Luna and Celestia landed upon the balcony silently, opening the doors into the castle without a sound. They sat within the dining room with practiced grace and grim poise. Though they sat in the dining room, an evening meal was the last thing on their minds.
"Is it really wise to leave Twilight Sparkle to her own devices?" Luna asked first.
"I believe so." Celestia replied. "Twilight is highly volatile right now, and since her trigger is outside interference, there's little we can do but stand aside. Our only real choice right now is to be there for her when she needs us."
Luna nodded. "Right, and we must hope that Twilight's friends will do the same."
"I have no fear that Twilight's friends will be there when the time comes. They share a special bond that only the best of friends could have."
Luna smiled at the thought. "It is good that Twilight has such friends she can count on." Celestia nodded absentmindedly, which Luna questioned. "I assume you have other concerns?"
Celestia only continued nodding to mask her thought. "I have a few... concerns, yes."
"Well, please enlighten me, sister: what is on your mind?"
Celestia leaned forward with her hooves together, holding them thoughtfully to her muzzle. "I used to think Twilight's change in behavior was a little odd, but now it seems extreme. How much do you know about Twilight's past?"
"I've heard nothing about it." Luna admitted.
"Then allow me to give you some context. About ten years ago, she had a magic surge of great destructive power. I managed to neutralize the worst of it, but I recognized that little filly's potential. I sponsored her education in the School for Gifted Unicorns and oversaw her curriculum. I've read every report on her behavior. I met with her on a monthly basis to personally guide her and review her performance. I thought I knew her more than any other pony." She let out a deep breath. "I just learned that I don't know her at all."
"What makes you say that?"
"For starters, Twilight has never displayed rebellion in her entire life. Every instructor described her behavior as 'perfect'. She was perfectly silent and attentive in class, always writing down notes at a feverish pace. She never raised her voice or spoke out of turn. Everypony who taught her wished more students were like her." Celestia's gaze drifted to the window, facing Ponyville. "There were no signs that anything like this could have happened. Even her nervous demeanor is new to me. She used to be so much more submissive, but now she holds it all back behind a grim facade."
"It is my belief that Twilight's meetings with me were calculated acts to make me believe in her as the perfect student." She continued. "I thought her motivation was to convince me that she deserved the opportunity I gave her. It makes sense: her attentive nature and eagerness to please me were a little overbearing at times. If it was all just an act, then she was very good at it."
Celestia's tone darkened slightly. "But if everything I knew about her until recently was all an elaborate act, then she's a more skilled manipulator than I anticipated. I never caught on until she outright told me a few months ago. I'm now worried that I let yet another student stumble on a dark path because I didn't recognize the signs."
"You mean Sunset Shimmer." Luna clarified.
Celestia nodded. "Since my failure with her, I decided on a more direct approach to my students. But now, with Twilight rapidly succumbing to dark powers, I'm wondering if I'm failing for a third time at protecting the ones I care for."
Luna scooted next to her sister and placed a wing over her, holding her comfortingly. "Sister, do not blame yourself for these tragedies. You are not at fault for ponies who heed the allure of power."
Celestia smiled at her sister. "Thank you for the confidence," Celestia looked forward, regaining the grim mask of thought. "But I can't ignore my constant failing to help my friends, especially when one of them doesn't trust me enough to let me know something's wrong." She growled softly and rubbed her temple. "And she was so defensive. What is it about her soul that makes her so willing to fight her mentor when she didn't have a problem with it before?"
"Perhaps it was her age? Ponies become more private as they mature."
"That could be it." Celestia said. "But there are other possibilities, namely something I put little stock in when I first heard it."
"Like...?"
"The Twilight we've been meeting could be an impostor."
Luna jumped back from her sister in shock. "You mean she's been replaced?"
"It's a possibility." Celestia said. Celestia summoned a mirror and infused it with her magic. The reflection shifted to an image of Twilight, in her human form, sleeping soundly as a busy little dragon wrapped her arm with bandages. She dismissed the mirror with a grunt. "No, that is the real Twilight."
"Maybe, but if you think it's a possibility, aren't there ways of misdirecting divinations?" Luna asked.
Celestia gave the suggestion some thought. "Yes, it would make sense if that were the case. It would explain her sudden change in temperament, but it seems a little far-fetched. We'd have to assume that Twilight is not only gone, but the one who replaced her went to extensive lengths to make sure we'd never find the real one with specialized spells. Then again, even Spike said that Twilight's behavior is odd..."
"So what's the verdict?"
"We don't have enough information." She admitted. "Are there any other oddities you noticed?"
