Chapter the Second
“Well, here we are!”
Twilight smiled excitedly as Mayor Mare opened the door to the library. The door swung inward to revealing the dusty floor which starkly contrasted the bright and blue Ponyville day behind them. She took scope of all it, the dreary atmosphere, the sparse spaces, even the gutted shelves. Radiant literary possibility shone from them all.
“Thank you Mayor Mare. The Princess could easily have arranged all of this for me, but this is something I just had to do for myself,” the unicorn said as she stepped inside the library. Layers of dust came unsettled as she set careful hooves on the floor. She did her best not to disturb the sleeping dragon on her back. They had left Canterlot on the midnight train, an hour at which a baby dragon should have been sleeping.
Mayor Mare followed her inside but kept close to the door. She had chosen to spare what little free time she had for this very special pony, one whose abrupt arrival into her life made it all the more wonderful. The time for sentiment was coming to a close, however. She had an inauguration to get to. She followed Twilight inside further, careful not get a speck of dust on her person.
“Ah, it’s no trouble at all, Twilight. Taking initiative for the first time is a fresh and exciting change, is it not? After all, what is learning when you’ve relied on the Princess up until now?” she teased her. Mayor Mare glanced around the library with skeptical eyes.
“Err… I am well aware of your… penchant for books.” The place was a wreck. A masterpiece of Earth Pony craftsmanship no doubt, but the passage of time had not been kind at all. “But honestly, Twilight. A library? Isn’t this a bit extreme?”
Twilight grinned at the older mare before shrugging. “You know as well as I do that this place has been empty for too long.”
She strode further into the library, stepping on a slight depression on the floor. Noticing it, she slid a hoof over it. Wasn’t there a heavy figurehead that was supposed to stand here? She could faintly recall seeing it somewhere in the library.
“Ah, that,” Mayor Mare began, clearing her throat of dust. “That bust of Clover the Clever was magnificent. But sadly it was of a lesser make and starting to crumble to bits. The wood wasn’t enchanted against termites like everything else, I’m afraid.”
“Well, that’s a shame. I was hoping to pair it with this wonderful Starswirl bust I’m having shipped later this week,” Twilight replied in a moment’s disappointment. “No matter. I’ll just find a replacement, or just commission somepony in town. And besides, this place... There’s something about I can’t...” Twilight trailed off as she surveyed the place again..
Mayor Mare followed Twilight’s gaze and the matter clicked. She sighed contemplatively and looked back at Twilight. “It’s hard to believe that back then that a filly such as yourself was capable of teleporting all the way from Canterlot to this abandoned space of all places. A feat of magic only master mages are capable of,” she told in recollection with a hint of nostalgia and amazement. Frankly for her, the event was still fresh in mind, with the mare beside her as living proof. The more Mayor Mare thought about it, the more the awe she had for Twilight grew. “It’s been years since then, but it actually doesn’t feel that very long since I found you here sleeping in that dusty book fort you built,” she said as she came and stood next to Twilight.
Twilight laughed at the memory. “Oh, I remember that. How you spent the next day trying to get in contact with my parents? Oh boy, that day was a doozy.”
“Yes, quite. And let me tell you, having a filly with an unusually large reserve of magic around the house? That certainly was an interesting week. It should have been no surprise to me when Princess Celestia herself answered the call first,” she said with a fidgety smile. Like any other average pony, it was her dream to meet the dear Princess in the flesh. But the chance of meeting her out of the blue in normal circumstances was slimmer than meeting in the dungeons for committing treason. Looking back now, she supposed that this hadn’t been a normal circumstance at all.
“Well, I’m glad you found me. I honestly don’t know if I would have made it without you finding me in the morning. Honestly, I might have just panicked myself sick.” Twilight came in close to bring Mayor Mare into a thankful hug. “Thanks again.”
She grinned ear to ear and reached a hoof to tousle up Twilight’s mane. “No, my little bright star,” she said.
Twilight looked up at her at the mention of her old nickname, one she hadn’t heard in so long.
