//------------------------------//
// Chapter 3: Trust 
// Story: A Call to Vespers 
// by AlicornPriest 
//------------------------------//

Chapter 3
Trust
“What?! How could you say that?”
“Isn't it obvious?” said Jade. His pacing had stopped, but now he fixed Twilight with a deadly serious stare. “Celestia needed you. You are the key to her century-long operation. And as soon as she realized this, she wanted to begin development immediately. But you put it off!”
“Of course I put it off!” she replied. “I'm hardly old enough to be raising a family.”
“But Celestia isn't,” he said. “She is antsy; she wants results now. So she did... something to you and made you pregnant!”
“Jade, I think you're being ridiculous. You're jumping to conclusions, just like I did with our research two months ago.”
“Yes, and you were right.”
“That's beside the point,” Twilight said. She put a hoof to her forehead. “We need to learn more before we start accusing Celestia of things. Jade, do you know anything more about magical parthenogenesis?”
“A little,” he admitted. “It's extremely rare. It hardly comes up more than once every millennium or so. And even then, it only ever shows up in unicorns, and the most talented and powerful ones at that.”
“So why can't I, a talented and powerful unicorn, just be pregnant, like those ponies of the past?”
“It requires a spark,” he explained. “Sometimes, the unicorn herself did it. But more commonly, some other potent force caused the change necessary for the parthenogenesis to occur. Something like Discord, or the Fire of Friendship, or the magic of an alicorn. Since you knew nothing about this sort of magic, Discord hasn't broken loose from his prison, and I've never heard of the Fire of Friendship being used since the Pre-Equestrian Age, it's apparent that an alicorn must have done this!”
“...That is a pretty good reason,” said Twilight. “Still, I think we should talk with Celestia before we start condemning her for something she may not have done.”
“Well, what are we waiting for?” asked Jade. “If we hurry, we can catch the Friendship Express at 11:30!”
“Yes, and we won't arrive until 9:00. By then, Celestia will have already gone to sleep. Or do you think Luna might have done it?”
No, I don't think so. Project Orphan was Celestia’s idea. She began it while Luna was on the moon.” Jade caught himself and added, “And besides, she knew you carried the Grey Factor before Celestia did, but she didn’t act on it. I think we can trust Luna.”
“If that’s the case, why don’t you stay the night? We can leave early tomorrow morning and have audience with Princess Celestia in the afternoon.”
“I suppose so.” At the very least, Jade seemed a lot more calm than he had seemed upon his arrival. “Now, did you want me to take the couch, or do you have a guest bed for me?”
“Oh!” Twilight blushed. “I thought you could stay with Rarity, Professor. I didn’t literally mean—”
“Right, of course,” he replied, flustered. “Girls, are you still there?” he asked.
The door opened, and the five mares came inside. “What was so important that you had to interrupt our conversation?” asked Rarity with a huff.
“Something from before. But never mind that,” he added hastily, seeing the look on Rarity's face, “it seems I'll be staying here in Ponyville until tomorrow morning. Would you be willing to let me stay for the night?”
“Of course, uncle,” she said. 
"Good. Then why don't we enjoy the rest of today, so we'll be up and ready for the morning?"
***
“Twilight. Twilight. Let's get going.”
“Hmm? What?” Twilight turned away from her books and saw Jade standing there next to her. 
“Have you been up all night?” Jade asked unsurely.
“Yeah... had an assignment from the Princess.” At the mention of the Princess, Jade's face soured, but he recovered. “What are you doing here, Jade?”
“We've gotta go. There's a train leaving in... 3 minutes, and we're gonna get it now!”
“Now now?”
“Yes, now now!”
“3:30 AM now?”
“Yes, 3:30 AM now! If we leave now, we'll get there early enough to talk to Celestia before she goes to sleep!”
“When I said 'tomorrow morning,' I didn't mean—”
“No time for that! Let's go!” And with that, Jade grabbed Twilight by the forehoof and sprinted out the door. She caught her step and began to match Jade's insane pace. As they ran, Jade threw back his head and just laughed like a maniac; Twilight couldn't help but join in. She could see the lights going on as they ran past, and ponies were stepping out to complain about the noise. But the two unicorns hardly had a care. 
They bounded up to the station, and Jade shouted to the vendor, “Two tickets to Canterlot, please!” He tossed a bag of bits her way, snatched the tickets with his magic, and practically flew onto the train just as it was about to leave.
When they were finally situated, Twilight turned to Jade with a wry look and asked, "So what was that all about?"
"I have no idea," he replied. "But it was way too much fun."
"I agree. I'm sure my neighbors will have a few choice words for me when I get back."
"Eh, what do they know?" He chuckled and eased back into his chair.
"So, Jade, how have you been?" asked Twilight.
"Not too bad. It seems like ever year my students get lazier and lazier. How about you?"
"Oh, you know, the usual things. Fate of the world, Bearers of Harmony, keepers of peace. Oh, and I've been gainnig weight recently, but at least I know where that's coming from." She tried to crack a half-hearted grin.
