De Revolutionis Orbis Coelestis
Moments of inspiration can strike at any time. Usually at the craziest of times. And there was nothing crazier than one of Pinkie Pie’s parties.
This particular party that Twilight was attending was to celebrate and watch the solar eclipse. When she arrived, she knew it was bound to get crazy with the amount of sugary snacks and cider Pinkie always had. But this party, this party was just insane.
Twilight walked in the door and was immediately greeted by a great big “Hello!” from Pinkie, right in her face. Twilight stared at Pinkie in confusion. Something was very odd. Pinkie looked down at her muzzle and arched her eyebrows.
“Uh, why is there a silver nose on your muzzle?” Twilight asked. Whether she actually wanted to know the answer, she was not sure yet.
“Because silly.” Pinkie answered, grinning. “It’s silver, like the moon!” Twilight rolled her eyes. That made more sense than some of Pinkie’s other recent antics. She and Spike walked into Sugarcube Corner. Spike ran off for the gem cookies and cider while she found her friends.
They talked for a while before it was time to go up to Pinkie’s room to watch the eclipse. The twenty or so ponies who were at the party squeezed into the room and looked out through the window as the moon began to pass in front of the sun. Twilight had brought a telescope and set it up near the window, so everypony could take a turn looking at the eclipse close up.
The moon slowly covered more and more of the sun, and the room and the ground below Sugarcube Corner grew dark. It was only a partial eclipse, but the orange crescent against the blackness of the darkened sky was still a true beauty to behold. Everypony in the room oohed and ahhed when the moon reached its greatest extent covering the sun.
“Wow, the Princesses have really made this special,” Twilight said. There was a round of agreement from the rest of the room. From there the room was silent as they enjoyed the eclipse for the duration of its maximum.
After the eclipse as the moon proceeded along its transit, most of the ponies adjourned back downstairs to finish off the food and drink. Twilight stayed upstairs to continue watching the eclipse, and to her surprise, so did Pinkie.
“I never thought you were so interested in the eclipse, Pinkie,” Twilight said, glancing over at her friend as they looked out the window.
“Well I’ve been wondering lately. Why do the sun and planets move like they do?” Pinkie said absentmindedly.
Twilight raised an eyebrow. “Uhh, Pinkie, what kind of question is that? Celestia and Luna move them.” Twilight said. Surely Pinkie was setting up a joke.
“Oh I know we’ve been told that, Twilight.” Pinkie turned to Twilight. “But how do we know that?”
Pinkie had to have been joking now. Twilight started to launch into a lecture. “Well, you see Pinkie, uh,” She thought for a moment and brought a hoof to her chin. “Hm, I actually don’t know.”
“See, Twilight? The Princesses say they move the sun, moon, and stars, but we don’t actually know that! There is no proof! Maybe they don’t.”
Twilight could not believe what she was hearing. She opened her mouth to rebut Pinkie’s incredible argument when there were several loud thuds and a large crash from downstairs.
They rushed to the top of the stairs to see a moose laying leg splayed at the bottom.
Twilight looked at Pinkie bewildered. “Pinkie, did you invite a moose to the party?”
“Umm, maybe?” Pinkie scratched her head.
“Where did you even find a moose in Ponyville?”
“I have no idea.” Pinkie had a half excited half sheepish grin on her face. “We better go help him anyway.” Pinkie started down the stairs. Twilight shrugged. The moose hiccuped and his head swayed.
The party continued well into the evening. As the guests began to depart, Twilight found Pinkie’s questions popping up in her mind again and again. What proof did they have that Celestia raised the Sun. It was such a simple matter though. All that was required was a powerful levitation spell, and with the sun as Celestia’s cutie mark, it just made sense. But the question still nagged at Twilight.
Night fell over Ponyville, and Sugarcube Corner was thinning out. Twilight yawned and remembered she had to get Spike home and into bed. She started looking for him and found Pinkie talking with Rainbow Dash. “Hey Pinkie, having you seen Spike?”
Rainbow answered. “I think I saw him in the other room,” she said pointing a hoof. Twilight thanked her and walked into the room.
“Spike?” She called.
“Y-yes Pink, er, Twilight?” The voice was muffled. Twilight looked around before realizing Spike was under the large table in the middle of the room. She peeked under the table.
“Spike, what are you doing down there?”
“I’m predicting everypony’s futures. “Pinkie Pie gave me her fortune telling hat so now I’m clair- clair- clairvoyant.” Spike was staggering underneath the table wearing Pinkie’s turban. Twilight rolled her eyes.
“Come on, let’s get you home. You’ve had way too much cider tonight.” Twilight helped Spike out from under the table and put her on his back. Immediately Spike was passed out asleep, resting his head on the back of her neck.
She found Pinkie again. “Hey Pinkie. Thanks for the party, but I really need to get Spike home.”
Pinkie giggled. “Okey dokey. Have a good night.”
Twilight waved as she walked out the door.
***
As Twilight walked back to the library, Pinkie’s proposition stuck in her mind. She looked up at the night sky. The moon shone bright, and the stars twinkled. “What if Pinkie is right?” she kept her focus on the sky as she walked home, locating specific stars along the way. Spike was asleep on her back, snoring softly.
Twilight arrived back at the library half an hour later. She levitated Spike over to his bed and smiled at the silently sleeping dragon. It was late, but Twilight was not tired. The unicorn ran up the stairs to her balcony and got a quill and parchment. During the walk back Twilight had come up with a plan for her observations. She had identified the spots in the sky that were likely other planets, and as she brought her eye to the lens located the first one. While it was just a faint red speck in the sky to the naked eye, through the telescope lens it became much larger and clearer. The red orb was clearly visible and it took little time for Twilight to find it. Once she located it and centered the planet in the telescope’s crosshairs, she measured the angle and position of the instrument and marked them on the parchment.
Twilight Sparkle worked late into the night taking measurements for some of the larger objects in the sky. Each time, Twilight took out a separate piece of parchment and wrote the data down to the smallest detail. Degrees were measured down to the second. At last all the stars and planets she could think of had their own sets of parchment for further recordings. Twilight looked at the stack of papers and yawned. She levitated all the papers to a drawer in the desk by the balcony and laid the quill back on the desk. Twilight trotted up to her bed and went to sleep, satisfied with the task she had begun.
The next night Twilight returned home to the library just as the moon was rising. “Hi Twilight,” Spike greeted her.
“Hi Spike.” Twilight’s reply was curt and distracted. Paying little attention to her assistant, she rushed upstairs to the balcony. She opened the drawer holding the papers from the night before and laid them neatly out on the desk.
Spike blinked as she hurried up the stairs. He was used to Twilight ignoring him when she had a lot of studying to do, but she had never been so impolite as to brush the dragon off as soon as she got home. Spike made his way up the stairs and saw her at the desk. “Uh, Twilight?”
But Twilight still paid Spike no attention. She checked her quills and made sure that there was enough ink for the night’s observations. She smiled, satisfied with the neat layout of the desk. Everything was in order and ready. Twilight turned to the telescope.
Spike took this brief break in Twilight’s concentration to finally get her attention. He walked up to her and looked over the papers on the desk. They were full of charts that had just started to be filled in. He poked Twilight on her shoulder. “Um, Twilight?”
The poke and Spike’s voice suddenly close to her caused Twilight to jump up. She gave a brief yell before turning to the dragon. “What Spike, what is it?” Twilight was mildly annoyed that Spike broke her train of thought.
“What are you doing?” Spike asked. “You completely ignored me when you came in.”
“Oh, sorry about that.” Twilight did not sound sorry in the slightest. However, Spike’s question got her to perk up and become very excited. “I’m making observations of the movements of the planets and moon and stars. I want to find out the exact cycles that they make and see if I can learn anything from it.” Twilight grinned. She was confident that her pursuit was clearly going to lead to great scientific discoveries.
