Long Live The Empress

by Mystic Sunrise

Return To The Orrery, Journey To A New World

"So why are we out here again?" Rainbow asked as she floated alongside the girls as they walked through the Everfree Forest.

Twilight rolled her eyes for the umpteenth time. "Because Maud asked for our help Rainbow. I don't know why either. Do you Pinkie?"

Pinkie shook her head. "Nope! But it must be important if she's asking for all of us."

The girls had to agree with that. Maud had returned the day before, not long after her first trip to Ponyville, and had asked if they could come with her to check something out.

Having returned from the Rainbow Falls Trader's Exchange a few days earlier, and then having to clean up the mess left over Rarity's Inspiration Manifestation rampage, they had almost said no because they were so tired, but something in her usual monotone had seemed off. Even Pinkie could tell that something had Maud confused.

So, in the end, they had decided to go along and see what had left her stumped, but in a departure from their usual trips into the forest, Twilight had made it a point to bring Crystal, Emerald, Celestial, Orchid and Water Lilly with them. It just felt wrong to leave them behind Twilight thought, and it was a though that was getting louder and louder each day.

It was also something her friends had begun to notice as well. Twilight had been hanging out the new girls more and more often recently. Pinkie didn't mind of course. But something about it seemed off to the others. They too didn't have a problem with Twilight hanging out with new ponies or making new friends, but this felt like something more.

Call it a hunch, but they could feel that something was coming. The words that Magic had told them in the grotto where the Tree of Harmony once stood kept coming back to them.

"Her rebirth draws near."

Assuming this, Empress Cosmos was real, they figured it had something to do with her. What that could mean they didn't know, but it felt right all the same.

Finally, they came to what they assumed was the spot Maud had asked them to meet her at. In front of them was a hillside that wouldn't look any different from any other than for one big thing.

A tunnel carved into solid rock. Even from this distance it didn't look natural at all and had been crafted into this shape. As they came closer the mystery deepened for as far as they could see there were no joints evident and the walls were as smooth as ice.

Alongside the entrance, a faded set of runes was barely evident. From what little Twilight could see, they almost looked like those found in an old village where Rockhoof had supposedly lived, but these were too ancient and far too elaborate to be the same.

Also inside the entrance was Maud herself with her usual stoic look. She nodded briefly at Twilight, who returned the gesture. "Thank you for coming." She said in her usual way.

Twilight looked around again. "Is this the place?" Maud nodded. "So why call us?"

"I needed an outside opinion. I've never seen anything like this." Maud replied as she gestured at the walls around them.

Pinkie gasped. "Like, never ever?"

Maud nodded. "This is a level of craftsmanship that should not be physically possible. No earth pony could do this. Not even if they had a hundred years to do it. Not even our family could."

Twilight pushed her unicorn and earth pony magic into the rock around them. After a moment she stopped as her eyes got big. "This. This is carved on a subatomic level."

"You mean like a Transfiguration Spell?" Celestial asked.

Twilight shook her head. "No. Even those have some imperfection in them even if we don't see it." She gestured at the rock around them. "There is literally no imperfection here."

"What does that mean?" Rarity asked.

Twilight shook her head. "Unicorn magic didn't carve this. No magic is this precise. I've never heard of one that could do this." She pushed her magic out again, feeling something else, and her flank hit the ground as she gained a look of utter shock. "I. I don't believe it."

"What is it?" Fluttershy asked.

Twilight waived at everything around them. "This. All of this. It's a Singularity Point. A fixed point in space and time that nothing but the end of time itself can alter." She shook her head as she stood up. "I've only read theories about these. Nopony thought they existed."

"So what does that mean?" Crystal asked.

Twilight sighed. "Whoever crafted this, they didn't do it in just the 3rd dimension. They carved it in the 4th dimension, maybe even higher than that."

"And then there are those," Maud said pointing out openings along the wall as they walked along.

Applejack stuck her head in one. "Aint nothing in here but an empty room and a door on the other wall that goes nowhere."

