Changing Our Destinies

by silent_user

Chapter 2 - A New Path

Something went wrong.

She shouldn't have rejected my offer. After all, I am her idol, am I not?

Princess Celestia was sitting in her study, trying to understand where this new development came from.

All the reports Cadence gave indicated that she would say yes. Cadence didn't lie to me, did she?

No, that is ridiculous. Cadence wouldn't lie to me. I probably just ambushed Twilight. She is going to say yes, and even if she doesn't, her mere enrolment into my school will give me enough control. Although... I would prefer her to become my personal student.

However, no matter what happens, I can't afford another failure. Not after what happened with Sunset and all the effort I invested into Twilight. There simply aren't any other viable candidates, not anymore.

Twilights Cutie Mark indicated that Magic has already chosen her. While this development was even better than she had planned, it also meant that all other possible candidates were now useless until the fillies death.

I have taken all the necessary measures. I am worrying too much.

But if Twilight went rogue now, she would have a big problem on her hooves. The elements were tricky. They wouldn't accept a bearer that did not qualify through their own actions. That meant she couldn't interfere too much.

If only Twilight becoming, the element of magic was my only worry. Then there wouldn't even be any issues. Her Cutie Mark means that this is her destiny anyway.

The real problem for her was that Twilight would need to qualify to use the element of magic. And this needed to happen before Nightmare Moon returned. Additionally, Twilight would need to find the other bearer or bearers, collect the actual elements, and use them against Nightmare Moon while she was still weak.

I also have to make sure that there is a connection between the bearers and that the others qualify as well. Twilight becoming my student is the best and probably the only way I can ensure that she qualifies before Nightmare Moon's return finds the other bearers and is at the right place, at the right time, when Nightmare Moon returns so that they can use the elements against her. Only this will allow me to get my sister back, with minimal destruction of Equestria and no real harm to her reputation.

Celestia shuddered at what she would have to do if she wasn't able to get all this done. She couldn't allow another war. So many died, and so much destruction was caused during the last Luna Rebellion. If the elements failed, she would have to kill Nightmare Moon. There was no other way. She tried imprisoning once during the beginning of the Luna Rebellion, and it failed miserably. This time she couldn't take any chances for the sake of her little ponies.

A knock on the door signalled Princess Cadence's arrival.

"Hello, auntie, you asked for me?" Cadence walked inside, looking puzzled as to why her presence was requested.

"Yes, Cadence, are you aware of what happened today?" asked Celestia in an inquisitive voice. She was mustering Cadence, looking for any hints that would indicate that she was hiding something.

Needless to say, it caused Cadence to become worried, "Umm, you mean Twilight's surge? I didn't know her magic was already this strong. Nothing indicated it despite her showing me her abilities multiple times. She isn't in any trouble, is she?"

Looks like Cadence is indeed innocent. I shouldn't have doubted her.

The older princess was relieved. "No, Twilight isn't in any trouble for now. I would like you to visit her tomorrow with her brother. You two should encourage her to enrol in my school and, if possible, to accept my offer to become my student. Cadence, you know what's on the line, so do your best."

"I do not believe that is necessary. She adores you. There is no way she would decline." The princess of love was confused. Celestia knew that Twilight adored her. Why was she so worried now?

"Twilight already refused, Cadence, and while I believe that the reason for that was simply me ambushing her with the proposal, I would prefer it if you made sure," Celestia retorted. She was well aware that her niece wasn't happy when it came to what was essentially manipulating Twilight. Only through convincing Cadence that Twilight was the only way to defeat Nightmare Moon was she even able to get her to cooperate.

"Very well, I will see what I can do." Cadence turned around, leaving the study. As expected, the anger of having to manipulate Twilight again was clearly visible.

This could have gone better.

The plan seemed so easy at the time, but as always, her perfect plans couldn't withstand reality. Celestia's eyes were wandering through her study. For once, she didn't know what to do next. It scared her. Not only was she scared for her sister, but for the first time in a long time, she was also scared of losing Twilight. Finally, her eyes came to a stop at a drawer. She used her magic to open it, retrieving an old dusty picture she hadn't looked at for a very long time. "I am not going to kill my own sister, Twilight. I have done everything to lay out a clear path for you, and you will follow it." A sudden burst of rage filled her. "I have done everything to ensure you have had a good life, despite the circumstances! I ensured you would become powerful, found a good family for you, and guaranteed that nothing was missing in your life! One day you could even become a ruler of this country!"

