• Published 30th Jan 2019
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Knowledge is Power - hydra30

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9 I Won't

Author's Note:

I will be posting my new chapters then pasting them into a writers program to try and find my errors with spell check.
Anyone see an error, it means I have not found it yet.

"I have no intention of continuing my studying with you once the crisis in Equestria has been averted," Twilight said to the mass of tendrils and eyes in front of her. "Not after what I have learned."

It had only been a short time since Twilight began her studying with Hermaeus Mora within Apocrypha, but just that was enough for her to get a brief inkling of what could be found here, and it was incredible. There were secrets and knowledge here that would give one a new way to see all of existence in a whole new light. The possibilities were endless.

Until Twilight came across her first history book, a book on the Daedric Prince's.

"Your influence in Equestria may be weak, but that is not true for all realms," Twilight continued, the eye in front of her saying nothing, in fact, if she did not know any better, she would say he was interested in what she had to say. "This other realm, this Nirn, you and your brethren have done unspeakable acts there, throughout its history."

She had thought Discord had been cruel when she and her friends faced him, but the deeds of the Daedric Prince's made him look like a playground bully. The very truth of what she was dealing with gave her a new outlook on her situation, and it terrified her. She was just grateful to have learned that Hermaeus Mora was one of the more reasonable Daedric Prince's compared with the rest of his kin, but he still had done horrible acts to get his way.

And as for his champions...

"It cannot be said that the information I have already attained from you will be invaluable for the conflict with the Changelings," continued Twilight, not talking her eyes of Hermaeus. " But you have not been above turning on your subordinates in the past. Miraak..."

"Do you honestly see yourself ever attempting what Miraak tried?" Hermaeus Mora asked in his usual cold voice.

"Well...no," replied Twilight honestly, having read that Hermaeus Mora had Miraak eliminated not only for rebellion, but also because he planned to use what had been taught to him for his own gain, despite what Hermaeus Mora had already done for him.

"I would never betray my teacher."

"Which makes you a more worthy successor to him already," said Hermaeus Mora."It is true...I punish disloyalty very harshly, but I also richly reward my faithful servant's."

Twilight had to admit he was right, even though his 'punishments' were some of the most appalling acts she had ever heard of.

"But I would still just be your pawn," said Twilight, pointing her hoof forward.

"A situation... you are content with," said Hermaeus Mora, his tone taking a slight dark and mischievous tone. "Under your Princess Celestia's guidance."

Twilight's jaw dropped at what she had just heard.

"What are you saying?"Twilight asked, a look of total shock on her face. "Princess Celestia has done so much for me. She has tutored me since I was just a little filly, and has..."

"And has pitted you and your friends against mighty foes," Hermaeus Mora said bluntly. "Putting all of you in grave danger in the process."

"That was different," Twilight snapped back. "She knew me and my friends were destined to wield the Elements of Harmony against Equestria's most powerful villans, so she had..."

"Her options have never been limited, child," said the turning mass of tentacles. "She may not have had...access to these 'Elements of Harmony' you speak of anymore, but sending you and your companions into those situations...unprepared...was never her only choice."

"What are you talking about?" Twilight asked, great puffs of irritated steam billowing from her nostrils. "The Princess had no choice but to send us into those situations. Nightmare Moon and Discord were too grave a danger for her to..."

"Celestia is a millennium old matriarch, with a plentiful store of knowledge," said Hermaeus Mora. "Knowledge that could have been a great asset to you and your friends, if she had not but...accompanied you through those dire situations."

"What are you even getting at?" Twilight asked, irritated at all the slander being directed at her mentor. "What do you have against our beloved Princess?"

"I hold no ire against her," explained Hermaeus Mora calmly. "However...none can hide the truth from me...even if they are hiding it...from themselves."

Twilight sat on her hunches, her mouth open in shock.

