Chapter Seven: Shadow's Gambit
Equestria, Canterlot, 06-07-05, 10:37 A.M. A.N.M. (After Nightmare Moon)
The journey to the palace was a short one. During the trip, Twilight took the time to prepare what she was going to say to Celestia.
No matter their relationship, Twilight was aware that her mentor and former teacher had a great deal of pride. She was certain, despite the past, that there was going to be an accounting concerning her actions. No matter that circumstances prevented her from informing her fellow princesses, she was still nervous.
“What’cha thinking about Twi?” Rainbow Dash asked her marefriend.
Twilight looked at the other alicorn sitting next to her; the pair were sharing a carriage with Rarity and Fluttershy. “I’m just nervous. I know there’s going to be some trouble outside of the Assembly.” She sighed. “Celestia and I have always had a strong relationship, but there’s been a few times in the past that I’ve gotten on her bad side.”
“You mean, like at Princess Cadance’s wedding?” Fluttershy asked softly.
Twilight nodded. “She’s never gotten real angry with me, but there was a time when I was a filly that I went some place I shouldn’t have.” She shuddered a bit. “That was the only time the Princess- I mean Celestia -ever really punished me.”
“What, did you go into her private chambers without asking or something?” Rainbow asked.
Twilight looked at her. “It was her private library, and I read something there that I shouldn’t have.” Twilight looked sad for a moment, then sighed. “I’m more worried about her and Luna’s reaction than the Assembly. Not that that isn’t yet another can of worms entirely,” she said, a severe frown on her muzzle.
Rainbow thought that Twilight was making a bigger deal out of the issue between herself and Celestia than there really was.
<Don’t discount her fears to quickly, child,> the voice of Serenity spoke in her mind. <I have known Celly for as long as I’ve known LuLu, and she does have more pride than she needs at times. It is her failing, just as envy is LuLu’s.>
“Twi, the best thing we can do is just tell the truth,” Rainbow told her marefriend. “I mean, it’s not like any of them can really do anything; not if they don’t wanna cause more problems than they already have.”
“That’s just it, Rainbow darling. The Assembly has the authority to make yours and Twilight’s lives very hard, even with you being alicorns.” Rarity had a frustrated frown on her muzzle as she shook her purple mane. “Not that it’ll get them anywhere; the last time they tried to stand on the princess’ authority was when Cadance first became an alicorn.” She looked out the window. “Oh, we’ve arrived girls. Guess we’ll know soon.”
The three parties made their way forward, an honor guard meeting them at the palace gate. The Guard-stallion in the lead stepped forward and bowed to Twilight in respect. “Mares and Gentle-colts, and Your Highness, the Alicorn Council and the General Assembly has requested your presence. Please follow me.”
They all followed the honor guard, Twilight making sure that the tome Celestia had given her months before was in easy reach. They party of ponies made their way to the Council Chamber, knowing that the horseapples were about to hit the fan.
A few minutes later, Twilight, Rainbow Dash, Lord Brighthoof, and Radiant Dawn were standing in the presence of the full Alicorn Council. Two members of the Equestrian General Assembly were also present, as well as a representative of the Council of Eight.
Celestia nodded regally towards her former student and her friend. “Princess Twilight Sparkle, Dame Rainbow Dash, we of the Council have requested your presence concerning a manner most grave.” She turned her attention towards the next youngest of the alicorns present.
Cadance cleared her throat before speaking. “Thank you, Auntie Celestia.” She looked at the ponies assembled, her expression grim. “Yesterday evening, a curious and grave situation struck a fair number of the Crystal Ponies in my Kingdom.” She nodded towards Lord Brighthoof. “This had come to pass shortly after the Crystal Council declared a vote of No Confidence in myself and my husband, Prince Shining Armor.”
Clearing her throat yet again, Cadance continued. “Details as to how this occurred are sketchy, but apparently, these ponies have ceased being Crystal Ponies, and have become regular earth ponies and pegasi. This has rendered the Crystal Council completely defunct, as only Crystal Ponies can sit on said Council.”
Cadance looked at Luna. The midnight alicorn continued. “What is worse than these ponies losing whatever made them Crystal Ponies, is that a fair number of them have lost their cutie marks as well.” She looked sad. “Not only that, the former Crystal Pegasi can no longer fly, and what little evidence we have shows that the former Crystal Ponies have no working earth pony magic.”
Celestia picked up the thread when Luna stopped, apparently unable to continue. “Documents recently unearthed seem to indicate that these ponies somehow displeased the Aurora.” She frowned. “We’re unclear as to whether or not this was something that Sombra started, though it doesn’t bear his mark.” She looked pointedly at Brighthoof, who coughed uncomfortably.
“Needless to say, whatever Star Swirl the Bearded did to Seal away Sombra ages ago has had unintended consequences.” Celestia looked at the two Bearers before her. “Several months ago, I and Princess Luna sent Princess Twilight Sparkle and Dame Rainbow Dash on a quest, the details of which I wasn’t able to divulge to anypony aside from those present.” A brief look of prideful anger passed over the solar alicorn’s muzzle, too quick for anypony aside from Rainbow Dash and Twilight to see.
“I had asked that myself and Luna be kept abreast of developments. However, a little over three weeks ago, contact between myself and Princess Twilight ended rather abruptly.” She levitated a familiar scroll before the assembled. “This scroll was given to Princess Twilight and Dame Rainbow Dash, along with a tome. When it suddenly returned to me, I was surprised.” Her expression turned rueful as she unrolled it.
Emblazoned on the scroll was symbol of a unicorn stallion wearing a ridiculous cap and robe. “As you can see, this scroll contains the mark of my old teacher, Starswirl the Bearded.” She huffed in aggravation. “I stopped pressuring Princess Twilight, and did my level best to wait patiently. Princess?”
Twilight stepped before the assembled, levitating the tome she had brought with her. “Thank you Princess Celestia.” She turned to face the assembled. “Princess Celestia sent myself, Dame Rainbow Dash, and Centurion Clever Marigold on an important quest.” She tapped the scroll with her horn; with a flash, the mark changed to a complete map. “This scroll now shows the journey through the Crystal Wastes that Rainbow and I took, after we were guided there by the Guardians of Sanctuary.” Celestia looked a bit taken aback by this, but let Twilight continue.
“Our journey was difficult; however, this tome contained everything we needed to know.” Her expression became one of long-suffering frustration. “Some of which would have been helpful before we ran into some of the problems.” She sighed. “In any case, once we had made it to the top of Mount Everfest, the hardest part of our journey took place.” She turned towards Rainbow Dash, giving her the cue to continue.
