A Third Reflection. . .

by Matthais Unidostres

. . .and a Fourth

There was a little metallic clang as he picked the tray of cookies up and thumps on the floor as he walked back to the door.

“You think our choices matter? Well, I have a choice for you,” he said with his back to Twilight, “Pinkie sent a card five-something minutes ago. There’s gonna be a picnic down at the meadow and I’m bringing the cookies. You can either come with me and take a good look at the whole world full of creatures exercising their free will and making choices outside, or you can just stay in this room all alone with your stupid thoughts. I think we both know what the easier choice. But listen Twilight, if you make the wrong choice now, then it's only gonna make you follow the hoofsteps of Evil Twilight. And if you do, then maybe 5, 10, 15, or however many years later, I'm gonna have to make a hard choice. . .”

Spike then briefly turned around to look at Twilight and said:

". . .to send you straight to Tartarus."

Silence.

“Suit yourself,” he said bitterly, and he turned to leave.

"Wait!"

Spike turned around to see Twilight climbing out of bed and running towards him.

"Spike, I'm sorry. I. . .I just. . ." Twilight stammered out nervously. She paused a moment to catch her breath a bit, then she said, "Look, I just. . .I got so wrapped up in this whole multiverse business and. . .just try to understand the implications of it!"

When Spike looked back with a rather unimpressed expression, Twilight sighed and said, "Alright. I suppose, everything you said is valid too. You and I have made choices different from any other version from us. I guess, the thought of others already making every other possible choice already was so. . .disturbing to me, it made me question everything."

Twilight stood firm and said, "And I stand by the fact that questioning things is not only a good thing, but an important thing. It's how we learn."

Twilight's posture slumped a bit and she said, "But I went too far. I started looking at living, breathing, thinking creatures as just. . .dice. After everything I've learned about friendship, and everything friendship has accomplished, I should really have known better. What's worse is that. . . I devalued what you mean to me and how you've impacted my life without even realizing it."

Twilight used her magic to levitated the tray of cookies out of Spike's claws and onto the floor. Then she closed the distance and wrapped the little dragon in a warm embrace.

"The day I hatched you was the greatest day of my life. No exceptions. No comparisons," Twilight said with finality, "I need you Spike, and I always will need you. What you've done for me today proves it. I love you, Spike. I know I haven't told you that very often, but I love you, and no amount of alternate universes are going to change that."

Tears of joy now ran down Spike's cheek as he nestled himself deeper into the hug. "I love you to, Twilight," he said with all his heart, and then he gave a wry smile and said, "And, for the record, I would never really help send you to Tartarus. I just said it to prove a point, and I was upset."

Twilight shook her head and said, "Spike, if I ever start acting on any thoughts like the ones I had before, please do send me there! I'd rather be in Tartarus than hurt anycreature I care about because I decided to go completely delusional."

Spike chuckled and said, "But how could that ever happen? You've got me as your own personal voice of reason!"

The pair chuckled a bit as they hugged warmly. Then Twilight's smile faded, and she said with a frown, "But still, the multiverse isn't something can just be ignored. At least, I know I can't just ignore it. It goes against the way I am. I need to understand things. Even now, I still have this. . .fear. . .that we aren't making choices as they happen. That, somehow, we've already made them."

Twilight turned, and her eyes met Spike's eyes. The dragon's eyes looked deep into her own with a strong sense of conviction.

"Well," Spike said, "We could always find out why we made them, can't we?"

Twilight thought on that for a moment. She thought on it for another moment, then took a cookie from the tray and nibbled on it. It was good. “Yeah,” she said, taking another bite. “I suppose we can.”

Twilight finished her triple-decker nut-crazy vanilla cream cookie. It was a choice, and somewhere out there, she was sure an infinite number of Twilight Sparkles were making choices just like it. And, in the end, she supposed it didn’t really matter how many of them were saying yes or no. She knew which choice she wanted to make.

She took Spike’s claw in her hoof and said, “Come on, Spike. We have a picnic to get to."

The die may have been cast, but what does it matter if the die can simply be adjusted with the flick of a claw or a hoof?

Comments

[Matthais Unidostres]

10138685
Alright! Second chapter is up!

[Matthais Unidostres]

10138650
Thanks for the nice long comment!
You know, I'm actually hopping to turn this thing into another "Would It Matter if I Was a Changeling" kind of series, with many different authors giving their take on this scenario. You seem pretty smart, so it would be cool if you gave it a go!