First and Only Chapter

WINGED TWILIGHT – A SEASON 4 CONTEST ENTRY

Celestia sat alone on her bedroom floor. A scroll flew up from a pair of drawers at the opposite wall and unfolded itself before her. It was harried by age and only intact because of powerful incantations written in blood on the backside. The Elements of Harmony were drawn at the top in their most ancient form, the stone orbs that they would inevitably return to without owner. Underneath them was a long row of faces, their cutie marks and a few notes. At the very bottom was a drawing of Twilight surrounded by all of her friends and a depiction of the current looks of the elements.

“So many before her,” a familiar voice said behind her. “Dearest sister, do you really think she could be the one?”

“I know she is,” Celestia replied with a faint smile. “Every few generations have had their wielder and their share of luck. But Twilight has already accomplished so many great things. I have to believe in her or my heart would not stand it.” A single tear fell on the scroll and vanished from the surface almost instantly.

Luna was sombre as she came up next to her sister. “We shall believe in her as well. If not for her, we would still be…” But she could not finish the sentence. With a smile full of fond memories stained by tragic events, Celestia took in the scroll from top to bottom several times before unpacking it again.

“She should be ready now. The hardest part of her transformation begins soon. I’m surprised she has held out this long,” Celestia said and took yet another item from the drawers, a necklace of fine gold and embossed with gems representing the elements. The centrepiece, the one of magic, was twice as big. “She will be the twelfth to wear this, not counting the ones who never made it this far.”

“Calm thyself, dear sister. You have us to help you now as well.” Luna started to take the necklace in her magic but Celestia gripped it again.

“It’s all right. We’ll pray that this one will be the last.”

***

Rainbow Dash rubbed her head, groaning in pain. She tried to make sense of the world around her but all her groggy vision could see was impenetrable darkness. There were no contours or shapes, just a greyish hue covering all surfaces.

“Where am I?” she muttered and got up. It was with rising panic that she took in her surroundings, tossing her head from side to side. “Is… is this Ponyville?”

A terrifying screech sent chills down her spine and made her tail stand on end. She looked up just in time to see a demonic figure zipping by far overhead. Rainbow Dash only caught a glimpse of its purple coat and a pair of bat-like wings, but it was enough to catch the breath in her throat. She was rooted to the spot, living through fear she had never known. Even through her dealings with Nightmare Moon and Chrysalis, Rainbow Dash had kept a cool head. And now she was too scared to move a muscle, to even breathe. The world around her held her in an icy vice.

A low pitched scream came from somewhere to her left. Fluttershy stampeded towards her with eyes closed and a glistening trail of tears following behind her. Rainbow Dash had no time to move, and both pegasuses were knocked off their hooves. Fluttershy shook violently and pounded the air, but Rainbow held her close. The familiar smell and soft embrace helped to calm her down. Fluttershy’s mane was a mess of sweat.

“Rainbow Dash… is that you?” Rainbow could only nod, and she allowed Fluttershy to bawl into her shoulder. “It was the most awful thing! It had claws and the tail of a scorpion and wings like a–”

“A bat. I saw it too,” Rainbow said and rested her head on Fluttershy’s. “Do you know where we are?”

“No,” Fluttershy sniffled.

“The last thing I remember was greeting Twilight at the train station… after that it’s just…” Rainbow screwed up her face in agony. It was like a monster dwelt in her memories, and calling it forth would kill her.

“You were teaching her to fly.” Fluttershy had freed herself and sat before Rainbow Dash. “You were so proud of her. You had gotten her up in the air all without her magic when I interrupted you with you tea.”

Rainbow looked away blushing. “Aw, jeez, why do you always end up comforting me?” Fluttershy just sat and smiled.

“Do you want to try and find the others? There has to be more than just us,” she suggested. Rainbow nodded and took a deep breath.

“Are you sure you’re all right?” she asked and held Fluttershy at an arm’s length.

“Don’t worry about me, Rainbow Dash. I already feel so much safer with you around.”

Fluttershy and Rainbow Dash made their way into the darkness. No matter how much they walked, they never seemed to move. Time and space had both lost their meaning. They could have been at it for hours or for seconds. Neither of them dared to speak again after first meeting. To not lose one another, they wrapped a wing around the other. Rainbow her left wing on Fluttershy’s back, and Fluttershy her right wing on Rainbow’s neck.

