Lone footsteps echoed through the sparkling crystal floor and walls of Twilight's castle in what was starting to feel like my thousandth time walking through its desolate passageways.
Trying to kill the silence before it drove me crazy I started talking to myself, "Who even needs an entire castle for friendship anyway? Just get yourself a game room or something, some snacks, some video games...god I miss video games." Nostalgia shut me up as I traced the shapes in the crystal walls with my fingers as I walked past.
This was all one big boring favor I owed to Twilight. House sitting a badass castle for a few hours while she's out for a bit doing something friendship related i'm sure. I'm surprised she thinks we're on good enough terms to trust me on this. She calls us friends but everyone is her friend so who really knows. But I will admit, getting out of the city to Ponyville is a nice change of pace. I don't have the stares for being a tall, sword strapped, unknown creature that calls itself human on my back.
But begrudgingly, I have to thank her for what she's done so of course I agreed. Any excuse to walk around with a sword on my back telling ponies to come back later was one I'd gladly take. Her nerves put me on edge though, telling me about how things were too quiet and how something was bound to happen soon. I've seen her nervous plenty of times but this one felt more...serious. But I mean come on princess, its been hours and other than telling a few ponies to come back later there hasn't been a singl-
An ironic crash of glass and tumbling thuds upstairs kindly informed me of a break-in in the private library. Well fuck me for trying to tempt fate I guess. Grumbling to myself I broke out in a sprint up a flight of steps and down another hallway. How the hell did they get up three stories from the outside? More importantly is what the hell am I suppose to do? Twilight would kill me for rushing in swinging but I can't just ask this one to leave now can I? As I slowly creeped up to the set of double doors I let myself catch my breath. I was just gonna have to be assertive about this. With that in mind I slammed opened the doors and took in the mess.
A hundred flakes of purple and pink stained glass were scattered across the floor and informed me how they broke in. Several of the wooden tables were either kicked into a pile of useless splinters or thrown against the walls to break some of the more weaker wooden shelves. The walls themselves showed black scars from recent magic usage, as if the burnt smell of paper and ozone couldn't clue me in. A lone pink unicorn with a purple and teal mane was next to a perfectly stacked tower of books, hoof frozen and poised to knock it over. She was clearly surprised but a little relieved, like she was expecting someone else. Knowing it wasn't anything to worry about she finished knocking over the stack, calmly walking back to me like a cat proud of the chaos she created.
"A...unicorn?"
She tilted her head innocently. "Something wrong with that?"
I just shrugged back, "Was expecting a pegasus, this is the third floor you're breaking into."
She gave a secret-hiding smile. "You gotta get creative with your logic Alex, just like I had to get creative to get in here."
Ok that...that made me freeze up, "You know my name?"
"Of course! There isn't anyone in Ponyville who doesn't, and I have to say my condolences to what happened to the others. It must get awfully lonely."
Urge...to pull out sword...rising, "So what else besides my life do you know?"
"I know Twilight's life! I spent so much time figuring out her patterns, her schedule, her friends, he-
I cut off the crazy stalker mare, "So why the obsession exactly?"
She was about to say something but closed her mouth at the last second. Shrugging her shoulders she walked over to an upturned table. Nudging it back upright she magically grabbed two of the last intact chairs and set them across from each other. "Tell you what, i'm actually ahead of schedule right now and this is a nice surprise. So seeing as how I probably can't convince you to just turn around and walk away..."
"Unlikely."
She got comfortable on the chair further from me and tapped on the table, inviting me to join her. "Well then, how about I tell you why I did it?"
Oh this should be good.
I couldn't help but smirk a little as I sat down with her. "Sure, because clearly there's a good enough reason to vandalize royal property. Why stop at just breaking a few tables? Light a match and this whole place will go down a lot quicker".
Lost in a good daydream she laughed at the idea. "Oh if only...unfortunately I need this place still standing for the time being. Not much time left though, if this horrible place is still standing by the time I'm finished consider it done."
