• Published 25th Feb 2012
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Star Gazing - Konseiga

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Influence

After the sandwiches were eaten (Twilight watched with wry amusement as Luna hastily consumed four of them), the two ponies lay on the blanket, bathing in the warmth of the midday sun.

Luna groaned, holding her stomach. “I believe that I consumed too many sandwiches.”

Twilight chuckled. “You ate four sandwiches in the span of five minutes. I’ve never seen a pony eat that fast, and it’s only natural you’d get a tummy ache.”

Luna just groaned again in response. “Perhaps I should have eaten them slowly, in retrospect…”

Twilight sighed. “At least you don’t eat like Pinkie Pie. I’m surprised that pony doesn’t weigh a ton. She eats like a pig.

Luna stared at her unicorn companion in shock. Twilight’s eyes went wide, and she clapped a hoof over her mouth. “Sweet Celestia,” she muttered. “What was that?”

Luna blinked slowly. “You insulted one of your closest friends.”

“I KNOW WHAT I SAID!” Twilight’s shouted at Luna, her eyes wide. “Luna,” she continued quietly, “I didn’t mean to shout…”

Luna had reeled back from the lavender unicorn, shock and hurt on her face. It tore Twilight up on the inside, to see the pony she had come to love so hurt, and some small part of her felt disgusted-

That a Princess could be so weak.

No! Twilight shook her head, locked in an invisible argument with herself. Disgusted that I hurt her!

Twilight moved to comfort the alicorn, somehow, but Luna stood up and stretched her wings, not meeting Twilight’s gaze.

“Twilight, I need to return to Canterlot for a while. I need to report in to ‘Tia about your recovery…” the alicorn said quietly. Twilight felt tears well up in her eyes.

“Luna…” Twilight began, but the Luna had already taken to the air, ascending quickly. “When will y-you come back?”

Silence.

Twilight’s back legs gave out, and she sat on the blanket with a thump. A myriad of feelings welled up inside her, and none of them were positive. She felt shocked, disgusted, and confused. But most of all, she felt…

abandoned.

~*~*~*~*~

Twilight had walked back to Ponyville, eyes downcast and head low to the ground with the icebox and blanket floating behind her.

“Hey there, Twilight!” a pony called out from an open window. Twilight didn’t even register that her name was said. She barely even noticed that someone had said something.

Arriving at the library door, she glumly pushed it open, letting the blanket and icebox fall to the floor with a clatter.

“Twilight!” Spike said, surprised. He had been reading The Adventures of Daring Doo #5 – Curse of the Crystal Horn. “You’re home early!” Then, noticing that Twilight was alone, he asked, “Where’s Princess Luna?”

“Sh-she went back to Canterlot,” Twilight said dejectedly, “and left me here alone.”

“Whoa,” Spike gasped quietly, shocked at the quiet coldness that the unicorn spoke with. “Are you okay Twi’?”

Twilight sniffed, wiping her eyes to get rid of the tears that had built up. “I just want to be alone, okay? Just leave me alone for a bit…”

“Oh, alright,” Spike frowned as Twilight slowly walked up the stairs to her room, slamming the door behind her. “Weird… why is she so upset about this?”

Up in her room, Twilight slumped against the door, tears running freely down her face. “I-I can’t believe she would just l-leave like that,” she said around little sobs. “I can’t b-believe she would abandon m-me so quickly.

She levitated the dozens of crumpled pieces of parchment, unfurling them and looking at them sadly; a sketch of the moon here, her constellation drawing there. Most of her drawings, though, were centered on Princess Luna herself. There was a drawing of the Princess’s mane and tail, a drawing of her cutie mark, and a sketch of her necklace. Each one of these drawings made Twilight’s heart beat with a hollow thump.

Luna’s eyes. Thump.

Luna’s frame. Thump.

Luna’s smile. Thump.

Twilight felt her heart go cold, as if encased in a block of ice. Her eyes narrowed at the picture she was floating in front of her, her horn glowing and whipping with dark purple magic streaked with black.

The picture erupted into flames and was consumed in a second, the ash falling to the floor.

