//------------------------------// // Chapter 2 - Decisions Decisions // Story: Twilight Daylight // by thedarktome //------------------------------// Twilight landed back in front of her castle with tears flowing down her face, her heart broken as she processed what the others said about her. Annoying, not a princess...that was the same as calling her not a good leader. And she led them to victory all the time! Who helped defeat Discord, and gave up her magic for her friends to defeat Tirek? And who finished Starswirl's spell? Apparently it wasn't her because they mocked her! The saving of Princess Celestia's sister. That wasn't enough either apparently. Upon arrival, she turned around and bucked the entrance of her castle, breaking the doors open and cracking one of them in half, not even caring if somepony heard her. Then walked inside, avoiding the wood on the ground and made her way to her room to make some decisions, and to write a letter. A very important letter. Twilight walked into her room and slammed the door behind her. They didn't need her. She was just around to tease and make fun of. Not really good enough to have friends.....they weren't her friends. Celestia sent her there years ago to make friends. But....were they really her friends? Or was it something else? And it seemed that Spike felt the same way. Twilight didn't need them. She didn't need any of them. She did great all by herself, and she was going to prove that. Twilight anxiously looked around her room, searching for a map of Equestria. She needed that for a quick second. Twilight yanked open a drawer to search for it. But ended up just throwing it out of place, doing the same to the others and sending a message to those who would find it. She did find the map, but set it to the side for a moment while she continued trashing the room in anger, growling in frustration. She grabbed the mirror and pushed it over, stepping on the back of it and smashing the glass on the other side in the process. She broke the windows in her room, the lamps, and eventually the wall. Even if it was made out of crystal, it didn't stand a chance against her magic. After everything was broken, trashed, and/or shattered, she grabbed a scroll and quill, dipping it in some ink that she'll definitely ruin the room with after this letter. She sat there and wrote for five minutes before rolling it up, putting a ribbon on it, and placing it directly on the floor in the middle of the room. She then threw her bed against the wall, breaking the wood and causing the springs inside the mattress to rip through. After that, she grabbed her inkwells and started tossing them, breaking all twenty against the walls of the room, sending ink everywhere. Once she was done, she looked around and grabbed her books, saddlebags, cloak and bucked the door to her room open, sending the top half flying off the hinges and into the other side. She walked over it and made her way towards the broken entrance of the castle, determination and anger in her eyes. How could they. How could they!!!! Once out, she pulled out the map from her bags and looked it over, seeing she had to go left towards the mountain range and Whitetail Woods to continue with her research. Of course it'd take thirty minutes just to FLY through those woods. But it didn't matter anyway. She was going off the radar. Satisfied Twilight turned and looked at the crystal building one last time, knowing she'll never see it again. Stupid Equestria bucking her over. It tore her nerves. But Twilight had a good mind for payback. Idea in mind, she lit her horn and teleported to her room. Then checked over the destroyed environment, looking for something. Nudging the broken dresser to the side, she spotted what she needed in the glass casing with the other five. Using her magic, Twilight shattered the glass and grabbed it before teleporting back outside again and placing it on her head, looking back up at the castle again. Then lit her horn, preparing one last spell that Equestria will ever see from her again. They will not be using her magic or anything else she had to succeed anymore. Once the buildup was finished, she let it go, sending the beam sailing straight for it. "Who's ready for a party?!" Pinkie pulled out a phonograph from her hair along with a vinyl disk. "Pinkie, we ain't partyin'" Applejack tried to tell her, only to get drowned out by the music blasting from the player. "We gotta—" A loud explosion that rocked the entire town of ponyville caused the five to jump, the vibration from it shaking Applejack's barn. Once it was over, Rainbow flew out the doors and into the air, trying to find the source, and gasping loudly when she did. There was a big and very noticeable purple mushroom cloud rising from a familiar purple structure in the