Prologue
The Alice Foreboding
The Mage, The Singer, The Queen
Day 0-1040
“Very good, Sweetie Belle! I think you're ready for the next lesson!”
The little white filly squealed in excitement as Twilight withdrew a case from her saddlebag. However, Sweetie quickly became less enthusiastic when Twilight revealed what was within the case: a series of spheres of various sizes and colors, each apparently made from a different material. “What are those?” she asked, her snout wrinkling.
“These are the test spheres I was telling you about,” said Twilight. “They're made of a variety of materials, so we'll see how well you can interact with them. The easiest is this,” she said, gesturing to a purplish sphere about the size of an orange, “the arcanium, while the hardest is--”
“Twilight! What are you still doing here?” said Rarity. She had descended down the stairs while Twilight was talking. “Aren't you supposed to be catching a train?”
“Oh, you're completely right!” Twilight said. “The 9:55 is leaving soon, right?”
“No, dear,” Rarity said with a laugh. “Your lesson went long. Very long, as a matter of fact. If you hurry, you can catch the 10:45 in 5 minutes”
“It's that late?! But then I won't be getting into Canterlot until 9:00!”
“Don't worry, Twilight. I'm sure Princess Celestia will still be up by then. Run along. You don't want it to leave without you.”
“Right.” Twilight picked up her things and hurried out the door. However, before she left, she turned around and added, “Sweetie Belle, if you'd like, you can hold onto the test spheres for me. I'm sure Rarity can help you work with those. You've really been making a lot of progress, and--”
“Twilight, the train!”
“Right, sorry,” she said with a smile. “See you in a couple days, Sweetie Belle!”
“Bye, Twilight!” Sweetie Belle waved to the purple unicorn as she rushed out the door. She began playing with the test spheres, lifting each one up at random with her wavery magic. Rarity, however, began to pack them up before Sweetie could do too much damage to them. Sweetie indignantly cried out, “Hey! I was using those! Twilight told me to!”
“I know, but they're cluttering up my Boutique.” Rarity picked up the rest of the spheres in one quick telekinetic grasp and placed them all delicately in the correct divot. “Honestly,” Rarity muttered, “why couldn't you have your lessons at Mom and Dad's place?”
“'Cuz they want us to have 'sisterly bonding!'”
“Right.” She shook her head and continued with her sweep of the room. “So, how was your lesson?”
“It was awesome! Twilight is such a good teacher! And she's so talented, too!”
“Well!” said Rarity, a bit miffed. “I'm talented too, you know. I'll have you know, I won our school's Magical Talent Show three years running.”
“Yeah, but Twilight wasn't in any of those, was she?”
“That's quite besides the point,” said Rarity. “Either way, who do you prefer, your own sister, or Twilight?”
“Hmm...” Sweetie said, giving it some thought.
“Sweetie!”
“I'm just kidding, sis!” she said. “You know I think you're the best.”
“Aw, thank you, Sweetie Belle,” Rarity replied. “I think you're pretty great as well.”
They couldn't help but laugh at that. It was just so ridiculously sappy, and yet... they secretly loved it.
“So, Sweetie... tell me about your lesson.”
“It was so much fun! Twilight says I'm a natural! She says I picked up the basics twice as fast as she did.”
“Knowing Twilight, that must be quite the compliment. But don't overexert yourself, Sweetie. I remember when I worked too hard to get my magic, and I nearly knocked myself out trying to pick up an entire box of Mom's best china.”
“Oh, I won't.” Sweetie checked the clock. “What time did you say it was, big sis?”
“Ten to eleven, dear.”
“Oh, no! Apple Bloom and Scootaloo are waiting for me!”
“Ah, and how are the Cutie Mark Crusaders?”
“Rarity! We don't call ourselves that anymore!” Sweetie said with a huff.
“Of course. After you all got your cutie marks. Now you're the Trio of Terror, naturally.”
“Nuh-uh, we picked up Dinky Doo and Ruby Pinch, so now we're the... uhh, err..”
