Twilight spent the rest of the day hiding in the one room she knew nopony would ever look in, her old room in Canterlot Castle. Not that she expected anypony to be looking for her, but she still planned to stay hidden. She didn’t want to talk with Celestia just yet. Not until she was ready to enact her plan. Since she had left her room years ago not a thing had changed. Her books were still on the shelves, her desk was still covered in various drafts. She hadn’t bothered to clean anything when Celestia sent her to Ponyville almost 20 years ago. Twilight chuckled, smiling as she walked around. And there’s the book on Nightmare Moon I had. I’m actually surprised nopony cleaned up in here.
A shiver went down Twilight’s back, and immediately she knew something was wrong. She had been so wrapped up in the nostalgia that she hadn’t bothered to dismantle any of the intruder spells that she, and no doubt later Celestia, had placed. She hadn’t even bothered to de-activate them before they went off. Her horn flared as she reset her charms, readjusting them to ignore her. Celestia’s spells were harder, but Twilight was quickly able to change the intruder message. She knew it would have said that something about pony sized had appeared, not being the most specific of spells. It was just something to inform her of some kind of intruder. She rewrote it to say that the something was smaller, more the size of a cat than a pony.
She quickly teleported herself to the second floor, hiding in the rafters, her breath ragged, only seconds before a guard burst into the room. She felt her own spells trigger a few seconds later, identifying the guard quickly. With a small flash she teleported a small purple tabby cat into her room, sending it trotting down her stairs. She held her breath for several seconds hearing the guard walk around, clearly searching, until she heard the guard speak up. “Just a cat your highness. Though I must wonder how it got in.”
“Thank you good sir. Ah yes, Little Twilight, Twilight’s pet.” Luna’s voice drifted up the stairs.
Damn, she must not have actually entered the room. Twilight thought, annoyed she hadn’t thought to extend her charms out the door. I’ll have to look into that if I can.
“I’ll inform my sister. Please make sure L.T. is taken back to Twilight’s parents. I’m sure they’re wondering where she is.” Twilight felt her charms dissipate as the guard left the room.
Twilight stayed where she was for a few more minutes. I’ll need to set off diversions in other parts of the town. Start leaving a little purple cat in random places. Little Twilight is such a good little kitty. Twilight concluded, doing a slow gentle scan to ensure the room was empty. Having determined that it was empty, she dropped down, landed quietly, and sat. This will make a good hiding place. As long as I don’t give them reason to look in here, they won’t bother.
As the next day dawned, Twilight blearily blinked her eyes open, pushing her blankets off her. She had teleported her bedding from Ponyville into her room, collapsing onto them soon after. The sheer power required to move them so far, and through her brother’s shield, had drained her. Glad I got them in though. Can’t risk moving anything in Canterlot. Twilight sat up, stretching. And I don’t know how long I can go on sleeping in the rafters. Not a very comfortable place. I’ll use my bed tonight.
She slowly descended down to her floor, sighing. Now, if I’m going to start a revolution I’m going to need some very powerful ponies behind me. Twilight paced lightly, her mind flashing through ponies she could use. Blue Blood would definitely be an ally. He’s a big pompous ass, and I don’t exactly like him, but I know that if he thinks this will give him more power, he’ll take it. And he has the money I would need, along with the information on the other ponies. But he’s not influential. Who else? I could try Fancy Pants. He’s got enough influence to bend the people to my side, but I don’t know if I can get him. I’ll give it a shot though.
Twilight continued pacing, going down the list of who else she could turn. If I can get Hoity Toity, perhaps Pony Joe, anypony from Octavia’s ensemble, or her wife DJ PON-3, I’m sure I can have them spread the revolt. I just need to convince enough ponies that Celestia shouldn’t rule over us any longer. That would devastate that overgrown flying unicorn. And I don’t need them all, just a few. But again, how? Twilight sat down, sighing deeply. I bet I could use my friends. Twilight’s ears perked up, a maniacal grin spreading across her face. They can’t be here for obvious reasons, but if I bend the truth, perhaps I can convince those I talk with that my friends would be on my side. I’m sure Hoity Toity, and perhaps even Fancy Pants, would listen if I dropped Rarity's name. And Vinyl would listen if I tell her Pinkie’s on my side. That will work. Twilight’s grin grew as a plan started to formulate in her mind.
Twilight thought a bit longer, running over everything else she could use to her advantage. And of course I can use psychology on the ponies. Twilight smiled. Mob mentality, and polarization. Once the mob starts, all I have to do is keep them fed with anger and the like. Mobs stick together and grow, even when only a few ponies have any idea what’s going on. They’ll stay in the mob as long as I do.
