The Darkest Hour

Twilight awoke suddenly and stared at the ceiling that stood above her. Her vision was blurred. She slowly turned her head side to side, but everything was just a blur of colors. She couldn't make out anything that she saw. When Twilight attempted to sit up, her body refused to move. The sound of bed sheets rustling in an attempt of motion seemed to echo through the room. Besides that, everything else was deathly silent. There were no murmurs that disturbed her. Slowly, Twilight's vision began to become more focused. She could see the light coat of pink paint that covered the walls. Everything seemed so warm and soft. All Twilight could remember was that she was snuggling someone, but she couldn't recall who it was. Her head and body felt heavy, even though she hadn't moved drastically. She felt limp and dead on the soft fabric she laid on. Her eyes rested back on the pink ceiling as everything began to come back to her. Her vision began to blur again. Twilight sniffled. Tears slowly slide the sides of her face as she remembered all that had happened.

Celestia sat down elegantly on the throne chair. She rested her head in her hands and let out a quiet sigh.

"What's wrong, dear sister?" Luna spoke softly to Celestia. She knew that her sister was in great pain after seeing the newly announced Princess in those atrocious conditions.

"Shining Armor and Cadance are now gone. Oh, I can only imagine how Twilight must feel. She would always hide her own emotions to try and please others, but this might be her breaking point. I believe that Twilight is unstable now..."

Celestia looked up and, for a brief moment, locked eyes with Luna. They were forced to restrain Twilight from fear of what she had became and if were still in that subconscious form. Celestia stood from her seat and turned to look at Luna.

"I'm going to go and see if Twilight is awake.." she spoke calm and softly. Without anything else for the pair to say to each other, she left.

Twilight was left alone in her bedroom. She was left to remember all of her painful memories of what had happened. An overwhelming sadness over came the young mare. Twilight could recall watching her older brother die right in front of her. She still had the scent of blood and iron in her nostrils. The feeling of battle was slowly becoming apparent all over her body. Twilight's muscles went from relaxed to pained. As the restraint spell placed upon her faded away and Twilight could move once more, she dared not to. Each and every little motion, even her short ragged breathing, sent a shock wave of pain riveting throughout her body. Tears seemed to endlessly stream down the sides of her face.

With sheer perseverance, Twilight sat up straight. She took note that there were white bandages wrapped around multiple parts of her body. Her right arm was also in a cast from when Cadance broke her arm. Twilight remembered that in vivid detail. The feeling of pain searing through her. Twilight placed her left hand over her heart. There was a short sigh of relief as she came in contact with flesh. There was the faintest memory of there being a hole in her chest. Twilight gripped her shirt tightly as more tears threatened to flood out. However, she held these waterworks in. She mustn't show weakness, not at a critical time like this. Not when she had to comfort her father and mother after they hear of Shining Armor passing away.

Twilight could hear the door to her room open. She didn't even bother to look up and see who was entering her room. The sounds of footsteps became louder as Celestia slowly and cautiously approached Twilight.

"Twilight? Are you okay?" Celestia spoke. There was a hint of caution and anxiety in her voice.

"I... I lost it again, didn't I?" she spoke quietly, barely above a whisper. Even though she was quiet, there was deep sadness in her voice.

Twilight grabbed hold of the soft cotton blanket that rested on her legs. She squeezed the handful she had. Tears started to trickle down her cheeks, wetting the soft fabric in her hands. Her unruly hair covered the surface of her face as she looked down onto the bed as if she were searching for an answer, searching for something to tell her that none of this had happened. Twilight's body jerked from the sudden hand on her shoulder. Celestia sat down next to shaking mare and wrapped her arms around her. Twilight sat still, tears still flowing. They sat in silence for several moments, Celestia holding the emotionally broken Twilight. Celestia couldn't even remember the last time she saw Twilight cry.

Celestia finally released her grasp on Twilight. She moved the purple mare's body so they were facing each other. Their eyes met for a brief moment.

"Twilight, I'm temporarily revoking your duties as a princess. I want you to spend time back in Ponyville with your friends. They know about your condition and...your relatives." Celestia struggled to release the last two words that had been caught in her throat. There was a twinge of guilt that lingered in the back of her mind.

Celestia herself is also currently struggling over the fact that Shining Armor and Princess Cadance are both gone. Her and her sister both felt this strange sensation in the atmosphere for the past weeks, but paid no attention to it. However, their attention snapped to it quickly on the day of the Crystal Empire's "Coup d'etat". This was not the only cause of their acknowledgment. When a fellow immortal falls, such as Princess Cadance, all others could feel her presence disappear. It were as if all the Princess's were spiritually connected to one-another. There was an overwhelming amount of grief that had suddenly erupted form there bodies. It made all-too-much sense that something was wrong when they felt that emotion suddenly cascaded over them.

