PING
CRASH
Twilight Sparkle leaned up from her slumber with a start, yawning and wiping her tired eyes. Just as she began to stretch her wings, Spike burst through her bedroom door waving his hands side to side dismissively.
"I swear! It was an accident! You gotta believe me!" he shouted, sweat dripping down his forehead.
"Whatever it is Spike," Twilight grumbled. "I can assure you that I really don't care."
"Oh that's a relief." He wiped his head and let out a deep breath.
Twilight stood off her bed and stepped towards her window. She gazed out over the magnificent city of Canterlot from her palace tower window, her eyes landing on a small town sitting on the horizon. The sunlight gleamed over the distant apple orchard, and rooftops glowed warmly. Joyous memories danced in front of the longing mare, and with a tear in her eye, she smiled.
"Okay Spike, what did you do?" Twilight asked, curiosity getting the better of her.
"Uhm..." the dragon blushed. "Well, you know that statue with the big, shiny sapphires for eyes? Well, I thought I could get them without anypony noticing, and it kinda, like, fell over."
Twilight rolled her eyes, then refixed her gaze on Ponyville. "At least you got your gems, right?"
"Yup!" Spike smiled widely, shiny blue fragments sparkling between his teeth.
Twilight Sparkle cracked a nostalgic smile at the sight as she shook her head. "I'm gonna step out for a while if you don't mind. And to keep yourself occupied, feel free to destroy the rest of those awful statues. Between you and me, they give me the creeps anyway."
The alicorn winked and nudged the young dragon out of her sleeping quarters, who happily eyed another statue, then latched the door shut behind him. She took a deep breath and stood in front of her large dresser mirror, taking a brush in her deep purple aura of magic. Her long, regal mane dangled over one eye as she stroked it smooth. With a deep sigh, she slid open the top drawer, pulling out her crown and pink, gold trimmed dress from within.
She slid into the dress and set her crown on her head just above her horn, then turned to face the mirror once again. Her crown gleamed in the morning sun and her dress regally fell down her sides. With a strong sense of confidence, she turned to face her balcony. Heading through the sliding glass door, she stepped out onto the concrete patio. Her horn began to shimmer beneath a growing magical aura. Her eyes glowed an eerie white, and in a flash she vanished, reappearing in the center of Ponyville Town Square.
With a gasp, the witnesses to the princess's arrival bowed down in humility.
"Please," Twilight shook her head dismissively. "You don't need to treat me any differently. I'm still just me."
The various ponies slowly looked up, still in awe at the amazing spectacle of magic power before them as a radiant aura slowly dissipated from around the young princess.
The Alicorn sighed and trotted away with a crooked smirk. She glanced around at the buildings and homes she once knew so well, and marveled at just how much the small town had changed and grown in such a short amount of time. One thing at the very least seemed to be exactly the same, and brought a wide smile to her face as she approached it.
DING, a bell chimed as she walked into Sugarcube Corner.
Twilight was immediately greeted by a squeak and a tight hug. "Oh I missed you so so so soooooooo much!"
"I missed you too Pinkie Pie." Twilight patted her friend on the back and slowly pressed her away. "So how have you been?"
"Sad," Pinkie quickly replied.
"Pinkie, why in Equestria would you be sad?" Twilight asked, her wide eyes gleaming with concern.
"... Because I miss you." The pink pony wiped a tear and pulled Twilight into another painfully loving embrace.
The princess closed her eyes and accepted the affection. She took a deep breath and gently stroked her friend's long, poofy mane.
"I miss you too Pinkie, I miss all of you. That's why I'm here."
"Oh. I thought you were here because of Rarity's going away party." Pinkie wiped her eye and glanced at the clock. "It's about to start."
"Going away party?!" Twilight shouted in confusion. "Going away where? And why? And I had no idea this was happening!"
"Didn't you read the letters I sent you?" Pinkie asked with watery eyes.
Twilight lifted a hoof to explain just as several ponies began trotting through the bakery doors. Rarity was the first to enter, her perfectly shiny and bouncy mane adorning her brilliant white coat. Deep blue eyes locked with Twilight's gaze, followed by a squeal of excitement.
"Twilight, darling, I just knew you'd make it dear." The beautiful mare gracefully cantered up to her friend and wrapped her hooves around her neck.
"Wouldn't miss it for the world," Twilight replied with a nervous grin. "So, uhm, where are you going again?"
Rarity pulled back and frowned. "Didn't you read the letters?"
"I get a lot of letters..." Twilight coyly explained.
"I see. Well I decided to go on an adventure—to brave the outdoors, to find my true self, and most importantly, to prove that I am most certainly not afraid to get dirty." The elegant mare lifted her nose and huffed.
"Wow Rarity, that sounds so... unlike you. Where exactly are you adventuring off to anyway?" Twilight glanced around at the growing crowd and ducked back, noticing the many wandering eyes glancing back at her.
"Well, this is the really exciting part. I found an old book that details the location of an ancient abandoned dragon cave. I hope to travel there and maybe uncover some precious gems, or maybe even a piece if ancient royal jewelry! Eep!" Rarity squeezed her eyes shut and swooned at the thought.
Twilight lost her grin and lowered her eyes. "Rarity, I really don't think that's a good idea. It could be dangerous."
"Well of course it could be dangerous. That's part of the adventure!"
The princess scratched the back of her mane and raised an eyebrow. "Why do you think you have to prove something anyway? Applejack, right?"
Rarity scoffed and stepped back. "Oh, so you think I'm incapable of deciding to do this on my own?"
"Calm down. It's not like that. I just mean to say that this is completely unlike you, and I don't want you to get hurt. Besides, you aren't exactly the adventuring type you know? You can hardly even handle a camping trip. I know you better than that Rarity."
The white mare's cheeks grew red as she glared fiercely into her friend's eyes. "I suppose you don't know me as well as you think... A lot changes in a year, maybe you'd get it if you'd visit us, friend."
