Chapter Three: Siege
Twilight had been so busy, she nearly fell asleep on the train to Canterlot. Thanks to the agreement she'd reached with Celestia and Luna, her coronation wasn't due to happen for another few days, but there were some things she wanted to take care of in Canterlot before actually becoming the ruler. Plus, Rarity had to check on her Canterlot boutique, so it worked out. Rainbow Dash had joked that Twilight wouldn't rest until she'd completely reorganized the castle, optimizing the placement of every single room. Of course, the purple alicorn had laughed it off, but that had, once upon a time, been a serious consideration of hers.
"Thanks for coming with me on this trip," she said, as she and her six best friends disembarked from the train. "I don't know what I'd do without you around to keep me grounded."
"Oh, that's nothing to be ashamed of, darling," Rarity insisted. "You just like to have all the details locked down before you do things, there's nothing wrong with that."
"Yeah, and what sort of friends would we be if we didn't help you out with that objective?" asked Spike.
Twilight smiled again, but it faded as she looked up at Canterlot Castle. Even after all these years, the sight was still an imposing one. It would be her home soon, and would bring with it many new challenges. Sure, Twilight had (with help) saved Equestria several times over, but there was a difference between preventing an evil from conquering and/or destroying a kingdom, and managing that kingdom every day, keeping its citizens safe and happy. Twilight swallowed nervously.
"You okay, Twilight?" asked Rainbow, flying above the others. "You still seem kinda on edge."
"It's just nerves," Twilight replied, deciding to be honest. "I know, I'll always have all of you to consult if I need help, but it's still a lot to take in. Back when I applied to Celestia's School, I never would've thought this was the direction my life would take. Not that I'm unhappy about it, of course."
"You sure you don't want to ask the Princesses to give you another week or two?" asked Fluttershy. "I'm sure they'd be willing to do it."
Twilight shook her head. "If I put it off any longer, I'm just gonna spend that extra time worrying. It's better to get it over with."
"Fair enough," said Applejack. "So where's our first stop? Are we going to the castle?"
"Nope." Twilight led her friends down the street. "First, I wanna visit my parents."
The small household on the east side of Canterlot wasn't hard to find, considering Twilight had spent a good portion of her childhood in it. The six ponies and one dragon strolled up to the door, and Twilight slowly raised her hoof, knocking three times.
They didn't have to wait long, as the door was enveloped in unicorn magic, and pulled open.
"Yes, how can I help—" Night Light began, before stopping upon seeing who was at the door. "Twilight?"
"Hi, dad," said Twilight. "Is mom home? I really wanted to talk to both of—"
She didn't get to finish, as her father's magical glow pulled her forward, into his embrace.
"Honey! Twilight's here!" Night Light shouted back into the house, while simultaneously hugging his daughter.
Spike and the other ponies couldn't help but laugh as Twilight Velvet came down, and Twilight Sparkle was smothered by both of her parents. The purple alicorn spared only a second to shoot a glare at her friends, before returning the affection
It took several minutes of hugs and kisses before Twilight managed to wiggle free. She didn't blame her parents, considering she'd barely had time to spend with them since becoming a princess. Soon enough, they did give her some room to breathe, and the group gathered in the living room, where Twilight soon told her parents of her upcoming promotion.
"Princess of all Equestria?!" exclaimed Night Light, magically pulling his daughter into another hug. "Twily, we're so proud of you! You've come so far since you were a filly!"
"I know, it's amazing!" added Twilight Velvet. "Though I must admit, it's a bit sudden. Princess Celestia and Princess Luna are retiring? Just like that?"
"It was a shock for me, too," admitted Twilight. "Growing alicorn wings is one thing, but this is the next level. Still, after thinking it over, I've come to accept it. Even if I won't be living in Ponyville anymore, I'll still have my friends by my side, and that's all I need."
"You can count on us to support your daughter," Applejack added. "Just like we always have. This ain't nothing but another challenge for us to overcome."
Twilight Velvet nodded. "Thank you, girls. And you, too, Spike. Knowing Twilight has such good friends by her side makes me feel wonderful inside." She had a brief chuckle. "Look at you and your brother, Twily. Princess of Friendship and Prince of the Crystal Empire. Living the dream of every foal."
"Mom!" Twilight protested. "This is very serious!" But her tone betrayed the fact that she wasn't actually angry.
"You didn't have another...moment, did you, sweetie?" asked Night Light. "I know you tend to get overwhelmed, and sure, usually there's nothing to worry about, but—"
"I did get a little nervous, dad," Twilight admitted. "Who wouldn't when they're being told they're going to run an entire kingdom?"
"Admittedly, we may not have handled the situation the best way," Fluttershy confessed, sounding a little ashamed of herself. "The good news is we talked it over, and got Twilight into a place where she's much more comfortable with it."
