Ascend

by xTSGx

News.

Associated Ponies. By Top Story. Updated AUG 05, 1002 4:34 PM CST.

        Editor's note: An earlier version of this article incorrectly stated that Twilight Sparkle was the third recorded alicorn in history. Empress Mi Amore Cadenza of the Crystal Empire, born in 972, was the third alicorn. Twilight Sparkle is the fourth.

        CANTERLOT (AP). Shock and panic have befallen Equestria today as something that has never happened in recorded history occurred: an ordinary pony was revealed to be an alicorn. The pony in question is one Twilight Sparkle, Princess Celestia's Personal Student and head of the so-called “Elements of Harmony”—a small task force of six that has been instrumental in saving the country from some of the recent incidents, including Discord and the changeling invasion this past spring. Miss Sparkle was in Canterlot to testify before Parliament's Select Committee on Oversight and Reform. The committee has been investigating the changeling invasion and the government failures that allowed it to happen.

        Miss Sparkle seemed anxious during her questioning. While many of the questions were easy to answer, she still would stutter and mumble at times. When asked about her knowledge of changeling magic, she choked on some water. As the questioning drew to a close, she seemed to relax considerably—until one final request was made by Committee Chair Corn Subsidy (S-Ghastly Gorge). “Could you take part in the first public demonstration of [the new anti-changeling spell]?” he asked. After several moments where she appeared to freeze up, Miss Sparkle responded with a hesitant “Sure.” The spell—named Ferrum Invado, Latin for “iron attack”—being demonstrated was a new anti-changeling one commissioned by the Diarchy to combat any future changeling infiltration.

        “The Ferrum Invado Spell has been in development for three months.” says Mana Potion, Editor for the Arcane Magic Council's Arcane Magic Quarterly magazine, “It was designed for one purpose: disrupt the illusion that changelings use in order to locate them.”

        The spell did it's job, disrupting a changeling illusion Miss Sparkle had been using to hid her true nature. Her winged nature. Reports are still sketchy but video evidence obtained by the AP from S-SPAN's cameras confirms multiple eye witness reports that Miss Sparkle did indeed have what appear to be natural wings. If true, it would make Twilight Sparkle only the fourth alicorn in recorded history. Miss Sparkle was visibly distressed at the revelation and collapsed to the ground in despair.

        The room quickly erupted into panic with some crowding around the newly revealed alicorn, while others fled. All attempts by Committee Chair Corn Subsidy to regain order failed and he adjourned the meeting. Miss Sparkle was last seen being escorted under heavy guard to Canterlot Castle. High Overseer Solar Flare has reportedly called an emergency joint session of the Day and Night Courts. Government documents indicate it will be the first joint session since Princess Celestia issued the Noon Ultimatum during the middle of the Nightmare Crisis. An event which directly lead to the Equestrian Civil War.

        Panic has quickly spread throughout the country. S-SPAN, a recently launched television and radio station which broadcasts government meetings, was airing the Committee's meeting live when the event occurred. S-SPAN is available in twenty million homes. Unconfirmed reports of panicked mobs in Canterlot, Fillydelphia, and areas of Manhattan have left many ponies—who are already worried over Miss Sparkle's ascension—even more concerned.

        “I just don't know what to do.” says one mother of three who wishes to remain anonymous, “We've already had to deal with so much recently and now this. Think of the foals. What am I supposed to tell them?”

        Many ponies are also stocking up on supplies and bracing for a disaster when word of the panic spread.

        “It's been absolute madness.” reports Canterlot grocery store owner Fresh Produce, “This alicorn business, combined with the changeling rumors has gotten ponies awfully wound up. I just hope [the rumors] aren't true or else we'll all be in trouble.”

        Royal Guard patrols have been spotted trying to maintain some semblance of order as the panic overwhelms volunteer peace officers. No senior officials within Equestria's military could be reached for comment on the matter although several sources within the Guard are reporting that martial law may be a very real possibility if things continue to deteriorate. A majority vote in Parliament or a Royal Decree is required for a declaration of martial law.

