The Broken Crown

by Inspiration

Rating: teen
Tags: Adventure, Princess Celestia, Twilight Sparkle, Main 6, Gore, My Little Pony: Friendship is Magic, Dark, Sad
Length: 3921

Celestia becomes very hostile towards Twilight after she refused her offer to become a princess. And with underlying problems, they both might snap before stopping eachother from doing the unthinkable.

After Twilight refuses the offer of a lifetime, Celestia becomes hostile towards her. Celestia being making threats against Twilight. Against the ones she cares for the most. Twilight needs to figure out what's making the Princess act the way she is, but her options are limited: Risk her life to solve the tyranny, or face the wrath of Princess Celestia. She will do whatever she can to fix Celestia. But she may have to fix herself along the way.

--SIDE NOTE--
The title (and chapter names) of this story were inspired by Mumford and Sons "Broken Crown" and I'm gonna make that song work with this fic.

Published 2013-09-14 17:20:02 UTC
Last updated 2013-09-29 18:03:07 UTC

I will not speak of your sin

After the Elements have blasted Twilight into...wherever she was, Twilight was on the verge of breaking down. It hurt. A lot. She now knew what Nightmare Moon and Discord felt when they blasted them. But the pain subsided quickly, and after she was sure she could move (as the Harmony blast had hurt every part of her, joints and all), she got up and scanned the area. Nothing.

"Hello? Where am I? What is this place?" Twilight calls out. She sees Princess Celestia standing near her. She somehow missed her when she was looking around. How did she miss an alicorn? An alicorn princess, nonetheless.

"Congratulations, Twilight. I knew you could do it." Celestia says, in that soothing voice of hers. Twilight never knew why, but whenever anypony heard the Princess talk, the worries went into hibernation.

"Princess...I don't understand. What did I do?" Twilight asks, clearly confused by everything. Celestia smiles, seeing Twilight's confusion on her face.

"You did something today that's never been done before. Something even a great unicorn like Star Swirl the Bearded was not able to do, because he did not understand friendship like you do. The lessons you've learned here in Ponyville have taught you well. You have proven that you're ready, Twilight." She says.

"You have proven that you're ready?" Twilight thought. She wasn't ready for anything that had been happening in the last few...what was it? Minutes? Seconds? She didn't know how time worked in this nothingness.

"Ready?" Twilight says, looking up to her teacher. "Ready for what?" She wasn't sure how she felt at this moment, but she was sure she wasn't excited. Anxious, maybe. Definitely confused. But not excited. Not one bit. Celestia could see this in Twilight's eyes. She was determined, though, to make Twilight happy for what she was about to do.

"Well," the Princess says, "You see, Twilight, you've solved so many problems that I could never attempt to. You have saved Equestria countless times, you have prevented disasters within Canterlot, The Crystal Empire, and Ponyville alike, and you have done so much more. So, if you would accept, I believe that you are ready to become a Princess."

"A...a pri..." Twilight was speechless. She knows that Celestia is only trying to do good, but this... this was a bit much. "You want me to become...a princess?" She asks, staring at the sun goddess in amazement. Celestia smiled at this reaction. She had kind of expected as much.

"Yes, Twilight. A princess. You have managed to prove to me that you are ready for this." Celestia says. Twilight just sat there, mouth agape, shocked at what she was hearing. "Well, Twilight," Celestia asks, sure that Twilight would accept, "would you like to become a princess of Equestria?" Twilight pondered this a thousand times over in her head. Finally, after Celestia knows how long (which, by the way, she doesn't), Twilight gave Celestia her answer.

"Princess, I...I don't want to be one." Twilight says.

Celestia was quite frankly shocked at this answer. She had been sure that Twilight would have said yes. "You...don't want to become a princess?" Celestia stammers. Twilight nodded, sure that Celestia would understand. She doesn't. "Why? Why would you pass up what just might be your only chance to become an alicorn princess? The only chance to become what only 3 others are?" Celestia says, her voice much less soothing, and, actually, raising. Twilight backed off when Celestia yelled. She didn't know what she would do.

