Worlds Betwixt

A few hours later:

“Why did you call us all here Twilight?” AJ asked as she entered Twilight’s house.

“I got a letter from the princess.” Twilight said, glancing around at her friends, then to J (who is on the couch by the way).

J straightened up and stared curiously at Twilight as he waited for her to begin explaining.

“About what?” Dash asked curiously. “Some new evil rising that we need to stop?”

“Oh please, I don’t think anyone would attack right after Nightmare Moon.” Rarity said.

“Hey, you never know!” Dash said.

“We don’t know if it’s good or bad, just that something strange is happening in the ruins of Luna’s old castle.” Twilight said.

“That sounds interesting.” Dash said as she stared intently at Twilight.

“Any idea what could be causin it?” AJ asked.

“No idea… Isn’t it exciting?!” Twilight asked giddily.

“Um… maybe.” Fluttershy mumbled.

“Well… New isn’t always bad.” J laughed. “This could be the greatest discovery of a lifetime… or just someone doing something stupid. Either way it’s going to be fun to find out.”

“Let’s do this then!” Dash said restlessly.

“Alright alright… J you coming?” Twilight asked.

“I’m going to have to pass… I’m still a little doped up and… I think a bed is going to be the only place I’ll be when it wears off.” J said.

“Okay, just rest then.” Twilight smiled, poking his cheek gently.

“Don’t worry I will.” J smiled as he grabbed her hand and squeezed it.

“Now!” Dash said impatiently, flicking Twilight’s horn. Twilight twitched and the six of them disappeared in a flash of violet light.

J sighed and shakily pushed himself up off the couch. He took a few steps before his leg gave out and sent him face first onto the floor. “DAMN IT!” He shouted.

“Twilight told you not to walk without help!” Spike said from the kitchen.

“Fine then help me get up to the bed!” J said.

“How do I do that?” Spike asked, looking at the height difference.

“Nn… Never mind… Just get me a pillow…” J sighed. “And a blanket…”

The girls found themselves back in the castle they had been in the previous night, this time it seemed a lot less creepy.

“So where exactly are we looking?” Dash asked.

“I dunno. Maybe we should split up and look for clues?” Twilight suggested. Fluttershy shook her head violently.

“Why would that be a good idea? If there is something here it’d want us to split up.” Dash stated.

“I dunno… Was just a suggestion!” Twilight huffed.

“Let’s just start searching.” AJ said. The six of them began to walk around the main room to thoroughly search it.

Dash approached Twilight, “So.” She said as if expecting Twilight to know what she was talking about instantly.

“So?” Twilight said quizzically.

“You do anything yet?” Dash asked curiously.

“About what?” Twilight asked.

“You do know none of us saw you leave the hospital until J left. With you.” Dash said. “So. What did you two do?”

“We just slept together.” Twilight shrugged.

“Oh? How was it?” Dash asked with a grin.

“Good I guess. He’s really nice.” Twilight smiled.

“I noticed.” Dash chuckled. “You know, I wouldn’t think you’d be the kind of mare to take things that fast.” She commented.

“Well he didn’t want to be alone. So I just climbed into the bed and… You know, slept.” Twilight shrugged. “If you felt alone I’d do the same with you.”

“You… oh. Oh! I thought you legit slept with each other!” Dash said quickly. “Oh god I feel stupid right now…” She started to laugh.

“What?” Twilight asked curiously.

Dash just fell silent and stared at Twilight, “You don’t…” She facepalmed, “I thought you two had sex in the hospital!”

The entire castle shook, a couple pieces of broken stone fell from the walls.

“Everyone alright?” AJ asked loudly as she looked around. Fluttershy clung to Applejack and nodded.

“Yes dear… But I do think we should hurry up.” Rarity suggested.

“We should find where that came from.” Dash stated.

“Let’s do it then!” AJ said. Twilight lifted her foot and took a step, the ground in front of her immediately cracking. Dash instantly pulled her back.

“The floor’s not stable…” Dash started.

“Oh! There must be nothing underneath it then!” Pinkie said.

