Rainbow Dash's death has affected the rest of the Mane 6 but the one affected most is Twilight.
(More of a concurrent side story rather than a sequel)
Twilight Sparkle, distraught by the death of Rainbow Dash, begins to bend new laws made by Celestia to benefit the remaining Elements of Harmony and the rest of Ponyville.
A side story explaining how Twilight and Celestia's relationship became strained; briefly alluded to in the last chapter of Friendship is Forever. It is highly recommended that Friendship is Forever be read before this.
From all of us together, together we're friends. With the marks of our destinies made one, there's magic without end.
After a speech from Celestia in some alternate dimension, similar to the dreamscape, Twilight reappeared in Ponyville with wings.
Wha-? Wings? What did she do to me? Am I-? It's not possible, Twilight thought as her friends marveled over her new features.
"Wow. You look just like a princess," Fluttershy complimented.
"That's because she is a princess."
What?! Why? ran through Twilight's mind as a collective "Huh?!" came from the six ponies before Pinkie Pie did a spit-take.
Princess Celestia then stated the reasons for promoting Twilight from student to princess. During which time Twilight began to worry about what was to be.
"Does this mean I won't be your student anymore?" Twilight asked sadly.
After a short pep talk and her mentor and friends bow to her, Twilight's spirits lifted a little bit. Maybe this won't be so bad.
"Darling, will you please sit still so I can get this the fit properly," Rarity fussed at the newly crowned princess.
"It's my coronation though," Twilight fretted. "What if something goes wrong? I might trip walking up the stairs. Or worse yet, run into somepony and knock them over. Or... or..."
"Relax, darling, everything will be fine. Unless of course, you don't be still."
"Why? What will happen then?"
Rarity pulled a couple pins from the pincushion on her right leg and very carefully aimed them with her magic.
"YEEOOUUCCHH!!" Twilight screamed at top of her lungs as Rarity put the pins back where she got them. "What was that for?!"
"Terribly sorry, darling," Rarity said, stifling a giggle. "But I tried to warn you. I missed the fabric because of your wiggling."
"But there wasn't any fabric anywhere near where you poked, no, stabbed me with the pins!" Twilight complained loudly.
"See? That just proves my point about your squirming," Rarity giggled softly.
"What's that sound coming from outside?" Twilight asked.
Rarity playfully jabbed Twilight in the flank with a pin again as she looked out the window. She couldn't help but smile at the sight below her window. Applejack, Pinkie Pie, and Fluttershy were standing around Rainbow Dash rolling on the ground in laughter.
"What's so funny, darlings?" Rarity shouted.
"Did... did y'all real... really jab Twi-Twilight with... with some pins?" Applejack laughed as she wiped a tear from her eye.
"Well, I can't really say due to retailer-princess confidentiality reasons but-" Rarity paused before grinning from ear to ear, "YES!"
The confirmation of Rainbow Dash's story caused the four laughing ponies to laugh even harder. Even Fluttershy had tears running down her face from laughing so hard.
"What are they laughing at?" Twilight deadpanned.
"Apparently Rainbow Dash saw me poke you with the pins and told the others," Rarity giggled.
I wonder if the other princesses have this problem? Twilight wondered as the sound of her friends laughing continued outside.
Twilight's coronation went off without a hitch. The ceremony, speech, parade, and reception all went flawlessly. The entire day was perfect. The next day was another story.
"So what are you going to rule?" Pinkie Pie asked enthusiastically.
"Nothing," Twilight said somewhat angrily after emerging from a private meeting with Celestia. "She said I haven't proven myself yet."
"Seriously?!" her friends shouted in unison.
"If you haven't proven yourself, then why the hay did she make you a princess?" Rainbow Dash wanted to know.
"I don't know. That's what makes me so upset," Twilight said as the six ponies walked out of the castle toward the train station.
"We defeated Nightmare Moon, Discord, Chrysalis and King Sombra under your leadership. What more do you need to need to do?" Rarity asked.
"Well, technically Shining and Cadence beat Chrysalis and-" Twilight corrected.
"I saved the Crystal Kingdom from King Sombra," interrupted Spike with a huge grin.
"Ugh. We know, Spike," Twilight snapped as she rolled her eyes. "You remind us everytime somepony mentions King Sombra."
Twilight was surrounded by a momentary silence as everypony stared at her.
"Th-that outburst w-was because you're mad, right?" Fluttershy said quietly.
Twilight stopped for a moment and sighed. "Yes. Yes, it was. I'm sorry, Spike," Twilight apologized. "It's just so... so..."
"...Frustratin'?" Applejack suggested.
"Yes, exactly," Twilight replied. "We were all there in Ponyville when she told me that I showed all qualities, including leadership, of a true princess. Right?"
Her friends all nodded in agreement before resuming their trek to the train station.
"You know, she could've at least given me a choice in the matter," Twilight continued to vent. "I mean, think about it. The only reason that this happened was because she sent that stupid spell book to me in the first place. I was set up. She knows my love for books and learning and took advantage it. And now... I'm a princess... that lives... in... A... LIBRARY! Whoever heard of a princess that lives in a library, for pony's sake?"
