//------------------------------// // Chapter 16 // Story: Loved And Lost // by EquineAvenger //------------------------------// After her little speech to the ponies of Canterlot, King Jewelius had Twilight taken to his throne room. Needless to say, he wasn’t too happy that his student hadn’t told the crowd what he wanted her to tell them. Twilight looked down at the floor while her mentor angrily paced around her. “I don’t know what plans the king is making to counter any possible future attacks from the changelings?!” Jewelius angrily repeated Twilight’s words in a scolding tone. “He seems more focused on catching the fugitives than making Equestria safer from another attack?! Do you have any idea what you’ve done?!” “I was only doing what I thought was right,” Twilight said raising her head. “Everypony in Canterlot has been deceived once already. I was not taught to lie, especially to ponies who trust me.” “But you were taught to follow authority,” Jewelius replied angrily. Twilight felt so angry that she had to pause for a moment before speaking. “Don’t you think this is going too far?” “What?!” Jewelius asked both angry and confused. “You’ve become obsessed with ruining the princesses, my brother, and my friends to point where you’re making an entire town full of innocent ponies suffer for their mistakes. Which brings to something I’ve wanted to ask of you as my friend, mentor, and future husband: I want you to low the taxes of Ponyville and reopen trading with them as well as devote more resources to neutralize any possibilities of another changeling attack.” “I’m not going to waste my time dealing with those pathetic insects or the changelings,” Jewelius ruthlessly refused. “But ponies are poor and starving!” Twilight said outraged. “If you don’t help them then you may as well be sentencing them all to death!” “Then so be it!” “You can’t do that!” Twilight said appalled. “I am the King of all Equestria, I can do whatever I want!” Jewelius told her. “This nation has been a symbol of greatness for over a thousand years, despite being run by a fool during that time. With me as ruler, Equestria will thrive like it has never before! And you would be wise to remember your place.” “Ponies are living in fear of the escaped changelings attacking again and you’ve done nothing about it,” Twilight told the king whose jaw hung open in surprise as his prize pawn stood up to him. “Not to mention there still hasn’t been any news on the whereabouts of my parents. A good ruler makes sure his subjects are safe and happy. You should put more resources into dealing with the changelings instead of searching for the princesses, shining Armor, and my friends. In fact, I, as well as many other ponies, believe they have learned their lesson and should be pardoned and welcomed back into Equestrian society. I would personally like to forgive them for the way they wronged me and apologize for my overreaction. I want everything to return to the way they were before all this. And if you want to become a great ruler, then perhaps you should make amends with your predecessors, your own family, and maybe they could teach you a few things.” SMACK! What came next, Twilight did not see coming. Her own new mentor, friend, and future fiancé had smacked her hard across the left cheek. She held the left part of her face while staring at him in shock and on the verge of tears. He glared at her with eyes full of rage and not a single shred of remorse for what he just did. “I am ten times the ruler Celestia, Luna, and especially Cadance could ever hope to be!” Jewelius angrily yelled at her. Then he calmed himself down and spoke in a colder and more collected tone. “It seems to me that despite the atrocious and traumatic betrayal you experienced at the wedding rehearsal, you still have feelings for those so-called ponies. You forget who it was that remained by your side during that time, took you in, and made you my student and future queen. And this is the thanks I get for all I’ve done for you?!” “What happened to you?” Twilight asked disturbed. “You’re not the same stallion I first met.” “Changelings aren’t the only ones capable of putting on facades,” Jewelius said sporting a sinister smile. Then it finally hit Twilight. She stared at Jewelius with a horrified look on her face as she quickly figured out everything. “You knew that wasn’t the real Cadance all along! Everypony’s doubts about my suspicions, the wedding rehearsal, the changeling invasion, turning me and everypony against my friends and family, getting rid of them, and becoming absolute ruler! You wanted all of that to happen!” “It pleases me to see that you were able to figure that out all on your own,” Jewelius said in a smug and somewhat mocking tone. “Your worthless friends and family couldn’t figure that out, so I had to tell them. But what did you expect? They couldn’t even see that something was obviously wrong with the behavior of the fake bride.” He ended his sentence with a cruel chuckle. “Being Celestia’s favorite niece and an alicorn, I would be doomed to spend the rest of my days in their shadows, never able to make my mark in Equestrian history. However, this ended being in my favor, everypony was so focused on my 'beloved' cousin that they never realized my secret plans were coming to fruition.” “They were right!” Twilight said still horrified. “It was you all along. You’re responsible for all of this!” “Well, you did tell me that if