Awakening: Prologue
How did it come to this?
How did it come to be here?
Twilight Sparkle stood by the Canterlot cliffs by the waterfall. The cliffs lead straight down to a seemingly bottomless black pit that was almost a mile wide. This was the place. This was the place she will be meeting her end. Here is where she will die.
In front of her, not fifteen feet away was everypony. Her friends, Applejack, Pinkie Pie, Fluttershy, Rarity and Rainbow Dash. Her brother, Shinning Armor, was standing by them. And her two mentors, but friends and now family stood by him. Princess Celestia and Princess Luna.
“Twilight please!” begged Rainbow Dash, her own face mixed with tears and pain. “Don’t do this!”
“Come one Sugarcube!” yelled Applejack with her own voice of sorrow. “Ya know we can help you!”
Her friends, the one she had met since her first step to Ponyville and became the Elements of Harmony by her side for many years straight, telling her not to jump.
“Twiley, don’t do it!” begged her brother, Shinning Armor. His face was beyond sorrow and his cheeks were streaming with his tears.
Her brother, the one that had loved and raised her since birth, taught her magic, guided her through life and became prince of Canterlot, telling her not to jump.
“Twilight Sparkle, I beg of you!” Her mentor yelled. The one who raised the second part of her life, gave her purpose, trained her and loved her like a second mother, was telling her not to jump.
Twilight, with her own tears, looked upon her whole family. The ponies that loved her and cared for her. The ones that she loved so much, that she was willingly to do anything for them, and that included dying for them.
“You know why I have to do this!” she spoke with tears but with a firm voice. Her eyes met them all. “You know why I have to die!”
They knew why she wanted to do this. They knew why she wanted to die.
Not twenty-four hours ago, they had a visitor, a visitor from the future. That visitor was Sweetie Belle. But this Sweetie Belle wasn’t the kind, fun loving pony they knew of today. No, this older Sweetie Belle looked like she had gone through the worst war of Equestria.
Her once beautiful body was covered with scars and opened wounds. Her coat and mane were streaked with blood in almost all parts of her body. And her face, which once held beauty and grace, was replaced with an angered and soul torn look.
She came into play when all of her friends were visiting the Canterlot. They were all there. They all came to enjoy a private dinner party when she came.
Since it was private, the mane six, her brother and the princesses only knew of what had happened. They all watched as the magical aura that emitted from the center of the room began forming the pony.
Sweetie Belle, though worn and in pain, still managed to look around with her angered eyes yell at her.
“What have you done, Twilight?! What have you done?! You killed us all! You killed us all! You should be dead!”
Sweetie Belle then collapse dead. A magical scroll and recording technology then appeared by her. Nobody had moved for minutes from either pure shock or fear. Rarity immediately ran to her fallen older sister.
Celestia ordered to secure the room so that only they remained in here and nopony else see what has happened.
Reading the scroll out loud, the horrid truth came out.
‘In the ten years that is to come, Twilight Sparkle gains power. She takes in all of the magic and power of the Elements of Harmony and uses it. With it, she is consumed by it and tries to take over Equestria.
With that power, she easily destroys the Princesses, taking their power and ruling over all the lands. Millions perish under her rule and many more to come.
A war begins and between the side of Twilight stand dark forces of unimaginable power against the free ponies. Through her power, she easily is winning the fight and lives are slipping away.
The attempts to assassinate her multiple times have failed; a plan has been created to send a single pony back in time to ensure Twilight’s death to prevent this future has been ordered.
At this point, if Twilight does not die, then this future will be lost. This fate, is unavoidable for the next time she had used the Elements, it consumed her and ended the lives of the other bearers.
I beg you, ponies of the past to join forces and stop Twilight Sparkle before it is too late. The future depends on her death!
Signed,
Trix---
The signing ended there for there had been a streak of blood splatter on the scroll.
Nopony had spoken at all and some of their gazes focused on Twilight. Her face was filled with dread and horror. That just came from the scroll, she dared not imagine what was on the recording device.
That single moment is now what put her in this position now. She was slowly moving back towards the edge, her left back hoof was stepping at the edge.
“Twilight!”
Princess Celestia tried to use her magic but Twilight knew they would attempt to stop her. She quickly conjured up a force-field against any magic.
When Celestia’s magic failed she gave a sad smile.
“I’m doing this for you!” she spoke. They all stopped. “You know what the scroll and video said. It’s unavoidable and I will not be consumed and kill everypony. I won’t do that… not knowing it could happen again.”
“Twilight, please be reasonable!” Spoke Luna. “You do not have to use the Elements!”
Twilight already knew of that.
“I know, but if Discord were to get free or if the other evil creatures and Alicorns were set free, how would we stop them without the Elements?”
The princess tried to speak but nothing came up. Throughout their existence, they have used the Elements of Harmony to stop any evil and keep peace and Harmony throughout Equestria. Discord was one of the few that could stop them without the Elements.
They were not all powerful after all.
When no answer came, Twilight smiled one last time and spoke softly, “I love you all.”
Three steps back and she fell.
“Twilight!” they all yelled. Rainbow Dash was the fastest to react and ran to the cliff before jumping of and diving down. Twilight free fell down the cliff to the dark abyss.
As she did, she saw the colorful pegasus fly down after her. She knew she would come rescue her. As soon as she was within range, Twilight casted a teleport spell that send Rainbow Dash appearing nearly cloud level.
Dash looked around and saw that she was right over the cliff but super high up. She could still see Twilight falling. Without thinking and without any speed, she blasted off in a Sonic Rainbow, already reaching the Canterlot Castle height.
Twilight saw as her friend create the Rainbow with ease and seeing it one last time, she would die happy gazing at the wonderful display. She was getting closer to the bottom for the darkness was approaching more and the colder it was getting.
Rainbow Dash already reached the point of the cliff and picking up speed. Twilight saw Rainbow’s light, lighting up the abyss. Turning her head, she was less than a hundred feet from the floor.
She turned to Rainbow and saw her face. What was not on her face was fear, but sadness and sorrow. Twilight knew that even if Rainbow was to reach on time, she had no way of pulling off at that dive and speed. They would both die before she had a chance.
Rainbow’s tears were beyond falling and Twilight felt her getting close. Rainbow extended her hoof. Twilight saw her approaching fast. They were getting close now.
A final smile and a tear from Twilight, Rainbow’s eyes went wide.
"NO!!"
With the last of her magic, she sent Rainbow back up to the air in the opposite direction, almost like bouncing her away from her.
Rainbow didn’t know it till she shot past the cliff and did a sharp turn.
Her friends and family saw the purple flash of Rainbow Dash and nothing more.
Twilight knew that she was at least ten feet away before thoughts raced into her mind. Why couldn’t she just find other answers to this? Why couldn’t she just speak to everypony about it?
She didn’t care though. For at that moment, she knew one thing and one thing only.
“They were going to live.”
Only Blackness came.
-----------------------------
This was written in a matter of two hours so sorry if there are mistakes.
Awakening Revival
What goes through many ponies and their minds do when they wake up after they think they died? What do they think goes through their minds as their unconsciousness tells them that they are slowly waking up?
Do they wish to remain dead so they can escape the pain? Do they want to wake up thinking that they just fell asleep? Would they want to even wake up or come back from the dead?
Darkness is a blessing that many do not take for granted. It brings sleep to the unrested; brings dreams and happiness to those who seek. Darkness may bring nightmarish creatures but in reality, they are just in their own domain and enjoying it.
Darkness, for Twilight, felt more as if she was waking up. In fact, she slowly opened her eyes and found herself yawning. As she opened her eyes, she found them blurry. Everything was surrounded in brownish hue.
She reached over, slowly rubbing her eyes from the sleepiness, making her vision clear. She then paused, mid rubbing when she realized that she just touched herself on her face.
How could that be? She jumped off a cliff and died. How can she even be waking up? How can she even be breathing? Or not feel any pain?
She felt like she just woke up from a night’s sleep. She remembered falling off the cliff; she remembered her friends and family watching as she fell off. She even remembered Rainbow Dash jumping off to save her.
How is it she still alive here and now? She looked around and found herself in a cave of some sort, judging by the rock formations. It was not a huge cave but big enough for a pegasus hover in. From where she was laying, on a bed of some sort, the cave had an outside view of the morning sky.
Well… it looked like morning, since there were many trees surrounding the cave. The sky seemed a bit bright but lacked the brightly colored that usually Princess Celestia would bring. It seemed like she was the Everfree forest.
She then looked around from her laying position to see that there was a pony… or in this case, two ponies living here. There were two beds of the same yet one was a bit bigger than the other. The big one, which Twilight was currently laying on, felt comfortable and had blankets of Zebraian culture.
Now that she saw it, she looked around and saw the rest of the cave. It reminded Twilight of the home of her friend, Zecora had. In fact, it contained many of her Zebra friend’s items. Much of it was on shelves or on wooden counters. Potions, bottles, herbs, exotic flowers, cantinas and even a giant rounded pot, which currently was placed over a fire. A wonderful smell emitted from it.
The rest of the cave carried masks, Zebra paintings and even… spears? Twilight never remembered Zecora having spears in her home.
Then again, she did not even know that she lived here. It probably was not even a Zebra. Probably a collector or a pony with some odd tastes.
Her eyes then followed to the counter top where a mirror lied. She must’ve looked like a mess. She looked down at herself only to find a blanket. However, something from her body felt off. Slowly she pushed the blankets away and revealed her body.
What she saw shocked her beyond anything to say at least. Her body had grown, quite drastically. She felt almost as big as Princess Luna. Her mane was so much longer; it ran all the way down to past her cutie mark. Her tail was even longer than before, almost five feet longer.
She had the body of a full grown mare, if not more. She slowly pushed herself off the bed and with shaky legs, slowly stood up. Yeah… she definitely felt taller. She moved her front right hoof first then the next one then the next.
She quickly adjusted to her height and walked over to the mirror. From where she stood, she could already tell a lot has changed. She reached the mirror with her magic.