Spike scratched his head. “If you want to find out how the stars and planets move, couldn’t you just ask the Princesses? I mean, they’re the ones that move the sky,” Spike said as if he was stating the obvious.
Twilight rolled her eyes. She did not want to have to explain this to him right now. It was obvious to her why that would not get any meaningful results, and anyway his conversation was taking up valuable time that she could be using to collect data. “That’s just it. Are the Princesses really moving them, or is it something else? We don’t really know what goes on in the skies above us. Pinkie gave me the question yesterday, and I just have to find out.”
Spike groaned and shook his head. Twilight must have drank too much cider at the party and it was messing with her head. “You do realize you’re following a line of reasoning from... Pinkie, don’t you?”
Twilight glared at Spike. “Yes, I do. But this is for science! And if the data point to the Princesses moving the celestial bodies then I’m sure that Celestia will be glad to hear about it.”
Spike started to keep arguing but Twilight turned back to the telescope. Spike sighed and sat down on Twilight’s bed. He looked at Twilight worryingly as she started making her nightly observations. But as he watched her, he started reassuring himself. He shouldn’t worry. Twilight went on crazy research trips like this all the time. She would work on it and eventually move on to the next project that caught her interest. It was harmless. And if Twilight was doing this at nights, it would give him a little time to himself.
Spike kept watching Twilight for another fifteen minutes as she rushed between the telescope and the desk. After a while, he yawned. It was getting late. He hopped off Twilight’s bed and looked over at the telescope again. She had forgotten a light in her rush to get started. He brought a candle over and set it on the desk, then went to his bed. Spike lay down in his bed and went to sleep. Everything would be fine.
***
The weeks passed and Twilight continued the ritual of staring through the telescope most every night. Pieces of parchment stacked on the desk next to the telescope. They were lined with numbers and scribbles; volumes of data that Twilight had rigorously collected. Three months after the solstice, Twilight decided that she finally had enough data to begin analyzing it. Of course, she would still collect data every night to enlarge the compendium of notes she could work with.
“Spike, get a big roll of paper from the basement!” She yelled down to him from the balcony desk. There was no response. Twilight ran over to the railing and looked down into the main section of the library. “Spike!” she yelled again. The dragon was fast asleep on the rug. “Ugh,” Twilight rolled her eyes. She ran down the stairs to where Spike lay and nudged him with her horn.
Spike woke up with a start. He was met with an extreme close up of Twilight’s face. “Aah! What is it Twilight?” Spike shuffled a few feet away from her as if on a reflex.
“Why are you asleep? I asked you to get something from the basement. It’s very important for my research!”
Spike rubbed his head and grumbled. He had already gone out to get new quills and paper for her almost every day these past weeks because she kept using it all in one night. She raised her eyebrows at him expectantly, and he sighed. Twilight could get snippy like this on her long projects. It was always taxing on him, but at least with this latest project Twilight was mostly working at nights so he could get some good naps in while she worked. Grumbling, he went to the basement and brought up a large roll of paper. He wondered how much Twilight had slept recently. He had not seen her in her bed since she started her observations.
Spike stood in the room as Twilight rolled out a large section of the paper on the floor. She marked a point at the center and labelled it: Earth. Running a hoof down the sheets of paper and floating a compass and the quill above the parchment, Twilight carefully outlined the positions of the moon and planets on the paper. Spike eyed Twilight’s drawings from the edge. The quill and compass hovered above the paper and flourished in occasional quick movements as Twilight plotted the movement of the planets. His curiosity was piqued.
At last, Twilight set the compass and quill on the floor beside the paper. She and Spike looked over her handiwork. Twilight smiled, satisfied at seeing her work brought to fruition. Spike tilted his head, trying to make out what Twilight had drawn.
Twilight saw Spike’s blank expression. Before he could ask, she explained the chart to him. “It’s a model of the movements of the planets relative to us. The lines connecting these points are the movements of the planets.”
Spike looked down at the paper again. The way Twilight had drawn the planets’ orbits was very strange. It looked like an abstract art piece, with the differently colored lines erratically arranged on the canvas. They were mostly circular as Spike expected, but many times the planets did little loop de loops. Even stranger, sometimes the planets would abruptly stop or move backwards! Spike mentioned this to Twilight.
“Yes, I noticed that too,” Twilight replied. “It is very curious.” She brought a hoof to her chin. “I wonder what’s causing that.”
“Maybe Celestia or Luna are doing that to add little flourishes to the night sky, like with calligraphy.” Spike offered.
Twilight considered this, then shook her head. “No, that can’t be it. It’s not like either of the Princesses to be that whimsical, especially with the duties of managing day and night. Anyway, why would they make it so that these weird movements are only visible with careful observation and the telescope. Ponies who are going about their day wouldn’t notice it like I did.”
Twilight and Spike sat next to the chart on the floor, looking at it for a while and thinking. Spike soon grew bored and yawned. “This was really interesting Twi, but can I go back to bed now?”
Twilight scowled, but yawned herself. She looked over at the window and noticed the sun was beginning to rise over the horizon. She had stayed up all night. Again. Twilight yawned again. “Sure Spike, I guess we could both use a good day’s rest.” Twilight magically closed the shades on the library windows and snuffed out the candles, plunging the interior of the library into near complete darkness. She and Spike crept up the stairs. She took one last look at the chart on the floor. Now from this high point of view the orbits definitely looked strange. Twilight’s mind started racing, trying to work how to adjust and fix the orbits. She shook her head to dismiss these thoughts and clear her mind and went to bed. A good night’s sleep would be beneficial anyway. In the morning, or evening as it was with Twilight’s recent sleep schedule, she could work with a fresh mind.
***
Over the next weeks Twilight devoted herself to unraveling the puzzle of the planets' orbits. The occasional backward movement just did not make any sense. Could it be an error with her measurements? Twilight checked and triple checked the calibrations and ran it through the piles of notes that had accumulated on the desk and floor of the library. Everything was correct. Twilight wracked her brain about more possibilities. One night, as so often happened with Twilight's breakthroughs, she was running through her notes for the umpteenth time when an idea spontaneously hit her. Maybe the problem was her perspective.
She pulled out even more large reams of paper and lay them on the library floor. Like the last one she put a dot at the center. However this time, Twilight labelled each central dot differently. One was Mars, one was Venus, and so on. From there Twilight plotted the positions of the planets and Earth relative to each central body. This took several days. Spike had understood how Twilight made the original chart, but he got lost whenever Twilight tried to explain the new more complex process.
At last the new charts were finished. Twilight put them up on the wall and looked at them. In each there were still retrograde movements. Twilight stared at the charts, thinking. Slowly she noticed something similar in each of them. On each chart, the path of the sun was a smooth circular or elliptical shape. “Aha!” she cried in a moment of realization. Scrambling again to find a large piece of paper, she made one last chart. Twilight put the same dot at the center as she had with all the others, but this time she labeled the dot the Sun. Furiously running from her notes to the paper, she scrawled the paths of Earth and the heavenly bodies relative to the Sun. Fifteen minutes later she was finished. Stepping back, she looked at the paper. It was a marvel. Each planet’s orbit fit neatly into a circle or ellipse, forming a series of concentric circles around the Sun.
Twilight looked in awe at the chart. It was beautiful, so elegant and yet so simple. She had to tell someone.
“Spike,” she called, “come here! I’ve figured it out.” There was no answer. Twilight trotted down into the basement. “Spike!” she yelled again. But he was not in the basement either. She trotted back up to the main room of the library before remembering that she had sent him out to the market earlier. Twilight sighed. She would have to tell him later.
While she waited for Spike to return, Twilight kept marveling at the planetary chart. It was so perfect. This was truly an amazing discovery. Princess Celestia would love to hear about it.
