True Ending - Moving Forward
The thing that probably surprised her the most was that when she realized she could feel anything, she was standing on her hooves. Her mind hadn't fully come back to her, but she already had enough awareness and strength to be standing. Though the world was dark around her, she could sense that something was there.
So she opened her eyes.
Though the world was still fairly dark, she found herself in a grassy field, a light breeze blowing through as it swept along her mane. Tilting her head up, the night sky was clearly visible, the bright moon illuminating the world around her and the stars twinkling as they always had. This place had a sense of serenity and calm, a peace that Twilight hadn’t felt in some time. The last few days of her life had been spent drenched in so much fear and stress that she had almost forgotten what a peaceful night felt like.
“It's a truly breathtaking sight, isn't it?” A voice that was familiar but foreign spoke up from behind her. Twilight tilted her head back just enough to look out the corner of her eye at an approaching figure. His familiar golden hair practically glowed in the moon's light against his light blue coat, and those ice-cold eyes showed wisdom with age.
“Hello Merlin.” Twilight practically whispered as her eyes turned back to the night sky.
“You seem to have done well for yourself, all things considered.” Merlin let out a chuckle, walking to stand next to her and turning his gaze up to the night sky as well. “I certainly hope my hints were helpful. Being clear to those in the future, while not knowing the full story yourself, is pretty difficult.”
“It's hard to say if they were or weren't,” Twilight murmured. “They were cryptic for sure, and I still don't know if I fully understood everything you said, but you were trying to help. In some way, I'm sure I wouldn't have made it through without you.”
“Then I'm satisfied with the result.” He nodded his head with satisfaction before looking towards the mare. “I do admit though, from the few visions of you I saw, I was expecting you to have a barrage of questions for me by now.” Twilight wasn’t certain of how to respond to that, instead choosing to continue staring up at the night sky. The wind brushed past her hair again, the feeling of a cool night slowly dulling her senses. She closed her eyes and took in a deep breath, before letting it out slowly and lowering her head and staring at the grass beneath her hooves.
“You're not a memory or an illusion this time, even I can sense that. I remember the last thing I did before I fell unconscious and found myself here. There's really only one conclusion that can be had about it all, isn't there?” Twilight shook her head, before turning to face Merlin, a tired pained smile on her face. “I'm dead, aren't I?”
“To use the sword of light while drained of your magic means only one thing, to use your very life as a source of energy for the weapon. Life, when used in such a way, can create a vortex of energy that can surpass even alicorns in terms of destructive capabilities.” Merlin smiled, sitting on the lush grass and bringing up a hoof to the scruff of hair on his face he called a beard. He stroked it several times, a bit of a whimsical look on his face as he spoke again. “However, the amount you drew forth would only be enough to shave off a few years of your life at most. I'd wager you spent about twenty of them casting the spell in that state. Without using any age-altering spells, you'll probably still live to be at least eighty years old.”
Twilight had to blink at that, her pained smile falling into a small frown.
“But... If I'm not dead, then how am I talking to you now?”
“A natural question.” Merlin nodded his head, closing his eyes. “You're on the verge of death, enough to slip into this realm for a time being, but your time has not yet come Twilight Sparkle. The trained hooves of medical professionals will save your life and you will awake in Equestria once more soon.”
“Oh...” Was all she seemed to be able to say. She looked away from Merlin to scan the field once more, as if looking for something but unable to locate what she wanted. Her brow furrowed and her lips pursed as she tried to understand what exactly she was feeling at that moment.
“I was expecting a more joyous reaction.” Merlin's eyebrow raised curiously, “Are you not elated to still be alive?”
“You'd think I would be...” Twilight shook her head again, raising a hoof to rub her head. “Just... After everything that's happened in such a short period of time, it's hard to even know what's real and what isn't anymore.”
“The memories of that place will live with you for the rest of your days, Twilight Sparkle. Only you can use them in some way for the future.” Merlin nodded sagely, continuing his train of wisdom.
“In those visions, you always said 'Memory is the Key'... Is this what you meant? Using my memories to ensure a better future?”
“Hm... Did I say that now?” Merlin smirked as he thought back to his spells, “It's been centuries since I cast those spells, so forgive me if my memory is not as clear as it used to be. However, if I spoke those words, it most likely meant that the key to escaping the cataclysm you faced was in using the memories presented before you to not only discern the truth, but to use them as a literal key to break through the barriers before you.”
“The truth of the memories...” Twilight shook her head again, closing her eyes and growling at remembering what she had seen. “The only thing they showed me was that Celestia was not always the kind and benevolent ruler that I know her to be. She killed thousands of ponies with her own hooves, betrayed her sister's trust, and caused so much suffering and bloodshed. There was a time in her life where she was a monster, where she willingly sacrificed the lives of her own people just to save her own.” Twilight felt her blood boiling.
Merlin's voice never changed from the near calm and soothing tones that he had spoke in since he had arrived. “Tell me Twilight, do you think Celestia a God?”
Twilight blinked at the question. “A... God?” She asked for confirmation.
“Yes, a God. An all knowing, all seeing force that can bend the very fabric of reality to its whim if need be.” Merlin seemed amused at his own question.
“Celestia...” Twilight began to calm down as she thought the question over. “She is an alicorn, and has been for a long time. She has ruled her kingdom for thousands of years, she's always guided me on the right path, she's showed kindness and strength in all of her actions. She's never faltered to the threats of war, or political strife, or anything that would bring harm to her or the kingdom. She-”
“Is just a pony.” Merlin interrupted her, following his statement with a chuckle. “Princess Celestia was not born into this world with the grace of a figure that could be deified by it's citizens. There was a time when she didn't know the answer to everything, when she was capable of making mistakes, and when those mistakes would cause serious problems.”
Twilight stared at Merlin, her words lost to her. Her mouth reflexively opened to speak, before closing again as nothing escaped. She turned to look away from him, uncertain of what she really wanted to say.
“She is not absolved of her past sins, in fact I'm certain they weigh heavily on her heart to this day. But that is exactly why she has become who she is today. Without that pain she caused, she never would have risen to become the ruler you know today, the one who has brought centuries of peace and love to her Kingdom. You shouldn't think ill of her.”
“That's easy for her lover to say.” Twilight grumbled as she continued to look away from the wiser unicorn.
“And it should obviously come naturally to her protege.” Merlin sassed back. Twilight didn't have a response for that.
The two of them sat in that quiet field together for some time, the wind blowing once more as Twilight's mind try to justify her anger. However, no amount of justification would let her anger simmer anymore than it already had and slowly any trace of it seeped out of her body, merely replaced with a feeling of apathy.
“Why did you entrust that spell to me Merlin?” It was the first question that popped into Twilight's mind, so she spoke it before she could even fully process it.
“Did my memory not tell you?” Merlin tilted his head in a bit of confusion at that. “It is the greatest spell I ever crafted and I entrust it to you. While I could not see all of the future, I saw that you were the savior of Equestria time and time again. Whether you would rule it or simply continue to follow in Celestia's footsteps I could never be certain, but the world would end several times over if not for you.”
“Can one pony mean so much?” Twilight found it hard to believe.
“One pony can change the entire world.” Merlin smirked at that. “My greatest enemy taught me that. If it makes you feel better, in all likelihood you can blame me for everything.”
It was Twilight's turn to raise an eyebrow in confusion. “What do you mean?”
“Time is more delicate than you might realize. Something I learned both from reading Starswirl's work on the subject and from my own experimentation with it. It is easy to go into the past, in fact it's even easier to meet yourself in the past. It is entirely possible to change the past, to rewrite everything by changing a single event, to cause a ripple of time to go out of place.” Merlin raised a hoof and lightly twirled it in place, the very air above his hoof seeming to bend and ripple.
“But therein lies the very problem Twilight Sparkle. If I went back into the past, then returned to the present and saw nothing was changed from what I expected, would I know if I had changed anything or not?”
Twilight thought that issue over, falling to her own haunches as she considered it. Her own experience with time travel had been short, but it had taught her that messing with it was not something to be used for a casual reason. A misused time travel spell could cause a pony to go crazy.
