The Leap

Chapters

II - Alone
III - Contact
IV - Despair
V - Found
I - Lost

II - Alone

Her run back through Ponyville had yielded no ponies in sight. Twilight knew there was definitely something wrong, but she had no idea what caused it. Stores were empty, houses were vacant. Even the world around her felt devoid of almost any life. She couldn't recall even hearing any birds or insects.

The night lingered ever so close, yet it seemed to hang before just arriving. It appeared that twilight was the only time set for the alicorn. It only seemed to confirm to her that Celestia and Luna were somehow no longer around. With the sudden cease in day and night, Twilight felt almost a bit stuck in place despite her frantic run around Ponyville. Nothing made sense.

The sounds of only her hooves along the ground and the floors of various structures only seemed to set in that sinking dread. Her ears stayed pinned back as she rushed into Sugar Cube Corner before calling out to her friends. She wasn't even sure how long she had been yelling for them, but she knew it didn't feel like she had called out enough. She was scared and alone. Just hearing a response of any sort would be getting her spirits up more than anything.

“Girls?! Please! Answer me!” Twilight yelled into the empty building.

Her hooves clopped along the hardwood floor as she hurried around the counter and went to the back. There was no sign of any baking being done. No oven on, no ingredients scattered about in typical Pinkie fashion, no enticing scent of freshly made cupcakes. Nothing. The only sign she had that there possibly could have been ponies before her was the line of ingredients in the pantry, completely untouched.

Another shout with no response and Twilight was running back outside. Her heart beat quickly as she moved over to a house and peered in through the window. A table looked partially set, but no food in sight. Not even candles were lit which gave the alicorn a tough time seeing in through the window.

“Somepony, help! Please!” she cried, banging her hooves against the glass.

It was taking all her might and more not to break down and cry. She felt utterly helpless and her mind would not stop racing through various thoughts she didn't like. It was impossible for her to keep calm with such a jarring change in her life. If it was some prank, it had gone way too far. The fact Dash or any other pony had yet to come out of hiding and surprise her only confirmed it was something far worse.

Minutes passed, as did hours, as Twilight rushed around the town in hopes finding any sign of a pony still about. With no worry about dying light, she only had to illuminate some areas with her horn. Even with such magical talent at the ready and no threat in sight, she was still scared. Afraid of what had become of her friends or herself. Scared that something more still might be out and around.

The thoughts of some fiend of sorts plotting against her and following the mare had Twilight looking behind her every few minutes. Her shouts became a lot more hushed when in darkened areas. The purple pony was only scaring herself more with the situation rather than doing what she should be and making educated deductions. It was the sudden change in everything that was once so familiar that had her mind going all over the place, though.

Eventually, she began to pant a bit heavier and find her steps more through staggers. She was running herself ragged. Twilight took the sign and dropped down to the grass, trying to catch her breath. She hadn't even been aware she was running so much in her panic to find a pony to talk to. Not a soul seemed to around except her own.

The lavender princess drew in a deep breath and let out, trying to calm her nerves as she glanced around her. She needed to assess the situation and not run around, wearing herself thin. A look behind her showed her castle, standing as tall as it ever did. No light came from within. Spike didn't seem to be around either.

A look to the sky would have been calming, given any other circumstance. Her ears stayed back as she watched the motionless clouds and did her best to clear her mind enough to think. At least she was trying to get a grip on her issue instead of running around. It wasn't much, but it was a start. She shouldn't panic so much if she wanted to figure things out.

Nothing was chasing or stalking her. To her knowledge anyway. The buildings had to have been made by ponies at some point, but they looked inactive for an undefined amount of time. There had been no dust gathered on anything and no sign somepony had cleaned every surface anytime recently either. Twilight couldn't put a hoof on it.

Her thoughts continued their run from one to the other. Everything just made her more confused instead of clearing any real questions up. How did this happen? Why was she the only pony? Was there even a way to fix it?

Every time she had the slightest doubt of somehow fixing her predicament she felt her stomach turn and that despair within pulling her further down. Try as she might, she was still only one pony trying to get an understanding of the situation. Twilight drew in a deep breath to calm her panicking heart once more. It wouldn't be easy to stay calm with what seemed to be going on.

Twilight stood and tried her best to recall the moments that led up to where she was. If there was something she didn't notice or overlooked, she might be able to change things. A malevolent pony using some curse or maybe a prank gone horribly wrong. There would have to be an answer.

It seemed impossible to tell what time it could be, if time itself was even moving forward. Trotting over to a nearby house, the alicorn glanced inside and lit the dim room. She wasn't sure what she was expecting, but the nearest clock stayed motionless. She knew more time had passed with her frantic running and exploring, yet the face of the clock acted as if it were still prior to her incident and refused to budge.

If she could, Twilight would have liked to take a train to the Crystal Empire or elsewhere for an easier look around. She already knew that Celestia and Luna weren't around, so Canterlot would possibly be just as empty. Flying up to Cadance and Shining Armor would wear the poor alicorn out a bit more than she deemed necessary.

The thought of teleporting and making a leap that large worried her, but Twilight could only assume it would have to be done. Just for verification, she needed to know if the world was as empty as Ponyville or if whatever was going on was somehow contained with the area she just happened to be in. It would just take a bit of concentration to make sure she didn't end up blinking into a wall or something worse.

With her decision made, Twilight sighed and gathered her thoughts as best as she could before summoning her magic and leaving Ponyville. Closing her eyes, her magic transported her from one location to another before she could even open them. The instant travel was helpful, but she instantly felt drained from having to phase her body across such a distance.

Her hooves settled on the smooth floor of the castle Cadance should reside within. Twilight took a few wobbly steps before sitting down and groaning to herself. She shouldn't be as worn out as she was. It was one leap, despite the land she covered in it. It felt as if she had tried a rapid succession of teleporation spells across many large areas.

Perhaps her sudden worry and running around Ponyville had taken a toll on her more than she realized. The lavender pony stayed where she was as her eyes surveyed the throne room. Not a sign of Cadance or Shining anywhere. There were no sounds of crystal ponies outside the castle either. It was surprising to have such an occurrence and the Crystal Empire had yet to be taken by the blizzard. She had a feeling if she went to check on the crystal heart that it would be as still as the clocks.

“Cadance?” Twilight called out, hoping that she was just wrong about her assumptions.

Silence greeted her back. No hooves along the floors, no sounds of muffled calls, not even a small bit of shuffling she could notice. The dread she felt earlier was quickly finding its way back into her stomach.

“Big brother? Shining? Please, answer me!” the lonely princess cried, raising a foreleg to rub at her eyes. She couldn't cry now.

Her eyes felt ready to let the waterworks go. The purple pony took a deep breath and shakily got up before moving to a window. Even though she was on the verge of crying, she could see nothing but an empty city below. No ponies in the low light of the ever approaching night could be seen.

Twilight took in as much as she could before walking out of the throne room and making her way through the rest of the castle. Plenty of rooms and all of them were empty. Nopony was around to light candles or any of the torches, leaving her to let her horn guide the way. The light illuminated the dark corners of every room she looked into and still revealed nothing new.

The large kitchen remained seemingly untouched and unused for however long. Beds had been made yet not a pony around to rest in them. Just like in Ponyville, items look mostly undisturbed but as if there had been some use of them at some point. It was as if all ponies everywhere just stopped what they were doing and vanished into thin air.

Once outside the main entrance, Twilight closed the door behind her and stared out at the empty streets. To think that they had been filled with ponies during the Equestria Games not long before and now sat without use. It was unsettling and depressing for her to see the land she loved devoid of any of those she loved as well.

Even though it hurt, she at least knew that whatever had happened reached far and wide. It wasn't just Ponyville and Canterlot that had been affected. The issue now was finding out how to reverse or change things back to what she was used to. It didn't feel like she belonged to anywhere with the state things were in. If she could, she wanted to head back to Ponyville to try and figure out things a bit more.

Twilight could feel her will weakened and her heart heavy. Still, she pulled herself together enough to concentrate on reaching Ponyville. Her horn lit up as her magic grew, while she took a few careful breaths and closed her eyes.

The sudden leap back to where she had first experienced the strange alterations left her winded. Something wasn't feeling right to her. The teleport to and from the Crystal Empire shouldn't leave her feeling as drained as she was, yet she could hardly stand. Her eyes were getting heavier as she tried to focus and look around her.

Before she could even react, the princess stumbled and fell. Her body hit the grass as she slumped over and refused to return strength for her to rise back up. Twilight struggled to stay conscious as much as she could until her eyes closed. Her face and muzzle felt numb and cold while her legs lay still and weak.

“I don't… need,” she tried saying, wanting to keep her voice going to stay alert.

The alicorn had fainted.

–

An unknown amount of time had passed before Twilight regained consciousness. Her wings fluttered as she lifted her head to crane her neck and look around. She still felt a little uneasy but at least stable enough to sit up and shake her head clear. Did she really use so much magic?

