...Forever
If there was one mercy in being shoved into storage, it was the way time quickly ceased to matter to her. It wasn't dying exactly, at least not as Twilight had read or theorized about death, but at least it meant she didn't have to think as much. Didn't have to think about the friends she wasn't seeing, about the lives they were having without her. Starlight Glimmer had looked so much older last time, suggesting to Twilight that she'd been locked away in storage much longer than it had seemed. Her friends were probably all married by now, living with their partners. Some might have foals. Would Spike be okay without her?
Of course he will, stupid. He still has you.
So maybe it wasn't much of a mercy after all.
The longer she waited in the dark, the more she hoped that maybe, just maybe, she would never be found. Even powerful spells had an end, and there was nopony around to keep this one going. Her perceptions could get slower and slower until one day, they'd stop completely. Even if Twilight had ever believed in abstractions like the soul, she had no fear she might have one. That was real Twilight's problem—she could sleep in peace.
But then, as had happened before, she felt motion in the world above. Heard the sound of boxes being moved, then someone cutting. Fabric shifted, and light peeked in from above the lid of her music box. The whole range of Twilight's emotional experience came rushing back to her. Somepony turned the key, and again she emerged into the world, to spin slowly around to an endlessly-repeated tune.
It wasn't Starlight Glimmer outside, but a pony she didn't recognize. A unicorn with a light pink coat, pale patches on his hooves, and an orangish mane and tail with a few bluish streaks.
The desk around Twilight was littered with books and diagrams, the unfinished workings of many spells. The room beyond the desk grew dark and blurry, suggesting it was underground somewhere, or that it was night outside.
Even as Twilight rotated around, she found her eyes drawn to each one, studying them as she had studied so many spells before. Not me. The real Twilight studied spells. I've never even seen one of these diagrams before. But just because that statement was objectively true didn't mean it felt true to her. It also didn't make the spells any less interesting.
"I'm not sure..." the stallion began. He was young, perhaps Twilight's own age the day she'd arrived in Ponyville. "I'm not sure if you can really hear me. My grandmother's wishes were... somewhat confusing, and now I can't ask her to clarify." He looked down, squinting through thin lenses at her. "Are you alive? Well, no you're not. But are you conscious?"
Twilight kept spinning. She had a choice before her now, the same choice she'd faced before. If she stayed quiet, perhaps she would be sold off, which would condemn her to a life as somepony's music box. Or, maybe the stallion would just throw her away. On the other hand, if she told him the truth, perhaps the hopelessness of her situation would defeat him as it had apparently beaten his grandmother.
"Yes," she said, stopping her spin again. It took a little willpower, as it always did. She was supposed to play music, she was supposed to dance. Not doing those things made her feel a little guilty. She stopped anyway. "Regrettably."
The stallion withdrew, eyes widening. "You sound just like the princess! Well... maybe not quite the same. Younger, maybe... but similar. Guess that makes sense... you look like some of the paintings."
"I would," she said. "I created—Twilight created me using a greater possession spell. I was so eager to check on Starlight I didn't... she didn't read all the fine print. I guess I'm the result. Starlight Glimmer said she was going to help me... that didn't work out?"
"No," he said, staring at the floor. "She regretted it, though. Did a little research, when she could, but... Equestria was always getting into trouble back then. She didn't really have a lot of time to devote to 'saving' a music box. Sorry, that... that probably came out wrong."
"I don't think it did." Twilight slumped back into her natural position, which meant she started spinning again. The music resumed, though at a slower tempo than usual. It was the most she could do to affect how it sounded. Unfortunately, the melody was still infuriatingly upbeat. "So who are you? Her... grandson?"
"Stellar Glow," he agreed. "The only one who cared about.. well mostly it was my grandfather who got me interested in the esoteric aspects of magical research, but Starlight was always the one to show me how they worked. When she passed, uh..." He held up a note. "This was in her things, along with you. Guess she... hoped I'd figure out how to bring you to life." He laughed, looking away. "Guess it goes to show just how useless I am. My sisters and cousins are off doing important things for Equestria, but... here I am in her old lab. Talking to a music box."
She didn't say anything to that. Even knowing she wasn't real, knowing that the rest of Equestria would come first, it still hurt to learn that Starlight had thought it was okay to lock her up in a box somewhere and forget about her. If there was any mercy in this, it was that her wooden body couldn't cry.
"A-anyway... she never figured out how to help you, but I think maybe she was approaching the problem the wrong way. Grandma Starlight always thought she had the answers on her own, and she had trouble asking others for help. You, uh... might remember that. Anyway, I'm not as clever as she was, but I don't think I have to be." He grinned down at her. "You are the Princess of Magic and Friendship! Starlight had you right here, and she never thought that your own skills might help in solving this! I'm thinking maybe you can help—" He collected all the papers scattered around her music box into a large stack, holding it up in front of her. "She experimented with a dozen different spells! One of them had to have some potential. Why don't you help me look through them, and when we find the right one... I could cast it! Or get you to cast it. The, uh... the real you, I mean."