"I can still throw a real 'Congratulations On Becoming A Princess' party, can't I?" Pinkie Pie asked weakly as Twilight caught her breath.
"You sure can, Pinkie," Twilight said after regaining her composure. "Luna knows the Ponyville ponies deserve to celebrate this too. Not just the Canterlot nobility."
"Are you upset Celestia made you princess, darling?" Rarity inquired.
"A little. I mean, I can help out other ponies on a completely different level now, but to be honest, I never really wanted to be a princess in the first place."
The group of friends finally made it to the train station, just as the train to Ponyville arrived. Had she known that she would be bowing to the entire city of Canterlot, Twilight would've either left earlier or booked a later train. There were two things she was certain of. Her crown was going into her saddlebag on the trip home and she was going to make one thing clear to the residents of Ponyville: no bowing to her.
The magic of Friendship doesn't just exist in Equestria, it's everywhere.
Those words couldn't have been truer when Twilight said them thirty years ago after defeating Sunset Shimmer in the human realm. Sadly though, one of her friendships was about to end soon. Twilight looked at her friend and bearer of the Element of Loyalty, Rainbow Dash, as she exited the hospital room to which she was placed. A dark blue line stained the dying pegasus's cheek as she laid motionless after plummeting nearly a mile in a freak accident.
"Goodbye, Rainbow," Twilight cried. "I will miss you. More than anypony knows."
Twilight passed Thundercloud is the hallway as she made her way outside.
"It won't be much longer," Twilight told him barely above a whisper. "If you'll excuse me, I need some air."
Twilight slowly walked through the waiting room, ignoring the requests from her friends and family for an update on Rainbow Dash. Once she was outside, Twilight extended her wings and took flight toward her castle.
Why wouldn't she help Rainbow Dash? She helped other ponies in worse condition, Twilight wondered as tears continued to pour out of her eyes. Some ruler...
Minutes later Twilight landed on the second-floor balcony that lead to the upper chamber of the library.
"I wish Spike was here to help me find that darned spellbook that was written by Starswirl The Bearded," Twilight quietly muttered to herself as she reached up and wiped her face with her right hoof before slipping inside the building.
"Hello, Twilight," her librarian said as the princess made her way to the desk. "How's Rainbow Dash?"
Twilight pretended that she didn't hear the question from buttercream unicorn that ran the castle library. Any other time, somepony would consider Twilight's actions odd but considering what she had been through in the last two days, it was understandable. Besides Rainbow Dash facing death, one of her other close friends was looking the Grim Pony in the face.
"Sunset, why are you wearing a bandana on your head?" Twilight asked after exchanging pleasantries when the golden yellow unicorn stepped out of the mirror.
"Well..." Sunset began as her eyes began watering. "It's from chemotherapy. If you noticed, my tail is gone too."
"Chemotherapy? Isn't that something for pon-, I mean, humans with... cancer?" Twilight asked as a lump began to form in the alicorn's throat.
Sunset looked at the floor as her ears laid flat against her head. She sniffled as tears began forming in her eyes. Sunset nodded her head as a barely audible "yes" escaped from Sunset's mouth.
"What? Wh-wh-when?" Twilight asked as she laid down in front of her friend.
"They found it four months ago, shortly after my last visit," Sunset explained. "It's breast cancer... sta-stage..."
The unicorn began crying as she buried her face in her hooves. Twilight shifted her position so that she was right next to Sunset and draped her left wing over her back. Twilight wasn't going to push the issue, letting Sunset talk about it on her own.
"I... it's stage... *sniff* ...four," Sunset told her. "Because it's a-a human disease... *sniff* ...Celestia can't do any...thing about it."
"I don't know much about what you're going through besides what I happened to stumble on in the CHS library," Twilight empathized. "How much time did they give you?"
"They estimated about ten months with chemo," Sunset replied as she slowly looked Twilight in the eyes.
"Oh Sunset, I'm so sorry."
The last month had been distracting since Sunset revealed her condition to Twilight. Now one friend was nearly dead and another was going to be facing it soon.
"Is there a specific book I can help you find?" asked the librarian.
"Huh? Oh. Sorry, I was distracted a moment," Twilight said somberly. "Do you know where I put that cursed book by Starswirl The Bearded?"
"I think you put it in the dark magic section," the librarian replied.
"Thanks," Twilight told her. "Hey, you know what? Go ahead and take the rest of the day off. Spend it with your friends and family."
"Really?" asked the stunned librarian.
"Yep. You'll still get paid for the rest of the day so don't worry," Twilight assured her.
The librarian, still in shock, walked up to Twilight and hugged her. "Thank you, Twilight. Let me know if you need somepony to talk to."
"I will," said Twilight as she watched the librarian leave before heading to the section labeled "Dark Magic".
There's got to be something in the book that can be relevant to this situation, Twilight thought as her emotions continued to mix together.
