• Published 24th Jun 2013
  • 7,499 Views, 114 Comments

Theory - shortskirtsandexplosions



Twilight can't sleep. She has an ancient and unfinished magic spell running circles in her mind. It's only when her friends visit that she begins to relax.

  • ...
12
 114
 7,499

Testing

I blame the cold. If it was warmer, then maybe I would concentrate more. I asked Spike to fetch me a hot mug of coffee an hour or two ago. Just where did he go with that, anyways?

I yawn. The numbers and symbols blur together in front of me. That's not a good thing. I blink wearily, gazing across the dusty chalkboard, trying to figure out where the numbers begin and where they end.

At this rate, I'll never get anything done.

I start pacing across the library's study, my wings coiled tightly by my side. I don't think I'll ever get used to them. The golden crown is a different story. At least I can set that thing aside when I don't feel like wearing it. It always weighs so heavily on my head. Sometimes I wish I could just take my skull clean off. Mornings like this: I can't sleep well. Too much to process. Too much to think and do.

It's almost a relief when I hear her hoofsteps trotting up the stairs.

“Rarity!” I smile, my heart lifting at the sound of her gasping breath. Did I startle her? “Welcome back!”

“You... you knew it was m-me?” she stammers. I sense her shadow shifting in the dawnlight haze through the windows. “Oh, b-but of course you would... erm... know who it was immediately.”

“What took you so long?”

“Hmmm?”

“You were gone a long time.”

“Oh, well...” She trots closer. I take a deep breath, but I don't smell anything. She's not wearing perfume. How odd. “A lady has to... uhm... powder her nose every now and then, I do suppose...”

I can't help but giggle. Rarity's so cute when she tries to cover up for herself. It's not a crime if she forgot to freshen up before visiting me for once. I'm just glad to hear her, even if I can't take my eyes off this blasted equation.

“What are you working on, Twilight?” she asks in a raspy voice.

“Unnngh...” I feel another cold chill. I rub one forelimb against another, careful not to dust myself with the chalk held in the crook of my hoof. “It's the Clever Hypothesis Equation. You ever heard of it?”

“Well, as a matter of fact...” She stops in mid-speech, then clears her throat. “Actually, come to think of it, my mathematical knowledge took a backseat to fashion and art when I went to school—”

“I don't blame you for being in the dark,” I say. “The Equation was never solved.” I giggle. “That's why it's remained a hypothesis.”

“I see...” I feel her trotting up to my side. “So, is that what you do with your time, then? Work on math problems?”

“Yes, well...” I rub a hoof across my temple. I don't want to tell her just how sleepy I am; I don't want to be rude. “I guess it's a nice distraction from having to deal with my new responsibilities.”

“What new responsibilities?”

“Well, I sort of became a Princess overnight, Rarity. In case you forgot.” I let loose a nervous chuckle and shudder. Good heavens, it's so cold in here. “It helps to have a clear head for dealing with all my new royal duties. Only... I wish I could clear my head. I figured doing some old math computations would help, but... ungh...”

“Twilight, I... I-I don't have much time...”

“But you just got here!” I smile as I receive a burst of inspiration. I levitate my chalk piece forward and add a few figures across the board. The equation only becomes more jumbled, and I groan in frustration. “Ughh... I guess it would be kind of selfish of me to ask for some help with this, especially since it's not really the sort of stuff that you're into...”

“Twilight, darling, be a dear and look at me for a moment...”

“As soon as I figure this mess out, I'll help you with sorting fashion catalogues or calculating the Boutique's budget!” I blurt. “I promise!”

I feel a gentle, velvety-soft hoof under my chin. Slowly, my head turns until I'm forced to look Rarity in the face.

She's smiling, although it is a very delicate, very fragile expression. I see a gloss to her blue eyes, reflecting the white numbers on the other side of me, like dancing stars. “You are so very beautiful, Twilight. I want you to know that... now and forever.”

I blink, my brow furrowing. Eventually, I smile back. “Well, of course, Rarity, because you're always around to make me feel beautiful.”

She cracks an even wider smile, but it looks painful, like a sharp diamond is jutting into her face. She caresses my chin one last time, swallows, and eventually says, “And I always will be around, Twilight. I will never stop thinking of you, ever.” She leans in and hugs me, a very tender embrace.

