Eventide

It had been difficult for the other element bearers, as well as Minuet, to watch their purple alicorn friend commit the acts of violence she’d committed against Lyra; and not just because of the fact that a strange force had kept them from coming to the rescue of the pale-green unicorn. Then, when they’d heard a sickening crunch, followed by Twilight trotting through the library with blood on one of her hooves, it was clear to them that Lyra wasn’t coming back out, at least not alive.

That was two days ago, and Twilight was making it clear that she wasn't going to allow anypony to enter, even to retrieve the body of the pale-green unicorn.

The six ponies decided on Sugar Cube Corner as the best meeting place to decide on what they should do to convince the crazed purple alicorn to let them in, and hopefully retrieve what was left of Lyra.

The meeting began, but it was a minute before Minuet, the first to speak, asked the other ponies around the table, “So, does anypony have any idea what we can do?”

For at least another minute, there was silence.

Then, a frustrated Applejack hammered the table with a front hoof and said, “Ah don’t know what we can do. Ah ain’t never seed Twilight like this a'fore.”

Pinkie Pie agreed, “Yeah. It’s like some nightmare from the Everfree forest has been lying to her all this time, telling her that friendship isn’t magic, then backing it up with more lies. Then the nightmare took her over, and it’s been making her do all the terrible things she’s been doing.”

The other five, with blank looks, stared at their pink earth pony friend.

Pinkie looked back at each of them, then said, “What? It’s just what it looks like to me.”

Rainbow Dash, putting her closest hoof on that of the pink earth pony, said, “Pinkie, you’ve got a crazy imagination. But, now’s not the time for it.” She then withdrew her hoof.

In shock, Pinkie opened her mouth to speak; but the words wouldn’t come. After a few seconds of trying, she finally closed her mouth again, then slumped down until her head was resting on the table.

With a sympathetic voice, Applejack moaned, then said, “We’re sorry, Sugar Cube. We didn’t mean to make you feel bad or nothin’. But, we’re here to decide what to do ‘bout Twilight, not to let our 'maginations run wild ‘bout what it looks like.”

Pinkie didn’t say anything. She didn’t even do anything except sniffle, then sigh.

Then, Rarity said, “But, what are we going to do? We can’t just give up and leave her like this, stuck in the library with just a dead corpse as company.”

Indignant, the orange earth mare shouted, “Ah know!” Then, realizing she'd spoken louder than she'd intended to, she calmed down again and added, “But, she ain’t a’lettin’ us in. So, there ain’t nothin’ we can do ‘bout it.”

Then, Rainbow Dash turned to the blue unicorn and asked, “Well, Minuet, do you have any ideas?”

In return, the blue unicorn asked, “Have you tried getting in through the balcony on the second floor? Maybe crashing through the window?”

Minuet’s last question sparked fury in the azure pegasa, who flew toward her and, glaring into the blue unicorn's eyes, snarled, “My crashes aren’t intentional, ya know!”

Immediately, Applejack leaped between the two and, pushing each away with a front hoof, said, “Alright, that’s enough! Now, neutral corners, both of ya!”

For another second or two Rainbow Dash hovered there and glared into the eyes of the surprised and frightened Minuet. Then, she turned away, returned to her position between Pinkie and Fluttershy, and dropped down into a human-style sitting position, forelimbs folded in front of her, still offended by what she took as an insult from the blue unicorn. Before turning to face her friends again, she said, “I tried to get in through that second-floor balcony. But, there was another of those black force fields.” Then, when she turned to her friends again, she added, “It was like looking into nothing. And, that nothing kept me from opening the door.”

At this point, Fluttershy started whimpering. When Rainbow Dash wrapped her in a comforting wing, she blurted out, “Oh, Twilight, what’s wrong with you? What made you so cruel?” And, she turned to her fellow pegasa and buried her face in her side, then started sobbing.

As Rainbow Dash added a forelimb to the wing she was using to hold the yellow pegasa close to her, the other ponies found it difficult to not be moved by her plight.

Finally, Minuet sighed and said, “Well, it may sound crazy, but I don’t see that we have any other choice. We have to go back and try to visit Twilight again. We have to try to convince her to let us in. Maybe it’ll work this time.”

None of the element bearers said anything more. But, as the group of six rose, it was evident that they were losing hope that their purple alicorn friend would respond to their pleas.

Not even Pinkie Pie, who would normally be smiling, could muster the strength to even look optimistic.

