//------------------------------//
// V 
// Story: Rebirth 
// by The-Pony-Librarian 
//------------------------------//

	
Misty Point was a sleepy little town, shrouded by a thin sheath of fog shepherded in by the sea breeze, and smelling of evergreen.
As Twilight stepped out the door, the faint cry of gulls and the not so dissimilar squawking of ponies browsing and haggling drifted to her from across the street.  A small artisan's market, set up beside an equally small grocery store, was the source of the noise, the haphazard cluster of booths and tents growing out into the little parking lot like moss on a tree. To her right, a rocky hill rose up, topped by a verdant crown of trees. In the distance, if she concentrated, she could hear the sea. Twilight took a slow, deep inhale of the cool air, and regarded her surroundings with a small smile on her face. The late afternoon sun hung low towards the horizon, casting a diffuse glow on the scenery through the veil of clouds. If nothing else, Discord had a good eye for scenery.
A pony passed beside them, and she startled, shrinking back slightly. He gave her a polite smile, eyes flashing concern only briefly at her wide eyed expression and went on his way, leaving Twilight to unravel the ropes that had just knotted in her stomach. There was no need to worry, she assured herself, really. The spells blanketing her, Spike, and the girls were many, and sound. 
Spike's was a full transformation, like that she had learned years ago. Back thenThen she had only been able to change to a much, much simpler anatomy, like that of the Breezies, but over the years she had managed to work up to more complex metamorphosis. Intense boredom can do great things for your learning.
The magic on her and the girls was were less extensive, but in some ways more complex. Her wings were veiled in an illusion, and there was a slight memory distortion surrounding her as well, so if somepony who saw her was asked to describe her later, the best they could do would be would be vague. The most important spell, however, worked on altering perception. Every time a pony saw her, the enchantment was feeding directly to their brains that she was absolutely, certainly not Twilight Sparkle. They would see her hair, her color, her eyes, her cutie mark, but the connection of her looking like Twilight Sparkle would never be registered. This pony was absolutely, certainly, definitely not Twilight, after all. Like the perception blindness trick, with the pegasai dancers, everypony would be too busy counting the number of loop-de-loops they performed to see the pony in a bear costume walking in the background.
It was a useful little charm- a slight variation to a spell that, if performed while saying something, would forcibly plant that statement, as long as it wasn’t too ridiculous, as a fact in the brain of it’s target. The original wasn’t a very nice spell, and probably should be classified as borderline Dark Magic, something she honestly shouldn’t have been touching in her usual state of mind, but Twilight didn’t feel all that guilty about it. Her modifications were much kinder, and besides, she had ample reason to believe that the head of Equestria used the full force, unchanged version of the spell everyday. In fact, he had reason to believe it had been used repeatedly on her since she was a filly.
Twilight was very good at learning from observation.
She pulled herself up, walked down the street. She was just another pony, going about her business, living her life. Her normal life. As her and Spike walked down the street, she looked at the shops; a small store selling kites, a bed and breakfast called "The Lost Whale", a bakery.
"How come I had to change completely?" Spike grumbled, after the fourth time stumbling on recently acquired hooves. He fluffed his lavender wings in a huff, having just recently mastered folding them properly. Twilight wasn't entirely sure how well the magic that powered his dragon flight would translate into his pony body, but she believed he would be able to fly, or... once he figured out how to on different wings, at least.
"Even with the perception spell, a dragon would have been too noticeable." She said, unworried about anypony listening in on the strange conversation. Those who tried would be beset by the sudden thought that they had left their oven on. "Even though they would be convinced you were a pony, there would still be some part of them that registered the difference. Dragons are a predator after all, so you would be setting off alarm bells in the back of everypony's head and they wouldn't know why." 
Spike made a face and nodded. "You're the magic guru, so I'll trust you on that one-" there was an infinitesimal pause as he struggled against a small smirk, "Egghead."
Twilight rolled her eyes, before adjusting her wings and retorting haughtily, chin in the air, "Scales-for-brains."
"Featherduster." Spike stuck his tongue out, then looked down at it with an almost baffled expression "....Thpony toungths are sthrange."