It was instantly engulfed with a purple aura but not even a few seconds after holding, did the mirror crack. Twilight flinched but quickly looked over it. The cracked was a huge one but more where beginning to appear the more she held. She quickly set back down. Without her magic, she approached the mirror and what she saw made gasp.
Her horn! It was… bigger than before! It was almost like alicorn-big! It was at least a half a hoof taller than her horn was before. Next thing she expected was wings to be an alicorn. Turning her head, she didn’t see any wings on her back.
Darn! A small smile had crept to her. So… she was alive in some sort of cave, she was taller, her magic was a bit untamed and she could probably pass for an alicorn if given wings.
But that still left the question on where she was. Turning towards the exit of the cave, she walked out to the small lit world.
She had the right to stay by that statement for the instant everything came to view, her eyes went wide.
The first thing that came to her view was…
“The Castle of the Sisters!” she exclaimed. She blinked. Wow, even her voice had changed. But she quickly forgot about that. Her eyes focused on the castle. If was high up on top of the hill not too far away from her current position.
She was at the bottom by where a river ran by not twenty feet away. She was in the Everfree! But how had she end up here. The Canterlot falls didn’t pass by here did they? She couldn’t be sure but maybe they did.
A noise behind her caused her to quickly turn around. What she turned to see was a pony. However, when the pony walked out more into the light from the bushes, it wasn’t just any pony. It was a Zebra and not just any Zebra, it almost looked like Zecora!
She almost passed for Zecora but a few details were a bit off. For one thing, she was a bit shorter, even at this height, Twilight could tell she was a bit smaller than Zecora. Her stripes were almost the same and her earing matched like Zecora’s. Her ‘cutie mark’ if Zebras called them that, was a black swirling flower with six pointed petals.
She could have passed for Zecora. The zebra saw Twilight out and looking straight at her.
“Ah… your awake.” She spoke. She did not carry the rhyming accent but she did sound like young version of her.
Twilight blinked and gave a small smile.
“Uh yes… I am.”
The young filly zebra approached Twilight till she was a few feet away.
Twilight really looked her over and the zebra did the same. The zebra looked remarkably like Zecora. Maybe she was kin.
The filly in the meantime looked over Twilight. She seemed familiar, not the looks but by the features. The purple mane, fur and her Star Cutie Mark. She seemed very familiar.
Twilight was the one to break the silence.
“Um… do you mind telling me where I am?” she asked.
The zebra looked her over once more before responding.
“You are in the Everfree forest by the old castle of the sisters. I found you washed up ashore a few hours ago. I carried you… as best as I could to my home.”
Twilight turned to the cave before looking back at her. She gave a small smile.
“I uh… thank you.” She extended a hoof. “My name is Twilight Sparkle.” The zebra was about to shake it but the name suddenly made her stop. Twilight saw her hoof in the air but no shaking. Awkwardly she slowly lowered it.
The zebra had a look over her face that Twilight couldn’t place. The zebra then lowered her voice.
“Are you jesting with me? Are you messing with my mind?” Her voice then grew a bit agitated. “I don’t like jokes.”
Twilight slightly recoiled from her but spoke.
“I am not messing with you and this is no joke. My name is Twilight Sparkle.” She then realized why the filly sounded like this. Maybe she heard of her apparent death.
The zebra remained unsure but nodded.
“I am Layla. Welcome to my home.” She waved her hoof to the cave and the rest of the Everfree.
Twilight looked at her. She was a filly. There was no way she lived her by herself. But she did say she had a mother and there were to beds.
That reminded her.
“I don’t suppose you know of a zebra named ‘Zecora,’ do you?”
The zebra blinked and did that over-looking again. She didn’t know what to make of Twilight but she sure was… unusual.
“How do you know of that name?” she asked.
Twilight gave a small smile.
“Zecora was a friend of mine who lived in the Everfree. She lives in a hut and is the town’s shaman and herbalist. She was also a zebra like you.” Twilight paused. “In fact you sort of… I don’t want to be rude here but you sort of look like her.”
The zebra remained silent before giving a small nod.
“I should look much like her; she is my mother after all.”
Mother…. Mother…. MOTHER!?
“Mother?” she said loudly. The zebra nodded somewhat confused.
How could Zecora have a foal? She had known her for years and not once did she mention a daughter. Over the years she had spent with Zecora, not once did she mention a daughter. She didn’t mention of even any potential males in her life or even a consort.
Twilight did an overtake at the filly and sighed.
“Sorry,” she apologized, rubbing her head. “I never… excuse me, I had no idea that Zecora had a… daughter, nor that she had a…” she was about to say ‘male’. Mares can have foals without males they just needed magic. “I just…” She tried to speak but couldn’t form any words.
Layla saw her struggle but it did implore the question, how could this ‘Twilight Sparkle’ not know that Zecora had a foal. Everypony in Ponyville and if not more, knew of her existence.
“Your not from around here… are you?” questioned Layla with an arched eyebrow that questioned Twilight all over.
Twilight looked at the filly with her own confused eyes.
“Of course I am… I mean not from the Everfree forest but I live in Ponyville.”
Something clicked in Layla.
“I only know of one Twilight Sparkle from Ponyville. She was one of the Barres of the Elements of Harmony.”
Twilight smiled and nodded.
“Yes, I am her!”
The filly gave a short snort.
“I highly doubt that, you are Twilight Sparkle.”
Twilight’s expression changed.
“What do mean? How can you doubt I am Twilight Sparkle.”
The filly stared at her with her deep brown eyes, almost staring into her soul and the next few words are what cause fear to suddenly shot into her heart.
“You cannot be Twilight Sparkle. She has been dead for a long time.”
The breath escaped Twilight and she almost light sight of her vision. However, she quickly shook her head. Her fear was undoubtedly still there.
“How…How long? Ho… How long have I been dead? She’s been… dead?” Her body was shaking, her heart was pounding and her head was heavy with sweat.
Layla responded.
“I was born a year after your… ‘her’ death. I am to be twelve years in this upcoming summer.”
Twilight remained speechless. Her voice literally drained from her throat. Layla known of Twilight’s state, spoke her next words carefully.
“If you are truly Twilight Sparkle, then… you have been considered dead for almost thirteen years.”
Awakening: Discovery
To the naked eye, everything seems to happen as is… Through a single experience, a single pony can witness the vastness of the universe, experiencing so much in that moment.
Yet, there is always a moment’s return in which they return to reality, to find themselves trapped in the horror. That horror is the reality of time and time can change everything in a single moment....
Twilight, at the sound of those words, did not know whether to faint or just fall down crying. She honestly did not know what was keeping her standing. She just wanted to say no… that the filly was wrong. That she is lying and this is all a dream.
She was wishing that this were a horrible dream that she would soon wake up to. However, she knew that this was not a dream. She jumped off a cliff and died. Then somehow mysteriously been brought back to life.
She did not know how long she had been standing there; it could have been days or months and she would not have known. The reality was here and she was facing it.
Layla, though not fully sure if it was really Twilight Sparkle, she still needed to find a way to comfort the mare. Her mother always told to be kind to other ponies, no matter how odd or different they were. That was how her father had treated her mother when they first met.
“Are you alright?” she asked, somewhat knowing that it was not all right.
Twilight remained silent. Either she did not hear the filly’s words, or she had not caught up to current events. Eventually, a single tear ran down her cheek and dropped to the soil below.
She blinked once before more tears spread and she let out a sigh that carried a choked cry. She rubbed her hoof over her eyes. She then looked up at the filly that actually worried at her.
“I’m sorry… it’s just.” She paused. “I was kind of hoping this is a dream of some sort.”
Layla, gave a sad shake of her head.
“I wish I could tell you it was, but this is no dream. You have been considered dead for thirteen years. They held a service with a memorial after, and they even named a school after you.”
This somewhat lifted Twilight’s spirits and she slowly lifted her head to meet her eyes.
“R…Really?” she asked, her tears slowly disappearing.
Layla gave a small smile.
“They did… It was named, ‘Twilight Sparkle’s School for Gifted Youth.’ It is not only for Unicorns any more, but for Earth Ponies, Pegasi, Zebras, Griffons, Diamond dogs and other intellectual species. All because you inspired peace between so many. This brought Equestria a lot closer to each other after the …” she paused.
Twilight looked at her.
“After what?” she asked, suddenly losing focus.
Layla shook her head.
“I know that you are still a bit new to this and have many questions. Please come with me inside, I start you up some tea.” Twilight without another word followed the young filly.
About twenty minutes later after the tea was set and they were comfortable, Layla spoke.
“I will try my best to answer as many questions as I can though, if you want any real answers to what has happened to you, you shall have to wait till my mother returns.”
Twilight nodded. She first inhaled the smell of the tea, taking in the sweet aroma. She then exhaled. Inhaled, exhaled. Again, then she stopped before fixing her eyes on the filly before her.
“Can we start at the beginning?” spoke Twilight in her calmed, yet sad filled voice. “What happened after I… died?”
The filly gave a nod.
“I do not know much but from what my mother told me it was a dark day.” She took in a sip from her tea. “You were one of the very few that held Equestria together.”
“After they witness your… plunge, there was an immediate search for your body. Your friend, Rainbow Dash, tried to go look for you but the cavern and fall beneath Canterlot was dark. Too dark for her to see; she did all her best but it had been close to costing her own life.”
Twilight gave a small sad smile.
“That sounds like Rainbow. Stubborn but loyal till the end.”
Layla nodded.
“Well, she didn’t stop looking for you. Even with the unicorns and other pegasi helping, she never stopped. The princesses sent out about a hundred if not, thousands of their guards to search for you.”
‘Thousands!’ thought Twilight. Thousands sent to search for me. They really did… care!
“They searched for four days straight. Many guards went through patrols and shifts. Rainbow and your friends were the only ones who stayed to help and search for you. They went non-stop… almost to the point of passing out.”
She stopped. She reached for a cup of her tea. Reaching for her cup with her hoof… hoof not hooves. Twilight watched as the cup, slowly, as by magic, slowly the cup moved to her hoof, then she lifted it up to her lips before she took a sip and exhaled. She then lowered her tea back.