“We should check it out then.” AJ said slowly. Twilight’s magic created a runway across the room for everyone to walk on, leading to what she assumed was the basement.

“Come on!” Dash said as she rushed across the runway. The six of them slowly descended into the basement and its’ many… many stairs.

“Ah...mng...phh…” Twilight panted, her chest heaving.

Dash hovered beside her and started laughing. “You know Twi… You could have just teleported down. Right?” She asked through her laughs.

“Shhh….hhh… must conserve breathing…” Twilight huffed.

“This place is… really dark.” Fluttershy whispered.

“We have two unicorns.” Dash said. “Sooooo…”

“Yeah… two.” Twilight nodded slowly. Rarity sighed, her horn lighting up and illuminating the area.

“There we go!” Dash said.

“Why didn’t the princess tell yah about this?” AJ asked.

“Maybe she didn’t know.” Twilight shrugged, walking forward into the dimly lit room.

“Then… what could be down here?” Dash asked a little cautiously.

“It’s a mystery!” Pinkie cheered, hopping into the darkness ahead of everyone.

“Pinkie wait up!” AJ said as she chased after Pinkie. There was a loud thunk.

“Ow!” Pinkie yelped. Rarity and the others rushed forward to see AJ and Pinkie standing in front of a kind of… coffin. It was covered in chains and symbols, writing.

“Woah.” Dash said. “This… is new.”

“What’s inside?” Fluttershy asked curiously.

“What’s usually in a coffin?” Dash rolled her eyes. A loud bang from inside the coffin caused everyone to stumble back. “Never mind I was wrong let’s leave!” Dash stammered.

“We can’t.” AJ stated, albeit a little shakily. “The Princess wanted us ta check this thing out.”

“And we have!” Dash said quickly.

“Maybe… Dash is right.” Fluttershy mumbled, clinging tightly to the blue pegasus.

“Now girls… Someone could be hurt. Think of it in… whatever is inside’s body. Trapped and alone…” Twilight started.

“The coffin’s in chains.” Dash said. “Think about why that would be.”

“I don’t know… Maybe we SHOULD go back and ask Celestia.” Twilight nodded slowly. Pinkie approached the coffin and started poking it. Every time she touched it, the castle shook.

“Pinkie knock it off!” AJ nearly shouted.

“Oooo it’s like I’m playing the drums! I see a running theme here!” Pinkie giggled, pounding on the coffin and making the ground shake with each pound (in a rhythm of course).

“PINKIE!” Dash shouted. Pinkie continued to hit the coffin, but the shaking stopped moments later.

“Daww… I broke it.” Pinkie sighed.

“Maybe… that’s good…” Dash muttered as she slowly stepped back. There was series of knocks from the interior of the coffin, seeming to be in the same pattern that Pinkie was doing earlier. “Oh fuck.” Dash stated. Pinkie tapped three times, and was replied with another three taps. A wide smile hit Pinkies face as she giggled.

“Um…” AJ started as she turned to Twilight. Twilight shrugged, just as uncertain as everyone else.

“HELLO!” Pinkie shouted. “DO YOU NEED ASSISTANCE?”

“Pinkie…” Twilight started.

“ONE TAP FOR YES, TWO FOR NO!” Pinkie said. A few moments of silence later, everyone heard one tap. Pinkie turned back to the rest of the group.

“It was just shaking the entire castle.” Dash stated.

“If I was stuck in some dark box I would shake the castle too!” Pinkie laughed.

“It’s chained in there. Chains aren’t usually a sign of it being nice.” Dash stated. There was one tap from the coffin.

“Well it can definitely hear us.” Rarity said. There was another single tap.

“Nn… I’m not freeing it.” Dash stated.

“What do you want us to do mr. coffin man?” Pinkie asked. There was a tap. “Yes what?”

“Pinkie. Taps can’t give us defined answers.” Dash said. The tapping started again, this time it was three times.

“Wait, what does three mean.” Pinkie asked, putting her ear up to the coffin. The tapping started again, growing north. Pinkie followed the tapping, which stopped on one of the symbols. She raised a finger and was about to touch the marking.

