Remembering The Rainbow

High above the skies of Ponyville, outlying the beautiful city of Cloudsdale, lies a magnificent house of cloud and color. The rainbow laden establishment is truly one of the most intricate buildings ever built in Equestria’s skies. It floats with extreme precision, never leaving a ten foot radius of its original position, holding steady to its own home. The white balls of fluff that structure it stay in constant form and shape, never fading or falling. Truly a work of pure genius, brimming with artistic flair.

And the pony who lives there? She is an equal mare of beauty and grace, strength and bravery. Faster than the speed of sound, she claims the all encompassing airways of Equestria as her own. Nopony can contend with her skill, her speed and her prowess. The best young flier of her generation and the second bearer of the Element of Loyalty. In the past she was known as a bit of a trouble maker, and although that part of her hasn’t changed much, she has become far more respected in the eyes of others. Especially those of her friends.

No, she hasn’t changed much at all, but those around her have. It’s not that she needed to change, not that she was a bad pony, no. Really, it was only that nopony ever understood her the way I did. Nopony else ever saw the same wondrous mare that I did. Bursting with hope and dripping with dreams, she never stopped shooting for her dream of being in the Wonderbolts. In fact, she never would stop until she made it in, and even then she’d keep going. The rainbow-maned mare wouldn’t stop, couldn’t stop, and shouldn’t stop getting better at what she does best. She’s too good to be anything but the best.

But I lose myself.

“You’ve lost me too.”

Ah, she heard me.

“Crazy voice, I wish you’d just go away. I’ve got enough to think about already.”

The cyan mare with the flowing rainbow mane shut the door behind her with a rough kick. She wasn’t angry or anything, just strong. She began walking groggily towards her bathroom. Opening the door, she sleepily took her place in front of the grand mirror. She stared at herself for quite some time, blinking blankly at her own reflection. Fed up with her nonresponsive friend ahead of her, she wiped her eyes rapidly, trying to get the sleep dust out from underneath.

After succeeding in escaping sleep’s enticing grasp, she began brushing her teeth. Just doing her normal everyday routine. The wishy-washy cycles of the brush soothed her ears, never brushing too fast or too slow. After brushing her teeth, she started off towards the door. A large blue hairbrush lay on the counter of her sink, unused.

Don’t forget your mane.

“What’s it to you?”

You know me, I’ve always really liked you mane.

“Well stop, it’s creepy. You’re just a voice.”

*Sigh* That’s what I used to think, just voices. Ah well, she’ll figure it out soon enough. Regardless, she did turn back and pick up the brush, softly brushing her multicolored mane. Her mane was a mess from sleeping, orange hairs crossing with green, red and blue intertwined. It took her several minutes before she put the brush down and settled with relatively normal hair.

She had stairs in the house, but they were merely for aesthetic purposes. Flaring her enormous blue wings, letting a few feathers from last night fall to the floor, she proceeded with her decent downstairs. Slow and steady for the morning, she simply did not have the energy to go any faster this early. Landing softly at the bottom, she tucked her wings back to her sides and proceeded walking over to her kitchen. It was the largest kitchen in the sky, equipped with a multitude of appliances and a stockpile of food.

Everything in her house was top quality. The best of the best for the best of the best. The few ponies who had ever been inside of her house, actually, the few ponies who ever saw her house, wondered how a mare like her could ever pay for such a piece of work. After all, she wasn’t in the Wonderbolts yet, and worked as a mere weather control worker. But those ponies would never receive an answer, and of course, forget about it soon enough.

This mysterious mare began stretching her legs, cracking her neck and flexing her wings. When she was finally ready she took out a bowl from one of the many cabinets and threw it over to the table. With her extreme speed and agility she flew to the next cabinet, grabbing a box of cereal and throwing that too. Next, she zoomed over to the fridge and pulled out a bottle of milk, opening and then throwing that as well. Finally, she bolted to the table, catching the bowl first, then the cereal. She opened the cereal and poured it into the bowl with one hoof, as her other hoof caught the open bottle of milk, she poured it over the cereal.

“And that’s how you make breakfast.”

Satisfied with her morning preparation, she happily ate her cereal, taking large, crunchy bites of the flaky pieces. When she had finished, she slurped up the remaining milk in the bowl and tossed over the wet dish. Nonchalantly getting off her chair, she bolted once again to the sink. She caught the flying bowl with ease, placing it neatly inside to be cleaned later.

