Even Goddesses need love

I was trotting down the halls of the palace in Canterlot. It had only been a few months since Princess Celestia had chosen me as her personal student, and I had been working hard to make sure the Princess didn’t regret choosing me as her student. Today was a free day so I decided to explore the palace. The palace was beautifully carved out of marble with golden accents to break up the white marble. Out of the corner of my eye I spotted a crimson and orange tail disappearing behind a corner. Curious, I followed it.

As I turned around the corner, I saw the tail disappear through a set of double doors, I rushed to the doors and opened them. I saw an empty room, confused I looked around the dusty unused room filled with cobwebs and broken furniture. I spotted a tall full body mirror. It rippled oddly and it seemed like the surface was entirely liquid. I stepped up to it and looked closer the purple elegant frame curled at the apex with a trapezoidal block that had a gem inset into it. I brought my right fore hoof up to the mirror and touched the surface. It parted unnaturally and enveloped my hoof and I felt it pulling me in. I tried to pull my hoof out, but I slipped and fell into the place the mirror portal led to. My vision was filled with a myriad of colors as I fell and felt my body twist and turn. Everything went dark upon losing consciousness. When I woke up, I stood up, or tried to, my rear legs felt weird, which caused me to look down and see that they had changed into long, gangly things and my forehooves had changed into claw-like wriggly things.

I looked around and saw that everything was stark white! I couldn’t see a horizon in front of me, however, within this white expanse stood a large, looming obsidian gate! It didn’t look like it had any way to open it. Etched into the panels was a creature known as human, she had only seen in legends. Thinking on it, my new form looked human, yet it was a little different from the one depicted on the gate as it had the wings of a pegasus and the horn of a unicorn. However, it had its eyes closed. The gate was framed with chiseled grey stone, which was then etched with several creatures that looked like they belonged in my world.

I turned around to look where I had came from and saw another similar gate, where on the front sat a picture of an alicorn engraved on the gate. Around the stone frame I found creatures from pony legends.

“Welcome, child born of one world, but destined to be the savior of both.” A voice echoed through the expanse, though I couldn’t tell if it was a mare or stallion’s. Its voice seemed like multiple voices speaking at the same time, making it sounded unnatural, alien.

I spun around, searching for the owner of the voice to find that front of me stood a cloaked figure. I instinctively backed away, toward the gate I came from.

“I wouldn’t be so hasty, Twilight,” The figure chided

I froze and looked at it, “How do you know my name?”

“I know everything, the past, future, present and every outcome. Knowing your name isn’t that difficult a feat.” The creature answered smugly.

“Who are you? Where am I?” I asked frantically.

“You are here because you were meant to be here, as was I. This place? I call it the void, the world between worlds, limbo, the crossroads of dimensions, the nowhere and the nothingness, oblivion. This is a very key moment for you, Twilight. A choice will be made and is being made, look around you.”

I did as I was instructed and looked around innumerable pairs of doors with versions of the figure and myself standing opposite each other, with minor variances. My jaw fell as I looked upon infinity.

“As for who I am? That is not important. What is important is your next choice, do you move forward or do you turn back? Do you dive into and embrace the darkness, or stand and bask in the light? I know it’s not much to go on and doesn’t seem so important in the context of things, but trust me when I say that the fate of two worlds hangs in the balance... but it is not much of a choice if you don’t know the consequences, is it?

If you continue forward, you will enter a new world, and in doing so will help prevent a disaster. If you leave, you doom that world and your own, you will forget this place even exists and will never tread here again. You’ll live your life how it would have played out. Furthermore, regardless of which you choose you must sacrifice something. What that something is or when it is taken, you will not know. Fret not though, little filly, for despite all the consequences and sacrifices you must make, you will be rewarded if you move forward, beyond your wildest dreams in fact, for your future efforts. Now quickly, my little pony! What is your answer?” The being finished monologuing.

I stood frozen, this figure was putting me on the spot! No matter what I do, I’ll lose something, the answer should be obvious. If I lose something despite my choice, wouldn’t it be better to do it and get rewarded. If only the Princess was here she could help me make the right choice! I thought and then decided, nodding to myself and looking up at the figure who seemed to regard me in a cold curious way.

“Your answer?” it asked.

