The Elements of Stone

Chapters

Prologue
The Disappearance
The Suspicion
The Weight of the Situation
Came Crashing Down
Epilogue

Prologue

Celestia walked regally down the ornamented hallways, admiring the web of architecture and tapestries that was her home. Shining Armor walked to her right, and Luna walked to her left. The group proceeded to walk through the corridors in silence, and only their soft sighs could be heard. No one liked doing this. Well, except for Celestia. She was all powerful, and she thought she had the right to exercise this authority.

The three ponies came to a stop before a grand doorway, its oaken doors reaching far above their heads. The door was painted with a warm purple, and shining gold laced its edges and handles. The three ponies nodded to each other before pushing open the door to reveal their destination.

Several rows of benches lined the first half of the room. Directly in front of those pews were two tables, one on each side of the aisle that split between the seats and benches. Then there came a large desk facing the door with a gavel resting in the corner. A small wooden desk sat next to it. Ponies of all kinds were packed in these seats; rich and poor, mare and stallion, younger and older. All had come to see the testimony of a criminal.

Celestia took her seat at the desk as the high judge. Her advisors- Luna and Shining Armor- stood off to the side of the room. They would help with her verdict later. Then two police ponies dragged in a sorry looking pony, one with dirty, tan fur and a brown spiky mane. A sandglass cutie mark adorned his flanked as he continued warily forward to her feet.

“We are here today to hear the testimony of Mr...” Celestia paused for a moment while reading her papers. The she frowned and looked up and the pony before her, the one she trusted to manage all of the time issues. “Of Dr. Whooves.”

Ponies around the room gasped as they heard his legendary name, and they continued to murmur until Celestia called for order. The tan pony’s eyes were wide and in shock, his mind still reeling from the sudden shock of being placed in the open before lots of ponies. Celestia sighed again until she told Dr. Whooves to explain his case.

He wove a tail of great danger, about breaking into the Canterlot Library to get a spell he needed to travel back to a certain time after his TARDIS had broken. He told how he was chased from the Star-Swirled the Bearded wing with guards on his tail, the unicorns shooting bright blasts of magic at him. He tricked Twilight Sparkle into performing the spell, since he was an earth pony an he had stolen it. He mentioned how he had found out of somepony’s scheme to take over Equestria by stealing a force greater then the Elements of Harmony- the Stone of Curses. It could over power anything, and they plotting pony had already stolen it. He spoke of how he went back in time with his assistant Derpy Hooves and how together they had saved the Stone of Curses and Equestria. And when they teleported back, they teleported onto private property. Oops.

Witnesses were called to the stand, and there weren’t that many. There were a few who spoke about Dr. Whooves breaking three different laws, all of which rolled around in Celestia’s head. She pondered the consequences for breaking each, and realized she didn’t care.

The judge called for a ten minute recess as she and her advisors chatted. She watched smugly as the police ponies walked up to Dr. Whooves side and denied him the right to talk to anypony. Meanwhile, Celestia, Luna, and Shining Armor all filed into a small room behind the court.

“Well, what do you think?” Celestia said lazily. She had already made up her mind, really. She just thought it was fun to disagree with these two.

“I believe he hast earned thee right to a pardon for his crimes,” Luna said in her important, old-fashioned voice. Celestia rolled her eyes at the silly dialect, then signaled with the raise of her eyebrows to continue.

“Celestia, he has yet again saved your precious Equestria. I think we can forgive him for landing on private property,” Luna continued, with a more modernized tone.

“Yes, you’re right, of course,” Celestia replied indifferently. Just go along with it. “Shining Armor, what do you think?”

“I agree with Luna,” he said numbly, then proceeded to walk out the door. Celestia rolled her eyes and smiled at his gruffness. She knew he hated trials. But she dragged him along anyway.

“So it’s settled then,” Luna said pointedly. She started to move towards the door as Celestia’s eyes floated across the room in a bored haze. Luna raised an eyebrow and waved her over, beckoning Celestia to snap out of it. Celestia jumped and then giggled at her foolishness, then walked out the door side by side with Luna. She took her seat again in the court room, and saw Luna give Celestia a wink from the side of the room.

Celestia silenced the court with the simple raising of her hoof. She kept her face expressionless as she stared down at the tan time pony before her. He smiled back up, looking more confident than a pony should in court. Good, his certain attitude would make this much more fun.

“We have come to a verdict,” Celestia said in a booming voice. The room fell silent as the gazes of all ponies travelled upward to her poker face. She let the touch of a smile reach her lips before she slipped it behind her mask. Dr. Whooves was trotting in place in anticipation.

“The defendant has been found guilty as charged,” Celestia stated sternly. Another smile nipped at her lips as she saw Luna’s jaw drop to the ground, and noticed the Dr.Whooves was going into shock. The police ponies came to collect him, and found Celestia asking them to bring him to her room. They hurried away to meet their princess’ orders.

Celestia left the court room without waiting up for Luna or Shining armor. She kept a smirk on her face as she walked down the adorned palace halls, slowly making her way to her room. She dismissed the guards keeping watch there once she arrived, and silently stepped inside.The tan pony sat in the middle of the room, speechless and on the verge of crying. He looked up to find his majesty staring coldly own at him and a scowl formed on his face.

“What? You broke three laws. I must punish with equality.” Celestia said sarcastically. Whooves’ scowl turned into a frown of disappointment, sadness, and betrayal. Celestia shrugged it off and continued pounding on her prisoner. “Come now, don’t be like that,” Celestia purred. Dr. Whooves closed his eyes and pushed a hoof into the ground, slowly turning himself to face away from Equestria’s ruler.

