//------------------------------// // Chapter 13: Flowers and Feeling // Story: The Sunset of a Frozen Princess // by DaylightHobbyist //------------------------------// “Weird?” Sunset repeated in confusion. Flurry Heart started to move forward again, continuing after her brief pause. “Yeah, weird. Like, ‘even for Aunt Twilight’ kinda weird.” “What, does she garden without a checklist?” Sunset asked, not really understanding what oddities Twilight could possibly get up to in such a mundane setting. Flurry bit her lip, clearly thinking about how to explain it. “It’s just…like how she acts, you know? Like she’s on a completely different planet or wavelength or something when she’s in there. It’s basically impossible to tell what’s going on in her head.” “Well, that doesn’t seem that strange,” Sunset said in response. It wasn’t exactly typical behavior for her friend, but Flurry did mention that Twilight kept the garden as a means of relieving tension. It made sense for her to get lost in her own head every now and then with all that must be on her mind. “Trust me. There’s just something different about her. That’s also not even the weirdest part. Sometimes, she just starts talking when she thinks no pony’s around,” Flurry said, clarifying as best she could. “Lots of ponies talk to themselves, Flurry,” Sunset threw out in Twilight’s defense. Flurry was clearly having trouble describing what she meant, but nothing she had stated so far really seemed that far out of the ordinary. A little strange maybe, but you’d have a difficult time finding something about Twilight Sparkle that wasn’t at least a little strange. “That’s just it though. She’s not really even talking to herself. It’s like she’s having a conversation with somepony who’s just not there,” Flurry said in a lowered voice. Okay, Sunset had to admit, that was sort of odd. Not something you’d expect out of somepony unless they had a couple of screws loose. Surely there must have been a good explanation for it. Maybe it was just some unique form of coping with all the stress she had to endure from ruling the kingdom on a day to day basis. “Well, I guess you’ll see for yourself. She’ll be just through here,” Flurry announced, stopping just before a set of double doors that were relatively small in comparison to the other ones found throughout the castle. Small stained-glass windows on either side were the only things indicating that the door led to any place of importance. The small amount of sunlight that filtered through indicated that the area beyond led outdoors but was inconspicuous enough that you could simply walk by it every day and pay it no mind. “Are you sure she’s in there?” Sunset asked her guide, some small part of her becoming ever so slightly anxious. “If the door’s unlocked, she’s in there,” Flurry answered with absolute certainty. Tentatively, Sunset reached out with her magic to grab the door’s handles and pulled with just enough force to jar the door open. The gentle click and creak of the door’s mechanisms confirming that the entryway was indeed unbarred. “Okay, I’ll just be going then,” Flurry announced, almost too quickly. “Don’t you want to talk to Twilight?” Sunset asked, surprised at just how eager Flurry seemed to be about rushing off after all her complaints about never being able to capture her family’s attention. Flurry Heart quickly shook her head in denial. “No, it’s fine. I’ll just catch up with you both at dinner. Besides, I really wouldn’t want to intrude on your quality time together or anything.” With that, Flurry turned to briskly walk further down the hallway, muttering under her breath, “Plus, the less time I have to spend looking at that freakish lawn ornament the better.” Sunset watched her new pupil disappear around the corner with a puzzled expression. If only something in Equestria could be straightforward for once. Turning her gaze back to the doors before her, Sunset gripped the handles in her magic a second time. As Flurry had said, she’d just have to see whatever peculiarities lied within for herself. With a gentle push, the plain doors slowly opened. A sudden surge of daylight shining through the opened entryway forced Sunset to avert her gaze as she entered. As her eyes adjusted to the bright light, Sunset took in her immediate surroundings. Flurry had mentioned that it was just a small garden, kept up only by Twilight herself, and yet Sunset was still taken aback by just how contained it was. Maybe she was just too used to everything in the castle being needlessly grand and extravagant, always taking up far more space than was ever needed, so it was almost shocking to find something so…simple. Judging by the tall windowless stone walls that encapsulated the relatively modest area, Twilight’s garden couldn’t have been much bigger than a large suburban backyard. Taking a few steps forward on the cobblestone path that separated the various hedges, bushes, and flower beds, Sunset admired