Twilight's throat felt dry; she swallowed, trying to wet it, but the gulps seemed to stick. Trembling, she approached the table and the cursed object. Without her magic channeled into it, the color had faded from it, returning to its indecipherable state. She felt great unease, but cast the enhancement spell once more.
The colors deepened; most of it turned a light purple, but in the middle, the contrast made clear the sight she had recoiled from: A rose-colored, six-pointed star with five lesser stars arranged around it. She levitated the object, turning her head and bringing it about to her flank. She placed it side-by-side her cutie mark. It matched perfectly; she felt as if her head were spinning and she was seeing double.
"How can this be?" she said to herself. Is it a fake? she thought. She lay it back on the table, then pressed a hoof against the material. If the mark were real, that meant it was on... a coat. Her coat? She wanted to be sick at the idea. She had to consider the possibilities.
It can't be a magically-made false mark on a real coat. Trying to apply a cutie mark through magical means could make one appear, but only briefly before it would wink out. It would have vanished before the... skin could be cut away.
Painted, then, or drawn on? That she could check with Bright's All-Purpose Erasure Spell; she used it frequently in her studies, it would take off ink, pencil, paint, and even make-up, for some reason. She focused, conjuring the spell, aiming it towards the flap of skin, but... nothing happened. It appeared to be real.
How could that be? She stamped the floor in irritation. That just isn't logical! she fumed. A real cutie mark, her own cutie mark, cut away and placed in some ancient scroll-case to be found by her because of a train wreck? It was a ludicrous series of events.
Ignore its arrival. Assume it is real. Consider its origin. She tried to achieve calmness and apply reason. However improbable, it was here. What could the source of it be? Well, it had to be... her. How could it be her, if she was here looking at it, flank intact? There would have to be another her. Another Twilight.
She had actually met herself - Future Twilight - once, and as her future self met Past Twilight. But that possibility could be eliminated: the time travel spell that Starswirl the Bearded had written could send a pony only once into the past, and only for a brief period. She'd only had long enough to say a few things to herself. Ugh. Even thinking about that conundrum was starting to give her a headache.
There was the Mirror Pool, but she had personally seen it blocked off. She couldn't imagine why she would decide to uncover it and use the pool to make a copy of herself, given the dangers involved. Even then, that wouldn't explain how the mark had ended up where it had been found.
This is a dead end. She shook her head; she would have to set aside the problem of the mark and look to the paper. Perhaps it would offer an explanation.
She moved the mark aside, her stomach turning queasy at the touch. With the paper in clear view, she channeled again, repeating the color enhancement spell. The paper shimmered, and line after line of black ink coalesced. Impossible! This was not turning out according to plan!
Twilight Sparkle,
I address this to you, but as you must have seen, I am you and you are I - the mark we bear, I have stripped from my side as the only proof I can offer of the truth of these words. We met ourselves once, long ago - through Starswirl's spell, we sought to save ourselves the troubles of a week's worries. I beg you, I plead with you - listen with the greatest intensity you can give, for all the problems and villains we have faced before pale in comparison to this.
The future - your future - is in grave danger. From where I write, it has already died... in this dead world live only a few broken remnants such as myself. All that is love and friendship; all that is good in the world has passed on. This must not be!
Two great evils struggle for dominance of your world. One you have already faced and triumphed over, but it persists, and will do anything to return. The other... I have fought, but failed, and it was my failure that led to the unmaking. I offer my knowledge, my assistance in correcting this failure. Events will soon unfold, and you must be told of them before it is too late. I remember the crystal tower - it marks the beginning of the end.
Starswirl's spell is the key. You could not know, but I - I have had years to make the attempt, for there has never been greater need, but there has never been the ability before, either. This dead world... magic has changed. Things that before were impossible may be... tweaked... to the bare edge of possibility now. With all my power, I could send this letter and my mark, enclosed in a case, to lay in the Earth awaiting the crystal's rise, but I could not travel there myself. The spot I marked well - the crystal remains there still - but I could not know with precision when the case would arrive. I pray only that it has not been disturbed, should it lay there for millenia.
