— Chapter Fifteen —
--- Insecurity ---
Twilight Sparkle stood before the Queen's School for Gifted Unicorns, dressed in elaborate gowns of silver and gold like the peers she stood amongst. They were in a neat, orderly line, each with a grin of satisfaction plastered on their faces. The line slowly moved towards a small stage and podium that had been set up in the courtyard before the campus, the school's headmare giving each graduate a certificate of authenticity before a large crowd that erupted into ecstatic cheering with each diploma awarded. Princess Cadence and even the Queen herself were in attendance, standing upon the stage watching with silent smiles as the ceremony continued.
Twilight couldn't believe she was here. It had taken time, effort, and no end of blood and sweat, but she finally made it. The young alicorn's eyes darted over to the audience and she imminently caught sight of her clearly ecstatic parents and older sibling. In the chair next to her mother's sat a saddlebag, with a pair of binoculars suspiciously poking out and pointed square at Twilight. She recognized this seemingly bizarre sight as Spike, doing his best to wait patiently in the bag as to not cause a scene. All things considered, she was happy he was able to attend at all. The little guy had been an outstanding source of companionship and levity, not to mention a great source of stress relief from the trials and tribulations of these past four years. Twilight was currently the last in line, frustratingly enough, but the procedures more moving quickly enough. Each graduate would step up, receive whatever degree they had earned, would say a few words, and bow to the present royalty before making their way off stage.
"I still can't believe you got straight A's again," the unicorn ahead of Twilight groaned in a whisper. A tan-colored coat alongside her maroon mane and thickly framed glasses made her recognizable to Twilight as a mare named Moondancer. One of Twilight's closer companions from her school years, graduating right alongside the currently gowned alicorn. "I swear you got special treatment or something. How else can you explain perfect grades?"
"Stress, fear, only sleeping for two hours a night, and pain. Lots and lots of pain," Twilight whispered back with a chuckle, "Not exactly what I'd call special treatment." Moondancer didn't know about Twilight's fairly recent alicorn ascension—very few ponies did—and she was planning on keeping it that way for the foreseeable future. "And you didn't do too shabby yourself, you're still in the honor roll."
"Pfft, yeah. But still, a B in conjuration, enchantment, and evocation?" Moondancer looked back with a cocked eyebrow in jest. "Meanwhile you're sitting there with your perfect grades."
Twilight scoffed at the accusation. "You and I both know I wouldn't have passed divination without your help. And even then I barely got an A."
The unicorn snickered while returning her attention to the advancing line. "Yeah, you're absolutely lost when it comes to the future." Ever so slowly, she turned back to face Twilight, the wide-eyed look of a psychopath now stretched over her face. "If I didn't know any better, I'd say you're terrified of it."
Twilight wasn't given a chance to question the sudden shift in behavior, as Moondancer was quickly called up to the stand to receive her certificate. Odd, Twilight pondered, she could have sworn that they were at the back of the line. Or, at the very least, the line was much longer. Though the speed in which time was passing may have been a side effect of the butterflies in her stomach. She was just so ecstatic about this whole event, she wasn't even bothered by the cryptic comment. Moondancer always had a bit of an odd sense of humor, so it wasn't that far out of normalcy.
"Twilight Sparkle," the headmare spoke aloud, to the familiar sound of hooves stomping and applauding.
This is it, Twilight beamed as she walked up the short set of steps. All eyes were on her as she strode confidently towards the podium and her awaiting degree, the Queen and Princess Cadence giving their own proud smiles out of the corner of Twilight's eye. This was it, this was Twilight's moment in the sun. Everything she had worked for, everything she had lived for, all of it had been leading up to this moment. That moment was climaxed by the framed document that was levitated towards her by the headmare, a 100% authentic degree from the Queen's School for Gifted Unicorns.