"We helped her go over all the arrangements that need to be made before she takes the throne," added Rarity. "The School of Friendship will be properly cared for, along with Ponyville itself. Your daughter's eye for details always did impress me."
Night Light and Twilight Velvet smiled proudly. "That's our Twilight," said the stallion, "always knowing how she wants everything to go. It always was one of your biggest strengths, sweetie."
"Some would say it's my biggest weakness," Twilight mumbled, "considering how often it's made things unnecessarily complicated."
Twilight Velvet placed a comforting hoof on her daughter's shoulder. "It doesn't make you any less of a good pony," she insisted. "Besides, all it means is that you care about details. It doesn't mean you're a crazy pony or anything."
Twilight smiled, blushing at the compliment. "Thanks, mom. It beats Shining Armor calling it me going Twily-nanas. I know he's kidding, but I wish he'd take me a little more seriously."
"To be fair, he only called you that when you were obsessing over Hearth's Warming," said Pinkie. "As we learned, there's no need to do that."
"True," replied Twilight. She got off the couch. "We've got some more errands to run around town. I'll see you guys later." She stepped forward to hug her parents once again. "Thanks for supporting me."
"That's our job, Twilight," said Night Light, returning the hug alongside his wife.
The others made a collective "Aaaaaw," at the display, Pinkie Pie quickly snapping a picture before they left.
After a quick stop at Rarity's boutique to make sure Sassy Saddles wasn't having any troubles, the group headed back towards the castle. Twilight wanted to have a talk with the castle staff before she took over, so she could have all their schedules memorized and know all the ins and outs that went on inside. When she'd been Celestia's student, most of Twilight's time had been taken up by studying, so she hadn't had the chance to pick these particular things up.
Rarity gave another content sigh as they approached Canterlot Castle. "No matter how many times I see it," she proclaimed, "this remains to be the most gorgeous building in all of Equestria!"
"Even compared to the Crystal Empire Palace?" asked Spike. "I know how much you loved that castle."
"True, but it is possible to go overboard with the glittering and the glamorous, darling," replied the unicorn. "Canterlot has, in my opinion, just the right balance."
"It is nice," said Twilight. "I lived here for a pretty long time, but I guess I never really picked up all the high society things you love so much, Rarity. Kind of a shame, since you were so keen on them when we met."
"It's not an issue, darling," insisted the unicorn. "Your friendship is worth more than all of those things."
"Thanks. Now, we better hurry. I don't want to keep the castle staff waiting."
As the group continued to trot, Twilight glanced off to the side, discovering a familiar unicorn waiting for them. Tempest heard the clopping of their hooves and turned to face them, smiling when she saw them approached. The scarred unicorn approached, and Twilight gave her a friendly nuzzle.
"Are you sure you want me here?" asked Tempest. "After what I did to this town, I could understand not wanting me anywhere near it."
"That was the old you," Twilight insisted. "Besides, you told me you were interested in serving in the Royal Guard once you were done cleaning up the Storm King's messes. You might as well learn what you can while you're here."
"Can't argue with that."
The conversation would've continued, had Pinkie not gasped loudly enough to draw everyone's attention. Twilight turned around to ask her friend what was wrong, only for the pink earth pony to point at what appeared to be an approaching mass of black clouds. The clouds soon parted, revealing the hull of a familiar airship hovering just over Canterlot. Twilight's eyes went wide at the sight, unpleasant memories surfacing in her brain.
"That's...that's the Typhoon! That's the Storm King's flagship!" yelled Tempest.
But nobody had time to process Tempest's words, for the cannons of the massive airship soon began taking aim at Canterlot Castle. Twilight barely had time to scream the word "NO!" before the first shot was fired, blowing off one of the many spires. The sound of the blast was deafening, and the resulting quake nearly knocked everyone off their hooves.
A ramp descended from the side of the Typhoon, slamming into the Canterlot ground so hard it shook the very city. Beneath a massive banner depicting the Storm King's smug face, a group of Storm Creatures were gathered, armed with spears and shields forged of anti-magic metal. One of them roared something in their native language, before they all charged forward, sending ponies galloping away in fear.
"Oh, not again!" complained Rarity.
"It doesn't matter!" declared Twilight. "We beat them once, we can do it again!"
"Sounds like fun to me!" chimed in Rainbow.
The seven ponies and one dragon broke into their own gallop, as Twilight, Spike, and Rainbow took to the air with their wings. Knowing her mystical blasts would be useless against the shields, Twilight instead levitated up a chunk of rubble laying on the ground and pitched it into the crowd of Storm Creatures. Several of their enemies were knocked over by the improvised projectile, but the rest pressed onward.
"Oh no you don't!" yelled Tempest, diving forward as her horn sparked with electricity. "Not this time!"
