Chapter 6: Resolved
Princess Celestia’s landing was a far greater sight to behold than the crash that Twilight had gone through not an hour earlier. She lighted down on the grass on the outskirts of the Golden Oaks Library with as much composure as she could muster, given the circumstances. She would check the library, then the boutique, the bakery, and work her way through the living spaces of Twilight’s friends in a counterclockwise circle. Part of her cursed herself for having withheld such information, in spite only having the best of intentions when having done so. Twilight is defined by overreaction. Had you forgotten that? How could you make such a decisive mistake, Celestia? How could you not have wound down those fears like you’ve always done in past?
Celestia beat her wings, walking towards the library and hoping that the pressure in her clenched jaws would be enough to grind out the taunting guilt that crawled and danced through her brain at the moment. She extended a forehoof, knocking only twice as she took deep breaths.
“Coming!” A voice sang from the doorway. The portal opened to reveal Ponyville’s resident fashionista, wearing a bit too large of a smile. “Ah, your majesty!” Rarity called out, her voice higher than it normally would be. “How good to see you on this fine afternoon! What brings you here?”
Celestia gave a pause. Her options were thus: Tell Rarity she had allowed Twilight to escape from her care, and let her faith in Celestia’s control over the situation be shattered, or give her a gentle lie about coming to retrieve learning and personal supplies from Twilight’s library, ignoring Rarity’s potential ability to help and chancing an even more profound break in faith in the princess in the process. As neither seemed to be particularly enticing, she couldn’t help but continue her pause in the hopes that she could find a potential third option to avoid the trouble of either of the other outcomes.
To that end, she decided to retain some semblance of honesty and put on a brave face.
“Have you seen Twilight?” she asked simply. “I was wanting to know how she was doing. She’s been dying to see you all.”
“Err, yes, I imagine she has. Have you considered letting her out to talk with us? We do wish to know the poor dear hasn’t hurt herself somehow.”
“Believe me, I’ve been working hard to get her prepared. I just wanted to make sure she was reasonably well-versed in linguistics to avoid miscommunication. After all, I’d imagine it would be very awkward if you couldn’t understand a word she said.”
“Yes, well, sometimes meanings go deeper than words. Oh, but do follow me back to the Carousel. It’s terribly rude of me to let a princess of all ponies sit outside without a proper reception.” Rarity gave a breezy smile, though it was still too wide for Celestia’s liking.
“Very well, then,” Celestia replied, sighing. “I assure you, she’s been developing quite fastly.”
“Oh really? Do tell, do tell…” Rarity trotted forward, kicking her hoof against the door twice as she did, and headed off in the direction of the doorway.
“She remembered the Elements the minute I brought them up, for one,” Celestia noted. “And she’s fairly quick on the uptake….”
As Celestia walked away, Dash gave the go-ahead. Twilight and Spike sighed in relief, sagging visibly as they slunk from the shadows.
“You know, there’s no way we can keep this up,” the pegasus groaned, peering through the blinds. “Sooner or later, she’s going to to go full throttle and start searching every nook and cranny for you, Sparky.”
“I know, I know. But by then I’ll be ready to see her again. I just...I want more time with you, all of you. I can’t get that without your help.”
“I get that, but is it really worth pushing Celestia to the point of almost literally turning Ponyville upside-down to look for you?”
“...I don’t know. Is our friendship worth that much? The letters said it was something like worth that much.” Twilight scratched her head, her upper lip folded over in concern.
“I understand that, but wouldn’t it just be more efficient to show yourself and give her the straight cider?”
“If I do she’ll just take me back to Canterlot and not let you all see me again. I can’t let her do that! Not when we just met!” Spike coiled around Twilight’s leg protectively at this thought, looking at Dash with a mixture of protectiveness and pleading.
“We can’t jump to conclusions, either. Believe me, it doesn’t work.”
“Okay, but she just said she’s taking me back to Canterlot. That’s more than enough
“She never said that outright. In fact, if anything, she was only giving a reason why it took so long.”
“I...guess that’s true. But you haven’t seen her, Dash. I have. Why are you defending her, anyway? I don’t remember you knowing her all that well…there wasn’t anything in the letters about that, at least.”
“I don’t know the whole story,” Dash replied. “And given that look on her face, she looks seriously worried about you.”
“Well, m-maybe she should’ve been worried about me sooner. Anyway, we’re wasting time. Ours and hers’. I just want some time...alone...with my friends, okay?”
“Alright, Sparky… But if it gets to the point she’s literally turning the town upside down, I probably won’t be able to hide you much long after that.”
