Ever since Twilight had ascended to alicornhood, she had been treated... Differently.
It might've been strange or awkward the first few years, but now... Twilight was used to it; just like ponies were used to her.
She didn't go about flaunting her wings or trotting Canterlot with her snout held high. Neigh, she was still the same old Twilight from before. A humble, modest mare, with a passion for magic; and now friendship...
And as the Princess of Friendship her role had only increased.
Today was no exception.
"Spike, is everything set up?" Twilight asked her number one assistant as she turned her head to the right to find the young drake pushing a table into place. "Yep! This is the last one!" Spike nodded as his eyes flickered for half am moment in excitement. "Oh! Almost forgot about your index cards!" The drake smiled as he dug through his saddlebag and produced a stack of no less than sixty 4 by 6 inch standard index cards from his sack.
"Thanks Spike." Twilight smiled warmly as she took the notes in her magic and began to skim through them.
"No problem! If you need me, I'm going to head over to the comic book store on the west side of town." Spike waved as he walked up the stairs of the auditorium they were in. "I'll be back in two hours!" He hollered as he reached the top and walked out the door.
"Bye Spike! Have fun!" Twilight smiled as she watched the drake go and then turned back to her notes.
Today she had been asked by some of her old instructors at Celestia's School for gifted children, or CSGC for short, to come in an lecture about cutie mark magic. The request was something that old Twilight would've never have dreamed of, but now it was quite humbling to give back to the school she had enjoyed learning from for so many years. She took a deep breath and sighed as she focused on calming herself. Even as an alicorn now, she was still prone to the cruel emotion known as social anxiety. It was always nerve wracking to be talking in front of a large crowd, not to mention lecturing. She had to admit she was doing better than the first few times she had spoke in front of an audience of more than three. It was just of matter of her controlling her emotions and not the other way around.
The school's bell rang three times, signaling that third period was beginning, as Twilight put her emotions in check and turned around to face her audience of oncoming students.
The ponies ranged anywhere from age thirteen to early twenties, as was common for most classes that involved advanced magic. Most were unicorns, though she did see a few earth ponies and one pegasus whizzing by to find a seat. Again, commonly expected. Most ponies who were enrolled in this school were unicorns, simply because of Canterlot's unequal diversity of pony race, and the fact that unicorns could most easily and actively tap into their reserves of magic.
Nothing out of the ordinary. Even the one professor that decided to stick around was usual.
So with everything accounted for, Twilight began.
"Ah, good afternoon mares and stallions." She began, "My name is Princess Twilight Sparkle. You may simply address me as Twilight for the remainder of the lecture." She explained, humility before formality as Celestia always taught.
"Today I have been asked to explain what exactly-" She pulled down the projector screen with her magic as she talked, "A Cutie Mark is." She said as the projector turned on with a single nudge from her magic as an image of over a dozen sketched and colored cutie marks appeared on the screen.
"We'll start with the basics." She said as she trotted about, "Can anyone tell me what a cutie mark represents?" She asked the class. There was silence for a few moments, before a lone unicorn stallion with a blond mane and glasses sheepishly raised his hoof into the air.
"Yes sir? You in the back." Twilight called out as the stallion nodded. "Uh well, a Cutie Mark can mean a number of different things." He adjusted his glasses as he talked while whistling slightly out of his nostrils, "If you really want to dumb it down to the simplest of terms, a Cutie Mark is just a visual reminder, or representation, of your unique talent." He shrunk back after that, obviously feeling shy after having to talk in front of the entire class.
"You are absolutely right!" Twilight nodded as she switched pictures to a visual slide, depicting a sad filly on the left without a mark, then an arrow pointing to a question mark followed by another arrow pointing to an exact copy of the filly; now happy and donning a cutie mark with a smiley face.
"A cutie mark is a visual reminder of what we are good at, what makes us us." She smiled happy. "Take my friends and me for example." She motioned to her own magenta starburst cutie mark with five little white stars. "Our cutie marks not only represent what we are good at; mine being magic..." She chuckled, "But that we are each connected to one another through friendship." She added as she swapped slides again. "Some of our marks visually represent our bond." She again pointed to the five little stars on her flank, "While some of them demonstrate the event that marked our bond." She showed a visual drawing of each of her friends frozen in time at the event that started it all; the rainboom.
