“Greetings, my little ponies.” The words were deep, eerie and broken, nearly as unrecognizable as the pony speaking them.
“Twilight.”
“What brings you all here, may I ask? And make it quick, I haven’t got all day, you know.”
“Twilight, please.” One final attempt. She had to try. “I know you’re still in there somewhere. Please, come back with us. Everything’ll go back to the way it was. None of this is your fault. We can forget all of it.”
“My dearest Starlight, are you trying to bail me out of my crimes? I have no regret over what i’ve done.” The alicorn pondered. “No. You know what, that’s a lie.” Looking up, her two piercing green eyes bore into those of her friends, a smirk growing upon her lips. “I regret not doing it sooner.”
Starlight retreated a few steps, tears beginning to threaten her. But the unicorn pushed on.
“Twilight, listen, you’re better than this. You know it. You can look inside yourself and realize who you really are. And if you can’t do it for us… then, please, do it for Equestria!”
Oh, don't ‘Do it for Equestria’ me! What? Is this your grand master plan? To guilt trip me into submission? You’re a clever mare, Starlight, but I fear you’ve greatly underestimated your new ruler.”
Starlight couldn’t bear to look into those electric green eyes a second longer. She dropped her gaze, words failing to come to her.
The princess gave short chuckle before glaring down at the guards stationed below her, “Well? What are you waiting for? Kill them already!”
The royal guards immediately sprinted into action, Twilight herself rising and charging up a spell, a smirk still residing on her face. The six ponies cowered, unsure of where to go, what was to be done, before a piercing, shadowy magic erupted from the alicorn's horn, and all was lost to darkness.
“Seventy two!…. Seventy three!… Seventy four!...” Twilight shouted out a new milestone every time she felt a rainbow-hued blur whoosh past her. The alicorn was standing on a free-floating cloud a good fifty feet above the town of Ponyville below, in the midst of a crystal clear, baby blue sky. Fluttershy stood beside her. She had been asked -or, in fact- rather forced, to help with Rainbow’s training session that day along with the Princess. She was supposed be offering moral support and encouragement in order for her friend to be as awesome as physically possible, in the words of Rainbow Dash. Yet Twilight doubted Rainbow could even hear the mare’s near-silent voice at the speed she was going. She could barely hear Fluttershy’s cheering and she was standing right next to her. Eventually, the yellow pegasus sighed and gave up, plopping herself down on the cloud and continuing to watch Rainbow’s dizzyingly quick laps. Twilight’s legs were getting tired at this point as well, but never had the alicorn truly gotten the hang of standing on clouds, and she was half-certain she would fall right through if she attempted sitting. So she stayed put, occasionally glancing at the stopwatch hovering before her, encased in her magenta aura. Finally, the number Twilight had been waiting for came up.
“One hundred! Ok, Dash!” The cerulean pegasus came to an impressively fast halt the second Twilight clicked her stopwatch. Her fur was matted with sweat and her mane a frazzled mess, but she modeled a glowing smile that even Pinkie Pie would have trouble topping.
“Ten minutes on the dot.” Sure had felt a lot longer than ten minutes. “Well done, Dash.”
“Hah! That beats my last record by at least a minute. This high-speed Wonderbolt show is gonna be a breeze.”
Fluttershy tentatively handed Rainbow the towel slung over her back, and Rainbow toweled herself off quickly before tossing it back and gearing up once again for takeoff.
“Okay, Twilight. Round two. Five hundred laps this time!” She gave a shake of her hindquarters before speeding off into the sky, that was until a bright pink glow yanked on the end of her tail and stopped the pegasus in her tracks.
“Aw, what gives?”
“You know what gives, Rainbow.” Twilight pulled the pegasus back down to her hooves. “We’ve been at this for hours. I think you’re as prepared as you possibly can be for this show. And if you really want to train more, why can’t Fluttershy keep track this time? She’s been up here with us doing practically nothing.”
“Because Fluttershy always loses count for me!” Rainbow said, motioning towards the timid pegasus. Said mare made a high-pitched squeak, and sunk her head to stare down at her hooves.
“But- but that’s alright!” Rainbow yelled when a twinge of guilt hit her. “Your job is to cheer, Fluttershy. Much more important.” Rainbow prepped herself for takeoff once more, ignoring the princess’s death glare.
“And remember, it has to be loud. We’ve been over this already.” Fluttershy nodded, and Rainbow yelled out to the princess:
“Alright, Twi. Five hundred laps this time around! Let’s go!” Twilight sighed and cursed the stubbornness of that little pegasus. Once again, she levitated the stopwatch in front of her face, waiting as her friend counted down with great enthusiasm.
“Five!… Four!... Three!...Two!...”
“PRINCESS TWILIGHT!”
Had Rainbow Dash taken off or not, Twilight wouldn't have known, she’d been far too distracted by what seemed to be a speeding grey and yellow meteor crashing into her and Fluttershy in a mess of limbs and feathers. A surprisingly comfortable fall left her sprawled out on the surface of the cloud, the weight of two ponies pinning her down. When her eyelids fluttered open, the only thing she could make out was a stopwatch, knocked right out of her magical grasp, speeding towards the ground below her her.