With a smirk, she set off to her foyer, ready to head outside. She was about to step outside and fly off, but a quick glance at her calendar on the wall changed that. The date wasn’t all that important to the mare, but the day made the difference instead. It was Sunday.

“Hmm, Sunday already? Wow. Ah well, more time to chill for me.”

The colorful pony smiled to herself, happy to be able to relax. After all, she had Sundays off from work. Turning from the door, she flew back up the stairs into her bedroom. Pushing the fluffy cloud door aside, she jumped lazily into her bed. It was soft and cushioning. Each of the miniature clouds used to make the bed conformed to the pony’s body and allowed her to sink deep into the soothing mattress.

The work-free pony sighed happily, laying her head back with her hooves behind it to relax. She kept her eyes closed for a few passing minutes, letting her mind wander and body relax. When she finally opened her eyes, she was met with the all too familiar image of an old Wonderbolts poster.

The mare took this poster with varying emotions. First she was ecstatic, her love for the showponies boundless and exuberant. But then her elated smile flipped itself as she remembered why she kept this poster there in the first place. Unlike the other posters and memorabilia that lined her walls and shelves, this poster was different, special even. It was dated over a decade ago, and had different ponies than today’s Wonderbolts.

The premier pony in the foreground was a dashing stallion, sleek black hair and fitting Wonderbolts attire. The mask was off, and his face was clearly visible. He had rather hard features, defined jaw and strong piercing eyes. The mare in the bed gazed deep into these eyes, remembering their owner and reminiscing in the past. When she was finally able to take her eyes to other places, she didn’t put nearly as much attention into them.

Behind the robust stallion leader was the young Spitfire on his left. She was far more brazen now. More skilled and confident. It was a morale booster for the cyan mare to see one of her idols evolve into something so great. To the left was the young Soarin. He looked the same as he does now, but softer on his facial features. Sorain reminded her of the stallion in front, even more so now. He was relaxed, but talented and always ready for a challenge. Plus, the two of them both loved pie. They just couldn’t get enough of the stuff. Next to him was the even younger Fleetfoot. She wore her mask, so any of features other than size were indiscernible.

They weren’t her focus though. Instead, it was the mare flying above them that drew her in. Wings spread wide, the mare at the top shone a rainbow colored light down upon the floor other Wonderbolts. Her mask was also off, revealing a gorgeous flowing mane of the brightest reds, blues, oranges, greens, yellows, and purples. The mare in bed shed a tear at the sight of the poster’s center piece, taking only a moment to read the words she knew so well.

The poster read:

Come See The Wonderbolts Perform At The Canterlot Gardens

Spitfire Prism Sonic Skydive Soarin Fleetfoot

The distraught mare rolled off of her bed, emotions battling inside of her. She trotted over to a tiny wooden chest places atop a small night stand. Tapping the top twice, the box opened and she lifted up the top. Inside were more papers. The types of papers varied within the box, some being paper clippings, some plans for costume designs, still others were letters.

Beside the papers were two dolls, both wearing Wonderbolt costumes. One of them was meant to be the stallion in the poster that she admired so much, the other was the mare flying above him. The cyan pegasus pulled the two dolls from the box, hugging them close to her.

Do you want to talk about it?

*Sniff* “No. I won’t be caught talking to myself like a crazy pony.”

Isn’t that what you’re doing now?

“Shut up! Why do you even care?”

Just thought you might want to tell someone.

She ignored my offer, as usual. Ah well, not much can be done of that. Still, she careful placed the dolls atop her bed, lying nicely on the pillow made of cloud. Then she went back to the box, picking up each piece of paper individually. The first she pulled out was a newspaper piece about the Wonderbolts. ‘First pony ever to break the sound barrier joins Wonderbolt legends Twister and Zephyr Star’ was its title.

The article went on to talk about a pony by the name of Sonic Skydive performing his signature Sonic Blackboom. He was interviewed and quickly accepted into the Wonderbolts with ease. It had a picture next to the text that showed a proud young stallion with his hair shot back from the intense speed. The same stallion in the poster. The next piece in the box was the diagram of a full-body suit for ponies. It had notes all over it detailing its aerodynamic abilities and form fitting cloth. The signature at the bottom of the prints read ‘Prism’.

She skimmed through the next few papers, barely bothering with them. They varied from subject to subject. The Wonderbolt’s new costumes, a new member, a wedding, a few successful shows, some awards ceremonies, and a birth even. Pictures followed, but they too were flipped through hastily. Finally, the light blue mare reached the last few remaining papers in the small box. They were all letters.