“It’s only fair,” she whined, and continued to walk around his body. She smiled cruelly and put a hoof up to his chin. She slowly lifted his face to be even with hers, but his eyes remain shut.

“Look at me,” Celestia demanded. When there was no change, she repeated her phrase slightly louder.

“Look at me!” she yelled, and she saw Whooves’ eyes squeeze tightly shut. Just as she was about to order again, the tan pony jerked his head to the side and screamed out “No!”

Celestia stood up slowly. She kept her face very grim, though on the inside she was dancing with anticipation. “Dr. Whooves, for disobeying a direct order from Princess Celestia, you will have the utmost punishment,” She said in a mono-tone voice. She smirked as her horn started to glow with golden magic, and the next instant they were gone in a flash of golden light, bright enough to have been a drop of sunlight coming directly from Celestia.

When the two reappeared, they were in Celestia’s rock garden. Celestia whispered a command to walk with her, and this time Dr. Whooves obeyed. Celestia smiled as she saw all of her precious statues, and she noticed how their eyes seemed to follow her. It looked as if they were crying for help. She scowled as she noticed the new Discord statue, because his eyes burned with hatred. Still they walked, until they both reached an empty spot in the garden.

“Your punishment is a magic duel,” Celestia grinned, and she gestured to the empty spot on the grass. Whooves moved there silently, his suspicion clear on his face. Celestia’s horn began to glow, and there was nothing he could do.

He realized a second before Celestia began that he had no magic. There was going to be no magic duel. The tips of his hind hooves were stuck to the ground first. Then he noticed a cold, hard feeling nipping at his hind legs. He whipped his head around and stared in horror. His legs had begun to turn to stone. He felt the rock creeping farther along, leaving dead, unfeeling rock in its wake.

“Why are you doing this?!” Whooves screamed, and he reared up as the stone encased his hind legs. He waved his front hooves frantically around, trying to escape the magic’s grasp. All the while Celestia stood as still as a statue, watching with glee. The stone had trapped his forelegs now, having them sticking out wildly as if punching the air. Dr. Whooves stopped twisting his head now, and he stared directly at Celestia. He closed his mouth, and gave her a glare of daggers and pure hatred. Tears still leaked from his eyes as the stone slowly crept over his head, freezing him in time forever.

What was left was a light grey statue rearing up, waving his hooves and staring at the admirer. The tears he had wept were still there, kept in the rock. You could see the emotions that had played out on his face as well as you could have if he were actually there.

Celestia walked away slowly with a smile. She would name the statue “Defiance.”

Author's Note

I am writing this story for ChewyJiggles, and he may use it however he wishes, for things on or off this website. He should not be accused of plagiarism for using this story, for I have given him permission to use it. I hope he likes it :)

The Disappearance

Twilight sat on her bed with several books littering the space on her covers. She had finished the last one - a book talking about the path of the sun, written by Celestia - twenty minutes ago, and had finished the seven-hundred page book in less than an hour. Now she sat and pondered her life, and her friends.

"Has Rarity come back from her trip to Canterlot yet?" Twilight asked herself as she thought. She sat for a moment more, then shrugged and hopped lightly out of bed. She always loved Sundays. Something about the warm sun, and the birds, and the pure feeling in the air just lifted her spirits higher than they could get on their own. She smiled wide as she floated down the steps, and snuck up behind Spike before wrapping him up in a big surprise hug.

"Twilight! I was working!" Spike scolded, but he couldn't help but giggle as Twilight picked him up in her pink aura of magic and flew him about he room. She weaved him around in figure-eights and loop-da-loops, and then flung him into the air high above her head. He would come plummeting down until she plucked him easily out of the air and carefully set him down again, and then she wished him goodbye with a smile as she walked from the library.

Twilight started down the road towards town, waving to several ponies she met. She chuckled as she noticed Rainbow Dash up in the clouds, sleeping her day away. Then she saw Pinkie Pie and was swept up in her cheery mood, and soon both of hem we bouncing down the street and buying sweet and SugarCube Corner. Twilight bid Pinkie farewell and set out to finish her list of errands.

First she went to the stationary store and picked up a package of quills, three bottles of ink, and a large roll of parchment. She placed them in her saddlebags and continued to Hay-Mart, where she picked up a new coat for the winter. She forgot that winter was still seven months away. She also made a stop at Foal-FillyCo, where she picked up some hay, clovers and grasses for dinner. She was walking home until she saw a jewelry store, and bought a gem without the ring part as a treat for Spike.

As she was walking home, the sun slowly setting, she came up with an idea. "I'll just go see if Rarity is home!" Twilight smiled at the thought of seeing her friend again after her two-week trip. It was strange, though, since Rarity had promised to be home a couple days ago. Maybe she was home, but she had just been unpacking the past few days. She always overpacks for things, and she also could be tired from her trip too. Twilight rolled the possibilities around in her head as she stepped up to Rarity's home.

Twilight stared at the Carousel Boutique for a moment before lifting her hoof and knocking on the door. The house was silent and dark, and nothing stirred as Twilight knocked again. She frowned, and furrowed her brow while walking over to a window. She squinted as she made out Rarity's kitchen in the gloom. It looked as it had before they left, with their breakfast still out on the table. They had gotten the wrong time for the train to Canterlot, her and Sweetiebelle, so they were unable to eat it. Twilight had thought that Applejack had promised to clean it up. Come to think of it, Twilight hadn't seen Applejack the last couple of days either. Not walking around or anything.

