"He captured my vessel and spared my life for one reason: so I would know his pain. He beamed me here so I could observe his vengeance. As he was helpless to save his planet, I would be helpless to save mine."
-Spock, Star Trek
Awkward. Stifled. Stilted. Uneasy.
All of these words could have been used to describe the first meeting between Twilight and Celestia since the alicorn of the star's departure from Equestria. Each described the situation the two found themselves in... yet they were all poorly chosen as none of them conveyed the full ramifications of this reunion.
The past, the present and the future all collided together in that moment and left the two blind, deaf and dumb. Time lost all meaning and the world dropped away as the two looked upon each other and remembered.
There was the giddy foal, so excited to learn magic that her normally reserved emotions bubbled forth and she bounced in the air in utter glee, squealing and giggling.
There was the mentor who had not trained a student in a hundred years, looking upon her new student and remembering another dark-coated filly who showed such joy at learning beside the solar princess. Celestia had sworn not to make the same mistakes with Twilight as she had with Luna. She would be both stern and kind, not letting the little one weasel her way out of obeying the rules... and then offering a hug even when the filly assured her she was fine. She would watch and she would teach... and she would never let her control become lax.
The same mistakes were not repeated but the same results came all the same. A student, a friend and a mare Celestia saw as more of a daughter than a student; Twilight was all of these. And yet as she grew the pressure that Celestia placed upon her became too great. The tests and the hidden agendas became to taxing for her soul to bear. Not that Twilight was innocent in this; her hero worship and her fear of disappointing those she cared about prevented her from fully being honest with her teacher. Where others might have lashed out and thus worked through their anger, Twilight bottled it up, letting it condense into raw hate.
And then Doubt had come.
Doubt. Celestia's failure. Twilight's salvation. The black alicorn, who had led so many ponies to move against her and her rule... it had been him that had exposed it all. It was Doubt, just as much a chessmaster as her, who had set his sights on Twilight. But while Celestia used tests and secret examinations and white lights to mold Twilight, Doubt was honest: he would give her power and strength in exchange for her aid.
Twilight had fallen, descending into dark magic and later becoming the dark alicorn, and with that all of Celestia's moves and decisions had been cast into the cold light of day. Her actions took on a sinister tone and she appeared to be a ruler who cared little for her 'pawns' and used Twilight purely to aid herself and her final goals.
As Celestia stared at the strong alicorn mare that stood across the street from her she wondered if she should hate Doubt for stealing her student away or thank him for taking her place in Twilight's life.
Things had changed. What they had been before was gone. The Twilight Celestia had known was lost to her forever and it would only be in vain to hope that the little filly who had hung on her every word would ever return. And yet Celestia could not find it within herself to mourn this loss; was it not the wish of every teacher to have their student move on, to grow enough that they could leave the classroom and succeed? Wasn't that the greatest success? As Celestia looked upon Twilight she wanted to smile, for she saw that within the lavender mare there was the potential to match, if not go beyond, all that Celestia had once been.
The former solar princess merely wished that Twilight would let her take on a new role, any role, in the life she was carving out for herself. That would be the worst of it... to have to see Twilight journey past her and be unable to join her in the sunshine, to be stuck in the shadows and be merely a watcher...
"Twilight Sparkle?" Luna whispered, finally noticing the new arrival and cutting off Celestia's inner thoughts. "Can... can this be real?" Luna slowly made a move to cross the road but Shining Armor was already shoving his sister towards the house, shaking his head.
"Not here... too many eyes."
Celestia managed to nod. "Yes... yes you are right. Come in... with have much to discuss, I suppose."
Twilight didn't say a word.
~MC~MC~MC~
"Sleeping well?"
Trixie grimaced as she attempted to open her eyes. There was gunk clinging to her lashes and her mane felt greasy to the touch. She felt dirty and disgusting and she wanted to do nothing more than to soak in a tub for the next 15 hours until her limbs turned to jelly.
