Equestria: Z: The story of Twilight Sparkle and the Pandemic: Pt. I

by SUPERCHARGER2001

Rating: teen
Tags: Tragedy, Princess Celestia, Alternate Universe, Twilight Sparkle, Sad, Main 6, Gore, My Little Pony: Friendship is Magic, Dark, Spike, Rainbow Dash, Adventure
Length: 11261

"Some look at the Plague, as the world's first real threat, unlike past hatred stemmed from other countries. Some even look at the Plague as it's wake-up call. But others say the world died that night when Canterlot fell to the flames

* As of February 16th, 2014, this is going through a complete revision. Chapters III-V have been removed for now.*

Edited by; SongCoyote, Mr+GrimdarK

From the mouth of Celestia:
"For we have defeated the Plague. The Pandemic that took billions over the course of 18 months, 13 days and 21 hours before it was announced by the newly formed world-government, The Hierarchy, that we completely eradicated the infected. But the Resistance still poses a threat. Dare we fight another war? A war that causes climates to shift, and millions to become homeless and driven to savagery? Where Harmony and law cease to exist? You tell me, my little ponies. Shall we fight a new war that's filled with mindless enemies like the last? We have lost 6.2 billion ponies worldwide. How will the 1.1 billion still standing react to this new barbarism, unless we do something about it together? My former faithful student, Princess Twilight Sparkle, destroyed the infected with the Elements Of Harmony, suffering heavy casualties...

Let us build a new world, one without fighting. Let us rise after this setback. Let us live!"

She spoke from the highest balcony in the old, worn-down castle that had become her temporary residence. Her imploring speech fell on the ears of 2 million ponies, protesting to halt a new war that loomed ominously in the heart of Equestria.

This is going to be a long story. With Pt. II and Pt. III in the pre-production stages.

Pt. I will feature harsh, gory and malicious stuff. And it's twenty to thirty chapters long. I haven't decided yet.

Published 2013-09-28 08:40:01 UTC
Last updated 2013-10-17 04:45:26 UTC

Act: I Chapter: 1: On Edge (Prologue)

Act: I

Chapter: 1: On Edge (Prologue) Pt. I

It has been a year since the plague ended, and two years since it began. The number of graves cannot be comprehended; the plague filled many, but the lives lost in the ensuing war soon outstripped them. It had started as a form of payback for spreading the plague, but nopony imagined that its scope would expand as far and as violently as it did.

In spite of watching it all happen, and even being at the forefront of the fight against the plague, Twilight Sparkle still wasn’t sure why or how the situation had devolved so far. How did being crowned Equestria’s newest Princess lead to so much pressure on her to stop the plague and the war? Was there somepony behind the sudden political push to bloodshed? What can one pony – even an alicorn as powerful as Twilight – do in the face of such pain and misery?

When Twilight first came to Ponyville with Spike she was told to learn the power of friendship. That had turned out to be easier than she feared; Applejack, Pinkie Pie, Rainbow Dash, Fluttershy and Rarity had all quickly found their way into her heart, and she was sure they would have even had they not been bound together in the battle against Nightmare Moon. After being so distant from everypony for most of her fillyhood, it had been a very pleasant shock to discover that having friends meant much more than simply labeling somepony ‘friend’ and smiling in their presence.

Friends meant sharing and caring and sticking your neck out for others, and helping them in their times of need instead of thinking only about yourself. Friends meant you had somepony you could talk to so you didn’t have to hide from your personal feelings and emotions. Discovering friendship had meant Twilight was finally able to lift her head from books and studying and see the world moving around her, interacting with her... and even needing and desiring her attention and company. So she had gleefully divided her time and energy between learning in the library and discovering depths within her friends and their relationships that she had never imagined could exist, and she loved the results.

Then the plague came, and with it the war – and together they put an end to what she had so carefully built in Ponyville.

Equestria: Z.

More than a year after the last throes of the war had quieted, and still Twilight found it hard to cope. Her heart and memory were stained with the death and horror she had witnessed, and she struggled every day not to descend into the deadly trap of self-pity.

Scenes kept replaying in her mind: watching the land she loved fall to the ravages of war, her friends suffering under plague and torment.... The War of Equestria, or Z: Equestria as it was called in recent papers, had touched everypony, not least those she cared most about. More than once she had almost succumbed to the silence that surrounded her where once there was laughter and kinship. She understood why her friends had scattered, but the ache of their absence never left her.

The last time they had been together they had used the Elements of Harmony to end the war. The price had been staggering, though, and she still asked herself if it had been worth it. Since then she hadn’t had any contact with the ponies who were once her closest friends; only Spike remained close to her.

Her days now consisted of helping the few ponies left in Ponyville survive, studying, and sending messages to Celestia. That last tenuous connection to Canterlot gave Twilight a touchstone that she knew she wouldn’t have survived long without. News of the rebuilding of Canterlot, hearing about another pony found still alive hidden in a basement... even just the occasional missive about how her day had been gave Twilight a sense that she wasn’t entirely alone, though she prayed Celestia would one day find enough time to come and visit her. Or even better, that Ponyville would be sufficiently repaired that she felt she could safely leave it for a day.

With 95% of the town gone to the Pandemic and very few ponies left elsewhere, let alone any who might be interested in resettling such a remote place, the future of a small town like Ponyville was bleak. The marketplace was making a comeback, but with the bigger cities so in need of stability amid the still frequent riots and crimes there was little to spare for the outlying
territories.

Twilight understood all this in concept, but watching it all happen brought it home in a way that left a heady mix of pain and resolve in her heart. She might be alone, her friends spread throughout Equestria on their own missions of mercy and most of the other ponies she knew dead or gone from Ponyville, but what was left of the ponies – her ponies, given Celestia’s inability to help her now – relied on her, needed her.

And so she continued the fight: researching, rescuing, and being there for her little corner of the world.

Spike rolled over in his bed, his tummy rumbling. “Ohhh, Twilight! I’m hungry!” he said plaintively.

Shaking her head, Twilight sighed. “I know, Spike. I’m hungry, too. But we need to conserve food as much as we can, so we need to get used to it. There's still enough to last a while.”

Spike patted his stomach, hoping to quell its insistent growl. “I get it, Twilight. I’m sorry. I didn’t mean to rant. I just... I miss our old life. But I miss our old life. I know its been a couple of years, but things were so easy then.” He scratched idly at the floor with his claws.

Twilight walked upstairs to him and patted him softly on his scaly head, her voice quiet. “I’m sorry too, for everything. But you know I’ll never leave you to fend for yourself. We survived together, and we’ll keep on surviving, and help anypony we can.”

A little of her old excitement at new things crept into her voice. “We made it, and we’re certainly not going to give up now,” she said with increasingly confident tones. “We can’t. Things are pretty bad now, but we have to fight past every setback. For Ponyville, for Celestia, and for us.”

“Us?”

“Yes us, because giving up is not the right way to honor ourselves, honor Celestia, and honor our friends, wherever they may be.”

