Illusions

by Ember Dash

First published 24th of April, 2012

Twilight leaves on a journey to learn things nopony knows and finds a special spell.

Twilight Sparkle believes that, if Equestria wanted to avoid another incident like Shining Armor's almost marriage to the Changeling Queen, they must learn more about.. well, just about everything. She leaves her friends behind and goes on a journey to discover things that nopony in Equestria knows.. and ends up finding a spell with some pretty interesting results. This spell allows the user to change their appearance, or the appearance of any pony with an illusion!

Prologue

Prologue

Yes, Twilight Sparkle had saved the day once again. She had discovered the plot of the nefarious Changeling Queen, and she had saved Cadence from being trapped in the crystal caves - doomed to losing her one true love forever. Even though she had saved her brother - and pretty much everyone in Canterlot and Equestria, for that matter - , something didn’t settle right with her. It was as if she had eaten a bad daisy sandwich, and all the contents of her stomach were rumbling around unpleasantly.

Looking around at all the happy faces of her friends - and her friend’s friends - she felt that things had cut too close for comfort. She had almost lost her friends, her Princess and her brother, all in the same day. Their cheers, their laughter.. What would she have done if she had lost them? If the Changelings truly did get their way, and if they ruled Equestria, what would of happened to them?

“Ah’m sorry ah ever doubted ya, Twi!” Applejack’s voice came loud and clear, close to her left. Twilight turned and forced a smile.

“Yeah.. I’m glad I made it in time. Who knows what could of happened to you all?” Twilight responded. She shifted her weight from hoof to hoof.

“Oh, man, but when you burst through that door with the real Cadence behind you - man, that was so cool!” Rainbow Dash exclaimed from above, punching the air wildly. Her daredevil friend had already been released from the imprisonment of her dress, and she was free and airborne again. Twilight couldn’t blame her. She seemed to be more.. Dash that way.

“Again, Twilight, I’m sorry I didn’t believe you. I believe I speak for everypony else, as well.” Rarity added. For once, she looked sheepish.

“Yeah, we know now that we were wrong! I mean, what pony doesn’t enjoy a super duper silly fun extraordinary Pinkie-Party?” Pinkie chipped in, bouncing (as usual).

Twilight gazed at her friends. They were all so loyal, forgiving and kind. She would hate to leave them behind, but.. She really needed her space. It wasn’t just that, either - for a while now, she had been feeling restless. The drive to gain more knowledge, to learn just about everything there is to learn about Equestria, spells, and the many creatures that might populate far off lands - creatures that nobody has ever seen.

Twilight Sparkle had the itch to move on from Ponyville.

This thought stuck to her like a burr in her mane as she continued to act like she wasn’t troubled throughout the rest of the reception, which extended long after the lucky bride and groom had gone off on their honeymoon. She played ‘Pin the veil on the pony’ and she had even humored the young foals’ games, pretending to be a changeling as they pretended to be herself and her friends. Twilight could even say that for a while.. Well, her thoughts had left her head. But later on that night as she lay in bed, they returned in full force.

“Oh, for the love of Celestia--” Twilight stopped herself mid-phrase. It was no use praying to her beloved Princess. She hadn’t believed her either. She knew that she believed her now, sure, but that was all after the Changeling Queen had revealed herself. She felt as if Discord were twisting her pure thoughts, turning them to thoughts of betrayal and hatred. However, she also knew that this was her own brain. She wasn’t under the control of Discord. That was just silly - he was locked away again, hopefully forever this time.

She got out of bed. No use sleeping while these thoughts were buzzing around in her head. They would give her odd dreams and cause her to have a fitful sleep. Trotting quietly around her sleeping baby dragon, she made her way downstairs into the main room of her library. She turned on a lamp with her magic and sat down at the table, her elbows propping up her hooves. She rested her head in her hooves and let out a regretful sigh. It was looking more and more like she would have to go on that journey.