distance. "Twilight's castle!!" The others rushed out of the barn and looked on, gasping in horror before they ran towards the building just like everypony else in Ponyville. Once she had fired the destructive spell Twilight flapped her wings and flew away, leaving everything she ever knew behind. It wouldn't matter. She flew over the mountain range, going faster than she thought she would and clearing them in three minutes, on her way to a new world where she undoubtedly would be appreciated. If her calculations of the clouds that come to Ponyville were correct, their density would suggest that their is spring water off the Western coast of Equestria. When she took a sample of it, and analyzed it months back, she discovered that there were particles of dust and dirt in it, as well as C02. There was a fire somewhere, and it was a large one based on the amount of molecules. She took samples of the clouds that were coming there for three days in a row, noting the same thing. And that was from all the clouds that came from the west. They didn't come from Las Pegasus, even though it's in the same direction. The city has clean water, including the rivers there. So it came from somewhere else that didn't have healthy water. Somewhere off the coast of Equestria. And that's where she was headed. Twilight continued her flight for an hour and flew seventy miles, soon spotting the beginning of Whitetail Woods. And it seems her assumptions were correct. In the distance, she could see more clouds coming in off the coast of the land straight ahead, while Las Pegasus was to her left. There were ponies out there. Definitely. Since the clouds in Equestria aren't created by the water out in the ocean, but by the water on the land. Must've been its properties. Either way, something didn't sit right with her about these clouds. And she was going to find out why. After twenty six more minutes, she landed on the beach that led into the western unknown waters, gazing at it with her eyes in determination. There was something out there, and so far......it looked like they needed help. She looked over her shoulder at the land behind her. Full of ponies that lied to her. She would not be regretting this. Twilight shook her head before lifting her wings and going straight up, grabbing one of those clouds and settling down on it, using the Pegasi magic that being an Alicorn came with, and flapped her wings. She casually flew off the coast of Equestria, which eventually faded from sight behind her after thirty minutes. There was no turning back. Maybe one day she would return again. Maybe. *** Sunset Shimmer ran all the way back to the castle that was up in purple flames, obviously Twilight's magic, to see some more unicorns trying to extinguish them. She stopped at the line of unicorns herself, putting in her own magic to help. After around five more minutes, the fire was gone, leaving only the destroyed outer portion of the building which was beginning to collapse before they stepped in and took out the flames. "What happened?" She yelled towards the others already there discussing on the side. "Did any of you see what happened?!" "No, we were at Applejack's farm!" Rarity explained quickly, walking forward. "Where's Twilight?" They all looked at each other in realization before turning around and running to the castle, hoping to find her. They slowed down at the door, spotting the entrance of the building damaged. Figuring it came from the explosion, they rushed inside, ignoring the wooden pieces of the door getting onto their hooves. But that was the least of their problems. Most of the inside had beenhurt by that explosion, some things were burned, multiple doors were off their hinges, and glass items like the plates in the kitchen were shattered. They could fix this, just needed to find Twilight first. They turned down a hallway and headed for the master bedroom at the end of the hall, slowing down a little after noticing the damage there meters away. Half of the door was obviously bucked off. "Someone did this," Applejack whispered as they walked closer, looking at the piece in the hallway and the splinters that trailed along it with suspicion. Sunset activated her magic and opened the door, walking into the room, gasping at the mess. "Oh my Faust," she said, her voice barely above a whisper. The others shared the same expression. The room was trashed like someone had a fight in there that turned messy. Everything in there that was wooden was cracked and shattered, glass from the mirror was all over the floor, scrolls were thrown around as well as the quills and inkwells, the ink in them having been tossed all over the walls along with the bed which was thrown against it. "Who.....would do this?" Rarity whispered as they walked inside, avoiding the glass on