Chapters Twilight stood in the middle of the room. The other three Princesses stood in a semicircle around her.
"Twilight, are you ready?"Celestia asked.
Taking a deep breath, Twilight answered,"Yes."
The process began. All three let go of their magic and it collected into a ball above Twilight. Then it sank into her, and like a sponge, she absorbed it all.
"Wait,"she suddenly thought,"Where am I?"
She was no longer in the throne room of Canterlot Castle. This was the lane in Canterlot where she had lived before she had become Celestia's protegé.
Then she gasped. A 3-year old version of herself stood with her best friends. One was an orangish-yellow filly with a red and yellow striped mane. The other was another lavender filly but with a mane of purple with turquoise stripes. None of them had cutie marks. But they didn't need to. Twilight recognized them immediately. The 3-year-old Twilight Sparkle was standing with Sunset Shimmer and Starlight Glimmer.
Celestia fell to her knees. When she could, she raised her head to see her former pupil groaning and gasping as if in pain.
Then, in a burst of light, Celestia heard Twilight fall to the floor.
When the dust cleared, Celestia saw something she had never expected to see. It was Twilight, just standing there, but with her features dramatically changed. Her lavender coat was ever so slightly darker. Her wings were that of a vulture's, dark and purple with a thin line of turquoise running through them. Her horn looked a little like the Changeling Queen's but instead of uniformly dark, it was glowing turquoise. Her mane and tail were a mess, somehow floating up above her head. Her eyes were turquoise with contracted purple pupils. Her hooves glowed turquoise. She was wearing a dress of purples and pinks that made her look great and scary all at once. On her neck, she wore a purple necklace with a pink, six-pointed star on it. But the worst part, the very worst part, was Twilight's cutie mark. It was no longer a pink star with a white background star and five small white stars surrounding it. Instead, it was a six-pointed ninja star. One point was dripping with blood and pointing to something that made Celestai's blood run cold. It was her cutie mark. A sun.
Looking at the other two princesses, Celestia knew they were looking at... at... this thing which had replaced Twilight.
Pain. It was the only thing that Twilight could feel as she remembered. Her friends, gone without a word. Letters, written in a pony's blood, begging for a savior, for asylum from her abusive uncle. That last look, the one that both friends had given Twilight the last time they had seen each other. The look, the one that said, nothing will ever be the same again. And the reason, the true reason why Twilight had forgiven Sunset Shimmer in the human world.
Most ponies believed that Twilight's best friends were Applejack, Fluttershy, Rarity, Rainbow Dash, and Pinkie Pie. Some added Spike to that list. Everyone but her family believed that she never had friends, true friends before that. But they were wrong.
As the memories were unleashed, Twilight's thoughts fixed upon the reason that she and her true, actual friends were torn apart. Celestia.
Author's Note
Okay. This is what I based the evil-ish Twilight of off. Love the picture.Midnight Sparkle Pony Form ]Evil Twilight
Author's Note
This is an alternate universe fic and I really wish this happened the first time: The Mane Six went with Twilight in this sequence. So, this will be in AJ's point of view. The first chapter was just, y'know, sort of a intro.
Also, all Celestia haters, welcome to a Hating Celestia fanfic.
Apple to Death
Applejack waited worriedly. Her best friend was in that room just beyond the door, supposedly being fueled full of magic. She stood with the other Bearers, Spike, and Shining Armor.
Suddenly a blast of light shone under the door. Applejack's fur stood on an end. There was something about that light that gave her that made her more frightened than jumpin' barehoof off of a 6-hoof ladder into a 5-gallop bucket of porcupines.
She looked at the others, seeing her own fear and uncertainty reflected in their eyes.
"Should we-" she asked, before she was interrupted by some dust coming out from under the door.
"We probably should,"Rainbow answered.
Applejack bucked the doors open to see the worst scene in the world. Twilight was... different. She was creepier than Everfree trees and looked like a maniac. Her eyes were full of hatred and that hatred was directed at Princess Celestia. Nopony in the room had noticed the seven ponies and dragon enter.