“I understand, Dash. Thank you.”
“What I’m worried about is just how honest we’re all being at this point. I mean, this all seems kinda underhanded, don’t you think?”
“Underhanded? Rainbow, she lied to me about who I was, what she’d told the rest of you and what I meant to her. How am I underhanded here?” Twilight sighed, her fraying nerves getting the best of her.
“Two wrongs don’t exactly make a right, Twilight,” Dash interjected. “Just because she lied doesn’t mean you get to do the same to her.”
“Of course it does. I’m staying here because I deserve friends!” Twilight sat on the floor, petulantly thudding against the ground and crossing her front hooves.
“You do realize running away is against the law, right?”
Twilight’s eyes widened. “It is?”
Spike’s eyes also widened in horror, flashbacks to his escape to the dragon cave running across his vision. “It is?”
“Celestia’s looking for you because she’s worried about you, Twilight,” Dash said. “I’ve never seen her get mad with anypony. She’ll probably just give you a hug and tell you it’s all okay or something.”
“Yeah!” Spike stepped over to stand beside Dash. “She may have made a mistake, but this isn’t fixing it. Y’know, like with what happened between me and Owlowliscious.”
Twilight sighed. “I...I guess this isn’t helping. But if she tries to take me back to Canterlot, then--”
“She’ll have to get through me first.” Spike said, puffing out his chest as he did.
“So why don’t you try and give her an honest answer?” Dash asked.
“O-okay.” Twilight’s ears folded back, a sigh escaping her as she stood up. “Will you stay with me?” Her eyes shone, wide and pressed towards Dash.
“Sure,” Rainbow said with a smile. “Let’s go round up the others, first.”
“Right.” Twilight flared her wings, trotting out the door. “Let’s start with Pinkie Pie.”
Celestia continued to scan the town. As much as she strained her poker face, it was getting harder and harder to disguise her dread. That pit in her stomach was only getting deeper as she saw neither head nor tail of her student. Rarity of course was chatting up a storm. “Did you hear Luna was…?” “Now I’ve always said that a good sun hat best looks cocked to the left…” “I can’t imagine what it must be like being surrounded by so many muscular stallions all day long. Would you fill me in…?”
Celestia was hardly even aware of what she was saying at that point. Many of them amounted to “yes, of course,” and she was certain she would be seeing her face on the cover of a gossip magazine very shortly as a result. It was almost as if she were running on autopilot, simply trying her best to keep on task. Her eyes scanned back and forth across the boutique, privately seeking pockets where Twilight may or may not have been. Though it would be rather difficult to hide an alicorn princess, Twilight was rather infamous for being a precocious and crafty child.
It was to her great surprise, then, that Twilight burst through the door midway through her confirming that she had indeed been responsible for the Great Nudism Craze of 1188 leading a procession of her friends and adoptive family. Rarity stopped to look at the pony in front of her, eyes questioning Twilight’s intent. If Twilight had noticed Rarity’s gaze, she certainly was hiding it well.
“Hey...Princess….”
Celestia’s eyes widened as she saw just how many other ponies were behind Twilight.
“What—” Celestia stammered, her cheeks practically glowing in surprise. “What… is all of this, Twilight?
“I...we need to talk. But, well, I wanted my friends to be there...For moral support. And stuff.” She smiled back at them uncertainly, then looked to her mentor.
“I think I know what you want to tell me,” Celestia replied. “And I am deeply sorry. I withheld the truth from you, and in hindsight, I shouldn’t have.”
“No, you shouldn’t have. But that’s not important anymore. I know, and it’s past me.” Twilight said this with all the conviction of a salespony making offers as the door slammed shut in their face.
“I didn’t want to tell you your past all in one setting in fear of you rejecting it as something not your own. After all, with so many experiences, it would be incredibly taxing on such a fresh mind to take it all in.”
“You could have tried.” Twilight snapped, a wince passing around the room as she did.
“Twilight…” Spike began.
“Did you think I didn’t trust you?”
“It wasn’t a matter of trust, Twilight. It was a matter of me being worried your mind wouldn’t accept the memories of your past self!”
Twilight locked her gaze with Celestia, the ensuing silence hanging around the room in sombre spirits.
“Maybe we should go.” Dash whispered to Pinkie.
Twilight glanced over at her friends, and then back at her mentor.”Please, don’t. I...just seeing you all is so…” She sighed. Once again, words failed her, and she turned her gaze back to her mentor. “Did you ever...I mean, I guess you must have, but…”
“I just wanted… to have just a few moments more to prepare you for it all…”
“Why?” Twilight’s eyes suddenly shone with desperation, her hooves pressing up against her mentor’s.
