Shades of Grey

by Inquisitor M


5. Basking in the Sun

Act II
Shadows Over Canterlot

5. Basking in the Sun

It was a testament to how comfortable Twilight had grown with royal chariots that she could pace back and forth across the small deck in mid-flight. She halted when the realisation hit her, partly because it didn’t seem the most sensible thing to be doing this far off the ground, but mostly because any thought that wasn’t more brooding was a welcome change. The guards were flying faster than usual, and, watching their wings flapping in a steady rhythm, she disappeared back inside her mind.
Her thoughts had been unsettled since returning from Cloudy Top Mountain. That didn’t seem unreasonable—Rarity’s condition alone was ample cause for consternation—but there was something beneath the surface that had her distracted and a little short tempered. She’d virtually ignored Spike, and may as well have actually ignored Applejack and Fluttershy, and now she was leaving Rarity behind solely because she trusted Princess Celestia. She always wanted to see the princess, but right now, she needed to see her.
Seeing the spires of Canterlot closing in rapidly, she searched in vain for the tower that was her home not so long ago, the tower that had been her world. Living in Ponyville didn’t just mean being near her friends, it meant having Equestria under her hooves, in her ears and nostrils, and dazzling her eyes with all manner of colourful sights. But without those friends, she might as well be back in her ivory tower, watching the world go by outside her window.
Friends. She wanted to be there for them, but there was too much disquiet in her mind. The princess always had the answer; she would say, or do, something to show that everything made sense. Twilight needed that right now, and if she was very lucky, she might even get to return the favour.

( II )

“Princess Celestia requested that you proceed directly to the main audience chamber,” one of the pegasi said as the chariot landed.
She wasted no time and broke into a gallop, only to pull up again a dozen paces later. “Thank you, sirs!” she shouted back, bowing politely. The two pegasi reared up, flourishing their wings and whinnying.
Courtesy attended, Twilight was off again, leaving the plaza behind. Beyond the large, gold-embossed gates, the castle’s courtyard spread out before her. Its grey flagstones carved paths through immaculately kept lawns and flowerbeds and created circular spaces for ornate statues. The palace grounds were busy, as always; from merchants to nobility, and from tradesponies to castle staff, this is where the bulk of business was done. Twilight ignored them all, lifting up her saddlebags with magic as she dodged through the crowd toward the princess that awaited her.
Only once she passed through the main doors did she slow to a trot. Inside, she skipped the twin staircases that led to the balcony above, appearing on the upper landing with a pop and a flash of light.
There were fewer ponies up here, but they tended to be of higher station or prestige. Barley was a golden-brown earth pony representative from a farming commune. Amethyst and Sonata, tutors from the School for Gifted Unicorns, halted their discussion as she galloped past, just long enough to give her a classic disapproving-schoolteacher frown. The eldest professor from the school, Spellsong, walked with a young pupil she vaguely remembered. As she dodged past the colt, they locked eyes for a single heartbeat, but it was enough for him to register mild embarrassment at her glance.
It was also enough for her not to register a bright pink little filly walking across the end of the corridor. If it hadn’t been for the jingle of a dozen tiny bells that hung from a plaited mane of yellow and crimson stripes, she might have ploughed right into her. Instead, she leapt over the filly at the last moment, and the young earth pony erupted in an ear-piercing shriek.
Twilight skidded to a halt and turned back. She opened her mouth, but the small bundle of screaming pink left no space to speak: she maintained a constant, high-pitched barrage of sound.
“That’s enough of that, thank you, Blessing.” The voice came from one of the guards by closed doors to the audience chamber. The massive, white unicorn, resplendent in his golden armour, paced slowly towards Twilight. The screaming stopped with a squeal as he magically hoisted Blessing into the air.
Twilight watched as the guard dropped the pink filly onto his back. She seemed perfectly at ease, ignoring the guard in favour of sticking her tongue out at Twilight.
“You have permission to interrupt the princess’s meeting, Miss Sparkle,” the guard said. He gave a nod to his pegasus partner, who pushed one of the tall, double doors open.
“Umm, sorry?” Twilight said with a weak smile, still fixated on Blessing.
The filly turned away and huffed.
Shuffling quickly away with her head low, Twilight slunk through the door into the audience chamber. As always, the great hall was in pristine condition, the air was fresh and cool, and light flooded in through stained-glass windows, giving it a pleasant, airy atmosphere.
Everything was forgotten the moment she laid eyes on Celestia. She walked slowly down the carpeted aisle between the pews, studying the six ponies arrayed around the princess that looked very officious in their finely tailored jackets. Twilight didn’t recognise any of them. None of them had said a word since she entered the hall, each seeming to judge her silently instead. Twilight’s heart leapt when Celestia’s voice rang out, clear and comforting.
“Twilight Sparkle, my faithful student. It is always such a joy to see you.” The princess spread her wings, drawing the attention of the other ponies.
Twilight shivered and hesitated, forcing a smile. “Good morning, Princess.”
Celestia’s eyes narrowed. “Oh dear, I was afraid of this.” Looking across the faces of the other assembled ponies, she raised her voice. “We shall reconvene in one hour.”
The ponies filed out of the hall, fixing Twilight with a mixture of indignant and condescending glances as they went. She stood frozen to the spot until the hall emptied and the doors closed with a muted boom that echoed off the walls.
She heard the princess folding up her wings, but she couldn’t bring herself to look up. “Afraid of what, Princess?” she asked in a small voice.
“My dear Twilight, do you not think that by now I can recognise when my star pupil is worrying more than she gives away in her letters?”
That one sentence proved that the princess knew her better than any other pony did, even her closest friends. It proved that she was paying attention to her, and knew without asking that Twilight was carrying a pain she wanted solace from. More importantly, it made her feel safe, and loved, in a way that nothing else did.
“Was it that obvious?”
“Oh, yes,” Celestia said bluntly, prompting Twilight to grimace. “However, I think you have come a long way to stop so close to me.”
Twilight rushed forward, pressing herself against her beloved mentor and radiating a huge smile while hiding the wetness in her eyes.
Celestia craned her neck down, briefly returning her student’s embrace. “That’s better,” she said softly. “Now, perhaps we can find somewhere more private to talk?”