‘Dear Dashie,
Your father and I are very sorry that we have to miss another family day today. There was an unexpected photo shoot and the Bolts need us there. We’ve left a few cookies for you in the kitchen and some dinner in the fridge. We hope you still enjoy your day.

Love, Mom and Dad’

‘Dear Dashie,
There’s another show today. I wish I could take you out flying like I promised, but I swear I’ll make it up to you. Your mother said she might be able to make it to you before the show starts, so look out for her. If we get this show perfect, The Princess hinted in a pay raise, so you can see why this is so important. See you when we get home.

Love, Daddy’

‘Dear Rainbow Danger Dash,
You have been happily accepted into The Pegasus Flight School for Gifted Fillies. We expect you to attend orientation on Sunday, August 5th of this year. We patiently await your response and do so hope you will join us for a riveting four years of flight training.

Sincerely, Headmaster Fleetfoot'

‘Dear Dashie,
Your father and I would love to hear about your progress in flight school. Please do respond dear. We haven’t heard anything from you in ages. We miss you honey. I know we’ve been a bit ‘busy’ in the past, but we truly do love you, and we hope you know that. Your father and I will be stopping by to see you in a few weeks just in case.

Love, Mom’

“They never came.” She said, breaking the silence.

Busy again?

At this remark, the troubled pegasus mare ran out of the room. Behind her was the last paper in the box. It was wrinkled, and had stains on it. They appeared to be water stains. The edges were crumples and the words well read.

‘Miss Dash,
We regret to inform you that a terrible accident has left both of your parents gravely injured. Both Prism and Sonic Skydive bravely fought to stop an incoming twister storm on Canterlot and were unfortunately caught in the swirling winds. They died moments ago from excessive hemorrhaging. I am sorry for your loss, truly I am. If it is any consolation, your mother, Prism, talked only of you in her last breath. She told me:

‘Tell my daughter, Rainbow Dash, that both I and her father love her very much. Perhaps we never got to show it, but I hope she will remember the good times and not the bad. I wish we could say goodbye face to face, but there are things that are not always in our hooves. We have great hopes for her; she is a talented filly and bright hearted pony. We love our Dashie, so very much. Always reach for the stars dearest, you’re already too good for the sky.’

I hope this provides some closure, although I know I cannot do much more. Please contact me and I will see you about their will and your living arrangements.

Sincerely, Princess Celestia’

“They could never make it. They never even made it home. I lost my parents, I didn’t even get to say goodbye.”

The saddened pony walked slowly to the stairs, walking down them instead of flying. She walked right out the door, not stopping to check anything else. Once outside, she spread her wings and left for the furthest cloud.

After any amount of thought filled minutes later, she finally found the perfect cloud. She halted her fast paced flapping and lowered herself atop the puffy structure.

*Sigh*”That’s the reason, if you hadn’t guessed. All of that…”

I find that very admirable, Rainbow Dash.

“Who cares, you’re just a voice. A really annoying voice.”

You’re honoring them, just by trying as hard as you are.

“Shut up. I dropped out of flight school after that incident. My parents left me the house, and I lived by myself, practicing every day. You don’t even know how hard I’ve tried. I even got a job, just to keep some money coming in, and it’s not exactly the most interesting job. You don’t even know what it’s like.”

“Not even a response? Good. I mean, I know they weren’t the best parents. But they were ‘my’ parents. Ever since then…I did everything I could to be the best. In fact, I haven’t stopped. I can’t stop. Not until I’ve made it into the Wonderbolts.”

“Oh come on! Now you decide to keep quiet? Ugh. I’m sorry ok. I’m sorry for not being good enough. I’m sorry I’ve let you down. I’m sorry I let them down.”

Rainbow, you didn’t let anyone down, especially not them.

“I know, I know. Sometimes I just don’t feel like the best.”

They thought you were the best, I think you’re the best, why shouldn’t you?

“Because I just…I don’t know.”

She paused for a long time before continuing, “I was really reserved after they died. I didn’t want to see anypony. But one thing did stay true, I never forgot. I will always remain loyal to their memory. I already made it up to my dad. I preformed a Sonic Rainboom. He would’ve been so proud. But, my mom always wanted to see me in a Wonderbolt’s costume. I’ve still got to do that. I’ve got to earn it.”

Dange.