“I’ll continue on, I’ll go forward and pray to Celestia that it isn’t the wrong one.”

The figure seemed to smile despite its face being obscured.

“Goood,” it practically hissed out. It stepped aside as a loud rumbling emanated from the gate, screeching as if it had not been opened in a long time.

I stood up shakily and properly tried to balance and walk forward. The creature watched me as I went through the gate.

“You shall henceforth be able to travel throughout the multiverse without hinderance. For it is very important for your role in things.”

The guard I had shadow Twilight had informed me she had entered a mirror in an old storage room, I rushed as fast as I could to stop my student falling prey to that creature. Through halls and doors I burst through, before I finally came upon the mirror and dived into it. When I came to, I arrived in the void.

“Ah Celestia! I was expecting you!” it exclaimed cheerfully, I will always hate its smug, know-it-all attitude, even if it did in fact know everything. It doesn’t mean it has to be rude about it!

It smirked at me, obviously he knew what I was thinking.

“Where is my student, fiend!?” I demanded. Its smirk widened.

“She has made her choice!” it announced gleefully, “As you and your sister once did, though it was different!” it exclaimed prancing and twirled around me, it was already giving me an aneurysm.

“Also, I am not a fiend, silly filly!” it reprimanded, I lowered my head, pointing my horn at it and pawed at the ground. My horn started glowing, until I felt the magic leave, along with my horn.

“Ah! Ah! Ah! I gave you that horn, ‘Tia, I can take it away. For now it’s been confiscated.”

“You caused my sister to fall to the nightmare!” I shouted at the creature,

“‘Tia, ‘Tia, ‘Tia! You both would have had the same sacrifice, even if you hadn’t come here. Just be thankful I took pity on you and gave you something to make up for it.”

“You think I care about anything more than my sister!?” I demanded.

“But of course filly, it’s why you have received your reward. It’s not my fault you chose to be out of her life as her father, practically the moment she was born. So she could have a normal life, pffft, rather noble of you, giving up the one pony who is both your sister’s saviour and her reward.”

“But that would mean! Eugh! You’re sick!” I screwed up my face in disgust.

“Oh please, Celestia, it’s not like you’re one to talk after that one night in that tent you shared.” the figure snickered as I felt the heat in my cheeks as I glared at it.

“Wait! She wasn’t Luna’s was she?”

“Oh come on! Even I have standards. Do not worry, the filly Twilight is yours and Velvet’s just like you remember. Also, I seem to remember you being the intelligent one.”

“Twilight is the next element of magic. Assuming things go according to plan. And assuming if she follows in your hoofsteps, then she is going to be rewarded more than you two were,” it continued

“And what of her sacrifice!?” I demanded, gripping the creature's shoulders.

“I shall tell you on one condition, you do not try and interfere …”

I awoke again, this time in front of a red brick building, I was fully clothed in a skirt that matched my coat color and had my cutie mark on it.

I looked around and spotted strange-looking bipedal creatures that looked similar to my new body. I stood up and was about to walk off to explore before I was grabbed from behind and I felt a bag cover my head, sending me into darkness.

After what seemed like hours, I was tied to something and the bag was violently removed from my head. A tall girl with lightly tanned skin and a crimson and orange mane, stood before me wearing a strange jacket over an orange dress. She got in close to my face and demanded, “Who sent you!? Was it the royal guard!?” She paced in front of me waiting for me to answer, I felt tears welling up and I began to cry.

“I want to go home!” I said through my fear provoked sobs

The girl looked at me incredulously, “What are you? Six!?”

“Y-yeah …” I answered, my voice sounding strangled.

Her eyes widened in panic and untied me and wrapped her arms around me, I stopped crying in shock.

“OMG! I am so sorry! I didn’t know! I thought Celestia had sent a royal guard after me!”

“Wha- how do you know of the Princess?” I asked, still crying.

“I was her student ten years ago. My name’s Sunset Shimmer. What’s your name?” Sunset asked.

“I am Twilight Sparkle, I am a student of the Princess too!”

Sunset’s eyes widened, “No! Not again!”

“Wha-? What’s wrong, Sunset?” I asked, confused as to why she acting like this.

“Did you end up in a white world with two gates?” Sunset asked, biting her nails.

