Universe 47931
“You’re getting the hang of it,” Alter Twilight remarked, her voice slightly coarse.
“Thanks,” Twilight mumbled, removing the magical orbs she summoned with the Hexstone. She was getting better at using it, but she still clearly had much to learn. The lavender mare would have to study it more once she was back in her universe. Now that she knew how it functioned, she wouldn’t make the same mistakes twice.
“This…” Her alternate version breathed out, grunting as the light faded from her horn. “This was the last session. The spell is complete… You’re linked to my stone now, which means I can get you and your friends home,” The alicorn revealed, seeming even more strained than before. That spell certainly took a lot of effort out of her, but any worry Twilight might have had for her vanished once her brain processed the words she spoke.
“Really?!” The original Twilight jumped to her hooves excitedly, spreading her wings. “You can take us all back home?!” She beamed, getting into her alternate self’s face too close for comfort.
“Yes, yes, I can,” Alter Twilight gently pushed the original away. “I’ll need one last break, though. Linking you with the stone took its toll, and I was already worse for wear because of the shield I’m keeping up. I’ll need to be in good shape and able to focus for what I’ll have to do. If I’m not… Then everything will fail,” She explained, standing up with a groan.
“Oh! Of course! I’m sure my friends can wait for a few more hours,” Twilight nodded in understanding while her counterpart put back the Hexstone where it originally was and walked up the stairs to go to her room.
Ever since they started this, her alternate self needed to take naps and relax because of the spell. Since time was dead, Twilight had no idea for how long they had been doing this, but it must have been hours, maybe even a couple of days? She wasn’t sure how long she had been in this world.
Nevertheless, she wasn’t just training to use the Hexstone while her counterpart worked on the spell or slept. The conversation they had, and the situation with that universe weighed on Twilight’s mind the whole time. It gave her a lot to think about, so she did. She had been contemplative every time she could. Several things bothered her about her current situation. Yes, the universe’s end was horrible, just like what happened to her counterpart’s friends was, too. However, she couldn’t help but notice a few odd details about her alternate version. It was mostly about the things she said.
How did she know? It was something she didn’t even think about pointing out when she met her; she didn’t even notice it until she began recounting the past events and contemplating them! How did Alter Twilight know that her friends had been displaced in another universe, too? From the moment she met her, Twilight didn’t even mention her friends being sucked in along with her by the stone even once… At least, not until her counterpart already talked about it, first. Somehow, she knew that Twilight had been sucked in with all her friends and that they had been split up. So… How did she know?
It was after that realization hit Twilight that she began questioning even more things about her alternate self. Why was she so against helping that other universe when she could easily fix their Tirek problem? Twilight would have understood if she was a version of herself who didn’t help anyone or who was so obsessed with finding a solution to her problem that she didn’t wish to waste time helping. However, that didn’t keep her from helping the original Twilight!
Then there was also the fact that she apparently found a way to remove all the time paradoxes and repair time itself, but she always refused to elaborate once Twilight asked her for more details. Her response would usually be “You don’t need to worry about it” or “It’s my problem” and other various excuses.
Now, Twilight wasn’t usually distrusting by nature, especially if the other individual was an alternate version of herself. However, some of the things her counterpart had been too cryptic for her liking, and her general secrecy did not alleviate the alicorn’s worries. Thus, once her alternate self left for a nap, she decided to do something she normally disliked: snoop around.
Even if her counterpart refused to answer anything, that didn’t mean there weren’t answers to find. If she had been working on the stone for so long, there must be a research journal of some kind or even a diary. No one could live alone for so many years without having someone or something to talk to, after all. Beyond journals and diaries, there must be other clues scattered around the castle. Twilight even wondered if her counterpart kept one of the time paradoxes here for study.
While she wasn’t the type to imprison a creature to study it, she couldn’t deny that time paradoxes were an intriguing phenomenon. Quickly, she set out to the closest bookshelf and grabbed several books in her telekinetic hold, checking the cover of each one. Unfortunately, most of them were books she knew quite well since she owned the same ones. Just in case something was hidden inside them, she flipped through the pages before turning her attention to another book. At this point, she may as well go to the castle’s library, but she began to think that her alternate self wouldn’t hide a diary there.