Twilight grinned, watching her plan start to fall into place. This isn’t going to be done overnight. Which means I’m going to have to find a way to have Shining keep his shield up. I know he can. Twilight chuckled softly, standing. For now, I need to get a few things in motion, to better convince the ponies of Canterlot.
Twilight sat down, pulling a few pieces of paper from her stash. First, I’ll need to recreate the letter Celestia sent me. Her horn glowed, a quill slowly scratching out the letter, each word coming from Twilight’s memory. Though it pained her to remember the letter, she knew she had to write it out, be able to show the ponies what Celestia had done to her. ‘After all,’ I’ll tell them. ‘If she doesn’t care about me anymore, what does she care about you?’
Twilight sighed, knowing the answer was far from what she would be implying. She loves Equestria. No matter how much or how little she cares for me, she will never stop loving this country. She shook her head, dismissing the thoughts. But still. I’m going to make her pay for what she did to me. A few tears splashed down, dripping off the end of her muzzle, leaving small marks and smudges. Twilight blinked, staring at the tears. Where did those come from? She wondered. Oh well, makes it seem more real I guess. Twilight shook her head, drying the rest of her tears. Next, a failed letter. Need her to reject a letter of mine, make her seem more heartless.
Twilight quickly scratched out a letter on another piece of parchment, an evil grin spreading across her face.
Dear Princess Celestia,
I have received your letter, and I am distraught by it. I can not begin to understand why you have done this. Why couldn’t you have told me in person? What am I supposed to do now? How I can I perform my duties as Archmage of Canterlot if I can’t trust you to be open and honest with me?
-Twilight
Twilight forced a few tears out, letting them drop onto her letter as she wrote. Have to make it look right after all. She thought bitterly. And now for the finishing touches. Twilight cast a quick illusion spell on the parchment, one she had learned from Luna years before. There, now if anypony but her reads it, it will look like a plea for help from one of the outlying cities, not a letter from me. Can’t have it getting to her if this is to work after all. Twilight looked over the letter, allowing herself to see the enchantment. Something about a drought, and the failure of their crop. Nothing major enough to elicit a response though. And there’s no way they would bring this to Celestia. The guard will simply say they can’t help. It’s their job to filter through the hordes of mail she gets after all.
Twilight focused her magic, and with a bright flash, teleported the letter away. She knew it would appear buried amongst the hordes of letter Celestia always received. Deep enough to not be noticed as it comes in, but high enough to be responded to soon. And a little extra enchantment to make sure any response gets sent back to me. She thought with another flash of her horn.
She stood, stretching. I’ll get Blue Blood on my side first. Then he can help me with the others. She thought with a grin. But I’ll start with him tomorrow. For now, I’ll do some recon. Check on the mood of the castle.
Twilight sat back down, slowly weaving a complex spell around her, another she had learned from Luna. As the enchantment settled over her, she faded away, fading into the shadows. With a smile she looked at herself, noting how the parts of her draped in the shadows of the rafters faded away. Celestia likes her castle bright though. She thought angrily, staring at her clearly visible tail, resting just outside the shadows. This spell works wonders for Luna, as she only goes out at night. I’ll need another little spell.
Twilight closed her eyes again, this time focusing much more on the spell as the threads of it intertwined around her. The spell slowly finished, Twilight panting as her magical reserves were greatly drained. Never easy casting an S.E.P. spell. Even Celestia gets tired after it. She thought with chagrin. She stood, trotting over to her mirror, slightly wobbly. She looked into her mirror, glad to see that her eyes looked everywhere but at her. Good. That should be enough to hide me. Have to make sure I don’t go near any lone guards though. Never seems to work on somepony alone.
With an evil grin, Twilight slipped out of her room, quickly darting to the shadows on the wall across from her door. Both guards looked at her door as it opened, slightly confused. “What the?” one of them asked.
“Hey, it’s your turn to deal with this.” The other responded, relaxing back into his position. “You go tell the princess.”
“What are you talking about? It’s obviously your turn to tell the princess.” The other retorted, staring at his companion angrily.
Twilight smiled as she trotted down the hall, the bickering guard’s voices fading into the background. Looks like it works. She chuckled to herself. First, the barracks. Need to see how the guards are doing. Twilight slipped down the hall, sticking to the walls and shadows, darting across the openly lit places.