And Twilight couldn't help but shed a few tears of joy as she looked out to the crowd of applauding ponies. Every graduate so far had been given a minute or two to give a very brief word in, usually a "thank you" to the friends and family who had supported them throughout their studies. And Twilight was no exception, quickly turning her gaze to the family she had taken notice of earlier.
But something was wrong. Something was different.
Her family was still in their seats, making an absolute storm of noise as they cheered her on, but the seat that had once been occupied by a dragon-filled saddlebag was now home to a new occupant. Slouched over, not really paying much mind to anything around them, was the hooded form of the Mare in the Moon. Though Twilight Sparkle would never be given the chance to address the cloaked mare a second time, for the second her eyes landed on the hooded figure, everything began to fade. Her eyelids felt like they were made of lead as the world around her began to shift and distort. And as cognizance escaped Twilight, leaving her to fall into the gentle dark of unconsciousness, the many whispy voices of the lone figure whispered in her ear.
"Is this what you really wanted?"
A loud shout echoed from Twilight as she awoke to the lavish and extravagant room she had been given use of. Even in her panicked state, she knew she still wasn't a fan of the room's decoration. It wasn't bad, per se, but it was far from what she was comfortable with. To frilly. To royal. Not enough books. She liked to maintain some sense of normalcy in her private life, and her room back home reflected this mindset to a tee.
But as Twilight began to calm down after her abrupt awakening, rational thought began to return. And as she observed the room she had been using for the past three days now, she came to a sudden and shocking realization.
Twilight had never seen this room before.
Not once in her entire life. Which isn't that odd of a statement, there are pleanty of rooms people don't see in their lifetimes. But what was odd was that as she observed the bedchambers around her, she recognized it despite this fact. She had deep and personal opinions on it, she had been sleeping here for the past three nights, yet this all felt like the first time she had ever been here. It was surreal, the last thing she could recall was attending her graduation ceremony. And then she was just here. No transition, nothing out of the ordinary, she was just here now.
Before the academic alicorn could question this inconsistency any further, her train of thought was derailed by her door slamming open with a loud yell from the culprit. Said culprit was an orange coated pegasus stallion, adorned in gleaming silver armor, a stone-faced look of a warrior painted over his face.
"Miss Sparkle?! What's wrong?!" The overzealous guard was immediately struck by an arcane blast of light that sent him right back out the door, a shrill shriek of combined pain and surprise resonating for quite the impressive distance.
"Flash Sentry, you are supposed to knock before—!" Twilight's reactionary lecture was cut short, angered glare transforming into a confused outlook. How did I know his name?
"Sorry... sorry... I heard you shout, and I got worried." His low gurgling groan of a reply brought Twilight back to reality, Flash Sentry waddling back into the room dazed and confused. "And it's... you know, my job to be worried about you."
The beaten and battered stallion's words rung true in Twilight's mind. How could she have forgotten about her personal guard? Whatever nightmare she had been having must have been a doozy, though she couldn't quite recall what the nightmare was. Dreams had a way of fading in the waking world, after all. It only made sense that the same factor would apply to nightmares as well.
"Sorry, Flash... just a bit shook by a bad dream."
"Third time this week," the disgruntled guard murmured, "Are you sure you don't want to see a specialist or something?"
"They're just bad dreams, nothing to worry about." Twilight laughed as she climbed out of bed. Another magical flash emanated from her, this time serving to get her ready for the day instead of causing her personal guard a severe amount of pain. Within seconds, her mane and tail were styled, her wings were preened, and all evidence of sleep were washed away. "So, what's on the agenda today?"
"Well, Empress Cadence wanted too—"
"Wait. Empress?" Twilight looked down bewilderedly, suddenly unsure of the reality around her. That didn't quite sound right in her mind. "... Not 'Princess'?"
The pegasus looked to the magical pony as if she had just spoken complete and utter nonsense. "... Well, she couldn't be the ruler of the Crystal Empire if she were just a princess. That'd just be silly."