Without a second thought, Twilight fetched her saddle bag and went around her room, quietly fetching items that she thought she would need. Obviously her plush that she had received from her brother would come with her. She would miss it dearly if she were to leave without it. What else was on her list? Well, let’s see here.. She found a few books that she felt that she would need. Edible Wild Plants was one. Another one was a book of spells essential to any pony’s every day life if they were magical, called 101 Essential Spells, used when a pony was out on a journey or in the wild, camping. One of the spells was to make a campfire, providing that they had the right materials.

Of course, she also had packed a small amount of food, and all the bits that she could carry without weighing her down. That should last her until she reached civilization. Now she faced one final dilemma - should she leave a note for her friends, or should she just up and leave? If she left a note, that would allow her friends to somehow track her to where she was located, and she couldn’t have that. However, if she didn’t leave a note, that would cause guilt to eat at her worse than a rotten apple. So she decided to take the risk and leave the note behind.

As she cast one last glance around her familiar library, she let out a sigh. She wouldn’t hear the soft, familiar snoring of Spike anymore. She wouldn’t be able to gaze at the moon that was gently risen by Princess Luna each night anymore. She wouldn’t.. she wouldn’t send her daily letters to Princess Celestia anymore. So many things would change because of one decision, but that wouldn’t stop her. With a determined look, she set off towards the Ponyville borders, casting doubt and dread aside as she paved a new pathway in her life.

The sun rose, as usual, for Rainbow Dash. From her perch on a perfectly situated cloud, she got the best view of the sunrise. Actually, that had never crossed her mind until just that moment, really. She always slept through the morning sunrise, but an odd feeling in her hooves made her get up hours earlier than usual. Well, Twilight was acting pretty odd last night. Was she still upset or something? Rainbow Dash decided to check it out.

“Twilight? Hey, Twilight, are you up yet? C’mon, you gotta be up!” Rainbow Dash called, pounding on the door to the library. What she got, however, wasn’t Twilight. It was Spike, rubbing the sleep out of his eyes.

“Dash? What are you doing here? It’s like, only sunrise!”

“No time, where’s Twilight?”

“I’ll get her.. Just keep your tail on, will ya’?” Spike grumbled, clearly miffed at being woken up at such an ungodly hour. “Hey, Twilight, Rainbow Dash is here to see you!” No response. “Twilight!” Again, no response. “Twilight Sparkle, Princess Celestia herself is visiting!” Complete silence, even to that rather extreme lie.

Rainbow Dash’s gut feeling seemed to be correct. Twilight was nowhere to be found. What they did see was a note on the table, with a quill and ink lying neatly next to it.

Spike picked up the note, cleared his throat and began to read aloud from it. As he did so, his eyes began to tear up.

To my Little Ponies and best friends -

If you’ve found my note, that means that you know that I’m gone. In fact, I have been gone for probably a good five hours now. With this fact aside, I feel that I must explain my absence to you all.

I know that you all finally saw the truth as myself and Cadence revealed the fake Cadence as the Changeling Queen. I know that you all have apologized to me, and believe me, I’m grateful. However, I feel as if all this could have been avoided somehow. If only we had more knowledge at the time - knowledge of Changelings, and knowledge of illusions. This is my reason for leaving you all today.

I have gone to lands unknown to learn things that nopony in Equestria has ever learned before in hopes that I can prevent another incident such as the one at Shining Armor’s wedding. I will return someday, and I ask that you please don’t follow me. But know this: you will always be in my heart as my best friends. Nothing will ever change that.

Forever yours,

Twilight Sparkle

She had ended her note with a flourish, as usual. Rainbow Dash shook her head, as if this were a dream, and she would wake up soon if she could only take control. When this failed for her, she muttered something about ‘rounding up the gang’ to break the bad news to them.

As Rainbow Dash flew off into the heart of Ponyville, Spike unknowingly gazed out in the direction that Twilight Sparkle had left in. Why didn’t he take him with her? He wouldn’t of minded leaving, if it were with her. He couldn’t change the fact that she hadn’t taken him.

