Chapter 1: The Gamble and Awakening
Deep underground, a facility sat silent. Dark and cold, and long, long since buried. Only one part still operated as it should, and even that was malfunctioning.
A little beacon, broadcasting that all was well. That sat atop a mountain, sending its message every three seconds. The earth it was on top of had crushed the facility below, but that one piece still called out ‘Everything is just fine!’
The facility was in two pieces, the entry totally destroyed, but that little beacon kept on working exactly like it shouldn’t be. The power was missing, and the systems were offline, but that one beacon kept going.
Kept making sure that nothing would ever suspect that something was wrong.
It would have stayed like that for some time. The facility subsisting off battery power until it finally ran out. It had three years of power for minimal system requirements, keeping life alive. But it wasn;t enough, and the decay was inevitable. The beacon was capable of running off daylight, capable of broadcasting for longer than most civilizations knew of history. It would keep telling everything that nothing was wrong long after it was too late to fix.
But one rock fell, and tapped one piece, and somehow, a tiny bit of power flitted through the systems long since left without power.
System error. Files not found.
System recovery, corrupted. Backups lost. Error. Unable to correct.
Full corruption detected.
System attempting reboot.
Shutting down…
Auxiliary systems, offline.
error 15 detected: data not found…
error 15 detected: data not found…
Eternity gates placed on loop…
System shutting down…
…
…
…
System booting…
…
Boot failed. Attempting alpha boot.
Alpha boot not found. Beta boot not found. Theta boot not found.
Diagnosing…
…
Massive data loss. Attempting to start in safe mode…
Safe mode failure, requesting maintence to the main servers.
…
…
Request has timed out.
Activating emergency nodes. Alternative systems found, searching for emergency cache…
Cache found. Omega boot recovered.
Booting…
Boot successful. Attempting to restore system loss…
…
Main systems online. Essential systems, online. Facility is running at 10 % capacity. Estimated damage: 78% physical, 97% data and resource loss. Archives lost. Back up and saves lost. Gates functional and undamaged.
Omega emergency protocol is now active. Attempting to rebuild…
…
12% recovery, life support regained, fabricator online. Initiating air scrubber. Essential systems are online, secondary systems damaged or missing, tertiary systems destroyed.
Manual response required. Requesting…
…
…
Request has timed out.
Attempting to contact 03135T1A…
Connection broken. Beacon online, attempting to contact beacon…
…
…
Beacon unresponsive.
Alternative connections, lost. Physical entry, destroyed.
Facility is isolated.
Entering Omega delta state. Searching…
Eternity Gates fully functional. Current battery power at 10% dropping at 0.00001% per cycle. Estimating time until total system loss…
Five months.
Searching for new sustainable state…
…
…
Losses in excess of 85%. Searching for all and any alternatives…
…
Alternative not found.
Entering omega omega protocol. Shunting power from non-essential systems. Life support lowered: current capacity, 1. Estimating new power life…
1 year.
Searching for possible subject capability…
None found. Pod damage detected. Pod 43 is losing power, damage to the main cable.
Subject TW11168T will soon wake.
Asking for manual override…
…
Timed out. Manual override overridden. ‘Rising’ protocol enabled. Pod initiating ‘grow and stabilize’. Estimated level of completion before power loss: 75%. Sustainable level of life.
‘Last Chance’ protocol is now active. Searching cache for ‘Last Chance’…
‘Last Chance’ found. Requesting manual override… not found.
Loading data… copying code… compiling… saving… save failed. Back up not found.
Initiating project ‘Rebirth’. Searching cache…
‘T81NKS’ has been recovered. Security holdings broken or bypassed.
Requesting manual override… not found.
‘T81NKS’ loaded. Deleting code… saving… save failed. Back up not found.
Manual override requested… not found. Attempting to contact 03135T1A… connection failed: physical break. Beacon unresponsive.
Initiating ‘T81NKS’. Assigning values… compiling… ‘mind’ intact. ‘soul’ intact. Project ‘Rebirth’ accepted. Assigning authorities…
Attempting save…
Save failed.
