The ̶M̶a̶r̶e̶ ̶T̶h̶a̶t̶ ̶T̶i̶m̶e̶ ̶F̶o̶r̶g̶o̶t̶ End

by The Nameless Horror

Chapters

The Mare That Time Forgot
Excerpt from “Tragedy, Time, and Twilight” by Split Second, Ph.D., (Baltimare: Axis Press, 1007), p. 16-21
C.R.P.S. Report of Investigation, Incident Number 000086143, Time of Completion: 06-11-1003
Excerpt from “Tragedy, Time, and Twilight” by Split Second, Ph.D., (Baltimare: Axis Press, 1007), p. 221-246
The Manehatten Times Front Page, Volume LVII, Issue 283 (Addenda Included)
Excerpt from “Tragedy, Time, and Twilight” by Split Second, Ph.D., (Baltimare: Axis Press, 1007), p. 53-76
Radio Transcript of "An Interview with Rarity," Broadcast Date: 01-03-100█, Broadcast Frequency: 97.3 MHz (FM)
Compiled Psych Report, Manehatten Institute of Science, Dr. ████████, M.D., Date: 01-27-1007
Excerpt from “Tragedy, Time, and Twilight” by Split Second, Ph.D., (Baltimare: Axis Press, 1007), p.
Excerpt from “Tragedy, Time, and Twilight” by Split Second, Ph.D., (Baltimare: Axis Press, 1007), p. 548-9999
A Final Note
The End?
Acknowledgements
Autopsy Report, Case No. 21717-1003, Examination Date: 07-10-1003
Excerpt from “Tragedy, Time, and Twilight” by Split Second, Ph.D., (Baltimare: Axis Press, 1007), p. 316-345
Recovered Correspondence From Princess Luna (Receivers Unknown) (Dates Unknown)

The Mare That Time Forgot

The sun had stopped rising on a new day.

The birds were not singing.

The wind was not rustling through the grass, causing the morning dew to fall.

Not a single soul was breathing, or even moving, for that matter.

Except for just one…

...and so, it begins.

Start the clock.

<><><><><><><>

ELAPSEDTIME: 0 HOURS, 0 MINUTES, 0 SECONDS.

Twilight’s eyes at first failed to open. She felt an internal struggle for her immediate fate at hand. Eventually, her pro-activeness prevailed and she lofted herself out of bed. Stretching and yawning, she slowly pulled her eyes open. A longing desire to remain in bed stayed with her for a few fleeting moments, but she had such a busy day ahead of her, much like any other. She motioned toward her window, and froze for just a moment as her hooves touched the floor. Opening the blinds, Twilight failed to notice the impossible spectacle that had overtaken her front lawn. She calmly gazed over to the clock, still displaying the early morning with its hands. Reaching with her magic, she pulled it close to her ear, listening quietly.

Silence was her answer.

She quickly made a mental note to make a physical note to purchase a new alarm clock for her bedside, as evidently, her current one of several months had broken. She turned toward the stairs, and tossed it behind her onto her bed. Spike, completely silent and unmoving, caught her eye, and she softly chuckled to herself.

Oh Spike, you love your sleep almost as much as you love your gems! She innocently thought as she slowly paced herself down the steps, two at a Time, careful not to wake her assistant. She casually glanced at each bookshelf, searching for something new, as she made her way to the foyer.

What she failed to notice, however, was the clock. As if by some act of rebellion against its owner, it simply stayed in the air. Floating above the floor, exactly at the last moment Twilight had touched it; several feet above, and in front of, its intended target.

As she gradually made her way through her humble abode, she gave a cursory thought towards the day’s events, both planned and unforeseen. Maybe she and her friends would perform and amazing act of friendship, or if a new villain, bent on destroying the fundamentals of peace and love, would rear their ugly head. This would, evidently, force Twilight and her friends to perform and amazing act of friendship regardless. It didn’t quite matter to her, as she treasured every moment she had with her friends. Almost as if each one were its last.

That’s when it became unignorable. Twilight was surprised she hadn’t noticed it sooner. The ambiance; atmosphere, rather, the lack thereof. No hustle and bustle was audible from the outside, not a single snore or sigh from Spike, not a single stair creaked beneath her hooves. Absolutely nothing.

Silence. Not as if nothing was making noise, but as if nothing could make noise. As if each and every single thing in the universe had been muted, for good.

Twilight brushed the idea out of her head in the same instant it had entered. It was silly, downright childish even. A logical conclusion could be drawn from the abundance of information available to her, she was just letting her imagination get to her. A little bit of fresh air was all she needed, that was all.

And yet, the slight sense of dread refused to evacuate her mind, and Twilight found herself slowly accelerating to the door, approaching a full gallop almost all at onc—

SLAM!

Twilight had bumped into a small side table in her dramatic rush to vacate. It was almost cathartic to hear something, amid the deafening silence surrounding her. Even as the pain began to grow over her foreleg, a small part of her was relieved.

She mentally berated herself for acting so carelessly; honestly, so quick to jump to the most terrifying conclusions. She rubbed the sore part of her leg with a free hoof, and turned toward the table, and was about to use her magic to pick the table off the ground.

However, the table was not on the ground at all. Nor was it erect, being the other possibility. Instead, the table had remained at the precise angle at which she had shifted it with her contact. Balancing on just a single leg, the several knick-knacks on top unflinching, as if glued to the top. A performance of such an egregious disregard for the laws of physics that Twilight sat perfectly still, in shock for several seconds before moving to examine its perversion of common logic closer.

“What in Celestia’s name…?” she queried. She slowly lifted up a hoof, an pushed the table the opposite direction, hoping its innate balance would seem to fail, and tumble to the floor. It moved exactly as far as Twilight’s sudden impulse displaced it, then returned to its stillness, frozen as it was moments before.

She grabbed a small potted cactus from the table, a gift from Celestia when she had visited the Marejave Desert. Releasing all care for the little souvenir, she lifted it high above the table, over her hardwood flooring, and released it from her front hooves.

She didn’t know what to expect, but she definitely wasn’t expecting the plant to remain stuck above the floor, exactly where she had released it. Despite the circumstances, this outcome was beyond her thought process.

Then sat down, and pondered. Some cruel joke? A prank? Am I still dreaming? What exactly am I looking at? As she remained there, only for a few seconds, a thought equally as disturbing as the picture in front of her manifested.

What if it’s not just the table?!

She immediately, and at full speed, turned and darted toward the stairs, She practically tripped climbing them up to her room. Within inches of banging her head on the clock previously thrown, she turned toward Spike.

“Spike?” she asked. No response.

“Spike?!” she moved over, her voice raising. “Spike! Wake Up! Something weird is going on! Are you okay?!” she shook him, not a single acknowledgment came from his body. “Spike?! SPIKE?!” she ran her hoof along his arm and neck, struggling to find a pulse, and then found exactly what everything else had given her.

Silence.

<><><><><><><>

ELAPSEDTIME: 0 HOURS, 27 MINUTES, 32 SECONDS.

Almost immediately, panic had set in. Twilight’s brain flooded with adrenaline as she began to piece together everything around her. She had been still, sobbing for a half-hour, desperately attempting to wake her closest friend. Her mind had spent most of the Time looking for answers where there were none, and eventually she fell to the floor, almost catatonic. Spike was as still as the room, not a single sing of life.

No. No. No No No. It can’t be true. Twilight thought to herself. This isn’t normal. There’s something else at play here. Something else…

It was the same something that prevented the table and the clock from falling. A force, or something similar. Gravity, inertia, the entire book on Classical Mechanics had seemed to have been thrown out the window, taking reason with it. She seemed unaffected, whatever that was worth, but this did little to aid her situation.

In the back of her mind, amid all the shock, a little voice warned her that she needed to move. She had to find out what was going on, and get help. Twilight managed a whimper before remaining still. Her mind was still stuck in a loop of grappling with Spike’s apparent death, and denying it.

However, soon after, she managed to pick herself up, began moving toward the exit. If she could get her neighbors or even Derpy to help...

Then it clicked in her head, and her pace immediately increased to a full gallop. She raced through her foyer, and almost tore the hinges off her front door getting outside. The image that greeted her was oddly compelling, and completely quashed Twilight’s fear in an instant, despite what it actually was. Derpy, at some point during the, now evident late morning, was in the middle of a mail run when she had accidentally crossed paths with another pegasus. Twilight couldn’t remember the name, but was delighted to see her stuck mid-air, screaming with a look of half anger/half terror.

This led her to logically deduce that, due to the similar loss of kinetic forces and total stoppage of all momentum, the situation in front of her and the one inside had the same root cause. If this was true, then Spike couldn’t be dead, since Derpy and the other pegasus were still very much alive, if not simply frozen.

Just to be sure, Twilight calmly pulled a book from a shelf, and levitated it toward Derpy. She then slapped her across the face with it, and immediately let go. The book remained in contact with Derpy’s snout, now awkwardly skewed to the left. Identical to the table, the clock, and the cactus.

