//------------------------------// // Sparks // Story: Shadow of Twilight // by GreenS21 //------------------------------// “Ugh…” Twilight groaned as a sudden, brief pain shot through her head, the lavender mare holding a hoof up to her forehead. She’d had this sensation before, just moments before she died because of the sea hare poison, but that couldn’t be what it was. When the effects of the poison began to kick in, it had been a constant feeling; this was fleeting. Even so, she was grateful for it; it kept her from blurting out her thoughts to Lucian. “Do I really want to tell him what I think?” she thought to herself. The light brown unicorn looked at her in concern, “What’s wrong, Twilight? Are you okay?” Twilight set her hoof back down on the floor and looked back at him, saying, “Yeah, I think so.” Lucian replied, “Okay, so what were you about to say? Why will the future change?” Twilight stuttered, “Uh… I wasn’t going to… I mean, I don’t know for sure about what I was going to say.” Lucian said, “Well, tell me what you were going to say, then! I can’t know what to think until you tell me what you have on your mind.” Twilight started, “Well, you see… I heard something from somepony and…” Lucian nodded, “And?” Twilight looked down and whispered, “I think you’re my ancestor.” Lucian leaned closer to her and asked, “What? I couldn’t hear you.” Twilight said, a little louder, “You’re probably my ancestor.” Lucian said, “Twilight, you’re mumbling. You need to speak up or I’m not…” Twilight, unable to keep it to herself any longer, interrupted him by shouting, “I THINK YOU’RE MY ANCESTOR!” She immediately clamped her hooves over her mouth after saying that. She did not intend to say that, at least not as loud as she did. Lucian reeled back, more than a little surprised by Twilight’s outburst. It actually took him a moment to process what Twilight had said. “I’m… your ancestor?” he asked, hesitantly. Twilight looked back up at him, taking her hooves off of her mouth and saying, “I… It’s not as though I’ve looked up whether I’m descended from you or not. But that shouldn’t matter; you should forget about me and live a regular life here in this world.” Lucian was silent for a moment, but then he said, “I see. An ancestor, huh… That’s what I am to you. I thought…” He shook his head and said, “Well, never mind. I guess it doesn’t matter.” Twilight realized how that must’ve sounded and said, “Oh Lucian, I didn’t mean…” Lucian stopped her, “I’m sorry if I’ve been a bother. I guess I was out of line.” He turned around and took a few steps away from Twilight, his ears drooping. Twilight murmured, “Lucian…” The light brown stallion stopped and leaned against the wall. He sighed, “No matter how out of place I am, this is where I was born. And someday, I’ll meet a mare, fall in love with her, give her my children, grow old, and die… It’s all been decided already, hasn’t it? And then my child will have a child, then that child too… and all the way at the end of that repetition is you. That’s what you mean. And if I were to break away from my time right now, you would never be born.” Twilight replied after a moment, “…Something like that, maybe. I honestly don’t know. I’ve never really thought about looking up my family tree, so…” Lucian, with his back pressed up against the wall, said, “I understand. Don’t worry about me. I’m all right.” He looked over at her and asked, “But you’ll still visit from time to time, won’t you? To tell me more about your Canterlot and what you do in this ‘Ponyville’. That’s allowed, isn’t it?” Twilight smiled, “Of course. As long as it’s just between us, I don’t see a problem.” Suddenly, the front door opened and a familiar dark blue unicorn wearing a green vest with a small pouch around his neck and a gray pegasus wearing a yellow vest stepped through inside. Both Twilight and Lucian turned to look at the door, Lucian standing up straight and saying, “Oh – hey Hugo and Red. Did you two just get out of class?” Red Shield was the first to reply, “Nope. We heard everything.” After kicking the door closed with a hoof, Hugo added, “We didn’t mean to act like stalkers, but it didn’t seem like either of us could just walk in.” He then glanced over at Twilight and said, “It’s okay. We won’t tell anypony.” Lucian sighed, “For Celestia’s sake… You know, Hugo, if you guys wanted to listen, there was no problem with joining us.” Hugo looked back at his younger brother, regarding him for a moment before saying, “Yeah, well, we were just trying to be tactful. After all, bro…” Lucian, his cheeks a bit flushed, said, “That’s quite all right!” After a moment, he looked directly at his older brother and asked, “Um, Hugo…?” He began to fidget nervously after saying that. “What?” Hugo