"Celestia..."Twilight rasped,"How is life? Good? Lovely? Perhaps even perfect?"
Twilight's eyes ran over her friends, resting on Applejack for a moment. Despite her reputation as a level-headed pony, Applejack got an inexplicable case of the shivers.
"Celestia,"Twilight continued,"Do you imagine that your decisions are good decisions?"
"I... I try to do my best for the majority,"the Princess of the Sun answered.
"The majority?"Twilight questioned, cocking her head."Really? Or by majority do you mean the nobility?"
"Of course not!"Celestia answered.
"Really? Because I have a little story to tell you if that is what you truly believe,"Twilight answered.
"Oh, Celestia,"she said, almost jovially, but Applejack did not miss the glint of anger and hatred in her eyes,"you are such a fool. Your little ideals never work. Well, hardly ever. I suppose they might have worked a little bit. But... anything good that you have done is easily outweighed by the evil you have committed."
"Shining Armor,"Twilight continued,"do you remember, that day when my old friend, Starlight Glimmer, moved away? Or when Sunset Shimmer disappeared through the mirror. Do you remember the letter that Mrs. Glow showed us? The one that showed that said Sunset Shimmer was traitor because she asked Celestia about the Mare in the Moon? That her parents were held responsible and had to pay seventy-five percent of their total income each month because Sunset Shimmer ran away to the human world?"
As Twilight spoke, memories began flooding Applejack's mind. How Celestia had personally asked for some apple treats for a party from Sweet Apple Acres. How, despite the icy weather, her parents were forced to go to Canterlot to deliver the treats. How they had been found, dead, days after the delivery was supposed to be completed. How Sweet Apple Acres had lost two acres of land because the treats hadn't reached the palace.
She was shaken out of her memories by Fluttershy, who was shivering with her eyes tightly closed, to her left.
Rainbow, to her right, was staring at Twilight, her mouth open in shock.
"... I wouldn't be surprised,"she finished.
"Now... its story time. I know there are at least two Bearers of the Elements of Harmony who have stories that are quite similar to mine. Applejack, Fluttershy, care to share with the rest of us?"Twilight said
Applejack's eyes flew wide open. Fluttershy collapsed, sobbing.
"No!"she cried,"I'll never tell! I don't want to remember!"
"Fluttershy,"Twilight said, sounding sympathetic for the first time,"I understand not wanting to remember hard parts of your life. If you do this, though, you'll be helping to remove an evil, selfish, idiotic, stupid ruler from the top of Equestria."
"I... I will?"
"Of course!"
"Okay, then. You see, my parents..."
Lightning Struck the Butterfly
"... were Wonderbolts,"Fluttershy said.
Everyone in the room gazed at Fluttershy in shock, even Twilight. Fluttershy knew that they were surprised that her parents, of all ponies, were Wonderbolts. She knew that it seemed impossible that she, who was a very weak flier for her age, had parents who were some of the best fliers in Equestria.
"They... they were?"Rainbow asked.
"Yes, their names were Wind Rider and Breezy Skies. You see, when I was a foal, I was expected to be a great flier, but, not long after my first birthday, a doctor analyzed my wings. Apparently, I had what is called an Icarian Wing. Basically, if I flew too high, or if I got too close to something below me, my wings would start shedding feathers. I still have this condition, even today. When my parents found out, they were angry. They threw things at me. Because of that I got another defect, the Coiner Wing. It delayed my wing growth. My parents wanted to get rid of me, but they were afraid that Celestia would fire them from the Wonderbolts. They tolerated me for another five years. Then, I got my Cutie Mark. They were disappointed and angry,"Fluttershy said, "That was the last nail in the coffin.(Everypony shuddered due to those words.) They took me to Celestia and asked if they could get rid of me. Guess what she said?"
"Umm... no?" There was almost pleading in Pinkie's eyes as she said those words. Fluttershy's naturally kind nature almost wanted to fudge the story a little bit, just for Pinkie, but one look at Celestia reminded her once again why she was even telling her story.
