A knocking is heard on the door. “Rarity. Rarity. I have a surprise for you!” Twilight opened the door.
“I know you will love this it is like…” Twilight stopped speaking. Her voice lowered in volume “Rarity?”
The house was dark as Twilight entered the boutique. Her steps echoed like her voice. “Rarity?”
Twilight's enthusiasm dropt. A feeling described as a heavy metal ball twisting in Twilight’s stomach, which causes to make her feel noxious. The red chair where Rarity relaxed came in eye sight of Twilight
“Are… you okay?”
When Twilight got closer she noticed. Twilight fell down with her hooves before her muzzle. She hurried to the front door, this time she slammed it open.
“A MEDIC! I NEED A MEDIC!” she yelled. The ponies walking outside that afternoon stepped in and helped Twilight.
A doctor observed Rarity and nodded like he confirmed his diagnosis. “I am sorry princess.” He said. “Rarity passed away… And I assume of old age.”
Tears welled up in her eyes. Not Rarity too. Twilight thought. She knew that an alicorn had a long lifespan but Rarity was the last of her friends she visited. Twilight sniffled. She tried to thank the doctor without letting him know that her voice cracked.
She couldn’t and ran out of the boutique. She wanted to go to her castle but decided to head to the castle of the two sisters in the Everfree forest instead.
Hours have passed. Twilight. Alone in a dark part of the library in the castle laid on the ground sobbing... Crying her heart out. She was all alone.
“Twilight…” She heard a voice coming closer to her. Celestia, she had a troubled look on her face. She felt the pain Twilight endured.
“Leave me alone.” Twilight hissed.
Celestia stopped moving. “She was the last one. Yes?” Celestia spoke with a sincere voice.
Twilight did not react on her words only her heart-breaking cries of agony echoed through the castle.
Celestia knew that she could not reach Twilight at this moment. Her pain was too fresh and decided to leave her alone.
Before she left, she let an envelope fly towards Twilight with her gold shining magic.
Celestia turned around and left the castle. Her heart also aching, she could not endure seeing Twilight like this.
A week has passed. Twilight and Spike were moving towards the funeral.
Everypony that knew Rarity was there. Her boutique was quite famous even now, Twilight realised.
This whole week was a rollercoaster of emotions.
Spike did what he could to help her but the denial, anger and even trying to bargain with the use of spells for reviving her friends took a toll on him…
Even though Spike grew up, this was draining him of energy, making him tired. Twilight lost hope, faith and love. Depression… that is the word.
“Sister she is not looking very well.” Luna said to Celestia.
Celestia looked down to the memorial pedestal where Rarity and the rest of her friends laid. They earned their place on the royal cemetery, as the elements of harmony.
Celestia looked up and focussed her eyes on the plainness face of Twilight. Rain started to fall from the clouds. But Twilight just stood there. Letting the rain fall on her purple coat.
The priest tried to make contact with her so she could speak a few words to honour her friend. But there was no response.
After the ceremony Twilight stared blank at the names written on the five pedestals. Fluttershy, Pinkie Pie, Rainbow Dash, Applejack and Rarity.
“Twilight… I am worried about you.” A warm voice came from behind her.
“What does it matter. Nothing matters.” Twilight responded.
Celestia drew closer and approached her. She touched Twilight with her hoof but a bitter cold stare gazed from the ground towards Celestia. “Friendship was it?” These words of Twilight pierced Celestia in her mind and shocked her for a moment.
“Did you read the letter?” Celestia asked.
“Meh.” Twilight replied and walked away back to her castle.
As Twilight entered the throne room she noticed the envelope Celestia gave her Containing the final words of Rarity if she did not could speak to Twilight in time. She opened the envelope and started to read the letter.
Dear Twilight,
When you read this, I could not speak with you in time. I wanted to thank you for the fabulous time we had together. It is sad that we could not be friends in eternity. That would be divine….
...
Twilight stopped reading. “Wait that’s it!” She slammed her hoof on the ground. “We can be friends for eternity.” She said.
