You?

by Rosalynne

The Rising

Twilight paces anxiously in front of her golden throne, Spike on the smaller chair watching her dubiously. "You're gonna wear a track into the floor, Twi," he says, exasperated. The last thing he particularly wanted was to have his queen fall down after using up her hoof strength on something so trivial.

"Don't joke right now, please."

Spike hadn't really been joking, so he only shrugs and clucks his tongue. A familiar looking young mare shows up at the noise, a silver platter already levitated up to the dragon, surrounded by her magical blue aura. Grabbing a cupcake off the plate and biting into it, he mumbles around the frosting, "Thanks, June Heart!"

She nods, dipping her head respectfully before disappearing to the kitchens, cupcakes vanished down Spike's stomach. Turning back to Twilight, he inquires, "What gives?"

Examining the castle pillars closely, Twilight doesn't answer, looking very pointedly at anything but her friend. With a sigh, after realizing Spike wouldn't stop asking, she whispers, "Pinkie Pie." Though it was a quiet word uttered, it echoed through the long corridor, sending shivers through the alicorn's entire body.

A long moment passes before she feels a pair of dragon-like arms wrap around her in an embrace, though a sad one. "I know you're sad about her," he whispers back, pulling away to look up into her eyes. "We all are. But it's been weeks, Twi. You need to refocus." He slowly withdraws her hand from her shoulder, maintaining eye contact.

The pure torture in her eyes struck something in him, his heart cracking for her. Twilight had really been his only friend for the longest time, though the girls had been his friends too, she had found the 'Mane Six' as many called them. And after losing the pink party pony, she had been nothing but grim ever since.

"Spike."

He jerks his head up in surprise as the tone, riddled with command and pain sounded, directed at him. He cocks his head to the left, indicating she go on. Her next words, said in the same steely voice surprises him even more: "Tell the generals we have a meeting tomorrow evening."

---

Twilight inhales deeply, scowling at herself in the mirror. Having tried to tame the flowy mane too many times, she had left it down, draping it over her violet wings. Inspecting the mare in the mirror closer, she notices the gaunt face, her muzzle and cheeks hollowed, as if she'd been starved of happiness.

She had to trust Spike, that it would be okay. And he was right, after all. With Celestia and Luna, there had always been two rulers. Now it was just her to tend to the land of her ponies, and if she wouldn't do her duties, who would?

Twilight fastens the pin into the dress before summoning the amulet necklace which she wraps around her neck, the cold stone pressed against her bare collar. She meets the gaze of her reflection yet again. "Here goes nothing," she mutters, plastering on a fake smile and whisking off to the conference room.

"My queen, we have a serious issue," General Brazen Hoof says to her, nodding in greeting with a little bow. "My fleet have suspected somepony, presumably either King Sombra, Queen Chrysalis-"

Oh, how she hated how her heart quickened at the mention of the beautiful changeling.

"Or Tirek returning soon. There was apparently a barrier penetrating their usual lands. This never happens," Brazen Hoof finishes, and Twilight finds herself amused slightly, a little smirk playing on her mouth as her lips curl upwards.

Twilight straightens and elucidates, "Well, it is autumn. The winds of change are arriving." With another air of distaste, she adds, "Besides, were you there to see it? Or they just reported back to you?"

A colt strides up to Brazen Hoof and begins whispering some sort of news into his ear, and the pegasus commander leaps out of his seat, muttering some excuse that one of his pegasi were unable to fly for the competitions tonight, and hurrying away after the other.

The queen rolls her eyes, magicking away the plates of an afternoon tea. "Honestly," she says to Spike with a huff. "Trixie would be better at this, and she has no concept of cooperation at all."

Twilight squashes down the part of her that crosses its hooves and hopes that Chrysalis would return, and soon. The alicorn had been alone for nearly a century, and besides; she had a teensy weensy crush on the other for years.

As soon as she finishes mourning late her friend by the cemetery, she teleports herself up to her old library, content to read some of her old books. Running a hoof over the old spines, the leathery surface sending chills through her body, her gaze falls on a particular scrapbook.

Blowing a thick layer of dust off of it, coughing to the side as she does, she opens to the middle of it, and lands on the page with a picture of Rarity, Pinkie Pie, and herself, right after the first gala they had ever been to. It was late, and the three had stayed behind, on their third round of donuts, laughing and reviewing the worst and best parts of the night.

Biting her lip, she turns the page and finds herself face to face with a picture of her second coronation, the one where Princess Celestia and Luna had given their final speeches before retiring and stepping down. With the regal crown on her head, she had to admit, she looked every part the imperious ruler, if the kind and warm smile hadn't been looking down at her ponies.

Her mind flashing back to the meeting with Brazen Hoof. He had never examined it for himself, and there really had only been a barrier. There was no reason to assume war was to come soon. It could have just been a unicorn spell gone awry. But that little fact didn't calm her beating heart as the image of Chrysalis struck her again.

Gods above. The changeling queen would stay in her thoughts then, Twilight supposes, curving her wing around herself as she gazes up at the moon as if she could still see the marks of Nightmare Moon. Yet it was only a sliver, a small crescent able to be seen.

Blowing out the torch she had set alight the moment she had gotten to her library, she closes the door behind her, breathing deeply in frustration. Deciding to take the long journey home, her hooves trotting across the pavement were about the only noise within a block, most ponies already having gone to sleep.

It was in fact, the Equestrian Games tomorrow, and as it was hosted in Canterlot this year, everypony was most likely asleep, ready to be up early in the morning. Twilight hoped there wouldn't be a fight over front seats like usual. There was always at least one fight she had to break up.

"My queen."

Twilight snaps her head up in surprise, wings spread, ready to make the decision of fight or flight, before realizing it was only the night patrol. "Hello, Wind Chaser," she says, dipping her head to the lead. She nods to the other two behind him as they bow deeply.

The gray colt only blinks, respect shown in the subtle motion. "We have encountered nothing suspicious yet," he replies, answering the unasked question that had been on the queen's tongue, ready to come out. "But we haven't looked upon the area Brazen Hoof claims the pegasi have been unable to access."

Twilight swallows thickly and lets out a breath she hadn't known she was holding. "Thank you, gentlecolts," she finally says, fidgeting slightly. She didn't expect the hug that comes from each of them.

"We know you're devastated about Pinkamena," Rainfall whispers, his voice full of concern and sadness. "We all are."

The queen straightens, her hair flowing even more so as she does. "I will go with you to observe the terrain." Letting out a careful smile, she follows their hoofsteps as they lead her. Oh, yes, she was looking after her ponies again, just like always. And she was now also looking for the changeling queen.

Comments

[Marytryne]

This looks interesting, a twilight x chrysalis story I shall keep an eye on this.