Forgotten Years

by Gale Force

Chapter 2: Meetings in the Night and Day

There are only so many things you can think about at any given time. Twilight found this aspect of the pony brain to be an extremely annoying dilemma. If only she had some way of organizing all this new information. There were no quills or parchment in her room, so that plan was out of the question.

She had already given up on the fleeting option of sleep. How can one even think of resting in times like these? How ‘Queen’ Twilight was able to even get sleep of her own is beyond any pony’s comprehension. Exhaustion will happen, given a bit of time. So that comforted Twilight, even if it was her body forcefully shutting down.

But that moment was not going to happen any time soon, as Twilight still brimmed with energy. She continued pacing along the starlit floor, her soft shadow following her loyally. Her quiet thoughts rattle violently across her head. To be completely honest, she was not entirely sure exactly what to think about. Her eyes panned towards the rising moon, hoping to get some semblance of understanding.

Besides the darkening sky and the beautiful, shimmering moon, there was nothing to be found. She continued her pacing. With everything darting across her mind, there was one constant thought. Who sent the letter? There are few who would know she was here, and even less that could sneak past the guards with a magically enchanted letter, slip it under her door, and escape unseen. The list becomes non-existent when she finally concluded that it was an attempt to turn her against her future self.

Twilight stopped and looked at the area where the paper had dissipated. Not a single trace left. It had disappeared with the setting sun. She only had one real choice, wait and see who might disagree with the wishes of Twilight. It was no doubt somepony within the castle walls. How else would they know where to find her?

The only certain thing she could hold on to was the fact she had to keep it a secret. She had no idea how Queen Twilight dealt with such matters, but Twilight hated the idea of only hearing one side of an issue. She would seek them out, listen to what they had to say, and make her decision from there.

But what if the Queen found out about this note? Apparently she had the ability to detect magic emissions, which brings up another topic of interest. “What in the hay is with this Equality is Friendship!” Has she really gone off the deep end during these terrible times? She shuddered at the thought, but she was worried that the pegasi had to follow the same code with flying.

It would come in due time. Twilight could deduce only a few things from the note. It was no doubt a unicorn, or someone that knew a powerful unicorn. They are able to keep tabs on her while under the ever watchful eye of the Queen. Finally, they will no doubt be sending more letters, or even contacting her in different ways. She only had to bide her time. She only knew of three ponies in this timeline anyways; Starswirl, Glimmering Star, and herself. Star was a high valued target of the rebellion, and would be very unlikely able to enter the walls of the castle. Starswirl might be a possibility, but it would prove to be nearly impossible to hide such intentions while being so close to the queen. And as far as she knew, he has no reason to side with the rebellion. And the Queen? The idea of herself creating tension between her and herself for any reason was borderline laughable.

Her hoofsteps continued echoing softly across the room as she continued to amass her theories. Before the moon reached the pinnacle of its arch, she felt her eyelids drooping. It was a reassuring sign. Despite wanting to get everything understood, she knew it was not possible and sleep would be in her best interest. The more she glared at the bed, the more she felt its comforting embrace to be a pleasant change.

"Tomorrow, that is when I can start getting everything pieced together." She convinced herself as she dragged her hooves to the bed. In one quick movement, she was under the covers and snuggled in. She only wished that her mind would be as tired as the rest of her was. The note, the princesses, her friends. All these thoughts bounced back and forth until she had finally drifted away.

---

"Princess Twilight Sparkle?" Twilight felt herself waking up. She kept her eyes closed, but she was starting to become aware. "Excuse me, Twilight?" There was that voice again. She stayed motionless. A small part of her hoping that, if provided with good acting, the pony next to her might believe that she is too tired to get up. "Your attempts to fool me are in vain, Princess Twilight Sparkle. I can list the various reason, but I am limited on time. I require your attention!"