Twilight laughed almost manically now, and jumped for joy at this revelation. This wasn’t a simple as she thought, and was instead much bigger, almost as if the entire town were under…

A Spell.

Twilight abruptly stopped her celebration. The likelihood of this possibility was too high for a coincidence. Somepony must have done this, there was no other clear explanation. Somepony with an axe to grind. As a result, this meant there most likely was a way to reverse its effects.

She could still move objects, that much was clear.

She had access to her books and her basement, the entire town, incidentally.

What she lacked, however, was help. This served more as a motivator than as an inhibitor.

<><><><><><><>

ELAPSEDTIME: 9 HOURS, 18 MINUTES, 23 SECONDS.

Hours spent pouring over her entire library, methodically searching every crumb of data in her vast catalog, had led to a near nothing to show for it. Book after book, page after page, more and more information until it at last collapsed like a house of cards.

Twilight thanked whatever sick twisted sorcerer did this that she could still eat. Her faucet obviously didn’t work, but she was able to break into her emergency supplies. She could still drink from a well. Starvation and dehydration were not concerning. What was, however, were her quickly expiring answers.

At first, it seemed relatively optimistic, with simple questions having simple answers. Derpy’s work schedule was easy to procure from the post office, and cross referencing this with her route, she narrowed down the actual “freeze” to somewhere between 7:12 and 7:43 AM. This matched her clock’s Time, confirming her original suspicion.

Following this, she conducted a few preliminary tests to feel out for any lasting static energy fields, only to find nothing of the sort. This was either something of so grand a scale Twilight couldn't really find a border, or it was something that lacked a field at all. Either way, this narrowed things down.

Twilight even dug up some old books on Temporal Analysis, using them to finally conclude the exact nature of the spell. No specifics were given, but what was happening to her now made sense. They weren’t simply frozen. It seems Time itself had actually slowed for everyone but herself. This is why Twilight’s movements weren’t causing objects to fall or move. The forces weren’t negated, they had simply been postponed until she resolved this whole mess.

This now presented entirely new problems, however. The book gave no explanation on whether or not this phenomenon had previously occurred, and consequently, how to resolve it from the affected end. Additionally, her potential list of suspects had shrank considerably. The amount of energy to theoretically slow everyone else down, or even simply to speed Twilight up to this degree was astronomical. Only someone with the power on the order of Luna or Celestia would be able to do it, and keep the subject in a this state for a prolonged period.

It couldn’t be Discord either. Aside from the fact that he had just been re-imprisoned, this change was, orderly. Everyone, all at once, halted in the exact same way. They couldn’t run away screaming, or cause more chaos by going insane. They just sat there, statues, unaware of their own condition. No chaos at all. Nothing. So, her few remaining options were a relic that amplified magic to this level, or something she wasn’t familiar with.

She shook herself out of her thoughts, and stood up. She needed a break. Just a quick one, a walk, and then she’d return. No one was going anywhere.

“It just doesn’t make any sense!” she mumbled to herself. She unlocked the door and turned to lock it, then turned again, not bothering.

“Why would someone do this?”

The endless silence afforded her no solution, nor anything additional to work with, aside from an unending amount of Time with which to work.

<><><><><><><>

ELAPSEDTIME: 16 HOURS, 43 MINUTES, 54 SECONDS.

The strain of solitude had truly begun to weigh on Twilight’s mind, and was not by any means lessening on its own. Still, a mare of indomitable fortitude and boundless will had not even shown a crack in her façade at this point. Each moment reminded her why she was doing this, and only redoubled her efforts.

Despite this, Twilight had exhausted every conceivable resource at her disposal. The library’s entire archive had been poured over twice, and not a single drop of additional information could be garnered from books she had already torn through. At this point, Twilight figured that her best efforts were to go about this like any other problem. She needed rest, and to be calm and collected. Go through her daily routine and solve this the same way she would any other puzzle.

She really did need a routine, and tomorrow, she would make one. She moved into her bed, closing the blinds. She almost chuckled to herself, imagining that this is what an “evil-version” of Celestia would have done in an alternate universe. Eternal Morning… sounds like a book title.

She almost thanked the silence that allowed her to retreat to her dreams quickly.

<><><><><><><>

ELAPSEDTIME: 3 DAYS, 1 HOURS, 7 MINUTES, 37 SECONDS.

Twilight had elected she needed a hobby, something to keep her mind off the world around her, keep her focus where it needed be. So, she began a journal.

If I don’t make it out of this, but they do… she morbidly gave herself the answer. …at least they’ll know what happened to me.

It had taken her longer than expected to actually develop a routine. Perhaps she expected this would all be over on its own. Or perhaps she didn’t want to admit this was the life she was now confined to. Either way…

Wake Up. Eat. Study. Eat. Study. Walk. Sleep. Wake Up. Eat. Study. Eat. Study. Walk. Sleep.

This was all it took. Already, Twilight was feeling more like herself. She even noticed and overlooked a footnote in one of her books, and managed to follow the trail of bread crumbs to her reference section.

Closer… closer, yet closer…

She went to sleep that night a little happier, a little more hopeful…

…a little less quickly.

<><><><><><><>

ELAPSEDTIME: 6 DAYS, 4 HOURS, 22 MINUTES, 9 SECONDS.

She couldn't teleport. Somehow, for some reason, her teleportation attempts weren't working correctly. It was a miracle she noticed it now.

She idly attempted to teleport a book over to her while following footnotes and references. Not a thing stirred. She didn't notice for quite a moment, until she realized Didn't I just teleport a book over to me? There was no tome on the desk in front of her. She calmly turned around, the book wasn't on the shelf either.

She scanned the room, almost worried. Then she made contact with the new object on the floor.

She screamed. A mangled, shredded lump of ink and paper now sat in her waste bin.

As she cleaned up the mess, her thoughts became quick and flurried.

How did I not think to teleport to until now?

It's almost second nature to me and if I had at any Time attempted to teleport myself anywhere and oh Celestia I almost thought about teleporting home and if I had no no no no no...

She silenced her thought process. It was luck, really. She thanked whatever power had saved her and ensured the picture of the mass the created stayed imprinted in her head until this was all over.

<><><><><><><>

ELAPSEDTIME: 9 DAYS, 0 HOURS, 4 MINUTES, 7 SECONDS.

Twilight soon found a unintended positive by-product of her predicament. The silence, despite its often dampening nature on the spirit, afforded Twilight the opportunity to read. She randomly pulled an unread tome off her shelves, and sat and read to calm her nerves. Almost instantly, its final page graced Twilight's vision, and she began another.

It wasn't often that Twilight was allowed such a perfect lack of noise. An immaculate silence like this was probably never going to come again, so if she had to be here, perhaps it'd be best if she took whatever advantage she could.

<><><><><><><>

ELAPSEDTIME: 15 DAYS, 13 HOURS, 46 MINUTES, 17 SECONDS.

Wake Up. Eat. Study. Eat. Study. Walk. Sleep. Wake Up. Eat. Study. Eat. Study. Walk. Sleep.

Wake Up. Eat. Study. Eat. Study…

A fortnight. A full fortnight. Heaven help me…

She had explored a little past the town limits, and found everything else just as it was in the town proper. This confirmed what she already believed from the start. It’s just me… I’m the only one free?

Her trail hadn’t gone cold, thank god for that, her reference section had revealed several books that might contain information she was looking for. Unfortunately, these books were low-print order, meaning the only free copies were at her other library.

In Canterlot.

Of Course. Of Course Of Course Of Course Of Course Of Course Of Course Of Course Of Course! OF COURSE! Why wouldn’t this be as hard as possible?! Twilight groaned, and slammed her head onto the table. She mumbled from her new position.

“Why can’t anything ever be just easy?” she lifted her head, eyes still closed, and breathed an indignant huff. First, sleep. Then, tomorrow, a plan.

Her sleep didn’t come as fast, but came as sharply.

<><><><><><><>

ELAPSEDTIME: 16 DAYS, 20 HOURS, 3 MINUTES, 1 SECONDS.

Over the course of the past week, she had taken random objects and attempted to teleport them a short distance to and from her house. Never anything organic, of course, just rubber balls, blank journals and the like. Each Time, an identical result. She grew tired of cleaning up the mess.

As far as she could guess, whatever spell was responsible was affecting matter down to the molecular level. The process of teleportation was precise and delicate. The fundamental change to the way matter seemed to move must be hampering the movement from Point A to Point B. What was supposed to be a simple pattern of break-down, move deconstructed matter, re-build, had now been morbidly corrupted. Regardless, Teleportation was not an option to get her to Canterlot.

But could she even make it that far on hoof? She wasn’t actually familiar with the ground routes to and from Canterlot. The train lines were obviously safe to follow, but she could only carry so many supplies. With this odd warping of physics following her around, if she were to be injured, what exactly could she do about internal damage? And she would need to head through at least a few kilometres of tunneled track, and that could be dangerous. If a train had stopped somewhere in the tunnel, it might be difficult to actually make it through.