A snort of laughter escaped Twilight, and she shook her head, grinning and muttering something under her breath.
"What was that?" Spike's eyebrows lifted, an amused expression dancing across his face.
"I don't know what you're talking about." Twilight teased with a flick of her tail.
"Oh really? Because I'm pretty sure you said something"
"Hearing voices?" her brows furrowed in mock concern as she added matter-of-factly, "You should probably see someone about that."
They passed a small store selling cooking implements, and rounded a corner. A small smile curled on Twilight's lips. "Lizard Face."
They both burst into laughter, Twilight's light giggles mixing with the low chuckles from Spike, making the town surrounding them seem just a bit less foreign. She took small comfort in the warm familiarity between them, letting it settle over her like a well loved blanket. Despite everything, she still had Spike. She always had Spike. Back before, when everything was only just starting to fall to pieces, she had suspected that Spike was one of the few things keeping her sane.
Of course, she had also held Celestia in that same regard... you can't always place your trust wisely.
She quickly brushed that thought away though, and kept smiling softly, if only for the sake of her oldest and closest friend. She knew it made him happy.
They turned down a small street, the gentle noise of their hooves down the sidewalks adding soft percussion to the growing sound of waves. Small shingled houses lines the streets, painted soft greys and whites and faded blues. Squinting at the addresses, Twilight guided them to a two story building at the end of the little road, whitewashed and similar to the rest of them apart from the sign that adorned it's front. Hoofpainted pictures of books adorned it's corners, flanking the artistically faded words "Seaside Library".
Though Twilight had known she had been staying in a library, her situation hadn't truly struck her until that moment; staying in a small, unfamiliar town, filled with ponies she didn't yet know, her only aspect of familiarity being the library she happened to be taking residence in. 
Well didn't that sound familiar.
"If only it were a tree." She mumbled to Spike, who chuckled appreciatively. The Golden Oak Library, though destroyed in Tirek's attack, had been healed and grown back through diligent earth pony magic long ago. It was a library once more, five stories of library, to be exact, two of which were underground, and the largest non digital collection of books and documents in Equestria save for the Royal Canterlot Archives. Now named The Twilight Sparkle Royal Library in her honor, even the entrance hall (an entire hall!) was grand and stately, and a life sized marble bust of herself was displayed proudly in a glass case for all to see as they stepped through it's proud doors. It had long ago ceased to be her library.
This one in front of them, at least, seemed suitably humble. 
Twilight liked to think that libraries were best when they didn't get all pretentious about themselves.
According to the sign, the Seaside Library was closed today, but Twilight raised a hoof and knocked firmly on the door, unruffled. She was expected. She pursed her lips and waited, hooves crossed primly, wings folded in a business like manner, turning the library card idly in her magic.
"Hello there!"
Twilight gave a sharp yelp and nearly jumped straight back into Spike, the knowledge of the three foals nestled on her back the only thing keeping her hooves firmly on the ground, and preventing all of them from tumbling to the pavement in an awkward mess. That didn't, however, stop her from snapping her wings straight outwards and catching him right in the nose with primary. The ex-dragon stumbled, and nearly fell over as he whipped a hoof to his now stinging muzzle with a vivid curse. Twilight turned swiftly to grab his shoulder and steady him, nearly tripped over herself in the process, meeting Spike's eye as they both danced precariously on the edge of toppling over, before finally regaining her equilibrium. Both let out out a small exhale.
Straightening herself with as much aplomb as she could manage, Twilight turned purposefully to the pony who had spoken, straight faced except for her ever so slightly twitching left eye.
He was a unicorn stallion, beige colored, with an unkempt, rusty brown mane brushed haphazardly out of his eyes, a pair of garden shears held loosely in pale green magic, and a barely concealed grin on his face.
"Sorry about that!" he said, still biting back a smile, and sounding only barely apologetic "I didn't mean to, er..." here he could not hold back a chuckle, looking at Twilight and Spike's still rather disheveled state, green eyes practically oozing amusement "...startle... you."
