What was silent in the father speaks in the son, and often I've found in the son the unveiled secret of the father. ~ Friedrich Nietzsche.
Two weeks later, at the Crystal Empire.
The train pulled into the station and gave a whistle. The elements, Soul, Trixie, Fang, Twilight, their children, and Spike got off and walked down the road towards the crystal palace. The purple mare frowned and looked down. "Twilight? What's the matter?"
"Yeah mommy, what's wrong?" Twilight looked at her husband and eldest daughter and sighed.
"I've just been feeling a little unsure about things lately. It doesn't seem like my new role as a queen, in fact my role when I was still just a princess, equates to all that much." Soul frowned.
"Oh come on Twilight, Fang told me that you've been helping him decide what laws to pass and which to reject." Twilight sighed.
"Yes, I helped him decide which laws to pass, but I didn't do it myself. It seems like all I've done since I earned my wings has been, smiling and waving. Well aside from marrying Fang and giving birth to his foals anyway... Foals... I guess I have done one thing that was beneficial..." She looked at her chest and smiled at her month old foals that were sleeping in the carrier she was wearing. "I did bring two beautiful foals into this world... But then again, I haven't done anything to help with government. I'm not important…" Her smiled turned into a frown.
Trixie looked at Twilight and thought for a second before smiling. "Twilight you're important, and you have done one thing for the government!" Twilight looked at the mare and raised an eyebrow. "You got my father thrown in prison for the crimes he committed and, in the process, removed a corrupt official from the Equestrian house of nobles." Twilight smiled at the blue mare.
"Yeah. I guess you're right... And so was Applejack on the day Fang opened the eye, you would have made a great motivational speaker." Trixie giggled.
"Thank you very much... So what are you supposed to do when the dignitaries arrive?" Twilight shrugged.
"I'm not going to be attending the meeting and our children won't either. Only Fang is attending the meeting..." Twilight looked at Fang and smiled. "Be sure to tell me what the Duke and Duchess of Maretonia discuss at the meeting."
"I will. Also you have nothing to worry about... You will get some responsibilities in the Transylmaneian government. All you need to do is wait my queen." They reached the castle and entered. Twilight's job was to unravel the banner once the dignitaries arrived.
A few hours later the meeting ended and the duke and duchess left the room in which the meeting was held. The duke looked at Twilight and she noticed he had a black eye and a bloody nose. "Your highness. Your husband is a psychopath." He looked to the side and saw a sleeping Ana, with Dawn and Dusk hugging and sleeping on either side of her. "I will forgive him however... Because your children... Are adorable..."
Twilight smiled and bowed. "Thank you very much." The duke and duchess nodded before walking off. Celestia, Luna, Cadence and Fang walked through the same doors that the duke and duchess had. Twilight looked up and smiled at her husband before frowning. "Fang... The duke thought that you were a psychopath... What did you do?"
Fang snorted. "That... Duke is not a dignitary. He is simply a greedy son of a whorse. He deserved that black eye and bloody nose. He deserved more... But somepony..." Fang glared in Luna's direction. "Wouldn't let me rain divine punishment upon him." Twilight raised an eyebrow in confusion.
Luna sighed. "I wouldn't let Fang kill him..." Twilight gasped and looked at Fang who was just growling in anger at what the duke had said. "Before you ask what happened... He demanded that Fang give all of his land to my sister so it would become part of Equestria... Fang refused, so the duke called him... A spoiled little brat that is unworthy of wearing a crown... I did stop Fang from killing him... However I agree with his actions in an effort to put the duke in his place... I told the duke that if any one of the alicorns in the room was not worthy of wearing a crown... I told him that it would be me, not Fang."
"Oh..." Princess Luna saw Twilight frown and she herself frowned.
"Is something wrong Twilight?" The purple mare nodded.
"I guess I just don't really understand why I had to be here... One of the royal guards could have unfurled the banner." Celestia sighed and walked up to Twilight.
"Having the main rulers of the three strongest nations in the world lets the dignitaries know that their visit is considered important." Celestia looked at Fang. "I agree with you however. He was disrespectful and deserved to be... Taken down a few notches." Fang smiled and nodded.
"Celestia is right. Besides..." Cadence walked over and wrapped a leg around Twilight's shoulder. "It gives me a chance to see my favorite sister in law."
