Voyagerby Not-MeChaptersBetaGammaZetaEtaIotaKappaLambdaMuNuOmicronPiRhoTauUpsilonPhiChiOmegaDeltaEpsilonAlphaThetaXiSigmaPsiBetaBeta Twilight Sparkle woke up at Carousel Boutique. "Hi, Rarity", she said, after getting to her hooves. "Hi, Twilight", answered the white pony, sewing something. Twilight approached her. "What are you doing?" "A dress for Fluttershy." "It looks pretty good, I have to say." "Are you kidding? It's awful!", shouted Rarity, before throwing the piece directly on Twilight's face. Everything blacked out. GammaGamma Twilight Sparkle was somewhere at Celestia's Castle. She began to walk through the empty corridors, turning once at each turn. At some moment, she randomly reached the kitchen. She suddenly noticed how hungry she was. She explored the kitchen, searching for a snack or two, and, eventually, found a bag of salty pretzels. She ate them all. Then she realized how thirsty she was. She took a glass, and began filling it with tap water. She couldn't close the tap, though. The glass spilled, and the kitcken was flooded. Twilight tried to swim out of there, but never found the door. She was about to drown when a hoof reached in and grabbed her. ZetaZeta "Where are we?", asked Twilight, recovering from the daze, looking around. "Are this the Whitetail Woods?" Rarity was pale, laying there in the land. "Uh-huh", she said, quivering. "What happened? Are you alright?" "Yes, yes", said the white pony, sitting up. "I was scared, that's all. She has been hunting me for Celestia knows how many years..." "She? Princess Luna?" Twilight sat next to her friend. "Why?" "I don't know. I'm so happy here... She must be jelous... She keeps telling me how I have to get out of here. I'm scared, Twilight. She wants to kill me." "I'm here with you, Rarity", whispered Twilight, hugging her friend and patting her in the back. "Everything is going to be okay" "Are you sure?", said the white unicorn, smiling. "How so?" "To be honest, I don't know", the purple mare said. The unicorn next to her sagged a bit. "Thank you, Twilight. At least I can trust you... I thought Luna was our friend..." The purple unicorn, not knowing what to say, hugged her friend again. Everything blacked out again. EtaEta "So, how is the dress selling?", asked Twilight, sitting at Sugarcube Corner. "Great!", answered Rarity with a wide smile. "You know, there're always a lot of ponies seeking for nice clothing in this land." "I know", said Twilight, picking a cupcake. "These cupcakes are delicious!" "Pinkie makes the best cupcakes in the world, right?" Twilight was about to answer, but one of the cupcakes in the table turned out to be Princess Luna in disguise. The blue alicorn stared at them. "Twilight!", she shouted. "You said you wanted to help me, but you're making this more difficult with your prescence!" "I won't allow you to talk to my friends like that!", yelled Rarity, throwing a cupcake toward the blue demon. "Rarity! Let's get out of here!", said the purple pony, grabbing her friend's hoof. "You're not going anywhere". Luna said grabbing them both, as the three of them vanished into thin air. IotaIota Twilight opened her eyes as soon as she could. She stood up in the middle of a clearing and looked around until her eyes fell on the blue alicorn that was next to her. There were tears in her eyes. The demon was crying. "Where are we?", Twilight asked, with as much anger as she could muster. The blue demon didn't turn her head to look at her. "In a place your friend is too scared to go to", she replied. "She knows we're here, but she doesn't want to believe it." The demon lifted her head and looked far into the sky. "Poor soul." "Why do you keep being so harsh to her?", Twilight asked, trying to stay firm. "She is being selfish... I could let her stay here and be happy, but that would hurt a lot of ponies, you included." Luna returned her gaze to the floor. Twilight stood next to the demon and suddenly saw what she was staring at. And it wasn't just a rectangular stone tablet. R.I.P. SWEETIE BELLE Twilight quickly closed her eyes and backed a step or two. The vision lingered in her mind. The demon finally shifted to look at her. "This place will always exist in her subconscious. She has tried to delete it, to deny its existence several times, but failed. She has come here because she thinks that she can believe that this place never existed... but it's all a lie well told." Twilight slowly opened her eyes. The stone tablet was still there, though. She didn't understand what was carved on it. Why was she scared of it out of a sudden, then? "Her mind has been affecting you too", the demon said. "I wasn't expecting that. I thought that your will was stronger." Twilight was still. She couldn't move. She just wanted to go. "Please", she mustered. "Let me go with Rarity... She must be sad..." The demon shook her head. "She is here just and only for not being sad. She won't be truly sad until she leaves. What she feels is fear. She knows I want to take her out of this place to bring her back to reality, and she doesn't want it. She wants to stay here, to live the lie. She'll keep denying the truth until we bring her back to her senses. Are you going to help me to help your friend, or are you going to return to reality? It's your choice." Twilight couldn't understand a word of what she had said. She saw the demon and loathed her existence, but she knew that she just couldn't left her friend alone with the demon's prescense. "Fine", she said, nodding. "I will help you. Even if I don't understand what you are saying, I can tell that this is for the sake of Rarity. Just tell me what to do, and I will" -stop you from killing her- "do it." The blue demon eyed her suspiciously at first, but she eventually gave up. "Alright", she said. "First, I want you to ask her where her sister is." "That'd be stupid", Twilight tried to suggest. "Rarity doesn't have a sister." The demon looked at her in the eye. "Don't ask, just do it. I will stay close. If I see a trace of disobedience in you, you're out to reality. Do you understand?" Twilight felt intimidated. "Yes", she said, in what she thought was a neutral tone. "Alright. Let's find her." KappaKappa Rarity was humming quietly her favorite tune at the same rythm as her sewing machine. The pink fabric slowly turned into a nice piece of clothing. When it was done, she looked at it, exclaimed, "Gorgeous!" and left it with the remaining of the dresses she had sew that day. Someone knocked the door. The unicorn ran a hoof along her hair to make it look nicer. She thought that Fancypants wasn't going to visit her until later on, so she was kind of surprised. "Coming!", she shouted, before opening the door. A purple unicorn was at the other side of it. "Oh, Twilight, it's you!", she merrily said, smiling widely. "I haven't seen you in a while. Come inside. How are you?" "Fine", Twilight said. She knew that the demon was somewhere nearby, watching over her. "What were you doing?" "I was sewing some dresses for Fancypants. He's coming