“Oh dear-” The pegasus mailmare stumbled to her feet, cross eyed and confused. “I’m so sorry Princess Twilight. And Fluttershy, you too. I guess just I didn’t notice how fast I was going.” She reached out to help the two back onto their hooves, Fluttershy seemingly in a far more frazzled state than either of them, choosing to lean onto Twilight for support. The alicorn got a quick glimpse of Rainbow hovering above them. She was trying and failing to suppress her laughter, and couldn't help but burst out giggling at the disoriented trio below her. Twilight cast her a cutting glare before once again facing the clumsy gray pegasus before them.
“Just Twilight is fine, Derpy. And it’s quite alright. Accidents happen. Right, Fluttershy?”
“I- hmm... wha?” The poor mare's head was spinning, barely able to see straight.
“Um… you should take that as a yes.”
The mailmare seemed relieved all the same. “Oh, right!” all of a sudden, she jolted into the air as if she’d been struck by a bolt of lightning, “Twilight! Princess Celestia says she needs you in Canterlot right away. Something urgent!”
“What?!” Twilight found herself panicking immediately. No time that the princess had urgently invited her former student over had ever turned out to be a particularly enjoyable experience.
“Derpy, why am I needed in Canterlot? Is anypony in danger?”
“I- well, i’m not sure. I think i’ve got her letter somewhere…” she fished around in her saddlebags, but was without luck. "Oh, I’m sorry, I guess I must’ve dropped it on the way here.”
“Do you remember what it said?!” Twilight asked rather frantically.
“Oh, sure. Princess Celestia said something about… now what was it… magical corruption! Yeah, that was it. She said something about magical corruption and how it meant she couldn’t use her magic to send you a message through your little dragon. Oh, and she asks you not to use your magic either. For the time being, at least.”
For a minute, Twilight stood blank faced and mortified, her panic-stricken brain struggling to determine an appropriate reaction for what had just come out of Derpy's mouth. She hadn’t remembered reading anything recently on magical corruption. It wasn’t a topic she necessary knew much about, or wanted to know much about, for that matter. She turned to look at Derpy with a face that begged for some kind of answer.
“It sounds pretty serious, Twilight. I’m sorry, that’s all I know.”
“It’s alright, Derpy, it isn’t yourfault or anything, I-”
She turned to look at the two pegasi beside her. Fluttershy still looking quite disoriented but concerned nonetheless, Rainbow’s comical grin having been traded out for a worried stare.
“I’m sorry, surely you two understand, I have to- I have to leave.” With that, she took off with a beat of her powerful wings, soaring off into the distance. Rainbow shook out of her daze and called out.
“Wait, Twi!”
But Twilight couldn’t wait. Everypony could very well be in danger. Maybe she was overreacting, but she wasn’t about to take any chances. As wind whipped through her mane and her eyes began to burn, she could focus only on getting to Canterlot as soon as possible.
It had been a long while since the alicorn had flown such a distance. She was a good mile from her own castle, which she would need to reach first in order find as many books as possible on magical corruption. There was no way she was going in there without any knowing of what she was up against. What would Celestia think of somepony so unprepared? Attempting to shield herself from the wind whipping at her face, she sunk lower in the sky so that she was flying at the height of the roofs of Ponyville.
“Oh, if I could only teleport right to the castle and be done with it!” But Twilight understood Celestia’s warning and had absolutely no intention of disobeying.
Flying close above the busy afternoon marketplace, a couple of noticeable pink and white figures caught her eye. Before she could even think of concealing herself from Pinkie Pie and Rarity so her flight would go uninterrupted, the two noticed the princess and called out to her.
“Heya, Twilight! In a hurry?” Pinkie’s shouting gave the alicorn no choice but to descend and greet her other two friends. Rarity was wearing a large, psychedelic piece of headwear that Twilight was surprised she’d missed upon first glance. It certainly didn’t seem like something Rarity, of all ponies, would find appealing.
“Is something the matter, darling? You certainly do seem in a bit of a rush,” the white unicorn asked, her massive headwear blocking out the majority of her vision, so that she was looking slightly to the side of where the alicorn was actually standing.
“Yeah! I almost thought you were Dashie up there, flying so fast! You’re definitely getting the hang of those wings, Twi! Hey, what do you think of the new party hats I designed for everypony to wear for Gummy’s birthday this weekend? I’m not much of a fashionista, so Rarity agreed to try them out! Pretty incredible, right?”
Twilight was a bit taken aback by how much the little pink pony was able to spurt out in a single breath, but she had known Pinkie for years now, and knew better than the question these kind of things.
“Oh, yeah. It’s... lovely, Pinkie.”
“Quite,” spoke Rarity, lifting the monstrosity up ever so slightly so that she could see clearly. “Although I do believe the size might be a bit of an issue, darling. As is-, the, um, colors…”
Twilight shook out of whatever needless distractions had been clogging her thoughts, “I’m really sorry, you two, but something came up. I might be gone for a little while. Now I really need to-”
“Something is wrong!” Pinkie gasped excitedly. “What is it? Is it a secret? I’m really good at keeping secrets, Twi. Remember that time when Shining Armor and Cadance-” She was interrupted with a hoof to the snout.
