“Twilight, Fluttershy!” Rainbow Dash shouted after she burst through the library door, tumbling across the floor and crashing into the bookcase opposite the door. “Are you two ok!? What happened!?”
“That sure is a lot of Royal Guards outside yer house,” Applejack said as she entered more calmly, “Ah heard yah disappeared all’ve a sudden. What happened?”
“I’m fine, girls,” Twilight responded. Rarity and Pinkie Pie also entered, and Rarity’s attention was immediately drawn to the wounds on Twilight’s forehooves, which were still being wrapped in bandages, and the rather noticeable bruise on Twilight’s left cheek.
“Good heavens, Twilight! What happened to you? You look simply horrible!” she shouted, receiving a nudge and a scolding glare from Applejack. “I, I mean, you look exhausted, Twilight. Maybe you should, um, get some rest?”
Twilight smiled at her friends and shook her head. “I’m fine, really. The wounds aren’t as bad as they look.”
‘They’ve healed mostly by themselves…’ Celestia thought to herself. ‘Could Twilight’s magic really have improved so much since she started to live in Ponyville?’
“Besides,” Twilight continued, “I don’t really understand myself what’s going on. The Princess was just about to explain it to me.” Twilight looked up at Celestia with a warm smile on her face, but hidden beneath that smile was a look of fear. Fear of whatever story the Princess had in store for her. “Right?”
Celestia hesitated for a moment, and then reluctantly nodded her head. “Right,” she answered, and the group of friends, together with Spike, who had just returned from the kitchen with some cupcakes and some juice for the group. “It’s a long story…I guess I should start it at the beginning…44 years ago.”
“44 years ago, Equestria was thriving like it never had done before. All of the surrounding nations were at peace with us, there was no tension between us and them, and the economy could not have been any better. Indeed, it was a time of true harmony throughout the land. The sight of it would literally make Discord sick.
“Since things were so well, for the first time in hundreds of years, I was able to actually take a vacation, leaving the throne to my very dependable nephew while I was away. It was during my vacation that I found him. Paradox.
“Although, at the time, he did not yet have a name. You see, Paradox was but a poor colt, barely 5 years old, living in a wooden box on the side of the road leading up to Filydelphia. The sight shocked me. I had no idea that ponies were still living in poverty. That some ponies were actually suffering, in this seemingly perfect world. I guess I allowed myself to fall into the false belief that harmony had finally grasped the entire land, or maybe I just didn’t want to admit that, despite my best efforts, it was still not enough.
“In any case, I felt sorry for the young colt, and offered to find his family for him. He didn’t put up much of a fight, mostly because he was starving. But there was something else. Something in the way he looked at me…It was like he was seeing the sun for the first time, or that he was surprised to see another pony. I later learned that he saw me as some kind of grand saviour, and he admired me so much, that he was willing to let me take him away, without asking any questions.
“My attempts to find his parents were fruitless. As were my attempts to find any living relatives in his family. As it turned out, the boy’s family had died out 3 years ago, and the last survivor was left homeless, and without a bit to his name.
“My next move was to find a nice, new home for the young colt. I knew of many orphanages in Canterlot that get great funding from the government, and I also knew a lot of couples who were looking to adopt, and who I knew would make great parents. But my first attempt was…Well…”
“NO! I don’t wanna go! I don’t! Please, don’t make me! I’m sorry! I’m SORRY!”
“Sorry? What was he sorry for?” Twilight asked.
“I asked him that later, after I managed to get his magic under control.”
“Please! If I did something to make you angry, I’ll do anything to make up for it! Just…Please don’t hate me! Please…”
“The young colt fell to the floor, sobbing into his hooves, begging for my forgiveness. After piecing together his words and his actions, I hypothesized-”
“Hypofa-what?” Pinkie Pie asked.
“…Guessed, that his admiration for me had become much more…That, in the short time that we had spent together, he had come to see me as the mother he never had. And by trying to give him to a good home, he thought that I was throwing him away, because I was angry at him for some reason.
“I didn’t know what to do. I tried to convince him that I wasn’t angry, and that I just wanted what was best for him, but he refused to stay with anypony other than me. He even stole one of the maid outfits our servants wore, and offered to work in order to stay with me.
“I went to my nephew, Blueblood XIX-”
“Ugh,” Rarity gagged at the name ‘Blueblood’.
