“OOh, OOh, I know, I know! You’re a duck!” said Pinkie Pie excitedly
AppleJack sighed. “No, you guessed that three times already. Could you give someone else another shot to guess?”
Okie, I will just be back here waiting” said Pinkie, who then proceeded to move to the back of the group.
It was nightfall, and the Mane Six had decided that the last game they would play would be charades. Or, more appropriately, that was the game Pinkie had decided on playing. In reality, not too many ponies cared for the game, but they knew there was no arguing with Pinkie when it came to party games. Due to that, most of them just sat back and watched Pinkie have her fun.
In the midst of this, Twilight was still hearing the same strange voice that she heard the night before. She knew it sounded familiar, but she still couldn’t figure out what it was. Even worse, she couldn’t figure out what the mysterious voice was saying. Despite that fact, the voice was getting harder and harder to ignore. She had to figure out what was going on soon, else she might go crazy. Suddenly, without warning, Twilight found the break she was looking for.
“All right, I am beat,” said Rainbow Dash a bit sleepily “I will be heading back to Cloudsdale now.”
“Alright then, party is over. Time for you guys to head home for the night!” said Twilight, more energetically than even she expected.
“Aww, does it really have to end so soon?” said Pinkie, a bit mournful that the fun had to end.
“Yes, Pinkie, said Applejack, looking at her inquisitively. “Not everyone can stay up and keep moving as long as you can.” She then proceeded to lead Pinkie out the door.
Rarity, who decided to show Fluttershy how to knit mini butterflies, put her equipment away and led Fluttershy out the door.
The final ponies to leave where Trixie and Sunburst, who only left after Starlight convinced her that she would come shortly after, and that she knew Sunburst could be trusted to protect her. Following that, only Starlight, Spike, and Twilight remained in the castle. However, Spike was fast asleep in another room, having decided to turn in after the bunny hop.
After closing the door, starlight then turned and looked at Twilight. “I am sorry, but I don’t quite understand. Why did you seem so eager for everyone to leave?”
Twilight sighed. “You see, for some reason I feel like someone is speaking to me. It sounds familiar, but I can’t quite make it out. And I can’t quite tell what that voice is saying, as it is too distant to make out.”
Starlight then proceeded to hug Twi. “Don’t worry, it’s probably just your imagination. You just need to sleep it off. Trust me, I have dealt with things like this myself in the past.”
Twilight then smiled. “You know what, you’re probably right about that. I guess I should just get some sleep and see if things turn out better tomorrow.”
Releasing Twilight, Starlight proceeded to head to the door. “Well, I guess I will be heading back to Friendship Academy, now. Trixie will be wondering what is taking me so long, and I don’t want to deal with her wrath on a night like this.”
Twilight chuckled. “Well, good night, Starlight. I will see you tomorrow.” After that, Starlight left, leaving Twilight alone in the castle atrium.
Following this, Twilight went back to the main bedroom to try and get some sleep. She reflected on how unusual it was to be back in her old home again, the one where it all started all those years back. It was quite nostalgic, she thought, as she never expected to be back there again after her coronation in Canterlot. It was quite tiny in comparison to that massive palace, but at the same time she kind of liked the smaller size. It made it a lot easier to navigate, and a lot less foreboding as well. With these thoughts in mind, she went to sleep.
“Twilight”
Opening her eyes a little bit, Twilight sleepily responded, “Yes?”
“Come here, Twilight. There is something I need to show you.”
Twilight then slowly got out of bed, and headed to the door where the voice originated. She opened the door quietly, being sure to not wake Spike, who was quietly snoring in the corner. She then proceeded down a series of hallways that somehow she knew was where the voice was leading her. The voice led her to one door that seemingly hadn’t been opened for many years. Brushing off the cobwebs and unlocking it, she proceeded to head inside the strange room.
Once inside, all she could see was what appeared to be an old mirror in the center. The mirror kind of reminded her of the one that took her into that strange other dimension that she followed Sunset Shimmer into all those years back. However, unlike that mirror, this one was completely intact. Even stranger, it didn’t have that magical aura that alluded to it being an open portal. In all respects, it appeared to just be an ordinary household mirror.
