Twilight woke as she normally does. Slowly and grumpy. She was never a pony for mornings, not until she at least had a cup or two of coffee. Half flopping out of her bed, she stretches. Forelegs, back, hind legs, and then finally her wings. The wings were new to her still, and she was slowly getting the hang of dealing with them. Just another aspect of becoming a princess.
Descending the stairs, she can smell the coffee that is already brewed. The scent of the dark, life giving elixir from the heavens lead her by her nose towards the kitchen, where the scent of breakfast cooking also emanated from.
Entering the kitchen, the first task she does is grab a cup. Sitting at the table, she takes that very first sip, and then another. As the wondrous caffeine starts to find its home within the pleasure centers of her still not awake brain, she mumbles an incoherent prayer of thanks to whatever coffee gods created Saddle Arabia, the source of the glorious beans that she cannot survive without.
“Damn, Twi, you REALLY ought to do something about that morning hair,” she hears from the general direction of the stove. That would be Spike. A filly sized dragon with a level of snarkiness that rivals the half asleep Alicorn. The pair of them have been the best of friends ever since she hatched him, and then raised him after her entrance exam into Celestia’s School for Gifted Unicorns all those years ago. He may be her closest friend and personal assistant, but Celestia-be damned if he wasn’t a wiseass.
“Buck you,” she mumbles to him, taking another drink of her coffee. “Could you at least wait till I finish my coffee before you become a wiseass?”
Placing scrambled eggs, hay-bacon, and home fries on a pair of plates, the young Dragon serves the pair and sits down to eat. As Twilight finally finishes her first cup and starts to pick at her food, Spike pulls out a scroll from behind his apron. “Oh, this came just before you woke. Probably important too,”
Twilight quickly unfurled the parchment with her magic and commenced reading.
Dear Twilight Sparkle,
It has come to my attention a matter of grave importance. One which I will be needing your skills and knowledge with. It involves the Elements of Harmony, and must be taken care of as quickly as you can manage.
I am sending a chariot to pick you up at noon today. Please bring with you the Element of Magic, and any other materials you might need, as well as Spike.
Do not tell anypony else about this problem. If anypony asks, you are just coming to Canterlot to assist me with a research project.
Princess Celestia.
“Spike, as soon as we finish breakfast, we need to pack for Canterlot. I do not know how long we will be there, but we will need all my research notes on the Elements,” she tells him, quickly pouring another cup of coffee. She had a feeling that she was going to need it.
* * * * *
“Thank you for coming on such short notice, Twilight,” the Princess said with a look of worried relief etched upon her face.
“It’s no problem, Princess, but I need to ask, just what is the problem with the Elements of Harmony?” Twilight could not think of any problem concerning the Elements that would require her magic and research skills, and would require such secrecy that she was unable to even talk with the other Bearers about. The only thing that she could conceive would be that somehow, the Elements had been stolen, but if that was the case, then Twilight was certain that Princess Celestia would have wanted all six of the Element Bearers to come to Canterlot.
“Always straight to the point, my faithful student, as I would expect,” replies the tall co-ruler of Equestria as they walk down a hallway. “Then I shall get straight to the point as well, Twilight. The Elements of Harmony will no longer work for you and your friends.”
“WHAT?” exclaimed a now stunned Twilight. Of all the things that could have happened, this was the last thing she would have ever thought possible. The Elements got their power through the magic of the friendship between the respective bearers. And, last Twilight knew, her and her friends were as close as ever. The only time when things had gotten so bad between them that the Elements would not work, it had been Celestia who had saved the day with her sending all those friendship reports back for her to read. From there, once they had gotten past Discord’s spell, the bonds had only grown tighter and more powerful. “I don’t understand, Princess. How is that even possible?”
Pausing in her walk to let the stunned smaller princess catch up, Celestia explains, “There is more than the magic of friendship involved. There is also the harmony of the three tribes. Applejack and Pinkie Pie are Earth Ponies. Fluttershy and Rainbow Dash are Pegasi. And that leaves…”
“Rarity and I. I don’t see what…” Then it hits her. Rarity us a Unicorn. Twilight is no longer a Unicorn, but an Alicorn now. The balance was broken with her ascension. And going back to being a Unicorn, as much as she would like that, was not a possibility.
