How Did We Get Here Again?

by lunaisbestpony1

Rating: everyone
Tags: Tragedy, Twilight Sparkle, Cake Twins, My Little Pony: Friendship is Magic, Dark, Sad, Random, Adventure
Length: 2671

Equestria is at war, Twilight has become the icon of the country and the immortal leader of the nation, but she is being used by her guards as merely a figure head to inspire the troops. What's more she's...seeing things.

Twilight is subject to visions from both the past and future. Equestria is at war, Twilight has become the icon of the country and the immortal leader of the nation. She is one of the three alicorn's in existence, one of which is only an alicorn because of a mistake Twi made. She is being used by her royal guards and in the middle of all this mess, she is seriously considering just leaving the conflict all together. But how did she get here? What happened to everypony? How long has it been? Well, read and find out as we pick apart the past one memory at a time.

Cover art by Follow Focus

Published 2014-06-04 22:40:03 UTC
Last updated 2014-06-04 22:40:03 UTC

Pumpkin

Twilights dream began like this: She stood in an old place. Familiar wooded walls surrounded her, bookshelves lined the walls and small comforts and knick knacks cluttered the place giving the whole room a very homey feel. It smelled of books, candle wax, and fresh made blueberry pancakes. Her library home.

Twilight smiled sadly and took in the old sight. She had had this dream before, and it wasn’t really her favorite. She folded her wings and sat by the window letting the soft morning light shining through the curtains warm her. This time she was determined not to cry.

With her comfort, the characters in her dreams entered the dream. She could hear Spike in the kitchen humming a soft tune as he prepared the meal. Twilight closed her eyes as the scene unfolded.

“Twilight” Spike called, “breakfast!”

Twilight opened her eyes and looked on sadly as a purple unicorn trotted down the stairs. Herself. Her young self.

“Thanks spike!” She said trotting by the kitchen and magically snagging the pancake on top of a stack Spike had made. Young Twilight trotted to the door, yelling back as she did “I gotta go! See ya later!”

“But-” Spike said, but was silenced by the slamming door. He sighed and looked at the pancakes, “I wanted to have breakfast with you.” There was no reply to his silent plea. Older Twilight just watched, ashamed, as Spike dumped the last of the food in the trash and dug into his own gem stash atop the fridge.

Spike found a place on the floor and sat beginning to eat.

Older Twilight sighed and found herself walking to the dragon. She took a seat on the floor next to him. “Ah Spike,” She said, “I wish you could hear me.”

The dragon gave no response, he simply munched on his gem, so Twi went on.

“I’m sorry I didn’t spend as much time with you. You know, this morning is one of my biggest regrets.” Twilight didn’t know why she kept talking. The past couldn’t hear the future. No matter how much the future cried. It was something Twilight had learned long ago.

“The funny thing is,” She said, “I don’t even remember this moment, and I couldn’t tell you the date if I tried. I’ve done this…did this, too many times to count.”

With her apology said, she simply went on talking. It didn’t matter what he said, whatever was on her mind would be good. So long as it kept her from sobbing. “I’ve been having these visions more often now,” She said, “they’re worse when I feel guilty, or when I see something from my past. And they’re the worst when I have them outside of my dreams. Just going about my day, and a thought sends me tumbling into the past. Mostly to see you. Not that I regret it much. It’s sad to see you, especially as a baby. But it’s also nice. Nice to remember.” She drew her legs to her chest and gave a heavy sigh. Waiting, waiting with fear, for the scene to shift, for her to return, hoping that it would be soon. Finaly it happened. The area around her began to blur. “I’ll see you later, Spike.” Twilight muttered. Her vision was suddenly flooded with a blinding flash.

The morning light hit Twilights face and she opened her eyes to its warmth. “Nice talking to you.” She muttered, squinting out her window against the sun’s rays. A smile crossed her lips at the sight of the shining sun. This particular morning was one of the few where she was allowed to sleep through the sunrise. Her student was just skilled enough to lift the moon on her own.

Twilight got out of her bed and sauntered to her door, not bothering to wear her crown, or even cast the spell over her mane to make it flow like a true royal. Today she just wanted to look like Twilight.

As her door swung open, she was greeted by a tall slender pony. He was a unicorn, his face had a weasely and rodent-like shape and his coat was a clean white. He wore a waist coat with a pocket watch poking out of the upper pocket. Spiffy black shoes sat on his hooves. His cutie mark was a clock. He bowed low.

“Your majesty.” He said in a squeaky voice. Then he turned up and scowled, “Why aren’t you wearing your crown?” His horn lit with magic and Twilight’s crown flew from her quarters and landed gracefully on her head.

