Chapter Nineteen
Limitations
⠀
⠀
How did people do things like this? After spending her final months with her friends at CHS, Twilight had thought that she’d finally gotten the hang of talking to others. And she had! When she already knew them…
Another sideways glance at the girl studying at the next table showed that she was still hidden behind a pile of books. Good. Twilight had prepared for this interaction, and it was time to see it through. It wasn’t like it would be hard. Just go over and say ‘hi’. Well… probably not just ‘hi’, she should introduce herself.
‘Hello there! My name is Twilight Sparkle and I’ve been watching you for days now! Want to help me study magic?’
Twilight sunk back into her seat. She may not have known much about making friends, but she was pretty sure that wasn’t how it usually worked.
Although, come to think of it… that wasn’t too far off from how she’d gotten to know the only friends she’d ever had.
Twilight shook the thought from her head. There was no way she was going to go up to one of the smartest students in school and start rambling about magic; she would have to make this look like her interest was much more traditionally academic.
How hard could that be? Twilight loved science! She’d loved it for a lot longer than she’d known about magic, and chemistry was a fascinating field. A few years ago, Twilight would have been thrilled to have the chance to talk to someone as academically minded as she was about something she enjoyed so much.
‘Yeah right…’ A few years ago, Twilight would’ve done anything to avoid even the most basic of conversations with her peers, let alone one where she was seeking help. But at least that was one thing making friends had changed: Twilight now realized she rather enjoyed spending time with others under the right circumstances. Still, others were usually the ones to start those circumstances.
Well… how would that go? What would Sunset do?
‘Hey, sorry to bother you, but I noticed what you’re studying and I was wondering if you had time to help me with a few questions I’m struggling with.’
There, that was perfect. Twilight just had to be like Sunset. Just… without getting all holier than thou and forbidding Twilight from studying what any idiot could see is the biggest breakthrough in all of human history!
Twilight closed her eyes. Yes, be like Sunset without that part. Nervously, Twilight rose to her feet.
Every step was small and her eyes never left the floor, but Twilight slowly made her way over to the table next to hers. She would have tried to practice what she’d say in her head, but all she could do was keep thinking about how big of a fool she was about to make herself look.
She stopped at the edge of the table and cautiously looked at the other girl. She was still engrossed in her studies, not even so much as glancing at the intruder. Twilight took a deep breath. “Uhm, hi…”
The other girl didn’t acknowledge her.
Twilight cleared her throat. “Uh, my name’s Twilight Sparkle. You’re Moon Dancer, right?”
“I don’t do tutoring,” Moon Dancer answered without looking up.
“Oh! No, it’s nothing like that! I just…” ‘Wanted to ask you some questions… Yeah, that definitely sounds like tutoring…’
Moon Dancer turned away from the book to fix Twilight with a glare. “Are we getting somewhere? I have a lot of studying to do.”
“Maybe I could help!” Twilight took a seat across from Moon Dancer and pulled over one of the books she hadn’t been using. “I’m pretty good at studying.”
Moon Dancer propped her book up in between them. “I don’t need any help.”
Twilight stayed sitting, watching the book that stood between the two of them. This never would’ve happened to Sunset… But Twilight had to try again. This needed to work.
“I… think we got off to a bad start,” Twilight said to the book since Moon Dancer still wouldn’t look at her. “What I really wanted to talk about is… a partnership.”
Partnership. That was a better word. Or at least, it seemed like it was until Moon Dancer answered without putting the book down. “Not interested. Besides, we’re not even in any classes together.”
Twilight couldn’t give up that easily. “I know, but that’s exactly it. This isn’t a school project, it’s a private research project I’m working on. I’ve been trying to work on it on my own, I even took up quantum physics for it! But I think to even begin to understand something of this proportion, I’d need a lot more knowledge from a lot more fields. I think chemical engineering might be a good starting point.”
At least Moon Dancer set down the book, but she kept the glare. “So let me get this straight. This isn’t a school project, so it’s not going to help me graduate. This isn’t a chemistry project, so it’s not going to help me in my career. And the whole reason you’re coming to me is that you’re just some physics major who doesn’t even know what a single-displacement reaction is.”
“A chemical reaction where an element reacts with a compound and displaces one of the other elements in the compound.”
They locked eyes for a moment, and eventually, Moon Dancer folded. “Okay, so you know some basic chemistry. Clearly not enough, or else you wouldn’t bother coming to me.”