"Hello?" Twilight called, and she hearkened in vain for a response. "Hello-oo!" No reply. Twilight shrugged and gave up, and turned down the road to begin her track home. The sun was merely a sliver in the sky now, its golden light soon to be swallowed up by the horizon and leaving Ponyville in darkness. Twilight was still on her way home when the moon began to rise, coaxing the stars from their hiding places to dance in the sky. twilight craned her neck and tilted her head, awestruck and captivated by the twinkling and flickering of the night-lights playing in the sky. The moon hung full, its silver light flooding the world in beauty. Luna must have tried extra hard tonight.

Twilight came upon her doorstep, and she stopped a moment more as she searched for her favorite constellation. She soon found Orien the Hunter, with a dark tale. This stallion pony had had great power and might, and everyone knew him for his great skills. Unfortunately, he began to use his hunting prowess against his fellow ponies, so the unicorns formed together and transformed him into stars. The pegasi then lifted him up to the sky where h could hunt the stars alone for eternity.

Twilight liked Orien though. In Canterlot, when she was feeling lonely, she would look up int the sky on a dark night and find Orien there, sitting there alone. She had always smiled at him, for they were alike in the way where they had no pony but themselves. So Twilight had decided to befriend the pony, and it comforted her to still see him in Ponyville, though she had gained friends of her own.

Soon Twilight stepped inside to find Spike snoring softly, and after placing a delicate kiss on his head she tiredly walked upstairs. She discarded her saddlebags and placed them in her room, and she flopped down on her bed and promptly fell asleep.

Twilight raced on, frantically trying to escape something. She didn't know what it was, but she could tell it was bad. Really bad. She ran through fields, towns, down hills, through rivers, trying in vain to escape her assailer. Soon she raced into Canterlot palace, and she came to a stop. She panted for breath as sweat dripped down her forehead, blurring into her eyes as she stood up on wobbly feet. Her body shakes violently with exertion, and she collapsed. But she could still feel it, getting closer and closer, until finally, she opened her eyes just in time to see a wall of rock come crashing down through the castle's great walls, tumbling towards her until it finally caught up, and she was trapped under a wall of stone, never to stir again.

Twilight whipped into a sitting position, gasping for breath. Sweat was beading on her forehead and her heart pounded violently as she struggled to breathe. The feeling of being trapped still lingered from her dreams, melting into the real world as well. As her breathing slowed and her head stopped pounding, she started to think.

What was that? She'd never had a nightmare like that before. It was horrible. Twilight wiped the cold sweat from her face, and decided to simply get up and take a shower. She dried off afterwards and sank into her covers again, falling into a final, wary sleep.

Author's Note

I don't even know the story behind Orien the Hunter, if there is one. But, that is actually what I do with the constellation ever since I moved, so I just applied it to Twilight. :)

PLEASE tell me if I make any mistakes. PLEASE. <3

The Suspicion

Twilight woke up slowly, having overslept way past her usual schedule. She groaned as she lifted herself out of bed, moving as painfully as a tin man who needs oil. She felt her joints crack as she moved, and she gave sighs of relief as she stretched her tense muscles. She moved towards her dresser to look at her messy, oily hair in the mirror before smoothing it out with a brush. Spike was already up, as he had been for hours. Twilight moved her heavy legs only fair enough to get herself a drink of water, then sat at a library table and slammed her head against the surface face-first. And there it stayed.

"Twilight, are you ok? You seem a little...shaken," Spike asked. He set down a book he was reading and walked over to the chair beside Twilight, and hopped up. He leaned his elbows against the table as he waited for an answer. He opened his mouth to ask again when Twilight's head flopped onto its side, one half-closed eye resting on Spike, and then its gaze sinking down to the patterns on the table.

"I'm fine, Spike," Twilight said, her mouth thick and dry. She reached feebly for her cup of water before giving up, her hoof left resting on the table beside her head. Spike stretched his arm and slid the water to Twilight, who didn't respond except for twitching her ear. Spike put on a confused expression as she pushed the water away. Spike then proceeded to slide it back, only for it to return. And so a war was declared, both of them pushing and shoving until the cup tipped and splashed all over Twilight. She sat up like a rocket, gasping as the cold water trickled down her back and through her mane. She growled at Spike, the stood up and paced with a much more lively step.

"I don't know, Spike!" Twilight exclaimed, and stopped pacing for a moment to give the ground a hard stare. She picked up pacing again, trotting about the room in a feverish way.

"What do you mean?" Spike questioned, and Twilight's head snapped in his direction. "Oh, brother, Twilight's going in crazy mode," Spike thought to himself. He sighed as Twilight started mumbling to herself until Spike walked up and placed his hands firmly on her shoulders.

She made a sharp intake of breath, then slowly released the air back out, easily calming herself down and expelling the excess adrenaline. She shook her head and moved to the table again, Spike promptly following on her tail. He jumped up into his seat just as Twilight sat in hers, and he waited for her to start.

"It's probably nothing, but..." Twilight paused and gathered her thoughts before continuing. "I just had this horrible dream. I mean, nightmare. I was being followed by...by something, and no matter how far or fast I ran, it was always was behind me. I couldn't shake it. Just when I thought I was safe, it- the rocks came crashing down, and.." Twilight let out a shaky breath, her wide eyes trained on the table, but with a distant, foggy look. Then she shook her head wildly and her eyes snapped shut, only for her to reopen them and smile.