"Same here," Emerald called from another opening.

"Same," Orchid said from yet another.

"They're all the same thing," Rainbow said looking in one. "Who the hay does that? Build a room that doesn't do anything?"

Twilight sighed. "I don't know. None of this makes sense."

"And this isn't even all there is," Maud said, but didn't say more. The girls figured they would soon find out. Finally, after some time, they came to what they guessed was the central room, one easily a mile across with another door on the far wall. But when they looked up, following a light, their jaws dropped in shock at what was revealed. Even Pinkie Pie was silent for once.

A great wheel with twenty-six spheres floating within it, with another at the base of the spoke, all of them revolving around one sphere in particular.

"Now there's something ya don't see every day." Applejack said quietly, removing her hat and turning to Twilight. "Any idea of what it is?"

Twilight shook her head, wracking her brain for something. "I have no idea It looks like a map of our universe, maybe, but not like one I've ever heard of."

Rainbow flew back over to the group. "Well, that door is a bust. Just a staircase that goes and down into the solid rock and that's it."

Twilight rubbed her forehead. "This doesn't make any sense. Who built this? Why did they build it, and why put it here?"

"Maybe Princess Celestia and Princess Luna?" Fluttershy said.

Twilight shrugged. "Maybe, but this is nowhere near the old castle, and as far as I know, they were never in this part of the forest at the time."

"Someone was here before us though," Maud said. "There were hoofprints in the doorway when I got here. They came this far as well."

Twilight nodded. "I'll ask Princess Celestia to see if she knows anything."

"So what do we do with it?" Emerald asked as she gestured around the room and above them, Their eyes again turned toward the great wheel. They had to admit it was a pretty sight. And maybe it was just a trick of the light, but they all swore the spheres were moving inwards toward the central sphere.

Twilight shook her head. "I say we leave it. No one's doing anything to it, and we don't even know what it is or does."

Her gaze lingered on the wheel for a moment longer. Something about it seemed familiar like she had seen it before, been here before. She shook her head to clear those thoughts. "I don't think we need to worry about anyone using it for evil, whatever it is."

No one could argue with that. As the girls turned around ready to leave, and Maud promised to stay longer and see if she could find out any more about it that they missed, none of them noticed the spheres beginning to speed up their inward spiral before seemingly reaching an important point. As they did stey stopped, and began to align themselves into order and pattern that none could make sense.

And an unseen clock began ticking down to zero.

***

Magic felt the countdown begin. "This is it. When the alignment is complete the Fifth will be born and the Lord of Midnight will rise again, and then. And then..."

She couldn't bring herself to finish the thought, for she could no longer say what would happen then. And Twilight... Her memories were coming back faster and faster now and her mind couldn't keep up. She had been trying to hide it, but Magic could still see it. It was only a matter of time now before it began to show physically. As much as it hurt, she had to face the truth now.

Twilight would never live long enough to see her niece born.

***

In a Canterlot Castle storeroom, the World Mirror hummed to life for the first time in months. No one though was there to hear it. Nor did anyone see Sunset Shimmer fall through the portal a moment later, landing with a thud on the floor.

"Ow," Sunset mumbled as she took in her surroundings and her pony. "I'm, back in Equestria? I thought this thing wasn't working?!" She growled as she stood up on shaky hooves.

Looking around, she didn't notice anything she recognized, which meant Princess Celestia had moved the mirror, which also meant Sunset had no idea of where she was in the castle now.

She sighed. "Great. Like I needed anything else to go wrong at the moment."

And there was a lot going wrong it seemed. Canterlot High was at each other's throats over the upcoming Battle of the Bands and even her friends were at it.

Sunset would be lying if she said she didn't like a competition. She had won her fair share of them as a filly and then more when she had moved to the Human World, even if those had been ones she never honestly expected to win.

But ever since those three strange girls had shown up the day before, it had gone from good-natured to outright cutthroat in a flash.

