When the Answers Finally Find You
What Didn't Happen
by Zeg
Chapter XXIV – When the Answers Finally Find You
There was something about the Canterlot Archives. It wasn’t that it was the only place within the palace where one could find some peace and quiet, as there were plenty of equally quiet rooms. And while it did house some of the rarest literature in Equestria, even that wasn’t the real reason why Chrysalis had found herself there as of late, though the actual reason continued to prove elusive to her.
Perhaps it was simply because she could be there. It had been well over a thousand years since she had felt like she belonged anywhere near this place. She never imagined the day would come when she would be welcomed back, that the princesses of Equestria would take the mistrust and grudges that had formed between them and lay them to rest.
Well, former princess, in her own case. While she still held the title and respect of a queen among the changelings, she found herself spending much of her recent evenings as the simple unicorn Crystal Charm, studying in the quiet atmosphere of the archives. She had actually been surprised by her increased desire to sate her intellectual curiosity, but had then found herself enjoying the time to herself more than she had enjoyed anything in a very long time.
Just like the many evenings before this one, she had once again lost herself among the pages of another book, and so had lost track of the time. The two candles set on either side of the table had provided the only light source from within the room since the sun had set. She hadn’t realized that a full moon hung high overhead outside the glass dome above her in a clear, star filled sky until something pulled her attention away from her reading. She blinked as she looked up from the book, noticing how different the archives appeared cast in the pale glow of the moonlight. She took notice of how late the hour was as her eyes glanced upward, and then her ears swiveled back as she heard the sound of one of the archive’s doors opening behind her.
She looked over her shoulder and found Twilight standing there just inside the doorway. The two exchanged a smile in greeting as Twilight made her way toward the table. “Sorry to bother you so late,” Twilight said as she took a seat to one side. She then lifted one wing, brushing back the flap of her saddle bag as her magic took hold of the contents. Her magic lifted out a single shard of crystal and held it aloft just above the table.
“So, they think they’ve found another? Well, lets have a look then,” Chrysalis said as her horn glowed a dim green. The crystal passed from Twilight to Chrysalis, and she studied it closely as her aura pulsed around it. A few seconds later, a faint white glow could be seen in the center of the crystal for but a few seconds, and then it went out. Chrysalis smiled just briefly before carefully passing the shard back to Twilight. “The mages appear to be getting better at finding these.”
“One of the largest fragments yet,” Twilight said as she carefully laid it down on the table just before herself.
“Yes, not that it matters,” Chrysalis said through a light sigh. “Damaged as they are, the shards probably won’t even be able to power a basic light spell.”
“Individually. Together, they could still have a considerable amount of power left.”
Chrysalis raised one eyebrow, her eyes looking back and forth between Twilight and the shard. “I honestly don’t see why the sisters think this important, unless they’re worried the fragments will fall into the wrong hooves. Do you believe someone would try to use the fragments of the Heart for something malicious?”
“I don’t think that’s the only reason why they’re concerned with finding them,” Twilight said as she gently touched her hoof to the crystal, her eyes lingering on the crystal for a few seconds before she glanced up. “If enough were found, wouldn’t there at least be a chance of restoring it?”
“Hardly,” Chrysalis said in a huff. Her magic closed the book she had been reading and slid it off to the side as she leaned forward to rest her forelegs on the table. “Even if we found every single one, which is likely impossible, I have no where near the power I once did,” she said quietly as she looked down at her hooves as she rested one upon the other. “I haven’t been an alicorn for a very long time, and likely never will be again.”
“What if you had the help of one?”
Chrysalis glanced out of the corner of her eye toward Twilight, and then slowly lifted her head to look straight at her. “I suppose you mean yourself?”
“Actually, I was thinking of Cadance. Things are beginning to calm down a bit, so she would probably have the time to help with it now.”
Chrysalis nodded once before turning her eyes back toward her hooves. “Seems she did have an affinity for the magic within the Heart, but it appears she has no real need of it. She’s done well with the Empire these last few months without it.”
Twilight tilted her head slightly toward the table to try to catch Chrysalis’s gaze. “You went there?” she asked, sounding a bit surprised.
“Of course not,” Chrysalis scoffed as she drew her forelegs up and crossed them against her chest. She frowned as she glanced off toward the side opposite of Twilight. “I’m not going anywhere near him if I can at all help it.”
A moment of silence lingered there in the room afterward, until Twilight made an attempt to restart the conversation by lightly clearing her throat. Chrysalis’s ear shifted back toward Twilight as she decided to at least listen. “I still think it was a rather brave of Sombra to show his face in the Empire again after what happened,” Twilight said.
“They can have him,” Chrysalis quipped back as her let her eyes drifted upward, seeming to find more interest in the starry night than holding this conversation.
“He really is trying to make amends.”
Chrysalis drew in a breath and let it out in a huff as she turned her hard gaze on Twilight. “And you think I should just forgive him.”
Twilight closed her eyes before gently shaking her head and saying, “That’s your choice.”
“Yes, it is,” Chrysalis said as her magic lit and took hold of her book once again. “I have more important things to focus on than trying to mend a long dead relationship. Things that require my focus here.”
“I have heard that things are going well between the ponies of Canterlot and the changelings so far.”
“Well in the sense that none realize when they’re staring right at one of us.” A short chuckle escaped from Chrysalis as her magic leafed through the pages of the book to find where she had left off earlier. “Simply knowing that we’re even here seems to bother some to no end,” she said as her eyes quickly scanned over the pages as they turned.
“There will probably always be a little of that. Even from the time I came from, there were still the few extremists that believed Equestria should just close its borders to all of the other species. Still, you shouldn’t feel like you have to walk around as a unicorn within the palace if you don’t want to. The palace staff should know who you are by now.”
Chrysalis’s magic paused, holding a single page. She glanced up to Twilight as a small smile formed her her muzzle. “My body seems to prefer this form as of late,” she said as she turned her attention back to the book. As she was laying the page over, her green aura holding the page and about her horn flickered, shifting briefly to magenta before returning to its natural color.
“Wait,” Twilight quickly said. Chrysalis glanced up to her out of the corner of her eye curiously. “Do that again,” Twilight said, her eyes now watching very closely. Of course Chrysalis knew what it was Twilight had noticed. She once again took hold of the page with her magic and held it there. For some time, it appeared that nothing was out of the ordinary, but then she felt it right before her aura shifted once again. That small, almost unnoticeable feeling that she hadn’t quite been able to figure out yet that happened every time her magic aura shifted.