Spike brightened a little. “Our friends, yeah. I sure wish they were here right now, Twilight. Don’t you?”

“Of course I do Spike,” Twilight answered with a small smile. “And they are here in our hearts, just where we need them most.” She tapped her chest with a hoof, a sparkle in her eyes.

Giving a firm nod, Spike grinned up at her. “Yeah, you’re right. You know, I’m feeling a little better now. Thanks, Twilight!”

Laughing softly, Twilight gave the dragon a quick hug. “You’re welcome, Spike!”

Feeling more energized than she had in a long time, Twilight grinned. “You know, Spike, sometimes reminiscing about good times we’ve had can brighten up a hard day. How about we share a story about, oh, say, Pinkie Pie?”

“Oh, good idea!” chirped Spike, his eyes bright. “How about that time with Gilda and Rainbow Dash?”

Twilight smiled and looked off into the distance as she remembered. “Hee hee, yeah! I remember when she stormed into the Library, literally bouncing off the walls as she babbled on about Dash having Griffon trouble.” She felt a sharp pang of pain and regret, but quashed it mercilessly as she continued. “She could be a real hooffull, but watching her run around was always... so...” Her voice trailed off, and her eyes got even more unfocused.

“Twilight?” Spike squeaked, his pupils shrinking.

“Maybe... maybe old stories... not such a good...” Twilight’s legs wobbled, then she slumped down in a heap beside Spike’s bed.

Spike sprang up, eyes wide in frantic worry. He knelt beside Twilight, calling her name in a whisper. He gently shook her, his face screwing up with worry. He shook her again, a little harder, and when he got no response he sat down next to her and cried, feeling helpless and alone.

Just as Spike was about to run off to look for somepony – anypony – to help, even knowing it probably wouldn’t help, he heard a fluttering moan from Twilight.

“Twilight! Are you okay? Wake up!” said Spike, stroking her forehead.

Her eyes rolled in different directions as Twilight opened them to see a gradually resolving image of a worried purple dragon.

“What... what happened?” she said woozily.

“You blacked out again,” Spike answered in fearful quiet.

“I did? Oh, dear. I...” She shook her head slowly and carefully, then took a deep breath. “Sorry about that.”

“It’s okay. And I thought I was feeling bad today!”

Twilight pretended to glare at him, though the effect was spoiled as she winced from the headache falling had left her with.

“Sorry, bad joke,” Spike said reassuringly. He frowned as a thought came to him. “Y’know, Twilight, you never told me why you get these blackouts. They’ve been happening more lately; I think that’s the twelfth or thirteenth time this month. What’s going on?”

Heaving herself to her feet, Twilight gingerly tested her balance. Satisfied that she could at least walk, she carefully made her way down the stairs to the window on the ground floor. She looked out at the bleak landscape around them and sighed heavily.

“I don’t know why,” she said sadly. “I just get these... moments. I’m so worried about Ponyville, Celestia, and my friends, and I don’t know how we can continue like this. I mean, we can probably survive for a long time, but survival isn’t enough. How do we move on?”

She turned away from the window and looked at Spike, her eyes shining. “Every time I start to think about the whole picture I tense up, and sometimes it just overwhelms me. It’s been a year, and we still haven’t managed to rebuild much of Ponyville or find many other surviving ponies... ooh,” she swayed on her feet, but after closing her eyes and taking a deep breath she managed to stay upright.

“Sorry, Spike,” Twilight said in a distant voice. “That kind of thinking doesn’t help me or you. I’ll work on controlling my anxiety so you don’t have to worry so much. I’m sorry you have to deal with it.”

Spike walked up to her and put a gentle claw on her shoulder. “You know, I do get it, Twilight. I know why you think about all that stuff. We’ll work it out together, okay?” He gave her a lopsided grin. “Just stop scaring me so much.”

Twilight nodded and rubbed her head against his affectionately. “Thanks, Spike. I’m glad you’re here with me.” They stood that way for a while, more relaxed than they had been in a long time.

Spike raised his head, looking a little excited. “I know! Let’s take a break from studying and go for a walk. A change of pace would probably help us both.”

Giving him a fond grin, Twilight nodded. “Good idea. Let’s go!”

It wasn’t long before Twilight and Spike regretted their choice, though the condition of the town had long since lost its ability to shock them. Most of the obvious evidence of the war had been removed, the bodies buried and the stains scrubbed away.

But one spot in particular hadn’t been opened, or even touched so far as Twilight knew, since the plague and battles had ended: Sugarcube Corner.

Twilight shuddered as she remembered the last time she had looked inside: bodies on the floor, their gutted remains so long rotted that little remained but dry skin taut over cracked bones. Some of the bodies had been gnawed on even long after the meat was gone.

The broken barricades at the doors to the shop were still strewn about: pieces of chair, tables, planks, crates, and even their heaviest pans were scattered just inside.

The Cakes had been more than willing to die to protect their family, and they still lay where they had fallen at the foot of the stairs leading up to the nursery.

A circle of fallen ponies around them with knives and forks sticking out of them gave mute testament to their final struggle to keep their babies safe.

Twilight struggled with herself as she passed the bakery, and part of her wondered why no one had bothered to clean it up; the broken doors and scent of death made it hard to be near.

But in her heart she knew the truth: Celestia had tried to send a contingent of ponies from Canterlot to help her, but her advisors continually rejected the notion, citing greater need within the cities and how few ponies were actually left within the Guard and the constabulary.

So Twilight had been left to do what she could, just her and Spike.

She had done her best in the main parts of town, but somehow she couldn’t bring herself to set hoof in Sugarcube Corner, knowing what she would see. She sometimes hoped she would eventually become inured enough that she could do it – or at least burn the building down and all in it – but with an ironic sense of relief the pain never left her. And so it stood, reminding her of why she had fought so hard to end the plague and the war.

Pushing aside the sudden feeling that she was becoming more like Fluttershy in her avoidance of the problem, Twilight pulled her gaze away from the building and continued slowly down the street. As she did so she noticed Spike running ahead, his tail twitching with excitement.

“Wait, Spike, where are you going?” Twilight cried as she ran towards him. “Spike, we have to stay together! Wait!”

Spike glanced over his shoulder, a smile on his face. “Come on Twilight!” he called as he darted around a corner.

Seeing him disappear sent a jolt of panic into Twilight’s mind. She started galloping, tears forming at the corners of her eyes.

The grief of Sugarcube Corner, the visions of death past and present, and her fear for Spike shattered her carefully hoarded self-control. As she approached the alley into which he had ducked rich cocktail of fear overwhelmed her and she continued past, running blindly, leaving a trail of teardrops on the ground behind her.

Spike darted out of the alley as she thundered by, dragging something behind him. “Twilight! Come back! Where are you going?” Fear made his voice strident. “Please, don’t leave me!”

His plea reached her just as she was about to turn a corner, and the sudden shock of the possibility of leaving her only remaining friend behind made her screech to a halt, panting heavily. Her eyes wild, she looked back to see him running up to her with a stained kite gripped in one claw.

