//------------------------------// // World 3: Chapter 6 // Story: The Worst of All Possible Worlds // by TheTimeSword //------------------------------// Sunset stood at the giant telescope looking through the lens, a million stars sat at the other end. The morning moon was too low, sending blue streaks across the black sky. Though the starry sky grew beautiful, Sunset kept her focus on Twilight. Her ears were flicking, listening to the unicorn beside her, eager to hear all the details of this world. “With full nights, we’ve been able to study and deduce so many more alignments. Utilizing the stars, mapping directions has been made easier. Have you heard of the Yaks of Yakyakistan? We recently made contact with them. Soon negotiations might be made to strengthen the nations with unity!” “Does Nightmare Moon deal well with other nations?” Sunset asked, taking her eye off the lens. “Of course. The griffons of Griffonstone have a few within our guard, and I’ve heard trade has bolstered their city. The princess is very diligent in international relations,” Twilight Sparkle replied, clearly proud. She was in full form today, her hair tied into a knot on her head, her outfit pressed and unwrinkled. Even her glasses were prim and clean, no streaks or scratches. “I met a griffon named Gilda yesterday. First time I’ve ever met one in person. I always loved hearing about other cultures, ecology being one of my better subjects, though I prefer paleontology,” Sunset mentioned. Twilight held her clipboard in one hoof, the pen in her magical grasp. She hadn’t stopped scribbling since she brought Sunset back to her study. “I’ve recently become fascinated with exogeology. Princess Nightmare Moon has often talked about bringing moon rocks back for me to study, but she never has. She’s… very busy recently.” The eyes behind the glasses steadied, the pen stopped. A few seconds passed, she blinked, and then continued to scribble. Nightmare Moon. Sunset pictured the hulking alicorn, her genuine laughter still sticking with Sunset even a night later. “Nightmare Moon brought up something yesterday that I thought I should ask you about,” she remembered. “The term is yesternight,” Twilight corrected, to which Sunset gave her a strange, annoyed look. “I know, I know. It’s silly to say, but changes had to be made.” “Anyway. I spoke with Nightmare Moon yesternight. We talked about you. She claimed it was Celestia’s loss that I left her apprenticeship and that she had said something similar to you.” A smile creased Twilight’s lips, her whole body seemed to perk up. “Yes. Yes, that’s right,” she beamed. “That’s what Princess Nightmare Moon said when she accepted me as her apprentice. I remember that night, and I’ll remember it for the rest of my life. It fulfilled my entire being.” “Ohhh, sounds like a story time,” Sunset replied, trotting over to the couch Twilight had brought out, the same one that she tackled the purple unicorn on just a few nights before. She patted the other cushion after sitting down, beckoning the fellow unicorn. “I’m not sure it’s much of a story. At the time, I was studying the complexities of flight magic,” Twilight said as she sat down. “When Nightmare Moon took over, I rushed to offer my services much like everypony else in Canterlot. Out of the crowd, she picked me to speak. When I came forward, she asked what Celestia had done to earn my scorn. I told her that Celestia’s Summer Sun Celebration had given me too wild of a dream for a young unicorn, that I believed I’d never amount to my dream, a dream brought on by Celestia. To my surprise, Princess Nightmare Moon rolled her eyes and said, ‘Her loss’, and that’s when she made me her apprentice. I was so honored.” Sunset scratched beneath her chin as she mentally cataloged Twilight’s words. “How’d Celestia give you too wild of a dream, or make you believe something like that? I don’t understand.” The glasses on the purple unicorn fell up as she raised her head, a snooty tilt in her attitude came with it. “When I was a filly, I went to one of Celestia’s Sun Celebrations. I was mesmerized by her, enthralled by her! I devoted all my time to magic. So much so that my parents enrolled me in the School for Gifted Unicorns—which had a very terrifying entrance exam. I didn’t pass because the exam was too much for a young foal,” she huffed. “And I know what you’re thinking, the same thing everypony thinks. Celestia had nothing to do with the exams—except for the fact that that was the only year Celestia personally requested all enrollees be charged with that extraordinary task!” “What was the task?” Sunset inquired. “I don’t remember,” blustered Twilight indignantly. “It was an egg on a cart that I had to break or something dumb like that. The point is, I failed. My whole goal in life was shattered, so much so that I devoted all my time to prove I could be a powerful unicorn without the help of schooling. I wasn’t the only one, either. Other unicorns had started dropping out of