Princess Celestia gave her life fighting against Sombra. That's what the sources say. But Twilight is convinced she was transported to another dimension. Now, fifteen years later, she succeeds in following her.
Princess Celestia gave her life fighting against Sombra. That's the story everypony knows and tells and mourns every year. But Twilight is convinced she was transported to another dimension, and she won't let anything stop her from bringing the sun home.
Luna looked at the ground and felt fear clench her chest again. Sombra’s taint spread even faster than before, spreading and consuming everything in its path. Dark clouds gathered, and heavy rain fell over the darkened areas. She lit her own horn to cast a protective shield behind the fleeing crystal ponies, but the shields she cast soon fizzled, falling victim to the growing taint. They needed to attack the source, and fast. “How long until the elements arrive?” she asked.
“Within the hour,” Celestia responded, eyes flicking wildly over the landscape.
“That is not enough time!” Luna cried. “If the empire becomes completely corrupted, even we together will not be able to save it!”
Celestia took a deep breath, then exhaled. “Then I will go. Stay here. I will face him myself.”
“Celestia, art thou mad?” Luna gasped. “The odds are strongly stacked against thee!”
Celestia chuckled lightly even as she avoided another stroke of lightning. “I sent my student to Ponyville in the hopes that she would find five other ponies worthy of bearing the Elements of Harmony to cleanse you on the night of your return! You think I fear overwhelming odds?”
Luna opened her mouth to protest, and then shut it again. She had a point.
Celestia laughed, a mirthful sound which seemed very out of place amidst the thunder above and screams below. “Fare thee well, Luna!”
“Wait! Celestia!” Luna cried. “You weren't serious?!”
But she apparently had been, because Celestia spread her wings and flew towards Sombra's castle. Luna chased after her, and soon the two princesses were inside the castle, flying high to avoid the dark taint of the shadowy growing crystals.
Sombra stood on an elevated platform, laughing maniacally as his eyes glowed with dark power. The taint looked like dark clouds swirling overhead and at his hooves. He turned and locked eyes with Celestia, and he growled menacingly and bared his teeth in challenge.
Celestia looked over at her sister. “Luna?” she called.
“What?”
“Stand back.”
Luna's eyes narrowed, then widened. “You're not...”
But she was. Celestia lit her horn and her whole body glowed with golden light. Sombra licked his lips and lit his own horn, crouching as dark magic swirled around his own body.
Celestia dove towards the ground as Sombra rode a crystal upwards. Luna could only stare in shock as the two spells collided.
A massive shockwave was emitted from the clash of the two titans, sending buffeting winds coursing so strongly that Luna was thrown to the ground. She quickly stood up and shook her head to clear it.
And when she did, her jaw dropped in shock.
The taint had gone, revealing once again the sparkling surface of the Crystal Empire. But that was all that was right with the picture.
In the center of where the battle had been was a huge, dark scar on the surface of the earth. A deep pit, the earth inside blackened by the sheer force of the energy, extended at least as wide as the area of the west garden at Canterlot. Black and gold flames burned along the trails extending outward from the epicenter.
And neither her sister nor Sombra were anywhere to be seen.
* * *
* * *
Present day...
Spike ducked his head under the lintel and saw, once again, the form of Twilight Sparkle, writing furiously by candlelight. He sighed. “Twilight?” he called.
She continued writing, almost like she hadn't heard him; but she soon found a stopping place, and looked up. “Yes, Spike?”
“You missed dinner. Again.” He held up a plate loaded with food. “Brought you some, just in case.”
“Thanks, Spike,” Twilight said. “What would I do without you?”
Spike snorted as he set the plate down next to her. “You would have starved to death. Three times.”
“I’m sure it’s never been that bad,” Twilight insisted.
“Only on the first, fifth, and tenth anniversary of the Crystal Empire Incident,” Spike said.
Twilight looked back down and continued writing, continuing to work out her calculations. Spike let her go for a while, but knew he had to speak again soon. She’d been obsessing with this for too long. “It’s been fifteen years, Twilight,” Spike said gently. “Maybe it’s time to let go.”
“No, Spike!” Twilight hissed. “It’s not time. Celestia is out there, I just know it! Her energy signature was too strong to just be completely obliterated like that! She had to have dimension traveled. The spells ripped a hole in the fabric of time and they were pulled through. That's the only explanation.”
“You’ve worked on this on and off for years. What makes now any different?”
“I’m so close this time! I just know it!”
“If I had a ruby for every time you said that, I’d be the size of Canterlot Castle,” Spike retorted. “You’re killing yourself here, Twilight.”
Twilight flapped her wings demonstratively. “A little hard to do that, Spike.”
“You’re doing it anyway,” Spike said. He rested a claw on her shoulder near the base of her neck. “Please, Twilight.”
“No, Spike. I have to do this.”
“Then you leave me no choice.” Spike clenched his fist and twisted his claw.
Twilight’s eyes rolled towards the back of her head and then she collapsed on her desk.
Spike chuckled as he scooped her up and carried her back to her room. “I’ll have to thank Shining for that one,” he muttered.
* * *
Spike awoke to the sound of a massive explosion. Instinctively, he looked around, an instinctive inner need to protect his hoard surfacing in his mind. Right now, his hoard consisted of Twilight Sparkle.
Who was currently not in her bed.
Spike sprinted down to the only other place she could be. He mentally prepared himself to break down the door of her laboratory, but to his surprise, it was already open, and hanging by only one hinge. He ducked under the doorway and pulled up short in shock.
Thick smoke billowed out as gold and black flames flickered on the ground. Shards of chalkboards and furniture littered the room. One of the remnants on the wall showed a complicated equation with three lines underneath the final answer—Twilight’s personal indication of success.
Spike looked over it and tried to follow along. It made no sense to him, but it seemed that she was trying to fire two spells at once. One seemed to follow the normal light strings of magic, but the other seemed to be using pathways he didn't understand. Even the words on the board themselves looked sickly and greenish, as if they knew the dark power they contained.
He took a step back and hung his head. To his surprise, he saw an envelope addressed to him, sitting on the ground, charred around the edges. He slit it open with a single claw and pulled the letter out.