What am I even doing, yelling at a picture?

Sadness replaced her anger. Celestia slumped down on her chair.

This isn't Twilight's fault. If I had paid any attention to my sister at all, none of this would have happened. I am trying to manipulate her into righting my wrongs, and now I am blaming her for trying to follow her own path?

Tears filled Celestia's eyes. Oh, how she wished that things were different. "I am so sorry, Twilight, but you are my only hope. One day I will make it up to you, I promise."

That night, Princess Celestia wouldn't find any sleep.

***

"Good morning, sweetie. How do you feel?" Velvet asked.

"I am feeling great, Mom! I haven't slept this good for ages!" replied Twilight. Her voice sounded as if it had been drenched in enthusiasm.

"We could tell Twilight, you slept like a rock," her father chuckled while looking up from his newspaper.

She sat down and began eating breakfast.

That's what I get for skipping lunch. I could eat an entire-

"So, sweetie, have you thought about Princess Celestia's offer?" her mother inquired, causing the filly to choke on her cereal.

Why do they have to bring it up now? I just got up!

"Not yet. I was thinking about making some checklists and charts later," answered Twilight. Then, trying to avoid further discussion about the topic, she turned her attention back to her cereal.

"That's fine, Twilight,” her father assured her. “Just don't keep the princess waiting for too long." The last part sounded like an ominous warning.

Their breakfast continued uneventfully, and once she was finished and said goodbye to her father, who needed to leave for work, Twilight excused herself to her room.

"Time to get things in order." Speaking to herself had kind of become a habit for her when she was alone. "I passed the exam, and Princess Celestia offered me a position as her personal student.

"However, I experienced either a vision or hallucination during the exam. The fact that the princess made me the offer and that everything was so detailed would point to it being the former. On the other hoof, the events that were shown were simply outlandish. They can't really be true," she halted.

What exactly did I see? There was so much. Often, things seemed out of context, and I was distracted during a good part.

Twilight could only recall some events. "Hmm, first Princess Celestia was making me the offer to become her student, and there was me, the rainbow pony and some other mares facing off some black alicorn."

We defeated her, right?

She tried to recall more about the black alicorn. Still, despite her best effort, she only managed to get a headache.

"I should look for some books about visions, hallucinations and trying to retrieve memories once I am done," Twilight muttered, defeated. "So, I don't actually know whether or not we won, but I feel like we did, and shortly afterwards, there were scenes with Princess Celestia and a blue alicorn that seemed to rule beside her."

Could this be a coincidence, or are the two alicorns connected? Their Cutie Marks seemed to be similar.

"I should look for information about those alicorns as well." This was probably going to take more time than she had initially thought.

"Then there was this Draconequus. I have seen him before!" But, unfortunately, she couldn't recall where. "We seemed to be fighting with him as well, for some reason." Now that she thought about it, why would she be fighting an alicorn and a Draconequus in the first place?

Becoming the princess's personal student does not mean I have to fight powerful mystical creatures, right? I mean... It didn't look like we were trained or equipped to fight. There weren't even any guards…

"Seems like there is something missing as well." Twilight was now pacing around her room, starting to get really agitated. The more she thought about it, the more questions there were.

And then I let myself become distracted by the rainbow pony.

She groaned. "Here I am, getting a look at what could possibly be my future, and I let myself become distracted by a mare!" Who could blame her, though? Although she couldn't explain it, and her visions/hallucinations didn't even show anything that would make the rainbow mare stand out from the others, she just knew they were connected because…

Because of what?

"Everything I saw was somehow coloured in this weird rainbow spectrum! This means it has to be connected to her! Also, my parents told me a rainbow wave was coming towards me when this whole thing happened." Twilight looked at her books as if she expected them to agree.

That's weak evidence at best, Twilight, and you know it. If anything, it would underline the hypothesis that this is just a hallucination caused by this rainbow phenomenon.

She gave her books a dirty look. If this continued, she might actually start to develop some hate for them, "And I should look this rainbow phenomenon up, great!"

But why do I feel like she is so important if the evidence is so weak? Why can I not get her out of my head? Why do I feel like there is a connection? Why did I refer to her as my rainbow angel?

The last thought made Twilight blush.

"A book on why I feel like this would probably be helpful as well.

"What else was there? Right, I saw myself as an alicorn! An alicorn! How did I manage to do that?" Only one pony she knew managed to ascend, Cadence.

