Twilight Sparkle. A name I knew before even becoming the Mane Archon. It was clear I’d be hearing about her again and that Celestia would probably make her life a living Tartarus, but when I first laid eyes on her, the game changed.

Celestia and I, for the one and only time, were on the same page. I had my doubts, but Twilight’s destiny seemed clear. I think she is the only pony Celestia ever truly feared, and for good reason. We gazed upon her as a filly and saw life and death, a universe made real. Celestia fully believed that, through Twilight, the world could be either saved or ruined. Go figure, she was right and wrong at the same time.

Should she ever read this, I have just one thing I would say to Twilight: I hope that your destiny is far brighter than that which came to be. And if ever a pony offers you wings, run like your very soul depends upon it. I don’t think I need to explain why.

—Verity Fine Crime, Book of Shadows XLVIII

May 17, C.Y. 1007

Fine scribbled over the parchment as his horn continued to vibrate. He almost couldn’t hold his quill properly from all the interference. Whatever filled the air, it seemed to be fading steadily. He grabbed a potion from a nearby shelf, checked for the “Canterlot” label and then pulled out the stopper with his teeth. Letter finished, he rolled it up and stuffed it into the bottle, watching intently as it dissolved.

Now there was nothing to do but wait.

He left his desk and stood at the window, gazing at the bright autumn sky. In all his life, he’d never seen or felt anything like it; a massive circle of colors spreading through the air as if from an explosion. He’d read about the Sonic Rainboom in one of the older volumes of the Book of Shadows – the fifth or sixth one, if he recalled correctly – but never imagined he’d actually see it. Whoever managed to perform such an incredible act needed to be found. Celestia would want to know about such a pony, and it was thus important that Fine learned as much as he could. The more he knew, and the quicker he knew it, the more likely it was that he’d minimize the damage.

Yet the steadily fading vibrations in Fine’s horn had nothing to do with Sonic Rainbooms. That had been magic on an incredible scale, and it had originated in Canterlot. Celestia would be focused on the source, as would all the Archons who had received Fine’s letter. He imagined he would be getting reports soon, so he hurried back to his desk.

In the meantime, he wrote another batch of orders which he directed towards his four Cloudsdale agents. The rainboom had come from that direction, so it made sense to start there.

It took several minutes for the responses to roll in. Most of his agents had no idea of the source of either incident. Annoying, but understandable. Fine replied by pushing them to learn as much as they could. The two incidents had to be connected, of that he remained certain. They were just too big independently for him to believe anything else.

A letter appeared in a puff of pink smoke near the corner of the desk. Only one pony delivered those, and Fine wasted no time snatching it out of the air. He pulled it open with his hooves and poured over the hastily-written Grypha text.

FC,

It came from the school. I wasn’t there personally, but I think it was from that filly you told me to watch for. The other students report seeing Celestia escorting a purple filly out of the school.

Can I come by tonight? We can compare notes.

Little Miss

Fine’s heart sank, for he had only asked Fleur to keep an eye for one pony, and that pony was Twilight Sparkle. He’d known that Celestia had pulled strings to get her to the Canterlot school. His hope had been that the filly would prove less talented than the records showed and thus fail to get in. If she was…

He paused to think on what Fleur had written, reaching up to rub his horn absent-mindedly. That had been a huge blast of energy. Could a filly of just under seven years of age do something like that?

He hurried to scratch out an affirmative response for Fleur, sending the message in a special bottle intended just for her, then left his study for a large room in the corner of his suite. It took him nearly a minute to undo all the security protocols on the door, both magical and otherwise. Inside stood rows of about three dozen filing cabinets.

In the third row, he made directly for the fourth filing cabinet and opened the top drawer. It took less than a second to find the file he wanted. Grumbling about having to use such an archaic data storage system, he left the room, locked the door and returned to his study, file opened before his muzzle.