"Maybe you're right, but the point remains that it's way too dangerous to go wandering off into some uncharted mountain range. I'm not letting you go, and definitely not on your own. As your princess, I forbid it." Twilight stamped her hoof and raised her head high.
Rarity's adamant blue eyes began to water, and the entire bakery fell silent.
Twilight blushed as guilt and shame filled her chest. "I'm sorry Rarity... I didn't want it to come to that."
Rarity wiped her teary eyes and turned away. "It's fine... Perhaps you're right anyway. I'm just a prissy, helpless filly whose too wrapped up in her own narcissism to see the real world. Right?"
Twilight gulped and shook her head. "That's not what I meant... What happened to you to get you so worked up? I want to help."
Rarity shook her head and dropped her stylish adventure bag on the floor, some of its contents spilling out. "I'll just be going home then. I have quite a bit of work to do anyway."
Twilight Sparkle looked to her other four friends, who stood together and shrugged while Rarity galloped out the front door.
"Should I go after her?" Twilight asked.
Rainbow Dash fluttered into the air and opened the bakery door. "Nah, let me talk to her. She's been pretty moody lately, it's not just you. But that whole I'm your princess and I forbid it thing was a bit much... I thought you said this whole princess thing wouldn't change things between us. You can't just order us around and still expect us to be your friends. We're supposed to be equals, but, I guess we're not anymore. Not really, right?"
Twilight winced as her colorful friend dashed away. "I'm sorry..."
"Now don't you listen to them Twi. I know you was just tryin' to keep that bull-headed, hard-nosed mare outta trouble. You don't really think you're above us or anythin' like that. Do ya?" Applejack removed her hat and pressed it against her chest. "I respect you Twilight. Whether you're wearin' a crown or not, you're always gonna be a leader to me, and I'd follow you into the depths of the Everfree any day."
A smile returned to the princess' face. "Thanks Applejack. It really means a lot to me to hear you say that."
"Suck up..."
Applejack perked her ears and blushed as she overheard a pony making fun. "I ain't no suck up..."
Twilight glared and took a strong stance. "She is not sucking up to me! There's nothing to suck up to! I'm her friend! Not her superior!"
"Aw heck, Twi, Don't pay no mind to them ponies. They don't know nothin'. Come on and spend some time with me at the orchard." Applejack smiled and nodded towards the door.
"Thanks again AJ, but I think coming back here at all was a mistake. I need to go back home and think about a few things. First and foremost how to apologize to Rarity..."
Twilight lowered her head and her ears as she exited the building. "Should I bother with the royal farewell?"
Met with silence, she lit her horn and vanished in an instant, a single teardrop falling to the dust where she stood only moments ago.
Applejack sighed and looked over her shoulder to Pinkie Pie, whose face reflected the pain filling her chest. "Cheer up Pink. She'll be back again soon."
Pinkie hugged onto her friend and wiped her eyes. "She didn't say goodbye..."
"Aw shucks, Pinkie. Don't cry, or you're gonna get me all teary-eyed too!" Applejack squeezed her eyes shut and pulled her friend closer, Canterlot glowing in the distance beneath the afternoon sunlight.
***
Twilight Sparkle appeared on the balcony of her palace tower. She wiped sever tears from her eyes and caught her breath before forcefully shoving past the glass door into her bedroom. A glint of light caught her eye as she passed by her mirror: her crown shining in the sunlight. With a huff, she threw it from her head onto the floor, the gem adorning it bouncing across the room.
"What happened..." she asked herself as she fell face first into her pillows.
"You okay in here?" Spike asked as he inched the door open.
"Yes... just leave me alone." Twilight shooed him away with a golden boot.
"Uhm... are you sure? Because if you wanna talk, you know I'm always here for you." He stepped into the room, picking the dazzling pink gem up from the floor.
"I know Spike. Thanks for that... I think I take you for granted sometimes." Twilight leaned up and offered her friend a warm smile.
"So you wanna tell me what's going on? Where'd you go anyway?" he asked as he attempted to press the gem back into its rightful place atop the crown.
"I decided to visit my friends in Ponyville, and-"
"What?!" Spike interrupted. "You went to Ponyville without me? They're my friends too ya know, and I miss them!" He groaned, sadness in his eyes moreso than anger.
"I know. I'm sorry... It seems I'm having a bad day and making all my friends angry with me."
Spike sighed and polished the crown against his chest. "No no. I'm the one whose sorry. I didn't mean to shout... So you were saying?"
"It's just that things have been so hard lately. I love being a princess, I love having my own palace wing, and more than anything I love being able to see Celestia and Luna so often. The problem is that all of those great things come at a huge price. I just miss my friends so much, and I'm afraid that no matter how many times I swear they will, things will never be the same between us." Twilight looked down at her royal boots and sighed deeply. "Applejack is always sucking up to me, Fluttershy seems afraid of me, Rarity thinks that I think I'm better than her, Rainbow Dash blows everything I do or say way out of proportion, and Pinkie Pie acts like I just abandoned her and crushed her dreams!"
Spike gulped and sat the crown down at the foot of the bed. "I don't know what to say Twilight. I think you should just go back to Ponyville tomorrow and try to have a good time. Leave your crown, your boots, and your dress here. Just be you. I'll come too; it'll be a blast."
"Hhm." Twilight giggled. "Maybe you're right Spike. All this... stuff is really a bit much. I'm supposed to wear it out, but what's the worst that could happen?" Twilight's mind began to ponder the possibilities, and she immediately gulped and vanquished the thought.
"Spike, I want to take a quick nap. Write a letter and let our friends know that we're going to have a wonderful time together tomorrow. I'm gonna make this right. Oh, and have that royal express guy send it over to Pinkie Pie immediately after you're done writing it." Twilight smiled and yawned.
"Sheesh, done ordering me around princess?" Spike chuckled and trotted out the bedroom door.
Twilight rolled her eyes and took a deep breath, thoughts and plans for the day to come playing through her mind. She closed her eyes and smiled softly as thoughts turned to dreams.
