Celestia’s Tiny Student
-
Epilogue
For the ponies of Canterlot, it had become a sorrowful day on a day that began like any other. Ponies woke up reading the headlines on the newspapers in disbelief. Many of them called it lies, often looking to see if the news was the same in other papers. To their horror, each story was the same:
The Sun Has Fallen
By Quick Quill
Readers, it is with a heavy heart that I must announce that yesterday, our beloved Princess Celestia, the raiser of the sun and ruler of Equestria, breathed her final breath and left this world. Last night, a group of terrorists launched an attack on the birthday party of our ruler’s apprentice, Twilight Sparkle, hoping to hold her closest friends hostage so that they could control Equestria using our beloved princess as a figurehead. Princess Celestia, however, refused to acquiesce to their demands and, despite her best intentions, was greatly wounded in the surprise attack on her student.
Princess Celestia was taken to the Royal Canterlot Hospital, though the healers there could do little for her. Her death was a private affair, surrounded by friends and companions, but a new public statement has been released, officially handing Princess Celestia’s rule to Prince Blueblood with Fancy Pants as his advisor.
“She has guided Equestria for over a thousand years,” said Prince Blueblood, our new leader, as he wiped tears from his eyes. “If anybody deserves a good, peaceful rest, it is her.”
No news has been given as to the fate of the captured terrorists, but rumor has it they are currently awaiting trial and possible execution, the first since the Griffo-Draconic War many hundreds of years ago.
Princess Celestia’s funeral will first be held for the esteemable nobles of Canterlot this coming Saturday. A state funeral for her subjects will be held the day after before her burial in the Royal Gardens. Readers, this is a sad day for us all. We of the Canterlot Globe wish Princess Celestia safe passage in the afterlife. Rest in Peace.
The most influential ponies from across Canterlot slowly gathered in and around the palace throne room, where, after a single day of preparations, the funeral was meant to take place.
As ponies walked in, many glanced nervously at the motionless sun, already a source of concern throughout Equestria. Ambassadors from other countries joined the funeral, if only to find out who would take control over the sun and prevent the world from burning into a searing desert.
The throne room was no different than usual. As always, it was bright and well decorated, the only additions being a number of small cushions for everypony to sit on and a small pedestal erected in front of the princess’s opulent throne. Dozens of flowers, gifts, and wreaths were arranged before it, leaving a space for the inevitable coffin that would hold their ruler for eternity. There, the ponies of Equestria would look upon her one last time and say their farewells. The sight of such a place brought many of the guests to tears, though many others simply looked on, silent and inexpressive.
The first ones to sit were the ponies from the Sparkle House and the Pants House. Twilight and Fancy Pants’ families were in the first seats, and next to them sat Spitfire and Soarin’ from the Wonderbolts.
To the surprise of many ponies, a pink earth pony they’d never seen nor heard anything about sat with them, causing many murmurs about who the mysterious friend of the princess might be.
The murmurs stopped when the doors to the throne room opened again, slowly, but surely. Blueblood eased them open with his magic, struggling a little as he led the four unicorns levitating the coffin down the center aisle.
Everypony looked in silence at the well-decorated coffin where their princess rested. It was assembled from a fine white wood, much like the coat of its occupant, and bordered with expertly cut diamonds that twinkled in the day’s light. Celestia’s cutie mark was recreated at the center of its lid with an assortment of yellow and orange gemstones. Blueblood walked towards the center platform as the coffin was slowly hauled behind him, an orchestra playing a mournful dirge in the background.
Tears fell, but nopony dared to break the silence as the princess’s coffin was placed gently before the platform in front of the throne and opened. Everypony wanted to see their princess, finding it hard to believe that she was really there, but the gravity of the gathering kept them from craning their necks too hard to take a look.
Blueblood stood at the head of the coffin and looked at Celestia, the proud alicorn now lying in front of him. Powder hid burn marks on her white body and her majestic wings were folded close to her. Her golden regalia had been placed in their rightful locations, though her mane was a lifeless pink, no longer the flowing rainbow it had been. Her front hooves had been placed together on her breast and she had a peaceful smile, as if she was just taking a nap, but many of the ponies present burst into tears seeing their ruler like this. Some who had prayed that this was a joke now knew the truth. Princess Celestia was dead.
Blueblood murmured something to himself before walking solemnly behind the pedestal and turning towards the crowd. “I do not deserve to be the leader of Equestria on this day, but rather my aunt, who we are all here for. She, who had stood resolutely against the foes of Equestria, has been a mother to us all and warmed us with her kindness and love. It is Celestia who should be here, treating this like any other day at court. Though I do not possess the same wisdom and love she had for us all, I will take an example from her and try to rule as best I can.”
Blueblood sighed, wiping a tear from his eye. “My Aunt Celestia is now at peace after her long rule. Perhaps she found comfort knowing that she died saving those she loved. I can only pray that wherever she is now, she is happy and free.” He turned to Celestia and bowed. “Goodbye, Auntie. Rest now, for you have done your duty.”
