Chapters Cosmos watched as Chrysalis fled the grotto that held the Tree of Harmony with a smirk. She wasn't surprised in the least it had turned out like this in the end. What did the former queen think would happen? If she honestly thought this piss brained scheme of hers would work, then she was a bigger fool than Cosmos had taken her for.
It might have had a better chance though if the clone Twilight Sparkle had not turned out to be as smart as the original was, and the native Mane Seven hadn't been as stupid as a box of rocks this whole time.
Wait, scratch that. That was an insult to rocks to lump them together. There was no way to sum it up then.
But that was beside the point though. Cosmos had come here because this was the first chance she had to something about this whole mess, or at least for one that is. What she did after that was up to her.
Making sure the ex queen was fully out of sight, Cosmos teleported down to the grotto. Inside she found what she had expected to see. The Tree was silent now, its defenses quite, but it was what was on the floor before it that held her attention.
Six colored logs sat where they had fallen. Walking up to them, she gave them a look of pity mixed with scorn. "Such a waste. You six had the chance to do something for yourselves, and yet you wasted it arguing with each other." She said as she ignited her horn.
As she had expected, there was still life in each of them. Not much, but enough for what she had in mind. Right now the Tree of Harmony was holding them like this through its own magic. One easily cut through
Or at least for one that is as Cosmos turned her attention to the purple log that was closest to her. Charging her horn, she fired a beam of her own power at the center of the log, stepped back and waited.
For a moment the log glowed brightly before the light faded, showing nothing had changed. But she knew better as she only watched what was to come as without warning the log dissolved into a puddle of purple goo. Nothing happened for a few moments after that.
Cosmos rolled her eyes. "If you're as smart as you think you are, then you should be able to pull yourself back together."
That seemed to trigger something because even as the last word left her mouth something in the puddle began to change. First came a change in color as purple became midnight blue with two-color streaks soon followed by two eyes. As that became apparent, the mass of goo swelled upwards soon forming into a vaguely equine shape. But not a perfect one as even now its skin was still more liquid than solid.
But its identity was as clear as daylight. "Well... This was unexpected." Twilight said with a devious smirk. "And promising." She then noticed the pony before her. "What are you looking at?"
Cosmos smirked as well. "You tell me. I assume you know what you are and what happened to you?"
Twilight narrowed her eyes. "Of course I know who and what I am. My 'creator' made sure to tell me all about it." She spat as she looked around the cave. "Where is that misbegotten queen? She and I aren't done yet."
"Fled, like the coward she is," Cosmos replied. "I'm sure you'll have another chance to face her."
Twilight finally took a good look at the mare before her. She seemed to be Twilight Sparkle like she was, but then she noticed something that her companion did not have wings, and then she noticed what was on her flanks, or rather, what wasn't there: She had no cutie mark. Her fur was spotless like a mark had never been there, to begin with.
Twilight looked back at her face. "Who are you? You look like me, yet clearly you are not Twilight Sparkle."
Cosmos's smile grew. "Me? I'm just a passing through equine. Remember that."
Twilight's eyes narrowed. "Do you expect me to say thank you? Offer praise for bringing me back?" She snorted. "You're a fool if you do."
Cosmos turned away. "No, I don't expect you to. What you think of me is not something I care about."
"And where are you going?" Twilight asked.
Cosmos turned around. "My time in this universe is over. I've given you another chance at life. What you do with it is up to you."
Twilight lifted a partially formed hoof. "And how am I supposed to do that like this? I'm a talking puddle of purple goo. I can't do anything like this."
Cosmos smiled. "You're a smart mare, I'm sure you'll figure out how to get your old body back in time." She looked at the Tree. "You won't have to worry about anything from the Tree. Anything short of a full blast from the Elements of Harmony won't affect you."
She turned away once more as her horn ignited. "Call it a final gift from me to you."
Twilight closed her eyes as a bright light filled the room. When she could see again, the mysterious mare was nowhere to be found, leaving her both confused and yet excited at her future prospects.
As soon as she figured out how to give herself her old body back that is.
***
Princess Celestia was not one to be surprised easily nor was she one to feel something she had never felt before. Today was proving to be the exception as she and Luna held council together in the Throne Room.
