Once more Twilight and Prince Blueblood found themselves sitting in the largest dining room that the Ulrich family had to offer. The colt had chosen this place to once more display his majesty in belonging to the noblest family of the most regal clan in Equestria. The walls were lined with burgundy wallpaper and decorated with a golden pattern which flowed elegantly across the room. Beautiful and expensive paintings framed with mahogany were spaced evenly around the room to flaunt the heroes of Blueblood’s ancestors. The older ones depicted scenes of the fabled war with the dragons. Apparently the Machiavelli clan had vanquished quite a few, though of course, these were only legends. A white tablecloth with a coat of arms laid across it showed the attributes of the Ulrich family. Below the seal was embroidered a tree which displayed the close ties of the Machiavelli clan to the princesses.
For Twilight to even set hoof in the room after the extent of her rebellion against the higher classes was an evil for the young prince. She was profaning not only his house with her presence, but also desecrating the purity of his eating quarters. Yet he waved these disgusting admissions away as necessary evils. The glory of his first triumphant victory over one who dared raise her hoof against the established order of things gave him a thousand times the pleasure compared to the pain of her filthy hooves staining the sanctity of the room. It seemed like a perfect place for him to accept her unconditional surrender.
Blueblood was seated at the end and Twilight three seats down on his left. They were midway into dinner; or rather, Blueblood was. Twilight had barely touched her food. While she was sitting silently her head down and a grim look on her face, the colt was sitting upright with a triumphant grin on his face. He had been soliloquizing all the while.
“…And therefore my victory is complete. You no doubt finally realize the consequences of a commoner attempting to contend with royalty. There can be only one end: The Prince brings down his iron hoof upon the trouble maker and his conspirators if need be. I took no pleasure in striking you down…” This was obviously a complete lie. “…but you had given me to choice in the matter. It is my future duty to rule over a province and I will never be able to hope to enjoy peace if I do not suffer the horrors of war now. I am one of the chief weapons of Fate, the omnipotent ruler over all things. Not even my aunt can muster the audacity to challenge her. Not that she would have any reason to, mind you. She has been elected by Fate, chosen to reign eternally over all the world. I, myself can enjoy a similar disposition. You, on the other hoof, can say no such thing.
“It was all very easy, you know. All I had to do was give the word and your fellow subjects did the work for me. Your defeat was inevitable from the start. Yet what really surprised me is that you fell for Framer’s faux friendship. I expected you to see right through it, but then again I suppose you didn’t take the war seriously enough. It wasn’t a game, but you certainly treated it like one. I did warn you that you had incited the wrath of a supreme authority, but you didn't heed my words. What surprised me even more was that you continued with your insolent rebellion despite being outnumbered, outranked, and destiny-bound for failure.
“Ponies like you should be taught a lesson. It is the nature of commoners to serve the nobles. They should serve them with fear and rejoice in their servitude with trembling. Look at your classmates. They exalted me because they know their master and they know that when provoked, my awesome power can strike my enemies down in an instant. Nor did I take joy in my wrathful destruction. Although I now look upon you with contempt, before you crossed the point of no return I desired nothing else than to help you. I wanted to show you the way to prosperity: The way to reach happiness as a commoner is to honor one’s superiors and respect them, and not seeking to glorify oneself above what is natural.
It was my will to show you this, so I invited you into my house and gave you an equal seat at my table. I tried to talk with you as an adult despite being only a foal, and I believe I held that goal well. But notwithstanding all my hospitality, you blasphemed in this house and claimed that you could resist the decree of fate - that you would remain in servitude- and boasted that you, through labor alone, could achieve one of the highest positions. Not only was this purely disgraceful for yourself, myself, and all in this world, but it is also illogical. The lower classes labor and the higher classes direct their protectorates’ labor. Does it not seem idiotic that one could reach a higher position by doing the work of a lower one?”
He continued to ramble on, but though Twilight was hearing his words, she was not listening. They may as well have been seeds that fell on concrete. The filly was not present in the material world, but was within the deepest recesses of her soul; conversing in one of the innermost cells. Behind a steel-like gate, Twilight was once again with her teachers. They were attempting to give her counsel, but she was grieving before them and their words must have been seeds that fell on soil filled with rocks. Although the seeds germinated, they could not take root and quickly died under the scorching heat of the sun.