"While most events that lead up to fillies and colts receiving their cutie marks aren't usually as dramatic as mine and my friends were, a curious thing to note is that most of the time our marks do indeed seem to visually represent an important event in our lives that led to discovering our own talents." She noted, as she showed a picture of Rarity sewing a dress with gemstones in it; then another with a mare playing a lyre using her hooves instead of her horn.
"Cutie Mark magic is very mysterious." She chuckled, "Even the things we can pin down like; visual representation, life triggering events, ancestral history, etc. We still don't know how or why a certain pony gets a certain cutie mark." She explained as several of the students began to murmur aloud to one another in discussion.
"Let's take a real life example." Twilight stated as she switched slides once more. "This is a sonic rainboom." Twilight explained as she showed a picture hoofdrawn of Rainbow Dash in mid flight after just making a sonic rainboom behind her. "While a fantastic feat on it's own, it is also very significant in six pony's lives. Namely, me and my friends." She explained as again ponies began to lean forward and crane their necks to listen and behold.
"If it wasn't for Rainbow Dash's race to defend Fluttershy's honor, this rainboom wouldn't have happened." Twilight explained.
"Fluttershy might never have discovered her love of animals. Applejack might never have realized that she belonged on her farm. And Pinkie Pie might never have decided to leave hers." She chuckled, and she swapped back to the picture with her and her friends frozen in time at the places they got their cutie marks.
"It must be hard to imagine Rarity without her sense of fabulousness. But it's even harder to fathom what my life would be like." Twilight smiled happy, "Without this rainboom, I might not have gotten into magic school. Celestia wouldn't have taken me on as her pupil or sent me to Ponyville to meet my friends. And the most powerful thing about Cutie Mark Magic that I found is the connection I share with them." She continued as she looked about the room to see what everypony's reactions were.
That's when she saw her...
Starlight Glimmer... A pony supposedly MIA for over six months. Twilight shook her head in disbelief and blinked to get a closer look. By then she was gone, like a ghost or phantom that had never been there in the first place, as Twilight cleared her throat after being caught off guard. "But, um... Real question about...Cutie Mark Magic is...who it seems to affect." She continued her lecture, as she tried her best to push the shock away until the end of class.
"Starlight Glimmer?" Spike asked confused as the two of them touched down on the outskirts of Ponyville and Twilight tucked in her wings.
"I was sure I saw her, Spike." Twilight sighed as they walked down the path, "But when I looked again, she was gone! I'm just worried what she could be up to." She frowned, Or worse...
"Nothing good, I bet." Spike chuckled as he picked up the pace to keep up with Twilight, "I heard she wasn't very happy the last time you saw her." He made a frown as he curled his snot a little, making himself look cute despite being serious.
"Forcing everypony in her village to have the same cutie mark wasn't right. We had to do something!" Twilight noted worried as Spike put up his claws in defeat after setting down his luggage at the front entrance of the castle.
Twilight was glad to be back. The blue crystalline walls were comforting to look at at, and eased her somewhat as Spike walked up next to her.
"And now she's coming back for revenge." He spoke absentmindedly as she saw the little cogs in his head turning. She frowned; she didn't like the idea he mentioned.
Spike immediately changed tune a few seconds later after seeing Twilight look worried, "Uh, or she was just really interested in your speech!" He changed topics as he tried to be less dark about the whole thing. It didn't really help Twilight feel any better, but she was glad Spike had tried.
She shook her head, "Honestly, Spike. I am not really sure what I saw. But as long as I have my friends, I know everything will be all right." That was true. Her friends knew just what to do for situations like these.
She grabbed the handle to their map room in her aura and chuckled. "Maybe I was just more stressed about that speech than I thought." She muttered aloud as she pictured her friends right behind the door, waving and reassuring her everything was alright.
"Yeah. That sounds better than Starlight Glimmer coming back with an evil plot for revenge." Spike laughed as Twilight pulled the door and smiled at Spike. "Well, when you say it like that, it does sound kinda silly." She had to admit as she let out a tiny chuckle. What had she been thinking, letting her imagination run wild that is...
Spike stopped suddenly as his pupils shrunk and Twilight turned to see what was the matter with the young drake. "O-Or it's totally true!" He stammered as he pointed a claw ahead and Twilight gasped as she saw not her friends sitting around the table waiting, but somepony she'd least expected to be there.
"Welcome home, Twilight!" Starlight Glimmer smirked as she leaned back in her seat.
Welcome home, Twilight! Starlight had spoken to her as she simply stared in disbelief.