The idea that she had ran herself so weak with magic worried her greatly. If it was some odd effect from whatever happened to her, she might be in trouble. Then again, if it was due to her running around and physically exhausting herself, that unwarranted rest might have helped more than she knows. It all came down to the details. Details in which she didn't understand.

Surprisingly, Twilight's sleep had managed to calm her enough to think about what to do. She had some facts down but with other questions blocking her path, she would have to work with what she knew. Equestria was empty of all but herself. Nothing looked as if it had been disturbed beyond her moving items.

There was a slight pang of sadness upon knowing the reality of her situation. She had woken up with just a slight hope everything had been a dream, but the skies had yet to change and Ponyville looked to be just as desolate as before. It didn't feel fair that such a thing happened to her.

Another fact did bring relief to Twilight. She had woken up, which meant a few things. One thing she noticed was that she didn't pass into Tartarus at some point. She also gathered that there couldn't be any hunter after her, so she was indeed alone. If there were, a vulnerable pony sleeping would have been a prime target. It couldn't be a prank that lasted so long, especially if there were watching her and witnessed her faint.

There was also another thing that got her thinking. She was sure some hours had passed in her slumber. The sky and time of day still staying the same did assure her that there was no rush to hurry on things entirely. Calm and collected would have to be the way she took hold of her issue. Her friends were probably as worried as she was, which meant she had to be strong for them. She would want to keep them from stressing as much as she did earlier.

The few moments that Twilight sat and took in her thoughts had her ponder over ways of finding out what had happened. No sign of how the ponies left, if they did. Time itself seemed to be standing still around her. She wouldn't be questioning it all so much if she had experienced such a thing before.

The alicorn bit her lip in thought before looking over and finding a small rock. Her magic levitated the object in the air before letting go. The rock fell and made a muffled thump against the ground as she watched it before repeating the process a few more times. It was something.

Apparently time may have stopped, but that didn't mean it was stuck. There was still gravity in effect. The thought made her realize that she was breathing fine, so not everything was static. Of course, it was a very basic test but one that at least helped her know some things. The only way she would be able to know more would be either conducting more tests or finding something in her books.

The thought of her books almost filled the adorable pony with excitement. If not for her current problem, she might have had a smile that lasted more than a few seconds. Still, it filled her mind with wonder as to what she might be able to learn from everything going on possibly just sitting on a shelf and waiting for her.

In a haste, Twilight hopped up onto her hooves and ran her fastest back to the castle. Even though she knew she was alone, the eeriness of the empty buildings she passed still left an unsettling feeling in her. It was possibly due to the knowledge that she was the only pony around, yet others should be in those houses and all. It just didn't feel right.

Upon arriving at her castle, she flung the doors open and galloped in. Her horn lit the way as she traversed the halls and even managed to light some of the candles and a lantern or two. She would need to be able to see every word and where she was going. The sounds of her hooves along the floors echoed out as she hurried on towards her library.

The entrance was quickly opened through magic as Twilight rushed inside and began levitating books off the shelves in droves. The line of hardcovers and various pages danced around as she started reading titles and pulling over some spare parchment with an ink well. The quill danced in the small, glass pot of ink as she set it down nearby with a lamp and several books.

Scrolls dropped and bounced along the floor in her hurry to get as many of the books and tomes she could. Unraveling a few scrolls didn't add much of what she was looking for, but some she tossed onto the growing pile she was determined to sift through. Then she stopped everything she was doing.

The cover of one particular book caught her attention as she looked it over and set the others down. The mark of Celestia's sun adorned the cover, seeming to be standing out among the rest of the drab covers. Did it have just a hint of a glow? Maybe she could the questions she wanted.

“Sunset,” Twilight said quietly to herself.

III - Contact

The sudden find in her haste to take notes had Twilight's mind going in all sorts of directions. She couldn't even manage to move for a good few minutes in her surprise. The book floated closer as she used her magic to look it over and examine the cover closely. Her words and thoughts felt so clogged with her racing heart trying to push that hope through and give her a much brighter outlook.

Her eyes studied the book closely, doing her best to make sure it wasn't some joke played on her. Levitating it closer, she could even pick up the light scent of the paper when it went under her snout. She didn't even know what else to do other than bring it in and wrap her forelegs around the object. A hug to such a possession somehow calmed her more than she ever knew would.

A light sniff and Twilight drew a deep, steady breath to help the process of giving her some comfort. Things slowed down a little in her mind as she held tightly to the book. It was the only thing she cherished more at the moment. She only wished she knew what to do.

Trying to write to Sunset in such a state might yield various results. Or worse, no result at all. The idea made her cling tighter as she forced such a though to the back of her mind and clenched her eyes shut. She had to do something. Even if it meant explaining what was going on, though she didn't even know herself.

The only thing the alicorn knew to do was be to try. She had to try. Her heart calmed and her breathing seemed to ease up a bit from her distraught thoughts. The only thing she wasn't sure on was where to start. How would she bring things up to Sunset? Would her friend in another world even know she was gone in the short amount of time that things have happened? Would Sunset even be there to read and reply?

Twilight magically pulled the book away as she set it down on the table. Her vision was a bit blurred but a light rub with her foreleg cleared that up some. The purple mare carefully walked over and sat herself down, staring at the cover of the book, almost afraid of opening it. Too many ill thoughts clouded her mind. If the pages were blank then she would have nothing more to go on. There wouldn't be any clarification nor a pony to talk to in the slightest if such a thing were true.

With no other option she could think of, Twilight let her magic open the book and skim through the pages. Thankfully, she noticed plenty of written words back and forth between her Sunset Shimmer. Small conversations and other notes were jotted down with little corrections to them by the other or just a small greeting here or there. It made Twilight smile as she remembered so many of the times she had written to her friend. Every time she sent a message, she had a little bit of excitement in her wait to have the book shake and light up.

The thought made her stop as she remembered the book did have a faint glow before opening it. Had Sunset tried writing to her coincidentally at the same time this whole ordeal happened? In a rush, the alicorn flipped through the pages as she caught glimpses of phrases or text she could remember. It wasn't until she neared the last bit of a conversation she had with Sunset that she noticed a whole new set of written lines.

'Twilight,' it read, 'are you okay?'

The lonely princess read carefully over the next few phrases.

'If you're there, please let us know.'

'Twilight, where are you?'

'I hope you're okay. Please get in touch with one of us soon.'

Twilight's eyes welled up with her sudden finding. She had no idea Sunset was so worried about her already. She still couldn't account for what had happened, but somehow her friend in another world knew of her disappearance. At least something seemed to help her cope with her situation. Even if she couldn't help, Sunset knowing something was wrong let Twilight know it wasn't just a fluke of only her in existence.

'We miss you.'

Miss? At most, she could only guess that maybe half a day or so had passed in her time. There were a few other things written down and either scribbled out or seemed like they were random markings. Was Sunset scared? A slight jitter to some letters made Twilight feel a pang of guilt. She didn't mean to bring her friends so much distress by some accident.

Deciding not to wait any longer, Twilight pulled the cork to her ink well and picked up a quill. She wasn't even sure where to begin. Being so scared and stressed had taken quite the toll on the poor pony. It took her several minutes before she finally wrote down the only thing she could think of.

'Sunset, I'm here,' wrote Twilight. Then she waited.

After what felt like hours, but were only so in her mind, Twilight finally saw a response being written out before her. She was elated to finally have contact.

'Twilight?' came the words scrawled onto the page.

'Yes! Sunset, please, I don't know what's going on! I need help!' the alicorn wrote frantically. She knew it was such a startling leap in her greeting, but she wanted to be home. She waited again.

'Where are you?' came the next response, slowly appearing.

'I don't know. Not exactly. I'm in my castle, but nopony is here! I can't find anypony!' Twilight wrote, nearly snapping the quill in her hurry to write.

'Your castle?' came the next reply. 'Twilight, what's going on?'

The lavender pony groaned at the words before she took a breath and tried to relax. She didn't know and apparently Sunset had no idea either. The most she could do would be to retell everything that happened up to where she is. She knew it would sound ridiculous but she had nothing else to add to it.

'Ponyville is empty. The Crystal Empire is too. I don't know what happened or what's going on. I need your help, Sunset,' Twilight wrote carefully. There was no sense in getting upset just because her friend didn't understand either.

'Is this some kind of joke?' came the next line.

Twilight closed her eyes tight and let out a soft whine. Her head ducked down as she did her best to maintain her composure. She just wanted to have everything back to normal. Now she was getting tagged as pulling a prank.

'No! Please, don't think that! Sunset, I would never do a prank this mean. Please help me. I just want things back like they were,' Twilight wrote with her magically held quill.

'We've been looking everywhere for you. Your friends even came here thinking somehow you had been by,' Sunset wrote down.

As much as she admired and loved her friends for their tenacity, something didn't seem right. Twilight could put her hoof on it, but there was something wrong with the whole scenario. Had her friends really gone everywhere in search of her so quickly after whatever happened? They never did such a thing when she stayed cooped up in her castle for a day, or spent a while studying back in the Golden Oak Library.