later so I still need to work for a while," Rarity answered, as her sewing machine caught speed. "How is your sister?", Twilight asked awkwardly. Rarity's response caught her totally out of guard. Her mane frizzled suddenly. Her pupils narrowed. Her smile grew wider, and she let out a giggle dismissively. "What are you talking about, dear?" there was something strange about the way Rarity said "dear". "I don't have any sister." Twilight swallowed, noticing the sudden changes in her friend's behavior. She could hear the demon's whispering in her ear. The unicorn did what was asked of her and said, "Is your sister OK?" Carousel Boutique was slowly melting. Rarity cringed, and Twilight could swear that her mane was moving on its own. She giggled again, harder this time. "Have you gone insane, dear? I don't have any sister." Again, Twilight didn't like how Rarity said the word "dear". The demon whispered in her ear again. Twilight was worried about her friend, but decided to obey anyways. "Where is your sister?" Everything around them started to flash. Twilight could see the shadows of the clearing were she was before with Luna, Rarity standing perfectly on the stone tablet. With a giggle, the sewing machine broke in half. Her giggle was almost a scream. "Dear, no, dear, she, dear, doesn't, dear, exist", Rarity said, her pupils no longer visible, her mane swirling around her head. Twilight realized why she didn't like it when she said the word "dear". It wasn't Rarity's voice who said it. She never recalled ever hearing the Dear's voice. Rarity's smile was growing wider and wider. Twilight stared at her blank eyes and felt fear. The voice of the demon rang through her ear again. Twilight started sweating bullets. Of all things the demon would request... She couldn't do it. She didn't know how, but she knew that if she did as it was requested of her, it would mean the end for her friend. The clearing with the stone tablet was completely clear-cut at this point. Rarity was still moving as if the sewing machine was still working. "What do you think of it?", she said, lifting the new piece she had just sewed. Twilight cringed. It was a horrible dress that seemed to be for a little filly. It was completely white, except for some random details that were sewed in red. One foreleg was missing. The other was placed in an awkward position. Some parts were torn, and the red details were randomly splattered here and there. "You don't like it, do you?", said Rarity, dejected, and started to cry. The demon's voice whispered, but Twilight didn't hear it. Rarity's bawl was too overwhelming. Her shape distorted. Twilight couldn't move. The blue demon suddenly appeared by her side, and spoke the words she was too afraid to say. "Is your sister dead?" The earth trembled at the rythm of Rarity's piercing scream. Only then Twilight realized that her friend was never smiling. She was grimacing. The clearing was totally wiped out, and the three ponies were standing on a void. The demon looked surprised. Rarity stopped screaming, and fell on the black floor, laughing maniacally. Twilight got caught by the demon's foreleg and both ponies disappeared. Rarity continued laughing. LambdaLambda Twilight found herself at Trottingham, next to a worried Luna. They disappeared again. MuMu Twilight found herself at Cloudsdale, next to a more worried Luna. They disappeared again. NuNu Twilight found herself at Ponyville, next to a even more worried Luna. They disappeared again. OmicronOmicron The flowers in Canterlot were blissfully beautiful that morning. Rarity smelled every single one of them. Twilight didn't know why, but she was feeling happy too. It was like if a huge and scary monster had just vanished, to never return again. She smiled next to her friend. She just wanted to stay there with her forever... She noticed that Luna was still behind them, but didn't pay her any attention. Why would she disturb the happy moments she was sharing with her friend? Rarity closed her eyes and sighed romantically. "Oh, how I love the smell of this flowers, dear." It rang again. The Dear's voice. Why was it so disturbing? Twilight shifted uneasily and glanced at Luna. "Those were her last words", the alicorn said. "Her sister's last words." Twilight eyed Rarity, but she was acting like if Luna wasn't there. "What did she said?" she asked, turning at Luna again. "'Look at me, dear-'", Luna looked at the sky. "She died before she could complete the sentence. That's why your friend forces herself to believe that dear is a sustantive and not an adjective. She wants to think that nothing was left incomplete." Twilight glanced at Rarity again. She never noticed her friend had a sister. Maybe Luna was going insane. But what happened at the boutique, and the Dear's voice... everything just felt out of place. Why was her friend so happy out of a sudden? She was crying and screaming just moments ago. Maybe everyone was going insane, even her. Luna was still gazing at the sky. Rarity was still smelling flowers. Twilight was still reflecting on the recent events. Time didn't seem to flow at the moment. Rarity finally perked, with a white flower in her mouth. Using her magic, she placed it behind her ear. "How do I look?", she asked smiling. Fortunately for Twilight, she didn't say the word "dear". But the flower was horrible. It had red spots all over and looked like it had been crushed. Some petals were missing. She could recall seeing something similar but didn't know what. "You like it, right, dear?", said Rarity, her smile flickering for a second. "Sure!", Twilight answered. She didn't like lying, but she didn't want to hurt her friend's fellings. Luna perked up and glanced at Rarity, but returned to her absorption quickly. "Let's go to the castle, Twilight", Rarity suggested. "Weren't we going to see Celestia?" "Right." Twilight remembered and followed her friend to the Castle. The flower fell when they entered it. PiPi Canterlot Castle was as beautiful as always in the inside. Twilight didn't know if she had been there before or not, but she could tell that everything was blurry. She glanced at Luna, who seemed to notice the same thing. "We're running out of time", she whispered. Rarity's humming reverberated in the walls. Only then Twilight noticed that she always hummed the same melody. And it was a beautiful melody. "What are you humming?", she asked. "My favorite tune", Rarity answered. "Do you like it?" "Yes, it's very beautiful." Twilight looked at Luna. "It's not her favorite tune", the alicorn said. "It's her sister's." Twilight frowned slightly. Will she ever stop mentioning that hypotetical sister? It was getting annoying at this point. "Don't trust her", Rarity said, frowning too. "She always lie." Luna looked exasperated but didn't say anything. Twilight just wanted to understand why she was the only one who couldn't enjoy that wonderful place. Suddenly, the throne room's gates were in front of them. Luna had in her face a expression of understanding that Twilight