"You know, you might sleep better if you actually used the bed," her 'alarm clock' said with a gentle smile. "That's why it is there."
"Queen Buttershy."
"Fluttershy," the mare said softly.
"Whatever." Trixie got to her feet and stretched. Though she acted like a pampered pony princess Trixie had long grown used to sleeping in strange places and making do with less. The road was not an easy one and without her wagon she had been forced to sleep out in the wild under the stars. Thought she would never admit it, part of the reason she had slept on the floor was because the bed was simply too soft; her body had become use to the hard dirt.
It was mostly for that... and not because she wanted to be closer to the gray alicorn with the funny accent that laid in the cell next to hers.
"Aren't you interested in why I am here?" Fluttershy asked as Trixie leaned back, craning her neck until the bones in her spine popped back into place.
Trixie let out a dainty snort. "If it were any other pony Trixie would assume torture was on the menu, but since it is you Trixie figures you just want to talk."
The yellow alicorn frowned. "Yes... the torture. I see Sweetie Belle and her guards were very giving when it came to beatings." To Trixie's surprise Fluttershy's horn glowed and the door to her cell opening, letting the blue unicorn step out of her confinement for the first time in 3 weeks. "I wish they hadn't done that."
Trixie let out a gasp as she laid eyes on Faith's prone form. She had briefly seen him when he had been marched into the dungeon but that had been a fleeting glance. Now she could see him in full detail and she couldn't help but wonder how any pony to go through what he had and have the strength to comfort her. The magician knew that he had been healing since the attack but it still looked as if his body were a wreck; he was covered in bruises and silver ichor stained his dark mane.
"He can't hear you," Fluttershy said as she opened the door to Faith's cell. "No pony can. I am shielding us both. Everypony is asleep and will remain so when I leave. I wanted to talk to you alone, without interference."
Trixie walked over to Faith and ran her hoof along his barrel. The silver alicorn winced in his sleep but remained still, his one foreleg still extended in an attempt to remain in contact with her.
"Why are you doing this to us?" Trixie whispered.
"Because you won't work with us," Fluttershy said simply. "We just want to make Equestria better and all of you keep fighting us."
"You don't want to make it better," Trixie said darkly. "You want to make us all your slaves."
"Only because you won't accept harmony into your heart." Fluttershy looked down at the magician, her eyes weary and tired. "I don't want to do any of this. I don't want to hurt you and I don't want to hurt Doubt."
"Faith," Trixie reminded the yellow alicorn. "His name is Faith."
Fluttershy blinked before shaking her head. "Yes, of course... I don't know why I said that." She walked over to join Trixie and, to the stagepony's utter amazement, the once bashful mare leaned down and kissed Faith's forehead. His body glowed for a moment and then he was still, his wounds all healed. "It breaks my heart to see what is happening to Equestria. If I could have things the way they have always been then I would but that will never happened."
"Why not?" Trixie said, refusing to drop the issue. "You want to rule, fine! I don't care if you are in charge or Celestia or Iron Will! Just keep things the way they were!"
"But they weren't good the way they were," Fluttershy reminded her. "There was pain and suffering and ponies were sad... they lied and they were cruel and selfish-"
"That is life! Life isn't always peaceful and wonderful! Sometimes things get messy but it is our job to make things better!"
"Even when you don't have the desire to do so?" Fluttershy said boldly. "I've seen so many mean ponies in my life... so many of them have abused me and taunted me and made me cry... none of them wanted to change. They just wanted to make the world a worse place." She shook her head sadly. "We are working to make life better for every pony. Are there growing pains? Of course. When are there not pains in life? But the end result will be so wonderful that all will be forgiven."
"So the ends justify the means?" Trixie countered. There was something about seeing the broken for of the silver alicorn that gave Trixie the strength to speak her mind. "It is ok to hurt others... to have Trixie locked up like this and to beat Faith as long as it makes things better!" She paused, giving Fluttershy a dirty look. "Oh, Trixie apologizes... you don't want the pain to happen but if it does, oh well!"