Twilight stopped spinning again. She wanted to be furious, or angry, or many other different feelings. But she couldn't hold onto her anger when so much of her wanted to examine those spells. There's no way to make a spell into a living pony. But there might be another way…
A few years later...
Twilight spun—old habits were hard to break, and for her dancing was the deepest and most central tenet of her existence. She couldn't cast spells anymore, couldn't fly, but dancing to music at least brought her some old, familiar joy. More than that—looking up into the many faces at the Royal Canterlot Ballet, watching their awe at the movements she performed, that was an even deeper satisfaction. A possession spell was still an object, and objects were given life by their use, by the appreciation ponies had for them.
She wasn't trapped in a music box anymore, nor was she only a few inches tall. But underneath the spells and the illusions, Twilight was still made of wood. Wood now painted a lighter purple than before, with a mane in five different shades—her memory to the friends who had never even known she missed them before they died. She got rid of the horn and wings too, in her transformation, since either one would suggest to other ponies abilities she did not have.
Twilight never got older, never had to retire like her fellow dancers. But that didn't matter—there was enough need for a skilled dancer and an actress in most big cities in Equestria.
When the show was over, she returned to her small apartment in the loft of the old civic library, to curl up in a soft round bed with a few good books, and enjoy some quiet reading in front of her window overlooking the brand new electric lights of the city.
It was not the life Twilight Sparkle had imagined for herself—not any life at all, really. Though her hollow body seemed alive to the ponies who saw her, it stayed that way only thanks to the crystals Stellar Glow had embeded there, back when she'd only been a few inches tall. Those spells required her to spend time with ponies to survive, soaking up the magic of their friendship as a music box is wound by a key. But she didn't really mind anymore.
The real Twilight Sparkle still didn't know about her, and if the fake one got her way, she never would.
Her life might not be real—her memories might be lies, her old friends had never even known she existed. But none of that mattered. The new friendships she made felt real. And for Twilight Sparkle, that was enough.
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I really hope there will be a sequel. It has insanely much potential to it.
This one definitely earned an upvote!
8223947
https://youtu.be/49tpIMDy9BE
I greatly enjoyed this story. It was short, creative, and effective. While it did have a few flaws in pacing and story, the core concept makes it well worth reading. Nicely done!
At least it has a fairly upbeat finish, with Spell-Twilight having a life of her own. I'd imagine she'd want to change her name, or at least use a stage-name, in case the real Twilight happened to see her perform.
8224174
Agreed
Wonder if she ever meets the clone Pinkie that escaped... because that's apparently canon.
"I think, therefore I am"
She is just as real as anypony else.
I'm really glad you added the other chapters. It felt too quick of an ending. It's disturbing, but has a bittersweet ending. It's very well written, as your stories usually are. It was a nice, quick read. Good job!
So... maybe not "Sad" in the end. Still quite a punch for such a short piece.
Ok. Each chapter has been better than the last.
Will you quit while you are ahead or push ahead to give us all the scene we now yearn for: dance light meets princesslight
I'm not sure how this works... I think Alex, Jacob and Chance's situations just got less nightmare like. I'd be in any one of their situations before I put myself into this. Typing of which... from a oncer, Once Upon A Time has often used doppelgangers and divided people in two, and gone into very deep territory indeed.
Fortunately, like Chance and much like the other introduced right after A and J had been retired/hibernated, TS2 seems an independent party, and one who has all of the same memories and character traits of the original, only artificially crafted. The original is still there, much like that other man/mare from whatever the title is. I still think it's inevitable they will meet each other, as anything and everything can and will happen on an infinite timescale. Some of the most touching moments in OUAT are when its secondary to central player meets her other half and they have a chat of a moment together. Finding good writing of this sort is like finding a needle in a haystack.
PS, those three need to come out of retirement/hibernation. There's still loads of silver to harvest yet from them all. And the big A still has a demon to cook. And they would all kill to get a chance like this. Goodness, do I ramble with comparisons. I should really get off my LOPE: PAP and Consequences fix.
Am I allowed to ship this version of Twilight? Because I feel like she'd find a kindred spirit in Samurai Jack. Both don't age, were displaced into the future, and lost people they cared about only to rediscover hope. Plus, Jack would probably find something nostalgic about her voice.
