//------------------------------// // Chapter VIII - Reunited // Story: Tamed II: As Time Went On // by PiercingZen //------------------------------// Act 2 – Fate Chapter VIII – Reunited Edited by Vertorm and MysteryAlabaster ***** Twilight… It wasn’t long after becoming a Wonderbolt that I realized how fickle… how petty my dream was. When I was given the uniform and the title, I wasn’t the least bit happy about it. I gave Spitfire this long, blank stare. I looked past those orange, dull eyes and saw nothing. I felt like I was staring into a mirror. A reflection of the future, one that I too would become. Cold… tired… and lifeless. Then I saw you. I saw you standing there staring at me with that… cheesy smile on your face. They thought I was overjoyed when I smiled back. Truth was… I only wanted to see you again. The next few years were bleak. I did what the Wonderbolts always did: show off, race, and show off some more. I missed my friends… The glamour and adoration that I had for the Wonderbolts faded once I began to interact with them daily. Every time I was invited for a drink or to attend some kind of event, I wished I could invite my Ponyville friends. Especially you… Since they had forgotten who you were, I couldn’t face them anymore. The only friend I had was Midnight Sun… the one that ruined everything. The irony killed me. However, I did come upon the kid at some point. She got accepted into the Wonderbolts Academy. It was certainly a time of respite. It felt like I was being given a break from my sorrow. She was incredible, the rascal. She still had quite the trouble with keeping up with others, but she had true determination and respect for her fellow ponies. Then… she failed… At the end of that year, Scootaloo was dropped from the roster and she left the Academy. The eighty ton boulder that weighed on my heart only seemed to grow heavier and heavier. Seeing her go was the last thing I wanted and to top it off… that was the last time I saw Middy too. It was then I had a breakthrough… This life wasn’t for me. I never wanted to become a Wonderbolt. The dream was a farce that only shrouded my true desires… I had become the best and everything else was sacrificed because of it. It was a joke… The dreams of a foal and nothing else. I left them… I made up my mind. There was a ceremony of sorts to commemorate the deeds they had accomplished that year. When I was called up to say my part… I laughed. ***** “Rainbow Dash? Is there something funny?” “Hahah! Well, yeah actually! I’m laughing at the silly bravado and integrity of the group I’m supposed to represent.” “Excuse me?” “Listen. Everypony always thinks we do wondrous feats of courage and strength when it’s a universal fact that… pegasi are weak. We lack any real physical strength to deal with large disasters and the magic to counteract the impossible. We truly are nothing more than just a flock of tiny birds! Sure we can fly, but it’s the only thing we have going for us.” “Rainbow Dash? What are you…?” “However, I know what true power is! One time I had all but lost my ability to fly, but I had a unicorn grant me a new set of wings. A unicorn gave me the power of flight and the physical strength to level buildings! I could be here and then there in an instant and I could finally do whatever I wanted! I was a true Wonderbolt… a true pegasus! Not one of these posers… who couldn’t even stop a baby dragon from terrorizing a town or save a pony from a simple fall!” “That’s enough, Rainbow Dash!” ***** A simple fall… I was so weak. I couldn’t even save you. I thought that by becoming a Wonderbolt, I would have the power to help my friends when they needed me the most. My embarrassing moments as the hero of Ponyville were a testament to how much power a pegasus really had. You fixed that dam and proved to me that we are simply nothing to this world. You can even control the weather… and what am I after that? What can I do? Nothing… At that moment, I grew so angry at Spitfire... that I tackled her. It was the dumbest decision I ever made, no matter how angry I was. There wasn’t a shred of justification behind it. The tackle ended up seriously injuring her. Apparently, I didn’t know my own strength. It felt good… For those few moments I felt all my pent up frustration was vented, but I never felt so guilty in my life. I fled the ceremony… and from that moment on… I knew that part of my life had ended for good. So I was obviously discharged from the Wonderbolts that