One of the creatures took a swipe at her with its spear, but the scarred unicorn was far too skilled to be hit by such a clumsy attack. She ducked under the weapon, before bucking upwards with her back legs, knocking it free of the creature's grip. Tempest then used her momentum to leap onto the creature's head, wrapping her legs around it and pulling the entire body to the ground. Applejack rushed to her aid, bucking the creature in the side of the head and knocking it unconscious.
"One down, wish I knew how many more to go!" said the farm pony.
Meanwhile, Fluttershy, despite charging head-first into the fray alongside the others, was beginning to shake, clearly terrified. Sure, she'd been through a fight very similar to this before, but that didn't mean she wanted to do it again. Plus, one of the Storm Creatures suddenly took notice of her and made a beeline in her direction, making her quiver with fear.
"I've got you, Fluttershy!" came Rarity's reassuring voice.
The unicorn raced up to her friend, a length of fabric levitated in her magical grip. She sent the fabric flying forward, where it slapped against the Storm Creature's face, blinding it. With the beast distracted, Spike took the opportunity to spew an emerald fireball at him, which blasted the creature off its feet.
"You alright, Fluttershy?" asked the dragon, flying over and landing beside the pegasus.
"I'm fine," she replied, but she was looking down, seemingly depressed. "Thanks for saving me, but I can't just stand by and be useless."
She spread her wings, taking off despite Rarity and Spike protesting. Fluttershy flew downward, landing on her hooves in front of another group of Storm Creatures. Bracing herself, she pulled her neck back and thrust her head forward, giving the most intense version of the Stare she'd ever done. The Storm Creatures froze in their tracks, dropping their weapons and shields, utterly at the mercy of Fluttershy's Stare.
That gave Rainbow Dash ample time to fly into the group of creatures, ramming into them and scattering them like bowling pins.
"Thanks for that, Fluttershy!" called the blue pegasus, as she zipped back around. "It definitely makes 'em easier targets!"
"You're welcome, Rainbow!"
At the same time, Twilight was busy dodging shots fired from the Typhoon. Fortunately for her, it seemed Celestia and Luna were aware of what was going on outside, as a magical barrier had been put up around the castle, preventing more collateral damage. Unfortunately, the Royal Guard hadn't mobilized yet, meaning Twilight and the others would probably be on their own for a while longer. She'd made attempts to return fire with her magic, but of course, the hull of the airship was coated with more anti-magic metal, rendering her blasts useless.
"So is there a way to disable that thing?!" she yelled, flying down next to Tempest. "Because it's really getting on my nerves!"
"We'll have to take out the crew," replied the larger unicorn. "Can you get me up there? I can deal with them from inside."
Twilight nodded, lighting up her horn. Tempest Shadow was engulfed in her magenta aura, and levitated off the ground. Twilight flew alongside her, dodging more shots from the ship's cannons, before depositing Tempest on top of the deck. Spike flew up as well, and the two rushed down into the ship, magic and fire burning. Soon enough, the ship ceased firing, allowing the six ponies to deal with the remaining forces on the ground.
Twilight and Rarity combined their telekinesis, levitating a Applejack's lasso as a massive tripwire. About half a dozen Storm Creatures stumbled over it, before the two mares swung the rope around, tying it in a knot. With the beasts immobilized, it was a simple matter for Pinkie to bounce from head to head, knocking them all unconscious. Only two creatures remained, and one was bucked into the wall by Applejack, while Rainbow rammed the other.
"HA!" yelled Rainbow. "That's twelve, by my count! I totally beat more than you, Applejack!"
"Oh, no you didn't!" the farm pony snapped back. "That one that I bucked into the air and you rammed it was my win, not yours! You were totally unnecessary there!"
"You know that's crap! That one would've just gotten back up if I hadn't got him!"
"From that fall?! He would not—"
"GIRLS! CAN WE FOCUS ON WHAT'S IMPORTANT?!" roared Twilight, channeling some of the Royal Canterlot Voice. That shut Rainbow and Applejack up.
Celestia and Luna were already on their way down from the castle, accompanied by several Royal Guards, having heard the attacks from the airship cease. Tempest, however, had no patience for them. Coming out of the ship, Spike hot on her tail, she marched up to the one remaining creature that was conscious. She grabbed it by the head with her forehooves, glaring into it's eyes.
"What're you doing here? Talk!" she demanded in the creature's native language.
"I have nothing to say to you, traitor," the beast spat. "We are servants of the Storm King to the end, and we—"
Tempest rolled her eyes, then knocked the creature out with a swift punch to the head. She turned back to the mares and Spike, now accompanied by Celestia and Luna.
"They're not gonna explain themselves," she informed them. "My best guess is these idiots were just trying an attack to get revenge for the Storm King's defeat."
"It's a good thing you were around to help halt the assault," said Celestia. "We'll have the Royal Guard round them up and escort them to Tartarus."
