The 2nd Thing that Never Happened
Magic built up in Twilight's horn as her blood ran cold, all around her ponies cried out in horror as Paraspites attempted to devour them. She had to stop it, she had cause this, horror to begin, by trying to be clever and smart. But she now had seconds to act before the fatalities started. The swarm would spread across equestria growing ever larger and larger, ponies would die because of her. That was when she did a simple thing, and crossed a line she had hoped never to cross in her life, but she had no choice. She released the magic of the enchantment to give a new command to the paraspites, a simple and horrifying command.
"DIE!"
She wondered if she had said the command, she felt like she had. Not that any pony could hear her, the buzzing of wings and the screams of fellow ponies drowned out anything Twilight could have said. As the screams continued Twilight feared she and failed again, but she soon realized she could clearly hear the screaming now the defending buzz had stopped. She opened her eyes and watched the scene of carnage before her, ponies bleeding profusely, holding injured limbs and other wounds as they sobbed, little files and colts crying their eyes out. A Shell shocked Bon-bon havening her head rapidly banged, the wide eyes of
a dozen traumatized ponies and aloud them the lifeless corpses of countless Paraspites. The little creatures mouths still opened with needle sharp teeth covered in blood, but all, every single one of them was dead. So elated she and saved the ponies by the narrowest of margins Twilight barely noticed something she should have immediately.
"By the blood of the ancestors!" A voice boomed. "W-what horror is this!?"
"I think I'm going to be sick!" a male voice chimed in.
"No time for that solider!" a familiar voice said. "Be sick on your own time, these ponies need medical attention now!"
The thunder of hooves sounded as dozens of royal guards stream into ponyville, followed by doctor and nurse ponies.
"What could have caused this?" Yet another familiar voice asked.
"Behold sister, Paraspites!" the first voice returned. "And from the looks of it they have gone feral and where trying to devour the townsponies!"
"P-princess?" Twilight choked out and turned.
Behind her stood the imposing form of Celestia, flanked closely by Luna. The night princess herself appears taller than the last time Twilight saw her, her mane a flowing field of stars. The green eyes of the nightpricess almost boring into her.
"Twilight what happened?" Celestia asked
"I.. I.. It's all my fault princess!" Twilight bawled. "T-the paraspites they where, eating all the food, e-everything. I tried to cast a spell to make them stop eating the food, but I though that might make them eat everything else."
Tears flowed hot down Twilight's cheeks, blurring when they reached her bite wounds. She wanted to bury herself against the princess, but the swell of gilt had her stuck in place, shaking in fear and pain.
"So thou changed your spell to stop they eating Ponyville's food and the things in Ponyville yes?" Luna asked, though more a statement.
"Yes, and they.. -they started eating ponies! I had to.. The spell I know it's forbidden but I HAD TO!" Twilight almost shrieked. "I Had to stop them by any means. Everyone pony was going to die because of me!"
"We felt it." Luna said. "A mass extermination spell, it has spread all across Equestia and continues it's path across the world."
"W-what!?" Twilight gasped.' T-the world!?"
"You killed them all Twilight..." Celestia said. "Every Paraspite in the world is now obeying your one command..."
"Bah tis something we should have done eons ago sister!" Luna sneered. "The Paraspites where a menace and server no function. Just a toll of terror left behind by Discord. Thy student had done Equestia, nay the world, a service by killing them off!"
Twilight barely noticed the Nurse who at something had begun bandaging her leg, only winching as a stinging cream was applied. The stared down at the green slop that had been applied in confusion.
"Tis a specializing healing balm." Luna said. "Rare beyond belief for it's regenerative power. The citizens shall recovering swiftly, physically."
"But the mental scaring.." Twilight hissed. "I've done such a horrible thing. I'm sorry I failed you so much Princess, I understand that you have to banish me forever.."
"Twilight.." Celestia said. "I could never.. I.. You have to understand. I can't completely blame you for this."
"NO! It was my mistake, I almost got the entire town killed, and who knows how many other ponies the paraspites would have killed before they where stopped."
Twilight protested. "If I hadn't been so arrogant none of this would have happened."
"You see sister." Luna said. "The secret you keep from her almost lead to disaster. She must know or this kind of thing will happen again and again! She needs to know how strong she really is!"
