Madness, and How to Live With it

They all gathered at the entry. The twin princess, the bearers, Noctem and his own, and the teams behind them. Kitty waited anxiously down below, the centaur with him. They were far too large for this, it was too easy for them to fall into some anomaly, but nothing would keep them from this.

Noctem nodded, Spike sitting atop his back. Despite everypony else, he had demanded to come, and nothing could persuade him otherwise. “I can feel them. It is near her now. Are you all ready?”

They nodded. Noctem nodded, and then a darkness settled on them, their vision blocked and their ears stopped.

“Listen, and follow.” Echoed in the minds, and they moved forward. Blind, but guided, deaf, and yet able to hear, Magica gently projecting into their minds.

“I will make sure that you might hear what is important. We shall keep you as safe as we can.”

It seemed to take forever, walking in darkness. Nothing to hear, nothing to see, knowing that it had to be that way.

And then, “left.”

“That’s it. Do not listen! Twilight is right ahead.”

In the darkness, they soon saw Twilight. Just an image projected into their mind, but they calmed, and stopped.

“Listen to nothing you hear, and be ready.”

They saw Twilight react fearfully to them, and she looked to her side before calming. Jumpy, and ready to run, but not actually running.

And then the memory weaved across the air. They all saw it as it swooped and collected on Twilight like a ribbon of light.

Pinkie reacted first, gasping hugely, suddenly.

Applejack stared for a moment, and then realized. “Well, howdy-doo, Miss Twilight, a pleasure makin your acquaintance. I'm Applejack. We here at Sweet Apple Acres sure do like makin new friends!”

They all got the idea, and soon after the ribbon gathered on her and seemed to be absorbed. Another came soon after.

And then it got really hard. Trying to recall things from ages past, oftentimes vague things that only Twilight had considered important. Having to sometimes act things out when some of them did not remember what Twilight had.

And it, always trying to make them fail. Whispering to them, leading them astray in their retelling or words. It was often that they almost stepped wrong, almost fell to it. But they didn’t. Blind and deaf, but they could still feel it near them. Hold still, and they were fine, one step wrong, and it would have them.

Ribbon after ribbon they did their best, some of them nearly being lost if not for Celestia. She alone recalled every single letter Twilight had ever sent, down to the words used, and sometimes that was the only thing that saved the memory. She was determined that her student would return. Every word Celestia had ever spoken to her, everything Twilight had ever told her, ever written to her, spoken anew with every inflection the same as before.

They all fought hard to make it real for her, fought against its whispers, and recalled things long forgotten. And then it somehow got worse.

Another ribbon settled on her, and she reacted badly, the ribbon absorbed automatically. As they have been absorbed, she had warmed to them, lost her fear, but now, she was terrified. Nearly crying in fear. Barely able to listen to them, and they weren’t sure why.

“No! Please!” she yelled. “I didn’t mean to!”

They were lost, and it was Luna that understood.

“Twilight!” she yelled. “You are not to blame for this!”

Twilight violently shook her head, and the rest of them understood. She was blaming herself for everything.

“I am! My spell! My magic! Everypony DEAD because of me! But I can’t stand it! I don’t want to lose you! But… I can’t even look for forgiveness…”

The ribbon spun off her, and hovered near her as they stared in shock.

“She is rejecting! The ribbon is too painful to her, you must sooth her before she rejects it again! I do not know how many times you have before she will reject them all for that one!”

The pattern resumed, ribbons heading to Twilight, but now, they were distracted. Old pieces of life, but the ribbon of pain was near her still, and none of them really knew how to combat it.

And then it came back to her, and they started as she jerked.

They all saw her eyes change to that terror, and she trembled in place.

“Twilight!” Celestia called, determined.

One glance at Celestia's face, her face set and ready to fight to bring her back, and she wailed. The ribbon snapped off her in an instant, and she calmed again, though they grew more concerned.

“It is growing dire! The memory must be calmed!”

They kept trying. Kept fighting, and then it returned.

They never had a chance. Twilight spoke first, and said, “It’s useless. I can’t come back.” and it was gone again before they could react.

“This is the last. If she does not grab hold of it, she is lost.”

They all steeled themselves, and learned from the past mistakes. Twilight would be looking for angry faces, frowning faces. Ready to toss herself away before they had a chance to respond.