Still, she probably would have to take a look at it once she was done checking all over the rest of the castle. Even if the design was the same, the internal configuration was foreign to her. Some rooms were changed and many items were missing. She should have expected it, but it still came as a surprise, and it made it harder for her to look for anything out of place. She was starting to think it wasn’t such a good idea. She would lose the other Twilight’s trust without even getting to know a single thing about her.
Unfortunately, the library wasn’t much help either… Most of the books were scattered all over the floor, burned and torn apart. The books weren’t the only things damaged as the shelves collapsed and were reduced to pieces. Scorch marks spread over the floor and the walls. It was like a fight broke out here… That also meant that her hours of searching came with no result. She didn’t find anything in the entire castle! The only room she didn’t look through was the one her counterpart was sleeping in, which was the most likely place to find what she was looking for, and… the lab.
Alter Twilight told her it was gone because of the events outside, but it still bugged her a little… Why would the lab be damaged first? She couldn’t believe that the top of the castle would be left untouched when Equus’ surface and the stars faded first according to her counterpart, but that the lab would be gone completely.
The lavender alicorn could go there and investigate, but… if her counterpart was telling the truth, then it would be dangerous. Twilight shook her head. No, there was a barrier protecting the rest of the castle, which meant that she didn’t necessarily need to go all the way down to check the state of it. As long as she was inside the barrier, she should be protected. Moreover, her alternate self could wake up any moment now, so she couldn’t waste time questioning her next course of action. She would trust her counterpart’s word if the lab was truly gone. She wouldn’t have much of a choice because of the situation.
Hesitantly, the lavender mare looked around, checking if her alternate self was anywhere near her, awake. Luckily, it seemed her nap still wasn’t over. Taking a small breath, Twilight hurried to the lab, replaying the other alicorn’s words in her mind. A growing sense of unease threatened to make her puke the little amount of lunch she had. For some reason, her counterpart didn’t have much food in there. She only had a small garden that logically couldn’t supply a full-grown pony. Yet, she seemed in great shape.
Now that she was finally standing at the door, a sudden coldness swept over her, making her shiver. She couldn’t go back now after she just made up her mind. Twilight finally opened the door. The other side seemed… Normal. The staircase leading down, and the walls didn’t seem affected by what was happening outside. Moreover, the barrier’s wall still wasn’t visible, which meant she could go further down.
The alicorn lit her horn and created a light orb to lead the way and let her see in the dark. A chill ran down her spine as she approached the bottom of the stairs, still not seeing the barrier’s bounds. The lab was even darker than the staircase, so she sent the ball of light to the ceiling and expanded it until it was enough to illuminate the whole room. The instant she could see what was inside, the mare gasped, quickly covering her mouth to keep herself from screaming.
Bones. Bones everywhere. More accurately, there were piles and piles of skeletons, filling the now much bigger lab than the one in her universe. Most of these bones belonged to alicorns, some to unicorns or earth ponies. She would have never figured out who these bones belonged to if it weren’t for several still-decomposing corpses present at the base of the piles. It was a unicorn version of herself, lying on the cold floor with lifeless eyes and missing spots of flesh all over her body.
Twilight nearly puked on the spot, holding her mouth with her wing to keep her lunch and digestive fluids down. Turning around, she spotted another counterpart. This one was an alicorn and in an even worse shape than the previous one. Her eyes darted to the right, a changeling Twilight. Everywhere she looked, she could recognize herself. A humanoid counterpart, a dragon with lavender scales, an alicorn Twilight in a royal dress, a Princess Luna.
"What... is this?" she stammered, her legs trembling as she backed away. Ragged breaths nearly choked her, the air feeling thin and suffocating. What snapped her out of her trance and panic was nearly tripping over something on the ground. “Ah!” She shouted, jumping back and collapsing to the floor once she realized what she nearly fell on. An old and shriveled-up body. The body of Tirek. “Tirek?” She narrowed her eyes, confused.