“Quintet.”
“Right! The Quintet of... Hey!”
Rarity chuckled to herself. “Get going, Sweetie Belle. I'm sure your friends won't want to wait up for you.”
“You're right! I don't want to be late! Bye, big sis!”
“See you, Sweetie.” The door closed behind Sweetie, a bit too... loudly for Rarity's taste. She sighed. She had thought that, when Sweetie had gotten her cutie mark, she'd be less prone to running about like a crazy pony. And yet, even with a talent for singing clearly determined, she was still as rambunctious as ever. She chalked it up to Scootaloo being a bad influence.
Before she began her work for the day, she took one last look at the test spheres she had taken from Sweetie Belle. One by one, she attempted to lift them up, testing their weight and magical resistance carefully. Naturally, most were of no difficulty to her, but even she, with her precise, well-honed skill, had trouble picking up the largest of all, the green adamantium sphere. But as she tried to remember if Sweetie had picked it up or not, she couldn't recall. There was definitely a green one in her magic, but was it this one, or... no, that was impossible.
Which spheres had Sweetie picked up?
The Whisperer
Day 0-1420
Most ponies ignored Ditzy, the cheery mailmare pegasus of Ponyville. She was clumsy and slow, but ultimately harmless. She delivered the mail faithfully and without delay, so most were content to let her be.
Most, that is.
Today, however, it seemed a gang of unruly teenagers saw fit to taunt the poor pegasus. As Ditzy had landed at one house, they had gathered around her. When she turned and saw them, her face lit up with a naïve smile. “Hello, boys and girls! How are you?”
“Oh, just great!” said Red, the earth pony ringleader.
Ditzy smiled, unaware of the sarcasm. She tried to lift off, but the pegasus teenager pushed her back to earth. “Um, excuse me,” she muttered, “but I think you're in my way.”
“No, I think you're in our way!” replied the earth pony.
“You're always in the way, Derpy!” said the unicorn mare snidely.
“Uh, it's Ditzy,” she said helpfully.
“Nopony cares!” said the pegasus.
“Yeah, no pony cares what you've gotta say, Derpy!”
“Maybe you should go somewhere somepony would love you!”
“Yeah, like the Everfree Forest!”
“Haha, nice one, Red!”
“Yeah, I'm sure you and a cockatrice could be best friends!”
“No way! She can't even keep her eyes straight.”
At that, Ditzy started crying. She could take a lot of insults, but the eyes... that just wasn't fair. “Just... leave me alone...”
“Hmm... how about no?” said Red with a toothy smile. He beckoned to his friends, and they drew even closer.
“Leave her alone!”
“Who said that?” Red asked, whipping his head around. There, by an alley, was a little unicorn filly.
“I said, leave Mommy alone!”
“This ain't your mom, kid,” said the pegasus. “You're smart. You're a unicorn, she's a pegasus. Do the math.”
“She is so my mommy!” cried the little foal. “She loves me more than anything!”
“Dinky, dear,” said Ditzy worriedly, “go on home. I'm sure these kids and I can sort this out.”
“You heard her squirt,” said the unicorn. “Run along.”
Dinky bit her lip. “...No. I want you to go away and let her be!”
“You're not worth our time,” said Red. “Violet, you know what to do.”
Violet nodded. With a wave of her horn, she lifted Dinky bodily in a purple glow. Dinky screamed and struggled against the magic, but to no avail. Violet trotted slowly towards the floating filly. Eye to eye, she murmured, “You see? You may be just a kid, but you'll learn. Power is everything, and magic, especially unicorn magic like ours, is power. You and your mom are weak, and we are strong. The strong hurt the weak; that's just how it is.”
“You done, Vi?” asked the pegasus.
“Sure, sure,” she said.
“Great. Let's teach this dopey pegasus a lesson.”
Dinky watched in horror as Red lifted a hoof. As though in slow motion, she watched it fall through the air towards her mother. She felt something then, deep within her mind. It was something she hadn't dared to reach, something she hadn't know was there. She felt it, drew from it, and made it her own.
