Waking in Darkness
Violet eyes flickered open, their owner blearily surveying her surroundings. She closed them a moment later, unable to identify anything in the white blur around her. Not to mention the fact that just opening them caused her headache to massively intensify. She thought she’d seen a pony, however, so she called out.
“Princess?” Twilight asked hopefully. Her head really hurt, but nothing brightened up her day more than seeing Princess Celestia. From the feel of the bed, she guessed she was in a hospital bed, but she couldn’t remember anything. The last time she’d been in one of these beds, there’d been a magic experiment gone awry. Had that happened again? Surely, if she’d been in an accident, the princess would at least check on her. She blushed slightly as she realized how presumptuous she sounded, even in her own thoughts. However much she thought herself undeserving, the solar princess somehow found her, a simple unicorn, worthy of her attention. Twilight couldn’t help but bask in it. “What happened?”
“Twilight.” Oh, that was her big brother’s voice, wasn’t it? “How are you feeling?”
“My head and chest really hurt.” She admitted.
“There was… there was an explosion. It was pretty scary.” He trailed off, causing Twilight frowned. Something was wrong here.
“What happened?” She asked again, a bit more forcefully. She was sure that lying down like an invalid wouldn’t help convince her brother to tell her anything, so she tried to open her eyes and rise, only to wince as she did.
“Just stay in bed, Twiley. I- I need to go tell everyone who’s worried about you that you’re okay.” He still sounded off, but the door opened and closed before she could say anything else. She wasn’t happy about that at all.
Twilight concentrated on a book she’d read months ago. A chapter had described a fascinating idea to help unicorns who had lost their sight. It was too magically intensive, both in power and in control, for most ponies, but it was still quite interesting. If she remembered correctly, it involved gently assessing the area around her with her telekinesis, in order to detect her surroundings, rather than actually moving anything. She decided that she might as well give it a try.
To her dismay, however, she found her magic was sluggish. The fact that she could still feel it meant that her magic was undamaged, thank Celestia, but it didn’t respond properly. It was almost as if there was something blocking it. She reached up and gently touched her horn. It was in perfect condition, with no inhibitor ring or similar device. Several devices had been invented to restrain unicorn magic, though they were quite rare and expensive. It was actually a crime to own one without a permit. The one thing all of those devices shared in common was that they required contact with the horn. The other methods were magical or potion based, though. Of course, few ponies actually used potions, considering them to be a lesser art.
The princess had taught her about them a long time ago and, more importantly, how to slip magic past them. There had always been those jealous of the princess’ protégé, and Celestia had decided that it was important for her student to be able to defend herself. Celestia had personally trained her in defensive magic, and had taught her about binding magic. Even if Twilight had been captured, Celestia had wanted Twilight to be able to have the opportunity to escape. It had been years ago, but she still remembered the techniques. She selected one of them and began to work.
It was a highly uncomfortable process, involving the flexing of her magic in ways that were rarely used, but eventually she managed to slip a small amount past the block, concealing it in the physical substance of her horn. It was a very slight amount, but Twilight was able to discern the type of barrier from the fact that the technique had worked at all. It was a magical block, woven specifically to target her. Unlike the more common neutralization wards, which would inhibit most magic, a block would prevent her from using any magic at all. It was highly complicated magic, which had to be cast by somepony with stronger magic. The barrier would change with her magic, a far more efficient method than simple blocks. However, this particular type could be deceived by the method she was using, rapidly building and suppressing her magic. By fluctuating her magical power, the block would get a bit confused, in a manner of speaking. The slightest amount would bleed through, and would store itself in her horn. It was an exhausting method, but it would work.
Twilight didn’t like to think about it, as she wasn’t an arrogant pony, but she knew that there weren’t many ponies out there with stronger magic than her, considering she was the Element of Magic. The first ponies that came to mind when one considered magical strength were, of course the princesses. This sent a jolt of fear down her spine. Did she do something to disappoint Princess Celestia? Did she do something so horrible that her magic had to be taken from her?
On the other hoof, it was possible that somepony else had captured her and impersonated her brother. Maybe that whorse, Chrysalis? She wasn’t sure what the changelings were capable of, but anypony that could hurt Celestia had to be taken seriously. Of course, there were others in the world capable of it as well. If she’d been kidnapped by one of them, then she had to get away. She continued to slip magic past the block. It was barely a fraction of a percentage of her true power, but it was just enough to analyze the magic blocking her. She wouldn’t be able to use any real magic, but this was much simpler, just trying to get the feel of the block. She let out an audible sigh of relief as she felt it. The block wasn’t from Celestia. That much she was certain of. She’d spent so much time with the princess of the sun that she could easily sense Celestia’s magical signature.