Using her knowledge of the layout of the castle, and its various hidden pathways, Twilight quickly made it down to the basement. She trotted around, winding through the torchlit corridors, trying to stay hidden. Forgot these halls are all torchlit. The slip into the shadows spell won’t do me much good down here. Luckily she passed no guards, and was able to make it to the barracks unnoticed.
The barracks were a sprawling place. More than just a place the guards could stay at when their shift lasted multiple days, it was a full place for them to live. The main door led to a giant room, full of couches and tables for the guards to relax at while off duty. Near the back were a few pool tables and such, all for allowing the guards to take a break. Through one of the doors was a large kitchen for them to cook in, though they usually just ordered from the main kitchens. On the other side of the room were more doors leading to smaller rooms, where a guard could relax alone.
Though it was the middle of the day, there were still a few guards in the room when Twilight walked in, likely on their break. They all turned, staring, slightly confused. To them, all they saw was the door opening itself. Twilight quickly caught on, leaving the door open as she slipped to the side. “Oh fine, I’ll get it.” one of the guards droned. “Bunch of lazy bums.” he called out, getting up to close the door. “And where did the draft come from?” The rest of the guards shrugged as he walked back.
I’ll need to watch for him. Twilight thought. The S.E.P. doesn’t seem to be affecting him enough. The unicorn stuck to the wall, sitting herself down in a corner. Now, let's see how the guards are feeling. She thought with a smile, settling in.
The guards relaxed a bit, resting in their spots. A minute of calm silence passed before one of them spoke up “So, Stalwart Defense, what were you saying about the collapse of the factory?”
Well that was fast... Twilight thought to herself, smiling.
One of the other guards looked up from his cup. “Oh, right. Well, I heard that the reason General Armor put his shield up was that the fire on the east side of town was actually caused by a terrorist attack. Not that the factory collapsed from disrepair.” The others stared at him, mouths agape. “I know we were told that it just collapsed from not being used in so long, but that didn’t sit with me. A factory of that size wouldn’t just suddenly fall apart. And I was part of the team that investigated it. There were magical traces everywhere. That was definitely no accident. It stands to reason that it was an attack.”
“So you mean somepony was trying to attack Canterlot?” A relatively new guard spoke up. “Who would be foalish enough to try that? I mean, we’ve got the princesses day and night guarding us, and Twilight can be here in a matter of minutes if needed. And that shield of the General’s will keep anypony out.”
“I know.” the guard named Stalwart replied. “But what if that was the plan? Seal off the city, and let them work in the city?” The room fell silent. “I mean, there is no way they can get in now, so they have to already be in. And, if their plan was to get that shield up...” the guard trailed off, not needing to continue.
“Well, obviously Celestia would know that.” A guard commented. “I mean, she must have figured this out, and that’s why she had Shining put his shield up. And she would know that it would’ve been the plan of the attacker to seal off the city. She must be planning to trap them in here, so we can find them.” The other guards slowly nodded, seeing the sense in their companion’s words. “The only weird part is that she would lie to us. I mean, why keep something like this from us?”
“She’s probably doing it to keep us from panicking, and spreading worry throughout the city. She wants everypony to stay calm.” Another added to the conversation. “I wouldn’t be surprised if she blows this all off as a drill and starts having patrols increased, again as part of a drill,” she sagely added.
The room was silent for a few minutes as the guards thought. Twilight stood, her horn gently glowing as she pulled the door open. She slipped out into the hall, letting one of the guards close the door behind her. Wow. Didn't think they’d figure that out. Maybe I can feed their fears though, start causing some panic amongst the guard. She thought, winding her way back to the main levels.
Twilight slipped out of the basement, making her way once more through the castle. So that’s how the guards are. A little bit of worry, with enough fuel for me to fan the flames. She thought calmly to herself, making her way to the east wing of the castle. Now to check on the staff. They should be taking their lunch break about now, relaxing in their lounge room.
Twilight again slipped in, this time surprised to find the room empty. She looked around, slightly confused, wondering where everypony had gone. Closing her eyes and listening, she soon heard muffled voices drifting from the staff kitchens. Twilight made her way to the doorway, leaning against the frame to listen in.
“What do you mean Princess Celestia and Princess Luna have been reclusive? Princess Luna is always a shut in, but Celestia hasn’t changed in the least.” A female voice drifted out.
“Exactly what I said. I know Princess Luna doesn’t go out much, but since that fire yesterday, and the shield going up, she’s been in her room, or with her court.” a male voice responded “I normally see her sitting on one of the balconies, working on her night. These past two nights though, nothing. She leaves her court, and goes straight to her room.”