day. In truth, I quit, but that would have made the story in the media that much less interesting. I didn’t regret what I had said, but I hope that every pegasus out there thought differently after that. I had some protesters and some sympathizers, but I knew I would only cause more strife if I stayed. I fled to the Whitetail Woods and starting making a home for myself. Whenever I needed something I couldn’t make, I disguised myself the best I could and bought it. Even being a Wonderbolt for only a year, I was wealthy. I took as much as I could carry, but it didn’t last too long. I became obsessed with my revelation of magical strength. I started buying every book I could get my hooves on. I wanted to be smarter… I wondered if I could be gifted with magic. Silly goals, I know, but it had finally given me a drive. It was something to shoot for that mattered to me. However, in only two or so years, that drive left me. After reading every book I owned over a hundred times, I felt the same… Powerless. Nothing could fix that feeling, it seemed. So I put my books down for the last time… and I began to wait. I wasn’t sure what I was waiting for, but there certainly wasn’t anything else worth living for. I had become a rainbow shell of guilt, regret, and weakness. My wings became underused, my legs lost their strength, my eyes always felt heavy, my heart stiff, and I stopped taking care of myself. I could barely muster the will to eat or fly around. I had never been grounded so long in my life. For days on end, the only noises I heard were the ticking of my clock, the subtle breezes outside, and the crackling of the fire. The fire I stared into everyday… wondering if one day I’ll just fall in. Hours turned into days… days into weeks… months… years. I lost track of time… I lost myself… The only thing that remained… was you… Twilight. ***** “Are you alright, my little pony?” Twilight stared dumbfounded at Princess Celestia. It was rare to see her use spells and it was always so terrifyingly powerful. The purple unicorn swallowed the lump in her throat. “Princess, what’s going on? Who was that pony?” Twilight noticed that Celestia wasn’t her normal, cheery self. A frown, a weary demeanor, and her mane and coat were slightly disheveled. The light in her ruler just didn’t seem as bright as she remembered. “An enemy… An enemy I am so glad to have dealt with.” She turned around and unfurled her wings. “Come!” she spoke to her guards, “We must inform her.” Twilight quickly galloped up to her. “Wait, Princess!” Celestia only slightly turned her head. “Yes, my subject?” “My subject? Princess, don’t you know who I am? Where I’ve been all this time?” Her Princess just gave Twilight a blank stare. Just by the way her eyes moved, Twilight could tell she couldn’t recall anything. “Strange… I should know your name. I know the names of all of my ponies.” With this realization, Celestia gave Twilight her full attention. “State your name. Are you a foreigner to Equestria?” Twilight simply couldn’t believe what she was hearing. “Princess, it’s me! Twilight Sparkle!” She suddenly smiled as she could actually speak this time around. “You’ve known me since I was a filly! You helped me with my studies! You made me your protégé! You-” she was interrupted. “Enough!” Celestia boomed and the unicorn shrank in fear. “Twilight Sparkle you said? I’ve never heard of such a name… nor do I recall any of those things you’ve told me. Where do you reside, Miss Sparkle?” The frustration in Twilight’s voice only grew, “In Canterlot! Well, Ponyville actually... I moved there a couple years ago. You know, to study the magic of friendship! The duty you gave me!” Celestia gave her a strange look, as if Twilight had just told a terrible joke that she didn’t get. “The magic of friendship?” she said quietly to herself. “Yes! Don’t you remember?” “Listen. Let us speak where the public ear cannot hear. You displayed much courage today. I request your presence at my castle.” The Princess sighed. “There have been many strange occurrences as of late. This time I won’t ignore anything out of the ordinary. I will give you two of my guards as escort, but I must first… lament the loss of another pony…” She trailed off as she walked past Twilight. Two of the pegasi guards she came with then approached the unicorn. “The rest of you go inform her about the defeat of the masked pony. This shall be a day of both joy and sorrow.” The remaining four guards swiftly bowed to her before