“No, Pinkie. It’s just that i’m needed in Canterlot for some kind of emergency concerning the other Princesses. I don’t have time to chat right now. I’m really sorry, I’ll see you both soon.”
Not waiting for a reply from either of the shocked ponies, the princess took off once again, staying low to the ground to avoid detection as much as possible. It was imperative that she got back to the castle without any more distractions, and-
THUMP!
With a resounding collision, Twilight had smacked right into an apple cart sitting in the middle of the road. The apples and large wooden cart remained safe, save for a few knocked to the ground by the force of impact, although the same could unfortunately not be said for Twilight, who was now on her back, limbs sprawled out, stars in her eyes as an orange blob made its way towards her.
“Whoa there, Twilight. Ya gotta keep a close eye on where ya flyin’ this time of day. Y’alright, there?”
The alicorn’s vision slowly cleared as the earth pony helped her to her hooves. She let out a groan, there had been far too much crashing this morning for her liking.
“I’m fine, thank you Applejack. I’m sorry about- um, the apples,” she said, glancing at the fruit scattered about the road. She almost intuitively levitated them back into the cart, but stopped herself just in time. “It’s just that i’m in a big hurry, something serious is going on and i’m gonna gone for a little while. But i’ve got to-”
“Whoa there, sugarcube. Slow down. Where in Equestria are you headed?”
“Canterlot.” She brushed herself off and spread her wings. “The princesses need me, there’s some kind of problem. I don’t really know what it’s about myself, something to do with magical corruption.” Applejack responded only with evident shock. “Again, AJ, I wish I could stay and explain, but i’ve got to go.”
Twilight took off once again, Applejack shouting behind her, “Canterlot?! Twilight, you get back down here and tell me what in the hay is going on! You get down here or i’ll-” The voice vaded. Her magnificent crystal castle in plain view now, Twilight beat her wings furiously as she plotted the quickest way to the library, deciding to fly up to the balcony above.
Mind racing already with whatever horrible scenario she could soon be faced with, Twilight landed less than elegantly on her bedroom balcony, threw open the doors, and careened into her bedroom.
“SPIKE!” She prayed the little dragon could hear her ear-piercing cry, wherever he was in this enormous Celestia-forsaken castle. She galloped as fast as she could down hallways and stairs, until she eventually found the startled dragon, wearing a worried expression that mirrored her own.
“Is everything okay Twilight? I heard you yell but I didn’t know where to find you. I thought you were with Rainbow-”
“Spike! There’s some kind of emergency in Canterlot. I’m needed there at once. Please, I need you to go the library and find all the books on magical corruption we have. We don’t have any time to lose!” With a determined salute, the princess’ little assistant was off.
Twilight wasted no time preparing her saddlebags for the trip by air. It certainly wouldn’t be the easiest mode of transport, but without her teleportation spells the only option left would be the train, which would be far too slow. Equestria could be under attack any minute for all she knew. She needed to get to the royal sisters in Canterlot as soon as possible.
“These were all… I could find... will these work?” Spike struggled to keep the heavy stack of books in his arms from falling over, eventually failing at his pursuits. The old texts came tumbling out of his arms, into a pile at Twilight’s hooves.
“I hope so. For now they’ll have to do,” Twilight began the tedious task of picking up one spine in her teeth at a time and carefully placing each book into her saddlebags.
“If I wanna be a much help as possible, I need to know my stuff. I’m not sure I even remember all that much of what i’ve read on magical corruption, Spike! I mean, it’s obviously connected to dark magic in some way, but that’s... hey, what are you looking at?”
The young dragon was cocking his head at Twilight, perplexed at the sight of the almighty alicorn picking up books in her mouth.
“Uh, Twilight, why are you doing that?”
“I can tyu magic, pike!” she spat the last foul-tasting title into her saddlebag. “Not until I reach Canterlot and figure out what’s going on with all of this. That’s why i’ve got to hurry. I need to make it there by air.” With that, she had finished packing her saddlebags, which Spike helped sling around her sides. She was about to take off for the door when Spike piped up:
“Wait! Twilight, what if I come with you? No offense, but, you do seem a bit… unhinged,” The alicorn scowled. “Not- not that you don’t have reason to be! Or anything, it’s just, maybe you could... use the company. I swear I won’t get in the way or anything. It’s just, Starlight’s over helping Trixie with that magic show in Las Pegasus, and I don’t know when she’ll be back, is all.”
“And you don’t want to stay here all by yourself?” Twilight allowed herself a teasing smirk.
“No! It’s not that! It’s just... I think you could use the support, is all.”
Twilight’s smirk shifted into a warm smile. “Well, I suppose I could use just a little of that. I couldn’t count all the times you’ve helped me out in situations like this, number one assistant,” she stroked the grinning dragon’s scales on top of his head. “And I suppose I do need some way to send a message to the others here in Ponyville if i’m away for too long...”
The dragon beamed, “So, that means I can come?”
“As long as you be careful, and do exactly as I say. If there’s one thing I know about magical corruption, it’s that it’s nothing to mess around with. I don’t want to be one to put you in harm’s way without reason.”
The excited little dragon scrambled onto Twilight’s back, “Don’t you worry, Twilight. I’ll do exactly as i’m told! As always!”