"The affection between the two of you is genuine,"stated Hermaeus Mora simply, somehow knowing what Twilight was about to rebuttal with. "But there's a truth she has been hiding from for so many long years she is not even aware she hides from it anymore."

"Princess Celestia isn't scared of anything," snapped Twilight.

"Except herself," stated Hermaeus Mora. "She has been riddled with guilt since she had to...banish her younger sibling...guilt...that has crushed her will to fight."

"She did not have a choice," argued Twilight. "Princess Luna became Nightmare Moon, who was about to bring about eternal night..."

"And Celestia has let that deed cripple her," explained Hermaeus Mora, his cold voice echoing in Apocrypha, despite his low tone. "For a millennium worth of days...she has blamed herself for what happened...on that day...so long ago."

"Luna was jealous," said Twilight irritability. "All the ponies back then ignored her night and..."

"And Celestia believes that if she had not just admired her sisters night more often herself, rather then focusing solely on her duties as Princess, it may not have happened. She believes that if she could not protect her sister, she cannot protect anything."

"How would you even know?" Twilight asked, glaring. "You don't even know her..."

"My influence in Equestria is weak...yes, " said Hermaeus Mora, shocking Twilight that he would say that himself. "But Celestia and her sibling are so unique, even with my limited perspective...I have still gleaned much of their past. And if you need proof of her fears, let her face Chrysalis...when you go to confront her. "

"I have every belief she will fight along with me," said Twilight confidently.

"And if Chrysalis were to best her?"

"Then it would mean Chrysalis has grown to strong, and I will face her myself," Twilight said without fear.

Suddenly, a tendril passed through Twilight. Not simply passing under or over her head, but through her, passing through her face from one cheek to the next. Her eyes dilated as something strange washed over her.

It was an indescribable sensation, but from what she could comprehend, she was feeling through another's body. It was faint and hazy, the best way to describe it was looking at something through dirty reading glasses, but it was distinct. She felt a great power surging through her, warm and welcoming, but also burning and intense.

She did not know how, but Twilight knew she was feeling Princess Celestia's strength.

Then the sensation vanished and another took its place. This one was strong too, but it felt vile and repulsive, Twilight’s stomach rolling in revolution as it was as assaulted with this horrible sensation. She felt like she had swallowed a gallon of pond scum.

This had to be the power of Queen Chrysalis.

The sensations passed in less than a blink, and Twilight felt her body return to its normal sensations without change.

"Wa...was that...? Twilight stammered to Hermaeus Mora's writhing mass.

"Princess Celestia and Queen Chrysalis," Hermaeus Mora said, answering Twilight's broken question "Their strength."

Twilight felt a whole new perspective of her mentor emerging in her heart. She knew Celestia was strong, but she made a normal unicorn look pathetic. Queen Chrysalis was not weak either, but she would be hard pressed to out do Celestia's. The two were almost evenly matched, with Celestia being slightly more than Chrysalis.

"When I am done here, we will face her together," said Twilight, her resolve spiking.

"And if Celestia were to challenge first and fail...? said Hermaeus Mora.

"That will not happen," said Twilight. "Even if she did lose the first strike, it would take more than one lucky hit for something like Chrysalis to beat the Princess."

"Unless she were to throw the fight,"

"That will not happen," said Twilight sternly.

"Believe what you will, child," said Hermaeus Mora. "But truth is still truth."

"This conversation does not effect my decision," Twilight suddenly said. "Once Equestria is safe, we are done."

"If you wish to pursue knowledge through your own way, it is your choice, young Twilight," said Hermaeus Mora, calmly. "However, you may find that it is not so easy to turn your back on Apocrypha."

---

"Twilight," gasped Rarity, her mouth open in shock, same as the rest. "How can you say that?"

"Because I know she had more fight in her than that," said Twilight. "I knew it would have taken more than what was thrown at her to just breach her defence so easily."

"That's not true Twilight," moaned the injured Princess, Twilight's friends looking at her with a open mouthed gaze. "I gave it my best..."