didn't like. She looked like she was hiding something. The three crossed the gates in unison. RhoRho Aside from the three ponies, the room was empty. Luna looked like she knew that was going to happen since the beginning. "Where is the princess?", asked Twilight. "We won't find her. Only Rarity, you, and me are trapped here", Luna answered. "Why do we want to see the princess, anyway?", Rarity asked, lifting a hoof, with her never-ending smile. Twilight didn't know the answer either. Luna was still thinking and Rarity was still humming when they left the room. TauTau Twilight didn't know why, but when she went to the boutique, she expected it to be completely destroyed. When they entered, it was in a perfect state, though. The sewer machine wasn't broken, but, again, why would it? The only thing that felt somehow out of place was a white dress that wasn't where the remaining dresses were, and Twilight could understand perfectly why. It was hideous. Luna grabbed it. "Can I take this, Rarity?" "Oh, dear, don't do that, please. There is a lot of nice dresses there." Rarity pointed to where the other dresses were. "No, I want this, in particular." Luna smiled. "I know a little filly who will love it." Rarity caught the dress and burned it. "I said no!" Luna smirked, pawing the ashes with her hoof. What was she trying? Why was she making Rarity feel so mad? "Stop, please", Twilight pleaded. "Rarity is a nice pony." "Yes, yes, dear", Rarity said, smiling and embracing her friend. "Alright", said the alicorn. "Let's go to Canterlot now. I wonder if Celestia has already arrived." "Why not?", Rarity said, following Luna. Twilight stayed close to these two when they left the boutique. UpsilonUpsilon The flowers at Canterlot were beautiful as always. Twilight liked how her friend Rarity enjoyed herself, smelling each one of them at a time. "These flowers are gorgeous, don't you think?", Rarity mused happily, smelling and humming at the same time. "Do you like this one?", Luna said, lifting a white flower that was crushed and had red spots. It was a horrible flower. Rarity couldn't help herself and burned it. "I'm sorry", she said, patting Luna in the shoulder. "I didn't like it, but that doesn't justify my action, right?" "Don't worry", Luna said. "Let's go to the castle and check for Celestia. They entered the palace. PhiPhi Celestia wasn't in the castle. Twilight sighed and followed Luna and Rarity out of there. ChiChi Luna stepped over the ashes of the burnt flower when leaving Canterlot. Rarity and Twilight followed her. OmegaOmega Twilight gasped and popped out of her dreamy state. She looked at the hospital walls, and the bed that hosted the inert body of her friend Rarity. She didn't recall what was she doing before, but, somehow, everything about this place felt so solid that she knew that she had being dreaming the last... how had it been? Months? Years? Next to her she saw the sleeping body of Princess Luna. Twilight suddenly remembered everything. All the events flashed through her mind at a enormus speed. Rarity's sister died in an accident. Rarity never spoke with anyone again. Everypony left her alone, thinking that she just needed time. When Pinkie went to visit her, Rarity was lying in her bed, out cold, but alive. But she didn't wake up. Princess Luna came from Canterlot to help them to awake her. They discovered that Rarity was under the effect of a dream potion. She would need all the strenght she could muster to get her out of the dream. Rarity's five friends offered her help, but she only accepted Twilight's. Princess Luna and Twilight entered Rarity's mind to get her out of there. And it ended then. She didn't remind anything after that, but she felt that years had passed since then. Twilight touched Rarity's body. It was warm. She sat up and waited for a signal of life from any of them. After a short while, Princess Luna's body started shaking. Twilight was worried, but thought it better and didn't do anything. Princess Luna knew her thing, right? Rarity suddenly was gasping for air. She looked like she was about to throttle. Twilight quickly came to her aid, but, before she could do anything, her friend got up with a scream and began crying, hugging Twilight as soon as she noticed her. Princess Luna stopped shaking and stood up, smiling. Twilight smiled too. They have done it. Rarity was safe and sound, and with them again. "I h-hate you...", Rarity said, sniffling, but still embracing Twilight.. "I hate you s-so m-much." DeltaDelta "Twilight, wake up!" Twilight hardly opened her eyes. She was at her library. "Is there a party for me here?", asked her, watching at the confetti and ballons floating around. "We don't have time for that!", said the voice. Twilight looked at the blue alicorn in front of her. "You look rather funny with that party hat, Princess Luna", said Twilight, chuckling. "I don't-!", answered the alicorn. "Ugh, never mind. Twilight, try to remember why we are here!" "I live here", answered the unicorn. "What are you doing here, by the way?" "We're not in your library", stated Luna. "We´re in the subconscious of your friend Rarity. You don't remember, do you?". "My library isn't in Rarity's subconscious. It's in Ponyville!" "Look", said the alicorn, locking gazes with Twilight and grabbing her from the shoulders. "We're here to bring back your friend. Remember that!" "I don't know what you're talking about, madame", said the unicorn, yawning. "No, please, don't sleep!", shouted Luna. "I have to, sorry. I'm too tired" "Twilight, hear me! We don't have time for this!" "Look at the hour", the purple mare said, pointing at the clock, yawning again. "It's pretty late." "We have to rescue her, we don't have any more time!", shouted the angry princess. Twilight Sparkle fell asleep. EpsilonEpsilon The streets of Canterlot were barren that afternoon. Twilight paced around a corner and saw Rarity walking. "Hello, Rarity", said Twilight. "What are you doing here, in Canterlot?" "Oh, hi Twilight", said Rarity, approaching. "I was delivering some dresses, you know" "Enough!", shouted angrily Princess Luna, standing on a nearby roof. "We have to stop this nonsense." "She is here!", said Rarity, with a expression of sheer horror drawn across her face. "Twilight, come on!", she added, grabbing Twilight's hoof. "Stop!", yelled Luna, jumping from the roof, but it was too late. Both ponies had dissappeared. AlphaAlpha "Where am I?", Twilight Sparkle asked herself after opening her eyes. What she saw didn't surprise her. She was in Ponyville, her home. She started walking towards the town square as she noticed somepony staring at her. "Hello", said the purple unicorn, merrily. "Nice dress", said the other pony, who turned out to be Rarity, in return. Twilight looked at herself. She was wearing her gala dress. "Thanks", she answered before heading to the town hall again. Some steps after, she tripped on her dress, and fell to the void. ThetaTheta The surface of the Moon was quite cold, as Twilight quickly noticed. She was still