Author's Note
I'm in a lousy mood and wrote these to calm myself, so like it, dislike it, do whatever you want. It's a writing exercise, and I regret nothing. I will update again when I'm feeling down because writing soothes me.
Twilight Sparkle
The three small fillies that surrounded the purple unicorn laughed and squealed with excitement. They had just gotten out of school, and frequently made the Library their next destination. One of each race between them, they had plenty of books to return, and plenty more new tomes to pick up. With the novels safely in saddlebags, the three ran for the door, waving as they did so.
"Bye, Twilight!"
"Yeah, seeya Twilight!"
"We'll be back tomorrow!"
The unicorn smiled, and closed the door behind them. Off in the corner, a small purple dragon stepped forward, blowing bubbles from a pipe.
"Meet Twilight Sparkle. Resident Librarian, mentor, daughter, friend. A mare with a keen sense of honor and justice, and a bookworm at that. Twilight is no stranger to unusual occurrences, and is just about to encounter one here today. A series of events so unusual, they can't be classified under any known genre, They can only be bookmarked... in the Twilight Zone."
The unicorn was nearly finishing her duties for the day, at least as far as the Library went. After all that was finished, she still had to play caretaker to the dragon under her care, who needed dinner and a bath and to be put to bed. Her work was never done, and it tended to leave very little room for herself. She sat down on a nearby cushion, hoping to get at least one chapter of the newest Daring Do novel in before she had to get up and get going again.
"Alright, let's see here, Daring Do was just about to track down the diabolical Queen Secura, and..."
"Twilight!"
Looking up, the unicorn was surprised to see all five of her friends standing in the doorway. Well, four of them were standing. Pinkie was hovering over all of them, several balloons tied around her middle.
"C'mon, Twiley! We're gonna go on a best friends picnic! It's like a regular picnic, except only super duper best friends can go! AND YOU'RE INVITED!!" She screamed this last bit, to a degree that Twilight cringed from the noise.
"Alright, alright, I'll come." She didn't need to be asked twice, and put the book down. "Just give me a moment to get ready."
"Okie dokie!" Pinkie chirped, and the group receded.
Twilight sighed, and placed the book back on the shelf. There just wasn't enough time for everything, these days. The book slid in most of the way, and seemed to lodge near the back. Twilight frowned, and shoved harder. It still wouldn't give way, and it broke up the uniformity of all the other books to have one stick out like that. They would all have to be fixed.
Swiping her hoof down the row, Twilight knocked every single one of the books from the shelf. She craned her neck down to see what the problem was, and was surprised to find that there was another tome hidden in the back. Odd. She didn't recall ever seeing it before.
Yanking it from the back, the curious unicorn flipped it open. There were hundreds of pages, but only the first one had writing on it.
A chance to live, a chance to dream.
A chance to make all good things seem
Renewed and fresh, one wish you get
And you may just have your desire, yet.
Twilight frowned, and called upstairs. "Spike! Did you get anything from the Enchanted Bookstore again?" It never hurt to ask.
"No! You said I couldn't go there anymore!" The dragon called down.
Twilight looked at the book again. How very strange. She placed her hoof on it, then thought better of it and placed the book back on the shelf. She made a note to investigate it later, and stepped over the books on the floor. She didn't like leaving a mess, but Spike would clean it up, and her friends needed her. She sighed. "I wish I had more time," she said innocently, and stepped out through the door, never seeing the book behind her mysteriously burst into flames.
Out at the picnic, all was well, and fun was being had. Applejack was throwing a frisbee back and forth to Rainbow Dash, and Fluttershy was feeding baby ducks. Pinkie had run off after a squirrel, and Rarity refused to get off the blanket for fear of getting grass stains on her picnic dress.
Twilight arrived just in time to see Applejack hurl the disc into the air, which was easily caught.
"Come on, gimme a hard one!" Rainbow complained.
Twilight shook her head in fondness over their antics, and Pinkie burst out of the nearby grove of trees, chased by an enormous swarm of squirrels hurling acorns at her.
"RUN FOR YOUR LIVES!" Pinkie screamed, bolting past.
Twilight was about to respond, but was overcome by a sudden pain unlike anything she had ever felt in her life. She gave a sudden scream and fell to her knees, attracting the attention of her friends who immediately raced to her side.
"Whatever is the matter, darling?" Rarity asked. "Did you not wait thirty minutes before walking again?"
"I think that's swimmin'," Applejack noted.
Twilight made a grunting noise, and her friends gasped in horror as sinew covered bones burst from her back. Fluttershy stuck her head in a bush, trying not to be sick.
The bone extensions contorted and spread outwards, bound by rapidly growing muscle and flesh and fur. But a new addition caught her off guard, one that Rainbow Dash recognized instantly.
"Feathers!" She exclaimed.
"Wings!" Applejack said.
"But... how?" Rarity asked. "I wouldn't mind them myself, but that looks dreadfully uncomforting, and it isn't my color."
"Not... helping!" Twilight hissed, the new appendages unfolding and stretching before folding against her sides.
"She appears to be an alicorn," Fluttershy said quietly, looking up.
"She appears t'be an alicorn!" Applejack exclaimed.
"That's what I just..." Flutters squeaked.
"How awesome is that?!" Rainbow said. "Aw, yeah! Now come on, back to the best friends picnic! Because we're gonna be friends forever, and nothing will ever take that away!"
Twilight was confused by the wings, but there were worse things that could have happened. Right?
All that had been so long ago.
So very long ago.
Twilight stood in the center of the small circle of graves that had been put in so many years ago. They featured inscriptions worn by weather and time, barely legible now. A butterfly. A balloon. A diamond. She'd lost track of the hours spent out here. Twilight appeared barely a day over her prime, bright purple and full of life. Full of life, and yet, she'd seen so much death. These resting places were centuries old. But they weren't why she'd come here.
The newest resident of the memorial site couldn't even fit in the remaining space. She wasn't sure what they'd done with him. She didn't want to know. She didn't think her heart could take it. Instead, she distracted her mind by turning her attention towards the headstone that had been put in place only last week, featuring words that blurred through her tears and the image of a flame.
She opened the book she'd brought with her, and began to read.
After all, there was time now.
There was so much time.
There are things that are constant in life for every species. Happiness. Sadness. Companionship. Death. But time is not a constant. For some, it goes too quickly. For some, not quickly enough. But Twilight Sparkle has found a constant in time, as it will go on, ever constantly... in The Twilight Zone.
Thanks M.A. Larson
