//------------------------------// // Chapter 98 - The Enchantress Cometh (Part 2) // Story: A Pony Displaced: Homeward // by NoLongerSober //------------------------------// “Barrier, I’d like you to teach me how to fight.” The charcoal unicorn was somewhat surprised by both the stern look and what Twilight had just requested. “That’s a bit of a surprise, Twilight.” Barrier gently set his hooves upon the table as he looked the young mare in the eye. “Out of curiosity, what brought this on?” “It’s… well, several past events have been a contributing factor,” the violet mare responded as she now found herself having trouble looking Barrier in the eye. “The first is something that happened when Discord attacked.” Curious, Barrier leaned back slightly as he continued to listen. “Early on, Discord set up a game which involved separating all of us in a maze. Not only was I separated from all my friends, but with a snap of his talons, Rarity’s and my own horn vanished, Rainbow Dash and Fluttershy lost their wings and from what I can tell, Pinkie and Applejack lost their earth pony strength. “While we did beat Discord in the end, I can’t help but look back at it and come to a terrifying realization.” Twilight Sparkle swallowed before she looked Barrier in the eyes. Even from just a glimpse, the elder unicorn could clearly see the fear behind them. “If Discord hadn’t restored my horn after the maze, we would have lost. “My magic, specifically, the memory spell I used on my friends, was the only reason we were able to use the Elements of Harmony and defeat Discord. If he hadn’t done that…” The unicorn mare shuddered at the thought of what horrors her mind conjured up. “And the other reasons?” Barrier brought a hoof to his chin as he carefully observed Twilight. “There are, and both are connected to the Crystal Empire.” Twilight’s gaze fell to her hooves as she continued to speak. “There were two incidents that replayed in my mind several times from before we restored the Crystal Heart. “The first was when your cadets managed to ambush us and the guards assigned to us.” Barrier noticed Twilight’s slight fidgeting as she recalled the incident. “Verdant had me pinned to the ground in an instant with a blade pressed against my throat before he whispered, ‘If I see the faintest glimmer of thy horn, thy life is forfeit’. His knife against my throat and seeing my friends all helpless before you and BBBFF showed up… It was honestly one of, if not the most terrifying experiences of my entire life.” “That’s not surprising in the slightest,” The gruff stallion said before he reached across the table and placed a hoof atop Twilight’s. “However, you said ‘both’ earlier, meaning there’s a second thing from the empire that’s been on your mind. I assume it’s something to do with Sombra?” With a sigh, Twilight slowly shook her head side to side. “No. It’s about something I’ve told very few about.” The violet mare swallowed once more before she turned her eyes back to Barrier’s. “After you… killed Sombra, I followed a lead to the Crystal Heart which led me to a door with an enchantment on it. Going through the door forced me to see a vision of my worst fears and it wasn’t Sombra, Nightmare Moon, the near death experiences I’d had before, or what could happen if we failed, but it was Princess Celestia being angry at me for failing her. “That vision of her being so upset with me was something that stood out in my mind for quite some time, Barrier. Even when I was standing beside her at the gala or when we went to fight Discord, it still lingered… I think this is part of the reason I cast the want-it, need-it spell on my doll, because I so badly didn’t want to fail her.” “Twilight…” Barrier said as he gave the violet mare’s hoof a light squeeze. “I’m certain Celestia would be proud of you after all you’ve accomplished in less than a single year. That being said, this sounds like something you should talk to her about.” “That’s another part of this, Barrier.” Twilight swallowed once more and the dark unicorn felt her lightly shake. “I did talk to her about this. And what she told me was… not what I was expecting.” *** The afternoon sun was bright in Canterlot as Twilight sat upon a large purple cushion in the princess’s private chamber with the alabaster alicorn laid before her. “—so… I think that’s why I thought casting that spell on Smartypants was a good ide—” The violet mare was unable to finish her sentence as she was suddenly pulled into a tight embrace by Princess Celestia, the larger mare’s forelegs and wings wrapping around her. “Twilight… I’m so sorry.” The violet mare was surprised to hear the slight trembling in the princess’s soothing voice as she felt her back being gently stroked. “I had no idea you were putting so