24 Hooves Legend

by Osper

Kiai 1

Kiai 1

Twilight Sparkle was normally the vision of composure and courtly dignity. She knew every ritual concerning grace and composure, how to walk and speak within the court of the Solar Empress and how familiar to be with the scribes working under her, transcribing the ancient scrolls of the history of Equestria.

But her eager giggling and smiles, had anypony been around to see them, would have blown her carefully crafted, stoic cover.

Being called in to see the Solar Empress always made her happy and any chance to have a pleasant conversation with her ancient teacher always brought out the joy in her otherwise wholly masked nature, even if that conversation was privy to several hundred ponies.

She passed the enormous front court of the palace, watching the guards have their morning martial arts practice. Her brother stood at the front of them, shouting their kiai along with them.

For a moment, their eyes met and a slight nod was enough of a signal from her brother to know that he saw her. She returned the same and he turned back to his job as head of the royal guards. Every emotion was guarded in the Mountain Fortress City of the Empress Celestia, Canterlot.

She passed servants as she walked through the massive hallways, a throng of them waiting patiently outside the giant double doors of the throne room. The doors were only open slightly, slightly meaning wide enough to admit four ponies side by side in this case.

Inside, hundreds of ponies, from Unicorns to Pegasi to Earth Ponies, crowded the hall. Each was a governor or leader of their town, province or region and each had brought an offering to the Empress along with the troubles their home was facing.

Tapestries flowed in the breeze of the open windows, everything in the entire palace built to allow sunshine and cool winds to blow through.

Just as she entered, the Empress, tall and powerful on her royal throne, took notice of the almost insignificant unicorn. And, for once in Twilight Sparkle's life, her mask slipped at what the Empress did next.

“My little ponies, all except Twilight Sparkle...leave.”

A shocked hush fell over the assembled crowd of politicians, courtesans and bureaucrats. All eyes turned to the slightly known unicorn whose eyes grew wide with the sudden attention.

There were no questions asked about the why. They simply obeyed, though Twilight blushed fiercely as they walked by, some mumbling angry sentiments as they passed her. To be able to command the Empress' full attention while court was held, alone especially, was considered an honor beyond honor, something that no pony had had in centuries. Just how had this small, insignificant scribe gained such power that the most experienced of politicians had been denied?

The door clanged shut behind Twlight, leaving her alone with the white, equine god. She bowed before the Empress, still at the back of the room.

“Approach, Twilight. I've never seen you act so formal as this with me.”

Twilight had to jog to the end of the room to make the trip short.

“I've never had so many daggers glared into my back either. I have the distinct feeling you may have made me a target of scrutiny within the upper echelons of power, Empress.”

The Empress smiled down at the lavender mare, her eyelids lowered over her wholly white eyes, like two little suns.

“Twilight, Empress Celestia is a lot to say. I've told you, just Celestia is fine.”

Twilight stuttered for a moment. Every time Celestia asked her to call her 'just Celestia', she felt like she was committing some grave sin.

“Yes, I'm sorry...Empress Celestia.”

Celestia merely smiled at her tiny friend and went on.

“Well, you won't be here in the city to be scrutinized so I don't believe it matters. You'll be going on a special mission for me.”

For the second time in as many minutes, Twilight was shocked. As a scribe, she merely stayed in the palace and wrote out scrolls, transcribing important documents and being a general book worm. She'd never even left Canterlot!

“But, Empress! Why me!? You have guards and ninja-”

The Empress smiled coyly, waving a dismissive hoof.

“We don't have Ninja, Twilight. They're information gatherers.”

“-and so many ponies more suited to a-a mission! Why me!?”

The Empress stepped down from the throne, taking the steps gracefully. She was almost twice as tall as Twilight and looked down on the young mare.

“Yes, those things are true. But I want you to do it. You're kind, courteous, you have no prejudices.”

The Empress circled Twilight, slowly, Twilight tensing as she did so.

“And there is much you could learn in the world outside this walled city.”

Twilight launched herself to the left, away from the heavy hoof that shattered the tiles where she'd been standing a second before.

Whirling in a tight circle as she got to her hooves, she saw the Empress already atop her, repeated blows barely evaded as Twilight stepped back.

“Jump!”

Twilight's horn glowed as she called forth her magic, her legs propelling her nearly 40 feet into the air and back away from the Empress. There were seconds to act as she cast again, her face set in a worried glare.

“Staff!”

A 6-hoof long wooden rod appeared in Twilight's magical grip as she began her descent, her mind working at lightning speed as the Empress leaped after her, like a white bolt hurtling at the purple mare.