Growling, Twilight burned each of the pictures, one by one, her anger at the Night Princess growing with each burned parchment. By the time she was done, her eyes had narrowed into slits, her teeth were bared, and her horn glowed almost entirely black.

Knock knock knock.

“What do you want?

“U-um, Twilight? C-can I c-come in? If you don’t mind,” a meek voice came from the other side of the door. Twilight just sat and faced her window, back to the door.

“Fine.”

Twilight’s bedroom door swung open and admitted a scared-looking Fluttershy, who sat a safe distance away from Twilight and her sparking horn.

“T-twilight, I heard from S-“ Twilight began to growl menacingly, “-f-from somepony that y-you’re upset th-that Luna left, and I j-just wanted to tell you-“

“Tell me what?” Twilight said coldly. “Tell me that everything will be okay? Tell me that my ‘friends’ will be there for me?” Fluttershy winced at Twilight’s hard words, shrinking away from the lavender unicorn. Twilight mercilessly went on. “That’s rich, coming from a pony who surrounds herself by the weak. You’ll probably tell me to ‘forgive and forget’ what Luna,” Twilight basically spat the name, “did to me today. But you don’t know what it’s like. It would be as if all you animal ‘friends’ left you to rot! Left you alone in your misery! And we ALL know how you’d react, ever since the Gala!”

Fluttershy, who had been slowly tearing up as Twilight went on, fled from the room, her sobs echoing back up the stairs. “Weak,” Twilight muttered, slamming her door shut. She turned back toward the window.

Knock knock knock.

“Uh, Twi’? Sugarcube? Can I come in?”

Twilight rolled her eyes.

“Suit yourself.”

Applejack cautiously nosed her way into Twilight’s room, her nose wrinkling as she smelled the burned parchment.

“Twi’, I know ya feel hurt right now, but ya can’t jus’ yell at yer friends like that. We’re all here ta help ya-“

“Isn’t that precious,” Twilight sneered, wheeling around to glare at her orange friend. Applejack gasped as she saw Twilight’s eyes. They were slowly becoming lackluster, and incredibly dull. “The same pony who I practically had to chase down and force you to accept my help so you wouldn’t kill yourself from exhaustion, the same pony who is more stubborn than bees guarding their honey, is telling me that I should rely on others.”

Applejack opened her mouth, but no words came out. She was too shocked to say anything.

“What? Nothing to say, ‘Element of Honesty’? Because you know that I’m right? Newsflash, farmer girl. I’m always right. Now get out.”

And Applejack found herself thrust out the door magically, the door slamming on her hooves. Twilight could hear Applejack walk down the stairs. Elevated voices began arguing with each other, gaining in intensity and volume, right before her door exploded open, admitting a rainbow colored pegasus.

“What the heck is WRONG with you, Twilight?” Rainbow Dash yelled in her friends face. “You make Fluttershy cry and push away Applejack? This isn’t the Twilight I know! What’s gotten into you?”

“Don’t patronize me, Rainbow Dash!” Twilight screamed back. “Don’t talk to me like I’m in the wrong! I can’t believe how much of a fool I was!” she took one step forward, and her hoof hitting the ground caused a shockwave that pushed Rainbow Dash back. “What kind of mess would YOU dissolve into if Applejack suddenly decided you weren’t worth her time anymore?”

“Don’t you DARE-“

“Don’t what? Bring your relationship into this? If I wanted to, I could tell the entirety of Equestria!” Twilight shrieked, pinning Rainbow Dash against the wall. Rarity, Applejack, Fluttershy, and Pinkie Pie had all gathered in the doorway, and could do nothing except watch in horror. “None of you have any idea what this feels like, do you! You’ve all been satisfied with settling into your own little worlds, going through the same rut every single day! You’re weak, Rainbow Dash! Loneliness crushes you, makes you useless!”

Twilight flung Rainbow Dash into the four terrified ponies, who caught the pegasus readily. Rainbow Dash had pure fear etched into her face.

“This has only made me stronger!” the unicorn yelled at her friends. Her entire body was cackling with dark energy, and her mane was whipping back and forth, as if her body was caught in an invisible maelstrom. “I haven’t dissolved into a blubbering heap at the prospect of being alone, Rainbow Dash!”

