After Doug helped Applejack and Rarity with their heats (both fillies) and promising Pinkie Pie to postpone the party until they arrived in Canterlot, Twilight spends the majority of the time staring off into the distance. Purportedly watching the hills roll by and the majestic Canterhorn slowly getting closer and closer.
In fact, her brain is complaining about how many complications she has piled up on herself. She maneuvered herself, just like Celestia did, into a position where she knows the enemy’s (okay, future friend’s) plans, but promised not to do anything herself to stop them. Perhaps the decision made sense at the time, but knowing the scope of what they’ll have to go up against is straining her sense of honor. But, if she can’t live up to the aspects of the Elements of Harmony, what kind of pony would she be? What kind of leader would she be?
She’s heard arguments that the ends justify the means. Or, to put it a different way more relevant to their current situation, that lying to Queen Chrysalis in order to gain the upper hoof is justified because it will avert this coming disaster. But, isn’t that the entire problem? That by somehow becoming just like Queen Chrysalis, they will somehow save themselves from a tyrant like Queen Chrysalis?
A bargain forged in Tartarus, more like it. Either her ideals are worth living for - and, more importantly, dying for - or they aren’t. Princess Celestia believes in those ideals: Honesty, Generosity, Loyalty, Kindness, Laughter, and Friendship (depending on your interpretation; it could also be Magic).
Does she believe in those ideals? Enough to believe that losing them is worse than losing her power, her freedom, even her life?
Twilight nods resolutely. She does. She would, as Doug might say, stake her life on it. Perhaps she can show Chrysalis, through the power of her conviction, the true power of Friendship.
A thought in the back of her mind niggles at her; but, what if, by showing her enemies the power of Friendship, they are able to use that Friendship against her? What would have happened if, unlikely as it sounds, King Sombra and Queen Chrysalis set aside their differences and worked together to defeat them? Could she be content that Friendship triumphed instead of her?
Twilight hangs her head at the thought of becoming a broodmare for the mad king. Or a cow for Chrysalis. At least she doesn’t have to worry about those things happening, at least not imminently. Chrysalis already failed one of her two objectives (remaining undiscovered). She didn’t take over the Crystal Empire, so she doesn’t have a bargaining chip there. Shining Armor doesn’t know about the upcoming invasion of Canterlot, but the Royal Guards can’t be that useless, can they?
For some unknown reason, Twilight can hear Cadance cackling madly. Probably just a coincidence. They are going over the upcoming wedding plans, after all, and all the various things that will need to take place.
Well, she’s promised not to hinder Chrysalis. What can she do, under the guise of helping Chrysalis, that would prevent a tragedy?
No, ‘guise’ is the wrong concept. She genuinely wants to help the changelings, and she’ll repeat that mantra to herself as often as it takes for it to sink in.
What does Chrysalis want? Power? A source of love, but purely for sustenance? Twilight can’t help but smile; she saw what the power of the Crystal Heart did to Chrysalis. But what had it done to King Sombra?
It left the unicorn, the power mad king who enslaved his people, turned to dust and blown to the wind, his horn buried into the concrete of the road to forever be trod upon by his former subjects. A fitting end, at least according to the magical artifact powering the city’s protective shield, to an irredeemably evil creature. (How do you know he was irredeemable? Because the Crystal Heart (apparently) said so. And if you can’t trust the judgement of powerful magical artifacts, who can you trust?)
And like that dust go any thoughts of Twilight studying the dark King’s power. Maybe if she was more like Sunset Shimmer, inclined to investigate the dark arts and try to turn their power to beneficial uses. But even she, the former student of Celestia, failed in that regard.
No, that wouldn’t be her. She has seen how power tempts her, even the acquisition of knowledge potentially too much for her to resist. Her hoof goes to her belly, not yet feeling the effects of her upcoming heat. Perhaps, she knows who will be able to handle the temptation. But that remains to be seen.
Her mind drifts to the upcoming invasion. Specifically, the end, as Queen Chrysalis is found out and driven away. Watching the changeling break her word, instead vowing to return and promising retribution and fire to all the ponies who defeated her. And there she is, standing with Celestia, ready to leap forward and bring the changeling to justice. Only to be stopped by the white alicorn’s hoof.
What would the conversation go like?
“If you chase after her, and imprison her, she will become bitter and resentful to you, perhaps never to atone. She remains powerless only as long as you can force her to remain, and as soon as she is released will devote her entire being to working against you.”
“But if we let her go?” Twilight responds, all the terrible things Chrysalis could do coming to her unbidden. She shudders; all the ponies potentially injured. Those drained of their love, or used for her purposes, or… worse.
“If you let her go, she may very well become bitter and resentful regardless, and in a better position to work against you. If you truly believe that to be the only outcome, that she is an irredeemable monster like King Sombra, then by all means, save us the trouble of a second invasion and execute her now.”
