In the darkness, thunder boomed and lightning crackled. The rain beat down heavily upon the earth, unforgiving as to what was in its path. The lightning created flashes and twisted horrendous shadows every single time it struck.
And during the inclement weather, everypony was inside with their families, enjoying the warmth of their crackling and popping fireplaces or the softness and security of their beds. No one walked through the streets of Ponyville that night.
Except for her.
She walked, not trotted nor galloped nor pranced, but simply walked, down the streets of the soaking town, eyes and head down. She hardly noticed the pelting, chilling rain. But when she did, she took comfort in it's icy clutches, reveling in the shivering that the rivulets of liquid sadness induced.
For that was how she thought sadness felt. A cold, clammy grip on the mind and body, unrelenting in it's advances, protruding to every single corner of her psyche and anatomy. At first, it was rather quite unpleasant, the shocking cold grip that had swept her into the situation she was in now.
Now, she felt that it was a dear friend that encouraged her and patted her on the back, rather than an unnatural monster that sucked away everything positive and glowing from her life.
She welcomed the thunder and lightning as well. Rain, thunder, lighting. They were all siblings, equal forces giving her equal consolation to her wounded soul. The lighting cracked again, illuminating not only her path through the streets of Ponyville, but also showing the unicorn a path to salvation. The thunder boomed shortly thereafter, creating noise and a clamor that pushed her otherwise-empty spirit onward.
The water that fell from the sky without care streaked down her face, creating the illusion that she was crying. Maybe... maybe it wasn't an illusion. She might have been crying, but she did not know, and she did not want to know. She didn't want to feel anything but the numbness and lack of sensation that the rain caused. Or was it her grief?
She walked onward, out of Ponyville. One hoof in front of the other. Left, right, left, right, left, right. On and on she marched, through the Everfree Forest. Once, she stopped, feeling that she was being followed. She turned around and gazed around slowly, but saw no one in the illuminations that the lightning gave. She turned again and continued on her trek.
She exited the Everfree forest, and started climbing the small mountain on the other side. There was a cliff there, overlooking the nearby ocean. For a moment, she thought. Why had she and her friends never gone to the beach? She shrugged. Not like it mattered now.
She was finally there. The cliff overlooking the ocean, now dark and crashing, just like the weather. Waves swelled high and crashed down, matching the thunder. The unicorn looked over the edge, yet could see nothing. She shook herself, stretching and preparing. She would only have one chance at this.
She tensed her legs as the thunder boomed. She thought she heard her name through the thunder, but it was just her imagination. She took a deep breath to steady herself and relished in the rain's cool claws one last time. She jumped forward, the lighting flashing and showing her the way down. The jagged rocks and crushing waves race to meet her. She closes her eyes.
The lightning flashes and thunder booms as you see Twilight Sparkle tense her legs. You yell for her, "TWILIGHT!", yet she does not hear you. You see her leap forward as lightning illuminates her one last time. You rush to the cliff.
You unlock the door to your home and you fall into bed with a huff. That was definitely the best wedding you've ever been to. The only wedding you've been to, but the principal is the same. You drift off to sleep, still in your dress clothes.
You wake up the next morning and grab breakfast as you stretch and work out the kinks from the royal wedding. You rub your shoulders and knees, which groan like an old staircase. You finish your breakfast and decide to head out into town.
You see several of your friends and wave hello and continue on your way through the market to get some groceries. You're about to pay for your items when you notice something. You forgot your coin purse at home. Klutz.
You head back home and get it, returning to the marketplace a short while later. You stock up on food and other things necessary for life in Ponyville and head home to put your purchases away. The day is still young and beautiful, and it would do you some good to go for a walk; get some exercise.
You pass many familiar places and buildings. 'Hmmm... What to do today?'
You decide to rent a book from Twilight's library. You head over and knock on the door.
Spike answers the door. "Hey there! Whatcha need?"
"I need a book to read," you answer.
"Sure thing, come on in!"
You enter the library and see tons of books, covering any subject you wish to read about. Daring Do, the princesses, Equestrian History and so on and so forth. Yet you do not see or hear Twilight.