“Dear Spike: That nerve pinch hasn’t worked on me in years. Sorry about tricking you like that. Shining had to learn that from somewhere, you know. But Spike, I figured it out. After I calculated which spells they were likely casting, I just needed to find a way to get the two of them to impact at the right angle and make sure I was in the right position. And I think I succeeded. If you’re reading this message and my spinal column isn’t currently hanging from the chandelier-”
Spike quickly looked up, but to his relief, the golden chandelier was swinging gently and was spinal column-less (and incidentally, glass-less as well). He looked back down,
“-then I’ve succeeded. I’ve entered another dimension to get Princess Celestia back, and I won’t be back until I find her and bring her home.”
He looked up and felt his eyes react as the smoke got into them. The sensation grew even stronger as he looked down and finished the letter.
“I love you, Spike. I’ll be home soon with Celestia. Love, Twilight Sparkle.”
He could only stare blankly, tears trickling down his muzzle, even as fireponies and emergency crews arrived with their cooling spells and water hoses.
Twilight groaned and slowly pushed herself to her hooves. She quickly determined that she was not dead, which was definitely a desirable outcome. The air wasn’t toxic, or at the very least wasn’t caustic; and the gravity seemed to be somewhat similar to that at home.
She opened her eyes, and quickly closed them again. It was either noon, or the explosion had disoriented her.
And was there always a loud noise that sounded like it was getting higher in pitch?
“Stupid deer! Get off the road!”
Twilight’s eyes snapped open to see a large red wagon, but this one without any ponies pulling it. It seemed to know magic, though, as there were two large lights in front that illuminated the night. Twilight stepped to the side, and it moved forward of its own will.
“Stupid purple deer… Purple?!” The car stopped, and the driver removed a forcefield from his seat and threw out a small bag of what appeared to be grass. “I’m never smoking pot again,” he swore as he replaced the forcefield and moved his carriage away.
Twilight attempted to process this, but didn't quite understand how exposing a metal cooking utensil to fire would be beneficial in any way, or what that had to do with the bag of vegetation. As he left, Twilight realized just how dark it was without his lights. She lit her horn and picked up the bag. Though it had a strange aroma, it appeared to be edible.
But Twilight was not so foolish as to eat new plants without detailed study. Leaving them on the road, she took stock of her surroundings. She appeared to be by a forest of some kind, on a road paved with stones the likes of which she had never seen. Apparently, the ponies here had managed to build with some kind of cement and little rocks that kept the roads relatively smooth, but Twilight could tell that these ponies must not have had hooves, because the strange rock on metal would make ponyshoes wear down and be rather uncomfortable after a while.
If there even were ponies. Twilight remembered the strange, pale, furless thing (aside from his forelock) piloting the carriage. He looked somewhat like she’d looked last time she’d dimension-traveled, but his proportions were too thick and his color was all wrong. Perhaps they all looked like him, but in her opinion, it (probably male, though) had strange, thick proportions, with large hands and wide arms. Nothing at all like the time she had dimension-hopped through the mirror.
Speaking of others… Twilight looked around and began walking the direction from which it had come. If there were one, there were probably many; and she needed to find as many others as she could if she had a hope of finding Celestia.
* * *
She continued walking through the forest, close to the road but not on it, as the rough surface sent uncomfortable tremors through her ponyshoes. She probably would have flown, but the thick underbrush would have made that a very painful option, and besides, she didn't want to miss a single clue as to the whereabouts of Celestia.
Suddenly, a deafening crack rang out, and part of a nearby tree branch spontaneously exploded. Twilight dropped to a crouch, ears pricked up. It seemed like lightning, but far too small and there were no clouds in the sky. It didn't even smell like rain; instead, now that she thought about it, it smelled somewhat like a firework.
Another crack filled the air, and another tree splintered. Now that Twilight knew where to look she saw a person there, aiming a long stick at her. Twilight didn't understand much, but she could tell that the stick seemed to be the source of the noise. She lit her horn and shot a barrage of magic back, hitting it right out if his hands. He shrieked and dove after it, apparently feeling helpless without it.
Twilight took this opportunity to run away, ducking under branches and scampering through the woods. Ponies are very surehooved, and she made much better progress through the underbrush and trees than her bumbling attacker.
When she felt she was a safe distance away, she stood and caught her breath, just now realizing the danger she had been in. That could have been her head instead of the trees! “They don’t know who or what I am!” she realized.
Twilight decided that if these new creatures were going to shoot at her on sight, it would be a good idea to make sure they didn’t see her. After her huge spell and that little expenditure, though, she wasn't strong enough for a complete cloaking spell; but also on that page in the book was a distraction spell (colloquially called the Shield of Boringness) that had the effect of shielding her from view unless ponies were specifically looking for her.
Twilight lit her horn and cast the spell. When she was certain it was working, began to walk back towards the road. Celestia had to have been somewhere close to this road when she traveled; it would only make sense that she’d walked it, too.
And, unfortunately, that meant that Celestia had probably been attacked, too. Twilight swallowed her fear and continued walking.
* * *
The day progressed slowly, but Twilight's endurance never slowed. She eventually arrived at a city that was larger than Ponyville, but not overcrowdedly huge.
That is, until it hit noon. She had to do a lot of dodging and jumping as these people moved, apparently lost in their own worlds with no attention spared for others. She desperately wished her magic would recover as teleportation would have come in handy; but then again, maintaining the shield of boringness while teleporting would be difficult just from the output of magic released. The shield itself was a constant drain, but a fairly slow one; so maybe it was best that she kept hoofing it. It wasn't bad, but it was an expenditure.
She was pleased to find a park, just like in Ponyville. There were trees, shade, and drinking fountains; and since there were foals all over the area, she knew it was fairly safe. Her first item of business was to use the drinking fountain; she hadn't realized just how thirsty she was until she'd seen it being used. It seemed to be a simple twisting motion, and even the youngest was able to get a drink (even if he did have to be lifted by his mother to reach the spout). She waited until there was no line, and then trotted up.
Unfortunately, hooves don’t twist very well.
After a few (or maybe many) false starts, she managed to wedge a rear hoof into the dial and twist it enough to get some water. That was a huge relief, and she drank until she was full. She stepped off and wiped off her mouth, and then began to scan the area, looking for anything that could help on her search.
