CHAPTER FOURTEEN
CHAPTER FOURTEEN:
MOAT
SUNSET SHIMMER
Canterlot Castle's moat was the stuff of legend.
It had driven back the Griffonian Empire. It had swallowed the warriors of Zebrica. It had drowned the slave army of King Sombra and stopped the almuharibun of Saddle Arabia dead in their tracks.
The long wooden bridge that marked a fleeting time of peace was now rested sturdily over the moat at Canterlot castle, and yet a unicorn mare stood at its base still unable to cross.
Silver Jubilee had stopped walking when we came to the castle gate. It would only be about forty steps until she returned to the castle she'd grown up in and lived in. Maybe she died here--I didn't want to push the subject of her timidness until she was willing to do so--or maybe the mere thought of seeing Celestia again paralyzed her entirely. She had barely spoken on the way up to the castle, commenting on the beauty of the flowers and trees and giving subtle commentary on the looming Mount Canter, but her lips had turned to a prison and her words had been given a life sentence.
I stood next to her, watching her as if admiring a sculpture in a museum. Silver was a sculpture, in many ways: her eyes were still uncannily prepossessing, the bright red almost appearing to swirl when the light hit it a certain way, and her leg tattoos completed a look that could only be described as gorgeously rugged. She stared straight forward at the large double door, and the guards posted up there stared right back unwaveringly. They knew who I was, of course, but they kept a highly trained eye on the stranger to my left as she peered into her own personal oblivion.
I'd been in her exact headspace more times than I could count, and so I simply watched the door with her until she finally spoke up, her iron gaze unwavering.
"How recently has the bridge gone up?" She asked me softly. The wind was blowing harder now, and her question was almost swept away by the gale. I stood silent for just a few more precious seconds before I turned to her and answered.
"I wasn't here for it," I began. "But there was a changeling invasion of Canterlot a few years ago, led by a hive monarch named Queen Chrysalis. They managed to get passed this moat, actually, but it swallowed up hundreds of her soldiers." Twilight Sparkle had told me the tale of the Changeling Invasion of Canterlot so vividly that I might as well have been there. She'd told me once in our friendship journal that she'd had recurring night terrors for weeks on end (that still occasionally surface to this day) after helping remove the dead bodies of pony and changeling alike the day after the invasion, and she had cited it more than once as one of the very worst days of her life.
Silver, once again, elected to remain quiet. Even with her determination to hide the nature of her past, I could tell she was never a mare of many words, but I knew very well that she was talking to herself in her own mind a mile a minute. After what appeared to be a lifetime of silence, I decided to speak up first, making sure to be gentle with her while still raising the volume over the blowing wind.
"Are you okay, Silver?"
I'm not entirely sure why I asked. I knew the answer, she knew the answer, and the guards across the moat staring us down probably knew it, too. The reply from Silver came much quicker this time, and even though her words were whispered I could hear them crystal clear.
"I can't do this, Sunset," she croaked, a shakiness clearly evident in her tone. "I can't do this. I can't do this... "
I sat down on the grass below us, and I motioned for her to sit across from me. She looked confused more a moment, but seeing as how there wasn't really anything else to do, she accepted my invitation. The grass was impeccably maintained by the castle groundskeeper, and it was so perfectly cut that the ground was almost exceedingly comfortable to sit on.
I let some of the tiny blades fall down my hooves before I looked her straight in the eyes. I talked to her without breaking my gaze, but with Silver, that was far from a difficult task.
"I cannot stress enough that I was in this exact situation even a few weeks ago," I began. "And I'd already made up with Celestia before then. She, uh... you just want to impress her, you know? You want her to look at you and give you that warm smile, and I just sat awake at night for hours thinking about coming back because, as much as I love her, I was so afraid of her. Not really that she'd be angry, but that she'd be disappointed, I guess." Silver had been staring at the grass the entire time, and but she looked up to me as I launched into the next part of my pep talk.
"I don't know what you did or didn't do, Silver, and you don't have to tell me unless you wanna," I started. "But if there's one thing we both know about Celestia, it's that she remembers, but she always forgives. Always." The word hung in the air and carried through the wind, and I could tell it sparked a little bit of hope in Silver as she let it ring through her ears.
