Can You Hear Them?
“Ugh.” Twilight Sparkle was not having a good day. She had woken up with a migraine and the way her head was pounding was making it impossible to study. To make matters worse, the painkillers she had taken earlier weren’t helping at all.
“That it,” she decided, “I’m using magic.” Her horn glowed and she felt her headache subside, replacing it with a drained feeling. She gave a sigh of relief.
“I should have done that sooner.” she decided, “I’d rather feel drained than be in pain. Huh, that rhymed.” Now that the head-splitting pain was gone, she turned her attention back to her books.
Twilight read for a few more minutes before the door to the basement slammed opened. Turning her head she saw Spike enter the main floor of the library, carrying something in his claws.
“Hay Twi,” asked Spike as he held out something for Twilight to see, “What’s this?”
“That’s my old fob watch,” Twilight replied with disinterest. “I haven’t seen this in years. Where did you find it?”
“It was in one of the boxes down stairs. I was cleaning the place up, like you asked, and it fell out of the box I was moving. It looked cool so I kept it out.”
“Yes, it is.” Twilight levitated the watch out of the dragon’s grip and examined it closer. “I have always found the designs on it interesting. It is a very good piece of craftsmanship.”
“Where did you get it?” asked spike.
“I’ve always had it,” replied Twilight. She turned around and put the watch on a nearby shelf. “I guess my parents gave it to me?”
“You guess?”
“Yeh,” sighed Twilight as she stared at the watch. “Mom and Dad told me that I had it on me when the orphanage found m…”
“Wait a minute,” interrupted Spike. “You’re adopted?!”
“Yes,” said Twilight, turning around, a look of confusion adorning her face. “Didn’t I tell you that already?”
“No.”
“…Oh.” Twilight paused. An uncomfortable silence began building between them. Right before Spike was about to break the silence, she continued. “Ok. Well, now you know. I’m adopted. Shining is too.”
“You’re both adopted?!”
“Yes. As it turns out, Mom is infertile.”
“Dang, that’s rough,” said Spike, a look of sympathy on his face. “I’m sorry to hear that.”
Twilight waved her hoof dismissingly. “They came to terms with it a long time ago.”
“That’s good,” said Spike. “Still, you look a lot like you mother. I never would have guessed you weren’t related.”
“Ya, we do look alike,” mused Twilight. “They were so surprised by the simularities that when they adopted me they got the doctors to give me a DNA test to see if I was some long lost niece they never knew about.”
“Wow, that’s pretty neat.” Turning his attention back to the watch behind Twilight he asked, “But to get us back on topic, why haven’t I ever seen you use that watch?”
“It’s broken,” said Twilight. “It has been for as long as I can remember. To tell you the truth, I’ve never really thought much about it before.”
“Did you ever think about getting it fi…?”
Spike was cut off as the front door slammed open. Rarity walked in yelling, “Twilight, Spike! Are you there?”
“R-R-R-Rarity.” Spike’s eyes glazed over at the sight of his crush, his cheeks turning red.
“Twilight, there you are darling.” said Rarity. Twilight could immediately tell by the grin Rarity was giving her that she wanted something.
“Hi Rarity,” began Twilight, “How are you doing?”
“Oh, I am doing just fine. But I'm afraid to say that I've come to ask a favor of you.”
“Anything you want, Rarity.” said Spike as he continued to stare dreamily at his crush. Rolling her eyes at her assistance’s behavior, Twilight turned her attention back to Rarity.
“Sure Rarity. What do you need?”
“Well,” began Rarity, “I just need to take Spikey-Wikey off of your hands for a few hours. You see I am all out of emeralds and I need his help to get more so that I can finish up my new project.”
“Please Twilight!” begged Spike as he threw himself in front of her. “Can I go? PleasePleasePleasePleasePleasePlea…”
“Alright, alright,” said Twilight, interrupting his pleading, “You can go.”
“Thank you, Twilight!” beamed Spike.
“I’ll have him back in a few hours. You won’t need to worry about a thing.” reassured Rarity.
“Alright.” Twilight watched as the pair left the library and then turned her attention back to the shelf. Once again picking up the old gold watch she studied the complex design on the front.
'BumBumBumBum BumBumBumBum BumBumBumBum BumBumBumBum BumBumBumBu…’
Shaking her head, Twilight set the fob watch back on the shelf and left the room. The beating was getting louder. Now that she thought about it, the beating always seemed to get louder when she was close to it. She had never really thought about it before. Then again, it was almost as if the watch wasn’t even there. She had that since she was a small filly, yet looking back, she could hardly remember it at all. It had always been with her, yet at the same time it never was.
'BumBumBumBum BumBumBumBum BumBumBumBum BumBumBumBum BumBumBumBum BumBumBu…'
“Stupid drums,” she said to herself. She had been hearing that beat for her entire life. It had its ups and downs, but it always seemed to get worse when she was near that watch. Now that she thought about it, she couldn’t believe that it never occurred to her before that they could be related.
“That watch.” Twilight turned around and looked back into the room where the watch sat. Slowly, she walked back into the room and approached the broken fob watch.
‘BumBumBumBum BumBumBumBum BumBumBumBum BumBumBumBum BumBu…’
“I’ve never actually opened it before...” Twilight slowly picked up the old watch, her gaze was transfixed on its tarnished gold surface.
‘The Time Vortex…Regeneration…The drums, the drums, the never ending drumbeat…’
“I’ve never really even looked at it. For all these years…”
‘Open me you foal. Open the light and summon me up and receive my majesty!’
“M-Maybe I should…”
‘BumBumBumBum BumBumBumBum BumBumBumBum BumBumBumBum BumBumBumBum…’
A voice in the back of Twilight’s mind was telling her not to. It was telling her to cast the watch aside and to forget about its existence.
‘BumBumBumBum BumBumBumBum BumBumBumBum BumBumBumBum…’
But as the pounding in her ears increased, that voice was drowned out.
‘BumBumBumBum BumBumBumBum BumBumBumBum BumBumBumBum…’
‘Open me! Open me and reclaim what you once were!’
Twilight opened her old, tarnished watch. Her mind was blank as she was blinded by a bright golden light.
.