Now, throughout this whole time, she had been maintaining her shield, so it came as a huge shock to Twilight when a little girl’s eyes grew wide, and she began tugging on the pants of the woman standing next to her. “Mom! Mom! Lookit! It’s a unicorn! And it has wings!”
Twilight paused for a brief moment to feel offended. ‘It’? Really? Surely her appearance was not that androgynous.
Her mother looked down, smiled, and stroked her daughter’s hair. “Dissi, honey; there’s no such thing as unicorns, and especially not winged unicorns. They’re just real in my stories.”
The child frowned. “Well, if there’s not, it sure looks like one!” she proclaimed, pointing accusingly at Twilight.
Twilight looked around, but no one else seemed to be reacting to her presence. Maybe being young allowed her to see through her spell? Or did the power of innocence work in this world? Either way, Twilight did not want to be discovered, and she channeled more energy into the spell in the hopes of dissuading her attention.
Dissi looked back at her mother and then back towards Twilight, and her eyes narrowed in confusion and her hand fell. “She’s not there anymore,” she said sadly. She perked up again quickly. “Can Leelee and me go play on the swings?”
The woman smiled. “Of course.” As the little girl ran off, the woman smiled and slowly shook her head. “Oh, Dysis, such an active imagina-” But her voice trailed off as she turned to look where she had pointed, and her eyes widened and her jaw dropped.
Twilight’s eyes widened as well. Not just because the woman could see through her shield; but because she recognized her. She knew those eyes better than her own. Even framed by golden-white hair instead of a multicolor mane, she knew those eyes.
The woman’s jaw worked wordlessly as she tried to process the sight. “Twilight Sparkle?” she finally managed to say.
“Princess Celestia! It is you!” Twilight sprinted up and gave her teacher an affectionate hug and tight nuzzle, not stopping to think just how strange this would have looked to the surrounding people as this human Celestia hugged an invisible pony. Fifteen years of effort had finally come to fruition. Her hunt was over; she had finally won. The sun princess was coming home.
Twilight suppressed a gasp as Celestia ran her hands through her mane, stopping to scratch behind her ear. Her whole body relaxed as Celestia scratched. This just felt… good.
Too soon, she withdrew her hand. “You’re here,” Celestia said, as if saying it out loud would make it easier to comprehend.
“I am,” Twilight said. “I came to find you.”
Celestia smiled and stroked Twilight’s mane again. “Oh, Twilight... You always were one to accomplish anything you put your mind to,” she said.
“And I did! I set up relays to replicate the impact and respective strengths of the spells and it worked! Now we just need to set it up again. I'm sure you have everything we need here; I just need a few hours to recharge my stores but I should be rea-”
Celestia placed a finger over Twilight's mouth. “Twilight, we need to talk.”
“Yes! Yes we do! There's a lot we need to catch up on. Did they shoot at you, too?”
“They what?” Celestia demanded, quickly leaning down and running her hands through Twilight's coat. “You got shot at? Did you get hit? What happened?”
“Heh… long story. But we gotta get you home. It's a weird place here. They have metal carriages, and thundersticks, and their weird plants that smell funny and…”
Twilight gasped and her world skidded to a halt as Celestia grabbed her ear and tweaked it hard to one side, twisting it back and holding it against the side of Twilight’s head. Twilight had expected that to hurt, but for some reason, it didn’t. In fact, she felt relaxed; almost pleasured. Her eyes rolled back into her head and she let out a soft whinny.
“I had always wondered if the ear twitch worked on ponies,” Celestia murmured, releasing her hand (much to Twilight’s displeasure). “I know there’s much you want to talk about, but here is not the place. Let’s go back to my house, and then we can talk more there.”
* * *
Twilight had never thought metal carriages could even exist; and now here she was, riding in the back of one. She had gathered much information from her short time here. These two young fillies with her were named Selene and Dysis, and they referred to her as their mother.
She also learned that the area referred to as 'the trunk' was not a good place for ponies. It was bumpy, cramped, and most uncomfortable.
It soon came to a stop, and Twilight heard voices and doors opening.
“Leelee, Dissi, I've got some things to do out here. I'll be right in to make a snack, ok?”
“Ok, Mommy!” the replies quickly came.
Twilight blinked as the trunk opened. There stood Celestia, hand outstretched to help her out. “I'll be right back.” She grinned. “They're kids. They get hungry. Feel free to look around the garage.”
Twilight slowly put her hoof in her hand and climbed out. She stretched, spreading her wings and popping her back, enjoying the feeling of freedom again.
When Celestia was certain that Twilight would be alright, she headed inside, and Twilight decided to explore this garage. She poked around the sports equipment hanging on the walls. She recognized tennis rackets and various bouncy balls, as well as a rather dusty set of golf clubs. She grinned. It was nice to see that some things were always the same.
She paused as she came upon something that was not the same. It seemed to be a small box that smelled of gasoline, but with a wide, sharp metal sectioned shaft sticking out from one end. It was easy to see how it was supposed to be held; but what did it do? The long part seemed like it was made of a chain, but that really made no sense; it didn't connect anything.
She poked it some more. This part with a plastic tip looked like it was meant to be pulled, and what kind of scientist doesn’t explore all the obvious possibilities? She gripped it with her teeth, braced the box with her hoof, and pulled it. It made a loud whirring noise, but didn't react other than that. Maybe it needed to be pulled faster? Twilight tried again. This time it made an even louder noise, but that seemed to be it. Surely this wasn’t just a bulky noise-maker? Unless imitating a swarm of bees was a good defensive strategy? She frowned, trying to think of any other possible purpose.
“You're going to flood the engine if you keep doing that,” Celestia's voice broke in.
Twilight jumped, and she spun around to see Celestia, back in the garage, carrying a plate.
“Sorry about that,” she said, returning to Twilight and kneeling to be at her eye level. “You probably shouldn't be playing with that, anyway. Carrot stick?” she offered, holding a few out. “You must be hungry.”
Twilight's stomach growled, and she realized that she hadn't eaten anything in a long time. She happily took one. At least the carrots tasted the same here.
Celestia waited until she had finished the first one before standing up, taking a step back, and screwing up her face and concentrating.
There was a flash of golden light, and the Celestia Twilight knew and loved stood there.
