The letter Princess Celestia sent didn't sound particularly urgent, but Twilight wasn't one to dally when assigned with a special project. So, even though it is hard leaving her friends behind, Twilight returned to Canterlot to see what exactly her mentor needed. "Training and experience in Princessly duties" sounded important, but that was so vague it could mean anything!
The carriage arrives at the gates of the castle, and after tipping the driver and getting her light luggage, Twilight scurries to front door. It slides open just as she's about to knock, the regal and beautiful Celestia standing their before her. It's a bright and sunny day, with the yellow of a lovely spring sun shining in through the windows behind her and from outside the door, but still Celestia seemed to be more radiant than both.
The princess brings Twilight in for a hug, and urges her to enter. A guardsman carries the luggage for her as they enter and proceed deep into the castle, down a side passage.
"Now, Twilight, do you have any speculative ideas about why I asked you to come here?"
She did, but they were all harebrained guesses, "no."
Celestia nods curtly, "then I will elaborate on the situation. Suddenly, and without explanation, a creature appeared in Canterlot gardens. He was disorient and incredibly violent. After subduing him we found he was in fact sentient and could communicate with us. Perhaps even be at our intelligence level."
Twilight's eyes sparkled, another new sentient being, and she gets to meet it!? That's why Celestia brought her here, to research, study, learn and maybe even befriend the new entity! The guard carrying her luggage departs from them, likely carrying it to her room here. Another with a small stack of files replaces him a moment later.
"As a Princess it is my job to take care of threats to all of Ponykind, which this thing might be. And, you as my student, must also learn how to take care of them."
Twilight suddenly became very steely, the tone of Celestia's voice is blunt and harsh, which shift's Twilight's opinion of the situation. Celestia doesn't seem to be treating this how she might treat some other situations. This has to be very serious.
"I know you are fond of being able to prod, pick apart and learn new things, so this was in fact the perfect situation. And also, the previous inter— yes interviewer has gotten squeamish and refuses to continue speaking to the subject."
Twilight nods, brow furrowed, feeling both confident and nervous. The stopped along a strange hallway in T-shape. One of the corner rooms had two doors leading to it, windows along the opposite wall illuminating the metal of one door, the other in the shadow of the long hallway.
"This is the holding room. On one side, I and my assistants will be behind a two-way mirror. You will be with the subject, alone, in the other."
"Alone?" Twilight blurts out, swallowing. Her confident veneer letting loose for a moment.
Celestia nods and bows her head low to Twilight, "I believe you will be able to do this. Enough that I am throwing you into the frying pan a bit here, I believe you're smart enough to stand on your own."
"Miss Twilight," the burly guard says, handing her the files he was holding.
"Would you like a moment to review them?" Celestia asks, "there isn't much despite the size of the files. Mostly recordings of what he's been doing in his cell and the like.
Twilight felt drawn to sitting down for a whole day and reviewing this over and over, but hesitated, "no. I think I'll go over them with the subject."
"Hmm, alright," the princess replies. "I'm leaving this in your hooves."
Twilight shakes her head sharply, "are we beginning now?"
"If you're ready, then yes."
Celestia knocks on the unlit door, rapping on the metal with her hoof. After a moment a set of muscled guards exits, and Twilight gets a brief glance at the subject, but only for an instant before the door closes again.
"I think you'll be just fine, not only is he chained to the table, if anything happens you have these two trusty stallions outside to defuse the situation."
Celestia swings open the door again and Twilight quickly scurries in, flinching as the door closes behind her. She keeps her eyes low, reading and re-reading the "confidential" stamped on the front of the first file, not looking at the beast moving slightly across the plain metal table.
"A newcomer, welcome!" it says cheerily. Twilight stumbles back slightly in confusion, such a pleasant reaction. She nearly spills the files on the floor, but quickly tosses them to the table.
"Oh, careful now," he says, his voice decidedly male. Movement catches Twilight's eye, she flicks her head to the mirror, catching the first sight of the specimen.
It's entirely foreign to her. Lanky, strange, mostly covered in simple white garments. Almost like a teenage dragon in height and body composition, but with softer looking flesh. It's facial features are familiar, but oddly placed. For some reason, Twilight's mind recalls great apes or simians she has seen when she looks at it, er, him.
He turns his head to the mirror and gives her a toothy grin. One hand, without visible claws, popping out from under the table to wave at her.
"Looking to the big white one for support?"
