The Might of a Quill

by derpyland

Epilogue: The Author

A half-billion miles away from a brilliant yellow star, a crater-scarred asteroid tumbled through the black void of space. From the outside it appeared to be just another lifeless rock. True, it was nearly five hundred miles wide. That offered plenty of room for a colony on the surface, or perhaps a robotic mining operation, but this asteroid was home to neither. There wasn't as much as a single hoofprint on its surface. It was simply another iron asteroid – until you took a look inside.

For this particular rock contained the most prized treasure in the galaxy: the fabled hidden city of Sapphire. Many alien races had spent centuries looking for it, but no one had even come close to finding it. Some had begun to doubt that it even existed. The galaxy was a big place, and there were many hiding places – but inside a rock is, perhaps, one of the best ones of all.

There was no access to the city from the asteroid's surface. The only way to enter Sapphire was by magic; even the best matter transporter known to science couldn't transport a being through a hundred miles of rocky iron. The unicorn race that built the legendary city were experts at magic, for it was their specialty – and theirs alone. No other race in all the universe could perform magic. That was why unicorns were so highly sought-after – and why they made themselves so impossible to find. They had no desire to become anyone's servants.

Sapphire, however, was not the home world of the unicorn race. That honor was claimed by another planet, which was located half a galaxy away. The brilliant blue city in the heart of that metallic rock was instead their greatest achievement: it was the home of the Order of Writers. The Writers were unicorns who had been chosen to wield the most powerful magic known to ponies: the magic of the quill.

All unicorns could perform magic; there was nothing special about that. But the best and strongest magic of all was conjured up with ink and paper. Only a select few – less than one in ten thousand – were permitted to wield this, for with the stroke of a quill one could accomplish nearly anything imaginable. Some ponies were corrupted by this power and became evil, which is why the Order strictly controlled access to its great secret. Few ponies had the honor of becoming Writers, and those few lived in the city that the unicorns had carved out of the heart of a rock. Although the entire unicorn nation benefited from the works of those Writers, the magic itself (and the temptations it brought) was kept well out of reach.

The city of Sapphire was magnificent. Her buildings and streets were made out of a beautiful blue crystal that could be found nowhere else in all of nature. The magical crystal was filled with vibrant energy and lit up the cavern with a gentle white light. In the center of the sprawling city was the Home of the Order – the place where the top Writers met to discuss their work and plan for the future of civilization itself. Around the Order were the city's five sectors – Agriculture, Industry, Science, Research, and Education. Beyond the factories, workshops, and businesses were the private residences of the city's half-million ponies.

The metropolis ran like well-regulated clockwork. Each pony had their role and place in society, and they carried it out with precision and expertise. But the role of one pony in particular was about to change. On this fateful day he was on his way to a meeting – and that meeting would change his life forever.

* * * * *

A thin, green unicorn was standing in the Square of the Author. This pony had a dark blue mane, a brown saddlebag filled with books and papers, and a quill for a cutie mark. The pony's name was Moonstone, and he had been a Writer for ten years – ever since his graduation from the Academy and his acceptance into the Order.

Moonstone was very proud of his cutie mark. Most Writers had cutie marks in the field of magic, which made sense; after all, writing was simply the manipulation of magic. But only a few ponies had a cutie mark in Writing itself. That was a sign that you were destined to be one of the very best. Ponies such as Moonstone were sent off to training as soon as their cutie mark appeared – and Moonstone had been eager to get started. All he had ever wanted was to be a Writer, and his cutie mark was a dream come true.

It was true that it had not been easy. Training was rigorous, for the rules of the Order were strict. Many ponies could not handle the discipline, and there were some very talented writers who washed out. Some were broken by the process and a few of the unstable ones went insane. But the best ones survived – and now Moonstone was standing here, in the heart of Sapphire. It was truly an achievement he could be proud of. He knew there were a billion unicorns out there who would have given one of their hooves to be standing where he was.

