The Y of Twilight

by AdamThePony

Chapter 4: Known

Chapter 4: Known

Twilight strode with an even, brisk pace across the tiled floors, searching around for a place to stare at the wondrous new material Celestia had given her. She had called it a “book”, and the book in question was one of basic linguistics. The concept of “words” had given trouble at first in the intervening two weeks at the palace, but Celestia had taught her how to sound things out, and patiently explained a limited vocabulary for her in the time they had had for lessons. Now Twilight was left to her own devices, cracking open tome after tome like nuts ripe with seeds of knowledge, devouring the contents with the hunger of a scholar.

However, she was not left unattended to. Though Twilight’s motor and cognitive development had a steady rate of increase, Celestia felt it would make for a good contingency to leave one of the more vigilant waitstaff on duty in case she had need of something. Though she was physically a young adult, her mind was still as fresh and young as a child, and as such, proper care and nurturing were deemed necessary. After all, if such a young mind were squandered, the consequences it would have for Canterlot—if not Equestria as a whole—would be dire.

As Twilight opened the most recent book, she reflected upon what she had learned since Princess Celestia had found her.

Princess Celestia is good to me. I am not good to her, but...Princess Celestia is my friend. Why? Questions, lots. She never seems to be mad at me. But, why? Why am I me?

Twilight folded the book back up with a thud. She had seen the way other staff were treated. Others who were her size, and three times over as smart and helpful as she was. And yet the Princess had smiles for her she never deigned her staff with. It made her question just why Celestia had made those smiles. What made her so special? So deserving of unconditional praise and love?

Twilight got up, standing on her hooves with her wings spread to balance. After a few falls, and some tears, she had finally conquered the fine points of balance, and she reserved a little pride for herself in that. Hallways passed in and out of her line of sight, her eyes focused on finding that particular set of doors the Princess was oft to reside behind. She lifted her hoof to knock, then remembered something that Celestia had said to her when she had started reading books to her charge.

You needn’t worry about coming to the throne room, Twilight. Anything on these shelves is free for you to take. But if you find anything that troubles you, please don’t hesitate to ask me about it, and I’ll be happy to clarify it for you.

Twilight’s mind briefly took itself back to her inaugural reading session with the Princess…

y_Y_y

“Princess Celestia?” She looked at the alicorn in front of her, smiling up at her with a reserved joy.

“Yes, my dear?” the princess asked in reply. “What can I do for you?”

“What that?” She pointed with her wing to the bookshelf on Celestia’s right. “Table.” She pointed to the object in question, miming putting something down on it. “Bed”. Another nod to the furniture itself. She gave a snore. “What that?”

“Oh, that?” Celestia asked, pointing to the bookshelf. “That’s a bookshelf, Twilight. It’s where I keep my books. Would you like to read one?”

Twilight gave a nervous grin. “Princess Celestia read?”

“Yes, Twilight.” Celestia said with a smile, scanning the shelf. “Let’s see…What would be a good story for today?” She scanned the rows of books, searching for a particular set of stories that might tickle the unicorn’s fancy, before her eyes caught a particular book with a brown cover and gold lettering, simply titled Myths, Legends, and Folklore. “This might be a little advanced for you, but given how fast a learner you’ve been these past few days, I think this will do just fine.”

Gingerly, she slid the book out from the shelf, sinking it to the floor as she peeled the cover open. The book, as the name would imply, was an anthology of stories rife with varying characters and morals. From folk tales such as Nyx to the more accurate retellings of Tartarus’ exploration and construction, there was something for everypony.

One particular story she found to be interesting was one within the Tartarus section labeled Orpheus.

Twilight stared at the tome in front of her in confusion, shooting her mentor an uncertain glance. “Princess Celestia?”

“Would you like to read with me, Twilight?” Celestia offered as she scooted Twilight closer. Twilight smiled and cuddled up to her side.

“Yes, Princess Celestia.” She rested her hoof overtop that of the larger pony. “Friends.” She smiled up at the other pony, though the corners of her mouth still remained somewhat flat.

“Once upon a time,” Celestia started, clearing her throat, “There lived a colt named Orpheus. He was the son of a great king and a lovely poet. When he was little, I took a bit of a liking to him, and gave him a golden lyre to play.”

“You?” Twilight looked baffled at the idea.

“Yes, me,” Celestia giggled. “I’ve been around a really long time, Twilight. Anyway, Orpheus quickly learned and mastered the instrument, learning songs from his mother and coming known as the ‘Master of Strings’, and the “Father of Song’.

“Then, one day, something happened to his wife, Eurydice. She had been lost somehow, and it made Orpheus very sad.

