//------------------------------// // Past // Story: A Twilight Christmas Carol // by Aether Spark //------------------------------// Twilight exited her house and walked through the snow. “I don’t know what that clerk put in that mocha, but I am not going to take it lying down, first, I’m going to the library, then I’m going to give him a piece of my mind,” Twilight huffed. As she walked to the library, since it was closer, and one of the reasons she moved down here she entered the library and gathered several more books and read them, enjoying the quiet open space to read, after spending a few hours there she made her way outside with her purchased books, some more books to keep her busy during her breaks while she was studying magic. As she was going to make her way to the coffee shop on foot to accost the clerk who gave her that likely spiked mocha, seeing as it’s only two blocks away she saw that the sidewalk was covered in ice for some reason. “Odd… it wasn’t the last time I was here…” Twilight was confused, she tried to go through the snow but found it too cumbersome with her books, giving in she decided to hail a taxi. A taxi was coming down the road and she was thinking she’d use that one, when suddenly another one cut that one off and parked in front of her. The window rolled down slightly and a raspy voice called from within. “Taxi service! Free of charge,” The voice said. “Well… that’s convenient… and a little suspicious… but oh well,” Twilight said before getting in. “The great brew, it’s only two blocks away,” Twilight said. “Ya got it,” The taxi driver said, Twilight hadn’t even buckled in when the driver floored it. “WHOA!” Twilight nearly fell over as the car raced down the road and nearly hit several other cars on its way. “Stop the car!” Twilight demanded. “Not happenin,” The driver said. “I said let me out!” Twilight said trying to open the door only for them to lock themselves. “What’s going on?! Am I being kidnapped?!” Twilight said fearfully. “Hahaha! Nope! It’s time ta learn yer lesson Twilight!” The driver said. “What lesson- wait… how do you know my name?!” Twilight said wishing she had her taser. “Well Twilight, you see,” The driver finally looked back at her past the blurry window, and Twilight nearly freaked out at what she saw. Rainbow mane, blue coat, pony-like body, this was pony Rainbow Dash!?  “Rainbow Dash?!” Twilight gasped. “Well, not exactly,” She laughed in her raspy male-like voice. “Th-then who are you?” Twilight asked. “Who else could I be? I’m the Ghost of Christmas past! But you can just call me Past” She laughed billowing out cigar smoke.  “Huh? Wait! So that wasn’t a dream?!” Twilight exclaimed. “Course not!” Past said with a laugh “Btw, you don’t mind me smokin do ya?” Past asked. “Yeah yeah fine! Watch the road!”Twilight panicked. “Thanks!” Past said before going back to driving and taking Twilight down several blocks and they were going into a smoke cloud. “L-LOOK OUT!” Twilight cried. “Ah fuggedaboutit,” Past laughed and they entered the cloud and Twilight screamed thinking they were going to crash. But then they exited the cloud and she found herself in a whole different neighborhood. And heading for another car. “LOOK OUT!” Twilight screamed, the two cars collided… and one phased right through the other. “Get lost, chump!” Past laughed. “T-take me home… NOW!” Twilight breathed fearfully. “On it,” Past said and she parked by a house. “Huh? Wait a minute…” Twilight looked out the window and suddenly the door opened. Wasting no time Twilight hopped out and tried to run for it but she ran into a barrier and fell down. “Ow…” Twilight groaned as she got up out of the snow. “Ah ah ah, not lettin you get away that easy,” Past trotted up to her. “Let me go…” Twilight said standing over her. “Not happenin, you’ve got yer own lesson to learn,” Past said. “Why? What did I do that was so bad?” Twilight demanded. “Are ya serious? I shouldn’t have to answer that, yer here for being a lousy friend!” Past snapped at her making her flinch. “I’m pursuing my new dream, is that a crime?” Twilight said. “It is when you hurt others to get there,” Past said. “...Ok… fine then, why are you a pony? Better yet, why are you Rainbow Dash?” Twilight asked. “Trust me, you don’t want to see what I actually look like, this, makes it easier for you mortals to comprehend,” Past said. “A small talking horse is easy to comprehend?” Twilight said. “For you at least, seeing as you know ponies, and we always take the form of friends, better than accidentally making humans go insane,” Past said “Enough about that though, look where we’re at,” Past said gesturing to the house. “Huh?” Twilight said, seeing her old old house “Wait… I thought this place went under the wrecking ball years ago,” Twilight said. “It was years ago, and that’s where we’re at, years ago,” Past said. “Wait… we’ve literally time traveled?” Twilight asked. “Yeah, it’s kind of our thing, c’mon,” Past trotted ahead, and looked back when she saw Twilight staring defiantly. “We can sit here for eternity until you do ya know, I got all the time in the world,” Past said with a deadpan. “Oh fiiine…” Twilight said and she followed her, she walked through the door and when Twilight made to follow she bumped into the door. “Your very funny…” Twilight sighed rubbing her nose. “I love it when that happens!” Past chortled and she opened the door and Twilight saw people in the living room. “See that? That’s you at five,” Past said. “Shh! What