A Twi-Viney System

by AnRin05

Interlude: Celestia

Celestia was known by many titles. Many she took pride in, and yet many she was ashamed of.

She knew that she could never match up to the ideal image that her little ponies have built in their minds, and she never will.

She was not somepony who should be beloved, and definitely not as a leader who's thought to be omnipresent.

But she's simply an immortal who has her own faults while doing what she knows best...

She was simply Celestia - a being with her own flaws and imperfections, doing her best to guide her subjects towards a brighter tomorrow.

But what if her best wasn't good enough? What if every decision she made and every path she took were doomed to fail? As a ruler, she knew that there were no easy choices—only difficult ones that came with their own set of consequences. And yet, she could not help but wonder:

Was there another path she could have taken?

These thoughts plagued her mind day and night until the present time, as she struggled to find solace in the weight of her own responsibilities. For all her power and wisdom, she was still a mare—a being who longed for acceptance, understanding, and perhaps even forgiveness.

And so she continued to rule over her kingdom, haunted by the ghosts of her past and uncertainty of what the future might hold.

So currently, Celestia's mind raced with regrets as she pondered the "what ifs" today of all days. Despite being given choices in every situation, she always seemed to choose the worst one, leading to the loss of her loved ones.

The memory of her past mistakes haunted her every waking moment..

Even though that one harsh lesson was shoved in her muzzle in the worst possible scenario, why did she forget it so easily twice in the past?

Especially how that first big mistake took her sister away?

And because of her arrogance, she paid a heavy price.

Both times were caused by her blindness.

The first time, caused by her with negligence.

And... The last time was mixed by her indifference.

The pain of her incompetence as an older sister and teacher still stung as she remembered the loss of not only Luna—her dear sister, but also her previous student, Sunset Shimmer. The weight of her past mistakes bore heavily on her, like an unbearable burden she couldn't shake off.

That's why she promised herself to change— to at least try to be a changed pony, or to not let her new protege down like she did before with Sunset and Luna.

So she became attentive to her new student, Twilight, and, by extension, little Spike.

And she noticed something... problematic as time went on.

For one thing, the Princess took note of young Twilight's expression when she would glance at the little filly whenever she could.

Sometimes, when Twilight was all alone, her expression would morph into confusion, the next into skepticism, and so on and so forth.

And after many expressions, somehow the young filly seems to cave in after being irritated at something and start talking to herself, as if Twilight were talking to somepony invisible. But when clearly asked, all the filly would answer was "her imaginary friend" with a suspicious stutter and eyes darting around.

And when it came to Spike, sometimes the young drake would laugh at nothing in particular.

Making grabby motions in thin air, and even one time, Celestia caught the drake trying to say 'Vine', when some of the workers definitely have no such name relating to any type of plant in her castle.

Again, when the drake displayed that with Twilight around, Celestia decided to ask out of curiosity, and all the filly could answer was her imaginary friend and continue to copy the exact manner of stuttering while shifting her eyes to anywhere but her.

Strange.. yet not noticing anything (Celestia double checked on scanning for any magic interference, curses, hexes, dark magic, and manipulation, just to be sure.) She tried to act unaware, and for the most part (much to her relief), nothing bad had happened.

—Yet.

So she waited... And waited...

And nothing major had happened except for some innocent, strange occurrences that can be forgotten. So, letting her guard down, she let the years flow by.

Letting some strange quirks of her young pupil and dragon to be ignored when she definitely double checked that everything was fine. Again (Checking Twilight's emotions, health, problems, and Spike's own well-being.)

But so far, as strange as her pupil and the drake's actions may be, she, for whatever reason, could not really know 'why'.

She talked to Cadance, Twilight's foal sitter, her brother, and her parents, yet all she could gather was nothing. Only ever mentioning the quirks and not really giving a definitive answer as to why, again.

So.. letting her paranoia go, she spent most of her time getting to know Twilight and Little Spike.

Finally learning to cherish her time with Twilight while secretly dreading the day her sister will return.

She just hopes that Twilight will be safe.

And of course, fate really wanted to prove Celestia wrong.

Sometimes, when she least expects it, something goes wrong—or, in this case, something weird— and for certain, it is her fault again.

