Part 4
“Celestia!” Twilight shouted as she bullishly charged her way through the opening of the curtains. To her halting surprise, her forelegs felt as if they were about to pop out of socket as she was instantly snatched up by them. Two gruff guards held her fast, halting Twilight’s pursuit of Celestia. Twilight looked down the hallway to see Celestia standing with her back turned to her.
“That’s Princess Celestia to you,” she bellowed. Her head turned just enough to expose a stare that could cut through a lesser pony. A soft glow consumed her pearl-white horn. Twilight could feel the burden of her crown lift from her wig. Her signature of royalty drifted farther and farther away.
Twilight knew she could stop Celestia; she knew she was powerful enough to reclaim her royal rights from the tyrant.
Her muscles tightened.
Her wings flexed.
But Twilight stopped as she could feel the guards at her sides tighten their trembling grip. At a second glance, she recognized the two. To her right was the backstage door guard, who clearly strained to keep a stern look about him. To her left was the one who kindly loaned her the hat that was replaced by a wig. Very lightly he shook his head with a pleading expression. Neither of the two wanted to fight.
She shot another glance around, taking note on how many guards and stagehoofs were present. How many would she have to fight if she attacked Celestia?
Attack Celestia?
The idea struck deep through her and kept the dethroned princess pinned to the ground. Never before did she ever think of making a move on Celestia.
Well, at least not a violent move.
“I thought you were smart enough to avoid becoming like this, Twilight Sparkle,” Celestia continued without even batting an eye as the crown continued to drift her way. “I used to be so proud of you. At times I even thought of you as my daughter. Now, the only reason I have to smile is because you’ve shown me the error of my ways.”
The headpiece had made its way and stayed afloat at Celestia’s side while she continued.
“I was too lenient. I was too docile about such an atrocity.” After practically spitting out her words, she held her head high and kept her voice clear. “That all changes today.”
Twilight’s crown clattered loudly upon the floor as Celestia turned away.
“Today, you are to be imprisoned. Tomorrow, you are to serve as another example to the rest of Equestria. Now, I have some preparations to attend to. Guards, take her away.”
The screeching sound of a rusty metal door twisting its hinges was almost as audibly pain inducing as the following slam with a loud clank that announced the arrival of a new prisoner.
Twilight took only a moment to absorb her well-lit surroundings. The steel bars that trapped her between three solid walls were polished to a sheen. Gold painted decorative lining covered all creases where the walls, floor and even ceiling met. Pressed against the side walls were bunk beds, 4 in total, with mattresses that looked soft enough to suck in a pony like cottonized quicksand. The tiled floor beneath Twilight’s hooves were so white they practically glowed. In other words, the massive holding cell looked about just as clean and fancy as everything else in the castle.
But it was just a holding cell. There certainly was thought given to the places she could have been sent to… or that she might be sent to…
“I can’t believe this is happening! This can’t possibly be real!” Twilight shouted to no one but herself.
Twilight took notice of her lopsided wig and threw it to the ground, watching it splatter and slide several feet.
She began pacing in a more-or-less perfectly circular path.
“Is Celestia really the kind of pony I’ve looked up to my whole life? Has she been like this the entire time? What would dividing Equestria accomplish? I mean, I’ve seen disapproval of same-sex relations, but enough to drive Equestria apart and throw me in jail?!” During a lap she unleashed more of her fury upon the defenseless wig, kicking it and making it slide to the side of a bunk bed.
Twilight continued to rant aloud within an empty cell. The only ponies within possible earshot were the guards down the hall to the far right of her cell, far past where Twilight was able to see.
Seconds blurred into minutes and minutes eventually gave way to hours; Twilight lost track of the passing time. A sound approached Twilight’s ears.
It was quiet and subtle at first; a gentle tapping on the floor. It came closer and Twilight realized that the tapping noise was that of hoofsteps. Was it one of the guards? Could it be her friends coming to consult her? Maybe they’ve come to free her. Or, perhaps it was her former mentor coming to talk down to her once more. The answer was none of the above.
“Luna.” Twilight scowled as she approached her visitor from behind the barred door.