taking off into the air. “Princess Celestia! Wait!” Twilight held out a hoof towards her. “Miss?” One of the guards managed to peel Twilight’s gaze away from Celestia. She looked into the pegasus’s eyes with a mix of frustration, fear, and disappointment. “We should get going.” She quickly looked back at Celestia to find her gone. She gasped softly. She began to chase after her only to immediately hesitate. “No… Princess…” Her head sunk. “What in Equestria is going on?” ***** Led by the guards, Twilight had made her way to Canterlot Castle which she really didn’t need an escort to find. During the walk, the unicorn couldn’t help but replay her ruler’s words. Her eyes darted along the ground as her mind raced. She had never been so confused. It had seemed the world had turned upside down while she had been sealed away. As she tried to remember the last thing that happened to her, she could only see Rainbow Dash’s smiling face. Maybe... Maybe she knows what happened. I should see my friends as soon as I can… once I speak with the Princess. “Miss Sparkle?” She perked up at hearing the voice. “We’re here.” She found herself in the audience chamber of her Princess. She didn’t even recall walking this far. “Oh! Thank you...” “The Princess shall be here shortly. We ask for your patience.” “Of course.” She nodded as they left the chamber and closed the doors behind them. As she watched them leave, she heard the sound of hooves near the throne. Quickly, she swung her head around to see who it was. Her eyes were met with an unfamiliar pony, an alicorn, walking slowly in front of Celestia’s throne. It was a violet colored mare with a long violet mane that almost dragged along the floor. Her mane covered one eye while the other was shielded by a pair of small glasses. She wore a typical princess attire that contrasted harshly with her nerdy appearance. Who was this pony? “Hello…” the alicorn spoke. Despite her quiet tone, the chamber’s acoustics made it easy to hear her. “Who… are you?” Twilight said, before she slowly began to approach her. The alicorn’s stance didn’t seem royal or perky at all. In fact, she was reminiscent of her friend, Fluttershy, in the way she held herself. “I… know you. Why do you look… familiar?” “I could ask you the same question… Are you a new princess?” The alicorn smiled and looked to the side, “What gave it away?” “I guess that was a silly question.” Twilight chuckled, slightly embarrassed. In only a few moments, she had made it up close to the alicorn who had sat gently on the cold floor. The princess looked chilled and was still as stone. There was a strangely tense aura about her and it drew Twilight. She was close enough to see her eyes, a deep amethyst much like her own. Her presence was unsettling. Twilight felt like she should get away from her. It was a familiar feeling. “You’re… here to see Celestia, aren’t you?” She asked in a soft tone as her eyes shifted to stare down the unicorn. Twilight couldn’t help but look away this time, so she directed her eyes to Celestia’s throne. Everything seemed duller and less alive than she remembered. It was as if the sun had lost its light and was overcast by the darkness of her absence. Twilight’s face sunk a little as she was reminded of Celestia’s forgotten memories. She could tell that none of it was a farce. Celestia had really forgotten who she was… if she had even known her at all. It gripped her heart in a vice and it only seemed to tighten with every second. “Are you alright?” The voice snapped her out of it. “Y-Yeah. I was just… I’m here to see her. Yes. I… I-I’m sorry, I was lost in my own thoughts for a second.” The alicorn tilted her head and walked in front of Twilight’s gaze. There was a small smile on her face. Seeing Twi stumble with her words seemed to relax the princess. “You look tired. Long day?” “Yeah. You could say I had a rude awakening… but what has happened in Equestria?” “Hm? Equestria?” Her head tilted. “What do you mean?” Twilight was slightly reluctant to outright say what she had experienced with Discord and the strange masked pony. She was still processing herself about what happened with those two. “Well, I…” she began. “Are you speaking of the masked pony?” the alicorn asked. So she was aware. This revelation calmed Twilight a bit and she opened up. “Oh! Yeah! You know about it?” “Only a little. You see…” She started to speak when she realized something. “Wait. You met it, haven’t you?” Her tone raised a few