//------------------------------// // Contingency // Story: Equestria's Twilight // by Sapidus3 //------------------------------// Chapter 12 - Contingency Everything would be alright. It had to be. The funeral had been the first time that all of her friends had been gathered in one place in a long time. She had even seen Rarity and Applejack exchange a few words. Twilight arranged with the weather pegasi for a light drizzle to mark the occasion. Not so much rain as to drive ponies away, but enough to lend to the somber air. She had then made sure that there was a small clearing in the clouds above the grave site. It seemed as if funerals were becoming a more common occurrence in her schedule, and she wondered how she would deal with it over the ages. She looked at all of the ponies who had come to pay their respects and knew that they would all be dead eventually. It was only a matter of time. For many of them, the only real impact they would make would be in her own memory. She knew that their lives mattered. Even if she forgot or never even knew a pony, how they had lived their life would still be important. Twilight thought about the ponies most important to her and the ones she had already lost. Her parents had not had much in the way of real friends. Their only lasting impact was in their daughter, and her memories were the only record of how they had lived their lives. What would happen if she forgot? How her mother had died would still matter, Twilight decided. The choice her father made in the end would still be important. Time was not simply the moment that existed now, but all of history that led to the moment. Perhaps a thousand years would see Equestria frozen in ice and everypony dead. Even still, Twilight needed to ensure that the world her ponies lived in was the best of possible worlds. Fluttershy stepped up besides the casket, and Twilight shook her head. She needed to pay attention. She owed Little Pinkie that much. Twilight had wanted to help with more of the funeral arrangements, but Fluttershy had been oddly insistent that she take care of things herself. Not being able to do anything for her friend in the days leading up to the funeral had been awful. The wake and funeral itself were even worse. Twilight wanted to be by Fluttershy’s side with all of her other friends. She wanted to help Fluttershy; she wanted to tell her friend the truth. But she was Princess of Equestria. Whenever she tried to hug or talk to Fluttershy, eyes would be on them, and her friend would become uncomfortable. Eventually Twilight realized that the best thing she could do to make Fluttershy comfortable on her day of mourning would be to keep her distance. So Twilight stood on the other side of the crowd as the coffin was lowered into the earth. The body had been placed alongside Fluttershy’s husband and biological children. There was still an empty plot saved for the pegasus herself. It would be empty for a long time before it was used. Twilight had seen that. What she had seen was real. She was not a crazy pony. Fluttershy was still grieving of course, but she would recover. She had closure this way. Twilight recently started construction on a long-term care facility for ponies attacked or injured by creatures of the night. Fluttershy would eventually take a job there. Her friend would find meaning in life once again. She saved Fluttershy; she did the right thing. Twilight just needed to keep telling herself that. Nopony blamed her. They knew the mind delve spell could put stress on the filly’s heart. She had tried her best. The doctor had pronounced the death as simply a result of too much strain on an already weak patient. She was not a bad pony. Twilight still wondered about those visions. Part of her wished she had not acted so hastily, but her inhibitions had been vacant during those last moments of the mind delve. She normally approached things calmly and methodically. Twilight still had no proof that they had been alternate futures. Maybe things could have worked out another way. Her experiments with the twin clocks had still yielded no results. The only evidence that the new field of magic she was studying was even possible was in her own memories and experiences, and even that was more hunches and brief moments of suspicion than anything else. There was no proof that she had not simply dreamed it all up. But the magic had to be real. Twilight could not accept the alternative. If she had not been peering ahead into time, then she had killed a filly for no reason. If she had not seen the future then she was simply a murderer. She had done it for Fluttershy. She was not a bad pony. Of course the possibility that the visions were indeed genuine brought with them a host of other disturbing considerations. Had