Twilight Sparkle trotted through the corridors of the palace, deep in thought.

It was quite late to be awake, but that was a common occurrence for the purple mare. She ignored the rare servants she met on her way and they ignored her in turn, not that she cared much. In fact, she didn’t even notice their existence — her mind was wandering to other places. Twilight had been working for the king for a full month now, starting right after graduating from Starswirl’s Academy. Most of that time had been spent doing what she loved most – research.

Bumping her head into somepony made her finally pay attention to her path. Twilight looked at the foolish pony in annoyance — usually, ponies had enough sense to steer clear off her path. However, the older stallion didn’t look like a servant in his blue cape, decorated by fancy weaving. In fact, she recalled seeing the brown-coated unicorn at the formal party, following her appointment as the Court Mage.

“So, you’re the famous Twilight Sparkle,” the pony drawled.

Twilight didn’t like his attitude, but that wasn’t a reason to be impolite.

“Yes, that’s me,” the mare reached out to shake his hoof. “And you are?”

The stallion flared his nostrils, giving Twilight a hard look.

“I’ll let your ignorance slip this one time. But for the future you should remember — I’m Everlight the Mighty, Grandmaster of the Unicorn Union.”

“Ah,” Twilight said, not sure what else to add. “N-nice to meet you.”

She remembered the name as the king hadn’t spoken kindly about its bearer. He had used words like “arrogant fool” to describe the pony the few times that he had mentioned him, warning Twilight to have as little interaction with him as possible. It wasn’t hard when most of her time was spent in the Royal Library.

“You’re pretty,” the stallion flickered a glance at her flanks. “But surely that’s not the only reason why the king has picked you, is it?”

Twilight looked down, her face reddening slightly. She had a suspicion that Everlight was goading her. However Twilight had been quite adept at ignoring the veiled insults and mockery of her peers in the Academy. She had been the only commoner among the noble kids. It was highly unusual, but the mare had managed to receive a scholarship from the king himself.

“I’m sorry, but I’m in a hurry,” Twilight said, walking around the stallion. “The king asked me—”

“Wait a minute,” Everlight blocked her way with his foreleg.

Twilight took a step back, flattening her ears and glaring at the pony in front of her with narrowed eyes. A pink servant mare who was sweeping the floor nearby regarded them both with a flat look and returned to her work.

“What do you want?” Twilight asked the stallion curtly.

“I want you to resign while you can, filly,” he said, looking her right in the eyes. “I’m sorry if I seemed improper earlier. What I meant is that you have talent as well as looks. It’s a rare combination, believe me. Come with me and do as I say, and I’ll make sure you’ll be accepted in the Unicorn Union. Not a lot of ponies get this offer, trust me.”

Twilight blinked rapidly, surprised at Everlight’s sudden offer. Although being a part of such an elite order as the Unicorn Union would be a great honor, she didn’t really trust this pony, whereas the king had been a part of her life for years. In fact, they’d often exchanged letters while she’d been studying at the Academy. In the light of those facts, resigning in order to join some fancy order would have felt like betrayal for the mare.

“I have to decline your offer,” Twilight shook her head without hesitation.

“That is your decision,” the stallion said coldly and walked away.

Twilight watched him until he turned around the corner, and then continued on her path thinking about the encounter.

His chambers weren’t far, but she went on a quick canter, since she was getting late for their evening meeting. Twilight was supposed to report on her progress every day.

She was almost there, when she slipped and almost planted her muzzle into the stone floor. She barely held her footing and looked down to see the floor soaking wet. The reason for that was a servant mare, who was washing it like there was no tomorrow.

Twilight frowned slightly — the pink mare looked familiar — until she remembered seeing her while she’d been talking with the annoying stallion. But how had she gotten ahead of her?

“Sorry, the floor is wet,” the mare told her, noticing Twilight’s stare.

“You don’t say,” Twilight rolled her eyes.

“I do say!” objected the servant. “But I should get back to work now.”

Shrugging, Twilight resumed her quick pace. Unnoticed by her, the pink mare followed.