"Princess," Twilight starts, "I understand that this is a very, very, rare occasion, but I don't want to change. I don't want to become a princess because I know that I'll be treated differently. I don't want everypony to bow when I walk by, like they do you. I want to be one and the same. Thank you for the offer, though." Celestia was amazed that somepony would refuse such an offer. Her eyes had grown an odd look in them, as if contemplating punishments for this.

For, you see, Celestia wasn't always happy and smiling. Deep down (but not too deep), Celestia was a cruel, remorseless monarch, who would behead all who deny or defy her. "Very well, Twilight. Be that way." Celestia spits out, her voice filled with contempt. Twilight was somewhat taken back by the Princess' tone. She never said things with anger like she just did. When she did, though, it was to a villain, such as Discord (before his reformation, of course).

"I'm sorry, Princess, but I know the responsibilities you have," Twilight starts again, "and I don't think I'm--" She was cut off as she was teleported back to the library with all her friends. Immediately, they all bomb-rushed her with questions.

"Twilight, what happened?!" Fluttershy says quietly.

"Where'd ya go?" Applejack, as usual, was genuinely concerned.

"What the HAY made the Elements do that?!" Rainbow Dash yells.

"Darling, why do you look so worried?" Rarity says, just as concerned as Applejack.

"Do we need to throw a short 'Welcome Back' party?" Pinkie Pie blurts out, as random as usual. But Twilight didn't hear any of them. All Twilight could hear was Celestia, talking to her through the mind.

"You may have messed up. You may have changed something. Something big. You have made a major mistake. You will feel the consequences of your actions. Think on all the good and bad you have caused ever since the day you were born, Twilight Sparkle. Think hard on it all. You will rue this day, as will those you love, and those who love you." The Princess' voice says, clear as day inside Twilight's mind. The disdain in her voice drowning out everything else.

All that Twilight could say as her hearing came back to the noise of everypony yelling questions at her was, "Ughhhhh..." And she fell unconscious. The nothingness she was sent to did something to her and Celestia. She just wasn't sure what.

When Twilight came to, she was in her bed, Spike by her side. Along with the Bearers. All of them, except for Rainbow Dash and Applejack, were sound asleep. The moment Twilight's eyes were open, though, Rainbow Dash flew in her face. "Good. You're up. Now, would you please TELL US WHAT THE HAY HAPPENED?!" It was clear that Rainbow needed answers fast. Applejack was the next one to speak up.

"Now, Rainbow." She says, her speech showing genuine care. "Poor Twilight here jus' woke up after bein' teleportled somewhere 'n' back. Ah don't think it's a good idea to be up in her face after she's been out fer 2 days."

Twilight jolts up at the last two words. "I've been out for how long?!" She yells, panicked. Somehow, Rainbow Dash's yelling didn't wake up the rest of the group, but Twilight's yelling did. They all greeted Twilight, and walked downstairs to sleep some more. Twilight, though, had gotten enough energy to stay up just long enough to tell Rainbow Dash and Applejack everything, before collapsing and sleeping for another 13 hours. All the while, Twilight heard Princess Celestia's message over and over. She had to figure out what she had meant. She had to.

Author's Note

As a sort of staple of my stories (as the other one I'm working on will be doing this too), I will take any suggestions of the progression of the story you guys (and girls) leave in the comments. I want all of you to help me make these. Any suggestions used in the story will get credited in the Author's Notes. Thanks for reading!

Also, any sentence that goes "like this" is thought. Italics will always mean thought or emphasis in my works. Thanks!

The mirror shows not

The princess of the Sun was back in her castle after the whole ordeal. She was mad. Very mad. She had too many underlying problems with no way to fix them. She could be easily angered. She could normally control herself until later, when she could vent it out on some poor prisoner she kept secret from her subjects, her dear sister, and even from the Royal Guard. But this time, her most trusted student, her favourite pony in the land, and her link to partial sanity, had managed to break her with a simple word within her reasoning for denying a once-in-a-lifetime offer.

"No."