the collection of flora that decorated the ground and walls. The greenery wasn’t as tidy and well-kept as what could be found in the much larger gardens around the castle, but it was all certainly well cared for. It gave the garden a cozier feeling in Sunset’s personal opinion. The palace gardens were beautiful, but they were almost too nice in a way. Every hedge being without flaw and every flower being tucked in a tediously perfect place made them all feel almost sterile. Twilight obviously lacked the time and precision necessary to see to such borderline microscopic details, but that just made everything seem so much more natural. More wild and free. A snipping sound pulled Sunset away from the bed of daisies she had been caught up in admiring. She turned to see that only slightly further into the garden, faintly obscured by the rose bush she was currently pruning, was the mare she had been longing to see. The sun reflecting off her golden regalia and shimmering mane created a breathtaking vision that completely drowned out her surroundings. In a room full of vibrant tulips and elegant begonias, it all paled next to her radiance. Sunset found herself almost mesmerized, unable to look at anything other than the Princess. Completely consumed in her mundane task, and yet not even present at the same time. Her mind a great enigma constantly spinning with unknown questions, knowledge, and desires, trapped just beneath those violet eyes you could spend an eternity getting lost in. Sunset blew a heavy breath through her nose and tried to focus. It must have been a warmer day than she had initially thought. Her face was practically burning up out here. The heat must be getting to her. It was probably best to get a move on. “Twilight!” Sunset called out to her oldest friend, taking a few steps closer so she was only a few short feet away. Strangely, Twilight gave no indication she had even registered her presence, her vision remaining completely focused on the garden scissors she was using to trim the rose bushes before her. Sunset took on a perplexed expression. There was no possible way Twilight hadn’t heard her. The walled-off nature of the environment made it almost deathly silent. Not even the wind was capable of disturbing the serenity. The only noise present was the trickling sound of water from a nearby bird fountain and the constant snipping sounds of Twilight’s own scissors, neither of which were anywhere near loud enough to obscure her voice. “Hey, Twilight!” Sunset tried again, not quite screaming, but still louder than you would typically need to speak in order to be heard in an empty room. Once again Twilight failed to react to her call, the only indication she had registered any outside feedback being a twitch of her ear. Sunset failed to suppress an annoyed frown as she moved to be right beside Twilight. Patience wasn’t something she was ever particularly good with, nor was being more or less completely ignored. It was undoubtedly unintentional on Twilight’s part. This must have been what Flurry was referring to when she mentioned Twilight’s tendency to space out. It was almost impressive to be lost so deep in thought. One really could only imagine just what she could be thinking about, but, in Sunset’s opinion, it was time to come back down to earth. Sunset’s horn bathed itself in magic, the perfect spell in mind for making sure Twilight heard her no matter how far away she was. All it took was a little magic to the vocal cords. “TWILIGHT SPARKLE!” “YAH!” Twilight cried, her hair standing on end, and her entire body recoiling like an oversized cat. The shears she had been using were flung into some distant corner followed by an unfortunate shattering sound. Well, if nothing else, she had certainly gotten Twilight’s attention. “Sunset!” Twilight rounded on her, her previously sleek appearance now more than a little frazzled. “Sorry,” Sunset apologized, doing her best to swallow any amusement she might have felt at her poor friend’s disheveled appearance. “I was just trying to get your attention.” “By giving me a heart attack!?” “Hey, if you were a little easier to get a hold of, I wouldn’t need to go that far,” Sunset waved off, using her magic to adjust Twilight’s crown so it sat back in its proper position. A leader needed to look her best after all. Twilight growled and pulled away to pick up a nearby watering can. “Well, excuse me for wanting just a little bit of time to myself so I can finally hear myself think. Might as well give that up too.” Sunset winced at the surprisingly scathing tone laced into her voice. Maybe this wasn’t the best time to catch up after all. Twilight had a point. She had to sacrifice most of her time every day to the needs and whims of others. Here she was cutting into what precious little she actually had for herself. There was probably a reason she didn’t even know this place existed before today. “Oh, right. I didn’t mean to…I mean, I…I’m