As much as she hated to admit to not knowing something well enough, Twilight could only nod. “I was top of my class in chemistry and every other scientific field at Crystal Prep, and then I did more independent studying after that. I can keep up, but I’m not an expert.”
“And since you’re coming to me, I’m guessing you already know my qualifications.”
Twilight nodded again. “I looked into a number of candidates before deciding you would be the best fit. I know you’re also extremely well rounded in your studies, and one of the brightest students this school has seen in your field.”
The flattery didn’t seem to get through to Moon Dancer. “And is anyone else on this project?”
Twilight hesitated, although it was an easy answer. “I… did have another research partner for a while. She was brilliant, but we ran into a… disagreement on how to proceed with our research. In the end, she decided she’d rather not be involved anymore.”
Moon Dancer glanced at a clock, then folded her hands on the table. “Okay, I’ll regret this, but I’m curious now. What exactly is this project?”
Ah, there it was. The hard part. It was inevitable that they’d come to that, but Twilight still had no idea what to say. Obviously ‘studying magic through the lens of the known sciences’ was not going to get her anywhere.
But for every moment that Twilight hesitated, Moon Dancer began looking a little less sure. She had to say something.
“This project is big. Huge. It’ll bring everything you know into question, probably multiple times over. To say it’s the scientific breakthrough of the millennium is an understatement; it could be the biggest advancement the world has ever seen!”
Moon Dancer’s book went back up. “Yeah, I knew I’d regret it. Next you’ll be telling me about healing crystals and N rays.”
It was probably not a good idea to point out that after everything she’d seen and heard about, magic crystals could quite plausibly be used for healing. “I’m serious. And… and I can prove it.”
“Oh?” Moon Dancer didn’t put down her book. “Go ahead then.”
Twilight took a deep breath and looked down at her hand. It would be so easy. But no, she couldn’t do that. She needed to try another approach. “Just… come to my room this afternoon. I can show you my research and you’ll see what I mean.”
The research alone would never be enough, and Twilight knew it. Sure, it was impressive, but only to someone who already accepted as a basic principle that magic was real. It’d be like trying to explain trigonometry to someone who refused to believe math existed.
It didn’t matter that Twilight didn’t know how to backup her claim, because her phone started ringing before she even got an answer. She pulled it out of her purse with the intention of silencing it and returning the call later, but she stopped when she saw who was calling.
She gave a sheepish smile to Moon Dancer, well aware of how horrible the timing was. “I’m sorry, but I really need to take this. I’ll, er, get back to you later.”
Before Moon Dancer could reply, Twilight was already turning away. She slid her thumb to the right on the screen and pressed her phone against her ear. “Hello?”
“Hi, Twilight,” Fluttershy said meekly.
“Hi, Fluttershy. How’s it going?” Twilight regretted the question as soon as she asked it.
“It’s, uhm…” There was a pause, but Twilight wasn’t sure what to say to fill it. “Do you… have some time to talk?”
“Of course!” Twilight pushed through the library doors and made her way towards her dorm room. “Is there something I can do for you?”
“I… I don’t know…” Fluttershy’s voice sounded strained.
Twilight waited for a moment, but it didn’t seem like Fluttershy was going to continue on her own. “How are you feeling? Getting plenty of rest?”
“Sunset’s been taking care of everything around the house, and I’ve only left to go to Rainbow’s.”
“Good. You need to take it easy.”
“Mmm…”
“Oh, of course you know that though.” Twilight was wary of parroting the same things she knew Fluttershy must have heard countless times in the past three weeks, but she couldn’t help herself. It was the first time she’d heard from Fluttershy since she’d woken up. Ever since the accident, Pinkie had been the only one keeping Twilight informed on what was going on. “You’re getting around okay?”
“Yes. I’ve been doing –” Fluttershy’s voice caught in her throat and was replaced by a sharp breath. “I’m… I’m okay.”
Twilight winced at the sound of her friend’s voice. “It’s really good to hear from you. I’m sorry I haven’t called, I just… wanted to give you space.”
“It’s okay. I… Rarity and Pinkie call all the time, and I… I never know what to say…”
And yet, here she was calling Twilight. It was obvious there was more going on than she was saying; Twilight was well aware she wasn’t as close with Fluttershy as either Rarity or Pinkie were. She’d been a regular part of their group, all seven friends inseparable for the final semester at CHS, but she didn’t have the years of history that everyone else did.
