A bright light. That was all she saw around her. Nothing but whiteness as far as the eye could see. It had been mere moments since she had been in the company of her mentor, Princess Celestia, who had explained that she had achieved something great in completing the spell she was given. The spell of Starswirl the bearded, whose incomplete version had almost ruined the lives of her friends by swapping their cutie marks, forcing them to complete each others daily tasks.
Thanks to the bonds they'd built with each other, they'd managed to get their original marks back, and it was then that Twilight had understood how to finally complete the spell. But in doing so, she'd been sent by the elements of harmony to a strange place, where Celestia had been waiting for her. The whole meeting was strange, with the Princess declaring that Twilight had "fulfilled her destiny". But the young unicorn had no idea what that meant. All she knew was that this bright light had enveloped her, and now she didn't know what was going on.
But then, all of a sudden, she felt her hooves touch solid ground, her knees almost buckling upon reaching it. She still couldn’t see past the light, but it was fading. What she saw afterwards filled her heart with joy. She was back in Ponyville, just a short distance outside her tree-house. And ahead of her, rushing forward to greet her, were her beloved friends. Rainbow Dash, Applejack, Fluttershy, Rarity, Pinkie Pie and Spike, all charging forward, their faces filled with happiness and relief that their friend had returned to them.
"Twilight! Are you okay?!" Spike called out
She smiled as they approached, and she was ready as ever to tell them that she was fine. But as she got up off her knees, that smile faded as she saw them all stop in their tracks, their once happy faces now changed into looks of shock and surprise. Twilight tilted her head in confusion, under of why they'd look like that.
"Girls? What's wrong?"
They simply stood there, staring at her. Even Pinkie, who was usually incapable of remaining quiet for too long, stared at her as though she'd seen a ghost. Those looks were causing no end of discomfort for Twilight, even more so when they began to look at each other with nervous expressions. Finally, after what seemed like an eternity of silence, it was Rainbow Dash who finally stepped forward and spoke up, though her tone of voice made it clear that she did not feel good about it.
"Um......Twilight?.......Look!"
The blue pegasus pointed at Twilight with her hoof, leading to a great deal of confusion from the latter. Something was wrong here, she could feel it. Whatever they were looking at, she doubted it would be anything good. But slowly, she turned her head around. And what she saw there made her heart skip a beat. For there, on her back, was a pair of wings. As she stared at them, she couldn't take in what she was looking at. She'd never had wings before. How did these things get here? And why? Raising a hoof, she placed it carefully on the wings nearest to it. Once it connected, she could feel the touch of her hoof on the wing. These were real, not fakes.
To say she was shocked would have been a great understatement. Her friends slowly approached her, surrounding her as they did so. As Twilight's attention was focused on her new appendages, Rarity spoke up.
"You've.......you've become and alicorn!"
And alicorn, Twilight thought. That wasn't possible. In all of Equestria, there were only three such beings. Her sister-in-law, Cadence. The princess of the moon, Luna. And, of course, Celestia herself. Thinking of her mentor snapped Twilight back to attention. It was Celestia that she had met mere moments before that strange light encircled her. Was Celestia responsible for this? Why would she do this? As if her mind had been read, the seven of them saw a bright light above them in the sky. Their heads darted in that direction, just in time to see the large form of Princess Celestia descend down to touch the ground near them.
The sun princess approached the group, a look of pride upon her face. Twilight knew that look. She'd seen it plenty of times in her childhood to know that she was about to say something important. And sure enough, she did.
"Twilight. I see you have returned safely. And I see that you've no doubt noticed your transformation."
Twilight looked back to her new wings before looking back at Celestia, her face still filled with confusion.
"But.......I don't understand."
Celestia nodded.
"I'm sure. But today, you achieved a great thing. By completing Starswirl's spell, and restoring your friends to their correct roles in life, you have earned the right to ascend, and become not only an alicorn, but a princess of Equestria!"
With those words, it felt as thought Twilight had been hit with a tonne of bricks. Alicorn? Ascension? Princess? What was going on? It was clear to all around her what was going on in her mind right now, Celestia especially, so the elder alicorn stepped forward and placed a hoof on Twilight's shoulder, getting her full attention.
"I understand that this must all come as a shock to you. But believe me when I say that you have more than earned this honour."
Twilight's mind was abuzz with thousands of different thoughts. But there was one thought among all of them that made itself known more loudly than the rest. It was a thought Twilight never once thought she'd had, but there it was. One that she kept silent as her mentor kept talking.
"Since moving to Ponyville, you have displayed many of the ideals that mark a pony as worthy of leadership. Compassion. Bravery. Dedication. These traits, and more, have marked your time, not only as my student, but as the element of magic. And for that reason, on this day, you have been chosen to be Equestria's newest princess!"