"Is Twilight around?" you ask.
"She's in her room..." Spike says with a slight frown. "She's not, uhh, feeling well." He hands you your book. "It's due back in two weeks."
"Alrighty. Tell Twilight I'll see her around."
Days pass by, and you haven't seen hide nor hind of Twilight Sparkle. You head back to the library, conveniently finished with your book. You knock and, once again, Spike lets you inside.
Twilight is still nowhere to be seen. You hand your book to Spike and ask, "Is Twilight around?"
He frowns again. "She's, uhh, resting in bed. Not feeling too well." Just then, your had a loud bang come from her room and you rush inside. You open the door and spot Twilight flipping drawers and tossing books around. She flops onto the bed, crying.
You rush to her side, putting a hoof on her back. "Twilight! What's wrong?"
She shrugs your hoof off violently. "Leave me alone!"
You have a look of disbelief on your face. You decide to press again. "Twilight, I'm your friend. What's wrong?"
She turns to glare at you. Her stare is cold and hard as stone, the tears streaming down her face. "I'm a failure, that's what! I'm worthless. Pathetic. A waste of... space, oxygen, life. I'm no good!" she shouts. She takes a few deep breaths and her stare softens and she begins sobbing yet again. "Please... Just leave me be. There's nothing you can do."
You frown, almost in tears yourself. Seeing your dear friend this way... it devastates you. "Are you... sure?"
You see her nod her head, almost imperceptibly. "Okay..." With much chagrin, you return home.
Weeks pass by, and every time you see Twilight, she's in the same state as before. A complete wreck. Totally destroyed. Her room is in disarray, and she recently stopped eating. You drop off food and other things, only to come back the next day to find them uneaten and unused.
The pegasi announced that a major storm is on the way. They caution ponies to stay indoors. You stock up on books from the library, checking in on Twilight one last time before the storm hits. She refuses to see anyone, even Spike. You sigh and head home.
The rain begins, bringing deafening thunder and sharp lightning with it. You sit next to your window, your fireplace providing light by which you enjoy your book. As the storm progresses into nighttime, lightning flashes again. You look out the window to see Twilight slowly meandering down the streets. She doesn't even have a jacket. Her mane in plastered to her head, and her tail droops.
You worry and put your novel down. You watch her, but she continues on her way. You rush to your closet, getting boots and a hooded jacket. You slip them on and head out the door.
You follow her from a distance. She has her head down, seeming to not notice anything around her. You wonder what she could possibly be up to.
She enters the Everfree Forest without a second glance. You hesitate. Everypony knows not to head in there, especially at night. There are cockatrices, timberwolves, and other such atrocities. Your determination soars and you steel yourself to the possible danger. You need to help your friend. You follow through the trees.
A little while later, you accidentally step on a stick and it cracks, causing you to freeze in place. There's little light now, most of it being provided by the lighting. Twilight turns around, looking right at where you hide. She doesn't seem to notice you as she looks around. She turns and continues on her way.
Eventually, you are clear of the Everfree Forest. You're following your unicorn friend up a slight mountain. 'What could she possibly be doing up here?', you think to yourself.
The uphill journey is tough and grueling on your joints, yet Twilight seems unaffected. You finally make it to a cliff and rest. She sits at the edge, seeming to gaze out to the ocean beyond. You are close enough to see her inhale deeply and you hear her sigh. She get's up.
The lightning flashes and thunder booms as you see Twilight Sparkle tense her legs. You yell for her, "TWILIGHT!", yet she does not hear you. You see her leap forward as lightning illuminates her one last time. You rush to the cliff. You look over the edge. You can't see her, but the lighting flashes and you see the tumbling waves and the jagged lengths of rocks below.
You panic. You think to yourself, 'This can't be real! This isn't happening, this can't be happening!' And yet, it happened, right in front of your very eyes. You would have seen a flash of her trademark purple magic if she teleported to safety.
A strange, cool calm envelopes you. You know what you need to do. You back up a few paces and prepare yourself. You charge forward and jump of the edge, taking the plunge.