But even if it was clear that Fluttershy had to have something she wanted to talk to Twilight about, neither of them brought it up. Instead, they talked in awkwardly strained exchanges all the way to Twilight’s dorm.
Spike was quick to run up to Twilight when she entered, as he always was. “Twilight! How’d it go?”
Twilight bent down to scratch behind his ear. “I’ll tell you about it later, I’m on the phone right now.”
“Was that Spike? How’s he doing?” Fluttershy asked.
“He’s good. He’s grown a lot since you saw him, not a little puppy anymore. He misses you all, though. Poor guy doesn’t get to talk to people much these days.”
“I guess it would bring some unwanted questions if he did.”
Twilight took a seat on her bed, so Spike jumped up and curled beside her. She pet him as she talked. “Yeah, and I’m terrified of what might happen if the wrong sort of people found out I have a magic talking dog.”
“Have you, uhm…” Fluttershy hesitated for a moment, and her tone sounded uncertain when she continued. “Do you… still study magic?”
Twilight grimaced. Fluttershy had stayed out of the argument between Twilight and Sunset, but if she finally decided she did want to take a side, it was pretty clear which one she’d take. Twilight put on what she hoped was a casual tone and was glad Fluttershy couldn’t see her. “No, of course not! I mean, it’s not like there’s much to work with since I left Everton. Well, except for Spike, but you know I’d never experiment on him.”
“Oh. Right.” Did Fluttershy sound disappointed? That didn’t make any sense.
“Why do you ask?”
“I…” Fluttershy stalled, and didn’t have much more success when she tried again. “I…”
“Fluttershy?”
“You said… you said Sky might be special.”
Twilight’s body froze and her mouth fell open. “Wha–”
“You said she could be magic.”
Twilight looked around in panic, but there was no one to help her figure out how to handle this turn in the conversation.
“Because… because we are, she might… there might be something different with her.”
Twilight angled the phone so that the rapid breaths she tried to calm herself with wouldn’t carry over the line. “I… I know, I did say that, but…”
“Twilight, please.” Fluttershy’s voice was growing desperate. “Please, I need you to tell me that there’s something… something we can do. That there’s… Somehow she isn’t… That we can…”
“I… I’m sorry, Fluttershy.” The words felt like rocks being forced from her throat. “Even if I did understand magic better, I really don’t think there’s anything anyone could do. It’s… it’s been a month since she –”
“Don’t.” Fluttershy took a few sharp breaths of her own, but she didn’t manage to keep the sound of tears from coming through the phone. “I can’t do this, Twilight… I can’t…”
“Shh, it’s okay.” It wasn’t. They both knew that. But what else was she supposed to say? Twilight had no idea what it was like to go through something like that, had no idea what else she could say to someone who did. “You can make it through this, Fluttershy. Not because of magic, but because you’re strong enough to pull through.”
“I’m not!” Fluttershy was no longer holding back the sound of her crying. “It hurts. It hurts so much, and I don’t know what to do anymore.”
Twilight also didn’t know what to do, and she suspected Sunset didn’t either. So it was time to look for someone who did. “Have you considered going to therapy? It could really help.”
Fluttershy sniffled and tried to recompose herself. “No. I’ve never done anything like that.”
“You should think about it. And talk to Sunset, of course. You know, I’ve been to therapy for my anxiety, it’s really nice to be able to talk to a professional who understands and can help you.”
“Maybe…”
Even just getting Fluttershy to consider it would be a good first step. “I can look into it for you if you want. I’m sure I could find someone in your area that your insurance covers.”
“Thank you, but… I’ll… talk to Sunset first.”
Even though Fluttershy wouldn’t be able to see, Twilight nodded. “Right, of course. And… well, the same goes for her too. I’d be happy to find something for both of you.”
“I don’t think Sunset would want to do that…”
Truthfully, Twilight didn’t either. Sunset never did seem like the type to let anyone help with her problems. “Maybe not, but you should at least bring it up to her.”
“Thank you.”
Twilight smiled, happy she was able to do something after all. “You’re welcome.”
“Uhm…” Fluttershy paused. “I… I have another question, but…”
“Ask away! Anything I can do to help.”