sorry, I’ll talk to you some other time,” Sunset stumbled over herself slinking back, trying to find a good way to quickly excuse herself after being so thoughtless in her approach. “Wait, no!” Twilight panicked, dropping her watering can. Her mood shifting almost instantly, any trace of annoyance gone. “I’m sorry! I didn’t mean it like that…please, don’t go,” Twilight practically begged, desperation that seemed to manifest from practically nowhere bubbling to the surface. “Calm down, Twi. I’m not going anywhere, okay?” Sunset recovered, trotting back over to Twilight’s side. “I actually only came here to check on you.” “Oh, heh, well, here I am,” Twilight awkwardly smiled. Sunset decided that it would be best to push past that particular scene and tried to steer the conversation in a different direction. “Sooo, when exactly did you take an interest in all this?” she asked, motioning around to the wide array of flowers that surrounded them. Looking back the way she came in, she could see that Twilight had assembled quite a collection. It was unlikely such a diverse selection of plant life was acquired overnight or as part of a passing fancy. No, it would likely take years of work to cultivate and nurture all this on one’s lonesome. Twilight took a moment to look over all she had created before responding. It had been so long ago since she had started working on this place. A private little sanctuary. “It just sort of happened,” Twilight answered, pacing away to look over a set of lilies. “You grew all this on a whim?” Sunset asked. Sunset didn’t want to belittle one of her closest friends’ hobbies, but there had to be more to the story than that. Maybe she didn’t know everything about Twilight, but she liked to think she knew her better than most. Gardening for its own sake just didn’t fall in line with her interests. Twilight shrugged. “I don’t know. The idea just came to me one day. It was so empty in here before. It just seemed so…lonely. Then, one day I tried planting some sunflowers and ended up connecting with a different part of myself.” “A different part of yourself?” Sunset repeated, her curiosity evident. “I’m an alicorn, Sunset,” Twilight answered as though that somehow answered all her questions and wasn’t the most obvious thing in Equestria. “I hadn’t noticed, Princess,” Sunset responded, placing plenty of emphasis on the title. Twilight turned back with an amused expression. “Yeah, I guess the whole wing and horn combo is pretty hard to miss.” Twilight flared out her wings to their full extent, Sunset actually feeling a strong gust of wind from the simple action. “I mean, look at these things. How could you ever forget them? You’ve basically gotta change your entire lifestyle just to account for their presence. You have to sleep a certain way, bathe a certain way, remember to keep them tucked in at all times so they don’t snag on anything, and don’t even get me started on grooming them.” “heh, I can only imagine,” Sunset commented. There was a time she would have been bitter beyond all measure at Twilight’s simple complaints in regard to the stature she could never have, but now…well, she didn’t sound bitter. “It’s easy to forget that being an alicorn is about more than just growing a new set of wings,” Twilight continued after once again pressing her wings back against her sides, compacting her astounding wingspan to a far more manageable size. “An alicorn is the combined essence of all three pony tribes, not just unicorns and pegasai. I’ve always been a unicorn, and I learned how to fly like a pegasus, but I’m an earth pony now too,” Twilight explained, using her hoof to gently cup a single lily. Sunset could have sworn the flower brightened at Twilight’s touch, as though new life had been pumped into it from her mere presence. Twilight eyed the flower, taking in the small fragile life she had created. “It’s honestly kind of strange. Unicorn magic can be used to grow things too, but it just doesn’t feel the same. There’s something special about using your own hooves and connecting with new life. It’s not something I could really appreciate before.” Sunset couldn’t claim to really understand the feeling that Twilight was referring too, but she was, after all, just a unicorn. The green hoof of an earth pony was a concept that was practically lost on her, but if it brought Twilight some measure of peace, then it was undoubtedly a good thing, and she really didn’t need to be an earth pony to appreciate the beauty of blooming flowers. Sunset followed Twilight’s lead and took a closer look at the flowers and bushes surrounding her. She had seen most of them before in books she had read, but there was a distinct difference in illustrations on a page and the genuine articles. Old paper didn’t smell half as nice for starters. “How long have you been working on this? I don’t think I’ve ever even seen some of these in person before,” Sunset marveled at some of the exotic flora that most