Last chants for the slow dance

If the sun shines on her, will she be only ashes?

After sleeping only four hours, Twilight awakes to another morning.

For a while she just stares up at the dreary lavender canopy over her. Waking up to her old room in the palace is a morose experience and generally reminds of childhood. Before she’d pierced the lie of friendship. She doesn’t know why she opts stays in the old spire whenever she visits Canterlot.

She’s spent the better part of four years in a basement. It’ll be worth it. So soon she will have universal power. Touch the source of reality. She is unable to imagine what that will be like. She imagines the line of her life leading to this destination, fated from the start.

She has to go down and meet Princess Celestia before Day Court starts. Her stomach sinks, this time into annoyance. She has put a lot of effort toward removing the nosy sun princess from her life. Yet here Twilight is, still under her hoof.

Even at her best Celestia tends to the enigmatic and there’s no telling how much she knows of anything. Twilight resents the performance she will have to give.

Twilight gets out of bed. Yesterday at the train station, Pinkie Pie had found her and nagged her to ask Celestia about rain. She is not going to do that.

Twilight had not been surprised when she left her room to find a guard waiting to escort her. He had nothing but stoic obedience for her when she’d told him he was walking too fast and then too slow and then too fast again. He seemed familiar with the ways of princesses.

But princesses have servants and all Twilight’s ever had is Spike. No, Twilight pushes that thought away. That doesn’t make her less of one. It would have been a complication and hindered her work. She’s just as good and regal as Celestia and they’ll all soon see.

She is lead to one of the royal studies.

Twilight pauses to gather herself before the ornate doors. Even from here the diarch’s presence is overwhelming. It is time to put on her game face. For all her thunder, Celestia is not as smart as she thinks she is. Smiling like she wants to be here, Twilight exhales and pushes the doors open.

The warm reds and mahogany of the study greet her and Twilight disarmedly takes a step inside.

The alabaster princess sits at her desk, regal and immaculate as always, writing on various forms. With perfectly performed surprise, she looks up from her work. It would be believable if her quill had ink on it.

“Twilight Sparkle! I’m glad you could make it,” Celestia smiles with pearly white teeth.

Twilight wants to scoff at the smothering perfection. “Yeah,” she says, taking her seat, “it’s been a while.”

“Six months. Has Spike been delivering my letters? I’ve been sending you many letters.”

Most of which are in a drawer unread, Twilight thinks, until she’d zipped his mouth shut and then who knows what’s happened to them. “Yeah... no, I haven’t been getting anything.”

Celestia looks vaguely concerned at that. “Oh no. I hope nothing is wrong with Spike. Perhaps when you return to Ponyville you should inspect him to make sure the mailing enchantment has not deteriorated.”

“Will do.” She nervously fidgets her hooves.

Princess Celestia just smiles a moment. Then intent forms on her face. “Well, now I’m afraid we must move onto the reason I requested your presence. I’m sorry we must jump straight into business so early…” Twilight doesn’t think she is sorry at all. “But your friend Rainbow Dash faces serious charges. She is accused of wildly assaulting one of her teammates in open sight of a dozen witnesses. So far she has claimed no motive and that she was not in her right mind. Please don’t fidget with your hooves.”

Twilight keeps her face pleasant as she puts her hooves at her side. “You should know that she’s a big drinker.”

“Now that may be, but she has mentioned hearing foreign voices. It has lead ponies to suspect drugs are involved. And for a popular Wonderbolt to face such suspicions, it casts a bad light on the entire team. You must understand this puts the rest of them under scrutiny as well.”

Twilight glances down at the work on Celestia’s desk. Some report on major reservoirs and toxicity, it does not look very interesting. She says, “Well, with Rainbow Dash, who can say they’re surprised?”

“Oh? I always thought your friends were nice young mares.”

Twilight chastises herself and backpedals. “Oh, yes, she is my shining star. She’s the best.”

Princess Celestia’s smile renews as she leans closer across the desk. “Well, since you both are such close friends, I want to give you charge of the investigation. I admit I was surprised you didn’t ask for that yourself; you must know it’s within your jurisdiction as a princess. It is making such waves in the news.”

Twilight scrutinizes Celestia’s face for any hint to her thoughts. “Oh, well I hadn’t heard. I have never been much for the papers.”

“Of course. We’ve got to get you outside more, my little pony.” Celestia giggles saccharinely.

