//------------------------------// // Act I - Chapter 11 // Story: Second Princess of the Night // by Senyu //------------------------------// “H-hello…?” Twilight’s called out, flinching as her voice echoed about her. She was in the middle of a void, a pitch black darkness that replied with a distorted version of her voice. Oddly enough however, her echo repeated several more times with volume, before eventually, it faded away for good, almost as if the mimicker had moved far away. “Is anypony there?” “There?.....There…? There…….? There…………? There…………….?” Twilight flattened her ears as her voice echo around her again, noting that that it sounded as if it was resounding off nearby walls within the void. She remained quiet during the time it took for the echo to finally became silent. Where are am I? Looking about, she found nothing but blackness around her, except for the odd fact she was able to make herself out clearly. Lifting a hoof to her face, she blinked in curiosity at being able to see her foreleg as normally as she would during the day. She then tested it by extending it out, and found it was still perfectly visible. There was no source of light that should have made it possible to see herself but not the ground beneath her. But despite being able to see her own form, the absolute darkness around her was beginning to cause a sense of vertigo, and she brought a hoof to her head in attempts to steady herself. It was as if the sun had blacked out everything save her. Then another noise that did not emanate from her echoed faintly about her, causing her ears to prick forward. Looking around again but more fearfully, Twilight attempted to pinpoint the source of a slow but steady, “Plip……. Plip…….. Plip……” Steady, Twilight. It’s sounds like it’s just water… It’s just water… Twilight brought a hoof to her chest to ease her beating heart which thrummed loudly in her ears, nearly encompassing the sound of the water. It’s alright, calm down. Just… figure out where you are. Waiting sometime for her heartbeat to become calmer, Twilight took a step forward, and nearly jumped out of her skin as the resounding echo of her step. Her heart skyrocketed at causing such a loud disturbance, and her lungs worked mouthfuls of air through her body. Her tongue felt dry, the blood rushed through her ears, and her chest was beginning to hurt. Why am I so afraid? Come on! Calm down! Swallowing, Twilight attempted to breath out her nostrils only to calm herself. But the nervousness inside her prevented her from doing so for long, and she returned to open mouth breathing. There was no getting around it; she was terrified. But despite her feelings, she decided it would be worse staying where she was. And against the instinct that if she moved, that even one step would spell her end for whatever lurked in the dark, she moved forward, each echo sounding off loudly that made her insides quiver. It was unnerving for her to move without being able to see anything in front of her. Were it not for the thankful reassurance at being able to see her legs beneath her, she wouldn’t even have been sure if her eyes were open or not. But even seeing her legs in motion, it did not quell the suspicion that she walking in place, unable to use any other source at a point of reference. It was then the soft sound of water dripping was heard again, ahead, and then behind as she past it. What started out as one trickle in the darkness, soon became a symphony of water dripping about her. The air feels damp. Noting the atmosphere of wherever she was, Twilight took in a deep breath with her nose. Ugh, it smells musty and stagnant. Exhaling, Twilight was surprised to see mist leave her mouth. She watched the vapors trail away from her and vanished in moments, and as if on cue to seeing her breath, the air about her suddenly became much colder than it was before. A shiver traveled down her spine as she clung her legs together for warmth. How did I not notice this chill before? she thought with squeezed eyes. What’s going on? Where am I? This place… it doesn’t make any sense. What happened to me? Why can’t I remember how I got here? With question after question firing from her mind, Twilight huddled herself onto the ground, desperately trying to keep every fragment of warmth she had left. “I just want to go home, take me home…”Twilight rocked her head forward and back. “Just go home, this isn’t real… just take me ho-NHEA!” Twilight lept off the ground at the sensation of water splashing in front of her and onto her face. She breathed heavily as she felt the droplets of water slide down her cheek, and shakily raised a hoof to wipe it off. Letting out a miserable groan, Twilight sank back down to the floor, feeling a tear sliding down the path of the water droplet. I don’t like it here… I just want to go