//------------------------------// // Chapter Fifteen: A Truly Painful Night // Story: Changeling Mine // by Futile Task //------------------------------// Twilight was waiting in her throne room, her mind going over several responses to use when her impending guest arrived, for she was extremely mad at her at the moment. Princess Luna had just sent her a letter, which said because Shining Armor was a class five unicorn; he was too dangerous to move without his magic being binding, rending him magic-less. As if the idea of her brother no longer being able to perform magic wasn’t bad enough, Luna had said it was her job to bind him, seeing as how she was one of the ones who let him run loose. Twilight had of course sent a letter back saying she refused to do such a thing, after all he was her brother, so she would have problems using such spells against him. Luna had sent back a reply very quickly, saying that she would be arriving shortly to discuss the issue in person, so now Twilight waited. She luckily didn’t have to wait long, for Luna appeared in her throne room, stars shimmering around her as her teleportation spell ended and she leveled a glare at Twilight. “You have some nerve young Twilight, considering the words you chose to add in your letter, I would have thought that Celestia would have taught you better.” “She did, but she also taught me to treat the bonds I hold dear sacred, and to never besmirch those bonds with acts of utter treachery like you are suggesting I do.” Luna looked at her a moment, then sighed heavily, “Is that really what you think I am asking you to do?” “Of course it is,” snapped Twilight, “Binding a unicorn's magic is in essence stripping them of everything that makes them who they are. For you to ask me to do this to him is like asking me to cut off his horn, and that is something I would never do, no matter what he did.” “Then tell me my student,” said Luna as she moved closer, putting great emphasis on her last two words as she stopped right in front of the young alicorn. “Would you consider what my sister did to me over a thousand years ago a betrayal as well?” Twilight sputtered, “What, of course I don’t, she was only doing…” “…What was necessary to protect the kingdom,” finished Luna, “and I agree, for it was at the time. Now however you are faced with a similar choice, and yet you refuse to do what is necessary to protect your ponies.” “Because this isn’t the same,” said Twilight defiantly. “Isn’t it?” asked Luna, “I was consumed by my jealousy which poisoned my mind, and I sot to plunge the entire nation into eternal darkness because of it. Your brother had his inhibitions removed by a powerful poison, which caused him to kill innocent creatures, including foals, and endanger the lives of two kingdoms, yours and mine. He has shown himself to be a legitimate threat to Equestria as a hole, but when you were presented with this fact, you ignored it and pardoned him, forcing us into this situation. His magic must be bound, and you as the one who spared him must be the one to do it.” “But why?” asked Twilight, “why does it have to be me that binds his magic, why can’t it be you…or Celestia?” “Because Twilight,” said Luna, “the public of Equestria knows it was you who pardoned your brother for his earlier crimes, which has not gone over well with them. They view your rule as compromised, for this act has made it seem that you will turn a blind eye to what those you care about do, even when the commit such heinous acts. If either I or my sister bind him, it will seem like we are covering up your mistakes, as well as our failing in choosing a new princess to help us rule. However if you bind him, it will show those who doubt you that while you may extend kindness to those who you care about, you will not hesitate to punish those who abuse such kindness swiftly and justly.” Twilight made to comment, only to pause as a scroll appeared in front of Luna, the lunar mare grabbing it in her magic and reading it, only to grumble as she turned to leave. “I am sorry my student, but it seems I will have to leave, for my sister has requested my presence in the palace. However, I will shall return tomorrow, and when I do, his magic better be bound, or I shall bind it myself, and then let the ponies know how unwilling you were to act, good day.” Later that afternoon, Twilight found herself flying around the outskirts of Ponyville, as she often did these days whenever her mind was troubled. Rainbow dash had been the first one to suggest it to her, for the mare had noticed how stressed she was since her coronation, telling her that a good fly always calmed down the nerves of any pegasi. Twilight had been skeptical at first, but after flying around town for a bit, she found that all her worries just melted away, calmed by the air flowing around her. As she flew, she spotted a familiar shape lying upon a cloud, flying over to land and then greet her friend, “Hey Rainbow.” Rainbow lifted her head off the cloud, the obvious sign