the school. I even became friends with a few later on.” An egg on a cart. I don’t remember that during my entrance exam. What could Celestia want an egg hatched fo— “Oh crabapples.” Sunset’s mouth became dry as cotton swabs, her jaw quivering so much that it wouldn’t close. She stuttered to say every word, barely getting out, “W-was it… a-a dragon’s egg?” Twilight shifted on the couch, leaning uncomfortably away from Sunset. “Possibly. Why? What are you thinking?” Sunset was thankful she had the foresight to bring her backpack this night, even if she did fear another one of Twilight’s curious outbursts. Levitating the bag over to the loveseat, Sunset drew out the journal that brought her so much grief. “Something happened in the past that you and another unicorn changed. I discovered recently that it doesn’t go back to when I was an apprentice, meaning whatever they altered was when you were a filly.” She sifted through the pages, hoping to find something out relating to the day Twilight hatched Spike. “I’ve been thinking a lot about your idea of multiverse theory. It’s not my forte, but I remembered something Rainbow Dash had said to me years ago. It only came to mind after you had told me I was a princess.” “Something Dash said? What was it?” She didn’t mention anything to me. Twilight tapped the brunt of her nose, hiding her nostrils. “It’s been so long, but I remember her being surprised at seeing me. She said I looked like an alicorn she once saw when she was a filly. I thought she was just being an idiot, telling me some foal’s story or pranking me. Apparently, a couple of other colts backed up her story, saying that the alicorn was fighting a unicorn and that the alicorn was with a—” Twilight paused. “Was with a?” Sunset asked. “Was with a!?” She shook Twilight violently. “A small, purple dragon.” Spike. “You have got to be kidding me,” Twilight replied, removing her glasses to rub the bridge of her nose. “I can’t believe this. Rainbow Dash was right all these years. Does this mean I ruined the present?” “No.” Sunset grabbed the fellow unicorn by the shoulders. “You said fighting a unicorn. Was that Dash’s exact words?” “If I remember correctly, yes.” “That means this Starlight Glimmer—she’s the one at fault. Twilight, my Twilight, hasn’t been messing around in time. She’s trying to stop the rift!” Tossing the journal out of her lap, Sunset rose and began to pace around the room. “Everything has stemmed from one change! One single change!” “You mean that the worlds you’ve visited, the explicit differences in the timelines, they’ve all been changed by one event from Rainbow Dash’s foalhood? That’s ridiculous.” Twilight paused. “Isn’t it?” Sunset had no answer. “There’s no way I’m going to be able to figure out when that is, much less create a spell that’ll take me to it. Even if Rainbow Dash knows the exact time and place, there’s no telling where I’d end up if my magic wasn’t accurate enough. I don’t even know a spell like that.” Chewing on her hoof like fingernails, Sunset shook her head, grimacing. “Not to mention it doesn’t explain why the map even affected me, why it brought me into these timelines. Is it just dragging me into the worlds Twilight has visited? Why haven’t I gone to the past with Twilight?” “Have you seen this Starlight Glimmer in any of your visits? If not, she could be in the past while I, ehrm, Princess Twilight, returns to the present. The intricate magic of that complexity is too difficult for just the use of an ordinary unicorn. Even alicorn magic isn’t that capable without instruments. A device would be needed, and it wouldn’t allow for more than a few minutes in the past. What was it that brings you to these worlds? A table? Map?” “A table with a map, yes. Are you saying that Twilight has something that returns her to the past? Why are the tables always left behind then? No, it can’t be the table.” The scribbling of Twilight’s pen heightened to the point of absurdity, the purple unicorn concentrating on the strokes. When she finished, she flipped the clipboard toward Sunset. “As I said, I’m not an expert on this multiverse theory of yours, but if everything you’ve discovered is true, perhaps the table is something else. It may not be the artifact that allowed them to go to the past—but the conduit. It would explain why the table is always left behind. It, the map, obviously doesn’t want it to stay that way, so it recruited you to help fix it. The only way to activate it is to have the six of us bearers sit on it, right? That’s the conduit, the memory of itself from other worlds, trying to reconnect with its original self.” “A memory? A conduit? If that’s true, then there’s a limit. It's restricted to the amount that Twilight has visited, right?” “That’d be my guess.” Twilight tapped the clipboard. A drawing of split worlds where maps were left behind sat on the paper. “I assume the map would have recruited anyone that touched it first, you just happened to be it. Though it’s awfully