“A pebble in a pond would have it's ripples go unnoticed at first, but over time they could cascade into a torrent of waves could they not? And what if the reason you went back in time was because you saw that ripple and ended up creating it in the first? You would never know if the past was intended to have a different outcome than the one you interfered with. Time is clever, it changes and bends all around us all the time, being capable of creating several realities all at once, but at the same time keeping us fixated on the one we’ve made for ourselves.
“I cannot say for certain if I am responsible for everything that has happened within the dark veil that covers this town, but if you wish to cast blame on me for possibly changing the future, I would not hold that against you.”
Twilight let out another sigh. “No, that wouldn't be fair. You did everything in your power to protect Equestria. If the future changed from it's intended one, then all we can do from here on out is make sure it continues to be a happy one for everyone.”
“The words I would expect to hear from a savior.” Merlin grinned, enjoying what he heard.
“I guess I should study time travel a bit more than I had before now.” Twilight shook her head, “Perhaps not to travel through it, but to at least deal with the repercussions that may be caused by it.”
“I'm certain your element will help with that as well.” Merlin pointed before Twilight as the image of a six pointed star appeared before her. “The element of Magic is tied to the very essence of Magic itself. As such, it has close ties to bending the very fabric of reality itself if need be. It has close ties to time travel. If you want to start to understand how to minimize its casualties, I would start there.”
Twilight scrunched her face at the explanation before turning to Merlin. “Are you telling me the Element of Magic has natural time-travel properties to it?”
“In a sense.” Merlin shrugged his shoulders, “Have you never felt any sensation as if you were viewing events out of order?”
Twilight thought hard about the subject, trying to remember anytime that she had felt something along those lines. Just as she was about to deny the experiences, her eyes widened as a few certain events came back to her.
Right before she had left the library with Spike, when she had first fought with the black dragon in the courtyard, and when she had realized the black sword was in the creature from the black orb. Each time she had pictured a horrific event happening, and she prevented it by taking a course of action other than the one she saw.
“I don't need words to see you have.” Merlin stroked the scruff on his chin once more. “Yes, if you have already felt the effects then I have no doubt in my mind that you'll be able to do what you seek to achieve.”
Twilight hesitated as the image of the six sided star faded away from in front of her. “Merlin...” Twilight struggled to find the words, “Where exactly am I supposed to go from here?”
“That I do not have an answer for Twilight.” Merlin shook his head, planting both hooves on the soft grass beneath him. “From here on out, I have not seen any of the future. In all likelihood it has changed far beyond anything I could have seen either. The future will be shaped by your actions after this, so it is on your shoulders now.”
“You're asking me to bear the weight of the world on my shoulders...” Twilight murmured, a shiver running up her spine realizing what was going on.
“You already accepted that responsibility a long time ago, you just didn't realize it at the time.” Merlin smiled warmly, before a shudder seemed to ripple through the world. “Though it seems our time together has reached it's end, for real this time.”
“I'm waking up?” Twilight asked, looking around as the world began to crumble away slowly, starting from the edges of her vision and slowly moving towards them.
“You are. Equestria needs you and you will be with her again soon.” Merlin nodded, standing on his hooves. “But before you go, I have one final request of you Twilight.” Twilight turned to look at him as the darkness of the crumbling world quickly approached. Merlin gave one last smile. “Be kind to Celestia. You will want to hate her upon waking, but she is only pony. She needs you as much as you need her.”
With those last words, the dark world crumbled away and Twilight felt herself fall. A bottomless pit met her as the once comforting wind rushed up and past her body, numbing her senses until she couldn't do anything once more. Her consciousness faded as it rapidly moved back to where it was supposed to be.
*****
A soft groan escaped her lips first, her head shifting against a soft surface. Her head was throbbing and her body was weighed down like she'd ran several marathons in a row without stopping. The memory of her talk with Merlin was pushed to the back of her mind for a moment as she recalled her last waking thoughts, of the hellish landscape and her last moments with Celestia. She needed to open her eyes and see where she was.
Her heavy eyelids slowly creaked open, revealing a gentle white light above her head. She expected it to sting her vision, but it was apparently just dimmed enough that opening her eyes the rest of the way wasn't painful. A pristine white ceiling came into view, a fluorescent light charged by crystal magic was imbedded into the ceiling providing the room's light. She tilted her head to one side and saw several IVs hooked to her neck and arm, a medical machine quietly whirring with activity as it monitored her vitals.
She twisted her head to the other side of the room, and although her vision was still blurry, she could see another pony laying in the bed next to her. She blinked her eyes several times, trying to adjust her vision to see, though it seems the other pony noticed her first.
“Well, that's a surprise.” A feminine voice chuckled lightly, though Twilight could tell her voice was hoarse and dry, “We weren't expecting you to wake up for another week at least.”
The voice was familiar, though foreign at the same time. It sounded like someone she had met just recently, but wasn't fully acquainted with yet. She blinked her eyes a few more times before lifting a heavy hoof up to her face to rub them clear. When she lowered her hoof, her vision slowly cleared and the visage of a white mare with a golden blonde hair came into view. One of her forelegs was wrapped in a heavy cast, several bandages covered her chest before the rest of her body was hidden by the sheets of her bed. Her eyes looked heavy, bags underneath them, and she looked exhausted.
“Heh, sorry I can't get up to greet you at the moment, I'm still sort of recovering myself.” The blonde haired mare gently nodded towards the rest of her. “If I wasn't stuck in bed, I'd probably be the one taking care of your nursing at the moment.”
“...We've met before, right?” Twilight tried to think back, though her memories were a hazy fog at the moment. She tried to put a name to the face, but she was only drawing a blank. The only blur that she could discern anything from was a formal greeting at the wedding that felt so long ago now. “Weren't you at Fluttershy's wedding?”
The mare grimaced the mention of the name, but ultimately nodded her head. “I don't blame you for not remembering my name after everything that happened. So, let me introduce myself again. My name's Soft Cure, I'm a nurse at Cloudsdale Hospital under Doctor Strongshy.”
“Oh, that's right. You were his date, if I remember correctly.” Twilight thought over meeting Fluttershy's father again at the wedding. It had been a fairly brief meet up, as she had been busy helping with preparations, but she had seen the pegasus with Fluttershy's father.
“Heh, yeah, I'm glad you remember at least that much.” Soft Cure said before leaning back a bit against her bed. “How are you feeling though?”
“Like I went out for a run and then didn't stop for a week straight.” Twilight muttered, slightly rolling her shoulders as she pushed her head against the pillow. “Every part of me feels so heavy I can barely keep my eyes open.”
“That's to be expected.” Soft Cure tilted her head a little, her eyes wandering over to the machines next to Twilight's bed. “I can't get an accurate read of your pulse from here, but the machines would alert us if your heart rate was abnormal at all. It's a little hard to tell, but your pupils appear to be dilating at the expected rate they should with the light in the room... Your breathing looks fine, but I also can't be sure unless I take a closer look.”
Twilight couldn't help but blink as she watched the mare try to analyze her from the position in her own bed. “Are you in any condition to be trying to practice medicine?” She remarked.
“Heh, probably not.” Soft Cure lightly shook her head. “But I can't help it. I'm not used to being the patient. When things get stressful in my life, I sort of put my mind on my job until I can manage it, you know? I love what I do... And it's hard to do that just laying here.”
“I can understand that, I'm kind of the same way.” Twilight murmured as she turned to look up at the ceiling. “Whenever I end up faced with a problem, I usually turn to my books to try and find a solution for them. Though, lately I've learned that there are many problems you can't solve by looking into one.”
“How are you feeling mentally?” The bed-ridden nurse asked next. “When you were brought in you had several lacerations and bruises, but what worried the doctors the most was you had a nearly fatal case of magical exhaustion, the worst most of them had ever seen. They said it was a miracle your magical reservoirs weren't permanently damaged from how much stress you put on them, and that you'd likely be unconscious for at least two weeks. They managed to stabilize your magic, but you should still be feeling the repercussions of having your magic drained that much.”
Twilight couldn't deny that her mind was a heavy blanket trying to press down on her thoughts at the moment. She'd felt this way once or twice before in her youth, when she was still learning basic magic and trying to push her reservoirs to their limit. She'd only passed out from pushing them too far once, and she'd woken up with a similar fuzzy feeling in her head. She still felt twinges of it if she pushed her magic too far, but this was the first time it felt like the fuzzy feeling wanted to suffocate her.
