Moondancer was walking along the halls of the new Crystal Palace with her faithful assistant Talon. “I can’t believe it Talon. All this for me?” she said as the two explored the castle.
“Well not quite, after all, there seem to be rooms for guests and other events. The ball room’s kitchen had Bon-bon drooling.” The red and yellow baby dragon said. He didn’t even come up to her shoulder.
Her wings fluttered a bit “So many changes, I just got used to being an Alicorn now this.” Looking at the crystal structure. Soon they opened the door to the throne room seven chairs even one besides her own for Talon.
“AHhhh” she gasped taking a step back as what she could only describe as a hole in the world opened up and out came two figures. One a purple and green baby dragon and the other...
“Twilight?” For a moment, hope blossomed in her. Her friend for almost all her life back. Then reality set in that friend was gone the hope replaced by anger. The magic grew as she started to cast a spell. The other Alicorn was a bit faster, and judging by her looks was already in the middle of a fight.
The purple Alicorn cast a shield spell just as her own spell fired. Then the purple mare seemed to take in who was in the room “Moon Dancer? Wait, you're an Alicorn?” Twilight sparkle said taking in the surroundings. “It appears right.. but.” The baby dragon beside her nodded “Yup still not home.”
“Okay hold up no spells or fighting till we figure things out,” Moondancer said. “First who are you? You look like Twilight Sparkle, but that’s impossible.”
“No, I am Twilight Sparkle. I’m fighting somepony named Starlight Glimmer using time travel magic to change the timeline. I have been trying to stop her.”
“You can’t be Twilight... she’s dead.”
“WHAT?” Came the shocked surprise from both Twilight and the dragon. “How... who... what?”
“Okay, lets think. You looked worn out how about we settle down and you tell me what’s going on in detail. Talon how about you making some tea. Peppermint to calm our guest nerves.”
“Sure thing Moon Dancer,” Talon said with a nod.
“I come help as well. I’m starving and I can make a nice salad. Got any Dandelions?” Spike said excitedly to join the other young dragon.
“Spike we need to stop Starlight,” Twilight said eying the scroll.
Sighing Moondancer raised her wing “Twilight no matter what world or time you always be the same it seems. Is it a Time travel spell, right? You can spend as much time as you need to recover and prepare.” Twilight looked at the cutie map then nodded.
“That does seem to be the case. Now that I think about it no matter how long I was in another timeline the spell sent me back to the same point.”
“It’s good to see you again Twilight, even if you aren’t my Twilight sparkle.” motivated by the sad tone in Moon Dancer’s voice twilight went over and hugged her.
“If I may ask. How did I.. she die?”
Breaking the hug, the two Alicorns headed to another room and moon dancer sat onto a couch. “It was during your brother’s and Princess Cadance’s wedding... um, that did happen in your timeline right?”
“Yes, the changelings invasion. I discovered that Queen Crystalis replaced Cadance and it was very close. Luckily with Cadence help, my brother was able to cast a new shield spell and blasted the Changelings out of Canterlot.”
Sighing “It didn’t go so well in this timeline. Yo.. the other you was worried about Cadance and I believed you so togeather we investigated. Being caught Crystalis locked us away where we found the real Princess. What it came to a battle Celestia was captured and locked away in some kind of cocoon.”
“That was mostly what happen to me. Thought I was the only one who found the real Cadance.”
“My guess those events diverge at the point where Cadence went to help Shining Armor. You went to distract Crystalis. I tried to stop you. It was the first time yo.. she let out her true power. It wasn’t enough you were blasted and then Crystalis saw what Cadence and shining were doing and she finished off Shining.” Twilight gasped covering her mouth with her hoofs.
“I wish that was the worst. Cadence... well she. Lets put it this way, Nightmare Moon was insane, mad, and focused. Cadence seeing both the mare saw as a sister, and her fiancee dead at her hooves. Snapped she drew on those same dark powers that Luna did.”
“You mean...”
“Cadance turned into the Dark Alicorn Shattered Heart. She was completely mad with grief she took out Crystalis and half the castle with her first blast. Then flew after the changelings with no regard for any collateral damage. Just a blind fury to kill each and every one of them. We still don’t know how many ponies died because of the changelings or because of Shattered Heart.”
“Oh, no.. poor Ccadence.” Twilight wiped tears from her cheeks imagining what her former foalsitter had turned into.