“I just can’t go on like this anymore.” The downhearted unicorn said. “I gave everything that I could to ignore them, but they just found another way. What’s more, now I’ve failed a test.” Twilight was kneeling on the ground with a downtrodden gaze. Her bloodshot eyes were directed at no specific point, and though her teachers were looking intently at her, she was looking off into the distance of the woods she had imagined. Her mane was matted and her tail was in a horrible state of disarray. Since the test three days ago, she had neglected personal hygiene and had only lay in bed all day. “I don’t see any point in trying any longer. I haven’t made any progress in a while with my studies and if I try hard, I’m punished for it. It would be better if I just gave up.”
Star-Swirl the Bearded spoke up. “That’s not entirely true. You have made great progress. In my day, fillies like yourself would have spent twenty years learning what you have gained in just nine months.”
Then the two who had told her about the end of the woods took the floor. “Nor would giving up do you any good. If you turn back and take the wide road that many travel on, you will only find failure. But should you remain on the road less traveled, you will see that the present sufferings are incomparable to the joys of what you will find at the mountain’s peak.”
Twilight’s hoarsely answered. “Losing would be a rest. I can see the prize’s light even though my head is down and the forest is thick, but it’s too far away. I could die if I keep going. Or worse, I may get the prize and be left with no life to enjoy it.”
Miss Sandy spoke for herself this time. “I know it’s hard, Twilight. I know that you feel like you can’t do it. I went through something similar when I was your age, but after it was all over, I found out that all the hard work made me a better mare.”
The filly was losing the will to even answer, but managed to say with exasperation, “It’s not just about working hard, or keeping on going. They don’t hate me so much for that. They hate me because I’m different. They want me to go away because I want them to be different with me. If I work hard, they have to too or they’ll be punished. I want them to be like me, but being me is hard for them. They want to be like everybody else. We all can’t just remain the same either –me being Twilight and the world being the world- somepony has to give their identity up.”
Saying this, she fell silent. Her teachers went on to lecture her and promise her good things, but their words were now like seeds which fell onto a plain of weeds. The seeds quickly took root, but they were then choked and killed by the larger plants. Immeasurable amounts of time passed. Outside her world, Blueblood was still pridefully talking about his victory and his plan leading to it. Her teachers, continuing to ramble, were no longer advisors, but berating coaches who urged her to push harder than her body would allow.
In in the midst of the commotion and dissonance of the many noises, Twilight stopped. Her body was already motionless in the material world, but she laid down her soul and completely ceased moving. Caring for nothing, she closed her eyes. It was then that she became aware of something. She felt different, as though she had been wearing a suit of some kind, but now she had removed that suit. She opened her eyes and saw that she was in a room that was somehow simultaneously enshrouded in total darkness and lit with the most brilliant light. Twilight stood up and looked down at herself, but saw nothing. She quickly moved around to figure out where she was and what had happened. Upon inspection of the room, she saw a figure. Somehow, without legs she moved to the figure and identified it. It was her, only she was much older, maybe what she would look like at the age of eighteen.
She looked without eyes at her older self and asked, “Who are you?”
The older Twilight answered, “You spoke with my shadow before. You don’t know?”
“How could I know? You look like me.”
The elder smiled. “It’s true that looks can be deceiving, but you’re not looking with eyes right now, are you?”
“No, I guess not.”
“Then what can you say if I look like you, and your sight can’t be wrong?”
“You’re me?”
“In a manner of speaking.”
The filly was now very confused. “But if you’re me? Then who am I?”
The elder unicorn laughed cheerfully. “Well, what do you think?”
“I think I’m Twilight Sparkle, but if you’re Twilight Sparkle, then I can’t be.”
“Why not? Couldn’t we both be different parts of Twilight?”
The filly thought about this for a moment. The mare waited patiently. After a moment of trying to wrap her mind around what was going on, the younger said, “So we’re both Twilight?”
The unicorn jumped up and clapped her hooves. “Very good!” She said happily. Then, while still maintaining a happy on her face, her voice become a little more serious. It still sounded like the mare enjoyed to explain things just as she did. “But you have to understand. You are what’s called the ‘essence’ or the ‘spirit’ of Twilight. You’re what makes Twilight, Twilight, but I’m what’s called the ‘nature’ of Twilight. I'm the ‘principle of change’ or the thing that makes Twilight grow mentally and physically.”
The little unicorn didn’t struggle to understand this. She had read a little about these kinds of ideas in Miss Sandy’s versions of Platony’s works. She asked, “Where are we?”
“Have we moved?” The elder asked.
“No, but everything looks different. We must be in a different place.”