Oh...she's serious. "Well that's...nice of you, uh...I don't think I ever caught your name?" Hoping to get her mind off of further vandalism.
"Just Ms. Glimmer is fine."
"Well Ms. Glimmer, can I ask why you'd go so far for revenge? Twilight isn't exactly out to make enemies in her...quest? Not really sure what she does exactly."
Her calm demeanor became nothing short of strained. The mere mention of Twilight's name ignited the fire in her eyes as she slammed a hoof on the table "I'll tell you what she does! She ruins lives!" The fury in her was short lived as boiling mad went to frozen with embarrassment. Looking down at the table in thought she finally came back around to ask me something. "Alex, you have regrets right?"
What kind of question is that? "Everyone has regrets Ms. Glimmer. I've made more here in Ponyville than I care to admit, honestly...I'd give a lot to go back and change things but I can't." I could feel my hands tremble under the table, just like the last time I tried looking back on mistakes. "They're just a part of life you have to accept."
She perked up around the time I mentioned going back to fix things. "But let's say you could go back and change things, would you?"
"Well sure, i'd go back for some of the more worse ones. But I don't think i'd change every mistake. Mistakes can build character, and if you mess with time too much you might end up in a worse situation you never saw coming."
She shook her head "For me this is the worst it can get. I need what was taken from me Alex. You see, I ran a...little town. It was paradise! A town where everypony was equal! And she RUINED IT!" slamming her hoof again at the memory.
The more she talked the more the cracks of what she really was shone though. She was a sociopath and not very good at hiding it. Maybe she wasn't trying to hide it anymore. Pure evil just sitting there waiting and I wasn't going to be the next victim. I shot up in my chair to leave but I felt her magic grab me by the shoulder and slam me back down again.
"Oh no no no" she tutted, "Your fate was sealed the moment you opened that door, and it doesn't involve you leaving this room."
Squirming in my chair I shot back, "So what the hell was all that stuff about convincing me to walk away?"
"I needed to see if what they said was true. You're not one to walk away, and with a past that leaves to be desired. Those two things come together into something I can have a bit of fun with. We can't have you getting in the way of my plans now can we? The question is Alex...how far back do we go?" Her horn lit up and I flinched as I felt her presence probe my head. "How long have you stayed in Equestria Alex?"
I didn't...have to...answer that. My head was in my hands as something...something demanded I answer her. Wait? Why am I fighting this its just a simple question? "Five years, two months, and three weeks" I explained, obeying Ms. Glimmer. The light on her horn diminished and I shook my head free of those stupid thoughts "You're sick in the head you know that!
She just shrugged her shoulders again "Tell me something I don't know" She put an ancient piece of parchment on the table and slid it over to me as I gave up on trying to break free. On it were new and old scribbles for some kind of...spell? It had as many doodles of clocks and portals as it did words but putting two and two wasn't hard.
"Care to tell me what you think that is?"
"A spell..."
"Yep."
"To turn back time..."
"Look at you go."
"And change things in your favor?"
"And he's figured it out! Give him a cookie on his way out folks." She teased, taking back the paper. Confident enough to gloat about my fate she started to summon her spell from across the room. The air shimmered as a single speck of light ripped itself open into a circle of mesmerizing rainbow lights. From the center swallowed and pulsed magic that dared anyone to step forward into its unknown abyss. The air in the room felt like it was getting sucked out through it as that crazed unicorn looked onward with a proud smile and a laugh to match the villains that came before her.
Seeing it all play out in front of me, it snapped something in me. She was going to throw me into the void without a second thought. This bitch was psycho! I'm not going to sit here and accept my fate! The sword I carry wasn't just for showing off and she was about to see that. She was so focused on her spell that the weight on my shoulder keeping me stuck was getting lighter and lighter, I just needed to break that concentration.