I should probably try to ask her about that again, although... It could have been a disguise.

"That would make more sense." But once again, Twilight wasn't convinced. Deep down, she knew she had ascended, even if she couldn't explain how or why.

"Next came the bad parts," her mood shifted instantly. She didn't want to get into them.

I am not going to back down! This mystery will be solved!

"Rainbow walked away with the other mares, a dragon and Princess Celestia, going after a pink alicorn."

Wait a second, Rainbow? Is that her name? It feels right somehow…

Even if it isn't her name, it's easier to refer to her as Rainbow than rainbow pony.

Or I could continue to refer to her as rainbow angel…

She was blushing again. Good thing Cadence wasn't here.

"So, the pink alicorn must be Cadence, right?" Usually, the princess of love disguised herself as a pegasus to avoid unnecessary attention.

That's probably why I didn't recognize her immediately.

"Ok, so it was Cadence, but why would I make her cry?"

This doesn't seem right.

"Twilight, could you come down? Your brother and Cadence are here to visit you," called her mother.

Cadence! Shiny! What a weird coincidence.

"I am coming, Mom," Twilight answered.

Quickly she ran down the stairs, "Cadence! Shiny!" Twilight shouted happily.

"Sunshine, sunshine, ladybugs awake. Clap your hooves and do a little shake!" They did their little dance routine, causing her mother and brother to smile.

"Why don't you sit down in the living room, while I will bring you some cookies," Velvet proposed.

"That sounds great, Mom! Come on, Cadence, Shiny, I have so much to tell you!" Twilight ran to the living room, jumping onto the couch.

"Slow down, Twily. I don't remember you being so energetic," her brother managed to say between laughs. He was happy to see his sister again. Especially since she was in such a good mood. This could only mean that her exam went well.

"How did your exam go, Twilight?" asked Cadence, as if she had been able to read Shining's mind.

"It went great! I passed!" The purple filly answered with a big grin.

"I am so proud of you, Twily. I knew you could do it." Shining hugged his sister. "You deserve it, especially after how much work you put in." But deep down, there was another reason Shining was happy. He hoped that this would also mean that Twilight would take some time off of her studies so that she could reconnect with her friends and maybe even have some more time for him. Of course, he didn't blame her for being so distant. How could he? Blaming her would be absolutely hypocritical since joining the guard meant he barely had time for friends and family himself. Yet, this time he would find a way. If his sister did indeed decide to take some time off from her studies, he, too, would take some time off from his guard duties. She was the reason he joined the guard in the first place, after all.

"So, did anything noteworthy happen? What exactly did you have to do?" Cadence inquired.

Twilight stroked her chin, "Well, they wanted me to hatch a dragon egg and-"

"They wanted you to do what!" shouted her brother.

This immediately caused his mother, who had just returned with cookies, to scold him, "Shining!"

"Sorry, Mom", he quickly apologized. "But a dragon egg? That is literally impossible."

"Actually, I did it," whispered Twilight.

"You what!" This time both Cadence and Shining were shouting.

"Cadence! Shining! Please think of the neighbours," scolded Velvet once again. She wasn't really mad, of course. On the contrary, their surprise was completely justified. She could barely believe it herself.

Cadence, in particular, seemed flabbergasted.

I didn't know that Twilight hatched a dragon egg! How is that even possible? We don't have any real dragon eggs! The ones at the school are just replicas!

Shining was stammering, "Twilight, that's amazing. I can't even… I don't know what to say."

"Yes, Twilight, that truly is an incredible feat." Cadence could ask her aunt later.

The purple filly turned towards her, "Cadence can I ask you a question?"

"Sure, Twilight, anything," she replied in the best casual tone she could muster.

There was one question bugging Twilight. She had never thought about it until now, but considering that the chances of her not only getting a princess as a foalsitter but also being offered the position of protégé by another were abysmally low, she became curious. "Why did you choose to foalsit in the first place? And how come you choose me?"

Alright, Cadence, you knew this question would come eventually, and you prepared for it. Just don't let Twilight get suspicious, or Auntie will have your head.

"Oh, it was a coincidence, Twilight. Celestia was visiting the royal observatory and heard how your father was invited to a big event. She asked whether he would take his wife with him or not. When he said she would need to look after his daughter, Celestia proposed me as a foalsitter-" Cadence laughed "- you know, at the time, I didn't even want to foalsit. Celestia, however, thought that it would be a good experience for me and looking back, she was absolutely right."