asked, confused about his brother’s movements. “Are you still, you know, that lock from Grandma’s mane?” Lucian carefully asked. Almost reflexively, Hugo held a hoof up to the pouch around his neck, asking, “What?!” Lucian soon said, “I know how much you miss Grandma; I miss her too. But you’re not going to carry that thing around forever, are you?” Hugo’s eyes, which had been looking down towards the pouch, widened in shock for a second before narrowing in anger. He looked up at Lucian and yelled, “S-shut up! What do you mean, ‘that thing’! How could you say something like that! It’s not as though I’m doing anything wrong!” His horn suddenly lit up green and a green aura surrounded a nearby stool, picking it up and throwing it across the room. It hit the ground harmlessly, making a loud noise. Red leaned over to Twilight and whispered, “Uh-oh. He had to spark that fire again…” Lucian looked up from the stool and back over at Hugo, saying, “I’m sorry; that didn’t come out how I meant it to. But don’t you think it’s just a little weird?” Hugo looked at him for a moment before saying, “You’re the one who’s being weird! Changing the subject as soon as it gets a little thorny.” Lucian looked at him worriedly as he stormed past, desperately saying, “Hugo…” The dark blue unicorn stopped in front of the basement door and looked back at Lucian over his shoulder. He then said, “It’s your fault. You ought to know that.” He then pushed the basement door open and walked through it, closing it with a hoof. Lucian called, “Hugo! Mother can’t be disturbed!” Hugo called back through the door, “I know.” Twilight nervously said, “I, uh… I should get going.” Lucian turned back to her and said, “Yes, see you soon. I’m sorry it got a bit hectic around here.” He shot a look at the basement door before looking back at Twilight and saying, “He’s always like this. I just can’t do a thing with him when he gets upset. So I just leave him alone when gets this way…” Hugo suddenly called through the door, “Hey bro? Are you sure you just want to let her go like this…?” Lucian, his cheeks turning noticeably red, said, “Oh! Cut it out, Hugo!” Out of the corner of her eye, Twilight noticed that Red was smirking at Lucian’s back. Regaining his composure, the light brown unicorn used his magic to reach into a pocket on his vest and pulled something out. He then turned and walked over to Twilight, ignoring the look from Red, and held the object in front of her, saying, “I have something for you. Will you take it? Think of it as a token of appreciation – for all the stories you told me.” Twilight reached up and took the object in her hoof, Lucian’s orange aura fading as she gripped it. “A comb?” she asked as she looked at it. Lucian nodded, “Yeah. I’ve had it ever since I was little.” Leaning closer to Twilight, he whispered in her ear, “It’s strange. Sometimes when I touch it, I see a picture of this stallion in my head. He’s not anypony I’ve met. He’s much, much older – like my mother’s age. I have this sensation like he’s running a hoof over my head, but it doesn’t feel weird at all.” He then leaned back and, upon seeing Twilight’s surprised face, said, “Maybe I shouldn’t have told you that. You probably think I’m weird now.” Red grinned, “Ooh, talking about private things, eh?” Ignoring him, Twilight said, “No, of course not. That… actually doesn’t sound all that weird to me.” Lucian sheepishly smiled, “I’ve never told anypony about this, not even Hugo or Red. Well, anyway, take it.” Twilight looked down at the comb in her hoof for a moment before looking back up at Lucian and asking, “Are you sure? I mean…” Lucian nodded, “Yes. It’ll be something to remember today by.” Hugo called, “Good job, bro!” Lucian, his face bright red, turned around and yelled, “Hugo, will you stop that?!” Twilight placed the comb in her left saddlebag and said, “Thank you, Lucian.” She then looked over at Red Shield and said, “It was nice to see you and Hugo again too, Red.” Red replied, “Yeah, well, I’m just glad you’re okay, Twilight. I was worried when you disappeared like that down that alley. Try not to do that again; it’s a filthy habit, you know.” Twilight blushed, “Okay, I won’t.” She then addressed both him and Lucian as she said, “I have to go now, but I’ll try to visit again soon.” Lucian nodded, “Okay. See you, Twilight.” The lavender unicorn nodded and used her magic to open the door. She then stepped out into the rain, her hooves touching the wet ground. She then pulled the door closed and summoned the Z-pad from her saddlebag. Her search complete, she set it to take her back to the present and pressed it up against her horn. She was soon lifted off the ground and disappeared a moment later. ________________________________________ Twilight once again appeared outside the restaurant’s bathroom. As soon as she touched down, she turned and ran inside. Her mane and coat were still damp and her natural look was ruined, but she didn’t care about that right now. Once inside the bathroom, she went over to the sinks and levitated her saddlebags off, setting them down on the counter and placing her front hooves on the counter. Seconds later, she suddenly felt the pain from earlier come back, much stronger than before. She groaned and tried to fight through the haze that was beginning to cloud her mind, pressing her left hoof against her forehead. She then reached her hoof over towards her saddlebags, not trusting her magic at the moment to not drop the antidote on the floor, and pulled it out of the right saddlebag. Panting, she used her right hoof to pull the top off and then held the bottle up to her lips, chugging the whole thing down. She sighed as she took it away from her lips and put it back in her saddlebag. She then stood there with her hooves still on the counter, waiting as the haze in her head began to clear. Suddenly, the bathroom door opened and Rarity walked in. “Twilight? Are you in here?” she asked, somewhat irritably. Her eyes soon fell on the lavender unicorn and she immediately noticed how Twilight’s hair was drooping, the same way it was when she brought her home and tried to get her to give her the other Grand Galloping Gala ticket. At that moment, all of her irritation vanished and she looked concerned for her friend. “Twilight! Are you all right?” she exclaimed, instantly walking over to her friend’s side. Twilight snapped back to reality at the sound of Rarity’s voice and realized how she must look right now. She looked to her side at Rarity (since her hair was dangling down in front of her eyes) and said, “Oh, yes Rarity. I’m okay… now.” Rarity examined her anxiously, saying, “Are you sure? Look at your hair! Were you splashing water on your face? Did you get sick? You were gone for so long, I was getting worried.” Twilight looked away and murmured, “I… guess I was kind of feeling under the weather just now…” Rarity walked over to Twilight’s saddlebags and reached into the left bag, saying, “Here, let me fix your mane for you. You let me use your brush, now I’ll return the favor.” She soon felt her hoof touch something and she grabbed it, curious. When she pulled it out, she gasped, “Oh my! What a beautiful comb! Is this yours, Twilight?” Twilight looked nervous at the sight of the comb and slowly said, “Uh, sort of. It’s a gift from another pony.” Her horn lit up, her right saddlebag opening as she said, “Here, I’ll get the brush. Don’t use that; I don’t want to get any of my hair in it just yet.” She then held her left hoof out towards Rarity, silently asking her to give her the comb. The white unicorn complied and set the comb down in her hoof, saying, “As you wish, darling.” She then took the brush in her own hoof and began to run it across Twilight’s hair, straightening it out and getting it back to the way she liked it. As she brushed, Rarity spoke, “So why were you feeling sick earlier, Twilight? Was it because of the food here? I could swear somepony went a little overboard on that salad; it wouldn’t surprise me.” After a moment without a response, she looked towards Twilight’s face and asked, “Twilight?” Twilight, with her hooves still up on the counter, was looking at Lucian’s comb, thinking about the day she just spent with him. “He really seemed interested in my time… and in me, it seemed. He seems like a good pony; what did he mean by everypony shunning him and feeling out of place? Is that part of the reason he wanted to see my time, to get away from that for a little bit? Would that have been a good idea, even if he wasn’t my ancestor? Oh, why do I have to have such a nice… handsome stallion for an ancestor? Wait, where did that come from?” she wondered. Rarity looked at Twilight intently as she continued brushing, noticing she was fixated on the comb. An idea entered her mind and she nudged her fellow unicorn, asking, “Twilight?” When the lavender mare looked back at her, she asked, “That comb… Is it from somepony special?” Twilight blinked and said, “Uh, yeah, I guess so.” Rarity smirked, “Do you have… feelings for this special pony?” Twilight blushed, almost falling from the counter and messing up Rarity’s work. “W-w-what?! N-no, I don’t… I mean, I… that’s not…” She stopped talking, realizing she couldn’t form a good reply to Rarity’s question. Rarity smiled triumphantly, “I thought so! It’s not the food that’s making you feel sick; it’s the butterflies in your stomach!” Twilight blushed even harder at that statement. Rarity leaned closer and asked, “So who’s the lucky