//------------------------------// // Chapter 5: Memories // Story: Difficult Discoveries // by DerpymuffinAuthor //------------------------------// Twilight had anxiety knitted in her stomach as she trotted down the elegant hallway. Two guards flanked her as she was led to the room where the others awaited her. She glanced at a portrait of Star Swirl the Bearded and took a deep breath before she entered the room, the guards staying outside. "Twilight, your right on time." Twilight looked at the gathering of ponies. The room was half empty. It was elegant. The windows had lace trimmed curtains and it was a mix of reds, browns and golds. The center of the room was taken up by a large circular table with the Harmony Council symbol engraved into it. At the head of the table were two elegant chairs with a sun symbol on one and a moon symbol on the other. Two allicorns sat in said chairs. Beside the chair with the sun was a unicorn in white robes and her hooves were pressed together on the table. Across from the unicorn sat a rainbow colored pegasus and a bouncing pink earth mare a chair away from her. Twilight took her place across from the two allicorns and folded her hooves on the table. "Now. This meeting has been brought together for a reason." The white allicorn spoke, her flowing mane shimmering in the candlelight. "What is that reason? We got rid of the Darkened Followers hiding out in the Knowledge Tree Library, wasn't that enough?" The rainbow mare spoke up, seeming to be already bored with the meeting. "They weren't hiding, Dash. I saw those reports. Those ponies were working there. They recently checked out three Darkened Books and we can't find out who." Celestia waited for her student to piece two and two together, "They're trying to spread their following....." Twilight muttered after a moment of silence. Celestia nodded "Yes. If we do no stop them, I fear we are all going to have it blow up in our faces. The press can not know, Your families can not know. No one can know. The other Elements will be told when I tell them. Do not speak of this to anyone but the soldiers I send you." Celestia was clearly not eager to learn of what could result from the public knowing the things they were doing. "I have on thing to mention, Celestia." The unicorn spoke up, her formal accent being familiar but Twilight couldn't place it. Celestia turned to the mare who had the ghost of a smirk on her lips. "Sources tell me that we have an information leak." Celestia hid her shock as best she could, even if it resulted in a sound similar to a mare being kicked in the chest. "Who!?" Rainbow growled, slamming her hooves on the table. "I haven't been able to learn a complete appearance. Its a mare with blue hair, she was seen by somepony, handing a letter to some weird pony that had dragon wings and a dog tag with an 'E' etched into it." "Dragon pony!?" The pink mare looked at the unicorn in shock before bouncing up and down. "I never met a dragon pony before! I heard about this weird black and purple one and that she was a big meanie but that's it!" Rainbow Dash subconsciously put her hoof against her cheek at the mention of a 'black and purple' dragon pony. Twilight then noticed she had a thin, yet long scar along her jaw. "Other than that, I suggest you make sure that the other cities have well fortified walls. The Darkened are heartless monsters who just want to be the rulers. Our citizens are unlucky enough to be the victims of their following." "Well then." Celestia began to speak about something else but Twilight zoned out. The Darkened had a long history of being beasts, it had been displayed for many years, like a trophy on a shelf, only, this trophy would be stained in blood. Twilight recalled the story book she had found about the Darkened Queens. No one knew what happened to them, just that they loved power. They weren't greedy for money or treasure like griffons. They didn't try to infiltrate Equestrian cities by pretending to be some pony else like Changelings. They were their own type of evil. Twilight subconsciously wondered if they had any foals. It wouldn't make sense for them to just vanish but it made sense if their foals were in need of more attention then their kingdom, not like that was possible. Twilight thought back a few years, before the Darkened Force began to throw her life upside down. "I'm sorry Mrs. and Mr. Sentry ...." The doctor murmured and looked at the couple. Twilight's hair was messed up and she was in a horrible condition. The doctor sighed and slipped out of the room to leave the two to themselves "W-Why?" Twilight whimpered, snuggled into Flash's chest. "It-Its okay, Twilight..... Its okay..." Flash said soothingly over and over. Suddenly a nurse burst into the room. "I-Its a miracle!" The mare gasped out and Twilight looked at her. "What?" She asked and the mare's lips curved into a smile. "Your baby is alive!" Flash leaped off the side of the bed. "What!? Are you sure!?" The mare quickly nodded and Flash looked to Twilight, tears of joy springing into the couples eyes. Twilight smiled and looked at the mare. "C-Can I see.." Twilight realized she hadn't known the gender of the baby. "Its a colt." The mare reported and Twilight smiled. Twilight thought about how that tiny little purple face grew to be such a brilliant colt. He hadn't earned his cutie mark yet, but that never bothered Twilight. "Twilight?" Said allicorn jerked when Rainbow's hoof touched her foreleg. "The meetings over. Your lucky I covered for you while you zoned out. You owe me." Twilight rolled her eyes and stood up. "How about lunch? On me." Twilight offered and Dash nodded enthusiastically, leading Twilight out the door, eager to get her free meal that she could almost taste.