The Phantom of Canterlot

by Azure Drache

First clue

The laughter of the Princess of Friendship echoed through the fireplace room. At first, it was only a small smile, while the baron talked about the job that his adoptive ancestress had chosen, but had grown steadily until Twilight could no longer suppress it and laughed loudly.

"What amuses you so, Your Highness?" asked Pleasant Smell.

Twilight wiped a tear out of her eye and took a moment to bottle up her laughter just enough so that she could answer. "A fire-spitting pony at the fire department! I just had to think about how crazy it would be if my assistant Spike decided to join the fire department. Imagine a little dragon at the fire brigade; what a splendid irony!"

The baroness and the baron exchanged a perplexed look. Of course they knew that the princess' assistant was a little dragon, but the amusement that she found was something that they could not share.

"A good choice for a fireproof species, I would think," the baron commented a while later, when Twilight had calmed down again.

"Sure," agreed Twilight, "but the idea of it is still amusing." For a moment she remained amused at the tale, then she continued, "And, did she get the job?"

"Yes. There were, of course, a few initial difficulties, but she got it," answered Climber. "It was much more difficult, however, for her to ensure that no one discovered her special abilities."

"For a while now I’ve had a burning question: why is she hiding her abilities at all? I mean, she could, as you say, do a lot of things for both her own entertainment and the safety of others,” said Twilight, “for example the forging."

"To answer that question, you must consider the…nature of ponies at that time," said Climber. "Society was much…less friendly…or in a word: hostile, to beings with unusual magical abilities. Discord had dominated the throne only three hundred years before, and the remnants of his 'regency' were relatively frequent in the dense forests and mountains of Equestria. I personally think that the way she was hated by her parents when she returned had something to do with her secrecy; had she been kindly received by them, or at least politely, she would have maybe revealed her true nature after a while."

"As you describe it, Canterlot was probably not a very friendly place at this time," commented Twilight. "So, I can not quite understand why Burning Snowflake stayed, homey or not."

"As for the other places, just ask yourself this: which places would have been better? Las Pegasus, Manehattan, and the others at that time—I do not think they were not very different from Canterlot in terms of the treatment of strangers and magical individuals—aside from unicorns and Celestia herself, of course. Canterlot had the advantage that she at least knew it a bit."

"Please wait a moment Baron," interrupted Twilight. "Canterlot also had the disadvantage of bad memories." She pointed to Pleasant Smell in a casual manner and said, "You told me that a young foal would probably want to quickly forget their own culture if it meant fleeing under such circumstances, even if you have not told me yet exactly what those circumstances were." She sent a reproachful look at the baron. "It seems illogical to me that she did not turn her back on Canterlot immediately after her meeting with her parents, and settled in one of the other cities. By staying in Canterlot, she would always be reminded of those events."

"True, Your Highness, but I don't think that Burning Snowflake acted logically in this matter. For her, in my small opinion, Canterlot was the only town she had a personal connection to, whether good or bad. If she had decided to leave the capital, she would most likely have left Equestria.”

"Excuse me, Baron, but had she not done so already?" Twilight argued. "Why not a second time? She travelled the world, according to your version of events, and she returned with amazing abilities. When she first left she was young, weak, defenceless; if she had left at this point, she would have been prepared and more than capable of defending herself."

"Again, true," Climber replied, "she could have done better than before, but who knows what she found out there? ‘Homesickness’ has been the reason for her return told to my family throughout the centuries, but what if it wasn’t the only one? I would have thought that it would be more than possible that there was more to it; what if she was being hunted by some enemy or there could have been a war or windigos or worse things? Maybe her return also had to do with her new instincts; she didn't know herself so well at this point. Just because we have not heard of these reasons doesn't mean they couldn't exist.”

After saying so the baron fell quiet for a little while, and Twilight worried that he was not going to speak again; when she tried to do so herself his expression changed and he said, "Yes, I think it's time for a little more background knowledge for you." The baron looked at the princess questioningly. "Do you remember that I said only two ponies had certain knowledge of how the change came to be?