home…please... The sound of another splash of water, just as close as the first time made Twilight’s ears perk. She flinched her muscles in preparation to leap away again, but held herself still. That water splashed on something… something that isn’t the ground considering it hit my face. Forcing herself to breathe normally again, Twilight summoned her courage, and tentatively extended a hoof out to the nearest sound of splashing. It was unnerving to watch her arm extend into nothingness, and it took all her strength to not scream as she did touch something, causing her to immediately recoil. Finally in the overwhelming darkness, she had touched something, and whatever it was, it was hard. Twilight timidly poked at the object again, growing more confident with each prod. After a few faint touches, she placed her entire hoof onto it, rubbing it across what was a craggy and wet surface. After blindly searching the object, she blinked in realization of what it was. A rock… The moment her recognition of the object came to, the rock she had been feeling immediately appeared into view. She drew her hoof back again on its sudden appearance. “A stalagmite?” She stared blankly at the rock formation as water continued to drip onto it from somewhere above. With her breathing becoming more even, Twilight stood up and inspected the rock in closer detail. There’s a stalagmite in front of me, the air is chilly, and everything feels wet. Which means… Twilight turned around to stare out in the unending dark. “I’m in a cave.” Cave….. cave……..cave……...cave………. In kind with the stalagmite, a world suddenly flashed into view in the empty space around her. She gazed about as she slowly turned around in circles in awe of finding herself in a massive cavern. Everywhere she looked, grey and craggy rock formations filled the floor and ceiling with long reaching spires of stone, and water dripping steadily from them and onto the bottom. The floor itself was uneven and covered in a variety of sizes of rocks or broken stalactites, making her wonder how she had even walked about in the first place when before, she found nothing but a smooth and flat floor. She noted that there was no visible light source, and no magic flowing through her horn. No explanation for how she could see things, only that she was just somehow able to. But while she was able to finally see where she was, the large cavern still held plenty of dark shadows that she could not see into. Squinting her eyes, she was only able to make out lager spires off into the distance that faded into the never ending darkness. Just how big is this cave? It looks like it could fit nearly half of Ponyville in here. As Twilight stood with a open mouth in wonderment and curiosity as to where such a cave could be, she sucked in her breath as a new sound broke through the unending dripping of water. Her heartbeat began quickening again, much to her confusement. She brought a hoof to her chest and felt it beat against her ribcage much more noticeably than it should have been normally possible. “What is going on?” she breathed quietly. Her ears pricked back in forth as she attempted to discern the source of her rising anxiety. It echoed about the pillars of rocks in a garbled fashion, before slowing coming into clarity the sound of high-pitched squeaks, and the scrapping of tiny claws against stone. What had started out as a few noises, steadily grew in chorus as more unseen things added their voices and claws, working their way into a maddening chittering that easily drowned out the sounds of falling water. Twilight flattened her ears to block out the sound as it jumped to something that was near borderline painful to hear, and stumbled backwards in a desperate attempt to get away from whatever was causing it. But it was all about her, and it activated a primal fear deep that was buried deep within her. A fear that she could not escape nor grasp reasonably. She swung her head frantically about to shake the noises from her ears, and to see where and what horrible things were causing what was now hundreds of voices shrieking, only becoming worse with each moment from the added echoes of the cavern. But she could not spot a thing besides the pillars of rock, and the dark shadows; shadows capable of hiding anything within the nooks and crannies of the rock. With a moment of clarity that appeared suddenly amongst the deafening noise, Twilight turned her gaze upward into the crevices above, peering into the depths of the shadows. At first she was not able to spot them, but slowly, their forms were able to be made out. She didn’t know how she could not have noticed them before, but what was once a barren and rocky ceiling, was now covered in an endless dark swarm of tiny bodies, their movements jarring and chaotic as each one twisted and flapped