//------------------------------// // Witness Interview - "Twilight Sparkle" - May 3rd // Story: They're Never Coming Back // by Flashgen //------------------------------// Transcription of Witness Interview: “Twilight Sparkle” Date: May 3rd Time: 10:15 a.m. Interviewer: Verdant Vines, Head Investigator After review of the journal by Mirror Gleam to verify the lack of harmful enchantments or hexes, I began an initial interview with the entity on the other side of the journal claiming to be Twilight Sparkle. This, and following interviews, will be transcribed from the journal directly. The writing style is decidedly different from the original journal of Twilight’s we found, appearing more jagged and somewhat disconnected. Still, some stylistic similarities are apparent that seem to match her horn writing. Hello, Twilight. Are you still there? (The wait for a reply took several minutes.) yes I apologize for the wait That’s alright. My name is Verdant Vines. I'm the head investigator of the team working here in Ponyville. We arrived here on the 16th of April to assist with those that arrived on the 13th. it is nice to meet to talk with you Verdant Vines it fills me with HOPE that we can save those trapped lost here I understand your feelings, Twilight, especially after what it seems that you and other ponies here went through, based on the writings we’ve discovered. It’s harrowing. Regardless, I need to perform an interview with you to verify your identity and attempt to clarify some information. Is that alright? (There was an extended pause before the next response.) yes I will do all I can Verdant Vines Are you alright, Miss Sparkle? Are you safe? yes I am sorry for the delay I had to be sure I had time safety I’m glad to hear that. I would like to take you at your word, but do you have any information that you can provide to help corroborate your identity? If you were in front of me, I could verify it myself, but you must understand the position that I’m in. Accepting that these words are coming from who you say you are is a difficult request. I understand the trepidation I do not look the same now marred disfigured still my coat is lavender mane purple with streaks cutie mark six-pointed star with five white sparkles surrounding aiding I have been Celestia’s student for years came to Ponyville to study friendship with Applejack Rainbow Dash Rarity Pinkie Pie Fluttershy Spike my assistant a dragon is this enough (Based on the information we were provided by Princess Celestia, this is accurate. Still, there is no guarantee that knowledge wouldn’t be readily available to the residents of Ponyville. I decided to use events from the journal to attempt to verify her identity more concretely.) For basic information, yes. We’d like to be more certain given the circumstances. Can you recall some of the books you looked into for spell research a week or so before we arrived? it has been some time cooking with magic Stalwart Bulwark battle casting blue and yellow it is hazy (Two correct titles, one author and a tangential reference to a third title. Correct enough, especially without access to the journal.) Who were you out with on patrol on April 16th? Applejack Rainbow Dash one of your ponies cannot remember recall the name (Correct, excluding Sugarcane. All of that information, of course, occurred before April 16th and when our investigation began. It’s still possible that someone else in Ponyville could have had that information.) That’s alright, Twilight. I can understand, after so much time, that it might be difficult to recall. Which of your friends was affected? The one that ran away? (The reply took a minute to come. A few moments before the answer came, a blot of black appeared on the page, as if a quill were being held in that spot.) Fluttershy Thank you, Twilight. Can you give me a moment? I need to grab a few extra documents before we continue. of course (I took the time to collect the copies of the other journals that we still had on-site, in addition to any relevant notes. I returned roughly fifteen minutes later.) Twilight? I am here Vines I needed to collect the other journals we’ve found. I’d just like to have the chance to go through events and ask some questions we’ve had, so that we can clarify what might have happened. I will answer aid however I can What we found in your journal says that on the morning of April 16th, when we arrived in Ponyville, you awoke to darkness. A lack of stars, the moon, and the sun. What you wrote said you were here for about two weeks, until the 29th or 30th of April. We collected a journal from Sweet Apple Acres that described events until May 5th, and this journal, Solace’s, describes events over the course of, if the tally marks are correct, 147 days. Do you know how long you have been there? only since I came back to my senses self can I say for sure it is not exact That’s alright, Twilight. I just want to understand what you’ve be (The response came as I was writing.) 648 Days? yes How have you survived that long? this place is different slower Slower? time is slower or not here cannot be sure the body adapts overcomes sometimes You said “this place.” Do you know where you are? here and not dark Twilight, we’ve looked everywhere around Ponyville for anyone that was there on the 15th and 16th. There’s been no sign of you or anypony else. I can try to explain it took time to learn to grasp Alright. Tell me what you know. it is another world not a planet a plane Equestria Equus is like wood a table a block a brick rules are rigid structured ordered defined here is paper flimsy flexible easily moved Moved? Then you aren’t still in Ponyville? for now close it does not have a name this place it does not have anything absence malleable it moves along untraceable winds universal Celestial when away from Equestria from reality it is nothing not darkness not empty nothing when it finds something Equestria it finds form (I gave Twilight time to write her thoughts. When