For a moment, it's not so cold.

“I... uh... I'm glad to hear that, Rarity.” I pat her shoulders as we part. “But I have things to do. If I don't get this equation finished, then I'll never get any rest. Believe me.”

“Do yourself a favor, Twilight,” Rarity says in a hollow voice. “And myself as well.” She shudders as her voice retreats into the shadows of the library. “As soon as you feel like resting, please, do not hesitate.”

“Yes, just one second.” I lean forward, and sudden notion ricochets through my aching head. I erase a swath of figures and replace them with a moderately complex algorithm. I then examine its placement within the grand equation as a whole, and yet another frustrated growl escapes my lips. “How am I ever going to sleep if I just leave this unfinished?! By the time I wake up, I won't even know where I left off!”

“Just what are you working on, exactly?” Cadance's voice asks.

I turn around and squint across the sunny courtyard. “Oh, hi, Cadance! Sorry, I-I really can't do the 'Sunshine, Sunshine' dance right now.” I pivot back towards the chalkboard with a scowl. “This equation is totally kicking my flank.” I gasp, covering my mouth as I feel a flushed sensation through my cheeks. “Oops! Uhhh... are princesses allowed to say the word 'flank'?”

Cadance giggles. It is a gentle wave of laughter, subtle and reserved. She trots over from the Canterlot rose garden and stands besides me, her mane shimmering in the afternoon glow. “Still, you didn't answer my question. What's gotten you so busy, Twilight?”

“Oh, it's just the Clever Hypothesis Equation,” I say in a droning tone. “I'm surprised you don't know about it. It's only the most mysterious, unsolved mathematical quandary in Equestrian history.”

“Oh, I know about it,” she says. She stands closer to me and rests a hoof lovingly on my shoulder. I can't help but smile. “I could have sworn it went by a different name,” she adds.

“Heh... if only...” I shrug the chills off and allow myself to lean into Cadance. I feel happy just having her here. Nevertheless, I gaze despondently at the blurry array of numbers and say, “Actually, it was once named after Starswirl, since it was the famed sorcerer who first postulated the hypothesis. Only, well, it never got solved.”

“Not a very clever math problem...” She looks at me with a wag of her eyebrows. “...now is it?”

We both laugh. A frigid breeze hits us, but it doesn't bother me at the moment. After catching my breath, I say, “Actually, because Starswirl's apprentice Clover the Clever took the task on, historians decided to call the unfinished spell the 'Clever Hypothesis.'”

“It was a joke, Twilight,” Cadance says, nuzzling me. “I always told you that you needed to lighten up and learn to relax.”

I smile and look up at her. “And I will. I promise. But—”

“—you have to finish that equation.”

“Yes. It's just...” I sigh. “It's all I can think about! I won't be able to sleep until it's done.”

Cadance slowly nods. After a breath, she says, “Well, if it makes you feel any better, Twilight, then by all means... tackle it all you like. Just don't wear yourself out.”

“I won't. I promise.” I can't help but chuckle. “Wow, Cadance. Even after all of these years, you're still acting like my personal foalsitter.”

“Do you have a problem with that?” She smirks. “Hmmm?”

“Well, no.” I sigh, smiling. “I just figured that you would have gotten tired of it once you grew up and began running a kingdom.”

“I'll never get tired of looking after you, Twilight.” She brushes her hoof through my mane. It's such a sisterly gesture that I can't even begin to protest. “I... I almost wish that...” All of the sudden, her voice wavers, and I see a shudder to her shoulders. Is she cold too? “I wish that I had spent more time with you, Twilight.”

“Uhhh... you mean like foalsitting?”

“Doing anything.”

“But you had princess duties to attend to—”

Nothing...” Her eyes are firm. “Nothing can replace the moments I had with you. Please, understand that.”

I stare at her, slowly nodding with my mouth agape. “But... b-but of course, Cadance. I know you always cared for me.” I smile. “The feeling's mutual.”

“I know, Twilight,” she says.

I turn towards the chalkboard as a shadow passes over us. “Then why'd you stop on by? Just to say that?”