“Yeah,” the alicorn discretely rolled her eyes. “As always…”
Twilight galloped as fast as she possibly could with a dragon and two sacks full of books on her back. As soon as she reached the grand front doors, however, a pale blue aura beat out her own as they creaked open to reveal Rarity as the source. Pinkie, Rainbow, Fluttershy, and Applejack stood by her side. Twilight felt a lump form in her throat.
“Wait up, Twi,” Rainbow demanded. “You’re expecting to just leave for Canterlot without us? How well did you think that was gonna work out, really?”
“Sugar, we know there’s somethin’ serious going on. We’re here because we wanna help. We’re a team, remember? Elements of harmony and all that?” Applejack smiled.
Rarity stepped forward and put a hoof on the princess’ shoulder, “We want to assist you, dearest, we really do. If Equestria’s in danger again-”
Rainbow cut in, “We can’t just sit here doing nothing while you and the other princesses get to have all the fun!” Rarity glared at her. “I mean- you know, have to handle everything yourselves...” The others nodded approvingly.
Twilight turned to Spike before giving the five an apologetic smile, “Listen, I’m touched you all want to help so much, and I want all you to come with me, really. But I have to find out what’s going on and I don’t want to put you all in danger. I’m risking enough bringing Spike as it is.”
Rainbow seemed unconvinced. “Twilight, we don’t need to be protected.” she snapped back. “You know that. We’re a team. We depend on each other, and all that junk.”
“I swear, as soon as I figure out what exactly is going on and why I can’t use my magic, I’ll send you all a letter with Spike and immediately speak to the princesses about you coming too.”
"And when will that be? You expect us to just wait, worried sick, kept in the dark from everything?"
"Dash," Applejack pepped up. "On second thought, this does seem like some pretty serious princess business Twi's gotta worry about. Ah admit... the idea of hangin' out here while she's the one dealing with all of it all isn't great. But I think we should trust 'er."
Rainbow growled, "Sure, I guess ..."
"But you'll talk to the other princesses about it? About the rest of us helping too?" Pinkie asked hopefully. "I don't want you to leave us for too long, Twilight. I didn't even have time to set up a going away party yet! "
"You won't need to, Pinkie. I doubt i'll be away for that long. And i'll write back to you all as soon as I can, promise."
Fluttershy stepped forward rather timidly, and then unexpectedly wrapped the alicorn in a hug.
“Let us know soon, Twilight. And be careful, please. We’re just worried about you, is all.”
The other four joined in, “I know. I’m really sorry, you guys. I’ll see all of you real soon. Promise.”
“Pinkie promise, Twilight?” Pinkie asked after breaking out of the hug.
“Pinkie promise.” said Twilight, going through the required motions for the oath. Then, she trotted over to the castle’s front doors and pushed them open, turning back to wave at her distraught-looking friends one last time before leaving.
With a brief running start, Twilight was up in the air and heading for the mountains north of Ponyville, where the capital city of Canterlot was nestled. Spike grasped her neck with his claws, doing his very best to not look down at the shrinking Ponyville below them.
“WE LOVE YOU TWIIIIIILIGHT! DON’T FORGET TO WRIIIIITE!” Pinkie’s unmistakably loud and shrill voice could be heard even at the distance they were from her. The alicorn smiled, almost shedding a tear before assuring herself that she’d see her friends again in so time.
Twilight could almost make out the towering spires and flowing waterfalls of the capital city already. the weight of both a baby dragon and all her books made her flying much more of an effort, but she pushed on anyway. Nothing was going to get in her way of making it to the princesses. Below her, forest stretched out in oblivion, for the area between Ponyville and Canterlot was mostly wild, save for a few roads and some farmland here and there. As Twilight soared high above the trees, both she and Spike couldn’t help but notice the fact that the sky was getting progressively darker.
“I guess there’s rain planned for today in Canterlot,” said Spike, catching a glimpse of a few distant pegasi moving clouds and blocking the sun from their view.
“Won’t be too good for us. Hopefully we can get there before it starts.”
The moment Twilight finished her sentence, her eyes grew wide, her limbs completely limp, and her mighty wings came to a halt. In a split second the princess was plummeting towards the ground, Spike hanging onto her for dear life. A splitting headache had hit her out of nowhere, her skull feeling as if somepony was trying to bash it open. The numbing pain and endless ringing in her ears clouded all of her thoughts, until…
“Twilight?! TWILIGHT!” Spike’s shouting eventually managed the reach the alicorn’s ears and register in her mind, who was luckily able to snap out of it just in time. She struggled to get herself airborne, wings beating furiously, until she was finally hovering just barely above the treetops. Still very shaken, the two of them breathed heavily with both fear and relief for a few minutes, refraining from speech.
“Are you alright, Twilight? What in Celestia’s name just happened?” the dragon was still clinging onto Twilight dear life, his claws nearly digging into her neck.
“I’m okay, Spike. Everything’s alright. Don’t worry-” Twilight uttered through pants. Spike relaxed his grip a bit, his eyes still wide and heart still racing against her back. “I just got this terrible headache all of a sudden, I-I couldn’t move-”
“Do you think this might have to do with whatever Celestia was warning you about?” Spike asked.
