//------------------------------// // Intrigue // Story: Their Otherworldly Grace // by MonoGlyph //------------------------------// What follows are a series of letters exchanged between Rarity and Princess Celestia shortly after the incident. Princess Celestia, Your Highness, I apologize that I must contact you like this, but I am feeling increasingly concerned about your student, Twilight Sparkle. Would it be possible to communicate without Spike this time? I told him that this letter concerned a lesson I learned about friendship, but I fear this charade will not hold for long. Please, I simply must speak with you as soon as possible. I think Twilight’s stumbled onto something horrible. I hope you’ll reply as soon as you’re able. Yours, Rarity --- Dear Rarity, As you can see, I’ve arranged for our letters to be carried by my phoenix, Philomena. Forgive me, but I am still a little skeptical of your assertion. I’d be among the first to know if Twilight was doing something she shouldn’t be. Please explain. Sincerely, Princess Celestia --- Princess Celestia, Thank you for taking the time out of your busy schedule to read through my letters. My suspicions were initially raised when Twilight asked me for a roll of valuable spider silk, about a week ago. When I asked her why she needed it, she was unable to answer. She looked rather poorly that day. I guessed she hasn’t eaten or slept in some time. I gave her the silk, shrugging it off as nothing too significant. Several days later, a large ugly beast started roaming the surrounding countryside. You may have gotten notice of some buildings in Ponyville being destroyed at around this point. We finally managed to track the beast down and corner it in the Ghastly Gorge. It could not have been of this world. All damage we dealt was healed momentarily. The monstrosity seemed unstoppable. Following Twilight’s instructions we managed to temporarily incapacitate the creature. As we watched, she stood over the thing and cast a textbook counter-spell which destroyed it. Having a passing knowledge of magic and how it works, I asked her how she knew that there was any spell to counter. She told me that she could sense the spell that bound the creature to this world and that you had taught her this ability. Is this true, Princess? Is there really a way to sense magic? I had never heard of it, myself. Yours, Rarity --- Dear Rarity, You are correct, there is no method to detect a spell as of yet. That Twilight would simply lie to you is troubling news indeed. Perhaps she saw the one who summoned the monster, or perhaps she played a role in its creation herself… Forgive me. This is merely speculation. I feel that I still lack enough information to make any accusations. The circumstances surrounding these events are shrouded in mystery. I am considering confronting Twilight myself, though maybe you should ask your friends if they’d noticed anything odd about her. Sincerely, Princess Celestia --- Princess Celestia, I did as you suggested and asked around. Most of the ponies hadn’t noticed anything off about Twilight. Rainbow Dash lived in the library for a little bit, while Cloudsdale was besieged by the thunderstorms. She told me about how Twilight was more irritable than usual. She didn’t sleep at all in the time Rainbow was there, and barely ate. She was always hunched over a few black books scribbling madly on some parchment. The books themselves were apparently blank. Rainbow didn’t really know what to make of that, and decided not to bother Twilight by asking. I asked Fluttershy what she’d thought of Twilight’s recent behavior and she recounted a strange tale of sometime prior. She’d spotted Twilight going into the Everfree Forest on several occasions, at one point carrying a wheelbarrow full of stones and a packed knapsack. That same day, she ran out, chased by some shadowy assailant. When Fluttershy went out to investigate, she found a dead and badly mangled chimera, which was probably what had chased Twilight. When she showed me the spot where she’d found the body, I saw a path leading deeper into the woods. Fluttershy suggested that the trail through the forest was made by the rampaging chimera. She was reluctant, but I managed to convince her to see where it led with me. We followed the broken branches and overturned rocks until we came to a glade deep in the Everfree Forest. The grass was dead here, and a burned carcass of a timber wolf lay in the center. A stone pillar covered in arcane markings stood next to the ashen wolf. This was clearly some kind of magical altar. It was likely the reason for Twilight’s excursions into these dangerous woods. More recently, Applejack’s corn stalks had started turning an unappetizing violet. No one volunteered to taste the corn, and I’m glad for that at least. I saw Twilight inspect it with Applejack earlier. She wouldn’t meet my gaze. As you say, it’s merely speculation, but I suspect that she’d had something to do with the tainted crops as well. Even though she is my friend, I grow more certain of her guilt with each passing day. I urge you to meet with her as soon as possible, Princess. Yours, Rarity --- Dear Rarity, Yes, I recall Twilight mentioning some books previously. She said she was translating them, but now I hear that the pages are blank… This is getting consistently stranger the more I hear of it. Very well. I will meet her myself to get to the bottom of this. I thank you for your continued vigilance, Rarity. I hope that I will have this mess sorted out in the coming week. In the meantime, please continue to report to me whenever you deem it necessary. Sincerely, Princess Celestia