Fine had read Twilight’s background a dozen times in the past year-and-a-half, each when it had been updated with new information. Even so, he poured over the details as if he’d never read the file before. She would be seven next month, had already proven herself as a skilled magic user in Magic Kindergarten, and seemed to actually enjoy studying. Her foalhood was far from happy, of course, what with a brother who turned traitor against Equestria and a father who left the family out of shame as a result. Apparently the stallion now lived off booze in Seaddle and worked as a janitor in some school.

At least the mother still worked hard for her foal.

Fine flipped through the pages, looking over timelines including unimportant dates and events that told him nothing, though he appreciated the thoroughness of the agent keeping tabs on the filly. Hoofknife might have been slipping in his later years, but the stallion knew how to train his ponies.

The doorbell rang. Fine trotted for the entry, having a pretty good idea what was about to happen. A butler stood outside his door, looking as prim and proper as always. “Begging your pardon, sir, but Her Majesty wishes for you to join her in the upstairs library.”

“So be it.”

He reflected on the circumstances as they walked. Twilight’s situation seemed grim at best. What would Celestia do to her? Nothing pleasant, that was certain. Seeing as of how Fine had played a major role in the defeat of her brother, Fine also had no doubt that Celestia would want him there to see Twilight’s demise as well. It just… suited her.

Scenarios ran through Fine’s mind. What would Celestia choose to do? She couldn’t let that kind of raw power run around unchecked. Twilight might make for a tempting toy, yet if she were dangerous and independent enough then the princess might have her killed outright. He needed to think up some counters, ways to spare the filly the worst torments. He couldn’t let Twilight be condemned over this.

Though the walk went on in silence, Fine’s mind buzzed nonstop all the way to the central tower. There he traveled up into the private residences of Celestia until the butler stopped him at a pair of familiar mahogany doors, rapped on the wood and poked his head inside. “Mr. Fine Crime, Your Majesty.”

Fine waited for the command to enter. It didn’t come. After a few seconds the butler nodded and turned to him with an uncertain expression. “The princess asks that you watch from the door. She will see you in a moment.”

‘Watch from the door?’ Fine shared the butler’s questioning frown, then nodded and pushed his way inside. He paused upon seeing Celestia sitting before a small purple unicorn, a filly who was spinning in place with a look of outright glee.

“You mean I can come here any time I want?”

“That’s right,” Celestia said with a strained smile. “Any time you want. Your mother mentioned how you love books, so I thought you’d appreciate this.”

“I do!” The filly bounced a few times. “This is amazing, Princess!”

“It sure is.” Sunset Shimmer walked in from around the bookshelves. “Hello, Celestia. Who’s this?”

Twilight practically flew at the teenager, somehow managing to stop before barreling into her. “You’re Sunset Shimmer! Oh my gosh, I’m meeting Celestia’s student!”

Sunset leaned back with a weak smile, her eyes shifting between the filly and Celestia. “Umm, that’s right. Celestia?”

“Calm down, Twilight,” Celestia called, and Twilight promptly dropped to her rump. The position did little, for she constantly squirmed and looked around with all the wonder of a child. “Sunset, this is Twilight Sparkle. She’s the source of that surge I’m sure you felt a few minutes ago.”

Sunset’s eyebrows rose. “Her? You’re serious?”

“What do you do?”

All eyes went to Fine, to whom Twilight had hurried up to. He stared down at the foal, taking in her curious gaze.

He saw it. The outline, the bone structure, the colors. They were perfect. His eyes darted to Celestia, who met his gaze with one of uncertainty; she saw it too.

“Are you okay?”

“I’m…” Fine opened his mouth, closed it again. He stared at the filly before him, who cocked her head and gained a worried frown. “I… uh…”

Celestia rescued him. “Twilight, that is Mr. Fine Crime.”

“Oh.” Twilight glanced back at Celestia and nodded, then looked up at him. “Are you okay, Mr. Fine Crime?”

He nodded slowly. “Y-yeah, I’m fine.”

She broke into a fit of giggles. “I know that, silly! But are you okay?”