“Twilight,” he gasped as he halted in front of her. “I... thanks for stopping,” he said, shaking as he fought the urge to collapse and cry on the ground.

Putting a hoof gently on his shoulder, Twilight struggled with her own tears as she caught her breath. In spite of the condition of the town she felt unwilling to burden him further with her sorrow, at least not at that moment, when they were trying to get some time away from such thoughts.

She gave him a sheepish grin. “Sorry, Spike. I just... thought I heard somepony up ahead and ran in case they needed me.”

“Umm, okay. But I didn’t hear anything...” Spike said confusedly.

“I guess you were too excited about that kite you found,” Twilight responded nervously, hoping he would accept the distraction.

“Oh! Yeah, it’s still in good shape! Can we take it out to the old park and fly it?”

Sighing in relief, Twilight finally smiled. “Yeah, sure Spike.”

“Alright! Woohooo.”

A short while later, the kite flying gaily in the breeze and Spike running beneath it with a huge smile, Twilight felt a little more alive. It reminded her of times spent with her friends, doing simple things like going on picnics and talking about things that now seemed inconsequential. Rarity’s obsession with current fashion, Pinkie turning a simple outing into a wild party, or Rainbow Dash confidently declaring her imminent appointment to the Wonderbolts.

She did her best to hold on to those memories of how Ponyville was: a happy place, full of friends and shenanigans.

But the reality always returned.

Screams in the night of ponies she hadn’t been able to save. Blood on the streets that she still saw, even though it had been cleaned off with magic. Torturous visions that left her with a constant ache of guilt. Had she really done everything she could? Did she really try hard enough to save the town and her friends from the plague? Hadn’t she just stood idly by while the disease ravaged everything and everypony she cared about?

Twilight felt the blackness of despair start to creep into her vision, and her breath grew shallow as another blackout approached, carried on the backs of her memories of the sick and the dead. Just it was about to overtake her, though, she gasped at a flash of blue glimpsed between two buildings in town.

Struggling to her feet, adrenaline driving the blackout away, she called out. “Hello? Is somepony there?”

A muzzle preceded a quick glance of frightened eyes around the corner of a deserted house. The glance led to a shocked gasp of “Twilight? Twilight SPARKLE?”

Twilight was amazed to see a light blue unicorn wearing a dilapidated cape dart around the corner to trot up to her. Spike was too wrapped up in kite flying to see Twilight’s jaw drop in recognition.
“…Trixie?”

Thin and bedraggled, the Tired and Hungry Trixie stood blinking in front of Twilight, a hesitant smile on her face. Her bearing had lost all its old arrogance, her tattered cape the only visible reminder of her previous life.

“Twilight?” she said quietly, her eyes haunted. “Is that really you?”

Twilight couldn’t suppress a sudden smile at seeing a familiar face. “Yes, it’s me!” she announced. “Why do you sound so surprised?”

“Well I didn’t expect anypony still lived here,” Trixie responded with a vague wave of a hoof at the town. “I just thought there might be a study team here trying to figure out whether they could re-open the town, or more likely one of those awful scavenger gangs raiding for tools and food.”

She frowned slightly, finally meeting Twilight’s eyes. “I am glad to see you; I thought everypony I knew from here was either dead or fled. So why are you still in this horrible place?

Twilight looked around her, the question requiring more pondering that she thought it would. “Well... in spite of how empty and bleak it is, this is still home to me. Besides, it may not happen soon, but I dream of seeing Ponyville revived once again.”

She sighed and shook her head. “In the last few months a couple of shops have even tried to open – both food stores – but there just weren’t enough ponies around to support them, so they closed. But I’ve almost got the whole place cleaned up, so I’ve got some hope.”

Trixie raised an eyebrow. “Huh. Well, more power to you.” She plastered a hopeful smile on her face and took a half step forward. “So, might you have a place for me to stay? If not I should be able to scrounge a place to crash before I start going through the ruins to add to my collection.”

Twilight gave her a puzzled look. “Wait, you’re taking ponies’ things from their homes?”

“Well yeah, I kind of have to now, you know. The world nearly ended, and it’s going to take years for redevelopment to bring the rule of law back to the world.” Trixie pointed at the half-fallen porch in front of a nearby house. “Small ruddy towns like this won’t see a bit of it for a long time, so why let things go to waste when somepony could help themselves out by using or reselling supplies the previous owners no longer have use for? Don’t tell me you haven’t done the same!”

Taken aback, Twilight floundered for a response. “No! Well, I... actually, I really haven’t.” She flushed as she remembered the times she’d been tempted to.

Trixie smiled and waved a hoof dismissively. “Nah, don’t worry about it. I wouldn’t hassle you over stealing, even if I thought it really was stealing. I don’t feel like it’s even petty theft, and even if it is, who’s to know or care, especially in a place like this?

Better I have it and be able to keep on living.”

Though it pained her, Twilight couldn’t find fault with Trixie’s argument, and since she was the first pony she’d seen in almost a year that she actually knew she decided just to let it go.

“I get it,” she said with a little nod, “and it makes a certain degree of sense.”

“There we are, all in agreement,” Trixie answered with a tiny touch of smugness. “Now, um... how about that crash space? Can I stay with you for a bit?”

“Oh! Hold on a minute, I need to ask Spike.”

“Of course!”

Twilight turned to see Spike watching them carefully, a little scowl on his face. “Hey Spike!” she called to him. “It’s Trixie!”

Spike reeled in his kite and walked warily up to the two of them, his scowl deepening as he approached. “Yeah, I remember you,” he grumbled at Trixie.

A touch of excitement sneaking into her voice, Twilight pleaded with Spike. “I know our history with Trixie has been... a little rough, but we haven’t seen anypony in so long. She’d like to stay with us a while, until she moves on to another town. Would that be okay with you?”

Spike turned to face Trixie directly, his claws on his hips. He looked her up and down, then snorted out of one nostril. “Fine,” he said grumpily, then pointed at Trixie’s face. “But I don’t trust you, so you’d better be good while you’re here.”

Twilight laughed nervously as she looked back at Trixie. “I guess you’re in, then. Come on, I’ll show you the library.”

They returned to the huge hollow tree that served as the Ponyville library and Twilight and Spike’s home. Trixie looked around with obvious curiosity, though the place was so Spartan – other than the many books – that she privately considered it rather dull.

“So, this is your house? Nice,” she said in a friendly tone. She grinned and ducked her head. “I promise I won’t steal anything. I have a lot of respect for you, Twilight.”

Surprised, Twilight paused in the tea-making she had begun. “You... do? I’d never have thought so. And, um, thanks for not robbing us.”

“Yeah, good thing, too,” hissed Spike, “or you would have been in a mess of trouble.”

Trixie pretended not to notice Spike’s glare. “You are very welcome. So, since I needn’t ask what’s up with the town, how is the gang doing?”

