Daughtersby Charlie HerrsChaptersPart 1Part 2Part 3Part 1"Guilty." The word seemed to echo forever. In this massive hall, everything did. But it was this single word that seemed to taunt her endlessly, ringing in her ears. She looked down to see her hooves, shackled and trembling. Was it fear? Yes, it must be; this was her trial, after all. "The terms of your punishment will be decided in the coming days. For now, you are hereby suspended from your duties and will be detained in one of the cells beneath the castle." She looked up to see her judge. It was the Princess, Celestia, her unmistakable beauty and elegance creating what seemed to be a glow around her. Behind her, to the left, sat a jury of seven ponies, who all seemed to be dressed for an extravagant occasion. Their sad, sober expressions a deep contrast to the bright jewelry and brilliant clothing they now wore. As the Princess pronounced the trial over, and as the large, armor-clad guards began to lead her toward the exit, the small pony in shackles realized she had to say something. She had to provide some evidence to prove her innocence. But as she opened her mouth to speak, she found nothing. In fact, she couldn't remember what she had done. Daughters, Part 1 Her cell was not what she had expected. Where she had imagined dirty stone walls, there was concrete, with blank, orange-tinted paper covering. Where she expected an old blanket or thin pile of straw, there was an average - if somewhat firm - single bed. If not for the iron bars keeping her confined, she might be able to imagine this place as her home. It wasn't a hole in the ground to rot in, but a place to live. Somehow, this concerned her even more. She sat on the bed, trying to calm herself. She relfected on what had happened earlier. Why was she on trial? What crime had she committed, that she would be locked away? Through the small, barred window near the ceiling on the back wall she could see that night was falling. As she contemplated asking the guard outside her cell why she had been imprisoned, she became overcome with exhaustion, and when she looked up to find the guard was no longer there, she allowed herself to sleep. When she awoke, she felt a strange sense of panic. There was something happening. Something she had to do. She lept to her feet, struggling to think of what it was. She started pacing around the cell, racking her brain. That's when she saw it. A mirror, bolted to the wall above a sink in the corner. She had seen the sink when she was brought in, but hadn't noticed the mirror. Had it been there this whole time? It must have been. She ran to it, still trying to remember what it was that was so important. When she looked in the mirror, she was surprised. She had felt so terrible since the trial, she expected to look just as bad. But what she saw was a young, soft-faced earth pony with a coat the lightest shade of blue and a short, sightly messy redish-purple mane. Her eyes, a bright, beautiful green. She stood, examining her features. When she turned, she saw a long, flowing tail. Then, as her eyes followed her tail from its end upward, she saw her cutie mark. She couldn't quite tell what it was. She got closer to the mirror, wishing it could have been just a bit wider. Then, when she had just the right angle, she realized what it was: a ring. Well, not quite a ring, but something like one. It looked like a milloin little shards of glass, loosely arranged in a circle. In the center, what appeared to be a bright light, or many lights. It was strangest thing she had ever seen. And then, suddenly, a flood of memories came rushing back, as if by some sort of magic. At first, only places, then people, and then, a single name: Rose. Was it hers? If not, whose was it? No, it must have been hers. It felt so familiar, so... comfortable. She could remember faces of other ponies she had met, but only this name. It would work for now, at least. Of course, in this cell, now might mean a very, very long time. As she stood there, shocked by this sudden revelation, she realized that she should now be able to remember what it was she had been locked down there for. She thought, scanned every memory that was now in a way new to her. Every face on the street, every place she had been, but ultimately found nothing. She was missing what could've been the most important event in her life. It was the most sickening feeling she had ever had. But, fortunately, she now knew that for sure. Just then, she heard footsteps approaching from outside the cell. She turned and saw one of the Canterlot guards walk up to the bars, keys around his hoof. "The Princess wishes to speak to you." He said, in a voice that sounded somewhat uncertain. "I don't..." Rose began, surprised by her own voice, "I don't know why I'm here." The guard paused for a moment, contemplating this. "It seems," he said, "that the Princess is having the same problem." As Rose made her way to the castle's throne room, she suddenly realized how nervous she was. What could she say? That she's deeply sorry for whatever it was she did? How can you apologize for committing a crime you can't even remember? Not that it mattered; according to the guard escorting her - in shackles, of course - through the castle halls, even Princess Celestia couldn't seem to recall the reason for Rose's imprisonment. Just as she began to think of what she was going to say, she was led through two massive doors leading into the Great Hall. The butterflies in her stomach were threatening to come up. "Is this the prisoner?" The Princess asked. She knew the answer, of course, as the shackles were probably hard to miss. "Yes, your Highness." the guard replied, with a bow. Then the Princess turned to Rose. "Well, little one, you certainly don't look dangerous. What is your name?" Rose's mouth was painfully dry. "I... I believe may n-name is..." The Princess had adopted a confused look. "Yes?" she said. Rose thought she felt her heart stop. "Rose!" she blurted out, forcing herself to speak. "I believe my name is Rose." "Rose," the Princess said, "it's a very pretty name. You say you believe it is yours?" "Y-yes, your Highness." Rose felt a little better with this compliment. "But you are not certain?" "No... I am not c-certain, your Highness..." Rose was now almost whispering. "Well then, perhaps you were jailed for stealing it from someone else." A joke. Rose felt as though a massive weight had been lifted off of her back. Rose laughed hoarsly, and she knew immediately how obviously forced it was, but the Princess didn't seem to notice. "Exactly how much do you remember, Rose?" "I can't say for sure, your Highness," Rose started,"but I remember much more than I did last night. I know that this is Canterlot, and I know I was raised in Ponyville. Some memories, too, but I couldn't even begin to piece them together." She only now noticed that the Princess didn't seem to be listening. She seemed fixated on something behind Rose. Rose looked around, wondering what could be so distracting to royalty. "What is that," the Princess said, "on your flank?" Rose was horribly confused. She looked back, trying to quickly figure out what it was the Princess was talking about. Then she realized: her strange cutie mark. "Oh," Rose said, "I'm not sure what it is. I was kinda hoping you would know." The