about individually. The distance and darkness of the cave alone should have made it impossible to make them out any further than a blur, but Twilight found their forms beginning clearer and clearer to see. She looked wordlessly up to them, unaware of her body relaxing somewhat at the fact the noise they had been making was becoming more bearable despite their volume not decreasing. High above her, was bat after bat after bat, so many that there wasn’t a speck of rock left on the ceiling. Most shrieked and cried with all their breaths, some hung still in content, and others flapped about wildly with unknown fury. As Twilight looked over the endless waves of bats, her mouth became dry, her panicked breaths doubled, nearly borderlining hyperventilation, and her chest began to hurt with each pounding beat of her heart. This doesn’t make any sense! Where in Equestria am I!? Twilight fumbled backwards and bumped into a stalagmite, and slide down to the ground as her legs refused to respond any further. I just want to go home… Please, someone, anyone... take me home… Through the deafening roar of bats, through the pounding that filled her ears, and through the darkness all around her, a strange yet familiar voice whispered clearly, “You are home.” Twilight gasped as her eyes darted upwards and onto the body of a bat she had not noticed before until that very moment. It hung in the middle of the throng of furry bodies, a massive form that was larger than any of those around it. From where she stood, Twilight idly reasoned it was a large as her; a thought that sent shivers down her spine. It hung motionless while wrapped within it’s leathery-wings, looking something akin to a beacon tower in a stormy ocean of bodies. As Twilight looked onward with awe and fear, she flinched as one of its wings twitched. Its sudden movement froze Twilight in place more so than any spell of holding she had ever experienced; her body simply not allowing her to move, nor allow her eyes pry themselves away while she watched helplessly as the massive thing unfurled itself. One wing slowly extended away, shortly followed by the second jerking out with a snapping motion, before it too slowly spread. The large leathery appendages were wicked looking and even more expansive than they had appeared while wrapped up, stretching out over a large number of bats beneath it, somehow adding shadow atop their already dark forms. Twilight's heart pounded more painfully in her chest as she stared at the revealed figure, and what was an attempt at a terrified scream died weakly in her throat. It now made sense as to why its voice sounded so familiar to Twilight, for the large hanging creature that stared down from above her, was herself. It was a Twilight doppelganger that perched menacingly above her, its feathery alicorn wings traded in for those of a bat, its flat teeth now pointed fangs extending past its lips, and what was once purple eyes were now a cold and dominating gaze of red. Twilight stared at the abomination in absolute horror, unable to comprehend how such a thing could exist. Everything about it was familiar yet so different. It was like staring into a dark version of herself she never knew existed. If its appearance was unsettling enough, the way it watched her was akin to something she only had a few chances in life to have witnessed. It was the look of the rare predator eying its next prey; cold, unforgiving, and hungry. To Twilight, the monstrosity above her was the embodiment of death itself. If there was a inkling within Twilight that her situation could not become worse than it already was, some unnatural force answered that silent hope, and removed it thoroughly. What was once the splattering of water on top of jutting rocks, now became a deep splunk as the previously clear liquid turned into a darker color. Twilight found she was able to pry her eyes from the creature, and hesitantly looked at the nearest rock formation beside her. A sickly color of red splattered across its surface as drop after drop of blood began to rain down from the ceiling. The ichor like substance oozed down the edges of the rock as it grew thicker from further drops, some of it splashing directly on her cheek like the water before. Twilight’s veins felt as if they had been filled with ice, and a sickly feeling overtook her stomach. However, she had only a few brief moments to take in the ghastly sight before she felt the odd sensation of falling, much to the despair of her already queasy insides. Looking back up, she saw the ghoulish look-alike still standing in the ocean of bats, continuing to stare at her in a hungry fashion. She nor Twilight had not moved at all, but it somehow had felt like they had reversed their positions. Twilight then felt the strong pull of gravity creep from below her, to