> Leave It All Behind > by ShowShine > -------------------------------------------------------------------------- > On the run > -------------------------------------------------------------------------- Twilight stared intently at her book, trying to memorize a spell that she was trying to learn. Spike stood in his crib, letting out loud babbles to get attention. “Not now Spike, I’m trying to concentrate!” Twilight exclaimed. Spike pouted and fell onto his butt, crossing his arms and sticking his tongue out, making a raspberry. “Oh please, you’re not even supposed to be up right now, it’s midnight!” Twilight said, pointing out the window. Spike tilted his head. He had no concept of time because he was only a few months old. Twilight didn’t want to mention that she wasn’t supposed to be up either, she was only a little filly. She put the book down and smiled widely. “Okay, I think I got it!” She said happily. She pulled over a flower pot with a seed buried in the dirt in front of her and focused on it. She closed her eyes and started to strain her body. Her horn started to glow brightly and the pot rattled slightly. Twilight smiled as she saw the tip of the plant starting to poke out from the dirt. “It’s working!” Twilight exclaimed excitedly, clapping her hooves together. Spike let out a soft giggle at her excitement. Twilight pulled over her notebook and started to write down her results. The plant stopped growing making Twilight tilt her head. “That’s weird, it was working just a second ago. Maybe I did something wrong.” Twilight said as she flipped through the spellbook. Suddenly the pot started to shake. Twilight put the book down and stared at the pot in confusion. A large vine shot out of the pot, causing it to break. Twilight let out a scream of fear. The vine broke through the roof and debris started to fall on them. A piece of the ceiling fell next to Spike, making him cry in fear. Twilight ran over to his crib and pulled Spike close to her. A large piece of ceiling fell from the roof, completely crushing the crib. The whole building started to shake as the plant grew past the clouds. Twilight put Spike on her back and she grabbed her saddlebag with her teeth. Twilight ran out of her room. She heard ponies screaming as they pushed past her. The fire alarm had been pulled and a loud siren echoed through the building. Twilight rushed down the stairs as Spike clutched onto her back. Ponies screams filled the building. Twilight ran outside and looked up at the building. The plant slowly came down from the sky and coiled around the building. The plant squeezed the building tightly, causing the right side of the school to collapse. She heard ponies screamed in agony as the building crushed their bodies. Twilight stared in horror as her favorite place in the world got destroyed because of her. Twilight started to shake as tears fell down her cheeks. ” I-t’s destroyed. The school is destroyed. This is all my fault. Why didn’t I just wait to do the spell in class? It’s my fault.” Twilight muttered to herself. Spike grabbed onto Twilight's face and let out soft noises of gibberish in an attempt to comfort her. She held onto him tightly. She looked around to see fillies and teachers standing outside, a few of the injured and crying. Guilt washed overhear. Hundreds of ponies were dead because of her. Twilight looked at Spike who stared back at her with big curious eyes. She had to leave. What would happen if they found out she did this. They would surely kick her out of the school. No, they would banish her! Or even worse, she’d be executed for her crimes. Twilight felt her herself tearing up again at that thought. She looked around to see that no one was paying attention to her. She put Spike on her back and ran away from the school, making sure no one saw her. She stopped running when she saw the Twinkling Balloon in sight. It wasn’t that far from the school because no one expected anyone to take it. Everyone was too sophisticated to steal anything. Except for Twilight. Twilight threw her saddlebag into the hot air balloon. She looked around before placing Spike on the floor of the balloon. She hopped into the balloon and closed the door. “I should remember how to do this, I have been in a hot air balloon a few times,” Twilight whispered to herself. She looked over to the roped that was keeping the balloon close to the ground. She used her magic to untie the rope. She looked up to the cord and pulled it, causing fire to shoot up and take the ballon a few feet off of the ground. She ran to the other side of the basket and tugged on the sandbag causing it to fall on the ground with a loud thump. The hot air balloon flew high in the sky. Twilight looked over the edge to see flashing red and blue lights. The authorities had come and were escorting ponies to the hospital. She ducked her head down to make sure nobody saw her. Twilight reached into her back and pulled out a map of Equestria from her geography class. “Right now we’re heading South so we should reach Appleoosa in about an hour,” Twilight said to Spike. Spike stared at her with a confused expression, not understanding what was going on. To be completely honest, Twilight didn’t even know what she was going to do. She was a wanted convict now. She didn’t even know anything about Appleoosa. Even if she did successfully get to Appleoosa, the news about a criminal filly would get out pretty quickly. A large gust of wind blew causing Twilight to snap out of her thoughts. The hot air balloon swayed back and forth. Twilight gripped onto the sides of the balloon, trying to keep her balance. Another gust of wind came, pushing the balloon in a different direction. Twilight went to go look at her map, but it got blown away in the wind. Spike gripped onto Twilights' hind leg in fear. The balloon started to fall towards the ground, making both children in the balloon scream. Twilight picked up Spike and held him close to her chest. Her horn started to glow. A magical bubble surrounded them. The balloon landed on the ground with a loud crash. The basket broke into little pieces and the balloon got stuck in a tree. Twilight opened her eyes to see that they were in the middle of a dark, scary forest. Twilight started to shake in fear. She slowly undid the bubble and put Spike on her back. Twilight rummaged through the remains of the basket to grab her saddleback. She slid it on her back and looked around. It was almost too dark to see anything. Twilight did a simple light spell to see where she was going. She turned around to see a large castle. She squinted at it for a few seconds before gasping loudly. “This is the Castle of The Two Sisters!” Twilight exclaimed happily. Spike let out a yawn and laid on her back. Twilight smiled and walked into the castle. Her face scrunched up in disgust as she saw moss growing out from the walls and spiders crawling around. “I just need to find a bedroom to sleep in for the night,” Twilight whispered to herself as she searched castle. As if Celestia herself had heard her, she walked into a bedroom. The sheets and pillows on the bed wear purpled and a large crescent moon was on the headboard. Twilight levitated the blanket and shook it out, causing dust to dust everywhere. She started to cough as the dust got into her lungs. Twilight put Spike on the dusty bed and laid down next to him. Spike cuddled into her tightly. Twilight felt her eyes start to close. Tomorrow marked the day of her new life. > Visiting town > -------------------------------------------------------------------------- Twilight awoke with someone smacking her across the face. She jolted up in fear and looked around. Spike giggled at her reaction. Twilight glared at him. “I told