Taking a moment to think things over, the memories came rushing back. Twilight clearly remembered Cadence and Shining becoming the rulers of this region, she was there for the coronation, for crying out loud. She distinctly remembered bringing her choice of wine for the happy couple, and they ended up hating it because Twilight had terrible taste in wine. But they all got a good laugh out of it if nothing else. How could she have forgotten about that? Shaking away the momentary confusion with a smile.
"Right. Sorry, still waking up, it seems. You were saying?"
"... Oh, right!" The stallion cleared his throat after the awkward pause. "Empress Cadence wanted to talk to you about tomorrow's... festivities."
"Ah! Of course," Twilight realized, lightly bopping a hoof against her own head. "She wanted me to help with Shining's Birthday, for once! Thank you, Flash." And with that, she was gone. Blinked out of existence by means of her own magic, Flash Sentry left behind with an appalled look on his face. He reached out an armored hoof in a vain attempt to stop her from teleporting away, but there was absolutely nothing he could do.
"Wait, you're supposed to take—!" Flash interrupted his own unheard statement with a sigh. "Every time. Every flappin' time."
With his head hung low in shame and annoyance, Flash Sentry trudged out of the bedroom slowly and dejectedly. The absolute worst part of his job, by far, was when Princess Twilight would just warp away at the drop of a hat. Thankfully he knew where she was going this time, but on most days he wasn't so lucky. And so he began the long and lonely walk to his boss's destination.
Twilight Sparkle, in the meantime, appeared in the spacious banquet hall with a loud popping flash, scarring one of the busy members of the castle half to death, the unfortunate pony letting out a shriek of terror. Everyone's attention was drawn to the newfound commotion, and after they all collectively realized that it was just Twilight being Twilight again, they all went back to work. Tomorrow was a big day for the Empire, and this room needed to be perfect. Or as close to it as possible, anyway.
Giving a quick apology before both ponies went on their way, Twilight summoned a clipboard to her side and began overlooking everything that was going on. A few quick laps around the large chamber was enough for her to figure out that her four-hundred-eighty-two point plan was being followed to a tee. It wasn't quite done yet but at the pace that everyone was currently working, it would be done within the hour, if nothing went wrong. It wasn't exactly a very complicated plan, the event was effectively going to just be a fancy dinner, so a majority of the points in Twilight's outline were just backups. Contingency plans for every possible setback, from small things like the worker's scheduled and fairly numerous breaks, to the event of a total disaster that rendered all progress undone.
Among the many documents tethered to the wooden board was a sealed envelope labeled simply as "In case of Spike." While she trusted the long dragon with her life, having a backup plan in case of that was a wise move on her point. Taking a break from her overlooking, Twilight spotted a familiar face in the crowd. Cadence was busy directing a few ponies who seemed to have been at a loss as to what to do.
Wouldn't be lost if you kept the pamphlets, Twilight sneered to herself as she approached. She wasn't too worried about this development, Cadence's input was valued and trusted. It was her home that this party was happening in after all, and it was being thrown for her husband. It only made sense that she should have some say in how it's planned.
Besides, she had already invented some contingency plans in the event Cadence's input stepped beyond Twilight's predictions. One could never be too prepared for a given situation, and Twilight was the undisputed queen in that regard. Everything was fine.
"Oh, finally up, are you?" The pink alicorn took notice of Twilight as she finished answering a few questions. "You've never been one to sleep in before."
"Rough night, apparently," Twilight replied with a laugh. "Just another bad dream."
"Again? That's the third time this week."
"I'm fine. So, how's everything been going?" She already knew everything was going fine, but as outlined in point two-hundred-ninety-four of her plan, it was important for Cadence to think she was contributing to the plan. And she had in the initial phases, but Cadence was always a big-picture kind of pony and the finer details often escaped her. At least in Twilight's eyes.
"Everything's going fantastic. He would have loved it." The Empire's Queen sighed and her smile began to falter. "... I still miss him so much..."