A sudden question came into contact with Twilight's thoughts. "Princess.. How long have I been asleep?"

There was a slight pause between the two for a brief moment. Celestia had saw how bad a condition her apprentice Princess was, but hadn't expected her to rest for longer than a week.

"Two weeks and four days." Celestia finally managed to muster up enough willpower to tell Twilight the exact amount of time.

The mare's body tensed suddenly. Her jaw went agape as she was processing the five words Celestia had spoke. Has she really been unconscious for two weeks and four days? There was a hard time believing this statement considering the fact that her muscles weren't relaxed what-so-ever. If anything, they were even more sore and constricted than when she was with King Sombra. She closed her mouth and wrapped her fingers in each other as she stared down at the silk purple blanket. Two weeks and four days, huh... She thought to herself.

As Twilight was starting to come to terms with this new knowledge, she felt light-headed. Her entire body felt weak.

"W-what's wrong wi--" Twilight was cut off by the immense sound of her stomach growling. A soft blush overtook her face as she placed her left hand against her belly. She was hungry, of course! There was no way she was being fed in the time she was unconscious. Twilight looked up at Celestia and couldn't hold it in any longer. The pair both broke out into a laughter that seemed to evaporate the entire conversation before hand. It wasn't loud, nor quiet. It was the perfect volume for two ponies who were comfortable being around each other and who knew each other very well. It was a laughter that showed true friendship between the pair. It took both mares several moments to stop laughing. When they had, Celestia patted Twilight's shoulder and smiled.

"How about we get you something to eat? Something small to start off. What would you like?"

"Surprise me." she responded with a smile. Celestia nodded and stood up. She stretched her hand out to Twilight. The mare took her hand as Celestia helped her onto her feet. Twilight's legs wobbled and shook. They felt like jelly. Her arm was wrapped around Celestia's shoulders as she carried Twilight out of the depressive atmospheric room and into the throne room. There, Celestia placed Twilight down on the rather comfortable throne chair. Twilight attempted to protest, saying that this seat was far too inappropriate for her, but was cut off quickly by Luna's hand covering her mouth. Twilight finally conceded with her protests and sat back into the chair. Celestia smiled softly and walked over to where the royal chiefs were.

Luna couldn't muster the courage to bring up a conversation. There was this silent awkwardness that fell between the two. Luna stole small, quick glances at Twilight, silently and secretly evaluating her physical and mental condition. She noted that Twilight was sitting straight up, but still leaning back in the chair. She made no movements such as twitching her hand or bouncing her leg on the ground. She looked calm and collected, very different from when they saw her fighting Sombra. Luna felt sad that she couldn't speak to Twilight, let alone even look at her.

"Luna, I know this is awkward for you. It is for me as well." Twilight turned her head to look at Luna.

"Twilight.." she spoke softly, "How are you feeling? I know this is a lot to take in. Nopony can understand how you feel right now, but we're here for you. If you ever decide you need to talk, cry, or even cuddle, you can come to me. I knew your brother very well, more-so than my sister."

There was a silent pause after Luna had said everything that she wanted. Reluctantly, Luna turned her head to face Twilight. At that moment, the purple mare threw her arms around Luna and bursted into tears. They flowed freely down her cheeks as she held onto the Princess tightly, burying her head at Luna's chest. The Princess of the Moon simply stroked Twilight's mane.

"It's okay Twilight. Crying is acceptable in this situation. Release everything you've held pent up." Luna spoke in the most soft and gentle tone. A sudden warmth filled Twilight's heart, something she hadn't felt since she first saw her relatives before the incident. Luna closed her eyes and began to rock side-to-side ever-so-gently. She began to hum a lullaby that Celestia always hummed whenever Luna was sad. Twilight sniffled, listening very closely to the lullaby. The tune and rhythm was odd. It was something she had never heard of before. The humming sounded as if there were multiple ponies. It felt as if a choir was standing right in front of her, singing only for her.

The sound of Luna's hums began to slowly and softly die off as the song was coming to an end. Twilight, at this point, had stopped crying and was now sitting silently on Luna's lap. She was curled up with her arms wrapped around Luna's abdomen. There were stains on her face from where the tears aggressively flowed. Celestia returned moments later and smiled at the sight. The plate she was carrying for Twilight was placed on a small table that rested next to her throne chair. Luna tapped on Twilight's shoulder to get her attention. The mare sitting on her lap lifted up her head.