Unfortunately, the block was extremely well made, and she couldn’t get a better feel of it without more magic. Still, she continued to work her magic. There was a very finite limit to the magic she could slip past the block, unfortunately, and it probably wouldn’t be enough to rupture the barrier on her power. However, it would be more than enough for one good stunning spell.
She heard the sound of the door and prepared herself. She tried to open her eyes again, only to feel the exact same pain. It wasn’t normal, she realized. Something had happened to her eyes. She could still see just fine, but it hurt quite badly to do so. Was it the block? Did it inhibit more than just her magic? Was there anyone out there capable of such a spell?
“Twilight.” It was her brother again. Or, perhaps, the thing that used her brother’s voice. She wasn’t sure yet.
“What’s going on? Why is my magic blocked? What’s wrong with my eyes?” She demanded.
“I…” He sighed. “We’d hoped to break it to you slowly. Twilight, I want you to promise me that you’ll listen to me.”
Twilight frowned. “What are you talking about?”
“Twilight… I…” He stumbled over his words, having a hard time vocalizing his next statement. “Oh, hell. Twilight, Celestia’s been arrested for crimes against the people of Equestria.”
For an instant, Twilight felt her heart had stopped. Celestia arrested? That wasn’t even possible. Crimes? Celestia only sought to do what was best for all of ponykind. This had to be some kind of mistake. Maybe she misheard?
“What?” She croaked, her voice deserting her. “What did you just say?”
“Luna told us all about the awful things that her sister had done. I.. .We had no choice but to take her in.”
The panic that filled her seemed to turn to flames. How dare they besmirch Celestia’s name like this? This had to be some cruel joke by her captors. She had to get out of here. She had to find the Princess and…
“Twilight?” She felt a hoof press against her shoulder in an attempt to comfort her. Hah! As if she could ever be comforted by such trickery. “I know how you feel about Prin… I mean Celestia, but even the princesses are subject to the law and…”
Twilight had had enough. She cut off the liar by driving her horn into them and discharging the stunning spell. She heard their body hit the floor. Without magic to propel it, or the ability to even open her eyes, it had to be a touch release, so it was quite nice of whoever this was to come so close. She got to her hooves unsteadily. She used the magic she was still flowing from behind the barrier to test the telekinetic detection spell. She managed a quick pulse, but wasn’t able to feel more than a few feet. It was enough to get her out the door. She heard familiar voices calling for her as she darted down the corridor of a surprisingly accurate replica of the Ponyville hospital. This deception was going too far. She had to get out of here.
She pulsed the spell as often as she could, managing to get to the exit. She barely managed to dart through the doors before she was tackled by a pair of guards. She could feel the heat of the sun on her face and smiled slightly, even though she was pinned to the ground. Her captors had made a mistake. She’d scraped a hoof on the ground, drawing a little blood, but she managed to lower it down to her flank and rubbed a specific sparkle on her right side cutie mark. The sparkle, which was the only thing asymmetrical about her marks, faded away. She felt a stunning spell wash over her, but she was content.
It was a fail-safe Celestia had given her. A semi-permanent mark designed to allow her to send her mentor a distress call. So long as she was under the sun, the princess would know where she was and that she was in trouble. She knew that, the next time she woke up, her mentor would be there to explain everything.
Twilight awoke in an empty void. Well, she wasn’t quite sure it was empty, but that didn’t matter, as her attention was completely focused on the alabaster figure before her.
“Princess!” Twilight cried, rushing towards the alicorn and wrapping her hooves around the taller mare in a tight hug. Celestia returned the embrace without hesitation, folding her wings around her precious student.
For a moment, engulfed in Celestia’s warmth, Twilight allowed herself to forget the horrible events she’d seen.
“Twilight, it’s so good to see you.” Celestia told the younger pony fondly. “I was worried we might never meet again.”
“Oh, princess, they… I… They said the most horrible things about you! What happened to me? Where did you find me?”
Celestia hesitated. “Twilight… You’re still in Ponyville. You never left.” She sighed, pulling away from her student. “Twilight, what did they tell you?”
“They… That imposter of Shiny said that you were a monster! That you’ve committed hundreds of crimes against Equestria, and that you were gone!” Twilight understood that this was a serious moment, but she couldn’t help but long for the warmth of Celestia’s embrace once more.
