Fracturing Reality

by FaelaArts

Chapter 5

Twilight enjoyed every moment with her old assistant, but she knew she couldn’t keep him here much longer. As much as she loved him, and knew he loved her, they both knew Spike had a life to live now. She was confused as to why he couldn’t speak but she guessed it had something to do with growing up so she discarded it as unimportant. Spike drew a small picture in the ground, of Twilight calling for him and him coming.

“So if I need you, you will come?” she asked, which she received a nod in reply. Turning to Stuttershy, Rosé Pie, and the still unconscious Smartie Pants, she saw Stuttershy going through her belongings with a gentle, mournful sigh. Twilight couldn’t help but feel guilty; after all it was her assistant. Rosé was helping look for anything not broken, apologising about calling the dragon down. Stuttershy spoke it was alright, but as her gaze flickered toward Twilight, Twilight couldn’t help but flinch at the thought that she had broken some link between her and this pony. Turning, she gave a small smile to Spike, who nodded and flared the large wings now on his back. With a wave of her hoof, he was gone to live his life as a dragon should. And Twilight would miss him greatly.

“Hey! My wing is healed” Rosé spoke, gaining both Twilight and Stuttershy's attention as she pulled off the bandage and brace and flapped her wings and obtained liftoff. She whirled around, ‘whee’-ing as she glided around and barrel rolled around the small open area courtesy of a dragon. Coming to land, she glanced between the three and frowned.

“So uh-where do we go now?” Twilight frowned, remembering they were lost and turned to Stuttershy. Opening her mouth to ask if she knew her way around a simple shake and her mouth shut and deadlocked as her quiet voice filled the air.

“Um…I’ve been lost for a f-few years now. I-I made myself a home and t-tried to find a way…” Twilight sighed, it was just perfect. Three ponies, and one body, were lost in the woods with no way to know how to get out of here.

“Hey Twilight, I think I see an old house in the distance” Rosé spoke, making Twilight raise her head to see her hovering high in the air above the trees where only a Pegasus would be able to go. Stuttershy seemed to glance to her body and sigh, as if she was envious of Rosé’s ability to fly. Twilight frowned, but let the feeling go as Rosé glided down and landed, bouncing up and down.

“I think I saw a light on which is strange because there isn’t any earth ponies or Pegasus with the abilities to make a light come on unless they can afford one of those candles.” Twilight nodded, musing quickly for a moment. If there was a light on chances were someone was home, and if someone was home they may just know the way out of the forest.

“Lead the way Rosé” she replied, gently picking up Smarty Pants again. They both glanced to Stuttershy, who gave a gentle nod meaning that she could come too. As they slowly set off, Twilight paused to glance once in the direction Spike had flown off, and sent silent thanks she had seen him again, even if it just left more questions to be answered.

“Man is it just me or are the leaves getting darker no that wasn’t a leaf that was some sort of bug I don’t hate bugs but they really bug me get it bug me-” Rosé continued talking, filling the eerie silence with her voice as they walked, Stuttershy jumping at every shadow but keeping up with them. Eventually, Twilight managed to remember something she had wanted to ask Stuttershy earlier.

“Do Pegasus wings normally heal that fast?” Rosé paused, her eyes turning to face them even while walking. Stuttershy flinched, but then opened her mouth and began to speak.

“N-no not normally, it’s rather strange, like something is healing the injuries but that isn’t possible so I-I don’t know.” Twilight nodded, frowning as her unanswerable questions mounted once again. So for some reason, their injuries had healed just like magic, however none of them were unicorns. Hopefully some questions would be answered soon; she was running out of patience with these questions. She needed more information, but she had none. Eventually, it began to get darker and Stuttershy mentioned something about a shelter, it was hard to hear over Rosé.

“Great idea, what do we need?” Stuttershy pointed to a hollow in one of the larger trees, and entered before coming out and motioning them inside. As Twilight entered, she noticed while it was small there was enough room, just barely, for four ponies to rest for the night. Stuttershy pulled a large palm leaf over the entrance and curled herself up as small as she could. Twilight gently layed Smarty down and followed suit. Rosé layed down in the final free space and talked for a bit before eventually falling asleep too.

“Goodnight everyone” Twilight jumped into a sitting position as a voice woke her. She glanced to the window and was shocked to see a storm outside the library rocking the tree violently. Dashing downstairs she paused at the door, remembering when she had opened it the last time. Suddenly a scream sounded through the gusting wind and rain and she abandoned her worries as she opened the door and dashed outside. Immediately socked in wind and rain, it was a few moments before she could see she was near Applejacks farm, her mind not noticing the obvious distance she should have travelled.

“Applejack!” Twilight blinked to see her friend desperately using ropes to hold the barn together, her family nowhere to be seen, and quickly joined in with her own magic, realising the immense strain very suddenly as she focused on ensuring the building didn’t collapse.

“What’s going on?!” Twilight managed to shout even while under immense mental stress. Applejack, under much the same managed to glance in her direction before concentrating fully on holding the rope. Suddenly a bright light flashed over the area and the storm vanished briefly as a large white pony came to help. Her white horn and her white wings were all Twilight could glance at before she had to concentrate on the house. It was obviously Celestia, and thank Celestia it was. With the princess working on bringing the storm under control, and the two ponies holding the building together everything began to slowly become less frantic. Eventually Applejack had to pause from exhaustion, and as the winds died down Twilight didn’t need to hold the building together anymore and instead turned to glance to Celestia. She opened her mouth to thank her when Celestia’s bright magic blinded her and she awoke in the cramped space with three other ponies.

“Rosé stop kicking” Twilight muttered, rubbing her eyes and gazing at the two just stirring ponies and the one unconscious one and sighed.

“I need more information, I need to get to Earth” she muttered to herself.