they truly represented the full range of possible outcomes? There had been so many combinations of decisions and results, causes and effects. Her head had hurt from the pressure of keeping track of them all. But, she did not know if the visions had shown her everything. Could there have been an unaccounted for path? She suspected so, but simply did not know. The magic was still too new and unexplored. The idea that she had missed a path were both Fluttershy and Little Pinkie were alive was terrifying to consider. She had responded with so much haste. From realization to judgement had taken the tick of a clock. She should have taken more time, and made a checklists. Checklists always made things better. However, at the time she had just been so certain. Even if the visions had been both real and complete, there was one other problem. Twilight had recognized the alternative futures as possibilities that were not possible. Things, that while technically feasible, would never come to pass. They had been darker and washed out. But was that because she had made it so? At first the question had not seemed important. The idea that there was only one true future path that would come to fruition had seemed normal at the time. But had those alternative possibilities died because of the choice she had made, or had she made her choice because those possibilities were not viable? The order of cause and effect were of crucial importance. In the one scenario she was the director of her own fate. Twilight Sparkle decided what happened to Twilight Sparkle, and her will could shape the universe. In the other... In the other scenario, she was just an actor playing out a predetermined role. She had killed Little Pinkie simply because that was the way things had to be and always had been. Choice did not even enter the picture. There was no free will. She was just an automaton responding to stimuli in a preordained manner. She was just a biological machine. As horrible as it had been to choose to kill, Twilight liked the second scenario even less. She desperately needed for herself, not fate, to be responsible for her own actions. Even if they were awful. She was a good pony. Many of the visions had also contained disturbing portents besides just the fate of her friend. The ones that had extended further in time seemed to have been ringed with dark shadows. She did not know what they meant, other than something ill befalling Equestria. Outside of the immediate impact on Fluttershy they had all been vague mirages. Twilight had sent Spike off with new orders. He was to hunt out the weed. He was to find the wrongness that infected her beautiful land. When he found it, he was to call her. Then the alicorn would destroy it. The princess wanted nothing more than to protect her beloved ponies. That was not the motivation of a bad pony. She was a good pony. Even Celestia said so. The illusion had been of great comfort after Little Pinkie’s unfortunate death. She was the only pony Twilight could tell the truth. No matter how big Fluttershy’s heart, the Princess of Equestria knew that the pony would be unable to forgive her for her deed. Twilight had been told that it was a mother’s duty to put her children before herself, and was certain that the yellow pegasus would feel that way. So she had told Celestia all about what had happened. Of course, the construct had not really understood what had transpired. Such complex issues were beyond its comprehension. However, it had been able to hug Twilight and tell her everything would be fine. Celestia had stroked her mane and sung her the lullaby she used to sing while Twilight was still little. Most importantly, she had reminded Twilight that she was not a bad pony. She was a good pony. “What are you doing, my most faithful student?” The alicorn momentarily looked up from the floor towards where the illusion was watching her before returning to her work. “Princess, what do you know of agrarian tax code?” “I’m not sure if I can tell you much about that my faithful student.” Twilight sighed. “The real Princess Celestia had an almost encyclopedic knowledge of virtually everything in the Canterlot library. The Magisterium has approved a new medical facility which I think is a genuinely good idea. However, to fund it we needed to adjust the farm tax code. I honestly have no idea if the adjustments are any good. I’m just not qualified and it will take me too long to study it all. The whole point of the Magisterium is that THEY are supposed to be qualified for these sort of things. But I don’t know if they approved just because it was a way to pay for my new medical facility, or because the new tax is actually fair. I need some pony I can trust to help me with this until I can make a final