After Blueblood was done, many ponies followed his lead and gave their speeches, but none of those ponies drew the attention of the crowd more than a tiny mare who now approached the speaker’s space.
The tiny unicorn finally reached the platform and levitated herself upon it. She cast a spell on herself, and, despite the worries of some that they wouldn’t be able to hear her, when she opened her mouth, her speech sounded clearly throughout the entire throne room. “Princess Celestia was more than just a mentor to me. She was... a friend—a mother even—somepony I trusted more than anything and would do everything for. It’s not fair... it’s not fair!”
Twilight began to sob quietly as she continued, her voice becoming more and more broken. “She shouldn’t have died to save me! I’m just a unicorn! She was the Princess of Equestria! I should be dead! Not her! Not her...”
It took Twilight a long time to recover before she calmed down, taking a deep breath. “What I will remember most about Princess Celestia isn’t the magic she taught me, but the adventures we had, the smiles we shared, and the times we used to read and play together. She was my best friend and I will treasure everything we had together. I love her... and I always will.”
Twilight wiped her tears with a hoof, before levitating herself towards the coffin and, after a moment’s hesitation, entered it. Twilight stood on her mentor’s motionless body as she levitated a lily into the princess’s hooves. She marched towards the head and nuzzled a burned spot on her mentor’s cheek, before giving it a small farewell kiss. Twilight levitated herself out of the coffin before running towards her family and crying in her mother’s embrace.
Once all the speeches were over, ponies started, one by one, to walk towards the coffin to take a look at their fallen ruler, tears in their eyes. One of nobles lowered his head closer to the princess’s head and whispered, “You can sleep peacefully forever now, my dear princess. Rest assured that your Equestria will be in good hooves. My hooves.”
Celestia suddenly opened her eyes and, before the noble could jump back, grabbed his neck in her telekinesis.
“Gotcha.”
Almost every pony in the throne room began to panic or faint at the sight of their ruler rising from her coffin like a zombie. The entire room was swiftly sealed by several of the Royal Guards, blocking all the exits and calming the mob.
The captured noble writhed desperately in the hold. “S-Soothing? What’s the meaning of this?” he called out to someone in the crowd. “I thought you made sure she was dead!”
“I did!” a unicorn mare with a stethoscope for a cutie mark shouted as she was suddenly arrested by a levitation field herself. “The explosives from the ballroom turned her into a charred corpse! I checked everything, I swear!”
Her mouth was magically clamped together before she could say anything further, and she turned to look into the predatory eyes of Overwatch. “That’s quite enough out of you, traitor,” she said as her captive began to panic at the sight of her. “By the way, you’re an idiot, so thanks for making this so easy.”
Celestia looked confusedly at the captured mare before turning back to look angrily at her own captive. “Now, I want to know the names of everypony involved, and I will not take ‘no’ for an answer,” she said firmly, the pony in front of her terrified to the bone. Without wasting any time, Celestia cast a Want-it-Need-it spell on the lily her student put into her hooves, and soon the noble began to say the names of everypony he cooperated with, the words leaving him like a stream as he focused intently on the lily.
As Celestia enhanced the voice of captured noble with her magic, the names he spoke began echoing throughout the throne room, and the guards were more than happy to arrest anypony mentioned, at least to hold as suspects until their identity was confirmed. As Celestia expected, the majority of them were present at her funeral.
Once arrests were over, over twenty percent of the seats in throne room were empty. Celestia turned the captured noble over to the guards, the prisoner holding the lily in his hooves as if it was the most important thing in the world. Celestia walked over to stand behind the pedestal, looking upon her little ponies who stared back at her with a mix of happiness and shock.
“I assume that every single one of you is surprised by my sudden awakening,” she said, giving them an innocent smile before she began to explain what had really happened and how she hoped for the traitors to be exposed by faking her death, though she avoided going into the details, namely the fact that she had expected the rebels to approach her nephew to force his cooperation.
She snorted as she thought over the actual course of events. I didn’t expect that they’d expose themselves so quickly. How could fools like them even get so close to taking over my country? Could there be a third party involved?
She dismissed the thought for later so that she could give a final statement on the affair. “I would like to give a warning to most of you,” she said sternly. “I am very disappointed by how little the nobility resembles the proud and hard working houses I shared my power with a thousand years ago.”
She swept an angry glare over the assembled group in the throne room. “For all rights and reasons, I should remove each of you from your status. Just because most of you are unicorns with wealth and power, do not act as if you are better than your fellow ponies. Equestria was built with the intention of all of us working together in harmony.”
“However,” Celestia said, her gaze softening, “I am not the tyrant they would lead you to believe. I will grant you all another chance to show what nobles should be. Are you willing to forgive me for my deception if I forgive you?”
Her subjects said nothing at first, but it wasn’t long before they walked up and paid their respects, teary eyed as they vowed to lead a better life. Stuck up or not, they were still her beloved ponies, and nothing could change that.