The mare raised her eyebrows and smiled again. “Well that’s a little harder to explain. Let’s just say that you’re in the same place, but you’re seeing things from a different view. We’re still inside your mind, but unlike Miss Sandy or Platony, I’m not a projection of your mind. What you’re seeing now is real and I’m real. With the teachers, you’re really just talking to yourself, but with me, (or us) your speaking to somepony different. It’s hard to say how, because I am you, but I’m a different part of you that you don’t have control over.”
As expected, it didn’t make sense to Twilight, and the mare’s answer almost seemed like a non sequitur, but then it came to her that she was being told these things for a reason. So she was prompted to ask, “So did you come here, or did I come here?”
The elder Twilight looked very pleased at this question and answered, “Well, strictly speaking, I came here to speak to you, but of course, you had to come to this state first.”
“So do you have something to tell me?”
“I’m glad you asked. Yes, I came to tell you something while you’re here. You seemed like you were having a bit of trouble out there.”
The filly looked up hopefully. “So you can help me then?”
“Well, let me just explain a little more, and I think I may be able to indirectly answer you. As the nature of Twilight, my job is to change her until she becomes actualized. That means that I’m going to lead her - that means you - to the telos.” The little filly stared blankly, so the taller mare went on explaining. “The ‘telos’ is the ultimate goal. It’s like an ultimate place far beyond the prize that you’re striving for now. If you can get to the telos, there will be no one to stop you. The prize will be the groundwork and the least of your pleasures. Every day living with the telos will be the best day of your life.” Yet then the elder frowned and her voice became more sullen. “But to get to the telos, you’ll have to go through a bit of hardship.”
At this, the younger Twilight sighed. “Oh,” She said with another wave of exasperation crashing over her. “So, you’re here to tell me what they’re telling me? I’m sorry but I don’t think I can go through this pain anymore.”
The mare looked up. “Oh no,” She said apologetically. “I’m not here to add another pony to force you into a decision you don’t want to make. I’m here because I’ve seen you take hold of the telos.” This earned the nature an inquisitive stare. She answered, “In order to be the principal of change, I have to know what I’m going to change Twilight to, right? Well, the only way I could know that while maintaining the ability to change you is if I were a personal transcendent.” She paused to see essence’s blank stare. “That is, I’m both inside and outside of time. I see your beginning and I see your end, so I know what I’m trying to change you to. I’m here to tell you that no matter what happens, you are going to get the telos, and it's going to be so much more awesome that you could ever believe.”
This brought a mix of thoughts to Twilight. On the one hoof, she was very excited and nearly ecstatic to hear what her nature had to say; for it did not seem that she was lying, but on the other hoof, this raised several questions. She spoke to her nature. “So, does that mean that no matter what I’m going to get it? If I do nothing will I still reach it?”
“That’s a really good question.” The mare answered. “If you are destined to get to the telos, then anything you do won’t alter that destiny. That’s what you’re thinking right now, but it’s hard to say why that’s not right. To put it in a way that you can understand, let’s look at the converse. If you stopped eating right now and never ate again, you’d die of starvation regardless of what fate you have. The problem is that’s a conditional statement where the antecedent, or sufficient condition, hasn’t been confirmed. In other words, it’s possible that you could do something that will alter your destiny. That’s the concept of free will. You can do whatever you want and fate has no say in that, but that fact is, you aren’t going to do something that will alter your destiny. Following the example, theoretically, you could stop eating until you died, and alter you fate, but, in reality, you aren't going to do that. So what I’m telling you doesn’t mean you shouldn’t try to make the best decisions, it just means that whatever those decisions are, you’re still going to meet the same result because of the good decisions you’ll make.”
The filly was confused, but knew that the conclusion was inconsequential if it was somehow true. She asked, “So if I still have to work just as hard to get to it, then why are you telling me this stuff?”
One final time, the elder Twilight smiled and said, “I’m here to tell you that you’re about to go through a really hard time. Whatever decision you make, it’s going to be like Tartarus for you. The reason I’m telling you all of this is because no matter how dark things may get, just know that things will get better. Just know that I’m always going to be here with you and I’ll be using your hardships to make you into a better pony.”
At this, the younger Twilight was about to inquire further, but then she heard a noise. “Sparkle? Sparkle, are you listening?” It said.