"Like I said, it's probably nothing," Twilight said, sounding more confident than she was. She stood up and made towards the door before being held back by Spike.

"Twilight, if this is really bothering you, you should talk about it more," Spike said, the concern obvious in his voice.

"I'm fine, really," Twilight said with a shaky laugh. Her eyes went everywhere except for Spike's eyes, and she forced a sorry-looking smile to show how "fine" she was. She had started slowly backing towards the door now.

"Are you sure you're okay?" Spike asked again, and Twilight gave him a curt "Yes." in return. He gave Twilight a hard stare before shaking his head and shrugging. "Okay then, Twilight," Spike submitted, and Twilight proceeded to walk out the door.

The warm spring air shone on her shoulders and lifted her spirits. She soon left the memory of her haunting nightmare deep in the recesses of her mind and continued along the path. She stopped for a moment at Rarity's home, only to be disappointed with a missing mare and an empty house. She purchased lunch at the Clover Club, and then made her way over to Sweet Apple Acres.

Twilight admired the miles of apple trees before walking up and knocking lightly on the Apple Family's door. She heard Granny Smith call out, "What? Who's there?" in a slightly raspy voice, which was quickly followed by a yelp of surprise and the crashing of something wooden and clay. Then there was some mumbling before the door clicked and swung inward.

"Hello, Granny Smith," Twilight said with a sweet smile. Granny Smith squinted and stared at Twilight for a moment before smiling back.

"Oh, Twilight, it's good t' see ya!" Granny Smith said in her old, crackling voice. She started to beckon Twilight into her home before Twilight stopped her with a shake of her head.

"I can't stay Granny Smith; I still have some work at the library. I just wanted to now if Applejack was around...?" Granny Smith looked up as she thought for a moment before replying.

"Applejack ain't home. She went up t' Canterlot t' get 'er friend Rarity or somethin'. Thought she'd be back by now. Oh well." Granny Smith shrugged as she said the last words, and Twilight thanked her and asked her to send Applejack to see her when she came back. Then Twilight walk down the road towards home, when a blur of rainbows slammed into her side. She was still groaning when Rainbow Dash lifted her up onto her feet quickly enough to make Twilight's head spin.

"Rainbow! Jeez, I probably have a confusion now or something..." Twilight complained, running her hoof against the bump on her head. She gave up her criticism when she noticed Rainbow Dash hopping up and down, her feet switching off diagonally from in the air to pushing off the ground. She had a look of pure excitement on her face, and Twilight knew better than to get her to try and listen.

"Twilight! You won't believe it! Celestia sent me a letter talking about a race in Canterlot, and she's asked me to attend! It's going to be so awesome!" Rainbow Dash spilled her goods news out of her mouth, pushing her hooves up into her cheeks to make a squishy looking face with bunched up lips. Twilight giggled at her friends good mood, and asked to hear more about it.

"Well, Celestia didn't tell me too much," Rainbow Dash said, "I only know that she wanted me to come to the palace when I get to Canterlot, and she'll give me a place to stay." Rainbow Dash's voice was shaken by her frivolous bouncing, and she told Twilight she had to dash, and she blasted off only to stop in mid-air by a call.

"When you're in Canterlot, can you ask Celestia if she knows of Applejack's and Rarity's whereabouts?" Twilight shouted. Rainbow Dash gave a nod of agreement before jetting off to her cloud home. Twilight decided to stop at SugarCube Corner for a treat before going home.

"Oh, Twilight, how've you been doing lately?" Mrs. Cake beamed as Twilight walked up to the counter.

"Just fine, thank you," Twilight replied sweetly, and her gaze travelled over the numerous rows of cupcakes before pointing to one with her hoof. Mrs. Cake nodded with a smile and pulled it out from the glass case, and handed it to Twilight. She rung her up quickly and Twilight placed her bits on the table before sitting down at a table not to far from the counter.

"Is Pinkie home?" Twilight asked before munching on her muffin. She sighed with pleasure as the sugary flavor of hot cocoa burst onto her mouth, followed by the light flavor of marshmallows and chocolate cupcake. Hot chocolate cupcakes were her favorite kind, and Twilight was always amazed at how some pony good make something taste so much like a warm cup of cocoa.

"Pinkie? Oh no, she left for Canterlot a while ago," Mrs. Cake said. "Someone ordered a batch of cupcakes, and they asked for Pinkie's special kind, too, so she went to deliver them personally," Mrs. Cake added. Twilight was a little surprised to hear about this, especially since three of her five friends were either in or going to Canterlot. Well, now it was four out of five friends. "She brought her friend Fluttershy along, too," Mrs. Cake said. "She said that Fluttershy had received a note saying that the Canterlot gardens were open with the tickets half-priced!"

Twilight quickly finished her cupcake and thanked Mrs. Cake without too much discussion. She began walking home shortly after with the beginnings of a frown sitting on her lips. All of her friends going to Canterlot at the exact same time? That couldn't be a coincidence. Had they all planned something? Or did Celestia just need them for different things? No, Applejack went to Canterlot to get Rarity. Unless she got detoured once there...

Spike was already asleep when Twilight arrived home, so she just flopped onto bed from her exhausting day.

Twilight was running again, racing frantically over the same scenery she saw in her dream before. Now she could recognize the whole scene to be Canterlot, and she was weaving through the gardens, and the streets, and the countryside. Something was still chasing her, and she still was never able to lose it. It felt different though, like her pursuer had a mind, a heart, and a plan. Once again Twilight found herself in the Palace, panting for breath. This time, though, a bright flash of golden magic blinded her just before she could no longer move. The stone crept up her body quickly, and she was trapped. Her dream began to fade when a single, powerful voice emanated throughout her mind. It spoke a single word- "Come."

