Dying Light
It was a pleasant surprise for Celestia to see how Twilight handled her first big job. Truth be told, the princess of the sun wasn't sure how Twilight would perform in that meeting, not working as teacher and student like before, but as equals.
And Celestia discovered that her protege was more than willing to meet the challenge. She was calm, collected, very professional, and had some thoughtful ideas in how to tackle the issues in front of her.
Obviously, Celestia made the right decision with her.
However, there was one personal matter that wouldn't leave her head. The way the meeting had started left her puzzled throughout the day, up to the moment she was having dinner in the private dining hall.
Her own dining hall wasn't all that big; she didn't see the need all the room in such a place. It still had a good sized table to boot, and it was yet another thing that carried her cutie mark as an emblem. The curtains over the windows were long and covered with white silk, and a chandelier lit the room in a gaudy yellow haze.
She didn't dine alone that evening. The Mayor of Ponyville went with her to eat in the hall, and they enjoyed a crisp salad together, made with the freshest plants from the gardens.
"Are you sure that a two tower castle won't be too much for you?" Celestia asked her. "I know it will house Twilight of all ponies, but it will be the largest structure your town has ever hosted. It's bound to be a landmark in no time."
"I considered that into the design," the Mayor responded. "But you have to admit that everything changes with a princess living in town. Especially an alicorn of all ponies. Things were going to change no matter what."
"But you still think it can be the same town as before, even with these plans."
"Of course. Her castle won't be as big as yours, and you know that."
They continued on with their dinner, talking about this and that. It wasn't often that Celestia could just let herself go as she was with the Mayor, and it always proved to be a nice change of pace whenever she could.
After a while, they heard somepony running outside the dining hall, exasperated and groaning under her breath. Celestia would recognize that voice anywhere, even when she was running around everywhere.
"What is Twilight doing here?" she asked the nearby Guard, the one watching over the hall.
"I don't know for certain, Your Majesty. She's complaining that she needs 'a quiet place'," he explained.
"Maybe she just needs some time alone, like we're doing," Mayor Mare offered.
"Haven't you noticed something's wrong with her, even now?" questioned Celestia.
"I have. She hasn't been herself since we left. But if she says it's personal, I'm not going any further."
"I can't help but wonder what is going on, even with that. You might not know this, but she has always been open to me about everything. She came to me every time her brother was out in battle, asking if I knew if he was still alive. She even asked me if her doll was a living, breathing pony. And now she's shut herself off from me. That is why I don't understand why she's hiding this from me."
"That's strange, but she has to be under some kind of stress. This is the biggest role that she's ever had to do as a princess. Weren't you the same way when your parents gave you the title for the first time?"
"Even then, I was open about my feelings and dilemmas to them. I didn't shut myself off from them and said we should talk about it later. And I don't like how she feels as if she needs to hide it from me."
"She did say she would talk about it tomorrow. That's got to count for something."
"You're right. Maybe I'm just worried about how she sees me now."
They went and finished their dinner later that night, and Luna went to raise the moon over Celestia's sun. The Mayor would find out where her bedroom for the night was, and Celestia would go off to her study foyer to handle some last minute paperwork.
The study foyer acted as her own little quiet place. It had its own fireplace and a cushion seat to rest in. There were a few pictures on the shelves, one full of memories throughout the last fifty years when camera came into existence. One picture stood out to her in particular.
It was taken when Twilight had just reached teenagehood. She smiled nervously at the camera next to Celestia, while they stood at the top of the watchtower. The shot was angled so that all of Canterlot was visible behind them.
Even then, she knew that this latest protege was something special.
She came down to her seat and took out the first of many letters she would have to look over. All from nobles, some from members of the griffin kingdom, and even a few from dragons only she was in touch with. Some things would never change.
Before she could read the first letter, she heard a loud knock on the door.
"Princess Celestia! Open this door right now! It's an emergency!" the pony shouted.
She opened it to find a Royal Guard Captain waiting for her, panicked and ready to run.
"What is it, General Silver Star?"
"We heard a commotion coming from the gardens. We think it might be an intruder."
"Then I'm coming with you to find out."
