~ My Life ~
Twilight Star: The Unknown Power
"When the world is so complicated, the simple gift of friendship is within all our hands." - Maria Shriver
Part 1: My Life Is Complicated
---Twilight's Journal---
When I think about it, my life was different than everyone else. Everypony moved around freely while I was the only one kept away from everyone else.
I was the only one looked at differently, but they weren't looking directly at me. No, in fact they were looking at my cheek with envy. They were jealous they didn't have what I had and they lacked. Only a few ponies saw my mark because I was kept inside the castle all this time. Rarely anyone saw me at all. But when they did see it they stared at it because they are unfamiliar with something that is only seen once in a thousand years.
You probably are wondering what it is that makes me so special. The mark that's on my cheek isn't just any ordinary mark. It is the Mark of Destiny. Everyone is born with the cutie-mark on their flank, they are destined to find out who they really are, but I couldn't go through the experience of finding out what makes me special. My cutie-mark is special. It's the mark of magic, and a great symbol to many. So much that my mother named me after the most famous Birth-marked pony in the world: Twilight Sparkle, who fulfilled her destiny and was known as a perfect example of what could happen to a destined one like me. I was was born with a cutie-mark on my flank and cheek.
No one knows about me. From the moment I was born I already had my cutie-mark on me; I was kept a secret for many years. I came into the hooves of Princess Celestia, who kept me safe underneath her castle.
If only I could remember my parents before I was taken to Princess Celestia's castle.
Think about it: when I was a little filly a my parents made the hardest decision in their lives: give up their child to the most powerful queen in Equestria or let their daughter to somehow taken away in the night by strangers who could use me for their own personal desires.
Looking back I can see that that was the best decision to make. But sometimes the hardest decision to make is also the right decision.
There are days when I wonder what my parents look like or if they're still alive. Celestia has never told me about them, I don't even know if I have a brother or sister or if I was an only child; there are days when I wonder what its like to be outside. I don't know a lot about things outside. I wish I could know more, see more and do more. But for now I'm stuck, waiting for the day when I can prove myself worthy of the name Twilight Sparkle.
I am hidden in a room where there are no windows. Only the light from a dimly lit candle sitting on a wooden school desk gives me light to see. It sits there along side my stack of books.
On the opposite side there sits a twin bed with purple covers with one pillow sitting at the edge of it.
The walls are grey and bleak, the color of cement. With no windows to see the outside and the door to my shelter is made of metal and meant to protect me, but it makes me feel like I'm more of a prisoner.
Its lonely here. Sitting all by myself. With no one to help me learn how the control the uncontrollable powers within me. I sighed loudly in my little shelter. My hoof laying against my left cheek in boredom, staring at a book I've already read, forty five times to be exact.
I haven't read any other books than the three that I've had for the past few years. They are all books about how special and rare a mark is, but I would like to read something more fun. Like an adventure novel.
Now that would be nice. I heard that there's a good book series called Daring Do that I'd like to try. I'd like to spice things up a bit from time to time.
Suddenly I hear a sound. Not just any sound, but the sound of feet. Clopping to be exact. It must be one of the guards. I guess its time to see Princess Celestia again. I move closer to my door. It feels cold against my face as I lean in to listen to the sound of his feet edge closer to me.
I hear a click of the door and it creaks open before me. The sound echoing across the room. My regular afternoon guard stands before me. He is wearing the signature guard armor that Princess Celestia requires all of the guards to wear. It is the gold, that covers almost the entire back of the body. Also it covers around the head. The armor makes their body look stiff and uncomfortable.
He looks forwards and doesn't make eye contact with me. His armor must be really stiff. "Princess Celestia asked me to escort you to her." He says.
I take his arm and follow him outwards of my room. The walls down here are the same as my room, but there is a difference. There is a spiraling staircase that leads upwards towards the first floor of the building. I'm sleeping in the basement level.
The guard tilts his head slowly upwards, seeing how long we have to walk. He sits there for a moment, then he sighs. He probably didn't like the look of how long we have to climb up those stairs. Its like going up Mount Everfree from here.
He hesitates to take his first step upwards, but I encourage him kindly. He grunted loudly and muttered something. Probably something rude, but I ignored it. Whats more important is that I meet Princess Celestia and have our weekly meet-up.
After a long trek up the stairs we finally reached the front entrance of the shelter. The shelter door was also metallic and cold as my shelter door. He pulled out a golden key from his armor and inserted it into a key slot located on the right side of the door. He turned the key and the door opened before us.