With each passing moment, Twilight found it harder and harder to breathe. Not only was this a massive responsibility that was being placed upon her, but her mind was still reeling from the revelation of her physical change into an alicorn. Questions poured into her mind. How would this affect her life? Her family? And all the while, that one lone thought from before kept growing within her mind. Looking up at Celestia, the way she beamed with pride over Twilight's transformation, almost made her feel ill. But not because of nervousness of her new role, but because of the fear she felt in having to say what she needed to say.
".........No."
The words she spoke were quiet, but they were most definitely heard. Celestia's smile faded, as did that of her friends, who were now looking at each other nervously. Celestia gained a look of confusion as she looked down upon Twilight, whose eyes were filled, not with happiness as she'd suspected, but sadness.
"What.......what do you mean, Twilight?" She asked.
Twilight's breathing was still difficult, but she spoke out once more.
"I.......don't want this."
Celestia's mouth hung open upon hearing that. Twilight knew from the look on her face that she had not expected this to be her response. Perhaps she expected joy, or perhaps a "thank you". But that is not what she would get. Instead, she would get words that broke Twilight's heart to have to say.
"I know what you did was what you thought I deserved. But.....I don't want this. I NEVER wanted this. In all my life, leadership is only something I've done because I needed to, not because I sought it out."
Celestia continued to listen to her student carefully, and it was obvious from the looks on her friends' faces that they were becoming increasingly uncomfortable with what was going on. But nevertheless, Twilight continued.
"I don't want to be a princess. I can't accept your offer."
The sun princess was, for the first time in many years, struck speechless. For as long as she'd known her, Twilight had been among the most exemplary ponies she'd ever known, not to mention her greatest student. When it became clear that she was destined to become the element of magic after defeating nightmare Moon, she'd geared her lessons towards preparing her for this role. Never once had it occurred to her that it might not be something she wanted. She'd never even asked.
And it wasn't as though Twilight had never had ambitions for her future life, it's just that being a princess was never part of it. Oh sure, she had no doubt that many young fillies who idolized Celestia would probably dream that they'd be princesses one day. But Twilight was never like that. The recognition she'd earned had only been from necessity, because her friends, her family, even Equestria itself had been put at risk so many times. But the spotlight itself was never something she'd gone out of her way to have, nor fame, nor glory. She'd always hoped that, maybe, her future would take her to a more quiet place than her recent life had been. That maybe she'd end up as a teacher of magic at the royal academy, or perhaps a researcher at one of the great libraries of Canterlot. Never this. Letting out a deep sigh, Twilight spoke again.
"Princess, please understand. What I have learned today, from helping my friends, is that it's wrong for a pony to allow destiny to be imposed on them. Their fates were changed, and their lives almost ruined by it. You say I had a destiny, and this was it. But I can't accept that. I can't allow my destiny to be chosen for me by somepony else."
The thought that she would have essentially imprisoned Twilight in a life she did not want did not sit well with Celestia. But, as much as she felt bad about that, worse was to come.
"Princess....." Twilight began.
Celestia looked straight into those big purple eyes and knew immediately that a difficult question was coming.
"Please........change me back."
With everything else that had been said to her, Celestia should have known this question was coming. And she'd dreaded it. Looking to her right, at the collection of Twilight's friends nearby, it was evident that they expected her to do as Twilight had asked of her. All that did was twist the knife further.
"Twilight.......I.......I cannot."
Twilight's eyes widened with shock, soon followed by a slight wobbling of her lip as she moved towards her teacher.
"But.......your the most powerful magic-user in Equestria! You HAVE to know how!"
Celestia merely shook her head at that, her expression one of great discomfort.
"I'm sorry. But the spell to change a pony into an alicorn is greater even than I."
Looking at her young student, she knew her next words would hurt, but she could not lie now.
"Twilight. This change......is permanent."
It was as if the entire world had stopped spinning. Twilight stood there, her mind trying desperately to take in what had just been said to her. But like before, she couldn't cope with this revelation. Permanent. The word practically stuck in her throat. She shook her head, slowly at first, then faster, as she felt tears begin to develop in her eyes.
"No. I........I can't stay like this! You have to change me back! Please!"
This new knowledge made the poor girl feel sick to her stomach. This new form, these new wings, were not something she wanted. And now she was trapped with them. Trapped within her own body. Her life, and entire future, had been chosen for her without her knowledge or consent, and that, above all else, made her feel betrayed. And worse still, the betrayal had come from one she considered not only a mentor, but family. As Twilight considered how all of Celestia's lessons may well have been to prepare her for this unwanted life she'd been thrust into, it made the sense of betrayal all the worse. She'd never suspected. Whenever a lesson had been given, she'd only ever thought it was to help her become better at magic, or to be a better person, but not this.
Celestia, meanwhile, felt her heart wrench at seeing Twilight like this. She wanted to say something, anything, to try and make her beloved pupil feel better about all this. But she knew she couldn't. There were no words that could help Twilight now. What had been done to her had been done out of the best of intentions. And now, it was all to clear to those who had witnessed it that, to Twilight, it was nothing but a curse. Celestia stepped forward, ready to embrace her distressed student.
"Twilight, I......"
