Twilight had never seen her teacher quite as angry as she was right then. Her face was not only full of disapproval, it looked outright fearful. Her horned burned with magic, and the air around her crackled and sparked with power. She spoke, her voice laden with anger and the slightest hint of worry. “Twilight, what are you doing here? We heard of a disturbance outside of the embassy, and somepony reported a dragon and unicorn going inside. Who is this? What's he doing? What does he want?"
The Gryphon bowed. "My name is Vagadar, Your Highness. I am here in service of King Gavipashnepah. There was a small misunderstanding with a Minotaur outside, and after I offered my assistance, I brought these two inside for some tea and hospitality. No offense was given, and these two are here of their own free will."
Celestia turned her head sharply, her voice that of a monarch. "I see. Well then, Vagadar az Gavipashnepah, I would like to thank you on behalf of my student." Her voice slightly stressed the "my". "But I am afraid we shall have to cut this visit short. Twilight is not an Equestrian diplomat, and as such she cannot be on Gryphon land legally. I regret this necessity, but I will have to remove her from the premises. If you choose to contact her again, you may send a message through the proper diplomatic channels to the palace, and I shall see that she gets them."
The Gryphon nodded. "Very well then, I see that I shall have to bid you a fond farewell, Ms. Sparkle. I imagine you will be heading home soon, but I would gladly take tea with you once again. Expect my invitation." He turned to Spike, inclining his head slightly. "Ajhdaha." Finally he faced Celestia. "Fair weather and swift flight, Your Highness."
Celestia waited for him to bow. He did not. Angrily, she turned and left the room. "Come along, Twilight Sparkle." she called, and Twilight followed along meekly out of force of habit. The three of them left through the hallway they had entered, and proceeded through the room full of columns heading to the exit. Twilight noticed that the walls were lined with Gryphons, not all of them diplomats. Some wore armor, and a few carried heavy flanged spears that looked well-used. The light on Celestia's horn had not gone out, and Twilight noticed that it had increased in intensity, if anything. Several Gryphons tightened their grips on their weapons. She felt, rather than saw, Spike tense nervously. The trip seemed to take forever, under the watchful eyes of fifty extremely annoyed avians. At last, however, they exited the hall and were outside on the lawn, heading for the gate.
Twilight turned to look at the Embassy. Several more Gryphons had appeared on the roof, armed with crossbows that were almost as large as Twilight, mounted on poles. They swiveled, tracking her and Celestia as they went. Once outside of the gate, Twilight realized exactly how much trouble she was in.
A full seventy or so Royal Guards stood outside of the Embassy, with another twenty cordoning off the street. Each of them was a unicorn, and each of them had magic on their horns and very serious looks on their faces. Twilight did absolutely nothing. Very carefully. The lights flickered off as the Guard caught sight of Twilight, Celestia, and Spike exiting the Embassy. Twilight looked around as they cleared a path towards the middle of the street. If she was very lucky, then maybe...
"Twilight!" No such luck, then. Shining Armor trotted up to her, grabbing her in a swift hug. "You're ok, thank Celestia. What were you doing in there?"
Celestia stepped forward. "Comport yourself, Captain. Attend to your duties. We are done here, you may return to your post."
Shining Armor snapped to attention. "Yes, Your Highness."
Celestia's horn began to glow, and Twilight felt the familiar magic of a large-scale transportation spell tugging at her coat.
Celestia spoke again. "Oh, and Shining Armor?"
He wheeled around, coming to attention once more. "Ma'am?"
Celestia smiled. "You're quite welcome." And with that, they disappeared from the street.
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The trio reappeared in Celestia's parlor, the room where she received private visitors and officials. She pointed at a nearby cushion. "Sit." Twilight did so, bowing her head. Celestia walked over to a nearby table. She took out a small bottle, and picked up a bell, ringing it twice. She trotted over to the table. Gesturing for Spike to sit as well, she settled herself onto another cushion. "Twilight, look at me." The mare did so. "Did you eat or drink anything while you were inside?" Twilight nodded. Celestia uncorked the bottle. "Drink this, all of it. It's an antidote to most poisons, as well as a mild sedative." Twilight looked like she might cry a bit. Celestia noticed, and moved beside her, placing one wing around her shoulders, an old gesture that still made Twilight feel secure. Twilight drank the contents of the bottle, which tasted like evergreen needles and cream. It slid down her throat, leaving her mouth feeling warm and fuzzy. The feeling soon spread to the rest of her body, and Twilight found herself able to relax once more. A maid entered the room, and Celestia ordered tea. Peppermint, Twilight's favorite.
