one
"Did you see how Wavebreaker burst out of the water at the end?!" Rainbow Dash exclaimed with a glinting grin. She rocked back in her chair beneath the bright blue afternoon sky over Ponyville, and with a wave of her forelimbs towards the sun, she shouted, "Sploosh! With the droplets coming off her wings and everything! She looked just like a blue sailfish leaping out of the ocean! Yeah! Haha!"
Across the round table in front of a downtown eatery, Rarity finished taking a dainty sip of tea and said, "My my, Rainbow Dash. It's unheard of to see you cheering so much for another athlete, especially one you barely even know."
"You kidding?! Who here hasn't heard of Ponyville's undisputed champion of speed swimming the last four years straight?" Rainbow smirked and slicked her multicolored bangs back. "I'm telling you: Wavebreaker's got a lot of good things going her way. If she keeps it up, she'll make the national championship!"
"Hmmm..." Rarity flipped through a fashion magazine and smirked. "Then what? I suppose you'll compete and show her true aquatic brawn."
"Ewww, no!" Rainbow Dash stuck her tongue out. "I'm Equestria's fastest flier. Yanno... as in using my wings in the air?" She folded her forelimbs and tilted her nose up. "Wavebreaker can have the oceans for all I care. Besides, it's really lame making sonic rainbooms underwater where nopony can hear it."
Rarity chuckled airily and winked. "If you say so, darling."
"Still..." Rainbow Dash gazed off into the clouds. "Just watching Wavebreaker do her stuff..." She smiled, her nostrils flaring softly. "It kind of makes me think of when I won the Best Young Fliers' Competition. You remember that day, right?"
Rarity shuddered and flipped another page with a spasming twitch. "Do I ever..."
"Err..." Rainbow Dash winced and chuckled nervously. "Besides the stupid stuff that happened at the end. Ahem." She stuck her hooves out and played with the edges of the table as she thought aloud, "What I'm getting at is that I had a moment... my moment, a moment like no other when I realized that everything was great and awesome with the world, cuz I had made it so."
"Mmmmhmmm..."
"Hey! I'm not just spitting hot air, Rarity! This is important... at least I think it is..." Rainbow Dash smiled meditatively. "Watching Wavebreaker win the swimming competition, bursting out of the water and stealing the applause—it reminded me of my best day ever, 'cuz she was having her moment, y'know? That victory was her moment, and it was really... really cool being able to watch it."
"Indeed," Rarity said, stifling a yawn. "'Tis a shame that I wasn't there with you and Pinkie Pie to bear witness."
"Yeah! Just what the hay were you up to anyways?"
"Sewing a scarf, I suppose."
"Sewing a scarf?! Rarity, for crying out loud, it's summer!"
"It helps to be prepared, darling."
"Oh, for the love of feathers..." Rainbow Dash rolled her eyes and smirked over towards the other edge of the table. "Can you believe this mare, Twilight? Giving up watching an awesome swimming competition for a lousy scarf in July?"
Twilight Sparkle said nothing. She had been staring into nothingness the entire time. Her mane hung just like her eyes: jaded, motionless, and reflecting nothing.
Rainbow Dash raised an eyebrow. "Twilight? Yoohoo! Equestria to egghead!"
"Mmm..." Twilight blinked, blinked again, and cast a dull expression Rainbow's way. "Huh?"
"What's the matter? Got up on the wrong side of the tomb today?" Rainbow remarked, trying not to snicker.
"I... don't understand," Twilight murmured.
"You look positively exhausted, dear," Rarity added, glancing up with a glint of concern as she blindly flipped another page. "If I didn't know better, I'd say that you weren't in the best of spirits."
"Oh. I'm... uhm... I'm fine," Twilight said, cracking a brief and noticeably feeble smile. Her chin spasmed, as if she was trying her best not to grimace. The breath that came out of her was as short as the shifty twitch to her eyes. "I'm just enjoying my tea on a beautiful day."
"Uhhh..." Rainbow Dash pointed. "If you say so."
Twilight followed the path of Rainbow's hoof. Before her, a cup lingered, filled to the brim with untouched liquid. "Oh. Yes, well..."
"Would you like to share with us what's on your mind, Twilight?" Rarity asked, giving a delicate smile as she leaned her chin on her forelimbs. "That is what dear companions gather together to do, after all: share feelings, both delightful and distressing."
"I'm fine, really. I was... enjoying Rainbow Dash's tale about Dancewaver—"
"Wavebreaker." Rainbow Dash's voice cracked.
"Er, right..." Twilight said. She shuddered and ran a hoof through her straight bangs. In a dry voice, she said, "Actually, I was thinking of asking... uhm..."