And that was all it took for her to snap.

From the moment she was back, she ran directly to her hidden prison, and threw open the first cell containing life. The caged mare already feared the celestial goddess, but this time, she could see the anger and insanity in her eyes. That was only for about 3 seconds, though, as she was immediately thrashed against the walls. Repeatedly.

As for Celestia, she didn't know what she was truly doing do the poor mare. She could see the blood come from her mouth and broken limbs. She could see the pain and fear in her eyes. She just...didn't feel anything. She didn't feel remorse, or pleasure, or anything. She didn't know why, and she got angrier. She continued slamming the mare around the room, onto cobblestone walls and steel bars.

The mare, however, felt that this was her final day. From the moment she had woken up that day, she had a feeling that she would feel the torture of this prison no more. She just wasn't sure how. Now, though, with the injuries of Celestia's wrath, she knew that this was it. With limbs broken, brain concussed, and blood dripping, she knew it. She agreed with the terms of death as she was levitated in front of Celestia for the final blows.

Celestia hovered the mare just high enough for the worst pain she could make with her own body. She kept the mare in one place, and charged at her. Her horn collided with, and penetrated, the mares body. The incredibly sharp, incredibly long horn of the Sun-raiser tore through her vitals, making her cough up even more blood. Celestia levitated her off of her horn and put her down in the corner of the room to die. She turned to walk out, when she heard the dying mare speak.

"You...you think tha...that killing...me will...help...you?" The mare said, stopping for breath every other word. "That...that killing ev...everypony will...save your m...mind? It w...won't." Her voice was fading with every word, but she kept speaking, making every word sting. "When I'm in...in the afterlife...I vow tha...that I will ha...haunt you. Remember th...the last w...words of B...Berry Punch: Fuck...you...bit..." Berry Punch couldn't get out the end of her sentence, as she saw the light and ran towards it while speaking.

With that, Celestia goes to the next cell to do the same deed.

Twilight has been having nightmares ever since she was sent back home. She would constantly wake up screaming, and check her stomach and limbs for puncture wounds. The nightmares were always different, but would always end in the same way: the last moments of her life. And once she was up, she would rush down stairs and start reading every book she could get her hooves on about psychology and nightmares. But nothing truly came up that could help her. Because of this routine, she was sleep deprived, only receiving 2-5 hours of sleep a night, with that number decreasing constantly.

This particular night, she had just finished her plans. "Plans," however, meant secluding herself while she studied her psychology books more. She put her book away and went up to her bedroom, fearing the horrors that awaited her in her subconscious. She lied down in her accursed bed, pulled up the covers, and drifted off into the realms of her mind.

She was in a large, white room with her friends. For some inexplicable reason, they were arguing over nothing. Fluttershy, as quiet and reserved as she is, was somehow the loudest, and Pinkie's hair was straight, so she knew something was wrong. Even though she knew they were arguing, she couldn't understand anything they were saying. Except for one thing. And this "thing" was directed at her.

"WE HATE YOU! GOODBYE!"

She just stared at her friends as they walked away from her. They had nowhere to go, but that didn't stop them. They just...walked. She didn't know what was happening between them, but she knew something did happen. Suddenly, however, her friends just...dropped. They all seemed to die where they were. Blood began to slowly stream from their eyes, almost like tears. That's when Celestia appeared.

"I warned you."

That's all she said as she destroyed the bodies of Twilight's friends in a flash of light. Bodies crying blood turned to ash and fell through the floor of the room, leaving no reminisce of the Twilight's loved ones. All that Twilight could do was sit there, staring at the pony she looked up to, that she admired. She couldn't do anything but that, and cry.

She woke up in a cold sweat, as usual. This dream was different for some reason. It was usually her dying or getting tortured. Never her friends. As per her new routine, she ran down stairs and got her books. This time, however, they proved helpful. She remembered her friends bodies crying blood as she read her books.

"To see or find a bloody dead body in your dream refers to a situation or issue that you can no longer avoid. You need to make an important decision and act on it immediately."

She knew what she had to do.

