//------------------------------// // Ten - Homecoming // Story: Her Destiny // by Broken //------------------------------// The duo reached Vanhoover’s station just a few minutes before the scheduled time for their departure. It was early in the morning, meaning that only a few ponies were trotting about the station, which was marvelous for Twilight to keep a low profile. Twilight, caped and worried, and Trixie walked towards the platform, where a station employee awaited for them. “Is the train bound for Ponyville about to arrive?” Trixie quickly asked him. He cheerfully smiled to her, “Hello ladies, good evening! Yes, the train bound to old Ponyville is about to arrive. Do you two have any luggage needing to be moved?" “No.” Twilight answered, hiding her face beneath the hood, “We just have those saddlebags and nothing else.” The sound of a train engine quickly approaching made their ears perk up. “Hey! Looks like you two made it just in time,” The brown-furred, bulky stallion answered, “Your train is just arriving.” The big locomotive reduced its speed, spreading its vapors all around the platform. Without a second though, Twilight and Trixie embarked, going in further to search for their cabin. “Blonde Rush?” Trixie asked Twilight, lifting her saddlebag onto the upper bed inside their small cabin, “Was your mom a fan of earth-pony runners or something?” Twilight giggled, walking towards the cushion closer to the window, “She tried to use as many aliases as she could. She didn’t want to be known for her literature.” The alicorn sat on the soft, velvet-red cushion, and looked through the window. Slowly, she felt the train starting to move and rock, gaining speed. However, outside, the same stallion who helped them a few minutes ago seemed to be waving his forehooves towards the train, trying to call her attention. Twilight’s face contorted into a puzzled expression… “There’s no way the train could be stopped right now, is there?” She asked Trixie. Trixie laughed, “I’m sorry but not a chance!” “Strange. That station employee seems to have forgotten to tell us something. He seemed restless…” Said Twilight, curious. The unicorn shrugged, “There’s nothing we can do now. Besides, it must have been something unimportant.” Twilight nodded, “I guess.” “Whelp, I dunno about you, but I will make sure to enjoy this trip!” Trixie excitedly cheered, smiling and clapping her fore hooves on the ground, “It’s been so long since I managed to board a deluxe train like this one.” "I guess I will skip the fancy buffet or the spa this time, I'm a little tired." “Actually, its no surprise to me.” Trixie replied, “The amount of energy you must have spent casting that blast which destroyed the tree on my orchard would have been enough to put any unicorn into a vegetative state. Guess you, as an alicorn, have that much more energy, but as you at the moment can’t control it, it must be harder to recover after just blasting it all away. Your body must be feeling some kind of a side effect, so you better rest.” The alicorn sighed, alleviated, “Good! I mean… I really need some sleep right now!” She headed towards the nearest bed, applying her telekinesis on the cape and saddlebag covering her body, and shoved it all aside, throwing everything on the ground. Then, Twilight jumped on bed, belly up, nuzzling the comfy mattress. Trixie giggled, “Go rest then, I’m going to try out those spas I talked about! Just thinking about having my fur washed with those expensive shampoos! It makes me all tingly inside!” “Just be sure to wake me up before we stop. I need to dress up!” Trixie had probably heard what Twilight said, even though she just exited the cabin while humming a soft tone and seemingly ignoring her companion. The alicorn smiled to herself, and turned her body around, resting her chin in the soft embrace of the velvety mattress. Her eyelids wished to close all by themselves. She blinked one, two, three times, and found herself unable to open her eyes again. Her breath begun to go slower and slower, and before she took notice, Twilight was fast asleep. “Twilight, please, wake up!” Trixie’s voice invaded Twilight’s ears, glued to the sides of her head, invading her consciousness, and bringing her back from the sandman’s embrace. Feeling renewed, the alicorn calmly opened her eyes, her eyelids feeling as light as feathers, compared on how they had previously seemed to weight tons. The first blurred image they captured was that of Trixie’s face, looking intently at her, expression in a mix of worry and distress. As the blur from her recent waking begun to fade, Twilight’s peripheral vision catch a slight change in her surroundings; the previously sunlight illuminating her cabin was gone, and two gas lamps mounted on the walls provided the only light in the murky room. Twilight’s own face contorted into a confused frown, as she eyed Trixie and scanned her surroundings, asking, “How long was I asleep?” Trixie’s expression seemed to lighten up a little, “You slept for almost twelve hours. Guess you did spent much energy casting that blast.” “Oh no!” Twilight shouted, scared, “Did we miss our stop?" The thought prompted the alicorn to jump out of her bed and immediately get up on her hooves. “Calm down!” Trixie replied, “We didn’t miss our stop. That’s what worries me. . You see, that spa was so good that I kinda lost track of the time… Traveling from Vanhoover to Ponyville by train takes four hours, but when I decided to check the time, I realized six hours had passed, so I thought something was wrong. What is even stranger, though, is that even though we are the only passengers going to Ponyville, no one from the train staff came to inform us about reaching our destination.” “Maybe what that stallion at Vanhoover’s station was trying to tell to us wasn’t so unimportant after all…” Twilight commented, and sighed, feeling a little regretful about her neglect. Trixie nodded, “It’s too late to complain, though. We better leave our cabin and ask somepony from the staff about this.” As the mares turned to the door in order to leave and search for an employee for help, somepony knocked on it, and a