She said no
Twilight Sparkle,
Your presence is required in Canterlot immediately, along with the other Elements. I'm afraid Equestria has a problem.
Princess Celestia
-_-_-_-
Dear Princess Celestia.
No.
-_-_-_-
“So what was the letter about?” Spike asked curiously, trying to get a gimps at what Twilight was writing in reply.
Twilight frowned deeply, not even bothering to sign her name before rolling and sealing the scroll, keeping her eyes on the desk as she passed it to her assistant. “Nothing important. Send this reply, and everything should be sorted out.”
Giving a quick salute, Spike took the scroll from Twilight's magic in his claw and set it ablaze, the smoke pooling in the air for a moment before being whisked away out the window. “Anything else you need?”
Twilight turned away from her desk finally, smiling gently. “No. But would you mind going and seeing if Rarity needs your help? I'm going to need the castle to myself for a few hours.”
Spike gave a sceptical look, but his desire to spend time with Rarity outweighed his curiosity. “On it!” With that, the dragon scampered away quickly down the many flights of stairs.
Standing from her desk, Twilight walked over and looked out a large window adorning the wall of the room, her gaze scanning across the town of Ponyville under the noon-time sun. The view from her new bedroom window in the very top of her crystal palace was certainly a sight to behold.
There was a rather loud bang from somewhere behind Twilight, but she didn't even bother turning around. “You took longer than I thought you would,” she noted dryly.
“What do you mean 'no',” Celestia demanded, her tone strong, confident, and calm.
“Exactly what I said,” Twilight responded flatly.
Celestia walked over to where Twilight was sitting, trying and failing to draw her former student's attention. “Equestria is in danger again, Twilight; we need the Elements of Harmony.”
Snorting derisively, Twilight turned and trotted away from her window, not even sparing Celestia a passing glance as she went over to her bookcase. “It's not my country.”
Celestia frowned deeply, watching as the purple alicorn selected a book from the shelf and returned to her desk, setting it down and flipping it open. “Twilight, what's going on? I don't understand why you're acting like this.”
“'You will play your part',” she shot back, sarcasm dripping from her voice.
“What?”
“'You will play your part',” Twilight repeated. “That's what you told me, back before Tirek. Like a cog in the machine; in your machine. Doing what it was designed to do and nothing else; no free will, no mind of its own, just a inanimate piece of metal.”
Celestia's gaze hardened on the back of Twilight's head. “Of course you have free will; you're not just a cog, Twilight.”
“Then what am I!?” Twilight shrieked, slamming her hooves against the pages of her book. “All I've ever done is what you've told me to do! All I've ever achieved are things you knew I would achieve! My entire life has been planned out for me, since before I was even born! I just so happened to have a princess as a foal sitter? My brother just so happened to be the captain of the royal guard, and then marry said princess!? The very first friends I ever made, the very first ponies I ever met in Ponyville, the ponies who were each in charge of something for the Summer Sun Celebration, just so happened to represent the other Elements of Harmony!? Give me a break; that's not coincidence.
“A fool could see that my entire life has been carefully plotted out and constructed around a larger plan. I'm a pawn, Celestia. I'm your pawn.”
“Twilight, I don't know where you're getting this, but I assure you-”
“Assure me what!?” Whipping her head around, Twilight leveled a deathly glare at the older alicorn, tears brimming in the corners of her eyes. “Assure me that 'you know I can do it' or that 'you believe in me'? Discord pointed out how we obtained the keys to the chest. I wonder where he got that information, hmm? You just so happened to be defeated by Nightmare Moon, who you knew was coming back, and left me alone to find the Elements that you already knew about, and cleanse your sister of her jealousy? You knew where they were; you defeated her before, why didn't you do it again?”
Celestia took a deep, calming breath, meeting Twilight's glare with a serene look of her own. “I did not posses the power necessary to cleanse her, I could only imprison her again.”
“But how did you know I would be able to!?”
Freezing up for just a fraction of a second, Celestia quickly regained her composure, changing the subject. “Please, Twilight; we can discuss these matters later, but right now I need you to-”
“No!” Twilight screamed at the top of her lung, standing from her chair and taking large, stomping steps towards her former mentor. “I refuse to be a cog in your machine! I'm not your pawn anymore! I haven't had free will all my life, but now I do. I've been planning this for a long time, ever since I banished Tirek back to Tartarus. I knew it would only be a matter of time before you gave me my next task to complete, and I knew what I had to do. Go save your own kingdom, Celestia; I won't be your weapon anymore.”
