Chapter VI
Fluttershy awoke with her heart in her throat, sweat trickling down her brow, and a muffled scream on her tongue. For an instant she thought that she was still in the cave, that the pack was about to return, that Twilight would… No. Not that. Anything but that. Still breathing rapidly, she looked around herself in the large, mostly white room. Faint light carried through the closed curtains of the single, massive window. Beside the bed on which she lay, and the tall mirror in the corner, there wasn’t any furniture. A single door lay to her right, made of white oak and decorated with beautiful flower carvings. She peeked over the bedside and noticed a large, thick red mattress covering the floor. It felt softer than any moss she had stepped on.
Am I dead? She had to bite her lip really hard to make sure she wasn’t. Ouch… No, I’m alive. But how– Her eyes grew wide. Luna. Luna came to me, to us. She got us out of there. Us? Twilight. Where is Twilight? She stepped completely out of the bed and flinched as she saw movement from the corner of her eye. As she turned, her own reflection stared at her. She took a step closer, looking at herself. I had a wound on my temple, but now it’s gone. And somepony has combed my mane. And washed away the blood. She flinched again. Blood. Death. Horror. She took a step back, shaking. This is wrong. Where am I, why am I here? Where is–
The door opened. Fluttershy couldn’t hear a creak, but saw via the mirror how the white wood stood aside, letting sunlight into the dim room. She didn’t turn, but stared into the mirror. A leg stepped in from the other side. Fluttershy held her breath. In the mirror, another pony appeared. Twilight entered the room. Fluttershy turned around. The two ponies stared at each other over the play of light and gloom, and for a moment so brief it barely existed, they did not recognize each other. After that, they ran to each other’s embraces, hugging each other tighter than they had ever hugged anypony else. Twilight tried to say something, but could only formulate meaningless and detached words. They were music to Fluttershy’s ears.
“Twilight…” Fluttershy started. Her loudly grumbling stomach interrupted her.
Twilight let out a tense laugh. “There’s… There’s food out there, in the next room. Breakfast. I already had some myself. Its… Really good.”
“Breakfast,” repeated Fluttershy. The word felt good on her tongue; saying it was like praying. It was so very… ordinary. Such a wonderfully ordinary word.
The actual breakfast proved to be really good, too. For some minutes, they ate in silence, barely looking at each other as they feasted on the various fruits, vegetables, and bread. Finally, after a last bite on a particularly sweet carrot, Fluttershy said:
“Twilight… I’m… really sorry that I… kicked you. No, I’m more than sorry, I– “
“I know, Fluttershy, I know,” said Twilight quietly, putting a hoof on her friend’s shoulder. Fluttershy responded by pressing her face against Twilight’s mane.
“Maybe I deserved to be kicked,” said Twilight after a while. “I mean, the thing I did, I have no excuses for myself… It was just…”
“It’s… It’s okay,” said Fluttershy quietly. “The wolfmother, she… She thought that you were threatening the puppies. If you hadn’t… stopped her… She would have torn your throat out.”
There really was nothing Twilight could’ve said to that, so she didn’t.
“I still don’t understand… If there wasn’t a witch… then why did you leave me?”
Fluttershy pressed her face tighter into her friend’s mane and shoulder. “I’m sorry about that. I can’t say how sorry I am about that…” She sniffed. “Like I told you in the Shallows… I had a dream. Except that it wasn’t a dream, but a vision.”
“Um, what?”
Fluttershy let go of Twilight, her face lost in her mane. “I don’t know if I should be talking about it… Not yet, not now…”
Twilight arched an eyebrow. Before she could say anything, the double doors of the dining hall opened wide, letting in a burst of light. As Twilight turned, her heart melted on the spot.
“Princess!” she shouted, unable and unwilling to restrain herself. She rose from her chair and ran towards her beloved mentor, who welcomed her with a radiating smile. Twilight threw herself around the alicorn’s neck, hugging her tightly.
“I’m very pleased to see you too, Twilight,” said Celestia, wiping the small tear off her pupil’s cheek. “And you too, Fluttershy”, she continued, raising her gaze to the pegasus who was still shyly sitting by the table. Fluttershy bowed her head slightly.
“Princess…” said Twilight again, still hugging Celestia as if she would disappear should she let go of her.