She ran with Silver Star down the halls that led to the castle's gardens. She looked out the window to see if she could get a glimpse of what was going on outside.
At that moment, she caught something in the corner of her eyes. She saw it for only a second, but it left a lasting impression. The figure was almost silhoutted under the moonlight, but she could see that the figure had wings spread out, trying to get out of there as fast as it could. But what stood out the most was that the pony had a horn as well, and judging from the outlines, she was purple as well. Could it have been her flying for her life....
It couldn't have been anypony else, given that the changelings and their queen, Chrysalis, had been imprisoned for months. This was no imposter.
But as soon as Celestia saw the pony, she disappeared in mid flight.
They arrived at the entrance to the gardens. At least three units of Guards were waiting there, each stallion approaching the door very cautiously.
"On the count of three, you will open those doors and attack any invader that dares to step foot in Celestia's castle. One...two...three!"
They charged into the gardens with their voices raised high. But when they saw what what happened around them, they stopped dead in their tracks. And when Celestia saw it for herself, a wave of shock hit her in the face.
The gardens were ruined. The sole tree in there was smashed in the trunk, and had crashed into the side of the castle. All the plants were uprooted and scattered, and four Royal Guards were lying all around the area.
It looked as if somepony had ransacked the field, but nothing about it made sense at all. Nopony was here that they could put the blame on. In fact, the response team and the princess were the only ponies present.
"Check the Guards," Celestia commanded. "Make sure if they're alive or dead."
The Guards did as they were told, and went over to examine the bodies.
Meanwhile, Celestia stood and observed the devastation that was all around her. She couldn't step anywhere without encountering some kind of damage. One would hear the birds chirping whenever they came into her gardens. But there was only silence. She assumed they might have died in the blast, or whatever caused this to happen.
She couldn't fathom what was the cause of all this. She wasn't the best detective in all of Equestria, but it was unusual that somepony made this kind of commotion, and then just leave without doing anything else. Maybe they did intend to attack her later, but discovered it was a lost cause whenever they realized that they just attacked four Guards in the most unsubtle way possible.
General Silver Star came back for a report. He held the helmet to one of the fallen in his right front hoof. His throat was stuffed up, and he had to work past the tears that tried to form.
"All four Guards are deceased, Your Majesty. We can assume from two of the bodies that magic was used to kill them. That's all we know."
"Send a letter to Shining Armor at once," Celestia instructed. "Tell him everything you know. I think he'll want to be here for the investigations."
Silver Star nodded, and went on his way to send the letter.
Celestia went down to see two of the slain Guards, the ones that were electrocuted to death. Some of the stallions were still examining their bodies, trying to find any clue they could catch. One of their necks was wet, but they only assumed it was from the water around here.
She couldn't help but mourn silently for their loss. Even though every Royal Guard knew that their lives could end in that manner, it didn't soften the blow whenever there was a Guard down. She knew she would have to send letters to four families in the morning, and she was prepared to do anything to help them get through this difficult time in their lives.
But something caught her attention in the corner of the gardens. It stood out to her, almost calling to tell her what it was. She walked over to get a better image of it.
The moment she realized what it was, she let out a rare gasp from her lips. She didn't want to believe it was what she suspected....
She hovered the item over to her face, and realized that it was a purple feather. And not just any old purple feather, but the same shade of purple that Twilight would have on her wings.
She kept gazing at it, trying to convince herself that perhaps it was left by a pony with the same coat color, but she knew she was lying to herself. Maybe she just didn't want to believe that her beloved student could do such a thing. But it only got worse for her case.
A Guard arrived at the scene, levitating pieces of clothing with his magic. "Princess Celestia, we found these all around the gardens."
They were the same golden sandals that Twilight would wear. He even carried the same crown that Twilight received when she was promoted.
Celestia couldn't bear to see that set of jewelry. All it did was confirm that Twilight was the one responsible. She immediately realized it was her student that was the one flying for her life. It just couldn't be true...
"Take those away from me," she demanded. "Put them away with the rest of the evidence."
"Yes, Your Majesty." He took those away from her sight.
