//------------------------------// // Chapter 7 — The Royal Sisters // Story: Dictators Of Ponyville // by Dragon-In-Black //------------------------------// Ponyville, 2 weeks after the Crusaders left. Twilight, Spike and their friends were inside the library with sombre expressions. It had been a few days since Spike had sent the letter to Princess Celestia and they wondered what was taking so long. They had seen the royal guards arrive and go into the Everfree Forest but had refused to answer any questions the ponies of the town had. They suspected that they were trying to find the three fillies. Spike was the one who had insinuated it because they had not received a response. His logic was that the guards had maybe been tasked to try and find the crusaders but that there was a possibility that they were... they would bring back the bad news. They hadn’t responded to Spike, but they silently agreed with him. The possibility was there. Applejack couldn’t accept the possibility. As much as she realised the possibility, she refused to believe her baby sister would end up... there was no way. Her baby sister was stronger than she knew. Rarity had similar thoughts. It was her fault. That’s what she believed. It was her fault for finding out the truth or at least telling the ponies of Ponyville who was behind the Gabby Gums articles. She shouldn’t have said anything, it was her fault that they were somewhere out there. Rainbow Dash, when she heard Spike’s theory, made her feel so bad. Her stomach felt weird. She shouldn’t have poured rainwater on them. How mature was she? Not at all, she was still a filly deep inside. Childish mare. It was her fault that Scoots was gone. Unlike the other two, the rainbow-maned pegasus had fully accepted that her sister figure was gone. If it was that she hoped that so the orange-coated fan didn’t have to suffer, she didn’t say. Spike was in the kitchen making tea for everyone while they were eating sandwiches that the young dragon had made for them. They couldn’t eat. They had no appetite. But they knew they had to eat something. Twilight was eating slowly while reading the same page for the fifth time because her mind couldn’t concentrate. All she could think about was her maturity level. She glanced at Spike who was grabbing cups and plates for the cups. She placed a barrier with her magic because she didn’t want to see three fillies who made an honest mistake. Spike, her little brother and assistant was cooking for her, made sure she ate, sleep, and had everything from newly purchased books and finances. She was still a filly. No, she really was. Spike was the one who did everything. He was an adult. She didn’t care about how old he was, in her eyes: he was an adult. He was far more mature than she would ever be. When the dragon came back with the tea, he silently placed it on the table and gave it around to the ponies there. They took it while thanking him and he would acknowledge it with a nod. “Thank you, Spike.” The lavender mare gratefully thanked. “Your welcome,” He replied with a monotone voice, sipping on his warm tea. The other ponies took small sips of their tea while munching on their sandwiches around the round table. Spike held both of his claws with his elbows on the table with his eyes closed as if meditating. Interestingly enough, it was a habit he had picked up on which helped make him less sad but only for a small while. The ponies around watched the young drake and couldn’t help but realise how mature he had turned the last few weeks. He was far more mature than all of them combined. He helped be the voice of reason and had given them hope when they forgot to eat or even sleep as they were searching everywhere. He stopped them and forced them to eat and get a few hours of sleep at a minimum. He was an adult now. Abruptly, there was a knock on the door and they all felt their hearts skip a beat. They were so lost in their thoughts that it had scared them slightly. Spike, who seemed unfazed, walked up to the door to reveal two tall Alicorn mares who had grim expressions on their faces. The drake bowed in a show of respect and led them inside. The tallest alicorn there had a white coat with a flowing rainbow mane that was more relaxed than the cyan pegasus’ which left a calming impression. The second alicorn had a dark blue coat with a darker mane which also flowed but her mane resembled the stars from the night sky. The first alicorn’s name is Princess Celestia who was the princess of the sun, the second one is Princess Luna whose the princess of the moon. They were sisters. The ponies there bowed in respect and Spike once again, left for the kitchen to brew tea while the ponies conversed. The silence was deafening. Twilight didn’t know what to say or do. She knew the princess would be angry at her, but