Love and desperation
“What do you mean Trixie is also gone?!”
Applejack recoiled, taken aback by the outburst. “J-just that. Trixie didn’t make it back,” she muttered, looking away. “We found her hat and cloak and...well, since we didn’t found the…uh, her; we buried her clothes instead.”
Twilight sat on her haunches, stunned. Two ponies had died to grant her alicornhood. She hadn’t known Trixie for very long, but her death still weighted on her. “Are you sure she is…gone?”
“We are,” said Rarity. She looked the worst of the bunch, even worse than Fluttershy or Pinkie. She seemed to be in a state of catatonia, which surprised Twilight. She wondered if she had some personal connection with the magician. “There had been an intense magic exchange where we left her casting the illusion. We have scouted the surroundings, but haven’t found a trace of her.”
Twilight ran a hoof through her mane. ‘Please let this be the last pony to die.’ She took a deep breath and got on all four. “Right, there is much to do. I am sure you’re wondering why we needed the Elements in the first place. I though they would be the ace on our sleeve to take on Nightmare Moon, but this wasn’t the case.” She lights up her horn and casted a privacy spell that encompassed the small group.
After one last look around to be absolutely certain there was nopony else around, Twilight reverted the transformation spell and unfurled her wings. She almost didn’t slap herself in the chin with them.
All ponies sans Celestia gasped. “You’ve got wings!” said Rainbow Dash, definitely not squeaking in excitement as she took hold of one of them and stretched it to its full length. “Come check it out, Flutters!”
The ponies gathered around Twilight, taking in her new appendages. “Golly Twi! Ye’ve also gotten bigger!” drawled Applejack, who was now eye-to-eye with Twilight. She let out a chuckle. “Ya’ll’d have made a scene if ye’ve appeared like this back in tha camp!”
“I would, and I wanted to keep this as secret as possible; less chance Nightmare Moon picks on it,” Twilight looked to the side, where Rainbow and Fluttershy were comparing wing sizes, the latter with some encouragement by the cerulean mare. “I…don’t know much about pegasi culture, but it is considered rude among unicorns to outright compare your horn sizes.”
“She is right. T-this is very inappropriate, Rainbow Dash,” whispered Fluttershy.
“Eh, who cares. No harm, no fool.”
“That’s not how-”
“You’ve got pretty big wings,” Rainbow pointed at them They were a fair bit longer than Fluttershy’s; and far bigger than Rainbow’s own short ones. Twilight was uncertain if she should be offended or elated. “What do you think, Fluttershy? Nocturnal?”
“I think so, yes.”
“N-nocturnal?”
“Yeah,” replied Rainbow Dash. “It’s your type of wing. Every pegasus has slightly different wings, but they are usually classified in a few groups.” Dash extended her own wing next to Twilight’s. “See? I have predatory wings, like some griffons. They are small, they are pointy, they are very streamlined, and they are awesome. These bad girls are made for pure, unbound speed. Like myself! We’re a team of three here. Every part needs the other, but each on their own is awesome already.” Rainbow Dash paused and cleared her throat awkwardly. “So! Fluttershy there,” the other pegasus shyly extended one of her wings. “has something in-between sylvan and soaring wing. That means she has a good maneuverability and can soar pretty well. These are the most common for pegasi. ‘shy in particular leans a bit more towards agility. Finally, yours-” Rainbow looked back at Twilight, who had her jaw hanging open. “What?”
“You do know a lot about wings!”
Rainbow Dash shrugged her wings. “I mean, flying is my passion, so I know a lot about flying. Just like magic is yours, or apples is Applejack’s.”
“Hey!”
Everypony shared a chuckle at Applejack’s expense when the mare failed to come up with an appropriate response.
“What will be our next step?” asked Rarity after the mirth died out. “Twilight is an alicorn, how does that change things?”
“It gives us a chance,” said Princess Celestia weakly. “Sunset confronted my sister directly, and it would have worked if she were the one meant to bear the Element of Magic. We can’t expect that course of action to work anymore. My intention is that Twilight will weaken my sister enough so that the rest of you can get close and use the Elements on her.”
“I still don’t think I can beat her into submission,” grumbled Twilight.
“Oh my,” came the voice of Fluttershy. “Did you say ‘beat’? I don’t think it’s necessary to be so violent.”
Princess Celestia clenched her jaw, her expression flicking between discomfort, regret and insecurity. She opened her mouth to reply to the pegasus, but Twilight chimed in first. “Fluttershy, the very first thing that mare did was to kill ten ponies,” she stated flatly. “A few bruises is rather meager, if you ask me.”
Everypony fell quiet. Twilight slowly turned her head to look at the Princess, questioning herself for saying such a thing. The former alicorn had her jaw hanging open. For a few seconds, the movement of her eyebrows was the only motion on her face. She then got onto her shaky hooves. “I…I need to rest. If you excuse me.” She said before leaving the privacy spell and striding away.
After she disappeared behind the bushes, all eyes turned to Twilight. “While I don’t think you’re wrong, the wording could have used some work.” Pointed Rarity.
“I…didn’t think before I spoke,” agreed Twilight, rubbing her forehead. “Maybe I should do something to take my mind out of…everything for a while.”
“You’re right, thought!” interjected Rainbow Dash, flapping her wings furiously. “Ten is a load of ponies! She can’t get away with it just because she is the Princess’s sister!”
“I don’t disagree, but she has to stand trial like anypony else!” said Rarity. “Equestria as a society is way past corporal punishment.”
“Yeah, cuz jail is a great way to punish an immortal!”
Rarity raised a hoof, frowned, and lowered it when she was unable to find a proper counter-argument.
“Anyway, as blunt as it was, ah think it’s a good thing you gave her a piece of your mind,” said Applejack after the pause. “You can’t be pretending forever that all is fine and dandy. Mahbe it’ll make her realize her sis is…well, not what she remembers.”
Despite herself, Twilight let out a chuckle. “Honesty first and foremost, huh?”
“Always.”
***
Twilight stomped her hooves. “This is pointless!”
The newborn alicorn was beginning to regret her choice. Determined to take her mind away from her life crumbling away around her, she had requested Applejack to instruct her in the most vague and ethereal magic in all equinity: earth pony magic.
Earth pony magic was poorly understood due to its passive and instinctive nature. It usually got a very brief chapter, if any, in any kind of arcane study. Most of the information actually originated from a single source: The founder of the Apple clan, Apple Tree herself. Unfortunately, the earth mare had lived long time ago, when thaumatology was far more basic. Thus, the knowledge she had written down was too, outdated.
It really put things into perspective that it didn’t even have a proper name, like pyrokinesis, necromancy or illusionism. Even pegasi had tempestomancy, even if the term was somewhat vague and it included everything that pegasi could do.
Today, Twilight was discovering first-hoof why that was. She had read some of Apple Tree’s work and had found them fascinating. The fact that she had been able to cast some very rudimentary spells by directly willing her aura into shape was unbeliable, but of course she had never attempted to attempt it herself. Her horn was more than adequate for any spellcasting.
“You just ain’t doing it right,” drawled Applejack. “You’ve to put more of you into it.”