( II )

“I see,” Celestia said. “You must be very grateful.”
Time alone with the princess was special enough, but they were in one of Celestia’s most informal and comfortable lounges, so lounge she did. Twilight sprawled on a huge, plush cushion, her back legs stretched lazily to one side and her front legs crossed casually, but her head was up and her eyes bright and focused.
“Yes, but, I haven’t told her yet. Things were so hectic and I was so frustrated and stressed. Then I came here and… I just didn’t find the time. Even when I walked right past her, I just didn’t think...”
Celestia’s expression didn’t flinch. “I’m sure she will understand. You have all been very busy, after all.”
Decorated as sumptuously as any other private room in the castle, their cosy little room was themed with the colours of a romantic sunset: cushions and drapes in vivid reds, gold filigree anywhere it would fit, paintings and adornments in a dozen shades of orange and yellow. Celestia stood in the centre of the room, just far enough from Twilight to mitigate the difference in eye level. While she projected her usual serenity, her refusal to sit or relax maintained a formal veneer.
“You’re right, Princess. Would you mind sending Spike a letter if I write one for Applejack anyway? I feel like I left a lot of things behind.”
“Of course, Twilight. It would be my pleasure. However, you are aware that I asked you here to talk about Stormcloud and his release. I have many other engagements to attend to after this, so please excuse me if I hurry this along.
“I believe it would be best for me to tell you what I know first. A very long time ago, there was an earth pony named Stormcl—”
“Wait! Did you just say an earth pony? The one I met was definitely a unicorn. It was kind of noticeable.”
“That’s correct, but he was born an earth pony. I received a strange report that a colt had inexplicably grown a unicorn’s horn. At first, I admit, I assumed the report was in error. Such a thing had never happened before, and to my knowledge, has never happened again.
“One of my officers confirmed the report, so I went to take a look myself. If I had not known otherwise, he would have been indistinguishable from any other unicorn. He was angry and shy, not least because he was being teased for not having a cutie mark, but many ponies were frightened by his unnatural change, and he quickly learned to use his new abilities to defend himself.
“I knew right then that I would have to take him away from his home. It was the only way to give him a chance at learning to use his magic for good, but I also wanted to keep him near me so that my advisors and I might study the phenomenon. It is to my great disappointment that I failed to connect with him, however. Under the guidance of several teachers, Stormcloud demonstrated incredible power, but a disturbing lack of control. Always he wanted more, pushing himself beyond his limits, but whenever we tried to teach him patience he quickly grew frustrated.”
Twilight had been frowning since the moment Celestia said ‘earth pony’. “Princess? If he was already older than most fillies and colts are when they get their cutie marks, wouldn’t that explain why he lacked control? I’m amazed anypony could suddenly start using magic like that. It took me years to cast even basic spells with any confidence.”
“I thought so, too,” Celestia said. “But the question of why he could do it at all was more pressing. I had my concerns about the amount of power he could wield, and sadly, my concerns proved well founded.”
“Right! Stormcloud said he lost control of his magic and started hurting ponies. Who did he hurt?”
Celestia’s sigh was barely audible, but her pause punctuated the point just as well. “Not who, my student, but how many.”
Twilight couldn’t get the memory of Spike’s terrified eyes out of her mind.
What kind of pony would it take to prize power over control? How much damage could somepony like that really do? Or even… somepony like me...
“Twilight?”
The unicorn looked up, shaken from her thoughts. “How—how many? How many was it?”
“A few accidents here are there are first, but nothing serious. Stormcloud would get angry or frustrated and lash out. I believe that it was never his intention, but it was certainly his nature. He started calling it his ‘curse’, which I thought a little melodramatic, but he never got his cutie mark, so I couldn’t deny that he was obviously different.
“I think he lost a part of himself when he lost control. It is not unusual for a pony that has been mistreated to dream of being strong, but when he could no longer control his magic, I think that part of him simply gave up on being the pony he wanted to be.”
“I saw that. He was ashamed of himself, but... it didn’t stop him doing the things he did. It didn’t stop him…”
“What?”