Twilight nodded.

"Well, without wanting to get too far ahead in the story, I can tell you, if you have not already guessed, that one of them was my ancestors Compassion Snowflake."

"I had taken this into consideration, Baron," replied Twilight, "but I decided against it because of your incomplete information about Burning Snowflake's absence from Equestria, and if your ancestor knew how it had changed, it should actually be in your family history."

Climber shook his head, "No, Your Highness, this knowledge was deliberately withheld. Compassion and his adoptive mother had no secrets from each other, but that does not mean that he shared all of his knowledge with the rest of the world, not even the rest of the family."

"I had thought that the knowledge was lost, but it appears I was mistaken." Twilight paused before she said, "It makes logical sense after thinking about it."

"I am surprised," Pleasant Smell said. "Very few ponies who have heard Burning Snowflake's story are of this opinion."

"I conclude from your words that you agree?" asked Twilight.

"Certainly, Your Majesty. In contrast to the majority of my family, I see the danger of giving all ponies access to such powers."

Climber, who apparently disagreed, added, "If all these skills were open to everyone, there would be no big issue; problems would only result if the access was limited and only a few ponies with enough influence and power could get access to them."

"Like a certain family with a very particular ancestress?" Pleasant Smell raised an eyebrow.

"Family is different," said Climber.

At first glance, it was obvious to Twilight that this was a longer dispute within the Snowflake family. For a moment she was tempted to watch the whole thing to get some more information, but she quickly decided against doing so. Supporting the baroness actively in this matter seemed, at the moment, unwise to her as well. Although Pleasant Smell was right, in Twilight's opinion, this would surely serve only to anger the baron and negatively affect his readiness to reveal to her more background info.

As the Princess of Friendship, she saw it as her duty to settle this dispute as soon as possible. So, with a little disappointment, she interrupted the emerging discussion and said, "I'm sure there are many pros and cons for both sides, but maybe we should return to it later and turn back to the real issue for the moment?"

The two nobles exchanged a glance, and in quiet agreement, they dropped this subject and turned back to the original.

"I agree with Climber," said Pleasant Smell. "If Burning Snowflake wanted to stay in Canterlot, due to her new instincts, it could have subconsciously played a role. Canterlot is the centrum of power in Equestria after all, even more so those days than today."

"How come?" asked Twilight.

Pleasant Smell exchanged a look with her husband, the latter nodding after a brief hesitation. "As will be made clear over the course of her story, she feels more and more attracted to sources of power over time."

"You think the power has corrupted her?" insisted Twilight.

"No, Your Highness, not as you think," corrected Pleasant Smell. "She did not show interest in grabbing or using the power; she just wanted to be close to it. It was a bit like how she reacted with the fire; even though she did not know why she was increasingly under its spell."

“Interesting,” Twilight thought aloud. “The affinity to fire and power as well as the ability to spit fire is actually characteristic of dragons, even if they do tend to strive, with little regard for their actions, for greater power as they get older. Baron, are you certain that Burning Snowflake never travelled into the dragon lands?”

"No, Your Highness, I am not. I merely think it would be very unlikely," declared the baron.

"Please be so kind and explain?" asked Twilight.

"Well, for one," began the baron, "you must consider the duration of her absence. Six years is a long time to be away for a place that can be reached in just a few days. And, as Compassion himself said, homesickness was one of the reasons for her return. According to her own statement, she had missed Equestria nearly every day; had she lived only a day's flight away, she would certainly have had a chance to return, even if for just a short while. And, furthermore, dragons have never been known for their hospitality; a little, helpless pony would surely have ended up as breakfast." He paused for a moment, then continued, "And, I have to confess, I hope that she was not there. If she was, it would mean that however she got her abilities, they would not be available to us."

"And you came to that conclusion...how, Baron?" asked Twilight.

"Well, Burning Snowflake, in her long life, inevitably lost a friend or two. Such is one of the disadvantages of immortality, and..." He paused when he came to the realisation that this statement seemed to have hit the princess. Her gaze had wandered to the ground and her posture had changed from relaxed to defensive. Climber was quiet, if only briefly, confused, but then realisation hit him. "Forgive me, Princess, it was not my intention..."