Silence.

I sketch a few more numbers across the blackness. “Cadance?” I turn towards my right.

She's not there. All I see are waves and waves crashing upon the beach.

I blink. Curious, I turn to my left. “Shining, do you know what's gotten into Cadance?”

He stands in the surf, staring at me. Gawking at me. A frigid ocean breeze blows through his blue bangs as the water laps up to his well-toned fetlocks.

An awkward smirk crosses my face. “Hello? Equestria to B.B.B.F.F.?” I stifle a giggle. “Cat got your tongue?” I involuntarily shiver. “Jeez, it's cold outside! So much for fun in the sun, huh?”

He stumbles forward—hesitantly at first—then stops a few feet in front of me. He stretches a hoof out, but lingers, as if uncertain whether or not he's allowed to touch one of my forelimbs.

“Twili... you... you can see me?”

“Uhhh... Yes?” I shrug. “Is there a reason why I shouldn't?” I turn towards the chalkboard as a wave splashes against its wooden foundation in the dim evening sunset. “Though, I really gotta work these numbers out or else I'll never get any shuteye—”

I'm practically tackled from behind. A gasp escapes my lips as I almost stumble into the blurry chalk figures. I turn to look over my shoulder. “Shining?! What gives?! Did you dip into the guard bunk's cider store again?”

“Oh Twili...” He holds me in a bear-hug. He nuzzles me deeply from behind, and I hear a sniffling sound in between his words. “I'm so sorry. I'm so sorry that I waited for so long to see you. I was... I-I was just afraid. I was afraid of what I'd see or hear, but it's you! It's really you...”

“Of course it's me! Who else would it be?” I turn around in his embrace and lift his muzzle. A pair of teary blue eyes reflect the ocean's dancing horizon behind me as I wipe his cheeks dry. “I promise that I'm not a changeling. See?” I take his hoof in my own and press it to my heart so that he can feel the pulse. “I'm real. I'm your sister and I love you, big bro.” I wink. “Now, at ease, soldier. You're embarrassing yourself.”

He blinks at me. He chuckles, then chuckles again, raising a hoof to dry his cheek, only to find that I had done so already. The two of us stand like statues in the crashing surf, and he has to raise his voice for me to hear him.

“I... I have so much that I want to tell you, but I know that... uh... that there isn't much time before... before... well...”

“I really don't see what you're so worked up about.” I turn once more towards the chalkboard and grumble, “I'll put this math problem aside, I swear, as soon as I get some headway.”

“It's... uhm... the Clover Theory, isn't it?” he asks.

I almost spit my tongue out. “‘Theory?’ Please!” I gawk at him and chuckle. “See, this is why you should stick to spears and shields, Shining.” I turn to point at the chalkboard. “The Clover Hypothesis Equation was never proven. Sure, Starswirl gave Clover the Clever all of his written dissertations and spellbooks. Heck, he even gave her his skull and horn so she could accomplish what he couldn't. But no matter how many times she calculated and experimented, she just couldn't produce a repeating pattern. So, like any self-respecting magician, she hung the problem out to dry before it could define her entire legacy.”

“Twilight, there...” Shining shakes his head, sighing. “There has to be more than this. I mean, there has to be...” He leans forward with a sad expression. “Is this really all you do? Don't you ever... I mean... don't you ever experience happiness?”

“Well, of course I do, Shining!” I smile back at him. “You're here, after all.”

He blinks, then smiles. It's a strangely bitter thing, but his next breath is sharp and sweet. “Yeah. Yeah, okay.” He gulps. “And I'll come visit you again and again, to make sure you stay that way. I promise.”

“You don't have to promise, Shining.” I nuzzle him, then turn towards the blackness, sketching more white lines against the frigid expanse. “I know you'll be there for me when you need me.” My nostrils flare as I weather another chilling wind. “Seriously, though. Where is Spike with that mug of coffee?”

“Spike sends his regards, Twilight,” her gentle, gentle voice says, instantly warming my heart. “As much as he wants to see you, he can't be here. But he thinks about you night and day.”