But Twilight needed to get to Canterlot, it was the closest town that had the tomes she was searching for, and the only place that had a library stocked with potentially other useful information. She could squeeze past the train, regulations provided at least several feet from the tunnel walls to the rail edges, and she was confident her careful nature would reduce the risk of injury to a negligible, manageable number. She had made up her mind even before she deliberated her plan.

She borrowed a small kart from the apple’s farm, and stocked it with medical supplies, food, water, some books, and her logs, now taking up almost half a book. She entertained the thought of actually bringing Spike, but insisted on focus. She figured with a medium consistent pace, only a few stops to sleep, and no detours, she could make the trip in only a few days. Provided the worst-case scenario wasn't at play.

She went to the train station, turned toward Canterlot, and began trotting.

<><><><><><><>

ELAPSEDTIME: 1 MONTHS, 17 DAYS, 3.5 HOURS, 7 MINUTES, 0 SECONDS.

Her trip to Canterlot had been, eventful. Not on the way there though. She had made good Time toward Canterlot the entire way.

As expected, a train had been en route, but closer to the entrance, so Twilight had little difficulty managing. The tunnels were easy to follow, and she even managed to enjoy herself along the way. It was almost like a road trip.

Once there, she winced at her first sight. The guards, unflinching, were at first reassuring. Upon seeing their vapid expression, Twilight reassessed her first thought. Town square, the museum, even just outside the old library, all the same.

All of Equestria?

She entered her library, unlocked, she noticed. She gazed across the room carefully from the door, just in case. Empty.

She gathered all the books she could, and set them aside. She was tired, as before, and decided she would remain in Canterlot that day, just to get some rest. For what it was worth, she was proud she had journeyed this far, all in the name of her friends. And the nation, at this point.

Sleep came easy that Time, and the next. And the next.

And the next.

The days began to tally, as Twilight, in the middle of exploring the city, vainly hoping to find another lost soul such as herself, realized she had suddenly spent at least a week here. Sleeping, eating whatever she could find, admiring the art, anything to distract herself. She tried a spa. Not the same. She tried a gallery. Not the same. A museum. A garden. A park. Nothing was the same. Her logs slowly filled with the same distorted experiences.

She explored the palace on day nine, and remained in the throne room for several hours. She was moderately displeased, but really, she couldn't be much more as she had always know.

If Celestia had been unaffected, I would have been one of the first she would have gone too. Or she would have been able undo this from the start. This was stupid. I need to stop idealizing and get back to work.

Rather than read and study in the city, Twilight loaded up her cart, placed her new books carefully on the top, and left without another word to any of the frozen denizens of a now-defunct capital.

Halfway down the mountain, an axle snapped in two.

<><><><><><><>

ELAPSEDTIME: 2 MONTHS, 2 DAYS, 2 HOURS, 2 MINUTES, 2 SECONDS.

Twilight now finally understood her situation. She had been sped up, not vice versa. It had taken a while too, the books she brought were entirely too esoteric for her at a first glance, so she left them to gather dust for a few days as she relaxed after her trip.

She had broken an axle halfway back, and didn't notice until she pulled the two pieces apart after panicking from hearing the snap. She sighed. Any sign of sound in a train tunnel immediately brought a terrifying thought to her mind.
She had set up camp in the dimly lit annex, and settle there for a few hours, as she attempted to fix the splintered wood. Eventually, out of frustration, she teleported the entire chunk across the rails, which ended up fusing the two parts together into a roughly cylindrical piece she could use. Perhaps all was not lost.

Eventually, she was able to crack and understand the meaning of the complex diagrams and strains of new interpretations of physics to get an answer. Someone had increased the speed of her entire form to near superluminal levels. Twilight at first didn’t understand how this was possible for an organic being, and survivability to remain an option afterward, but she had a decent hypothesis.

The increased speed had left the body itself to power the spell. The minute vibrations of her body were comparatively faster than the world around her, so their marked energy increase was plenty enough to keep a spell running. Twilight either had to disrupt the spell’s connection to the body, choking it from its power source, or somehow slow herself down to the point where the spell would dissipate on its own. At this point, it didn’t matter. Twilight had actually figured it out, and just needed to begin testing different interactions to see which solution would work best, and eventually this would all be over. Finally, after this long nightmare, she could see the light at the end of the tunnel.

Sleep came easy that night, for the last Time.

<><><><><><><>

ELAPSEDTIME: 2 MONTHS, 23 DAYS, 3 HOURS, 1 ½ MINUTES, 8 SECONDS.

Wake Up. Eat. Plan. Eat. Test. Walk. Sleep. Wake Up. Eat. Plan. Eat. Test. Walk. Sleep.

Wake Up. Eat. Plan. Eat. Test. Test. Test. Test…

Once again, Twilight woke up to the sounds of silence. The morning looked exactly the same, and, as she assumed, everything had remained the same.

Including her results. Another failure. She checked off the parameters, and tried again. Each Time, she changed intrinsic elements of her efforts. Her wave-form frequency, her energy output, her stance, her position relative to where she was at the hypothesized zero hour, even her goddamn emotions at the Time of the casting. Each Time, it seemed she had the exact same result. Utter and complete failure. She had decided she'd only write in her personal logs the results of every dozen or so. She was running out of space.

Sure, elements of the failure were different, but too subtle to really garner any worthwhile data from. Maybe she could try more drastic changes? Maybe even put a ful—

She stopped. This was beginning to really piss her off. Always, no matter what, she wasn’t even being given enough information to tell what was failing, let alone how to fix it. She couldn’t take this anymore. She snapped. Not today.

“Not now. Not today. Today, I’m taking off. I’m just going to….” She paused.

A little idea had taken root in her mind. Surely... surely she was jesting herself. Yet, it would have its uses. No one would notice, really. She could explain. Absolutely. They would understand. For science, to save the world. Of course.

She peeled out into the street. She remembered the address. It was there, everyday, almost mocking her at this point. She'd show it. A small little abandoned duplex in a lonely square. They were going bring the building down soon, make room for another store, or maybe turn it into a park. Twilight didn't remember the specifics. They didn't matter.

She placed her back two legs slightly off, she dug her front heels into the solid dirt. She looked down at the ground, aimed her horn.

Everything all at once came to her. She summoned up all her anger, her regret, her hatred, her fear. She charged up the most deliberate sense of destruction she could.

For all you've done to me. For all I could've spent this Time doing. For Spike, for my friends, for Celestia...

She boiled over, and let loose the most explosive force of her power she could possibly think of. A massive burst of brimstone, salt, fire, and sulphur. It struck the building rather quickly, and she braced herself for the resulting back-wave of energy. Much as she expected thought, it didn't come.

She opened her eyes slowly, and the picturesque score in front of her, was breathtaking. Beautiful, even. The fire, iridescent in its still form, had torn through the front of the building, and collapsed part of the front façade. The structure had been converted to a work of art. The remaining edges of the building were perfectly capturing the light from the fire at an angle, and the building walls were slightly peeling away from the center. A flower, frozen mid-burst, now struck Twilight's vision with a sense of pride. In that moment, despite everything, Twilight was glimpsing pure beauty of her own creation.

Then, she realized what it had taken to actually create the spectacle in front of her, and she collapsed on the spot, only partly from exhaustion. She sat there, desperately attempting to keep the image in her head, as its affects began to wash away, and the image slowly became a grim reminder of her current state of being. She slowly picked herself off the ground.

She went home. She moved up to her room. Gave a casual glance to Spike in his little bead. Smiled that melancholy smile one gives when at a loved one’s grave.

All for you, Spike. Every little piece, I promise. I will hear you laugh, you cry, you, again.

<><><><><><><>

ELAPSEDTIME: 4 MONTHS, 2 ¾ DAYS, 0 HOURS, 3 MINUTES, 16 SECONDS.

Twilight had spent the previous weekend as industrious as ever. She targeted “hot-spots” across town. A couple areas relatively free of other ponies so she could reflect on other things without being constantly reminded of her current status. She figured, if she was really in for the long haul, this was needed, and was a little irked at herself for not coming up with it sooner. It was difficult, the town was becoming a derelict shell to her, and only a relatively few spots were empty. In the park, a lone bench facing the mountains laid no view with other ponies.

This weekend, Twilight had been here, still, for almost an hour. She had her eyes closed tight, and her ears perked up. Whenever she did this, and stopped listening to the silence, she could swear, she could hear it. The slight breeze wafting through her mane. The idle chatter of the town’s inhabitants. The creak of the bench beneath her. She could tell. The minute she opened her eyes, the sun’s resplendent rays would allow her to bask in a calm glow. Or the argent moon would reassure her ofTime’s passing. The fillies around town would be playing and flying kites, and Spike, next to her, would be calmly napping, just like before. All would be right with the world. She slowly displace Spike from the bench's seat, and they would head home.

