This is Our Paradise

by Raimundo1941

Right and Wrong

Twilight Sparkle slowly opened her eyes. "What time is it?" she asked to herself. Letting out a long *yawn*, she turned her head to the right, then to the left and one last time to the right. "Just ten more minutes and then I'll get up". She closed her eyes again and went back to sleep. That last day's long work session had left Twilight exhausted. She was fully aware that she still had to convince one of the princesses to grant her access to the Special Collection section, but figured she still had a few minutes to relax.

Those ten minutes went flying by, so did the next ten minutes, and the next, and the next. By the time Twilight awoke from her sleep, an hour had passed. "Oh buck!" she screamed, as she jumped out of the bed and rushed to the nearest window. Judging by the Sun, it was already pass noon. After realizing she had slept through the entire morning, she quickly made her way inside the bathroom, hastily washed her face and brushed her mane. After making herself presentable, Twilight left her room.

Just like the last couple of times, the hallway was completely empty. When she reached the bottom of the stairs, she gave herself to the task of finding Princess Celestia. While she searched castle's many halls and rooms for her mentor, Twilight suddenly bumped into her friends. "Twilight!" began Applejack in a surprised tone; "Where have you been? We haven't seen you since the party!"

"I'm sorry, girls, but I've been a little bit busy with a new research project and now need to find Princess Celestia", said Twilight.

"Have you been so busy you don't have time to say "Hi" to your best friends?" Rainbow Dash asked in anger."Why are you so eager to find the princess so badly anyway?"

"Rainbow Dash! don't be so harsh with Twilight!" said Rarity, rushing to the defense of her unicorn friend."Just look at the poor thing! You can tell she's been working extremely hard, probably didn't had any sleep." she concluded, while pointing her hoof at the notorious bags under Twilight's eyes.

"Yeah, and besides, are you really that surprised about this? It's hardly the first time we've seen her so immersed in some project that she forgets about the rest of the world" said Applejack bluntly, her element showing maybe a bit too much, at it happened every once in a while. She couldn't help it.

"Please forgive me Rainbow, but try to understand; yesterday, I spent the entire day inside the Royal Library trying to find any information about the first ponies that came to this land," explained Twilight. "And you know what I found? Nothing! I found absolutely nothing!" she yelled.

The young researcher took a couple of steps back and, staring at the marble floor, inhaled, filling her lungs. After taking a few moments to calm down, she continued; "I went through Celestia knows how many books and scrolls; the stack was enormous. I learned about music, dance, art, the play's costumes and scripts, from Manehattan to Vanhoover, but there was not a single word about the actual events that lead to the foundation of this country".

"And that's more important than being with your friends because...." said Rainbow Dash as she glared at Twilight. The group remained quiet while they waited for the unicorn to respond.

After hearing those words, a look of surprise appeared on Twilight's face. "How can you even ask that Rainbow Dash? Do you really not see what this could mean?" She approached her friends and cleared her throat; she wanted them all to understand the reason of her frustration. "No pony knows how it truly happened. We know ponies were suffering, fighting and dying. We know they tore their old world to pieces. We know they ended up here and thrived. We know the "what" but we don't know the "how". I need to get to the bottom of this, I need to know, I must know how we came to be what we are today".

"Can't you say it was because of the magic of friendship or the Elements of Harmony and forget about it?"Rainbow asked.

Twilight turned around to look at her friend, and wasting no time, she responded "That's impossible, Rainbow; this happened before the elements, before even Celestia and Luna".

"But does it really matter, Twilight?" inquired Applejack "You said it yourself; this all happened so long ago, before the princesses' time. Maybe the reason you didn't find anything, is because there is nothing left to find".

"I won't give up that easily. There are still the books inside the Special Collection. That's why I'm looking for Princess Celestia; I need her permission to get inside".

Twilight saw as a sad expression appeared on each of her friend's faces. For her, the importance of this particular project was obvious. She just wished she could make her friends understand. "Girls, the repercussions of what I find can change the way we see ourselves; it's not just for me I'm doing this, but for everypony."

"You know we have to go back home today, right Twilight?" asked Rainbow Dash. "I assume you're not coming with us.

