• Published 10th Jul 2011
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The Empty Room - Wanderer D



An ancient enemy; a family secret; a plot to overthrow the Princesses...

  • ...
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Chapter 2 Original

The Empty Room

By Wanderer D

Chapter 2

“Hey!”

The Guardian looked around, licking his fangs clean, but it would not look at her.

“I said HEY! Look at ME you... you... reptile!” The Great and Powerful Trixie shouted at the oblivious creature.

Trixie growled. NOPONY ignored the Great and Powerful Trixie! “Oh! You are going to pay! RIGHT NOW!”

Her horn flared with magic which took the form of a big bucket of water. With a smug face, Trixie proceeded to dump it on top of the Guardian's head.... only for the spell to fizzle into nothingness the moment she ordered it to do something.

Trixie blinked, confused. Then her eyes narrowed in anger. “You stupid Guardian! Stop affecting the magic of The Great and Powerful Trixie!” she stomped up to the huge creature and kicked it with her hind legs.

However, her hooves met no resistance and she lost her balance. The Great and Powerful Trixie landed in a heap on the floor and turned around to glare at the creature as it moved away.

“What the hell was that?! You were supposed to teach me something! And all you did was scare me half to death!” she paused. “N-not that The Great and Powerful Trixie was even scared to begin with! But it was a good attempt! I'll give you that!” the Guardian did not turn around.

“HEY! STOP IGNORING THE GREAT AND POWERFUL TRIXIE!”

“He's not ignoring you.” A small, almost nasal voice said from right next to her.

“YAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAH!!!” Trixie jumped several feet into the air and landed face first facing the cloaked pony that had startled her so.

Her eyes followed the cloak up to the skull hidden under the hood. Two burning red dots fixed on her under a strangely shaped (and apparently very sharp) horn. Now, The Great and Powerful Trixie could be pretty dense at times, but she had not gotten far as a showmare by pure luck alone...

“Who the hell are you and why are your skin and muscles missing?”

… then again, she could be pretty dense at times.

As the mysterious pony was about to answer, she interrupted him. “And what the hell do you mean that he wasn't ignoring me? I was shouting at him and even kicked him!”

The pony seemed to sigh. “He wasn't ignoring you. Look around you.”

For the first time The Great and Powerful Trixie looked around the small clearing. “Well, what do you want me to see? I mean there's a lot of red liquid around, and pieces of blue... mane...” in a panic she looked at herself and sighed in relief when she noticed her mane seemed to be in perfect condition. Then she noticed something that made her tremble to the core of her being.

She slowly edged towards... it.

“I-is that...”

“Yes.”

“But...” she motioned with her hoofs at her face, obviously still in place. And in one piece.

“Let's just say that the Guardian did not just... 'try' to scare you.”

“Oh.” The Great and Powerful Trixie grew confused as she started to float and glow softly, wisps of light floating out of her and disappearing into the night. “Wha-what's happening?”

The skeletal pony seemed to shrug once more. It was hard to tell, with his body covered in that black cloak. “Nothing. You are going beyond. As your ties to this world are broken you will begin the next journey.”

Trixie fell silent.

Seeing that his charge was well on her way, Mort nodded to himself and turned to go to his next appointment. Maybe soon he would get another interesting pony. Like that drummer. Or maybe a lead singer? He could get more autographs that way.

Trixie looked sadly at the world around her. From her vantage point, now that she was floating over the treetops, she could now make the lights of a distant city... a city she would never be able to perform at... all those ponies that would be deprived of her greatness... the revenge she wouldn’t be able to achieve... slowly the lights around her body died as she grew angry.

“Oh, hell no. The Great and Powerful Trixie is NOT going quietly after becoming lunch for an overgrown snake!”

Her form, almost ethereal by now, seemed to solidify as she slowly floated down to ground level. When her hoofs touched the jungle floor she grinned. She would get her revenge!

o.0.o

“Princess Luna!”

Luna turned to stare at the guard, who shuffled uncomfortably in place. “I thought I ordered the whole hall to be out of bounds for everything but the most important of matters.” she said, calmly walking up to the terrified guard. “What could be so important as to make you burst into the hall without even knocking?”

“Uh...” he took a deep breath. “Twilight Sparkle and her friends are here. You asked us to let you know immediately as soon as their chariot landed and uh... there is no other way to reach you than to walk into the hall.”

“...”

The Guard cast a glance at the exit, calculating how quickly he could get there.

“Oh.” Luna said finally. “So I did. Well done, guard. Bring Twilight Sparkle here... alone, and have her friends tended to.”

“At once your highness...” he hesitated.

“Yes?” Luna asked.