But the young mare moved away from her, the first time she'd ever done so in all the years she'd known Celestia.
"No! I'm..........I'm a unicorn!"
With Twilight looking straight up at Celestia, the sun princess got a full view of her face, tears now streaming down it.
"I'M A UNICORN!!!"
Without giving Celestia or anypony else a chance to say anything, Twilight charged away from them, heading straight for her tree-house. The others looked on in dismay as Twilight opened her door, rushed through it, then slammed it hard behind her. Celestia had never once suspected that this was how things would turn out. All she knew was that her beloved student was hurting, and she was the cause. She began to move towards Twilight's home, ready to try and apologise to her. But before she got too far, the other ponies, plus Spike, stood in front of her and barred her path. Celestia was shocked to see subjects of her try and stop her from doing anything, but more so from what Applejack said when she stepped forward.
"Princess, with all due respect. I think it's best if you leave, at least for now."
The voice had no harshness to it, so there was clearly no anger from them towards Celestia over this. The princess opened her mouth to speak to the ponies, but this time it was Rarity who stepped forward, raising a hoof stopping her.
"She needs time." The white unicorn said softly.
Celestia said nothing, but instead simply closed her mouth and nodded at the assembled group. They knew Twilight well, and from her own experience she too knew that what the young mare needed was time to adjust to this massive change that had happened to her. Celestia spoke truly when she said that Twilight's change was permanent, so there was little she could do to fix this situation. Instead, she nodded at Twilight friends and turned around. She stopped for a brief moment and looked back at the tree-house, feeling nothing but lamentation what she had done here today. Her final words, spoken in a hushed voice, reflected this.
"What have I done?"
She turned away once more, spread out her wings and launched herself into the sky. The other mares and Spike kept their eyes on Celestia for as long as they could, until finally she was out of sight. They then knew they'd have to do something for Twilight, but knew that confronting her over what just happened would be the worst possible thing right now. They gave each other looks, each hoping the other would have the answer they'd need. But, to all of their surprise, it was Spike who spoke up.
"I'll go to her."
They all looked at him with surprised look on their faces.
"You sure sugarcube?" Applejack asked.
Spike nodded.
“Yeah. I live here anyway. I'll do what I can. The rest of you should get some sleep. It’s pretty late."
They couldn't argue with that. It had been a long and difficult day for all of them. So, having waved each other goodbye, they all parted ways, heading to their various homes, but all of them glancing over their shoulders at the tree-house, worried about their friend as they walked. Spike waited until they were all gone before turning his attention back to the tree-house. He took a deep breath before walking up to the front door and opening it. Upon entering the house, he looked across the room and saw something he'd never have thought he'd see in his entire life.
Twilight was sitting on the other side of the room, her horn glowing and levitating a book in front of her. But the book was wrecked. It's leather cover scratched badly and several pages ripped out. But upon moving closer, Spike recognised the book as that of Starswirl the bearded. The same book Celestia had sent Twilight a few days ago. The book that had caused the switched cutie marks and even Twilight's transformation. As Spike approached, he saw Twilight use her magic to violently rip out several pages at a time. So much so that there were many shreds of torn pages strew all around her. Spike didn't like this. Twilight had nothing but the greatest respect and love for books. For her to treat one like this was unthinkable. But then again, given what that book had done to her and her friends, he could understand why she'd do this.
Slowly, he walked up beside her as she kept on destroying the book, and sat down. He hated seeing her this way, and wanted to comfort her. But all he could think of doing was lifting one hand and placing it on her side gently. Upon feeling the hand of her friend, the young unicorn finally dropped the now-ruined book, it's impact with the floor making a loud thudding sound. Twilight turned her head to face him, and Spike saw that her eyes were almost red from all the crying she had done, tears still staining her cheeks.
"Twilight? Are you okay?"
Twilight's lip was still wobbling, and she opened her mouth to speak, but no words came. Instead, she shut her eyes tight and began to sob. She moved forwards and embraced Spike in a hug. All the young dragon could hear was the sound of her sobs. Tears began to grow in his own eyes and he hugged her back in return. Twilight had been changed forever, against her will. She'd never wanted it. Never asked for it. But it had been done to her all the same. And even though she may one day recover from the shock and sadness she felt from all of this, right now, this pain was great.
And all she could do was let it out in the safe company of her oldest and most trusted friend.
"I.......I never wanted this".
It was a beautiful day in the northern reaches of Equestria. The rolling hills and grassy plains were, under the bright yellow sun, truly a sight to behold. Going straight through the middle of this lovely countryside was a single long train track, and upon it, a brightly coloured train. It was moving along at a good pace and heading towards a place that, until a year ago, was nothing more than a frozen wasteland. Within the train were a multitude of ponies, earth, pegasi and unicorn alike, from many different villages and towns to the south, all travelling together towards the northern Crystal Empire.
