Time Spells and Tears

by ChaoticHarmony

Rating: everyone
Tags: Tragedy, Princess Celestia, Twilight Sparkle, Sad, Princess Luna, My Little Pony: Friendship is Magic, Shining Armor
Length: 6774

When somepony you love dies, you wish for nothing more than to turn back the clock and stop it.

Time. It is the force that drives our entire existence. It is uncaring, unyielding, and unstoppable. Occasionally the waves of time take somepony we love with them, and we wish for nothing more than to turn back the clock to save them. The hardest lesson to learn is when to let go. {WARNING DO NOT READ THE COMMENTS! There are usually spoilers.}

Coverart by VexPon: vexpon.deviantart.com

Published 2012-07-31 13:54:02 UTC
Last updated 2012-07-31 13:54:02 UTC

Uncaring, Unyielding, and Unstoppable

Special Thanks to all of my prereaders for helping me keep this story good! A shoutout to BasseyBrony for helping me with plot decisions and giving me some general opinions! And Thank you for reading my story!

Her eyes snapped open, her vision filling with the half-light cast by the silver moon. She lay in the stifling blankets, which were sticky and damp with sweat. She blinked, making no effort to halt the tears that flowed from her eyes in silence. A cooling wind flowed in through the open window, washing over her face and sending chills down her spine. The sounds of the night filtered into the room, the chirps of the crickets providing a tempo to which the wind howled a melody against the stone.

She neither noticed nor cared about these things, absorbed in the images that flashed in her mind. Her brother standing on the castle battlements, grinning down and calling her name. The flash of an arrowhead glimmering in the sun's light. The splash of red that peppered the wall. Shining Armor's look of pain as she held him in her hooves, his white coat stained with crimson. The black sheet that was drawn slowly over the stallion’s unmoving corpse and the pink alicorn sobbing over it. It was all too much.

She howled a cry of anguish, sitting up and furiously rubbing at her eyes in an attempt to rid herself of the haunting pictures. Though her hooves brushed away the tears, they did nothing to remove the pain that had caused them. The past came floating back up to her, each second she watched sending another spike of agony through her already pained heart. Each stab that followed the memories brought forth another wave of tears, the signs of her grief sliding down her face to drip slowly onto the bedding, her hooves lying limp on her lap after she had given up the battle to hold them back.

She looked at her hooves, which were now glistening with wetness, remembering the warmth of her brother’s body as his life faded. She still felt as if he lay there, cradled in her grip and trying to put on a brave face as his blood drained from his body. His last words came to her mind, cutting through the noises that permeated the silence. ”Looks like it’s time for me to go. Don’t cry Twilie, don’t cry.” She reached up with a trembling hoof and touched the spot where Shining had brushed away a tear that had been on her face.

She flung the blankets from atop her body and stepped onto the cold floor, her hooves clicking on the stones as she walked to the doors to the balcony. Reaching out a hoof, she pulled open a door and stepped into the night air, shivering delicately as the cold wind gusted over her. She looked up into the sky, her eyes tracing out the constellations that she had memorized since the time when she was a filly. She could understand why Luna grew resentful of the ponies of Equestria shunning her night; the night was a black canvas, dotted with points of shining light and dominated by a single body that emanated a silver glow. Her breath caught as she took in the utter beauty of it all, losing herself in the vastness of the night.

A clattering noise made her whip around in fright, her horn glowing with magic as she prepared a spell to trap the intruder. In the corner, behind the open door, lay a brass tube on a stand; the wind had blown it over and it now lay on the stones, moving slightly as the blowing air pushed at it. Chuckling to her silliness, she lifted it in her magic and brought it into the light. The aged brass glimmered in the purple and silver light, battered from events such as the one that had just occurred. She put a hoof to her mouth as she realized what it was; her first telescope.