'Thank you, but I don't know where to begin on how this happened,' Twilight wrote down. She had begun to wonder if there was another writing to her instead of Sunset.

There were a few words about to be written before being scribbled out. The odd act made Twilight a bit more suspicious but she waited it out. If there was another pony or being writing to her, she wanted to know who or what. They would slip up if they tried to keep up with a disguise as a friend she knew.

'Do you remember the last thing that happened?' came up on the page.

Of course she did. She lived it and had been wandering around for a little bit. It hadn't been old news to her by any means. What kind of question was that?

'Yes, I do. What's going on?' Twilight asked, worried that she may be falling for a trick of sorts. Discord? No, even he wouldn't stoop to something like what happened to her. Fluttershy would make sure of that.

'What happened?' appeared on the page. No answer yet.

'I don't know! One second, my friends are around, the next, I can't find a single pony!' Twilight wrote and furrowed her brow. She was getting antsy and just wanted to get some answers and make things right.

'I'm sorry, Twilight. Please be patient with me,' Sunset wrote back at a slow pace.

'I'm trying to. I've been trying to keep calm during this whole thing and I don't know much of what to do! I've pulled as many books out that I can to at least try and find something in them,' Twilight explained, dipping her quill into the ink a few times.

The wait for a response was longer than she liked. Much longer than Sunset actually took when they got into any type of discussion through the books. She almost thought about just heading straight to her room containing the magic mirror to save time. The only issue would be if the portal even worked.

'How long ago did this happen?' Sunset finally replied with.

The alicorn was almost taken aback with the question. She was certain she had explained not too long ago and it all happened in such a flash. Was Sunset even paying attention? The thought would have made Twilight a little upset, but she couldn't blame her friend for something like this. After all, she didn't even know what had happened and perhaps she was getting Sunset confused in her frantic writing.

It would take a more calm approach and collected thoughts rather than just crying for answers. Twilight knew that, yet she also didn't enjoy it. She wanted to have things set right again. It wasn't normal where she was and it left her feeling more alone than she had ever been. One step at a time.

Twilight closed her eyes and took a deep breath, letting her mind slow down and stop going all over the place. Her ears flicked as she let herself take as much time as needed to settle down before opening the violet eyes and staring down at the book. Sunset had asked what happened. It would be best to tell her all that was known up to where she was.

Slowly, Twilight wrote down everything she could and exactly as she remembered it all. From her training with Starlight to the sudden change in her setting and slight exploration. It was a bit to write and she almost feared Sunset might not be able to make heads or tails of the situation. It did give Twilight a more comforting thought that she could at least get everything off her chest from the ordeal.

'I don't understand,' was Sunset's response.

As downtrodden as the answer was for Twilight, the alicorn still felt better that she wasn't the only one not grasping everything. If it was reversible then she wanted to figure out how. It might take a little time, but she could at least try with the help of Sunset. That was if it truly did happen to be her friend writing to her.

She wanted to shake the uneasiness and doubt but they wouldn't leave her no matter how hard she tried. It might be best she stayed wary, though. It was refreshing to have somepony to talk to, but it could easily just be too good to be true.

'I know. I don't either. It's why I need help on figuring out how to put things back,' Twilight wrote down.

More waiting. It was strange to be waiting so long on a reply from her friend. Probably one of the reasons she still felt so uneasy. Regardless, she watched the words coming into view on the page and read them slowly.

Her ears wilted and her heart sank. The sinking feeling in her stomach grew more by the second. What she read next left her speechless.

'Twilight,' came the slow crawl of letters. 'You've been missing for sixty-seven years.'

IV - Despair

The purple princess sat and stared at the open book before her, unable to comprehend what she just read. Her mind didn't seem to budge, still trying to take in the reality told to her. Her breathing was shallow as she stared at the last statement. Nothing made sense to her. Nothing at all.

Twilight shook her head, finally stirring herself back to life as she magically took her quill and dipped it into the ink. There had to be more to it than that. Her writing came quickly while she started to work on getting more out of Sunset. If there really was such a lapse in time then Sunset would be able to tell her all that had happened. She could only hope it was just a terrible prank gone too far.

'If it really has been so long, what all has happened?' Twilight ended up asking.

While she got an explanation of things that had changed in her absence, it still didn't make sense to her that she had ended up in a place with no other ponies around. The fact she could somehow talk to Sunset showed there was some bridge between where she was and at least the other world. A try at the portal sounded more tempting to at least see if there might be any others through it. The thought worried her just as much as it made her curious.

As the words became visible, Twilight soon learned of the supposed past. With how long it took to get the responses, she was believing the situation more and more. If Sunset really was at such an age, it might be taking her longer to write things down. It pained Twilight to make a note on it, but it would explain a little. Slowly but surely, the conversation continued.

Sunset explained to her that one evening, Twilight's friends had been watching her and Starlight practice spells and work on their magic. In an instant, Twilight had mysteriously vanished after a beam nearly collided with her. From there, they had all begun a frantic search for her. So many places were looked over again and again.

As many areas as they could check were scoured in search of finding any clue on the disappearing princess' whereabouts. They had checked Canterlot, the Crystal Empire, even venturing into the Dragon's Lair. Not a single pony could find a trace of her. Somehow, Twilight Sparkle had ceased to exist.

Days turned into weeks while the ponies searched high and low for their dear friend. Posters went up all around Equestria in an attempt to gain some knowledge of the Princess of Friendship's location. Those weeks dragged on with Twilight's friends traveling through the portal in hopes that maybe she landed in Sunset's world. It was then that Sunset had tried writing to her at first.

When no answers came up, ponies began to turn to the one they thought responsible. Starlight was just as scared and confused, claiming to want nothing more than Twilight back. Some wished to cast her out, others tried to give her the benefit of the doubt. Nopony knew what had gone wrong.

To prove herself, Starlight even began researching various spells and incantations in the hopes of at least learning where Twilight had gone. In short, months rolled by with no answer. Starlight was hesitantly appointed the new Princess of Friendship, despite still having much to learn. She had even denied the position at first in a dire attempt to get things right. Enough ponies saw the act and distraught nature to realize she was genuine in her feelings.

Years later, Starlight stepped down from her title and decided to dedicate the rest of her time to figuring out a way to fix things. Trixie had stopped her shows to help out as best as she could, wanting to be there for her friend. Moon Dancer and her friends even ended up setting up a special study group solely for the purpose of finding Twilight Sparkle.

The more Twilight read and learned, the less she wanted to know. It hurt her more than anything to know her disappearance had led to so many ponies changing their ways just to simply find her. So much had happened in such a short span of time for her. She wasn't sure she even wanted to read the rest, but her curiosity got to her.

With ponies trying to move on, nothing seemed to be the same. Sunset had even come back through when she could, just to check in and see if she could be of any help. With her friends in such distress and Equestria seeming more solemn, she didn't appear to be of any help. The most she got out of Twilight's friends were that they missed her dearly and just wished they could turn back time.

Rarity tended to her boutiques the best she could. Dresses and other apparel were not in short supply by any means. Sunset could only guess that she kept making dresses to keep her mind off what really bothered her most.

Applejack had kept the most quiet, next to Fluttershy, and seemed more inclined to keep working on the farm. Apples, apple cider, and other various apple confections were made promptly and always delivered with a bonus supply. For once, and seemingly forever, Applejack was as short worded as Big Mac.

Fluttershy simply took care of her animals and any others she came across. Pinkie stopped by her cottage often enough, attempting to keep her spirits high. Discord had even tried his best at comforting her. He had even attempted looking for Twilight on his own for a few weeks. Nothing came of it.

Rainbow Dash had stopped hanging around altogether. Her dedication to the Wonderbolts took top priority. Twilight knew Dash wasn't turning her back on the situation. Sunset voiced the same thought as she stated how the rainbow maned pony seldom gloated. Dash seemed to do what the others did and tried her best to keep her mind from lingering on such a thought for too long. They had all tried and did what they could. They just couldn't move on.

The years came and went. Events happened that Sunset only heard about. The changeling queen, Chrysalis, had attacked once and barely was fended off. There were other threats, but they were mostly held at bay. Nothing seemed the same any longer.

There was one thing Sunset mentioned that had Twilight calm her sobbing as she read over it carefully a few more times. Starlight had admitted she tried using the altered spell from Star Swirl's scroll on the cutie mark map again. In an attempt to reverse time and keep the incident from happening. Somehow, it didn't work.

Twilight wiped at her eyes, sniffing and doing her best to stay calm. She didn't like any of what she learned. The purple princess had trouble almost reading the words with how much she was crying. When a tear or two fell onto the page, there was another message to appear shortly after.

'Please don't cry. We still love you, Twilight. We tried.'