But among them was a particularly special group of ponies, and one young dragon. In a car towards the back of the train, a close collection of friends were all sitting in their seats, admiring the view. Rainbow Dash, Rarity, Pinkie Pie, Fluttershy, Applejack and Spike were all doing their best to enjoy the train ride, which was usually something they looked forward to. But not today. Because today, they dared not enjoy themselves, at least not in present company. For right at the back of the car was a lone purple-coloured mare. Twilight Sparkle.
She was sitting alone, staring out of the window with a look on her face that made it clear that she wasn't happy. Her friends would glance back at her from time-to-time during this trip, but never so overtly that she knew they were doing so. Twilight's life had, very recently, taken a rather bad turn, as evidenced by all when they looked at her. A mere fortnight ago, she was as she'd always been, a unicorn, and one of great talent at that. But now, by the actions of one she'd held dear, she'd been changed. For there, upon her back, were the wings of an alicorn.
Princess Celestia had changed her after Twilight had managed to help her friends from having their destinies changed forever. Doing so had allowed her to create some new magic, and in doing so, she'd ascended to the role of alicorn and princess. But what Celestia, or indeed anypony, could not have foreseen was that this was not something Twilight wanted. She'd felt betrayed by the whole thing, to the point where she'd outright rejected Celestia and ran away from her, something nopony would ever think she'd do before her great change.
Even now, it was clear that she still felt bad over what had happened to her. Although her friends didn't like to look at it, they found they had little choice. Twilight's new wings were bound to the side of her body by a long strand of black fabric, almost like a belt. When she first got those wings, she had a hard time getting them under control. They'd move about in an unwanted fashion, so much so that she eventually got frustrated enough to simply bind them completely, preventing any form of movement. But in truth, Twilight was angry that she had these wings at all, so this was probably something she would have eventually done to herself anyway.
Although none of her friends were happy about seeing her like this, Rainbow in particular didn't like it, as it reminded her of a couple of times when her own wings were bound, most notably during a race against Applejack. Although a part of her felt she was wrong to deny this part of her, she was a loyal enough friend to know that that would have been the worst thing she could say to her right now. None of her friends were happy about what Twilight had gone through. The sense of betrayal, feeling like her whole future had been changed, none of it. But right now, none of them knew how to cheer her up, even after two weeks had passed.
And so the train trip went by with an air of discomfort hanging over the seven friends. This lasted until the train made it's final stop. The group looked at each other before turning to Twilight. The young mare was still staring out of the window for a few moments before getting out of her seat. The others waited until she passed by before following. The group made their way off the train and, as the train began to move off again, looked up at the magnificent sight before therm. The Crystal Empire, just as spectacular as they day they'd first laid eyes on it.
The six mares and Spike walked along the now-familiar path leading through the main part of the city. But while before they would have been able to travel through this place without much notice, today, things were different. Mares and stallions alike all gave shocked glances at the group. Everypony knew why. As far as the general public were concerned, there were only three alicorns in the entire world, Celestia, Luna and Cadence. now, all of a sudden, here was a fourth one walking down the street.
The group, seeing this, moved closer to Twilight and surrounded her as they walked, in an attempt to shield her from the prying eyes of the other ponies. But it was clear from the way Twilight hung her head that this was only making her feel worse about all this. However, they soon reached their destination, the crystal palace. Beautiful, even compared to the rest of the empire. A tall spire of glittering blue crystal, and at it's base, the glowing form of the crystal heart, ever ready to protect the empire should the need arise.
As they approached the main gates of the palace, the massive doors opened and the group stopped. From within emerged two figures, the sight of whom brought a much-needed smile to Twilight's face. Shining Armour and Princess Cadence. Twilight moved past her friends, who were pleased to see her happy about something at last, and towards her relatives, who in turn approached her with smiles. Once together, Twilight and Shining Embraced each other in a hug. While it had not been long since they last saw each other, much had happened since their last visit.
"Hey Twily." He said affectionately.
In spite of everything, Twilight chuckled, her old nickname bringing many happy memories of the two of them growing up together.
"I'm happy to see you, BBBFF."
The two parted from each other and Twilight turned her attention to her sister-in-law, Cadence, who also embraced her in greeting. Their hug wasn't as long as that with her brother, and they too parted from each other. Still smiling, Twilight spoke, though in a quiet and less energized tone than one might expect of her.
"I'm truly glad to see both of you."
The married couple glanced at each other before Shining spoke up.
"To be honest sis, I'm surprised you agreed to come."
Twilight nodded at that. In truth, she was indeed hesitant to accept his invitation. For the next few days were the annual princess summit of Equestria. And even though Twilight had rejected the role, she'd come simply because her friends and family had urged her that it might be good for her to get away from Ponyville for a little while. Still ,the presence of the summit made Twilight all too aware of who else would be here, and that was not something she revelled in.
"I thought coming here would be good for me. We haven't seen enough of each other in the last year. You or Cadence. I'm keep to catch up."