At least, it once might have been her. Twilight couldn’t help but gasp (and drop the carrot in her mouth) as she saw Celestia’s appearance. In her day, Celestia was pristine, pure, and ageless. Now, though, she looked older, a bit more worn out. Her mane didn’t flow as quickly, and its colors seemed a bit more washed out. Though her eyes remained as brilliant and sharp as she remembered, there were lines underneath them that Twilight was certain were not there before.
She smiled at Twilight's expression. “Here, as in many other worlds, the sun needs no mistress to bid it rise. Without my connection to the sun, I age normally.” She allowed herself a small smile. “It is not as painful as I feared, though.”
“You don't control the sun anymore? What do you do?”
“I’ve set my sights a little lower these days.” Her smile turned wry. “Politics here make Equestrian politics and squabbling look like kindergarten playdates. Now, the only leading position I want is best-selling children’s author.”
Twilight blinked. “An author? You're writing books now? About what?”
“Oh, six really good pony friends from another dimension where magic flows through the universe. One is quite intelligent, one loves working with animals, one loves to race, one is delightfully random…”
Twilight's jaw dropped. “You're writing about my friends and me?”
Celestia nodded, and though it may have been Twilight’s imagination, a tiny blush may have appeared on her cheeks. “Well, with some artistic liberty taken, of course. But yes. Your friendship lessons have been inspiring to millions of children; and, for some reason I have yet to understand, many adults as well.” She paused. “Mostly males in their early twenties, for some reason. I still haven't figured that out… Perhaps it is the illustrations?” She shook her head. “Anyway, I’m currently in third place, and the number one spot belongs to one Dr. Seuss; but since he is a doctor I suppose I shouldn’t begrudge him the top spot.” She leaned in and gave Twilight an all-too-familiar wink. “Though, between you and me, I’m getting closer and closer every day.”
Twilight nodded as yet another question occurred to her. “So if you’re here, what happened to Sombra?”
For the first time, Celestia looked a bit sheepish. “Well…”
* * *
Celestia suddenly impacted the ground and skidded through the dirt, getting the wind knocked out of her. Sombra had been traveling upwards at the time of the explosion, and so he had appeared in the air. His momentum kept him flying upwards, and so he landed more easily on his hooves and recovered faster. Celestia tried to light her own horn, but she couldn't concentrate on drawing her power as her empty lungs desperately fought for air. “Ssssdeathh!” Sombra crowed triumphantly, his eyes glowing bright green as he slowly approached and charged his power. Celestia gritted her teeth, closed her eyes and waited for death. It never came. There was a loud sound and then the deep, meaty thunk of a collision. Some kind of monstrous metal cart had come over the hill. Unable to stop in time, it hit him in the side, running him over with all six tires in a whirlwind of black and gray.
* * *
Twilight raised an eyebrow. “Really?” she asked incredulously. “He returned from banishment and the dead, enslaved an entire country twice, held his own in a fight on two separate occasions against you and Luna, who are two powerful alicorns; and he got killed by a human with a cart who just wasn't watching where he was going?”
Celestia nodded, a familiar smile playing at the edges of her lips. “I swear, you can’t make these things up.”
* * *
The creature inside jumped out and rushed over. He rested a hand on his neck and then sighed. “Poor fella never had a chance,” he mumbled. “Ah swear, Ah didn't even see 'im there… jumped out at me… Knew Ah've been awake too long... Ah just...” He looked over at Celestia, and a wry smile crossed his face. “Well, maybe I can save one of two,” he murmured. Celestia watched, intrigued, as he returned to the back of his strange wagon, and pulled out a bridle and a sugar cube. She raised an eyebrow, which only raised higher as he began to approach slowly and speak as if trying to calm a wounded animal. “You like sugar? Everyone likes sugar. Come on, Ah won't hurt you, Ah promise.” He lifted the bridle and tried to slide it on Celestia's head. Celestia easily dodged it and raised an eyebrow. “Are you offering me a sugar cube in exchange for captivity?” she asked. The farmer dropped the sugar cube in surprise. “You can talk?” “I can do much more than talk,” Celestia said, spreading her wings dramatically. The farmer fainted.
* * *
“The farmer eventually recovered, and once I was able to convince him that he was not hallucinating from lack of sleep, he cared for me until I recovered. It just so happens that there are some animals here a lot like ponies, albeit larger, not sapient, less colorful, and much less tactful.” She paused. “And a bit less resilient.”
Twilight raised an eyebrow.
“Well, if you're going to stick your nose under a woman's tail without her express permission, you'd better be ready for her to react,” Celestia said defensively. “And if you can't take what she's going to dish out, you shouldn't risk it.”
“So you stayed on the farm with him?”
Celestia shrugged. “There was plenty of room to rest and recover, and he had oats,” she said.
Twilight had to concede that point. She liked oats, too.
“I paid him back. Once some horse thieves showed up. I protected the stock.” A small smile player on her lips again. “They were not expecting me.” Her smile faded slightly. “Of course, at that time, I didn't entirely understand an electric fence…” She shook her head. “They were fine. Eventually.”
“Sounds like it was a lot to go through,” Twilight said. “But it's all over now! I’ll help you cast the spell, and you can come back to Equestria and become princess of the sun again and you won't get older anymore or anything…”
“Do I have to?”
Twilight stopped, shocked into silence. Her mouth moved wordlessly as she processed Celestia's words. Finally, words of her own came out. “Well, of course you have to! You’re the princess of Equestria!”
“It seems Equestria got along just fine without me,” Celestia observed quietly. “You’re not telling me any stories of anarchy or widespread destruction. Instead, you’re telling me of prosperous times and peace.”
“Well, yes; but…”
“Twilight, do you not understand what I have here? I have a family. I have children. Selene and Dysis, they are literally my little ones. I gave birth to them.”
Twilight paused as images of a pregnant Celestia ran through her head. And then she blushed as images of Celestia doing that which causes a mare to become pregnant flashed through her mind soon after.
Celestia smiled a sad smile and lifted a hoof. “I can barely remember how to walk on four legs, I haven't flown in a decade, and I don’t even say ‘anypony’ anymore. Twilight, this is my world now.”
"This is your world?" Twilight repeated numbly.
Celestia nodded.