"You felt it too then?" She asked her sister, who bore an expression of deep thought, though tinged with confusion. One that she bore as well.
Luna nodded. "I did. Something happened at the Tree of Harmony." She shook her head. "Whatever, or whoever it was, I have never felt that kind of power before."
Celestia nodded. "Neither have I. That short flare didn't even skim the surface of what there was."
"But how can that be?" Luna asked. "How can something be that powerful? It reminded me of Tirek at his strongest, but this was on a whole other level."
Celestia nodded. "I do not know." She sighed. "For the moment though it seems to have gone. Maybe it is better that we never know what it was."
Luna nodded as well, her mind returning to her earlier thoughts. Whatever it had been, it had not harmed the Tree of Harmony so that was some comfort. The fact that the tree had done nothing at all it seemed was odd, but there was still so much they didn't know about it.
What worried her the most though was where had that power come from, why had it come here, and where had it gone now? And if it did return, was a friend. Or a hidden foe? Luna hoped they never had to find out.
***
It had taken more time than she would have wanted, but Twilight had finally found a way to give herself a body again. As it turned out, once she did figure out a plan, it was rather simple. She had already given herself a form as it was, but she had been so focused on her companion that she hadn't given it more thought than that.
Once she had, however, the goo that made up most of what she was at that moment began to solidify into a proper body. It hadn't been comfortable by any stretch, but it had been worth the wait.
As she stretched all her limbs for all they were worth, Twilight had never felt this alive before and then stopped at what she had just thought. She had never felt this alive before now in her short existence. Before now she had only been power imbued into a photo, a strand of hair, and a piece of wood by Chrysalis.
Unlike her companions, she had known exactly what she was, and she had hated every minute of it. She had only gone along with them until she could've found a way to free herself. It hadn't worked out as she had expected.
But now whatever that mare had done to had changed all that. Her mind, her soul was all her own now. That shapeless puddle of goo she had returned as had been the first step back. She could've chosen any form to be after that, but she had stayed with the one she was familiar with, consciously formed as her mind came to.
But therein lay several problems. With her now being a fully sapient being, that meant she now came with all that entailed, and she was hungry. Which led to the next problem.
There was already one Twilight Sparkle in Equestria. She had no doubt the two of them would meet at some point, but she hoped that day was far in the future at the moment.
"One step at a time." She told herself. "I am not staying here that is for certain."
Casting one last glance at the logs that were her former companions, Twilight spread her wings and took flight, soon leaving the grotto behind. That was her past. Ahead lay her future.
One that she would make for herself.
Author's Note
For those who have read my other story, yes Cosmos is the same being from Long Live The Empress. A different universe of course, but they are the same.
This was just a one-off avatar the all-encompassing being they come from used. I'm debating if she did anything else while she was here but we won't hear about for a while.
And yes. This is 100% inspired by One Castle, Two Alicorns by The Animation Fan.
More Questions Than Answers
Princess Twilight wasn't sure why she had been asked to check up on the Tree of Harmony, but it must have been important enough for Princess Celestia to have asked to come back out here. Why she couldn't have done it earlier while she and her friends were here were pushed aside for the moment as came to the Tree's grotto. She was here now. It wouldn't do her any good to ask why at the moment.
Looking around, she found the Tree much as it had looked the last time she had been here. Her confusion grew as she looked all over the small chamber. Nothing seemed out of place. The Elements of Harmony were where they belonged and there was no sign of anyone being here recently.
Yet, there was a faint smell of something as she sniffed the air. Ozone, like that, left behind after somepony teleported. Her brows creasing Twilight ignited her horn and cast around the cave. After a moment she found what she had been looking for.
Someone had been here, recently too. Several in fact. Who they were she couldn't tell but there was one thing for sure. Powerful offensive magic had been thrown around by two of them, but who won wasn't clear as both seemed to cut off at the same time.
Twilight felt something else though. Another had entered the cave not long after the first two had ended and had cast a spell that, to her shock, she couldn't make sense of.
In fact, if she was being honest, this kind of magic didn't exist at all in Equestria. That raised even more questions though as she probed deeper seeing if she could follow the magic trail left behind.