Shining nodded at that, but his expression became somewhat less happy, as did that of Cadence. From their eyes, it was evident to Twilight that they were both looking at the bindings on her wings, which made her uncomfortable. She knew that neither of them would have wanted to see her unhappy, or doing things like this to herself, but that was simply the way things were. Twilight opened her mouth to speak, but stopped when she began to see another figure emerge from the main gates of the palace.
Twilight's eyes narrowed somewhat as she saw that it was none other than Princess Celestia herself. Seeing the look on Twilight's face, Shining and Cadence turned to see the elder princess approach. Everypony there sudden felt an air of unease, as this was the first time Twilight and Celestia had been in each other's company since the former's change. Celestia stopped just a few feet away from Twilight, and the two stared at each other for some time. In days gone by, Twilight would have been thrilled to see her mentor, but not today. Today, her face was drained of all the joy that would have normally been there when she was with Celestia. Instead of greeting her enthusiastically, Twilight simply bowed to her in a formal manner.
"Greetings Princess. I trust the day treats you well?"
Everypony there was taken aback by that. Twilight's voice was devoid of all warmth. Never once had she ever spoken to Celestia like that, as the princess herself knew all too well. To see her student, one who had come to mean so much to her, speak to her in such an empty manner, it was almost enough to break her heart. It was proof, if ever such a thing was needed, that Twilight was still angry at her for what she had done. Still, a greeting, however empty, had been given, and Celestia nodded her head at the young alicorn.
"And to you, Miss Sparkle".
Twilight got up from her bowing position and turned her gaze away from Celestia, turning it instead towards her brother.
"Would it be alright if I got settled in my room?" She asked.
Shining glanced quickly at the sun princess before sighing and nodding his head towards his sister. Twilight then walked past him, not even bothering to glance up at Celestia as she passed her, and made her way inside the palace. This display, this utter lack of affection she'd shown, stunned her friends and family, but they'd have been lying if they didn't understand why she was behaving this way. She wasn't going out of her way to be harsh or angry towards Celestia, nor was she the kind of pony who'd want to appear this way, but this sadness that had taken root in her was, as all could see, changing her. All of them looked at each other, hoping that one of them would say something that they could do to make this situation more bearable.
Eventually, after a lengthy silence, it was Cadence who finally spoke.
"I'll talk to her."
The group looked at her, and Shining placed a hoof upon his shoulder's wife.
"No. I should be the one to do it."
Cadence smiled lovingly at her husband and placed her hoof upon his, before shaking her head.
"No, my love. Trust me on this. This will need more than a big brother's comfort."
Shining looked at his wife, unsure about all this, before nodding. Cadence looked at the rest of the group, who were all giving her encouraging looks, before turning her sight towards Celestia. The look on the princess' face made it all too clear that she was hurting. Twilight practically meant the world to her, and to see the young mare turn away from her, and in such anger, much have been difficult for her. Cadence knew what she had to do. And she hoped with all her heart that it would work.
............................................
Twilight very carefully, by way of her magic, lifted her things out of her travel pack. She was in her usual room in the palace, on he eastern side so she could get a good view of the rising sun. She was busying herself with unpacking her things, trying her best to keep her mind occupied, as she often would during unhappy times. Once all of her things were removed, she was at a loss over what to do next. After the way she acted at the gates, she knew it wouldn't be proper to go anywhere in the palace that Celestia was likely to go. And, even though her friends would no doubt want to cheer her up, she really didn't feel like socialising right now.
Then, she caught a glimmer in the corner of her eye. Turning, she was that it was a nearby vanity mirror, located next to her bed. For a moment, she hesitated. Even after the last two weeks, she still couldn't get used to her new appearance, to the point where, back at ponyville, she'd actually taken to taking down all mirrors in her tree-house. She didn't want to do this, but some part of her urged her to do it. And so, ever so slowly, she walked over to the mirror.
She looked at her reflection and, sure enough, her eyes immediately darted to the two wings on the side of her body, still pinned there by the black fabric. A look of disdain grew on Twilight's face, as though those wings were an unwelcome guest, or some unsightly blemish. Hesitantly, her horn began to glow, and the fabric binding the wings was gently removed and placed on the side. Twilight had put no effort whatsoever into learning how to control these new appendages, but now, in this private moment, stretched them out, giving her a good look at them.
She stared at her reflection for several minutes, thinking of it as somepony else. Not her. Not who she wanted to be. Seeing those wings, stretched out, these things she'd never wanted but had been given without her consent, a sudden wave of all the sadness she'd tried to get away from came washing over her. Her eyes began to well up and, as the first tears started flowing down her cheeks, she sat down on the vanity's wooden chair, buried her face in her hooves and collapsed herself on it, her sobbing now the only sound that could be heard in her room.
Twilight would have probably gone on like this for a long time, if not for the sudden knocking at her door. Lifting her head up, Twilight raised a hoof to her eyes and wiped away her tears before turning around.
"Come in." She said, her voice still wobbling a little.
The door to her room opened slowly and on the other side, Twilight saw her sister-in-law, Cadence, begin to enter. The two alicorns smiled at each other as the elder entered, closing the door behind her.