definitely did not grow anywhere near Canterlot. “To be honest, I don’t really remember. A few decades maybe?” Twilight offhandedly answered, now tending to another part of the garden and unaware Sunset had begun to stray away from her. “Every now and then something will catch my eye when I’m on a diplomatic mission or providing a public service, and I’ll bring some back here.” Sunset worked her way towards the back where the more extravagant plants seemed to be kept. Hydrangeas, lilacs, plumeria, there was even a cherry blossom tree. It was almost a wonder Flurry seemed so against coming in here. Even as a pony with no particular interest in botany, she couldn’t see what could take away from some of what was blossoming here. “You know, I always wondered where you disappeared to sometimes. I was almost beginning to think…" Sunset began before pausing. In the midst of her tour, she had quickly found herself at the backwall of the garden. It was possible she would have simply walked right into it had the long shadow she had walked under not caught her attention; the bright light of the sun overhead being strangely blocked out by some peculiar shape. Sunset looked forward to find herself eye level with some sort of strange podium just in front of the wall, wedged in between the hedges that lined the garden perimeter. Sunset was surprised at how she had managed to miss the stone construct until now, so absorbed in her immediate surroundings that she paid no mind to it until she was right before it. Immediately, Sunset registered that something was off. A sudden chill running through her that made her fur stand on end. Sunset turned her gaze upward and immediately felt her breath leave her. Hate. Hate was something she knew very well…or at least, she had thought she did. She had hated before. Hated others, hated the world, hated herself. She had embraced it. Nearly been completely consumed by it. She had thought she understood everything there was to know about hating something, but the cold unflinching eyes that bore into her made her think that she didn’t know the first thing about the word. Eyes that held a burning inferno of rage and animosity great enough to consume everything in its path and even still would never be satisfied. All else was but a dying ember in comparison to the raw fury etched into the face that lunged out at her, ready and willing to do anything and everything it could to rip her apart. As illogical as it was, Sunset quickly backed away from the monstrosity, gasping in shock and even fear, actually tripping over herself and falling backwards. Were the large demon she was retreating from any more than stone it would almost certainly have descended upon her now as she helplessly laid in the dirt. “Sunset?” Twilight called in concern, her cries and the thud of her fall being clearly audible in the otherwise silent space. In a matter of seconds, along with a bright flash, Twilight was right beside her and helping her to her hooves. “What’s wrong? Are you alright?” “I-I’m fine,” Sunset stuttered out, her breathing still far too shallow for her liking. It was, after all, just a statue. There was no reason for her to act like a scared little filly. “I was just surprised.” Twilight quickly caught on to the cause of her dear friend’s sudden scare. Her gaze shifting over to the garden’s sole piece of decor. “Oh, I probably should have warned you. I’ve picked up some very, um…unique decorations over the years.” Sunset, now firmly back on her hooves, squinted her eyes in suspicion at the princess. Twilight likely would have been far better off simply skipping over the actual cause for her concern. Surely, Twilight didn’t actually think she could lie to her, did she? Clearly she did, as that’s exactly what she had just tried to do. It wasn’t even necessarily that she was bad at it, but she had certainly picked the very last pony in Equestria you would want to try and be dishonest too. Sunset knew lies, and, more importantly, she knew Twilight. That brief pause that was dedicated to thinking up a quick cover and the uncomfortable look on her face as she said it was all Sunset needed to know Twilight wasn’t being completely honest. Sunset looked back to the strange statue now that her initial shock had finally passed. To be frank, the entire thing was still completely hideous at a second glance, but there was more to it than the raging, practically rabid, monster lunging out in some sort of desperate assault. Just behind it was a cowering centaur that actually looked…familiar. “Lord Tirek?” The wide-eyed look Twilight took on, reminiscent of a deer caught in headlights, let Sunset know she was on the right track. Not that it did much to clarify the mountain of questions currently piling up “Oh, y-you’ve heard of him?” Twilight stammered out, now visibly shaken. Clearly at a loss for where this was going or what her reaction should be. “Celestia’s library had some books that mentioned