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Organised by
RogerDodger
Word limit
400–750
In Thy Name
Princess Celestia turned to the soft knocking at her study door. “Please, come in.”
“Hi,” Twilight Sparkle said with a muted wave. She took the chair directly across the desk from Celestia and fiddled with her hooves. But after a solid minute, she still hadn’t spoken.
“So… what brings you to see me today, Twilight?” The poor dear wouldn’t drag her gaze off the floor, and was she blushing?
Twilight squeezed her eyes shut and held her breath, then spilled it all out. “I was afraid to bring this up with you because you might think I’m going nuts, but… ever since I became a princess, I’ve… heard things.”
Sitting up straighter, Celestia steepled her hooves. “What kind of things?” If only she could keep her face blank, but she could never get rid of the sparkle to her eyes.
“Whispers.” Twilight shook her head. “At first, like wind rushing, but it got louder. I could pick out individual words here and there, then whole phrases, and… it’s getting worse.”
Celestia hid her mouth with a hoof. It wasn’t often she got to watch a pony make this particular discovery, so no need to rush it. “What do these whispers say?”
With narrowed eyes, Twilight stared at the desk’s wood-grain surface. Or somewhere far beyond it. “I don’t know. Sometimes, just conversations. Other times, more like… questions. About life, about… wanting something. Pleading. And—” she gulped “—the louder they get, I think… I think I can recognize some of them now.”
“How so?” Oh, she should stop toying. Just tell her already!
“I know a few, and others… Though I’ve never met them, I remember their names.” She jerked her gaze free and looked deep into Celestia’s eyes. “What does it mean? Am I imagining it? Am I losing my mind? Or—” she gasped and straightened up “—have I gained Princess Luna’s powers? Are they dreams?”
Celestia folded her hooves and leaned forward over the desk. “Twilight, those are… prayers.”
“Prayers!?” Twilight shot to her hooves and sent her chair tumbling to the floor. “Prayers!? But we’re not—”
“I know,” Celestia said, holding up a hoof. “I don’t know why it works. Maybe so we can hear citizens in trouble. But most of them we can do nothing about. Every time somepony mentions my name, I hear it. I’ve learned to tune it out.”
“Every time?”
Celestia nodded. “Yes, and—” She swiveled an ear northward and let out a heavy sigh. “No, I will not help your hoofball team win. I couldn’t care less about the damn sport.”
After erupting in a giggle, Twilight went ashen. “I-I’m sorry. This is supposed to be serious.”
“No it’s not.” Celestia flicked a hoof. “You know how often I have to listen to angry ponies, ones amazed for any given reason—” she leaned in closer “—that… house of ill repute across town? After dark, it’s nonstop.”
Twilight righted her chair, fell into it, and… somehow shrunk into a tiny ball. Funny, Celestia rarely got that reaction. “So we can’t use it to do any good?”
Pursing her lips, Celestia walked around the desk and put a hoof on Twilight’s shoulder. Leave it to the Princess of Friendship to make a beeline right for that aspect of it. Celestia couldn’t help smiling; she whispered, with an urgency, one that would get her message across. “Yes. Once in a while. When it happens, you’ll know.”
“But—”
“You’ll know.”
Twilight stepped into the quiet hospital room and approached the small figure in bed. Just a filly, the poor thing. Unfortunately, magic didn’t have many advanced medical applications, if she even knew what was wrong, but the child hadn’t said. Only that somepony was lonely. That she could handle.
She brushed the filly’s forelock back, and the girl stirred. “Hello, sweetie. You needed a friend?”
The patient shook her head and pointed to her roommate, an elderly stallion staring out the window. “Not me. I have him. But he has nopony.”
Twilight’s eyes glistened. She squeezed the filly’s shoulder. If only that one meaningful look said all she wanted… but she had a feeling it did. So she moved to the next bed. “Hello there.”
The stallion rolled over and immediately tried to bow his head. “Princess!”
“Not today. Just Twilight Sparkle,” she said, smiling as she sat down beside him. He returned the smile. “Please. I thought it might be interesting to come here and talk to folks. Why don’t you tell me about yourself?”