“It’s been that way ever since the Empire,” Chrysalis said as she let the page go. “Actually, it’s gotten more frequent since then. Sometimes it will change just briefly, and then sometimes it lingers for quite a while before changing back.”
“I don’t think I’ve ever seen a chromatic aura shift like that,” Twilight said as she leaned back in her chair. She drew her forelegs back, tucking one across her chest and tucking the other hoof just under her chin. “Is this a result of using the Elements?” she quietly pondered out loud.
“No, I believe its remnant from the power that my little Twilight leant to me.”
“A side effect from tapping into her magic then?” Twilight glanced up to Chrysalis as she leaned back in to rest her forelegs on the table. “I wonder if it had any side effects on her, letting you use her power that way. Have you asked her about it?”
“I would, if I could find her.” The room fell silent for a moment until Chrysalis looked up from the book to Twilight to speak again. “Ever since that day, I haven’t been able to speak to her through the hive mind. I can only feel her presence. It’s as if she’s standing right next to me, but when I try to look, she’s never actually there.” Chrysalis frowned as she looked back down to the pages of the book she had been studying, her brow furrowing deeply before she quietly said, “It’s frustrating.” She then glanced out of the corner of her eye, catching the concerned look on Twilight’s face. “I haven’t given up on her, if that’s what you’re thinking.”
“Seems you two were very close,” Twilight said as she leaned back into her chair once again.
“Still are,” Chrysalis said as she turned her eyes back toward her book. “Perhaps closer than ever now.”
---
In the months that had followed since the return of the Crystal Empire, Twilight’s life had settled into a much more predictable pattern. Being already well learned in the ways of the Canterlot royal court, she had offered her help if the sisters wished to officially instate her as a princess of Equestria, however, the sisters had declined for now. While Twilight was more than qualified and had definitely earned the title, they insisted that she take this opportunity to think very carefully about her future first, as she had the rare chance to choose a different path in life if she so wished.
Twilight doubted very seriously that her mind would change. She had already been a princess of Equestria for two and a half centuries; it was practically ingrained in her being. Still, she respected the wishes of the sisters, and so she had taken to using her free time to search for her calling in this new Equestria.
Already, she had spent some time traveling to and from the Empire to aid in the search for the broken fragments of the Heart. Searching for the shards of the ancient artifact had given her a sense or purpose for now, but she knew a time would come when they would finally find all that could be found, and then what?
She knew that the hunt for the shards was simply a distraction. Her mind often wandered back to the nagging questions that still could not be answered. There was still something for her to do, that much she was certain of, but when, and exactly how was she supposed to accomplish it? And she only vaguely knew what she was even meant to do. Would it be centuries, or maybe even thousands of years, before she would have to wield all six Elements on her own? Her future self had said that the answers would find her, but she had no clue when or how that would even happen. She had a deep-seated desire to chase after the answers on her own.
But, should she even bother?
It was very possible, based on how the statement had been worded, that she would never find the answers herself. They were supposed to find her.
Still, she had the free time, and her curiosity proved to be an irresistible itch she had to scratch. She had taken to visiting an old but familiar place when she wanted to spend a few hours searching for the answers. Joe’s Donut Diner had been somewhat of a study sanctuary in Canterlot for her back in her younger years, and she had quickly become a regular once again. The way Joe would greet her by name, ask if she wanted the usual, and bring her exactly two glazed donuts with chocolate sprinkles and a hot chocolate as she took her favorite seat in one of the corner booths really brought back memories of her much simpler student years.
This evening, she had spent over an hour contemplating a rope with ribbons tied around it that she had laid out upon the table. She was so completely engaged in thought that she hadn’t realize at first that someone had been standing next to her table, politely trying to get her attention. She wasn’t sure how long the stallion had been standing there, but he simply smiled when she looked up to him and greeted her.
“Hello.”
“...Hello,” Twilight said as her eyes quickly looked over the stallion. He had a tan coat, blue eyes, and a messy, swept back brown mane. Fairly ordinary looking for an earth pony, though the white collar with a green neck tie did stand out as being a bit different.
“May I?” he asked, gesturing a hoof to the booth seat across from her.
“Uh, sure,” Twilight said as she swept her rope off to the side of the table. She caught a quick glimpse of the stallion's mark as he stepped forward to sit in the seat, noticing what appeared to be an hourglass. He simply smiled back at her for a moment after settling himself in the seat, resting his forehooves together on the table.
“Oh, right. Introductions. I sometimes forget,” the stallion said, tapping the side of his forehead. He then offered a hoof across the table as he said, “Turner.”
“Tuner?” Twilight asked as she extended her hoof, bumping it against his.
“Time Turner. A nickname actually, one that I’ve grown a bit fond of.”
“Nice to meet you then, Turner.”
“And nice to meet you as well, Miss Sparkle.”
Twilight smiled, a quite ‘aha’ escaping her. “So, you do know who I am then,” she said. It wasn’t really surprising, as the fact that she was an alicorn wasn’t something she tried to hide any longer, which was bound to draw some attention. She sat back in her chair, getting herself comfortable as she said, “Well then, Mister Turner, how can I help you?”
“Actually, I believe I can help you,” he said, pointing a hoof across the table.
Twilight perked one eyebrow as her smile grew slightly, saying, “Oh, really?” as she wondered what sort of pitch this stallion had come up with.
“Yes. See, I am somewhat of an expert on temporal theory and mechanics, and if I’m not mistaken, you’ve been looking for some answers that I may be able to provide.”
Twilight’s eyes went wide, and her smile fell away as her mouth hung open. “R-really?” she finally said, leaning forward against the table. “Well, okay then. Uh,” she said as she reached over and pulled the rope back across the table, working to smooth it out with her hooves. “Actually, what I’ve been working on is trying to solve a paradoxical event.”
Turner watched as Twilight laid out the rope, resting one elbow on the table and leaning his chin against his forehoof. “The good kind or the bad kind?” he asked in passing.
Twilight stopped for a moment to think. “The... unstable kind?”
“Hm, those are definitely bad,” Turner said as he furrowed his brow.
“So I’ve heard,” Twilight said as she turned her attention back to the rope. “Actually, I’ve been using this rope as a visual aid to try and figure it out, but no matter what combination I try to follow I can’t seem to work out a stable sequence of events.” She glanced up, noticing the intense, scrutinizing glare that Turner had focused on her rope model. “I know it isn’t to proper scale, but it’s just meant to be a representation of the sequence of events in relation to one another. Here, let me explain. The rope represents a timeline, with one end tending toward the past and the other end tending toward the future. The colored ribbons represent the events, and they each have dependencies on one another for their existence.”