you to stop smacking me to wake me up.” She said sternly. Spike stared at her with his tongue sticking out. Suddenly, his stomach growled loudly. He looked down at his stomach and looked up at Twilight with tears in his eyes, his lip quivering. Luckily Twilight always carried at least two bottles with her so she could avoid loud crying. She levitated her bag over to herself and rummaged through it. She pulled out a bottle filled with cold milk. “How am I going to heat this up?” Twilight wondered to herself. She looked over to Spike who was starting to sniffle. An idea popped into her head. She laid Spike on his back and hovered the bottle close to his face. She gave his nose a light brush, making him tense up and sneezed a green flame. The heat of the fire instantly heated the bottle. The plastic bits of the bottle started to melt, but other than that it was safe to give to a baby. She handed the bottle to Spike, and he immediately guzzled it down. Once he finished, Twilight put him over her shoulder and patted his back. He let out a small burp of fire. Twilight's stomach growled loudly. “I need to find something to eat. Maybe I can find some non-poisonous berries.” Twilight said. She put on her saddlebag and put Spike on her back. She walked down the hallway of the castle, enjoying the sound of the birds singing. Sunlight fell through the holes in the ceiling. It was actually quite a beautiful sight. Twilight walked outside and let out a loud gasp. The forest was beautiful I’m the sunlight. Colorful flowers were scattered everywhere, bunnies played with each other, and large trees towering over them. Twilight shook her head. “Focus Twilight, you need to find food,” Twilight said as she started to cross the rope bridge. Twilights' legs shook as the bridge started to rock slightly. Spike gripped onto her tightly. Suddenly, one of the wooden planks shifted under Twilights hoof. She screamed and ran across the bridge. She made it to the other side safely, hyperventilating loudly. She turned around to look at the bridge to see the plank had only moved a little. She let out an embarrassed laugh. “Good thing nopony saw that,” Twilight said bashfully. Spike giggled, making Twilight blush. “You don’t count, you won’t remember this in a few years,” Twilight said as she started the walk. As she walked, thoughts fled through her head. ” A few years? How long will a few years be? Am I going to stay away from Canterlot for my entire life? Where am I going to get money? How am I going to feed me and Spike? I don’t have any money.” Twilights' thoughts got cut off when she realized that she had been following a path. “If there’s a path that must mean there are stores!” Twilight exclaimed excitedly. She sped up, practically running. She slowed down when she approached the town. She had looked over the most important thing about getting food. Ponies. Surely they would notice a fugitive child, escaping from her life of crime. She started to back away before her stomach growled loudly. She shook her head and took a step forward. “No, I can’t starve, I’ll either get food or get captured!” Twilight exclaimed as she marched into town. She slowed down as she took in her surroundings. Ponies walked around, chatting cheerfully. This was nothing like Canterlot. There weren’t as many buildings for starters. All of the ponies seemed nicer. A few even waved when she walked passed. Twilight smiled slightly. She could get used to this place. Twilight stopped walking when a sweet aroma hit her nose. She followed the scent until she approached a building with a large cupcake on top. There was a sign the read ‘Sugarcube Corner.’ She walked inside and looked around. It seemed like a normal bakery with normal food. It didn’t have any fancy music like Canterlot bakeries. It was just normal and homely. Twilight licked her lips when she saw the food. Her stomach growled even louder than before. She put Spike on the floor next to her and rummaged through her saddlebag. She pulled out a bit and her ears flattened. She didn’t even have enough for a cookie. “Hello there dearie.” A voice said from behind Twilight, making her jump. She turned around to see a blue mare with pink hair that resembled to frosting in a cupcake. “Uh, um.. hi,” Twilight said, starting to sweat. This was it, her cover had been blown. Now she was going to be thrown in jail and she would have to go to jail! Her cellmates' name would be Sweaty Jim and she would have to live with him forever. Twilight tried her best to stay calm as the mare stared at her. The mare squinted at her. “I don’t recognize you, are you new to town?” She asked. Twilight let out a breath she didn’t know she was holding. “Yes, I just moved here last night,” Twilight said with a forced smile. The mare put her hoof out. “My name is Mrs. Cake, welcome to Ponyville!” She said cheerfully. Twilight shook her hoof, taking a mental note of the town's name. Spike tugged on Twilight's tail for attention. Mrs. Cake let out a gasp. “Aw, he’s the cutest thing I have ever seen!” Mrs. Cake exclaimed. Spike smiled at the attention. He put his arms up to be held. She scooped him up in her arms and started to rock him gently. Spike giggled. “Oh, he’s so adorable, what’s his name?” Mrs. Cake asked. “That’s Spike, and I’m Twilight,” Twilight said, hoping she didn’t recognize the name. “What a lovely name.” Mrs. Cake said as she booped Spikes' nose. He giggled grabbed onto her hoof. Mrs. Cake handed Spike back to Twilight. “We should really get going now,” Twilight said. “Before you go, I have to give you a little snack.” Mrs. Cake said as she went behind the counter. “But I don’t have enough money to pay for anything,” Twilight said. Mrs. Cake handed her a cupcake with purple frosting. “It’s on the house dearie. Take it as a housewarming gift.” Mrs. Cake said with a wink. Twilight smiled. “Thank you,” Twilight said gratefully as she walked out of the store. She levitated the cupcake up to her mouth and took a small bite. Her eyes widened at the taste. A mix of sweet and salty exploded in the mouth. She quickly scarfed down the cupcake. Once she finished, she licked her lips. “That was delicious,” Twilight said as she started to walk again. She stopped walking when she heard a loud clatter and a groan. She turned around to see that a white unicorn her age had knocked over a wagon and fabrics spilled on the ground. Next to her was a stroller with a white unicorn foal sitting in it. Twilight walked over to her and cleared her throat. “Do you need help?” Twilight asked. The unicorn flipped her shiny purple mane and looked at her. “Yes please.” She said as she started to picked up some fabrics. Twilight levitated the wagon and put all of the fabrics in before placing it on the ground gently. The filly stared in awe. “Oh my, where did you learn a spell like that?” She asked in astonishment. Twilights ears flattened at the question. If she told her, she’d know where she came from and call the police on her. She swallowed. “I-I’m from Canterlot-“ Before Twilight could finish, the filly let out a loud gasp and but her hooves on her Twilights face. “CANTERLOT!?” She shouted, causing a few ponies to look at them. She cleared her throat and let out a sheepish giggle. “I’m sorry for that outburst, it’s just that I’ve always wanted to go to Canterlot. It’s the perfect place to start selling my clothing line.” She said in a matter of fact tone. Twilight smiled. “Oh, you like making clothes?” Twilight asked. She nodded her head. “Yes, I’m an aspiring clothes designer. Would you like to see some of my work?” She asked. Twilight nodded her head. “My name is Rarity by the way, and this is my little sister Sweetie belle.” Rarity said, gesturing to the baby in