“Because…” Celestia choked. “I missed that time… that time we spent all those years ago…”
“But it wasn’t me you spent them with. I-I’m not that pony. I’m just a b-bad copy. I don’t deserve her life: she fought gods and demons for it! Me...I can barely read and I learned half my vocabulary last week. Twilight Sparkle’s gone, Celestia, and I’m just...me.” Twilight’s wings dangled at her sides, her ears drooping to match.
Celestia sniffed a deep inhale before she wrapped her front legs across her student’s neck.
“If Twilight Sparkle is gone…” she stammered, salty nostalgia welling in her eyes. “Then why is it that I feel I’ve betrayed one of my dearest companions?”
Twilight fell into the embrace herself, hooves squeezing against her savior back. “I…”
“No matter who you think you are… no matter how you see yourself…” Celestia sobbed, clutching her student tight. “You are still Twilight Sparkle. You are still my best student...my best apprentice...my best friend.”
“No! I’m not her...I’m not...I don’t deserve…” Celestia felt her own shoulders moistened under the emotions of her student, their embrace becoming more desperate with each moment. “I…” Twilight choked on her breath. “I still lo…”
Celestia clutched even tighter, her muzzle puffing against her student’s lavender ear.
“You don’t have to tell me again,” she whispered. “I love you too, Twilight. And regardless of how you look at it, my love for you now is the same, if not greater, than my love for you then. You are no different from the Twilight I know and love.”
The element bearers and a little baby dragon stood in the doorway, all present wishing to leave the two alone to their reconnecting. All, that was, save one. Spike stepped nervously towards the princess, his eyes against the ground.
“Princess Celestia…? I know you’re really busy, but...when will Twilight be able to come back?”
“Come back?” Celestia asked, turning her head to reveal a somber, teary smile. “I didn’t come to take her to begin with… I only came to make sure she wasn’t hurt.”
“You mean...she’s staying?” Spike’s eyes widened in glee.
Celestia smiled, blinking away her tears as she nodded to the baby dragon.
“She may stay,” she said with a sniffle. “I can see now that she’s even more like Twilight then I could have ever imagined.”
“Thank you!” Spike ran to Celestia’s hoof, kissing it over and over. “Thank you thank you thank you thank you thank you! You’re the best!”
Twilight looked down at Spike and gave a nervous chuckle. “Alright, Spike, thank you. I’ll be back at the library soon, I promise.”
“Am I forgiven, Twilight?” Celestia asked, cocking her head.
“Yes.” Twilight gave an unsteady smile. “Yes, you are. I think I get why you did what you did, too.”
“Have you?” The princess quipped, looking curious. “Do tell.”
“Dear Princess Celestia.” Twilight began, a knowing sparkle in her eye. “Today I learned that no matter what you may think of yourself, your friends will see the real you shine through in the end. I learned to be grateful for what I have, instead of reclaiming what was lost, and I learned that you’re only as alone as you think you are. Your faithful student, Twilight Sparkle.”
Celestia smiled as her student gave her a classic report on her studies. “The magic of friendship never changes, does it, Twilight?”
“Maybe not.” Twilight gave a sigh. I may not believe everything I just told Celestia, but I do believe she’s my friend. “But...even if it does change, it doesn’t always have to be for the worse, does it?” Like many questions with Twilight, this one wasn’t rhetorical.
“Change is an inevitable part of life,” Celestia said as she rubbed a hoof across her eyes. “Oftentimes, it isn’t the change itself that matters. Rather, the important part of any change is how one responds to it.”
“I...I don’t know if I’m ready to stay in Ponyville, but...If I’m not...I can send you a letter?” Twilight gave a smile, hoping that she already knew the answer.
“Of course, Twilight,” Celestia confirmed, smiling more gleefully now. “Assuming Spike can handle it.”
“We could bring him along.” Twilight suggested.
“But then who would keep the Library in order?” Celestia chuckled bittersweetly.
“Oh…” Twilight’s ears drooped. “Well I...I didn’t think about that.”
“It’s nothing, Twilight,” Celestia assured. “You’re free to stay here if you want. Just be sure to write to me about your progress. I could use a few revisions in that dusty old book, after all.”
“I won’t let you down, Princess!” Twilight gave a firm nod.
“I know you won’t.” the princess replied as she turned about face, flapping her wings. “Just remember; You don’t have to do it once a week. I think that particular entry can attest to how well that went last time.”
With a brief chuckle, Celestia gave a final wave before trying her wings one last time, taking flight under the setting sun into the fresh, new twilight.