“You're not a weapon, Twilight, you never were!” Celestia yelled, finally raising her voice. “Can you honestly turn you back on all the innocent ponies of this nation? Of your nation? Need I remind you that you too are a princess of Equestria? Can you ignore your subjects and come out the other side of this with a clean conscience?”
Twilight sighed, gazing out her window. “I can't turn my back on my subjects, no.” She turned towards her bed, magically opening her bedside table.
“Exactly. You and your friends guarantee our safety; nopony has to die if you-” Celestia was cut off as an elegant tiara was thrown at her hooves, clanking against the ground and sliding until it came to a rest against her hoof.
“They're not my subjects anymore. If whatever disaster it is this times comes to Ponyville, I will defend myself, my friends, and my home. But Equestria is no longer my responsibility. Why don't you act like a ruler for once and defend your subjects instead of passing it off to your student?”
Celestia stared at the discarded tiara in shock for almost a full minute. Eventually, she lifted her head and looked back at the mare who had thrown it, tears running down her cheeks as she too stared at the gem-encrusted crown. “Your friends would never let you get away with this.”
Twilight sniffled, clearing her nose and wiping at the tears on her face. “Right... 'friends'. All they are to you is the pieces of the perfect weapon. But to me... they are my friends, and by doing this I'll be keeping them out of any more danger. Without the constant knowledge that they could be called on at any moment to save the kingdom, they can finally move on with their lives. You know Fluttershy wants to be a professional veterinarian? She was even about to go to school for it right before I came to Ponyville. Now she's too scared to leave, thinking that if she's away the Elements won't work anymore. Rarity wants to move her shop to Manehattan, but doesn't know what would happen to the power of the Elements if we started growing distant because of it.
“Rainbow refused a request to join the Wonderbolts a few months ago because she insists that she wants to be there for all of us when disaster strikes.. Applejack wants to travel the world, but she won't leave Equestria unless she knows for sure the Elements won't be needed. Pinkie Pie wants to go study baking in Fillydelphia, but she's scared that if something happens and the Elements are needed she won't be able to get back before it's too late.
“And I...” Twilight chocked back a sob, tears dripping from her cheeks and falling to the floor. “I just wanted to be a scientist, but as a princess I would never have time for that. You're holding back everypony's dreams. Why can't you protect your own subjects? You did for a thousand years after you banished Luna; why can't you now?”
Slowly, Celestia picked up Twilight's tiara in her magic, bringing it close to her face and admiring her reflection in one of the jewels dotted about. “But your destiny-”
“Is in my hooves now!” Twilight roared, stamping her hooves on the ground and shaking the entire building. “I'm not going to play out to some fate you picked for me; I'm shaping my own future now, and I'm letting my friends do the same!”
“Twilight, please, listen to reason,” Celestia pleaded, all form of calmness gone of her demeanour. “Equestria needs the Elements, without them we-”
“Survived for a thousand years without a problem. Ponies survived without you or Luna for thousands of years before that. Ponies are resilient; we always find a way to keep moving forward no matter what disasters we face. Without the Elements, you might actually have to do something for your country!”
“Think hard about this, Twilight,” Celestia warned darkly, “You can never take this decision back.”
Twilight's aggressive stance never once faltered “I've thought about this for months. When I die, I will not be identified as a princess. I will not be remembered for being an alicorn. I'm going to leave my scientific discoveries behind and advance all the world's knowledge. Rainbow Dash will be in the Wonderbolts hall of fame. Fluttershy will be one of the greatest veterinary minds that ever lived. Rarity's dresses will inspire designers for decades to come. Applejack will gather information about ever type of crop in the world and write an encyclopedia that will be used by farmers for generations. Pinkie Pie will create so many new desserts that her name will be renowned among bakers as long as they make sweets. We will all be remembered, but not for the reasons you want us to be.”
“Twilight-”
“Don't you have a disaster to be stopping? I'd hate to read about it tomorrow's paper if it doesn't end well.”
“Twilight Sparkle, if you-”
“Leave my house, and take that crown with you.”
“I will tell your friends about this!” Celestia threatened loudly.
Twilight paused, regarding Celestia curiously for a few moments before shrugging. “Then they might hate me. Either way, we'll all be free to chose our own fates, something we could never do if we continued to act as the Elements of Harmony.”
“You're making a mistake, Twilight!”
“Leave!” With that final scream and a pop, Celestia was forcefully teleported out of Twilight's room and onto the ground outside the giant crystal tree, the tiara falling to the dirt in front of her. She looked up to Twilight's bedroom window, through which she could just barely see a shape moving around inside.