decibels. Twilight diverted her eyes. “Yes. Right here in Canterlot. I had no prior knowledge… It approached me so calmly. I didn’t even know I was in danger until it started making threats. Who is that pony?” The alicorn stepped to the side. “So… it tried to invade the city…” she whispered to herself. “It was defeated though,” Twilight reassured her. This seemed to grab her attention. “Defeated?! How?!” “Celestia. She used some… powerful magic to get rid of it.” The alicorn’s eyes widened. “Did she kill it?” she asked Twilight in a serious tone, advancing on her. Twilight was taken aback. “K-Kill? I don’t think so. I mean… I couldn’t tell. Celestia wouldn’t do something like that… would she?” The princess seemed to become more distraught by the second. She pulled away from Twilight. “I really hope she didn’t… You have no idea… what that could mean for Equestria.” “For Equestria?! What’s so important about that pony?” Suddenly a familiar voice spoke from behind her, “Twilight Sparkle?” The unicorn spun her head around to see Celestia standing only a few yards from her. “That was your name, correct?” She was slowly approaching. “Celestia! I’m glad you’re here!” She bowed to her. She passed the unicorn and made her way to the throne. “I must thank you for your patience, Twilight. You must understand that the... murder... of my subjects… is very difficult to accept. I fear I may have shown a side of myself that I’m not proud of.” She took her place on the large, red pillow and crossed her forelegs. Twilight’s features sank. “I’ll admit I was a bit frightened.” Turning in place, she realized that the alicorn she was speaking to earlier had vanished. “She’s… gone.” “That pony has been terrorizing Equestria for the past few months. It has… had become an enormous threat.” “I don’t understand. Please… tell me who that pony was.” There was a brief silence as Celestia hesitated. “I don’t know… I fear that information may now be out of reach. That masked menace had killed nine ponies, Twilight. I couldn’t let it have one more second… you may have been the tenth if I hadn’t banished it.” Nine ponies?! Dead?! How could anypony… Why would anypony do that? Wait… what was it that it asked me? What do you know… about Twilight Sparkle? The pony’s words echoed in her mind as she recalled the incident. It was looking for her, but why? Celestia continued, “However, I must thank you. I’m not sure how you managed to stall it, but you gave me enough time to confront it. You have no idea how fast that pony is. We’ve been tracking it all across Equestria.” At the mention of this, her horn flared a soft yellow as she levitated a small scroll towards Twilight. As it got closer, it opened to reveal a list. “This is…” Twilight attempted to identify it. “It’s a list of all nine ponies that were… lost.” Twinkleshine…Sea Swirl…Amethyst Star… I… know these ponies. I can’t… Twilight swallowed a growing lump in her throat as she looked away in disgust. “They’re all unicorns…” “Yes. It appears it was hunting them.” She rolled up the scroll and returned it behind the throne. “I’m not sure on what basis, but it had every unicorn in Equestria in constant fear.” Twilight still wasn’t sure if she should tell her. It was probably hunting them to find her… a unicorn. It may have been all it knew about Twilight. “Thankfully…” Celestia sighed heavily. “It’s now all in the past. Unicorns may now sleep soundly. I plan to announce its defeat tomorrow.” “But Princess… was it really defeated? Did you actually… kill it?” Celestia was a little hesitant to answer her. Her eyes shifted slightly. It was obvious to Twilight that she was uncertain herself. “Whether it had survived or not, it has been magically sealed in the Frozen North. Even if somehow it manages to regain its strength and attempt a return, it wouldn’t make it past the border. It will stay there… till the end of its days.” “The Frozen North? I can’t say I know much about that area. Do ponies live there?” “There are a few who dare attempt a living there. It is mostly a home to non-Equestrian folk. Griffons, dragons, etcetera.” Twilight stomped the flooring with a hoof. “Then what about their safety?!” The question hit the Princess uncomfortably. She looked to the side and scrunched her muzzle. “I can’t protect everypony, Twilight. There’s only so much I can do… alone.” Twilight stomped her hoof again. It was an issue that really irked her. “Then what about Cadance or Luna?! What about that new princess you have