“Wh-what did you just call me?”

I think it’s time you realize just how far you’ve come.

She was still struck with the realization of who the voice in her head was. She simply sat there on her cloud, so far away from everypony else, wondering what was going on.

“Do you really think I’ve come that far?” she asked of me.

Of course you have. Look at everything you’ve done.

She thought of her past. Meeting her friends, defeating Nightmare Moon, Discord, Chrysalis, all those other villains and every other crazy adventure she had. She recalled every encounter with the elements and how she and her friends always made it through, stronger than ever.

“Looking back, I guess I have done quite a lot.”

And don’t you forget it.

She laughed, “I won’t.”

See? That wasn’t that hard was it?

“Oh shut up DR.” she chided me playfully.

Hey, sometimes all it takes is a friend to nudge you a little in the right direction.

“Yeah.” She paused. “A really good friend.”

Smiling, the now happy mare floated from her fluffy thought bubble. With each flap of her wings, she soared closer and closer back to home. Sometimes she would spin or loop about, dancing in the air with a grace that would shame even a phoenix. Inside she thought to herself of everything she had said that day. Looking back, she laughed at herself for being so blunt and unthinking. She always felt as if she was brooding over the loss of her parents, but never really realized how foalish she was being.

Her parents wanted the best for her, they really did; and the best way for her to show them she was doing her best was to be happy. She would keep on trying, keep at her goal, HER goal of getting into the Wonderbolts. That would never change, no matter what. After all, she was ‘The’ Rainbow Dash. Fastest flier in all of Equestria, and daughter of two of the greatest pegasi to ever have lived.

“Drumroll, I hate that you’re right, but I’m really glad about it too.” She said to herself.

When she finally reached home after the long flight, she dashed straight up the stairs. Bursting through the door to her room, she raced towards the bed. The dolls of her parents were still there, waiting for her return. For once, they had waited for her instead of the other way around. Still smiling like a fool, she placed the two of them upon an empty cloud shelf. Then, she took all of the old papers and placed them in the box once more, locking it tight. She didn’t need such sad memories anymore.

Rainbow Dash had no reason to mourn any longer. She was a new mare, brimming with a new hope and old dream. She would keep her parent’s spirit alive, and let hers burn in its own gloriously multicolored light forever.

Memories of The Magic

View Online

Memories of the Magic

In the center of the majestic rural area of Ponyville rested an enormous tree. As with everything else in the town though, it was no normal tree. Instead, this tree had been carved out and furnished for living. The outside was littered with decorative patterns and windows. The flowery, organic building ingeniously lead itself to become its own ironic twist of purpose; it was a library.

Although originally planned to simply be made for book rental and storage, the library had been adjusted to house a single pony resident. Well, a single pony and dragon sidekick that is. It had been quite some time since the library had been uninhabited, and the residents of the fine village of Ponyville couldn’t remember a time when it wasn’t. In fact, the mare who lived there made quite the name for herself in Ponyville, and across Equestria. That mare was none other than the great, Twilight Sparkle. She had become so engrained in the history of the country that forgetting a mare like Twilight was impossible, nigh unthinkable.

One time, her and her friends even ---

“Excuse me, but I think I know plenty about myself and my home thank you very much.” retorted the cranky unicorn.

I see you’re awake then now.

“With your incessant ramblings going on, it’d be hard to not to be.”

The groggy mare lifted herself from her comfortable position in bed, simply to readjust and cover her face with the blankets. Head tightly tucked into her pillow, Twilight let out a sigh of relief as she returned to slumber-land.

I felt bad. I didn’t intend to wake her up, at least not yet. Telepathic communication was more fun within dreams as it was. Trying to access the sleeping mind was like sending a hungry kid into a candy store. Of course, what I walked into could be more described as sending a lonely mare into a ---

“I am not lonely! And you better not have seen anything, that was my dream!” she interrupted, her voice slightly muffled by the pillow.

Sorry, just saying what I saw.

“You didn’t see anything at all. I was simply…exploring another facet of friendship with a kind stallion.” The unicorn blushed.

Well I certainly didn’t mean to interrupt. How was I supposed to know you were asleep?

“It would’ve been simple if you just recognized my cognitive thinking patterns when mixed with…” her voice trailed off behind her before jumping awake “Who are you and what in Celestia’s name are you doing in my head!”

Jeez, it’s like you all forgot who I was the next day. Was I really that easy to forget?