Twilight looked at the filly with confusing eyes.
“How did you…?” she tried to ask.
The filly responded before she could finish.
“My father was a unicorn. Specifically, he was one of Lunar guards.”
Twilight still had a confused look. Layla shook her head.
“Maybe another time but let me continue with your tale.”
Twilight nodded and remained silent; studding the filly before her while, she listened.
“After four days, they decided to stop.” She gave a small sigh, before continuing. “Everypony was… devastated. Your friends, you family, the princesses, even Ponyville was distraught because of you. By the end of the week, they had already planned a memorial service for you.
Nearly everypony who was anypony, from Canterlot and beyond came to your wake. I do not know what it was like since I was not even born yet but my mother told me…. That that day, Equestria lost not only a pony but a hero and a friend.”
A lump formed on Twilight’s throat. She tried her best not to cry, but her eyes were getting moist and she was trying not to sniff so loud.
All of Equestria came to pay their respects when she did not truly do anything. Yeah she saved Equestria about three or four times by now but… did her life really have that much of a meaning to everypony, everyone in Equestria? Or even the rest of the world?
“After the service,” continued Layla, just finished taking another sip from her tea. “Equestria was never the same, for your death not only brought heavy hearts to many, it brought much more.”
She stopped and turned around. She stood up for a moment and walked over to her desk, where underneath, was a small sliding tab. She pulled out a newspaper letter and walked back over. She then hoofed over to Twilight. “With you gone, Equestria began to fall.”
In front of Twilight, the newspaper was dated a week after her memorial. In the front of it, the words spelled out, Equestria on the verge of Collapse!
On the picture, it showed…. No! It could not be!
Discord stood in front, with all of Equestria hanging upside down, literally! She read the first paragraph.
‘With the Element of Magic deceased, Discord’s stone prison broke and the God of Chaos returned to Equestria. Discord immediately appeared in the Canterlot castle, figuring out why his release was now. He later found out about the death of Twilight Sparkle and merely laughed it up.
It went on to say that now that the elements were useless without her, he would take back Equestria. That is when Layla came in.
“It was horrible,” began the filly as she looked at the paper from the back. “Discord already turned Equestria upside down but he began doing far worse. When the princesses tried to stop him, they were easily defeated. Discord sent them on the other side of Equestria, trapping them in magic tomes.”
When your friends came to try to stop him, they only ended up becoming shades of their formers selves. The elements didn’t work either, so they… lost.”
Twilight couldn’t bring herself to look up from the paper as she kept listening and reading to the horrible event.
“Discord’s reign, was… the worst time for ponies. It last for almost two years!”
“Two years!” cried Twilight, dropping the paper. Her eyes became rivers of tears.
The filly flinched, at her outburst but she could see why. The news was very horrible. She was born at the time and she was glad she was too young to remember what really happened.
“Yes,” she said calmly. “Two years. Discord’s Chaos magic had misshapen Equestria. Cities were destroyed, lives were… lost and there was… no pony, no one that was able to withstand Discord.”
I was lucky to be born. Since the Everfree was already chaotic, most of the animals and creatures here went elsewhere, leaving my mother and father here. Throughout the two years, there were others who tried to fight against Discord. Many Unicorns, warriors, and even from the other intellectual races fought alongside Equestria to defeat Discord.
It cost us thousands of lives. From all species. Discord was a god; he could create anything and remove anything in his way. He showed no remorse, no fear and only laughed when many fell. It was truly a living Tartarus.”
They both remained silent and Twilight honestly felt like there was no hope. She had forgotten that she was save in a cave and that nothing was harming her. Yet she felt as though everything was happening now. Not only that… but it was her fault that all this happened.
It was her fault that she had created this… dark, sad world. Thousands were lost, cities had fallen, and even the princesses were defeated. It was all her fault… She didn’t try to stop her tears, she didn’t try to hold it back. She let herself fall, fall harder than she ever known.
Yet, everything stopped for her. Yes, tears fell from eyes like rivers, but she didn’t cry out loud. She didn’t fall onto the floor in a shameful way. She didn’t cry. Her tears stopped their flow and she looked up to Layla.
The little filly was in her own state of sadness, looking away from Twilight. She was not crying but she was not exactly trying to hold back. She endured what had transpired when she was born. She lived through all that up till now and that brought a serious question to Twilight. That questioned that nerved her, haunted her ever since Sweetie Belle came from the future.
Was this future better than the one she had created? Was this… fluke of nature, where she had died and caused only a meek lifetime of chaos, better where she kills ponies just because?
Discord may have killed thousands, but otherwise, they became intimidated. In her future, ponies that crossed her would have been killed. Here, the princesses were alive and well… trapped but in her future,… they were dead.
Which future hadn’t been the most decent one to live in?
All thoughts were stopped, for in that moment a pony had entered the cave. Both Layla and Twilight turned their heads as another Zebra appeared. Not just any Zebra, but Zecora.
“Layla, my dear, your mother is now here. Has the soup been ready yet or…” The much, older Zebra paused as she saw her daughter next to another pony. A pony quite familiar.
Layla quickly approached her mother.
“Mother, you have returned!” The filly quickly hugged her mother but Zecora was not paying attention. Instead, her eyes looked at the mare before her.
Twilight also turned to look at the zebra. So much has the zebra she had once called friend(and hopefully still now), had changed. The once styled Mohawk Mane, had changed to a free flowing mane that stretched almost to the floor. The hair reminded her much of Zecora during Nightmare Night. Her ear rings, hoof rings, were pretty much the same, if not new ones added. Overall, she was still the same Zecora she know.
The same could have been said for Zecora but she was in a state of confusion. Her eyes were judging, hard even, looking over the purple mare before her.
Layla broke the ice of the sudden silence.
“Mother, this is… Twilight Sparkle. I found her washed up on the river bed.”
Zecora was speechless at this point. She didn’t know whether this was some trick by magic, changeling magic or some hallucinations but something about the mare made Zecora think twice.
Twilight knew it was going to be difficult for her to explain herself so she cleared her throat.
“H-Hello, Zecora. I know… that this is difficult to believe but… I am Twilight Sparkle. I can prove it to you if you wish.” Twilight stopped and began thinking. Suddenly an idea popped to her head.
“Oh um… when you first came to town, everypony was afraid of you because they all thought you were an Evil Enchantress. When me my friends tried to talk to you about it, we accidently walked into a bed of Poison Joke, even though you told us to beware. We didn’t listen to you so we went on with what we were doing but woke up the next morning to find out that we had been… cursed.
Then we went to go confront you about it at your home. However, it was Apple Bloom who told us that you weren’t an evil enchantress, but that we made a mistake of no listening to you about the Poison Joke.” She finally exhaled, knowing that she had said that almost non-stop.
She then looked up at Zecora. The mare only blinked once before she fell to the floor and passed out.
--------------------------------------------------
I'm sorry this takes so long, but finals are here for my college and its difficult towrite my stories when I have to do five at once. Ill try to get another one done before October is done. If I cant than sorry.
Happy Nightmare Night to you all!
Also, i would like to thank Jade Wulf for checking my work, though lazy ass took for ever. Sorry brother but its true!
Awakening: Change
So many ponies face the fear of change that they will do anything that is within their power to stop it. They will remain stuck in the past, either physically or mentally, never knowing what their future holds.
It was not the part of Zecora passing out that scarred Layla and Twilight; it was rather she was able to pass out from all that had transpired that scared them both. Zecora was never a pony/zebra to be caught off by surprised and pass out.
However, the strange revelation that the zebra passing out had Twilight to wonder if it was truly believable.
Layla was busy right now making some hot tea over the large pot while Twilight used a wet towel and draped it over the zebra’s forehead. The zebra was well out, but hopefully, whatever Layla was cooking, it would help her mother out.
During this time, Twilight was thinking bout her Zebra friend. As she looked down upon her, she could not help but wonder… what she must have been through since her premature death. The horrors she faced with Discord, the fears of endless chaos and the scariness of having a foal on the way. Not something that anypony could really understand, especially Twilight.
Her mind ceased as the zebra below her shifted in her sleep. Standing back, Twilight watched as Zecora slowly began gaining conscious and opened her blue eyes.
She blinked once before she turned her head towards Twilight. It was an awkward kind of stare, like if someone was not only looking at you but at your soul. It did not look anything harsh or dirty but it did let Twilight know that Zecora was checking to see if it was really her.
They remained quiet for a bit. It was momentarily interrupted by Layla’s serving on a teacup. The filly had poured a hot cup of tea from the pot and had brought over (magically).Twilight, though not looking at Layla directly could tell that she was using magic.
Another thing that had Twilight worked her brain was that she knew that Layla was using magic. It’s like she could sense it. Now, it was of course that any unicorn can aww other unicorn’s magic. But unicorns can’t pick up on other types of magic. Yeah, they could see and feel them but they could not sense what is behind it or who is behind it.
Discord was an example. Discord magic was difficult to replicate and very hard to destroy or be ridden of it. The Princesses had their own magic, which was almost like unicorn magic but ten times the power. However, this is something that somewhat unraveled her. A zebra, with a magical sense of moving objects. Then again, her mother is an enchantress and her father is a unicorn.
Layla brought over the tea and set it down by a table next to the bed. How the table was there, Twilight never knew.
“How are you feeling mother?” asked the filly zebra.
Slowly, Zecora sat up on the bed and took tea with her hooves. Taking a small sip, she sighed pleasantly and set it back on the table.
“I feel better now my dear, with help of the tea, my head is now clear.”
Ah, this is one of the things that she loved about her dear zebra friend. The wonderful but somewhat pleasantly rhyme of the zebra. It still somewhat confused her why her daughter didn’t rhyme.
“Now as for you,” said the rhyming Zebra, slowly sitting up on her rump. “It doesn’t seem true. Twilight Sparkle you say, I would dare say nay…” She slowly stood up and leaned in, absorbing the new yet same old look of Twilight.
