All Hail the Queen
By: Gale Force
“And this, Twilight,” Celestia motioned towards another glass case, “is the very blade that Double Edge used to strike down the Dark Horse. It is said this blade was forged only to trap the soul of the mysterious pony, so that he may never return to wreak havoc. Before you ask, the true identity of the Dark Horse was never found.”
Twilight marveled at the weapon. There was no extravagant decoration. No jewels, no gold encrusted ornaments. Even the blade itself only had a dull sheen. This blade only had one purpose, one target. There was no use for gawky looks as one would imagine for a king. She moved her head closer to inspect the blade, trying to find where the legendary killing blow connected. As she inched closer, she caught a shimmer of something near the middle of the metal. It was hard to make out, but it seemed like it was an eye. She inched closer, the eye remaining still. It was odd. It was like there was a whole other world inside the steel.
“GAH!” She lurched back and fell on her rear as the eye suddenly blinked. “What is that thing!?”
Celestia’s expression remained stoic, as it had been this entire tour. “Like I said, the true identity of the Dark Horse was never found. Not like it is not possible for us to know, but rather he refuses to tell anypony who asks.” She pushed onwards to the next case.
Twilight took several deep breaths. This has been quite the day. She had been preparing for it for weeks now, after Celestia sent her a letter informing her that it was her duties as a Princess to learn about Alicorn Archives. It was a secluded dungeon that held dark and terrible secrets of Equestria’s past, as well as powerful artifacts that would be devastating in the wrong hooves, were locked away so that only the royalty of Canterlot may see over them.
Some things that Twilight had seen, she had only heard in stories, like the sword she just saw. Then there were some things that she thought unimaginable. She recalled one of the first objects she was introduced to, a simple crystal ball. Unlike the carnival knock-offs, this one allowed you to see anywhere in the current time. Celestia refused to touch it, but urged her to set a hoof on it. It was needed so that she may realize the power it had.
“Twilight,” She remembered Celestia saying as she warned her on the consequences, “what you may see could be terrible and unimaginable. This gives the power of omniscience, a quality that no pony should have. You must be careful, for I cannot guarantee what you see is going to be pleasant.”
She felt a shudder down her back as the terrible memories came flooding back. The faces of the homeless in some unknown land had forever scared her memory. Ponies, nothing more than skin and bone, were been tossed and kicked around by the heartless until their skin had ripped. She never wished to see such tragedy. It was hard to look away though; it was like she would be running away from a terrible burden she was responsible for. Only was it when Celestia pulled her away, did she fall into tears at her mentors feet.
She never told Celestia what she had seen.
They had walked by several cases now, some were covered and some showed whatever dwelled in them. Celesta appeared only to be showing the immediately important objects, ones that were to be feared or directly shaped the history of Equestria. However, there was one case that had caught Twilight’s attention since they had arrived.
A dusty black sheet covered it; no doubt it had not been touched since it was placed in this wretched place. Twilight looked ahead. Celestia had created a small distance between the two of them. The urge to look at it grew inside her, like an insatiable hunger. She peeled from behind Celestia, walking steadily towards the dark corner where the case hid. What was it to make Twilight feel so uneasy? Quietly she pulled the sheet away.
Without a sound, no flashy light or puff of smoke, Twilight vanished. Celestia turned back and sighed. “I am sorry I could not warn you, but this was the true reason you were brought here. I only wish you forgive me.”
The thick air weighed heavy in Twilight’s chest. She pushed her head up, looking over her coat. Besides a little dirt, she was relatively fine. “What happened?” She asked, knowing that there was not a soul around to hear her. The lonely space she found herself forced her to whimper. She knew she had to recoup her lost courage, but she had no idea what to expect.
Her eyes slipped closed. The silence of the moment slowed her beating heart. “I must take this one step at a time.” She recognized none of the foliage. Not like she really studied that particular field, but she could tell she was not around Canterlot anymore, or Ponyville. There was a sinking feeling in her gut that she was not even in Equestria anymore.
“Ok, first thing is first.” She twisted herself so that she was sitting down. “I must assess the situation. I removed the sheet from something in the Alicorn Archive… then I wound up here. Huh…” She did not have much more to go on. It was more than likely a teleportation item of a sort. Celestia would no doubt be here any minute now… any minute.