Princess Celestia. Twilight’s train of thought stopped abruptly as she made a leap of logic. Twilight stared at the dot in the center. If that was the Sun, then that would mean that it was stationary. It would mean that the Sun’s rise and set was an illusion. It would mean that Celestia’s duties were an illusion. Twilight started pacing as her brain ran through the connections over and over. But if Celestia does not raise and lower the Sun, what did she actually do? And what else did it mean? She could always write to the Princess and ask... no, that was a stupid idea. She could never write the Princess informing her that she knew that her most important role as Princess of Equestria was all a lie. That would be treason, or heresy at the least.
Twilight’s breathing quickened and a lump felt like it was forming in her chest. What should she do? If she told Spike it might get to Celestia anyway. Maybe if she ignored the idea it would go away. She looked out the window and her eyes went wide. Spike was walking up the path to the library. Hurrying, she rolled up the chart on the floor and stashed it under her bed.
Twilight had just enough time to make herself look busy with a bookshelf as Spike walked into the library. She turned around in a poor attempt at nonchalance and greeted him.
"Oh, hi Spike."
"Hey Twilight." Spike set the shopping bags down. "What are you up to? Still working on that planet project?"
She froze for a moment. She couldn't outright say no. Spike knew her too well for her to claim she had simply lost interest in the project. Twilight realized she had to make up a task.
"Yeah," she gave a halfhearted grin as she raced to come up with something. "I was, uh, looking for books to see if any previous research had been done on the orbits."
“Oh, I’ll help you look.” Spike said eagerly. He took the bags upstairs and set them in a corner. Twilight brushed a hoof against her forehead in relief.
As Spike came back down the stairs and began looking through the shelves, Twilight turned back to the wall and skimmed over the titles of the books in front of her. If she could just have Spike look for a while and find nothing, maybe she could get him to forget about it.
Twilight mumbled as she ran a hoof over the books to look busy to her assistant. Meanwhile, Spike read through the books on the other side of the room with great interest. They spent half an hour doing this. Twilight occasionally moved slightly to feign that she was actually reading them. There was no way they would be able to find prior research on the subject. Twilight had looked through the library during her all-nighters over the past months and had found nothing.
Rather than focusing on the books, a pointless endeavor, Twilight was thinking about what to do next. Twilight resolved that she could not go to Celestia. That would be blasphemous and was certain to turn out badly. Nor could she go to Luna. Luna was even more unforgiving with questioning the movements of the planets than Celestia.
Suddenly, a yell from across the room jarred her thoughts. “I found something!” Twilight rolled her eyes at the wall. Of course he did.
Twilight turned around. She was acting interested, and would gently let Spike know that it was surely nothing. However, curiosity soon overcame her as Spike brought a dust-covered tome over.
“It’s an old astronomy book. It was written by some pegasus from millennia ago named Abraxas.” Twilight looked at the cover of the book as Spike laid it on a table. The book was a dark blue, almost as dark as the night sky, and had gold lettering on the cover. A pair of wings with a yellow orb between them adorned the spine. Twilight leaned her head over Spike’s shoulder and read the title. On the Movement of the Heavenly Spheres.
“The author was a pegasus? I thought only unicorns were allowed to do scientific research back in the old days.” Twilight mused. Spike shrugged, more curious as to what lay inside the book than the character of the author. Spike opened the book and the two began reading. Small clouds of dust puffed off of each page as Spike carefully turned them.
The book was mostly filled with diagrams. Many of them were similar to the ones that Twilight had made on her charts, and Twilight was soon lost in the figures and captions. At one point, Spike turned a page to reveal a chart exactly like the one Twilight had hidden, with the Sun sitting at the center of the system and the Earth and other planets orbiting around it. She pointed excitedly. “Ooh, that’s the chart I made earlier.” Her eyes lit up.
“The chart you made earlier?“ Spike repeated and turned to look at Twilight. “What chart? I didn’t see anything.”
Twilight’s grin quickly faded as she realized she had betrayed the existence of the chart. She sighed. It couldn’t hurt to show him the chart now, could it? She walked over to the desk and pulled it out, unrolling it on the floor. Spike looked from the book to the library floor. Indeed, the chart Twilight had made and the one by this Abraxas pony were exactly alike, thought Twilight’s had a couple more concentric circles.
"interesting," Twilight mused as she looked at the charts. She never even considered whether anypony else had done any research on the planetary orbits. She had always just assumed that Celestia and Luna had always moved them themselves. After all, it was just a principle of a powerful telekinesis spell. With all unicorns inherently knowing telekinesis there had been nothing before to make Twilight question the established dogma.
Twilight wondered what happened to Abraxas. She asked Spike to look for books that might mention the pegasus. Spike only found two books, and neither of them had more information than what was in the first book they found.
"Why don't you ask the princess if she knows anything. She might have known Abraxas." Spike said after they had exhausted the three books. Twilight started to reject Spike out of hand from her earlier worry. However, as she thought about it, Twilight realized that it might actually be a good idea. For all the princess knew Twilight might have found his name in some other source. She could pursue the letter and Celestia would have no suspicion about what Twilight was researching.
"Spike," Twilight said, "take a letter." The dragon fetched a quill and scroll.
"Dear Princess Celestia. I have recently come across an old scientist pony mentioned in a book in the library by the name of Abraxas. The book in which I found his name had little other mention regarding him, and I was curious if you could provide more information about him. Your faithful student, Twilight Sparkle."
Spike finished writing the letter and in a puff of smoke sent it off to the princess. Twilight did not know how long it would take for the princess to reply. It was getting late and Twilight had been caught up in the orbit research in the past weeks to see her friends much. She left Spike to care for the library and decided to visit Applejack for dinner.
Twilight walked over to Sweet Apple Acres and arrived as the sun was beginning to dip below the horizon. It looked the same as other sunsets, but Twilight let out a smug smile at knowing it was an illusion caused by the Earth's rotation.
When Twilight found Applejack she was gladly invited for a meal. The two ponies sat down to a meal of fresh apple turnovers and dandelion salads.
Applejack was the first to strike up the conversation. "So Twilight, where have you been lately? We've barely seen ya in months it seems like." Applejack's concern touched Twilight. Of course her friends were worried about her.
"I've been in the library doing some research."
"Oh," Applejack gave a combined look of relief and eager interest. "Has Celestia got you working on some new magic?"
"No, this is something I've been doing on my own." Twilight was uncertain how much she wanted to divulge about her discoveries.
"Oh? Well whatcha been studying?"
Twilight diverted her eyes from Applejack and sucked in a breath through her teeth. How much could she reasonably tell anyone. In the end, her eagerness to share her discovery override her paranoia about its blasphemous nature. She told Applejack about the chart and her findings.
After finishing her explanation Twilight looked at Applejack again. Applejack's eyes shrank as Twilight recited her conclusions. "You sure about that?" Applejack asked in a hushed voice. Her eyes darted around, scanning out of the farmhouse.
Twilight nodded with certainty. Applejack was shaken. "I don't know if I believe your evidence Twilight, but I'd be careful with sharing that kind of information, what with Celestia and all."
Twilight brushed away Applejack's worries, partly to brush away her own. "Oh, I'm sure the princess won't mind. I'm her most faithful student, remember?" It didn't dispel her or Applejack's fears.
"As much as Celestial knows and trusts ya, I doubt she'd appreciate you going around basically slandering her like that, intentionally or no."
Twilight nodded and they continued eating quietly. Further conversation stayed far from Twilight's research after that and Twilight was unsure what to think. Talking to a friend had done nothing to allay her worries.
Neither did the letter that Twilight found when she arrived back at the library that night. Spike had already gone to bed so he put the letter on her desk. Twilight broke the wax seal bearing Celestia's cutie mark, unrolled the scroll, and read it.