him. He tried to conquer Equestria and steal our magic. He was imprisoned in Tartarus for his crimes,” Sunset recited from memory. “He escaped and blew up your house,” Sunset finished looking up to Twilight. Twilight almost seemed to start visibly sweating. “I told you that story, huh?” Sunset nodded and pressed her advantage. “Yeah, you did. Makes it kind of odd you’d want a statue of him. Sure, he’s the star of a pretty awsome video game series, but I don’t know if that would make up for destruction of personal property.” “Well, I…You see, the thing is…I mean…” “Twilight,” Sunset said, cutting Twilight off before she could stumble any further. “There’s something you’re not telling me here.” Twilight went from nervous to panicked at the calm declaration and began backing away. “W-what!? N-no, I’m not…it’s not what you think!” Sunset tilted her head in confusion at the overreaction. She wasn’t sure of it before, but these moments they had been having really didn’t match with the standard Twilight freak out, which rarely happened anymore for that matter. These moments of anxiety and borderline terror seemed…deeper somehow. “Twilight, it’s okay,” Sunset soothed, taking a few steps closer to Twilight. “I just want you to know that you don’t have to hide anything from me. That’s what we promised each other, isn’t it?” Twilight frantic eyes settled into ones of uncertainty at that. The memory of that night came back to her in an instant. However, this was never something she had considered when she made that promise. Sunset found a new reason to hate Twilight’s newfound stature at that moment. It made it awfully difficult to comfort somepony when you were only eyelevel with their legs. “Look, it’s okay if you don’t want to talk about it. I won’t force you. I just want you to know that you always can,” Sunset settled on, hoping at least her words would reach Twilight. Twilight stood stiff for a moment, letting the sentiment sink in and turning it over in her head. Eventually, Twilight closed her eyes and took in a deep breath through her nose and exhaled a loud sigh. Sunset was almost startled when Twilight began to wordlessly approach her. She followed Twilight as she walked right by her to stop just in front of the outstretched stone forelegs of the pouncing stone monster. She met the same hate filled eyes that she herself had stared into. Only instead of fear, Twilight met her gaze with sorrow. “Chrysalis,” Twilight began before breaking eye contact to look up at the centaur cringing in terrified anticipation. “Tirek,” she went on, before shifting her gaze even higher to look upon a small ornament precariously perched on the Centaur’s shoulder that Sunset hadn’t paid any attention to until now. “…Cozy Glow,” Twilight sighed after a moment’s hesitation on that last name. A pony’s name. Sunset was beginning to understand what Flurry Heart found so unsettling. It seemed the more you looked at the stone effigy, the more twisted it got. Before there looked to at least be some sort of theme to the peculiar work of art. Lord Tirek, a magic devouring glutton, and this Chrysalis. Sunset knew that name. Twilight had mentioned her before in their journal. A changeling who ironically refused to change. Two villains. Initially, she would have guessed that perhaps the sculptor was using their likeness to illustrate some sort of deep message expressed through their posture. Artists liked vague nonsense like that, right? Then why was the final piece just some terrified little filly? A small child frozen in horror beside two tyrants. Maybe there was supposed to be some sort of deep complex message hidden in the juxtaposition? A message she couldn’t even begin to fathom. All it did for now was make her skin crawl. “Years ago, just before my coronation, these three joined forces for the sole purpose of toppling all of Equestria. Together, they came closer to succeeding than anything ever has before or since.” Sunset bit down to stop any questions from escaping her and interrupting Twilight’s history lesson. This was all news to her. Twilight had regaled her with many of her adventures over the years. Why was this the first she had ever heard of any of this or some sort of evil filly that had thrown her lot in with some of the worst villains in history? Ponies weren’t always saints, she was proof of that, but how could a child be capable of anything like what Twilight was describing. So much just didn’t add up. “We stopped them by calling forth the powers of harmony to strip them of their powers and undo the damage they had done. At the time, it was celebrated as my greatest triumph. Now…I’m not so sure,” Twilight sighed, lifting one of her hooves off the ground as though to reach out and touch the statue, but pausing just before making contact, uncertainty overtaking her. “That’s why you have this statue of them around?” Sunset ventured. Some sort of commemorative trophy made in her honor. Was that it? Twilight