All the ways Twilight's death could have been averted. Because some characters that die deserve life.
Twilight was the victim of a conspiracy. Nobles didn't like her politics, and tendency to give more power to the common pony. Soldiers thought that Twilight was guilty of treasonous acts herself, controlling Princess Celestia. In any case, she must die, for the characters' emotional enrichment. Or must she?
There are so many ways her death in that one story could have been averted. Therefore, in the name of happy endings everywhere, I present a fic where prevention is half the cure!
This is based upon Rated Ponystar's Assassination verse, thought this does not take place in it. It diverges from a heavily derivative background story at different points, all resulting in the saving of Twilight Sparkle.
Chapter One. Time Travel fuelled by Discord.
Chapter Two. Somepony set up an alarm system, complete with alternate version where a different pony set it up.
Chapter Three. Celestia proves a point that takes the wind out of military part of the operation.
Chapter Four. Celestia makes sure everyone stays loyal, way ahead of time...
A white unicorn popped in to existence right before a shocked Celestia, dropping a letter on her desk.
"Wait, Rarity, how did you get here?"
Rarity disappeared.
Curiously, Celestia picked up the letter. It was in an envelope which read, “READ IMMEDIATELY.” She sat down and began to read.
"Dear Princess Celestia, this letter has been written to inform you that Prince Blueblood has hired members of the royal guard to assassinate Twilight. They plan to make their move tonight, and you should covertly watch over her yourself, just in case.
Your faithful subjects, Applejack, Fluttershy, Pinkie Pie, Rainbow Dash, Rarity and Spike.
Your slightly less faithful subject who is doing this to ensure that his best friend doesn’t lose one of hers, Discord.
Post Script: Perhaps you should invite Gladius Shield to help you guard her.” ————————————————————————————————————————-
It was time. Celestia sat in her place behind the door of a large closet, fit for her beloved, princessly almost-daughter. Gladius sat outside, near the slumbering mare, calmly watching. Just as ordered, he had told none of his extra duties.
Then, the door quietly eased open. A very familiar silhouette subtly entered, and Gladius stood.
"Gallant? What are you doing here?"
Gallant tried to make a break for it, but a golden, magical aura enveloped his frame, and an angry Celestia walked out. The air around her was smouldering, and her usually wisteria coloured eyes were now sunrise orange. All the other assassins backed away from the sealed off door, but they were soon sandwiched between an inner ward and an outer ward
"Perhaps you’d like to explain to your brother how you think she is brainwashing me?"
She spread her wings wide. it wasn’t a comforting gesture. At about that time, Princess Twilight Sparkle woke up. She sat up in bed, fluffing her wings tiredly, looking about with bewilderment.
"Celestia? What’s going on," asked Twilight groggily as Gallant freaked out even further.
"This is a traitorous assassin," said Celestia. "He attempted to kill you because he thinks you’ve put a geas upon me."
Twilight burst out laughing and curled up as she laughed heartily, wiggling in her covers. The two brothers stared at her, gaping in shock. Celestia’s glare strengthened, and she stamped her hoof.
"This isn’t funny. He would have killed you if we hadn’t been watching."
Twilight let out another little chuckle and said, “Sorry, Tia. He couldn’t have known about your resistance to being placed under a geas.”
"Yes," said Celestia, voice icy.
Gallant slumped down inside Celestia’s magical grasp, thoroughly abased.
"I’m sorry! I wish I’d known! Prince Blueblood… He was the one who persuaded me. He claimed that you kept changing after she’d come back from Ponyville. I have no excuse, but I believed him… I’m sorry."
Twilight got up, looking at the miserable stallions as she embraced her teacher.
"What are you going to do to him, Princess?"
"I am going to turn him and Prince Blueblood over to the courts," Said Celestia, her eyes and the air around her having cooled down by a decent degree. She lowered the apologetic would be assassin to the floor, placing chains on him by magic. "It is the only way I can be certain that justice is what’s served, instead of revenge."
Twilight rushed over and hugged the Princess, warmly, pressing her face into the larger mare’s side. Celestia wrapped one of her large wings about her. Gallant lay where he was, and just cried. ————————————————————————————————————-
In the end, all was well. Blueblood was stripped of his titles and properties, and given life in prison, as were all other conspirators. The exception to this was Gallant Shield, who was judged guilty of attempted assault, and given a rather less sentence. And in another world…
Discord held Fluttershy as she wept with a light smile on her face.