The words only made her feel choked up before leaning over the book and sobbing loudly. Her ears stayed folded back as she cried uncontrollably for what seemed like the next half hour. Everything around her felt so empty and gone. She had been pulled into some realm nopony knew and none of them had a way to get her back.

'I'll keep talking with you for as long as I can.'

Twilight rubbed her face with a foreleg, doing her best to keep her emotions from getting to her again. She did have Sunset to talk to. It was something. Not all hope was lost if she still had somepony to stay in contact with. She might be able to use that to help her find an answer on her own.

'Thank you,' Twilight wrote back, smiling at the book as she felt her cheeks dampen with more tears.

Twilight decided to ask a few more questions such as what Spike was up to and how Sunset knew so much. It turned out that Spike had supposedly spent most of his years at Celestia's side in hopes of somehow contacting Twilight. They did all they could to try and send her letters or even find a lead. Obviously, it was naught.

As for how Sunset knew of so much, she made plenty of trips to Equestria when she could. She wanted to check in and help out but there was only so much she could accomplish. Years passed and her visits became less frequent. Age was part of time and so much of it had gone by.

'I'm so sorry, Sunset,' Twilight wrote out, not sure how to truly show she meant it.

'Don't be. We never blamed you for anything, Twilight,' came the response.

Twilight took a moment to herself, just doing her best to take in what was told to her. She had no idea if she could reverse the effects or not. Starlight had managed to mess with time a great deal, or could have, with the spell she altered from Star Swirl's scroll. Even if Twilight could turn back time or head back, was there a way to keep her there? It was all so confusing to her.

The two of them wrote back and forth for what felt like hours. Sadly, the alicorn couldn't tell if even five minutes had passed due to the constant evening outside. The stillness around her had the pony uneasy most of the time. It all felt as unnatural as it was. She was in a place or time she wasn't meant to be.

Sunset tried comforting Twilight through her words and, for the most part, it helped. The lavender pony had been much more calm when talking with another. It still didn't help that she had her emotions on high and her mind wanted to run constantly. At least writing to Sunset had her capable of keeping herself mostly under control.

While they wrote, notes and ideas were eventually exchanged. As detailed as she could get, Twilight recounted her incident a few times over. Anything that she might have missed or things she didn't fully discuss were mentioned as well as her current situation. Time and everything around her seemed so still, but it needed further talk even if there didn't seem to be much to mention.

As they talked, Twilight wrote down notes and tried to find any references in her books. The pages of several books were almost at a constant flutter. Spells, incantations, and so much more were widely available to her, yet she still knew not of her plight. The various leads from one seemed to either stop before it became useful or just trailed randomly to several other spells.

As frustrating as it was, the princess was hard at work in a desire to understand what had gone wrong. There were so many passages to read over that she couldn't see how Sunset could be patient with her through it all. The light of the lamp was plenty, but for how long she couldn't even tell. It would have to do.

Scrolls were unraveled and books laid open all around her. Several had pages moving as she glanced in one direction and then another. As much as she wished to keep up her sudden burst of energy, she knew they she was merely a pony. A pony with basic needs as any other.

Those eyes did end up closing more than enough times. Twilight would jerk awake from either her head drooping too low or the sound of a book hitting the floor from her lack of concentration. It was a new fear that spawned shortly after when she knew she would have to sleep. Eating would be a simple task of just rummaging the kitchen or others in the desolate Ponyville. She just didn't want to sleep.

What if she woke up with nothing new she learned? What if she lost her notes? What if she somehow ended up somewhere else? Somewhere worse? The one that really worried her more currently was what if Sunset wasn't there to talk after?

Twilight's quill hovered over the page as she contemplated what to say to Sunset. Her friend would surely understand, but at such an age would she remember? Sunset had remembered so much of the years, but it was easy to tell that details could have been missing. Or that Sunset was having trouble continuing writing so consistently.

The purple pony shook her head of ill thoughts and sighed. It was a risk she had to take if she wanted any chance of possibly turning things back. Her quill lowered as she wrote quickly and stared at her words.

'I don't want to mention this, Sunset, but I am growing tired. I need sleep even if I don't want it,' Twilight told her.

'Don't worry. I'm past my own rest at this hour anyway. I'll be waiting to hear from you and we'll keep at it,' Sunset wrote back.

Slowly, Twilight closed the book and let her eyes trace Celestia's cutie mark on the cover. She didn't want to put things on hold, but she had no choice. A spell to stay awake wasn't safe. Her hoof came to rest on the book as she hovered the lamp closer and blew the light out. It would be good for her get some sleep. Wake up somewhat refreshed and get right to it again.

–

Days, or what could only be assumed as much, passed by while Twilight studied and worked on getting as much out of the books that she could. Sunset, as promised, was there when she woke and gave her a greeting most times. The delays on some responses did have the poor alicorn in a slight panic.

Tests slowly were made in attempts to somehow recreate what happened. Teleporting an item in hopes of having a delay in appearance. Transporting other things to see if she could send them 'back' from where she was. Though, since she hadn't received anything in such a manner spontaneously, she knew it was fruitless.

The one thing that she certain of was that her leap or teleport had to have been the cause of her problem. When she broke everything down, it all led back to that one moment in her panicked decision. Something went wrong but she had no idea what. Sunset seemed just as baffled about it.

A few times, Twilight had taken a trip or two through her castle to check out the magic mirror that led to Sunset's world. She had rigged it up to open whenever the last time she used it. When her hoof made solid contact against the glass sheen, she couldn't help but feel a bit disappointed. She could use her book to try and force the portal open, but there was no telling what might happen.

Instead, she continued her research in hopes of finding an answer another way. The possible risk wasn't worth it for her yet. She wasn't that desperate.

While she continued her work, she had noticed that Sunset had taken slightly longer to respond at times. A mental note to herself, but one that also made her worry. Things had been turned in all directions which left Twilight a stressed mare with a mind constantly searching and worrying. She still did her best to push through it all and try to focus.

Walking by the empty rooms of her castle made her feel as if she might be trespassing her own home. Spike was obviously absent and seeing his empty bed only tugged at Twilight's heart all the more. She missed him and her friends dearly. If she wasn't busy with her muzzle in a book or writing notes, her mind would seem wander where she didn't want it.

Food was in no real short supply. She had the entire pantry to herself along with anything in any of the houses or Sugar Cube Corner in Ponyville. A little walk and she could even grab some apples from Sweet Apple Acres, though it had taken on a much more quiet and eerie tone surrounding it. Even with so much food, nothing could make her feel the same. Nothing but home.

Twilight did try to keep track of time with the help of Sunset. A small tell of when it was for her friend let Twilight try and align her own sleeping schedule with it. The two kept working and thinking as long as they could on getting the situation fixed. There had been a few times that Twilight asked why Sunset didn't bring the other Twilight or Rarity over to help. She never got an answer to that. For better or worse, she left it alone.

There had been a couple of moments where Sunset tried alleviating some of Twilight's stress with a little joke. Mentioning how she had so much food, she must not know what to do with it all managed to get a smile from the mare. She did appreciate the effort and it certainly improved her mood.

Supposed days passed and the room in which Twilight had been taking notes slowly became overrun with notes and books stacked all around. Some trips to Canterlot to visit the Star Swirl section of the library had brought her some new books to study as well. Nopony would miss them.

While she did remember the scroll in which Starlight had used to travel back in time, Twilight wasn't sure if there may even be a past in her current world. Or realm. She still had no idea what to call it. The probability of even such a spell working that she hadn't altered but another was also more dangerous than she was wanting to admit. If it made things worse, she may never get home.

Time, as she knew it, passed by slowly. The days that she knew about, thanks to Sunset, didn't really feel as if they had gone by as quick as she was told. One way or another, there was some time moving in another area that Twilight didn't have access to. Or, at least an area she wasn't sure would allow her in.

Most of the time she wasn't reading or jotting down notes, Twilight ended up staring out a window at the empty landscape of Equestria. The land she once knew and enjoyed going out for had made her feel like she didn't belong. Even when Celestia had sent her to Ponyville, she didn't feel as alone and out of place as she did currently. Why her?

The question of why always came up. From wondering why it had to be her or why it had to be such a complicated thing always ran through her mind. It wasn't an easy fix, but she kept adamant about it. Hope, even dwindling, was still there.

Crumpled parchment and overturned books slowly replaced the neat and tidy setting Twilight had made for herself in the study. Frustration and sadness often took hold of her the longer an idea took only to hit a brick wall and come back to square one. She wasn't used to such a troubling puzzle or strange problem. It was something she had begun to fear she may not solve at all.

Upon waking up one 'day', Twilight was met with one of her fears. Her mane was a mess but she didn't care. The frazzled hair was one she just simply didn't want to worry about. The book to talk to Sunset opened through magic, laying on the table as the alicorn rubbed her eyes and wrote her greeting. It had become routine for her after doing such so many times.