It felt like somepony had poured ice down her back as she just looked from Starlight to the door and then back to Starlight again.
Starlight smirked as she got off her seat and walked around to her. "Speechless as usual I see. I guess I do leave that impression." She chuckled as she reached over and closed the alicorn's open mouth.
"I guess you must be quite surprised to see me." She had walked back around the map again, "After our last encounter you'd probably thought I was long gone. Disappeared into the cavern without a trace, where no one would see the beauty of Equestria's true leader ever again..." She pouted as she leaned back on the map and looked up at Twilight in faux pain.
By now Twilight had regained her senses as she shook her head and frowned, "What do you want Starlight?" She straightened her posture as she stared at the pink unicorn serious.
Starlight turned to look at Twilight as she rolled over and stood up on all fours, chuckling, "So now you ask me..." She said serious as she began to trot over to Twilight threatening, "There are many things I want." She started, as Twilight held her ground, "But ponies like you deny me those things!" She jabbed a hoof at her accusingly.
Twilight looked down at the hoof confused before turning back to look at Starlight. "Equality?" She asked, "Starlight, what you did back in the village-"
"It's not just about that!" Starlight huffed, as Spike decided it was high time he slipped away to go get help; his actions going unnoticed by Starlight as she yelled. "You have no idea what real friendship is like!" She snarled; Twilight was about to interject when Starlight started up again. "You only have followers because of your status!" She began to rant, "No one really, really likes you. It's all an act!" She laughed and then looked at Twilight victorious.
"No Starlight, you're wrong." Twilight countered as it was Starlight's turn to be confused. "I have friends because I earned them." She walked forwards, making Starlight take a step back in fright, "If you had been paying attention to my lecture earlier, you would've learned that friendship is more than just status. It's about-"
"-destiny... Of course!" Starlight shouted excited as she grinned deviously.
"Uh, say what now?" Twilight blinked confused as Starlight laughed.
"You're right Twilight. You have friends because of destiny!" She smirked as her horn began to glow blue and Twilight stood back. If Starlight was planning to attack, she had another thing coming!
"I've been observing you and your friends.." She spat the word out like it was venom, "I thought they just melted to fit your mold because of status, but now I see the truth." All sense of reasoning with Starlight was gone as she shot a blight blue bolt of magic right next to Twilight as the alicorn raised a shield just in time.
Twilight eventually realized the bolt hadn't been intended for her at all, rather the direction the mare's horn had been pointing was slightly off to her left as she turned to find a blue portal floating in the air. Starlight smiled as she walked towards the portal and stopped just a few feet away from it. "You are nothing more than a pawn." She frowned, "A pitiful, but lucky little foal who's destiny relied on something as easy as calming down a magic outburst." She cackled as Twilight remained frozen is disbelief.
"Too bad somepony like me is going to correct that." She said as she leaped through the portal and the pieces came together.
Starlight had cast an advanced level temporal spell, designed for others to travel through other dimensions and yes, through time. It was also something one could only learn from one particular book, and it was currently sealed away on the forbidden section of the Canterlot archives.
So not only had Starlight learned this forbidden knowledge, but now she planned to use it so she could alter history.
It all made sense now! Starlight could've casted the spell any time, but she needed confirmation from Twilight about where and when to travel to!
This was very troubling...
Immediately Twilight dropped her shield spell she'd cast and dove for the portal. There was no time to waste! If Starlight was looking to change history, then she had to stop her!
She felt herself being pulled and stretched as the magic condensed her form to make it easier to cross the timeline, as she yelled.
[Meanwhile...]
"Come on, hurry! Twilight's stuck in here with Starlight Glimmer!" Spike shouted as he threw open the door to the map room to find-
"No one?" Spike blinked confused, as the rest of the main six made it to the entryway as well and stared at the scene.
"Spike..." Applejack said, "You sure you didn't eat another rotten apple?" She asked stupidly as Spike just face palmed and groaned.
She fell from the sky, screaming form and all.
Lucky for her, she was able to quickly right herself as her wings flew open on instinct and she stabilized. "It's a good thing the portal was still stable." Twilight noted, as there was a thunderous echo for a moment, and looking up Twilight just caught the portal closing for good.
She groaned as she flapped her wings and moved to sit on a cloud. "Okay first things first!" She began a mental checklist, "Find Starlight, then figure out how to stop her from changing history." She frowned as she looked over the edge of the cloud for signs of the pink unicorn. She saw nothing but a few ponies trotting about enjoying the day, but no pink unicorn.
