One thing Twilight Sparkle had noticed since her ascension, was that she didn’t need as much sleep. On the one hoof, it made her almost giddy, because less sleep meant she had far more time to study. The downside was that she also absorbed things far quicker.
Twilight closed the Journal of the Royal Pony Sisters with a groan: she had hoped there might have been even a small mention of the locked box somewhere in the book. Instead, all she was left with was more questions. Why was her cutie mark on the tree of Harmony along with Celestia and Luna’s? It made no sense, at that time she had been thousands of years from even being an egg cell within her mother!
Twilight’s tail flicked back and forth in frustration as she frowned down at the book. Even discounting the tree, Starswirl himself seemed to have an idea of who she was, if what Celestia had written was of any indication. Time travel… He could travel forward in time! Did he know what would happen to Luna? Why did he not ever try to warn her? Maybe he did, and she rebuked him? Twilight shook her head. Time travel confused her. She was relieved she’d only done it once, and that it was only to the past.
Her eyes briefly ran over the titles she had already investigated, as with a sigh her shoulders slumped. Nothing. There was nothing left for her to investigate that was housed in her library. She’d need to return to the Palace of the Royal Pony Sisters in the morning and spend the day researching in the library. Maybe she’d take her friends with her. Oh! They can work on restoring the castle while I study! If we get it fixed up enough maybe we can present it back to the Princesses as a gift!
With a plan for the next day settled, Twilight trotted over to her desk to retrieve a quill and roll of parchment—after all a plan needed a checklist. As she crossed the room, her eyes locked onto the image of her cutie mark charred into the wooden floor. That’s right, I haven’t had the chance to clean that up since my coronation. She shrugged trotting over to it horn aglow with a readied clean spell when she faltered and paused. With the elements back within the tree of Harmony, this might be the last chance I have to learn anything about the elements and how they work—I can’t throw that away!
Twilight glanced up the darkened staircase listening for the telltale sound of a baby dragon snore indicating Spike was deeply into REM sleep.
“SNORE...Rarity…”
Twilight giggled and shook her head Oh Spike… Her horn relit and very carefully she used a beam of energy to cut a circle from the floor which included her charred cutie mark. Once I find out everything out about this i’ll clean it up and put it right back! Not even Spike will notice it was missing!
Twilight lifted the circular piece of floor over her head tilting it a bit. Her ear flicked as she heard a soft plink from something falling from the piece of floor in her magic grasp, with a frown Twilight set the piece of floor down and began searching for whatever had fallen. As she got down on her belly to search, she fumed. If this is a pebble or something Spike is in so much trouble! He knows that the library is supposed to be swept daily! After a few moments she found a black object about an inch to an inch and a half long, charred black. Twilight shook her head, ready to dismiss it simply as a charred piece of wood but paused and placed it with the other piece of floor. Even if it is just a bit of wood it was obviously hit by the elements, it might have some value research wise
It hadn’t taken Twilight very long to get her lab running and researching the piece of floor. Unfortunately that was the good news.
“Nothing? Again!” Twilight groaned as she crumpled the newest results into a ball before throwing it into a growing pile. After an hour of testing her piece of floor, Twilight was certain her time could have been better spent watching grass grow. It would’ve had the same results. According to Twilight’s findings, there was nothing magical or mystical about the char mark that was caused by a fire. No signs of acclarent was found. “It’s like the machine thinks this came from a campfire.” She slowly let her head fall to the desk disturbing the small piece of untested wood causing it to roll precariously close to the edge.
Twilight gazed at it. “Really I should just trash you, fix the floor and go to bed, but my name wouldn’t be Twilight Sparkle if I didn’t test everything at least three times now would it?” With a small smile, she lifted up the burnt fragment and turned on her machine. With a shrug, she turned around to fix the floor while she waited for the results. Fixing the floor was at least a simple task, and by the time the machine chirped, alerting Twilight it had finished processing the data, it at least looked good as new.
Twilight turned ripping the results from the printer eyes glancing over the findings.
Item: Bone, Pony
Twilight stopped, blinked, and reread it, certain that she had misread.