Now, Twilight had made a lot of progress from her old friendless bookworm ways when she had moved to Ponyville. Socially, she had positively blossomed, becoming more open, more friendly, laughing louder and far, far more often. However, in the three centuries since then, all of that had slipped back inside her., She had become, reluctant, penning those qualities and barricading them in for everyone except a special, very special few. The incident with Celestia, well, that had just locked the gates. She was not so good with meeting new friends even in the best of situations.
This was not the best of situations.
She already did not like this pony. Not even a little.
Twilight lifted her head, expression cool, "I assume you're Banned Books?"
Banned Books gave her an affable smile, "That would be correct." 
There was a long silence. In the distance, seabirds squawked and chattered.
"...I really am sorry for scaring you like that." He scuffed a hoof on the ground, chuckle sounding a great deal more awkward.
"It's fine." Twilight looked him straight in the eye, expression impassive.
She still didn't like him. 
"...Weellll." Banned Books broke the impromptu staring contest, fleeing out from under Twilight's gaze. "Why don't we head inside!"
He opened the door, shaking off the awkwardness as he put on a grin and gestured broadly with a hoof, "Tada!"
Interest sparking in her eyes, Twilight stepped halfways into the library, ears perked. It was cosy, lined with neat rows of wooden shelves, with several comfortable looking chairs scattered about. Several standing lamps waited ready to provide light should the already ample amount of it streaming through the many windows fail. Unable to help herself, she closed her eyes and inhaled, the smell of paper and binding, with just the faintest hint of- Was that lavender? Yes, she thought so - taking her to someplace safe, and gentle, and comfortable. A smile spread on her face.
The moment was broken as two snickers sounded in unison from behind her.
Twilight immediately stiffened, ears swiveling, neck pulling back, wings snapping tight to her sides. She strode stiffly past the threshold. This might smell like the safe, comfortable place in her mind, but it wasn't. That place was gone.
"So, I take it you like libraries?" Banned Books said casually, while Spike maintained an admirably straight face behind him.
"I’m a big reader." Twilight said flatly. She could see Spike struggling valiantly against a grin out of the corner of her eyes, and losing by no small margin. She vowed to turn him into an iguana, rather than a pony, next time.
The group settled into a cluster of chairs, Twilight tapping her hooves uncomfortably the whole time. as she distributed the foals amongst her and Spike's laps. Couldn’t Discord have found her an apartment? He was a reality warping chaos god for Celestia's sake, he could have at least booked her at the Bed and Breakfeast. She supposed she would have to make an effort to be cordial though, at least until she found her own place to stay.
"Well, it's a pleasure to have you in my library Twilight Prose!" Banned Books said, before turning to Spike "And...Emerald Stone, correct?"
Spike nodded, extending a hoof as well.
"And the little ones?" Banned Books nodded towards the girls, who Twilight was busy trying to bottle feed, now that they were awake and moving. All five of them crying at once was not a pleasant experience.
Nodding to each one respectively, Twilight rattled off "Rare Heart, Rainbow, Pinkie, Applejack, and Shy."
Banned Books nodded slowly, pursing his lips, and looking impressed "Mighty altruistic of you to take them in like that."
"She has a big ego- I mean heart." Spike said, snickering to himself at his own joke.
Twilight whapped him on the head with a baby bottle, eliciting a yelp and a glower.
Banned Books smirked. "Nice big brother you have there." 
Spike instantly  puffed up, grinning like a madstallion.
"Little brother." Twilight corrected pointedly. "So, you don't stay in the loft?"
"Nope." Banned Books said "I already had a house in town before I started tending the library, so it will be nice to have a use for it now."
"Well, thank you for letting us stay here, and...sorry for such short notice"
"No problem," Banned Books waved her off. "It's to be expected from Discord, I swear, he shows up and three AM yammering about a friend who needs a place to stay and-"
"You know Discord?" Twilight cut him off, head cocked to the side.
Sure, she had known that Discord had set her up at this place, but she hadn't expected him to actually know her host. Discord was more of the "manipulating from afar" type, and usually got things done without direct contact.
"Are you guys..." She said slowly "Friends?"