Leveraging the poise that she had somehow been gifted with when she became an alicorn, Rainbow began her part of the tale. “When Princess Celestia sent Twilight, Marigold, and myself on our quest, she and Princess Luna had given us a third item. Once we made our way towards the outskirts of Trottingham, the third item, a crystal container, revealed itself to be a unique sword.” She pointed at the tome, which had a sword emblazoned on its cover.
“That tome led us on our journey, which was made both harder and easier than it needed to be by a personal issue I was dealing with at the time.” Rainbow Dash looked at Celestia and Luna with a rueful expression on her muzzle. “In any case, we made it through the caves, and followed the instructions given.”
Rainbow looked away for a moment, clearing her throat before continuing. “During this, the meaning of a recurring dream I’d been having suddenly made sense.” She swallowed again. “To make this as brief as I can, I confessed how I truly felt at the time, and took Twilight’s place instead.”
Rainbow moved forward to stand next to Twilight. “Remember when I said that a personal issue I was having made things more difficult? Well, a few days prior to the start of our quest, my mana began the transition from the pegasus mana I was born with to that of a pegacorn.” Summoning her mana, Rainbow caused a flash of light to hide her changing form.
“As you can see, I’m rather more than that now,” the prismatic-maned alicorn said, a cocky grin on her muzzle. A glow around her horn kept the now fuming council-ponies from objecting as she continued.
“I’m not going to say much more, as the details are in that tome,” Princess Rainbow Dash said, her smirk turning into a frown. “I will say this much though. When the Ritual was completed, I was still a newborn pegacorn. I didn’t become an alicorn until I accepted my new destiny.”
The cyan alicorn’s tone took on a resonant quality similar to the Royal Canterlot Voice, though nowhere near as intense. “I, Rainbow Prism Dash, have accepted the role as Alicorn of Light, and Princess of the Aurora.”
Rainbow’s expression became impassive as she continued. “It was on my authority that the colluding members of the Crystal Council were no longer worthy of the Blessings of Gaia and Serenity.” She looked at the now steamed council-ponies- aside from the representative of the Eight, who was wearing a slightly amused expression -as she continued. “These ponies had betrayed the Oath that their ancestors had made twice. First, in that they were in willing collusion with the Great Traitor and One-Trick-Pony, the so-called King Sombra. And second, in that they had declared an unlawful vote of No Confidence in favor of Princess Mi Amore Cadenza. They did not have the backing of all of the Crystal Pony Tribes, as only Crystal Ponies and Crystal Pegasi were in attendance.”
Rainbow’s expression became severe. “These ponies forgot that they needed the full vote of all five of the Crystal Pony tribes in order to declare a blood descendant of the first Crystal Emperor unfit. As the Crystal Sea Ponies and Crystal Zebra weren’t even consulted, then their actions were totally illegal.” She smirked. “Not that they would have been able to ask either, as both of those Tribes guard the entrances to the Realm I’m charged with protecting.” She smirked. “You can all talk now; don’t let me stop you.” Twilight smiled briefly at this momentary glimpse of of Rainbow’s usual irrepressible devil-may-care attitude.
The faint glow around Rainbow’s horn suddenly ceased; this heralded the cessation of the light-based silencing spell she had employed. The senior of the three council-ponies present- a stallion -wasted no time in expressing himself.
“Diarchs of Equestria, members of the Alicorn Council, the actions that you and these upstarts have taken have demonstrated that you no longer possess the acuity to rule this nation as you have. Therefore, the General Assembly hereby-- *urk*!” He was abruptly cut off by the junior council-pony present.
“I really wish you pompous windbags would heed the warnings my teacher gives you.” Turning towards the assembled alicorns, the unicorn mare bowed briefly before continuing. “As of this morning, the Assembled Priesthood of the Essences sent word to the Council of Eight that the Prophecy of Light foretold by the Oracle of Daphne had been fulfilled. My teacher sent word to the General Assembly that they were not to question the actions the princesses made concerning Princess Twilight Amelia Sparkle Armor”- here Twilight wanted to stomp in frustration -“ and Princess Rainbow Prism Dash.” Glorious Sunrise smirked a bit before her expression turned impassive. “It gives me no pleasure to invoke the authority granted to me by the Council of Eight and the Priesthood, but I have little choice.”
Sunrise made her way towards the alicorns assembled before the others. Motioning to the Guards-ponies present in the room, she continued. “By the power invested in the Eight by the Founders Laws, and by the power invested in the Priesthood by the Heart of Harmony, the General Assembly is hereby banned from any ruling concerning our newest Princesses. As this is a matter between alicorns, and is one concerning a nation outside Equestria’s borders, Princess Celestia Dos Everfree and Princess Lunara Dos Everfree acted in good faith.” She pointed her hoof at her fellow council-ponies. “I really wish you’d grow a pair and stand up to Lady Lemyre and her cronies.” She sighed. “I really wish that uncle.” She stomped her hoof. “By the Founders Law, the General Assembly will not gather unless or until there is a popular vote of ALL of the pony tribes, or at the pleasure of the Alicorn Council.”
Sunrise bowed towards the assembled Princesses. “Your Highnesses, I must escort these ‘representatives’ to the Council Chamber.” So saying, she made her way towards the now-shaking council-ponies were standing.
Celestia took the tome that Twilight had been levitating into her own field. “Princess Twilight, Princess Rainbow Dash, I will give you an hour for lunch. I expect a full accounting of why you thought hiding something of this import from me was a good idea; the excuse that it ‘was Star Swirl’s Will’ will not suffice. I have had enough of that insufferable, selfish, overbearing stallion’s actions to last for three thousand years. Sister, attend to me when you have seen our two youngest princesses settled to their meal.” With a flash of light, Celestia teleported away.
“Oh dear, her Pride just had to speak up,” Luna murmured. Turning to the other princesses, she nodded towards the doors leading to the adjoining dining hall. “Please follow me sisters.”
The ponies all followed Luna to the table, which was already laid out for a meal. “Please, do not hurry on my account. Take as much time as you need.” Luna smirked at the shocked expression on Cadance’s muzzle. “Oh, pish posh; do you honestly think I’m going to force the command my dear sister gave?” She levitated an apple towards her snout. “The last time I checked, Twilight Sparkle was the Princess of Friendship; she is most certainly under no obligation to do anything Tia demands of her.” She took a bite of the apple in front of her while the others digested her words.
The others began to eat, setting aside the issue for the moment. Brighthoof felt as though he was intruding. He made to leave; however, he was stopped by Cadance. “Oh, Lord Brighthoof, please join us.” He did so, shaking his head as he walked towards the seat next to his Princess.