"I'm sorry, Pinkie,"she sighed,"but Celestia was willing to have me thrown into one of the worst orphanages in Canterlot. I lived there for a while, before I was moved to another orphanage near Ponyville. You know, the one that was shut down because of how they treated foals, three years ago?"
Applejack, Pinkie Pie, and Rarity nodded their heads, eyes wide.
"After I turned sixteen, I worked a bit for Time Turner, before I got enough money to buy the old animal shelter," Flutttershy felt herself relax as she concluded her story. " And I've been paid by the town to keep the animals calm ever since."
"Oh, sugarcube, I'm sorry. We- I didn't know,"Applejack said.
"Yes, I apologize for making you have to relive that time," Twilight's voice was stronger than Applejack's, but Fluttershy could still hear the apology in it. Either Twilight really was sorry, or she was a very good actor.
"Oh, no. It's alright. Really,"Fluttershy answered.
"Hey, didn't you say that AJ had a sob story too?"Rainbow asked. She looked extremely awkward, especially since she knew that Fluttershy knew that she was a big fan of Wind Rider.
"Oh. Yeah. That,"Applejack said, though she didn't seem very eager to share.
Fluttershy felt sorry for her. She understood Applejack's wish to not reveal her past.
"If it has something to do with Celestia, I'm not surprised,"Fluttershy thought.
"Well, you see, when I was 'round six, not long after Applebloom was born, Princess Celestia o'er here came down 'n out to The Acres. She said that she'd heard 'bout our treats, 'n wanted 'em for a party or summat."Fluttershy could hear Applejack's accent thicken as she spoke. "Wanted 'em delivered a week from th' day she came. All week long, me an' my family made all 'em treats. T'were apple fritters, apple dumplings, even caramel apples. So, the night 'fore the party, mah ma, and pa hitched 'emselves to th' carts and started all on tah Canterlot. It was a cold one, Ah tell yah. Mah ma an' pa didn't get to Canterlot that night. They didn't get there in the morning. In fact, they didn't even get there. They died on the way there, the weather was that bad. That was bad 'nuff, but then she said because them treats didn't get there, we lost two acres of land. That's mah story, an' Ah ain't sayin' no more."
A stomp of Applejack's hoof startled Fluttershy out of her amazement at Applejack's story. Fluttershy thought she saw tears in Applejack's eyes, but Applejack pulled her hat down before she could be sure.
"Oh, dear,"she thought,"no wonder her family doesn't talk much about her parents."
"Applejack,"Twilight said,"I'm sorry, I really am."
Applejack gave Twilight a hard look before she gave a curt nod and turned to face Celestia.
Then Twilight sighed the sigh of a much older mare.
"Now, it is my turn."
"When I was little, and by that I mean really little, I had friends. Their names were Sunset Shimmer, and Starlight Glimmer. We were neighbors, and our parents knew each other well. So, we began playing together. I was six, I think, when it all started."
"Come on, Sunny! Starry told us to meet her in the playground! And the show starts at nine! We really can't be late!" Twilight said, carefree as the wind.
"I know! Bet I could beat you there!"Sunset cried, racing along the sidewalk.
Twilight raced after her, slowly but surely catching up to her friend.
"Sunset! Twilight! Don't go too far away!" called Sunset's mother, Starless Night, from where she was walking with Twilight Velvet, Twilight's mother.
"Okay, mommy!"Sunset called back, without slowing down at all.
Soon, they were at Canterlot Park, near the entrance to the outdoor play area. There, they met their best friend, Starlight Glimmer.
"Starlight had found out about a show in the park, that Princess Celestia had been attending. We figured that if it was good enough for a Princess, it was good enough for us. So, the three of us convinced our parents to let us go to the show."
The stage was dark, and Starlight Glimmer, Sunset Shimmer, and Twilight Sparkle stood near the middle, eager to see the show.
"I wanna see the teleportation!"Twilight said.
"I wanna see the transfiguration!"Starlight said.
"I wanna see the pyromancy!"Sunset said.
"Well, my little ponies, you will see all that if you will just keep still!"claimed a regal voice from nearby.
Beside the three fillies, was a tall alabaster alicorn mare with a flowing, multicolor mane.
