Twilight was confused. “But, I thought you said you knew everything already.”
The second she had left the Great Hall to retreat to her room, they knew that their time had come.
Granted, they still had little idea of whether or not this one would allow them to be able to at least get their goal partially accomplished, for, even if the end result was always tantalizing, they knew that they couldn’t afford to act too quickly.
No, the ones they found were always at their weakest by the time the hidden figure had arrived. Indeed, it was difficult to not pounce right then and there, but they knew waiting was key.
Waiting until the subject of interest was alone.
Isolated.
Vulnerable.
Just as they had been rendered.
Thus, it was easiest to talk to those they encountered when completely shattered and unable to see where to go, let alone know what course of action to take next. All of this and more was coursing through the violet unicorn’s heart, mind, and soul, and her body was on an all-time high of despair, sadness, rage, adrenaline, and soon, it all became too much and she had to leave, lest something worse happen.
The period of silence that followed was all the time they needed to find her.
Creep up to her room, through the halls, on the walls, traveling without being seen if not but a small shade or bizarre shape in the corner of an unsuspecting pony’s eye. No pony would notice a thing. No pony but her.
And, for now, she was all they had.
Yet, if things went well, perhaps she would be all they would need.
…
“Now, we can have a proper conversation.”
The unicorn’s eyes met theirs, confirming that, yes, what she was seeing was not only alive, but aware of both the world around it and itself. It was intelligent.
And, even more, it wanted to speak to her directly.
The creature that sat upon the thick sheets was odd to say the least, Twilight Sparkle having never seen such a…being before, either since she came into contact with the Elements of Harmony or in the thousands of books she had gone through. No, this strange figure didn’t bear any resemblance to any living race, species, or beast that existed in or near Equestria. While they were monstrous in appearance, the Changelings themselves resembled ponies, albeit sick mockeries of the equine form, limbs riddled with holes and misshapen teeth with complex eyes and a seemingly single-minded goal to obey and adhere to the words of their Queen. .
In a way, very much like her brother.
Which then brought the memory of Shining Armor’s blank, emotionless face as he stood at the altar, eyes green and glassy, unaware of the world around him
Maybe when he chewed her out in front of everypony, he was…?!
“Don’t count on it,” the “His perception was manipulated by that bug, but he meant every word he said to you. They all did.”
Twilight’s eyes widened, stepping back slightly, clearly in shock. “W-What the…?” she stammered. “How…how did you…?”
“Well, I knew about what happened when I got here, but, as for what you were thinking right now, yeah, I’ve kinda got a little thing where I can read minds. Not much of a talent, as it only lets you know what others really think and feel. But, it’s proven useful to me time and time again,” from the shadows, the small shape that pierced the unicorn with a knowing, confident gaze, their chest surging in satisfaction as they could tell that the young mare was both startled and fearful.
But, they remembered, they couldn’t let her get too fearful. If the “friends” they made grew too cautious or wary, then the effort to find, let alone communicate with them, would be worth nothing.
“Wh-Who…are you?” Twilight questioned, feeling somewhat foolish, as, in retrospect, she had been the one to take this…thing up on its offer to talk.
The curtains were behind her, they realized. She could turn back and wrench them open anytime. They had to act before that happened.
“Well, for one thing, get a hold of yourself,” the being told her. “If I was here to hurt you, I doubt I’d stand much of a chance.” they then scoffed and shrugged. “I mean, c’mon! Look at me! Do I LOOK like some sort of dangerous creature or bringer of terrible destruction to you? Hey, if you wanted to, you could crush me with a single hoof if you wanted to!”
They were right. Despite how their appearance caught Twilight off guard, her new guest was, indeed, far smaller than she, and Pinkie had taken out a good few Changelings using the unicorn’s horn.
Pinkie…
“Hey, focus,” the figure said, bringing her out of her thoughts of both the failed counterattack against Chrysalis' hoard “Tell me, do I look dangerous to you?”
Twilight processed their question: did they indeed look dangerous?
Honestly, even now that she had gotten a better look, this stranger still failed to strike any sense of familiarity with her in regard to its shape and dimensions.