"Yeah, what?" Rainbow asked.
"It's... well... it's an awkward kind of a question. At least, I think so..."
"Ask away, Twilight," Rarity said gently, smiling even more. "You know that you can trust us."
At hearing that, Twilight's face jerked up. Her eyes widened, briefly showing color, then once again fell beneath a dull shade of anxiety. Stammering at first, Twilight asked, "Have either of you felt ill at all?"
"Ill?" Rarity asked.
"Well, maybe 'ill' isn't the right word," Twilight murmured. Gulping, she then said, "But have either of you felt strange? Different? Like something was... wrong inside of you? And it needed to be fixed?"
"So, 'ill,' then?" Rarity managed with a slight giggle.
"Well, there's nothing wrong with me!" Rainbow Dash said, then made a show of flexing her forelimb's muscle. "Fit as a fiddle, see?! Nothing to worry about, Twilight—" She slapped herself in the chest, then immediately winced. "Owww... Uhm. Y-you didn't see that, eh heh heh." Rainbow wheezed.
Rarity smiled and looked once again at Twilight. "My right rear hoof was aching when I woke up this morning," she said. "But I suspect the manner in which I slept overnight is to blame." Rarity blushed slightly as she continued, "Sometimes I work myself to exhaustion and simply collapse like a helpless damsel within the confines of the Boutique. Oh! When will I ever learn to take care of myself as I do my craft?!" Rarity waved a hoof and rolled her eyes. "Art is not without its sacrifice."
For some reason, Twilight winced upon hearing that. She leaned forward, saying, "But if you were feeling odd in any way, you would tell me, right?"
"What are you, now?" Rainbow Dash squinted. "A physician? Don't we have Nurse Redheart for that?"
"Y-you know what I mean..."
"No, I don't think we do."
Twilight took a deep breath, rubbing circles along the lid of her teacup and staring into the rippling liquid. "I guess what I'm trying to say is that... that I care for you girls, and I would hate for anything bad to happen to you." She gulped and put on a brave smile before them. "If you need anything, anything at all, I'm always there for you, with all the magic I have at my disposal."
"Well, of course we know that, dear!" Rarity exclaimed.
Rainbow Dash cocked her head to the side. "You sure you're okay, Twilight? You're... looking kind of freaky pale."
"I..." Twilight's shoulders shook, but soon she sat up with a determined posture. "I'm okay. I just..." She bit her lip. Her voice shook a little. "I have stuff I need to work on back at the library, and I've been putting it off for too long." She spoke the next bit with a deep exhale. "It's been weighing quite heavily on me."
"Well, we can most certainly see that," Rarity said. "Do you need help with any of these tasks?"
"No, but thank you." Twilight stood up, stretching her limbs. "This is something I must do on my own."
"Well, if you insist..." Rarity gave Twilight a prolonged, worried expression.
Rainbow Dash, on the other hoof, was suddenly beaming. "Think you'll get whatever it is done in time to join us at the next Swimming Competition?"
"We'll, uh..." Twilight shook her mane in the wind and smiled awkwardly. "We'll see. You two enjoy the rest of your day."
"Sure thing, Twilight," Rainbow Dash said, waving the unicorn off. As Twilight left, she and Rarity glanced down at the table where the full cup of tea was still sitting. They exchanged quiet glances.
Twilight trudged across Ponyville. She gazed down at her shuffling hooves, sighing in time with her sluggish pace. The sounds of the lively village rang all around her. As each progressive minute passed, her limbs shook more and more, overwhelmed with a jittery sensation that started in her teeth and snaked down to her tail. She looked up, her eyes wrought with a feeble expression.
Ponies walked by her. Some looked Twilight's way, others even waved. Twilight returned the gesture with muted enthusiasm. The moment she was out of sight from the crowd, she shuddered, taking a few seconds to recollect her breath.
In such a sulking manner, she made her way to the library treehouse. She opened the door weakly and was greeted by the sounds of Spike in open conversation with a visiting equine.
"Here it is, Wavebreaker!" Spike exclaimed proudly. The young whelpling waddled up to a lake-blue pegasus with a white-streaked mane, extending a thick, dusty tome in his claws. "I finally found it: 'The Unhappiest Mare' by Soaring Cantergarden. Yeesh. This philosophy stuff is really depressing. You’re sure this is what you wanna study?"
"I promised my parents I'd get a firm grasp of the material before I got started on my major," she replied. Her calm, emerald eyes dispassionately reflected the brown tome as she held it up in one hoof. "If this writer's stuff is as complicated as Kanter or Haygel..." Wavebreaker paused to sigh. "Then I've got my work cut out for me."