And on all the days it should have happened, it happened on the day her sister was about to be free.

She didn't plan this. She really didn't.

Actually, she knows that's a big fat lie. In the past, on the day of the exam, Celestia might have slipped that prophecy book into her future student's room in hopes that they would learn about the prophecy and what it entailed.

Yes, even though she learned her lesson twice, she just couldn't let go of the temptation to see her sister again.

After all, "what ifs" are the most dangerous thoughts any pony could have.

But when she slowly grew attached, somehow she didn't want Twilight to find her destiny; she didn't want Twilight to fight her sister; somehow Celestia rather wanted Twilight to be safe, and so she tried everything in her power to make it so by teaching her some advanced defenses and some offensive magic through the years.

If.. and if Twilight's destiny prevails Celestia would feel complicated.

She really wanted Twilight to be safe, to be as far away from her troubles and her mistakes.. but there is still that small part of her psyche, a very small part, that still insists on being a hindrance to her mind. That small part that caused her to lose Sunset Shimmer in the first place was still flickering deep in her mind, or.... Her heart.

But while she wouldn't deny that this was intentional, but Celestia had honestly forgotten about that book being in Twilight's room. Too busy keeping watch to remember her deed.

And that led to another mistake being added, and it caused Celestia to visit Canterlot's best hospital with a crying Twilight in hoof. Her poor student muttered repeatedly about how "she was gone", with a haunted expression that made Celestia feel uneasy during the check-up.

Surprisingly, the check-up seemed to calm Twilight down as the mare started talking normally, but Twilight did refuse to utter any explanation as to what caused her to have a magical surge.

Then after her student was gone with Spike keeping Twilight company, the Princess immediately consulted the doctor, only to be told that her student had suffered a panic attack about something very stressful. And when she told the doctor to clarify, all Doctor Bright Hooves could say was..

"Princess Celestia, I failed to provide Miss Sparkle with a comfortable place to feel at ease, and the situation escalated to the point where I had to let her leave when she adamantly refused any further treatment,"

The doctor began, shuffling his clipboard on his table.

"And even if you ordered me to force her, I would not do such a thing, especially if my patient refuses so strongly." He added, looking at Celestia pointedly.

"We could not force her to tell us anything, we have to wait for her to be ready. However, I did conclude that even though she was reluctant to share the cause of her panic attack, she seemed traumatized when she first came here. Tell me the truth, Princess Celestia, did your pupil perhaps witness something distressing?"

The doctor's frustration was evident as he acknowledged the contradiction. "There's no easy fix for a resistant patient," he admitted. "But we can't ignore a potential catastrophe, no matter how small the chances are. So please, Princess.."

Celestia hesitated before responding, her heart beating faster than normal.

"I don't think so," she finally uttered. "When I arrived, I took into account the ponies who witnessed her episode, and they all said she was alone when it happened."

Doctor Bright Hooves let out a defeated sigh at her words.

"I see. Well..." He trailed off, turning his head and giving Celestia a soft yet tired look.

"Then there's nothing more I can do. Forgive me, Princess, but if she's that adamant about not telling you, then I won't pry any further. But my advice for this situation is for you to be there for your pupil when she needs your help." With that, he stood up and bowed to Celestia, who blinked in surprise at his sudden departure.

(Unknowingly to the baffled Celestia, after Doctor Bright Hooves was out of the room, his hooves suddenly backled down as sweat was dripping down his muzzle.

"I can't believe I talked to Princess Celestia like that!? Ponyfeathers!? I wished I wasn't so dedicated to my job that much to force myself to be have my professional mask on, especially dealing with the Princess of all ponies!?" He cried out as one of the nurses gaped at his fallen form.)

— back to Celestia.

Having stayed in Doctor Bright Hooves office longer than one would expect, Celestia soon went to her castle feeling drained, even though it was just morning.

And upon her arrival to her throne room, it was at that time that Twilight's letter rolled in, and when she read the parchment, she felt complicated in her heart.

On one hoof, the contents of the letter were undoubtedly the proof of why Twilight had a panic attack. And Celestia was sure of her hypothesis; surely this was the explanation, and then, when she realized this later, the guilt came back like a tidal wave.

It was her fault. Again and again..