She set it up and searched the sky for a star to gaze at, smiling to herself and humming tunelessly as she worked. When the telescope was aimed and ready, she leaned forward to look through the eyepiece, gazing at the star she had selected. It was a beautiful white, intermixed with blue streaks that seemed as if they were poured on the top, just like the way her brother’s unruly hair fell over his face. Without warning, the memory of that birthday came to her mind, floating up from the sea of recollections.

”Here ya go, Twilie, happy birthday!” She grabbed the box from her brother eagerly, squealing in delight as she tore the paper wrapping from it. When the final scraps of paper finally settled on the ground, she gazed at the box with a shocked expression. Shining put his face into hers, a disheartened light filling his eyes. “Don’t you like it, Twilie?” When she didn’t answer, he sagged dejectedly and began gathering up the paper scraps. “Well, I suppose I could just retu-“ His saddened words were cut off as she tackled him in a hug.

“It’s just what I wanted! Thanks, BBBFF!” She nuzzled into his neck, repeating her thanks over and over until he pushed her away gently, chuckling to himself.

“I thought you’d like something like that, Twilie. How about we go test it out?” She squealed and put her head against the box to push it outside. She grunted in surprise as the box started to move, but her sudden surprise turned to anger as she saw her brother pushing the box beside her. He raised an eyebrow at her angered expression. “What? If I waited for you to push that box, we’d be here all night.” He reached over and tousled her hair with a hoof, laughing outright as she brushed it away angrily. “All right Twilie, let’s get this set up.” Her anger evaporated as he opened the box and pulled out all of the components of the device. She smiled as she watched her brother try and fail repeatedly to put it together, eventually walking back inside to make herself a snack.

When she came back to where her brother had been, her breath caught as she looked at the gleaming instrument of astronomy, standing upright and complete. Her brother stood off to the side, looking proud of his progress. Her shock broke as he cleared his throat and gestured to it in a ta-da way with his front hooves. She galloped over to it and pointed it straight at a star. She almost jabbed her eye with the viewer in her excitement to see a star up close. When her vision focused, she saw the most beautiful thing that she had ever seen, minus Princess Celestia of course. It was a star that shone a brilliant white, with small streaks of blue that came down from the top of the sphere. “What kind of star is that, big brother? I know…

"I'll call it a Shining Armor star." Twilight whispered the words, her heart beating painfully as she resurfaced from the world of memory. She could still hear a ghost of the laugh that Shining Armor had laughed when she had declared the star's new name. She looked to her side and saw a faint outline of a pony; a white-colored unicorn with a blue mane. She turned her attention back to the sky, looking up at the star she knew was there but couldn't see with her eyes alone. "A Shining Armor star..." She gasped in fright as the flap of wings broke her trance, a dark shape passing over her and alighting on her roof, casting a shadow over the balcony. She slowly turned and bowed to the large shadow, smiling a small amount as she did so. "Hello, Princess Luna."

The midnight-blue alicorn looked down at her with pitying eyes. “Why hello, Twilight Sparkle. We figured you would still be awake.” Leaping from the roof of the tower, the Princess of the Night landed next to her lightly. “We wish to speak with you, if that is acceptable.” Twilight, knowing what was to come, nodded in acquiescence and waited for Luna to speak. The socially-awkward princess kicked at the ground nervously, obviously unsure at how to proceed. Suddenly her hoof waved at the telescope, which was standing exactly where Twilight had left it. “Were you…er…admiring my night?”

Twilight smiled a little at the princess’s awkward behavior towards her, even though she had become good friends with the midnight-blue alicorn. “Yes, Princess, it’s beautiful.” The lunar goddess walked up beside her, wrapping her in a wing and squeezing lightly.

“Thank you, Twilight, we do try and make the best night sky for ponies like you to admire; pity that not many do.” The old bitterness could be heard in her voice, tainting her normally-beautiful tone with a small amount of darkness. Luna looked disapprovingly at the town of Canterlot, her gaze roving the streets that were black and empty. Shaking her head, Luna looked back over to Twilight and smiled. “But that isn’t why we’re here. We are here to speak with you Twilight, about something, or rather, somepony.” The princess squeezed her again with her wing and folded it back against her side, walking around to look Twilight in the eye. “Are you feeling…er…well, Twilight Sparkle?”