Twilight raised a hoof. "It is all right. Go ahead, Baron."

Climber cleared his throat, then went on. "Let's say if the key to immortality was lying directly in front of our doorstep, I’m sure Burning Snowflake would have saved some of her friends from death."

Twilight's gaze wandered over to the chimney fire and hung there. "Yeah, I'm sure she'd have done that," was all she said.

Climber looked helplessly at his wife. She, too, had immediately understood what the princess had to deal with, but could do nothing about it. There was a reason why ponies called it 'the curse of immortality' and not 'the blessing of immortality'.

"Perhaps a break will do us all well?" Pleasant Smell suggested. Looking out of one of the large windows, she then said, "It must be late afternoon, Climber. Would you mind to see if dinner will be prepared soon? We don’t want the princess to go hungry."

Climber looked irritated but, after his wife sent him a pointed glance, he rose hastily and said, "Surely a good idea, dear. It would be incredibly rude of us if we were to keep Your Highness from eating. I shall take care of our meal immediately." After a little, unenthusiastic nod from the princess, he quickly left the room.

Pleasant Smell let a few minutes elapse before she began to talk once again. "You worry about the future, Princess?" she asked sympathetically. "I can see your pain; you worry about the fate of your loved ones, since you are doomed to suffer the same fate as all immortals."

It took a moment for the princess to respond and when she did she just nodded, without looking away from the fire.

Pleasant Smell took a sip of apple juice from her glass and took the time to find the right words. Finally, she decided to approach the issue from a different angle. "This is one of the things that my husband does not understand—or maybe all stallions have a problem with it. The transience of the ponies around us; family, friends, ponies close to us. Stallions simply lack the feeling for the circle of life that we ​​mares have. Where we come from...to there we shall return, sooner or later. No one will disappear forever. " Twilight glanced towards Pleasant Smell, and she continued, "It is our loss that hurts, not the fate of the one who returns. When the last star is extinguished, and the last of the light has disappeared, we all meet again Your Highness."

"You believe this, Baroness?" Twilight asked.

"On the whole... Yes."

"A very philosophical way to look at this all," said Twilight. "What if you are wrong, and that death really is the end?"

"Does it matter then?" the baroness replied. "When death is the end, it does not matter what you do, did or will do. If you follow this view and believe that, at the end of each day, nothing is of any importance, you won’t ever get very far, nor will you be content." She let the words sink in for a moment, then added, "If, on the other hoof, death is another step on the long path of existence, you will see your beloved ponies again one day."

"It is a reassuring thought, at least," said Twilight sadly. "But, even if that is the case, I will inevitably outlive my friends."

"And no one will be able to replace them," agreed Pleasant Smell, "but, I am sure you will get to know new friends. Who knows; perhaps at this moment one of your future best friends was born, or her great-great-grandmother. Temporary loss will be a constant companion throughout your sovereignty, but you must always keep in mind that it is not a permanent bereavement."

Twilight nodded again, then she looked into the eyes of Pleasant Smell and said, "Thank you, Baroness."

The Baroness got up from her chair, walked over to Twilight, put her hoof on her shoulder and said, "Anytime, Princess."

"Twilight. Just Twilight is enough."

"As you wish Your... Twilight," Pleasant Smell said with a smile, "but then you must also call me by my name."

"All right." Twilight smiled again. After a small but not unpleasant pause, she then said, "I think I heard something about dinner?"

"Of course. In about half an hour, I would hope," said Pleasant Smell, "but in the meantime would you like to, uh… Would you like to refresh yourself?"

"A good idea," said Twilight with a nod.

"I'll send a servant to pick you up," offered Pleasant smell.

"That would be nice."

***

Finding her way around the castle was not a challenge for Twilight. Without hesitation, she always turned into the right corridor and took the correct steps at any time. Growing up in Canterlot Castle, she had been well acquainted with the general construction of castles and palaces and once one understood the basic principle, it was easy to compensate for the small changes that the architects had occasionally managed to add.