"... Wait, what?" The other alicorn's words just didn't process in Twilight's head, prompting a small double-take. "... Is Shining not here?... Wait, did you want this to be a surprise party?!" Stress was made apparent as she began to frantically skim through her notes. "I didn't plan for that!"
Cadence fell silent, looking at Twilight with the most sincere expression of hurt she had ever given to her. "Twilight... what are you talking about?"
"You said that you miss Shining," Twilight answered blankly, already working on rewriting a good chunk of her plans to accommodate for the sudden development, "So that must mean he isn't here right now. So when's he coming back? I need to know."
This time the entire room fell silent.
Everyone stopped working and looked at her with wide, befuddled eyes. It took Twilight longer then she should have to notice all the eyes that had fallen onto her. She looked to each and every set that had locked onto her, confusion and anxiety only growing worse and worse until she finally came back to Cadence. In that time, Cadence was the only one who had any change in expression. No longer startled by Twilight's statements, Cadence looked like she had been hurt. Badly. Tears were starting to run down her face as she just stared back at Twilight.
"... What?"
"Twilight," Cadence began, "Shining Armor isn't coming back."
Twilight cocked an eyebrow. "... Why is he not coming back?" She had clearly missed something in the time she was asleep because at that moment she might as well have stabbed Cadence right through her heart. "Did... you two have a fight or something?
"... Twilight," Cadence's voice shook, "He's dead."
Twilight screamed. Not externally, her reaction was entirely internal, but she was made to match the upset crowd around her as the words hit her ears. "... Wh-what?! Wh-when?! How long?! How'd he die?!"
The ruler of the Crystal Empire, for a moment, did not know how to react to her sister-in-law's questions. "... Twilly, sweetie... He's been... he's been dead for a very long time," she choked on the words, "He just... it was just his time. He lived a long and happy life, and it was his time to go." Gentle tears began to change into sobs, the ponies around them beginning to back off to give the two space. "How do you not remember that? You were there."
Twilight didn't remember any of this. Shining Armor, her elder brother, dead? She shook her head violently at the thought. Her brother couldn't be dead, he just couldn't be dead. Every cell in her brain burned and worked to dig up every memory they could find, and there was only one recent memory that came to mind. She had seen him just yesterday, alive and well, she knew for a fact she did.
"That's... not right. I saw him yesterday!" Twilight bellowed, matching her sister-in-law tear for tear. "He was at my graduation! So were you! How do you not remember that?!"
Pain became shocked disbelief upon Cadence's face, the pink alicorn not once averting her skeptical and hurt-filled gaze. "Your... graduation?"
"Yes! He was in the crowd with Mom and Dad! I saw them! They waved to me!" The younger alicorn was sure of that. Her memories might have been a bit jumbled when she first woke up, but now she was recalling it clear as day. She graduated from the Queen's School just yesterday, fact. There wasn't a single doubt in her mind.
Based on the way she stood there, it looked as if Cadence couldn't decide if she wanted to be angry, sad, or very afraid.
"Twilight... that was over a hundred years ago..."
A hundred years?! That couldn't have been right. How could a hundred years pass by in one night? It didn't make sense. "No... it was yesterday! I remember it, clear as day!" Twilight raved, looking more and more like a mad-mare with each passing second. "You were on the stage with the Queen giving out the diplomas, Shining was standing right next to you... Mom and Dad were in the crowd... wait, are they dead too?!"
"No, it wasn't, Twilight." Cadence merely shook her head in defiance of her friend's claims. Sadness transformed into a searing, bitter glare, an expression that Twilight had never seen on the candy-colored alicorn before. It was harrowing. "... I think you should go."
As Twilight tried to come up with another possible explanation, it suddenly hit her. Even if Shining were gone, which he couldn't be, today was his birthday. Twilight knew that for a fact. But his birthday was in December. And the graduation ceremony was in June, it always had been in the school's entire history. If that event really had been the previous day, then it couldn't possibly be her brother's birthday! And as that realization came, then came the other memories, the ones that only just now seemed to be off. The opinions she had on her room, her currently missing personal guard, all of it. These memories couldn't exist, shouldn't exist, but they did. And Twilight Sparkle was suddenly very aware of that fact.