Twilight groaned and threw off her blankets. There was something odd. Suddenly, she was no longer tired. In fact, she felt more energetic then ever before. Her coat seemed brighter and everything she saw had a surreal feel to it. "Where am I?" She glanced about the room. It was the same room. Nothing was changed, not even the time of night had changed. Even after coming to that conclusion, she felt it was impossible to believe that she was in the same place. There was another thing odd, there was nopony else.

"Very astute observation. I guess you haven't change. Because of the limited resources, it is vital that I not spend too much time with you. Twilight, Celestia is creating a nulling field to suppress this meeting. We felt your presence when you arrived this morning and waited patiently for you to sleep so that I may talk to you." Luna formed in front of Twilight, who was no longer on a bed. Twilight was taken back a bit by the fact she never remembered getting off the bed, and the fact the bed was no longer in the room. The dreamscape is a very fickle place to dwell in.

"Where are my friends and are they ok?!" Twilight demanded immediately.

"Again, I must inform you that we don't have much time. Creating a field this strong at this distance is not easy, even for Celestia. You must give me your complete attention." After receiving an approving nod from Twilight, Luna started again. "No doubt you are questioning everything, but for various reasons, I can't tell you everything. There are some very important things you need to know. Celestia and I have been separated from your friends. Please, you need to find them, make sure they are safe. Secondly, I can assume that you have realized that the Queen is not who you thought she should be. Despite that, stay near her at all times. She will protect you, no matter what the cost may be. Finally, you must not tell the Queen of our meeting, or anypony else for that matter. It must remain a secret. Am I understood?" Twilight blinked quietly, but nodded again not wanting to say anything. "You may ask your questions as long as my sister permits."

"Why did you leave?" Twilight shot without a moments hesitation. She knew that any questions about her friends were mostly going to be answered with uncertainty. There was nothing more important right now than the safety of her friends, but she knew that was not information she would get right now.

Luna closed her eyes and shook her head. "I cannot tell you. It would create too much of a burden on you if that knowledge would be public. I suspect you asked the Queen the same thing. I know that what she said is not the truth. But until the time arises that all the information comes to light, you must believe it."

"She told me that you abandoned Equestria, but never why."

"Then that is what you must believe!" Luna raised her voice. Twilight heard sorrow in her command. "It is not my wish that you think ill of me and Celestia, but it is now your duty." They both remained silent until Luna sighed. "Please forgive me for not giving the answers you seek, but some information could jeopardize everything. You know in your heart that we would never do such a thing. You know that your friends and loved ones would never turn their back on you, no matter what the problem is. But if that is what the Queen told you, then that is what you must believe."

Twilight gritted her teeth. For the Princess to come to her and command her to believe this terrible things was unimaginable. How could she? "Fine, then what should I do? Follow the command of the Queen? Work with Starswirl to find and imprison my friends? Let all of Equestria hate yo-"

"Starswirl?" Luna interrupted, tilting her head slightly. "He does not reside in this timeline." She muttered under her breath. "Tell me more about Starswirl, this may be of great importance."

Twilight stood astonished. Even though she was just told to distrust the dark alicorn, Luna asks for possibly confidential information. It is only in public I must show my distaste for the rebels. Remember that Twilight. If she thinks this information can help, then give it to her. After the short convincing thought, she told Luna everything she knew. "The Queen told me that she had found him, that he would later travel into the past and become an inspiration to all kinds of ponies. I am guessing for you and Celestia mainly, so that you can be crowned Princesses. Also to inspire me, so that I may become a princess myself. I have not got time to talk with him much."

Luna thought about different possibilities. "I see. Then I shall return to you in a week's time. Continue to monitor all of the doings of Starswirl, and report anything strange. As for now, Celestia beckons me to return. She sends her regards and is sorry that she could not see you. It is easier for me to use this magic, and much more reasonable for her to hold the barrier. I bid farewell, Princess Twilight Sparkle."