With a simple question, however, it seemed as if it melted away in front of me.
"What if I don't want her to forgive me?"
Suddenly, the part of my life I had so tried to bury flared up violently in my mind. I'd spent countless nights wonder why Twilight Sparkle had extended her hand to me after a direct blast from the Elements of Harmony instead of putting me down like I should have been, and her generosity had tormented me endlessly. When Celestia wrapped me in a hug upon my first visit, I found myself grateful but confused.
Silver Jubilee was feeling a flurry of all these emotions at once, and for the first time in a while, I was glad I'd felt them, too.
"You don't have to," I told her. "But she's going to anyway, you know. Forgive yourself, Silver, and it'll get a little easier. I can promise you that." Thankfully, my words seemed to have an impact. After a moment of reflection, Silver nodded slowly with a sigh, but I had one final thing to say in an effort to get her going. I pointed to the moat at our right, and her head turned to look.
"That moat has stopped some of the most powerful forces in history," I stated. When I turned to her, I could almost feel the passion in my voice as I looked her in the eyes.
"Don't let it stop you."
When Silver stayed silent for a few precious moments, I thought I might have failed: it didn't take long, though, for her spring up with fervor and hold a hoof out to me. Her face still had that worn and stressed look I'd come to know since I'd met her, but there was a fire in her scarlet eyes now that burned far greater than ever before.
"I'm gonna regret this," she said. I couldn't help but give a goofy grin as I accepted it, and she pulled me up to all fours before she turned back to the door.
"Yeah, you will," I replied, maybe a little more chipper than I intended. We crossed over the moat confidently, and every step we took seemed to surrender a soft knock. It didn't take long at all before we got to the door, and the two guards quickly shifted their spears upright as they addressed me.
"This is the last one. Voluntarily, at least." The guard on the left grimly nodded, and with one motion the two of them pulled the doors outward to reveal the front of the palace. Even through her worries, I could still feel that sense of wonder the palace was always guaranteed to give off whenever one viewed it. I couldn't help but chuckle as I watched her face soften.
"You ready?" I asked her, motioning forward with my hoof. For the first time in a while, I saw the corners of her mouth bend upward.
"No," she answered simply, but she trudged along down the hallway nonetheless. I tailed close behind her, keeping a subtle eye on her body language as she set foot into a place that was still fresh in her mind yet likely changed considerably.
I didn't get to revel in the moment, though, because an unmistakable voice from around the hallways quickly shot through the air.
"Hey, guys, Sunny's back!" Rainbow Dash, as usual, had to speak as loud as possible in every situation, and the decibels were almost enough to make Silver jump. She was already talking as she rounded the corner to meet us, though she quickly stopped herself when she saw the mare beside me.
"Yo, you aren't gonna believe this. I was talking to Starlight just now and she told me she doesn't even remember when--" Rainbow quickly skidded to a halt, but it didn't take long for her to deduce who was beside me as she studied the newcomer. The ice had been taken off her ribs, but the pitch-black massive bruises from her battle with Zephyr were still very clearly visible. "Is this--"
"Silver Jubilee," the mare in question replied. "It's a pleasure to meet you." Rainbow raised her eyebrows with an impressive smirk.
"Diggin' the tats. Don't see those much." Silver acknowledged the compliment, though she didn't reply: instead, she sighed deeply and asked Rainbow a question.
"Is... is Celestia here?" She tried her best to sound confident, but it didn't come out that way at all. Rainbow didn't seem phased in the slightest, though, and she vemently shook her head in the negative.
"Nah, she's been meeting with a diplomat from Nippony pretty much the entire day with Luna. Twi's been here, though. They just put her in a boot and got rid of that sling, and I think it's put her in a pretty good mood. You probably wanna go see her, I'd imagine." I nodded firmly in agreement, ignoring Silver's confused looks at the moment and responding with my own inquiry.
"Are Violet and Cobalt here?" I wanted to make sure Violet had given those plans to Cobalt, and I quickly got my answer upon Rainbow's reply.
"Yep. Cobalt's been working on something for hours in the back area and Violet's just been up in your room. I think she's getting a little overstimulated, you know." I nodded once again in understanding: Violet was an enthusiastic pony, but she was just as reserved. I would have to go talk to her, but we had a bit more important task at hoof.