Despite her slip, things seem to be going smoothly now. A bit painfully like the old days. She easily replies, “Oh, well you know me.”

“I suppose some things don’t change even for princesses. Now you’ll have to go talk to Hard Time, in the dungeon offices. He was meant to lead the investigation and has already been informed you were expected to be taking over,” Celestia says in a tone that implies all such small lives and their trappings are irrelevant. She leans even further and lowers her voice, “And don’t go giving her preferential treatment just because she’s a friend.” She winks.

“You don’t have to worry about that. My administration of justice will be decisive and fair.”

“Other than that, you’re free to lead the investigation how you see fit. Rainbow Dash is in the holding cells and the rest of the administration are there to seek counsel from as necessary. Just report to me when you’ve wrapped things up.”

Twilight blinks. She was not expecting everything just dropped in her lap. Seems she can just hang around here a few days, order some ponies around, and then return back to her lab. Things are going much better than expected and Twilight praises herself for her handling of this situation.

“Sure thing,” she says. “As always, I will give my best.”

“I expect no less from my Twilight Sparkle. Well then, I will trust that the matter is safe in your hooves.” Celestia gives one more smile and then begins reaching for her paperwork.

Twilight is about to give another generic response when suspicion creeps on her. It is far too easy. There is no way their eternal ruler would bring her here and drop all that in her hooves without some kind of catch. “So then, that’s it?”

“That’s it.”

“Okay…” Wary but still pleasantly surprised, Twilight gets out of her chair and heads back for the doors.

As she is leaving, Celestia calls. “Oh, Twilight, and while you are here I hope we’ll be able to see more of each other. It’s so rare these days we get to spend time together as befits two ponies with our bond. I trust that won’t detract from your duties.”

“Of course not, Celestia.”

Dash is in Canterlot and so is Twilight now. That must be a good thing, to get her away from library and hopefully some quality time with her idol. Pinkie Pie believes that will certainly help.

Today Pinkie is buzzed. She is energized and her veins feel like electricity from the cake she’s eating.

It’s been another all-nighter and she can barely feel her pinchy knee or tired eyes. So she started on the morning’s orders while baking snacks for herself. It can’t be helped, when she lies in bed all she can think about are the things she still wants to do. If she keeps moving, nothing can catch her. Last night her Pinkie sense went haywire and she hopes Applejack fixes her apples.

It’s been a good week. She saw her friends and had fun partying with the foals. That was good and she does not know what she is going to do today but it will be better.

Fluttershy wakes up early and goes out to stare at her pond. There are no deformed fish there so it is okay. For a while she watches the ripples in water, imagining herself the source in an infinite watery causal web. Then she notices her reflection, and instead watches the fish. They are the real cause of the ripples and never pause. She is still going nowhere.

She thinks about Spike. Twilight will do what is right is what she wants to believe. She will nurse Spike back to health and stop the bad thing she is doing.

Maybe Spike will say the right thing and be able to convince her. Fluttershy never says the right thing.

Twilight spends a few hours revisiting the royal library before appearing at the dungeon. She assumes Hard Time is expecting her and sees no reason not to keep him waiting. No pressure at all, she sings in her head.

All she has to do is spend some extra time with the Princess. She assumes that means Celestia will be summoning her again. Other than entertaining the bitch queen, all she has to do is not anything stupid and she’ll be home free. Goddess of the universe before the week is over.

So Twilight leisurely enjoys a morning of books and then scans a text on handling investigations. She finds that the average sentencing for drugs in Equestria is five years, and assault only two. She snorts at that but figures she can use it against Rainbow Dash if the pegasus is unruly.

After a small lunch, she heads to the dungeons. The main entrance is outside but Twilight is sure to use the staff entrance in the castle. Inside the officelike setting she finds Hard Time working at desk, and two other ponies at smaller half-desks.

He stands at attention. “Greetings, Princess Twilight Sparkle. It is a pleasure. I’ve been informed to advise—”

“No, just give me the arrest form.” She contemplates ordering him to sit back in his chair but that would just be crude.

The stallion barely blinks. He quietly hoofs it to her and Twilight subtly angles herself away to indicate she does not welcome his presence.

She scans the form. She thinks it is funny to learn Rainbow Dash’s middle name is Priscilla. Then she moves down to the significant information. Rainbow Dash was arrested babbling about tongs and porches. She is being charged for aggravated assault, disorderly conduct, suspected of drug use, and has also been suspended from Wonderbolts

“Has she been interrogated?”