grabbing Rarity's hoof. Her friend was crying slightly in front of her. "Wh-where is she", she said with a broken voice. "Why, Twilight? What h-have I ever d-done to her? What does she ever want of me?" "I'm sorry, Rarity", Twilight mustered, embracing her friend. "Is it true what she said?", asked Rarity, wiping a tear off her eyes. "Did you really want to help her? "I'd never do that. I don't know what she was talking about either." Luna popped out of a crater. "Twilight Sparkle, enough! I have to ask you to leave." Rarity embraced her friend even more thightly. "You... you can't kill her!" Twilight remained silent. She knew her friend was suffering a lot. She stood up and confronted the blue demon. "What are you doing here? Why don't you leave her alone?" Luna closed her eyes and grimaced. "I can't! This is all my fault. I knew I had to come alone... I just want to help." Twilight was irritated. "Stop talking nonsense. You want to help? Then leave us and never return!" Her expression softened. "What has ever happened to you, Luna? You were nice and agreeable, but now... Why do you want to kill Rarity? What has she ever done to you?" "Look, you don't understand... This world doesn't even exist, but it is influencing you already", Luna explained. "Don't trust her, Twiligth!", shouted Rarity. "She has been telling me the same thing over the last years." "No way", said Luna, frowning. "Twilight, come with me!" She wraped a foreleg thightly around the unicorn. "No!", Rarity yelled, as she tried to grab her friend's hoof. It was too late. Both Luna and Twilight disappeared, leaving the scared unicorn alone, amidst the calmness of the Moon, crying. XiXi Twilight opened her eyes and saw the black void where she was before. Luna was panting and sweating. Rarity was laughing on the floor. "It's over", Luna said. "She did it. She destroyed that place!" She turned to look at Twilight. "Now there's no way to return your friend to reality." Rarity stood up, with a wide smile, and greeted Twilight. "You will never know, Twilight, but I'm sure the best thing ever has just happened to me!" Twilight was about to pat her friend on the shoulder, but Luna pushed her away and yelled, "This can't be over yet! I promised Celestia that the three would return safe and sound to reality." Rarity was way too happy to be scared of her and her gibberish. "Whatever, dear", she said, waving a hoof dismissively. The Dear's voice. It was too outstanding. She eyed Luna, who was frowning deep in thought. Rarity was smiling brightly, humming her favorite tune. She turned to look at Twilight. "What are we going to do now, dear?", the voice never stopped bugging her. "It's not like we can do anything interesting here." Luna raised an eyebrow, but didn't say anything. Twilight smiled at her friend unsurely. "Sure! Why don't we go to visit Celestia?" If there was someone that could help, it was she. "That's an excellent idea, dear. Let's go", Rarity said. Both ponies started walking to the north, where Canterlot was located. Luna followed closely behind. SigmaSigma Rarity, Twilight and Luna found themselves at a party in Sugarcube Corner. "The party hasn't started yet", Rarity said, watching around. She turned the player on and her favorite tune started chimming. "Great!", she said. "I wonder when everyone is going to come", said Twilight, drinking a glass of juice. "Dear Celestia!", Luna shouted. "How many times-" She stopped right there, when the music distorted a bit. Rarity's pupils narrowed, and she was grimacing. Everything was melting. Luna was surprised, but she pushed the matter. "Dear Pinkie has prepared this dear party for us, right?" She asked Rarity the first thing that come to her mind. Rarity giggled. "Why don't you stop using 'dear' in a gramatically incorrect way, dear?" The Dear's voice was there again, haunting Twilight. "'Dear' is sustantive, not an adjective!" Luna was about to answer again but Rarity's favorite tune started sounding strange, like if the music was cringing in pain. It hurt both Twilight's and Luna's ears. "Make it stop!", Twilight shouted, covering her ears. "I don't know how!", answered Luna, doing the same. "A sustantive, dear, a sustantive", Rarity said, grimacing. "Do you understand? It bothers me when people commit such simple mistakes." "Yes, yes. Just make the music stop!", Luna pleaded. Rarity screamed, her mane swirling, and the player exploded. Everything returned to normal then. The party seemed funny, but sadly the music player was broken. Fortunately, Rarity could hum her favorite tune perfectly for them. "I think I finally found the way", said Luna, still rubbing her ears. Twilight didn't understand what she was talking about. Was she trying to change something? Why would she? Everything was perfect as it was, right? "Rarity, dear", Luna said. "Yes?", Rarity said with a wide smile. "Can you please come with me to Carousel Boutique? I forgot something there", the alicorn asked. "Sure, why not? Are you going too, Twilight?" "If you go, I go too", Twilight answered, smiling as well. After all, everything was perfect as it was. The three left the bakery together. PsiPsi Somehow, they found themselves in Zecora's hut. Zecora wasn't there. Luna's hooves where both covered with ashes. She threw them in the empty cauldron. "What are you doing?" Twilight asked. "Zecora may get angry!" Luna paid her no attention and poured water in the cauldron. "Leave her alone", Rarity said. "I don't understand her anymore. She has gone insane." Luna glared at her while turning on the fire. "How do we help her, Rarity?", Twilight asked. "She is our friend, right?" "She was, dear." The dreadful voice rang. "I don't care about her anymore." The fire creaked and the water started boiling. Twilight peeked at the brew, but it didn't look like water. It was a pitch black abyss. "Luna, stop!", Twilight pleaded. Luna ignored her again, and turned her attention to Rarity. "It's over. Don't make me hurt you. Just jump into the cauldron." Rarity chuckled. "Is this a kind of game?" "Yes!" Luna answered. "You jump into the cauldron and we all can finally leave! It's a funny game, isn't it?" "She can't jump there!", Twilight cried. "She will die if she does." "She won't", the alicorn answered. This won't harm our dear friend Rarity." It rang. Rarity's mane swirled, her pupils disappeared and she winced in pain, this time more passively. The hut melted, but the cauldron and the fire remained where they were. "Don't do this to her", Twilight cried. "Please, she is my friend! You are my friend! Don't kill her!" "Shut up! I said she won't die and she won't die", Luna turned to Rarity. "Now, dear friend, jump into the cauldron." It backfired. Rarity threw her whole body against Luna in a rampage. "Fiend! No one wants you here! Leave already!" Both ponies started fighting in the ground, rolling in a ball. Twilight had to help her friend. She tried to approach the ball, but the ball collided with her, sending her right into the cauldron. She lost conciousness.