male voice spoke, dampened by the wood. “I’m sorry to interrupt you ladies, but our next stop is the new Ponyville station . If you could be kind and pack your belongings, we will be reaching there in a few minutes.” Trixie and Twilight exchanged glances, silently asking each other what to do. Twilight scratched her throat, and decided to reply. “T-Thanks! We are going to move out to the platform really soon, so please, just give us a moment.” The next thing they could hear was the sound of his hoofsteps disappearing on the corridor. Trixie turned to the alicorn, with a confused expression, “Why didn’t you ask him as to why Ponyville became the last stop?" “I doubt it makes much difference now… Let’s pack up and prepare to disembark.” Both friends followed the corridors inside the train, towards the platform. On the way there, Twilight wearily observed the sinister shadows looming outside the windows, amid the nightly landscape. Tortuous trees, their branches forming ugly, bent shapes, and their leafless forms looked a lot like claws. A stallion observed both mares coming along the corridor, and opened a smile, “I hope both of you enjoyed the trip, my ladies.” Trixie greeted him with the same careless smug, although Twilight only noted their conversation with the corners of her vision, and heard their voices as distant echoes. “We sure did! I’ve never felt so renewed after a trip!” Trixie chirped excitedly. “Why are we stopping here? This isn’t Ponyville’s station!” Twilight complained, turning to the employee. He eyed her back with guilty eyes, “I’m sorry my lady, it looks like you weren’t informed back at Vanhoover. Ponyville’s new station is located in a different place, due to security reasons.” “Security reasons?” She asked back, discontent. “We can see for ourselves, right Blonde Rush?” Trixie interrupted their discussion with an awkward grin, and a sudden shout, followed by a hoof placed over Twilight’s shoulder. It prompted the alicorn to turn her gaze towards her companion. Trixie shot at her a gaze of somepony trying to tell her to stay calm, stirring up a commotion inside the train was the last thing they wanted at the moment. “Yes, you’re right Trixie.” She nodded, and lowered her head. Although the stallion seemed to be a little weary about that hooded mare’s strange behavior, he just opened the door, pretending nothing happened. Twilight and Trixie disembarked immediately. They reached a simply outpost, clearly made in a rush. The cheap wood used still smelled fresh and there were no cabins, nor benches; one thing was certain, no pony passed by since its construction. A strange sensation dwelled inside Twilight’s gut. She found herself sieged by apprehension, but she didn’t quite understand why... As the locomotive blared its loud whistle, and the train departed, following the trail towards Dodge Junction, she turned around to catch a vision of the landscape. “Is this what I think it is?” She asked Trixie, her jaw dropping. “I would say you can tell me better, but it sure looks like it!” Trixie replied, her expression becoming the same as that of Twilight. Sweet Apple Acres… Or at least, what was left of it. The once beautiful, healthy apple trees belonging to the Element of Honesty and her family, were nothing but a shadow of the past. Their current state was deplorable; their bodies were crooked to the sides, almost bending to the ground. Their once vivid leaves were either withered, or completely destroyed by bite marks. Their branches were tortuous, and there were very few apples upon them, and even those were small and ugly. Not only were the trees were destroyed, but both mares could see an alarming number of small, shiny red eyes staring back at them from the darkness and fog permeating the orchard. Sometimes, a fast-moving winged critter flew from tree to tree, and a low-pitched cry was heard. “Are those… Vampire fruit bats?” Trixie gulped and asked, eyes fixated on the unsettling scene. Twilight felt rage and sorrow tackling at her chest. So much that she completely ignored her companion’s question. She felt that cursed knot forming at her throat, the one which always came before a flood of water would begin to fill her eyes. Bravely, she endured, and jumped out of the platform running, almost tripping over her hooves. “W-Wait a minute, Sparkle!” Trixie shouted, but it fell on deaf ears. Twilight braved the fog and followed towards the main house. Her eyes were searing, but she kept telling herself not to shed tears. She could see the fence separating the orchard from Applejack’s state, and she continued to run. Slowly, the dense fog became more and more clear, and in a few seconds, she had a good view of the Apple’s old house. Twilight’s flank fell to the ground with a loud ‘thump’ sound. “This… This is wrong…” She whispered, mouth hanging agape in shock. It was destroyed. The ceiling was full of holes, big enough for a pony to enter. A disgusting, black dust was spread through the entrance, along with piles and piles of withered leaves brought by the wind. Not a single glass from the windows remained intact… It was absolutely impossible for anypony to still be living inside... “Sparkle! Wait for me! I’m not as fast as you!” Trixie’s pleas reached her ears, but Twilight was shocked. The unicorn reached her position, and lowered her head, taking large breaths of air, “What the hay, Sparkle? Do you keep forgetting you have earth-pony powers too? I can’t keep up wit-” Trixie paused. She finally had turned her attention to the deserted house where the Apple family once lived. “What happened here? Do you think the vampire fruit bats did this? I bet they stormed the place looking for apples after the orchard was destroyed. Those critters!” Trixie commented, trying to reach Twilight. However, the alicorn didn’t move at all… “Granny Smith… Big Mac… Apple Bloom… They’re gone.” “This place is in a pretty bad shape alright, I doubt there’s anypony still living inside.” Trixie nodded and concluded. “What happened to them, Trixie?” Twilight asked, lowering her head, closing her eyes and biting her lips, “Applejack treasured this place, but her grandmother