//------------------------------// // II.26 - Twists of Fate // Story: II // by adcoon //------------------------------// A cry filled the air … … and her lungs swelled with the breath of life. *** “I got you … I … I'm here,” a voice whispered, gentle yet pained. The world was blue and bright, drifting slowly by. The eyes were blue and kind, carrying her away in soft but steely hooves. “I'm here. D-don't give up, everything is going to be okay. I-I promise … I won't leave you.” *** She awoke, confused and crying, with a single driving thought in her mind. Her eyes sought out and settled upon the one thing familiar and safe in the dark and threatening world around her. Her legs felt weak and unfamiliar as she crawled and pulled herself up towards the yellow winged one on the ground beside her. A pair of tears fell on the golden cheek, settling below the kind blue eyes which were now closed. She nuzzled the pink mane and muscled herself down next to the prone body to get it up on her back. In a daze and determined dream she stumbled forward, dragging herself and the yellow one through the world of shadows and tall silent giants. *** Twilight sat on the cold ground, staring at nothing as ponies carried the princess off in a hurry to the castle. The dark alicorn, her wings and coat charred and her lips bleeding, smiled at her in passing before closing her weary eyes, but Twilight didn't return it. No pony said much, either too polite or too busy to bother her. The dead and wounded were carried to the castle, and slowly the village was left empty except for a few ponies here and there going about no tasks in particular. “Twilight, sugarcube,” the voice of Applejack said behind her as she settled down next to Twilight. “You need somepony to listen?” She placed a hoof on Twilight's back, rubbing her shoulder softly. Twilight shook her head weakly. “You sure?” Twilight looked down in silence. After a minute she spoke in a dry whisper. “She's gone. Rainbow Dash is gone and I won't ever get her back. I loved her. I … loved her, Applejack. Maybe it's silly, and I … I never told her, because I knew there was no hope. I knew it would never happen, but … but I wished that maybe … maybe one day, after all this was over, we could have been a … family.” She chuckled; it sounded despairing. “A real family.” Applejack said nothing, instead just listening as Twilight continued, only half aware of the other pony next to her. “Now I know I sound silly. Dash a family pony? B-but … maybe it wouldn't be so silly,” she said and looked down again seriously. “We … we could have adopted, maybe, when we both felt ready. There are many young ponies out there in desperate need of a loving family. A little pegasus foal of our own maybe. I know Dash would love to teach the little one all about flying.” Twilight stared at a random pebble and let out the choked beginnings of another laugh, tears welling up in her heavy eyes. “I wish … but what good is that? She's dead. No one can change that, not for all the wishes in the world.” “Maybe she ain't, Sugarcube,” Applejack said softly next to her. “They are still out searchin' for her.” “No,” Twilight said definitively. “She's not coming back, Applejack. I … I know, and she did too. There's no point in false hope. I know.” Applejack looked down. “You know more than me, surely, but I do know one thing,” she said. “I know that Rainbow would never have blamed you, or wanted you to blame yourself for her choices. Whatever it is she did, she did for her friends, and for you. I reckon' she must have loved you very dearly, because I don't know much about magic, but I'd bet the whole farm it was the strength of that love which saved us all today. Nothing short of that could have accomplished what she did.” Twilight said nothing. The whole town—soon all of Equestria—was convinced that Rainbow Dash's spectacular rainbow explosion had destroyed the dragons and saved them all from certain doom. Of course that wasn't untrue, and Twilight had kept silent about the details of herself and Eden. Maybe she would have to tell the princess later, but it was all details anyway. Unimportant details that no pony else needed to be bothered with. Twilight wanted no praise, but Rainbow Dash would be remembered as a legend—the hero who gave her own life to single-hoofedly save all of Equestria against the army of dragons—just as she had always dreamed and deserved. A true hero of Equestria, remembered in tale and song for all time. “Thank you, Applejack,” Twilight said quietly and closed her eyes. She was so terribly tired, she could just fall asleep right here and maybe never wake up. She felt tired enough to sleep for a thousand years. Applejack leaned closer and squeezed her in a friendly hug. “You're always welcome, Twilight.” She let go and stood up slowly. “Come on, let's get you inside.” “Just let me sit here,” Twilight sighed. Applejack didn't move or say anything. Twilight imagined she'd go eventually and just stared blankly at the inside of her eyelids. “Twi.” Applejack shook her a little. “Applejack, I—” “It's Rainbow Dash,” Applejack persisted. “I—” “And … Fluttershy! Twi, look!” Twilight blinked awake in confusion and looked up. Rainbow Dash was walking straight towards her, dragging herself blindly through a street from the direction of the forest, carrying an unmoving Fluttershy on her back. Twilight stared in disbelief at the scene in front of her while Applejack raced to help the two. Applejack reached them just in