Twilight in turn let her, for she knew the mare was trying to check for sure it was her. For all she knew, she could probably Twilight was a Changeling. But then again, a changeling wouldn’t know the history of the zebra’s arrival. 13 years can really change a pony, especially if your dead.
Zecora looked over Twilight, studying every little feature, from the end of her tail length to the large tip of the horn. Her sparkling violent eyes still matched perfectly with her coat. Her otherwise long mane and tail were the only true things that set her apart then her younger appearance.
Then her eyes went back to hers. She looked deep within, seeking her soul almost. Zecora almost expected to see anger, or fear of being discovered, but no. The only thing she saw in Twilight was the innocence of lost pony. A pony lost in time without a home to return to or a friend in this world.
Zecora sighed and gave her the warmest smile.
“Well… without a doubt, my old friend, you’re not a changeling about. You truly are… my older dear Twilight, and my, my what a sight!” She almost jumped at her, wrapping her arms around the mare and giving her the biggest hug Twilight had felt for… 13 years she assumed.
Twilight didn’t resist the hug nor did she try to hold back her own hug. She hugged in the same type of grip she is receiving herself. Twilight actually felt her own tears come into place.
After they all had, truly settled down, they began their mutual pleasantries with the recent events of Twilight’s arrival. Truth was, not even Twilight knew how she survived and came to be here.
Zecora was baffled herself. It was not known through any history of Equestria for a unicorn or any other pony to hurl themselves from a cliff and survive, and not know how they lived through it for 13 years. It truly was a stump.
The morning was quickly turning to late afternoon. The amount of hours spent to tending to Zecora and settling down, little Layla began taking a brief nap on her bed while the two mares discussed the situation at the table.
Zecora had pulled out a book on unicorn biology as well as “History of Great Achievements by Magic” by Starswirl the Bearded. Both mares began reading over the books, from front to back, trying to find some way of explaining Twilight’s…. situation. Surviving falls, no memory of death and current situation.
It took almost an hour of reading from both ponies before Zecora had finally found a solution with an explanatory ‘Ah! At last! A look into the past!’
Twilight dropped her book and leaned in close to the zebra. Zecora somewhat continued to scan the page before laying the book down and twisted it around to face Twilight. Twilight quickly levitated the book, however, as soon as she did, the book began to slowly crush in on itself.
Twilight quickly gasped and tried to lower her hold on the book but that did not seem to work. Zecora watched as it happened, somewhat surprised that she was doing that to a book. But then again, she knew why.
Twilight dropped the book entirely and somewhat stared down at it. She sighed.
“Fear not my dear friend,” spoke the zebra. “For this is not a dark trend.” Twilight nodded and looked down at the book before her. She read the passage, letting her mind scan every word there on that page.
As she read, her eyes began to grow wide. The very words wrote by Starswirl had always been enjoyable and joyous for Twilight. Finding a new ‘old’ book to read was the greatest of pleasures for her but but this book… was making her sweat.
Powerful ponies, almost as powerful as the princesses, will have the ability to avoid death if their magic is strong enough to save them. The pony with the magic ability to do it will first die, letting the magic reside within their ‘souls’. Once the pony has passed, the magic will slowly come out and repair the body.
This study is currently known as the ‘Phoenix Theory.’ Much like the phoenix, the pony will be somewhat be reborn. Depending on much magic is stored, the pony can either be ‘reborn’ as a new pony or be alive as the same pony they were before. However, no current ponies have been seen from with that ability except the Princesses, who do not deny this theory.
On rather extremely rare occasions, a pony with enough power ca not only be repaired but the pony will grow more powerful as their magic flows through them for long periods. This can happen within a month or years. The longer the pony stays under the power, the longer the power will grow.
Since the magic will have nowhere to go or has little to no way of releasing, the magic will most likely be stored in the pony’s soul. Unicorns often use their magic or leak magic everyone in a while so their bodies do not become so full of magic. This case however, is different. Once that pony awakes, they will be five to almost ten times as powerful as they were before.
Though cautious must be taken, that pony will have so much uncontrolled magic, much like a newborn unicorn, that the simplest of their spells can be resulted with devastating consequences.
Many magic abilities will also be changed from the volume of mass one can levitate to teleporting miles and miles away. Ponies that have been known to do this are the ones that have been asleep for more than a year or so. Actual tests have not been made.
It goes on to say that Starswirl was one of the few ponies to have accomplished this in a late part of his period of life. He fell ill, only to be saved by his magic. But it didn’t fully restore him, just allowed him to live a full… long life. Apparently, he lived thirty years more than an average unicorn, which is 90 to almost 110 years.
Twilight knew that it was possible to live past normal lives. Her great, great, grandfather, Dusk Sparkle lived to be 112. He was not a powerful unicorn but he was great with magic.
Pushing the book away, Twilight sighed.
“Well,” she began. “At least I know how I got here, but that doesn’t answer why I am here.” She stood up (like from chair to floor) and walked past the table to outside. Zecora looked over the table to see her daughter still asleep; she then followed Twilight outside.
Outside, Twilight looked at the forest before her. It looked pretty much the same in the Everfree though that was probably the biggest understatement.
“Why?” she said aloud. She knew Zecora was right behind her. “Why am I here?”
Zecora appeared behind her.
“I am but a zebra my friend, through little knowledge I have, i can lend. Time has passed and it has been down, with Equestria growing harrshly, there are little ponies without a frown. Your journey should begin here, where you may find out without fear, that your death may have been for good or bad, that your arrival does makes me glad.”
Twilight heard every word and sighed. It felt like if she landed in a sort of Tartarus-ish future. Looking up at the sky, she saw how gloomy it was. It first confused her but then she remembered that she was in the Everfree Forest. The forest was its own chaos, its own private Tartarus. Something that has been like that for centuries.
“You should not cause frets for they may lead to many great regrets.” The zebra laid a hoof over her. “Now, if you truly are powerful, then nothing should seem so dull. You magic grows, your powers awaken, and it should be slowly taken.”
Twilight nodded. Right, so her magic had increased exponentially by that to almost the Princesses. Her death may or may not have been a good or bad thing but she knew that it was the past. She could not do anything to fix it and… She paused.
She could do something about it! She could travel back in time and stop herself from jumping off. She could just find another way of dealing with the situation. Her face lit up with excitement and her body jumped with glee.
She turned around to face Zecora with the happiness news but… it immediately dropped. The zebra was shaking her head, almost like if she knew Twilight’s intentions.
Twilight, though a little confused, tried to speak.
“I can try, I can…”
Zecora paused her by placing her hoof on her mouth, silencing her.
With deep, regretful eyes, Zecora gazed onto Twilight’s own eyes.
“I am sorry… my friend, but your journey to the past, will be your end. If you go and try to correct this mistake, your own doom will you partake. Let your past go, and hope for the best in this new flow.”
“But how can I?” she asked loudly. She turned to her, tears beginning to reapear. “How can I let it all go? I left behind my friends, family and I lost so much more. Are any of the ponies I loved before even still alive?” The question hung in the air.
Zecora remained quiet and Twilight knew that silence all too well. Something did happen to her family and friends and to be quite honest, she wasn’t really surprised.
With a voice that was almost a whisper but dripped with anxiety and fear, Twilight spoke.
“Zecora… who’s gone?”
Zecora sighed.
“Many of your friends have… not met their ends. Many have just gone through changes, many through dark and scary ranges. I have seen the five of them gone divided, many into a places not… lighted.”
At this Twilight had calmed down, but was saddened to hear it all. Her friends haven’t been well, nopony has been.
“If you wish to know of your family’s fate, I cannot provide those answers up to date. To that, the princess we must go, for it is the answers she may now.”
Twilight nodded her head in defeat, leaving it facing down.
“At least there alive…” she looked up to her zebra friend. “Right?”
Zecora nodded and spoke no more. Layla, over-hearing the commotion, had awoken to see Twilight and her mother outside. With a small yawn, she spoke to her mother.
“What is happening mother?”
Zecora brushed her head alongside hers.
“Nothing you need to worry about my dear, nothing at all for you to fear. Twilight and I have been speaking, and I was helping provide some of the answers she was seeking.”
Twilight in her turn, nodded and approached the both of them.
“Yes we have and now that I know what I must do, I have to go to Canterlot. Let us hope the princess can help me out and tell me what has been happening since my… absence.”
Zecora nodded and quickly walked inside with Layla. They both quickly got a few things before walking out.
Both of them were caring pouches on their sides. Zecora stopped before approaching Twilight. She brought out a greenish powder and turned to her home. With a simple blow, the mist engulfed the cave in a greenish mist before it cleared and the cave almost disappeared, leaving behind a simple looking mountain side.
Twilight was impressed, like finding a new discovery impressed, which, this was not much of a new discovery but it was pretty awesome. Oh, how Rainbow Dash would flip if she saw this, but then again, Zecora was friends with her or she hoped she still was even after thirteen years.
Zecora smiled with a content smile then turned to Twilight.
“At last, we are ready, to head to Canterlot, nice and steady.”
As the two Zebras began walking towards the Everfree, Twilight spoke.
“Zecora, wait...”
“Hmm?” The zebras turned to Twilight.
Twilight knew that it took almost an hour to get from the Everfree to Ponyville, and from Ponyville to Canterlot was a good three-hour train ride. Therefore, by the time they get there, it would be nightfall and she wished to speak to the princess as soon as possible.
“Maybe, we shouldn’t go walking. I think… that I can teleport us there.”
Both zebras’ blinked. They slowly walked back towards Twilight, who suddenly seemed nervous of the thought.
“Are you sure you can make that?” asked Layla. She was not much of a magic user but she also was not naïve of how incredibly far that is. It takes massive amount of magic to teleport that far and too much or to little, you either end up in millions of pieces or just dead. None were the best options.
Twilight only nodded.
“If I am as powerful as I am claimed to be, then this should help us. Besides… I think that after thirteen years, my magic is aching for release.”