“He comes from a world where he bears the element of magic,” A cold, calm, and collected voice responded to her wordless question. The alicorn widened her eyes and swiftly turned to look at the top of the stairs, where stood her counterpart. “I haven’t exactly been truthful, Twilight,” The other alicorn revealed casually.
“What is the meaning of this? What did you do?” Twilight gulped, uncertain if she should step back or not considering the piles of corpses right behind her.
“I already told you most of the truth, you know. I wasn’t exactly subtle about it since betrayal still gives a sour taste in my mouth. I admit I did lie about what happened to Starlight,” Alter Twilight explained while the original alicorn remained quiet, listening carefully. "She didn’t vanish because of us playing with time. I may have lost most of our battles, but since neither of us could permanently disable the other, we were trapped in an impasse, destined to fight indefinitely. That's what I anticipated. However, I began to realize that I was changing. As alicorns, our power grows with age. It's not something you notice day-to-day, but over the years, the growth has become significant. While I grew stronger, Starlight’s aging was slowed because of the time spell. She may have remained young, but she was losing the struggle,”
“Where are you going with this?” Twilight inquired, sweat rolling down her temple.
“I’ve been angry before, but Starlight’s actions made me feel something else. Rage. Hate. She hurt not only me and my friends, but also the whole world over and over. I wanted to get rid of her… for good. I killed her,” She revealed, much to the shock of the first alicorn. “Then, I did it again, and again, and again. I used the time spell to go back and kill her as many times as I wanted to, and… It brought me more pleasure than anything I’ve ever had before,” The counterpart gave the other mare a bittersweet smile. “Unfortunately, the damage was already done. Starlight and I strained the muscle, and I tore it once I started reveling in my enemy’s blood, time began dying. It was a slow process, though,”
“What do you mean?” Twilight gulped.
“The universe tried to fix itself as much as it could, so it shifted, and changed things and events before the day we got our cutie mark. Some ponies weren’t born, others would have additional siblings. The world was trying to fit in with the changes Starlight and I made to avoid making more time paradoxes. This was heavily damaging to the world I knew… Too different, so I went back in time to put everything back to normal like it should have been. It only got worse and worse until time ultimately died,” Alter Twilight explained somberly. “I didn’t even notice when Spike disappeared until it was too late,”
“So… You did this?!” Twilight questioned, referring to the end of the world. “You destroyed everything?!” She shouted with an accusatory tone.
“Did you not listen to anything I said? I may have dealt the final blow, but Starlight was the precursor. None of this would have happened if it weren’t for her,” Alter Twilight spat in disgust. Even after all these years, the hate she held for the unicorn was still fresh and palpable.
“Does it matter who the blame lies on when this is the result?!” Twilight gestured around her, but her counterpart didn’t answer, simply narrowing her eyes instead. “And what is this?”
“Haven’t you figured it out still?” Alter Twilight hummed with a raised eyebrow.
“You brought me here,” The original alicorn accused the other mare.
“That much is obvious,” Alter Twilight scoffed. “Didn’t you think it was weird that the stone would react only when you and your friends were together when it has no relation to the elements? Were you so conceited that it only made sense that everything would revolve around you?” She shook her head in disappointment. “I’ve observed your universe and waited for an opportunity to fling all of you across the multiverse by using your stone from here,” She explained.
Twilight widened her eyes, stunned. Her counterpart was actually good enough to affect a Hexstone from several universes away from her?! This was insane! However, she still couldn’t figure out why. Why did she do this?!
“Where are my friends?!” Twilight demanded to know, stomping on the floor.
“Who knows? I’ve thrown them at random. They may be in a peaceful world just like they could have ended up in a hellhole. Doesn’t matter. You were the only one with a predetermined destination. This universe,” Alter Twilight replied. “Believe it or not, this isn’t personal by any means,”
“What is it for, then?! A-Are you some evil me who wants to destroy other worlds?!” Twilight questioned, glaring at the other alicorn.