Instantly, Twilight was pulled out of her reverie and back into the real world. No longer was she dealing with the comfort of inaction, but now she was back in the hostile territory. The secluded regions of her mind had given way to the unobscured and well lit dining room, where she was suffering the onslaught of the colt who had masterminded her demise. Prince Blueblood was looking angrily at her. Twilight looked at him and answered without thought, “Oh yes.”
Blueblood turned up his chin and seemed to brush the moment off. “Good, I would have been a little disconcerted if you had been daydreaming or something while I was speaking.” He paused and took a moment to recollect his thoughts. “As I was saying, we both agree that you have been defeated and you are here to relinquish yourself to me; being at my mercy. I am fully prepared to accept this decision of yours; however, the only problem is the subject of the terms. Before your rebellion, I offered you the chance to perform accordingly with your social class. In return, I would not destroy you. Yet I did make a promise when you would not submit: that you would be annihilated and forgotten. Therefore, the only way to serve justice would be for me to go forward with that promise, but though I am a just ruler, I am also a loving one, and I think that I have found a way to show you mercy.
“I cannot completely pardon you, but neither do I want to pay you back the full extent of what you so righteously deserve. Thus I have reached a compromise (In retrospect, I have no idea why I am doing this. It is the duty of the prince to deal with treason in the harshest manner possible). For two years after the school year ends, the class which will follow into the next grades with you will treat you with the same contempt. On the third year, you will be forgiven and I will give the order to cease their scorn. Does this make you happy, Sparkle? Will you accept these terms?”
In contrast to the immaterial thoughts that were running through Twilight’s mind just previously, this world was now so surreal. While the shrouded halls of her soul were comforting, save for her hounding teachers, the world that she had just entered was full of sorrow and pain. Surely she could not be hearing properly. Certainly she was not about to endure such prolonged torture. Yet she knew these thoughts to be false. The world she was viewing now was more real than anything within her and the harshness of reality was all the more painful because she had experienced a brief respite.
As she opened her mouth to answer the conquering prince, she was aware of her weariness. She had not slept much over the last few days and she had eaten very little. On top of that, her mind in the first two days had been in a horrible state of chaos where she could do nothing but wait out the agony. Slowly, Twilight answered the colt, “I can’t fight it anymore. You win, and you can do whatever you want. Just leave me alone.” Saying this, she asked to be excused. After some formalities from her judge, she was permitted to leave and went home.
The next few days were some of the worst of her life. She went to school and they oppressed her as they had before, but this time Twilight had no will to even resist them. Repeatedly, she sat in the lonely desk of the school with all of the world against her, and every day was the same as the one before it: glares, continual attempts to create trouble for her, and ostracization. Her thirst for friendship exacerbated daily, but she could do nothing about it.
She longed for somepony outside her home to reach out to her and tell her that everything would be alright, but there was no comfort for her. There was no comforter to ease the agony of friendlessness. She lived in Canterlot, hopelessly bound to her grief. The Canterlot she had knew only year ago had changed along with all the world and the days of her life were being spent worthlessly; dragging by like centuries. Her goal was no longer to achieve anything great, but instead to survive to see the next day.
The end of the school year finally arrived. She scored eighty one percent on her last test and passed by with a better than average final grade. The summer came and the sun shone its radiant beams of light which were brighter than those in any other season. Yet for Twilight, the days had never seemed so dim. With the cessation of school for a while, the lost filly was left to pursue knowledge on her own, but her appetite had been missing as of late.
After a while, when she was lying on her bed one day with nothing to do, her thoughts instinctively drifted so that she was once more in the council of her advisors. When they found her once more, each expressed their joy that she had returned to her thoughts. Miss Sandy in particular asked her whether or not she would soon be continuing her studies. To answer both her and her other teachers briefly, she said, “A lot of stuff has happened since I last talked to you guys, and I know you all won’t be happy about this, but I can’t talk to you anymore. There’s no reason to and it just makes everything worse. I don’t see any reason to keep trying to get smarter if all it does is make ponies hate me more.”
To this, Miss Sandy cried out, “But what about your dream? Are you going to give all that up?”
“I was stupid to even think about that kind of thing, much less believe I could do it. If everypony is against me then I could never hope to get into the palace. You keep on promising me all these wonderful things which will make me better than everpony else, but I just realized something. I don’t want to be better than everpony. I just want to be an average pony. I used to think that would be bad, but now it doesn’t seem so. So this is goodbye.” All of her teachers continued to protest and urge her on to turn around, but Twilight shut them out and returned her consciousness to the material world, hoping never to go back. Thus it was finished.