The two of them nodded before coming closer. Twilight, content with it, slowly concentrated and closed her eyes. If she was right, they’ll will be right outside of Canterlot, if she was wrong then… this time wouldn’t have to worry about dying again. A magical, purple sphere enveloped around the three and with a powerful purple flash, they were gone.
Twilight only blinked, her surroundings slowly coming back to her. She looked at her companions, who seemed woozy by the whole experience. Twilight blinked again, slowly examining her surroundings. Her back was to the sunset where not almost fifty, sixty miles away was the Everfree. In front of her, she stood in front of the Canterlot castle gates.
She brought her hoof up to her eyes, examining that she was not dead or a ghost. She was standing on grass, the zebras were still trying to get used to their environment and that a few guards, surprised by their sudden arrival, quickly made ways to them.
Oh, yeah, she just pulled off the biggest feat known to pony kind without any accidents, no deaths and she wasn’t even slightly affect by that amount of magic used.
With the approaching guards and suddenly a few Canterlot ponies passing by, there seemed to be a massive amount of shock and awe. Twilight at first thought it was Zecora and them but when she realized who she was.
A group quickly formed around them, only to have the guards make way. One of the guards, a Night Guard who was a unicorn, quickly cleared way. When he saw the zebras, he quickly embraced the two.
“Father!” cheered little Layla. The unicorn smiled and he hugged his daughter and his mate. Zecora, who Twilight has never seen happier before hugged and kissed the unicorn. Everypony else did not seem to care for them but they did care for Twilight, who was becoming nervous.
When the hugs ended, the Unicorn guard looked from them to Twilight.
“Who is that?” he asked loudly.
Zecora turned from her mate and approached Twilight. To everypony, she turned.
“This here, everypony, is the truth and not a phony. This is Twilight Sparkle.”
The words sooner left her and everypony began speaking amongst themselves or out loud. Some were claiming she was a ‘fake’ a ‘changeling’ or even saying that she was just another unicorn. Soon, more ponies that were either passing by came to join them.
It got to the point where the Night guard quickly pulled his family out and ordered the other guards to push through the ponies to get Twilight out of there. She was frightened as more ponies kept pushing closer, asking questions and so on.
Twilight realized that it this point, she was trapped. She could teleport but then were would she go? And she didn’t want to end up anywhere else without any knowledge of it was still there or something was in the way.
It all stopped when a single, loud hoof step echoed beyond any of the ponies’ voices. Everypony turned and almost dropped themselves to the floor when they saw who it was.
Twilight looked down at everypony but slowly her eyes met with the pony they were bowing to. She knew that no matter what, she’ll never ever be used to how beautiful this pony was. In her own regal way, she was just as beautiful as her own night sky. She bowed in respect, even when the crowd around her slowly dispersed when the Princess approached.
Slowly, lifting her head, Twilight looked at Princess Luna. The night goddess herself looked directly at Twilight, as now they were now the same height.
Without even a flinch or even a stare, Luna spoke to Twilight like if they were live time friends.
“Hello, Twilight Sparkle. I am glad that you have arrived.”
Twilight stared at her in her own awe. She even tried to speak but Luna raised a hoof and gave her a small, smile.
“It’s alright, Twilight, I know who you are and I know it is really you. I will answer your questions later, but for now, let us bring you inside. I wish to… welcome you back home.”
Doing the best not to shed tears, she wrapped her arms around the princess, many to the disbelieve of the surrounding ponies, and hugged her.Though the bond had been shared many years prior, it was still as strong as the day they first met.
“It’s good to be home, Princess.”
---------------------------------------------------------
Somewhere outside of Equestria Borders…
A changeling came flying through dark tunnels, almost pitch black. It’s eyes were able to see in the dark but that didn’t still make it any better. It flew down in the corridors and in till it entered the deepest part of the chamber.
There, the Changeling approached the throne. Dropping to the floor, it almost crawled to the throne, where a single entity had been silently sitting.
With a weak and terrified voice, it spoke.
“Um… excuse me, master?”
Bright green eyes with fire red pupils flashed open and looked down at the terrified changeling. The eyes grew dark and with a dark, almost booming voice, it spoke.
“What do you want peasant?” it asked, as smoke emitted from his voice.
With a terrified gulp and slow, crawl it approached the high throne.
“I discovered…a… a situation t-that might be troubling…”
The entity remained quiet and this, the changeling gulped once more, taking it to continue.
“One of the scouts have reported that a powerful unicorn has…a-a-appeared at Canterlot. And they claim to be it’s…” He paused, almost swollen with fear. If he could sweat, he would be creating a puddle under him.
The entity suddenly growled. With a magical grip from it’s horn, he lifted the changeling and brought him to his eyes. The changeling yelped in fear and was brought before him. It shook violently and curled itself tighter to itself, fear that it was going to perish.
“WHAT IS IT?!” he boomed. “WHO IS THIS POWERFUL UNICORN!?”
The changeling, still shaking spoke, “T-Twli-light S-S-Sparkle!”
The entity growled deeper and dropped the changeling onto the floor. The eyes grew wide with anger.
“The Element of Magic lives!” The entity then looked down at the changeling. “Are you sure of this or have your sources been misinformed?” His voice dripped with venom and his eyes burned with anger.
The changeling quickly shook it’s head.
“N-N-NO! O-One of the scouts-c-confirmed it!”
The entity snorted before slowly rising.
“If this is true… then it seems that I am forced… to bring up my plans. I have waited to long for the Princesses to lose much of their magic after their war with that foal of a monster, Discord and… each other. It is time I have brought myself out of the dark once more to attack Equestria.”
The entity smiled. “Yes, it is time for my return.”
The changeling slowly rose from it’s position.
“W-What do you w-wish for me to do?”
A sudden lash from the entity’s magic smacked the changeling across the throne room and had it land harshly at the entrance.
“MY NAME IS KING!” Boomed the Entity. “KING! And as a king, I am going rise back and take Equestria as my place of kingdom! This time, not even the Elements will stop me again!”
------------------------------------
Thanks to Jade Wulf for editing. Thank you all for your support. See you all in Season 3!
Awakening: Progress
What does it take, for many of us to prepare for a fight? A fight where you lose the ones you love, relive pain of wounds and the whole fate of Equestria and beyond on their hooves?
It takes the courage of a Goddess, the might of an Alicorn and the heart of a true pony to endure it all…
Twilight’s heart was hammering heavily with joy as she walked through the same castle as she did when she was a little pony. The old, but recently repainted, walls still looked the same. The arts of famous ponies kept clean, the statues properly cared for, and the place still smelled like new fresh rugs.
Not much… had seemed to change however. The only thing was… that Princess Luna was more public now and Princess Celestia was nowhere to be in sight. Of course, Luna told her to hold her questions in until they arrived at the throne room. An answer that could only mean that something was wrong… very wrong
Luna did not carry herself with much high regard back then. Nevertheless, here, almost everypony looked at her much as they did with Princess Celestia. But then again, she did have thirteen years, so maybe in that expanse, she allowed herself to be more public. Thirteen years prior, she and Luna were great with each other and her friends. They often spoke to one another, and the following six months prior to the Chrystal Empire, and the many incidents after, she around more often.
They both arrived at the throne room, where Twilight was hoping to meet her long time mentor, friend, and beloved teacher, Princess Celestia, but much to her dismay, the chair sat empty.
Luna approached the chair… as if it was her own. Twilight’s heart seemed to sink as Luna turned around to face her and sit on the chair. Her face before carried a smile much like Princess Celestia but now… now it was a face of great sadness. Other features crossed her that showed, hidden anger, fear and much worse, she held a sad smile.
“I know that you have many questions…Twilight.” She spoke in a very sad but straightforward manner. “I know what your heart aches to hear and I know that everything I am about to tell you is the truth. I want you to return to Equestria with knowledge of truth, not false information. However, the price is that you will know the truth… that whatever you may ask and whatever information I give you… it may very well harm you.” Now fear crept along the spine of her neck. Luna spoke on.
“I want you to only ask questions that you feel comfortable asking or what you are comfortable hearing. If you believe that you can handle everything that has been transpired in the events of the last decade or so, please beware of how much you can take.” She let that sentence hang in the air for a bit.
Twilight really was not much of a pony to hear bad news especially if it can mess with her. Others could take it but she was still a filly at heart. She tried to stay innocent throughout her whole life. Always learning things every day, spending time with her friends, avoiding crushes and even sexual activity with anypony, including herself.
Yes, she did mature past the ages of many foals, but she still was a filly at heart. Now… now she was well into being a full-grown mare. She was the Leader of the Elements of Harmony, she defeated many villains in her life, and she stopped the fate of Equestria from falling and saved Empires from crumbling.
Was she ready to face all this now? No, she was not… but she felt like she would have to deal with this sooner than later. Better, now, so she can face the troubles in a better situation.
With a hearty, clear throat, and a bitter taste that slowly crawling into her mouth she nodded.
“Tell me everything.”
Luna nodded. “Where do you wish to begin?”
Twilight sighed.
“Um… well from what Zecora told me, after my… death, Discord broke out and ruled Equestria for two years… is that right?”
Luna nodded. “Yes, it is correct. When you Element of Magic detected your life’s existence, all magical wards keeping Discord’s prison up, had disappeared. In his vengeance, he easily defeated Celestia and me. However, he didn’t kill us… merely kept us imprisoned like we did to him for the past few millenniums…” She paused as she recalled the events. “To say the imprisonment was horrible is not close enough.” Another paused followed before she continued.
“Discord ruled all of Equestria for two years. Many died through the rule and many suffered.” A lump once again formed in Twilight’s throat. “However, it didn’t last longer than we feared. Though the Elements of Harmony were not fully joined or ‘connected’ because of you, they however somewhat remained… active.”
Twilight’s ear somewhat twitched at this.
“What do you mean, Princess?”
“Because of your death,” began Luna. “The Elements were… how I should say… replaced. The ones that were currently existed ceased to be and took on new forms.”
Twilight was now intrigued and somewhat confused by this. However, she remained quiet and let Luna continue.