“Thank you for bringing such color to this plain old mare’s life.”
The embrace grew genuine with the warmth of love and friendship. After breaking away, Twilight giggled before fixing her hair, and Mayor Mare correcting her tie.
“Well as much as I love seeing you again, Twilight, I have duties to attend to,” she reminded herself with a sigh, heading out the door. “I’ll stop by later and help you settle in. If you haven’t already finished by then, that is!” Mayor Mare yelled with a wave goodbye.
Twilight returned the gesture before looking back to the work she had before her. It honestly looked like no one had been in the library since Mayor Mare had found her. She could even see the faded hoof outlines on the dust by the window where she had peeked past the boards in looking up at the Mare on the moon. She smiled as the chain of memories reminded her what happened later that morning.
She had woken up to the nudges of a very confused and concerned beige mare. Said mare had come across her when she spied a crack on the boards with the door behind it slightly ajar. What followed then had been an awkward hour of getting filly Twilight to even talk to her before her stomach grumbled, causing her to consider the offer of a daffodil sandwich and orange juice in the Mayor’s home. It had taken about a week for a letter to get to Canterlot, what with the backlog at the post office due to mishandling. On the other hoof, her parents were quick to respond, sending mail via magic, a measure usually reserved during times of disaster. But what surprised both Mayor Mare and Twilight was the Princess’ unexpected arrival. Upon returning back in Canterlot, the good princess strongly advised the board of trustees of her school to let Twilight retake the exam. She passed with flying colors, hatched Spike from his egg and had earned her cutie mark that day to boot. And as they say, the rest is history.
Her horn lit softly, taking a pair of broom and dustpans each in its hold. She swept one corner by the door leading the kitchen-to-be. She then gently placed a still sleeping Spike on the spot, setting him down on the pillow she had brought, and then casting a simple null field against dirt and dust clouds.
Twilight took stock of her surroundings again. A small cart wheeled inside by her magic’s tug, and she added the cleaning supplies she stashed in it to her arsenal. It was just her and the dusty innards of this tree-bary, as they so fondly called it back then. This place was going to be spick and span before the night came.
A dozen brooms and mops unsettled dust bunnies up from their years-long rest. Thrice that many rags fluttered as they wiped and polished every shelve and surface that wasn’t the floor. Her magic on autopilot now, and she went on like this for almost hour. That was when something caught her attention. A peculiar feeling that tingled her from within, not unlike a unicorn foal’s first magical burst, yet…
Twilight shook her head and kept her focus on cleaning the library.
“You can do all that at the same time?”
Twilight stopped and looked around, confused. “Who’s there?”
There was nopony else around aside from the baby dragon sleeping a short ways away from her. That was really weird. As if on cue, the wind picked up and slammed the door shut, startling Twilight and nearly waking Spike up from his sleep. She examined the door, but nothing about it seemed off. What’s more was the clouds we still off in the distance with weather ponies working on them. She tried waving it off but the pace of her cleaning slackened as she became slightly unhinged. Her mind was elsewhere now, and with her concentration slipping, several brooms collided into a rickety reading desk.
“Oh horseapples...” she cursed at her sudden incompetence. She wasn’t a filly anymore, and juggling levitation spells for mundane chores shouldn’t take so much focus for her.
Still, something was off as she continued cleaning. Books of her personal collection flew through the air as she took them out from her cart and arranged them correctly. There were several stacks of forgotten books in the closet as well. They were all in need of some restoration, but for the most part she was glad their print was still legible.
She continued going around the library as she cleaned, humming a tune to herself as she reflected on the friends she had made here in Ponyville, a happy turn of events that came out of her teleportation incident. Running into Pinkie as a filly certainly had made an impact on the younger version of her. She had only just moved into Sugarcube Corner to learn baking, yet she had so many friends in town already. Of course, Pinkie had also introduced her to nearly every one of them.