“Twilight, they weren’t lying. That really was Shining Armor, and I have been imprisoned.”
“That’s impossible!” Twilight declared in horror. “You are the ruler of Equestria! You’ve ruled for centuries. No, millennia! We’re the happiest nation on the planet, and there isn’t a pony anywhere who’d say otherwise!”
“What if I told you that we’re the happiest nation because I keep the other nations away through fear and sabotage? Even murder. That Equestria’s happiness comes at the cost of other nations? There aren’t any dissenters because I have them eliminated, or do it myself?” Celestia settled herself down with a sigh, though there wasn’t an ounce of regret on her face. “I haven’t been a good pony, Twilight.”
“Well…” Twilight barely allowed herself a moment to take in the horrifying statements of her mentor before making up her mind. “Then there’s a reason for that! You’re the greatest ruler on the planet! If you have to get your hooves dirty to keep your ponies happy, then you will! If anyone spoke out against you, then obviously there’s something wrong with them, and they need to be put away.” She could scarcely believe the words coming from her own mouth, but she knew that they were all true.
“What if I told you that I have manipulated every aspect of your life? That I’ve subtly guided all of your choices to suit my own whims?” Celestia looked genuinely downcast at that.
That took a moment longer for Twilight to consider. She stomped her hoof. “Well, I’ve had a wonderful life! There isn’t a thing I’d change!”
Celestia smiled wryly. “And if I tell you that you say that because I’ve molded you to believe it?”
“I’m sorry, Princess, but I disagree. You might have molded me earlier in life, but I’ve spent plenty of time in Ponyville, and even elsewhere with my friends. I’ve never seen a single pony who I’d trade lives with!”
“I’ve carefully planned out the birth of your friends for several centuries. I’ve guided their entire lives to have them in Ponyville for the time of my sister’s return.”
Twilight shrugged. “For the betterment of your nation, you guided the lives of your subjects. Isn’t that what leaders are supposed to do?”
Celestia let out a small chuckle. “Twilight, I am a tyrant. There’s never been a single real law passed that I didn’t guide or write. Magic has stayed stagnant, with only the most minimal of advances, over the past thousand years. Particularly dangerous or rebellious ponies disappear for a reason. Do you really see nothing wrong with this?”
“Of course not. Equestria’s ‘suffered’ hundreds of years of prosperity under your ‘tyrannical’ rule.”
Celestia examined her student carefully, searching for signs of deceit. “Is there really nothing that can shake your faith in me, Twilight?”
Twilight shook her head proudly. “I’m your most faithful student for a reason.” She frowned. “I have to ask: how did you get imprisoned?”
Celestia smiled at Twilight’s first response, before scowling at the second. “It was Luna. A thousand years ago, she was my most trusted confidant. I shared everything with her. When she learned of everything that has happened, she grew angry. Perhaps, the Elements did more than purge the Nightmare.” Celestia sighed again. “I thought I could trust her once more, but I was a fool. She disabled you first, placing a powerful magical block upon you, rendering you into a brief coma. She staged a small explosion, claiming it was an experiment gone wrong. When I heard, I came as fast as I could to try and help you.” She smiled at the way Twilight beamed. “Unfortunately, Luna used my distraction against me and incapacitated me. Alone, she would likely have failed, but she recruited Cadence and several other powerful ponies, including your brother. With the advantage of surprise, they were able to defeat me.”
“So, Luna was the one who placed the block on me?”
“Indeed. I’m afraid that she placed much more power than necessary into the spell, which would cause other side effects, such as the hampering of your sight. I am relatively certain that she intended to incapacitate you until she could determine the depth of your loyalty to me. Not only did she manage to fully distract my attention, she deprived me of a powerful ally. Indeed, by now, you may be my only ally."
Twilight's face ran through numerous expressions in a matter of seconds. First was outrage at Luna's behavior, followed by a blush at Celestia's admission of her power, and finally ending with pure resolve.
"If I'm the only one willing to help you, then I'll have to be enough. Where did Luna imprison you?”
“I’m afraid I don’t know, Twilight. What you see around you is all I know of my prison. I used most of the power I was able to gather to bring you here while you slept.”
Twilight gasped. “Princess, you should have saved it to escape! You didn’t need to expend that much power to reassure me.”
Celestia smiled. “I need your help, Twilight. If you really want to help me, then I have something that I need you to do.”
The purple mare nodded instantly. “Anything.”