Twilight once again sat up in bed, but she was less scared now. She was just confused. Come? It wants me to go somewhere? Go where? Who was the voice? It sounded vaguely familiar, like a voice distorted by the dream. Was someone in trouble? All of these thoughts ran around in Twilight's head as she settled in for another night of weary sleep.

The Weight of the Situation

Twilight woke again in the morning, tired but determined. She wanted to know what was going on. She had to know, or it would drive her crazy. The voice in her head repeated the dream's message over and over in her ears: Come. Come. Come. Come to a place, though you may not know where. Come to a place of safety or danger. Come all the same.

Twilight couldn't get that constant reminder out of her head. She knew it would drive her to insanity. She slammed a pillow over her ears and across her face and screamed at the voice, telling it to go away. It wouldn't. Twilight tried her best to tune it out, to just ignore it, but its tedious rhythm poked through her defenses.

"Spike!" Twilight shouted, and Spike came running through her bedroom door a moment later. He saw a lavender pony scrunched up under the covers, her hair still frazzled and her body shaking. A look of concerned surprise crossed his face before he settled down on the end of her bed.

"What is it, Twilight? Are you feeling okay?" Spike questioned. He started babbling about how he would write to the Princess saying you couldn't do friendship letters for awhile, and anythings he could do to make her feel better before he got a hoof in the mouth.

"Spike, I..I had a nightmare. The same one as before. But this time, someone, a unicorn, turned me to stone. And then I heard a voice say,'Come.' What does it mean?" Twilight had grabbed a hold of her tail and was slowly rocking back and forth, staring at the patterns of stars on her bedspread. Spike laid a hand on her forehead to make sure she wasn't feverish, and then thought for a moment.

"Maybe it doesn't mean anything," he suggested, only to get a mouthful from Twilight telling him to take this seriously. He sat through the criticism for a moment before interrupting her. "Twilight, like you always tell me, I'm still a baby dragon! I have no idea what it means! The only thing I can think of is that it wants you to go who knows where, but you've already figured that out!" Spike exclaimed in exasperation.

Twilight's gaze fell to the floor guiltily, and she looked back up with the makings of tears rimming her eyes. "I'm sorry, Spike," she choked, "I'm just so confused."

Now it was Spike's turn to feel guilty. So, he thought some more, and finally came up with an idea. "Well, maybe every pony is going somewhere," he said thoughtfully, "so you're supposed to join them there."

"The only place I can think of is Canterlot," Twilight said, moving a hoof up to her chin while thinking. "Every one of my friends is there now." Twilight gasped as the idea hit her, and her eyes widened. Before Spike could even say,"What are you planning?" Twilight was packed up and out the door, sprinting to the train station.

She arrived just as a train was starting to leave. She snatched up a ticket with her magic and threw her coins into the ticket booth before making a mad dash onto the locomotive right as they shut the doors.

She sat down, panting heavily from the sprints, with several ponies glaring grumpily at her. She blushed and gave an embarrassed chuckle, and she settled into a seat as the train started. It sped along, and Twilight reached Canterlot the next day.

Twilight stepped carefully off of the train, and she winced as the train jolted off again. Twilight had a feeling something was wrong here in Canterlot. You wouldn't see it if you looked around, but you had to feel it deep indie. To Twilight, it felt like this place was the core of her nightmares, the place these horrible dreams came from and the place for her to finally get some answers.

Twilight looked around, wondering exactly where to start. She soon gave up as her stomach poked its way into her thoughts, and it forced her to buy a bite to eat. Twenty minutes later, she stood up again and paced through Canterlot. She was without direction. She had no idea where to start. Canterlot was a maze of streets and pavement, and she was stuck in the middle of it.

So, she trotted aimlessly along, confused and discouraged, until she stepped into the part of the city closest to the Palace. Suddenly he felt something, light a soft tugging at her thoughts and heart. It lead her down the roads, through the city. She had a feeling this is what she needed to follow. As she continued on its path, the sensation grew stronger until she thought it might pull her soul out of her body.

She finally came to the doors of the Canterlot Palace. She stopped for a moment, despite the pulling in her chest. Do I go in there? Twilight thought. As if answering, the sensation changed, pulling her along in a different direction. Not a long time afterwards, she showed up at the Canterlot Gardens. Which was surprisingly swarming with guards. None were inside of the entrance though- they all milled about directly outside the wall of hedges.

When Twilight approached, two guards came to meet her. One was a tough looking grey pegasus with a scar on his chin, but missing quite a bit of muscle that's usually required by the Royal Guard. The other was a white earth pony with much more bulk to him, and his coat was marred by nothing except for a spot of dirt on his shoulder. The pegasus' wing blocked her path, while the earth pony stared down menacingly.

"The Princess has forbid anyone from entering the gardens," the white pony said gruffly. He now stared straight ahead at something in the distance, not focusing on Twilight.

"I am the Princess' most prized student, and the Element of Magic. I think she would allow me to be in there."
Twilight said, a little more sarcastic sounding than she meant. The pegasus tensed uncomfortably, and he looked to his fellow soldier, who looked back. The pegasus nodded, and the white guard gave a confused look.One of them was obviously more informed than the other. The pegasus coughed, and then spoke.