She chuckled inwardly. In all honesty this was the main reason that she had moved down to Ponyville. To be closer to her friends. Pen pals were great and all, but nothing beat having real friends around to talk too. Sure she would miss Moondancer and the gang back in Canterlot, but she still had her apartment and all the books she left there to sort out. So there was no doubt she’d be seeing them quite often.
Her face turned bothered at the thought of coming back and forth between Ponyville and Canterlot. But then something else caught her eye, and this time it was on the floor.
“Scorch marks...?” She whispered as she looked at the vaguely circular burn, situated in the center of the library. The dust must have covered it up when they first entered the place. “So this where I teleported to?” She asked with a curious tone as she walked over, standing in the center.
“I’m Waning Star.”
Twilight gasped as she jumped out of the scorch mark.
“What was that?” She asked as if hoping somepony might answer here, Spike only responding with a yawn as he rolled over in his sleep
“Waning Star...?” She repeated those words… no, not words… a name! “That... That sounds strangely familiar.”
Twilight took cautious steps towards the scorch marks once more. She reached hoof to touch the burns on the floor. That was when it all rushed in, coming back to her.
“Uhh…. Let me head out real quick.Why don’t you pick up a book and pass the time?”
Twilight shook her head, memories flashing in her mind and causing it to spin. A different set of memories suddenly revealed themselves as she frantically threw her gaze around the library with new eyes.
“H-how could I... I forgot about her,” she said as the memory came back to her. The mare who had truly been the first to find her, and console her. Bits and pieces of this unicorn mare came together and the silhouette in her mind gained definition and slowly stepped out from the dark forgetful haze. Her coat a purple hue of late dusk, and her main a deep indigo like the moonlit night sky. Her calming mannerisms and assuring words. Twilight could even make out her cutie mark fresh from memory, a five-pointed starburst...
“I… forgot myself?”
That was just the beginning of it though, as even more memories flooded in, Twilight seeing herself- no... seeing who she had been sitting down in front of the dilapidated desk, it barely standing up as she reached out with feeble magic, a dripping quill hovering in front of her.
Twilight knew exactly what the other her was doing, having done it herself countless times.
“Dear Princess Celestia,”
Twilight shook her head, trying to clear the memory that almost didn’t belong yet fit so rightly in place. The wavering voice in her head continued to speak aloud what was being written with a voice desperate to be strong, yet nearly spent of remaining courage.
“I wish I knew how to start this letter, Princess. But I don’t.”
The other her trying her best to keep it in, but nothing could stop the tears as it welled in her eyes.
Previous memories of this other her imposed themselves. Waning Star moved around the library. She helped ponies who came looking for good literature. She laughing with ponies who looked exactly like Pinkie and her Ponyville friends. She saw Waning Star- no… she saw Twilight Sparkle sitting in the corner and reading the night away quietly by candle light with a ghost like quality, yet her internal mind celebrated countless festivities with every page she turned.
“The impossible has happened and frankly I don’t know what to do. My past self has ended up in the library, and from what I could glean from her, she had not taken her entrance exam yet. This... should be impossible, Princess. Yet I cannot deny this is all too real. My past now weaves down a different path in the timeline without seeming cause, and has already taken Spike away. I suspect it won’t be long before the ripples in time reach for me and unravel my present as well.”
With a glance at Spike, Twilight gave a sigh of relief as she slowly ascended the stairs
“The library has become abandoned and decrepit as if nobody has ever lived here. The pictures of my friends and family have all disappeared. My belongings, my books, everything that’s proof of my existence is fading away.”
Her breathing grew heavy and ragged from the influx of memories. She never really explored this place when she first came, yet she headed upstairs, turned corner and open doors with such familiarity. It felt she had been here the whole time. Her mind was unsure where her memories were decisive in what it wanted to show her.
“I don’t even know why I’m writing this letter to you. Logically speaking, the you that I know and love so well could have very well disappeared along with Spike and everything else by now. I know this a futile endeavor. I know… this won’t change anything.”
Twilight brought a hoof to mouth, terrified of the thoughts that plagued the other her in her final moments.