“You can't just abandon your kingdom!” Twilight protested.
The air seemed to grow colder as Celestia's eyes narrowed and her wings instinctively flared. “As I recall, I willingly gave my life for my kingdom,” she said, her voice cold as ice. “Don't come to me and act as though you’ve got the high moral ground. I'm certain you stayed up late at night looking for answers, turning away friends in the search of knowledge.”
“Hey!” Twilight started to defend herself, but Celestia cut her off.
“Do not accuse me of deserting Equestria when I gave my life for it. And if I returned, what then? My return would mean abandoning my daughters. They would not understand. Equestria doesn’t need me now. They do. How could I leave them?”
“But-”
“You think I didn’t try to come back?” Celestia hissed. “Ten years I wasted, casting spell after spell after spell, trying to fix something that was never broken in the first place. Equestria has been fine without me, and it certainly doesn't need me now. In this world they say 'if it ain't broke, don't fix it'; and I think that's good advice.”
"Ten years? Only ten years?"
"I learned I was aging in three," Celestia commented. "When you're immortal, ten years is nothing; when your lifespan is only eighty, it's a good portion of your life wasted."
"But I'm not immortal-" Twilight protested.
"And thank the fates you're not," Celestia cut in. "It's really not it's all cracked up to be."
Twilight's mouth hung open. She tried grasping at straws. “Luna-”
Celestia's voice grew almost imperceptibly quieter. “If she is wise, she will have moved on already. She and I have been alive long enough to know the pain of loss.”
“And what about me?”
Celestia's words died in her mouth.
Twilight looked up sadly. “I thought I meant something to you.”
Celestia’s eyes softened. She came up close to Twilight and pressed their foreheads together, crossing horns just as she had done when Twilight was a filly studying by her side. “Every eagle was once a hatchling, but soon they grow and must leave the nest. You have made me so proud, Twilight Sparkle. Things I couldn't dare to dream you could do, you've done.” She withdrew slightly and gave her a sad smile. “But it's time for the eaglet to leave my nest, Twilight. You don't need me anymore. You can fly on your own—and you have. You have flown further and higher than I ever thought possible. Further than I have, and I’m not just saying that.” She gently shook her head. “But I cannot be who you wish for me to be anymore. It would not be fair to either of us.”
“I… I need some time to think,” Twilight said, slowly sinking to her haunches and looking down at the ground.
Celestia nodded. She lit her horn and glowed with a golden light. The same human from before was there when the light faded. She shrugged off what must have been their version of a saddlebag, with a cloth sack held in by two long pullstrings around the shoulders. She opened the top and slid out a piece of paper and a few articles of clothing.
“If you want to come inside, here’s the spell to disguise yourself and something to wear.” She smiled. “I'm certain Dissi would love to meet you.”
Twilight remained still as Celestia left the garage. This was not how she had imagined this reunion happening at all.
A few hours later, Twilight entered the house proper, feeling the strange sensation of being bipedal again and wearing clothes on her whole body. These proportions were different than her previous excursion, with her current body being a bit thicker, especially around her barrel and hips. She hadn’t kept many of her secondary characteristics; her skin was now a similar pale sheen as Celestia’s and her hair had turned a shade of midnight black, with a hint of purple on the edges when the sunlight streaming through the open windows hit it just right.
Celestia looked up from where she sat with her two daughters, all playing with small colorful blocks. They were small, but very numerous and surprisingly light, and Twilight was surprised to see that Celestia had been building a detailed replica of her castle at Canterlot. Selene had built a flying car and was making it fly around the room, making the noises with her mouth, and Dysis had built a few crude horses and was having a tea party there with them.
Selene froze at the sight of Twilight, nearly dropping her car. “Mom?” she said, looking back at Celestia. “There’s someone in our house.”
“Ah, yes,” Celestia said, rocking forwards and pushing herself to her feet. Twilight bit her lower lip as she heard Celestia’s tiny grunts of effort as she did. That was unlike the Celestia she knew; it made her seem so... mortal. “Girls, this is a friend of mine. Would you introduce yourselves?”
“Selene.”
“I’m Dissi! That's short for Dysis. What's your name?”
Twilight smiled. “I’m…” She then realized that it might not be a good idea to use her own name, especially if Celestia had been using her and her friends' names, and so she determined that she would quickly think up a fake name. “Trixie,” she said, saying the first female name that popped into her head.
She then paused, and winced. Really? Trixie?
“Trixie. That’s a nice name,” Dysis said. “Like with the rabbit?”
“What?”
“You know, Trixie for kids?”
Twilight cocked her head, confused. Had this been a storyline Celestia had used for her books based on the Trixie incidents?
Celestia laughed lightly. “Not quite, Dissi. She’s a person, not a cereal.”
Twilight didn’t get this, either; but apparently this made sense to Dysis, because she quietly accepted this answer and resumed her playing.
Twilight knelt down and began toying with the tiny blocks. These humans must have had some special abilities to make so many tiny blocks out of this strange light substance while keeping them all so uniform. She watched as Selene snapped a few together, adding another set of rotors to the top of the vehicle, and Twilight tried to copy her motions. Though her coordination did leave something to be desired, she managed to combine the two blocks she held. She felt a surge of pride at her accomplishment.
Dysis suddenly appeared beside her, making her jump. “Whatcha makin’?” she asked cheerfully.
“I haven’t decided yet,” Twilight answered truthfully, looking at the blocks in her hands.
“Looks like it could be a wall,” Dysis said. “Wanna help mommy make a Unicornia?”
Twilight looked over at the castle and smiled. “Yeah, I think I'd like that.”
“Working together is good. Applejack learned that during applebuck season,” Dysis said.
Twilight's eyebrows raised, but then lowered. Of course she would know.
Selene rolled her eyes. “Dysis loves mom's stories,” she said. “Like, really loves.”
“I do too,” Twilight said slowly. Last time her friends had had problems and weren't themselves, memories of their friendship adventures had brought them back. Could the same work for Celestia? “I think Twilight Sparkle is my favorite.” She glanced over at Celestia to see her reaction, but she was looking down at her blocks. She did, however, smile that tiny half-smile she wore when she knew something important.