Twilight just nodded, confirming her friends suspicion.

All six friends remained silent for a few seconds, still, speechless, just staring at eachother. None of them was sure of what to say. Suddenly, Fluttershy broke the silence and, raising her hoof to point at something behind Twilight, said "Look Twilight, there's the princess. Aren't you gonna go talk to her?"

Twilight turned her head and spotted Princess Celestia, escorted by a detachment of guards, as they entered the throne room. Twi wanted to rush to meet her before her attention was required on some of the court's more official matters, but she didn't feel right just leaving her friends like that.

"Well, what are you waiting for? Just go already!" said Rainbow Dash, still angry at her friend. "The rest o us will be fine". After saying that, the pegasus turned around and started walking away.

Twilight knew that nothing she said then could could calm down Rainbow Dash, so after waving a goodbye to her friends, she left to meet with her mentor. She caught up with them just as the group crossed the doors into the castle's magnificent throne room.

"Princess Celestia! I'm so glad I found you. I need to talk to you".

"Of course, Twilight, but we must be quick; there are some pressing matters that require my urgent attention".

"After our talk from two nights ago, I decided to investigate about Equestria's first inhabitants," Twilight began explaining. "I started by searching the Royal Library's General Collection, but to my surprise, all my efforts were fruitless". She suddenly stopped talking when she noticed a strange look appear on Princess Celestia's face: her eyes narrowed, her joyful smile disappeared, she turned her head and was now staring straight at Twilight.

"And what do you need of me, my faithful student?" Her voice sounded deeper, more severe.

Twilight felt a bit intimidated. She couldn't understand the reason behind the princess' sudden change. She was ready to back down when her love for the truth and her desire for knowledge made her change her mind, and with renewed resolution, she went straight to the point. "I want access to the library's Special Collection section".

Staring down at her, the princess asked "And what makes you think you will find what you're looking for inside the collection, Twilight?"

"There has to be something out there about those ponies; records, drawings, writings, anything. This search is about finding out who we are, who I am". And staring back at the princess, she concluded; "I won't give up until I'm sure I've chased every lead and exhausted every possibility".

Calm returned to Princess Celestia's face, and with a kind voice, she said "Twilight, you can't allow this pursuit to control you. The mission you've imposed upon yourself its extremely hard: those events happened so long ago. What if you find nothing inside the collection? Will you live an unhappy life, chasing an impossible goal?"

As they slowly approached the opulent throne from where the princess presided the court sessions, Twilight answered her ruler's question; "I'm aware of how difficult this research is going to be, and that as time goes by, I'll become more and more immersed into it, but thats the way it should be, Princess. This investigation is one of the most important ones I've started so far. It means so much to me. Of course I'll be sad and disappointed if I end up finding nothing inside the collection, but if there is something, anything that could help me in there and I don't even try to find it, I would never forgive myself."

The guards escorting Princess Celestia took their position on both sides of the massive throne. The teacher and her student had almost reached the base of the stairs that lead up the platform where the royal chair rested.

"Twilight," spoke the white alicorn, "what matters is who we are today. You are becoming obsessed with something that happened thousands of years ago; this cannot end well, for if you keep starring at the path that you have traveled, you wont be able to look at what lies ahead. Think about what happened between me and my sister; what do you think would have happened had we kept fighting? Could any of us rule this nation if we hadn't agreed to leave the events from one thousand years ago in the past were they belong?"

"But Princess!" yelled Twilight. The ponies inside the throne room turned around without exception to look at what was happening; they were appalled at such act of disrespect. When she saw the horrified expressions on those ponies faces, she apologized to the crowd with a single, quiet "Sorry." But the unicorn was not sorry; she was surprised: surprised that her beloved mentor could't see the real importance of this investigation or how much it meant for her.

Trying her best to keep her emotions at bay, and being extremely careful with her tone, Twiight turned her head to look at the princess and continued; "But Princess, this is different to what happened between you and Princess Luna. I don't understand; this was before your time too. Don't you want to know what happened back then?"