Twilight’s expression was wistful. “Well, they all managed to survive the plague and the war, but they all had family or other connections to check on, so right now they’ve scattered all across Equestria.” Her face fell. “And of course, any other friends I had in the town are gone, or dead.”

“Ouch,” Trixie winced in sympathy. “Well, I do wish you well in your mission to fix up Ponyville. It’s already doing better than most of Equestria that I’ve seen, other than that sweet shop or bakery or whatever it was.”

Twitching at the mention of Sugarcube Corner, Twilight finished making tea and levitated three cups to herself, Spike, and Trixie. “So, what exactly have you seen out there?”

Trixie sipped her tea. "Well, most ponies don't really have homes and are just wandering from place to place, sleeping under bushes or holing up in deserted homes for a while.” She frowned and stared at Twilight. “But you should know all this. Don't you?"

Embarrassed, Twilight rubbed the back of her neck with a hoof. “Well, I haven’t really focused on anything outside of Ponyville, and I still spend most of my time here in the library. I’ve heard a few tidbits from Celestia, but no details of how the world is doing.” She looked up. “What can you tell me?”

Trixie sighed and looked into her teacup. “Well after the war ended, my brand of entertainment wasn’t exactly high on everypony’s list of important expenses, and well, it took me a while to cope with the new reality.“

She sighed sadly, shaking her head. “Before that I had been so fixated on being the Great and Powerful Trixie that when everything hit the face I hardly knew what to do.”

She looked up at Twilight defiantly. “I’m not proud to say I became a crass looter, but it’s the only way I stayed alive. I took what I could, sold what I had to, and moved on when things got too hot.”

With a toss of her mane, she added, “Besides, I got lucky and came across a variety of weapons while the war was still going on. I fought, and I made sure others could fight, too, since magic seemed to have so little effect. If I profited by that, well... again, I did what had to be done to survive.”

Twilight found herself smiling in spite of herself. “Well, Trixie, if anypony understand that, I most certainly do. And for what it’s worth, I like the new you.”

Trixie stared at her, then started laughing. Twilight joined in, and even Spike lost his scowl.

“Thank you, Twilight,” Trixie said sincerely. “I think I like you better now, too. Too bad it took the end of the world for us both to get over ourselves a bit.”

She yawned hugely, covering her mouth with a hoof. “Excuse me! I’m really tired after walking all day, so if you don’t mind showing me where I can sleep? I’ll need an early start to my... scavenging.”

Twilight grinned at the weak euphemism. “Sure. Spike, will you please get a blanket and pillow for her? I’ve got enough on my bed, and the bench down here should be plenty big to sleep on.”

Seemingly mollified by Trixie’s story, Spike did as she was asked without complaint. “Here you go.”
“Thank you, Spike,” said Trixie with a smile. She walked over to the bench and lay down on it, levitating the blanket over her and tucking the pillow under her head. “Good night, both of you.”

Spike and Twilight went up the stairs to the room they shared. Spike closed the door behind them, then turned and beckoned Twilight closer.

“Hey,” he whispered, “Are you sure she’s on the level? She won’t steal from us? I mean, I know she says she’s changed, but last time you saw her she banished you from the town and humiliated ponies into doing her work for her. She’s a liar and a cheat!”

“I know, Spike, but what have we got to lose? She’s either changed or she hasn’t, but she’s the only pony I know in Ponyville right now. So I’m willing to take some chances if it means I can spend some time with her before she heads off to some other place.”

“What about Zecora?” asked Spike.

Twilight shook her head. “The Everfree Forest wasn’t exactly a safe place to travel before the war,” she said solemnly. “I don’t even know if she’s still alive.”

“Well, fine,” grumbled Spike. “But I’m keeping a close eye on her. Wouldn’t want her to steal your books, eh?”

Twilight giggled quietly. “Too true.”

In the middle of the night, Twilight woke to an unfamiliar noise. Her ears perked, she turned her head slightly to triangulate on it. She gave a worried frown when she realized it was crying, and it was coming from the lower floor of the library.

She slid silently out of her bed, careful not to wake Spike, who seemed to be sleeping through it. She crept downstairs on soft hooves, following the muffled sobs until she stood next to the bench where Trixie lay huddled under the blanket.

“Trixie? Are you...” Her voice cut off with a yelp as Trixie sprang from the bed, and she ducked just in time for a knife to pass over her head and stick, quivering, in the wooden wall behind her.

Trixie backed away from Twilight, eyes wide and panicked, another knife held in her magic aimed right at Twilight’s eyes. “What the bucking...”

She quieted when she recognized Twilight and saw her gesturing frantically up the stairs as she stepped out of the path of the knife. Above them, Spike grumbled in his sleep, but did not wake.

“Gah, I’m sorry,” Trixie whispered as she levitated the knife back into its sheath on one of her rear legs. “You startled me. Why did you sneak up on me like that?”

“I didn’t mean to scare you,” Twilight responded quietly. “I heard you crying, and I wanted to help.”

“What? I wasn’t...” Trixie tried to look offended, but deflated at Twilight’s sarcastic raise of an eyebrow.

“Well, what did you expect?” she muttered, her eyes downcast. “I’ve barely survived the past two years, and you’re the first sane pony I’ve seen in months.” She looked back up at Twilight, her eyes bright. “And since you are sane you’ll no doubt do the smart thing and toss me out tomorrow.”

She pawed at the floor, once more unable to meet Twilight’s gaze. “I’ve fought for too long, since the outbreak and in the war. I’m not safe to be around any more.”

Looking troubled, Twilight cautiously stepped closer to Trixie. “I know what it’s like out there,” she offered. “You don’t have to run from me. I don’t care about what happened between us before. I’d much rather we find a way to get through this together.”

Trixie looked up at Twilight with tears in her eyes. “You don’t mean that.”

Twilight smiled. “I do. I really do!” She frowned briefly, wondering what to do, then brightened and took another half-step forward. “Can... can I give you a hug?”

Stifling a sob, it took a moment for Trixie to nod. “Yes, please,” she said in a tiny voice.

Twilight put her hooves around Trixie’s shoulders, and the mare shoved her face against Twilight’s chest, dampening her coat with tears as she let go of part of her pain and grief. After a while she raised her own hooves and hugged Twilight back as she got her breathing under control.

Raising her head, Trixie gave Twilight a watery smile. “Thank you, Twilight. It’s been so long since I’ve met a truly kind pony, I’d almost forgotten what it was like.”

“Well, you’re welcome to stay here as long as you like,” said Twilight magnanimously.

“Thank you,” Trixie repeated, then took a deep breath and let it out.

“I think I’ve kept you awake long enough now,” she said with a little grin. “Shall we get some sleep?”

Twilight smiled happily as she responded. “Absolutely. Good night! See you in the morning!” She walked quietly back up the stairs, smiled back at Trixie once in the filtered moonlight, then went to bed, closing the door behind her.

“Good night,” whispered Trixie. She retrieved her knife from the wall, then stood looking at it in the faint light. Sighing sadly, she sheathed it, then bundled herself back into the blankets. It took her longer than usual to fall back asleep.