the stroller. She wore large sunglasses. “I’m Twilight and this is Spike,” Twilight said as Spike chewed on her mane. “Perfect, it can be a play date.” Rarity said as she started to walk away. Twilight followed close behind her, ready to see new clothing. Twilight walked inside a Rarity’s work station, which had colorful fabrics everywhere. “This place is amazing.” Twilight marveled. Rarity placed Sweetie Belle in her playpen. Twilight placed Spike next to her and both babies stared at each other. “Thank you, darling, I try to keep my workspace as neat as possible. Now let me show you some outfits!” Rarity exclaimed excitedly, dragging Twilight to the other side of her room. Sweetie Belle looked at Spike in curiosity. She’s never seen a creature like that before. She tilted her head and slowly poked his cheek. Spike let out a laugh, making her jump back. Soon, both babies where laughing. Sweetie Belle rolled a small red ball over to Spike. He rolled it back. They continued playing with each other until there loved ones got back. “And this is my summer collection!” Rarity said as she pulled out multiple racks of clothes. Before Twilight could respond, loud crying came from the other side of the room. They both rushed over to Spike and Sweetie Belle to see them crying. Rarity looked at the time. “Oh dear, it two hours past lunch!” She said as she took Sweetie Belle out of the playpen. Twilight picked Spike up and the both walked into the kitchen. Rarity pulled out two feeding tables and put both infants into them. Rarity opened the fridge and let out a groan. “I told Mother and Father to get the fancy baby food, but instead they got some from the grocery store!” Rarity said dramatically as she handed Twilight a jar of peach baby food. Twilight tilted her head. “Is that a bad thing?” She asked. Rarity looked at her with wide eyes. “It is certainly a bad thing! What will ponies think once they know that the little sister of Rarity eats store brand food? It is completely unacceptable!” Rarity said while dramatically, throwing her head back. Sweetie Belle tried to grab the baby food from Rarity’s hooves. She rolled her eyes and unscrewed the lid, giving Sweetie Belle a small spoonful of mush. She grimaced at the sight. “Honestly, how can they eat something so uncouth?” Rarity asked. Twilight shrugged her shoulders. “Spike doesn’t care what he eats. I once caught him eating out of the trash.” Twilight said. Rarity gagged. She looked at Spike who was eating the food with his hands and making a mess. “If you don’t mind me asking, where did you get a dragon?” Rarity asked. Twilight stiffened up. Now she’ll surely know what she’s down and call the Royal Guards on her. “He was given to me as an egg.” Twilight half lied. Rarity nodded her head. “Oh, I see.” She said as she went to go get a few napkins. Twilight let out a sigh of relief. “Where are your parents? Are they at work?” Twilight asked. Rarity frowned. “Mother and Father tend to be... absent at most times.” Rarity said. Twilights ears flattened. “Oh, Rarity I’m so sorry,” Twilight said while putting her hoof on her shoulder. “It’s fine darling. If anything they should be sorry because they’re missing out on all of this!” Rarity said as she leaned on the counter and dramatically posed. Both fillies broke into fits of laughter. “I guess you’re righ- AH!” Twilight got cut off when something wet hit her head. Both fillies turned around to see Spike and Sweetie Belle out of the high chairs and throwing food at each other. “NO!” Rarity and Twilight screamed in unison while rushing over to the infants. They both looked around the room to see that baby food covered the floor and walls. Both babies sat there giggling, covered in food. “I guess it’s time to clean up.” Rarity said defeatedly. Both fillies grabbed a mop and got to work. Rarity and Twilight looked around the kitchen to see it was spotless. Spike and Sweetie Belle had gotten baths and were both completely clean. “Well that didn’t take too long it’s only...” Rarity looked out the window to see what time it was. “Sunset?!” Rarity asked in disbelief. “That took a lot longer than I thought,” Twilight said. Rarity let out a gasp. “I completely forgot to finish my homework!” Rarity shouted. Twilight slipped on her saddlebag and put Spike on her back. “I should get going then,” Twilight said as she walked out the front door. Rarity walked over to the door and waved. “I hope that we can do this again soon!” Rarity shouted as Twilight walked away. One she was for enough she smiled and hopped around excitedly. “That was my first friend!” Twilight shouted in excitement. She heard Spike burp a little, getting ready to vomit. She stopped hopping and gave him an apologetic look. “Sorry Spike, but this is my first friend! I never thought I could even make friends, I thought I was just this weirdo kid who-“ Twilight rambled on as she walked into the forest. She continued to ramble as she made it deeper into the forest. A loud snapping noise made her freeze in her spot. The hairs on her neck began to rise. “Did you hear that?” Twilight asked Spike who clung to her. Twilight heard a soft growl and a rustle in the bushes. She slowly turned her head to see to piercing green eyes staring at her. Twilight slowly started to back away, before bolting into a random direction. A timberwolf jumped out from behind the bush and dashed after Twilight. She let out a loud scream as she tried to run faster with her tiny legs. The timberwolf let out a loud roar as it sped up. Twilight saw some lights in the distance. If there were lights that meant that there were ponies to help her! Twilight saw the lights get closer with the timberwolf right on her tail. It opened its mouth and clenched it’s jaw down, grabbing onto Spikes' tail. Spike let out a blood-curdling scream as he got pulled back. Twilight quickly came to a halt and turned around. “SPIKE!” Twilight shouted in fear. The timberwolf started to walk away with a wailing baby in its jaw. Twilight felt a surge of energy and anger course through her body. Her horn and eyes started to glow a pink hue and she charged at the timberwolf. “STAY AWAY FROM MY DRAGON!” Twilight shouted as a large beam of light shot out of her horn. And with that, a large boom echoed the forest, causing birds to fly away. The timberwolf dropped Spike and started to run away, limping in pain. Twilight stumbled over to him before collapsing a few feet away from him. Her head spun and her breaths were shallow. She reached her hoof out to hold him. “Spike...” She choked out as her vision faded. The last thing she saw was a group of ponies walking over to Spike. > Working in the fields > -------------------------------------------------------------------------- Twilight slowly opened her eyes, her head pounding. She sat up and looked around to see that she was in a room. She looked down to see she was on a bed with a blanket decorated with apples. An old green mare walked into the room and looked surprised. “I see that you’re awake, you’ve been out for two hours.” The mare said. Twilights eyes widened. Had it really been that long? “What your name youngin?” The mare asked. “Twilight.” She said. “My name is Granny Smith.” She said. Twilight looked around. “Where am I?” She asked. “Well, you’re just in the best apple farm in all of Equestria, Sweet Apple Acres!” Granny Smith said. “Now What was a filly like you doing in the forest?” Granny Smith asked suspiciously. Twilights ears flattened. “Well, I was on my way home when a timberwolf jumped out and attacked me. I tried to run away but it grabbed Spike-“ Twilights eyes widened. “WHERE’S SPIKE!?” Twilight asked in a panic. Granny Smith tilted her head. “Are you talking about a small