"Yeah, I met him when I was working at Canterlot. Funny guy. Of course, I didn't know he was a draconequus at the time...He was helping me with, well, it's a long story." He coughed "Anyways, he'll pop in every once in a while to make trouble."
Twilight stared at Banned Books as he casually rambled. Discord, masquerading as a pony? Making friends? 
The idea seemed ridiculous, but what had she thought he would do? Retreat to some distant mountain and be alone for hundreds of years? Twilight winced slightly. That's exactly what she had thought he would do, actually. Then she eyed her host curiously, wondering exactly what type of ponies would be the kind Discord would befriend.
"How did you meet Discord?" Banned Books looked at her expectantly,
"It's...a long story." Twilight parroted the line Banned Books had used voice soft. The conversation continued. Spike was talking about...about...Twilight wasn't really paying attention. With alarming quickness, an overwhelming tiredness began to drag at her body, pushing past the morning coffee she had guzzled less than an hour before, and reminding her she hadn't slept in over one hundred and twenty eight hours. Blinking quickly, she pulled herself up, trying to focus her fuzzy thoughts on what to do, without much success. She stood up suddenly, handing off the girls to Spike. "Could you point me to the restroom?" she looked at Banned Books inquiringly.
"Just off to the left."
Rather unsteadily. Twilight walked over to the small door, pushed inside, and locked it. She went to the counter, splashed her face with water. She sat down. She...

Twilight stood on the edge of a cliff, overlooking the Everfree forest.
"What do you see Dash?"
She called up to her friend,who was hovering in the air above her.
"I dunno." Dash alighted next to her with a shrug.
"Somethin’ funny, that's for sure!" AJ pulled her hat tighter on her head, frowning. "Reckon it's trouble?"
From behind her, Fluttershy squeaked.
The entire group squinted, trying to see past the mist  that seemed to be permeating everything.
"Oooh. Spooky!" Pinkie bounced up and down brightly as Rarity put a steadying hoof on her shoulder.
"Pinkie, Darling, Twilight's trying to concentrate."
"Girls, I think we should head back to Ponyvi-"
A great rumbling interrupted Twilight's sentence, as the ground began to shift under their hooves.
"Girls!" Twilight cried, backing away from the cliff edge.
With terrifying suddenness, it began to crumble apart, falling away to the earth below. Rarity toppled over the edge with a surprised scream, and Pinkie scrambled to get to solid earth, AJ had a tree branch gripped tightly in her jaw, expression fearful. Soon gravity worked to drag both of them downwards.
"Don't worry!" Rainbow Dash called "I'll get them!"
She dived down below the cliff, out of sight, weaving through tumbling boulders. 
Twilight watched in horror as everything grew silent once more. Tendrils of mist curled around her.
"Rainbow Dash!" She called desperately "Rarity! Pinkie- Anypony!"
The only reply were her own sobs, echoed back at her.
"No. No no no no."
"Twilight." the voice came from nowhere, and everywhere, and suddenly it was there, right next to her. Twilight's head snapped up.
"Luna." she breathed, looking up at the dark alicorn. They stood there for a moment, staring at eachother. Then, swiftly, they wrapped each other in a tense but close hug. After a few long seconds, Twilight pulled away, expression tight "You shouldn't be here... I put up dream wards and barriers and-"
Luna raised her head proudly, "Twilight, I am the mistress of the night and the dreamworld." She said with a small smile, gaze cool "If I cannot get into a dream, it is because I am not trying."
"What do you want, Luna?" Twilight asked quietly. Luna did not answer, instead turning to turning to stare at her for a long while.
"Why do you want so badly to keep me out? I have been playing mediator between you and Celestia for a long while." She looked at Twilight searchingly, the slightest bit of hurt  visible in the little furrows of her brow, and the line of her mouth   "Am I no longer welcome in that role?"
Of course she answered one question with another. Twilight should have been used to that by now.
"No." She pursed her lips slightly "I just know that you're going to try to get information out of me. “You always do."
Luna smiled at her in her usual, mysterious manner, "You know me too well." The smile dropped, and the princess composed herself in a more serious manner. "I would like to plead on the case of my sister, as I also, always do."