The Square was located in the oldest part of the city. The ground beneath his hooves was made of giant gleaming blocks of blue crystal. Each one of the hundred-ton blocks had been magically conjured into existence by the city's engineers, and had been put into place more than three thousand years ago. Despite their enormous age, the blocks looked untouched by time. The comings and goings of millions of ponies had failed to make a scratch in that resilient, artificial material.

To the north was the enormous headquarters of the Order – a sprawling building that covered several square miles. It, too, was made of blue crystal, but it was a darker and more regal shade. The building conveyed a sense of majesty and decorum; it towered over the square and dominated it.

All of these things were impressive, but they were not what visitors to the city came to see first. This was a city of Writers, after all, and all writers had a similar passion. The true attraction was right there in front of him, in the center of the square: the statue of the Author.

Moonstone knew the legend. Thousands of years ago there were three pony races: earth ponies, pegasi, and unicorns. Those races were governed by two alicorns, one of whom rose the sun and the other rose the moon. During the days of these alicorns an Author arose who gave the gift of Writing to ponykind. That was when the Order was founded and everything changed. Ever since then the stylized image of the Author had been printed on everything the Order ever created. Her statue stood in their square, as a memorial to her genius and her contributions to ponykind.

It was a beautiful statue – there was no doubt about that. The Author stood high on a pedestal and was three times the size of any living pony. She was rendered in bronze in loving detail as she looked out to the horizon – presumably to the new future that she had brought into the world. The statue captured every feather in her wings and the look of determination on her brow. Everyone knew what she looked like. She was famous.

Of course, Moonstone also knew that the Author was fictional. Despite what little fillies were told, the unicorn race was the only race that had ever existed. Even if ponies had wings – which they most certainly did not – it would be impossible for those wings to generate enough lift to raise a pony into the air. Physics was quite unforgiving. The unicorn race had created enough airships to know what was required for flight, and ponies simply could never fly. They weren't birds, after all.

Besides, the whole story was ridiculous. Planetary bodies moved around the sun on their own; they were not pushed around by mythical alicorns. There was only one pony race – the unicorn – and there was no evidence there had ever been any others.

Still, somepony had to have invented Writing. Since no one knew who it was, Moonstone was fine with crediting it to some unknown Author. After all, why not? Somepony deserved the credit. It would have been nice to know the real story, but it all happened so long ago. In fact, the truth probably didn't really matter anymore. At this point it was all academic.

Moonstone glanced down at the watch on his hoof. It was still too soon; he had another five minutes before his meeting with the First Speaker. Moonstone hated being early, and he hated being late; he had made it a point his whole life to arrive exactly when he was supposed to. The Order emphasized discipline, and he was determined to follow a rigid schedule. A pony could not be sloppy and remain a Writer for very long. A single out-of-place detail could destroy an entire world.

Sometimes the rules of being a Writer weighed on him. There were so many regulations in the Code. Many of them he understood, but others he disagreed with. For example, if you used a book to create an artificial pony, that pony had to be treated as if it were real. You could not treat it as a machine; instead it had all the rights of real ponies.

That rule never made any sense to Moonstone. Ponies that were created from books were machines. It was foolish to pretend that they were real when they were so clearly not. There were times when Moonstone wanted to create artificial ponies and give them the will that he wanted them to have, instead of using the predetermined definition the Order had created that allowed the pony to choose its own future. These ponies were not real; treating them as equals was just silly. But that was the rule, and breaking that rule meant immediate expulsion from the Order. It was one of the most sacred rules of the Code.

Then there was the fact that some of these artificial ponies were allowed to join the Order and create books of their own. They could even marry real ponies and have families! Moonstone thought it was all insanity. Real things were real and artificial things were artificial. There should be a strict separation between the two. Yet the Code had remained unchanged for thousands of years. He was not sure that was wise, considering how much the pony race had changed during that timespan, but he had seen that challenging the Code was a good way to get fired.