The throne room became much emptier as ponies finally began to depart, and as the doors to her funeral closed for the day, Celestia turned back to those still remaining, a friendly, familiar group that bowed as soon as she could look at them.
Celestia let out a hearty laugh. “Stop it, you may rise. If anypony should be bowing, it’s me. You all played your parts wonderfully.”
“Shucks, it was nothing,” said Soarin’. “If anything, it was worth it just to see the reactions of those traitors. I thought they were gonna piss themselves right then and there.”
“Ditto,” Spitfire said, snickering. “Wished I had a camera on me for the occasion.”
“Wish I could have actually seen more of it,” Overwatch murmured, having suddenly and speedily departed the room due to nausea soon after Celestia began interrogating her captive. “By the way, Princess, what spell did you cast back there?”
“It was the Want-it-Need-it spell,” Steel Blade interjected, shuttering. “It makes anyone looking at an object immediately want it, forgoing all feelings besides an overpowering desire for it. More importantly, you should really see a doctor about your stomach problems, especially if they’re that strong.”
Overwatch harrumphed. “I’ll be fine. I’ve never had a great constitution anyways,” she said, waving off the issue as she took her scarf back from Steel Blade with a thankful smile. “Oh yes, by the way, I brought back a few souvenirs!” she said, suddenly producing a few bombs, clutched in her teeth by a piece of string.
Steel Blade’s eyes widened. “Somepony get that away from her.”
Twilight stepped forward as Steel Blade attempted to relieve Overwatch of her prizes, levitating herself onto her teacher’s shoulder since she didn’t feel strong enough to climb up as she usually did. “You’re okay though, right Princess?”
Celestia sighed. “Physically, I am fine, Twilight, but this entire ordeal has been an emotional rollercoaster.” She levitated up the list of traitors she’d written up, looking at their names with cold, yet sorrowful, eyes. The crimes they’ve committed were long and numerous, but soon this would all be put to the end. She would try to avoid giving death penalties if possible, but she knew that in the next few days a few families would be having their own funerals to arrange. “So many of my own ponies caused all this pain and suffering. How many have lost their lives because of the goals of these individuals? You all almost perished as well. If I had lost you Twilight, I...”
Twilight nuzzled her mentor. “It’s okay, Princess Celestia. Everything worked out fine, right? I’m not in danger anymore.”
Celestia gave her student a weak smile, despite her growing guilt. No, Twilight, you are. From a foe that I have been planning for you to face ever since I met you.
“I think we all deserve a good night’s rest after this. The sun’s been up way too long anyway,” Celestia said, finding it amusing that she had done the opposite of what Nightmare Moon desired to do in order to keep this act up. While the ambassadors were rightly furious, they were understanding of her actions. She would calm them down somehow. She always did.
“Agreed, I could use a long sleep,” Blueblood said, heading for the door as Shining Armor caught up with him.
“Aww, upset that you didn’t become the next ruler of Equestria, Blueblood?” Shining Armor asked with a smirk.
Blueblood snorted. “Please. And deal with all the paperwork? I’d rather fake my own death before I do that.”
“Yeah, and then we’d have half of Equestria celebrating over your coffin,” Spitfire remarked.
Everypony laughed as they began to exit the throne room. Twilight was almost about to leave with them when a thought hit Celestia. “Wait, Twilight?”
“Yes, Princess?”
“Twilight, your speech at the funeral. Was it... all true? Do you really care about me that much?” Celestia asked, unable to stop the quiver in her voice.
Twilight smiled and nodded. “Of course I do, Princess. You mean so much to me. Every bit of it was the truth, excluding the whole ‘being dead’ part, of course.”
This did nothing to help Celestia’s heart as she forced a smile and nodded. “Thank you, Twilight. I... I feel the same way.”
Celestia watched her tiny faithful student walk away, leaving her alone in the throne room. With nopony around, she rested on her throne and thought about the past day’s events.
I took the lives of many of those who tried to harm the ponies most dear to me. Should I imprison those ponies who would not hesitate to use a colt as a hostage? Must I sign documents to end more lives? She sighed in defeat, Was it my fault? Was I a bad ruler? Did I make a mistake trying to break the barrier between ruler and subject with my interactions with Twilight? Did that turn those dear to me into targets for my foes?
She thought of the words the traitors shouted during their attack. Is that what I’m doing? Manipulating ponies like Twilight to save my sister? Am I so selfish that I am, in some ways, abusing my power? Twilight may be willing to do everything for me, but what about the other Element Bearers? Is it fair to risk their lives without giving them a choice?
She stomped in frustration, leaving a small dent in her throne. No matter what I do, I cannot avoid mistakes. I am not omnipotent. I have more than enough power to protect my subjects—to protect Twilight—but this power is useless if I don’t use it in the right time and place. Twilight almost died because I lowered my guard for a moment.
This party... Not only did I almost eat you, my faithful student, but I’d almost lost you and the other ponies I care about to an unexpected and avoidable attack.
