The first blank sheet of paper of a journal lay before me on my desk. A black mechanical pencil rested near the right side, waiting to be utilized. Ideas flowed through my mind, but still I sat and stared at the same, old, nothingness in from of me. With disgust, I pushed the notebook to the side.
This had been the same routine for the last few weeks. I would come home from work, wanting to accomplish something. Then I would realize how tired I really was. So I would instead browse the internet or play games. Nothing productive in the long run.
I lived with two other roommates. One was going to college and the other worked full-time somewhere. I could not remember. I had met them in college, and we had decided to lease this apartment for a year. We were friends and all, but everyday, I felt like I grew apart from the two. It was mostly might fault. Lately, I had resorted to shutting myself in my room and procrastinating.
Work drained my energy. I had a part-time job as a cashier at a grocery store. It sucked, but, to be honest, it was all I had at the moment. Lately, I had been drifting through life. Waking for no real reason other than to fulfill my obligations at work or eat. Though, one thing had caught my attention. Something… unorthodox and odd.
Somehow, I had stumbled upon the cartoon show called My Little Pony: Friendship is Magic. It was a show targeted for little girls, but yet a fandom had formed around it. This show was just wanted I needed when going through a rough time in my life. It brought a smile to my face when everything else depressed me. Who knew a show about candy-colored ponies could be happy and entertaining? I did not tell my roommates or anyone else for that matter. I do not think any of them would understand. Besides, I wanted to keep this little secret to myself.
Anyways, that had been my life for the past couple of years. Work, sleep, ponies. Nothing too interesting, though I knew I was missing something. Too bad that I did not care. I just wanted to get through each day, never really thinking about the next day.
That brings me to today. It was the beginning of January. Winter had shown its ugly face. The temperature had been below freezing, but it never really phazed me.
I had been all pent up in my room while failing to do anything worthwhile. So I decided to take a few walks in the past few weeks. I had never walked really anywhere, just far enough to clear my mind.
A knock rapped on my door, interrupting my thoughts. I groaned. “What?” I grumbled after opening my door.
“Hey, we’re going out tonight, you want to go?” one of my roommates, Bob, asked.
“Nah, thanks, I’m fine,” I declined the offering. I always felt uncomfortable in social situations. I would rather stay safe at home in my room.
“Psh, okay,” Bob shrugged. He and my other roommate John, walked down the hallway and out the front door.
I sighed to myself. Home alone for once. I should do something, but nothing cool came to mind. So, I just sat back down in my desk chair. My mind shifted into neutral as I mindlessly played games.
Whatever. I don’t need them. I thought to myself.
Several hours later, I heard the front door slam. Laughter and voices drifted softly down the hallway. Still, I sat at my desk, doing nothing.
Again, someone knocked on my door. I answered it carefully. “Yeah?” I inquired, peeking outside.
“Hey Steve! Come and hang out with us!” John exclaimed, a little drunkenly to be honest.
“Umm… sorry. I’m kinda busy…,” I mumbled.
“Ah, come one! You never hang out with us anymore!”
“Sorry, maybe some other time.”
John sighed. “Fine.” Then he ventured back to the living room.
I closed my door. My arms shook slightly, but I brushed off my unnerving feeling. I did not really want to hang out with them and they probably did not actually want me around. I would just bring them down or something. I never contributed to any conversations, anyways.
I sat back down, continuing my scouring of the internet. I put on an episode of MLP:FIM in the background to help calm my nerves.
Even though it was getting late, I could not bring myself to go to bed just yet. I waited for the small party in my apartment to die down. One after another, my two roommates headed to bed after maybe thirty minutes in the living room. Taking a chance, I decided to chance a walk in the cold. Maybe that would clear my mind.
Unfortunately, I realized my mistake upon opening the front door. Light snow fell from the dark sky. The parking lot and grass was already covered in a thin layer of snow. The sight did not deter my intentions. I still took a shaky step into the cold night and kept walking even further than ever.