coincidental that you just happened to leave your, uhm, mirror world, just at the time when I, I mean my other self, was battling it out in the past.” “What are the chances of that?” Sunset asked. “Well, how often do you leave this other world?” The only other time I’ve left was to steal a crown. “About as often as the sun rising under Nightmare Moon’s reign.” “Then I’d put your chances in the trillions,” Twilight replied. Sunset shook her head. “I shouldn’t have asked. Here I thought I was special. Funny, that’s the kind of thinking that led me to the mirror, away from Celestia.” A hoof landed on Sunset’s shoulder. Twilight was standing, the clipboard and pen on the couch. A comforting smile dancing on her lips, beneath her bright eyes. “Don’t feel bad. Everyone here turned against Celestia, and look how great we are without her.” Sunset slapped the hoof off, glowering at the purple unicorn. “You don’t get it. This is the third world I’ve visited. In the last two, Nightmare Moon lost, and in mine, she reformed. Her world isn’t better, it’s just less bad.” “Nonsense, she’s turned my life around.” “You’re a princess in my world. Pretty sure that’s better,” Sunset spat her sarcasm. “Not to mention she didn’t even tell you that she met Princess Twilight.” “She what?” Twilight slumped onto the floor, hitting her back against the edge of the sofa. “You can’t be serious.” She stared at Sunset, gazing deep into the other mare’s eyes until she realized it was the truth. “But… why didn’t she tell me? I’m her apprentice. She tells me everything!” “Clearly not.” “If she talked to the princess version of me, why didn’t she stop me? Why not take her into custody?” “Whatever device Twilight has allows her to leave through the map, the conduit, whenever she wants. I see it happen every time I arrive. I don’t have what she has. Nightmare Moon said she lost two and gained one—that was most likely Twilight and Spike escaping on my arrival.” Twilight slumped her neck against the edge of the sofa, staring up at the underside of the hourglass. “This is all very confusing.” “Tell me about it. I’m still trying to figure out why I’m sent back to the day I first entered the portal. I spent almost a month in the last world, yet we’re just barely out of the first week of that same month. Now that’s confusing!” “Very confusing,” Twilight agreed. “A month you say? It’s been a long while since I’ve looked over Star Swirl the Bearded’s work, but he might have information on the subject. We could head over to the Library of Magic, that’s where his shelf is. We can review his written works to see if there is anything relating to your predicament.” “Sounds like we’re about to spend the day at the library.” Twilight squared her eyes. “Night, Sunset. Night.” “All night, every night, tonight. I’m getting sick of it! You can’t say to-true-night. That makes no sense,” Sunset replied as she levitated her backpack over her shoulders, feeling the tightness of the straps digging in. “Applejack’s nomenclature might be bad, but this night stuff is just unacceptable.” “Now you’re just being crass,” Twilight jibbed, standing up from the floor. “Everypony in Equestria modified their vernacular, you can too.” She carried herself to the steps of the foyer, waiting on Sunset impatiently. “Forced to modify their vernacular for fear of the repercussions if they didn’t,” Sunset replied, trotting over and following the purple mare out of the tower home. “That’s not the same as accepting the change. You can’t make people say the words you want them to, especially when their world is vastly different. They’re not used to it.” “Well, you could at least try,” Twilight snidely said as they trotted across the grassy courtyard, passing the castle’s gardens. “I’m just trying not to blow a gasket whenever someone tells me I’m wrong for saying the same thing I’ve been saying all my life. Next you’re going to ask me to change my name to Moonset Shimmer because the sun is too offensive.” A groan of disgust rang out from Twilight as the two mares passed by the guards of the gate, both were now used to seeing the escorted unicorn. “No one is going to ask you to change your name. You’re just being childish.” “I’m being childish?” Sunset exclaimed as they stepped onto the limestone. The further on the main street they went, the louder the classical music played from the speakers, and so the louder Sunset got. “I’ve been reading The Great Napple Discovery by Applejack, and she makes up new names for fruits! Why couldn’t you all do the same? Something! Anything better than true night. Don’t even get me started on the Forever Night!” “What’s wrong with the Forever Night!?” Twilight became defensive. “Eternal Night, Everlasting Night, Undying Night, Perpetual Night! Come on!” “Forever was something foals could understand! What foal is going to understand perpetual?” Sunset rolled her eyes. “I knew what it meant before I even started levitating objects.” “Congratulations. When was that? Last