As she predicted, Sunset was late in replying. As she kept the thought to the back of her mind, she ended up giving the occasional glance down to the page she had written on. There were a few pages from the Star Swirl section she took she needed to look in, pulling her attention away for a while. It wasn't anything new, but she still felt uneasy about the moment.

When it felt like it had been long enough, Twilight looked over to the book again. There had been no reply from Sunset. The loss of time left the alicorn feeling as if she may not have waited long enough but still wrote another message down. Asking how Sunset was doing seemed appropriate without being overbearing.

The longer she waited, the more antsy she became. Twilight bit her lip and slowly put down the various pieces of parchment nearby while her eyes drifted to the open book. Those violet eyes stared at the last thing written, hoping to see something after. Just her own writing remained.

'Sunset, are you okay?' Twilight wrote again, quickly adding, 'I'm sorry if this is too much. I just don't know how much time had passed. Please respond soon.'

The rest of the day was spent in isolation. Twilight read and wrote without the help of her friend. It only seemed to increase her worry with thoughts of what might have happened. As much as she wanted to, she kept from writing anything more, knowing that Sunset would get back to her when she could. It still didn't help her from thinking the worst.

Twilight went to sleep without another word from her friend that night. The next day she was greeted with her own words yet again. No reply. Try as she might, the alicorn could only focus so much on her work before staring down at the open pages in hopes of getting something back.

The next few days, so she thought, passed with no word from Sunset. There had been no response and possibly no indication of getting another. She didn't like being alone once more. The small period where she had a friend to write to made everything so much more bearable for her. The idea of not having that flooded the mare with that fleeting hope.

Days crawled by with Twilight marking her waking moments in tallies at the back of the book. Her own calendar of sorts. It left her feeling that she could be bringing attention to the book while keep track of things for herself. A small reminder for Sunset to reply.

When what she assumed to be a week or so with no word back, Twilight had become desperate for any social interaction. She wanted to write more to her friend but she knew it wouldn't help. Nothing would help that other than getting a message back. When she began losing focus on her work, she had resorted to pacing around the room while skimming through the linked book.

Sooner or later she knew what she had to accept. Sunset would not be talking to her forever. Something had either happened or she had forgotten, as age can do, and the book would cease to be of use. There would be nothing she could do with it beyond that point. Then it clicked.

There was one thing she remembered she could do. Rather, attempt it. Despite the portal being closed, she had already set up the alterations for it to house the book and power it. It was just that she couldn't tell if it would help or hinder her. Perhaps nothing at all.

She would wait. Wait for a few more of her waking moments she considered 'days' and then try. If the portal worked and there were others beyond it, she had something more to go on. If not, then she would be in the same place she had been for a little while.

“Just wait,” she said softly to herself. “Just wait.”

–

The time had come for her. No word from Sunset and she had one idea she wanted to try. Without any hesitation, Twilight grabbed the book and a lantern as she ran along the halls, levitating them with her. She was hungry but that would have to be put on hold until she tested her idea.

Opening the door, she ran in and set the lantern down nearby. One last look through the pages made her give a small smile as she remembered just how kind Sunset had been to her. So understanding and patient with her. It was something she already missed.

Twilight floated the book up and set it in place. There had been plenty of doubts in her mind about doing such a thing. It could warp her reality or maybe ruin Sunset's. It was a giant risk and she had nothing to help her know what would truly happen. She was left with two options.

Do or don't. That's all it came down to. Her eyes stayed fixated on the book while she tried to sooth her frantically pounding heart. The anticipation and anxiety were getting to her. Finally, she made a choice.

The beam of magic shot from her horn and caused that familiar glow upon the book. The machine rattled to life as the mechanisms began to do their part. Twilight watched as the machine churned and let out various noises that sounded so haunting in the lifeless nature of her castle. She was scared but more than usual.

Then it happened. The mirror shimmered and changed, giving way from its solid form. Twilight's ears perked up as she watched and moved closer. The rift of the portal was beginning to open right before her eyes. The sound of the machine let out a few almost exhausted groans while she waited.

When the portal finally opened, she hardly had time to react before it closed again. Before she could even begin to figure out the problem, the mirror stiffened and solidified before one of the worst noises she had ever heard sounded out within the room. A sound that would haunt her to the end of days.

A deafening crack came from the mirror. The splinter of the wound it made traveling from the bottom of the glass to half-way up. The tree of misfortune grew and overtook the perfect face as it cast back the broken hopes of Twilight's own reaction to her.

“No! No, no, no!” she screamed, searching for a way to quickly fix it.

The shatter had the pieces break away and come clattering to the floor. The reflections shined from the light, but they only showed the hollow nature of the castle and the pony residing in the room. She was left speechless. The whole test had ruined any hope of traveling out of her torment.

When the machine buzzed and whirred up, her eyes darted around. She wasn't sure what else it could be doing, seeing as there was no long anything to power. Then she saw it.

The book was resting comfortably in place, still acting a power source. The moment she tried to magically pry it out made a bulb pop loudly. The sound startled her as she let go to see sparks fly from the broken bulb. Some that had unfortunately managed to land upon the pages.

She no longer needed a lamp within the room. The fire at which the book burned was bright enough. Before her eyes, every bit of hope and comfort had gone up in flames. The crackle of the fire even brought its own melancholy tone. She couldn't believe she had lost so much in such a short amount of time.

Instincts kicked in after the shock. Her magic pried the flaming book free and set it down as she quickly stamped out the hungry flames. Through the smoke and suffering some coughs, she tried to see if any of it was salvageable. Whether it was the tears in her eyes, the smoke rising up, or just her accepting it, she saw nothing of worth.

The feeling of being so alone set in quicker than when she arrived. Why? Why did this have to happen to her? The questions surged in her mind as she turned her back to the useless room, dragging the lantern along with her.

It had all been because of her stupid decision. The one time she panicked and had remembered her fight with Starlight through the past. A really hazardous teleport and she managed to leap into a time or place she didn't know.

As she walked along the empty hall, the lantern hanging from her mouth, she started thinking more on her incident. Sniffling and letting her tears freely fall where they may, she managed to bring into focus a small glimmer of hope. Something she had overlooked. There was still a way.

Twilight stood still in thought as she tried to pace herself and think carefully. Starlight had been altering spells and combining many to suit her needs. Some of them had been awkward but others were downright dangerous. One in particular that may have been the cause of Twilight's disappearance.

She had little control over the spell used to travel back in time. Starlight had crafted something very scary with it and nearly ruined all of Equestria. Thinking back to it, Twilight had not focused her teleporation correctly. The two could easily be connected. It was fascinating and all the more horrific what residual magic could do when not properly handled.

In a rush, Twilight headed off in search of the fated scroll. It didn't take her long to track it down and pull it out of the safe confines she had stored it. It was strange seeing something more than likely tied to her fate of being in a place and time so different but the same. A place that it possibly put her. Back in the real Equestria, she knew it would also be around. Almost like a curse.

With the scroll levitating alongside her, Twilight rushed down the halls and empty corridors as fast as she could. Her hooves sounded out along the floors while she galloped and panted in her haste. She had hidden the spell from Starlight as a precaution and nearly forgot it herself. She couldn't have been more thankful for her choice in doing so, knowing right where it would be.

Once she got to the large room with the cutie mark map, she unraveled the parchment carefully. The giant tear running through it horizontally was still there. Remnants of a time not of its own. She glanced between it and the large table before hopping up. She had one shot at making it work.

“Please,” Twilight pleaded, staring at the spell written upon the scroll before her.

Her horn lit up as she studied it and read over it several times. The alicorn sighed and did her best to focus on it. If it failed, she would be back at the books that seemed to yield nothing for her. If it worked, she would finally be back home. It would then be all right again. Her horn shined bright as the table beneath her lit up in a glow.

“Please work,” she whispered and closed her eyes.

V - Found

Twilight slowly opened her eyes. Her body felt a little sore, but nothing too out of the ordinary. Saving Equestria, going to spontaneous parties organized by Pinkie, and just simply training with Starlight took a bit out of the pony. The comfort of her sleep and initial grogginess would wear off soon enough. It was time for her to get up and start her day.

The purple princess gave a yawn and stretched her legs out in the bed. The sheets shuffled about while she spread her wings and made sure to get her muscles moving. No sense in staying in bed all day. She had promised Rarity she would stop by to help with fitting a dress.

Rubbing her eyes, Twilight sat up and looked around her room. She must have slept in far longer than she realized. With a horrible dream like that, she wouldn't blame herself. Being stuck in a realm where time had stopped and her friends and other ponies were nowhere to be seen? She shuddered at the thought.

Looking over, she saw Spike's bed and smirked. The little dragon was still sleeping. Or, he probably went back to bed when he found out she had missed her own alarm. He deserved a little break for a while anyway.

Her magic pulled the blanket over him a bit more, smiling sweetly as she got up quietly. Poor little guy was sleeping like a rock. At least he sounded like he was having a peaceful rest. Twilight silently crawled out of bed and gave the young dragon a light pet and a kiss before using her magic to make her bed and trot out the room.