Brighthoof caught the suspicious glare that Luna was sending his way. “If it pleases Your Highness, feel free to speak your mind.” He selected a mandarin orange and cheese-topped salad from the numerous salad bowls that were present.
“Lord Brighthoof, I find it curious that you are somehow affecting the form of a Crystal Unicorn.” Luna selected her own meal as she said this, a daisy-and-watercress sandwich. “Not only is that fact a shock, but that you- as a mortal pony -are still alive after all of these years is something of a shock to me.”
Brighthoof sighed. “I wondered whether it would be you or your sister that would first ask me those questions Princess.” He took a bite of his salad before continuing. “I will answer them by telling my story in brief.”
Chewing yet another bite thoughtfully, Brighthoof began his tale. “I was sent by the Equestrian Council as an attaché of Sombra, though he didn’t use that name at the time.” He took a drink of orange juice. “I wasn’t aware of his plans, as he wasn’t one to tell his aides anything.” Brighthoof frowned. “I can’t say as though I wasn’t aware of the Council’s plans, though all I had to go on were suspicions.”
Brighthoof took another drink before continuing. “When I found out, I did my best to try and get the Crystal Ponies to deport Sombra. I was banished with the Crystal Unicorns as a result.” He then smiled; the expression was a happy one. “I fell in love. It was this love that caused me to take the Crystal Oath, the first to have done so in generations.” His expression turned sour. “I was present when Sombra was first Sealed away, along with the rest of the Crystal Unicorns. That’s perhaps the only time I’ve ever been angry at ponies who were only doing the best they could to help.”
Brighthoof stopped talking for a moment, concentrating on his salad. “When Sombra escaped, we were briefly released, only to have another set of spells Seal us again.” His expression became one of unfettered anger. “I’ve never felt so helpless as I did then, knowing that a no-account, half-baked wannabe wizard didn’t have the balls to find some other way to stop Sombra without Sealing away an entire kingdom of innocent ponies.” He looked at Rainbow in apology.
Luna regarded the Crystal Unicorn while she finished her own meal. “Well, that’s a great deal more than I was expecting,” she said at length. “I take it then that there was some anger directed towards myself and Tia?” Brighthoof nodded, a rueful expression on his muzzle.
The dark blue alicorn looked pensive as she grabbed a salad. “I cannot say that such feelings weren’t unwarranted. We did all we could, Tia and I, and yet it wasn’t enough.” She shrugged her wings a little. “The hang-up, as it were, was the same thing I later dealt with; my sister’s pride.”
“Isn’t that a bit harsh on Celly?” Rainbow Dash spoke up, a look of concern on her muzzle.
“Celly? Never mind, Princess Rainbow; you got that from Serenity.” Luna was wearing an amused expression that quickly changed. “I am being fair. ‘Tis as fair to say that my sister is overly prideful as it is to say that I am overly jealous of the attention she’s always received.” She smiled ruefully at the look on Twilight’s muzzle. “Yes, Twilight Sparkle; even before we became alicorns, my dear sister always received more attention than I.”
The ponies all thought about what had been said as they finished their lunch. When it was over, Luna took them on a tour of the gardens, deliberately doing all she could to go past the hour that her sister had given them. While they were exploring the gardens, Luna continued her advice to the two youngest alicorns. “Remember yourselves Princesses; you are not under any obligation to do as my sister demands, no matter what she thinks.” She smirked. “Just ask Princess Angela sometime; she had more than a few words with me when I returned. She was not pleased with Tia’s belief that Sanctuary needn’t be separate from the rest of Equus any longer.”
“Yeah, but ponies’ attitudes towards pegacorns and other undesirables show that Sanctuary will always be needed.” Rainbow’s severe expression fell after a moment. “Then there’s the Eternal Library. And there’s things in there that I don’t think Equus will ever be ready for.”
Further conversation was halted by the arrival of Luna’s majordomo. “Your Highness, the Council of Eight has requested the presence of Lord Brighthoof,” the stallion said in even tones.
“Of course, Stern Hoof; I will send him presently.” Luna nodded towards the other princesses. “I must attend my sister; I am certain that her patience is wearing thin, and I must do what I can to direct it where it needs to go.” She smirked before teleporting away.
Brighthoof bowed briefly before going with Luna’s majordomo. “My Princess, I will see you when I see you. And good day to you as well Crystal Princess.” He then left, following his fellow noble-pony.
Cadance looked at the retreating forms of the two stallions, a question in her eyes. Turning to Rainbow Dash, she decided to voice said question. “I’m not certain as to why he called you ‘My Princess.’ Is that something you can explain Rainbow?”
Rainbow sighed a little as they all walked towards Celestia’s chambers. “It has to do with how the Crystal Oath works,” she said ruefully. “Ya know how the Crystal Heart outpours Light and Love, right?” Cadance nodded. “Well, the Oath was actually to both Serenity and Gaia. Because I’m the Alicorn of Light, I’m the princess to all of the Faithful, those that follow the Aurora itself.”
“That doesn’t mean that she directly supplants your authority Cadance,” Twilight spoke up. She knew her sister-in-law was concerned for her own role; it was as plain to her as her own nose. “You are the Crystal Princess by the right of your birth, and you would have been so even if you were still only a pegasus.”
“So when ponies say ‘My Princess’ to me, they don’t necessarily mean my role as Crystal Princess?” Cadance asked the pair.
Twilight nodded. “I’ve even had a few say the phrase to me, as there is a Circle of Friendship now.” She scowled at that. “The last thing I ever wanted was worship; at least those idiot ponies don’t see me as a deity, just somepony to look up to. That’s bad enough as it is…” Her words trailed off.
Rainbow grinned at her marefriend’s discomfort. “I call her that myself, though I do it for a different reason.” Her grin turned sly as Twilight blushed a bright red.
Cadance chuckled a bit at this. Then she frowned sadly. “Was it truly necessary to punish them so severely Rainbow? I know that they had asked for it by colluding with Sombra, but such a permanent action is unfair to them.”
Rainbow sighed. “I know, and believe me, it was really unfair. Neither Serenity or I wanted it. We had no choice though; Gaia’s Law needed to be upheld.” She then smiled sadly. “Besides, it isn’t permanent; those that come to terms with the unlawfulness of their actions will be restored.” She scowled. “Only those who were truly working with Sombra will remain as they are. I’m afraid that means you will have to choose more to fill the main seats of the Council, as every single one of them were allied with him for one reason or another.”