much pressure on yourself to please me.” “Well, Equestria has often been on the line,” Twilight’s voice was partly muffled by the princess’s plush coat. “And your school is the most respected school for unicorns in the entire kingdom.” “Twilight…” the princess sighed as she slowly pulled away. “You don’t need to push yourself so hard for me. Equestria won’t fall apart if you can’t come up with a friendship lesson every week or things like that. And I’m sorry that I’ve put you and you friends in danger so many times to save Equestria from the various threats we’ve faced.” The princess’s horn glowed with magenta light that appeared around her crown before it lifted off of her head and gently floated over to a nearby ponyquin. “You don’t need to try so hard to be perfect for me.” A sad chuckle came from Celestia’s throat as her peytral rose from her neck and joined the crown on the ponyquin. “Especially since I’m far from perfect myself.” “Princess, there’s no need for you to be modes—” Twilight was silenced by Celestia holding a now shoeless hoof in front of her face. “A good ruler should be modest, Twilight, as well as being keenly aware of their flaws,” Celestia said as she stepped out of her remaining golden shoes and laid down before the violet unicorn, now completely bare. “Twilight, did you know that while freeing Gallopfrey, I killed three-hundred and eighty six griffins?” The princess’s tone sent a slight chill down Twilight’s spine. Something about how she spoke of it seemed wrong, as if she were listening to a dark confession. “Well, yes, but that was a time of war and you were acting like a soldier to—” “No, I wasn’t,” the princess interrupted, stunning the unicorn mare. “I didn’t act as a soldier when I arrived in Gallopfrey. I killed them in rage. I was enraged at the various failures I’d had over the months. Over failing to save Luna, failing to prevent Captain Flash from slaughtering thestrals en masse because of my grieving and failure to end the war sooner. “When I arrived on the island, I was filled with a rage that made incinerating those griffins frighteningly easy.” Twilight was shocked and clasped her hooves over her mouth as she heard the princess talk of her actions with such disgust. “I killed even those that dropped their weapons and surrendered. They begged for their lives or tried to flee in terror while I let my anger flow freely. I carved my way to Grimhilde, bound her in blistering hot chains and took her directly to King Alarick’s castle. I dropped her at his feet after destroying the gates to his palace and blasting down the doors to his throne room.” Were Twilight not laying on her belly, she would have stumbled back at what the princess was telling her. The only comfort she could find in Celestia’s confession was the historical knowledge that made it clear to her that by technicality, her beloved mentor wasn’t a war criminal since this was before such laws for war were made. Taking a deep breath, Celestia sadly exhaled before looking the smaller mare in the eyes. “I have many regrets in my long life, Twilight. I learned the names of every single griffin I killed on that day so that I don’t see them as faceless enemies, but people whose lives I’ve ended, whether justified or not. “Luna became Nightmare Moon because I did a poor job being the sister she needed. Sombra fell to darkness and slew many innocents in the Crystal Empire, including their royal family, because I failed to see the dark path he was treading. Sunset Shimmer gave into her ambitions and betrayed me because I taught her things before she was ready to handle them while Discord was able to get free and wreak havoc because I failed to properly secure him or best him again.” “Princess, you tried your best with all of those,” Twilight said, wishing to comfort the alicorn any way she could. “Luna, Sombra and Sunset all made their own choices in life and Discord was incredibly powerful. There’s nothing you or that dagger you tried to use could have done.” “Twilight, my dagger is coated with a poison that causes agony proportionate to the amount of magic in its victim,” Celestia said with a stern glare at the young mare. “Had I managed to strike him with it, he would have been in more pain than a pony could fathom, allowing us a chance to seal him away provided the agony didn’t burn his mind out first.” The violet pony gasped at her mentor’s words. Hearing that she would use something so brutal to defeat Discord was shocking and she felt her stomach tying itself in knots. With a sigh, Princess Celestia’s eyes softened towards the unicorn. “I’m sorry to say this, Twilight, but I’m nowhere near as good of a pony as you think I am.” “Princess… I admit, it’s shocking to hear that you’d use such… extreme measures to