"Twilight,
You know I have always supported your curiosity regarding your intellectual pursuits. However, I cannot tell you anything about Abraxas. Furthermore, I must heavily advise that you cease any pursuit of information about Abraxas' life or his works. Additionally, you must tell nopony of Abraxas. Please heed my decree, Twilight. I can understand your disappointment at my words, but this time I must insist you heed them.
Princess Celestia"
Twilight's ears flattened as she reread the letter. The Princess had never discouraged her from any of her studies before, and had never been this blunt about it. Even in Celestia's response about Nightmare Moon the letter had still had some playfulness in its wording. Twilight furrowed her brow. There must be a reason why Celestia wanted her to stop; something she was hiding. And that, Twilight surmised, was the exact reason why she had to continue her research.
And the Princess said not to tell anyone. Twilight fretted over this. Twilight had intended to tell her friends then try to get her findings published. However, now that the Princess had stamped her royal hoof on the matter, there was no way she could get it out through official channels.
***
Twilight had to tread carefully. If she began distributing her findings right away, Celestia would know right away that she had ignored the letter. Besides, it would take a while to get a printing press set up in the basement. She dictated an innocent response to Spike, saying that she would not pursue the issue further. Spike sent the letter to the princess. Twilight got a strange feeling in her stomach as the letter disappeared in a puff of green flame. She felt bad lying to Celestia and going behind her back like this. But Twilight's thirst for knowledge was gnawing at her even more. It had to be done.
The first step was finding more about Abraxas. Twilight and Spike scoured the remainder of the bookcases in the library looking for any books with possible information on Abraxas they might have missed. They did not finish until nightfall, and by then they were tired and still empty hooved. Spike prepared supper for the two.
"Maybe we could go up to Canterlot and look in the Royal Archives." Spike suggested as he set a salad in front of Twilight.
It was a good idea since they had exhausted all the resources in Ponyville. But Twilight still had reservations about it. "What about the Princess? She's going to be suspicious if I suddenly show up in Canterlot."
"Oh come on, Twilight. You're worrying too much. Celestia didn't care about you sneaking around before when you got the time travel spell, why would she care now?" Spike's optimism and naivete could surprise Twilight sometimes.
"Because I'm disobeying her royal word and potentially undermining the ruling legitimacy of the Princesses!" Twilight threw up her hooves in frustration. She went quiet. There it was again. She was disobeying Celestia. The pang of guilt hit Twilight again, but she got over it quicker this time. She was committed now. Sure it was bad, but she just had to know more about Abraxas. And if the earth did orbit the sun, then everypony should know about it. Knowledge that profound didn't deserve to be kept a secret, no matter the consequences.
***
Twilight left Spike to tend the library while she was in Canterlot. She arrived and, to make sure the Princess was not suspicious, declined to stay at the castle. It was only going to be a brief visit anyway. Twilight went straight to the archives immediately after she got off the train. Once Twilight got into the archives, she went straight to the astronomy wing.
The entry room of the astronomy wing was wide and circular with shelves on the walls. At the center of the room, a large bronze sculpture of the planetary model sat on a pedestal. The sphere globe of Earth with Equestria clearly marked sat at. the center of the round pedestal and dominated the sculpture. Smaller spheres held aloft by thin bronze rods rotated slowly around the central globe. Twilight caught the nearest orb as she looked around the room for which section would likely have the most information. It was covered in gold leaf and clearly labelled "the Sun". Twilight frowned at the now blatant falsehood of the sculpture. She found the door to the historical document section of the wing and ran down the hallway. Her saddlebags brushed against her sides as she ran.
The hallway was poorly lit at this time of night. Twilight had to supplement the lanterns and moonlight with her own magic to be able to read the shelves and scrolls. She diligently scanned each scroll and book, seeking any hint of Abraxas' life.
At last, she found a scroll that looked like it would prove useful. She unrolled and quickly skimmed through the parchment, looking for the name Abraxas. The scroll was a summary of famous Equestrian astronomers. About two thirds of the way through, Twilight found a section on Abraxas. It read of the astronomer's life and accomplishments, such as his improvements on telescope lenses and his plotting of star charts.
Twilight read further down where the scroll summarized his life. As she neared the bottom of the section, Twilight's shuddered. At forty Abraxas was brought before the Royal Court for blaspheming and what the scroll termed 'undermining the rule of the diarchy'. It did not mention further details, but Twilight knew this was related to his work with the heliocentric theory. Twilight continued reading, engrossed in the part about the trial and Celestia's sentencing. She gulped. Abraxas refused to recant his discoveries and had been sentenced to death. Twilight knew that sometimes drastic measures had to be taken, but she never suspected Celestia could be that cruel.
She looked up and down the aisle and seeing no guards, stuffed the scroll in her saddlebag. Twilight continued searching through the shelves for more documents on Abraxas. After hours of looking and reading by hornlight Twilight had found two more books that mentioned Abraxas. However, none of them included his work on planetary orbits, or any more details on his trial and death. Twilight looked at the nearby window. The faint glow of approaching daybreak was making the street outside just a shade brighter. Exhausted, Twilight made her way back to the entrance to the archives. As sneakily as she could, Twilight opened the door to the wing a crack and made her way to the atrium.
Twilight slowly walked across the atrium when she heard a noise that made her heart stop. She froze in place, looking to the front set of double doors. A faint blue glow surrounded the doors as they opened. Princess Luna walked into the archives. Twilight considered running into a side hallway or slinking into a shadowed area but it was no use as Luna spotted her.
"Good morn, Twilight." Luna stepped across the large room to Twilight. "Pray tell, what brings you to the archives? Celestia did not tell me you were engaged in any studies at the moment."
Twilight let out a nervous laugh. "Oh, uh, I'm just doing a little side project of my own." She tried to act nonchalant. Twilight liked around, seeking a distraction.
She looked up through the clear glass dome of the atrium and had an idea. "The stars sure look nice tonight." Through the dome she could spot Orion and Venus. The light of the coming morning was quickly obscuring the stars. Lina briefly looked up as well.
"Yes, they are." Luna said proudly. Seeing an opportunity, Twilight turned the subject away from her. "So Princess, what bring you to the archives. I never took you as a scholar."
Luna raised an eyebrow and gave Twilight a scornful look. Twilight shrank at the apparent insult. "I am here researching the stars of old." Luna said. She waved a hoof theatrically across the ceiling of the atrium. "I have been uninspired as of late, and hope to rekindle some flair in the night sky. Perhaps the ancient motions of the heavens will give me some inspiration."
Twilight glanced toward the big double doors of the library. "That sounds great," she said quickly, seeking a quick exit. "I've really got to get going, um, you know, catch the train back to Ponyville." Luna nodded and Twilight, rushed out the door barely as the princess bade her goodbye.
As Twilight galloped down the steps of the library, Luna watched her with concern. "Strange. Twilight did not inquire about my preparations for tonight's sky. Usually she is so curious about the stars." Luna thought to herself. "I must ask Celestia in the morning if anything is wrong."
***
Early the next morning, Twilight got on the first train out of Canterlot and arrived in Ponyville later that afternoon. She rushed back to the library and dumped her saddlebags on the floor. Spike walked in the door soon after Twilight had gotten back and called for her when he saw the saddlebag. Twilight appeared from the basement, the signs of a lack of sleep clearly evident on her face.
“Uh, Twilight, I didn’t realize you were already back. Are, uh, are you okay?” He raised an eyebrow as one of Twilight’s ears twitched.
“Oh, I’m alright.” Twilight grinned in a way that was meant to be reassuring. Her grin was just a bit too wide, and her quick speech pattern only made it more unsettling. Spike walked to the top of the stairs.
“Are you sure? You don’t look so good.” Spike knew the cause right away. The signs from Twilight were all too familiar. “Did you get any sleep last night?”