Cadance sighed at that. “Well, I had to ask. I see that what you have done has caused you some pain. Punishments like this never get easier; Auntie Celestia says that to me every time she’s forced to stone a criminal pony.” She then turned to the left where a clock was mounted on the wall. “Well girls, I’d really like to support you, but there are other things I have to attend to. Besides,” she said with a grin, “Auntie Luna will be there, and you have shown that you are your own mare Twilight.” She then left the pair after hugging the both of them.
The two remaining alicorns made their way towards Celestia’s chamber. Both of them were dreading the confrontation that was about to occur.
They were right to dread it, as things were about to come to a head in ways few would have suspected.
The first thing that Twilight and Rainbow Dash noticed when they entered Celestia’s private chamber was the fact that she and her sister were still in the middle of a very tense discussion.
“I really do not understand why you thought it was a great idea to encourage Twilight and Rainbow Dash to ‘take their time’,” Celestia was saying. Her tone was more frosty than Twilight had ever heard from her. “I have given a great deal of concessions to our fellow princess, considering I have never taken her to task for many of the actions she has done since moving to Ponyville.” She shook her head. “I should have brought her back when the whole ‘Want It/Need It’ incident occurred.”
“I was under the distinct impression that whole circumstance was the result of Princess Twilight’s neurosis. A neurosis not helped by the demanding work schedule you forced upon her.” Luna’s tone was icy. “Not to mention all of the other things you have done to that poor mare. Not the least of which was in sending her to deal with myself under my Nightmare’s influence to do what was your job.”
Celestia’s expression became even more tight. “Luna, we’ve been through this. I had little choice, since Twilight had demonstrated a reluctance to make more friends than she already had.” She walked towards her sister as she spoke, her movements stiff. “And my actions are not what is under discussion. Twilight’s decision of not even giving a single word as to what was happening to Rainbow Dash is what this discussion was about.” She huffed. “Twilight is intelligent enough to have found some way to give word to me, yet she didn’t even make the effort.”
Rainbow Dash looked at Twilight in concern as they walked in. The lavender alicorn had an expression that she had seen before, though not leveled towards her mentor; one of tempered anger. “Princess Celestia, Princess Luna, I see that you have decided to discuss mine and Rainbow’s actions without us present to defend ourselves.” Twilight walked towards the two sisters as she said this. She was rudely interrupted before she could continue.
“You would have been here to have this discussion if you had followed the directive I had given earlier, instead of heeding my sister’s misplaced advice.” If Celestia’s tone could get any icier, it would have. “In any case, that is neither here nor there. What is under discussion is why you deigned to keep the circumstances of Princess Rainbow Dash’s transformation a secret. You could have found a way around whatever restrictions that manipulative stallion might have set up. At the least, you could have informed me prior to entering the Caves, as you weren’t blocked until then.”
Celestia would have continued, but the anger in Twilight’s eyes gave her pause. “Secrets, Celestia? You are angry because I kept secrets from you?” She snorted. “Well, you finally know how I feel. And if you interrupt me one more time until I’ve said my piece, I will call Hope’s Law and The Law of the Six on you.” She said the last as she saw that the day alicorn was about to interrupt her again.
Both Luna and Rainbow were shocked. Twilight had never used that tone with Celestia before; this was more evidence that the emotional storm cresting was a long time coming.
“Since we’re on the subject of secrets, perhaps I should list all of the ones that you have kept from me.” Twilight began to pace back in forth as she spoke. “First, there’s what Princess Luna mentioned; the details of the Nightmare’s arrival, and the fact that you sent me to Ponyville with zero preparation. Add to that the fact that you were aware of my friend’s possible connection to myself and the Seeds of Harmony long before then.”
“Then there’s the circumstances of Discord’s first escape. You were well aware that he had the ability to teleport the Seeds past your wards on the Vault, as Chaos mana is virtually identical to alicorn mana, only on a lower wavelength. Add to that fact that you were also aware precisely where he had sent the Seeds, yet you decided not to assist us. If it wasn’t the fact that Discord has no ability for long term planning, he would have once again taken control. Briefly, as you also failed to mention the cadre of battle-trained unicorns gifted with the knowledge of Chaos-repelling spells.” Twilight huffed at this. “Not that they would have helped, as he hit them with transformation magic before he went after the Seeds, and your backup was guarding an unessential fortress in a completely safe territory.”
“While I’m on the subject of backup, let’s mention all of the secrets you kept concerning that,” Twilight continued. “First, the matter of Shining and Cadance’s betrothal. Celestia, you told my parents, Cadance, and my brother that my ‘studies’ were too important to bother informing me of their impending wedding. It was that that kept my brother from saying anything prior, and only him choosing me as his best mare changed that.”
“Oh, and there’s the wedding itself. You kept the fact that a changeling had warned you of Chrysalis’ plans a secret. Not only that, you knew that Cadance was at risk because of the lack of formal education she’s received concerning her alicorn nature. Much like myself. The only reason we were able to win is because Chrysalis was a stupid bug that didn’t get enough information before attacking.”
“Then there’s all you kept secret about the Crystal Empire. The fact that you had knowledge of where the Heart was sealed, and the spell that Sombra had used. You also neglected to mention the spells that kept him from fully manifesting, spells that were neutralized at the precise moment the Heart was used.”
“Then there’s my ascension. You neglected to inform me that there was a significant risk that my friends could have had more than just their cutie marks swapped.” Twilight’s anger was fully expressed now. “You risked my friends lives in that, and all because of a half-assed ‘if/then’ prophecy that I was likely to fulfill anyway, considering that I was already more than half way down the same Path of Ascension your own sister once walked.”
“Even if Rainbow Dash had told me to tell you what was happening to her, I wouldn’t have. I’m no longer obligated to inform you of anything, and it’s out of respect for this nation that I ever did.” Twilight snorted, her expression still angry.
“All I ever wanted from you is the joy of magic I saw when I witnessed you raise Sol when I was a filly. I never even wanted to be a princess; I just wanted to learn from you.” Twilight huffed again. “Instead of magic, which I mostly learned from my other teachers and on my own, all of what you taught me was grooming for a role I never wanted, and one that I would have turned down. I only have it now because it’s the nature of both pegacorns and alicorns to protect their ponies.”
“But you didn’t see it that way, did you Celestia? In your anger at a mage that has been dead for over a millennium, you had to do all you could to control this world your way. YOUR kingdom, YOUR rules, YOUR ponies. You treated me and my friends in much the same way you treated Sunset Shimmer, and all because you wanted to control everything. Clover would have a fit were she here now, as would any of the other Six.”
