Twilight and Starlight stand in stunned silence. Within seconds, everything came to a stop. First, Anon closed his eyes and concentrated on the octahedron. Then, he suddenly froze. There was a flash of light, and millions upon millions of magical strings flew into the room, each collecting within the octahedron. There were so many that their vision was completely covered in magical light. Suddenly, there was a second flash, and with it, the magic was gone. Before them, the octahedron floated in midair.
And Anon was nowhere to be seen.
Their jaws agape, they slowly realize the gravity of the situation. It's Starlight who dares to break the silence first.
"What... just happened?"
"..."
"He... he didn't just replicate what the elders did in that book, did he?"
"..."
"...Twilight?"
Twilight stares at the octahedron, her eyes shaky and unfocused. Starlight watches as those eyes slowly fill with tears. Or... are those her own tears?
When Twilight finally responds, all she can do is let out a single, guttural, heartbroken scream.
"NONNY!"
In the small town of Springfield, an eight-year-old boy stretches as he gets out of bed. A nonchalant yawn escapes from him as he opens his door and trudges down the hall. He smiles as he smells pancakes cooking on the stove. Entering the kitchen, he sees his father working away on breakfast.
"Good morning, sport!"
"Good morning, dad."
"Don't forget, you've got a ball game this afternoon. Make sure you get your homework done before that, alright?"
The boy groans.
"Okay."
He lazily walks over to the dining room table, where his father swiftly places a plate in front of him. He starts to dig into his breakfast as a woman sits down across from him.
"Good morning!"
"Good morning, mom."
"You're up early today. Why is that?"
"..." The boy squints his eyes at his breakfast. "I... don't really know?"
"Hmhm! Well, some mornings are just like that."
The boy's father joins them at the table, and the three happily eat their breakfast together as a family. They make small talk as they simply enjoy each other's company, laughing all the while.
The boy would eventually grow up to become a successful researcher, making great strides in the world of science. His parents would support him every step of the way, and their little family would be happy for the rest of their days.
Meanwhile, in another dimension, a purple alicorn holds an octahedron, watching on with tears in her eyes as her son lives the life she knows he was supposed to have. Until the day she dies, she will keep this octahedron safe. Both for Equestria's sake...
And for Anon's.