Twilight laughed timidly, and looked down at her hooves. “It’s that obvious isn’t it. I just had to rush back with the books I found in the archives. Luna was in the archives as I was leaving and-” She started rambling and Spike had to interrupt her for her own sake.
“Twilight, you’re thinking too fast. I know this whole thing has you excited and nervous, but you need to take a rest. Go to bed and don’t think about it until the morning. You need to clear your head.” Spike was strange that he was acting the more responsible of the two.
“But I have to keep-” Twilight protested, but Spike cut her off.
“No Twilight, you’re running yourself ragged. Go to bed.” Twilight sighed in admission that Spike was right. She came up from the library’s basement and climbed into her bed.
Spike yawned and climbed into his own basket. Soon after sunset though, the dragon woke up again. Hearing Twilight’s soft snores, he quietly climbed out of the basket and lit a candle. Twilight’s urgency about whatever she was doing in the basement had piqued his own curiosity.
Spike tiptoed downstairs, and made his way slowly to the basement door, making sure not to wake Twilight. As he reached the bottom of the stairs, the candle began to illuminate the room. Spike peered into the dimly lit room as he tried to make out a bulking shape in its center. There as his eyes adjusted, he saw it. It was a machine clearly under construction. The wide wooden frame supported a large cylinder attached to the tall central apparatus with a chain hanging loosely off a small gear on the side of the cylinder. A tray with small compartments was attached to the side of the machine next to the cylinder, with a pedal underneath it. Spike scratched his head trying to figure out what it was. The roller looked familiar, but he could not place where he had seen something like it before.
Spike yawned again, the late hour getting to the dragon now that his initial interest had been sated. He snuck back upstairs, sure to not wake Twilight, and blew the candle out as he made his way back to the basket.
Spike woke up late the next morning. He stretched and got up wearily. “Good morning Twilight,” he yawned. There was no reply. Spike looked over to Twilight’s bed and noticed the sheets draped over the side of the bed. Twilight must have already gotten up. Spike looked around for her before venturing down the stairs to the main floor of the library. The unicorn was not there either. Spike scratched his head. Twilight would not have gone out without waking him first. Looking around the main room of the library, he noticed the door to the basement was ajar. Spike slowly opened the door and went to the basement.
Twilight was in the middle of the room next to the apparatus. She was levitating one of the large rollers and an unfurled scroll with a complex mechanical diagram on it.
“There you are Twilight!” Spike yelled down from the top of the staircase. “What are you doing down here?” He eyed the large machine again. It looked smaller now that it was fully lit, but the wide frame still took up much of the room in the basement. He looked over at the pile of parts in the corner. It was much smaller than it was the night before, mostly from removing the roller. Spike did notice that there were also some wooden beams and screws. He looked over at the machine. Twilight had assembled the beams into a square frame in the middle of the machine, leaving a large open space above the bottom roller.
“Huh?” Twilight jumped at Spike’s voice. She jerked her head over and lost control of the roller, which clunked onto the floor. “Oh, it’s you Spike.” She seemed a lot jumpier than usual. She looked up at the basement door and used her magic to close it. “This is a printing press.” Twilight darted her gaze around the room as if searching for something listening in on them. Twilight sighed in relief as she assured herself they were alone and picked up the roller again with her magic. “I’m putting it together so we can make pamphlets about the heliocentric discovery.
“Helio-what?”
“Heliocentric. It means that everything orbits the sun.”
“Why are you spreading this? Didn’t Celestia warn you not to do that or you’d be in big trouble?”
Twilight put the roller in its place above the base of the press and started screwing it to the beams. “That’s exactly why I’m doing this, Spike. It’s not right for such a big discovery to be kept a secret. Everypony has a right to know about this, and this way I can easily spread the discovery through all of Ponyville.”
“But won’t Celestia know that it’s you sending the pamphlets?”
Twilight finished assembling the minor pieces on the press and connecting the ream of paper to it as she considered this. The Princess would no doubt be suspicious that the pamphlets were in Ponyville after Twilight inquired about it. But she had an idea that would hopefully conceal her identity.
“Well then I just won’t use my real name. If I use a pseudonym then maybe Celestia will think I found out about heliocentrism from another pony. It should at least take the trail off me for some time while enough ponies find out about it.”
Spike shrugged. The plan sounded reasonable enough to work. He helped lift the paper cylinder into its casing at one end of the press. It was heavy, and after he set it down his stomach growled.
“Uh, Twilight, have you eaten yet today?”
Twilight’s own stomach growled in response. “No I haven’t.” She laughed sheepishly. “I guess we should get some food.
***
The next week Twilight began printing dozens of pamphlets and posting them around Ponyville. The pamphlets had large black letters with “Heliocentrism - The Truth Behind the Sun and Stars” followed by a basic explanation of the theory that Twilight hoped the townsponies would understand. She even included smaller copies of the orbital diagrams and charts so that the data and direct evidence would be freely available. At the bottom, the pamphlets were signed “Coperneighcus” in Twilight’s attempt to stay anonymous. She and Spike would put them up around town while they were out and about at their daily routines. Twilight posted them at the town hall, in Sugarcube Corner, while Spike gave them to the newsstands next to the Ponyville Express and giving them out at the library. However, with only Twilight and Spike printing, her friends began to notice.
Rainbow Dash came to the library one morning as Twilight was stacking more pamphlets in a container. She knocked at the door. Twilight was on edge since it was before the library should be open, but calmed when she saw from the window it was Rainbow Dash. She went to the door and let Rainbow in.
“So Twilight, what’s with all the papers you’ve been spreading around town?” Rainbow asked bluntly after they greeted each other.
“Um, er,” Twilight stammered. She mulled over lying to Rainbow Dash, but realized that she’d already told Applejack and Pinkie. It would probably get around to her other friends eventually.
“Pinkie said you had made some discovery about the Celestia and the sun, but I didn’t catch it completely.”
So her other friends were finding out. Twilight explained to Rainbow the theory and handed her one of the pamphlets. Rainbow skimmed through it while she had Twilight bring them both some tea..
“So what ended up happening to this Abraxas guy anyway? Did he get imprisoned or something? If he was saying some pretty bad stuff about the Princesses, I’d guess he got a harsh punishment.”
Twilight looked up from her cup and remembered the scroll from the Canterlot Archives. She remembered Abraxas’ death sentence, but couldn’t remember the exact passage.
“Hold on,” Twilight levitated her cup back onto its saucer and stood up. “Spike!” She yelled and he came running up the stairs.
“Yes Twilight?”
“Can you get the scroll from my saddlebag? The one with the Canterlot seal on the ribbon?”
Spike nodded and ran upstairs. He returned a few minutes later with the scroll. He handed it to Twilight and she unrolled it.
“What’s that?” Rainbow asked?
“It’s a scroll I found in the archives. It’s the only source I could find mentioning Celestia’s trial of Abraxas. She apparently tried him personally,” she unrolled the scroll and read from the portion with the trial, “for ‘undermining the rule of the diarchy and preaching heresy and slander against Her Royal Highness Celestia the Princess of the Sun.”
She continued reading about the trial. Rainbow listened intently as she read. She reached the part about the verdict and sentence. “Abraxas was hereby sentenced to death, one of the few ponies to be given such a fate by the Princesses.”
Twilight heard a noise and looked over the scroll to see Rainbow choking on her tea. “She what?!”
Twilight looked at the scroll again and said mournfully, “She sentenced him to death.” Twilight was already somewhat numbed to the revelation. It hadn’t hit her that she was potentially subjecting herself to that fate as well. In Twilight’s mind, that was just one more reason the discovery needed to be published.