Spike heard the sudden commotion in the throne room. “What are you doing?” He said.
Twilight turned around smiling a wide grin at Spike. “Spike… I am… okay now…” She said.
“That is good to hear.” Spike looked cheerful at Twilight.
Twilight walked towards him. “The Smiths Pony is he still here in Ponyville?”
“I guess so. I saw him yesterday. Gathering materials for blacksmithing equipment.” Spike replied stroking his chin with his claw.
“Great. You deserve a vacation. You have been helping me a lot lately.” Twilight continued almost hyperventilating.
“Thanks, Sparkles I could use a vacation.” He replied and stretched his wings to gather luggage for a trip. Some time has passed and Spike left the castle.
“Now for my plan to be set in motion.” Twilight whispered to herself Purple/red magic radiating from her horn.
Sweetie belle, Apple bloom and Scootaloo also matured decided to meet up at the memorial pedestals of Fluttershy, Pinkie Pie, Rainbow Dash, Applejack and Rarity. When they arrived they noticed that something was not right. Five empty holes were the friends used to lay.
They looked at each other motionless, not knowing what to do.
Sweetie belle muttered “What do we do?”
Scootaloo took up in the sky to see if she could find the culprit. “There is no one I can see. Do we need to tell Twilight?”
Apple bloom pondered. “No, she has a lot to deal with right now. Maybe we can ask Celestia or Luna to provide some aid?”
The three girls nodded and hurried to a messenger to tell the sisters what they saw.
A few days and nights have passed Luna entered Celestia’s room. “Sister. I have troubling news. I think that I just saw where the bodies of Fluttershy, Pinkie Pie, Rainbow Dash, Applejack and Rarity are taken.”
Celestia looked up and rubbed her eyes.” What do you mean?”
“I saw a dream of Twilight Sparkle. She is using the elements for something. I think we need to check it out.”
Celestia gracefully jumped from her bed. “We should go immediately.”
The door of Twilight’s castle opened with a squeaking noise. Dust covered the halls of the castle and an eerie silence.
“I don’t like this sister.” Luna looks frantically around.
Suddenly the noise of metal clashing on the stone floor is echoing through the castle followed by a sound of frustration.
“It came from that direction.” Celestia said. The sisters moved as fast they could to a door that was leading to a large room.
“Twilight?” Celestia said with a cautious questioning voice.
Suddenly lights were turned on and a stage was visible. On that stage Fluttershy, Pinky Pie, Applejack, Rainbow dash and Rarity were standing. The lights shining from their eyes was like the colour of the elements the represented.
“Do you like it.” The voice of Twilight is heard from behind the two sisters.
“What have you done?!” Celestia shouted angrily.
Twilight snorted. “I am the princess of Friendship. What am I without friends?” Her voice was twisting. “Even Rarity wrote that she would stay with me forever.”
“This is not right. These are soulless automatons. Your friends are still…”
But Twilight interrupted Celestia “STOP!”
The sisters noticed the twitching eye of Twilight.
“We should never have left her.” Luna whispered to Celestia. “I felt something was off in her dreams.”
“You are right sister. We need to remind her what friendship is.” Celestia replied. She looked at the motionless Ponymatronics on the stage.
When she looked closer a black stream of oil was dripping from the eye sockets of the five. “Are they... crying?” She whispered to herself.
A bolt of purple/red magic launched towards them making them move frantically. The movement was not like a normal pony this was just terrifying and ugly, sounds of cogs and gears shifting and moving echoed through the room. Just as every step they took which sounded like a heavy metallic object that is dropt on the floor. The five unable to think on their own where closing in. The glowing iris pairs of the five where focussed at Celestia and Luna. Pink, red, orange, blue and purple.
Twilight laughed with a high-pitched sound.
Luna teleported herself to her and slapped her like a mother would do to a bad behaving child. “Stop this nonsense!” Luna shouted with her Canterlot voice.
Twilight remained silence.
As reality hits her and she came to her senses. Luna and Celestia looked at her. “Do you really think that your friends. Fluttershy, Pinky Pie, Ranbow Dash, Applejack and Rarity would like to live like this?” Celestia said with a stern look on her face.