Twilight knew that this kind of talk was inevitable, but was faintly surprised that it came from Luna instead of Celestia. “Yes, Princess, I’m…fine.” She winced as she said that, hearing the lie leaking into her voice. Luna looked at her with concern, frowning a little as she gazed into Twilight’s eyes.

“Twilight, we know that you aren’t feeling well. Your bed is unkept, quite unlike you to be so disorganized. Also, you are awake at four in the morning, when even we begin to grow weary.” The princess’s voice died down swiftly and she pawed at the ground again. Twilight huffed a sigh as she waited for the lunar goddess to say what it was that she had come to say. After all, she did say that she wanted to speak with me, and I highly doubt it was about the night. The midnight-blue alicorn backed away again, turning around and stepping over to the edge of the balcony. When she didn’t speak, Twilight moved over to stand beside the silent princess.

“Princess, I’m out here because I wanted to look at the stars. I find a kind of comfort in them.” She tossed her head back to gaze at the star she knew was there. “A comfort, to know that out there, all kinds of beautiful things can live without being disturbed. It’s peaceful and surreal. It’s everything,” She brought her head forward to look over the expanse of buildings below her tower, over the cruel world that stole her brother away. “That this world fails to be.”

“Twilight, we know how you are feeling. We know what your pain feels like.” A hoof was lain on her shoulder but Twilight smacked it away, trying to hold back the emotions that were building up inside her. “We have felt it too, that pain. It feels as if you will never live normally again, as if there would be a bleeding gash where your heart normally resides.” The emotion in Luna’s voice made her speech ragged, but the princess continued. “We know the pain of losing somepony special to us. As an immortal, we watch those we love wither and die, but we can do nothing to help them.” The hoof returned to Twilight’s shoulder, resting lightly with a comfortable weight. The princess drew her into a hug and Twilight felt small drops of something drip onto her back. “We know, Twilight Sparkle. We know.” She returned the hug, throwing her hooves around the sobbing princess’s neck and squeezing tightly.

“I know too Luna.”

After a few minutes, the blue princess pushed Twilight away, wiping at her face with her hooves. “We are…sorry…Twilight Sparkle. We didn’t mean to…lose control like that.” The alicorn inhaled and exhaled unsteadily before smiling at her. “I came here to talk to you about him, Twilight.” Tears welled up in Twilight’s eyes before the princess could speak again. “There can be a way of saving him. Do you wish to know what it is?” Hope bloomed to life in her chest, making her heart rise into her throat and her brain spark excitedly. She nodded slowly. The princess tilted her head up so she could look into her eyes. “Do you love him, Twilight Sparkle?” Her hair fell into her eyes as she nodded again. “How much do you love him?”

“As much as I love the world.”

"The sincerity in your voice…” The princess looked again into her eyes, as if she were gazing into her soul. “You are truly in pain. Very well, Twilight sparkle, we will assist you. Our sister says that we shouldn't assist in matters such as this, but we believe Shining was taken from this world all too soon." The princess bowed her head, touching her glowing horn to Twilight's head and grunting slightly as she cast the spell. Blue light enveloped the two ponies, casting an azure glow over the entire balcony that slowly faded to silver after the lunar goddess pulled away from her and smiled tiredly.

"Go to the castle archives, where the spells by a certain pony you created a commendable costume for are held." They both smiled slightly at memory of the disastrous Nightmare Night. "Our sister told us of your adventure through the time spells before. Our gift will only last for a few hours, until the sun rises, so you must make haste. We have given the key, but you must find the door alone. Good luck, Twilight Sparkle, we have done all we can." Twilight held up a hoof to block the wind that gusted from the princess’s wings as the midnight-blue feathers carried their owner into the night sky.