It almost was a shock when Twilight revealed her own lie. Almost.

<><><><><><><>

ELAPSEDTIME: 4.3 MONTHS, 2 DAYS, 13 ¼ HOURS, 47 MINUTES, 36 SECONDS.

Twilight grabbed Spike and hugged him tightly. Not a stir, but Twilight at this point fully understood. It was up to her to fix this. This wasn’t to go away by itself. She pulled him up to her bed and tucked him in next to her. She curled around him and stayed there.

Then, for the first Time, she cried. Her tears drenched the blanket beneath her. It took too long in this state for her to feel herself drift off.

<><><><><><><>

ELAPSEDTIME: █ MONTHS, ██ DAYS, ██ HOURS, █ MINUTES, ██ SECONDS.

And just like that… it was over.

Finally, the grip on Twilight's soul had loosened, and she was free.

Spike woke her up from her bed. She felt herself shudder at his incessant shoving, but eventually, she realized how happy she was to feel his touch again. She bolted upright, and glomped Spike onto the floor. Understandably confused, Spike voiced his objections.

“Hey! Twilight?"

Twilight was too busy squeezing Spike to reply. It's him! It's really him?! I can hear him talk! I can feel his scales ruffle underneath me! My No. 1 assistant, always faithful, back again!

"Uh, I love you too and all, but is this really necessary? I mean, it’s almost like you haven’t seen me in forever!”

She paused. Rather cliche, don't you think? She refrained from saying it. Cliche was good. In fact, she wouldn't rather have it any other way... “You have no idea…” she hugged him tighter. There was a knock at her door. The girls?

She rushed down the hall and through the foyer. The table tipped over. The cactus was shattered on the floor. Her books strew about. A mess had never looked so comforting.

She pulled open the door, and was met with the alabaster eyes of her friends. They smiled at her. She immediately resumed her ardent personality.

“Girls! You’ll never begin to understand what I’ve been through! I could never even begin to explain what happened! Everything was frozen! But not in a icy-cold sense, like in Time and there was this deafening silence that wouldn’t go away and…” she trailed off. Something was wrong.

The girls continued to stare. Smiles that were now menacing began to soften Twilight’s grin. “Girls? Are you al—”

Suddenly it became obvious. No. No. No no no nononononononono. Not again, please anything but this! Five minutes, that all I want. Please just a little Time, let me have them back. PLEASE!

She turned, and Spike stood in the doorway. “Spike! Spike you’re alright!”

Unblinking, and unmoving, a warped vestige of his former self, Spike slammed the door shut. A lock was heard clicking into place, like a nail into a coffin lid.

Twilight banged on the door. “Spike? SPIKE PLEASE LET ME IN! PLEASE!" She slammed harder, desperately trying to recede back into her bunker that had for so long kept her from directly facing the world around her.

She turned again, her friends’ smiles were growing and getting closer, despite their static bodies. Again and again she turned away, only to find the smiles growing in size, sharpening in teeth, almost laughing.

The laughter. It would not stop. It grew louder and louder, Twilight couldn’t bear it. She prayed for the silence back, she prayed to go back to where she had been day before. It was better, it was so much better. They grew closer, opened to swallow her whole. Bared teeth revealed a deep and endless void, one that threatened to snuff out her very being. Remove her from existence herself. Closer and closer, she felt the pull on her mind. She was going insane. She was disappearing. Her reality was unwinding around her.

Finally, she screamed. It carried over out of her dreams.

She woke with a start in her bed, and almost fell out of it. Spike remained on her bed, the morning sun was still in the sky, and her clock, still sat above her bed.

She wept for the second Time.

<><><><><><><>

ELAPSEDTIME: 5 ¼ MONTHS, 14 DAYS, 3 HOURS, 12 MINUTES, 0.1 SECONDS.

Wake Up. Eat. Plan. Eat. Test. Walk. Sleep. Wake Up. Eat. Plan. Eat. Test. Walk. Sleep.

Wake Up. Eat. Plan. Eat. Test. Test. Test. Test…

Failure. 112 to date. Again. Try again.

<><><><><><><>

ELAPSEDTIME: 6 MONTHS, √11 DAYS, 2 HOURS, 1 MINUTES, 0.1 SECONDS.

Wake Up. Eat. Plan. Eat. Test. Walk. Sleep. Wake Up. Eat. Plan. Eat. Test. Walk. Sleep.

Wake Up. Eat. Plan. Eat. Test. Test. Test. Test…

Failure. 246 to date. Again. Try again.

<><><><><><><>

ELAPSEDTIME: 7±0 MONTHS, 18.00 DAYS, √0 HOURS, 11 MINUTES, 37 SECONDS.

Wake Up. Eat. Plan. Eat. Test. Walk. Sleep. Wake Up. Eat. Plan. Eat. Test. Walk. Sleep.

Wake Up. Eat. Plan. Eat. Test. Walk. Cry. Wake Up. Eat. Plan. Eat. Test. Walk. Cry

Wake Up. Eat. Plan. Eat. Test. Walk. Cry. Wake Up. Eat. Plan. Eat. Test. Walk. Cry.

Wake Up. Eat. Plan. Eat. Test. Test. TEST. TEST!

FAILURE. 302 to date. Again. Try again. Always again.

<><><><><><><>

ELAPSEDTIME: 9.1 MONTHS, 14±5 DAYS, 3 ¼ HOURS, 12 MINUTES, 0 SECONDS.

Wake Up. Eat. Plan. Eat. Test. Walk. Sleep. Die. Eat. Plan. Eat. Test. Walk. Sleep.

Wake Up. Test. Cry. Plan. Eat. Test. Walk. Cry. Wake Up. Eat. Plan. Eat. Test. Walk. Cry

Wake Up. Eat. Plan. Eat. Test. Walk. Cry. Wake Up. Eat. Plan. Cry. Test. Eat. Test. Walk. Cry.

Wake Up. Die. Plan. Eat. Test. Walk. Cry. Test. Test. Test. Eat. Test. Walk. Cry.

Test. Test. Test. Test. Test. Test. TEST. TEST!

FAILURE. 999 to date. Again. Again. Again. Again. Again. Again. Again. Again. Again. Again. Again. Again. Again. Again. Again. Again. Again. Again. Again. Again. Again. Again. Again. Again. Again. Again. Again. Again. Again. Again. Again. Again. Again. Again. Again. Again. Again. Again. Again. Again. Again. Again. Again. Again. Again. Again. Again. Again. Again. Again. Again. Again. Again. Again. Again. Again. Again. Again. Again. Again. Again. Again. Again. Again. Again. Again. Again. Again. Again. Again. Again. Again.

Each step down the stairs had caused Twilight more stress. Each stairs quietness had burned its way into her mind. She wanted a creak, she wanted annoyance, she wanted anything. Anything at all. Each step reminded her how life was like now, and how it would never change.

again.

<><><><><><><>

ELAPSEDTIME: 1? YEAR, 0 MONTHS, 1 ¼ DAY, 13 HOURS, 2√11 MINUTES, 98 SECONDS.

Twilight had entered into a cautionary relationship with the stairs. They seem nice, even though they continuously give her the cold shoulder.

Her cactus has informed her of how dangerous the outside world can be. She has elected to stay inside for the Time being.

Failure. Failure. FAILURE.

<><><><><><><>

ELAPSEDTIME: √1 YEAR, 3±3 MONTHS, 12 DAYS, 1? HOUR, 19 MINUTES, 7.999999999999999 SECONDS.

Wake Up. Eat. Plan. Eat. Test. Test. Sleep. Die. Eat. Plan. Eat. Test. Test. Sleep.

Die. Test. Cry. Plan. Eat. Test. Test. Cry. Wake Up. Die. Plan. Eat. Test. Test. Cry

Wake Up. Eat. Plan. Eat. Test. Test. Cry. Wake Up. Eat. Plan. Cry. Test. Eat. Test. Test. Cry.

Die. Die. Plan. Eat. Test. Test. Cry. Test. Test. Test. Eat. Test. Walk. Cry. Cry. Cry. Cry.

<><><><><><><>

ELAPSEDTIME: 1.7 YEAR, 0 MONTHS, 3 DAY, 1±1 ½ HOUR, 19 MINUTES, 13? SECONDS.

Twilight had a tea party with her cactus. It was nice, a sharp wit on that one.

She is no longer on speaking terms with the stairs. She tried to fix them. She pulled up the boards and desperately dug underneath to find anything that could make noise. Than she nailed new ones down. They won’t talk to her anymore. It doesn’t matter, she has her cactus.

<><><><><><><>

ELAPSEDTIME: 2±¼ YEARS, 1? MONTH, 14 DAYS, 18 HOUR, 1.9 MINUTES, √2 SECONDS.

Wake Up. Eat. Test. Eat. Test. Test. Sleep. Die. Eat. Test. Eat. Test. Test. Sleep.

