//------------------------------// // One - Shattered // Story: Her Destiny // by Broken //------------------------------// Silence. As her consciousness started to slowly come back from the white fade of seconds ago, Twilight’s ears immediately searched for a sound to hear. There was nothing. She forced her eyes open. However, her eyelids seemed to weigh tons. Her body ached. Not only her limbs, but she was almost sure to feel even her mane sharing the same pain as everything else. Managing only to roll pathetically to the side, Twilight forced herself to get up from the floor. This action, supposed to be something so normal, costed the purple mare great amounts of willpower. Staying up on her four shaking and weak legs, she tried once again to open her eyes. The eyelids opened a bit, but the light from the torches hurt her, forcing her to close them back. Twilight tried to understand what was happening with her. She didn't seemed to be able to perform tasks that a newborn does. Judging by how her legs were protesting to keep her body, she wondered if, somehow, she had born again... “Are you there, Applejack?” Twilight said aloud. At least, she still knew how to speak. The strange thing, though, was that no Applejack answered. Worry washed her over. One more time, the lavender mare reunited her willpower, and lifted her eyelids. Her vision was blurred, and the world around entered her brain as an image slowly being unveiled. Taking some time to get used to the glorious headache pestering her, Twilight begun to glance around. She still was inside the royal chamber of Tambelon. However, something was really, really wrong. She was alone. With difficulties, Twilight crawled aimlessly through the room, looking for any signals of her friends. “Rainbow Dash!” Twilight shouted, “Rainbow Dash are you there?” Not a single sound. The ominous silence made her heart beat faster, and a knot formed at her throat. “Pinkie Pie? Are you girls playing a trick on me? Please, stop! It’s not funny!” She walked some more, going towards the place where they channeled the Elements. Finally, Twilight understood why her body ached so much: She was thrown several meters away from the blast. “Rarity! C’mon, say something! Fluttershy, you don’t need to hide anymore, the rams are gone!” Twilight yelled louder, her four hooves dancing erratically as she tried to reach the place. She never felt so confused in her entire life. After suffering to reach the place, Twilight’s flank hit the ground, her face twisting in shock... Forming a circle around an area in front of her, she found the necklaces and her crown. However, something was terribly wrong with the precious Elements of Harmony. The beautiful golden color that composed the pieces of jewelry had lost its lust, seeming to be little more than rusted and dull metal rings. Her crown was lying on the ground along with the rest, shattered to pieces. Her heart raced faster.The knot at her throat suffocated her, robbing her from breath. “What’s happening here? Where are my friends?” Twilight’s gaze was still in utter shock. Think as she may, nothing made sense, and the horrible sensation of helplessness made the purple mare feel her mind close to crack. “Girls, please answer me,” Twilight tried to shout, but she whimpered. Her eyes burned, and her vision blurred again, this time, due to the flooding water invading the inner side of her eyelids. The tears came. She lowered her body to the ground, lying down, resting her head against one of her fore hooves. Everything around her seemed to spin around, out of control. Everything ached, and the pain seemed endless. Everything looked like a nightmare. Twilight stayed on the ground, crying. She whimpered and sobbed, almost in silence. She was in panic, begging for a light to appear and give her answers. Suddenly, the sound of approaching hooves snatched her attention. She perked up the upper part of her body, motioning her head to the entrance of the hall. Inside of her, she thought about seeing one of her precious friends entering the room, and turning everything in just another bad dream. However, a dark figure stood at the door. Glowing, red pupils furiously eyeing her from there. Twilight’s tears flowed strongly, not from the fear of that figure, but due to her last hope being brutally crushed upon the sight. “You!” The mysterious figure shouted from the entrance. “Who are you?” She asked back, unable to identify the owner of that shadowy silhouette. The monster clasped his hooves on the ground, coming closer. It was commander Hammer Horn, general of Grogar’s forces. Still fighting against the pain, Twilight managed to get up from the pathetic heap she was in, and stand her ground against the surviving enemy. She noticed how the ram looked around her body, noticing the way she trembled to remain standing. “You did it...” Twilight’s face twisted