8224529
I haven't seen much of Samurai Jack beyond the Pilot movie and the Scotsman episode of the series. Although I am aware it had four seasons and is currently in the middle of a more adult oriented Encore season. So, I'm just curious why Twilight's voice would be nostalgic beyond what seems like limited pool of familiar if not professional voice actors. I assume the voice of the "Black Power Ranger" or that one guy that always (if not usually) plays a villain would be equally nostalgic. And, I also assume the actress has tweaked her voice to be particularly chippy for the role of the unicorn. So, even if it was the same actress the character wouldn't be recognizable unless the character she voiced had a similar clip, pitch, or whine to it. After all, even if the character sounds similar I'm sure they do something different for the differing roles like with MAS.
8224585
Go watch season five, it'll make sense then. Also it's just plain amazing.
Jesus christ how delightful
This is a great story. The emotion of Twi situation was just perfect.
Nice... well written, well paced.
But it really makes me want to throw me overboard ^^;;;
Damn if it is depressing.
I don't get: was Twilight's distorted time perception consequence of some spell properties or just weird effect of sensory deprivation?
MY FEELS!
8224258
Add in Sunset from Sunspawned, and there could be an Avengers-esque team-up of Equestria's greatest magical constructs!
8224874
The spell itself. The idea is that the spell relies on the magic of the ponies around it to stay running, so when she's alone it starts to run out and her perception of time distorts.
Nicely done. I'm also grateful for the slightly happier ending as it would have been too cliched to leave it where chapter 1 left off.
8223947
Not sinister/tragic enough.
8224874
From what I got It could be a bit of both, sensory deprivation causes your perception of time to slow, making the oitside world seem faster, but only in a very minor way, maybe making a couple hoirs seem like 15 minutes, but the timescale here is seeming like something on the order of almost if not more than a century, so it probably has to do with a lack of magic power causing time to seem faster and faster the less power is left. Only returning to normal when power is restored.
I feel...content after reading this. There are still a few questions running through my mind, several of which I can't put into words but one sticks out: what are the laws on magical constructs? I can't see this or the mirror pool incident being too rare in a world so full of magic so surely there are some rules on these sort of things. And if that's the case, you don't just lock a sapient entity, even one that's not alive, up and toss it away some where. The cruelty is just...
https://youtu.be/fE0uvkYDyGY
8224924
Thank you for clarification!
I hope Starlight at least knew it too when she was hiding Twilight for the second time.
Twilight Sparkle didn't consider what might happen when she used an "Object
PosessionPossession" spell to check on her student. Now she has to live with the consequences. Forever.Sorry, simple little spelling mistake in your short description. Just wanted to point it out so you can fix it.
That was...very bittersweet. Her friends and family are all gone now, yet Twilight still has the friendship and love of those ponies around her.
Good job.
Really needs a sequel where the real Twilight Sparkle finds out about her. There aren't that many immortal ponies and at some point Twilight has to take note of the dancer that never ages and lives on through many lifetimes. They would be very different ponies by then having lived the majority of their lives diverged.
so how is this sad if its not the real twilgiht seems like a happy ending to me even if it wasnt what the music box wanted
It was bittersweet, but still an interesting story. It feels like this is what happens when ponies make all bad choices.
*Shrugs* Have Discord make her a body. Sheesh, you got a chaos god as a buddy. USE THIS CONNECTION!!!
8226198
Or the Alicorn of Magic (In stores near you!), her teacher, teachers sister, sister in law or... well set it as a project in the school of magic and promise eternal name as the Archmage who cracked what Alicorns failed to do.
... I mean damn even being gifted to Flurry Heart would have gotten her free in some degree of certainty, Who would not like a talking toy which you can set up free later in life?
But that all is aside the point, Very good story!
This has filled me with existential dread.
It has affected deeply for the past few days.
You have done a terrific job.
8226301
Fantastic.
Quite sad, but at least it worked out in the end.
I'm speechless
: )
8224874
I think it's because friendship was fueling her. As more time passed, she got weaker. She would've "died" if it hadn't been opened again.
8225955
Princess Twilight would be horrified and wracked with guilt at what she'd done. Maybe that's why Ballerina Twilight would rather her not find out.
This was just amazing. I wouldn't of thought about what happened to music-box Twilight if I didn't read this. So sad.
So what did they make her a new body that happens to be wooden and put her mind into it?
I CRY FOR TINY WOODEN NOT PONY
You just write the best everythings.
That was beautiful. Dark and sad, but ultimately a satisfyingly interesting read. Upvoted and favorited!
From the 'featured' page, I thought this was a story about Twilight accidentally turning herself into a lich. I don't think I want to read an existencial dread story right now.
I think of that spell as more of a "remote viewing" or hidden camera thing. As in, she doesn't actually possess the object.
Thank you for ending this on a kinder note. I get so depressed by sad stories that exist just to be sad, but you gave her something of a good ending. She's able to move and work and be and make new friends, and her past is sad, but now she has a future, something beyond endlessly spinning or being stuck in the dark. I can live with that. =) Very interesting concept! A bit darker than I normally go for, but very well-written and, as I said, with a satisfactory ending. Good job!