"Cadence! Hello. Can I help you?" Twilight asked.
Cadence approached the younger alicorn, her smile mixed with a look of concern.
"Actually, I was wondering if I could help you."
Twilight's smile faded. This was it, she told herself. The intervention that she'd known for some time was coming. She'd suspected that one or more of her friends would try and help her through all this, perhaps trying to convince her that she should be happy about what had happened to her. To say that she wasn't in the mood for such a talk would have been a great understatement. Still, Twilight knew that neither Cadence nor her friends were responsible for her current form, so they deserved the courtesy of her at least appreciating their wanting to help.
"Thanks Cadence. But I really just want to be alone for the moment."
Cadence sighed before walking closer to the mare she'd spent so many days foal-sitting for all those years ago. Twilight though, still adamant about wanting to be left alone, turned away from her, her gaze now upon her new reflection. She saw Cadence approach her in the mirror, before the latter placed a hoof upon Twilight's shoulder.
"Twilight.......we need to talk about this."
It was at this moment that Twilight finally let loose. She spun around with a look of anger in her face, taking Cadence aback at the sight of her. The purple alicorn hopped off her chair and stood her ground, her tone of voice a mixture of both anger and devastation.
"Talk? About what? How Celestia tricked me for all those years? About how I've been changed without anypony ever asking me what I want? How I was supposed to be something I never wanted to be? How could we possibly talk about it? How could you possibly know how.......how much this HURTS me?!"
With every word Twilight spat out, more and more tears grew in her eyes, until, by the time she'd finished, her cheeks were utterly drenched. The young mare, her anger now exhausted, shut her eyes tight and simply cried whilst standing. Cadnece meanwhile, had simply stood there, taking in every accusation Twilight had thrown out. She'd simply listened, knowing full-well that Twilight wasn't really angry, not at her anyway. The elder alicorn approached her friend and embraced her in a hug. The princess gave Twilight all the time she needed to get this all out, because she knew that she wasn't going to be able to help her if anything was held back.
Eventually, Twilight had dried her eyes and, with her breathing still a little shaky, looking up at Cadence remorsefully.
"I'm sorry. I didn't mean to....."
But Cadence raised a hoof, stopping her from speaking.
"It's alright. I understand."
Twilight looked away from Cadence, but her attention was drawn back to her when the princess placed a hoof on her shoulder once more.
"Really, I do. Believe it or not, I was no less angry than you when this happened to me."
Twilight's expression changed immediately to one of both surprise and curiosity. It was a look that did not escape Cadence's notice.
"I never told you how I became an alicorn myself, did I?" She asked.
Twilight considered this for a moment before shaking her head. It seemed obvious now, but to her shame, it never once occurred to her to ask Cadence how she ended up like this. Back when she was Twilight's foal-sitter, an alicorn is all Twilight had ever known her to be. She'd never asked if she had ever been anything else. Realising this, Twilight now understood that Cadence was, perhaps, the only pony she could talk to who understood what she was going through. And so, she looked up at her old friend, her face bearing an expectant look that made it clear she was ready to hear what the princess had to say.
Cadence took a deep breath before speaking.
"When I was born, I was a pegasus. I never knew my mother, or my father, nor do I know the circumstances that led to me being found like I was."
Twilight's eyes widened with shock.
"You.......you were abandoned? As a baby?"
Cadence nodded, her expression one of thoughtfulness. Twilight couldn't quiet believe what she'd heard. The idea of a pony simply abandoning their child like that was anathema to her. She had no idea what could have possibly prompted Cadence's parents to do such a thing, or if it was even their choice. But for all the questions this raised, she knew the story was far from over, as evidenced when Cadence resumed speaking.
"I was found in the woods by a group of earth ponies. They took me back to their village, where they raised me as their own. I was happy there. I wanted for nothing and the ponies never treated me like an outsider. To my adopted parents, I WAS their daughter, regardless of my ancestry."
Cadence's face lit up with a smile, making it clear to Twilight that she was doubtless recalling the many happy memories from her childhood. Growing up and playing with the other earth pony children. Being raised by loving parents, adopted or otherwise. Cadence had truly been happy there if it caused her to grow nostalgic like this. But then, her expression became somewhat sour.
"Then, one day, something terrible began to happen in the village. A cruel pony, named Prismia, conjured a spell that stole love from others. She bore an amulet that amplified her own jealousy, as well as her natural evil traits."
Twilight's mind conjured up images of a certain show-pony who had once worn a similar amulet, corrupting her and what she was, harming those around her in the process. Still Twilight's mind soon snapped back to Cadence's story.
"When I confronted her, her amulet increased my own love, allowing me to undo her spell on the earth ponies. With her power broken, Prismia changed her ways. But that victory had also changed me. I was suddenly surrounded by a bright light, and taken to a strange place. There, I met, for the first time, Princess celestia."