The purple mare watched as the goddess ascended into her realm, the Regent of the Night's form becoming nothing more but a blot of darkness against the moon before fading away entirely. Another gust of wind howled against the castle, sending a wave of shivers down Twilight's body from the chill that the cold air brought. She raised her head to look once more at the stars, her eyes passing over the points of light amongst the black before turning away from the beautiful sight.

She walked back into her room with a steady pace, her hooves clicking on the stones with a steady tempo. Clock is ticking Twilight. Clock. Is. Ticking. Her attempt at mentally cheering herself by remembering that day of craziness were far from successful, panic instead of cheer gripping her mind. She shook her head before it could begin to poison her thoughts. This is no time for panic. I have work to do, and a brother to save. She pushed open her door, the aged wood creaking as it moved, and stepped into the empty hallway with an air of apprehension.

She cautiously made her way towards the library, the hallway still completely dark. She had gone there so many times before; the route was almost completely engraved in her mind. As a filly, she had often told the princess that she could have found the room in her sleep, the fact that the hallway was dark was no deterrent. The clatter of armor plates came echoing through the halls and the wall felt cold against her back as she pressed up against it, stifling a scream that was bubbling in her throat. The guard stallion’s armor clanked against the stone again, as if he were leaning against the well.

She slowly plucked up her courage, stepping lightly over towards the side hallway and peeking around the corner, ready to dart away at the slightest movement. The guard had his helmet tilted down over his face, and a light snoring was issuing from his mouth. She shook her head and continued on down the hall, taking care not to wake the napping stallion. Why am I so scared about getting caught? It’s not like I’m not allowed in the library! I mean, I am the Ponyville librarian for Celestia’s sake! She shook her head again, picking up her pace to a semblance of a trot.

The library doors, which were made of a wood faded white with age, came into view. The golden inserts along the edges of the doors declared the rooms beyond to be one of the more treasured parts of the castle. Twilight remembered when Celestia had first put the doors in, saying that they had come from a sunken ship that had long since been forgotten. She had said that the doors symbolized the everypony should remember the past, for it holds a certain beauty. Twilight remembered when she was first allowed past the aged wood and into the worlds contained in paper beyond. She increased her trot until it had nearly become a gallop, the sounds of her hooves thundering before and after her and echoing through the halls.

“Halt!” A wing shot out in front of her, colliding with her chest and making her fall backward. She gasped for breath on the floor, wheezing to get air back into her lungs that had recently been vacated. The face of a guard glared down at her, his hard eyes set in a snow-white face. Another set of eyes joined them, this pair framed by an ash-grey coat. After a few moments, the guards looked blankly at her and glanced at each other before setting their gaze back on her. “My apologies Ms. Sparkle, we had thought you were an intruder.” A hoof went under her and picked her up easily, as if she were nothing but a piece of paper that needed moving. She stumbled slightly as she was set back on her own four hooves, but succeeded in not falling on her flank again.

She looked at the two guards who were staring back with an air of pained expectance. “Thank you sirs.” She was surprised at how cold her voice sounded. “Now, if you could leave me, and this place, for the night, it would be most welcome.” The obvious leader moved to object, his mouth opening slightly and his hoof rising from the floor. “It would, dear sirs. be most welcome.” The leader snapped his mouth shut and turned away. Twilight waited before the sounds of their hooves faded away before looking back to the library door. She ran a hoof along its delicate inlays before pushing it open and stepping inside.

The smell of old paper and parchment assaulted her nose. She smiled at the familiar musty smell, taking in a deep breath like she often had as a filly. The smells of the library were present in most of her life, whether it had been here in the castle or down in Ponyville. Even her own room at the palace was filled with the smell of books, though not as old as the ones inside the room she stood in now. She looked over to the wall, a large sign stating that candles were forbidden in this section of the library and promising strict punishment for those who violated that rule. She shuddered at the recollection of her punishment when she broke this rule. The princess’s stern voice surfaced from memory before she could shove it back down. No library for a week, Twilight Sparkle.