"Your food is here, Twilight." Luna smiled and patted the little mare's head. Twilight nodded softly and moved so she was back to sitting on Celestia chair. When she looked down at the plate of food next to her, there was a wave of nostalgia that hit her hard. The only contents on the plate consisted of a egg sandwich cut in half. However, her mother always made this for her when she was in an angry mood. It was, by far, her most favorite meal. She picked up the triangular sandwich and took a small bite. The egg was cooked to the point where it almost melted in your mouth. It was lightly glazed over with mayonnaise. The bread was soft and warmed up from the freshly made egg. It tasted heavenly. Tears swelled in Twilight's eyes as she continued to eat.

"Celestia.. How did you--" she was cut off when Princess Celestia raised her right hand up.

"Your mother told me. She told me what kind of food you like and what to make depending on your mood. I thought this would help cheer you up." Celestia smiled and patted the little mare's head and spoke softly, "I'm sorry to leave you alone Twilight, but I must discuss something extremely important with my dear sister."

Luna stood up and smiled down at Twilight. She turned her head and began walking with her sister out of the throne room and down the hall to another room. Twilight sighed softly and finished half of her meal. She stared down at her fingers. I should go down to Ponyville and tell everyone I'm okay. They must be worried sick. She had subconsciously picked up the other piece of her sandwich and began to eat. It really did taste heavenly.

Moments pass after she had finished eating her sandwich. She sat on the throne chair, cross-legged. Twilight really did want to go visit her friends, but she didn't know how to approach them properly. They would assault her with all of their worries all at once. She knew she'd be overwhelmed by all of their emotions and have it end with her bursting into tears. Oh Celestia! A thought had struck her. What about Spike?! She had just realized how Spike much be feeling. After all, Twilight was basically his mother considering she raised him from his hatchling years. She stood up. Spike wasn't in her room when she awoke, nor was he in the throne room. There was once place where he was most likely at. Twilight walked out of the room and down the hallway. She was basically jogging at this point because of her urge to tell Spike she was okay.

Twilight faced the old, run-down door. The wood was somewhat rotting and the paint was chipping off. It really stood out when compared to its neighboring doors and the painted wall it rested on. The sounds of grunts could be heard on the other side of the door. Twilight placed her hand on the handle and slowly turned the sphere counter-clockwise. It clicked open as she pushed it forward in tiny inches. Her head poked out from the now cracked open doorway as she looked inside. The room was dark. The only thing lighting up the area was a small oil lamp that sat in the center. There was the vague silhouette of somepony on the far end wall. You could see his fists pushing forward and his kicks high in the air. The sound of his ragged, worn-out breath was very apparent. The shadow of the figure stopped moving as he turned his head to look at the doorway.

"Twilight? Is that you?" he spoke softly despite his lack of breath.

"Mhm. It's me, Spike." she smiled and flipped on the light switch to the room. Spike was forced to cover his eyes from the sudden assault of light.

"Ah! You could have warned me first, Twilight!" he half laughed and half groaned.

Twilight could see all of the sweat that covered the teen dragon's body. His grey tank top was soaked with sweat and stuck onto his body tightly. Spike sighed and sat down on the floor cross legged. He picked up his water bottle and chugged down the contents half way before stopping and putting it down.

"Are you okay, Twilight? You know you can tell me anything, right? I mean, you did raise me after all." he smiled softly up at Twilight before standing up again. "I'm sorry I couldn't visit you in your room. Princess Celestia and Princess Luna told me to not stay in your room. Of course, I refused for the first few days, but they forced me out." Twilight sighed softly and patted the dragon's head.

"You silly little thing. I'm fine, Spike. I know that you must have been worried about me, but I'm truly fine. I was planning on heading down to Ponyville. Would you like to come with me?"

The dragon nodded softly. "Sure! Just.. Let me take a shower first, all right?"

"Erm, I need to take one as well. You can go first though." she smiled and picked up the oil lamp to turn it off. When she turned around, Spike was all ready gone. However, Twilight began to feel nauseous. Everything in her vision seemed to twist and turn, distorting right in front of her. Her legs suddenly lost all of their strength and wobbled violently. She tried to keep her balance and stand, but they both gave out and she was forced onto her knees. Twilight gripped the sides of her head. It felt as though the darkness around her was playing with her mind.

Just as sudden as it had happened, it all stopped. Her legs regained their strength as she stood up again. The feeling of nausea vanished and she felt fine. Twilight decided to keep this in quiet so she doesn't worry everypony more-so than they all ready are. As Twilight walked down the hallway to her room, she couldn't shake off the feeling of somepony watching her. She felt awkward and even scared, but shrugged it off as a side effect of her just awakening from her long slumber. However, in the deepest part of Twilight's heart, there lied something malicious, a curse even. Twilight would soon have to fight her own battle. An internal battle of would or wouldn't consume her. A battle that decided her fate.