//------------------------------// // 2 Another Side to Celestia // Story: Celestia's Darkest Secret // by Bronyxy //------------------------------// All through the week, Twilight mulled over what she had seen and heard. As she wrestled with her guilt, her curiosity began to take hold, its roots drilling down deep into her every waking thought. She tried to tell herself it was none of her business, but what if it was something that she needed to know about for the safety and security of Equestria? She knew she couldn’t very well ask, because that would reveal that she had stolen a look inside her diary, and she knew how touchy Celestia would be about that. The more Twilight agonised, the more only one solution presented itself; she would follow Celestia and find out for herself. She had eventually summoned up the courage to see Grey Tail and arranged to see her mentor the following week. She knew she would be unable to hide her guilt easily and so had scheduled the meeting for the day after Celestia’s next mysterious VT appointment, an appointment that she had already decided would be kept by two, not just one. So it was that Twilight found herself waiting on a cloud high above Canterlot Castle at the time she knew the meeting with the Saddle Arabian representatives would be finishing. She had already cast an invisibility spell on herself and lay on the comfortable cloud, ears twitching, alert. Down below, a pure white pony took off from outside the castle and flew purposefully on a straight heading. Twilight slipped gently off the cloud that had been her vantage point for the last half hour and flew the same heading, keeping her Princess in sight at all times. Her sense of guilt was almost making her feel sick, but her desire to know the truth kept pushing her forward like a relentless steam engine in a shunting yard. She had to know. Twilight watched as Celestia made a gentle turn and landed. She knew this place. She had been here before. As she watched, Celestia walked into the mouth of a cave and at that point there was only one destination – the entrance to Tartarus! Quickly, Twilight dove down and landed as close as she dared without making any noise to alert the white alicorn. She quietly gave thanks for the hard earth floor that stifled the sound of her hoofsteps, so unlike the hard stone in the passageways of the castle that broadcast a pony’s every step. Celestia stood before the grand double doors and took a careful look behind, before focusing on the large amethyst in the middle of her livery collar, which began to glow softly and then fired a beam of purple energy into the conical hole in front of her. Immediately, the intricate square pattern around the hole lit up with an electric blue iridescence that flowed around every filament of the design, disarming a series of cunning and deadly spells intended to prevent unauthorised entry. Finally, once all safeguards had been deactivated, the massive doors swung outwards, revealing a dark interior as uninviting as its fearsome reputation. As Celestia moved forward with unhurried elegance, Twilight sprang into the air and flew through the doorway high above her, feeling the sudden rush of air as the great doors closed behind her with a resounding and permanent clunk. The Sun Princess walked forward with practiced grace, her tail swishing gently behind her, not a hair out of place. The magical creatures in their cages sensed her coming and pressed themselves up against the bars as far away from her as possible, making scared mewing and whimpering noises. One creature was not caged, and he came bounding over happily to see his mistress. “Cerberus, you old softy” chuckled Celestia, cooing over the fearsome creature as if it were a playful little puppy, each one of his three slobbering heads jostling for her attention at once. She played with him affectionately for some time, while their uninvited visitor watched on from her vantage point with an enamoured revulsion. Once Celestia had satiated her pet’s desire for attention, he came obediently to heel and followed her as she walked up and down the ranks of jailed inmates, taking her time as she viewed each in turn. The pure white pony stopped by a cage containing a large bugbear. Last time this creature had been seen in public, it had attacked Ponyville during Cranky and Matilda’s wedding. Then, it had run amok looking for ponies to attack; now it pressed itself into the furthest corner of its cage, whimpering. Celestia approached the cage and reached out with her yellow aura to unlock the door. The bugbear screamed and began to scrabble frantically at the bars behind it, but they held firm. The door opened and its desperate cries for help rose to a crescendo, but nothing made any attempt to help. Cerberus walked round in a little circle then dropped his great bulk down to watch the coming spectacle as the creatures all began to scream. A safe distance away, Twilight sat down too, her feathers ruffling as a strong sense of unease spread through her. Celestia advanced on the fearsome creature, goading it, challenging it, but the animal, known for its mean and aggressive nature reached out from between the bars, desperately searching for something, anything that could help, but found nothing except for air. The terrified cacophony of screaming creatures rose higher, creating an atmosphere of panic as the large predator shrank from the pony whom Twilight had always seen as the kindest and most considerate of companions. Something felt seriously wrong to her and she was wired in to the feeling that the wait was nearly at an end. Celestia lunged at the fearsome predator, which in response tried instinctively to protect itself by angling its stinger towards her. She dodged it easily with reactions far faster than her victim and as she drew closer it flailed its legs at her, howling in fear. She placed her forehooves firmly on its chest and thrust her head forward, sinking her teeth into the flesh under the brush sharp fur and pulled back a strip revealing the raw pinkness underneath. It fought to bring its deadly claws to bear on her, but was unable to reach her as it thrashed around in pain. She plunged her muzzle back into the soft exposed flesh and pulled back sharply, ripping a bigger size hole, the creature making the most unearthly sounds in its terrified agony. Twilight couldn’t bear to look at the gruesome spectacle any longer and turned away, but the screaming sounds followed her, begging her to intercede and stop this madness. Her eyes filled with tears at the fate of the bugbear and also at the shock of seeing what her beloved mentor, the pony she had come to love as her second mother was doing. Her revulsion reached overload and she looked around for some cover, feeling the bitter taste of bile rising into her mouth. An outcrop of rocks beckoned, and she ran towards it, the sound of her hooves all but obliterated by the frenetic baying of the caged creatures. From the direction of the bugbear’s cage, she heard the sound of crunching bones followed by a high pitched scream of such finality that she knew in an instant she wouldn’t get to the rocks in time, and was powerless to resist as her stomach propelled its contents up into her mouth. She felt revolted and betrayed in equal measure, and began throwing together hasty plans for an escape; it mattered not where she went, but she would have to get out as soon as she could. With awful clarity, she suddenly realised she would never be free again; a fugitive on the run until the end of her days, constantly having to keep one step ahead of Celestia, lest she feel the wrath of her retribution. Her mind was in turmoil; it was all to shocking to take in, and she just curled up on the floor and wept. After a few more minutes, the ungodly sounds began to die down and Twilight knew she had to find a better place to hide, preferably somewhere by the door so she could escape back to the fresh unsullied air of Equestria at the first opportunity.