She was surprised she had slept in for so long. The day was already getting close to ending. If she wanted to meet Rarity and maybe pick up a snack, she had to hurry. Perhaps Pinkie was in the bakery and she could stop by for a moment.

Twilight brushed her mane and checked the mirror a few times before giving an approving nod. It would be fine. Hefting her saddlebags onto her back, she took herself out and down the halls, giving small glances in a few rooms. The sight of a few books in study not put away made her roll those violet eyes. She would remind Starlight in the morning. The unicorn was probably out and about or getting ready to get a little shut eye. No sense in bothering her right away.

On her way out, Twilight passed the magic mirror room and stopped. The door had been closed for a little while. The dream she had certainly made her scared of seeing it again for what happened. Hesitation took over as she stared at the handle before shaking her head and smiling a little. She was just being silly! No need to verify things based on dreams just because they made her feel uneasy.

Through the cutie mark map room and to the front doors, Twilight opened it up and did her best to shut it a little quietly. Her eyes took in the ponies she missed during that strange departure of her own, smiling and nodding to a few passing by. She was happy to be home and safe. Things were back to where she remembered.

“Hello,” she greeted cheerfully, trotting past a mare and giving her a nod.

The purple princess made her way further into Ponyville as she took in the scent in the air. Something smelled delicious! Pinkie must still be hard at work in the bakery. All the more reason to grab a little something to nibble on before going to see Rarity. In fact, Twilight could feel her stomach give light rumble which made her decision even more one-sided.

Sugar Cube Corner would be closing shortly, so she had to hurry. Her hooves carried her along as she made her way to the bakery and went in. A few ponies lined up behind the register while she looked up to see who might be tending. Of course, the pink and fluffy maned friend of hers was smiling happily as she took last minute orders.

“Twi! Come here!” Pinkie called to her, beckoning her over.

“Pinkie, hey! I was just looking for a little snack before meeting Rarity. You happen to have something quick so I don't take time from your customers?” Twilight asked, glancing at the waiting ponies.

“Oh, it'll be fine! I got a lot of goodies just about ready!” the pink pony answered and rushed to the back before hopping out from the kitchen.

The tray with bouncing cookies was held in her mouth as Pinkie made her way to the front counter. The cookies smelled great and made Twilight want them even more. How Pinkie was able to hold the tray in her muzzle without burning herself was a mystery Twilight knew she would never be able to solve.

“Okie dokie! Take as many as you like, Twilight! I got plenty more just about ready for everypony here!” Pinkie called out which was met with a few praises. She did do her job well.

“Thank you, Pinkie,” Twilight said, using her magic to slip a few cookies into her saddlebag before taking one more to munch on.

Her ears gave a flick as she nibbled on the treat and thanked her friend again before heading out. Chocolate chip! Perfect! She was certainly enjoying the baked good as she trotted along and even stopped to sniff a few flowers still out from the flower mares.

Rarity's boutique was just ahead with the lights clearly on. She must be waiting for Twilight for a bit. The purple mare lowered her ears a tad as she ate her snack, hoping she wasn't about to disappoint her dear friend. She had slept in. That was perfectly understandable, was it not?

Once she got to the door, Twilight gave a knock with her hoof, not wanting to intrude if it were getting too late. There were a few seconds of silence before she heard a light muffle from beyond the door. When she knocked again, Rarity's voice came through clearly.

“Twilight? That you? Please, come in!” the white unicorn called out.

With the invitation, Twilight nudged the door open with her snout and poked her head inside. Rarity must have been awfully busy during the day. Fabrics and other apparel were spread out with the marshmallow colored mare doing her best to seam a dress. The bell gave its jingle when Twilight moved in a bit more which alerted the mare to her presence.

“Twilight! Wherever have you been, dear? I've had your outfit for the next Gala awaiting your approval,” Rarity spoke, smiling sincerely and magically opening a cabinet nearby.

The lovely dress floated out and shimmered with the light. The blue color she had chosen was honestly beautiful. Twilight could hardly take her eyes off the dress. Was she really getting one made this amazing?

“I can see by your expression it has caught your eye. I wanted you to be the focus,” Rarity mentioned, smiling and shifting the dress over to hold up against Twilight's side.

“Rarity, it's so lovely! You didn't have to go through this kind of trouble,” Twilight told her, always surprised at the generous gestures her friend made.

“Have to? Neigh, but I wanted to. You're my friend, Twilight, and my friends deserve only the best!” the seamstress mare declared.

The reassurance made Twilight blush a bit as she smiled and thanked Rarity. The two made a little small talk as Rarity took and retook the measurements for the dress. Always one to make sure it fit just right. The Gala would be coming soon and Rarity wanted to have everything done on time.

It almost felt as if Twilight's dream had never occurred. The thought made her smile lower as she remembered it all in such vivid detail. Her mind slowly began to recount the travesties she endured as she felt the measuring tape along her side.

“Is something wrong?” Rarity asked, looking to Twilight beyond her red-framed glasses.

“I just had a bad dream. It's nothing,” Twilight told her and gave a reassuring smile.

“If you wish to talk about it, I am here,” the white mare told her before going back to fitting the dress.

It took a bit before Rarity had the measurements written down and moved over to the sewing machine. The unicorn took the dress and began to rework a few seams. Twilight sat down and drew in a deep breath to clear her mind. It was just a dream.

When she looked up, Twilight felt her body tense. Her eyes fixed on Rarity, or where Rarity had just been. In her place stood a stationary pony. A ponyquin made for displaying an assortment of fashion items. It moved.

“Twilight?” it asked in Rarity's voice, turning to her in the most unsettling nature.

Twilight closed her eyes and rubbed at her face with her hooves. Her heart was beating quickly and her ears wilted. Slowly, she moved her forelegs back down and opened her violet eyes once again.

“Are you sure you're okay?” Rarity asked, tilting her head in concern. No ponyquin taking her place.

“Yeah… Just a lot on my mind, I guess,” Twilight said, breathing a sigh of relief and relaxing slowly. That was frightening.

For the hour or two that passed, they talked about a variety of subjects. Spells for organizing Rarity's mess even though she claimed it was an organized one, other outfits that were planned, picnics with their friends, and a couple of other things. It was refreshing for some reason. Something Twilight felt she needed.

When time was up, Rarity looked out the window and gave a playful roll with her eyes. It was getting dark out, but it had been before Twilight arrived. Rarity must not have noticed right away, so caught up in her sewing.

“I didn't see it was getting so late!” the white unicorn stated as she let out a soft sigh. “I guess we can make some better progress tomorrow. Shall we?”

“Of course! I'd be happy to come by again,” Twilight told her, giving a nod.

“Very well~ I'll make sure to squeeze some time in for your dress, Twilight. You take care now,” Rarity told her, waving a hoof gingerly.

Twilight pulled out another cookie from her bag as she opened the door and said her farewell to her friend. She didn't want to make any crumbs on the fabrics during her visit. While the door closed, Twilight smiled to herself, eating the treat as she took her time in walking back to the castle. It was nice to get out again with a little free time from studying.

On her walk, she tried remembering where Starlight had told her she would be. Had she been informed? Twilight tried remembering if she was told the day prior. An errand, perhaps. It sounded likely, at the very least. She could also be waiting back at the castle, just having missed Twilight.

The lavender colored princess giggled to herself, lost in thought. During her walk and with her mind distracted, she didn't quite see the pony before her. There was a moment of surprise as Twilight saw the pony just in time, but failed to avoid them. The two collided and both went down in a small tumble.

Twilight was quickly scrambling to get back up as she dropped her cookie to apologize profusely. Her ears stayed back as she shook her head, hoping she didn't hurt the pony. The fall was a bit scary with how sudden it was and she could only wonder how startled the poor pony was she walked into.

“I'm so sorry! It was all my fault! I-” she began and stopped when she glanced down.

Upon the grass laid a still and very stiff ponyquin. The featureless pony stayed motionless as Twilight stared at her unfortunate victim to her absent minded wander. There was a long bout of silence while she took in the sight, feeling her heart begin to pick up the pace and her breath coming in shorter bursts.

Where did this come from? Why was it put in her way? Did she really just not see it? The questions flooded her mind as she took a slow step back and glanced around. The sudden oddity had disturbed her train of thought and she only wished to know what pony had put out such a thing in the middle of the area.

Other ponies stared at her within the vicinity. Her eyes darted around as she tried to find an answer before glancing back down. The ponyquin squirmed and moved oddly before her. Twilight wanted to scream but her voice got caught in her throat. Why wasn't anypony helping?

“H… He..,” Twilight stuttered, trying her best to call out.

The other ponies stay still, watching the poor alicorn back away more as the stuffed pony-like being fell motionless once more. Her eyes seemed to well up with tears before she closed them and tried to tell herself it was just her mind playing tricks. She didn't sleep well, right? A bad dream and waking up at such an odd hour could have her hallucinate.