if they hear us?” Twilight said. “Oh relax, they can’t see or hear us,” Past said. Twilight was laughing as she ran around in circles with a fairy princess doll while her grandmother Twilight Luster watched with a camera. “Grandma?” Twilight said looking surprised. “Yeah, the only friend ya had at the time besides yer brother and parents,” Past said. “...I see what you're doing, you want me to get all choked up just because I’m seeing my now-deceased grandmother and realize something important, well forget it,” Twilight said. “Exactly what they all say,” Past said. “Gramma, look!” Little Twilight did swoops and dives with her doll. “Oh very good Twiley! Can she do tricks?” Luster asked. “Yea!” Little Twilight cheered throwing her and catching her. Suddenly the door opened behind the two watching and Grandpa Light Fizzle came in with presents. “Granpa!” Twiley cheered. “Hey hey!” Fizzle said giving her gifts. “See that Twiley, you were so carefree back then, what happened to make you an obsessive jerk?” Past said. “I’m not a jerk!” Twilight said before seeing her grandparents hug her younger self. “Your family were your friends, and now, that ya lost your grandparents, you became too focused on your own needs,” Past said. “I…” Twilight couldn’t deny that and when she heard the phone ring she saw Twilight Luster leave to go answer it. “Goodbye for now my little angel,” Luster said before walking off. Hearing what her grandmother used to call her struck a cord in Twilight and she felt a tear come down her cheek. “Happens every time, ya see Twiley?” Past said with a smirk. The two went outside and Twilight had to dry her eyes. “Shut up, I get it, so yes, I do miss my grandparents, but even Princess Twilight can’t resurrect the dead,” Twilight said. “Nor should she, you made good memories, now the only memories you make these days are calculations and fractions,” Past said. “Not true, there’s more to it than that,” Twilight said. “Well, let’s see about that,” Past said. They arrived at an elementary school. “What are we doing here?” Twilight asked. “To show you what you’re still like,” Past said. They walked and trotted up to the playground and saw a seven-year-old Twilight sitting on a bench reading. “What’s this supposed to teach me?” Twilight asked. “Wait for it,” Past said. A ball bounced up to her and she glanced at the kid coming up to her. “Hi wanna play?” The yellow and pink girl asked. “No, I’m reading,” Twilight replied. “I wanna play though and nobody will play with me,” She said. “Well I’m sorry, but I’m reading,” Twilight replied. “Ok…” The girl walked away. “So selfish,” Past said. “I was seven, and just discovered the joys of reading, what’s to learn here?” Twilight asked. “That you never changed,” Past said. “What?” Twilight said. “You valued your books more than friendship, and you grew up a social pariah as a result,” Past said. “That’s a little uncalled for,” Twilight said angrily “But accurate, there’s more to life than what you can read on a book, maybe instead of reading about Mount Everest, climb it!” Past barked. “...” Twilight looked away. “Can’t even deny it, c’mon, there’s something else you need to see,” Past said. Twilight got out of the taxi and saw an all too familiar sight. Midnight Sparkle… Battling Sunset… “Why bring me back here?” Twilight demanded. “This is where your shell finally broke, you accepted Sunset’s hand in friendship and you moved to Canterlot High, and you gained so many new friends! As a result, you weren’t a social pariah anymore,” Past said. “...I get it okay, I get that I’ve become distant but my work is important,” Twilight said. “There you go, making excuses again, work this work that, what about living? Breathing? Being free? Doesn’t that matter to you anymore?!” Past shouted. “It does! But I have other things besides friends! I need my future!” Twilight said. “And your friends need you… especially the one you’ve neglected the most,” Past said and suddenly Twilight found herself sitting in the taxi again and they arrived at a pet shop. “Huh?” Twilight saw her child self entering the shop. “Wait is this-” “The place you met your best friend,” Past said and they went in, and they saw Twilight looking at various dogs and stopping at a tiny purple puppy who looked excited to see her. “I want this one!” Younger Twilight said. “You sure?” Twilight Velvet asked. “Yeah!” Younger Twilight cheered. Twilight watched her younger self picking the small puppy up and nuzzling him and he licked her with his tiny tongue. “Ahahaha, I wanna call you… Spike!” Young Twilight said. “Spike?.... I neglected him?...” Twilight said. “Neglected him? You flat out made him feel like he didn’t matter anymore, you don’t got an abundance of years with him, make them count or give him to Fluttershy, y’know, so you can ‘work in peace’” Past said with disgust. “...I…guess I did make him feel like that did I… Look Past, I get it, I just- Past?” Twilight looked around when she couldn’t find the pony and she suddenly found herself in front of her apartment, with the taxi in front of her. “You’ve got a good future ahead of you Twilight, don’t spoil it because of selfishness, see ya never! Hahahaha!” The pony hit the gas and took off into the distance. “Wait!” Twilight said but the taxi disappeared into the distance “I’m…. not selfish…” Twilight said. She looked at her watch and saw only a few minutes had passed. “Ooook… let’s just… take some time here…” Twilight said turning to walk back to her home.