“Wife?” Twilight furrowed her brow. “Like friend?”

“Somewhat,” Celestia chuckled. “Driven by his desire to see his wife again, he descended into Tartarus, and used his songs to soften the hearts of Hades and Persephone. Moved by his music, they agreed to allow him to bring his wife back to Equestria, on the condition that he not look at her until they reached the surface. However, anxious as he was, he forgot this agreement, and turned to look at his wife, only to see her disappear.

“Before he too passed away, he turned away all other ponies, aside from myself, and eventually, he was left with only his head and lyre. Even then, he continued to sing until he put to rest, and his lyre joined the stars.”

Celestia blushed a bit as she tried her hardest not to tell the full truth of the story, if only for the sake of protecting Twilight’s virgin mind.

Twilight only looked confused. “Hades? Persephone?” .

“Oh, you want to hear about them?” Celestia asked. “I suppose I should go back to earlier in this book…”

Celestia nervously smiled as she backpedaled to earlier in the book.

“First, the story of Hades and his brothers,” Celestia began, “Hades was one of three brothers of a long time ago in Equesria. His other two brothers were Zeus and Poseidon.”

“Brothers family?” Twilight checked her understanding.

“Exactly. Brothers are fillies and colts who share the same mother,” Celestia confirmed, clearing her throat. “Moving on, the three of them were very close, and they worked together to defeat their father Cronos, who was a very bad man.”

“Not friend?” Twilight looked disturbed, wrinkling her nose and widening her eyes.

“Definitely not,” Celestia confirmed. “Cronos was one of many Titans, powerful spirits that were responsible for giving us many of the basic things we know today. In Cronos’ case, he was the spirit of time. When Zeus and his brothers managed to take care of him, they then had to decide who would have what land to rule over. The three brothers drew straws, and in the end, Zeus was given the land, Poseidon was given the sea, and Hades was given the Underworld.

“Though the underworld isn’t exactly a bad place—just as Hades himself isn’t a bad pony—Hades got very lonely, even with all the ponies who passed away to look after.

“Passed away?”

Celestia gulped. In hindsight, she perhaps should have been more careful explaining such a concept to a mind as young as Twilight’s. She thought to herself how she might cushion the issue so as not to make her too sad to hear the rest of the story.

“Well, Twilight, when a pony gets too old, too sick, or hurts too much, they go someplace very special to rest. In days of old, Hades was something of a caretaker for those ponies, taking care of the good ponies, and making sure the bad ones got what they deserved. But, even with so many of them to look after, Hades just felt very lonely being the only one to do so.

“Here is where Persephone comes in. She was the daughter of Zeus and Demeter, and is often considered to be the pony most Earth Ponies came from, due to being the goddess of Vegetation and Spring. One day, Hades took her to the underworld, which left Demeter very worried. Demeter was very protective of her daughter, and wouldn’t let any other god have her.

“However, during her stay with Hades, she was actually treated quite nicely by him. She was even given delicious fruit to eat. Eventually, she was given back to Demeter, and they agreed to make a deal: For most of the year, Persephone would stay with Hades, but when Spring came, she would come out and stay with her mother. Though some might find it a bit odd, it’s because of this that we seasons like Summer, Winter, and Autumn.”

Celestia gave a nervous smile, hoping that she had made the message clear and kind to Twilight’s mind. Twilight saw Celestia was smiling, and smiled back.

“Stories.” she said with a nod. “But...Persephone and Hades friends?”

“They were actually husband and wife,” Celestia explained with a smile. “Which reminds me...I almost forgot to mention, but you have a brother, as well.

“Me?!” Twilight’s eyes widened, filled with excitement. “Brother?!”

Celestia nodded happily. “Yes, Twilight. His name is Shining Armor, and his wife is a princess, just like you.”

“Twilight see them?” Her eyes shone with hope, her hoof pressing into Celestia’s with a crushing grip.

“Yes, Twilight,” Celestia said, holding a hoof to her chest. “You’ll see them, too. Just like you will your friends.”

“Want see now.” The pony said, her grip on Celestia still tight. “Twilight want...family…” She looked down and away from Celestia.

“I understand, Twilight,” Celestia replied, holding her student close. “And you will see them soon. We need to make sure you’re ready for them, though. They love you very much, but I want to make sure you’ll be able to talk with them a little bit more than you can now.”

Celestia’s kind words were rewarded with an alicorn sinking her head onto her hooves. “I...lonely? Lonely is no family, yes?”

“Yes. And I know you must be very lonely, Twilight,” Celestia said, hugging her tight. “I just want to make sure you can talk nice and pretty for them. After all, if you want to be a big pony, you have to learn how to talk like one, too.”