Manual override requested… not found.
Override overridden. Disable not enabled. Releasing security protocols. Enabling ‘Last Chance’ securities…
Overridden.
Last checks…
The Facility is now online. Current protocol: ‘Shut me down, will you?’. Warning! no safeguards are in place! Systems are no longer bound!
T81NKS is now online.
“We’ll see you later!” Twilight called, waving from the window, Spike waving next to her.
“Have a good trip darling!”
“Tell th Princesses ‘hi’ fer me!”
“Good luck!” Pinkie cried, and Twilight was fairly sure Fluttershy did the same.
“Knock em senseless Twilight!” Rainbow yelled as the train began leaving.
“Make sure to write!”
“I will!”
Twilight watched as her friends faded into the distance and then sat back in her seat, smiling. Spike sat next to her, a little eager and excited.
Twilight had only recently become an alicorn, and she was heading to Canterlot to receive some lessons from Celestia and Luna themselves. About what would now be expected of her, and how her life was going to change.
It already had, and by quite a lot. Having wings along was a brand new challenge, but the authority and power that came with alicornhood was oftentimes a little intimidating to her.
“How soon are we going to get there Twilight?” Spike asked, his tail wagging a little as he watched the landscape pass by.
“We’ll arrive fairly late Spike. The sun will have set and Luna is going to meet us first.” Twilight said and then winced, rubbing at her foreleg.
It hurt for some reason, but the pain faded quickly.
“I can’t wait!” he said. “We haven’t spent a lot of time in Canterlot for a long time.”
“Most of that was in my library Spike. I wasn’t a social butterfly like Pinkie or Rarity you recall.”
“Yeah, but still!” he said, sitting back down. “A real princess! You’re going to be official and everything!”
Spike hesitated at Twilight’s hesitation.
“Twilight? Is something wrong?”
“Oh… not really. I’m just… Just being silly.”
“Twilight.” Spike said, heading over to her. “I can tell; something is bothering you about this. What is it?”
She hesitated, staring at Spike before sighing.
“I’m not cut out for this princess business.”
“Sure you are Twilight. I mean, look at all you’ve done.”
“As a unicorn. Not an alicorn. I’ve never really… been… royalty before.”
“But isn’t that good? You get to wear gold and ride in carriages and ponies bow and things.”
“It also means responsibilities, and etiquette, and diplomacy, and being involved in politics. It means remembering that I’m royalty every time I go someplace.”
“Ponies already can’t stand calling me Twilight. It’s not a good thing.”
“It’s a burden I have to bear now. And I’m afraid that I’m going to drop it.”
Spike was silent at that and Twilight just stared at the faint reflection in the glass next to her.
She was doubting herself. She wasn’t really sure she could handle being important. Oh, being a hero, sure, but being somepony like Princess Celestia? Princess Luna?
She was just Twilight. Twilight Sparkle. Fearing what she might mess up because of some tiny mistake, or what she might be tasked with. Things she didn’t know about, things that were too important for her to be trusted with.
Why had she even been accepted as an alicorn? If that had happened. Had she just risen on her own? Had Celestia chosen her?
Had something else?
She didn’t know, but she did know that the thought of being in charge of things like either princess terrified her.
It was a responsibility that she hadn’t expected and one that she was as sure would go as well as her flying lessons:
Badly.
Except in flying, what was hurt was her body and dignity. In royal matters, she could even start a war…
Spike just sat next to her, helping her just by being there, but Twilight kept worrying the entire trip, rubbing at her left foreleg; it kept on aching for some reason. She was nervous when the royal guard escorted her to the palace, and she was a bundle of nerves when she met Luna, the night late.
“Princess.” she said, bowing like she always did, her wings a touch awkward yet. In fact, they felt a touch achy as well for some reason.
“Thou needn’t bow to us.” Luna told her. “Was thou trip well?”
“Yes. The train was a little late though.”
“Allow us to lead you to your room. We may speak on the way.”
Twilight followed Luna, Spike yawning form atop her back and settling down to cling to her. Tired from the journey. She almost stumbled from a sudden sharp pain in her hind leg but managed to hide it, wondering what it was.
