oooof course. I supposed She had been careful with her recent phrasing about what She wouldn't be willing to help with, even under the 'obedient maidservant' guide. If She was excluding otherworldly help for basically all 'conflicts,' that really did narrow what I could order Her to do down to the harmless services of an attendant.

    Still, She did look unusually shifty when mentioning without imposing additional costs. It sounded like She was finally considering acting like a 'normal' Outsider and demanding further services in exchange for such a boon? If so, that made it even more important that I check what we already had to work with. Unlike the prices set by a greedy merchant, I expected Voice's demands would be higher if I didn't need Her help, but still asked for it.


    TOP SECRET
    FOR THE EYES OF HER HIGHNESS PRINCESS CELESTIA, DIARCH OF THE SUN

    M.I.L.D. S.M.I.L.E. Preliminary Findings​

    The V.O.I.D. creature chose its abbreviation well, and is proving remarkably difficult to detect via conventional methods. It is capable of erasing itself from the perception of even ponies trying to actively observe it, and detection methods devised via C.A.P.S.U.L.E. were only effective for 3.2–5.1 minutes (exact duration unclear) before being overpowered. Alternatives are being explored, but most of the more promising methods are currently unusable due to the ongoing risk of detection.

    Despite these setbacks, preliminary countermeasures have been prepared according to C.A.P.S.U.L.E., but are deemed unlikely to do more than temporarily distract, occupy, and annoy the creature (est. 6-10 minutes, pessimism recommended) unless its connection to D.O.T. is severed. Based on C.A.P.S.U.L.E., it is likely that D.O.T. is aware of how to sever said connection themselves and even perform full-fledged banishment, but doing so would require that D.O.T. feel betrayed by V.O.I.D. or otherwise as though the terms of their agreement are not being adhered to. D.O.T. would likely be harmed by any repudiation, but not lethally so (est. recovery time 2–3 months) barring subsequent hostile actions by V.O.I.D.

    Protections on D.O.T.'s mind should be placed at the highest priority, as the connection tethering V.O.I.D. to our world will also confine V.O.I.D. to a "reasonable" (est. 20 kilometers based on context, but may be as high as 50) distance from D.O.T.; tracking D.O.T. would be easier than tracking V.O.I.D., but only if their considerable magical expertise is not bent toward foiling our efforts. In an emergency, it may be possible to break the "Anchor" by distracting V.O.I.D. with attempted banishment, and simultaneously rushing D.O.T. out of range. Doing so will, however, inflict harsher backlash than if D.O.T. severed the connection themselves (estimated recovery time 4-6 months, with possible long-term harm), and should be attempted only as a last resort.

    Furthermore, V.O.I.D. appears to be the weakest A.F.T.E.R. on record, with power comparable to the weaker extensions of A.F.T.E.R. rather than their primary projections. No connections to additional projections have been detected. Unfortunately, this would render V.O.I.D. even more of a threat to Equestria than a full-fledged C.E.L.L. outbreak should V.O.I.D. prove hostile and escape into the countryside; its shapeshifting and stealth abilities would make locating it all-but impossible if it chooses to hide, and combined with the known ability of A.F.T.E.R. to twist the minds of those around them, it may be able to subvert significant portions of the populace prior to attempting any assault.

    Fortunately, unlike most A.F.T.E.R. incursions, V.O.I.D.'s presence does not appear to increase the risk of additional A.F.T.E.R. invasion. We believe this to be deliberate. Unfortunately, knowledge of how to preserve the protections on our world may also be indicative of the ability to temporarily, but catastrophically, suppress those protections. Due to V.O.I.D.'s comparatively "small" size, we do not believe it would do so save as a final act of spite lest it be eaten itself, but that such last-ditch acts are possible at all is worthy of caution.

    Agent Canary felt instinctively wary of V.O.I.D., but did not seem to think immediate hostility was warranted. They did, however, believe it incredibly likely that V.O.I.D. would continue to focus exclusively on Equestria even though foreign nations would make for easier targets. We will continue to prepare and research alternative countermeasures and tracking methods in case the offered hoof of friendship is slapped away after all.