Before the sun was up the next morning Spike crept down the stairs to find the bench – in fact, the entire lower level – empty of anypony. “Gosh DARNIT!” he shouted.

Twilight bolted upright in her bed. “Wha?” she mumbled, then the alarm in Spike’s voice hit her. “What’s up, Spike? What happened? Are you okay?”

Glancing around, Spike couldn’t see anything disturbed in the library, and he reluctantly let go of his anger. “Aw, I guess it’s nothing. I just saw Trixie gone and assumed the worst for a second.”
“Oh. So everything’s okay down there?”

“Oh,” said Twilight sadly. She had been hoping that Trixie might stay a while after their conversation the night before. “So... everything’s okay down there?”

Spike sighed and shrugged. “Looks like it. I don’t think she took anything, and she did say she was going to get an early start.”

Twilight tucked herself back under the blankets, stifling a yawn and trying not to let show how depressed she was at Trixie’s flight. “Okay, then. Wake me when you want some help with breakfast.”

Later that morning they set out again together to patrol the perimeter of Ponyville. Twilight was startled to see a dandelion growing behind her house; it had been a while since anything had grown there now that the pegasi weren’t controlling the local weather.

She lay down next to the flower and stared at it, her mind going back to how it all began. She had been through so many trials she thought she had seen it all: Discord, King Sombra, Nightmare Moon, and Queen Chrysalis; even the less world-shaking conflicts with the Buffalo and the parasprites had tested her and given her many opportunities to learn and grow. She thought she had seen the worst the world could throw at her, and had been confident about her future and that of Equestria.

But nothing like the plague had ever even crossed her mind.

Author's Note

This is my first attempt at writing Fanfiction. FIMFiction. All of it. It's my first time at writing a story. So I am new to this. I love writing and I plan on improving like all the new people out there like me want to also. So give me criticism or critical acclaim, which ever you lean towards. But most importantly, tell me if the first chapter was good or not.

I plan on making this a trilogy.

Great props for my main man/women (I don't really know what gender the person is), SongCoyote.

He/she helped redefine this chapter and I couldn't be more happy for that persons work on this chapter. Again, thank you man, you really helped this project I'm creating here; flourish.

Here is another story that is part of the Equestria: Z story arc:

The Two Idiots Of Canterbury (Part of Equestria: Z)

Again I hope you all enjoy and expect the whole story to be refined in the coming weeks. I have school, you know?

Act: I Chapter: 2: On Edge Pt. II

Chapter 2: Eye of the Beholder (On Edge Part 2)

Two years before the events in Chapter 1, and three and a half years since Twilight moved to Ponyville.

The air was warm, the sun was shining, and every pony in Ponyville was having a glorious day. The humidity was a touch high for early Fall, but it didn’t bother Twilight Sparkle as she relaxed on the hillside overlooking the lake just outside town. The cool breeze carried the scent of flowers, and she hummed blissfully under the pale blue sky as she basked in the warm sunlight.

Pondering the sun brought Twilight’s thoughts to Princess Celestia and the castle in Canterlot. Before she moved to Ponyville she had started to become aware of the disparity of wealth in Equestria’s capital. Surrounding the castle, above the city both literally and socially, nested and bedded the wealthiest and most powerful mares and stallions. As one looked further down, past the posh and pampered ponies, the stratified classes of Canterlot were revealed: bankers, merchants, craftsponies, clerks, construction and farm workers, day workers, and finally down to those who eked out a living in the slums - a cavalcade from clean to dirty, top to bottom.

Though Twilight knew little of it herself, she was aware of how the nobles of Canterlot described that bottom layer: a scourge of filth and villainy that harbored a wide variety of lawless ponies who’d as soon cut your throat for a bit as spit on your hoof. She had heard it referred to as the Underworld, and the name was always whispered with a strange mix of distaste and awe, as if it would be at once a haven and a trap that would bring pain and death when it finally closed on you.

The Underworld wore its name with a fierce pride, its residence notorious for accepting anything or anypony the distant Canterlot rejected. The lack of real law and the low price of blood, pain and life were woven into their psyches, a far cry from the so-called Harmony espoused by the distant light of the castle, Her Lily-White Royalness, Princess Celestia. It was a harsh, cruel place, and truly one where money could buy anything.

At least, that’s what Twilight had heard from those few ponies who seemed to know anything about it. One or two of them even talked about the odd beauty of the place; aside from its sprawling, multicolored buildings it had a rough honesty about it that made it almost like home to those who ventured there from Above to get away from the pale uniformity of the upper class areas. And whether slumming or genuinely interested, there were always those who would venture into that color-flecked field of gray; that some of them never returned was grudgingly understood, even by Celestia.

The Princess had even mentioned this to Twilight when she was younger, probably in the hopes her protégé would be frightened from venturing into such a dangerous place. She made it even more obliquely threatening when she explained how glad she was that those citizens had never erupted into riots, no matter how bad things had become, and in fact had helped defend the city on those rare occasions when overt invasions had come to visit.

Secretly Twilight almost wished the Underworld would rise up. Not because she wished ill on anypony, but to break down some of the barriers between Those Who Have and Those Who Have Not. As much as she loved her mentor it seems as though she ruled over a divided house, one that couldn’t quite make up its mind about whether it was socialist, democratic, or parliamentary, not to mention having both utopian and dystopian flavors within it.

Twilight shook her head, startled and a little disturbed by the train of her own thoughts. She sighed as they reminded her why she never wanted to live in Canterlot again, and was ever thankful that she had not given in to the temptation to visit the Underworld and partake in its heady cocktail of drugs, alcohol, and depravity. No matter how stressful and restless her days, she had thanked her lucky stars it wasn’t her every time one of her classmates had returned from such a sojourn scratching at fleas, smelling of cheap booze, and often ill for days with terrible combinations of hangovers and whatever lingering malaise their companions of the evenings may have carried.

“Maybe everypony’s right and I have been working too hard,” Twilight muttered to herself as she shook out her mane once more, finally relaxing as she let go of her dark musings. She turned her attention to how her body felt, realizing that for the first time in too long she wasn’t tense or tired from leaning over books, reading all night, or being caught up in whatever danger or zaniness the town or her friends seemed to revel in starting or involving themselves with.

One last thing marred her efforts at calm: she had not received a letter from Celestia in over three weeks. No matter how she tried she couldn’t disperse that last nagging worry, even though she had tried quite a variety of mental tricks - including maundering over the darker sides of Canterlot - to shake it from her psyche. Sighing, she rolled to her hooves and walked over to the carefully tended patch of wildflowers and roses that grew at the foot of the hill.

Stuffing her nose into one of the roses she took a deep sniff, the smell suffusing her senses and driving away all other thoughts even when she let her breath back out in a long huff. The scent triggered something in her brain, and the word trouble sneaked into her mind. Frowning lightly she neatly cut the rose off its bush with her magic, stripped away its thorns, and tucked it behind her ear.