BetaBeta Twilight Sparkle woke up at Carousel Boutique. "Hi, Rarity", she said, after getting to her hooves. "Hi, Twilight", answered the white pony, sewing something. Twilight approached her. "What are you doing?" "A dress for Fluttershy." "It looks pretty good, I have to say." "Are you kidding? It's awful!", shouted Rarity, before throwing the piece directly on Twilight's face. Everything blacked out.
GammaGamma Twilight Sparkle was somewhere at Celestia's Castle. She began to walk through the empty corridors, turning once at each turn. At some moment, she randomly reached the kitchen. She suddenly noticed how hungry she was. She explored the kitchen, searching for a snack or two, and, eventually, found a bag of salty pretzels. She ate them all. Then she realized how thirsty she was. She took a glass, and began filling it with tap water. She couldn't close the tap, though. The glass spilled, and the kitcken was flooded. Twilight tried to swim out of there, but never found the door. She was about to drown when a hoof reached in and grabbed her.
ZetaZeta "Where are we?", asked Twilight, recovering from the daze, looking around. "Are this the Whitetail Woods?" Rarity was pale, laying there in the land. "Uh-huh", she said, quivering. "What happened? Are you alright?" "Yes, yes", said the white pony, sitting up. "I was scared, that's all. She has been hunting me for Celestia knows how many years..." "She? Princess Luna?" Twilight sat next to her friend. "Why?" "I don't know. I'm so happy here... She must be jelous... She keeps telling me how I have to get out of here. I'm scared, Twilight. She wants to kill me." "I'm here with you, Rarity", whispered Twilight, hugging her friend and patting her in the back. "Everything is going to be okay" "Are you sure?", said the white unicorn, smiling. "How so?" "To be honest, I don't know", the purple mare said. The unicorn next to her sagged a bit. "Thank you, Twilight. At least I can trust you... I thought Luna was our friend..." The purple unicorn, not knowing what to say, hugged her friend again. Everything blacked out again.
EtaEta "So, how is the dress selling?", asked Twilight, sitting at Sugarcube Corner. "Great!", answered Rarity with a wide smile. "You know, there're always a lot of ponies seeking for nice clothing in this land." "I know", said Twilight, picking a cupcake. "These cupcakes are delicious!" "Pinkie makes the best cupcakes in the world, right?" Twilight was about to answer, but one of the cupcakes in the table turned out to be Princess Luna in disguise. The blue alicorn stared at them. "Twilight!", she shouted. "You said you wanted to help me, but you're making this more difficult with your prescence!" "I won't allow you to talk to my friends like that!", yelled Rarity, throwing a cupcake toward the blue demon. "Rarity! Let's get out of here!", said the purple pony, grabbing her friend's hoof. "You're not going anywhere". Luna said grabbing them both, as the three of them vanished into thin air.
IotaIota Twilight opened her eyes as soon as she could. She stood up in the middle of a clearing and looked around until her eyes fell on the blue alicorn that was next to her. There were tears in her eyes. The demon was crying. "Where are we?", Twilight asked, with as much anger as she could muster. The blue demon didn't turn her head to look at her. "In a place your friend is too scared to go to", she replied. "She knows we're here, but she doesn't want to believe it." The demon lifted her head and looked far into the sky. "Poor soul." "Why do you keep being so harsh to her?", Twilight asked, trying to stay firm. "She is being selfish... I could let her stay here and be happy, but that would hurt a lot of ponies, you included." Luna returned her gaze to the floor. Twilight stood next to the demon and suddenly saw what she was staring at. And it wasn't just a rectangular stone tablet. R.I.P. SWEETIE BELLE Twilight quickly closed her eyes and backed a step or two. The vision lingered in her mind. The demon finally shifted to look at her. "This place will always exist in her subconscious. She has tried to delete it, to deny its existence several times, but failed. She has come here because she thinks that she can believe that this place never existed... but it's all a lie well told." Twilight slowly opened her eyes. The stone tablet was still there, though. She didn't understand what was carved on it. Why was she scared of it out of a sudden, then? "Her mind has been affecting you too", the demon said. "I wasn't expecting that. I thought that your will was stronger." Twilight was still. She couldn't move. She just wanted to go. "Please", she mustered. "Let me go with Rarity... She must be sad..." The demon shook her head. "She is here just and only for not being sad. She won't be truly sad until she leaves. What she feels is fear. She knows I want to take her out of this place to bring her back to reality, and she doesn't want it. She wants to stay here, to live the lie. She'll keep denying the truth until we bring her back to her senses. Are you going to help me to help your friend, or are you going to return to reality? It's your choice." Twilight couldn't understand a word of what she had said. She saw the demon and loathed her existence, but she knew that she just couldn't left her friend alone with the demon's prescense. "Fine", she said, nodding. "I will help you. Even if I don't understand what you are saying, I can tell that this is for the sake of Rarity. Just tell me what to do, and I will" -stop you from killing her- "do it." The blue demon eyed her suspiciously at first, but she eventually gave up. "Alright", she said. "First, I want you to ask her where her sister is." "That'd be stupid", Twilight tried to suggest. "Rarity doesn't have a sister." The demon looked at her in the eye. "Don't ask, just do it. I will stay close. If I see a trace of disobedience in you, you're out to reality. Do you understand?" Twilight felt intimidated. "Yes", she said, in what she thought was a neutral tone. "Alright. Let's find her."