The thought created a pit in Twilight’s stomach, already quite uneasy from the fall.
“We need to get to Canterlot, Spike. Right now.”
“What about all the books?” the dragon asked, looking into the abyss of leaves and branches below them. Twilight checked her saddlebags and, indeed, her books had unfortunately not made the trip with them. They could have been anywhere in the vicinity, shielded by the dense treetops. “Should we go get them?”
“We can’t. There’s no time. We need find the others and figure out what in Equestria’s going on.”
Without a moment to spare, Twilight was well on her way to the magnificent city before her, if not slightly more nervous than moments ago. It pained her to abandon so many of her prized titles in the middle of the forest, but the situation was too dire.
Finally, the exhausted alicorn arrived at the castle gates, plopping herself down to rest her aching wings and back, her heart still pounding from the panic of the fall. An unprepared Spike slid down her back and fell to the ground a with thump. Twilight made a mental note to take the train anytime she was headed to Canterlot on a non-emergency basis. She was so out of it she barely noticed the pegasus guard approaching the frazzled duo.
“Princess Twilight, we’re glad you’ve arrived. The royal sisters await you inside, please.”
“Cloudchaser! Is everything alright? Are the princesses safe?” Twilight was consoled by a face she had known ever since fillyhood. She was on a first-name basis almost all of the royal guards thanks to all the time spent she’d spent in the castle when she was younger.
“I apologize, Princess, I was only told to await you. I don’t know of the situation at hand, just that the others are waiting for you inside. Please, come in. It will likely start raining soon.”
Sure enough, the sky above the princess’ head was beginning to take the form of revolving wet cement. Cloudchaser opened the castle gates for Twilight, who wasted no time bolting inside, eager to find the others. Knowing Canterlot Castle like the back of her hoof, she ran around checking everywhere where it was most likely the royals sisters might be. Spike was close on her heels.
No luck in the throne room or dining hall, but when she turned a corner to enter the east wing, she found herself greeted by a familiar face.
“Twilight! I’m glad you-”
“Cadence!” the purple alicorn enveloped her sister in law in an unexpected hug. “I’m so happy you’re okay!”
“Why, of course i’m okay, Twilight.” Relieved, the mare broke away from Cadance. “I’m glad you’re here. We have much to discuss with the others.”
A gasp, “Celestia and Luna, where are they? Are they alright?”
“Don’t worry, Twilight. For now, We’re all fine. Come with me and we’ll explain everything.”
Princess Cadance led Twilight and Spike down several long corridors towards; Twilight soon determined, the castle library. Even if it was the hundredth or so time she’d seen the place, the sight was just as magnificent as when she had first laid eyes upon it. Hundreds of thousands of ancient and prized books escalated all the way up to the room’s tall ceiling. Large, magnificent windows let in what little light could be gathered from the gloomy outdoors. The entire place was incredibly serene and empty, as it often was, save for two ponies sitting at a round table in the room’s center. The royal sisters, Celestia and Luna, poured themselves over several dusty books, the both of them looking far less than calm.
“Twilight! Thank goodness you’ve arrived.” Celestia did her best to put on a smile as the two younger princesses approached. Thank you for fetching her, Cadance. Twilight, I apologize if my message may have been a bit startling. I dearly hope I didn’t end up troubling you.”
“No, no, Princess. It’s quite alright.”
“In any case, i’m sure an explanation is well due. Come.” She motioned for Twilight to sit between her and Luna. The mare wasted no time following her mentor’s order, taking a quick peek at what books she had been consulting. Cadence took her seat as well, and there was a short silence before the sun princess acknowledged Spike, looking slightly unsure of himself in the presence of all four alicorns.
“Spike, i’m certain Twilight appreciates your help at this time, as do I. Would you mind locating her room? If one isn’t already arranged for her, you can ask the staff. I’m afraid the two of you might be staying with us for a good while.” Without a word, Spike ran off to fulfill Celestia’s request. As soon she heard the loud thud of the grand doors to the library closing, a flood of panicked questions erupted from Twilight’s mouth.
“Princess, what’s going on? Why can’t we use our magic? Why are we all here? You said something about magical corruption, how can we stop it? Can it be stopped? Is anypony in da-”
“Twilight.” A raised hoof and a gentle word was all it took to shut the smaller princess up in a fraction of a second. Celestia had to stop herself from grinning- her former student’s dedication in following her every command had remained unparalleled over the years. “Allow me to explain. There is, well, there is something, the nature of which we have yet to uncover, that has threatened to corrupt and possibly steal the magic of us alicorns. That is why we must all refrain from using magic for the time being, to keep whatever this is from reaching it.”
“Wait, something... threatened you?”
“We do not know how, but this being managed to speak to my sister and I, telepathically,” Luna explained. “Though Cadance was in the crystal empire at the time, she heard it as well.”
The pink alicorn nodded, “It spoke something about us not being worthy, and for its need for only the best alicorn to fulfill its plans. It spoke also of corrupting magic if we did not comply to whatever it wanted.”
“Since the voice first appeared, we’ve been here, searching for answers. We can’t fight something we don’t know what is, exactly. All we know is that this being has the capability to corrupt magic, and it is imperative that we find and stop it at once.”