Lifting her hooves, Princess Celestia began her ascension towards the throne. Twilight remained at the bottom of the stairs, still, silent. While her eyes tracked her mentor as she moved up, her mind tried to understand the princess supreme indifference. Twilight could predict what the answer to the question she was about to ask was going to be. Despite this fact, she opened her mouth and asked anyway; "Princess Celestia, I'm begging you, can you please allow me inside the library's
Special Collection?"

Sitting up high on her magnificent throne, looking down at all creation, the most exalted of rulers in equestrian history stared at her student below, and with a solemn voice spoke; "I'm very sorry, Twilight, but I cannot let this become an obsession. That's why I won't allow you inside the collection. I know my decision disappoints you, but I also know that it won't stop you from looking for the answers you seek. Just remember, before doing anything, that I love you and I care about you. This is for your own good."

Twilight remained still before her ruler, looking up at her from the bottom of the sparkling marble stairs. She felt so powerless, so insignificant, so empty.In a second, the princess crushed all her hopes. He thought back at her discussion with her friends mere minutes ago; she was so sure about the princess understanding her motivations to pursuit in this particular quest. In the end, it had all been for nothing.

A single whisper was all that came out form her; "...princess..."

"You're going to have to excuse us now, Twilight," said Princess Celestia as she signaled her secretary, who made her way to the alicorn's side carrying a briefcase in her mouth, filled with official documents. "There are many official matters that require my attention. We can talk some more another time."

Defeated, Twilight Sparkle turned her back to the impressive throne and slowly made her way towards the exit, staring at the floor the whole time. "How is this even possible?" she wondered. The princess had turned her request down; not only that, but it was clear to Twilight from her mentor's words that she would not help her with anything regarding this particular project. "What now?" she asked herself. "What should I do? Where do I go?" All this questions now haunted her relentlessly, and there was nothing she could do to make them go away.

Twilight reached the throne room's huge double doors. A couple of soldiers from the royal guard were standing on each side of the portal. One of them, an unicorn, used his magic to let the mare out. Immediately after Twilight had exited the room, the doors closed behind her making a loud noise that was heard throughout the whole castle. Thinking back at the discussion she had with her friends before she met with Princess Celestia, Twilight whispered softly; "So this is how it feels to be left alone be the people you care the most. Now I understand Rainbow Dash." A lonely tear streamed down her left cheek.

There was no pony in sight. The sound made by Twilight hoofsteps as they came into contact with the mirror-clear floor echoed, increasing the feeling of loneliness that now filled the young unicorn. She wondered aimlessly around the castle, going from one room to another.

For what seemed like hours, Twilight walked without the slightest idea of where she was going. The rooms she knew as the back of her hoof now seemed unfamiliar, so different from what she remembered that at one time, she thought she could get lost inside this beautiful gold and marble labyrinth. And what a perfect analogy it was, because that's exactly how Twilight felt inside; she was lost with not the slightest idea where to go.

The white light that made its way through the tall crystal windows changed; now it was orange. Twilight lifted her head and inhaled a deep breath. The cool and refreshing aromas of the night could already be felt. For a brief second, she regained control of all her senses and woke up from her semi-conscious state, enough time for her to realize where her subconscious had taken her. She now stood in the middle of the hall that lead to the rooms and to the gardens. To her right, the stairs that lead up to the single window corridor, and to the rooms where she and her five friends had been so kindly accommodated by the princesses during their short stay at the castle. To her left, the royal gardens; the same gardens where Twilight had sat down in front of the three-level fountain and prepared herself for what she was sure would be an exiting journey of self-discovery, just the day before.

With two options now before her, Twilight wasn't sure what to do or where to go. It didn't mattered. In the end, she didn't care. Suddenly, a cold breeze opened the delicate crystal doors to the garden, letting itself inside. The impertinent wind quickly made its way across the hall, reaching Twilight in a fraction of a second. Without asking her permission, it gently caressed her side, from the end of her tail to the tip of her horn. The unicorn responded to this intrusion only by closing her eyes.

Welcoming the invitation, Twilight walked outside. The beautiful light of the dying sun shinned upon the garden, painting it with a warm orange tone. Once again, she was the only breathing being standing in there, alone with only her thoughts to make her company.

