Last Sparkles Of Time

by torrentialCAM

The Catalyst

“Y-You guys…you have to get out of here before they come back! Now!”

The five heard the urgency in their friend’s voice, but also the weakened quiver. The lavender mare lay on her side, wincing as her body instinctively tried to grasp each breath. One of the ponies surrounding her approached, her brimmed hat torn and half-shredded from some vicious slash.

“Now hold on a minute there, sugar-cube! Nopony’s leavin’ nopony! Do ya think you can stand, Twi?” Applejack said in a confident, yet nervous drawl, leaning in close. She preferred not to draw vocal attention to Twilight’s paleness, or the fact that she was icy-cold to the touch.

“N-No, I – I can’t feel my hooves…” Twilight coughed, turning to look up at the robust earth-pony. Applejack’s eyes said far more than her mouth when she gazed down onto the ailing unicorn; she so wanted to reassure Twilight Sparkle that everything would be okay; that when this darkness had left their lands, that Twilight could read all the books she could ever want in peace, that the yellow Pegasus cowering in the near corner could continue tending to her animals…that the six of them could keep living their lives, in friendship and harmony.

But Applejack was the Element of Honesty. As much as she wanted, she simply couldn’t bear for her last words to Twilight be lies.

“THEY’RE COMIN’ BACK!” The frantic voice from the hall outside jarred the other ponies to attention, though Twilight just gave a strained jerk in that direction. A colourful blur swept in past the others before the azure Pegasus came to a screeching halt in midair. Rainbow Dash gritted her teeth and darted about, doing several laps despite these crowded quarters, “They’re way, WAY too close! We’ll never make it!” But her eyes turned down to the unicorn still lying there, “Twilight, you have to get up! You need medicine, and – and we can’t get it to you if you’re just gonna lie there! Up! UP!”

“I…I really don’t think I’m…gonna – gonna make it this time…” Twilight turned her eyes down as she said it, “Please, go…if I have to use every ounce of magic I have left to teleport you all to Sweet Apple Acres, I’ll do it!”

“Don’t you dare!” Rainbow Dash shouted, “You’re not gonna die on me! We’ll get you help, we’ll – stay with us, Twi!”

“G-Guys, I want you to know…you were the best friends a pony could ever have…” Twilight’s voice wavered, flaking off levels of fragility that the other five had scarcely seen out of her as fresh tears welled in her gaze. Had it really been so long since she’d arrived from Canterlot? Since that series of wildly misplaced first impressions that led to a bond that, to this day, could not be broken, even by the most chaotic of entities? As introverted as she had been in her youth – and, indeed, maybe even a little frightened at the prospect of forming social relations – this unicorn couldn’t imagine her life without her friends; much as she loved her books, her five closest friends had written her most precious story of all. Twilight’s mouth turned up in a quivering, bittersweet smile, “I love you…all of you…”

“No bucking way!” Rainbow Dash shouted, rage puffing her cheeks, “You’re not giving me any bucking last words, we’re going to SEE THIS THROUGH!” As she said it, another rumble shook the chamber, prompting the other unicorn, snowy white with a deep fuchsia mane, to huddle closer to the others.

“R-Rarity…” Twilight mustered, “I – I need you to do something for me…”

“Anything, precious…” Rarity said through the shudder in her voice. As she leaned in, Twilight whispered something in her ear the others couldn’t hear, only for the white unicorn to jerk back, “N-No! Absolutely not! Darling, you know well that such a thing would – it would kill you for sure!”

“I’m…I’m already too far gone…just let me do it! Please, Rarity!” Twilight grasped some final firmness in her voice, though as she did, the outlines of her friends began to blur in her eyes. As the rumbling from the threshold grew ever-closer, the once-vibrant light in Twilight’s eyes began to dull and fade…

You have to stop it.

Princess Celestia awoke with a start.

What in Equestria…she had had nightmares before, surely. But this…it was no mere correlation of scattered imagery that typically befitted dreams. Her sheets and ethereal mane were drenched in sweat, a sensation that her hooves found uncomfortable to the touch as she stumbled from her royal bed. In all the ages of the world that she had seen pass, she had scarcely felt this wracked with confusion and fear over something that, had it been a more reasonable time than two-thirty-four in the A.M., she may have passed off as inconsequential.