And now Twilight had unknowingly accepted her destiny, despite Celestia's results.

and she doesn't know how to feel about that.

Despite her best efforts, that pesky feeling of anticipation persisted within her. She couldn't help but wonder why she was labeled a benevolent ruler by everypony, given her inability to quell her own inner turmoil.

So as she drifted off into her own thoughts, little did the alicorn know that a shadowy figure was lurking in the darkness of her chambers. The phantom's expression twisted in pity for the ruler before a sudden commotion outside caught her attention. With wide eyes, she quickly scurried away, passing Celestia in her haste and sending an odd chill down on the alicorn's spine.

Suspicions flared in Celestia's mind at the sudden feeling as she sparked her horn, but the glow quickly faded when she caught sight of a chariot flying by her window. Peering closer, she saw her beloved student waving her hoof and Spike flapping his claws excitedly. Despite the despondent wave from Twilight, a soft giggle escaped Celestia's lips regardless.

As she moved her fore hoof slightly to wave back, a gentle smile graced the alicorn's muzzle. Though she was unaware of the shadowy presence that had just left, she couldn't help but feel a sense of contentment at the sight of her student and little Spike .

'Oh I hoped you'll come back to me safe and sound, both of you.'

Author's Note:

You know what? Imma gonna warn you all that my update schedule is pretty out of whack. Being swamped with many activities and all that. But since summer break is approaching.. I think I could have some time.. though don't get your hopes up for many new chaps because I kinda got many books from other websites to update as well

But I'll reassure that I would not drop this unexpectedly.. I hope.

Comments

[Ryebuck Coppercap]

An update, yay!

Poor Celly; being consumed by guilt and worry is not pleasant.

[uis]

Huh. Thanks.

11580623
Yay your sadness away.

[Nismo Rose]

Yes a new update! love the story keep up the awesome work!

[Alyarin9000]

This was fun :D
Good to see another chapter! Celestia's still none the wiser, though Twi-Vine has definitely at least altered Celestia's stress levels in the background xD

[Blood Rarity]

[hmaf43]

Yep, it's back.

[Scootaboom1]

New chapter, yay!

[Khigoby]

It was fun to see when Celestia and Luna find out about the twilight replica and what it looks like. They will think that she is the dark side of Twilight, who is trying to ingratiate herself with her and get a body. An analogy with a Nightmare. And her screens and tasks are a logical part of Twilight, in order to seem more trustworthy to her and so that finding a body does not seem strange, because she likes to keep order everywhere. Just like Tantabus does everything to seize power over her in the end.

[Scorch234]

This was a nice chapter I wonder what will happen next

[PonyofEntropy]

Just found this story and love it. Looking forward to more. Added to read list.

[tsaukpaetra]

It's too bad there isn't a sight-sharing spell that would let someone else visualize Twivine. But it's also strange that they didn't attempt to push her existence being a reality either. Perhaps one of those punishable tasks?

[PrincePegacornV]

Well, this is another interesting take on the pilot two-part episode of My Little Pony. At least, if nothing else, this story lacks the silliness of "fem-boy" Dusk Shine, which is just plain silly. The tale with having Twivine as a shadowy mentor is an interesting concept, but having this meta thing like some gaming interface well, that is a bit on the much side.
At least, there clearly isn't going to any clop to this tale, much to my relief...

Too bad there isn't going to any further advancement to this story. Just another incomplete tale and loss of interest...

Still, I'll give it a moustache for effort:

[Poparakelis]

Are you alive author?

[Djtheking]

Nice chapter

[Luckyfanisaac]

dedicated to my job that much to force myself to be have my professional mask on, especially dealing with the Princess of all ponies!?"

[Asolem2]

Both times were caused by her blindness.

Yeah, Celestia tends to miss what happens close to her

Yes, even though she learned her lesson twice, she just couldn't let go of the temptation to see her sister again.

Despite her best efforts, that pesky feeling of anticipation persisted within her. She couldn't help but wonder why she was labeled a benevolent ruler by everypony, given her inability to quell her own inner turmoil.

Easy, they only ever experience the result of your actions and they rarely, if ever, learn how much those results cost.

Not to mention the you mask you wear pretty much all the time