But enough of that. It was time for his meeting.

* * * * *

A pony ushered Moonstone into the First Speaker's office, showed him to a chair, and then exited the room, closing the door behind him. Moonstone was a bit nervous. Not only had he never set hoof in this office before, but the First Speaker was not present. Should I be in here alone? he thought. Is this some kind of test?

The office was quite beautiful, which he did not find the least bit surprising. The walls and ceiling were fashioned from ancient timbers, and the floor was covered by a plush burgundy carpet. Two of the walls were lined with bookcases and filled with old, rare books. Moonstone recognized some of them as the rarest and oldest books in existence; a few were more than three thousand years old. Moonstone had heard that the Order still had the First Book in its possession. He had never seen it, and he had never heard of anyone who had seen it. The Order itself refused to comment on the matter. As far as he knew it was just a legend, like the stories of the Author. But still, he wondered. He knew there were some secrets that were reserved for those at the very top.

Moonstone was sitting in a very comfortable chair. There were three of them in the room. They appeared to be hundreds of years old, and were crafted of a mysterious dark wood. He had a feeling the chair cost more than he made in a year.

The desk in front of him was enormous. It was made of the same dark wood and looked immensely old. The desk was completely immaculate; there was nothing on it whatsoever. Not even a single scrap of paper could be seen.

Hanging on the wall behind the desk was a large painting of a beautiful golden city. The painting captured Moonstone's attention, for he had never seen a city like it anywhere in the galaxy. At the center of this golden metropolis, looking oddly out of place, was a crystal castle. It had a very peculiar design. The base of the castle looked like a tree, made out of crystal. In the tree's branches was a purple building. At the top of the structure was a starburst of some kind.

“Beautiful, isn't it?” a voice called out from behind him. Moonstone turned around and saw that the Speaker had teleported directly into the office.

Moonstone immediately rose out of his chair, but the Speaker motioned for him to sit back down again. “That painting is more than a thousand years old,” he replied, as he walked behind his desk and took a seat. “Very few ponies have ever seen it. Even fewer know what it is depicting.”

“It is indeed beautiful,” Moonstone said. He then hesitated. “It's also a bit odd, if you ask me. The golden city is beautiful, and the castle is lovely, but the two do not go together. Why would the painter seek to take those two very different styles and combine them into one? They don't compliment each other; they clash.”

The Speaker chuckled. “You always speak your mind, don't you? Tact has never been one of your strong suits. Perhaps that is why you are so good at what you do – you question matters and you seek to truly understand the nature of reality. So tell me, Moonstone. Do you know why you are here?”

“I have heard rumors that I am about to be promoted, but I have no direct information. I am hoping that my hard work and dedication is going to be recognized. I do not mean to boast, but I have accomplished a great deal in the ten years I've served the Order.”

“Indeed you have. In fact, you have done so well that there is somepony who would like to meet you. You have caught the attention of my superior.”

Moonstone looked confused. “Your superior? I don't understand. You are the First Speaker! The Speakers do not have a superior. You and your peers control the Order and decide its future. You answer to no one.”

The Speaker sighed and shook his head. “Come, Moonstone, you know better than that. What about the Overwatch?”

“There is no such thing,” Moonstone replied. “Oh, sure, I've heard the stories. Legend says that the Overwatch gave ponykind the Code many thousands of years ago, and that they continue to keep an eye on Writers and enforce the Code with an iron hoof. I realize that this story may scare little fillies, but it simply isn't true. There is no mythical group of immortal alicorns who is watching over us. If there were it would make budget requests and would be in the news from time to time. The whole idea is silly.”

“Is that really what ponies believe nowdays?” the Speaker asked. “Apparently we have done too good a job protecting our secrets. I may need to revisit our curriculum. Some things should not be forgotten.”

Moonstone felt a trifle nervous. “Secrets?”