Twilight turned away, motioning for Rainbow to follow her. “Before you get all high-and-mighty about the secrets Rainbow and I kept, maybe you should think of the ones that you kept from us. After all, my friends and I are the ones that have been doing your job. You’re truly fortunate in that I don’t want your throne, as by the Founder’s Laws, we Elements have far more right to it. Especially since this nation was founded by ponies, and you were only supposed to reign until we were ready to rule ourselves!”
Before she and Rainbow Dash walked off, Twilight turned in apology to Luna. “Princess Luna, I apologize for sidelining you. You’ve only been a victim of your sister’s pride, just like the rest of us. Let’s go find our friends Rainbow; they have a right to know all we’ve learned, and it’s time we told them.” Rainbow nodded, glaring at Celestia before she followed her marefriend.
Celestia made to follow the two alicorns, her anger all-too apparent; she was stopped by Luna. “Not another word Celestia, else I will call on the Council of the Essences.” Celestia stopped in shock at these words. “Yes, Celestia. Everything Twilight said was just, and needed to be said.”
Before she too left, Luna had one more thing to say to her sister. “Celestia, you need to think about what is truly important, lest you fall to your Pride, as I fell to my Envy.” She then walked away.
Celestia huffed, then called her senechal to cancel Court. She was in no mood to deal with the useless nobles at the moment, and really needed to think things through.
Elsewhere in Canterlot…
A mare wearing a dark hood stood before a mirror in a locked and warded room. She had witnessed everything that had gone on between the alicorns, which would have shocked and appalled Celestia.
The mare in question was only half pleased with how things turned out; she had been expecting an irreversible schism. “It seems as though the Demon of Pride still doesn’t have enough influence over Celestia’s heart and mind, even after all these centuries,” the unicorn said to herself, her tone irritated.
“Well, no matter. That is why the Master contacted me after all. My control of such things is strong. I will put that upstart of a false alicorn in her place, as well as her mentor. The Throne will finally be restored to its rightful rulers, and we will be able to place the Lesser Races where they belong.” She worked her magic to contact the demon through her mirror, only to have the runes Star Swirl embedded into it react to the presence of corrupted Shadow mana.
Unlike the last time she had attempted this- where the reaction only cracked the glass -the protection runes caused the glass to shatter. The unicorn noble growled in frustration. “Now I will have to wait until the glass fully regenerates! Damn that stallion!” The unicorn mare turned towards an array surrounded by black crystals. The entire structure seethed with corrupted Shadow and Darkness mana.
The witch- for witchcraft was what she practiced -stepped into the array, grumbling as she did so. Using this array was a risk, as she opened herself up to possession every time she did so. It wasn’t a danger, merely a setback, as she was far more capable of binding all but the Master Demons to her will. Even then, she could bend those to her needs at will since she was a master of her own vices.
The mare settled on her haunches and began to chant, channeling twisted mana as she did so. Her efforts soon paid off, as she was able to influence the Demon tormenting Celestia.
This would prove to be a mistake, as the mirror’s shattering sent a warning on the winds, one that a part of Celestia had long been expecting…
A couple of hours after sunset, Celestia was still dealing with her anger.
She had spent the better part of the day looking for Twilight, only to have been informed that her and her friends were sequestered in one of the private chambers of the Council of Eight, who had requested their presence. When she made to enter, her anger plain to see, she got a further shock.
The Solar Guards-ponies at the entrances of every door moved to block them, their own expressions going from stoicism to anger. She was informed by her Captain that the Council had invoked the Founder’s Law, and that her continued position as Princess of Equestria was under conflict.
Celestia returned to her chambers in a huff, determined to show these upstart ponies who was really in charge. She prepared to cast the same shield spell she had once used to protect her ponies in the days before Sombra was defeated. The difference was that she was going to use said spell to separate the Elements from everypony else.
This was a mistake.
A feeling of intense anger from Sol came to her, and her connection to Sol’s vast repositories of energy was abruptly blocked. Only her control of its raising and lowering remained.
Worse was what happened to her knowledge of spells; a chorus of voices she had only ever heard once blocked every spell she had ever learned. Only levitation and the minor Blink teleport commonly employed by unicorns was left to her.
“What is the meaning of this, Solaris?! What have I done to deserve this?! I am only trying to protect them!” She cried out, her anger replaced by real fear.
<Because this is your Pride speaking, Celestia,> the voice of the Essence of the Sun replied sadly. <Much like Selene couldn’t let Luna use her power against you, I cannot let you use my power against the ponies. No matter what crimes you may think Princess Twilight and Princess Rainbow Dash have committed.>
A deep sense of sadness overcame Celestia as she finally realized what she had said and done. “Oh, by Harmony, what have I wrought?”
Celestia had never intended to hide so much from Twilight. It was only the words of the Seers of the past that were causing her to hold so much back. “Have I truly been blocking my injured pride this much?” She asked softly. She then sighed sadly. “I have, and I have truly wronged Twilight in doing so. Oh, I should have long come to grips with my pride. I almost let it get the better of me.” Awareness of her misguided actions caused the chorus of voices to restore her knowledge of magic, though this fact barely registered to the sad alicorn.
Celestia would have descended further into her sadness had an insistent whisper not intruded on her awareness. A warbling chime that had been going off in the back of her mind suddenly made itself known.
“Wait, I know that tone. It’s the warning tone that Starry embedded in the Scrying Mirror of the Royal Family. It only does that when a pony of the blood tries to use magic to summon… demons.”
Suddenly, memories long suppressed flashed before her eyes. Of times where she had hid details or pulled strings out of pride, rather than the need that was present. She watched herself ignore her sister’s troubles, her own stubborn pride not letting her offer Luna the help she needed.
Most importantly, she remembered hearing a distinct voice during these times, always as a whisper. Never in words as such. And she finally realized why she had never truly heard it; Clover’s lessons on mind-shielding runes.
Celestia’s anger peaked; now she knew why her pride was able to get the better of her. With a snarl, she sealed her chambers off with a Class 1 barrier and sound-blocking spell, realizing as she did so that her knowledge of magic had been restored to her. This fact allowed her to do what she needed do to ensure the demon and his ilk would never cause her to hurt the ones she loved again.
“By the Blessings of Gaia and Chronos, come forth fully into this world, Demon of Pride! By the Radiance of Serenity, I will it to be so!”
A screech of panic and rage suddenly came from out of nowhere. Around Celestia’s horn, a nimbus of pitch black mana appeared. Within moments, it coalesced into a blob of writhing energy. Celestia swung her head, dislodging the blob.