Princess rose from her seat and slowly stepped down towards Rose, not taking her eyes off of the mark. She stopped suddenly. "Could it..." she trailed off. She stood there, seemingly lost in thought, for what seemed to Rose like an eternity. Then, she regained her focus. No, she was even more focused than before. "This mark is familiar, but I cannot be sure of its meaning. I woke up this morning having no memory of the day before, but for some reason this mark is causing me to recall some parts of it." Rose admitted that she had had the same experience earlier. She felt both excitement and fear at the Princess's new demeanor. Did she remember what Rose had done? Rose was contemplating asking when the answer came by itself. "I still cannot recall any sort of trial, nor do I remember ever seeing you before today. This is very strange. Every guard and groundskeeper I have questioned today claims they do not remember a trial, either." "Maybe it was magic," Rose said, "a unicorn that accidentally casted a bad spell, or..." She stopped herself. She had nearly suggested it may be the work of a wizard, but the thought was ridiculous. Wizards were nothing but old ponies' tales. "Or what?" the Princess said, expectantly. "I... I was going to say..." Rose had to say it. The Princess would surely know if she was lying. "A wizard." she said, "I was going to say a wizard and then I realized how silly that was." Rose expected the Princess to dismiss this immediately - of simply laugh - but she didn't. Instead, it appeared to Rose that she might actually be considering it. Rose dearly hoped the Princess wasn't patronizing her. "At any rate" said the Princess, "we won't know anything more until we figure out what your mark is, and the castle library is extremely limited. I want you to travel to the public library not far from here, there you should find a very knowledgable student of mine. I will inform her of the situation at hand, and when you arrive you will search for anything that tells us what any of this means. Will you do this?" Rose was overwhelmed. A personal favor for the Princess? Things were certainly looking up. "Yes!" said Rose, a bit too loudly. Her voice echoed through the room, just as Celestia's did at her trial not a full day before. "I mean," Rose said, catching herself. "Of course, your Highness." She gave a bow, and the Princess commanded the guard to release Rose from her shackles. As he did, the Princess looked deep into Rose's bright green eyes. "I give you freedom to leave, because I cannot help but believe you. You have agreed to do this task for me, and if your word is good, you may keep this freedom. Whatever crime you may have committed will be dealt with when your task is complete. If you fail to complete it, the trust I have in you will be broken, and your freedom will be taken back. Understood?" Rose swallowed hard. She wasn't use to this kind of pressure. At least, she didn't think she was. "Understood, your Highness." Part 2Daughters, Part 2 Before leaving the castle, Rose was told where to find the library. She wondered why the directions were so detailed, but once she left the castle gates she realized it was because it would be easy to get lost in such a large city. It was just as beautiful as she remembered. A good sign, she thought. On her way, she noticed several familiar landmarks. She had to follow the directions closely, however; she had lived in Ponyville for most of her life, so she didn't know very much about Canterlot. The warm summer breeze was incredibly comforting. In her cell in the castle, she had feared she would never feel it again, that she would be confined for the rest of her life. An unlikely punishment, she had reasoned, but she wasn't even sure what she would be punished for. When she arrived at the library, she wasn't sure if she should knock before entering. She decided she'd rather be safe than sorry. A few seconds after knocking, one of the large doors swung open. It didn't appear to Rose that anyone had opened it. "Oh, you must be the pony the Princess was sending over!" Rose was startled when she heard the voice, then she looked down and saw that it had come from the small dragon standing directly in front of her. "Um... yes." she said, "You're the... um... her student, right?" "What? Oh. No," the dragon said, confused. "You're thinking of Twilight." Rose felt uncomfortable. The dragon silently staring at her didn't help. "Is this... Twilight... here right now?" She asked. "Yep." the dragon replied. "You can come in if you want." "Thanks..." Rose said, annoyed. As she entered the library, she was amazed at how beatiful the architecture was. The high ceilings, the spiral stairway, the large window giving a spectacular view of Canterlot... she wondered why someone would put so much effort into a place for old books to gather dust. Of course, as far as she could see, there wasn't a speck of dust anywhere. Someone was really fond of these books. Rose looked down at the little dragon, who was just closing the door behind her. "What was your name again?" She asked. "Me? Oh, I'm Spike. I don't think you said your's." He said, though it didn't seem like he was asking. "Oh, I'm sorry," Rose said, "My name is... well, Rose. At least I think it is." Spike looked confused at first, and then appeared to understand. "Oh yeah," Spike began, "the Princess's letter said you had... amoeba... or something like that. Anyway, I'll see if I can find Twilight. Wait right here." Rose started to ask how they had recieved Celestia's letter so quickly when she was interrupted by Spike's shouting. "TWILIGHT! THE FELON... oh, sorry" He said, looking over at Rose. "THE NICE PONY FROM THE CASTLE IS HERE!" It echoed loudly. Rose was sure his volume was unnecessary. "Spike!" A voiced called from from the balcony above, "That's no way to behave in front of guests!" Rose looked up to see a very clean-kept unicorn overlooking them. As she began down the spiral staircase, she seemed to be examining the room, as if she was looking for any imperfections to fix before she engaged in any further conversation. This must be the student the Princess spoke so highly of. Rose hated her already. As she walked slowly down the spiral staircase, Twilight Sparkle told of Celestia's letter explaining the events of that morning: The loss of memory, the pony from the dungeon, the strange cutie mark, etc. All of which Rose was acutely aware. She was, after all, present at the time. "May I see the mark?" Twilight asked, not all that politely. "Um... Sure, I guess." Rose responded. As she turned to show her flank, Rose noticed a clock on the wall reading just past noon. She knew that she would most likely be spending the rest of the day in this library, attempting to search the hundreds of books within for clues as to what her mark was. Her company, as it seemed, was a small bad-mannered talking dragon and a unicorn whose title had clearly given her a case of the holier-than-thou's. "Doesn't look familiar," Twilight said after a moment. "A broken dinner plate, perhaps? Maybe you're good at breaking things." "I haven't broken anything since last night," Rose said quickly, almost hiding her aggravation. "Since at least last night." She added. "Well then," Twilight said, "We aren't going to find out anything by standing around. You