The creature was small, very small. To where the unicorn could easily fit them onto her hoof if she so wished to, yet she didn’t wish to make contact, if not for the fact she didn’t know if this being’s species was possibly toxic to the touch. Yet, unlike the venomous and poisonous creatures that lay outside of the more civilized parts of the world, this…thing’s skin appeared to not resemble that of a moist amphibian or another animal that secreted toxins in its flesh, but somewhat dry, lacking in moisture, as if their body’s form bore the same texture of sanded, polished stone. Smooth to the touch, but unrelenting in its harness and leaving a cold sensation upon allowing oneself to place a hoof upon them. While it didn’t resemble them much, if at all, the unicorn found herself likening the creature to the Diamond Dogs: they bore two sets of limbs that ended in what appeared to be four-digits appendages, only, unlike the claws of Rarity’s kidnappers, this beast, minuscule as it was, appeared to possess regular nails on both ends.
What the small, stumpy digits were, Twilight still couldn’t deduce, but, even if they were rare features to find in any living thing in Equestria, they appeared to resemble what were called “fingers” and “toes.”
Their shape was regularly built, somewhat plump in the stomach, and their head, while somewhat similar to a Diamond Dog, seemed to be in a field of its own, for, while it bore features that looked like the underground-dwelling race, their face partially resembling a bulldog or some other flat-faced breed, their nose was somewhat of a mix between a boar and a cat, but their ears were a combination of several elements from several different species, creating something new but with just enough familiarity to ground the attribute in reality. A small ridge of smooth spikes began from in between their eyes and traveled to the back of their head.
And, upon letting her eyes travel and count the individual studs, Twilight noticed the small back-and-forth wagging of a stubby tail that lightly made small thumps on the bed when it hit the surface of the mattress.
“Well?” they asked again, eyes bright and glowing. Strange, while she could see them, the stranger’s eyes were little more than dark voids that, whether intentional or not, seemed to wish to suck in everything that existed outside of itself. “Ok, well, how about this?” they then said. “Even if I WAS dangerous, do you think I could hurt you any more than you’ve been already?”
Twilight Sparkle bit her lip, averting her gaze for a short moment. “...so…you DO know everything.”
“Sure do,” the creature responded. “And, honestly, if I can be honest, what you gave them was a lot less than they deserved.”
That, Twilight hadn’t expected to hear. “What do you mean?”
They smiled. They got her.
“Wait,” the unicorn spoke before they could get another word in. “Before you answer that, could you tell me something?” she questioned. “Just…who are you?”
The stranger was silent for a few moments before they shrugged. “Eh, fair enough question,” they responded. “Truth is…I’ve got several names, some of them I can’t really even remember.”
“So…what do I call you?”
“Indeed, just what CAN you call me?” the stranger said, pondering for a moment as to what exactly they would like their title to be this time. “Actually, seeing as it relates to the problem you’ve got, call me…Milton.”
“Milton?”
“Yeah, Milton,” they said. “Although I’ve been called Saltpeter on occasion.”
“What’s that mean?”
“It’s basically another word for fireworks, nugget. Just like your talent is Magic itself, mine is making things light up and brighten the world.”
If that were the case, then why was this Milton so adamant about keeping the sun out?
“Essentially, what you see with me is what you get. I’m a magical little guy that can take your problems away, which is what you seem to be in need of right now, considering you spent, what, an entire night down there in those caves?”
Twilight looked down. “If you’re here to help me, I…appreciate it, Mr. Milton,”
“Mister! Eugh! No way! I’m not THAT old! Just Milton will do.”
“Well, ok, Milton,” the unicorn corrected herself. “Thank you, but, truthfully, I don’t know if there IS a way to fix this.”
Just what they had been wanting to hear.
“And you’re right.”
“What?”
“There isn’t a way to fix this. Not the way they want to,” the bipedal creature told the violet-colored mare. “You’re absolutely correct in your assessment. But you still seem to be having doubts,” Twilight didn’t move for a short time before she ultimately nodded, confirming Milton’s suspicions that, yes, she was still quite affected by the treatment she received from those she had held close to her. “So, maybe it would help if you laid it out all on the table again,” then, Milton sat down on the bed casually, as if he was completely at ease while his new company still had her insides in knots and twists. “How about we go over everything, starting from the beginning?” They asked. “In your words, suppose you tell me what happened.”
Twilight was confused. “But, I thought you said you knew everything already.”