She was still two corridors away from her destination when she came across a brown unicorn who was just about to push a car with dirty laundry. In the events that followed the festivities, she had completely forgotten that she had actually wanted to keep a conversation with the two unicorns of the baron's accord. Well, at least she could now catch up with one of them.

"Hello," Twilight began.

"Oh, Your Highness!" the brown unicorn said with a bow. "What an honour."

"Do you have a moment for me, Mister...?"

"Chisel. Certainly, Your Majesty."

"Very well, Chisel. I’ve got a few questions about life here as a unicorn in castle Dragonbite."

He pushed the cart to the side and said, "Go ahead, Your Highness. I am fully at your disposal."

"I am particularly interested in how the castle affects your magic, because I have been having some difficulties with it myself."

"I'm not surprised to hear that, Your Highness. I've been working for the Baron and his family for more than three months now, and I'm still not even able to get the simplest levitation spell working without great difficulty."

"And other spells, for example, like light?"

"Takes much more effort than usual and have a very unstable effect. Have you not tried it yourself yet?"

Of course she had, with the result that she had only managed to make a mediocre light at the top of her horn which flickered a lot. But she wanted to know how it affected others, so she said, "Yes, but I would like to hear your experience with this strange phenomenon. Tell me, is this phenomenon restricted to the property or does it extend further?"

"Mhh, the exact range is difficult to determine, but it is not limited to the property. I would say that there is about a one or two hundred meter radius around the castle where unicorn magic is…unstable at best. Give or take in certain places."

"Interesting," Twilight murmured to herself. "And does the effect suddenly stop, or does it take a while for one to regain one’s magic?"

"It is a quite abrupt change, Your Majesty. As soon as a pony has left the area around the castle, they are instantly capable of performing magic without restriction."

Twilight tapped her chin with her forehoof. "Sounds like a magic dampening field to me; variable in the range of action, depending on the obstacles."

"What do you mean, Your Highness?"

"Oh, forgive me! I read some time ago about magic dampening fields. It is something like the predecessor of the protection shield spell."

It was easy to recognise the bewildered look of Chisel, who seemed to have gotten lost in Twilight’s technicalities

"Uh, don’t worry," Twilight said, then thought, "If it has a variable range, it would naturally be stronger towards the centre and the absorbed magic would need a valve to escape, unless it is not a dampening field but a suppressive field, but then it would need a constant energy source for ongoing operations. The baron mentioned it has existed for centuries, so it is either not a suppression field or someone is filling up the energy again and again."

"Is there something else you want to know, Your Highness?" Chisel asked.

"Yes. What is the effect on magical items?"

"They lose their ability to function and have to be recharged as soon as they have left the grounds around the castle. The household items here at castle Dragonbite all run on electricity, from the washing machine on the ground floor to the mixer in the kitchen."

"Was that always the case?" enquired Twilight.

"Unfortunately, I can not answer that, Your Highness. I only know that it has been the case since I started to work here."

With this information, Twilight unfortunately could not do much. "Thank you for your time, Chisel," she said. "I think that will be all my questions on this topic for now."

"Was a pleasure to help, Your Highness," he said as he bowed again, reached for his laundry cart, and pushed it along the corridor.

"I think I have an idea," Twilight thought.

When Twilight entered the dining room half an hour later, accompanied by the attendant, she immediately noticed the immense difference to the great hall. This room placed much more emphasis on comfort and aesthetics rather than for pomp. Whoever was responsible for its design had created an atmosphere of cosiness and tranquillity and had not intended to show off for the ponies who were present in this room.

Twilight liked the hall immediately.

In contrast to the festivities at noon, this time only the family of the baron and a few servants were present. While the servants bowed respectfully to the princess, the baron and his family rose and waited for her to take her place at the table. One of the servants helped her with the chair and, after he had told her which dishes were available, he took her order for dinner and departed with haste.