“Pinkie stop!” AJ shouted. “Just because its’ askin to be freed doesn’t mean we should!”

“We should at least take procautio-” Twilight stopped as Pinkie touched it. Everyone stood silent for a moment as nothing happened. “Good… Nothing happened. Now just step away and…”

Pinkie started rubbing it, smearing the symbol off the coffin.

“WHAT THE HELL!” Dash shouted sounding more fearful then angry. As a small part of it smudged, the symbol disappeared entirely. One of the many chains broke, the pieces falling to the floor. There were as many symbols as there were chains. Everyone except Pinkie stepped back from the coffin.

“Pinkie maybe we should wait for the princess to know about this before we go releasin whatever it is.” AJ said.

Pinkie stuck her tongue out and rubbed her finger across another symbol, making another chain break as it disappeared.

“She isn’t going to listen.” Dash stated.

“Yeah... “ AJ nodded. Pinkie hummed as she rubbed her hands against two symbols at a time. Two of the chains immediately broke.

“Maybe we shou… Nnn…” Dash muttered. “She isn’t going to stop until it’s done…” She sighed. “We can help.”

“I wanna do it!” Pinkie whined.

“Fine…” Dash sighed again. Pinkie continued until there was only one chains left, smiling eagerly as she stared at it.

“Here comes whatever’s inside the coffin…” AJ mumbled. Pinkie licked the last symbol and spun around, showing her tongue was glowing with the ink that was on it.

“Ooooph… tonguesh.” Pinkie said.

“Oh god here it comes.” Dash said as she and everyone except for Pinkie stepped back. The final chain dropped off, and nothing happened. The six of them were left in absolute silence.

“Well that’s… good.” AJ said. There was a single tap.

“It can’t remove the lid.” Dash sighed. There were two taps. “Or… it can…” She mumbled. The coffin made a crackling sound as a crack started at the top and slowly moved down. Fluttershy hid behind Rainbow.

“Everyone get ready!” AJ said. Dash nodded and got into a lower stance. Pinkie stood excitedly in front of the coffin and hopped up and down.

“Oh dear.” Rarity mumbled, taking a step back.

“Pinkie get back here now!” Dash shouted. Twilight’s magic grabbed Pinkie and yanked her back behind everyone. The split coffin opened like a door, and a tall, seven foot pony in all black walked out. The thing that caught their eyes was the head, and the fact there was none...

“AH!” Fluttershy screamed, bolting away and flying upstairs.

“Holy shit.” Dash muttered quietly. The headless pony stood there silently.

“Pinkie... Why…” AJ mumbled. The dark figure walked towards the group, the sound of his black metallic clothing rattled, now realizing they must be really, really heavy.

“We should leave. Now.” Dash stated. The pony stopped and turned to Rainbow. “Now!” She said as she started to back away from him.

“It’s scary up here! Is the scary pony gone?” Fluttershy called down.

“NO!” Dash called back up. The pony approached the group and stopped, seeming to stare with it’s eyeless body, sending a chill down their bodies.

“It was a really bad idea to release him.” AJ stated as she shot a glance back at Pinkie. Pinkie ran past everyone and hugged the unusually tall pony.

“That isn’t going to work on everything we meet!” Dash said quickly. The figure paused for a moment, staying still, its’ attention shifting down to the pink pony. “Pinkie…” Dash started. The pony’s arms moved out slowly, looking as if it was about to grab her. Dash got down low and prepared to rescue her friend. His arms wrapped around her gently, inciting a giggle from Pinkie.

“Okay… This is just…” AJ mumbled.

“You should come home with us and see Ponyville!” Pinkie exclaimed.

Dash slowly blinked. “I… G…” She muttered.

“Sugarcube. He doesn’t have a head. Ah think people will take about as kindly to him as we just did.” AJ said. “Possibly even worse.”

The pony walked past the group slowly and started to approach the stairs.

“No one listens anymore!” AJ groaned. Twilight’s magic lit up and created a wall in front of the stairs. The figure stopped for a moment before turning to the group again.