Celestia turned, looking over the town from atop the hill Twilight's castle sat on. With a flash and a pop, this time of her own accord, she teleported back to the throne room of Canterlot Castle, where Luna waited impatiently, pacing back and forth.
“Sister,” Luna greeted sternly. “What did she say?”
Celestia looked wearily at her sister and fellow princess, tossing the abandoned tiara onto the regal red rug lining the floor.
“She said no.”
Author's Note
A short little "what if" story based on my growing dislike of Celestia for the very reasons in this story. Tagged as AU because Twilight would never do this in the show.
Written in one night on fueled by nothing but caffeine and edited the next morning, let me know what you think as always.
BEFORE COMMENTING
Please keep in mind that the views expressed in this story do not represent the views of the author. Just because I wrote it doesn't mean I agree with every word I typed.
She Said No
Epilogue; Aftermath
Twilight Sparkle sat on her bed, staring out her window into the cold darkness of night. On the very edge of the blackened horizon she could still see the angry orange glow of the fires raging through Fillydelphia. A newspaper, tear stained and crumpled, lay discarded on the floor. Across the front page in large, bold letters was the headline, “Havoc in Fillydelphia; where were our heroes?”.
The solitary sound of quiet sobbing filled the crystal room, bouncing around the walls and battering Twilight's ears. But behind her sobbing she could hear another noise, a noise she knew wasn't there, but somewhere far, far away. The noise coming from the fires raging through the heavily populated down town district of Fillydelphia.
Twilight Sparkle could hear screaming.
Some in fear, some in pain, some in confusion, but all of them screaming. She could hear all of them. Feel all of them. Her heart ached a pain worse than any physical wound could hope to.
The pitch black room was illuminated briefly by a lightning crack of light and a thunderous boom. Celestia stood at Twilight's window, gazing out across the land towards the raging fires.
“Do you know why Fillydelphia is in flames?” She asked quietly, barely a hint of sadness contained in her tone.
Twilight sobbed harder.
“I thought as much. Do you know why I'm here?”
Twilight didn't answer for a few moments, before weakly shaking her head.
“I didn't think so. We managed chase off the dragon that was attacking, at the cost of many of my guards and innocent civilians. Just like the dragon itself, its fire cannot be touched by magic, and can spread to any material. Ponies are working around the clock to try and contain it, but I fear the fire will have spread to over half the city before this night is over. I left Luna at the city to organize a search and rescue effort, and I'm expected to be back there soon."
Finally, Twilight spoke in hushed, broken words, “W-Why are y-you here?”
Celestia took her eyes from the window and looked at her former student, huddled in on herself and crying openly on her bed. “Luna and I are the only two who know why it was the Guard and not you and your friends who opposed that dragon. We haven't told the populace anything, but I will not lie to my subjects, and if they ask I will tell them what happened this afternoon between you and I.”
Unable to say more, Twilight lifted the discarded newspaper in her grasp and weakly levitated it over to Celestia, who took it in her own magic.
“It seems they have assumed as much,” the older alicorn summarized, briefly reading through the article before tossing it onto the vanity against the opposite wall. “Have your friends been to see you yet?”
Twilight nodded.
“Did you lie to them?”
Hesitating, Twilight bit her lip before shaking her head slowly.
Celestia raised an eyebrow. “I gather they were rather upset?”
“T-they left an hour ago, t-to help with th-the fire,” Twilight whimpered, finally forcing herself to sit up in her bed, wiping away the tears, both dry and wet, as more continued to fall from her eyes.
“Why did you not go with them? Are you still exercising your free will?”
Twilight cringed at the words, salt being thrown in an already festering wound. To her surprise, Celestia winced as well.
“I apologize; that was uncalled for. You had no way of knowing what would happen.”
“They... they told me not to come,” she admitted quietly. Sniffling loudly, Twilight asked again, “Why are you here?”
Celestia sighed, hanging her head. “I'm here to say I'm sorry, Twilight. I've known for a while you were feeling like this, but I didn't take action. Just like with Luna, so long ago, I thought you would pull yourself out of it. I could have saved you so much heartache and so many lives if I'd had this talk with you earlier.”
“You... you knew?” Twilight asked, eyes wide.
“Twilight, I have known you your entire life. I have watched you grow and learn and play. I watched as you made your first friends, and I hope to be there when you meet the love of your life. In many ways I consider you akin to my daughter, and I know you think of me as a second mother, not just a mentor. It would be rather shameful for a mother to not know how her child is feeling,” Celestia explained gently, finally peeling herself from the window and walking over to Twilight's bed, climbing on slowly and sitting next to the smaller mare.