The king’s chamber entrance was guarded by a group of two armored unicorns, looking ready to vaporize any perpetrator. They knew Twilight, however, so she was let in easily after having to endure a simple check-up spell to eliminate the possibility of any appearance-altering magic.

Opening the large door with her magic, Twilight trotted into the king’s chamber. The place was barely illuminated by a few rare candelabras along the walls. The moon was shining through the two large windows, creating plenty of shadows from the large and imposing furniture that filled the room.

Twilight wouldn’t have decorated it that way if that had been her own room, but she hadn’t come here to criticize the king’s tastes. Throwing that nonsense out of her head, she approached one corner of the large room, finding the king at his usual place — sitting by the table on his favorite old chair and scribbling something into his journal.

The ruler of Equestria was a unicorn just past his middle age. His royal blue coat was well kept and his long golden mane was flowing down freely. He wasn’t wearing his crown at the moment, which was the usual for when he was away from the court’s eyes.

The king didn’t acknowledge the mare’s presence until he had finished his writing. Twilight waited patiently, used to the king’s behavior at this point, and prepared herself mentally for her report. Finally, the king looked up.

“Twilight,” he nodded to her. “How was your progress today?”

Before starting her report, Twilight told the king about her encounter with Everlight and his offer. The ruler frowned as he listened, letting out a sigh when the mare had finished.

“I’ve just had a meeting with the Grandmaster myself,” he said with a cringe in his voice. “He’s quite unpleasant, but even I can’t refuse him lightly. That damn pony has too many powerful connections… Anyway, that’s not your concern for the moment, Twilight. I would like you to get on with the report.”

Twilight nodded. Then she took a deep breath and began.

She had gone through dozens of books today, learning loads of new information. The king had assigned her to make a full and descriptive list of powerful artifacts known to ponykind. Why? He hadn’t shared that yet and Twilight hadn’t pushed him into doing so, being more than happy to dive into the task.

“Good work,” the ruler said as the unicorn finished.

The mare beamed from the inside and the king gave her a warm smile.

“I think you’ve done more than enough for now,” the king said.

“What do you mean, Your Majesty?”

“I told you not to call me that in private, Twilight,” the king said, waving his hoof. “Just Hearth will do. As for my words, time is pressing me to act faster. I shall explain it to you, but would you like some tea first?”

“I prefer coffee,” the mare answered and then widened her eyes. “I’m sorry, Your— I mean, Hearth. Tea will be just fine!”

King Hearth chuckled and stood up. He invited Twilight to a sofa and approached a small cupboard from where he levitated two cups and a jar of beans. He set it on the table before Twilight and prepared the beverage, finishing with a simple heating spell.

In a few minutes, the coffee was hot and steaming, spreading the wonderful aroma all over the chamber.

“Care for a cookie?”

Twilight answered with a tiny nod, too nervous to speak. She felt like whatever the king had to say would be important, and was thrilled to find out more.

“I shall be direct with you, Twilight,” Hearth began, sipping from his cup. “Equestria is falling apart.”

The mare almost spit out her coffee at the king’s words. Not that she was that naive — she knew Equestria had been going through tough times lately — but were things really that bad? Twilight watched her king with big eyes, waiting for him to elaborate.

“It may not seem that way at first glance, but I can see the patterns. The Griffon threat, rebels in the country, out-of-hoof nobility...” the king continued. “It’s only a matter of time until something happens and everything goes to Tartarus. However, I believe there is still time for a change.”

“I see,” Twilight nodded, a frown on her face. “But— But why are you telling me this? I’m nopony important...”

“Your abilities are exceptional, Twilight,” Hearth retorted. “I saw that when I first met you as a filly. Anyway, the changes, yes. I’m planning quite a lot of them. And I think you’ll be instrumental in helping me to succeed.”

“Instrumental?” Twilight repeated in a tiny voice. She was a competent student, but helping to change an entire country? That was too big for her to grasp.

“Indeed,” the king nodded. “I can’t do it alone. Even my own son is more interested in partying with his two-bit noble friends than doing something for his country... I need ponies I can really trust to start the changes, and you’re but the first.”