The cold night air whipped at my hair and bit at my face. White specks of snow swirled around the ground as I continued my meandering trek through the woods. Still, none of these things perturbed me. My feet led without any direction while my mind reeled in agony and confusion.
A shiver ran through my body. At first, it felt like a normal shiver that tried to offset the cold, but this new feeling persisted ever so slightly. This feeling piqued my curiosity. I looked up and saw something ahead of me.
Sitting to the left of my path was an ordinary looking brown box big enough for a small dog. A gap in the trees allowed enough moonlight to illuminate the closed box.
Slowly, I approached the new object, all my worrying thoughts put aside for the moment. The thin layer of snow crunched underneath my shoes as I carefully walked closer.
Still, some odd, small energy still pulsed through the air.
Cautiously, I squat down in front of the box. With trembling, bare hands, I opened the flaps on top. What I saw inside blew my mind away even more. Logic and reasoning were nowhere to be found.
From inside the box, two wide, scared, innocent, purple eyes peered up at me. The lavender creature shivered from the cold and fear.
Nothing could have prepared me for this. I could not believe what I was seeing at this moment. I recognized the creature, but it just made no sense why it was here.
A filly Twilight Sparkle was in the box.
A small smile cracked my lips. Impossible or not, here was a cute creature from a cartoon show sitting in a box. Either this was real, or I was hallucinating. I had lost track of how long I had been walking. The box was real enough, but was the filly real? The only way to find out was to touch it.
So I nervously reached down and lightly touched the pony’s head. She recoiled slightly, unsure of how to handle this situation, but embraced my hand eventually. I chuckled weakly when I felt the soft fur touch my skin. She was as big as a small cat.
Either this was an elaborate dream or this was real.
The filly shivered as snow continued falling around us. Her scared eyes begged me for comfort.
“Twilight Sparkle…,” I sighed in amazement. “What are you doing here?”
She continued gazing with those adorable eyes up at me, probably wondering the same thing.
Making a quick decision, I unzipped my coat. Then I scooped up the filly. She gasped in terror, but did not struggle. I held her in my right arm while I extracted my left arm from my coat. Then I transferred the pony to my left arm underneath the warm layers by my chest before I zipped up my coat again. She sighed happily and nestled up in my arms.
Right at that moment, I almost cried from joy. This was just too cute for me.
With Twilight snuggling safely in my arm, I easily fought the wind and snow as I trekked back through the woods and to my apartment. The only thought on my mind was to get this precious creature somewhere safe and warm.
A half hour later, I reached my apartment complex. Snow lined the rooftops of the three story building. Only a few lights were on in front of some of the doors. I did not see any new footprints in the snow around the building which meant I was probably safe from being seen by someone outside. As much as I wanted to keep Twilight safe, I really did not want to explain why I looked suspicious, walking around with a lump in my coat.
I quickly climbed to the second story where my landing was, and I turned left towards my door. As I made my way closer to my home, I fumbled for my keys. The small pony squeaked from the sudden movement.
“Shh, Twilight,” I whispered to her. “I’m sorry about this, but we’re almost home. I’ll take care of you, but you have to be quiet, okay?” I peered into my coat.
Twilight looked up from my eyes, and she tilted her head slightly. To emphasize my point, I put my finger to my mouth and signaled her to be quiet. She blinked ever so cutely, but did not speak again.
“Okay, I’ll take you inside where it’s nice and warm,” I explained. “Please, no talking or any noises until we get to my room. I have two roommates, and I would rather they not explain this to them. Hold on!”
Apprehensively, I pushed the door open a bit, just enough to peek inside. The apartmentment was pitch black. Everyone had gone to bed, luckily.
Without wiping the snow off of my shoes, I bolted as quietly as possible down the hallway to my room. I twisted the door and burst inside, quickly closing the door behind me. I took a few seconds to breathe heavily and listen for any sound outside my room. After hearing nothing unordinary, I unzipped my coat. I gently sat the filly down on my bed.