She didn't go far though as she felt something else, something that shocked her as her rump hit the ground and her eyes grew large. "That. That doesn't make sense. Nothing can be that powerful."
It was true. If Twilight was being honest with herself, this was like Tirek at his strongest, but that was also like comparing an anthill to a mountain.
And Tirek was the anthill.
And this was only barely skimming the surface of what there was. She didn't dare push deeper less she draw the attention of the one who wielded it. If this was just an echo of their power, then she feared what they would be like right in front of her.
Even then though Twilight felt there had been no malice in that casting. More like whoever had done it hadn't cared at all what came after they had. But that didn't make any sense as she turned and trotted out of the grotto with more questions than answers.
Just what had happened here?
***
In hindsight, expecting a thousand-year plus abandoned ruin to still have any food was a long shot. But to Twilight, it did give her something she needed: A place to stay and a roof over her head.
Well, most of a roof anyway, and with some of the improvements Princess Twilight and her friends had made to the place, for some strange reason that eluded her for the moment, it was as good as she could get for the moment.
At the moment she was in what had once been the Castle Library. While many of the books had been taken back to Ponyville by the resident princess, many were still here, enough to keep her occupied for a time she thought as she flipped a page on her current read. Some old text on magic, now woefully out of date she snorted as she read. It had been for several centuries now.
But it kept her mind occupied from its other thoughts. Namely, what she did now. The plan to steal the Elements of Harmony was no longer an option. Not after what they had done to her and the others. There was also no guarantee she could wield them all as it was.
But there was another, more sobering reason to avoid them at all costs. She had no idea of what they might do to her now.
Though that strange mare had seemingly made her as much a real pony as any in Equestria, the fact remained she had been born from dark magic. And the Elements were not known to be kind to those with it or born from it. Nightmare Moon being a perfect example.
Which led into her next problem, and what scared her the most no matter how much she denied it. What would happen when she and Princess Twilight finally met? As much as she wished it, she knew that the two of them would one day meet.
What would she and her friends do then? She had nothing but her own word that she was her own mare now and not some slave or drone of Chrysalis out to get them.
She would more than likely be seen as an abomination of magic, one that had no right to exist and they would most likely 'Harmonise'' her as they had others, and that would be the end of her. If not that, then the princess would undo the magic that had birthed her and return her to the objects she had once been.
Of course, there was always the slim chance that they would let her live, maybe even try and make friends with her. But that was so slim Twilight couldn't even halfheartedly believe it herself.
No, she was on her own now, and there was no way around it. She was alone, and she always would be. That was fine by her, she thought, she turned another page and continued to read. She didn't need anyone else.
Ignoring the tears that had gathered at that moment.
***
Princess Celestia kept a careful mask up, but all who knew her could see she was concerned by all she had just heard. "You are sure?"
Princess Twilight nodded. "Positive. Something big did happen at the Tree of Harmony. I'm not sure what exactly, but a lot of magic was being thrown around."
"And what of the third?" Celestia asked.
Twilight gulped. "If I'm being honest princess. I've never felt anything like that before. Whatever magic they used, it doesn't exist on Equus at all." She paused a moment as she shook her head. "No, more than that. By all the Laws of Magic, it shouldn't be possible for it to exist at all, and all I felt was the echo left behind."
Celestia sighed. "That is what I was afraid of. But what of the other two?"
Twilight shrugged. "I'm not sure. Only two left the cave. The other just, vanished into thin air."
Celestia was troubled by this. As she saw it, something new had been thrown into the mix by this mysterious third party and it concerned her deeply. Not only that, but they were wielding magic that was unknown to them and defied all the laws ponies had known for as long as they had used magic. The question then became, why did they do what they had done? And why leave so suddenly?
There was something going on here, and Celestia didn't like it one bit. There was still too much about this they didn't know.
Twilight herself didn't like it either, but there was more that she wasn't telling Princess Celestia. She had recognized one of the magic signatures that had left the cave. But that couldn't be right, could it?
It was her own, but angrier, darker, and more violent than she had ever been. Underneath all that though had been something that had shocked her.
But for the moment she kept it to herself. No point in saying more until she had more to work with.