“We got Celestia free. She went to stop her. She did but... when we got to where the battle took place Cadance was back to normal crying over the body of..”
“NO!” Twilight jumped to her hooves. “Celestia dead? By Cadence.... How?”
“Settle down Twilight. The fight between Celestia and Crystalis was draining on Celestia. First she didn’t use her full power against Crystalis for fear of causing harm to anyone else. Then that cocoon thing drained her of magic. So she was weak and not wanting to harm Cadance she didn’t put her full power into fighting her either.”
The two dragons came running one had the tea the other a bowl of salad. “Twilight what’s the matter?” Spike asked setting the salad down.
“Oh Sspike... this world lost Celestia”
Spike blinked and looked to Talon “that’s true bro?”
“Yeah. Luna doing her best filling the void but.. it been a very sad time.”
Moondancer looked between the two dragons “Bro?”
Talon looked at the two Alicorns “Yeah we figured we came from the same egg nest. Different timeline but same situation. Heck, we might even be the same dragon just affected differently. In this timeline, Twilight didn’t hatch Spike’s egg. Where when it was your turn to try I was hatched.”
“Is Cadence alright Moondancer?” Twilight asked.
“Oh yes... more or less. Luna didn’t press the issue and covered things up so it believed that the Changeling Queen killed her. Cadence ruling the Crystal empire thought now it’s faded. She’s trying to keep up a brave face and keep joy alive there. Everyone still can tell she’s broken hearted and it reflected by the Crystal ponies.”
“Okay, change of subject. Seems this timeline more or less matches my own but for who are the elements of Harmony. I take it you are the element of magic, Applejack...”
“Applejack? You mean Big Mac’s sister. No, she lives in Manehatten I didn’t meet her until last year. Our Elements are Vinyl Scratch for Laughter, Octavia Melody for Loyalty, Bon-bon for kindness, Rarity for Generosity, Big Macintosh for Honesty.”
“Huh, the only one that matches our Elements is Rarity. Guess without the Sonic Rainboom the others didn’t come to Ponyville.”
“Sonic what boom?” Talon asked.
“The sonic rainboom it’s what Starlight Glimmer been... er has stopped. Rainbow Dash is a Pegasus who when just a filly went so fast she broke the sound barrier and released a blast of magic that swept over Equestria. It reached Canterlot at the same time I was trying to hatch Spikes egg. The radiant magic unleashed my magical talent and... well... I kind of turned my parents into plants. Among other things. At least in the original timeline.”
“Funny our Twilight always had a nightmare she lost control of her magic and did exactly that. Perhaps some residue awareness. Wish she was still around.”
“Yeah, we could have compared notes!”
“Twilight maybe you are going about stopping Starlight Glimmer the wrong way.”
“What do you mean Moondancer?”
“You don’t have to defeat her. Just stop her long enough for this Rainboom to happen. If our timelines are following the same pattern you fought foes that you had to face head on. Nightmare Moon, Discord, Sombra, Tirek. However, you just have to delay Starlight Glimmer long enough for the Rainboom to happen. Get her angry enough to chase you, talk to her, heck try to make friends with her. Find out why she doing it. Whatever it takes to delay her long enough to save the day.”
“you're right I don’t need to defeat her... just stop her.” Twilight sips the tea calming down trying to think of how to do just that.
Soon enough the four walked back to the Cutie Map chamber. “Well guess this is goodbye Moondancer.”
Moondancer hugged Twilight again “Thank you Twilight. Thanks for letting me say goodbye to my dearest friend one last time. Now go back, save Equestria you know once again. Go and save Celestia.”
“I can’t believe I let our friendship weakened in my timeline. I prom... no, I Pinkie promise to do better. Cross my Heart, hope to fly, Stick a cupcake in my eye.”
Both Moondancer and Talon tilted their heads at this. Somewhere on a rock farm, a pink pony lifted her head and looked around.
“Sorry, something our element of Laughter does. It a promise.” With that Spike and Twilight cast the spell and the portal into the past opened up.
Talon looked to Moondancer “What’s going to happen to us?”
“I don’t know Talon. Some think that when a new timeline is formed it will continue even if she fixes what was done in the past. Our reality will remain. Others believe that everything will reset.”
Talon looked down then tackled Moondancer in a hug “Just in case.” That was the last thing Twilight sparkle saw of Talon and the Alicorn Moondancer.