The possibility that six of my best friends had up and ditched their memories of me was unnerving to say the least. Eyes low and smile degraded, I listened for Ms. Sparkle’s response.

“I’m quiet sorry mystery voice, but the possibility of any proclaimed pony even pronouncing their past adventures with me so poignantly present is preposterous.”

Purple unicorn says what now?

The magical mare rolled her eyes at me, “I haven’t met anypony new in months. At least nopony that would have the capability of communicating with me via telepathy. Although I am quiet interested in how you managed to accomplish such a feat, I must ask you to vacate my mind. I do have personal privacy after all, mystery voice.”

Without even a second thought, the light purple pony rose from her bed and began at getting ready for the day. Her first step was to, as usual, grab her checklist of her morning routine. The taking of the checklist was, in fact, the first thing on her checklist, and was promptly crossed off. Routine or not, the checklist would be there for her every morning.

Still the daunting fact of the matter remained pressed to the air that surrounded our mental link. Twilight didn’t remember me either. And if she didn’t remember me, who’s to say the others would fare any better? Applejack would think she was being possessed. Fluttershy would be scared out of her mind trying to find a way to escape herself. Rarity well…it’s not the worst possible thing ever, but I’m sure she’d still flip out. And Pinkie Pie, I didn’t even want to mess with Pinkie’s brain. Who knows what crazy stuff is in there.

Twilight, you can’t honestly say you don’t remember me, can you?

“I thought I made myself clear mystery voice, I haven’t met anypony new in months and right now I would appreciate if you…” the mare’s eyes began to release from their sleep induced locks. A huge grin could be seen working its way across her cheeks as the giddy unicorn hopped around the room.

“I’m sorry I got your name wrong mystery voice, or should I call you, Mystery Stallion.” She jibbed.

Hahaha, so you do remember!

“I’ve been known to have a very good memory. Princess Celestia told me that I had remembered more spells in one week than even her sister, Princess Luna did when she was a foal. You know, it was surprising, but as an alicorn it made a bit more sense. You see, although I had a high aptitude for remembering, I could not yet perform all of the spells. Luna was able to master spells in weeks that would take a unicorn like me months to do. Twilight. Not to say I’ve been shirking my duties, oh no. My, what would the Princess say is I didn’t keep up my studies? She would be so disappointed with me. Maybe she would Twilight send me back to school. No, no, I’ve already disproved that theory. Then again, it is simply a theory Twilight which would be disproved. That is the whole point of a theory after all. Besides ---”

TWLILIGHT! I screamed, annoyed with her ranting. My mental shriek was enough to rattle her iron concentration and she stopped.

Blankly staring into the checklist in front of her, the perplexed purple mare blinked. She stood motionless as the silent seconds ticked by. Worried and unsure what exactly was going on, I tried talking with her once more.

Uh…Twi, are you alright?

“Not exactly.” She told me flatly.

What’s wrong?

Twilight cleared her throat softly and prepared her checklist and pen with her magic. The purple aura emanated from the writing implements as she drew the over to a desk. Not even bothering to sit, she began checking things off one by one.

Twi, what the heck are you doing?

“I’m checking off everything wrong about this scenario. Right now I’ve noted about twelve different anomalies.” She explained, a light tone of intellectual arrogance peppered over her voice.

Anomalies? Like what? You don’t think it’s me?

“It can’t be you. It’s been far too long since your last contact. If we were going to receive anything from you it should’ve been days after. There was no reason the real Drumroll would abandon us. Who are you and what have you done with him?”

She demanded I tell her what I did with, well, myself. She was right, I did plan on talking to them as soon as possible, but there was one thing that bothered me: I did.

Ms. Twilight Sparkle, I do believe you are mistaken. For I am Drumroll and it hasn’t even been two days since I last talked to you.

“Impossible. The last time I spoke with my friend Drumroll was…94 days ago.”

I let out an uncontrolled gasp. 94 days ago? But, but, it was just the other day. And Rainbow Dash, her and I had just…

Nopony remembers me, do they?

“Excuse me?” asked the interested unicorn.

Rainbow Dash and I talked with each other the other day, yet when I first spoke with her, she seemed rather confused that there was a voice in her head. Do you mean to tell me that you guys could’ve forgotten me so quickly?

“Of course we didn’t forget Drumroll, who I still don’t believe you are, provided the evidence gathered. We waited, and waited, and waited until he would contact us again, but he never did. And Rainbow Dash never told me of this, or any of the others to my knowledge.”