“Yet Twilight has grown so much. She’s faced trial after trial and still came out on top, but how long could it last?” Celestia murmured to herself fearfully, closing her eyes. What if, one day, I am forced to attend a real funeral? One with a little coffin that holds my precious student instead? I can’t deny it any longer: Twilight is too important to me, perhaps to the point where the only pony I care for more is my sister.
Celestia opened her eyes with a new resolve. She had been a teacher, a manipulator, and a politician, but now it was time to change that. Too many of the ponies she had come to care about had gotten hurt in her manipulations. It was time to take action, to be the protector she was supposed to be.
And this time shall come very soon, Nightmare Moon. I will not let the ponies I love so much be hurt, even if I need to capture you and free my sister myself.
“You called, Your Majesty?” asked Silver Scroll, bowing her head in respect.
“If this is about those mad ponies who were behind the attack yesterday, we are still investigating it,” Shining Armor said, also bowing down. “But after your funeral, there’re only a few leftovers to be concerned about.”
“I don’t think that’s the case. Princess, this is about Nightmare Moon, is it not?” Brave Blade asked, his age lending his voice a weary tone as he saluted.
“That is correct, Brave Blade. The return of my sister is close by, and I’ve summoned you all here to inform you about an alteration to my plans. Captain Shining Armor, could you remind us what the original plan was?” Celestia asked authoritatively.
“Yes, Your Highness. We were to make sure that Twilight reads about the tale of Nightmare Moon. Expecting her letter, you will disregard her warning and send her to Ponyville where she will interact with the other Element Bearers, who will be preparing for the Summer Sun Celebration. Ponyville library is equipped with a book about the Elements of Harmony that Twilight will be inexorably drawn to read,” Shining Armor said, his face carefully impassive as he talked about the fate of his sister.
“Very good. Continue,” Celestia replied calmly.
“Nightmare Moon will return to the same place she was banished from, the Castle of the Royal Pony Sisters. Discovering that the Elements are nothing but stones and confident they are no longer a threat, she will make a move at the closest settlement at Ponyville. She might go directly to Canterlot, but taking on the entire capital would be suicidal, so I doubt it.”
“And what will be our move?” Celestia asked.
“Our elite forces will be hidden in the Everfree Forest. The monsters in the forest are nothing we can’t handle, especially with Princess Cadance there as well. We will let Nightmare Moon go to Ponyville where she will announce her return, giving Twilight the motivation to recover the Elements of Harmony. Twilight will most likely assume that you have been captured when, of course, you will be nearby, ready to lure Nightmare Moon away with a wave of your magic before she can attack your subjects so she will follow you to the Everfree Forest.”
“You memorized the plan to the letter,” Celestia said, smiling. “Now, what will be my and Twilight's role" Celestia asked curiously as Shining Armor sighed.
“You will engage Nightmare Moon in the Everfree Forest to weaken her. Cadence will recharge you after the fight, as you will have severed your connection with the sun. An army of guards will be on standby to engage the weakened Nightmare Moon, though we will fall back once we force her to retreat. Twilight and the other Element Bearers will be already on the move towards the ruins of the old castle, where Nightmare Moon will try to stop them, but in her weakened state, she will be unable to attack full force. Twilight and her new friends will reactivate the Elements of Harmony and cleanse your sister, though you will be ready to engage Nightmare Moon in case the Elements do not activate,” he said, taking a deep breath as he finished his non-stop monologue.
Celestia clapped her hooves. “You have an impressive memory, Captain Shining Armor. Indeed, that was the plan before the terrorist’s attack.”
Shining Armor and Brave Blade looked at her confusedly, though they remained silent.
“Please do not worry, my friends. This’ll just make the plan easier. We will simply intercept Nightmare Moon on her way to Ponyville, capture her and lock her in the dungeon. Once the danger is over, I will send my student to Ponyville to begin learning to activate the Elements, so—”
Brave Blade cleared his throat loudly. “Your Majesty, many soldiers will die going the extra mile to capture Nightmare Moon. How will you get your sister back without the help of the Elements?”
“As I’ve said, Twilight will be sent to Ponyville once Nightmare Moon is captured. She will be given as much time as she needs to befriend the other Element Bearers, and with Spike’s help, I will set up any trials to bring the Elements closer myself. Those trials will not be any easier than the ones Nightmare Moon would use to stop Twilight and the other Bearers, but I will be nearby, ready to save them if they fail.”
“But you will sacrifice the lives of many guards when a simpler solution is at hoof!” Brave Blade protested.
“Yet the most important component, the lives of the Bearers of Elements themselves, will be placed at a much smaller risk. The lives of the Royal Guards are dear to me as the lives of all my subjects, but we cannot lose the lives of the Bearers themselves, lest we wait decades or centuries for the Elements to find new ponies.”