Once again Twilight found herself in front of the Tree of Harmony. Something had drawn her back for some reason. Maybe it had been her talk with Starlight earlier that week that had started it.
As she had expected, Starlight too had felt what had gone on at the Tree. What had Twilight worried though had been Starlight's reaction to it all.
It had scared her beyond reason. Not even the threats from Queen Chrysalis had scared her this much.
***
Starlight gave her old teacher a pleading look. "Twilight, I know how much you love a good mystery, but take it from me. Leave this alone. One is enough. Don't follow this one."
Twilight was lost. "Why not?"
Starlight shook her head. "I did a little digging myself. That power left behind a trail any unicorn worth their horn could follow, so I did."
Twilight's brows rose. "So what was it? Did you see it?"
Starlight nodded. "I saw enough. Enough to know that this is a power we don't want to be here if we can help it. It knew I was following it. It let me see what I did."
Twilight was shocked. Starlight had never been like this as long as they had known each other. She wasn't just scared. She was afraid for her life.
Twilight put on a comforting smile. "Starlight, we've faced some pretty bad things before. I think we can handle this."
Starlight just shook her head. "Twilight. The Tree of Harmony threw everything it had, plus the kitchen sink, at this thing to make it leave, and it didn't do a thing to it. Not even phased it."
Starlight paused a moment. "Wait, scratch that. It knew what the Tree was trying to do, and brushed it off like nothing."
***
All of that had worried. If something like that could do that to the Tree of Harmony, what did that say about their chances? So now here she was, hoping to get some answers to what exactly was going on.
How was another story, but she'd cross that bridge when she got there.
Walking into the grotto, she was happy to see that the Tree looked no different than it had the last time she had been here. The ozone scent was gone and that helped calm her nerves somewhat.
Trotting up to the Tree's trunk, Twilight couldn't help but admire the Elements of Harmony that lay embedded in it. It still felt weird after so long that they had given them up.
Placing a hoof on the base, she sighed. "I wish you could talk. We need to know. What happened here? What did we feel?"
"A power I hope you never face Twilight." Came a new voice that made Twilight jump out of her feathers as she took a step back. As she did, the Tree began to glow brightly. So much so Twilight was forced to close her eyes.
When she could see again, her mouth dropped in shock. Floating before her was, herself? But this version of her was more ethereal, more translucent. Twilight was confused. "Who are you? What are you?"
The figure smiled. "I am a projection of the Tree of Harmony. The bond you and your friends share has allowed me to assume this form for a time."
Twilight wished she'd thought to bring quill and paper to write this down, it was fascinating. She made a mental note to write it all down later. "So, what happened here? I need to know if we ever meet it and worse comes to worst."
The projection shook her head. "You cannot face her Twilight. Even if you, all your friends, the princesses, even every foe you have faced, combined your powers, you would not stand a chance against her. What you felt was just a tenth of one percent of her power." The figure smiled. "But she came with good intentions in the end."
That got Twilight's attention. "What did she do?"
Her smile grew. "She gave another chance at life to one who, in the end, deserved it more than her companions did. I even know where she's gone too."
Twilight leaned forward. "You do? Where? Who is she?"
The figure smirked. "Where's the fun in that? You'll never have fun if I tell you everything."
Twilight couldn't help but giggle, the tension flowing out of her. "Oh my gosh. You're as bad as Princess Celestia."
The projection clapped her hooves. "Thank you!" Her face turned serious a moment. "There is one more thing. But you will have to ask Cozy Glow about that."
With that the projection faded from view and back into the Tree, leaving Twilight with some answers, but still with many questions with no answers.
At the top of the list though, was who was this pony the Tree had mentioned, and why it felt like she had a connection Twilight?
Author's Note
Fun fact. What Cozy Glow will talk about has changed everything that happened from this point forward in season 8 that involves her.
Well, her and the Young Six. But they don't count since I hate those six characters.
As the final bell for the day rang, Twilight sighed. Normally she looked forward to a little peace and quiet once the School of Friendship ended for the day. Today though was an exception.
All of her classes had gone without a hitch and none of her friends had reported anything off. Even Starlight hadn't reported anything.
Twilight though was uneasy, and it had to do with one student in particular. Her mind kept gong back to the conversation she'd had with the Tree of Harmony. It was time to find out what she had meant.