decision regarding the Magisterium. You’re going to be that pony.” “How can I help you my student?” “You don’t even know what you’re asking, do you? Right now you have no memory beyond the ones I gave to you. There is no past or future for you, just the now. I want to change that. If I can create rune patterns capable of storing self resonant harmonics, you will be able to store variable magical fields. In other words, you will have memory.” Another rune was burned into the floor by her magic. Twilight was going to need to expand the cavern again. She was running out of space to carve the magical symbols. Already, she had dug out an additional two chambers to improve the construct's tactile response and improve the fluidity of its voice. Celestia felt warm now and could sing like she had while alive. “The idea occurred to me awhile ago, but by itself, you would be little more than a walking reference book. To be useful you need comprehension. I think I have figured out how to accomplish that. Dynamic runes. They had only been theorized, but I believe I can get it to work. The magic that sustains you will essentially be able to ‘write’ itself. Connections will be able to form between each memory storage rune. You will be able to see links between concepts and recognize patterns, to learn and comprehend.” “My dear student, you sound tired. Have you been sleeping well?” Twilight laughed as she carved another rune. “Not since before the funeral. I... I don’t want to dream. Not yet. The chemists finally managed to isolate the active ingredient in the tea. I had them combine it with a stimulant and some other things. With my superior physiology, I might even be able to keep this up indefinitely, not sleeping I mean.” Traveling through the Everfree Forest of her mind had been a mistake. Things that were best left forgotten had been awakened. Whenever she closed her eyes she saw the swinging shadow. Whenever she was alone she heard the accusation and felt the guilt, and now a new monster stalked the Everfree. This beast was unlike any she ever had faced before. When Twilight had tried to sleep it roared and shook all of Ponyville. Twilight could do nothing about Little Pinkie, the beast that roamed her mind. “I’m going to be done with this soon. Then you’re going to read the book I brought with me. If it works you will be able to give me your opinion on the tax code. Depending on how this turns out, I’ll try replicating the harmonic runes in crystals to be more space efficient. I can’t have you taking up the whole mountain, now can I?” Celestia walked up to Twilight and nuzzled her neck. Twilight took a deep breath and the smell of sunshine entered her nostrils. It was the only way she could think to describe it, and Twilight had been surprised she had managed to replicate it. The lavender alicorn tried to ignore it while she was finishing the last few rune castings, but in the end found herself leaning into her mentor. Despite their complexity, the runes to give her construct warmth had been well worth the effort. Twilight had been so intimidated by Princess Celestia when she had first become her student, and if she was perfectly honest, that had never really gone away. For the first few years Twilight made sure to always be on her best behavior. “Just because you’re her student doesn’t means she isn’t still the Princess. Make sure you behave properly,” her father would constantly remind her. Princess Celestia was just her teacher and nothing more, and for those initial years Princess Celestia seemed satisfied with that as well. At least that was what Twilight had thought. There had been a distance, most certainly, but looking back Twilight could tell that the Princess had cared for her from very early on. Afterall, it was not everypony that the Princess was willing to read bedtime stories for. That smell of sunshine, however, that had marked when things began to change. Celestia had hugged her so tightly and Twilight thought for just a moment, that maybe it would be okay for her to forget that Princess Celestia was Princess Celestia. That ethereal mane had invaded her nostrils filling it with light, and suddenly all Twilight had been able to think at the funeral was, “this is nice.” Twilight shook her head as tears threatened to fall. She was such a liar. Little Pinkie had not been her first victim. She had killed before. Celestia’s love had come out of pity for a filly that had killed her own mother. “Twilight Sparkle, you don’t need to cry.” The memory and present blurred together as she buried her face into Celestia’s flowing mane as she cried over her loss. Twilight could almost imagine her father watching dispassionately from a distance. Celestia embraced her in her great white wings as she had all those