Spike is a little quicker on the uptake. “So, how was it then that you and Princess Luna was able to use the Elements to defeat Discord all those years ago, if they require two of each tribe, Princess?” he asks.
“That is a very smart question, Spike, and one which I can answer. The nature of an Alicorn is that one represents all three tribes in equal proportion,” Twilight explains. “So, when I became an Alicorn, the balance of Earth Pony, Unicorn and Pegasus was disrupted. It is no longer equal, or, in this sense, in harmony.”
Celestia is not surprised by Twilight’s answer. She understands so much. “You are very astute, my student. Now, your task will be to find out how to make it so the Elements can be utilized once again. If you cannot do so, then there will come a time when they are desperately needed, and not available.”
And with that, the three of them enter the vault in which the remainder of the Elements are held.
Author's Note
This is going on Hiatus Status. The reason for that can be found in this blog:
Hiatus Status for my stories
Six Elements of Harmony. Five necklaces and one tiara. They lay on the table which a tired Princess of Magic walks around. Her and Spike have been busy all week, studying every aspect of the ancient magical objects. They learned a lot in the past seven days, but they were no closer to the goal of being able to use the Elements, if the need should arise.
And with every new morsel of knowledge Twilight discovered, more questions came up. One of the most puzzling things Twilight learned is that the elements require that it either be six or two that use them. Either two Alicorns, or two ponies of each tribe. Either way, balance must be maintained. This left Twilight with conflicting information. According to history, Princess Celestia used the Elements to defeat Nightmare Moon all those years ago, and banish her to the moon. And the histories indicate that it was Celestia herself who used them.
Something was not adding up.
When Twilight asked Princess Celestia about it, the ancient Alicorn skirted and danced around the issue, never giving Twilight a clear answer. It was as if she was hiding something. For what reason, Twilight could not discern. This is not the first time that her mentor has hidden stuff from her, but there normally would be a reason. Right now, it feels that Celestia should NOT be hiding anything from her, if it concerns the Elements.
When Twilight asked Luna about the final battle, and how her sister had defeated her, she refused to talk about it, to the point of nearly striking Twilight in rage and grief, before running off in sorrow. She received no answers there, just more questions.
She felt she was working blindfolded with her hooves tied behind her back.
The only answer that Twilight could come up with is that there had to have been other wielders back then; six ponies to be specific, because Cadance had not even been born at that point. But that comes in conflict with what history said happened. There is another possibility, one which Twilight finds even more difficult to comprehend.
Princess Celestia lied about what happened. She rewrote history for whatever reasons she had.
There has to be answers somewhere. Unfortunately, she was being roadblocked whenever she attempted to seek those answers. Maybe she needs to go over all the histories once again. there has to be clues somewhere within the ancient tomes within the Starswirl Wing of the Archives. “Spike, lets grab some lunch, then we’ll try searching the records again.”
“Again, Twi? We’ve already gone through every scrap twice,” Spike reminds her.
“I can’t think of anything else to try, Spike. Right about now, I’m about to look in the cooking section. Maybe I might fix up some Harmony stew for you tonight,” she tells him with a light chuckle.
Spike just laughs at this, saying, “Yeah, I could go for that. Don’t think the Princess would be too happy though. Lets go eat. I could use some fries or something.”
Reaching the palace kitchens, Twilight and Spike proceed to browse for edibles that catch their appetites. Once they have their trays filled, they head to the common dining hall where all the ponies go for their meals while working. They could have taken their lunch in the royal dining room, normally reserved for the princesses, but Twilight found that she preferred the more social feel of having ponies all around. She still felt herself to be just a regular pony, just with added wings and a title she would be just as happy to be without. Finding an empty table, they sit down to eat.
“So, when is Cadance supposed to arrive, Twi?” asks Spike around a mouthful of quiche.
“This evening. I’m hoping that with her here, we might be able to use the Elements together. She is an Alicorn, after all.”
“Funny how two other Alicorns were completely unable to connect with the Elements,” Spike deadpans. Something about all of this seems off to him as well. He may not be as intelligent as Twilight or Celestia, but he can still add two and two together, and not come out with Manticore.
“Yeah,” agrees Twilight, sullenly. No combination of the three Alicorns here in Canterlot was able to bring any indication of usefulness from the Elements of Harmony. Part of the problem is that the Elements choose who can and cannot wield them. And in this case, it was clear that the Elements flat out will not work for either Celestia and Luna. Something must have happened in the past to have caused them to be disconnected from the ancient artifacts so completely. Yet, she was unable to discover what that would be. Maybe her and Cadance would fare better.