and her brother were no different. Why would they abandon Sweet Apple Acres?” “We can’t be sure if we keep moping around here! Let’s try hitting the central square, maybe we can find some familiar face to help us and gather info.” Twilight nodded in silence, mustering her strength and getting back on her hooves. As her companion started to trot away, the alicorn looked over the barn and the field with a gaze filled with sadness, bidding a last farewell to the place where once, so many laughs were shared with her family, and followed Trixie. “This is impossible…” Twilight’s voice echoed through the vicinities. Ponyville was a ghost town. The houses, although still mostly intact, were left to gather dust. There was not a single trace of anypony around. “This is really, really creepy. What happened around here?” Trixie expression was one of pure awe. She wasn’t broken like Twilight was, but seeing the town completely abandoned took her by surprise. “My home…” Twilight whimpered, any attempts to hold off the tears failing. The duo walked through the trail in front of the town hall, and observed the desolated place. The silence was almost cruel… “There must be some kind of explanation as to why this happened.” Trixie commented, trying to cheer Twilight by stimulating her curiosity, however, the sadness had taken the alicorn into a strong grasp. As they finally reached the main square, Twilight’s eyes befell upon what would be the last straw… The last vision her troubled mind could endure before completely giving in. Golden Oaks Library had disappeared, scorched to the ground. Trixie divided her attention between looking over the burnt black area, full of remnants of burned tomes, and Twilight’s eyes, glimmering with palatable pain. “They destroyed my books… They burned my home.” “Sparkle…” “I loved my home Trixie. I loved Ponyville.” The alicorn moved towards the ugly black pile of wood and cinders, like a soulless doll, a zombie. She stood still amid the ashes and closed her eyes. “It’s all gone.” She whimpered further. The smell of burned paper filled her nostrils as if it happened yesterday. As the wind caressed her purple fur, Twilight’s ears were invaded by echoes… Rainbow Dash and Pinkie Pie’s laughs… Rarity’s whining… Fluttershy’s squeaks… Applejack’s accent … Not long ago, those sounds had filled the walls of her home and made her feel complete. She took off her cape, casting it to the ground, for it was a lack of respect to enter that place hiding who she was. She pried her eyes open again, her vision immediately falling over a shining object buried under the black dust. Twilight walked over there, and applied her telekinesis to lift it out of the rubble. And then, fresh tears came crashing down… A photograph of her friends, hugging and smiling together with her. Twilight sat on the ground, looking at the picture covered by a thin glass. Her teardrops falling on that glass, , and washing the ashes staining it. “Sparkle…” Trixie whispered, getting closer to her. “This picture of us used to be by my side all the time…” She hugged the picture and closed her eyes, the precious memories from the past coming like a flood. “It’s a miracle it remained intact like this.” “Maybe its some sort of an omen.” Trixie said, turning her gaze away. Twilight nodded, still clinging strongly to the reminiscence of her past. Still pressing the portrait against her chest, as if wanting to meldt together with it... “I want to believe it is… I need to keep pushing and fighting, and getting stronger. They are alive, somewhere Trixie… They must have survived, just like this picture. ” Twilight sobbed and tried her best to control the tears, to no avail. “Do you want to rest for a little while? I know it must be hard for you to come here and see everything like this.” The alicorn wished she could be stronger and continue. To leave the dust of a past that will never return behind and keep searching. However, her heart ached so much... “Yes, I want to be by myself just for a while Trixie… Just for a little while…” She wailed. Trixie turned around, and completed, “I’ll go scout the vicinities to try and find any clues. Please, try to stay here where I can find you.” "What the hay?" Trixie complained, walking past by the market square where she usually stationed her trailer to perform, "Ponyville used to be such a lively little hamlet.” How could this place just turn into a ghost town? What could have happened? Trixie walked in circles, scrutinizing each building and corner. She was searching attentively or any small clue. As she walked past an alley, Trixie’s ears caught a peculiar sound; something was lurking in the shadows near her, and it was trying to past her without being noticed... But Trixie didn’t have any plans to allow it… She stopped, but continued to move her gaze in random directions, pretending she hadn’t noticed anything. While faking she was distracted, the unicorn with precise and short movements drew a rune on the ground, moving her foreleg with extreme caution. Complete. The sound was hoofsteps. However, they weren’t like the sound of hooves, clasping against the concrete floor. It was more akin to the sound of claws… I hope you’re ready for what is to come, amigo… Trixie jumped around, her horn flaring furiously with a blinding azure light, she clasped her hoof strongly against the small symbol she had just draw on the ground. The symbol ignited, and the alleyway lit with an intense orange glow. Her target was a barrel full of dry leaves she could spot from her current position. It served as the catalyst to produce a giant pillar of flames. The unicorn could hear a scream from there, and saw a form that wasn’t that of a pony jumping from the passage, escaping from the blazing explosion. The creature was a diamond dog. A female, judging from her body and voice. She sported a pretty small frame. Trixie guessed she was still a puppy, or at least could pass for one. Her fur was a dark shade of gray, her eyes were green, with black fended pupils, although at the moment, they looked more dilated due to the shock of being attacked out of nowhere. Her ears were small and bent