“These new Bearers of Harmony acquired the Elements and fought against Discord. They fought and defeated him through the Magic of Friendship… but not without a cost.” Suddenly Luna’s attitude changed, as did Twilight’s as well.
“Though the Elements were meant to be a peaceful way to restore balance to the world, they… were changed. Discord tried to fight back but lost. However, because the new wielders were angered at Discord for the harm he has done, they instead used the Elements to harm back. Though their hearts were pure in the beginning when they received the Elements, when they confronted Discord, it soon turned to revenge.
In an act of anger and haste, the used the Elements on Discord and… ended him.”
It really didn’t affect Twilight as much as she thought it would. Taking a life was one thing but taking the life of a god of Chaos, was basically beyond any measure.
“Since the Elements were corrupted by the Bear’s sudden anger towards Discord, it also back fired on them. The Elements took the anger within them, as well as the Bearer’s life force and were gone. The Bearers were deceased and Discord was dead.”
A long, uncomfortable silence fell upon them. Twilight never… really understood how the Elements of Harmony worked. They were to be used to restore peace and order to the world. To make sure that evil or corruption would cease and were to never use as a weapon.
It turns out… that did not seem to be the case. However, this also might explain one thing. Is that what would have happened had she used the elements? If something, had caused her to become angry or fearful, is that, what the future Sweetie Belle had warned them about?
It almost seemed like hours had past but only mere minutes had skipped them.
“Twilight?” spoke the Princess of the Night.
Twilight slowly met Luna’s eyes. Luna met hers.
“Do you wish for me to continue?”
Twilight nodded.
“Yes, please.” She paused and then spoke. “What happened to you and Celestia?”
Luna cleared her throat and continued her tale.
“Not long after Discord was… defeated, the magic that held me and Celestia broke and we returned to Equestria. We were… shocked at the damage that was done, the amount of lived lost and ruined. Discord had not only affected ponies with his rule but everyone else as well.
The gryphons had all but lost their entire Empire and their number loses were the same as ponies but they lost most of their Emperors and leaders. They have lost all trust in Equestria, especially us, and no longer see us as allies.
The minotaur clan have… suffered less than most of the other races. Because of our close connections with them and their skills as workers, they stayed with us and helped rebuild a lot of Equestria.
The dragons… are somewhat the same. Discord had no real colorations with them since most of the dragon species care little for ponies afar or were resistant to much of Discord’s magic. However, the ones we do have contact with and are small allies of us, did suffer for their approaches against Discord.
Other species have either went to hiding or are going extinct. The only good thing about this is that Queen Chrysalis had somewhat lost control of her hive. Most of the Changelings went defective and tried to join us. Hundreds are now considered as Equestrian citizens and more. This somewhat strengthened our bond with foreign species but that is about it.
And so, for the next five years, Equestria began rebuilding itself. Memorials were held all over the world, lives were trying to recoup and… me and Celestia tried to restore hope.”
Twilight blinked.
“Tried?” asked Twilight, somewhat confusingly.
Luna sighed and shook her head.
“So many ponies had lost faith in us because of how long we let Discord roam. Many, especially the nobles wanted to remove us from ruling.” This caused Twilight to frown. Of course, there were many extremist in Equestria, many think that is wrong for only two rulers to control an entire country, especially one as big as Equestria.
Many wanted ponies controlling the government, not goddesses. Others think that only Celestia should be ruling only, having her control both night and day and not her sister. Few thought the same of Luna.
“Their faith in us,” continued Luna. “Has been shaken Twilight. So many ponies, hated us. So many wanted us gone.” A sudden flash of anger passed over her. A few steps back from Twilight however, caused it to quickly drop. With a soft voice, she continued. “Many tried to rid of us, even making threats. One went as far as trying to hurl a spear at Tia.”
This caused Twilight to gasp in surprise. Never, not in any books or any news or history, has she ever heard that Somepony… tried to kill a princess. It was almost enough to bring Twilight to tears.
The princes continued to speak, even if her words trembled.
“I know we are immortal and that would mean nothing to me and Tia if we got struck, but just the act… the action… I—I couldn’t deal with it. The spear had missed Tia by a flock of her mane. It angered me to no end. I immediately struck the pony down almost instantly. He was gone before he hit the floor. No pony moved nor did anypony breathe.
‘I was also shocked by this but… in my anger, I really didn’t care. Almost instantly, everypony dropped to the floor in fear. They all were scarred... Scarred that I would strike them all next.”
“Did you?” asked Twilight.
Luna shook her head.
“Nay, I merely… spoke to them. I only told them that we are just like them; ponies. We are gifted, we are powerful, we are gods, but we are still ponies. We make mistakes, we can get hurt, and yes, we can even be killed but that would destroy the sun and the moon in the process. Normally anypony would take that as an invitation to come and kill us but… after the death of the pony who threw the spear, that would cease.
From there on out, everypony seemed to… accept us; either fear or respect. I told them we tried and that not even alicorn goddesses could prevent everything horrible from going wrong. I spent the next couple of months trying to get everypony and Equestria back on it’s hooves.
‘Celestia however…” She paused, no not paused… hesitated. She tried to speak but seemed to not be able to. Twilight didn’t want to expose or relive bad memories but now that she saw it… Celestia was nowhere to be found. She has been here for almost… a couple of hours and her longtime mentor and friend was nowhere to be found. Not to mention, most of the guards were now wearing Lunar armor rather than the traditional Solar armor.
Luna caught her words but not before noticing Twilight’s face. She was scanning, almost checking every detail around her. Yes, she was starting to see the differences. Without a second thought or warning, Twilight spoke.
“Where… where is Princess Celestia?”
Luna undoubtedly knew that Twilight would see her sister’s absence.
“Celestia… is no longer here. She has left us.”
The statement hung in the air for a moment. Not a sound heard except the ever-growing beating of Twilight’s heart. A slow dread started to fill her.
“Is she…” she could not bring herself to say it, as a lump on her throat formed.
Luna quickly caught this and shook her head.
“Nay, Twilight! My sister is alive!”
A calm feeling passed over Twilight but that did not really explain where she was.
Luna saw relieve but only saw more conflict.
“Twilight, what I meant was that… my sister is no longer here… in Equestria. She has… left somewhere to regain something she has lost.”
“Lost?”
Luna nodded.
“Though I am not sure what it really is. After the incident with the ponies, she became withdrawn from everything. As the years passed, I more alone handled everything in Equestria. I handled the courts, the shifts and everything else but raising and lowering the sun. My sister still does that.” She paused and her eyes went to the window. The sun was slowly setting. “Even now… she is lowering the sun.”
Twilight’s eyes looked out as well. They both watched, slowly as the sun was hitting the edge of the horizon, casting a beautiful rainbow of colors over the valley and Ponyville. Twilight forgot hot beautiful that scenery was.
Luna turned to her.
“I know that we have much to discuss Twilight, but for now, I must return to my duties. I will ask one of the house cleaners to bring you to a guest room and bring you a meal. You must be tired.”
Twilight did not look at her but nodded. She slowly turned around and followed the Princess. Tomorrow though, she would have many questions. Nevertheless, for now, she must rest.
The trip back down the hallways, it did begin to bring a lot of memories. A lot of them… made her just want to cry.
(*)(*)(*)(*)(*)(*)(*)(*)(*)(*)(*)(*)(*)
Several hours later…
A lone mare walked down the hallway where the Princess room was located. Two of the Lunar guards were placed there. Both of them saw who she was and with a nod, let her pass through. The doors opened and then closed just as she slipped in.
Inside, a flash of green fire washed over the mare and appeared into a Changeling. Unlike normal changelings, this was one was a bit taller, bulkier and her wings and horns were more edged.
She approached Princess Luna who was watching a few monitors on her bedroom wall. Thanks to today’s advancing technology, stuff or projection TVs and radios were a thing of the past.
Luna heard the changeling and sighed.
“What do you have for me now, Mirage?”
The changeling shook her head.
“No much my queen. Twilight Sparkle seems to be resting peacefully and there are no ponies are wanting or seeking her for now.”
Luna nodded.
“That’s good.” Her eyes continued to focus the many of the screen before her. Each one held a different video for at least twelve different characters.
With a curious glance, Mirage looked up at them. She saw at least a few she recognized but the rest were a mystery. One was a video of Mirage in combat.
With a small glance to her, she spoke to Luna.
“What is this, Princess?”
Luna remained quiet, slowly observing the videos. She saw each of them with a steady gaze. Without taking her eyes, she spoke to her.
“Each of these… videos represent a few characters that I am interested in. Including you, I wish to recruit them and bring them all together, now that Twilight is here. Her arrival may speed up the process.”
“What process is that, my Princess?”
Luna gave a small smile.
“Something to help us defeat evil and stop King from coming back.” Her gaze then turned to Mirage. “You once served us for a time in combat fighting the Changeling second invasion and Tartarus creatures awhile back.”
Mirage nodded. She was the first changeling to defect from Chrysalis and came to join the ponies. Right after, she joined the military and helped fight back either rogue Changelings or those who wanted to fight back. Not soon after joining the guards, Tartarus literally broke lose. Hellish creatures escaped. After that, she became Luna’s servant and bodyguard.
“Well, now that we now that King Sombra is alive and well, not to mention has gained more powerful. I need to assemble a team to stop him and the rest of Tartarus from taking over Equestria.”
Mirage looked at the first screen. There was one of a dragon, almost as tall as a building covered in purple and green scales. Another screen showed another dragon, this time a female with black and red scales. Next to her, was a unicorn that was sky blue with a wand and dust for a cutie mark. She also seemed to be a very… boastful kind of mare.
A gryphon and a rainbow mane pegasus were in the same screen, instantly recognizing them as Luna’s Shadowbolts. Another screen shows an orange Earth pony with a cowpony hat and apples for cutie marks. However, the video was showing her causing tremors with just the stomp of her hoof.