Twilight gazed in wonderment around my room. Hey eyes flashed between my dresser and desk and ceiling fan. The pony’s mouth formed a small ‘o’ and her nose twitched a bit, smelling the air. Her tail swished softly as she observed her new surroundings.
I watched silently as I still tried to comprehend this bizarre scenario. This felt like something out of a fanfiction.
Only a glimmer of moonlight peaked through my closed blinds. I walked over and flipped on my desk light. Immediately, Twilight turned her attention to me.
Those eyes melted my anxiety, fear, and heart. A smile burst onto my face and a small chuckled escaped my lips. “You’ll be safe here,” I whispered to her.
The cute lavender pony smiled for in relief for the first time. She stood on all fours and wagged her tail.
Smiling even bigger, I dashed over and gave her a hug. “I’ll take care of you, I promise,” I said. Then I felt her head rest against my face and a hoof on my right shoulder. I withdrew from Twilight after a few, heartwarming seconds. She smiled up at me.
This whole scenario completely baffled me and defied all of my logic. This day started like any normal day, but something had compelled me to go from freezing walk. Now, a small purple pony with a horn and star cutie mark sat on my bed. What would happen next? Is this really happening or is this a dream?
I felt Twilight’s hoof brush my knee as I sat on my bed, returning my mind to this moment. She curiously gaped up at me. Sitting back down, she wagged her tail again. It seemed she needed something.
“Hmm…,” I pondered aloud. “Oh! I should probably get you some water and food. I don’t know how long you were out there.” I got up and started to the door, but I hesitated. “Okay, again, please be quiet while I’m gone. I’m sorry I have to leave you in my room. I just… don’t want to explain this to anyone else. Okay, I’ll be right back, I promise!”
Carefully, I cracked my door open. I did not see anyone else moving about, so I stealthily slunk to the kitchen. I grabbed a small bowl and filled it with water. In the refrigerator, I found a bag of lettuce that belonged to one of my other roommates. Hopefully, he would not mind or never notice. Why he had lettuce even though I never saw him eat any crossed my mind.
After acquiring food and water, I returned to my sanctuary. My heart pulsed heavily from the adrenaline of sneaking about while hiding a huge secret.
Twilight excitedly greeted me silently. She walked to the edge of my bed as I approached her with the bowl and lettuce.
“Here you go, Twilight,” I offered. I placed the bowl on my bed. Scratching the back of my head, I said, “Sorry if this feels a little… degrading. To be honest… I don’t know if I should consider you a pet or not. Ugh…” Another weird thought popped into my mind. What if she had to go to the bathroom. “Um… again I’ll be right back. Here’s some food.” I opened the bag of lettuce for her.
The lavender pony tilted her head questioningly for a second. Then she returned to lapping up the water. I noticed her adorably laying on her stomach with her legs tucked in next to her.
Again, I snuck out of my room. I rifled through the kitchen cupboards and scoured the living room for any big container. The only thing suitable was a big tupperware container. It would have to do for now. Just for an extra precaution I grabbed two small trash bags before heading outside. I used one bag to line the tupperware. Then I dug through the snow to the ground. Dirt was used as a makeshift litter. It felt a little unorthodox or even crude, but I hoped Twilight would not judge me. At least, I hoped she would eventually be as intelligent as in the show. Whatever, this would do for now.
No one saw me as I returned to my room.
Twilight squeed when she saw me. She happily munched on some green lettuce. She seemed calm and content for the time being.
I smiled casually. “Well…, if you need to… um… use the little fillies room, please use this,” I set the container down in the corner of my room. “I’m sorry if it’s a bit weird, but so is this whole situation. Just… bear with me.” I chuckled and scratched the back of my head again.