"... How long was I asleep?" It was the only somewhat rational answer her addled mind could produce. She knew that it wasn't true, the memories she found waiting for her this morning were too vivid to be dreams. She had lived through each and every day of those many many years, she remembered each one of them. But at the same time, they felt too distant to be real. Like she had just blazed right on by them without even noticing. "What's going on?"
And then, the voices came back, as did the one memory from that day she had repressed, thinking it as nothing more than a bad dream. The hooded figure, the whispers in the back of her mind as she passed out. Both of them had returned, and both were behind her.
"This is it. Your reward. To endure."
Twilight's neck nearly snapped as she glared to the hooded pony behind her, the very same who had made an unwanted appearance at the graduation ceremony. So many emotions were surging through her head, a dangerous cocktail of rage, uncertainty, and fear. "What's going on?!" Twilight screamed at the unflinching figure. "What did you do to me?!"
"A lifetime, gone in the blink of an eye," the cloaked pony murmured back, their haunting voices echoing from everywhere and nowhere. "This is what you wanted?"
The mood in the room drastically shifted with Twilight's outburst. "Twilight... who are you talking to?" Cadence's words sounded distant and fading.
"Cadence, can't you—?" She spun around, not understanding the question. But Cadence wasn't there anymore. Neither was the hooded figure, upon taking a second look. In fact, the Crystal Empire itself wasn't there anymore.
Just a few short seconds ago, this room had been filled with ponies hard at work preparing an annual memorial service for the late Shining Armor. But now? Gone. All of it. Twilight was alone, completely and entirely. Even the room she was standing in, and the entire civilization around it, had vanished into dust. The lone alicorn now stood in what could only be described as an endless wasteland of dust and dirt. The sky was blackened with a dark overcast of clouds. A breeze occasionally kicked up whatever loose dust and debris were lying around. And off in the distance? Twilight could see where the city had gone. All that remained was a scant few broken remnants of towers and other buildings, still refusing to crumble to time like all else had, acting as the only visible landmarks for miles. And as Twilight tried to figure out what had just happened, she quickly found out that she didn't have to. Much to her horror, she knew full well what had just happened here.
Time.
She remembered it all. It was hazy and faded, but it was all there. The passing of thousands upon thousands upon thousands of years. Twilight had lived throughout the entirety of civilization until it all finally sputtered out and died. She had even outlived Cadence and the Queen herself, who had long ago died to disease or other means, she didn't quite remember when they stopped living. But even without them, Twilight had survived. She had watched the whole of pony society, the whole of every society, run its course before fading away into the dust. And now, here she was. At the end of all things. Against the impossible odds, Twilight had endured long enough to watch the world die around her.
"But... they were just here!" Twilight hoarsely screamed out into the void in opposition of the grim reality around her, understandably upset by this sudden revelation. "I was just talking to Cadence! She was standing right here!" She walked over to where Cadence had stood her ground, now nothing but dust. But she walked, her hoof tapped into something solid. Not dust, not stone, but a book. Once more, she was presented with a copy of Corul Luminii Lunii. Seemingly untouched by time.
That's when everything clicked into place. All this had been nothing but some twisted alternate reality, woven by together by either the Mare in the Moon, Twilight's own mind, or some combination of the two. That realization came with some facet of relief, relief that all these years had only in truth been one night. She was still back in her Ponyville home, safe and sound and fast asleep.
Twilight found curiosity gripping at her, almost compelling her to read whatever was in this illusionary text. Once again, all pages were inscribed with the same words repeated endlessly. But this time, they didn't seem to be a warning about what was to come. Instead, it was an apology. The only words within the entire book were simply "The answers are in the Everfree." Before she even had time to process what that could mean, the many voices that had become frighteningly familiar by now.