The rainbow pegasus shrunk away from Twilight, who went on, “And I haven’t gone absolutely crazy, either!” As she said this, she glared daggers at Pinkie Pie, who began crying softly.

“That’s debatable,” Applejack muttered, only to cringe as Twilight turned on her, next. “And I never fail, either, Applejack! Unlike you, who seems to take second in everything!”

Applejack just glared at Twilight, fighting desperately to hold back tears and failing miserably.

“And don’t even get me started on Rarity! Or Fluttershy! One’s afraid of her own shadow, and the other is afraid of dust!”

At this point, all five of Twilight’s friends were huddled into a corner, crying softly or just staring at Twilight, horrified.

“You’re weak! All of you! Now get out, before I-“ Twilight’s eyes rolled up into her head and she collapsed to the floor, motionless.

~*~*~*~*~

“Twilight…”

Twilight stirred, groaning in pain.

“Wake up, Twilight.”

That voice…

Twilight sat up, rubbing her eyes, only to panic an instant later. I can’t see! She was in a sea of total blackness. Panic clutched at her throat as she found it harder and harder to breathe.

“Magic, Twilight…”

Oh. Right. Her horn flared up like a beacon, illuminating the room around her. The walls were dark and bare, and four doorways led off in separate directions, each one as dark as the room had been. She was overcome by a deep foreboding. This place is not right, she determined. I need to get out of here.

She then felt a curious, but familiar presence pressing on her mind.

“Let me in. I can show you the way out,” the voice was so soft, smooth, and kind, that Twilight instantly trusted it and accepted it into her mind. It blossomed like a flower, filling her head with whispers and raindrops.

Urged on by the voice, Twilight projected an image of her own cutie mark, lighting it up as bright as her horn. At least, she had intended it for it to be her cutie mark. The purple star was still the same, but the surrounding stars had turned a jet black, along with the formerly white prongs extending from the main star.

Twilight saw no problems with it.

“Follow it, it will show you where you need to go.”

Obediently, Twilight began to canter off after her cutie mark, which had taken off down one of the hallways. She attempted to keep track of the twists and turns that they took, but gave up and just decided to keep up with the projection.

She walked for what felt like ages. Her hooves began to ache, and she felt like the walls were beginning to close in on her. Left, left, left, right, right, left, right, left… The energy she had was slowly ebbing away, and she was on the verge of collapsing.

“Twilight. Look.”

She did. Directly in front of her was a very large, imposing door. It was a stark contrast to her surroundings, as it was made of wood, instead of whatever material the labyrinth was constructed of. Five keyholes glowed dully, four of them arranged in a diamond around the fifth. They were of very peculiar shape; a thundercloud, a butterfly, a balloon, a diamond, and an apple. Each glowed with a soft light.

These look…familiar…

Twilight struggled to remember until her train of thought was interrupted by the silky voice. “Twilight, behind this door is the way out.”

Oh, good, Twilight thought. How do I get past it?

“There are five keys in the labyrinth that will unlock the door. You must find them to escape.”

That sounds easy enough, Twilight thought.

“I cannot guide you to find them,” the voice said apologetically, “for I do not know where they are. You will have to find them without my help. Once you find all five, I will guide you back to this door, and to your release.”

Sounds like a plan.

“Go now,” the voice purred, “and stay safe.”

And Twilight trotted back into the labyrinth.

~*~*~*~*~

Behind the door, the shadow could almost taste victory. “I’m so close,” it muttered. “I can feel her power. It’s just sitting there, begging to be used. All I need is to wait for the final stage to complete.”

The shadow swirled, anticipation evident in its voice. “Oh, Twilight. I hope you’re ready to cast off the shackles of your old life. You see, you’ll find a few angry ponies who will not be so…conducive to your efforts. Will you be able to get around that?” the shadow giggled to itself.

“And when I get out,” it hissed, “I’m going to take all five of those pathetic ponies with me, and we’re going to go pay a royal visit to the Canterlot Palace.”

“Celestia, you’ll pay for banishing me for a thousand years,” it muttered darkly. “And Luna? You’ll die just because I don’t like you. Not to mention the setbacks you’ve caused me.”

The shadow cackled in anticipation, savoring its revenge before it had even begun.