I closed my eyes suddenly as the sunlight hit my face, blinding me momentarily. I blink my eyes a couple of times to get used to the light. The guard looking annoyed, pushes me out into the hallway of the castle. "Really?! Are you that impatient?" I shrieked at him.
I smiled smugly at him. He looked at me angrily. It was his fault though, he didn't have time for my eyes to get adjusted to the light. "I wonder what Princess Celestia would say if she saw what you were doing? Oh wouldn't she be surprised that one of her guards was treating me badly," I said, matter-of-factly.
He growled at me, but it was true he needs to respect me or not even be a guard at all. Why would you be a guard if all your going to do is treat the only pony that has the 'mark' like a piece of garbage!
Soon guards started to form around me. Making a perfect circle so no one could get a good look at my mark. I know Celestia means well, but this is starting to get ridiculous! "Is this really necessary?" I asked turning towards him.
"Of course it is necessary Twilight Sparkle." He says with a gruff voice and concentrated on getting me to Princess Celestia.
"Twilight Star." I correct him, I haven't used the name Twilight Sparkle in years. For reasons to keep my cover a secret. He rolls his eyes at me, looking annoyed. He is the worst guard I've had yet.
The hallway is long and roomy. Long enough for an entire city to be able to get in and still have room for more. The wall was a beautiful cream color that complimented the castle very well. The ceilings were arched, making it look like there was no end to the place.
Banners from every country hung above us swinging back and forth from the undetectable wind in the castle. With every color of the rainbow hanging above us it was a sight to be seen.
Priceless pictures hung on the cream colored wall like they were meant to be there.
The guards looked nervous and chewed their hooves in worry about me. They all looked identical, but they were at least a little bit worried about someone getting a good look at me through the voids of space in between the guards.
Servant ponies moved out of the way for the guards to go through.
The clop of our feet echo all around the halls and soon we reach our destination and the two guards in front of the circle go to open the golden doors before for me. They circle around me like my personal body guards. As I go in they bow at me in respect.
Everywhere I look the walls are a white color as I enter the room I notice Princess Celestia sitting at her throne in the back of the room with stairs leading up to it and that's where the carpet ends.
Princess Celestia was looking beautiful as always with her long flowing multi-colored hair that seemed to float on its own. Her fur color was perfectly white as always. She wore a beautiful gold necklace chain around her neck that had a purple Diamond embedded in the middle of it. Her crown matched her necklace perfectly. She wore golden shoes on her feet and she always seemed to radiate with kindness and also with elegance.
She stood up and walked down the stairs with elegance making every step look weightless beneath her feet. She raised her hoof and ordered ponies to go close the windows and they scurried to the stained glass windows before them and closed them with a long pink curtain that stretched all the way to the ground. They made sure that they were closed shut, not letting in one single bit of light inside.
Others ponies stood around me until the room was dark and no light was shed from the outside.
"You may all go now, but make sure to guard the room as you make your way out." Celestia said, kindly. They all made their way out of the room. All you could hear was the clop of dozens of feet as they made their way out.
Celestia Illuminated the room with a yellow aura from her horn. Surrounding the room with happiness.
On the right side of the right door there is a tea set put on top of a metal tray for Princess Celestia and me. She picked up the tray with her magic and it was surrounded with a bright aura and brought it over to her. It levitated weightlessly right by her throne.
Celestia welcomes me with a smile on her face. She gestures me to come sit by her on her throne and I slowly make my way to her. My feet clop softly against the carpet and I sit beside her. Her hair flowing beautifully it compliments her well.
The throne is gold. Pure solid gold that is bejeweled by the best designers in the world. Beautiful jewels of every hue surround the thrones arms and top of the throne. I look downwards at the arm of the chair and see my reflection.
I see my mark on my right cheek. It is unmistakable. A black six pointed star is centered at the right of my cheek.
She clears her throat, "How have you been?"
"Good." I answer immediately. She looks at me, looking at my mark. I wonder what shes thinking. Princess Celestia always seems to look feminine, but not show whats on her mind. Her face is like riddle that doesn't show the answer. "How have you been?"
"Trying my best to keep you safe."
"Good." I nodded.
"You understand I have to protect you under any circumstances?" She asked me. I nodded. I understood why she has to do this I don't blame her for what she's done. Putting me inside her castle under protection was the only thing she could do.
"If you were taken by the wrong hooves it would be disastrous and I promised your parents I'd keep you safe."
"What do my parents look like?" I blurted out like an idiot immediately changing the subject, I can't remember what my parents looked like or if they just wanted to get rid of me for their own sake.