        As if things weren't bad enough, the stock market, already reeling from the ongoing crisis in the Griffo-Minotaurian Empire, was hit hard when word arrived of Miss Sparkle. With half an hour of trading to go, the Doe is down 862 points at 4,756 while the NEIGHSDAQ has been hammered 459 points to 1,054. If the losses hold steady or get worse, it will be the largest one day drop in the New Yoke Stock Exchange's history.

        Rumors of a possible second invasion by the changelings are becoming more and more rampant with reports coming in that several battalions of Royal and Night Guard are being mobilized and deployed along Equestria's southern border—its border with the Changeling Kingdom. Reports have also come in that a full mobilization of Equestria's military is occurring with members of the Wonderbolts “scrambling” in Cloudsdale and REN ships being readied for deployment at naval bases in Baltimare and Los Pegasus.

        These rumors are further bolstered by Miss Sparkle's use of changeling magic. At this time, many facts about Miss Sparkle remain unclear. A magical accident while taking the Entrance Exam at Their Majesties' School for Gifted Unicorns lead her to become Princess Celestia's Personal Student—her ninety first. Rumors abounded about Miss Sparkle being groomed for Archmage Morning Star's position. It appears that the unicorn may have had much more sinister ambitions. Miss Sparkle grew to prominence several years ago with the successful rescue and rehabilitation of Princess Luna. Since then she, and her five associates, have been directly or indirectly responsible for saving Equestria on several occasions. They were also responsible for ruining last year's Grand Galloping Gala—the premier aristocratic event. Now Miss Sparkle is once again thrust into the center of the spotlight.

        It is unknown whether Miss Sparkle has always been an alicorn—no previous instances of her having wings have been found—or if the changelings were somehow able to tempt her with it in exchange for working with or for them. If she did succumb to the temptation then it would be a crippling blow for the country as it would eliminate the country's most powerful weapon.

        “If the changelings are going to invade,” says military analyst War Bond, “getting Twilight Sparkle to join them is a tartarus of a way to do it.”

        Copyright © 1002. Associated Ponies. All Rights Reserved. Do not distribute without prior consent.

        05 August 1002 Last updated at 16:31 CT

        It was pandemonium in Parliament earlier today during a session of the Select Committee on Oversight and Reform. The committee had been investigating the recent changeling invasion when Miss Twilight Sparkle was called to testify about her involvement in saving the country. Reports and video evidence show that she appeared to be extremely nervous and skittish during her questioning. It was soon revealed why.

        While taking part in an anti-changeling spell demonstration—one in which National Defense Council Chair, Admiral Flight Deck, was scheduled to participate—the spell, named Ferrum Invado (Latin for “iron attack”), performed as intended, disrupting an apparent changeling illusion Miss Sparkle had been using. An event which has sparked the ongoing crisis. Immediately afterward, the room descended into panic and anarchy and Committee Chair Corn Subsidy was forced to adjourn as the Royal Guard tried to maintain some order.

        Reports indicate that Miss Sparkle was escorted out of the Capitol Building by the Royal Guard. High Overseer Solar Flare has called an emergency joint session of the Courts and it is assumed that Miss Sparkle will appear before the Courts to address concerns the Princesses may have. Records show it will be the first such joint session in over a thousand years. The previous joint session lead directly into the Equestrian Civil War.

        Miss Sparkle's use of changeling magic has lead to a growing fear that she is a prelude to a second changeling invasion. These fears have been bolstered over the last few hours by reports that the Equestrian military is mobilizing and deploying along Equestria's border with the Badlands—the location of the Changeling Kingdom. It is unclear at this time to what extent, if any, Miss Sparkle is working with the changelings and whether or not they are responsible for her being an alicorn.