in confusion, “What?” “You transcended.” Hammer Horn was out of breath. Twilight’s visage seemed to impress him, somehow. “What are you talking about?” He raised an eyebrow, confused, “You didn’t knew what you were going to do, then?” “No! Stop saying those absurd things!” The mare demanded, going from fear to rage in seconds. Even so, the tears were still flowing from her eyes without stop. The ram smiled mischievously, “You are an alicorn now...” Twilight’s felt her breath stopping for a second. “Why don’t you try to move those wings at your back, Goddess?” Hammer Horn asked, a malicious smile plastered across his face. The mare mind’s clicked. Slowly, she moved her head to see one side of her body, and found a folded wing. Deciding to check if that vision weren't an illusion, Twilight tried to move the alien appendage, and the wing opened, showing her big purple feathers... She did the same with the other side. Once again, Twilight felt her mind close to crack. What’s happening here? Why do I have wings? I’m not a pegasus! Trying to summon a mirror just to make sure that she still had her horn, the purple mare used a spell. Some pink sparks flew off from the tip of her horn, but her magic failed. Twilight didn’t understand why, she tried once again, with double the focus but she only got bigger sparks. It seemed that even magic, her identity, had abandoned her... With her heart beating faster again, Twilight begun to move her head furiously to the sides, looking desperately for the shield she used to hit Grogar with. When she found it, she managed to forget about all the pain and ran towards it, looking to the reflective surface. She found a different mare being shown back to her. Twilight was taller, about half-a-head taller than the average mare, much like Princess Luna and Princess Cadance. Her horn was bigger and pointier, her mane was longer and smoother than before. “No! This is wrong!” Twilight backed away from the shield, shaking her head in negation and closing her eyes. “Believe me, I’m feeling as confused as you. The spell you used some hours ago seemed to be too perfectly executed to be made by accident,” Hammer Horn walked closer, still smiling. “I’ve told you that I don’t know of any spell!” Twilight exploded in rage, shooting her eyes open in his direction. Her bellows asked for more breath than normal, and she begun to hyperventilate. Her heart raced so fast, that the beats were hurting her chest. She wanted to scream, hoping to open her eyes in a faraway place, at her safe and cozy bed if possible. “Where’s my friends?” Twilight shouted at the ram. Hammer Horn laughed, “How am I supposed to know?” “You rams are the only ones that could have taken them away while I was out cold!” “That blast of white light, capable of engulfing all the land with its shine. It was very similar to an event that transpired three thousand years ago...” The mare gazed at Hammer Horn, fighting to not resume her weeping, “What? How’s that even relevant?” “A powerful being used her magic to sacrifice an entire nation with the objective of transcending into godhood.” Twilight scuffed a hoof against the ground, furious, “Stop with this nonsense! What the hay are you trying to tell me?” A creep smile opened in his evil face, “You killed them, right?” Her mouth opened, and the tears started to fell down again. Twilight’s face contorted into a despaired frown, mixed with utter shock. “Are you completely insane?” She asked in disbelief, “How could I have killed them?” “They aren’t around, am I right?” The ram asked back, sarcastically, “Unless they are hiding through a spell.” “It does not prove anything!” Twilight shouted, rage turning into more and more panic. “Maybe. However, you are an alicorn, and I would never forget about the fate of that nation to the far east of Equestria. The cries of a million of innocents, having their souls sucked into a maelstrom of magic, only to grant a single pony, the powers of a Goddess.” Twilight’s headache intensified. She led a hoof to her forehead due to the absurd pain. “I was already inside the castle, and I’m sure to have heard some nasty screams coming from here. Aren't they from your fellow bearers?” The memories started to come back, and Twilight revived the scene transpiring before everything went white. Rainbow Dash pleads to stop, and the screams of pain coming from each one of her friends, their voices covered in total panic. “It’s... A lie...” She breathed. “It’s impossible! I don’t know that spell...” Twilight’s eyes started to dance inside their orbits, her head was about to explode. “Well, perhaps you knew the spell, but never wanted to use it, and blocked it? Perhaps it was just a similar spell, that surged within you due to your interaction with the Elements of Harmony? The possibilities...” Hammer Horn seemed to be enjoying to torture her further. “No! That’s