"Mom?" Sunrise shouted as he entered the castle with his father. "Where are you?"
"In the library!" Twilight shouted into the hallway.
The two pegasi entered the library only to find Twilight was not in her usual spot. Instead, she was in one of the darker corners of the library reading by the glow of her horn.
"Honey? You okay?" Flash Sentry warily asked as he approached his wife.
"Sure," Twilight replied nonchalantly.
"Okay then," Flash said as he motioned for his son to give them privacy. He then sat down next to the chair that Twilight was sitting in and gave her a peck on the cheek. "What are you reading?"
"Spells," Twilight replied emotionlessly.
"What kind?" Flash wanted to know.
"Afterlife spells," Twilight replied, not taking her focus on the book she was reading.
"Are you still visiting Cadence tomorrow?" he asked.
"Yep."
"Can I get you anything?"
"No thank you."
"Okay. Let me or Sunrise know if you need anything," Flash said, realizing Twilight was too focused to carry on a conversation. "I love you, honey."
"Love you too," Twilight replied as she paused her reading to give her husband a kiss.
I really hope Cadence will be able to boost my spirits. After Rainbow Dash's passing yesterday afternoon and constantly worrying about receiving a message from Twilight telling me her wife finally passed, I really need some cheering up, Twilight thought as the train pulled into the Crystal Empire station.
"Twily!" she heard Shining Armor shout as she exited the train car. "How are you holding up? We heard about Rainbow but we couldn't get away to be there with everypony."
"It's okay Shiny," Twilight told him as they shared a hug. "Everypony understood. She's in a better place now. One where she's no longer in pain."
The brother-sister pair made their way to the Crystal Palace where Twilight was tackled by her niece, Flurry Heart. Just seeing the joy radiating off of her was enough to bring a small smile to Twilight's face.
"How have you been Aunt Twily?" Flurry asked as she helped the purple alicorn to her hooves.
"I've been better, Flurry," Twilight told her. "It's been a rough moon."
"I know. Mom and Dad told me all about it," Flurry said.
"Speaking of your mother, where is she?" Twilight asked.
"She's in a meeting with a couple of petitioners," Shining answered as he walked with his daughter and sister.
Twilight knocked on the chamber doors where the meeting was being held before hearing her sister-in-law give her permission to enter. Twilight stepped through the door and gave a small wave to Cadence as one of the crystal ponies continued to drone on about nothing.
"My good sir," Cadence told the pony. "I am going to call a recess of these proceedings until tomorrow morning."
Once the petitioners were dismissed from the room Cadence hugged Twilight before going to her private chambers.
"So what did you want to talk about, Twilight?" Cadence asked as she noticed the sadness in Twilight's eyes.
"Well, I was wondering if Celestia ever ignored any of your friends that were near death," Twilight said quietly.
Cadence thought for a moment before answering with an unexpected answer.
"Yes she did," Cadence replied. "It was about 70 years ago."
"SEVENTY?!" Twilight shouted in disbelief. "Just how old are you?"
"I'll be 128 years old in 7 moons," Cadence said before elaborating further. "As an ascended alicorn, we don't have immortality. Our aging is slowed down to a sixteenth of what normal ponies are."
"It's nice that Celestia let me know about this when she tricked me into becoming an alicorn," Twilight noticeably groaned.
"Don't worry. She did the same thing to me," said Cadence with a smile.
"So how do you deal with leaving behind your family and foalhood friends?" Twilight asked Cadence.
"To be honest, it's tough. I miss those who have passed already dearly," Cadence sighed as she gazed into her sister-in-law's eyes. "The worst part is that I know I'll be there when Shining passes on."
Twilight felt tears trickle down her cheeks at the thought not only of her brother dying and but also a gut feeling that Celestia probably won't lift a hoof for him either when his time eventually arrives. But there was someone in bad shape now that she was going to try to help, come Tartarus or high water.
"Cadence, do you know if there's any way to cure human diseases in ponies?" Twilight asked as she wiped the tears from her eyes.
"I'm not sure I follow, Twilight," Cadence said with a puzzled look.
"Well, Sunset Shimmer, my friend that lives in the mirror universe, is dying from a disease that we ponies don't get," Twilight explained softly.
Cadence raised her eyebrows in confusion as Twilight continued to explain.
"When she came to Equestria for a visit last moon, her mane and tail were gone due to the chemotherapy treatments that she has been taking."
"That's just awful. How did she get this disease in the first place? Sunset's originally a pony to begin with, right?" Cadence asked as her confusion continued to grow. "Shouldn't that have protected her from human ailments?"
"I don't know," Twilight answered barely above a whisper. "Sunset claimed to have talked with Celestia already about curing her, but Celestia denied her. She said Celestia told her that because her cancer was a human disease, nothing could be done about it."
"That's terrible," Cadence told Twilight as she wrapped her right wing around the smaller alicorn in an attempt to comfort her. "Have you talked to Celestia or Luna to verify this?"