purple dragon?” She asked. Twilight frantically nodded her head. “He’s in the other room playing with Applebloom. He seemed mighty worried about you.” Granny Smith stated. “He was?” Twilight asked. “Mhm, the little feller wouldn’t stop cryin and tried to stay with you. We had to clean him up, poor thing was covered in blood. I think his right eye is permanently mess up too.” Granny Smith said. Twilight shuddered at the thought of Spike being cover in blood. “Can I see him?” Twilight asked. Granny Smith smiled. “Of course you can.” She said while gesturing for Twilight to follow her. Twilight got out of the bed and her hooves touched the cold wooden floor. She followed Granny Smith out of the room and down the hallway. The house was very roomy. Granny Smith led Twilight into a room. It looked like a baby's room. It had a crib and various amount of toys on the floor. Spike had a white ace bandage covering his right eye and tail. “I thought I told you to go to bed.” Granny Smith said sternly, making the orange pony whip around. “I’m sorry Granny, I just wanted to watch them play for a little longer.” The orange pony said. Granny Smith sighed and rubbed the bridge of her nose. “Applejack, you know we can’t afford you being tired in the morning, you have to work in the orchards tomorrow. We’re already far behind on shipments.” Granny Smith scolded. Applejacks ears flattened. “I’m sorry Granny.” She said apologetically. Twilight felt pitiful. “I can help,” Twilight said, making both ponies look at her. “We couldn’t ask you do that youngin, it’s too much work.” Granny Smith said. “I can help you get back on time with your harvesting. I can use magic.” Twilight said, making her horn glow as a demonstration. Applejack shook her head. “I know you’re trying to help, but we don’t use magic to buck our apples.” She said. Granny Smith raised her hoof to Applejack. “Now wait just a minute their sugar, maybe she’s on to something.” Granny Smith turned around to face Twilight. “We could use your help. I’m too old to work in the orchards and all we have is Big Mac and Applejack. If you can bring us back on track, you can be apart of the family business.” Granny Smith said. Twilight smiled and saluted. “I won’t let you down.” She said enthusiastically. “I don’t think your parents would want you missing all night, so you should get going.” Granny Smith said. Twilights ears perked up. “Oh my parents are, um, on a business trip, they wouldn’t mind if I stayed here.” Twilight lied with a large fake grin, sweating profusely. Granny Smith gave her a sympathetic look. ” She’s lying, I know the face of a liar. Poor kid must be an orphan. She doesn’t want to tell anyone about it.” Granny Smith thought to herself. “Well you better get going to bed then, I need you both up by sunrise.” Granny Smith said. Both fillies nodded their heads. Applejack walked out of the room and Twilight crouched down next to Spike. Spike turned around and his eye widened when he saw Twilight. He broke out into a large grin and put his hands on Twilight's face, giggling. Twilight let out a laugh. “I missed you too,” Twilight said. Spike climbed onto her head and nestled into her hair. Twilight stood up and started to walk out of the room. “Thank you for letting me stay for the night, Granny Smith.” Twilight said happily. Granny Smith smiled. “It’s no problem at all.” Granny Smith said with a smile. Twilight walked out of the room and made her way back to the room she was staying in. She walked into the room and closed the door behind her. Twilight walked over to the bed and placed Spike in it before laying down next to him. Spike tried to grab her hoof but missed by a few inches. He blinked in surprise and tried to grab her hoof again but missed. His lip started to quiver. Twilight rolled her eyes and put her hoof in his hand. He cuddled into her hoof in closed his eye. “We need to work on you hoof to eye coordination,” Twilight said before closing her eyes. Was she going to be able to help the farm without messing up? Twilight only said that to get there hopes up, she never worked on a farm. She let out a sigh. Tomorrow would be hard work. “Pssst, Twilight wake up.” A voice said. Twilight stirred awake and opened her eyes to see Applejack standing over her. “What time is it?” Twilight asked. “Five in the morning. We need to get an early start.” Applejack said. Twilight looked over at Spike who was still sleeping. “You can just put him in the crib with Applebloom.” Applejack said. Twilight picked Spike up and both fillies walked out of the room. “When your done putting him to sleep, breakfast is ready downstairs.” Applejack said as she walked down the stairs. Twilight entered Appleblooms room and looked over her crib. Applebloom laid there silently, breathing peacefully. Twilight placed Spike next to her. Both babies unconsciously cuddled into each other. Twilight smiled and left the room. She walked into the kitchen to see three bowls of porridge with apple slices sitting on the table. “Eat up, you need your carbs before you start working.” Granny Smith said. Twilight nodded her head and sat next to Applejack. She started to eat her porridge, which was absolutely delicious. A young stallion walked into the kitchen with frazzled hair. “Macintosh, you need to wake up earlier than this!” Granny scolded. Macintosh mumbled an apology and started to eat his food. “Twilights gonna be helpin you with bucking today, so show her the ropes,” Granny said to both children. “Yes, granny.” They said as the put there bowls in the sink. Twilight put her bowl in the sink and rushed after Applejack. When Twilight got outside, she saw rows and rows of apple trees. Applejack walked over to a tree. “First you need to rear your hindquarters, and then kick as hard as you can.” Applejack said while kicking the tree as a demonstration. Apples fell out of the tree and into wooden buckets. Twilight nodded her head and tried to copy what Applejack did. A few apples fell out of the tree and one hit her on the head. Applejack snickered. “Just stick to using your magic.” Applejack said as she made her way to the next tree. Twilight nodded her head and concentrated on a tree. Her horn started to glow and the tree branches shook. Dozens of apples fell out of the trees and into the buckets. Applejack gaped. “Woo wee, if you keep goin at this rate, we’ll have enough apples in no time!” Applejack exclaimed. Twilight smiled. Maybe she could do this. “LUNCHTIME!” Granny Smith hollered as she rang a bell. All three fillies came running toward the house. “How did you three do today?” Granny Smith asked. All three children grinned. “Twilight did great, we’re ahead of schedule!” Big Mac exclaimed. Granny raised her eyebrows in surprise when she saw how many apples they had gotten. “Well, I’ll be...” She said in disbelief. She turned around a smiled at Twilight. “You saved this farm,” Granny said, patting Twilight on the shoulder. “Now you three come inside so you can eat.” She said, letting the children in. Applebloom and Spike both sat in high chairs, eating apple sauce. Spike struggled to grab his plastic spoon and kept missing. Twilight levitated the spoon into his hand and sat down at the table to eat her zap apple sandwich. Twilights eyes widened as she took a bite. This was the best thing she ever tasted. She looked over to Spike who was trying to scoop up food but kept missing the jar. Twilight levitated the spoon and started to feed him. “He has to get used to that eye,” Granny commented. Twilight sighed. “I know.” She said. Twilight continued eating her sandwich as she fed Spike. Once they all finished Twilight took the plates and cups off of the table and started to wash the dishes. “You don’t have to do