remember reading, right?" "Yeah. I'm pretty sure I know how to read." Rose replied. They collected dozens of books and placed them in piles beside their desks. Twilight used her magic to neatly arrange stacks of books by category. Of course she did. The dragon sat in a chair not quite next to Twilight, but close. He was mostly quiet. Rose fought to stay focused on the books, looking for anything that resembled what was pictured on her flank, but it was a losing battle. By late afternoon, she was fighting to simply stay awake. It was dark. Rose could see the sun, but a sky full of stars surrounded it. Someone was watching her, and someone else was telling her something. Something important. It was her. It is her. It will be, but not forever. Rose couldn't see who was speaking, but she wasn't sure anyone was. It felt like she was revealing memories to herself, but she couldn't understand them. She felt like she needed to be somewhere. "Here it is!" Rose awoke to the sound of Twilight's voice. It wasn't very loud by itself, but it echoed easily throughout the library. "What? What's it... here?" Rose said drowsily. "You're mark, obviously." "Oh, yeah. What does it say?" Twilight looked back at the book, then a look of embarrassment crossed her face. "I'm not exactly sure." She said. Rose paused at this. "And here you were questioning my reading skills." She said, just loud enough for the unicorn to hear. "It's not that I can't read it!" Twilight said, in the only tone of emotion Rose had heard from her all day. "It's just, well... I can't. Not very good, at least. It's in a some old language. Really old, I'd say." "Really old like my great-grandmother old?" Rose said. Twilight looked briefly annoyed, then shook her mane away from her face. "No. Really old like the founding of Equestria old." "Oh." Twilight looked around to find the dragon sleeping in the chair. She shouted him awake, and told him to write a letter to Princess Celestia. He found a paper and quill and stood at the ready. "'Dear Princess Celestia," She began, "'After hours of study, I believe I have found an ancient text that speaks of the cutie mark the young pony has somehow acquired.'" Young. This Twilight couldn't have been more than two years older than Rose, yet she said it as if Rose was a filly. Twilight continued, "'The book is written in what appears to be the language used by the Pegasi in the time before the tribes were joined, but the condition of it says it may have been written more recently.' Spike, are you keeping up?" Spike was repeating the words as he wrote them. "'The... book... is... written...' Oh, sorry Twilight, what was that second line again?" This went on for a few moments. "As I was saying," Twilight said, impatiently, "'What I could decipher was that the book spoke of some sort of Great Reign coming to an end, and something about a 'Third Born'. Since you know a great deal more about the Old World, I humbly request your help in further deciphering the information. With your royal consent, we will set out for Canterlot castle before nightfall. Your faithful student, Twilight Sparkle.'" After a moment, Spike finished writing with a triumphant "Done!". Rose was wishing Twilight had informed her of what she had been able to read before making it official via letter, but she wasn't surprised. Spike opened his mouth and held the letter over it as if he was about to swallow it whole, then stopped, looking very confused. "Wait a minute, Twilight," He said, "How can this pony have something to do with ending a Great Reign if she doesn't have wings?" Twilight thought about this, but still didn't appear to understand. "What do you mean, doesn't have wings?" "Well," He replied, "Aren't the pegasuses..." "Pegasi." Rose said. "...Pegasi the ones who control the weather?" Twilight looked at Spike blankly. "Spike, did you spell reign R-A-I-N?" Spike returned the stare. "Is there some other way to spell it?" Twilight dropped her face to her desk, defeated. "START OVER." He rewrote the letter. Then he swallowed it whole. Rose was so shocked by what she had just witnessed that she was still standing, mouth agape, when the reply letter arrived a few moments later. This time, Spike seemed to simply belch the rolled parchment into existence. Mail service fit for royalty, Rose thought to herself. Though her face stayed motionless. Spike handed the letter over to Twilight(he seemed surprised when she asked him to do so), then she adjusted her glasses and began to read aloud. "'Dear Apprentice Twilight, what you and Miss Rose have found has confirmed my suspicions. Ancient forces are at work, ones that could plunge all of Equestria into chaos. It seems the time has come to'..." Twilight stopped. "To what?" Rose asked. Twilght looked up at her. "To show you your true purpose" She said. "My true purpose." "What does that mean?" Twilight looked back at the letter. "It says we have to find five special ponies. Ponies who represent something called the 'Elements of Harmony, a power not even they are aware of'." "Wow, that sounds easy as pie." Rose said, sarcastically. "How are we supposed to find five specific ponies without knowing anything about them? They could be anywhere in Equestria! And if they don't even--" Twilight cut her off with a glare, and continued reading, silently. After a moment, a look of confusion crossed her face. "It doesn't give any kind of directions..." She began, "But it does give instructions for some kind of spell. Sort of like a... a mind reading spell, by the looks of it." Spike had been sitting on the floor listening. "Wait, how does that help?" He said. "I mean, whose mind are we going to read?" "Well," Twilight said, "It's not exactly a mind reading spell. The instructions just resemble one. I think we're supposed to use it on Rose here. To help her remember." "Whoa, whoa, whoa," Rose said quickly, "is that safe?" Twilght hesitated. "Well, of course we all heard the stories back in magic school about how spells like this seem to go wrong more often than not," She said, "But this is for Princess Celestia. That's good enough for me to trust." A boldness filled her voice as she said it. Clearly, she wanted very much to impress the Princess. That, or she was excited to use magic for something other than dusting for once. "Maybe for you, Unicorn," Rose said, "but I'm not big on the magic. Find some other way." Twilight sighed. "I'm not sure there is any other way." She said, obviously frustrated. "And besides: It's the Princess. She knows what she's doing, Rose." Her voice got a bit softer. "I promise." Rose looked down at her hooves. That morning, Celestia had put her faith in Rose. Rose figured she should do the same for her. "Alright," she said, "lets get this over with." Part 3Daughters, Part 3 Celestia stood on her balcony, overlooking the city. Night was falling, and as her sun set, the shadows of the buildings and trees seemed like they would continue to grow on forever. By her will, darkness would soon envelope the land for another night. On evenings like this, she often thought of how her sister had so enjoyed raising the moon every night. And of how, even on the cold, starless nights of winter, Luna had felt no less at home among the silent darkness. Celestia had, at times, worried about her sister and her strange interests; for