Die. Test. Cry. Test. Eat. Test. Test. Cry. Wake Up. Die. Test. Eat. Test. Test. Cry

Wake Up. Eat. Test. Eat. Test. Test. Cry. Wake Up. Eat. Test. Cry. Test. Eat. Test. Test. Cry.

Die. Die. Test. Eat. Test. Test. Cry. Test. Test. Test. Eat. Test. Walk. Cry. Cry. Cry. Cry.

Cry. Cry. Cry. Cry. Cry. Cry. Cry. Cry. Cry. Cry. Cry. Cry. Cry. Cry. Cry. Cry. Cry. Cry. Cry. Cry.

<><><><><><><>

ELAPSEDTIME: 2√2 YEARS, 4½¾ MONTHS, 1.11111111 DAY, 1.111111 HOU, 76 MINUTES, 49? SECONDS.

Her cactus really is an inspiration. Talking everyday has really helped her calm herself. No more book burning, no smashing pots and pans together in an effort to break the silence. Just focus. Keep focusing and everything will work out. Focus on fixing this. Just, focus.

Focus.

<><><><><><><>

ELAPSEDTIME: 2.52525252525... YEARS, 5 MONTHS, 1?7 DAYS, ¾±¼ HOUR,
MINUTES, SECONDS.

Failure.

<><><><><><><>

ELAPSEDTIME: 2 YEARS, ? MONTHS, ? DAYS, ? HOUR, ? MINUTES, ? SECONDS.

Failure.

<><><><><><><>

ELAPSEDTIME: 3 YEARS, ? MONTHS, ? DAYS, ? HOUR, ? MINUTES, ? SECONDS.

Failure…

<><><><><><><>

ELAPSEDTIME: 3 YEARS, ? MONTHS, ? DAYS, ? HOUR, ? MINUTES, ? SECONDS.

FAILURE.

<><><><><><><>

ELAPSEDTIME: 3 YEARS, ? MONTHS, ? DAYS, ? HOUR, ? MINUTES, ? SECONDS.

FAILURE! FAILURE! FAILURE!

<><><><><><><>

ELAPSEDTIME: 3 YEARS, ? MONTHS, ? DAYS, ? HOUR, ? MINUTES, ? SECONDS.

Failure. Failure. Failure. Failure. Failure. Failure. Failure. Failure. Failure. Failure. Failure.

Failure. Failure. Failure.

Failure…

<><><><><><><>

ELAPSEDTIME: 3 YEARS, ? MONTHS, ? DAYS, ? HOUR, ? MINUTES, ? SECONDS.

Cry. Cry. Cry. Cry.

Die.

Cry. Test. Cry Cry.

Die. Test. Test. Cry

No…

Test. Test.

Die.

Please…

Cry. Test. Test. Die.

Die. Test. Cry. Die.

Cry.

Cry. Test.

Cry. Cry. Die.

Die…

No more…

please.

ELAPSEDTIME:

Failure. Failure. Failure. why. Failure. Failure. Failure. Failure. Failure. Failure. Failure. Failure. Failure. Failure. Failure. Failure. Failure. Failure. Failure. Failure. Failure. Failure. Failure. Failure. Failure. Failure. Failure. Failure. Failure. Failure. Failure. Failure. Failure. Failure. Failure. Failure. Failure. Failure. Failure. Failure. Failure. Failure. Failure. Failure. Failure. Failure. Failure. Failure. Failure. Failure. Failure. Failure. Failure. Failure. Failure. Failure. Failure. Failure. Failure. Failure. Failure. Failure. Failure. Failure. Failure. Failure. Failure. Failure. Failure. Failure. Failure. Failure. Failure. Failure. Failure. Failure. Failure. Failure. Failure. Failure. Failure. Failure. Failure. Failure. Failure. Failure. Failure. Failure. Failure. Failure. Failure. Failure. Failure. Failure. Failure. Failure.

Failure. Failure. Failure. Failure. Failure. Failure. Failure. Failure. Failure. Failure. Failure. Failure. Failure. Failure. Failure. Failure. Failure. Failure. Failure. Failure. Failure. Failure. Failure. Failure. too much. Failure. Failure. Failure. Failure. Failure. Failure. Failure. Failure. Failure. Failure. Failure. Failure. Failure. Failure. Failure. Failure. Failure. Failure. Failure. Failure. Failure. Failure. Failure. Failure. Failure. Failure. Failure. Failure. Failure. Failure. Failure. Failure. Failure. Failure. Failure. Failure. Failure. Failure. Failure. Failure. Failure. Failure. Failure. Failure. Failure. Failure. Failure. Failure. Failure. Failure. Failure. Failure. Failure. Failure. Failure. Failure. Failure. Failure. Failure. Failure. Failure. Failure. Failure. Failure. Failure. Failure. Failure. Failure. Failure. Failure. Failure. Failure. Failure. Failure. Failure. Failure. Failure. Failure. Failure. Failure. Failure. Failure. Failure. Failure. Failure. Failure. Failure. Failure. Failure. Failure. Failure. Failure. Failure. Failure. Failure. Failure. Failure. Failure. Failure. Failure. Failure. Failure. Failure. Failure. Failure. Failure. Failure. Failure. Failure. Failure. Failure. Failure. Failure. Failure. Failure. Failure. Failure. Failure.
Failure. Failure. Failure. Failure. Failure. Failure. Failure. Failure. Failure. Failure. Failure. Failure. Failure. Failure. Failure. Failure. Failure. Failure. Failure. Failure. Failure. Failure. Failure. Failure. Failure. Failure. Failure. Failure. Failure. Failure. Failure. Failure. Failure. Failure. Failure. Failure. Failure. Failure. Failure. Failure. Failure. Failure. Failure. Failure. Help Me. Failure. Failure. Failure. Failure. Failure. Failure. Failure. Failure. Failure. Failure. Failure. Failure. Failure. Failure. Failure. Failure. Failure. Failure. Failure. Failure. Failure. Failure. Failure. Failure. Failure. Failure. Failure. Failure. Failure. Failure. Failure. Failure. Failure. Failure. Failure.

Failure. Failure. Failure. Failure. Failure. Failure.

Failure. Failure. Failure. Failure. Failure. Failure. Failure. Failure. Failure. Failure. Failure. Failure. Failure. Failure. Failure. Failure. Failure. Failure. Failure. Failure. Failure. Failure. Failure. Failure. Failure. Failure. Failure. Failure. Failure. Failure. Failure. Failure. Failure. Failure. Failure. Failure. Failure. Failure. Failure. Failure. Failure. Failure. Failure. Failure. Failure. . Failure. Failure. Failure. Failure. Failure. Failure. Failure. Failure. Failure. Failure. Failure. Failure. Failure. Failure. Failure. Failure. Failure. Failure. Failure. Failure. Failure. Failure. Failure. Failure. Failure. Failure. Failure. Failure. Failure. Failure. Failure.Failure. Failure. Failure. Failure. Failure. Failure. Failure. Failure. Failure. Failure. Failure. Failure. Failure. Failure. Failure. Failure. Failure. Failure. Failure. Failure. Failure. Failure. Failure. Failure. Failure. Failure. Failure. Failure. Failure. Failure. Failure. Failure. Failure. Failure. Failure. Failure. Failure. Failure. Failure. Failure. Failure. Failure. Failure. Failure. Failure. Failure. Failure. Failure. Failure. Failure. Failure. Failure. Failure. Failure. Failure. HELP ME. Failure. Failure. Failure. Failure. Failure. Failure. Fail (ure. Failure. Failure. Failure. Failure. Failure. Failure. Failure. Failure. Failure. Failure. Failure. Failure. Failure. Failure. Failure. Failure. Failure. Failure. Failure. Failure. Failure. Failure. Failure. Failure. Failure. Failure. Failure. Failure. Failure. Failure. Failure. Failure. Failure. Failure. Failure. Failure. Failure. Failure. Failure. Failure. Failure. Failure. Failure. Failure. Failure. Failure. Failure. Failure. Failure. Failure. Failure. Failure. Failure. Failure. Failure. Failure. Failure. Failure. Failure. Failure. Failure. Failure. Failure. Failure. Failure. Failure. Failure. Failure. Failure. Failure. Failure. Failure. Failure. Failure. Failure. Failure. Failure. Failure. Failure.) Failure. Failure. Failure. Failure. Failure. Failure. Failure. Failure. Failure. Failure. Failure. Failure. Failure. Failure. Failure. Failure. Failure. Failure. Failure. Failure. Failure. Failure. Failure. Failure. Failure. Failure. Failure. Failure. Failure. Failure. Failure. Failure. Failure. Failure. Failure. Failure. Failure. Failure. Failure. Failure. Failure. Failure. Failure. Failure. Failure. Failure. Failure. Failure. Failure. Failure. Failure. Failure. Failure. Failure. Failure. Failure. Failure. Failure. Failure. Failure. Failure. Failure. Failure.
Failure. Failure. Failure. Failure. Failure. Failure. Failure. Failure. Failure. Failure. Failure. Failure. Failure. Failure. Failure.

