Five Times Twilight Saved a Friend

by star-girl

Magic

It was Twilight Sparkle's brithday, and she was twirling a sword in her magic, faster and faster until all you sould see of it was a silver blur. She figured that, with the record Equestria had going, the next time a threat popped up she'd best be ready for it. There would inevitably come a time when the threat - like an army - would be too big for the Elements of Harmony to handle.

She twirled it faster and faster, and when she stopped, it was pressed against her neck.

Would she do it?

No, she thought, yanking the blade away from her. Too many people needed her, looked up to her, idolized her, were counting on her . . .

And isn't that the root of the problem?

To be frank, Twilight Sparkle was tired. When she'd pictured her future, she'd imagined herself as a professor at Celestia's School for Gifted Unicorns, perhaps a foreign emissary or a wizard. Certainly never a princess. Certainly not one in line for the throne, especially since Celestia and Luna's announcement. She was tired of the frequent attacks, the sense of something bigger - a legacy of alicorn royalty that she had to uphold.

The adoring faces of her friends when she helped them, when they called her their hero - heck, even Rainbow Dash had admitted to it!

But none of them had seen that that was the last thing she wanted.

They failed to realize that eveery time someone called her their hero, their savior, their role model, she felt the crushing weight of responsibility on her heart and soul. Once upon a time she had relied on her friends for this, but it seemed they, too, had succcumed to the safety that looking up to Twilight had brought them.

Tentatively, the blade returned to her neck. Would she do it?

Just then, the door burst open and the Bearers (Starlight had sent her a card and present beforehand; she was traveling with Trixie) came in, Rarity levitating what was obviously a Pinkie-made cake and Applejack pulling a wagon full of presents. They all froze at the sight of the cold blade pressed against her neck.

"Aw, egghead, don't be like that," Rainbow said in a shaky voice, flying over. "Put the blade down." She pulled the metal away from the purple alicorn.

Twilight let the sword out of her magical grasp. "I-I wasn't going to do it anyway," she rasped.

Fluttershy had silent tears pouring down her cheeks, Rarity looked close to fainting, Applejack looked like she was lost in a memory, and Pinkie's mane was flat. Her voice was too. "Twi, what happened? What drove you to - to this?"

It all came pouring out of her. She was tired of hiding, tired of crying in the night, tired of forcing a Faust-damned smile every day for other people, anyone but herself.

In the end she fell asleep leaning against Applejack, who looked at her like Twilight was her child instead of her friend.

"I-I had no idea," Fluttershy whispered.

"Me neither," Rarity said.

"I think . . . I think that we should talk to Celestia. Even if we fix what we've done, it doesn't do annything about the citizens," Pinkie said.

Applejack nodded. "Spike! Can ya come here for a second?"

Spike came in. "What's wrong?"

Applejack filled him in, and Spike's eyes grew wide with horror. "Ah need you to write ta Queen Celestia," Applejack said.

Spike nodded, and wrote down everything. It ended up being way too long for any respectable letter. He sent it.

Soon, Celestia and Luna teleported into the throne room and immediately cantered over to Twilight. "I knew we should have checked in sooner," Celestia muttered. She turned to the Bearers and Spike. "Twilight's always had a problem with image. When she was my student, she always had her nose in a book to live up to expectations. I had hoped that after the incident with Luna, she would get over it, but evidently her . . . habit hasn't left."

They all looked at the sleeping mare.

"We - I think that we should just have some time each week for her to wind down," Luna said. "Celly and I had each other, but no alicorn is close enough for her to talk with." She turned to the distraught mares. "The best you can do is make an effort to sympathize. It's not ideal, but it's a start. Coping is a lesson every ruler has to learn. Cruel but necessary. Just make sure she never gets to the place she was today. I . . . I never checked in on her dreams. For this, I am sorry."

"I never asked how she was feeling."

"I never considered what it would be like."

Then, in that room, everyone made a silent pact to never to this to her again, bound with magic.

The magic of friendship.

Comments

[Sudrian Engineer]

The title suggests only 6 chapters, yet this is marked incomplete?

[star-girl]

9550999
im an idiot, I forgot to change that
fixed

[Sudrian Engineer]

9551046
Okay

[PrincessSunsetShimmer]

I faved this story! I love it! But some words were miss spelt, but I still love it!

[Ryoki The Kirin]

Overall thoughts, I originally thought this was going to be a grimdark stroy, kinda feel silly now.
With some small changes, this can be a really good stoy, whether that be rewriting words or changing situations and problems.
What I really liked was the build up, it felt a bit weird when reading it the first time, but with foresight that they where just examples from each of the six.
Personally, I would have done this through a one shot, all though Twilight's perspective and having her making her way to her seat, but having it so she keeps thinking back to the examples on her way to her throne. That way suspense would have lasted throughout one clear journey.
This has a lot of potential and I can't wait to see what you write next

[PrincessSunsetShimmer]

Oh my God, I was a idiot when I wrote that comment, it doesn't matter some things were MI's spelt, I feel bad now sorry. :(

[star-girl]

10681368
lmao it's fine