She turned back to look at me just as I flipped the table to face her. Then sent it launching at her with a double kick, smacking with a thud right in the face. She was knocked backwards over her chair with a cry of pain as I sprung out of my own chair. I barely got my sword out of its sheath before a magic beam with laser accuracy shot through the table and into my chest. My back hit the wall behind me as I scrambled to keep myself upright with my sword clutched tightly. The last of the splinters came falling down as Ms. Glimmer took a few steps forward towards me, blood dripping from her nose and fire burning in her eyes.
Adrenaline pumping through me I closed the distance between us fast. Without thinking I started scooping up books as I ran, bolt after bolt of magic soared at record speeds straight at my head, one whizzed by so fast past my ear that I could feel my hair singe from the heat. She was an amazing shot! But aiming for the same target every time in rage-fueled vengeance made things surprisingly more predictable than she probably thought. Hoping what I grabbed wasn't too sentimental to Twilight I held up the first book outstretched like a pastor casting out a demon. A snowstorm of paper scraps and leather bits filled my vision while I grabbed another book to repeat the process. As I got closer what few seconds I had to react got shorter and shorter. But I kept making progress, and after fighting for every foot of distance I stopped her barrage of magic with a lunge of my sword that she had to jump away from.
Keeping up the pressure I followed up my lunge with a flurry of swipes, if she wasn't going to hold anything back then neither was I. She was keeping up though, with her horn alight she was whipping her head to make arcs of light to catch my blade. She wasn't the first unicorn i've run into to try this but it was certainly the best attempt at it i'd ever seen. The arcs were so solid that sparks flew and the rasp and scrape reserved for metal on metal was heard. It didn't matter where I was relative to her, swings to the back of the head or body just resulted in hitting a literal wall of magic. Sweat beaded down our heads and after minute of stretched out minute the both of us had enough. I was panting from the physical toll across from an insane pony panting from the mental strain.
"Had enough fun?" she spat at me.
"All you had to do was let me walk away, hell you can still do that now." firing back and nodding my head to the portal "You're the crazy one trying to throw people away like unwanted garbage."
"Oh I don't just try, I get results." with another smirk she lit up her horn again and I could hear something heavy being lifted, the sound of tumbling books made my head spin and I was greeted with a face full of bookshelf launched at me.
My head...was swimming in and out of the darkness...I was being dragged and somewhere far away I heard what was probably gloating. Hearing the roar of the portal getting closer was what finally snapped me out of it. All I could move around was my neck, looking down at the rest of my body a purple aura kept everything else in place. Hoisted in the air with my back to a portal calling my name Ms. Glimmer was floating off the ground with me keeping things eye to eye.
"Aw, don't feel bad things didn't go your way. Think of all the fun you're going to have! You get to see every change and new decision that i'm going to create firsthand! Nobody else will remember what i've done except for you and Twilight, I'm counting on it."
Knowing I wasn't getting out of this one I shot her the meanest look someone could muster while still half dazed from blunt force trauma. "I'll come back you know, and when round two hits i'll make sure whatever you did to me will be put in every punch and every swing."
The smirk never left her face like I wanted, what I did see however was her picking up my sword off the floor with her magic and putting it to my throat. Cold metal slowly slid it across my skin, making sure to keep it steady enough to just leave behind a scratch that got the point across of who was in charge. Satisfied, she gently put my sword back in its sheath and leaned in close.
"Then you'll be needing that, but holding on to that revenge won't erase the fact that i've already won. Good luck." With that she gave a hard shove and I sailed right on through the portal. My vision swam as color and light collapsed in on itself with no sense of direction to guide me. Stuck in a free fall I fell faster and faster until reality snapped back to greet me.
The sensation of cotton sheets was the first thing to greet me as I shot up from the grand bed I was in. As I looked around the new room I found myself feeling the dread in me grow as I recognized more and more of it. The balcony with a view, the carved furniture fit for royalty, the biggest walk-in closet I had ever seen. I was in one of the nicer guest bedrooms of the royal castle in Canterlot. The same bedroom I stayed at when I first found myself in Equestria.
Several years ago
Oh no