“Celestia can’t just do that!” Rainbow shouted in exasperation. She was infuriated that the Princess would do such a cruel thing to a fellow pony, especially a pegasus. Twilight just nodded as if it was just another historical fact, but Twilight had had time to let the idea settle in. Rainbow was surprised that Twilight was so accepting of the thought.
“You can’t just let this fact go, Twilight. This is wrong, and everypony needs to know exactly what happened.” Even as the embodiment of loyalty, Rainbow Dash could not let Abraxas’ fate just fade away to protect the rule of the Princesses. “You have to keep publishing, so that all of Equestria knows what the Princess did.” Rainbow banged a hoof on the table, shaking the teacups.
Twilight brightened after Rainbow’s eagerness to help. But she still had one dark prospect nagging at her brain. “But Rainbow, what if I get caught. If Abraxas could be killed for this, so could I.” Twilight pointed at her heart, a strained look on her face.
“Don’t worry Twilight, if you do you’ve got me there for you.” Rainbow was adamant. “Now, what can I do to help.”
“Well, I have been wondering how to spread the message faster,” Twilight said. “I mean sure the pamphlets are doing well, but that’s only reaching Ponyville.”
Rainbow nodded, then gave Twilight a big smile. “I have the perfect plan to get your discovery outside of Ponyville. Give me a package of pamphlets tomorrow and I can take them up to Cloudsdale when I go pick up the weather assignment.” Rainbow flared her wings and got into position as if she was about to take off. “I’m sure some of the pegasi up there would love to hear what Celestia did to one of their own.”
Twilight was taken aback by Rainbow’s vengeance. She only wanted to share a scientific discovery, not provoke any animosity toward Celestia or the diarchy. “Rainbow, are you sure about this? I mean, I don’t want to start a major dissidence or anything.”
Rainbow sighed and cut her off. “Look Twilight, you are spreading information. What other ponies do with that information is out of your hands. And you can’t expect ponies to not have a strong reaction to it.” Twilight sighed. Rainbow was right. But she needed some way to steer the reaction in the right direction. What that direction was, she was not sure of yet.
“Look, how about when I go up there, I’ll talk to some ponies higher up and see if they can keep things relatively quiet.” Rainbow said. “In the meantime, if you want to keep things minimal here, you really should start going out there and talking to ponies. Host a lecture or something.” Twilight smiled at the crack as Rainbow chuckled.
Rainbow’s agitation had made her uncertain whether she was doing the right thing, but she knew deep down that she was. Everypony had the right to know. Everypony needed to know. Not just the discovery of heliocentrism, but about Abraxas’ death. And no matter what happened, she knew she could count on her friends to be by her side all the way to the end.
“Thanks, Rainbow. You know what, maybe a lecture wouldn’t be a bad idea. I can explain the theory and try to keep everyone calm here.”
“No problem, Twilight.” They talked for another few minutes before Rainbow looked at the clock on the library wall and got ready to leave. As she left, she reminded Twilight about the pamphlets and asked her to make sure that Abraxas’ sentencing was clearly mentioned on them. Twilight said it would be and Rainbow left.
That evening, Twilight printed a stack of twenty of the new pamphlets for Rainbow Dash to take to Cloudsdale. She still had them signed with the pseudonym in the hopes it would delay Celestia finding out. At this point Twilight had realized and come to terms with the fact that the Princess would find out eventually, but as long as she could spread the word more ponies would discover the truth. She printed a few more to hand out at the lecture she would give at the town hall in a few days and went to sleep.
The next day was fairly uneventful. Rainbow came and got the pamphlets. Twilight went to the town hall to book the lecture for three days from then. She and Spike distributed a few more pamphlets.
The next day while Rainbow Dash was off to Cloudsdale, however, Twilight received another scroll from Celestia. “Twilight,” the letter began. The terse greeting shocked Twilight given the Princess’s usual manner in her letters. “I have gotten word from Ponyville of some seditious lies against myself. Somepony has been defaming me and claiming that I do not control the Sun and distributing materials slandering my good name and the diarchy. Having read one of these pamphlets, I understand the pony goes by the name of Coperneighcus.” So she knows about the pamphlets. Then she probably knew that it was actually Twilight distributing them. “If you know anything about this pony, report the information to me immediately. And Twilight, do not believe a word this Coperneighcus says.” If she knew, then it was too late to turn back anyway. Twilight scoffed at the claim of defamation. There was no defamation in expanding the knowledge of the world around us. Twilight rolled up the scroll and had Spike send a letter informing the Princess thanking her for her concern and that she would keep an eye out for this pony.
***
The day finally came that Twilight was speaking at the town hall. She got up early and went over her notes before heading with Spike to the center of town. Applejack, Rarity, Fluttershy, Pinkie Pie, and Rainbow Dash all met her in front of the building and gave her their full support. Rainbow informed Twilight that the reception of the pamphlets in Cloudsdale had gone over well, and that Spitfire was making sure nothing too rowdy was resulting from it. There were a few small demonstrations, but they were mostly calling for the Princess to admit that she sentenced Abraxas to death. Nopony was really going to rise up over the death of an obscure astronomer from centuries ago.
Twilight looked relieved. She had been concerned over what the reception the Cloudsdale public would give to the news. Pegasus ponies had the most lingering pride for their past accomplishments as a pre-Equestrian nation, and were notorious for their defense of past pegasi.
They all entered the town hall and Twilight’s friends sat down in the front row. Twilight sat down by the stage and waited for the townsponies to gradually file in. She was unsure how many would actually show up given some previous history lectures she had held, but sure enough the town hall was soon filled with ponies. When it was time, Twilight walked up to the podium on the stage. She set the books and scrolls on Abraxas on the shelf and put her notes on the podium and started to speak.
“My fellow citizens of Equestria, and subjects of Celestia,”
Twilight spoke about her findings. To her surprise, the crowd actually paid attention even through the complex mathematics involved in calculating the planetary orbits. However, she knew that most of the ponies were only waiting for her to get to the implications her findings had for Celestia, and of Abraxas. She finally reached that point in the lecture after an hour of explanations.
“Now, what does these findings mean for Equestria as a whole. I do not mean to say that this disqualifies Celestia from her rule, but it does mean the diarchy is keeping lies from us. Celestia has silenced a pony, Abraxas, from preaching his findings before. She may attempt to counter my findings as well and try to cover the discovery up. But I cannot let that happen. All of you, you cannot let that happen.” Twilight pointed to the audience, who was now rapt with attention toward Twilight and the large chart showing the planetary orbits behind her.
“Abraxas, the pegasus who first discovered heliocentrism, sacrificed himself in his efforts to spread the truth and the freedom of knowledge. Now all of you know, I am Celestia’s personal student, and I put a lot of faith and trust in her. She is an excellent, benevolent leader. But she cannot be allowed to keep such a fundamental fact about our world secret from us to protect her own legitimacy. If she wants the good will and reverence of her subjects, it must be earned through benevolent rule. Not through some greater possession of a divine power!” Twilight stamped a hoof on the stage. She had not spoken so forcefully and passionately about anything in a long time.
“TWILIGHT SPARKLE!” The booming voice of Princess Celestia echoed around the town hall as Celestia appeared outside the open doorway. Twilight cut off her presentation mid-sentence and stared out at the Princess. Celestia looked angrier than Twilight had ever seen her before. The other ponies in the room turned around in shock and stared wide eyed at the Princess.
Celestia walked slowly down the center aisle of the hall, flanked by two royal guards. “How dare you go against a royal decree and spread these lies!” Celestia shouted. The ponies in the audience gasped and shrank back as Celestia slowly proceeded toward the stage.