"Thanks, Rainbow. Down to do something fun with the girls tonight?" Rainbow nodded enthusiastically as we began to walk away towards Twilight.
"For sure! 'Bout time we've kicked back and relaxed. I'll talk to you soon!" I waved my hoof goodbye as we rounded the corner, and when we got a fair distance away, Silver spoke up once more.
"Is she okay?" she asked, pointing to her ribs with a hoof. I could feel my face turn grim as I answered with a slight shake of my head.
"She got in a big fight with Zephyr, that pony I told you about. He got her pretty good and she's been in a lot of pain, though she probably won't admit it exists." Silver merely continued along in silence, absorbing the information.
It was quite a walk through the castle to get to the tower Twilight had been calling home for a few weeks now, and Silver seemed to silently enjoy the walk. Celestia had always picked the finest art pieces and decor for the entire palace, and I found her marveling at the works of art that clearly hadn't been there the last time she was in the castle.
We rounded a corner to the final hallway, and not too far away from us was another pony I wanted Silver to meet, silently observing a painting hanging gently on the wall. I couldn't help but give off a Cheshire grin as I introduced her from afar, making sure to be loud and clear so she heard every word.
"Speaking of things we won't admit exists, this is Starlight Glimmer." I could practically feel her eyes roll with a grin before she even turned around.
"Truly, you flatter me," she said sarcastically. Her eyes quickly widened when she saw Silver, however, and she studied her curiously as she introduced herself.
"Oh, hello! I'm Starlight Glimmer, though you'd think I was Lord Tirek the way this one talks about me." I gave her an aggressively sarcastic who, me? smile before switching to a more serious countenance as I gave my second introduction of the day.
"This is Silver Jubilee. Silver, this is Starlight, one of my best friends, if you couldn't tell." Starlight's eyes widened even further when I said her name, but Silver spoke up just as she was about to respond.
"What's that painting you're looking at?" She asked, pointing a hoof towards it. I'd never seen the painting before until now, and it almost took my breath away when I first looked over it. The painting was virtually photorealistic, and it depicted a beautiful mare with a light purple coat and deep red mane and tail smiling towards the observer amongst autumn leaves. If I didn't know any better, I'd think it was a photograph. Starlight drew her attention back to the work of art, and she studied it over for what was probably the thousandth time before answering.
"It just kinda startled me. I was on my way to the kitchen area and it caught the corner of my eye. It looks so real, yet fantastical kinda all at once, you know?" Silver and I both nodded in agreement, staring it down for just a bit longer. The mare in the painting felt... familiar, somehow, but I decided to keep my thoughts to myself. It wasn't long before Starlight spoke up again, breaking the both of us out of our trance.
"Twilight's still up in her tower if that's who you're looking for. Oh, and by the way, Cobalt wants to see you: he ordered a ton of parts from the local factory and just retreated to the back of the castle." I couldn't help but let a smile slip across my face as I heard that, and I made a mental note to have a chat with him later tonight.
"Yeah, we're on our way. Oh yeah, do you know if Trix is coming back here once she's done with her tour?" Starlight nodded in the affirmative almost immediately.
"She's gonna hit Manehatten and then come back in the next few days or so." Silver and I were on the way out the door, but I stopped for a second in confusion and whipped my head back around.
"Manehatten? I thought she was only doing a short trip to the towns around Ponyville. Wouldn't that be, like, crazy out of the way?" Starlight's eyes seemed to widen for a nanosecond before she shook her head apologetically and cleared up her error.
"Oh, uh, that's my bad. I was thinking of a different tour." Before any of us could respond, she quickly smiled and pointed to the throne room behind us. "Rainbow was just telling me about hanging out tonight, that'll be fun! It was nice meeting you, Silver, say hi to Twi for me!" She quickly retreated and waved her goodbye that I returned, and before we knew it we were just outside the castle on the way to Twilight's Tower. After adjusting our eyes to the sunlight, Silver turned to me with her eyebrows raised.
"I hope your friend Twilight knows her geography."
The world didn't stop for Twilight Sparkle.
She may have badly injured her hoof and the world may have been faced with two silent threats, but none of that could save her from her mortal nemesis: being a Princess. There were permits that needed approving and legislation that needed passing, and so when Silver and I finally made the trek up to her library, she appeared hard at work writing something I was one thousand percent sure she would rather not be writing.