“Twilight… I don’t think it liked that.” Dash said quietly. AJ stepped in front of Twilight. The headless pony approached Applejack, stopping and seeming to stare down at her.

“I’m not going to let you hurt any of mah friends.” AJ stated as calmly as she could. It’s hand grabbed the back of AJ’s shirt and lifted her up. She struggled against his grasp. The pony moved her slightly out of the way and set her down gently. AJ took in a few deep breaths and stared at the pony.

“You stay away from Twilight.” Dash growled.

“Will you stop being mean to our new friend!” Pinkie practically screamed, snapping everyone’s (or mostly everyone’s) head to her.

“I… but…” Dash mumbled.

“How do we…” AJ started. The pony approached Pinkie and lifted her onto his shoulder, turning back to the others.

“Okay… maybe we should calm down a little…” Dash started. The pony approached Dash and tapped her forehead once. Dash pushed his hand away.

“That means yes.” Pinkie giggled.

“I know what it means.” Dash grumbled.

“Sooo.” Pinkie said, kicking her feet and smiling as her heels hit his clothing, making a clanking sound each time.

“I don’t know.” AJ said quietly.

“Away!” Pinkie declared, pointing forward. The pony walked to the stairs once more. As he climbed it and disappeared, everyone heard a scream as Fluttershy appeared and bolted into Rainbow Dash.

Dash caught Fluttershy. “He’s… not going to hurt you.” She sighed.

“But he’s... “ Fluttershy paused for a moment. “He?”

“Well. I assume it’s a he.” Dash said. “But… It’s hard to tell with all that armor on.”

“It is?” Fluttershy cocked her head.

“What?” Dash questioned.

“I love him!” Pinkie shouted from upstairs.

“Let’s… get him back to town…” Dash sighed as she flew up to the top of the stairs.

“I’ll be right back.” Spike said, hopping up the stairs and disappearing into Twilight’s room. J continued to snore, his arm dangling off the couch. He choked on his snoring as a knocking on the door shook him.

“Nnah… Who’s there?” J called loudly. The door handle turned and slowly creeped open. J was caught off guard, staring at the tall black pony without a head as it walked in. “Holy shit!” He shouted, he threw himself back and knocked the couch backwards sending him painfully to the floor. “FUCK!” He shouted. The figure walked over to the toppled couch and stood in front of him. “So much pain… I think I re-broke a rib…” J groaned as he gripped his chest. He shakily stared up at the tall figure. The pony pushed the couch back up and kneeled down beside J. “Hi… there…” J mumbled quietly, still a little uncertain about the strange pony. It placed a hand on J’s chest. “What are you doing?” J questioned as he started to struggle only to realize he wasn’t being held down. Not a moment later, the pain he had been feeling disappeared. “Huh?” J mumbled. “What’s… going… on?”

The pony stood up and extended a hand.

“Um… Okay?” J questioned as he extended his own hand and shook the pony’s. J’s hand was grabbed and he was pulled to his feet. “Not a good idea!” J said quickly as he was fully prepared for his ankle to give out. The pony stood there patiently, waiting for something that wasn’t going to happen. “Oh… you healed that too…” He mumbled, taken by surprise by the fact he was healed so quickly. “That’s… new…”

The pony turned to the door as Pinkie and the others ran in. “J what are you… you’re… standing?” Twilight stammered.

“Yeah… Thanks to him.” J said as he stared at the pony. “Whoever he is.”

The pony walked over to the bookshelves and scanned them, searching for something.

“So… he’s what was causing that disturbance?” J asked curiously. “Doesn’t seem that bad.”

“Yeah. Now he doesn’t. But he was in a chained up coffin underneath the castle.” Dash said.

“So. I chained myself in a cave.” J shrugged. “Look what happened after I got out.”

The pony found a book, pulling it from the shelf and bringing it over to the couch. The title was ‘Through A Gryphon’s Eyes’.

“That’s…. a random choice.” AJ said.

“I’d expect something… completely different.” Dash said. The pony set it down on the table in front of them and the title of the book blanked.