Twilight convinced herself, but she was starting to doubt the possibility. The thing, whatever it was, seemed to act randomly. So it was safe to assume that Celestia would not be able to come to her rescue immediately.
“Right then, I guess it is information gathering time. I need to find a town. There has to be some way out of here.” She muttered, pulling herself up. “The sun seems to be setting, so that means north is” she turned and smiled, “that way!” She started walking, hoping to find somepony to help her, or even a sign. Being trapped in the middle of a strange forest, the likelihood of something like that was slim.
Much to Twilight’s excitement, she was wrong. For once, she was fine with this. Only a few yards away were a group of Canterlot Guards. Celestia had already sent a search party out for her. She must have been transported to the nearby forest. “Excuse me, gentlecolts.”
The group of them, five in all, turned in unison. Upon seeing the alicorn, they immediately took a knee. “Your Highness!” A colt with a gold emblem stepped forward, head still bowed. He must have been the leader of the squad, but the emblem was unfamiliar. Well, unfamiliar with what group the emblem stood for. The emblem itself was the perfect reflection of her cutie mark, surrounded by five different colored gems. Each gem holding the place for each element of harmony, no doubt.
“Please, no need for formalities.” She waved her hoof sheepishly. It had only been a few weeks since she had become a princess, and she still had not gotten used to the status. She assumed that this group was a private guard, or a special group she could deploy. “I seemed to have gotten myself lost. If you could help, I would be grateful.”
All five of them lifted their heads and the leader of the group beamed a grin. “Of course, Princess. If you could, for your protection, put this on?” He held out his hoof with a black amulet on it. “It suppresses your magical emission. Enemies cannot seek you out. We are currently in a state of emergency.”
Twilight looked apprehensively at the pendant. She was not aware of any new threats. Did she unleash something by unveiling whatever that thing was in the castle? She was not in any position to argue though. A light hue covered the stone before she held it up and inspected it before placing it around her neck. She had felt a change immediately, weakness.
“Please do not become afraid, Princess, it is only a side effect!” The leader explained, rushing to Twilight’s side, giving her a little support. “Now please, follow us, there are many that wish to see you.”
Twilight compiled herself. She still felt a little dizzy, but the feeling was already fading. “Thank you. Let’s be on our way, umm, what is your name?” She requested, following the guard ponies lead.
“Glimmering Star, Captain of the Harmony Elites, pleasure.” There was pride in his voice, but the way he held himself afterwards, there was something he was thinking about, a thought that seemed to be weighing him down. Twilight did not want to pry too deeply. “We were created to serve you.”
The path was not looking any cleaner. Much to Twilight’s surprise, the forest seemed to be getting thicker somehow. “That was nice of Celestia.” She stammered nervously in a pathetic attempt to create small talk. “Um, how much longer until we arrive at the castle, if you don’t mind me asking?”
A shiver ran down Star’s body. “About that, Princess. There are some things you need to know before we arrive. You… how can I say this?” He stopped and turned to twilight. “Princess, you ar-”
“SILENCE YOUR TOUNGUE! Don’t feed her your lies!” A voice interrupted him from behind. “Release her this instant, or your shall regret ever betraying me!” Twilight pivoted to the voice. It was extremely familiar.
“She found us! FORMATION!” Star screamed. As commanded, each guard jumped around Twilight, forming a ring of safety. “We have to keep the Princess in our possession!”
Possession? What was she now, an item? “I take offense to that statement! Now what is going on? Who is she? Do I know her?”
“I am sorry, but this is for your own good!” Star spun around throwing his hoof at Twilight’s amulet. His speed and precision was extraordinary. Twilight was not even aware of what happened until he barely tapped the black stone. As the world faded to black, she could hear the mare talk again.
“I see. I have to free her. Your lies will not stain her mind like you did with my friends. I won’t let you take her.”
Things were quiet now. Twilight shook her mane and forced her eyes open. This blacking out thing was starting to get tiresome for her. Questions raced in her mind. Who were those guards? What did they want to tell her? Who was that strange mare? More importantly, where was she right now?
Obviously not in the forest anymore, the luxurious decorations and how spacious the room was gave that away. In fact, it looked a lot like a throne room. “Am I in Canterlot?” She murmured to herself, looking around. There was only one throne, instead of the two that Celestia and Luna used. The throne was odd, but the stained glass windows were still the same. The heroic adventures of Celestia and Luna, the defeat of Discord still lined the glorious hall. They were even accompanied by new ones.