KappaKappa Rarity was humming quietly her favorite tune at the same rythm as her sewing machine. The pink fabric slowly turned into a nice piece of clothing. When it was done, she looked at it, exclaimed, "Gorgeous!" and left it with the remaining of the dresses she had sew that day. Someone knocked the door. The unicorn ran a hoof along her hair to make it look nicer. She thought that Fancypants wasn't going to visit her until later on, so she was kind of surprised. "Coming!", she shouted, before opening the door. A purple unicorn was at the other side of it. "Oh, Twilight, it's you!", she merrily said, smiling widely. "I haven't seen you in a while. Come inside. How are you?" "Fine", Twilight said. She knew that the demon was somewhere nearby, watching over her. "What were you doing?" "I was sewing some dresses for Fancypants. He's coming later so I still need to work for a while," Rarity answered, as her sewing machine caught speed. "How is your sister?", Twilight asked awkwardly. Rarity's response caught her totally out of guard. Her mane frizzled suddenly. Her pupils narrowed. Her smile grew wider, and she let out a giggle dismissively. "What are you talking about, dear?" there was something strange about the way Rarity said "dear". "I don't have any sister." Twilight swallowed, noticing the sudden changes in her friend's behavior. She could hear the demon's whispering in her ear. The unicorn did what was asked of her and said, "Is your sister OK?" Carousel Boutique was slowly melting. Rarity cringed, and Twilight could swear that her mane was moving on its own. She giggled again, harder this time. "Have you gone insane, dear? I don't have any sister." Again, Twilight didn't like how Rarity said the word "dear". The demon whispered in her ear again. Twilight was worried about her friend, but decided to obey anyways. "Where is your sister?" Everything around them started to flash. Twilight could see the shadows of the clearing were she was before with Luna, Rarity standing perfectly on the stone tablet. With a giggle, the sewing machine broke in half. Her giggle was almost a scream. "Dear, no, dear, she, dear, doesn't, dear, exist", Rarity said, her pupils no longer visible, her mane swirling around her head. Twilight realized why she didn't like it when she said the word "dear". It wasn't Rarity's voice who said it. She never recalled ever hearing the Dear's voice. Rarity's smile was growing wider and wider. Twilight stared at her blank eyes and felt fear. The voice of the demon rang through her ear again. Twilight started sweating bullets. Of all things the demon would request... She couldn't do it. She didn't know how, but she knew that if she did as it was requested of her, it would mean the end for her friend. The clearing with the stone tablet was completely clear-cut at this point. Rarity was still moving as if the sewing machine was still working. "What do you think of it?", she said, lifting the new piece she had just sewed. Twilight cringed. It was a horrible dress that seemed to be for a little filly. It was completely white, except for some random details that were sewed in red. One foreleg was missing. The other was placed in an awkward position. Some parts were torn, and the red details were randomly splattered here and there. "You don't like it, do you?", said Rarity, dejected, and started to cry. The demon's voice whispered, but Twilight didn't hear it. Rarity's bawl was too overwhelming. Her shape distorted. Twilight couldn't move. The blue demon suddenly appeared by her side, and spoke the words she was too afraid to say. "Is your sister dead?" The earth trembled at the rythm of Rarity's piercing scream. Only then Twilight realized that her friend was never smiling. She was grimacing. The clearing was totally wiped out, and the three ponies were standing on a void. The demon looked surprised. Rarity stopped screaming, and fell on the black floor, laughing maniacally. Twilight got caught by the demon's foreleg and both ponies disappeared. Rarity continued laughing.
OmicronOmicron The flowers in Canterlot were blissfully beautiful that morning. Rarity smelled every single one of them. Twilight didn't know why, but she was feeling happy too. It was like if a huge and scary monster had just vanished, to never return again. She smiled next to her friend. She just wanted to stay there with her forever... She noticed that Luna was still behind them, but didn't pay her any attention. Why would she disturb the happy moments she was sharing with her friend? Rarity closed her eyes and sighed romantically. "Oh, how I love the smell of this flowers, dear." It rang again. The Dear's voice. Why was it so disturbing? Twilight shifted uneasily and glanced at Luna. "Those were her last words", the alicorn said. "Her sister's last words." Twilight eyed Rarity, but she was acting like if Luna wasn't there. "What did she said?" she asked, turning at Luna again. "'Look at me, dear-'", Luna looked at the sky. "She died before she could complete the sentence. That's why your friend forces herself to believe that dear is a sustantive and not an adjective. She wants to think that nothing was left incomplete." Twilight glanced at Rarity again. She never noticed her friend had a sister. Maybe Luna was going insane. But what happened at the boutique, and the Dear's voice... everything just felt out of place. Why was her friend so happy out of a sudden? She was crying and screaming just moments ago. Maybe everyone was going insane, even her. Luna was still gazing at the sky. Rarity was still smelling flowers. Twilight was still reflecting on the recent events. Time didn't seem to flow at the moment. Rarity finally perked, with a white flower in her mouth. Using her magic, she placed it behind her ear. "How do I look?", she asked smiling. Fortunately for Twilight, she didn't say the word "dear". But the flower was horrible. It had red spots all over and looked like it had been crushed. Some petals were missing. She could recall seeing something similar but didn't know what. "You like it, right, dear?", said Rarity, her smile flickering for a second. "Sure!", Twilight answered. She didn't like lying, but she didn't want to hurt her friend's fellings. Luna perked up and glanced at Rarity, but returned to her absorption quickly. "Let's go to the castle, Twilight", Rarity suggested. "Weren't we going to see Celestia?" "Right." Twilight remembered and followed her friend to the Castle. The flower fell when they entered it.
PiPi Canterlot Castle was as beautiful as always in the inside. Twilight didn't know if she had been there before or not, but she could tell that everything was blurry. She glanced at Luna, who seemed to notice the same thing. "We're running out of time", she whispered. Rarity's humming reverberated in the walls. Only then Twilight noticed that she always hummed the same melody. And it was a beautiful melody. "What are you humming?", she asked. "My favorite tune", Rarity answered. "Do you like it?" "Yes, it's very beautiful." Twilight looked at Luna. "It's not her favorite tune", the alicorn said. "It's her sister's." Twilight frowned slightly. Will she ever stop mentioning that hypotetical sister? It was getting annoying at this point. "Don't trust her", Rarity said, frowning too. "She always lie." Luna looked exasperated but didn't say anything. Twilight just wanted to understand why she was the only one who couldn't enjoy that wonderful place. Suddenly, the throne room's gates were in front of them. Luna had in her face a expression of understanding that Twilight didn't like. She looked like she was hiding something. The three crossed the gates in unison.