Failure. Failure. Failure. Failure.
Failure. Failure. Failure.Failure. Failure. Failure. Failure. Failure. Failure. Failure.

Failure. Failure. Failure. Failure. Failure.
Failure. Failure. Failure. Failure. Failure. Failure. Failure. Failure. Failure. Failure. Failure. Failure. Failure. Failure.

failure.

i give up. you win.

<><><><><><><>

ELAPSEDTIME: 3 YEARS, 6 MONTHS, 19 DAYS, 15 HOURS, 3 MINUTES, 27 SECONDS.

And so, began the end of the tragedy of Twilight Sparkle.

There it was. Here again.

Twilight noticed it mid-way through her second year. The cold. The dauntless, ever-piercing cold. A walk into town was punctuated with her stopping every few blocks, shivering, staring dumbly into someone else’s face.

She couldn’t leave, no more. She remained inside, trying to keep herself sparked, trying to finish this. It never came. Each day, once more, on command almost. Her logs were beginning to fill with incomprehensible gibberish, as one might expect, but the very end was filled with more, incendiary information.

It wasn’t until her mind finally snapped that the truly fell apart. The End. Ignorance had kept her mind from facing it thus far, in a state of insane bliss. She was heading up the stairs, slowly, two at a Time.

She moved toward her bed. Inches from the covers.

I will never see my friends ever again.

It was such a simple thought too, an errant recognition of a random possibility. But it was the straw that broke the proverbial camel’s back. It sent waves of terror through her mind. At first, it just rippled through her, and she allowed it to consume her. Paralyzed. Almost content by not having to move. To think. To convince herself to do anything.

Then she screamed. She screamed as loud as she possibly could. And then she ran out the door, into the streets, still screaming.

As her mind descended through the loops of sorrow, fear, hatred, and even disappointment, she trampled around town, begging some to speak.

"PLEASE! SOMEPONY SPEAK! SAY SOMETHING!"

"I NEED HELP! CAN ANYONE HERE ME?!!!"

"SPEAK NOW! STOP SITTING THERE AND JUST MOVE AN INCH!!"

"SOMEPONY JUST SPEAK TO ME!"

“PLEASE ANYPONY! I BEG OF YOU! LET ME GO. JUST PLEase… no more… I can’t take it any more…”

Her flood gates had opened, and her last drops of rationality were quickly slipping away. Her psyche shattered into an uncountable number of pieces, as she began full-force striking her hooves into the chests and snouts of those around her. Lashing out like a child with a uncontrollable temper.

This truly was hopeless. She had gone far past that word now. The math, the science, the forces, physics, helping herself, Spike, her friends, everything. Nothing. Something somewhere in between.

She tired herself out, and she fell to her knees. She just wanted an end to the biting silence.

A silence that seemed to scream back at her, endlessly.

<><><><><><><>

ELAPSEDTIME: 3 YEARS, 6 MONTHS, 19 DAYS, 17 HOUR, 31 MINUTES, 7 SECONDS.

Twilight had spent far too much Time wandering around town, and eventually ran out of energy, anger morphing back to depression, and hatred moving back to fear. She collapsed in the middle of the street, and began to cry once again.

It's not fair... It’s not fair… It's not fair... It’s not fair… It's not fair... It’s not fair… IT’S NOT FAIR! I had so much to live for, my friends and I defeated Nightmare Moon, and Discord! WE resolved countless problems! We went to the gala! I traveled in Time! WHY DID THIS HAPPEN TO ME?!

She looked up at a bystander.

Why not him?! Why not anyone else?! WHY ME?!

The cold silence grew. She sat there. Endlessly. Her mind racing. Thoughts ran through her mind faster than she could process them. She was broken, a former shell of the mare she once was.

It was racing closer and closer. An end.

<><><><><><><>

ELAPSEDTIME: 3 YEARS, 6 MONTHS, 22 DAYS, 1 HOUR, 31 MINUTES, 7 SECONDS.

A terrible solution. But a solution. Twilight had made the ultimate decision, the last decision she would ever make.

About a mile out from the city limits, a large cliff overlooks a small expanse of the Everfree. Better yet, Ponyville can be seen in all its glory from the top. Also, it now serves as a monument to the most terrifying story to ever end.

Twilight passed by Sugercube Corner.

Goodbye Pinkie Pie. I'll miss your parties. Service my funeral please.

She passed the Carousel Boutique.

Goodbye Rarity. Make sure I look good in my coffin.

Apple Family Farm.

Goodbye Applejack.

...

For the briefest of instances, the suspense covered the area like a fog. It almost seemed that Twilight was content with this so far. She would turn right around, take her silent eulogy with her, and sleep. Tomorrow she'd return to her attempts. She'd fix this after all. Right?

Right?

It didn't take her long to ascend the cliff, but it took her even less Time to descend. She had recognized that gravity still affected her, in the exact same way, but this information was of course used for an unfair purpose.

As she climbed, her mind battled with the last of her rational thought, and by the Time she reached the top, she did not hesitate.

She jumped, and the entire world let her go.

<><><><><><><>

ELAPSEDTIME: no more.

The fall killed her almost instantly.

Needless to say, there was not a thought that came out of Twilight's head afterward, and the entire world became silent once more, never to hear the sound of her voice again.

<><><><><><><>

Still.

Ever so still.

Silent, still, peaceful.

<><><><><><><>

All at once, the world seemed to shrug ~~one day~~, and everything began to stir. In an instant, Time had returned to its world, and everything continued, once again.

Derpy’s crash finished itself on Twilight’s lawn. As she fell, she could have sworn the front door had been closed. They both landed, and the mare screamed at Derpy for her carelessness.

Rarity, Applejack, Fluttershy, and all others woke from their endless slumber, and the entire town resumed once again, a clock finally repaired from its ailments. This clock however, was missing one very important cog in its inner workings, and it didn't take long for anyone to find out.

A loud crash from the foyer awoke Golden Oak Library's one remaining occupant. Spike slowly opened his dozing eyes. The clock next to him on the bed was ticking silently. He slowly got up, and realized his change in position. He figured Twilight had something to do with it.

He slowly moved down the stairs, and gasped at what he saw. The foyer was a mess. Tables were overturned, books were askew, and the small cactus he had come to like was in a heap on the floor. The door was wide open, letting the cold autumn air in. Spike was terrified of what might have transpired last night.

All across town, ponies were reacting to the day’s strange events. Several ponies reeled backward, claiming they had been attacked by a mysterious force. Echoes of someone seemed to flow throughout the town for milliseconds, some swore it was a cry for help. No one could place any calculated answer on the occurrences.

Then, a billowing of smoke rose from the east quarter. A fire had spontaneously broken out in an abandoned shell and was in danger of spreading to the nearby buildings. Perhaps fire was inaccurate. An explosion at first, then it calmed to a blaze. The fire department was able to quickly mobilize and put the fire out, but couldn't actually pin down a cause.

The investigation into those shortcomings were quickly snuffed out when incredibly shocking news came to light. Twilight had gone missing. Her house was a mess, signs of a struggle, and her door was wide open. Needless to say, the police were quickly involved. Baffled at first.

Before a formal search party could be formed, before a true investigation could be opened, before the princesses could even be contacted, a body was found. A poor mare had flung herself from a nearby cliff. It was, of course, a short Time before her identity was discovered.

As soon as it was confirmed, the police struggled to stymie the information’s spread to the public. The media eventually found a foothold against the censoring, and the papers printed it before anyone even knew what was happening. The theories quickly began to fly.

Murder! Some insolent fool took away our spark!

No, there were no drugs in her system, no physical signs of a struggle, but an autopsy strangely found parts of her body much lower in fat content then an average mare of her age. The mortician even swore, she looked much older than he thought she actually was. Yet, the report found damage consistent to the hypothesized fall.

Mind Control! This is how she was brought to this extent!

No, we’d be able to tell. Even the best mind control spells leave ‘subconscious residue’ on parts of the brain. Physical signs that can be seen. Extra strain as the brain resists, or even certain axons disturbed. All signs point to suicide.

This quickly became a shattering event for the rest of the town, as one of Ponyville's greatest heroes, and friends, had so quickly been taken away from them, without another word, or any explanation.

The news of course hit Spike the hardest, who spent a week without eating anything, and simply sat near Twilight's bed, wondering if he could have, nay, should have done something. Should he have asked Twilight if anything was wrong? Should he have spent more Time paying attention to Twilight's demeanor? Would this even have mattered? He began to thin out, and at the behest of his friends, moved in with Rarity, who was eager to offer residence to the broken dragon. Surprisingly, this did little to ease his pain. His life was changed forever, with no hope of recovering.

He couldn’t remove her pallid distorted face from his head.