"Yeah, I hear ya. Studying old philosophy is, like, hard on the brain noodle and stuff," Spike said, his eyes momentarily crossing. He shook his head until he could give a straight smile again. "Still, you're gonna get plenty of practice in for the next swimming competition, right?" He beamed with fanged teeth. "Those wet-hooves from Trottingham are coming to town and you're just the pony to show them who's boss!"
"I..." Wavebreaker's ears drooped as she bit her lip and glanced aside. "I-I don't think I'll be swimming that much anymore..."
"You won't?!" Spike's tail fell to the floor as his scales went pale. "But... B-but you're the best swimming pony this town has had in decades! It's your talent, isn't it?"
"My talent is not letting my parents down with my studies."
"But I'm sure you can find time to splash those Trottingham snobs in the face! You just gotta!"
"Spike, if she wants to study, let her," Twilight said in a dull tone as she trotted over beside them. "It's our place to give ponies books, not lecture them on their talents."
"Gah!" Wavebreaker jumped, dropping the book and shaking slightly. "Who's...?!" The startled pegasus glanced over, then sighed with relief. "Oh. Hey there. You must be Twilight Sparkle."
"Don't mind me. I'm just passing through." Twilight levitated the book off the ground in violet telekinesis, shaking the dust off with her magic. "Soaring Cantergarden: not exactly easy reading." She glanced over with a raised eyebrow. "Did you just say that this is in preparation for a major?"
"I'm starting college soon," the young pegasus replied in monotone. "My parents have hoofed me bits to attend Manehattan University. I don't want to let them down."
"Well, philosophy isn't my strongest point, but if I were you..." Twilight gave a slim smile as she levitated the book over to her. "I'd consider delving into some Platoats and Socratrots before anything else. Just like all fields rooted in history, it's best to start at the beginning—relatively speaking."
"Why thank you, Miss Sparkle," she returned with an eager twitch of her wings. "I never thought I'd be getting advice from Equestria's most powerful magician." Wavebreaker smiled warmly. "It really is an honor, especially after what you did in the Crystal Kingdom."
Twilight's jaw fidgeted as her eyes fell to the floor. "Err... yeah." She glanced at the pegasus' cutie mark: an asymmetrical arrangement of white, watery swirls. "Breakdancer, was it?"
“'Wavebreaker.'"
"Wavebreaker, what you're doing for your parents—and for your future—is very noble here." Twilight deposited the book inside the pegasus' saddlebag. "Never lose sight of those who have provided for you. Trust in them, have faith, and they will guide you to where you want... and need to be."
Wavebreaker took a relaxing breath. "I really do hope so." Her eyes wandered towards the far corner of the room. "I've given up a lot for this chance at Manehattan University. I just recently had a long talk with my parents, you see, and I've come to agree that my talent is what we make it to be. It's so easy to be distracted by frivolous things, such as silly games." She gulped hard and her eyelids were thin. "It was fun, but now I need to grow up and find my true strengths."
"Heh..." Spike rolled his eyes. "You could have showed those Trottingham punks your true strength in an instant."
Twilight glared at the dragon.
"What?"
Twilight sighed, then turned to cast Wavebreaker a calm grin. "Borrow that book as long as you need it for, ma'am. We have quite the extensive philosophy section. Come to us if you need any help with studying as well."
"I'll be sure to." Wavebreaker nodded. She turned and trotted swiftly for the door. She paused at the exit, however, and turned to glance at Twilight one last time. "Miss Sparkle?"
"Yes?"
"Thank you... for the advice, I mean. I can see that you're a mare of great integrity."
Twilight stared, frozen in place, even as Wavebreaker left with the door shutting creakily behind her. After several seconds, it took Spike tugging on her tail to snap the unicorn out of it. She turned to look at him.
"She's broken three consecutive swimming track records, and now she's gonna be sticking her head into Coldgardens?!"
"'Cantergarden,' Spike." Twilight groaned. "And if you ask me, I think that's a good thing. The world could stand to have more..." Her voice lingered as she stared off into the shadows. "More ponies dedicated to their craft..."
"Heh. Says you. What kind of parents wants their kids getting into philosophy anyways? What a downer!"
"I..." Twilight breathed in and out slowly. Her ears drooped. "I wouldn't know..."
Spike's slitted eyes narrowed. "Twilight? Are you okay? You look just as tired now as you did this morning."
"I'm fine, Spike..."
"Does this have anything to do with the letter?"