"Luna, please, I don't want to-"
"No, Twilight." Luna's tone was as firm as steel. She held herself tall, head lowered, gaze downward, hooves wide apart, wings twitching half open,  almost in a fighting stance. For a moment she looked imperious, unmoving, mighty, her true age and power bleeding into visibility in the dream world. Then she shrunk back down, eyes gentling. "Merely, hear me out. You do not know the whole story, Twilight."
Twilight was silent. Luna began to open her mouth, taking the lack of response as a signal of consent, when Twilight suddenly began to speak.
"You know what I do know, Luna?" She snapped "I know that she used me. She used me like a pawn. Like my life meant nothing. I know she used me from the very start so she could throw my expendable, meaningless little life away for her own means."
Luna opened her mouth, protesting, "But then-"
"She changed her mind. I know." A rueful smile spread across Twilight's face, and she spat out her words like they poison, bitterness heavy on her tongue. "Your sister decided that, actually, she'd like to use me a little bit longer."
The last sentence came out like a slap, and there was a pause, a moment where all the anger, all the hurt, all the confusion, shined out from Twilight's eyes like a beacon, and was traced on every line on her brow. Then Twilight's shoulders dropped, and she lifted her head, a bark of not-quite laughter escaping her mouth. The expression on her face almost incredulous, as if she could barely believe what she was saying. Her words were soft, but somehow almost harsher than her last ones.
"So she sacrificed the lives of my friends to have me as a toy for the rest of eternity."
Twilight looked up at Luna, eyes daring her to respond.
The night princess just stood there, ears folded back, her expression formed into a frown. She said nothing. Twilight just continued staring, drawing herself up back, eyes narrowing, lip curling, as if insulted. It was her turn to be imperious now.
"I think I know enough."
Luna tilted her head to the side, regarding Twilight from under furrowed brows, looking resigned "Very well then.” tThere was a slight pause. “I'm sorry."
The feeling of mental probing that came then was intense, and immediate Twilight's eyes widened.
"John Jacob Jingleheimershmidt!" She sang loudly "His name is my name too!"
Luna's expression was patronizing "Seriously?"
"Whenever we go out, the ponies always shout, there goes John Jacob Jingleheimershmidt! Da da da da da da da!"
Though rather foolish sounding, singing simple repetitives songs were one of the best defenses against mind reading, as probing spells, even when cast by powerful magic wielders, couldn't access the memories or deeper parts of the brain, and only succeeded in poking around the little conscious thoughts, and inner monologues that floated close to the surface. The best way to keep anything useful from popping up there was filling it with the most useless information possible.
It was a stand off.
"John Jacob Jingleheimershmidt!"
"Stop that."
"His name is my name too! Whenever we go out, the ponies always shout, there goes John Jacob Jingleheimershmidt! Da da da da da da da!"
Luna narrowed her eyes, horn glowing brighter as Twilight continued singing
"His name is my name too! Whevever we go out the people always shout-"

There was a loud knock on the bathroom door. "Twilight?"
"JOHN JACOB JINGLEHEIMERSHMIDT!" Twilight shouted, sitting bolt upright. Her head whipped around as she looked confusedly at her surroundings, then she relaxed.
"You okay in there?" Spike asked. Twilight could almost hear the bemused expression he was wearing.
"Yes Spi- I mean Emerald" she replied, correcting herself swiftly.
She unlocked the door, and Spike stepped inside, wings fluffed at his sides, and gave her a thorough looking over "What happened?" he asked.
"I..." Twilight rubbed the back of her neck with a hoof, giving him a sheepish smile, "I...Think I fell asleep."
"In a bathroom."
"Well what else was I supposed to do?" Twilight snapped defensively, "Fall asleep during the middle of the conversation?"
Spike gave her his best deadpan gaze "You could have asked Banned Books to show you up to the loft. You know, the one in the library?"
Twilight rolled her eyes, brushing past him.
"It it has a bed, you know." Spike called after her, before trotting to catch up as she approached the area they were sitting before.
"But... what was with the Jingleheimer-" he began to mutter, before Twilight stopped him with a sideways glance.
"I'll tell you later."