    May your Sun burn forevermore,
    Agent Alpha Strike


    Agent A.S.,

    While I am as appreciative of your overall efforts as always, please replace your current codename for Sunset's notes. The current variant is once again too melodramatic even by S.M.I.L.E.'s standards. When I said that "S.I.N." was unacceptable, I did not mean "make it worse."

    This letter will self-immolate in ten seconds.

    M.I.L.D. = Mares in Layered Darks
    S.M.I.L.E. = Secret Monster Intelligence League of Equestria
    C.A.P.S.U.L.E. = Choreographed Assault on Planetary Security Uncaring of Life in Equestria
    D.O.T. = Daughter Of the Throne
    A.F.T.E.R. = Abomination From The External Realms
    C.E.L.L. = Changelings, Emotivores Lacking Love
    S.I.N. = Shimmer's Inexcusable Nightmare

    And then, in no particular order:
    V.O.I.D. = Voice of Imperceptible Dreams
    V.O.I.D. = Voice of Impossible Dreams
    V.O.I.D. = Voice of Immaterial Dreams
    V.O.I.D. = Voice of Impolite Desires
    V.O.I.D. = Vanguard of Incomplete Duties
    V.O.I.D. = Vanguard of Instigated Deviance
    V.O.I.D. = Voice of Irrevocable Damnation
    V.O.I.D. = Voice of Irrational Delusions
    V.O.I.D. = Voyeur of Incredible Debauchery
    V.O.I.D. = Voice of Instrumental Development
    V.O.I.D. = Voice of Insufficient Devotion
    V.O.I.D. = Voice of Immoral Decay
    V.O.I.D. = Voice of Irrepressible Dreams
    V.O.I.D. = Voice of Irresponsible Dreams
    V.O.I.D. = Voice of Inadvisable Dreams


    Flighty Flame​

    One of Flighty's once-fellow assistants, Cross Stitch, glanced up from the gown she was working on as Flighty Flame bounced into the back rooms of Woven Accord's boutique for what would hopefully be the last time.

    "You're in a weirdly good mood for having been gone all day," she observed curiously.

    "I am!" Flighty chirped. "I quit!"

    Cross's levitation faltered, the needle and thread left to dangle while Cross gawked at her. Flighty didn't stop to stare, though, and instead headed straight for the cramped little room that had been her workspace for the last few years. By the time hurried hoofsteps followed after her and heralded Cross arriving in the doorway, Flighty had already started packing her belongings in her saddlebags. Aside from sparing a glance to make sure that the window hadn't been locked shut, Flighty didn't acknowledge the tagalong or blocking of the exit.

    "You—what?" Cross demanded.

    "I queue-you-eye-tee," Flighty spelled out, smiling despite herself. "Done. Retrieving my belongings and leaving. Never coming back."

    She wasn't going to say that she'd been commissioned by the Princess's personal student, as doing so would be a great way to make an enemy of Woven Accord on the way out. Or, well, an enemy intent on immediately sabotaging her instead of doing so over the long term. Departing like this would already instill a grudge, but right now, Flighty didn't particularly care. Woven might have friends in high places, but Flighty now had one higher. Given how much fun Sunset was to be around, and how Flighty's sentiments on that front seemed to be reciprocated, their 'friendship' might even become a true one rather than just being employer and employee.

    "You — you can't quit!" Cross spluttered. "Your portions are integral to at least three incomplete commissions!"

    And I would have been paid little more than a living wage for my part in those.

    Flighty had forced herself to think of this job as a means of having other ponies pay for the expenses of her honing her Special Talent, but now that she had a better alternative, she really had no reason to stay. She knew what she was worth, and it was more than this.

    "As per the terms of our original agreement, Mistress Accord can fire me at any time and I can quit without notice, too," Flighty shot back. "Maybe Mistress Accord should have thought of that before she insulted Princess Celestia's personal student."

    There was a small pause, probably while Cross rolled her eyes. Flighty didn't spare her a look to make sure.