The ground, or whatever they were walking on, shook. Fluttershy made herself small and cowered under Rainbow’s wing. The shaking became rhythmic like the footfalls of a heavy beast. Rainbow threw her head around and mustered enough courage for the both of them. Her wing drew Fluttershy closer as the pounding came nearer. Fluttershy shivered and Rainbow held her tightly. The darkness ahead of them solidified. Something lumbered towards them, groaning deeply as if in great pain. Fluttershy shrieked.

A grotesque caricature of Sweetie Drops came out the darkness. She was gigantic, standing on her hind legs but hunched over. Her eyes were like a wild beast’s with slobber falling from her razor sharp teeth. The beast flared its nostrils and grunted.

“Fluttershy, get back,” Rainbow commanded and released her wing, but Fluttershy had closed her eyes. “Get it together! That thing isn’t playing around.”

The Sweetie Drops beast raised one hoof, a deadly instrument of blunt property. Rainbow pushed them out of the way just in time. The darkness fragmented under them. Splinters were sent in all direction. The beast roared.

“Please don’t leave me,” Fluttershy whimpered and landed under Rainbow.

“Hey now, where did all that courage go? Weren’t you safe as long as you stayed with me?” Rainbow looked down at her and grinned. “It’s going to be all right.” The monster hobbled towards them with an awkward gait. It raised its enormous hoof again. “Remember how I always had your back in flight school? I could only do that because I trusted you with my life. Now I need you to have my back. Do you trust me?”

Fluttershy nodded softly, unable to keep the tears at bay. “Are you going hurt it?” Her voice was barely a whisper. The beast reared above them. Rainbow flew up and kicked it in its face. The beast staggered back and groaned.

“I’m not going to let it hurt you, Flutters. That should be enough.” Rainbow flew up around its head and got a surprise that made her pause. Another pony was sewn crudely on to Sweetie Drop’s back. Lyra’s eyes were completely whitened and her face was one of abject misery. She looked shrivelled up and her lips seemed to mouth prayers of help.

Tears welled up into Rainbow’s eyes and her stomach churned uncomfortable. She held a hoof to her mouth just as the beast swung at her again. “What is going on here?” Rainbow muttered and gathered height. The beast cocked its head, staring confused up at Rainbow. It lost interest in her and lumbered towards Fluttershy. “Oh no you don’t.” Rainbow used her height to maximise another kick. It connected with Lyra’s face and sent the whole beast into the ground.

“Please don’t hurt her!” Fluttershy pleaded. She approached Sweetie Drop’s face, but then caught sight of Lyra on her back and fainted. Rainbow shook with anger and gritted her teeth.

“Don’t mess with my friends!” she bellowed and sped up into the sky again. The beast screamed angrily and sent spit all over the darkened realm.

“Use your power. Use your element.”

Rainbow paused up in the sky and looked around her wildly. “Twilight? Where are you?”

“Your power. Your element,” the voice repeated. The beast shook its deadly hooves up at Rainbow. She looked back at it with pitying eyes.

“My loyalty is to my friends. I will do anything to protect them.” She could not see Twilight but felt her presence. The warm glow of her magic washed over Rainbow. A red light surrounded her. It was like having the necklace back around her neck, but she could not feel its weight. “But you are my friends too. All of Ponyville. It is my duty and my pleasure to protect them all. Besides, Fluttershy’s kindness wouldn’t allow me to hurt you.”

The red light built up around her, and she allowed it to manifest itself. She aimed her front hooves at the Sweetie Drops monster and jumped into action. She had climbed higher than she had realised. Or perhaps the magic was giving her extra speed. Her vision became a blur. All she could see was her target. She entered it and saw only the solid darkness under her. She looked behind her. The monster had risen to its full height and cried out in pain.

Sweetie Drops and Lyra Heartstrings fell to the ground, unmoving. They were no longer connected by suture, and their features had returned to normal. Rainbow ran to their side but was beaten by Fluttershy. She too was surrounded by a fading light. Rainbow looked down at herself and saw her red aura disappearing as well.

“Are they…” Rainbow began, but Fluttershy shook her head.

“You did well.” Fluttershy embraced her friend suddenly. Her tears were happy and her spirit lifted. “Brute force would only have hurt them, or worse. But you used your element instead and freed them. Thank you.”