“I know, Twilight, I know. We shall talk soon, be certain of that. However, before we do, I would like to know if you two have already discussed the events of Damp Town between yourselves, or if you would like some more time?”
Twilight let go of Celestia and turned to Fluttershy, who was looking away.
“We have talked enough, for today,” answered Twilight, turning back to Celestia. “It’s time for me to give my report.”
Celestia smiled at that. “While you are quite right about that, there is something that must happen first. Before receiving your report, I shall give you one of my own. Come, walk with me.”
And with that, Celestia walked away from the room. Twilight gave a final glance at Fluttershy, who was still staring at the floor, before she quietly followed in her mentor’s hoofsteps. They entered into a high and wide corridor, lit by the light cascading through the tall glass windows.
“Are we in the western part of the Castle?” asked Twilight.
Celestia glanced over her shoulder, smiling. “It still surprises me how well you can tell one corridor from another around here.” She headed to the left.
Twilight trotted quickly by her side, staying just half a step behind. “The paintwork helps a lot.” She nodded at the glowing glass windows.
Celestia followed her gaze. Above them, various ponies, and an occasional griffon, posed in frozen stances, each one appearing more important than the other. “Of course. I hardly pay them attention anymore.” Her smile thinned a breath of a hair.
They walked leisurely, the echoes of their hoofsteps breaking the calm before them. Twilight kept on glancing up at Celestia, but she kept the smile unbroken all the way to the door that lay at the end of the corridor. Celestia pushed it open, and Twilight gasped as she saw what was on the other side.
“It’s beautiful,” she whispered as they walked on the ramparts. They stopped in the halfway, facing the sunset on the horizon. It was akin to the glory that mutes poets.
Nonetheless, Celestia gazed at it with the same slightly dull way that she had viewed the glass paintings inside. “More than I know,” she said quietly.
Twilight tore her eyes of the magnificent sight. “Princess… Is something wrong?”
Celestia kept her gaze firmly at the sunset. “Have you ever wondered where evil stems from in this world?”
Twilight blinked, and the secure smile on her lips trembled for a moment. “Sometimes…”
“Once, ages ago, that was the only question I could conceive,” said Celestia, her voice calm as a breeze. “However, I always thought I knew the answer, and that the lingering question was but vanity of my soul, my flaw, a little evil of my own.” She looked at Twilight. “What do you think the answer is?”
“Our enemies?” ventured Twilight after a pause. “Like Queen Chrysalis, or King Zombra.”
“Yes, they are a part of the answer. But not whole truth. Can you think of more causes?”
Twilight frowned, looking at the golden, flaming orb in the distance. “Sometimes an evil is nopony’s fault. There are accidents, misunderstandings, mistakes.”
“That is correct, and those were the answers I was content with for so long, at least partially.” Celestia tilted her head slightly. “Can you tell me if there is something more to evil than accidents and enemies?”
Twilight chewed her lip and looked Celestia in the eyes, the secure smile gone from her face, replaced with growing confusion. “I don’t know. What else could there be?” She moved her weight between her legs. “I’m not sure I understand what we’re after here, either…”
Celestia’s eyes flickered. “The answer is us.”
“Umm…”
“We are the ultimate cause of the evil we face in this world,” continued Celestia, her whole figure tranquility come flesh. “Just like we, the whole Equestria, is the reason behind all the good, too.”
The lines on Twilight’s brow deepend. “Do you mean that everypony has evil in them, at least a bit?”
“Yes and no, Twilight, yes and no. With these questions, no other answer can cover the whole truth.” Celestia waved at the direction of the flaming horizon. “Just a moment ago, you wondered at the beauty the setting sun. At the same time, you greeted another end of another day, another step towards the end of all days. The sunset is both the symbol of beauty and death. For us, with us.”
Twilight watched Celestia’s hoof land gracefully on the stone. It made no sound at all. “I… I think I understand that.” She looked up. “But does that change anything?”
“You do not think it does?”
Twilight shuffled her legs again. “Well, isn't it then just about the pony’s choice? About what they choose to see or be?” She glanced at the sunset. “I can either choose to see beauty… or death.”
Celestia stayed quiet for a moment, studying her pupil. “You are correct. Nonetheless, no matter how you choose, you still choose between the two sides of the same coin. The decision does not erase the other side, but evades it. And in the end, the other side will always return.”