"LUNA WAIT!" Twilight yelled, jolting upright in her bed. She had so many questions. Celestia must have been struggling with the barrier to have them leave so abruptly. She let out a sigh. The sun was already peaking out above the rooftops of the newly populated streets. The rays of light shot into her eyes, forcing her to a squint as she fought to keep looking outside. It was a little later than normal. She wondered how long she spent in her dream. It felt like only a minute or so, but obviously time works as a separate entity in dreams. She looked back to the other side of the room, resting her eyes from the bright sun.

"What is this?" She asked quietly, noticing a card standing on her nightstand next to her. A light aura surrounded it as she brought it closer for her waking eyes to read. It was simple. No decorations, nothing extravagant in the writing except the typical cursive handwriting.

Twilight, you attendance is required in the dining hall when you wake.
Ready for you, outside your door, is your escort.
Updates will be given at regular intervals, as the castle layout has been altered.
Since I feel like our first meeting did not go as smoothly as I would have hoped, I wish to make amends.
Today will bring no stress to the either of us, I promise.
-Twilight Sparkle

Well, at least this one is not exploding into flames. She thought to herself. Also taking in the consideration that guards have not yet burst into her room, this so called magical curfew is not in effect. She wondered what the Queen had in mind for today. She must have realized the questionable first impression after Twilight had stormed from the throne room and wanted to fix it.

Now after her eyes had adjusted, she took another look outside to the sprawling landscape of Canterlot. The familiar sight of happy, busy ponies filled the streets. The serene sight did not make her feel any better. "How long have things been like this?" She asked pensively as she crawled off the bed, making her way to the mirror. Like any other time in the castle, she was given all the tools of beauty. And after just waking up, she needed them all.

A thorough coat and mane brush later, she felt she looked acceptable for another day in the kingdom. Rarity would no doubt disagree, but she always had an eye of perfection. It was something Twilight wanted right now. She wanted her friends here to help. That was not possible though, no matter how hard she wished. This was a problem she had to face alone. She didn't even have spike, the one companion that would never leave her side.

They were in this world, somewhere. And no matter what they did or what happened in the past, she wanted to see them again and ask them what would compel them to turn against all of Equestria.

Her escort was standing next to the door, obediently waiting for her to emerge. "Princess Twilight Sparkle, I trust you had a pleasant night." He awkwardly greeted her. Twilight felt a hesitation in his speech. There was no fear or any apprehension. It was just more awkward, like he had been reciting that line for hours on end. Of course, trying to greet your future ruler as 'Princess' rather than 'Queen' must be surprisingly difficult.

Despite that, it was an interesting question to hear. Was this a cheeky way of the Queen telling her that she knew about the meeting. No. Twilight thought giving a warming smile to the nervous guard. There is no way she could know. She is powerful, but there are limits to everypony. "It was lovely. Please give my thanks to the chamber maids for the wonderful job they did providing all my needs."

The prior insecurity towards Twilight the guard must of had seemed to have been lifted, because a little grin cracked his lips. "Of course, Princess Twilight Sparkle."

"Thank you. Now, the Queen is waiting for me, correct? Oh, and Twilight will be fine." She sheepishly added, still finding the title too grand for her. She has not really done anything that was deserving of such a title. In fact, the only real thing she has done was save Ponyville from the growing Everfree Forest. And if it was not for her friends, then it would have never had ended the way it did.

"My apologies, Pri- Twilight." He cleared his throat and lifted his hoof towards his left. "Right this way, if you please. The dining hall is not very far."

Already, this was different. Last she knew, they needed to head towards the main entry to get to the dining hall. "So, when did they change the layout of the Kingdom?" She asked, following the escort's lead. She could see why he was a castle guard. Like most guards, he was a very stout pony. His auburn coat radiated in the soft morning light. He was an earth pony, so no doubt used for his strength and endurance while protecting the inhabitants of the castle.