“Wh… Stop that!” Twilight stammered.

“It’s already too late to stop it.” J sighed. The front of the book changed, saying only a single word.

‘Stardust’

“Huh.” AJ said.

“I think that must be his name…” Fluttershy suggested.

“Your name’s Stardust?” J asked. The pony tapped once on the book.

“That’s a yes.” Dash stated. Stardust opened the book, now showing everyone that the entire book was blank. Twilight practically cringed at the sight.

“I’m sure he can bring it back…” J said hopefully. The first page changed, showing a picture of normal ponies in an older looking town.

“That’s… cool.” AJ said. Words started to appear under the picture.

‘Before Ponyville, there was a town named Betwixt.’

“Didn’t… know that…” Dash said. “What ever that is…”

“Yeah… Don’t know what that is either.” AJ said.

“It means between.” Twilight said in her usual intellectual tone. Star moved his hand to the next blank page. A picture of what looked like the town, with Canterlot in the distance.

‘It was named Betwixt, because it was settled between Canterlot, and the Everfree.’

“That makes sense.” J said. Star turned the page, this time the picture and words were already there. It was a picture of crooked and dark looking trees.

‘The Everfree prevented the farming, and prosperity of anything nearby, hence why a town had never been build that close, until some attempted to defy the dark avatar of nature.’

Everyone stood silent and looked at the page, waiting for the next one to be turned. The next page was of the town again, with the dark Everfree in the distance.

‘Their crops (as expected) died, but they pushed on and ate scraps. The winds tore down their houses, but they rebuilt. The cold chilled them to the bone, but they bundled together, laughing and playing games.’

“That’s… good… they didn’t give up.” AJ said quietly. The page turned, and a picture of the town, this time much larger.

‘They pushed on, receiving food from Canterlot and other settlements. When the storms came, the pegasus came and blew the clouds away. When the roots encroached on their roads and houses, the earth ponies stamped them out. When the fires went out and the winters grew cold, the unicorns banded everyone together in the warmth of their magic. The shy grew confident, the brave grew stronger. The ones who had more, shared their food and wealth with the weak and poor.’

Everyone looked at each other, the fighting and arguing they had been doing now resurfacing in their memories.

“That sounds… like…” Dash started to say.

“Us…” The rest finished. Star turned the page once more, revealing a picture of the Everfree again, but more menacing, with a pair of angry looking eyes at the top.

‘But where people thought nature was a mother, attempting to harden its’ children and make them stronger… They were wrong.’

The page turned again, revealing ponies of all kinds, locked in their homes. Dozens of pairs of red eyes were seen in the blackness of the dark Everfree, staring toward the town.

‘It was not a kind mother, or tough love. It was an abusive father, who enjoyed the suffering of its’ children. And it did not take kindly to resistance.’

J closed his eyes and shook slightly. The page turned and a broken door was seen, the doorway to a dark house just beyond. Claw marks were all along the frame as if something had broken in.

‘Ponies who wandered into the Everfree returned with a sickness, a sickness that spread. It turned some into monsters, while it simply drove others mad. All who entered Betwixt grew infertile, weak, and poor. What kind of land is that where a rarity is that of a child’s laughter?’

Rarity looked over at Pinkie and remained silent. Pinkie’s gaze had already met Rarity’s, the two simply scooting closer to each other. The page turned, revealing dark skies with clouds as black as night, and needle like thorns as sharp as razors.

‘Where the pegasus lost, the unicorns stepped in and weaved the thorns from the black clouds, using them to help sow blankets and clothes, and the ponies of Betwixt continued their lives as normal. Father Nature did not approve.’

Twilight and Dash had already gotten closer to one another. The next page revealed larger roots entwining their buildings, trapping them in their homes. Vines strong and thorny, with trapped and worried faces in the windows.

‘The vines grew sharper, stronger, longer… But the earth ponies stood up and planted a tree within soil from their old home of Canterlot, and over the years watched it grow.’

The girls looked at one another for a few moments before all gazes shifted to the tree they were inside of. The page turned, revealing a very familiar looking tree, with windows and figures inside.