that.” Granny Smith said. Twilight smiled. “It’s okay, I want too.” Twilights said as she washed the dishes cheerily. Granny Smith smiled. Once Twilight finished, Granny cleared her throat. “Since you don’t have any more work to do today, I’d like to see where you live.” Granny Smith said. Twilight tensed up. “It surely isn’t safe for a little filly to walk in the forest all by herself.” She said. Twilight nodded her head. “Sure, I’ll show you.” > Fixing home > -------------------------------------------------------------------------- Twilight walked through the forest with Spike on her back and the Apples following her. Twilight moved at few bushes to reveal a large castle. “This is where we live,” Twilight said while pointing to the castle. “Woooaaah...” Applejack and Big Mac marveled at the large structure. Granny Smith cocked her eyebrow. “Is this place safe to live in?” She asked. Twilight shrugged her shoulders. “I’m not sure, I’ve only been here for a day. I haven’t even seen the whole place.” Twilight answered honestly as she walked on the bridge. The bridge rocked back and forth as everyone walked across. They safely made it to the other side. Granny Smith knocked on the side of the bridge. “This thing ain’t very sturdy,” Granny muttered to herself. Applebloom, who was strapped to Granny’s side, nodded her head even though she didn’t know what she was saying. One of the large front doors laid on the ground. They walked into the castle. Granny grimaced at the sight. Bugs crawled everywhere, the walls were cracked, and the ceiling had holes in it. ” Poor thing really is abandoned.” Granny whispered to herself. “Wheres your room?” She asked. Twilight gestured for them to follow her. They walked down the long hallway until they reached the room Twilight slept in the night before. “This is it,” Twilight said. Granny Smith gave a disgusted look and turned to Applejack and Big Mac. “You two go get tools and tell Burnt Oak to bring his supplies,” Granny ordered. Both children nodded there heads and ran out of the room. She turned to Twilight. “We’re gonna fix this place up.” Applejack and Big Mac walked into the castle with a brown stallion with grey hair and a tan hat walked in. He had five carts filled to the brim with supplies and a toolbox. He looked up at the castle and let out a whistle. “This will be quite a project to work on.” He said out loud. He walked into the castle and unstrapped the carts from his torso. Granny Smith stood there, looking at a wall and running her hoof along the crack. “Heya Granny, what can I help you with?” Burnt Oak asked. Granny walked over to him and started speaking in a low whisper. “There’s this lil filly who came into town with a baby dragon and her parents done abandoned her. I don’t have enough finances to take in two children, so this place needs to be as homely possible.” Granny said. Burnt Oak nodded his head in understanding. He walked over to his carts and pulled out a few bags of plaster and a ladder. “Let’s start with the walls.” He said. He turned to Big Mac. “Hey Mac, you remember how to tile floors right?” Burnt Oak asked. Big Mac nodded his head. “Perfect, you and AJ start cleaning, and once you’re done start tiling.” He ordered. Both children nodded their heads and pulled out brooms and garbage bags. He felt a tug on his tail and turned around to see Twilight standing there. Burnt Oak looked at the ceiling. “Is your magic good?” He asked. Twilight nodded her head. “Do you know how to use tools?” He asked. Twilight nodded her head again. “I need you to plaster and paint those holes in the ceiling. I’ll get someone to fix the window parts.” He said. Twilight nodded her head, levitated a bag of plaster and ran out of the room. A loud clash of keys organ played making everyone look around. “What in Equestria was that?!” Granny Smith asked. More keys played and one of the walls flipped, revealing a very frightened looking Applejack. Big Mac ran down towards Granny Smith. “GRANNY APPLEJACK GOT EATEN BY A WALL!” He exclaimed in fear. “I’m over here Mac.” Applejack said, making her brother turn around. Big Mac let out a sigh of relief. The organ played again, opening a trap door under Burnt Oak. He fell on the ground below him with a loud thud, knocking the wind out of him. He gasped for air. Once his breath came back, he looked around to see that he was in a hallway. The organ played again. “I need to figure out what that is.” Burnt Oak said as he walked down the hallway. The organ got louder. He rounded the corner to see Applebloom and Spike banging on the keys of the organs happily. They both giggled. Burnt Oak picked both children up and placed them on the floor. He stared at the organ and pressed one of the keys. A nearby floor panel sprung out. “Who would even build a place like this?” Burnt Oak questioned. He went into the small gap behind the organ and started to push it forwards. Behind the organ reveal tiny wires connected to inside it. The wires seemed to be made of magic. He reached under his hat and pulled out a tiny pocket knife from under his hat and started to cut at the wires. The wires snapped in half. Burnt Oak came from behind the organ and pushed it back against the wall. He pressed the same key on the organ and nothing happen. “I’m glad you’re okay, you took a pretty nasty fall,” Granny said, making Burnt Oak turn around. “This organ was setting off all of those traps in here. Luckily I fixed it so it won’t happen again.” He said. Granny picked up Spike and Applebloom. “I don’t know why anyone would want to live in a place like this.” Burnt Oak said. Granny Smith shrugged her shoulders and started to leave the room. “It’s the only place she has,” Granny said. They both walked down the hallway. Spike and Applebloom happily babbled to each other, filling out the silence in the hallway. Granny and Burnt Oak walked up the stairs to see half of the floor was tiled and the ceiling was completely repaired. “Wow, you kids did great, you even fixed the glass part of the ceiling.” Burnt Oak complimented. “I found a few spells on how to repair glass!” Twilight exclaimed happily. Burnt Oak stared at two long, tattered tapestries hanging from the ceiling. “What should we do with these?” He asked. “Oh , Rarity wouldn’t mind fixin em.” Applejack said. Twilight unhooked the tapestries with her magic. “Applejack, Twilight, go to Rarity’s to fix those tapestries, and bring Applebloom with you,” Granny said. Applejack nodded her head, attached the baby carrier to her side and slipped Applebloom in. Twilight put Spike on her back, rolled up the tapestries and levitated them over her head. Both fillies walked out of the castle and made their way to the Carousel Boutique. Applejack knocked on the door, which swung open immediately. “Applejack, Twilight, what a pleasant surprise!” Rarity exclaimed. “Hey Rares, we have some things for you to fix if you don’t mind.” Applejack said while she and Twilight walked inside. Rarity gasped when she saw the tapestries. “Where did you find such a marvelous piece of art?!” Rarity asked. “They were hanging up in my house, do you mind fixing them?” Twilight asked. Rarity vigorously nodded her head. “I would absolutely adore working on this! Come come.” Rarity said, bringing both fillies to her work station. Sweetie Belle laid in her playpen, rolling her red ball back and forth. Applejack and Twilight placed Applebloom and Spike in the playpen. Sweetie Belle sat up happily and hopped around in excitement. All babies giggled at each other. Rarity looked at Spike in confusion. “What happened to his eye?” Rarity asked. Twilights ears flattened. “He...got attacked by a timberwolf yesterday,” Twilight said sadly. Rarity gave her a look of sympathy