so angry that even her sister came along? She must have screwed up badly. Looking at the floor in shame, she bowed her head, unable to face her mentor and ruler. Spike came back with the tea, setting it before the two princesses’ who thanked the drake before they stared at the six mares with a blank expression on their faces. Spike, on the other hand, could tell that Princess Celestia looked uncertain as to what to say. “When I received the letter... I must admit, I thought it had been a horrible joke.” Celestia spoke with a firm voice. The mares flinched. Twilight the most. “I had hoped that something like this would never happen again but that was wishful thinking on my end. I suppose I’ve been getting too comfortable on the throne.” Princess Luna simply stared blankly at the six mares. She couldn’t fathom how these six could defeat her but at the same time, shun their family members. Did the— no. The elements of Harmony didn’t make a mistake, it chose those mares for a reason. “Princess Celestia... I’m sorry, at first, I liked reading the gossip of different ponies around town but it did nag me at the back of my mind, and I did voice that it did hurt some ponies who wanted the secrets for themselves. But some of them were funny... until Gabby Gums claimed that I was a Canterlot snob who believes that Ponyville’s roofs are for the low-class ponies. It’s a lie, but I was so hurt, angry, betrayed that when I found out who it was, I couldn’t help but be angry at them and put up a barrier for when they decided to come.” Twilight explained and admitted with guilt heavy In her voice. The princess of the Sun stared at her blankly. “Twilight, I saw that there was gossip about me in the column, but do you know what I did?” Celestia asked with a raised brow. Twilight and the others minus Luna shook their heads In no. “I laughed.” The others stared at their princess with wide eyes while Rarity and Rainbow Dash and Twilight had their jaws hanging. “Ist true,” Luna proclaimed nonchalantly. “I have not heard her laugh like that In a very long time.” The others did not know what to say. They expected Celestia to say something that would make them feel foolish for not having thought of it, but here, right now, she told them the piece in the column about her, which made her laugh. She had found it hilarious! “Princess Celestia! How could you possibly find that hilarious, they made you sound like a common pony!” Rarity exclaimed as if it was scandalising. The princess smiled at her, for the first time since the conversation began, the smile held warmth and love. “Miss Belle, I have lived for well over a thousand years and my sister once ruled alongside me, even Luna has some memories of those conspiracy theories columns that existed, isn’t that right, Luna?” Luna nodded with a small smile like she had remembered something funny. “Oh, yes sister, I remembered this one time they tried to explain how you used a common heat spell to make the sun go up and down.” Luna was doing her best to not guffaw but Celestia understood that it was difficult. She too, couldn’t help but giggle. The others looked scandalised that some pony out in the world had once claimed their princess used a heat spell but stopped themselves when Celestia giggled like a school filly. “Oh, that one was funny! Sadly, no one makes conspiracies like that anymore.” The ruler of Equestria genuinely sounded sad. Luna looked shocked at her sister. “Sister, you don’t mean to tell me every pony is loyal to us. There must be some pony with good conspiracies that we could laugh at.” Luna sounded pleading, making the six mares gape at her. “Sorry, Luna,” Celestia said in a sad voice. “They don’t do it anymore which is sad.” “I wasn’t given proper punishment, sister, you had to endure one thousand years of nothing fun to read,” Luna admitted with a sad smile at Celestia who smiled sadly back at her. “Wait, Princess, so you're telling me that you found it funny?” Twilight asked, trying to get over her shock. Celestia looked serious again. “Yes, Twilight. I found it fun. Isn’t that what you and the rest of Ponyville found funny, to begin with?” Raising a brow. The mares, particularly Rarity, flinched at the firm tone in her voice. “Yes, we did.” They responded. “Sister, we hast punisheth them enough, thou shall tell them about what we have found out,” Luna said with the old dialect. “Right. My little ponies, I’m not just here to punish you as it's not my place, but I have been sending royal guards through the Everfree Forest In hopes of finding the three fillies. Sadly, we have not found anything. However, I have a few friends in a town outside of Equestria who informed me that three fillies had recently come to a town called Kludgetown in the Badlands.” Everypony there, including Luna, stared at her wide-eyed. WHAT!!!???