The Princess of the Night held a strong stance and literally looked down her nose at Twilight. “I have tried to tell you, Twilight,” she said, managing to keep a calm and low tone. “But, you did not listen. This is the path of the sick and immoral. It is one you don’t want to walk.”
“Again! That ‘sick and immoral’ hogwash!” Twilight struck her foreright hoof against the door and kept it pressed. “I can’t believe you two are seriously like this! I mean, really?! Judging my own moral standards is something I can handle, but using it as a means to try and tear apart all of Equestria! That’s insane!”
Luna lowered her head enough to put herself at the same eye level of the smaller pony, maintaining a disapproving expression. “Twilight, please, listen. We can still fix this. We can still fix you too. I don’t want to see you like this. You must change your ways.”
“Must I? Really?” said Twilight as her head tilted slightly to the right. “Why in the heck would changing who I choose to be with behind closed doors even matter? How would it be able to affect important political decisions?!”
“Well,” said Luna as her eyes shifted faintly. “with that I’m not quite sure, but I know it’ll make you a better pony, Twilight.”
“A better pony?” Twilight repeated with the most puzzled look upon her face. The arrogance of such a response not only befuddled her, but spurred her into a full-on argument. “Why would it do that? Would kissing the right sex help make me a Nobel Peace Prize winner? Would my magic abilities be amplified? Will I suddenly remember to give more to charity funds?” She stopped and gave Luna ample time to respond.
“Because… you’ll have stronger morals.”
“That’s it?” Twilight huffed before carrying on. “So if I go down the ‘straight path’, I’ll be less likely to start kicking fillies in the face? Oh yeah,” Twilight rolled her eyes as she switched to using sarcasm. “I’m sure King Sombra didn’t go evil because of his overwhelming greed. No! I’m pretty sure he went evil because he one day thought a little too much about how good one of the male servants looked in shorts. Isn’t that right?”
“Well, probably not…” Luna’s posture shifted ever so slightly back as did her stance on the argument. “But, it’s still a mockery of creation.” Her eyes strained to stay locked with Twilight’s and she continued with a slightly lifted voice. “It isn’t natural and it isn’t right!”
A better retort than before, but no less flaccid than the one before it. It quickly became obvious that Celestia was the true brains behind their shared bias perspective, but knowing such didn’t stop Twilight from striking hard with few verbal punches pulled.
“Then define ‘natural’ for me. Please do, because I find that our feelings of love are just as natural as the blood flowing through our veins. To reject that, to shun such a potentially wonderful thing away and use it as an excuse to belittle and even imprison fellow ponies is a true atrocity! But please, go on! Do tell me why going against my nature will make me a better pony!”
Luna’s eyes strayed all over the place, like she was watching a fly buzz about the cell just beyond Twilight’s back. “B-because-uh...” was all she said.
Twilight swore she could have heard what sounded like a deflating brain as she watched the once mighty Princess turn to muttering before her. It was time to give one good spur of her own. She rattled her cage door once again as she yelled at the top of her lungs: “Tell me why! Now!”
“I DON’T KNOW!” Luna bellowed, the power of her voice nearly knocking Twilight over.
Though she was almost knocked from all fours, Twilight couldn’t help but feel a touch of satisfaction after clearly flattening Luna’s weak argument.
Finally, my first victory of the day, Twilight thought to herself. She even felt like smiling a little, until she noticed something quite off...
Though Luna glared daggers her way, several tears slid down her indigo cheeks.
Twilight’s eyes went wide before looking up and down the princess before her cell. “Luna?”
Such a curious calling of her name forced Luna to take notice of her own manner. She quickly gazed down at herself, chased away both tear trails with a single hoof, gave Twilight a worried look, then turned from the cell to hastefully make her way out.
Twilight jumped up and placed her forehooves on the cell door and pressed her face against the bars. “Luna, wait!” she cried. But no matter how hard she pressed her face to the cold steel, she was unable to see the elder as her hooves stopped clicking just beyond Twilight’s sight.
“Twilight, please… say no more.” Luna’s soft voice was the only thing that made its way back to the holding cell.