In her half-awake stupor, the Princess found herself staring down at the parchment and quill she had dredged up from the nearby desk. She sighed as her horn glowed and levitated the quill; in all likelihood, she was going to feel mighty silly for this come morning, but something about the dream – the way it, by all rights, felt nothing like a conventional dream…if nothing else, this would set her mind at ease. Still, that voice at the very end…it was vaguely familiar. But who…?

Some minutes later, in the Ponyville town library…

“Aahh…aaaahhhhh….AAAAAH-CHOOOO!”

In a burst of emerald flame, the purple baby dragon spewed out a parchment rolled up in Celestia’s official seal: an emblem that by now was quite familiar to Spike. So much so, in fact, that he had developed something of a literal gag reflex upon seeing it, considering how often its image and something coming out of his throat were correlated to him.

“A letter from Princess Celestia at this hour?” Spike puzzled, “Maybe it’s another one of her weird pranks…” He turned it over in his hands, “Must be for Twilight…I wonder what was so important she needed to shoot it over before 3 in the morning.” He yawned, rubbing his eyes, “Besides, what kind of Number One Assistant would read her mail without even telling her about it?” But then he changed his tone, “But wait – if I wake her up, she’ll be all, ‘Spike! What have I told you about waking me up before dawn? I’ve got a very big day tomorrow and I need my rest!’” He almost frightened himself with how well he resembled Twilight’s voice.

“Buuuut…” Spike turned the letter over again, “If she sent it this early and it’s NOT a prank, then she wants us to read it right now, but that would mean waking up Twilight, and I don’t wanna wake up Twilight, but that means I have to read her mail, but that’s not something a Number One Assistant would do, but…”

Spike held out the scroll in front of him. He carefully slid off the royal seal, and began to unfurl the parchment…

“Spike!”

The baby dragon leapt so high he thought he was going to crash into the ceiling. Twilight Sparkle stood at the foot of the stairs, her eyes glazed over as though she had groggily stumbled down here in a rush.

“I – uh – good morning!” Spike gave a wide smile, “A-Always good to burn the early morning oil!”

“It’s so early that it still counts as late…” Twilight cringed when she looked out the window to find Luna’s moon still high in the sky, “What are you doing? I heard you pacing and ranting to yourself down here for the past few minutes.” Her groggy eyes settled on the unfurled scroll in his hands, and the royal seal set on the table nearby, “Spike! Were you reading my mail?”

Spike threw up his hands, “I can’t win!” He shook himself out of it, “Sorry, Twilight, this just came through from the Princess and I didn’t want to wake you up.”

“It’s okay…” Twilight said, lifting the parchment from his hands with her magic and setting it on the table, unfurling it fully so that they both could read, “If she sent it this early and it’s not a prank, it must mean she wants us to read it now.”

Spike faceclawed. Who would have thought, I wonder?

But the two settled over the table, and began to read:

My faithful student, Twilight Sparkle,

I need to talk to you about the nature of prophecy.

Long ago, before she turned against the ponies of Equestria, Luna shared with me the fact that occasionally – once in a blue moon – she would receive dreams that were…different. Because of her nocturnal powers, she channeled energies in her dreams that not even I was privy to. She described to me dreams that played out as though they were happening right in front of her eyes, as though she was a completely lucid, passive observer, rather than the visage of scattered thoughts and imagery that we associate with dreams.

What’s more, the contents of these special dreams…it would come to pass, quite soon after she had them. I took her at her word, for I myself have never, in all the life-ages of this world, experienced that phenomena.

Until tonight.

I don’t think either of us will be well-served if I sugar-coat this, as incredulous as it must sound: Twilight, I believe your life is in danger.

“What?!” Twilight and Spike reeled back nearly at the same time, at the moment almost knocking heads. Still, they kept reading,

The things I saw just now – the things that were shown to me – have led me to believe that you are not safe.

Alas, my faithful student…I would love to turn out to have been making a mountain out of a molehill. None the less…be careful until I delve further into this.