what being could derive so much joy from so much lifelessness? For nearly a thousand years, she had wondered with sickening guilt if this disconnection from her sister was what had, in the end, caused her betrayal. But such thoughts were far from her mind that evening. Because now she was faced with a new uncertainty, one that could pose a threat larger than she could fathom. A threat to Canterlot, to Equestria... and everything beyond it. Celestia sensed a presence approaching, and turned just as one half of the double doors opened behing her and a large, black-coated Colt stepped out onto the balcony. "Tantalus," The Princess said, "Did... I'm sorry, I didn't summon you, did I?" "You did not, your Majesty." Tantalus said, his voice formal and slightly accented. Celestia hesitated. "Ah, I see," she said, "What is it you'd like to speak of?" "This matter you've been overseeing," Tantalus replied, "What do you expect to come of it?" Celestia was quick to answer. "I expect nothing more than for Rose to investigate these unusual events." She paused, "When her task is complete, successful or not, I will handle things from there." "And what has this pony discovered?" The Princess briefly contemplated telling him that Rose and Twilight hadn't reported in yet, but dismissed it. She sometimes forgot how powerful Tantalus was for a mere Unicorn, even though it had been the primary reason she had chosen him to be her Royal Advisor. By his tone, he must have sensed that letters had been exchanged. "They believe Rose's cutie mark may have something to do with the Old World, and so I have sent them to find the Elements." She said. "The Elements of Harmony?" He said, surprised. "You don't think that's a rash decision, considering what little we know?" "Perhaps." She said, "But I would rather err on the side of caution than to be caught unprepared." "I see. You are most wise, Princess." Tantalus said, bowing. "Thank you for the complement," Celestia replied, her voice light-hearted, "But you know as well as I that this Kingdom would have fallen apart long ago without you by my side." Tantalus continued bowing as Celestia approached him. "I am humbled by your praise, your Majesty." He looked up to see her standing over him. "Your council is invaluable to me, Tantalus," she said softly, "But I can handle this matter on my own. At least for the time being." Tantalus gave a simple nod, and the Princess began for the castle to turn in for the night. As she neared the door, Tantalus, still standing on the balcony, turned his head back towards her. "I only hope that you are not putting innocent young ponies in unnecessary danger, your Highness." He said. "Don't worry," she replied, her voice soothing, "This will be over long before it comes to that." And as she closed the door behind her, she wished with a deep sigh that those words were true. Twilight began to read the spell from the Princess's letter. Almost immediately, Rose felt a strange calmness come over her, despite still being terrified of what the spell might do. What if it caused her to remember her crime? Now that she was free, she realized she might not want to know what it was. Suddenly, a blinding white light filled the room. Rose closed her eyes and covered her face with her hoof, but she could still see the brightness through her eyelids. When the light faded into a mild glow, she forced her eyes open again, expecting the room to have returned to normal. Instead, she was shocked to find that the roof of the library had disintegrated, replaced by a beautiful star-filled sky. She looked down to see Twilight, who seemed to be completely unphased by what was happening. Then Rose could see a small crowd of ponies seem to fade in around Twilight: a white Unicorn, two Pegasi, one a light shade of yellow, the other a bright turquoise, and two Earth ponies: one a dark orange with a blonde mane and tail, and one pink. Very, very pink. All of them, including Twilight, began glowing brightly, as if there was some kind of small sun inside each of their chests. And then they exploded. Rose was thrown backwards through the air a good four meters, smacking hard against the wall. If she had hit the wall any further to her right, she would have smashed clear through the massive window overlooking Canterlot. She barely had time to clear her head of the blow before she was up again, trying to assess a situation which had clearly just spiraled out of control. She looked up, trying hard to see through the haze in her eyes to find out what had happened to Twilight and the others. As her vision cleared, she saw Twilight. Sitting on the floor, looking very confused. "What did you do to me?" Rose demanded. "I... I'm not sure." Twilight replied, sounding more curious than worried. "I did everything right. The instructions weren't that hard, and--" "This is such garbage!" Rose cut her off. "I knew this was a bad idea. You and your precious master. It's probably all some elaborate prank or something. Just to mess with my head, is that it?" Twilight stared at Rose, wide-eyed. "Um... Rose," she said, apprehensively, "I don't mean to be rude, but..." Rose was pacing the room, angry. She looked at Twilight. "But what?" she said, her tone still fierce. "You are." Twilight said. "I am what?" "Being rude." Rose stared back at Twilight for a moment, then dropped her head. "Look, I know I'm kind of blowing up at you here, and... and I'm sorry. But so far all we've got from all this is some mumbo-jumbo about ancient history and possible brain damage on my end. Not to mention some serious public property damage fines for the roof." Twilight thought about this for a moment, then looked back at Rose. "Wait, what about the roof?" Rose's head shot back up to Twilight. "What do you mean, 'what about it'? It's totally--" She looked up to see the ceiling, the same as it was when she arrived. "--Gone." Twilight stared at Rose, who in turn stared at the ceiling. "Did you have a vision or something?" a voice came from behind one of the bookcases. Both of the ponies looked back to see Spike, peering through a gap in one of the rows of books. "Spike, what are you doing back there?" Twilight asked. "Well, I figured I should..." he began, "Okay, when Rose's eyes started glowing I got scared and hid. But she's the one who was locked up in the castle dungeon!" "The castle doesn't have a dungeon, Spike." Twilight said, condescendingly. "My eyes were glowing?" Rose asked Twilight. "Yeah, after about a minute." Twilight said, still looking at Spike. "Spike, what was that you said about a vision?" "Oh, yeah!" Rose interjected, "I did see something. I think it might have been those ponies the Princess was talking about." Twilight turned to her. "Really? Do you know where to find them?" She asked. "No, I just remember they--" She thought about the vision. About each of the ponies she had seen, so she could describe them. But as she focused her memory on the first, the Unicorn, she was hit with an overwhelming amount of information: the pony's name, her home, even some of her memories. But as soon as these things arrived at the forefront of Rose's mind, they slipped away again, leaving only one piece: where the pony was. The process seemed to double Rose's already splitting headache. "Nevermind," she said, through clenched teeth. "It looks like we're going to Ponyville."