“That’s the best you could think of?” Alter Twilight scoffed; she was not amused. “I’ve studied the Hexstone for millennia, which allowed me to discover a way to save my home and everypony I love,” She responded. “If I connect somepony from another universe my Hexstone, I can link their world with mine and absorb it along with them. Doing so would grant me access to the stone’s limitless supply of magic, but I can also use that universe’s essence to rebuild mine. The one who holds the Hexstone holds dominion over their whole universe. I am not some petty villain looking for world destruction or conquest. I only wish to save,”
“So… These ponies,” Twilight gestured to the corpses and remains.
“Most are counterparts of ours. Unfortunately, things didn’t go as planned. The other universe needs to be compatible if I want to use it to fix my own. The bodies you see here come from universes that couldn’t help me, and so they simply died after their essence was drained. I’ve tried looking for the Prime Universe because I was sure it would be compatible; however, I never found it,”
Twilight remained speechless for a time, not even sure how to respond to such a confession. No… This couldn’t be an alternate version of herself! It was impossible! She would never think of doing something like this! This was a nightmare!
“How… How could you resort to this?” Twilight’s voice trembled. “Infinite universes are open to you! Why didn’t you ask for help?!” She yelled.
“Even after seeing those other universes, you still don’t get it?” Alter Twilight sighed. “By the time I knew how the stone functioned, I’d already witnessed horrors beyond what you’ve already seen. The multiverse is nothing but despair and misery, an endless cycle of suffering. Because it is infinite, you will have as many desolate and terrible universes as there are good ones. How can I trust anypony even if I can see their whole life play out with the Hexstone? If I’ve learned anything, it’s that there is evil in everypony. Even inside the counterparts of the ones I love. Moreover, it is my duty to do this. How could I call myself the Princess of Friendship when I can’t save my universe and my friends myself?”
“That’s your excuse?!” Twilight exclaimed with boiling rage. “Do you really think that leaving a mountain of corpses behind you is any better? Would your friends approve of this?! What would they think?!” She screamed, wanting nothing more than to attack her counterpart right here and now, but she held herself back.
“Do not speak of things you don’t know. You have no idea what my friends were like… But you aren’t completely wrong. It doesn’t matter, though. They won’t know the things I did when I fix everything,” Alter Twilight glared at her doppelganger. “You’re my salvation, Twilight. I can say for certain now that you and your universe will save mine,” She smiled. It wasn’t an evil smirk or anything. No, it was sweet and gentle like she received a gift from a friend. However, Twilight stepped back all the same.
“Why? What’s so special about it?” Twilight gulped nervously.
“Your universe is nearly identical to mine until our confrontation with Starlight. Do you know how rare that is?” Her replica replied happily. “There is no way our universes aren’t compatible,” She explained, taking a step forward.
The original Twilight breathed out, not knowing how to proceed. She was tempted to beg for her life, but she doubted that would work. The only way for her to live was to escape, but what would she do next? Her friends had no way of knowing they needed to get the stone, and she would have to run and fly around Equus until they found the stone on their end. Could she reason with her alternate self? She killed so many, maybe even destroyed entire universes… She wasn’t sure there was any way to reason with someone who caused so many casualties with their actions.
“You don’t have to do this. We don’t need to fight,” Twilight attempted to stay calm as she spoke. Her counterpart arched an eyebrow, which immediately turned into a frown after Twilight’s next words. “I understand your pain, but this is going too-”
“Silence,” Alter Twilight growled with her teeth clenched, making the original lavender mare shut her mouth. “Don’t give me that bullshit. You’re not the only one who did this,”
“Did what?” Twilight asked, confused.
“To say that you understand. All the other ones that do are like you, so I don’t believe any of their words just like I don’t believe yours. After all… How could you possibly understand?” Alter Twilight glared at her. “You’ve lived a life of privilege. You don’t know pain and loss. You’ve never had to sacrifice anything or anyone! You’re surrounded by loving friends and family, and you have never lost any of them!” She screamed. “So how could you understand what I’m going through? How many of your loved ones have died? Huh? How many?!”
Twilight looked down, staying quiet. She had a feeling her counterpart already knew the answer to that.