A knock at the door brought a small smile to her face as she looked at the clock. Right on time. "Come in," she called.
Cozy Glow poked her head in hesitantly. "You wanted to see me Professor Sparkle?"
Twilight nodded as she gestured to a chair in front of her desk. "I do. Have a seat Cozy."
Slowly the filly entered the room. Her eyes kept darting all around, as if she were afraid of something would jump out of the shadows at her. Twilight saw it as well but didn't comment as Cozy sat down. She could see now something had changed about her.
"Am I trouble?" Cozy asked. "Golly, I don't think I've done anything."
Twilight smiled. "You're not in trouble. Far from it in fact. Your teachers and classmates have said you've been extra nice lately."
Cozy squinted at her. "And is that a bad thing?"
Twilight giggled. "Hardly. This is a Friendship School after all." Her smile dropped. "But they've also said you're skkitish now, jumping at shadows and things that aren't there."
Cozy gulp. Twilight saw it and now knew for sure something was going on. "Normally I'd let Starlight help you, but I feel that I need to be the one."
Cozy pulled herself close and Twilight's worry increased. "Cozy, what happened the day you vanished? What are you afraid of?"
And Cozy Glow remembered, no matter how much she tried to forget.
***
Cozy tried to fight the magic holding her, but the mare's grip was as hard as steel. Whoever she was, she wasn't Twilight Sparkle, no matter what she looked like.
The Twilight she knew wouldn't have shown her what she had, no matter how mad she might be. None of her friends would.
Cosmos smiled as she poured more of her magic into Cozy Glow. It didn't matter what the filly did once she was done with her. That Equestria was safer now.
"Fight it all you want Cozy, it does not matter," she said, floating the filly closer, "I am sending you back to Equestria. Do not make me regret it."
Cozy frowned at her. "What did I do?" She asked.
Cosmos shook her head. "It's what you will do that I'm stopping. You think friendship is power? Power is power. If you truly want it, then earn it. You will fail otherwise."
She frowned, and Cozy gulped. "My mercy is limited. I am giviving you another chance. Make me regret it and my wrath will make the Elements of Harmony seem tame by comparison."
***
Cozy shook her head at the memories. "You wouldn't believe me if I told you."
Twilight's brow rose. "Is someone forcing you not to talk about it?"
Cozy shook her head and Twilight sighed. Maybe this was something Starlight could help with. Whatever it was, Twilight didn't like it at all.
Author's Note
Time to tie up a loose end. What Cosmos showed Cozy has derailed the rest of season 8, and beyond for that matter, for the character.
In the short term, that means the Tree of Harmony has cut the Young Six out of the equation entirely. When they do find it, it won't react to them at all.
What this all means for seaon 9, I'm not sure of yet.
Today, Twilight decided, was fast becoming one of those days where nothing made sense. And for once she couldn't blame Discord for it. No matter how much she wanted too.
She had just sat down for her lunch break when Smolder had come running into her office saying she had to see something. Her urgency had convinced Twilight that something was up, so she had gathered all her friends to investigate and made their way to the Library.
Now they and six other students stood and looked in shock at what filled the room before them, a room none of them even knew existed before now.
It was the Tree of Harmony. Even now it filled up most of the space around them. Several roots even hung from the ceiling.
"What in tarnation is it doing all the way out here?" Applejack asked.
"And why would it do so now?" Rarity added.
Twilight shook her head. "I don't know. I didn't even think it could move." She looked at the students. "Did anything happen when you found it?"
"Nah. It just sat there and did nothing," Sandbar replied.
Gallus rolled his eyes. "It's a tree. It's not supposed to do anything."
"Not this tree!" Pinkie exclaimed as she rushed over and put a hoof on the trunk. "It's the most important tree in Equestria! Maybe the whole world!"
"I doubt it," Gallus muttered, though without as much snark as he usually did.
Twilight was only half paying attention to the exchange. Something about this didn't feel right. Why would the Tree of Harmony move? Was there a threat they didn't know about?
And why did it feel like someone was watching her from the shadows? Looking around though, she saw nothing out of place, but the feeling wouldn't leave her alone.