towards the inner part of her head, the points almost touching her big puppy eyes. She was dressed with a plain blue waistcoat and a black spiked dog collar around her neck. “Freeze!” Trixie shouted, prompting the small dog to forget about the pyre and look towards her. She whimpered, her ears glued to the sides of her head, and her tail moving to between her legs. Trixie could see her whole body trembling. “W-W-What’s happening?” She yelled, stuttering. “I wouldn’t move an inch if I were you, vermin!” Trixie remained stoic, and walked over the dog, her horn flaring with a raging pink color. “Who are you?” The dog asked, completely lost, “Geez… I thought this town was deserted…” “I’m the one asking the questions here!” Trixie shouted back at her, her intention was to show the diamond dog who was the boss. “Okay! Okay! Just calm down, will ya?” The dog replied, swinging her hands erratically, as if begging Trixie for not to incinerate her. “Who are you?” Trixie walked right in front of her, gaze always locked at her eyes, intimidating the dog. The unicorn was good at performing, so it was easy for her to fake superiority or even cruelty in order to keep an upper hand over an unknown presence. “My name’s Roxy! Is this a good answer?” She shouted, breaking eye contact by turning her head away. The dog was sweating a lot, Trixie noticed.She had that creature right where she wanted. “It’s something…” The unicorn replied, and with a soft gesture, made the pyre disappear. Roxy looked to the side, noting how the magician was able to control such an explosive power with ease. She gulped. “What are you doing here, Roxy?” Trixie asked, grimacing. "What do you think, I’m a diamond dog! I’m looking for any valuables left behind by the townsfolk who fled.” Roxy grumbled, distressed. “So you do know what happened to Ponyville?” The dog turned her gaze back at Trixie, as if surprised by her question, She nodded, “Of course I do! We diamond dogs need to move fast if we want to make a livin’.” “Can you tell me?” Trixie’s voice was softer. “It actually impresses me you dunno!” Roxy replied with authentical awe. “I’m not from here Roxy, I’m from Vanhoover, just arrived.” “It makes sense I guess…” The diamond dog breathed, “So, you’re going to fry me just because I was stealing?” “Nope. I was going to fry you because I thought you were trying to attack me from my blind spot.” Trixie shook her head in negation, and sat down, “Now I have no motive to do so. You're not a treat especially because you're all alone." “Hey!” Roxy yelled, and got up, “How do you know I’m all alone?” “Diamond Dogs only raids towns in packs, even if the town is deserted. If you were with your pack, they would have attacked me much sooner." Roxy’s ears deflated and she threw her gaze away, “Darn… You got me.” “Please, tell me what happened to Ponyville!” “It’s exactly what it looks like. The townsfolk are all gone and the town is abandoned.” Roxy replied with a clean face. “Did they flee ? And if they did, why?” Trixie was restless. “Yup, they fled. I heard from a traveling merchant from Manehattan that all the townsfolk fled to different places, where they had family or friends who could take them, out of fear and left the town completely deserted. I thought it was a good opportunity to come here and take anything of value before any authority or other dogs could come to do the same." "Why?" "It's all because of the Twilight Princess." The unicorn was kind of expecting an answer like that. Twilight being the cause wasn’t all that mind boggling. But that dry reply wasn’t enough… “I don’t understand. Why is the Twilight Princess tied to this massive exodus?” Roxy scratched her throat and smiled nervously, “Sorry to answer your question with another one, miss - What’s your name again?” Trixie blushed, “Oh! Of course, sorry for my lack of tact. I’m Trixie Lulamoon.” “It’s alright, especially because five minutes ago you were trying to fry me.” She blushed further and giggled uncomfortably, “I swear I wasn’t aiming at you.” “I’ll believe in you, seeing how doubting or running away could end with me getting turned into beef jerky.” Roxy seemed to still be afraid of Trixie, but the unicorn couldn’t blame her. “Do you know a foal’s book that goes by the name of ‘The Weeping Princess and The Stolen Kingdom’?” Her question intrigued Trixie. Yes, she knew that book; a fairy tale written for foals by an unknown author. She could even remember having her own mother telling her that story before sleep. “Yes, I do.” Trixie nodded and stared at Roxy with confusion and curiosity. “The Twilight Princess is accused of killing the Six Elements of Harmony in order to become an alicorn and to plan her conquest of your kingdom, Equestria, by overthrowing Princess Celestia and Princess Selena. Many folks believe that these events are the fulfillment of the story told in that book, ‘cept of course, you know, the part where the Twilight Princess is the rightful heir to the throne.” Trixie accessed her memories, trying to remember about the general plot of that silly fairy tale. A nameless unicorn called “The Weeping Princess” in the story was born to be a powerful monarch, chosen by the stars to bring about an eon of harmony and happiness to ponykind. However, in a far away land, two evil queens set their greedy eyes on her peaceful land, fearing that someday, when she became a powerful queen herself, she would end their cruelty over the world. They attacked her kingdom when she still was an infant, captured her parents and almost killed her. Her loyal paladins saved the little princess, and ran away, to a distant place, where the evil queens could not find her. The little princess was raised by her paladins, and came to know many powerful creatures of her vast world, growing in power and wisdom, until one day she returned to her stolen kingdom and defeated the evil queens, fulfilling the prophecy once told by the stars. She became the new queen, and the whole world rejoiced, as the harmony was finally brought to the four corners of the planet. It’s not so unlikely… If what we saw at that Akashic Record is true, then it means Celestia and