***
"Twilight?" Spike tapped on the bedroom door before slowly pushing it open.
The princess wiped the grogginess from her eyes and stretched out. "What is it?"
"Well, I've got some... bad news..." Spike gulped and stepped into the room, a letter tightly clutched in his claws.
"Bad news?" Twilight took the letter in her aura and unrolled it.
Dear Twilight Sparkle,
I regrettably must decline your selfish invitation for us to treat you to a carefree day of luxury and leisure. Pinkie Pie is far too depressed to deal with your insensitivity, and Rainbow Dash far too preoccupied with her Wonderbolts training—not that you care considering you haven't seen her perform since her admittance. I plan to head out to the Misty Mountains in only a few minutes, and Fluttershy is coming with me. You said I can't head out alone, so I won't. This should satisfy you, princess. Maybe you can spend all day with Applejack doing some field work, I really don't care.
~Love, Rarity.
Twilight dropped the letter onto her lap in disbelief. "... what have I done?"
"I'm sorry Twilight... Maybe Applejack will know what to do or say." Spike smiled and widened his reassuring eyes.
The alicorn cringed beneath the pain in her chest. "How did I let everything go so wrong?"
Spike hopped onto the bed and placed a comforting claw on her shoulder. "Don't say that Twi. This isn't your fault. Everypony makes mistakes, it's not like you can just turn back time. You gotta move forward and try for the best."
Twilight's eyes shot open. "Spike! You're a genius!"
The young dragon cocked his neck and raised an eyebrow. "Wow, thanks. I thought that was some pretty generic advice, but I'm glad it helped cheer you up!"
"Not the advice, silly. Turn back time. I'll travel back in time to this morning so that I can go to Ponyville and do things right before it gets so far out of hoof. I'll leave my royal attire behind, and take you with me." Twilight quickly opened a dusty book from her bookshelf and began reading.
"Okay, but didn't you use the last time-scroll thingy already?" Spike questioned, scratching his chin.
"I did, but I recently read one of Starswirl the Bearded's old books on theoretical time travel. He fashioned a potential spell in here, but no pony aside from the two Goddesses have the power to use it." Twilight spoke as she skimmed, her eyes fixed on the ancient print.
"If no pony can use it, how does that help us?" Spike asked.
"My magical abilities have been drastically amplified ever since my transformation. I can do things now that I was never able to do before. I think I just might be able to pull this off... It seems like some critical structures to the spell are missing though. If I could just..." The alicorn quickly turned to her hutch and pulled a notebook from within.
Spike hopped up on a chair next to her as she began writing down a long mathematical equation. "You see? The piece that's missing is what was written in the scroll. I bet he perfected the spell in scroll form after writing and printing this book. This spell is to actually turn back time, whereas the scroll just sent the caster back in time. If I can finish this, then I won't be meeting myself, I'll be myself, except a day younger."
"I don't know Twilight, this sounds dangerous." Spike skeptically looked over Twilight's notebook and sighed.
"Relax. I'll see you in the morning, alright?" She read over her notebook and closed her eyes, her horn beginning to glow as she calibrated its vibrations. "Two terakicks per second... and..."
"I have a bad feeling about this Twilight. Maybe we should talk to Celestia first."
"It'll be fine, I promi-" A bright flash shined through her bedroom window, sending a spotlight across the evening Equestrian sky for several seconds.
Spike fell backwards and shielded his eyes, peeking between his claws as the light faded. Twilight stumbled backwards into her desk and collapsed. The dragon quickly rushed to her side.
"Hey! Hey Twilight!" His voice rang in her ears like a distant echo.
"I'm okay... just a little dizzy is all."
The dragon gulped and rubbed his eyes. "Your mane..."
Twilight stood wobbly and looked in the mirror at her mane, which was glowing slightly, and waved gently back and forth in the still bedroom air, subtle sparkles flickering in the deep purple and blue that resembled the early night sky. Her tail took on a similar form, flowing graciously behind and along side of her.
Her bedroom door flew open causing her to loose her balance and fall over, and a tall white mare stood above her. "Twilight Sparkle! What in Equestria is going on in here?!"
Spike quickly interjected. "Well you see, we were trying to create a time spell, and..."
Twilight placed a hoof over his mouth. "Just a little experiment that took an unexpected turn is all. Sorry for the disturbance Princess."
Celestia narrowed her eyes. "Time magic is strictly forbidden. It's far too dangerous to tamper with Twilight. Please, whatever it is you're doing, be careful. Not to mention it's already ten in the evening. Ponies are trying to sleep you know."
"Yes ma'am." Twilight gulped and grabbed onto her stomach as the oldest princess stepped out of her room.
"Spike... I don't feel so good..."
"What's wrong?"
"I feel like I'm freezing from the inside out, and I... I'm... dizz...oh..." Twilight's sight went black, and she fell breathless to the floor.
PING
CRASH
Twilight Sparkle leaned up from her slumber with a start, yawning and wiping her tired eyes. Just as she began to stretch her wings, Spike burst through her bedroom door waving his hands side to side dismissively.
"I swear! It was an accident! You gotta believe me!" he shouted, sweat dripping down his forehead.
The young princess leaned up and widened her eyes. "Spike?"
"Yeah?" The young dragon winced beneath the expected punishment.
"It worked!" Twilight jumped out of bed and picked him up, spinning him in circles. "It worked it worked it worked! Yes!"
Spike raised an eyebrow and chuckled. "So you're not mad at me?"
Twilight sat him down and laughed. "Nope! Break all the statues! I don't care even a little bit. But first thing's first, you and I are taking a trip to Ponyville to see our friends."
"Whoa really? Right now?" Spike beamed with excitement and walked up to the sliding glass door.
"Right now. Let's go." Twilight glanced at the mirror, and quickly brushed her messy blue and purple bed-mane down with a smile.
"Don't forget your crown and whatever else." Spike pointed to the dresser and shrugged. "Remember what Celestia said?"