She cast a simple light spell, her horn shining with a bright purple light as she stepped slowly into the dark room. With it being night, the room was darker than usual, and the window covers were pulled shut. There was no light, other than her own, that illuminated the vast volumes of knowledge devised by ponies past. She walked with a purpose over to the time spells section, pulling out the book she knew contained the proper magical formula. Without ceremony, she opened the book and began reading, her eyes zipping over the words but somehow registering each one.

She quickly reached the last page of the book, her eyes lingering on the last few numbers before she slammed it shut and stood. Walking over to an empty space in the room, she focused her magic and poured it into her horn. If at any moment, you lose concentration, you’ll find yourself only three minutes into the past rather than what you intended. There is no particular reason for the exact time of three minutes, further research is required. She pushed the book’s words down before they could distract her further, channeling the magic energy in the deepest state of concentration. The magic filled her, pulsing within every part of her body. The power was building, growing more and more intense until it was on the brink of pain.

As soon as it had come, the power was gone. She stumbled forward and slammed back the heavy black drapes. It was still night, the moon set in the sky’s black canvas that was dotted with stars. She felt another wave of desperation well up as she pulled the curtains back into place. She grabbed the book roughly in her magical grip and opened the pages again. She stared at the words, trying to comprehend what had gone wrong. “I did it all perfectly. What went wrong? I just don’t get it! It just doesn’t make sense!” She slammed a hoof against the book’s page before throwing it across the room. She wiped away the tears of frustration and stood up in the darkness.

She closed her eyes and summoned her magic once again. Around her, glyphs of an ancient language floated by, but she noticed none of them. Her concentration was complete; she was magic, she was the spell now. She felt the power build once more, teetering on the edge of release and completion. “You. Can. Do. This!” She gritted her teeth and called forth more of her magic, her legs growing weak and her blood going cold. “You. Can. Do. THIS!” She screamed aloud as all feeling and awareness left her body.

Her eyes snapped open and she shot up from where she had been lying, her gaze passing over the now-lit books and stopping to rest on the window. From beneath the heavy curtains came a small sliver of light that shone with a golden color. The sounds of daylight filtered in and filled the silent room with life. She stood on shaky legs and grabbed the fabric with a hoof, drawing it backward to peer outside. The now-blinded Twilight Sparkle rubbed at her eyes, trying to rid her vision of the random colors that now spotted it. Once her vision cleared, she looked back out of the old glass and into the sky. The sun was sitting in the sky, still low but steadily rising to the position it took at noon.

Shock splashed over her like a bucket of ice-water. Her eyes widened again as she watched the birds flitter past the window. This is the day. It…worked. She turned around and walked slowly to the door. The shock seemed to drip away and her hooves began to press harder into the stones until she was galloping. The door was shoved open with a bolt of magic from her horn, smashing against the wall with a loud crashing noise. She spared no more than a glance at the ancient wood as she raced to reach the wall where her brother stood, unsuspecting of his fate. I have to hurry! Come on hooves, RUN FASTER! The frantic words in her mind did nothing to increase her speed, but she kept mentally shouting encouragement.

She looked outside as she ran, watching the sun climb up higher in the sky. I’m not fast enough, Shining will be… Tears welled up in her eyes as she ran, blurring her vision and making the world watery. No. I will save him. Magic began to fill her body once more as she charged her horn. I will, no matter what. Purple light filled her vision as she catalyzed the teleportation spell.

She kept sprinting as she popped back into existence much closer to where Shining was. The wind howled against her body, holding her back with its gripping gusts. She tossed her head and kept galloping towards the door that led onto the wall. She pulsed magic into her horn, sending a bolt of light into the door. With a crash, the door disintegrated into jagged boards and splinters of wood. The sight of Shining and the rest of the guards looking over at her meant nothing as she cast her gaze over towards the space that she knew the arrow would be. Magic shot from her horn once more, forming into a ball of purple light that hovered in the air, a shield against the threat to the Captain of the Guard.

