I Am Alone
b23h:59m:57s
“Ugh, Spike! Do something about these blankets!” Twilight Sparkle wailed as she ran across the Library. “Pinkie Pie’s on her way with the cake, and the others will be here soon for the party! It’s bad enough we overslept, but I don’t have time to pick up after you!” Said the frantic purple unicorn as she raced around, dusting book-shelves and straightening the books on them at the same time.
“Twilight...Can’t you slow down a minute?” Moaned spike as he attempted to pull a crumpled blanket back onto himself. Being Twilight’s assistant since his hatching during her entrance exam into Celestia’s ‘Magic Academy for the Gifted’ still hadn’t changed his sleeping habits; he still wanted to sleep. “The party’s not for another hour...it’s not my fault Pinkie wanted to be early.” Spike attempted to cover his feet with the too-small-to-be-effective blanket.
Twilight Sparkle stopped her running about and stared at Spike. “Spike...” Twilight sighed, “Can’t you co-operate with me for today at least? I’ll let you sleep in tomorrow.” Spike perked up his scaly dragon ears at this. “Really, Twilight?” Twilight Sparkle smiled at this. No matter how he aged, he was still her tired, easily motivated little dragon. “Of course, Spike. It’s Saturday, after all.” Spike groaned at this, remembering he’d get to sleep in anyways. “Wow Twi, such an amazing offer, I couldn’t possibly decline,” threw Spike over his shoulder sarcastically.
Twilight Sparkle glared in his direction as she began going back to her cleaning. “Spike, you know I dislike when you address me as Twi-.” She was cut off as the door blew off its hinges, nearly flattening Spike in his bed as it soared across the room before lodging into the nearest vulnerable book-case.
“ARE YOU PONIES READY TO PARTY!?” Screamed Pinkie Pie as she trotted through what used to be a doorway. “Pinkie! What was that?!” Screeched Twilight as she attempted to dislodge her door from the book-case, shredding her favorite copy of “Equestrian Calculus and How It Relates to Stars” along the way. Twilight snorted before gathering up the shredded book with her magic and tossing it into the waste-basket.
“Oh...That?” Pinkie questioned innocently while gesturing to a large object on wheels behind her. “That’s my new-and-improved Party Canon! But you can call him Buster if you want,” she whispered, leaning over to Twilight. Sighing in defeat, Twilight began helping Pinkie bring in supplies instead of cleaning the library more thoroughly.
As Twilight finished filling the punch bowl, Spike stumbled over to her and glared at her through a shredded blanket piece. “Spike, what did you do to your blanket? I thought it was your favorite!” Twilight questioned as she set out the punch cups. “It was my favorite. And it wasn’t me. Remember the door?” Twilight shooed him back so she could place down mats. “Well...We’ll fix it later, but please arrange the colored ribbons for the party for now,” Twilight encouraged. Spike trudged off to do his part with wishes of a new blanket and another hour of sleep in his head. As he walked away, Twilight paused in her preparation to use a quick energizing spell. She had a small buzz feeling in the back of her head, but she passed it off as not enough sleep
22h:02m:23s
“Did somepony say PAAAARTAY!!” Rainbow Dash cheered as she flew in through the now repaired doorway. Pinkie Pie hopped in Rainbow’s general direction giggling, her cotton-candy-like tail bouncing along behind her. “So,” Rainbow Dash inquired competitively, “Will there be games and contests? ‘CUZ I’M ITCHIN’ TO WIN!”
Twilight greeted ponies as they trotted into her library. As more and more ponies poured in, she began to wonder how much word had spread of her “get-together”. “Oh dear, this is a bit bigger than I imagined,” she mumbled to herself as the number of guests hit 50.
“Umm, Twilight...I, uhh...I just wanted to tell you that, well, we’re out of punch again.” Fluttershy mumbled as she nudged her way in Twilight Sparkle’s direction. “Oh dear, I think Pinkie Pie’s prepping her party cannon again...” Fluttershy commented as she finally reached Twilight through the crowd. “PINKIE PIE! PUT BUSTER AWAY! You’ve already managed to break a door and a window with him- err, it.” Pinkie Pie chuckled as she tied several balloons to the canon, causing it to float into the air.
As the party began to calm down several hours later, and ponies from all over Ponyville began to filter out to go on their way, Twilight finally gave a sigh of relief. Only about 10 ponies still remained, from her estimation, and even they seemed to be reaching their fill of party fever. Rarity made her way over to the somewhat tired unicorn and commented “Darling, this party has been absolutely fabulous! You simply must throw another sometime.” Twilight forced a smile and thanked her after complimenting her new ruby-studded dress. Feeling partied-out, she made her way to a plush chair that had been pulled up near the window.