Luna aren’t from Equestria. The country had not existed before they founded it. However, Twilight was born a pure Equestrian from Canterlot. However, she did defeat an evil queen with help from paladins; Nightmare Moon, the queen, and the Elements of Harmony, the paladins. But what doesn’t make sense is the part about her being the rightful heir to the throne. As far as I know, Twilight doesn’t have a drop of royal blood in her. “I don’t get it.” Trixie finally spoke after a while, “Are there any mentions on the story about the Weeping Princess harming villagers?” “Whelp, it’s not explicit, but there’s a passage where a village is destroyed not by her, but by the soldiers sent by the Queens to seize her.” Roxy replied, rubbing her chin. “And let me guess; the villagers fled because they were afraid that this village would be the one to be destroyed in case the Weeping Princess would return.” The dog nodded, “You got it. The first place she came to after she killed the elements was Ponyville, and the villagers started to believe she would come here again if she wanted to hide, but I’m not sure why...” And she did return… What the hay is happening here? Is Twilight really repeating what happened to this Weeping Princess from that fairy tale? Trixie got up, and begun trotting back to where she left Twilight, “Sorry for the first impression Roxy. Go on and do your pillage, I doubt somepony cares after all. Thanks for the info by the way.” Roxy eyed Trixie with confusion and surprise, “You don’t care?” “Do I look like the militia or something?” Trixie scuffed, cocking an eyebrow, “There’s nothing left of Ponyville anyway. Just take care.” With a huge smile, the diamond dog nodded and fled, running at her top speed. Trixie chuckled, gazing towards her path. Also, I got something much more precious than pillaging… Answers! “Sparkle!” Twilight heard Trixie’s voice from across the road. Still lingering to the ashes of her old home, the alicorn moved her attention towards her unicorn companion, galloping in her direction. “Is something the matter, Trixie?” She shouted back, worried. Trixie stopped right in front of her, lowering her head to catch some breath, inhaling sharply. “I’ve - found something - important!” Trixie tried to explain while breathing heavily. Twilight planted a kind hoof over her shoulder, “Calm down.” Her friend nodded, and kept trying to recover her composure. After a while, Trixie finally recovered and they moved to exchange info in a much less gloomy location, a set of benches near a park close to the central square. The unicorn recounted what happened to Ponyville and about the fable which, strangely, seemed to tie in with to Twilight’s struggles. Listening to Trixie’s testimony made Twilight remember about the fateful night when she fought Grogar, and when she first stepped into Ponyville after her transformation… “Princess Celestia did show me that book and said I was a lot like the main character, however, she also said she and her sister were no evil queens. It was me who was the one trying to bring chaos to their kingdom, and for that, I should just disappear…" Twilight hung her head low. It happened quite some time ago, but the remembrance still stung her chest. She never wanted any of this… She wanted her teacher back. Trixie gave her a sympathetic smile, “She didn’t give you any credit huh?” The alicorn remained silent, and Trixie turned her gaze away, “Look, maybe Celestia couldn’t recognize you. Maybe she thinks you’re not really yourself.” “I’m not all that different, Trixie. I just looks like a giraffe; A winged giraffe with this stupid over-sized horn.” Twilight scuffed, angry and sad about her appearance. Trixie laughed, “C’mon, you’re not all that bad! Sure, the horn looks a little exaggerated, but your new manestyle is pretty awesome.” An uncomfortable silence fell over the duo. Trixie did her best to cheer Twilight, but failed. Anything would fail as long as she had to stay in Ponyville with all her memories haunting her. Not only that, but she was the culprit for the desolation of the small town which three years ago had accepted the complete stranger from Canterlot in their midst. It was like repaying all their kindness with cold cruelty. “I guess we aren’t going to find Silver Spoon here anymore.” Trixie breathed deeply, and sighed. Twilight simply nodded, gazing over the ground. “We should try to get going towards Manehattan. If she was from a rich family like you told me, there’s a huge possibility her family fled there.” Trixie concluded and hopped off the bench. Twilight remained static in place, mopping over the situation, lost… “C’mon! There’s no point staying here!” Trixie shouted, “I know you feel guilty about what happened here, but we both know it isn’t your fault!” “I’m not sure Trixie…” Twilight whimpered, “I’ve always told you I’m not sure about anything. About their deaths, and about my transformation. I don’t know if what the Princesses are saying about me is true or not. Maybe I did it… Maybe I am the Twilight Princess who killed the Elements of Harmony in order to become an alicorn, to gain power to overthrow them and conquer Equestria. Maybe I’m not even Twilight Sparkle.” Trixie’s face contorted in a fit of anger, “Stop with the self-pity! This is not the Twilight Sparkle I know! The Twilight Sparkle I know is determined, strong willed, and never gives up! You’re sad because of what happened to Ponyville? Then stop moping around and do something about it! For example, keep trying to find the truth!” “What if I’m not Twilight! What would you do Trixie?” Twilight shouted back at her, rage filling her expression. They both exchanged glances in silence for a few seconds, eyes narrowed, shooting daggers. “What would you do? Abandon me? Tell the Princesses where am I? Would you just leave me, like Celestia and Luna did? Like the rest of my country did?” Twilight shouted without end, venting her frustration and sadness. Trixie eyed her for seconds in silence, and her expression slowly melted from rage into confusion and sadness... “It doesn’t matter anymore… Not for me.” She whimpered, “I will follow you, even if you’re