After her talk with Celestia, Twilight started to drift into dreamless sleep, before she heard a loud raspy voice from outside the dungeon doors. Twilight poised her neck up from her sleeping position and approached the bars, when she heard,
“Hey, it’s not like I’m keeping hairpins and a screwdriver up my butt, so lay off. I’m just going to see one of the Elements of Harmony….” A brief pause before the voice came back, “I don’t care what she tried to do; we've still saved the world...twice! Now unless you’re going to do a cavity search in the middle of the hallway, let me through!”
There was another silence before the dungeon doors opened up the second time in centuries, this time letting a rainbow maned, pegasus mare walk down the rows of empty cells before she stopped at a lavender unicorn’s cell.
Twilight and Rainbow Dash were standing and staring at each other for a few seconds before the pegasus started.
“Ya fucked up Twilight!” Twilight cringed at the sudden outburst. “What in Equestria were you thinking? I mean, I know you thought Cadence was bad for your brother, but going at her with a STEAK KNIFE!? WHAT THE ACTUAL FUCK!?”
At this point Rainbow Dash was red. She was leaning in on the bars, and her face was just a few inches away from Twilight's.
“Okay, so you take her alone to the gardens and kill her with a knife!? Then what Twilight!? You don’t just get to kill a princess and get away with it! You showed us all you were crazy by making a whole scene at the rehearsal, but seriously? What the fuck!? Do you have anything to say for yourself!?”
Rainbow Dash was already sweating and trying to catch a breath, waiting for Twilight’s response. Twilight looked back at Rainbow Dash, and saw her friend was speaking both out of rage and kindness. The sternness used by someone who just wants to get a point across, because they truly care. Twilight smiled inwardly to know that her friend still cared about her.
“Hi Rainbow Dash”
“….”
Rainbow Dash would have been speechless from Twilight’s response if she wasn’t so angry. She lifted her jaw and with another roaring fire of rage, she yelled.
“’Hi Rainbow Dash’? You try to kill Princess Cadence, and all you have to say is ‘Hi Rainbow Dash’? Dear Celestia, have you lost your mind Twi?” she stopped before a new thought occurred to her, “Wait a sec, did Discord make you do this, cus if he did, I’m going to smash that statue into a million pieces”
Twilight sighed, “No Dash, Discord had nothing to do with it. I knew what I was doing. I saw Cadance using dark magic on Shining Armor and is hurting him. I wasn't going to just sit back and let Shining's life wither away to some witch, no matter who they are. I love my BBBFF... I mean, I loved my brother”. Twilight looked down to the floor again as the feeling of betrayal and hurt came back with a vengeance.
Silence filled the air again.
The pegusus sighed “Your court date is tomorrow morning”
Twilight raised an eyebrow, “Ummm, Rainbow, how am I suppose to track time, when…” she pointed to the windowless walls that surrounded the dungeon and the lack of clocks”
Rainbow Dash rubbed the back of her neck, “Heh,” before her mood turned more somber, “I guess it’s probably for the better you can’t stare holes into a clock.”
Twilight agreed, and silence returned to the dungeon, before she asked, “Are any of the girls going to see me? Am I going to meet my my family down here or-“
“Twi, I don’t think anypony else is coming down here, till the guards come to take you to court”
“Oh, I see”
“To be honest, I don't know why I came down here. I just… why?” Rainbow pleaded
“I already told you why, and sticking with my reasons”
There was brief pause before another voice yelled out, “Okay Miss Dash. You got to see the prisoner. Now your time with her is up.”
"I guess that's my cue to leave"
"I guess so"
Rainbow turned to leave, “I’m sorry Twilight.”
Twilight watched Dash leave, “So am I.”
Rainbow Dash kept walking till she left the dungeon. When the doors left, Twilight returned to her cot and was left to dwell on depressing matters.
An obsidian alicorn walked down the halls of the grand royal palace. She passed many doors, but stopped at the entrance to a room where two guards stood in front of the entrance, stoic expressions on their faces.
Upon seeing the alicorn, both guards parted for the famed Princess of the Night, giving her access to a dark room. She moved past the many shelves and bookcases to an area that was illuminated only by a few dimly lit candles. Princess Luna scanned the room, looking at the books that littered the floor, until her eyes landed on her very tired looking sister, who was nose deep in one of the books.
"Tis an odd time for a midnight reading, when tomorrow is-” She cut herself short before further inspecting the books, specifically the odd writing on the front. “What is it you hope to find in these dusty, old tomes?" she asked.