"H-huh?" Twilight spurts out, caught off guard. "How did you know she's there?"
"Are you for real?" he laughs, "I've seen plenty of cop shows to know that's a good old fashioned two-way mirror."
Twilight feels a twinge of fear and confusion. Memories of Discord's odd ramblings and silver tongued antics fly about in her head. She quickly seats herself across from him but doesn't look at him directly just yet. She begins filling out a blank piece of paper with a basic heading. Date, approximate time, names all exactly in place and neat.
"H-how," she takes a breath and steadies herself, her eyes still low, pretending to be think about what to write next. "How about we introduce ourselves?"
"Okay, you first."
"I am Twilight Sparkle. Student of Princess Celestia and I will be interviewing you from now on. Who are you?"
"Wow," he begins to clap, chains rattling. "Impressive, someone with some manners!" he raises his voice and directs that last comment to the mirror.
"What do you mean?" Twilight finally looks up at him. Nearly a head taller than her despite being in the same size chair. Piercing gaze, and formerly warm face twisted in a mask of pure distaste.
"The last one didn't bother asking me my name."
"Well, I am asking it," Twilight tries her best to muster up a half-smile but it quickly deflates under the beast's ghastly gaze.
He loosens up again, relaxing the muscles in his face and turning his head to the side, "don't worry about it. My name wouldn't hold meaning here. It's 'Twilight Sparkle' or Sunshine Flowerfuck or any of those dumb names."
Twilight blushes and recoils, "that is quite rude of you to say!"
"You have me chained to a fucking table, dipshit, and you want me minding my manners? Are you fucking assholes for real?"
Twilight gulps and looks down, avoiding his harsh words, she hears the door creak open slightly but she closes it firmly with her magic. That wasn't enough to get her to chicken out. Just big talk from a confused animal.
He calms again, "just write down Anonymous or John Doe, something like that for the file."
Twilight nods and scribbles down the first one.
"Do you know why you are here?" Twilight asks.
"In this room, you mean? Or Equestria in general?"
"Equestria."
He nods and steels up again, leaning forward nearly half way across the table, "I have been sent from the future to to eradicate all the ponies on the face of this planet you call Equestria!"
Twilight's face locks in a mask of terror, mouth agape. She slides down in her chair, towered over by Anonymous' shadow.
"I'm just kidding," he breaks into another smile and slumps back down, posture loose and relaxed.
She lets out a huff of air, her fear dispelled but the jitters still fluttering in her body. "Do you know why you're in this room with me?"
He shrugs at first, but then nods, "you gotta talk to the monster for a school project?"
"Well—" she begins.
"I knew it!" he jumps up in triumph, only to bang his leg against the table, chains restricting his movement.
"Are you okay?"
"Relatively."
Twilight allows him a moment to collect while she reads through the other files. There is incredibly little here, the former interviewer extracted no information at all. It looks like this is the most he's talked in the week he's been here. What could he have done that was so bad? Why did the old inspector quit?
"Could you tell me a bit about your past?" Twilight's voice is shaky, she's suddenly aware of all the piercing gazes behind the glass.
"I could, but would you really understand any of it? No, you would be dumbfounded if I told you about my car, my job, house and all my other human buddies. You'd be starring at me with the same goddamn stupid expression you are now. Just like the other drooling idiot they had in here before you."
He was standing now, half crouched with the chains keeping him from fully standing up, teeth grinding.
"I'll tell you something else. Why don't I tell you about where they keep me?"
The door slings open, Twilight didn't even notice, locking eyes with the human. A trio of guards pile in, and Celestia quickly nabs Twilight up.
"Time's up," she coos to Twilight as she gently nudges her out the door.
Author's Note
Please understand.
The fireplace crackles, moonlight shimmers in from a partially uncovered window, and Twilight scribbles out a letter to her distant friends. The spring night was cold enough for a fire but not bad enough to close the windows. Twilight enjoyed the duality between the warm fire and the cool breeze making its way through the window. Sunny days and warmth would be on the horizon. Twilight Sparkle was excited to continue working with the subject, but she longed to lounge with her friends in the warm weather.
She rounded out the end of her letter with well wishes and promises to return soon. The room felt welcoming. She had spent quite a few nights here before, and so she didn't feel too isolated here in Canterlot. It was a simple study in one of the towers of the castle, with three large windows, red drapes hanging high and sweeping low to the stone below. A big cozy bed, a bookcase with all the cute little novels Twilight used to read as a filly, and more down below in the castle's main library. The room was littered with personal effects from past visits, and new ones she had brought from Ponyville.
