//------------------------------//
// II - Alone 
// Story: The Leap 
// by LoreLove 
//------------------------------//

	Her run back through Ponyville had yielded no ponies in sight. Twilight knew there was definitely something wrong, but she had no idea what caused it. Stores were empty, houses were vacant. Even the world around her felt devoid of almost any life. She couldn't recall even hearing any birds or insects.
The night lingered ever so close, yet it seemed to hang before just arriving. It appeared that twilight was the only time set for the alicorn. It only seemed to confirm to her that Celestia and Luna were somehow no longer around. With the sudden cease in day and night, Twilight felt almost a bit stuck in place despite her frantic run around Ponyville. Nothing made sense.
The sounds of only her hooves along the ground and the floors of various structures only seemed to set in that sinking dread. Her ears stayed pinned back as she rushed into Sugar Cube Corner before calling out to her friends. She wasn't even sure how long she had been yelling for them, but she knew it didn't feel like she had called out enough. She was scared and alone. Just hearing a response of any sort would be getting her spirits up more than anything.
“Girls?! Please! Answer me!” Twilight yelled into the empty building.
Her hooves clopped along the hardwood floor as she hurried around the counter and went to the back. There was no sign of any baking being done. No oven on, no ingredients scattered about in typical Pinkie fashion, no enticing scent of freshly made cupcakes. Nothing. The only sign she had that there possibly could have been ponies before her was the line of ingredients in the pantry, completely untouched.
Another shout with no response and Twilight was running back outside. Her heart beat quickly as she moved over to a house and peered in through the window. A table looked partially set, but no food in sight. Not even candles were lit which gave the alicorn a tough time seeing in through the window.
“Somepony, help! Please!” she cried, banging her hooves against the glass.
It was taking all her might and more not to break down and cry. She felt utterly helpless and her mind would not stop racing through various thoughts she didn't like. It was impossible for her to keep calm with such a jarring change in her life. If it was some prank, it had gone way too far. The fact Dash or any other pony had yet to come out of hiding and surprise her only confirmed it was something far worse.
Minutes passed, as did hours, as Twilight rushed around the town in hopes finding any sign of a pony still about. With no worry about dying light, she only had to illuminate some areas with her horn. Even with such magical talent at the ready and no threat in sight, she was still scared. Afraid of what had become of her friends or herself. Scared that something more still might be out and around.
The thoughts of some fiend of sorts plotting against her and following the mare had Twilight looking behind her every few minutes. Her shouts became a lot more hushed when in darkened areas. The purple pony was only scaring herself more with the situation rather than doing what she should be and making educated deductions. It was the sudden change in everything that was once so familiar that had her mind going all over the place, though.
Eventually, she began to pant a bit heavier and find her steps more through staggers. She was running herself ragged. Twilight took the sign and dropped down to the grass, trying to catch her breath. She hadn't even been aware she was running so much in her panic to find a pony to talk to. Not a soul seemed to around except her own.
The lavender princess drew in a deep breath and let out, trying to calm her nerves as she glanced around her. She needed to assess the situation and not run around, wearing herself thin. A look behind her showed her castle, standing as tall as it ever did. No light came from within. Spike didn't seem to be around either.
A look to the sky would have been calming, given any other circumstance. Her ears stayed back as she watched the motionless clouds and did her best to clear her mind enough to think. At least she was trying to get a grip on her issue instead of running around. It wasn't much, but it was a start. She shouldn't panic so much if she wanted to figure things out.
Nothing was chasing or stalking her. To her knowledge anyway. The buildings had to have been made by ponies at some point, but they looked inactive for an undefined amount of time. There had been no dust gathered on anything and no sign somepony had cleaned every surface anytime recently either. Twilight couldn't put a hoof on it.
Her thoughts continued their run from one to the other. Everything just made her more confused instead of clearing any real questions up. How did this happen? Why was she the only pony? Was there even a way to fix it?
Every time she had the slightest doubt of somehow fixing her predicament she felt her stomach turn and that despair within pulling her further down. Try as she might, she was still only one pony trying to get an understanding of the situation. Twilight drew in a deep breath to calm her panicking heart once more. It wouldn't be easy to stay calm with what seemed to be going on.