“Your Highness, as relieved as I am that my sister will not be sent to confront Nightmare Moon on the night of her arrival, as Captain of the Royal Guard, I still cannot risk the lives of my soldiers needlessly,” Shining Armor said authoritatively.
“The Royal Guards have sworn to lay down their lives to protect Equestria. Twilight and the other Bearers are civilians. In either case, you do not have to worry about the safety of your soldiers, Captain. For the past several years, I have trained whenever I could, and I will do everything in my power to overpower Nightmare Moon and protect as many guards as I can,” Celestia said, calmly and professionally.
“I-I have not thought about it that way, Your Majesty. As guards, it has always been our duty to protect you, Equestria, and every pony. As an extension of that, I suppose we cannot let civilians put themselves in danger when we could,” Shining Armor said hesitantly, torn between the lives of his soldiers and the life of his sister.
“Is that the best resistance you can put up?” Brave Blade growled. “Are you truly willing to sacrifice the lives of my soldiers to protect your dear sister? The lives of countless fathers and mothers for one pony?”
“They are my soldiers now, and they are my responsibility, not yours. If victory could be better assured with another plan than with Celestia’s idea to keep the current bearers safe until they could activate the elements, I would take it, but we risk losing not only one pony, but being stuck keeping Nightmare Moon in check for centuries until she could be cleansed,” Shining Armor replied, glaring sternly at the former captain.
“Enough!” Celestia shouted with authority in her voice, swiftly separating the two with her magic. “It is my decision, and I will bear the consequences of my actions, but I will not change my plans.”
Brave Blade scowled at the princess, storming out of Celestia’s bedchamber as he slammed the door. Shining Armor looked at the old stallion worriedly as Celestia placed a hoof on his shoulder.
“Let him go. He has every right to be angry,” Celestia said, looking after the old captain somberly.
“Princess, if you don’t mind me asking, why have you decided to change your mind?” Shining Armor said, looking up at her. “The original plan would have been less costly and difficult to implement and would have resulted in a faster resolution to the problem of Nightmare Moon.”
Celestia sighed, sitting back down. “I’ve already endangered Twilight so much. She’s had no fewer than seven life threatening events under my care, and I’m in no hurry to make that eight. I don’t want to carry the pain of losing two of the most important ponies in my life, and because of that, I’m not going to gamble Twilight’s life. I will not risk the life of a loved one to save my sister if there’s another safer way.”
Shining Armor scratched the back of his neck with a hoof. “I see… but you are aware that Twilight will one day leave you, while your sister will stay with you for hundreds of years?”
Celestia’s eyes began to tear up as she looked on determinedly. “I don’t care. I’ve failed to protect Twilight so many times and I’m not going to let her fight my enemies and risk her life to rescue my sister. In the past, many Element Bearers had been chosen during Discord’s reign, but only Luna and I succeeded. Being chosen to bear the Elements does not guarantee a happy ending.”
Shining Armor stayed silent for a few moments before answering. “I-I understand, and I will do everything in my power to protect my guards while they help you capture Nightmare Moon,” he said, bowing before he left the room.
Celestia turned towards Silver Scroll, who had listened to the conversation silently this entire time. “Thank you for your patience,” the princess said.
“There is nothing to thank me for, Your Highness. It is my duty as your secretary to be patient and to assist wherever I can,” Silver Scroll replied with a professional tone.
Celestia smiled. “It was originally your duty to make sure that Twilight reads the tale of Nightmare Moon.”
“And that order has been canceled. I understand, Your Highness.”
Celestia nodded. “That is all. You are free to leave.”
“Are you on my side or not?” Brave Blade asked.
Silver Scroll nodded, the book containing the tale of Nightmare Moon in her magical aura. “Yes, I am. I’m afraid that Her Majesty has let her emotions get the best of her. Twilight and the other potential bearers can unlock the Elements of Harmony without her assistance,” she said seriously, looking at the former captain with determination in her eyes. “A powerful alicorn that can move both the sun and the moon and the most powerful artifacts in the world? Too much is at stake to hesitate now.”
“Indeed. The princess has let her emotions cloud her judgement. I saw Twilight during her training in combat magic. If she removes the shrinking spell from herself, she could easily become the most powerful unicorn warrior in Equestria’s history. Even shrunken, she’s not a pony to be messed with,” Brave Blade replied, stomping his hoof into the ground firmly. “If anypony, it will be Twilight who leads the other Element Bearers to free Luna and destroy Nightmare Moon. Celestia may have lost faith in her student, but I have not.” He moved a hoof to Silver Scroll, who returned it by clapping her hoof against his.
“For a better and stronger Equestria.”
“For a better and stronger Equestria.”
cant wait to see how you do your take on the confrontation with nightmare moon
Well color me impressed with the ending
You know, I kinda figured there would be a group like that in the making. Where this one group to tear down, there is one to build up. Hopefully this won't horribly fail and really bite them in the rear.
Great chapter, but I found two things you may want to edit.
This is a minor grammar thing, but I think "Twilight and I's" would better.