"It was the idea of the Queen. After the betrayal of the Elder Sister's, she felt it was needed to cut the ties from them." He started, not taking any notice to Twilight's discomfort at the mention of the Celestia and Luna leaving. "She started a massive project to renovate the kingdom. Tearing down rooms, adding new sections. After years of hard work we finally finished our new home, the Kingdom of Equestria. Soon after, Queen Twilight left her Friendship Rainbow Kingdom moved here to unify the true patriots of our nation against the rebels."

"Friendship Rainbow Kingdom? What is tha- you know what, I think I probably shouldn't know that. So! How long have things been this way?" Twilight wanted to change the subject as quickly as she could and talking about her past could give some insight on the situation. Along with that, the idea of listening to this propaganda was unbearable, but she had to know more though. There could be some vital information somewhere in his misguided words.

"How long?" The guard slowed as he started thinking about the question. "Well, longer than I have been stationed here. I used be up in New Manehattan. Up there, I did not care about these parts much." He turned a corner suddenly. Twilight followed awkwardly. He was so caught up in his thoughts that that he must have forgot that Twilight did not know the new layout of the kingdom. "Sorry I can't help much with that question." He smiled, turning another corner.

"No no no!" Twilight assured, trying her best not to look like she is having difficulties following her guide's movements. "That is fine, I was just curious. If you don't mind my asking, how much further until we reach the dining hall?"

"Oh, not much further. It's just up ahead." He nodded his head up the hallway. About halfway down the hall was an open arch that Twilight assumed that was the door that he was indicating. She figured that they were close. Normally when corners are more frequent, the distance is less. "Speaking of, we are close to arriving." He slowed his pace and leaned towards Twilight. "You feel like somepony I can trust, so don't tell the Queen, but you are much easier to have a conversation with." He separated quickly and cleared his throat before going through the arch. "May I introduce the Honorary Guest of Queen Twilight, Princess Twilight Sparkle!"

Inside was a surprisingly short table for the scale of the room. It must be an attempt to make the breakfast more personal and comfortable. It was working. Twilight felt a small ripple of relief go through her body. The young Alicorn was expecting a larger group of ponies, not just herself and the Queen. "Thank you..." Twilight started, realizing she never asked the ponies name. She felt ashamed for not doing such a simple and expected task.

"Reprise." The Queen finished. "Thank you, dear. And to answer your question from last week, tell your daughter I would be honored to host her recital here in the grand auditorium. I will also have guests from the Griffon Empire that have expressed interest. So tell little Aria to expect a crowd." She lifted her drink to her lips and took a sip, the steam lightly pushed against them as she drank. The kind expression was much different than what she wore yesterday.

Reprise did what he could to repress his excitement. "Thank you, Your Majesty. She will be ecstatic. She still won't stop talking about her last visit with you." He gave a low bow. "I will go tell her immediately."

The Queen lowered the cup back to its saucer and smile, nodding towards the guard. "I can't wait to see her again." Both of the Alicorns watch the colt skip from the doorway. "Now Twilight, come sit down. I had this table brought in so that we can bond a little easier. I always hated yelling across the room during dinner parties. You will too, in time." She chuckled, lording over her secret knowledge of the future.

"Now that is just not fair, and you know it." Twilight playfully scolded. This is just what she would have expected from the beginning, meeting her future self. Never giving anything that is important information of the past, but just enough to poke fun at the innocence of being so naive. "So the note by my bed, did you really have a guard come in my room while I was sleeping?"

"Now you and I both know that would be a blatant invasion of your privacy." Twilight flipped her hair over her shoulder after a few strains fell forward. It must just be a trait of Alicorns to have naturally long and wavy hair. Just like Celestia and Luna, the Queen's hair seemed to be moved by some unknown breeze. "I set the note there myself, obviously. I figured you'd be asleep. Well, that or pacing, thinking like you do. I was extremely surprised that you did not have the walls plastered with theories and deduced conclusions." She giggled, motioned towards the chair next to her. "Oh, and I know you wont remember, but the Minotaurs do not take kindly to cleaning ink off the walls."