Opening her eyes once more revealed a stallion laying before her with a bewildered look. His head turned to look around before he slowly got up and gave Twilight an odd glance.

“You okay?” he asked, steadying himself a bit. He looked shaky on his own hooves.

“Y… Uh, I'm okay. I'm fine,” Twilight quickly managed to say, almost certain her voice had left her.

She breathed a small sigh of relief before continuing on her way. Around the other pony. So much stress and bad sleep must have played havoc on her mind. Twilight shook her head and slowly carried on. A nap or some extra sleep might just help her.

The purple alicorn made her way along and made sure to be mindful of the other ponies around her. Her eyes studied each and every pony she crossed paths with, trying not to let the prior incidents get to her. Things had just been so strange.

Upon arriving back at her castle, Twilight stood at the front doors and thought to herself. Her stomach felt uneasy from the encounters and strange happenings. Again, she chalked it up to terrible sleep and a nightmare, as she had read similar things in some books. It still didn't make her feel much better.

Opening a door, Twilight carefully walked inside and sighed to herself. It wasn't easy to just forget something so terrifying. While she let her mind try and reason explanations to her, an ear perked up before she looked at the mostly dark interior. Was that Starlight she heard?

“Starlight? Are you back?” Twilight called out, hearing her voice echo out some. For some reason, her own castle felt so foreign to her.

The light shuffling continued for a moment then stopped. Twilight stayed still, listening carefully. If Starlight was back, why didn't she answer? Did she not hear?

“Spike?” she asked cautiously. Her nerves felt as if they were pin pricks along her body as she felt cold. She just needed an answer.

“Twilight? I'm in my room!” came the faint voice of Starlight from within the castle.

Oh, thank goodness! It really was Starlight. Twilight felt her heart try and calm itself as she breathed slowly to keep from getting a bit dizzy. She couldn't believe she was getting herself so worked up over nothing. Her hooves made light noises along the floors as she made her way to her friend's room.

As she walked, she glanced to the door containing the magic mirror. The portal to another world. Curiosity may not have got her earlier but it seemed that she was wanting to make certain of things at this point. Just to know, was all.

The princess magically pulled the door open and peeked inside. The light shimmering off the glass ahead in the dark room made her nod. Right where she had left it. At least she knew now. She was just being silly over nothing. A small reassurance was all she needed.

Closing the door, Twilight kept on walking and made her way to Starlight's room. The door was closed as she trotted up and knocked lightly. The sound of the knocks felt deafening compared to her light touches. She really must have had a bad sleep to be so skittish.

“Come in,” Starlight's voice said from behind the door.

Twilight did just that. Her magic opened the door as she saw Starlight sitting at her desk, looking over a book. Studying just as hard as Twilight. It made the alicorn smile as she walked in and moved closer to her friend.

“Hey, what's up?” Starlight asked, not looking up from the opened book.

“I've just been feeling really… strange. It's hard to describe,” Twilight confided. She wasn't even sure how she could explain it all.

“Tell me what's bothering you. Maybe it will help,” the unicorn said, staying still while reading.

“I had a nightmare and I guess that, well, maybe I've been too stressed lately. I haven't felt like myself today and I keep seeing… things,” Twilight said, not even sure if it would make sense saying it aloud.

“It sounds like a lack of sleep coupled with that nightmare. I bet some proper rest will fix it all,” the unicorn said and shifted slightly.

“Yeah. That's what I'm thinking,” came Twilight's response before she looked around. “Where did you go earlier?”

“Trixie's,” said Starlight simply. “She needed help with an upcoming show.”

Twilight just nodded and folded her ears back. Her eyes watered up as she stared down at the floor and sniffed. She was hurting. Emotionally hurting and it showed.

“I'm sorry, Starlight,” Twilight said, trying to keep from crying in front of her. “I just don't feel well.”

“It's okay, Twilight. I'm here for you. We're all here for you,” said her friend, turning in her chair. “Here, here,” she beckoned, forearms outstretched.

Without hesitating, Twilight nearly dove into the open arms, accepting the hug and sniffing as she held on tight. Her tears flowed down her cheeks as she quietly sobbed, holding the ponyquin tightly and nuzzling against its neck. The arms magically embraced her back as she made it give her comforting pets.

“There, there,” Twilight said, “It's okay.”

“Thank you, Starlight,” the alicorn replied to herself, calming down some.

As she held onto the lifeless form, Twilight cried. Her mind ran in all sorts of directions while she bawled, unable to catch a breath a few times. Her words were either slurred or entirely incoherent. The purple alicorn knew why she had such hallucinations, she just didn't like it. It was okay, though. She just needed some sleep.

Twilight cleared her throat after a while, wiping her eyes and forcing a smile out. Her heart had such a sinking feeling to it, but she would be okay. She had her friends. She always had her friends. They would never leave her.

Carefully, she let go and let her friend get back to her book. Without a word, Twilight backed out of the room and closed the door gently. She didn't need to disturb Starlight anymore than she had. No, she needed some peace and quiet.

After a minute, the lavender coated princess made her way back down the halls and to her own room. Her vision wavered as she kept having to stop and rub at her eyes. So many tears. Why was she crying again? Did she really need to?

Eventually, she did make it to her room. She almost felt choked up from all her crying, but at least she had managed to settle down a bit. Her eyes surveyed the room, noticing Spike still sleeping in his bed. Twilight smiled and walked over, giving the large stones a few nudges. He really did sleep like a rock.

Shrugging off her saddlebags, Twilight magically pulled another of her own homemade, rather stale cookies from it and munched it to help feel a little better. It was always a strange thing that having a tiny snack or just crying it out always helped her feel better. Something she didn't understand nor did she entirely question. It was probably for the best.

Finishing her cookie, the purple pony crawled up into her own bed and laid down. Her head flopped against the pillow while she stared at the wall. The marks along it faintly shone in the dim light as she kept staring at them. She didn't want to count them right then, but she still picked up the broken crystal piece and carved another tally in. She had woken up again. Another day, despite how short it was.

Rolling over, she turned away and tried letting her mind slow down to let her sleep. Everything was fine. Even if the mirror's pieces were still scattered on the floor, right where she left them. She would wake up and head out, past her study, wrecked to Tartarus in her frustration, past the broken cutie mark map and make a nice evening with Fluttershy. Her critter friends might not come around, but she had told her to visit, did she not?

Yes. That's exactly what happened. Fluttershy had sent a letter to her, didn't she? A picnic for them to both relax with. That sounded fun. The only question was where she last left Fluttershy. In the town hall? No, it was the Quills and Sofas shop. She had needed a new one.

Twilight breathed calmly, thinking of how to plan her next day out. Where would other ponies be? She would figure it out later. At least she still had her friends. They may be big with words, but they at least still spoke to her. Only her. They would always be there for her.

With a forced smile, Twilight pulled the covers up over herself. She wasn't alone. Not anymore. She had found her friends and they were always going to be there to support her and keep her happy. Everything was okay. She was okay.

Twilight closed her eyes and let the tears fall freely.

Author's Note

This was a lot of fun to make. Also, Post-It had helped me plenty with a few of the chapter titles. Go check out his stuff while you're at it. He does some cool stuff!

I - Lost

It had been several weeks since Starlight had been accepted among Twilight's close friends. Of course, it wasn't without its own wariness within the group. The powerful spells and other tricks Starlight could pull off was almost worrying to Twilight. Thankfully, the unicorn seemed more inclined to be a better pony.

Training with her, Twilight had noticed many different spells that were either combined into others or even made up from Starlight's knowledge of existing ones. It was nothing short of impressive. A few times, the princess of friendship had to take some notes herself. It was always a bit thrilling to her to learn new things and study them through and through.

Those notes also carried their own worry. As much as Twilight liked the idea of new uses for simple spells, the idea of altering well-known or even higher level spells wasn't exactly the safest thing. Luckily, she had also taken the time to figure out counters to most of them. Oddly enough, some of the counter spells were just as dangerous to perform if things weren't properly worked out.

Twilight sighed as she looked up to the party cloudy sky. It was getting late and the sun had set beyond the horizon. With barely enough light out, the pony let her mind wander on just how hard the pegasi or earth ponies had it. Did they have just as much trouble with keeping weather under control or the food like she did with magic? Rainbow Dash and Applejack made such things look so simple.

The thought made Twilight smile some. She probably made her own tasks look just as easy to them and hardly knew it. It was something she did pride herself in, though she hardly liked to flaunt it.

“Head in the clouds?” came Dash's voice from behind.

Twilight let out a soft giggle and nodded to her. She couldn't hide her expression while being lost in thought. Probably looked like she daydreaming.

“Yeah, just been thinking about things,” Twilight responded, glancing over to see her blue pegasus friend doing a casual float on her back.

“You always think! You never just let things be,” Dash teased before smirking.

“I know,” the alicorn admitted with folded ears. “I just like to understand things, though.”

