Twilight's Equestria - The After Years

by BPM

Chapter 7

"Impossible? Why Twilight, whatever could you mean? As you see, I'm clearly standing before you." Crimson Dusk circled around the princess, eyeing her growth over the years.

"My my, the years have been kind. You don't look like you've aged at all, while I... well. As the state you see me in, Princess." Crimson bowed a little, the lines of age and his unkempt mane shining in the moonlight. His coat was rough, with jagged sharp obtrusions here and there and a large scar across his chest.

"What happened to you? How are you still alive? What is this place?" Twilight asked in bewilderment.

"Surely you know already." As Crimson said these words, a dark shadow flitted across his pupils, undetected by Twilight.

"This place... the moon - it couldn't be the Mirror World?"

"So far, so good."

"Then... you brought me here?" Twilight pressed.

"Yes. Unfortunately, I am not as talented in magic as you, and so it has taken me this long to call you here. It wasn't easy, building enough magical power to pull you here undetected." Crimson continued matter-of-factly.

"I don't understand - couldn't you have just sent a message instead of pulling me here without notice?" Twilight asked, impatience growing in her voice.

"You'll understand once you see."

"See what?" Twilight was quite irked now.

"Just come with me."

Crimson led Twilight further into the wood, the shadows of the leaves under ominous moonlight unsettling Twilight.

"How... how has Rarity been?" Crimson asked meekly.

"She's been... successful. You have a daughter."

"A daughter! " This revelations brought Crimson to a halt. "I... didn't know."

Unfazed, Twilight continued walking forward. "You only have yourself to blame for that. It's your fault that you ended up here, anyway. How could you just abandon Rarity like that? She cried herself to sleep for so many nights after you left."

"I never wanted to hurt her. I loved her."

"Hmph. You have some gall to still say that. Now why have you brought me here? How can I get back to Equestria?"

Crimson sighed. "I only had the power to bring you here, but you've got something wrong."

"What? You summoned me here without a way to go back?"

"That's not the least of your problems here. You asked me where we were. We're in Equestria. Or at least, Equestria under the rule of Queen Celestia."

"Celestia is here? Wha- Queen?!"

"Celestia never told you?" Crimson seemed surprised.

"Told me what?"

"Well you'd find out eventually as its common knowledge here, but..."

"Spit it out, Crimson." Twilight's patience just snapped. She was tired of waiting for all these answers.

"Look over there." Crimson pointed across a clearing.

Twilight stepped over and saw a cliffside from where she had a clear view of Ponyville. But no, this couldn't be Ponyville... Everything was gone. Sugarcube Corner, or the place it used to be was just a scorch on the ground. The Apple family farms laid to waste across the country side. The schools, gone. Her castle... wasn't even there.

"What is this, Crimson? I thought the Mirror World was exactly the same as our world!"

"It used to be. Until Princess Celestia came over from our world."

"She never came here-"

"I assure you that she did. And she fell in love. With Sombra."

"That's just insane."

Crimson paid her no mind. "Celestia out of love, kept coming back to see Sombra. Those trips eventually lead to a great danger - the bridging of worlds of this world and Equestria proper. It's because of her love for Sombra that I was able to slip here in the first place."

"If what you say is true, why hasn't Celestia told me about any of this?"
---

"Rarity! You finally made it." Applejack was the first to notice Rarity touching down and coming to the study.

"Blueblood filled me in on my way here - how can we help Twilight come back?" Rarity responded, getting right to business.

Celestia moved towards the window in somber disgrace.

"We can't. The doors to the Mirror World have long since been closed on our side." Luna responded.

"Why can't we just open them?" Rarity asked.

"Because it can't be opened by the ponies who closed it, and no one else has enough magical energy to open it." Celestia sighed.

"So that means..." Applejack gasped.

"Yes. Luna and I closed the door to the Mirror World years ago. I... I couldn't give myself the temptation of going back to see Sombra."

"What?! Sombra - you mean King Sombra?" Rainbow croaked.

"He was different there. A kind, peaceful ruler. Nothing like the Sombra we know here. He was sweet to me - it tore me apart to leave him..." Celestia was caught in a rare moment of vulnerability, tears streaming down her face.

"My Sister's...tryst" Luna spat,"with this Sombra almost destroyed both our worlds. We had to close the door - permanently to prevent this world from collapsing. But Equestria had never fully recovered from the bridge between ours and that other Equestria."

"I was ashamed that my actions caused such calamity for Equestria. I thought that if it had gotten out, the ponies would deem me unfit to rule and revolt."

"Be that as it may, our goal right now should be getting Twilight back, not your failed romance." Rarity said harshly, remembering Ruby's father and quickly deducing that it was Celestia's relationship that had ended up tearing Ruby from a complete family.

"Quite right, Rarity." Luna looked to her sister. "But what can we do?"

"Only an alicorn has the power to open the doors again. We must ask Cadence."

The five recoiled at the name. "She's not the same pony anymore." Rarity added. "When Flurry ran away, a part of herself went with her. There's no way she'd work with us - even to save Twilight."

"Heck, Twilight barely managed to meet with her to discuss that trade bargain a few weeks ago! I reckon she's tighter than a duck's bum right now." Applejack said.

"We still have to try." Fluttershy countered. "Twilight is our friend, and we have to try our best for her."

"I may know of a way we can get Cadence's favor." Luna walked over to a map of Equestria laid across a nearby desk. "Before Twilight slipped into the other world, she was looking for Flurry. That was part of the arrangement she had with Cadence to even meet."

"Twilight found her out on the edges of southern Equestria. The report states that she was last seen there preparing for a trip to Maretania. If you find Flurry and bring her home to Cadence, she may find it in her heart to help us in this task." Celestia rolled up the map and levitated it into Applejack's satchel.

"Wow! Maretania! I've never been there before! This'll be fun!" Pinkie tried to lighten the mood, but the dreary atmosphere continued, slightly deflating her hair.

"Wait, Maretania?" Rarity looked to Rainbow Dash.

"That's where Spike is heading for the Dragon Migration! If we're lucky, we'll run into him. If we're going to find Flurry, we should take him with us. Flurry's always been fond of him."

"Hurry, my little ponies. If Twilight has been called to the Mirror World unwillingly, there's no telling what might happen to her." Celestia ordered. "We sisters will stay in Canterlot. I've let Twilight take so many duties in running the kingdom, I worry about what would happen if her disappearance became widely known."

"Good Luck, my friends." Luna whispered.
---

Author's Note:

I thought myself clever until I did some background reading into Celestia's past. Stupid comic books.