It was power.
Red's hoof bounced off of a golden shield. He turned around to see Dinky, safe on the ground, her eyes glowing with an angry fire. Dinky spoke, and the air seemed to rumble as she spoke each word, as though the words fell from heaven itself.
“You will NOT HURT HER!”
She turned her head, and Violet was sent flying. Another, and Red went skittering across the road. Without moving her body, she cast her magic against them and threw them from their victim.
And as she set her enemies to rout, a symbol appeared on her flank. It was a single candle, a light standing against the darkness.
The Mage, The Lost
Day 0-1735
“So, do you live in Ponyville?” Twilight asked. She was sitting in the dining car, talking to a new friend. It was nice to have someone to talk to on these long trips, even complete strangers.
“No, Canterlot.” The blue unicorn across from her cut her food disinterestedly. “I was in Ponyville for some research.”
“Ah, I see.” As the other unicorn worked, Twilight signaled one of the waiters to refill her water cup. She returned her gaze to her temporary companion. “What were you studying?”
“Pre-Equestrian artifacts. I had thought I might make some progress.”
“Well, did you?”
“Some. One document suggests the object I'm looking for is in the Everfree Forest. But it's more likely it is somewhere back in Canterlot. Perhaps the Vault.”
“Well, I've been to the Vault,” said Twilight. “Unless you're looking for the Elements of Harmony, you're out of luck.”
“You've been to the Vault?” the unicorn asked. Her voice was calm, but it betrayed her eagerness. “What honor gives you such license?”
“I'm Twilight Sparkle, Princess Celestia's protegée!”
“Ah, of course. Charmed to meet you.”
“Thank you.”
“Is that what brings you to Canterlot, then?”
“Well, I have some books to pick up. I'm also visiting my parents. But yes, the Princess is on my to-do list.”
“Naturally.” She laughed softly, composedly. As she finished the last of her food, she wiped her mouth with a napkin and sat up from her cushion. “You are very lucky, Twilight,” she said suddenly.
“Hmm?”
“You are quite skilled in magic. If what I think will happen occurs tomorrow, I think you will survive. Do not waste your good fortune.”
“Wait--” said Twilight, but the strange mare was already gone. She sat alone, the rest of her food slowly cooling. “I didn't even catch your name...”
The Believer, The Follower, The Listener
Day 0-0830
“...Something's wrong.”
“What's up, Colgate?” Lyra asked. “You don't look too good.”
“I'm getting a bad vibe, that's all.”
Lyra was alarmed. “And your vibes are never wrong, right?”
“If it is, it'll be the first,” she confirmed.
“What else are you getting?” asked Lyra. “C'mon, be specific!”
“Sigh... I don't know. It'll happen at midnight tonight. It's going to be bad. And you, me, and Vinyl will be a part of it.”
“Not Bon Bon, though?”
“...Not Bon Bon. She's fine.”
“Did someone mention me?” came a raucous voice from behind Colgate. She turned around; it was Vinyl Scratch, Ponyville's crazy DJ.
“Colgate's got a vibe!” said Lyra.
“Y'know I don't believe in your mumbo-jumbo, 'Gate,” said the white unicorn. “'Sides, the only vibes you should be worried about'll be the sick ones tonight at my club! It's gonna be wub-tastic!”
“Vinyl, stop trying to start wub-tastic. It's never going to catch on,” said Colgate.
“How else can I describe our epic dance-a-thon tonight? Anyway, you guys are gonna come, right?”
“Ooh! Ooh! I'll come! Sounds like fun!” said Lyra.
“I don't know... it's all night, right?”
“Dusk til dawn, baby!”
“Then I'm gonna pass. Something bad is going to happen tonight, and I don't wanna be out and about when it does.”
“Oh, well. Your loss,” Vinyl said, sliding her glasses into place. “C'mon, Lyra, let's go get some supplies for tonight. We're gonna need a ton of everything if we're gonna make it to sunrise! Let's roll!”