the floor. "I don't know, but they're party poopers," Pinkie answered. They began looking around for a clue. She lifted up loose wood while Sunset grabbed it with her magic, throwing it out into the hall. After awhile of searching, they found one. Underneath some wooden boards there was a scroll that caught Sunset's eye. She directed her full attention at it, taking note of its pristine condition. "I found something," she said, catching their attention. They all turned around and walked towards her as she picked up the neatly handled scroll and took off the ribbon, unrolling it. "It's...a note. From.......Twilight?" "Read it," Pinkie said, staring intently at it. Sunset glanced at her then back at the note, clearing her throat preparing to read the letter. "'My dearest friends....actually, no. You aren't my friends. I don't think being lied to and called annoying makes you my friends. My only real friend was...is Sunset Shimmer. She hasn't patronized me and kept a lie from me for four years. As well as treated me like a tool. "'Yes. I heard you all. Rainbow Dash lied and said that she was out of town on Wonderbolt leave. I saw you flying over Applejack and I followed you all to Applejack's farm while you were bad mouthing me. Princess Celestia. I was your most faithful student. Only to learn that everything I did for you apparently didn't raise me to a princess. You lied to me just like this group of friends. '"Apparently, it was all a mockery. A mockery that you apparently had setup from the start. I used my magic to help defeat Discord twice, Tirek, The Sirens, King Sombra, and Nightmare Moon. Not to mention I also helped defeat Chrysalis at my brother and Cadance's wedding. But apparently, you still mocked me. All of you, except Sunset Shimmer, and my Canterlot High friends, have betrayed me. I feel lied to, made fun of, and humiliated. I feel like I've been used and underappreciated. So I'm going where I will be appreciated and my magic can be put to better use than a tool for other ponies that refer to me as annoying. Good luck defending Equestria. Because you're all on your own. Here's a tip, and I bet you didn't know this: "'Harmony is the balance between good and evil, which means eventually, evil will return to Equestria. Not from me, although I really want to show you how I feel after being made fun of and humiliated for I don't know how long. But it is coming. Good luck on your own. You'll probably never see me again. "'Twilight Sparkle, formerly known as Princess Twilight sparkle.'" Sunset slowly put down the letter and turned around to face the others, worry written all over her face. "What exactly is she talking about? How does she feel mocked?" "Wellllll......." Applejack stammered, rubbing the back of her head with her left hoof. "You see, we were informed of Twilight's status by Celestia a little after the ceremony when she ascended to bein' an alicorn." "Turns out, that since she isn't part of any Royal line in Equestria, she...isn't exactly a princess," Rarity clarified. "So Celestia wanted us to tell her that," Rainbow said, floating above the group. "Since we're her friends and all. We've been debating on telling her for years, but never actually gotten around to it." "Are you telling me that this castle......that....crown?" They looked at where the case where Twilight kept it to see it smashed to pieces like everything else. "Well, that crown that was there before, the ceremony, as well as the finishing of Starswirl's spell, all of that was just a BIG JOKE?!" She slammed her hoof down in anger, punctuating her last word. They all stared at her wide-eyed before Rarity decided to take the floor. "No, you see......T-Twilight didn't become a Princess, but she did get a level of respect among society." "You guys don't get it. That's like me saying I've won a billion bits, get the coins, and turns out only five of those bits were real!! No wonder she's not here, she probably hates all of you!!" Sunset tossed the paper over her shoulder and marched out the room, trying to find the baby reptilian that was Twilight's assistant. "Spike!......SPIIIIIIIIIKKKKE!!" "What is it, Twilight, jeez!" Sunset turned her head towards the left, which was a smaller room. Spike was lying underneath the covers doing something, probably sleeping. "What do you want?" "It's not Twilight, she's gone! Now GET UP!!!!!" Spike yelped and jumped out of the bed, falling on his face in front of Sunset. "Ugggghhhh........where's Twilight?" He asked, taking the blanket of his face and rubbing his head. "We don't know. Were you sleeping? How did you sleep through that explosion?" Spike cocked his head to the side in confusion. "What explosion?" "Twilight's room is trashed, her bedroom and front doors are bucked open, most items in the building are