bowed her head in response, looking down at the ground. “This statue is them.” Those simple words sent a paralyzing chill through Sunset’s spine. “W-what?” she gasped, rationalizing that she had heard Twilight wrong. She must have. “This isn’t a garden, Sunset. It’s a prison,” Twilight sighed. Petrification. A state of magically suspended animation where living flesh and blood was completely replaced by cold unmoving stone. Sunset had read about such spells before. It took incredibly powerful magic to even attempt such a powerful and permanent curse. The feat was so rare and so irreversible that the only widely known instance of such a thing was Discord’s own stone imprisonment by the elements of harmony. That was Discord though. Sure, he wasn’t all bad, but such a drastic measure was simply the only way to contain somepony as powerful as he was. It was necessary. “The elements did this?” Sunset asked. It was certainly in their power. If the powers of harmony had deemed this fitting, then there must have been a good reason for it. “No. In their final act as the rulers of Equestria, Celestia and Luna encased them in stone for their crimes against ponykind to ensure they would never threaten the kingdom or anypony else ever again. It was…what they deserved,” Twilight settled on, only the final statement seemed to be directed more to herself than anypony else. “You don’t sound so sure about that,” Sunset immediately picked up, the heart of the issue finally within reach. “Maybe I’m not,” Twilight confessed, turning her eyes upwards to the looming sun. “I was so happy when the battle was finally over. Everypony was safe and I’d be able to finally take the throne like Celestia wanted. All that mattered was the fact that we won. I won. My greatest triumph.” Twilight’s eyes narrowed in anger, the anger she felt but had absolutely no idea what to direct it at. “That’s what the history books say at least, but the truth is that all this statue represents is my greatest failure. As a princess, as a teacher, and as a pony.” The bitter taste of self-loathing Twilight was emanating could have given Sunset a run for her money on her worst days. The amber unicorn took a step back in shock of Twilight’s sudden intensity. “Twilight…that-” “I’m supposed to be the Princess of Friendship, Sunset. So, why do I have to spend every day looking at this?” Twilight vented. “I used to wonder if just this once, Friendship wasn’t enough. That friendship somehow failed. Now I know the truth is that I wasn’t enough, and I failed friendship.” Sunset wanted to disagree with Twilight on instinct. If there was anypony who had no right to view themselves as a failure it was Twilight, but her better judgment kept her from blurting anything out. She now had a better picture of what was going on, but there was still so much she didn’t know about the situation, including the identity of one of the villains that were encased in stone. A pegasus filly she had never even heard of. Was it really possible for a child to be so dangerous and vile that such a punishment was warranted? Was there really no other option? It was hard to think so when her statue looked so small and frightened. Then, a chilling thought struck Sunset. One that made her blood run cold and caused her heart to skip a beat. A recent memory triggering a question that was far too awful to go unanswered. “Twilight…Discord…he said that he could see…everything…when he was trapped in stone. Can they…?” Sunset tried but couldn’t even finish the question. The idea was just far too unsettling. Being imprisoned in an immortal unmoving state was one thing, but to be aware all the while was not something Sunset had ever desired to consider. How Discord had not gone completely mad if he had truly been trapped in such a state was a mystery in its own right. Then again, maybe he had gone mad. It would certainly explain some of his behavior. And even if not, how could any other being take such a fate in as much stride. Twilight turned around completely this time, the question clear, even if unfinished. Twilight opened her mouth, but no words came out as she intended to respond but choked up on her own uncertainty. “I…don't know,” Twilight eventually managed to get out. The question had been a source of worry for her as well over the years, but the truth was that she really had no idea. If she had to guess, Celestia, Luna, and Discord had used a stone sleep spell to create their prison, but that was just a guess. She ultimately had no idea what magic had been used in the spell. She had never asked, so all she could really do is wonder herself. “Tirek and Chrysalis are sustained by ancient magic, older than most known kingdoms. I can’t say for certain, but it’s possible that they’re still…aware,” Twilight practically shuddered. “As far as I know, Cozy Glow was just an ordinary pegasus. The magic seal should have placed her in a dreamlike state. I don’t think she can see or