“See ya, Colgate!” said Lyra.
Colgate didn't reply. As she watched them go, she prayed quietly, “Celestia, keep them safe. If my vibe is right, no one's gonna know what hit them.”
The Fighter, The Whisperer
Day 0-1430
Rose Hip was a simple mare. When she was little, she had discovered her great-grandmother's tea set and learned the fine art of tea serving. A match made in heaven, as they say. Soon after, she had started her own shop and became the chief tea salespony in all of Ponyville. It was a fine business, and she loved doing it. But perhaps what she loved more was listening to the gossip and chatting of the patrons. They loved to tell her about their days, their troubles, anything on their minds. Why, just today she'd had all manner of ponies stopping by. One happened to be worried about her marriage; Rose Hip gave her a smile and a cup of chamomile. A scientist stopped by, warning her about the influx of magic he was measuring. She smiled for him, a fresh pot of tea with his name on it whistling in the background. Applejack, a good friend of hers, talked to her about her worries about raising Apple Bloom. A piping hot mint tea soothed Applejack's worrying heart. It was a quiet service, but she loved it all the same.
As she was waving away the remaining few of the late lunch crowd, she heard a faint sobbing nearby. Curious, she followed the sound to a nearby alley, where a little foal lay weeping. Rose Hip vaguely recognized her; Dinky or Inky or something of that nature. “What's wrong?” Rose asked.
Dinky sniffed, wiping away her tears. “I... got my cutie mark,” she answered.
“And that's bad?” said Rose, stifling a laugh.
“But I got it by doing something bad,” she lamented.
“No pony has ever gotten their cutie mark from something bad,” said Rose Hip. “Tell me, what exactly did you do?”
“Well, there were some mean ponies making fun of my mommy, and I... pushed them away.”
“How was that bad? You were protecting your mom. That's a good thing.”
“But that's just it!” she cried. “I've never used my magic before. And to, to suddenly use it, like that... I hurt them. My magic was too strong! Doesn't that make me bad?”
“No. No, of course not,” Rose Hip replied. “Why would you think that?”
“Violet was telling me about power. That the strong, the strong hurt the weak. And I was strong, and I hurt the weak!”
“That's not what power's about at all!” said Rose Hip. She gestured to the horn atop her own head. “Power's not about hurting others. It's about helping your friends. You can protect the weak, like you did with your mom.”
“You're right!” said Dinky. “Thanks, Miss Hip! You're really nice!”
“I guess you could say that's my own power,” she said with a chuckle. “Now, don't you feel better?”
“Yeah, a whole bunch.”
“How would you like some tea? I think I've got a berry tea waiting just for you.”
“That would be really nice. Thank you, Miss Hip.”
“Any time.”
The Dancer, The Mage
Day 0-2115
“Closed?!”
North Star was walking by the castle as usual when she saw the purple unicorn standing there, practically begging the guards to let her in. The poor dear. The guards were far too smart to give her any leverage, really.
“Yes, ma'am. As we've explained, Celestia is asleep, and as such, her wing of the castle is closed to all visitors.”
“But she's expecting me! Just... wake her up. I'm sure she won't mind.”
“Unfortunately, the Princess has been having trouble sleeping recently. Her doctor prescribed her a special sleeping pill that'll keep her completely asleep for the rest of the night. I'm sorry, but it's completely impossible. Please be on your way.”
“You can't do this to me! I'm Twilight Sparkle! She's waiting for me! Just let me in!”
Twilight Sparkle? Could it be?
“What's wrong, Twilight?” North Star heard herself say. Twilight turned around.
“It's nothing. These guards,” she said acerbically, glaring in their direction, “are getting in my way.”
“I think that's their job, silly,” said North Star. “To guard things.”
Twilight sighed. “I guess you're right. The Princess usually lets me stay in my old quarters, but without her explicit permission... well, I haven't got a place to stay anymore. Maybe that's why I'm acting so irrationally.”
“That's not a problem!” she replied happily. “I have a friend of mine who runs a hotel nearby. You could stay there!”