her sides, and finally above her. Blinking in confusion as she tried to processes what was happening while simultaneously keeping the contents of her stomach inside, she realized in horror what had happened when her bangs suddenly flopped above her. What had been the ground was now the ceiling. The creature that was now below had never moved its eyes away from her during transition, its red eyes orbs taking note of every little detail about Twilight in either fascination or hunger; which one it was, Twilight did not know. Small panicked gasps for breath escaped Twilight's lips as her lungs attempted to pull more air in. She was unable to prevent herself from hyperventilating any longer, her reasoning and logic that would have eased her having already left her long ago. For the briefest of moments, the thought that perhaps the creature had casted some spell similar to the one she had used on the staircase in the crystal kingdom, and how she could dispel it. But to her unending horror, her reflection on ending it caused whatever force was holding her to cease, and then she fell. It was a slow descent as if she had jumped up, but continued to rise with increasing speed, almost as if gravity was still working out which direction she should be going. Beneath her, the throng of bats shrieking took on an even higher volume at having taken spotted Twilight’s body coming towards them; their movements becoming more erratic as they flapped their wings and swung their heads to and fro. All of them moved frantically except for one; the bat-like doppelganger who remained motionless and calm as Twilight descended, a toothy smile that looked towards her expectantly. Its wings were stretched out wide as if it was greeting Twilight in a friendly manner, waiting with open embrace to catch Twilight. And Twilight was falling directly towards it. I’m going to die… Twilight numbly thought as she fell closer. By Celestia, I’m going to die… She could only stare helplessly in terror as she was nearly upon it, her last breath seemingly a lifetime ago and her heart pounding as if it would rip itself out of her chest. But just before she touched it, she dimly noticed that its once alien and dominating eyes, now held a softer look about them, almost as they were welcoming a long lost friend into a protective embrace. Then, Twilight closed her eyes, and fell into its grasp. ~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~ It seemed as if hours passed, feeling lost in the dark similar to the one she had awoken to. Twilight was unable to move during the time or able to see her own body like before. She was simply trapped in what was a black purgatory. It was a lost and lonely place with nothing appearing before her eyes no matter how much she willed something to. There was no sound and no light, only darkness and her worries. Then, through that darkness, a voice called out again. Her voice. “Welcome home…” Sensation returned to Twilight’s eyes she felt them locked in place by some force. Fighting, she willed with all her might to open them, to see something else besides the darkness. With a groan she turned her neck about before finally breaking loose and opening them. A relieved gasp escaped her lips at being able to see again. As her vision focused the blurry objects around her, she blinked sorely as if her eyes had been closed for years. When painful sensation passed, and her vision clear again, her entire body clenched as she found herself sitting in the middle of the sea of bats she had watched from afar before. All about her, were the small forms of bats tightly pressing their bodies against each other and hers, their soft furry bodies rubbing lightly against her coat. She looked about fearfully of now being so close to them, taking in each face of the one immediately next to her with as little movement on her end as possible. Their chittering voices still echoed about the cavern, but at a much calmer level now. She was even able to hear the droplets of liquid again, and the sound of her own breathing. As Twilight took in the strange scene, her eyes locked onto one of the bats at random, and to her surprise, she found she was able to separate its cry amongst the rest, its own voice a distinct sound amongst the chorus of their cries. Twilight’s mouth hung open at the new ability, before she realized where she was again, and began to desperately look for an escape. She tightened her body each time of them brushed further against her, causing her to lean away futilely as it only pushed her into more. But as she looked about to flee, her eyes passed over more bats, and began to hear their voices amongst the rest as well. And as she did, their cries became calmer, and more oddly enough, familiar. Twilight bit her lip in worry, and winced at a sharp sensation. Crossing her eyes, she