Part 1"Guilty." The word seemed to echo forever. In this massive hall, everything did. But it was this single word that seemed to taunt her endlessly, ringing in her ears. She looked down to see her hooves, shackled and trembling. Was it fear? Yes, it must be; this was her trial, after all. "The terms of your punishment will be decided in the coming days. For now, you are hereby suspended from your duties and will be detained in one of the cells beneath the castle." She looked up to see her judge. It was the Princess, Celestia, her unmistakable beauty and elegance creating what seemed to be a glow around her. Behind her, to the left, sat a jury of seven ponies, who all seemed to be dressed for an extravagant occasion. Their sad, sober expressions a deep contrast to the bright jewelry and brilliant clothing they now wore. As the Princess pronounced the trial over, and as the large, armor-clad guards began to lead her toward the exit, the small pony in shackles realized she had to say something. She had to provide some evidence to prove her innocence. But as she opened her mouth to speak, she found nothing. In fact, she couldn't remember what she had done. Daughters, Part 1 Her cell was not what she had expected. Where she had imagined dirty stone walls, there was concrete, with blank, orange-tinted paper covering. Where she expected an old blanket or thin pile of straw, there was an average - if somewhat firm - single bed. If not for the iron bars keeping her confined, she might be able to imagine this place as her home. It wasn't a hole in the ground to rot in, but a place to live. Somehow, this concerned her even more. She sat on the bed, trying to calm herself. She relfected on what had happened earlier. Why was she on trial? What crime had she committed, that she would be locked away? Through the small, barred window near the ceiling on the back wall she could see that night was falling. As she contemplated asking the guard outside her cell why she had been imprisoned, she became overcome with exhaustion, and when she looked up to find the guard was no longer there, she allowed herself to sleep. When she awoke, she felt a strange sense of panic. There was something happening. Something she had to do. She lept to her feet, struggling to think of what it was. She started pacing around the cell, racking her brain. That's when she saw it. A mirror, bolted to the wall above a sink in the corner. She had seen the sink when she was brought in, but hadn't noticed the mirror. Had it been there this whole time? It must have been. She ran to it, still trying to remember what it was that was so important. When she looked in the mirror, she was surprised. She had felt so terrible since the trial, she expected to look just as bad. But what she saw was a young, soft-faced earth pony with a coat the lightest shade of blue and a short, sightly messy redish-purple mane. Her eyes, a bright, beautiful green. She stood, examining her features. When she turned, she saw a long, flowing tail. Then, as her eyes followed her tail from its end upward, she saw her cutie mark. She couldn't quite tell what it was. She got closer to the mirror, wishing it could have been just a bit wider. Then, when she had just the right angle, she realized what it was: a ring. Well, not quite a ring, but something like one. It looked like a milloin little shards of glass, loosely arranged in a circle. In the center, what appeared to be a bright light, or many lights. It was strangest thing she had ever seen. And then, suddenly, a flood of memories came rushing back, as if by some sort of magic. At first, only places, then people, and then, a single name: Rose. Was it hers? If not, whose was it? No, it must have been hers. It felt so familiar, so... comfortable. She could remember faces of other ponies she had met, but only this name. It would work for now, at least. Of course, in this cell, now might mean a very, very long time. As she stood there, shocked by this sudden revelation, she realized that she should now be able to remember what it was she had been locked down there for. She thought, scanned every memory that was now in a way new to her. Every face on the street, every place she had been, but ultimately found nothing. She was missing what could've been the most important event in her life. It was the most sickening feeling she had ever had. But, fortunately, she now knew that for sure. Just then, she heard footsteps approaching from outside the cell. She turned and saw one of the Canterlot guards walk up to the bars, keys around his hoof. "The Princess wishes to speak to you." He said, in a voice that sounded somewhat uncertain. "I don't..." Rose began, surprised by her own voice, "I don't know why I'm here." The guard paused for a moment, contemplating this. "It seems," he said, "that the Princess is having the same problem." As Rose made her way to the castle's throne room, she suddenly realized how nervous she was. What could she say? That she's deeply sorry for whatever it was she did? How can you apologize for committing a crime you can't even remember? Not that it mattered; according to the guard escorting her - in shackles, of course - through the castle halls, even Princess Celestia couldn't seem to recall the reason for Rose's imprisonment. Just as she began to think of what she was going to say, she was led through two massive doors leading into the Great Hall. The butterflies in her stomach were threatening to come up. "Is this the prisoner?" The Princess asked. She knew the answer, of course, as the shackles were probably hard to miss. "Yes, your Highness." the guard replied, with a bow. Then the Princess turned to Rose. "Well, little one, you certainly don't look dangerous. What is your name?" Rose's mouth was painfully dry. "I... I believe may n-name is..." The Princess had adopted a confused look. "Yes?" she said. Rose thought she felt her heart stop. "Rose!" she blurted out, forcing herself to speak. "I believe my name is Rose." "Rose," the Princess said, "it's a very pretty name. You say you believe it is yours?" "Y-yes, your Highness." Rose felt a little better with this compliment. "But you are not certain?" "No... I am not c-certain, your Highness..." Rose was now almost whispering. "Well then, perhaps you were jailed for stealing it from someone else." A joke. Rose felt as though a massive weight had been lifted off of her back. Rose laughed hoarsly, and she knew immediately how obviously forced it was, but the Princess didn't seem to notice. "Exactly how much do you remember, Rose?" "I can't say for sure, your Highness," Rose started,"but I remember much more than I did last night. I know that this is Canterlot, and I know I was raised in Ponyville. Some memories, too, but I couldn't even begin to piece them together." She only now noticed that the Princess didn't seem to be listening. She seemed fixated on something behind Rose. Rose looked around, wondering what could be so distracting to royalty. "What is that," the Princess said, "on your flank?" Rose was horribly confused. She looked back, trying to quickly figure out what it was the Princess was talking about. Then she realized: her strange cutie mark. "Oh," Rose said, "I'm not sure what it is. I was kinda hoping you would know." The Princess rose from her