Turner wrinkled his muzzle a bit before saying, “That could get tangled up quickly.”
“Yes, you’re right. So, the white ribbon represents an origination event in the distant past that all other events require to exist. The blue ribbon represents an event in the far future that leads to the green event in the middle existing.”
Turner’s brow rose as he slowly nodded and said, “Aha, a time travel event.”
“Right. Unfortunately, this event causes a change in history that will likely change the future, possibly causing the blue event to never even happen.”
Turner wrinkled his muzzle again, nodding as he said, “Hm, classic grandfather paradox.”
“But there’s more,” Twilight said, which caused Turner’s eyes to quickly glance up to hers. “The green event is required for the white event to exist.”
Turner looked back and forth between Twilight and the rope a few times, before settling on staring at the rope again for a moment. He tilted his head, seeming to be lost in thought for a moment as he mumbled quietly to himself, finally letting out a sigh and saying, “And then things get wibbly wobbly.”
“R-right, I guess,” Twilight said, furrowing her brow slightly for a second. “Everything I’ve studied points to this series of events being impossible. There is no combination of these events that doesn’t result in at least one of them being mutually exclusive with the others due to changes occurring in the timeline as a result of one of the events.”
Turner remained silent afterwards, seeming just as lost in contemplation as Twilight had been earlier. Perhaps she had gotten her hopes up a bit too soon thinking that this stallion had found her to give her the answers she needed. It had seemed a little too convenient.
“Aha!” Turner suddenly said, pointing his hoof at the rope.
“Huh? What?” Twilight said, flinching at his sudden outburst.
Turner tapped his hoof against the table, a triumphant grin on his muzzle as he said, “Your model is wrong.” Twilight glanced down at her model, and then back up to him as her ears fell back. Turner’s grin waned, and then he cleared his throat. “Allow me to explain. Uh... well, may I?” he asked as he gestured to the rope. Twilight nodded and reached out to push the rope closer to his side of the table. “Lets see, we need to remove all but the white ribbon—oh, thank you,” he said when Twilight quickly took hold of the blue and green ribbons with her magic and removed them. “And now, we just need to...,” Turner said as he picked up the end opposite of the white ribbon. Holding it between his forehooves, he brought it up to his mouth and carefully bit down on one of the woven ropes threads. He leaned his head back and pushed his forehooves away as he worked at loosening the thread from the rope’s core. After a few tugs, the thread came loose and began to unwind from the rest of the rope. Once he had managed to dethread the single piece just past the middle of the rope, he let it go. He turned his head to the side, hoofing at his tongue and trying to spit out the rope fibers that had been left behind. He then laid the rope back out on the table. “There. Now, lets tie the green ribbon back right here on this bit, and the blue one back here toward the end of this bit,” he said as he gestured to the spots on the rope. Twilight quickly tied the ribbons back in place, putting the green one on the dethreaded piece near the center, and the blue one back on the end of the core where it had originally been. “There!” Turner said as he scooped the rope up in his hooves. He smiled as he held it out to Twilight, but she only looked back at the modified rope, squinting her eyes as she tried to figure out how this was any better than before. Her eyes followed the dethreaded end as it slid off of Turner’s hoof and fell to the table with a dull tap, and then she slowly glanced back up to him. The smile on Turner’s muzzle was beginning to look a bit strained. “Right! Allow me to explain further,” he said as he carefully laid the rope out on the table before Twilight. He drew in a breath to begin his explanation, holding it for a few seconds before letting it back out in a loud sigh. “Actually, this doesn’t even come close to properly representing what is really happening,” he grumbled as he poked at the rope with a hoof, but he quickly shook off the disappointed look with a quick shake of his head. “Doesn’t matter, it will still get the point across. So! All events require the white event to occur in order to exist, yes?”
“Right,” Twilight said with a careful nod.
“And the blue event causes the green event to exist, yes?” Turner said as he traced his hoof across the rope between the ribbons.
“Right,” Twilight said, nodding again.
“And the green event causes changes of its own...,” Turner said as he slowly traced his hoof out along the dethreaded piece of rope.
“...Right,” Twilight said quietly.
“Which then led to the existence of the white event,” Turner said, returning his hoof to the white ribbon. “You see, the only possible explanation is that the changes brought around by these events in the middle do not actually change what happened here,” he said as he tapped his hoof on the blue ribbon.
Twilight squinted her eyes as she looked back and forth across the rope, following the sequence again in her mind. “It’s a... split?” she asked quietly.
Turner folded his hooves across his chest as he sat back in his chair, smiling broadly as he said, “Precisely.”
Twilight looked up to him curiously, tilting her head as she asked, “That’s possible?”
“Eh, more or less,” Turner said as he waffled a hoof to the side. He then tucked the hoof under his chin as he took on a thoughtful glance. “Not a naturally occurring thing by any means and definitely not something easy to accomplish, but it shouldn’t be outside the realm of possibility to artificially create such an event—”
Twilight suddenly slammed her forehooves down on the table as she stood from her seat. Her eyes darted quickly back and forth as her mind rapidly bounced through a chain of thoughts that had just hit her. “I... I need go. There’s things I need to write down and something to look up and-and-and I really need to write this thought down before I forget it.” She scrambled out of the booth seat, gathering up her rope model and tucking it away in her saddlebag. Her horn glowed and quickly removed some bits from a side pouch and placed them near the cash register as she cantered by on her way out of the diner. The bell above the diner’s door jingled as she quickly made her exit, and she opened her wings as she stepped out onto the sidewalk. She only stopped herself at the last second before taking off to spin around, and she found Turner following her out the door only a few steps behind her. “Oh, gosh, I’m sorry. I mean, thank you so much. This might be the answer to... well, everything, and I really need to follow up on this.”
Turner smiled, gently shaking his head. “No need to apologize. I know that inspiration can be quite demanding when it strikes—oh....” Turner was taken off guard when Twilight stepped in to hug him, but soon rested his forehoof across her withers to return the embrace.
Twilight stepped back after a few seconds, a sheepish grin on her face and perhaps just a slight blush noticeable under her fur. “Uh, heh, sorry. I mean, thanks,” she said as she turned aside. She spread her wings, calling out, “Bye, Turner!” as she launched herself into the sky.