Twilight smiled. "And I'm happy to see you. All of you." Cadence sensed she wasn't saying everything she wanted to.
"But...?" Twilight looked down and sighed.
"But I... Well it's just that Princess Luna raises and is the goddess of the moon, Princess Celestia raises and is the goddess of the sun, you protect the Crystal Empire and are the goddess of love, Fang keeps monsters calm so that they won't hurt innocent ponies and is the god of..." She began to twirl her hoof and Fang sighed
"I am the god of fear..." Twilight raised an eyebrow. "I'm scary when I want to be..." Fang's horn glowed and his mane began to flow, seeming to become white and orang flame. The feathers fell from his wings and revealed their true, leathery, form. He closed his eyes, with eyelids that came from the left and right instead of the top and bottom, and opened them, revealing scarlet, cat like, eyes. Twilight gave a small eep at the sight. Fang smiled and changed back into his normal form.
Twilight shook her head and looked down. "And Fang is the god of fear... But... I don't know what I'm the goddess of and... All I seem to do is... Smile and wave..."
Twilight turned around and walked out onto a balcony, she sat down and placed one of her forelegs on the rail and suddenly music started to play. "It isn't that I'm ungrateful, for all the things that I've earned. For all the journeys I have taken, all the lessons that I have learned." Twilight looked behind her, towards her fellow alicorns. "But I wonder where I'm going now, what my role is meant to be... I don't know how to travel, to a future that I can't see..."
Twilight stood and walked over to the others. She opened her wings and looked at her crown. "I have these wings, I wear this crown. I'm a queen, this is true, but it's still unclear to me, just what I am meant to do." She looked at Cadence. "I wanna have a purpose." She then looked to Luna. "Wanna do all that I can." She looked at Celestia and frowned. "I wanna make a contribution." Her eyes fell to her husband. "I want to be a part of the plan..." She turned around, lowered her head and walked back to the balcony.
Celestia walked up behind Twilight and placed a hoof on her shoulder. "Your destiny's uncertain, and that's sometimes hard to take. But it will become much clearer, with every new choice you make."
Luna walked up beside Twilight and smiled. "Patience is never easy, I understand wanting more. I know how hard it is to wait, to spread out your wings and soar!" Luna flapped her wings and began to hover.
Cadence walked up behind Twilight. "But you stand here for a reason, you're gifted and you are strong. That crown is upon your head because, you belong."
"I know that life's not always easy..." Twilight's head turned and she saw Fang. Her husband stood and started walking towards her. "I understand that the journey's long, but if you think that you are useless, then you couldn't be more wrong." Twilight watched as the princesses walked up to her husband and smiled at the purple mare.
"Know that your time is coming soon! As the sun rises, so does the moon. As love and fear find their place in every heart, you are a goddess; you'll play your part."
Luna smiled at Twilight. "We understand you wanting more, a chance to shine, a chance to soar!" The four alicorns took to the air and began floating in a circle above Twilight. Cadence smiled down at her sister in law.
"Soon will come the day it turns around."
The four alicorns landed on the balcony and smiled at Twilight. "Know that your time is coming soon! As the sun rises, so does the moon. As love and fear find their place in every heart, you are a goddess; you'll play your part." Fang walked up to Twilight and wrapped a wing around her.
"I know that the uncertain can be frightening, believe me, it's something I can see. But the reason that you stand here, is because this is where you're meant to be… You may want to be brave, or you may want to run and hide. But no matter what choice you make. Know that your friends and family are by your side..." Fang smiled at his wife and teleported back to the princesses.
"Know that your time is coming soon! As the sun rises, so does the moon. As love and fear find their place in every heart, you are a goddess; you'll play your part." Everypony walked over to Twilight and smiled.
Fang sat down next to his wife and wrapped a wing around her. "You are a goddess, and you'll play your part..." He smiled and kissed Twilight. "I'm sure that whatever you do will lead to the best destiny that you can have."
"Mommy? Daddy?" Twilight and Fang looked into the hallway to see Ana. "I think Dawn and Dusk are hungry." Twilight and Fang went wide eyed and they ran inside. Dawn and Dusk were sitting on the ground where they and Ana had been sleeping, holding their stomachs. Ana walked up to Dawn and Dusk. "See? I told you two I'd go get them..." The little filly let out a yawn. "Mommy, daddy? Are we staying here tonight?" Fang and Twilight looked at Cadence, who nodded, and turned back to their daughter before they nodded themselves.