"I did and they both echoed what Sunset told me," Twilight replied as tears began forming in her eyes once more.
Cadence pulled Twilight in closer and wiped the few rogue tears that had escaped from her eyes. "How about the Elements of Harmony? Would they be able to help her?"
"I... I don't know," Twilight whispered sadly. "It would be worth a try but sadly they can't be used anymore."
Cadence briefly paused as she realized what she had said. "I'm sorry, Twilight. I didn't think-"
Before Cadence could finish, Twilight buried her face in the side of her neck and softly wept as the pain from losing one of her dearest friends the day before began taking its toll on her heart. Adding to the fact that one of her more intimate friends was dying from a disease in another dimension and that she was helpless to do anything about it made her sorrow that much worse.
"Why did Celestia... *sniff* ...have to make me... *sniff* ...the Princess of... of Friendship?" Twilight managed to say as her sobbing continued. "I... *sniff* ...I never felt this... *sniff* ...much pain when somepony close to me... *sniff* ...died before Celestia cursed me."
"I don't know, Twilight," Cadence said as she wrapped her other wing around her. "She must've had some reason for it, otherwise you would still be a unicorn."
The two alicorns sat silently in the royal chambers until Twilight had managed to compose herself. After which Cadence spoke up again, saying, "I'm sure you'll find some way to help your friend. You're one of the most talented and resourceful ponies in Equestria. I believe in your abilities."
“Thanks, Cadence. You're the best.”
“You're welcome, Twilight,” Cadence said as she released her sister-in-law from her wings. “How about you get some rest in one of the guest rooms?”
“But I need to be in Ponyville in the morning to finalize everything for Rainbow Dash's funeral,” Twilight pointed out.
“I know but you need rest and a train ride is not necessarily the best way to get some sleep,” Cadence replied. “I'll loan you a chariot to get home with tomorrow after you wake up. Deal?”
“Deal. Thank you, Cadence,” Twilight said before turning to walk to the guest wing of the palace.
Twilight woke up a few hours later, still in the dead of night. She remembered that she wasn't home in her own bed but for some reason, it still felt different. The bed was longer than normal but there was still roughly the same amount of room from the foot of the bed to her toes.
‘Wait… toes?!’ Twilight thought in confusion as she sat up to assess the situation.
She noticed her horn was still there, as was her wings but she had arms and legs like a human.
“How did I become anthropomorphic?” she whispered as she swung her legs off the side of the bed.
“It's from all that traveling between worlds,” came a familiar voice from behind her.
Twilight looked over her shoulder and was barely able to make out a light orange pony with a two-toned mane.
“Sunset?” Twilight asked as she fumbled around looking for the lamp switch.
“Yes, Twilight. It's me,” Sunset confirmed.
Twilight's confusion continued to grow once she finally found the switch. Once the light was on, the orange pony lying in bed with her was replaced by a frail, bald human.
“Something bothering you?”
“Uh, nope,” Twilight lied. “It's just nice to see you. That's all.”
Sunset smiled weakly and took a few deep breaths before replying, “It's nice to see you too. I have a question for you.”
“Okay. What did you want to know?”
“Have you been able to find a cure for me yet?”
Twilight stood up and slowly backed away from her friend.
“I, uh… not yet,” Twilight replying as she nervously began tapping her fingers together. “I've been kinda busy.”
Sunset's expression went from happy to hurt to angry in a matter of moments. “Too busy to try helping your friends?” she said. “Is that what you told Rainbow Dash before she died? You were too busy to find a healing spell?”
“What? No!” Twilight said as tears began forming in her eyes.
“May as well have,” a brash voice said from above them.
“Rainbow Dash?” Twilight said.
“Yep,” Dash answered before turning to Sunset. “You know what she did after leaving the hospital? Twilight started researching ‘afterlife spells’. Can you believe it?”
“So you were hoping for us to die?” Sunset accused Twilight. “What friend does that?”
“No! I love you girls and I certainly don't want any of you to die,” Twilight said as her vision blurred from the tears filling her eyes. “I was trying to find a way to bring you back to life, Rainbow-”
“What about me?” Sunset interrupted.
“I haven't gotten a chance to find anything for your-”
“You've had over a month, Twilight. That's more than enough time to look for something,” Sunset chastised. “Or have you become like the rest of the princesses? Only interested in things that benefit yourself?”
Twilight sat down against the wall with her knees drawn toward her chest, her arms resting on top of them and her face buried in her arms. The only thing able to come from her mouth was sound of her wailing loudly as she continued to be yelled at by her friends.
‘I just want to wake up’ Twilight thought repeatedly. ‘Please, just let me wake up from this nightmare.’
Images of the rest of her friends, pony, and human, soon began to materialize around her, joining the insults and blame started by Sunset Shimmer and pony Rainbow Dash.
Twilight managed to pause her crying, took a deep breath and shouted above all of the others, “LUNA! WHERE ARE YOU?!”
”I don't think anyone is supposed to have all the answers but you can count on your friends to help you find them.”