Time Turner stepped a few steps forward, watching after Twilight as she sailed off into the skies over Canterlot. He smiled up to her as he quietly said, “Glad I could help, princess.” After a moment longer, his attention was drawn back down to the sidewalk when he heard someone loudly clearing their throat. He found a gray pegasus mare sitting there, glaring back with one eye locked on him while the other seemed to lazily trail off to the side. Her muzzle was pulled into a slight frown and her blond tail swished back and forth rapidly behind her. “Oh, there you are. Already done shopping? Oh! You found the muffins?” Turner asked when he noticed the two brown bags that she had tucked against her chest with one hoof.
The mare glanced down at the bags, then back up at Turner before squinting her eyes slightly. “I found my muffins,” she said before taking the two bags in her mouth and then turning her nose up as she turned and began to trot away down the sidewalk.
“Did I not give you enough bits to for...,” Turner started to say as he began to follow her, but he stopped when she spread her wings and took off, leaving him behind. He stood there in shock for a few seconds, then frowned as he said, “Oh bother, I’ve done something upset her again.” Taking off at a quick gallop down the street, he called up to the sky after her as he yelled out, “Derpy, wait!”
---
Spike was just returning to Twilight’s tower in Canterlot at the same moment the sun was just beginning to set. He stopped as he landed on the spiral stairway that led up to the top of the tower to spend a moment watching as the sun began to slowly sink behind the horizon, and then he turned toward the doorway. As he did, it automatically swung open for him, and he knelt down and ducked his head as he stepped inside.
The torches lining the walls inside were still dark, having not yet lit since the sun hadn’t completely set. He unslung the cloth pack he had been carrying with him from his shoulder and set it to the side as the doorway closed on its own behind him. “You home, Twilight?” he called out. His ear fins twitched slightly as he waited for an answer, but he didn’t receive one.
As he stepped into the room, his long shadow was cast across the floor and onto the far wall from the remaining sunlight filtering in through the windows behind him. He glanced up the spiral stairs that connected the upper platform with the lower room and then stopped, his eyes blinking a few times and narrowing as he recognized the shadow being cast against the wall from the upper floor. “Twilight?” he called out again, but it appeared she either hadn’t heard him or his eyes were playing tricks on him and only making it appear that she was upstairs sitting at her desk.
Spike walked over to the side of the spiral stairs, glancing straight up at the edge of the platform above him. He crouched down and then leaped, giving his wings one good flap to clear the distance to the upper platform and land just on the edge.
Spike stood there quietly for a moment looking a bit confused. Twilight was sitting at her desk, various papers strewn about on the desktop, books and scrolls littering the floor all about her, but none of that appeared particularly out of the ordinary. No, it was the fact that Twilight was just silently staring at the page in front of her as her quill hovered over it, and she only slowly blinked every so often. That, and Spike could tell just from the sad look in her eyes that something had to be wrong.
Spike carefully approached the desk from the other side, sitting himself there just across from her. He waited patiently until her tired eyes finally glanced up from the page to him before asking her, “Hey, what’s wrong?”
Twilight took a deep, shaking breath, letting it back out slowly before she sniffed once. “I found the answer,” she said quietly as a weak smile appeared on her muzzle for a fleeting moment. “Both possibilities are possible at the same time,” she said as she looked back down at the notes, and then closed her eyes. “It means that the Equestria we came from is still out there.”
Spike’s mouth slowly fell open, and then after a moment of sitting there in stunned silence, he leaned in closer, resting his claws against the edge of the desk. “R-really? I thought things were changed.”
Twilight slowly opened her eyes, still staring down at the page of notes before her. “I did too, at first. But I was worried that there was still something missing that needed to be done to make sure all of this didn’t fall apart.” She leaned back in her chair, looking up to Spike. “Turns out, I was right. There is something that needs to be done. This history has to be split off on it’s own branch so it doesn’t change the one we came from.”
“Whoa,” Spike said as he leaned back, running one of his claws over the back of his head and over his neck spines. “That sounds... kinda complicated.”
“Tell me about it,” Twilight said through a tired sounding sigh. Her eyes glanced down at the various pages strewn across her desk. “It’s something I probably won’t be able to accomplish for quite a while, but it still needs to happen. It will only happen if I make it happen. And if I stay here...,” she said, trailing off almost to a quiet whisper as her eyes drifted off to the side. Another sigh, and then she looked back to Spike with a noticeable sadness behind her eyes. “I tried to find a way. Some way that I could stay here, make it work without leaving, but it just won’t work. The spell must come from the original possibility to create the new one.
“And besides that, now I know,” she said as she leaned forward again, leaning her elbows just on the edge of the table and folding her forehooves over one another just in front of her muzzle. She turned her head slightly, looking to the edge of the table where her Element set. “Our original history is still out there, and it’s missing its Element of Magic.” She looked back across the desk to Spike. “For a time, I gave up on my responsibilities and turned my back on Equestria. I can’t do that again, and I certainly can’t keep that world’s Element of Magic here where they can’t reach it.”
She was serious, that much he could tell just from her eyes. Spike glanced over to the Element of Magic for a few seconds before looking back to her. “Well, I’ll be the first to admit that I don’t know much about how this time travel stuff really works, but shouldn’t we be able to go back when ever we want? It isn’t like we have to leave right now, right?”
“I thought it might work that way at first, but it doesn’t,” Twilight said as she glanced over her hooves down at her notes. “Time traveling usually means being able to choose when and where you arrive, and normally the point of origin only makes a difference in how much power is required to get to your destination. But, we’re not just talking about time travel now. This is a transfer to an entirely different history. When actually matters from both ends, because you have to choose a moment when both timelines are relatively close to each other.
“It’s kinda like tossing two pieces of rope into a bucket of water. At some point, they might float close enough to each other that they’re almost touching. This is when the gap is small enough to jump across.” Twilight tapped a hoof tip against one of the pages as she glanced up to Spike. “One of those points is coming up, just a couple weeks away now. If I get the other princesses to help, I think I can make the transfer across. Beyond that, I don’t know if I’ll ever get another chance, and it’s entirely possible that it will be a one time event. There’s just so many variables to check, it’s impossible to predict very far.”
Spike scratched his claws across the scales on the back of his neck, wrinkling his muzzle. “Well... if we know when one of these close gaps happens, then why can’t we just come back to it later?” he asked, shrugging his shoulders.