“Yes, why?” I asked while wiping a tear away.

“There was a reason I couldn’t return to Princess Celestia, Twilight. I too have met that figure in the void, my sacrifice was not returning home to Equestria, as my choice killed this world’s Sunset. I came thinking only of what it would cost me and what I would get and ignoring the possibility it would affect others. We met outside a store, and we both freaked out so much so that she ran headlong into speeding traffic and died when a truck hit her.

I couldn’t let my selfish choice affect anyone else, so I took her place, bribed the EMT’s with the solid gold bitI had on my person, though the equestrian currency itself was worthless the gold proved valuable enough. I bought this house after selling the gold and covered up the truth by burying all information regarding my human self’s death, I went to the local school after finding out about the other me from this world, where she went to school and finding out that the Celestia of this world had adopted the human me,” Sunset explained and looked haunted, before looking up.

“Twilight, there will be another version of you here. If you can, avoid all contact with her,” Sunset explained as she got up and started rummaging through a strange looking bag. After a while she came back over with a human-style saddle bag and a book with a stylised sun on the cover. “Twilight, memorise this book, there is a clone of it in Equestria, held in Princess Celestia’s library, I used it to communicate with her while I was still her student. Find its mate over in your dimension and we can stay in touch. Whatever that creature in the hood is, it knows more than anything else in the multiverse, and it chose us for a reason. I don’t know what it wants us to do, for all we know we could be doing it right now. Also, I hate to be a burden, but can you deliver these letters for me?” Sunset asked holding out a pile of letters, which I took and put in the saddlebag.

“Of course I will! Sunset? Do you want to be friends?” I asked, seeing that Sunset looked like she could use a friend.

“Yes, Twilight, I would love to be your friend,” Sunset responded warmly.

I had returned from that beast’s lair, the void, and was currently slumped on my bed. Haunted by what Twilight will have to sacrifice, My poor foal! I sobbed for her and her fate, That I had once again lost another family member to the creature’s cruel machinations. All in the name of the blasted greater good. Fuck the greater good! For once I want to do something for myself and my family!

A knock on my door interrupted my descent into depression, “Who is it?” I croaked out.

A concerned voice called through the door. “Princess, are you okay?” came a meek filly’s voice. I bolted to the door, opening it and wrapping Twilight in my forelegs and hugging her, which caused her to squeak in surprise.

“Oh Twilight! I was so worried that I’d lost you!” I cried out as Twilight tried admirably to return the hug.

“I am okay Princess, I have a something for you!” Twilight exclaimed, in her magic she levitated a sheaf of letters,

“Oh my! What a talented post mare you are, Twilight,” I said smiling warmly, causing the little filly’s worried frown to turn into a beaming smile at the praise.

“Who are they from?” I asked, looking them over without opening them to see if I could figure out who it was from the horn writing.

“Sunset Shimmer!” Twilight beamed, however, the utterance of that name almost made me drop her and the letters in shock.

“She’s alive?” I asked cautiously. Twilight nodded, though her smile faded and her ears folded back.

“She can’t return home, she said she would explain the reason why in the letters,”Twilight explained sadly. I carried the letters and Twilight to my bed, laying the filly down on top of the duvet, in which she promptly sunk into due to its size and puffiness.

I climbed on and began reading, tears falling as I continued, so immersed I hadn’t noticed Twilight valiantly battling the puffiness to get to me or when she actually made it to hug me with her tiny legs.

Dear Princess Celestia,
It has been over a decade since, we have spoken or could speak. When I was younger and more impulsive I discovered the mirror, and the beast that lay within “The Truth, God, The All-In-One, Faust, Fate, Destiny, Harmony, Magic, the Powers.” It has been called many things and in a sense, all are correct. I foolishly and egotistically believed I could save the world on my own and decided to move forward as perhaps many have in the past, and likely will for those who pay its price in the future. It told me about my choice, but did not explain the sacrifice as is its modus operandi. (I found a treatise on it by Starswirl the Bearded.) I discovered what I sacrificed, straight after I entered that world and it wasn’t even mine to sacrifice. I had to take my others self's place in that world because I got her killed as soon as she saw me. I am researching what I need to do in order to protect this world and ours, but I am alive and well. I am sorry.

Love, Sunset Shimmer