“Well, thank you, miss...”
“North Star, Twilight.” She squealed happily. “Eeee! Twilight Sparkle knows my name!”
“...Oookay. So, Miss Star, would you lead the way?”
“Of course!” she said. She did a snappy 180 (rather hard to do with four hooves) and led Twilight through the castle gardens. As they walked, she added, “Twilight, I am so glad to meet you! I read your latest thesis on the thaumotropic growth of Toxicodendron facetia. It was a page-turner, let me tell you!”
“...Really? No one's ever described a 60-page scientific essay of mine as being 'page-turning' before.”
“Oh, yes, it was fascinating! And your other paper, the one about the tertiary effects of pseudo-illusionary enchantments, that one blew my socks off!”
“Well, I'm flattered, really, but--”
“Oh, and did you know that your research in quasi-phasal nocturnal ley lines was cited by Dr. Hoofbeats in his most revelatory paper--”
“North Star! We've been going in circles!”
“Oh.” True enough, they were standing next to the statues that she had passed about two or three times already. “Well... don't you think these statues are interesting?”
“Not exactly. I've fought one of them, as a matter of fact,” said Twilight, pointing to the twisting statue of Discord.
“You've fought a statue?” said North Star. “Could you fight this one? She's my favorite!”
“Victory? Why is she your favorite?”
“Probably because I've never been victoriful myself, and I want to be like her.”
Victoriful? Is that even a word? Twilight thought to herself. She let the question go, instead asking, “Anyway, I'm glad we got to look around a bit. But could you please find the hotel you were talking about?”
“Sure!” she said with a smile. As they walked back, North Star looked one last time at the statue. It was a gentle thing, and it bore a warm smile. Or was it sly? Anywho, she had purchased a miniature version of it that was now sitting in her bedroom at home. She laughed one last time, (Fighting statues. How ridiculous!) and led Twilight on.
The Wanderer, the Servant
Day 0-1950
“Hey, Sea Swirl!”
“Good evening, Berry! Where's your little girl?”
“Here I am, auntie Swirl!” said a tiny voice from the back room. In a flash, she jumped out and tackled Sea Swirl in a tight hug.
“Hey, Pinchy! How've you been, kiddo?”
“Good. I got my cutie mark!” she said proudly.
“That's awesome! Let me see.” Ruby Pinch twisted about, revealing her cutie mark: three jewels floating in a triangle. “Sweet! Where'd you get that?”
“Dinky and I were in the jewel valley this morning, and it just came to me. She didn't get hers, though.”
“I wouldn't worry about it. Word on the street is, she got hers too today.”
“Really? That's so cool! Now we both have ours. Do you know what it is?”
“Nah, gossip ain't that helpful, kiddo. I do know that she got it by helping her mom fend off some bullies.”
“Wow! Dinky? I never would have guessed,” said Ruby.
“I'd love to stay and listen to you chat, but I've got a party to get to,” said Berry, putting on her hat and coat. “Vinyl always brings the best food!”
“All right. You go have fun, Berry, you hear?”
“No doubt. Night, you two. Take good care of her for me, Swirl.”
“Will do.” As Berry left, Sea Swirl turned to Ruby conspiratorially. “So, which do you want to see first?”
“Which is your best?”
“Well, that's an easy one.” Sea Swirl activated her horn, masking herself in a purple glow. Before too long, the glow vanished, revealing Berry Punch beneath it. “Hey, all! I love to go to parties! Whoo, Spring Break! Bring the house down!”
“Teehee, that's a perfect imitation of Mommy!” Ruby clapped her forehooves together.
“Glad you like it, kiddo.” She let out a breath, dispelling the illusion.
“How about... Fluttershy?”
“Ooh, a pegasus. Those are tougher.” She drew on her power, turning slowly into the meek pegasus. “Umm...” she muttered, “is this good? I mean... eep!”
“You've gotta fly, too, or it doesn't count!”