“Do you think there are… other worlds? Besides Equestria.”
“Well…” That sounded like a safer topic, even if she was confused at the sudden shift. She didn’t have much she could say about it, though. Twilight had mostly focused on the one other world they already knew about, but she had given unknown worlds at least a little thought. “Sure. If there’s two, why not more, right?”
“That’s what I was thinking. And… do you think they’d be like Equestria is?”
“What do you mean?”
“Well… like how there’s another Fluttershy and another Twilight in Equestria. Do you think there are more worlds with other versions of us?”
“Probably. I can only speculate, of course, but certain multiverse theories postulate that there are infinite universes with infinite variations. And even if it’s not infinite, we know that a parallel universe does exist. It’s not a stretch to say there are more.”
“So… there could be entire universes like ours, but where things happened differently?”
Twilight shrugged. “In theory, yes. Why do you ask?”
“I was thinking about the, uhm, the Friendship Games…”
Oh. Twilight didn’t like where that was headed. But it was too late to take it back now, so Twilight just frowned through the rest of Fluttershy’s question.
“There were lots of holes. Like… like portals to another world.”
Twilight nodded slowly. “To Equestria.”
“Yeah. But, uhm… do you think it would be possible to… to do that again, but go somewhere else?”
Twilight furrowed her brow. “Somewhere else? Like where?”
“I… I don’t know… One of the other universes.”
Twilight took a deep breath. “I don’t even know how I did that. You know I wasn’t really in my right mind when all that was happening. I think the portals went to Equestria because that was where the magic came from, so who knows if I could’ve made portals to somewhere else. Or even if there is somewhere else. And even if we knew all that, that wouldn’t mean I could do it again.”
“So… even if there is another universe where… where Sky’s still…” Fluttershy started crying as she trailed off.
Exactly what Fluttershy was asking for clicked into place, but Twilight once again wasn’t sure what to say. It was reasonable for Fluttershy to want to have a solution that gave her back her daughter, but holding out hope for a magical solution was only going to make it harder for her to move on.
“Fluttershy, I’m sorry but… she’s gone.”
The sound of tears stopped suddenly with a sharp inhalation, but Fluttershy didn’t answer.
“I know you don’t want to hear that, and I don’t want it either. I wish there was something I could do, but…” Twilight trailed off as words failed her.
After a moment in which neither of them spoke, Twilight sighed. “I’m still here for you, if I can be. Please, think about therapy. It sounds like it could be really helpful for you.”
Fluttershy still didn’t answer, and it occurred to Twilight that not only did she not hear her friend’s voice, she didn’t hear anything at all. “Fluttershy?”
There was still no answer, s Twilight pulled the phone away from her ear and found that the call had been disconnected. She winced and fell back on the bed, covering her face with her arm. “Stupid…”
“Was that Fluttershy?” Spike asked as he nudged his way under her arm.
“Yeah…”
“Why’d you tell her you aren’t studying magic anymore? And what’s she want to get to another world for anyway?”
Twilight idly stroked his fur. Even if she could explain it to him, she wasn’t sure how. Despite his ability to speak, Spike was still a dog. He was only two years old, which did mean he was full-grown for a dog, but he had limited life experience and lacked a human brain. At best, he had the intelligence of a child.
Which was why she had to try. Spike’s growth and education rested entirely on her, so she had to take a lesson in emotions where she could get it. “Remember how I told you Fluttershy had an accident and her baby wouldn’t be born? She was hoping somehow magic could help bring her back.”
“Oh…” Spike rested his head against Twilight’s shoulder for a moment, then lifted it suddenly. “Well, you’re going to help her right?”
Twilight sighed. “I wish I could, Spike… But there’s nothing in this world or in Equestria that can do what she wants.”
“Poor Fluttershy…”
“Yeah…”
Twilight wondered if she should call Fluttershy back. Probably not. She’d hung up because Twilight had gone and said something stupid that made her feel bad; calling her would only stir up more trouble.
She did pick up her phone, though. She tapped the text message app, then scrolled down to Sunset’s name. The last message was from eight months ago – an argument that they had never resolved. Twilight glared as she looked at the last exchange, as if she could somehow send her disdain as an attachment through the phone.
But that wasn’t why she’d pulled up the message, so she took a deep breath and tried to remember that some things were more important than an old grudge. She typed out a message.