“Oh Twilight!” The voice of the mare echoed in the empty hall, followed by the sound of hooves rushing towards her. “You are finally awake. I was afraid of what they might have done to you!”
Twilight spun around to finally get a good look at her new host, and possible savior. It took her a moment to figure it out, but even then she was having trouble believing it. Running towards her was a taller, more mature version of herself. “Wait-what is going on?” She sputtered, taking a step back from the approaching…her.
“You are unharmed.” The future Twilight reassured, slowing herself as she approached. After finally getting close enough, she bowed to her past self. “Congratulations, Princess Twilight, on your coronation. May your new royal status be productive, positive, and may you share the joy of friendship to all of Equestria. What am I saying, of course you will. Trust me, I know.” She giggled, finding massive enjoyment in the confusion of her smaller counterpart. “Allow me to explain.” She straightened her posture and walked past Twilight to the throne at the end.
“Let me take a guess first.” Twilight started, following the older Twilight. She was starting to feel a little more comfortable, knowing that she was in capable hooves. Any princess is a good pony to have protecting you. “That thing I touched sent me into a random part of my future. I am supposed to take something from this experience, and use it to help me be a better princess?”
“Not quite. It was not random. You are sent to a point in your future, when you need help the most. Our time together and the events from here on out will be erased from your mind after we fix this issue. You will then be returned to the Alicorn Archive after we succeed, as much as I hate to say that.” She turned and stared down at Twilight. “Equestria is in grave danger, Princess Twilight. Together, we should be able to restore harmony and this land can return to its former glory.”
Twilight’s jaw dropped. That was quite some explanation. “I don’t know what to say.” She let silence pass between them for a few moments. “And if we fail?”
“Everything will still go according to the artifact. You will be sent back on success, failure, or death. Your memories lost, and you will be forced to live on, not knowing that this moment will once again come. That is where I stand now. I only hope I was able to fix this when I was you.”
“Ok, my head hurts.” She rubbed her temples with her hooves. “Right then, so what is the issue?”
Future Twilight sighed and continued walking to her throne. As she sat down, her horn glowed with a dark green hue, shooting a beam into a crystal she raised from the floor. It started playing a motion picture of a sort. It was like she was looking into a different world. “This is the world of now, Twilight. The two elder Princesses have abandoned us, leaving only Cadence and myself.”
“No.” Twilight stated firmly. Watching the projection as Celestia and Luna walked from the throne room.
“It is sadly true, Twilight.”
“They would never. They love everypony too much to walk away.”
“It is why I hate to see you return to her side when you leave here.” She turned her attention back to the projection. “The citizens of Canterlot were the first to lose faith. They moved away, created small groups. They started organizing, staging attacks against the royals. I took action and created the Knights of Harmony. Fearing my own safety, I created a separate branch called the Harmony Elites led by the talented Glimmering Star, your nephew. A good lad…” The vision of heroic acts suddenly turned sinister. Star went from running into flaming buildings and jumping into raging rivers to locking up defenseless ponies and taking money from the poor. “He let the lies of the enemy infect him. It was then, that the balance was truly lost. He…”
Twilight saw what her future self refused to say. Star had approached her friends, and shook hooves with them. Each of them followed him off in turn. “Enough of this. I don’t want to see anymore!” She slammed her eyes shut and turned from the crystal. The very idea of having to turn against her friends was unbearable, even if it was the future version of them. It no longer was a question of why this was her greatest time of need.
“Queen Twilight!” A younger colt with a grey colt stepped next to Twilight, comforting her. “I must insist you cease this at once! Can’t you see this is too much for her to handle at this time? The poor girl was just launched years into her future, was fought over by the rebellion, and now has been told she has to fight her friends and family. Is it not too much to ask for her to rest a bit?”
“I apologize. Though you bring useful help as always, I must remind you to watch your tone with me.” The Queen raised her chin, looking down at the new pony. After the passive scolding, she walked to her throne and sat down. “Twilight, it is my honor to introduce you to the one and only Starswirl.”