“No, your highness.”

“You haven’t done that yet?” Twilight says Princessly, even though she is pleased they left it all to her. The less other ponies meddling the better.

“No, your highness. Normally that would be so but Princess Celestia ordered us to wait for your arrival.”

“Ponies just can’t get anything done without the help of a princess. Well then, as first order of priority, I’ll interrogate her myself.”

“Very well, your highness. I will show you to her cell.”

“By myself. If I need you, I know where to find you.” His expression is still unperturbed so she adds, “That means stay here.”

Twilight leaves him and descends to the dungeons on her own. She’s only been here once previous so she gets lost and goes too far. Luckily there is no one there to see, the dungeons see little use, so Twilight retreats and finds the first level.

Rainbow Dash is in the third cell on the right. She is on her back drawing circles on the wall with a hoof but quickly perks up when she sees Twilight.

She sits up on her cot. “Hey! Hey, Twilight! They said that you’d be here.”

“I’m leading your investigation,” Twilight says as she stops in front of the bars and looks across to FrankenDash. She’s pleased to see Dash is still wearing the red ascot, though it has been knotted very tightly. But it also smells musty down here and that outweighs any good sentiments.

“They let you to do that? Wow, that’s neat.”

Twilight rolls her eyes. “Of course, I’m a princess. Hello Rainbow Dash.”

Near the pegasus, the bad odors are stronger. “Do you think maybe you could let me see what they have on me?” Dash’s skin is sagging as she talks and Twilight thinks to wonder how long her rush job of a resurrection is actually good for. Still the mare talks fervently, without acknowledgement that her life is already over.

“No,” Twilight answers. “Don’t you think that is a conflict of interest...”

“But we’re friends and you should go easy.”

“I know what I’m doing. But let’s focus on you.” She narrows her eyes in preparation of giving the third degree. “What were you thinking, taking dangerous drugs and putting everypony in danger? Haven’t you learned anything about peer pressure.”

Dash leaps to the defense. “Hey, there weren’t any drugs! You know me better than that.”

“So you just felt like beating up your teammates?”

“No! I didn’t want him hurt.”

“That explains why he’s in the hospital. You broke his jaw and right leg.”

Dash rubs her arm. “It’s not like that. Like I told the guards, it was like I wasn’t myself.”

“You’re telling me you're just a dangerous crazy pony then. I thought as much.”

“Look, I’m not crazy!” Dash shouts then looks introspective. “I don’t know how to explain, it’s the weirdest thing. Like there was a strange voice commanding me?”

Twilight turns away so Rainbow Dash doesn’t see the expression on her face. “...A strange voice?”

“A few! They sounded like something you’d hear on the radio. There was this guy about tongs and another about this mare, and one just yelling about punching people!”

Twilight doesn’t say anything but when she does look at Dash she conveys with her eyes that other mare that she is a crazy pony.

Dash shifts on her legs. “Look, I have a theory.”

“Oh, a theory, huh. This should be good.”

“Yeah, who have you know you can implant thoughts in ponies minds? There’s no magic that can do that! ...There’s no magic that can do that, is there?”

“Uh, no,” Twilight says. “Don’t ask that.”

“Right, so it was aliens! Just like hearing those stories where ponies are getting abducted and then strange experiments. For some reason they put crazy thoughts in my head. This isn’t the first time, and at the market. It’s a weird experiment, they wanted this all to happen!”

Twilight kind of wants to strangle the pegasus. “Being stupid should be illegal,” she mutters.

But she is beginning to think she understands what happened. Voices are too much of a coincidence to be anything other than related to Twilight’s receiver implants. Dash is saying something but she isn’t listening. The pegasus doesn’t know what the hell happened and Twilight needs to keep this from getting back to her. Having her take a drug test can’t be allowed. No medical examination of any kind.

There is nothing to worry about at the moment, Twilight tells herself. She has full charge. All she will have to do is pressure Rainbow Dash into taking a deal and then letting her on bail. All she needs is a few more days. A few more days and then she’ll be one with the source and nothing can touch her.

Still though, posterity urges her to be sure of the cause. She’ll have to visit the scene. Even if it was signal interference, no one will think to connect that to her.

“You had better tell me, where were you when it happened?”

“I don’t know. It was just after dinner and we were going back to the hotel we were staying at. Some place on the street.”

“The name of the restaurant then.”