not Twilight Sparkle… Because you are -” A flood of tears came from the unicorn’s eyes, much for the alicorn’s surprise, “- the only true friend I’ve had in my entire life!” Twilight was taken aback. She motioned one of her forehooves to her mouth, dumbstruck by Trixie's reaction. Twilight's rage and sorrow were being directed against somepony who didn't deserved them. She was doing the exact opposite of what she had promised to herself, not that long ago: She was hurting somepony. And out of everypony... It had to be Trixie… Her first new friend, after losing so much. The first ray of light amid all the darkness of her road. “I want to believe you’re Twilight!” Trixie yelled, lost in her outburst, “I don't care if you aren't her! I'm accustomed to be the villain, to be fightning on the wrong side! However, for a friend... For my only friend I will gladly do it... It's just that I can’t keep being strong for both of us all the time…Please... Tell me I'm not mistaken again!” She sobbed and whimpered, prompting the alicorn to almost do the same. However, her friend asked her to be strong for once. Twilight threw herself against Trixie, hugging her with both forearms and covering the unicorn’s back with her huge lavender wings. The embrace was strong, full of confidence. The alicorn wanted Trixie to feel her determination, to know she was there for her. “I’m sorry. I’ll never freak out like this ever again.” Twilight concluded, her voice firm and strong. It made Trixie’s tears stop. The unicorn passed her forearms around Twilight’s neck, hugging her back, “Do not walk in front of me, I may not follow. Do not walk behind me, I may not lead. Just walk by my side, and call me your friend. Together, Sparkle, we need to keep going together! This is friendship, isn’t it?” “Right. Together!” Slowly, they broke from the hug, Trixie wiping the tears from her face, and pouting. “What the hay!” Trixie complained, “You got to see me all sappy and crying.” Twilight smiled, "I won't tell anypony. I promise." "What's that silly thing you told me you and your friends used to do to seal a promise?" Asked Trixie, throwing Twilight a small smile. Twilight laughed and she motioned one of her fore hooves to her chest and started to design a cross over it, "Cross my heart and hope to fly, stick a cupcake in my eye. There; now's a pinkie promise, and you can't break a pinkie promise!" "Good." Said Trixie, wiping the last tear to still cling inside her eyelids. “Manehattan, right?” Twilight asked, hopping out of the bench. Trixie nodded, “Let’s hope we can find a train to board this late of night.” The unicorn begun trotting away and Twilight immediately begun to follow her but then... A small pebble fell from the sky near Trixie, and rolled in Twilight’s direction. The alicorn followed the small round stone with her gaze as it rolledin her direction, trying to understand what just happened. And then… The realization hit her as soon as she took notice of a six-pointed pink star carved on it... Obsidian stone! Twilight’s blood froze, as her eyes widened in shock and her mouth went dry. She couldn’t really understand what force drove her body to move, but she didn’t regretted it a bit. With a precise lunge Twilight leaped towards Trixie and shoved her to the side with a tackle, the unicorn plummeting to the ground with a loud gasp. Immediately after, Twilight turned her body around in a complete 180 degrees spin, ruffling open her big wings and raising her head. She could hear it whistling through the air as it traversed the distance between an attacker and her only and precious friend. An arrow… Heading towards where Trixie would have been had she not have taken her place. The alicorn closed her eyes. There was no time for her to concentrate for a spell to blast it out of the air and save herself. But Trixie wasn’t going down because of her. It should end there… Twilight expected for the cold iron tip to pierce her beating heart, but the pain didn’t come. As she peeked using one eye, a grayish magic aura had engulfed the bolt millimeters from her chest, making it float in the air as if the time around it had stopped. “Sheesh! You almost got me in trouble there, Twilight Princess!” A brash, loud voice shouted from the distance, the sound of uncountable ruffling wings following close behind. The arrow fell to the ground, and Twilight could breathe alleviate. Trixie got up from the ground in silence, she probably understood why Twilight did that, as the sound of a flock encircling them and getting closer dominated the surroundings. At last, from the shadows, a familiar figure popped, accompanied by an entire battalion formed by armed knights, composed only of bat-ponies. Night Watch… As soon as the commander landed near Twilight and Trixie, the several armed knights surrounded them. “I’ve been looking for you all over this country, Twilight Princess.” Her merciless, magenta eyes had a predatory glow to them as she stared towards Twilight intently. The alicorn could feel her blood running cold just from looking inside them. "I’ve got you. I’m here to carry on Princess Selena’s orders! I will capture you and bring you to Canterlot at once!” The commander shouted, her sadistic smile only growing in size. It was as if she could feel Twilight’s fear getting out of control… “Who the hay is her?” Trixie asked, whispering close to Twilight’s ear. “Commander Night Watch, from Princess’s Luna special operations group, The Unseen.” She replied and gulped. “So, the stories about the group of assassins serving under the Night Crown are true…” Trixie concluded, and focused her gaze at Night Watch. Twilight nodded, and turned her attention towards the bat-pony mare shouting, “Why did you halt your attack? Hasn’t the Equestrian Crown decided to give me death penalty?” Night Watch opened her mouth to speak, but somepony cut her off before she could explain, appearing out of thin air by her side. A mare, fur tinged in lead gray; yellow eyes with fended pupils; she had a longer, lizard-like bald tail, ending in a furry bale of dark blue hair, very different from an average pony’s tail. The same type of messy hair