//------------------------------// // Chapter Thirty-seven // Story: Freedom Through Harmony // by Electricut //------------------------------// Chapter Thirty Seven House of the Hylian Twilight Her mind raced in circles as the story spiraled out of control, and she had no idea what was happening. From Dash- sure, she had expected to hear some reason about why he hated Celestia, as he had made no secret about it before. She hadn’t known this Xekora character long enough to make any judgements about his allegiance, so it didn’t come as so much a shock when she learned he opposed her as well. But to hear Spike say again and again that he didn’t trust Celestia, that he was only looking out for Twilight and would abandon the throne in an instant- she had never suspected anything like that from him, and couldn’t imagine what she was supposed to think about it. Then even her own twin sister- Twilight had begun to question her morals and motives for a time now, but while they had only just reunited not a month previously, she had grown close to the mage, and felt sure that she could trust her. And Trixie only wanted revenge on Celestia for taking away her picture-perfect childhood, a notion which seemed understandable but obsessive to Twilight. And then, on top of all that, even Phil had come out and said it- Celestia had killed his parents and taken him away from whatever life he might have had, and he clearly wasn’t happy about it. All this time, Twilight had never really given it much thought- this was the way things were, and she was happy as she was. She felt like the world she thought she knew was falling apart before her eyes- everyone was turning against the Queen, one by one, and Xekora had put the icing on the cake: this whole thing, bringing them closer as a team to be able to fight the enemy, was all to put them in the middle of a rebellion against Celestia! Twilight put her head in her hands, overwhelmed and unable to piece together what she should do. She never would have thought of opposing the Queen, and the thought terrified her. All her life, she had looked up to Celestia as a wise and noble person and ruler, and had never been given any reason to suspect anything different. The people weren’t happy with her: they were scared to say otherwise. She had thought all her life that life was good. Spike was always there to look out for her, Phil was the absolute best friend she could ever have asked for, and now she had all these new friends to support her. She had imagined what could have been with all of them, if they had all just lived their lives together... None of them were interested. They were all just biding their time until they could strike out against Celestia. And now they fully expected her to join them. A lump formed in her throat, and tears began to rise to the surface unbidden. What is there left for me to trust? She thought despairingly. There’s no way I could turn on the Queen, is there...? And anyway, even if I did, what good would it do? She’ll kill them all! There’s no way anyone can stand against her... But I don’t know if I can change their minds, not when they’re all worked up about it like this... Oh, what am I supposed to do...? She could barely think straight over the clamor of opposing thoughts in her mind, and she couldn’t stop herself from finally breaking. A small sob escaped from her throat- not enough for most of the others to hear, but just enough for Phil to catch. Quickly and quietly he pulled her up off her seat and led her away from the clearing, waving away anyone who asked what was going on. When they were a suitable distance from the others, he turned her around and tilted her head up slightly to face him. Twilight could tell he was concerned, even through her teary eyes. “Twilight, what happened? What’s wrong?” He asked, barely above a whisper. “Phil... I just- I don’t know what to do...” He sighed- not at all exasperatedly, but just at a loss for words. “I’m sorry. I didn’t want you to find out like this... I had planned to show you these things slower, not hit you with it all at once... But I think, even how it did work out, you should do what you believe to be right. And I promise- I’ll be there to protect you no matter what you choose to do.” She looked to the ground, unsure of what to say. For some time she said nothing, and the two remained where they were. Finally Twilight spoke in a whisper, though regretted instantly what she said: “Why can’t I be strong like you...” Phil only took a moment to reply, though he still spoke softly. “Twilight... If there’s one thing I’ve learned all this time, it’s that strength isn’t cutting off all your emotions- it’s controlling and following them that counts. It’s not-never needing help, it’s about being able to ask for help when you need it, and having friends there for you that will give it.” Twilight sniffed and looked up at him. “Wow, that was cheesy.” She said with a slight giggle. Phil reluctantly agreed, and ended up laughing along with her. “C’m on, let’s head back. The others are bound to be wondering where we went by now. Don’t worry about it too much right now; it’ll be a while before anything happens anyway, so you’ve got time to think. And like I said, I’ll find a way to protect you no matter what happens.” Twilight smiled and nodded, genuinely feeling a bit better. The two shared a quick, tight hug, and made their way back to the clearing. A few minutes later, after some conferring and discussion, Spike joined the pair to bring the next part of the story underway. _______________ Year 490 Town of Firefly Spike The three of us made our way in no particular hurry through the small but well-kept streets. I had brought Twilight and Phil to this tiny town sitting just