there was a pause longer than a minute, I assumed that the conversation had fallen to me. I needed time to understand and decipher what she was saying as well.) This place, are there creatures there? The things that ponies saw, that might have taken them, that whispered to them and you? yes Are they near you? Hunting you? Pendant, one of my investigators, who found this journal, deciphered a message we found in one of our transcripts. It talked about somepony hiding from them. Was it you? yes apologies not hunting me I am hidden I am safe I left the message I left HOPE (I realized how much I had forced on her in a short span. If I were talking to her, if she were here, it wouldn't have happened. She needed space and time.) I’m sorry, Twilight. I’ll try to space my questions out. We’ve found other messages too, which are not ciphered. They sound like threats. Do you know who sent them? Her others They are planning How did you, and they, leave them? when close reaching out grazing by things that were here have an imprint how i made this sent it delivered You found Solace’s journal then? yes Did you -- find him there? Was he alive? barely he is still here safe Thank you, Twilight. Can you try to take me through the events that happened to you when you were taken to this other world? did you read the story about shadow walkers Yes, we found an entry on them that you seemed to be talking about in a page torn from the journal. They are things made here when this world finds Equestria intersects They can cross touch affect infect (Talk of infection brings to mind one of Twilight’s journal entries: “they will come back again, and spread to everything, just like a VIRUS.”) before then it was grazing just within reach small parts of the town I think ponies wandered wondered close they were caught taken That was before the 16th, correct? yes and others history myth legend that night this place was like a blanket it smothered Ponyville took everypony there’s nothing here but it imprinted everything just the town no sky no stars no moon no LIGHT We found the journal that morning. You said time is different in this place. Two weeks passed by the time we arrived? more different for each I do not know how much when the world moved shifted abandoned things were left no ponies And you said you’ve possibly experienced 648 days at least. Could others there have experienced that much time? possibly some are alive still here I know it I feel it I feel them That’s good to hear, Twilight. So everypony in Ponyville was taken to this place, this other world, and time is different there. Is it different in different places? Applejack seemed to experience an extra week or so of time than you all did at your library. And you found her journal afterwards. yes I cannot define place measure except my own I simply know You made some observations in your journal, about how things were in this place. Can you elaborate on some of them? there is no LIGHT here cold outside of it no not warm outside of it space limited run outside of space space copied circles loops Solace mentioned something like that while mapping hallways connected to Town Hall. He said that rooms moved. Repeated. yes but no that was intentional town hall was special location material ley lines it was safe for a while isolated others leaving town found nothing but iteration reprise capitulation (This could be an explanation for how we found Town Hall completely bereft of any items, except for the mayor’s office.) So the fact that this world copied all of Ponyville explains why you were unable to see any other locations as well, like Canterlot. The change of time experienced would also explain the lack of consistency between accounts. You and others mentioned whispers? They reach out speak out slowly this place has an effect on ponies on life some handle it differently Do you still hear whispers? new ones different ones quieter calmer perhaps just Me hard to tell But you feel safe? yes (The points seem counterintuitive, but I should at least put some stock in her own words. I'd have to see what Doctor Blue Sky thinks.) Is this place still close to Ponyville? Ponies on my team have complained of dreams and nightmares and whispers while working here. I don’t want what’s already happened to repeat itself. close not touching not overlapping some want it to happen again They Fluttershy want it crave it Are we in danger? not yet but soon Pendant was different malleable direct came into direct contact with this She’s in Canterlot now, along with Lantern. He found Applejack’s journal and heard whispers and voices when he did. I reached out I was eventually found for it I do not regret it but I am sorry Will they both be safe now that they’re far away? do not know time distance may tell You said you “came back to your senses.” What have you been doing since then, Twilight? research hiding finding how to fix everything everypony reaching out to you to others to anyone If you helped us find Applejack’s journal and opened this line of communication, then I appreciate it, Twilight. you are welcome Vines I think I need some time to go over all of this, Twilight. I’ll compare it to notes and accounts we have and try to make sense of it. Will you be alright waiting until tomorrow? yes can spend time resting thinking some days since first message wait may be longer shorter unsure the closer the faster sometimes synced skipped I’m sorry to have to leave you then. I may have somepony else with me tomorrow to oversee our conversation. Would you be alright with that? yes Thank you, Twilight. Stay safe. you too Vines I’ll need to go over all of this with Doctor Blue Sky. I’m worried for Twilight’s apparent mental state, especially with how long she has been alone. The prospect of there being survivors here instead of victims is promising, even more so if there is some way to bring them and Twilight back. I want to keep an open mind. However, this may all still be a ploy of some kind.