Twilight walked slowly over the cobblestone path, heading towards the huge fountain in the middle of the garden. She sat down on the same bench than last time.The wood was cold and damp, most likely because of the snow that melted over it earlier. Searching her memory thoroughly to be sure nothing was would be left out, she went through that day's events; how she had overslept, when she was looking for the Princess around the castle, the conversation with her friends, the way she and Rainbow Dash argued about her "excessive" commitment with the investigation, how her friends had left for Ponyville without her, the conversation with Princess Celestia, and how it had ended so terribly for her.

She thought about all of this, over and over again, trying desperately to understand what she had done to screw things up so badly. The answer eluded her:

"What am I doing wrong? I'm searching for the truth. How can that be a bad thing?"

"Maybe it really is a bad thing. I mean, if it wasn't, then why everything turned out so horribly?"

"My friends think I care more about ponies who died thousands of years ago than about them. But that's not true! or is it? the fact is that I'm here in Canterlot and not with them back home."

"Princess Celestia says I'm becoming obsessive. Is she right? How couldn't she be? she's the Princess."

"I guess the truth is not as important as I thought it was."

Twilight reflected on this matters for a long time. At one point, she lifted her head to look up at the sky and saw the Moon had already came out. She was so immersed inside herself she had no idea what time it was. "It can't be that late," she thought. She got off the bench and began walking back inside the castle, when she realized she was not longer the only one in the garden. "Princess Luna!" she exclaimed.

The night alicorn was standing right in front of Twilight, her regal figure looking straight at the young unicorn. Luna approached her and spoke: "A good night to you, Twilight Sparkle. Tell Us, what are you doing outside so late? Enjoying of a soothing midnight stroll?"

"Not really," she answered "I was just siting here, thinking about something, and I guess I lost track of time. I had not idea it was this late. I actually arrived here when the Sun was setting."

"It must have been something very important if it is keeping you awake at night. There is something troubling you, Twilight Sparkle. Tell Us, We want to help."

Twilight began explaining; "Well Princess, after the Hearth Warming Eve play, I had a talk with Princess Celestia about who those ponies really were. The desire of understanding where we come from started building up inside me, so I decided to find out about it. I searched the Royal Library's General Collection, but to my surprise, I found nothing. As I left, a friend of mine who works there as a librarian, suggested that I should look inside the Special Collection, but..."

Princess Luna finished Twilight's sentence; "But you needed permission from Celestia or Ourselves."

"Yes," concluded Twilight. Then, she told the princess about her conversation with her friends and with Princess Celestia. "I just don't understand why none of them would support my research. What I might find could change the way of how we see ourselves today as ponykind. Why don't they care about the truth? How can they not care about knowing where we come from? How we came to be who we are today?"

"We are sure Our sister had a good reason to deny your request."

"But I don't undestand. Why Princess Celestia wouldn't want me to search the Special Collection? This happened long before her time too. Isn't she curious about knowing what happened? She told me it was like what happened between you and her one thousand years ago."

The expression on the princess face turned serious, her eyes narrowed, her voice deepened, although she refrained herself from using her Royal Canterlot Voice; she wanted her next words to remain only between them. "We know what Our sister meant by that, Twilight Sparkle. Let Us ask you something; What would you do if you had done something so bad, so terrible, so unspeakable, that if anypony found out, it could mean Equestria would change forever? We are not talking about Nightmare Moon, but about something that happened before those sad times. It took Us and Our sister one thousand years to come to terms after Our transformation, and only because you and your friends, the Elements of Harmony, made it possible. Had you not been there to stop Us, we would still be fighting with each other, We can assure you that."

"What?" asked Twilight "I...I don't know how to answer that."

"Us and Celestia didn't know what to do either." Luna was still looking straight at her. "Listen to Us, Twilight Sparkle; its not that your friends do not care about the truth. They think they already know it. For centuries, ponies have used the Hearths Warming Eve play to explain the first settling of these lands. For most ponies, that's enough to understand the past. They believe it, and never question it." The princess walked to Twilight's side. "You, on the other hoof, are different. Your inquisitive nature compels you to find the truth for yourself; not the truth Us or Our sister want you to believe, but the real truth."