Starswirl bent to one knee and bowed to Twilight. “Please, the honor is all mine. I hear I am quite the hero to you prior to your transcendence.” He raised his gaze to see she was in utter awe from the announcement. “Allow me to explain, as much as I know at least. Queen Twilight refuses to give me spoilers to my life. I am, or at least will be, a powerful unicorn, one that is well versed in the ways of time. Queen Twilight can only assume that I will travel to an earlier time, where I can share my knowledge, and give inspiration to young foals. Or, that is what we guess.”
“You are…Starswirl… THE Starswirl the bearded…”
“I get a beard?”
“Starswirl the bearded?” She repeated, dazed in lost in her mind.
“Again with the beard.”
“I am meeting Starswirl the bearded.”
“I don’t think I would look good in a beard. Eh, then again…”
The queen rubbed her head with her hoof. They had stopped talking to each other. Looking at the two, the similarities were outstanding. “Enough of this idiocy. Starswirl, you may remove yourself now. Your services are no longer required. As for you Twilight, I will have the guards escort you to your room.”
Without uttering a word, Starswirl bowed and walked away. Twilight thought it was a brash thing to say. ‘Enough of this idiocy’, ‘remove yourself’, and being told she was going to be escorted by guards. Was a she a prisoner? And there was one more thing on her mind. “Before I leave, I must ask one thing. When and why did you take the title of queen? I thought that Equestrian leadership felt it was taboo to take on such a title for the rea-”
“Silence!” The queen’s voice boomed across the room. She raised her chin, looking at Twilight. “I will not be questioned on my decisions I had to make whilst at my throne. Guards, please take my special guest to her room. Provide her with anything she requests.”
Twilight stood unwavering against the stare. She did not like what she had become. There was nothing she could do as of now. Who knows? Maybe there was a reason. It would have to be found later. Twilight pivoted, not saying anything. She refused to even bow to her future self. It was a hard day for her, tomorrow would hopefully be easier.
The door closed behind her. “Who does she think she is?!” Twilight vented, finally having some peace to herself. “Queen? What kind of selfish being would want that kind of matriarchy? The two elder princesses wanted to work for the ponies, not the other way around. What happened to me?”
She paced across the floor as she ranted. It was quite spacious, and the room was well lit from the sun streaming in from the bay window. At least she could confirm that she was still in Canterlot. It was undeniable that there had been some major changes. The castle was not the same castle. The city seemed to have gotten larger, if that was even possible. Where was everypony though? She looked over all the streets. There was not a single soul. Just before dusk had always been a busy time for the city.
“What is going on?” She muttered to herself. Maybe this is why her future self was high strung. There were some many things going wrong, it would be hard to keep up a good mood. Drastic times always lead to some unforeseen circumstances.
“Huh?” She turned towards the door as a small sound caught her attention. At the base of the door was an envelope. “A note? But why?” She pulled it closer and opened it up, reading the contents silently to herself.
Dear Twilight,
I must be brief, and I must stay anonymous. For both these things, I apologize. Here is the truth. The facts about the artifact are true, and that is actually you in the future. But be warned, the Queen is not to be trusted. Not all eyes see the same truth.
Not all eyes see the same truth? “What does that even mean?” She tried to re-read the letter, but it burst into flames in her hooves as the door opened.
“Princess?!” A guard rushed to her side as she sat in a panic on the ground. “What is wrong? We detected the use of magic in the room.”
Twilight breathes heaved from her mouth as she tried to regain her bearings. “Nothing, I tried to lift something, but I must have been a little exhausted.” It was a fib, but she did not know what to think at this moment. Was this note an attempt to pull her apart from the Queen? Or is there actually some truth to it?
“Please don’t exert yourself. And pay mind to the magical restrictions, equality is friendship. Take care, your highness, call if you need anything.” He bowed before closing the door.
“Since when were there magical restrictions?” That was the most asinine thing she heard all day. And what was this bit about equality is friendship? There were a lot of things to think about now. “The ‘Queen’ has a lot of questions to answer in the morning, and I don’t care about any stupid formalities. I will show her this is not how things are done!”
She jumped onto her bed, sprawling out on the comforter. Only one thing went through her mind now. Not all eyes see the same truth. Did that mean that the truth could look like a lie? Or that the truth did not look the same to another pony? Or that there was no truth to begin with? It is just an illusion?
Truths, lies, time travel, betrayal. She was starting to regret being a princess.