week?” snapped Twilight. “Oh, hah hah. Very funny, but don’t you mean last true week? How about forever week?” “Why don’t you take this up with the princess? I’m sure she’d love your attitude.” “I already called her pathetic yesternight,” Sunset recalled, a bit of venom as she exaggerated the final word. “Don’t think the castle staff would appreciate replacing another mirror pane, though.” Twilight stopped in the street, squinting her eyes at the fellow unicorn. The look she gave Sunset was simple: “How are you still alive?” she was asking with her eyes. Instead, she said, “Hush up. We’re here. Remember, this is a library, we must be quiet.” The brick and mortar library was just like Sunset remembered. Two granite statues of unicorns sat out front welcoming those wishing to advance their academics. The steps led up to a set of pillars, and behind that were multiple doors where ponies were coming and going as they pleased. Trotting inside, the big dome skylight let the view in of the stars from anywhere within the library. Shelves upon shelves rounded every corner and shadow of the two-story building, and the smell of paper wafted into Sunset’s nostrils like it were freshly baked bread. I’ve missed this library. CHS’s pales in comparison. Bottled lights were attached to every shelf at the ends, though they weren’t made of fire. Flames would be a bad idea in a library this large. Twilight seemed to know exactly where to head, walking steadily past the front desk with her head held high. Sunset followed, but a voice shouted at her. “Oh no you don’t. I recognize you! I’ve got your face blasted up on my wall!” When Sunset turned to see who it was that was yelling, she noticed the librarian glaring at her. “Yes, you. You’ve been banned and you’ll continue to be banned.” “Me? What did I do?” Sunset pointed at herself. “You were young but that doesn’t excuse you breaking into the locked section of the library.” The librarian, an old mare with grey hair and drooping jowls, pointed to the board of banned pony pictures. One of them was indeed Sunset Shimmer. “Out, before I call the guards!” “I always knew you were trouble,” Twilight teased, trotting back to the front desk. “Excuse me miss. Sunset Shimmer is with me, I’ll make sure she stays out of trouble.” “Don’t care,” the librarian said. “Banned is banned.” Twilight frowned. “Then I, Twilight Sparkle, am making her unbanned by authority of Princess Nightmare Moon. There’s no locked off section of the library anymore, there’s no point in keeping ponies who previously entered illegally on your board.” Levitating the gaudy picture of Sunset from the tack on the board, Twilight crushed the photo into a ball and tossed it in the trash. “If you don’t agree with this decision, petition the princess for attendance between eight and four. I’m sure she’ll willingly listen to your complaint.” The old librarian made a few grunts and noises before turning her chair away from Twilight, squeaking her way back to her filing. “In my world, you could have just said I was unbanned by your authority,” Sunset told the purple unicorn as she came closer. “Stow your sarcasm otherwise I’ll have you back up on that board. You want to visit Star Swirl’s shelf or not?” Sunset nodded with a satisfied smug grin on her face. She did not remember the old mare or where the picture came from, but she remembered the day she’d been banned. Not my clumsiest mistake, but it’s up there. No, number one belongs to dropping Twilight’s crown through the portal. Continuing on in the library, Sunset noticed the sections remained the same in this timeline, passing the alphabetized fiction, the studies on present and past histories, and the section relating to other species. One thing that had changed was the shelves for the study of plants, which was now marked as old world plants. Underneath the steps to the upper level was a door marked as ‘Advanced Magic’. This was the door Twilight brought Sunset to, the very same Sunset had broken into all those years ago. It wasn’t called Advanced Magic at the time, she vaguely remembered. “After Nightmare Moon took over, she claimed several of the higher magical practices for herself, which included some works by Star Swirl, keeping them in the Canterlot Archives. His shelf became smaller and was moved in here,” Twilight explained, trotting by an empty desk. “Dark arts are on the left should you desire to return to your evil roots.” “You’re just full of jokes today, aren’t you?” Sunset threw up a brow and shook her head. “No, I’ll stick to time travel for now. Nothing dark about that, right?” That struck Twilight’s funny bone and they both had a good laugh, which annoyed the few other patrons who were studying within the offshoot room. A few small tables sat in the center between open-air bookcases, which they passed, moving to a corner of the room where a white shelf seemed cast out from the rest. Twilight was quick to pull two books off, but Sunset slowed to eye every title. To the