The other Twilight continued to dictate, but her sobs were getting stronger. It wasn’t long before she was crying, and she struggled past the tears. Holding them back for so long in spite of her impending existential unravelling, was a feat in and of itself, Twilight thought.
“I am..was Twilight Sparkle, but so is she... In a way, will some part of me continue to live on in her? ”
Twilight’s eyes darted around the upper floor. The voice was petering out, yet it was also getting louder. Then she came upon a dusty old writing desk by the window. A perfect place to gaze at the moon within the comforts of home when nights grew too cold.
“This filly has merely been set back. I’ve accomplished so many things, and she will too. Despite all that’s happening and how it terrifies me, I choose to believe in me.”
She placed both hooves on the table top, looking down at the layers of dust that bedded it’s surface.
“I doubt anyone will remember me as I am. But some ponies believe that dreams are windows into alternate selves. Maybe Luna will see amongst the thousands of other faded realities? I hope so very much” Other Twilight had exhausted herself in her despair, letting a faint hopeful chuckle break through.
Twilight brushed the layer of dust aside, revealing a faded piece of parchment and picking it up. It faintly smelled of ink. In fact against time itself, the writing remained and persisted as faded etchings that were barely legible.
“I was my only comfort, Princess. Please continue to be hers.”
She held back her own sobs as the emotions of her alternate self crashed over her, reading the ending as the other Twilight spoke her last.
“This is my last letter to you Celestia. This is... was your faithful student, Twilight Sparkle.”
For a moment, the library was deathly silent. Twilight’s sobs echoed through the halls as her wayward memories came full circle.
Creaking stairs and floorboards sounded off behind her and she turned around seeing Spike rubbing the sand from his eyes. “Why didn’t you wake me up Twilight? I am still a baby dragon, but even I can-”
Spike noticed his adoptive sister’s tears. “Twilight? Are you alright?”
Twilight quickly and carefully rolled the parchment up. She turned around and nodded, wiping the tears from her eyes.
“Spike, take a letter.”
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Dat cover art doe
Twilight: What time is it, mini-me?
Filly Twi: 4:20
In all seriousness, it was great working on this. You really listened to my suggestion. Thanks having having me
doesn't quite work because in the new timeline she isn't old enough to deal with Nightmare Moon
6598910
What? It's the same point of time, they're the same age. Besides, NNM doesn't even pertain to this story.
I'm confused tbh.
Wow, very profound.
Whoa...
6598951
I was confused too. It took me a while to figure it out.
6598922 Filly Twilight sparkle gets moved forward in time from before she becomes Celestia's student to the present day. That means she skips all the intervening time periods which means she isn't around to become Celestia's student
Wow, this is sorta kinda dark..
6599892
No? Time went back to the test date. She still grew up to be same age whenever nnm shows up
This was probably one of the most profound things I have read in quite some time. The implications of such a feat, going forward in time and erasing your future self, are staggering. The fact that the library ends up acting like some sort of time nexus between Waning Star (by the end that's what she is, a waning star in the fabric of reality, it was a very fitting name for her to give herself.) and Twilight Sparkle, allowing Twilight so see into the alternate timeline, is astounding, and actually feels... right I guess. This feels like it needs a follow up, something where we get to read Twilight's letter to Celestia and Waning Star gets some continuing role, like maybe she looks into Waning's memories for insight into certain problems? Or maybe the fates are lenient and she can be saved from the eradication of her timeline? With the Tree acting as a nexus it could be possible... Anyways, it was a fantastic story and one I would love to see a continuation of
.
Time travel. How does I do it?
...
Something like this, I guess...
I'm confused. How did filly Twilight get back to the past?
This was lovely and as others said quite profound, Honestly I'm proud of the former Twilight and her final letter. Still it makes you think about what it means to not exist, which is a bit scary.