The tone was unfamiliar to Twilight’s ear. It wasn’t often that she was so reticent with her mentor, so it took a few moments to force herself to continue. “He... He controlled her! Fluttershy, of all ponies! He chose her. Put things in her dreams. I saw them! I saw the fear in her eyes! Why couldn’t he have done it to me? I’m the one he needed anyway. I can take it! Why couldn’t he have done that to me as well?”
She stopped abruptly, pulling her legs in hug herself in the silence. “To Fluttershy… it’s just not fair.”
Celestia padded forwards and knelt next to the huge cushion, coming face to face with Twilight. “I knew you were holding on to something, Twilight. I thought it was because of what Stormcloud had done to you. I have never been more pleased to be wrong. To see you so distraught because of your friend—to want nothing more than to hold that burden in her place…”
Twilight shut her eyes and shied away.
“Twilight Sparkle, look at me.”
She obliged, tears starting to fall as she pried open her eyes.
“I don’t think I have ever been more proud of you.”
For a moment it seemed absurd to be praised after ignoring Fluttershy the night before, but the stray thought alone conjured the mare’s smiling face. No, Fluttershy would be proud of her too. Fluttershy would want this moment for Twilight. She edged forward and nuzzle Celestia’s face gently, feeling her return the gesture.
There was a knock at the door and Twilight felt a rush of cool air against her face as Celestia turned away. The princess paused instead of answering, then turned back and reciprocated her nuzzle with more force. It lasted only a few short moments, each heartbeat bringing increased pressure and a ferocity of emotion that words could never have matched: This is our moment. This is special.
But it had to end.
“Enter,” said Celestia, standing so that her body would shield Twilight from whoever was outside.
The door swung open with military precision, and behind it stood the massive unicorn guard that Twilight had encountered earlier, a pair of saddlebags floating overhead. “Princess, we found Twilight Sparkle’s saddlebags in the lobby.”
With a jingling of bells, Blessing ran into the room under his legs, spotting Twilight from her low vantage point.
“She scared me!” Blessing squeaked in her high-pitched voice, scowling and trying her best to look indignant.
Twilight watched as her mentor stepped to one side without answering the challenge. It was often her way to let Twilight do that for herself. “Hello little... Blessing was it? My name is—”
“Twilight Sparkle!”
Twilight recoiled at the outburst, but as she watched, the hardness of the filly’s face melted away.
“Why are you crying, Twilight Sparkle?”
Twilight began to smile. “Something happened to a friend of mine, something that upset me. I’m really sorry about jumping over you earlier, but I didn’t realise just how much I wanted to talk to Princess Celestia. I was in too much of a hurry.”
“Blessing, I would like to talk to Twilight privately, please.”
The little filly turned towards the door, then back to Twilight, and finally to Celestia, giving her a deep frown.
“What is it, Blessing?”
“Does Twilight Sparkle need a hug?”
Celestia chuckled and gave Twilight a conspiratorial wink. “You know, I believe she does.”
Blessing bounced up onto the cushion with an accompanying jingle, wrapping her little legs around Twilight with the sort of unrestrained intensity she had grown accustomed to from a somewhat larger pink pony. As the little muzzle pushed behind her ear, she found herself pulling a leg free to return the embrace. Blessing gave Twilight a foalish kiss on the side of her head and bolted for the door. With even more jingling than ever, she darted back between the legs of the guard that still stood in the hall and vanished from sight.
“Please leave those on the floor, Swordmane.”
With the glow of Swordmane’s magic, the door closed with the same forceful precision with which it had opened. Twilight waited for Celestia to return to the middle of the room before she spoke. “Princess, who was that? I mean, Blessing. Is she with that guard?”
“I am afraid I’m sworn to secrecy on that subject,” she said with a playful smile. “But perhaps if you were to ask her yourself? All I can say is that for now, she has the run of the castle. As long as she wears the bells.”
“All right then,” Twilight said with a slight raise of one eyebrow, as she wiped away the last of her tears. “So, you were saying that Stormcloud had given up.”
“Yes. He retreated from speaking to anypony in case something terrible happened. I’m not sure how she did it, but it was Luna that convinced Stormcloud to open up again, but even she could do nothing to stop his self-destructive spiral. Eventually, when somepony discovered where he was hiding, dozens of fearful ponies went after him. Seventeen ponies were injured, and three of those did not survive.”
Twilight froze. It was as much as she could do to realise her jaw was hanging wide open, and shut it.