Good job, Cadence. Without a hitch, just like practised. Looks like my head will remain.

And luckily for Cadence, Twilight was indeed convinced by her story.

"I guess this means I should thank Princess Celestia for forcing you to associate yourself with common ponies!" Twilight exclaimed in a mocking tone.

Two could play this game, "Hey, I was perfectly capable of associating myself with common ponies without having to babysit some brat," the princess of love replied jokingly.

"Now, Twilight, I don't think Princess Celestia would appreciate her protégé mocking her niece," interjected Velvet.

"Protégé?" Shining was stunned by this new development. In fact, being stunned seemed to become a pattern for him, "Oh wow, Twilight, you must be so happy, I can't even imagine-"

"I declined her offer." His sister had spoken in the most serious tone she could muster.

Now Shining was at a loss. He couldn't think of a single reason why Twilight would decline. This was everything she had dreamed about. "I am sorry, Twilight, it sounded like you said that you declined Princess Celestia's offer to become her personal student, but that would be-"

"I declined her offer, Shining." The purple fillies facade finally began to falter, causing her to start crying. All the feelings she had tried to ignore, suppress, and bottle up were finally catching up to her.

"I don't know why I did," she managed to choke out between sobs. "Everything was just too much. I am so confused…."

Immediately Shining rushed to his sister hugging her again. "Everything is fine, Twilight. We are here for you," he reassured her.

"Oh, sweetie, I am so sorry. I didn't realize that this was burdening you so much. Don't worry. The princess said that you could still change your mind," her mother reminded her.

"There is no need to be sad, Twilight. I am sure you were just under a lot of pressure. Celestia probably just ambushed you with her proposal. I know she can be intimidating, but don't let that deter you. If you get to know her, you will realize there is no reason to fear her. Just look inside your heart and follow what it says. Magic is your dream. She will not hold your initial refusal against you." Cadence gave Twilight a reassuring smile.

Mission Accomplished, Auntie will be happy.

Twilight heeded Cadence's advice. Just like the princess of love had advised her, she looked inside her heart, realizing that Cadence had been right. Magic was her dream. But now there was another one. A bigger one. She wanted to find Rainbow and change her destiny. Sure, maybe she wouldn't be able to accomplish all the great things her vision showed her, and perhaps she wouldn't become the princess's student or a member of her school, for that matter. Maybe she wouldn't even be able to become an alicorn. However, she would still be able to learn magic. She didn't need a fancy school for that. If that meant she could go out there and look for Rainbow, then it would be worth it, of that Twilight was certain. And who knows? Maybe she could even take the entrance exam again once she found the pegasus.

"You are right, Cadence. Thank you," said Twilight, trying to wipe away her tears.

"Don't mention it, Twilight." Cadence gave her a hug.

Poor Twilight. I can't even imagine what it must be like to carry such great responsibility. Having the fate of Equestria on a small filly's shoulders like that... If only there was another way.

Twilight turned around to face her mother, "Mom, could you please let the princess know that I will be declining her offer?"

I wonder if Nightmare Moon will be happy to have company?

Comments

[silent_user]

I hope you enjoyed reading the second chapter of my story.
If you have any thoughts, positive or negative, please leave them in the comments. I always strive to improve my writing, and your feedback helps a lot .

[Zhafran]

Critical Failure on Cadance,
Also:

I wonder if Nightmare Moon will be happy to have company?

I don't know whether I should be laughing or concern about this. I'll track to see where this goes.

Edit: Formating

[2tail]

Now here she is not rejecting magic, just putting something before it. I wondered if she told caddie about her crush on the rainbow angel, how the princess of love will react.

[Poparakelis]

I'm happy to see you didn't portray Celestia as a heartless manipulator, she is a sweet mare and I HATE when people twist her personality, she is NOT dumbledore.

[silent_user]

11606153
I would never portray a character like that for no reason. The characters of the franchise I don't like will probably simply not show up.
But Celestia's actions are Celestia's actions. Just like they do with every other character, they happen for a reason. Whether or not those reasons justify her actions is a different story. One I prefer my readers to judge on.
Honestly, I don't know if the following chapters might put you off. She had a hard life. Though, as you said, it doesn't mean she is heartless.

[silvadel]

11606153

Actually when someone manipulates things for good, it often turns out just as badly if not worse than when someone manipulates things with evil intent. The thing is, when someone thinks they are doing you a favor and you turn them down...