“Oh, right.” Fine smiled and nodded. “I’m okay. I’m just not used to the princess bringing fillies into her private library.”

“That makes two of us,” Sunset said.

“There is a reason, of course. Twilight, come here please.” As Twilight hurried to sit before her, Celestia turned her attention to Sunset. “I have decided to name Twilight as my secondary apprentice.”

Sunset’s and Fine’s jaws dropped in unison. Sunset managed to work hers enough to utter, “You have?”

The princess nodded, but her smile still seemed forced in Fine’s mind. “She has an incredible raw talent, which I would like to see tempered. I feel she would be better taught by myself.”

Twilight gaped at Celestia. “R-really?”

“Really.” Celestia gestured to Sunset. “Furthermore, you will also act as Sunset’s assistant.”

“Oh my goddess, yes!” Twilight began bouncing around Sunset, whose jaw had once again gone slack. “Yesyesyesyesyesyesyes!”

“B-but, I don’t understand,” Sunset cried over the filly’s shouting. “Celestia, why? I’ve been doing fine on my own.”

“Indeed you have,” Celestia said with a nod. “And now you will do even better with an assistant. Twilight will help you in any way you need. In return, I expect you to assist in her studies. Think of it as tutoring.”

Sunset’s ears folded back and she chewed her lip. “Well, if you say so.”

“Don’t worry!” Twilight paused in her frantic hopping to look up at Sunset with big, hopeful eyes. “I’ll be the best assistant ever, promise. And you can help me learn magic! It’ll be fun, right?”

The two stared at one another, and Sunset’s face turned a bright shade of pink. Despite her attempts to hide it behind a hoof, Fine caught the smile taking over her lips. “Oh, but she’s good at that. Alright, I’ll give this a try. Far be it for me to say ‘no’ to Celestia.”

“Yes!” The bouncing resumed, this time even more energetic than before.

Celestia stepped over to set a hoof to her protégé’s shoulder. “Thank you for being so understanding, Sunset. If you please, I have something very important to discuss with Fine. Would you mind showing our new friend to her rooms across from your own? I’ll be there as soon as I can to finalize things.”

“Of course.” Sunset nodded with a grin. “Come on, Twilight, you’re going to love your new room!”

Twilight’s bouncing came to a sudden halt and she collapsed to her stomach with a gasp. “A room? Y-you mean I’m staying here?” At Celestia’s nod she hopped to her hooves. “Wow, wait until Mom finds out! She’s gonna be so proud of me.”

“I’m sure she will.” Sunset led her forward, giving Fine a nod as they passed.

“Bye, Princess! I hope you feel better, Mr. Fine Crime.”

Fine watched the two of them leave, his eyes locked on Twilight. His throat had gone dry, and he had to swallow to get some moisture in it. When the door closed, he turned to see Celestia staring with wide eyes at her hooves. Without looking up, she gestured to him with a wing.

Her voice came out as merely a whisper. “Did you see it?”

He sat before her, not sure what to do. Celestia’s eyes were wide and her legs shook. She looked… “Are you afraid?”

Pink eyes, their pupils shrunk to pinpricks, met his. “Did you see it?”

He leaned back, startled by a showing of emotion he was not accustomed to seeing in her. “Y-yes, I saw it. She’s younger, but the resemblance is incredible.”

“The Unknown Princess.” Celestia gazed at the ground once more, eyes shifting in thought. “Twilight is the Unknown Princess. She helped my sister and I defeat Discord twelve centuries ago.”

Fine rubbed the back of his neck, trying to find the right words to say in this unusual situation. “That seems a bit farfetched. She resembles the princess. Maybe she’s just a descendant of the same line.”

“No.” Celestia’s voice shook. “I know I gave you my memories of that time, but you weren’t actually there. I assure you, Fine, the Unknown Princess just became my apprentice.”

“But how?” Fine raised his hooves high in a shrug. “There are no time spells! You gave me access to the entire collection of forbidden magic, so I should know.”