"I am faced with a decision I cannot bear to make. I've raised Twilight as though she were my own; so what kind of ruler would I be if I killed her? Even if that is what the people want." Princess Celestia spoke out in a weary tone.
"What are you thinking dear sister?" Luna asked not out of curiosity, but of concern.
"I cannot let Twilight simply go free, because I cannot base a decision on my own selfish desire for that would compromise my ability to serve my subjects.” She began as she placed her head in her hooves.
“If I sentence Twilight to..." Celestia stopped and closed her eyes in an attempt to stop the tears from welling. "to e-execution then I would have failed her and her family."
"Which only leaves thee with exile" Luna pointed out.
Celestia opened her eyes and looked over, before she slowly shook her head.
"A normal exile will not help Twilight. It will only expose her to the likes of Fenrir or Mogus who would hunt her down for sport, or if she happened upon Chrysalis's domain, the bug would just drain the love from her and corrupt whatever is left to manipulate."
"So what are thou looking to find here?"
"If I remember correctly, there is a spell in here, by StarSwirl the Bearded, which can send Twilight to a place beyond our oceans. A place where the names Celestia, Luna, and Cadance have never been heard of. This is where Twilight can start anew, far from troubles here that we bear here."
Celestia looked down at the book in front of her, "It looks like it's one of Starswirl's little projects that never had any real purpose; this is her only fair, fighting chance."
Luna looked over Celestia, lingering on the word “fair”, for a moment before asking, "And what if Twilight abuses this second chance and chooses to run the locals to there ruin?"
Celestia tilted her head down, trying to keep a calm front, but her sadness, fear, anxiety, and guilt all slowly started to bleed out. A single tear leaked from her eye, flowing downwards and traveling across the bridge of her nose until it finally dripped down onto the floor.
"Luna," Celestia started "Twilight is like a daughter to me, the best and brightest unicorn since Star Swirl the Bearded, and the Element of Harmony who practically defeated Nightmare Moon and Discord on her own.”
Celestia finally looked up at her sister, her tears flowing freely from her saddened red eyes, and took a shaky breath.
“If I can't believe in her, what can I believe in?"
The commotion in the throne room was set to a loud ruckus, due to the sheer amount of ponies who talked in hushed tones was contrasted by the guards and Alicorn sisters. The throne room of the two royal princess' was filled with added wooden bleachers and seating for the public to view the event of the century. Nobles of every stature, reporters and journalists, from rich heads of corporations to the street sweepers, everyone in Canterlot had stopped all business for this... for her. The grand doors to the throne room slammed opened, and in seconds, silence was all that could be heard.
Twilight took stunted steps, with the chains restricting her movement, before the throne where Celestia sat. She slowed to a halt when she sat directly in the center of the room, far away from the bleachers, the doors, and the ornate, stained windows. She looked up to the sun goddess and her sister of the night, both looking down upon her. Their imposing stature dwarfed Twilight. Celestia's gaze connected with Twilight, and she gave a moment of silence before she spoke up.
"Twilight Sparkle,"
Many faces have entered the throne room under very similar circumstances in the years of old.
"You have been convicted of the crime of high treason against the throne,"
Though it may have been arranged to imitate a courthouse, this wasn't the place for the guilty to make their case.
"As the Element of Magic, you are not above any law that binds all of the ponies of Equestria, more over, because of your position you are suppose to uphold these laws even higher than if you were the royal guard"
This was not a room for lawyers, judges and witnesses.
"Twilight Sparkle I have given you many chances to give grounds to justify your actions, but you have failed to bring forward anything that holds weight."
There is no jury to sway, there is no truth to reveal, nor facts to obscure.
"Do you have anything you wish to say to the people of Equestria?"
The throne was not a place to make a last stand, it was a place to make your final wishes.
Twilight's heart fell heavy in her chest as she spoke, "No, your Highness"
You are not here for your god to hear your plea, you are here to face her wrath.
"Then it is with a heavy heart that I sentence you to supreme exile."
This is when the ponies in the bleachers all started to talk amongst themselves again. How much would this change Equestria? Would the Elements of Harmony protect them if a crucial piece was missing? Questions like these and more were buzzing around before a blinding light from Celestia's horn put them in silent awe.