“At least this way I’ll have something pleasant along with me,” she said with a little grin, “even though it’s what made me think of trouble in the first place.” Thus resigned to her fate, she trotted toward the library, hoping Spike had finished the reshelving chore she had asked him to do before she left.

In the library, Spike looked around the room with a mix of satisfaction and trepidation. Twilight had left him a message when she left, unannounced, before he woke up. ‘Spike: I felt like a change of pace and am going out to walk around Ponyville. Please finish shelving all the books while I’m gone.’ It seemed innocent enough, but for some reason it had left him feeling nervous, as if failing her would mean she would send him away. It made no sense when he really thought about it, but it had impelled him into a frenzy of cleaning and organizing, leaving him tired and the library neater than it had been in a long time. It had also left him bored and anxious.

“Maybe I should actually read one of these things,” Spike grumbled as he sat waiting for Twilight to return. Looking around at the veritable cornucopia of knowledge available to him, he shrugged. “Nah, I’m not that bored,” he said with a sigh, drumming his claws on the table.

Vacillating between boredom and worry at Twilight’s continued absence, Spike jumped up from his seat and looked around the library for something to distract him. He wiped a few drops of sweat from his forehead and took a deep breath, then let it out, his mind clearing. From nowhere inspiration struck, and with a muttered “aha!” he grabbed a lantern, lit it, and headed downstairs to the small bathroom in the basement. There he opened the little step stool propped in the corner and put it in front of the sink, climbing atop it so he could see himself in the mirror.

The faint sheen of sweat on his face made his skin glisten in the lantern light. Spike thought he looked rather dashing with flickering flame highlighting his scales, and he started posing in front of the mirror, waggling his eyebrows and smiling seductively.

“Hey Rarity,” he said in what he hoped was a sultry voice, “wanna see me breathe fire?” In his mind’s eye Rarity swooned as he shot a gout of green flame into the air. In the mirror he looked fierce, as if he was protecting his greatest treasure. He closed his eyes and imagined Rarity pursing her lips and beckoning him closer. He leaned forward, only to open his eyes in shock as he lost his balance and fell off the toppling ladder into the mirror, shattering it with a loud crash.

His fire having been stoked by the fantasy, a bit of it burped out as he slammed against the sink, blackening half the mirror frame as he fell. He bounced off the sink and hit the ground next to the ladder, a shard of the broken mirror cutting his forearm as he landed.

Shaking his head, Spike stood up carefully, using the ladder to brace himself. “Ow,” he hissed as he grabbed a towel to staunch the bleeding. He looked around woozily and his face fell as he saw the mess he had made.

“Ooh, Twilight is not going to like this,” Spike moaned out, his pupils shrinking a bit as he contemplated her ire. “I guess that’ll teach me to try to impress myself,” he growled in annoyance as he carefully stepped over the broken mirror to fetch a bandage from the medicine cabinet. He was suddenly thankful that Twilight kept it well stocked in case one of her experiments had unintended effects.

His wound cleaned and arm wrapped in disinfectant and gauze, Spike set to the unpleasant task of sweeping up the glass and pulling down the burned mirror frame. He winced as he noticed a couple of bloodstains from his cut, resolving to scrub them up thoroughly so Twilight wouldn’t panic when he finally told her about breaking the mirror. He winced again as he imagined her being angry, then stopped and berated himself.

“She’ll probably be more worried about me hurting myself than this old mirror,” he told himself sternly, though as the truth of the statement struck him he smiled brightly. Chuckling at the silliness of the past few minutes he finished cleaning up with new zeal, hurrying to finish so he would have time to catch a quick nap before Twilight returned.

Humming a cheerful tune as she trotted toward the Library, Twilight reviewed her checklist for the evening: write a letter to Celestia asking about her silence, check on Spike’s work for the day, have a nice dinner, thank Spike for said dinner, read the next book (or two, or three) in her queue, and re-check the night’s checklist before bed.

As she entered the library she spotted a small empty vase sitting on the table by the door. She grinned as a momentary whimsy came to her: what would it be like not to use her magic on every little thing? Giving a little nod she gingerly picked the vase up in her mouth, and was immediately nervous at how fragile the glass felt. She moved carefully toward the kitchen hoping it wouldn’t break.

As she approached the sink she realized she was drooling a little on the vase. Her long day out had left her more thirsty than she had realized, and there she was standing by the sink with her mouth full. She set the vase on the counter, wincing at the sound of the glass hitting the hard surface. It didn’t break, though, so she sighed in relief and pulled a cup off a nearby shelf with her magic.

She filled it with water, feeling impatient as she watched the level rise. She downed the whole thing in one long gulp, gasping at how good it felt. Little tasted better than cool water after an active day, and she quickly refilled the glass and enjoyed the second draught more slowly.

Finishing the water she set the glass by the sink. “Well, that was remarkable,” she said quietly to herself. “Who’d have thought a drink of water would be such an amazing experience?” Feeling more relaxed she started humming again until she spotted the vase. She frowned lightly as she remembered her idea about not using magic to fill it.

With a look of determination, Twilight put her hooves on the counter, then reached out to turn on the tap. She picked the vase up with her mouth and maneuvered it under the tap, splashing a bit on her nose as she lined up its opening with the stream of water. When it was nearly full she set it carefully on the counter, this time avoiding any hard impact, then turned off the tap.

Eyeing the vase critically she determined that it was exactly 2/3 full - just right for her rose. She looked out of the corner of her eye at the bloom bobbing in the air in front of her ear. She reached for it with a hoof, but the strain of looking sideways at the rose made her a little dizzy, and she stumbled as she bumped the rose out of her hair.

Reflexively Twilight lunged to catch the rose before it fell, her wings flaring out for balance. No doubt that would have worked for the ever-agile Rainbow Dash, but she was still getting used to her wings, and as they caught the air they pushed her up and back, and she fell onto her rump with a little thump. The rose landed on the floor at almost the same moment, and she peered at it ruefully, almost hearing its complaint at being so roughly handled.

Glad she hadn’t crushed the rose or broken the vase, Twilight shook off her dizziness and cautiously picked up the rose by the stem, glad she had stripped off the thorns earlier. With a careful motion she slipped it into the vase, then stepped back and admired her accomplishment.

“Not the most elegant of achievements,” she chuckled to herself, “but at least I managed it without hurting anypony.” She smiled as a ray of sunlight illuminated the flower’s petals, making it glow like the romantic symbol so many seemed to believe it represented.

Mentally she added another item to her checklist: ask Spike to watch the rose and discard it when it wilted. Twilight knew she would likely forget and didn’t want to come across it, black and shriveled, two months later.

“Come to think of it, where is Spike?” muttered Twilight. “He’s usually grumbling to me about his chores by now when I get home.” She stuck her head out of the kitchen and called into the main room.