“You are correct.” Celestia nodded, though it was a slow, subdued motion. “I had all research into temporal mechanics ended eight centuries ago, specifically because I knew the dangers it posed.”

Fine peered at her. “Dangers to Equestria, or to you?”

“Does it matter?”

“No, I suppose it doesn’t.”

Celestia tapped her hoof on the carpet a few times and chewed her lip. “That filly is the Unknown Princess, of that I am absolutely certain. This means that she will eventually become an alicorn and travel back in time, and she’ll have an Element of Harmony. I hid them away, but somehow she finds them.”

“I still think the odds are low for what you’re predicting, but…” Fine sat back and rubbed his chin, possibilities swimming in his head anew. “If it’s true, then… wow. She holds the past and future of Equestria in her hooves. She could change everything!”

“She already has.” Celestia began to pace, her lips set in a taut frown. “I must control this. For all we know, Twilight will go back with the specific intent of defeating me and taking over my kingdom. But if I can lead her in a different direction, maybe…”

Fine watched her, head swinging back and forth with her movement. “You’re really afraid of her, aren’t you?”

Celestia’s wings flared as she pressed her muzzle into his face. Her lips pulled back in a ferocious display. “You’re loving this, aren’t you? Yes, I am afraid. I am the most powerful being in the world, capable of defeating any force that comes against me. I have ruled Equestria for a thousand years, crushing my foes beneath my hooves like so many pathetic toys! This world is my masterpiece of pain, but I have no defense against a pony who can go back in time. My life’s work is at risk of being ripped out from under me!”

“I most certainly am not enjoying this,” Fine countered, pressing a hoof to her chest as he returned her glare. “You’re plotting against an innocent filly as if she were the Queen of the Changelings escaped from Tartarus! If you really feel that way, why haven’t you just killed her?”

“No!” Celestia retreated as if stung. “We can’t touch her, she must survive and grow. She needs to become an alicorn. Don’t you see? If she doesn’t go back in time, none of this will have happened!”

“Oh.” Fine was so startled by Celestia’s reaction that he had to take a moment to reorganize his thought processes. “So no killing her, good. That’s one weight off my mind.” A sudden comprehension dawned upon him and his horn began to glow.

“Don’t even think about it.”

He blinked. “What?”

Celestia smirked and raised an eyebrow at him. “Do you really think it would be that easy?”

“Eh, heh-heh…” He rubbed the back of his neck and let the glow of his horn die. “Can’t blame me for considering it, right?”

“No, I suppose not. But really, an attack out in the open isn’t your style.” Celestia tilted her head with a curious smile. “I had expected an assassination attempt by now, though.”

Fine rolled his eyes. “An assassination attempt? I have a better chance of discovering the Lost Stones of Silma Ril than killing you with some anonymous figure in the shadows.”

Celestia shot him a deadpan frown. “And yet you considered hitting me with a spell just now?”

He gave a disarming grin. “Testing purposes only, I assure you.”

“Right.” She began pacing once more. “Back to the subject at hoof: Twilight Sparkle. I’m going to have to keep her close, endear myself to her in these early years. The best shot I have of making sure she does things as necessary is to keep her on my side.”

“Hmm…” Fine glanced away, already thinking of ways to—

“You and the Archons are forbidden from telling her anything about my darker activities.”

“Son of a—” Fine stomped.

“In fact, let’s take it a step further.” Celestia leveled a commanding gaze his way. “All the darker aspects of Equestria and the world? That’s your fault. If she asks, that is.”

“Great.” He sat and rubbed his temples with both hooves. “You don’t make it easy, you know that?”

“That’s the point,” she replied, resuming her pacing. “Deal with her mother.”

He ground his teeth and tensed. “That filly lost her brother because of us, and then her father ran off. Don’t you think that’s enough punishment for having done nothing wrong?”