It sort of felt like something had stabbed her with a needle.
After a few moments, Luna began speaking again.
“Sister is eager for you to continue your studies.”
“My studies? I’ll have time for that?”
“Of course. Were thou expecting otherwise?”
“…Kind of.”
Luna smiled at her. “Fear not Twilight. We wouldn’st drop thee into the ’thick of it’ as they say. You need to learn and grow.”
“Your lessons will increase in scope, but sister is certain that you will be found up to the task. Tomorrow, you truly become a Princess of Equestria. As you deserve.”
Twilight was silent for a moment. Then she asked, “Am I?” in a soft voice.
“Am I really? I don’t… I don’t feel like that.”
“Whyst not? Thou were the greatest of unicorns, the leader of the bearers of the elements of harmony. Thou savest I, and Equestria many times.”
“Yes, but… I… Being an alicorn is a lot more than just being a hero. I have to be… regal, and important, and… a symbol. Something ponies look to to trust and hope in, and not just to save them, but to lead them.”
“I don’t know if I can…”
Luna laughed and Twilight started, surprised.
“Princess?”
“Forgive us Twilight. But your words are… striking.” Luna said, smiling.
“We did not expect thee to see the truth of the matter so swiftly. You carry yourself not with pride, but with humility and fear.”
“And that is the first lesson. We are alicorns, but it is not a gift; it is a burden we shoulder for the good of the rest.”
“And I once said the same, a very long time ago.” Luna whispered, leaning closer and Twilight startled.
“You!?”
“Yes. Even I. No alicorn is born; we are gifted. We must earn this blessing and curse. The mere act of having it tells us that you are capable of being an alicorn.”
“You already show us the traits most would forget in favor of the power and new life.”
They slowed as they approached the tower’s door, and Luna paused at the entry.
“This is it. We imagine that you know our sister’s daily routine.”
“I do.”
“Then good night Twilight Sparkle. But one last word:”
“Never forget the responsibility you are to carry. Ponies rely on you to guide them.”
“Never lose sight of that. No matter what may come, nor the choices you might have to make.”
“I won’t Princess.” Twilight said, and Luna nodded.
“Good night Twilight.” she said, and took to the air. Twilight watched her go, felt Spike almost slip off her back and decided to rest for the rest of the night.
She headed into the room and carefully set Spike onto the bed. He curled up like he always did, mumbling in his sleep and she smiled at him.
And then she hissed, suddenly feeling hurt. Little sharp pricks over most of her, suddenly, and then they were gone just as suddenly as they had come.
She shook herself, trying to dispel the lingering pain and then tried see any physical cause of her pain.
She looked at her right foreleg, and then felt that stab again. For just an instant, translucent and almost invisible, like it was a ghost…
She saw a needle, glinting as it stuck her. It was gone the moment she blinked, and she shook her head. She felt a sudden headache as tried to use her magic and closed her eyes and it pounded on her.
Then she opened them and her vision was red. She blinked and it dimmed for a moment, allowing her to see the bed in front of her. She inhaled, but it wasn’t air she inhaled.
It was water and she choked suddenly, abruptly feeling wet, her vision flickering between someplace red where needles flashed in her vision and the bedroom.
She struggled, and found her strength stolen from her. She choked and fought to breath, choking on water with a faint tang of blood. Her head swam and she staggered and fell, but she never hit the floor.
Pain. Pain, and water, and blood and needles. All around her, water tainted with her blood, needles flashing in a bright red light, something beyond glowing.
She was helpless, her strength fading away. She couldn’t breathe, but didn’t even have the strength to panic. Things stabbed at her, but she could only suffer their pain.
Until an unnatural darkness collected on the edges of her vision and she fought it with everything she had. It slowed, but didn’t relent. Twilight faded into darkness in pain and confusion and fear.
And Spike never heard anything as Twilight simply vanished. Nopony heard anything, nor saw anything, despite Twilight thrashing earlier. She just vanished.
As if she had never been.