“Um... how is Princess Celestia feeling? We are all worried about her.”

Luna sighed wearily. “She... she will recuperate... please tell everypony that the sun will return to its daily routine soon, its... just a personal matter.”

The guard nodded sadly and left immediately, leaving Luna alone in the hall with her thoughts.

o.0.o

Twilight Sparkle walked slowly through Canterlot, her friends following her a few steps behind. Around them ponies of all types argued amongst themselves about the situation, and who was responsible. More than once a reference to Nightmare Moon reached her ears.

She sighed. “I wish they would not speak of Princess Luna like that.” she said.

“Well...” Dash said from where she hovered. “You have to admit it looks suspicious. The last time something like this happened it was her fault, you know?”

Twilight nodded.

“Guessing is not going to get us anywhere.” Applejack said after a moment. “Let's hurry up and meet with the Princess. Then we'll find out what's happening.”

It was then that a group of guards approached them. “Lady Twilight.” one of them said “Princesses Luna and Celestia require your presence... in private.”

“Hold on!” Applejack said, stepping up to the guard. “We are all here friends of Princess Luna, Twilight and loyal subjects of Princess Celestia, we should be able to go with her.”

The guard sighed. “Princess Luna knows you are here as well. She needs to speak to Lady Twilight in private. I imagine you will find out what's happening after that... maybe even with the rest of us.”

“So, none of you know what's happening?” Twilight asked the guards.

“I'm afraid not, my Lady Twilight.” The guard said gruffly. “The only one that knows at this time is Captain Lance, and he hasn't left either Princesses' side since Princess Luna called for him.”
Twilight Sparkle blinked. “I see...” she turned to look at the others. “This sounds very serious... please let me go first, I promise that if I can tell you anything, I will.” she looked pleadingly at the others, who smiled at her to a pony.

“Aw, don't worry about it, Twilight!” Pinkie Pie giggled. “I'm sure we can find something to do in the meantime! It's not like we have been here in Canterlot that much!”

Rarity nodded. “She's right my dear. Please go ahead. Maybe Spike could show us around?”

“Come to think of it... where is Spike?” Twilight asked turning around.

o.0.o

In another part of the castle, in Twilight's old room, where the guards had carried her luggage, a powerful snore shook one of her saddle bags from the inside.

o.0.o

“He must have stayed in the Library, I guess.” Applejack said, while Rainbow Dash tried to stifle a giggle.

“Don't worry,” the head guard spoke up. “Princess Luna asked that you were tended to for your stay, we have already assigned you rooms and some of the hoofmares will be along shortly to show you about the castle.”

“Sounds good to me!” Applejack said.

“Very well then,” Twilight Sparkle said, smiling at the head guard. “Please, take me to the princesses.”

At once two of the guards escorted Twilight away, leaving the friends behind with a couple of other guards.

“Hey, wasn't it funny how Twilight flinched every time they called her Lady Twilight?” Dash asked the others.

“Yes... it was very strange... I think... maybe.” Fluttershy said, noticing that the guards had traded looks when Rainbow Dash had asked that. A fact that the others, except for Rarity, seemed not to have caught on to.

“Yeah, since when has she been Lady Twilight?” Applejack chuckled. “Why, they make her sound like a noble!”

One of the guards was about to speak up, but Rarity spoke first.

“Oh dear.” The unicorn sighed, her hoof massaging her temple. “You really don't know, do you?”

“Know what?” Rainbow Dash asked.

“Well... I shouldn't be surprised...” Rarity said after a moment. “You don't think that Twilight Sparkle is a normal unicorn, right?”

“Well duh!” Pinkie Pie pipped up. “Of course not, silly! She's the Element of Magic!”

The guards traded glances again. This was new to them.

“What I mean is... you didn't think she was a... common unicorn.”

“Honey, I think Pinkie Pie already pointed out that there is nothing common about Twilight Sparkle.” Applejack said gently. “If anything she is unusual.”

The unicorn whirled around to face away from the group. “Argh! How dense can...” Rarity grumbled and muttered incoherently to herself for a few seconds, then, taking a deep, calming breath and forcing a smile, she turned to face the others again. “Okay, let me spell it out for you... she is a N-o-b-l-e.”

“Oh, we knew that.” Rainbow Dash said.

Rarity and the guards blinked. “You did?”

“Yes! We know she is a noble, honest, over-working, wise pony.” Dash listed.

Rarity gritted her teeth. “Not noble that way! NOBLE capital 'N'!”

“Ooooooooh...” the collective light of understanding in their eyes was at that moment as beautiful a gem as she had ever seen.