That roused Twilight's memory. Where did Anonymous stay? Where was he sleeping tonight? The dungeons would be the obvious pick, Twilight had seen those once before. Dank, dark, rusty steel cages from a black spot in Equestria's history. Twilight wondered if they kept him in a newer facility, or that awful dungeon.
She scrunched up her nose. Day one and she hardly got any time with the subject. Why did they interrupt the proceedings? Twilight shifted in her seat, just about to run out of the room and down the hall to the stairs. Celestia's chambers were nearby. She could bring up her complaints about the situation.
If the princess was allowing me to take command of the interrogation then she shouldn't interfere. Twilight furrows her brow. She was frightened though, despite being chained he was still quite huge when standing. She wondered if he could break his binds, and if he could do that, what he could do to a pony. Twilight had magic, and she was quite proficient with it so she wouldn't be entirely without defense.
She had felt a power in him, raw emotion. So much anger and confusion. To be fair, who wouldn't be angry and confused? Thrust into an unknown world, captured by it's inhabitants. Something else is going on, what exactly had occurred when he appeared?
Morning came with the sounds tweeting birds and rays of golden sunshine. Twilight skipped her usual pre-breakfast stretches to call upon Celestia first thing, tummy grumbling but head full of questions. However, all she finds is a stern guard. Guard briskly informs her that the princess is out meeting her sister.
"Where are they meeting?" Twilight asks, head tilted.
"Princess Celestia and Princess Luna are meeting in one the solar of the castle for a small meal," he gives Twilight the eye, "they asked not to be disturbed, but you can always talk to the Princess after their meeting."
"Hmm," Twilight taps her chin and turns around, heading back to her room.
It was important, but not important enough to be rude and interrupt the sister's meeting. It was probably about the subject anyway.
"Have them send for me when they're done!"
"Yes ma'am."
With time to kill, and the urging of her more baser needs, Twilight takes a trip to the kitchens. After exchanging pleasantries with the staff, she cordially asked for breakfast to which they replied with an eager desire to serve. Their joy at delivering gourmet meals anytime of day and of any complexity is what sets them apart from other chefs and allows them positions in the kitchen of the princesses.
Twilight ordered a simple but hearty meal. She had to fill her stomach and fortify her self for a long day ahead. First order of business was speaking with Celestia. There were many questions she had, perhaps most important of all being Anonymous' treatment. Despite his aggressive nature and crass language, Twilight sensed a panicked and nervous being. Beneath that coat of paint, a new friend was waiting to be made.
Equally as pressing was a full report on Anonymous' arrival in Equestria. Celestia said he'd come from nowhere, but provided no more detail than that. Likewise, the report simply brushes off that detail, with names and exact details being coated in black ink. Celestia herself said she wanted Twilight on the project, but her first day she interfered and cut the meeting with the being short! Twilight was ready to take charge of this situation and prove herself, she could handle princessly duties as well as Celestia. She would make her teacher proud!
After finishing her breakfast Twilight was informed that Celestia was ready to see her, and that the princess was waiting in her quarters. Moving with gusto Twilight gathered her files and notes and proceeded to the princess' quarters.
"Tea?"
"No thank you, Princess."
Celestia, in all her radiance, lounged on a sizable reddish pillow which lay beside an assortment of smaller pillows and low tables. On a large coffee table rest a wide silver platter adorned with all sorts of sweets. Thinly cut rainbow cookies, strawberry shortcake, marbled pound cake, chocolate-dipped biscuits and a surfiet of other confectionery Twilight could scarcely name. Beside that a tall teapot, steam piping from the top. A collection of small plates, cups and utensils of outstanding make were also resting there, waiting to be used by Celestia or her guests. Flora designs traced the white porcelain, silvered short forks and spoons reflected the sunlight coming in from open windows, looking spotless and high class.
Celestia's warm smile hide serious conviction. Twilight could only imagine what she and her sister had just discussed. She wondered about whether they shared a similar opinion on what to do with the prisoner. Twilight imagined Princess Luna would have a more accepting view, perhaps even wanting to release the being immediately. At least, that's what the unicorn figured, she'd think one thousand years of solitude would soften someone up on these issues.
"So, Twilight, what did you wish to speak about?"
Twilight nodded, "our captive, I've got a lot of questions and I'm hoping you have answers."
