Remembering
Twilight groaned back into consciousness. …oooh, my head…What happened? What’s going on now? Where am I?! Wha…ok, don’t panic, gather facts, extrapolate a conclusion …
She could feel herself moving, but her hooves weren’t doing anything…judging by the slight buzzing sensation, she was being held by a restrictive telekinesis spell...when she tried to move her hooves, heavy weights impeded her efforts…she could feel a powerful suppressor ring around her horn…she tried to open her mouth, but it wouldn’t…a gag? She was bound and gagged?!
Twilight’s eyes shot open immediately, only to be blinded by a glaring green light. She had to squint in order to see with any clarity, but there was little to see. The ceiling above her was the same black substance she had seen in the town…Changeling papyrus? Had to be…Green pustules were on the ceiling, organized like fluorescent lights.
She was being carried with unicorn telekinesis, and several Changeling guards were flanking the group. Imbedded in the walls on either side of her were cocoons like the one Chrysalis contained Celestia inside, filled with a thick green fluid. Several of them were occupied with ponies, one of whom Twilight recognized.
Rainbow?! Twilight tried to ask, but the gag in her mouth prevented her from mumbling. Rainbow Dash heard anyway, and just before Twilight was pushed out of her sight she gaped at the bound unicorn with wide eyes. The Changeling standing guard over Rainbow hissed at Twilight as she went by.
Twilight was swiftly carried along past rows and rows of cocoons, going deeper and deeper into the hive. Eventually, they came up to a cocoon that was larger than the others. Twilight felt herself being hoisted up and over the cocoon. In a second, she was immersed completely in the green fluid. The weight of the manacles around her sank her to the bottom like a stone.
The gag was finally removed, and the green fluid began pouring into her mouth. Twilight had enough wits about her to remember that Celestia and the other prisoners could survive in these cocoons, so she took careful breaths and let the strange fluid fill her lungs. It would only get worse if she panicked.
Not that she wasn’t afraid. Oh no. She was terrified. Now that she wasn’t constantly moving, she could take proper stock of her situation. She was chained. Her magic was suppressed. And she was imprisoned in a Changeling cocoon. Judging by the darkness around her, she was isolated from the other prisoners here. The ponies that had escorted her here left, leaving two Changeling and two Unicorn guards to watch the cocoon.
She tried, but she couldn’t speak. She couldn’t move. She couldn’t use magic. All she could do was lie down and cry. Her tears of fear and confusion dissolved in the green fluid, like any hope that she could get back to her Equestria, her friends, her family.
She prayed to Celestia that her friends were at least okay. Did they realize she was missing? Or was that other Twilight…What was she doing with them? Was she hurting them? Why had she done this, taken her life and left her in this nightmare? Who was she? What had happened here?
All she had were questions, and there was no chance they’d be answered.
Spike…everypony…please be okay…
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Elsewhere…
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Spike just stared back at the purple unicorn in front of him. “You’re not Twilight.” He said flatly.
Twilight growled with irritation. One thing she hadn’t missed about the dragon was his infuriating stubbornness. “You know Spike, this little exercise wouldn’t be necessary if you just get it through your thick skull that I AM TWILIGHT.”
Spike just stared unblinkingly back at her. Now that the enhanced jewel had worn off, and the dragon had realized that was the extent of what this imposter would do to him, he wasn’t afraid of her anymore. At least he’d realized trying to break out of the restraints was pointless. “You’re not Twilight.” He repeated, his voice quieted with another of the faker’s spells.
“Nnngh…Spike.” Twilight sighed. “I hatched you during my entrance exam for Celestia’s School for Gifted Unicorns. We came to Ponyville together on the eve of the midsummer sun festival. I remember following you after the Dragon Migration, I remember your greed growth spurt. I can recite EVERY friendship report I sent to Celestia through you. I. AM. TWILIGHT. SPARKLE.”
“No.” Spike answered. “You’re not.”
Twilight just groaned under her breath. “Ok, Spike. Since you’re obviously the expert, how am I NOT Twilight? Hmm?”
“Twilight wouldn’t use mind spells…”
“IT ISN’T A MIND SPELL!” Twilight snapped before stopping herself. “This…that was just an enhancing spell. You were…you ARE acting hysterically. Unreasonably. I just…calmed you down. Twilight…I would do that. Because I care about you. But what else? What else proves I’m not Twilight?”
“You’re not the Twilight that stopped Trixie when the Alicorn Amulet made her go nuts.”
Twilight bit her lip. Hm. That’s true, I guess, but…but it doesn’t matter. It’s not a big difference. I’m still Twilight Sparkle. I’m just not…just not… “Yes, I am, Spike. I defeated her in a magic duel-”
“No.”
“AUGGHH!” Twilight yelled, picking up one of the enhanced jewels and shoving it into Spike’s mouth. Spike tried to spit it out, so Twilight just covered his nostrils and mouth to force him to swallow. His eyes quickly glazed over, lying slack in his seat.