“I can't deny that that's how it feels.” Twilight mumbled as she closed her eyes. “I pushed my magic far beyond the breaking point, and now it's affecting my everything...” Her mind was slow to process everything going on at the moment, even dulling her emotions to the situation. Soft Cure's words hadn't landed on deaf ears though, and within a moment something clicked in her mind and she turned to the mare again. “Wait... How long have I been asleep exactly?”
“If my mind's not going too, it's been six days.” Soft Cure said, quickly double checking in her own mind how many days had passed.
Twilight blinked, before trying to lift her head up off the pillow in shock, only to feel the exhaustion pull her back down and hitting it with a soft thwump. “Six days!? What happened to Ponyville!?”
Soft Cure thought it over a moment before speaking up. “Probably best to start from the beginning then. They haven't told me everything yet, though with you being the Princess's protege I'm sure they'll tell you the whole story soon.” The nurse shifted a little uncomfortably as she tried to figure out the proper place to start. “It seems that whatever happened was a town-wide event and we were all caught up in it. At some point Princess Luna noticed that the sun hadn't risen yet and decided to raise it herself before looking for Princess Celestia. The first place she went to look was Ponyville, and found the town covered in a thick fog.
“The pegasi were unable to clear it so they sent in a small search party to try and figure out what was going on. When they failed to return, the town was quarantined until the scholars from Canterlot could arrive to try and dispel it. They were studying it for hours when the fog finally began to clear up on it's own. With the fog clear, they went into town and found it's citizens. Most were shaken but unharmed, though several were severely injured...” Soft Cure's eyes wandered down to the heavy bandages on her own body.
“You and I were rushed to Canterlot General for a greater chance of survival and well... Here we are.” The nurse tilted her head up to look at the ceiling. “I've been pretty out of it myself, so it hasn't felt like much time has passed for me, but even I can tell days have passed without any horrific visions returning. Seems we made it out of there alive...”
Twilight wasn't comforted by the story, though knowing what happened on the outside did help put things into perspective. It hadn't been a single instance, everyone in town got caught up in whatever had happened. That most likely meant the bodies of the citizens she'd run into were the real deal.
That thought only made her tighten the grip on her sheets.
Before Twilight could ask the burning question that had risen to the top of her mind, two heavy knocks rang out from the door before the latch was turned and it swung open. Turning her head, walking into the room was someone Twilight recognized right away. She'd be hard pressed to find another pegasi that bore that striking red hair mixed with an amber coat, not to mention the worn down look of constant bags under his eyes.
He took a few steps in before raising an eyebrow in surprise, noticing that the patient he hadn't expected to be woken yet was staring at him.
“Miss Sparkle, I'm surprised to see you awake.” Lance didn't hide his genuine surprise from his voice, though it came out dulled with his usual tone. “I suppose there's no end to the miracles you can perform.” He closed the door behind him and walked up to examine his patient.
“Doctor Strongshy?” Twilight responded with her own surprise, the Doctor's hooves quickly pressing against her neck to check her heartbeat. “I thought you worked in Cloudsdale, what are you doing in Canterlot?”
“Special circumstances, all things considered.” He muttered simply, seemingly satisfied with her pulse. “A lot of Doctors have been diverted to the hospitals in Ponyville so Canterlot is a little short-staffed at the moment. Plus, you two are the most important cases for me at the moment, so I offered to handle your care and they agreed.”
“I see...” Twilight murmured, having a hard time coming up with a response to that. Lance quickly went through a few series of tests, checking her pupil dilation, her breathing rate, and other minor physicals to get a read on Twilight's condition.
“All things considered, you're very fortunate Miss Sparkle.” Lance explained, pulling out a clipboard and flipping the top page over. “You'll likely need bed rest for exhaustion for the next few days or so, but you're on track to making a full recovery.”
“What about the others?” Lance raised an eyebrow at Twilight's question. “My friend's, from Ponyville. Where are they, what happened to them?”
“Ah, the other element bearers.” Lance acknowledged once they came to mind, “Worry not Miss Sparkle, they are perfectly healthy and have been staying at a nearby hotel. They visited you an hour ago in fact, they'll be elated to hear you've awoken.”
The tension that had been building up in Twilight's chest loosened and her body sank into the bed in relaxation.
“They're okay...” Twilight murmured out loud, a faint smile coming to her lips as she let out a relaxed sigh. The town hadn't taken them from her, she still had her friends. She wanted to go out and see them right now, but she knew her body wouldn't make it on it's own. “How soon can I see them?”
“I'll send someone to get them as soon as I'm done checking up on you both.” Lance nodded with a smile. Twilight had to admit, from the few times she'd met the stallion she had found him to be somewhat cold and almost standoffish, even when he was trying to be open and polite to her. Seeing him at a patient's bedside painted a different picture of the stallion though, his bedside manners were incredible, it was almost as if he was an entirely different person.
The next person to speak was Twilight's stomach, a loud growl making it's way through the sheets. Twilight blinked and her face flushed a little at that.
“Heh, a perfectly normal reaction after having just woken up from days of sleep.” Lance nodded and wrote something down on the clipboard. “I'll send up for some dinner at the same time.”
“Thank you.” Twilight nodded as she leaned back into the comforts of her hospital bed. She was rather surprised with how comfortable it actually was now that she had a moment to relax and feel the sensations of her bed.
“Let me just check up on my other patient and I'll send for them.” Lance nodded as he made his way around Twilight's bed to Soft Cure's. Twilight simply nodded her head as she closed her eyes and let the warmth and comfort of her bed take hold of her.
“How you holding up Soft Cure?” Lance's voice asked almost soothingly.
“I'm recovering fine, though you look like you haven't been sleeping again.” Soft Cure scolded the doctor. “You won't do us any good if you're passing out.”
“You're probably the only patient I've ever had that would reprimand me for the state of my health.” Lance couldn't help but chuckle at that.
Their words were comforting for Twilight. It was almost like she could put everything that had happened behind her for the moment. Things had return to relative normality, she could afford to rest for a while longer.
*****
“TWILY!” The loud boisterous voice of Twilight's older brother filled the small hospital room after he had dramatically burst through the door. Twilight stopped mid chew of her hospital salad to look up in surprise.
Twilight quickly swallowed the bit of food in her mouth and let her mouth hang agape at the sight of the familiar face she hadn't seen in so long. Her eyes instantly began to sting with the feeling of tears welling up as the older stallion rushed over and wrapped his hooves around his little sister.
“Shining...” Twilight murmured, a big smile spreading on her face as she buried herself into her brother's barrel. The older, stronger stallion was already beginning to bawl like a big baby and it filled Twilight with so much warmth. Her own tears streamed down her cheeks and she wrapped her heavy legs around him in return. “How'd you get here so fast? I thought you'd still be on duty in the Castle.”
It took Shining several deep breathes to hold back his sobs to let go of Twilight from the hug long enough to look her in the eyes, a big smile on his face. “Once I got word that you were being sent here, I requested permission to be stationed here as a guard. I've been making my rounds in the hospital to ensure it's safety since you've been out. So the moment I heard you were awake I had to come and see you.” He shook his head and wrapped her in a tight hug once more, “Thank Celestia you're okay.”
Twilight flinched at the word Celestia, but eased back into the embrace of her brother. She could push thoughts of the Princess out of her mind for the moment and just focus on the here and now.
“Hey, any room for me?” Another familiar voice called out. Twilight blinked and pulled away from her brother for just a moment to look at a tall, pink mare with long purple, violet, and yellow hair that curled up around her side. Twilight blinked a few times, before noticing her wearing a set of familiar golden regalia as well as sporting a pair of wings at her side. “It's been a long time Twilight, I'm happy to see you again.”
The gears clicked in Twilight's mind just long enough for her name to appear in her mind and Twilight brightened up for the second time. “Cadance!” Twilight reached a free hoof out to the older mare and soon the three of them were embraced in a long deserved hug. “I haven't seen you in forever! I was so busy with my studies I haven't kept up with what you've been up to.”
“You always did have your head buried in the books.” Cadance lightly chuckled as she pulled back just enough to look Twilight in the eyes, though Shining seemed a little reluctant to stop hugging his baby sister. “I haven't been doing anything all that exciting anyway, mostly just a lot of formal Princess training and meeting with politicians. Nothing too extraordinary.” Cadance then let a smirk show through, “Oh, and dating your brother of course. Can't forget that one.”