“You heard her too, didn’t you?” Rainbow accepted the hug but looked glumly at the two unconscious ponies before them.

“Was it really Twilight?” Fluttershy asked and let her go. Rainbow had no answer for her and simply looked at the ground.

“Heeeeyyyy!” They looked up and saw Rarity running towards them with Pinkie Pie skipping alongside.

“You guys!” Fluttershy exclaimed. “I never thought I should see any of you again.”

“Us neither,” Pinkie grinned and bounced up and down.

“I can’t tell you how glad I am to see you both.” Rarity leant closer to Rainbow and Fluttershy. “I don’t think I would have lasted another minute alone with that.”

“How can you be so peppy in this situation?” Rainbow asked and followed Pinkie up and down with her eyes.

“Duh, silly! You can’t let darkness take camp in your heart so you have to keep up the mood. I mean, I was afraid at first but then I heard Twilight in my head and I was like ‘What?’ and then Twilight was like ‘Pinkie, use your element’ and then I was shining all pink like and I felt all invigorated again!”

“So any idea what’s going on here?” Rainbow looked at her friends who had just arrived. Pinkie settled down but her smile stayed latent in her face, leaving no doubt it was ready to pop out again at any time.

“Then you don’t know where we are?” Rarity ignited her horn, and only then did Rainbow realise how dark it had truly been. Her eyes had been eased into the greyness and the light was nearly blinding. Once the spots had all disappeared, shapes emerged of the grey hue. Nothing but contours but enough for her to see what was around them.

They were standing on a street with houses on both sides. Clouds up in the sky had ceased moving and even the sun was standing stock still somewhere up high. “W-what is this?” Fluttershy asked and drew close to Rainbow again.

“Then we never left Ponyville… but what could have caused this?” Rainbow stared dumbfounded at the revealed landscape.

Rarity shook her head. “That I don’t know, darling. I remember making Twilight a new dress. Something that would accentuate her wings and fit her new title. After that it’s all blank and I woke up here.”

“Same for me,” Pinkie added and scratched her fluffy mane. “Twilight was helping me bake when she filled the kitchen with smoke. That’s as far as I remember.”

“I have a bad feeling about this,” Rainbow said and stamped the ground. “And we still haven’t found Applejack, Spike or Twilight yet.”

“I’m certain they’re all right.” Fluttershy nuzzled Rainbow’s cheek, but she pulled away.

“We should hurry up and find them.”

***

Spike woke and drowsily got up from his bed. He staggered down the stairs, clutching to the railing for support. His sleep felt forced on him and his mind was a haze. He came to the bottom of the library and rubbed his eyes.

“Twilight?” he called out and scratched his back. He called on her a few more times while striding around the ground floor. Panic brought freshness into his movement. He hurried back upstairs. Twilight’s bed was empty and the sheet flung across the room. A single piece of parchment lay on her pillow. He grabbed it with his scaly hands and held it up before him.

“Dear Spike. If you are reading this, it means I’m gone… or that you’re snooping. I hope you’re just snooping, in which case please don’t read any further,” he read aloud. The letter did nothing to calm his panic. His claws dug into the parchment as he continued. “Each day I can feel my alicorn powers grow, and it’s getting hard to keep them in check. Like a giant monster is living inside me. I fear what will happen should a time come where it overwhelms me, but I have a backup plan. Whatever you do, do not go outside the library.”

Spike wrenched himself free from the letter and found the ground floor again. He jumped up on a chair so he could see out of a window. Everywhere he looked was utter greyness and dark. He pressed a hand against the pane and resumed reading the letter in his hand.

“You’ve probably checked the window by now to see what I did. It’s a spell on a whole different level than I’m used to, so I can’t guarantee that things went smoothly. Don’t worry, it’s only temporary. Once the others have handled me, Ponyville will go back to normal.” Spike’s tears wetted the parchment. He fell down the chair and sat up against the wall. For a long time he hugged the parchment and cried, until his tears had all dried up and been reduced to heaving sobs. He lifted the parchment up again and read the last few lines. “You were more than my assistant, Spike. You were my first ever non-brother friend. I know I didn’t always show it, but it’s true. If our friendship meant anything then you will not leave the library. I’m sorry. I really tried.”