Twilight stayed quiet and listened to the king as he shared the full extent of his plans. He talked for quite some time, delving into ancient history, back when Equestria had been truly united with harmony among the three tribes. After its immortal rulers had left, Equestria had had its ups and downs, but for the last century it had just been going downhill.

“Our House has ruled Equestria since the Sun Goddess stepped down from the throne, passing it on to her loyal friend and adviser—”

“Sunlight Flame,” Twilight finished for him and gasped as she realized that she had interrupted him. “I’m so, so sorry!”

“It’s alright, Twilight,” the king smirked. “In fact, I’m pleased that you know our history. Though it shouldn’t surprise me, I guess.”

The king continued his speech, finally getting to the purpose of Twilight’s recent assignment.

“The changes I want to push would anger a lot of powerful ponies, Twilight,” Hearth told her. “I wanted you to find an ace in the hole, so to speak. Some powerful weapon to guarantee our safety. I thought there’d be more time, but I’m afraid time has run out. The High Council has voted in favor of war today, and I wasn’t able to stop them.”

“A-a war?” Twilight asked, aghast. “Against whom? The griffons?”

“You’re right as usual, Twilight,” the king nodded solemnly. “As much as I want to take back our land, I fear that Equestria can’t handle another war right now. The preparations would take some time though, so we still have a chance to prevent it from happening.”

Hearth glanced at his cup, frowning slightly, and took another sip.

“Anyway, that is a lot to take in, Twilight. You should go get some rest. Tomorrow, I’ll be having a meeting with the leader of House Belle, and I want you to join me.”

“Okay,” Twilight accepted, though she had no idea what the king was expecting her to do.

“In ancient times, the Court Mage used to be the ruler’s right-hoof pony,” Hearth explained, noticing Twilight’s confusion. “Now it’s more of a decorative position with no real power. However, for my plan to succeed, we should get it back to the way it used to be, starting with making you part of the High Council.”

“Of course, Your Majesty,” Twilight said, trying to keep her hooves from shaking. However inadequate she felt for the task, she couldn’t say no to the king.

“Goodnight, Twilight,” Hearth dismissed her.

Twilight wished the king goodnight as well and walked towards the exit, her head spinning from all the revelations. The king followed right behind her, but suddenly she heard a heavy thud. Turning around, Twilight saw the king spread out on the floor. She felt a cold wave washing over her. Panicking, she rushed to the fallen pony.

Hearth was breathing, thankfully, but he was unconscious. Right away, Twilight noticed a small dart that was sticking out of his neck. Twilight began to hyperventilate. Somepony had poisoned the king!

A flicker of movement outside of the window caught her attention. She glanced there in time to see a dark shape flickering out of sight.

“You!” she screamed in rage, catching the figure in her magic before it could disappear.

It was very slippery for some reason, but her anger helped her to hold on. She pulled the figure halfway in, but it suddenly threw something at her, hitting her horn hard. Twilight lost her concentration momentarily, feeling her head ringing, and the figure disappeared into the night.

Twilight took a step towards the window, but stopped — saving the king was the priority. Taking a few deep breaths, she forced herself to calm down. She wouldn’t be able to help the king if she was a panicking mess after all.

First of all, she needed to determine what kind of poison the perpetrator had used. Most poisons had an antidote she could use. Since the king was still alive, this poison wasn’t immediately lethal, giving her some hope.

Levitating the dart into the air, Twilight cast a complicated, high-level spell that not a lot of ponies knew and even fewer could reproduce.

The chemical composition of the dart and everything on it sprung to her inner vision. She ignored everything related to the dart itself, concentrating on a small residue of an alien element.

“Oh no...”

Twilight recognized it, though it didn’t make her feel any better — Deathsong, a common, but extremely dangerous poison. It had a known antidote as she had expected, but it needed to be taken no more than half an hour after getting the poison and even then a positive result was not guaranteed.

I need to hurry!

Twilight rushed to the door, but stopped a few steps away. She wasn’t a fool and she’d read enough mystery stories to realize that she would be the main suspect if the guards saw her alone with the king’s body.

Growling in frustration, Twilight rushed to the open window instead and looked down. She briefly wondered why the window to the king’s chamber wasn’t protected by some kind of spell, but pushed it to the back of her mind to inquire about later. A more pressing matter faced her — getting down safely.