It was kind of personal.

“Tell me, whoever you are, how long has it been in your time?”

About three days.

“I see…” she replied, scratching her mane.

The ideal light bulb moment went off in her head and she ran to her bookcase. One of her bookcases that is. She levitated multiple books out from each shelf, only to cast them aside after a quick glance at the cover. Spike was going to have a busy afternoon. Finally, after a few dozen books has been tossed aside, Twilight found the right one. A large smile stretched across her face as she slammed the book onto the desk.

With the magic from her horn, she swiftly flipped through each page, swirling the pieces of paper from one end to another to find her spot. Nearing the end of the book, she pressed her hoof against a page and let her eyes skim the words greedily.

“AHA! ” she announced “I found it!”

You found it? That’s great! Uh, what is ‘it’?

“Basic Time Laws in Relative Dimension.” She smiled.

And that is?

“This book is filled with everything that the alicorn and unicorn race has discovered on the effects of time as it is known across the known universe. Still, they did put plenty of research into the possibilities of time existing outside of our own universe, and this book tells me their conclusions. But before I go any further, tell me one thing.” the tone behind her voice shifted from being informative to secretive in a split second.

Anything.

Her hoof folded the book over, saving her spot “What were you doing in Ponyville?”

Ponyville? It took forever for me to figure that one out. I had woken up in a strange new world with no idea of how I got there or how to get back. Not even minutes after that, I fell and almost died. That same sequence repeated for a good hundred times until we all found the answer at the bottom of Canterlot Castles. And she knows that, why in the world would she ask me that again… Mid thought I understood what she was asking. It was the same question she had asked when I first showed up at her door step.

You know, I was hoping you could answer that for me.

A subtle grin appeared on Twilight’s face, but she hid it well. Instead of saying any more on the matter she reopened the book and continued explaining.

“Because of the difference in dimension, we are not bound by the same clock work that you are. Although when that gap is covered or connected, as it is when we are mentally linked, the clocks work at the same pace. That is to say, neither one of us is moving faster or slower than normal, but instead we have merely synced our two universes together. Obviously this effect does not last after the effect because you have already talked with Rainbow Dash.”

Wow, that’s a lot to take in.

There was a pause of silence between our two active minds. Both her and I were processing the information. Her mind had probably already done so, and she was using this break to think of how to effectively use this knowledge and manipulate it. I on the other hand, just wanted to understand what was going on.

My finally accepting unicorn friend broke the silence “So it really is you then?”

Of course it is. I’m sorry that it took this long to get back to you.

“Now that I understand, please don’t feel bad. I’m going to have to relay this to the others so they know. How have you been?”

It’s been, odd, to say the least. I know I wasn’t there long, but not being around you now is pretty hard to get used to.

“I see. You’ve certainly had less time to adjust than we have.”

How are you doing Twilight? I know I left on pretty split decisions and you weren’t in the best of shape when it happened either.

“I’m doing better, thank you. It took a while for my body to fully heal, but the magic helped. Fluttershy was kind enough to offer a bed, but I figured the hospital would be the best place. We both know how having a hurt pony in your house can be.” she joked, a happy gleam returning to her face.

Haha, yeah. It’s nice to see that you’re doing better. How is everything over there?

“It’s been a rollercoaster ride, you know. So many things going on, events I’ve had to attend. I’ve managed to spend time with my friends, but it’s still a huge job being Celestia’s Faithful Student. I will say, you helped me write a fair amount of friendship reports.”

Glad I was able to help somehow. I really do feel bad about leaving you guys so soon.

“Don’t, Drumroll. We understood, we still understand. You don’t belong in our world, you belong in yours. Which actually reminds me!” the excited mare exclaimed, galloping over to her chest on the floor.
Using her magic, as with everything else, she opened the chest and took out a few sheets of parchment paper. The pages unrolled in midair, making a crinkling noise that only fresh paper could. Whipping out her old ink pen she began writing some odd scribbles down.

She tapped her pen on the paper, signifying that she had finished writing. “Celestia had me working on a way to recreate Discord’s portal to your realm. I’ve had plenty of time to work on it, but I’m still not done. It’s going to be years until I can master this level of spell.”

Even after mastering those crazy chants from the fight?

“Yes, unfortunately Discord’s magic is so much stronger than we could’ve imagined. It’s just too complex to simply read and attempt.”

Best of luck then, you know I can’t wait to come back!

