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// Prompt #407-Suspicions 
// Story: Ponywatching 
// by ThunderTempest 
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Twilight Sparkle liked lists. Everypony who spent five minutes around the mare could tell you that. She had lists for everything, including her morning routine. But there were a few lists that she had that nopony would ever see. One of these was a small list that she had started shortly after coming to Ponyville. It only ever came out of her locked desk drawer when she absolutely needed it.

It was list of things about Celestia. Twilight, being the Princess’s personal student since her Cutie Mark Event, had more or less grown up believing that Celestia was infallible, and that she had all the answers. After she had been in Ponyville for a few days, Twilight’s mind had thrown her a rebellious thought.

‘If Princess Celestia was so powerful, why did she need my friends and I to defeat Nightmare Moon?’ The thought, though seemingly simple, and with an equally simple answer, began to undermine the image of Celestia in Twilight’s head, and thus Twilight had began to keep the List, so as to keep track of these things.

1. Princess Celestia needed my friends and I to defeat Nightmare Moon with the Elements of Harmony.

2. Princess Celestia needed us to defeat Discord, using the Elements again.

3. Princess Celestia was defeated by Queen Chrysalis, and she ordered us to go and get the elements.

The first part of the third item was written in large lettering, and underlined several times. This one event had shaken Twilight more than any of the others on the list. Seeing Princess Celestia fall to the bug-like pony had soundly demolished the idea that the Princess was all-powerful. Twilight being Twilight, she tried to rationalize it away, but the fact remained that Princess Celestia had been defeated. It was only a few days later when Twilight began to see the pattern. If there was a threat to Equestria, Princess Celestia called upon Twilight and her friends to use the Elements of Harmony.

4. The crystal Empire.

Why did her test need to be saving an Empire from an ancient evil? Sure, there were benefits to having the Crystal Empire as an ally of Equestria, but why did it have to be only Twilight who saved the Empire alone?

5. The Discord reformation.

This one had really begun to work Twilight’s brain. For what possible reason could Celestia want Discord turned to good? The only creature alive who was purely and absolutely more powerful than all the princesses combined? Who had power over reality itself? The more Twilight thought, the more she was coming to the conclusion that Celestia was not only not infallible, she was also performing a long term plan.

6. My Ascension.

For what reason, other than a massive plan, could Celestia want another Alicorn Princess for? Twilight may have demonstrated all the nessecary qualities for it, but so had most of her friends, and they weren’t made into princesses. Twilight, by this point, was now fully aware that Celestia was not the radiant, god-like perception that she had in her youth, and was almost certain that Celestia was playing a long game of chess, and the ponies of Equestria were her pieces. But who she was playing against, and to what end still eluded Twilight. After all, this game might not be in the best interests for the rest of Equestria, so she would continue to wait, and watch, as the seeds of doubt festered and grew in her mind.