//------------------------------// // Celestia's Decree // Story: Hour of Twilight // by Animegx43 //------------------------------// Hour of Twilight: Chapter 3 -------------------------------------------------------------------------------- Now for what you've been waiting for. The part where Twilight Sparkle arrived at my castle. -------------------------------------------------------------------------------- After unpacking her things in her room in my castle, Twilight spared no time to enjoy her room and went straight to my Throne Room to see me, forcing Spike to wait in her room. This was actually really surprising. I remember when her friend Rarity came for a visit, she loved the room enough to spend a few extra days. The more I laughed at how scared Twilight was getting, the more guilty I became. Fortunately, she started to become calm again, after seeing a familiar face. My former top gaud visiting from the Crystal Kingdom, and Twilight's own brother, Shining Armor. "Shining! Oh, it's great to see you! Do you have any idea why the Princess called me here?" "Yes I do, Twlily. And I'm very proud of you too." That caused Twilight to become more confused then ever. She was worried that I was going to do something silly like send her to the moon, and yet Shining Armor praises her for coming. After leaving her sister confused, he and one of his loyal guards used their unicorn magic to open up the large door to my Throne Room, finally allowing Twilight Sparkle in. I was looking forward to this, and she was about to understand why she should've been too. "Princess Celestia! I'm here." She said as she entered. "What's the problem? What's going to affect my life in Ponyville?" "Ah, I see you want to get right down to business." I said to her. "Very well. But first, I want you to come to me. Stand by my side for a minute." As I asked, my faithful student made her way to my throne. As she walked down the red carpet, she notices my royal guards bowing their heads down to her as she walked pass them, for they already knew what my plans with her was. Although she did it slowly and awkwardly, she walked passed them all and made it by my side, taking a seat on a fancy pillow I placed beforehand. "There. Comfy?" I asked She shook her head, then she finally smiled. "Good. I'm going to have to ask you to get use to that. Guards? Please leave me and Twilight Sparkle alone for a few minutes. I want to talk to her in private." Without hesitation, each and every one of my guards left their positions and went through the exit to give me and Twilight some privacy. The instant the last guard left, Shining Armor closed the door shut. This is the part I've been waiting to write. "Twilight, let's waste no time. Have you noticed that you are royalty now?" "What? What do you mean?" She asked me. "Think about it. Your brother is now married to my niece. This makes you related to me. This also means your directly related to one of the rulers of the Crystal Empire." "Oh wow, I never thought of it like-" Then, the biggest smile I've ever seen on her face appeared. "OH MY GOSH! THAT MAKES YOU MY AUNT-IN-LAW! How did I not realize that before?" I was happy to get Twilight worked up from that. It made what I said after that so much easier. "Twilight, I've been controlling much of Equestria for more than 1,000 years. I never intended to do so for so long, nor do I want to. I hope that someday, I'll be able to step aside and let another rule my kingdom." "What about Princess Luna?" "That would defeat the whole purpose. Although she's only been active again recently, she's still a ruler from long ago. Besides, she rules the night. She'll likely pick a successor of her own at her own accord. What I want to talk to you about is mine." She thought about what I said, then offered her opinion. "Well, how about Princess Cadence? Being your niece, a loving and caring pony, I'm sure everyone would love to have her in charge." I chuckled at Twilight's suggestion. She held regard for Cadence almost as much as she did for me. However... "Actually, she was my first choice." I explained to her. "But don't forget. She's no the Princess of the Crystal Empire, so she can't possibly rule in my place. Besides, someone who prefers to help with her own hoofs rather then through politics wouldn't want to rule Equestria. So as you can see, she's not the best choice." "Hmm...then I can understand why you need me to find you an heir." "Twilight Sparkle. I did not summon you her to help me find one. I did it to tell you that I've already chosen one." I said as a walked passed her. "Follow me." "You have?" She asked in a surprised tone. "Who?" I walked her to one of my large windows, where we could get a good view of Canterlot. I was a bit nervous to say what I told her next, but I was also excited. The big decision I had made for the future ruler of Equestria, and I knew she was the first pony to reveal it. "This is my favorite window, Twilight. From the view here, as well as my magic, I'm effectively able watch all of Equestria from this very spot. Take a good look yourself." "Yes. I've seen this before. It's very beautiful." "It is. And as the Princess, I get to see this view everyday. And someday, you, Twilight Sparkle, will be able to do the same." She didn't understand what I had just said at the time, but after taking it in, then considered what I said beforehand, she realized what I said and became horrified. Once more, I found it amusing. "WHOA, WHOA, WHOA! WHAT!?" "You heard me. One day, you will be known as Princess Twilight Sparkle, for I