before levitating a small decorated box from under her bed. “I know this doesn’t help much, but a little while back. I did an eyepatch fashion line that didn’t sell well. I want him to have these.” Rarity said while handing Twilight that box. Twilight smiled. “Thanks.” Twilight said. She opened the box to see colorful eyepatches. She pulled out a black one with a red flame mark on it. Twilight levitated Spike out of the playpen and placed him on the floor. She unwrapped the ace bandage from his eye. A deep scar started at his eyebrow and ended at the top of his cheek. Twilight inhaled sharply at that sight and placed the eyepatch over his eye. She placed him back in the playpen. “Now let's get to work.” Rarity said, levitating one of the tapestries towards her. Applejack and Twilight walked into the castle and gasped at what they saw. The floors were completely tiled, the walls were painted, the windows were fixed, and the paintings were hung up. “Wow...” Twilight marveled. Burnt Oak walked from down the hallway. “Do you like what we did with the place?” He asked. Twilight beamed brightly. “I love it!” Twilight exclaimed with a grin. Burnt Oak walked over to two light switches. He flicked one light switch and a beautiful chandler turned on. Burnt Oak put his hoof on the other light switch. “This switch lights up a path from the castle, to the town. It automatically turns on once it starts to get dark and you can turn it off at any time. It keeps the creatures away.” Burnt Oak explained. He pointed to Spike. “I even built a crib for the little guy.” He said. “Tomorrow I’m going to build a better bridge.” Burnt Oak said. Twilight smiled. This was really starting to feel like home. > Mama > -------------------------------------------------------------------------- Twilight woke up to the sound of crying. She opened her eyes to see Spike laying in his crib, sobbing loudly. Twilight got up and walked over to him. Spike looked up at her and put his arms up to be held. Twilight levitated him into her arms and rocked him gently. His crying soon turned into small hiccups. Twilight looked at the time to see it was still late. “Does your eye hurt again?” Twilight asked Spike. He let out mumbled gibberish as she rocked him. She had found a healing spell to fix his eye. It worked pretty well but a scar still remained and he was completely blind out of his right eye. The scar went up to his eyebrow down to the top of his cheek. He still had a timberwolf bite in the center of his tail. “Mmmm...” Spike mumbled. Twilight tilted her head. “Mama,” Spike said while cuddling into her. Twilights eyes widened. “Spike I’m not...” Twilight started but stopped when she saw that he had fallen asleep. She wasn’t ready to be a mom, especially not at this age. At any moment Spikes parents could come along and take him. Just thinking about it made her stomach turn. Twilight laid in her bed, holding Spike in her arms and let her eyes droop. Soon, she fell into a stressful sleep. Twilight awoke to something softly patting her face. She opened her eyes to see Spike softly hitting this side of her face. He smiled when he saw her open her eyes. “Mama!” He exclaimed happily. Twilight's heart stopped beating for a moment. She sat up. “Spike I’m not your mom,” Twilight said. Spike gave her a confused look, not understanding. Twilight levitated a random eyepatch from the box Rarity gave Spike the day before. The eyepatch had a purple flower stitching on his. Spike grabbed at the eyepatch and held it in his hands, staring at it in awe. His stomach growled, causing him to look up at Twilight. Twilight picked him up and left her room. Spike looked around the castle, still getting used to the scenery. The castle was almost fully repaired. All they needed was a few more rooms to be fixed up and a new bridge. They entered the kitchen, which was filled with food. Granny Smith has gone to get them food while the house was being renovated. She levitated a high chair from the corner of the kitchen. She sat Spike in the seat and took the eyepatch out of his hand, placing it on the table. She opened the fridge, levitating some sapphire baby food. It shocked Twilight that Ponyville had baby food for dragons. “Open wide,” Twilight said, levitating the spoon toward Spike’s mouth. He opened wide and happily chewed on the food. Once he finished, he let out a loud laugh and stuffed his hand in the jar of baby food. Twilight let out an exasperated sigh. “Fine, just do that.” Twilight sighed before grabbing a box of cereal. She poured some in a bowl before pouring in some milk and chomping down. As she ate, she read the back of the box. ” No artificial flavors, very healthy.” Twilight thought to herself. A spoon hit her head, causing her to turn around. Spike had blue baby food around his mouth and all over his hands. “Mama!” Spike shouted, rubbing baby food across his face. “I’m not your mom,” Twilight said. Spike giggled and Twilight let out a sigh. There was no way he’s goi g to understand that she’s not his mom. “Let’s get you cleaned up,” Twilight said as she wiped his hands and mouth with a napkin. “Tanks Mama,” Spike said. Twilights eyes widened. “That’s two new words. You're only five months!” Twilight exclaimed in shock. Spike tilted his head in confusion, not understanding what all the fuss was about. Twilight looked out the window to see that the sun was almost above the horizon. “Let’s get to Sweet Apple Acres,” Twilight said while slipping the eyepatch over Spike’s scarred eye. She put a baby carrier on her back and placed Spike in it before leaving the castle. Twilight walked down the path, on her way to Sweet Apple Acres. “Mama,” Spike said, tugging on Twilight hair. She shook her head. “No, it’s Twilight. Twi-light.” She corrected. “Ma-ma,” Spike said. Twilight let out a sigh. This was going to be hard. Twilight knocked on the door to the Apple family's house. The front door swung open, revealing Granny Smith. “Twilight, I’m glad you made it,” Granny said with a wrinkly smile. Twilight smiled back. “I’m glad to be here,” Twilight responded. Twilight looked inside to see Applebloom sitting on the floor, playing with wooden blocks. “I’ll take the little one, Applejack and Big Mac are already in the field,” Granny stated. Twilight nodded her head and levitated Spike out of the baby carrier. She handed the baby carrier and Spike over to Granny Smith. Spike waved his stubby hand goodbye. “Bu Mama,” Spike said. Twilights ears flattened and she ran off into the field. She hated being called his mom. She stopped running when she saw Applejack. “Howdy Twilight!” Applejack exclaimed happily. “Hi Applejack,” Twilight said with flat ears. Applejacks' smile turned into a frown when she saw her friend in that state. “It’s just that last night Spike called me ‘Mom’” Twilight explained sadly. Applejack broke out into a grin. “Well, that’s great Twilight.” Applejack claimed, causing Twilight to shake her head. “It’s not great. I’m not really his mom. What if his real parents find him and take him away. We’ll both be to attached to each other and it’ll hurt to see him be taken away.” Twilight said, looking at the ground. “It doesn’t mean anything that you’re not Spike’s real mom, you’re real enough for him and that’s all that matters.” Applejack said with a smile. Twilight looked up, thinking for a moment. “Yeah, you’re right! I’m Spike’s mom and I’ll be the best dang mom out there!” Twilight exclaimed happily. Applejack giggled. “That’s the spirit! Now let’s start harvesting, we need to be halfway finished before lunch!” Applejack stated while bucking a tree. Twilight nodded her head her magic surrounded one of the trees. She levitated all of the apples out of the tree and placed