‘Just got off the phone with Fluttershy. I might have accidentally upset her. Could you tell her I’m sorry? And I think it would be worth looking into therapy after everything that happened, I think it would really help her.’
Twilight read back the message without hitting send. She could already hear Sunset’s voice in her head.
“She doesn’t need therapy, she just needs time to adjust without people like you making things worse. She already has enough going on without you piling stuff on top of it.”
That wasn’t fair. They had their differences, but Twilight knew Sunset would never react like that. But knowing that didn’t stop her from deleting the message without sending it.
Twilight set her phone down on her bed and lay still while petting Spike. Nothing about the day had gone right, and she wasn’t sure how to salvage any of it.
Not that she wound up having the chance to think about it before something else popped up. A knock on the door pulled her out of her thoughts. Wondering who it could possibly be, she rose to her feet to answer it.
To her surprise, Moon Dancer was on the other side. For a moment, both of them just stared at one another after the door was opened; Twilight in confusion, Moon Dancer in annoyance.
“Oh, Moon Dancer,” Twilight managed after letting the silence sit for entirely too long. “I didn’t expect to see you again today.”
“You did tell me to stop by,” Moon Dancer pointed out.
“Well, yeah. But I never even told you where I live.”
Moon Dancer rolled her eyes and shook her head. “I live on the same floor as you.” To accentuate her point, she pointed at a door down the hall. “Not very observant for someone who’s supposed to be smart, are you?”
Twilight looked between the door and Moon Dancer. How had she never noticed that? It wasn’t like she ever paid attention to who lived in the rooms around her, but Moon Dancer had been on her radar for weeks.
Kicking herself for being so absent-minded, Twilight forced a chuckle and stepped to the side. “So… why don’t you come in and we can talk?”
Moon Dancer didn’t move right away, and Twilight was left wondering if she really wasn’t going to come in. But after a moment, Moon Dancer entered and Twilight closed the door behind her.
“Sorry about earlier,” Twilight said. “I wasn’t expecting that call. A friend of mine is going through something really awful and needed to talk.”
For some reason, Moon Dancer gave a mirthless laugh. “Huh, so you have friends?”
Twilight furrowed her brow. “What’s that supposed to mean?”
“Nothing.” Since it was the only chair in the room, Moon Dancer took a seat at Twilight’s desk. She propped her head up on her hand and didn’t quite look at Twilight. “I’m just surprised to hear you actually putting a friend before a study project.”
Twilight frowned. “You don’t even know me. So why does it feel like you have something against me?”
Moon Dancer lifted her eyes to meet Twilight’s. “You really don’t remember at all, do you?”
“Remember what?”
Moon Dancer held Twilight’s eyes for a moment, then turned away. “Nothing. So what’s this project?”
What was that about? No matter how smart Moon Dancer was, Twilight was beginning to think maybe she wasn’t the type of person she wanted to involve in a magical study after all.
She looked to Spike out of habit more than anything, but he just shrugged. It wasn’t like he could really give his opinion, he knew better than to talk around someone new.
Twilight pushed up her glasses. She’s gotten Moon Dancer to agree to listen, she should at least give her the chance to show she could be trusted. “Well, I’m sort of studying a new field. But the thing is, the whole thing is a huge secret. So if we’re going to work on this together, I need to know I can trust you to keep everything under wraps.”
“Look, you came to me. You have to be able to tell me something if you want me to sign up for this.”
“I came to you because of your academic track record, but you haven’t given me a lot of reason to want to trust you with it.”
Moon Dancer leaned back and folded her arms. “We’ve met before, you know.”
That caught Twilight off guard. “We have?”
“Typical,” Moon Dancer spat. “Fifth grade? We were partners on every single group project!”
Twilight thought back. There had been a girl she worked with on a few projects, but she couldn’t remember much about her. “That was you?”
“We sat next to each other all year! I even invited you to my first sleepover for my tenth birthday.”
“What? But I didn’t go to any sleepovers in elementary school.”
Moon Dancer turned away. “Yeah, I never said you showed up.”
Twilight pressed her hand against the bridge of her nose and sighed. “I’m sorry. I was pretty bad at the whole friendship thing back then.”
“You seem pretty good at it now,” Moon Dancer said bitterly.
Yeah, Twilight was really great at friendship now. That’s why she’d just upset one of her friends and failed to even so much as message another. “I don’t know about that, but I do try to be more thoughtful towards others now.”