It was the only way to avoid the guards outside.

The room was pretty high above the ground and Twilight would definitely splash herself at the pavement below if she made a mistake, so she searched for an appropriate spell in her mind.

Twilight knew much more than the average unicorn, of course, and her theoretical knowledge was vast, but knowing how to cast a specific spell was a different matter entirely. Each spell needed to be learned and practiced for days or even weeks to get it right, and she had prioritized the ones she had needed for studying.

Unfortunately, none of that would help her to survive the fall.

You don’t have to fall to get there, Twilight, she chided herself. Having come to a decision, Twilight concentrated on a patch of land directly below her and recalled the spell she’d read about in detail, but had never practiced in real life. Desperate times called for desperate measures.

Invoking the spell, she charged her horn with an abundance of magic and blinked out of existence in a flash of purple light.

Only for a moment though, as the next second she appeared on the patch of land directly below the window. Not sparing a second thought to her astounding success, she galloped back to the palace.

The guards barely had any time to open the doors for her, as she flashed past them like the wind. However, despite her adrenaline, Twilight couldn’t keep up such a pace for very long; she was already panting heavily halfway before the medical wing.

She slowed down, but trotted with no less determination, until she finally reached her destination. Bursting the doors open, she walked inside, ignoring the startled looks of the doctor and his assistants, who were playing some card game in the lobby.

“Wha—”

“No time to explain!” Twilight raised her hoof with authority. “I’m the Court Mage. The king needs an antidote for the Deathsong poison at once!”

The ponies exchanged confused looks with each other, one of them muttering “what’s a court mage?”, until Twilight stomped her hoof, sending a small wave that made their manes flutter like the wind. “Didn’t you hear me? Now!”

The doctor and his assistants hurried to obey her order without questioning her right to do so, while Twilight fell on her haunches, trying to catch her breath. The extensive use of magic, sprinting through the palace and yelling — not to mention all the emotions involved — were overwhelming for the young unicorn. After all, the most excitement she’d experienced before had been through the pages of her favorite adventure books.

Now that she'd had some time to think, the gravity of the events began to catch up with her. The king had been poisoned! By a weird pony dressed in black, likely a pegasus, judging by how he or she had leaped out of the window. A window that wasn’t supposed to be accessed that easily, if Twilight knew anything about security.

Before she could consider the implications of that, the doctor returned, carrying a tiny bottle. Twilight grasped it in her magic and was gone the next moment, ignoring the questions the doctor shot at her.

She wasn’t sure of her ability to teleport again, so she picked a more traditional route to the king’s chambers. Thanks to the late hour, she didn’t meet a lot of ponies in the corridor. But even if somepony tried to stop her now, they would be thrown aside like an annoying thorn by the panicking mare.

Twilight was keeping track in the back of her mind of exactly how much time had passed since she had left the king’s chamber and if she wanted to save the ruler, she should get back there in ten minutes. It was a rough estimate, as the poison’s effects were different for everypony, so it was likely even less than that.

Speeding up despite her exhaustion, the unicorn raced through the corridor to save her king.

When she finally arrived at the chamber’s doors at the end of the corridor, the guards regarded her with suspicion. From their perspective, she’d never left the room and seeing her again was definitely ringing alarm bells in their heads.

Twilight cursed inside, seeing the guards readying their spears at her. Charging up her magic, she simply threw the two of them aside like ragdolls and blasted the doors wide open, hurrying to the dying ruler.

He was exactly where she’d left him — spread out on the floor. Lifting his head, she poured the whole content of the bottle down his throat, making sure that he swallowed the antidote. Then she simply stepped back and prayed to the Sun for the damn thing to work.

The guards, who had recovered by now, rushed into the room behind her and she turned to face them. They took a few moments to take in the situation — Twilight with an empty bottle and the unconscious king before her — and then one of them stepped forward:

“Twilight Sparkle, you’re under arrest.”

I hope you're enjoying my new fanfic!
If you do, please consider leaving a comment. Seeing people who like my work is very motivating.
Thank you for reading.