left of Star Swirl’s shelf was a few magical related books like Magical Compendium Volume 37-72 and Predictions and Prophecies—Amended Version. Glancing back at Star Swirl’s written material, one such title caught Sunset’s eye. She opened to the first few pages and noted that this was the work he had written about the sirens. Was this the book Twilight found? she wondered, the trio of singers popping into her mind. “Sunset,” this world’s Twilight called from one of the seats in the center of the room. Placing the book back on the shelf, Sunset returned to Twilight, taking a seat next to the purple unicorn. “Found something?” “No, but it’d go easier if you helped me search.” Twilight slid a hefty amethyst-colored book across the table. “These are the only two here that’ll depict anything relating to time travel. I read them all several times when I was a filly, I was obsessed with him back then.” “I’d believe it. You love Star Swirl the Bearded in my world. Solving one of his complex spells was how you got your wings and was inaugurated as a princess.” The book Twilight held in her magical grasp dropped and slammed on the table, causing an outpour of shushing from the few other inhabitants of the room. She quickly grabbed it back up and held it close to her chin. “I solved a spell by Star Swirl!?” she whispered, loudly. “Yeah. After I became friends with you I learned all about it. It was very impressive, something I probably couldn’t have ever done had I stayed as Celestia’s pupil. Imagine, me a princess,” Sunset answered with degraded laughter. “I’m still having trouble imagining me as a princess, yet that’s apparently a reality.” Twilight slumped forward, covering her head with the open book. “What a failure I am in this world. I’ve barely done anything with my life.” The other occupants began to filter out, annoyed by the commotion of the two mares. Soon, they became the only two within the closed-off room. “At least you didn’t turn into a raging she-demon, destroying part of your school and mind controlling your fellow students. You didn’t turn evil,” Sunset said, far quieter than she meant. “You got me there.” Twilight’s lips curled into a deep smile. “Never really had the desire for power myself.” “Yet you help Nightmare Moon, who is, like, the epitaph of desiring power. Her whole reasoning is the be all end all of lusting power.” “Oh, trust me. I did extensive research into how doleful and nonsensical her argument is. However, she was locked away for a thousand years. Far too long of a sentence if you ask me, especially for the crime she committed. Celestia was in the wrong there, and I for one welcome Princess Nightmare Moon as our new leader. Justice has been served, though I am fearful what a battle between the two might entail.” She paused, glancing down at the words of her open book. “However, from what I’ve heard, Celestia wouldn’t have that desire. She’s too scared.” “Really? You know someone who’s spoken to Celestia?” “Of course. Princess Nightmare Moon is a far more gracious warden than Celestia. None of that stars aligning to release her from the moon garbage. I’ve got a copy of the original version of Predictions and Prophecies, it tells everything about the Nightmare Moon prophecy. The amended version completely rips that part out, but don’t tell anyone!” She winked and turned back to her book. Sunset sighed. “Celestia’s not perfect, but she accepted Princess Luna back immediately as soon as she apologized. No repercussions, no resentment. Had Nightmare Moon given up her vengeance immediately, Celestia probably would have welcomed her back with open hooves. I’d love to learn how she failed in this timeline; why she did not use the Elements of Harmony.” “I could get you in,” Twilight said, taking a quick glance around the room. A magical spark lit from her horn and Sunset heard the door to the room close. She then continued, “I’ve got a contact on the inside. She takes care of Celestia, a guardian to her prison on the moon. I even subbed for her once when she was sick. I didn’t speak to Celestia that night, though. I was too afraid.” “Are you serious!? You mean you can just access her prison on a whim!? Why doesn’t she leave? Break out?” “You’d have to ask her. In fact, Princess Nightmare Moon might even allow you attendance with her if you ask nicely. From what I’ve heard, Celestia won’t talk to anyone. I personally believe that she doesn’t want to leave.” That made no sense to Sunset. Why wouldn’t she want to save her people, her world? “I’ll ask Nightmare Moon when I see her, then. It’ll be another awkward reunion but it’ll be worth it. Celestia might even know how to drag out the Elements from within you bearers.” “Another awkward reunion?” Twilight blinked. “Who else have you reunited with?” A short chuckle turned into a long laugh for Sunset. “Let’s see,” she said through her giggling. “I’ve reunited with… Celestia, and let’s not forget, oh yes, Celestia.” “Right. The other worlds.” Twilight