“Not even remotely.” Not a hint of sarcasm could be heard in Celestia’s tone. “Twilight needs to be as close to me as a child to her mother. That necessitates getting rid of the mother she already has. Do it, Fine. Make it appear to be an accident; I’d rather not instill in her a desire for revenge against some unknown foe. Might tempt her to do some unhealthy research and learn truths better left unknown.”

Fine growled, his eyes following as Celestia wore a line in the carpet. “Such as you being an unholy fiend worthy of hate?”

“Yes, that would be a stellar example.”

She just kept finding ways to look worse in his eyes. Fine snorted and turned for the door. “I’m going back to my suite; I’m supposed to be meeting with Fleur shortly.”

“Fine.”

He took a long, growling breath through clenched teeth. “Yes?”

“You will not contact Twilight without my express permission, is that understood?”

Head low, Fine looked back at her with peering eyes. Anger simmered within his mind, but Celestia’s gaze commanded obedience. Lips pulled back, he let out a low growl. “Go to Tartarus.”

He waited for Celestia to say something else. When she didn’t, he left the library at a trot.

“Fine?”

“I’m in here.” Fine shoved a letter into a bottle and watched until it disappeared. When he looked up he found Fleur reared back so her front hooves were on top of the desk.

Her ears folded back at his gaze. “You’re mad.”

“Yes, I am.” Fine used his magic to deposit the potion onto a nearby shelf. “Celestia’s doing her evil witch thing again.”

Fleur ducked so only her eyes and horn were visible over the desk. “She didn’t hurt Tvilight, did she?”

“Not yet.” He stood and shook himself as if to be rid of water from his coat. The motion made him feel a little calmer. “Come on, Little Miss, I’ve got a hot dinner about to be served.”

Fleur followed him, trotting to keep up with his longer legs. “So Tvilight really vas source of eruption? Vat vas sat about? Vat’s going to happen to her?”

Fine didn’t answer immediately, preferring to wait until they were seated at the table by a window. It wasn’t a very big table, and was in fact one of Fine’s personal additions to the suite. He had no need for that giant thing in the dining room, after all. As he sat upon his cushion, he folded his forelegs on the tabletop and stared at them.

“Fine?”

He glanced up. Fleur sat opposite him, mimicking his pose from atop her own cushion and a pillow for added height. She gazed at him with a concerned frown.

“Twilight is now Celestia’s second protégé.”

Fleur blinked. Her jaw dropped. “Because of one event?”

“No.” He sighed and went back to studying his hooves. “There’s her brother to consider. And now I…” His throat dried up and he took a moment to swallow. “I just issued orders for her mother to have an ‘accident.’ ”

Fleur’s eyebrows rose and she shrank back from him. “Vy vould Celestia order such a sing? She’s too young.”

Fine turned his gaze to the window, watching as the sun gradually drifted into the horizon. He thought about Twilight and how her life would now proceed. A chill ran down his spine. “It’s going to be up to us to help Twilight get through this. After what I’ve already done to her, I’m responsible for easing the situation as best I can.”

“No you’re not.” Fleur leaned forward, but he wouldn’t meet her stare. “Fine, sis is not your fault. Celestia is one pulling strings.”

“That doesn’t change my involvement, no matter how unwilling.”

The teen slammed her hoof to the table. “You can’t protect everypony!”

“And who would you have me choose, then?” He finally looked at her, his shoulders slumped. “Twilight is right here. She’s going to grow up in the castle. Watching after her is something I can do, even if my options are limited.”

Fleur considered this response, her face scrunched in a grimace. “Okay… So ve look after Tvilight. One more sing on extensive to-do list. How do you propose ve go about it? Tell her truth?”

“We can’t.” Fine shook his head. “Celestia expressly forbade it. She’s arranged the game so that I, personally, am going to be a target of Twilight’s disdain.”

“Ouch.”

“I know.” He heaved another sigh and stared at his hooves… then his head jerked up. “But there’s nothing to stop you from watching her.”

