//------------------------------// // Twilight // Story: How to Disappear Completely // by shortskirtsandexplosions //------------------------------// If it weren't for her voice, Flash Sentry wouldn't have recognized her. At least not at first. Only when she trotted closer did he see the same charming feebleness, the familiar glint of uncertainty in her eyes. A soul that strove towards learning—but uncertain over how to handle the unknown when it appeared right in front of her. She looked far more majestic in equine form than he ever imagined, with a pronounced unicorn horn and flaring wings that gave her a regal posture—all ruined by a nervous stoop to her figure as she slinked forward, ears folded and teeth gnawing on a lower lip. The creature was in many ways a fuzzy fascimile of the displaced soul that had clumsily bumped into him more than once, countless melancholic moons ago. She was still adorable as Hell, and that's what burned Flash Sentry the most. "You... you're not hurt at all, are you?" she asked. He took an extra few seconds to register that. His muzzle scrunched in confusion. "Hurt? How?" "Well... when I first went through the mirror, I had the hardest time walking straight. Starlight told me you look a bit wobbly when you appeared in the Palace. And... and to get as far as you did—" "I flew." "You flew?" "Yeah. A nice pegasus named Derpy Hooves taught me how." "... ... ..." She grimaced. "Are you certain you're not hurt?" Flash Sentry chuckled. Twilight Sparkle giggled. A breath and a tail-flick later, the moment had passed, and both souls were naked before the immense weight of the present. Neither of them could particularly stare straight. "It's nice to know that you're concerned about me," Flash said. "Why wouldn't I be?!" Twilight breathed. Flash Sentry winced. Twilight Sparkle winced harder. The weight pressed in. Settling. Bending. "My friends and I were visiting a distant land over the past week," Twilight said, embarking upon what would undoubtedly be an epic explanation. "The map in the Palace called all of us over to the eastern seaboard. As it turned out, an acquaintance of ours named Tempest Shadow had discovered a hidden hovel where several of the Storm King's former minions were hiding. They were nearly starving, lost, with nowhere to turn." She swallowed, eyes sweeping across all the corners of the throneroom that the stallion wasn't occupying. "All their lives they had known nothing but gruntwork and violence. With Tempest's help, we managed to find them an island near a trade route where they can eke out a living. Applejack taught them how to plant crops and cast for fish. Fluttershy spent a lot of time listening to them and... and getting them to open up about their... fears and feelings..." She ran a hoof up to her face, sighing. "And listen to me. I sound like I'm delivering a friendship report. Celestia help me." Flash exhaled. "Sounds like you did a lot of good for these... Storm King people." "Bottom line—we came back and Starlight Glimmer was waving us down at the entrance to the Castle." The lavender lines in Twilight's muzzle hardened. "She said 'the book is going haywire!' And I said 'Book? Which book? You're going to have to be a bit more specific than that, Starlight.' Then Pinkie Pie made some really funny joke. But before I could have a good laugh, Starlight teleported back and forth and shoved the journal into my face—the journal to Sunset Shimmer's diarny in your world. It was glowing like a stack of candles. I opened it to the middle and—lo and behold—there are ten whole pages full of Sunset writing desperate notes to me. Panicking. Freaking out because... because Flash Sentry had disappeared and she was hoping I had seen him... seen you. She hoped against hope that you had gone through the mirror because that might mean you'd be safe among ponykind. It might have meant... that you hadn't died." Flash was already face-hoofing long before the princess finished. After a cold sigh, his only response was: "How did she think I would have died?" "... ... ...Flash?" He lowed his hoof. Her muzzle was twisted in a hard grimace. "What kind of a question is that?!?" Flash was silent. "... ... ..." With a noticeably raspier breath, Twilight stood straight with coiled wings. "Well..." She began, her tone sharp. "...of course, we started searching right away. With what we had to go on by Starlight's testimony, we attempted to retrace your steps out of the castle. Rainbow Dash went ahead to search the countryside. Pinkie Pie and Applejack went asking around town. Fluttershy and Rarity went to the train station to see if a stallion of your description had taken a ride to any of the major cities. We were at a loss to figure out where you went... but then Pinkie and Applejack noticed something. There were several other ponies of Ponyville missing too. The Cakes had left town for some reason. Bon Bon and Lyra Heartstrings were gone. Octavia Melody, Vinyl Scratch, Derpy Hooves... even