“None,” The other spat with anger. “Meanwhile, I’ve lost everything I held dear. I’ve been alone for millions of years… Feeling like I might go insane. Oh, I’ve wished to end it all so many times, but I held onto hope. I kept thinking of the ones I loved and of the world that counted on me, and it kept me going. It gave me strength,”
Was she right? Could Twilight truly not understand her counterpart? It was true, she didn’t lose or have to sacrifice much. Nevertheless, she knew that she would never do something as outrageous and monstrous as what her alternate self did! It was inconsiderable! One of the things the other Twilight said also intrigued her. With a careful gaze, Twilight looked up at her replica again.
“But how? H-How did you survive for so long?” She inquired, astonished.
It seemed the question was enough to calm the other Twilight down.
"I suppose it’s time to end this masquerade," she replied. "Very well. I will show you." The alicorn ignited her horn, enveloping herself in a faint purple glow that quickly dissipated. Suddenly, she grew taller, matching Celestia’s height, and her horn elongated. However, this wasn’t her most shocking feature. Her coat was somber, having lost some of its color just as her mane and tail did. A piece of her chest was gone, flesh and all, revealing bare ribs. Her right eye was white, blank. Was she blind? The other eye, however, was gone along with the left side of her face, leaving only the bones. “I’ve learned the hard way… That alicorns do not live forever,”
“Oh… My Celestia,” Twilight whispered with a hoof over her mouth. Her counterpart’s whole body looked rotten and decomposing like a corpse!
“I’ve aged and aged, and one day… My heart stopped beating. My organs failed, but I remained standing. Because I’ve been too focused on the Hexstone, I noticed that my body also began decaying too late. Fortunately, I managed to cast a spell to preserve what remains,” She explained, gesturing to herself. “One day, I figured out what happened. Even if my physical body died, the other half of my being keeps me alive. Something intangible. Something whose existence has been debatable for a long time. My soul,”
“T-That’s not possible…” Twilight shook her head in disbelief.
“Yes, it is. You know why. I already told you. Think about my words. I am made up of two parts. One half is physical: my body; the other isn’t: my soul. My nature is what sustained me until now, it’s what prevented me from ceasing to exist,” The alternate pony explained. Twilight put a wing to her chin, pondering everything her counterpart said until she finally came to the realization, and widened her eyes. “Yes. You finally get it, don’t you? Tell me, Twilight. What am I?”
“Y-You’re a time paradox,” Twilight stuttered fearfully.
“Indeed, I am,” The other alicorn confirmed. “It is a painful existence, but it kept me alive to save the ones I love,” She began going down the stairs. “For what it’s worth, I will not enjoy what I do to you and your universe, but it is a necessary sacrifice,”
“I can’t talk you out of this, can I?” Twilight asked in a surrendered tone.
“I’m afraid not,” Her alternate self grimly chuckled. Suddenly, pain shot up in her head, making her grunt as she placed a hoof on her forehead. Taking advantage of the distraction, Twilight unfolded her wings and flew toward her replica, only to teleport behind her at the last second. Alter Twilight remained in the lab, holding herself while her skin trembled, slowly swirling and rippling as if it was changing shape. However, it abruptly stopped followed by another of Alter Twilight’s grunts. “Keeping this shape… Is difficult,” She panted, her voice coarser, before looking behind her shoulder. “Are we playing tag now?”
Twilight flew into the throne room and snatched the Hexstone before teleporting outside of the castle. She didn’t care about the dangers waiting for her outside or the other time paradoxes because she absolutely couldn’t stay in that castle if she wanted to live!
“I need to get out of here! I need to get out of here! I need to get out of here!” She repeated while clutching the Hexstone to her side. Think! Think! Think! What should she do? Simply running away wasn’t the way, right now! She also couldn’t fight her alternate self. The difference in power was too grand! She needed to tell her friends to find the stone in the universes they landed, but how?
Twilight rummaged through her head, thinking back on all the lessons she had with her counterpart. Right! She told her it was also a way to communicate! However, she never taught her how! It had only been a passing comment, so Twilight didn’t pay attention to it because of Alter’s original promise to help her. She also told her that the Hexstone responded to the user’s attentions… Could she send a message to her friends if she somehow transmitted those feelings to the stone? She couldn’t do it unless she tried! She needed to focus.