"You're... you're... you're... you're Princess Celestia...,"Sunset said, gaping at the monarch.
"Really? I hadn't noticed,"Princess Celestia said, laughing.
"How could you not notice?"asked Starlight, with childhood innocence.
Princess Celestia gaped, unable to believe that she had just been burned by a three-year-old. She slowly regained her composure, clearing her throat to mask her surprise.
"Well, that was an expression."
"Ohhhhhhhh!"the three fillies said in unison.
Just then, fireworks went up, signaling the start of the show. Everyone turned toward the stage.
"Welcome to the show of the Wonderful and Magnificent Hat Trick!"called a blue unicorn mare with pink eyes, a light pink mane, with a purple wizard's hat and cape that covered her horn and cutie mark.
"And the Famed and Brilliant Trickster!"called a yellow unicorn stallion with blue eyes and a silver who appeared in a poof of smoke.
"And our assistant, the Great and Powerful Trixie!" said Hat Trick, as a young filly of around eleven years old with a blue coat, pink eyes, and a silver mane leapt onto stage.
Hat Trick began with a simple spell, that transfigured an orange into an apple, which she then opened up, to reveal the inside, which still looked like an orange. The crowd oohed appreciatively. Starlight almost squealed in excitement.
Then, Trickster teleported into the air, from where he disappeared in a huge explosion, set off by Trixie. Then, he reappeared, in front of Princess Celestia, and bowed.
"Your highness," he said.
"Lord Trickster," she answered.
He bowed once more, and then teleported back on stage.
The show was amazing. We saw everything, from hydromancy to pneumomancy to self-transfiguration, but it was taking a long time. Starlight and I had fallen asleep, but not Sunset. She simply had to see the pyromancy. It was her dream to be the best pyromancer she could. But what I'm about to tell you now... is what she told me. I am not making this up.
Sunset was quivering in excitement. She was about to see the most amazing pyromancy tricks ever! Who wouldn't be excited about that?
And that was before the show began! When she saw the actual pyromancy, she was ecstatic! It was all she could do to avoid waking her two sleeping friends beside her.
First, Trickster began juggling literal balls of fire while standing on only one hind leg. Then, Hat Trick created a ring of fire, which Trixie then interlocked with another ring of fire, which was being controlled by Trickster. Trixie began spinning the interlocked rings around again and again, until they spun so fast that they were but an orange blur. After that, Trickster fashioned a whip of flames and hit Hat Trick, and then moved the whip away to reveal that nothing had happened. The exhibition went on, leaving the crowd flaming, and Sunset Shimmer a burning curiosity about how each of the tricks worked. Unfortunalty, all good things must come to an end, and Sunset found herself waiting for the Trick family's final pyromancy trick.
"Now," said Trickster,"for our final trick, we have something very, very special for you! A feat that shall eclipse all the feats!"
"A trick to end all tricks!"Hat Trick joined in.
"We present to you...,"chimed Trixie.
"The Pseudo-Solunar System!"they said together.
Sunset heard Celestia take in a sharp breath at that. She looked at the monarch, to see her wearing a surprised and angry expression.
Sunset frowned thoughtfully, before returning her gaze to the show, but she couldn't help but glance at Celestia once or twice.
Trickster had powered up his horn and was pouring it into a ball of magic, as bright as the sun.
"Not as bright as the sun,"she realized," it is the sun."
At the very least, it was a very accurate model of it.
Then, Hat Trick created another ball of magic, which solidified into a white, round rock. It's surface was covered by shallow holes. A few of the darker ones were arranged in the shape of a unicorn mare's head. It was the moon.
Then, Trickster passed over control of the pseudo-sun to Trixie, before focusing his magic on a third ball, which also solidified into rock. Then, a he added more magic and and created water which he held onto th rock. Then he added a small, translucent layer of gas around the model planetoid, to represent the atmosphere. Then, he concentrated, and added the final touch: life.
This was no longer a model, it was a literal solunar system, nothing "pseudo" about it. The revelation left Sunset in awe.
And that was before the system began moving.