Twilight stood and tried her best to recall the moments that led up to where she was. If there was something she didn't notice or overlooked, she might be able to change things. A malevolent pony using some curse or maybe a prank gone horribly wrong. There would have to be an answer.
It seemed impossible to tell what time it could be, if time itself was even moving forward. Trotting over to a nearby house, the alicorn glanced inside and lit the dim room. She wasn't sure what she was expecting, but the nearest clock stayed motionless. She knew more time had passed with her frantic running and exploring, yet the face of the clock acted as if it were still prior to her incident and refused to budge.
If she could, Twilight would have liked to take a train to the Crystal Empire or elsewhere for an easier look around. She already knew that Celestia and Luna weren't around, so Canterlot would possibly be just as empty. Flying up to Cadance and Shining Armor would wear the poor alicorn out a bit more than she deemed necessary.
The thought of teleporting and making a leap that large worried her, but Twilight could only assume it would have to be done. Just for verification, she needed to know if the world was as empty as Ponyville or if whatever was going on was somehow contained with the area she just happened to be in. It would just take a bit of concentration to make sure she didn't end up blinking into a wall or something worse.
With her decision made, Twilight sighed and gathered her thoughts as best as she could before summoning her magic and leaving Ponyville. Closing her eyes, her magic transported her from one location to another before she could even open them. The instant travel was helpful, but she instantly felt drained from having to phase her body across such a distance.
Her hooves settled on the smooth floor of the castle Cadance should reside within. Twilight took a few wobbly steps before sitting down and groaning to herself. She shouldn't be as worn out as she was. It was one leap, despite the land she covered in it. It felt as if she had tried a rapid succession of teleporation spells across many large areas.
Perhaps her sudden worry and running around Ponyville had taken a toll on her more than she realized. The lavender pony stayed where she was as her eyes surveyed the throne room. Not a sign of Cadance or Shining anywhere. There were no sounds of crystal ponies outside the castle either. It was surprising to have such an occurrence and the Crystal Empire had yet to be taken by the blizzard. She had a feeling if she went to check on the crystal heart that it would be as still as the clocks.
“Cadance?” Twilight called out, hoping that she was just wrong about her assumptions.
Silence greeted her back. No hooves along the floors, no sounds of muffled calls, not even a small bit of shuffling she could notice. The dread she felt earlier was quickly finding its way back into her stomach.
“Big brother? Shining? Please, answer me!” the lonely princess cried, raising a foreleg to rub at her eyes. She couldn't cry now.
Her eyes felt ready to let the waterworks go. The purple pony took a deep breath and shakily got up before moving to a window. Even though she was on the verge of crying, she could see nothing but an empty city below. No ponies in the low light of the ever approaching night could be seen.
Twilight took in as much as she could before walking out of the throne room and making her way through the rest of the castle. Plenty of rooms and all of them were empty. Nopony was around to light candles or any of the torches, leaving her to let her horn guide the way. The light illuminated the dark corners of every room she looked into and still revealed nothing new.
The large kitchen remained seemingly untouched and unused for however long. Beds had been made yet not a pony around to rest in them. Just like in Ponyville, items look mostly undisturbed but as if there had been some use of them at some point. It was as if all ponies everywhere just stopped what they were doing and vanished into thin air.
Once outside the main entrance, Twilight closed the door behind her and stared out at the empty streets. To think that they had been filled with ponies during the Equestria Games not long before and now sat without use. It was unsettling and depressing for her to see the land she loved devoid of any of those she loved as well.
Even though it hurt, she at least knew that whatever had happened reached far and wide. It wasn't just Ponyville and Canterlot that had been affected. The issue now was finding out how to reverse or change things back to what she was used to. It didn't feel like she belonged to anywhere with the state things were in. If she could, she wanted to head back to Ponyville to try and figure out things a bit more.
Twilight could feel her will weakened and her heart heavy. Still, she pulled herself together enough to concentrate on reaching Ponyville. Her horn lit up as her magic grew, while she took a few careful breaths and closed her eyes.
The sudden leap back to where she had first experienced the strange alterations left her winded. Something wasn't feeling right to her. The teleport to and from the Crystal Empire shouldn't leave her feeling as drained as she was, yet she could hardly stand. Her eyes were getting heavier as she tried to focus and look around her.