Moon Dancer turned back towards her for a moment and seemed to be studying her. Regardless of what she found, she turned away again without saying anything.
Twilight was torn. On the one hand, she couldn’t deny she’d probably been a pretty lousy friend back in elementary school, and she felt bad for doing something that had clearly hurt Moon Dancer’s feelings. On the other hand, having a research partner who was still holding a grudge from nine years ago wasn’t exactly appealing.
While she was debating what to do, Spike got off the bed and walked over to Moon Dancer. She smiled at him and stroked his head. As he leaned into it, he cast Twilight a look that Moon Dancer couldn’t possibly understand.
Well, that settled it. Twilight stepped closer to the two of them. “Moon Dancer, I’m really sorry for how I was back then. But I’m willing to start over if you are.”
At first, Moon Dancer just kept petting Spike without saying anything. Then after a moment, she sighed and smiled. “Yeah, alright. Guess I can’t stay bitter forever, huh?”
Twilight smiled as well. “Well, I guess you could, but I doubt it would make you very happy.” She extended her hand. “So… friends?”
Moon Dancer smirked and shook Twilight’s hand. “Sure, friends.”
“Alright!” Spike said. “I knew you’d do the right thing!”
“Spike!” Twilight grimaced as Moon Dancer screamed.
“What?” Spike shrugged. “You said it was okay to talk around friends.”
Twilight facepalmed. “I meant friends who already know you can talk!
Spike pouted. “But it’s no fun staying quiet all the time…”
Twilight sighed and bent down to pet him. “I know… But it’s really important. Who knows what would happen if the wrong person finds out? You could even be taken away from me.”
“But… Moon Dancer isn’t the wrong person. She’s a friend now!”
“Yeah, but –”
“This is incredible!” Moon Dancer slid off the chair to her knees so she could better look at Spike. “Is he some sort of animatronic? He feels so lifelike!”
Spike struck a pose. “That’s because I am! I’m one hundred percent dog!”
“He is,” Twilight said. “I know it’s hard to believe, but Spike got himself mixed up with some magic and, well, he can talk now.”
“You say that like you weren’t involved too,” Spike said.
Before Twilight could reply, Moon Dancer cut in. “Wait, did you say magic?”
Twilight and Spike exchanged looks, then she turned to Moon Dancer and grinned. “So… how would you like to hear about that research I’ve been doing?”
“Alright, so what’s the big news?”
Twilight turned to see Sunset walk into the garage that served as her workshop. She beamed and held up her newest accomplishment for her friend to see. “I just finished it!”
Sunset walked closer and examined the device in Twilight’s hands. “Is that what I think it is?”
A circular device rested in Twilight’s palm. It resembled a compact mirror with a clamshell design. “Close! It’s based on the one I used during the Friendship Games, but I’ve improved the design considerably. This one is much safer, promise. It’ll only detect magic when it’s activated without siphoning it.”
Sunset didn’t seem reassured. “How do you know?”
“I’ve read and reread all the notes we’ve made from our research, and the information Princess Twilight sent has been just as insightful as it is fascinating. In theory, this should –”
“In theory.” Sunset frowned and crossed her arms. “Twilight, you can’t possibly think using this thing is a good idea!”
“What?” Twilight asked softly. She looked between Sunset and the device in her palm. “Sunset, I know so much more now. This one will work, trust me.”
Sunset sighed. “How do you still not know enough to realize you don’t understand what you’re dealing with? I don’t even understand how magic works in this world, and I grew up around it!”
“That’s why we need to keep studying it, and this will help!” Twilight held up the device as if looking at it for long enough would convince Sunset’s mind. “Please, I need you to trust me with this.”
“No.” Sunset held out her hand. “You know I want to trust you, Twilight. But I can’t, not with how you’ve been acting, and not with this. This has to stop.”
“What do you mean?”
“Give me the device.”
Twilight pulled her hand back, holding the device to her chest. “Sunset, please…”
“I know you think you’ve learned a lot about magic, but be reasonable. You can’t possibly know what that thing will do, not without testing it. And we won’t have a way to test it until it’s too late.”
That wasn’t true. Twilight had already tested the device, but she couldn’t tell Sunset that. She could never tell Sunset about that. “Sunset, I… I need this. I need you to help me with it.”