"I don't care about that stuff. This isn't a member of the royal palace visiting an Equestrian city; this is a mare visiting her friends." Twilight pointed out as she tossed the dragon onto her back.
"If you say so."
"I do say so, and as your princess, what I say goes." She giggled and leaped into the air, taking flight and aiming towards the small town beneath the foothills of Canterlot's majestic mountains.
She zipped through the air as Spike held on for dear life, and in what felt like no time all reached her destination. "Flight sure is more practical than train, isn't it..."
Spike fell flat on his stomach into the dirt as soon as Twilight landed. "I'll take a train over flying any day..."
"Well have fun taking a whole day to get back then." The mare stuck her tongue out and began trotting down town.
The various townsfolk greeted her with friendly smiles and waves as she trotted by. Sugarcube Corner sat at the end of the street, and she quickly made her way along the block.
DING, a bell chimed as she walked into Sugarcube Corner.
Twilight was immediately greeted by a squeak and a tight hug. "Oh I missed you so so so soooooooo much!"
"I missed you too Pinkie Pie." Twilight patted her friend on the back and slowly pressed her away. "So how have you been?"
"Sad," Pinkie quickly replied.
"Well there's no reason for you to be sad anymore. Things are going to be better than ever. I'll see you much more often from now on okay? My royal duties come second to spending some extra time with my friends. I've missed you guys too much, for too long." Twilight nodded and placed a hoof on Pinkie's shoulder.
Pinkie cracked a wide grin and wiped her eye. "That's great Twilight! And guess what? You're just in time for Rarity's going away party!"
The bakery door opened, triggering the bell and catching Twilight's attention as several more ponies trotted in. Rarity was the first to enter, her perfectly shiny and bouncy mane adorning her brilliant white coat. Deep blue eyes locked with Twilight's gaze, followed by a squeal of excitement.
"Twilight, darling, I just knew you'd make it dear." The beautiful mare gracefully cantered up to her friend and wrapped her hooves around her neck.
"Of course Rarity, and I kind of wanted to talk to you about this. I'm sorry I didn't bring it up sooner, but my responsibilities in Canterlot have been getting the better of my attention, and my judgement. The truth is that I think you might want to reconsider this whole adventure thing. I know it sounds fun and you might have something to prove, but I think it might be a little too dangerous." Twilight placed her bare hoof on Rarity's shoulder and offered a soft smile.
Rarity sighed and looked down. "I know it might be dangerous, but... I just have to go. I hope you understand."
"I don't understand at all. Why do you feel like you absolutely have to do this. I know I haven't been around nearly as often as I should be, but I've always been there for you if you needed to talk, and I want to continue to be here for you now. So talk to me. What's going on?" Twilight slowly walked to the back of the store with her friend, and nodded to Pinkie and the rest of her friends to give them some space.
The beautiful white mare averted her gaze as she sat at a small table across from the princess. "It's just that... well you see, I want to be a fun and exciting mare too. Sweetie Belle said something to me the other day, and it's been bouncing around in my head nearly nonstop ever since. I know I shouldn't let the things a young filly says get to me so much, but I simply can't help it."
"What did she say?" Twilight asked, her purple eyes wide with concern.
"Well..." Rarity scoffed and shook her head. "She said I was boring, and that I'm wasting my life away working on ugly dresses while everypony else is enjoying living. I can't help but feel that that's at least partially true. Of course my dresses are anything but ugly, but the point remains."
"Heh... the point remains." Twilight looked down at the glossy table and smiled.
"Excuse me?" Rarity raised an eyebrow.
"Oh nothing. I just recall saying those words to you at least once before. I'm sorry if I seem distracted, but anyway, you should listen to your sister. I agree with her to a point, that maybe you do get a little too invested in your work, and right now more than ever, I can relate. Maybe instead of going on this crazy adventure, you and I can have mare's night out in Canterlot. I know how much you love it there." Twilight winked and placed her hoof atop her friend's on the table.
"Maybe you're right. Who am I kidding with this anyway. It's ridiculous to think I'd enjoy myself even a little out there exploring some giant piles of rocks and dirt. Disgusting really." Rarity laughed and smiled back at her friend. "A luxurious and leisurely day with my best friend sounds much better."
"I'm glad you're not going through with this. I can't begin to tell you how worried I'd have been." Twilight stood up and glanced around the room at all the various ponies mingling and having fun. "Still though, it'd be a shame to let this party go to waste. Let's go have fun, and I'm still dying to talk to the rest of our friends. I've really missed you guys lately."
Rarity stood up and nodded while Twilight headed across the room towards Applejack and Fluttershy. As she approached, the yellow pegasus gulped and looked down.
"Um, hi, Princess Twilight."
The alicorn laughed and shook her head. "Please Fluttershy, it's just Twilight as always."
"Oh... where's your crown, and dress? Has your princess status been revoked?" Fluttershy asked with wide, hopeful eyes.
"No? And it never will be. I just left those things behind because I didn't want the rest of the town to feel intimidated, but you guys know that there's no reason to feel that way. You're my best friends, and you always will be no matter what I'm wearing or what my title happens to be," Twilight explained.
Fluttershy nodded knowingly and smiled. She then quickly hugged onto her friend and let out a deep, long sigh. "I missed you Twilight, and I can't help but feel a little scared that things are changing between us, you know, with you being gone all the time and everything."
"Never Fluttershy. I'll be around a lot more often too, so don't worry about a thing." Twilight winked over Fluttershy's shoulder at Applejack, who nodded as well.
"Heck Twi, it's been awful lonely without you here to help us all along the way. We understand that you have a lot of your own to worry about now, but it sure is nice to see ya." Applejack joined in on the hug and closed her eyes.
"Hey! Don't think you get to hog her all to yourself!" Rainbow Dash rushed in between Fluttershy and Applejack, hugging onto Twilight in the process.
"Hi Rainbow. I didn't forget about you, I was actually thinking about challenging you to a race if you're up to it." Twilight grinned.