"Being the Element of Magic Bearer, I must place you under arrest," the pegasus said, and he made a move to grab Twilight. Twilight couldn't move for a moment because of shock, but he was snapped out of it when the pony grabbed her shoulder.

"Get off me!" Twilight yelled. She ducked down and swung around, then brought her legs up in a buck. It met with the soldier's stomach, forcing him to let go for a split second. Twilight took this opportunity to sprint away from the gardens, the confused earth pony just starting to give chase. Soon the pegasus was up in the air, and he was diving swiftly down to stop Twilight in her tracks.

Twilight stopped and squeezed her eyes shut. She smirked as she felt the hum of her magic spark to life, flowing from deep within her to the tip of her horn. It started building up, gaining power at her horn, and she felt the wind from the pegasus' wings right before she released it, and left the pegasus standing there dumbfounded as to where th pony he had seen a sec on before had disappeared before his eyes.

Twilight reappeared in the garden, past all of the guards. She ducked her head down so she wouldn't be spotted, and started moving towards the end of the garden with less guards around it. As she walked along, she realized that at one point the guards stopped abruptly. No air patrols or ground soldiers. Celestia must not trust them enough to be here. So, after Twilight crossed the point where the guards stopped and had walked around a bend, she lifted her head and walked normally. This was the deeper part of the garden, where little statues stood and almost no pony visited. She kept walking though because the tugging at her heart had picked up again, and now it was pulling frantically as if saying, "You're almost there! You're so close! DO NOT STOP!"

Twilight rounded another bend and saw a little circle of hedges. There were openings in the sides, and there were several layers of bushes all getting bigger as they went out. It looked like a spiral with bits cut out.

Twilight stepped into one of the openings. The grass was softer and springier here. It was bigger than she thought. There were several statues in-between the rings, not in the center where the paths led. Twilight looked at them, and a frown started tugging at her face as she continued to look. Suspicion like she had never felt before started leaking into her heart, and it slowly started tightening in her chest.

Is...is that...Dr. Whooves? Twilight's eyes widened as she recognized the trapped pony, staring at her with waving hooves. The statue made it look as if he were angry, but when she looked beyond it, she felt a pleading gaze lock onto her. IT felt ominous too, like it was calling, "Get out of here! Or you will have the same fate."

Twilight started a quicker, nervous trot down the pathways, coming across pony after pony that she already knew. Derpy Hooves...Bon Bon...Lyra... Twilight choked down the scream that was threatening to leave her throat, and she started galloping around the spiral at full speed. Suddenly, she ran through an exit into the center of the circle.

Twilight gasped and let the tears flow freely as she saw her five friends in a circle, all trapped in stone as they were seen during their last attempt at escape. And in the center of them all, standing regally with a look of hate and disgust, but with a single tear encased in stone, was Princess Luna.

Came Crashing Down

"No!" Twilight wept, the tears blurring her vision and wetting her cheeks. She rocked back and forth on the ground, not even starting to comprehend what was going on. All her friends...Princess Luna...and countless others. How? Why? She kept crying, and suddenly, she felt something come into her mind. It was not her conscience, it felt like it was coming from the outside. The mind seemed vast and wide, and almost alien. Twilight recoiled from its touch, until she heard a familiar voice call to her in her mind.

"Do not be afraid," it spoke, " 'tis I, Princess Luna." Twilight gasped from both the shock of it and her sobbing. She could almost feel Luna wrap her in a stiff hug, but deep in her mind. She felt a tense feeling from Luna's thoughts, thinly covering a boiling anger. And deep, far beyond that was the darkest sadness that any pony could feel. Twilight looked up to see if Luna's expression had changed, only to be disappointed when she was met with the cold face of a statue.

"Luna? How... how are you doing this? How did this happen?" Twilight spoke out loud, not knowing how to reply in her thoughts. Luna's mind was quiet for a moment, then spoke to her.

"Celestia happened. She had spoken to me about how she was not the most powerful being in Equestria anymore. Now I was home from my banishment, and the Elements of Harmony are no longer was obtainable to her. She was worried that ponies might lose faith in her, or accuse her of being weak. She was a little more grief-stricken than I thought, and she went insane. She has been trapping anyone she thinks has any power at all through any means necessary."

"Oh my gosh.." Twilight whispered, and she realized that no one stood a chance against Celestia. They could try to fight back, but Celestia would beat them every time. It was like a slaughter house without the blood.

"Much like I manipulated your dreams to get you to come here, I can speak to you directly through your mind." Twilight would have been amazed by this, and should have already been pouring out questions, but given the current situation, that wasn't the case. She just nodded numbly. But she did ask one question.

"If Celestia encased you in stone, how can you even talk to me, or use magic?"

"Celestia can try and block my magic, but we are equals. She can only block the most important things, like the magic powerful enough to break my stone prison. And though we may be trapped, our minds are still very much active." Twilight thought about her friends, trapped, being unable to move, but still be able to think about everything that happened. She thought about how Rainbow Dash, and how she couldn't stand being still for too long. And Applejack, always fit and active. And Pinkie, always bouncing.

"Would you like to speak with them?" Luna asked. Twilight instantly brightened at the idea and nodded vigorously. Realizing Luna couldn't see her, Twilight said a polite "Yes, please," to Luna, and she felt five minds rush into hers with Luna's lingering in the background.

"Twilight! It is so great great GREAT to see you!" said a bubbly voice.

"Pinkie, hi," Twilight smiled, and she started to wipe the tears from her eyes. Just hearing that happy voice still have joy after all of this was a great feeling to have. "I'm so sorry I didn't come sooner," Twilight sniffed, and almost sent herself into another bout of tears.