looked downwards as her tongue poked a sore spot on her lips. As she explored with her tongue, she brushed up into her teeth, and narrowed her brows as she felt her canines were pointy instead of flat. As if her new teeth were not jarring enough, Twilight froze as something large moved within her peripheral. Glancing at the corner of her eyes, Twilight saw the massive wingspan of the doppelganger pony from before, except what she saw was the tip of the leathery wings, their form stretching back towards her. For a moment, Twilight feared that it was behind her, waiting any second to sink its teeth into her and rip her apart. Yet when it did not come, Twilight realized its wing was instead her wing. While watching it wordlessly, she flexed leathery appendage, causing a soft swishing noise through the air as she pulled it back and forth. In tune with her command, Twilight felt the tug of the other wing, which after a turn of her head, confirmed both of her feathered wings were gone. She flapped them once, then twice in unison, feeling the air pull across her membranes. What should have been an odd sensation considering she was used to feathers, was instead a familiar and even comfortable one as she moved them about. Breaking her attention on the changes of her body, a single bat cried out in a new shriek, drawing Twilight’s towards it. She able was to differentiate its voice and location easily enough, and looked in confusion at it. Before she opened her mouth ask what in Equestria it wanted, another bat nearby replied in kind, then another, and another, until each bat near her and more by the second began to reply in the same fashion. Twilight’s ears were on a constant swivel as she processed each bats call, unable to understand exactly what they were implying but somehow knowing that whatever it was, they were referring to her. What was once unintelligibly noises escaping their mouths, slowly turned into a word Twilight was able to understand. They called out in unison, their voices raising to new heights as they chanted together in single call. ‘Princess.’ Understanding filling her, Twilight felt a tug in her chest. It wasn’t the painful or sharp pull she felt before, but a gentle thud of her heart as a new wave of emotions washed over her. Before she had felt fear, worry, and even a small amount of hate towards the creatures about her when she had looked at them from below. But how she could have felt like before did not make sense to her when she reflected on the memory. Now, she felt nothing but the warmth of love, loyalty, and the need for her. She needed to be there amongst them. She did not know how or why, or even cared at this point, she only felt the urge to protect them within her wide wings, safe from anything outside of her grasp; to keep them safe in her shadow. It was then the black and beady eyes of the little bats began to reflect a reddish color. Twilight opened her mouth to ask why their eyes were changing, but then realized it wasn’t their eyes that were turning color, it was the addition of a new light source that had not been there before. A soft glow of red washed over Twilight and the plethora of bats, and after looking up to see what was causing it, she gasped. The previously rocky floor that had flipped into a ceiling, was gone and replaced with an ocean colored red. Blood. Twilight stared in awe at its wide expanse, lighting up what remained of the cavern in a colorful glow as it illuminated everything beneath it. She couldn’t tear her eyes away as she watched waves of blood roll about its surface, cascading about itself endlessly, unable to tell if she was looking from above the ocean or from deep within it. Its color and reflections captivated her and invited her to swim amongst its crimson waves. She felt a craving build inside her, one she had not felt before that overpowered her other senses. The need to drink, filled her more than any hunger or lustful thought she had ever had in her life. That ocean of blood was life. It was the source for everything. All would stem from it, and end their journey within its depths. Twilight now knew that she and she alone was capable of skimming across its surface, her wings touching into its depths briefly as she flew by like a gull would across the ocean. It was the world, and she was the being that could travel its never ending expanse and beauty. She, and the bats around her, could fly onward forever above its surface, never pulling far from its glow, and never sinking beneath its waves. She knew that this was where she belonged, to forever fly over the ocean that was life, her home for all of eternity. Trapped in an in-between state of life and death itself. On cue, Twilight’s mouth moved automatically, her voice now fully hers, and without anything adding to it save the reassuring