deal with threats to your kingdom, but I think it’s partly because of how much you care about Equestria and are putting a lot of pressure on yourself for past mistakes and things that spiral out of your control.” Twilight fidgeted nervously with her forelegs as she looked at the princess in her amethyst eyes. “In the end, I don’t see you doing anything willfully bad or selfish.” A tense silence held in the air before, to Twilight’s shock, the princess started to chuckle. The chuckle from the princess was low and Twilight felt it sounded rather sad. “Twilight, let me ask you something,” the alabaster mare said before she leaned closer to her. “Have you heard anything about my love life over the centuries?” “Well…” Twilight found herself unable to look her mentor in the eye as she fidgeted and spoke. “I recall one of Barrier’s soldiers mentioning a rumor about you and Sombra being lovers at some point, and I recall when the Flame Crest books claimed you encouraged Captain Fireball to have an extramarital affair with you, but I stopped reading those books after such a bold-faced, disgusting bit piece of libelous—” “They’re both true.” The princess’s sudden interruption stunned Twilight and forced her to look the larger mare in the eyes. “I… I jus… what?” Twilight quietly asked as she felt her throat constrict and turn dry. “Sombra was a lover I had for many a year, Twilight. I didn’t pursue him in an official capacity due to our respective roles and the fact it would’ve caused a scandal due to his rapid rise in the ranks. Our relationship might be the reason I didn’t see what he was becoming until it was too late. “As for Captain Fireball…” Twilight saw the princess’s forelegs twitch a bit as she took a breath. “It’s true. He was married to Emerald Dawn, but I still pursued him and we became lovers outside his marriage. I encouraged him because I truly did love him and he was one of the few ponies able to bring me happiness after the loss of Luna a few decades prior. The sole reason we stopped was because he chose to break things off after his wife became pregnant.” “I… I don’t know what to say, Princess,” Twilight said as her eyes fell to her hooves. “This… this is all a lot to take in.” “Understandably so,” Celestia said before she brought a hoof to Twilight’s chin and raised her face to look her in the eye. “I know you and many others think of me as infallible, Twilight, but I have killed more than serial killers and I have failed those I care about. I’ve cost the lives of many with my failures and even encouraged a stallion to be an adulterer with me. “Twilight,” Celestia took a deep breath before she continued speaking. “You are an exceptional pony. In many ways, I'd say you're a better pony than I. Please, don't push yourself so hard to try to please me. I'm prouder of you than you could possibly imagine.” *** Barrier was rather stunned by the rather intimate secrets that Twilight had shared with him. From his spot at the table, he could only stare at the violet mare before another voice snapped him from his stupor. “So, can I take your order or…” Punch asked from her spot beside the table. “Uh, right. I’ll take the chicken sandwich with honey mustard on the sourdough bun,” Barrier replied as Twilight turned her focus to the open menu beside her. “And I offer a request that anything you overheard stays private.” “I’d like the romaine salad with extra dressing and croutons with a side of poutine,” Twilight glumly said as Punch jotted down Barrier’s order. “Chicken sandwich on sourdough with honey mustard, one romaine salad, extra sauce and croutons and a poutine. Got it,” Punch quickly replied before heading towards the kitchen window. Barrier felt Twilight moving her hoof out from under his before she spoke again. “Even learning that, I still want to do my best. Not just for her, but for all of Equestria. However, that conversation and what happened with Discord made me discover a new fear I never had before... losing my magic. “During those times, when I couldn’t use my magic like when I had a knife to my throat or when Discord made my horn vanish, I was utterly helpless. Those were times where I could have been easily killed and there was nothing I could do to stop it. After I helped Verdant and Daring with their research, I tried to minimize the amount I use magic in my life… It’s been a real struggle and I’ve been nervous about the coming Winter Wrap-Up. Because the town was founded by earth ponies, it’d feel wrong to try to use magic to help. “Still, I don’t want to feel helpless without my magic, Barrier.” Twilight slowly raised her eyes to look Barrier in his. “That’s why I’d like you to teach me about non-magical combat. In case some other threat attacks Equestria and I can’t use my magic.”