‘Even in a strange place, things can seem familiar. Their tree grew large enough, and the people of the town found life in a lifeless land. And that life spread. Crops began to grow as the roots filled the town’s soil, and the Everfree’s receded. But the infertility and sickness stayed.’

The girls glanced between each other for a moment as they each thought about how they had ended up here. The pictures on the next page showed larger creatures, those that none could overpower as they marched through the town.

‘As the anger of Nature grew, as did its’ creatures and disease. On the verge of disaster and defeat, Nature laughed at the victory it had strived for. But something happened that no one, not even Nature expected.’

The girls stared intently at the book, all of them wanting to know what happened next. The page after revealed a light, with a tall figure standing over the horizon. It had wings as white as the light it bathed in, with features smooth and silky.

‘An angel descended, sick of the cruelty of Nature and the wrath it was besetting upon its’ own people.’

Their curiosity peaked but none of them spoke up because they understood the answer would be revealed in time. The page turned to a crowd of ponies, laughing and celebrating. The angel healed the sick and made the town fertile, both womb and soil. Nature’s fury peaked at the prosperous town.’

All six of the girls smiled a little. The page turned, and the scene had changed to that of sadness. Kneeled on the ground was the angel, holding a young boy in his arms. The town had gathered around him, their faces out of frame, but streaks of blue could be seen running down their clothes in the shape of tear drops.

‘While the angel healed, Nature conspired. The child wandered too close to the forest, and was pricked by a purple thorn. It was poison, but a special one. The angel’s healing touch did the opposite of what he wanted, and the poison reacted. He watched the child’s life fade away, the gleam of his soul fading as his watery eyes grew still. Nature laughed at the loss, at the angel’s fault. Should he have done nothing, the boy would have been fine. The angel’s greatest asset, in that moment, became his greatest fear.’

Stardust’s arms were limp at his side, his hands gripping the couch cushions tightly. The girls moved to Stardust’s side and hugged him. The page turned on it’s own, and revealed the town watching the angel, who had his back turned to them.

‘The angel turned away from the people, but only to face the forest that had troubled them and caused the pain they had grown so fond of. The previously angelic appearance, was now dark, in black clothing. It’s wings were not of light and hope, but fire. Flames of rage, and vengeance.’

The girls remained silent as the looked at Stardust, none of them stopped hugging him. The next picture showed the angel surrounded by solid black figures, hunched over and filled with hate.

‘The creatures of the forest laughed at him. He ignored them, continuing to the heart of the forest. As if welcoming him, a set of stairs carved itself into the wall of the dark valley in the center of the forest. The angel approached a tree, torn and jagged, looking warped by something sinister. In the center was a face… A face that laughed, a cold, cackling laugh.’

The girls shivered at the words as a cold feeling rushed over each of them. The page revealed the black angel with wings of made with that of fire, burning the tree to the ground.

‘Nature laughed as he died, not angry, not in pain… But happy.’

A sick feeling fell over each of them. The next page revealed the angel staring at the town, and a horror washed over him, extinguishing the flames of anger.

‘Without something controlling them, the beasts grew sentient… feral. The town was being torn apart.’

Silence prevailed the room. It was as if all sound had just died and refused to enter anymore. The next page showed a field of battle that was too gruesome to describe. The angel was kneeling down in the center of the town, the remaining people staring at him with forgiveness in their eyes, yet the angel was still sad.

‘They told the angel it was not his fault, even though he knew in his heart that it was. It was because of him that these creatures are now upon Equestria, and it was his problem to fix.’

The girls silently stared at Stardust. The next page showed a little filly in front of the kneeled angel, his head sulking down to the ground.

‘The filly handed him a sunflower, trying to cheer him up. The angel looked at the filly, tears and disbelief in his eyes. She smiled, her teeth gleaming as bright as the stars in the night sky.’

The girls stared intently at the page again. The angel took the flower, and something reminiscent of a smile lit up the angel’s face on the page after. There were no words on this page. The girls smiled too. The page turned, and the angel was standing in front of the burned tree, his hand touching it.