“More of me.” repeated Twilight. She had always been fully aware of the existence of her aura, but she had always though of it as some residual magic that emanated from her body. Trying to control it directly was as strange as…trying to consciously make her hair stand on end. She looked up to the crooked tree that she had been trying to climb for the last fifteen minutes. Applejack had insisted that she should be able to walk up the 45-degree tilted trunk without wrapping her hooves around it.
So far, it hadn’t worked.
The alicorn took a deep breath. She pulsated her aura once, twice. That was as much as she could do with it, the arcane equivalent of flexing. Frowning with determination, she carefully planted her forehooves on the trunk, then one of her hind hooves. Then very carefully, she lifted her fourth hoof off the ground…and instantly had to set it back down. She gave another try, making a pulse with her aura. It had no effect whatsoever. She them attempted to shake her aura a bit more, though it still didn’t work. “Was that different at all?” she asked Rarity.
“I don’t think so, darling,” she answered. She had asked to stay, due to her curiosity. Pinkie Pie had brought her older sister, claiming that perhaps she could offer some help. So far, the grey mare had stayed completely quiet, with her perfectly neutral facial expression.
Twilight glared at the tree. She bashed her hooves into the trunk and gave a small jump, planting all four limbs on the tree, and tensing all muscles in an attempt to get as much friction as possible. She light up her horn and attempted to take control over her aura directly. For a split second, she smiled triumphally…before gravity send her back to the dirt.
“Oh, this is horseapples!” she cried out, slamming her hoof straight into the wood. “I can’t do it!” She swiveled her ears when she heard a chuckle and a giggle behind her. She ignored the mirth and looked at her hoof, blinking in surprise. It didn’t hurt at all, despite having it the tree quite hard. When she moved her limb, she found a large dent.
“Ya okay there?” she hard Applejack ask, before she could consider what she had just done.
“Yes, I am fine,” she replied, getting on all four and dusting herself off. “I just can’t figure this out.”
“If I may, why don’t you try mimicking the earth pony magic with your own?” suggested Rarity. “Perhaps you could, shall we say, reverse engineer it?”
“That’s…a great suggestion!” agreed Twilight. “But first…it’s not that I don’t believe you Applejack, but I can’t imagine you casually walking up that tree,” She made a vague gesture. “Sorry if this comes out as rude, but…maybe if you did it I could follow your steps. Literally, I suppose.”
“No offense taken sugarcube. Ah probably wouldn’t believe pegasi control the weather if Ah didn’t see them doing it every day.” Applejack got up and ate the stalk she had been chewing on. She then walked up to the tree and up the tree, stopped when she reached the first branch, turned on the stop, and walked back down. Everything just as naturally as if she had walked in a level surface.
Twilight blinked. “Right, so you are doing something with your aura, but it is very, very subtle. I may need to see it more than once. I also noticed you always keep at least three hooves on the surface.”
“Did Ah now?” The farmer looked down at her own hooves. “Ah never really noticed.”
“In the Guard, we are taught how to turn that to eleven,” said Maud. Seeing Twilight’s inquisitive expression, she went to the closest vertical tree and crawled upwards without breaking a sweat. She then sat on a high branch and folded her legs. Twilight could have sworn she was being smug.
“And if you really, really, really go for it, you can do this!” said Pinkie Pie. She raised a forehoof a bit, held it still, then the second one a bit higher up and forwards. Then she raised the opposite hind leg next to the first forehoof. And finally, she raised her last leg and walked up a non-existent flight of stairs.
Twilight dropped her jaw. “Is…isn’t anypony going to question this?”
“Eh. She’s Pinkie Pie alright.” Muttered Applejack, shrugging. The pink pony casually strode up to where her sister was, trotted in a circle a good five meters above ground, and made her way back down.
“Wait a second!” screamed Twilight. Pinkie withdrew her hoof, startled when she galloped to her side. The alicorn ducked and closely inspected Pinkie’s hooves from every possible angle. She tapped them with her own. She closed her eyes for several seconds, and even poked them with her horn. Finally, she let out a sigh and sat down. “I can’t figure it out.”
“I don’t think anyone can,” agreed Rarity.
“No, not Pinkie,” Twilight looked down at her hooves and clapped them together. “I can see something is happening with her aura, but I can’t figure out how to mimic it. It’s like watching mud flow when you’re used to look at clear water.” She winced at her unfortunate metaphor. “I mean that your magic is thicker and opaquer. It also doesn’t help that it’s mostly passive. It’s like I am trying to juggle with a limb that is not only new, but also I can’t perceive in any way.” She let out a sigh and got on all four. “Right, let’s move on! Since I can’t grip, why don’t we try with something different?”
“Y’all want to keep trying?”
“Of course I do! This is fascinating!” Twilight smiled and gave her wings an uncoordinated flap. “I don’t have to master everything today, but I would like to give it a shot.”
Applejack stared at her for a second. “Alright then!” She turned around and headed to a random tree. She walked around the trunk, looked up, and nodded to herself. “There are two more things we can do. Well, actually four, but Ah dun think we can teach ‘em all.” She gestured Twilight to come closer.
Twilight stood up, paused, and turned her head. “Pinkie Pie, could you please finally land?” she asked with a smile that was all too wide. The bubblegum mare obliged, placing all four hooves on the dirt. “Thank you. Now, what is special about this tree?” she asked, looking up at the branches.
“It’s got fruits,” said Applejack, pointing at some dull blue lumpy fruits that hanged from high up. “And yer gonna harvest them.”
“Alright, but we’re not eating them. They seem dubious.”
That got a chuckle out of Applejack. “Sure thing sugarcube.” The farmer turned her back to the tree. “Now, Ah am sure y’all know we earth ponies can hit a tad harder than we should with our muscle mass.” Twilight nodded. “It’s pretty much what y’all were trying to do to climb the tree, but now you have to push, not pull. Ah figure it should be easier. Ya get me?”
“I am not sure how this is going to be any easier.”
Applejack shrugged. “Just give it a try. As far as Ah’m aware, this is about all what earth pony magic can do. Well, we also make stuff grow better and we’re tougher, but Ah don’t see how we could teach that. Hum…Ah’m not forgetting anything, right?” she asked the other two earth ponies after a thoughtful pause.
Maud shook her head, still perfectly happy perched atop of her tree. Pinkie Pie, however, raised a hoof a stood on the tips of her hooves. Applejack and Twilight exchanged a glance. “Uh…yes, Pinkie?”
“Applejack is forgetting about prognostication and telemancy.”
“Earth ponies ain’t lazy!”
“Prognostication, not procrastination,” chuckled Twilight. “Which is the ability to foresee the future. Pinkie is pulling our leg, heh.”
“Uuuh…s-sure.”
“Right!” Twilight clapped her hooves. “So, what do I have to do?”
“This!” Applejack firmly planted her forehooves in the dirt, then spun around and gave a stout buck to the base of the trees. Twilight raised her eyebrows when half a dozen blue fruits simply fell. “See? Now you try. It’s easier, Ah promise.”