impossible! It simple can’t be true!” Lost inside of her own mind, drowned in the depths of despair, Twilight tried with all her strength to use one of her strongest weapons, reasoning, to explain the situation. This... never happened before. The Elements... they are supposed to channel our inner powers; they are like manifestations of our own souls. Your soul can’t harm you; your own power can’t kill you just because it is being channeled. Then... if the Elements aren’t to blame, who destroyed them? Where are my friends? Are they… dead? She could feel her sanity slipping. Was it… me? Was it that power surge my fault? Like the time I could not control my powers during the test to be accepted at the school for gifted unicorns when I hatched Spike’s egg? Does that mean that I’m the one to blame? “No...” Twilight breathed, going backwards, shaking her head vigorously to the sides in negation. Hammer Horn watched in silence as Twilight’s mind broke apart like a cracked wall of thin glass... “They can’t be dead!” She screamed to no pony, her voice hitting a high-pitched frequency due to a torrent of tears coming from inside of her all at once. “I’m not a murderer! I didn’t knew about the elements! I didn’t knew about any spell!” Her legs trembled, and she fell to the side, screaming with all the strentgh of her bellows when she hit the ground, crying and wailing in pure despair. She kept screaming until her voice was no more. Then she just cried in silence, her face laid directly against the stone floor. Her friends were gone, forever. Twilight couldn't bear a world where those five weren't there by her side. The simple idea was like a vivid nightmare, devouring her sanity and her feelings. Her heart wasn't broke; it was tore apart from her chest with brutality, leaving behind an empty void, that ached like a broken bone, one that would never be able to regenerate... To make everything worse, she was the suspect number one. She probably was the responsible for their deaths, and it does not mattered if she killed them by accident. She still was a murderer. “We promised to go back home together... We pinkie promised,” Twilight sobbed, in between the hiccups, as her immobile body spasmed and convulsed on the floor, tears freely falling from her lifeless eyes. Hammer Horn still watched in silence. The ram seemed to not even produce a sound. Twilight slowly raised a hoof towards him, pledging, “Can you kill me too, Hammer Horn?” He frowned. “Can you please let me go with them?” The ram walked over her direction, and raised his hoof, preparing to smash her head. Twilight closed her eyes, although a smile crept across her muzzle; dying now would be a blessing for her... However, when the ram applied the strike, his hoof passed Twilight, as if he was a ghost. The purple alicorn shoot her eyes open, and moved her head towards him, “What?” “Our king is gone. Without him, this entire city is dammed to return to the Tartarus, along with each soldier from his army.” Twilight hanged her head low, and closed her eyes, filling the air with the sound of her wails. “It’s a shame, isn't it? I don’t have enough time to turn that cute head of yours into a pancake.” Everything around the alicorn started to transform into mist, the walls were disintegrating around Twilight. The same fate was falling upon the ram, “I bid you farewell, Sparkle. If you really are the responsible for their deaths, I will see you at the Tartarus soon enough. If not, well, good luck trying to explain it to this world.” In seconds, the entire city vanished, leaving no trace behind, except for a huge crater on the middle of the Everfree Forest. Twilight now was laid upon the soft ground. Her tears kept falling, being absorbed by the earth and disappearing. The forest around her was as quiet as the city was moments before, and her sobs and wails kept filling the air. The night was colder and harsher. Despaired, Twilight trembled due to the low temperature, drowned in her pool of dread. In the corner of her eye, she caught the vision of the destroyed Elements of Harmony, the only things that were left behind. She crawled on the ground, scratching her belly against the soil, going towards the remnants of the necklaces. When reaching them, the alicorn enveloped each one in her fore hooves and sat. “Please! Come back!” She screamed, “I will do anything! Anything at all! But for Celestia’s sake, come back!” She clenched the destroyed jewelry against her chest, hugging the pieces as if she was hugging her friends. Some sharp shards even started to hurt her, making small cuts, although the pain produced by those shards seemed to not affect the despaired mare at all. It was too weak... Twilight keep screaming and screaming, crying without stop, “Don’t leave me alone! I don’t want to be all alone again! I’m sorry! I never wanted to this with you girls!” Suddenly, the alicorn