Settling down, Twilight looked out into the star-lit night and frowned. The nagging buzz hadn’t gone away with the earlier spell she had given herself, and she was beginning to think that maybe it was more than just a lack of energy. As she let her mind wander into more “important” subjects such as tomorrow’s letter, Applejack cantered over to her chair. “How ya’ been, sugarcube? You’re beginnin’ to look a might tired, an’ I’m thinkin’ it’s ‘bout time we wrapped this social gatherin’ up.” Twilight turned to her, startled out of her daydreaming, and asked what time it was. “Ah don’ know. Late, I guess.” Applejack answered, frowning. “Honey, you sure you alright tonight?” Twilight sat for a few seconds, watching the leaves blow outside her window before answering. “I just...I feel as if, I don’t know...Something’s not right out there”. Applejack took that as a no to her question. “Sugar, we need to get you to bed, your eyes are startin’ to look a bit shot.”
17h:33m:51s
Twilight woke up the next morning with a slight headache, and a snoring baby dragon at her feet. She considered waking him to help her clean, then remembered her promise the previous day.
Disgruntled at her current situation, she climbed out of bed as to not disturb Spike, and began descending the stairs to clean last night’s party out of her house. Reaching the bottom of the staircase, she nearly feinted, half from surprise and the other from her increasingly painful headache.
Waiting in the library was...nothing. The party had been completely cleaned out of her house, and even the books were arranged in the right order! Walking up to the table in the center of the room, she noticed a note. Using what magic she could without increasing her headache, she lifted the note and read it.
Dear Twilight,
We couldn’t help but notice you weren’t feeling too good. And, well, since we felt somewhat responsible for the mess, we went ahead and cleaned the place for you after you went to bed. Don’t worry about repaying us; the party was more than enough. And after all, Pinkie sort of owed you for using the canon. Speaking of which...Let her know if you find it...And be careful if you go looking for it.
With much love and care,
Applejack, Rarity, Pinkie Pie, Rainbow (awesome) Dash, and Fluttershy
Twilight couldn’t help but tear up a little at her friends’ kindness. She began inspecting the nearby bookshelves out of habit, when behind her there was an enormous crack of thunder, and the sound of a shattering vase, followed by a cruelly loud BOOM! When Twilight finally decided to lower her magic shield, she found herself staring down the barrel of none other than Buster. Unfortunately for her, the ridiculous looking contraption had decided to land right on top of her newly cleaned oak table.
After about a minute of calming her throbbing head, and thinking of ways to make Pinkie Pie a very unhappy pony, Twilight considered what she should do with the acrid-smelling monster currently denting the floor.
After plenty of consideration, she decided to just teleport it into Pinkie’s room. She figured it would be easier to just leave it to Pinkie Pie than to attempt something elaborate.
Twilight braced herself against the floor, took a deep, calming breath, and began gathering her magic at the tip of her horn. As the magic pulsated from her now glowing horn, Twilight felt her head numb from the headache that was increasing in strength by the second. As she released the magic from herself, and the canon sparked before disappearing, Twilight saw colored spots flashing in her eyes. The last thing she managed to mutter before blacking out on the library floor was, “next time...there will be no punch.”
07h:42m:15s
Swimming from the depths of a relatively blank nap, Twilight slowly opened her eyes to a blinding light in her eyes, a steady beep in her left ear, and some nervous whispering to her right. Closing her eyes against the fluorescent shine above her, she let her eyes adjust before opening them again.
By the time she had, four eager, and somewhat nervous faces were staring down at her. “W-where am I...? What happened?” Twilight mumbled as she attempted to raise herself into a more suitable position. “Calm down, sugarcube,” a familiar voice urged her as she collapsed back onto the bed. Twilight recognized the voice. Who...? Applejack. The voice was Applejack’s. And as soon as she thought it, everything came flooding back to her. The party, the note, the canon. The canon. Twilight bolted up in the sterile-white hospital bed, sending a searing pain through the back of her head. “Pinkie Pie. Where is she?!” Twilight demanded more furiously than she meant to.
Pinkie Pie whimpered like a stricken puppy before slowly walking up to the edge of the bed. “I- I’m honestly sorry Twilight...If I had known that Buster would cause such trouble, I wouldn’t have brought him to the party-” Twilight sucked in a pained breath, cutting off the somewhat scared looking pink pony. “Where is the canon now?” Twilight questioned. Pinkie stared blankly for a full second before answering in a very relieved tone. “Well...You were trying to send it to my room, right?” Twilight attempted to gauge what the question meant before talking again. “Yes...Did it get there all right?” “Well...” Pinkie frowned. “Somewhat. You see, it’s sort of lodged in my wall right now.”
