Canterlot Royal Magic Training Grounds.
“So… you can switch between all three pony tribes?”
Princess Celestia’s pinkish purple eyes widened slightly as she looked at the young pony who had just completed his third transformation.
Dusk Glow shook out the mane of his newly restored earth pony form and lightly tapped a hoof against the ground.
“Pretty much. Earth pony, pegasus, unicorn. I can switch whenever I want.”
His tone was remarkably casual.
“Like this.”
A dazzling flash of white light appeared.
In an instant, Dusk Glow transformed into his pegasus form.
His wings flapped powerfully twice, sending a gentle breeze across the training grounds.
Before Celestia could even respond, another flash of white light appeared.
This time, he became a unicorn.
His spiral horn shimmered brightly beneath the sunlight.
Then, just as smoothly, he returned to his earth pony form.
The entire process took less than five seconds.
“By Star Swirl the Bearded…”
Celestia’s wings instinctively spread slightly.
“That’s more fluid than any form of cross-tribe magic Star Swirl ever recorded. No spell? No buildup of magic?”
“I do it entirely by instinct.”
Dusk Glow tapped his horn with a hoof.
“It’s as natural as blinking. Although…”
He lowered his voice slightly.
“Each form does have its own advantages.”
His pegasus form could fly, and it was very fast.
His unicorn form could use magic.
As for his earth pony form…
Well, aside from being a little stronger, he had not discovered any particular advantage yet.
Celestia’s eyes were filled with surprise and curiosity.
“Can those abilities be used at the same time?”
Dusk Glow tilted his head and thought for a moment.
“I haven’t tried.”
With that, he transformed into his pegasus form once again.
He concentrated and attempted to cast a unicorn spell while flying.
The attempt failed.
No matter how hard he tried, he could not manipulate his magic properly in the air.
It seemed that he lacked the proper means of channeling it.
Specifically, he needed a horn.
Celestia thoughtfully considered what she had just witnessed.
Her eyes shone with a deeper curiosity.
She raised a hoof slightly, her voice carrying the warmth and dignity of the morning sun.
“Fascinating…”
“You are remarkably similar to an alicorn, yet fundamentally different.”
She began to gracefully walk around Dusk Glow.
“An alicorn is a complete fusion, like mixing three different colors together until they become an entirely new color.”
“And you…”
Her horn gently touched the horn on Dusk Glow’s forehead.
“You’re more like a prism.”
“Three different lights pass through you, taking turns to shine without ever becoming one.”
“The strength of an earth pony, the agility of a pegasus, and the magic of a unicorn.”
“Using each one separately is already a talent. But being able to switch between them freely and adapt to different situations…”
She smiled.
“That is a remarkable gift.”
“I understand, Princess.”
Dusk Glow nodded.
“I’ll do my best to learn how to use it properly.”
“Good.”
Celestia stopped walking.
“Actually, I have already arranged for somepony to help you learn how to control that ability.”
“She’s one of my students, and I trust her completely.”
Celestia turned her gaze toward the edge of the training grounds.
“Ah. There she is.”
“Whoa!”
A young voice suddenly came from the edge of the training grounds.
Dusk Glow turned his head.
He had not noticed them before.
A small purple dragon was standing there with a precarious stack of books in his arms, his mouth hanging open in shock.
Behind him stood a purple unicorn mare.
She had one hoof over her mouth, and her large purple eyes were filled with astonishment.
Twilight Sparkle had originally been studying the unusual celestial patterns from a few days earlier.
Then Spike had suddenly received a letter from Princess Celestia.
The letter asked Twilight to come to Canterlot because an extremely unusual guest had arrived, and Celestia wanted Twilight to assist him.
The moment Twilight finished reading the letter, she immediately asked Spike to prepare a stack of reference books.
Then she rushed to the palace as quickly as she could.
The moment she arrived at the royal training grounds, she witnessed something that seemed to contradict everything she had ever read in books such as Cross-Tribe Biology, The Origins of Ponies, and countless other academic texts.
A young pony was repeatedly switching between three different pony tribes.
It was completely unprecedented.
How is he doing that?
Twilight’s mind was already overflowing with questions.
She desperately wanted to know how it was possible.
When Princess Celestia beckoned Twilight and Spike over, Twilight immediately began carefully examining the unusual pony.
His coat was a soft ivory color with a warm, jade-like glow.
His mane was as dark as ink.
And his amber eyes looked at her with obvious curiosity.
The moment Twilight met his gaze, she felt her heart beat a little faster.
She had never seen such a handsome pony before.
He was even a little more handsome than her brother.
“Thank you for coming, Twilight Sparkle,” Celestia said warmly as she looked at her student.
“You’re welcome, Princess Celestia.”
Twilight respectfully bowed her head before looking at Dusk Glow.
“So this is the pony I’m supposed to help?”
“Yes.”
Celestia raised a hoof and gently gestured toward Twilight.
“Dusk Glow, this is Twilight Sparkle.”
“She is my most outstanding, most trusted, and dearest student.”
Then Celestia looked toward Twilight.
“Twilight, this is Dusk Glow, a guest who has traveled a very long way to reach us.”
“I suspect you’ve already seen what makes him special.”
“Hello, Miss Twilight Sparkle.”
Dusk Glow smiled politely.
“My name is Dusk Glow, but you can just call me Dusk.”
“Hello, Dusk!”
Twilight responded warmly.
“You can call me Twilight too. Welcome to Equestria!”
Then her scholarly instincts immediately took over.
She stepped forward without even realizing it.
“What was that?”
“Three-form compatibility?!”
“That doesn’t fit any known classification in magical creature biology!”
“Whoa.”
Spike stared at Dusk Glow in amazement.