"There was nothin' you could've done, sugar cube," said a more serious, but warm voice. "Don't beat yourself up about it. Ya didn't know." Twilight was also comforted by the smooth, friendly voice that was always touched by a southern drawl. Twilight smiled again at Applejack's reassuring words.

"You still could've been here faster though. Jeez, I'm gonna go insane if I can't get these wings pumping' soon!" said a harsher voice, still slightly cracking from the changing pitches of her voice. Rainbow Dash's gruff and tough attitude made Twilight laugh, and she she apologized sarcastically to Rainbow Dash in return.

"Oh, Darling, your mane is a mess! Did you not brush it when you awoke?" said a crisp, curly voice.Rarity's Canterlot accent was always sounding so proper, and Twilight also giggled about how Rarity's main priority at the moment was worrying about Twilight's hair.

"Fluttershy? Are you there?" Twilight called out, and she felt another mind become stronger in presence. She could here the four of her friends she had spoken to start mumbling, talking about anger and craziness.

"I HATE Celestia! Pushing me around, pushing my friends around. WHO DOES SHE THINK SHE IS? DISCORD?!"Twilight could feel the hatred rolling off of Fluttershy's conscience, and Twilight took a mental step back. Yes, Fluttershy had let her anger loose, and she was going into psycho-mean mode.

"That's...that's great, Fluttershy..." Twilight said, and she started talking with her other friends before Luna rudely interrupted them. Her friends were suddenly cut off from her, and Twilight could not feel their presences.

"Hey, what the he-" Twilight cut herself short as she felt Luna's emotions. A sense of urgency permeated her being, and it radiated out to Twilight as well. Twilight shut up pretty quickly and tensed her body.

"Twilight, you must leave, said Luna in a commanding voice. Twilight began to object before Luna stopped her with a growl. Twilight once again sat still as Luna continued speaking.

"Twilight, I know you may wish to stay with your friends, but I can feel her coming. If you are caught, there is nothing we can do. You are our only hope." Twilight gulped as those fateful words smacked her in the face. She didn't like being the pony everyone counted on, but she often ended up as one in most situations. This was not a time to groan about it though.

"Twilight, she is very powerful, and disturbed. You cannot take her on as is. Run. Run like the river, Twilight." Twilight stood and gave a firm nod, then got up and sprinted out a different spiral she had come. She kept running through the little bushes, but stopped and let her tears resurface as she saw Shining Armor encased in stone as well. She soon swallowed it down, picked herself up, and ran.

She was on the last ring of the spiral. She came to the edge of the hedge and burst outwards with a small leap, then turned right to keep running. And then she slammed directly into Celestia.

Twilight backed up quickly and crouched down, shivering and cowering with fear. Celestia's once beautiful and magical mane was now only one shade of pink, but with the other two colors flashing through occasionally. Her hair was dirty and frazzled, and some of it appeared to be chopped off. Her eyes shone of a fiery insanity and an undying hunger. Her usually pristine coat was smudged with dirt, and there was a scar surrounding her cutie mark, supposedly from where she drew a knife across her skin. She smiled wickedly and flew into laughter, rearing up an d punching her hooves in the air.

"I do see that you've...found my... little..." Celestia chuckled insanely before finishing her statement. "My little..collection. II...nndoo hoppee you found themmm...ennnjoyabllee..."Celestia finished. She had begun slurring her words, talking as if extremely intoxicated. Then she made some incoherent ramblings, that Twilight didn't think to decipher. Then Celestia stared at the sky before actually recognizing Twilight.

"Oh! My dear...Twilight, yes...you are quite...quite the powerful little unicorn, ain't ya?" Celestia sent herself into a bout of a coughing mixed with laughter, and she turned to Twilight. Then she said in an all too clear voice, "I can fix that."

Twilight leapt up right before Celestia's magic hit the spot where Twilight had been sitting. She dashed away from Celestia, and she soon reached the garden gate. She ran past the soldiers that looked at her, obviously confused. And Twilight remembered screaming "RUN FOR YOUR LIVES!" as the ground began shaking and light started pouring from the garden.

Twilight couldn't distinguish her life at the moment from the nightmares she had been having. She ran without ceasing, hardly noticing her surroundings as she ran. She could feel her, never getting closer but never going away. Her anger burned hotter than the sun, fed by her mental instability. Twilight can faintly remember A scream of a pony, quickly silenced by the deathblow from Celestia. She knew a building fell somewhere in there, but she couldn't be sure. All she knew was escape.

Twilight ran through streets, through yards, through some surrounding countryside until she finally burst through the doors of the Canterlot Palace. She collapsed once inside, and she thought her heart would burst. Her chest heaving and her temples throbbing, she dragged herself to the wall of the Grand Hallway, and, using the wall's support, lifted herself to her feet. She stood there on wobbly knees for what seemed like hours. Finally, Celestia slammed the doors open.

She looked like she came from the Gates of Tartarus. Her hair had burst into flames that sustained themselves, and her fur had changed to a dark, intense orange. Her eyes burned a furious red, and her wings were burning as well. She tucked her wings in a dropped like a stone, cracking the tiles on the polished floors and she slammed into them. She walked slowly forward, leaving black scorching burn marks in her wake.