"Hello, have we met? Of course I'm up for it! Just name the time and place, and prepare to eat my dust!" Rainbow Dash laughed and pulled a little tighter. "Don't stay gone for this long ever again. Got it?!"
"... Got it. I promise."
Pinkie Pie popped up from beneath the group and widened an eye. "Pinkie promise?"
Twilight rolled her eyes and giggled again. "No Pinkie, I just promise. And I plan to keep that promise not because I fear the consequences of breaking it, but because I love each of you with all my heart, and I want you all to be a part of my life."
"Bluck." Spike cleared his throat with one hand over his mouth. "I think I'm gonna be sick..."
Twilight chuckled. "Still woozy from the flight over here?"
"No," Spike replied with a raised eyebrow. "I'm woozy from all this sappy mushy feely stuff. Where's the love for Spikey Wikey?"
Rarity rolled her eyes and trotted up to the dragon, planting a light peck on his cheek. "There's my little guy. Why don't you visit me more often? I get so lonely now that you're gone."
"Oh... uh... heh." Spike blushed deeply as he swooned.
The six mares laughed together at the sight and continued enjoying what seemed like a perfect day.
***
As the evening fell, Twilight and Spike made their way back into the royal palace, this time using the front gate. Celestia sat atop the stairway signing various official documents and didn't bother looking up. Twilight shot her a subtle smile as she headed down the hallway into her very own wing of the palace.
"Today went better than I ever could have hoped Spike. You might not realize it, but I owe it all to you." Twilight glanced back at the dragon, who was hardly awake as he rested on her back.
"You're welcome Twilight. I'm not sure how I get all the credit, but it's a nice change of pace."
They each laughed together as they made their way back upstairs and into the resting chambers. Spike hopped down and wobbled to his bed, exhausted from the day's excitement. Twilight watched him doze off before she headed into her own bedroom.
Pressing through the door, she spotted her notebook lying on the floor. She picked it up and looked over it, noticing that it still contained all the information from the spell she crafted before her time travel. "That's strange... you weren't on the floor this morning..."
Suspicious of an intruder, she continued surveying the items of her room, noting that everything else seemed to be exactly as she left it. She flipped through the rest of the pages of the book, which were all still blank, then sat it down on her dresser rather than inside the hutch where it belonged.
Suddenly she felt a wave of dizziness washing over her, and stumbled backwards against her bedroom door. Her insides grew cold, and she tightly held onto her stomach. Glancing up at the clock, she realized it was nearing ten in the evening, the same time she cast the spell, and her calendar showed it to be the eighth of the month. As the chilling pains overwhelmed her, she closed her eyes and fell to the floor, the room blackening and her breath lost.
Birds chirped as the sun made its way in through the bedroom curtains. Twilight Sparkle inched her eyes open and yawned. After several groggy moments, she snapped straight up with wide eyes and a racing heart. Her eyes first darted to the clock, which revealed it to be eight in the morning, and her calendar showed it to be the seventh of the month.
"What?!" She threw her blankets to the floor and jumped out of bed.
Her notebook sat crooked on her dresser which caught her eye. "No... you should be in your hutch!"
The mare pulled on her mane and resisted the urge to scream. She closed her eyes and thought as she attempted to catch her breath. What am I gonna do... What am I supposed to do? I... I can fix this.
Twilight Sparkle turned to a blank page of her notebook, a quill floating in her magical aura. She began jotting down various numbers, then immediately scribbled then out.
Flustered, she started scouring her bookshelf for any information on time-travel, tossing useless book after useless book onto the floor behind herself. "I don't know what to do..."
"About what?" Spike asked, yawning as he stepped into the princess' room.
"Spike, let me bounce some hypothetical ideas off of you. First off, imagine you broke those statues in my throne room. Then the next day I travel back in time and warned you not to break them because there'll be dire consequences. What happens? Really think about it."
Spike scratched his chin and shrugged. "Then I wouldn't break them?"
"Right, but if you don't break them, then I won't travel back in time to warn you not to break them, right?" Twilight asked, her ears drooping.
"Uh, I guess not... I don't get it Twi, why are you asking me all of this?" Spike crossed his arms and frowned. "I don't like where this is going, because I've seriously been thinking about taking the eyes out of those creepy statues."
"I know... And I'm asking you about a paradox—something I was hoping to avoid with this particular version of a time spell, but it didn't happen that way. I fixed everything between me and our friends tomorrow, but the spell is still in effect, and I can't imagine why. It doesn't make any sense to me, unless I get really theoretical, which... Separate time-lines? No!"
"Whoa! This is sounding really scary..." the little dragon said as he stepped backwards.
Twilight took a deep breath and closed her eyes. "Spike, go get Princess Celestia for me. Tell her it's urgent."
The alicorn watched her friend leave the room with an obedient nod, then she slouched down against the wall. It'll be fine Twilight... Celestia will understand... accidents happen, right?
A tall white alicorn entered the room, her hooves bare and her royal jewelry absent. She placed her hoof to her mouth and yawned. "Good morning Twilight. You needed something?"
The young princess nodded and scratched the back of her mane. "Well... I'm not sure exactly what went wrong, but I put myself into a bit of a pickle."
"A pickle?" Celestia raised an eyebrow, almost too afraid to ask.
"I was reading a book the other day, and decided to try out one of its spells. Turns out the spell was no good, and now I need to undo it. It was a time spell, and all of its information is in that notebook behind you." Twilight nodded towards her dresser.
Celestia forcefully exhaled. "What exactly has gone wrong, dare I ask..."
Twilight bit her lip and glanced back to her calendar while the older princess skimmed the notebook. "Well I meant to travel back to the beginning of yesterday... I mean to tomorrow morning, because I performed the spell two days from now. At first I thought it worked, because after I performed it I woke up on the previous morning, but at ten p.m. that night, which is exactly when I performed the spell on the next day, I passed out and woke up today. I fear that the same thing will happen again tonight."