“I like Twilight Sparkle, too,” Dysis said. “I like all the ponies.” She looked around and then leaned in close. “Sometimes I like to think they’re real,” she whispered.
Twilight hid a smile and continued building.
“Yeah, but magic isn’t real,” Selene said dismissively.
“It is, too!” Twilight and Dysis said at the same time. They looked at each other, and giggled.
This was going to be the start of a very fun playtime.
* * *
Twilight had gotten so engrossed in building that she hadn’t even noticed that Celestia had left the room until something began smelling really good. She stood up and followed the smell into the kitchen, where she found Celestia standing in the kitchen, mixing something on the counter. She turned and smiled at the expression on Twilight’s face. “Didn’t expect to see me cooking?” she asked with a cheeky smile.
“Well… not exactly,” Twilight admitted.
Celestia shrugged. “It’s actually fairly fun. The cleaning part, though, not so much. But such is life, right?”
“I guess,” Twilight said. “What are you making?”
“I figured I’d give you a treat tonight. Have you heard of tacos?”
Dysis’s voice came ringing from the living room. “I love tacos!”
“Not as much as I do!” Selene challenged right back.
“How would you even test that?” Dysis asked. “That's not quantative data!”
Twilight was so pleased to hear the conversation take that turn that she didn’t even bother to try and correct her pronunciation.
“Uh…”
There was a pause, and then came the sound of blocks being shifted. “This is now a taco party,” Dysis proclaimed. “Wanna come to my taco party?”
“Ok!”
Twilight couldn’t help but chuckle. Regardless of what they looked like, fillies were adorable.
She turned her attention back to the food cooking in the large saucepan. Celestia recognized the look in her eyes, and she picked up a spoon, filled it with the brown mixture, and held it out. Twilight took it and hesitantly put it in her mouth. Her eyes widened, and she smiled widely as she ate. “What is that? I think I had something similar when I went through the mirror.”
“Probably not exactly the same. This is textured vegetable protein. Tastes like most of the normal food here, but it comes from vegetables.” She grinned. “That much hasn't changed. I am still a vegetarian.”
Twilight paused to consider the alternatives, and then shuddered and decided it would be better not to entertain that train of thought. Instead, she looked over the ingredients still sitting on the counter, and then raised an eyebrow. “Where’s the hay?” she asked.
“No hay here,” Celestia said, adding a teaspoon of some spice that made Twilight’s nose flare. “People just don’t eat it.”
“At all?” Twilight asked, shocked.
Celestia shook her head. “At all. Too dry for human mouths.”
Twilight frowned. That meant… “No hay fries?”
“No. We fry potatoes here instead.”
Twilight raised an eyebrow. “Potatoes? Really?”
“With plenty of salt,” Celestia added.
Twilight paused. “That’s kindof silly,” she said. “Frying is a drying technique, anyway. Why would they say hay is too dry, then dry something else and then add salt on top of it? That makes no sense.”
Celestia grinned. “It’s one of those things that you have to experience to understand. I’ll have to take you out for fries one of these days. Perhaps you’ll change your mind.”
Twilight smiled. “I guess we'll see.”
She froze as the door opened. Selene and Dysis were expecting this, apparently; they sprinted up and ran towards the door.
“Daddy!”
Twilight froze. 'Daddy'? Curiosity overcame her, and she poked her head around the corner to see who had some in.
If Twilight needed to describe him in one word, it would be 'genuine'. Twilight fancied herself a good judge of ponies, and she liked him instantly. He seemed to be honest and friendly.
He hugged his two daughters and looked up. He paused as he saw Twilight.
Twilight jumped as Celestia came behind her and kissed him. “Trixie, this is Richard, my husband.”
Twilight had trouble reconciling that term of endearment with Celestia's voice, but she smiled and held out her hand anyway.
Richard shook it. He hesitated a bit, expecting a bit of a firm handshake as opposed to the fish handshake Twilight had given, but he smiled nonetheless. “Hello, Trixie. It's good to meet you.”
Curiosity overcame her hesitance. “How did you two meet?” Twilight asked.
Richard chuckled. “Actually, my cousin set us up. Said he knew this beautiful girl that he could introduce me to, but he also said she was born in a barn and had an unhealthy appetite for oats.”
Celestia chuckled as well, as if at a joke only she knew.
“Well, my cousin lives on a farm, and I was half-expecting to see a girl with less teeth than I have fingers. Instead, I found the most beautiful woman I’ve ever seen.”
He shifted slightly, and Twilight had the distinct impression that Celestia had slid her hand over to rest it on his waist. It seemed so wrong… and yet fitting. Twilight felt a tiny chill run up her back.
“So what happened then?” Selene asked, in a tone that indicated that she already knew the answer. “Did you kiss her?”
“Ew!” Dysis squealed, scrunching her nose.
He laughed. “I was too busy looking at her to watch where I was going, and I stepped in a cow pie. I slipped and faceplanted right in front of her. Great first impression I made, huh?”
Twilight winced. Guess some things really don’t change across universes, she mused, remembering the first time she had approached her own love interest.
“Somehow, she decided to give me a second chance, and the joke was on him when we got married.” He smiled, and brought his other hand over to rest it on Celestia's. “She's been my rock ever since.”
“She’s more than that,” Twilight said, the words slipping out before she could stop herself.
He frowned. “I beg your pardon?”
“I said, uh… That’s a fact. She’s been nothing but kind and helpful to me, a person she has never met before this time.” Twilight winced internally, realizing that she really wasn’t good at misdirection. She looked up, hoping they bought her story.
Luckily, Dysis chose this time to interrupt. “I saw a unicorn today,” she said.
“Did you now?”
“There are no such things as unicorns,” Selene said dismissively.
Dysis clamped her hands over her ears. “Every time you say that, a unicorn dies!” she squealed.
“That’s only for fairies, Dysis,” Celestia said with a smile. “Unicorns exist whether or not anyone believes in them, or can even see them.” She winked at Twilight.
“Oh, right,” Dysis said, removing her hands.
Richard laughed lightly. It was clear that he thoroughly enjoyed being home. He met Twilight's eyes. “You're staying for dinner, right, Trixie?”
Twilight smiled. “Of course.”