There is one more possibility. The spell - it can be reversed, but in a peculiar way. You must come to see me, Twilight. Shield yourself, and use the spell, but focus all your willpower on reversing the effect! If you can maintain both spells, the shield will keep you safe as all the world advances, and you will come to my time. I believe you will 'sleep', as it were. Cast these spells from the observatory on the mountains above even high Canterlot. It is one of the last vestiges of life remaining to this place, and is where I stay. At the center of the floor's star, I shall have a spell-breaker cast to interrupt your channeling.
I cannot tell you not to consult the Princess, our longtime mentor, but she will not provide the answers or aid you need to save us, your friends, or our home.
Ask her of Dawnstar.
Twilight was utterly flabbergasted. The world, dying or already dead, destroyed because of her, because of some failure? It seemed unthinkable. She stopped the spell, and the words of the letter faded away.
Evils. One she had faced before sought to return. Nightmare Moon had become Princess Luna again, the power of the Elements of Harmony striking goodness into her heart after her long banishment in the moon. Twilight believed the redemption fully; Celestia's love for the younger sister shone through in the pride and fondness the Princess displayed when speaking of Luna and her return as guardian of the night. I will die before doubting Princess Celestia! vowed Twilight in a surge of determination. The two Princesses ruled together again, and Twilight would trust in both.
For the same reason, she had to dismiss Discord as the evil mentioned. He had been a pain in the flank to be sure, but... evil? He reveled in chaos, a trickster and mischief-maker at heart, but that was not the same as evil. He'd been overthrown by the two sisters an age ago, when they first came into possession of the Elements. He might have been a possibility, except Princess Celestia had tasked Twilight and her friends with reforming the Draconequus, explaining that his chaos powers could be turned towards good. Twilight harbored her doubts about Discord's 'reformation', but Fluttershy and Celestia both believed in him, so she would not dishonor them by doing any less.
Queen Chrysalis? The insect-like shapeshifter and her changelings had been ousted from the realm before they could complete her plan to seize control, but they had not been killed. It was certainly in her nature to try again. Like Discord, though, Twilight wasn't sure that the Queen was truly evil; it was her nature to feed and seek that end through her methods, treacherous though they may be, but destroying the world would mean her own death.
There had been other opponents, mild to annoying, but she arrived at what she had felt since the wreck might be the true answer.
Sombra.
The King had once claimed the power of the Crystal Empire, and might have dominated all of Equestria, save for the actions of the Sister Princesses. Banished once, he had managed to return a thousand years later... and though Twilight, her friends, her brother and Princess Cadance had defeated the mad King, had he truly been destroyed, or banished, or... what? The crystal tower and its black substance had appeared extremely far from the Empire, and it remained a mystery how or why. In his desperation for taking power, he might go too far.
But there was still this second, unknown enemy, one that Future Twilight had... that she, here and now, would soon fail against. She had failed at things before, of course, but not of the magnitude that the letter claimed. Things had... gotten out of hand once or twice; she blushed to remember the 'Want it, Need it' spell that had affected the town when she'd had a bout of... worry about making her friendship reports. Aided by the Alicorn Amulet, Trixie had once bested Twilight at magic, but she had turned to her friends and their strength to defeat the lone unicorn.
The Princess will not provide the answers you need, the letter had said.
Twilight thought of her friend, Rainbow Dash, and the strength of loyalty that the pegasus represented. Twilight would let her friend be an example - she would show her loyalty to the Princess! If Celestia could not be trusted, nopony could. Her Alicorn mentor had taken a personal hand in Twilight's life since she was a filly. The Princess had entrusted her with the defeat of enemies; with the powers of the Elements; with love, knowledge, and responsibility. She certainly would talk to Celestia, no matter what the letter said.