Celestia gulped and shook her head. "You're traveling back through time day by day? Twilight, I'm afraid I have no idea where to even begin. Starswirl was the only pony I ever met that had a perfect understanding of time-travel. Have you searched the Starswirl Wing for information?"
Twilight nodded. "I already moved all of his informative books to my personal collection here. I've read them all several times, and I'm sure I didn't miss anything that would be helpful."
The tall white mare pulled her former student into a tight hug. "Don't worry Twilight, we'll fix this together."
"Thank you, Princess. I'm sorry..." Twilight bit her lip once again, shame filling her stomach.
"Accidents happen, right?" Celestia pat her on the back and turned away. "I have some consulting to do. I suggest you do as much research on this matter as possible until I get back."
Twilight nodded as the oldest princess exited the room, then Spike cautiously stepped in.
"Are you okay Twi?" the small dragon asked, twiddling his claws.
"I'm fine. I have some research to do though, and maybe you can help me with that. I have some ideas of my own now as to how to go about correcting this. If I can't effect the future from the past, then maybe I can travel forward to warn myself not to cast the spell in the first place." Twilight cringed at the thought of it going wrong and shook her head.
Spike shrugged and scratched his head. "Sounds like it could work. I'd wait for the princess to get back though."
"I will. I hope Celestia can figure out a way to fix this, but if worse comes to worse, I'll have to dive face first into theoretical time-travel." The young princess turned to face her mirror, spotting her notebook on the dresser.
"Oh! This... For some reason this notebook seems to be going back in time with me. Spike, write a secret on the page beneath those scribbles. I don't care what it is, but make sure it's something that only you are aware of." Twilight levitated the book and quill into his grasp.
"Okay, but why?" Spike asked as he began to write.
"It's just an experiment in case Celestia doesn't come through..." Twilight turned to face her bedroom window and her heart skipped a beat.
Spike stepped up beside her and placed his hand on her shoulder. "Hey, everything's gonna be okay."
Twilight's gaze stayed fixed over Equestria, the morning light illuminating the hills and distant village. "Spike..."
"Yeah?" The young dragon looked up to see tears dripping down the mare's cheeks.
"It was all for nothing. My friends still hate me, and now Celestia thinks I'm an idiot..." Twilight choked up and turned away.
Spike shook his head and frowned. "None of those things are true. Our friends never hated you, and Celestia is just trying to help. She knows that you're the smartest pony in all of Equestria, that's why you were able to perform the spell in the first place. That's why she made you a princess."
"Maybe I wasn't ready for this... What if Celestia takes my princess status away?! Time-travel magic is forbidden! I mean... What if this whole thing blows back on me and ruins the rest of my life?!" Twilight began to hyperventilate, her front hooves pressing tightly against her chest.
"Whoa there, calm down. None of that's gonna happen. Now aren't you supposed to be doing research?" Spike began picking the pile of books up from off the floor.
Twilight took several deep breaths and calmed her nerves. "You're right... but there's nothing to find in those books. I'm heading to Ponyville for a moment to search for a book about combat spell reversals. I might be able to find something useful in that."
"Can I come too?!" Spike beamed and jumped onto the bed.
"No, I need you to wait for Celestia and tell her where I am if she gets back before I do. I'll only be gone for a few minutes." Twilight stepped out onto the balcony and closed her eyes.
"Wait. I'm pretty sure we probably have a copy of that book here in the palace somewhere."
"I don't have time for probably, Spike. I'll be back in a minute..." The alicorn disappeared in a flash.
A ball of light formed in the center of Town Square, then exploded, sending a wall of dust and dirt spiraling outward as the young princess appeared in the center of it. The townsfolk shielded their eyes and coughed as the dust settled. Twilight Sparkle pressed forward towards the library, ignoring the bowing citizens.
The alicorn spread her wings and took flight, speedily gliding down the street. She pulled back and came to a skidding halt, then pressed through the door to her old home. The familiar scent filled her lungs, and she glanced around to notice all the furniture had been rearranged.
"Welcome to the library, Princess Twilight. What's the occasion?" A yellow mare with a poofy green mane bowed down and closed her eyes.
"I'm just here to grab something, then I'm leaving." The mare levitated the book she sought off the shelf, then tucked it into a small bag beneath her wing.
"Hey, you have to check that out..." The mare gulped and stood up.
Twilight rolled her eyes and turned to face the insolent mare. "I'm your princess, and you'll not interrupt my royal affairs!"
"Oh... okay..." The mare cowered and placed her hooves over her eyes as she bowed.
"And organize these books. I'll be back for an inspection in a few days, and I expect this place to be in order by then." The alicorn smirked before taking flight out the front door. "... Just a little experiment."
She flew to the edge of town, then stopped just before teleporting again. With a deep huff, the alicorn zipped back to the library and burst through the front door. "I almost forgot something."
The yellow mare dropped the books she was holding and pressed her nose to the floor. Twilight fluttered upstairs and dug through a bookshelf, knocking several books to the floor before grabbing a large, leather bound notebook. Flipping it open, she found thorough notes on the time scroll she had used once before.
"Thanks again." Twilight giggled as she dove down the stairs and dashed out the front door, several books and papers falling to the floor in her wake.
She spiraled into the air until Canterlot came into view over the treetops. Her horn began to glow, but just before she teleported, she was tackled to the ground.
"And where do you think you're going?!" A cerulean pegasus stood over the princess and snarled.
Twilight coughed as she tried to catch the breath that had been knocked out of her. "I... ouch..."
Rainbow Dash stood off of her and brushed herself off. "You finally come back to Ponyville, and you decide to leave without seeing any of us?!"
The alicorn cringed and wiped the dust from her eyes. "Rainbow, you have to believe me when I say that I planned on coming back tomorrow and spending all day with the five of you."
"Oh really! Tomorrow huh?!" The pegasus rolled her eyes and crossed her hooves.
"Yes Rainbow, I promise you that we're going to have a great time tomorrow. I have some extremely important things to take care of right now though," Twilight explained.