Twilight groaned both at her failed teleportation spell, and at the now returning pain in the back of her head. Pinkie Pie continued, “See, what happened was I was sitting in my room enjoying some after-party cake with Gummy - he likes after-party cake - when suddenly Buster appeared in the smack-center of my wall with a flash!” Twilight just stared at Pinkie Pie, so she kept talking. “At first I yelped - well, more of a yip- or is it a yap? - anyway, I jumped it utter horror, then I realized that you must have found him.”
At this point Rarity interrupted, continuing the story. “Indeed, with Pinkie Making all the ruckus about her returned canon, the rest of us assumed you were up. We made our way to the library, and that is when we found you in the horrible state you were in.”
“Indeed, honey, you was all out cold, and ‘ah nearly had a heart attack myself” Applejack commented. “Quite, we rushed to assist you, and you were rushed to the hospital. I’m not sure if it was a result of the teleportation spell, or some other phenomenon, but your horn was pulsating a bright purple when we found you! It was simply terrifying, darling!”
Rarity and the others simply sat quietly for a few moments after she finished bringing Twilight up to speed. “It was totally freaky, Twi, don’t scare us like that again” Rainbow Dash commented after the silence began to stretch. “The doc. said you can’t use your magic for a while as a result of your injury. He said he’d never seen anything like your pulsating horn, but that it was probably just stressed magic layered on top of exhaustion.” said Rainbow.
After Twilight had finished absorbing all this new information while attempting to stare down Rainbow Dash for calling her “Twi”, she just sighed. “Thanks, everypony, for taking care of me. I really am sorry for worrying you so. I’m sure the doctor was right, and I’ll be out of here in a day or two.”
“No problem, we’ll be nearby the whole time if you need us,” Rainbow Dash summarized for the other four as well as herself. “Get some sleep, darling. You look horrid in a hospital gown; it simply isn’t your style!” Rarity gasped as she walked out the door.
Twilight sighed again, thinking about all that had happened in the past day. A day? Really? Such a short time for so much to have happened. She slowly drifted to sleep again as she thought of numerous tasks she would need to catch up on when she recovered.
Fighting a deep sleep, she couldn’t help but think something was wrong. Twilight had been too busy thinking of everything else; she hadn’t noticed the buzz in the back of her mind as she drifted off.
01h:04m:13s
Twilight surfaced from another dreamless sleep; thirsty. Thankfully there was a cup of water next to a tray of food on the table next to her bed. Gulping the crisp, cool water down, she settled back into the bed. The buzz had now turned into a high-pitched whine in the back of her head. As Twilight reached to alert someone, she slipped into unconsciousness. This time she did dream, and it scared her.
00h:028m:02s
Twilight awoke a second time gasping. The dream quickly faded as she desperately tried to recall it. The whine in the back of her head was beginning to sound like an air-raid siren. She let out a cry of pain as her horn began to throb. She was so focused on the screech in her head, and the throbbing pain, she failed to notice the room was dimly lit by her now glowing horn.
Her vision began to fade as she thrashed on the hospital bed, grasping at the rails and air attempting to find comfort. She didn’t feel the arms on her; she didn’t hear the cries of her friends; she didn’t feel the needle. She was somewhere else: She heard panic; she felt fear; she felt death.
And then she blacked out once again.
00h:012m:21s
“THE SEDATIVE … WEARING OFF, … TOO SOON!”
“I DON’T CARE … GIVING … ANOTHER DOSE … “
00h:09m:33s
“WHAT DO MEAN YOU’RE NOT AUTHORIZED!? SHE NEEDS SOMETHING MORE POWERFUL!”
“R-Rainbow Dash...?” Twilight mumbled.
“TWILIGHT! .. GONNA … ALRIGHT .. STAY … US …”
“I-I can’t...hear you, Rainbow...It hurts...My...head hurts.”
“TWILIGHT?! TWILIGHT!!!”
00h:06m:02s
The world was ending. And Twilight could feel it happening. She knew something was wrong because she had awoken precisely one minute and four seconds ago, and she shouldn’t have known that. But that wasn’t the strangest part. She was staring into the faces of all five of her friends, and three doctors. She couldn’t feel them shaking her, and their voices were just muffled gargling to her ears.