years ago. Twilight could not risk disappointing Celestia, the Princess was all she had left. But it was not Celestia. It was just a self-sustaining magical construct that responded to input in a pre-programmed manner. Celestia was dead, just like her mother, just like Little Pinkie. Part of her had liked it. “Am I a good pony?” “Of course my student. You’re a very good pony.” +++ Twilight stood at the base of Discord’s statue looking up at his horrified face. “You wanted to see me, Princess?” “Tell me Dash, do you think Discord was evil?” Twilight did not turn to look at the pony who had just recently arrived. She was not able to judge her friend’s reaction, but she could imagine. “What? I mean of course he was bad. You remember what he did.” “Not if he is bad. I mean evil. There’s a difference right?” “Yea there is a difference. A liar isn’t the same as a killer. Some of the things we fight out there aren’t just animistic or primal but are downright evil. But the timberwolves... They’re not evil, bad maybe, but they’re just following their instincts. I guess there is some sort of gradation.” “So then Dash, do you think Discord was evil?” Her friend sighed. Twilight knew that Rainbow Dash did not like these types of conversations. Still, the pony would humor her princess. “Well he didn’t hurt anypony, just caused a lot of trouble. Maybe he was like the timberwolves. Maybe it was just instinctive or something.” “I think so too. I don’t think he was always like that either. Some of the things Celestia once said when I asked her... I think Discord was very old and very lost. But I don’t think he was evil... Just bad.” “Twi-” “I’m not exactly sure what the difference is though, between somepony that is bad and somepony that is evil. Maybe it’s the ability to fix things. There is still hope for a bad pony, they can still right their ways. However, once an evil pony has chosen her path, there is no salvation. Does that sound right?” “I don’t know Twilight. Why do you care about Discord so much all the sudden?” Twilight could hear the concern in her friend’s voice. “I can feel his power, did you know that? When I come by his statue, it’s almost like a song - but not a nice one though. It’s all out of tune and discordant. There is no real beat or harmony to it, but it’s a song nonetheless. When I touch his statue, I can feel the power coursing underneath my hoof. He’s so strong. Stronger, than Celestia or Luna ever were... I think I could rip it all from him.” Twilight laid a hoof against the statue as if to convince herself of her words. The power was there for the taking. Dash's reply was spluttered out. “What?” “His power, his being. I could tear it from him and make it mine. I’m not sure when I realized that. It would be enough to save Equestria. It might even be enough to save everypony.” “Twilight, you’re not actually planning or trying to absorb him or something are you?” The alicorn ruler of Equestria backed away from the statue and turned to face her friend. “No, nothing like that. I think the act would actually destroy us both. Most certainly nothing would remain of Discord, and whatever he did, I don’t think he deserves that. As for me, even if I survived, I would be changed. I’m not sure how I would be changed, but something like that has to have some impact on a pony. Besides, even if I could do it safely, it would be wrong. I was just thinking was all.” Rainbow Dash let out a heavy sigh and took a step towards her. “Twi, you had me worried with all that talk.” “I suppose I’ve just had a lot on my mind.” The pegasus nudged Twilight in the side towards the gardens, and the two were then walking the grounds. Twilight could not help but notice the pegasus glance nervously back at the statue they had left behind. “Do you want to go flying?” Twilight was tempted by the offer, but she had called Rainbow Dash to her for a reason. “Not right this moment, I’m sorry. I’ve been wanting to ask you something.” “Well go ahead and ask it then.” “I know you said you don’t regret staying by my side, but what about other things... Do you regret how things ended with Soarin?” “What... What are you asking about that hay-brain for?” Twilight was silent. Soarin was not why she had wanted to speak with her friend, but she did not know how to bring up the topic. Her mind was just rambling. Eventually the pegasus realized that the princess was not going to speak and so decided to answer her friend. “I mean, I miss him sometimes. But I’m probably better off without him. He wasn’t willing to pick up the pieces and would rather just wallow in his own pity. I don’t want to be with a pony like that. If I was ever going to be with a pony it would need to be one who didn’t fall apart at the first sign of trouble.” Twilight was