They all prepared for it, and when it came back, they all relaxed as best they were able and smiled at her. Twilight hesitated, seeing them like that, and Luna spoke first in her slight confusion.

Luna bellowed at the top of her prodigious voice, “TWILIGHT! WE ARE NOT GOING TO ABANDON YOU!” The others took her cue, and did their best.

“Darling we are friends!”

Twilight shook her head, crying. “How… how can you… I’m no friend…”

“Twi, as far as I’m concerned we’re family an that’s final!”

“You hold us together!” Fluttershy yelled, pushing herself hard.

“It’s here! I brought it here! I’m responsible!” Twilight said, her face wet with tears.

“You are no more responsible for its actions than the actions of the storms or the wilds my student.”

Twilight looked up, and saw Celestia, with her small smile. Perfectly relaxed, smiling at her like she had always smiled at her.

“You are only responsible for yourself. Are you about to tell us that you are it?”

“…No… Celestia…”

“It has brought this. You have done nothing my student. And even if you had, I would never turn my back on you.”

“You are always my beloved student, Twilight Sparkle.”

She stared at Celestia, and then turned to see Applejack.

“Shoot Twi. Even if ya went an destroyed th farm we’d still be friends.”

Rainbow nodded as Twilight looked at her. “You did too much for us! And you didn’t do this. You never would.”

“Perfectly sweet, like the best of cakes.” Pinkie added.

“We believe in you.” Fluttershy said, “Can’t you believe in us?”

“Would the pony who saved us from ourselves, be the same pony who brought Canterlot low? We thinkest not.”

“Darling, nopony hates you. We are all here to save you.”

"Come back Twilight." Spike said. "I... I really want you back."

Twilight looked back to Celestia. “We are all waiting for you my student. You have a place waiting for you, ponies that want to see you again. Come back to us Twilight Sparkle.”

“Please?” Fluttershy whispered, and Twilight didn’t even move for a moment. And then the ribbon left her and tore itself apart, and she smiled. Those little pieces of it were absorbed into her, and though she was crying still, it was in happiness instead of pain and fear.

“Everypony… I… Thank you. I might never be able to thank you all enough. I was so afraid, but… I never should have been. I should have known that you wouldn’t abandon me. Sorry for not knowing that sooner.”

Another ribbon came, and this time, Twilight saw it.

And she began helping them, trying her best to accept them. Doing her best to encourage them, trying to remind them as they reminded her. Endless ribbons, until at last, they stopped.

And Twilight sighed. Every memory back, and the pain of them gone. Dispelled, but she had something that she wanted to finish. Something that she was responsible for, and she was going to fix it.

“You will need to wait a moment.” she told them. “I need to fix something I should have fixed a long time ago. I’ll come back. I promise.”

Then she turned, and the image of Hope appeared behind her.

“It’s time to go back. You can’t stay here anymore, you did too much. Come on then…”

She went to him, and together they vanished as Twilight cast the spell she had made three years ago.

The darkness rent in two, and they found themselves in the throne room. Blinking in the sudden light, and after a moment, they all felt it.

Not one anomaly was in Canterlot. Not one thing remained, and everything had been set in its proper place. The city was whole, and safe once again. Noctem ran to them, gasping and bleeding shadows.

“Did it work!?” he yelled, skidding to a halt just before them. His followers trailed after him, each one ragged and weak, but smiling.

“She’s gone.” Rainbow said, stunned.

“She’ll be back Rainbow.” Applejack said. “I know she will.”

Noctem nodded, other ponies beginning to filter into the room. A few centaur hurried inside after them, and after a moment, Kitty simply tore his way through the wall, and stepped inside.

The bearers looked at them, but Celestia and Luna didn’t even respond. They were watching the spot where Twilight had vanished with certainty and intensity. Spike himself was in front of them, waiting as if he expected Twilight back any moment.

“Apologies for the wall.” Kitty said, Mirage on his back. “Is it over? Where is Twilight?”

“Coming back soon.” Rarity told him.

“We wait?” asked a young centaur, one by the name of Chosen.

“We wait.” Pinkie told him.

After a little while, practically everypony was in the throne room, all arranged around where Twilight had been. Shining Armor next to Candance, the bearers close to the twin princesses, Spike in the very center, and every being gathered waiting for Twilight to return. Worrying about her, wishing her back to them with all of their hearts.