“Oh, Twilight..” He sighed. “Come home soon.” And with that, he began his newfound duties as the stand-in librarian for Twilight, believing that he she would return to them soon, and everyone would be all happy and smiling again. Someday..

~End of Prologue~

A meeting and a search party

It had been a few weeks now, a few weeks since Twilight Sparkle had first left Ponyville for parts unknown. She had managed to survive thus far using the spells in her books. They were quite useful - she could make a campfire now, and she could conjure up food.. But it came from places in the different cities and towns in Equestria. She was sure that they were perplexed at the missing food, but she was also sure they wouldn’t mind if they knew what she was doing.

She knew that she was nearing something that she had never seen before in all her years - the honest to goodness coastline of Equestria. Ponies didn’t usually come this way, as all the major cities and towns were closer to the center. There was also the threat of wild animals, and Twilight didn’t have very much faith in her abilities to fend off something as wild as a wolf.

The sounds of hooves trotting over the grass made her turn around. Was there another pony out here?

“Hello, there! Are you traveling too?” A red-brown pony called to her in a friendly manner. A Pegasus, it seemed. She had wings, and her cutie mark was that of a paw print. Maybe she’d get along great with Fluttershy.

“Yes! Yes, I am. My name is Twilight Sparkle, student of Princess Celestia.. And I’m on a journey to gain knowledge. What’s your name?”

“Oh, you can call me Ember Dash. I’m just out here ‘cus I want to be. No reasons or anything.” The pony known as Ember Dash replied. “I’ve never seen the coastline. I wanted to check it out!”

“Yes.. It’s my first time viewing it too. It sure is beautiful.” Twilight sighed. Yes, this view was beautiful, but she was viewing at the expense of her friends. Were they wondering where she was? Were they looking for her? Or.. Had they forgotten her completely? It seemed that she had zoned out, causing the red haired pony to speak to get her attention.

“You seem distracted.” Ember Dash commented. “Thinking of home?”

“Yes.. How did you know that?”

“Has anyone told you that you’re like an open book?”

“My brother, perhaps.. Once or twice.”

“Well, you are.”

“Oh, well then.”

An awkward silence happened after that, and Ember Dash fluttered her wings gently. A question was on her tongue, and Twilight could see that.

“Hey, do you want to travel together for a while? It might be interesting, and we’d be safer. Less of a threat of being picked off by wolves and the such.” Ember Dash proposed.

It seemed like a good idea to Twilight, and she consented to it.

Meanwhile, in Ponyville at this very moment, Applejack was running around trying to organize a search party for her friend. She knew that Twi had told her not to look for her, but darn it, she was her friend! They had to go find her!

Rainbow Dash was recruiting pegasi to help out with the job.. But the only one she got to join them was Derpy, the friendly male mare. She had assured Rainbow Dash that she could find a replacement for a while, and she returned to Ponyville with her.

Rarity was, of course, going to go as well. She had already decided that she would take care of her beloved Spikey-wikey (she had grown attached to him ever since he had given her that diamond he was going to eat for his birthday, and she was more than glad to be able to care for him in Twilight’s absence). She had informed Spike of their mission, and he, of course, wanted to tag along too.

Fluttershy had a hard time saying goodbye to her animal friends. She knew that they would all miss her. She had a bit of a hard time with Angel, but that was to be expected. The small white rabbit glared at her angrily, tapping his foot rapidly as he crossed his arms.

“Oh, don’t you see, Angel? I have to go with them! We have to find Twilight. She’s our friend.” Fluttershy pleaded with the rabbit. It stared at her for a few moments more, before sighing in irritation. It made a shooing motion with its hands, making Fluttershy smile. “Oh, thank you, Angel! I’ll be back before you know it!”

Pinkie Pie was in the middle of getting ready as well. Yes, she would have to pack the party cannon.. Because wherever Twilight was, she would need a bonafide Pinkie Party to cheer her right up! Pinkie’s parties were always a blast! Somehow, she packed the party cannon into her saddle bag (along with all her other party supplies, including food and drinks and the such). One cannot fathom how and why she was able to bring all this within her saddle bag.. But she was Pinkie Pie, and this was reason enough.