“As I was saying, there is a pony who wishes to meet with you. This is a very great honor. In fact, I don't think you truly appreciate how great an honor it is. No one has met with this pony for more than three hundred years. The last pony who had that privilege was the legendary Platinum Rose. I don't think I need to remind you of her illustrious career.”

Moonstone felt his nervousness growing. He knew he was a good Writer, but he couldn't hold a candle to the work of Rose. “I understand. Who am I meeting?”

The Speaker looked very grave. “You are meeting the Author.”

“The Author?” Moonstone gasped. His heart began to beat wildly. “You mean the Author? The pony who invented Writing? But – but how is that possible? I thought she was a myth! A fairy tale! A bedtime story for fillies!”

“Not at all. It is possible, my young pony, because this world is not what it seems. You see, there is a great secret that the Order has kept since its foundation. There is some knowledge that is only known to a select few. Normally you would never be told of this, but since you are going to meet the Author it is impossible to keep it from you. The truth is that the legends that you have heard, of the three pony races and the birth of Writing, are all true – but they are not tales of this world. Instead they are tales of the Overworld, which is where the Author lives. This entire universe is artificial. We are living in a book.”

“No,” Moonstone protested. “It can't be! Only madponies believe that. This world is real. It has to be.”

The Speaker shook his head. “I am afraid not. We are the creations of the Author. She wrote us into existence, just as you and I have written our own worlds. Do you see now why the Order insists on treating all ponies equally? I know you have chafed against the restrictions in the Code, but you must realize that there is no real difference between you and the ponies that you write into existence. We are all artificial. The only real world is the Overworld, where the Author lives. And you are going to go there and meet her.”

Moonstone pointed a hoof at the painting. “Is that – but no. That's not the Overworld, is it?”

“It is indeed. That is the golden city of Ponyville, the capitol of a land called Equestria. It is where the Author lives.”

“But how can this be? Our civilization is thousands of years old! No pony can possibly live that long.”

“No unicorn can live that long,” the Speaker corrected. “The Author is an alicorn, and alicorns can live for a very long time. But there is another fact that you do not know. Time does not pass at the same rate in our world as it does in the Overworld. I do not know the exact relationship, but I do know that a very long time can pass here, while only moments have passed in the Overworld.”

“Wait a minute,” Moonstone interrupted. “If that is true, then does that mean that when I return here centuries will have gone by? Speaker, I have a wife and two fillies. I don't want to return to find them dead.”

“I am aware of that. The Author has the ability to return you to the same moment in time you left. I do not understand how that is possible; the Order has tried to reproduce this magical trick and has failed. But the Author knows far more about Writing than any of us ever will. She is immeasurably old.”

Moonstone's head was spinning. “This is a lot to take in,” he said weakly. “My whole world has been overturned.”

“That is why we keep this knowledge a secret. Some ponies go mad when they learn the truth. Others go mad when they merely guess it, which you no doubt witnessed in your training. These truths are not easy to accept. Normally this information is taught in small pieces over a long period of time so that the recipient can acclimate to it. But I am afraid that our time is short. The Author is waiting.”

“One moment. The Author – you keep calling her that, but I know she must have a name, even though no name is recorded in any of the tales. What is it?”

The Speaker frowned. “You will not call the Author by her name. She is the one who created this world, and she deserves your deepest respect. I will be accompanying you on this trip to make sure that you don't make fools of us. We are not the only book that she has written, you know. In fact, I believe we are one of her newest worlds. You will behave yourself.”

“Of course,” Moonstone said hurriedly. “But I must know. What is her name? Who invented Writing and created this world? Whose statue is out there in our courtyard?”

“All right, young pony, I will tell you. But this is one of our most closely-guarded secrets. Only the very highest ranking Speakers possess this knowledge. The name of the Author is Applejack.”

“Applejack,” Moonstone repeated. “It's a remarkable name. It certainly goes along with her cutie mark. I've always wondered why her cutie mark was three apples, instead of a book or a quill or something. I thought it was symbolic of the humble origins of Writing.”

