//------------------------------// // Chapter 15: A Welcome Dawn // Story: More About Time // by SilverStar7 //------------------------------// "I had my chance, and sometimes in life, there are no second chances. You look at what you have, not what you miss, and you move forward." - Jamie Ford While Twilight finally got some rest, her friends set about the task of researching in her library. While research was not their forte, the five did the best they could do. They definitely tried to make sure they were quiet for their friend. Pinkie Pie, as usual, ended up being quite helpful in collecting relevant books. Fluttershy had the patience to work through even the most dull reference materials. Rarity was able to pick out small details that the others would have missed. And while Applejack was willing to do this work, after a relatively short time, Rainbow Dash became antsy. So instead of staying in Golden Oaks, the two decided to go out and search the old castle in the Everfree. It was a peaceful time as the three worked in the library, Twilight sleeping on her inflatable bed and the boys asleep upstairs. Fluttershy was surprised that Pinkie was handling the situation so well, but she had found ways to make this task more fun. When Rarity suggested they make a system to categorize books, Pinkie found construction paper and began to cut out bookmarks in various shapes and patterns to place on relevant pages. Still, while Pinkie made dozens of these, the three hardly found anything worth marking in the books. They hoped the other two were having more luck. Rainbow and AJ were gone for several hours and, upon returning, had brought nothing with them but dust and grime, which Rarity insisted they clean off before they came back inside. At this point, the five wanted to give up, but when they looked at their friend, and thought of all the hardship she was going through, the decision to keep working was obvious. <><><> When Twilight awoke, the sun had past its zenith and was beginning to make its way down toward the western horizon. She stretched out and looked around the library. She soon saw all five of her friends reading and working. None of them had left. Just as AJ had promised. And Twilight smiled at that. "Hey, glad you're awake," said Rainbow Dash, being the first to notice that Twilight had stirred. "How'd the research go?" Twilight asked hopefully as she climbed out of bed. Her friends looked to the floor. "We really tried to find something to help you," Fluttershy said. "But it looks like nopony else has ever changed history before." "Or if they did there isn't any record of it," Rarity clarified. "And we didn't find any books that talked about alicorn magic," Pinkie added in. Twilight nodded. That was about as much information as she was able to get the day before. "Well, maybe we could go back to the old castle. I know it seemed hopeless when I was there yesterday, but maybe we could find something." The other five tensed up. "What is it?" asked Twilight. Were they really that nervous about going into the forest? "Sorry, Twilight," said Rainbow Dash, frowning. "We kinda already tried that while you were asleep..." "Dash and I dug through every inch a that place's library." Applejack explained. "There ain't a single book or scroll left far as we can tell." "Oh." Twilight hung her head and sighed. "I guess there's always Canterlot's Archives. They'd have more information than this library at least. Maybe Luna would..." Twilight's head sprung up. "Luna's letter!" Quickly running over to the table in the center of the room, Twilight began searching for the scroll that Luna had sent to her. "You got a letter from the Princess?" asked Fluttershy. "This morning, right before you guys got here." Twilight's magic moved stacks of books and papers, but she couldn't find the sealed message anywhere. "Are you looking for this?" The scroll was suddenly floating directly in front of Twilight's face. The unicorn looked up to see Rainbow Dash holding Luna's letter. "Oh, thanks," Twilight took the scroll and prepared to unseal it. A part of her was hesitant to open it for fear that Luna was still angry with her. Another part was hopeful that Luna had reconsidered her offer and would now perform the time spell. It was like Saddlinger's Cat - she wouldn't be able to know the nature of the contents until they were observed. So Twilight opened the seal. Dear Twilight, The time has come for me to reveal why the alicorn spell was withheld from you. Yes, I have not been forthcoming with this information. The questions you have asked about this have always been dodged. This was intentional, as I'm sure you knew. I wanted you to discover these things on your own, and in your own time. In that way, I hoped the lesson you needed to learn would hold more firmly. Still, I fear I cannot wait. I have had visions of a danger lurking within Equestria. We may not have time for you to uncover these secrets on your own. You told me that you believed the reason you were not given Star Swirl's alicorn spell was your lack of magical study. You must not believe this. A lack of magic is not the reason giving you the alicorn spell was delayed. Far from it--you are one of the most powerful unicorns in Equestria. Instead, my sister said you still had more to learn about