While I traditonally said the first word so ponies could be suprised when they turned around, Silver decided to intiate the process early.
"You didn't tell me your friend was a Princess," she said calmly as we approached.
On a dime, Twilight's horn ignited and she whipped around furiously with a tranquil glare on her face. Once she saw me, however, it died almost just as fast, and I saw the understanding slowly dawn on her when she looked to the pony right next to me.
"Silver Jubilee," she stated as her face flushed red with embaressment. "I'm, uh, sorry about that. Can never be too careful these days." She rose up to meet us, and both Silver and I's eyes were immediately drawn to the boot she wore on her front right forleg. It was a welcome chamge to see her walking somewhat normally again (the scar on her face had already healed up to where it was virtually unnoticable), but I would certainly be counting down the days until we had our greatest ally fully back in the fold. As Twilight went to hug me, Silver spoke once again.
"I'm assuming this Zephyr did this to you?" she asked. Twilight nodded grimly upon letting me go, turning to Silver with a far more serious countanance.
"Yes. I'm very glad you're here, Silver, because we have a lot to talk about. Celestia and Luna will be back shortly, and I know she'll be so happy to see you, but I have a few questions to ask you first." Silver's head had drooped low at the mention of her former mentor, but she quickly narrowed her eyes in confusion and whipped her head upward.
"Luna's back? I don't even think I was gone for that long... " Before I knew it, Twilight had pulled up three chairs for all of us, and Silver and I sat down out of habit before we even knew what had happened.
"That's my big question," Twilight told her. Silver audibly sighed, and I knew she was well aware that she would have to answer the incoming question sooner or later. "Celestia told us that you were her apprentice right before the both of us. She mentioned you "died untimely". What happened to you?" Silver's eyes widened at that revelation, but she quickly buried her face in her hooves. Twilight and I merely waiting, allowing her to collect her thoughts, and when she looked up to answer us with a timid expression, I could see the faintest hint of tears glinting in the light.
"Have you guys ever been to the Everfree Forest?"
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Well that was a nice meeting. Now I wonder what is in the Everfree?
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Its the Ever free like 50 things in their that could have killed her. Monsters, poison plants, plunder vines, sheer drops, avalanches it got it's rep for good reason
How did the moat do anything during the changeling invasion? They attacked from the air.
Who wants to bet this Starlight is the changeling in disguise?
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I'd like to imagine that a considerable amount of Changelings had blended themselves with the populace before the invasion, and took their chance to try and pincer the castle from the ground on top of the air invasion.
Or it was just another discrepancy I forgot about
If the Guards can actually lift the drawbridge.
Season 9 spoilers: Their performance in the season 9 premiere was, to put it bluntly, disappointing. I really want them to shine, you know?
Starlight's acting suspicious...
Is this a time for "Who are you and what have you done to Starlight Glimmer?!"
They're practically Everfree experts now, but that's because nopony else seems to go in there.
Zecora, though, she's a real expert.
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Raising the bridge would probably be standard procedure in case of attack. And even if the enemy could fly like the changlelings, that's still denying them an avenue of attack (after all they can still get in each others way in the airspace around the castle if there's enough of them)
Happy... anniversary? Birthday? One-year? Whatever you want to call it. I realize that I'm two days late; does it count if I saw and appreciated the milestone without a comment?
It's strange — I've changed a ton in the last year, and I'm still following this story with about as much enthusiasm.
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I just realized I posted this chapter on the exact day of this story's anniversary! That was entirely unintentional, but very cool nonetheless. I'm glad you're still enjoying this story, because it's certainly still a blast to write!
Hmmm, someone's messing with time...
The painting that Starlight was looking at and Silver Jubilee was asking about certainly won't have any importance to play later in the story, nosiree...I notice Silver didn't actually get around to meeting Celestia in this chapter just yet. I suppose that'll be for after Sunset and Twilight find out about how she perished.
I'm guessing Zephyr and the changeling student may team up, if they're actually able to track one another down and know of each other.
This is one of the sexiest lines I have ever read.
Anyway thanks for writing this it’s really fun seeing all the characters interact
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THAT’S how good the moat is.