“Wait... so... she's rich?” Rainbow Dash asked, then grew excited. “Wow! And she probably knows a lot of influential and famous ponies right? So she might actually know one of the Wonderbolts! That makes her like... 20% cooler!”

“Is this true?” Applejack asked the guards, who nodded.

“But how did you know?” Pinkie Pie asked Rarity, who blinked in surprise.

“Well, she grew up in Canterlot, she could afford going to the most prestigious university in all of Equestria, she was selected to be Princess Celestia's personal student...”

“Wait! But that was because she really impressed her when she applied to start!” Rainbow Dash interrupted. “She told us herself!”

“Well, yes,” Rarity nodded. “But you cannot apply to Canterlot Magical University if you are a commoner.”

“Oh my...” a new voice said. “Did you just hear that?”

The group observed a pair of unicorns that strutted up to them. “I believe I saw these five walk through the hall in the company of Twilight Sparkle. Could they be her servants?” One of them said.

The other peered at them closely. “They are not dressed as hoofmaids... and I have never seen them in Canterlot before.”

“Hey! Who are you calling a servant? We are Twilight's friends!” Rainbow Dash asked, glaring at the unicorn. “And for your information we have been here before! We came to the Grand Galloping Gala.”

“My, how... rash.” the unicorn sneered at the pegasus. “And the way you call her... ugh. I can't believe she associates with someone that does not know their proper place in society. Why don't you go back to whatever... place... you came from? Guards, please escort them out.”

Dash was about to reply but one of the guards stepped in front of her. “I am afraid, Lady Glitter Horn that these ladies are guests of Princesses Celestia and Luna, as well as Lady Twilight.”

The unicorn looked at them with scorn. “I don't know why the Princesses bother with this... rabble.”

“Come now, dear.” the other unicorn said, sniffing rudely. “Let us be away from them.”

The group watched them prance away with complete disgust. “If that is the kind of people that she has to deal with daily it’s no wonder Princess Celestia was so happy we crashed the Gala.” Applejack muttered.

“Why, I should break her horn and shove it up her-”

“Please ignore them, Rainbow Dash.” a new voice said, making the whole group turn around. “Glitter is just as her name suggests, pretty, but useless.”

“Lyra?” Rarity blinked. “Why are you here?”

Lyra smiled shyly. “Well... I have family here in Canterlot and I attended the University here along with Twilight Sparkle... and those two.”

“I... I never knew...” Rarity stammered.

Lyra smiled. “It's okay. If it is fine with the guards, I could take you on a tour of the palace.”
The guards looked at each other, and one shrugged. “We have to keep you company, but we can give you some space as long as we don't lose you.”

“Sound's good to me!” Applejack said with a smile. “Lead the way, Lyra! Or should I say, Lady Lyra?”

“Lyra is fine.” the unicorn said as she started walking.

“Did you and Twilight have to deal with those two idiots while you were studying?” Rainbow Dash asked.

The guards followed the group out of the palace, sharing small smiles as their guests seemed to forget for the moment the attitude of certain Nobles.

o.0.o

Twilight followed the guard through the palace. Although she knew her way around it perfectly well, she had to maintain a certain protocol while she was here. She sighed. Things were so much easier in Ponyville.

When they finally reached the hall, the guard stepped to the side of the door. “Please, go ahead Lady Twilight.”

The unicorn nodded and walked in. The first person she saw there was Captain Lance. The old unicorn still looked as solid as he had as far as Twilight Sparkle could remember. Although she had not lived all her life in the palace, she had seen the guards plenty of times during parades in Canterlot, Lance had always been proudly at the front of the guard.

“Twilight Sparkle!” he chuckled as she rushed up to him and nuzzled him. “It has been too long! How are things in Ponyville?”

“They are great!” Twilight said, smiling. “I'm sure you've read the reports about the Ursa Minor and such, but I assure you, those are far and in between.”

The old unicorn chuckled. “Well, you can tell me about that later, right now we have a more important matter at hand.”

“What happened?” Twilight asked. “Everypony has been so secretive about it! Even Luna's letter was very vague.”

“That is because only Captain Lance, Celly and I know what's going on.” Princess Luna said, as she walked out of a room that Twilight could have sworn was never there. “And we all trust you to use very careful judgment if you tell anypony about this.”

Twilight Sparkle nodded soberly.

“Follow me.” Luna said, as she started walking towards the strange new room.

o.0.o

“Princess!” Twilight ran to cuddle next to her depressed mentor. “What happened?”

The Princess for her part nuzzled against her student's shoulder. The Alicorn visibly perked up, immediately feeling better, although not by much. “I'm sorry Twilight... I know I should be out there but I couldn’t... not... after seeing this.”