adorned her ach one of her pasterns; Her long, savage dark blue mane formed a bang, almost covering her left eye. Protruding from her forehead, a long curved black horn glowed with a pale, gray light. “Princess Selena’s orders are absolute. She tasked us with bringing you back unscathed.” “Precisely.” Night Watch affirmed, smiling towards her knight, and then back at Twilight. “What the hay is that?” Trixie asked, pointing with a hoof towards the mysterious gray mare. The commander replied, still smiling, “She’s a nightcorn. A unicorn who embraced the night, just like each of us moori did a thousand of years ago. Nightcorns are even rarer than us, that’s why the few are all serving under the Night Guard.” The nightcorn smiled sadistically, just like the commander, "The name is Jasper, and it’ll be a pleasure to hunt you down tonight.” “That strange magic came from you…” Said Twilight, narrowing her eyes with rage towards Jasper. “Jasper gives my battalion the touch of magic we need in certain missions, like capturing aberrations of nature, such as you, Twilight Princess.” Night Watch hissed, spitting Twilight's nickname with disgust. “Commander, I believe we should stop with the pointless explanations and subdue her.” Jasper affirmed, licking her lips. “Seize her.” Night Watch declared with a bland voice and expression. Immediately, three knights jumped towards Twilight, readying their spears to strike in case she tried to resist. Twilight closed her eyes and lowered her head, trying to think of something. Suddenly, an azure glow passed through her eyelids, surprising her. As she opened her eyes, she saw Trixie, shielding the two of them with her shield of tiny hexagons. The knights were striking, trying to break it, while floating around and brandishing their spears against different locations. “Trixie…” Twilight whispered, shocked. “What?” Trixie cocked an eyebrow, questioning, “You do realize you almost took an arrow for me a few minutes ago, right?” “What’s this?” Twilight could hear Night Watch speaking from across the distance between them, “Filly, If you intervene, you’re going to get involved with something bigger than you can swallow!” Trixie turned to Night Watch, “Commander Night Watch! I’m not abandoning my Princess! I’m Trixie Lulamoon, and I am her knightress!” The moori’s face twisted in a mix of rage and curiosity, “A knightress serving under the Twilight Princess?” “Are you out of your mind, unicorn?” Jasper shouted, outraged "She’s the betrayer! She’s going to be responsible for the destruction of our kingdom! How dare you to pledge allegiance to her?” “Does it help if I say I believe in her innocence, despite all the lies you, your corrupt nobility and your mad princesses are saying about her?” Trixie shouted back at Jasper, giving them a confident face. “How dare you? You dare to tarnish Princess Selena’s name!?” The nightcorn was about to jump against Trixie’s neck, but Night Watch held her in place, and moved her attention towards Trixie. “We will be giving you one more chance to back away and surrender, filly. My next course of action will be to forcefully carry on my orders. If you truly believe in what this monster you are protecting says, I will take you’re ready to assume all the consequences for declaring knighthood to her flag.” Trixie smiled widely, exchanging glances with Twilight, and shouting back to the commander, “I am!” Twilight bit her lips. “Trixie… We can’t fight them. They are trained soldiers, with battle experience, while we are just two civilians with our only training being a few combat classes we attended at the School for Gifted Unicorns! We don’t stand a chance.” The alicorn wailed, worried. Trixie scuffed Twilight’s affirmation with a mocking grin, “Whatever. They aren’t going to get you, I won’t let them!” Swiftly, the unicorn drew a rune on the ground. Right after, she cancelled her shield, the moori were free to strike both of them. Trixie planted her right fore hoof firmly against the symbol, igniting both her horn and the letter in a powerful azure glow. A thick blue mist flowed from around the caster, enveloping everything near her, and Twilight. The alicorn observed, baffled, the three knights falling to the ground, turned into statues of ice… “I am your knightress! I am your sword, and your shield! I will protect you, and lead you to your friends! And then, the world will recognize the majesty of my art!” Trixie declared with thunderous voice, as if challenging Night Watch and Jasper. “It’s suicide to fight Trixie! We need to run!” Twilight pulled Trixie's fore arm. She felt afraid of fightning, and she didn't wanted to watch, powerless, as her friend fought with those enemies. However, her knightress slapped her clutch away, “I will keep them occupied. You run.” The bland voice from Trixie made Twilight’s heart almost stop. She moved her head to the sides in negation, holding up tears of despair. “I can’t abandon you!” Twilight screamed, trying once again to bring Trixie with her, but once again the unicorn dismissed her touch, shoving Twilight’s hoof with her shoulder. “You think I will lose to them?” Trixie shouted, angrily, “Are you mocking me Sparkle? How many times do I need to tell you? I don’t like being mocked!” Twilight’s lips trembled. Her eyes stung. The adrenaline running wild inside her body made her heart beat with a frenzied rhythm. She stared at Trixie with watered eyes and a despaired expression, any words dying in her mouth before she could complete them. “Go. Towards Dodge Junction, past the forest, where will be difficult for them to track you down. Wait for me. I will be joining you soon.” Her friend spoke, voice even more bland and monotone. Her expression didn’t passed anything to Twilight. Not confidence, not fear, not courage, not anything at all… Twilight remained static, paralyzed. “Go!” Trixie yelled, pushing Twilight away, and making her fall to the ground. Twilight couldn’t take it anymore, she cried, in silence, closing her eyes, trails of tears falling over her cheeks. She quickly got up, and turned around, running at full earth-pony speed. Each step she made away from Trixie