    "Seriously? Her?" Cross demanded. "Look, I know you're obsessed with the princesses and all, but Sunset is perhaps the single most spoiled — well, okay, maybe not quite that bad. But she's up there with some some of the worse ponies you've had to deal with, trust me."

    Flighty's smile wavered at the confirmation Cross had hoofed off a task she thought would be unpleasant. Flighty had suspected at first, but it was worse to know for sure. Cross had presented it as 'doing you a favor considering how much you adore the princesses.'

    Cross raised her nose and spoke in a poor, but definitely mocking, imitation of what she probably thought Sunset's voice sounded like.

    "'I have better things to do than socialize. I'm going to go practice for my Advanced Summoning Spells exam. What are you studying for? Nothing, that's what.'"

    Flighty stiffened at the willful mockery of Celestia's own daughter. Admittedly, that part wasn't publicly known yet, but Sunset was still owed plenty of respect as Celestia's student. If Princess Celestia thought Sunset Shimmer was worthy of Her, so should everypony else. And really, Sunset was right. Flighty couldn't believe that Cross Stitch squandered her chance at attending Celestia's School For Gifted Unicorns when Flighty wanted so desperately to go and wasn't allowed in just because she lacked a horn — even though Flighty knew the theory, and by their written policies, high scores on the written test should have been enough to compensate for an automatic failing grade on the practical. Honestly, if Cross was representative of the student population in general, Flighty could see why Sunset viewed them with disdain.

    "That's a direct quote, by the way," Cross obliviously continued. "She quieted down a bit over the last few months, but before that, Sunset had regular shouting matches with Princess Celestia! If anything, you should be happy Mistress Accord chose to tweak Sunset's nose a little."

    After the last few hours of back-and-forth, Flighty thought it more likely that everypony was just misinterpreting Sunset doing something similar with Princess Celestia. Flighty had noticed a tendency for Sunset to sound angry when she was obviously just trying to emphasize what she was saying. Or maybe Sunset really had argued with Princess Celestia, but Sunset had learned better now. Whatever the case, the important part was that Sunset was still favored by the Princess to the point of being adopted.

    "Good to know," Flighty lied, "but I'm still leaving."

    Cross huffed and switched tactics.

    "You know that Mistress Accord is going to tell our clients exactly whom is responsible for any delays," Cross tried. "Remember Countess Meadows? I don't think forgiveness is in her vocabulary."

    What's this about 'our' clients? Flighty thought darkly. Woven Accord barely pays you more than me. Just because you view this as a fun summer job doesn't mean she isn't exploiting you, too.

    "To do that," Flighty said mildly, "Mistress Accord will need to explain that one of her unnamed and unacknowledged 'assistants' was actually integral to the process. She has too much pride for that; I expect she'll just quietly hire or commission somepony else instead and hope nopony notices."

    Cross huffed, but didn't disagree.

    "So, what, that's it? You're going to quit and leave us scrambling just because she didn't want to personally deal with Princess Celestia's spoiled brat of a student? You're throwing everything away over one thing?"

    Flighty's patience snapped, and it took an effort of will to keep packing instead of whirling on the mare whom she had thought of as a relatively amiable acquaintance, if a self-centered one, until about two minutes ago. The sooner she finished, the lower her risk of encountering Accord.

    "No. I'm quitting because I've been an assistant here for three years without a raise even as Mistr—Miss Accord's designs have incorporated more and more of my work. I'm quitting because Miss Accord has never provided better than backhanded compliments even after I've stayed up to finish rush jobs, or poured my heart into my art, but is much readier with insults. I'm quitting because I'm not viewed with respect, to the point where 'the dirt pony' isn't even supposed to be in the same room as our wealthier clients, with the sole exception of today, where I find out that I was apparently hoofed a task that everypony else thought would be an unpleasant waste of time even though it came from the Castle. I'm quitting because my workshop faces an alley when we've had a vacant second-floor room facing the Castle for months, and my requests to move to it were ignored.