Item: Bone, Pony
Twilight shook her head “Okay, there must be a twisted wire here let me just…” She fidgeted with the back of the machine for a few moments searching for the problem wire. She hadn’t really found anything but maybe just removing the back had fixed the obvious problem. With a nod, she turned it back on—this time not taking her eyes off it to check for any hiccups that would have caused that first outrageous result. Under her watchful gaze, the machine processed the data and chirped pleasantly upon finishing. Twilight ripped the results from the printer with a bit less finesse than she usually did. Eagerly she began reading, only to stop in her tracks. The eager look fading slowly to cautiousness then horror. Her ears pinned back, her tail tucked between her legs and her new wings fell limply onto the floor as her magic faltered and the piece of paper fluttered to the ground, face up the results staring up at her—it was undeniable.
Item: Bone, Pony
It’s not possible, it’s not true, it can’t be true. Twilight sat down hard It has to be a joke, a mean vicious joke but a joke! But who would be able to replicate the components of a pony bone…
Twilight’s teeth came together in a snarl Trixie! it’s the only answer. She can’t be content to have my friendship, no she has to do something like this! Twilight shook her head in disgust and moved to disconnect the machine from the bone fragment, but stopped. What if she didn’t create this piece of bone? What if it actually came from a pony.? Twilight chewed her lip then sighed, changing the parameters so that the machine checked for DNA.
“It’s pretty charred but if I can get the mitochondrial DNA, I can at least track down the mother of the deceased.” Twilight flicked the machine back on and carried the piece of floor upstairs. This test would take a bit longer, and the sun was just starting to peek over the horizon, so if she wanted to get the floor repaired before any pony or dragon noticed she had better take the time to do it. After a few moments the floor was one piece again and unblemished. “It’s like nothing even happened.” She shook her head and went back downstairs just in time for the machine to chirp.
Twilight frowned, that was odd the only DNA profiles the machine would have been able to locate that quickly were those who she had a DNA specimen of— and that number wasn’t high. Twilight licked her lips as slowly the results printed out for her to grab them. All she had to do was rip it from the printer and read it, and she’d know the mother of the deceased pony the fragment came from so…
Why was she covered in such a cold sweat?
Slowly she was able to force herself to the printer, ripping the results out with her teeth. Her horn had simply sparked when she tried to rip it out with her magic. Carefully, she laid the results down on the floor and closed her eyes tightly before looking down.
Subject Relation 99.9%
Velvet, Twilight
Twilight’s eyes blurred as she stared at the results.he blinked slowly and they unblurred as tears dripped down her cheeks. She tried to turn away but her body refused to heed her command. Her eyes continued to reread the results.
Subject Relation 99.9%
Velvet, Twilight
Th-there are only two ponies who could have that result… an-and if he was gone, Cadance would be here. There would of been a funeral… A huge one… Th-that means this fragment, this fragment… this—
Twilight’s strength gave out and she collapsed to the floor—silent tears dripping on to the floor. “...nonononononono! Oh Celestia No!!!!” Her head hit the floor as it finally hit her.
The bone fragment, that tiny little fragment which was charred black, that small insignificant fragment she should of just thrown out which could only come from a dead pony…
It belonged
to
Her
Twilight laid collapsed on the floor, her body trembling with every sob that escaped her. Tears soaked the results, making them unreadable. Time continued its uncaring pace, but while Twilight was uncertain of how long it had been, she didn’t care.
Eventually she heard the sound of claw steps on the stairs.
“Twilight? Are you down here? I have breakfast ready. Actually it’s a bit cold now but I can heat it up!” Spike came fully into the lab to see Twilight collapsed onto the floor. His eyes widened as he raced over to her. “Twilight!”
Twilight stared ahead as if she hadn’t even heard Spike. She had heard him, but hadn’t been able to process what he said— it simply sounded like unintelligible noise.
-0-
Spike reached to touch Twilight but stopped. Maybe this was an alicorn thing? He bit his lip before grabbing a crumbled piece of paper from the pile Twilight had created and turned it over to write on the back.
Princess,
Come quickly please! There’s something wrong with Twilight! She’s in her lab collapsed just looking ahead. I think she’s been crying.
Spike
He rolled it up as best he could and took a deep breath before sending it straight to Celestia. He raced upstairs to get his blanket, remembering what Twilight had taught him about ponies and shock. After yanking it out of his basket, he turned to see Princess Celestia standing in front of him.
Celestia was naked of her regalia, concern filling her normally kind and gentle eyes. “Where is she, Spike?”
“Do-downstairs in the basement, Princess. Twilight converted it into a lab a few weeks after we moved in. I didn’t want to touch her in case this was some weird alicorn thing that would burn me if I got to close I-I was willing to sacrifice my blanket though.” He held out his green blanket which caused a ghost of a smile to form on Celestia’s muzzle.