She didn't know what to believe when it came to what she was witnessing. There was so much evidence pointing to the theory that this was all Twilight's doing. There wasn't that many alicorns flying around here, and the items she found only fueled the idea that she really did murder those poor Guards.
But there had to be more to this than meets the eye. She couldn't figure out why Twilight would do that. And then the idea got into her head that it might have had something to do with the matter that was troubling her student.
It made sense at this point. Twilight was so open to her about anything and everypony, but she would close herself off from Celestia whenever that topic was brought up.
Celestia decided that she had to find out what this topic really was. It was the only lead that she could come up with.
"Fillies and gentlecolts, this was indeed the work of Princess Twilight Sparkle," she stated to the guards. "But I do not think it was entirely her doing either. I want search parties looking all around Equestria for her, day and night. If you find her location, do not try to capture her, but explain that we want to know what happened tonight. Any attempts to attack her first or to present themselves as a threat will be handled with swift punishment. We will begin searching for Princess Twilight tomorrow."
The Guards saluted her, and continued searching the gardens for anything else they could find.
Celestia sighed quietly to herself. She was not looking forward to discovering what state she wound find her beloved student in. It would be best to find out that she didn't really do it at all, but was just merely framed for it. Or, at least that's what Tia was secretly wishing for.
Shining Armor would be here by tomorrow morning, that much she knew. He would drop everything the minute he realized that the murders involved his close sister. Before the end of the next day, she would have to send out a letter to Spike as well. But she wanted him to sleep in peace before his world came crashing down around his eyes...
Stats
Page generated in 0.048 seconds
Total duration
1,094 users online
1,615,539 hits today, 1,822,946 yesterday
FIMFiction
My Little Pony: Friendship is Magic Fanfiction
Designed and coded by knighty & Xaquseg - © 2011-2024
Follow & Support Us
Support us
SubStar
Chat!
Discord
Follow us
Twitter
MLP: Friendship is Magic® - © 2024 Hasbro Inc.®
Fimfiction is in no way affiliated with or endorsed by Hasbro Inc.®
"Do not try to capture her."
That's... not gonna work, is it? First or second meeting of them is GOING to go badly. Murphy demands it.
I like how Celestia doesn't even think that Twilight might have been kidnapped by somepony. Of course, the regalia she threw away sort of debunks that theory (unless the kidnapper would do that for some reason
) but still...
Anyway, filler's also good. It's a means to transition from one arc to the next, so don't worry about it too much. That's what I always say
2572680
Of course, and it will just cement the idea that Twi has that Celestia wants her dead. My guess is that the first guard to find her is somehow related to one of the ones she killed.
Hm, even though it looks like a kidnapping she immediately knows that Twilight killed the guards and escaped. While I'm no magical expert, I'm pretty sure it would be next to impossible to identify someone's magic after it has been used. The lost feather and crown could be added to the theory that she had been abducted.
Totally loving this story, it's awesome to wake up each day to a new chapter too!
Keep it up!
2572703
And Sombra is going to take full advantage of that to make Twilight fall into the Dark Side...
denver.mylittlefacewhen.com/media/f/img/mlfw5485-Discord_just_as_planned.gif
Did he took planning lessons from Xanathos?
However, even with Twilight almost in his hooves Sombra still has a big disavantage, although he still has an advantage in the fact that Celestia herself thinks that he is dead.
2572838
unless the disadvantage you're thinking of is that he is falling for Twilight, i don't know what disadvantage you are thinking of.
2572809>>2572690
She very well might have considered that if not for the fact she saw an alicorn flying away from the scene.
2572873
Well, he has to go against 3 alicorns, the royal guard (and lets not forget that Twilight brother is their fomer commander), a reformed Discord, the rest of the elements of Harmony...I'm forgetting someone?
Even with his own mastery of dark magic and Twilight`s help, one mistake can prove fatal againts such odds.
2572900 Good point, but that still doesn't mean that it was Twilight. Perhaps an Unicorn assassin that could cast a wing-spell? Celestia only saw her for a split-second and it was only a silhouette, so can you blame me for thinking that's odd?