Princess Celestia

The personal signature at the bottom of the letter proved the scroll as legitimate and not some cruel joke by one of the Canterlot royal guard with access to the Princess’s stationery.

“…Twilight…” Spike slowly turned his head, “What does she mean?”

“I…I don’t know,” Twilight said, repeatedly poring over her mentor’s words, “What does she mean, my life is in danger? A little detail would have been nice!”

“M’not sure I would have wanted it to go into any more detail, Twilight…” Spike wrung his tail.

“What am I supposed to say to this?” Twilight asked in frustration, “How do you respond to ‘hi, by the by, you’re gonna die’?!”

By now, Twilight was right lucid enough to magically snare a quill and parchment, and began hammering out her hasty reply:

Dear Princess Celestia,

I’m afraid I don’t understand. What did you see in your dream? Are you sure it couldn’t have just been…anything else? I don’t mean to misjudge your intentions, but I found your letter quite confusing and distressing. Please elaborate. I’m not sure what you mean.

Your faithful student,
Twilight Sparkle

Twilight breathed just a little easier when Spike breathed a plume of green flame onto the scroll, sending it on its way. But his face immediately contorted in discomfort and he gripped his throat, before coughing out another plume of flame, and with it the very same scroll he had just sent.

“What the…?”

“You’re telling me!” Spike gagged, “I hate when things are ‘returned to sender’…what now?”

“I…” Twilight hoofed the side of her head, “I really don’t know, Spike.”

***

The Princess of the Night breathed softly, in and out, her subconscious enjoying a dreamless, yet wholly relaxing sleep. She yawned, and slowly rolled over in bed, her subconscious and conscious selves slowly coalescing in that hazy, amorphous place between dreams and waking. There seemed to be a large shape in her blurry vision, standing tall but silent at the side of her bed…

“Luna.”

“BY THE HEAVENS!” Luna sprung awake to find Celestia standing with her nose mere inches from Luna’s, “DEAR SISTER, WHAT IN THE WORLD?!” But remembering the vocal lessons she had been given that one Nightmare Night, Luna lowered to a more conversational tone, “…Celestia, my dearest sister, thou art simply…watching me sleep from inches away? That is…considerably creepy, my dear sister.”

“Luna, I need you to tell me everything you know about the dream-prophecies you used to tell me you had. I've put a magical barrier around myself for all incoming mail and have ordered the guards away; this is serious.”

“O-Okay…?” Luna slid out of bed and followed her sister down the royal hall, “What is the purpose of thouest curiosity?”

“A mare’s life could be at stake. Do you remember Twilight Sparkle?”

“The Element of Magic, and the pony who reached out to me when no others would lend a hoof. I do remember.”

“Luna…would it be possible for ponies other than yourself to receive prophesying visions through the subconscious?”

“…Thou saw’st Miss Sparkle breathe her last. Not in the now, but in the future that may yet come.” Luna said solemnly, piecing two and two together from Celestia’s scattered, yet correlated train of thought.

“It played out exactly like the visions that you told me about,” Celestia said with a resigned sigh, “Luna, I have walked and flown Equestria for thousands of years, and considering I have the same need for sleep as mortal ponies, I have dreamt the length of many ordinary lifespans. I know what my dreams are like, and this was not one of them.”

“Well…” Luna said, “Follow me, dear sister. Thou must hasten to the Canterlot Archives; we ride, for there is something I must show you!”

At these wee hours of the morning, even the few royal guards on patrol seemed like they were just about ready to lull into a nap. But the sight of the Princesses of the Sun and Moon breaking into a full gallop through the halls to the Archives made even the drowsiest of passerby perk up.

The Archives themselves, shelf after shelf of books upon books, were just as empty, save for the night watchcolt making his rounds just outside. While Celestia used the magic of her horn to illuminate the way, Luna led her between the many rows of books, deeper still into the Archives. The further in they went, the older the books got, until many of them were not books at all, but tightly-bundled collections of arcane scrolls.

Luna instructed Celestia to magically pull down one of the higher scrolls near the back of the Archives and set it on the nearby table. Celestia carefully maneuvered the age-worn, browned parchment onto the flat surface and unrolled it, to which Luna began reciting the text. Though it was partially faded at points, and written in a much older script than Equestria’s subjects today knew, Luna understood it with ease.