Now, I'm gonna hug my Twi plush, I'll see you at the next chapter.
my god this is the greatest thing i've ever read. you did the effects of time travel on reality perfectly
It was confusing at first. I thought it was going to be like creating an alternate timeline where Twilight's test had gone different, and present-Twilight would have a very awkward/cute conversation with herself.
You took a very different, yet enlightening path; Twilight's letter at the end was very touching, and left me thinking about... things.
Anyways, it was awesome, a bit rushed at the beginning but great nonetheless.
I said it last chapter and I'll say it this chapter. Ehem... THE FEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEELLLLLLLLLLLSSSSSS!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!
my... heart... hurts...
but i like this...
this is awesome
How the fuck did young Twilight get back to her timeline?
...
This pisses me. Lazy writing.
6601774 The same way she appeared in this time. Out of nowhere.
Bravo, Listener.
Bravo.
6601795 "Out of nowhere"
Time travel and alternate travel from universe stories need to still have clear cause and effect.
Having a "Back to the Future" time wave is good and all but it doesn't explain how the young version got back to her timeline. Did that Twilight cast some last magic spell to save young Twilight? The did the universe break? Why would crap in another universe break this universe?
You can't say this is a paradox because old Twilight doesn't remember this happening to her. Therefore young Twilight isn't from her past; she from alternate timeline. This shouldn't destroy old Twilight timeline.
Where is the logic? Discord and the other powerful beings wouldn't stand by while their reality is scraped. Normally I said to hell with cannon and let any crazy idea pass. Me like crazy! I'm easy like that (insert my moma joke here). Not this time. The time travel plot-hole kills any sadness I could feel.
I stand by my opinion: "This is lazy writing." It doesn't make any sense and that lack of sense damages my enjoyment of the story.
As for the "piss off" part... feelings come and go. Not telling any of the readers how to feel. Just explaining to Seven81493 my opinion (sorry about that) and why I feel the way I do.
6600304
*points ups* Not an attack on you. Just on what you wrote. Take what you can from it.
6601941
I'm willing to take it. I'll be honest, for the first two comments I wasn't sure if you were trolling or not, which is why I sorta became defensive. And, yeah, it might not be explained, but in my opinion it didn't have to be, it could be inferred.
But different opinions exist, and I know that. I respect yours.
This is actually an interesting read and I really did enjoy it. Only criticism being its short length but I think that's just the little voice in my head wanting more.
Still I like the subject matter and I believe there's an opportunity here for this story to be expanded on but that's me, and even these two chapters are enough. Anyway, good job!
6600468 This! Please make this happen author! This story also broke my personal record for being the fastest added to my favorites.
6601941 I personally kinda sorta agree with your assessment of the time travel aspect. There are, however, some ideas I voiced in my last comment that could explain certain things about the story, specifically the time travel and paradox portion. Changes could be made to the timestream in small doses and maintain the current nature of the timestream. Take frequency for example, the characters made small changes to the timestream just by talking to each other. These small changes culminate in a complete change in the timestream, leaving the dad alive and the family whole. There was one drastic change to the timestream however, that was when the rapist/murderer got his hand shot off, you see it shrivel and fade from existence, and he appears shocked. This is due to him having no memory of losing it in the first place. Now, imagine something like this on a larger, more drastic, scale: You from the past travel to the present. For now lets assume there was some outlying factor (like the aurora in frequency) making the timestream malleable. Thus, your past self could be in the present and you would have no memory of ever going to the future. As the timestream becomes rigid again, the sudden loss of your past self from the timestream would result in the current rendition of said timestream unraveling. Your past self also can't just disappear, and so as the present unravels they are taken back to the past, in the same location as where they were when the present unraveled. This is just my theory on the time travel aspect, hope it helps
the logic behind the time travel is key to understanding this story, and it's fucked up.
Thankfully, this story is probably better without total understanding.