She considered the mark and the paper. She rolled them up and stuck them back in the case, then slid it into one of the alcoves. No safer place to keep it, anyway, she reasoned.
She hit the button to open up the gate, then hurried out.
The iron door gave way as she moved from the library to the castle. She followed the twists and turns of the passageways within, heading to the throne room, where the Princess was apt to be conducting the day's business. More of the stained-glass windows rushed past with their stories of old battles waged when Twilight galloped through the Grand Hall, heading this time for the archway at the end.
Oops. The Princess was in there, yes, but somepony else was speaking with her, a stallion, some sort of official. Twilight's galloping hoofbeats drew a look from the pair; embarrassed, she slowed to a walk and stopped a dozen or so lengths away from them. Twilight saw the Princess shake her head slightly as the official looked this way. Twilight moved to a cushion off to the side, and the pair resumed their conversation in low key; she couldn't hear what they were saying... not that she meant to.
After a few minutes waiting, the stallion bowed to the Princess and turned to trot out, giving Twilight an expressionless look before passing through the archway. Twilight walked, but did so briskly, over towards Celestia.
"Twilight," said the Princess. "I take it from your pace in arriving here that you have learned something about the recovered objects."
Yes, Princess. It says the world is in danger, that I will fail and cause its destruction. That you can't help. That a great, unknown evil comes, and one that we have defeated before is returning.
That's what she intended to say. But something... something held her back, just like she hadn't mentioned her dream. Why wasn't she telling the Princess everything?
The Princess noted the pause. "Twilight?"
"Princess, who is Dawnstar?"
The color drained from Celestia's face almost immediately. "Twilight... where did you hear that name?" She took on a stern look after that, speaking almost roughly at the young student. "Did the scroll mention h... it?"
She almost said 'him' or 'her', noted Twilight. "Yes, it did, but it didn't explain who or what that is."
Celestia stood fully; she looked as if, for once in her life, she would yell at her faithful student. She deflated, though, and briefly looked sad. "Walk with me, Twilight."
Obediently, she fell in step with the Princess, and they slowly left the throne room. Twilight thought they might head to one of the window panes for an explanation, but the Princess led them out to an open balcony which overlooked Canterlot and much of the land of Equestria far below. They approached the railing and stood there. The Princess remained silent for at least a minute before turning to Twilight.
"Twilight, I have known you for the better part of your life, now. It was my pleasure and my honor to take you on as my personal student after witnessing the potential you displayed at the school entrance exam. Like all students, you have learned, struggled, and applied your knowledge to a great many situations. Through your friends, you have learned one of the deeper truths of our world - the power of friendship, and the magic it brings. I have learned from you, as well - learned to trust you, to let you face the evils that exist out there, to shine through and achieve greatness. It is humbling, in a way, but also dangerous. I cannot let you face too much, too soon."
"Both Luna and I have kept close watch on you since her return. There are... greater magics and things to learn that await you, but only when we believe you are ready. Dawnstar was... is... one of those things."
"But Princess," protested Twilight. "If the scroll mentions this, should I not be ready to learn more about it? How can I just abandon it now? Am I supposed to sit around, celebrate my birthday, and return to Ponyville with this scroll and the crystal unexplained while you consider how long til I'm ready?"
Celestia sighed. "Twilight, I know your passion for knowledge, and I know you get fixated on a problem. I hold by my statement, but if it will put you at ease, I will explain the meaning of that name - but only if you promise that you will leave the matter alone until I request your aid."
Twilight hesitated, but bowed acceptance. "Yes, Princess."
Celestia turned back to look over Equestria. "Dawnstar is a name. A pony - unicorn, to be specific."
"A unicorn? How is that earth-shattering?" Twilight said in frustration.
"Because you have met him," the Princess said without turning.
"I have? W... who?"
"Dawnstar is King Sombra."