ready to ask of her friend what she wanted. She waited for two powerful beats of her heart before she spoke. “Tell me Dash, do you love me?” “Yes.” The answer had been instantaneous, without hesitation. “And Equestria? Do you love her?” “Of course...” A bit of a quaver that time. Twilight frowned. For what she was about to ask her friend, Dash’s loyalties would apparently need to be realigned. “Would you do anything for Equestria?” “You know I would, Princess.” “Even if it meant hurting me?” Silence. “Answer me, Dash.” “I don’t know.” “Dash, this is important. I need that answer to be ‘yes.’” The rainbow maned pony grabbed Twilight by the withers. “Enough Twilight, what’s this all about?” “I have too much power. If I lost my mind, I don’t think there is anypony in Equestria that could stop me. I think that might be what had happened to Discord, only he had Celestia and Luna to imprison him. I’m not so lucky. I need you to swear to me Dash, if I ever become a threat to Equestria, you need to stop me.” “Twilight, without you there is no Equestria. Everything would be a frozen wasteland without your guidance.” “Its not my guidance Equestria needs, just my power. But there is an alternative.” Twilight pulled a small dagger out from where she had tucked it underneath her wing. She tried passing it to her friend. The pony refused to take it. “This is ridiculous. Besides, I hate to break it to you Twilight, but I’m not sure a dagger can hurt you.” “This one can.” Rainbow Dash finally took the blade. Her hoof was shaking. The pegasus was staring at her limb with what looked like shock, as if she could not believe that it had betrayed her. The pony nearly recoiled at the touch of the blade. Twilight had used dark magics to forge it. “Is the blade... Is the blade a unicorn’s horn? “Yes... It was Moon Dreamer’s. I needed a powerful shell for the artifact. His horn was the most readily available.” “You dug up his corpse!” “You need to understand!” Why did they always end up shouting? “Understand what? You dug up your student’s corpse and cut up his body. Now you’re talking all crazy. Daily Vigil has told me you haven’t been sleeping. I thought he was just being a worry-wart. Now, I’m thinking we need to clear your schedule for the week. You need sleep.” “Sleep is the last thing I need. That dagger is the one thing in all of Equestria that can stop me if the need ever were to arise. I have forever and irrevocably given it permission to pass through my magic. I would be powerless to defend myself against a pony wielding it. The blade is beyond my power to destroy. “If the dagger pierces my heart, it will not kill me. It will instead put me into a magical slumber. I suppose it would not be too unlike the state Discord is in. One part of my mind would remain functioning however. It would forever continue to rise and set the sun. Even if my reason and will someday falter, this dagger will ensure that I always serve Equestria. “I, Twilight Sparkle, Princess of Equestria, hereby charge you, Rainbow Dash, Captain of the Royal Guard and Captain Commander of all of Equestria, with this solemn duty. Should your princess ever become unfit to rule, you are tasked with driving that dagger through her heart. When you become too old to fulfill this duty, you shall pass it on another. Swear to me that you will perform this duty.” “I...” “Swear it!” Her words carried with it the power of command. The words would work themselves into her friend’s skull until the pony would have no choice but to make a decision. “I said swear it!” Rainbow Dash threw her head back and forth in indecision. Finally she screamed in pain and denial. “Alright. I swear it. I swear it. I’ll even Pinkie Pie promise.” The magic twisted around the pegasus. Twilight knew there was no pony more trustworthy than her friend, but she did not trust Rainbow Dash’s loyalties on this matter. If the pony placed her princess above Equestria, one day all could be lost. She needed to ensure that Dash would do what was necessary if the time came. The pony was now bound to her promise. “Keep that dagger safe. Tell nopony of this unless you intend to pass on your duty to another. I’m so sorry to place this terrible burden on you.” Rainbow Dash was crying. “Why?” For a moment the only sound between the two was the sobbing of the pegasus. The pressure of the magic had been strong. Twilight plopped to the ground. She was going to be crying soon as well. “Dash. I did something bad.” “What?” “I did something really, really bad...” “What,” a hicup between tears, “what are you talking about?” Twilight flung herself at her friend as the tears began to flow. She needed to tell somepony, somepony that had not simply been born out of her own mind. “I don’t think I’m a good pony anymore.”