//------------------------------// // Prologue: A Story of Two // Story: Empty Horizons: The Lost Student // by Psyonicg //------------------------------// Pain.  Their flank burned despite the icy water that rhythmically washed across the debris they had clambered onto. Their breath rarely came, and when it did, it was weak, and barely alleviated the fire in their lungs. But no matter how much Twilight pushed or struggled, she could not move her body any more than she could reverse time and change what had just happened.  Her own words still echoed tauntingly in her head, her brain replaying the scene over and over in an attempt to figure out what she could have done differently. They were power... They were vengeance... They were magic. The ring had buckled beneath their strength like they knew it would, and they had bathed the world in their light, sundering anything that dared to contain their brilliance.  The ring, the cell, and then the ship itself had been split apart in the wake of their power. Now they were free. Not only from chains and cages, but free from rules, free from limits, free from anything or anypony who would stop them. A hundred thoughts rushed through their head as they burst from the ship and into the night sky, each one organised and prioritised, a list of objectives to complete before the night was done. They did enjoy a good list. First, the still-crumbling wreckage of the Screech. As enticing as the thought of leaving the callous bounty hunters to suffer the same fate as their ship was, the nauseous feeling it brought them was stronger, and any and all distractions had to be removed.  It was an insignificant use of their power to ping the two halves of the ship as it began falling from the sky, her magic showing her clearly where everypony was as they scrambled for safety. A simple teleport, amplified by their power, and the ones who had survived their initial escape were scrambling through the dirt on the other side of the island – groaning in pain, but alive. With that urgent task dealt with, they turned their eyes to the stilled estate beneath them. They had been fighting, that much was obvious, but Twilight’s emergence had brought on a temporary awe-inspired ceasefire, ponies too busy gaping up into the sky at their magnificence to continue their petty battle. For a moment they revelled in the feeling; their mere presence was enough to stop the hostilities! But that wouldn’t last… and those monsters had attacked their friends.  They would make sure it never happened again. Awe was replaced by terror as their brilliant light arced out and struck a trio of soldiers gawking inside the courtyard, reducing them to ash in an instant, the echoing thunderclap of their power briefly overpowering the shouts that came a moment later. After that first display of power, their targets scattered like the cowards they were in a desperate attempt to escape justice. But their eyes saw everything, and their power stretched across the entire island. There was nowhere to run, and they had been so kind as to wear such a distinctive green; it was trivial to spot them despite their efforts to hide. It wasn’t a battle, it wasn’t even a game. It was simply what had to be done. And the cowering wretches knew they could not escape. So as a cornered beast does when it realises it is trapped, they fought back. Bullets whizzed through the air, only to be repelled by the sheer immensity of their magic; their body was surrounded by an incandescent glow that bathed the sky in their own lavender twilight, and its strength repelled the projectiles back down to the earth without so much as a thought. In fact, none of it took any thought; it was mindless, it was easy. There was no challenge here, no thrill to be had in the removal of these meaningless pawns. But there were more than just pawns at play, and as Twilight mentally looked down her list, she knew exactly which piece she wanted to deal with next. “Gava!” Their voice thrummed across the island, borne on winds of magic to every corner that the bounty hunter could be hiding. “Where are you?!” There! She caught the faintest of motions from the edges of the island. Did the idiot really think she could hide? An amused chuckle escaped them as they soared across the sky, their horn releasing a searing streak of light that seemed to cut the very world in twain, aimed directly at the fleeing griffon seeking to escape her. “You can’t hide from me, fledgeling!” Twilight smirked in satisfaction as the sheer power their magic gave off was enough to toss the coward from the sky. Good. They would have been disappointed had it ended so soon. They watched as she tumbled through the air before colliding with the remnants of the estate walls, careening off the stone and into the grounds where she crashed into the dirt, leaving a trench of disturbed earth behind her. And yet even then she refused to relent, staggering to her claws and limping towards the mansion. Perhaps if she’d turned to face them, they would have granted her a warrior’s death. But no, she was a coward, just like the rest of them! Twilight growled, soaring down out of the sky and slamming into the centre of the courtyard with a resounding crash. Their magic cleared the area around them in moments, vaporising their immediate surroundings and creating a swirling maelstrom of dust and dirt that flowed around them like a storm, caught in the force of their magical aura. But they didn’t care about that; there was only one thing they cared about. The one who locked them in that cell. The one who chased them across Equestria as a sport!  