time to catch Rainbow Dash as the pony collapsed in a heap, both of them scratched and beaten bloody. Twilight's body shook with sudden rage as she jumped up, glaring at the rainbow-maned wreck of a pony. Her eyes flared dangerously and her horn burned with fury as she stomped towards the three. “Don't toy with my heart, changeling! Don't you dare!” she screamed, making Applejack recoil in fear from her. “Don't you dare do this to me! Don't you dare befoul Rainbow's name, or so help me I will destroy you!” she charged hysterically forwards at the impostor, who showed no sign that she was aware of what was going on. “I'll drag you all the way to Tartarus, and I will ruin you!” Applejack jumped in front of her and, too shocked to do anything else, grabbed her and shook her hard. “Whoa! Twilight!” She looked hard at the unicorn. “What if she ain't no changeling?” “It must be!” Twilight foamed, looking past Applejack. “It will not fool me! I will not be toyed with!” “So what if she is.” Applejack shook her again to gain her attention. “She saved Fluttershy, and they need help! So calm yourself and help your friends!” Twilight stared at Applejack, then at the two ponies on the ground. They were both out cold and looked like they had been through Tartarus already. She pushed Applejack away and stepped towards Rainbow Dash. “Twilight dammit!” Applejack tried to stop her, but found her hooves suddenly leaving the ground, trapping her helplessly in mid-air. “Hey!” Twilight wiped a hoof across Rainbow's bloody neck and held it up, narrowing her eyes. Purple light burned at the tip of her horn, and her eyes widened. “B-but … t-that's not possible,” she gasped as her face fell and her hold on Applejack faltered. Applejack landed heavily on her haunches and stumbled quickly to her hooves. “Twilight, I do not—” she growled. Twilight brushed her off. “There's no time! I have to get them to the castle!” Her horn flashed again and Twilight groaned, ignoring the return of the vertigo as she disappeared in a flash along with the two unconscious ponies. Applejack stomped the ground in frustration before turning towards the castle, adjusting her hat. “Bloody stubborn unicorn!” She sighed and galloped towards the gate. *** “What can you tell me, doctor?” Twilight wrung the hoofkerchief nervously as she glanced at the two beds where Rainbow and Fluttershy were resting, still unresponsive. “Please be honest with me.” The doctor bid her sit down. She sat down next to Rainbow's bed, eyes never leaving her two friends. “They are both stable for now, Miss Sparkle,” he began, much to Twilight's relief. “Miss Fluttershy has a torn ligament in her wing—it is likely what caused her to crash—as well as general bruises and strains. The wing will need surgery, but I expect no complications. A few weeks of solid rest and she will be fine.” Twilight nodded vaguely. “And … Rainbow Dash?” “She is very weak, Miss Sparkle.” The doctor looked at the sky-blue pegasus. “Her heart and lungs only barely sustain her right now. We may have to put her on a ventilator.” He looked back at Twilight seriously. “If her condition does not improve, then I fear her prospects are not good. She may end up in need of care for the rest of her life.” Twilight stared at Rainbow, feeling the words sink in. She merely nodded in understanding. “She is in a coma,” the doctor continued. “Understand that we are doing everything possible to help her, but there is no telling when—or if—she's going to wake up. It could be days, weeks, or even years. She may never wake up.” “Have the princess—” “Princess Luna is still being treated and have not spoken, but I understand that she is expected to recover. Her sister is doing everything she can too. Nothing is being spared here, miss Sparkle.” Twilight nodded and caressed Rainbow's hoof gently. She looked so peaceful. “There is one other thing,” the doctor said carefully. Twilight looked up again and listened. She had to hear it twice. She glanced at Rainbow, blinking. “Can you … can you just repeat that one more time, please?” *** Twilight eased the door open and stepped inside. All looked as it had looked when she left. Fresh flowers were still on the table, most of them from Rainbow's friends and family. The window was still opened a crack, letting in a fresh breeze. And the breathing machine still chugged away steadily. It had been almost a week, and still no sign of change. She sat down next to the bed and picked up Rainbow's hoof in hers, looking at the face of her friend and love. The face too was exactly as it had been when she left, so calm it hurt deep in her heart to watch it. Twilight smiled sadly at Rainbow. “I … I still don't know if you can hear me,” she said and looked down. “Fluttershy is doing really well after her operation, especially after Soarin' showed up yesterday. He was lost in the wild for three days until he was found by a kind family who took him in and treated him. Fluttershy is so happy, you should have seen her.” “I hope you wake up soon.” She looked out the window and sighed. “I really, really hope … because I have so much I have to tell you. You know, I've figured it all out, and … and I'm a little excited but also really frightened about it, and I guess I don't want to make any decisions for you.” She looked down at something in her hooves. “I also have something to ask you. I … I like to think you'd say yes, but …” She closed her eyes and breathed in slowly. “I need your courage, Dash. And I need you with