Twilight Sparkle and the Changeling Staff - Ch.1
“...and I am afraid, Dutchess, that my decision from last year about the taxation of farms in the Ponyville region stands,” Prince Solaris said firmly as he let his hoof fall on the golden armrest heavily. The resulting ring of hoof-on-gold had a definite tone of finality to it. “And let it be recorded as such. Thank you for taking your time Dutchess Bluebelle, Mr. and Mrs. Apple.”
“Please, do see them out and send in the next petitioner,” the Prince motioned towards his guard with a hoof as he settled back on his throne. He had seen the same ponies, the same petition, for almost two decades now. Just a week before the harvests, like clockwork.
The sound of the hall’s great doors closing brought Solaris back from his contemplation. And almost instantly caused an eyebrow to raise curiously at the young lavendel filly striding down the carpet all by her lonesome. What caught his interest, however, was the way she carried herself. Not with the halting awe or skittish embarrassment and nervousness that he saw in most fillies and colt he meet. No, this one walked forwards with fiery intent.
“Hello my little pony,” he said with a smile as the filly came to a halt before the throne, his deep baritone voice carrying clear across the great hall. “Who may you be?”
She opened her mouth to answer though crash of metal against metal turned her - and Solaris own - attention towards the side where one of the younger guards hurried forward from his post.
“Twilight Sparkle! What are you doing here?” the stallion said as he crouched near the filly. “Are you here because of all that... that…? Do mom and dad know you’re here? You’re supposed to be at school!”
“Yes, I’m here because of that! And they’re doing arithmetics today, I’ve already finished. I had better things to do,” the little filly, Twilight, growled before turning away from the soldier… Shining Armor, her seemed to recall.
“And what, pray tell, would that be my little pony?” Solaris asked as he leaned forward in his throne, his curiosity piqued. The filly stood up taller as she drew a deep breath.
“Prince Solaris, I came to you today because I nopony else can - or will - help me. I have come to have you turn me into a unicorn,” the little earth pony filly said hotly, her eyes firmly on the sovereign of the sun.
A moment of stunned silence settled across the grand hall of Canterlot as they - to a pony - boggled at the filly’s request. Though perhaps command would be more accurate. It was only disturbed when Shining Armor sighed and facehoofed, the sound of his rattling armor breaking the silence.
“I… had not expected to hear such a request this morning,” said Solaris slowly. “And as much as I can say I would wish to aid you, Twilight Sparkle, I wi-... cannot.” Silence settled over the hall once again as Solaris regarded the trembling filly before him.
“See, Twilight? We told you even he couldn’t help you. Just… give up on it, please? You are an earth pony, that doesn’t change that we love you? You just have to… love it as much as we d-...”
Whatever else Shining had to say he never got the chance as Twilight leaned into him and heaved, toppling the larger stallion to floor before she whipped around to the throne. She was trembling, yes, but not from sorrow as Solaris had thought. It was fury.
“You can’t? No, I don’t believe that for a moment! You wont! You practically said it yourself, you can but you wont. Why!? Why would you not give me what I want?” Twilight strode forward as she screamed her question, her hooves finding the first step up to the throne. The guards, almost as one, moved forward but halted. It was a filly after all, even if it was a furious one.
“I… will not, yes. There are things I can do but will not, things I can solve with but I refuse to do.” Solaris voice once more echoed through the hall, drowning out the uncertainty with it’s firmness. The Prince fixed Twilight with his stare, just as firm as his voice. It was the type of stare that had once turned away dragons in Equestria’s past. “Changing a pony is one of them, changing who and what they are is one of them. Even for my crown I have no right to decide who my little ponies are. They, you, are free to decide your own futures yourselves, to find your own destinies without interference from me. You already have a destiny out there, little Twilight Sparkle.”
Twilight didn’t even waver. “So what? I don’t want some stupid destiny! I saw you once, during the Summer Sun Celebration. I saw magic. I want that.” Her voice rose, full of vehemence. “I want… to be a unicorn. I want to be somepony! Not… not some worthless dirt-sucker destined to tend some idiots garden!”
Prince Solaris recoiled ever so slightly at the wrath at the denial in the filly’s voice. And the feelings underneath that brought tears to her eyes. With a yelp of surprise Twilight found herself wrapped in golden light as Solaris levitated her up the stairs and placed her before the throne as he leaned down.
“I will not turn you into a unicorn, my little pony,” he said softly. “We all have a reason to be in this world, a place in it which will bring us joy and fulfillment. This is destiny, and while you might not see it, Twilight, you have such a destiny as well. You have a place in this world where you will shine bright, and I will not take it from you by changing… who you are. Only you shall ever decide who you are. You are just perfect the way you are, my little pony. It saddens me that you have even come upon the notion that you a-”
“I don’t care! Make me a unicorn!”
“No!” Solaris was almost startled by the force of his own voice as it blasted across the hall to rattle the windows. “I will not… change you, change your destiny. You are who you are, Twilight.”
Twilight only stared back up at him, tears in her eyes and her breathing heavy and uneven. Then the anger came swelling back in force as she darted to her hooves. “Fine. Fine! You can… take your stupid destiny and shove it up your plot!” There was a gasp. Twirling where she stood she thundered down the stairs towards the doors.
She thundered past Shining Armor who turned to follow before hesitating, glancing up towards Solaris for a moment - the Prince motioning for him to follow - before storming for the gates himself.
Settling back on the throne Prince Solaris sighed. This… was not how he imagined his day would go.
After a moment of thought he turned towards his seneschal. “Would you… inquire with Cadet Armor as to the residence of little Miss Sparkle, please? And arrange for her to meet a psychiatrist. If she keeps to such a frame of thought I fear things will lead to much pain and hardship…”