“-And asked him what I should do.”
“Well, auntie, if he doesn’t want to leave you so badly, why don’t you simply adopt him yourself?”
“You know I can’t, Blueblood. I have a kingdom to run, and the High Council would bite my head off I asked for time off to care for young Paradox.”
“Paradox?”
“A name I thought up for him. While I was caring for him in Fillydelphia, I read a book to him, and at a particular part that word came up, and he asked me what it meant. That was the first time he ever spoke to me, and when I explained to him what it meant, he also smiled at me for the first time…”
“…Auntie, you sound like my mother talking about my kid sister. I think you’ve really taken a shine to this colt.”
“…”
“Blueblood was right. It had been so long, 158 years, to be exact, since my last student had…Passed away…
“I missed the feelings of caring for young foals, bringing them up and teaching them the difference between right and wrong. Praising them when they did well, and scolding them when they messed up, followed by holding them close, to let them know you still loved them.
“…I have had 15 children in my lifetime, you know? Yes, throughout the thousands of years that I have lived, I have fallen in love many times, and formed many families…But after a while, the fact that I always outlived those families, the fact that I had to watch my beloveds die, along with our children, and their children, and so on…They all died, whilst I stayed the same, unchanging as time marched on.
“I missed the comfort of holding a loved one close to me at night, of having a family to greet me as I retire to my bedroom. But I didn’t want to have to suffer the way I had in the past. I vowed to never fall in love again…But this foal needed me. He had been through so much trauma in his life, and he was unwilling to accept anypony else. To him, I was his mother.
“And so, I decided to take Blueblood’s advice, and adopted Paradox as my son. To make sure the High Council couldn’t object, the formal proceedings were that I was taking him on as my pupil. It was something I was considering anyway, after his little episode earlier. He clearly had a lot of untapped magical potential, and I wanted to make sure that it wouldn’t become a bother for him in the future.”
“Mom! I just got the test results back! I placed third in mathematics!”
“Well done, Paradox. See? I told you that you could do well if you just had father in yourself.”
“Hee hee! Actually, I cheated!”
“…”
“…”
“…WHAT!?” Celestia shouted, dropping the scroll that she was currently reading. “What do you mean you 'cheated'!?”
Paradox backed away, a look of fear and confusion on his face. “D-Did I do something wrong? Y-You told me that I should be proud of my special talent, and use it wisely, and-”
“So you used magic to cheat, and you consider that WISE!?”
“BUT IF I DIDN’T, YOU’D BE MAD AT ME!” Paradox shouted, tears streaming down his face as he dropped to the floor. “I just wanted you to be proud of me…I wanted to show you that I can use my talents to cover for my weaknesses…You know, like my big brother…”
“Big brother?” Applejack asked. “Ah thought he was all alone.”
“That’s how he referred to my first pupil, who had sort of become Paradox’s hero in the passing years.”
“Paradox, I know you think that you were doing the right thing, but…” Celestia tried to think of a way to explain why what Paradox did was wrong. “The test was for mathematics, not magic. The other students there will now feel that they didn’t achieve as high as they should have done. You may have emotionally damaged somepony today, Paradox. Do you think that’s fair?”
“…No…”
Celestia wrapped her forelegs around her ‘son’, drawing him into a warm hug. “Now, you are going to tell the professors what you did tomorrow, and then-”
“I can’t!” Paradox shouted, trying to wriggle out of the hug, to no avail. “I can’t! That…Would be bad!”
“Bad? Paradox…I know they’ll give you a scolding, but it’s their jobs to-”
“YOU DON’T UNDERSTAND! I USED FORBIDDEN MAGIC!” Celestia’s hug tightened, but more so to make sure that Paradox wouldn’t get away, than to comfort him. “I used the mindreading spell that I came across…In the library…”
“Mindreading? I thought spell was locked away in the Royal Vault.”
“There’s a copy of it in the library, at the back, section Y, shelf 36A.” Paradox stopped to swallow, and then continued. “I know it’s forbidden, and that I should have told you, but…”
“…Paradox…Why would hide something like this from me?”
“…Other ponies are scary. I never know what they’re thinking. It frightens me, so I…I’m sorry, mother.”
“But delving into sompony’s mind…Invading their personal space, and having no respect for their private lives…That’s just-”
“I know it’s bad! That’s why I only ever use it when I’m really scared! I’m sorry! I’m so sorry!”