"I’ve done what I could, Fluttershy."
"I-I know. Thank you for s-sending our Rarity back to warn their Celestia."
"Ahh, come now, Fluttershy. That spell affects *this* timeline. In the morning, when we wake up, it will seem as though Twilight’s death and the aftermath was merely a bad dream. We will remember our experiences, and the emotions will still be there, but Princess Twilight Sparkle will still be with us."
Twilight Sparkle jolted awake, the proximity alarms around her suite of rooms going off in her mind. They only activated whenever someone with intent to harm or kill came near. She hopped up and flared her wings as she started to cast.
First, a sticky field to slow them down, then an immobilisation spell. A whole troop seemed to come in, but their goals were swiftly thwarted. Twilight set off an alarm to alert Princess Celestia.
Twilight knew good and well that she had gained enemies due to her legislative efforts. When she started hearing it bandied about that she was brainwashing her mentor and former teacher, she knew that there was a purpose to it. Therefore, she made herself ready for them.
After some conjured rope, she could tell that the battle was completely finished.
Princess Celestia flared to life as she detected her wards going off. She had suspected this might happen, ever since the nobles started grumbling about the rights and privileges Twilight was granting to the lower classes. She immediately teleported to Twilight's bedside in a blinding flash of fire, incinerating one poor sucker. Then, as more guards poured in, they too were devoured by the hungry fire.
Twilight awoke, shaking and crying miserably at the heat and the flames, and the suddenness of the attack. After she was done, Celestia deactivated her flame and held her close.
Celestia had heard rumours about her faithful former student after she got legislation passed allowing Griffons and Ponies, as well as other mixed couples, to wed. They disgusted her in their presumptuousness about Twilight. Therefore, she would be doing something about it. She spread her wings wide to get everyone’s attention.
"It has come to my notice that there are a number of bigots among the nobles," She said, giving a bitter smile. The front rows, comprised of spell protected mix species couples, gave some applause. The bigots, in the rows behind, flinched and squirmed as their more normal colleagues gave them smug smiles. "These bigots have been spreading rumours about a pony that I love very much."
The military ponies in the room who’d helped spread the gossip to acceptable souls flinched then.
"Specifically, they seem to believe that I am capable of being mind controlled."
"Prove that you’re not!" came a desperate noble’s voice.
"Very well, then. Would Professor Jinx please come forward?" Celestia asked, the aforementioned person stepping forward. He wasn’t a unicorn, despite his being a professor of magic. He was a very rare hybrid of unicorn and dragon: a kirin, with magic unmatched by non- alicorns or elder dragons. The crowd let out a gasp. "I would like you to attempt to put me under a geas, Professor, as I understand that to be your greatest strength in the realm of magic."
It was worth noticing that even an Alicorn could not block the magic of a kirin’s special talent unless their own strength was diametrically opposed to it.
"Very well, Princess, I shall give it my best effort," the elderly kirin agreed.
He started to strain as Celestia sat there, unmoving, tilting her head in an almost amused way.
"Professor, am I correct in my assumption that your talent would also make your mind as difficult to penetrate as it makes the minds of others easy?"
"Yes, Princess, but my mind wouldn’t be as strong as yours."
"Twilight, could you please come here and attempt to put him under a spell?"
The lavender alicorn stepped forth, nodding with a nervous smile. Her attempt on Professor Jinx’ mind was equally rebuffed.
"So, you see, Twilight’s magic is just not strong enough at this point in time to breach my mind. This does not, however, mean she is anything resembling weak, rather that her magic has many varied spells of great strength. Does this answer all your questions?"
Celestia sealed off the area. Nopony would be getting in or out until they were done. Luna… What happened with Luna’s Chironopterae would not happen to any more royal guards. After Luna’s banishment, some blamed her… To a great degree. A conspiracy had taken place, and her life had nearly been ended.
"You will all repeat after me. If you do not, you will be barred from my service, and prevented from coming within casting range of the castle.”
Casting range referred to the distance within which a unicorn could cast spells, a pegasus could drop lightning, or an earth pony could buck or throw something. Upon the invention of devices like the trebuchet, casting range was greatly increased.