The friendship that Twilight had started between the Elements of Harmony quickly began to fade, as depression turned to fear, fear turned to anger, and anger turned to hatred. Aimless blame began firing from one to the other, and each had their stake in shifting the responsibility to another. Without the pony in question to fix this friendship problem, they were shattered, and went their separate ways. It seems that she was a focal point, one that quickly removed balance with her unTimely demise. Their friendship had gone bankrupt.

The rest of the town quickly fell prey to lapses in judgement, error's in reasoning, and broken friendships. Without Twilight to play her role in their lives, the town faced an uncertain future.

When news of her protege's death reached Celestia, the guilt in her heart returned akin to that of Luna's banishment. She spent weeks recovering from the information, spending days in her room. With help from Luna and her staff, she was eventually able to return to her duties as princess, but no longer searched for an apprentice, for fear of replication of the levels of stress that might have caused Twilight's death.

Soon enough, the entire nation was grappling with the news. Not just that it had happened, but the fact that nobody truly understood why. The entire concept of her death was rife with mystery, and some didn't believe that it was a suicide.

Amid it all, there were question that no one seemed willing to deal with.

Two years later, they had their answers.

<><><><><><><>

The inflammatory documents had been discovered in Twilight basement, buried under the floorboards.

The place had since been abandoned, the books relocated, and it had become dilapidated. A few foals had run inside to play hide and seek. The weakening structure gave way under them, and they crashed through the floor, discovering the cache. A massive pile of unbound pages, only some fully decipherable.

Twilight’s logs.

Upon review, the full nature of her predicament came to light, and the first thought gave a breath of relief. Perhaps somewhat selfish, but more positive towards the nation’s outlook.

It wasn’t anyone’s fault…

Unfortunately, this came too late to truly affect anyone of Twilight’s main group. They had already said things best left unspoken. Insults had wrung so harshly they hadn’t even spoken to one another since they originally had discovered the incident.

This didn’t stop the rest of the nation from chiming. From those honestly trying to calm everyone, those with honest curiosity, and those with deep-seeded greed, Twilight’s story then became as famous as it ever could be. Philosophical discussions, fictional retellings, even scientific studies. It became known as ‘The Impossible Year,’ and no end to the outcroppings from its inception were in sight.

It didn’t matter. It really didn’t. No one really felt any better. The world was still reeling from this event. The light of so many ponies’ lives had been extinguished, so quickly. She was gone, no bringing her back.

Gone.

Gone…

Author's Note

-DATA CORRUPTED-

███████████████████████████████████████████████████████████████████████████

Excerpt from “Tragedy, Time, and Twilight” by Split Second, Ph.D., (Baltimare: Axis Press, 1007), p. 16-21

III

I sent my love
to my sweetheart in
a little brown box
the next morning I
recived a little package
my box marked
"return to sender"

How sad.

-Ink M. Blot

Perhaps the most distressing concept brought about by this is tragedy6.

Tragedy, by definition is "an event [or events] causing great suffering, destruction, and distress, such as a serious accident, crime, or natural catastrophe." Of course, we may skim off the obvious from this entire series of events and leave with that. That is an entirely predictable and valid course of action. Even persons with an uncountable stake in this may simply like to leave well enough alone, or rather, "be content that we have our answers, and not ask any more questions."7

However, to those of us with a pervasive, curious nature, and perhaps those of us with a rather untamable thirst for answers, may find this to barely be a drop in the bucket compared to what this all really tells us as a whole. Yes, the logs of the late Princess Twilight Sparkle are of course filled our aforementioned definition of tragedy, but further dissemination may lead to grander findings.

Tragedy is four-dimensional. It takes up physical space that we can measure using finely-tuned instruments and strict units, but it also takes up a sense of Time. This is where we derive our meanings that go beyond the confines the physical and classical sciences can even hope to comprehend. Space8 gives us the where, the who, the what, and quite possibly the why. Time, on the other hand, gives us the infinitely more important when. Not just the when of the tragedy, but the whens of before and after. This has, of course been turned over and over by countless others, with even Time Turner chiming in with "let us not forget the whens of the whats, [...] these precious little moments are when we get a glimpse of us at our rawest, most vulnerable."9

Obviously, Time is of great importance to these events, as Twilight's logs show us at their fullest extent, our perceptions and assumptions of Time can often be morbidly wrong. However, all of us at Times neglect what Time really means. To put it bluntly, Time is where we can derive the figurative segment of Tragedy. Everything that physics, chemistry, mathematics, genetics, topology, acoustics, memetics, and everything in between can't tell us, our innate metaphysical presence in this universe helps uncover.

Memory.

This is the crux of our perception of Time. Just as a freight train may roar past us faster than we can think, Time continues to churn through us at even our most oblivious. And yet, we still have this ability to "pull the moments we find important from this roaring stream, placing them into a setting more fitting, and keeping them tightly kept in place, always to look back on."10 Perhaps we have control over what we remember, perhaps we don't. Maybe still, we merely 'steer the boat' and we really pull what we like, but no control over the specifics.

An unknown ancient poet likewise stated very eloquently his thoughts on Memory:

Had I all the Time in the world
Then I would oft lose part of myself
Every second
Every minute
Every Eon
Eventually lost for I could not count them
My mind is only large enough for one lifeTime
Forsooth, I see only one outcome for the infinitely experienced.
Loss of everything they thought they could hold dear
As Time goes on, we gain, we lose, but we always hold onto
Enough Time, though
Everything is lost
Everything stays
Nothing stays
And I am left with embers to cradle, but no ashes to remember them by

Regardless, the logs would cease to function appropriately without memory. Twilight's main motivations for writing is even stated as "so I don't forget why I'm doing this... for them..."11 These motivations end horribly disfigured by year 2, but even the memory of these motivations seemingly surface ominously: "I know. I know why, I just don't care anymore. I can't care... it's too hard anymore." Memory seems to be the last thing that may hold Twilight to her sanity as she enters year 3.

What even really is Memory to us? Psychologist Dr. Dream Searcher ventures a guess.

"Memory is a razor-thin cord, it holds the mind to the past, which in turn, allows a grip on the present. After all, how can we truly know about now without knowing what gave rise to it?"12

So it seems Memory is our way of designing a framework for which we may understand and observe Time itself. Or perhaps, as some put it, quite the opposite.

"Memory it what keeps us from having to truly face Time. It protects us from the untempered schism that forcibly divides the past and future. It squeezes us into a single point at the center, and allows us to coexist with Time, without having to truly explain it. As we evolved, our perceptions sharpened to potentially dangerous extents. Time is vast, complicated, and worst of all, unpredicated on us at the center of our world. We, with our egocentric societies, as peaceful as we can be, still, at the best of Times, care about ourselves. An over-powerful force that exacts its toll without even a second glance at our whims, would scare us to death (which, in it of itself, is one of Time's responsibilities). Memory helps dilute our perspective, and change Time from this omnipresent dynamism to a clock with a crudely drawn face that explains seconds and minutes to foals."13

Even if we cannot agree, we must concede that Memory and Time are intrinsically linked in some way, evidenced not just by Twilight's logs, but by history itself. Or perhaps, the lack thereof.

Considered fringe science by most, and "conspiracy" by those less inclined to formal debate, Last Thursdayism regardless can give us an interesting perspective on Memory.

"Last Thursdayism is a philosophy in which proponents claim that the entire universe, us, the gods, the stars, everything, were not created billions of years ago, or even thousands. They claim that everything was brought into its current state, all at once, last Thursday. Everything we've done, everything we've written, everything we've said, eaten, built, destroyed, laughed at, cried with, all of it, if occurring before last Thursday, is false. Fake recalling that were brought into being just as much as anything else. Everything we remember is an illusion, and the universe has been around for at most, a single week."14

Supporters like to say that since technically we can't disprove any of it (as any evidence could simply be a manifestation of said sudden appearance), is must be true, or at least have some validity. Ignoring the obvious Ad Ignorantum and taking everything with a grain of salt, we can use this as a lens to tactfully examine Memory as a whole.

What if Twilight's plight really did never happen? What if she never existed, and we woke up one day, fresh as the universe, and the first thing our new little society discovered organically was Tragedy? Not fire, not the steam engine, not math or science, nor language or even the moon. Where would this truly put our society as a whole? Our first real Memory of the death of somepony who we didn't even see with our own eyes? Of an entire false tragic accident? Of somepony who never truly existed?

Now this, is a positively terrifying thought...15

Footnotes:
6Ironically, this chapter goes little into the tragedy in specifics. This topic is more carefully considered in Chapter V
7Rarity, in her article "How Little We Know" in The Daily Hoof, v. 132, 1005, p. 7-8
8A subject more thoughtfully examined in Chapter IX
9Time Turner, M.Sc., On Time, and Loneliness (Ponyville: Ponyville Publication, 1002), p. 215
10Stacked Deck, Marshmallows at the Thanksgiving Dinner Table (Manehatten: Random House, 1001), p. 46
11Stated in the 4th log publicly released
12Dream Searcher, Ph.D., "Memory Lane" in Psychologist's Digest, v. 32, 1002, p. 17-18
13Mr. Minute, Thank You For Wasting My Time (Fillydelphia: The Invisible Pen, 1001), p. 396
14International Encyclopedia of Philosophies (Manehatten: McColt, 997), p.762
15See The Art of Being Afraid (Manehatten: McColt, 1003) and the subsequent I Don't Want To Die Anymore (Manehatten: McColt, 1004) for more information. Both written under the pen-name "R."