She glanced at the new item. A small, sly grin crossed her lips as if saying ‘Really?’
“I know…,” I shrugged. “It sucks. We’ll think of something better tomorrow.”
A long, drawn out sigh escaped my mouth. I peered at my alarm clock on my night stand by my bed. It was 2:30 in the morning. Tiredness had snuck up on me, but I did not want to go to sleep until Twilight was comfortable. So I kicked off my shoes and laid down on my bed with my head on my pillow. I swung my legs around to accommodate the pony happily eating lettuce. Crossing my arms and smiling, I watched Twilight. She grinned back.
My eyelids weighed heavier and heavier with each blink. Before I knew it, I had dozed off for a moment. Only a slight movement woke me up. Opening my eyes, I felt Twilight plod her way and lightly climbed chest and nudging my arms. She sleepily beamed at me one last time before snuggling with me. I wrapped her up in a cozy hug. Together, we drifted off into sleep.
“Goodnight… Twilight.”
The light morning sunrise pierced my window blinds, waking me up. I let out a slight yawn and stretched my legs. For some reason, I was still wearing jeans and lying on top of my covers. Then I felt the lump on my chest.
Nestled between my arms, Twilight slumbered contently. Her chest moving slightly with each gentle breath. Her tail draped over my left arm.
Impossible, I thought. I could have sworn it was all a dream! Here, in my arms, is a little pony from My Little Pony! This does not make sense.
To reaffirm my suspicions, I hugged the small pony in my arms a bit tighter. She felt real enough. Her soft fur caressed my skin and her slight movements from my hug revealed that she still lived.
Twilight responded with a similar yawn to mine. She tilted her a bit to the right to face me, and she gave me the most sleepy and happy smile I had ever seen.
“Twilight!” I exclaimed a little louder than I would have liked. I squeezed her even tighter and closer to my face.
The filly cooed at me and smirked at me. Then she licked me. Laughing hysterically with joy, I pushed Twilight away from my face a little more. She continued smirking a chuckled a bit, too.
“Twi…,” I whispered as I remembered that I had two roommates that I did not want to disturb. “I swear, this is so surreal for me…” I sighed. “but we really need to be quiet. I REALLY don’t want to explain to my roommates why I have a small pony in my room and why I like My Little Pony….and….umm….”
Twilight cocked her head, questioning my reasoning behind beginning to mumble to myself.
So far, I had taken this small pony from the cold to my room. She never really seemed to wonder why I called her by her name from the show, but she had always responded or looked my way when I had called her ‘Twilight.’ At this point, she was just a pony I had adopted and given a name. I did not know how sentient she really was. Sure, she shared the appearance of Twilight Sparkle in the show, but was this really the same pony?
Shaking my head, I said softly, “Umm… sorry Twilight, just over thinking stuff like usual.” I smiled to hopefully ease her. For now, I believed I should keep the show a secret and see how this plays out.
Again, Twilight responded with a gentle blink and smile that warmed my heart. Those eyes just calmed me like nothing else.
“What time is it?” I thought out loud. My alarm clock read 6:37 a.m. “Ugh…,” I groaned. “Too early…” I closed my eyes for a moment.
Unfortunately, Twilight had other plans. She yawned widely while stretching her hooves to my face. Her newly awoken eyes lazily gazed up at me. Then she got up like a cat waking up from a nap.
With my eyes barely opened, I sighed and stared back at the waking filly. She was just too cute for me. “Fine…,” I said. I rubbed my eyes, trying to wake up a little more. Then I realized something odd. Here I was, wanting to sleep, when an amazing opportunity had been given to me. Smiling, I petted Twilight, rustling her mane. I chuckled, “I guess a little pony in my room is enough motivation for me to wake up this early.”
Twilight cocked her head while smiling and closing her eyes briefly. Without warning, she pounced and licked my face.
“Hey!” I laughed. “Cut it out! I’m awake! I’m awake!”