"To endure beyond everything. This is your fate."
"Why are you doing this?!" Twilight asked sternly of her hooded tormentor. There was no answer. "LEAVE ME ALONE!"
If the Mare in the Moon were to give an answer, Twilight would never hear it. Once more the dream was ended abruptly, Twilight greeted to the early morning sun peeking through the curtains and gently striking her upon her face. She laid their motionless, wide eyes glaring up to the ceiling, feeling the small wet streaks that had formed on her cheeks in her slumber. Apparently, her dream had brought her to tears. Not surprisingly.
She shuddered at what she had experienced within that dream. Even now it shook Twilight down to her very core, the dreadful implication of it all lingering uncomfortably in her mind. It was an idea that she had thought she had long since overcome, a phobia that she had long since conquered. But it seems the Mare in the Moon had seen it appropriate to remind Twilight of the lingering inevitability that had been following Twilight around for the past six years. Twilight quickly realized that it would be seven within the next couple of months, the seventh anniversary of her receiving the precious gift of immortal life. Seven years since the unicorn known to the world as Twilight Sparkle ceased to exist, being replaced by an alicorn of the same name. Seven years since a certain reptilian entity had fallen into her life. That same anniversary would also mark the third year since she took Spike to try and find other long dragons.
I wonder how they're all doing? Twilight mused as she blankly looked up at the ceiling, unmoving and unwavering. I wonder if they're worried... they should be worried... but I'm an alicorn. There isn't much I can't endure through.
That train of thought brought the pony back to that nightmare.
Twilight was quick in pushing away the darker thoughts, as she learned to do long ago, so she could begin her day proper and focus on the brighter side of things. They didn't matter to her right now, all that mattered was the here and now. It took only a moment for her to wipe away the evidence of her nocturnal crying and to fix her mane to a somewhat presentable standard. And after a few deep breaths to further calm her nerves, Twilight was ready to face the day.
Practically striding out of her room, the alicorn's first order of business was to check on Spike. There hadn't been any screams of terror to catch her attention this time, so hopefully, he had been spared another visit, but it never hurt to check and be sure. Besides, she needed to start making them both breakfast anyway. And even if she knew exactly what he would want, there was one question that she would need to be answered.
"Spike? You up?" Twilight lightly knocked against the closed door, not wanting to startle him if he were still sleeping. "I'm making omelets. How many eggs do you want in yours?"
There was no answer. Not surprisingly, it was still fairly early, and he might be catching up on sleep after he had been robbed of it the previous night. But that wasn't the case Twilight soon discovered, her keen hearing detecting something unusual behind the door. Heavy breathing, almost growling, could be heard just beyond the thin barricade. It could almost be called snoring, which served as enough motivation to keep Twilight from slamming into the room as she had done so last night. But worry still welled up inside her at an exponential rate. Her magic moving to slowly open the door, she ever so slowly poked her head inside.
"Spike?" She asked again, still with no responce. The first thing she noticed was that Spike was not in his bed, but instead in the far corner of the room. Sitting upright, if a bit hunched over, it was clear that he was awake. Of course, the next logical question was what he could be doing over there. Based on his breathing and his posture, it looked like he was glaring down at something with great ferocity.
Having not been noticed yet, Twilight took the opportunity to slowly ease her way over to see what it was that Spike was doing. Not an easy thing to do for a hoofed creature on a hardwood floor, but she managed to keep her presence a secret. Whatever Spike was doing, his full attention was focused on it. Ever so gingerly, Twilight peered over his shoulder to see what he was enthralled with.
Sitting upon the floor before the dragon was something she was well acquainted with by now. The book on dragons that Spike had grown so fond of in his short six-year life, currently open to an illustration of a dragon not unlike the one the two of them had the misfortune of meeting in person. Spike's breathing continued to grow heavier and heavier, faster and faster, an obvious indication of a rising temper.
"Spike?"