"I must've come out of a different portal. There's no way Starlight grew wings overnight." She mused. Though since Starlight had been able to cast the temporal displacement spell in the first place, she would not rule out the possibility of her having wings; yet. She shook her head. Right, focus.
She decided to gather some clues from the village down below as she swooped off her cloud and dipped her wings to descend.
Now that she was closer she could make out the varying details of the houses, and soon enough the finer details of ponies as she landed.
It wasn't unusual for ponies to see Pegasi descend onto the cobblestone pavement, but it was unheard of to see a strange alicorn descend onto the cobblestone pavement.
Twilight knew she'd cause as scene as soon as she landed and it didn't take much to prove her theory right. Most just stoped and stared gobsmacked, while others gasped in shock and immediately bowed before her. She wished she had some sort of disguise spell she could use, but alas no pony had been able to figure out the key to it; save Discord and the changelings, who both were unwilling to share.
"At ease loyal subjects." Twilight spread her wings wide to address the crowd. Typically she'd be crouched down and hiding from such attention, but seeing that the ponies saw her as royalty, she decided it was best to play along for now. "I am merely visiting this fine establishment of-" she paused, realizing she hadn't even bothered to figure out what the village's name was.
"-Ponyville, uh um ma'am." A polite stallion with a cherry red mane spoke as Twilight nodded in thanks. I suppose I should also make up an alibi while I'm at it. She thought.
"Yes, I am merely visiting Ponyville to discuss something important with a unicorn mare named Starlight Glimmer." Twilight instructed as she sagged, "Alas, I have lost contact with her. I am afraid I might never find her." She fake pouted; princess powers activate!
"We'll find her ma'am! Don't you fret now!" A blonde maned mare with an orange coat beamed.
"Appl-! I mean uh-... Thank you citizen! I too will continue the search! Please go about your daily business." Twilight stuttered as everything clicked into place.
I landed in Ponyville?! She hyperventilated once she was out of sight, the false bravado slipping from her like a wet rag. "And Applejack was here, that means-"
"Hello! I'm Pinkie Pie!"
"Gah!" Twilight shrieked as Pinkie Pie suddenly popped up in front of her.
"Pinkie Pie?! What are you doing here?!" She calmed herself as Pinkie looked at her and cocked her head confused.
"Well I was taking this here shortcut while doing deliveries, what are you doing her Princess-...?"
"-Sparkle. I'm, Princess Sparkle." Twilight lied quickly as Pinkie Pie just smiled and nodded like nothing was wrong. "Oohhh! Well Princess Sparkle, you still haven't answered my question!" She hopped up and down.
"Right, right. I was just..." She sighed defeated, she couldn't lie to her best friend! Not even if she was from the past. "Truthfully, I'm just trying to calm down." She sighed as her winged twitched involuntarily. "I'm not... Very good with crowds yet." She admitted. She'd always been bad at dealing with crowds.
Pinkie Pie giggled, "Okie Dokie Loki! I guess I'll be going then! I need to hurry and deliver these caaaaaakkkkkkessss~!" She shouted as she got further and further away.
Twilight sighed in relief as Pinkie left. One less hassle avoided. Now Princess 'Sparkle' needed to find Starlight Glimmer; while also staying under the radar in case any of her other friends decided to stop by.
"What in Equestria?" Twilight blinked confused as she looked above the door of Town Hall to find a banner saying, "Happy Summer Sun Celebration!" In big orange lettering.
She sat there for a few minutes, reading and rereading the sign as she scratched her head. "Surely Starlight didn't travel back as far as my foalhood years.." She racked her mind, "The Summer Sun Celebration was held back in Canterlot at the time. In fact, it hasn't been held in Ponyville since-"
"Maybe the ponies in Ponyville have interesting things to talk about. Come on, Twilight, just try!" A familiar, male voice spoke from behind her a few miles away.
The gears suddenly clicked as Twilight froze and slowly turned her head around in shock.
A few buildings down from her, stood a familiar lavender coated mare, with a small drake riding on her back.
Twilight held back a gasp as her wings nearly shot up to full length in surprise.
She couldn't believe it...! Right in front of her was none other than-
*WHUMP*
Twilight Sparkle promptly fainted.
Author's Note
CLIFFHANGER!! DUN DUN DUUUUN~!!!! 
(And now I pronounce this FF offically Non-Canon! You may proceed with the screaming.)