Bolts of electricity sparked into existence around her, flickering faster and faster. The metal flashed in the sun again. A pained grunt sounded out along the battlement. She felt something warm splash against her face as she watch her brother stagger backwards over the edge. The world began to blacken, the edges of her vision darkening into a slate-grey color. A wordless scream sounded out in the world, a sound of pure despair that followed her into unconsciousness.

She sat up slowly in the library, her eyes straining to see in the darkness. Lighting her horn, she looked around expectantly, as if there would be some sign that her brother somehow lived. She knew there wouldn’t be. She had seen him fall over the wall with an arrow burrowed in his chest. She had heard the anguished scream from her past self. She slowly walked over to the window and pushed the curtain open, the rising sun greeting her by casting a warm glow on her face. “It didn’t work.” She walked over to the book that she had read the spell from. “You didn’t work.” With a cry, she tossed it against the wall and lay on the floor. “I didn’t work.” The first tears began to leak from her eyes.

“Nothing worked.”

Twilight Sparkle slowly walked down the deserted hallway, her hooves clicking on the stones as she approached her mentor’s room. The ornate wooden door loomed in her vision, seeming just as large as it had when she had just been a filly. “Come in Twilight.” Her teacher’s voice never failed to make her jump on these occasions when Twilight visited her in her personal room. Twilight, whose hoof was poised to knock on the aged wood, pushed open the old gateway slowly, poking her head in.

“Princess Celestia?”

“Who else would I be, Twilight?” The sun goddess’s voice was weary, as if she knew what Twilight had come to speak to her about. “Come on in and shut the door.” When Twilight did so, she beckoned her to sit on a cushion across from her. Twilight settled on the soft pillow, breathing deeply and casting looks around the room’s strange instruments. She couldn’t have said what half of them were called, much less guess at what they did. “Now,” her teacher’s voice brought her attention back to why she had come in the first place, “what troubles you, my dearest student?”

Twilight found herself at a loss for words. She smiled mentally at that; a librarian at a loss for words, what are the odds? She kicked at the corner of her seat, toying with the braided bauble that was attached to it. “Well…you see Princess… It’s about Shining Armor…” Her voice died, cracking on her brother’s name. The object she had been toying with was ripped from the cushion, spreading beads across the floor as she pulled a little too hard. She watched the small pieces of colored glass scatter and sparkle from the floor, much like the stars in the night sky.

“Twilight,” the princess’s voice was soft and comforting, “I’ve told you before; nothing can reverse death. You have no idea how long I’ve sought a cure for that disease. There simply is none, my dearest pupil.” Twilight felt a wing brush her cheek, wiping away a tear that had been falling down her face. “Believe me, my dear, if I could somehow remove death from this world, I would have. I wish more than anything that the ponies of Equestria shouldn’t have to suffer such a tragic event, but even a goddess’s power has limits. I’m sorry, Twilight Sparkle.”

Twilight hung her head, letting a few more tears fall to the floor. “I suppose you’re right, Princess. It’s just that-” A loud flapping noise filled her ears as her teacher wrapped her in wings as white as snow. Twilight nuzzled into the sun goddess’s white body, sobbing uncontrollably. The white coat darkened as her tears of helplessness stained it.

Celestia murmured words of comfort to her, the sound of her musical voice filling the room. “I know it hurts Twilight, believe me I do. I have had many ponies that were dear to me pass away, and I will endure many more.” Twilight let out a muffled sob, her tears falling onto the coat of her mentor as they slid down her face. “Hush, my dearest Twilight. It will be all right.” The princess started humming softly, a quiet tune that seemed to permeate Twilight’s body and wash away part of the pain. They sat like that, Celestia’s wings wrapped around Twilight in a calming embrace, for what seemed like hours.