Twilight shook her head in frustration. “Forget it. Just forget it. Just listen. You will call me Twilight. You will refer to me as Twilight. You will NEVER call me a fake or an imposter, not to me, not to anyone. Everything is normal. Nothing is wrong. You just do your job, and you don’t try anything. Do you understand?”
Spike didn’t respond for a minute. Is he still resisting? No, he’s an infant. He’s not capable of that. It’s just a delayed reaction. Eventually, Spike finally yawned “…yes.”
Twilight exhaled with slight relief. “Okay. That’ll do for now. So. Have I gotten a reply from Celestia yet?”
“…yeah…it’s on real Twilight’s desk…”
Twilight scowled. “Don’t call her…don’t call me …ergh. It’s my desk. My home. You’re my assistant. Now stay here. I’ll be right back.”
Leaving Spike alone in the basement, Twilight ran up to her room and grabbed the letter. Hopefully the letter from her beloved mentor will cheer her up after that frustrating waste of time.
My dearest Twilight,
I would be happy to have an unofficial conversation with you and Cadence at the Crystal Empire. It will be quite wonderful to speak with my favorite student without any official business or national crises to contend with, just like we used to.
With that in mind, it might be best to hold our conversation until after the Equestria Games Inspection is finished. I trust that you and your friends will still attend and assist Cadence and Shining Armor with the preparations. The Crystal Ponies need to have something happy in their lives, after being trapped under Sombra’s rule for so long.
But I know you understand. And I know you will not disappoint me. I look forward to seeing you again.
Princess Celestia
Twilight smiled. She was looking forward to seeing Celestia as well. How long had it been since she saw her beloved teacher? It felt like a lifetime. A lifetime since the wedding...since the Changelings…since everything had gone to Tartarus…Cadence, her favorite foalsitter, would be there too…
A thought struck her. How was she going to approach Celestia when she finally saw her again? It had been a lifetime for her, certainly. But for Celestia and Cadence? They had spoken to Twilight less than a year ago. What was she going to do? Play it casual? Keep it formal? Do the dance, like they used to? And could she face Her br…her broth…Shining Armor, after what the other one had done?
Well, best to focus on one thing at a time. Right now, Twilight needed to read up on the Equestria Games, and come up with good ways to impress the Games Inspector. She had to get ready for that trip…speaking of which, there was something she needed to take care of…
After some thought, Twilight took out another scroll and started writing another letter.
Dear Princess Celestia,
Thank you for writing back to me so quickly. I am very glad that you agreed to speak to me. I look forward to seeing you and Cadence at the Crystal Empire.
However, may I make a request? I think it would be best if Fluttershy, Pinkie Pie and Applejack remain in Ponyville to watch over Discord while the rest of us are away. I just don’t feel comfortable leaving Discord unsupervised. Besides, I’m sure that Rarity, Rainbow Dash and myself will be able to convince the Inspector on our own.
With that in mind, I will endeavor to help the Crystal Empire and it’s citizens gain the honor of hosting the Equestria Games. Rest assured, I will not disappoint you.
Your Faithful Student,
Twilight Sparkle
“Okay, Spike, my number 1 assistant.” Twilight sang as she walked back downstairs. “I’ve got another letter for you to send…”
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Elsewhere…
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Fluttershy gently placed the last of the hatchlings in their sleeping cocoons. The tiny Changelings snuggled themselves comfortably in their ‘beds’, giggling as Fluttershy nuzzled them while singing her lullaby.
”Hush now, quiet now,
It’s time to lay your sleepy head,
Hush now, quiet now,
It’s time to go to bed.”
One of the hatchlings yawned, his tiny fangs glistening in the moonlight. “Miss Fluttershy, what were all the guards doing here today?”
Fluttershy gulped. “They…they just came by to check up on me. That’s all.”
“You need to get some rest.” The guard –whose designated name was Centry - gently ordered. Whether he was telling the hatchling or Fluttershy was unclear, but both of them acknowledged him. The Hatchling closed it’s eyes in a show of sleep and Fluttershy let Centry guide her out of the nest and into her house.
Luna’s moon was coming up over the horizon as Centry opened the door for Fluttershy. “My contingent will be taking the night shift. There will be a guard posted at all hours, so do not hesitate to call if there is anything that troubles you.”
“Th-thank you. I don’t want to be a bother…”
Centry sighed, smiling. “For the last time, Fluttershy, it’s not a bother. We just want you to feel safe.” His expression became serious. “Now that the terrorist has been detained…”
Fluttershy raised her hoof to stop him. “I know. I just…um…well…er…”
Centry had been with Fluttershy long enough to pick up on what her stammering meant. She wanted to be left alone. With a nod, Centry gently closed the door. “Rest well, Fluttershy. Call out if you need anything.”