Sunset also swore, to those who knew about it at all, that there was a whiff of Equestrian magic about them. Not the random bursts that had been occurring all over the city, but this felt natural for them.

Honestly, Sunset was at her wit's end trying to figure out what was going on and finding a way to stop it. She couldn't even go back to Equestria and ask for help. Until now that is.

Pushing open the door, she stuck her head out and looked around. Nopony was in sight, but she did recognize the hallway she was in.

Which made it easier as she turned to the right and began trotting toward Princess Celestia's Private Chambers. With the time dilation, it should just be right before she called it a night.

Hopefully, she was in a good mood.

***

Princess Celestia always regarded this as her favorite time of day, alongside sunrise each morning. Of course, the sun didn't rise until she set it on its course for the day, but that was beside the point.

Court had finished for the day, dinner was done, and she had traded places with Luna for the night. Her regalia sat on a nightstand next to her bed, and she was completely relaxed as she reread some of Twilight and her friend's old Friendship Reports. She'd be lying if she said she didn't miss getting them, but they had all grown past that it seemed. Not that she didn't mind of course. Call it a case of nostalgia.

Speaking of Twilight and her friends, she had received a letter several weeks before that had surprised her. They had found the Celestial Orrery. Apparently one of Pinkie Pie's sisters had found it while exploring the Everfree Forest for some reason.

In truth, she was not that surprised they had found it. It would naturally draw its master back to it. What did surprise her was that a twenty-eighth door had opened in the Grand Occulus, one that had not been there before, which was odd. As far as they knew, only twenty-seven doors were meant to be there. What it meant she didn't know.

Something else though did worry her. For some time now she had been noticing something very wrong with her former student, and it had nothing to do with her emerging power. Or maybe it did. There was still so much they didn't know about Cosmos.

But that was a concern for tomorrow. Tonight was free and would not spend it worrying about what may or may not come. So when a guard knocked on her door, she was understandably annoyed. "Yes?" She asked.

"Pardon the intrusion your highness, but there is somepony here to see you." The guard replied.

Celestia frowned. "My schedule said nothing about meeting a pony this late. Tell them to come back tomorrow, and I will happily see them then."

The guard hesitated. "She is being very insistent princess, and is not taking no for an answer."

Celestia sighed as she stood up and walked over to the door. "Fine then. Stand aside and I will handle this myself."

She could hear his hesitation but eventually, his training overcame his sense and he stood aside as she opened the door. And came face to face with the last pony she expected to see.

Sunset Shimmer smiled sheepishly. "Um. Surprise?"

***

The next morning found the Mane 6, Spike, and their new friends on the train north to Canterlot. A letter that morning had requested that they arrive as soon as possible.

And this had Twilight worried more than usual. As far as she knew, there was nothing going on that they needed to be at.

"Any idea what's going on Twi?" Applejack asked after a time.

Twilight shook her head. "No idea. Princess Celestia wasn't very clear in the letter. Just that there was somepony she wanted me to meet, that I should bring the Element of Magic, and that you should all come with me."

"She seems to be doing that a lot lately," Rainbow said as she floated lazily in the air. "Does anyone else think she's not telling us something?"

Everyone nodded. It was a feeling that had been growing for some time now but only became concrete after what had happened to the Tree of Harmony. They still weren't sure what to make of what they had been told, and even less so Spike since he hadn't been there, and neither did their new friends.

But something was up, that much was for sure, and now there was this. Celestia rarely asked that they all come like this directly, and even more, since she had asked that Crystal, Emerald, Celestial, Orchid, and Water Lilly come with them as well.

For these five, this would be the first time they had ever been to the capitol. Of course, they were excited to see it, but something else was on their minds at that moment.

As if by some signal, Twilight's head chose that moment to throb painfully. She clutched her eyes shut and sucked in a breath, fighting to keep her stomach where it was. After a moment the pain passed.

Fluttershy was worried. "Another migraine?"

Twilight nodded. "They're getting worse and worse." As if to prove the point, another throbbing pain arched through her, and this time she had to swallow her bile as it rose.