Spike rolled the parchment into a ball and screamed as he threw it across the room. He got up shaking with anger. His hands were clenched into fists. “If our friendship meant anything then you would have told me something. Well I’m not going to abide by such a selfish request. Whatever you plan to do, I won’t let you.”

He ran outside, into the greyness, and banged the door shut behind him.

***

The small group of ponies walked by the light of Rarity’s horn. They could only see right in front of them, but everything inside the cone of light had shape and form. Not that it helped them much. They had no idea where to go or what to expect. They were left in the dark, so to say.

Something rolled past them just outside their field of view. Fluttershy was the first to feel the whoosh and nearly jumped ten feet straight into the air. Another heavy object landed close to them and splintered. The fluffy mass sprayed over them. Pinkie licked her body clean and chewed for half a second.

“Muffins?” she asked in disbelief.

“Muuuuuuffiiiiiiins!”

Rarity shot a shower of sparks in the direction of the deep voice. A grotesque face was illuminated. Derpy was positively enormous and sat in a gigantic pile of pastries. Her body was grossly overweight, her mane was a tangled mess and her eyes were black slots. Her several chins wobbled as she fed herself, sending clumps of muffins like boulders down at the party.

“Not another one,” Rainbow Dash groaned.

“What should we do?” Fluttershy cried out.

“The elements!” Rainbow said and backed away. “We do like last time and blast it with the elements.”

“Is that… is that Derpy?” Rarity called out in horror. She was frozen to the spot and gasped out at the face that had been shrouded in darkness again.

“Turn off your light again! We need to be able to see what’s going on.”

Rainbow’s warning was well placed as another crumb hurtled towards them. Rarity screamed but Pinkie got her nudged away in time. She came to her senses and stopped her magic. The darkness was doubly thick after their eyes had been exposed to light and Rainbow again felt fear clutching at her throat, squeezing the last air out of her lungs.

Three of her friends embraced her tightly. Breath returned to her body and she tensed down again. It took them a while to get used to the darkness. Derpy was not a direct threat to them and Pinkie’s tail warned them of incoming projectiles. “We must call upon our magic,” Rainbow finally said. “The elements are within us, they are all we need.”

“But what about Twilight?” Pinkie asked from somewhere on Rainbow’s left. “We’ve always needed her to use the elements.”

“Twilight is still with us. Feel her presence and call upon your elements.” Rainbow was able to see in front of her, and all the others closed their eyes.

“I can. I really can feel her,” Rarity said. “Ever since she talked to us I’ve felt her.”

“Everything will be all right as long as we have Twilight with us.” The magic hummed in Rainbow’s ears. Not just her, but the other three as well glowed in their respective colours. A large piece of cake fell on them and forced them to their knees, but a growing magic bubble protected them. “Let’s do this.”

The magic flowed from the others and into her bubble. Strength surged through Rainbow’s limbs that she had never experienced before. She felt light as a feather as she took off from the ground. Another crumb fell towards her. It pushed her down and she fell towards the ground.

“Come on, I need to feel some generosity and laughter from down there!” Rainbow yelled, the ground getting closer and closer. Rarity gasped and released any reservations she had. The crumb started to feel lighter. Rainbow managed to stop it but she couldn’t move it either. It just sort of melted down around her. “Pinkie, I’m not feeling the love here.”

Pinkie looked around her like invisible animals crawled inside her coat. She giggled as her own magic tickled up along her sides. Power surged through Rainbow Dash. She split the crumb and continued directly for Derpy. Again she passed through the monster without meeting any resistance and zoomed up into the air where she could watch the spectacle. Derpy pulled her head back and roared. Then she shrank and the muffins around her disappeared. She lay on her back with limbs spread out to all sides. Her chest went up and down slowly and drool escaped her opened mouth.

“Wowie, that was awesome!” Pinkie shouted and jumped up into the air.

Rainbow landed just in front of the group and wiped her brow. “I still want to know what’s causing this.”

Fluttershy stooped over Derpy and rolled her on her side. “She’s going to be all right. She’s just sleeping, like we did. Do you think… do you think it was Twilight who woke us up?” She looked up at each of them but none dared voice their thoughts. There was nothing but gloom in their minds.