pained her, as if small needles were piercing her heart… She didn’t have the courage to look back… The leaves and branches lashed at her, opening small cuts in her skin. Those bruises were tiny, but they ached and seared, causing a horrible discomfort. She didn’t care much though. Twilight only continued running. Away from her past. Away from that haunted town, full of memories she didn’t wanted to remember. Away from the shame of leaving Trixie behind, abandoned to her own luck. She didn’t know to where, not even when she would be able to stop. She only continued to run... Without looking back. She felt pathetic. And even then the sound of beating wings stalking her from the nearby trees still filled her ears and heart with utmost despair. The moori weren’t going to let their prey escape. Eventually, her path ended in an opening near the border of the Everfree Forest, to where she had just fled. The dark night sky was suddenly covered in ominous clouds, announcing a storm. A thunder strike roared in the distance… Twilight stopped. It’s pointless. She thought, eyes gazing over the nothingness, wide open in shock and fear. The moori were getting closer and closer. I can’t escape from them! It was then, when a strange sound assaulted her hearing. A scream, coming from a nearby moori guard chasing her down. Twilight’s ears perked up in attention and she finally turned around to observe the forest, the trees and the thick foliage, forming a natural green wall in front of her. Her worried eyes focused at random points, desperately searching for the source of the that shout. A few seconds after, two guards jumped out of the bushes and landed right in front of her. They seemed as scared as the alicorn herself. The rain came crashing down with violence, quickly wetting her mane and fur, making the light purple become darker… Both knights were panting, and trying to recover their breath, one of them turned to Twilight, and with a distressed expression, he shouted at her, “Is this your work, monster? Did you summon some kind of beast to aid you in your escape?” Twilight’s expression turned confused, “I don’t have any idea of what you’re talking about!” She yelled back at him. “Stop lying! Nothing natural can move as fast as that beast! It must be something created by a monster like you!” The knight shouted, preparing his spear to attack, “If I kill you, it will go away!” “Calm down!” The other knight yelled at him, “The orders said that we can’t harm her!” “Screw the orders! I’m not going to die here because of this aberration of nature!” He lunged at Twilight, dead set on striking the alicorn down. Twilight could see the despair and the fear in his eyes. Whatever scared those stallions so much inside the forest was bound to be something truly fearful… It was when a yellow blur came out from inside the thick foliage, and in the blink of an eye, nailed the knight, smashing him into the muddy ground. Armor bended. Metal deformed as if made of plastic. Twilight wasn’t sure if the moori could survive such a vicious attack. She stared, fearfully, at the figure standing above the blacked out knight, hindhooves pressing his face against the soil, humiliating him. The pony was clad in a black hooded mantle, hiding its identity. However, Twilight could see a small fringe of wet, golden blonde mane falling from inside the hood and against its obscured face. “Get your dirty hooves out of my prey, scum!” It yelled, pressing its hoof even more firmly against the knight’s face. “W-W-What are you?” Twilight said, stuttering in fear… Suddenly, with a simple movement of his hoof, the other knight threw his spear mercilessly, but not at Twilight. The beast was his target. Leaving a yellow blur behind, the pony back stepped, seconds before being struck by the pointy lance; the artifact flew towards a tree, and got stuck on it. Twilight gazed at the scene with wide open, shocked eyes and a dropped jaw. It’s capable of moving so fast, in such short of a time! I don’t think even Rainbow Dash was capable of accelerating so fast! “I said… My prey! Mine alone!” In the blink of an eye, the beast vanished from its position near the alicorn, and leaving nothing more than a lightning-yellow streak a speck of dust behind, it was already in front of the second knight, hitting his jaw with a vicious attack from its fore hoof. The impact produced by that high-speed-powered punch sentd the soldier staggering backwards meters away, as if his head was just slammed by a moving train. He ended out of Twilight’s field of view, somewhere amid the green foliage. Such unholy strength! With that acceleration, this thing could easily rival an earth-pony strength wise! “Now come here, my little purple birdie!” The beast roared, turning back towards the alicorn. Twilight’s heart almost jumped out of her chest. She thought about either launching an attack using her rudimentary magic bolts, or running away as fast as she could; however, the fear from being the target of this monster paralyzed her… All she could do was stare, motionless, as the hooded pony spread open its wings, and with an impulse, soared in her direction, tackling her body, and easily subduing her. Twilight was pushed towards a nearby lone tree, in the middle of the opening, and got pinned against it in seconds. As her back smashed against the wooden trunk, she felt her lungs being crushed, and she gasped for air. Before she could recover, Twilight peaked with one eye; she watched in awe as the beast begun to fly in a circle, holding her mouth a mysterious black rope ying Twilight down to the tree. In the blink of an eye, the alicorn was completely tied to the tree trunk, unable to move her upper limbs, as her lower limbs danced pathetically in the air, searching for ground. After recovering from the sudden attack, Twilight yelled at the mysterious attacker, “Who are you? What do you want from me?” Finally, the pony landed in front of Twilight, and gazed towards her from above her shoulder, laughing quietly. Quickly, she turned around and took off the wet hood, revealing a very familiar face… “I am Lightning Dust, and I’m here to avenge Rainbow Dash’s death!