“…Have you ever used the spell on me?”
Paradox shook his head, choking back a few sobs. “No, I’m not strong enough to read an Alicorn’s mind.”
The two remained silent, besides the sobs and hiccups coming from Paradox, as Celestia ran through her mind what to do.
“What’s the big deal?” Rainbow Dash asked, “How bad of a crime could that be?”
“It warrants execution,” Celestia said, causing the whole group to fall silent. “Because that spell is what caused the collapse of Olde Equestria, and almost caused a civil war between the three pony tribes. Simply knowing the spell without permission and constant surveillance by the Royal Court Magi is grounds for execution. To be honest, I was surprised that Paradox even told me at all…But that’s when I realised that Paradox’s feelings towards me were stronger than I first thought.
“Paradox no longer viewed me as just a mother. He viewed me as the only pony in the whole world he could trust. He was always by himself, even when other ponies approached them. He simply ignored them, too afraid to get close to them.”
“…There’s more to it than that, though, isn’t there Princess?” Rarity asked, a stern look on her face, which surprised her friends, given that she was talking to Royalty. “I know that look on your face, Princess, so I know that there’s another half to this story.”
“…Very perceptive, Rarity,” Celestia said, letting out a soft chuckle. “The truth is, Paradox was starting to fall in love with me.” Celestia sighed, and then continued. “At first, I tried my best to deny it. To convince myself that my imagination was simply playing up. But…After a while, there was no more denying it. He loved me, and it wouldn’t be long until he confessed his feelings towards me.
“I accepted him as a son, because I was lonely, and I felt sorry for him. But as a lover…I was never going to let that happen. Never again. I simply couldn’t stand the thought of seeing another family pass away before my eyes, leaving me all alone in the world once more.
“And so, I had to make a harsh decision…I had to return Paradox to the world.”
“That’s what you were talking about in the Everfree forest earlier, right?” Twilight asked.
“That’s correct,” Celestia responded. “I wanted to help him learn to depend on other ponies, and hopefully, to make his love towards me fade away. And to do that, the only thing I could think of, was to stop mothering him the way I had done. I decided to distance myself, and force him to seek out others for help, instead of always relying on me.”
“So what happened?” Rainbow Dash asked.
“I thought he would be tough enough. I thought he would be able to handle it, and that one day, he would see that it was all for his own good…But that did not happen. Paradox…His mental state progressively got worse as the years passed.
“It must have been the result of the only pony he ever trusted suddenly being cold towards him. By the time I realised what effect my actions were having on him, it was too late. I tried to calm him down, to assure him that everything was ok, but he was too far gone, and words would not reach him anymore.
“And then, one night, it happened. Paradox tried to take my life.”
“Princess Celestia! Now, we’ll always be together! In death, nothing shall keep us apart!”
“Paradox! What do you think you’re doing!? Lay down your weapon, now!” one of the Royal Guards shouted as he stood between Paradox and Celestia.
“Shut up! Get out of my way, or I’ll kill you, too!”
The group sat in complete silence for many minutes. Even Pinkie Pie, who was usually smiling in any situation, had a grim look on her face as she went over the Princess’ story in her head.
Finally, Princess Celestia broke the silence. “My guards managed to fend him off, and Paradox fled from the castle. However, despite my orders to let him go, my guards gave chase, and cornered him, just outside of Canterlot. At the time, the penalty for attacking me was immediate execution. And so, my guards chased Paradox in order to kill him, and by the time I arrived in order to stop them…
“…Paradox had already fallen off the cliff’s edge, and presumably to his death. Naturally, we searched for the body, but at the bottom of the cliff, all we could find was a nest of wolves, and so we assumed that Paradox had already been eaten by them. Even if he hadn’t, it should have been impossible for him to survive that fall. I wonder how he survived?”
Suddenly, Celestia’s horn lit up, and a golden beam shot out, a scroll materialising in the air. Celestia grabbed it with her magic and unrolled it. “Well, it seems the Royal Guard is working as efficiently as ever.”
“What d’ya mean?” Applejack asked.
“…I don’t know what has happened to Paradox these past 23 years, but from what I’ve seen, he’s no longer the scared, gentle Paradox that I once knew.” Celestia turned her head away to hide her look of uneasiness. “He attempted to take an entire village hostage, just to get to Twilight. And right now, he has powers beyond that of a regular Unicorn.”