Author's Note

I want to thank the lot of you guys (and girls) for liking the first chapter and giving some advice, but I REALLY need you all to suggest future plot points. I want to incorporate you all in the process of writing this fic. That's just how I want to work on here. Thanks again, though, for the support on this!

Consign me not to darkness

Twilight, after days of nightmares, knew what she had to do. But, at the same time, she didn't. She gathered her friends to tell them what was happening, but she knew they weren't going to like anything she was going to say. Especially Fluttershy. Fluttershy was too sweet and innocent to be able to stand the news. But sadly, it had to be done.

They all sat in silence for a few minutes, drinking tea, waiting for Twilight to tell them what was what. Finally, she composed herself enough to speak up. "...You're all going to hate me for what I have to tell you...but I can't keep it a secret..." Twilight was thinking of how they would all react to the news. She was sure that Fluttershy would faint, however.

"Darling, we won't ever hate you, no matter what you say." Rarity reassured her. Rarity knew, though, that from the way Twilight looked, and the way she talked, that it was something unspeakable.

"...Yes, you will..." Was all that Twilight could say before a single tear fell down her face.

"C'mon, now, Twi. We won't ever hate you." Applejack said, though she knew what Celestia had been saying to Twilight.

"Yeah, Twilight, just tell us. We don't have all day." Rainbow Dash was always impatient. She couldn't help it.

"...Ok...ok...here we go." Twilight was crying. She couldn't stand the thought of what she was about to say. "Girls...for the last few nights...I've been having nightmares...of...of the Princess...k...killing me." She looked at her friends expressions of shock. "But...last night, it...it was...different..." Her tears turned into a river of saltwater. "Last night...it...it was all...all of you who...who died...and...and I think that...that I might...might have to...kill the Princess."

The expressions of the bearers of the Elements of Harmony were filled with shock, amazement, and confusion. Just as Twilight expected. "Girls...I...I'm so s-sorry..." Twilight couldn't contain her tears any longer. She allowed the dam to burst.

The rest of the group just sat there, staring at Twilight in a pure mix of shock and confusion. The thought of Twilight killing anything was insane, but the Princess? There was no possible way for Twilight to really think that...could there?

"...Twilight," Pinkie Pie said, after a few moments of silence. "What in Tartarus could make you think that?" Pinkie knew a thing or two about these things. She couldn't let them know, though.

"I...I d-don't..." Twilight couldn't complete a thing she said. Her mind was clogged with regret and sadness, and her throat was clogged with her words. "...I j-just...these dreams are...C-Celestia said..."

She got t ackled by her best friends, and was suddenly in the middle of a hug. "Twilight, dear. No matter what you think needs to be done, we will help you see to it. Right, girls?" Rarity was being the most reassuring one for the last few days, amazingly.

"Um...yes...I guess..."

"Yeah, Ah'll follow ya' into battle any day."

"I've been begging for a call to action, so I'm in."

"I'll bring the party cannon for defence!"

After she composed herself, with the help of her friends, Twilight was able to speak again.

"...Thanks, girls..."

The next few days were spent gathering supplies, doing training in stealth and combat, and mentally prepping themselves about that they were going to do. They couldn't believe that they were going to kill the Princess. But with the threats being made, they had to do it.

"C'mon, Twilight, we've been training for days, we're getting tired of this!" Rainbow Dash was always impatient. That was a good thing right now.

"Rainbow, normally, I would be telling you to be patient, but I think we're ready to go." Twilight was feeling ready. She felt, though, that something was watching her. "Are we all ready?"

"I made the suits like you wanted, but I threw in some extra features." Rarity levitated the suits to her friends. "I'll explain what they are when we go."

"I gathered up the gear and weapons," Started Pinkie, who began pulling everything she said from nowhere. "I have the whinnychester's, the .45's, the stars, the mini-zookas, the Party Cannon, the radios you wanted, the food, the cupcakes, the-"

"Pinkie, we get it. Ya' got ever'thang." Applejack was putting on her suit. "Ah made sure that out families understand that we're jus' takin' orders."