leaned on her hoof. “You should have experience with it then; should be no problem.” “You’re right about that. In the end, it’s all good practice for my own Celestia.” “If things don’t work out, you could always turn into another demon,” Twilight joked. “I’ve had enough of demons.” Sunset laid her face on the table, feeling the cold wood against her cheek. She was tired. She had been tired for the last few nights, but sleep was becoming a luxury that she did not dare take. “My dreams are already filled with them as it is,” she lisped. “That was one of the things the princess did tell me about. Apparently, you’re having nightmares, which should be impossible. What are your dreams about?” Sunset closed her eyes, imagining the field of golden flowers. “My friends,” she replied. “All of them.” The purple unicorn remained silent. She didn’t have an answer, no one did. Not for Sunset. Not even the controller of dreams could help her. “Come on, these books aren’t going to read themselves,” Twilight finally said after a moment of silence. Hours passed by. No one bothered to come to the Advanced Magic section of the library, leaving the two to strain their eyes over every paragraph. Nothing other than the flipping of pages echoed out within the chamber, a few sighs or grunts once in a while. Sunset felt they were grasping at straws as she came to the end of her book, tossing it on the table. She leaned her head back in the chair, waiting for Twilight to finish her own. She was quick too, finishing only a minute after Sunset. “Anything?” Sunset asked, hoping Twilight gleaned a bit better information than she had. Twilight took off her glasses, setting both the book and her spectacles on the table. “Yes,” she said, rubbing the sockets with the back of her hooves. “Nothing that can help you right now, but I learned a lot about constants, assuming Star Swirl is right about them.” After she put back on her glasses, she continued, “The princess version of me is your constant.” “What’s that?” Sunset asked. “Remember how you said you always see her when she leaves? Well, you never arrive when she arrives. That means your portals are linked. She exits, you enter. So, even though you go further into a world than she does, you’ll always follow her exit, even if that means you went through years in another world. That makes her your constant.” Sunset’s brow furrowed as she once again asked, “What is that?” “A constant? Usually, it’s an object or person that you recognize in both the past and present, as suggested by Star Swirl the Bearded. In your case, it’s different. You’re connected to the princess version of me. Whether it’s because she has some sort of device, spell, or it’s just her, I do not know. What I do know is that you are definitely limited to the number of worlds she visits. Could be one or two, maybe seven or eight. There could be more worlds out there that you’ll never have to visit so long as that princess version of me stops whatever is altering the past.” “That means these worlds can exist without me—they’re not dependent on my stay,” Sunset sighed, a twinge of happiness striking her heart. “And they’re not infinite.” “No, no. Definitely not. Without the device or spell that she possesses, you won’t be able to connect with her. Which is why I said that I found nothing that can help you right now.” With her magic, Twilight levitated the books back onto Star Swirl’s shelf. “You said earlier that I corrected a spell that led to my inauguration. I’m unsure what spell that was, but there’s only one book I know of that contained Star Swirl’s incomplete spell list. On that, it may have the spell that brought your version of me to the past.” “Where’s this book then?” Sunset asked, glancing at the shelf. Twilight shook her head. “Not here. It’ll be in the Canterlot Archives with the rest of the books Nightmare Moon confiscated.” “I don’t suppose you and I can just waltz in and have a look?” Sunset said, assuming it wouldn’t be that easy. “Not both of us. Just me. I can’t access all of the archives without the princess, but the Star Swirl the Bearded Wing is one of the few that I can visit alone. It should have what you’re looking for.” Sunset rose from her seat. “Well come on! We’re so close now, I can almost taste it!” “I don’t want you to get your hopes up, Sunset,” Twilight said as she stood. “Even if we find what you’re looking for, we won’t be able to connect it to your version of me. The only way to do that is to know the exact time in the past that she is at.” “It’s a step in the right direction, though,” Sunset replied as they began walking to the door. “All the information we’ve found, if that’s all I get out of this world then that’s enough. I have proof now that Twilight didn’t cause all this, and that she’s trying to fix it. I’ve got to do my part to help the worlds she’s leaving behind.” “Wow.” Twilight sounded surprised. “That’s very honorable of you. According to the things I’ve been hearing and your sarcastic