“That's just the explanation we give to pacify the inquisitive. The truth is that the Author is an actual pony named Applejack who has apples for a cutie mark. There's nothing symbolic about it. It's who she is.”

“Fascinating. Imagine what she could teach us! I have so many questions for her.”

“And you will keep them to yourself,” the Speaker said firmly. “You are going to the Overworld to listen to her, not to question her. Do I make myself clear?”

“Of course. I understand my place. But how do we reach the Overworld?”

“We don't. It is impossible for us to travel from here to there. The only way to visit Ponyville is for one of its citizens to reach into our world and grab us. I know a spell that will alert them, and will cast it to get their attention. Are you ready?”

Moonstone got out of his chair and stood to attention. “I am ready.”

The Speaker walked around his desk and stood beside Moonstone. He lit up his horn and filled the room with a deep purple light – and a moment later the two ponies vanished.

* * * * *

The two Writers appeared on the balcony of Twilight's castle. Spread out below them was the gleaming golden city of Ponyville, which stretched out to the Everfree Forest in the distance. Long ago, the city had just been a small rural outpost in the countryside – but that was before the invention of Writing. The town had since grown and become the capitol of Equestria, the largest and richest city in the world.

Moonstone walked over to the edge of the balcony and gazed down at the city below. The streets were filled with ponies – not just unicorns, but ponies of all types. Earth ponies walked up and down the golden sidewalks and talked to each other. In the sky there were pegasi, busy pushing clouds into position. Moonstone was amazed to see how easily they flew through the air. It was like magic.

Of course! Moonstone suddenly realized. That's it – that's how they can fly. It really is magic. Their wings are just a small part of the equation; they must have some sort of inner enchantment that gives them lift and speed. Why didn't I think of that?

His thoughts were cut short when he saw an orange-colored rainbow streak across the sky. As it raced closer, he saw that it was actually the trail of an enormous orange alicorn. The alicorn landed expertly on the balcony a few behind them. “Howdy, y'all!” she said cheerfully. “I'm glad you could make it. My name is Applejack. Welcome to Ponyville.”

Moonstone looked at her in shock. She did indeed have a pair of enormous wings, and she did have a horn, and she was much larger than him. She looked exactly like her statue in the Square. But she was also surprisingly earthy. Applejack was wearing an old straw hat that had a hole in the top for her horn. Her cutie mark was a pair of three apples, and she had mud on her hooves. She did not look the least bit regal.

The Speaker immediately bowed. “It is an honor, your highness. We are truly privileged to be invited into your magnificent kingdom.”

Applejack laughed. “My kingdom? I'm afraid you've got your story wrong. This here is the kingdom of Princess Twilight Sparkle. Personally, I just call her Twilight. I've never been big on titles myself. This kingdom used to be ruled by Celestia and Luna, but they passed on a long time ago. I still miss 'em, though.”

Moonstone looked amazed. “Celestia and Luna? I have heard legends that there were once ponies who raised the sun and moon. Is that where the legends came from?”

“Legends? What are you talkin' about? Oh, right, I forgot. In your world the planets move around the stars all by themselves. That was a tricky bit of design, by the way. I had to have Twilight's help to get that to work. The reason I did it was because your world only has unicorns. Unicorns just ain't got the power to move stars around. You need an alicorn for that.”

Moonstone gasped. “Alicorns can move the stars?”

“Sure can! Twilight does it every morning – she raises the sun, and then she raises the moon at night. Sometimes I'll take over for her when she goes on vacation or wants to sleep in or somethin'. We help each other, you know. We've been friends for an awfully long time. When I go on vacation – which ain't often – she'll sometimes come down and help out on the farm.”

“The farm?” Moonstone asked.

The Speaker glared at him. “Please pardon his impertinence, your grace.”