2572910
Of the three alicorns at least two of them love Twilight too much to harm her, Sombra has an army of his own, the elements are useless without Twilight, and Discord... well war is prime chaos, it would go against his nature to try to stop it no matter how much the princesses beg. It's not like they can turn him back to stone without the elements.
2572973
If Celestia fought against her own sister when she turned into Nightmare Moon, I can see her fighting Twilight if she thinks that she must be stopped, the mane 6 are Twilight's best friends so they will try to save her even if the elements are useless(and I won't discard them so easily, after all, they turned her into an alicorn, who knows what other surprises they have in store), and Discord... well, if Fluttershy ask him nicely, maybe he will help, or maybe not, he is a wild card after all.
2572838 And then....
iambrony.jsmart.web.id/mlp/gif/25442__safe_animated_discord_fanfic_computer_now-kiss_discorderlyconduct_typing.gif
Purrrrrfect
2572946
Oh no, honestly I would've leaned towards kidnapping as well lol. Only arguement I can make against a wing spell would be that butterfly wings and pegasi wings look very different. But then maybe she didn't see them well enough.
Based on some comments left behind, I made a couple of edits where Tia knew that it was Twi that was flying away, with Tia seeing enough of the fleeing pony that she knew that it was Twilight escaping from her castle by being able to see enough of the pony's coat color.
2573019
)
I'll give you Celestia, but without Twilight the rest of the elements are just ordinary ponies and don't stand a chance against Sombra and Twilight together (except Pinkie, shes more of a wild card than Discord, with an emphasis on 'wild'
"She was not looking forward to discovering what state she wound find her beloved student in"
Is it supposed to be would?
I enjoyed this short chapter. I was curious to know how Celestial would take all this in. Indeed it was a filler. but sometimes, fillers add more depth and emotion to a chapter. At least I think so anyways
I'm glad to see Celestia's perspective in this. I can't wait to see what happens next. This section does add more proof to dark magic influencing her mind to believe that everyone would hate her or want to kill her. Obviously that and the shock from killing somepony is messing with her. Anyway, looking forward to more :)
Oh great! What gonna happen when Celestia finds her with Sombra of all ponies!
...Well, damn.
I didn't even know this chapter was coming. Would've liked some insight, but eh.
Sombra, your magnificent bastard!
Hmmm... Twilight's acting strange after he ascension to alicorn-hood. Everything was fine, until she left Celestia's sight a few days ago, and when Celestia asks the guards will confirm she went into the woods with a complete stranger and came back alone. Twilight offers the excuse that it's a personal matter, but didn't take into account that that wouldn't fly with her close friend Celestia. Four guards are dead immediately after Twilight is made aware of Celestia's suspicions about her behavior.
Gee Celestia, it's comforting to know your first guess is 'my life-long friend and student is suddenly a murderer' and not 'Oh no, not Changelings again!'
Oh shit son it's on
But Celestia! The laws of literature police guards demand that you suspect Twilight for being EEVIIL and ordering that she be shot on sight
Quite interesting so far, but i really hope it will end in a more or less happy ending for Twilight. After reading Grimoire it would be nice to see a dark tag fic that does not end with "And then they all died.".
The only problem i have with the story is that Twilight shows unbelievable levels of ignorance. A dude living in a forest just so happens to find and share the incredibly rare and valuable spellbook... Ugh
Oh yeah and Celestia just leaving his horn on the ground instead of incinerating it to fine dust also seems a bit irresponsible. An immortal and extremely old ruler should know better.
This is getting really good.
Not a facehoof. Just me covering my face in sadness that Twilight is evil.
I didn't think about having Celestia think it was a changeling, given that I count the first comic book story arc canon and Chrysalis is imprisoned at the end of it. Sorry for spoiling that, but that's what happens after that. And it's implied to happen between A Canterlot Wedding and The Crystal Empire, so it fits in a timeline sense given this story happens after MMC.
And I did go out of my way with the edits to make it where Tia had no doubt that it was Twilight she saw fleeing the scene, with a purple coat, and featuring both a horn and wings.
2573645 Sombra is the king of kings, and lord of lords
2573019
Well technically they didnt turn her into an alicorn. She did that herself. Strong leadership qualities like selflessness and the ability to overcome incredible adversity make alicorns. Everything else is just support and motivation. See Cadence.