The one who hurt their friends! Rage was in ample supply, and they felt it burning through them as they reached out with their magic to grasp the source of all their pain, a vile satisfaction spreading through them as the little griffon squirmed. “Come to me, coward, I want to see you die!” It felt exquisite. All the anguish and hopelessness they had felt, all being released on someone who deserved it. This monster wasn’t going to hurt anyone ever again. They would wipe her dirty mark from this world. And they would enjoy it. Nothing would stop them. Not the soldiers who screamed in fear beneath them, nor the pegasi who threw themselves forward to try and tackle them. But the distractions were growing tedious—they were not the enemy here! “Do not interfere!” They smiled as the soldiers flinched away, as they should, but the smile became a frown as one of the soldiers stepped forward again, shouting up at her. The storm muffled her words, but she caught the end of it. Something about returning. The idea was laughable, and as they turned their focus back to the one who deserved it, they made sure to make the guard clear that their message had been ignored. “There is nowhere to return to.” And suddenly, there was no more excitement. No more thrill. There was just hate, hate for this griffon who had taken so much from them, who had hurt them for no other reason than her own selfish gain. With barely a thought, their magic swelled up inside of them, ripping the ground away to reveal the churning ocean below. It was time to end this. “Join your ancestors, fledgeling.” But then… then everything had gone terribly terribly wrong. They had been so close.  They could have fixed everything: saved their friends, stopped the attacking soldiers, and dealt with the bounty hunters all in one moment! But instead, they were trapped within their own mind, consumed by doubts when their goal should never have been clearer. Inside the library, their anger and frustration manifested as swirling clouds of crimson flames flickering in a black fog, surrounding the two mares as they screamed at each other; both of them oblivious to the way their words caused the energies around them to pulse and writhe. “When we agreed to flee I assumed you had a plan, an idea of where we would go. I did not agree to this!”  “You said you wouldn’t hurt them, and you lied. I don’t care what you did or didn’t agree to, I’m the one in control now!” “And you’re going to get the both of us killed with your stupidity! Even as we speak, our body is at risk of sinking beneath the waves. How long before we drown, or worse?” “Well if you’d just! Let! Go!”  Arcs of lavender magic crackled against waves, directionless and uncontrolled as the two struggled for control of their power, scaring off the curious denizens of the deep that had come in search of prey. “No! Only I can guide us to our desires! You’re too much of a coward to do what has to be done!” “Cowardice and kindness are not the same thing! Not that you’d ever understand that!”  The shifting miasma around them thickened as they argued, creeping across their hooves, sinking into their coats, and darkening the room around them. “Call it whatever you want, it only holds us back! ‘Kindness’ has only hurt us! Or do you not remember?” They awoke with a start. No. Something else had joined them in their slumber. Everything was bright and confusing. They were in pain. They needed to do something! There was power, energy all around them. They could feel it straining and yearning to be called upon. They reached out, slowly. The power burned at their very being, but it also felt good. Safe. They hesitated for a moment before reaching out again. This time it didn’t hurt, and energy flowed through them.  But what could they do with it? The question was answered for them, something pulling at the magic insistently. They relinquished their hold and felt the monster retreat. Again, they pulled the power to them and let it flow outwards. They didn’t understand where it was going, but every time they did it, they felt the monster retreat a little further. The creature had forced itself into their dreams, waking them up from an eternity of darkness as it tried to tear their mind apart, but they would stop it! Finally, the shifting energies seemed to relax and the brightness faded away but… the pull was still asking for more. Instinct drove them as they drew on that magic, spells rushing through their mind without understanding. Spells to heal, to rejuvenate, to replenish, and as the pain faded away, they felt calm, relaxed.  