“Listen to yourself! You’re obsessed! Magic is dangerous. You of all people should know that.”
“I do!” Twilight’s fingers gripped the device so tightly that her hand started shaking. Twilight knew that better than anyone, and that was precisely why this was so important.
“I don’t want to argue with you.” Sunset fixed Twilight with a glare and nodded towards her extended hand. “But I can’t let you do something this dangerous. Give me the device.”
Twilight glared back. She was about to refuse, then something caught her eye – a purple glow from behind Sunset. The other girl couldn’t see, but it encased a paint can that started floating slightly in the air. Twilight gasped and turned away, she knew what came next.
She needed Sunset to leave immediately, so she held out the device. She didn’t look, but she felt Sunset remove it from her hand.
“I’m sorry, Twilight.”
“Just go!”
There was a moment’s pause, then Twilight heard Sunset’s footsteps as she walked away. She waited until the door opened and closed, then fell to the floor and cried.
Twilight was still angry. Every time she remembered that moment, she felt herself fill with rage at Sunset’s refusal to help her when she needed it most. It didn’t matter how many times she rationalized Sunset’s point of view, or how much time had passed. Twilight was angry.
Even after spending the whole afternoon going over notes with Moon Dancer. Even after the relief of having someone at her college that shared her excitement and agreed to keep it secret. All day, Twilight had thought of Sunset. And she was angry.
It was late. Moon Dancer had left hours ago, and Twilight should be asleep. She never did sleep much, though. She didn’t like what happened when she slept. Didn’t like the things she saw.
Not that she didn’t also see them when she was awake sometimes.
“It’s not fair, is it?”
Twilight closed her eyes to try and shut out the voice. It didn’t work.
“You did everything right, and she still wouldn’t trust you.”
No. Don’t listen to her. Never listen to her.
“You were right, you know. That device would have worked perfectly.”
“Why won’t you just go away?” Twilight asked.
She felt a hand on her shoulder. She didn’t need to look, she knew who it was, but she did anyway.
A figure that looked very much like Twilight herself floated in the air beside her. She was taller, had wings and a horn that looked like it was made of pure light, and her skin was the color of midnight.
“You know, you could do so much if you’d just let me help you.”
“No.”
The figure floated around Twilight, appearing on her other side. She kept her hand in place, so that her arm was wrapped around Twilight’s shoulders. “All this business of trying to study magic with science, and here I am ready to give you all the answers.”
“I said no.”
“Twilight?” Spike said sleepily, but she barely recognized it.
“And just think about what you could do! Here, I’ll give you a little insight for free.” The figure leaned in so that her mouth was right next to Twilight’s ear. “You’re right about other worlds. There’s far more than just two. And your friend who wants to go to one where her daughter is alive? I could make that happen.”
Twilight balled her hands into fists. “I don’t –”
“You could make that happen.” The figure backed away, hovering in the air without ever needing to use her wings. “You could be what reunites them with their child. Think about how happy they’d be. Then Sunset would finally understand that you were right!”
“Stop it!” Twilight glared at the figure. “I wanted Sunset’s help so I could learn to get rid of you!”
The figure only laughed. “That isn’t going to happen. You and me? We’re quite inseparable now.”
“Go away!” On instinct, Twilight threw out her hand. It became surrounded by a purple aura, as did a book from across the room.
The book flew through the air directly at the figure. It was propelled by nothing more than her force of will, by her magic. The book passed through the spot where the figure had been, but she vanished before Twilight’s eyes.
“Twilight, snap out of it!”
Twilight looked down to see Spike had his front paws against her leg. She dropped to the floor and held him tightly. As always, Spike was the only one who she could turn to, the only one who could help keep her grounded.
“Was it her again?” Spike asked softly after a moment.
“Yes…” Twilight said. As always, Spike hadn’t been able to see or hear the figure. A testament of Twilight’s failures, Midnight Sparkle existed only to torment her and no one else.
“We’ll get her,” Spike reassured her. “Moon Dancer will help.”
“I hope you’re right, Spike.”
From some distant place, Twilight could hear laughter. She squeezed her eyes shut and held Spike tightly, and tried in vain to ignore the voice that only she could hear.
“Sunset was right about one thing. You have no idea what you’re dealing with, Twilight Sparkle. But don’t worry. No matter how dark it is, Midnight is here to watch over you.”