shrieks of bats. “I’m home.” ~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~ “GHAAA!” Twilight screamed as she bolted upright from underneath the covers, sweat dripping profusely beneath her coat. She took in deep breaths as she gulped in air, her heartbeat pounding in her ears from the dream. After a minute of reassuringly touching the blankets and her feathered wings to make sure they were real, Twilight began to calm down and leaned back against the headboard of her bed. “It’s alright… it was just a dream… Just a dream,” she whispered between breaths. She laid there for a few minutes, trying to recall every detail of it before fading into hazy memory. She had been in a cave of sorts, surrounded by winged creatures. She thought they were scary at first but eventually, they became familiar and she felt as if she even cared for them. Somehow she became attached to the things that had terrified her within the darkness. And even more confusing, she felt at home beside them. Like it was where she belonged. Twilight ran over the dream in her mind again and again as she woke up, some details drifting off as her brain kicked started from her sleepy state. Unable to shake the strange feelings that had been solicited from her in the dream, she turned her head to look out the window to watch the morning sunlight brighten Ponyville. Yet instead, she saw an already well lit town outside her window. Her brain took a moment before finally clicking the sight together. “Horse-apples! How much did I sleep in!?” ~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~ “There you are, I was just about to come up and wake you out of your sleep,” Spike said as he shelved a book. “It’s already twelve-thirty.” “I know I know, I’m sorry! I don’t how I didn’t wake up when I normally do,” Twilight answered as she trotted down the stairs. “It’s alright, Twilight, I’ve been handling the library myself okay. A few ponies checked out some books, got about five returns, pretty much normal routine stuff.” “I know you can handle things on your own, it’s just…. I…. URGHHH!” Twilight groaned as she walked across the floor. “Uh, Twilight… you okay?” Twilight snapped her heads towards him. “No I am not alright! I just had a horrible dream and I’m feeling absolutely awful from it. I feel angry, scared, and frustrated so much that I could punch a wall and cry at the same time!” “I… uh…. I’m sorry?” Spike said hesitantly. “Sorry? SORRY!?” Twilight stamped a hoof into the floor, causing a nearby pile of books to topple over. “Twilight, please calm down! Why are you so angry!?” Spike said with his claws up in defense. Twilight glared at him menacingly until she blinked in recognition of her actions, and pulled back, her scowl replaced with a sheepish and sorrowful look. “I’m sorry, Spike, I don’t know what came over me…” Spike tentatively lowered his hands as he regarded her with a newfound sense of respect and worry. A few moments passed between them until he asked, “Was it that bad of a dream?” Twilight sighed as she turned away from him and headed towards the kitchen. “You have no idea…” Spike started to trail her, but stopped when she spoke again. “I’m going to make myself something to eat. Just… give me a few minutes to regain myself again and wake up.” Spike wanted to stay by her side into the kitchen and help prepare a meal for her, but the ringing of the doorbell opening stopped him from continuing. He eyed the kitchen entry with worried eyes, before turning around to help assist another customer. For the next hour, Twilight remained in the kitchen while Spike dealt with the few ponies that entered the library. Just as he was waving off the last one, Twilight trotted out of the kitchen, a smile on her face and her general demeanor much friendlier. “Ah, that hit the spot. Got some dishes to do tonight, but Celestia did it make me feel better,” she said. “Dishes?” Spike groaned. Like I need more work for my evening chores. How has she been able to eat so much lately? “Spike, I just wanted to say thank you so much for taking care of the library while I slept like a log.” “And when you stuffed your face,” he added. Twilight rolled her eyes, but was unable to contain her smirk. “Yes, and even when I was having breakfast. I just wanted you to know that I appreciate you and everything you do.” Twilight moved over to Spike and wrapped a foreleg around in, pulling him close for a tight embrace. “Awww, Twilight, you don’t have to thank me. You know your number one assistant is always here to help.” “I know, but I just wanted to let you know.” A few moments passed between them before Spike coughed politely.