“Here follows accounts of the divinations of Starswirl The Bearded,” Luna began, “As accounted by his respectable protégé, Clover The Clever.”

Celestia listened in as Luna mumbled to herself, skimming through sections of Clover’s ancient text, dating back nearly to the period in which Equestria itself was formed, until she found what she was looking for and continued reciting: “My master, Starswirl The Bearded, awoke in the dark bath of the moon and summoned me, his face alight with a mixture of panic and revelation. He revealed to me things that I dare not recount here; only to find that within several weeks’ time, or in some cases mere days, these things did come to pass. It was of no influence from his own powers, or so he claims; rather, he suggests that when the powers of magic in this world have something dire about future events to impart, they will find a way to contact those strongest with the magical arts.”

“All this tells me is that my paranoia is justified…” Celestia said, putting a hoof to her face and shaking her head lightly, “I’ve already sent a letter to Twilight in Ponyville. Perhaps I should send a royal escort for her and take her into protective custody.”

“I am sorry, sister, but thou seem’st quite protective of this one who is, at her core, but a pupil of thou. Might there be something I am missing?...” Luna peered over as Celestia’s eyes slowly turned to the floor.

It seemed to the Princess of the Night that her sister was wordlessly experiencing deep emotions, as though scenes of past days were playing out in her clouding-over eyes. In her mind’s eye, she saw a little lavender filly, closed-off in her chamber, face buried in assorted books. And there, in the threshold seemingly so long ago, was Celestia, eyes turned down in consternation, almost mouthing out, ‘I have to do this.’ And after a pause, ‘There’s no other way’.

But Celestia soon snapped out of it and said in a voice far more formal than she would have preferred to come off as, “Twilight Sparkle is the Element of Magic. That alone warrants her protection.”

Luna blinked. She knew that Celestia had been grooming Twilight, having hypothesized her as the Element of Magic, to ultimately strike down the Eternal Night when Luna – no, that was, her corrupted other-self in Nightmare Moon – had returned from imprisonment on the great lunar sphere. Was there some special reason that she was so desperate to keep this prophecy from coming to pass? After all, Princess Celestia had seen millions of ponies she had once known pass into the next life…what exactly was so specifically special about this avatar of the Element Of Magic?

What art thou keeping from me, sister…?

***

“So, uh, tell me again, Twi – just what in the name o’hay are we doin’ out here in the Everfree Forest?” For the life of her, Applejack just couldn’t fathom what had stuck in the mind of her unicorn friend. Twilight had been waiting at the door to Applejack’s home on Sweet Apple Acres when the earth-pony had diligently risen at the crack of dawn, but she hadn’t knocked on the door; it was as though Twilight couldn’t decide whether to rap on the door or to silently take her leave and let be.

But after a couple rounds of ‘AJ, you trust me, right?’ and ‘I promise it won’t take too long’, Applejack found herself trotting alongside Twilight through the dark of the forest, seeming to stretch far beyond their view’s event horizon.

“We’re going to see Zecora. Maybe she’ll have an answer for me.”

“The what now?” Applejack shook her head, “Twi, what’s wrong? You don’t feel like you’re bein’ yourself this morning.”

As they walked further, Twilight hesitated. Just how was she to explain her sudden worries to Applejack? The steadfast farmhand had agreed to accompany her into the long dark of the Everfree Forest even without knowing the real reason they were doing it, so maybe she wouldn’t have reacted adversely if Twilight would only…

“Oh! We’re here,” The unicorn had been so wrapped up in her thoughts that she hadn’t even noticed her muscle memory carrying them right to the door of the exotic hut in the Everfree clearing.

Just as Applejack raised a hoof to rap on the door, the wood swung back to reveal the decorated zebra standing there, seemingly boiling some kind of water in the cauldron at the epicenter of her home.

“Applejack and Twilight Sparkle, you ponies of two,
What is it that this day, I can do for you?”

“Uh, Twi? Go for it,” Applejack said, using that still-raised hoof to adjust her hat instead.

“Thanks for seeing us, Zecora,” Twilight said, and without breaking pace, she proclaimed, “I need you to help me see the future.”

