When She Dies

Hoof steps echoed across the stone floor growing louder with each step.

”Insolent foal. Does thou believe that thou can defeat us? Our night shall be eternal and there is nary a thing anypony can do.”

The buzz of electricity filled the air, growing in intensity until it became deafening.

“As for thee, we shall dispatch of thou immediately. Farewell knave.”

And then there was silence...

______________________________________________________________________________

“Well well well, look who’s back again for practically the millionth time. When will you learn your lesson my dear, Twilight?”

Twilight slowly opened her eyes to find herself in what looked to be an office, laying on a rather comfy couch. She pushed herself up to a sitting position and looked around. The room was huge, with bookcases lining the walls like a library.

Each book was not labeled a title of a subject, but rather a name of some pony.

She noticed a desk in the middle of the circular room where a rather large book was propped up, the title read Twilight Sparkle. She was about to get up and walk up to the book before there was a chuckle that seemed to come from all around her.

“My my, still don’t recognize where you are I take it? How many times must we go through this song and dance before you remember this place‽ Actually, on that matter, do you even remember who I am?”

A creature stepped out from behind the book that Twilight didn’t recognize. She tried to recall anything that looked like it, the best she could come close to was goblins, orcs, ogres and apes.

His hair was jet black and slicked back as if he ran his fingers through his hair from front to back, his eyes different colors; one green and the other blue. His grin seemed to stretch his face from ear to ear as his teeth seemed to shine from the light. His nose barely made an impact on his face, it’s presence overshadowed by his over exaggerated smile.

But what quickly caught Twilight’s eyes was not the disturbed imagery of his face, but the blue suit and tie that he wore which had green vertical pin stripes. The man looked all business but at the same time ready to act as the main clown at a circus.

“What are you?” Asked Twilight, not immediately recognizing what this creature was. This seemed to upset him greatly.

“What am I? What AM I‽ I have told you this EVERY SINGLE TIME you woke up here and you STILL haven’t remembered who I am have you,” asked the man. He had closed the gap between him and Twilight rather quickly, his face nearly touching hers as his hands gripped the back of the couch. Rage filled his eyes and Twilight could see it clear as day. “Can you AT LEAST guess my name‽”

“You’re crazy!” Shouted Twilight, recoiling in shock of the sudden events.

The man suddenly straightened up, his expression quickly changed from rage to amusement as he put a finger to his chin. “No, Crazy would be my brother who lives in the Asylum just outside of Canterlot. I’m sure you’ve met him a few times… Fine, I’ll tell you again; my name is INSANITY. Say it with me, IN-SAN-IT-Y… Oh come on Twilight, you didn’t say it.”

“Insanity?”

“There you go! Now can you guess what it was that we agreed on?”

Twilight remained silent, looking at this creature with a furrowed brow, afraid of what he might do next.

“Are you serious‽ I think she’s serious. Are you seriously telling me that you forgot what we have agreed on,” Insanity shouted as he stomped back to his desk. Suddenly, his demeanor changed yet again as he made a tiny laugh. “Oh that’s right. I’ve been making you forget every time you can here. I can’t believe I haven’t thought of that before. Hahaha!”

“Making me forget? Forget what?”

“All the pain and the sufferings you had to endure, my dear! I thought I was being nice by preventing you from remembering the painful moments. But I guess the mental block was stronger than I intended, making you forget everything you have learned from this experience!”

“I… I don’t know what you are talking about,” Twilight whimpered while curling into a ball on the couch, holding her tail and shaking.

“Of course you don’t know what I’m talking about! Haven’t you listened to a word I just said‽ But you know, I think I’ll let you remember your last venture… Starting from when you left Canterlot by order of Princess Celestia…” Insanity walked over to Twilight, placing a hand upon her head as she started to cry out of fear and confusion.

And suddenly her eyes lit up white.

______________________________________________________________________________

“Twilight, the Princess really thinks you should make some friends! Why don’t you just-”

“Spike, no. I can’t believe that Princess Celestia would just ignore such ominous warnings and send me away to do something so mundane as to supervise the preparations for the Summer Sun Celebration! I thought she trusted me…”

“I’m sure she trusts you Twilight but you have been reading a bit too deep into those story books. Maybe after we check up on the festival preparations, you can look for some answers in the Library?”

“That’s it Spike! You go ahead and take care of checking up on the preparation. That will free up time for me to go and look for a way to convince her of Nightmare Moon’s return!”