Twilight flinched just slightly, still looking at the horizon. “You mean death.”
Celestia didn’t answer. She didn’t need to.
“But that is just a part of life,” continued Twilight, looking at her mentor again. “That’s what you said to me when I was a filly.”
“So I did. I remember the occasion clearly. You came to me carrying a deceased butterfly, asking me to make it fly again. You even promised to take care of it afterwards.”
Twilight’s expression didn’t stir. “We buried it in the garden, didn’t we?”
Celestia nodded. “Do you think you would be a different pony today, had I been able to make that butterfly fly again?”
Twilight shook her head helplessly. “I can’t say… Maybe I would be more naive. It’s impossible to know for sure.”
Like a bow that the archer starts to draw, Celestia’s body tensed just the tiniest bit. “But what if it was not?”
In symmetry, Twilight’s posture stiffened, too. “What do you mean?”
“What if I could have resurrected the fallen butterfly? Or better, what if it had not needed to fall in the first place?”
Twilight opened her mouth, but said nothing.
“What if I could do that to all the ponies who died in the Shallows?”
Twilight blinked. “You… You knew about that already? How?”
“The ‘how’ is of no consequence at the moment. The question is: would it not have been better for everypony if the villagers never had to fear the wolf of the Shallows, if they had never needed to succumb to her teeth?”
“Yes!” bursted Twilight. “Of course it would be. But why–”
“And would you not, without the slightest doubt, do everything in your power to reverse their demise?” continued Celestia. Her eyes glowed in the twilight light.
“I would!” said Twilight quickly. “The wolf… She killed them for food…”
“The cause of their perish, although exceptional, is still a secondary concern. An anomaly of nature, a freak accident that was not supposed to happen in a million years. And yet it did.” Celestia put a hoof on Twilight’s shoulder. “For all my power, I could not prevent it.”
Twilight glanced at the perfectly white hoof that rested gently against her. “Since when did you know?”
A few heartbeats later, Celestia answered: “Before I sent you to Damp Town.”
“Before… Why…?”
“Because of the question, Twilight. The question of evil.”
Twilight took a step back. Celestia’s hoof fell from her shoulder. “What is this?”
“You are the answer to that question,” said Celestia, her eyes flaring. “And Damp Town was just another test to prove the resolution of life itself, the figure for which you were born.” She took a step forward.
“Who are you?” said Twilight, retreating another step. “What have you done with Princess Celestia?”
The white hoof froze for a second, but then landed softly as a feather. A warm, short laugh rang in the ramparts. “Perhaps I am being too dramatic,” said Celestia, smiling kindly. “Please, allow me to explain.”
Twilight stopped, but she still eyed the alicorn warily. “Okay… How could you sent me and Fluttershy into the village, knowing that ponies had already died there?”
“To tell the truth, Fluttershy was already well aware of the situation. She had to be, for it was her duty to make a contact with the anomaly in the Shallows and then mend it. In the end, that was what she achieved to do.” A shade of unknown origin travelled over the deep purple eyes. “Frankly, it was your part that I was left missing.”
“My part?”
“Luna told me about the message you had left behind in Damp Town. How in the heavens did you come to bring Witches into the picture?”
“I… There was this book…” Twilight frowned, and continued with a sharper tone: “What ‘part’ are you talking about?”
“The part where you would find yourself alone, deserted, and in the face of absolute uncertainty,” said Celestia calmly. “A part that would, for all intents and purposes, substitute the part of an immortal being.” She arched her left eyebrow. “I must say, I was surprised to see how quickly you fell into the traps of paranoia.”
“Paranoia…” repeated Twilight like in a trance.
“Of course I did not leave you completely alone in the Shallows,” continued Celestia. “It was not by chance that Luna came for your rescue yesterday. She had followed you ever since you left Ponyville, making sure that no real harm would come to you.” She paused for a moment. “You did not make her task very easy, I heard.”
A faint blush rose on Twilight’s cheeks. “Princess, I swear, I was lost at the time! And the book felt so genuine, so real, I couldn’t help but believe it! And the traps that guarded it–”
In one smooth motion, Celestia moved her raised hoof from Twilight’s shoulder to her mouth. Twilight looked up to her and quieted immediately. “Twilight…” said Celestia with a hint of a deep worry in her voice. “What are you on about? What book? What traps?”