stallion?” Twilight looked back at her and asked, “Lucky? Why would anypony be lucky?” Rarity softly chided, “Twilight, you sell yourself short. Who wouldn’t be lucky to have you as a marefriend?” Twilight replied, “Rarity, I don’t have a coltfriend. I don’t think it would even work between us.” Rarity continued brushing as she said, “Oh, don’t say that. Just be yourself around him. And if you ever need help or suggestions, you can always ask me, you know. Oh, I’m sure you have books on the subject of dating, but I’m also sure that I would be more helpful in coming up with ideas than some silly old book.” Twilight couldn’t deny that a part of her wanted to know what kinds of things Rarity had in mind, despite the fact that the stallion they were talking about was her ancestor. She finally said, “I’ll be sure to keep that in mind, Rarity.” The white unicorn nodded, “Very good.” A moment later, she stepped back and said, “There, good as new.” Twilight looked at her reflection in the mirror. True to her word, Rarity had done her usual picture-perfect job with her hair. She turned and finally smiled at the unicorn, “Thanks, Rarity.” Rarity nodded, “Of course, Twilight. Here’s your brush back.” She held it out towards Twilight, who took it with her magic and put it back in her right saddlebag while she put the comb back in the left saddlebag. Rarity then trotted towards the door and called back, “Are you coming this time? I think everypony’s just about done eating.” Twilight nodded, “Yeah. Let’s go.” She grabbed her saddlebags and followed the white unicorn out of the restaurant bathroom. As they came around to the front of the restaurant, Twilight’s parents, her friends, and the princesses stepped out, having finished and paid for their meal. As soon as she saw Twilight and Rarity, Rainbow Dash zoomed over to them and said, “There you are, Twilight! Where were you?!” Rarity spoke for her friend, “She was in the bathroom, Rainbow Dash.” Dash raised an eyebrow as Applejack, Fluttershy, and Pinkie Pie came over, “Doing what?” Rarity smirked and glanced at Twilight out of the corner of her eye, “What indeed?” Twilight felt her cheeks get a little warmer at that. Applejack raised an eyebrow as well and asked, “What the hay does that mean?” Rarity simply said, “It means a lot of things, Applejack.” She then glanced over at Twilight and winked, “Right, Twilight?” Twilight replied, “That’s right, Rarity. I didn’t mean to make everypony worry, but… well, yeah.” Pinkie Pie gave the lavender unicorn a long hard look, like when she had been trying to stare Applejack down. Twilight nervously smiled and tried to keep her composure under Pinkie’s own version of ‘the Stare’. Eventually, the party pony smiled, “Okie dokie lokie!” They all walked over to Spike, Princess Celestia, Princess Luna, and Twilight’s parents after that. Celestia briefly looked concerned for Twilight, but one look at the faces of her friends cleared that right up. If they didn’t think anything was wrong, perhaps there was no reason to worry. Luna spoke, “We are terribly sorry, everypony, but we have to go now. Night is upon us and I must raise the moon.” Fluttershy asked, “Oh, could we come and watch, Luna?” The lunar princess replied, “Well, I don’t know…” Celestia nudged her younger sister, “Come on, Luna. Now that Equestria knows that you’re no longer Nightmare Moon, everypony wants to see a celebration of your beautiful moon. It will be good practice for the Winter Moon Celebration next year.” Luna smiled, “Oh, very well, sister. But let’s do it in that nice park we passed on the way here.” Celestia nodded and led the way, Luna and their entourage following behind. They soon found themselves in the park Luna had mentioned. Everypony was sitting on the benches as Luna stood up and walked forward. They all watched as she raised her head to the heavens, closing her eyes and channeling her magic into her horn. As they watched, the lavender sky slowly made way for the dark blue of night, Luna’s moon appearing on the horizon and rising into view. Luna could hear their gasps and their praise, but there was only one pony whose opinion really mattered to her at the moment. She turned and walked over to Twilight, sitting down next to her. She then whispered, “What do you think, Twilight Sparkle?” Twilight looked at her and whispered back, “I think it’s very beautiful, Luna. You truly are an artist.” Luna smiled at that. It was true; even though her sister had done a fine job in her absence, there was something about the night that wasn’t complete without her. And now, between traveling back to 400 years ago and witnessing the moon rising in front of her, Twilight knew what it was. “You would’ve loved this, Lucian,” she thought to herself.