friendship. In particular, you lacked one crucial piece of understanding: One must always support her friends when they are at their weakest. Because you failed to demonstrate this, my sister felt you were not ready to be shown Star Swirl's unfinished spell. My sister wanted to see real evidence, for this is an important lesson. When she discussed this with me several weeks before the plunderseeds tragedy, I was of the opinion that you had learned this lesson already. I simply held that you never discussed such an understanding in your letters. For this reason, I'd hoped training you in Canterlot would be a swift process. I do not understand why it has taken so much time. I will admit, I have begun to fear that either my sister was wrong in her understanding of Star Swirl's spell, or that you will never learn this lesson. Simply knowing that this is what you lack is not enough. Circumstances must align that allow you to exercise such skills. And until that time arrives, one cannot understand the fullness of this truth. It is this understanding that I have been waiting to see from you these past months. Twilight Sparkle, I would like to request that you remain in Ponyville for the foreseeable future. Be with your friends. Learn all that you can about friendship. Stop seeking magical prowess and instead work toward an understanding of what it means to love and be loved. Only this magic can allow you to join myself and Cadence as a Princess of Equestria. Without an understanding of friendship, no amount of magic can help you. Princess Luna A key turned in a lock. As the tumblers fell, Twilight saw the cascade of events clearly. It wasn't just a link between saving Spike and losing her princess-hood. This change was a consequence of a vital link between everything she had done... The first thing changed was that Spike didn't ruin her book. Which meant never getting Owlicious. Since that never happened, Twilight had never helped Spike learn to accept another assistant helping him without getting jealous. That jealousy had consumed Spike, putting him into a position where he felt running away was the only option. And Twilight had gone after him, in spite of what he did and in spite of the risk to herself. This proved Twilight could and would help her friend when he was at his weakest point. Rainbow Dash's accident was another example of a time she'd seen a friend in a place of weakness. Twilight was never given that chance to help Dash get through her time in the hospital. For a pegasus athlete, being without her wings was like being unable to walk. And above all else, Rainbow Dash loved flying. Rainbow needed the support of her friends in that time. Twilight had hoped that the Daring Do series could give her more than just a distraction to pass the time. And she was right. So right that when she and her friends made attempts to be with Rainbow she rushed them out of the room in an attempt to finish the story. Applejack's competition with the Flim Flam Brothers had driven her and her family to the limit. Twilight had been the one to recognize this and offer support on behalf of their friends. She had to put in 110%, working until she was drenched in sweat and fighting for breath. But she was willing to help. She wanted to help. And then... I bet I had to help Spike a lot after his injury. He probably had a long recovery and I was there with him through all of it. That had been her last chance to learn that lesson. It was her last chance to demonstrate to Celestia that she had learned this lesson. So without that, Celestia couldn't believe that Twilight had learned this. Without that, the Princess was unwilling to give Twilight Star Swirl's alicorn spell. That lesson would prove invaluable after Twilight received the alicorn spell. When she cast it, and her friend's cutie marks were switched, it was this understanding that saved her. Who could be more helpless than a pony without her own destiny? In that time, she knew that her friends could help one another, and that their bond of friendship could show them who they were. Before she could be given the responsibilities associated with being a princess, she had to understand that friendship could overcome even the worst times of a pony's life. Twilight tried to look back on her friendship reports. She could see bits and pieces of examples where she thought that lesson would have shown through. Saving Rarity from the diamond dogs? Actually, Rarity saved herself, and that was the lesson I learned: a mare can stand up for herself! Her experience in the magic duel with Trixie? Surely that demonstrated the need for her friends. Although, I guess that lesson was really more about how to use magic than supporting your friends. And in a way, I was the one getting the support. After considering several other events, Twilight realized that the point was moot. It didn't matter what Twilight thought of her past. It mattered what Celestia had thought of her progress. On top of that, a lot of Twilight's past was a past that didn't even exist. Maybe those events never even happened! Who knew what else would have changed? "Come on! What's it say?" asked Pinkie Pie, leaning forward on the tips of her hooves. Twilight looked up to see that all of her friends were staring at her, eager to know the contents of Luna's