“And... you’re sure that’s what it was? Not just a prank or anything, something, or- or sompony really is after our magic?”
“It’s hard to explain, but it felt like, somehow, it was a part of me,” said Cadance. “As it spoke. It was like it was connected to me; to my thoughts, my feelings. It was inescapable, the sound. We are most certain there’s not much of a possibility of this being a joke.”
The purple alicorn stared, not knowing what she was felt. Confused; upset, possibly, or just plain scared. She was pretty sure it was a mix of all three brewing in her stomach at the moment.
“Twilight, did you hear this voice too?”
“I- I didn’t.” she muttered softly. “What does this mean?”
“Hopefully,” expressed Celestia. “That you are not being targeted. For the time being, at least. Perhaps, whatever this thing is, it is not aware of the newest alicorn princess of Equestria.”
“On- on my way here-” Twilight was trying and failing to keep herself from stuttering and tripping over her words. The uncertainty and anxiety was growing within her like a virus. “I had this terrible headache. Like, it came out of nowhere and was gone just a fast. I nearly fell out of the sky because of it.”
Celestia’s eyes widened, “Heavens above, Twilight. You should have told us. I had a feeling in my head as well, not exactly painful, though it was strange and unnatural nonetheless, that began and ended in conjunction with the voice.” The other princesses nodded in shared agreement. “You’re doing alright now, I hope?”
“Oh, yeah. I’m fine now. It was only for a few seconds…” she looked up at the others. “What did it sound like, the voice?”
“Nothing particularly identifiable,” said Luna. “There was most definitely something... off about it, however, something…”
“Broken.” finished Celestia, her voice cold and still.
“Yes, exactly that. Broken. It was no pony, this voice.”
Twilight wasn’t sure her heart could thump any faster or louder, but at the tones of the royal sisters, she’d found that it had. Her mind was spinning with terrible fear and about a million different questions impossible for her to accurately form into words. The library was dead silent for a few moments, before Celestia stood up and addressed everypony once more.
“It is true that this is very serious issue that faces us, and I know it’s a lot to take in. However I encourage everyone,” she cast a glance at Twilight, who had failed to notice when exactly she had begun to tremble. “To stay calm and patient. If we remain resilient, I am certain we will have this threat under control in no time. We have dealt with far more pressing burdens, after all.” The others nodded in agreement. Celestia gave Twilight a small smile with her last statement, one that she couldn’t help but attempt in offering back. It was true that Twilight had taken on her fair share of villains in the past. “I’m afraid it's getting rather late. We will continue our search for answers tomorrow. If we still end up with nothing, I will have to call in more ponies to look into this. For the time being, i’d like to keep things out of the public eye, to avoid a panic that would only complicate things more.” Celestia then gave a long yawn. “Forgive me, I’ve been up quite a long time and fear it's beginning to get to me. For now, I think it’s time I lower the sun and my sister commences her duties. Cadence, Twilight, I encourage you both to try and get some rest.”
With that, everypony dismissed, Luna gliding off to start her job of maintaining peace in the dream realm. Twilight caught up with Celestia.
“Princess- your magic, are you sure it’s safe for you to use it to lower the sun?”
“Perhaps not, Twilight, though it is necessary to the wellbeing of my subjects.”
“Well, yes, obviously. It's just- I wouldn’t want this thing to be able to attack you or Princess Luna, is all. I’m just... worried. I guess.”
The princess of the sun smiled and put a large, angel-like wing around her former student, “I know, Twilight. We all are. And my sister and I share your concerns. Must this something I must do. For now, promise me you’ll get some sleep? We have much work to do tomorrow in uncovering what or who is causing all of this.”
“Yes, Princess.” As Twilight walked off towards the direction of her room, Celestia couldn’t help but grin at the tone she used with her that was so different to that of her sister and niece. It made perfect sense, of course, counting the number of years that the mare had been Celestia’s subject and student, but it amused her nonetheless.
She pleaded the younger princess would remain safe.
“...Thank you, auntie. Goodnight.” It wasn’t long before Cadance joined Twilight on her stroll to the guest rooms. Neither spoke a word for a good while, until they finally reached Cadance’s room, marked by a plaque on the door, and Twilight was moved to express her concerns with her sister before being left all alone.
“Cadance, I’m really worried. What if we can’t figure out what this thing is in time? What if we’re not able to reach it, if it’s, well, inside our own heads?”
“I’m not sure, Twilight. But I wouldn’t worry. Like Luna and Celestia said, Equestria has faced far worse. I know it seems threatening because it's such a mystery to us, but we’ll figure it out soon, I just know it.”
“Yeah, I guess you’re right...”
“Although, all this talk about worthy alicorns, it makes be worry for Flurry Heart back home. I mean, she seemed fine when I left, and of course she has Shining and the castle guards to look after her, but still...”
“You're her mother. I bet it’s impossible not to worry. But i’m sure Flurry’ll be safe. Like you said, she's in good hooves. For now, we should focus on ourselves.”
Cadance nodded solemnly, “Have a good night, Twilight. Hopefully this will all be cleared up soon.”