me. Without you I'm just a hopeless little egghead.” She leaned over and lay her head down next to Rainbow's. “I wish you'd just wake up.” A tiny flicker of white light played at the tip of her horn, unknown to Twilight. Next to her, Rainbow opened her mouth slightly. *** Rainbow opened her eyes and stared up into a white stone ceiling. Twilight's wide purple eyes appeared in her field of vision. The unicorn was crying and smiling while saying something, but all Rainbow could hear was a heavy and oppressive silence. She blinked and watched as nurses and doctors came running. Within seconds, her vision was a blur of ponies examining her and speaking to her, their mouths moving silently in front of her. Rainbow furrowed her brow and tried to lift a hoof as memories began to return, trickling in and settling into place. Rainbow stared into the ceiling, letting it all come back to her. *** Twilight stroked Rainbow's hoof and smiled. “Can you hear me?” Rainbow opened her mouth to ask the one question on her mind. “W-what happened?” Her voice was so weak that she had to say it twice before Twilight caught what she was saying. Twilight was fighting not to cry. She opened her mouth and took a careful breath. There was one question that she herself needed answered. “Dash, can you tell me what you remember?” “Everything … I think,” Rainbow muttered. “At least … until I escaped the storm, then I can't remember anything more. It just goes … blank, I guess.” “I … I think I can guess the answer to this,” Twilight said. She had guessed it already, but still worried that she was right. “Of the two doubles, you are the one who was with Eden, am I correct? You can just squeeze my hoof for yes if speaking is too hard.” Rainbow hesitated a little before nodding. “What happened?” She asked again, watching Twilight as if she wasn't sure if she was going to the gallows as a traitor. “Don't worry. I do not blame you for your choices.” Twilight said and looked down sadly. “I know you just wanted to save your friends, and we are all well,” she continued. After a brief pause she continued to explain what had happened. Rainbow listened silently until Twilight was done. “That's a little hard to believe. I didn't know you could fly that fast,” she muttered. “You can't,” Twilight smiled. “Nothing material can reach the speed of light. But your double wasn't really material, because technically she was just your soul. The Elements aren't truly material either, they are … magical.” Twilight settled on that and continued. “That's how it could happen, perhaps helped by her friendship and … and her love.” Twilight looked down at what she was holding in her hoof. “So … I am definitely, without question, the fastest pony ever now?” Rainbow grinned. Twilight couldn't help but laugh happily at Rainbow Dash being Rainbow Dash. “Oh yes. No living pony will ever be able to break that record. Not even close.” “Sweet!” Rainbow smirked. Her smile slowly faded, however. “I only wish it had been me … I mean, me me, not … the other me.” Twilight stared at her hoof and the little box she was still holding. “Then you wouldn't be here now,” she said quietly. “Why am I here?” Rainbow turned a little to look at Twilight. “If my double went back in time, doesn't that mean I shouldn't have a soul now?” “Yes.” Twilight bit her lip and looked up to meet Rainbow's eyes. “You don't,” she said. “This may … come as a shock, so … you're already lying down but, uh, please don't jump up or have a heart attack.” “Uh … okay?” Rainbow stared blankly at Twilight. “Now I'm worried.” Twilight wondered how best to say this sort of thing. Perhaps there was no great way. “Rainbow Dash, you … you're with foal.” Right, at least she isn't screaming, Twilight thought. Although that stiff look is less encouraging. When Rainbow just stared at her in silence, Twilight continued. “You are a few weeks pregnant, or so,” she repeated the fact. “It is why you are alive. You see, you don't have your own soul now. You share that of your unborn child; it is keeping you alive.” “I-I'm going to be a mother?” Rainbow stuttered. “Yes,” Twilight smiled, trying to hide her own selfish worries. “Do you know who the father is?” Rainbow sank and looked away. “He …” She sniffed, trying to hide her tears and quell the anger rising in her chest. “Chrysalis killed him. I wasn't fast enough to save him.” “I'm sorry, Rainbow.” Twilight looked down again, feeling the terrible emptiness inside. “It … It was the changeling, wasn't it?” Rainbow nodded, wiping her eyes with the back of her hoof. “He loved me, and he died because of me. Do … do you really think I-I'm carrying his child?” She looked down at the blankets covering her body and reached out uncertainly to touch her stomach through the fabric. “Is that even possible?” This wasn't what Twilight had expected. But she hadn't expected to have anything. And she had wished for this, hadn't she? Was this Eden's revenge, to give her the letter of her wish if not the spirit of it? She nodded. “I would expect so. Changelings do … live among ponies, after all. It would … make sense if … if they can occasionally reproduce with … with the pony they, um, live with.” “Will I … die once it is born and we are no longer … connected?” Twilight shook her head. “Zecora believes you will both live and share a single soul, no matter how far apart you become. A little bit like you and your double. Since it is the child's soul, it should survive your death too, but you may not survive if it dies