"Have you tried talking to Princess Celestia about it?" Celestial asked.

Twilight shook her head. "Not yet. But I plan on. On..."

She never finished the sentence as another throbbing pain hit her, but this one didn't stop. In fact, it kept growing worse and worse. Her vision blurred as her friends looked on in horror as she fell forward.

The last thing she heard was her friend's cry of Twilight?! Before darkness claimed her, and Twilight knew no more.

***

Sunset could only give Celestia an unconvinced look. "Are you sure this is a good idea? It took me forever to get used to a new body over there, and you want to send her now? I mean, if there wasn't something going on, then yeah. But."

Celestia smiled, one that always warmed her heart no matter what. "Twilight is a very capable mare Sunset. In fact, she reminds me a lot of you." She looked away a moment. "I always intended to show Twilight the World Mirror one day. Maybe in the hopes that the two of you might be able to work out how it works."

Sunset tried not to sulk. No matter what Celestia said, she couldn't help but feel she had been replaced by this new pony. But then again maybe it was her own fault for not leaving well enough alone with the mirror when she had gone through all those years ago.

Why she had, she still didn't know. Not after what it had shown what she would have become. Not that monster.

Her thoughts were interrupted then Throne Room doors were thrown open and eleven ponies and one dragon ran inside, even as the door guards looked on with a worried look.

Sunset tried to hold in her unease. Five of the ponies she knew quite well, and four of them only in passing. The other two she didn't know.

Princess Celestia was shocked. "What-"

"Please," Fluttershy began as her tears fell. "You have to help." Applejack turned so they could see what was on her back. Celestia felt her breath hitch.

Twilight lay there in a bad way. Her wings were askew and her mane deshelved. Her coat was soaked in sweat and her breathing was shallow.

Celestia had never seen Twilight so bad before, yet before she could do anything Sunset rushed over and put a hoof to Twilight's forehead.
She was shocked by what she felt. "She's burning up with a fever." She said as the girls gave her odd looks.

"And you are?" Rarity asked.

Sunset forced a smile. "I'm a friend. We need to get her to a doctor now."

That forced Celestia out of her funk as she turned to one of the guards. "Get the Royal Physician in here now! I don't care where she is." One ran off as she turned to the other. "Find Twilight Velvet and Night Light. Bring them here as soon as possible.

She paid him no mind as he saluted and off as she walked over to the group. Her heart sank seeing Twilight like this. "Don't worry Twilight. We're all here for you."

Twilight could only whimper in response.

***

Several hours later the girls, Sunset, Celestia and Luna, and Twilight's parents all stood outside a hospital room where even now their friend was being tended to.

The Royal Physician had arrived a few minutes after her parents had, and after a quick check, had immediately called for an ambulance to take Twilight to Canterlot General. No one had been able to get more out of her so they had been forced to follow them all the way there.

Once there, Doctor Ivory Fire had made them wait in the main lobby while she and her staff worked on Twilight.

That had been over an hour ago now. Rainbow paced impatiently while Night Light held his wife close as she cried into his shoulder. Everyone else was trying not to think of what had happened to Twilight or what it could mean. Celestia herself was close to a break down right then and there, but nopony would have blamed her if she had.

The only one who felt completely out of place in all this was Sunset Shimmer. This was not how she had envisaged her return to Equestria being like. She wanted to say something to the girls, anything, but what was there to say? She didn't know Twilight like them, and for the life of her, she still felt she had been replaced by her.

Finally Doctor Ivory came out, but her expression didn't inspire confidence. "How is she?" Spike asked.

"Miss Sparkle is resting now. But." Ivory replied before biting her lip.

Celestia was concerned. "But what? You know you can speak plainly Ivory. I value your honest opinion when it comes to this kind of thing."

Ivory nodded. "Quite frankly, this is something I've never seen or heard of in all my years of this."

"What do you mean?" Sunset asked.

Ivory sighed. "We've run every test known to medicine, even the alicorn only ones we use for Celestia and Luna when we need to. But none of these results make any sense."