Twilight trekked through the empty halls, searching for the room marked with her own name. Her hooves clacked loudly on the polished marble floor, the sound echoing all around her. It was the same sensation as when she was in her own castle by herself, and the former library-dweller had never really gotten used to how small it made her seem.
Twilight eventually reached the large wooden door to her guest room, set apart by a plaque with elaborate lettering of her full name. She found Spike already fast asleep on a bed prepared just for him at the foot of her own. She kissed her snoring little assistant on the forehead, suddenly glad she’d agreed to bring him along. She had no idea how long the princesses would need her, and she was happy to have somepony to keep her sane through whatever was to come. Spike was always good at that. As she got into bed, the covers a comforting hug, she noticed the sun beginning to set outside her window. She couldn’t help but worry for Celestia as she watched it.
It was only then, as sleep was threatening to overtake her, Twilight realized she hadn’t yet sent a letter to her friends or even asked Celestia the possibility of them helping. She felt guilty for it having escaped her mind, but she was sure they’d understand considering the situation she was in. Spike was fast asleep, anyway, so there was no way to reach them tonight in any case. She reminded herself to do so first thing in the morning. With that thought, the soft patter of the beginning rain lulled her to sleep.
Twilight was falling.
It wasn’t necessarily a frightening experience, she found. It was a slow and calming descent, nothing but inky blackness surrounding her, as if she was sinking down into the ocean like an anchor, down where no light could ever reach. Eventually, the darkness was torn out of her view, giving way to the familiar scene of Canterlot castle. Twilight looked around to find herself in the royal sister’s throne room, seated on Celestia’s very own throne. It was an odd feeling, sitting there, certainly. The spotlight wasn’t necessarily something the princess hated, but easily her least favorite changes of becoming a princess had to have been the crowding ponies and the endless attention at public events. She had her own throne, of course, but Twilight didn't think of herself as somepony who sat around demanding others to do her bidding. She didn’t have any servants or guards to do so. Perhaps you could count Spike, but even he got cranky when too much was asked of him, or when he had to get out of bed too early.
Twilight almost jolted out of her seat when she noticed none other than Celestia had appeared in front of her, staring up at the throne, her throne, expression completely vague.
“Princess Celestia?”
The white alicorn responded by sinking into a deep bow, her muzzle almost touching the ground.
“Your Highness.” she spoke.
Twilight only looked at the sun princess, then all around her, completely bewildered. Celestia remained in her bow.
“Um…”
It was then that the navy Princess Luna and brilliant pink Cadence appeared in front of her, seemingly out of thin air. They as well descended into formals bows.
“Your Highness.”
“Your Highness.”
Twilight only kept staring. But then, something changed. Her outlook shifted. Seeing herself as having the highest influence out of any of them.... it- it was an exhilarating feeling. The feeling of power. It rippled through her body and she was surprised to find it had put a smile on her face. Here she was, all the other Princesses at her command, the only ones that really stood in her way from having all the power. The princesses of Equestria held all of that, after all.
And now there was no more having to share.
And oh, how she loved having all the power! She cackled rudely towards her fellow princesses, who could do nothing but stare up at her in fear. How foolish they were to give it all up!
Without a second to spare, Twilight was swept back up by the black abyss yet again, the others diminishing beneath her. As she fell through nothingness, the feeling of power slowly left her, replaced only by pure terror. It wasn’t like before. She kept falling faster and faster, and the darkness was suffocating. She cried out, but nopony could hear. Her throne just got farther and farther from her reach…
“...AAAH!” The purple mare jolted awake in a cold sweat, a frantic heart pounding in her ears. Her reaction had caused Spike to do the same.
“Twilight? What happened? Is everything okay?”
The bright morning sunlight was pouring through her window, and reached every nook and cranny of her bedroom, though the steady patter of rain still hadn’t ceased. Twilight wasn’t surprised that Spike hadn’t noticed the sunrise, but she herself wasn’t nearly as heavy a sleeper. Confused as to why she had woken up until so late, she pleaded that the others wouldn’t be upset with her. The others…
“Twilight?” Spike had clambered onto the alicorn’s bed, concerned with her lack of a response.
“What? Oh, yes Spike. Sorry to scare you. It was just a nightmare...”
“A pretty bad one, it looks like. Why wasn’t princess Luna there to help? Isn’t that, like, her job or something?”
Twilight was silent at first. She wanted anything but to explain to Spike that Luna was there, just in a different way. “If i’ve been sleeping in this late, I guess her shift was already over. I don’t know how long the sun’s been up.”
“Weeeell,” Spike let out an enormous yawn, “Glad you're doing alright now. You should probably go find her and Celestia, they’re probably wondering where you are…” Spike had already climbed back into his bed and was snoring within seconds.
Twilight sighed, “Yeah, I guess you’re right.”
When Twilight entered the dining hall, she was amazed at the huge spread of items set out, especially since there were only four ponies having breakfast that morning. The food was elegantly arranged and looked like it had taken hours to prepare. Twilight, Starlight, and Spike had their own dining hall, nearly equal in size, but rarely settled for anything more extravagant than cereal in the mornings. Twilight had almost completely forgotten about her growing hunger until this point, and her stomach vocalized its desire as she approached the display of elaborate cuisine.
“Twilight! Good, you’re awake. Come, have some breakfast before we get started this morning.”