Twilight's expression became one of discomfort. Cadence's story was becoming all too familiar to her. She too had been taken by a bright light to an unknown realm. And like her, Celestia had been waiting for Twilight also. The young alicorn didn't have to do much guesswork to understand what was coming next in Cadence's story.
"That meeting with the princess led to a great magic surrounding me, and when I woke, I was as you see now, an alicorn."
Twilight's guess had been right on the mark. It was just as it had been with her. The rest of Cadence's life, Twilight knew pretty well. She was officially adopted as Celestia's niece shortly after her transformation, and it was only a few years later that she first met Twilight and became her foal-sitter. But as much as she'd been enthralled by the princess' story, there was once concern on Twilight's mind. A concern she now wished to voice.
"And.......were you okay with it? Being an alicorn?"
Cadence's expression became more stern as she looked down at her sister-in-law. It was not a look that Twilight could ever remember Cadence having before, and it unnerved her.
"Actually, if I'm being honest, I was like you. I was angry. I had a happy life among the earth ponies, and would have been content to go back and live among them once Prismia was taken care of. Then, out of nowhere, Celestia, a complete stranger to me, takes me away from that life, changes what I was, who I was, and tells me I have a whole future now laid out for me that I never wanted or asked for."
Twilight almost regretted asking the question now. Clearly it had brought up bad memories for Cadence. Memories of her being in the exact same position Twilight was now in. If anything, this actually made the purple mare feel worse about this whole situation. Not only had Celestia changed her without her wanting it, but it wasn't even the first time she'd done so. Looking up at Cadence, she listened on as the latter kept speaking, her eyes now shut tight.
"I was angry at her for so long, more so when I found out there was no going back for me. Never to be a pegasus again. I wanted to hate her. To push her and everypony else away from me. But........"
Cadence's expression softened and she opened her eyes once more.
"........for one reason or another, I chose to stay, as her niece. And as the months passed, my anger faded, replaced with happiness over what had happened to me. And now, looking back over my life, I realise that my change truly gave me a better life than if I'd stayed a pegasus."
Twilight was rather taken aback by that. After all the negative feeling that Cadence had been showing over her transformation, she was shocked to hear her now speak so positively about it.
"By becoming an alicorn, I've been able to help so many ponies. And if it had not been for my change, I would never have met so many of my current friends. I would never have met you. And through you, I met Shining Armour, the stallion who became the love of my life."
Cadence's expression became one of joy, as a massive smile grew on her face.
"I was truly blessed for what Celestia gave me. And though my anger for her was great once, now there is only gratitude."
Twilight was speechless. Her mind struggled as hard as it could to grasp everything that had been said to her. She could not deny that Cadence had been given a great opportunity, to help many ponies throughout Equestria. She could also not deny that if she had never met Celestia, or be made into an alicorn, Twilight herself would never have met her. As much as it pained Twilight to admit, Cadence had a point. Celestia had indeed done something wonderful for her. And though she still rested having it happen to her, she had no doubt that Celestia had the same well meaning when she changed Twilight as she did when she changed Cadence.
But in spite of that, Twilight knew that she wasn't Cadence. What might have brought her sister-in-law happiness was not going to do the same for her. She had dreams of how her life would be. Dreams that would now never happen because of Celestia's secret plan for her. It was a betrayal of her trust, something that brought Twilight to a place of anger and bitterness once more. The young alicorn shut her eyes tight, and it didn't take long for Cadence to notice this and realise what was going on in her mind.
She placed her hoof under Twilight's chin and moved her face up so she was looking directly at her, Twilight's eyes now open once more.
"I know that with you things are different. You never wanted this, and I understand that. But even so, ask yourself this. Celestia has been a friend and mentor to you for as long as you can remember. She's practically become family to you. And knowing that, do you truly want her to be cut out of your life like this? Regardless of what she's done to you?"
Twilight considered that carefully. Although she was still hurt over Celestia's actions, she could not deny that Cadence was right. The thought of no longer having the princess in her life, no longer being friends with her and avoiding her at every turn over her sense of betrayal, was not a prospect that endeared itself to her. Realising this, The young mare, looked down at the floor and sighed deeply.
"Thank you Cadence." She said quietly.
The princess smile at Twilight and placed her hoof on her shoulder.
"Twilight......you know what you need to do now."
Twilight grimaced at that remark. She didn't want to admit it, and after everything that had happened, she knew it would be easy, but Cadence was right. There was something very important that she now needed to do. She looked up at her sister-in-law and gave her a smile, which was soon returned. She then made her way to the door of her room and, after looking back to see Cadence give her a look of encouragement, left her room and began walking down the hall.
..............................................
As she stared at the large wooden door, Twilight couldn't help but feel a great many conflicting emotions over what she was about to do. Anger. Fear. Apprehension. Nervousness. Even a degree of shame. But she knew that, after what had just happened between her and Cadence, it would have been wrong for her not to do this. And so, taking a deep breath, she raised a hoof and knocked on the door. There was a few moments of silence until finally, a very familiar voice could be heard from the other side.