attitude, I assumed you would have been eager to gather up the bearers and move on to the next world. I mean, with limited worlds all you have to do is move on as fast or as slow as you want till you catch your version of me—assuming she can fix whatever is going on.” Sunset agreed. “I know she will. She’s Twilight, she can do anything.” “Is that sarcasm?” Twilight asked, pushing open the door with her magic. The center of the library had grown even quieter than before. “It’s not. Twilight is a good friend—and you are too. Thank you for helping me.” “You’re supposed to be helping her, not the other way around,” a voice called out, echoing amongst the shelves and stone of the library. The library hadn’t just grown quiet, it was empty as well. The only ones remaining were near the front desk. A hulking monstrosity stood over the small curved counter. Black fur and blue hair, contrasting the vibrant colors of the library’s glow. The scowl the monster had was almost palpable, but Sunset wasn’t fazed. Sunset had seen the sneaky grin of the old hag first, who stood next to the princess, a dozen guards around them. “Princess Nightmare Moon!” Twilight called, bowing her front legs, her muzzle almost to the floor. “She actually called the guards,” Sunset murmured. “That wasn’t very smart.” “Bow your head!” Twilight whispered, far more loudly than she meant. “It is quite alright, Twilight.” The dark alicorn strode forward, stopping in front of them. She pressed a hoof to Twilight’s low chin, raising her up. “I’m glad to see it was you two that had brought me all the way down here and not some fool thinking they could pass for my apprentice.” The old librarian began to clatter her hooves. “Y-you mean they’re a-actually part of yo-your court?” The mare had been full of spite a moment ago, now it vanished like the sun. “Indeed. Everypony in Canterlot knows who Twilight Sparkle is.” Nightmare Moon turned to face the librarian. “Surprisingly, you were able to recognize a face from a pony who has not been here for years, yet you did not recognize my prized pupil.” The old mare shriveled like a prune. “W-well, my ey-eyes aren’t what they u-u-u-used to be.” “I’ve lived for over a thousand years, far longer than you, yet would you claim my eyes aren’t what they used to be?” Sunset couldn’t see Nightmare Moon’s eyes, but from the way the old mare reacted, Sunset knew it was the same look that she received in the elevator. “N-no, my pri-princess!” the librarian shouted. “Then perhaps you need your eyes corrected.” Nightmare Moon gave a nod and two guards surrounded the old mare, grabbing her beneath the elbows and lifting her bipedal. The librarian gave a shout, pleading for a moment. Sunset thought to rush forward to stop whatever was about to happen but Twilight held onto her, keeping Sunset still. A burst of magic blew from Nightmare Moon’s horn like fire trickling down a match, hitting the old librarian in the eyes. A scream echoed out, lasting for as long as the magic poured onto the old mare’s face. When all was said and done and the magic subsided, the mare’s head hung low. Sunset heart was filling with rage, she pushed forward with Twilight clinging to her hindquarters, and the old mare gasped. “I-I… I can see!” shouted the librarian. She tossed her glasses off, waving a hoof in front of them. “My vision! It’s not cloudy anymore!” The old mare fell forward, groveling at the hooves of the alicorn. “Thank you princess!” she yelled, kissing the light azure shoes of the princess. “Now that you can see everything clearly,” Nightmare Moon said, “You can see yourself out of Canterlot. You are hereby banned for a year. Next time, you should think twice before using your age as frivolous reasoning.” “Thank you princess!” the old mare said as she backed out of the library. “Thank you. Thank you!” When the door closed and the room fell silent, Nightmare Moon turned her slit eyes towards Sunset and Twilight. There was a sour smile to her face when she saw the confused look Sunset held. “Were you expecting something else to happen?” Nightmare Moon asked, clearly rhetorically. Sunset did not say anything. She shook her head, hiding her shock. “I am not without my kindness or my generosity, Sunset Shimmer.” The dark alicorn marched across the entryway to the counter, using her magic to crush the other photographs. She brought them to a trash can where another caught her eye as she threw away the rest. “I am firm but fair to all those in my kingdom,” she continued to say as she unraveled the photograph. “Even those who are not of this world.” Nightmare Moon brought the crinkled photo of Sunset to the otherworldly unicorn. “Try not to forget that.” Sunset took the photograph in hoof, a picture of her. She had posed for it, but the reason of when or why remained long forgotten. “Now that the problem has been taken care of, why exactly were you two here in the first place? Twilight?” “We came in search of a few books. We believe that we may have discovered