was surprised by the sound of several creatures getting near, bustling through the foliage around the big hole. “The screams are coming from over here!” A male voice shouted from the distance. Confused, Twilight begun to glance at all directions. Quickly, an entire battalion surrounded the crater. The squad was composed only by bat-ponies from Luna’s night guard. The knights glanced at Twilight with a hint of fear in their eyes, Twilight ceased her screams, and turned to one of them, “Can you please help me?” From her position at the border of the hole, she crawled in his direction, using her muzzle to pull her body through the ground, she didn’t wanted to let it go from the Elements. The bat-pony walked near her with a bland expression. “They vanished... I don’t know what happened... They broke, you see?” Twilight showed him the broken jewels. He looked back at her with a mix of disgust and pity on the eyes, “Are the princesses sure? This mare looks like she completely lost it!” “I dunno. She sure seen in shambles, but there’s no city here anymore, and those broken shards sure are from the Elements of Harmony,” another soldier replied to the first. “We don’t have any choice, huh?” He turned back to Twilight, “Look filly, you are under arrest.” Twilight’s jaw dropped. “What?” “Those are Princess Luna’s orders. You need to come with us, and I really hope you aren’t planning on resisting.” Twilight backed away, “Why Princess Luna is arresting me?” “It looks like you killed the Elements of Harmony to perform a forbidden ritual to transform yourself into an alicorn.” The second knight came closer, “Well, there’s no denying she is one. Plus, she have the Elements, or what is left of them.” “No!” Twilight shouted, “I didn’t killed them! I swear!” Both knights exchanged confused glances. The first one spoke, “Okay filly, where are the other five mares if you hadn't killed them? Can you explain us why the necklaces are destroyed, and why you are an alicorn?” Twilight remained in silence. The second knight sighed, “We don’t want to do it with you Miss Sparkle, but we can’t ignore an order from our liege. Besides, the story does not look to be so absurd now that I’m seeing the situation with my own eyes.” The first one came along, “He’s right. I thought you were a great unicorn, Miss Sparkle, but it appears that the power turned you into a monster, capable of killing your friends. I hope Luna have mercy upon your soul...” “Now come with us, and don’t try to resist, please.” They walked in her direction. One of the bat-ponies tried to take Twilight by her hoof, in an attempt to separate the shards from her. “No! Don’t you dare to touch them!” Immediately, the alicorn slapped his hoof, her face twisting into a fit of rage. Another knight tried to do the same, but received a bite from Twilight. Several bat-ponies flocked around her, she tried to fight against the swarm in a desperate attempt to protect the shards from the soldiers. They eventually overpowered her, casting the shards to the ground... Twilight was chained down. Her four limbs were linked together by a chain, restricting most of her movements. A large strip of metal was passed around her body, forcing her wings to stay folded. A terrible magic gadget called “Nullifying Ring”, designed specially to block an unicorn’s magical power, was put at her horn. She was then mercilessly thrown to the rear wagon of a huge flying carriage, pulled by four bat-ponies. It was a quiet trip until now. The hours passed on the wooden floor of that box-like place were a torment. There was no more reasoning for Twilight, just tears. She cried quietly, taking solace in the memories of her six friends. Rainbow Dash’s clumsy, hot-heated demeanor. Rarity’s drama queen acts. Applejack’s stupid stubbornness. Pinkie Pie’s absurd powers. Fluttershy being scared of her own shadow. Spike’s sarcasm and laziness. She even smiled a bit upon remembering the moments they spent together, silly moments, which Twilight could question why they were bringing her joy. Those stupid mares who had the courage to throw Celestia’s personal student life into one big mess, and she was so happy for it to have happened... She remembered how they grew to be special to her, like a family, like her own blood. Twilight remembered every single special moment with them, each laugh and hug. She loved them... However, everything disappeared in the blink of an eye. It was so unbelievable to her, so alien, that two years of building that strong friendship had vanished in few seconds. She couldn't accept it! There had to be some explanation, something she was missing. Twilight forced her body to stand once again, staying in that pathetic heap wasn't helping her to think. This time, her body felt a little strong. Twilight concluded that her strength was coming back to her by the time, even if slowly. The carriage was shaking