them in a wooden bucket. This was the start of a great day. A loud bell rang, making all three fillies look towards the barn. They all ran in front of the barn to see Granny Smith standing there. She held a clipboard in her hooves. “How did you do today?” She asked, picking up a pencil. “We harvested twice as many apples as we did yesterday!” Big Mac exclaimed happily. Granny Smith's eyes widened as she wrote down on the board. “We might be able to start selling a full month earlier!” Granny exclaimed in disbelief. “You saved this farm Twilight,” Granny said gratefully. Twilight smiled at her praise. “As soon as the market opens tomorrow, we’ll start selling,” Granny stated as the three fillies walked into the kitchen. Spike beamed when he saw Twilight. “Mama!” Spike exclaimed happily, reaching his hands out. Twilight smiled and kissed him on the head. “Hi Spike, did you have fun?” Twilight asked. Spike let out happy babbles, more than enthusiastic to get attention. “That’s great, now eat your food,” Twilight said while sitting at the table. Spike started to eat his food happily and Twilight smiled. She was going to be an amazing mom. > Sales > -------------------------------------------------------------------------- Big Mac, Applejack, and Twilight pulled carts filled with apples into the town market place. They unloaded the apples into the stand as Granny Smith placed Applebloom and Spike onto the dirt. They both started to roll around in it, happily playing. Spike wore an eyepatch with a shiny red apple on it. Applejack and Twilight stood happily at a fruit stand, bouncing excitedly. It was their first sale ever. Granny Smith handed her and Applejack a stack of paper. “Try to bring as many flyers to as many ponies as you can. Bring Spike and Applebloom with ya so ponies feel like they should buy something from children.” Granny explained. Both fillies nodded there heads and grabbed the babies from off of the ground. “Let’s split up, we’ll cover more ground that way.” Applejack stated. Twilight nodded her head and levitated her papers. Spike played with Twilight's hair, giggling happily. Twilight walked over to a large stallion. She already felt herself trembling. She had forgotten about how bad she was at interacting with ponies. She tapped the stallion's leg, causing him to turn around. She held a flyer up to him shakily. “W-would you like to buy s-some apples? They’re fresh from Sweet Apple A-acres.” Twilight stuttered out. The stallion looked at her with a straight face before smiling. He took the flyer from her and walked over to the apple stand. Twilight gave a look of surprise. If she did that in Canterlot, they would usually scoff and walk away. Twilight smiled. This would be a lot easier than she thought. Twilight hopped over to Granny Smith happily with a large grin on her face and stars in her eyes. “I gave away all of the posters!” Twilight exclaimed happily. Granny gave a surprised look. “Already?” She asked in disbelief. Twilight nodded her head. “Ponies felt sorry for Spike being blind out of one eye.” She explained. Granny smiled slightly. “Go get Applejack, Applebloom, and Big Mac for lunch,” Granny said. Twilight handed Spike to Granny and hopped off. This is the best she had ever interreacted ponies in her life. She spotted Applejack holding Applebloom inches from a mares face. “Look at this face, look at it! Do you want this baby to go homeless, do you?!” Applejack shouted, shoving Applebloom into the mares face. Big Mac tugged on her tail, causing her to stumble back. The mare ran off into a different direction with a panicked expression on her face. He glared at her. “Applejack, what were you thinking?!” Big Mac exclaimed angrily. Applejacks ears flattened. “I just wanted to make some sales.” She said sadly, looking at the ground. Big Mac sighed and rubbed the bridge of his nose. “I know but you can’t just go shoving things into ponies faces.” He stated. Twilight walked over to them and cleared her throat. “Granny said to come get lunch,” Twilight stated. They both nodded there heads and followed Twilight back to the stand. Granny Smith stood there, opening a container of apple fritters. Spikes' face lit up when he saw Applebloom. He reached up his hands to her and giggled. Applejack placed Applebloom next to Spike. The hugged each other tightly, laughing happily. “Eat up you three, you need the energy to sell,” Granny commanded. The three fillies grabbed as many fritters as they could. Twilight took a bite. It was delicous. Granny Smith fed Applebloom and Spike. “Done!” Applejack and Twilight shouted in unison. Granny gave them a look of surprise. “You two really want to sell don’t you?” Granny asked. They both nodded there heads happily. Granny rolled her eyes and chuckled. “You two go start selling again, I’ll watch the babies.” She stated. Twilight took half of Applejacks flyers. They both walked off in the same direction. Applejack pointed to a nearby hill. In the distance, there was a silhouette of ponies. “Let’s go to the top of the hill, it’s a great tourist sight and tourists would try anything.” Applejack said. Twilight nodded and they both made their way to the hill. They passed ponies who were walking away from the hill. Applejack sprinted towards them and held up a flyer. “Do ya wanna taste the best apples in Equestria, cause if you do try Sweet Apple Acres apples!” Applejack said with a large toothy grin. The ponies took the flyer and walked over to the stand. Applejack looked at Twilight with a wide smile. “That was the first flyer I’d given away all day!” She exclaimed in excitement. Twilight chuckled. “We can give away more flyers when we get to the top of the hill. Twilight stated. Applejack nodded her head and both fillies made there way up the hill. Twilight panted heavily, finally reaching the top of the hill. Applejack turned around from passing a stallion a flyer. “Took ya long enough, I’ve been up here for ten minutes!” Applejack stated. Twilight caught her breath, now sweating heavily. “Sorry, I’m just not used to walking up hills,” Twilight stated. Canterlot was just flat ground so this was a new experience. She walked over to a stallion and went to get his attention, but stopped when she heard the conversation he was having with a mare. “I feel so terrible about what happened to him, he was so young. He didn't deserve to go.” The stallion said with a shaky voice. The mare wrapped her hoof around his shoulders. “It was a freak accident, no one knows how the plant destroyed the school.” The mare comforted. Twilight's heart pounded in her chest. “I heard that it was a spell that went wrong. Some child must’ve been trying it a spell behind someone back.” The stallion stated. The mare shook her head and let out a huff. Twilights stomach started to churn. "Whoever did it should be punished for what they did." The mare stated in a cold tone. Twilight's heart started to race and she took a few steps back. They had to be talking about her, there no way they weren't. Applejack touched her shoulder, making her whip her head around. “Are you okay?” Applejack asked. Twilight threw her flyers onto the ground and ran down the hill in a panic. “Twilight wait!” Applejack exclaimed. Twilight ignored her cries and ran out of the town market place and into town. She didn’t know where she was going, she just needed to get away. She stopped running to catch her breath. She looked around to see that she was standing in a park. It was mostly empty. Twilight walked under a tree and curled up into a ball, crying to herself. ” I killed so many ponies I didn’t mean to do it. I ruined so many ponies lives.” Twilight thought to herself as she continued to sob to herself. Soon, she drifted off to