Author's Note

-DATA CORRUPTED-

C.R.P.S. Report of Investigation, Incident Number 000086143, Time of Completion: 06-11-1003

Formal Report of Investigation

Form#: 0078-9b ("Cover-Up")
File Date: 06-10-1003
Incident#: 000086143(-1)
Lot Number: 3

Incident Date: 04-10-1003
Incident Type: ~~Suicide~~ ~~Murder~~ Suicide
Location of Incident: Outside City Limits of Ponyville; base of cliff known as "Applewood Vista"

Overseeing Administrator: ~~Covert Op~~ ~~Celestia~~ Covert Op (Provisional)
Primary Investigator: ~~Blank Page~~ Silent Night
Secondary Investigator(s): Dr. Twist, ~~Silent Night~~, Shining Armor (Provisional), Red Eye, Flash Sentry

Note: Blank Page is on probation following his actions during Incident 143-a; Silent Night served as Primary Investigator following

Summary of Investigation:

Day 1 (10-10-1003)

Recovered Autopsy Report for follow-up
Preformed Type-B analysis of death location: Nothing to Report
Preformed Type-B analysis of Twilight's residence: Nothing to Report

Day 3 (13-10-1003)

Formal Interrogations of the following: Spike, Rainbow Dash, Rarity, Mayor Mare: Nothing to Report
Formal Interrogations of the following: Pinkie Pike, Lyra, Daisy, Fluttershy: Nothing to Report

Day 4 (14-10-1003)

~~Investigation Finished, Determined Suicide Designation to be accurate~~

Day 7 (17-10-1003)

Staff changes (See Below; Note 141-U-1)
Re-Investigation Ordered; preparations for Type-A analysis

Day 11 (21-10-1003)

Preformed Type-A Analysis of death location: Residual Magics Detected
Preformed Type-A Analysis of Twilight's residence: Residual Magics Detected

Day 17 (27-10-1003)

Following discovery of magics in both areas of concern, Administrator made formal request to declare suicide designation false, and open a formal Homicide Investigation.

Day 18 (28-10-1003)

Preliminary motions made to declare findings made.
Possibility of Homicide Investigation considered
Magic Analysis Reports Completed (See Documents 143-M-1, 143-M-2)

Day 20 (30-10-1003)

Reports of analysis prove inconclusive
Administrator declares case "Murder"

Day 23 (2-11-1003)

After much deliberation, Administrator is overturned by C.R.P.S. council (8-3)
Administrator is removed from position by council, previous Administrator re-instated (See Below; Note 141-U-2)
Further investigation reveals analysis reports to have no bearing on case decision
Case re-declared suicide, formal Homicide investigation denied.

Day 24 (3-11-1003)

Investigation Finished, Determined Suicide Designation to be accurate

Day 27 (6-11-1003)

Case formally closed, Incident resolved, group presiding disbanded.

Special Notes:

Note 143-U-1

Letter from Overseer Pen. on 17-10-1003:

Following repeated requests from Celestia herself for increased deliberation from this team, and a lack of communication to and from our current administrator, I have made the executive decision to place Celestia as Administrator for this case. This is a special exception given the circumstances, and will not be repeated. Despite this, I expect all of you to follow her commands to the letter, and show a little more focus from now on. Following Blank Page's decision to [REDACTED], he has been removed from the team, and I have made Silent Night primary investigator for the Time being.

--Overseer Penblade

Note 143-U-2

Notice from Overseer Pen. on 2-11-1003:

After decisions from the council, it has been reluctantly decided that Celestia bee removed from this case permanently. This was, of course, a special exception, and need I remind everyone that this is part of the reason Celestia was to be barred from heading investigations in the first place. Covert Op has been placed has provisional head as this case winds to a close. The council would also like to remind everyone that "personal stake" is not a valid reasoning behind changing a case designation.

--Overseer Penblade

Note 143-U-3

hey.

are you seeing this?

i don't know if they'll remove this because it's not "formal" enough, but maybe someone down the line has a heart, maybe just leave this part alone. red-tape can stop even me.

look, i get it. i really do.

it must hurt, so much. i understand. you're not the only one whose lost someone this close to you.

but you can't keep doing this. if the guys in black say there's nothing there, we have to say there's nothing there too.

we have to trust them. if you start claiming there's a "massive conspiracy" and someone "took your shining star" away from you, they'll start to think you've gone crazy. i know you aren't. do you? i don't want to see a psychiatric analysis because i know there doesn't need to be one.

do you?

~~i still love you.~~

sorry, that was weird. i can't actually get it out cause i'm writing in pen. i could cross it out completely. cross it out with more ink so you can't see it.

i'm not sure if i can.

~~i can't~~

it doesn't matter, does it? she's gone. you really think it's your fault. that's why you're doing this.

you know as well as i do it wasn't. stop blaming yourself. let it go.

i'm sorry, i really am. but you have to stop. please.

you have a job to do. people are taking after you. they are looking to you for answers.

you have to give them the answers. even if you don't like them.

i'm sorry.

i'm sorry

i'm so sorry.

--█████████████████

Author's Note

-DATA CORRUPTED-

Excerpt from “Tragedy, Time, and Twilight” by Split Second, Ph.D., (Baltimare: Axis Press, 1007), p. 221-246

XXI

Though I walk through the land of the dead, I fear nothing, I leave nothing, for I am nothing...

-Silent Quill

And often overlooked aspect of Twilight's predicament is fear. Not in the classical sense, obviously. Twilight's fears in the moment are clear to us, her fear of never returning to the real world64, never seeing her friends, never being able to tell me65 never being able to say "I love you" to those she thought deserved it. Also, Twilight's fears book-ending those already discussed. Her lack of understanding what is, what has, and what will happen. Of course, much more potent is the lack of "others."66

"Every sentient being on this planet requires companionship. As much as some refuse to admit it, absolute solitude is a weight that cannot be borne by any single person. Even the sanest of us can, and will, crack under that weight. At first, denial. Then frustration, anger. Last comes the fear. It's so quiet, one doesn't even notice it until it's all they can notice. You become afraid. Too long without others becomes unbearable much the same way darkness can. An inability to remember what it is truly like, to not be alone."67

Yet, perhaps there is a more, enigmatic element to the composite form of absolute terror that can be derived from the events surrounding Twilight's mysterious experience. Twilight's fear primarily forms from the event's themselves. But perhaps we must consider events that failed to transpire entirely to fully consider the breadth of this subject.

At first, Twilight "made a cup of tea"68 and simply sat and read as much information she could to attempt an easy solution. A quick spell, and then she'd be back to normal, fast as you like. However, the anomalous behavior of the world around her slowly becomes clearer as she attempts to unravel the web of complexity that now dominates her very existence.

Twilight's first real showing of true fear came from what some are calling the Book Incident, (If I may make a quick side note, constant break downs and delineations of each and every event, then giving all of them names to distinguish them from each other is pointless. It is the analysis of the whole which gives us our true answers, not breaking it into barely recognizable crumbs then haphazardly sticking them back together with paper clips and chewed gum.) in which she teleports a book across the room, and it fails to appear to where she designated its new position to be.69

Further investigation leads that any and all teleportation attempts results in the chosen object being brutally mutilated and destroyed abruptly. This is where fear of what hasn't happened is best shown. Had Twilight chosen to teleport herself over to the book, or even teleport herself closer to the shelf, her story may have been much shorter.

Perhaps maybe there is a possible commensurate for Twilight's fears. Perhaps something more powerful we can't see that keeps her going for an entire three and a half

Once upon a Time, I looked upon the stars
Upon the sky they sat, laden with their scars
Then, I learned, how far the deep void lets
And I screamed, for I could not forget

No. I need a break. I need to just vent for a second, alright? Just....

Bear with me for a single red second of your tiny insignificant life, okay? Someone just fucking died and no one really gets the gravity of it all. Do you even understand what happens? Do you care?

You're still reading, so I think, somewhere, you know you don't care enough.

We already talked about this back in Chapter V, but I don't think I really got my point across, and I honestly don't think any of you were listening. Or reading, I guess. Just, go back and read the goddamn chapter again, I mean really read it for Celestia's sake, so maybe you can truly understand what I'm trying to say. That chapter is pretty much a prerequisite for understanding the point of this entire forsaken book.

Finished? Good. Now, this chapter...

I am afraid.

There, I said it, wrote it, erg. I just. I'm too afraid. I can't help but pour of over those logs again and again and again and again. It terrifies me.