Twilight's jaw went slack again as she looked between the two older ponies, blinking as if expecting one of them to speak up that it was a joke.
“Heh, surprise!” Shining tried to chuckle his embarrassment away over the news dropping.
“You're dating my Babysitter and a Princess of Equestria and you didn't tell me!?” Twilight let out an annoyed huff for a moment, before her lips trembled and she broke out into a big smile unable to keep up the facade of an angry little sister. “Oh my gosh, that's so wonderful! You two deserve each other so much!” She cheered, clapping her hooves together in excitement.
It was the best news she had heard in a long time.
“I thought you could use some good news after everything that had happened.” Cadance smiled as she leaned in and nuzzled against Twilight comfortingly. “They wouldn't tell us everything, but it seems you went through something pretty traumatic, and we just wanted you to know that we're here to support you. We've got your back no matter what.”
“I know you can take care of yourself, but if you ever need one of the strongest members of the royal guard to back you up, all you have to do is call.” Shining boasted proudly, before leaning in to nuzzle Twilight as well.
“Thank you... Both of you... Thank you so much...” Twilight murmured as she felt the tears starting to well up in her eyes again.
“Uh-oh, looks like this rooms about to get really crowded.” Soft Cure's voice chuckled from her viewpoint of the events. Twilight blinked and looked over at her hospital room partner, and noticed her eyes were looking out at the open door. Twilight turned to follow her gaze, and noticed a distinct assortment of colors racing down the hallway towards the room.
Shining and Cadance turned to look at the group of ponies racing towards the room, before grinning and stepping out of the way. Twilight braced herself for impact as the assortment of colors burst forth through the small opening.
“TWILIGHT!” The collective cheer of her five best friends cried out as she was swarmed with hugs in the next moment. Each of their voices scrambled together as they tried to say essentially the same thing, about how they were worried about her and that they had been visiting every day and they were so glad to see her awake now.
“Girls, I'm so glad you're all okay too.” Twilight laughed joyously, doing her best to return each of the hugs as more tears spilled down her cheeks. They were okay, all of them were genuinely okay. She sneaked peeks at Rarity's torso and saw no signs of scarring or bandages that would indicate having been pierced by a black sword, Fluttershy and Rainbow Dash were perfectly healthy, even Applejack seemed no worse for wear.
Each of the ponies with boundless energy found it within themselves to calm down just long enough to give Twilight some breathing room, soaking in the happiness that she was surrounded by those who cared about her most. She looked around at all of their faces, elated and overjoyed that they all cared so much about her, and that she cared so much about them. She didn't know what she would do if she lost any of them.
Though maybe it was the hazy fog still clouding her mind, she couldn't help but get the feeling that something was missing. A small niggling feeling in the back of her mind that she was forgetting about something.
“Is there anything we can get ya Twi? Food, drink, extra blankets, you name it.” Applejack spoke up, distracting Twilight from her thoughts.
“I'm okay for the moment, thank you. The staff have been very kind.” Twilight explained with a smile.
“You're not too hurt anywhere are you?” Fluttershy spoke up next, “No pain or anything we need to call a doctor for?”
“I've been very well looked after, and if I felt anything I'd tell them.” Twilight chuckled with a nod. They were doting over her, but she could forgive it for the moment, she'd probably be doing the same thing if she was in their place.
“How about things to pass the time? Books, comics, games, you name it I'm the mare for the job!” Pinkie bounded up, saluting Twilight ready to retrieve whatever was asked of her.
“Ah that's-... Well, maybe.” Twilight thought about that for a moment, “They mentioned I'd likely be resting her for a while, and I am pretty exhausted still. So getting some books later would help with that a lot.”
“When we see you next, I'll have a whole cart full!” Pinkie explained with a broad grin.
“It's good to have ya back Twi.” Rainbow grinned, placing a hoof on Twilight's shoulder and gently rocking her in camaraderie.
“I'll be bringing you some simple resting and walking attires to wear around the hospital, I know what they provide can be both drafty and unpleasant.” Rarity waved a hoof having seen several of the gowns around during her visits.
“Hey, those are standardized by the MAOE! They're optimized for both doctor and patient use as well as being economical.” Soft Cure defended the hospital's choice of dressing gowns.
“I'm sorry, the what darling?” Rarity asked glancing over at the other bed ridden mare.
“The Medical Association of Equestria.” Soft Cure pouted.
“Ho, hum, yes, and I'm sure they do a wonderful job with what's needed of them darling. But I'll be giving Twilight the clothes she needs, not what's mandated by standards.” Rarity tutted as she explained, a smile on her face. Soft Cure could only roll her eyes, though it was hard to keep a smile off her face.
“Thank you everyone, it means so much to me for you all to be here.” Twilight let out a relieved sigh as she leaned back against her upright pillow, feeling exhaustion starting to crash over her again. “I don't really need anything right now, just having you here is plenty.” She tried to suppress a yawn for a moment, but her bodily urges won and she left out a long tired yawn.
“Sounds like someone needs more sleep.” Fluttershy chimed in happily.
“That's all she's done for six days though.” Rainbow rebuked.
“Well hey, at least she'll wake up in a few hours this time.” Applejack chuckled.
“Sorry girls, exhaustion is sort of my biggest symptom right now. That and having a foggy head.” Twilight raised a heavy hoof to her head and rubbed it. “I want to spend more time with you, but I can feel myself fading.”
“Don't you worry about it for even a single second darling.” Rarity smiled placing a hoof against Twilight's, “You get your beauty rest and we'll be back before you even realize we're gone.”
“I'll make sure to let Mom and Dad know you've woken up so they can visit too.” Shining spoke up next.
“Thank you.” Was all Twilight could manage before letting out another tired yawn. She sunk into her warm pillow and felt her heavy eyelids close, sleep slowly coming to her. Though she was so happy to be surrounded by her friends and family, there was still that lingering feeling in the back of her mind that wouldn't go away even as she drifted off.
You're forgetting someone.
*****
“You're making excellent progress.” The nurse commented as Twilight walked slowly down the hallway. She'd been resting for two days in the hospital by now and her legs were finally starting to get some of their old strength back. She'd even been able to cast a few simple levitation spells here and there, though it was going to take quite a while before her magic had recovered enough to go back to daily use.
Walking was a simple enough exercise that was a standard measurement of a patient's progress, as Soft Cure had explained to Twilight, and it was better than laying in bed all day waiting for someone to visit. Pinkie had kept her promise and gave her an entire cart full of books to read, but she was already halfway finished with them at this point. Between sleeping, reading, eating, and visits, her days were trudging along at a slow pace.
With each step Twilight felt the lead returning to her limbs, making them heavier with each step and causing her breathing to become labored. She went as far as she could go, but with one last step she felt her legs ready to give out underneath her and she stood in place as they wobbled. The nurse placed the wheelchair she had brought along with them behind Twilight and she eased herself down into a sitting position on the device, letting out a sigh of comfort as the pressure was taken off her hooves.
“Very good! That was almost twice the length you walked yesterday. At this rate you'll be back on your feet before you know it!” The nurse smiled happily as she turned the wheelchair and they slowly made their way back to Twilight's room. Twilight lit her horn up and levitated a bottle of water in the cup holder on the chair to her mouth, taking careful, planned sips from the bottle and let it cool her down.
It was such an odd feeling to her to get that tired that easily now, especially with recurring memories of running through a fog filled Ponyville for what must have been hours on end. There were so many questions raised by that fog filled town that Twilight didn't even know where to begin processing them, let alone if she even wanted to. She just felt thankful that Celestia hadn't come to visit her yet. The girls had informed her that the Princess was going to wait till she had fully recovered, but Twilight had a sinking feeling that there was more to it than that.
“Well this is a pleasant surprise. Hello Miss Sparkle.” The hair on the back of Twilight's neck stood up as a shiver ran down her spine at the sound of that voice. Twilight lowered the bottle of water and looked in front of her, her eyes widening in surprise. Sitting in a wheelchair accompanied by his own nurse was a familiar stallion with blonde hair and a brown coat, with cold eyes. The stubble on his face had grown more pronounced since she’d last seen him and it still framed that creepy, wiry smile on his face.