“You remember the secret room in my study?” Twilight nodded, remembering the many times that she’d seen Celestia going in or out of the hidden chamber. At Twilight’s acknowledgement, the white alicorn continued. “I need you to burn everything in it. Before you do, you need to collect the Element of Magic. The secret room burning will collapse the castle, sealing access to the vault where the Elements are kept. You don't need to open the door, simply start a large enough fire in the study and it will begin the process.” Celestia hesitated briefly. “If you burn that room, then you will effectively destroy all of the evidence that my sister is seeking. They will have a hard time convincing ponies of my actions without the evidence in that room. If you destroy it, then… Well, I shall leave the choice up to you.”
Twilight shrugged. There wasn’t much of a choice there. Her decision was already made. “Of course I’ll do it. Why do I need the Element of Magic?”
“I encoded something onto the Element as a sort of last resort, just in case something like this occurred. Only you know the spell needed to reveal it. It contains what may be my final lesson for you. A secret spell that I’ve always hesitated to teach you.” Celestia took a deep breath. “It will allow you to harvest magic from other ponies. It is possibly the most dangerous spell that I have ever invented. I have never taught the spell to anyone else, and I doubt I will ever teach it ever again.”
Twilight’s eyes widened, but Celestia wasn’t done yet. “Twilight Sparkle, from this day forth, until I personally revoke this permission, you are henceforth excluded from any limitations and restrictions on magic. No laws restricting the use of magic may bind you.” Celestia lowered her head and touched her faintly glowing horn to Twilight’s. She smiled at her student. “Not only are you allowed to use the magic, but even the spells that locate harmful magic will no longer detect your use of them. Also, any unicorn that checks you will find that you are on a mission from me, and will not stop you, even if you should commit a crime.” She smiled faintly. “It has the side effect of hiding magical signatures, meaning that ponies looking for you will have a harder time.”
“P-princess…” Twilight had never imagined being given such freedom. It was unimaginable for such a thing to be given to anypony.
“I hope you remember all those hours of training that we did together, Twilight.” Celestia’s smile widened, and turned a bit vicious. “Because I want you to use every one of them. You are hereby given carte blanche to use every bit of forbidden magic that I ever taught you. Feel free to harm, or even kill, anypony who gets in your way.”
Twilight froze for a moment at the bloodthirstiness in Celestia’s voice. She immediately put it out of her mind. Of course the princess would be angry! The idiots were trying to destroy everything she’d worked for. Obviously the princess wasn’t going to let that happen, and Twilight wouldn’t either.
“As you wish, Princess.” Twilight nodded resolutely. “I’ll do whatever I have to in order to free you.”
Celestia’s grin was a bit more malevolent, but was just as beautiful to Twilight. “Excellent. Before you wake up, I’ll teach you how to open and lock the vault again. Do you remember the seal that I placed on you to help you learn to control your magic? I’ll be releasing that, giving you access to all of the power that you should have. I’ll also break Luna’s block on you.” She paused. “It’ll drain what little power I have left. Everything that I’ve managed to save from the imprisonment and that I’ve managed to gather for the past few weeks.”
Twilight lowered her head, understanding how important this was. She looked up, her eyes burning with determination. “I won’t let you down.”
Twilight made sure to keep her eyes closed this time. She was pleased to feel that her magic was completely free now. First, she pulsed her magic to evaluate her surroundings. There were several ponies in the room. Possibly some of her friends, who wanted to check on her? No, former friends. Or perhaps it was her brother? It didn’t matter. Their motivations didn’t matter. They had turned on Celestia, so they’d turned on her as well. She heard cries of panic as her horn blazed. It was time to remind them of Celestia’s power.
Twilight gathered her magic as she cast her favorite spell. She hadn’t performed it in years, but she remembered it perfectly. It had been a birthday present several years back, once she’d proven that she could handle it. Twilight had even hesitated to learn it, not believing herself worthy. But Celestia had told her that, as a student of the sun goddess, she should know it, even if she would never need to use it.
For a long time, Twilight had needed a shield to protect herself while using it. That wasn’t necessary anymore. She wasn’t trying to suppress her own abilities anymore. Celestia needed her help, and Twilight had more than enough power and control, especially after Celestia released her seal.
A massive wave of solar fire exploded from the purple unicorn in every direction. She heard a cry of fear as one of the ponies quickly cast a shield. Probably her traitor brother, then. She opened her eyes and smirked in her own levitation field at the aftermath, even as her brother’s shield plummeted towards the ground.
With a flash of light, she vanished, leaving a smoldering crater behind.