first. That's what Zecora explained, at least.” They were silent for a long time. Twilight stared, eyes still fixed at the little box in her hooves. She opened it silently and looked at the glittering contents. If this was her wish come true, then … She looked up. “Rainbow, I … did you know that I loved your double?” If it was to be, then she would never forgive herself for not giving it a chance. “And that … she loved me too?” Rainbow looked up at Twilight, but said nothing, waiting for her to continue. Twilight nodded, as a response to herself. “I loved her very dearly, and she died for me … and came back.” She smiled sadly and blushed. “The most amazing pony who has ever lived and died. I may never be as awesome as her, not even close, but I still love her. I will always love her … and I hope she will love me too.” Twilight reached out a hoof to Rainbow. “I love you, Rainbow Dash. I do not care if things are not as we expected, or if our child turns out to be a changeling. I will still be there for both of you. Do you think … there is any hope you could love me too?” She looked hopefully at Rainbow. Rainbow looked down at Twilight' hoof. After a few seconds she gingerly took it and looked back up into Twilight's waiting eyes. “I don't know, Twilight, but … but I'm willing to give it a try. I don't want to be alone. I hope that I can find love again. I think he would have wanted that for me and … and our child.” Twilight smiled, feeling a huge weight slip off her heart as she leaned over to wrap her hooves around Rainbow. The pegasus returned the hug weakly but sincerely. Twilight looked at the little box still in her hoof and smiled. Some things could wait a little. *** Twilight opened her eyes and held back a yawn as she lifted her head from the hospital bed and tried to clear her tired vision. Rainbow was asleep next to her, the breathing machine still on. It was going to be many weeks before she and the child were strong enough to safely do without it, but Twilight didn't care. She would be there for Rainbow. Twilight sighed and looked around for the clock. Her eyes fell on the shape of Eden, idly playing with some kind of puzzle in the corner. It seemed to involve several pieces of wood and string, all hopelessly tangled together. “Oh,” Twilight muttered, a little startled. The djinn looked up. “Congratulations are in order, I think. To both of you,” she said and put down the puzzle. Twilight sighed. “I … Thank you, Eden. I never thought I would have Rainbow back, and I certainly never dreamed that my silly wish for a family might have a chance either. This is the greatest gift you could have given me, and I don't even know why you would do it. For what it's worth, I'm sorry we had to be enemies.” Eden lowered her gaze slightly. “And I wish I could take credit, Twilight Sparkle. But I shall consider your third wish fulfilled nonetheless, though it matters little, to be truthful.” “What do you mean?” Twilight sat up a little more. “If this isn't your work, then I'm Queen of the Penguins, Eden.” “Better learn to like the cold, then, your Majesty.” Eden stood up silently, the little puzzle thing disappearing in a glimmer of white light. “I am as surprised as you were to discover this little twist on the tale. But as your dear Princess Luna would put it—I suspect—the Elements know best. They certainly played me for a fool.” She frowned and raised her paws to lift off the silver crown adorning her head. Eden stared at it for a time, then threw it at Twilight's hooves. “A symbolic gesture. The crown is but a pretty bauble,” she said at Twilight's astonished face. “But the Elements belong with the one whose responsibility it is to guide and nurture this world and its multiple fates. If I can not possess the Elements …” She closed her eyes and sighed. “Then I hereby pass on the mantle and power to you, Twilight Sparkle.” “What?!” Twilight sputtered. Eden gave her a slightly crooked smile. “You've defeated Destiny, Twilight Sparkle. Does that not make you master of Destiny? Consider it my parting gift, and friendly revenge.” Twilight stared at the crown lying at her hooves in disbelief. Luna had to be playing some kind of prank on her in her dreams. That had to be it. “But w-what about you? I can't be Destiny!” “Can't? I dare say there's little you can't do, and it's already done. The world and all its tangled threads now rest in your hooves. I expect with your talent you will figure out the subtle strings in no time and prove my trust in you well justified. As for me …” Eden glanced out the window at some distant point and sighed. “Perhaps it is time I finally followed my kin and left this world for the next. It shall be an adventure, and I leave it in good and worthy hooves. Perhaps I should have seen the signs long ago, when I first gave the Elements to your princess Luna and her sister. Perhaps I should have seen it as a sign that my time was coming to an end and passed on the mantle even then.” Eden closed her eyes. “But the past is beyond even I. For what it is worth, I too am sorry we could not have been friends. I wish you and yours the very best, Twilight Sparkle. And once again, congratulations.” She snapped her paw, and vanished with barely a blink or fanfare. Twilight stared at the now empty spot, then down at the crown at her hooves. After several minutes she cautiously picked up the crown and stared at it. Without a breath, Twilight Sparkle lowered the crown onto her head and let out a tiny giggle. The End!