Luna only had a few experiences with Twilight, so it didn't take her long to think of something. "If you ask me, it seems like Twilight feels guilty over something." When Celestia gave her a questioning look, Luna elaborated. "On Nightmare Night, we shared a solemn conversation about past mistakes. She was the one to suggest that we mustn't forget our mistakes. Further, she spoke of regret regarding lies. It sounds to me like she was speaking of pretending to be somepony else. Perhaps this means she regrets acting like the 'perfect student' because it meant nopony ever got to know the 'real' her."
"Or maybe it means her conscience is catching up to her current act." Celestia was about to continue along that train of thought, but shook her head. "No, that can't be. Whenever I spoke with Twilight, she would downplay her role in events with her friends. She didn't think she did much when encountering the dragon on the mountain, instead giving sole credit to her friend. It's impossible to tell what really happened, but I'd wager that Twilight is unable to admit her own actions that day. This is constant; Twilight speaks of her friends more often than herself. I think this is indicates the problem she has with dark magic: she's insecure about her own worth. She's played a role to fit with the ponies around her that she questions her own worth now that she isn't hiding behind an act. This instability within her mind made her susceptible to dark power when pushed to the extreme." Celestia quickly hid her hopeful smile to address Luna. "What do you think?"
Luna sighed. "You came to that conclusion awfully fast, but it makes much sense. It's not too far from what happened to me, and I share a few similarities with Twilight Sparkle. I will trust your judgement on this one."
Celestia couldn't help her smile returning. "Then perhaps Twilight isn't lost. We should send a Nullification Squad to Ponyville and have them on standby, integrating in the town and keeping damage to a minimum should the worst come to pass. If memory serves, we have an available agent who can keep tabs on Twilight, just in case something goes wrong."
"The sooner we send the orders the better, right?" Luna stood from her seat. "If there is nothing else we need to discuss, I'll relay the order and have them ready by sunrise."
Celestia shook her head. "I'm sure everything will work out. Go ahead and send the order."
"Very well, I'll be back shortly." Luna left the room, swiftly but not in a hurry.
Celestia relaxed, sunk into her chair, and looked out the window again. "I'd like to believe you're real, Twilight. Prove to me that you are."
I forced my eyes open, bleary from a poor night's sleep. I still felt tired, my head was swimming, and the room seemed to glow from the way my vision blurred. The sheets clung to my back as if I was sweating and stationary all night. All things considered, I wasn't having a comfortable morning.
I clenched and loosened the hand of my injured arm, for there was an annoying tightness that kept me aware of it. I sat up, my vision spinning as I adjusted.
Five seconds passed. I looked over my arm, discovering the bandages that covered it. I knew I didn't do that myself. I smiled over at Spike, sleeping in his basket. What a good kid.
I glanced over at the clock, ticking away at just shy of seven in the morning. It was a good time to get out of bed and cook a special breakfast. My magic encompassed my body, reducing its weight to nothingness. I floated off my bed.
After a quick stop in the restroom for a little maintenance, I hovered downstairs towards the kitchen. My eyes scanned the room, inquisitively searching for a good way to start the day. Eggs would make for a nice start. I sent out my magic to the fridge, plundering its contents for the carton I needed. My magic brought forth the skillet I needed and set the stove top to an appropriate temperature.
Screw pre-heating; I have fire spells. A red beam hit the underside of the skillet, instantly making it red hot. I set it down and went to work on the eggs themselves.
I was controlling a maelstrom of culinary debris, containers of salt and pepper circuiting the room alongside peppers and onions. A cavalcade of flying knives spun and danced among the vegetables, mincing them into little bits. The many ingredients within my spells collided and mixed perfectly in the gyrating pan. My senses came alive at the smell and the sizzle of these perfect eggs, onion and pepper mixed within for a dazzling display of delicious perfection. Truly there was nothing better than eggs in the morning.
But why stop at eggs? You can hardly have breakfast without toast. I covered the skillet and levitated the bread from the nearby counter and conjured a hallow sphere of flame around it. The kitchen glowed orange from the intense flames for only a few seconds. I dismissed the ball just as quickly as I conjured it. I found the bread to be crisp and warm, the perfect condition for a good piece of toast. The butter hovered out of the fridge and spread onto each slice as I directed.
Pancakes! Who could forget pancakes? And orange juice! Might as well throw some hash-browns while I'm at it.
The kitchen whirled around me, utensils and ingredients obeying my every command. I was the eye of the storm and the kitchen was my playground. Knives, forks, condiments, napkins; everything fell into place according to my vision. A veritable feast for the common pony, set for two, awaited our consumption.