2575288
My response to Grimoires ending was "really?" Well at least Twi is still alive.
It was really arrogant, considering how strong Sombra is.
After that last chapter I couldn't help but have a chuckle at Celestia's expense.
Seriously though I feel terrible for Celestia. Nothing compares to the feeling of finding out that someone you trusted could be capable of such evil and betrayal. Even worse is she has to deal with the stress that her actions might not have been her own.
~Have a good one.
Eh... sorry but not quite buying it. It seems far more likely that Celestia would assume that Twilight was attacked along with the guards and fled in panic before she even considered that Twilight killed them by accident and then maybe murder. After all, Twilight does have a tendency to panic and an assailant that proves they are willing to kill could be something that would set her off.
Still reading the story but I just felt like I had to get that out. Otherwise I'm enjoying the story so far, even if I was looking for some more genuine romance when I found this.
3379652
Well, Celestia DID see Twilight fleeing from the scene. She wasn't exactly being held captive if she was flying for her life, and no other pursuer was seen or any sort of pursued.
That alone would be the only plausible reason she would suspect that Twilight was responsible.
3920080
The guards were killed with magic, that means she would have been attacked by either a unicorn or alicorn, as there was no one in pursuit as Twilight fled, Celestia should have assumed unicorn.
Furthermore, lightning only ever shows up in the show as dark magic, who is the one unicorn known for using dark magic who would not only have the power, but also the motivation, to infiltrate Canterlot Castle and make an attempt on Twilight's life? Sombra.
Twilight had no reason to attack royal guards, and Celestia doesn't know that she had been studying dark magic, and so Celestia would have had NO reason to think Twilight was the guilty party.
Poor Twilight
Who do u think care for Twilight more, Spike or Shining. Thumbs up for Spike and Thumbs down for Shining
Now begs the question. Can Sombra REALLY control Twilight's magic that easily because of the 3 hours she spent practising dark magic?
Forgot how long this was
3936202
Well, there was the feather, and Twilight running away, and her accessories being left behind.
I hate to say this, and from briefing reading the comments, I don't think I'm the first, but this doesn't really work, at least in my opinion. Now maybe I'm wrong, after all, I've not read past this point yet, so maybe I'm missing something crucial like backstory... or maybe I've forgotten something I've already read in this story.
For the most part, I'm enjoying this story, and I want to apologize for the fact that my comment will most likely come off as negative and it's also my first comment for your story.
No, finding Twilight's feather and her garments would not confirm that Twilight was responsible. That is jumping the gun. That would be like saying if there was a crime scene where you found someone dead, and a diaper, that the killer must have been the baby. All Twilight's feather and garments being there proves is that Twilight was there at the scene of the crime. Celestia has, to my knowledge, which as I admitted, may not be the best, no reason to suspect anything other than an attempt being made on Twilight's life. She's making an incredibly huge jump there, from "Twilight is my student and I found her worthy to ascend to alicorn princesshood" to "Twilight must be responsible for killing these guards since I found her clothing and a feather of hers here, along with the fact that she flew away."
And you've probably dealt with a lot of negative feedback over this scene/chapter already (since I'm rather late to the party, as they say), and I feel bad about adding to it, but for some reason, I wanted/needed to say this.
It just feels really forced. Now I want to apologize to you if you take offense to this; it's not my intention to come off as attacking you... and I'm not necessarily attacking the story, I'm just trying to point out a flaw which has probably been pointed out before and I feel redundant about this now. I have half a mind to just delete this all and forget about it, but I'll go ahead and post it. Maybe you'll like that I put so much effort into a comment. Aside from this part, I don't really have any issues with this story.
8994203
Oh trust me, this isn't the worst criticism I've gotten with this story. It was more about what I did with the ending than anything else. But it's a long story...
Ok, nevermind apparently!
They will probably mention Forest Mist, those 2 guards that picked Twilight up will also probably mention him and say how she has been acting differently since then, spike will also probably mention him and Celestia probably will assume Forest Mist has something to do with this.
8994203
That's what I'm saying! There's no clear evidence that Twilight is the suspect.