"And how's that?" Applejack asked.

Ivory pulled out a thick stack of paper and handed it to Celestia. "This is all of Twilight's heart activity. And this is what it should look like for somepony her age."

Everyone craned over to get a look. Not all of them understood what they were looking at, but Fluttershy did, and what she saw shocked her. "This can't be right." She said.

Ivory shook her head. "I assure you, this is very accurate. Her heart rate is that of someone ten years younger than her, but then it changes to that of someone near the end of their life."

"Maybe it's just an alicorn thing?" Pinkie said., trying to sound confident.

Luna shook her head. "No miss Pie. Even for us, our heart rate is normal. Only in times of extreme stress does it change. But never like this."

"Or this fast," Celestia added. "If I'm reading this right, Twilight's heart rate is changing every second."

"Which should be impossible. In all my years I've never seen anything like this before."

"So what does it mean?" Orchid asked.

"I don't know." Ivory said as she pulled out two more sheets. "And then there is this. This is her brain's neural electrical activity."
If the first one had been hard to understand, this was even worse. "I don't get it." Crystal said after a moment.

Ivory smiled. "This will help. This is what it should look like." And handed them another sheet.

Everyone saw the change immediately. "This can't be right. What about her resting state?" Celestia asked.

Ivory glared at the first sheet. "That is Twilight's resting state. That, shouldn't be possible for anyone like that."

"Twilight is a pretty smart pony." Celestial said.

Ivory nodded. "I will not argue with you there. But that should not account for all this." She looked at Celestia and Luna. "This is far more activity than I've seen in Celestia, Luna, and Cadance combined."

She sighed. "This is as much as got before the machine literally blew up on us. No one was hurt thankfully. But." Her gaze glossed over a moment.

"What is it?" Water Lilly asked.

"Just before it blew, Twilights' activity spike exponentially and kept climbing. We couldn't keep up with it." Ivory said.

"So what does it all mean?" Twilight Velvet asked.

Ivory rubbed her forehead with a hoof. "We don't know. This is all new to us. And." She paused as if she couldn't believe what she was about to say as she pulled out another sheet. "There is also this."

Everyone took a look at it and felt their brains screech to a stop at what they saw. It didn't make any sense. It couldn't make any sense.

"What is that?" Rainbow asked.

It was Twilight, an x-ray of her body showing all of her internal workings, but that wasn't what drew their attention. It wasn't even Twilight herself. It was what was around her that shocked them.

Another body was superimposed around Twilight. In fact, it was following Twilight's shape exactly, but on a much larger scale.

"We don't know. There was nothing there that would explain this. In fact, this never should have shown up at all." Ivory said as she looked at Celestia. "But we did some calculations. If this pony stood up, she would be several heads taller than Celestia herself."

Celestia digested this. None of this made sense, even with all of her wisdom and knowledge. And it aggravated her to no end.

Emerald meanwhile noticed something tucked at the pony's sides, but that couldn't be right. Could it. "Are those what I think they are?" She asked.

Ivory saw what she meant and sighed. "Ah yes. Those. They are indeed what you think they are."

"And what's what?" Night Light asked.

"Wings. Those are four more wings folded at her side. On top of the two Twilight already has." Emerald replied with some shock.

Everypony looked at Rainbow and Fluttershy. "Don't look at us," Rainbow said. "I didn't even think that was possible." Fluttershy nodded as well.

Celestia looked back at Ivory. "All of this goes back to our first question though. Is Twilight alright?"

Ivory nodded. "Yes. Whatever all this is, the worst she'll feel is the migraines she has been experiencing."

Everypony let out an audible sigh of relief. "So can we see her?" Fluttershy asked.

Ivory nodded. "If she's awake and up for it, I don't see why not."

***

Twilight had made up her mind as soon as she had awoken: This day counted as one of her worst ever. Top five at least. Seeing all her friends and family at her side when she came too helped. She could never remember seeing her parents more concerned before or the look of worry in Princess Celestia's eyes that went beyond the norm.