“And I do,” Milton confirmed. “But sometimes, there are details that we miss out on the first time around. And, even if I know all about what occurred and the whole imposter, Changeling Queen debacle, I am only an outside observer,” then, to the unicorn’s surprise, they grinned. The mare wasn’t entirely sure why, yet the being’s smile brought forth a sense of comfort in her chest that she hadn’t felt for a long time in the last few hours. A sensation she usually tied to Princess Celestia or her friends. Yet now, this stranger was the one providing it for her in their absence. “But, unlike that pony with the funny hat, I’ll actually listen.”
The room fell silent, Twilight and Milton studying each other, trying to deduce what the next move would be from the other side.
“...ok,” she said. “How far back do you want me to start?”
“Maybe to when you first got here, because, from what little I heard listening around, you received an invitation?”
“Right,” Twilight nodded. “My friends and I-” she paused. “Well…I and…them,” she corrected. Even if she couldn’t exactly consider them friends anymore at this current moment, she still found herself unable to denounce them entirely. “We were having a picnic, and then, we received a letter talking about the Royal Wedding behind held in Canterlot…”
…
“...and then…when the Princess said that…I…I just…”
Twilight Sparkle paused, having come to sit on the mattress to converse with Milton, the small being leaning on his side as they listened to her talk. If it weren’t for the fact that he repeated words back to her, she would’ve assumed that they had fallen asleep. But no, they were wide awake, and, so far, very, VERY attentive to each detail the mare recounted to them.
“And then?”
“And then…” Twilight said. “I…I don’t know why. But…when she said that I had a real wedding to put together…I…honestly couldn’t really believe it. Like, after everything that’s happened…that’s ALL you have to say?”
“Then what?”
The unicorn sighed. “I…I just…let everypony know what was on my mind. Then…I left.”
The room fell quiet again, a single thin beam of light separating the mare and Milton by a ridiculously small distance. Although, for the latter, they seemed to regard it with the utmost contempt, as if the very essence itself was offensive.
“And now…I…I don’t know,” Twilight confessed. “I don’t know…anything anymore,” she then let her head drop onto the pillow. Even if it had been some time ago, recalling the event that put her in this current state brought back some painful feelings, as well as the same surges of indignation and rage that she felt upon hearing Celestia speak to her about repairing the wedding. “...truth be told, I’m not entirely too sure of why I’m so…angry about it.”
This perked Milton’s curiosity, the little creature raising a hairless brown and their mouth pulling into an inquisitive frown. “Hm?”
“I mean…I’m not, I can’t be, but,” Twilight sighed. “Shouldn’t I be…happy?”
“Happy? What for?” Milton questioned. “From what you’ve said, these past few days are probably candidates for the worst moments in your life.”
“They are,” Twilight answered. “I wish I had never come here. But…”
“But what?”
“...but now, technically speaking, things should be all right now, right?”
“How so?”
“It’s like Spike said, the Changelings were driven from the city, and no longer a threat. Once the damage had been repaired, then…the Princess was right. We COULD’VE gone on with setting everything up,” she paused. “Cadence was rescued, the truth was revealed, my fears were validated, and…and, judging from the Princess’ words, I was back in the wedding,” she said. “Everything was back to how it was before.”
Everything went silent yet again. Then, after a short time, the stillness was broken by the light sounds of small drops of water meeting the fabric of the pillow. Milton leaned up to see the unicorn had begun to break down once again. But they weren’t able to reach her due to the barrier of sunlight.
“Everything should be fine,” Milton said. “But, for some reason, it’s not. And you don’t know why. Is that right?”
Twilight tried to keep herself under control, yet she could only manage with a pitiful nod as tears were escaping from her eyes.
Milton gave a knowing smile, parental almost. “Well, that’s because it’s not ok,” they said. “None of what happened was okay, and redoing the wedding, whether it would’ve been better or worse than before, wouldn’t have made a difference, because the truth is, it’s not the wedding that’s the problem here.”
This was something Twilight had been shocked to hear, her sadness suddenly overcome with befuddlement. “It-it’s not?”
“No. In fact, it didn’t have to be a wedding, it could’ve been anything,” Milton told her. “And the question is not if, but when, for, this isn’t the first time they ignored your concerns before, right?”
Twilight again nodded. “That’s right.”
“And, even after you told them how this affected you, all Celestia could still think about was the blasted wedding.”
“Yeah, exactly!” The mare exclaimed, not even realizing the volume of her voice. “It’s like she didn’t even understand anything I had just said! She just thought I got my feelings hurt! And yes, I did, but that wasn’t the main issue!”