The system moved in perfect harmony. Hat Trick moved the moon in an orbit around mini-Equus. Trickster turned an maintained the planet. The sun was controlled, to Sunset's surprise, by Trixie. The filly couldn't have been more than two years older than her, yet she operated the sun with relative ease.
Sunset couldn't help imagining herself on that stage, showing off her skills, and hearing the applause of millions. She could hear them calling out her name, begging for her to teach them how to be as good as she was. She would simply smile and nod, humbly accepting praise and gifts from her fans.
She had been so invested in her daydream, that she hadn't noticed the scowling and pouting of the princess right next to her until it was too late.
"ENOUGH!"shouted Celestia, angrily.
The crowd fell silent. The moon and the mini-Eqqus fell onto the stage. The water sloshed off Equus. If Sunset focused, she could hear tiny screams coming from the Equus. Only the sun remained in the air, though it was slowly dropping down, millimeter by millimeter.
"Do you dare compare me moving the very sun that gives you light and life to... to... child's play?" The princess raged, her face turning red and her pupils dilating.
"No, Your High-"Hat Trick coughed halfway through her sentence,"-ness, we would never dare compare a mere trick to your majesty!"
"Even if the trick is far better than anything you did since we actually created everything we worked with...,"she mumbled under her breath, though it was loud enough for anypony to hear the statement.
"That, my little pony, just earned you a ticket to prison for treason against the Celestial Crown! And it wouldn't hurt to take your family in for "questioning", would it?" Celestial said snootily.
Hat Trick was in front of Trixie in less than a second.
"Try me," she growled.
Sunset stared between the two mares. She couldn't believe that Hat Trick was saying this to the Princess! Even more than that, she couldn't believe that Celestial would be so cruel as to take in a filly for questioning!
As Sunset tried to collect her thoughts, a pair of pegasus guards moved towards Hat Trick. The mare readied her stance, prepared to defend herself and her daughter.
As the guards reached Hat Trick, a light pink aura covered the miniature moon and flew into the two guards' face. At the same time, Trixie's flanks glowed and they had a new image on them: a crescent moon with a wand across it.
Sunset gasped. She had never seen anyone get a cutie mark. Even though she was old enough to get her cutie mark, she hadn't really been interested in getting it.
Her thoughts were interrupted by something that whizzed past her face and embedded itself in Trixie's neck causing the filly to fall down, unconscious. Her parents were instantly at her side.
"What did you do to her?"Trickster cried.
"You'll see... though I am sure you will comply to my orders now?"Celestia asked.
Gritting her teeth, Hat Trick said,"Of course."
Smiling in a sickly sweet way, Celestia said,"Of course what?"
"Of course... Your Highness...,"said Hat Trick.
We Stand, Forever Divided
Luna couldn't believe that her sister would do something like this. After all, Celestia was the good sister. Surely, this was a lie... right?
"Sister... surely you didn't...,"Luna said.
Celestia looked at her.
"'Tis but a lie,"said Celestia.
Luna heard a sharp intake of breath from Twilight... or whatever it was that had replaced her.
But Luna is was not focusing on the new Twilight. Because, despite what Celestia said, Luna was not convinced.
"Sister, in the four years since I have returned, I have not once heard you speak Old Equish unless you were hiding something.
"I am not sure, Celestia, whether I am more disgusted at your actions or the fact that you think me so gullible as to fall for your untruths is a matter that should be left to the palace scribes. What does matter, though, is the fact that I realize that, perchance, it is time for a new leader. One that, has been the only one willing to attend to the infection that you have brought to Equestria,"Luna announced, turning to Twilight.
"Princess Twilight Sparkle, you have my eternal loyalty, unless you do something to change that, as my si- has done,"she said, bowing.
"Thank you, Luna,"said Twilight,"Now, how about the rest of you?"
Luna gazed at the others in the room, trying to calculate the chances of them standing with Twilight. Pinkie Pie was a toss up. Rainbow perhaps with Twilight. Applejack and Fluttershy seemed likely to choose Twilight. Spike would stay with Twilight. Cadence was another toss up. Shining Armor would be more likely to stay with Twilight. Rarity was perhaps more on the side of Celestia. After all, the fashionista type had always preferred her sister.