“A friend of yours?” Twilight's nurse asked, looking down at her.
“...I guess you could call him that.” Twilight spoke under her breath, uncertain of how to feel finding Magus before her. She looked him over and realized that he had several bandages wrapped around his barrel and upper legs, most likely from where he'd been hit the last time she saw him. She had thought he had died in the otherworld, but it seems that not only had he made it out, he had been brought to Canterlot General as well.
“I'm glad to see you well Twilight. I admit though, I don't have any memories of what happened after I last saw you.” Magus brought a hoof to his head, rubbing it gently. He still spoke in that creepy way, as if his words were like snakes slithering out of his mouth rather than something meant to be listened to by pony ears.
“I guess I should be surprised you aren't dead after what happened.” Twilight said back, with a bit more bite to her words than she intended. She remembered she wasn't happy with him the last time they had met. He was a pony who was more trouble than he was worth.
“You did have a better view of the events than me.” Magus smiled his leering smile. “So tell me, how was your overall experience in that world? I have to admit, I learned quite a bit from my own trip into that land, I almost wish I could go again. I've already got my next book brewing in my head, I just need to get my hooves behind a typewriter and it'll be off to the publishers before I know it.”
“Listen, Magus? If I had the option to never remember what happened in that place, I would take the option in a heartbeat. I have no desire to return or to even understand how it works, so long as it's gone and everyone I know is safe.” Twilight's eyes began to glare daggers at the stallion. “Something you obviously don't care about at all. You were willing to put everyone's lives at risk for the sake of research. I know I've been fanatical, but I'd never go so far. I especially can't forgive you for letting-” Twilight's words stopped where they were as a sudden wave of realization hit her all at once.
Spike. Her mind screamed at her. You haven't seen Spike at all the past two days. You completely forgot about him.
“Well that's a shame Miss Sparkle, if you were willing I would have loved to have shared in the discoveries with you, but it seems I shall be alone.” Magus tutted a bit, before returning to his smile. “Well, I suppose that will have to suffice for now. If you ever feel like chatting about what we experienced, I'm sure you can find me. Let us go nurse.” Magus nodded to the nurse pushing his wheelchair, and the two of them moved away.
Twilight didn't even register his parting words, or the fact he was leaving. Her mind was reeling from the fact that she could remember now. The memories had been pushed into the far back of her hazy mind but they sprung up front and center as if they had only happened moments ago.
Spike, wrapped in the tendrils that had come out of Celestia's disfigured form, was talking to her, calling out to the pony he saw as a mother. And just when things were at their calmest...
...A spear had pierced his chest...
...And his lifeless body fell to ground...
Twilight's body began to tremble. Her last memory of Spike was his body hitting the floor, in the same place where her and Magus had sustained very real injuries from that fight. Didn't that mean Spike had as well? If Spike was around they would have mentioned him, said he was taking care of things in Ponyville or that he'd be around. That she would see him soon and she would hug him and everything would be alright.
They hadn't said a word. Spike wasn't coming to see her. That meant Spike couldn't come to see her. And the only reason he couldn't see her was because he was gone.
“Miss Sparkle? Are you alright?” The attending nurse asked, crouching beside Twilight to try and understand what was going on. Twilight had been reduced into a quivering mess, tears streaking down her cheeks as she tried to lift her head enough to look the nurse in the face.
“Where...” She hiccuped through her sobs, “Where is he!?” He voice was faint and muffled, but just clear enough for the attendant to hear them. She buried her face into her hooves as her emotions continued to overwhelm her, feeling as if her heart was shattering.
“Oh dear... Let's get you back to your room quickly.” The nurse offered what comfort she could, before quickly pushing the chair down the hall. It didn't take long to get back to the room, but Twilight couldn't keep herself together. She felt awful, after all that time spent in the otherworld ensuring he was safe, the moment she had left it she had forgotten about him. How could she have forgotten about someone so close to her, someone she saw as basically a son to her?
“Come on, let's get you up onto the bed.” The nurse spoke comfortingly rubbing Twilight's back. Twilight could only quietly nod through her labored breathing and hiccups. She stepped out of the wheelchair as best she could and the nurse guided her through the few steps to get back into bed. Twilight managed to get back in, resting her head on the pillow and squeezing her eyes shut as she sobbed. “Is there anything I can get you Miss Sparkle? Something to calm you down, like a glass of water?”
Twilight took a shuddering breath as she pressed her head down into the pillow. Her chest was tight and she wasn't sure if she could even speak. Her mind was still reeling from realization and it was hard to calm herself down to think rationally. There were only three people who had seen Spike, and if she had been found in Ponyville, Spike should have been as well. If her friends hadn't said anything yet, then it was likely because they had been told not to say anything just yet.
And there was only one person that would have given such a command.
“Actually... There is...” Twilight's voice hitched as she shook her head to try and clear the tears. She squeezed down on her sheets and tucked them into her chest. “I need you... To send a letter to Princess Celestia... I need to talk to her...”
“I-I see...” The nurse said, a bit of hesitation to her voice. “Yes, very well, I can get your brother to deliver it I'm certain. I'll send her a letter saying you're ready to see her.” She nodded her head and turned from the bed, heading out of the room and closing the door behind her.
Left with her thoughts once more, Twilight felt a twisting sense of dread rising in her chest. She had been putting off getting in contact with Celestia the last two days, wanting to just have time to clear her head and understand where she wanted to stand with the Princess.
But now she was the only one who was going to give her an answer to what happened with Spike. And she needed to know. She couldn't go on until she knew.
*****
Twilight wasn't sure how many hours it had been since she'd at least stopped crying. She was sitting up in her bed, back against the pillow as she tried to keep herself calm. Her mind was going through all the possible ways the situation could go down once Celestia walked through the door, but Twilight knew all too well from previous experiences that it likely wouldn't matter in the end. Her only rational was that thinking of the scenarios in her head at least calmed some of her nerves, though the nervous tension in her chest wouldn't go away until she had gotten her answers.
“You know, I've never actually met Celestia in person.” Soft Cure gave a soft chuckle, trying to lighten the mood. Twilight almost kept forgetting she was there with how much she kept to herself. “I've only ever seen her from a distance. I'll never forget her showing up at Lance's graduation, it was such an important moment for everyone back then.”
“She went to his graduation?” Twilight asked, genuinely curious. “She doesn't usually go to graduations, what was so special about that one?”
“Tell me Twilight... Do you think it's weird that Lance and I are pegasi in the medical field?”
“...Not really, no. Should I?” Twilight tilted her head as she tried to think over those words.
“Well, you'd have Lance to thank for that.” Soft Cure showed a genuine smile. “Lance was the first pegasi to ever graduate from Manehatten University in the decades it had been established for. Without even realizing it, he broke a social barrier preventing pegasi from having medical jobs by being one of the best doctors to ever come out of there. He was an inspiration for a lot of us, and it's why I'll always owe him a debt for being able to do the work I do.”
“I see... Yeah, I suppose that would be a good reason for her to go...” Twilight looked away from Soft Cure, her brow furrowing. She had to admit, Soft Cure talking to her had indeed helped calm her nerves for a moment, but with the conversation having reached it's end Celestia was back on her mind.
The images of the horrific deeds Celestia had committed came to mind once more. The face of a fearsome, cold-blooded tyrant that razed thousands of her own subjects without blinking. A face that truly lacked mercy when faced with a foe.
But that wasn't the Celestia Twilight knew, the one she had grown up with, the one that Soft Cure spoke of in her story. Celestia was a kind, wise, and noble leader, who always seemed to know what to do or say in almost any situation. At the same time though, there was always a guarded look to her, as if she wore a mask to hide her true face, to hide her heart from the world.
Twilight had seen the mask before, but she had always pushed the thought aside, thinking that it was just her imagination getting out of hand. Looking back now, there were more obvious signs that Celestia wasn't always open and honest with her, being cryptic and hidden at seemingly the most random of times. What scared her was the thought that the benevolent ruler of the kingdom, the one she had looked up to and loved for so many years, wasn't wearing a mask to hide sadness or despair, but rather to hide the face of the tyrant. To hide a madman waiting for an excuse to break out and terrorize the land once again.
The thought of seeing Celestia in that state again filled her stomach with a cold dread.