a lot. She walked towards the window, blocked by several metallic bars. Although the clouds were dampening a clear vision of the ground below her, Twilight knew that route really well... Everfree to Ponyville. Suddenly, Twilight’s ears captured the guards pulling the carriage engaged in a strange conversation. “We are transporting her to Ponyville instead of Canterlot?” The purple alicorn trotted near to have a better hearing. “Yes, that’s what the last order was saying. Canterlot is still under alert due to the siege from the rams. Plus, it looks like the Princesses want to pass on her judgement as soon as possible.” Princess Celestia will be at Ponyville! Twilight knew that, if somepony could explain her what was happening, it sure would be her beloved mentor. Also, she would be seeing Princess Luna, which could give her the chance to discover why she was imprisoned. It was time to be strong, for her friends! Determined to watch the ordeal towards the end, the purple alicorn returned to her resting place, to wait for their arrival at Ponyville. The carriage landed. Outside, Twilight could hear a commotion. Something seemed strange... She got up, looking aimlessly to the wooden walls, confused. Soon enough, the back doors opened, and two bat-ponies stallions gazed at her from outside, shooting daggers through their eyes. Along with the vision, a deafening sound of an enraged crowd invaded her prison. Ashamed, Twilight hanged her head low and trotted outside, without protest. As she hopped out of the carriage, the purple alicorn finally understood what was causing the commotion: All the residents from Ponyville were gathered at the entrance of her oak tree, where several guards from both the Night and the Sun Guards formed a circle, blocking the residents from trying to enter the vicinities. “Look! It’s the librarian!” A stallion shouted amidst the mob. “She’s an alicorn! Does that mean the rumors are true?” A beige mare with rose red mane asked. “She murdered those ponies! She’s a monster!” Another stallion yelled, his voice full of rage. Twilight bit her lips. “Come with us, Princess Luna is waiting for you,” a Night Guard said to her, blankly. Twilight closed her eyes and followed her scouts towards the oak tree. On her way there, the purple alicorn could hear each pony from the town shouting insults and calling her by several names. Murderer. Traitor. Monster. Each voice echoing, each insult, felt as a dagger piercing her back. Twilight could only wonder how the news spread so quickly. “Twilight!” A familiar voice shouted, close enough to attract her attention. Her ears perked up, and with eyes full of tears, she glanced to the direction of the voice. Sweetie Belle. The small filly was forcing her way through the huge mass of ponies being contained by the knights. She was crying, looking towards the purple alicorn with worry on her eyes. “What happened Twilight? Where’s Rarity?” Sweetie Belle managed to reach the border, she tried to break the formation, but a knight caught her by the waist. Twilight only shook her head in negation as an answer for her question. The filly stared at the purple alicorn, baffled. Twilight turned her gaze away, and continued to follow the knights leading her. “This can’t be true!” Sweetie Belle shouted, her voice slowly vanishing at the distance, “You can’t have killed my sister! She’s your friend, and she loved you and you loved her back!” Twilight felt as if she could puke right now. “Sweetie is right!” Another familiar voice, coming from near her new position. Once again, the purple alicorn motioned her head to see who it was. This time, she found Mrs. Cake, bearing a crying expression. “Pinkie! Where is she, Twilight?” The mare asked with a shout. “I don’t know Mrs. Cake!” Twilight yelled back. Immediately, one of the guards pulled the chain around her neck, almost strangling her. “Shut up!” Twilight gasped for air, and the pain made her watery eyes shed some tears against her will. “Don’t ya dare to do this with her!” A male voice shouted with anger from the opposite side. Twilight caught the vision of Big Macintosh being blocked by two guards. “She’s innocent! Ah know it! Let her go!” The purple alicorn closed her eyes again, her ears deflated, glued to the sides of her head. A weak stream of tears rolled down from her eyes. The shame was too strong to bear. They finally reached the entrance of her library. The scouts halted Twilight on place. A strong glow of azure magic illuminated the place, and in the blink of an eye, Princess Luna appeared. Her presence made Ponyville become quiet again. Each mare and stallion stared at the beautiful night alicorn with attention. Luna moved her head around, in silence, observing the huge commotion. Twilight looked straight at her eyes, and as she always do, bowed down. Luna sighed, her cold expression melting into a worried