The sensation was new, but they knew that it was good. They had helped. They could help more. Slowly, they stretched their perception outside of their starry home for the first time, seeking the source of the pull. “It must be those dream creatures,” she said, looking closer at the shrivelled corpse of a Royal Guard. “They’re inducing a coma in anything that wanders in, then feed on their dreams until they die.” I wonder if there are any side effects? she thought as she calmly examined old wounds marked in the guard’s bones. They were a she. She was a she! Feelings and thoughts rushed in, more than she had ever felt before. And they were exhilarating. She felt concern, tension, excitement; all of them were overwhelming in their intensity, but exhilarating enough to make her head spin. Head spin? What did that mean? She didn’t know, but it felt right. Suddenly all of that was washed away by another emotion, stronger than any of the others. Tears welled up in her eyes, and she desperately reached her perception outwards in search of the source. What she saw was beautiful. A goddess, serene and perfect, marred by sickness.  A sickness? Red streaks ran down across the goddess’ cheeks. It was wrong. Why? She didn’t understand, why was that wrong? Desperate for answers, she turned her perception back inward. Her once empty world was now full of ribbons of light that swirled and spun through the darkness. And in the middle of it stood a… something.  She moved towards it and examined the object. It stood tall, a mighty pillar rising up above her before stretching out wide. It was covered in… smaller softer things. And its surface was broken up by a number of strange items. Slowly, information filtered through to her. Home. This was home? She floated into it and was shocked to see that the pillar was empty. No, hollow! It was hollow. Inside were other items, full of colour and light. Instinct drove her onwards to something in the centre of the pillar. A table. And on it was a… book. That was good. Books were good. She reached out to touch the book, and she was assaulted with more information than she had ever felt before. She wasn’t alone! She had a partner, a companion, an ally? Words rushed to her and each one was discarded in turn until she found the perfect word. A sister!  Her sister’s name was Twilight, she was a unicorn, she had five wonderful friends and she was from Equestria. She studied beneath the Princess but—the Princess was gone? Vague sensations of movement and travel filtered down to her from the outside, but she brushed them aside; she needed to understand. Their world was gone. The Princess was gone. A need struck her and she began to scour their home for information. She didn’t even notice that she was no longer just her at first. She moved through the pillar—no, the tree—on hooves. She was like her sister! Excitement rushed through her as she began to scour the library, so much knowledge and so many memories to explore. So caught up in the joy of discovery, she ignored the sound of rushing water and humming mechanisms that filtered from the outside of the tree, the vague notion of travel far less interesting than learning about her sister. That excitement slowly faded as she began to stumble upon more and more feelings of loss and pain and misery that seemed to lurk in every book she read. Something horrible had happened, but whenever she tried to focus on the memory, the feeling of drowning sent her fleeing back. She didn’t understand. But she would. She could do it. They could do it. There was so much more to learn but… something was wrong. The tree was shaking and there was a horrible sensation deep in her… stomach? She didn’t know what it meant, but she knew what she had to do. She had helped her sister defeat the monster before, and she could do it again. Rushing out of the tree, she expanded her awareness and let the sensations of her sister filter though. It was deafening and confusing and it hurt! There was a constant thrum, punctuated by a deep thud-thud-thud that seemed to shake her to the very core, and she could feel her sister’s pain in her own body like they were one and the same. She didn’t know what was happening, but she didn’t need to; she just needed to understand one thing. There was a monster, and the monster had her friend. It was going to hurt her other friends as well.  Just the thought of that filled her with fury, eclipsing every other emotion with its strength. How dare they threaten my friends! Power lay all around her, and she summoned as much of it as she possibly could. She knew how to deal with monsters; they had to die! She would destroy them! She would save her friends!  