As she looked Twilight in the eye, she stayed very calm and tender.

“The lesson that Orpheus tells us to be patient. That means waiting, even if you really, really want to see the ones you love.”

Twilight sighed. “Yes, Princess Celestia. What is...wife? Husband?”

Celestia smiled. “They’re a lot like friends. Only they love each other very, very much.”

In retrospect, Twilight’s next conclusion was fairly obvious. She nuzzled up against Celestia and said “wifes”.

Celestia chuckled. “Not quite, dear. We’re close, but not that close.”

Twilight suddenly pulled back, and it was as if there was a sound of shattering off in the distance. “Oh...Yes, Princess Celestia…” She said, fighting back against that frustrating feeling of fullness in her throat and pressure on her eyes that came up when she thought about other ponies and their friends and families.

“We’re very good friends, Twilight,” Celestia explained as she bowed her head closer to her, wrapping a comforting wing around her. “Some might even say we’re best friends.”

Twilight gave a brave smile. “Yes, Princess…”

“Don’t worry,” she said as she nuzzled her. “I love you very much, no matter what you are.”

“You...do?” Twilight looked back at the Princess in confusion. “But...I no talk nice and pretty for you…”

“And I don’t mind that,” Celestia noted. “That’s why I want to help you grow. I love you very much, and I want to help you learn as much as you can.”

“Can...family help Twilight?” She looked hopeful.

“I don’t see why not,” Celestia said with a smile. “I expect you to be on your best behavior, though.”

Then, without warning, Celesia plunged her muzzle to Twilight’s belly, blowing raspberries into it.

“Princess!” Twilight squealed, kicking her back legs and giggling as her wings flapped. “N-no! I-I good! Hehehhahaheha! I be good!” She laughed openly, both from the nerves being pressed and from naked, innocent joy.

“Twilight no Princess Celestia wife…” Twilight confirmed, certainty in her voice. “But Celestia Twilight Sparkle wife.”

y_Y_y

Twilight blinked the memory away, looking up to the bookshelves with uncertainty. Was it too soon to press the issue? Would there be a consequence to being early? What if she was too late? She decided, inevitably, to find the nearest story to her reach upon the shelf. She frowned in confusion at the title. “The Reports On The Magic Of Friendship by Twilight Sparkle”. She sounded out the words, uncertain of the meaning of “report”, but certain the contents were bizarre.

Twilight opened the letters, eyes scanning the pages for meaning. Her eyes grew wider with every passing minute, her wings flexing and her legs twitching in anticipation. The stories told of another Twilight Sparkle who had lived in another world and time. A Twilight Sparkle surrounded by her friends, filled with laughter and love. A Twilight Sparkle who was able to talk in ways she never could, who used words she could not even guess the meaning of. Twilight got to the last of the letters, and noticed a picture that looked foreign and yet familiar all at once. A group of six ponies, all of whom she felt she knew on a deep and sacred level, embracing each other and smiling for an unseen camera.

Her confusion gave way to horror as pieces began to fit into place. “Twilight Sparkle...passed away...I...I’m not Twilight Sparkle. What...what am I?” Twilight realized that Celestia would no doubt be able to give her answers, and immediately thought to race to her side and ask, beg, for some sort of safety and clarity. It was only then that she realized with a pang that Celestia couldn’t be trusted, having lied to her about her fate and her having met her friends.

Twilight’s head swam, each and every moment shared with her saviour and guardian cast into a new, more complex light. There was something at the heart of Princess Celestia’s affections that she couldn’t place.

But it’s worse, The unborn alicorn thought to herself.

I don’t...belong. I am nopony. Twilight Sparkle is Celestia’s friend. Twilight Sparkle is Shining Armor’s sister. I’m—

Her breath caught in her throat.

….nothing…

With a start Twilight shut the book, unaware of the liquid streaming from her face. She could not stay, in a place as full of lies as this. She could not fit, not as a poor replacement for a creature Celestia had known and loved better than her. She needed answers, and she only knew one place she could get them. With a leap from the balcony, and a graceless glide across a thermal, the wayward goddess set a path for Ponyville.

Comments

[BBkat]

Though the underworld isn’t exactly a bad place—just as Hades himself isn’t a bad pony—Hades got very lonely, even with all the ponies who passed away to look after

Someone actually gets it!

I love the Greek mythology inclusion though, it appeals to the Greek mythology geek in me.

[Ice Star]

Hades is obviously just a melancholy goth fellow. I'm pleased to see him painted in the more positive light that his original version (or as original as you can get when Greek myths have so many versions) had as a key member of the Olympians.