"No pony complained when Discord was turned to stone," Fluttershy said. "No pony minds it when things grow dark and bad things happen when it isn't them. Yes, I have locked you in a cell... but I could have killed you. I showed you mercy and I think you should show me a bit of thanks!" Fluttershy glared at Trixie and the magician found herself turning away, unable to meet her gaze.
"What... what do you want from me?" Trixie stammered.
Fluttershy let out a sigh, her shoulders slumped as if the weight of the world were on her shoulders. "I want you to help get Faith to see that our way is better and he needs submit himself to our will."
"What?" Trizie said, puzzlement written all over her features.
"Faith's mind is too twisted for us to bless him with the grace of harmony. He would fight us and in the end he would be destroyed... we can't allow that. He is Twilight's element and he has to be cleansed if we have any hope of elevating her properly and making her a queen. The only way to get Faith to do this is if he is willing. Right now, he is stubborn and clings to the silly idea that he is fighting the good fight. So... that is why we need you."
"You... you want me to betray him like that? You want me to be some double agent that tricks him into becoming your puppet?"
"I want you to help save his life," Fluttershy stated. "My friends aren't going to be as kind as I am... their elements can allow more cruelty than mine. I balance them but I can't do so forever. Soon they will decide to treat Faith like Discord and he will fall... and I don't want that." She flashed Trixie a delighted smile. "And, of course, when you do what I ask... you will have proven that you are willing to embrace harmony... I will see you freed and you may go wherever you want. Every pony wins."
Trixie glared at the queen. "You are threatening him."
"O-of course not! I would never-"
"You are," Trixie told her. "Not directly, but via your friends. You... you could stop them. You could fight for him! But instead you just let them do your dirty work and hide behind the guise of being a kind ruler." She sneered. "You're the worst of them all."
Fluttershy's face darkened. "I do what I do for the greater good... and sometimes to be kind to many you must be cruel to one. As long as Doubt is around others will suffer, such as yourself. I am trying to save him too... but soon the needs of the many will outweigh him and... and my kindness will have to be to save him from a slow death." She turned, flipping her mane behind her. "Maybe you should decide if you want to be part of this world... or the sole pony that stands against all of existence." Fluttershy's horn glowed and she lifted Trixie up and deposited her back into her cell, slamming the door shut. "Please choose soon... before the other queens get tired of waiting."
~MC~MC~MC~
"It's been horrible," Celestia said softly. The group was gathered around her dining room table, sipping glasses of water and trying to pretend that this was nothing more than a casual get together.
"I can only imagine," Spitfire said, her wings flapping slightly in agitation.
"No offense, but you really can't."
"I can," Twilight said softly. "Discord took away my horn... he made me like you are right now. I never felt so scared in all my life. it felt like a piece of me was gone... it must be torture for you."
Luna glared at the star alicorn. "You think that is all we care about? You believe us so petty and spoiled that it is our POWER that we mourn?"
Shining was shocked by the venom in the princess' words and quickly spoke in defense of his sister. "Princess Luna, I don't-"
"They make us watch," Luna hissed. "Your friends, the queens. They could have easily killed us or exiled us or turned us into their puppets. We could have handled such a fate... sometimes we dream of such a destiny." Tears stuck Luna's eyes as she spoke, struggling to contain herself. She kept fluctuating between the ancient Canterlot dialect and modern Equestrian. "Does thou not understand? They placed us here in this pretty little cage like two song birds, forced to watch the world and be unable to turn away."
Celestia reached over and in a display of kindness that was so rare for her to give in public, she held her baby sister in a tight hug and allowed her to sob. "We've had to watch all they have done to our subjects. We have been powerless as they convert the innocent and enforce their laws. Every day we are forced to sit and observe the perversion of harmony by five that we trusted and loved. What is the use of magic or a pair of wings or the strength to move the moon and sun when it comes to combating such horrors? Even if we held all our old powers and remained trapped we would cry... we would cry for Equestria."