But before she could, all of the power was ripped away from her, channelled into a spell she could barely understand, let alone cast. What was happening? Where had her magic gone? Understanding came slowly, but when it did it left her reeling. Her sister had taken it! They had used it to get rid of the monsters with a spell so complicated that it was beyond her own understanding. The realisation made her giddy; her sister was so clever, she didn’t even need all this power to save their friends!  Twilight watched with excitement through her sister’s eyes as the evil monsters were dispatched… but their friend hadn’t come back yet. Excitement dropped away and was replaced with a horrible feeling she quickly identified as worry as she saw something lurching away from them. She didn’t understand what it was, but her sister’s worry made it very clear—their friend was on it. They had to rescue her!  Her sister clearly understood better than she did because not a moment later and they were standing on the strange object, shouting at the monsters to give their friend back! But the monsters refused to back down, even when the other her had been willing to show Kindness, to let them live. Suddenly, everything shifted. Nothing had hit them, but her chest felt like it was being crushed. Pain lanced through and she screamed into the void as she watched her friend collapse to the floor. “NO!” The pain was unbearable, ripping her apart without mercy. Desperately she reached out for something, anything to stop it.  She found anger and rage. Burning hatred flooded her and numbed the pain, giving her clarity, and with it, power. Power enough to destroy every last monster that would ever dare hurt her friends.  “I’ll flay him alive! Tear the skin from his flesh, turn his bones to searing fire, plunge him into an unending nightmare of–” “Stop!” The anger was momentarily washed away by the force of her sister’s shout. But it returned easily when she felt all the power she had gathered pulled from her and unleashed upon the monsters that dared threaten them, crushing them against the floor with unstoppable strength. “Yes! Yes! Do it!”  But the other her didn’t do it; she teleported down into the depths of the ship instead. Twilight’s confusion was quickly replaced by understanding as she saw her friends chained down. Of course, first, they had to save their friends. Then they could unleash their power on the monsters!  It barely took a moment for them to bring all their friends to their side. Now there were only the monsters left to deal with. But the other her didn’t do it. She hesitated. What was she waiting for? “You’ve got your friends. Now crush your foes. You have the power. End them, and they’ll never bother you again!” Why wasn’t she doing it?  Why was she casting that spell again? They hadn’t killed the monsters.  “No!” Twilight cried out in anger as the other her retreated back to their own ship. There had to be an answer; there had to be a reason. She dug into the other her’s thoughts desperately, but all she could find was that same word. Kindness. What did that mean? “Your kindness blinded you! You let them live, and they came back to hurt your friends again! You should have finished them off when you had the chance!” “And be like you? You’re no better than Gava!” The shroud of darkness thickened, pulsing with a sinister light that reflected off their eyes, making them shimmer red in the barely visible lighting of the library. “How dare you! Everything I ever did, I did to protect you! How can you not see the difference between killing to protect the ones you love and killing as a cruel sport? I am nothing like that monster. Nothing!” “I just watched you slaughter countless ponies, treat Gava like your sadistic plaything, and rip apart the very island my friends stood on! You’re not just like her, you’re worse!” “They were trying to kill our friends. They were the monsters, and I put them down. Just like they deserved!” “And Pinkie? Did she deserve what you did to her?” The deafening sound of magic surging all around them seemed to abate for the briefest moment, a lull that only made its return all the more chaotic. “It was her fault! She got in my way!” “How can you possibly blame her for what you did? How is anything you’ve done been to protect me? You do nothing but hurt ponies and poison my thoughts with your hatred!” “My hatred? You’re the one who pushes down all your anger and fear until it can’t be held back anymore! I’m doing the things you’re too scared to do!”  “You’re wrong! I’m not scared to hurt ponies, I’m—” “Better than that? Don’t give me that look. That is what you were going to say, wasn’t it? Tell me, how is letting your friends suffer better than keeping them safe? How is hiding from everything that scares you better than having the strength to face it?”    Angry crimson sparks crackled across their horn, vicious red tears staining the rock beneath them ever so briefly before being washed away by the waves. “You hide your weakness behind a veneer of goodness, but that’s all it is, a cover. You claim to be better than me because of your morals, but what about the phoenix?”  “...” “Well? What about the monster that wanted nothing more than to kill you, that was nothing more than a mindless creature of magic and hate? Who saved us then?” “I... “ Twilight pushed another book to the side, sighing in frustration as she tried in vain to find an explanation. She’d been searching ever since her sister had let those monsters go, but no matter how many times she looked over the memory, or scoured through her sister’s thoughts, she could never find an explanation. It was illogical, it was stupid. And it didn’t make any sense! Her sister was clever; she was powerful and strong and capable. But she had made such a simple mistake and it was infuriating trying to understand why. There must be something she was missing.  But if there was, she couldn’t comprehend it. Was there some sort of line? Everything on one side of the line was okay but everything on the other was ‘going too far’. She had no idea what that meant, but her sister was very determined that it was the right way of doing things. And she trusted her sister. One thing she very clearly comprehended, though, was that she had done something wrong. When she had brought all her power—no, her sister’s power. When she had summoned it all up and given it over, it had been too much. Watching her sister cry into the hooves of their friend had felt like watching that monster attack her all over again, and she’d ended up retreating deep into her home to escape the sensation. But even hidden in the tree, buried far inside of her sister’s mind, the memory of the scene continued to haunt her; and so she continued to root deep within the tomes that lined the walls of their home for answers. Nothing but frustration met her attempts, and it wasn’t long before she began to feel the familiar gnawing of anger at her thoughts. These books weren’t helping, and she didn’t have many other options. Her sister only seemed to be reachable when she slept, and Twilight had watched the beautiful world she lived in twist and bloom into a tapestry of colour and feeling every time it happened. But no matter how much she tried, she couldn’t push herself into those ‘dreams’. She thought that she had come close once, desperately calling out a greeting, but it had only caused her sister to awaken. So she sat alone. Studying. Her reading had taught her that studying was supposed to be fun, but she had never felt worse. Nothing made sense and there was a sickly horrible feeling that made her stomach ache every time she paused to think. She didn’t know what it was, but she was growing to hate it in the tree.  Days passed by like that, an endless monotony of trawling through information she barely understood in search of an answer to a question she didn’t even know. Sometimes she wished she could return to the comforting darkness from before she had woken up.  Finally, she could take it no more. She had to do something. Pulling back the curtains and throwing open the door of the library, she floated out into the consciousness and reached out to watch her sister’s perception. What she saw, and felt, almost made her retreat back into the safety of their home. The same horrible pain in her chest from before crushed down around her as she watched her sister move through endless murky water.    Just the sight of it made her recoil.  And as surface memories began to filter in, the pain only seemed to worsen. Her friends were down here, buried under the waves and rock of… a fallen island?  She didn’t understand what that meant, but the concept made the tears dripping down her cheeks flow all the more freely. Why was her sister here? Just to hurt them?  She couldn’t endure any more of this. She couldn’t understand how her sister was able to; it was unbearable. With a whimper she began to pull herself away, trying to escape the pain before it overwhelmed her.  Wait. Something new, welling up in her chest and pushing the pain away. What was that? With wide eyes, she turned back around and sought what could possibly be strong enough to save her from the horrible sensation. An… invitation? “YOU’RE INVITED TO PINKIE PIE’S GETTING-THE-GANG-TOGETHER PARTY AT ALTALUSIA THIS ??? PS: Don’t worry about us, Twilight! I just had a hoof twitch, rump itch, nose flick, and that means everything’s gonna be okay! Just relax and come to enjoy the party!” She struggled to grasp the meaning for a moment, before realising she didn’t need to understand what the words said; the invitation meant her friends were alive! Everything was okay!  The feeling in her chest continued to well up and together, she and her sister laughed and laughed until all the pain had gone away. And at that moment, so many things suddenly made sense. Laughter.  All the horrible sensations were swept aside, replaced by an indescribable feeling that she wished would last forever.  