“If you say so…” Twilight turned her back to the tree and stretched on her of her hind legs. She corrected her position and prepared herself mentally. She settled on hitting the trunk as hard as possible, so that she could get at least a fraction of what Applejack had accomplished. Twilight propped her forelegs for the recoil, raised her hind legs and bucked.
One second later, Twilight was enjoying a face full of dirt. The other ponies were exclaiming something, but she was too busy being displeased to pay attention to them. She only moved when a white hoof hovered in front of her eyes. Sighing internally, Twilight accepted Rarity’s help and got on all four. “I didn’t brace enough.” She grumbled, dusting herself off.
“Ah don’t think you could have braced more, sugarcube!”
Twilight looked down. There were two deep parallel grooves dug into the dirt, exactly where her hooves had been. It took the alicorn a couple of seconds to connect the dots and slowly look back, concerned of what she might find.
The tree had been torn off the ground, exposing its roots to the air. There were two large crater-shaped gashes, the spots were Twilight’s hooves had connected, tearing off a chunk of wood and compressing it into a distinctive shape.
“And all the fruit is on the ground! Does that mean she did it?” asked Pinkie Pie, trotting up the trunk while avoiding the branches with surprising poise.
“Either that, or it’s her alicorn-ness doing its thing!” muttered Applejack, scratching her neck. “Poor thing’s a goner. If Ah had known, Ah would’ve asked ya to kick something bigger!” She waited for an answer, but when it didn’t come, she turned her head and found Twilight still with her jaw hanging. The farmer let out a chuckle and gently closed the alicorn’s mouth with her hoof. “Ya okay there?”
“…y-yes,” she blinked. “I’m just….” She gestured to the fallen tree while shaking her head. “How?”
“Don’t worry, Big Mac does the same from time to time,” reassured Applejack, giving her a pat on the shoulder. “He’s got to be careful with the younger trees in the orchard; he uproots or breaks ‘bout one every year.” Twilight glanced at Applejack, alarmed at how casually she spoke of such a feat. “How are yer hooves?”
“My hooves?” Twilight carefully tested the joints of her back legs, grimacing pre-emptively at the pain she expected to feel. “Huh…” She frowned, stretching and contracting all four legs. “Funny, nothing hurts. At all. Is that normal?”
“It pretty much means you got it right.”
Twilight turned to Maud. “Did I?”
“Yes.” Much to her surprise, Twilight spotted the smallest upwards curl of her lips.
Twilight took a deep breath. “Right!” she grinned and spun on her hooves. “What’s next?”
***
Twilight bit down. Too hard, if the wince of all three ponies present was anything to go by. The alicorn furrowed her brow and ran her muzzle down her wing, combing the little feathers with her lips and teeth, like she had seen Fluttershy do a minute ago. When she detected a misshaped feather next to her shoulder, she clamped her teeth on it and plucked it clean.
“Oh jeez…”
Twilight stopped short her attempt at preening. “Wh’t?” she mumbled with the feather still on her teeth.
“You’re…um…you’re being a tad too…” Fluttershy tilted her head and waved a hoof, trying to find the right word. “Effusive.”
“ ‘ffus’v’?“ repeated Twilight. She spat the feather and grimaced. “I’ll I felt it more than I expected.”
“Yeah, no kidding. You just plucked a perfectly fine feather!” Rainbow crossed her forelegs. “When it hurt, didn’t you think ‘hey maybe I should stop doing this’?”
“Oh, give her a rest. It is her first time doing this, she is bound to make mistakes.”
Rainbow Dash glowered at the stallion for a moment, before turning her attention back to Twilight. “You’ve got to be more careful, wings are delicate! And, what is he doing her, anyway?”
“ ‘He’ can very well reply his own questions, thank you very much,” replied Blueblood, sitting up. “As for your answer, I can teach Twilight how to preen herself as much as you two can; thus, I can say my presence here is perfectly adequate.”
“You’re for real?” deadpanned Dash. “An earth pony teaching an alicorn how to preen her wings?”
“Unicorn, if you don’t mind!” he croaked, lifting with his hoof the blonde bangs that obscured his broken horn. The prince had seen better days. His white coat was dirty and matted to an off gray and his beautiful mane had been reduced to a filthy mop of yellow hair, framing his blue eyes and the bags under them. Even his proud pose had gone all the way down to ‘absolutely miserable’, completed with slumped shoulders and hung heads. “And I’ll let you know during the years I have acquired quite some skill in the fine art of preening.” He gave Rainbow a half smile and a wink.
The pegasus grimaced and made a dismissive gesture. “Yeah, sure. Why don’t you give us a demonstration, then?”
Blueblood glanced at Twilight, who in turn gave him a pointed glare. “I’d rather…not.”
“Good,” muttered Twilight. Blueblood was still something of a sore spot for her. He had mostly disappeared from her life ever since that one time she fought back. And in the years that had passed since, the unicorn was no longer the same. On the other hoof, he was a noble, born into luxury and comfort; and with a strong pride that he kept even after his current situation. She hadn’t seen enough to figure him out yet. “Now, I think you mentioned something of having work to do?”
Blueblood let out a dramatic sigh. “Give this poor stallion a rest! She makes me work too much, my shoulders are sore!” Twilight rolled her eyes. That wasn’t giving her any liking to the stallion. ‘Then again, I am rather unfit myself. I probably wouldn’t appreciate being forced to do manual labor.’ she though. “I am sorry I found out about your wings, I simply wanted to get away from that brick-faced mare.”
“It’s not nice to give ponies rude nicknames,” said Fluttershy.
Blueblood let out a chuckle. “My dear, I think every pony in the Canterlot Ground Guard calls her that. I am sure Twilight herself heard her father refer to her that way.” The alicorn gave a little nod. “See? I think she herself has fully embraced it.”
“Why don’t you say that to her face?” smirked Rainbow Dash. “I would love to see her whooping your sorry flank.” Blueblood gave her a flat look. He seemed to try to think of a retort of a second, before shrugging and letting the barb slide.
“So what are you doing, anyway?” asked Blueblood, pointedly ignoring Dash’s irritated gesture.
“Well, I wanted them to teach me how to fly, but Fluttershy insisted I should first learn how to take care of my wings,” explained Twilight. She bit her lip. “Can you please keep this as a secret?” The unicorn gave a solemn nod, though it didn’t really ease Twilight’s worry. Blueblood could very well let it slip accidentally. The less ponies knew of her ascension, the less likely Nightmare Moon was to hear about it. So far, only a hooful of ponies knew about it, only those that were directly involved in Celestia’s plans.
And Maud. But Maud was safe bet for secrecy.
Twilight let out a sigh and turned to Fluttershy. “Could we leave the whole caring for my wings for later? Right now, I would rather learn how to actually use them.”
“Oh, um…that’s fine, I understand flying is more exciting.” The pegasus gave a little nod. “Rainbow can take it from here.”