“No, it wasn’t,” Milton agreed. “The wedding itself has nothing to do with it. If anything, it just happened to be that. This could’ve happened anytime, anywhere, at any place,” they said. “It just so happens that, now, unlike before, the right conditions and circumstances have been met. And, lo and behold, your friends have shown what really matters to them in the moment, when things are going well for them. You, on the other hand…well,” they shrugged. “It clearly shows how much worth your safety and wellbeing is, let alone you are worth to them all.”
“Exactly!” Twilight “And they act like me not being able to stand by my oh-so-great former BBBFF in some pretty dress with my mane done and hooves polished was the problem! It’s not! Nothing about this stupid wedding is the problem!” she then paused, her voice having given out, her throat sore and eyes stinging. “...and…and nopony seems to understand that.”
Milton let their eyelids fall as Twilight let herself cry a little more, allowing the unicorn to wrench out her sorrows as they contemplated their next move. And, more importantly, their next words. For, if anything, this little incident proved just how efficient words could be.
“You know, this is far from over,” they spoke. “There’s going to be more than just friends distancing themselves that’s going to come of this. You know that as well as I do. I’ve seen my fair share of destruction and ruined cities,” even if they couldn’t see it, Milton turned their head to face the window, the partially collapsed tower of a nearby structure seen from within the small open space created by the curtains. “All because of one, stupid little mistake.”
“You have?” Twilight asked.
“Oh yeah,” Milton said. “Although, in this case, it wasn’t exactly a mistake.”
The unicorn grew confused. “What do you mean? This entire thing was because of everypony making an error in judgment,” she said. “...even me, in the beginning.”
“That was a mistake, yes, but what happened afterward wasn’t.” Milton said. “Everything that occurred only did so because it was allowed to do so.”
Before Twilight could ask further, both she and Milton heard a small knock on the door. The young mare didn’t see it, yet, in that moment, the tiny being’s strange but essentially harmless face changed. And, perhaps, had the unicorn seen just what kind of shape the creature’s facial features took, maybe she would’ve realized her error and thrust open the curtains or answered the door to alert whoever was there that a monster was in her room.
Yet she saw none of that, Milton managing to compose themself just in time to answer the mare’s next inquiry.
“What was that?”
Their time was short. They had to make the link now.
“Listen,” Milton told her, turning to face her again, features just as they had been before, as if they had never changed at all. “This isn’t the end. There will be more to come.”
“What do you mean?” Twilight questioned.
“That’s not important,” Milton said. “The point is, things are going to get rough from here on out, and you’re going to need somebody’s help.”
“Don’t you mean somepony?”
“No, somebody. Because, let’s face it, since when has anypony, let alone any dragon, or anything at all, helped you in the last few hours? And be honest. Trying to get to the Elements doesn’t count. They had all the time in the world before then.”
Twilight looked down. “...none.”
“So, what do you say? You want to accept what I have to offer?” Milton asked. “Do you want to accept my friendship?” they then extended a four-fingered paw out. “I won’t leave you.”
Twilight was quiet for a short time. “...promise?”
Milton nodded. “Absolutely.” again, they held their paw out, as if they wanted the unicorn to take it. “After today,” they said, still noticing the unicorn’s hesitancy. “What else do you have to lose?”
It took some time for Twilight to dwell on that question, for, while the answer was short, allowing herself to accept it was not. But, indeed, right now, at this very moment, there was nothing. Nothing else that she held from before.
“Then, in that case,” the figure grinned. “What are you waiting for?”
…he was right.
Just what was she waiting for?
Reaching forward, Twilight Sparkle’s hoof reached forward, her purple forelimb passing through the small barrier of light, stopping only a few inches shy of Milton’s grasp.
The question still remained of why they didn’t like the light?
Before the unicorn could articulate this, however, the creature seized her, their grip light and tiny, yet, as if she had come into contact with a dark, all-encompassing wave of darkness, Twilight Sparkle’s eyes fluttered as things began to dissipate into blankness.
“Everything is fine,” Milton assured her. “I’ll help you speak what you want to say.”
Twilight tried to speak, yet the darkness still continued to swallow her, pulling her further down into its fathomless depths.
“And I meant it when I said I’ll never leave you.”
“N-Never…?”
“Never.”
That was all she heard before her entire world went dark and still. It was then that Milton saw fit to utter the last part of his statement.
“Not even when you want me to.”
…
Not long after that, she heard knocking once again. Only, this time, she answered.