***
Unseen by all, a shadow flew up and vanished through the hole in the ceiling, but not before casting a quick glance at Twilight.
***
"So what do we do now?" Starlight asked. Even having seen the Tree before, she was still in awe of it, and it wasn't even doing anything at the moment.
Twilight sighed. "There's nothing we really can do. If the Tree of Harmony decided to come here, there must be a good reason."
"But what could that be?" Silverstream asked.
Twilight shook her head. "I don't know." And a part of her hoped they never found out. Too much else was going on at the moment that fidn't add up, and this just added to it.
Normally Twilight loved a good mystery and the ride getting to the end, but this wasn't one of those times.
Once again, Twilight found herself drawn back down to the Tree of Harmony below the School of Friendship's library. Unlike before though, this was on her own volition.
Like before, the tree appeared to be fine for the moment. While she was glad that nothing seemed wrong for now, something else was on her mind at the moment.
"We need to talk. Today would be nice," she said aloud and waited. She hoped this wasn't a waste of time. She had enough going on at the moment.
The tree began to glow a moment later. When it faded, Twilight found herself face to face with herself. This time though, the projection's expression was solemn, as if she guessed why Twilight was there.
"I was wondering when you would come and ask for me Twilight. And I have some idea of what you wish to ask me," she said with a faint smile.
Twilight didn't see the need to beat around the bush, so she asked what was on her mind. "Why are you here? Why did you move from the Everfree Forest? Is there something coming?"
The projection smirked. "I moved myself to the safest place in Equestria. The Tree of Harmony, beneath a School of Friendship. Do I really need to explain it to you?"
Twilight rolled her eyes. "Point taken. But why now though? The school has been in use for some time now. Does it have something to do with what happened a few months ago?
The projection nodded. "Indeed. The era you know is ending. I must change with it." She shook her head. "I cannot say more than that for the future is in flux and only one knows where it ends."
"Then where is she?" Twilight asked. "I want to talk to her. Maybe she can fill in the blanks. I'm getting tired of not knowing what is going on."
The projection paled considerably, turning a bright shade of white. "You do not know what you ask Twilight. Many have tried to talk to her. None ever came out the same afterward."
She bowed her head. "If you invoke her, there is every chance that you will not come back from it."
Twilight snorted. "I've dealt with Discord more times than I care to count. I think I can handle whatever this, she, is just fine. Where is she? I'm done waiting."
Before the projection could answer though, someone else beat her to it.
"Many more have said the same thing to me. I usually send them away after a talking too about manners. Or they never leave at all. Your choice on what happens to you Twilight Sparkle."
Twilight's heart skipped a beat. There was an unmistakable tone of authority in that voice. Along with a sense of power that she had never heard before, not even from Princess Celestia.
Turning around to face the source, she came face to face with-
"Oh come on! What is it about looking like me that seems to be a fad now?" She exclaimed in an annoyed tone.
The earth pony in front of her smirked. "I happen to like this look. No one tells me what I can and can't look like. I was a unicorn the last time I was here."
Twilight's brow rose. "And what is that supposed to mean? Who are you?"
The mare smiled. "I have as many names as there are universes in the multiverse. My true name is not one a mortal can speak. Call me Cosmos if you need a name."
Twilight didn't like this, Cosmos. Not at all. Everything about her screamed deadly, even though she didn't make any threatening gestures or look evil. "Then why are you here? What did you do?"
Cosmos's smile dropped. "My reasons for being here are my own. As for what I did? I simply gave another chance at life to one who deserved it. I also set another on a better track for life."
Twilight growled. This was going nowhere. "That doesn't make any sense. Why don't you tell me what's really going on?"
Quick as lightning, Cosmos was in Twilight's face. She didn't even have time to blink before she was nose to nose with the strange mare.
"Your impudence will get you killed one day if you keep this up," she said in a soft tone. "You do not want me as your enemy. I'll let you off with this warning."
With that. she raised a hoof and touched it to Twilight's head.
With a strangled cry of fear, Twilight backed away as fast as she could, until she hit the far wall of the cavern. In her eyes was a fear that went beyond anything all the villains she had ever faced, combined, had ever engendered.