frown. She cleared her throat, and begun speaking using her Royal Canterlot Voice, “Citizens of Ponyville! We succeeded in capturing the pony charged with the accusation of murdering five residents of this town!” “She’s a traitor! Throw her on the jail and give the key to a hydra!” “Monster! How could you harm them?” “She deserves no mercy from you, Princess Luna!” Twilight moved her head back to the Princess of the night, “Did you knew this was going to happen? That’s how everypony knows what happened, right?” Luna pouted, “No. Celestia has precognitive abilities, though they are not perfect. She told me that you were going to undergo a transformation, and this event would trigger something really catastrophic upon Equestria.” “Then why Ponyville want to tear me apart?” “That’s because I had to alert them about you becoming a possible threat, and pass on the fact that you were going to return here, but alone. We had to presume that you performed an ancient forbidden spell, which the cost was the lives of the Elements of Harmony. That pillar of light just confirmed our suspicions. The information leaked, somehow, and in few minutes, this whole town was aware of it. ” Twilight turned her head away, “You don’t trust me anymore, Princess Luna?” The blue alicorn bit her lips, “How could I? Where are your friends?” “I don’t know.” “What about the Elements of Harmony? Is it true that my guards found the shards in your arms?” “Yes.” “Can you tell me how and why you transcended?” “No. I don’t have any idea how this have happened...” “Then, explain how to give you the benefit of the doubt,” Luna looked more distressed than even Twilight. The purple alicorn could catch a glimpse of sadness in her eyes and expression. “I’m not a murderer.” Luna remained in silence for some seconds. “Citizens of Ponyville!” Her Royal Canterlot Voice made the ground tremble, “We shall pass on the divine judgement upon this mare!” Luna cleared her throat and tried to fake a cold expression, “Give me any proof of your innocence, and I will let you go.” “I can’t,” Twilight breathed, “I’m beyond confused. I’ve lost the ponies that I love the most on the world, and now I’m inside this strange body. How could I be searching for clues about my innocence, if you captured me without giving me time to search for anything?” “If you were innocent, you would not be in needing of proofs.” “I am innocent, Princess Luna!” Determination beamed inside Twilight’s eyes. The enraged crowd behind her kept shouting insults the whole time. “She’s lying Princess! She’s an alicorn! She killed them!” “Give our friends back you monster! They don’t deserved to be sacrificed for you to gain power!” “If you were innocent, our Holy Lady Celestia would never accuse you!” Luna gazed at the furious mob. Her’s and Celestia’s knights were struggling to keep the ponies away. She turned to Twilight, “You... Do not deserve this.” The purple alicorn hanged her head down, “I hoped to hear answers from you, Princess Luna. If you don’t know what’s going on, how could I know?” Luna remained in silence once again, her eyes were unable to focus on Twilight, as if she was reluctantly trying to hide something. “I need to pass on your sentence or things are going to get really ugly here.” “It doesn't matter to me. Still, I can only keep believing that I’m innocent, because I would never harm my friends for a selfish gain.” A voice echoed, stronger than any curse through the enraged crowd, “No! You aren't to blame Twilight!” Luna and Twilight looked towards Sweetie Belle. “She’s innocent Princess! She has to be!” “The filly is right Princess!” Mrs. Cake also forced her voice to its limits to attract their attention, “Pinkie remained so many nights working hard at our bakery to prepare desserts to this mare! She always said how she admired Twilight for her hard work, and kindness! My little Pinkie loved her! And there wasn't a single day that they didn't laughed together just because they were around each other!” “She would never harm’em!” Big Mac was about to break through the guards, “Their friendship was stronger than anything on this world!” Luna remained perplexed. “Still, there’s nothing more than words to back her innocence!” Luna spoke to them, “The proofs of her wrongdoings are greater than those hopeful feelings. Besides, not even herself can give me a straight explanation about the events that unfold five hours ago!” “Princess Luna is right!” “You guys are being deceived by this monster!” “Don’t let her fool you guys! She killed your family!” The mob kept torturing Twilight. Luna turned to the crying alicorn, “I cannot deem you guilty, nor absolve you. I can only trust your fate to the hooves of my sister.” “Be it. Celestia is my only hope right now.” The Princess of the Night cleared her throat one more time, turning to the crowd, “I am unable to pass on my final decision about this