"And I know that is what you believe," interrupted Twilight, tears still streaming from her angry eyes. "You have been weighed down by your guilt for so long you do not even realize it anymore. Of how unworthy you feel to protect what you care about."

Twilight's friends all gasped at what she said.

"Well I won't do it anymore," said Twilight. " I won't be your weapon, I won't be your escape from..."

"Did you forget about me?" Chrysalis asked, grabbing Twilight, Spike, Rarity, Applejack, Pinkie Pie, Fluttershy, Rainbow Dash, and the downed Princess in her magic, great green goop suddenly gluing their hooves to the floor.

"What the...?" Rainbow Dash flapped her wings in an attempt to escape, but the substance held firm.

"MY SHOES!" yelled Rarity, staring in horror as the glop stained the surface of her fancy slippers.

"What in tarnation?" Applejack tried to rip her hooves free, but even her earth pony strength was no match for the goop.

"EEEEWWW," said Pinkie Pie as she examined the stuff that rooted her hooves in place.

Fluttershy, Spike, and Princess Celestia remained silent, Spike and Fluttershy whimpering in fear. Celestia was too shocked by what Twilight had said to her for her to even comprehend what was happening anymore. But then everypony was drawn to Twilight, who had just teleported out of the goo that held her, now standing about twenty feet from Queen Chrysalis.

"Forgot you?" Twilight asked, her face taking a stern, dedicated look. "You have been my main focus for so long, I will never forget you. And I will stop you."

"And how do you plan to do that, little pony?" sneered the Changeling Queen, smug confidence in her voice. "Whether you believe it or not, I still defeated your precious Princess, and even now my legions chip away at Canterlot's shield."

"And you're the head honcho, right?" Twilight asked, her tears finally drying up, replaced by a mean smile. "The one with all the smarts, who makes all the decisions."

"Flattery will get you nothing," said Chrysalis, her face split with a grin. "But yes, I am the one they...."

"So if I kill you, they won't know what to do next," Twilight said, levitating herself up above all in the room in her own magic. "Without you, this invasion of yours falls apart."

Pony, dragon, and changeling alike dropped their jaws at the claim and how easily it flew from her lips. Twilight's friends had never heard her say something like that before, and their brains were having difficulty registering that they had even heard it. Princess Celestia was even more shaken upon hearing it.

Chrysalis was the first to snap out of her surprised state.

"You dare challenge me?" She growled, rising up to the same hight as Twilight with a buzz of her wings. "Unicorn whelp!"

"Hit me with your best shot," said Twilight bravely, her eyes narrowing above her smirking mouth.

"Twilight, no," Fluttershy said in a distraught voice.

"She'll hurt you, partner," said Applejack, struggling to get free. "Don't do this."

"Twilight, please no," moaned Spike, tears forming in his eyes as he watched the pony he had known his whole life face off against this monster.

"NO," Rainbow yelled, her wings beating like a hummingbirds, trying to get loose.

Chrysalis sneered, her horn lighting up with her green magic. Twilight stood firm, levitating in her own purple aura. Then the changeling reared up in the air, flailing her front legs in aggression.

"TWILIGHT," screamed Rarity, tears streaming her mascara. "GET OUT OF THE WAY, DARLING."

The Queen fired a magical blast even larger than what she took down Celestia with.

"TWILIGHT!" All her friends screamed as the beam of green death tore towards their friend.

'FUS RO DAH'

Queen Chrysalis gasped as her target suddenly opened her mouth and spoke those words, which echoed throughout the room. She watched in shock as a luminous blew mist flew from Twilight's mouth, her beam not even slowing it down, being torn to ribbons as it travelled closer. She had no time to get out of the way, the bizarre cloud closing in on her no matter how much effort she put in her own spell.

The windows and walls in the back of the room exploded, showering the streets of Canterlot in debris, Queen Chrysalis among it.