"Don't joke about that," said Jade, his smile instantly dissipating. "When that pink friend of yours mentioned you were pregnant, I was so concerned for you. I can only imagine how stressed you are right now."
"I am a little, but..." Twilight squirmed in her seat, trying to find the right words. "It's just... why? Why are you so concerned? We've only known each other for, what, two weeks, and that was two months ago. Why do I matter to you?"'
"Well, for a lot of reasons. You're my niece's friend, for one. You're a celebrity, or you should be, anyway." Having said this, Jade suddenly reached forward and grasped Twilight's forehooves with his own. He stared straight into her eyes and said, "But more importantly, we stood against the world together. I saved your life, and you saved mine. I learned over those two weeks how wonderful of a mare you really are, Twilight Sparkle. You mean a lot to me."
Twilight blushed and looked away. She could only respond with a meek, "Thank you, Jade."
"That's why I hate to see you in trouble like this. Celestia and Luna have done wrong to you, Twilight, and I won't let them escape judgment. I want them to pay." With that, he sat back down in his seat, his cold gaze revealing to Twilight his tortured thoughts.
She tried to break the silence, but only got as far as, "Y'know, we really should try to..." before a massive yawn overtook her.
That was apparently enough to get Jade to crack. "Wow, you must be tired. You didn't get any sleep tonight, right?"
"Well, yeah, but I... (yawn) pull all-nighters all the time."
"I'm sure you do, Miss Workaholic, but what with all the stress and shock you've been through, it's no wonder you're wiped out."
"I guess that's true."
"Why don't you take a nap, then? I'll wake you up when we get there."
Twilight muttered, "But then I'll have dreams..." but she could already feel herself getting drowsier. She closed her eyes for just a second, and she was out like a light.

"No idea... who..."
"Why... I... just want..."
"Don't make me..."
"Pain... stabilize her..."

"Twilight. We're here." Twilight awoke to Jade shaking her awake with a hoof. She groaned and rubbed her eyes.
"I slept the whole way?"
"Yup. Welcome back to Canterlot."
"Maybe this time, we can stay outside of caves," Twilight commented.
"No guarantees." He smiled cheekily, and suddenly Twilight realized that Jade reminded her, just a little bit, of her brother.
As they walked together towards the castle, Twilight asked, "So, what's the plan?"
"Well, we're gonna march in there, face down Celesta, and tell her what for!"
"...Then what?"
Jade pondered this a moment. "I'm not sure. Kick her off the throne, maybe?"
"I'm pretty sure that won't happen. And besides, we still don't know for sure that she had anything to do with it."
"Twilight. Project Orphan is far too important for her to--"
"Quiet!" They were suddenly pulled aside by a unicorn guard. "You mustn't talk about Project Orphan in public like that!"
"You know about Project Orphan?" Twilight said, then smacked herself when she realized how stupid that was.
"...Yes, I know about the process that created me," said the guard flatly. "In any case, that's classified information, and you shouldn't be discussing it where anypony could be listening!"
"We apologize," said Jade. "We need to go talk to the princess about it as soon as possible. Something's come up that mustn't be delayed."
"I understand. I'll send a report up to my superiors, then we'll get you to the court posthaste." The guard lit his horn up with magic, but he was noticeably straining as he sent a magical pulse up to the castle.
Jade watched the guard's progress, confused. "I did a study on that spell; it's not terribly difficult. Why are you having so much trouble?"
"Please, sir, I'm trying to concentrate."
Twilight frowned. "Jade, do you remember what Celestia said?" Once the guard was done, Twilight asked, "Sir, what score did you get on your Magical Ability Test?"
The guard stood tall and recited, "87/26, miss. Top of my class."
Jade reeled back in shock. "87/26? I'm not the most powerful unicorn in the world, but I received a 102/55!" He turned to Twilight and asked, "What about you?"
Twilight scuffed her hooves. "Well... my magic is actually so powerful that I... sort of break the scale. My TQ is probably over 200, easy, and on the Endurance Test, I held the weight up so long that they just wrote down 'indefinitely' and left it at that."
"But compared to you or me, these guards are..."
"Yes. They're significantly below average. If the draconequi were to attack right now, we'd be toast."
"Miss Twilight, I resent that remark! We guards may not be magical adepts, but we--"
"Do your absolute best, sir, yes." Twilight gave a smile, and there wasn't an ounce of deception in it. "I don't doubt your service. In fact, given the choice of any other ponies in Canterlot, there's no one I'd rather be around than the Canterlot Guard." She turned to Jade and sighed. "But the Guard is trained for minor scuffles between royalty and the occasional monster foolish enough to attack the capital of Equestria. They aren't ready for a massive army from time and space. We need the Grey Factor, and we need it soon. Perhaps... perhaps I can understand why Celestia did what she did."
***
The rest of the walk to the castle was uneventful. All too soon, they found themselves in front of the door to Celestia's court. Their escort bowed his head and said, "The Princess will see you now."