"Naturally," Celestia's mane shimmered in the sunlight, twinkling in a dazzling manner, "I'll answer what I can."
"First off, those files are steeped in black ink, why wasn't I given the full information on how he arrived here?"
Celestia blushed slightly and averted her eyes, "I think they gave you copies intended for lower ranked guards, I'm sorry Twilight. I can get you a full report immediately."
"Yes, please, that would be helpful."
"I warn you, the descriptions of exactly what occurred are accurate and graphic. I don't doubt you'll be able to stomach it, but such things are so rare in the lives of ponies that most don't know how to cope. Murder hardly happens, once every few decades if we're unlucky."
Twilight furrowed her brow, Celestia's words more concerning than any of the imagined imagery or speculative situations flicking through Twilight's mind.
"I remember you said he had been violent, but those shackles had him contained well, so I didn't figure it was too bad. I hadn't realized anyone, er," she gulped, "died."
Celestia nods solemnly and there is a brief pause as Twilight recollects her thoughts.
"I also want to inquire about his living conditions."
"The dungeons, for now. We hastily repaired one of the cells in the best condition before placing him there. Currently better living quarters are in construction. A padded cell, one with more room for him to move and more comfortable furnishings. In addition, a smattering of defensive wards and protective spells, curses and enchantments."
"Why so many magical precautions? I didn't detect any magical potential in him, no more than an Earth pony or Pegasus might have."
"I didn't witness it with my own eyes, but I saw the aftermath and heard the accounts of his arrival. There was a apparently a great surge of magical energy accompanying his arrival, and some guards say the subject was purposefully making use of magical spells, others didn't mention this but rather that their spells had no effect on him."
"Why didn't you mention this yesterday?"
Celestia smiles, "you were eager to begin, and I wanted to leave this in your hooves. Besides, didn't you notice? The chains were enchanted with anti-magical wards. Besides, based on his actions I don't believe he's aware of his abilities or even has them any more."
"So you believe the guards who say he was purposefully using spells?"
"I do, despite also not detecting any magical presence in his body. We know so little about him I wanted to take the precautions. Being able to conceal your own magical ability is something few can learn but it is possible."
"This is a more complicated case than I first thought."
The princess helps herself to an eclair, eating the snack in just two bites. She follows up with a hearty sip of tea, some steams still rising from her cup.
"I can't believe I was in the same room as something that has killed a pony, it's gotten me a little shaky," Twilight admits, blushing and keeping her head low.
Celestia, old and wise, nods. "He seems entirely unaware that he's done anything wrong, and responds very poorly the few times we've brought up his appearance here."
"Oh, yes. The previous interviewer quit after the subject became enraged at the prodding questions, right?"
"Frothing at the mouth in anger even. How do you intent to handle that situation? Will you back down too?"
"I hope to never get him in that state. I think I just need to connect with him, not as an opposing enemy, but as a friend. Then maybe he will open up and we can solve this mystery. Killer or not, magic user or not, we should get him to a point from which we can progress and work together to solve the problem of his origins and his future here."
"Hmm, interesting. No mention of safe-guarding against manipulation, deceit and violence. You're very trusting of this thing you've only spoken too for a few brief minutes."
Twilight doesn't respond immediately. "Why did you remove me from the room early yesterday?"
"I saw you froze up, and I saw him lashing out. I made a choice to stop the interview before it could get even more tense."
"You didn't trust me to handle the situation?"
"Your safety was my concern."
Safety? When the human was chained? Was I really in danger? Maybe I didn't even notice in the shock of the moment. Thinking back now, I still don't feel like I wish in danger.
Celestia tilted her head in response Twilight's silence, "do you think I made the wrong decision?"
"I— No, I think you did the right thing based on what you saw."
"What else did you need to discuss with me?" Celestia asked. Her pupil looked down at the files she'd laid down on the floor. Twilight shifted on her pillow and scrunched up her nose at the beige card stock acting as a folder for the loose bits of paper.
His lodging, his arrival, why she pulled me out. . . Why do I feel like I'm forgetting something?
"Will I get to see him again today?"
"If you wish. Shall I call for the guards to collect him?"
"Yes please. Can we make it for just before lunch?"
Celestia's eyes narrowed in thought, "I won't be able to supervise you then, I have to attend to some separate matters. Will you be all right alone?"
The unicorn nodded fiercely, determined not to let her teacher down.
Author's Note
These things, they take time.
Please let me know what you think.
These posts are malleable, changes can be made.