The little pony jumped off my chest so that I could swing into a sitting position. She ran up and down my bed. The biggest smile was plastered on her face. I had never taken care of a pet (if you could consider her a pet) before, but the joy in her demeanor lifted my spirits. There were so many things that could go wrong and so many problems that I knew i would have to face. Though, I could not help feel hopeful that everything would work out in the end.
The dim twilight poked through my blinds on my window above my dresser. Only the small glimmer of sunlight pierced the room, though the light was enough to see.
“Hey Twi, look outside.”
Those huge, adorable purple eyes widened as they followed my movement to my dresser. I raised a few blinds to show Twilight a glimpse of the outside. She carefully climbed onto my dresser and poked her nose between the blinds. I heard her gasp as she observed our surroundings.
I did not know how much knowledge or memories she had, but she seemed to be able to understand me. This new setting also intrigued her. At that moment, I knew in my heart that I needed to overcome the upcoming obstacles ahead of us. A billion scenarios, complications, and questions buzzed through my mind. I would need to take this step by step. So far, Twilight had listened to me. Now, I needed to teach her and raise her properly.
Twilight turned around and grinned at me. She walked off the dresser and onto my bed to sit by me again. I casually reached out my hand to pat her head. Her giant, innocent eyes closed for a second when i ruffled her mane. I could not help smiling to myself.
“This is so weird, Twilight.” I said softly. “There are so many things that could go wrong. How about we go for a walk? That always helps me think. Besides, if we go out to the woods where I found you, I’ll be able to talk a little louder, and I won’t be as paranoid as I am right now.”
Twilight responded by nodding her head this time. I did not know if she exactly understood me. She might look like a small filly, but I hoped she still contained enough intelligence of her cartoon self. The only way to find out now was to talk to her. Of course, the woods on the edge of town would be a good isolated spot.
I stood up and strode over to my closet with confidence and determination. Opening the door, I dug around for my old school backpack. It was big enough to hold a small creature. It would have to do for now.
“Okay, I’m sorry Twi,” I explained. “but you need to ride in my backpack until we get somewhere out of sight. I really don’t want to risk anyone seeing you. Don’t worry, I’ll be careful.”
I unzipped the back pocket of the backpack and laid it on the bed. Twilight peeked inside. She looked up at me, tossing me another grin, then she climbed into the backpack. She turned around a bit to find a comfortable position. Then she sat down. Reluctantly, I zipped the backpack back up, but I left enough of a crack at Twilight’s eye level so that she could peer outside without being seen.
“Hold on,” I warned as I carefully lifted the backpack on my back.
\I felt Twilight rummage around as she tried to balance herself. Eventually, she stopped moving. I was surprised that the backpack was not too heavy with her in it. Then I sneakily left my room. On my way to the living room, I grabbed a bag of carrots for Twilight to munch on. I stuffed them in my coat pocket before exiting the apartment. The sun was still low in the sky and a soft layer of snow lined the ground. The temperature barely affected me as I walked the path to the woods.
After an hour of walking, I found a clearing near the river. It was safe and secluded. No one would be able to see us, I hoped. I only feared that someone would stumble upon us, but I shoved that fear to the back of my mind.
I let Twilight out of my backpack. Cautiously, she looked around before trotting out. Her big, purple eyes gazed curiously at our new surrounding. She began examining the snow and trees around us. I sat down on a stump and let her explore.
“We’re safe out here, Twi,” I informed her. “No one should find us. I can finally talk without worrying about being heard, and you can be loud too!” I chuckled. “There are a few things we need to clear up, though, if you can even understand me.”
Twilight walked over to me and sat down.
“Okay,” I began. “If you want to live with me, you have to be quiet when my roommates are home. I don’t think they will be too happy if they find out there’s a pony living in my room. I’m technically not even supposed to have a… pet in my apartment. Well… I don’t consider you a pet. You’re definitely smarter than a regular pony. I mean, you can understand me, right?”