“I made a mistake when I did not talk to Luna sooner, and as a result Equestria fell into a civil war, and I lost my sister for a thousand years. I did not learn from it, and made the same mistake with you. As a result, ponies have lost their lives and loved ones. Yes, Twilight, you made a mistake today, but the blame for your actions rests on both our shoulders.”
Twilight didn't respond, allowing the room to drift into darkness. Eventually, Celestia asked, “Do you regret your choice from this afternoon?”
“It's cost me my friends, my position as princess, and countless innocent ponies their lives. The guilt is eating me alive. Of course I regret it.”
“Do you still think that I consider you and your friends as nothing more than pawns and pieces of a weapon?”
Twilight didn’t answer.
“I thought so.” Celestia sighed, sparing a glance at the smaller alicorn out of the corner of her eye. With a gentle, fluid motion, she extended one of her large wings and wrapped it around the mare, completely covering her in a downy blanket of white feathers. “I can't blame you for that, either; I have not been the most... open with you and your friends. However, I ask that you believe me when I say that I consider every single life in this world sacred. From the ponies and the griffons and the horses who live here to the dragon flies and mice who inhabit our planet alongside us. The same is true for you and your friends, Twilight; I hold all of you close to my heart, and your pain is my pain.”
“My friends...” Twilight whimpered, looking out to the fires where her former friends were helping battle the blaze she had neglected to prevent. “Will they ever forgive me?”
“I... cannot say. If they can, it will take a lot of hard work on your part to ever earn their trust again.”
“I'm willing to do anything for them.”
Celestia gave a small smile. “I knew you'd say that.”
“And... if we can repair our friendship... would we be able to act as the Elements of Harmony again?” Twilight asked hesitantly, a slight waver in her voice.
“If you can earn their forgiveness, you truly deserve to act as the Elements. However,” Celestia paused, Lighting her horn briefly and bringing forth an object with a flash of teleportation. She levitated Twilight’s crown over to the pair. “It is clear to me you are not yet ready for the role of princess.”
“I... I understand.”
“Do not mistake me, Twilight,” Celestia added quickly,” I blame myself for this; I should have waited longer to give you Starswirl's journal. I never gave you a chance to truly enjoy life, and that is the biggest mistake I made with you. I let you discover the magic of friendship, and before you could even enjoy it I shoved your destiny upon you. From now on, you are just an ordinary citizen of Equestria.”
Celestia slowly retracted her wings from Twilight's back now that the tears had stopped. She stood from the bed and walked back over to the window. “You know,” she started casually, looking towards the fires. “The midnight train to Fillydelphia leaves in 45 minutes, and they could always use more help down there.”
Twilight's bloodshot eyes widened as she realized what Celestia was telling her. “You mean I should...?”
“The newspaper was asking where their heroes were. Five of them are there already; where's the sixth?”
Without waiting for another word Twilight shot off her bed, rummaging through her vanity for enough bits to buy a ticket. When she'd found all she needed, she rushed to the door, but stopped when it was held closed by a golden glow. She looked at Celestia.
“I'm leaving this with you,” Celestia said, placing the tiara on Twilight's vanity. “Come to me when you think you're ready to wear it once again.”
Twilight frowned. “After everything I've done... do I even deserve that anymore?”
“My mistake caused the corruption of my sister and a civil war, and I'm still a princess,” Celestia explained quietly. “One dragon attack you didn't even truly know about is hardly as bad. You have a long road of hard work ahead of you Twilight, but I know you can do it.”
Twilight gave a small, timid smile as her door was opened for her.
“Just... next time, talk to me about how you're feeling before a disaster comes, okay?”
“I will, Celestia,” she affirmed. “And... thank you, for everything. My entire life; I wouldn't be me without you. Truly, from the bottom of my heart, thank you.” Twilight ran over and gave the alicorn a tight hug.
“Good luck, Twilight. Now go; your road starts on that train.”
Author's Note
Written and edited in one night fueled by...err... water this time. I've gone through three bottles while making this.
I hope this at least helps those of you who had negative opinions on the previous chapter, and it expands on how I imagined this situation playing out and who I felt was in the wrong last chapter (both of them).
I will not be extending it further than this.
EDIT: I can't believe I have to make this, but I do.
I don't care if you don't like this story or specifically this epilogue. I've stopped caring about it. But from here on out, any comments that attack me personally and not the story itself will be deleted. I don't need it, and you don't need to do it. It's not my personal fault you don't like this, it's your own opinion of it. Anything about me personally will be deleted without a reason given. Good Day.