Twilight sighed as the crown adjusted itself and didn’t complain as her mane lit with the persnickety unicorns’ magic and began to flow with the god-like aura expected of a princess.

“Honestly Princess Twilight,” The unicorn began to tug the purple mare with magic and steer her toward the throne room, “What would your subjects think of you if they saw your mane like that? And your crown should be worn at ALL active work hours. It’s tradition.”

“Fine, fine advisor Rabbit.” Twilight groaned, “But one of these days I-”

“Jack.” The unicorn said.

“Excuse me?” Twi raised her brow.

“I would prefer you call me by my full title. Royal Advisor Jackrabbit”

Twilight gave a little smile, “Of course my mistake. But as I was saying, I would enjoy a day where I didn’t have to keep appearances like this.” The two were at the throne room now and Twi stepped away from Jackrabbit to take her throne, “You see, I am the princess of friendship, it’s hard to keep friends around when I’m being swaddled in this constant…” She looked for the right word, “charade I suppose. It all seems very fake, I would like to get to know the ponies of my kingdom without constantly lording over them like a vengeful god. Don’t say it’s tradition to do so either, I know Princess Celestia and Princess Luna both mingled with their subjects on a personal level during their rule. I would very much like to strike out on my-”

“I’ve heard enough Princess. You know as well as I do that you must show no weakness in these times. You must be the cold, strong, and dedicated. A ruler who empowers your ponies to stand up. Not a down to earth mingler. ‘Lording over’ ponies, as you so put it, is exactly what you need to do. Princess, it is your job to be legend. A symbol of Equestria in these hard times. Do you understand that?”

Twilight bowed her head and blushed, her proposal had gone much better in her late night rehearsal. “Yes sir.” She said almost sourly.

“Good.” Jackrabbit looked over to the empty seat next to Twilight and scowled, “We seem to have the second member of our party missing. I will fetch her. Stay put Princess.” He commanded the words, trotting out of the large throne room and walking out the open doors. The guards on the other side shut the door behind him leaving the down-trodden Princess alone.

Twilight scowled at the loneliness, truly she disliked her new status of legend and icon. Years from now, if Equestria won this war, tales would be spun in history books about how the brave leader Twilight led the charge to victory, planning every move from her throne. Foals would sing songs about her imaginary feats and holidays would be held in her honor. But it would all be a lie. Of course, in another timeline, these lies may have been truth. Twilight was great with strategy and planning, but during meetings, the war councils would never let her get a word in on the plans. She had tried.

She felt betrayed. Her own guards had chosen to make her a figure head. Her job was to keep the countries troops inspired. That’s it. But she could do so much more! It was infuriating, with all of the progress she had made, with all of the good relations and bridges she had formed and villains she had faced, something as simple as a war had bumped her back down to smiling and waving.

A part of her, a young strange and bubbling rebellious part, urged her to simply teleport away. The guards could charm a foal to take her shape and do her job. Heck, a foal would probably do the job better, smile, wave, nod at questions from staged reporters. That was about it. A foal would show none of the annoyed bitterness that Twilight had to hide when in public. A foal wouldn’t rebel against the baby proofed mule pucky the castle walls had become.

Her annoyed thoughts were interrupted when the throne room doors swung open. In walked her ex magic student, now Twilights peer. She trotted behind Rabbit, her mind obviously elsewhere as she wore a dorky grin on her face. Her eyes were sparkling blue against her tan mane. Her fiery red hair flowed about her, charged very slightly with a blast of magic but only enough to give it an extra sparkle. The alicorn walked tall in a graceful sort of way, but her grace was interrupted by a simple off balanced moment. The red haired klutz tripped over her own hooves, landing flat on her face on the throne room floor.

Twilight gasped shot over to the fallen student. Checking on her and helping the mare to her hooves. The mare nervously grinned and accepted her old mentors help.

“Pumpkin Cake,” Twilight started, “I swear, you scared me to death. Are you alright?” Twilight said with a hint of amusement in her voice, her good nature shining through in her eyes. But the moment didn’t last, not two seconds after, Twilight suddenly flinched, her head dully hurting, the room beginning to spin. ‘Not now not now not now!’ She thought.

“Tw-twilight?” Pumpkin asked uncertain, “are YOU alright?”

Twilight nodded as the pain began to intensify, “ya, ya, I think it’s another-”

She wasn’t able to finish her thought, as seconds later she found herself standing in a new place. Her head no longer hurt, but she was now completely detached from the present, stuck in a mere vision of the past. “Vision.” She finished, hoping that what she said was heard in the present.