Fluttershy stood there for a second, thinking. Now that ‘the terrorist’ had been detained, I should feel a lot better. So why don’t I?
Eventually, Fluttershy turned and was about to walk to her bed when her back hoof tripped over something. Looking down, she saw a book she didn’t recognize lying on the floor. A picture album, from the look of it.
Curious (and not keen on going to sleep just yet) Fluttershy picked the book up in her mouth and brought it up to a nearby reading desk. Nuzzling it open, Fluttershy looked at the photograph on the first page.
It was the picture everypony had taken after they defeated Nightmare Moon. All of her friends, together for the first time. Herself, Rainbow Dash, Applejack, Pinkie Pie, Rarity and Twilight Sparkle. All of them, smiling with triumph and joy.
Fluttershy shuddered involuntarily, tears forming in her eyes. That was the day they all became friends. Best friends. She had felt like that friendship would last forever. Where had it all gone wrong?
Every subsequent page cut into Fluttershy’s heart. The Grand Galloping Gala. Rainbow’s pet race. Rarity’s fashion show. Pinkie’s birthday party. Applejack’s return party.
Twilight had always been there. If she wasn’t directly involved, she was somewhere in the background, offering support.
Fluttershy had to look away for a second. So many good memories. And Twilight was a part of them. No matter what Twilight had done, she had been a big part of Fluttershy’s life. She couldn’t forget that, not even if she had wanted to.
Maybe it wouldn’t be so bad if it had just been Twilight that had fallen away. But Applejack and Rainbow Dash had followed her, and Fluttershy hadn’t seen either of them for too long. Rainbow Dash was still in prison, and Fluttershy could never work up the courage to see Applejack in the hospital. She didn’t want to see yet another reminder of what Twilight had become…
She wanted to remember the good times. Before this mess had begun. Fluttershy absentmindedly flipped through the rest of the pages. Nightmare Night. Twilight’s birthday party. Family Appreciation Day. The Wedding…
Fluttershy froze. Wait…the wedding? She had to look again. Sure enough, there was a photograph of Shining Armor, wearing his wedding suit, dancing with Cadence. Celestia was there, smiling in the background. And all of her friends were standing there, laughing together. Not a Changeling in sight.
That…that can’t be right…
Fluttershy rubbed her eyes. Maybe she was seeing things. Maybe this was just a very realistic painting. But no. This was a photograph of something that did not happen. Shining Armor and Cadence dancing together after the wedding.
Fueled by a mixture of curiousity and confusion, Fluttershy flipped further through the book. More events that looked completely real, but hadn’t happened. A kingdom that seemed to be made of jewels. Rainbow Dash with a Wonderbolts uniform, standing in front of the Wonderbolts academy. Applejack’s entire family, standing inside a barn. And numerous other small events that Fluttershy didn’t remember.
It didn’t make any sense…or did it? The unicorn that had teleported in looked…younger that the Twilight she had known, and she acted strangely, like she didn’t remember attacking Fluttershy. Like they were still friends.
”Hey…what happened to your eye?”
Fluttershy shook her head. She didn’t understand it. It made no sense. How could she…how could it…what did it all mean? Were these photos faked? They looked legitimate...and even if they were fake, what was the point of making them? To imagine a better version of events? Would Twilight really delude herself like that? Was this even the Twilight she knew? She had acted so scared and confused...maybe amnesia? But then why would she remember Fluttershy? Nothing made any sense...
Fluttershy took a deep breath before she drove herself insane with questions. It was late. She needed answers, but they could wait until morning. She tucked the book somewhere safe and trotted off to bed. First thing in the morning, she resolved, she’d show this book to Shining Armor. Maybe he’d be able to make sense of all this…
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And here we go. Alt!Fluttershy done found the photograph book and this is going to raise some serious questions to the Alt!Ponies and Changelings.
I was getting really worried about our Twilight here. Now I hope I can put a couple of those fears to rest.
The "alternate universe" thing did seem rushed. Maybe have Fluttershy and Shining Armor gloss over it in conversation ("Alternate universes? What!? No, no, that's preposterous...or is it?"). As it is, I find it hard to believe that the very first pony to find the album would hit the nail on the head just completely by chance.
Other than that, I LOVE THIS STORY, AND I LOVE YOU. In a platonic, non-creepy way, of course
thank you Fluttershy!
Hmm rushed probably because Fluttershy know in first shot what that mean.
Fluttershy figuring out what's going on feels slightly rushed still. It just goes from "hey a book" to *painful reminiscing* to "this didn't happen but here it did how can this be maybe Twilight is getting more delusional but she seemed sincere so I'm gonna sleep on it idk"
Edit 5 days later: When will this be updated? Hopefully soon. I may have only read the latest chapter 5 days ago but... Even that felt like too long.
Oh thank goodness, maybe the misunderstanding will be cleared up faster than I thought.