“Take me to her please Spike? I’m fairly certain this isn’t some “weird alicorn thing”, though I can’t yet say for sure what it is.” Celestia’s ear flicked—a tick she had when she lied. Luckily for her, in all her years of life only Luna had ever realized what it meant. She didn’t like lying but sometimes it was necessary, like now. It was true that Celestia wasn’t sure what was wrong with her former student though she had an idea having seen the back of the paper the frantic letter had been written on.
Item: Bone, Pony
Oh Twilight this isn’t how I planned on you finding out.. I hadn’t planned on you ever learning… not this.
Celestia stared down at the limp form of Twilight Sparkle. She had been watching for close to five minutes now, but Twilight hadn’t moved—other than to take a shaky breath every ten seconds or so, she simply stared ahead. Celestia laid down next to her laying her wing over Twilight’s withers hoping it would startle her but Twilight continued to simply stare ahead.
“Spike, why don't you go upstairs and make some tea, I’m certain Twilight is going to need some soon.” Celestia smiled up at him.
Spike hesitated, obviously not wanting to leave Twilight, but when Celestia asked him to do something it was ingrained in him to obey. Finally he nodded “...Y-you’ll come get me when she’s better right?”
Celestia nodded and watched as Spike went upstairs slowly glancing back every few steps after some time though the door shut.
“Twilight? Twilight Sparkle come back to me, my little pony.” Celestia bent her head down and nuzzled again Twilight’s cheek, feeling her cold, wet fur. “Twilight. I never wanted you to find out… especially not like this, never. If you found out I wanted to be here.”
“It’s true, isn’t it?”
Celestia blinked Twilight’s voice had been so quiet she almost hadn’t heard her. She glanced down at her but Twilight continued to stare straight ahead. “I-is what true, Twilight?”
Twilight’s eyes turned to regard Celestia staring straight at her though Celestia could see none of the studious little filly she loved so much within them. “That I’m dead.”
Celestia’s ears pinned back “I, that is a difficult thing to answer Twilight, please bear with me.” Celestia closed her eyes for a moment, taking a slow deep breath, before reopening them. “The truth is, your body was destroyed by the Elements of Harmony. I don’t know why it happened, I can’t even begin to guess, but your… unicorn body is gone. But Twilight, you are not dead. A dead pony can’t laugh or cry, they can’t react with shock or sadness.”
Twilight blinked tears filling her eyes again, “Wh-what am I? Am I a Zompony?”
Celestia smiled and nuzzled her “Of course not, and you’re not a Vampony either before you ask. You are Twilight Sparkle—it’s just that now you are a bit more. Understand this Twilight—I always meant for you to ascend, and yes Starswirl’s spell was supposed to give you the final push. But it was never meant to happen like this.”
Twilight pushed herself to a semi sitting position, her eyes focused on the floor, ears pinned back. “What did you do?”
“I did what needed to be done Twilight.” Celestia finally stated after a moment of thought.
Twilight looked up at Celestia her eyes bloodshot “What did you do to me!?”
“Twilight Sparkle I know you have had a shock, but remember that I have never done anything to hurt you, not once.” Celestia lifted a hoof and ran it through Twilight’s mane, “I meant what I said, I did what needed to be done. Equestria couldn’t lose you Twilight. I couldn’t lose you, nor could Luna or anypony else who knows you. Can you imagine what would've happened if you had died? To your family and friends? The elements acted against their bearers, but how would anypony have known that? There would been an outrage, the public would have turned against those who loved you most. It would have destroyed them… I couldn’t allow that so… I stopped your soul from passing on. I tricked it into taking on a new appearance—the one you now have.”
Twilight licked her lips, her body still slumped. “Why? Why did the Elements kill me? I don’t understand, I fixed everything.” Her body trembled as Celestia wrapped her in an embrace “I fixed everything…”
“You did Twilight, you did a wonderful job, I truly do not know why the Elements did what they did, but they will never be able to do so again.” Celestia cooed, gently nuzzling Twilight, who was finally coming out of her shocked state. Although her crying had started up again, Celestia preferred the life in the tears to the blank stare from before.
“Nothing will ever hurt you again.” Celestia’s horn glowed the bone fragment lifting from the machine and turning to dust in front of Celestia’s eyes along with the tear soaked piece of paper she then turned her full attention back to Twilight her wings wrapped firmly around the filly.
“I promise.”