“Luna put great effort into trying to help Stormcloud. He demanded she cut off his horn. For a while, it worked, but it always grew back. However, it did give Luna time to create a spell that would strip him of his power as long as he remained within it.”
“Is that what was keeping him in Cloudy Top Mountain?”
“Nothing keeps him there except his own free will. That is why my sister has gone to speak with him and assess his situation.”
Twilight chewed her lip a moment. “What about the other strange things that were going on? Pinkie Pie and Rainbow Dash started acting weird before we even got there. Even Applejack’s memory was affected once we got inside.”
“All in good time, my dear student. Stormcloud was more miserable than ever. Even Luna grew tired of fighting him, and eventually we agreed to create a seal that would lock him away until we had a real solution to the problem; it seemed only a matter of time before there would be another accident, and neither her nor I could not stand idly by and await the inevitable.
“A few weeks after the spell had been completed, those clouds you saw at the mountain’s peak appeared, so it became necessary to ward the mountain against anypony who might investigate. We had to make Equestria forget about Stormcloud until we were ready, for everypony’s safety. The spell that affected your friends had kept prying eyes away from that place all of this time. Only those with a specific reason to be there, who made it to the centre, were spared its effects.
“From your report, I believe that the spell he cast on Fluttershy allowed her to go there without distraction. As for you and your friends, I suspect that only the power of friendship held you together. You should be proud.”
Twilight beamed. “Yes, Princess, I am—especially of Rarity. I knew something was wrong back in that tunnel, but now that I realise what was going on... she stood by me from the very first moment I told her anything was wrong, even when it started hurting her. I know you said she was going to be okay, but…”
“I understand, Twilight. I am sorry this conversation had to happen right away, but there is something I want you to understand: I still do not hold Stormcloud personally responsible for what he did. He is dangerous, however, and I believe it was the right choice at the time to seal him away. It may yet be necessary again.
“For centuries we never found any indication of what the cause of his condition might be, and then…”
Twilight shivered as Celestia trailed off. There was only one thing that could garner such a reaction. “Nightmare Moon.”
“Yes,” Celestia said, finding her stride again. “I am afraid that without Luna, one pony’s plight became lost in the running of Equestria. He was supposed to be in hibernation this whole time. If his power has continued to grow unchecked then there is very real danger. I take comfort from the fact that he still regrets hurting ponies. Luna is the only one truly capable of understanding him right now.”
She hadn’t had to say it. Nopony could know what Luna had experienced in her thousand years locked away as Nightmare Moon. If Luna had been closest to Stormcloud all that time ago, she was the most qualified by far to gain insight into his mind now.
“How is she? How is Luna, I mean?”
“Stronger than you think,” Celestia said with a wry smile. If Twilight didn’t love how her mentor was always thinking one step ahead, she might have found it annoying. “Now that you understand my concerns about Stormcloud’s release, is there anything you care to add to your report?”
Twilight sat up straight on her pillow. “He did say things were worse. I had no idea what he meant, but now I think he was confirming what you’re worried about. Also, he said something had woken him up from his dream and it became a nightmare. He said he was terrified, but if he hadn’t told me what he’d done, I would never have guessed that he’d made me do it—it felt so serene. When he tricked me into transporting us all back to Ponyville, it was completely different. It was so... harsh. Wild and hard to control, just like you made him sound. It was like I felt two completely different ponies.”
“Twilight. I have several research teams working on this problem, and I would appreciate it if you would speak with them. I am sure your input would prove extremely valuable to their work. In the meantime, I must get back to my postponed meeting.”
The princess waited several seconds, and when Twilight offered nothing more, she magically pulled open the door and walked over to it. She turned back to address Twilight one last time. “Do not rush yourself. After all, I think you have some letters to write don’t you? I do not want to see you in the audience hall until you feel absolutely ready. Is that understood?”
“Yes, Princess!”
With a simple smile, Celestia paced out of the room and closed the door.
Twilight flopped down onto her over-sized cushion, her enthusiasm evaporating rapidly. Just a little nap to refresh myself.