Her hopes were shattered when the world suddenly began to shake. She only had a moment to look around in panic before it twisted. Twilight cried out as she was thrown down, a shrill, warbling cry echoing all around her and causing the stars to blink out; they returned moments later, as ugly pulsing crimson pinpoints in the darkness. The cry only seemed to be getting louder, drilling into her mind and making her writhe in pain. What was happening? Why was it so hard to think? Why did she feel such an urge to listen? Everything was getting darker. Everything except the cry seemed to be fading away. And it wasn’t so bad anymore, almost enjoyable. In fact, Twilight thought it sounded beautiful. She could let all her pain and worry fade away and just relax as she took control–  Wait. Power rushed into her and she flung herself upwards. With a scream of anger, she let that power wash out across her home and was proud to see the stars return to their normal purple and white, whatever foul influence the creature had tried to taint her with burning away beneath her strength.  The sound was still there, fainter now but no less unnerving. It felt like it was trying to worm its way inside her and... She didn’t know. But she knew that she couldn’t let it happen. She drew on all the magic she could find, shielding herself and her sister from the awful screams before pushing her perception outwards. This time, unlike before, she felt her view shift dramatically. What was going on? Everything was moving without her. What was this feeling? Her body felt so heavy. Realisation suddenly snapped into place. She wasn’t just looking through her sister, she was her sister! She watched as she – as her sister – as they clambered out of the rocky passage and gazed out on the endless water, and the monster floating in it. Reflexively she hissed, anger flaring up in her breast. To her surprise, her sister seemed to hear her, hesitating for a moment before pushing their magic down. Twilight flinched in confusion, what were they doing?  They had all this power, they could destroy the monster easily! They weren’t even using their magic to protect their friend, instead slamming into them physically to throw them away from the monster’s attack.  Twilight raged inside her mind as they continued to throw themselves out of the way, dodging attacks but never retaliating. They were going to get hurt! They had to do something! The anger only grew as their so-called friends ignored her, acting as if they knew more than her sister. It only made Twilight’s frustration grow, and as the monster suddenly dove down towards them, she did the only thing she could think of. It wasn’t just her sister’s power. It was theirs! Rage drove her to brush aside her sister’s misguided attempts at suppressing their power; she forced the magic they possessed into the first thing she could think off. With a pop, they vanished. To her shock, rather than be relieved that they had moved safely, her sister seemed to panic as they reappeared, pulling the magic away from her forcibly. She was so confused, why wouldn’t her sister just let her help? Stay away from me! The sudden message rang through their mind and instinct drove her to respond. The words came without thought. You need me. I don’t want your help. I can take care of myself! Twilight nodded, trying to project her agreement into words. Of course, her sister could take care of herself, but she could help! They were stronger together. But still, her sister resisted as they tumbled and struggled through the water. The monster was hurting them! Why couldn’t she help? Was there a plan she didn’t understand? Stay away! I don’t need you! Twilight winced as she continued to watch, shivering as she felt the icy water against their body. She had to trust that her sister knew what to do; her sister always knew what to do! But… her sister had never acted like this. Twilight could feel the panic and fear and uncertainty echoing all around her. Unbidden, she remembered what she had learnt from her time scanning through her sister’s mind. ...the only trouble is when she needs help she finds it hard to accept it. So while friendship is about giving of ourselves to friends, it's also about accepting what our friends have to offer. In her panic, she had forgotten the things that made her strong. But Twilight wouldn’t let her sister down. She knew that she could help, and if she had to force her sister to accept that help, then she would; her sister would understand why. Focusing all her thoughts and magic, she started to push. Trying to force the magic into her sister’s grasp. Even when her sister started to struggle – You’re evil! – even when she tried to pull the magic away, Twilight refused to give up and then, suddenly, as if a switch was flipped, she was in control.  Complete control. All of their power burst out from them like a tidal wave, sending the monster careening back helplessly. With merciless efficiency, Twilight surged forward and surrounded the monster in magic, crushing it under their power and suppressing any, and all, magic it might try to cast.  