“Spike? Spike! Hey Spike!” Hearing no response her eyes widened, and in a flash her tiredness from the long walk and the remaining dizziness from the fall joined forces with worry to send her brain into a minor panic. Horrible scenarios popped into her head, all of which led to her never seeing Spike again due to injury, his running away, or worse.

“Gah!” she exclaimed to herself. “Stop it, Twilight Sparkle! You’re just tired, and everypony’s right: you push yourself too hard. He’s probably just asleep.” She smoothed her mane, which had started to fray in response to her fretting, and grumbled, “Maybe I should have the occasional drink to relax like Pinkie suggested. It’s not like I’m some prim and proper princess who can’t indulge in a bit of relaxation…”

She stopped and flicked her wings. “Oh, wait. I am a princess now. Does that mean I should behave differently? Celestia seems not to think so, but…” she brought a hoof to her chin in thought. “Focus, Twilight. What’s the best thing to… oh, right. Spike can help me write a letter!”

Her thoughts finally having come full circle she walked upstairs to look for her friend. As she hoped she found him sound asleep in his little bed in her room. She smiled to see him all curled up, drooling a little on his pillow. Her expression fell when she noticed the bandage on one arm.

Her wings half-opened with worry. “Spike! Are you okay?”

Spike sat up quickly, his eyes still unfocused, at Twilight’s shout. “Whazza?” he mumbled, looking blearily up at her. The memory of his accident and the broken mirror rushed into his mind and he blushed brightly. Knowing he could hardly hide it he grabbed his tail in both claws and looked up at her with wide eyes.

“Um, hey Twilight!” he said with a bit too much cheer in his voice. He winced as he realized he had a headache from the bump when he fell, and this, combined with the soreness of his arm, took a bit of the edge off of the usual charm he managed to use on Twilight. “Glad you came back!”

Now that he was sitting up Twilight breathed a sigh of relief to see that he was okay. “Of course I came back, silly,” she said calmly, though tension crept into her voice as she leaned closer to inspect the bandage on his arm. “But what happened to you?”

“Oh, uh... of course I knew that,” Spike said, not meeting Twilight’s gaze. “I just had a bad dream that... Oh, never mind.” He glanced at his arm, oddly glad to have this distraction from his fears.

He dropped his eyes and twisted the tip of his tail in his claws. “Oh, this! It’s nothing, really. I’ll be fine!” he moved to toss his blanket off him and head downstairs to make breakfast, but he twitched as he moved his arm, though he tried to cover it by sniffing loudly.

Spike’s cheery voice almost let Twilight accept his words and shrug it off, but as he moved his arm a spot of red appeared on the bandage. She gasped and put a hoof on his shoulder, gently but firmly keeping him in the bed.

Her mind reeling with concern she blurted out the first thing that came to mind. “You... you didn’t do this to yourself, did you?”

Shocked, Spike looked up at her with a frown. “What? No! It’s just a little cut.” Realizing he wasn’t going to be able to get away without telling her the whole story, he sighed.

“I was standing on the ladder so I could look at myself in the downstairs mirror and, well... I was imagining Rarity checking out my muscles, and showing off for her,” he blushed and hesitated a moment before continuing. “And I kind of got caught up in it and breathed a little fire. It burnt the mirror frame, which startled me, and I lost my balance and smacked into the mirror as I fell.”

He looked up at her with tears in his eyes. “I fell on some glass when I landed. It’s just a little cut. I’m really sorry I broke your mirror!”

Relieved and a little angry at herself for even thinking Spike would cut himself, Twilight frowned at him. “Why didn’t you just tell me that?” she asked sharply.

A fat tear rolled out of each of Spike’s eyes. “I’m sorry! I was just afraid, and your note made me not want to make you mad.”

Twilight deflated, her ears falling back. “Aw, Spike. I’m sorry I wasn’t clear. The only thing that matters to me is that you’re safe. I didn’t mean to scare you.” She leaned back in to look at the bandage. “How bad is that cut really?”

A bit of Spike’s humor returned and he grinned up at her. “Well, I think I’ll live, but I might need to go easy on book shelving for, say... a week of rest and recuperation?”

Laughing softly, Twilight nodded, her ears coming back up. “It’s a deal,” she said as she reached out a hoof to shake one of his claws. “And I’ll be clearer in my notes to you. Friends?”

Spike smiled widely. “Friends always,” he said happily. “Now, did you need my help with something?”

"I have to write a letter to Princess Celestia. I need to find out why she hasn't asked anything of me in so long. It’s been more than three weeks! 23 days, 11 hours, actually. That seems too long to be a coincidence." Turning her head away from Spike, she tried not to shoe him the full extent of her worry.

"Okay, Twilight!" He grabbed a quill and paper from a nearby shelf and stood at attention, the rush of helping his friend pushing away his tiredness and the ache in his arm.

"Let's go sit on the balcony, Spike, while the sun is still up," Twilight suggested.

"Yeah it's starting to get chill,” Spike answered.

He bowed slightly as he opened the Prench doors that led to the balcony. “Allow me, my lady,” he said with a playful smile.

Twilight batted his crest with the tip of one wing. “Don’t start that, Spike - I'm still just Twilight.” They chuckled together as they headed onto the balcony.

“Oh! Could you bring up the rose I brought home? I think it would look nice on the windowsill.”

“Sure!” He set down the quill and paper and rushed downstairs. Returning with the rose, he hopped onto the table under the window where Twilight kept some of her work. He reached out and put the vase in a spot, then looked back over his shoulder for Twilight’s confirmation. Seeing her smile and nod, he turned the vase so the flower was facing the room.

When he stepped back to admire his handiwork his foot landed on a book with a wet squishing sound. “Uh oh,” he said as his eyes widened. “Books aren’t supposed to go ‘squish’”.

Twilght’s nose wrinkled as a pungent smell wafted to her from underneath the book. She grabbed it with her magic, looking dismayed as she saw the dripping mess of a half-rotted apple pressed into its underside.

“Spike! What a mess!” she said sharply.

“Hey, it’s not my fault,” Spike said defensively. “If you’d remember to eat more often, or even ask me to clean up in here more, it wouldn’t have been there! Besides,” he added with a sad look, “aren’t you always telling me we can’t waste food?”

Blushing, Twilight flipped the book over and set it on the floor, away from her other papers. “You’re right, Spike. I’m sorry. You know how I feel about books,” she finished sheepishly.

Spike sighed and relented. “I know,” he sighed as he hopped off the table and stood over the sticky book, claws on his hips and his face screwed up with distaste. “Phew, it really does stink. I’ll get this cleaned up as best I can, okay?”

“Thanks, Spike,” Twilight answered tiredly. Looking more closely at the book, her heart raced as she realized what it was.

“Oh no,” she cried, her voice rising in pitch. “That’s one of my older books about Star Swirl! I’ll never be able to nggh..” she closed her eyes as the stress shot a spark of pain through her head, and her tail lashed in reaction, swatting Spike on the nose.

“I’m sorry, Twilight,” Spike said sadly, “I really am. I’ll clean it up.”