Surprisingly, Twilight nodded her head once.
I laughed. “Okay, well this is going to be interesting.”
We stayed at the clearing for another hour. I let Twilight eat some of the carrots. I ate some too since I had skipped breakfast. I talked a little more to her, hoping that she would talk back. We laughed and played in the snow. I made a few snowballs and lightly tossed them at her. Of course she dodged most of them, grinning mischievously back at me.
Unfortunately, I had to work at noon. So I packed up Twilight into my backpack and we sadly headed home.
No one questioned me when I casually walked in the front door. Bob and John were lounging in the living room. Today was Saturday, so John did not have any class and Bob was off for the weekend.
“Hey,” John welcomed me.
“‘Sup,” I responded while walking down the hallway. In the safety of my room, I opened my backpack and released Twilight. I glanced at my alarm clock. It was 11:30. I had just enough time to change and drive to work. I hastily pulled on my work shirt and pants. “Well, time for me to go.” I whispered. “Be good while I’m gone. I’ll be back after 9. I’ll try to come and check up on you during my lunch.”
After hugging Twilight, I waved goodbye before opening my door. The last thing I saw was Twilight sadly waving back.
This was going to be an interesting couple of months.
So nothing else life-changing happened for me and Twilight in that first month. I successfully hid her from my roommates. They might have suspected something was going on with me, but they never interrogated me. Besides, I was almost never around that long.
Twilight and I continued exploring the forest anytime I was not at work. She thoroughly enjoyed the fresh air after being confined to my room a lot of the time.
I took books and read them on our outside excursions. I figured my Twilight was like the Twilight from the show. She did enjoy the books. We started with easy child books about adventures and princesses and dragons. Fun stuff like that.
Twilight’s intellect truly shined as she learned quite quickly. I checked out a few books from the local library so that she could read when I was gone. Even when I was home, she enjoyed resting in my lap as a pointlessly tried to will myself to write or play games.
Work still sucked, but at least I had something to look forward to at home. After every shift, I raced home to be with Twilight. Just being around her had lightened my life. Everyone kept making comments about my recent uplifting attitude.
I stopped watching My Little Pony because of Twilight. I still enjoyed the show, but with Twilight Sparkle in my life, I felt I did not need to rely on the show to make me happy. Besides, I had still not told Twilight about it. That was something I wanted to avoid. It may have seen like a coincidence that she looked like the pony from the show, but this little pony in my life actually existed.
In that three months, the little pony I had found grew more than I expected. Soon, she filled my backpack, and I started to strain a bit from her weight. I dreaded the day when she could not fit.
As spring warmed the city, I contemplated letting Twilight live in the woods. We discussed this, but I did not want to think about leaving her all alone at night. Also I would be alone, too. I still had four more months on my lease with my roommates. Twilight speculated that at the rate of her growth, she would eventually be too big in a month. I conceded.
Those last four months dragged on. Though I visited Twilight, bring her food and books to read, I felt lonely at home. I did find another apartment for just me. So all I to do was endure until then.
Meanwhile, Twilight continued growing. She began practicing her magic too. Just like in the show, she possessed the element of magic. I was impressed how much she figured out by herself.
Finally, the day came where I could move into my new apartment. It was smaller than my last place, but at least Twilight could safely live with me. We still went for walks under the cover of night, but for the most part, we stayed inside.
My life revolved around Twilight now. Even though I was promoted to full-time at my store, I did not care that much. My job was just a way to provide for me and Twilight. The pay was enough to cover our basic needs, nothing too fancy. Still, I enjoyed my life with Twilight.
She grew up so fast too! Much faster than I expected. In just one year, she went from being a filly to the age of her cartoon persona. She also seemed to mature mentally at the same rate. Her magic flourished with each passing day.