I did something spectacular, ponies would recognize my greatness. With my support and guidance, I helped you prevent a bug invasion, expose the corruption and unqualification of the princesses and your friends as the protectors of Equestria, give me the means to become the perfect and ultimate ruler of Equestria and begin a new era of greatness. And I have the changelings, the princesses, your friends, and you to thank for it all.” Every cruel word cut into Twilight’s heart like a knife. Guilt began to consume her. “It wasn’t Chrysalis who knocked out Cadance during the wedding preparations, it was you. And you were the one who attacked her when they tried to sneak into the castle.” “And now almost all of my pawns have outlived their usefulness, with the exception of you,” Jewelius said arrogantly. “With a young, beautiful, and gifted unicorn mare like you by my side, Twilight, we will produce a legacy of heirs that will keep my memory of greatness alive for generations.” Twilight looked at him with utter disgust. “You honestly think I’d willingly continue working as your puppet after everything I’ve learned just now? I can’t believe I allowed myself to be manipulated by you! Let me make myself clear: I don’t like the things you’ve done to get where you are now, I don’t like the way you run Equestria, and I don’t like you! The wedding is off.” This, however, didn’t seem to disturb Jewelius that much. “I am going to tell everypony what you’ve done, then they’ll have you removed and reinstate the princesses back into power.” Jewelius merely chuckled at this which surprised Twilight. “You think they’ll believe that the ‘hero’ who masterminded the downfall of the wretched changelings, who succeeded where Celestia or even the Elements of Harmony failed, the Holy King of all Equestria is actually the very evil that everypony fears may take over the entire kingdom? Don’t make me laugh. I’ll see to it that any accusation you make against me will be written off as a delusion from the trauma you experienced during the wedding. But in order to make sure that doesn’t need to happen, let me show you something.” Then Vivian walked into the room with a bag and stood by her master’s side. She used her magic and levitated a crystal ball out of the bag. She held the crystal ball close to Twilight so she could clearly see what was being shown inside. What the young unicorn saw in the orb filled her with horror. She saw an image of her parents, Night Light and Twilight Velvet, locked up in some dark place that looked like a dungeon. The two adult unicorns looked scared and like they had been suffering for a long time. “Mom! Dad!” Twilight called desperately into the crystal ball despite knowing that they wouldn’t hear her. Then she turned her attention to Jewelius who stood where he was with a cruel, smug smile on his face. “What have you done with them?!” “Shortly after the changeling invasion was stopped and the fools who let it happen exposed, I had them abducted and secretly locked away just incase we came to this,” Jewelius explained. “What do you mean?” “I’d hate to one day find your beloved parents found as casualties of a possible attempted changeling attack.” Twilight’s eyes grew wide with horror. “You wouldn’t!” “Then I suggest you show a little more respect and cooperation to your lord and master,” Jewelius demanded. Twilight sadly lowered her head as a sign of obedience. She felt like she had no choice if she wanted to ensure the safety of her parents. “Good, I knew you’d serve me loyally as you did Celestia, you really have a thing for royalty.” His voice had a mocking sound. “Don’t worry my dear Twilight, with you by my side Equestria is in good hooves.” Then, with a smug triumphant smile, he walked away with Vivian tagging along leaving the distraught purple unicorn alone in the throne room. Twilight stood in the throne room all by herself. Once again, she felt the same feeling of loneliness and betrayal she felt when her loved ones turned their backs on her at the wedding rehearsal. The poor unicorn collapsed on the floor and began to weep heavily. In her desperate attempt to save her brother’s wedding and Canterlot from disaster from a deceiving monster, she’d accidentally helped another monster gain control of all of Equestria. She wept in a puddle of despair and regret. “Miss Sparkle?” said a voice. Twilight looked up and saw Raven Inkwell, Celestia’s personal aide, looking down at her with a look of concern and horror. “Raven?” Twilight said. “I witnessed the entire thing,” Raven informed her. “To think, we stopped one villain only to help another!” “And it’s all my fault,” Twilight wept. “I shouldn’t had trusted Jewelius!” “What are we going to do now?” “I have to find my friends and the princesses,” Twilight said in a tone full of determination. “With their help, I know we can set things right.” Raven gave her a proud and hopeful smile. “But first, I need to get something from the castle and free my parents.” “I know where your parents are being held, I’ll go free them while you get whatever it is you need,” Raven said. The two mares nodded in agreement and took off to fulfill their mission. It was time for them to set the wheels of revolution into motion and take back Equestria. Later that night, Raven made her way through the dark, shadowy corridors of the castle dungeons trying her best not to be spotted by any guards. Then she finally came across the cell Twilight’s parents