"Come in."
This is it, Twilight told herself, and she placed her hoof upon the door and pushed it. She entered the room within and looked at it with all the warmth that open might look upon an old home. This was the private chamber of Princess Celestia herself. It was not quite as grand as many of the other rooms of the crystal palace, but it was clear it was where somepony important would reside. Many of Celestia's things from her chambers had been brought here for her to enjoy during her time at the summit. Old book-cases, furniture, and many other things. Twilight had spent many days within Celestia's chambers back at Canterlot when she first became her student, learning magic and many other lessons. Seeing this room crafted in the image of that old one brought forth many happy memories for her.
But that warmth faded somewhat when her eyes fell upon Celestia herself, who was sitting in front of a roaring fire, upon a large purple cushion. The princess was staring at the flame, and had not yet turned to see who had entered her room. But as Twilight approached, Celestia turned, and her eyes widened when she finally realised who it was. The elder alicorn got up quickly, clearly shocked that her student would come to her like this. Truth be told, Twilight was also unsure of her place here.
There was an awkward silence between them. Both of them held the events of earlier today fresh in their minds. Both knew how badly the other was feeling, yet neither wanted to be the first to speak. After a lengthy, not to mention uncomfortable, silence, Celestia exhaled before opening her mouth to speak. But before she could do so, Twilight raised her hoof, stopping her. There was a time when it would have been unthinkable for Twilight to consider doing such a thing. But today, she knew what needed to be said.
"Princess........I understand why you did what you did. Ever since we first met, you believed that I had great potential. That I had a great destiny before me. And though you didn't tell me, your teachings were all to help me become a better person."
Celestia remained silent through her student's words, listening very carefully and not letting her face show what she was thinking.
"And though my anger over what you did was real.........I've had time to think. And I realise that, for good or bad, you did what you thought was best for me. Just as you've always done. And though I may have acted otherwise, I want you to know that I don't hate you. Not even a little."
Celestia's famous poker-face finally began to break, replaced by eyes beginning to well up. Twilight, upon seeing this, became somewhat tearful herself, and she spoke her next words with a slight wobble in her voice.
"I'm sorry for what I said to you. You gave me something special and I threw it back in your face. I'm........I'm sorry."
With those words, the two launched forward, embracing each other in a hug, finally allowing themselves to let out all of the regret and sorrow they'd built up but never wanted to show to each other. Celestia felt relief like she'd never felt before. For the last few weeks, she'd feared that Twilight, who had become like her own daughter, would turn away from her forever, which would have undoubtedly broken the sun princess' heart. But here she was, trying to make things better between them. Nothing in the whole world could have made Celestia happier.
After some time had passed, the two broke apart from each other.
"Twilight. I cannot tell you how happy I am that you still want me to be a part of your life. After what happened......I never thought you could ever forgive me for what I did."
Twilight's expression became somewhat stern after that, giving Celestia cause for concern.
"Please understand. Being a princess was never something I wanted. That hasn't changed. I still don't want anything to do with being a princess, regardless of whether or not I'm an alicorn for life now. An as for that..........I don't think I can ever forgive you for changing me."
For a brief moment, Celestia felt her heart sink. To know that there was still a part of Twilight which resented what she did was enough to almost wipe away the joy she'd felt mere moments ago. But that melancholy was itself lost when Twilight regained her smile.
"But I can forgive you for WHY you changed me. It was a great honour and........I just didn't realise it."
Celestia smiled again, content that her student did not want to completely exorcise Celestia from her life. The two eventually parted from each other's embrace and simply allowed themselves to enjoy this peaceful moment, something they'd both feared they could never enjoy again. Celestia looked over to her cushion and, using her head, gestured to it. Twilight got the message and the two moved over, sitting down next to the fire and enjoying being in each other's company, like they used to do when Twilight was younger. After some silence, Celestia spoke.
"I've been thinking about what you said, and I realise that you were right."
Twilight looked up at her mentor, a look of confusion on her face.
"I changed you without your knowledge because I thought it was what was best for you. But I never considered that you might have other goals in life. Other dreams. It never occurred to me to even ask. And for that I'm sorry."
Twilight said nothing, but smiled in appreciation. That was indeed how Twilight felt about the whole matter and she placed a hoof on Celestia's shoulder gently, letting her mentor know that she accepted her apology. Celestia smiled at that.
"If you do not wish to be a princess, then you have my blessing for that choice."
Twilight's smile grew further, appreciating that her mentor now understood her that much better. The two, now content with the understanding they now shared about each other, carried on smiling, knowing that, even after such dark times had occurred between them, they could now move forward, as though they were family once more. Twilight did not know how her life would be now that she was forever changed, nor did either of them know how Equestria would react to the idea of an alicorn that wasn't a princess. But to Twilight, those things didn't matter now. It had been a slow and painful recovery from the shock of her transformation, but she was ready to face the world again.
"Yeah." Twilight said. "Everything will be just fine".
