//------------------------------// // Back Home // Story: Iron Mare // by Plain Hunter //------------------------------// Celestia was hesitant to Twilight’s request, but managed to call in a press meeting, but the Council would not attend not to Twilight’s surprise. “What are you doing my student?” Celestia asked Twilight as she watched her student rush to the desk to sign the paperwork for her to be let out. “Celestia, I have an important announcement to make to the public of Equestria,” Twilight said, finishing the paperwork and quickly trotting to the door, her friends right behind her along with Celestia, “and no matter what the Council says, it’s going to happen.” Twilight saw the chariot outside that was waiting for Celestia to arrive, two pegasus stallions standing impatiently at the front of the chariot. Twilight stepped inside the chariot with Celestia, pretty much having to drag her friends inside the royal chariot as Twilight instructed the pegasus stallions to head to Town Square for the press meeting. “Twilight? Why are ya so jumpy?” Applejack asked her friend. “Applejack, there’s something I need to do. And I need to do it now. I don’t care what the Council says, it’s going to happen.” Twilight said, looking down to the streets of Ponyville below. “What is it?” Rainbow asked. “.... Something I should have done a long time ago, Rainbow.” “It doesn’t have to do with a blue thing, does it?” Rainbow asked, tapping her hooves together and looking to the side nervously as Twilight rose one of her eyebrows and turned to stare at the rainbow colored mare. “Uh... No? Why would you ask that?” Twilight asked. “N-No reason! I don’t even know why I mentioned a blue thing! Oh wait, is that the time??? Oh well, gotta run!” Rainbow then flew off the chariot, Twilight and her friends watching their rainbow colored friend fly away at a speed that they never knew Rainbow could go after just taking off. “Oh my... I wonder what’s going on with her.” Rarity said. “I don’t know... But don’t worry girls, we’ll figure it out.” Twilight replied, keeping her eyes still at the horizon where Rainbow flew towards. Twilight trotted to the Town Square after she stepped out of the chariot, her friends and Celestia following her, but she barely made it up the stairs before she was jumped by another one of her friends, Moondancer. “Twilight!!! Oh sweet Faust you’re safe!!!” Moondance hugged Twilight tight enough to nearly crush her ribs as Twilight hugged her back. “It’s fine Moondancer, I’m back now. And I’m not going anywhere.” Twilight said as the two broke the hug, Moondancer sniffing quietly and nodding, lifting her glasses and wiping her eyes. “It’s just... After Pinkie disappeared-” “I know, Moondancer, I know....” Twilight said, smiling softly and putting her hoof on her friend’s shoulder. Moondancer nodded her head lightly before speaking, “They’re inside, waiting for you.” Twilight nodded and walked inside with her friends, her legs beginning to shake more and more as she approached the podium. She stood straight at the podium when she reached it, seeing her friends and Celestia at the back. Twilight stared at the crowd, the mass of ponies with cameras and notebooks in their magic grasp or in their hooves, wearing the hoof braces Twilight made to make grasping everyday objects easier, each of them asking Twilight a plethora of questions. Seeing the ponies wearing her companies’ hoof braces made Twilight’s nervousness seem to...... Fade. As she saw ponies using the real future, making a small smile form on her face as she spoke. “Mares and gentlecolts, I have come here today to tell you that you can all put your worries away... I am here. And I’m fine. And I come here also with a very important announcement that I hope the Council will understand,” Twilight said, the newsponies sighing in relief before they turn their attention back to Twilight again, “Effective immediately, as in now and forever, Sparkle Industries is closing it’s weapons division and will become a company that is solely focused on the improvement of the personal lives of ponies across Equestria.” The entire room fell into an uproar as soon as Twilight had said her weapons division would end, the newsponies flashing their cameras, writing in their notebooks, pointing their microphones to her face as they shout even more questions her way. Celestia quickly trotted to Twilight and quickly used her magic to teleport Twilight out of the room, to the Royal Thrones in the Canterlot Royal Castle. “Twilight! What was that??” Celestia said filled with shock as she paced back and forth. “I’m sorry Celestia, but I cannot allow Sparkle Industries to continue being the war weapon market capital of Equestria,” Twilight said, lowering her ears, “I can’t.” Celestia stopped pacing, looking to Twilight with worry in her eyes, surprising Twilight as she thought the worry would be replaced with fury instead. She then felt Celestia pull Twilight into a hug, Twilight smiling softly and hugging her teacher back. “I understand my student,” Celestia said, “the Council obviously won’t be happy. And will most likely brush your statement off.” “Celestia,” Twilight said, breaking the hug, “I know they will. But I’d like to see the Council try to stop me from fixing what was wronged.” Celestia looked down to her student, smiling softly but still speaking with concern. “No matter what the Council says, my faithful student, I will remain at your side.” Twilight smiled and nodded softly, hugging Celestia again as she wiped her eyes as Celestia sighed tiredly, closing her eyes and likely thinking of the multiple scenarios that the confrontation with the Council will go after what Twilight did, each of the scenarios ending with the Council either forcing Twilight to make weapons, or the Council stealing Sparkle Industries from Twilight and banishing her from Canterlot, Ponyville and all Sparkle Industries HQs. The thought of her student forced away from the very company she worked to raise made Celestia grit her teeth in anger, but she had to keep her anger inside as she knew she, Luna, Cadence, Shining Armor and Twilight would be called in by the Council for Twilight’s actions. And, not to Celestia and Twilight’s surprise, a Royal Guard entered the throne room, panting heavily as if he had been searching for them for much time, and telling them the Council demands their presence in the usual conference room. Twilight and her teacher shared one more glance to each other, their eyes making the promise to not let the Council have their way. Or at least not Flur, the unicorn pony of the Council. Twilight, Luna, Shining Armor, Cadence and