inside the borders of old Dusk, the border that once separated it from Dawn, as kind of a field trip. As apprentices to the queen, part of what they were meant to do was to be able to join with the normal townspeople, and to have the ability to gain their trust and take control of the situation in the case of an emergency. To them, this was for them to become heroes to the country, to become well known and friendly with everyone they could, and keep Equestria safe. To me, ever the pessimist, I saw clearly that Celestia could use either of them in an instant as informants to anyone she wanted watched by having them do this. However, I kept up the act anyway for a third perspective: By showing them the right places at the right times, I could make the duo begin to question whether or not the Queen was really as grand as she claimed, and would have them believe. I didn’t aim to have them hate the Celestia right off the bat, but I hoped that I could keep a balance, and help them keep an open mind until such a time as it was necessary. I admit it wasn’t the most ambitious of plans, but it was all I felt safe doing without drawing the Queen’s attention to my ulterior motives. Were it just my life on the line, I’d have tried a straight-up assassination years ago- but it wasn’t just my life I had to think about. Celestia knew full well that I was as good as a father to these two kids, and wouldn’t abandon either of them for the world. While Phil had arrived a few months after Twilight, I still felt the same about both of them. I had watched them grow up together, and had been right there with them every step of the way. At first, I had never thought I had what it took to be a parent- as that is by then what I considered myself- and maybe I never really did. Growing up in Goldoa, things were much more laid back- and why wouldn’t they be? When you live for more than a thousand years, you don’t need to rush too much. I had nothing to go on in terms of how they should have been raised, with such comparatively short lifespans, and most of what I did was guesswork. I suppose it’s never really easy, but seeing the two of them as they were- intelligent, empathetic, yet fun-loving- I knew I must have been doing something right. She also knew that I wasn’t stupid; I would figure out that she knew all this, and realize that no drastic course of action could be taken without endangering them. For the time being, I was stuck where I was. As I said, I had taken the two to this small town for a trip, specifically for those reasons. This town barely made a mark on any maps, and I hoped to show them how things worked in a smaller, closer knit, less wealthy community. Sadly, it seemed it wasn’t meant to be. As I led them through the street, an explosion that sounded as though it was more loud than destructive echoed from somewhere up ahead. The three of us- as well as everyone else- stopped short, taking a moment to register what had just happened. Most everyone else began to panic and run off, save for me and the kids. I looked to them, and they looked back, wearing identical expressions of mixed apprehension and excitement. “Guess we picked a great day to come here, didn’t we? This is exactly the situation you’ve been training for. Stay behind me. Only move if I give you the O-K. I’ll lead the way on this one.” They both nodded in understanding, and I took off at a brisk pace towards the place where most people were running from. I came to a halt at a street corner, sidling up to a building and motioning for them to do the same. Satisfied that they would be well out of sight, I poked my head around the corner, and saw what I was looking for. Several townspeople who hadn’t had the good fortune of being able to flee were standing nervously in the town square, across the way from a rather large group of people with various weapons. By the looks of things, the larger group were a bandit group of some kind, attempting to give their demands to the mayor, who led the group of townspeople. I was surprised by how well-armed the bandits were, though. None of their weapons seemed fancy or expensive, but there were a fair number of them and they all had some kind of blade or tome. Where they came into that amount of weapons and membership, I couldn’t guess. I readied my knives, ready to jump in if violence broke, but remained where I was and tried to listen in to what was being exchanged between the two parties. “... What will it take to make you believe me?” The mayor said, sounding tired and out of options. “I don’t care how badly you want them or hurt us, I can’t turn over people I don’t have.” “You’ll have to excuse me if I don’t instantly believe you, good mayor.” The leader of the bandits replied, in a strange drawling accent- I couldn’t put my finger on it, but I thought I might have heard it before, but on a different voice. “Our information is not known to be guesswork- they were scheduled to be here today, this I know to be fact. And our relations with you and your inner circle have never been on the... best of terms.” The mayor threw his arms out in an exasperated gesture. “What would you have me do, Vomora?! Yes, they were expected today, but the fact remains that they have not made themselves present to me!” Vomora, the apparent ringleader of the bandits, lapsed into silence. It was too far away and around the corner for me to make out any definitive details on any of them, but I imagined him rubbing his chin thoughtfully. Finally he spoke again, and my mind began working faster at his next words. “Well then, mayor. If the Queen's lapdogs haven’t come to you, then surely they’re merely somewhere else in town, wouldn’t you say? I’m sure you wouldn’t mind if we took a look for ourselves.”