‘With most of his strength, the tree started to grow, the dark black char of the wood turning to a crystallized blue, glowing gently. He smiled, knowing that the people of Betwixt wouldn’t have a father, but a mother to watch over them once again.’

The girls hugged Star tightly again and smiled wider. Star stood up, pushing everyone back onto the couch and walking to the front door.

“Where are you going?” Twilight asked quickly. Star ignored her and disappeared through the doorway, fading away as he walked into the darkening night. The girls got up and ran out the door after him. The only trace of him was the heavy footprints that just seemed to vanish.

“Where did he go?” AJ asked as everyone started to look around.

“Heeeey there’s some more stuff in here!” Pinkie called. Everyone turned and saw Pinkie had returned to the couch and had turned the page. Everyone ran back and gathered around Pinkie, all eyes were again glued on the book. The angel was staring at the tree happily, but there was another figure behind him.

‘While the tree was changed, and Nature controlled once again… Another was healed as well.’

The girls waited impatiently for Pinkie to turn to the next page. Pinkie nodded and flipped the page. They saw the angel’s face was that of confusion, and terror.

‘The sound of cackling rang out through the valley, a cackling that had burned itself into the angel’s mind just as he had burned the tree to the ground before. But this time, his wings weren’t that of rage, his heart beat with that of fear.’

They held their collective breath and stared at the book as Pinkie turned the page. Before the angel had time to turn around, the icy touch of something slid onto his neck. The object was black, seeming almost unnatural as the darkness of the blade seemed to be that of a dark void.

‘In his weak state, he could not have protected himself. His head grew as black as the blade, matching the solid black armor he was wearing. The shadow of what was once the smooth and pale skin of his head dissipated, leaving the still standing torso alone. And with that, the unknown assailant vanished, leaving only a sinister laughter in its’ wake.’

Everyone fell silent once more, Rarity alone covering her mouth. The next page showed the headless torso on the ground, motionless. There were no words on this page. No one moved from their positions and only stared at the book. Where no one else would Twilight’s magic turned the next page. The tree glowed, returning some of the energy it had received.

‘The tree gave life to the angel once more, but there are some wounds that none could heal. He rose back to his feet, his eyeless gaze set upon the tree. He was thankful, and truly gracious… At least for awhile.’

The girls curiosity grew and they waited for someone to turn the next page. The page turned, but no hand was there to help it. The picture this time was the headless angel walking to the city. Its inhabitants were happy, cheerful. The chaos had faded, the clouds were normal, the vines were gone.

‘The angel thought he was welcomed, but when the ponies of the town saw him… They only saw him as a monster, twisted by the forest.’

The girls remained silent and watched the book and waited. The next page was that of confusion. The angel walking the deserted streets as scared mares and stallions watched from their windows.

‘The angel left Betwixt, his tears unable to be released, forever trapped within him. He returned to the heavens, to his loved ones… But even they did not recognise him.’

All of the girls felt tears well up in their eyes. The next page was that of a falling star, surrounded by what looked like rain.

‘And that day, a star fell. An angel shunned by his own people, and his wings taken. He fell amidst not rain, but tears. Tears that shone brightly, like dust in a sunbeam.’

None of the girls could stop themselves from crying. The page turned and showed the wingless angel amidst Betwixt, within the room of the sunflower philly. He reached down and ran his hand through her hair.

‘He helped the ponies of this land flourish and prosper, and they took everything he was. But even with all the tragedy that plagued him… He gave them a future, while they took his.’

The page turned again, the girls wiping away more tears. The picture was that of his hand on her head. The filly’s hair glowed a brilliant golden before changing to a flowing colorful sea. The sparkles and colors immediately striking the girls as they saw the familiar colors, and a sun appear on the filly’s flank.

‘And with all but his kindness taken from him, he gives the ponies a bright future, a sunny future. One where the sunset won’t be something to fear as they wait for the scary darkness to give way to sunrise. Not only did this thought block out his sadness, but… He was happy.’

The book closed moments later, leaving them with a story that they would never, ever forget.