Celestia, as well as Cadance, were already sitting at the grand table. Even with Celestia’s cheerful tone, however, it was worth noting that neither of them looked all that interested in eating.
Twilight took a seat beside the sun princess, “Princess, I apologize for getting here late. I guess I just overslept...” The alicorn looked quite embarrassed with her statement, stopping herself before explaining any further.
“Nonsense, Twilight. It hasn’t been long since I raised the sun anyway. I’m glad somepony was able to get a good night’s sleep.”
Twilight cocked her head, “What do you mean?”
Cadance’s words were rather hoarse and drowsy, “Neither of us managed to get much rest last night at all. We suspect it might be because of this… thing that we’ve yet to identify, but we’re not sure.” The crystal princess ended her statement with a mighty yawn.
Twilight exchanged concerned looks with both of them. Heavy-eyed and somnolent glances on the other end.
“Don’t worry, Twilight,” Celestia eventually muttered. “Go ahead and eat. We’ve got a lot of work ahead of us.”
Though Twilight was still quite anxious about the others, she couldn't help herself from immediately digging into the mountains of delectable food before her, while the other two alicorns remained silent and opposed to eating.
“What about Princess Luna?” Twilight mumbled, mouth partially full.
“My sister has just recently gone to rest after completing her duties. I can only hope she has better luck sleeping than Cadance and I. She’ll be joining us all later, to help us search for answers.”
The purple alicorn wiped her mouth with a napkin, and asked, “Do you think we’ll be able to find anything?”
“I can only hope so, Twilight.” Spoke Celestia solemnly, staring at nothing in particular. “I can only hope so.”
The three princesses sat for a little while longer, Twilight busily eating, the others not caring to even so much as touch the spread before them. Twilight’s dream soon found its way into her thoughts again. She considered telling the others, but ultimately decided against it. It was most likely nothing, and in no way did she want the princesses considering that she actually thought like… like that, ever. It wasn’t true in the slightest. And the other princesses had enough on their plates as it was. In a metaphorical sense, at least.
Eventually, after Twilight couldn’t possibly eat anymore, all three rose to leave. A servant rushed to clear the table and was thanked by Celestia, who then turned to the bubblegum pink pony beside her.
“Cadance, do you mind checking on Luna for me on your way to the library? She’s safe in her quarters, of course, but I still worry.”
“Of course, Auntie.”
“Twilight and I will meet you there. I’d like to get an early start on research.” The purple alicorn couldn’t help but smile at those words. Even considering the direness of their situation, research projects were always something Twilight prided herself on. She’d work as long and hard as she had to, she wouldn’t stop before she found out what this evil force was and how to stop it.
While both purple and white mare parted the dining hall side by side, and Twilight couldn't ignore the fact that Celestia’s demeanor had not at all improved since the beginning of breakfast. Her dignified strut that Twilight had grown to recognize had become far more feeble. Severe lack of sleep certainly showed itself.
“I do appreciate you being with here us, Twilight. I don’t know if this situation is at all overwhelming for you, but it certainly is for me.”
Twilight stared up at her former mentor with a bit of surprise, “Really?” she asked, “You’re overwhelmed, Princess?”
“I’m afraid whatever this devilish thing is will suck the life right out of me, so that I can not longer provide for or protect our subjects.”
“Oh… I...I guess that does make sense. Do you think that’s what it wants?”
Celestia sighed, “I haven’t the slightest idea what it wants. But that will most certainly be the consequence for me if we can’t put an end to this soon. Not to mention Luna and Cadance.”
The sun princess’s frown parted for a few seconds as she gave Twilight a relieved smile, “At least, for the time being, you seem to be relatively safe from these dreadful effects. I can only pray this good fortune will continue.”
“Me too. But it’s important you all are okay, of course.” After a pause, Twilight spoke up once more, “If you don’t mind me asking, Princess, did you ever feel the same way about any of the other villains we’ve faced? Overwhelmed? Afraid?”
“Have you?”
“Oh, you don’t know the half of it.”
Celestia chuckled as the duo turned a corner, “Every other time there’s been a threat to our nation, we’ve always known exactly what we’re up against. Whether it's a chaos spirit or a changeling queen- the evil always does its best to make itself noticed. But now, with everything clouded in mystery, it's impossible to know who or what is causing this... or why, better yet. Its maddening, Twilight, waiting around for answers like this.”
Twilight frowned, it pained her to see her Celestia so frustrated. She wanted to help in anyway possible, but she was just as lost as anypony.
“Don’t worry, Princess. We’ll find something soon. And the closer we get to figuring out what this thing is and why it wants to corrupt your magic, the closer we get to stopping it.” That was when Twilight's friends popped into her brain once more. She hated leaving them in the dark for so long, and decided now was as good a time as any to consult Celestia about them helping as well.
That was when the smaller purple alicorn noticed Celestia was no longer walking by her side.
She looked back to see the her former mentor stopped in her tracks a few steps back. Her eyes were wide with panic, and when she attempted another step, she only managed to stumble onto her knees.
“Twilight...” The word was so soft and cracked it was almost impossible to make out. At its conclusion, the grand white mare came tumbling down onto the cold marble floor.