message. So Twilight gave them a summary of the letter, and explained her own thoughts about how the events she changed in the past may have been related. "So, this is all happenin' 'cause we ain't been good friends to each other..." Applejack said. "No way," scoffed Rainbow Dash. "We used to bear the Elements of Harmony. We're, like, literally the best friends in Equestria." "But Celestia was waiting for Twilight to be a good friend to one of us and she never got around to it." Pinkie pointed out. "That's not fair!" Applejack shook her head. "Ya can't blame this whole mess on Twilight not knowin' when we were upset." "I guess we can look on the bright side," suggested Fluttershy. "We're all very lucky that we haven't had any of those kinds of tragedies since Twilight changed things." "Well, maybe Twilight just wasn't paying enough attention," Rarity said in an off-hand way. "What's that supposed to mean?" said Twilight, defensively. Rarity huffed. "Of course, you don't remember now, but last month I had that huge order for a Manehattan clothing boutique. I asked you and Rainbow Dash if you could help, but you said you were too busy with your training and studies. So I had to go and hire random workers off the streets just to get it done on time." "Argh! That's not the kind of thing Celestia or Luna were looking for!" Dash argued. "Your clothes order wasn't some kind of life-changing crisis." "Oh," Rarity's nostril's flared. "I see. And I suppose you learning to like a book is that much more important?" "Uh, apparently it was. If I started reading Daring Do back then, Celestia would've still given Twilight the alicorn spell." "No she wouldn't," insisted Pinkie. "You needed to get all smashed up in that crash. The book was just Twilight's way of proving that she cared about you as a friend." "So is it just that Twilight is better friends with Rainbow Dash than with me?" asked Rarity. "Hey!" Twilight shouted. "Don't say that!" "Twilight is a good friend," said Fluttershy, then the pegasus added. "She still writes to me. You and Rainbow Dash just abandoned me here in Ponyville." Dash was taken aback. "Abandoned you? How did we abandon you?" "You were my best friend back in flight school," Fluttershy said to Dash. Then she turned to Rarity. "And you and I used to go to the spa and go shopping together and do all sorts of things here in Ponyville. But the second you two got a chance to leave, you just took it and didn't even say anything to us about it." "Darling, you know living in Canterlot has always been my dream," Rarity said. "And come on, it was a chance to be in the Wonderbolts! How can I pass that up?" "I'm not saying to pass up your dreams, but maybe at least talk to your friends before you decide to leave town forever." Fluttershy snarled. "Yeah!" Pinkie agreed. "If Fluttershy wasn't still in town, I'd probably just go back to living on my family's rock farm." "Hey, what about me?" AJ objected. "Oh, you mean the pony who's so busy that she hasn't been around for any of my parties?" Pinkie retorted. "That ain't fair! Yer oversimplifyin' things. I can't jus--" "Please, stop!" Twilight shouted, covering over her face with her hooves. The six were breathing heavily. Some had tears on the edge of their eyes. All had reddened faces. Months worth of pent up animosity was still boiling beneath the surface. Twilight could feel the tension. And it was all her fault. I didn't just ruin Equestria, she thought. I ruined my friends! For a long while, there was silence. "How did we let it get to this?" Fluttershy asked aloud. "We all just got busy. It happens." Rainbow Dash said, flatly. "We can't all be in two places at once," AJ pointed out. "But if we don't have enough time, and we aren't together," argued Pinkie. "Then we should make time to get together." "I wish it was that simple," Rarity sighed. "But it used to be that simple." Twilight shook her head. "If anyone needs to be sorry, it's me. I was the one that changed everything without getting anypony else's permission. Here I thought I was doing AJ a favor, and instead I just made her whole life more complicated than it needed to be." "Ya know," AJ turned to Twilight. "This ain't the first time ya changed up my whole life." Confused, Twilight asked, "What do you mean? I only changed your past once. At least, I only did it intentionally once." "Ya didn't need ta change the past, Twilight," said AJ. "Ya changed my life forever the day you showed up to check on the preparations for the Summer Sun Celebration. Before y'all came ta Ponyville, all I ever cared about was ma farm." "I know," said Twilight. "And that's why I wanted to help you. You've been struggling to keep up with your work and all I've ever done is taken time away from that. Ever since you told me about your dreams for the Grand Galloping Gala I--" Applejack shook her head and cut off her friend. "Oh, Twilight. Y'all're missin' the point! I ain't sayin' that ma farm is the most important thing in Equestria. I'm tryin' ta say that y'all, all of y'all," Applejack gestured to the entire group, "are the most important things in my life." Rarity nodded, and then looked to Twilight. "We knew each other before you arrived, but I couldn't really say we were great friends. We were five ponies living in the same town, but