seat and slowly stepped down towards Rose, not taking her eyes off of the mark. She stopped suddenly. "Could it..." she trailed off. She stood there, seemingly lost in thought, for what seemed to Rose like an eternity. Then, she regained her focus. No, she was even more focused than before. "This mark is familiar, but I cannot be sure of its meaning. I woke up this morning having no memory of the day before, but for some reason this mark is causing me to recall some parts of it." Rose admitted that she had had the same experience earlier. She felt both excitement and fear at the Princess's new demeanor. Did she remember what Rose had done? Rose was contemplating asking when the answer came by itself. "I still cannot recall any sort of trial, nor do I remember ever seeing you before today. This is very strange. Every guard and groundskeeper I have questioned today claims they do not remember a trial, either." "Maybe it was magic," Rose said, "a unicorn that accidentally casted a bad spell, or..." She stopped herself. She had nearly suggested it may be the work of a wizard, but the thought was ridiculous. Wizards were nothing but old ponies' tales. "Or what?" the Princess said, expectantly. "I... I was going to say..." Rose had to say it. The Princess would surely know if she was lying. "A wizard." she said, "I was going to say a wizard and then I realized how silly that was." Rose expected the Princess to dismiss this immediately - of simply laugh - but she didn't. Instead, it appeared to Rose that she might actually be considering it. Rose dearly hoped the Princess wasn't patronizing her. "At any rate" said the Princess, "we won't know anything more until we figure out what your mark is, and the castle library is extremely limited. I want you to travel to the public library not far from here, there you should find a very knowledgable student of mine. I will inform her of the situation at hand, and when you arrive you will search for anything that tells us what any of this means. Will you do this?" Rose was overwhelmed. A personal favor for the Princess? Things were certainly looking up. "Yes!" said Rose, a bit too loudly. Her voice echoed through the room, just as Celestia's did at her trial not a full day before. "I mean," Rose said, catching herself. "Of course, your Highness." She gave a bow, and the Princess commanded the guard to release Rose from her shackles. As he did, the Princess looked deep into Rose's bright green eyes. "I give you freedom to leave, because I cannot help but believe you. You have agreed to do this task for me, and if your word is good, you may keep this freedom. Whatever crime you may have committed will be dealt with when your task is complete. If you fail to complete it, the trust I have in you will be broken, and your freedom will be taken back. Understood?" Rose swallowed hard. She wasn't use to this kind of pressure. At least, she didn't think she was. "Understood, your Highness."
Part 2Daughters, Part 2 Before leaving the castle, Rose was told where to find the library. She wondered why the directions were so detailed, but once she left the castle gates she realized it was because it would be easy to get lost in such a large city. It was just as beautiful as she remembered. A good sign, she thought. On her way, she noticed several familiar landmarks. She had to follow the directions closely, however; she had lived in Ponyville for most of her life, so she didn't know very much about Canterlot. The warm summer breeze was incredibly comforting. In her cell in the castle, she had feared she would never feel it again, that she would be confined for the rest of her life. An unlikely punishment, she had reasoned, but she wasn't even sure what she would be punished for. When she arrived at the library, she wasn't sure if she should knock before entering. She decided she'd rather be safe than sorry. A few seconds after knocking, one of the large doors swung open. It didn't appear to Rose that anyone had opened it. "Oh, you must be the pony the Princess was sending over!" Rose was startled when she heard the voice, then she looked down and saw that it had come from the small dragon standing directly in front of her. "Um... yes." she said, "You're the... um... her student, right?" "What? Oh. No," the dragon said, confused. "You're thinking of Twilight." Rose felt uncomfortable. The dragon silently staring at her didn't help. "Is this... Twilight... here right now?" She asked. "Yep." the dragon replied. "You can come in if you want." "Thanks..." Rose said, annoyed. As she entered the library, she was amazed at how beatiful the architecture was. The high ceilings, the spiral stairway, the large window giving a spectacular view of Canterlot... she wondered why someone would put so much effort into a place for old books to gather dust. Of course, as far as she could see, there wasn't a speck of dust anywhere. Someone was really fond of these books. Rose looked down at the little dragon, who was just closing the door behind her. "What was your name again?" She asked. "Me? Oh, I'm Spike. I don't think you said your's." He said, though it didn't seem like he was asking. "Oh, I'm sorry," Rose said, "My name is... well, Rose. At least I think it is." Spike looked confused at first, and then appeared to understand. "Oh yeah," Spike began, "the Princess's letter said you had... amoeba... or something like that. Anyway, I'll see if I can find Twilight. Wait right here." Rose started to ask how they had recieved Celestia's letter so quickly when she was interrupted by Spike's shouting. "TWILIGHT! THE FELON... oh, sorry" He said, looking over at Rose. "THE NICE PONY FROM THE CASTLE IS HERE!" It echoed loudly. Rose was sure his volume was unnecessary. "Spike!" A voiced called from from the balcony above, "That's no way to behave in front of guests!" Rose looked up to see a very clean-kept unicorn overlooking them. As she began down the spiral staircase, she seemed to be examining the room, as if she was looking for any imperfections to fix before she engaged in any further conversation. This must be the student the Princess spoke so highly of. Rose hated her already. As she walked slowly down the spiral staircase, Twilight Sparkle told of Celestia's letter explaining the events of that morning: The loss of memory, the pony from the dungeon, the strange cutie mark, etc. All of which Rose was acutely aware. She was, after all, present at the time. "May I see the mark?" Twilight asked, not all that politely. "Um... Sure, I guess." Rose responded. As she turned to show her flank, Rose noticed a clock on the wall reading just past noon. She knew that she would most likely be spending the rest of the day in this library, attempting to search the hundreds of books within for clues as to what her mark was. Her company, as it seemed, was a small bad-mannered talking dragon and a unicorn whose title had clearly given her a case of the holier-than-thou's. "Doesn't look familiar," Twilight said after a moment. "A broken dinner plate, perhaps? Maybe you're good at breaking things." "I haven't broken anything since last night," Rose said quickly, almost hiding her aggravation. "Since at least last night." She added. "Well then," Twilight said, "We aren't going to find out anything by standing around. You remember reading, right?" "Yeah. I'm