"Damn foals, "thought Luna, remembering the fashionistas of her time.
Throughout her reasoning, she kept score of the reactions on all their faces.
Then, Applejack stepped up, staring right into Twilight's eyes.
"My parents died, when I was just 18. When Applebloom was born, I promised to keep her safe and sound. This right here? This will keep her safe and sound. I know that there ain't a perfect government in the world, but this is damn near close to it. So I will stand by you, Princess Twilight Sparkle, I promise 'pon my life, my sister, my family, and my parents, Elysium willing."
"Thank you, Applejack...,"Twilight murmured, her eyes still locked with Applejack's ,"And I swear, never to hurt your family, without a justifiable reason, or without ample compensation for you and your family."
"We'll see 'bout that," Applejack grunted. She stiffly walked to Twilight's right and stood, with her head held high. Still, Luna could see her trembling just the slightest bit.
Luna looked away from Applejack, to see Twilight scrutinizing her. When Luna met her gaze, Twilight's eyebrow raised, just the slightest bit. Luna frowned for a second, wondering if she had committed some modern faúx pás. Twilight's left wing twitched. Luna's eyes widened as she realized her mistake. She walked over to Twilight and stood to her left.
Luna watched Twilight's gaze interlock with her sister-in-law's. Cadence shivered. Luna was still unsure as to whether or not the pink princess would side with Twilight. Cadence's eyes switched between Celestia and Twilight, shaking her head as she backed away.
"I can't! You... you... can't make me choose between my family!"she cried out.
"She ain't anyone's family. If Luna could say that,"Applejack announced, glancing at Luna," so can you. She's a gosh-darned tyrant and a damned idiot!"
"My little pony, I'll have you know-,"began Celestia.
"SILENCE!"Twilight yelled. The room quieted at once. Everyone, even Applejack and Luna, stared in fear at her.
Luna gulped in fear and awe. She had never heard Twilight use the Royal Canterlot Voice before, but for a first-timer, she was good.
"This,"Twilight said,"is nopony's choice but Cadence. Not yours, Applejack, or Celestia's. So, sister, choose. Who will you side with? Her? Or me?"
Cadence mumbled something under her breath.
Luna saw Twilight raise one eyebrow.
"What was that?"
"Ce- Celestia..."
"So, you choose Celestia, is that correct?"
"Yes."
"Very well." To Luna's surprise, Twilight nodded, before continuing. "Who next? How about you, Rainbow Dash?"
"Me?" Dash asked, confused.
"Yes, you,"Twilight answered.
Luna saw Dash hesitate for a moment, her eyes flicking between Celestia and Twilight. Then, she puffed out her chest out and marched towards Celestia.
"I... I choose Celestia,"she answered.
"Why?"
Luna stared in disbelief at her new ruler. Why was she asking this to the enemy?
"Why?"Dash echoed.
"Yes, why? Why do you choose Celestia?"
"'Cause... I've heard what you guys have to say. And honestly? I can't believe it,"announced Dash.
A gasp went up around the room. Everypony's eyes were fixed upon the prismatic pegasus. Luna stared in shock. Was this the fate of the Element of Loyalty?
Applejack stepped in front of Luna and Twilight menacingly.
"Are you saying, Rainbow Dash, that I'm lying ?"she asked.
"No! I'm just saying, what if what happened and what you think happened are two different things? You may have thought that she was taking that land away to punish your family, but it was actually for some other reason! What if she didn't know how much it would snow in Ponyville? And-"
"They didn't die in Ponyville! They died in the forest between Canterlot and Ponyville! The weather there is controlled by Canterlot! Not to mention, Celestia signs off on the weather schedule every week!"
"How do you even know that?"Dash asked.
"My parents died. I needed to find out how and why. Wouldn't you do the same if something happened to your parents?"Applejack returned.
Dash stood still. Then, after a minute of thinking, she said, "Still! I'm a part of the Wonderbolt Reserves! I have to be loyal to Celestia!"