RhoRho Aside from the three ponies, the room was empty. Luna looked like she knew that was going to happen since the beginning. "Where is the princess?", asked Twilight. "We won't find her. Only Rarity, you, and me are trapped here", Luna answered. "Why do we want to see the princess, anyway?", Rarity asked, lifting a hoof, with her never-ending smile. Twilight didn't know the answer either. Luna was still thinking and Rarity was still humming when they left the room.
TauTau Twilight didn't know why, but when she went to the boutique, she expected it to be completely destroyed. When they entered, it was in a perfect state, though. The sewer machine wasn't broken, but, again, why would it? The only thing that felt somehow out of place was a white dress that wasn't where the remaining dresses were, and Twilight could understand perfectly why. It was hideous. Luna grabbed it. "Can I take this, Rarity?" "Oh, dear, don't do that, please. There is a lot of nice dresses there." Rarity pointed to where the other dresses were. "No, I want this, in particular." Luna smiled. "I know a little filly who will love it." Rarity caught the dress and burned it. "I said no!" Luna smirked, pawing the ashes with her hoof. What was she trying? Why was she making Rarity feel so mad? "Stop, please", Twilight pleaded. "Rarity is a nice pony." "Yes, yes, dear", Rarity said, smiling and embracing her friend. "Alright", said the alicorn. "Let's go to Canterlot now. I wonder if Celestia has already arrived." "Why not?", Rarity said, following Luna. Twilight stayed close to these two when they left the boutique.
UpsilonUpsilon The flowers at Canterlot were beautiful as always. Twilight liked how her friend Rarity enjoyed herself, smelling each one of them at a time. "These flowers are gorgeous, don't you think?", Rarity mused happily, smelling and humming at the same time. "Do you like this one?", Luna said, lifting a white flower that was crushed and had red spots. It was a horrible flower. Rarity couldn't help herself and burned it. "I'm sorry", she said, patting Luna in the shoulder. "I didn't like it, but that doesn't justify my action, right?" "Don't worry", Luna said. "Let's go to the castle and check for Celestia. They entered the palace.
ChiChi Luna stepped over the ashes of the burnt flower when leaving Canterlot. Rarity and Twilight followed her.
OmegaOmega Twilight gasped and popped out of her dreamy state. She looked at the hospital walls, and the bed that hosted the inert body of her friend Rarity. She didn't recall what was she doing before, but, somehow, everything about this place felt so solid that she knew that she had being dreaming the last... how had it been? Months? Years? Next to her she saw the sleeping body of Princess Luna. Twilight suddenly remembered everything. All the events flashed through her mind at a enormus speed. Rarity's sister died in an accident. Rarity never spoke with anyone again. Everypony left her alone, thinking that she just needed time. When Pinkie went to visit her, Rarity was lying in her bed, out cold, but alive. But she didn't wake up. Princess Luna came from Canterlot to help them to awake her. They discovered that Rarity was under the effect of a dream potion. She would need all the strenght she could muster to get her out of the dream. Rarity's five friends offered her help, but she only accepted Twilight's. Princess Luna and Twilight entered Rarity's mind to get her out of there. And it ended then. She didn't remind anything after that, but she felt that years had passed since then. Twilight touched Rarity's body. It was warm. She sat up and waited for a signal of life from any of them. After a short while, Princess Luna's body started shaking. Twilight was worried, but thought it better and didn't do anything. Princess Luna knew her thing, right? Rarity suddenly was gasping for air. She looked like she was about to throttle. Twilight quickly came to her aid, but, before she could do anything, her friend got up with a scream and began crying, hugging Twilight as soon as she noticed her. Princess Luna stopped shaking and stood up, smiling. Twilight smiled too. They have done it. Rarity was safe and sound, and with them again. "I h-hate you...", Rarity said, sniffling, but still embracing Twilight.. "I hate you s-so m-much."
DeltaDelta "Twilight, wake up!" Twilight hardly opened her eyes. She was at her library. "Is there a party for me here?", asked her, watching at the confetti and ballons floating around. "We don't have time for that!", said the voice. Twilight looked at the blue alicorn in front of her. "You look rather funny with that party hat, Princess Luna", said Twilight, chuckling. "I don't-!", answered the alicorn. "Ugh, never mind. Twilight, try to remember why we are here!" "I live here", answered the unicorn. "What are you doing here, by the way?" "We're not in your library", stated Luna. "We´re in the subconscious of your friend Rarity. You don't remember, do you?". "My library isn't in Rarity's subconscious. It's in Ponyville!" "Look", said the alicorn, locking gazes with Twilight and grabbing her from the shoulders. "We're here to bring back your friend. Remember that!" "I don't know what you're talking about, madame", said the unicorn, yawning. "No, please, don't sleep!", shouted Luna. "I have to, sorry. I'm too tired" "Twilight, hear me! We don't have time for this!" "Look at the hour", the purple mare said, pointing at the clock, yawning again. "It's pretty late." "We have to rescue her, we don't have any more time!", shouted the angry princess. Twilight Sparkle fell asleep.
EpsilonEpsilon The streets of Canterlot were barren that afternoon. Twilight paced around a corner and saw Rarity walking. "Hello, Rarity", said Twilight. "What are you doing here, in Canterlot?" "Oh, hi Twilight", said Rarity, approaching. "I was delivering some dresses, you know" "Enough!", shouted angrily Princess Luna, standing on a nearby roof. "We have to stop this nonsense." "She is here!", said Rarity, with a expression of sheer horror drawn across her face. "Twilight, come on!", she added, grabbing Twilight's hoof. "Stop!", yelled Luna, jumping from the roof, but it was too late. Both ponies had dissappeared.
AlphaAlpha "Where am I?", Twilight Sparkle asked herself after opening her eyes. What she saw didn't surprise her. She was in Ponyville, her home. She started walking towards the town square as she noticed somepony staring at her. "Hello", said the purple unicorn, merrily. "Nice dress", said the other pony, who turned out to be Rarity, in return. Twilight looked at herself. She was wearing her gala dress. "Thanks", she answered before heading to the town hall again. Some steps after, she tripped on her dress, and fell to the void.