The bright yellow unicorn in the room was new, but she'd get to that in a moment. "What happened?" She asked. "Last thing I remember we were on the train."

Everyone shared a look. "Ya passed out Twi." Applejack replied. "Dropped like a rock too."

"We got you here as soon as we could. You've been out all morning." Crystal added.

Twilight nodded. Her brain was still pulling itself together and she felt like she'd slept for days. For the moment though she turned her gaze to the new pony in the room. "And you are?"

The mare smiled, but it came out forced. "The name's Sunset Shimmer. Guess you can call me your predecessor."

Celestia forestalled the question that came to everyone's mind. "Sunset was my student before you Twilight. We had, a falling out of sorts shortly before your Entrance Exam."

Sunset nodded. "But something forced me to change how I used to be. We made up years ago."

Twilight knew there was more to it than that, but held off for now. "Why didn't you tell me you had another student?" She asked Princess Celestia.

Celestia smirked. "You never asked." She rolled her eyes as Twilight glared. "Oh honestly Twilight, did you really think you were the only personal student I've ever had?"

"... Maybe?" Twilight replied sheepishly. Now that she thought about it though, it was a silly idea. Of course, Princess Celestia must have had tons of personal students over the years. Heck, she should have remembered what Emerald, Orchid, and Water Lilly had told her some time ago now. But that brought up another thing. "What happened to you? You disappeared years ago."

Sunset rubbed her head with a hoof. "Yeah. About that..."

Celestia stepped up. "I think it is time I show you all something. Something I've been meaning to for some time now." She looked at Ivory. "Is Twilight is free to go?"

Ivory nodded. "Let me run a few more tests, and then Miss. Sparkle is free to leave whenever she wants."

***

An hour later, everyone stood in the Castle Throne Room as Sunset finished explaining what the mirror was and why she had come back so suddenly. It was a lot to take in for sure.

"And now these three girls show up and now the whole school is at each other's throats." She finished. "I'm all for a competition, but this isn't how we should do it."

"And you think magic is involved?" Twilight asked.

Sunset nodded. "It's faint, but they definitely have Equestrian magic. That world has never had magic before all this started. They're not ready or prepared for it."

"But why would it start now?" Rarity asked. "If it's never been there before."

Sunset sighed. "I don't know. The magic started popping up all over the city a few months ago, but it only started getting big in the last few weeks. And now these three show up. I don't like it."

Celestia and Luna shared an uneasy look. "We might have an idea of why it started, and why the mirror shut off as it did," Luna said.

"What's that?" Celestial asked.

Celestia sighed. "As her rebirth draws near, Cosmos may have cut off the link to spare that world the effects of her rebirth, but they've gotten through anyway."

Sunset snorted. "Please. That's just an old mare's tale. She was never real. There was no pony who ruled all of Equus. No Age of Myths, nor Age of Wonders."

Celestia smirked. "I seem to remember you liking those stories Sunset. In fact, you made me tell you them all the time as a bedtime story."

Sunset rolled her eyes. "Yeah, when I was five maybe." She tossed her mane. "I think I'm a little old to believe all that now."

For some reason that got Twilight's blood positively boiling. Who was this filly to talk about her like that? Personal student of the princess or not. She shot down that train of thought fast. Where had all that come from? Nopony noticed though so she let it go for now. "So, what does this have to do with us? Not that I'm not worried of course."

Celestia smiled. "I want you to go with her Twilight." She sighed. "This isn't how I wanted you to find out about all this, but I can't think of anyone better for helping them."

Twilight was stumped. Of course, she was excited at the idea of seeing a new world, but this wasn't exactly how she envisaged it. "I'm honored, I really am. But I don't know a thing about that world, or what might happen."

Sunset threw a hoof around her. "And that's why I'm willing to help. And I know there are people who'd be happy to help too."

"People?" Twilight asked.

Sunset rolled her eyes. "Term from that world. You'll get it eventually."