Twilight looked at the abominations she created. They looked like her friends, but the metal skeleton inside in combination with the coating made them look like metal zombies. As she looked closer it was like they were crying tears of oil.
Again Twilights eyes began to well up with tears. As quick as she activated them Twilight deactivated the monstrosities. Releasing them from their pain. As she did she dropped herself on the ground crying, weeping heavy tears. It affected Luna and Celestia as well.
“Come with me Twilight.” Celestia said. “Luna will take care of Spike.”
Celestia picked the elements of harmony from within the metallic housing. “Luna. Would you do me a favour and can you make sure the girls will get back were they belong?”
Luna nodded and took off.
“Dear Twilight. I have to admit your element of love just like Cadence’s. They are powerful but it can have a great consequence on the heart and mind if you lose your loved ones. Luna is like a mother she knows that she has to let go of her children. And me. Well I look upon everypony, unconditional love taught me the art of letting go.” She looked in the watery eyes of Twilight.
“Twilight it is time for you to let go. It hurts but, this pain shows that you truly loved them.”
Twilight, double breathing at the moment tried to say something but no words came from her mouth. Celestia walked closer and embraced Twilight in her soft white wings.
A few days have passed since the incident. These passed few days Twilight roamed the castle of Celestia and Luna, pondering on how she could move on now all her friends have passed away. She stood still in the long hallway staring blank at the stained-glass window that her and her friends represented.
“Twilight. There is someone here to see you.” Celestia said. She walked gracefully towards Twilight. The sun shines with her golden rays through stained-glass colouring the hallway.
From behind Celestia, Cadence approaches Twilight as well. She raised an eyebrow. “I heard what you did Twilight.” She said with a stern look on her face.
“I know how you feel. I had the same issue when Shining Armor passed away.” Her face turned dark.
But as her behaviour switched to dark her ears pointed up and a kind smile appeared on her face. “I know. Although he was your brother... You know what I mean.” She said and produced a difficult smile.
Twilight looked. “One of those miserable days.” Twilight reacted. “The fourth in the row of seven losses.” Her voice was vibrating almost breaking again.
Celestia and Cadence made eye contact and nodded at the same time.
“I leave you two alone.” Celestia said. She turned around and moved towards the throne room.
“Talk to me Twilight.” Cadence moved closer to Twilight and sat down next to hear. Embracing her with her right wing.
“You know what happened these years. Queen Chrysalis…” Twilight muttered. Twilight looked at the window. Which as well symbolised the last victory when they defeated Chrysalis.
“Still… I don’t know where Starlight Glimmer is sent to…” Twilight continued.
A soft sunset breeze blows through the hallway. As the princesses sat there… in silence.
Approximately hundred years ago Chrysalis took her revenge on the ponies. She used DNA of Pinkie Pie, Applejack, Rarity, Rainbow Dash, Fluttershy, Starlight Glimmer and Twilight Sparkle in combination with artefacts to create duplicates of them.
However, the transmutation was a flop and the clones fell apart from degeneration. With her final desperate attack, she planned to fume Equestria with Toxins. These toxins were also highly explosive. But Starlight Glimmer used the transmutation circle with a little change in its design and stopped this action with a major price tag. The same price tag Chrysalis had… they disappeared to where the spell came from.
In the throne room the time for the night draws near. Celestia and Luna are changing the charge from day to night. Celestia is already busy to set the sun as Luna enters the throne room.
“Luna. I never had the chance to ask. But what did you do with the animatronics?” Celestia asks with a concerned look on her face.
“Well sister, I brought them where no pony can go.” Luna replied. “Tantabus is taking care of it.”
Celestia nods. “Somewhere were even time can’t reach.” With these words Celestia and Luna exchange the day for the night.
“You see Twilight. It is better to feel love and lose it than never feel anything.” Cadence said confident.
“I know Cadence. Celestia told me this over and over again.” Twilight replied. Letting her ears and her head hang towards the red-carpet floor.