All five friends met at the Ponyville exit. Applejack was first, having brought along Big Mac, Cheerilee and Apple Bloom. Of course she was worried about the farm, but Granny Smith had shooed them off with a smile, saying that she would hire some nice young stallions to buck the apples from the trees while they were away. She wasn’t quite sure why Cheerilee was coming, though.. She was with Big Mac at the time Applejack found him. As for Apple Bloom.. She just wanted to go, and it was hard to say no to her big doe eyes.

Next to show up was Rainbow Dash, with Derpy and Scootaloo in tow. If it were up to Rainbow Dash, Scoootaloo would of never joined the party. It made her feel better to see that Apple Bloom was there too - and this meant that Rarity probably would take Sweetie Belle with her. Rainbow Dash didn’t really have any official duties besides the weather, and there were more than enough pegasi to take care of that. So she was free.

After Rainbow Dash came Rarity. Spike was riding on her back, and just as they had predicted - there was Sweetie Belle. The three fillies ran to meet each other and cheered something or other about the Cutie Mark Crusaders going on an adventure to parts unknown to any pony before. It was kind of surprising to see Spike with Rarity, but then again, she would be the first he’d run to if he didn’t have Twilight.

Pinkie Pie and Fluttershy had shown up at the same time. They, too, both had saddle bags filled with things that they thought they would need - at least, Fluttershy did. Pinkie Pie’s bags were filled with party supplies, and nothing else. Well, if the going got tough, she could eat one of the many pies she had fit in there.

“Alright, so y’all know the mission plan, right?” Applejack asked, pacing until she got to the front of the group. “We gotta find Twi at any cost. Nopony knows what’s really out there, and ah don’t want Twi to get hurt.. Or worse.”

“So can we just go already? We’re wasting daylight!” Rainbow Dash complained loudly. Applejack gave her a look that said, ‘don’t mess with me’ and walked ahead of them, officially starting the long journey ahead of them.

Twilight Sparkle and Ember Dash were just walking along the coastline, chatting and getting to know each other. The awkwardness had finally passed, and they were trying to learn things about each other before they left. Twilight had learned that Ember liked to draw and that she was pretty good with cats - that’s how she got her cutie mark. Ember had learned that Twilight liked studying, and that she had best friends back in Ponyville.

“Hey, don’t you think we should head out now?” Ember asked. “We should see if we can find more ponies.. Or a cave! A cave to explore! We can be like Daring Do!”

Her excitement reminded Twilight of Rainbow Dash, who just adored the Daring Do book series. It made her chuckle to see yet another Pegasus who enjoyed the book series as much as she.

“Of course. Let’s head.. Well, I don’t know. Let’s just go this way.” Twilight swung her head in the direction that she wanted to go. Mountains loomed in the distance, the tips obscured by thick, misty clouds

“Sounds good. Maybe we’ll find some buried treasure or something!” Ember shot into the air. Twilight watched her fly around a bit, and decided that she wasn’t as fast as Rainbow Dash. Nopony was as fast as her friend, and that was a proven fact. The only ponies fast enough to beat Rainbow Dash in a race would be the Wonderbolts, but aside from that - nopony could beat her.

And so they went on. They continued to walk until Princess Luna raised the moon, and even then, they walked on a bit further. But all ponies have the weakness of sleepiness, and these two ponies were plum tuckered out. So they settled next to an odd looking rock formation. It loomed probably about 5 feet above their heads, and it looked like there was some sort of miniature cave inside: perfect for a pair of ponies to camp out at for the night.

They decided to take shifts and watch out for any danger. It was Ember Dash’s turn to keep a lookout first, and she flew up onto the top of the rocks to watch out for any danger - predators or other. Twilight crawled into the tiny cave and passed out as soon as her head hit her hooves. Traveling was sure tiring.

(A/N: Sorry. Boring, filler chapter. Also, don't mind Ember Dash. She's my pony OC as well as my username.)