This story very clearly depicts the internal emotional and logical reactions of it's characters is a way that is real enough that the relevance of each event is clear and easy to understand. The reactions are understandable and the actual events are well enough defined that the reality seems coherent in the face of not making scene. What I mean is, I am willing to believe that my logic is wrong wherever it seems to disagree with the story. I am willing to believe that I just don't understand what is happening whenever nasty time-nonsence appears on account of very clear actual events. I know what events are happening, I just don't know why, just like twilight sparkle doesn't know why things are happening. I get to face the same unknown as the main characters and have about the same reactions, minus the personal involvement.
When the reader feels like the character, that's good ya'know?
I don't really know how to feel about this. On the one hand, the writing is very well done and effective. On the other hand, the premise to the entire thing is so contrived and forced that it kind of just ends up feeling pointless.
I quite enjoyed this read. It was short and impactful enough and I think you did a great job on Twilight's (both of them) reactions.
However, I feel that there is just so much more that's still unexplored... A conclusion, so to speak. What is Celestia's reaction? What else has changed in this world? How are the other characters different?
A follow up chapter, in my opinion, would be great. Or even a few side stories exploring this world you've created.
But hey, it's your story and thus you're choice. Have a 'Like' in the meantime xD
Truly a heartfelt story, very good work.
This needs a sort of a conclusion, otherwise good story.
Now I need to do something. (Goes to his room, grabs his Twilight plushy and starts hugging it).
6601239
She didn't get back to the past, the past came with her.
When Filly-Twi appeared the timeline reset to her own, overriding the other. Since Mare-Twi was right next to the location of the teleport she was spared the changes for a short period of time, but when she went upstairs she faded rapidly.
6603584
Filly Twilight jumped forward 20 or so years. Either she made it back or from her parents perspective she vanished with no trace, then 20 years later appeared still as a filly in Ponyville. If she never made it back, who defeated Nightmare Moon?
Okay, since the chain of events in this story seems to confuse people (I myself had a bit of trouble to wrap my head around it), I'll try to sum it up for everyone:
First off, the story begins in a nondescript point of the show's timeline that could be anywhere during the first three seasons: Twilight is still a unicorn and Celestia's student (I hope everyone understood at least that).
Secondly, the point of divergence: because of the magic surge during her entrance exam, filly Twilight cast a spell which, instead of hatching Spike's egg, sent her in her own future (the aforementioned moment of the show's timeline).
Now if that spell had been akin to the time travel spell used in "It's About Time" (which worked on the principle of a stable time loop, where the effects are their own cause), then filly Twilight would simply have been returned to the exact time and place where she left: at Celestia's School for Gifted Unicorns where she would have hatched Spike's egg, been taken as Celestia's student, and where the rest of the timeline up until that point would have played pretty much in the same manner (with maybe the fuzzy memory of finding herself in a library with a friendly purple mare). Years later, grown-up Twilight would have received the visit of her past self, the memory of that meeting, forgotten amidst the excitement of everything that happened on that day, would have come back to her and she would simply have happily taken care of the filly she used to be (likewise without telling her about her identity, but knowing exactly what words of comfort to tell her) until the spell sent her back in her past. (*)
However, since Twilight (I'll call her Alpha-Twilight here) doesn't remember this event ever happening to her, she correctly deduces that the arrival of her past self (here renamed Beta-Twilight) has caused the timeline to change. And because of this change, the Alpha timeline gets erased. Both Alpha-Twilight and Beta-Twilight are brought back to the point of time whence Beta-Twilight came from, albeit in the same place where her spell sent her (in the Ponyville library, left in a state of disuse at that time). Somehow Alpha-Twilight survives the erasure of her timeline long enough to write her final letter for Celestia before she vanishes from existence (including from Beta-Twilight's memory, unless she simply forgets about her naturally).
The next day, Beta-Twilight is found by Mayor Mare, who sends a letter to Canterlot to inform Twilight's parents that their missing daughter has been found. The letter takes a week to reach Canterlot. In the meantime, Beta-Twilight is housed by Mayor Mare and bonds with her. She also meets Pinkie Pie, who introduces her to the rest of the Mane 6 with which she becomes friends. Then Celestia, who noticed Twilight's magic surge and mistook it (like everypony else) for a long-distance teleport, brings her back to Canterlot and has her becoming her student, like in the Alpha timeline (with Beta-Twilight probably more in control of her awakened magical power when she retakes her exam).