Applejack, in the doorway, blinked.

Zecora blinked.

Applejack mumbled more or less to herself, “Oh, my day was just fine, Granny Smith. What? No, Big Mac, nothing out of the ordinary. Nuuuupe, nothin’ at all.”

The zebra took a moment to collect herself and said, “I see now, my dear Twilight, for when you stormed in here with a frown, you gave me quite a fright!”

“I’m not kidding,” Twilight said, “This is…it’s very serious. Is there anything that can do that? Anything that can give ponies a glimpse into their own futures?”

“They say destiny is not yet written,” Zecora paced quizzically around her brew, “But what is this future with which you’re smitten?”

Twilight sighed, “I guess I can’t keep it from you and the girls forever, AJ…”

“Twi, you know I try to be as patient as they come, but somethin’s been spookin’ you right fierce all day. Way I see it, you can either keep stewin’ in…whatever it is you’re stewin’ over, or you can open up a touch. Let us shoulder the burden, hon. That’s what friends are for.”

Twilight sighed, lulling her head momentarily. Finally she turned to Applejack and breathed out, “PrincessCelestiahadavisionandshedoesn’tnormallyhavethesevisions-“ She gasped, “Andifwedon’tfindoutmore I’m going to die!”

Just as Applejack was rapidly processing Twilight’s machine-gun explanation, that last line hit her with all the force of the time Big Macintosh had misplaced a fairly powerful buck with her standing next to the tree in question.

“Twi…wha-?”

Zecora’s eyes widened, “If your downfall, a higher power has seen…I fear the consequences, should mortal hooves intervene.”

“Can’t you give me anything? Some obscure zebra-land divination tonic, some all-purpose hydra-neck elixir, anything?” Twilight cried out despite their close quarters, “Zecora, I don’t know much about how prophecies work, but when my mentor – the Princess of Equestria, who raises the sun every morning and concedes it every nightfall – tells me she thinks my life is in danger, I can’t just sit on my hooves and dismiss it as cockatrice droppings! The Princess might be good for a little prank now and then, but she wouldn’t – she wouldn’t say THIS as a joke. She wouldn’t!”

Zecora closed her eyes for a moment. Then, that moment melted into what could be considered multiple moments. Twilight and Applejack glanced at one another.

Finally, the zebra spoke, “Unusual as it is, your request is not out of the question. But give me some time to look in the right direction.”

Just as Applejack opened her mouth to contest Zecora’s rhyme, she heard the male voice at the threshold into the hut.

“Twilight Sparkle?” The goldenrod-armoured royal guard said authoritatively, “We were told by one Pinkamena Diane Pie that you could be found in the Everfree Forest, visiting the one called Zecora.”

“You came to Ponyville looking for me?” Twilight blinked, “Am I in trouble? I swear, Spike didn’t mean to antagonize Philomena last time she came around, it just kind of happened-“

“Princess Celestia has ordered that you be taken into protective custody. Come with us, Miss Sparkle.”

If anything, her conversation with Applejack had made Twilight realize just how nervous Celestia’s letter had made her. Twilight had only one condition of her protective custody: that her friends be allowed to stay in Canterlot with her for the duration, should they accept. And, naturally, the lot of them had practically pony-piled on her back to go.

It seemed as though very little time had passed at all before the troupe arrived in the regal city itself.

“…And I hope you’ll find this suite to your liking, Twilight,” Princess Celestia said as she, and a quieter Princess Luna, led the six ponies and one baby dragon into the bedroom of this Canterlot Castle guest chamber. Having grown up in Canterlot, Twilight merely felt the lavish creature-comforts of her old home coming back to her; already, she could envision a spot near the poofy bed where a nice bookshelf could go, but her friends were markedly more enthusiastic.

“Man alive!” Rainbow Dash darted above Twilight’s head, coming to rest with her front hooves behind her head on the bed, “Why couldn’t it have been me starring in the Princess’s death-omen? This place is almost – almost as cool as a Cloudsdale resort!”