Twilight finally stepped away from the princess, taking deep breaths and looking around the room once again before returning her gaze to Celestia. “Thank you, I needed a hug.” She smiled at her teacher, who returned the smile with a hint of sadness. “But that isn’t the reason I came to speak with you.” She stood and walked over to the fireplace, looking deeply into the crackling flames before turning back to the Princess of the Sun. “I came here to bring you a letter.” She cleared her throat and began in a loud, clear voice.

”Dear Princess Celestia,

“I know how you told me that there was nothing that could be done for Shining Armor, and I know now that you are correct. I learned today as well as that fateful day that I traveled back to, that nopony can stop death. It is a thing in all creatures’ lives that is simply uncaring, unyielding, and unstoppable. However, I also learned that no matter what, the ponies who you care for will always be with you, if only in your heart.

“You see, I went back into the Canterlot library after I had spoken with Princess Luna, more specifically to the Starswirl the Bearded section. It was there that I researched the time spells, looking deep into the vast volumes of text to find a spell that would allow me to travel far enough into the past for a long enough duration of time. After hours of searching, I had found such a spell. Wasting no time, I cast it upon myself and soon found myself in the depths of the past, lying on the library floor. I had looked out of the window and realized that the sun was already nearing the position it had been in when Shining had died.

“I had galloped as fast as I possibly could towards the battlement where he would be, pushing aside anypony or anything that was in my way. I mean, didn’t they know a mare-on-a-mission when they saw one? I saw him look down at the past Twilight, isn’t that strange to think of yourself in a third-pony perspective, waving a hoof like he had for me that day. I had felt my legs pump faster as I raced against that cruel thing we call time. I saw the arrow take off from the assassin’s crossbow, watched as it glimmered in the sun, seemingly slowing down as it flew. I s-sent a bolt of magic, I’m not sure what kind of spell, to destroy the arrow but…but…”

Her voice cracked and died for the second time that night as more tears began to mist her vision. She felt a hoof touch her shoulder, but the princess was still sitting where she had been when Twilight had started. She looked up into the smiling face of her brother. “It’s all right Twilie, I’m still here with you. You can do it.”

“Thanks, BBBFF.” She looked back at her mentor, who gave no indication as to whether she knew Shining was there. Twilight brushed away the tears with a hoof, clearing her throat and continuing in the same tone as before.

”The bolt of magic failed to destroy the arrow, passing straight through it with no effect.” Shining’s voice intermingled with hers, his words providing a rumbling undertone to her own. ”And it went straight through…” Her voice faltered as she looked at Shining Armor’s chest where the wound had been, but sighed with a small kind of relief when she saw it wasn’t there. She looked back to Celestia, who was eyeing her with rapt attentiveness, before pressing on with her letter. ”my brother’s heart just like it had on that other day. I watched again as he fell from the wall and into my past self’s hooves. Even as I stood there shocked, I knew why it had happened. It was then that the spell wore off, and I found myself back in the present-day canterlot library, surrounded by those…saddening… Books of Time.

“I know now that what I did was futile. Death is final, never letting go of a pony it has claimed. I should have known that it wouldn’t work, but I was…trapped…in a grief-induced trance. I’m not happy to have lost my brother,” She looked over at the former captain of the guard, smiling a little as he looked back at her with tears in his eyes, his form shimmering in the light of the rising sun. ”But I’m happy to know that he will always be with me in my heart.

“Your forever faithful student, until death, Twilight Sparkle.”

She nuzzled the place in the air where her brother had been, yearning to see him but knowing that he wouldn’t be returning to her world. “I love you so much, BBBFF.”

A small wind blew over her face, brushing away her tears with its light touch. It enveloped her body in a cool embrace, dancing between her hooves and tousling her hair lightly. “I love you too, Twilie.”

