Starlight Wakes Up

Starlight Glimmer was feeling quite relaxed that evening as she sat at the royal dinner table, facing her mentor. It was cold and dark inside the crystal castle, with only a few lit torches to warm up the air around them. She enjoyed moments like this, as it helped her calm down after her daily adventures outside. Her other friends, the five members of the Mane Six, would often leave the castle to sleep with their families or simply go back to their homes, leaving her, Twilight and her assistant dragon, Spike, alone in the silent castle at night.

"You know, Starlight," Twilight began, breaking the silence gently, "I used to live in the Ponyville Library before this castle was here." Using magic, she stirred her mug of tea nervously before continuing. "I used to run it, actually. It's funny, things were so different back then."

Starlight looked up from her warm mug, curious about the subject. "Really? What happened to it?" She rested her elbow on the table, wanting to hear more.

Twilight shifted in her chair, her memories causing her to frown. "Well, we had a battle against Tirek. When he went mad with power, he burnt down the library. It was a tree, so it was very flammable. Well, burnt down isn't the right word, he actually made it explode with a powerful beam. I barely just teleported myself from the blast."

Starlight was amazed and horrified, "Wow, that's horrible, but it sounds pretty epic, if you don't mind me saying." She took a sip of tea using her magic, leaning back into the shiny, crystal chair. "Do you miss your old home?"

The question made Twilight sigh. "I suppose I do, but I guess we just have to carry on, you know?" Twilight looked from her seat, up at the crystal decorations and expensive chandeliers with candles lit on them, reflecting a warm yellow light around the otherwise dark blue and purple dining room walls, making her feel a little regretful. "I did like the old, natural warm feel of the Golden Oak Library, though... We did salvage the library's roots."

"So THAT'S what that wooden thing stuck to the roof was," Starlight interrupted, rubbing her chin inquisitively.

"Hey!" Twilight snapped back, extremely offended, "It's not just some 'wooden thing!' That 'thing' was my home, and-!"

Starlight interrupted her. "Hey, hey, I didn't mean it like that, Twilight. You know I'm not the best with nice..." She turned her hoof around in the air to emphasize, "nicey nice words. I'm sure it was an amazing home for you. Sorry." Twilight held her breath, and nodded, exhaling again to release her annoyance.

"That's okay, Starlight, it's just... that tree meant a lot to me, and it still does. Of course, I don't let that get in the way of me making new memories here. My friends helped me learn that." Twilight looked up at the ceiling. Starlight followed her gaze, looking up at the beautifully constructed windows that represented some of Twilight's friends. They seemed to glitter gently in the moonlight, with white foggy light reflecting around the dining room. Starlight felt like she was entering a trance. The crystal fractal patterns that seemed to loom around the room, rotating into infinity, an endless cycle of...

Twilight's voice suddenly broke Starlight out of her trance. "Let me ask you something, Starlight." Starlight slowly looked down. Everything began to appear blurry for some reason, only barely making out Twilight's purple figure sitting across the table.

"Do you miss... your old home?" Twilight's voice called from across the blurry table. The blurring got worse, as the table appeared to melt into the crystal floor beneath it.

Starlight covered her eyes, trying to re-adjust her vision, to no avail. "T-Twilight? What do you mean? Twilight, what's happening?" Starlight kept rubbing her eyes in pain, trying to clear her blurry vision, but it only got worse. "Twilight!" She kept blinking, trying to make out what was in front of her. She couldn't understand why her vision was fading like this, was it tears, was it a spell?

The purple shade that was once her mentor began to twist and melt in front of her, morphing into a dark-blue blurry shadow that stretched and contorted in front of her. It appeared to be coming closer, with a growing, gaping black blur that looked like a mouth. Behind it, the walls appeared to be falling, crushing everything around Starlight. Starlight was horrified, and tried to scream for help, but nothing came out. She felt like she was underwater, as the horrifying dark-blue blur came closer and closer. It's dark face appeared to morph into a blurry silhouette of Twilight Sparkle's face, hinting a very greyed tint of purple in the dark-blue mist. Starlight fell on her back as she tried to back away from the monster, but felt as if her four hooves were tied and locked in position, the crystal chair melting under her and trapping her in it's molten mist. Multiple voices, in twisted pitches that resembled what once was her mentor Twilight Sparkle, began chattering and echoing around the melting room in a loud, powerful voice.

"Heed to my warning, Starlight Glimmer, as your crimes may be plenty! This is your chance to abandon your path, so that your life will be simple, and healthy!... Awake, Starlight Glimmer! Awake!"

The voice grew louder and louder, grinding in Starlight's ears. She couldn't cry, she couldn't scream, she couldn't do anything but be devoured by the growing darkness that filled the swirling room. In that final moment, her vision suddenly became extremely clear and sharp for a split second, more clear than she could ever see. Something horrifying, that resembled her mentor, covering her field of view, who appeared to be crying, or screaming, her purple fur with unhealthy patches of grey stretched along her skin, holding Starlight firmly with her hooves, with a dead melted look in her eyes up-close. It screamed, "CHANGE!" loudly at Starlight.

After that, Starlight could see nothing, and began to choke.