“It ain't no problem,” Applejack replied. “Besides, the farm is one of my favorite subjects. You see, I'm an Apple. The Apple family has been running Sweet Apple Acres for many generations. We have the finest apples in all of Equestria – and the best apple cider you've ever tasted. I'm a farmer, you know. I was actually doin' a little apple harvestin' before you two showed up. I may be gettin' old but I can still buck apples with the best of 'em.”

Moonstone stared at Applejack's muddy hooves. “You mean you harvest apples with your, um, bare hooves? Why not use magic? Wouldn't that be much easier?”

“It ain't about what's easy. Sure, I reckon that if I wanted I could harvest all the apples with just a spell or two. Or I could just hire ponies to do it for me. But that would defeat the whole point. Raisin' apples is somethin' that I love to do. And when you love something, you want to do it yourself, with your own hooves.”

“I'm sorry,” Moonstone said. “I don't mean to ask so many questions. I know you are the head of the Overwatch, and you have brought me here for a reason. You just weren't what I expected. I mean no offense.”

“Why do you think I brought you here?” Applejack asked.

“I honestly don't know. I did not expect any of this.”

“It's simple enough, if you think about it. Moonstone, you've got talent. That's easy to see. You're gonna be a real asset to your world. The problem is I'm a little nervous about you, because you ain't got any balance. All you ever think about is your books. It's all you care about, and it's been your whole life ever since you got your cutie mark. I don't know how you ever found time to get married and have fillies. You're kinda obsessed about writing, if you know what I mean.”

“Well, of course,” Moonstone replied. “Writing is my cutie mark. It's who I am. If I want to excel at my work and make a contribution to society then I need to be wholly dedicated to it.”

“Nope,” Applejack replied. “You got it precisely backwards. Writing is dangerous, Moonstone. It's the most dangerous magic there is – even worse than dark magic, if you ask me. It always has been, since the very beginning. In fact, when that magic was first created we had a meeting to decide what to do with it. I said we ought to destroy it. I thought it was too dangerous to ever be used wisely.”

Moonstone gasped. “You wanted to see your own invention destroyed?”

“My invention? I didn't invent it! Twilight did. I just – oh, it's a long story. The point is, I've seen this magic destroy the entire world. I know what can happen if it gets misused. It can be a powerful servant, but it's a horrible master. Once it gets inside your soul it can destroy you. It can make you forget what really matters.

“Writing is just a tool, Moonstone. That's it. It's a tool you can use to improve the lives of other pones. As long as you keep that in mind, you'll be ok. For the most part, I guess. But once the magic itself becomes your goal and your focus, you've lost track. That's when ponies start to do terrible things. There have got to be things in your life that matter more to you than writing. You need something real to hold onto – something that ties you to reality and reminds you of what matters. You need a lifeline.”

“A lifeline?” Moonstone asked.

“Of course,” the Speaker replied. “That is the whole point of the Code – to separate what is real from what is artificial, and to keep people from getting lost in fantasy. All the greatest writers have had a 'lifeline' to the world. They've had a way to keep from getting lost in their own creation, and to remember why they created it in the first place.”

“And for you it's apples,” Moonstone said.

“And my family,” Applejack added. “I don't know what I'd do without 'em. They're why I do what I do. I gotta keep Equestria safe for them, so they can have a future. I've seen what the future can be like if you make the wrong choices, and it ain't pretty.”

Moonstone looked at Applejack with new respect. “Is that why you came here all muddy? It makes sense now. You were trying to show us that being a farmer is an important part of who you are. You're not Applejack the Author. You're Applejack the apple farmer, who also writes books. And you want me to be Moonstone the father, who also writes books.”

“You got it,” Applejack said. “Sure, I could'a come down wearin' some fancy dress, like the ones that Rarity used to make before she passed on. But if I'd lectured you on the importance of being humble while wearin' a crown of gold and a gown of silk, well, I kinda figured the message would get lost. If you're gonna talk about humility and all then you need to look the part. Besides, I like this hat.”