“You mean those ‘Alicorn charms’?” Twilight asked, shuddering as she remembered the feeling of being teleported by one of them.
Celestia nodded. “Yes. I have no idea how he could have possibly acquired them, but one thing is for certain: he is a dangerous threat to all of Equestria, and he has to be dealt with.”
“But how do we find him?” Rarity asked, “And when we do find him, what would we do?”
“Isn’t it obvious?” Rainbow Dash said, “We kick his flank with the Elements of Harmony, just like Nightmare Moon and Discord!”
“No!” Celestia shouted, startling the group. “No, we can’t use the Elements! Despite his new power, he is still just a Unicorn! The Elements would completely destroy him!”
“But you just said he’s a threat to the whole of Equestria,” Applejack pointed out. “We have ta do somethin’, right?”
“We do, but…”
“You don’t want to harm him, because you still feel guilty about happened,” Fluttershy said, “Isn’t that what’s going through your mind right now?”
“…”
The room was once again filled with an uncomfortable silence, which was broken by another flash of light from Celestia’s horn. Surprised, Celestia took the new scroll into her magic, and unrolled it quickly. “Well, that was faster than I expected.”
“What happened?”
“It seems we already have an eyewitness account of Paradox,” Celestia explained, “Apparently, a ‘Trixie Lulamoon, the Great and Powerful’ witnessed a Unicorn matching Paradox’s description two days ago.”
“Trixie, eh?” Rainbow Dash said as she scratched her chin with her hoof. “I dunno…She’s not exactly the most reliable source in Equestria.”
“Because she told that one lie?” Rarity said, raising an eyebrow at her friend. “Honestly, Rainbow, you can be so childish sometimes.”
Rainbow Dash looked at Rarity with a look of surprise. “Wait, you’re stickin’ up for Trixie? After what happened last time?”
Rarity rolled eyes at Rainbow Dash. “Please, Rainbow, a lady does not hold a grudge. Besides, it wouldn’t be the first time somepony messed up my mane.” Rarity cast an accusing glance on both Rainbow Dash and Pinkie Pie, the latter struggling to hold back a giggle.
“In any case,” Twilight said, interrupting her two friends, “I think we’d better go check this out. It’s the only lead we really have right now.”
“Twilight,” Celestia began, “I want you and your friends to stay here. This is something that I have to deal with, and there’s no reason for you to become involved.”
“With respect, Princess, I’m already involved.” Twilight stared at her teacher with a determined look on her face, and continued. “Paradox came after me because he was afraid of the Elements of Harmony. There’s a chance he may come back. And besides, you’ve helped me so many times in the past, and now, I think it’s only fair that I help you.”
“Yeah!” Rainbow Dash shouted, “We’ll show this guy what happens when he messes with our friends!”
The rest of the group nodded in agreement, and after a moment of consideration, Princess Celestia backed down. “I see…You’ve really come a long way since you started living here in Ponyville, Twilight. Your lessons have taught you so much…”
“And now, it’s time to put them into practice,” Twilight said, smiling and extending her hoof to the centre of the group, where it was soon met by the hooves of her friends. “I can’t say I understand exactly how you feel, Princess, but one thing’s obvious: you miss Paradox, and really want to talk to him again. That’s why we’ll do our best to help you out.”
Celestia smiled warmly at her student, and extended her own hoof to meet with the rest of the group’s hooves. “Thank you, all of you,” she said softly, before rising to her hooves and regaining her regal composure. “Then let us make haste. We shall head for Trottingham, where our eyewitness is currently waiting for us.”
The rest of the group also stood up, and began to follow the Princess outside. Twilight asked Spike to watch the library for her, a job that Spike was more than happy to accept. Another flash of light from Celestia’s horn, followed by another scroll, startled the group of ponies.
Celestia unrolled the scroll and read the message, her eyes widening and her breathing slowing down as she did so. When her pupil asked her what was wrong, Celestia shook her head and put the message away. “Nothing, Twilight. It just seems that Luna has fallen ill, but it is apparently nothing serious.”
“I hope she gets well soon!” Pinkie Pie chimed in, bouncing next to the Princess.
Celestia nodded her head, and led the group to the chariot that would take them to Trottingham. ‘The Key of the Ancient Tomb has gone missing…Along with other items that Paradox now has…Paradox, what are you planning?’