"I'll take Ana to one of the bedrooms... You can nurse Dawn and Dusk here if you want Twilight. Just make sure you clean up any milk that ends up on the floor." Cadence walked by and took Ana's hoof. "Come on Ana, let's get you into a bath before you go to bed."
"Ok..." Ana usually hated taking baths, but she was to tired to argue at the moment. Twilight turned back to the foals and laid down on her side.
The two foals slowly trotted over before clamping their toothless mouths on one of Twilight's teats each and starting to suckle very eagerly. "There we go little ones, eat up, that way you can grow up happy and healthy..." Fang, Celestia, and Luna smiled at Twilight and her foals. They all knew that she was going to be a great mother for the little ones when they got older.
The same night, in Tartarus.
Lepus flew up to Cerberus and turned into a cloud of smoke. He wasn't going to kill Cerberus, he was just going to choke him until he was unconscious. Once that was done, he flew towards the three cages in the central pillar. "Hello Tirek." The centaur in the first cage growled and opened his mouth. He began to suck some of the rabbit demon's magic away, only to find that it choked him. "Nice try." The rabbit looked at the next cage. "How do you do Grogar?" The creature in the cage, a grey ram, snorted and his horns began to glow, he swung his head forward to release a blast of magic only to have it fizzle out. "Sorry that you're too weak to do anything." He turned his attention to the third cage.
"What do you want Lepus? You don't come anywhere near Tartarus unless you want to make a deal!" Lepus smiled at the human shaped cloud creature with a wispy tail, a jinn, in the third cage.
"Oh, you know me so well Arabus. Anyway, yes I want to make a deal. I can get you the things you want the most... Freedom..." The ram and centaur's ears perked up. "And revenge on the ones who imprisoned you here."
The centaur raised an eyebrow at the rabbit. "And we should trust you because?"
"You shouldn't. But you don't really have a choice if you wish to escape and get your revenge, now do you?" Lepus smiled as the three beings looked between each other. They all turned towards the rabbit and grinned.
"What do we have to do?" Lepus laughed.
"Anything you want! There is one condition however..." Lepus flew up to each cage and smiled. "You. Must. Work. Together! Deal?" The three creatures nodded and Lepus chuckled. "Splendid! Enjoy your freedom... And your revenge..." The rabbit touched each of the cages, which turned them into smoke, and gave each, former, prisoner a black, hooded, cloak. "Now don't go and be strangers!" With that the rabbit vanished in a cloud of smoke. The next thing the former prisoners knew, they were in Manehatten.
Tirek looked at the other two beings and sighed. "I've gotten close to you two after being imprisoned with you for so long, so I swear on my life that I won't steal your magic."
Grogar nodded. "Or I your youth."
"Nor shall I steal your shadows." Arabus smiled at the two quadrupeds.
"Ok. Now... Work together until we are strong enough to work alone, then go our separate ways?" The other two nodded. "Good." Tirek turned and saw a unicorn pony with a tub of oranges walking towards them. "I just found our first victim..." The unicorn looked away in fear when he heard the sound of a can rolling. He smiled when he saw what it was and turned back, only to come face to face with Tirek, Arabus, and Grogar.
He let out a short gasp before shaking his head. "Very sorry." He gave a chuckle. "You three came out of nowhere."
Tirek gave an evil grin under his hood. "'Are they friends or are they foes?', the pony wonders..." The pony looked around, he became very frightened when Grogar and Arabus moved behind him, trapping him where he stood. "I can assure you... I am no friend. I am Lord Tirek, and I will take what should have been mine long ago." He opened his mouth and began to absorb the unicorn's magic.
"As will I." Arabus opened his mouth and the pony's shadow flew into his mouth.
"And your youth shall help restore my magical powers." Grogar's horns glowed and a green mist left the unicorn's mouth. After they had finished the unicorn fell to the ground. Tirek, Arabus, and Grogar had taken his magic, shadow, and youth, respectively. His cutie mark vanished and his eyes widened with fear as the three creatures glowed. They had just gotten larger, younger, and stronger.
That night, Fang, Soul, and Celestia woke up screaming.
There is no refuge from memory and remorse in this world. The spirits of our foolish deeds haunt us, with or without repentance. ~ Gilbert Parker