Upon hearing those words, Twilight opened her eyes as wide as she could; her body's natural response when hearing such mysterious statement. "The truth you and Princess Celestia want us to believe?! Princess, what, in the name of Equestria do you mean?!" she asked.

Luna got even closer to Twilight, they were now only inches away. The princess of the night prepared to answer her question, and whispered the next words into the unicorn's ear. " Celestia and Us already know the truth. Twilight Sparkle. This secret is so horrible and sad, that we thought it was in everypony's best interest to keep it hidden."

"What are you talking about, Princess? What secret?" Twilight's mind was trying desperately to understand. A million questions flying around at the same time inside her head.

"Celestia only wants everypony to be happy. But We think its time to bring closure to this matter, just like it happened with Nightmare Moon, and the first thing We must do is allow the truth be known, no matter how awful it is."

Poor Twilight Sparkle was shocked. This was even bigger that what she initially thought. She just stood there, speechless, her sight locked on an undetermined point far away, deep in the infinite space. After a couple of minutes, witch seemed like hours to her, the unicorn opened her mouth and said: "Princess Luna, how can I accomplish this task without Princess Celestia's help? What if she gets angry? What if she decides to banish me to the Mo...." Twilight suddenly remembered who she was speaking to and ended the last sentence abruptly.

Princess Luna placed her wing over her and embraced the unicorn in a warm, loving hug. "Hush now, Twilight Sparkle. You won't have to walk down this path alone. We will be by your side, guiding you."

"Where do I begin?" she asked to the princess of the night.

"You were right about one thing; not everything from that time was lost. There is something that survived the centuries and can tell you everything; every bit of the awful truth. We will allow you access to the Royal Library's Special Collection, where its now being kept, hidden away from curious eyes."

"I'm not sure what to say, Princess," confessed Twilight nervously, with a trembling voice." At first I was so sure about wanting to do this. Now that I've learned its even bigger than I imagined, I'm not. To be completely honest, I'm scared. I don't know if I want to learn this terrible, horrible truth"

Luna brought Twilight closer to her chest. Pressing her ears on the soft, dark fur,the unicorn could now hear the alicorn's heartbeat; it felt so calm, so soothing, so incredibly maternal, she felt instantly reassured. There, both alone in the empty garden, under the white moonlight; nothing could harm them.The princess then continued; "We know that, and We won't lie to you, Twilight; this is going to be extremely hard and, if you do not want to continue, We won't force you. But you must ask yourself; do you really want to quit? We are giving you a chance no pony before has ever had. If you don't do this, who will?"

Twilight lifted her head, looking into her princess' eyes. With a firm but quiet voice, she said; "Alright, Princess. I'll do it." And with those words, the young unicorn mare's destiny was sealed.

A smile appeared on each of the ponies faces. With renewed spirits, the couple stood there, both of them burning every small detail of that gorgeous moment into their memory's; that ground-breaking moment that would define their future: the sleeping garden surrounding them, the gentle breeze embracing them, the quiet atmosphere enveloping them, the cool moonlight shinning on them.

Had any of them known a spell to freeze time, they would have used it without any second thoughts.

After she sensed both of them had finished recording the moment, Princess Luna said; "You are one of the braves mares We have ever known, Twilight Sparkle, This path won't be an easy nor a pretty one. You are about to embark in a journey of self discovery that will, in one way or another, have repercussions for every single pony in Equestria. Whether it be for the better or for the worst, the truth must be revealed to all, by you."

The mares abandoned each other sides, finally leaving that beautiful moment in the past. The princess spoke one last time; "Go now and rest, Twilight Sparkle. You must prepare yourself for what you are about to discover. And remember that, no matter what you find, it is never a mistake to search for the truth. You are doing the right thing."

Twilight started walking towards the castle. One floor above, her bed awaited. Her hoofsteps over the cold cobblestone path were firm and secure. The love for the truth now burned inside her chest with renewed strength. It felt like she could set the entire world ablaze with it if she so desired. As she crossed the crystal doors, she turned around, and witnessed Princess Luna as she spread her wings and took flight, heading to an unknown destination.

The unicorn spoke for the last time that night; "Thank you, Princess."

Twilight went back inside the castle and, without looking back, closed the sparkling crystal doors with her magic.