“If we had continued sleeping, we would probably have ended up like this,” Rainbow said without looking at them. “I think that these monsters must have been created from their owner’s worst nightmares.”

“Not nightmares,” Pinkie added. The group gathered close again as the fear of unseen darkness drew closer around them. “I bet these were their dreams twisted into something… something awful!”

“Hmm… we should get going again. Where’s Rarity?” Rainbow counted the number of heads and saw only Fluttershy and Pinkie Pie near her, not counting the unconscious Derpy. Before panic could set in to them again, a light went up somewhere to their side and illuminated the sky. A winged creature blasted overhead. A hat fell from the heavens. Long gashes had torn into it and a few drops of blood adorned it.

Pinkie Pie picked it up, horror spreading across her face. They all knew who it belonged to.

“Tarnation, girl, simmer down!” somepony shouted. Pinkie sighed deeply until they heard a loud thud that made them all wince. They followed the light from Rarity’s horn and found Applejack lying on her back. The earth pony had an annoyed look on her face.

“Ah’m fine,” she grumbled. Rarity bowed her head and her horn light fell on Applejack. The others gasped, making her blush and look away.

“What happened to you?” Rainbow Dash asked. Applejack’s body was covered in small scratches and cuts, and her orange coat was matted with her own blood. Rarity levitated a napkin up to her cheek. Before Applejack could reply, the figure swooped down at them again. A purple creature with arms like the wings of a bat and the tail of a scorpion bared its fangs with a loud screech.

***

“Stupid Twilight, just expecting me to sit still,” Spike grumbled and trampled into the darkness. It took him a few moments to cool his head, and by then he started to really notice the emptiness surrounding him. He looked behind him but the library had vanished into the greyness that had swallowed Ponyville. Alien noises rent the air and Spike rubbed his arms with the opposite hands. “M-m-maybe Twilight was right.” He swallowed the lump in his throat and clenched his fists. “No, I have to warn the others before they do… whatever it is Twilight wants them to. If there’s even anyone here?”

His courage sank as the beastly cries grew. His tempo increased and Spike looked behind him nervously. Cold sweat poured from his brow. He was running before he knew it without knowing from what. He closed his eyes and was close to crying when he stumbled. He fell head over heels. Misery welled up inside him again and replaced the anger and dread he had otherwise felt. He was not allowed a long respite.

A jet of green flames gushed from his mouth. Thinking it to be an effect of his sobs, he didn’t immediately notice the letter. Only when his tears had dried up somewhat did he see the scroll at his feet. His hopes about a word from Twilight were immediately shut down. Celestia’s crest sealed the letter.

“Is everything all right? My guards report about a dark blanket covering Ponyville. Please respond immediately.”

“Celestia…” Spike mumbled and slid a hand down the parchment. “Why didn’t I think of contacting her?” He slapped himself on the forehead before drawing a quill from his natural hip pocket. With no additional paper, he simply wrote on the back of the Princess’ letter and sent it on its way. He watched the smoke billow up and fade away. Somewhere beyond the impenetrable darkness sat the seat of power. Normally Canterlot would be visible from Ponyville but it didn’t matter how much Spike squinted. The grey would not yield to him.

He continued shuffling into the unknown for a while longer. He still couldn’t shake the paranoia or creeping sadness, but the thought of help being on the way comforted him. “Just wish I had saved Twilight’s letter. I’m not sure Celestia will believe the things I wrote.”

Around his feet an orange mist slithered. He was lost in his own thoughts and was not aware of it at first, not until it made him cough. An unnatural groan followed, seemingly from all around him. Three ponies appeared in front of him, making him stop.

“Boy am I glad to see you. I thought I was the only one alive in this…” His words trailed off as the three ponies stepped clearly into his visit. Though they resembled the Flower Trio, their features were twisted and their expressions leering. Skin was missing to make their malicious smiles even wider. Appropriate flowers grew out of their bodies, spewing an orange pollen gas. Spike coughed worse than ever. He staggered backwards as his head became heavier. Long, forked tongues stuck out of their mouths. Their eyes drew up into a curve. “What… what’s going on?”