The rainbow-maned pegasus plopped down on the ground with hooves tightly crossed, her gaze drifting away and her frown turning to a pout. "You better, because I..."
"I know Dash. I miss you too. I won't let you down." Twilight closed her eyes and lit her horn ablaze, then vanished in a stunning display of magical radiance.
She appeared atop her balcony, then slid the glass door open. Celestia stood in her bedroom with a sorrowful dragon at her side. "Is everything alright?"
Celestia shook her head. "I haven't found a solid way to undo the spell, but maybe you could alter the past to stop yourself from casting it to begin with."
"That was the first thing I thought of." Twilight dropped her bag onto her bed and pulled out the combat training book. "I found a book of spell reversals for soldiers. I was thinking I could alter one of these and cast it tonight just before the spell takes effect, maybe I could reverse its effects to that I'll wake up on the next day instead of the previous one."
The white alicorn raised an eyebrow and shook her head. "Twilight... a simple counter spell would likely just backfire or at best be ineffective."
"I know it's risky, but I'm all out of ideas... unless maybe you'd like to take a trip into the past and visit Starswirl himself. I don't have the energy required to go that far back, but you might." Twilight looked up at her former teacher with wide, hopeful eyes.
"I'm afraid I can't do that. Traveling through time has always proven to cause more trouble than it fixes. I'm sorry, but we have to find another way. I doubt Starswirl would have an answer anyway."
Twilight's ears fell flat with disappointment. "Then I'm going to read this book and try to come up with something."
Celestia nodded and turned to exit once again. "I'll call upon all the scholars of Equestria and task them to resolve a hypothetical scenario. It's the best I can do right now. And Twilight... good luck with whatever it is you do to try and fix this. I trust you're magical prowess above even my own. I'm confident that if anypony can fix this, it'll be you on your own."
Twilight Sparkle nodded, determination filing her chest. "You're right. I can fix this."
The oldest princess nodded and stepped out, then Twilight pulled her old notebook from the bag. "Spike, if this is gonna work, then I'm going to have to break a few rules. In the future, if you even remember me telling you this, make sure I never try to travel through time again."
"Got it!" Spike saluted his friend and sat back as she began reading.
"I can easily recreate the time scroll spell now that I have the magic needed to cast it. First things first, I'm going to skip forward and warn myself not to... wait..." Twilight smacked herself in the face and groaned.
"What? What's wrong?" Spike jumped up and tilted his head.
"If I traveled forward to warn myself not to cast the spell, then it either never would have happened, or I'd have cast it anyway," Twilight explained.
"But you haven't gone forward yet, maybe that's all that's stopping you, the fact that you haven't tried yet."
Twilight sighed and shook her head. "No Spike, because if I do try then I will have tried, and if it succeeded then I wouldn't be here right now considering trying. The fact that I'm here right now means that there's no way to stop myself from casting the initial spell. I need to think of something else. Right now I'm just presuming that I'll jump a day backwards at ten tonight. Maybe the spell wore off by now."
"BUT YOU HAVEN'T TRIED YET!" Spike's eye twitched as he attempted to wrap his mind around the concept of paradoxical time loops.
Twilight giggled and pat the dragon on his head. "Settle down Spike. You just have to trust me."
"My head hurts..." Spike sat down and rubbed his temples.
Twilight chuckled and continued writing down information from the counter-spell book. "I think the spell is recasting itself somehow, so if that's the case, then this version of a counter could dispell it, causing me to wake up immediately after I pass out and just continue forward from there."
"That sounds good!" Spike hopped up next to her and skimmed over her shoulder.
"Alternatively, this could just be a lingering effect, in which case I'll need to overcharge it and rush it out of my system. I might jump a bit further back, but after that happens, it should be worn off."
"Okay that second plan sounds really, really bad." Spike cringed and lowered his eyes.
"Let's hope the first one works then. I'm going to put myself to sleep. Wake me up in twelve hours." Twilight climbed into her bed and covered up.
"Why twelve hours?" Spike asked.
"At ten, the spell should take effect. If it does take effect, then I'll cast the counter spell. I just hope that this notebook will retain information the way I think it does." Twilight's horn began to glow, then it sprinkled a layer of magical dust over her head, causing a wave of drowsiness to wash over her.
"How do I wake you up?" Spike quickly shouted, tapping her shoulder.
"Just... figure... zzz..." Twilight dozed off and began to snore.
***
Twilight Sparkle shot straight up, soaking wet and shivering. "Spike! What in Equestria are you doing?!"
The dragon huffed, catching his breath with an empty bucket in one hand. "I've been trying to wake you up for the past half hour! It's already nine-thirty."
"Oh.. right." Twilight wrapped herself in a blanket and grabbed her notebook. "Spike, I might need help staying conscious when it's time to cast this spell, so help me stay up okay?"
Spike nodded and gulped as the clocked ticked time away. Twilight practiced her spell, lighting her horn and casting it at her bookshelf. The minutes ticked away as the young alicorn prepared for what was to come.
"Just a few more minutes." She closed her eyes and gulped. "I'm starting to feel a little dizzy."
Spike rushed to her side and helped her stay up.
"My stomach hurts... I feel cold." Twilight ground her teeth and lit her horn.
The second-hand ticked around one final time before reaching ten in the evening, and Twilight began to fall down.
"Come on Twilight! Cast the spell" The dragon shouted as he used all of his strength to hold her up.
The alicorn nodded and bit down on her tongue, her horn creating a bright shroud of light that enveloped her body, then dissipated around her. She lay shivering, her vision black and breaths short and weak.
"Twilight?!" Spike called out as Celestia rushed in behind him.
The young alicorn caught a blurry glimpse of the two before her final breath slipped out of her body.
A crisp morning breeze blew in through the bedroom window of a young alicorn. She yawned and stretched her legs and wings before standing off her bed. She glanced at the calendar and grimaced.
"The fifth?" She shook her head and spotted her notebook on the floor in front of her dresser.
"Ha. Let's check you out." She lifted the book in her aura and opened it up. "Yes!"