The screen below was a picture of a diamond dog. He seemed like any other normal diamond dog but… he held a gem in his paw. Instantly, he threw it and the gem exploded upon contact. The screen next to that was of a… yellow pegasus. However, she seemed a bit… aggressive and strange. Her body was covered in green vines and she was standing right next to a pack of Timberwolves. Horrible creatures if caught by one.
The last two screens showed of a white coated unicorn mare, who was controlling machinery and other forms of technology with her magic. She had a music sort of cutie mark and was dancing to that weird D and Jaying music or whatever its called. Last screen showed the Zebra-shaman, Zecora, using magic and potions in some form of exercise.
The other two were of earlier videos of Twilight Sparkle fighting at the Canterlot wedding and of Mirage.
Mirage could not comprehend what this would mean but Luna answered for her.
“We need a team, Mirage. I know its on short notice but with Twilight Sparkle here now, I know that we have a chance to end all this… madness.”
Mirage blinked.
“And you believe that…. All of them would be able to help us?” Luna nodded. Mirage looked back at the screen. “I hope you realize that some of them are enemies to each other… right?”
Luna nodded.
“Yes but we are going to need them to at least help us.” She sighed. “The fate of the world hangs in the balance on them.” The screens then flickered off.
Awakening: Fate
It has always been there, the ties that bind us. That little string or that huge heavy chain that rests on our shoulders. It keeps us altogether, sentient and intelligent then most other species.
A pony is not much of a pony if they are by themselves. That is why they have binds, to protect them from the world.
The sound of rain had awoken Twilight from her deep sleep. The unicorn expected to be greeted by Celestia’s warm sun and all, but as she opened her eyes, to find the dark grey skies had filled the window's view.
Slowly arising, Twilight lifted her head to see that it was in fact raining. Thankfully, the glass windows were there to provide shelter from the cold elements. Still, just the idea of going outside, sent a small chill to Twilight’s spine. Why would the pegasi order a rainstorm to come in? It was summer and they were off schedule by….
It took her less than a moment to remember what has happened, and where she was. Looking around, she saw herself in one of the guest rooms of the castle. It was almost exactly as she remembered when she was just a Filly living in the castle. The furniture remained pretty much the same, however a few new differences were added.
There was a flat… TV screen? -- On top of a stand. The TV rather reminded her of the projections the movie theaters have but… smaller and there was no projection. Another thing that was different was the amount of electricity seeming to flow through the complex. There were electric outlets, lights for the bathrooms, the ceiling lights and even for the bed.
Twilight sat up. Everything may have been changed by technology wise but everything else seemed to be the same. It must have been a great time to see this happening. Imagine all the new technology her friends and family saw…
She paused… Family. What has become of them? Her mother and father? Shinning Armor or Princess Cadence? Her brother should be here as the leader of the Royal Guards yet not once did she see him nor was there any mention of him.
And maybe it was no mystery for Cadence; she is the ruler and princess of the Crystal Empire. Shining Armor is probably with her. Despite all that, she still was worried. She thought about how her parents are right now. Thirteen years with a dead daughter probably drove them nearly to their graves.
Graves….
Quickly arising from her bed, Twilight quickly made her way to the bathroom. Inside, she looked upon the mirror. The unicorn that stared back her was alien. At Zecora’s home, she didn’t really get a chance to look upon herself, but here in a clear room with light… she was an oddity to herself.
Yes, she did look much older and much more of a full grown pony. She was in her prime as a mare and as a mare… she had to face the truth and horrors that would be her old parents.
‘Let’s see,” she thought to herself. ‘Thirteen years… Mom and Dad would be around their late fifties and Shining Armor would be 37. Hopefully… mom and dad haven’t moved their home.’
Well that wouldn’t stop her. The Canterlot Archives has records of all families here in Canterlot, even if they move. All she has to do is search for them. With that, she took off.
Knowing the place like the back of her hoof, Twilight easily found the library, which is one of the few places in all of Canterlot she could find with a blindfold on, she rushed there as fast as she could.
At first, she would have just checked if her parents were still living there, but if they weren’t it would be an awkward situation to see Somepony else there. But then again… why would her family move? Maybe because of all the memories? Maybe they retired already and moved somewhere for more of old ponies?
It didn’t matter now. She would find out one way or another.
No sooner had she arrived at the library, did Twilight immediately reach the desk. The librarian mare, that Twilight didn’t recognized, was a earth pony. Ms. Dusty, who was the librarian that Twilight knew of since foal hood, had probably already retired.
The mare had a golden brownish made with a light cream coat, looked up from her computer and smiled to Twilight.
“Hello,” she greeted with a smile. “How may I help you?”
With a smile, Twilight answered.
“Hello, I’m looking to see if my… family is still around in the same address. I kind of want to visit them.”
The mare nodded and began typing on her computer. That little machine had Twilight pondering.
“And… who is it that you are looking for?”
“Oh… uh Mr. Night Light and Ms. Twilight Velvet.”
A few more clicks at the computer and they stopped. The mare looked up to Twilight.
“And… may I ask… what relationships do you have with them?”
Twilight gave a small smile.
“I am their daughter… Twilight Sparkle.”
The mare overlooked Twilight. Seeing her and studying her as well. Her gaze was not judgmental but neither was it soft. It was almost like if her curiosity was lifted.
Twilight gave a nervous smile.
“Is something the matter?” she asked the mare.
The mare, who was somewhat in a trans, quickly shook her head and gave a smile.
“Sorry about that, it’s just that… my records here… indicate that your uh… dead?”
It wasn’t a question but the mare wasn’t so sure of herself.
Twilight gave a nervous laugh, and rubbed the back of her head.
“Yeah… well I am not dead… as you can see and I uh prefer not to talk about it. Long story short, I came back and now I need to know where my family is.”
The mare looked her over once more before returning back to her computer. The clicking of hoofs where the only sound to the entire hallway. Though the library entrance was just by the side of the counter, Twilight can never stand any sound near or in a library.
After a few short minutes later, the mare sighed.
“Well… Ms… Twilight Sparkle, it seems as though your family has been moved.” She blinked once and leaned in the screen before looking up at her. “You are aware of their current whereabouts?”
It was Twilight’s turn to blink.
“What do you mean?”
The mare looked back at the screen.
“Well it says that you are dead... yet here you are before me. Though I hope, somepony will clear this up for me. Your parents have moved from Canterlot to… the Celestial Gardens.”
Twilight’s brow dropped.
“I’m sorry but the… Celestia Gardens? Isn’t that the area right next to the Cemetery?”
The mare typed on her computer once more. An eerie silence fell upon them and Twilight’s heart was slowly begging to rise.
The mare stopped. Her gaze then turned to Twilight.
“I’m sorry but… it is really hard for me to do this.”
Twilight blinked.
“Do what? All I want to know where my parents are at? I’ve been gone for thirt… for a long time and I just wish to know where they are at.” Her voice slowly grew as she spoke.
The librarian before her somewhat grew a bit unsteady.
“I know that dearie, but the trouble here is… is that you were marked as deceased. You were set up in the Celestial Gardens.”
Twilight knew about the Celestial Gardens. A Cemetery that only buried or carried the ashes of the most famous and special of all ponies in history. Very few get to get buried and even fewer get to visit them. It was a large garden area within the inside of one of the Canterlot Mountains. Guarded by strict and tough guards, the garden had monuments, statues, and even flames for the great ponies.
They each held a special large area for everypony buried there. Clover the Clever, Starswirl the Bearded and more. That was reserved for the special ponies. If you were either a descendant, an Archmage, a rich pony or the Princesses themselves, you can visit them.
The gardens were mysteriously enchanted so that the flowers never faded through time. That any fire burning, it would burn until the last sun in the universe and the tomes or statues would remain until the earth beneath them vanished. The top part of the mountain had a giant hole so the sun and moon can shine upon their beauty forever.
Twilight gave a brief nod.
“Yes so? I don’t believe my parents could live by the area, nor could they afford it. I mean… my father has a decent job and my mother is Author.”
The mare looked at her, both of shock and sadness. Almost like if she knew something of them. However, something inside Twilight mentally clicked.
Her parents being by the Celestial Gardens, her death, the way the librarian was looking at her….
“You truly have been gone a long time…” came the only response from the librarian. Before another word was said, Twilight disappeared in a flash of purple. It temporary blinded the librarian. When she looked back to where Twilight stood, she was gone. It didn’t take a genius to realize where she was going nor that if it was that bright, something that strong, it was bad.
(*)(*)(*)(*)(*)(*)
Twilight appeared right in front of the Celestial Gardens gate. The massive fifty foot tall, metal gates stood before a giant cavern that lead into the mountain. The mountain was a mile or so away from the main Canterlot road and few had access to them.
That is why there is no map or main road to get to it. You either paid a large fine, close to 5000 bits per pony, to enter, or you get access by the Princesses themselves or a part of their bloodline.
Almost immediately, the guards here spotted and surrounded Twilight.
“Halt!” yelled one of them, pointing a black sword at her. “Who are you? And how did you get here?”
Twilight was really not all there. Just the idea of her parents dead, was more of an emotional tug that having the privilege of being buried there. The rain, that had been raging since this morning, did not really help either. As soon as she had teleported there, water drenched every part of her body. Even now, the heavy drops of moisture ran through her mane and down her body, leaving her cold and numb
However, despite all that, she had enough sense to speak.
“I wish to see… my parents.” She said, not with a demanding voice or question. She couldn’t do any of those.
The guards looked at her in question, slowly lowering their weapons pointed at her. The main guard speaks out.
“And… who might you be?” he asked.
A small sigh escaped her lips.
“Twilight Sparkle.”
(*)(*)(*)(*)(*)(*)
“…and that Princess Luna concludes our meetings for the morning.”
Luna sighed. Finally, she mentally thought. Usually meetings like this in the early mornings often lead to a longer, orientation and speech between her and her fellow ponies. Most of them were just asking requests and profits. Today seemed to be taken at ease. The cases were always the same though, with ponies asking if they could get Luna’s blessing or her permission to this or that.