Beta-Twilight grows up in Canterlot under Celestia's tutelage, though with a friendlier mindset than her Alpha self, as she keeps in touch with her Ponyville friends (including Mayor Mare) and has stronger ties with her Canterlot friends as well.
As a result, when Celestia sends Beta-Twilight to Ponyville for the Summer Sun Celebration, she doesn't need to ask her to make some friends (since she already has them there). Beta-Twilight is probably housed by Mayor Mare once again instead of staying in the library, and after finding the Elements of Harmony in the Everfree Castle and using them with the rest of the Mane 6 to defeat Nightmare Moon (that part is probably not much different from the show), goes back to Canterlot because she still has strong ties there (Celestia, her family and the unicorn gang).
Finally, the Beta timeline catches up with the Alpha one about the same moment where Beta-Twilight, after deciding to move to Ponyville to be closer to her fellow Element Bearers and friends, settles in the library (who hasn't been used ever since Mayor Mare found her there).
That is when Beta-Twilight feels the phantom effect of her first magical surge in the other timeline, finds the scorch mark that suddenly appeared on the floor, hears the echoes of the discussion between her Alpha and past selves, remembers how she got comforted by a sad mare named Waning Star in a library that wasn't in a state of abandon, and receives all of Alpha-Twilight's memories from her timeline up until the point where she ceased to exist, before finally finding the letter Alpha-Twilight wrote for Celestia, which has remained there since her disappearance as the last and only material proof of her existence.
...At least that's how I understood it. Please correct me if I'm wrong.
(*) And now I want to read that version of the story. Maybe as a short bonus chapter? Please?
Wait, so... what made time reset?
Twilight traveled forwards in time, meaning that the new timeline would have [Twilight's life up until the exam] -> [stretch of time where Twilight doesn't exist, rewriting everything] -> [filly Twilight now existing in the new reality].
During the period that Twilight traveled past, how was Nightmare Moon defeated?
6603724
As I said, filly Twilight came back to her time when the old timeline got erased. However, instead of being brought back to Canterlot (like with the spell of "It's About Time"), she remained in the library in Ponyville, which caused the timeline to change (her being found by Mayor Mare, meeting her friends earlier, passing her exam, hatching Spike and getting her cutie mark a week later, staying in Canterlot longer than she did in the OTL, etc).
6600016 Haha, you'll have me to thank/blame
6603642
Paradoxes suck
6601952
It's like I'm a kindergarten teacher watching a old student excel in high school :D
6603712
That's about that gist of it. If you want the first draft of the story, you'll have to ask Listener for that. He had it down in bullet form & there was a 3rd chapter. I'm just pleased & honored he took my suggestion to heart. It wouldn't be far-fetched to say this was more than just a collaboration. Let's just say I got super-invested in this
6601941 You need to look up what a "joke" is.
6603712
That's... exactly right. You've managed to summarize the story up xD.
6603711
Why, why would you do this to me?
6601941
To be fair, I wanted Listener to make sense of that too. But he was right that causality didn't really matter here.
-CraftAids my-own-comfort#comment/6603068
Like he said, the point isn't about having a complete understanding of what happened. It's about the internal conflict that surges within Twilight. We see her come around in the face of the dark unknown that is the timey-wimey dead end of her existence. She displays logic, reason, fortitude & hope in spite of her impending cessation. And that's what really matters in short stories like this one. Relatable characters.
I think the timetravel may be a bit off and I'd like to see this Twilight have more distinguishing features. All that said
Many feels were had good job
6603937
Okay... Does anyone out there have a story with this version of Twilight as she grows up? I would love to see one about a Twilight who Teleported herself to ponyville during the test and how it effected her.
6604229
Not as far as I know, but with as many people asking for that.
It's a possibilty.