“Yes!” Dash pumped her foreleg and swooped down from her perch. “Come on, you’re going to love this!” Without asking for permission, she slipped her hooves under Twilight’s legs and hoisted her up. It happened so fast Twilight only managed to react when Rainbow placed her atop a very tall branch. She wrapped her legs around the tree, while Dash casually landed ahead of her and motioned her to stand up. ‘Like Tartarus I am going to stand up’. She took a deep breath and dared to look down. Back on the ground, two spots, one yellow and the other white, curiously looked up to her. ‘Perhaps this wasn’t my brightest idea.’
Back on the ground, Blueblood looked at the pegasus sitting next to her. “Twenty bits that she will end up with a bloody muzzle.”
“Please don’t say that,” replied Fluttershy. “I trust Rainbow Dash. She knows what she is doing.”
“No, I meant her.”
***
Despite Twilight and Blueblood’s concern, Rainbow proved to be a competent teacher. Unorthodox, but competent. It only took Twilight three rough landings to get the hang of gliding. She wanted to continue practicing until she was at least capable of powered flight, but Rainbow Dash refused on account of being tired. That surprised the alicorn; she expected Dash to be more excited about the prospect of teaching a complete newbie the secrets of flight, but didn’t disagree. After all, she could still practice with Applejack her earth magic.
She returned to the camp with a spring on her step, while everypony else lagged behind. Why shouldn’t she? She was stepping on the bounds between the magic of the tribes! It was exciting and intriguing, the joy of discovery that had been a constant passion through her life. And this time, she wasn’t merely reading what others had discovered, she was doing it on her own.
Twilight reached the top of a slope and looked down at the camp. Maud had done at amazing work at turning the clear into a small fortified position. It was surrounded by a low palisade, with ponies standing on guard every few meters, crossbow on their hooves. An assortment of tents and makeshift buildings took up most of the space, but wasn’t overly crowded. There was still room to maneuver and haul supplies. She raised a hoof to continue down the hill, but stopped short when she realized her wings were still exposed. A flash of her horn, and problem solved! She was looking forwards to see Queen Vatia again.
Her cheerful mood quickly dissipated as she descended as was hit with the reality of the situation. Even with the sense-dampener spell Princess Celestia had casted on her, she could still smell the misery coming from the camp. Sweat, dust, wood and iron. It smelled like a war.
She crossed the gate dragging her hooves, nodding in acknowledgement at the salute of the guard. It was Applejack’s brother, Big Macintosh. It reminded her of their grandmother, who died in the changeling attack. This, in turn, reminded her of her mother. She gritted her teeth and continued forwards, without an exact direction. There were very few ponies around, most were already sleeping inside their tents. ‘Have I lost track of time? How long have I been practicing?’ she wondered. She stretched her legs and cracked her neck. ‘I am not tired at all…’
Deciding going to sleep now would be a waste of time, she wandered about for a while, enjoying the relative quietness. She walked past an exhausted Rarity heading to her tent. Even drained as she was, she kept her grace and poise. Eventually, Twilight came across Maud Pie. She was leaning on a tree, idly chewing some corn. When she noticed her, she tossed her another cob, which the alicorn caught in her magic. She gave it a sniff. The scent of warm corn, seasoned with garlic and pepper overwhelmed her nostrils. She licked her lips and wolfed in, taking a frenzied bite. Maud watched her stuff her mouth, raising an eyebrow ever so slightly.
Twilight noticed her stare. “Whut?”
Maud took a deep breath before answering. “Have you contacted your family?”
Twilight froze mid-bite. She let out a sigh and leaned back, avoiding the green eyes of the earth pony. “I haven’t,” she confessed. “Just…what am I going to tell them? That she died so we could get some stupid ancient artifacts? I should have opposed to her plan. It was stupid.”
Both ponies fell quiet for a minute. Maud played with the bare corn core, while Twilight held hers in her hoof, not hungry anymore. The earth mare sat down with her legs crossed and rested her head on the tree. “I can’t pretend to know Twilight Velvet, but she struck as a strong-willed mare. I don’t think she regretted her choice.”
Twilight let out a half-hearted chuckle. “Yes, she got that from her mother. Come to think of it, she died in some s-stupid way too,” Her voice cracked. “Recklessness r-runs in the family, I suppose.” Twilight let out a hiccup and sat down next to Maud. Tears began to pour from her eyes. She cried quietly, in silence, with the earth pony as the only witness. When she felt the foreleg of the mare around her shoulder, she leaned in her for a much-needed embrace.
“I must look so stupid,” she croaked. “Here I am, crying my eyes out while you’ve suffered a far bigger loss.”
Maud broke the hug and looked at Twilight in the eyes. “Each deal with loss differently. Nothing wrong with letting it out.”
Twilight let out a sniff and wiped her tears. “I don’t how you manage to be this strong,” she muttered, resting back on the tree. “I regret not spending more time with her.”
“You didn’t get along?”
Twilight shook her head. “None of that. But after I moved to the castle…well, I spent less time with my family. Not just mom, I too saw dad and Shiny less often.” She let out a half-hearted chuckle. “She was so happy when I told her I wanted to be a magician. After her first child decided to take on his father’s steps, she was joyful than her second decided to follow hers.” Twilight noticed Maud raising an eyebrow, and correctly guessed what she was thinking. “No, she didn’t try to live her dreams off me. She encouraged and supported me, but at the end of the day, I turned into a very different magician. Kind of like how Shining is a Royal Guard while dad was law enforcement, right?”
Maud nodded. Twilight waited patiently for a few minutes before it because obvious that the gray mare would not speak unless prodded. So, she did. “What about you? How were your parents?”
The earth pony looked up to the starry sky before answering. “Hard as topaz, but rough as basalt. Specially my father. Life in the rock farm was tough, and Father didn’t make it any easier,” Twilight looked at the earth pony, but her expression was as unreadable as always. “He didn’t make a great dad for any us four.”
Twilight bit her lip. “I’m sorry to hear that.”
Maud shrugged her broad shoulders. “For better or for worse, it made me the pony I am today. I am content with that.” She closed her eyes and let out a long breath. Twilight looked up and light up her horn to deactivate the dampening spell she was under. The night sky turned into a vivid tapestry of many hues of blue and purple, specked with thousands of stars. “Night Light is a good stallion. I miss working under his command. “
Twilight looked at Maud, and was surprised to see a tiny smile on her lips. The alicorn couldn’t help but grin too. “You’re awfully vocal tonight. Dad always said you were the quiet type.”
The earth pony nodded. “I am told that I as taciturn as granite.”
The two ponies remained quiet for some minutes, enjoying the quietness. Twilight though about her situation. She had accepted to help Princess Celestia, but why? Loyalty? Duty? Simply because she was the best choice? Or more likely, a combination of all three? The Princess had faith in her, and believed her to be the fittest pony to face her sister. But, if she had been chosen by a different pony, would she still have agreed? What if Night Light had asked? Would she have agreed to be ascended?
‘Yes.’
There were many other ponies that could do what she was doing…but they weren’t there. Who knew where Minuette, Libra or Moondancer could be? She was the best choice because she was at the right place, at the right moment. Nopony else had hurried to investigate the crater, hoping to locate the Princess.