"I... I never thought..." Twilight stammered.
Celestia sighed, stroking her sister's mane. "It is not your fault my faithful student. I do not know if even the queens realize what they have done."
Spike shook his head. "None of that matters, though! We are here to spring you!"
The Doctor nodded. "Quite right. We will get you back to our hideout and...well, I honestly don't know what we will do next."
"Faith," Shining said firmly. "He said he has the power to elevate a pony into an alicorn, remember? I bet he can turn you back to normal."
"I bet he would," a new voice called out, laughter tickling every letter. The team and the sisters turned, falling into defensive positions at the sight of the intruder.
"Rainbow Dash," Twilight said, trying to keep the tremble out of her voice. It was one thing to see her transformed friends in a dream or hear about their crimes from her brother; to see one of them floating above her was another thing entirely.
Rainbow was the least changed of the queens. her hair was a bit longer, though no more longer than Twilight's had been before her ascension. The tomboy's body had always been lean so her transformation into a long-legged alicorn did little to alter her overall form. Her wings were longer and the horn that jutted out of her head was new, but for the most part it was the same old cocky Rainbow Dash Twilight has always known.
That made the situation all the worst.
"Hey Twilight!" Rainbow Dash said, warping beside her friend. Twilight shivered, remembering how Discord had moved about in much the same way. "Wow, kinda weird to see you smaller than me. I mean, I just have this image in my head of you being as big as I am and now you look like a filly!" Rainbow Dash ruffled Twilight's mane playfully. "And whoa, look at you, Spike! You went through a growth spurt!"
"Well, I-Hey!" Spike's scrunched his face up in anger, his eyes flashing as he took a step forward. "You aren't going to trick me!"
"Why would I trick ya?" Rainbow Dash said, warping over to stand by the Doctor. She leaned on him, using his back to support her right foreleg while she pressed her hoof to her chin in an utterly thoughtful manner. "Unless you are talking about pranks... I'll tell ya, this horn makes pranks so much more fun!"
"Like the 'pranks' you pulled on the Wonderbolts, you sick monster!" Spitfire shouted.
"Whoa, calm down there!" Rainbow laughed, warping over to Spitfire and tugging on her wings, making the flyer yelp. Before she could retaliate Rainbow was already back in front of Twilight. "Man, you rebellion ponies are so lame! Maybe I should open your eyes-"
Twilight's horn flared and she took a step forward. "Rainbow Dash... you might be bigger than me but I doubt you are as skilled as I am with magic." Her eyes went monochrome and the stars that dotted her mane began to streak down her locks. "Don't make me test my theory."
"Ok, ok, geez!" Rainbow Dash held up her hooves in protest. "No need to freak out, dark magic mare! I just came to tell you two things: first, Faith is kinda tied up at the moment, so i don't think he will be able to give Celestia and Luna a shot of vitamin alicorn."
"What do you-" Shining began, only for Twilight to cut him off.
"And what else did you want to tell me?"
Rainbow began to float about their heads lazily. "You are totally trapped here now, so you should forget about breaking Celestia and Luna out." Rainbow smirked. "The girls will be here in a day or two and then we are going to combined our magic and free you from whatever dark magic corruption ya got going on, Twi. Then, once you are thinking clearly and get on the bandwagon, you can help us totally get every pony on the harmony-"
Rainbow was fast. Very fast.
But in that moment, Twilight's magic was faster.
The cyan mare cried out as white and black magic raced along her skin, sizzling her nerves and sending her crashing.
"Stay here," Twilight said, flaring out her wings as she walked towards the hole she'd made in the wall by slamming Rainbow Dash through it.
The blue alicorn slowly got out, a pissed off look gracing her features. "Twi... I haven't forgotten our last dance in that night club. I love you... but I think I owe you a few knocks."
"Rainbow Dash? Let me say this in a way you'll understand." Twilight smirked. "Princess Celestia...put on a good beat for me to kick my friend’s ass to."