"You see this?! This is ME! I'm the most powerful! I'm the ruler! NO ONE ELSE! JUST! ME!" Celestia screamed at Twilight in a screechy Royal voice, and burst into tears. The drops fell to her coat, where they evaporated instantaneously. The tips of Twilight's hair had been singed from being so close to Celestia, and she was pushing herself up against the wall. Celestia stood up, still weeping, but had began laughing in between. Her eyes were wide open, and her red pupils were pinprick points, and they locked onto Twilight, unblinking.

"You! You couldn't beat ME! But the stupid Elements could! So you...You need to STAND STILL!" Celestia screamed, and she shot a beam of immobilizing magic at Twilight. Twilight teleported out of instinct, and missed the magic sent to turn her to stone. Celestia howled with rage and charged Twilight, and Twilight had to teleport way before Celestia reached her in order to avoid being burned to a crisp.

Celestia pawed at the ground not unlike an angry bull would do, and she snorted fire from her nostrils. Twilight planted both her feet firmly on the ground, staring at Celestia in defiance. Celestia snarled like a wild animal and charged once more. Twilight teleported behind her, and materialized a bucket of water out of thin air. She dumped it on Celestia's head. Celestia seemed to pause for a moment, and her flames dimmed to just tiny flickers. Celestia gave a deep breath, momentarily giving her flames life. Then she exhaled, and her body morphed back into its normal, white and multi-colored hair state.

She turned stiffly to face Twilight, and a growl rose from her throat. Twilight squeezed her eyes shut, tears beginning to leak from them. Twilight knew it wouldn't be enough. But why did it have to end this way?

"That was a great little trick, Twilight, really," Celestia purred, "but all you really did was make my anger burned brighter." With that, Celestia scowled as flames began to engulf her body again, and she began roaring as the fire licked her body and became her body. She was grinning madly, and she started to give a war cry as she lifted into the air and flew at Twilight.

"I'LL KILL YOU!" She screeched, and she touched down on the ground just long enough for her to push off again and lunge at Twilight. Twilight once again teleported behind Celestia, and sent a beam of magic her way. Celestia just had time to turn around before the beam hit her, and she squeaked with terror. Her head whipped around to stare at her hind hooves. Just beginning to climb up her legs was a wave of rock, slowly but surely consuming her body and quenching her flames. She was just about to curse when Twilight sent another beam of magic, blocking off Celestia's magic so that she could not escape.

"No! This is not how it works! No! No! I'm the most powerful! I am..." Celestia wailed and screamed as the rock crept up her legs, keeping her trapped in place. Twilight began to sob too, crying loudly to Celestia's doomed mind and form.

"I'm sorry!! I didn't want it to end this way!" Twilight gasped in-between her words, and her cries became those of pure guilt and despair. Celestia's had still kept their traces of anger, but now it sounded like a dying animal, weeping for its life and its inability to escape no matter how much it tried. Twilight watched through blurry eyes as the the stone encased Celestia's flailing legs, and then trapped her face. Her mouth had been open, and it was now trapped in a silent scream accompanied by tears spilling down Celestia's face. It was the most sad statue anyone has every seen, and looking at it made you want to cry.

Twilight did just that, crying and weeping and rocking back and forth until she felt a wing wrap around her shoulder and pull her tight. She didn't struggle against Luna's warm grasp, and she buried her head in Luna's shoulder. Luna tilted her head down and pushed her forehead's against Twilight's, and soon they both cried together.

Author's Note

I made this story for ChewyJiggles, but I do like it a lot. :) I tried to put more detail in it than I usually do.

Epilogue

Twilight sat somberly with her friends, not enjoying the good mood and party music as much as she should be. There was something on her mind, like it had been all day. And all month.

Twilight had given up her chance to see a magic demonstration to come support Rainbow Dash at her ceremony. She had finally been accepted into the Wonderbolts, and she was at the after party now. She smiled painfully as she looked at the good cheer around her, and smiled with some genuine happiness when she saw Rainbow Dash getting a noogie from Spitfire.

Twilight stood up and walked slowly towards the door. She made her way out and walked down the street. The ceremony had been held in Ponyville, which was Rainbow's hometown. So Twilight didn't have to walk far.

Twilight pushed open the door to her home weakly, and she got a sympathetic look from Spike before trod ding up the steps to her bedroom. She took a seat at her desk, levitated a quill over a piece of parchment she laid out, and began writing. She wrote for awhile, ending up with a single letter. One tear fell upon it before it was curled up and sealed, then placed neatly in a corner on top of several other letters.

Dear Princess Celestia,

Sometimes, you must sacrifice. Sometimes you must sacrifice for your friends. You might not want to, because something you want to do will get left behind. But sometimes, knowing that you gave your time to be there for your friends, is a better reward than being selfish and spending your time on yourself.

Celestia, you showed me sacrifice. I had to sacrifice everything I held dear for my friends. My innocence, for one. Trapping a pony in stone was to easy for me, especially when it was my mentor, who I trusted over everyone else. You made me realized how messed up this world can be, even for someone who seems so steady. I had to sacrifice my mentor for my friends. I had to end your rule, to save my friends. I know it was the right choice, but still. It's hard without you.

Your Faithful Student,

Twilight Sparke

Luna took over Equestria in her sister's absence. She has ruled the nation with a steady hand and good intentions, and Equestria was entering a golden age, one where everyone had enough bits to go around. All of the statues were freed, and they are perfectly fine. Well, after a little bit of therapy of course. Rainbow Dash made it onto he Wonderbolts, but everyone else pretty much went back to being the same. Except for Twilight. The horror of the events she witnessed cross her mind everyday and linger in her dreams every night. She will never shake them out of her head.