    "Most of all, I'm quitting because I no longer need to be here. I've been offered a magical development position that doesn't pay barely more than I'd make frying doughnuts, and I've been mistreated badly enough here that practically anywhere else sounds marvelous right now."

    It was technically true. Cross didn't need to know that said development was the development of designs that were going to see immediate use and shown off in high society. Even if Flighty hadn't been serving a princess in all but name, access to Canterlot Castle's library alone would be a gift beyond measure, and Sunset had promised it in passing. No longer would Flighty need to devote every spare bit toward books on enchantment!

    "Can you at least hoof over Sunset's measurements before you go?" Cross bit out. "You've been gone for hours; Surely even your feather-brained flank remembered what you were there for in all that time."

    The jab was familiar by this point, but it still stung. Yes, Flighty knew she could only marshal something vaguely resembling focus when excluding everything else, even food and drink and on one rather humiliating occasion, air. But her mind was fine otherwise; she wasn't stupid. Neither were pegasi, for that matter.

    "The first thing they told me was that Miss Accord was no longer under consideration for the commission, so no," Flighty rejected, holding back the coarser curse that sprang to mind.

    She might think that frowning upon cursing was just another way that the wealthy and powerful baselessly looked down on everypony else, but that was just the world she lived in and a careless curse was one of the easiest ways to be dismissed from a position. Flighty had seen it herself — which was especially gross considering that slurs seemed to be perfectly fine, provided they were pointed at 'lesser ponies.' Like, say, Flighty.

    "Turns out that refusing a summons from the Princess Herself comes with consequences," Flighty continued. "And don't try to say that we sent me, we both know that was an insult. Miss Accord didn't just tweak Lady Shimmer's nose, but Princess Celestia's, too."

    Flighty finished packing the last of her notes into her saddlebags, whirled around, and made for the open door to what had once been her workspace and never would be again. Cross didn't move out of her way, deliberately blocking the path.

    "You know Mistress Accord won't forget this," Cross said darkly. "You better hope you can keep your precious new position, because do this and she'll make sure you aren't employed anywhere else."

    In Canterlot, Flighty mentally added. Certain parts of Manehattan would be delighted should Flighty become persona non grata in Canterlot. Even if Miss Accord had refused to provide any of the references that were supposed to be a benefit of her employment, Flighty had still paid close attention.

    It wouldn't come to that, though. The royal family took good care of those who served them. Just look at Sunset providing funding to Flighty for a personal protective item: that kind of concern for the well-being of subordinate ponies wasn't at all normal. Not in Canterlot.

    "Noted," Flighty said curtly, and pushed her way past the unicorn.

    Cross Stitch and Woven Accord really did deserve each other.





    The issue with living her dream was that eventually, Flighty always had to wake up. Flighty could make Sunset's introductory regalia beautiful. Being commissioned by the Princess Herself would put Flighty on the map, and there was — quite foolishly — only the threat of retribution from Woven Accord to keep Flighty quiet about how she'd provided effectively everything shiny that Accord had utilized over the last several years. Considering that Accord would be furious at her walking out so abruptly, that tree had already been bucked; Flighty saw little reason not to cite her prior work. Flighty would be able to start her own business with plenty of funding instead of earning a pittance for her efforts under her prior employer, whom Flighty would only reluctantly douse if Accord was on fire — and even then, Flighty would have to think about it first.

    But even if she made something that adequately awed high society and nopony else knew about any deficiencies, Flighty would always be aware that she could have done better with a bigger budget. Enchantment wasn't cheap, and Celestia was infamous for refusing to spend tax money on Herself and properly enjoy the prosperity that She had brought about in the first place. It wasn't uncommon for local businessmares to pool funds and ensure that meetings during state visits would occur at luxurious locations solely to ensure that She would be allowed something vaguely resembling relaxation time. Nopony seemed to know the last time She'd taken a proper vacation, if ever. It was especially unfair considering that, even ignoring all policies and politics, ponies were noticeably more productive for a while after She visited their town; that increase should more than compensate for using additional tax funds on Herself. Flighty had checked after the last time some heathen gryphon tried to make something of Princess Celestia living in a castle with servants, like She didn't work harder than anypony else.