Fleur blinked. “Me?”

“Celestia can’t spend all her time with Twilight,” Fine said. “Neither can Sunset Shimmer. She’ll have to go to classes like regular ponies for a while, and you’re already a student there. Celestia aside, nopony knows that you’re an Archon.”

“No.” Fleur shook her head, muzzle held high. “I’m not foalsitter. I don’t even like younger children.”

Fine spoke in a soothing tone. “I’m not asking you to foalsit. I’m just suggesting that you keep an eye on her, be her friend. Goddess knows she’s going to need one.”

“Fifteen-year-olds don’t typically hang vith five-year-olds, Fine.”

“So be a mentor,” he pressed. “There’s nothing wrong with you taking on an older sibling role.”

Fleur stuck her tongue out with a disgusted expression. “No, sank you. Besides, I don’t vant to compete vith Sunset. Sat’s one mare whose bad side I don’t vant to be on.”

With a groan, Fine let his chin fall to the table. “Why are all the mares in my life so bucking difficult?”

The teenager shifted and glanced out the window with a scowl. “You could alvays just order me to do it.”

He thought on the idea, eyes rolling up to the ceiling as he remained slumped over the table. “No, I don’t think it would accomplish anything. You probably couldn’t do it, anyway.”

“Excuse me?” Fleur’s shoulders stiffened and her eyes narrowed. “I most certainly could.”

Holding in his smirk, Fine waved a dismissive hoof. “Make a foal like you? Keep an eye on her and keep me updated when it looks like Celestia’s up to something? I think a more senior agent would be—”

“A ‘senior agent’ pretending to be a student? Don’t make me laugh.” Fleur flicked her mane and struck a haughty pose. “I am only pony you have who could do se job.”

Fine made a showing of perking his ears in her direction and adding just a hint of hope to his tone. “Are you saying you want to do it?”

“Err…” Fleur’s eyes widened as she realized the direction the conversation had moved in. “I didn’t say sat, I am only pointing out sat I’m best pony for se job.”

“Oh, of course.” Now with a sprinkling of disappointment. “I guess poor Twilight’s going to be on her own. I’ll look through my list of agents anyway; maybe there’s somepony else right for the job.”

Fleur shot him a blank expression. “I’m not doing it.”

“Yes, you’ve already established that.”

The sound of hoofsteps filled the air. A servant appeared in the door, pushing ahead of him a rolling silver stand with two steaming plates. Much grumbling came from Fleur as dinner was served, and she spent the entire time glaring out the window. Fine thanked the servant and dismissed him, then gave Fleur a thoughtful look. It required all his willpower not to laugh at her apparent indecision.

“I sink I’ll keep eye on Tvilight,” Fleur announced, turning to Fine with her muzzle raised high. “After all, nopony else vill do it.”

“Really?” Fine feigned surprise. “You don’t have to do it if you don’t want to. I can always—” He closed his mouth at her ominous stare. “Well… if you insist.”

“I do. Now let us eat.”

Fine congratulated himself by doing as he was told, savoring the seaweed pasta with its curious texture and high salt content. His pleasure didn’t last very long, though, for soon his thoughts drifted to a filly whose mother was about to be taken away from her. His meal didn’t seem so tasty anymore.

In fact, he suddenly lost his appetite.

Author's Notes:

It is my intention to write an 'intermission' chapter between each book, which relates important events that otherwise wouldn't be mentioned in the main story. The realization that Twilight is the Unknown Princess felt like a pretty big deal to me, so I figured I'd write it as the first one. This serves the double purpose of hinting that the Mane 6 got their cutie marks in the same way. Let it be known that Spike was also hatched in the same way and will be Twilight's assistant just like in the show, it just didn't come up here because I couldn't find a way to fit it naturally into the dialogue.

For those of you not paying attention to the dates, this chapter takes place roughly a year and nine months after the events of the last chapter.

Alright, time to move to a new PoV. Who here likes Vinyl Scratch?