“I think I get it now.” Twilight waited for a response that didn’t come. So, she continued. “You… you were ‘fixed’, weren’t you?”
“Twilight,” Luna sounded as if something was tightening around her throat as she continued to speak ever so softly; her voice came out in a hoarse whisper. “I… I don’t want to go back to the moon. It’s so very cold there... on the moon.”
“Luna, I’m so sorry. I never knew,” Twilight replied with an equally hoarse and low mumble.
A long spell of silence passed. The sound of Luna’s dragging hooves arose once more. Twilight, for a moment, feared that Luna was retreating. Instead, the princess reappeared before her cell. Only Luna’s left side faced Twilight as she took a seat, looked on the floor and spoke in a low tone. “Back then, back when I became Nightmare Moon, I was furious about many things.”
“Celestia’s disapproval,” Twilight supplemented.
Luna only glanced her way. “Of my discovered orientation, yes. That is one of them. Before my banishing, Celestia told me that she didn’t want our family name soiled by my… ‘filthy desires’. After my banishing, she even went as far as to hide that little bit of who I was from the history books.”
Luna took a brief moment to gaze past her shoulders, likely to see if they weren’t being approached or if the guards were still too far away to hear her lowered voice. She then continued. “When I returned, I didn’t care about any of that any more. I was just so happy to no longer be alone that… I begged for forgiveness. I let Celestia convince me of the ‘better’ path, and now...” Luna turned to Twilight and did her best to bend her frown into a smile. “I’m fixed.”
Twilight said nothing. She simply sat and watched Luna’s smile slowly fade.
“Or,” as Luna’s smile lost its strength, her ability to look Twilight in the eyes did as well. “Maybe I am — as you might say — quite atrocious.”
Twilight’s words caught in her throat. As much as she wanted to try and change the line that Luna referenced, she just couldn’t. Maybe if she weren’t so blinded by her own fury, maybe she could have avoided hurting her friend’s feelings. Maybe this whole thing would have not escalated so quickly if she approached it all better. Maybe…
Twilight’s ears perked up and her pupils dilated as an idea formed in her head. “Luna, again, I’m sorry. I really am. I really wish I could take back how harsh I was being. But I can’t. However, if you can help me get out of here, I think I have a plan to solve all of this.”
Twilight sat beneath the moonlit sky within one of the many spacious sections of the Canterot Garden Maze. The area was completely circular with two openings leading into the maze; each placed directly across from one another. Within the very center of the circular area were four benches, all forming their own perfect circle. Around them were many giant decorative bushes.
Twilight chose to sit on the grass directly between two benches that were side by side. She faced the very center of the area, eyes sweeping from side to side as if measuring the total amount of clear space.
Perfect. She noted before looking to the sky, spotting a flying patrol of pegasi too far off to notice her.
Perfect. She then turned her attention to the entrance across from her. The sounds of heavy panting and a tiny pair of feet tearing through blades of grass disturbed her silence.
“Twilight?” Spike called out in a loud whisper as he entered through the archway across from her.
Perfect. Twilight smiled and waved for him to come over.
“Thank goodness you’re okay, Twilight,” said Spike as he shuffled his way to her. “But what are you doing standing out here in the open? Guards are all over the place looking for you. I would have been caught for certain if it wasn’t so dark.”
“They’ve mostly been flying over,” Twilight responded, not budging from her spot, “they won’t notice one of many pony statues standing around in the opening at this time of night.”
Spike shrugged before cautiously looking to the sky. “Well, I’m here just as your letter instructed. What now?”
“Now, is the perfect time for you to send this to Celestia.” Twilight revealed to him a rolled up piece of parchment and passed it off. He unrolled it and looked over it for a moment.
“What?!” Spike almost shouted as he looked over the paper to Twilight. “You want to bring her here?!”
“Shhh…” Twilight hushed him by pressing a fore hoof to his mouth for a brief moment. “Yes. I’m going to meet her here. Privately.”
“B-but Twilight,” he said as he looked at her like a begging puppy. “We need to run away. Hide from all of this. Go live happy lives somewhere else.”
Twilight shook her head. “Sorry, Spike. That’s not an option.”