Spike almost collapsed, but their range was short. He had backed far enough away to breathe in fresh air. He still fought to keep his eyes open but his head cleared up. The Flower Trio followed him, making sounds like trees creaking in the wind. “No. Get away from me!” he shouted and sneezed. Green flames erupted from his mouth to which they hissed disapprovingly. The redolent gas caught fire to their surprise. Spike didn’t blink twice before taking the opportunity to run.

***

The creature, whatever it was, collided with the ground. Its powerful legs cushioned its fall and its leathery wings took some of the speed off.

“Usual routine, guys!” Rainbow hollered through the dust. “Summon your magic and I’ll take care of the rest.” The magic came easier to her than before. She was charged up with her own magic in an instant. “Let’s see what you look like first.”

The scorpion tail swished from clouds of dust and stabbed at random. Rainbow jumped a few steps back. She crouched down and prepared to take off the minute she had a visual. A powerful jaw lined with razor-sharp teeth leapt out. Somepony sprang into her and they both toppled out. The flying beast zoomed upwards again and Rainbow saw the markings on the beast’s haunches.

“Twilight…” she mumbled and observed the beast make it up into the sky. Applejack nodded and winced from the pain. “You stay still! I’ll take care of this, all right?”

Applejack groaned. She could do nothing else and lay down on the ground. Rainbow looked around her to check up on her other friends. No one else was in any danger. They began summoning the power again and Rainbow felt it pulsate in her like a second heartbeat. The rhythmic life of magic strengthened her. Up above, Twilight flexed her claws as she rapidly descended. Rainbow took off and tore through the sky. Twilight screeched like a beast, her eyes wild and her actions murderous.

There were tears in Rainbow’s eyes. From the wind or from seeing Twilight as a howling monster… or because she knew deep inside what was to come, was anyone’s guess. There was certainly a confident gleam in her smile. She was already a brash pony but the addition of magic filled her with a sense of invincibility, showing on her confident smile. Anypony else would have wavered at the sight of claws and tails and teeth bearing down on her. But not Rainbow. She didn’t stop until Twilight was well behind her. She turned and saw a fluttering of leathery wings as Twilight crashed to the ground with a piercing scream.

It was then that fear welled up in her. Twilight lay unmoving and unchanged. The trip down seemed like reaching into another world. The greyness dissolved. Colour and shape returned to Ponyville. Almost blindingly so. Many ponies rose from their slumber and blinked at the sudden sun. The mane six were gathered in somepony’s backyard. They hadn’t even felt the house or the hedge or any of the other obstacles inside the grey.

Rainbow joined the small circle around Twilight’s body. All of them were crying, none as much as Rainbow. Confidence had quickly been turned into grief. “Oh Celestia, what have I done?”

As if summoned, the sun goddess flew in from the wide open sky. Spike was clinging desperately to her neck and toppled off her as she landed. Celestia placed a box upon the ground.

“Princess, I… why won’t she change back? All the others did when we blasted them with magic!” Rainbow protested, hoping that pointing out the inconsistency might correct it. Celestia shook her head. Her face was cold but there was not a trace of scolding to be found in her. Only a tinge of deepest regret.

“Twilight suspended Ponyville into a dream state,” she explained calmly and looked at each of them in turn. “She sent everypony to sleep and ensured only you would be awake to confront her. But it was a dangerous spell that was difficult to control. Others woke up as well, not protected by the elements and the dream world warped them until you can save them.”

“But why would she do this?” Pinkie asked and held a napkin up to her watery eyes.

Spike knelt down next to Twilight. There was not a wound to be found on her. “Because she knew what would happen to her. She’s known for a long time. But she never wanted to believe it would happen, she… she never wanted to burden us.” He put his arms on her fluffy chest and buried his head.

No one said a thing. They couldn’t. Celestia’s face softened.

“I had really hoped that she would be the one,” she said and bowed her head.

“How can you be so calm?” Rainbow shouted with angry tears trailing down her cheek. “Twilight’s… Twilight is…”

“Moving on is a simple thing, what it leaves behind is hard. The sleeping feel no more pain and the living are scarred.” Celestia fixed her with a sympathetic glance. “She was not the first to try and wield the elements but she was the first to come as far as she did. The things she accomplished cannot be diminished by what she became. She has you to thank for that.”

Even Rainbow could not hold back anymore. The tears were allowed free run. She screwed up her face and closed her eyes. Celestia positioned herself between them and they all flocked around her. She spread her wings around them and held them close to her.