Twilight smiled weakly at him again briefly before looking back down at her notes. “Time traveling has a tendency to change things. Think of it like throwing rocks in the bucket of water. Every time you do it, it causes ripples.” Twilight put her hooves together in front of herself over the desk, and slowly drew them apart as she said, “Those ripples would cause the timelines to drift, possibly far enough that the gap is too wide to ever cross.”
“So,” Spike said as he leaned in to the desk, resting his forearms on it. “Now or never,” he said quietly as he looked down.
“I have to figure out how to create the event that makes this history exists, and that means I can’t risk getting stranded here,” Twilight said as she rested her hooves just in front of herself on the desk. She glanced up briefly across the desk at Spike, noticing his disappointment with the situation, and then her ears fell back before she looked back down to her forehooves. She quietly fidgeted with her hooves, her muzzle pulled into a deep frown. Finally, she opened her mouth and pressed herself to speak. “If... if you really wanted to stay, you probably could. I’m the one who needs go back and—”
Twilight stopped when she felt Spike’s hand firmly grasp her shoulder. She looked up across the desk, her ears lifting just slightly. Spike stared across at her, his brow furrowed slightly for a moment, but then his expression softened considerably as he said, “Wherever you go, I go.”
Despite the sad look in her eyes, the smile that came across Twilight’s muzzle was genuine. She lifted the back of her hoof to the corner of her eyes, wiping away the small amount of tears that had built up. “Thanks, Spike,” she said as she stood from her chair and came around the desk. She leaned into his side, nuzzling against him and wrapping her forelegs around him as far as she could while he leaned down over her, laying his hands across her back and his chin over the back of her neck as he hugged her closely. They stayed there quietly for quite a while afterwards as the remaining glow of the sun faded away, giving way to the night. When Spike noticed the silent sobbing coming from Twilight, he hugged her just a little tighter, gently running his fingers from one hand through the loose strands of her mane to help calm her.
---
Twilight informed the royal sisters the following morning. Luna and Celestia quickly decided to take it upon themselves to make the necessary preparations for Twilight and Spike’s departure from their world, insisting that Twilight not concern herself with the spell’s preparations. Doing so would be squandering what little remaining time she had, and there were far more important things that could be done with the remaining two weeks. Twilight agreed, reluctantly at first, but she knew the sisters were both competent spell casters and that with her notes, they would have the spell prepared in time.
Those two remaining weeks seemed to pass far quicker than they rightfully should have. She and Spike had travelled from Canterlot to Manehatten to Ponyville and back, visiting family and friends, and it had been a rollercoaster ride of emotions the entire way. She had told her brother first, and that same day they had decided to travel together to Manehatten to visit their parents. Explaining to her family who she really was and what had really happened when the filly Twilight had vanished all those years ago had been one of the most difficult things she had done in her life. And to top that with the fact that she would soon be leaving their world with no certainty of ever returning just felt unbelievably cruel. But, Twilight knew that simply leaving without a word would have been a regret that she never would have lived down. In the end, she knew that telling them the truth and saying her goodbyes had been the right choice, despite how difficult it had been.
Breaking the news to her friends in Ponyville hadn’t been any easier. She and Spike had spent the remaining few days of their trip spending some time with each of the five mares. And more than once, she found herself on the edge of reconsidering her decision when she realized just how much she had missed them, and how much she would miss them. If only she could prove with a firm degree of certainty that another chance would come along, that she didn’t have to leave this world behind yet.
And then, the final day had come.
The dawn had come hours ago, though Twilight hadn’t found any rest the night before. Once she had decided that she had laid there staring at the ceiling long enough, she had gotten herself up and gone through the motions of assembling what few belongings she was going to take with her. Some of her written notes, letters she had received, and what remained of her regalia were all accounted for and packed away in a saddlebag, and her Element of Magic laid on a nearby table. She was careful to not remove anything from this world that was not hers, and made sure she would be taking what didn’t belong in this world.
Spike had left the tower earlier to speak with the princesses to make sure the preparations for their departure had been finalized. He had offered to come get her later, but she had declined the offer, planning on following after him shortly after he had left. That had been over an hour prior, and it was very quickly approaching midday.
The time had been spent mostly in quiet contemplation as Twilight reflected on all that had happened in the short time she had lived in this world. It had been difficult, but had also been worth every second of struggle she had gone through. She finally resolved to look upon the time she had gained here as the gift it was instead of focusing on her desire for more.
After departing from her tower she made her way to the palace proper. She navigated the halls, paying little attention to her surroundings and more to her inner thoughts, and eventually came to the doors that led to the room that had been set aside for the spell. The two unicorn stallions guarding either side of the door acknowledged her by bowing their heads. The one on the left spoke as he raised his head back up to look to her. “They are waiting for you inside, Miss Sparkle.”
A few seconds of lingering hesitation struck, but Twilight drew in a deep, calming breath and then let it slowly out. “Thank you,” she said as she nodded to him. The two guards then turned toward the doors and lit their horns as their magic pulled the doors open.
Twilight’s eyes slowly grew wider as the doors revealed the room behind them. Spike stood at the center facing the doorway with Celestia and Luna standing on either side of him. And to the left and right of them were many others. To the left she found her parents, Twilight Velvet and Night Light, and her brother, Shining Armor, standing along side Moondancer. Just next to them she saw Cadance and Sombra. On the other side of the room she found both Chrysalis and Graphite shape shifted in the pony forms that they frequently used as of late, and beside them her Ponyville friends, Fluttershy, Applejack, Pinkie Pie, Rarity, and Rainbow Dash. And hung between the rafters high overhead, tied at each end with groups of multicolored balloons and streamers, was a white banner with violet lettering.
Thanks for Everything!
She stood there rigid at the doorway, her eyes looking back and forth across the room. Her mouth hung slightly open, and it took her a moment to realize that she had been holding her breath as she drew a shaky one in. Her eyes looked up to Spike as he approached her from the center of the room. He stopped a few steps from her, kneeling down as he reached out with one hand and laid it gently on her shoulder and asked, “You okay?”
Twilight glanced side to side, blinking back the tears that were threatening to fall. She glanced back up to Spike as she quietly asked, “How?”
Spike smiled and shrugged his shoulders. “I just thought spending just a little more time together before heading back would be nice.”
Twilight lifted a forehoof to wipe away the tears from the corner of her eyes, sniffling a couple times before regaining her composure. She cleared her throat, and then drew in a deep breath before saying, “Well, I suppose we don’t have to leave right this minute,” as she gave everyone in the room a smile.