"They were very kind ponies. Your mother had your similar hair style only her hair was lavender and white steaked. She cared about you so much she was willing to let her daughter be protected by me. She barely even knew me, let alone trusted me. Its very hard to give up your own daughter."
"I can understand," I said.
I wondered if during Princess Celestia's lifetime she met another person with a birthmark like me. She told me she has lived thousands of years throughout Equestria. Still standing strong and looking over the kingdom. But I kept quiet about it. She doesn't always give me the answers I wanted. Its almost as if she's keeping something from me. But what would be so bad that she HAD to keep a secret from me?
Could it have something to with my mark? Or something in Celestia's past that's too painful to retell? She looks at me concerned. "Are you alright Twilight? You seem a little bit sadder than usual today.You can tell me anything, I'll understand." She gently takes her hoof and moves my face toward hers. She sees my saddened eyes that are filled with emptiness, staring blankly at her.
"Its just that lately I've been wanting more freedom, but I know you want to protect me, I can understand why you want to keep me safe."
Celestia looks downwards, glumly at the ground. She muttered "I am a terrible princess." She cursed herself quietly, but I am still surprised by the words that leak from her mouth. This is not like Celestia to curse at herself. She is too kind to do this. "I'm not mad at you Twilight, I'm mad at myself for doing this to you."
"Doing what to me?" I asked.
"For making your life miserable. I''m selfish I didn't care about your happiness and that it has been sucked away by my carelessness. You've lost your emotions and I can tell. You stare at me blankly not showing any emotion whatsoever anymore. I'm a monster by doing that to you."
"Your not a monster!" I protested, by putting my hoof gently on her shoulder, but she pushed me away.
"Yes I am! I am a careless monster who never thought about YOUR happiness and it shows on you too." Her voice cracking, tears slowly dripping down to the floor. That moment was when Celestia was at her most vulnerable point. That's something I've never seen her do. "A regular pony who had been kept inside would want freedom, no matter what the cost, fight for it, and hate being stuck inside concrete walls, but you're so used to it that you think of it as common ground, not a prison, it must feel like a prison to you."
"No it doesn't. Long ago I thought of it as that way, b-but-" I stopped for a moment and realized what I was saying, I wanted back in there. With this realization I realized what had been done to me, she was right.
"Today that will change." She got rid of her tears and put her hoof down in confidence. "Starting today you will be given more freedom."
Was she really saying this to me? Giving me more freedom, but what about my mark there must be some kind of ketch to this freedom?
"I have been working on this for a while now what i am about to give to you, you must put on at all times no matter where you are is that understood?"
"Yes, Princess Celest-"
"Don't call me princess Celestia, I want us to be friends so you should not need to call me by my formal title, you can just call me Tia."
"Okay, Tia." I waved adorkably at her. She chuckled and I saw how I made her smile.
Her horn glowed and a facial cream levitated over to me. "This was my project I've been working on." She pointed to the cream levitating in front of me.
I cupped my hooves and the cream levitated downwards on top of my hooves. There was only a little bit of the cream inside of the container. It looked more like a beauty treatment than a project. "What is this for?" I asked examining the container that held the cream.
"Put it on your mark and find out for yourself." I twisted the silver lid open and the cream was the color of peaches. I took the cream and smeared it on my right cheek. The cream felt weird against my face, but the cream felt soft and velvety smooth almost a creamy kind of texture against my face.
"What is it supposed to do exactly?"
"You'll see," Tia said. "A mirror will provide your answer." She levitated a small mirror over to me. The little mirror matched her throne.
Why would she ask me to look in a mirror? Did the cream do something to my face? I stared at myself in the mirror. Nothing seemed wrong. My face looked the same. I still had my stout nose and high cheekbones. But I soon started to notice that my mark slowly started to disappear from existence, dissipating from my cheek. I stood there looking at myself puzzled, by what just went on before me. "What did your cream do?"
"I made you a cream that will make you look normal. Do you like it?" She looked at me sweetly with a smiling face that could make anyone joyful.
This was unexpected. I gazed at myself in the mirror and saw how normal I looked. I could go out in public now and not be worried about villains of any kind. They don't even know of my existence as it is so I should be fine. But I was just gleaming with happiness. My eyes sparkling. "Of course I like it! I love it!" I exclaimed happily.
"Where will you go now after having more freedom?" She asked me, I chuckled awkwardly. "I don't know. I'm not familiar with this place." Tia rolled her eyes and face-hooved herself.
~ End Of Chapter ~