of tears etched on her face as her puffy read eyes stared up at her friend, “Hello Twilight.” Twilight plopped down next to her friend, lifting a wing invitingly and smiling when Rainbow nestled herself underneath it, before speaking again. “How are you feeling Rainbow?” “Tired,” said the spectrum manned mare, “…and mad…” “Why?” “Cause I messed up,” said Rainbow, her head lying on the cloud as she kept talking. “I took what that…what Teacher was offering without listening to her warnings, and it cost me…it cost me more then you could ever imagine.” Twilight stared down at her friend for a moment, her mind wondering what she should do now. She really wanted to figure out what to do about Shining, but she also saw that her friend needed her now, so with a heavy sigh she spoke. “Well believe it or not, I do have an idea what you’re going through.” Rainbow snorted, “Twilight, I know you’re a princess now, but that doesn’t mean you have to come off all sage like to make me feel better.” Twilight simply shook her head, “I’m not acting sage like to make you feel better Dash, I’m saying I have gone through a similar loss as you, for I was bonded to a creature much like you were bonded to Teacher when I was really young.” Rainbow gave her a confused look, which prompted Twilight to continue. “I know that must be confusing to hear, but before I explain, I want to ask you a question. Out of all the unicorns you have ever met, how many have you ever seen that own pets?” Rainbow thought about it for a moment, her face becoming puzzled as she realized one simple fact. “Barely any now that I think about it, hell in Ponyville pretty much you and Rarity are the only ones I see with pets, even Lyra doesn’t have one.” Twilight nodded, “that’s because we…well unicorns can’t really take on pets the same way other ponies can, for it comes with a lot of responsibilities normal ponies don’t have to deal with.” “Like what?” said Rainbow. “Well,” began Twilight, “when we unicorns take on a pet, we…impart a bit of our magic onto them, giving them a part of ourselves and in exchange receiving a part of them as well. Because of this, these…familiars as they are called, take on certain aspects which we deny ourselves, and thus become better able to help…” “Whoa whoa wait a minute,” said Rainbow, “what do you mean take on certain aspects?” Twilight grinned at that, “Rainbow, have you ever noticed how much Rarity pampers and spoils Opalescence, while rarely doing the same to herself?” “Well yeah,” said Rainbow, “but I always thought that was normal for ponies who owned cats.” Twilight giggled at that, “Actually no Rainbow, normal cat owners don’t treat their pets like that. You see Rarity herself wants to be spoiled and pampered like that, but being the element of generosity, she denies herself that on a regular basis, except for special occasions. Instead she projects those aspects of herself on Opal, which is not the most effective use of a familiar, but it does work.” Twilight sighed then, “As for me, I have had three familiars in my life, two of which you know, and one you never met. That familiar was my first, a little ferret I called Mister Tibs, a silly name I know, but back then he was my oldest friend. I…I was about five when I found him, which isn’t the normal age for a unicorn to start seeking a familiar, but my parents could never deny me stuff I wanted, so I was allowed to keep him.” “However, around my sixth birthday, the filly who lived next door found out I had a familiar, and she became extremely jealous of me, for she had been begging her parents for months, and to see me with one made her extremely upset. I…I usually let Mister Tibs out at night so that he could eat, and…and when I did, that filly was waiting, and she…she…” Twilight couldn’t finish, but she didn’t need to, Rainbow giving her a comforting nuzzle before speaking. “She killed him…didn’t she?” Twilight nodded, “yes, she did, and because of that I had to be rushed to the hospital due to magical damage.” “Wait really, from your familiar dying?” Twilight nodded again, “Yes Rainbow, and before you ask, when unicorns are young, they don’t have the mental fortitude to…to protect ourselves when a bond is made. This means that any kind of harm suffered by either party effects the other. This is one of the reasons unicorns aren’t usually allowed to own familiars so young. Because of this, I…I nearly died.” Rainbows eyes widened, but Twilight continued, knowing she needed to speak. “I lucked out and lived, but the filly got severally punished for what she did, for killing a mages familiar is considered one of the highest crimes among unicorns. That is how I know what you’re feeling Rainbow, because I went through a similar experience when I was young, and it has stayed with me to this day.” “Dam,” said Rainbow, looking at her friend with a newfound respect, then she laid her head down on the cloud again, watching as Twilight looking up at the sky before speaking again. “Hey Twilight, I…I know this is