Pinkie bounced in place head high from where she was standing as she shouted a, “Woohoo!” that echoed through the room, and it was followed by a round of laughs from everyone else shortly after. Twilight looked across the room, her eyes finally settling on her parents before she approached them. She hesitated noticeably once she was a few steps from them, but her father extended an inviting foreleg out to her to draw her into a hug.
“You know, we’re very proud of you, Little Spark,” Night Light said as he embraced her.
Twilight leaned back from the hug, taking a single step back. “Still calling me that even though you know, huh?”
“Know what?” Night Light asked, tilting his head slightly.
“That I’m not really your daughter,” Twilight said as she averted her eyes toward the floor.
“Nonsense,” Twilight Velvet said as she reached out and pulled Twilight into a hug. “What other world you’ve come from or how much older than us you may be doesn’t change the fact that you’re our dear Little Sparkle.” Her mother leaned back enough to look Twilight straight in the eyes while she ran her hoof gently over Twilight’s neck and withers. “Wouldn’t matter even if you were from a few thousand years from now.”
“Chin up,” Night Light said as he reached up and tapped Twilight gently under the chin. “You’ve helped us far more than you realize. If you hadn’t told us, we would have spent the rest of our lives wondering.”
Twilight smiled as she leaned into one more hug with her parents, embracing them both in her forelegs. She then turned to where her brother and Moondancer were standing nearby. “Shiny,” she said as she smiled at him, and then she raised an eyebrow slightly as she glanced to the side and said, “Moondancer.”
Moondancer grinned back. “You seem a little surprised that I’m here.”
“Well, more surprised that you’re not in uniform. I don’t think I’ve ever seen you without it,” Twilight said as she glanced down from Moondancer’s hooves back up to her eyes. Today she was her natural off white with red and violet highlighted mane and tail, which was a fair bit different than the Nightguard colors that Twilight had grown used to seeing on her. That and the simple, black framed glasses perched upon her muzzle almost seemed out of place.
“She almost never takes it off,” Shining Armor quipped, drawing their attention to him. “A captain’s work is never done, right?” he said, giving Moondancer a mischievous smirk.
Moondancer flashed a smirk back at him and caught him in the ribs with a swift elbow from her foreleg, causing him to flinch. “I do take a break from being serious every once in a while,” she said, playfully sticking her tongue out at him.
Twilight chuckled as she watched them, and then leaned in closer to Moondancer to whisper something in her ear, though she made sure it was loud enough for her brother to overhear. “You’ll have your hooves full keeping him in check you know.”
“Oh, I’m sure,” Moondancer said as she nodded quickly.
“Hey, what is this? Ganging up on me?” Shining Armor said as he stepped forward and quickly caught Twilight around the withers with a foreleg. He drew her in close against his chest as he used his free hoof to give her a noogie.
“Hey! Cut it out,” Twilight said through a laugh as she made a show of trying to escape from him, though they both knew if she had really wanted to escape it would have been rather simple for her to do so. He finally let her go, making sure to muss her mane one last time as he did. She feigned annoyance at his pestering, even going as far as to stick her tongue out at him shortly before they both broke into a short fit of laughter.
“I’m still your big brother, even if you’re older and all powerful,” Shining Armor said as he pointed his hoof at Twilight.
“I’m not all powerful,” she said while rolling her eyes. She then drew a heavy breath in before letting it go with a sigh. “I really wish I could have stayed for the wedding.”
“Maybe we can figure out a way to send you a postcard,” Moondancer offered, though her joking didn’t seem to lift Twilight’s spirits that much. She stepped forward to offer Twilight a hug instead, which was gladly accepted. She then stepped back a step from the embrace, resting one forehoof on Twilight’s shoulder as she said, “Don’t worry, I’ll tell our foals stories about how I helped their awesome aunty from the future save the world.”
“A little early to be talking about that, isn’t it?” Shining Armor said, which drew some laughter from others around the room. Twilight then stepped up to him as they drew each other into a hug. “Gonna miss you a lot, lil sis.”
“I’ll miss you too, big brother,” she said shortly before stepping back. She looked to the side to Moondancer as she said, “Take good care of him.”
Moondancer smiled and nodded once as she quietly said, “I will.”
Twilight smiled as she took a few steps to where Cadance and Sombra were standing. As she approached, Sombra bowed his head, bending one knee as he kneeled before her. “Sombra, you don’t need to do that,” Twilight said as she held a hoof out toward him.
“Yes, I do,” he said as he glanced up to her. “You and your friends have been much kinder to me than I deserve. I owe you so much, and can’t possibly offer enough to return the favor.”
Twilight shook her head. She stepped forward to hook her forehoof under his foreleg and gently pull him to stand up. “You deserve the second chance. My only regret is knowing that you didn’t get one in the Equestria I’m returning to.”
“Seems even with time travel that changing the past is just out of our reach,” he said thoughtfully. His eyes seemed to drift for a short moment before returning to looking at her. “We shouldn’t dwell on it, but we also shouldn’t forget the past. I’ll not be making the same mistakes again.”
Twilight smiled to him. “Well, hopefully others can see that you’ve learned that lesson.”
“It’s been very challenging,” Cadance said. “Telling the crystal ponies the truth behind what the amulet was doing to him has helped, but I believe there is still a long road ahead of us before all is forgiven,” she said as she glanced to her side at him.
He looked back to her, and a very slight smile was noticeable there on his muzzle when he looked at her. “I’m just grateful for the chance to prove myself. You certainly didn’t have to give me the chance.”
“I believe your heart is in the right place,” Cadance said before turning her attention to Twilight. “I suppose you’ll be seeing me again, though it will be a different me if I’m understanding things right.”
“Yes, that’s the way it works,” Twilight said as a light sigh escaped from her. “I’ll still miss you,” Twilight said as she reached out and touched a forehoof to Cadance’s shoulder.
“And I’ll miss you,” Cadance said as she reached out and touched Twilight’s shoulder in response before they drew each other into a quick hug. “Take care of yourself, and don’t let the other me give you any trouble,” Cadance said as she stepped back.
The two shared a quick giggle. “I’ll let her know you said that,” Twilight said before turning her attention to Sombra again. “Like Cadance said, your heart is in the right place. Don’t give up.” Sombra quickly bowed his head once again, giving her a grateful smile before she turned away to cross the room. She approached Chrysalis and Graphite next, stopping a few steps from them and looking between them curiously for a few seconds. “I’m a bit surprised to see you two here,” she admitted.