Celestia herself was focusing her magic to the complicated and intricate design of Star Swirl's spell. It had been centuries since Celestia had to try a magic new to her, but the ancient training she had received a millennia ago had prepared her to facing the new. She harnessed enough power to form the spell matrix and power it up. Then she added another layer on the matrix to form a timer. She lifted Twilight from the ground and slowly embedded the enchantment onto her. And with one last flash of golden light, she slowly lowered to the ground.
"Twilight Sparkle, due to your service for Equestria I am giving you time before you are taken to your next destination. I will leave you with a moment's peace with them before you are gone from our shores, and lifted to the next."
Celestia's magic then unlocked the chains and magic inhibitor on Twilight as her guards flanked next to the prisoner. She nodded to the guards, who motioned Twilight to follow them out the room. Just as the unicorn was leaving Celestia was addressing the ponies in the crowd with some assuring speech, but as the door closed behind her, it was too muffled to understand. The long walk down the castle halls ended abruptly as her guards stopped in front of a wooden door to her right.
The guard gave off a very neutral tone as he faced Twilight, "Your time here is limited, so Celestia gathered your friends and family here for you as her last gift to you. Make it count."
The guard put his hoof to the door handle and pulled it back, before ushering Twilight in. She knew this was a gift she couldn't refuse and walked into the room.
The walls were bright yellow and the furnishing was rather sparse with two couches against the two walls facing each other to the left and right of Twilight. Directly opposite to the doors were huge windows that went from the floor to the ceiling, adorned by thin curtains that barely dimmed the sunlight from coming in. But it wasn't the pleasant scenery of the room that mattered, but the ponies inside. Despite the circumstances, she afforded herself a smile.
"Twilight!"
Before she could speak a single word, her parents rushed her and brought her into a hug. Already in tears, she held them tight and wished to never let go. But despite their deepest wishes for the same, Twilight's parent's let her go ever so slightly, ever so slowly, only to give her time to to see her friends too.
Now out of her parent's hooves, she turned to face the other members of the room.
Gathered all around her were her friends who all carried the sad smile. Applejack and Rainbow Dash to her right and Fluttershy and Rarity to her left, while Pinkie Pie was adjacent to her standing by the window. Twilight wanted to gallop towards them all, but before she could try, a weak, shaky little boys voice called out for her, "Twilight?"
In the corner of the room between Fluttershy and Pinkie Pie, a slow, and rather small Spike walked took hesitant steps toward the purple unicorn, until he was right in front of Twilight.
"Twilight what's going on? What's happening to you?"
Twilight took a small swallow and sighed. There nothing she wanted more than to lie Spike, but she just couldn't do that to him. He deserved to know the truth or at least the parts that mattered most.
Twilight crouched down to the young dragon's level, and looked him in the eyes, "L- look Spike," Twilight said hesitantly, "I'm going to be gone for a while. And..." she paused, "I need you to stay here in Equestria."
"But where are you going? Why can't I go with you?" Spike asked with deep concern.
"Because this is a trip I have to make alone, and I can't let you come with me, because I wouldn't know for sure if you were going to be safe."
Spike's head moved down to look at the floor, "Now look at me," Twilight took her hoof under Spike's chin and raised it to look back at her.
"I don't know if I'm coming back," Twilight said as Spike was starting to sniff, desperate to hold back his tears, "but, I need you," she softly pointed a hoof into his chest, "to be strong while I'm gone. I need you to be the biggest, the bravest, and the nicest dragon, I know you are. Can you do that for me?"
With tears streaming down his eyes, Spike tried to stop sniffling and slowly nodded, which made Twilight swell with pride and couldn't help her smile. Spike though couldn't help himself and reached out and hugged Twilight around the base of her neck as hard as he could and started crying into her fur.
Twilight didn't mind and pulled him close with one hoof, and used the other to rub his back.
"Shhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhh, it's okay. It's okay," Twilight closed her eyes and whispered in low voice. This went on for a minute, before the young dragon's crying died down back to a wet sniffling. He slowly let go and looked at Twilight as she rose back to stand. She mouthed to him, "Don't worry" and nodded to him.
Spike took a few slow steps back, before he felt the hooves from where Fluttershy was sitting pulling him close to her chest. She looked over to Twilight with a soft gentleness, but steadfast reassurance, "Don't worry Twilight, I'll look after him."