“Princess Celestia!” I gasp, dropping the chalk entirely to the plush carpet as I cavort across the royal chambers. I nuzzle her, and she instantly leans her graceful neck down to embrace me. “You came just in time! Maybe you can help me with this math problem!”

“Let me guess...” She leans back, smiling placidly—knowingly—into my face. “The Clover Hypothesis Equation.”

“You know about it?!” I wince, then bop my own head with a hoof. “Well, of course you know about it. It's only the most puzzling, unfinished idea in the history of the magical arts!”

“For good reason, Twilight,” she says, standing perfectly still and watching as I trot back to the chalkboard. “It consumed the life of Starswirl in his latter days, and it nearly claimed Clover the Clever's sanity.”

“Which brings up a good question...” I mutter aloud as I try adding a few numbers into a key spot, only to fail again. “Mmmf... Since you've been around for so long, Your Majesty, why didn't you bother taking up the equation yourself? Huh?” I smile in spite of my frustration as I scribble and scribble. “I'm certain you would have solved it in an instant!”

Celestia slowly shakes her majestic head. “I felt it was best to leave the spell to a pony better equipped than I to not only finish it, but to make use of its properties.”

“Well, that's an awful shame, if you don't mind my saying so, Princess!” I sigh and lean back from the blurry figures. “Because the possibilities of this experiment are mind-blowing! Literally!” I giggle and mutter in awe. “To imagine... if there was actually a way to prove that Starswirl was right about stabilized mana-particles...”

“His ideas on the topic were quite radical, if I recall...”

“But they still had the potential to be tested fully, if only somepony got the mathematical application of mana-particles right!” I exclaim. “Through a well-preserved stasis field, mana-particles could hypothetically mimic a unicorn's very own memories within the fabric of their horn. Starswirl postulated that a unicorn's horn could then be used as a vessel to carry their thoughts for an indefinite period of time—so that other unicorns and alicorns could join with those thoughts through use of a basic synchronization spell! If the field was stable enough, a unicorn's memories could be tapped into for months... years... even ages after the spell was first cast!” I turn and grin at Celestia. “Could you imagine being able to talk to Starswirl again? So many centuries after his death?”

Celestia very calmly nods. “Yes, Twilight. I can.”

“Then how come you never jumped on this sooner?” I turn towards the chalkboard with a frustrated growl. “It's all I can think about!”

“Twilight...”

“And it's driving me crazy!”

“My good and faithful student...” Her hoof is like soft silk against my shoulder. I turn towards her without her having to urge me. A loving expression takes up all that I can see. “I think that it's time that you put the equation to rest.”

“But... but...” I bite my lip. “Don't you trust my talents, Your Highness? If I just work on this a little bit harder, I'll be able to solve it! I just know I can! The impact it could have on the sciences is indescribable...”

“Twilight...” Celestia's horn glows as she gently but forcefully removes the chalk from my grasp. She places a hoof on each shoulder this time. The darkness bends away from her radiant smile. “Let it be. Relax... and be at peace. I have every faith that you can and will solve the problem someday. Right now, though, you could use some sleep.”

I blink. I can no longer see the chalkboard; I don't even care. A yawn escapes my throat, and my eyelids hang with sudden heaviness. “Mmmm... Yes, Princess. You're right.” I sigh as I nuzzle one of her hooves dearly. “You're always right...”

She doesn't say anything. She picks me up in a magic field and floats me towards the bed in the far end of the ornate room. It's already prepared, and the duvet is warm to the touch. It's hard to keep my eyes open.

“It's... it's been really cold today...” I mutter in between habitual yawns. Darkness falls beyond the windows as she tucks me in. I start sinking into the royal pillows. Sinking, and sinking some more. “All this morning... this afternoon...” I shiver slightly, my teeth chattering. “I sent Spike out for some hot coffee. Don't know where he is...”

“Shhhhh...” I feel the bed shifting. A sweet hoof caresses my cheek, like satin through a sea of clouds, blurry and nebulous and lulling me into shadows beyond shadows. “Just rest for a while, Twilight. Don't worry about anything. It's alright if you want to sleep.”

“Sleep...”

My heart jumps and my eyes flash open.

“Sl-sleep?”

I look up and gasp.

“Princess Celestia!”