"The room was not stocked with paper and quills, but that is ok. You can imagine I would never have gotten sleep if there was even a scrape of paper to scribble on." She sat next to Queen and looked at the steaming tea. The aroma was intoxicating. The sweet smell of the Dragon's Teeth leaves brushed against her nose.

The exotic scent was something that sent her back to the times in her house, before Shining Armor left for training. The time when her Dad had finished work, her brother was back from practice, and she would stop studying. Her mother would come into the dining room with a large platter of cups and saucers. Together, they would drink the tea, and talk about the day. After Shining left for the guard, the tradition slowly withered.

The Queen smiled. "Brings back memories, doesn't it?"

"I completely forgot about this." She took a sip, letting the fragrance meld with the wonderful taste. There was a comfortable familiarity in it, but also something new. "A new type of Dragon's Teeth plant?" Twilight asked, trying to figure out the mystery flavor.

"Nope, it is the same type that Mom used. I just added a little extra something."

"Hmm?" Another sip. Twilight winced after realizing too late that the tea was still hot. The want to try and figure out the taste pushed out that very important fact. She lowered the cup again and panted in a futile attempt to cool her mouth. She knew it was not going to work, but it made her feel better none the less.

The Queen shook her head. "I worked very long on making this tea perfect. Even if you are going to forget it, I will protect this discovery. Now!" With her chin held high, proudly, she shot a brief smile at Twilight. "I want to know exactly what you expect from me. I know you, and you have high expectations of yourself. Following that train of thought, you must have some idea of what I should be like now, or more so what 'you' should be like now. Do not worry about being unprofessional, you are talking to yourself here."

Twilight held her cup between her hooves, turning it slowly. She wanted to choose her words perfectly without offending the queen. How silly of her to think she wanted to be blunt earlier. "Well, there was something I wanted to mention, to start off my concerns..."

"The curfew, I imagine?" The queen took a sip of her tea. She was much more relaxed than normal. Twilight almost saw a little of her former mentor within the way the queen held herself. She was confident, regal, and had a feeling of comfort surrounding her.

"Well, yes..." Twilight did not know how to continue. She stared at the reflection of herself in the still tea. "I don't know what to think about it. I am sure you remember, but in my time, we didn't have a curfew."

"It was a hard decision, but I have been given the consent of Equestria to carry it out. It is to suppress the abilities of the rebels. If they wish to use any form of magic during the night, when my citizens are most vulnerable, we can detect them and act accordingly." She took a small sip of her tea and sat the cup back on its saucer. It was more than obvious to Twilight that this was not a decision she wanted to make. "To take such actions to hold back the true nature of being a pony though, it hurt me to pass it. Pegusi cant fly, unicorns can't use magic, and earth ponies must restrain themselves from exerting to much energy. It was a terrible sacrifice."

The ice was broken know. Twilight felt the pain in her future self's voice. It even stabbed deep within her to know that she could, and will, make that decision one day. The very idea that she too will be sitting in the Queen's chair one day was hurtful. "Why did our friends leave?"

"That is not something I want to talk about right now." Like Twilight, the Queen only stared out into the reflection of the shallow tea. "I do have a promise to uphold." She added quickly. Twilight wondered if it was for her benefit, or the benefit of the queen. "Oh the things I have planned for us today. I stayed up most of the night in anticipation after submitting all the planned activities. I know you will love them all. There is the collection of autographs of all the great unicorns. You don't know them yet, but they are just marvelous. Then there is the Friendship Museum. After that, we will go get fitted for the Grand Galloping Gala that is coming soon!"

Twilight smiled weakly at the queen. There was no way she could pry for information without ruining this evening. The queen was obviously trying very hard to make this a wonderful day. Twilight was starting to feel more comfortable, and increasingly anxious about the scheduled events. "Sounds amazing. We wouldn't happen to have any company throughout the day, would we? I am sure you can imagine my interest in Starswirl."