Rainbow Dash is not forthcoming so Twilight gestures.

“... I had a few drinks.”

“That will not help your case. Just so you know.”

Dash casts her eyes down and swallows. “Yeah. Twilight, we’re friends, that counts for something, right? You have to believe it was an accident. Tell me how bad this is going to be for me?”

“Forget the drugs and aliens. In fact, don’t repeat that to anypony. You are in a lot of trouble. It’s almost certain there will be jail time.” Twilight does not tell Rainbow Dash that she has full control and could avoid that if she bothered.

Rainbow Dash winces. “Jail time? Is there no other something?”

“There are at least fifteen witnesses.”

“Well, how is Soarin? No pony will tell me. Is he okay? Tell him my sorries.”

“Hmm? Oh, your victim. Yes.”

“Do you think I could at least visit him? I think we are friends and it doesn’t feel like you are going very easy on me,” Dash rambles.

“Hey, who is the genius here?”

“...You are.”

“And who is an alicorn princess?”

“You are.”

“Yes,” Twilight nods. “So stop complaining. Just leave everything to me. I will take care of everything.”

The pegasus listens hopefully. She seems content at the prospect of Twilight taking care of everything.

“Don’t worry. I’ll tell Hard Time to bring you down some jail food. We’ll work out the sentencing later and I’ll probably be back later.”

If Rainbow Dash realizes she has a right to a trial, she does not assert it. “You’ll be back?”

“Maybe. And Dash, keep wearing that ascot.”

“Yeah. There’s something naked about taking it off.”

Twilight turns to walk away. “Good! We have that settled then. I have got a lot of work to do cleaning up the mess you made.”

After having time to think yesterday, Applejack decides to go to the root. She is certain it has something to do with all the rain and the weather patrol is the best place to go.

Applejack stalks the the building that the weather team operates out of, industrial gray with satellites on top. She can tell she won’t like it here because it is one of those fancy modern buildings, built at taxpayer expense. There are too many changes happening to Ponyville and most of them are bad.

She heads through the door to a light blue interior. There’s a minty air-conditioned breeze and a janitor mopping up in the corner. A seaweed colored mare works secretary at the counter. She’s playing with a rubber band ball.

Applejack marches up to her. “Hey, I have some questions for you.”

“Yes, you are an unique and interesting individual.” The mare barely looks up from her ball. “Please take a number and a seat.”

Applejack looks past her at the bold black ‘Do Not Touch The Employees’ sign and frowns. She is not one to be intimidated by big administration. “Now listen here, I don’t need a number. You know some stuff about what goes on here?”

“I make appointments. I can schedule you a meeting with the chief later in the week.”

“I’m on an investigation!”

“Aren’t we all?” she sighs. “Right now, I am basically trying to find my inner self. You are distracting me from that.”

“I need to know why we’re getting all this rain. What’s in it? What’s the big idea?”

“It rains so the plants don’t die. I learned that in kindergarten.”

Applejack slams a hoof on the counter. “Hey now, I got a right to know what is going on. I run Sweet Apple Acres.”

“No, you have a right to please leave.”

As the secretary says that, a weathermare walks in from down the hall.

Applejack turns at the new opportunity. “Hey, you! Hey!”

She wisely ignores the loud farmpony, walking faster toward the exit.

Applejack can’t abide her best shot at information escaping. “Wait just a second!” Applejack runs over and grabs her by the withers. “What can you tell me about what’s going on here?”

The weatherpony gazes down in shock at the hoof on her. Then her face tilts up to the mare at the desk. “Uh-oh.”

The secretary looks at the janitor. “Uh-oh.”

The janitor faces Applejack. “Uh-oh.”

“Uh-oh,” Applejack says as a burly guard hurls toward her.

Twilight stands on a downtown street. Ponies walk passed her and turn out of sight. None of them know what is coming, none can see the shape of the future. But Twilight knows better. Today their lives go on without her. Soon they will revolve around her.

Twilight looks through the paperwork to find the scene of the crime and traces Dash’s steps. As anticipated, there’s an antenna overhead nearby. It must have been magical radio interference. Not being properly tuned must have made Dash aware of the thoughts as foreign, but the connection to her nervous system gave no choice but to obey.

At the castle, Hard Time asks her if she wants to contact the witnesses so she go does that, then takes care of some routine legal matters. She spends some time marching around the castle meddling in other ponies’ business and instructing as a princess.