Within moments of it dropping, the blob started to writhe, morphing as it grew. The shape that it became was horrid, as it was a mockery of Celestia herself.
Every part of the day alicorn that was a source of her pride- her wings, her horn, her flanks -was grossly exaggerated to an obscene point. A nimbus of light from the direction of Celestia’s balcony flashed forward, burning the twisted creature. The light then descended into Celestia’s body, severing the last link the demon had on the solar alicorn.
<I was able to help because you have accepted that pride is a part of you,> the sweet voice of Solaris spoke into her mind. With joy, Celestia felt her connection to Sol fully restore itself. Her joy turned to focused anger as she gazed upon the twisted creature before her.
The demon snarled at her, angered beyond words. Lunging, it made to contact her once more, only for Celestia to send it sprawling with a swipe of her left wing.
Contact with the appendage caused the demon intense pain. “You cannot touch me monster, for I have fully accepted my pride,” Celestia said coldly. “However, I’m not my sister; I have at least some mercy for your kind.”
The demon snarled again, and morphed its forehooves into claws sheathed in twisted Dark mana. It then launched itself at the alicorn yet again, swiping at her as it did so.
Celestia wasn’t taking any chances. She called on Sol’s power, channeling the Light of Solaris into the spells sealing her chambers. Then she spoke one word, calling forth the one thing bound to her that struck fear into the demons that populated Tartarus.
“Helios!”
With a shriek of rage, the demon launched itself at Celestia. Raising her bound blade in a defensive posture, Celestia began to meet the beast stroke for stroke.
A swipe from its left claw-hoof was blocked by a golden shield the princess summoned; a jab from its right was parried by Helios. The demon backpedaled to the wall and began tossing bolts of darkness at the alicorn. Celestia blocked every one, using nothing more than her sword and conjured shield.
The demon shrieked, then dove for the balcony. A flash of purple-hued energy propelled the creature back. It turned in rage towards the alicorn, horn wreathed in a mana-cancelling aura.
Celestia took no chances; three swipes left the demon without claws or a horn. Shrieking in pain and rage, the monster flew to the wall where it had sensed a crack in the runes surrounding Celestia’s chambers.
Celestia snarled, then cast a spell that she hadn’t used since she and her sister had battled Tirek’s hordes ages ago. Chains of sunsteel forged from moonlight wrapped around the back cannons of the creature, and also around its barrel and wings.
The energy that the demon had been using to flee was sapped from it. Finally unable to fight, the twisted creature used the last weapon it had; it used its voice.
You cannot kill Us, Alicorn of the Sun! We are Pride; We are a part of You!
“Wrong, mis-born,” Celestia said softly. “My pride is my own now; you no longer have a hold on it.” She stalked towards the creature while speaking. “My own sister thinks that such creatures deserve to be punished. I feel differently.”
Celestia leveled her sword, the blade shimmering with a mixture of darkness and shadow mana wreathed around a core of light mana. Scintillating bands of sunlight and moonlight flared around the others from time to time.
The demon writhed in its chains.
Kill Us, and We will come back stronger!
“Not this time; you’ve been Blessed with the Blessings of the First and Her Brother. You’re no longer a demon with those Blessings; you’re now a mis-born Shadow-Wraith.” Celestia moved ever closer to the creature as she spoke these words.
“You have tormented me for centuries,” she said softly, pain etched on her muzzle. “You encouraged me to cling to my pride; said pride has caused me to hurt those I truly love time and again. I’m now forced to apologize to three of the kindest, most wonderful ponies I have ever known, ponies that have a far better understanding of Harmony than I ever did.” She hung her head for a moment. “But what I do now, I do not out of anger. Oh no, this is out of a wish to protect My Little Ponies, and out of pity.” She looked the mis-born creature in the eyes. “I pity you, creature; your whole existence has been one of pain and misery. I send you to the Shadowlands not out of anger, but out of that pity.”
Celestia held aloft Helios at shoulder height, blade angled for best leverage. “I release you by Solaris’ Light, Selene’s Purity, Serenity’s Radiance, and Dusk’s Honor. May the Heart of Harmony have mercy on your twisted soul.” As she finished these words, a stroke from Helios severed the former demon’s head from its shoulders.
The chains fell off the creature’s remains. A dome of rainbow-colored light surrounded said remains. Within moments, nothing was left of the creature that had tormented her for over a millennium.
Celestia called the Light from within her wards, then sent her blade back to the pocket dimension she kept her battle armor in. A blue flash heralded the arrival of Luna.
“Sister, what has happened to you?!” the midnight alicorn cried out. She took in the disheveled appearance of her elder sister and decided the best thing she could do was hug her.
Celestia said nothing at first, preferring to lean into the hug being given to her by the one pony she relied upon the most.
“Oh Luna, I should have listened to you all those years ago. I am so sorry little sister,” Celestia said, tears streaming down her muzzle.
Luna held her elder sister tightly. “You were naught but right in many things Tia,” she said in response. “But that is all past and done; even what has recently transpired.” Luna made to look her sister in the eyes, a smirk playing around the corners of her muzzle. “At the least, you did listen to my words of wisdom, did you not?” Celestia nodded, sniffling a bit.
Luna summoned a dark blue hoofkerchief. “Dry your tears dear sister; ‘tis most unbecoming of a princess to cry like this.” Celestia chuckled at the humor as she took the hoofkerchief in her own kinesis.
Celestia then made her way to her alicorn-sized bed, sighing as she did so. “I only hope Twilight and Rainbow Dash can forgive an old mare her foibles,” she said softly.
Luna levitated the blankets over her sister, tucking her sister in as Celestia had so often done fer her when younger. “Worry not about that overmuch Tia. ‘Tis not in that purple alicorn’s nature to hold a grudge, though it may take some time.” She then walked towards her sister’s balcony. “I’m sure a full explanation of your reasons will be enough, as long as you don’t attempt to make excuses.” She shook herself. “Well, I must be off; there are dreams to guard this night. Sleep well sister; worry not about what has happened until tomorrow.” The dark blue alicorn then took off to her own tower.
Celestia smiled. “Thank you little sister. Good night.”
Equestria, Canterlot Castle, 06-08-05, 9:17 A.M. A.N.M. (After Nightmare Moon)
The next morning had dawned bright and clear. Celestia had invited the three youngest alicorns to breakfast, though they had yet to show up.
Celestia was in the middle of reading a massive missive sent to her by Clover the Wise. While the full Council had been unaware of all of the details, she had kept both Clover and Lord Armor in full confidence. However, that still didn’t mean that she wasn’t in danger of losing her crown.