pretty sure I know how to read." Rose replied. They collected dozens of books and placed them in piles beside their desks. Twilight used her magic to neatly arrange stacks of books by category. Of course she did. The dragon sat in a chair not quite next to Twilight, but close. He was mostly quiet. Rose fought to stay focused on the books, looking for anything that resembled what was pictured on her flank, but it was a losing battle. By late afternoon, she was fighting to simply stay awake. It was dark. Rose could see the sun, but a sky full of stars surrounded it. Someone was watching her, and someone else was telling her something. Something important. It was her. It is her. It will be, but not forever. Rose couldn't see who was speaking, but she wasn't sure anyone was. It felt like she was revealing memories to herself, but she couldn't understand them. She felt like she needed to be somewhere. "Here it is!" Rose awoke to the sound of Twilight's voice. It wasn't very loud by itself, but it echoed easily throughout the library. "What? What's it... here?" Rose said drowsily. "You're mark, obviously." "Oh, yeah. What does it say?" Twilight looked back at the book, then a look of embarrassment crossed her face. "I'm not exactly sure." She said. Rose paused at this. "And here you were questioning my reading skills." She said, just loud enough for the unicorn to hear. "It's not that I can't read it!" Twilight said, in the only tone of emotion Rose had heard from her all day. "It's just, well... I can't. Not very good, at least. It's in a some old language. Really old, I'd say." "Really old like my great-grandmother old?" Rose said. Twilight looked briefly annoyed, then shook her mane away from her face. "No. Really old like the founding of Equestria old." "Oh." Twilight looked around to find the dragon sleeping in the chair. She shouted him awake, and told him to write a letter to Princess Celestia. He found a paper and quill and stood at the ready. "'Dear Princess Celestia," She began, "'After hours of study, I believe I have found an ancient text that speaks of the cutie mark the young pony has somehow acquired.'" Young. This Twilight couldn't have been more than two years older than Rose, yet she said it as if Rose was a filly. Twilight continued, "'The book is written in what appears to be the language used by the Pegasi in the time before the tribes were joined, but the condition of it says it may have been written more recently.' Spike, are you keeping up?" Spike was repeating the words as he wrote them. "'The... book... is... written...' Oh, sorry Twilight, what was that second line again?" This went on for a few moments. "As I was saying," Twilight said, impatiently, "'What I could decipher was that the book spoke of some sort of Great Reign coming to an end, and something about a 'Third Born'. Since you know a great deal more about the Old World, I humbly request your help in further deciphering the information. With your royal consent, we will set out for Canterlot castle before nightfall. Your faithful student, Twilight Sparkle.'" After a moment, Spike finished writing with a triumphant "Done!". Rose was wishing Twilight had informed her of what she had been able to read before making it official via letter, but she wasn't surprised. Spike opened his mouth and held the letter over it as if he was about to swallow it whole, then stopped, looking very confused. "Wait a minute, Twilight," He said, "How can this pony have something to do with ending a Great Reign if she doesn't have wings?" Twilight thought about this, but still didn't appear to understand. "What do you mean, doesn't have wings?" "Well," He replied, "Aren't the pegasuses..." "Pegasi." Rose said. "...Pegasi the ones who control the weather?" Twilight looked at Spike blankly. "Spike, did you spell reign R-A-I-N?" Spike returned the stare. "Is there some other way to spell it?" Twilight dropped her face to her desk, defeated. "START OVER." He rewrote the letter. Then he swallowed it whole. Rose was so shocked by what she had just witnessed that she was still standing, mouth agape, when the reply letter arrived a few moments later. This time, Spike seemed to simply belch the rolled parchment into existence. Mail service fit for royalty, Rose thought to herself. Though her face stayed motionless. Spike handed the letter over to Twilight(he seemed surprised when she asked him to do so), then she adjusted her glasses and began to read aloud. "'Dear Apprentice Twilight, what you and Miss Rose have found has confirmed my suspicions. Ancient forces are at work, ones that could plunge all of Equestria into chaos. It seems the time has come to'..." Twilight stopped. "To what?" Rose asked. Twilght looked up at her. "To show you your true purpose" She said. "My true purpose." "What does that mean?" Twilight looked back at the letter. "It says we have to find five special ponies. Ponies who represent something called the 'Elements of Harmony, a power not even they are aware of'." "Wow, that sounds easy as pie." Rose said, sarcastically. "How are we supposed to find five specific ponies without knowing anything about them? They could be anywhere in Equestria! And if they don't even--" Twilight cut her off with a glare, and continued reading, silently. After a moment, a look of confusion crossed her face. "It doesn't give any kind of directions..." She began, "But it does give instructions for some kind of spell. Sort of like a... a mind reading spell, by the looks of it." Spike had been sitting on the floor listening. "Wait, how does that help?" He said. "I mean, whose mind are we going to read?" "Well," Twilight said, "It's not exactly a mind reading spell. The instructions just resemble one. I think we're supposed to use it on Rose here. To help her remember." "Whoa, whoa, whoa," Rose said quickly, "is that safe?" Twilght hesitated. "Well, of course we all heard the stories back in magic school about how spells like this seem to go wrong more often than not," She said, "But this is for Princess Celestia. That's good enough for me to trust." A boldness filled her voice as she said it. Clearly, she wanted very much to impress the Princess. That, or she was excited to use magic for something other than dusting for once. "Maybe for you, Unicorn," Rose said, "but I'm not big on the magic. Find some other way." Twilight sighed. "I'm not sure there is any other way." She said, obviously frustrated. "And besides: It's the Princess. She knows what she's doing, Rose." Her voice got a bit softer. "I promise." Rose looked down at her hooves. That morning, Celestia had put her faith in Rose. Rose figured she should do the same for her. "Alright," she said, "lets get this over with."