"Your loyalty is to Equestria,"said Twilight,"not this tyrant."
"She raises the sun! How are you going to replace her?"Dash challenged.
Luna scowled at the statement. She was tired of them forgetting about her.
"While I was away, Celestia raised the moon. She was able to do so because when she banished me to the moon, she stole most of my magic. That is why she was able to form a bond with the moon. Since she has now given her magic to Twilight with her own free will, Twilight will be able to raise the sun."
"No, Luna, you will raise the sun and the moon," said Twilight, before charging her horn.
It hurt. That was the first thing that Luna noticed. Being flooded with twice the magic she normally had hurt a little less than being banished to the Moon but far more than she had anticipated. Twilight, she remembered, had held twice the amount of magic than Luna herself currently had. She couldn't help but admire the younger alicorn's determination to keep Equestria safe. Not to mention, her pain tolerance.
Luna winced as another wave of pain flew through her body.
Yet, the knowledge of what Celestia had done to the ponies of Equestria was far more wounding.
On top of that, she had the audacity to lie to her about it. Years may have passed, but the fact remained that Luna was once the Bearer of Honesty. She could barely stomach the fact that she had shared the power of the Elements with someone like her, let alone that the Element of Kindness had once chosen Celestia as a Bearer.
She thought of the stories she was told by the fair Applejack and the ever-sweet Fluttershy. Would Applejack, the current Bearer of Honesty, truly go against her own nature just to support Twilight? Would Fluttershy?
She thought of the tales of how terrified Twilight had been of Celestia's disapproval. Was there more to Twilight's fear of disappointing Celestia than mere anxiety?
She thought of her own memories of Celestia. Of being left in the shadows whenever Celestia was in the room; of how, when Luna was at her lowest point Celestia's advice was "Cheer up!". Had Luna really not seen this? Or had she just not wanted to see the worst in Celestia after what she herself had done before?
All of a sudden, the pain stopped, and Luna felt the familiar embrace of her own magic. Her eyes focused back on the worried faces of the ponies around her. Even Twilight, in her less than pleasant form, looked concerned.
Luna looked around the room before she fixed her gaze upon Celestia. She couldn't help her mouth curling downwards in disgust. Luna looked back at Twilight.
"How do you feel?" Twilight asked.
"I am fine, Twilight Sparkle," Luna answered, "Please, continue."
Twilight nodded, turning back to their witnesses.
"Fluttershy?" Twilight asked gently.
"I... you know what she did, Twilight. I- I... how could I support her after what I heard from you and Applejack?" Fluttershy asked.
"Thank you, Fluttershy," Twilight said, as Fluttershy quietly walked to stand behind her and Applejack.
Luna returned her gaze to the remainder of the ponies in the chamber.
"Shining Armor?" Luna questioned, "Who do you choose to join?"
Shining looked between his wife and his sister.
"Twiley?" he said.
"Yes, Shining Armor?" Twilight answered.
"Are you making me choose?"
Twilight sighed, looking down at the floor beneath her hooves, "Yeah, Shiny. I am. What do you choose?"
Luna could hear the unspoken question beneath it. Who do you choose?
"Twilight... I'm sorry," Shining said.
Somepony gasped.
Shining Armor marched to his wife's side, head hanging low.
"I promised to stand by her side when I married her. I... I can't break that promise. Not even for you," he said.
"Are you crazy?" another male voice asked.
Spike marched up to Shining Armor.
"Cadence isn't the only one you swore your faith to, remember?" Spike hissed.
"I swore my loyalty to Celestia as well, when I became a Guard," Shining shot back, stomping his hoof, "So either way, I would have chosen this."
"Exactly," Dash said, "the same thing is true for any Wonderbolt."
"No. The Wonderbolts and the Guard should be swearing their loyalty to Equestria . Not a pony," Spike rebutted.
"Cadence is part of my family!" Shining Armor said.
"Is that so, Shining Armor?" Twilight asked.
The entire room fell quiet. Luna breathed in sharply. She had been so distracted by the conversation, she had failed to notice Twilight's lightly drooping ears and her saddened expression.