Twilight glanced at the chart on the wall behind her and back at Celestia. The strength in her voice and convictions had gone completely out of her. She tried to regain her composure and respond, but her brain was conflicted between refuting Celestia’s accusation and defending her findings, or to plead for forgiveness from the Princess. She looked at the front of the audience and the sight of her friends reaffirmed her convictions and gave Twilight the will to reply. Twilight opened her mouth to respond, her courage reborn. “I’m spreading the truth, not lies.” Her voice started shaky, but became more steady and louder as the rebuttal formed itself in her mind. “You can’t refute scientific evidence. Even if you try to cover it up again like you did with Abraxas, others will follow in my hoofsteps. You can’t stop observations from revealing the truth forever, not when I’ve already demonstrated it to all these ponies!” Twilight waved a hoof at the other ponies around the room.
Celestia hesitated slightly before continuing down the aisle. She was taken aback by Twilight’s outright standing up to her. She recalled Abraxas’ treason and now Twilight was repeating his offenses. The anger rose within Celestia. Twilight was directly undermining her authority and the basis of the government that had built Equestria and kept it prosperous for so many millennia. A flash of rage told Celestia to sentence Twilight the same as she had Abraxas.
But the flash of rage was only that, a flash. She could not bear sending Twilight to a similar fate as Abraxas. Twilight was her student, and Celestia she still cared too much for her. As Celestia looked around, she realized she also could not afford to do anything rash in front of this big an audience. The shocked stares of a hundred ponies in the room cooled Celestia’s temper.
“Twilight, you are still committing an act of treason, both against Equestria and my rule, but also against me as your mentor,” Celestia said. Her commands were still firm, but reasoned, without the unbridled anger the Princess had when she first entered the hall. “You need to be punished and sentenced.” Celestia thought for a moment. She could not simply imprison or banish Twilight in front of a crowd this big. She had to move them somewhere more private to properly reprimand Twilight. But simply teleporting them both or ordering Twilight to meet her alone was liable to start rumors of Twilight’s death at Celestia’s hooves. And that was far more sinister than the sentence the Princess wanted to give to her student.
Celestia carefully calculated her orders. “By the laws of Equestria and my duty as Princess, I decree that Twilight Sparkle is summoned to face accusations of treason and slander against the Princesses. She may be accompanied by the other Elements of Harmony to act as witnesses for the sentencing, which will take place tomorrow afternoon in the Canterlot throne room.”
Twilight blinked. She had been expecting Celestia to come down with more force against her clear rebellion against the Princess. But the prospect of a trial still meant she could be punished severely. Even so, Twilight breathed a sigh of relief. The fact that the Princess allowed her friends to be with her was a slight solace considering the potential punishment she faced, and might be a sign that Celestia would be lenient with her.
***
Twilight gathered with her friends that night. They tried to convince her to not attend the trial and just run away into the Everfree, since the lightest sentence was probably being exiled there anyway. Even Spike pleaded with Twilight and offered to join her in fleeing. The dragon could not bear to see anything happen to Twilight without him by her side. However, Twilight was not one to run away from her treason. She rejected the gracious pleas from her friends and stood firm on going to Canterlot and being tried.
The next morning, the six ponies and Spike took the train to Canterlot. After the previous night of desperate pleading, a solemn silence hung over the train car as it wove its way up the mountainside.
They arrived at Canterlot Castle and two guards showed the six ponies to the throne room. Furniture had been moved into the room to make it more akin to a court than a throne room. When they entered, the guards split Twilight off from the rest of her friends. Twilight was led to a chair in the center of the room, facing the dual throne on which Celestia and Luna were already sitting. One guard stood motionless and stoic next to Twilight while the other guard led her friends to a bench off to the side. Celestia dismissed the guards after everyone was seated and the two grey unicorns left the room.
Both Princesses eyed Twilight sternly. Luna’s expression was one more of contempt than anger. Celestia spoke first, the formality of the matter weighing on her voice.
“Twilight Sparkle, you stand here in front of Their Royal Highnesses the Princesses of Equestria and five witnesses accused of treason, spreading seditious materials, and slander against the royal court. How do you plead?”
Twilight took a deep breath, building herself up to face the consequences of her actions with as much dignity as she could. “I plead guilty, your majesties,” Twilight said firmly. She returned the Princesses’ steady gaze.
“No!” Rarity gasped. “Twilight, you can’t!” Applejack pleaded. Rainbow joined in. “You have to fight-”
“Silence!” Luna shouted toward the gallery, and the other ponies instantly fell quiet. “You five are here as witnesses to ensure due process, not to interrupt the trial!” Rainbow Dash flared her wings in frustration and Applejack put a hoof on Rainbow Dash’s back in case she tried to lift off.
“Now then, back to the proceedings,” Luna said, turning back to Twilight.
“Thank you sister,” Celestia said, clearing her throat. “Now then, does the accused have anything to say before we move on to the sentencing?”
Twilight thought quickly. She decided against making the speech on the virtue of spreading knowledge and the right everypony had to it. Celestia would probably be harsher in the sentencing if Twilight continued to directly defy the Princess’ authority. However, there was one way for Twilight to try to get a softer sentence.
“Princess Celestia, given that the acts of defamation I am charged with are against you specifically, would there not present a conflict of interest in you acting as judge in this trial? Should you not recuse yourself and allow Princess Luna to administer the sentence without your presence?”
Celestia smiled and considered it. She had taught Twilight well, and a twinge of pride in her student appeared in her mind. Perhaps she should recuse herself. She looked over at her sister. Luna still wore the stone-faced scowl as she had since the beginning of the trial. In fact, her glare had grown more intense since the outburst from the gallery. As Celestia watched Luna’s unflinching face, her concern for her student returned. She sighed. She could not allow Luna to deliver the sentencing.
“Twilight,” Celestia’s tone was just noticeably softer, “I think you will find that you will fare better if both of us were to give your sentence.”
Luna briefly glanced at her sister. Celestia was going soft. She really cared so much for Twilight that she was willing to sacrifice an attack on the diarchy and bend the law for Twilight.
Twilight was taken aback. Was Celestia really going to go easy on her? A glimmer of hope flashed across her mind. She continued her final statements. “Very well then. Then please, your majesties, bear in mind that I meant no ill will toward either of you personally or as rulers of Equestria. I was just trying to educate the ponies of Equestria and enlighten them to a new scientific discovery. If that is a crime, then so be it. I will accept whatever punishment you give me.”
Princess Luna declared a recess while the Princesses discussed the appropriate sentencing. They stood from the thrones and exited to the rear chamber of the throne room. Twilight’s friends immediately rushed over to her.
“That was very brave of you Twilight,” Applejack said. They all hugged.
“Thanks girls,” Twilight started tearing up. “No matter what happens, I just want you to know you and Spike has been my best friends and that you’ve always been there for me.”
Meanwhile, in the rear chamber, Luna chided Celestia. “I knew you would not be able to handle the sentencing. You are being too soft on her just because she is your student. I understand your concern for Twilight, but she is committing outright treason. You cannot let this go without a proper punishment.”
“And what would you have the punishment be, Luna?” Celestia said exasperated. “Death?”
“Well it is the proper sentence set out in the laws of Equestria.” Luna replied matter-of-factly. “Except you have only dealt it once, even when there were other cases that deserved it far more.” Luna still held some contempt for Celestia for her mercy.
“I know that, Luna.” Celestia met her sister’s gaze. “But there must be another solution.”
They sat considering the options. “Then I could sentence her to exile. She could go live with Shining Armor and Cadence in the Crystal Empire.” Celestia offered.
Luna immediately rejected this. “And let resentment build within her, and one day rising up against us? Did what happened to Sunset Shimmer teach you nothing, sister?” Luna had a tendency to envision the worst case, but Celestia knew it was a possibility she could not allow.