Spike flinched at the sudden interruption before freezing entirely. Motionless, like a statue, he sat there for what felt like eons. Finally, he turned to look at the alicorn standing behind him. On his face, he wore the expression of a child who had been caught in the act of doing something they knew they weren't meant to do. A bit of fear, a bit of regret, a pinch of anger, all blended together in this one look that perfectly conveyed the word "oops." Twilight wasn't much different. Just as the long dragon had been surprised to be caught in the act of whatever he was doing, Twilight was equally shocked to have found him in this state.
"Are you alright?" The question came out automatically, even though Twilight already knew what the answer was.
"I'm... I'm fine," Spike spoke back casually with a grin, "Just... still upset about what happened. That's all."
"Do you want to talk about it?"
"Not really..."
Twilight furrowed her brow. "But do you need to talk about it?"
Spike bit at his lower lip, silence overtaking the conversation as he took the time to think. "Is... is that why ponies freak out when they see me? Because when I get big, I'll be... like that?" An understandable question for sure, but that didn't stop it from tearing into Twilight's heart like an arrowhead. This was a topic of discussion that was long overdue for the two of them to touch upon. Trying to choke back a wince of discomfort, Twilight magically opened the book back to the page Spike had previously been observing.
"Spike, you're not like other dragons. You're a long dragon. Most ponies have never even seen a long dragon before, they don't understand—"
"But I'm still a dragon." Spike looked back down at the page, any number of conflicting emotions clearly welling up inside of him. "They understand that."
If words could kill, those ones would have been enough to end Twilight's life several times over. She had to stop herself from physically recoiling at the statement, especially seeing as how she couldn't give him a straight answer. After all, that was exactly the reason as to why most ponies had a negative first reaction to him. It's why the two did the best they could to keep him a secret whilst among other ponies. It was easier than explaining things out, after all. A choice Twilight was now beginning to deeply regret. It hurt even more as she realized that Spike must've been holding in these thoughts since the incident.
Once more, absolute silence. Spike didn't turn back to face Twilight. Instead, he just stared down at the book on the floor. But even though his back was turned to the alicorn, Twilight could practically feel the tears welling up in his eyes. Some of them had even found their way into Twilight's own as she shared in his pain.
"Spike, you're not like that," Twilight spoke sternly yet affectionately. She sat just behind him, pulling the dragon in close with her forelegs and wings. It took a bit of effort, she had to make sure she didn't end up stabbing herself with the green spines that ran down his back, but eventually, she pulled him into the loving hug. "You're not going to end up like that. I promise."
"But how can you—?"
"Because I'll make sure you won't. You're better than that and I know it."
There wasn't another answer. Not verbally, at least. But as time went on, she could feel a great deal of tension release itself from Spike's body as he began to relax. She led by example with several deep breaths, smiling slightly as she heard him follow in her lead. The two of them stayed like this for some time, just breathing. Calming down. Time lost all meaning until, eventually, Twilight released the dragon from her embrace. She gave him the space to stand back up and look at her in the eye for the first time in a while, and she could clearly see that her intervention had a positive impact on him.
But of course, the tender moment was suddenly interrupted by three loud, rapid knocks on the house's front door. If they didn't know any better, it almost sounded like whoever was at their doorstep wanted to knock down their door altogether. It was a frustrating way to change the topic of discussion, Twilight let out a small groan in responce. Spike's reaction was less volatile, just a minor mumbling sound as his stomach growled in turn.
"I'll go get rid of them," the alicorn began in a half-joking tone, "After that, I'll make us some breakfast. Ommletes still sound good?"
Spike gave a weary nod as he climbed back into his bed, looking to be quite overwhelmed by the short discussion that had just taken place. Twilight, in the meanwhile, made her way through the short hallway and, by extension, the still-being-knocked-upon front door. She made sure to take the dragon book with her on her way out, not wanting it to cause another incident. Frustrated at the unwelcome interruption, the alicorn's cloak was acquired from the nearby coat rack and donned just as Twilight swung the door open.