"Twiley...," Shining attempted to placate his sister, "you're my sister..."
Her ears snapped to place and she glared at him.
"But not your family , am I right?"
"Twilight... I-" was all Shining got out before Twilight cut him off.
She stomped her front hoof. The marble cracked under the force. The noise sent a wave of stillness once more into the room. Everypony's eyes were glued onto her.
"You made your choice," Applejack said, stepping up before Twilight acted on her anger.
Applejack stepped back, Spike following her to Twilight's side.
The only two left were Pinkie Pie and Rarity. Rarity, to Luna, looked conflicted. Still, Luna felt she was likely to stay on Celestia's side.
"Darlings... I know that the Princess has committed... mistakes...," Rarity said.
"No kidding," Spike muttered.
"But surely you can see that she has also caused a lot of good?" she continued as though she had never been interrupted.
"Like what?" came Twilight's harsh tone.
"She defeated King Sombra the first time!" Rarity said.
"I was there," Luna said, "Not to mention, the entire Empire disappeared for over a thousand years."
"Discord!"
"Again, I was there."
"Nightmare Moon!"
"While a majority of my reasoning was jealousy, a part of the reason I became Nightmare Moon was to try and stop the oppression of bat ponies and their ilk. Which, I might add, my sister ignored."
"Well, you didn't have to go all, you know, 'The Night Will Last Forever!' on everypony!" Rainbow said, shoving herself into the conversation.
"You are correct, Ms. Dash. I did not have to. That was a choice that I should not have made. I should have led a batpony rebellion instead," Luna sniped back.
"Exactl- wait, what?" Rainbow stared at Luna in disbelief.
Luna raised an eyebrow at her surprise before turning back to Rarity.
"I suppose that means you shall be staying with Celestia?" Luna asked.
"I... I suppose...," Rarity answered.
"Very well."
Although Luna burned with anger on the inside, she followed Twilight's example and strayed from expressing it. Instead, she turned to Pinkie Pie.
"Pinkie?" Applejack asked from Twilight's other side.
The pink Earth Pony looked almost deflated. Her hair had lost its typical bounce. Her eyes refused to shine with mischief and fun as it usually did. Most unnerving of all, she was sitting on the ground, doing nothing except staring at some unknown object in the distance.
At the question, Pinkie startled, looking back and forth between the two groups. Then she got up and silently walked to Celestia.
Luna looked away, sighing to herself in disappointment. Yet another Element was lost to her sister's lies.
"You took all those smiles away," Pinkie said.
Luna moved so quickly that she almost felt whiplash. She stared at the party pony.
"Why? Why'd you take 'em away?" Pinkie asked.
Even Celestia seemed at a loss for what to say.
"You know what? It doesn't matter why. What matters is, you took those smiles away. I can't be on your side if you'd do something like that," Pinkie said in a dull tone.
The party pony shook her head, turning her back on Celestia and marching solemnly to the other side of the room.
She stopped near Luna, turning around and facing Celestia.
Luna reached her left wing out, wrapping it around Pinkie and pulling her in.
Author's Note
Hey guys, I'm back! Sorry I've been gone so long! I have a few things I'd like to say, so please read this...
An explanation to any "What took you so long?" or "Where have you been?" type of questions: The answer is, I've been out of the fandom. About a year and a half ago, I realized that there's a lot of toxicity here, and while I wanted to stay in the fandom, it was affecting my personal life too much for my tastes.
I'm not as big a Celestia-hater as I used to be. While I will never truly enjoy Celestia's character, recent-ish developments in the fandom (I'm looking at you, Forgotten Friendship), have allowed me to view her in a less harsh light than I used to.
That being said, I will be continuing this story (obviously). I like the idea of seeing how these characters would act in a situation where a well-trusted pony like Celestia was more tyrannical than she seemed. However, from now on, my writing will show a bit more hesitancy in the ponies that choose to side with Twilight.
For those who are no longer interested in this story, thanks for sticking around as long as you did!
For those of you who continue to read, I truly appreciate your patience over my break from the fandom.