“But-”

“No time to lose Spike! I leave it to you to make sure everything is in order,” Twilight shouted as she jumped off the carriage as soon as it landed. “Thank you, Sirs. Give the Princess my regards.”

Before Spike could say another word, Twilight galloped off towards the Golden Oaks Library, having seen it from the sky. She practically ignored everypony who bothered who tried to talk with her and slipped into the library. Time passed as she studied intently, looking for some way to convince her mentor of the dangers that awaited them all.

Twilight woke up to a claw prodding her face, Spike having returned from the inspection. “Twilight, wake up! It’s already almost time for the Summer Sunrise Festival!” Said Spike with a smile, in his other claw he held an ice cream cone decked with several flavors.

“Spike? Ugh, where did you get that ice cream?” Asked Twilight, rubbing the sleepiness out of her eyes.

“My new friend Pinkie Pie threw us a party but you weren’t awake for it. We just finished up and they headed off to the Town Hall to wait for the Princess.”

“The Princess! I have to warn her! I found a book on the Elements of Harmony and it says the only way Nightmare Moon was defeated was through the power of the elements! I have to convince her we need to find them before Nightmare Moon escapes before it’s too late!”

“But Twilight!” Spike watched as Twilight galloped out of the room at full speed, heading towards the Town Hall and sighed. Shrugging, he casually jogged after her as fast as he was willing to go.

Twilight could see Town Hall and was about to use her magic to throw open the doors when they suddenly burst open, a shadowy mist flying out at speeds that made it look like a blur.

“Come back here!” Shouted a rainbow colored pegasus as she tried to give chase, giving up as soon as the mist disappeared from sight. Twilight watched as the pegasus’ head lower in despair as she lowered herself to the ground.

“Excuse me, do you know what that was?” Asked Twilight through her pants.

The Pegasus looked at Twilight, her eyes filled with hopelessness and said, “She said she was Nightmare Moon and she said she ‘did away with’ Princess Celestia.”

Twilight took a few steps back before sitting down on her haunches. She looked at the ground in disbelief as her worst fears have been confirmed.

“But who are you anyways? Are you a spy?!” Asked the Pegasus as she regained her thoughts and senses.

“A spy? For who, Nightmare Moon? I didn’t even know what was going on until now and you think I’m a spy?”

“Well excuse me for seeing somepony new who just so happens to appear right when all this starts up!”

“It’s alright Rainbow Dash! She’s not a spy, she came with me from Canterlot to check on the preparations for the Festival!” Cried out Spike who just managed to catch up.

“Spike? She’s with you?” Asked RD, looking over Twilight with skeptism.

“Yes, I was researching the legends pertaining to Nightmare Moon’s return. and I-” started Twilight until she was interrupted by another voice.

“Hold up, so ya’ll ‘re sayin’ that ya know what’s goin’ on?” Asked an orange pony who emerged from the Town Hall with a few other ponies close behind.

“Hey Applejack, Fluttershy, Pinkie, and… Rarity…” Greeted Spike, the last name he spoke with such adoration that even Twilight picked up he had a crush on.

“Well darling? Are you going to finish what you were saying earlier before you were so rudely interrupted?” Asked Rarity as she moved some hair out of her face.

“Right, I found the only weapon powerful enough to defeat Nightmare Moon can only be found in the Ancient Castle of the Two Sisters. The Six Elements of Harmony that represents Honesty, Kindness, Laughter, Generosity, and Loyalty. The last element is unknown and will only show when a spark ignites the magic of the elements.”

“So all we have to do is go and find these weapons right? Well let me at ‘em!” Yelled Rainbow Dash as she flew up into the air.

“No, I will go alone since one pony would attract less attention from Nightmare Moon. It would be best for you all to go back to your homes and keep everyone here indoors until Princess Celestia is able to raise the sun.” Said Twilight before running off on her own. A few of them tried to call out to her but she ignored them as she believed they would only slow her down.

Her gallop slowed to a trot as she got deeper in the Everfree Forest, the path getting harder and harder to see as the canopy blocked the moonlight more and more. Her trot eventually slowed to a careful walk as she could barely see her hooves in front of her face. She continued until finally she rested against a tree, letting her eyes accustom to the darkness.