Twilight's thoughts were interrupted by the sound of a heavy hoof knocking on the door three times. Her eyes widened with realization as she turned her head to look at the door as it creaked open, revealing the regal white alicorn that stood behind it.
Princess Celestia stepped into the hospital room, her heavy hooves echoing loudly in Twilight's ears. She forced herself to look Celestia in the eyes, seeing the monarch's ever present humble smile plastered on her face. Though from years of knowing her, Twilight could tell that the smile was a front, one she used when she knew the next conversation she was going to have was going to be a hard one.
The look only tightened the knot she felt in her throat.
“Twilight, my faithful student, I am relieved to see you awake and well.” Were the first words out of the monarchs mouth. Celestia seemed to hesitate on her hooves at that moment. If Twilight had to guess, the monarch wanted to lean in and nuzzle her affectionately like she used to, but the action didn't feel right for this situation and Twilight would have to agree.
“I'm... Glad to see you're safe too Princess...” Twilight managed to force out. On some level the statement was true, but it wasn't the pressing matter at hand. Twilight shifted uncomfortably in her bed, uncertain of what to say next or how to start broaching the conversation. Fortunately, Celestia began for them.
“Are you well enough for us to go somewhere private?” Celestia spoke up, lifting her head to look at the bandaged Soft Cure in the bed over.
“Sorry your highness. I'd leave but... Well, hard for me to move on my own.” Soft Cure gave a sheepish smile as her cheeks burned with embarrassment.
“Please, think nothing of it my little pony. The last thing I would want is to inconvenience your recovery with my presence.” Celestia explained in that calming authoritative way she always used.
“I have enough strength to walk for a little while, but... I-I'd bring a wheelchair. I'll probably collapse before too long.” Twilgiht explained awkwardly, still shifting uncomfortably.
“Very well, I will bring one with us though we won't be doing much walking.” Celestia explained, raising a hoof up and gently placing it on Twilight's shoulder. Celestia's horn then lit up in it's usual golden regal glow and before she even noticed, the two of them traversed through a rend in space, emerging within the comfortable confines of Celestia's private chambers.
Twilight recognized where she was instantly, though found her mind focused on her balance at the moment. Her legs were still wobbly and weak, and she knew she wouldn't have the strength to stay on them for long. Celestia had planned for this though, and within moments of arriving the usual coffee table was being set up with two luxury silk pillows placed on either side and a tray of hot tea and fresh cakes were laid out atop it. Recognizing the invitation, Twilight took a few shaky steps over to the table before resting her haunches down onto the thick pillow. Celestia soon took her usual spot opposite of her and already began preparing the tea the way the two of them liked.
With the treats passed between them, Twilight carefully grabbed hold of the cup of tea and brought it up to her lips. The familiar and warm taste of herbal liquid made it's way down her throat, sweetened to just the right consistency that she liked, a preference memorized from years of having small meetings with Celestia that went just like this. Twilight quickly licked her lips as she looked down into the reflection of herself in the tea's murky water.
The very sensation of drinking the warm drink readied to her exact specifications without having to say a word reminded Twilight just how much Celestia had cared for her over the years of them knowing each other. Though Twilight had hoped the thought would bring comfort, it only reminded her of how hard their conversation was about to be.
“I suppose there is no easy way for us to broach this,” Celestia was once again the first to speak up, “So I suppose we should just face it head on.” Twilight's ears flattened on her head as Celestia took a deep breath to steady herself before looking at her student. “I can't begin to know what you faced in that world you found yourself trapped in... But I can only assume one thing. You saw my past, didn't you?”
Twilight wanted to shrink in her spot, to maybe vanish or disappear. Perhaps there was a spell that would allow her to do so, but she knew there was no escaping this. She had faced adversity and horror the likes she thought she would never see in her entire lifetime, facing the Princess should've been easy in comparison. So why was it so hard?
“...Yes Princess...” Was all she could say in reply, a quiet utterance of a response than a proper admission.
“I see...” The Princess spoke quietly, placing her teacup down onto its saucer. “It was never my intention to hide what I have done from you. I planned to tell you one day, but only once I felt you were ready to hear the true history of Equestria, not the one passed down in altered history books.” Celestia quietly shook her head, closing her eyes. “I have not always been the benevolent ruler you grew up with. During the darkest days of my rule over Equestria, I allowed my anger and rage to boil to the surface and cloud my judgment. Back then... I was no better than Nightmare Moon...”
Twilight could feel the weight of Celestia's sorrow in her voice. This wasn't easy for her either, no matter how practiced the monarch was in her centuries of ruling.
“If it was not for Merlin, I likely would not have come back to my senses.” Celestia's eyes opened, though they stared down at her tea for comfort. “At my worst moment, when I was buried under the sin of having killed thousands of my own subjects... Merlin sacrificed himself for me. He chose to take the blame for what I had done. He had convinced everyone that it was him without me knowing, and no matter what I said I could not dissuade the people of his story. He was sentenced to death... and my name was cleared of their deaths.
“However, that doesn't mean I was absolved of my sins, far from it. When I spoke to Merlin before his sacrifice, his very words were “You are the one Equestria needs. Another scholar with magic will come around, but you will rule for centuries to come. So become the ruler they need once more.” Those words changed my entire life...” Celestia paused a moment to reflect on her own words, bringing her tea cup up to sip on it once more before returning to her story.
“With his passing, I realized how cruel I had become. How even looking into the mirror terrified me, and it was then that I realized why my sister had turned out the way she had. I was becoming a monster myself, and if I did not wish to share her fate, I had to change. Not just for myself, but for all of my citizens, to do better by them. I forged a pact with myself that day, to never forget what I had done, to continue to live on and to rule them, so that in the future they could truly know peace. And for the last millennium, everything I have done has been for that goal...”
Celestia's horn lit up and from somewhere in the room an item was lifted up and brought to the table. It was placed down just in front of the tea and cake before Twilight, and she blinked in realization of what it was. She'd never mistake the sheer black color of that blade embedded into a golden handle.
“This sword was Merlin's greatest accomplishment. Forging an unbreakable object into the shape of a sword. I can't imagine there is a more powerful blade in all of Equestria. And if I know Merlin as well as I do, the reason you had it in that world was because he always intended for you to have it one day. So, this blade is now yours Twilight, to do with as you see fit.”
Twilight stared at the blade in quiet contemplation. It had essentially followed her throughout that other world, sometimes hurting her, sometimes helping her, before ultimately being her main weapon. On one hoof she felt revolted by the blade, but on the other it felt like it already belonged to her. She wasn't entirely certain what to make of it.
She thought back to how essential the sword had been to everything that had happened to her back then. The images of her trying to free Celestia from her chains came to mind, before Celestia had mutated into that wretched abomination. And before Spike had...
“Princess...” Twilight's voice hitched, as she remembered why she had called for the Princess in the first place. “...Where's Spike?”
Celestia didn't reply right away, closing her eyes somberly at the question. Twilight bit her lip, waiting for a response, not ready for what she knew was coming. Celestia stood up from her spot and walked over to Twilight, placing her hoof on her shoulder once more.
“There is one more place we must go Twilight.” The Princess explained, and Twilight could only quietly nod her head. Celestia's horn glowed with a regal glow before space twisted around them once more.
In that instance the two of them went from the warm comforts of Celestia's chambers to the bright outdoors. A gentle breeze was flowing over the area, slightly chilling the air. Twilight looked around at her new surroundings for a moment, realizing where she was. She had only been there once or twice before as a filly, but it was a place she chose to stay away from most of the time.
Canterlot cemetery, where the dead were put to rest. In front of them was a small statue, about as tall as Twilight, carved out into the form of a baby dragon and smiling an all too familiar smile. At the bottom of the statue was a small plague that read “Here Lies Spike 'The Dragon' Sparkle.”
Twilight's breath caught in her throat as she stared at the fresh grave. She felt the sting return to her eyes as the reality of the situation hit her. She raised a quivering hoof up to the statue and placed it against the cold surface, feeling the reality of the gravestone.
Spike really was gone. He hadn't made it out of that fog filled town with the rest of them.
“When Merlin died...” Celestia's spoke, a mournful tone to her voice, “I vowed to myself that I would do better by my subjects. That I would become a ruler that they could look up to and love, not cower or fear. That I would bear my sins and that I would never again commit such a heinous act...” For the first time in Twilight's life, she heard the Princess's voice hitch, as if she was the one suppressing the desire to cry.