“But—”
“Spike, trust me,” Twilight interrupted as she spoke with a reassuring smile, “I know what I’m doing. Just send it. Once you do, hide and stay quiet.”
The little dragon sighed, took several paces back, held the scroll up, then sent it off in a puff of smoke. He looked back to Twilight with that sad-eyed look before he waddled off and found a hiding spot in one of the bushes far off to the side.
Once again, all was silent. Twilight looked to the star littered sky above and listened to the chirping crickets off in the distance. There wasn’t a trace of wind to be found.
Perfect.
After less than a minute of staring at the sky, Twilight looked down to the pony who was already standing before her in the middle of the ring.
“Celestia,” Twilight greeted, disregarding her highness’ royal title. “Always jumping at the chance to take the center of the stage, as usual.”
The princess’ brow twitched but hardly disturbed the the calm, yet, cold look within her eyes. “What is your plan?” she asked without delay. “There are many guards around these parts that could be here within seconds of my calling. Do you think you can persuade me from my chosen path before I get the urge to call them?”
Twilight remained in place, holding an expression rather devoid of emotion. She didn’t smile. She didn’t glare. She just watched and shook her head.
“No.”
“No?” Celestia echoed, her head ever so slightly tipped to the right. “So, you’re challenging me to a fight then.” Her head then lowered, ready and willing to take aim with her horn. “Do you honestly think your power can match my years of experience?”
“I have no intention of fighting the one I loved.” Twilight simply blinked at the aggressive pose.
Celestia’s stance relaxed. Her stare of daggers dulled. “Then, again I ask, what is your plan?”
Twilight took in a deep breath and held her head high. She answered loud and clear, without fear of being spotted by the guards. “To talk to the citizens of Equestria. To sort out this mess you have created. To prevent Equestria from becoming an intolerant society built upon the ignorant lies of a bigot; an arrogant and bullheaded bigot that I currently have no time to quarrel with.”
Celestia remained silent as she lifted a questioning brow.
Twilight continued.
“I fear that, as we speak, your venomous ideas are spreading around Equestria and they must be met with reason as soon as possible.”
A loud huff came from the princess, “And you think I won’t be there to stop you from spreading your nonsense?”
“Yes.” Twilight answered without a single pause. “You won’t be there. You’ll be on vacation.”
Celestia puffed her chest and fluffed her wings as she spoke up. “And what makes you think you have the power to get me to leave this place?”
“Science,” said Twilight as she shrugged softly.
“Oh?” Celestia’s prideful and taunting tone lifted. “And where exactly am I vacationing?”
A loud rustling in a tall decorative bush disturbed their conversation. A large, dark, equine shaped figure jumped out. It was Luna with her hoof held high above her head.
Caught by completely surprise, Celestia couldn’t even mutter a word as she looked into Luna’s fury filled eyes and watched as that lifted hoof tore violently through the air.
The sound of Luna’s Royal Equestrian answer nearly echoed its way beyond the kingdom.
“ON THE MOOOOOOOOOON!”
That hoof came crashing down onto a big red button that was cleverly hidden within the grass below. There was enough force in her strike that the button cracked. However, the contraption it was linked to still got the message and delivered. The muffled sound of a metal latch coming loose sounded seconds before the ground below Celestia exploded upwards as a massive metal springboard sent Celestia rocketing through the sky till she became but a twinkle amongst the star-littered night.
Luna shook a furious hoof at the moon as she called out into the night, “BIIIIITCH!”
“Whoa,” said an astonished-looking Spike as he found his way out of the bushes to stand next to the two ponies that remained staring up at the moon. “Y-you think she lived through that?”
“Give it a moment,” said Twilight, lifting a hoof.
Soon enough the urge to belch overtook Spike and a scroll found its way to Twilight’s hooves. She pulled it open and read it quietly with Luna looking over her shoulder. The new princess-in-charge was quick to snort, “Until my sister has anything nice to say, she shall not be coming back.”
That said, the scroll was closed and hoofed off for Luna to keep.
“Well then.” Spike took a deep breath. “Hope that problem is resolved now.” He looked from the moon to the others. “‘Sure was unexpected, wasn’t it?”