why Sunset is traveling to these other worlds, and how it may have happened,” Twilight immediately explained. Nightmare Moon seemed amused, the look on her face was that of a parent learning something from a child to which they already knew the answer. “And what exactly are those reasons?” “I’m not entirely sure of my findings yet. I believe one of Star Swirl’s spells was the cause. I was about to return Sunset to her room and then head over to the Canterlot Archives to see if I could find something in his wing,” answered Twilight. The hulking alicorn leaned her head down, wrapping a hoof behind her pupil’s neck. “My little apprentice, you always remind me that I am blessed with a student who understands magic far better than anypony else. You’d be correct to check the Canterlot Archives. In fact, I had a team scouring through the books to find any spells relating to time travel as soon as I returned to Canterlot.” Taking a step back, the alicorn glanced at Sunset. “Yes. I have the book in question.” In a splash of magic, the book teleported into the library. The ordinary brown book with golden lace was held in the alicorn’s levitation, mere inches from Sunset’s grasp. “Really!?” Twilight beamed. “Sunset! We might just be able to send you back to your world! Oh, thank you, princess!” “I-I can’t believe it,” Sunset gawked. “That’s surprisingly nice of you.” The alicorn grinned her menacing grin, the same one she had held when she first learned of time travel. “Unfortunately—” A blast of light shot from the alicorn’s horn, hitting the brown book and exploding the contents into ash. A few pages managed to survive the initial hit, seesawing slowly to the ground, only to be engulfed in flames before touching the floor “—That wasn’t our deal.” “No!” Sunset yelled, watching the pages turn to dust. Twilight shared the surprise. “Princess! Why!?” Nightmare Moon strode over the ashes, spreading them as she walked. She lurched forward at Sunset, staring down her nose at the unicorn. “Our deal was for you to get the Elements of Harmony and then we would send you onto the next world. Sending you home early, or at all, that wasn’t what we agreed upon. Do you want to go home? Find your little book in the next world.” The alicorn twisted back around and sauntered to the door. “Come,” she commanded her guard. “We’ve wasted enough time here.” Once the door of the library closed again, leaving the room silent, the two unicorns turned to face one another. “You still think her world is better?” Sunset dryly asked. The purple unicorn did not answer at first, her eyes glancing back to the grey piles of ash on the floor. “I’m sorry. This is all my fault. She might have given the book to you once you had gotten us the Elements of Harmony. Now it’s gone forever.” With her horn, Twilight lifted the ash off the floor, sifting through the specks to hopefully find a piece of paper untouched, but to no avail. “I thought we were getting along,” Sunset murmured. “I really thought I might have gotten under her fur. Though, maybe she realized that. Destroying that book is what I would’ve done if I had been in her position.” “It’s not right. All that knowledge wasted.” Twilight removed her glasses, rubbing her face into her shoulder. “No book deserves that treatment.” “It’s not all bad,” Sunset said, placing a hoof on the unicorn’s other shoulder. Twilight glanced up to see the weak smile on Sunset’s face. “How can you say that? You could have helped your version of me!” “Sure, that’s true. But now I know that’s even an option! I hadn’t thought of doing something like that this morning, much less since I got here! And I got to spend the night with a good friend.” Sunset wrapped a foreleg around the fellow unicorn’s shoulders, squeezing tight. “I’d say that’s worth losing that book. I’m sure Nightmare Moon’s right, the next world will have it too. Even if it doesn’t, the universes aren’t infinite.” Twilight gave a meek smile and looked like she wanted to say something. She hesitated for a moment, glancing back at the dust on the floor. “I’m not sure what to say, Sunset. I wish I could have helped more than just that. I’m sure the princess version of me would have been able to help you out better than I could.” “Yeah, that’s probably true,” Sunset replied, jabbing the purple unicorn in the side. “But she also had a better teacher.” The smile soured for a moment, but then laughter surfaced. “Next you’re going to tell me we need to burst out into song and dance.” “I’ll have you know I’ve only done that once during my travels!” Sunset giggled. “Come on,” Twilight said through her laughter. “Let’s head back to my study. I want to hear more about this princess version of me. Maybe I can improve myself by learning from her.” That’s how I did it, Sunset thought. The blurry picture of Princess Twilight standing above the sunken crater in front of CHS flashed in her mind. The magic of friendship doesn’t just exist in Equestria, it’s everywhere. And every time.