“The ones that almost killed me!” cried Twilight, pulling back from Celestia’s hoof. “Luna saw my note, but not that?!”
“Calm down,” said Celestia, her worry a bit more shallow now.
Twilight grimaced. “You’re calling me paranoid, but you’ve no idea what I had to go through! All you talk about is death and butterflies and–”
“Twilight,” said the sun incarnate.
Twilight froze, and the shiver that lanced through her pushed the first tear over her eyelids. In the supreme silence that followed, one could have almost heard it being decimated against the stone. Celestia watched the wet spot that lay on the gray slab, seemingly innocent in its insignificance. And yet it marked the end of a world for the immortal being. She looked up into the twilight eyes. In them, a wound festered. In the wound, a seed was born. Time danced away from reality’s grasp, and in the vertigo Celestia could see the seed grow, spread, and bloom. She could see it gain a form. It was a simulacrum, a phantom, a ghost from the past. A past that Celestia would spent the last of her days burying. It was not about to get its hoof out of the grave now.
The air whooshed momentarily around Twilight as Celestia’s spread wings enveloped her, pressing her against the coat soft as a misty dawn. Twilight could do nothing but stand as she vanished under the blanket of feathers, could do nothing but listen as the faintest of whispers seeped into her ears.
“Forgive me.”
She collapsed against Celestia, her mind carried away by the rustling of feathers.
***
In the next morning, in the dim of the large bedroom, Shining Armor opened his eyes as a new pony. For a moment, he simply laid still, peering at the canopy of the bed. The artful wooden carvings had always touched something deep within him. Or perhaps I’ve just learned to connect them to the happiest moments of my life. I have to ask Celestia if we can take the bed with us to the Kingdom. With a casual move, he extended his right front leg towards Cadance’s side of the bed. It hit the empty pillow with an almost inaudible thump. He glanced at his side, face blank. That’s a new one.
He got up. “Cadance?” he asked from the gloom, but no answer came. He squinted as he lit up his own horn, scanning the room. After a moment he looked under the bed, at which point he felt silly. Then, a faint sound behind the double doors drew his attention. He walked carefully to them and pressed his ear on the dark wood. From the other side, a strange noise carried. Is that… scratching? He pushed the doors open.
“Surprise,” said Cadance with a yawn. She was sitting by a small round table, whirling a silver spoon in a small china cup filled with steaming tea. Beside that, an assortment of breakfast waited in a neat order to be enjoyed.
Armor’s face melted before an unbelieving smile. “I’m impressed. No, I’m utterly stunned.”
Cadance smacked her lips sleepily and smiled back at him. “Is it my mane or face in general?” The spoon was wavering a bit in the cup. “I must make quite the sight at the moment.”
Armor walked to her and planted the gentlest of kisses on her brow. “You have no idea,” he said quietly. He kissed her again, on the cheek this time.
Cadance hummed like she was drowsing, and the spoon fell idle. “Don’t expect this to become a habit. At least not at this hour.”
Armor sat down next to her, admiring all the goods the table had to offer. “Treat such as this doesn’t deserve to become a habit.” He picked up a large, round strawberry and munched half of it in one bite. The taste was simply perfect. “Did you stay awake the whole night for this?”
“You would’ve found me nose-deep in yoghurt at that point,” she answered, nodding at the large bowl of the stuff that lay in the middle of the table. She sipped her tea, watching him softly over the fine steam that lingered in the air. “Will you be done with the ceremonies before dinner?”
“Before lunch, I’d say.” He ate the rest of the strawberry before immediately going for another, even bigger one. “All there really is to it is naming the next Captain, and even that’s barely a formality. Celestia will hold a small speech along with Shield and me and that’s it.” Next, he reached for the delicious looking white bread. “We’ll be in the Kingdom before nightfall, just as planned.”
Cadance smiled over her cup. “What did you intend to say?”
Armor shrugged while spreading honey over the bread. “Nothing fancy. Just a few lines of gratitude, some historical stuff, all packed in solemn dignity.” He smirked, savouring the sweet bread. “Trust me: you won’t be missing anything.”
“I still wish I could be there,” said Cadance, studying an apple with a faraway look. “I’ve never seen you speak publicly before.”