( II )

Spike:

The little dragon woke up to a familiar tingling sensation, then belched loudly. A scroll appeared and dropped onto the bed sheet in front of him—Rarity’s sheet, on Rarity’s bed.
He surveyed the room. It was bright, the mid-morning sun streaming in through the open window. Rarity’s bed was empty, and his tray of food from the night before was gone.
Rubbing the sleep from his eyes, he picked up the scroll and noticed a second, hastily written note that lay on the bed.


Spike,

Gone to Canterlot.

R.
xx



She was gone, and he’d slept through it. He barely even cracked a smile when he noticed the kisses on the end of the note. He’d waited, and she was gone.
Clutching his stomach as it suddenly tensed, he belched up another scroll, and then another. He almost voiced an off-the-cuff complaint about sending scrolls so close together, but then he remembered there was nopony to complain to.
Picking up the first scroll, he opened it, knowing it would be from Twilight.


Spike,

Sorry I didn’t write to you yesterday. Things were a lot more
complicated than I expected when I got here. Fortunately, I
managed to catch up on a lot of sleep and spent some time with
Princess Celestia. Please pass the next two scrolls on to
Applejack and Fluttershy for me.

I owe you one. Count on it.

Yours,

Twilight Sparkle.


Despite the lead weight in his belly, the note made him feel somehow lighter. She could still be annoyingly forgetful when she was focused on something, but there was no doubt that Twilight was growing up and becoming more responsible. He got to watch it first hand, and he loved it almost as much as he loved her. His other favourite unicorn.