Just then, Twilight's ears jerked up. Her facial muscles twitched as she swung her head in Spike's direction. "Letter?"
He leaned back from her, wincing. "You know... the one fr-from the Princess! Did you read it yet?"
"No," she said, softly at first. Then, with a stronger voice, she repeated firmly, "No. I've just had a lot on my mind, is all."
"Feh. When do you not?" Spike rolled his eyes, chuckling. He waddled off to the other side of the library with a dustpan. "If you need me, I'll be in the corner, dusting. Yeesh! You would never guess how much dust collects in the philosophy section of the library! Er... wait, on second thought—heh—I guess you could."
Twilight watched him leave. Once she was alone, she turned about and strolled up the steps that led to her room. Her hooves made echoing clops against the floorboards, silencing only once she had opened the door to her chamber and closed it behind her. At that moment, she paused, regarding the shadows of her room with muted suspicion. Anxiously, she shuffled forward and immediately approached the bedside table. With a swish of her telekinesis, she slid a drawer open and produced a scroll with a red seal that had been opened that very morning.
Plopping down on the bed, she took several heavy breaths, like a diver about to pierce deep fathoms. She clenched her eyes shut, her face tensing as if from labor pains. Then, once she was sufficiently calm, she unscrolled the letter and finally... finally reread each glossy, golden word, letter by letter, with twice the utmost scrutiny as she had upon the brink of dawn.
Dearest Twilight, my Good and Faithful Student,
It is with a heavy heart that I write this missive to you. There is a great evil ahoof, a spirit of unmitigated darkness. This horrible taint has spread its way through the ranks of the innocent and has corrupted countless ponies' souls. Even as I write this, I feel that wickedness spreading like a filthy pestilence. I cannot write for long without the agents of shadow catching wind of my intent to inform you. After all, there are few left in this kingdom who are unaffected, and even fewer whom I can still trust.
Your spirit is pure, Twilight; of this I am certain. Only a soul of absolute conviction and magical mastery would have been capable of defeating Discord and warding off the powers of King Sombra. I've tutored you all of these years not only because I believed in your future potential, but because I was keenly aware of your essential goodness of heart. You possess infallible integrity, and there is no other pony in Equestria I can trust more to follow through with my commands.
The sanctity of the Elements of Harmony has been compromised. The only reason chaos has not broken out across the landscape is because the core of the Elements—magic, you, Twilight—still remains pure. However, the same cannot be said for the other five elements. Evil has spread so far in this land that it has changed your friends irrevocably. They may not know it yet, but soon the seeds will spread root and sap them of all goodness and morals. It is too late to change this, too late to save them, and the fragile state of Harmony cannot afford for the Element Bearers to turn to chaos.
This is my current task for you, Twilight Sparkle: you must eliminate the other five ponies who make up the Elements of Harmony. This must be done swiftly and quietly, so as not to attract attention. If you tarry, if you waste any time in performing this act—however grim—it will risk the spread of evil to the furthest corners of the globe, for Harmony itself will have fallen to darkness. So long as magic remains, so long as you are untainted by evil, it is within your power to annihilate the other five. This is Equestria's one and only opportunity to avoid eons of pain and suffering.
I am aware of the gravity of this ultimatum, though I cannot pretend to imagine what is going through your mind right now. All I ask is that you reflect on everything I have taught you, all the wisdom that I have imparted. You must have faith in me, Twilight, as well as in my boundless love for you and all our fellow Equestrians. I would not ask you to do this if it was not for the good of the kingdom and for the good of us all.
The other five Element Bearers must be exterminated. In their place, the Elements of Harmony will find new sources of binding, and we can finally come out of hiding and confront this evil face to face without fear of losing all that's precious and holy in this land. I trust you will follow my orders swiftly, or else we may never have the peace of mind to commune again.
With deep faith,
Princess Celestia of Equestria
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If this is going to end how I think it is... poor Twilight.
You really like torturing these creatures, don't you?
WHAT. Celestia.. THAT'S FUCKING RIDICULOUS. You're telling Twilight to kill her best friends. That... that just doesn't happen!
Shit's getting real...
Coldcanter?
I see what you did there
In other news, holy shit. You really must have built up an excess of grimdark writing your recent comedy fics.
Princess Celestia sending Twilight out to kill her friends? That's so.... in character. Hell, I just clicked this by accident, but now I'm SO reading this.
Hmmm... Yes I can see this making a mental breakdown Twilight. BUT I can't see her just going through with this without confronting Celestia directly. If I were in Twilight's place, I would be seriously concerned that it was Celestia who had been compromised. As for the mane 6, I would be looking for loopholes — ways to neutralize without killing irrevocably. Maybe get a nice cockatrice, or learn the spell for stoning ponies.