Banned Books looked up at them, expression questioning, but seemingly unwilling to ask aloud.
"So...." He said slowly, "Would you like to see where you'll be staying?"
He lead them up a stairway into a little loft, with a bed to one side, a little counter with a sink, minifridge and hot plate to the other, and a door that Twilight assumed led to a bathroom. A mattress had been inflated to sit beside the back, and the girls had already been taken up by Spike, and were sleeping soundly in a crib. The far wall of the room was taken up by a large fabric curtain
"See? Bed." Spike muttered sideways to Twilight, before being jabbed under the ribs with a wing. Giving a decidedly girly yelp, he turned to glower at his attacker.
"Serves you right for being such a wise-"
"Did you say something?" Banned Books asked, turning to look at her.
"Nope." Twilight said, quickly straightened herself. Spike gave her a return poke in the side with his wing, which she pointedly ignored.
"Well, feel free to make yourself at home." Banned Books continued "I was thinking of heading to town for dinner, if you'd like to come along."
"We already ate, but thanks." Twilight said. Heading off Spike's almost certain affirmative. That dragon ate like a, well, dragon.
"Alright, then." Banned Books said, heading towards the door  "I'll see you tomorrow."
The minute the door shut, Spike shot to his feet, shouting "Dibs on first shower!"
Twilight stood up "That not fai-"
"Nope. Called it."
She slumped back down "Fine. Don't use all the hot water."
Flopping on the bed, Twilight was relieved at the very least, to have some time to think, listening to the background noise of running water. 
Oh, Luna.
Despite the attempt at breaking into her mind, the subversion, the fact that she sided with her sister, and always would. Twilight had never found herself to be able to blame her along with Celestia. Everything had already been set in motion, irrevocably, by the time Luna had returned from her imprisonment, so she couldn't really been considered complicit in what had been done. Twilight could try to be angry with Luna for not telling her, keeping her in the dark, but, really, would she have believed the princess if she had? Her defending of Celestia, despite everything, despite all the lies, all the manipulation...well...they were family, bound together. Try as she might, Twilight could not hold it against Luna, to try, however futilely, to try and win forgiveness for her sister.
Twilight sighed softly. She would need to cast stronger spells, to keep Luna, her old friend, out, before she slept again. Maybe even block dreaming altogether. Dreams were useful, for sorting, learning, understanding, but she couldn't risk Celestia finding out where she was. 
It had been a year, almost, since the day when her entire, arranged little world crumbled apart. She couldn't go back. 
The running water turned off.
"Twilight?" Spike's voice came from behind the little door, sounding slightly unsteady.
"What?"
"A little bit of help?"
Brows furrowing, Twilight walked over to the door, pushing it open.
Spike was hunched inside the little bathroom, in dragon form, and covering the floor and counter, spilling out of the bathtub, were scrolls.
"I-" Spike coughed up another roll of parchment in a gout for green fire "Thought you cast a spell to block these!"
Twilight winced, the transformation spell on Spike had been crafted to block any sort of dragon magic, including fire breathing, which would be harmful to a pony body for obvious reasons, and she had disabled the magical link between Spike and Celestia long ago. She reached out with her magic, feeling with her mind. The connection had been reestablished with incredible force, her transformation magic, which had been an inadvertent obstacle in the way of that connection, had been completely torn to shreds in the process. She could sense the tattered shreds of magic still clinging to Spike dissolve as another puff of fire signified the arrival of another letter.
Sun and Moon, Celestia was determined.
"I did."
Twilight grabbed it in her magic and opened it, looking at the short sentence, scrawled rather sloppily on the page, but the horn writing recognizable nonetheless.
"I'll repair the transformation spell and cast heavier blockers." she said slowly, looking at the letter, as a dart of magic shot of to retrieve a pen from her saddlebags. "Just, send this first, okay?"
Laying the letter out on the counter, she penned her answer in one bold, cursive stroke underneath the first and only line of the missive.



In Canterlot, Celestia slowly unrolled a scroll in her magic, still hot from the magical green fire that had carried it to her.

Twilight, please, Forgive me.

No.