“No need to be surprised,” Graphite said with a quick shake of his head. “You’ve helped us far beyond anything we could have ever hoped for. Thanks to you, changelings may not have to live in the shadows any longer. At least, not in Equestria,” he said as he glanced momentarily toward the princesses.
“Well, actually,” Twilight said as she looked to Chrysalis, “I suppose I’m mostly just surprised to see you in the same room as... you know who.”
Chrysalis raised her eyebrows slightly and glanced off to the side. “I can tolerate his presence for your sake, but just this once,” she said, before lowering her voice and mumbling, “so long as he stays on that side of the room.”
Twilight gave her an understanding nod. “I... do wish I had the time to continue helping with the search for the Heart fragments. I don’t like leaving things unfinished.”
“You do have a tendency to involve yourself in other’s problems, don’t you?” Chrysalis said as she looked back. A slight smile appeared on her muzzle before she said, “You worry far too much. Let us worry about this world now, you have your own to return to that needs you.”
“I suppose you’re right. You are the bearer of Magic in this world,” Twilight said as she lowered her head slightly.
A short moment of silence passed before Chrysalis spoke up again. “I will admit,” she started, drawing Twilight’s attention back up to her, “even though I know the memories are not my own, I still feel as if I was truly there, that I was your student for a time, and I believe I’ll miss those moments.” Her eyes drifted for a moment, before she looked back, tilting her head to the side slightly. “Doesn’t make sense, does it? I never was the Crystal Charm you knew.”
Twilight slowly smiled. “I think I would have very much liked to have you as my student.” They quietly looked upon one another for a moment, and then Chrysalis held one foreleg open to Twilight, offering her a hug that was gladly accepted.
“Well, I did learn something from all of this,” Chrysalis admitted as she stepped back, making a quick gesture with her hoof. “One should be cautious of their life choices. I’ll not be making the same mistakes my other self did. That path only led to ruin.”
“Good to hear,” Twilight said, shortly before stealing a glance to the side where her friends were waiting. She looked back to Chrysalis, stepping in close and lowering her voice to speak to her. “I know you don’t know them as well as I do, but my friends helped me become what I am today. They were always great friends to me, and I’m sure if you gave them the chance, they could be great friends to you as well.”
“You truly think so?” Chrysalis asked as she too stole a quick glance to the side.
“You are the bearer of Magic,” Twilight said as she laid a hoof on Chrysalis’s shoulder. “And, may I ask one selfish thing of you?”
“What would that be?”
“Take care of them for me.”
Chrysalis smiled, bowing her head slightly as she said, “Of course.”
Twilight let her hoof slowly fall from Chrysalis’s shoulder, and then turned to where her Ponyville friends were gathered together. As she approached the group, she noticed Pinkie grinning and only barely containing herself as her forehooves pranced in place. Twilight laughed as she said, “I assume you had a little something to do with all this, didn’t you, Pinkie?”
“Me?” she said as she tilted her head to the side and batted her eyelashes innocently. She could only keep it up for a second before giggling and saying, “Well, yeah, I did, though it was Spike’s idea, I just got everypony together! It was actually kinda hard to figure out what kind of theme to go with though.”
“Oh?” Twilight asked as she glanced up at the banner hanging overhead.
“Yep. I mean, a going away party is kinda like saying ‘Yay! Go away!’, which sounded really mean,” she said as she shook her head vigorously in disapproval. “So instead, I thought a thank you for everything get together sounded a lot better, and made more sense anyway. That way we can all get together and let you know just how much we appreciate all the things you did.”
Twilight smiled, and then a light sigh escaped from her as she momentarily glanced to the side. “I’ll admit that I felt a little upset for a second there. Kind of hard to celebrate when I’m going to be leaving you all behind, but I am glad that I got to see everyone one more time.”
“Eh, just think of it as the next step,” Pinkie said as she stepped up beside Twilight and hooked a foreleg over her shoulders. “Right now, our next steps are taking us different ways,” she said as she cast her free hoof out before her. “But, who knows? We could still find each other again some day. Time is kinda loopy like that,” she said, ending on that by sticking her tongue out and crossing her eyes for a second.
Twilight smiled and nodded. “You’re right, I don’t know what the future will bring yet,” she said as she looked out across her group of friends. “I already thought it impossible once before that I would ever see any of you again, and look at what happened.”
“Twilight, if I may,” Rarity said as she moved forward a step. “I have something to give to you that is from all of us.”
“Though mostly from Rarity,” Rainbow quickly said, pointing a hoof toward her.
“Shush, it’s from all of us,” Rarity said as she quickly swiped a hoof in Rainbow’s direction. “Well, we decided to wait until Hearth’s Warming to give it to you as a gift, but it seems we’ll have to give it to you a little early.”
“Oh,” Twilight said as her ears fell back slightly. “You girls didn’t have to get me anything, really.”
“I know, but this just seemed right,” Rarity said as she turned aside to pick up a small, violet box wrapped in a magenta ribbon that had been sitting hidden behind her. Her aura floated the box forward to Twilight, and the rest of her friends moved in to a circle around the package as Twilight took it. “Go on, open it,” Rarity said, waving her hoof to the box.
Twilight touched a hoof lightly to the bow of the ribbon tied around the gift box. She glanced up, finding her friends smiling back as they eagerly waited on her to open the package. She focused her magic on pulling the ends of the ribbon, undoing the bow and letting the ribbon slide off to the floor. She then lifted the top of the box, pulling it to the side as she looked at what lie inside. There, she found a violet velvet jacket with silver snap buttons and a collar trimmed with lighter violet down feathers. She lifted the jacket from from the box slowly, simply staring at it for a moment as she unfolded it before her, and then quietly said, “You found it.”
“It only seemed right to return it to you. It is yours, after all,” Rarity said as she stepped closer. She took the corner of the jacket in her magic to turn it slightly, showing where holes lined with the same down feathers had been made just above the sleeves on the back. “I took the liberty of modifying it so you could show off those beautiful wings of yours. I hope you don’t mind.”
“Of course I don’t,” Twilight said. She sat back on her haunches, and with her magic she put the velvet jacket on, fanning her wings out at her sides through the added wing holes before folding them back in around herself. She pulled the collar up around her chin, closing her eyes and nuzzling into it for a second before she smiled and looked back up to her friends. “Thank you, really. I thought this had been lost when Chrystallyn took it from me. I wish I had something to give you all in return.”