moseying around?! You can’t ignore those who might be in danger!” A part of Twilight’s words caught her attention. “New princess?” “Yes! Purple, glasses, and a long mane?” “Wait… Did she… approach you? Did she speak to you?” Twilight’s eyes shifted left and right. “Uhh… yeah. She did.” “She came to you… and spoke?” “Princess, who is that pony?” “I… I don’t know.” ***** Outside the castle, in the streets of Canterlot, it had begun to rain. Ponies began rushing for cover and some pulled out umbrellas. It wasn’t too common for rain to occur in Canterlot; in fact, it wasn’t even planned. It caught many by surprise and the streets seemed to clear out very quickly. It wasn’t light rain either. It was enough to get a pony soaked in only a few seconds. Small streams began to form around all of the roads and trickle down the sides of the buildings. Outdoor restaurants quickly closed up and every window was shut tight. Guards around town were steadfast, however, and remained in place as a sign of their strength and tolerance. One other pony showed the same resolve. That pony slowly walked her way down the streets. She had no umbrella, but she cared little for being drenched. There was only one thing on her mind and she was determined to find it. Her eyes hung heavy and her breath was unsteady. She looked exhausted as she hung her head slightly. Just from a glance, anypony could tell that she had travelled a great distance. Her hooves fell heavily on the stone path with every step she took. Each one felt like a tremor up her body, shaking her balance as she made her way through Canterlot. Her vision was blurry from the rain and her mind was dizzy from exhaustion. I’ve really lost touch with myself… I’m not sure if I’m dreaming… or if I’m dead. Everything’s so cold… My body feels weak... I need to rest. The mare stumbled forward, but quickly recovered herself. She found herself unable to walk straight anymore. She swayed, slamming her side into one of the buildings. She let out an audible grunt as she pushed herself away from the wall. She felt the sides of her vision begin to darken. She wasn’t sure how much longer she could keep this up. ***** “She showed up a couple years ago here, in Canterlot,” Princess Celestia began to explain. “She somehow made it here to the throne room uninvited. She didn’t speak then either.” Twilight was sitting at the base of the stairs leading up to her Princess, listening intently. “She didn’t give her name and she was dressed already in princess attire. Probably how you saw her today.” Celestia shook her head slightly. “To this day, I still don’t understand her. However, we gave her a place to stay in the castle at Luna’s request. I wasn’t sure what to think of her, but at the time she didn’t seem like a threat. We thought that maybe one day, she would finally speak and tell us who she was.” “Then why would she speak to me? Why would I be an exception?” Twilight pondered. “A mystery to be sure. Luna and I believed she may have held a key to something important, but at that time, she stayed in her room and stared out her window for days on end… until recently. She began to come out and see us… coincidentally always around the time one of my subjects was killed by that masked pony.” “A connection maybe?” “Twilight Sparkle,” she addressed her. “Equestria has never been in such strange times. Mysterious ponies, deaths, chaos, and unrest. So far, I’ve been unable to deal with such things. They always seem to be just out of my reach.” “Except for today?” “You… You made it possible for me to approach and attack the masked pony. Every other time I was unable to. It was too quick or too cunning for me. For this I must again thank you. Today, I have never felt so relieved in so long. This is why I trust you with this information. I fear that I am unable to keep peace in Equestria and I could use whatever help I can get.” Twilight could see her sincerity. It was odd to see her so… open towards her. “Twilight, I…” She trailed off for a moment. “...The frustration I feel. It’s unbearable!” “Princess?” “Please…” Celestia’s voice cracked. She stood up from her seat and leaned towards the unicorn. “For the safety of Equestria! I ask you for your aid! I can’t… help them! Every time I try, something keeps me from saving them!” Tears began to form in her eyes. “You must understand how I feel… The past decade has been terrible… Storms, droughts, strange sightings, even the minds of my ponies have been unstable. Some