"I gave all my animal friends have enough food to last a year." Fluttershy was putting her suit on as well. "And if we meet a dangerous animal out there, I'll handle it."

"Alright, we have everything. We set out as soon as the day meets night."

And so, the horrors await at Canterlot.

Author's Note

I'm actually having a tougher time writing these with every chapter. I really, REALLY need you all to aid in the writing process. Thanks!

And, if some of you don't get it,"whinnychester" is a horses whinnying and a Winchester rifle.

I took the road

Twilight didn't know it, but she was in a sack. Blindfolded. In a cart. Being pulled by two stallions. She could hear them talking, but she was somewhere between conscious and unconscious, as they knocked her out and put her in her current state.

"Why'd you have to kill her?! We told Her that there would be no casualties!"

"She was putting up a major fight! And I wasn't trying to kill her, just knock her out for a bit!"

"Well, you did a wonderful job at doing that!"

"Want me to kill you too?"

"Please, do so. I would love to die right now, and leave you with pulling a cart full of dead weight!"

By this point, Twilight could focus. She knew something had happened. She had to get out. So, she filled her horn with magic, and cleared her mind of all thoughts, and teleported out from the bag. This, though, is when she noticed that she was cuffed and blindfolded.

Twilight broke the cuffs and undid the blindfold, but immediately regretted the actions. The first sight she was greeted by was a pony. A dead pony. Orange. With a stetson covering her face. And three apples on her flank. And dry, red clumps around her neck.

Twilight couldn't cry. She couldn't afford to cry. What she could afford, though, was information at all costs. So she undid her remaining friends from their bindings, and telepathically told them the game plan. "Ok, girls. We lost Applejack. But we can't just give up yet. We have to get the information out of these two stallions. At any costs." They all agreed to go through with it, and they sprung into action.

Author's Note

Fucking. Writer's. Block.
I'll be working on this for a long, long time. But it'll have a wonderful ending. I (Pinkie) promise.
I'm still taking suggestions, by the way. You'll be credited by the end of the story.
Thanks for reading!

-Inspiration

I'll never wear your Broken Crown

It was one day after the group had set out. They chose to get to Canterlot on hoof, as Twilight was sure that the Princess would rig the trains, and Twilight remembered what had happened last time.

They had been walking since sundown, and they were getting tired. Very tired. But they were determined. They had to get done what needed to be done. They had to.

After walking for eight hours or so, they stopped by a river. They were all extremely thirsty after walking as long and far as they did. "Hey, Twilight," Rainbow dash yelled, ahead of the group. Always the speedster. "There's a river up ahead! You think we can stop and set up camp next to it?"

Twilight didn't know what dangers could happen, and, quite frankly, didn't care. She was tired. Out of breath. "Yeah...yeah lets...lets stop for...the night." She was glad that Rainbow pointed the river out. It was pure, uncontaminated water. Just what they all needed.

After getting their much needed water, they set up camp. 6 tents, a fire, and a little bit of arguing later, they were all sound asleep. And unfortunately, Twilight had more nightmares to look forward to.

She was falling...wasn't she? She felt cool and slow...yes...yes, she was definitely falling. But it seemed like she was falling in water. It was strange...

Then, she saw the ship. It was huge, and from where she was, she could make something out on the side. USS something. And it was sinking. It had hit, or had been hit by, something and began sinking. She wanted to help, but...she couldn't move.

She looked over and saw the Princess. A look in her eyes was saying both, "Save me" and "I hate you." But she didn't care. All she was concerned with was the ship. She could see ponies jumping off of it and into the water. Some of them were on fire. The ship was falling apart at the seams. And one large, flaming piece was falling on top of her.

Once again, she awoke with a cold sweat, but she realized something. She heard voices that didn't come from her own psyche. Stallion voices came from the woods, followed by the stallions themselves.

"Damnit, Fishie, I told you no casualties!"

"I told you, call me Fisher."

Author's Note

Again, harder and harder to write these chapters. I need suggestions for plot points and references. Thanks!