“Wow, the forest gets really dark it’s so hard to see even a few inches ahead of me… If only I had a light… Oh right, magic.” Said Twilight with an embarrassed giggle before lighting up her horn, illuminating the area around her to find herself face to face with a pack of wolves made of wood. The lead wolf snarled, baring it’s fangs as it inched closer to Twilight, its yellow eyes glowing with hunger. It lunged forwards to find it’s face colliding into a tree as Twilight ducked and started to run deeper into the forest.

“What do I do? What do I do?” She asked herself over and over again as she started to duck and weave between the trees, doing her best to avoid the jaws and claws of the Timberwolves that wanted to eat her alive.

Sliding to a stop, she found herself at the edge of a steep slope and almost falling over the edge. She quickly turned around to see the Timberwolves slowly inching towards her, watching intently for any signs of movement to anticipate how she would try to escape. One finally grew tired of the waiting game and lunged at Twilight, its jaws snapping at thin air as Twilight fell backwards down the slope and finally into the river. The Wolves peered over the edge, howled in anger of losing a meal and disappeared.

Twilight burst out from under the surface of the water, gasping for air after being stunned from the fall. She coughed up some water that managed to slip into her lungs before looking around. She was finally safe from the wolves but now she realized that she would have to drag herself through the river to reach the other side of the bank where, at the top of another slope, she could see the tops of towers that just had to be part of the castle she was looking for.

“Oh Princess Celestia… I wish you would have listened to me and prepared yourself for her return…,” said Twilight as she tried to pull herself onto what looked like a stepping stone that spanned the river. But as she managed to get her full weight on it, the stone shifted and a tail threw her back into the river.

Twilight burst through the surface with another desperate gasp for air before seeing what it was that threw her. A giant crocodile had woke up when she tried to climb it and was now looking at her with such hunger in its eyes. Twilight screamed as she knew she was no match for the beast in the water but her cries for help was cut short as a shadow blocked out not only the moonlight, but the entire sky.

There was a deafening screech as something heavy crashed through the surface of the water and what sounded like giant wings flapping pulled the shadow away from the surface. Twilight dared to open her eyes towards the shadow to see it flying away as a silhouette against the luminescent surface of the moon, the shadow of the crocodile as a tiny speck in its talon. Twilight immediately recognized the bird-like shadow as a Roc, a bird claimed to be as large as a mountain and lays stone eggs the size of hills once every thousand years or so.

As Twilight pulled herself onto the shoreline, she collapsed in a whimper. She didn’t want to do this anymore. She was tired, battered from the elements, her confidence was beaten by the struggles against the forest, and to top it all off she may have to confront Nightmare Moon to retrieve the Elements of Harmony. She laid there on her back, staring at the stars in the sky and the moon that was now bare of the mark that was the proof of the legend as her mind started to grow blank.

Almost as if someone was calling for her to move, she could feel herself being forced to her stand. No matter how much she fought it, she could feel herself getting up. Behind her eyelids, she could see images of ponies in pain, suffering under the tyrannical rule of Nightmare Moon and she started to steel herself. She couldn’t let this future happen without giving it her all. She may not be able to defeat Nightmare Moon on her own with her meager powers, but maybe she could get the Elements to ‘spark’ like it said in the reference guide, she could use their powers with the final hidden element and defeat the Evil Goddess.

It took her a half hour to find a safe way up the river bank and get to the front of the castle. Her breath was heavy, not from the long trip but from the anticipation of confronting her worst fears and nightmares. She stepped lightly through the front entrance, her eyes scanning the walls, balconies, the rafters, everywhere for any signs of the evils that await her… She scoured the hallways, the dusty rooms, the library (where she did her best to keep herself focused on the task at hand), and finally found herself in the Ball Room where a statue near the back caught her attention. A mysterious structure bearing five orbs of stone with a strange marking on each one of them which, Twilight could guess, represented the element they were supposed to portray.

“The Elements.” Said Twilight with a look of joy as she started to run towards the statue. But she slid to a stop as she watched a purple and black mist rise from the ground and swirl around the statue, a heinous laugh filled the air as Nightmare Moon stood upon the nearby stage with the elements laying on the ground around her.

“We must applaud thee, our little pony, for thou hast done well to make it this far. Pray tell, what is thy name.” Asked Nightmare Moon, her voice thunderous as she used the Old Canterlot Royal Voice as she found proper.

Twilight hesitated, her eyes fixed on the elements for a moment before looking towards Nightmare Moon with determination and strength. “My name is Twilight Sparkle, student under the direct supervision of Princess Celestia.”