Celestia looked at her student. "Twilight. I don't think that Vagadar would have hurt you, but I would like to know what you spoke of. The Gryphons probably would not have been overt enough to poison you, but they as a species, and Vagadar in particular, have a way of finding out things they shouldn't. If you're calm enough, could you tell me what you spoke of?"
Twilight sniffed a little, choking back nervous tears. Haltingly at first, but gaining strength as she went on, she recounted the events leading up to her entering the Embassy, and the conversation she had had once she was inside. Celestia nodded solemnly as she recounted, almost word for word, the history lesson the Gryphon had given her. The little unicorn looked up at her mentor. "Princess, is what he said true? Did you really turn ten thousand Gryphons into crystal? Using the Elements?"
"Ten thousand, four hundred, and eighty-two, actually. If you like, I can tell you their names." the Alicorn sighed, as the tea was brought in. She thanked the maid, who curtsied and retreated out of the room, closing the door behind her gently. Pouring tea for herself, Twilight, and Spike, she resumed her narrative.
"Allow me to explain, my faithful student. The facts you heard were correct, though unfortunately not much record of that time remains. I still remember that, though. You see, Twilight, the time after Luna's corruption was a difficult time for me. I alone harnessed the Power of Harmony, forging them into the Elements we know today. Before that, they had roamed free, but afterwards, they became the most powerful force for good in the entirety of existence. With them, I was able to defeat the entity known as Nightmare Moon, and use the Power of Harmony on her. I had hoped to cure her of her jealous rage, but though I could now use the Elements at will, I could not control the Power of Harmony once it was released. When I awoke from using them, I instinctively knew what had been done. My sister, who was still somewhere inside of that monster, would spend an entire millennium alone, imprisoned on the moon. My grief was so great I had hardly even noticed what using the power had done to me. My mane, which had once been long and pink hair, flowed with the Power of Harmony, and shone in the colors of the rainbow. I felt more alive than I ever had. But I realized, in the space of a heartbeat, what I had sacrificed for that power."
Celestia paused, looking out of one of the windows. "I was not emotionally fit to lead my people, and so I left control of the Realm, such as it was, to several prominent families, who later became the first Houses. I sequestered myself on the tallest mountain I could find, one where the wind howled and the snow blinded me to the world below. I found a spot and stayed there, Twilight. For ten years I stayed there. I let my heart rime over with ice, just as a thick layer froze on me. For ten years I allowed myself to grieve, doing nothing but allowing the sun and moon to move on their tracks in the sky. And ten years later, when the sun was at its zenith, I returned to my ponies, shattering the ice that held me and allowing the cold in my heart to fade. A festival was held in celebration, the first Summer Sun Celebration, actually. Upon my return, I was shocked at the condition my ponies were in. They were filthy, ragged, and starving. Disease ran rampant among them, and the remnants of my sister's forces still occasionally attacked them. Gryphons had seized our land to the south, and Diamond Dogs" She spat this last name out like an epithet.
"Had enslaved ponies in the north, those they hadn't killed or maimed. An entire generation of Pegasi grew up there with their wings crudely hacked off so they could not fly away, Twilight. I had acted as a poor ruler, one unfit to lead my people even then. But my ponies had remained faithful to me. I vowed then to reclaim the land we had once occupied, and free my little ponies from those that would harm them. I rounded up any last bits of the army I could find, and stamped out the last of the Lunar forces, those that did not surrender. I then sent them south to begin reclaiming the land the Gryphons were holding, while I went north to speak to the Diamond Dog tribes.
When I arrived, they treated me much the same way they had treated the ponies they had captured. Without warning, I found myself bound and hobbled by no less than ten of their number. I allowed this, but once I was led into their camp, I saw what had been done to those ponies they had captured. Pegasi without wings, unicorns with sawed off horns, foals without hope or joy in their eyes. So I did what I felt I had to do. I killed them all, Twilight. I am a forgiving soul, but what they had done was inexcusable. So great was my fury that I annihilated them all. Even the young ones. They live underground now, where they can never hurt my little ponies, ever again. I made them fear the sun." Celestia shuddered.