have chosen you to become my heir!" Having her come to my castle got her scared of what would happen, which gave me a guilty pleasure. But the fear she gave off after I revealed to her I'd chosen her as my successor caused her to freak out in a way I did not overly cared for. Of course, I probably should've seen it coming considering that she's just learned that she'll become a princess someday. "Umm...Princess Celestia? I really hate to question your judgment, but I think you've got the wrong pony." She said to me. "I mean, how do you honestly think that I can become ruler of Equestria?" "Well firstly, as I mentioned, you are now part of my family, since Shining Armor and Cadance are married. Secondly, you have always been my prized pupil and I'd very much like to see you succeed me. Lastly, and most importantly...I'm the Princess, so I can do whatever I want." "Well, there's no arguing with that." Twilight admits. "But why me? Why make me the princess? It doesn't really make any sense." A reasonable question. After all, it would make no sense to make just any pony the future ruler of Equestria. However, Twilight Sparkle was far from being an ordinary pony. "Twilight, let me tell you something. I've always wanted to have an heir to my throne, but in all my years, which is more than a thousand of them, I've never been able to find someone I cared for or trusted enough to pass my crown, hence why I still rule. Now I know you have parents, I...well..." This is when I truly showed her how much I cared for her. "In all my life, you've become the only one I've imagine to come close to being a daughter. Now I know that sounds weird, but-" "Say no more, Princess." Twilight said. "I see where you're going with this. You're saying that you trust me more than any pony, and I'm really honored that you see me that way! But do you really think I can...replace you?" "With time and training, I think you can do better than I ever could. In fact, the reason I wanted you here was to get you started on some training to help you prepare. Once you've seen a bit of what I do, you're free to go back to Ponyville until the next time we see each other." Since she knew that she wouldn't take my throne right away, knew that I had faith in her to succeed, and can even return to Ponyville after..."Princess Celestia, I graciously accept the honor." "Excellent, Twilight Sparkle. Or maybe that should be...PRINCESS Twilight?" "Umm...no, please. I'm not ready to have that name." She explained. "I understand, but I may call you that anyway. Hehe." The moment she accepted the offer, that was when I knew that it was the best day of my life. Well actually, the best day ever was when Luna returned from the moon and we made peace, but this was a close runner up. Like I said to Twilight, I cared for her as if she was my own child. And since she's in a way related to royalty, not to mention my own protégé, as well as a savior to Equestria, I knew I made the right choice. -------------------------------------------------------------------------------- More on my time with Twilight later. There's more that I need to tell about. Not too far from my castle, a unicorn mare, with a ginger mare, an orange mane, and a sundial cutie mark, was meditating at a park. She was waiting for some friends to show up, but took advantage of the free time. "Hmm...something happened about 5 minutes ago..." She said to herself before realizing what it was. "Oh my, it seems we're late then." "Nostalgia!" "Hmm?" The unicorn heard a voice she was familiar with. "Turner!" To her surprise, the friend Twilight Sparkle brought with her, Doctor Whooves, has met up with the mare, who's excited to meet him. "Time Turner! Oh boy, it's been years!" She said with excitement. "Actually, over the years I've grown fond of being called Doctor Whooves, or The Doctor." "Aww, really? Because I remember back in the day when I used to call you Turner. Back when you, me, and Clockwork had all those amazing adventures, when we all traveled to those great cities, and back when we all first met..." She said, then going into a state of bliss. "Ahh...memories." "Umm, yes, it's very nice to know that you still stay true to your name." Whooves said. "Speaking of which, have you seen Clockwork and the master?" "We're over here, young ones." To Whooves and Nostalgia's pleasure, the last two of the group have arrived. Chronos the owl man, and Clockwork the pegasus. Like Whooves and Nostalgia, Chronos was happy to see his old allies again. Clockwork on the other hand, looked more edgy. "We don't have much time left. Our meeting with the Princess will be in the very near future. We must hurry." Clockwork says. "Nah, we have time." Nostalgia answers. "I say we talk about the past a little." "You should both calm down." Doctor Whooves said. "As of right now, in the present, we'll be doing what Master Chronos want." "Well put, Turner." Chronos said, refering to Doctor Whooves. "Filly and gentlecolts, your destinies is close at hand. The four of us will soon save the world, and to a much smaller extent, Equestria. Before we use force, we will see how well a more diplomatic manner will work. Depending on whether or not the Princess will listen to us will determine how easy things will get. Let's head over there now, and maybe we'll talk about the past on the way, "YAY!" Nostalgia says in excitement. Chronos was not lying. They did have intentions on saving the world. He always kept his knowledge to himself, so maybe if he told me more...well, it'll be easier to understand my choice when you read it.