But what happened if she…when she won? The Princess said the Elements of Harmony would cleanse and purify Nightmare Moon. As far as Twilight understood, that would restore her to how she was before she turned into what she was now. But what then? Would she given back her crown and Equestria would turn into a diarchy? With one of its rulers having recently murdered the thirteen Archmages, plus an attempt of regicide, plunging Equestria into darkness; and probably several more that Twilight didn’t know about?
Twilight was trying to decide how to question the Princess about this when Maud spoke up again. “Look at those two, so blissful.”
The alicorn looked up and her heart skipped a beat. Lyra Heartstrings was walking around the edge of the camp, locked in a half-hug with…
Twilight closed her eyes tightly and did a double-take, but there was no mistake. There were a distinct pair of auras hidden beneath Bon Bon’s light blue own.”M-maud,” she muttered. “That’s a changeling.”
The earth pony narrowed her eyes and reached for something with her hooves. It was a set of bolas. “Which one?”
“The beige one,” Maud got on two hooves and spun the bolas. “Wait! You can’t-“ Lyra heard the exclamation and turned her head as Maud threw the bolas. She shoved Bon Bon out of the path of the weapons and got herself ensnared instead. The changeling looked at the unicorn, confused. Then she noticed Maud galloping towards her, with a worried Twilight in tow. Her expression twisted into one of sheer terror and she scampered up the makeshift wall. Maud reached Lyra and expertly retrieved her weapon. She climbed the wall, frowned a for a second, then whirled up the bolas.
Lyra let out a yelp and tackled Maud, causing her to drop the bolas. The earth pony picked up Lyra and slammed her against the dirt. “Lyra!” shouted Twilight, rushing to aid the unicorn. Maud picked up the bolas, but was interrupted when Lyra jumped on her, desperately swatting the larger mare with her hooves. Maud let out a furious roar and punched Lyra square in the face, sending her back to the ground. Then sat on her chest and bashed her hoof across the unicorn’s face. Then again. Twilight reacted in time to prevent a fourth hit, grabbing her foreleg as she raised her hoof to strike. Maud turned and struck Twilight with all her might. She fell on her back and cast a barrier by instinct. Maud punched the shield, causing it to crack. “You!” Maud screamed, gritting her teeth. “You. Let. Her. Escape!” She punctuated each word with a new blow. Twilight backed up in the safety of her shield. Maud drilled a hole through her with a maniac wide-eyed stare. “Why?” she screeched. “They destroyed my village!” She raised both hooves and slammed the barrier. “They killed my parents!” The surface of the shield was covered in cracks. “They killed my sisters!” The barrier began to collapse. “And you let her escape!” Maud punched a hole through the shield. Twilight raised her hooves defensively, but when no attack came, she opened her eyes. Maud was hanging weakly off the hole. “Why did you let her escape…” she whimpered, looking at Twilight with turquoise eyes pooled in tears.
The alicorn let the shield fade and caught Maud as her legs collapsed. She let her nest her muzzle on her shoulder, staining her coat with bitter tears. Maud wrapped her hooves around her and she responded to the embrace, feeling her ragged breaths. Twilight didn’t spoke, letting the former captain empty from what she had been bottling for far too long. When Pinkie Pie approached, Maud more than gladly replaced Twilight with her one surviving sister.
Twilight watched the embraced siblings. It was strange to see the stoic captain broken into tears, while the seemingly more distraught sister soothed her. She couldn’t let the same happen to her. She decided to go fetch her family and visit the grave of her mother, that very night. It was time to face the facts.
It was then that Twilight noticed Lyra was gone.
***
It didn’t take Twilight very long to locate Lyra. The unicorn was screaming the name of her loved one at the top of her lungs. When Twilight found her, she was pacing back and forth between the trees, sobbing uncontrollably. She didn’t notice Twilight until she touched he shoulder, causing her to whip around violently.
Twilight grimaced. The unicorn had a black eye, a broken nasal bridge and an ugly bruise on her forehead. ‘I probably don’t look that great either’, she though, remembering Maud had hit her too. “Come, I am going to take you to a hospital,” she said, reaching over with a hoof. Her original plan was to simply bring back Lyra to the camp, but injuries were more severe than she had expected.
Lyra blinked at her and looked back at the forest. “But…Bon Bon,” she said weakly, as if she didn’t understand her concern. She seemed completely unaware of her injuries, and her situation. She hadn’t stopped to think of what it could happen if she ventured alone into the woods. Bon Bon was more important. When she raised a hoof to continue her search, Twilight gently but firmly held her in place. “Let go.”
“Lyra…Lyra, please. No, don’t-don’t move. Listen-”
“I have to find Bonnie!”
“You can’t. You’ve got to-”
“I’ve got to! She’s alone!”
“No-”
“She needs me!”
“Lyra, look at me!” Twilight took the face of the unicorn on her hooves and forced her to look her in the eyes. “You can’t go alone in the forest. If the changelings got Bon Bon, chances are she’s…” The word got stuck on her throat. “She’s being held captive,” she said, and immediately regretted. She had no right to give Lyra any false hope, but she couldn’t bring herself to tell her the truth either.
The minty unicorn seemed to hesitate. “You’re hurt,” added Twilight, letting go of her. “Come, I’ll take you to the hospital.”
Lyra had her eyes fixed on the ground. “No, I am fine,” she finally decided, turning around. Before Twilight could say anything, she took a shaky step, lost her balance and fell haphazardly. The alicorn reacted just in time to cushion her fall with telekinesis.
“Lyra?” There was no answer. She carefully placed Lyra and listened carefully. Her heartbeat was quick but steady, and so was her breathing. The mare was simply unconscious. Letting out a sigh of relief, Twilight levitated the mare onto her back, and then teleported away.
***
“I am staying.”
“No, you aren’t. I am taking you to the hospital, along with Lyra.”
“I am not hurt.”
“And I am the guardian of Tartarus. You hurt your foreleg!”
“My foreleg is fine.”
“Really? Is it why you’re not putting any weight on it?”
“I-”
“And you also smell of cold sweat. You’re scared, in tension or suffering. Either there’s something big to worry about, or the latter is true.” Said Twilight in a stride. Maud raised her eyebrows, so taken by surprise that she couldn’t muster an answer. “Well? Are you coming?” said Twilight, lighting up her horn.
“F-fine,” reluctantly agreed Maud. The alicorn flashed her horn and disappeared from the camp.
When she returned, an hour later; she wasn’t alone, but her companions were neither Lyra nor Maud. It was small assortment of ponies, led by two unicorns and an old batpony with large wings. They followed Twilight out the boundaries of the campsite, to the place where lied the tombs of Twilight Velvet and Trixie.
***
“Twilight?”
The alicorn blinked. She peeked around the branch she was sitting on, and saw Spike down below, looking up at her while he wringed his hands. “Spike! Give me a second!” Twilight stood on the branch and took a hesitant step. Suddenly she realized that she didn’t know how to get down without gliding far away. She batted her wings a few times as a test and nodded approvingly. She could fly down, no problem.
Spike hurried to help Twilight as soon as the dust from the impact settled, but was surprised to find her more concerned about wiping the dirt off her coat than the fact that she had just fallen flat into her face. “Twilight! You…you okay?”