were being held in, there was only a single guard with a gruff expression standing watch over the cell. At first, Raven was nervous when she saw the guard, but she maintained her calmness and came up with a plan. The guard stood watch over the two ponies that he had been personally assigned to watch over by the king himself. Then he heard a noise, like a rock hitting the stone floor, come from down the corridor. The noise sounded close. “Hey, who’s there?” the guard yelled and walked in the direction of the noise. Night Light and Twilight Velvet stuck their heads through the bars to see what the guard was doing. They couldn’t see anything, but they heard what sounded like a struggle, grunting, and then sudden silence. After a moment, they heard hoof steps approaching their cell, then they saw that instead of the guard it was Raven. “What happened to the guard?” Night Light asked confused. “There’s no time to explain, right now I have to get you both out of here,” Raven told them and began unlocking the lock to their cell. Elsewhere, Twilight was sneaking around the castle grounds carrying a pair of saddlebags while trying to avoid getting spotted by the night patrol. After ducking and hiding behind numerous bushes and trees, she finally arrived at the entrance of the chamber where the Elements of Harmony were being kept. She quietly opened the door and snuck in, quietly closing the door behind her. She walked down the hallway and came upon a special-looking door with a sun on it. She stuck her horn into a small hole in the middle of the sun symbol and the door magically unlocked, revealing the chest containing the Elements. “Yes,” Twilight whispered in excitement. “With the Elements, my friends and I will be able to set things right.” Then she put the chest in one of her saddlebags and started heading back the way she came in. But when she opened the door that led back into the courtyard, she was greeted by a group of guards led by Hildread and Jewelius. “Oh my dear Twilight,” Jewelius said in a mocking tone. “I’m afraid you’ve gone and disappointed me yet again.” Twilight shot him a disgusted glare. “I’ve tried to help you get over your traumatic experiences and be a good mentor, but unfortunately you continue to show that you may be beyond even my great teachings. But to show that I’m a reasonable and merciful ruler, I will give you one final chance. Swear your undying loyalty to me. I’d hate to have to brand you a traitor just like your worthless friends and brother and those foolish alicorns.” Every filthy, self-absorbed word made Twilight’s blood boil. But she knew she needed to keep a level-head. She took a deep breath and her expression changed to one of hope and determination. “You underestimate the Magic of Friendship, Jewelius,” she declared. “And that is going to be your downfall!” Before anypony could do anything, she teleported herself out of sight leaving her former mentor/fiancé and his followers completely surprised. Jewelius’s expression changed to one of frustration. Somewhere in the castle courtyard, Raven had led Twilight’s parents to an area where they wouldn’t easily be seen by the guards. “Okay, we wait here for your daughter to arrive and then we find a way out of Canterlot,” Raven explained. “I hope our little girl is okay,” Twilight Velvet said worried. Suddenly, Twilight teleported right before them. “Twilight?!” her parents exclaimed a little startled. “Everypony stay close to me!” Twilight told them. Raven and Twilight’s parents all huddled close to her as she performed another teleportation spell. This time she teleported them in a field outside of Canterlot. “Mom, Dad, are you both okay?” Twilight asked her parents. “Yes, and we’re happy to see you are too,” Twilight Velvet said. She shed tears of joy as she hugged her daughter. “Thank Celestia you’re okay,” Night Light said joining the hug. “What happened to you?” Twilight asked gently pulling out of the hug. “When the changeling invasion was stopped, we desperately tried to find our way to the wedding hall to see if everypony was alright,” Twilight Velvet explained. “But then we got lost and were suddenly captured and imprisoned by Commander Hildread,” Night Light added. “For days, we heard some terrible things,” Twilight Velvet continued with a hint of anxiety in her voice. “We heard that Shining Armor, the princesses, and your friends had become traitors and banished from Equestria.” “A lot has happened during the time you two have been imprisoned,” Twilight said. “But I’ll explain it on the way.” “Where are we going?” Night Light asked his daughter. “I need to fix this mess,” Twilight told them. “But I need my friends’ help, and if I know them, they’re probably back in Ponyville.” “Good luck,” Raven said. “I’m afraid I must part ways with you. I have some important things to do.” “I understand and thanks for your help, Raven,” Twilight said, and then she and her parents set off on their way to Ponyville and their only hope of making things right. Raven watched proudly as Equestria’s last hope began her important journey. But then her proud smile turned into a sinister grin. She let out a wicked cackle before changing her appearance and revealing herself to be a changeling in disguise. “Everything’s going to work out better this time,” the changeling chuckled sinisterly. “I’d better get back and tell the queen.” Then the evil creature flew off to help his allies set their plans into motion.