What's she doing here?! Where am I?

“D-did I miss my alarm?!” I hiss and try to kick the covers off. “Oh no! Morning lessons! I... I-I'll study for the quiz! I promise!”

But she urges me to lie back down in the center of some large bed. “All of your studies are done, my student. You are not tardy for anything, I assure you.” Her pale features are as smooth as porcelain, like a full moon. Is it night outside the palace? I’m in the palace, right? Good grief, it's so cold.

“So... so cold...” I curl up under the covers that she's stretching over me. “Don't... d-don't know where...” I clench my teeth. “I'm afraid...”

“Of what, my student?”

I shiver, my eyes darting about the shadows and shadows. “I don't know.” Gulping, I glance up at her. “Would you... st-stay with me, Princess?”

She smiles. She lies down and curls around me, stretching a wing over my figure. It's warmer than any blanket ever. I smile and lean into her.

“Just like old t-times?” I murmur in a foalish voice.

“Indeed...”

“Princess?”

“Yes, Twilight?”

“Will... will you be here wh-when I wake up? So long as y-you're not mad at me for sl-sleeping in?”

She leans in. She nuzzles me and whispers, “I'll be here for as long as you need me, my apprentice.”

“Hmmm... That's nice...”

I curl up against her white coat and close my eyes. Everything is calm, warm, simple. A clean slate.

“Nice...”

Author's Note:

Wrote this fic 'cuz I couldn't sleep.

Comments ( 110 )

A story that's NOT over 5k? Kinda shocked at that.

Still, not a bad read at all.

~Skeeter The Lurker

The darkness bendsa way from her radiant smile.

Bends away.

I liked it. Kinda predictable, though. Not the actual twist, that was refreshingly unique, but the whole concept—that Twilight was somehow trapped or stuck somewhere—was a bit obvious from Rarity's first line. My guess was the loony bin.

Still, great read. :twilightsmile:

Are all of the other ponies/dragons dead? Excluding Celestia and possibly Cadence. I`m pretty sure that she was seeing their ghosts.

Aww, man, you did that thing writers do when they leave the reader hanging, theorizing about what was actually going on. I'm...gonna spend far too much time thinking about this than is probably healthy.

This was an interesting story, even if you cruelly withheld catharsis. You monster.

I'm not sure if I got that...
My guess would be that Twilight got completely consumed by that hypothesis and doesn't even notice as time passes and her friends die? But... uh... well. That doesn't fit completely... right. I'm confused now. :derpyderp2:

I don't get it... :applejackconfused:

Dear God...

Twilight's dead, isn't she? Sucky. Well done, though.

EIGHTH!!!!

A bit confusing and appears to withhold any information about what's really going on, but I liked it.

2770400

Twilight managed to cast the spell, somehow, but didn't finish the math. Presumably she was so consumed by it she died in the process. Her echo is being visited by Rarity/Cadance/etc to try to convince her to finally let herself fully pass on.

2770436

So basically the normal SS&E experience, then? :derpytongue2:

Huh, interesting. Makes me glad that I never really got into maths. Being stuck in limbo must suck.

Cheers for this little gem, Skirts.

Mmkay.

Kicking this Celestia's big white butt now. :ajbemused:

Damn, this is chilling, Skirts. You have a real knack for this sort of thing. There's such an art to the unsaid. :ajsleepy:

Am I correct that Celestia is enjoying the company of OLD friends at a somewhat unusual and damn high price?

Yeah, kicking her tail in for this, the monster...

2770425

Yeah, except that his friend is living on the other side of the Atlantic Ocean…

So Twilight solved the riddle and cast the spell. Only she is now trapped in her own memories, in her horn, and only the other unicorns can meet her. Poor Twilight will never get that cup of coffee.:twilightoops:

The image is most likely from a notecard for an intro level quantum mechanics exam.

2770400Why wouldn't it work? It makes sense.

What did I just read?
This tale could mean anything.
It was still good, though.

~Haiku Smythe

Wow. Okay, this is a pretty interesting piece. It's slightly more interesting how you toe the line between subtle and downright withholding with such precision when you're tired, too - hmm.

hay skirts when are you going to continue The end of ponies?:pinkiesad2:

I don't understand this story.