Despite our happy lives, Twilight occasionally expressed concern. She had learned so much of my world. From her studies, she realized that her existed as an anomaly. Sure, humans imagined unicorns as mythical beings. There was no proof of magic except for her.
Many times, Twilight wandered out loud why she was here. I always shrugged it off or tried to change the subject. To me, she was here. It did not matter how she got here. She was persistent though.
No books from the library contained anything magical. Still, Twilight perused any book she could. She even snuck into the library one night.
Then, the thing I feared the most happened.
I came home one day to find Twilight watching the television in the living room. I thought nothing of it. Then I saw what she was watching. She turned to look at me as I entered.
“Hey Twi,” I said. “Um… what are you wat-”
“Don’t you ‘Hey Twi’ me,” Twilight threatened in a low, seething voice. “You know exactly what this is, don’t you?”
As the theme song of My Little Pony ended, I attempted to stall. “Um… well…”
“Well what?! You know! How else would you have recognized me? Where else would you have come up with the name ‘Twilight Sparkle?’ This shows explains everything!”
“Twi…”
“It all makes sense…,” Twilight sighed as her initial rage simmered. All of a sudden her horn sparked. “Ouch!” She cried out in pain. “What is going on? What does this mean?”
“Twilight, are you okay?” I ran over to the couch to comfort her. “I’m sorry I didn’t tell you! I just felt…”
A magical spark jumped from her horn and knocked me back. Twilight continued clutching her head. A small aura began to surround her.
“I feel something strange,” Twilight explained. “Like some powerful magic.” She stood up and headed for the door. “It’s pulling me! I’m sorry, I have to go!”
Before I could stop her, Twilight magicked the door open and dashed out. I quickly followed behind her as she headed to the forest at the edge of town.
A purple light emanated in the distance as Twilight and I trekked through the familiar woods.
“Look,” Twilight yelled. “That light! I… I can feel something magical in the distance.” She picked up her pace, dashing towards the unknown object.
“Twi, wait!” I exclaimed. Reluctantly, I sped up to match her pace.
We race deeper and deeper into the woods. We went further than I had ever been in a while. Now I could feel the energy pulsing in the air. It reminded me of a similar occurrence. Still, we pressed on.
Suddenly, Twilight stopped. She anxiously paced around and used her magic to probe the air.
I caught up, clutching my sides from exhaustion. Looking around, this place seemed familiar. Too familiar. Then I noticed a weather worn brown patch on the ground near Twilight. It was the box I had found her in all those years ago.
Twilight began swaying back in forth. She held her head and groaned. An aura of magic surrounded her.
“Twilight, are you okay?” I asked, kneeling next to her.
“Ugh,” Twilight moaned. “What… what’s happening? I can see… I remember…”
“What? What do you remember?!” I cried.
“I see… my friends…. other ponies,” Twilight began to explain, still swaying. “I used to live in Ponyville with my friends. We went on adventures and saved Equestria.”
“Yeah, but that was in a show! Those ponies don’t exist!”
“But I exist! They could too! It just doesn’t make sense, that I’m here… in this world.”
“Well…”
Twilight’s eyes flashed up at me. Those same eyes that had comforted me and brought happiness to my life. Now those eyes wavered with confusion and worry. “I don’t belong here, and you know it.”
Those words sliced through me. I had always dreaded a situation like this. Here was the Twilight Sparkle I had found and raised as a filly. Precious moments spent together, bonding. We had forged happy memories as we grew emotionally. I made her feel safe and welcome in my world.
She did not belong in my world, though, and I did know that.
Only magic could maybe explain the logic of why a pony would show up in my world. I could not kid myself anymore. Unicorns did not exist on Earth.
“I… I know…,” I sighed. “It never made sense at first, Twilight, but it didn’t matter at the time. You needed someone to take care of you, so I did, but you’re still here! Those ponies you have memories of are in the past. You might now belong here, but you are here.”
“Yes, I am here,” Twilight reasoned. “But there has to be an explanation as to why I’m here. Then, maybe I can get back to where I belong.”