Which made her wonder: if it really was just an ordinary mirror, why was it locked in this room with nothing else around it? And why would the mysterious voice lead her here of all places, instead of a place with more powerful magical artifacts such as the castle library not too far away?
Seemingly answering her thoughts, the voice responded, “Now in case you are wondering, no, this isn’t an ordinary mirror, and I didn’t lead you here just to look at your reflection. No, there is another reason I led you here. However, I think I would rather show you than tell you. So just proceed to the mirror.”
Twilight, not knowing what else to do, then went up to the mirror. Inside she initially expected to see: her face, reflected back at her. However, that immediately changed when said reflection started speaking back to her.
“Hello, Twilight,” said her reflection. “I am you, or more specifically, I am your inner conscience. Thing is, I know how you truly feel about being forced to take on the roles of two powerful beings all by yourself. It is no easy task, and I am here to warn you that you will wear yourself out if you keep this up.”
Twilight looked at her peculiarly. “Honestly, so far things have been going smoothly. And while I do have my doubts, I feel like life in Equestria is going pretty smoothly.”
“That is true, but you know it won’t always go this smoothly. You know that the timekeeper that Celestia and Luna gave you to automatically power the Sun and the Moon will one day run out of magic, and Luna will stop looking after the dream world. Should those stopgaps fail, it will leave you overwhelmed if you are not prepared for it.”
As she was saying this, the mirror background changed from the small room to an aerial view of Canterlot. However, this wasn’t an ordinary view of the city. Instead, it was a view of the city in chaos. The sun and moon were side by side, creating day and night simultaneously. The citizens of the city appeared to be in shock, and looked as if they haven’t slept in days. A weary Celestia and Luna were helping the citizens to the best of their ability, but even they looked exhausted. And she saw slightly older versions of her friends, who seemed to be really concerned as well.
“Well, is Twilight going to be okay?” asked Fluttershy, who was visibly distressed by what was going on.
“Honestly, we don’t know,” said Starlight, who was also saddened but was trying to console her friends at the same time. “The doctors said they are doing the best they can, but they cannot say for sure.”
Rainbow Dash then looked at Starlight in anger. “That can’t be right! I know Twilight! She is the Princess who defeated supercharged Tirek, Chrysalis, and Cozy Glow at the same time! She should be able to overcome this!”
AppleJack then put her foreleg around Rainbow Dash’s shoulder. “Don’t worry, hun. Ah still have faith that she can pull through, and so should you. It isn’t easy, but ah know she can do it.”
Starlight smiled. “I love your confidence. Yes, we will be able to do this, don’t worry. Just calm down.” After saying that, she led the Mane Six inside the hospital and the scene faded out.
A suddenly distraught Twilight then looked back at her reflection. “Yes, I can see what you mean. But I don’t know what to do. How am I going to be able to stop this from happening?”
Her reflection smiled. “Simple. You need a partner. One who you trust can take care of the night tasks while you handle the day tasks. Someone that is truly capable of handling that.”
Twilight looked at her strangely. “Well, the only type of pony that can do that would be an Alicorn. And the only Alicorns around are either doing other things or are too young to help.”
“Not necessarily. The pony to help you would have to be someone with great skill in using and understanding magic, but that user doesn’t necessarily have to be an Alicorn per se. However, it would have to be someone you personally trust to do that. Someone who you have trained for many years, and is capable of handling it. I would go on further, but you know exactly who I am talking about.”
“Wait, you don’t mean….” Twilight said before her mind immediately went to Starlight Glimmer.
Her reflection nodded. “She is your best bet, honestly. She is almost as skilled as you, despite not being an Alicorn. And she has faced the dream world before, so she does have some experience with it. But she does need more training before she is truly ready to take up the task.”
“But I made her the headmistress of the school. How am I supposed to get her out of that, while keeping that school open?”
Smiling one last time, the reflection stated “You will find a way.” After that, she witness the room fade away, as felt sleep’s embrace around her once more.