In Canterlot Castle, the daytime alicorn paced back and forth in the throne room.

Her sister, seated canine-style in her place, watched for a few seconds, then said, “Behold, I know thou worriest for Twilight. I also worry for her.”

Princess Celestia paused in her pacing, turned to her sister, and said, “She’s my most faithful student. She’s always kept in contact with me, even though she didn't need to. Now, suddenly she’s silent. Of course I’m worried about her.” She then sighed before adding, “Then there’s the last letter from her friends. No connection between magic and friendship? Where did she get such an idea? She knows as well as we do that magic and friendship are the same thing.” And, she went back to pacing.

Princess Luna watched her big sister do a few more linear laps in front of the two thrones until she could no longer tolerate it. Then, she rose to all fours, turned, and headed through a nearby door.

Now alone in the throne room, the daytime princess stopped pacing again, then looked up at the ceiling and said, “Twilight, wherever you are, please contact me again. Please let me know that you’re alright.” Then, as she looked down, a tear leaked from each eye and rolled down each cheek. It was going to be another long day.

In the library in Ponyville, within her head, Twilight was still buried in the memories of her friend, whose body was starting to deteriorate in the corner where it lay. The entrance she couldn’t avoid, the fight she couldn’t stop, those last words. And, after that, it almost seemed as though the tantabus had provided her a service by sealing the windows and doorways with those dark force shields. At least this way, she could grieve for her friend in relative peace.

But, that … thing … was still in control. And, there was nothing she could do about it. At least she’d been able to convince that other voice, that nightmare, that tantabus, that sealing all those windows and the door was a good idea. She couldn’t bare the thought of the blood of another friend staining her hooves. But, at the same time, never before had she felt so lonely. She couldn’t talk to her friends, she couldn’t contact the princesses, all the company she had was that tantabus that had taken over her body.

Then, there was the body of her friend. If she’d been in control, if she hadn’t allowed the tantabus to take control, her friend, Lyra, would still be alive. And, all she could hope for was that her friend could forgive her for what she’d allowed to happen. And, it didn’t help that the tantabus was continually reminding her that those outside the library wouldn’t want to be friends with a murderer, wouldn’t want to be friends with a pony that would rather be their enemy. She was a monster now, and she had to accept that.

Those thoughts were interrupted by a knock at the door, followed by the voice of Minuet calling out, “Please, Twilight, you have to let us in so we can talk to you! We have to get you out of there! And, we know that Lyra’s dead in there! We need to get her buried!”

Well, they did know that Lyra hadn’t come out of the library, and they had seen Twilight attack her. But, did that mean they knew that she was dead? No, they wouldn’t know that until they came in here and saw for themselves. The windows and doors were still blocked off by the tantabus’ shields.

But, that didn’t mean that Twilight had no influence over the situation. She might not be in control of her body anymore, but that didn’t mean she couldn’t do anything.

The purple alicorn, addressing the other voice, said, “Tantabus, you know what, I’m beginning to think I might’ve been wrong in fighting against you.”

For a moment the tantabus was silent. Then, he asked, “How do I know that you aren’t just saying what I want to hear from you, huh?” After a few seconds, he continued, “You know, come to think of it, all these shields are keeping me from my objective of destroying your friends. I should let them in, maybe take them hostage. Then I could kill them at my leisure.”

Twilight replied, “I suppose you could. But, why just capture the pawns when you can have the king and queen?”

If the purple alicorn’s experience with the tantabus had been uncomfortable before, it became torturous to her when he approached her and said, “I’m listening.”

Twilight tried unsuccessfully to push the unpleasant feeling aside before she said, “Y-you could l-let m-my f-friends …”

Impatiently, the tantabus asked, “Yes? What about your friends?”

Twilight swallowed hard and cleared her throat before continuing, “You could let them take you to Canterlot Castle. Then, you could kill both Luna and Celestia.”

For a moment the tantabus hummed in interest. Then he cackled as he said, “Kill the princesses that control the sun and the moon?” And again he cackled.

Twilight chuckled nervously before saying, “That’s right. All you have to do is let my friends in, and let them take you captive.”

Presently and suspiciously, the tantabus said, “Take me captive?”

Twilight continued, “Just long enough for them to take you to Canterlot Castle. Then you could break free, as soon as you’re in their presence, and kill them.”

The tantabus pointed out, “But, this is your body.”

Twilight responded, “But, you’re the one in control, not me.”