Celestia sighed, shifting a bit. One wouldn’t be able to tell from her serene exterior, but Celestia was quite nervous. No matter how one looked at it, her pride had caused her to malign the one pony who had never been a disappointment to her. Even those few mistakes she had made were the result of her own actions, and not because of anything that Twilight had done.
Celestia thought back to those earlier times, remembering all of the things she had kept from her protegé. She cringed briefly, realizing that a great deal she had kept from Twilight was out of the prideful belief that Twilight wasn’t mature enough to handle it. She also realized that her over-zealousness in preparing Twilight for her eventual role as a princess stunted the poor mare socially.
In her pride, Celestia had never bothered to think if being a princess was what Twilight really wanted. In truth, there really wasn’t a role for her to fulfill in the beginning. Celestia and Luna both had to work in secret to lay the foundation for her eventual placement as the Princess of Friendship. Neither Twilight nor Cadance wanted the roles that Celestia pridefully thrust upon them, whether fated to become alicorns or not.
There was one bit of anger that Celestia still had yet to resolve however, and it had nothing to do with Twilight. Rather, Celestia was still very angry at all of the secrets Star Swirl had kept from her and Luna both. How was she supposed to do her job if she only knew half of what she was supposed to know? And why was it that every dark prophecy involving all of the Sealed-Evil-In-A-Can he left lying around involved her keeping what truth she did know from those that were fated to stop them?
Celestia shook her head to relieve herself of these maudlin thoughts. She needed to be ready when Twilight, Rainbow Dash, and Cadance arrived. Which she was certain was soon, as she could hear Cadance’s musical voice down the hall.
The door to her and Luna’s private dining room opened with a cyan glow, a sign that Rainbow Dash was holding the door open for the other alicorns. Twilight entered first, a slight blush on her cheeks as she nodded to Rainbow in thanks. Celestia raised her eyebrow at that display of affection. There’s more going on between those two than I initially thought, Celestia thought to herself, noticing Rainbow’s expression change as her gaze fell on the white alicorn.
Cadance was the last to enter. The three alicorns all took seats around the table. Luna took that moment to teleport in, looking a bit rumpled. Celestia sadly noticed that Twilight was sitting as far away from her as she could, her expression neutral. Oh dear, she is still quite angry with me. I’ve certainly made my nest; I hope I can at least patch things up with her.
Luna motioned to the waiter, who brought forth dishes that were favorites of every pony present. For the next few minutes, the gathered alicorns concentrated on breaking their fast. Surprisingly, it was Rainbow Dash that spoke first.
“Well, I don’t know about anypony else, but those were some really good waffles,” the polychromatic-maned alicorn said. Twilight facehoofed at that. “What, can’t I at least compliment the chef on his superb cooking skills?” She grinned a little. “Sure, he’s got nothing on Spike; that little guy makes a mean waffle.” Her smile looked a little forced. “I guess I should shut up now.”
Celestia sighed internally. “Well, I guess I should start explaining my actions.” Concentrating briefly, Celestia teleported the breakfast dishes away before summoning a pile of scrolls and several ancient tomes. She then turned to her seneschal. “Let everypony know that there is a session of the full Alicorn Council occurring, and that Day Court will be suspended until it is concluded. Unless there is news of great import, do not interrupt us until I send word.” The mare nodded, gesturing at the Solar Guards-ponies standing at the doors to follow her out.
“Well, I’m sure you’re all wondering why I’ve asked you here all this morning,” Celestia began, giving herself a little time to organize her thoughts. “I have lived for a long time, much of that spent holding the reins of Equestria.” She then swallowed, her serene mask coming off. “And even with the wisdom that comes with the years, I still fell to pride.”
“Even though a demon whispered into my mind, encouraging my actions, that is no excuse. I was the one that still heeded those words, though the creature was never able to fully express itself.” Celestia turned towards her sister. “Luna, my pride did not keep me from seeing what you had been going through; however, it did encourage me to let you work through it yourself, instead of going to you when you needed me the most. It was only after I used the Elements of Harmony that I saw past my pride.” Celestia sighed. “Once again though, it was my pride that led me to make the changes to the nobility I did, though that was of lesser consideration than the anger I felt at myself.”
Celestia then turned to Cadance. “Cadance, you may think I haven’t wronged you, yet something Twilight said to me last evening showed me that I have.” Her expression turned sad. “I encouraged you to court Shining Armor without ever telling you about your heritage. I left you with little understanding as to your alicorn nature. Had I instructed you as I was advised to, you would have been able to stop Chrysalis yourself. I thank Harmony that Shining has taken it upon himself to teach you to better harness your unicorn mana; however, I should have helped you with your alicorn mana. I risked you even more when I let the nobles convince me to disregard my better judgment in the matter of your wedding.”
Celestia stopped for a moment; it was clear to the other alicorns present that she was finding it quite difficult to continue. After a moment, she did so. “Princess Rainbow Dash, I’ve wronged you as well, just as much as I have your friends.” She lifted a tome in her kinesis. “This tome contains the family trees of all of the descendants of the original Six.” She opened the tome to a particular passage. “I have kept this a secret from all but two ponies. When you triggered that Sonic Rainboom all those years ago, your name, and the names of your friends all bore this mark.” She showed them all the stylized Tree next to Rainbow’s name.
“This has happened before; normally, it only marks one or two ponies in each generation, but for it to mark eight young mares at once was a rare occurrence.” Celestia sighed. “I had already took two of them on as students, though not out of real need. It was pride.”
“I know what you are all wondering; why didn’t I look for the others? Well, I actually did. Once it was clear that all but two were sharing a connection, I did all I could to keep tabs on them.” Celestia pulled a thick scroll from the pile. “This scroll contains a series of ‘if/then’ prophecies written by the Priests of the Temple of Chronos in the kingdom of Utopia.”
Celestia snorted in aggravation. “While none of these prophecies ever mentioned any of you and your friends by name, Rainbow Dash, they did give descriptions of your personalities. Or rather,” she continued, her anger at herself growing more apparent, “the personality traits that the Elements look for. What I wasn’t aware of at the time is that spells laid on this tome by Clover the Clever would ensure that only those with a true connection to Harmony would be marked.”
Celestia stomped her hoof on the scroll. “My overweening pride led me to put stock in a bunch of malignant prophecies from a fallen kingdom. Instead of doing what I should have, and guided all of you to find each other, I listened to the words spoken into the ears of idiots by the darkness. I maligned you, and all of your friends, Princess Rainbow. What’s worse is that I stood in the direct path of Sunset Shimmer’s future, refusing to teach her magic in fear of what she was becoming.” She scoffed. “Words that I clung to is what pushed her that way, and I ended up endangering another world with my actions.”