"If I tell her she can never lead a normal life!" Celestia responded.
"Her life tis normal now?" Luna shot back. "Thy apprentice can NOT life the life of a normal pony! If she tries she will just continue use too much power in her spells, making more simple mistakes into these kind of disasters!"
"Secret.. What secret?" Twilight asked confused.
"Thy destiny Twilight Sparkle." Luna said. "Mine sister had long ago seen what thou were meet to do."
Celestia looked guiltily. "Y-yes I did... Twilight what do you know about Alicorns?"
"Uhh, that your the most powerful kind of Ponies with the strength of earth ponies, the flight power of pegasi and the magic of unicorns." Twilight started.
"You and princess Luna are both very old and control the movement of the sun and moon. And all Alicorns are princesses, yourself, Luna and Cadance your niece."
"And how are we born?" Celestia asked.
"What?" Twilight said. "B-born? Well your... Not born like regular ponies?"
"Nah Twilight Sparkle." Luna said. "Mine sister and myself know not how we where born. We are foundlings. Discovered by a unicorn couple and raised as their daughters. Simply discovered with no identification what so ever. We art Princesses because Starswril the Bearded asked us to be."
"We where adopted into House Platinum." Celestia continued. "I truth we have non royal blood, and bear no direct relation to the modern nobility."
"What about Cadance?" Twilight asked.
"She was like us, a foundling." Celestia explained. "A pegasus child found by earth ponies. She only became my niece in name after her, apotheosis. She defeated and powerful Unicorn Sorceress armed with a mystical artifact though sheer will and her understanding of love."
"So.. She. Transformed into a Alicorn." Twilight asked, so enthralled by the sudden revelation that horror around her was nearly forgotten.
"Sister has with in her the gift of Prophecy." Luna explained. "The closer her vision comes to fruition the more clear it becomes."
"The Prophecy of the Return of the Nightmare is one such instance." Celestia explained. "Back where I first had it, the vision was vague. I knew only a powerful unicorn would stand against nightmare moon upon her return. Over centuries it became more clear. The Unicorn would be a mare. The Unicorn would be my apprentice. The Unicorn would have the power of the Elements of Harmony. Each element would find a new bearer in one of the unicorn's allies. The entire purpose of my school fro gifted unicorns was to find her."
"And you saw me?" Twilight asked.
"The vision clarified into you upon the day of your magic entrance exam." Celestia said. "I had thought my previous student would be the one, but the vision of her future is clouded to me."
"The vision became more clear upon your victory against me." Luna said. "And it explains why your spell failure had such a dire consequence>"
"What do you mean?" Twilight asked.
"You should haven't been able to enchant multiple Paraspites at once." Celestia said. "Paraspites where created by Discord, the spirit of Chaos, and should have resisted your magic. At most you should have been able to enchant one."
"But thou did not." Luna said. "Thou enchanted a whole swarm, and then where lives where in danger, thou effected ALL Paraspites and wiped them out!"
"What does that mean!?" Twilight asked panicked.
"I have seen your destiny my student.." Celestia said. "Did it never strike you as odd that the element of magic is a crown?"
"So I'm going to... Become an Alicorn?" Twilight asked incredulously.
"Yes." Celestia said. "And soon, your power has been growing exponential. This incident proves it."
"B-but I don't want that!" Twilight said backing up ." I don't want that kind of power! This kind of power! I almost killed all of Ponyville!"
"Fate is cruel." Luna said. "It cares not for our wants, and thrusts power upon those it deems worthy with out their consent."
Twilight wanted to run, wanted to hide, to never use magic again. She didn't want to ever risk something like the horror she had just caused ever again! Yes she wanted to, but a small nagging voice in her head, a dammed logical voice called out. You can't run! You can't hide! The world isn't all sun shine and rainbows, your too smart to believe that! If your not there ponies will die, they WILL DIE. Luna was right, fate was cruel, it had forced it's hoof upon her, regardless of her wants. So she did the very thing she needed to, she exploded into sobs and buried her head into Celestia chest. Some how, in some twisted way the horrifying incident Ponyvilleians would speak of in hushed tones for generations to come seemed like nothing to Twilight. The fact her
friends had almost been eaten alive seemed to pale in comparison to the sudden crushing weight dropped upon her shoulders.
The End