The staff met hoof as Twilight deflected blow after blow, looking for a single opening into the Empress' offensive.

The Empress smiled just before rolling her body into an overhead axe kick, crushing Twilight beneath the weight of the blow and sending her hurtling to the tiles below, shattering them as the floor cratered around her.

Twilight, in pain, rolled to her back, thrusting the staff up to where she knew the Empress would be, catching her in the solar plexus.

Twilight smiled as the Empress looked down at the scribe, her lengthy body balance perfectly on the tip of the staff.

“Extend!”

The wooden staff shot upward, rocketing the ancient being upwards and crushing her against the high ceiling.

Twilight, gripping the rod as hard as she could with her mind, twisted it with great effort and swept the Empress from the ceiling and smashed her against the giant double doors with a thump that should have been heard by the whole palace.

Twilight gasped, panting at the exertion of moving her body and mind so quickly.

The Empress, caught under the staff, lay there as the doors suddenly tried to push inward, worried guards attempting to gain access to the sound of their embattled monarch.

The Empress shoved the staff away, planting a hard hoof against the two doors and keeping it easily closed against entry.

She smirked, Twilight too tired to even attempt a smile.

These common, but secret, fights were the training Twilight had undergone, learning to use her magic as a weapon in a world populated by powerful opponents who had sharpened their strength in other schools of martial prowess.

“Twilight, I've already given Spike your assignment. It might be best if you were to teleport away rather than have to explain this yourself to my court.”

Twilight nodded, trying to get her wind back. Her horn glowed as she concentrated, her staff disappearing into whatever dimensional pocket carried it. Teleportation was slow, a spell of great concentration. A mandala appeared under her feet, slowly rising over her body and eating it away. The Empress nodded at her fading student, proud to have taught the mare.

“I'm expecting good things from you Twilight. I know you won't disappoint.”

And Twilight was gone from the wide chamber, back in her own, dark little room.

Her windows were often closed to keep the wind from blowing her books and papers around, and the shades pulled to prevent fading on the covers.

And her assistant, a young purple dragon named Spike, was already waiting for her. Their bags were packed and he grinned as his friend appeared in the center of the room.

“Ready to go, Twilight. Everything is packed just like you like. The Empress recommended we leave incognito after your little tussle.”

She picked up one of the small bags, knowing that the Empress expected her to leave quickly.

“You already heard about that? How?”

“The whole castle heard the way you were throwing each other around, though I suspect Spike had his own orders, like me.”

“Shining!”

Twilight threw her hooves around her brother as he came in, holding his neck tight. In private, the siblings eschewed the normal decorum for open affection.

He reluctantly broke the hug, quickly levitating a rice hat off the wall and tying it over his sister's head.

“I'm supposed to escort you from the palace. The Empress wanted to have a last fight with you before you left, regardless of who would be nearby to hear. I'm supposed to get you out while she smooths things over.”

Spike hefted the bags, walking just behind the rushed ponies as Shining led them through the palace, carefully avoiding the servants and guards that rushed by, in search of the 'villain' who had assaulted the Empress. None stopped to look at the mare next to the Captain of the Guard. After all, what kind of captain protected a criminal?

“I hope the Empress knows what she's doing. I don't want to be a wanted criminal forever.”

Shining chuckled as they left the palace grounds through a barren guard post at the outer wall. On the other side, the city of Canterlot spread out before them.

“Don't worry, it's just a temporary thing. I'm sure she knows just how to fix it.”

He led the two down an alley towards a parked chariot and it's pegasus pilot. Spike tossed the bags into the back of the chariot, hopping in after.

“I dunno, it might be kinda cool to be wanted outlaws. Mares go for that bad colt type.”

Twilight rolled her eyes at this, stepping up behind him. Shining spoke briefly to the pilot, a blue mare with a rainbow mane, and then back to his sister.

“Whatever the mission is, come back safe, Twily. And don't do anything dangerous.”

The pilot started pulling the chariot down the alley, gaining speed for takeoff.

“I'll try. Bye!”

She waved as her brother got smaller, the mare pulling the chariot racing them through the air and towards the destination Shining had given her.

The palace eventually grew smaller as well, Spike and Twilight both staring back at their long time home. A place Twilight already missed.

“Don't worry, I'm sure we'll be back soon. Here, let's read this letter Celestia gave us. The sooner we know what to do, the sooner we can get it done and go home.”

He held it up for emphasis, tearing a claw along the top to retrieve the letter inside. Twilight nodded, scared, excited and nervous at her first trip away from Canterlot and her first official request from the Empress.

Spike cleared his throat, and read.

“My Faithful Student Twilight Sparkle...”