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// Prompt #171: Past Mistakes, Future Problems 
// Story: Ponywatching 
// by ThunderTempest 
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The first thing that Sun Shade was aware of was that something smelled really good. Her nose twitched, and she gradually opened her eyes. For a moment, she thought that she was back in her house back on the plains, and that her adventure into the Everfree forest had simply been a dream, but that was quickly proven false. The bed that she was lying in was not her own, and she was surrounded by wood. Her stomach rumbled, reminding her that she hadn't eaten since breakfast, whenever that had been., and so Sun tumbled out of the bed, and followed the smell downstairs. There she found the Old Witch in the kitchen of the strange house that she found herself in.

"Ah, Sun Shade," said the Old Witch, or Twilight, as Sun Shade now knew her to be, "I was wondering when you would wake up."

"How long has it been?" asked Sun

"Oh, I'd say a few hours. Must have been a big shock, finding out that the world isn't what you thought it was."

"I think it was more about finding out that one of my favourite books is real," said Sun Shade. To her surprise, Twilight  giggled.

"It's a more common revelation than you think," she said. "But regardless, I'm sure that you have questions, Sun, so I'll do my best to answer them." A number of plates, laden high with food floated over to the table, and Sun Shade flinched as they hit the table.

"So are you actually a witch?" was the first question that blurted out of Sun Shade's mouth.

"I'm certainly a student of magic," said Twilight, "That much is carried into the Crowned Princess series, I should hope. I suppose by today's standards, I am a witch."

"So those books are...?" Sun Shade began, and Twilight nodded.

"I may have taken some liberty with names and a few other details, but on the whole, yes. They actually happened."

Sun Shade bit down into a sandwich while she thought. If the books were real, if Equestria had actually been like Twilight had described, then why wasn't it like that now? She had never seen anypony with a horn or wings before.

"Because I made a mistake," said Twilight, staring at Sun Shade, "You have a tendancy to mumble when you think." Twilight stood up and paced around the room for a moment, occasionally looking over at Sun Shade.

"Equestria was once a deeply magical place, Sun Shade. To a degree, it still is, but that magic is locked away. Unicorns like I once was could tap into magic at will, move things around and cast all manner of spells. Pegasi," said Twilight, ruffling her wings, "Soared through the sky, and managed the weather all year around, and even Earth ponies like yourself could once command impressive control over the earth and plants. But we had enemies. One of the worst of them, a centaur with the ability to consume magic, got loose. We stopped him once, but the second time he got loose, the same solution wouldn't work. Something had to be done."

****Time****

"I did something drastic, Sun Shade, and the rest of Equestria paid for my mistake," said Twilight, "And I've spent the last thousand years trying to fix it, trying to keep my promise to an old friend that I'd fix the problem that I caused."

Sun Shade was silent for a while. And then, after she finished the sandwich she had been munching on, she spoke.

"I'd like to help. I might not know anything about magic or things, but my mother always told us these stories about the Elements of harmony, and how they were able to fix any problem by working together, so maybe that's what you need. Someone to help you out."
And Twilight, the Old Witch of the Everfree town, smiled.

"I think I'd like that, Sun Shade."