* * *
Twilight walked down the street, thinking. Dinner had been delicious. The conversation had been light, but very telling. Richard had listened and was attentive to everything his daughters said, without showing favoritism to either. He cared about his children and Twilight could almost have seen herself and her own father when he kissed them good night.
In a word, he was perfect.
And Twilight hated him for it.
Twilight continued walking until she was out of sight of the house. Then, in a bright flash of purple light, Twilight appeared back on the roof of the house. She closed her eyes, and in another bright flash of light, resumed her pony form. She kicked off the clothes, lay down, and rested her head on her hooves.
She remained there for the remainder of the night, alone with her thoughts.
Early the next morning, Twilight woke up and discovered that there was a blanket on top of her. She leaned in and sniffed it, and she could smell Celestia's scent on it. She had found her and placed it on her sometime during the night.
Just like a mother would.
And in that moment, Twilight knew exactly what she had to do. She lit her horn and teleported to inside the house, and headed down the hallway. She nosed open the door to Dysis’s room, and quietly shut it behind her.
One eye flickered open at the sound, and it was quickly followed by the second. Dysis sat up, shocked. She balled her fists and scrubbed at her eyes, but when she opened them again, the pony was still there. “No way,” she breathed. “It’s you! You’re Twilight Sparkle, aren’t you?”
Twilight nodded.
Dysis began bouncing on the bed while still remaining seated. “You are real! I knew it, I knew it, I knew it!”
“I am,” Twilight said.
Dysis stopped vibrating only long enough to begin asking questions. “Where did you come from? Ponyland? Unicornia? Did mommy bring you to life? Did she? With her stories?”
Twilight smiled. “In a way. We all owe your mother a great deal.”
“Who? Your friends?”
Twilight nodded.
“Rainbow Dash? Pinkie Pie? Rarity? Fluttershy? Applejack? All of them?” Dysis asked.
Twilight nodded. It sounded strange to hear her friends’ names spouted off by someone who had never seen them before.
Dysis paused and frowned. “Where are they?” she asked, looking around as if expecting them to enter too.
“They couldn’t come this time,” Twilight said. “I’m here because I wanted to see your mother.”
“Why?” Dysis asked.
“Because your mother is a very, very special pony. Your mother Celestia is probably the greatest pony that has ever lived. Ever. And I owe her so very, very much. We all do. So please, Dysis, never, ever forget that.”
Dysis nodded, slightly confused.
Twilight walked closer and rested a hoof on her chest, gently laying her back down. “But it’s still time for fillies to be asleep,” she whispered as she leaned forward and gave her a kiss on the forehead. She lit her horn.
Dysis’s joy at being kissed by a unicorn didn’t fade, but she did yawn as the sleeping spell gently took her away. “But I’m not even tired,” she protested.
Twilight merely smiled as Dysis slowly closed her eyes and drifted off to sleep.
* * *
Celestia felt a gentle nudging of her shoulder, and she shifted slightly with a light groan, unwilling to wake up just yet.
“Celestia?”
Celestia frowned and scrunched her eyes closed tighter even as her mind ran through the various possibilities. Her children would have called her ‘mommy’, so it wasn't them; her husband would have called her by one of his endearingly awkward nicknames and placed his hand on her stomach, so it wasn't him; but it was someone who knew her by her full name, so that meant…
She opened her eyes, and there stood pony Twilight Sparkle.
Twilight nodded slightly and fidgeted a bit. She levitated the folded blanket onto the foot of the bed, nudged it so it wasn't uneven, and then finally spoke. “I’m…” She swallowed once. “I’m ready to go home. Thank you for letting me stay with you for a while.” She gave a small smile as she turned to leave. “You really do have a wonderful family.”
Celestia slowly sat up. “Wait,” she said. “I’ll help you. Just let me get my car keys, and I'll take you somewhere away from the city.”
* * *
Twilight chewed thoughtfully. "So this is a french fry?" she said, the words sounding unfamiliar on her tongue.
"Yes," Celestia said. "Do you see now why they're so popular?"
"I guess I could get used to these," Twilight said, popping another into her mouth.
Celestia chuckled. "I did say they were good," she said.
Twilight frowned as her fingers hit paper. She looked inside the paper basket and found that it was empty. She jumped slightly as Celestia held out her basket.
"I can always get more," she said. "Besides, it's an exotic experience. Why not splurge a bit?"
Twilight nodded graciously and with a muffled, "Thanks," she resumed eating.
When she'd finished, Celestia stood up. "You ready?" she asked.
"Yeah," Twilight said, brushing the salt off her front and standing up. "Let's go."
She stepped out of the car, and one bright flash of light later, there stood two ponies.
Together they walked into the center of the pasture, away from the corrals where the horses stood grazing. One gave them a passing glance before returning to his feeding.
"So this is it," Twilight said, turning to face Celestia.
Celestia nodded.
Twilight chuckled nervously. "I never was good at goodbyes..."
Celestia raised an eyebrow. "Is that all?"
"I guess? Were you expecting something else?"
Celestia shrugged. "I did expect a bit of... resistance before you left, to say the least."
Twilight sighed. "I thought about it," she admitted. "I thought of many things I could do, really. Everything from arranging an 'accident' to bringing you all back with me; but since I then wanted to bring Richard too and that would have dropped our collective odds of a successful dimension travel to 4.16 percent..."
"Wait. So that means your chance of arriving here in one piece by yourself were..." Celestia quickly did some mental calculations, and her jaw dropped. "One in seven?"
Twilight shrugged, even as her cheeks colored. "Well, any odds sound bad if you say it in that tone of voice," she defended herself half-heartedly.
Celestia pondered this. "And the other six possibilities?"
"Almost evenly split between ending up in the wrong dimension and spontaneous combustion."
Celestia blinked. "You were that desperate to find me?"
"I wanted you to come home." Twilight sighed. "But I learned something, prin- can I still call you 'princess'?"
Celestia cracked a smile. "If you wish."
"I learned that you're already home."
They stood like that for a brief moment before as one they crashed together in a hug, wings and forelegs wrapped tightly around each other.
"I'm going to miss you so much," Twilight said, fighting back the tears forming in the corner of her eyes.
"Me too," Celestia whispered back, fighting to restrain tears of her own.