-Sunset Shimmer
Twilight had her back pressed against the wall as firm as possible while she continued to call out to Princess Luna for help. The images of her friends began to take on a demonic look as their teeth became pointed and their eyes turned green with red irises.
'This isn't real,' Twilight thought fearfully. 'But I can't wake up for some reason.'
The room then became pitch black with only the eyes of her possessed friends being visible.
"Twilight, why can't you just save us?" asked Sunset. "Remember the great times we had?"
"We... we did have some good times," Twilight answered.
"See? I'd love to have some more," Sunset told her.
"That... sounds like a great idea," Twilight said hesitantly. "I do miss hanging out with you girls."
"Great! We can recreate one of our most memorable times," Sunset said as her teeth became visible with a smile.
"Like when we defeated the Sirens?"
Sunset eyes changed colors just as the eyes from the rest of her friends disappeared. The rest of Sunset's body was revealed just as she responded with an evil laugh. "Actually I was thinking more along the lines of when I should've destroyed you in front of CHS."
Twilight's eyes grew wide with fear at the sight before her. "Demon Shimmer!" she shouted as she slid backward on her buttocks.
"Oh, yes! I'm alive and well!"
Twilight closed her eyes as tight as she could while Demon Shimmer continued to cackle. Twilight began calling out to Luna once more for help as tears flowed like rivers down her cheeks.
"Twily! Wake up!"
"I can't. I won't fall for it."
"Twily, it's Shining. Please wake up."
"No!" Twilight shouted. "I won't let you hurt me!"
Shining Armor shook his sister harder in an attempt to wake her up but to no avail. Something was keeping her asleep and the only one that would know was in Canterlot. He lit his horn and touched it to the tip of Twilight's horn in the last ditch effort to revive her. It was a trick he had learned from their parents that would help calm them down.
"Shi-Shining?" Twilight said groggily a few minutes after having the calming spell filter through her body. "Am I...?"
"You're fine, Twily."
Twilight rubbed her eyes as she attempted to make sense of the nightmare she had. What was with my friends in that dream? More importantly, where the Tartarus was Luna?
“Twilight, what happened?” Cadence asked as the younger alicorn regained her bearings. “We heard you screaming in your sleep.”
“I was having a nightmare about…” Twilight paused as she recalled the terror moments earlier. “...about Sunset Shimmer and Rainbow Dash. Rainbow blamed me for her… her…”
“Twily, what happened to Rainbow Dash isn't your fault. It was a freak accident,” Shining said, attempting to reassure his sister.
“I know that but I've got this nagging feeling that there is something more I could've done,” Twilight said as Cadence and Shining sat down on the bed, sandwiching her between them.
“You may not be able to reverse the events of three days ago but I'm sure that you'll be able to put together some kind of memorial for her,” Cadence said as she wiped away a stray tear from Twilight’s right cheek.
A weak smile appeared momentarily on Twilight's face before her thoughts shifted to Sunset Shimmer. She lowered her head in grief before quietly asking, “What about Sunset? She's going to die soon from a disease that only affects humans. I… I…” Twilight began to softly sob as she turned to bury her face in her brother’s chest.
“Twily, I know this can't be easy because of the bond you have with your friends but eventually they are all going to pass on,” Shining said as he stroked her mane with his forehoof. “That's the major disadvantage of being an alicorn. Cadence made sure I understood that before accepting my marriage proposal. You will outlive your friends. No amount of magic in Equestria is going to change that.”
“There…*sniff*...there's just got to be something…*sniff*... I can do to help Sunset,” Twilight said, her words somewhat muffled. “Why else…*sniff*...would she appear in a dream?”
“I don't know, Twilight,” Cadence answered. “That's a question more suited to ask Luna when you have the chance.”
Twilight just nodded in acknowledgment as she slowly began drifting back off to sleep.
Twilight sat alone at the top of a hill that overlooked Ponyville Cemetery as the undertaker covered Rainbow Dash's casket, one shovel full at a time. She managed to hold her head up just far enough to watch her friend disappear from her sight for the final time. There were dark purple lines that ran from her eyes to the bottom of her chin from her most recent round of crying. She was lost in thought that she didn't hear the hoofsteps approach her from behind.
“Twilight Sparkle?”
The mention of her name made Twilight jump slightly but as her attention was drawn back to reality, her emotions changed almost instantly.
“Luna,” Twilight acknowledged with a hint of bitterness in her voice.
Princess Luna sat down next to her fellow alicorn as they both watched the sun sink below the horizon in front of them. Neither of them spoke for several minutes, causing the tension in the air between the two of them. Finally, Luna broke the silence as the shadows grew longer behind them.
“May I ask what is bothering you, Twilight Sparkle?” she asked.
“Nothing,” Twilight snapped. “Nothing at all.”
Luna, taken aback by Twilight’s response, paused a moment before attempting to find out what was bothering the young princess.
“I don't mean to be rude but I don't believe you,” Luna said softly.
“What makes you say that?” Twilight asked as her resentment continued to build.