ThetaTheta The surface of the Moon was quite cold, as Twilight quickly noticed. She was still grabbing Rarity's hoof. Her friend was crying slightly in front of her. "Wh-where is she", she said with a broken voice. "Why, Twilight? What h-have I ever d-done to her? What does she ever want of me?" "I'm sorry, Rarity", Twilight mustered, embracing her friend. "Is it true what she said?", asked Rarity, wiping a tear off her eyes. "Did you really want to help her? "I'd never do that. I don't know what she was talking about either." Luna popped out of a crater. "Twilight Sparkle, enough! I have to ask you to leave." Rarity embraced her friend even more thightly. "You... you can't kill her!" Twilight remained silent. She knew her friend was suffering a lot. She stood up and confronted the blue demon. "What are you doing here? Why don't you leave her alone?" Luna closed her eyes and grimaced. "I can't! This is all my fault. I knew I had to come alone... I just want to help." Twilight was irritated. "Stop talking nonsense. You want to help? Then leave us and never return!" Her expression softened. "What has ever happened to you, Luna? You were nice and agreeable, but now... Why do you want to kill Rarity? What has she ever done to you?" "Look, you don't understand... This world doesn't even exist, but it is influencing you already", Luna explained. "Don't trust her, Twiligth!", shouted Rarity. "She has been telling me the same thing over the last years." "No way", said Luna, frowning. "Twilight, come with me!" She wraped a foreleg thightly around the unicorn. "No!", Rarity yelled, as she tried to grab her friend's hoof. It was too late. Both Luna and Twilight disappeared, leaving the scared unicorn alone, amidst the calmness of the Moon, crying.
XiXi Twilight opened her eyes and saw the black void where she was before. Luna was panting and sweating. Rarity was laughing on the floor. "It's over", Luna said. "She did it. She destroyed that place!" She turned to look at Twilight. "Now there's no way to return your friend to reality." Rarity stood up, with a wide smile, and greeted Twilight. "You will never know, Twilight, but I'm sure the best thing ever has just happened to me!" Twilight was about to pat her friend on the shoulder, but Luna pushed her away and yelled, "This can't be over yet! I promised Celestia that the three would return safe and sound to reality." Rarity was way too happy to be scared of her and her gibberish. "Whatever, dear", she said, waving a hoof dismissively. The Dear's voice. It was too outstanding. She eyed Luna, who was frowning deep in thought. Rarity was smiling brightly, humming her favorite tune. She turned to look at Twilight. "What are we going to do now, dear?", the voice never stopped bugging her. "It's not like we can do anything interesting here." Luna raised an eyebrow, but didn't say anything. Twilight smiled at her friend unsurely. "Sure! Why don't we go to visit Celestia?" If there was someone that could help, it was she. "That's an excellent idea, dear. Let's go", Rarity said. Both ponies started walking to the north, where Canterlot was located. Luna followed closely behind.
SigmaSigma Rarity, Twilight and Luna found themselves at a party in Sugarcube Corner. "The party hasn't started yet", Rarity said, watching around. She turned the player on and her favorite tune started chimming. "Great!", she said. "I wonder when everyone is going to come", said Twilight, drinking a glass of juice. "Dear Celestia!", Luna shouted. "How many times-" She stopped right there, when the music distorted a bit. Rarity's pupils narrowed, and she was grimacing. Everything was melting. Luna was surprised, but she pushed the matter. "Dear Pinkie has prepared this dear party for us, right?" She asked Rarity the first thing that come to her mind. Rarity giggled. "Why don't you stop using 'dear' in a gramatically incorrect way, dear?" The Dear's voice was there again, haunting Twilight. "'Dear' is sustantive, not an adjective!" Luna was about to answer again but Rarity's favorite tune started sounding strange, like if the music was cringing in pain. It hurt both Twilight's and Luna's ears. "Make it stop!", Twilight shouted, covering her ears. "I don't know how!", answered Luna, doing the same. "A sustantive, dear, a sustantive", Rarity said, grimacing. "Do you understand? It bothers me when people commit such simple mistakes." "Yes, yes. Just make the music stop!", Luna pleaded. Rarity screamed, her mane swirling, and the player exploded. Everything returned to normal then. The party seemed funny, but sadly the music player was broken. Fortunately, Rarity could hum her favorite tune perfectly for them. "I think I finally found the way", said Luna, still rubbing her ears. Twilight didn't understand what she was talking about. Was she trying to change something? Why would she? Everything was perfect as it was, right? "Rarity, dear", Luna said. "Yes?", Rarity said with a wide smile. "Can you please come with me to Carousel Boutique? I forgot something there", the alicorn asked. "Sure, why not? Are you going too, Twilight?" "If you go, I go too", Twilight answered, smiling as well. After all, everything was perfect as it was. The three left the bakery together.
PsiPsi Somehow, they found themselves in Zecora's hut. Zecora wasn't there. Luna's hooves where both covered with ashes. She threw them in the empty cauldron. "What are you doing?" Twilight asked. "Zecora may get angry!" Luna paid her no attention and poured water in the cauldron. "Leave her alone", Rarity said. "I don't understand her anymore. She has gone insane." Luna glared at her while turning on the fire. "How do we help her, Rarity?", Twilight asked. "She is our friend, right?" "She was, dear." The dreadful voice rang. "I don't care about her anymore." The fire creaked and the water started boiling. Twilight peeked at the brew, but it didn't look like water. It was a pitch black abyss. "Luna, stop!", Twilight pleaded. Luna ignored her again, and turned her attention to Rarity. "It's over. Don't make me hurt you. Just jump into the cauldron." Rarity chuckled. "Is this a kind of game?" "Yes!" Luna answered. "You jump into the cauldron and we all can finally leave! It's a funny game, isn't it?" "She can't jump there!", Twilight cried. "She will die if she does." "She won't", the alicorn answered. This won't harm our dear friend Rarity." It rang. Rarity's mane swirled, her pupils disappeared and she winced in pain, this time more passively. The hut melted, but the cauldron and the fire remained where they were. "Don't do this to her", Twilight cried. "Please, she is my friend! You are my friend! Don't kill her!" "Shut up! I said she won't die and she won't die", Luna turned to Rarity. "Now, dear friend, jump into the cauldron." It backfired. Rarity threw her whole body against Luna in a rampage. "Fiend! No one wants you here! Leave already!" Both ponies started fighting in the ground, rolling in a ball. Twilight had to help her friend. She tried to approach the ball, but the ball collided with her, sending her right into the cauldron. She lost conciousness.