[comment posted after reading chapter 1 — yes I am putting myself at a disadvantage doing that but I figured I would put my initial opinions before seeing the rest]
The celestia is a spy
Spreading darkness... corrupting ponies... few left we can trust... oh and would you mind terribly killing all your friends.
Methinks there is one less pony we can trust than Celestia thinks there is.
AbeTwilight say, "What?"This is going to end with Twilight killing her friends and then finding out Celestia's the one that's twisted, or Twilight's going to find out that it's Luna that sent the letter and she's becoming Nightmare Moon again. OR, Celestia's telling the truth. OR, someone's impersonating Celestia to screw with Twilight. Several other possibilities come to mind, but the one I'm hedging my bets on is the first one.
Fuuuuuuuuuu...n?
No, Pinkie, this is not fun! This is serious!
I have no clue where this is headed, but if it's headed where I think it's headed... MUST READ MOAR.
Twitch.......twitch......Celestia u do realize what u just asked Twilight to do.....correct?......
1738786
Seriously though, this makes no sense. If I were Twilight, I would not do it!
Reads the letter
-stomach knots-
Mother of god
THIS GUN B GOOD
There was a character you gave 2 different names in the second scene.
'Soaring Cantergarden'
'Soaring Coldcanter'
Well? Which is it?
I shouldn't laugh, but Kierkegaard plus ponies? Hehehe.
wouldn't some assassins that know practically nothing about the ponies their about to kill work better
they said it was corruption and greed works in with corruption therefor hay 1000 gold bits to kill these 5 ponies or are ponies being corrupted in a mindcontrol way? (they dont realize that their becoming the enemy until they think the should be) onward to the next chapter that will probably explain all my questions
edit also wouldnt killing them corrupt twilight to? i wonder if thats the plot twist hmm
1738328
This one?
24.media.tumblr.com/tumblr_mabweoxRPP1r428gxo1_1280.jpg
I couldn't resist... Please don't kill me...
I think twilight could easily kill them all...you know...if she wanted to.
Celestia and her silly games.
Thinking like Twilight -- Hmm. Something's rotten in Denmark, and methinks it's Celestia who's been corrupted...
WHAT?!?!?!?!? THATS CRAZY! this story will be awesome
What is Celestia has been corrupted and wants to destroy the elements?
The severng..
KILL EM ALL!!!
blogcdn.com/www.joystiq.com/media/2009/12/demoman121509.jpg
It is time Twilight, kill the princesses and rule Equestria yourself.
1737880
Bet you two to one odds it turns out Celestia's the only one corrupted, or that the letter was fabricated. Twilight kills off her friends, and BAM end of equestria, grimdark ending, etc.
Man, this ain't gonna be another one of those "Twilight kills off the rest of the Mane Six" stories. is it? If it is then I might as well stop reading now.
1766681 That's what I bet
Damnit Twilight, before you do ANYTHING, go to Canterlot and talk to her, make sure it wasn't a fabrication, and you know her better than ANYONE (sans Luna but she has little contact with Celestia, if most Fanfictions are correct) if anyone would sense something wrong with her it's you.
Posted after reading Chapter 1, I'll try to post my thoughts after each chapter
Oh no she didn't! Twilight, go buck Celestia in the face - she's obviously been replaced by some sort of Nightmare Sun thing. There's no way she'd ask you to kill your friends - how the crap did she even verify their supposed evilness anyway? And poor Dash - the chaos just won't leave that girl alone, will it?
On another note, all that talk about incomprehensible philosophy junk reminded me of my literary theory class and, ugh, *shudders* Derrida. Its like its not even in English. Only after the prof explained did I kinda get it but even then...
Anywho - off to read the rest. Its sure to be depressing, but I'm at least hoping that the others can put up a fight if Twilight really is going to try and off them.
Dah,It's more that obvious, the princess was corrupted and not the harmony elements.
Perhaps it's Celestia who's been corrupted and is using twilight to do her work for her.
Fucking called it! I knew she was going to have to kill them haha! Btw I may have been permanently scarred by those pony Philosopher puns.
Eat delicious Brain Noodles to increase your Smartology.
Oh, Celestia, you and your silly games! A great prank you've pulled here, though maybe it's pretty mean scaring your most faithful student like that...
i.imgur.com/KQL7U.gif
WHHHHAT!
Wait....really Celestia....REALLY?!? Hoo boy. This is gonna be one hell of a story. *Settles down with some snacks and continues to read*
...
shitjustgotreal