separately." "Yeah, who would've thought I'd ever become friends with Rarity? And Pinkie used to drive me crazy!" Dash smiled sheepishly. "No offense, Pinkie." "None taken!" declared Pinkie. "I could never stay mad at a friend. I mean, I'm friends with everypony, but you guys are like my best-ever, super-fantastic, awesome-mazing, BFFs-forever friends!" Fluttershy sidled over. "I know it might be tough to believe, Twilight, but before you came to Ponyville I was just too shy to be friends with anypony except Rainbow Dash. And she and I were only friends because we went to flight school together. When you showed up and took us on that adventure to stop Nightmare Moon, that was the first time I ever really got to know Pinkie or Applejack or Rarity." "Exactly," said AJ. "Twilight, it's wonderful that y'all wanted ta do things fer me. But ya already gave me the best thing I ever got." "What's that?" Twilight asked. "You. Yer friendship. Yer leadership. They've done more fer my life than all the apple sales I'll ever get." AJ looked at the ground. "And ta be honest, I forgot that 'til just now." She looked over to her friends. "I'm sorry, y'all. I've been so caught up in makin' my farm a success that I forgot what really matters." "It's okay, AJ," said Rainbow Dash, putting a hoof on her friend's shoulder. "I'm the one who actually moved away from Ponyville when I wanted to go after my dreams. I had no idea how much I'd miss you guys. I mean, I'm supposed to be all about loyalty and here I was going off to Cloudsdale by myself." "You just wanted to live your dream, Rainbow," piped up Fluttershy. "It's not right for me to stand in the way of that." "And I certainly shouldn't take my friends' help for granted," insisted Rarity. "No matter how successful my boutique becomes." Twilight nodded. She understood what it was like to let her passions get in the way of her friendships. Her books and magic studies were the most important things in the world to her at one point. That all changed in Ponyville... How could I have forgotten? She could feel her heart changing again. Spells and books might be valuable, but presence; to know her friends were with her, to know that they cared. It was worth more than all the riches in the world. This future might seem hopeless, but as long as Twilight had her friends, it was one she was willing to live in. Tears began to fall onto Twilight's cheeks. "Don't be sad, Twilight!" said Fluttershy. "Yeah, sugarcube. We don't blame ya fer any of this. Y'all had no way o' knowin' this would happen." "And we certainly don't want you to blame yourself!" noted Rarity. Dash and Pinkie gave "mmhmms" and nods in affirmation. "It's not that." Twilight laughed slightly as she wiped tears from her muzzle. "I'm just so glad to have you all as my friends. To see you and hear you and be with you." "Oh, Twilight," said Pinkie. "No matter how horribly, terribly, brutally you mess up your whole life with magic, we'll always be there for you!" At that, Twilight's friends all came over to her and the six embraced. The unicorn closed her eyes, experiencing the warmth of her friends' hearts. It seemed like so long ago that the six had shared a group hug beneath Rainbow Dash's house when she revealed to them the possible dangers of her casting the time spell. And it seemed all the warmer now. This wasn't the alicorn magic she needed, but if Twilight had to choose any type of magic to experience, it was friendship. It was the magic that resurrected the broken Elements of Harmony. The magic that defeated Discord. The magic that united Twilight with her friends across all distances and times. She could feel this friendship now as tangibly as the day the six had defeated Nightmare Moon. It was that same spark of joy. A spark beyond anything Twilight could ever create on her own. Twilight had also felt this spark on another day. The day she restored her friends' cutie marks and became an alicorn. From all of us together, together we are friends. With the marks of our destinies made one, there is magic without end. She remembered the words used to correct Star Swirl's spell. They were worthless without the Elements, but their meaning was still true. With her friends, Twilight had a source of magic that would never be lacking. From all of them together, Twilight had magic without end. Magic without end. Twilight's eyes shot open. But, it couldn't be. The rhyming wording of the spell was just that, rhyming words. The exact phrasing only had a loose significance. Yet Star Swirl's time spell had been surprisingly literal. Maybe? No. Everything she knew about magic told her this was useless. But from what Twilight knew of friendship... Twilight spoke softly into Pinkie's mane. "Life's mistakes will not define me," her words were as uncertain as she was. "And I need not press through," Twilight could feel a change. Something moving inside her. "For through my dreams I shall shape my life," The last words she spoke with confidence. "To be a dream come true!" And there it was. Her horn shone brightly as the magic within her was released in that moment and her friends broke apart in confusion. "What in the hay was that?" Applejack yelped as she backed away. "It worked! It worked!" shouted Twilight, laughing and beaming and jumping around. "I cast the time spell!"