And that should be "events". I'm really looking forward to the sequel.
So you put it this way so that we wouldn't be able to know for sure if the story will follow canon for how Nightmare Moon will be introduced to Twilight didn't you, also would a Nightmare Moon weakened by Celestia like in the original plan still be too strong for Not-So-Tiny-anymore Twilight to take in a one on one fight?
SEQUEL!!!!!
3788651
Just did a google search, would you say "I have a good cookies" or "I have good cookies"
It's the same as "I have a cookies" vs. "I have cookies"
Yay a conspiracy that isn't evil!
3788871
Wait that sounds almost realistic. Quick, kill it with fire!
3788413
All I can say is that it will be very unpredictable.
3788417
How about some pink.
Twilight was severely injured, but it was Celestia who seemed dead. Also, Twilight didn't focus on her injured Twiny, it was the other way around. Sorry, your predictions failed.
3788523
I do not really understand your comment, so I am unsure how to reply, sorry.
3788529
How about, "Twilight's and mine" or "mine and Twilight's" or "Twilight's and my" ? (fixed the other one, thanks for the info).
3788611
Yeap. As much as I will try to follow events of the show, I won't follow them 100%, there is tons of place for surprises and unpredictability. Basically, you may never know how the events turn out (they may start like in the show, but where they go, this is what you will read for yourself).
3788653
3788674
You have a point. I fixed it, though my editor or pre-reader will have the final word.
3788871
They were not evil, but their action would lead to a lot of hardship for Equestria in future (something they were not aware off), sometime the best intentions don't bring good results (and you cannot be sure do leader of the rebellion what fight in the name of freedom will one day not become a dictator).
3788915
Awww.
3789145 Out of those, I'd go with "mine and Twilight's"
3788529 3789185
Actually, "What will be my and Twilight's role(s)?" would be the correct phrasing. When in doubt, check that the pronoun is correct without the proper noun. Ie. you wouldn't say "What will be I's role?" or "What will me mine role?" it has to be "What will be my role?"
3789145 What I mean is that when there is one group bent on doing wrong, there is a group bent on doing good. What I'm hoping for is that they don't go overboard with their ideals. As the old saying goes 'Evil done in the name of good, is still evil'.
3788871 Oh not just your fic, but most of the times a writer has a conspiracy going on, its pretty much evil.
Also the conspiracy I was referring too was at the end when they were conspiring against Celestia because she was not in the right mind during planning.
Thank you so much for writing this, I have enjoyed this so much. It is in my top 5 for this site. Keep up the great work.
That is an epic title...
Oh no... The feels I am feeling.... There are no words...
Pink earth pony... Who is this one...
These four words are horrible...
[Notice my 'triple dots' DEPRESSION IS HERE!!]
I can feel the tears.
Oh you fucking bitch...
YOU FUCKING HAD ME COMMANDER, YOU FUCKING HAD ME!!
Fuck this, im out...
She planned this, she made everypony have deep feels just for a plan.
I'm with Steelie...
Yep.
*Sob* Story over...Gotta wait 7 months for a new story...
Moar.
I have got to say I agree with Brave Blade on this. Not only has the guard probably more prepared for the work need to fight monsters but they are also probably vastly under prepared to contain Nightmare Moon. This is a really overemotional change Celestia has made, though honestly I don't really blame her.
Looking forward to see more from you, have some follow
3789590
Seven months is a bit much. I'll see what I can do, and hopefully it'll be out soon enough!
3788968
I pretty much got from their attempt, "Throw explosives at her face!" While that usually works, come on, have a back up plan!
fc03.deviantart.net/fs70/f/2012/060/f/5/princess_celestia_approved_by_ambris-d4rftlj.png
Approved for Celestia's Library.
Approver's Note: Very well done!
whyyyy. why does it have to be over for the time being.. nooooooooo..can wait for chapter 2.
3788968 Already read the epilogue now just waiting for the next story.
3789411
Will do. Though you should congratulate my editors as well, editor's help is ignored far to often.
Rated PonyStar was the one who wrote the funeral scene and the article because it was kind of my weakpoint, and Kydois always improved word by word, sentence by sentence.
3789185 3789254
Now I am confused, should it be "mine and Twilight's" or "my and Twilight's"
Mine or my, I have no idea.
3789384
Well, what do you think about idea of a group what want to do good by protecting Celestia from Nightmare Moon ( what they suspect hide inside Luna )?
3789922
Well, they were trained specifically to capture Nightmare Moon, but I agree that Brave Blade have his point as well. And it is true, after everything Celestia had experienced, one cannot blame her for making such decision.
3789994
Thanks
3790406
Like I said before, Celestia trained in secret so even if spying on her, they had no idea that Celestia is in top shape. Room full of bombs was their plan B, but they didn't found need for plan C (outside of using the hostages as a shield, something what didn't work thanks to Cadence, many assume she is pushover so no one expected she would break military restraining ring, more or less they didn't expect Shining Armor to do the same).