“But I failed you all that day...” Celestia closed her eyes. “In that world, when I was... Consumed... By the power of that world flooding my body because of that stallion's symbol... The weight of my sins broke my mind. Everything I felt those thousand years ago came flooding back, and in my state, I could not control myself.”
Twilight turned to look at Celestia, her teacher looking away ashamed, tears brimming at the edges of her eyes. “For a brief moment I realized that I held Spike... That I looked into his eyes and I heard his voice. In that moment, I heard him call me mother... And I...” Celestia shook her head, lowering her head. “I saw my own mother... My own mother caring for a dragon of her own. A dragon that said he loved her... Only to grow up to slaughter so many... Who vowed to take everything away. And when I saw him in Spike...”
“Princess...” Twilight fought her breath from breaking into a sob, the tears already streaking down her face.
“I can never take back what I've done Twilight. In my rage I took Spike from you... From us... And there is nothing that can bring him back now.” Celestia took a slow, shuddered breath as she forced herself to not break down at that moment. “I do not ask your forgiveness Twilight... What I have done is unforgivable...”
Twilight couldn't find words to speak, only letting her body give in to the weight of her words. She turned to face Spike's statue once more. She moved in a little closer to the block of stone, wrapping her legs around it and burying her face into Spike's stone shoulder. She let her sobs out onto the stone statue, just letting her pain and sorrow out.
Even if in the end Spike hadn't seen her the same way, she had considered him a son. She didn't know why it had taken her so long to realize that. That she loved Spike that way, but now that he was gone there was nothing she could do or say for him.
She'd never see his smiling face again, she'd never see him carrying some reference book for her to look over, he'd never hover with romantic intentions toward Rarity again, he'd never bake his famous seven layer nachos, and she'd never have one of her closest friends from her childhood.
Every sob poured those lost emotions into the rock’s shoulder, her sobs echoing out into the quiet graves around them. She let everything out in that one, long sob, hoping even a fraction of her love could reach Spike wherever he was now.
It was several moments before Twilight's sobbing began to quiet, broken down into hiccuping heavy breaths. Once she seemed to have finally calmed down, she slowly and shakily removed her arms from around the stone monument. She sniffed once more and saw a small towel raised before her, held within Celestia's magic. She gently took it with her hoofs and wiped at her face, just holding it against her fur as she continued to calm down.
“Nothing I can do can ever make up for what I've done Twilight.” Celestia repeated. “But if there is anything I can ever do for you, do not hesitate to ask. More than anyone, you deserve that much from me.”
“Anything, huh?” Twilight sucked in a breath, lowering the towel as bitter resentment filled her mind. “So if I said I wanted to kill you in kind, you'd give me the pleasure?”
“...If that would satisfy your anger, I would.” Celestia quietly nodded. “Though I would ask in return that I get all of my affairs in order, so that the kingdom will be taken care of in my absence.”
Twilight clicked her teeth at that. “I believe you... Though as you said, there’s nothing that will bring Spike back...” She shook her head, squeezing her eyes shut as she lowered her head. “You told my friends not to tell me about Spike, didn't you?”
“I had to be the one to tell you Twilight. Please do not be angry at them for what I have done.”
Twilight wasn't comforted by the words, but she could already feel her anger starting to slip away. Maybe she really had spent too much time in that otherworld, killing too many beings that were horrific abominations. To even suggest killing Celestia meant she could consider her teacher a monster in some way.
“Princess...” Twilight began, before shaking her head and looking up at the alicorn with tired eyes. “Celestia... Can you take me back now? I just... I need time to myself... To think about... Everything...”
“Of course my student.” Celestia nodded her head understandingly. She placed a gentle hoof on Twilight's shoulder once more, and in a blink they were gone, leaving the cemetery in the quiet state it had once been before they arrived.
*****
The front door of Golden Oak Library creaked open as Twilight took her first steps back into her home. Her horn lit up and several lanterns placed around lit up with a familiar warm light that flooded the makeshift house and library.
“I'm home.” Twilight spoke up to the empty house, knowing there'd be no response in return. She stepped into the familiar confines and closed the door behind, hearing the quiet echo bounce off the walls. It had been a week since she saw the Princess and her recovery was finally at a point where they felt confident letting her head home. Her friends had been with her the entire time, but when it finally came time to enter her house, she asked for a moment alone and they had agreed.
She walked over to the center of the room, the familiar table and horse head statue sitting there waiting like it always had. A few scattered books lay on the table, though one familiar one caught her.
Dreams: A Psychological Understanding.
Twilight grit her teeth at the book. Her first instinct was to set the book afire, to burn it and try to wipe it from her memory. She levitated it up with her magic, her next instinct to throw it and see how much damage it would take. However, she did neither of those things. She walked over to one of the nearby bookshelves, opened a hidden compartment behind it and shoved it away, hiding it from view unless it was absolutely needed again.
With the damnable book locked away, Twilight scanned the house once more. The rest of it was left exactly how it had been left when she went to bed the night after the wedding. A small layer of dust had started to gather, but nothing a light dusting wouldn't handle. A light dusting Spike would usually take care.
A knot formed in her chest as she moved on, making her way up the stairs and towards her bedroom. At the top of the stairs was a spacious area that accounted for not only the second floor of the library, but also her bedroom. To one side was a small closet like space where she kept her belongings. Reaching into her magic, she pulled out the possession Celestia had given her, the regal black sword that once belonged to Merlin.
She levitated it into the space and hung it against the wall, a location she could remember and summon it from in a moment’s notice if need be, but otherwise hidden from the world. She didn’t know if she was ever even going to need the sword again, but Merlin’s words came back to counter those thoughts. He had seen her as the savior of Equestria several times over, in the back of her mind she knew she was going to need it again some day.
With a sigh she turned from the closet and took one more flight of circular stairs that led up to a small balcony area on the same floor where Spike and her had spent so much of their time together. On the floor near her carpet was the small basket he had slept in, left as messy as it had been when they woke up in that awful world.
“Oh Spike...” Twilight murmured quietly as she ran a hoof against his pillow. She didn't realize just how much she took having him around for granted now. The place felt so empty, so quiet without him. She was going to sleep there and not have the rhythmic sounds of Spike's snoring to help her fall asleep, or know that if anything happens that he could wake her up or she could protect him. She was alone now.
Twilight felt her breathing hitch and she moved from the basket to lay on her bed. Maybe if she fell asleep this might all go away, maybe she'd wake up and life would go back to the way it was before everything had happened. She just wanted one of her best friends back.
“Oof!” Twilight grunted as something slightly heavy landed on her body. She let out a grunt as she lifted her head and looked down at what had landed on her, finding a somewhat unfamiliar book having made it’s way there. She raised an eyebrow curiously before looking up and seeing Owlowiscious sitting above her with that ever blinking stare of his.
“Whoo.” The owl spoke up, as if speaking about the book.
“...What is this?” Twilight asked curiously, knowing her pet owl couldn't give her a proper response. She grabbed the book and opened the front page and read it.
The private diary of Spike the Dragon. Do not read unless you are the coolest dragon around!
There was a quirky little doodle of a grinning dragon near the bottom of the page.
“Oh... Oh Owlowiscious... I... I can't...” Twilight held back the urge to break into fresh sobs, her hoof on the page.
“Whoo.” He responded, as if encouraging her. Twilight chewed on her bottom lip, fresh tears already starting to form at the edge of her eyes. Twilight rubbed her eyes and swallowed the knot that had formed, and hesitatingly turned to the next page.
Dear Diary
Hi, I'm Spike! I'm a dragon! Pretty impressive I know. I decided that with how hectic my life can get helping Twilight around her study that it'd be a good idea to start keeping a diary! You never know when you'll want to look back on awesome memories right?
Anyways, since this is my first entry let me tell you about something hilarious that happened today! Twilight was studying for one of her tests and her spell misfired and her hair turned bright red! She looked just like Moondancer, it was hilarious! Of course I couldn't let her live it down easily and cracked a lot of my awesome jokes.
It was all in good fun though and I made it up to her by making her that daisy salad she likes so much. I can't wait to see what awesome fun we have tomorrow!