“I’ve heard it makes watching paint dry pale in comparison.”
“Maybe the rest of the packing will go smoothly and I get to watch some of it,” continued Cadance hopefully. “It’s not like we need to fit our bed into the train or anything.”
“Yeah… About that…”
***
In the end, even the ideal breakfast needs to end. But as Shining Armor left for the Castle, he knew that he’d be carrying the memory of that particular morning for the rest of his life. This, combined with his leisurely pace, meant that he reached the Inner Keep right about an hour later than he usually would have. He was about to greet the guards standing by the gate, but before he could get his mouth open, one of them said:
“Captain Armor: Princess Celestia has requested your immediate presence in the throne room.”
Armor stopped in front of the guards, the beam on his face dimming a bit. “Did she say what for?”
“No, Captain,” said the same guard. “Lieutenant Shield ordered us to pass the message, nothing more.”
Could it be the Damp Towners again? “Very well,” said Armor. Before disappearing through the gates, he said: “And I’m not officially the Captain anymore.”
The guard looked over his shoulder. “We know, Captain. But that’s what Lieutenant Shield explicitly said.”
Armor blinked and closed the gate behind him. Shield must be playing it by the book again. Makes no matter. He trotted quicker now, heading straight for the throne room. As he got closer, he expected hearing the sound of arguments any minute, but only his own footsteps echoed in the high halls all the way to the massive double doors of the throne room. It was there that he saw the first guards since the gate.
“Captain Armor,” said the sergeant there, saluting.
“Only by the skin of my teeth,” said Armor. “Is the Princess inside?”
“Yes, Captain.” The sergeant turned around. “Open the doors for the Captain,” he said to the two guards in front of him.
I wish they’d stop using that title. It’s difficult enough to get used to the new one as is. Armor waited as the doors opened quietly as a dream and then walked inside. At the end of the long hall, Princess Celestia sat on her throne, smiling. At once armor noticed that no guards occupied the space: after the doors closed behind him, they were left completely alone in the room.
“I hope your day has started pleasantly,” said Celestia warmly. “I would venture that is has, considering how late it began.”
“You are right as always, Princess,” said Armor across the room, walking closer to her. He stopped a fair distance from the root of the throne and asked: “How may I be of service?”
In the quiet that followed, Celestia’s smile thinned a sliver. “In fact, I did not summon you for your services. There is something you must know.” Another pause, another layer of smile vanishing. “Twilight arrived to the Castle yesterday.”
Something in the way Celestia said that made Armor’s neck hair rise. “Is something wrong with her?”
“Currently she is in full health of both body and mind,” said Celestia immediately. “However, she has faced some unexpected difficulties. To say it frankly, she, along with Fluttershy, faced a battle with a creature called the Witch of the Shallows.”
A sickle cut the air above Armor’s ear, or that’s what it felt to him. “What?”
“There are still some details missing, and both of them are in deep sleep now, but–”
“A battle with a what?” interrupted Armor, taking a step forward. “A Witch?”
“So I was lead to believe,” said Celestia calmly.
“A Witch like from the Grin brothers’ tales?” said Armor.
“I do not believe this one lived in a gingerbread house,” said Celestia with a solemn face. “However, she was defeated just the same.”
For a moment, Armor could only blink in confusion. “How did this happen?”
Celestia stayed quiet for a moment. “As I said, there are still some details missing, but apparently the creature called the Witch proved to be the cause behind the disappearances that took place in Damp Town some time ago. Twilight and Fluttershy, whom I had sent to investigate, managed to uncover her schemes. ” In the young light light that cascaded through the glass windows, Celestia’s eyes flickered. “I am sure you believe me when I say that nopony was more surprised than me to hear about this.”
“I admit, it does sound very… strange,” said Armor. Suddenly, his neck tensed. “I must see Twilight right away.”
The smile returned to Celestia’s lips, just as if it had never left. “And you will. But I must advise you to refrain from waking her up: although otherwise unharmed, she was quite exhausted as she came here last night.” Celestia stood down from her throne, nodding Armor to follow.
“Last night?” asked Armor, trotting to Celestia’s side.
“It was Luna who brought them here after the battle,” explained Celestia. “She is with Twilight and Fluttershy right now. I am sure she will gladly answer to all the questions that you have.”