“Not entirely,” said Twilight, placing a completely new scroll into Spike’s hands. “I improvised a bit with this one due to the times being off and Luna stepping in,” noted Twilight without breaking her gaze from the moon.
Where she pulled the scroll from didn’t matter to Spike as he looked over the butt-end of it. “13-C?” he said before opening it up and reading out, “If you confess your love and Celestia turns out to be a raging tyrannical bigot…” Spike then mumbled several more lines before letting the scroll fall to his feet.
“What?!” he shouted.
THE END.
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I completely called it. Love the reference and everything else about this. I do not think I've read a story so hilariously depressing before. There needs to be more dark comodies. Thank you.
I'm sorry, but I'm wanting to see a battle of wits between Twi and Tia about something that doesn't matter to see who is more logical.
4832694
Awww... Sorry to disappoint. Though, that ending is something I've thought about. Tia would have put up quite a firm argument, but in the end, Twi would thrash. But, I wanted this to keep geared more towards being a comedy and doing another debate would have taken away from that quite a lot; could possibly have turned it into a heavy drama too.
4832638
I'm happy you liked it and caught the big reference too~ Dunno if I'll be working on any more stories like this any time soon. Right now, my mind is almost fully focused on doing a horror fic that's gonna push my writing and story telling skills to the limit.
4832801
I think that you misunderstood me. I said something that doesn't matter, like why some people say...that's a bad example for the internet.... I know, why the sky is blue, or other pointless stuff like that. But I digress, the story was sound in laughs, and therefore amazing.
4832844 Well then, I retract the first part of my previous post and replace it with a nice big
! 
4832874
I have one final question, what time is it where you live? Because where I am it's 2 A.M. and most people are asleep.
4832879 3am. Being an insomniac is fun (when I don't have work in the morning)
4832904
...It isn't when you eventually fall asleep listening to music on your phone with earbuds in and scissors on your bed. That's happened more than I care to admit. Anyway, I look forward to reading some of your other stories tomorrow. Sleep comes first when you have doctor's appointment for your brain to be studied.
And then twilight and Luna had hot mare sex and they lived happily ever after.
no, no laughs
4836738
i839.photobucket.com/albums/zz311/DoctorWhoGifss2/Doctor%20Who%20Gifs/NotFunny.gif
Not sure if serious, or a half-baked attempt at a trollfic.
4849701
That's a pretty good question.
i.imgur.com/UVKvlUD.jpg
what did those 7 lines spike read say
6364560 Oh god! Oh jeez! I screwed up that first reply super hard!
DAMN YOU, CONFUSING PHONE LAYOUT!
Anyways, Spike might have read something about liking bananas and instructions of how to build a giant springboard.
6930329
Ah ok geez twilight thinks of every situation doesn't she
I just down voted the story. Here's why:
You had a really good story going for the first three chapters. I couldn't wait to find out the why behind everything and the resolution to it all. But then in chapter 4 it all fell apart. The whole 'springboard to the moon' thing, really? It was cheap and didn't fit the rest of the story. That was the point I felt reading this story had been a waste of my time. The whole thing feels like you came up with the first three chapters then just wanted to be done with it and scribbled the first thing you though of to be chapter 4.
7309360 Wow, you read me like a book. Pun slightly intended. But seriously, you hit the nail on the head. I actually had an idea going into this story, but the original 'let readers choose the ending' plan... I chickened out on. So instead of going with a possible disaster, I decided to end it all on a more sudden comedic note rather than drawing out a long tale that I wouldn't be able to finish. Some liked it and got a good giggle. Some didn't and I understand.
To be honest, I too am disappointed. Not only is this one of my best stories in writing quality, I had tons of fun doing it. But I chickened out in the end and made a drop-off ending. Though it makes me chuckle, it's not an ending I'm very proud of. But it's done and I'm sticking with my mistakes to learn from them once again.
Though I'm happy to have created something that even managed to capture your attention at all, I'm very sorry to see you leave so utterly disappointed. Thus, I take your review with an honest thanks and will keep it in mind to help my next work become something far less of a disappointment.