The area smelled of frosting and sweets, Twilight knew the location to be sugar cube corner, back before her student was even old enough to talk. Hoofsteps were heard, followed by the ponies in the vision fading in. Twilight watched her past self enter the room with a concerned looking Princess Celestia in tow. The two walked down the nearest hall led by an overly excited Pinkie Pie.

“And you’re sure that’s what she did?” Young Twilight asked the pink mare.

“Yeppers peppers!” Pinkie gushed. “She saw little pound flying around and she just decided she wanted to fly too! So she started using magic and the two were flying everywhere!”

“And you’re sure it wasn’t just a little burst of magic?” Celestia clarified, “Maybe she only hovered for a second than went back down.”

“No, no, it was very deliberate. The little filly was soaring everywhere! I was so proud! Or else, I would have been, but I was busy trying to catch her!”

“And this was after she phased through the laundry basket? On purpose?” Asked Twi, “Pinkie, fillies her age shouldn’t be able to use magic on purpose like that. Most unicorns have randomized bursts of magic that are powered by emotion! It would be random and make no sense! Thought powered magic CAN be done at a young age, but only after weeks of conditioning one’s self to use a spell when needed. And they would have to learn the spell first, study an incantation or at least study another pony doing the magic. But she’s the only unicorn in her family! There’s nopony for her to watch! Nopony to teach her! It doesn’t make any since. Besides, levitating herself? How would she do that? I couldn’t even do that until at least a year after becoming Celestia’s student.”

Well the young Twilight was ranting, and the older Twilight was giggling at herself and following behind the group. The four arrived in the nursery. Pound and Pumpkin Cake sat on the floor throwing a toy doll back and forth like a baseball.

Celestia walked to the young filly and colt and sat with the two, “Hello Pumpkin, Pound, may I play?”

Pumpkin cocked her head to the side like a curious puppy than giggled, scooping up the doll in her hooves and tossing it to the Princess.

Celestia gave an elegant nod, “Thank you. May we play with magic?” She levitated the doll and placed it gently in the filly’s hooves.

The filly’s eyes shone and she dropped the doll and clapped at Celestia’s levitation spell.

Celestia smiled and levitated the doll once more, “your turn.” She said in a soothing tone.

Pumpkin turned to Pound and grinned, she murmured something in complete gibberish to her brother. Pound nodded and clapped his hooves. The filly grinned, and her horn lit with magic as the doll AND Pound began to hover.

Both Celestia and Twilight were shocked as both of the infants giggled. Pound grabbed the doll in midair and allowed his sister to hover him to the celling before her magic stopped. Pound giggled and began to fall, Celestia was quick to act but her magic was pointless, as inches from the ground the young Pegasus was flying and laughing up a storm.

Pinkie clapped at this. “Woo hoo! Great job you two! You’re really getting the hang of this!”

Both young Twilight and Celestia gapped at the display of magic and raw talent. Young Twilight had just recently gotten over the trouble of levitating living things! And this baby just did it for lols! Pinkie giggled, “Ya, I was totally shocked too when they first showed me! They are so cool!”

The kids were back to playing, Pound tossed the doll at Celestia and squealed for her to throw it back.

Celestia shook her head and stood, addressing young Twilight with her next set of words. “Twilight, it is clear to me that this filly has magic capabilities far beyond the normal foal. Her powers can and will be dangerous if left to her own devises, and I am leaving it up to you to pass on your knowledge to her. I am assigning her to you as an apprentice. Teach her well as I did for you.”

Pinkie cheered.

Twilight nodded determinedly, “I would be honored to teach her what I know. As the princess of magic, I will make it my duty to pass on my ways.”

Old Twilight smiled at this, and as her past self and past mentor discussed further, she walked over to the young unicorn, a sad smile on her face.

Past Pumpkin didn’t notice, as was the norm with figures of the past. Twilight looked into her apprentices blue eyes and said “At least I helped you. That’s one thing I did right.” She blinked, realizing she was looking into the same eyes, but older. Her apprentice stood over her worriedly. “Are you okay Twilight?” Present day Pumpkin asked, helping Twilight to her hooves and steadying her old friend.

Twilight didn’t say anything, she just hugged the mare.

Author's Note

Yay! You got to the bottom of the page! Something you should know about this story, I wrote it literally in the last hour on a caffeine rush, it's like 1am now and I will probably wake up in the morning, read this, and face palm a lot. Oh well, I had fun writing it. I hope it was half way decent! Leave a like if you thought my midnight ramblings were good. But anyway, this is unedited and extremely rough, I'll probably update it in the morning. See ya later.