As usual you right bizarre, but very interesting, one shots and as usual I love it! Keep it up!

Aaagh, the fridge horror. :raritydespair:

...

I have no idea what is going on but it's sad nevertheless. :raritydespair: Personally, I think Twilight went insane and ending up literally working herself to death. Or everyone died and Twilight didn't notice. Regardless, GODDAMN. :raritycry:

So wait, how many of them are dead?

2770484
Nah, I thought the others were dead and she could see them somehow. I completely ignored the explanations of that Hypothesis.
But if she's dead and managed to cast the spell it would make sense how only other unicorns/alicorns could see her and not Spike. Or why both mortals and immortals could see her, which would not work if Twilight saw dead people.

2770443
Thanks for that explanation. Makes complete sense. I got it now. :twilightsmile:

2770841
Just Twilight I think. :twilightsmile:

As a person who occasionally doesn't sleep a day or two, I find it funny that I can relate to Twilight. The way she's like "I need to get this done before I sleep" and then ended up doing (/done) nothing. The way she passing up the time stuck up to something (even the trivial things) and forget there is much more to do in life like happiness that makes her brother surprised finding her spending her time like that. It's a shame that only unicorn can enter her memories. and talking to her in her last few minutes in her life.

;_; Always a good read. At first I thought it was a commentary on immortality, but then you hit me with the sting at the end. Yikes. Chills. Reread the whole story again. Teared up a bit.

Nice work. This is really good.

You can get mad at us for not getting it... but I no get it. Maybe she is insane?

Twilight can't sleep. She has an ancient and unfinished magic spell running circles in her mind. It's only when her friends visit that she begins to relax.

Only you could do a Sad story out of that synopsis... Dare I even read it? :ajbemused:

2771359
As I posted earlier :

Twilight managed to cast the spell, somehow, but didn't finish the math. Presumably she was so consumed by it she died in the process. Her echo is being visited by Rarity/Cadance/etc to try to convince her to finally let herself fully pass on.

I really need to name that unsettling feeling when one of your oneshots is out and it's NOT a comedy.
EDIT: Why do I keep doing this to myself?

2770436

appears to withhold any information about what's really going on

Not really. The explanation of the effects the spell was supposed to have tells you pretty much everything you need to know about what's going on, including why she only interacts with unicorns / alicorns in the story (hint: a basic synchronization spell).

The only thing that's deliberately left vague is her actual death (my personal theory is that she did the math wrong or the hypothesis was flawed from the start, and when she cast the spell it killed her, but was partially effective in preserving her soul... not her full essence, but something fractured and ghost-like, which is the reason her thought process was so confused and heavily influenced by her focus on the equation and momentary thoughts at the time of her death - like sending Spike for coffee).

I had some doubts regarding her coronation (was it real or just something her mind came up with? I was not sure whether Rarity was merely confused as to what Twilight meant by duties, being dead and all, or she genuinely did not know because Twilight never became a princess), but that would be pretty far fetched so I assume she became an alicorn, but was left mortal (no, Meghan, I'm not eating that up, nice try, though).

"Confound that Skirts, he drives me to overanalyze."

- Me

So i stared at the cover pic for a while and worked out that the answer is 42

2770461
Thanks man, you made me fully understand this.
At first I thought she was just so caught up in the spell she didn't notice time passing, or maybe that she or the others were dead, but this makes more sense.

What's great about this story is that it's a perfect metaphor for all us science major kids (especially after seeing Quant. Mech. stuff in the image up there).

But I think that's what made me like this story: the idea of obsession that can grab hold a little too well. Poor Twilight never stood a chance...

Good story as always skirts. :twilightsmile:

This was fun to read but I have sad now. :fluttershysad: One small thing though when Princess Celestia is talking to Twilight she says

“The Clover Hypothesis Eauation.”

Is that supposed to be Equation?

jz1

I wish I knew what was going on.
Still good though.

What? :applejackconfused:

Dammit, guys. Fine! If my opinion is just a minority report and that in-obvious, I'll spell it out. (I like this one, it's creepy)

Twi's not dead, yet. She's getting older and older, I think, but that's not what causes the chills.