mare’s fate! However, fear not Children of Equestria! Our Holy Lady Celestia shall have the final word! Let us pray to her light to shed the truth upon this whole ordeal!” The crowd was silenced. Twilight whispered to Luna, “We are going to Canterlot?” “No. She’s here, waiting for you inside the library.” “Can we end this once and for all, please?” “As you wish.” The absurd silence was broken by the sounds of Twilight’s chains dangling as she moved. Luna used her magic to open the wooden door, and the two alicorns trotted inside, closing the door right behind them... The insides were murky and dark. Few lamps were lit, and were unable to provide real lighting to the interior of her library. Scattered across the place, Twilight observed several books on the ground. There were more books on the ground, than on the shelves. In the middle of the place, she found a tall white alicorn, sat on the wooden floor. She was ecstatic on place, looking towards the side opposite to the entrance. “Princess Celestia?” Twilight asked, with a low and pained voice. Luna stopped right at the side of the door, while Twilight walked towards her mentor. Something was wrong with Celestia. Her beautiful magical mane was amiss. In its place, a long, pool blue colored smooth mane fell from her head, covering her back. Her long and smooth tail sported the same coloration. She was not wearing any of her royal regalia. “You came...” Celestia breathed. “ I've been brought here, Princess. I would try to find you, anyway, so it does not matter.” Twilight glanced around her destroyed library, “Where’s Spike?” “We banished him,” Celestia answered with an empty voice. “No!” Twilight covered her muzzle with a hoof, trying to control the flood of tears, “Why?” “He’s a dragon. Eventually, he could become a threat to this town, and harm the others without you near to protect him from himself. It’s his destiny.” “You’re wrong!” Twilight shouted at Celestia, “He’s the most gentle and noble, and kind dragon or pony around here!” “I used to be full of hope just like you...” “Where’s him?” Twilight yelled further. “The Everfree. To live among his species.” “He can’t survive there! The other dragons are going to harm him!” Twilight cried, her tears of sadness mixed with the ones of rage. “It’s not our problem. We can’t ensure that every single creature on this world will live. That’s cold, I know, but believe me when I say that I would do anything to make even the smallest bug happy.” They remained in silence. Twilight was breathing heavily, sobbing, being the only one to produce a sound. Luna seemed to be just observing everything, displeased. “What happened to me, Princess Celestia?” The white alicorn moved her head towards an opened book on the ground to her right side. Her horn flared with a gentle white glow, enveloping it. Celestia closed the book, showing the thick cover to Twilight, “Do you recall this title?” Twilight observed the tome briefly, and sighed, “Of course. It’s a fairy tale called, ‘The Twilight Princess and The Stolen Kingdom.’ “ “I used to tell the tale to my student before her sleep.” Celestia’s words stung Twilight’s heart like an arrow, “You mean me, right?” “In this tale, a Princess called the Twilight Princess comes from a faraway land to save a beautiful country from two evil Queens that enslaved the ponies and made them do all their desires. The Twilight Princess is seen by those ponies as an enemy, and few are the ones who help her on her quest. In the end, we all learn that the Twilight Princess was the true Queen of that beautiful country, and that those evil ponies had stolen her place, when she was an infant.” Celestia turned to Twilight. Try as she might to hide, the purple alicorn could clearly see that Celestia was crying, for some reason. “The Twilight Princess endured many hardships, because the ponies enslaved by the evil Queens were blind to the truth, and thought their evil rulers were giving them blessings. She fought with them, and in the end, she defeated them, and through the light of her dawn, a new eon of harmony and peace spread across the land.” “Princess Celestia... Why are you crying?” Twilight asked, confused. Celestia closed her eyes, two huge trails of tears descending through her cheeks. Luna walked towards her, concerned, but Celestia shook her head, asking her to stop where she was. “This fairy tale is about you, mare.” Twilight’s jaw dropped. Grogar’s words boomed inside her head, finally making sense... You could even surpass the Sun Goddess herself if you could grow wings and strong hooves. Surpass the Goddess... she should feel threatened by your existence, that must be why she keeps you so close. “You are here to take our place. To rob me and my sister from our place as rulers of Equestria. You are here to destroy everything we worked so hard to build! One thousand years of struggle and