"I'm glad it was nothing big, but..." Twilight put her hoof on her chin, deep in thought. "Why would they attack now? We've been looking for this ship ever since the Storm King's attack. Is it possible they heard about my coronation? But why not wait until that day?"
"Well, these guys don't seem particularly intelligent," said Rainbow Dash. "Maybe they just got sick of running away and decided to try getting their revenge."
"Yeah, that Storm King meanie is...broken," added Pinkie, looking a little nervous at the prospect of discussing death. "He couldn't have ordered them!"
"True," said Twilight, "but I can't help but feel we're missing something..."
Spike opened his mouth to add to the conversation, but his words died on his lips due to a sudden interruption. That interruption took the form of a massive sphere of white light that suddenly grew into existence next to the group. Twilight, Rarity, Celestia, Luna, and Tempest's horns vibrated from the sudden magical surge. All nine ponies (plus one dragon) all turned towards the sphere, shifting back into combat positions, which pulsed again with a great load of magical energy. Then the sphere began to collapse on itself, revealing a form deep within. The form was that of a pony, but the surface of its coat sparkled with white stars. Once the light was gone, everyone present gasped as they saw the pony's appearance.
Because, besides the glowing effect, as well as the translucent body, it was a perfect match for Twilight.
The other Twilight opened her eyes, and again, the purple orbs were exactly like the real Twilight's. She spread her wings, and opened her mouth, beginning to speak. Her voice was very close to the real Twilight's, but this one had an ethereal feel to it, as well as echoing, as though she were speaking from across a vast canyon.
"Greetings, Bearers of Harmony," she said. "I have reached out to you in my hour of need. I require your help."
Everyone else blinked in confusion. "Um, what?" said Applejack. "Twilight, did you have a twin sister you never told us about?"
"No, no, I know what this is," the real Twilight replied. "Sandbar told me. The Tree of Harmony communicated with him and his friends others by projecting an image of me." Upon seeing the looks on her friends' faces, she shrugged. "Hey, it's not like I told it to use my face."
Glowing Twilight nodded. "Indeed. I am the avatar of the Tree of Harmony. And my physical form is in great peril."
That got everyone's attention. "The Tree of Harmony is in danger?" exclaimed Fluttershy. "Why? Who's attacking it?"
"I do not know. But I cannot defend myself for long. Please, you must hurry."
"Wait, then that attack..." said Twilight, as the wheels in her brain began turning. "Someone must've been trying to distract us! We have to get to the Tree now!"
She lit up her horn, pulling Applejack, Pinkie, Rarity, Fluttershy, Rainbow, and Spike to her. "I can manage one long-distance teleportation spell. Should be enough to get us there."
"Wait, Twilight!" interrupted Celestia. "Let us help you. We can—"
"No! If my friends and I are going to rule Equestria, we need to figure out how to do things without you!" Twilight insisted.
Her horn glowed again, flaring with magic. Twilight squeezed her eyes shut, as sparks of magic zapped off the tip of her horn, before there was a massive flash of magenta light. When the light faded, Twilight and the others were gone, leaving Celestia, Luna, and Tempest alone.
"Well," said Tempest, "that doesn't sound good."
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I know Twilight didn't really mean it. But she sounds rude to me. Plus, she might regret not getting additional help to protect the Tree.
10706708
Well, Twilight can't help it. She's just trying to save a magical tree that's responsible for linking her and her friends' fate to be together before they met. I mean who wouldn't want to destroy an object that pulled the strings of anyone's fate?
Alright, looks like the battles have officially begun.
10706708
She needs Princess Celestia. More than she might realize.
10707055
The Villains obviously.
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And that important statement will bite her in the flank. Because, it's okay to have additional help and backup. Especially to protect a VERY IMPORTANT Tree is better safe than sorry.
Okay, I’m glad I found this. It’s staying true to the finale, but tweaking it in a way I very much enjoy and it feels like I’m reading the show.
And the best part, NO BASHING!
Nice work, I’ll be watching this one.
10688502
So uh, are you going to update this story once a month or something?
10716157
I'll try to do it more often than that. Chapter four is almost done.
10716189
Oh OK cause I saw the dates they were published and I thought there was like a pattern.
10706708
I feel like Luna would really be pissed at that.
In season 3, she wanted to go and help but Celestia forced her to stay out of it for the sake of "teaching" Twilight.
She returned from the moon only to fail and FAIL again or be forced to be sidelined.
I feel like Luna would have serious issues about no longer being "needed" and such.
10707055
I feel like it certainly screwed Luna and Celestia over in favor of Twilight honestly.
Given how poorly handled the sisters were..
I feel like Spike might have issues too since apparently he kept being left out alot due to not being an Element bearer there..
10706708
Different universe same mistakes.
Which villain has which element of disharmony?
10775303
You'll see!