Sunlight filters in through the windows of Friendship Castle, casting its rays down on the still-sleeping Twilight Sparkle. The warm glow of the sun does its job, slowly bringing Twilight Sparkle out of sleep. She yawns and sits up, looking around her. Huh. The castle seems quite... barren today. Didn't I have a picture over there yesterday? And where is my desk!! She shakes her head, trying to clear her mind. I'm surprised I slept well with that nightmare I had last night. She thinks back to the nightmare and shudders.
The rain pours down and lightning flashes, setting a tree on fire in the distance. Twilight stares out her window, wondering why the rain had not yet put out the fire. Smoke rises from the Everfree Forest, rising into the sky and mingling with the dark storm clouds above. Twilight notices that the fire is spreading; getting bigger. She sighs and throws off the covers, walking out of the bedroom and down the hall. She opens the door to the castle and is blasted by the wind and rain. She steps out into the cold, pouring rain and shivers. She watches the fire spread even more. Suddenly, a thought flashes through her head. Fluttershy lives near the Everfree Forest! If the fire keeps spreading, it might burn her house down! Twilight takes off, her wings beating furiously as she strives to get to Fluttershy's house as fast as possible. Lightning flashes around her, and the wing beats on her wings, dragging her down. But she doesn't give up; she keeps going. I won't let anything happen to Fluttershy. Finally, she sees Fluttershy's house below her. The fire is much bigger than it looked from the distance. The fire is spreading fast, and is almost to Fluttershy's house.
"Hold on, Fluttershy! I won't let you get caught in this fire!" yells Twilight Sparkle as she lands, taking a stance in front of the house. Her horn glows with magic. Water seems to come out of nowhere, washing ahead of Twilight Sparkle and straight towards the fire. It hits the fire straight on, yet the fire is not affected in the slightest. The tree nearest to Fluttershy's house catches on fire. One spark is then all it takes to ignite Fluttershy's house.
"NOOO! FLUTTERSHY! I WILL NOT LET THIS HAPPEN!" yells Twilight Sparkle, rushing straight into the house. The smoke curls around Twilight Sparkle, the thickness enveloping her lungs and throwing her into a coughing fit. She coughs and hacks, trying to rid her lungs of the dangerous smoke but fails. Suddenly, she is surrounded by flames. The flames grow closer and closer until Twilight is enveloped...
And that was when she woke up. Twilight shakes her head again, trying hard to rid her mind of the dream. She walks downstairs, thinking that maybe some breakfast will help to rid her of the dream. She levitates a bowl, cereal, and a spoon over to her. She pours the cereal into the bowl and begins eating. Ah. This is just what one pony needs to wake themselves up in the morning. A nice, hearty bowl of cereal. She finishes, leaving the dishes in the sink and walks out the door of her castle.
Twilight breathes in the crisp, morning air. She sets off at a leisurely trot, enjoying the scenery as she enters Ponyville. She sees Mayor Mare taking her own morning stroll, and she trots over to her.
"Goodmorning, Mayor Mare! Isn't it a nice morning?" asks Twilight, pacing herself next to Mayor Mare. When Mayor Mare completely ignores her, Twilight gives her a puzzled look. "Umm... Mayor Mare, are you okay?" she asks. Yet again, Mayor Mare ignores her. Twilight stops and watches Mayor Mare trot off. Well that was certainly, um, odd. She shakes her head, thinking nothing of it as she continues her morning walk.
As she passes Sugar Cube Corner, she can't resist the delicious smell of baking cupcakes and heads inside. She notices Pinkie Pie working at the register.
"Goodmorning, Pinkie Pie! How is it going?" she asks, walking up to her. Pinkie Pie doesn't so much as look up. That is when Twilight notices that Pinkie Pie's mane isn't as fluffy as it normally is. In fact, it seems rather straight. "Pinkie Pie, are you alright?" asks Twilight, beginning to feel concerned. Again, no response. She thinks back to her encounter with Mayor Mare. Okay. Something is definitely going on. And I am going to find out what it is. Twilight walks out of Sugar Cube Corner and crosses the street, where she finds Rarity walking into one of the fabric shops.
"Oh, Rarity! I'm so glad to see you! Every pony seems to be acting really weird to-" she stops in the middle of her sentence when she notices that Rarity, too, is ignoring her. "Okay. If this is some kind of joke, it's not funny," says Twilight. But Rarity continues to ignore her. A sinking feeling develops in the pit of Twilight's stomach. She walks out of the shop and looks up into the sky to see Rainbow Dash flying overhead. Maybe Rainbow Dash knows what is going on.
"HEY, RAINBOW DASH! DOWN HERE!" calls Twilight. Rainbow Dash doesn't so much as glance down at her. It is then that Twilight notices that Pinkie Pie is exiting Sugar Cube Corner. Twilight makes up her mind to follow her and see where she is going. Twilight follows Pinkie Pie out of Ponyville and up a large hill, where a large, old tree sits up at the top. When she makes it up the hill, the first thing that she sees are two gravestones. Applejack, Rainbow Dash, and Pinkie Pie are gathered around the stones, their heads down. Twilight looks behind her and sees Rarity walking up the hill with her shopping bag. She takes her place in the semi-circle and puts her head down. Twilight walks around the side and glances at the gravestones.
Fluttershy
The element of kindness, killed in a fire at the Everfree Forest. She will always be remembered in the hearts of ponies everywhere.
Princess Twilight Sparkle
The element of magic, and a unicorn-turned-alicorn princess, killed in the same fire that killed her dear friend Fluttershy. She will continue to be remembered in the hearts of ponies everywhere.
Twilight gasps in disbelief. What happened last night wasn't a dream. It was real. And... I died in that fire. Twilight sinks to the ground, weeping. And no pony notices a thing.