“I've been to tens of thousands of funerals in my lifetime and nopony has ever been as distant as you were today.”
Twilight said nothing as she knew Luna was speaking the truth. She had been distant all day; both physically and mentally. As she watched the last of the dirt cover Rainbow Dash’s coffin, Twilight let out a long sigh and responded to Luna.
“So is it you that wants to know what's wrong or is it your sister?”
“I am the pony who would like to know. I'm concerned about your well being; your psyche,” Luna said as she glanced to her right.
“My psyche?” Twilight asked skeptically. “Does that include my dreams?”
“Your dreams?”
“Yes, my dreams. Do you have any clue of what I went through last night?” Twilight said as her anger began to build. “I was tormented by my friends. They bucking blamed me for Rainbow’s death! I CALLED OUT FOR YOU LUNA!”
“Twilight…”
“No! I was stuck in that nightmare!” Twilight yelled as tears began running down her face. “Shining Armor had to use a calming spell to wake me up! I have never been so terrified in my life!”
“Listen, Twilight. Please let me explain…”
“Explain? Explain what? I… I just want to know where in Tartarus were you at!”
Luna took a deep breath and waited for Twilight to finish her rant.
“Twilight, the dreamscape is more complex than you think,” Luna said, wrapping a foreleg around Twilight’s body. “Certain dreams or nightmares cannot be interrupted because of your subconscious needs to experience the entire event so your mind can come to terms with whatever is bothering you.”
“But… why was Sunset Shimmer there?”
“I'm not sure about that. Perhaps it's because of the intimacy that the two of you once had years ago.”
Twilight sobbed for a few more minutes before wiping her tears away and looking into Luna’s eyes and asking, “Is there really nothing that can be done to help Sunset overcome her illness?”
Luna stood up, turned around and began the descent down back down the hill. She stopped after a few steps and whispered loudly enough for Twilight to hear, “Check the restricted section of the Canterlot Library…”
Something tells me everything is not going to be fine.
-Twilight Sparkle
Twilight uncharacteristically slammed the book she was reading closed in a fit of rage as she sat in the dimly lit room that contained literature banned from public use.
“She lied! She lied to me!” she shouted angrily.”She lied to me and worse yet, she freakin’ lied to Sunset!”
The rage that manifested itself inside her began causing her horn to emit bright pink sparks. It took all of her willpower to make sure they didn't accidentally discharge and cause damage to any of the books that were present. She placed the book she had been reading into her saddlebag and slowly made her way outside. Once the warm sun hit her face, she aimed her horn straight up and discharged the stored energy.
After taking a few deep breaths in an attempt to calm down, her horn began arcing once more. She was able to maintain control for a few minutes until she looked in the direction of the castle.
“You… you killed my friends,” Twilight snarled quietly as she discharged another bolt of energy. “Why would you do that? I thought you cared about us.”
She took one more look at the castle before unfurling her wings and lifting off, heading in the direction of her castle. Her vision became slightly blurred the further from Canterlot she got.
I can't believe she would withhold that information from me, she thought as she began crying. Sunset is like family to me.
Roughly a half hour later, Ponyville came into view. She knew time was of the essence if she wanted to save her friend. She snuck in the second story balcony of the library as she had done one week prior as Rainbow was taking her final breaths.
The Dark Magic wing would probably be the best place to hide this, thought Twilight as she removed the “borrowed” book from her saddlebag.
“Good afternoon, Princess,” the librarian called from the desk.
“Good afternoon, Book Binder.”
“How was your visit to Canterlot?”
“It was very productive, thank you. Has it been busy here?”
“The school ponies were here for a couple hours doing a research project but that's all.”
Twilight smiled at Book Binder before levitating her book onto one of the shelves in the intended section. As she turned to walk out the door, Book Binder caught her attention.
“Oh, by the way, you have a visitor waiting for you in the map room.”
Twilight nodded in acknowledgment and left the library.
I guess my counterpart is here to tell me that Sunset had passed away, Twilight thought worriedly. It wouldn't surprise me given my luck the last few days. I finally found a way to cure Sunset and the universe probably took her away from me.
The door to the map room let out a slight creak as Twilight pushed it open. She looked around the room to find her guest but there was seemingly nopony present. That is, until a crunching sound came from the chandelier above the map, causing her to look up.
“Spike!” Twilight shouted excitedly.
“Heya, Twilight,” Spike said as he floated down to the floor.
Twilight and her former assistant embraced each other tightly as Twilight said happily, “It’s great to see you, Spike. How long has it been since we last saw each other?”
Spike thought for a moment and answered, “Three years, I think. Ember has had her claws busy with Garble’s repeated attempts to overthrow her.”
“Yes, I heard about that. How is that going?”
“He’s coming close to breaking the dragon kingdom into a civil war with each attempt,” explained Spike as he finally sat down on the floor. “His biggest problem is the relationship we have with Equestria.”
“How so?”