They remained like that for a few moments before Twilight pulled back. "Your kids are going to wonder where you've gone," she said, roughly wiping a foreleg against her face. "We'd better get going."
"Right," Celestia said, lighting her horn. It glowed with that familiar golden light. "Are you sure you want to do this?"
"I am." Twilight frowned. "If you don't want to get caught in the effective radius, you'd probably better step back," she warned. "Starswirl's magic distance over force equation might be helpful here."
Celestia smiled. She had forgotten that equation long ago. "And how far should I go, Twilight?"
Twilight sighed, not entirely enjoying the answer. "You'll need to double the power and stand precisely 100.52 rods away."
Celestia paused, knowing that that would leave Twilight standing alone in the middle of the field. She felt a slight pain in her chest, knowing that her last view of her former student would be her standing by herself, all alone; but she knew that there wasn't any other option. She nodded, and flew back the required distance. She landed and lit her horn, with that familiar golden glow.
Twilight scrunched up her face, calling upon the darker magics, and her horn lit up in shades of blacks and purples. She took a deep breath, then nodded, and Celestia fired.
* * *
* * *
Spike had remained in the laboratory, sleeping on a small cot that left his legs, tail, and wings hanging over the side. Though he had been told numerous times that it was not safe or healthy to be here, all it took was a simple smile to remind the ponies that it was not safe or healthy to try and dissuade a dragon from doing what he wanted, either.
He jumped as an explosion rocked the night, sending him and the cot tumbling through the air and crashing to the floor and sending a tinny ringing through his ears. He looked up, squinting against the little fires that had started, and saw Twilight, laying on the ground, a deep scorch mark burned into the ground around her smoking body.
“Twilight!” he shrieked, rushing over and resting a claw on her forehead and neck. Her face was warm, and her pulse was elevated, but she was definitely alive.
Her eyes flickered open. “I made it, then?” she whispered with a groan as she attempted to sit up.
“Yeah,” Spike said, fighting back the hot tears of happiness forming in the corner of his eyes. He hid them by wrapping Twilight in a hug and wiping them on her mane. “Did you find Celestia?”
“I did.”
Spike quickly ducked for cover, pressing his claws over his head. Then he straightened up and looked around. When it became apparent that there was no other alicorn appearing, he looked down. “Is she coming back?”
“No, Spike. She's not.”
Spike’s jaw dropped. “What happened? Is she…?”
“She’s fine; she’s just... not coming back.”
Spike frowned. “But…”
“She's happy where she is. And, I suppose, if I really loved her, I'd be happy that she was happy.”
Spike paused. “You're not happy, are you?”
“Not in the slightest!” Twilight said cheerfully. “I don't know if I'll ever be completely ok with it, and to be honest, I’d probably rather have eaten a whole bucket of Mareuga Scorpions than have left her there. But I've learned many things about friendship through the years, and I'm sure I'll come to terms with it eventually.” She wrapped a foreleg around Spike's waist and began walking. “Come on, Spike. Let’s go talk to Luna and then get something to eat. I'm pretty hungry. Would you believe that there is not a single place to get hayfries in her dimension?”
“No,” Spike said in disbelief.
“Not a single one! They fry potatoes there instead! Potatoes!”
Spike took a dramatic step back and rested a claw on his chest as if deeply offended. “How barbaric!”
“I know! But they’re actually pretty good when they’re covered in salt. They also have these taco things, and those are absolutely delicious, and they have some strange inventions like self-propelled metal carts and large noisemakers that sound like a hive of bees and these tiny colorful blocks that all stack together…”
It was a beautiful morning at the Ponyville farmers' market. Spike hung up his sign and grinned. He took a step back, frowned, then adjusted it so it was level. His ears pricked up as he heard hoofsteps behind him.
Bon Bon paused as she walked by the stand. She squinted, as if not believing the words written on the sign. “'Spike's Fried Potatoes'?” Her tone turned teasing. “Potatoes? What’s up with that? Is hay too good for you now, you fancy dragon?”
Spike turned and grinned, beginning his speech with a flourish and a deep bow. “It's not about me, but about you! I present, at great personal expense, a delicacy from another dimension brought back to ours, and from my stand right to your mouth!”
Bon Bon raised an eyebrow.
Spike continued, “Today is your lucky day! For being my first customer, you get your order free!”
Spike fired up the oil with a blast of his flames, and he soon had her potatoes fried and perfectly crispy. He added a healthy (or maybe not so healthy) helping of salt, and then slid them over in a little red paper basket. “Enjoy!”
Bon Bon sniffed them hesitantly, then slowly picked one up and blew on it to cool it. She extended her tongue and brought one to her parted lips. Her eyes widened after the first crunch. “Whoa,” she whispered, before picking up another and quickly shoving it into her mouth.
Spike grinned as he watched the fries disappear. It was going to be a good day.
It was raining, which was perfectly fitting for the occasion. Dysis only made a half-hearted attempt to listen to the officiator drone on about dust to dust and more bogus, trite pleasantries like that. None of that mattered now. Her mother was dead.
To be honest, though, it wasn’t entirely unexpected. After her father had died the previous year, her mother just hadn’t had the energy for life. It was as though a part of her had died as well, and now they had finally been reunited.
She stood in the rain. Everyone eventually left, leaving her alone in the rain with her confused, swirling feelings inside. Eventually, she had to leave. As she neared the edge of the lawn, Dysis looked back one last time… and froze.
Twilight Sparkle stood in front of her mother’s grave. Her head was bowed, her eyes were closed, her wings remained respectfully folded, and tears streamed down her face, visible even through the rain. Her mane and tail (now much longer than Dysis remembered) were soaked, showing that she had been present for a long time, likely for the whole ceremony.
Dysis had the distinct impression that she was intruding on something intensely personal and moved as though she were going to back away, but then froze as Twilight lifted her head, and lit her horn. A single white rose coalesced from the purple magic, and she caught it in her mouth and laid it respectfully and reverently on the gravestone.
Dysis looked down only long enough to wipe a tear from her own eye, but when she looked up again, Twilight Sparkle was gone. The rose, however, remained. It continued to remain throughout all the years to come. Every time Dysis visited the cemetery, the white rose had not disappeared or wilted.
Selene never did believe in magic, and believed that it was continually replaced by one of her many adoring fans.