"So," asked Twilight, "are you ready?"
Jade took a deep breath, then let it go slowly. "I think so," he said.
"Then let's do this."
Twilight opened the ponderous door slowly. The hall seemed to stretch to infinity, and there at the end, in her highback throne, was Princess Celestia. She wore a benificent smile, demure yet powerful, and she stood completely relaxed as the two of them approached. When they had come before them, she said, "Why, hello Twilight! I am so glad to see you. Tell me, what is the occasion?"
Twilight gulped, then began her speech. "Princess, we have significant evidence to believe that you implanted a child into me without my consent, with the intent of continuing Project Orphan. We're here to find out the truth, and to take any action, if need be, against you. I'm sorry it's come to this, Princess."
The princess' smile faded. "I see that this is not a pleasant visit, then, Twilight. Please, begin at the beginning."
"What do we need to say?" said Jade, interrupting. He pushed himself in front of Twilight, then pointed at Celestia accusingly. "It is obvious that you did this! You have motive, you had opportunity, and you're the only one who could have done this!"
"Are you so certain, Professor?" said Celestia. Her eyes glittered with an angry energy, though her voice maintained a calm, if icy, composure. "What do you know? You know Twilight carries a child. That is all. You assume I did so because you assume that she was implanted via magical parthenogenesis, and also assume that I am the only current force capable of doing it. It is not 'obvious,' as you claim, nor can you prove it."
"Twilight herself can prove it! She knows she has never had sex with another pony. Without that, magical parthenogenesis is the only possibility."
"Another possibility is that she does not remember, perhaps due to a magical effect or a mental illness. Or that she does remember, but chooses not to tell you or me out of a sense of pride. Perhaps the child was created magically, but it was not me. Perhaps there is something more complex than you understand going on."
"But the simplest idea with the least amount of assumptions is that--"
"Until you have actual proof, every theory is assumptive. Believe me, Jade, you may have come here to issue justice on me, but I will not be so easily pushed around by your foolish guesses and paranoia." Her gaze softened, and she sighed. "I know I have put you in a difficult position. I have given you classified information about an earth-shattering phenomenon and expected you to be okay with it. Believe me, if I could have had it any other way, I would have. Alas, we must make do with what we have. I beg you, Jade, not to let your suspicions get in the way of your better judgment."
Through all this, Twilight had remained silent. She finally spoke up, saying, "Princess? May I ask you something?"
Celestia smiled. "Of course, my faithful student."
"You would... never lie to me, would you?"
"Never, Twilight. I know that what I say sometimes can be... enigmatic, but I will never outright lie to you."
"Then I ask only this: Did you, or did you not, implant me with this child?"
Celestia did not speak immediately. She appeared to be looking far away, to the end of the room, rather than look at Twilight directly. When she spoke, all she said was, "No." But there was something strange on her face, something utterly unreadable.
Jade asked her, "No, what?"
"No, I did not implant Twilight with that child."
Jade was stunned. "That's not possible... There's no way... you must be lying..." But he didn't sound convinced.
"My word is my law, Jade. I promised Twilight I would not lie to her, but indeed, I do not lie to any of my subjects at all. I did not implant Twilight with that child, and that is true." Jade still seemed uncertain, so Celestia added, "You must trust me, Professor. That is all I can say."
Twilight could hardly look up. "I'm sorry we doubted you, Princess. I am so ashamed that we could have thought such things about you..."
Princess Celestia held up a hoof. "Don't be, Twilight. You did your best with what you knew. I do not doubt you for your course of action." She put on her dignified smile once more. "Now, must you be gone, or can you stay a while?"
***
Though the two of them stayed in Canterlot for a few days, they eventually needed to return home. As they rode on the train back to Ponyville, Jade said to Twilight, "It just doesn't make any sense."
"I know it doesn't, but we must keep faith in the princess."
Jade frowned at this, remarking, "What I don't understand is, if it was the princess, then who? Who put the child in you?"
Twilight fidgeted, then asked the question that had been bouncing around in her head. "Jade, you know I would never think this of you. It's simply ridiculous. But... sometime during the two weeks we stayed in Canterlot... you never... you didn't..."
"I think I know what you're asking," he replied, "and I understand why you might have doubts. Believe me when I say I would never, ever do such a thing. The very idea is abhorrent to me, beyond comprehension."
"How can I know for sure you're telling the truth?" Twilight asked.
"You'll just have to trust me."
"Just like you'll have to trust Princess Celestia?" said Twilight.
"...True," said Jade. "I guess I hadn't thought of that. I suppose, until we find more proof, we'll have to--"
"Jade... let it go." Twilight put a hoof on his shoulder compassionately. "I know you're worried about me, but we can't change things now. I know this isn't... entirely what I wanted, but I'm willing to go from here. Is that all right?"
"I suppose." Jade frowned, and Twilight could see the hint of a tear forming in his eye. "Just... don't let anything happen, okay?"
"I won't. I promise."