Spike gasped. They looked up again just as their physical elements flew up from the box. They joined together in a glowing ball of purest white light. Loud crunches followed as the light intensified. The ponies just managed to see how the broken jewels and twisted metal fell to the ground.

“Twilight?” they all exclaimed. Alicorn Twilight hovered above the monstrous body. Her face was stern.

“You had hoped I was the one?” she said to her former mentor with a tinge of contempt. “Well rejoice, for I am. And it took my death to realise what these cheap knockoffs really are. Grotesque mockeries and belligerent forgeries! The true elements have been within us the whole time.” Twilight paused for a moment with spiritual anger making her heave. “Tell me how you came upon these.”

Celestia was of differing minds. She was shocked to see Twilight’s spirit, horrified at the broken elements and delighted to see Twilight again, all at the same time. The others went through the same gamut of emotions.

“Those elements were created by Starswirl the Bearded in times immemorial. They are ancient artefacts of goodwill and providence!” Celestia protested, trying more to convince herself than Twilight.

“The physical elements were only ever meant to boost the elements inside us, but they warped them instead. Wizard’s rule number 2, Celestia. It was you who taught it to me.”

Celestia hung her head. “The greatest harm can result from the best intentions. Especially when magic is involved. The things we do to protect those we love can be the very things that hurt them the most. Are you saying that for all this time, it was I who corrupted all those poor souls?”

The roles had been reversed. Mentor had become the student, and student had become the mentor. Celestia looked up at the glowing form with ageless regret in her eyes. Twilight let go a deep breath.

“You are an eternal fool, putting your reliance in worldly objects and forgetting the true magic of friendship, but… I cannot blame you either,” Twilight answered matter-of-factly after a moment of silence. “After all, you did only what you thought best. I am certain that, had you known any better, you would have acted differently.”

“How can you forgive me so easily? I killed you…” Celestia whispered with tears gleaming out of her eyes.

“So did I, and for that, I am sorry. Those fake elements were all that held you alive but I could not allow such mistakes to be repeated.” Twilight glided down to embrace her former mentor. Celestia closed her eyes but felt only a shiver. Twilight could not touch her and her hoof went through Celestia’s cheek.

“Do not worry about me, my child. I have lived many full lives. Yet you will never get to kiss your first stallion or tell him how much you love him.”

“In that, we are not so different.” Twilight forced herself to look at her friends. It was hardest of all to face their tearful eyes. Sorrow choked up their words. Only sobs escaped them. “Smile when you think about me. My body’s gone, that’s all.” She descended in their middle and hovered just above the ground.

“Twilight…” Rainbow said, but she could not complete her sentence. No words came to her. None of them had ever prepared for a loss so great.

“The griffins have a saying. ‘À tout le monde. À tous mes amis. Je vous aime. Je dois partir.’ Do not weep for me, my dearest friends. I will always be with you .These are the last words I’ll ever speak and they’ll set me free.”

The light surrounding Twilight grew dimmer and dimmer still until all that was left was a lingering stab of great sadness. For a long while the five ponies and Spike remained in the back garden. Celestia looked mournfully up at the sky and shed only one more tear for Twilight. Shame and ruefulness would not permit her more. The others surrounded her again.

“Don’t. I can’t accept your affection knowing what I have done.”

“Don’t feel that way, Princess. Hugs are funnerific when you are down and depressed,” Pinkie said and latched on to Celestia’s leg. The Princess gaped down at the ponies around her. Despite all she felt, she too could not resist it any longer. She sniffed heavily with the image of Twilight burned into her memory.

“Twilight forgave you,” Rainbow said. Celestia wrapped her wings around them again. “And so will we. If the ponies before us were half the elements we were, I know they would too.”

Celestia bowed her head and sat down among them. “Twilight released us from a millennium of tyranny we didn’t even know we were under and now Equestria stands at the door of a new age. Perhaps in the future we will have a true alicorn just like the Crystal Ponies, and not one created by harmful magic. Whatever else may happen, the future will be yours. I will enjoy the last of my mortal life with mortal sister.”

So this is goodbye, we take leave of you. Spread your wings and fly away now, fly away now
Nothing on Earth stays forever, but none of your deeds were in vain
Deep in our hearts you will live again, you’ve gone to the home of the brave

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