Starswirl succeeded. He now spends time with Celestia, who is happy to enjoy his company…

…in Twilight's body.

She is losing her whole life as a puppet to Starswirl the Bearded, and her friends never see her because somepony else is always 'driving' her body. It's shocking to Shining Armor that he gets to spend a moment with her, and Cadance is very guilty and hammering home the point of how precious it was to spend time with Twilight. And then Twilight turns away- and is gone, again, and the next person Cadance sees is greedy Starswirl again, back in charge.

“Could you imagine being able to talk to Starswirl again? So many centuries after his death?”
Celestia very calmly nods. “Yes, Twilight. I can.”

:applejackconfused: chilling...

2773124

Hmm... Still think Celestia was talkin about Twilight, and it's her horn that they're talking to, or whatever. Either way, Twilight dead.

That was a great story, Skirts. I twigged on to what was happening in my first reading, then I re-read it with that knowledge; and god it was sad. I teared up at the end: seeing Twilight subconsciously aware that she was going to die and Celestia dispelling her fears and helping her move on. . . argh! I'm tearing up just thinking about it.

I had to wonder though, at the end, is it really Celestia, or is it Luna? You had this very short, subtle hint:

Her pale features are as smooth as porcelain, like a full moon. Is it night outside the palace?

which would suggest it being Luna disguised as Celestia, or something similar. Maybe I'm reading into it too much, but it seems possible. :shrug:

2773438

Luna disguised as Celestia. Welp, now I'm freaked out.

At first I thought she had simply wasted her life on the equation, but with all the location swapping and foreshadowing, it was much worse than that.

So... Twilight compleated the equation, but doing so killed her, and now the various unicorns in her life are talking to her memories of solving the equation.

I think.

Left a little bit too much information out to really grab me.

Did no one else notice the early hint

Sometimes I wish I could just take my skull clean off.

And then later:

he even gave her his skull and horn so she could accomplish what he couldn't.

Seems to me that Twilight is dead, but continues living through her horn, and refuses to allow her life to pass on from there.
However, a coma would more readily explain her feeling of beiing cold.
Still, being dead, or even just a skull would explain Shining's fears

I-I was just afraid. I was afraid of what I'd see or hear, but it's you! It's really you...”

...but Shining promised to come back, and visit her again, and we don't get any indication that he doesn't mean it.

And yet Celestia seals the deal for death:

“Princess?”

“Yes, Twilight?”

“Will... will you be here wh-when I wake up again? So long as y-you're not mad at me for sl-sleeping in?”

She leans in. She nuzzles me and whispers, “I'll be here for as long as you need me, my apprentice.”

So, ShortSkirts, you horrible bastard, you made Twilight a partial self, stuck in the stillborn task of solving The Clever Hypothesis Equation, and finally being convinced to pass on by Celestia. :flutterrage:
... :fluttercry:

2773124

That would be extremely OOC for... pretty much everyone involved, except perhaps Starswirl, if he was really that selfish. I thoroughly doubt that Celestia would be able to enjoy his company in such a state even if she wanted to.

Really, I think Celestia doing the whole

“Could you imagine being able to talk to Starswirl again? So many centuries after his death?”

Celestia very calmly nods. “Yes, Twilight. I can.”

is really because she is able to talk to Twilight after her death, and so can imagine such a concept.

Also, I think Shining was shocked at it really being her because he's talking to a dead unicorn through their horn. I imagine looking at either a dead body or perhaps just a skull would be enough to make him think that she wasn't really there, or that it wasn't really her.

Personally, I like to think that Twilight was passing away of natural causes, albeit prematurely judging from the relative ages of the others, and used the equation as it was intended to preserve her mind as a resource for others.

Regardless of the circumstances of how she came to be that way, I don't think there was any mistake in the casting of the spell/equation... I think the way the spell works is to give the mind something to constantly be working on, thereby preserving it well after death. That's the cost of extending consciousness "months or years" after passing on... Solving it would defeat he purpose of it, and a unicorn can hold out as long as they can keep working on it.

The spell works... It's just somewhat heartbreaking.

Okay, I have NO IDEA what I just read. None. I am confused, sir.

Login or register to comment