destroyed, and everything else of hers is gone. The only thing she didn't take were her books." "Twilight's gone?!!" Spike darted up and rushed out the room, headed for Twilight's and seeing the damage. "Oh no," he muttered running inside and looking at he damage. "No no no no no, are you sure Discord didn't do this?" "I really doubt that," Fluttershy muttered. "She left a note," Sunset said, passing the dragon the scroll. He took it in his claws and read it out loud again, making the five feel more guilty than they already were. "Do you guys realize......how much Twilight treasures things?" He whispered, slowly raising his head to stare at them in anger. "Being a princess was her pride and joy. Yeah, she loves her books just as much, but being a princess meant she gets to USE those books for something that isn't just for her. She loves helping people! ALWAYS loves helping people. Then everything came crumbling down. First she lost her library to Tirek. You saw how hard she took that. And before that, you all turned on her at Cadance and Shining Armor's wedding. She took that REALLY hard. Yeah, she said she forgave you, but at the end of the day, I had to go in her room and comfort her. Tell her that you all were just blindsided. She treasures trust. A deep connection that only friends could share. But this was different! You guys have lied to her for four years. FOUR YEARS!! THAT is big. Bigger-than-Equestria big! Twilight was the biggest asset we have ever had. When she was just a unicorn, her magic was unrivaled. But turning into an Alicorn? Do you know how powerful that is?! I bet she rivaled the strength of Princess Luna!! Or even Nightmare Moon!! And she used that for good because she loved Equestria. She loved you, you, you, you, you, and you most of all!" He pointed his finger at Sunset who was agreeing with him all the way. Having witnessed Twilight's magic, she could back him up and say that Twilight was indeed very powerful. "Twilight is pretty important in Equestria," she said to the five. "And now.....she WAS the biggest asset. Just like she said in that letter, harmony is the balance of good and evil. It goes back and forth. Eventually, something will come. And we probably won't have the knowledge or understanding to defeat it. Princess Celestia, Luna, or....Cadance might, but it probably won't be as good as Twilight's understanding. And now.....she's gone. She probably even loathes Equestria now. And there's no telling where she went. I hope you all are happy with what you've done. Because she more than likely won't be coming back." Sunset walked out of the room with Spike right behind her, leaving the group of five in the room feeling ashamed. They looked around, the silence interrupted by the slight cracking of broken wood strewn all over the place, the damage in here evident of what Twilight was feeling before she left. Rarity walked forward and sat down in the middle of it, tears trailing down her face. "So much for Elements of Harmony," she whispered. Looking to her right, she spotted something reflecting light into her eye. She activated her magic and grabbed it, bringing it to her face to see that it was a part of Twilight's crown. Shattered, just like their hearts. Twilight continued her high speed flight, going for an agonizing three hours, holding onto hope that some ponies out there needed help. Hopefully her theory was correct. It looked like it through her analysis of those clouds. Of course there was a possibility ponies didn't exactly exist where she was headed, but she really doubted that. As long as there was water, ponies were there. There were still clouds in the sky, originating from an area in front of her, probably hundreds of miles from Equestria's western coastline, when she spotted some birds flying towards that location. Why would there be birds out this far? Unless... There was land!! "I'm close," she muttered. "Really close..." Twilight kept her sights on the blue waves, already tired of looking at the blue ocean area in front of her for almost two hours. It was starting to strain her eyes. Eventually she would have to stop to give her wings a break. Flying that long was tiring. But she pushed on. Soon, something on the water caught her eye, making her look down. There was some type of boat there, but it was.....advanced. Far more advanced than she's ever seen Equestria have. She stopped pushing forward and lowered her cloud down to hover next to it. Upon closer inspection, the boat was a thin sheet of steel while around it was some type of flotation device. Like a ring of a strong balloon. But it looked damaged. There were claw marks, scratches, and....blood on the side. Her eyes widened then peeked over the edge, gasping at what was inside. There were three Pegasi, obviously guards of some