“I’m fine, Spike.” Twilight took the confused little dragon on her hooves and gave him a little squeeze. “A little fall isn’t going to hurt me now.”
Spike looked up. The branch where Twilight had been perched was a good ten meters above ground. “…right.”
Twilight gave him a small smile and sat down, letting Spike curl against his side. She could feel his heartbeat, and his body temperature raising and lowering with every breath, like a tiny furnace. “This time she isn’t coming back, is she?”
Twilight let out a sigh. “No, she isn’t.” She had taken her family back home not too long ago. Thunderstruck in particular was a wreck; he had survived his wife and one of his children. Seeing her loved ones suffer like that, she couldn’t help but question her decision to help Princess Celestia. A sarcastic smile made it to her lips. ‘Too late now, don’t you think?’
It was as if she had never returned. It felt like Velvet had died the day of the return of Nightmare Moon, and the past days had been but a delusion, a twisted way of coping with the loss. Perhaps it would have been better if she had never returned to begin with. Perhaps now, she wouldn’t feel so hollow.
Twilight’s train of though was interrupted when Spike huddled tighter against her. She let out a sigh, as she petted the back of the little dragon. ‘Why did she have to die? Why did she have to expose herself? She should have retreated. I would have been fine, and she would still be alive.”
“Twilight?”
The mare jumped on her hooves, catapulting Spike into the dirt. She spun, horn ablaze and ready to face…Rarity. “Oh dear! I didn’t intent to startle you!” she said, taking a step back. Something moved next to her, almost causing the tense alicorn to attack. Twilight recognized Sweetie Belle just in time, as she hurried to help Spike to get back on his feet.
Twilight let out a deep breath. ‘They’re real’, she had to repeat herself a few times. The beating of her heart was deafening on her ears. How didn’t that drive Princess Celestia mad? Was it why she was always so collected? So she didn’t have her heart hammering on her ears? She shook her head lightly, tossing aside that strange line of thought. “Sorry about that, Rarity,” she said with a sheepish smile. “I just didn’t expect anypony to come by.”
The unicorn nodded. “Apology accepted, darling. I can’t blame you for needing some time to introspect.” Rarity stood still for a moment, before sitting down. “That being said, Twilight…we’re here if you want to talk about what has happened. Pinkie Pie, Applejack, Fluttershy, me…anypony.” The pristine white unicorn paused. “Rainbow Dash is not a bad pony, but I don’t think she has the right…attitude.”
Twilight let out a sigh. “There’s not much to say, really. I am just…frustrated. Angry.” Sweetie Belle and Spike ran past them in an improvised game of tag. “I understand the logic behind her actions. She was trying to get Sunset off my back, and she was willing to risk her life to do so. But…” Twilight let out a huff. “Feelings aren’t always logical, are they?”
“The best and the worst never are,” agreed Rarity. “But I am glad you decided to let your family know as soon as possible.”
The alicorn shook her head. “It was Maud snapping what made me decide to tell them right away. If it hadn’t been for that…I don’t know for how long I would have ignored them. I guess…I guess I was afraid they would blame me.” she said. ‘Just like I am blaming myself.’
“I highly doubt they will, darling. If anything, their opinion of your mother will improve even further.”
Twilight gave her a dull sideways glance. She wanted to make a sarcastic remark on how her family would rather have Twilight Velvet well and alive, but she bit her tongue. The white unicorn wasn’t trying to twist the knife. “What are you doing here, by the way?”
“While I was getting ready to end my guard, I ran into Pri…Quill. She was franticly looking for you, and I offered to fetch you,” Rarity paused to yawn, covering her mouth with a hoof. ‘She is always so dainty.’ though Twilight. “Sweetie Belle insisted to tag along so…here we are.”
Twilight frowned. “That wasn’t a good idea.”
“You’re right,” she admitted, dipping her head. “I was just…what happened before with Lyra…you can see them, cann’t you?”
Twilight nodded. It took her a moment to connect the dots and understand why Rarity had allowed her little sister to venture with her in the woods. “You wanted to be sure she hadn’t been abducted.” She said, looking at the unicorn.
Rarity smiled sheepishly. “Perhaps I should have stated my concerns directly, but I wasn’t sure how to…word it.”
Twilight smirked. “Well yeah, what would you say? ‘Hey Twilight, has my sister been substituted by a feelings-eating being?’.” Her smiled died out an instant later when she recalled what had happened not too long ago. “That was inappropriate.”
“A little, yes.”
“In any case, I hadn’t thought about it. I can detect changelings. I can take a walk around the camp and figure out if there are any more changelings, easily.” Twilight tapped her chin. She hadn’t considered just how easily she could ensure the safety of the ponies living at the camp. She got on her hooves and nodded to Rarity. “Let’s head back, there is much to do.”
***
A quick tour inside the barricade was enough to convince Twilight that every of its inhabitants was an actual pony. Just to be certain, she did a second lap, double checking each of the guards posted around the perimeter. She even stopped to chat with Applejack’s big brother, though the amount of conversation he provided was scarce at best.
When she was about to do a third and final check of the camp, she was spotted by Princess Celestia, who nodded to the tent she had been using. Twilight let out a sigh. No point on delaying it any more, she was going to do something she had considered impossible before.
She was going to question Princess Celestia.
When Twilight entered the tent, she stopped short when she saw the Princess up close. The former alicorn was…healed. While she was still missing a hindleg, the scars that covered a good portion of her body were gone, covered now by pinkish white fur. Her injured eye was now as perfect and pristine as the other one, both half-hidden by the pink bangs that hanged over them. Princess Celestia smiled at her, radiant and beautiful. “What is it, my faithful student? It seems you have seen a ghost.” Even her voice sounded as sweet as always, instead of the raspy growl she had been forced to mutter.
“You…you look perfect, Princess.” whispered Twilight without thinking. She flustered an instant later, when her brain caught up with her mouth.
The monarch chuckled. “Thank you, Twilight. This is a new look for me, you know? I used to be thin as a twig before I was ascended. It didn’t feel right to go back to that, so I settled with a middle point between my real appearance and my ascended one.” She gestured Twilight to come inside. Her horn flashed and the tent was lined with a privacy spell. Twilight mentally reeled down the dampening effect she was under…and found that the Princess was under no illusion. She had actually restored her body.
“How did you do it?” She studied the other pony, trying to notice some inconsistency in her appearance.
“Just some superficial flesh splicing and some enhanced regeneration.” she said nonchalantly. Twilight’s jaw dropped. Flesh splicing was a very aggressive gray healing magic that literally liquified living tissue to re-arrange it, tiptoeing the limit between white and black magic. It was under very heavy regulation, due to how easily it could be used to cause harm. There were licenses to use it, as a skilled user could quickly re-attach limbs. Celestia smiled at Twilight’s bewilderment. “What? I decide what magic is gray. Is it that surprising that I gave myself the permits?”
“It….it is said to be very painful…”
“Agonizing,” agreed Celestia, nonchalant. Her lack of concern made Twilight guess she had used some other spell to nullify the pain entirely. “But it was worth it, it feels nice to finally have fur instead of burn skin. The leg…I am afraid will require more work,” she added with a sigh.