Filthy Rich were nowhere to be found. Rarity and Fluttershy corroborated with the train conductors, and we discovered that everypony had gone to the Crystal Empire for some simultaneous purpose. Somepony told us that Derpy Hooves was the last to leave, and one of the ponies to have been seen talking to her beforehand was a Wonderbolt from out of town. So, Rainbow Dash took a quick flight to the Academy to get the scoop. There, she learned what had happened to Spitfire's detachment and where they were currently stationed. She also learned from a messenger or two that Spitfire's group had run into a helpful stranger with a blue mane that helped out at High Paw and... well... here we are." Flash nodded. "Flash..." Twilight cocked her head to the side. Her voice was fragile, curious, needy. "...did you really mean to throw us for such a wild goose chase?" Flash breathed out the side of his muzzle. "I was hoping nobody would notice." "You know that's impossible, right?" Twilight said. "For you to leave your life behind and go through the portal with absolutely nobody noticing?" "I... guess not..." Twilight shook her head. Her eyes were thin, confused, searching. At long last, she exhaled, "Do you honestly think that—somehow, for some reason—you're too small and insignificant for anyone to care? Sunset Shimmer was besides herself with tears, Flash! You think my friends and I went out of our minds searching here in Equestria? The people on your side of the mirror were looking for a body! Sunset and the rest of the girls about wore their geodes to the nub trying to figure out what had happened to you!" Flash's teeth showed. "I didn't ditch my life beyond the mirror as a stunt to get people to care about me—" "Then why did you do it?" "Because I couldn't bear another day in that hellhole!" Flash seethed. A few fuming breaths later, and he calmed slightly. "In two visits, you've spent less than a total of a week on my side, Twilight," he said in a quiet-yet-firm tone. "And it nearly drove you bonkers—having to deal. Imagine living there your whole life." "You're right." Twilight Sparkle nodded. "It did grate on me. Whenever I visit that world, I'm stripped of balance... stripped of magic... reduced to a clumsy biped with very little to go on. And yet—even in spite of all that—I still stuck it out both times I went there. That's because I had one crisis or another that I had to avert. Even when I was at my most uncomfortable, I strove to make a difference. I was even willing to stay there forever and away from my friends here in Equestria if it meant that a powermongering she-demon didn't corrupt the Element of Magic and enslave the people living in that world." Flash bit his lip. He gazed at the floor again. "Flash... I... I-I can't account for what you may have been going through... or what you might still be going through." Twilight sighed, wings flexing. "I'm the Princess of Friendship," she said with no ounce of pride. A shrug later: "I can only tell you what I know is true... what I believe in: that anything can be solved with friendship." Her eyes narrowed. "And when I last left the human world, you were surrounded by friends. Not just any friends, but the likes of Sunset and Rainbow Dash and Applejack... Pinkie Pie and Rarity and Fluttershy... friends who could help you... who can still help you! All you need to do is ask! Like..." She shook her head. "If you had to leave your world so badly... to come to Equestria and—I dunno—chill... then why didn't you just ask?" Flash looked up at her. Quiet and expressionless. "Just—... all it would have taken was asking nicely!" Twilight smiled hopefully. "Sunset and I could have worked something out! You could have gotten a grand tour of Ponyville! I know for a fact that Starlight would have enjoyed doing that. Or Spike. Or—" "I couldn't ask Sunset Shimmer," Flash said. "Why..." Twilight blinked. "Why not?" "I couldn't ask anybody." Flash shook his head. "I didn't want to. I..." He clenched his jaw. "...I-I'm even having a hard time talking to you, Tw-Twilight." "I... don't understand," she murmured. "What was such the big problem that you couldn't—?" He took a step towards her. "!!!" She limped backwards, flinching. He stopped in place, neither victorious nor disappointed in his expression. Twilight shuddered, her wingfeathers and tail drooped. It was her time to avoid his gaze. Even if she was to look at him, he wasn't brandishing a scowl. Far from it. "If you had ever decided to visit my world again, would you have told me ahead of time?" Twilight answered him by not answering him. She bit her lip and stared at the floor. "Whatever it is... I feel it too," he said. "Believe me. You're not the only one." At last, she stammered: "Aren't I?" Her muzzle curved guiltily. "At least I'm here with my friends. But you, Flash? Who do you have?" He looked past her. "... ... ...you've been gone for a very long time, Twilight." She nodded limply. "Yes. I suppose that I have."