Shockingly enough, nobody was there. Not Pinkie Pie with some grandiose greeting, not Fluttershy wishing to check-in with Spike, not even the mail-mare with the weekly bills. Not a single soul was standing on Twilight's doorstep. Confused, she leaned outside of the threshold to look around for any sign of the unwanted guest. Again, there was no one. What she did see, however, was the mint green unicorn that lived just across the way, currently watering the flowerbed in her front yard.
"Hey, Lyra?" Twilight called over to her neighbor, getting the minty unicorn's attention. "Did you see anyone at my door just now?"
"Uhh... Yeah, I think so," Lyra called back, "I wasn't really paying attention, but I think they nailed something to your door."
Looking to the wooden barrier, Lyra's claim was indeed proven true with the crisp white strip of paper that was now skewered by a single nail to her door. That explained the excessively loud knocking if nothing else, but not who the sender of this message was. Of course, answers didn't come from the message itself, either. In fact, it only raised more questions.
The answers are in the Everfree.
~ A friend.
Stats
Page generated in 0.027 seconds
Total duration
669 users online
988,341 hits today, 2,054,621 yesterday
FIMFiction
My Little Pony: Friendship is Magic Fanfiction
Designed and coded by knighty & Xaquseg - © 2011-2024
Follow & Support Us
Support us
SubStar
Chat!
Discord
Follow us
Twitter
MLP: Friendship is Magic® - © 2024 Hasbro Inc.®
Fimfiction is in no way affiliated with or endorsed by Hasbro Inc.®
I'm guessing that Twilight must have triggered some kind of "trap" from the library, but maybe it's just a flavour of oracle dream or something instead.
shuddered?
Whoa. REALLY good job on this latest chapter. That was one doozy of a nightmare/possible series of precognitive flashes. The exchanges and characterizations in Twilight's head were really well done. And, yeah, it DOES make sense that she would dread outliving almost everybody she cares about. And, yeah, I DID love seeing Twilight and Spike TRYING to reassure each other (didn't succeed, but still both tried).
VERY definitely looking forward to more of this.
Gotta stop hiding Spike away like that, Twily. Isn't good for him. :(
9862847
Thank you kindly.
Are you though Starlight
9863838
Eventually. Probably. Yesterday?
Time travel's weird.
ITS A TRAP
Sounds suspicious. Twilight, don't go in the forest unprepared.
Really loved the scene with the moment between Twilight and Spike. It's a big issue, and one that neither can resolve alone, or maybe even resolve together, but the fact that they'll have each other means that they'll get through it somehow, eventually.
Obviously, the dream was influenced by Nightmare Moon because I doubt Cadance would ever be angry at Twilight for forgetting her brother's death (only very worried), but that still doesn't preclude it being partly a premonition.
...On that matter, how is it that the dream's perspective shifted to Flash even after Twilight had left? Dreams are weird.
Ohhh, a mystery at the end! Wonder if it was Knox? Also, Twilight lives next to Lyra. Thus, she also lives next to BonBon. Wonder if this Bonnie is keeping tabs on her and Spike for Celestia?
And on a minor note, the idea of Spike watching Twilight from the saddlebag with binoculars was laughingly adorable! You do great visualizations!
9873583
So to answer your question about Flash, that was just meant to be a gag more than anything. Just something small to laugh at before the really messed up stuff happens.
But thank you so much for the comment. It really does mean a lot. And no, BonBon isn't keeping tabs on anyone. Usually, I avoid spoilers, but I'll make an exception for this one.
She is... DOCTOR TRAN!!!
Just what the fuck is going on?! Also, I am going to ignore any minor spelling or grammatical mistakes till later chapters.
10330927
I don't mind people pointing out my mistakes. You don't have to feel bad about pointing them out. It helps make the story better for future readers, that's how I've always thought of it.
*Straight
9863838
Yes it’s a big ball of wibbly wobbly stuff