While she had sat far away from the youngest members of the present Snowflakes in the main hall, Twilight was now seated close to them. Because of this fact, the two were overly excited. It was with great difficulty that the baron's young son, only nine years old, had been able to stop himself from jumping behind the princess as she approached the table to get a feather from her as a trophy.

The baron's somewhat older daughter, after all fourteen, managed to be a little more calm on the surface than her sibling. However, she could not risk that her little brother would be the first to take one of the princess’ feathers. Both had tried in vain after the feast to bring an intact feather of the princess’ into their possession, however, the three feathers which they could find were quite broken. Although Twilight knew nothing of the two collecting her feathers, she did notice, them 'unobtrusively' getting closer and closer.

"I hope the food is to your satisfaction?" asked Pleasant Smell from her seat, the second from Twilight's left. "If you don’t mind a little waiting time Twilight, our chef is sure to be able to prepare you something else if you want."

The shock of the very personal address by his wife was obvious to see in the baron’s face for a moment before he could conceal it behind a mask of serenity. Apparently, Pleasant Smell had forgotten to tell him that she was now on first name terms with Twilight. On the other hoof, the little smile on her face, which grew around the corners of her mouth, indicated that this was not an accident. As in most good marriages, there was also an imaginary scoreboard between the spouses and the baroness had just won a lot of points.

"Thank you," Twilight answered. "I'm looking forward to trying one of the salads."

The many exercises he had gained during his reign over his barony would normally have allowed Climber to cover his astonishment. Against his own mare, on the other hoof, it unfortunately did not help him. "This is one of these mares things that I will never understand," he thought. Loudly he said, "I'm glad to see you feel better again Princess."

"Yes, thank you Baron," said Twilight.

One of the servants, who carried a tray of drinks, came next to Twilight and inquired as to whether she would prefer a cup of tea or a glass of juice.

"A tea please." After the servant left a cup in front of Twilight and filled it with tea, she turned to the baron and said, "I had the pleasure to met Chisel on my way to my room."

"Ah, yes," the baron went on. "I hope he was able to answer your questions?"

"Partially. He has brought me to an idea, so I would like to start tomorrow morning with the search for the source of the magic-suppression which takes place on the site of castle Dragonbite, with your consent."

Climber exchanged an astonished glance with Pleasant Smell but then answered, "Certainly, Your Highness, if you so wish."

"May I ask what brought you to this idea, Twilight?" asked Pleasant Smell.

"Chisel told me that the effect has a variable range. Depending on the type of field, the maximum range should be roughly determined by its centre," explained Twilight. "I need, however, a plan of the castle grounds," she went on, and now spoke to the baron, "and do so hope you will let me take on the help of Chisel and the other unicorn courtiers that make up your staff."

"Of course, Your Highness. I will tell Chisel and Barksurfer to report to you and support you tomorrow morning. Are you ok with that?" asked the baron.

"Yes, that sounds good. Thank you, baron," said Twilight.

Climber nodded and turned to one of the servants. He immediately gave the order for all of the necessary arrangements to be sorted.

"After the meal I would be honoured if you would follow me into the library, Your Highness," said the baron to Twilight. "In the books there are records of the floor plan that you would like to have, and it would be my pleasure to lead you through my ancestral gallery, too."

At the word ‘library’, Twilight's wings opened with enthusiasm. "Great!" she exclaimed. "I was hoping that there was a library in the castle!"

"Of course Your Majesty, our collection of older historical texts is quite extensive, and shortly after my ancestor Compassion made this castle his homeplace he began to write down some of his mother's contemporary witness reports. He was not much of a reader himself, but he believed it to be his duty to pass on to his descendants the knowledge which he was fortunate to gain access to."

At this announcement, Twilight's eyes shone brightly and she scratched excitedly with her rear hooves on the ground, giving Pleasant Smell the impression of now having three impatient foals sitting at the table.

Comments

[StarzGecko]

Twilight doesn't seem convinced about much of the story. Its like she wants to understand but since there isn't much because not all of it was documented, it's like she doesn't want it to be true.