Twilight then looked over to Rarity who added, "And she'll have help. We'll take good care of him, Darling, just stay safe. "
She gave Rarity a respectful nod, and thanked her. Her gaze soon moved rightward, and was met by Pinkie Pie, who had watery eyes, and hoof over her quivering bottom lip. Twilight could only raise her front legs wide open for Pinkie Pie before the pink pony was holding her in a death grip hug. She was already hysterical shaking Twilight as she cried, "Ohhh, Twi-ie-ie-liegh-t!"
In moment's she started to loosen her hold on Twilight, who was merely smiling at the party pony's antics. When Pinkie set Twilight back on the floor, she spoke to Twilight, "Make sure you try to come back home. You'll prove yourself, and then you'll come back to Ponyville an even bigger hero than you were before."
Twilight thought to herself, "I don't think that's how exile works, Pinkie," but instead gave her a smile and said, "I'll try, Pinkie".
Pinkie Pie's smile wavered though and she put her hooves on Twilight's shoulder as she demanded, "You've got promise me. I want you to Pinkie Promise me."
Twilight hesitated to think about it. If I could... can I even....
But before she could get caught up in her thoughts, she felt her friendship mattered more now, she shook her head and looked at the party Pony with new resolve, "Cross my heart, and hope to fly," she said loudly, and freed herself from Pinkie's grip to go through the last motions, "Stick a cupcake in my eye. Ow."
Now that was official, Pinkie Pie backed satisfied with friend commitment. Twilight continued back to where she was looked further right, till she caught sight of Applejack.
The Apple Farmer just trotted slowly to Twilight and leaned in to give her a soft hug. It was simple and over in a matter of seconds. "Now Twahlight, don't get hurt none. We'll take care of things here; just make sure ya take care of yourself, you hear Sugarcube?"
Twilight smiled before saying, "Okay, Applejack."
Applejack returned the smile and walked back to where she was previously sitting. Next to her, was Rainbow Dash who just started to look off at wall, while scratching the back of her neck. Applejack who was on her other side gave the pegasus a hard "tap" to the shoulder, before giving her a glare that prompted Rainbow Dash to make an insecure approach Twilight.
"So uh, Twilight. I, um, not sure if... um..." the pegasus said before looking away, giving an agitated sigh to herself before channeling it into a deep breath and calmed herself.
She looked back to Twilight, a gleam of doubt in her eye, but that disappeared quickly as a pair of purple hooves seized the moment and brought her in close for an unexpected deep kiss.
Rainbow Dash's eyes were wide at first, after a moment she leaned into the Twilight and returned kiss with redoubled passion.
At what seemed like an eternity too soon, Twilight slowly backed out, and could soon see the wide shock and blush on her friend's face. "Wow. I, uuuuuuuuuuuuuughhhhhh..."
The reaction of the normally wild pegasus elicited a cute giggle from the lavender unicorn.
She soon took a hoof from around the pegasi's wing and tapped Rainbow Dash on the nose.
"Boop."
Rainbow Dash was broken from her trance and shook her head rapidly. "Oh, s-so Twi-Twilight, I um, what was going to say? Ugh."
She quickly looked off into space off to the right, before regaining her composure and confidence, breathed a heavy sigh. She looked back at Twilight and whispered, "I'm going to prove you right, and I'm going to look out for your brother. I don't know how, but I'm going to fix things here."
Twilight pulled Rainbow Dash into a hug and whispered, "Thank you so much Dashie."
Rainbow Dash returned it and whispered, "You can thank me after you come home."
Twilight was starting to pull away from Dash, when she noticed she was glowing hue of soft gold. She slowly pushed Rainbow Dash back as the glow became more and more intense. All her friends except Rainbow Dash were waving their hooves, while her parents were starting to shed tears while they held each other close. Twilight was slowly being lifted up by the aura and Spike started going hysterical crying out for Twilight.
Rainbow Dash could only look on with sad eyes as a black portal lined with stars opened up above Twilight as she ascended into the opening.
Her friends all yelled out to her repeated, "Stay safe Twilight!", We'll miss you!", and "We love you, Twilight!" nonstop.
But Rainbow Dash looked into the unicorn's eyes and said in barely a whisper, "I love you Twilight."
Twilight gave a soft smile before mouthing, "I love you too."
Twilight closed her eyes and took a deep breathe in.
And once her hooves were lifted above the stars, all in the blink of an eye, it closed in on itself.
The moon did not make an appearance in the nighttime sky, but only to allow the stars twinkle brighter in it's absence. Princess Luna made sure to hide a six pointed patter in the night time sky to commemorate her savoir before she finished setting in the night. We walked in from her balcony, but did not stop to rest on her bed. She continued out into the halls and walked across the castle to her sister's chambers.