“I’d say you’ve already given us plenty,” Applejack said. “Things were lookin’ kinda bad for a while there, until you came along.”
Twilight made a short, thoughtful hum as she touched a hoof under her chin. “How about I give you all a promise.”
Her friends looked to each other with curious glances. Fluttershy leaned toward Twilight slightly as she timidly asked, “What kind of promise?”
Twilight smiled, and then stood as she turned to take a few steps toward the center of the room. She looked out across the room full of family and friends that were gathered there, taking in a calming breath before she spoke. “I promise I’ll never forget my time here. I’m glad I was able to be part of this world, even if only for a little while.”
Applejack nodded and stepped up beside Twilight, resting a foreleg across her shoulders. “Here’s to friends and family, bonds that will never break no matter how far or how long we are apart.” A quick ‘hear, hear’ from Night Light started a chorus of agreement to buzz through the room for a short moment before dying down again. Twilight’s Ponyville friends gathered around her, and together they joined in a group hug centered around her.
Twilight then stepped forward to where Spike had been waiting for her near Celestia and Luna. She looked to Luna first when Luna approached her and offered a book, the same book that Spike had brought with him from the future containing Twilight’s notes. Twilight took her old book with a quiet thank you, stashing it away in her saddle bag along with the rest of the notes she was taking back with her. Luna then bowed her head deeply to Twilight as she said, “I can not possibly repay you for how much you have helped me. You led me out of a terrible darkness.”
“She helped us both,” Celestia quickly said to Luna. The two sisters smiled to one another, and then Celestia turned her attention to Twilight. “I envy my other self. I believe I would have loved to have had a student such as you.”
Twilight smiled up to her. “You never know what the future might bring.”
“Too true,” Celestia said with a quick nod. “And just so you know, I’m sure your deeds here won’t go forgotten for some time to come.” Twilight blinked and tilted her head slightly at that. “Don’t look so surprised. Most legends have basis in facts if you look back far enough. I wouldn’t be surprised if there ends up being a legend or two about a certain time traveling princess,” she said shortly before giving Twilight a quick wink.
Twilight smiled back to her, and she then looked up to Spike as he stepped forward to stand at her side. “Ready?” she asked up to him quietly, to which he replied with a visible sigh before nodding his head. She then silently looked back to the two princesses, giving them a single nod. Celestia and Luna both stepped back from each other to either side of the room, making room between them. They focused on the space between them as they lowered their horns toward each other, and their magical auras came aglow and began to mingle together between them in a ball of golden and midnight blue light. The spell grew in size, becoming brighter and causing most in the room to shield their eyes from the glare, and then there was a rush of air through the room as the orb of light snapped into a vertical circle of white before Twilight and Spike.
Twilight felt the hesitation grip her once again, very strongly this time. Her hooves didn’t want to move as she stared at the entrance to the time tunnel, knowing that this would quite likely be the last time she would see this world for centuries or more. But she felt a light touch against the back of her neck, and looked up to her side to see Spike smiling back down to her as he lightly ran his claws over her mane. She realized then that she wasn’t leaving everything behind. She faced him and smiled up to him as she said, “It’s time to go home.”
He faced her and nodded back to her, and together they both looked back to the faces of everyone gathered in the room one last time. Twilight then extended a wing up to Spike, which he reached out and held with the palm of his hand against the inside of her wing, and together they stepped into the spell that would take them home.
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A fantastic story almost reaches its end. Sad that the twilight of this world never got to see her family again but at least she seems happy I guess. Thinks are not perfect, but it looks like things are going to be OK.
Also nice to see that the original time line has survived.
A good story that I have enjoyed immensely since it first began and I will be sad to see it go when it ends with what I assume will be the last chapter coming up next.
Also love what you did there with turner and derpy.
Funny, but moment I read the term split, I started drawing an analogy to Radiant Historia, is that not odd?
Awww. While I'm very sad that it's unlikely Twilight will ever return to this world, this was a wonderful ending. Things really did turn out as well as they possibly could on this end of the timeline, and I'm happy that this world will get to continue existing. Chrysalis as the Element of Magic, partway merged with this timeline's Twilight; oh, there's so much I'd love to see here that I guess I'll just have to whip up with conjecture.
Also, am I seeing a possible Cadence x Sombra? I think I very much might like that, given the characters here.
*really
*dying
Excellent chapter, as always.
However, I can't help but feel that the meetings with Shining Armor, Twilight's parents, and Twilight first telling her friends that she had to leave should have gotten full scenes, instead of just being mentioned. I think it would be completely justified to split this chapter into two if the aforementioned scenes could be shown.
5601196
My first draft of this chapter actually did have some of those scenes, but part way through it I decided to remove them because they felt repetitive after the first one and kinda made the chapter drag on and on without much of interest happening. That, and I was afraid that too much 'goodbyes' would end the story on a real downer.
That was so... heartwarming. T.T. helping her figure it out, and of course the party with everyone. All's well that ends well, it seems. This Chrysalis will have friends, acceptence, and her Elements. Sombra's alive, Discord's reformed-ish. Can't wait to read the epilogue, it's been such a trip so far.
I couldn't help tears running down my face as Twilight said goodbye. A beautiful chapter.
It's so beautiful!!!
Even after rereading this, it still brings fuzzy feels!
Now that Twilight's world's Chrysalis is out of the picture, perhaps Twilight will be able to find a kinder way to deal with them. She should have asked for tips!
Speaking of which ... if the story's world's Chrystallyn came from Twilight's world's Chrysalis, where did Twilight's world's Chrysalis come from? It isn't a dynamically stable "borrow and lend" crossover loop because the story's world's Chrysalis seems to be living happily ever after. (An example of this type was explained in Eakin's Hard Reset series, thus: Starswirl loses his wife's sweater, so he goes into a neighboring timeline and steals one from that universe's Starswirl, who finds the sweater missing, and goes into a neigboring timeline to steal one...)
Possibly the epilogue will address this.
6563319
A bit late but it is explained in the chapter with "Turner" basically the timelines share a common starting point, until the one world's Chrysalis causes a split... So up until that point everything originated from one original timeline... Which means that Crystallyn (the one in the cave in the scene with future and current Twilight) ends up as BOTH the Chrysalis in the split timeline and the one in the original... Hope I've explained it well enough, it is a bit hard to wrap your head around (took me a few chapters of this story pondering it in my subconscious for it to click in my head)
Beautiful chapter and ending.
Oh, you brought him into this. Fitting.
Now after finishing the chapter....