“You drive a hard bargain, Pinchy.” Just above her forehead, a glow appeared where her horn would be, and the wing illusions began to flap. Her whole body began to glow, and she lifted slowly from the ground. “I'm just glad you didn't pick Rainbow Dash! Couldn't get me to do a Sonic Rainboom like this if you paid me.”
“Aunt Swirl, can I ask a question?”
“Shoot,” she replied. She removed the illusion once more, returning to her natural unicorn self.
“Why don't you ever do your tricks in front of Mommy?”
“Oh.” Sea Swirl looked much more downcast. “You sure we can't just stick to impersonations? I'll do Pinkie Pie next, she's your favorite, right?”
“No, why won't you do them in front of Mommy?”
“It's kind of a long story. You've met our Mom and Dad, right?”
“Grandma and Grandpa?”
“Right. Grandpa Brush is a unicorn, and Grandma Sylph is a pegasus. They live in Manehattan now, but we used to live in Canterlot. There are a lot of unicorns there, and I mean a lot. They don't see very many pegasi, and even fewer earth ponies up there. So a lot of them are kind of... well... you know.”
“Tribalist?”
“Your mom taught you that word, huh? You'd think a thousand plus years of harmony would have gotten rid of that. But no, a lot of the Canterlot elite still look down on non-magical ponies. Grandma Sylph was pretty well liked, though, since, when she was younger, she was supposed to be really beautiful.”
“Grandma? Eww!”
“Be nice to your elders, Ruby. Anyway, when she had me, I fit right in. But a year later, when Berry was born, they weren't quite as happy. Dad never said anything, but I think he was disappointed. Off-tribe children are supposed to be really rare, and... anyway. Did you know Canterlot has a semester in 4th grade just for magical studies? Berry had to get special permission not to go to class. If her classmates hadn't already been making fun of her, they would have started then.
“So I think she was jealous of me. She kept it a secret for a really long time. But one night, while I was showing off some of my impressions, she just snapped. 'Just cuz you're a unicorn doesn't mean you get to show off!' That's when I stopped doing them in front of her. I feel bad for her, because she has talents. She's nice to everypony, she takes care of anypony who comes her way, and she may be the greatest drink connoisseur I've ever met. But she'll always see herself as that filly who was supposed to have magic but didn't.”
“Aww, that's so sad.” Ruby thought for a moment, then added, “Is that why she's so protective of me?”
“Wow, you sure are smart, kid,” said Sea Swirl, tousling Ruby's mane. “Yeah, I guess it is. She sees you as the magic user she was supposed to be. Maybe she's living what she wanted to be through you.”
“Hmm...” She hesitated for a moment. “Would you, maybe, teach me your impersonations?”
“Sure! It's not something I can teach in one night, though. Maybe we can start tomorrow. What do you think of that?”
“Sounds great!”
The Mage
Day 0-2125
The hotel definitely wasn't next to the castle, no matter what North Star said. The bizarre unicorn had led Twilight through nearly the entire town before stopping next to a beautiful gold-trimmed building. “Here's our stop!” she'd said.
“Ugh, my hooves are killing me,” Twilight had said.
“But we're here now, aren't we?”
“I guess.”
“...So, what are you doing tomorrow?” North Star had asked. She had apparently been trying to be subtle. Twilight didn't think North Star knew what the word “subtle” meant.
“I need to see Princess Celestia, as you know. I'm going to surprise my parents by stopping by. Then I have to go get my books and take them back to Ponyville.”
“Oh.” North Star had looked at the ground, downcast.
“...Well, if you stop by the bookstore, you can hang out with me while I load the books on a cart.”
“Ooh! Thank you thank you thank you!” North Star had shouted. She had nearly begun bouncing down the street, chanting, “I've got a date with Twilight!”
“That's not what I--! Ugh, nevermind.” She had rolled her eyes, and turned to the hotel. Now, here she was. Thankfully, even if North Star had no idea of the concept of distance, her friend at least kept a good hotel. She entered the door, listening to the faint jingle of the doorbell.