Epilogue: Paper Cuts

Epilogue: Paper Cuts

Celestia stood amongst the tomes of magic that her past student had created, working through his entire life forging his thoughts into spells and books that could be used by future generations. The smells of dust and old paper assaulted her nose as she examined the shelves in which these ancient spells were held between the hard covers of books. Her horn was the only source of light, as candles would not be trusted this far back in the library, where only the rarest of books were kept. She grasped one of the ancient archives and pulled it from its resting place, setting it on a table and producing another cloud of dust. Casting a simple wind spell, she blew away the troublesome particles.

Journeys Into the Past the title of the book had read in dully shining gold letters. She knew who had written it, but her eyes still drifted over the author’s name; Written By: Starswirl the Bearded. She smiled at the memories of her old student; his eagerness to excel and succeed had made him take leaps and bounds into realms of unknown magic. Even though he had died a strong stallion, she could still remember the little colt that had bounced around excitedly during their first lesson in levitation. He had only been about twenty years of age when he had written this particular journal. She slowly opened the heavy cover with a magic touch, taking great care not to wound the old paper.

Today I discovered a new form of teleportation. I had always wondered about time travel, if it were actually possible to achieve, and today I think I have created a way to do it. Her student’s voice came to the front of her mind, resurfacing and repeating the words on the page. She smiled as she heard it again, a small hint of sadness touching her immortal features as she read further down the entry. I can finally go back and save her. I can finally save my mother! She remembered that day he had disappeared, as if he had been wiped from existence for a few hours. She remembered the tears that had flown down her face as she mourned him, only to become tears of joy when she saw he was unharmed, if a little depressed. She had only thought at the time that it had been caused by his spell backfiring, but she learned a few years later about what had really happened.

Holding back the tears that came from the memory, she turned the page. The writing had become scratchy and disoriented, nothing like the previous’ elegant script. She had to stare for a few seconds before being able to decipher the words, and in some places having to cast a restoration spell where the ink had run with what looked like tears. I couldn’t save her. I was there, I had the chance. Nothing I did could stop it, could affect that world. The voice suppressed an anguished sob before continuing. I watched her die again, the blood splashing everywhere like it had, despite my best efforts to stop it. It was as if I were nothing more than a specter, observing the world but unable to touch it. The spell wasn’t a success, this time. I must keep working, there must be a way!

Her eyes traced the ink as it continued its path down the page, getting more erratic in the way it spelled out the words of her pained student before losing all coherency. She turned the page again, barely able to read through her tears. Princess Luna helped me with my spell today. I've gained more power than I could have ever imagined, I'll be preparing the spell again, this time I will not fail. I will bring her back, even if it kills me. The passage ended, the parchment had holes punched through where Starswirl had pressed too hard in his frantic excitement.

She didn't need to turn the page to know that the next entry was blank. He had been foalish, using all of that power at once without aid. All of it was in vain, Starswirl had died there, exhausted of his magic, and his mother was still just a piece of the past. A drop of water fell onto the page, soaking into the words inked in long ago. She closed the journal, sending up another wave of dust as she levitated it back to where it had belonged.

She turned away from the books, slowly walking the middle of the room and looking out towards the daytime sun. She was the Regent of the Day, the Goddess of the Sun, and the Catalyst of Creation. Yet I couldn't save him, nor his mother.. She watched as a pair of birds, blue and pink respectively, flew over the garden and onto the windowsill. She smiled at them as they twittered up to her. She lit her horn, causing the birds to fly away in fright and letting the golden light of her magic illuminate the dusty room. She turned around and touched her horn to the book she had pulled from the shelf, sending a flare of golden light into its spine, before walking out of the room.

Behind her, the library, along with the painful memories and false hopes it contained, roared with golden fire.

Paper cuts can hurt worse than an actual wound, much like false hopes can hurt more than the actual event. However, paper cuts heal, but the wounds that crushed hopes leave can almost never do so.

~Princess Celestia