Unfortunately, just as she was about to, two hooves stroke her in the back, making her plummet to the ground. The alicorn grunted in pain every time her body bounced off the floor while she desperately held onto the Hexstone.
“Where do you think you’re going?” Alter Twilight growled in a distorted voice, a purple light coming out of her empty eye socket.
Twilight managed to catch herself right before being struck by one of the second alicorn’s beams, and ran ahead, ignoring her counterpart’s words. Focus. Focus. She had all the tools she needed. She was taught how to use it, and this was her counterpart’s biggest mistake! Even if she was forced to dodge the incoming attacks or create shields, she was saved a few times by the fact that her alternate self was slowed down by her headaches.
The alicorn of friendship breathed in and out, communicating with the Hexstone. With a hopeful gaze, but a worried expression, she lit her horn and activated the magical artifact. A white light shined out of it. It was the first time she had seen the stone do that, but hopefully, it was doing what she wanted it to. Alter Twilight’s growl took her out of her stupor. She couldn’t waste any more time!
“Oh, I hope this works… I-I don’t know if this message will reach you or when it will reach you, girls, because… Time is all messed up in this place! Broken and unrepairable! And I’m not sure I’ll ever manage to get back without you, but listen carefully!” Twilight frantically shouted while running as fast as she could.
“You can’t escape!” Alter Twilight growled in rage. The moment she had noticed what the original Twilight was doing seemed to fill her with even more anger than previously. Her blood was boiling with hate!
“The stone is… some kind of magical artifact that allows… multiversal travel!” Twilight shouted between breaths before shooting a beam of magic in Alter Twilight’s direction. Unfortunately, her counterpart did nothing but scoff and redirect the beam in the sky with a wave of her horn. “Basically, you are all in different worlds! Okay? This is not the Equestria you know! No matter how nice or how bucked up it seems… Just remember that! Luckily… I have… Found another stone in the universe I’m in… Ah!” Twilight screamed in pain. In response to her earlier attack, her counterpart responded in kind. Luckily, it looked like she was holding back. She needed Twilight alive!
“We’ve traveled together, so that means we’re still connected… I don’t have… Time to explain it fully, but find another stone! No matter… How the universe you are in is… The stone will be there! It always will! Once we’re all holding on to it at the same time… We’ll go back ho-” Twilight was suddenly cut off when an even bigger magical beam connected with the ground, causing an explosion that sent her flying forward. The alicorn yelped, skidding across the ground until she hit a stone.
“You fool. Even if you learned to communicate with them, time is broken here! That message could reach them the moment they arrive in that universe just as well as it could in a thousand years!” Alter Twilight clenched her teeth while slowly walking up to the fallen alicorn.
Twilight pushed herself up and fired a beam of magic right into the enemy’s chest, who used a shield to protect herself. The lavender mare teleported behind her and used her telekinesis to slam the nearby stone on top of the alternate pony, only for her to blast it to pieces.
“I doubt they could even find those stones,” Alter Twilight snarled, grunting in pain.
“I know they can! Nothing can stop my friends!” Twilight retorted confidently.
“Such misplaced arrogance,” Alter Twilight sent a magical blade in the other alicorn’s way, who dodged it just in time by leaping to the left.
“Just because you couldn’t save your friends doesn’t mean I’ll make the same mistake!” Twilight shouted back at her. She was aware it may not have been the best response in this situation, but she was angry, too. She hated everything about her counterpart! She couldn’t even comprehend how she could become like this!
“You…” It seemed Twilight’s words hit a nerve. It almost sounded like her teeth would break as she clenched them. “How dare you, you brat!” She hollered, charging another magical attack until she suddenly stopped to hold her head. “Shit… It’s… It’s coming…” She whispered in pain while her body shifted again.
Twilight fearfully stepped back, watching as her counterpart grew larger and taller, groaning all the way while she transformed.
“What… What have you become?” She inquired, clutching the stone tight to her chest, looking up at Alter Twilight’s new form.