probably the last thing you want to be thinking about right now, but um…what are you planning to do about your brother?” Twilight tensed at that question, of course Rainbow would have to ask just the question she was trying to avoid. “I…I don’t really know Rainbow, I mean Luna came by earlier and told me what I needed to do, but I…I really don’t want to do that to my own brother.” “Do what?” Twilight sighed, “Luna wants me to…to bind my brother’s magic.” Rainbows eyes widened in shock at that, “really, she…she suggested you do that to your own brother?” Twilight nodded, “yeah, but Rainbow, you react as though you know about it, and I was always told that only unicorns know about this…particular form of punishment.” Rainbow looked hesitant, and then she sighed, looking away from Twilight as she spoke. “Guess I got a bit of a confession to make, I know about because my older sister had to have her magic bound.” Twilight raised an eyebrow, causing Rainbow to laugh as she spoke. “Yeah I know, Rainbow Dash has an older sister she never talked about, well that’s because I…I don’t like talking about her, because of what happened to her.” “What happened?” asked Twilight. Rainbow hesitated for a moment, then sighed, knowing that she could trust Twilight with what she was about to tell her. “My sister was a unicorn, a rare occurrence when both your parents are pegasi, and as such not many ponies expected her to have any magical talent. But as it turned out, she turned out to be the rarest of unicorn breeds, a class six.” Twilight gasped in amazement, “A class six, but that’s the most powerful of unicorn breeds, just below the level of alicorns, your parents must have been excited.” “We all were,” said Rainbow, “at least…at least till she had her surge, then everything went to Tartarus.” Twilight looked confused for a moment, thinking about everything she knew about surges. Then something clicked in her mind, her eyes becoming sympathetic as she looked down at her friend. “She…she lost her mind, didn’t she?” Rainbow nodded, “Yeah, the surge drove her crazy. She…she became violent, lashed out at every pony around her, even our parents. I was the only one who could keep her calm, but we all knew it could never work, so in the end we sent a letter to the princess to inform her that her new student had suffered a mental break, and would need to…need to be sent away elsewhere.” At this point, Rainbow was sobbing, Twilight using her wing to rub her side to help calm her, allowing her to speak further. “She…she showed up personally, telling us she was sorry for what happened to her, and that if she could, she would make her better. Then she bound my sisters magic herself, and then escorted her to the Canterlot Insane Asylum, where she remains to this day.” Twilight gave her a gentle squeeze in sympathy, “I’m sorry Rainbow, that must have been hard on you, and I hope they can figure out how to help her…someday.” Rainbow nodded, and then remained silent for a moment, building up her courage before speaking up. “Twilight, I…I know you are probably not going to like me suggesting this, but I think it might be for the best if you bound your brother’s magic.” Twilight’s eyes widened in shock at that, “What…Rainbow why would you say that, he’s my brother!” “I know that Twi, but…but he isn’t right in the head right now, mostly because of that spell Chrysalis used on him. I know we didn’t really get to see him all that much, but I got a good feeling about the guy during our brief encounters, and the guy we have locked up right now is nothing like him, for Shining would never do what he did. That…that makes him dangerous Twi, and until he gets better, he needs to be made safe, so that nopony else gets hurt.” Twilight paused, letting her friends words sink in as she turned to look back at the sky. As much as she loved her brother, Rainbow did bring up a valid point, one she couldn’t ignore. With his inhibitions gone, there was nothing holding Shining Armor back from using his magic to attack anypony he thought was in league with the changelings, whether they be civilian or not. There was also the fact that with him being a class five, he could cause some extreme collateral damage if he loosed the full brunt of his magic upon his targets, and something told Twilight that the only reason he hadn’t during the attack was because he hadn’t wanted to hurt her, and she knew now that last inhibition was probably cracked. Twilight sighed, “You’re probably right Rainbow, I just…I just need to talk to my brother, just to be sure.” Rainbow nodded, and then watched her friend fly off, laying back fully in the cloud and falling asleep, hoping that the morrow would bring a better day for her. Twilight landed on the ground in front of the jail, the guards stationed their bowing to her as she walked in, letting her inside before closing the door and returning to their stations. Once she made it inside, she was greeted by the sheriff, who informed her that Shining was refusing to eat anything