    (That had been a fun fight.)

    Even more importantly than the anguish of making something subpar, Flighty wouldn't get a second chance. Princess Celestia hadn't changed her attire since personally forging it from gold drawn from every province of Equestria over a thousand years ago, Princess Mi Amore Cadenza never dressed according to her rank, and Princess-in-all-but-name Sunset Shimmer was so notoriously disdainful of fashion that she'd only worn an — admittedly gorgeous — Sun pendant to Day Court. Sunset had even been calling the pendant a 'necklace' exclusively! If Flighty did a good enough job, her work might be what ponies saw on Princess Sunset for centuries, long after Flighty herself was gone. Most ponies could only dream of having their art immortalized in such a way.

    But Flighty couldn't create a masterpiece under these conditions, even with a preexisting masterwork pendant to help. Flighty could make Sunset's attire of peerless quality, or cheap, or quickly, but not all three, and she only had a few weeks with which to work before Sunset was due to be introduced to high society. What Flighty made would be good, but that wasn't good enough.

    "Budget problems, I presume?" came Flighty's own Celestia-damned voice, and she jerked to stare at the speaker with wide eyes.

    Her own form stared back at her, if one that was an utter mockery of the struggles throughout her life. Or at least, what she'd thought was a mockery. The horn upon 'her' head would be obnoxious in isolation, but the presence of wings pushed the figure firmly into the realm of blasphemous. Flighty would never obtain either, and had made her peace with that fact years ago.

    She wasn't dreaming, she was sure of that much; she'd already discreetly kicked herself just to be sure, and the resulting pain wasn't something that belonged in dreams. Pain was for after she woke up again. Or possibly for this thing if it thought she would make for an easy target. Flighty had only needed to hear one horrifying campfire story about Changeling foalnappers before perpetually keeping a poker warmed in a brazier sounded like a good idea. She didn't care if they weren't real; the very idea was still scary, and Flighty lived alone.

    "Thank you for your time, but my soul and magic are not for sale," Flighty said frigidly, carefully avoiding looking at the heated poker.

    If it were just her that would suffer the consequences, she might actually have to think about bargaining here. But while Princess Celestia might applaud acts of generosity and loyalty, She didn't approve of ponies harming themselves in the process. She would not be pleased should Flighty sacrifice herself by taking loans, let alone making a contract with a probable demon.

    "If I had a filling meal for every time something thought I was after their soul," the thing mused, smiling, "I would be the 'size' of a pachyderm instead of a hedgehog. Thinking I'm after your magic is newer, but should we come to an agreement, I would actually be willing to strengthen you instead."

    "I'm still not willing to betray Equestria in any way, shape, or form," Flighty stressed firmly. "You wouldn't be showing up like this if you meant well."

    The thing wearing her form raised one hoof before pausing.

    "...You're right, I could have handled this better," it admitted, and lowered the hoof. "Allow me to be perfectly clear, then: I intend no major harm to Princess Celestia, Sunset Shimmer, the royal family in general, or the vast majority of Princess Celestia's subjects — and I see that squint, I'm including you in the 'I don't mean you harm.' I'm the Devourer of Decadent Dreams; I don't want your soul, magic, first-born foal, etcetera. What I'm after is your privacy."

    The thing's smile widened to the point of being impossible for any real pony.

    "And perhaps a little insurance, just in case."
     
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    • Flighty is amazing. Her leaving Woven Accord is well deserved. I hope nothing goes wrong with Sunset hopefully arranging new lodgings and any other living necessities for her. But also...

    Alivaril said:
    She'd even been inspired by the same Summer Sun Celebration that catapulted me toward studying magic in earnest!
    Click to expand...
    Click to shrink...

    There are absolutely 4 other ponies out there, who were also inspired by that Summer Sun celebration to find their special talent.
     
    The odds are good that the report that outlines contingencies to deal with Voice is what Voice is forming a contingency against at the end there with her talk of "insurance".
     
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