“Then I had the gall to ignore the warning that the Alicorn Amulet was once more active, and let yet another impressionable young mare get her hooves on it.” Celestia sighed again. “It seems as though my pride has led me to do a great many things wrong to ponies I swore to protect, and all out of ignorance. Even though Angela had warned me against putting stock to ‘if/then’ prophecies.”
Celestia’s expression became deeply sad. “The one pony I hurt the most, though, was the one that deserved it the least.” She looked sadly at Twilight. “I never intended to hide anything from her, or at least, not for long.” She sighed yet again. “I’m sure I really don’t need to go into the litany of things I hid from My Most Faithful Student. However, there is one thing my pride did that needs to be said.”
Celestia got up and walked over to Twilight. “My pride kept me from trusting her; it kept me from seeing that she had truly grown to be a better mare. It kept me from seeing that she was truly worthy, as I had first seen when I took her as my student all those years ago.” Celestia then kneeled next to the purple alicorn. “I’m no longer filled with pride, only sadness. Twilight, my beloved friend, can you forgive an old, prideful, scared mare for being a pony? I truly am sorry for all that I’ve done, to you and your friends.”
Twilight looked at her mentor for a moment, then began to smile a sad smile. “I already did when you first started saying you were wrong Tia,” she said, using Luna’s nickname for her. “And I’m glad that you’ve finally admitted that you’re as much a pony as the rest of us.” She then hugged her mentor.
Celestia’s dam finally broke, and she began to sob into Twilight’s shoulder. The other mares all gathered around her, giving her the comfort that only true forgiveness brings.
They stayed like this for awhile, letting the pain that Celestia felt for having hurt the others come fully out. Soon though, they broke away to give the white alicorn space to collect herself.
Celestia summoned a wash basin and cloths so that they all could clean their snouts. She then walked back to the head of the table. “I’m still angry, though. My pride led me to lash out at those undeserving.” She snorted. “Even though I’ve admitted that I was overly prideful, it hasn’t done anything to change how I feel towards a certain pony. Damn his beard, I can’t vent a spleen on him because you should always respect the dead!” The others chucked at this. Luna was beside herself with happiness; this was a sure sign that Celestia had taken all of them into her confidence.
Celestia sent all of the scrolls and tomes away to deal with later, then summoned tubs of ice cream from her private stash. The other mares giggled at this; more proof that Celestia was just as much a pony as they all were.
While each one chose her favorite flavor, Celestia decided that the mood needed further lightening. She decided to act on her prior suspicions. “Twilight, I did have another question for you,” she said, a merry twinkle of mischief in her eyes as she spoke.
“Hmm? Oh, and what was this question Celestia? Was it about something that occurred on our journey?” Twilight asked, gesturing with her spoon in Rainbow Dash’s direction.
“I was curious as to how long you were going to keep the fact that you now have a Very Special Somepony a secret from the rest of us,” the white alicorn said, an enigmatic smile on her muzzle. To her satisfaction, she saw that both Twilight and Rainbow Dash blushed a bright red at this.
Luna clapped her hooves in glee. “Oh, frabjous day! What a delightful bit of news!” The giddy alicorn turned to her purple counterpart, who was doing her best to bury her muzzle in the pint of mint creme she was eating. “I am most perturbed that you did not tell us from the very beginning!”
Rainbow Dash realized at that moment that Twilight was far too busy stuffing her snout with ice cream therapy to answer Luna. Deciding to giver her marefriend a helping hoof, Rainbow responded to Luna’s question. “Well, LuLu, it isn’t like we had a chance, ya’ know? We all got dragged into that Council Dog-and-Pony Show yesterday.” She smiled a shy smile. “And I did give you all some hint, though Cadance and Brighthoof already knew.”
Luna thought for a moment, then gasped. “Thou meanest to tell us that thou art an item?” she asked in shock, pointing a hoof at Twilight and Rainbow in turn. The two mares nodded bashfully, their muzzles a bright red.
Celestia chucked. “Well, I’d say this is a relief. I’ve known that Twilight has struggled with her orientation for some time, though I’d have thought she would have gone for Lyra.” She turned in apology to Rainbow. “I only thought that because I was certain that she was the only one of the Bearers that leaned that way.”
Rainbow had a sheepish grin on her muzzle. “Well, I’ve kinda known I’m bi for a while, though I’ve made a point to never date friends.” Her smile turned soft. “What Twi and I have goes deeper than that, though. Remember when I said that my pegacorn nature started revealing itself shortly before you sent us off?” Celestia nodded. “Well, I was having a recurring nightmare about the whole thing at the same time.” She frowned. “Actually, I didn’t stop having it until I laid claim to the Realm of Light.”
Luna looked confused. “‘Tis confusing me. What is it that would cause thou to have such a dream?”
“Oh, Auntie Lu, don’t you see?” Cadance asked softly. “Twilight and Rainbow Dash are soulbound.”
Luna facehoofed. “Ah, how foalish of me.” She then shook it off. “Well, this is unexpected, though not unwelcome. Have the pair of you set a date yet?” She asked, a wicked grin creasing her muzzle.
The purple and cyan alicorns both looked at each other, blushing fiercely. The other alicorns laughed at this display.
A pounding on the door interrupted further teasing of the young couple. Celestia answered it in annoyance, which cleared the moment she saw her Captain of the Royal Guard.
“Your Highnesses, you must come quickly! Something terrible has happened to Lady Lemyre!”
As one, the alicorns all followed the stallion, wondering just what had happened to a pony of such high standing. They were about to find out that things were not at all what they seemed.
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Well, Twilight certainly let Celestia have it. First Applejack, now Celestia... Who will be Twilights next verbal victim? Another excellent chapter, until next time.
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No one at present, as she got most of that off her chest in the other fic.
I initially didn't have such a scene planned, but I needed a reason for Celestia to be vulnerable to the Demon that was stalking her.
Also, a great deal of that is in response to the disconnect I feel concerning certain episodes. Magical Mystery Cure may be one of my favorites, but Twilight didn't even question becoming a princess?
Yeah, not likely; she's well old enough to realize that it's not all 'sunshine and rainbows'.
I like this. You have given Celestia a flaw common to all rulers, good or bad, that could easily make her a tyrant or a fool. She became a fool in this one, and was well on her way to tyrant before she got her wake-up call.
I also enjoyed the thought that each alicorn has their major flaw. Thanks for the seed of a headcannon! I'm a plant it and see if something will grow from it.