Stirred by that comment, Twilight Sparkle finally turned around and looked at the room herself. The words that she could have said stuck in her throat as her mind quickly connected the dots. “B-but... how is this possible?”

“We don't know.” Luna confessed. “Someone cast a spell so powerful that everyone in the palace forgot about this room, and if anyone even knew about my sisters' filly... they forgot about her too.”

Twilight Sparkle looked at her mentor. She loved Princess Celestia with all her heart, she was in more than one way her mother, since she had spent more time with her than with her real parents. To see her like this, deprived of the happiness that a filly of her own would have brought her... and to make her forget even having had one... it was... horrible. A travesty. “Who would dare do this?” she asked quietly, but the other three in the room could feel the cold anger in her voice. “Who would take...” she couldn't say it.

“Again, we don't know,” Luna said, her own voice angry. “but we intend to find out. Between the three of us we are three of the most knowledgeable ponies in magic. If we study the spells here we should be able to gain some clues.”

“And I will conduct my own investigation.” Lance said from the side. “I only need a time-frame.”

“Twenty years.” Twilight said, drawing the attention of the three ponies. “It should be around twenty years ago. Princess' Celestia's filly should be a young mare about my age by now.”

“Not that I think you could be wrong...” Luna began. “But how can you be so sure?”

Twilight Sparkle walked towards the small bookshelf containing Foal Books. “Here... this rhyme book was first published around twenty years ago. I have a copy myself at home.”

Lance chuckled and Luna smiled. “I am glad I immediately thought of you, Twilight, to help us out.”

“You couldn't have kept me away...” Twilight said with a sad smile of her own. “Not when my beloved mentor needs me.”

Luna sighed. “And speaking of which.” she walked towards the other alicorn. “Celly. You have to get up. You have to bring the sun up today. My moon has been there far too long. Our subjects and friends need you to be strong. Concentrate... between us we can solve this and find your filly.”

Slowly Princess Celestia looked up, first at her sister, standing regally next to her, a warm, comforting smile on her face. Her eyes strayed to the old unicorn, Lance, who nodded at her, his face tired, but understanding. And finally, her eyes sought out Twilight's. There she found strength, in the eyes of the one filly in her many years of life she had considered as close as possible to a daughter. Twilight was there for her too, and she would help her find out what had happened, and where her daughter was.

Closing her eyes she took a deep breath as she deliberately stood up. She was tired from crying and lack of sleep, from the shock of finding out that she had had a daughter at some point in the last twenty years and that she had had her memory erased of the events.

For her sister. For her loyal captain. For her faithful student. For her subjects. For... her daughter, wherever she was... she could not simply stay there and do nothing.

When she opened her eyes, she was ready. “Let's bring out the sun, my dear sister.”

Luna beamed a smile and nodded.

“I will stay...” Twilight said, looking around. “I feel the magic in this room... I think I can start making sense of what happened here while you two do what you need to do... and rest.”

Both Princesses nodded and walked out of the room, leaving Captain Lance and Twilight Sparkle behind.

“I will leave some guards outside the hall.” Captain Lance said, the old unicorn looking around the room one last time. “Is there anything you need?”

Twilight shook her head. “I think I have it covered for now, thank you Captain.”

Lance chuckled, drawing her attention. “You have been hanging around the Princesses maybe too much, my dear Twilight. You almost sounded like them.”

Twilight blushed. “I'm sorry Captain I...”

The unicorn shook his head. “No. Don't be. I'm glad to have lived to see you become the self assured young mare you are today. I'll take my leave for now, my Lady.”

o.0.o

The lights of the city attracted the Guardian to its edge. From the protection of the trees he watched as the ponies in the city looked nervous, casting looks to the night sky. Why was that, he wondered?

Suddenly a murmur drew his attention back to the sky as the night turned to dawn and then midday in mere minutes. What was happening? He hissed as the sunlight burned his sensitive eyes and withdrew deeper into the jungle. He would wait.

As he turned around, he absently used a claw to remove something that was stuck in between his fangs. Finally getting the edge of it, he pulled out the offending item and glared at it, then snorted, throwing the hat of the formerly Great and Powerful Trixie to the jungle floor. He walked deeper still, ignoring Trixie who glared at his receding form.

“I think I will need help.” she sighed. She hated asking for help. But there was little else she could do. Concentrating hard, her horn started to glow, and soon a small breeze pushed her hat towards the city. There was only one pony she could think of that would give her the time of day. And if she helped her, the Great and Powerful Trixie was willing to take her off the list of ponies (and creatures) she hated.

o.0.o End Chapter 2 o.0.o