The information she had written remained, along with the secret message Spike left beneath the flawed equation. Don't tell Rarity or Shining Armor, but I kind of have a crush on Cadence.
The alicorn rolled her eyes and laughed. "Spike!"
Twilight sighed and looked over her notes. "This has to work..."
"Yeah?" The dragon entered the room and wiped his tired eyes. "Sup?"
"I need you to do me a favor. I'm going to be doing some research, and I need you to come back and make sure I'm awake by nine o'clock tonight. It's extremely important that you remember to wake me up, okay? Extremely important!" Twilight grabbed his shoulders and shook him back and forth.
"Okay okay... I got it, sheesh..." Spike shook his head and walked back to his own room, setting an alarm to remind himself.
Twilight shut her door and went back to her notes. "Okay... Time scroll magic."
She read over them dozens of times, then took a deep breath. "Simple enough."
Twilight stepped out onto her balcony, then focused her magic and lit her horn with a vibrant purple aura of magic. Purple embers fell to her hooves, and she disappeared with a bright flash. In an instant, she opened her eyes and spotted herself reading and signing various documents on her hutch from outside the window.
"Huh, that's odd... But it's just as I feared..." She frowned and teleported herself to Ponyville.
She appeared directly in front of the library, and quickly forced her way past the front door.
"Oh, hello Princess Twilight. What's the occasion?"
Twilight Sparkle stepped back out the front door and took a deep breath. "This doesn't make any sense... Nothing that I did yesterday, or tomorrow, or whatever made any difference..."
She shook the thought from her head and focused. "Okay then... Two years forward, here I come."
Her horn began to glow with concentrated magic, charging the spell up for a much greater jump, and her eyes radiated a bright white light. In an instant, she disappeared, and when she opened her eyes she was surrounded by blinding, spiraling lights. She covered her eyes, and as the light faded, she lowered her hooves.
She stumbled backwards and bumped into the wall where her dresser once stood. Her palace bedroom was empty, filled with dust and cobwebs. "Where am I?"
She glanced around before stepping out onto her balcony. Canterlot was just as majestic as ever, the many townsfolk attending their daily routines. Clouds loomed in the distance, promising rain.
"Twilight!" She called out. "Where in Equestria could I have gone?"
Just then she heard hoofsteps outside her bedroom door, and she ducked out of sight. Best not let anypony else see me...
She turned to Ponyville and smiled. "Did I move back?"
With a bright flash of light, she disappeared from the balcony and reappeared on the outskirts of the small town. She trotted down a small trail towards town, and spotted The Carousel Boutique a couple blocks in.
She ducked down and quietly trotted around the buildings, fluttering through backyards. She peeked into Rarity's back window and spotted the mare diligently sowing while holding various fabrics in her aura.
"Eep!" Twilight shriek as a sudden boom of thunder roared across the sky.
Rarity quickly glanced up, spotting movement as Twilight ducked beneath the window. The unicorn headed to her back door and trotted outside, just as rain started to fall.
"Is somepony out here? Hello?" Rarity called out.
Twilight flinched beneath the ice-cold rain and popped out from hiding. "Oh hello there. Sorry, I was just, you know... can I come in?"
Rarity's jaw fell open, and she slowly backed away. "Tw... Twilight? Is that really..."
"I guess I haven't seen you in a while, huh?" The alicorn blushed and nodded towards the door, chilling rain permeating her coat.
"Please, come in" Rarity led the way into her kitchen.
"So... have you seen me around anywhere lately? I'm trying to figure out where I live." Twilight laughed, realizing how unusual she sounded.
Rarity gulped and slowly shook her head. "Twilight..."
"I know it sounds weird, but I'll be honest right now. I'm from the past, I traveled to the future to see if and how I resolved a problem," Twilight explained.
The white unicorn winced and hugged onto her friend. She pressed her muzzle into the purple mare's neck, smelling her unique scent, and feeling her soft mane falling over her face. "I've missed you so much darling..."
"Uhm... How long have you missed me for?" Twilight dared to ask.
Rarity leaned up with tears pouring down her cheeks. "It's been nearly two years since... I don't know how to say this, but..."
"What is it?" Twilight asked, a terrified pit in her stomach.
Rarity looked down and away, her voice weak and broken. "You died... they found you in your palace bedroom, and they said it was something about a time-traveling spell gone wrong... I'm so sorry Twilight. I've always blamed myself. I never should have sent that awful letter, and I've begged for the chance to apologize. I'm just so sorry..."
Twilight stumbled backwards, dizzy and unfocused. "Dead?"
She looked up at Rarity, who became blurry. Twilight then fell onto her back as blinding waves of light surrounded her. When she came to, she was lying on her bedroom floor, absent of thought. "Dead..."
She stood up and climbed onto her bed, curling up into a tight ball and letting her tears fall freely. "This is my last chance," she said as she cast the sleep spell one last time.
***
Twilight woke up, startled. Spike was shaking her back and forth. "Wake up already!"
She smacked his hands away and stretched out. "I'm up... Thanks Spike."
"Wanna tell me what's going on?" The young dragon crossed his arms and glared. "Something's up, and I don't like being left out of the loop."
"I'm about to cast a counter spell on myself. I'm going to overcharge the effects of a spell gone wrong, which will hopefully cause it to wear off. If it doesn't work, I don't know what'll happen, but this is my last chance to fix it." Twilight spoke with an apathetic undertone as she prepared the spell.
"Wait... why am I just now finding out about all of this?!" Spike shouted, worrisome tears welling up in his eyes.
"I explained it all to you tomorrow... Not that it matters..."
"... What?!" Spike shouted in utter confusion.
The clock approached ten, and Twilight's horn began to glow. She forced her eyes closed as icy pains filled her body, and she slid down the wall as her balance betrayed her. The clock struck ten, and she cast her spell. The deep pink aura surrounded her, concentrating itself in the center of her chest, and as it exploded into a fiery torrent of magic, Twilight slipped out of consciousness.