"I will swear to uphold the laws and the legislative leaders for the good of all ponydom.
"I will swear to uphold and defend the rights of every sentient being within this realm.
"I will swear to harm nopony, save when another’s life is clearly threatened by them, and never to use excessive force."
Celestia smiled. The updating of the spells by which all royal guards had been updated, and her sister would have someone for whom to come back. Not to mention, if Nightmare Moon’s return was blamed on Luna, she herself would be safe. She realised many centuries later that there would be others to whom her heart would grow close, that her orders would protect.
"Something must be done," said Prince Blueblood, grinding his teeth together. "That ... That False Princess is giving more and more power to the commoners!"
"Well, you know you shouldn't say such things right here in the castle, Milord," said the dry voiced Trottingham guard assigned to protect Blueblood in the castle. "It might be taken the wrong way, should it be overheard."
"Indeed it might," murmured Celestia as she watched the pair through a portal of sunlight. She had seen the ugly face Blueblood had made after Twilight's big vote today had passed, and had decided that it was best she watch him. Good thing she did.
"You know, fellow, you're right. Why don't you find about eight of your friends and bring them to my place," Blueblood asked, failing to note the compulsion charms placed upon his house that made him the centre of universe while you were there.
"You know, I didn't want to say anything, in case it spoiled the mood, but this is really important," said Blueblood, leaning in to draw the others in. "I believe that Princess Sparkle has ensorcelled my beloved Auntie."
"Oh, has she now," growled Celestia, wings fluttering in anger.
She started pacing back in forth, while trying to shake visions of the evil she'd wreak on them if they considered this treasonous matter further.
"And so, the only thing we can do," said Blueblood, every eye upon him as he milked the attention. "To prevent this vile sorcerer from gaining any more power is to prevent her from breathing!"
All of a sudden, the magic on the dwelling dropped to nil. The guards' eyes widened. The one or two earth ponies felt their strength leave them, and the pegasi felt their access to their weather and flying magics depart. Blueblood struggled futilely to light his horn. They were powerless, and all the non-Blueblood individuals felt their sense return to them. With a flash of gold, a majestic white Alicorn appeared in the room, wings unfurled.
"Step forward if you would have gone ahead with this, regardless of the compulsion."
"Princess Celestia, it’s Princess Twilight. You need to come now. It’s horrible."
The first spell didn’t work. Neither did the second. The third spell opened a gash in Celestia’s foreleg, pouring blood back into the body. An old fashioned skin knitting spell, then the shock. Shock! SHOCK!
The purple alicorn’s hoof gave a twitch, and then, thank the Heavens, she moaned!
"Ssssles’tia?" The voice of Twilight slurred out, as if waking from a deep sleep.
Tears fell from the monarch’s eyes as she held her beloved former pupil close. “Twilight! I was so worried I might have lost you.”
Twilight couldn’t find the words in time, so she settled for hugging Celestia close, and stroking her neck.
"Oh, my dearest Twilight, even with your injuries… You truly are the best of us."
So she lived, truly, deeply and well. Her disabled status had little impact on the fact, and her adventures afterwards bore proof of that.
-Twilight diving into a pool, and forgetting to remove her regalia.
-Twilight comes into a meeting late, having forgotten a tool with which she could write, and says, “I need a utensil.” When everyone laughs, Twilight’s in that number.
-Twilight's friends slowly learning to accept her as she is, and giving her love that is unpatronizing.
-Twilight being held by Celestia as she cries, bewailing her lost focus… Only to be reminded that it has made her ability to come up with new ideas all the easier.
-Twilight being able to fight all the easier, because her thinking style is uniquely geared to notice new things, and respond to them as quickly as possible. She continues to be a heroine.
-When Blueblood spouts disability related slurs at her after his trial, she gets the unique pleasure of seeing his many times great grandmother zip his lips closed.
The new Twilight is disabled, no bones about it, but when you’re a ruler, societal disadvantages have a way of removing themselves. She has a very happy life, despite the fact that her mother considers her injuries to be a waste of a great brain. Her cognizance only makes her feel the pain of rejection all the more, but her cognizance also tells her that she has a mentor who loves her, and knows her brain isn't wasted.