"It was not my proudest moment. But at the end of it all, I felt that justice had been done. I did what I could to help the wounded, but there were so, so many. It was a full month before my work there was done, and by the that time I expected that the ponies I had sent in my name would have taken our land back from the Gryphons, whom I had trusted as allies. I sent to our new capital all the ponies I had been able to save, all save forty who had wounds too great even for me to heal. And away I sped, my Elements in tow, to render the same aid for those other ponies. Imagine how I felt, then, when I saw that my army, thirty thousand strong, was being attacked by Gryphons numbering twenty thousand. I will admit, I acted without thinking. Before I realized what had been done, what they were trying to do, it was too late. I had unleashed the Elements a second time, and fully one-half of their number lay on the ground, frozen in perfect crystal."
Celestia turned back to Twilight. A single tear glimmered in one corner of her eye, and she looked so tragic and beautiful that Twilight reached out and embraced her. She accepted it gladly, and after a moment pulled away. "Thank you, my faithful student. After the battle, the Gryphons returned home. I sent ponies with them, to help them store their comrades beneath their capital. I could not undo what had been done any more than I could bring my sister back, and so things have always remained different between us and the Gryphons of the south. Believe me when I say that I have no intention of harming the Gryphons, Twilight Sparkle."
Spike spoke next. "We understand, Princess. We truly do. But why have you been pushing the Gryphons further south?"
Celestia sighed. "It is because of a treaty. One you helped to sign, actually. The buffalo tribes are traditional enemies of the Gryphons, being their natural prey. The treaty of Red Rock was signed with the agreement that ponies would not encroach on buffalo stampeding grounds, and that we would provide protection from the Gryphon tribes. In return, we could solve our overpopulation problem by settling in buffalo territory, which would allow us to feed our people and provide better lives for everypony. Your Appleoosan treaty was recently signed into law in one of the high courts, actually. The Gryphons are unhappy, and we are desperately trying to find a way to solve their problem as well as keeping the peace with the buffalo."
Twilight spoke next. "Is there any way we could send them food? That seems to be the problem."
Celestia shook her head. "Our population is growing incredibly fast, Twilight. We enjoy a very high standard of living here, and it is my goal to have us continue to do so, as well as everyone else in the world. Currently we're working out some sort of complex deal that would send the Gryphons excess food from Quilin, in exchange for us trading them some of our luxury goods. It's complicated, but that's politics. Regardless, there are many in the Oligarchy that see us as the problem, and advocate for the retaking of 'their land' by force. It's very likely that some of them are working in their Embassy. Hence the potion I had you drink. How are you feeling, by the way?"
The little unicorn smiled. "I'm feeling well, Princess. A little sleepy, but fine otherwise."
Celestia nodded. "I think it would be best if you did not leave the palace again today, Twilight Sparkle. Perhaps return to your room and rest?"
"That sounds great, actually." Twilight replied. "Thank you for sharing with us, Princess. We promise not to share with anypony, right Spike?"
The dragon shook himself. "Huh? Oh, yes, of course. Thank you for the tea, your Highness." And with that, he moved over to the door, moving alongside the purple mare.
Celestia moved in behind them, and Spike listened for the thud of its closing as he walked down the hall towards Twilight's quarters. As they ascended the stairs, Twilight yawned, staggering to one side a bit. "You ok, Twi?" the young drake asked.
"M'fine, just tired. That stuff was kinda strong though. Too much valerian tincture, I think maybe." She stumbled to one side, and steadied herself on one wall. The dragon scooped her up, placing her gently on his back.
"C'mon, we'll get you to bed." he said, and the two of them entered Twilight's quarters. Spike gently tucked the now slumbering unicorn in, lying beside her, one wing stretched over her protectively. He too felt himself drifting off, lulled to sleep by Twilight's steady breathing. He pondered as he fell asleep. He would never say it out loud, but under Celestia's scent of sunlit fields and swift water, Spike had caught the barest whiff of something familiar. He had smelled it when he first met Morning Star, too. The scent of a lie was unmistakable.
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Is everything prepared for tomorrow?
Yes, sister. The Elements are at full strength, and the Candidate is ready to begin.
Good. And yourself?
The ceremony tomorrow will be huge. Shining Armor thinks we'll be experiencing crowds of up to ten thousand in the public square alone. I'll be ready to go, of course.
Well done. You truly deserve your title, dear. It's a joy to watch you work. And Luna?
Yes, sister?
I would ask that you stay away from Twilight Sparkle for the rest of her stay here in Canterlot. We wouldn't want another slip of the tongue, now would we?
...No, sister. It shall be as you request.
Good. Very good.