sort if their aluminum armor and helmets were of any indication. Twilight floated closer to the ponies, and scanned them with her magic. They were still alive. She sighed in relief. Carefully, she poked one of them in his cheek, trying to get him to wake up. He stirred and thrust out his hooves, nearly hitting her face. "Excuse me, sir," She whispered. That got his attention. His eyes and large wings shot open, focusing on her for a second. Then nearly knocked Twilight off of her cloud. "WHO ARE YOU?!" He yelled getting into a defensive stance and waking up the others. "WHAT IN PSERA IS—" Twilight zipped his mouth closed with her magic, shocking the other two so much they fell out the boat and into the water. Twilight gasped, getting worried before they got back out and into the boat, shaking themselves. She breathed in relief before focusing back on the stallion in front of her that was still trying to talk. "Will you stop yelling and listen first?" She asked catching their attention. The three of them nodded before she lit her horn and took the zipper off his mouth. She put authority into her voice, ready to take on the leadership role once again. Equestria may have said she wasn't really a princess, but she proved otherwise. "My name is Twilight Sparkle and I come from Equestria, nearly fuve hundred miles east of here." She pointed her hoof towards her recent location. They looked in that direction then focused back on her. "I couldn't help but notice the clouds originating from this direction have sediment, meaning there was land over there." She pointed her hoof in the direction she was heading. The guards nodded their heads in agreement before she continued. "I also noticed there was a large amount of co² in the samples, which means there was also a large fire of some kind." "Yes, there was a large fire that took up nearly all the land," the guard in front confirmed before squinting at her horn. "What is that? On your forehead?" Twilight raised an eyebrow and glanced up. "It's a horn. It focuses my magic so I can use it. I'm an Alicorn." "A what?" The guard in front of her was reaching out poking at her horn. Curious ponies they were. "Stop." He pulled his hoof back. "I'm a mix of a Unicorn, Earth Pony, and Pegasus. I'm all three." "What in Psera is an Earth Pony, Pegasus, and unicorn?" The one on the right asked. Twilight cocked her head in confusion. "You're a Pegasus." "No, I'm a Pseratep. I don't know what a Pegasus is." Twilight looked at them oddly for a moment before gasping loudly, finally getting the picture. Since they aren't from Equestria, they probably refer to Pegasi differently. "Okay. What do you call ponies with wings?" She stretched out her wings demonstrating. "Pserateps." "Okay, what about with a horn?" "There are no horns." Twilight nearly fell off her cloud in shock. "There are no unicorns?!" She yelled, nearly knocking the ponies off the boat. "No, and probably no earth ponies either, whatever the hay that is," the one in the front muttered. "Everyone in Psera has wings and that's it. And what in Madun's name is magic?" "So it's just Pegasi? Correction, Pserateps?" She asked in disbelief, watching the three nod. "I have to see this for myself." "Well, we're in the process of relocating. Our home was destroyed by a giant glowing bear. It took out everything!" "A glowing bear?" The Alicorn asked in worry before getting focused. "How big?" "Half a mountain tall," the one on the right said. "An Ursa Major," she muttered. The guards looked at each other before looking at Twilight in hope. "You know what it is?" "Know it? I know how to tame it, control it, and do whatever I want with it," she said, offering the guards a smile. "They're very abundant in Equestria. Can you take me to your land? Since I know magic, I can more than likely help you rebuild, as well as get rid of your problem." "Yes! Yes, of course! Get in!" The guard in the front stepped to the side letting her on the boat while the one on the left went towards a stand on the back of the boat to take position. Twilight got settled in and took off her saddlebags while the guards held onto the side of the boat. "Hold onto something." "Why would I need to hold onto—WHHOOOOOAAA!!" The guard in the back lifted his large wings and pushed, sending the boat flying forward, forcing Twilight to grab hold of her bags and the side of the boat at the same time. The boat swiveled, letting it turn around in a large circle before going back the way it came from evidently. Twilight relaxed and let the ride go smoothly, happy that she found someone and that her theory was correct. There were ponies out there that needed help. And she was going to provide, thus giving her a purpose. Time to start a new beginning. Away from those who dared call themselves her friends.