Of course I know it's only the unicorns! I'm not stupid!
That was probably what Twilight was expecting to hear once they told Celestial about this "new" clue. She heavily despised disobeying her former mentor by putting her nose in places where she doesn't belong. Unfortunately for her, her friends were persistent to tell.
But who knows? Maybe this is a clue that Celestia didn't know, and if Twilight and her friends can notice details that Celestia didn't... then maybe...
No. She told me to rest, and that's exactly what I'm going to do. Twilight firmly told herself. Then she looked around the Canterlot castle... and she kept thinking about the newspapers that Rarity brought with them. But it's easier said than done.
Rarity, who noticed Twilight looking down, wrapped a hoof around her neck in a sympathetic manner. "Don't worry, Twilight. Even if she dismisses the clue, at least you're trying to help the cause, even if you can't go."
But Twilight didn't feel moved by her words. "I think that's the problem..."
As they neared the throne room, Spike's head perked up, suddenly alert. He ran ahead and reached the closed doors. After listening what was inside, Spike looked at the two ponies with a worried expression.
Confused, Twilight and Rarity eavesdropped by putting their ears on the cold, metal door. They heard shouting and outcries from the room. Twilight fought the urge to slam the doors open and demand what was going on, but what was stopping her was the audible protests she can hear.
"Unicorns are disappearing all across Equestria and so far, you're doing nothing!" a male pony spoke in outrage. Twilight quickly recognized the voice of Fancy Pants, and he's most likely talking to Celestia about the same problem.
But she definitely knows about our "new" clue. Twilight thought. Normally she would immediately leave without any hesitation, but something inside told her she should stay... and so she did. Hopefully I won't get in trouble.
"Why don't you send Twilight and her friends? They are perfectly capable of stopping crime than you could ever be in a thousand moons!" Twilight heard a female pony speak in an outraged manner.
"For all we know, these ponynappers may capture children next!" Twilight recognized the worried voice of Mayor Mare.
"Everyone, please! I know the situation is bad, but—" Celestia tried it explaining, but she was interrupted by another cry of outrage.
"We know the situation is bad! Everyone in Equestria knows, and it's about time you do something about it!" The same female voice argued.
"Yeah! It's been happening for at least a month, yet so far these crimes haven't stopped!" Mayor Mare agreed.
Rarity backed away from the doors and walked to the direction of the exit. "Maybe we should come back a little later. She seems to be busy at the moment..."
But Twilight remained still. She looked back at Rarity in a determined expression. "I need to step in."
Before Rarity and Spike could stop her, Twilight slammed the doors open with her magic. Once she did, all of the ponies inside looked at her in confusion. Especially Princess Celestia. Twilight suddenly felt regret rise in her body.
"Twilight! What are you doing here?" The ruler asked in a confused manner.
Despite the regret she's now feeling, she managed to walk over to Celestia with her head high. She tried to ignore the three pairs of eyes that were staring at her from behind.
"I wanted to talk to you." She told Celestia. She tried her best to not make her voice squeak from fear.
"And so do we." Spike added as he and Rarity rushed inside, as they arrived, they stood by Twilight's side, as if in a way to protect the purple alicorn for Celestia's upcoming anger.
"Finally! Someone is about to do something with this matter!" Fancy Pants spoke approvingly, with Mayor Mare, and the female pony nodding in apporval.
Ignoring them, Celestia looked down to face Twilight. "What are you doing here? I'm a little busy at the moment." she said.
"We can tell. But we also want to share our concerns about the crimes too." Rarity replied. She quickly wrapped her hoof around Twilight's neck, much to the latter's shock. "We want to help!" Rarity exclaimed.
Celestia looked stunned by her request. The Princess turned to see the three outraged ponies stare at her in unamusement.
"Leave it to the Elements of Harmony to deal with the crimes for Princess Celestia." The female pony rolled her eyes.
"Couldn't agree more, Florence." Fancy Pants agreed. Mayor Mare, on the other hand, looked sympathetic.
Celestia looked down at Rarity in disapproval. "This is not the best time."
Rarity looked dismayed. "When is the best time to offer help?"
"When I'm not busy with protestors." Celestia answered. Celestia turned her head to face a guard, who was at her side the entire time. "Can you escort these ponies outside for a moment? I want to discuss with these three alone."
The guard nodded. He got out of his position and went up to the spectating ponies.
"Where are you taking us?" Florence asked in disapproval.
"Outside. Celestia will discuss with you three in a moment." The guard responded briskly.
Once the they were out the door, Celestia looked down at Twilight in disapproval. "I thought I said that I can deal with the matter myself. You need to rest after you've been through the trouble with that village."
Starting to feel annoyed, Twilight couldn't fight the urge to facehoof. "Celestia, Starlight wasn't even close to the likes of Chrysalis and Tirek. Those two were harder to beat yet I was fine and ready the next day."
"But it makes me feel like you're doing all the work for me when I'm supposed to be the protector of Equestria." Celestia argued. Her eyes were now widened with worry. "Even if you are a Princess who can do just fine on your own, I'm always worried whenever you try to stop these villains. I should've been the one to stop Starlight this time."
"But they were called by the Map!" Spike decided to step in. "The Map decided to send the six of them. Not you."
"But I could've stopped her from escaping." Celestia pointed out. "Now she could be hiding in 'me knows where'. Or so that's how you say it."
"But she's just a unicorn. She doesn't seem like a mythical creature." Twilight argued.
"Can we talk about Starlight and the village later? That's not the reason we're here." Rarity told the two in a firm voice.
After the awkward silence, Celestia sighed as she rose from her throne. "Twilight, I get that you and your friends want to help. I really do. But not only do you need a break from fighting crime, but ponies are starting to question my authority as a protector now. If I want their trust back, I have to fix this crime myself. You doing the job for me will only make things worse."
Twilight could only stand by in utter silence, and so did Rarity and Spike. The three looked confused at one another. She never acted like this before...
"Celestia, I know a way to really help—" Twilight tried to reason with her, but she was only met with slammed doors.