The Great Dragon, Spike
Twilight let out a soft chuckle, followed by another. Her lips trembled as she laughed, hot tears spilling down her cheeks. She remembered that day, she remember Spike's jokes, she remembered his laugh, she remembered how much she loved him and how much he loved her.
“Oh Spike...” Twilight choked out between her laughter and her sobbing. “I'll never forget you...” She took a deep sniff and reached a hoof over and turned to the next page.
She spent the rest of the day slowly reading every page, and remembering her lost son.
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While I'm still upset that best dragon is still dead. I do like the ending to this a hell of a lot more then the first one my friend.
Ya know, I've always had a problem with the ending when you first released it. I too felt it was kinda rushed and it didn't hold enough of an impact that the rest of the story was building up to.
However, I'm glad you went back and wrote a new ending. This one was a MUCH needed improvement, and felt a lot more somber than the original, giving it that very emotional punch, taking away the predictable anger originally utilized and gave way to sorrow, disillusionment, and acceptance.
Very well done.
Glad to see this story wasn't forgotten.
I have to say when my favorites tab pinged I was confused. Then when I saw I had somehow "missed" a chapter, I was even more-so. Then I immediately dived in and I have to say sometimes you really do have to just take a massive step back even if it is a couple years and find out what's really wrong. Taking your pet projects apart can be a taxing task but if you really do just want your story to be everything you know it is then it's never truly impossible.
I vastly enjoyed this ending over the previous one. Even though when you really think about it, at it's base nothing really changed. You just told the ending in a much better fashion. You gave the characterization a much better form than what was there before, which was ultimately the issue there and what stopped this gem from truly shining. A hilarious comparison could actually be the Mass Effect Series if you every played all three. Because one and two were unanimously loved and the same was there for about 99% of three, then that ending happened. Unfortunately in a lot of peoples eyes even if the entire game is good, story in this case, if that ending doesn't top it off on it's way down it crashes the rest.
As for a Silent Ponyville 4. Once you delve out if Mane 6 though it becomes easier to create headcanon it also means it's easier to phone it in which is what a good amount of people would expect for no good reason. While if another came out I'd be immediately on board ideas and thoughts before hand would be good. As well as building in this story like before. Though I will admit, I can think of a pretty interesting concept that may not focus on one of our 3 left but it can certainly include her for a good deal of it. And it can take some fleshing out of another of the main backgrounders to boot. I'd gladly throw it at ya so you can debunk it
I really hope there is an afterward where Celestia and Twilight mend and possibly improve their relationship, even if HE is Dead.
Wow, Silent Ponyville eh? The original was my first fanfic, and I can't even remember how I found it on your DA page. I enjoyed all of them, but I very much remember having the original ending leave a sour taste in my mouth. That being said, I clicked on this mysterious true ending and the whole story came back at once. Might give them a re-read.
As for a SP4, Sunset Shimmer might be a a good character to use. Or Starlight Glimmer. Either way a new SP would be incredible. Good luck man.
Sam, even the real Silent Hill was only great for the first three games. You have no obligation to write any more.
This was a great trilogy, one of the best actually. You are an amazing writer and I'd love to see you move on to something else, I feel like this series is done. The journey was thrilling, and the destination phenomenal, I think it would be best to let it rest. Thank you for writing this chapter, it made me remember why Silent Ponyville had sucked me in so hard the first time I read them, and inspired me to read them again. This even prompted me to create another bookshelf for these three stories and others that are my favorite all time stories, just because I want to reread them, which is something I almost never do with any book. But the story is done, it has reached the end of the rail on a damned high note and blew me away, anything else beyond this point is unneeded.
Seriously man, this whole trilogy was wonderful, and I'd like to thank you for sharing it with me.
My most recent dark fic was a horror-mystery inspired by the first Five Nights at Freddy's game and a story I'm familiar with from the scriptures. My first dark fic was inspired by someone else's fiction, in which I wrote my own version of it, then my idea of its opposite.
At any rate, if you're looking for an idea for another Silent Ponyville story, maybe my horror-mystery fic could serve. If it helps, whatever inspiration you take from the story, you can put a different character in as the villain. And, from the perspective of my having taken inspiration from other sources, it'd be safe to say that my horror-mystery fic isn't exactly original.
This is better ending then the first one you made thgat's for sure. I do hope Twilight will forgive Celestia one day but I'm glad you didn't in this ending because it going to take time for Twilight to forgive Celestia even if didn't mean to kill him.
I saw this in my updated favorites sitting and I was like: "Huh? Did I miss something?"
At this point, after finishing this I have to say that I lack the memory to say that this ending is better or worse. I probably have to re-read the whole series to order everything. So I will safe my opinion on this for now.
Atleast the writing was good.
Really good ending, a proper send off to an amazing trilogy. Using an oc for SP4, if you do write it, could work. It would certainly allow for a lot more creative freedom. It would be hard to pull off, but I do think it could be worth it, and truth be told the Silent Hill series needs stories like Silent Ponyville right now.
Well then, I was going to leave a long rambling comment on how I was disappointed in this story, but I'm surprisingly satisfied with this ending and you've pretty much sumed up all of my feelings about it in your authors note, so I guess there's not much to say other than if you want to continue this series with an original character, you should, but good luck out doing reunion, if it's ever finished that is.
Ok, after rereading this, I've been able to put everything I found wrong with it into a few unanswered questions.
1: Why and how was all of that real?
2: What happened to and what does any of that have to do with the mind delve.
3: Why was Twilight seeing Clestias memories?
4: What was Lance doing there?
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The implication is, and always was supposed to be, that the events of what happened in the Silent Ponyville fics were really happening, and that the characters were very-much-so in real danger, it just didn't effect the town directly previously. Something in Ponyville was causing the events to happen, Twilight was supposed to have confronted it this fic.
I have no idea who you meant to say in this question, but the Mind Delve is just a spell. There's an entire side-fic that explains that the Mind Delve really is just that, a spell that lets you explore your subconscious and memories. It was made by a very eccentric pony, but it's just a spell.
Because the thing that caused the Otherworldly Ponyville to occur grabbed hold of Celestia and spread that outwards, so Twilight saw all of her memories.
Lance was in Ponyville for the wedding of Fluttershy and Rainbow Dash, so he got caught up in everything happening.
I saw that the new ending was added in January (I'm not getting e-mail alerts from this site anymore for some reason, so I have to remember to check up on the stories I'm following, and I stumbled onto this recently), so ... I actually re-read this entire story, including the original ending, just so I could read the new ending and see how it was different.
I'm really glad you wrote this. The original ending did feel rushed, and ... abrupt? Like ... I honestly thought the flashbacks to Celestia's past were set up in such a way that one could see that she was flawed and making mistakes and it escalated, not that she was evil. Yet I could see Twilight having a bad reaction to it, but that maybe in time she would be able to forgive Celestia, or at least be able to see her side of it. I think I was looking forward to some sort of conversation where we heard Celestia's side of the story and things wouldn't seem so black-and-white. Instead, Twilight was just all, "Screw you! I'm gonna rule my own kingdom with blackjack and hookers!" ... the end =P
But this one was much better. It had that conversation that I felt needed to be there. I also liked seeing that Lance and Soft Cure were okay (god help me, they really grew on me during Reunion =P) I'm almost disappointed that Magus survived--I think I kinda liked the idea of him dying stupidly like the original Vincent (not that I don't love Vincent, I just got a kick out of that parallel).
Also, I complained about the prose in an earlier chapter, but that's gotten a lot better too.
That's about all I can think of to comment on, other than I'd be open to a SP4 revolving around a side character. If nothing else, you'd have a lot more freedom and it'd be less likely to get de-cannonized by the show =P
Well this gave me emotions.
Lots of emotions.
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Any confirmation on SP4? Ooorrrr... a in-between? Or did you make it and I just missed it?
Whether or not it has been confirmed to ever actually happen or not, amazing story! I read the series back in 2016 and just came back for a reread. (yes, that wasn't really that long ago
)
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https://www.fimfiction.net/story/373014/silent-ponyville-4
Though don't expect super fast updates, chapters will come out like once every couple months alongside the audio readings heh
I know I may never get the answer but I'm confused about how it all started? Did somepony cast a spell on Celestia or...?