“Welcome to the Golden Grace Hotel,” said a voice from the office. “I am Fleur de Lis, may I help you?”
“Fleur?”
“Twilight? Is that you?” said the voice. She stepped outside. It really was Fleur. “Why, what a surprise! How long has it been?”
“Not since graduation. You're as trim as ever.”
“Oh, I know. My beau Fancy Pants is always afraid for me. 'My dear, I won't object if you gain a few pounds. I wouldn't want you to fade away!' He doesn't understand that I always look like this.”
“Everyone at the Academy wanted to look like you, you know.”
“Oh, but you always looked fine, Twilight. Why weren't we better friends back then?”
“I hadn't really learned what friendship was yet,” she said meekly.
“Ah,” said Fleur. She returned to her side of the counter and asked, “So, to business. What brings you here?”
“Your friend North Star told me you could take me in for the night.”
“Ah, North Star,” said Fleur with a delicate laugh. “She's rather impressed by you. Thinks you're the next Celestia.”
“Celestia forbid,” Twilight said with a chuckle. “Do you have a room vacant, Fleur?”
“For you, Twilight, of course! You can have the suite, no charge.”
“Oh, I couldn't.”
“Please, I insist.”
“Well, could I pay you the regular rate for it, at least?”
“Half.”
“Deal.” Twilight passed over a small stack of bits. “It's not very often I have to haggle to pay more for a hotel room,” she said with a grin.
“And it's not very often I try to give away rooms for free. But you, Twilight,” Fleur said, passing Twilight the key, “you're special.”
“Oh, please don't say that. I'm no more special than you.”
“Humble, too,” said Fleur. “No wonder you're going places. Will you be okay for the night?”
“Should be,” said Twilight. “No wait,” she added quickly, “can you bring me a fresh pot of tea in the morning?”
“Not a problem.”
“7:55, if you can do it.”
“Trust me, I'll be up by then. I'll have it ready for you right on schedule.”
“Thanks, Fleur. You're the best.”
“Not at all. You have a good night, Twilight.” With that, she disappeared back into her office.
Twilight sighed. It was nice to see Fleur, but she wished they were closer. Fleur had always been kind to everypony at the Academy, even if she could have rejected them all with her popularity. Twilight had assumed she would be a model, but apparently she'd chosen a more down-to-earth occupation. Very unusual for a unicorn like her, but it was exactly like Fleur.
She found her way up to the second floor and opened up her door. It nearly shocked her how beautiful her suite was. It seemed worthy for Celestia to stay there. Crystal adorned the walls, sending the light reflecting everywhere in a dazzling display. Right there, in the middle of the room, was the massive bed. It probably could've eaten her little bed back at home for breakfast. She looked for the bathroom, but all she could see was... a connecting spa? No, that was her bathroom! It was huge! The bath alone was big enough for six ponies, easy. She marveled at the whole thing. And she'd paid a pittance for it. She shook her head; Fleur was far too kind.
She flung herself onto the bed, and it seemed to absorb her. A cloud bed, no less! Compared to this, her bed at home was a cinderblock and a pile of rags. Her mind had been filled with all sorts of worries and plans, but they all vanished when she hit that plush bed. Whatever problems were on her mind, they could wait until tomorrow.
The Believer
Day 0-2355
It was coming. Colgate could feel it to the very marrow. She had talked to every magical doctor in Equestria, and they'd been utterly stumped by her strange, prophetic ability. She knew about Pinkie's own prescient Sense, but where Pinkie's could describe the exact nature of an upcoming event, Colgate's vibes were less clear, but she could see things farther out. But now, with midnight swiftly approaching, she began to get a far more painful sense. The unicorns... all of the unicorn mares... something was happening. She held one hoof to her forehead, in a vain attempt to stave off the migraine. She could feel it: war, bloodshed, discord, enmity, all rising so soon. She felt bitter tears falling down her cheek as the sense of oncoming doom fell on her.
At the stroke of midnight, she heard a voice echoing through her head, piercing high above the sound of the tolling of the belltower.
It is time.