The tantabus stated, “If anypony is going to be taken captive, it’s going to be you. In the mean time, I think it’s time for me to accept some visitors.” And, as Twilight watched, the shield in front of the door faded and disappeared, at which point the tantabus, using Twilight’s mouth, said, “Very well. You may come in.”

The six visitors, momentarily confused, looked at each other.

Then, the first to enter, Pinkie Pie, taking her first steps into the library, focused on her purple alicorn friend and said, “Hi, Twily. Long … time … no … see.” She trailed off as she started noticing the smell. She looked around to see the body of the pale-green unicorn in the corner between two book shelves, head cracked open, lying in a puddle of her blood. Immediately she turned away from the corpse and back to the purple alicorn and, covering her mouth and shaking her head, whimpered, “Oh, Twily, why?” And, she started to sob.

The next to enter was Minuet, who said, “Now, everypony, just keep focused on Twilight. We can take care of Lyra’s remains when we’ve taken Twilight into custody.”

At this point, the purple alicorn showed her first signs of life by pointing her horn at the pink earth pony, then leaping at her, stabbing Pinkie Pie through her chest. Then, with a neck thrust, she tossed the hapless pink earth mare behind her.

Pinkie hit her back on the edge of the second floor, then landed hard on her face on the first, and moved no more.

Seeing this, Rainbow Dash tackled Twilight hard on her available side, causing her to fall onto her other side.

Seeing her friend immobilized, Minuet used her magic to suspend the furious pegasa and pull her away from her target.

Rainbow Dash then turned her fury on the blue unicorn and growled, “Minuet, what’re you doing? Twilight just murdered Pinkie Pie!”

Minuet levitated the rainbow-haired pegasa to her and added, “And, you knocked Twilight unconscious.” She then sighed before continuing, “I know how you feel. Pinkie was also my friend. And, when we come back, we’ll give her an appropriate funeral. But, right now, we have other things to worry about.” She then turned her attention to the other three element bearers and said, “Now, we’ve gotta make sure Twilight’s secure. Whoever has a rope, tie Twilight’s legs with it. I’ll see about restraining her magical abilities, although I don’t know how successful I’ll be at it.”

Then, a male voice from the purple alicorn mare said, “You don’t need to worry. I just have some questions that need to be answered.”

Applejack, after finding a rope, turned to the purple alicorn and, rope in mouth, said, “Ya always had yer books ta git the answers y’all needed. Couldn’t y’all look in them?”

Twilight rose to all fours again, turned to the orange earth mare, shook her head, and answered, “Not for these answers. I need to know if there is such a thing as a connection between friendship and magic. And, for that I need a sign. And, for a sign, I need the princesses.”

At this statement from the purple alicorn, Applejack grunted in angry frustration before saying, “Why would y’all need a thing like that? You know as well as we do, we’ve proven it a hundred times, that friendship and magic are the same thang. How can y’all doubt whatcha know?”

Twilight started marching toward her earth pony friend, intruding on her personal space and causing her to back away, as she said, “Do I? Do I really? Then why have I never gotten a sign from the princesses themselves? Why have they never shown me proof of this supposed magic of friendship, huh?” Then, when Applejack was up against the book case behind her and had dropped the rope in surprise and alarm, Twilight stopped; then she turned away from the orange earth mare and toward the doorway and said, “Once I get a sign from the two alicorn sisters that friendship is indeed magic, then I’ll believe. So, let’s go. We have no more time to waste.” And, she proceeded out the door.

It took several minutes, as well as demands from the impatient, suddenly masculine-voiced Twilight Sparkle, before the remaining element bearers, as well as Minuet, left the library, and with it the bodies of Lyra and Pinkie Pie.

And, when everypony was out of the library, Twilight used her magic to produce the shield in front of the door once again. And, after that, she lead the group to the train station to ride the train to Canterlot and see the alicorn sisters at the castle.

In the mean time, within her head, Twilight said to the other voice, “You really didn’t need to kill Pinkie Pie, you know.”

The tantabus replied, “Well, I had to make it look good, didn’t I?”

Twilight added, “And, why didn’t you let yourself get captured?”

For a moment the tantabus was silent. Then, he asked in response, “You really need to ask?” He then chuckled as he said, “I’ve had to make adjustments to step six, but it is complete now. And, thanks to you, I can destroy the two princesses as well.” And, his chuckling turned to cackling.

At this point, Twilight could only think to herself, Oh, princesses, please forgive me for doing this.