What really annoyed her most of the time, was that the rich ponies, only want to get richer. She didn’t know how Celestia dealt with it, with their constant conquest to be higher than every pony else. Out of all the rich ponies that annoyed her, there were very, very few that didn’t think of themselves.
Thankfully… Prince Blueblood was not among the ones here. Oh how she despised him…. No, she cannot despise him… not even that much, but she certainly didn’t like him, even if he was related to her by a long generations of her sister’s medaling. His current whereabouts in Manehattan left some relive in her.
With the morning rituals done, Luna has decided to go and visit Twilight Sparkle. She remembered a lot of her, knowing that she may not be in her room but at the library.
Upon approach, the librarian instantly reacted and stood up straight.
“Hello Princess Luna,” she greeted with a warm smile. “How may I serve you?”
“I am looking for a mare here, Twilight Sparkle. Have you seen her?”
The librarian reacted almost instantly.
“Uh… yes my princess. She was here not to long ago. She came her in search of her… family.” The last word somewhat extended. Instantly, Luna knew what had happened. Twilight came in search of her family. She knew that despite be gone thirteen years, it felt like her parents have just died. Poor Twilight must already be at the Celestial Gardens now, crying her heart out. Nevertheless, that could proof fatal for she has yet to have any full control on her high power.
And just like Twilight, Princess Luna disappeared in a flash.
(*)(*)(*)(*)(*)(*)
Luna arrived in front of the Celestial Gardens. There, the guards almost immediately confronted and bowed before her. The chief of them spoke.
“What brings you out here, Princess Luna? Do you wish to see a past one?”
Luna shook her head.
“Nay, I am here to see someone. I believe she came here. Have you seen her? Twilight Sparkle?”
The guard gave a seldom look.
“Yes, a mare by that name came here earlier. She wished to see if her family was buried her. We told that they were. She ran in almost instantly, opening the gates. Er… she almost ripped them from the hinges.” He turned to point the gates, Luna followed his gaze. “We tried to follow her in, thinking she might rob or destroy something but when we approached her, she created a force-field around herself and the graves. She hasn’t moved since.”
The gates, though not fully off their hinges, are bent from where they were held onto. The main part of the gate, which opened to the middle, has been almost twisted from its original formation. All of this was highly impossible.
The gates were could only be opened by all the guards at once, which required heavy amounts of magic. Twilight did this all by herself, a mare.
Luna sighed. Her powers were growing, each time she uses them, they get stronger and stronger. Emotions are the strongest of ways of accessing any kind of magic, especially unicorns. Twilight was as strong as herself, but with emotions on the line, they increased twice their rates. Right now, she must be in a deep emotional state. The power might already be exceeding her own levels. At this rate, she could level the mountain and a half mile radius.
Without another word, she walked. The guards were about to follow.
“NO, stay here. It could be dangerous in there. Her powers are uncontrolled and if she feels any threats, she would easily destroy you. I will do this alone.”
She continued to walk, slowly opening the torn gates. With a large screech, the gates opened enough for Luna to get by. Once through, she closed the gates behind her, as best as she could.
The tunnel that lead to the mountain was not a longs way. It was ten hoof tall by ten hoof wide. Plenty of space for her and two others. As she approached the main part of the mountain, she could already feel thee heavy amounts of energy that was eradiating from the center. With nervous ease, she made her way to the mountain.
There, sitting in the middle of the mountain, underneath the open top with the rain pouring in. The opening was for the sun to shine throughout the garden but as well as to let some rain in. There was no sunshine right now and the rain that was passing over didn’t help.
Luna saw the magical shield that has surrounded Twilight within a ten-hoof radius. The magic was powerful, but if she keeps releasing her emotions and this rate, she would destroy everything.
With a cautious approach, Luna walks towards Twilight. Despite the shield kept ponies away, it did not stop the rain from landing on her. The hole from the top made it possible for that to give the sunshine to the graves, and yet… the mood was not of sunshine. Nor is it of gloom nor mild.
Twilight sat in front of three graves that stood before her. One of them said “Night Light” and the other was “Twilight Velvet”. Next to it was Twilight’s ‘grave’. At the shield, Luna spoke.
“Twilight?” Twilight didn’t look up but Luna could tell that tears were streaming down her face. Her mane may have covered her face but Luna could still see the pain in her face.
“Twilight…. I know that it is difficult to understand. I know the pain you are feeling right now but you must understand, that they didn’t die without letting you know that they loved you, Twilight.”
Though the shield was still up, it slowly began weakening. Luna continued.
“Right now, I know you must be thinking that this is a Nightmare, or a dream of some sorts but it’s not. I know it is not comforting to say but they are gone. The world has changed and there is little you can do to go back to the way things were before. However, at the same time you still have other family alive Twilight. You still have your friends, you still have your brother, and you still have…. Me.”
The shield slowly died down up to where Luna approached and her hoof managed to touch Twilight’s shoulder. The unicorn mare looked up with her pained.
Luna slowly leaned in and embraced her. With a final cry, Twilight embraced Luna and began crying her heart out.
“I failed them Luna!” She cried. “I failed them! I told them I would make them proud! I would show them I was strong, that I-I wouldn’t let them down! They’re dead! They’re dead and it’s because of me! I killed them and it’s all my fault!” Another angry burst and she wailed loudly.
Luna tried to say something, anything at all to comfort her. It would sound wrong to say it was not her fault. Velvet had died because she stopped carrying for herself and died from sickness. Night Light was too distraught by his daughter’s untimely death, he never paid attention to his surroundings and had an accident. Both had passed on the same day.
Shinning Armor was still alive but… his condition was no better. Hearing both of his parents’ death, he blames himself for not taking care them and Twilight. He left his wife, Princess Mi Amore Cadenza, their daughter, and went missing.
How can you tell a child that everything will be all right, when their whole world is gone?
With nothing more, Luna teleported to her room.
(*)(*)(*)(*)(*)(*)
Despite being teleported, Twilight had continued to cry for the rest of the time. Luna had laid her on her bed, but remained by her side. Her crying had somewhat caused a scare with the staff. Once Luna dismissed it, everypony went back to their jobs.
It took almost an hour for Twilight to cry herself to sleep. Luna, though felt horrible for leave her, had to continue her duties for the day. Normally, she would have done the night shift but after her sister’s…. Leave of absence, Luna now had to do both the Afternoon Courts and the Evening Courts. Nothing a goddess couldn’t handle but it is somewhat taxing.
Some new events had arrived with a lot of creatures escaping tartars, including Cerberus who is currently lost somewhere in Zebrica. He was supposed to be guarding Tartars but left his post when the barriers fell. Luckily, nothing major has left and her royal guards are handling the containment.
Other than that, the normal has stayed for the time being. Though it be that the only trouble is that Sombra was still lose, the remaining Rogue changelings are still trying to enter Equestrian grounds without authorization and that Twilight… has lost part of her soul. It doesn’t take a goddess to figure out when your soul has suffered a wound.
(*)(*)(*)(*)(*)(*)
The meeting quickly came to an end. With the end of the court, Luna choose now to have dinner. Hopefully her chiefs had prepared her something delicious. Another thought came and she realized that Twilight was still alone in her room. Maybe Luna should ask them to bring an extra serving.
Halfway to her room, Mirage quickly caught up to Luna.
“How goes your search, Mirage?”
The changeling sighed.
“I finally managed to locate the diamond dog.” She shuddered. “Thankfully… he is smarter than the rest off his kind. The other’s kept drooling on me.” Luna gave a snort of amusement. “Please don’t make me go back there.” The changeling whined. “It reeks like feces in those caves and even their love for diamonds stink.”
Luna laughed at the changeling’s misfortune.
“Alright, no more visiting. But I must ask, did he wish to join?”
The changeling sighed.
“I tried to tell him that he would be doing it for a god cause but he thinks that once were done, you might end up sending him back underground with the rest of the pack.” The changeling gave a snort. “He sounds like he dreads living with them.”
Luna continued her laugh.
“I would too if I lived in a place that reeks of filth. But that means I will have to talk to him personally. I'll send a message in the morning. For now, a job well ddone.”
It grew quiet as they approached Luna’s room. She sighed once.
Mirage, knowing what feeling that was, asked.
“I take it… she knows?”
Luna nodded; she stared at her door with a heavy look.
“I am afraid she isn’t fully aware of how much we need her. She has taken this much to her heart and you and I know that it would be to soon to unveil our plans to her; much less, her right of passage.”
Mirage’s wings twitched.
“Your talking about how she was supposed to be a Princess a few years back?”
Luna nodded and looked down the hall where her sister’s room was.
“Celestia had planned to have Twilight ascend into Alicorn-hood, and become the Alicorn of Magic but…. Faust has seemed to change destiny.”
Mirage was about to question but remained quiet. And so the silence between the two sat. Luna started thinking about Twilight and her needs and it didn’t help that she needed her to help them with the world, just like before. However, the Elements of Harmony were long gone and even if they had them, her friends were… somewhat displaced in Equestria.
The only three that were available were Applejack, Rainbow Dash and Fluttershy. Though Fluttershy was the emblem of the forest now, Pinkie Pie went somewhat insane and returned back home. Rarity was living it up in Manehattan with Blueblood. Rainbow Dash was her Shadowbolt but she remained occupied most of the time. Applejack was the only one who stayed where she is at in Ponyville. And a good thing to, with her new found... abilities.
Yes, it was true, Twilight’s friends are still alive but they are shattered in their own way. It did not take long for Mirage to catch up on her feelings especially on Twilight.
“You love her… don’t you?” she asked quietly.
It took a moment for Luna to respond but when she did, a small smile made it to her lips.
“With all my heart… and all thought my time with her will be shortened, I will do my best to show her how much she means to me.” With a smile, she opened the door. Much to her happiness, Twilight hadn’t moved an inch. A cool exhaled left. She then turned to Mirage.
“Thank you with the diamond dogs, however, I need you to locate another member for me.”
“Who?”
“She is a unicorn I assure you. She once went by a different name but changed the title a few years back. She has a pet dragon so be careful. She now goes by The Dark and Mysterious Lulamoon.”