Impassively she watched as it struggled, expending more and more energy to try and break free from her clutches. But she was stronger, and she refused to relent.  With the monster safely contained, she turned her intention inward, to her struggling sister. To her surprise, she found that the connection between the outside world and their home in the starry expanse was only difficult to traverse one way.  Glee spread through her as she rushed down, breezing through the door to their tree and up the stairs, only to stop before the simple wooden door. She had never entered her sister’s personal room; it had always felt wrong. But now she couldn’t resist the chance to talk with her face to face! Effortlessly she passed into the bedroom and hesitated, staring at her sister as she struggled under the bedsheets. Even in distress, she couldn’t help but stare in wonder. Never before had she seen something so perfect, it felt like staring at the flowers in the vase down below. But so much more so. She’s perfect. She deserves to rest, to sleep.  Instinct drove her forward, urging her to gently push her sister down. “Where are you going, little flower?” Twilight watched as her sister rolled over, looking up at her with confusion. She gave a warm smile and gently patted the bed. “Don’t you want to sleep?” She knew her sister wanted to. She could feel the relief emanating from her, even if she was too stubborn to accept it. “My friends…” “You deserve to rest,” she said as she grabbed the blankets and tucked them up around her sister’s neck. “I can handle everything.” But still she struggled. “No, no… rest… ” She was so strong, so determined. But she had to rest, she needed to. There were a million questions that Twilight was desperate to ask but she couldn’t do that, not now, not when her sister was so exhausted. There would be tomorrow and the day after that. For now, she had a monster to deal with. “Sleep, little flower.” As she stepped away, she summoned forth a number of memories she knew would bring her sister comfort, the sound of her mother’s voice, the smell of rose pudding, and projected them into the room.  “You must rest, little flower.” Torn between the urge to reassure and the need to destroy the monster that had caused this problem, Twilight glanced back towards the door, restlessly shifting. “Not… yet.” “Please, sister, for me.” Twilight pushed as much concern and empathy into those words as she could, but to her horror, her sister was nowhere to be found. Her eyes widened as she rushed back into the library, her presence expanding to every corner of their home to try and find that familiar presence. Where had she gone?  Where had she gone?! Twilight flung her focus back to the world, where her magic had pinned the monster down against the rock. “WHAT DID YOU DO TO HER?”  Power surged through her, driven and forged by anger into a spear of energy that would ensure this monster never hurt anyone ever again. It would pay for what it had done! “No! Stop!” Her hoof dropped as her eyes widened. That was her sister! How was she there? But it was too late; the magic had been released, and with a burst of energy that turned the world white the monster was no more.  “... I didn’t need saving!” “You were drowning! Freezing! You were trapped by your own fears and panic and you needed help! I thought friends accepted the help of their friends?” The cloud of hatred and anger seemed to shrink away, the genuine honesty in those words momentarily more powerful than their anger. But it couldn’t last. “You’re not my friend! You’re a disease, some construct of dark magic. You’re a sickness!” “The only sickness here is your weakness! If you weren’t so terrified of doing what needed to be done then this would all be over already! I tried to do this the easy way. I tried to show you what we could do together. But now, I’m doing it my way!”  This time, the darkness didn’t stretch outwards into their limbs, but inwards; it surged towards the library with dark intent. But to the surprise of both of them, the library refused to open to their touch, chromatic energy shimmering all around it. “Don’t worry, little flower; soon you’ll be able to rest. Like you deserve. And when you awaken, all our problems will be gone. It’ll be like a bad dream. Just. Give. In.”  Again and again, that darkness slammed into the tree, but it refused to yield. But it didn’t need her, it just needed the magic.  “No! Stop, you can’t have it!”  Once again the two struggled, but this time it wasn’t just for immediate control; the magic flowing through was overwhelming, tearing at their very mind with its power.  “Give it to me!”  It built up, greater and greater within them until it could no longer be contained. It had to be used. “No!”  A spell took shape, one formed of instinct and pain and fear. And with a flash of lavender and red, everything went still. The only sound left was the crashing of the waves. Stretching off into the empty horizon.