Twilight flinches, even her mental version of Celestia using the dreaded word getting to her.
“But if there is to be any hope for her, then it is by her coming to the realization that her course of action is wrong. That there is a better way. And the only way for us to come to this, this reconciliation, is to offer complete and total forgiveness. The slate wiped clean, all sins forgotten.”
“But,” she can hear her own objection, “What if they use that forgiveness against us? They could take advantage of our Kindness, turn our Generosity against us!”
Celestia merely nods, the same conclusion Twilight came to earlier coming out. “We cannot regain our ideals so easily, once lost. And we are nothing without Harmony.” Her voice, more optimistic than even Pinkie Pie at her greatest, “And, if you believe in the power of Friendship, then there is always hope.”
Twilight smirks a little. “Maybe we can use the Elements of Harmony on her. They’ll redeem her, like they did Luna!”
A wry smile graces Celestia’s muzzle as well. “Perhaps. But for that to happen there needs to be a spark already present, a piece that desires that redemption. Otherwise? They merely turn to stone, or are banished, or something similar, should they be capable of that choice but not yet come to the conclusion that they should.”
Wait a second. Twilight pulls herself out of her internal debate. Is that true? Is that how the Elements of Harmony work? Or is this conjecture she ought to verify with Celestia?
If it is… it explains why Discord is trapped in stone instead of dusted. Or why Nightmare Moon was banished to said moon, rather than trapped in a statue a vengeful pony might have destroyed. But if Celestia could protect Discord’s statue like that, then why the difference? It also explains Tartarus, and the unnaturally long life spans of those imprisoned inside.
But, wait, what was that whole spiel about not imprisoning one’s enemies when they very clearly did imprison their enemies?
Maybe she needs to debate real Celestia and not daydream Celestia.
At the very least, though, she can’t rely on blasting the changeling with the Elements. After all, if the Crystal Heart tried to turn Chrysalis’ into the sparkly version of her self, can she use that to mean there is a hope for Chrysalis after all? It might be a good backup plan, at the very least. Unfortunately, they’re in Ponyville right now, so she’ll need to travel back there if she does want them. That’ll mean missing quite a bit of the wedding preparation.
Although, even if she teleports to get them without anypony realizing she is gone, that still leaves the conundrum of whether or not preparing for Chrysalis’ betrayal counts as working against her. Even if she believes the action to be justified in ‘helping’ Chrysalis, the terms she agreed are more geared towards not hindering the changeling’s actions. And turning her to stone would certainly qualify as hindering.
Okay, so, no Elements of Harmony. Yet.
Maybe she should join her Friends and see how that is going.
Twilight gets up, one more look at the wide open plains dotted with the occasional lush forest. So much potential for ponies to eventually expand to. And, should Queen Chrysalis get her way, that might become a reality sooner rather than later. She steels herself, walking over to Rarity and Chrysalis.
The two are sitting around Cadance’s wedding book (of course Rarity brought that along on their arduous hike instead of potentially useful, or at least not dead weight) and arguing over minutiae. Actually, to Twilight’s surprise, it seems that Chrysalis gives the appearance of arguing from a position of authority, when in fact she uses Rarity’s occasional tendency to go overboard with designing new things to figure out exactly what Cadance should have already known about the wedding. And, when she can, subtly change things to make things more difficult for them should they intervene. Such as a more restrictive dress for Rainbow Dash.
Okay, she’ll probably have a hard time keeping a straight face while that’s going on. She continues on, finding Shining Armor sitting by himself, forlornly looking over the opposite side of the airship.
“Hey, BBBFF,” Twilight says with a friendly smile. “How are you holding up?”
Shining Armor glumly smiles back. “Decently, all things considered.” He pauses at her pensive expression. “What’s on your mind?”
“Thinking.”
“That’s dangerous.”
Twilight rolls her eyes. Her voice drops to a whisper. “Queen Chrysalis. What do you think of her?”
Shining Armor’s look turns hard. “It takes a lot of nerve to foalnap somepony. I know she helped out in the Crystal Empire, which is why I’m not writing her off completely. But she has to know that what she did was wrong.”
“I hope she can, too. But we need to convince her differently than we would convince a pony.”
Shining Armor raises an eyebrow. “And you know how to do that?”
Twilight shrugs. “I hope I can. I want to give it a shot. It involves something that might make you uncomfortable, but I really do think we can get to her this way.”
“I guess I should hear it then,” Shining Armor says, listening intently to Twilight’s plan. By the end, he’s more than a little stunned. “And you really think this will work?” Twilight nods. Shining Armor breathes deeply, puffing his chest up. “Then I guess I have no choice, little sister.” He rubs her mane as only an older brother can, mussing it up completely. “Let’s do this.”
Twilight smiles back as she pulls away, hooves trying to smooth out the tangled mess of a mane. “Perfect. Now, I just need to talk to Pinkie Pie about baking enough cake for the largest party ever.”