“Rain-BOW Dash!” Rarity said, flustered, “I can’t believe you would be so concerned with your own luxury in a time like…” Her vision wavered, as she set eyes on a series of decorative sapphires emblazoning the far wall, “A time like…like…these…jewels…”

Though Twilight lightly face-hoofed, Celestia and Luna just shared a little smirk. Celestia cleared her throat, “It truly is wonderful to see all of you once more; I merely wish that it had been under more serendipitous circumstances.”

The pink earth-pony tilted her head, “Seren…serendip…dip…dipping sauce!” Pinkie Pie said exuberantly, a wide smile sliding across her features, “Speaking of, I’m starving!”

Luna blinked and turned to Twilight, “Thou…hast told Miss Pie the severity of your situation, yes?”

“Oh, I know what the Princess dreamed,” Pinkie Pie said in a singsong voice, hopping around the room and – apparently – taking in its lush contours, “But Twilight’ll be prim as a pickle and pip as a potato chip. If anything bad was gonna happen, my Pinkie Sense’d be going off the rails!”

“…beg pardon?” Luna strained.

“If Pinkie starts quakin’, you’d best be makin’. For the exit.” Applejack said dryly.

“Well,” Celestia smiled softly, “I’ve arranged to have rooms like this made up for all of you. They’re all in this wing of the Castle, so if any of you start feeling lonely, I encourage you to get around and mingle with-“

“Princess?” Rarity peered over Applejack’s wide-brimmed hat at Celestia, who had suddenly twitched, gave a half-hearted flap of her wings and was looking , almost cross-eyed, at her horn: seemingly of its own volition, Celestia’s horn glimmered with an otherworldly light, before a beam shot straight up into the air between all nine in the room. Luna stood open-mouthed, Spike dove behind Rarity, Rainbow Dash toppled from the bed, and Pinkie Pie even stopped bounce-pacing.

Before their eyes, a series of images and words played out in the air, like a ghostly visage from elsewhere; it was clear by her confused, strained expression that Princess Celestia had no conscious part in this.

Before Celestia’s disheartened eyes, the scene seemed to pick up right where last night’s imagery left off. They all played witness to a royal hall somewhere in Canterlot; perhaps it was even the castle, but it was difficult to tell, as the royal embroidery had been cast in mourning veils. The only illumination came from the magical lights around the hall, in formations leading up to the humble casket. Despite the grand hall, the funeral attendees only filled up about a fourth of the space. Twilight’s friends from Ponyville sat in the front row, some holding each other, others attempting in vain to remain stoic with tears brimming in their eyes.

Celestia herself stood behind the casket, Luna at her side. It was clear to see that the Sun Princess’s face had streaked with tears.

The nine watching this image play out exchanged weakened glances. None of them wanted to look on this scene one more second.

As though an answer to their prayers, the image melted away and seemed to transform itself into something else: a group of ponies – earth-ponies, by their lack of wings or horns – dragging what appeared to be an iron trebuchet over scorched, battle-stained land. Behind them, other groups of earth-ponies were doing the same, but facing arrows from…what? Were those pegasi above, ordering down attacks?

The image shifted just as quickly, like flipping through an ethereal picture-book, to a snow-swept mountainside: it seemed as though the blizzard had all but snuffed out the mountainous greenery. This was clearly the domain of Canterlot, though the imagery was so scattered – much like the visual was strained, as though it was coming through over as great distance – that they could scarcely get a good view.

Suddenly, the view switched to inside the throne room, where Celestia – that was, a vision of Celestia who looked three parts agitated and four parts exhausted, with uneven streaks of blood running down her face and mane – staring down a foe out of view, eyes ablaze as she readied to charge – only for the foe to be on her first. Her charge was merely dodged by the enemy, who in his self-assured, wide movements, came into view: that motley, tall Draconequus, eyes beaming with a measure of sadistic delight, as he closed in on the downed Celestia, savouring the moment…

Didn’t you hear me the first time? You have to stop it. If Twilight falls, so does Equestria!

The vision from Celestia’s horn snapped out of existence just as quickly. The nine slowly exchanged glances; not even Rainbow Dash could offer up some smarmy confidence-boosting retort. Any hint of skepticism had by now left their faces.

The future was bearing down on Equestria. And it had to be stopped.