“So, where are you going this time while I watch the library?” “You could tell?” “I don’t mind the compliment, but next time drop the prolonged hug when you don’t want something.” “Sorry.” Twilight pulled away from him and made for the door. “I’m just going over to Trail’s to do a little more digging around. I have a spell I want to try that is supposedly helpful for finding hidden things. I figured there’s a chance that there might be something else beneath the floorboards or in the walls that might be able to shed some light.” “Let me know if you need help. Oh, I almost forgot!” Spike dashed over to the table and swiped a scroll off its surface. “You got a letter from Princess Celestia!” “A letter from the Princess? I mean, Celestia?” “I haven’t read it yet, but I bet it’s about the report you filed with the guards. She’s probably sending a whole platoon just to come over and watch you!” Spike exclaimed. Twilight unrolled the scroll and scanned its contents. “Looks like she’s sending an investigator over to help with the robbery.” Spike smirked as nodded his head with crossed arms. “And the a platoon of guards right?” “Nope, just the investigator.” “What? Just a single investigator!? No guards, or unicorns mages, or other protection?” “Nope.” Spike stared slack jaw at Twilight. “But you were attacked! By something you’ve never seen before! Twilight, this is serious!” “Come on, Spike, it’s not like I’ve never been beaten before,” Twilight said nonchalantly as she floated the scroll back over the table and began to fetch her saddlebag. “But your Princess Twilight! An ex-unicorn that knew more spells than any other unicorn! The unicorn that was probably on par with Star Swirl the Bearded! Who’s also an alicorn now!” Twilight sighed as she brought down the Corpus Nocte Morsu into her pack along with other books for possible references. “Spike, for one, I don’t even come close to Star Swirl. Two, I don’t even know what powers I’m supposed to get for being an alicorn. So far I’m still just using the same spells as I did before. I guess some of them might be a little more powerful, but Celestia told me it would take time before anything begins to show. Until then, I’m still same old me but with wings.” “But-but, you’re a princess now! Doesn’t a princess being attack mean anything?” “Well… Princess Celestia may not know that I was… attacked,” Twilight said as she closed her saddlebag. Spike stared in disbelief at her, hoping like before he had heard wrong. “Uh, Twilight, you said you were attacked in the report… right?” A embarrassed smile spread across her face before she quickly turned towards the door. “Twilight… why didn’t you mention it?” Spike asked quietly. “Don’t you care that you could have been hurt?” “Spike… If I had told the guards about the attack, they would have whisked me away to Canterlot and I would probably be stuck there under watch from Princess Celestia and Princess Luna. I wouldn’t be able to figure this out on my own.” “But what if you get hurt? Is figuring this out is more important than what happens to you?” Twilight sighed. “Why is everypony so concerned about my welfare now that I’m a princess? Nopony bothered to stop me before when I was just an Element Bearer. I could face dangers without being coddled or being told I should leave it to others to deal with. That I didn’t need to remain somewhere safe and out of harm’s way. Spike, I…” Twilight turned away from the door and faced him. “I can’t just sit back and do nothing while others handle everything for me. Guards? Investigators? Royal advisors that insist on taking care of every little thing? How will I ever be capable of leading if I just get pushed away from every little problem that appears in front of me? Especially the big ones like this. I need to experience the world and face them on my own, or at least with my friends. Something I couldn’t be doing if I told the guards everything…” Spike opened his mouth to speak, but Twilight continued, cutting him off. “Spike… as much I feel grateful of turning into alicorn, I sometimes hate it too...” “What do you mean?” Spike asked. His scales were drooping now and he was fidgeting with his hands. “Everypony has been treating me different ever since I got these wings. I know everypony from Ponyville has gotten better about it but… sometimes I just wish I could go back to being just a regular old unicorn. Maybe then I wouldn’t get treated so differently…” Twilight lowered her head. The sound of scuffling feet and sudden grasp of small arms wrapping around her neck however, caught her by surprise, and she craned her neck back so she could look down at Spike. “I’ll never treat you different. You’re Twilight, and you always will be. Just… please make sure you stay around so I can keep being there for you.” Twilight opened her mouth to say something, but thought others, and instead, pulled him closer. “Don’t worry, I’m not going anywhere. No matter what, I’ll still be the same Twilight,” she sniffed as she finished. “Always.”