hear us. I hope not at least.” An ordinary pegasus? That really was just an ordinary pegasus? An evil one, but still not some form of ancient evil or incorporeal mass of negative energy taking equine form. Just an ordinary pony no different from them. A pony named Cozy Glow. How could anypony fall so far? “So, you blame yourself then? For them being stuck like that?” Sunset guessed, trying to refocus on Twilight. Focus on the issue at hand. “How could I not? My job as a Princess was to spread the magic of friendship all over Equestria and beyond,” Twilight rationalized. “Just look at Discord. Time and again, I’ve seen the magic of friendship change even the coldest hearts into something amazing. I know it can reach anypony, so when it doesn’t, then it can only mean one thing. I’m the problem.” The gaping holes in Twilight’s logic were, quite frankly, massive, but Sunset knew that when you blamed yourself for something it was easy to ignore such things. Twilight had said that this had all taken place before her coronation. She had likely been stewing over this for decades at this point. What once seemed like a healthy environment for Twilight to channel her time and energy was now clearly a personal method of self-condemnation. “Twilight, it’s not your job to fix everything,” Sunset tried to throw out. “Yes, it is!” Twilight snapped with a surprising amount of intensity, only to immediately regret her outburst and shrink away in shame. “I…What good am I if I can’t?” Sunset shook her head. “Twilight, no. You have to know that’s not fair.” Twilight sighed in resignation, conceding the unfortunate truth of the matter. Some things were, and forever would be, beyond her control. Just because she accepted it though, didn’t mean she had to like it. “Maybe we should go somewhere else. It’s getting a little stuffy in here,” Sunset tastefully offered. In her opinion, it would do Twilight some good to get away from here. Dwelling on the past rarely led to anything positive, and, if she was to be honest with herself, she was eager to get away from…whatever that thing could be considered at this point. “…Yeah, that’s probably a good idea,” Twilight agreed without much coercion. She turned back to the statue one more time to wordlessly bid goodbye to her old friends before moving forward. Sunset stood still and let Twilight take the lead, watching her glide right past her on her way to the entrance, her current mood hard to place. She certainly wasn’t in high spirits, yet she didn’t seem down either. If anything at this point, she seemed almost empty. Too drained to express emotions of any sort be they positive or negative. If there was anything she hated more than seeing Twilight upset, it was this. Sunset turned to follow her but paused when a bright glint grabbed her attention. It seemed the overhead sun had deemed it fit to remind her of the precious stone she wore around her neck. The magic within it had been completely dormant since returning to Canterlot. In truth, she nearly forgot about it sometimes, with what little cause she had to use it now. Still, it held an ever-present place in the back of her mind. What new secrets could it now be hiding or better yet reveal? The ray of sun that reflected off the geode cast a soft pocket of light back to the place Twilight had stood only a moment ago, presenting itself as a small window of sunlight perched atop the snarling maw of the demon that had frightened her only a few short minutes ago. At that moment, an idea popped into her head. One so insane and so deranged, she nearly doubted it had come from herself at all. Without even thinking about it, her legs guided her closer to the forsaken monument. Her pace slow and stiff as she internally battled with herself. Part of her wanting nothing more than to turn away and never set eyes on the horrendous figures again and an even greater part of her being drawn in by some unseen compulsion. She once again locked eyes with her. Chrysalis. The thought that, against all appearances, those venomous eyes could still see and were set on her now was almost enough to break the spell she had placed upon herself and make her flee in the opposite direction. And yet, ironically, the idea that those enraged eyes could see pulled her in even closer. Her magic allowed her a window into the soul. Thoughts, memories, emotions, hopes, dreams, fears, fantasies, she could glimpse all of them with a simple touch. Peel back the surface and gaze into the truth of a person. It wasn’t a power she took lightly. In a sense, it could easily be perceived as one of the greatest violations you could possibly perform. Forcefully taking that which any person or pony held most precious. Had she been in possession of such a power in the days when her ambition had no limit, she had no doubt she would have turned it into a weapon of unparalleled cruelty and deceit. In a way, being gifted with such an ability had been her ultimate test. A way