There was a loud rip and flash of light as a teleport spell finished depositing a lavender alicorn onto her balcony. Shrugging off the effects of the teleport spell, she rushed over to her telescope and began using it to frantically search for her target. She found the huge demonesque centaur just in time to see him turning in her direction while powering a massive bolt of energy between his horns. In under a split of a second, Tirek had found his target. Scowling, he fired his magical beam towards the giant tree Twilight had escaped to. Twilight’s eyes grew wide as she leaned back and gritted her teeth
No, NO! There’s no time! NO TIME! Another teleport, just one more teleport
with these thoughts she charged up her horn and began casting again as the beam came ever closer.
Just one more tele…
Before she even finished her thought, there was a bright flash then darkness.
Twilight awoke screaming and panting for breath. She gripped her sheets tight then realized that they were soaked with sweat. In the back of her mind she could hear a voice calling her name. Must be Tirek again, she was sure of it. He was hunting her. Twilight’s horn lit up as she jumped up onto her bed, Firing in the direction of the voice.
“Tirek, you won’t catch me off guard, not this time!”
Twilight began charging another spell, prepared to fire again but fizzled as her mind finally clicked the image her eyes were seeing. She saw Spike yelling and leaping out of the way of the beam as it left smoke rising from the smoldering remains of the wood and paper of what was once a bookshelf.
“Tw-Twilight! What in the hay are you doing?” cried Spike, as he laid there on the floor panting from his near death experience.
“Sp-Spike? I-I’m so sorry. I didn’t mean to. It’s just… It’s just I saw Tirek again. I… I thought he was..>” Twilight’s words died out as she began to choke on her tears, seeing the smoldering remains of the bookshelf.
Spike wanted to comfort his friend and mother figure but the words she just said to him clicked in his adolescent mind. His eyebrows raised up in confusion. Tirek? Who was Tirek? Crying or no, he had to ask her.
“Uhhh… Twilight?”
“Yes Spike?”
“Who exactly is Tirek?”
Twilight immediately stopped crying at this point, her jaw fell open and her eyes grew wide as she stared at her number one assistant.
“Your-Your joking, right?”
Spikes look of confusion did not go away
“You-You know, Tirek, big red demon-like centaur from Tartarus”
Spike still looked confused.
“...He… Destroyed our house in ponyville, remember?” Twilight’s voice was laced with worry now as spike continued to stare at her in confusion.
“Uhh… Twilight, we never had a house in ponyville… We’ve been living in this tower ever since you became Celestia’s student… How… How much coffee did you drink last night again?”
Now it was time for Twilight to look confused. She leaned back and took in her surroundings. She was definitely in the tower back in Canterlot. Everything exactly how she remembered it. Including the picture of herself and her brother next to her bed… a picture she KNEW was destroyed when the Golden Oaks library had been destroyed by Tirek.
“Wh-wha…” Her voice died in her throat. How can this be. She was just in Ponyville. She knew she was. That was too real to be a dream. She could feel the heat and the adrenaline running through her before she teleported… That… That was a teleportation spell… right? After a moment, although quiet, she finally found her voice again as she looked over to spike.
“Sp-Spike, what is today?”
Spike looked even more confused by this question
“Uhh.. Twilight, I think you need to stop drinking coffee right before bed. I know your memory isn’t that ba-” Twilight had interrupted him before he could finish the sentence.
“Just answer the question Spike, please”
He could see her pleading eyes. She was serious. She didn’t know at all.
“...O-ok, ok… today is the day before the Sun Summer Celebration”
Twilight’s eyes grew wide, then she noticed a little package, a present, impaled on Spikes tail. Twilight gasped at seeing this then quickly turned and looked at her own body. Spike didn’t think her eyes could become any wider but they did as her jaw fell opened.
“My-My WINGS!” Twilight had shouted as she reached over with one hoof and tapped her body where her wings should have been. “What happened to my wings?”
At this point Spike reached out, placing a claw on her shoulder while his brow knitted in concern.
“Twilight, take a deep breath, you are a unicorn, last I checked unicorns don’t have wings”
“No, Spike you don’t understand, I-WE were in Ponyville and I was an alicorn. Remember? I was trying to figure out and finish Starswirl the bearded’s unfinished spell when all of my friend’s cutie marks had swapped”
Spike still kept the look of concern on his face as he began speaking slowly “Twilight, I really think you need to either go back to sleep or sit down and have a nice cold drink. I have no idea what you are talking about. Your friends? Did you mean Moondancer?” At the mention of her name, Spike slightly smiled and sighed dreamily “Oh Moondancer how i love thee”
“No, not my Canterlot friends, my Ponyville friends… Applejack and Pinkie, Fluttershy and Rainbow, and Rarity. Surely you remember Rarity, Spike.”
Spike crocked his eyebrow up, breaking out of his love fueled daydream of Moondancer “Huh? Rarity? I have never heard of that name before Twilight… ooorrr any of those other names either… Twilight…. Seriously… I have lived with you literally every single day since I was born. We have ALWAYS lived right here… in THIS tower… in Canterlot... ”
Twilight stepped back and gasped “N-No… NO! You’re wrong Spike…”
At this point, Spike was beginning to feel the pain of a headache coming on as he held a claw up to his own head and sighed
“TWILIGHT! SNAP out of it. We have always lived here, we have never lived in Ponyville. In fact I have never even heard of it till now. You are a Unicorn and your friends are Minuette, Lemon Hearts, Twinkleshine and the lovely Moondancer. We even talked to them just yesterday. Remember? Moondancer has a party happening TONIGHT. We have NEVER been to Ponyville nor know anypony with those names. Everything you are talking about must have been just.. Grr I don’t know a dream or something?”
At this outburst, Twilight began stuttering and stepping back, nearly tripping over stacks of books as tears began welling in her eyes. She then turned and ran over to her window.
“N-No Spike, you’re wrong, there’s no way all of that was just a drea-” She never finished her sentence as she looked out the window. Twilight involuntarily sat down as her body completely went into shock. There, on the moon, was the image of the old pony’s tale Mare in The Moon.