3790492
Cool thanks.
3790641
You mean sequel?
3790829
It may take a while. Meanwhile you can check my blog gallery with Tiny Twilight arts I found, or you can check my other one chapter story "My Little Gatling," maybe you will like it.
Anyway, see ya in the sequel, whenever it will come.
PonyStar wrote this article for me, funerals and articles are my weakpoints.
Cadence, duh. She always hide under illusion spell whenever going into public, and ponies are not to perceptive (wonderbolts the only exception, but they swore to keep it as secret).
Did I overdo it?
Sorry. In my defence, the funeral scene was PonyStar idea,
Not all feels can be faked, even if it was all just part of the act, at least half of spoken words were honest true.
If you read part where Celestia ask Twilight do what she said on funeral was true, Twilight reply with "yes."
Hopefully it won't take so long. I would suggest to read other's author stories, the more stories you find and like, the less stress you have by waiting for updates.
3790073
I am counting on it too.
This was a very impressive ride for something that seemed to me to be nothing more than a cute little fluff fic about a Teeny Tiny Twilight...[still fun to say] Very good work with it. Can't wait for the next part.
Well, that was A RIDE!
I know many readers will leave comments on the story and what not, but I'd like to present a tad more different point of view here.
You know, Commander? I remember when you were just making heated discussions on numerous stories about how you oppose Celestia being portrayed as weak and worthless, incapable of doing anything but providing some moral support. At some point I was like "Goodness, if you are really this bothered, write your own fic!"...
Guess what? You did. Marvellously so!
Not only that, your writing evolved. After all this I can easily say that the amount of errors and mistakes both in your story( not forgetting editors! Great job, guys!) and, more importantly, in your comments, significantly decreased! About the only thing you still have some minor issues with are have/had/has confusion and some things with times and their usage. But that's not bad at all! Besides, I misuse times as well... Derp!
This entire experience might be great for the readers, but I'm willing to bet it was that and much more to you as well!
Great job, CommanderX5, great job!
Now, I decided to leave some insight into the story proper:
First off, that fake death thing? I knew that from the very beginning of this chapter. I don't know why, it's just when I read that Celestia was dead, I was like "Mhm, great ruse! Now we wait for those morons to announce their intentions during the funeral, as all cliché villains would do." Of course, this means that those were just puppets. There is much more to this coup attempt than some nobles. I say Sombra, but that is just an uncertain guess.
Celestia being all "I forgive you, for I am not the tyrant" is good. It shows that motherly side she has. Disappointment, not resentment. Minor scolding, not severe punishment.
The plan change? It's actually quite believable for me. I cannot say whether or not it's a good decision. I do know, though, that this kind of silent rebellion in the chain of command never ends well. It will be quite a disaster. Which is good! It builds suspense! It makes us uncertain and eager for more!
The 'mine/my role" thingy? Definitely "my". I myself would entertain "What will be Twilight's and my role in this operation," but here I recommend going with Cast-Iron Caryatid's version, namely "what will be my and Twilight's role". I suppose he would know better, especially since I'm not a writer. Much less a good one.
That would be all for now, you have my upvote!
I shall patiently wait for the sequel. It is going to be amazing, this much I know! Take your time with it, though! Rushed writing is bad writing!
Keep up the good work!
3791063
I tried to keep balance between making this cute and meaningful story. ( I do not know but I really like to balance stuff a lot, this is probably why I complain about princesses being useless so often, in my opinion like in Spiderman's scenario, the great power comes with great responsibility, and when I see that mane 6 are protecting entire Equestria and no one ever help them while princesses who have far greater power or guards who have been trained to protect Equestria end up useless, I just feel it to be very unbalanced. For me, every character should contribute something, and the more powerful one, the more he should contribute. I just do not like the idea that main characters need to do all the job while more powerful ones are just there to show how powerful villain really is).
I think I am rambling again, sorry. Anyway I can already tell that sequel will be epic, but it will also require a lot of edits, so it will take a while before I can upload it.
3791269
Thanks. I got so tired reading how almost every author focus on finding a reason why Celestia or Luna should not be there to help or how to make them lose for the sake of the conflict instead of trying to figure out how to let them contribute without breaking the story ( let the strong characters do big things, let the weaker ones do the small things, but all efforts will lead to victory in the end, rather then have everyone be useless so that main heroes could save the day).
I just hope that story I just wrote will be a prove that you can give every character a spotlight and a chance to shine, and you can even let Celestia help or be useful without breaking the conflict.
Sure, it require a lot of efforts and some solid thinking, but it is possible, and I am proud that I managed to pull it off.
I will always hurt others with my grammar, but at least I will hurt them less now. I hope.
I try to be unpredictable. Especially in the sequel.
I used this one: "what will be my and Twilight's role" - thanks
Would you be so kind and pre-read the improved version of the sequel and compare it to the original. I am trying to go for Equestria Daily, and I want to be sure that the improvements help rather then hurt.