“He can turn into an earth pony, a pegasus, and a unicorn?”
“That’s so cool!”
Dusk Glow stared at the little purple dragon in fascination.
He had not expected to see a dragon in this world.
“There is much more to Dusk Glow’s unusual nature than that,” Celestia said affectionately.
“For example, he was originally a human.”
“Human?”
Twilight and Spike exclaimed at the same time.
Spike scratched his head thoughtfully.
Twilight, meanwhile, immediately used her magic to pull several books out and began frantically flipping through them.
“I’m sorry, Princess, but I don’t think I’ve ever studied a species called ‘human.'”
Twilight sounded nervous.
Human?
She vaguely remembered hearing one of her friends mention something about them once.
Celestia shook her head.
A mysterious look appeared in her pinkish purple eyes.
“Of course you haven’t.”
“Books cannot contain records of creatures that do not belong to this world.”
“Creatures that don’t belong to this world?”
Twilight froze.
Then realization struck her.
Her eyes widened dramatically.
“He’s from another world?!”
Her voice echoed throughout the training grounds.
The books in Spike’s arms slipped from his grasp and scattered across the ground.
Spike was so startled that he hiccuped and accidentally breathed out a tiny burst of green fire.
It nearly singed one of the books.
“Yes.”
Celestia nodded gently.
“Dusk Glow is not a creature of Equestria. He comes from a world without magic.”
Twilight’s books fell completely from her magic.
The flames of scholarly excitement were already burning brightly in her eyes.
She suddenly rushed straight toward Dusk Glow and placed her hooves against his chest.
“This is incredible!”
“What is your world like? What’s your gravitational constant? Does your world have an energy system comparable to magic? How do your organisms perform photosyn…”
“Wait! Wait!”
Dusk Glow was forced to take two steps backward.
“We don’t have chloroplasts, so no, we don’t perform photosynthesis.”
At that moment, Spike jumped onto Twilight’s back.
He put on an expression of complete calm and confidence.
“Easy, Twilight. Take a few deep breaths.”
“You have to stay calm.”
“You should be more like me.”
Twilight finally realized that she had practically backed Dusk Glow against the wall.
Her cheeks turned red as she took a step backward.
However, the curiosity in her eyes had not diminished in the slightest.
Spike suddenly straightened his back.
He cleared his throat and stood with his claws behind him.
He even tried to straighten a nonexistent tie.
“Ahem.”
“Greetings, traveler from another world.”
“I’m Spike, a very knowledgeable dragon.”
He paused dramatically.
“Since you’ve arrived here, I shall…”
“Whoa!”
Spike suddenly tripped and fell.
He quickly scrambled back onto his feet and brushed the dust from his scales as though nothing had happened.
“Um…”
“I mean, your situation may be extremely unusual, but it’s still within the range of things we’re willing to accept.”
Dusk Glow could not help laughing at the sight.
“Got it, Mr. Spike.”
“Honestly, I think you’re pretty cool too.”
“Ha ha! Actually, this is my first time meeting somepony from another world too.”
Spike grinned proudly.
“It’s super cool!”
Celestia watched the three of them with a faint smile.
Then she gracefully walked alongside the two ponies and one dragon.
“Dusk Glow, your ability is unique and precious.”
“I can also sense that you possess a considerable amount of magical power.”
“That is why I want you to receive proper guidance and learn how to adapt to life here.”
Celestia turned toward Twilight.
“And Twilight…”
Twilight’s ears immediately perked up.
Her tail swayed slightly without her noticing, like a student waiting for instructions.
“You have spent so much time pursuing the truths of magic, yet you have rarely encountered something that exists outside the established rules.”
A gentle smile appeared on Celestia’s face.
“So I would like to suggest that Dusk Glow temporarily study under your guidance.”
“And in return, you may learn something from him that no book can teach.”
Twilight’s ears drooped slightly.
One hoof nervously traced little circles on the floor.
“Princess, I…”
“I’m not sure I’m qualified for this.”
She glanced at Dusk Glow, then quickly lowered her gaze.
“His abilities are completely beyond anything described in our current magical framework.”
“What if I guide him incorrectly?”
“Or what if I overlook something important?”
Her words began coming faster and faster.
“What if his magic becomes unstable?”
“What if there is some kind of rejection reaction from adapting to another dimension?”
“What if…”
Celestia gently raised a wing, stopping the flood of questions.
“Twilight.”
Her voice was firm but warm.
“Everything has a first time.”
“Science requires precision and careful study.”
“But exploring the unknown also requires the courage to accept that we may not have all the answers.”
“And besides…”
Celestia smiled.
“His very existence is a living encyclopedia from another world.”
Dusk Glow raised an eyebrow.
“So I’m a walking textbook now?”
Spike raised a claw.
“That means Twilight can copy your answers during tests.”
Twilight immediately glared at him.
Celestia simply giggled before continuing.
“Twilight, your library is quiet enough for proper study.”
“And having Dusk Glow learn about pony life will help him become more comfortable in Equestria.”
She looked toward Dusk Glow.
“What do you think?”
Dusk Glow shrugged.
“It’s not like I have anywhere else to go.”
He glanced at Twilight.
“And besides…”
“Learning from the smartest unicorn in all of Equestria doesn’t sound too bad.”
Twilight’s cheeks turned red again.
She quickly straightened herself and nodded seriously.
“I’ll prepare a detailed study schedule!”
“We’ll start with basic magical theory, then move on to transformation control experiments, followed by cross-dimensional energy compatibility research…”
Twilight continued talking without slowing down.
Dusk Glow listened for a few seconds before quietly leaning toward Spike.
“Is she always like this?”
Spike gave him a solemn nod.
“Brother, you’re gonna have to get used to it.”