“Neither can we. There was one particular filly who has been looking for you all this time you know.” She said, bringing me to wonder who could still be looking for me.

Without any response from me, Twilight released a soft sigh onto the paper, brushing the pages against each other before quickly resettling. All of her notes taken, the studious and ever working mare rolled the scroll’s pages up once more and placed them neatly inside the chest. A faint purple glow followed behind Twilight as she walked towards the door to her library balcony. Held inside the magical entrapment was the original list of things to do for the morning.

Twilight pushed the intelligently designed tree door outwards, allowing it to reveal the majestic scene of Ponyville behind it. By the railing of the balcony sat a single chair. The warped tones in its wooden structure made its age evident. There long before the unicorn herself, the chair had been the Element of Magic’s resting place for many a night and morn. Again she took her seat and allowed her eyes to rest upon the scenery of the rural settlement.

“There are a lot of ponies still looking for you Drumroll.” She sighed.

But why? Nopony even knows I existed.

“I do. Rainbow Dash does. Applejack does. Big Macintosh does. Scootaloo does.”

Scoots…

“It’s not easy losing somepony important to you. And don’t think I don’t know what you’re going to tell me. ‘I wasn’t even there for that long.’ That doesn’t matter to your friends Drumroll. And they’re all placing their hopes in me to bring you back.”
But what about Celestia?

“She’s far too busy with royal duties to be able to give this the proper time it deserves. It’s just that everypony is always counting on me for such important things. I don’t want to let any of them down.”

You’ll get it one day Twilight. Besides, if they trust you that much, that has to mean something, right?

Twilight’s purple gaze drifted longingly into the background of Ponyville. It was going to be a beautiful day today. The wind existed simply as a light breeze meant for easy breathing, mindlessly wisping by. The clouds were well scheduled, not a single one confronted the sun about his job of shining over the earth. Twilight’s mane lifted and fell with the wind, brushing past her face before resting again on her neck.

“What will happen if I’m not here? What if I was out when the Roc came? Who would save Equestria?”

Her eyes never lost their placid glaze, but her words penetrated the very essence of the time and space that separated us. It was something I had never really considered before. Twilight was the saving grace of Equestria, all of the time. Without her, Equestria would be veritably screwed.

I, uh, never really thought about that.

“No, you didn’t.” she chided. “Nopony has…except me. I’m the only one who realizes that.”

Maybe it’s time you let somepony else take the wheel then?

“Excuse me?”

Let somepony else save the world for once. I know somepony will, I mean really, they won’t just let it fall to pieces.

Finally averting her eyes from the town, she placed her hoof upon her head. Sweat was dripping from her brow down her hoof. Rubbing vigorously, she erased all sweat and pushed the strands of her mane away. Teeth clenched tightly to her lower lip with concentration. A slight jolt of her body and she had hopped off the chair and began her short walk inside.

Her returning argument was adamantly stamped with her will, “I can’t do that. I wouldn’t be able to sit there and do nothing while my friends were in danger. That’s just not right.”

Would your friends say the same?

“Of course they would!” she told me, both annoyed and matter-of-factly.

Then you’ve got nothing to worry about. Chill Twilight.

Her head shot backwards in surprise, “Wait what?”

You just said it yourself. If you weren’t there, your friends would be. And since you said they’d be like you, they’ll be there to save Equestria in your absence.

The argumentative unicorn stopped, opening her mouth to retort, but begrudgingly accepted that in some sense, I was right. She looked back to the scenic view of her favorite town. Nothing had changed since her momentary lapse; it was still the same enchanting sight. Her facial expression loosened as she reentered her house.

“I guess you’re right. Mostly. They hardly have the magical ability to readily access the needed sectors of taming or imprisoning villains of the caliber we’ve faced so far. I suppose they could do a great deal of ---“

Twilight.

“I know. My friends will always be there, even if I’m not.”

Yeah. Even when you’re gone, you’re friends will always be there for you.

Twilight let out an amused giggle as she shut the door behind her. A gust of wind from the door blew a single piece of paper onto the chair. From there, the outdoor breeze picked it up and thrust it into the sky. Happily lilting from side to side, the page of words fell and rose with the tides of air that brushed it along. As with Twilight’s finely coiffed mane, it would once again settle on its place of comfort in a short time. However, it may never finish serving its true purpose, as there was nopony left in need of its final box.

[ ] Meet with friends at Sugercube Corner.