“Did she help them defeat the Witch?” asked Armor as they left the Throne room.
“Not the whole time. She was drawn to the site by the strange magic of the Witch, which apparently has some kind of a connection to the dreamscape.” Guards saluted them at the doors, and Celestia responded with a smile. Armor hardly noticed them, for his attention was completely focused on every word that left the alicorn’s mouth.
Twilight, in battle with an old mare’s tale? he thought, barely able to consider the idea sane. How does she always get herself into these situations? A librarian is supposed to wrestle with overdue loans and filing, but somehow she has been in more hot spots than me, the Captain of the Royal Guard! Well, the former Captain…
***
In the same small bedroom where Twilight had awoken on the last afternoon, Celestia studied her pupil with an unreadable look in her eyes. The little unicorn’s chest heaved gently along with her mane every time a breath of air fled her, only to be drawn back in. Like a clockwork, thought Celestia. Wearing itself out breath by breath. Celestia closed her eyes, focusing on the faint sound of Twilight’s lungs. Counterweights of terror, kept still by ignorance. No sound broke the ticking of breathing, but still Celestia knew that the door had opened. She opened her eyes.
From the door mouth, Armor watched her. “Could I have a moment alone with her?” he asked quietly.
Celestia walked slowly to him. “Will I delay the ceremonies?” she asked, keeping her voice low.
Armor took a deep breath. “I’ve been thinking. With your consent, I’d move the whole occasion for tomorrow.”
“Of course,” said Celestia. She walked past Armor. “I will let Cadance know,” she said before closing the door. Outside, she turned to Luna, who was eyeing her with a raised eyebrow. “Not here,” said Celestia. She headed back towards the throne room.
Luna fell in pace by her side. “Surely not. Pray, somepony might get the wrong picture. That is, the true picture.”
“I have always had a high regard of your moral backbone,” said Celestia without the slightest sense of irony.
Luna chuckled at that, although not very heartily. “You do realize that at some point, you have to tell everypony the truth?”
Celestia payed a sideways glance at her. “At some point, we all must. But everything has its time and place. And sometimes, the only way to the truth is through error.”
“I concur. The Device is a marvelous example of that.”
Celestia stopped. Luna did not, but kept on walking down the corridor.
“You still do not understand,” said Celestia to her receding sister. “The Device is not about reaching the truth. Its purpose is precisely the opposite: to escape it.”
Luna halted. In between the two sisters, the air vibrated, and not only from anticipation. Luna looked at Celestia over her shoulder. “Perhaps it’s not that I don’t understand, or not even that I wouldn’t want to. Perhaps I understand you only too well.”
Deafening silence followed.
“My time has been stretched thin,” continued Luna. “If you need me, you know where to come.” With that, she trotted away, leaving the silence behind.
Standing still in the middle of it, Celestia could not help but to feel that she was fighting against something. And the really nasty thought that followed was that the something was not fighting back. Not fairly, at least.
***
In the Captain’s office, Unbroken Shield was stretching his hind legs over the large oaken table while leaning back in the similarly stout chair. To his annoyment, he could not bring the thing to creak pleasingly. It doesn’t obey me yet. A pony doesn’t own his chair unless he can make it creak as he pleases. He tried again, shifting his weight in the seat and trying to create tension in the legs. But the wood remained mute. Armor could make you sing, you stupid thing. But you’ll learn soon enough. Either that or the fireplace: your pick. With a particularly arduous effort, he rocked the chair again.
The door was knocked. Shield lost his balance and stumbled, bringing the chair crashing down on the floor. As was expected, it survived the event way better than he did.
“I’m coming!” he shouted painfully as he got to his feet, hurrying for the door, unlocking it. “Captain, I swear, I so wasn’t–” He stopped as he saw the first glimpse of the knocker. “Oh. You’re not Armor.”
“I assume you’re not, either?” said a grey-white mare, looking suspiciously at Shield. “Where is he? I need to see him.”
“Captain Armor should be preparing for the day’s ceremonies,” said Shield, salvaging some of his dignity as he spoke. “Today is the day he officially leaves the post to m‒I mean, to his successor.”
A shade of worry travelled over the mare’s eyes. “Is this going to affect the Guard’s routines much?”