Moonstone grinned. “You know, you're nothing like what I expected – and I'm glad. You're an amazing pony.”

The Speaker glared at him. “And when we return to Sapphire we are going to have a long talk about etiquette and manners.”

“Oh, it's fine,” Applejack said. “Twilight is the princess around here, you know. I'm just the farmer. Now c'mon in, y'all. Let me give you the tour and then we can talk a spell. There's a lot that we need to discuss. Oh – and I guess I'd better wash my hooves. Twilight hates it when I track mud into her house. Rarity always used to get onto me about that.”

Moonstone hid a grin. He and the Speaker followed Applejack inside the castle and then closed the balcony door behind him.

Author's Note:

This is it! The end.

Thanks for stopping by!

Comments

[AnObliviousAuthor]

Yup... You're right, that's very interesting. I mean, there are a lot of things I'd like to say about this. I just... Wow. So... In Sapphire's "galaxy" are there other species? Like... I dunno... Homo sapiens?
And, one last time, Thank you!

[CCC]

Wow, that is a nice ending. (I was half afraid he epilogue would be about the iron rule of Artificial Applejack over Equestrian history...)

[derpyland]

6773497

Like... I dunno... Homo sapiens?

Wouldn't that be something?

And, one last time, Thank you!

You're very welcome! I'm glad you enjoyed the story. It's nice to have it done!

[derpyland]

6773920

Wow, that is a nice ending.

Thanks!

[derpyland]

6777213

I wonder in what way those enchanted comics will possibly bring back Applejack.

That's the question, isn't it? Fortunately, the answer is near...

[derpyland]

6778058

the way it's described is just replacing Applejack with an exact duplicate, the real one would still remain in the after life

Yup. This is actually a major plot point, and one of the key themes of the story. Twilight hasn't realized it yet (and won't realize it for a long time), but she just opened a really, really big can of worms.

[derpyland]

6779217

She's pretty much just a back up of Applejack.

You're exactly right. Since Applejack is the Element of Honesty, she realized that right away. But Twilight can't see it yet. It's going to take her more time to come to grips with the truth.

Twilight now has the power to create anything that she wants. The only problem is that the things that she makes aren't actually real - they're just copies. That's going to be more of a problem than she thinks.

[derpyland]

6780860

I can only imagine what Celestia has to say about this.

Celestia is going to have a great deal to say, once she finally realizes what is going on - and what Twilight has been doing with this power. But by then it will be too late.

Twilight will slowly abuse her new found power...

You see exactly where this is going! It all starts with Sunshine, who you are about to meet.

[derpyland]

6781550

she'll eventually want to replace the whole world...

Exactly. There are just a few "obstacles" that need to be dealt with first.

[derpyland]

6784243

Twilight, you've done it now, you created a monster.

Yup. Equestria has begun its long, slow slide into darkness.

[derpyland]

6786246

I have a feeling Celestia is the next victim...

You know Sunshine pretty well! It's not looking good for Celestia, is it?

And as far as Starswirl goes, he is key to the story. In fact, if it wasn't for him there would not have been any survivors at all.

[derpyland]

6789438

Actually, no one died. The new Applejack took her book with her into the future. She and Rainbow are fine. Starswirl burned a blank book to make it look like she was dead so no one would look for her.

You will see Applejack and Rainbow again.

[derpyland]

6789573

That's right. Rarity, Rainbow, AJ and Celestia are all clones now. The first AJ clone and the real Rainbow are in the future. Nothing stands between Twilight and the end of the world.

[derpyland]

6790851

Nice callback to Daring Don't.

Thanks!

today is that day!

Yup. It was only a matter of time. Celestia is angry, Twilight is a wreck, and Equestria is in pretty bad shape. Things are looking grim. But there's still hope.

[derpyland]

6792172

It's heartbreaking. I'm very glad the story doesn't end there. There's still hope.