“I don’t think Princess Celestia is gonna be too pleased with you going behind her back on this, Twilight. First off, didn’t she say that this problem was to be kept secret? As in top secret? Your letter to Cadance broke that secrecy. She’s gonna be pissed, Twi,” he tells her as he digs into his salad. Spike wonders if sending that letter to the Crystal Empire was such a good idea. Then again, he could have refused to do so, stating national security reasons. Twilight would have countered with national security reasons of her own. Whatever the case may be, the deed has been done, and Cadance is on the way here.
“Let her be pissed, Spike. I’ve been given a lot of leeway in this matter, and also, the law will support me over her if push comes to shove. As a princess, I do have the authority to make national security related decisions if I feel that the issue is of that importance. I need answers, and a solution has to be found. Princess Celestia and Luna both have roadblocked me when I tried to get answers from them. I will solve this, Spike. I have to. And I will do whatever I deem necessary to ensure that it is done,” she explains, feeling frustrated. Finishing her meal, she says, “Let’s hurry Spike. We still have much to do, and I will need your help in this if I am to have any chance of making progress. Besides, it’s that much more fun when I have my number one assistant helping me.”
* * * * *
They searched until the early evening, and only found one clue new to them. It was not much, but it was something. There was indications that an Element Bearer may be able to tap into the Elements, and read the past history. If it is a tribal pony, then it is just the one Element that they represent that they would be able to read. An Alicorn will be able to read the three that they represent. Whether or not Twilight will be able to utilize this ability now that the harmonic balance has been disrupted with her ascension to princesshood, it was uncertain, but at least, this was something that gave her hope of resolution to this issue.
Twilight and Spike now stood just outside the main entrance to the castle. They had just received a scroll from Cadance that she was five minutes out, and will be landing soon. An unannounced visit from the Ruler of the Crystal Empire should cause quite a stir.
In moments, a formation of chariots and Pegasi can be seen coming from the north in the rapidly fading light of dusk. The group descends in a tight, well maintained formation, and lands all as one in front of the gate, much to the surprise of the Royal Guards on station. Twenty-four Crystal Pony guards, an equal mix of Unicorn, Pegasi and Earth Pony, as well as ten driver Pegasi, one Alicorn, and her Unicorn Aide-de-Campe. A modest entourage for royalty traveling outside her own nation.
Giving instructions to her chief assistant on who to coordinate with concerning the quartering of the Crystal Guard ponies, Cadance then hops out of her Chariot rushing to the smaller purple Alicorn rushing towards her as well. Once in front of one another, they immediately do their traditional greeting that they shared between themselves ever since Twilight was a little filly.
“Sunshine, sunshine! Ladybugs awake! Clap your hooves and do a little shake!” they chant to one another, giggling and doing their little dance together, before hugging one another.
“It’s so good to see you again, Twilight. I know it has only been a couple months since your coronation, but it feels like forever,” Cadance tells her after they break from the hug. Truth be told, Princess Mi Amore Cadenza, ruler of the Crystal Empire, would rather be spending much more time here in Equestria with her family and friends. Running a nation is no easy task, and one that she would not wish upon anypony. But things are going smoothly for her, so she does not complain.
“Lets go in and get something to eat, Cadance. You must be famished after such a trip. How many hours did it take for you to fly here?” Twilight asks her counterpart from the north.
“Sixteen hours, but I shall be just fine, Twilight. I am more concerned with my guards, especially the Pegasi, who have been in the air flying all that time. Flying that long at those speeds is a task that will wear down even the most fit Pegasus,” she says. “So, does Auntie know of my visit?”
“No, she does not,” came the reply. It was not from Twilight, as Cadance had expected, but from one rather perturbed white Sun Princess. “So, just what would be your reason for this unannounced visit?” she asked.
Twilight answered for Cadance, knowing full well that Celestia would not be pleased. “I requested her presence here. I felt that there was a chance that maybe her and I would be able to make progress with the Elements. Since I have been unable to get them to work with either you or Princess Luna, Princess, I took the initiative, and explained the importance and urgency of the situation.”