“…but you could do it.”
“I could, but I ran into another problem.” Celestia tapped the tip of her horn, and Twilight noticed it was still cracked. “I don’t dare to perform it and risk a miscast.”
Twilight nodded. “Does the doctor know about this?” The former alicorn shook her head, smirking. “He is not going to be happy when he finds out.” she said with a smile of her own. The remained in a comfortable silence until Twilight took a breath and spoke up. “Princess, I wanted to speak about your sister.”
“Convenient, since I wanted to touch the same topic.” The Princess let out a sigh. “This…uh, morning, I believe, you pointed out that the first thing my sister had after her return was to kill all thirteen members in the Council, and that a few injuries were a scant punishment. Your spoke with such hatred and bitterness that…well, I left. I wanted to apologize for this.”
“Princess…there is no need to apologize. If anything, I should be-”
“No.” stated Princess Celestia, stern. “You have no reason to, you were right. When I went to bed, I started thinking…what has my sister done to deserve anything but hatred and disgust? Why should she reap anything but what she has sown?” She shook her head and looked down. “This is not how I planned everything to go. My intention was that we would rule the kingdom side by side…like we used to...”
Twilight saw the opportunity speak her mind. “I don’t think she should be given any responsibility.” She blinked, surprised by her own boldness. ‘Perhaps too bold’, she decided, and amended her words. “At least, not for now. Not until she proves she can be trusted.”
Much to her surprise, Princess Celestia didn’t immediately disagree with her. “To be a commoner. I would like…I think it would be for the best. Equestria isn’t going to forget or forgive her crimes any time soon…”
“Do you think she will agree?”
The eyes of the Princess hardened. “She is in no position to demand anything, I am afraid. When the time of her return came, I was wishful. I hoped her confinement gave her time to think of what she did, and to come into terms with how she was viewed by everypony. She could have embraced it, become…become what I can’t.” Celestia looked up. “She wanted to be like me, but failed to notice she could have been much more.”
Twilight tilted her head. “I…don’t think I follow.”
The Princess ran a hoof through her pink mane while she gathered her thoughts. “Luna was never appreciated as an actual monarch…well, coruler. She hid the Sun and raised the Moon, bringing the day to an end. They were more dangerous times, and the ponies back then saw the night more as a nuisance and a peril than as something necessary. While technically my sister and I had the same power, I was the one ponies asked for advice. I was the one they requested to arbitrate in arguments and disputes. I was the one they turned to when they though justice hadn’t been applied properly. I didn’t mind, of course. Ruling is a burden, and I was more than happy for free my sister of it.”
“I guess she didn’t see it that way.”
Celestia shook her head. “She didn’t. She spoke her mind several times, and I always tried to make her understand my point of view. She probably saw me as dismissive. Over time, it got worse. We barely saw each other in the month before her rebellion. If I had, maybe I would have seen the signs…or maybe I would have still failed her.” She dipper her head. “The thing is, she had something I didn’t. Ponies saw me as this…goddess.” She grimaced at the word. “Impossibly perfect, sacred…and thus, unapproachable. She had friends, actual friends, not simply ponies obsessed with pleasing her.” Celestia gave Twilight a pointed look. The alicorn smiled sheepishly. “And while I was a passable ruler, she made for an excellent leader.” A small smile spread into her lips. “There was passion in everything she did, and it spread to those around her. Specially when it came to anything related to art. I am a rather dull pony, Twilight. But Luna…was bold and inventive. Who do you think had the idea of building our capital on the side of a mountain?” There was a pause, and the joy completely left her expression. “I suppose that is yet another of her accomplishments she saw as mine.”
“So what happened next?” asked Twilight after a few seconds.
“Next? She turned into Nightmare Moon and tried to take over Equestria.”
Twilight blinked. “…aaand?” She gestured Celestia to give her more details.
“That’s it.”
“Didn’t she try to kill you?”
“…indeed. But what does-”
“But…did ponies obey her?”
“Well, yes they did, but-”
“Hold on, let me get this straight.” Twilight took a deep breath. “Your sister tried to kill you, and shroud Equestria into an eternal darkness…because ponies didn’t pay her enough attention. Not even due to ambition, because she did have power. She wanted attention.”
Celestia’s voice remained the same, but Twilight could tell her heart rate had increased, and so had the temperature of the air. “You are oversimplifying.”
“And, when given the chance to fix her attempted regicide…she doubled down on it!” continued Twilight. It was taking her a lot of effort to keep her voice even. She was grateful the privacy spell worked both ways.
“You clearly have no idea what you’re speaking about, Twilight.” Her voice was cold, but the temperature of the air kept raising. “She didn’t try to kill me, she simply locked me in the Sun. She didn’t intent to harm me.”
“Oh, did she?” Twilight’s voice exuded sarcasm. “I guess you’re right. It was very touching, seeing her run to your aid when you were burned into a crisp!”
Celestia inhaled sharply. Twilight feared she might have pressed too hard, but when the Princess hanged her head, she knew she had done the right thing. She didn’t like hurting the former alicorn…but she had to make her understand. Every time Celestia defended her sister, she had to twist the knife a little more, point the horrible things she had done. Otherwise, the Princess may delude herself into thinking Nightmare Moon was the same mare she had known and love.
“Why do you always have to be right, Twilight?” whispered Celestia. “This would be so much easier if you weren’t.”
Twilight shrugged helplessly. “Things aren’t always easy.”
“They aren’t, are they?” The Princess straightened her shoulders. Twilight studied her. She was a good actress. Any sign of distress was gone from her face. “I had plans, you know? Backup plans.” Twilight’s ears perked up. “My original plan was to face my sister myself…but when the moment came, I couldn’t bring myself to it. The Elements of Harmony were the next line of defense…and to be honest, I trusted them more than I did myself. I even enchanted the checklist I gave Sunset so that the text would lead her to the old castle.” The Princess frowned. “It was written as a poem, you wouldn’t guess how long it took me to get the rhymes to work.”
Twilight let out a giggle, and she was happy to see the ghost of one appear on her teacher too.
“I had prepared something similar for the archmages, a separate scroll for each of them, explaining what had happened to me. They may not be the best of ponies, but I knew they would come to my aid…even if it was only for their own self gain. And then…” The Princess frowned. “Heavens, how did everything fall apart so quickly? I though I had everything planned.”
“There’s…something that I still don’t understand.” Twilight tapped her hooves together and furrowed her brow. “From what you have told me, the Element of Magic is usually represented as a light purple gem shaped like a six-pointed star.” Celestia nodded. “Just…like the one on my flank?”
The former alicorn chuckled. “The physical form of the Elements, all six of them, is that of a very simple hexagonal asscher. They look the same, except for their colors. Magic often got pictured as a star because it’s primus inter pares, the first among equals. The bearer is chosen directly.” She tilted her head. “Besides, six-pointed stars are not uncommon. Your brother has the very same star you have.”
Twilight conceded the point with a gesture. “Fair enough. It just…with the benefit of retrospective, it’s irritating.”