“What? Why! Stay here, Twi. I…”
“No,” Twilight simply stated, cutting me off. “I have to find a way back, and this place must be the key.”
A bright light flashed, making us cover our eyes for a second. We opened our eyes and gasped. Before us, the portal housed an image of something even more unbelievable. There, in the center, was what looked like the hospital from Ponyville, and on a bed, a lavender pony laid. A very familiar pony.
Twilight Sparkle slept soundly on the bed in the image from the portal. Around her, others ponies congregated to observe the sleeping pony. All of them were easily recognizable. They were Applejack, Fluttershy, Pinkie Pie, Rainbow Dash, and Rarity, along with Spike, the dragon.
The Twilight of my realm gasped, as did I. We both watch in disbelief as the scene inside the portal unfolded.
“She’s still sleeping,” the voice of Spike drifted from the portal. “I don’t know why.
“Is she going to be alright?” Fluttershy wondered worriedly. “When I saw that big light explosion… I thought…”
“She’ll be alright, sugarcube,” Applejack comforted Fluttershy. “As far as we know, she’s just sleepin’. She’ll wake up soon, I just know it!”
“But it’s been a whole week!” Rainbow Dash complained. “What if she never wakes up!”
Twilight and I solemnly observed the scene. Sighing, I turned to my Twilight. She smiled back.
“See? My friends need me,” my Twilight said. “I need to get back to them.
“Twi…,” I began, trying not to show my tears welling up in my eyes. “I… I don’t want you to go. I know you need to get back to them but… I…. I….”
At that moment, I fell to my knees. Twilight swooped in and embraced me. Then I let my tears flow freely as I remembered all the memories spent together. How I rescued her and she cuddled with me. All the books we read together. All laughter we shared. All the conversations we had. All the happiness she had brought to my life.
“I need you, Twi,” I whispered in her ear.
“I know,” sighed Twilight. “But my pony friends need me, and you also need to move on. How much time have you spent taking care of me? What have you really accomplished lately?
“Well…you made me happy. You made me smile, T-t-t-twi”
“You don’t need me anymore. You can do so much more without me. I believe in you.” Then she place her forehead against mine. We stared into each others eyes as we both shed tears.
“Okay…,” I finally agreed, slowly releasing Twilight.
Standing back, Twilight proudly beamed up at me. “Thank you for everything. I hope I remember my trip to this world. Now… I have to go.” The light around her intensified. “Goodbye!”
Another bright flash of light blinded me. When I opened my eyes, the portal and Twilight were gone.
“Goodbye, my Twi…”
Two hours later, I sat at my desk. My eyes stared blankly ahead at the blank notebook before me. Memories of me and a purple pony whirled around my mind. There was so much happiness in those short years spent together.
She was right, though. Looking around, I noticed just how boring and dull my room was. My whole apartment lacked anything noteworthy. The pictures of me and Twilight had magically disappeared, leaving gaping holes throughout my living space.
Is this how I wanted to spend the rest of my life? Wallowing in self pity?
No. Not anymore.
Thought Twilight, my beacon of happiness, was gone, I could still make my life something more.
So I picked up my pencil. I drowned out all my self doubts and worries, and I wrote. Not just for Twilight, but for me. She had opened my eyes and heart. I had the world at my fingertips. All I needed was inspiration.
The End
Author's Note
This is my entry for the More Most Dangerous Game on Equestria Daily. The prompt was: A human finds a young pony abandoned in a cardboard box, and decides to raise her as his own. I decided to use Twilight Sparkle as the pony found in the box.
I really rushed this story at the end. It definitely needs to be edited, but I don't have the time at the moment. The pacing is off so much at times I know. I really wanted to elaborate with the middle section. Unfortunately, I ran out of time because I procrastinated. Oh well. I'm glad I at least finished this one. Thanks for reading!