Before she could even react, the princess stumbled and fell. Her body hit the grass as she slumped over and refused to return strength for her to rise back up. Twilight struggled to stay conscious as much as she could until her eyes closed. Her face and muzzle felt numb and cold while her legs lay still and weak.
“I don't… need,” she tried saying, wanting to keep her voice going to stay alert.
The alicorn had fainted.

–

An unknown amount of time had passed before Twilight regained consciousness. Her wings fluttered as she lifted her head to crane her neck and look around. She still felt a little uneasy but at least stable enough to sit up and shake her head clear. Did she really use so much magic?
The idea that she had ran herself so weak with magic worried her greatly. If it was some odd effect from whatever happened to her, she might be in trouble. Then again, if it was due to her running around and physically exhausting herself, that unwarranted rest might have helped more than she knows. It all came down to the details. Details in which she didn't understand.
Surprisingly, Twilight's sleep had managed to calm her enough to think about what to do. She had some facts down but with other questions blocking her path, she would have to work with what she knew. Equestria was empty of all but herself. Nothing looked as if it had been disturbed beyond her moving items.
There was a slight pang of sadness upon knowing the reality of her situation. She had woken up with just a slight hope everything had been a dream, but the skies had yet to change and Ponyville looked to be just as desolate as before. It didn't feel fair that such a thing happened to her.
Another fact did bring relief to Twilight. She had woken up, which meant a few things. One thing she noticed was that she didn't pass into Tartarus at some point. She also gathered that there couldn't be any hunter after her, so she was indeed alone. If there were, a vulnerable pony sleeping would have been a prime target. It couldn't be a prank that lasted so long, especially if there were watching her and witnessed her faint.
There was also another thing that got her thinking. She was sure some hours had passed in her slumber. The sky and time of day still staying the same did assure her that there was no rush to hurry on things entirely. Calm and collected would have to be the way she took hold of her issue. Her friends were probably as worried as she was, which meant she had to be strong for them. She would want to keep them from stressing as much as she did earlier.
The few moments that Twilight sat and took in her thoughts had her ponder over ways of finding out what had happened. No sign of how the ponies left, if they did. Time itself seemed to be standing still around her. She wouldn't be questioning it all so much if she had experienced such a thing before.
The alicorn bit her lip in thought before looking over and finding a small rock. Her magic levitated the object in the air before letting go. The rock fell and made a muffled thump against the ground as she watched it before repeating the process a few more times. It was something.
Apparently time may have stopped, but that didn't mean it was stuck. There was still gravity in effect. The thought made her realize that she was breathing fine, so not everything was static. Of course, it was a very basic test but one that at least helped her know some things. The only way she would be able to know more would be either conducting more tests or finding something in her books.
The thought of her books almost filled the adorable pony with excitement. If not for her current problem, she might have had a smile that lasted more than a few seconds. Still, it filled her mind with wonder as to what she might be able to learn from everything going on possibly just sitting on a shelf and waiting for her.
In a haste, Twilight hopped up onto her hooves and ran her fastest back to the castle. Even though she knew she was alone, the eeriness of the empty buildings she passed still left an unsettling feeling in her. It was possibly due to the knowledge that she was the only pony around, yet others should be in those houses and all. It just didn't feel right.
Upon arriving at her castle, she flung the doors open and galloped in. Her horn lit the way as she traversed the halls and even managed to light some of the candles and a lantern or two. She would need to be able to see every word and where she was going. The sounds of her hooves along the floors echoed out as she hurried on towards her library.
The entrance was quickly opened through magic as Twilight rushed inside and began levitating books off the shelves in droves. The line of hardcovers and various pages danced around as she started reading titles and pulling over some spare parchment with an ink well. The quill danced in the small, glass pot of ink as she set it down nearby with a lamp and several books.
Scrolls dropped and bounced along the floor in her hurry to get as many of the books and tomes she could. Unraveling a few scrolls didn't add much of what she was looking for, but some she tossed onto the growing pile she was determined to sift through. Then she stopped everything she was doing.
The cover of one particular book caught her attention as she looked it over and set the others down. The mark of Celestia's sun adorned the cover, seeming to be standing out among the rest of the drab covers. Did it have just a hint of a glow? Maybe she could the questions she wanted.
“Sunset,” Twilight said quietly to herself.