“I agree. Though, I must admit I am rather surprised you were chosen.” Twilight tilted her head. “I think you’re more than capable of representing Magic, mind you. But each Element has a second theme to it. For Laughter, it is optimism. For Honesty, it is trust. For Magic, it is harmony. It represents our four tribes coming together. All the previous bearers of Magic have shared one trait: Having the blood of all the ancestral tribes running through their veins.” Twilight frowned, but not for the reason Celestia believed. “It’s true, I have a grandparent from each of the tribes. And since Sunset is an orphan, I thought perhaps she would too.”
“But…I do too.”
Celestia froze. “…n-no, you don’t.” she stated matter-of-factly.
“Yes, I do. An earth pony, a unicorn, a pegasus and a batpony; one of each.”
The former alicorn stared at her pupil for a moment. “Your mother was a Canterlot Noble.”
“Y-yes. A marchioness, in fact.” Twilight wondered where the Princess was going.
“I created Canterlot titles as a source of income.” Celestia spoke in an even voice, but Twilight could tell she was getting increasingly nervous. “They can be purchased by any unicorn residing in Canterlot, and can only be passed to their elder children.”
“…yes. So?”
“Your mother…was a marchioness. I know Thundestruck, your maternal grandfather. He is a batpony.” Twilight shrugged all four forelimbs, completely lost. “So, your other maternal grandparent must be, obviously, a unicorn.” Celestia’s voice sounded desperate, hoping Twilight would confirm what she had said as true.
“But…she wasn’t.” muttered the alicorn. “Estoc was a pegasus. She got her title because she was the bastard child of a unicorn marquess. He never sired any other pony, so shortly before his death, he decided to reach out to her…he paid a fortune in compensations.” Feeling uneasy at the Princess’s desperate expression, she added. “I-I’m sorry.”
“I….I knew Estoc. How…why didn’t I ever see her with you?” weakly said Celestia.
“She died a month before my entry exam.” explained Twilight indifferently. She recalled how nonchalant Apple Bloom had mentioned her dead parents. ‘I suppose you can’t miss somepony if you never had the chance to actually know them.’ “A flying accident, she was too stubborn to recognize she wasn’t fit for it anymore.”
Celestia’s shoulders sank. In the blink of an eye, she looked just as fragile as she had looked the previous days. “I…I’ve made a huge mistake.” She whispered.
“Princess!” Twilight reached over, but stopped when Celestia raised a hoof. She ran both hooves through her mane and down her neck, until they came to a rest above her heart. She took a deep breath, tensed her body…and then relaxed, letting go of all the tension. When her eyes met Twilight’s, she saw in them determination.
“With the benefit of hindsight, it’s easy to say I should have investigated more about you, Twilight. But even with the full picture, perhaps I would have still made the wrong choice. What matters now is solving the problem, which leads me to my next point.” Celestia took a deep breath. “Twilight, I have been thinking how you could win a fight against my sister. And no matter how I think about it, there is one thing you can never match.”
“Uh…power?”
The Princess let out a dry chuckle. “Perhaps, but no. It’s age. My sister was a more skilled fighter than I was, and…well, the difference in combat experience between you two is staggering.” Celestia’s eyes darted to the floor. “To even the odds, I have been thinking of giving you a…tool.”
“A…tool?” Twilight crooked and eyebrow. “You mean, beyond turning me into an alicorn? What else is there?”
The former alicorn didn’t answer immediately. “What experience do you have with dark magic?”
Twilight went stiff like plank. “Uh…n-none at all. Why?” She had heard rumors that Sunset Shimmer and Princess Celestia almost had a permanent break after the first was caught investigating a restricted section of the Royal Library. ‘Does she suspect I did the same?’
“Then this is your chance,” smoothly said Celestia, though her eyes still didn’t meet Twilight’s. “I have decided…to teach you one path of dark magic. You name it. Anything, really.”
Twilight’s jaw dropped. “B-but Princess, I couldn’t – why would I ever want to do such thing?”
Celestia let out a sigh. “Because it’s a necessary evil. I don’t like it…but I would rather have you known one trick of questionable morality, than a deceased student and a ruined kingdom.”
Twilight looked away, running a hoof down her foreleg. “I don’t think I would be comfortable with it…”
“I am not happy with it either, Twilight.” She spoke softly. “But you are a good mare, and…I can’t fathom how you could ever be any more damaging to Equestria than my sister already has. Just, please…” Twilight felt her chin cupped by the hoof of the Princess, and looked her in the eye. “Please…promise me you won’t turn into what she has.”
Twilight looked into those regal, beautiful eyes. How could she ever refuse? “I promise.”
Celestia smiled. It was a small, but sincere and hopeful, smile. Twilight let out a tiny gasp when the Princess reached over to embrace her, and it took her a few seconds to return the gesture. She still felt frail in her arms. Her body temperature was higher than hers, but she still felt cold compared to how she used to be.
Dark magic…her promise opened so many possibilities. Due to their nature, there was very little written on dark magic, but there was no way to keep such an exciting topic away from young, powerful unicorns. She was vaguely aware of a lot of amoral things that could be done with magic, just like any earth pony was vaguely aware of all the nasty things that a kitchen knife could do.
But she was limited to one.
Celestia broke the embrace and let out a little sigh. She then noticed Twilight’s thoughtful expression. “You don’t have to make your mind right now. In fact, I would rather rest a bit now. Flesh splicing…has been more taxing to me than I anticipated.”
‘But I want to make up my mind now,’ though Twilight, pondering her options. Did she want to compensate for her weaknesses, or improve her strengths? After a moment, she decided she knew the latter better than the first. After all, all her past shortcomings could or could not have been improved by her ascension. But the things she excelled at before, would still be her strongest points.
Twilight looked back at the past days. What was what she had in abundance? She knew her ability to copy spells had no equal…but how useful could that be against Nightmare Moon? She needed something more…direct.
After a minute of consideration, she looked up and studied the Princess. “Nocikinesis.” She stated, trying to keep her voice as even and emotionless as possible.
The reaction of the Princess wasn’t unexpected. Or rather, the lack of reaction. Her expression stayed the same, a perfect mask of honesty. Even her heart rate only spiked up slightly. Twilight could have very well missed it if she weren’t expecting it. She could have believed the Princess if it weren’t for the longer-than-normal pause before speaking. “There is no such thing.”
“Of course there is,” Twilight tilted her head. Celestia was better at omitting information than outright lying. “You said anything. I believe nocikinesis could give me an edge over Nightmare Moon.”
Celestia stared at her pupil, eyes wide. Then she narrowed her eyes and nodded. “Very well. I just hope you know what you asked. I must know, though…where in Equestria did you hear that word?”
“I made it up,” Twilight smiled sheepishly. “I just stuck together two old words pegasolian words that matched what I wanted.”
“Ingenious. I apologize for lying. Nocikinesis wasn’t the answer I was expecting. I though you would go for something more obscure than ‘mind control’ or ‘necromancy’, just not that. But…I said anything. So…” Celestia closed an eye, and the one that remained open gleamed in magenta. “Let’s teach you about pain.”