        This destabilization of Equestria could not occur at a worse time as the social and political unrest within the Griffo-Minotaurian Empire has escalated to a full on Civil War. The unrest was started when members of the military, unhappy with the nobility, assassinated Archduke Fur Danin earlier this year. Field Marshal Red Cyclone von Warhawk has taken up the dissidents' cause and become their leader, a devastating blow for Emperor Josef Sisko III and the Griffin government. Reports are indicating that the Third Army, the army Cyclone formerly commanded, may be moving to defect to his side. Analysts have predicted such a defection would tip the balance of the war in Cyclone's favour.

        The troubles of the griffons and minotaurs is the last thing on Equestrians minds as panic has spread throughout the country. Reports of unrest and disorder in multiple cities have caused the Royal Guard to deploy several squads to try and stabilize the situation. Officials within the Royal Guard have not ruled out the possibility of requesting a declaration of martial law if the unrest continues to spread, sources within the Guard have said. If such a declaration—which requires either Royal or Parliamentary approval—were to occur, it would be the first in over three hundred years.

        Miss Sparkle's ascension is only the most recent of a series of incidents, ranging from Discord to the Crystal Empire's reemergence, that have befallen the country in recent years. All of those crisis were handled by the team known as the Elements of Harmony, of which Miss Sparkle is a member. The only difference is that, this time, Miss Sparkle is the cause instead of the solution and it's unclear whether a solution even exists.

        PPC © 1002. All Rights Reserved.

        “We'll be right back.”

        “You're listening to Special Live Coverage of Twilight Sparkle's Ascension from NPR News, here on Everfree Radio. WAPL 90.9 in Appleloosa, KCOLT 91.5 in Ponyville, and WCGNU 91.7 in Canterlot. Everfree Radio is brought to in part by: The Soylent Corporation, Equestria's leading manufacturer of simulated meat and leather products. Soylent Corporation: 'All of the Taste. None of the Guilt.'™. And by: Equestrian Innovations, a global leader in the latest technologies and federally non-regulated creams and lotions. Equestrian Innovations: 'Innovating the World Through Redundant Statements and Innovation.'™. And by: the Cloudsdale Weather Corporation, providing the highest quality weather systems that are unbeatable by the competition. Cloudsdale Weather Corporation: 'Weather Redefined.'™. We now return you to NPR News' continuing live coverage. This is Everfree Radio. It's three o'clock.”

        “I'm NPR News' Javelin Spear. For those who are just tuning in, about half an hour ago, while testifying before Parliament's Oversight and Reform Committee, Twilight Sparkle, Princess Celestia's student and the Element of Magic, was revealed to be an alicorn when the changeling magic she was using to conceal herself was disrupted by a spell. She was then escorted by the Royal Guard to Canterlot Castle to meet with the Princesses. At this time, we don't know many details about Miss Sparkle's alicorn nature or how she came to use changeling magic. Joining me here in the studio is NPR Legal Analyst Bench Seat, and Crystal Clear, Editor-in-chief of the Canterlot Times. Now Crystal, before we went on break, you were talking about the chaos that all this is causing. Please, continue.”

        “Well, as I was saying, pretty much everypony is, to some degree, freaking out over this. Our contacts at the Times are tell us that many stores are being flooded with concerned citizens who are looking for food and supplies. Businesses and their employees are doing no better, with some closing. According to some insiders, even the military is scrambling to get itself ready for a possible changeling invasion. Just look at Admiral Flight Deck. She left the meeting shortly before Miss Sparkle took the stand, as it were, and she hasn't been seen or heard from since. She was supposed to attend a meeting of the Board of Admiralty with her lieutenant, Commodore Ludicrous Gibs, but the Board quickly canceled the meeting when word of Twilight Sparkle arrived. We also haven't seen signs of either Captain Borealis of the Night Guard or Interim Captain Pincer Maneuver of the Royal Guard. There's panic at every level.”

        “I hate to interrupt, but I want to shift focus over to the legal ramifications of this and bring in Bench Seat. Assuming Twilight Sparkle really is an alicorn, what exactly is going to happen?”