can’t even remember their names. Some can never sleep. Even Luna has been acting strange. The world has been thrown into disharmony and I… I can’t stop it!” “Princess Celestia…” Twilight was completely baffled by this sudden breakdown. She had stood and taken a few steps back. Never before had she seen her like this. She watched as the tears welled and streamed down her white cheeks. “I… but what can I do about it?” “I-I don’t know!” Celestia sunk to the ground and began to sob. Twilight approached her and tried to calm her down. “Princess… I’m not sure what’s going on in Equestria, but it sounds like somepony could be behind all of this.” “Who?” She sniffed. “Discord.” Celestia’s eyes widened. “Discord?! It cannot be. He was sealed a decade ago.” “I… Princess, please believe me when I tell you this, but…” Twilight tried to formulate the best way to tell her about her return, “I think a decade ago, I was sealed away in Canterlot… for some unknown reason. I was released today… by Discord.” Celestia looked sternly into her eyes. She was obviously confused. “Twilight Sparkle? When I say your name, I feel a sense of trust in it. From the moment I saw you, it felt like I had reunited with a long lost friend. Perhaps… this could be because I forgot.” “It seems everypony has been a little aloof since I’ve been here. I used to be your student, Princess. I studied here in Canterlot for most of my life! I practiced magic under you.” By now, Celestia had managed to recover herself and her voice was closer to its normal tone. “If what you say is true… then try to tell me something I wouldn’t forget.” Twilight smiled. “The magic of friendship.” Upon hearing this, Celestia’s gaze wavered. “Friendship. Yes… I remember that. The study that had been lost ten years ago.” “It appears everything connects to that point in time, the time I apparently disappeared.” “Then how come I can’t remember you before that?” “I don’t know, but trust me, Princess. I’ll get to the bottom of this. If you can’t protect them, I’ll protect them for you. You have my word.” There she saw it, the smile that Twilight hadn’t seen since she’d come back. “Thank you, Twilight Sparkle. You speak bravely as if you’d done this kind of thing before. I can feel your honesty and courage. I know I may not be able to help them, but I can help you.” Suddenly, the doors burst open and a single guard rushed inside. It surprised both of the mares. Celestia quickly wiped her face with a hoof. “Princess!” the guard firmly addressed her. “Speak!” “The guest has…disappeared! I was outside her door and when I entered to check on her, she was nowhere to be found!” “She left?! What could this mean?” Celestia shook her head. “Search the castle and if you don’t find her, search Canterlot!” “Yes, ma’am!” The guard quickly obliged and galloped out. Celestia then turned to Twilight. “You said you spoke to her, didn’t you?” “Y-Yes!” “What did she say?” “She said if the masked pony was killed…that something would happen to Equestria. I had no idea what she meant.” “I believe you have some kind of connection to her. Maybe you can find her, Twilight.” “You can count on me, Princess!” ***** Twilight rushed outside Canterlot Castle into the pouring rain. She was quickly annoyed. “Oh, great! How am I going to find her in this? Why does it have to be raining… again?!” She proceeded into Canterlot anyway. She kept as good an eye as she could for the mysterious princess, but it was tougher than she imagined. The rain felt like a dense fog in front of her eyes that just wouldn’t let up. It appeared everypony had already gone inside for shelter. This would make it a bit easier to find her if she was alone. “Hello?!” Twilight called out to the rain, but there was little response other than it intensifying. “Ugh!” She groaned as she galloped through town. It seemed like a hopeless endeavor. She hoped that the purple runaway had at least stayed inside. “She completely disappeared from the castle. I can’t believe this…” After a few more minutes, she slowed down to a walk. She was getting tired and her legs began to feel weak. “Great… I’m going to catch a cold at this rate. I should probably just head back. There’s no way I can find her in this weather.” Twilight sighed. Boom! Lightning streaked across the sky in a dazzling flash. It made her heart jump… not only from the sound, but from the two large eyes staring her directly in the face. It was naught but a whisper. “No… It can’t be… Twi? Is it you?”