“But what about Celestia? I haven’t seen any changes in her over the past two days.” a second male voice asked. “She’s been perfectly normal.”
“But she hasn’t.” Another female responded. “Not two hours ago she cancelled all courts except those that are strictly necessary. And I saw her leaving from General Armor’s office this morning. Something is bothering her. She’s just been putting on a facade, trying to keep us happy.”
“Then we should act like nothing is wrong shouldn’t we?” The second male voice responded. “If she doesn’t want us to worry, then we shouldn’t. And this is the princesses we’re talking about. They can handle anything.”
“I’d like to think so.” The first male replied. “But about twenty years ago they fell short. When the Changelings invaded way back when, Celestia wasn’t able to stop them, and Luna was nowhere to be seen.” A hushed silence fell over the room. “And the same when Discord tried to take over about a year before that. And, come to think of it, neither of them have stood up to the plate at all since the Elements of Harmony stood up.”
“Well, it’s not like they’ve had to. The Elements are stronger than them when combined after all.” a new female voice responded. “But you have a point. They haven’t been stepping up when we need them the most.”
A calm fell over the room, Twilight’s eyes wide. Looks like some of my work is done already. Didn’t think there were already some ponies not entirely happy with Celestia and Luna. A wicked grin spread across her face. Less work for me, just have to add some fuel to the embers, turn them into a roaring fire.
A grin plastered on her face, Twilight silently left. Well, looks like the castle is in exactly the state I want it, confused and worried. She slowly made her way back to her room, teleporting in quietly once she was close. This time she remembered to deactivate the spells, silencing each alarm before they could ring out. Well, time to relax, and wait for tomorrow. No need to work too fast.
=======================================================================
“Sister, it was just her cat.” Luna called out, striding into Celestia’s room. “Nothing to be alarmed over.”
Celestia turned, sighing, a sceptical look on her face. “Really? L.T. caused that small disturbance?”
“Yes. You said yourself it was likely something small that had entered.” Luna retorted, taking the last few steps before sitting next to her sister. “Why don’t you seem to believe me?”
Celestia turned, a look of annoyance on her face. “That cat only ever goes where Twilight goes. It took incredible timing on my part to separate Twilight from it all those years ago. That cat had been living with Twilight’s parents. But if L.T. was in the castle, then so was Twilight.”
Luna’s eyes slowly opened, slightly stunned. “Then you mean she was-?”
“Yes. In her room when you searched.” Celestia let out a long sigh. “As I said, she is good.”
Luna stared. “She could still be in there! We need to go search and-!”
“No.” Celestia cut her sister off. “First, what do we tell the guards? To search a room you already declared empty? And do you expect to find her if she’s in there? She knows that room better than either of us. She can hide outside any charms you use, and move quietly enough that she wouldn’t be found. It’s futile.” The princess placed her head in her hooves, gently shaking it. “There’s no point.”
“So what do we do?” Luna asked, still trying to outthink Twilight. “If the cat was just a diversion, and she is hiding in her room, then we set spells-”
“And then what? She can counter any spell we set.” Celestia snapped. “I hate to admit it Luna, but she can out think us. There is every chance she teleported her cat in there to get us worried and looking in the wrong places.” The princess let out a long sigh. “I don’t know how we’re going to find her. I just want to talk to her before any of this gets out of hand.”
“But if it’s her plan to get us to start over thinking everything, then we counter by acting on our first instinct.” Luna retorted, starting to get annoyed.
“Except that if it was her plan to get us over thinking, which would have worked, she knows we would quickly see past that.” Celestia retorted in kind. “And her plans would be built around what she knows our plans would be.”
Luna simply stared, her jaw working as she tried to find a hole in any plan Twilight could be making. “So, we don’t have anything we can do?” She realized, her shoulders dropping. “Not to prevent her plans at least.”
“No. We have to wait for her to come to us. Now go get some sleep Lulu. It is the middle of the day after all. I will be cancelling both courts until this is all solved.” Celestia rose from her throne, stretching. “I shall see you at dusk.”
Luna nodded before leaving. Alright Tia. Whatever you think is best. I just hope I can find her before she finds you. I shudder to think what she plans to do with you. Luna slowly made her way through the halls, winding her way to her room. She loves you Twilight. You need to understand that. All of this is because of her love for you. Luna thought out, hoping against hope Twilight would hear her. She looked up at her ceiling, slightly surprised she had made it back to her room. But, I won’t stand in her way. I don’t want to get more involved in this than I have to. The princess of the night climbed back into her bed and drifted off to sleep. After all, I...