        “Article Six of the Constitution lays out the framework for this. First, the High Court is the sole authority to determine whether or not she actually is an alicorn. Looking back to 982, when the Court examined Mi Amore Cadenza, we can see that they will thoroughly investigate Miss Sparkle to determine her alicornness—if there's such a word. If they find that she is an alicorn and she has nothing to do with the changelings, then she will become a very, very important pony—especially with the Princesses' Centennial Vacation coming up at the start of next year.”

        “Even though much has been said over the last several months about the vacation, would you care to elaborate on it for the uninformed?”

        “Sure. Basically, once every one hundred years, Princess Celestia—well, Princess Celestia and Princess Luna now that she's back—are required to go on a year long vacation to help counter any effects being immortal may have on them. During their absence, a Regent is appointed by Parliament to run the country. Unfortunately, as the Constitution requires the vacation to occur on the third year of every century, and the Princesses are barred from intervening in any situation that may arise, it has become the go to date for causing trouble. Every war with the griffins has been started during the Centennial Vacation. As have three rebellions. Princess Cadance was the leading and only candidate for Regent but with her too busy getting the Crystal Empire up and running, it has become the question. Thankfully, the last two vacations passed without incident but now, who knows? Simply put, Twilight Sparkle couldn't have chosen a worse time to become an alicorn because now, she's in the Regency hot seat.”

        “If the vacation causes so much trouble, why isn't it abolished?”

        “Ponies dislike change—why do you think Miss Sparkle's ascension is causing the trouble it is? The constitution has been unaltered since Princess Celestia had the House of Lords abolished in 503 after the nobility attempted their little coup and Parliament became a unicameral body. No pony in Parliament wants to be seen as the one to try and alter a document that hasn't been touched in five hundred years. It would virtually guarantee they wouldn't get reelected. No pony knows why the Diarchy doesn't get rid of it, but do you really blame them? Why would they want to get rid of their only time off?”

        “With there being two Princesses now, why don't they rotate?”

        “For one, it goes back to having to alter the constitution. It states that 'the reigning diarchs shall, once every fivescore years, relieve themselves of duty...'. Plural. It would have to be changed, which brings us back to no pony wanting to change it. Secondly, this will be Princess Luna's first vacation since her extended leave of absence and word has it that Princess Celestia is giddier than a foal on Hearth's Warming Eve night that she'll be able to spend a whole year with her sister. Do you want to be the one that says she can't?”

        “I see. Let's bring Crystal back into the conversation and bring up those implications regarding Miss Sparkle's use of changeling magic.”

        “According to both eye witness reports and video evidence, Miss Sparkle used changeling magic to disguise herself. We don't know at this time if she is working with the changelings and, in exchange, they somehow turned her into an alicorn—perhaps through some metamorphic process or if her excellent mastery of magic has enabled her to use the changeling abilities. What we do know is that she has wings and a horn and that they appear to be natural. We don't know for how long she's had them. All previous documented encounters with Miss Sparkle have shown that she either didn't have wings or was using her illusion spell to hide them.”

        “Let's move over to NPR Correspondent Silver Polish, who is coming to us live from Canterlot Cas—”

        Several hard knocks at the front door snapped Spike away from the radio, which he quickly turned off.

        “This is the Royal Guard! Open up.”

        “Erm—coming!”

        Spike waddled over to the front door and opened it. On the other side stood three Royal Guardstallions.

        “Mr. Spike?”

        “Uh, yes?”

        “We are under orders to escort you to Canterlot Castle immediately. Please follow us.”

        “O-Okay.”

        Spike complied with the Guardstallion and walked out of the library, being sure to lock it before he left. He gazed out into Ponyville to see numerous Royal Guard walking and flying throughout the town. Many citizens ran around in a panic or fainted where they stood in shock at the Guard's arrival.

        “Oh, Twilight. I warned you this would happen. Why didn't you believe me?”