Shield raised an eyebrow. “Well, not more than for a few hours.” As he regained his composure, he got a chance to look at the mare with more care. Young. Just a kid, really. Those eyes, though… Haven’t seen eyes like that even with a gargoyle. “Why exactly are you looking for an appointment with the Captain, miss…?”
“Dewdrop,” said the mare. “I want to join the Royal Guard.”
Deep inside himself, Shield had to strangle a burst of laugh that would’ve otherwise spread all over Dewdrop’s face. An instinct warned him that those leaden eyes would not take such a slight lightly. Nonetheless, a vague, muffled gasp fled him.
Dewdrop showed no sign of acknowledging his reaction. “Where can I sign up?”
“Uhh…” started Shield. “There maybe a few troubles in the way before that…” He took a step backward. “Perhaps you’d like to come in and have a seat?”
Dewdrop trotted in, quickly eyeing the room before sitting down before the Captain’s desk. Shield, after closing the door, picked up the chair and sat down without the faintest of creaks. “Okay, let’s start fresh. Unbroken Shield, pleasure to meet you. Now, who of the lads made you do this?” He smirked.
Dewdrop blinked. “Sorry?”
“There’s no harm telling; I’ve gotten used to these kinds of games already. One could say I’ve earned myself a reputation by now.” He leaned easily back, desperately hoping for a complaint from the chair, even a tiny one. None came.
“Are you suggesting this is a joke?” asked Dewdrop, narrowing her eyes. The effect made them look like black holes.
Shield kept on smirking. “I’ve experienced weirder. How much did they pay you?”
Dewdrop gave him a long look. “Are you even a real Lieutenant? Or were you trying to steal something from here when I came? Is that what caused the bang?”
Suddenly, all hopes for a minor creak fled Shield’s mind. Very thoughtfully, he fixed his posture. “You’re… not bluffing?”
The heavy eyes weighed him down mercilessly. “No.”
Oh, buck. “My apologies,” hurried Shield to say, this time wrestling down a nasty grimace before it could ruin whatever was left of his credibility. An oppressing silence followed. “Uhh… It can’t be done,” he finally said. “For starters, we usually do all our recruiting in the spring. Second, you’re a–”
“An earth pony?” finished Dewdrop sharply. “I know the Guard mostly includes unicorns and pegasi nowadays, but you have some of us even know.”
This is not going to end well. “What I meant to say was that you’re–”
“Too young?” stopped the mare again. “I’m not. I’m nineteen, and that’s an adult by any standards. Besides, soldiers are supposed to be young, right?”
Shield started fidgeting slightly, but not because he tried to break the chair in. “I’d appreciate if you’d stop that. Look, we both know why this is not going to work.” Shield leaned forward in his chair. “Come now, kid. What are you after here?”
“That’s my business. And you can’t stop me from joining the Guard just because I’m a mare.”
Shield studied her intently over the large desk, resting his cheek on a hoof. Celestia knows that she is right. So right, and so wrong at the same time. “You got one of those right. In a few hours, I’ll be the next Captain of the Royal Guard. That makes your business, as far as it touches the Guard in any way, my business.”
“But you’re not allowed to ask that yet, are you?” she said, crossing her front legs over her chest.
“Trust me: Armor is not going to take your case on his last day. You might as well come clean now.” He straightened his back. “Why do you want to join the Guard?”
Dewdrop’s jaw moved slightly as he silently grinded her teeth together. “I want to help my friends. The ones that went missing in the Shallows.”
“Ah, you’re one of the refugees,” he said. No wonder you thought the best way to get what you want would be to march straight to the pony that could give that to you.
She only stared at him with her eyes like lead.
“If you’d care to explain… Why do you think joining the Guard would be of any help to your friends?” he asked after a moment.
“Because only the Guard is allowed to enter the Shallows now,” she said. “Princess Celestia said that when I told her I want to return there. So here I am,” she added after some hesitation.
Shield frowned. “And you thought signing up would mean you’d be on a rescue mission by tomorrow?” He smiled with some amusement. “That’s not how it works, you know.”
“Why not?” she said immediately. “At some point, the Guard must do something about the missing ponies. And when the times comes, you’ll need somepony who knows the forest. Might as well be me who makes sure that you don't all drown in the swamps.”