"Now now, there will be a time and place for that. Today is for you and me. I am due for a little R and R. And with the day you just had, you have to try and relax. So what do you say?" Queen Twilight's cup clanked against the saucer for the final time, the hollow chime echoed quickly in the empty basin before silencing itself in the spacious room. "How about we show this town how much fun a pair of Twilights can have!"

"Just you and me?" The queen nodded happily. "Talking, hanging out, museums, learning, and dresses?"

"Yes, yes, yes, yes, and yes."

"I think you already know the answer then." Maybe this was good. The queen sure seemed excited after all. Twilight finished her tea in one final gulp. "After you, Twilight."

"Why thank you, Twilight." The queen pranced out the doorway. Twilight followed close behind, the elated anticipation swelling inside at every step. Her worries, her question, they would just have to wait. Maybe, just maybe, she might be able to get some information throughout the adventures.

---

Chirping birds glided above the two Alicorns during the scheduled afternoon picnic. Conflicted with the the predicament that she found herself in yesterday and the current bonding activities that she was participating in, Twilight was not entirely sure how to bring up a topic of conversation. The only things that seemed to be appropriate was small talk. "So, about how long has it been since you were crowned Princess anyways? That was not really mentioned in the tour earlier."

"Oh, that is a tough one..." The Queen took another sip of her water before smiling back to her younger self. "Depends on which coronation you are wanting the time frame for." She teased again with her private knowledge.

"Wait, I was crowned princess twice?!"

"Well, technically once. There was an event about 780 some yea-"

"780 YEARS!?" Twilight gasped. No wonder things looked so different now. Generations had long since passed for new ones.

"Yes, now stop interrupting." The Queen laughed jovially. "Anyways, there was this one fellow that wanted to take ownership of Equestria. You know that song and dance." Twilight rolled her eyes. Seeing how she was speaking light hearted tone about it, the experience was either uneventful or too long ago to really take seriously. "Anyways, he did find some loop-hole in some ancient law. So technically, you are not quite a princess yet. Though everyone kind of agrees that particular little hiccup had no real sway on past actions of the Princesses. So by law, you are not a princess, but in all other manners, you are."

"Sounds like a headache." Twilight was already thinking about any document that she read that would nullify the powers of the Princesses. "Wait, if it has been almost 800 years, how are our friends still around?" This was actually something Twilight thought about a lot. She knew that Alicorns had special aging properties, but that would not translate to those around her.

"After the Friendship Rainbow Castle was created, there were many adventures. Our strides to unify Equestria to embrace the magic of friendship pushed Celestia and Luna to an agreement. Together, they made a spell to stop the aging of our friends. I do miss them. I know that is what you are wanting to know."

Twilight lowered her head. She wanted to apologize, but she saw someone approaching them. He had an enormous figure. Twilight was wondering if this was a pony at all, or something different. "Who is that?" Twilight questioned as the hulking figure strode across the garden to their picnic area.

The Queen stood up and turned towards the pony. Even the Queen herself was not much taller than him. "I made strict orders to not be bothered today." She lowered her chin, forcing an aura of intimidation to the quiet gathering. "So tell me, Might, to what do I owe the pleasure?" The old Queen was back.

"Your Highness, the rebels have called a cease fire. They wish to see our guest." The colt stated coldly. Twilight had just shaken off the awe of his appearance. A black coated guard in a midnight purple armor set stood against the Queen for the first time since Twilight had arrived. No one had dared to approach the Queen like this, or stand unflinching against her gaze. "Queen Twilight," Might started again, never once noticing that Twilight was even there, "it is them, and they wanted my men to give this message." Might cleared his throat. "The message was given by the head of the main rebel army, 'We do not want to see conflict today, we only want to see our friend.' I suggest an immediate counter attack to take out their General."

The Queen shook her head. "No, no attacking. They will have my protection while they are in my walls. Besides, I have not seen them for years. See them in, and provide to any needs they may desire. Inform the baker to prepare dessert, and order the royal stylist to their location. Tell General Dash that we are on our way."