“Hi,” Twilight Sparkle said with a muted wave. She took the chair directly across the desk from Celestia and fiddled with her hooves. But after a solid minute, she still hadn’t spoken.
“So… what brings you to see me today, Twilight?” The poor dear wouldn’t drag her gaze off the floor, and was she blushing?
Twilight squeezed her eyes shut and held her breath, then spilled it all out. “I was afraid to bring this up with you because you might think I’m going nuts, but… ever since I became a princess, I’ve… heard things.”
Sitting up straighter, Celestia steepled her hooves. “What kind of things?” If only she could keep her face blank, but she could never get rid of the sparkle to her eyes.
“Whispers.” Twilight shook her head. “At first, like wind rushing, but it got louder. I could pick out individual words here and there, then whole phrases, and… it’s getting worse.”
Celestia hid her mouth with a hoof. It wasn’t often she got to watch a pony make this particular discovery, so no need to rush it. “What do these whispers say?”
With narrowed eyes, Twilight stared at the desk’s wood-grain surface. Or somewhere far beyond it. “I don’t know. Sometimes, just conversations. Other times, more like… questions. About life, about… wanting something. Pleading. And—” she gulped “—the louder they get, I think… I think I can recognize some of them now.”
“How so?” Oh, she should stop toying. Just tell her already!
“I know a few, and others… Though I’ve never met them, I remember their names.” She jerked her gaze free and looked deep into Celestia’s eyes. “What does it mean? Am I imagining it? Am I losing my mind? Or—” she gasped and straightened up “—have I gained Princess Luna’s powers? Are they dreams?”
Celestia folded her hooves and leaned forward over the desk. “Twilight, those are… prayers.”
“Prayers!?” Twilight shot to her hooves and sent her chair tumbling to the floor. “Prayers!? But we’re not—”
“I know,” Celestia said, holding up a hoof. “I don’t know why it works. Maybe so we can hear citizens in trouble. But most of them we can do nothing about. Every time somepony mentions my name, I hear it. I’ve learned to tune it out.”
“Every time?”
Celestia nodded. “Yes, and—” She swiveled an ear northward and let out a heavy sigh. “No, I will not help your hoofball team win. I couldn’t care less about the damn sport.”
After erupting in a giggle, Twilight went ashen. “I-I’m sorry. This is supposed to be serious.”
“No it’s not.” Celestia flicked a hoof. “You know how often I have to listen to angry ponies, ones amazed for any given reason—” she leaned in closer “—that… house of ill repute across town? After dark, it’s nonstop.”
Twilight righted her chair, fell into it, and… somehow shrunk into a tiny ball. Funny, Celestia rarely got that reaction. “So we can’t use it to do any good?”
Pursing her lips, Celestia walked around the desk and put a hoof on Twilight’s shoulder. Leave it to the Princess of Friendship to make a beeline right for that aspect of it. Celestia couldn’t help smiling; she whispered, with an urgency, one that would get her message across. “Yes. Once in a while. When it happens, you’ll know.”
“But—”
“You’ll know.”
Twilight stepped into the quiet hospital room and approached the small figure in bed. Just a filly, the poor thing. Unfortunately, magic didn’t have many advanced medical applications, if she even knew what was wrong, but the child hadn’t said. Only that somepony was lonely. That she could handle.
She brushed the filly’s forelock back, and the girl stirred. “Hello, sweetie. You needed a friend?”
The patient shook her head and pointed to her roommate, an elderly stallion staring out the window. “Not me. I have him. But he has nopony.”
Twilight’s eyes glistened. She squeezed the filly’s shoulder. If only that one meaningful look said all she wanted… but she had a feeling it did. So she moved to the next bed. “Hello there.”
The stallion rolled over and immediately tried to bow his head. “Princess!”
“Not today. Just Twilight Sparkle,” she said, smiling as she sat down beside him. He returned the smile. “Please. I thought it might be interesting to come here and talk to folks. Why don’t you tell me about yourself?”