The amusement only deepened on his lips. “I see you have done some thinking, after all.” Shield thought something for a moment and then said: “Tell you what: I’ll accept your application for now, unofficially of course. As a favour, I want you to promise me something.”
She eyed him suspiciously. “Yes?”
“Have a good night’s sleep. After that, tell your parents what you’ve been planning.”
She blinked. “How did you–”
“Because it’s written on your forehead,” he said calmly. And because I know the script by heart. He stood up and walked to the door, opening it with his horn. “This is the best offer you’re going to get today. Do us both a favour and take it.”
She got up walked next to him. “I’m serious about this,” she said, looking him straight in the eyes.”
The effect made Shield feel heavy, somehow. “So am I. But sometimes being serious is not enough.” He sighed. “Look, as far as I know, Princess Celestia has taken your town’s problems to her heart. She even sent her own pupil to sort things out, I hear.”
“She sent two ponies. Two.”
Shield shrugged. “You had the whole village searching first, right? Sometimes, it’s not about the numbers.” He nudged towards the spiralling stairs. “Off you go now. I need to prepare for my promotion.”
Dewdrop gave him one more look and walked out. As the door closed behind her, she thought to herself: In the Shallows, it will in the end be about numbers. One way or the other.
She left the Castle with a faint smile on her lips.
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4392871
Or that was a nice facade put on by the Alicorn who happily manipulated her prize student and friends for years, including gambling their lives when she thought it'd help her push them into being what she wanted them to be.
I've always seen Celestia as a Lawful Evil type who puts on a good face.
4522033 In the Spike/Celestia comic, she kind of covers this. She pushes Twilight to do dangerous tasks that she could do easily because she thinks she'll succeed and it's what will help her grow. She does the same thing to Spike in the comic itself. Presumably, she does this to a lot of ponies.
Presumably, it gets some of them killed.
But otherwise she's stunting their development and leaving the entire country dependent on herself alone, and sometimes she's not enough.
4522515
It's why I have trouble buying the "Celestia is Good and Wonderful and Knows Best" schtick and prefer darker versions of Equestria. Pushing her student to grow, fine. Dropping her into some of the situations shown so far? Far from fine. In fact, the level of manipulation she uses on Twi and company and the extreme danger she pushes them into is why I consider her evil.
For example: Dragonshy. Was this a mission for a 6 untrained mares? Or perhaps a mission for the Royal Guard and some Royal Diplomats? Sending the Mane 6 alone was foolish and irresponsible.
And she is drastically stunting her country already. Her ponies are sheltered, defenseless xenophobes, a far cry from the Three Tribes they were originally(Though they were hardly perfect then). They rely on Celestia and Luna and a team of whatever heroes Celestia picked up off the street to handle practically everything.
A better system of education and training, as well as a distribution of authority would strengthen the country.
4522630 ...what the hell have you been watching?
think the largest problem is that celestia does not exactly hide many secrets nor prtend the world is perfectly safe either.
harmony is balance. she is peforming the lie of order, which only strengthens chaos as it prepares to break free of its binds.
First, to the author..
The fudge is going on here?
4522958
And I've been watching the same show as you. Our interpretations are just very different. I can respect that you see Celestia as a Good figure. I just happen to disagree and see her differently.
4522033 Bullshit, from what i seen Celestia is good, however she wants to create a scenario so that they can Grow but that failed miserably. She had no idea that witch thing and the trap occured which means something nasty occuring, which mean Tirek arriving.
The only thing i can think would be causing this is Tirek (IN g1 he had a thing that can MUTATE creatures,) i can see him creating that trap and witch if he learn about Twilight sooner.
4524321
As I said to LM, we have differing interpretations of her actions. And those differences are a good thing. Produces a diverse and healthy fandom.
I am so confused (and mildly scared), but I trust that everything will be explained soon.
4523849
The questions may have the edge now, but I'm sure the answers will figure something out sooner or later. In the meantime, just enjoy the show.
By the way, I too (not totally obviously) agree more with your Sunbutt, although I feel that calling her "evil" would not quite suite my taste. Anyway, nice to see that the story managed to inspire little discussion in this respect.
Dewdrop is certainly interesting. Are we going to see more of her pov in the future?
4528300 Definetly.
Still have no idea what's going on and I'll be honest, it's starting to get a little frustrating. 40,000 words in and things are just as unclear as they were in chapter 1.