brought to him by others, and asked her to bring him some food. She did, and when she entered the room which held his cell, she was greeted by an enthusiastic Shining Armor. “Twily!” said Shining, “I’m glad you’re here. Have you brought any food, I’m starving?” Twilight nodded, passing him the food and watching him wolf it down, before he lifted his head with another smile and spoke. “Ok, so what’s our plan to get out of here?” Twilight raised a quizzical eyebrow, causing Shining to speak more. “Twily, I know you did what you did because Chrysalis stole your powers, so you had to play as her puppet. Now I know with your powers are probably still in Chrysalis’s hooves, but if we work together I think…” “Captain Armor, I am not here to break you out of here.” Shining looked confused, “What…but Twilight you don’t need to pretend anymore, if you can just let me out we can.” “I said no Captain Armor,” said Twilight again, causing him to look even more confused. “Tw…Twily, why do you keep calling that, I’m your brother.” “In this instance you are not my brother Captain Armor,” said Twilight coldly, “for you have committed acts against both my kingdom and the kingdom of Princess Celestia, as well as the crime of attempted genocide of the changeling species. In doing so, you have not only wronged me and your former princesses, but your actions would have given us a pretty good case to lay siege to the crystal empire if it had not been for other underlying factors.” She began pacing, her gaze never leaving Shining as she spoke to him. “You also attacked two bearers of the power of the tree of harmony, and made an attempt on the life of not one, but two ruling monarchs, one of which was under my protection!” She then stopped, her glare softening finally as she spoke, her voice finally showing some mercy to the confused and hurt stallion. “But, because you were under magical influence, these crimes cannot be held fully against you. However, due to this magic still lingering inside you, the princesses…and myself; have deemed that you are too much of a danger to the ponies around you in your current state. So, after considering all the options, I…I am only left with one course of action.” With that, she summoned a bag to her side, a bag with a particular symbol which Shining recognized instantly. “Do you know what this, Captain armor?” “That…that’s a bag of silver…but why…?” Twilight nodded, “good, and do you know its primary purpose?” Shining thought about it for a long moment, then his eyes widened in horror as he began to back away, “No…Twily you can’t…!” “I’m sorry Captain Armor,” said Twilight somberly, a single tear sliding down her face as she spoke. “I know this is the last thing you want, but for the good of Equestria as a whole, I…I must bind your magic.” She teleported within the cell, walking across the familiar runes which kept her brothers magic in check, and slowly moving close to him before using her magic to render him still. He was still able to talk, and while he pleaded for her to stop, she slowly opened the little drawstring bag and emptied the silver dust into the air, letting it collect into a thick cloud, before moving the cloud over shining’s head and beginning to work. Binding a unicorn’s magic was a dangerous task; one wrong move, and the silver that the Twilight was manipulating could be irreversibly merged with Shining’s horn forever, making it so that he would never be able to cast a single spell again. The key to binding was that the silver needed to be layered within the groove of a unicorn’s horn, and infuse it with the proper spells so that, when the time was right, Twilight would be able to simply touch it with her magic and it would dissolve, returning her brothers magic to her. As for why the binding ritual itself called for silver and not any other metal, the reason was quite simple. Silver negated any and all magic near it, thus it was the perfect metal to help bind a unicorns magic, for it rendered a unicorn’s horn inert while it was in place. After only an hour of work, Twilight finally pulled away from her brother, trying not to stare at the look of abject horror etched across his face and instead focusing on his horn, looking at how she had done. Like the books had told her, the silver now lining her brothers horn had taken on the color of her coat, and as if to add insult to injury, bellow the base of his horn was a miniature replica of her cutie mark, which marked her as the only one who would ever be able to break the binding spell. Finally, she could look no longer, turning her face away as she choked out an apology. “I…I’m sorry Shinny, but…but this needed to be done…I…I hope you can forgive me one day, till then…goodbye…” And with that she left, leaving behind nothing but strangled sobs and a trail of tears, all the while Shining stood still, his mind unable to accept what had happened just now, even though another part, a part that had long been silent, simply stated one sentence. “…maybe…maybe I was…”