“Maybe it is time to look for the new elements of harmony?” Cadence knew that this kind of research would distract her in sort of a way.
Twilights ears pointed up. “I guess you are right. I know a few potential ponies that classify for the task.” Her voice sounded a little less depressing now.
“That’s the spirit Twilight. Let’s have a walk outside.”
“Ow and Twilight. You are doing great.” Cadence winked at Twilight when she said the last part.
“Wait is that.” Twilight stopped walking and looked in a storage room. “The mirror?”
“Yeah we decided to storage it here in Canterlot. For safekeeping.” Cadence replied smiling.
“I wonder if it still works?” Slowly Twilight walked towards the mirror.
“You should leave it alone. No one used it quite a while.” Cadence used a wing to stop Twilight for approaching the mirror.
Twilight still curious stares at the mirror. If I am correct it is 1224 moons ago since I used the mirror without the device. On this night it should be possible to use it again without the help of the machine. A sneak peak did not hurt anyone. She thought.
“I am tiered.” Twilight pretended to yawn. “I think I am going to bed.”
Cadence agreed with a nod. “Sleep well Twilight. Think on what we talked about.”
Twilight nodded.
Later that night Twilight sneaked towards the mirror. Her eyes Sparkle the more with every step she took towards the mirror. With a leap she jumped through.
It worked. The vortex of light carries Twilight to that other dimension. Where she last visited a long time ago.
This feeling never changes. She thought, her eyes adjusting to the scenery of the human realm. As she looks around her she noticed that the scenery did change. The atmosphere was tense and apocalyptic. It felt like something horrible had happened or will happen.
Canterlot high… What happened? She thought her ears dropped down on her head. The school was transformed into rubble. After adjusting herself she picked up a pamphlet which glided on the wind and stopped when it made contact with her leg.
Twilight picked it up. President Sombra Trump. She read. Twilight chuckled a little bit when she saw the picture on the pamphlet. Someone used a red marker to draw funny things on the photo to mock the president. Hundred years did not suit this world well.
“Twilight? Is that you?” A voice is heard behind her. Twilight turned around.
“Sunset? Is that you?” Twilight rubbed her eyes clumsy with her human hands. Her eyes widened. “Sunset!” Cheerful she ran towards her.
“Use two legs Twilight. We don’t run like this.” Sunset laughed. Her appearance now looks like an elderly human. The combination in which that time passes differently in combination that she is a unicorn made her to break the record of the most elderly woman alive.
“A lot of things happened since that time… I could not reach you.” Sunset’s smile faded into a frown.
“A lot of things happened in Equestria as well.” Twilight replied.
“I see that you did not change much.” Sunset smiled again. “Is it because you are an Alicorn?”
Twilight nodded, distracted she still looked confused around her.
“A long time ago the world turned into a shadow. I blamed the sirens for it. But then out of no where the system of this world voted Sombra Trump as president… I want to go back Twilight… But…” Sunset said, her voice was breaking and glared at the statue.
“How is it back there?” Sunset asks, pointing her walking cane to it while adjusting her balance.
Twilight sighed. “Not much better. I did awful things.”
“The Twilight of this realm had a theory about that with dimensional leaping you can travel back in time.” Sunset grinned.
That look on the face of Sunset reminded Twilight from all those years back. “I did it once when I got stuck in a loop thanks to Starlight Glimmer. So, I…”
But Sunset interrupted her. “It is just a theory. She got never the chance to actual do it.”
“I saw myself… I mean her once. What happened with everyone here.” Twilight asked.
“Applejack stayed to work at her family’s farm and modified it, Pinkie Pie became an actress, Fluttershy was a Wildlife manager, Twilight was head of the research facility for the government, Rainbow Dash became a teacher and Rarity did a lot of fashion. However, as time goes by so were they.” Sunset replied while looking at the sky, caught in her memories.
Twilight walked closer to Sunset and hugged her. “I am so glad we met again.”
A car slowly drove by. “Shall we inform the president?”
“SHE. Has returned…”