This did cause Celestia to become very upset. She had expressly stated the need for secrecy in this manner, and Twilight chose to ignore the command given to her on that manner. “So, you took it upon yourself to ignore national security regulations…”
“Equestrian Law, book four, section two, chapter three, subsection A, paragraph four. And I quote; ‘When a matter of grave national security risk is at hand, a prince or princess, when given a task pertaining to the resolution of said risk, is authorized to make decisions on his or her own accord, in the effort to bring said matter to resolution. Furthermore, said prince or princess does not require the prior authorization in this matter if doing so would place the resolution of the matter in jeopardy.’ End quote,” Twilight recites to her mentor, word for word. “I had attempted to get the Elements to respond to both you, and Princess Luna, with absolutely no success. Furthermore, I had, on several occasions, attempted to obtain pertinent information from both you and your sister concerning the Elements, and every time, I have received zero help. Therefore, as was my duty, as prescribed by Equestrian Law, I made the choice to bring in help which I felt would help me bring this crisis to a close. Would you like for me to quote that passage, the one pertaining to my duty, Princess Celestia?” Twilight asks with a look of smoldering anger.
“And as the leader of this nation, it is by my discretion on what constitutes what is needed for the resolution of said national emergencies, Twilight. Do I have to remind you of the penalties that come with violations of security and secrecy laws? Do not think that just because you have sprouted wings, you are above the law,” Celestia retorts. She can dance the legal tango just as well as any pony, and better than most.
Twilight is well prepared for this dance, and she counters, “Subsection B, paragraph one of the same book of law; ‘When a prince or princess is given a task concerning a matter of grave national security, or discovers such a matter, it is his or her duty, as a prince/princess of Equestria to bring this matter to the attention of those above him/her. If this is not possible due to circumstances, then it becomes the said prince/princess’s responsibility and duty to work towards resolution of the matter, by whatever means necessary.’ Since I was given no assistance in this matter by either you or your sister, it became fully within my realm of responsibility to make my own decisions regarding the means of bringing this issue to a close.” Stepping closer, she continues, “Now, if you really wish to continue with this, you do have the authority to bring the issue before a board of inquiry, and then they can dig out the answers which I have tried to obtain from you.”
“Game, set, and match goes to the princess from Ponyville,” they hear. A midnight blue Alicorn with a subtle smirk on her face that could have served as the model for Lionardo DaPoni’s, Poni Luna saunters over to them. “So, it appears that once again, dear Tia must be reminded that even she has betters. So, what do you plan to do now, dear sister?” she asks, somewhere between sarcastically and ironically.
“I would not meddle in situations that you have no business dealing with, Luna. The Elements are out of your purview, and as such, you have no need to step in.” Celestia turns to her younger sister before continuing. “Or, would you not care if certain things about your past came to light finally? Things which I have neglected to tell Equestria, for the sake of protecting what tiny scrap of honor I could for you.” Little did she realize that she had just confirmed something that Twilight had been strongly suspecting.
“It seems that both of you have secrets. Secrets that the two of you are willing to put this nation at risk to protect. You two go ahead and bicker if you wish. I have artifacts that I need to study further, if I am going to make it so that they may be utilized once again,” Twilight tells the two sister Alicorns.
“Oh, do not yet try to run off, dear Twilight. This discussion is far from over.”
Luna looks to her sister, her smirk growing. “Oh, I suggest you concede victory to her, and go get another slice of cake, Tia. I get the feeling that you’re outmatched in this fight tonight.” Turning away, the darker Alicorn adds, “That is, if there is any left, knowing sister Cakebutt’s appetite for sweets.”
Stomping furiously, Celestia stops in front of the departing Luna, not wanting to let such a slur go so easily. “You should watch where you tread, Nightmare Moon. Maybe all the dreams you invade at night gave you some false sense of invincibility, but I’ll stomp you into the ground in no time flat.”
“What do you plan on doing? Sit on me? Granted, your flank is full enough to get the job done, in that case.”
As the two Equestrian leaders bicker and squabble, Twilight turns to Cadance, saying, “Shall we head inside? While the three of us eat, Spike and I can bring you up to speed with the week’s research.”
“Glad to see things have not changed since I left” replies the pink Alicorn.
Author's Note
This is going on Hiatus Status. The reason for that can be found in this blog:
Hiatus Status for my stories