Twilight thought about it. What Sunset had told them did sound serious, and she'd be lying if she said she wasn't worried. Looking over at the girls, she could see they would support her no matter what she did, as did Celestia and Luna, who only smiled and nodded.

Her parents were slower to react, but in the end, they too could see how much this meant to her. Her dad smiled while her mom just nodded.

That was enough for her. She turned back to Celestia. "When do we leave?"

***

Thirty minutes later, Twilight and Sunset again stood in front of the mirror. Twilight only had a single saddlebag with her since Sunset had explained that most of what she would need would be provided over there. Whatever that meant, but Twilight decided to trust her on it.

At the moment, Princess Celestia was explaining to the girls why they couldn't go with them. They weren't happy about it safe to say. "And why not?" Rainbow grumbled.

Celestia shook her head. "It's too dangerous to send you all at the same time. We have never done that before, and I will not risk it now of all times."

Sunset nodded. "And it would be way to confusing on the other side." She rubbed the back of her head. "I, kind of already know you, girls."

That confused everypony. "How's that? We just met." Crystal said.

Sunset nodded. "Yeah I know, but." She paused a moment. "It's hard to explain until you see it."

Applejack gave her a look. She wasn't fully convinced, but she could feel Sunset was telling the truth. Or part of it anyway, but she decided not to push.

Spike though was glad he wasn't going. Maybe it was reading too many comics, but he didn't really want to see a new world. Plus it would get Twilight out of his scales for a while and he needed the break. Get caught up on his O&O maybe. He was behind with some of the newer stuff.

What worried Twilight was that she was bringing the Element of Magic with her. Try as she might, she couldn't get the darn thing to stay in one spot. So now it too was in her saddlebag. What that would mean she didn't know, but she hoped it wouldn't be anything bad.

Luna stepped up to both of them. "The portal closes in three days. You must be sure to be back through here before then, or you will not be able to for a long time."

Twilight gulped but nodded all the same. She didn't even want to think about that if she could. She looked at Sunset. "Ready?"

Sunset grinned as she gestured at the mirror. "Princesses first." She said. Steadying herself, Twilight stepped forward and placed a hoof on the mirror and watched it sink into the surface. Casting a final glance at her friends and family, Twilight smiled.

And stepped through into the unknown.

Comments

[Zapper Frost]

Twilight would never live long enough to see her niece born.

Is twilight actually going to die at the end of this or are you just building up suspense?

[Mystic Sunrise]

9352063
That's for me to know and everyone else to find out.

[Zapper Frost]

9352069
?ebyam a s'taht oS

[Mystic Sunrise]

9352073
I'm not telling.

[Zapper Frost]

9352075
Yes it's backwards
It says, "So that's a maybe?"

[Mystic Sunrise]

9352078
Yeah, I saw that after a moment. I will say one, non plot related thing though. I hope to have the next couple chapters out quickly since I hope the payoff to all this build up will be out on my birthday next Sunday.

They are writen, and the first story side story is being put together now. It's just finding time to post them here with real life stuff going on.

[cheetored20]

9352063
Could also be a case of I have someone's memories, am I still me?

[Zapper Frost]

9352089
You know I just thought of something, what will happen to discord after all of this?

[Mystic Sunrise]

9352111
I think I already said this, but I'll say it again anyway. Twilight and Cosmos are literally one and the same being. The memories are forcing their way past the mental barriers she herself put up to keep them locked away until she was ready.

Or to say it another way (this taken from the very first rough draft of the story last years when I was putting it together): "Oh, girls. I'll always be Twilight no matter what changes about me. But this is me as I always was meant to be.

I just never realized it until now."

Whether that is in here or not, is for me to know and everyone else to wait for.

[Mystic Sunrise]

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Keep reading to find out. It'll be there in time.

[Zapper Frost]

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Uggh, I hate waiting

[Titan Commander Sebaste]

Hmm... So it's a toss up on whether Twilight will live long enough or not...

[Edguy0009]

4 chapters remaining....