The pegasus blew a raspberry before rolling her eyes and flipping over in the air. Twilight knew Dash didn't enjoy looking too far into some things. She didn't blame her, though. It wasn't for everypony.

“Psh, yeah, but you should take a breather once in a while, Twi!” her friend urged, lazily floating nearby.

Dash was right. Sometimes it was good to not think so heavily on things and relax from studying. It wasn't as easy for Twilight to do, though. She had plenty she wanted to get done before taking some time to 'chillax' as Dash liked to say.

As the two walked along, they discussed their day and the plans for the next few, should Equestria not be in need of saving. They were getting close to attending a party that Pinkie Pie had wanted to throw. Thankfully, they had talked her down to more of a late picnic party rather than setting up the castle again only to clean it shortly after.

Before then, Twilight still had to help Starlight out with a few more spells. She was late enough on cleaning up her long list for the day. All that was left was a tiny bit of training with Starlight, to set up the picnic area, and then just enjoy the night. At least she could finally do what Dash always urged her on about.

“Twilight!” came a voice to their left.

A glance showed the unicorn in training trotting over with a smile. Despite mishaps, Starlight really was trying to do better. It just might take time for her to properly get those friendship lessons down. Twilight knew how troubling those were. A brief reminiscence of when she first came to Ponyville brought a smile to her muzzle.

“Hey, Starlight!” the alicorn called back. “Are you ready for a quick training session today? Er, well, more dawning onto the night with the twilight out now.”

The two laughed while Dash rolled her eyes.

“Rarity and the others are already waiting on us, though,” Starlight mentioned, giving a nod in the direction they were headed.

“It shouldn't take long. Just a few minutes to test out deflection and teleportation,” Twilight assured her.

“You two eggheads should give it a rest,” the pegasus groaned, swooping around and letting her legs dangle uselessly.

Twilight gave a soft giggle before she playfully rolled her eyes and looked to Starlight. The two gave a nod before Dash zoomed off.

“I'll tell the others you two will be by in a moment!” the rainbow maned pony called out.

The testing of spells had varied over the past week. It had normally been by the book with the exception of simply drawing up more power to use them. Lately, it seemed both of them had been trying to work out any errors in combination spells. There was always an extreme likelihood of something going wrong, so they had to play it safe with counter spells at the ready.

The sudden zap of a beam near her hooves had Twilight instantly jump back. She forgot her own rule to stay alert. The ground gave a light sizzle as smoke rose before another shot came her way. The deflection angled the beam to the ground at her side.

Bright colored magic went across the gap between them as the two tested out various beams and shields. Some of the beams erupted in a glorious fashion Trixie would be proud of. Others nearly broke or cracked the conjured shields with how much power they kept putting behind them. One shot even managed to clear a hole in the clouds without effort.

It didn't take long before they were both taking a break and panting lightly. Some beams curved, some almost traveled the full circumference of the shield, but they were both strong and knew how to hold their ground or ease up. It was certainly going to be a quick session for the day.

Next up, Twilight made a simple gesture with her head and lit her horn. In an instant, she popped out of place and zapped back in near a tree. Starlight eagerly teleported to her as well. Another blink and she was twenty yards into the air. The unicorn wasn't far behind, using her own full-body levitation spell to stay afloat.

The two popped in and out of sight all over the area. One after the other, guided by magic and testing their own sensory spells to find each other, they continued the swift teleporting for a bit. It was getting easier for Twilight to find Starlight after her leaps with magic. The combination spells of the teleport with a guidance spell to home in quicker was one of the very novel ideas Starlight had made. It almost made Twilight a tad jealous, but she couldn't help and admire the amazing talent.

There had been a few other spells the alicorn wanted to try out with the teleport, but she also didn't want to keep her friends waiting long. Only a few more minutes and the two finally slowed down and leaped back to their starting area. It wouldn't be an easy task to incorporate some of the spells, but trial and error were always the process towards improvement.

“There you are,” Twilight heard Rarity say nearby. “Rainbow informed us you two had to train and we decided to come watch for a bit.”

“Oh, thank you, Rarity, but we're about done anyway,” Twilight explained.

“Nonsense,” the white unicorn said and added, “We won't let you squander your needed talent just to have a picnic. Now, continue on and Pinkie should be by with the confections soon anyway.”

It was true that Twilight needed to keep her skills sharp and not be lazy. She loved the fact she had such understanding friends. The thought brought a special warmth to her heart before she gave a nod and agreed.

Starlight readied herself for more of the training while the rest of their friends began to sit nearby and watch. Flashes of bright colors began once more with a few being carefully directed away from their onlookers. The ponied all gasped and stamped their front hooves a few times at well timed dodges or blocks. It felt nice for Twilight to have a small audience commend her on her studies going to work.

Everything was going great! Glimmer had managed to redirect a few projectiles back with her shielding, making Twilight have to knock the beam away or simply block it herself. The inclusion of such spells together was something that she hadn't even thought of. Her own combo spells had ranged from using more force to move Starlight than break the shield or even weaken only one point in the protection with a thinner beam. It was all fascination!

Some of the spells did get a little too close to her friends which had Twilight scrambling to activate a barrier in front of them. With so many different ways to block, attack, and dodge it was almost a little too much to remember. Coupled with the fact there were plenty of combinations to use, Twilight had her head full of various information during their training.

Various clumps of dirt had been popped free from the ground in plenty of missed or deflected shots. It looked like a miniature battlefield. Twilight wasn't too worried, seeing as she could rework the pieces back as if nothing happened in a reformation spell. It wasn't until she heard a loud gasp as Starlight was charging a beam that made Twilight worry.

A look to her friends had Pinkie standing on her hind legs with her front hooves against her cheeks. She looked surprised and in awe at the whole aerial engagement. Just Pinkie being herself. Twilight just wanted to make sure nothing had hurt them. When she looked back, the bright color of Starlight's beam filled her view.

There was a million different spells and ideas that blitz the alicorn's mind all at once. She was almost overcome with so many choices and her split-second decision making. In the end, her eyes closed as she tried to teleport away as quickly as she could. The familiar sound and sudden feeling of the ground beneath her hooves made her cautiously open an eye. No attack coming at her any longer.

It was a panicked move but one that saved her a nasty sore in the morning. At least she was okay and her friends weren't in any harm. The thought of her keeping her friends safe and still keeping up the training almost made her feel quite accomplished with herself. She took a deep breath as she looked along the undisturbed ground before turning to greet her friends.

Nopony was there. Not a soul stood where her friends were just mere seconds ago. The sudden change in a fact she had confirmed made the princess confused. Her gaze wandered around to find Starlight but she couldn't seem to find a sign of the unicorn anywhere. Something wasn't right.

“Girls?” Twilight called out, trying to think of where they might have gone. Were they hiding?

As she waited to listen for a response, she noticed something else. The ground had been unmarked by any of the prior session Starlight and her had taken part in. No holes in the dirt or clumps of the earth uprooted from their beams were to be seen at all. She didn't take full notice a moment ago for some reason.

“Rarity? Starlight? Where are you?” she called out a bit louder. The silence that came back was almost deafening.

Why wouldn't her friends answer her? Why was it so quiet? Twilight's mind slowly began running through scenarios that might have happened. Pinkie wanted to surprise her? Dash was doing another prank?

Twilight's heart beat quickly as she sat down and took a few deep breaths. There was no need to get scared right away. There always had to be a reason for something. The simple thing to do would be letting Dash get her laugh or Pinkie pop out from behind a tree or something. Just wait.

She nodded to nopony but herself as she thought more on the subject. That was all. She just had to wait. Any second, her friends would tell her she was fine and that it was all didn't intend to go so far to scare her.

Why couldn't she even hear the birds or any insects? Worry would not leave her face. The purple pony stayed in the same spot for several minutes, listening closely and looking around her. There was hardly any place to properly hide. The twilight above couldn't hide a group of ponies, could it?

There wasn't much left for the alicorn to do before she stood up and decided to try and locate Starlight with that newly concocted magic-find spell. Coupling that with her teleport should allow her to find the unicorn and hopefully her friends quickly enough. It took her a minute to collect her scattered thoughts before finally managing to work the spell.

The supposed jump to the location was quick and effortless, but a glance around showed her still in the same spot. Twilight had a hard time not letting the worry get to her as she tried again. Once more, the leap to what should have been in close proximity to Starlight kept her in the same place. It wasn't helping her slowly dawning fear.

Twilight quickly rushed over several feet and tried again. Yet again, she stayed in place. Not pulled back or moved anywhere else. She had no idea what was going on. Her mind raced as she stood still, doing her best to not let the panic rise any higher. She would have to figure things out. There simply was no other option. Twilight would figure something out.

All alone.

Author's Note

Had an idea I wanted to start up for this month. During October, I'll be adding a chapter every week until the story ends on Halloween at the fifth and final one.

Big thanks to TenTinyThimbles for making the beautiful cover piece! Go check them out and show your appreciation of their work as well!