“He believes that the ponies of Equestria have made the dragons soft and less willing to fight for their ideals. The trade agreement that you negotiated with Ember also has him outraged because of the hundreds of thousands of gems that have been lost to Equestria.”
“Wow. Ember really does have her claws full,” Twilight said before changing subjects. “So Spike, I know you're not here to fill me in on dragon politics. Not that I'm not glad to see you but there's got to be something else you're here for.”
Spike reached behind his back and brought forward a piece of parchment that he had tied to one of his wings. “I got this last night,” he said as he gave it to Twilight.
Twilight unrolled the parchment that was given to her and read it to herself.
Dear Spike, I'm sure by now you have heard about Rainbow Dash's passing last week. With the unrest developing within the Dragon Empire, we all understood why you couldn't make it.
Now onto the reason for this letter. Twilight has been scouring the restricted area of the Canterlot Library every day for the last five days. Neither Luna nor I know what she is looking for and we both fear that if some of this literature gets out to the public, it could spell disaster for Equestria. Luna, myself and the rest of your Ponyville friends have all tried asking her what she is looking for but she's become so distant from the funeral.
I understand if this is a bad time to be asking, but would you be able to return for a day or two to help guide Twilight out of… whatever she's doing. If you do return, please do not mention this letter or my concerns associated with it.
-Princess Celestia
“Umm, Twilight? What's going on with your horn?” Spike nervously asked.
For the third time today, Twilight's anger toward her former mentor had brought her magic to nearly uncontrollable levels.
“Spike… you… may… want to… move… out of… the way… and… open… the window,” Twilight struggled to say as she barely held back the upcoming blast of magic.
So with a flap of his wings, Spike not only blew the window open but also managed to dodge Twilight’s magic blast by a thread. Spike looked at Twilight as she struggled to keep her balance.
“Is that something new?” he asked as he turned his head to survey the damage caused by the blast outside.
“It… it started this afternoon in Canterlot when I learned a way to heal Sunset Shimmer,” Twilight explained as her anger continued to pulse through her veins. “And now I learned that my former friend that I raised from a hatchling has come back to SPY ON ME! Spike, how could you?!”
Spike carefully approached Twilight as her horn continued to arc pink sparks. He gently placed a claw on her back and pulled her in close in an attempt to calm her down.
“Twilight, I'm not here to spy on you. I'm worried about you. If I was here to spy on you, I never would have shown the letter to you,” Spike said softly. “I'm here because I'm worried about you. From the sound of that letter, you've because obsessed with some sort of dark magic.”
Twilight’s horn stopped sparking as she thought about her next move. She stared at the cutie map as a tear slipped out of her eye. “Spike, what I'm about to tell you has to stay between us, okay?”
“Sure, Twilight.”
Following a deep breath, Twilight confessed her plan to the nine-foot-tall dragon. “I've been doing some in-depth research on if it’s possible to cure Sunset’s cancer. I came across a book with more information on the Elements of Harmony than the book that's available to the public. In that book, I learned that the Elements also have healing properties.”
“Okay, but there's just one problem,” said Spike.
“I know. One of the Element bearers is dead. However, her human counterpart is very much alive,” Twilight said. “I have a theory that if the human Rainbow Dash can use the element in her place.”
“You're planning to bring Sunset and human Rainbow Dash to Equestria and use the Elements to heal her?” Spike asked.
“Actually… do you feel like taking a short trip?”
“To where?”
Twilight looked up at Spike with a sly grin and used her magic to open the case which held the Elements. “To the human realm,” answered Twilight as she levitated the necklaces and her old crown into her saddlebags.
“Um, Twilight, I'm not sure this is a good idea,” Spike said as Twilight got loose from his grip. “You don't know what will happen if you use the Elements in the other world.”
“True but I know what won't happen. One of my best friends is going to die and I'm going to have to live with the guilt of not attempting to help her,” Twilight said as she walked toward the mirror room. “We lost Rainbow Dash because I didn't lift a hoof to help her. It's my fault, Spike.”
“Twilight, from what I understand, Rainbow Dash collided with another pegasus and fell to her, um, demise. It was an accident,” Spike said, flying behind her.
“But I didn't look up any healing spells to help her,” Twilight insisted. “I just feel so guilty about it.”
Spike landed in front of her, blocking her path. “Twilight! You've got to think about what you're about to do!”
Twilight disappeared in a flash of pink light and called over her shoulder, “I have thought about this and this is the only way to save my friend, Spike. I'm not going to let her down again.”
Spike didn't follow her any further. He resigned himself to the fact that no matter what he said or did, Twilight was going to attempt to use the Elements Of Harmony in the human world. He looked down the hallway at the tri-colored tail disappearing into the mirror room and thought to himself, Goodbye Twilight. I hope you find what you're looking for. I'll always love you and I’ll be here whenever you need me. After wiping his eyes he made his way down the hallway to the exit to return to the dragon lands.
Twilight landed nose first on the concrete in front of Canterlot High. No matter how many times she went through the portal, she never emerged from Equestria on her feet. She felt her face to see if her nose was bleeding and lucky for her, it wasn't.
