//------------------------------// // α // Story: The Tragic Story of Twilight Sparkle, or Twilight // by A Fistful of Apples //------------------------------// α Appearance Ponyville was your average small Equestrian town, with only about two or three hundred ponies residing, the roads unpaved, the weather more controlled than most, everyone living in happy comfort. To the east, Whitetail Wood, to the west, farms which supplied the town and more with all sorts of fruits and vegetables and other plants, from wheat and hay, to corn and carrots. Past that lay the Everfree Forest, which ran by laws not understood by anyone in ponydom. It was a busy day. Loud. Bustling. Nopony outside could hear the sounds from the library. "Twilight!" Spike cried. "There's nothing to be sad about! You've got to get over this... this... whatever it is you're going through!" "Spike, you just don't understand!" said Twilight, her head in her pillow. "Then explain it to me!" Twilight growled in frustration, but rolled over so she was facing the ceiling. A few seconds passed, and Spike waiting for her to speak. She didn't, so tentatively, he moved towards the bed before sitting down on it and looking at Twilight's face. She was looking out the window, her face scrunched up in annoyance. "Twilight...," said Spike again. "Come on. Whatever it is that's bothering you, you can tell me. And... if not me, you have lots of friends. They'd all be worried to know you're feeling like this." A pause. Finally, Twilight sighed and looked at Spike. "They can't help me. Nopony can." "What do you need help with?" Twilight sighed again. Her eyes moved away from Spike, but just shifted towards the ceiling. She was deep in thought.   "Ever since I was a little filly, I wanted to learn," she began. Spike felt like he had heard this before, but didn't want to interrupt. "It was more than just magic, I wanted to learn everything. And I learned all ponies have to teach about magic, and science, history and geography. Everything. I've been a student all my life, I've read all the books back in Canterlot, I've read all the books here in the Ponyville library." "Sounds like you got your wish!" said Spike hopefully. "No. I haven't." "What do you mean?" "After all that learning, you know what I've learned?" Twilight didn't wait for Spike to reply. "I've learned I haven't learned anything. And nopony can teach me, because nopony else knows anything either." "I... I don't understand." His words came out as an honest plead, for her to tell him what was bothering her. He was desperately worried for her, and needed some way to help her. He couldn't help her if he didn't understand. "Spike... you've been with me all this time. Having assisted me all these years, you know almost as much as I do. Tell me Spike, why do the clouds move on their own in the Everfree Forest?" Spike shook his head. "Nopony knows that Twilight. But everypony knows that nopony knows that. I know you didn't expect to learn that." "Maybe. But alright, fair enough. Tell me instead, why do clouds float in the air?" "Well... uh. I don't know." "Nopony knows. Nopony knows how. We make clouds, we move them around every day and use them to make rain and shade and everything else, but nobody knows a thing about them! What about magic? I can cast all sorts of spells, but I don't know a thing about why they work the way they do. Every spell ponies know was created by just haphazardly slapping together or modifying old spells and hoping something happens. There's no real system to it! There's no understanding, not anywhere!" "I... if you think that, I guess you would be the one to know." "I know it Spike. And that, is why I'm so sad. Can you help me with that Spike? Can you tell me anything new?" "I can tell you about the cool thing I found behind the Cutie Mark Crusader Clubhouse?" offered Spike. Twilight just scoffed. "Just go away Spike. Go do something. Anything. You can take all the money you want and do whatever. Just leave me alone." Spike sighed and shook his head. He might have been hurt and insulted if it wasn't for Twilight's tone of voice. She didn't sound angry or frustrated. She just sounded defeated, like there was no hope left for her. And Spike didn't know any way to help. But maybe others would. Spike turned to leave, but he wasn't going to go have fun. He was going to gather up Twilight's friends, and see if they could help. Twilight heard the bedroom door close, but she didn't turn to look. She just didn't care to. She had never felt so miserable in her life. So utterly alone. Her entire life's work had meant nothing. What would Rainbow Dash think, if she was to wake up one day and learn that the Wonderbolts would never, ever, accept her? Or Rarity, if she suddenly became aware there was no fashion industry in the world she could be a part of? A small part of her, ever so small, thought about just ending it all right there and killing herself. But that would be selfish. She had friends who needed her, and the Princess valued her input. If nothing else, she should stay and be around as just another body to do the necessary work to keep civilization running. In a fit of utter desperation, Twilight did something she had never before thought to do. Those quacks who casted curses or talked about creating zombies or talking to ghosts, among those stories were tales of spirits and demons, gods or whatever. Unscientific mystical forces that could be appealed to. Twilight opened herself up to them. If there was anything out there like that, and if they could help her, she wanted it known that she was asking. Hello. Twilight nearly jumped out of her skin. Instead she just screamed and jumped out of the bed. She saw nothing around her out of the ordinary. It came as a small whisper, a voice that seemed to originate from a world away, yet so close it was like one of her own thoughts. "H-hello?" Said Twilight, uncertain. Hello. "W-who are you? Where are you?"   I am. You might call me a knowledge spirit. I come here to help you. I see you want my help. I offer to raise you up from your ignorance, to shed light to the darkest unknowns, to teach you everything I can. Twilight couldn't believe it. Every bit of knowledge in her mind was telling her that what was happening was impossible, that she had just gone crazy. Yet, she didn't feel like she was insane. For the first time in several days, she felt hope. "Why can't I see you?" Put simply, I am a being from a higher plane of existence than you. It is impossible to interact physically with your universe, however information can be shared, the barest of affinities made present to connect your mind with mine. In that vein, if you wish, I can make myself visible to you, though I will be present as only a spectre, unable to interact with the world you would see me in. Twilight hesitated to speak. But this was her chance, and she tried her best to steel herself. "Let me see you. It'd make me more comfortable." A slight fuzz came into view in front of Twilight's eyes, and slowly it formed into the vague shape of a pony. It straightened and sharpened, until eventually, Twilight was looking at what could be seen as a normal pony, a unicorn, like herself, male, with a white coat and bright yellow eyes, with a mane and tail to match. His cutie mark was visible, and was merely a simple bright orange circle with a yellow glow around it. It almost reminded Twilight of the Princess's sun cutie mark, as it looked like a less stylised sun. "What's your name?" Asked Twilight, horribly nervous. She still wasn't completely sure she wasn't going crazy, no matter how hopeful she was. An image appeared in her mind suddenly. meΦ+(S/T)ω= 2πHiLΣs "Mephistopheles," repeated Twilight. She tried to make sense of the symbols. Though some were familiar, she had no idea what they were supposed to represent. "What does it mean?" she thought out loud. "It is a simple equation to determine the number of rotations around the Earth of any of the celestial spheres given a time and the number of epicycles, assuming constant variables. The first variable, M-subscript-e refers to the mass of the spheres by way of its atomic components, multiplied by Phi, referring to the frequency of the circular Xi flow it's following,  plus Speed divided by -" "I don't understand any of this!" shouted Twilight. "You will," said Mephistopheles. “What do I owe you in return?” “Nothing. It’s all yours. Do with it what you want. I have faith in you and your species.”