Part 3Daughters, Part 3 Celestia stood on her balcony, overlooking the city. Night was falling, and as her sun set, the shadows of the buildings and trees seemed like they would continue to grow on forever. By her will, darkness would soon envelope the land for another night. On evenings like this, she often thought of how her sister had so enjoyed raising the moon every night. And of how, even on the cold, starless nights of winter, Luna had felt no less at home among the silent darkness. Celestia had, at times, worried about her sister and her strange interests; for what being could derive so much joy from so much lifelessness? For nearly a thousand years, she had wondered with sickening guilt if this disconnection from her sister was what had, in the end, caused her betrayal. But such thoughts were far from her mind that evening. Because now she was faced with a new uncertainty, one that could pose a threat larger than she could fathom. A threat to Canterlot, to Equestria... and everything beyond it. Celestia sensed a presence approaching, and turned just as one half of the double doors opened behing her and a large, black-coated Colt stepped out onto the balcony. "Tantalus," The Princess said, "Did... I'm sorry, I didn't summon you, did I?" "You did not, your Majesty." Tantalus said, his voice formal and slightly accented. Celestia hesitated. "Ah, I see," she said, "What is it you'd like to speak of?" "This matter you've been overseeing," Tantalus replied, "What do you expect to come of it?" Celestia was quick to answer. "I expect nothing more than for Rose to investigate these unusual events." She paused, "When her task is complete, successful or not, I will handle things from there." "And what has this pony discovered?" The Princess briefly contemplated telling him that Rose and Twilight hadn't reported in yet, but dismissed it. She sometimes forgot how powerful Tantalus was for a mere Unicorn, even though it had been the primary reason she had chosen him to be her Royal Advisor. By his tone, he must have sensed that letters had been exchanged. "They believe Rose's cutie mark may have something to do with the Old World, and so I have sent them to find the Elements." She said. "The Elements of Harmony?" He said, surprised. "You don't think that's a rash decision, considering what little we know?" "Perhaps." She said, "But I would rather err on the side of caution than to be caught unprepared." "I see. You are most wise, Princess." Tantalus said, bowing. "Thank you for the complement," Celestia replied, her voice light-hearted, "But you know as well as I that this Kingdom would have fallen apart long ago without you by my side." Tantalus continued bowing as Celestia approached him. "I am humbled by your praise, your Majesty." He looked up to see her standing over him. "Your council is invaluable to me, Tantalus," she said softly, "But I can handle this matter on my own. At least for the time being." Tantalus gave a simple nod, and the Princess began for the castle to turn in for the night. As she neared the door, Tantalus, still standing on the balcony, turned his head back towards her. "I only hope that you are not putting innocent young ponies in unnecessary danger, your Highness." He said. "Don't worry," she replied, her voice soothing, "This will be over long before it comes to that." And as she closed the door behind her, she wished with a deep sigh that those words were true. Twilight began to read the spell from the Princess's letter. Almost immediately, Rose felt a strange calmness come over her, despite still being terrified of what the spell might do. What if it caused her to remember her crime? Now that she was free, she realized she might not want to know what it was. Suddenly, a blinding white light filled the room. Rose closed her eyes and covered her face with her hoof, but she could still see the brightness through her eyelids. When the light faded into a mild glow, she forced her eyes open again, expecting the room to have returned to normal. Instead, she was shocked to find that the roof of the library had disintegrated, replaced by a beautiful star-filled sky. She looked down to see Twilight, who seemed to be completely unphased by what was happening. Then Rose could see a small crowd of ponies seem to fade in around Twilight: a white Unicorn, two Pegasi, one a light shade of yellow, the other a bright turquoise, and two Earth ponies: one a dark orange with a blonde mane and tail, and one pink. Very, very pink. All of them, including Twilight, began glowing brightly, as if there was some kind of small sun inside each of their chests. And then they exploded. Rose was thrown backwards through the air a good four meters, smacking hard against the wall. If she had hit the wall any further to her right, she would have smashed clear through the massive window overlooking Canterlot. She barely had time to clear her head of the blow before she was up again, trying to assess a situation which had clearly just spiraled out of control. She looked up, trying hard to see through the haze in her eyes to find out what had happened to Twilight and the others. As her vision cleared, she saw Twilight. Sitting on the floor, looking very confused. "What did you do to me?" Rose demanded. "I... I'm not sure." Twilight replied, sounding more curious than worried. "I did everything right. The instructions weren't that hard, and--" "This is such garbage!" Rose cut her off. "I knew this was a bad idea. You and your precious master. It's probably all some elaborate prank or something. Just to mess with my head, is that it?" Twilight stared at Rose, wide-eyed. "Um... Rose," she said, apprehensively, "I don't mean to be rude, but..." Rose was pacing the room, angry. She looked at Twilight. "But what?" she said, her tone still fierce. "You are." Twilight said. "I am what?" "Being rude." Rose stared back at Twilight for a moment, then dropped her head. "Look, I know I'm kind of blowing up at you here, and... and I'm sorry. But so far all we've got from all this is some mumbo-jumbo about ancient history and possible brain damage on my end. Not to mention some serious public property damage fines for the roof." Twilight thought about this for a moment, then looked back at Rose. "Wait, what about the roof?" Rose's head shot back up to Twilight. "What do you mean, 'what about it'? It's totally--" She looked up to see the ceiling, the same as it was when she arrived. "--Gone." Twilight stared at Rose, who in turn stared at the ceiling. "Did you have a vision or something?" a voice came from behind one of the bookcases. Both of the ponies looked back to see Spike, peering through a gap in one of the rows of books. "Spike, what are you doing back there?" Twilight asked. "Well, I figured I should..." he began, "Okay, when Rose's eyes started glowing I got scared and hid. But she's the one who was locked up in the castle dungeon!" "The castle doesn't have a dungeon, Spike." Twilight said, condescendingly. "My eyes were glowing?" Rose asked Twilight. "Yeah, after about a minute." Twilight said, still looking at Spike. "Spike, what was that you said about a vision?" "Oh, yeah!" Rose interjected, "I did see something. I think it might have been those ponies the Princess was talking about." Twilight turned to her. "Really? Do you know where to find them?" She asked. "No, I just remember they--" She thought about the vision. About each of the ponies she had seen, so she could describe them. But as she focused her memory on the first, the Unicorn, she was hit with an overwhelming amount of information: the pony's name, her home, even some of her memories. But as soon as these things arrived at the forefront of Rose's mind, they slipped away again, leaving only one piece: where the pony was. The process seemed to double Rose's already splitting headache. "Nevermind," she said, through clenched teeth. "It looks like we're going to Ponyville."