“Twilight Sparkle? Thou hast a very mysterious name. She has chosen well to have a pupil strong enough to brave the forest and find herself standing before us. But we have a proposition for thee: Thou leaveth Celestia’s side and join us as our pupil. It would be nice to have such a promising youth to serve under us.” Said Nightmare Moon with a laugh.

Twilight didn’t even bother with a response as her horn started to glow, her head lowered towards the ground as she pointed her horn towards Nightmare Moon. “Thou must be joking. Does thou truly believe that thou can defeat us? Fine, if thou shalt stay loyal to Celestia, then you can join her in eternal nightmare!”

Twilight fired a beam of magical energy from her horn before Nightmare Moon slipped around it was a wisp, her essence quickly surrounding Twilight before flinging her into a nearby pillar. The unicorn screamed out in pain as she could feel a rib crack upon landing on the ground and slowly tried to push herself to her hooves through the pain. Stumbling to her hooves, she watched as the mist materialized through her tears before a beam of light struck the ground beside her, launching her into the middle of the room the cracked rib fully breaking and digging deep into her muscle.

She screamed as she felt a hoof fall upon her side, digging into her body and making it so much harder to breath. Through the haze, she found herself staring longingly at the entryway as she heard the voice of Nightmare Moon shout at her but her senses were dulled from the pain. A bright light started to blind her as she whispered her final words: “Somepony… Anypony… Please help me.”

______________________________________________________________________________

Twilight suddenly awoke from her vision to find Insanity sitting at his desk, reading a book with bubbles over the cover. He was laughing periodically while pushing up his reading glasses when they slip down his nose. He looked up towards Twilight who was staring at him and with an awkward laugh, he set the book down and took off his reading glasses before standing while clearing his throat.

“I was, er, reading up the lifestyle of a particular pony I’ve never had the pleasure of meeting first hand. She… Well, she screws up everything she does… Because of her eyes you know… And she, well… Where the hell am I getting at and why am I still talking about it? Welcome back Twilight! How was your trip back from the movies?”

“Trip to the what?”

“The movies! You know, pictures on the big screen? Well, in this case you were dreaming weren’t you…? Maybe I should have said, ‘Good Morning, how was your nap?’ No, that wouldn’t be right either...”

“So no matter what I do, I’m no match for Nightmare Moon… I guess that’s it then. It’s all over…”

“What are you talking about Twilight? Why do you think you are here in the first place! Why do you think I’ve been pulling you here time and time again after each and everyone of your failures?”

“What are you talking about? This is the first time I’ve even seen this place!” Shouted Twilight as she stamped her hoof on the coffee table just in front of her.

“Oh that’s because I screwed up and kept making you forget over and over again. But now you will remember what you have done before! I mean, that’s what the whole point of this game we agreed on after all.”

“Game? What game?”

“You don’t remember the game?! Of everything that has happened between us Twilight, I’ve thought you would at least remember that one little detail. Do I really have to go over the game and it’s rules with you? I’ve already explained it a thousand times over,” said Insanity as his shoulders slumped and he fell back into his office chair, spinning around as he did so.

“And who’s fault is that? Certainly not mine,” said Twilight with an annoyed look. “If you made me forget everything over and over again, that’s something you are going to have to deal with.”

Insanity leaned back in his office chair until he suddenly fell with a sudden yelp, snapping Twilight out of her attitude as she looked towards the desk. Suddenly, Insanity appeared sitting next to her, making her nearly jump off the couch. “Relax, my dear Twilight. Just relax. I’ll fix everything in time. While I do, I guess I’ll just go ahead and tell you about the game:

“The game is designed to have you live your life over and over again until you live the best possible life, a life where you die of old age and with no regrets. The rules are simple: 1) You die, you start over…”

Twilight stared at Insanity for a moment before raising an eyebrow. “And?”

“And what? That was it! No more rules, just live the best life you could! But you know what, I think I shall add one more rule to the mix: 2) If you tell anypony about the game, you must start over again. This means you can’t even tell Princess Celestia about the game or how you know what will happen. I don’t want them all to think you are crazy now do we?”

Twilight looked towards the ground, thinking her options before turning her head towards Insanity only to find him inches away with his toothy grin and eyes opened wide. “So you ready to go?” Asked Insanity as he raised a hand. Before Twilight could say anything, Insanity snapped his fingers and her world went dark.