to prove that she honestly and truly had changed. The pony she once was would have never shown the restraint she had. The control to exercise her power in moderation and only for the benefit of those around her. More than anything, it proved to herself that she really was a different person, and no matter what happened she would never go back. The creature once known as Chrysalis hovered above her now, and she found herself in the very same position she’d been in when she had first encountered the statue. This time she did not scurry back in fear, but she’d be lying if she said that she didn’t feel uneasy beneath the stone’s cold shadow. The podium on which they stood held them all well above her eye level, but if she reached up now, she could just barely make contact with the fallen queen. What was she thinking? How had she already let herself go this far? She needed to get away. Far far away before she did something she’d regret. Sunset stayed rooted in place, moving neither further nor closer. What kept her there was unclear, even to the mare herself. Was it curiosity? Intrigue? Maybe even compassion? Some bizarre mixture of all of the above? Regardless, somewhere deep inside those stone shells were living beings. Was it possible to reach them? The many reasons why this was an absolutely terrible idea rushed through her mind in rapid succession. The magic of the geode had been acting strangely ever since arriving in this world. She could no longer claim to know exactly how it would affect her anymore. Even if her powers worked as intended, there was no telling what she could find in the deep dark corners of whatever lied within the stone. What was she even planning on doing with whatever she would learn from this? Who was to say it would even work at all? Was there some sort of line being crossed here? Was it right to dig into their hearts just to answer her own questions? Even if they were evil, that didn’t mean it was right to look inside when they had no way of doing much of anything. That was just it though. They were completely helpless like that, weren’t they? No matter whatever they had done before, and no matter how much they deserved it, the fact was they no longer had voices of their own. She could give a voice to the voiceless. Her powers could very well be the only line that could connect them and the rest of the world now, for better or worse. Or, maybe she’d just end up looking like an idiot rubbing herself all over a lifeless statue. There was really only one way to find out. Sunset slowly lifted a shaky foreleg, her hoof inching its way closer to a stone appendage. With some measure of annoyance, she noted that while Twilight had been roughly eye level with the thing, she’d have to extend herself as far as possible to even graze it. If only she were still human. She strained the three legs she had left to stand on to their maximum height and arched her back for every inch she could manage. Her skyward limb extended upward only to come up just short, not even an equestrian bit coin’s distance between them, but it was distance all the same. Contact. She needed contact. She just needed to reach a little further. Move a smidge closer. She strained even harder, trying to get something, anything, to extend just a bit more and give her the little extra height she needed. If only she still had toes to stand on or fingers to reach out with, she’d be there. Just a bit further. “Sunset?” The spell was broken, and Sunset returned to reality. Feeling almost like a foal with her hoof in the cookie jar, Sunset quickly whirled around to face Twilight, doing her best to play off any compromising position she may have been in. She’d rather not explain something even she didn’t understand herself. Twilight had already made it to the opposite side of the yard and looked back at her from beside the garden’s entrance. Thankfully, she was far enough away that she had likely missed most of what she had been doing. “Aren’t you coming?!” Twilight called from her end. “Yeah…just looking at something!” Sunset answered. She took a moment to glance back. She truly had no idea what had compelled her to try something like that, but now that her head was clearer it was probably for the best she didn’t go through with it. Something still didn’t sit right with her, but maybe that was a problem best saved for another time. There was plenty to deal with already. With only a moment’s hesitation, Sunset galloped over to Twilight and tried to forget about it. The only sound to penetrate the still air from that moment on was the opening and closing of a set of doors as the pair left the garden. Silence once again reigned supreme as the garden was left completely unoccupied. Time would pass and yet nothing would change until the next time Princess Twilight returned to tend her flowers. Everything was completely still. None more so than the lone statue that had remained in its spot for decades on end. Waiting.