As she approached the golden double doors, she nodded to the guards who knew of their princess's mood and did not dare to make the slightest action to slow her down. Luna did not even bother to knock and simply pushed the door in and closed it behind her.
In Celestia's large room, the white alicorn has been lying on the floor in front of a mirror for hours. Earlier in the day she used it to look in on the room that previously held her favorite student. The tears on her face had only just dried recently.
As the black alicorn lied next to her sister, Celestia and listen to her whispers, "If only I have done more, or given her more time. I should have controlled things so much more." she dropped her head to the floor, "I could have at least been with her when she left."
Luna wrapped a comforting wing around the white alicorn, "Thou hast done all you can for Twilight, dear sister." Luna looked up from her sister, and peer out to the starry night sky, "the rest is up to her now."
Twilight’s body was weightless in the AEther as it rushed past the four corners of space. Around her she could get a glimpse of endless stars that enveloped the universe bending around her. She marveled at the true beauty around her, before an cold, unnerving feeling of wrongness hit her. A golden field that veiled her body was starting to rip apart. Suddenly she couldn't breath as if she was drowning. Twilight started to feel a cold fire burning through her forehooves and down her spine. The cold burning continued as Twilight was still thrusted through space, and could feel the friction on her body. She felt her bones prick apart and rearrange themselves ripping apart her flesh from the inside.
Twilight’s screams sent off no sound, and her agony continued in silence. She spasms of pain went still, as she used all her effort to concentrate on giving herself a shield to try and take the pain away, bar her from the effects of the wormhole. And where a gold shield had once invelopped her, then a pink one had taken it’s place. Her hooves and spine no longer burned as they once had and she could breath again, but now Twilight’s horn felt sharp pain as though someone were hitting it over the top with a hammer. She faltered for a moment, and the cold fire returned with a vengeance.
Twilight tried to push past the tears once again to pull up the shield. And though the cold fire that once surged through her body was quelled, relief didn’t come to Twilight, for the blunt force returned to hit her horn again. She held her shield for what seemed like hours and her screams lasted half as long. And if she could have heard, she might have panicked at the sickening cracks that slowly crept along her horn, but all she could feel anymore was a murderous headache and the warmth of her own blood leaking from her ears and eyes.
*Crack*
Again the cold fire returned and burned her every nerve. Her flesh ripped and twisted, and her bones shattered and came back together. She spasmed until she finally saw a flash of light and passed out.
Twilight lied chest down on the ground. Her senses were dulled, but she first noticed that breathing was hard.
Next, she felt cold. She clenched her fists and felt the snow compact under pressure.
Her nostrils flared open to take in the smells around her. Through her nose she breathed in pure, fresh air of the wilds mixed with the scent of dried blood.
Her ear twitched up and faced out to the distance. Then she herd galloping in the distance. The feral, unintelligible neigh of horses and the gruff voices out in the distance shouting out.
She opened her eyes, and was blinded by the dull light of a cloudy afternoon. She opened her eyes again, this time expecting the light.She saw the snow and grass underneath her, and the trees that has long since shed all it's leaves.
Twilight didn't know how to process any of this, and so panic set in. Her prey subconscious told to leave now. The unbearable pain she just suffered still echoed through her limp body. She felt weak. She tried to lift her body off the ground, but collapsed from exhaustion halfway to her knees.
What happened? What went wrong? Why did Celestia send me through all that pain? Why did she send me here? She didn't send me here to die did she? No, no she sent me here to give me another chance. *To live!***
With renewed vigor, she pushed herself to the sky as hard as she could. Her muscles ached and begged to stop, but she was dead set on fleeing.
The sounds of heavy hooves racing towards her got louder along with shouts and the shuffling of armor. As these sounds were almost on top of her, her limbs gave out from under her. Her eyes became heavy, and the sweet embrace of unconsciousness was about to take hold of her again.
"Well, so much for the emergency, this one already looks like it's about to die..." The voice said in an almost disappointed tone before chuckling, "So it looks exactly like Reacher in the morning."
"Well this one certainly looks more colorful"
"Is it suppose to be bleeding, before we get here?"
"Whelp, looks like we got an easy capture men. Hearthfire, go back and get the research cart over here."
"Yes, sir"
"Oh, and inform Fellheight and Days that we've got another abomination for them"