Shaking her head to try to clear the ache, Twilight sighed again. “It’s... it’s okay, Spike,” she murmured. “I just can’t take much more of this.” She rubbed her temple with a hoof. “Just... please take care of it, then we can get that letter out to Celestia. Then maybe I can take a nap or something.”

Spike nodded silently and bent to clean the book. It wasn’t as bad as he feared; the stain was only on the cover, not on the pages. The book would stink for a while, but at least the information it held would be safe. He scraped up the apple residue, making sure to get the few pieces still on the table, and took it outside to dump in the rubbish.

When he came back in Twilight seemed to have recovered a bit, though he worried about the bags under her eyes. He walked up to her with a smile, though, and saluted her.

“All cleaned up,” he said brightly as he pulled out a quill and scroll. “Ready for that letter now?”

Twilight smiled wanly and cleared her throat noisily. Remembering what Cadance had taught her has a foal, she took a few deep breaths to drive a bit more of her stress away. Feeling a little more relaxed, she spent a minute organizing her thoughts, swallowing as she realized how dry her throat was. She stood and checked the cup on the table carefully before taking a drink from it, glad it hadn’t been there as long as the apple.

She shook out her mane as a she sat back down before the patiently waiting Spike. Nodding at last, she muttered, “Ready as I’ll ever be.” She then straightened and dictated in a clear, calm voice.

“Dear Princess Celestia,

It has been quite some time since I’ve heard from you. May I ask why it has been so long? I am starting to worry that I have failed you in some way. I know you’re busy with your duties in the Court and with the Sun. Did I miss some important spell or task you set me? Am I not learning about friendship well enough? I know you made me a Princess, but I have made taking care of my friends a priority! Are you taking a break? Maybe you met someone?”

“No, wait, don’t put that last bit in!” Twilight exclaimed, blushing.

Spike stopped and stared at her over the half-finished scroll. “You caught me in time,” he said with a little grin.

Twilight struggled for words, grinding her teeth unconsciously. “This isn’t working,” she said half to herself. “I just can’t put everything that’s on my mind into words. “ She looked at Spike, her expression determined. “I’ll just have to fly there and meet with her personally!”

Though he tried to suppress it, a little snort of laughter escaped Spike as he stared at her. As her expression went from quizzical to annoyed he couldn’t keep it in and laughed hard, dropping the quill and scroll as he wrapped his arms around his tummy.

“What’s so funny?” Twilight growled at him.

Recovering, Spike stood up straight. “I’m sorry, but I couldn’t help but remember the last time you tried to fly for more than a few seconds. You certainly can’t make it all the way to Canterlot!”

Twilight huffed at him, but had to admit he was right. She brightened and said, “Well, maybe I should teleport there!”

Looking worried, Spike walked up to her and put a claw on her shoulder. “I don’t think you should do that when you’ve been working so hard,” he said seriously. “That’s a long way to go, and you haven’t been sleeping well lately.”

Finally admitting defeat, Twilight’s head fell. “Well, what’s your solution, then?”

Spike sighed and patted her shoulder. “She probably is just taking a break like you said, Twilight. Maybe you should just take the train and try to relax on the way. You know she’ll be glad to see you when you get there.” He hopped over to the window and pulled the curtain to reveal the train station in the distance.

Twilight’s eyes widened. “The train... oh my gosh! How did I not realize it sooner?” She rushed to the window and pointed a hoof at the empty tracks. “The train hasn’t been here in over three weeks. I wondered about it, but hadn’t heard anything, so it didn’t seem important.”

She looked at Spike with alarm in her eyes. “But that’s exactly how long it’s been since I’ve heard from Princess Celestia!”

Spike grabbed his tail and stuck the tip in his mouth. “You’re right!” he gasped around his tail. “Maybe something really is wrong. Should we get Applejack, Rainbow Dash, and the others?”

“Hmm... no, I don’t want to bother them if I don’t know for sure there’s something wrong,”
Twilight said firmly.

“Well, you’re a Princess now; you could just order them to come with you,” Spike said with a mischievous smirk.

“Spike!” Twilight cried, her eyes blazing with disapproval. “That’s not even funny! You know I’m not like that, any more than Princess Celestia! Besides, they’re my friends – I can’t just treat them like they’re at my beck and call.” She snorted lightly, then calmed when she saw she was scaring Spike.

“Besides,” she continued more quietly, a smile sneaking back onto her face, “if I’m going to live up to being a Princess, I need to be able to handle some things on my own.”

“Right you are!” Spike answered with glad relief, happy that she wasn’t really mad at him. “But... will you at least tell them before you head to Canterlot?”

“Of course, Spike,” she answered, ruffling his crest with a hoof. “I’ll go tell them now, then find out more about the train. If it’s not running I’ll figure out whether to hoof it or work up the energy to teleport.”

“Okay,” said Spike, once more holding his tail as he watched her head for the door.

Twilight turned back and smiled at him. “Aren’t you coming?”

“Oh!” he answered, relief flooding through him. “I... I wasn’t sure...”

Laughing and blushing slightly, Twilight beckoned him with a swing of her nose. “Of course I want you with me, Spike! I’m always going to need my best bud and number one assistant.”

“Yaay!” Spike shouted happily as he followed her out the door and into the streets of Ponyville.

Author's Note

This is Chapter 2. A little more long, a little less interesting but more in key with more character dialogue and happiness. This chapter and the next one after it will probably be the most MLP: FIM TV series style that will appear in this first incarnation as what comes after Chapter 3 will dramatically change the pace. Please keep reading and send me you're comments.

I will honestly be hurt if you send me a comment saying you the story, but be detailed about it. Because I'm always finding way's to improve. So I will accept your harsh feedback viewers.

One thing you must know. A lot of the story will roughly run 8-12,000 words each chapter. You'll be hard-pressed to find me writing 3,500 words each chapter.

Pt. II and Pt. III will be extremely longer. And twice as intense. More action/horror base while Pt. III will have a more somber feel to it.

[UPDATE!]
My mind has changed. Instead of representing the changes in chapter 5, I will probably do it in chapter 8 or 12. So don't worry, the Chapter length exceeded from just 10 to 30 now. Only because these long chapters I'm writing will take forever. Chapter 3 is already passed the 20,000 words, same with Chapter 2. Which I'm redoing for my lower-than average first version. So it's better, more detailed. Thanks to some help and advice I received from people I've met on FimFiction. Chapter 4 is already looking 20,000 also. So for now. I think cutting down the lengths is necessary. Because the long-haul I'm doing is new to me, so I can do it but it would take immense time and Chapter 10 was supposed to be the final. I won't fuck up my promise for Equestria: Z: 2 because that will have long chapters, mind you. Mark my words, Equestria: Z Pt. II and Pt. III are both going to be long. Just number 1 I guess will be long but with several chapters instead of cramming 20-30,000 words into one chapter. Which I know some of you will love. It however looks repetitive when I read it back to myself. So that's the goal. So re-read Chapter 2 because it's totally going to be different for when you read the next chapters.