Twilight Sparkle felt heat on her coat, but she was in a dimly lit hospital where there was none. What was worse was she could clearly see some sort of energy sphere forming at the tip of her horn. Although she was deaf to the world, she could tell it was crackling and growing in size and pressure. Twilight attempted to cry out; to ask what was going on, but she couldn’t speak. She could only stare in horror as her horn cracked.
To be terrified was an understatement, she couldn’t explain the depth of horror she felt as the crack on her horn increased in depth and length. She couldn’t feel it, but the heat was turning into a warm breeze on her back. She spent what she thought to be her last few seconds alive wishing it would stop. That the past day hadn’t happened. She wanted to just sleep, and wake up in bed next to Spike with nothing wrong in Equestria.
As the energy fluctuated, she began recovering her senses. The warm breeze faded, the cries of fear disappeared, and Twilight began to think that maybe it was stopping. Maybe, just maybe...it was all going away.
Twilight abruptly lost consciousness. It had felt as if somepony had hit her across the back of the head with a rock, but she figured she had just hit her head on the back of the bed.
00h:01m:00s
Twilight woke up again. And...Everything was normal again. Her five best friends in all of Equestria were sitting at the foot of the hospital bed. The doctors were gone, the sheets were normal, and- It was gone. The noise, the headache, the abnormal amount of magic.
But before she could question what may have possibly been her worst dream to date, she noticed something extremely unusual. “Rainbow Dash... Are you...crying?” As the words left her mouth, she noticed the others were either sobbing, or had been crying. “Everypony...What’s wrong? I’m fine, see?” Rainbow Dash burst into tears, and Applejack just looked at her hooves sullenly. “Sugarcube...Whatever happens, just remember how much we luv’ ya’, alright? Promise me.”
Twilight opened her mouth to say “Of course, Applejack”, but before she began her sentence, she glanced upwards.
In the brief moment she did, Twilight turned the palest shade of purple she’d ever been. Rainbow Dash burst into tears anew, and Twilight looked down from her horn shocked and confused. Before she could form words, everything happened at once.
The room shimmered and faded, returning to the devastated, half-ruined room she remembered from what she thought to be delusions at that point. Standing at the foot of her bed, in between her friends, was Princess Celestia. “I’m so sorry, my little ponies...I can’t hold this containment spell any longer, and her magic could erupt at any moment. It has to be now.”
“I’m sorry, my most faithful pupil. I wish I could change this. Your friends love you, I love you, and Equestria will never forget you for who you were. The most powerful, friendship-forming unicorn you are.”
Twilight Sparkle again opened her mouth to speak.
And the world erupted in a flash of light and sound.
00h:00m:28s
Twilight found herself standing on the top of a hill, overlooking a strange city.
And as the distance lit up, and the world cried out in pain;
Twilight Sparkle realized what had happened:
There had been a wormhole that had formed. And being attracted to the most powerful energy source it could find, it had linked with her.
As a result of her inability to control such power, it had released from her horn, dragging her through while shattering its containment source.
She didn’t know how or when it had formed, but it must have had something to do with the party. Perhaps that energy-boost spell wasn’t what she thought after all. It didn’t matter anymore anyways.
00h:00m:15s
Twilight broke into tears of fear and pain, as the shard of-a-horn that now poked out of her forehead had begun to throb again. And she cried harder as she realized there was no going back. This was the end, and there was nothing she could do to stop it.
00h:00m:12s
As Twilight sat on the hilltop, she remembered the flash, and looked up to see what sort of world she had happened upon.
It was a world at war.
00h:00m:10s
The city lit up once again, and masses of what we would call humans ran from buildings and flooded out of the city in a hopeless attempt at escape.
00h:00m:08s
A warm breeze crawled across Twilight’s back and mane, and with a dawning realization, the bitter truth hit her. It was the warm breeze she had felt in the hospital bed during her fit.
00h:00m:07s
Sirens began blaring in what remained of the city. Loud, screeching sirens that hurt Twilight’s ears.
00h:00m:06s
Another flash, and the sirens were reduced to a subtle blaring.
00h:00m:05s
Twilight watched the city ablaze, and thought of how it was ending. She thought of her friends; scared, sad, wondering where she was. For their sake she hoped that Celestia would wipe their memory.
00h:00m:04s
The sirens were a dull buzz now, almost as if they were vibrating at the back of her head.
Thankfully though, her headache was gone, but that didn’t fix her mood.
00h:00m:03s
She was on a strange planet that burned with fire and hate.
Twilight Sparkle cried.
She was afraid,
She was in pain.
00h:00m:02s
The world erupted in a final flash of light before all was silent.
00h:00m:01s
She was alone.
00h:00m:00s