Celestia could do nothing but look upward to the large podium, the enraged unicorn, Flur de Lis, practically leaning her entire body over the stand to look down to Twilight, shouting to her about the purple mare as she turned from her normal light shade of pink to a shade of red that made Twilight compare Flur more to a ripe apple from Applejack’s farm than the elegant and pink unicorn noble she was meant to be. The meeting had started out calm, with the earth pony, Blue Aer, and the pegasus, Sky Cluster, both looking to Twilight with somewhat of a light in their eyes, while Flur de Lis looked down to Twilight with a calm face that the Council always has when you first glance to them, but her calm demeanor quickly changed to one of impatience as Twilight kept stating that her word was what was going to happen, and her impatience quickly turned into anger as Twilight still wouldn’t budge from Flur’s attempts to get Twilight to go on the air and take back her statement. The other ponies in the room couldn’t stand watching Twilight feel the fury of Flur’s anger, Celestia and Shining especially as Shining even grit his teeth and swore to the unicorn quietly under his breath. After Flur got done with her long vent of anger, she took in a large breath, waited a few heartbeats, and then let it go before doing the same thing multiple times before her coat went back to it’s natural pink color. She rose her hooves up and began straightening the random tufts of her disheveled mane that were pointing into crazy directions. As she finished she cleared her throat, the other two Council members lowering their heads in embarrassment. “So,” Flur began, “do we have an understanding, Ms. Sparkle?” “No.” Twilight spoke nearly immediately after Flur had finished her last name, Flur’s eyes flashing with rage once more as her coat nearly turned bright red as well. But she managed to keep her calm, taking deep breaths before she spoke. “Ms. Sparkle... The Council has been gracious enough to allow you to continue making personal items along with the war machines we ask for that our troops can use to go against our enemies.” Flur said, “Why do you wish to just stomp on our generosity and go against us?” “Because what we’re doing isn’t right. Several mares and stallions died the day I was foalnapped. And they all died from the weapons that I created. Weapons that I allowed to be manufactured and sold to the military. And I’m putting an end to it.” Twilight responded, furrowing her brow and keeping her confident stance, meanwhile her insides felt like it was filled with enough butterflies to make Fluttershy look like Pinkie Pie. Flur was quiet, while the other Council members softly nodded their heads, small smiles on their faces as Shining Armor walked up to the stand. “But my sister will not leave Equestria’s protectors completely vulnerable, her company will still work on other nonlethal projects that can help our military still defend itself from any attackers.” Shining said, Flur’s anger now directed to him and his sister. Flur then sighed and sat back in her chair, looking down to the group then as she brought her hooves together, trying to look as civilised as her fury filled eyes looked angry. She took a long while before speaking, so long that Twilight began wondering if her silence was just a sign for her and everypony else to get the buck out. “Very well,” she eventually said, “I can allow this. But,” she leaned over again, looking directly to Twilight with a look that could kill the purple mare if looks could actually kill, “if our home, if our Equestria, is ever in any danger of being overthrown? Then the blame will be on you as we all are forced to work for Tirek.” Twilight slightly winced at the mention of Tirek’s name, but she was quickly waved out by Flur. “Now leave. Go prepare your ‘nonlethal’ weaponry for our military. And Shining? I do hope you and your department can find our little problem soon, or I will have to replace you with a stallion who can.” Flur said, Shining then looking down, causing Twilight to wonder what exactly she meant. What problem? They all left the room, Celestia, Luna and Cadence about to congratulate Twilight before she turned to her brother. “What did she mean by ‘problem’, big brother?” Twilight asked. Shining then grew visibly nervous, looking to Celestia, Luna and Cadence, who all grew nervous expressions on their faces as well. “Well... It’s, uh...” Shining began, finding himself having a hard time finding the right words to describe the problem, “It’s just somepony that has been causing trouble for a bit.” “What kind of trouble?” “Uh... Just foalnapping... T-That’s it.” Shining said, Cadence walking to him and putting her hoof on his shoulder. “R-Right. I should get back to my station. Gotta get the men up and ready to head out and search again.” Twilight and Shining brought each other close for a tight hug before the two let go, Shining and Cadence walking off, but Cadence stopped for a second to speak to Twilight. “I know that you’ll be able to keep us safe, Twilight. You always have.” Twilight nodded softly and watched Cadence and Shining walk off until they had disappeared from a turn in the hallway. “So, my student,” Celestia spoke, getting Twilight’s attention, “what nonlethal weaponry do you plan on creating to protect us?” “Well I’ve been thinking of creating some kind of beam of energy that doesn’t kill, it just knocks somepony backwards. I’ve been thinking of ways to do it for a while now, and I think I’ve got just the way to do it.” Twilight said. Celestia and Luna put their hooves on Twilight’s shoulders, both making a soft smile as Luna was the next to speak. “We have the utmost trust that you can do it, Twilight Sparkle. You’ll be able to change the way ponies live their lives.” “Thank you, Luna.” Twilight said, looking to her teacher who, with a smile still, nodded. Both princesses turned and walked off, Twilight watching them walk down the opposite hallway that Cadence and Shining Armor walked down, leading them to the much brighter throne room, as Twilight began walking down the middle hallway, walking outside and seeing Celestia’s sun overhead, smiling as she looked back to her back, seeing the small stitches from where her wings used to be, raising a hoof she could feel the area where her horn used to be, making a small frown grow across her lips. She looked back ahead to the slightly crowded streets of Canterlot, an image of Spitfire and Dr. Hooves still fresh in her mind as she sighed softly. “Don’t worry Hooves,” she whispered under her breath, “I’m sure Spitfire made it out.... We’ll find her.... Somehow....”