suffering.” The purple alicorn shook her head, quickly becoming irritated with such absurd accusations. “I will not allow it! I will not permit that you, a unruly brat take away my country and my crown!” “Shut up!” Twilight’s scream made the whole building shake. “I don’t want your crown! I don’t want your place! I’m not going to steal Equestria from you, Princess! I don’t even know what the hay is happening! It’s me, Twilight Sparkle! Can’t you see it?” Celestia stared blankly at Twilight, in silence. “Please Princess... Stop doing this...” Twilight’s voice slowly melted into despaired wails, followed by tears. “I’m so scared. My friends vanished, and I’m not looking like myself anymore. You are the only one that can help me right now...” Luna looked towards Celestia, even more worried. Twilight continued with her wails. “I’m begging you Princess! Please, help me! How could I do anything to harm you or your sister? You two are important to me as my own mother! I love you so much, but hearing you saying those things to me is toring my heart apart!” “No pony returned from Tambelon...” Twilight gasped. “No pony returned. My student is dead. You are not her...” It was the worst nightmare Twilight had on her life, except it was real. The purple alicorn lowered her head, and closed her eyes, tears falling freely, rolling down her face and dripping to the ground, “It’s just a fairy tale, right? It’s not real, right?” Celestia turned to Luna, “Can you give me the shards?” The Night Princess nodded, taking a few steps forward. Her horn flared, and emitted an intense azure light, shooting a beam right in front of Celestia. Together in a pile, the destroyed Elements of Harmony appeared out of thin air. “To destroy the harmony of this land. It’s your first task, right Twilight Princess?” Celestia asked, cruelty clear on her voice. Twilight remained in silence. Celestia channeled her magic powers, and a white light enveloped the shards. “You are right, this is just a fairy tale, we can’t take it as the truth. Me and my sister, we are not evil queens. The only one here about to make others suffer, is you.” The blinding white light enveloped the vicinities. Then, the pile of shards changed into a huge, stained glass door, just like the windows from Canterlot’s castle. It depicted an intricate and mysterious design. Twilight observed the glass in front of her, and her eyes went wider due to the image. It showed a glowing white tower at the center. The six Elements of Harmony floated around it. At the bottom, a defeated Grogar was lying on the ground, and at the top, a purple alicorn was proudly showing her wings, and with both her hind hooves, she smashed Celestia and Luna’s cutie marks. A crown, different from the crown representing the Element of Magic was atop her head and she had a sword at the side of her body, resting in a sheath. However, what attracted Twilight’s attention was the image of her friends near the purple alicorn. Rainbow Dash, Applejack, Rarity, Pinkie and Fluttershy could clearly be seen close to their respective elements. “This is what I saw. This is what my powers showed me. I don’t know what you did with my dear student, but you are not going to harm my little ponies!” “They are alive?” Celestia raised an eyebrow. “They are alive, right Princess? Tell me, please!” Celestia scuffed a hoof on the floor and turned around, “Luna, call the guards. Leave her at the deep level.” “Tia...” Luna’s eyes glowed with sadness. “Aren’t you hearing me, sister? Take her away please, and come back here, we need to talk.” Twilight shook her head in disbelief, “I still love you, Princess Celestia.” The white alicorn cringed, as if she was hurt by those words. Luna opened the door, and the guards awaiting outside marched towards Twilight’s direction. “I don’t know why you are hiding the truth from me. I don’t know why you are treating me like trash, but I feel, deep inside, that you still are the same Celestia that I loved. I will never hate you, my Princess, and I know that someday, you will tell me everything that is happening. Until that day, I swear, I will never harm you or your sister, or even a single pony!” Suddenly, Twilight started to cough. The persistent cough started weak, but soon, Twilight felt her breath leaving her, and her bellows pained. There was blood... The world around her started to spin, and her vision blurred, her legs lost strength, and she fell. Her last vision was that of Celestia’s face, going from a normal gaze, to utter panic. However, the purple alicorn smiled... You still there, right my Princess? They are alive! I know they are alive! I cannot give up now. I need to find them, I need to know the truth. I need to save my friends! Was I really born to take Princess Celestia and Princess Luna places, even if I don’t want to? Is this my destiny? I can’t accept it! I will change it at any cost!