3791437 ran into that power issue myself. Danced around it a little With Celestia making a promise not to fight to a pony that raised her, cadence not really being a god and Lunaeither being depowered a little or having her own mental blocks from her time as NMM.
Granted when they did cut loose in SiS.
But i digress you have a differing power scale than what i use to my methods are likely not of use. Still as i said very well done.
This story has unprecedented amounts of AWESOME in it.
I also loved the whole 'Celestia is dead' thing, great idea.
Anyway, looking forward to the sequel now.
3789254
3788529
Thanks for pointing this out! Though I'm well aware of many grammar rules (though my time editing has brought quite a few others to my attention, generally the ones not covered on the SAT), I tend to fall into the habit of editing by ear. It's served me well enough in the past, and I'd like to think it's better for dialogue than the sometimes awkward, grammatically correct version, but it means I make silly mistakes occasionally. Heck, I'm probably subconsciously injecting a bit of my regional dialect into the story, but I hope it's not too noticeable!
Again, thanks to all the people pointing out grammar problems or omitted/extra words for making this the best it can be!
3790073 Da Woohoo...
was confused for a moment at the start of the previous chapter but its good to see how things worked out now to wait for the next part in the "tiny" saga
I love it! Can't wait for the sequel!
I feel like Twilight should unshrink herself at some point just so she can see what she can really do with her full power. It's not like anything would stop her from being shrunken again afterwards, and it'd be a shame if she needed to unshrink herself at some point and then been totally unprepared for how overwhelming her magic is. Even if she doesn't lose control, she could misjudge while attempting to levitate a boulder and collapse it into a micro-singularity or something.
I suppose the reason she hasn't is that it'll be more dramatic when she finally does unshrink if it's the first time she's been large in decades.
3791846
Thank you.
If you like tiny Twilight picture, check my gallery blog. Though I think I PMed you about this.
3792012
Celestia playing dead was PonyStar idea, congratulate him instead.
3792076
If you enjoyed it so much, you can always check my blogs, one of them have gallery with all tiny twilight arts I could find.
3793268 3793413
Be patient. The sequel is more epic than this story, but it will take a while before my editor will prepare it (I plan to upload it once prologue and first 6 chapters will be ready ).
3797454
Well, it certainly will be dramatic, like the shackles restraining her power would be lifted. The problem is that Twilight is so used to live as a tiny pony that she does not know the meaning of "holding back," she always go all out in order to survive.
I think part of Twiny is afraid of living in a easy world where everything is not bigger then her (even if she can ask princess to shrink her again, it will still be a surprising experience), and another part of her is afraid what that she may posses treat to others.
We will see how it goes.
3797918 when am i not patient? i waited patiently for the stories in stone series and those are some BIG chapters, far bigger than these
3798785
oh yes, that's much better!
Umm... lol what? You go from a number of ponies to a umber of years. If you mean centuries WORTH of ponies, then that makes more sense, but as is.. lel.
Phew, excellent story! I don't know how you plan to top this one with the sequel, but I am looking forward to it!
I really do like Celestia's first plan, shame she decided to change it.
I've mentioned before I liked the way you wrote this story originally, but I do admit this new version is very detailed and, in my opinion, well thought out.
Now I'm curious as to how Brave Blade and Silver Scroll will handle this situation...
3801898
“They are my soldiers now, and they are my responsibility, not yours. If victory could be better assured with another plan than with Celestia’s idea to keep the current bearers safe until they could activate the elements, I would take it, but we risk losing not only one pony, but being stuck keeping Nightmare Moon in check for centuries until she could be cleansed,” Shining Armor replied, glaring sternly at the former captain.
Do it works now?
Hows now, I replaced "but centuries
Is it just me, or is their a Seaqual Coming soon. :3 "Ponyvilles Tiny Resident" it sounds so cute. And it's all of the recent MLP episodes; but Twilight is still Tiny.
3828385
That is correct, there will be a sequel. However my editor is helping me to improve prologue and bonus chapter before I will post this story on Equestria Daily, so it will take some time before the sequel will be edited and uploaded.
And it is true, events from the show will happen in it, however they will play differently as Twilight is not only tiny, but also developed into more adventurous and reckless mare what got many friends in Canterlot.
As for the tittle, it was voted by majority to call it, "Ponyville's Tiny Librarian."
3828849 Ok (Just let me know when it gets Uploaded on this website)
I certainly enjoyed reading your story.
I now wonder how will things behave differently in the sequel. So Celestia won't be the one sending Twilight forward?
3858618
If you read Epilogue carefully, you can notice that Celestia have no intention of risking Twilight's life and decided to face her sister directly. However Silver Scroll and former captain decided to go against her orders behind her back, so yea. Celestia from everypony will be shocked if she find out that Twilight ended up in Ponyville against her wishes.
3858625
It was a rhetoric question.
3870573
3873397
3873574
You are already so far in the story, wow, you read fast.
How sad that I do not understand the jokes in your comments.