“Welcome back, Twi,” came a familiar southern voice.
“Thanks, Applejack,” Twilight replied. “Did everyone get my message I sent to Sunset?”
“Yeah… about that…”
“What? What happened?”
“Sunset wanted to talk to Y'all with the rest of us present,” Applejack said with a sliver of sadness in her voice.
“About what?”
Applejack lead Twilight to where she parked her truck. “Ah think it would be better if she told ya.”
Dozens of thoughts flooded Twilight’s mind as tried to think about what her former lover had to say. She knew the announcement couldn't have been good if everyone else was going to be there.
“Y’all okay there, Twi?”
“Huh? Oh, sorry, Applejack. I got distracted for a moment,” Twilight said as Applejack turned the key to start the aging truck. “What were you saying?”
“Ah was asking how everyone in Equestria was handling yer Rainbow Dash’s death.”
“Most everypony is taking it pretty well, with a couple of exceptions, of course,” said Twilight sadly. “Your counterpart hasn't been off the farm since the funeral. Fluttershy is in a psychiatric ward because she, um, well, she…”
“She tried committing suicide?”
“Yeah, that.”
“How are you holding up?”
“Me? I'm doing great. I never felt better. I mean, sure I miss Rainbow Dash but it's given me a new outlook on life,” Twilight said nervously.
“Uh-huh. If y’all say so,” Applejack replied.
An awkward silence filled the truck as they finished the drive to Sunset Shimmer’s house. As Applejack pulled into the driveway something caught her attention.
“Hey, Twi? Is that what Ah think it is?” Applejack asked, pointing to Twilight’s bag.
Twilight followed Applejack’s finger and noticed that part of her old crown was poking out of the top. Rather than saying anything, Twilight just nodded her head slowly.
“Yer planning on using yer old crown on Sunset, ain't ya?”
Twilight nodded once more as they exited the truck and headed for the front door.
“Oh, almost forgot,” Applejack said as she pulled out a bottle of hand sanitizer. “Ya need to rub some of this here stuff on yer hands and arms to kill the germs on them ‘fore ya can go in.”
Twilight took a whiff of the clear gel after having some squirted into her hand. “What is this made of?” she asked. “The smell is just… putrid. Yuck.”
Applejack, who was amused by her friend’s reaction, replied, “Ah don't rightly know, sugarcube. All Ah know is it’s supposed to kill all the germs and bacteria wherever ya rub it.”
Twilight cringed at the smell once more as she rubbed the sanitizer into her skin as Applejack used a handkerchief to ring the doorbell.
Moments later the door was opened by the human Twilight Sparkle, whose eyebrows were furrowed. “Princess Sparkle, glad you could join us,” human Twilight said with a bitter tone in her voice.
“SciTwi…” Twilight began.
“Only my friends can call me that,” interrupted SciTwi.
“Very well, Mrs. Shimmer. May I come in?” Twilight asked.
With a slight growl, SciTwi allowed the Princess to enter her and Sunset’s residence behind Applejack. Once SciTwi closed the door behind them, she reached out and grabbed Twilight by the shoulder.
“Listen, the only reason I'm letting you in here is that my wife wanted to tell everyone something at once,” SciTwi said. “If it wasn't for her, I would've done everything in my power to make sure that you wouldn't be able to terrorize this world anymore.”
“Twilight, I'm sorry for what happened between the three of us twenty-two years ago. If I could reverse time to change it, I would. Sunset needs all of us right now and I think it would be best for us to bury the hatchet, so to speak,” Princess Twilight told her doppelganger.
SciTwi looked off to the side for a moment and then responded, “I'll put aside my disdain for you for the sake of Sunset. But this is a temporary truce.”
Twilight felt like she had been kicked in the gut with that response. Here she is, the Princess Of Friendship but yet she can't even make amends to her counterpart from another dimension. Twilight extended her hand for SciTwi to shake, but it was simply ignored by the bitter human.
“Are you two coming?” Dash shouted from the next room. “Some of us have to be at work in a little bit!”
The two purple humans found their way into the den where everyone was squished onto two couches, except for Sunset who was in the lone recliner by the fireplace.
“I know everyone is wondering what I want to announce. I know Twilight brought the Elements Of Harmony with her but they won't do any good. You see, when I went to Equestria last week to read Thunder Dash’s memories, I made a stop in Canterlot before returning here. I went to ask Celestia one last time if there was any way to cure my cancer. She told me about the legend of the healing properties of the Elements. The problem with that legend is that the person or pony to be cured, has to want to be cured,” Sunset paused for a few minutes to catch her breath. As she did so, a sad look formed in her eyes as she looked at her fellow Equestrian. “That brings me to what I wanted to tell everyone. The chemo isn't working anymore and the cancer has begun to spread. I… I've accepted the… *sniff* ...the fact that my… *sniff* ...my life is over. I… I'm sorry… but… I'm going… *sniff* ...I'm going to live out my… my last few months… *sniff* ...here in the human realm.”