sleep. Twilight awoke to feel someone softly shaking her awake. Twilight opened her eyes to see Granny Smith standing over her. She sat up and rubbed the sleep out of her eyes. The sun was setting, making the sky a pretty mix of purple and orange. “What are you going out here? Applejack said you ran off.” Granny asked. Twilights ears flattened. “You know how the School of Magic in Canterlot got destroyed?” Twilight asked. Granny Smith cocked her eyebrow in confusion and nodded her head. “It was me, I destroyed the school. I was trying a new spell behind my teachers back and it made a giant plant that destroyed the school. I ran away with Spike so I didn’t get in trouble. Please just turn me in.” Twilight said, her head hanging low. Granny Smith put her hoof on her shoulder. “Now wait just a minute, I ain’t turnin in one of my grandchildren over a mistake. You can stay in Ponyville as long as you want and no one can force you to leave.” Granny Smith reassured. Twilight sniffled and hugged her tightly. “Thank you so much, Granny Smith,” Twilight said. Granny smiled. “You’re welcome, now let’s go back to the barn, Macintosh is making spaghetti.” She said as she and Twilight started to walk away. Twilight gave a shaky smile, wiping her eyes. “I won’t go back to Canterlot ever again.” > Guilty Dreams > -------------------------------------------------------------------------- Twilight walked through the Castle of the Two Sisters, carrying a sleeping Spike on her back. All that could be heard was her hooves tapping across the tiled floor and crickets chirping outside. She had just come from Sweet Apple Acres from a nice dinner. She was full and ready for a long night of sleep. Spike let out a soft babble in his sleep and placed his thumb in his mouth. Twilight smiled and walked into her bedroom. She walked over to Spike's crib and gently placed him in it, pulling a blanket over him. She slipped his eyepatch off of his head and placed it next to Spike. "I'm so tired..." Twilight muttered to herself. She took a few steps to her bed and flopped down face-first onto it. She levitated her blanket over her and closed her eyes. She had a long day of making sales, worrying about Canterlot, and had a big dinner which completely wore her out. Twilight buried her face in her pillow and within seconds, she fell asleep. Twilight floated in a dark void. Her whole body felt light but her stomach felt heavy. Her entire body felt sick as if something was wrong. A bright light came from behind her, making Twilight swiftly turn around. A giant Princess Celestia towered in front of Twilight with yellow glowing eyes. She had an angry snarl on her face. "Twilight Sparkle, you have done the unspeakable! You've killed hundreds of innocent ponies and caused mourning!" Princess Celestia's voice boomed out. Twilight cowered down, taking a few steps back. She trembled with fear. "I'm sorry, I didn't mean to!" Twilight said fearfully. Her voice was shaking. Celestia took a step forward, making Twilight scramble back. Celestia stared down at Twilight with a look of disgust and anger. Twilight was huddled into a ball, fearing for her life. "You will face your punishment!" Princess Celestia shouted. Twilight's eyes filled up with tears and she let out a whimper. Princess Celestia lit up her horn and a spotlight flashed on Twilight. The purple unicorn squinted and covered her eyes with her hoof. The light moved several feet away and landed on a shiny guillotine. On the top of it, the words, "Made For Twilight Sparkle" were engraved. Twilight let out a gasp and took a step back. "No!" Twilight shouted. Princess Celestia wrapped her magic around Twilight and dragged her towards the guillotine. Twilight tried to put her hooves firmly on the ground but realized there was nothing under her. Twilight tried her hardest to break out of the magic, but couldn't break free. Sparks of magic came from her horn and she squirmed around. "There is no use of fighting Twilight Sparkle, your punishment is set." Princess Celestia stated in a cold tone. Twilight let out a mix of a grunt and a sob. "Mommy! Daddy!" Twilight shouted, tears dripping down her face. She wanted to go home and be safe in her parent's arms. Twilight looked back to the guillotine to see her parents, Shining Armor, and Cadance standing next to it. They all had disappointed looks on their faces. "You're a disappointment." Her mother said in a cold voice. "You should be punished." Her father stated "You're a murderer." Shining Armor said with a shake of his head. "Kill her," Cadance ordered. Twilight's ears flattened as hit tears ran down her cheeks. The ponies she loved the most wanted her dead. Twilight let out another loud cry as she approached the guillotine. "Kill her, kill her, kill her." They all chanted. Princess Celestia placed Twilight's head through the guillotine, fastening the wooden plank around her neck. "I promise I'll be good, please let me go!" Twilight begged between sobs. Princess Celestia stared down at Twilight with a blank stare, holding the rope to the guillotine. She tried to pull her head out but was stuck in place. Twilight looked up at Princess Celestia with pleading eyes. Princess Celestia pulled the rope and the blade started to fall. Twilight's eyes widened as the blade fell at a rapid speed. She closed her eyes as she heard the blade coming down. She felt the blade touch the back of her neck. Twilight's eyes snapped open and she let out a gasp of air. She clutched onto her chest and let out a shaky breath. She sat up, trembling. A dull pain came from the back of her neck where the blade landed. She was in a panic and wanted to be comforted. She wrapped her hooves around her body, hugging herself for physical contact. "I'm sorry..." Twilight mumbled out to no one, hoping that someone heard her apology. Unfortunately, no one was around to hear. She wanted to go back to Canterlot and apologize for what she had done. She knew that she couldn't go back now. She was most likely a wanted criminal. Besides, she knew that apologizing would do no good. How was apologizing going to fix all of the damage she did? Twilight looked over at Spike's crib to see that he was still peacefully sleeping. She was glad that Spike was too young to realize what was going on. He would surely hate Twilight for what she did. Twilight wiped her eyes and let out a slow breath. Cadance had taught her to do that every time she felt panicked. She placed one of her hooves on her chest, feeling her heartbeat slow down. Twilight closed her eyes to regain her composure. She used her other hoof to run through her tail. The texture of her tail brought her back down to reality. Twilight let out another sniffle and wiped her eyes again. She opened her eyes and let out a slow breath. She was in her room with Spike. She wasn't in any danger at the moment. Twilight climbed out of her bed. Her hooves hit the cold floor, sending a chill through her body. She needed to go on a walk. The purple unicorn walked out of her bedroom and started to walk down the hallway. Thoughts ran through Twilight's head. If she went back to Canterlot, would she be forgiven or punished? How many ponies did she hurt? If she did come back, would she be forgiven? Would her family still love her? Did they even know what she had done? All of this thinking made Twilight's stomach hurt. She continued to walk down the hallway, turning to look out a window. She stared at the night sky. The stars looked beautiful tonight. Twilight sat down in the middle of the hallway and stared through the window. Twilight let out another exhale and looked at the stars. Twilight hoped that her family was doing well. She hoped that they would forgive her for what she had done.