So I waited, and I didn't need to wait long. Everything simmered as I sat at the table, keeping my ankle elevated harmlessly away from the floor. Spike came by a few minutes later to see me with my leg propped up by a stack of dictionaries. "Good morning, Dusk." He greeted with a fleeting look at the books. "Are you feeling alright?"
"Never better." I assured. "I felt well enough to crawl out of bed and make a great breakfast, at least."
Spike joined me at the table and looked over everything I prepared. "Wow, this looks incredible!" His features took a suspicious tint. "Pretty big, too. What's the occasion?"
"It's just a great morning." I deflected. "I figured we might as well start the day with something great as well."
Spike nodded slowly, unconvinced, but didn't argue when he grabbed a fork. I followed suit. We each took a bite of our food, finding it to taste about as good as it looked. Spike wasted no time after his first bite to dig in voraciously. I took a more moderate pace, for I wanted to ease my way into conversation. A drink of orange juice was a good starting point, I figured.
"So I noticed you wrapped up my arm last night." I began warmly, widening a smile. "Thanks for that."
With his mouth still filled with toast, he waved bashfully. "Aw, don't worry about it!"
"There's more to it than that, I suspect." I held back a chuckle at his confused expression. "I left you alone with the princesses and I didn't wake up in prison. You stood behind me when you could have just as easily done what would have been natural a couple of days ago. I'm really thankful that you're giving me this chance to do things myself."
"Well, yeah, I mean you're not a bad pony." He said.
"Not really a pony, but still." Noticing his glass was getting empty, I poured him some more juice. "I appreciate that you're giving me the chance I didn't deserve, so I'd like to show my thanks."
"Is that why we're having such a great breakfast?"
"No, as I said, today's just a great day!" I smiled widely with a little forced effort. "I want to do something big and really show you how thankful I am. I'll take requests, if you have them."
"Okay, bring back Twilight, then."
"No, I can't accept that; I was already going to bring her back, so you might as well think of something else."
Spike lowered his eyes in humble rejection. "No, I can't really ask for more than that."
"Sure you can. I stole your sister's body for seven months, so you can really ask me for anything."
I might have felt a little guilty for making him accept gratitude he was willing to leave behind, but I honestly felt better knowing that he was thinking of something I could do for him. He shrugged. "I dunno. Maybe you could teach me magic?"
I raised an eyebrow at the request. "That would be interesting, but what makes you think I could train you in magic?"
"Well, you discovered how humans can cast spells, and you can do the same as a unicorn, so maybe there's some way for dragons to do it? If anypony could figure it out, it'd be you."
I nodded, turning a fork in my hands. "Well, alright. I mean, when you think about it, dragons do have magic abilities, so maybe we just need a way to expand them." I squeezed the fork in my fist and grinned resolutely. "Alright, let's do it. First thing after I heal my wounds, we're going on a little quest of discovery."
"Okay!" Then he frowned in confusion. "Wait, did you say you would 'heal your wounds'?"
"Yep. What, did you think I was going to sit around uselessly while I recovered? I'm a mage; I'll just magic myself healthy again." Once I find the spells I need in a book I'm sure we have somewhere.
"Oh. Well I can't wait until we do it."
"Right on." I ate the rest of my toast and hovered off my chair. "I'll go look for the medical spells."
"Look for Herbal Remedy's Magic Healing Compendium."
"Right, thanks."
I almost hovered out of the kitchen when Spike asked me a question. "Hey Dusk, you know you aren't alone, right?"
I gazed back curiously. "Why are you asking that?"
"You're adamant that you need to do this alone, right? After the way you spoke yesterday, I'm just a little worried that you're so focused on doing things alone that you'll end up hurting yourself, again."
I smiled sweetly at his concern. "I wouldn't worry about that, Spike. If all goes well, it won't be a concern for very long."
Spike nodded with a slight change in his expression that I hoped meant he was satisfied with my answer. I shot him a quick thumbs-up and hovered out with my objective in mind. After a quick read through the healing magic, it would be time for a little experimentation and dragon magic. How exciting; an expansion on existing ability that Spike could use!
Come to think of it, I should probably experiment with other transmutations and spells to see what I can do to expand myself. Maybe I could transform myself into a creature of my own design or make some spells that enhance my strength!
If yesterday taught me anything, it was that I needed to be prepared for tough fights in my future. It was timberwolves this time, but they're hardly the strongest or most deadly monsters in the Everfree. Hydras, cockatrices, cragodiles, strangler vines; I'd need to be ready to fight those things if my current plans of "summoning" Twilight failed.
And they will.
I couldn't help but smile at the thought of getting more powerful. As powerful as I was, I wanted more power, and I couldn't wait to use it.