“Twilight would not turn on me like that.” Celestia exclaimed. Sunset Shimmer’s tragic departure still hung over Celestia. She had sworn that no student of hers would have Sunset’s fate again, that she would teach her students better than that and ensure that they held the virtuous qualities necessary to bear the Element of Magic before taking her under her wing. And Twilight had, there was no doubt about that. But now, now Celestia could not be certain. Her voice softened. “Would she?”
So exile was out. “What about imprisonment? If we keep her in the caves beneath Canterlot, or somewhere in the Everfree Forest, then we could keep an eye on her.”
Luna sighed as she was reminded of her own past. “Or perhaps you could imprison her on the moon,” she said sarcastically. “Twilight has some of the most powerful magic we have ever seen. Even in a dungeon under constant watch, she could still build a force powerful enough to pose a threat.” Luna stared at the ground. The memories of her betrayal and the long years on the moon were coming back to her. “Believe me, sister, I know what the mind can get up to during a millennium of solitude. No soul is safe from the corrupting forces of resentment and betrayal”
“Luna, I have faith that Twilight will be able to resist that urge. Ever since the day I met her as a foal, I could sense the goodness and leadership in her heart. She will not fall.”
Luna softened her voice. “Even so, the corruption can get to us all. I thought myself incorruptible those centuries before I betrayed you, but they reached out to me. When I rebelled, I thought that my actions were good. What is to say that they would not do the same to Twilight?”
“Then what can we do?” Celestia said. “You are not providing any options.”
Luna pondered for a while. “Perhaps imprisonment in the moon is not a solution, but imprisonment in a stone of a different kind.” Celestia was not quite sure what Luna was getting at until Luna clarified with one word. “Petrification.”
Celestia was immediately taken aback at the suggestion. “What?! How can you even suggest such a thing? Do you truly think that Twilight is as much a threat to Equestria as Discord?” Celestia could not fathom that Luna would be so harsh as to even consider it. Of course, Luna had been the one initially pushing for a death sentence.
“Let me explain. It is an effective imprisonment, and you can keep an eye on her every day. Twilight would not be able to rise up, and after a certain period of time if we feel that Twilight should be set free, she can be.”
Celestia considered this. Luna made good points, and she could enshrine Twilight as a monument to leadership and friendship. However, Celestia felt it was still extreme. At last she consented. “Okay, we can consider this, but only on the condition that she willingly accepts.”
Luna nodded as if it were obvious. “She would have to. It requires her to act as her Element to petrify herself, after all.”
“And if she doesn’t?” Celestia asked, worried.
“Then she must die.” Luna replied.
The Princess returned to the throne room. Twilight’s friends returned to the gallery, cheeks streaked with tears. Twilight put on the bravest face she could.
“Twilight Sparkle,” Celestia said returning to the formal tone of a governing figure, “we have deliberated. You have two options. The first option is only provided to you should you agree to it.”
Celestia paused, and Twilight wondered what this option was. She could guess the second choice, and was almost certain the first would be better.
Luna spoke now. “The first choice for your sentence, is that you will be encased in stone for an indefinite period of time. As this sentence requires the use of the Elements of Harmony, it is only available if you willingly agree.”
Twilight gulped. She had a strong feeling that the other option was death. Before Luna could begin with the other option, Twilight exclaimed, “I’ll take it.”
Her friends gasped. Even Celestia and Luna looked surprised to hear Twilight so readily accept this fate. It was better than death, and this way Twilight still had a chance at being released in the future.
“Very well then,” Luna closed her eyes and said calmly. “The trial is hereby adjourned. The petrification will take place in two days in the Canterlot garden.”
Celestia turned to the gallery. “And of course, you five must attend to participate, as the other Elements of Harmony.” Celestia gave them a sorrowful look. “I hope that’s not too much of a burden.”
The five mares froze up. The thought that they would have to administer the sentence seemed cruel. But it was Twilight’s choice. She looked at them and nodded firmly. “This is my decision. And I want you girls to be there for me.”
The other five nodded in return. Twilight’s confidence gave them the resolve they needed to accept the responsibility.
Two days later, Twilight, Applejack, Rarity, Rainbow Dash, Pinkie Pie, Fluttershy, and Spike gathered in the Canterlot royal garden with Celestia and Luna. The seven friends shared one last group hug, then Twilight shared a tearful embrace with each of her friends in turn.
“Are you really sure you want to do this?” Rarity asked solemnly as she left Twilight’s arms. She was the last of the five pony friends to embrace Twilight.
“Yes, I’m sure.” She looked at everyone gathered together and smiled warmly. “This way each and every one of you can visit me as often as you like, and talk to me in a way that you can be sure I’ll hear you.” Twilight started tearing up again, but Spike ran up to her and hugged her one last time.
Streams of tears ran down both their faces and Spike let out a wail. “I’ll miss you Twilight!” he cried into Twilight’s fur as he buried his face in her chest.
“Don’t worry Spike. You can come visit my statue every day.” Twilight sobbed. “And you’re my number one assistant. I’ve taught you everything I know.” She choked up and hugged him close. “Take care of the library for me, okay?” she said as Spike drew away from her.
“Mhm, I will,” Spike said. He wiped an arm across his eyes and nose. “I’ll come visit you every chance I get.”
“We all will.” Twilight looked up and saw not just her friends, but Celestia, standing in front of her. In that moment she knew she had the best friends in the world. That moment told her she was ready.
Twilight stood up on the pedestal behind her. The other five Elements surrounded the pedestal, facing it. They each wore their necklaces, and Twilight put on her crown. Celestia and Luna stood off to the side, with Spike standing next to Celestia.
Twilight reared up and concentrated. The five elemental necklaces glowed and shot colored light at Twilight’s crown. The crown and Twilight’s eyes glowed white. A rainbow beam shot up from the crown into the air, then shot straight back down onto Twilight’s rampant form. Slowly, the stone encompassed her hind legs and tail, her torso, her forelegs, and finally her head. The rush of the harmonic beam and the petrification was deafening, until it receded as the transformation was complete.
The garden was silent. The seven ponies and dragon who stood in it bowed their heads to the statue of Twilight Sparkle that now sat on a pedestal. The moment lasted for a minute. Twilight’s grey face gazed out with a look of both determination and acceptance. After an hour of silence next to the statue, they dispersed. Celestia and Luna went back to the castle, and the five ponies and Spike took that night’s train back to Ponyville.
***
In the weeks after, Twilight’s statue received many visits from her friends as well as the Princesses. One night as Luna performed her duties, Celestia sat in the garden, staring up at Twilight’s statue. It glowed white with the reflection of the moonlight.
“Twilight,” Celestia sighed. “I never thought it would be like this. I think about it every day. The judgements I have made, both wrong and right. And there is something that I never told you. I never told you the reason why I had to keep the motions of the sun and planets a secret.
“It goes back to when Luna and I were first reigning over Equestria. The unicorn nobility had always revered the raising of the Sun and Moon as their divine responsibility in the natural order of the three races of ponies. So when we took over, it was necessary for us to assume this ritual to give our reign legitimacy in the eyes of the unicorns. However, like you, I soon discovered that the motions of the Sun were not in fact motion of the Earth itself. But I could not reveal this to the unicorns. They would never accept our rule. So I continued the ritual of raising the Sun in the morning and lowering it at night, in order to maintain the stability and unity of Equestria and prevent the pony races from falling back into their petty fighting.
“I am sorry that it had to come to this Twilight. But you must know that I did what I had to do. I realize now, that so did you. Instead of choosing death and risking becoming a martyr, you chose to become a symbol. I see it now, Twilight. You are a symbol of leadership and self-sacrifice, and your statued self exemplifies all that is inherent in that. Thank you. Thank you for showing this.”
Celestia bowed before the statue of Twilight. She sat at the base of the statue for another minute looking up at Twilight’s stone figure. The Princess bowed again, and walked out of the garden back to the palace. Inside the statue, Twilight Sparkle smiled.