"What. What are you?" she finally managed to say, unable to hide the quiver in her voice.
Cosmos stood to her full height. "I am the Alpha and the Omega, the first and the last. The beginning and the end. I was there before time began, and I will be there when time itself is unmade."
For a moment, the cavern grew darker, as if the light itself was being swallowed by a darkness blacker than the most moonless night in Equestria. Blacker than the voids between galaxies.
The next second it was gone, and Twilight could breathe easier again. But the fear was still there.
Cosmos smiled again. But it was gentler this time. "But I'm not here for that. I could explain it to you Twilight Sparkle what is going on. But I think it would be better for you to find out on your own."
Not trusting her voice for the moment Twilight just nodded. "And what about you?" She asked after a time.
Cosmos just smirked as she turned and walked away. "Me? I'll be around. I want to see what this universe ends up doing after what I've done. You will see me again Twilight."
With that, Cosmos began to fade away into nothingness. In a moment, she was gone completely, leaving no indication that she had ever been there in the first place.
Leaving Twilight and the Tree of Harmony wondering when and where she would pop up again.
And Twilight began to think of how she was going to explain this to Celestia, Luna, and Cadance.
Author's Note
Okay. So this chapter wasn't in the original plan for this story. But someone did bring up the idea of Twilight and Cosmos meeting each other.
That lead to this. Cosmos will pop up again randomly throughout the story. Never in the same form. And never again like Twilight. At least in public.
Emergency Princess Meeting
Princess Celestia found herself in a rather unique spot. While meetings of all of Equestria's ruling princesses were not unusual, it was who had called it that was a first.
Twilight had sent a formal letter to Canterlot asking her and Luna to come to Ponyville as soon as possible. She had also asked Cadance to come from the Crystal Empire as well.
The haunted look in her former student's eyes told that something had happened to her recently. It reminded Celestia to some extent of the look that some of the Royal Guard had when returning from conflict.
But this was on a different level. Twilight showed no signs of recent battle or magical exhaustion from a Magic Duel. So then, what had happened to her?
"We are all gathered as you requested Princess Twilight. To what do you call this council?" Luna asked, holding back a yawn. It was way past her usual bedtime at this hour.
Twilight steadied her breathing for a moment before she looked at her fellow rulers. "Remember the magic surge recently at the Tree of Harmony?"
All nodded. Even Cadance knew of it. But she was as confused as Celestia and Luna were.
Twilight's ears drooped. "I know what caused it. I've met the one who cast that spell. Or rather, she found me."
Luna's brow rose. "She? This individual is a mare?"
Twilight nodded. "Her name, as she gave it to me, is Cosmos. But it's the name she chose to use. I don't know her real name. No one does."
Celestia's own brow rose. "I'm not sure what you mean Twilight. You make it sound like this Cosmos isn't a normal mare, aside from her magic."
Twilight shook her head. "She isn't normal by any definition we know. I only saw a small part of her, and it was enough. She let me see it. She wanted me to know."
"Why? What could she gain from letting you see that?" Cadance asked, concern in her voice.
"To prove a point. I called her back. I was the one who demanded that she explain everything that's going on in Equestria at the moment," Twilight replied. "The Tree of Harmony even warned me that it was a risk in doing so."
Her head bowed. "I didn't listen. I paid for it."
Celestia, Luna, and Cadance all shared a concerned look. They all knew that the Tree of Harmony could take on a form that resembled Twilight. It had done so once before.
"Then I say we find this, Cosmos, and teach her a lesson. No attack on a princess of Equestria should go unpunished," Luna said, a hint of anger in her voice.
Twilight shook her head. "Luna, we can't fight this. We can't fight her. This is a power we have no hope of standing against. I've seen what she can do. I don't want to see that here."
"Then what should we do? We can't just let her roam free, can we?" Cadance asked.
Twilight nodded. "I don't think we have much of a choice. She said she plans on staying in this universe to see where it goes from here. I don't know what she meant by that. But I'd rather stay on her good side."
Luna snorted. "I fail to see what is so bad about this Cosmos. We have faced far worse than her before and come out on top. She will be no different."
Twilight bit back an angry retort. It would do them no good to get angry about this. "Luna. You didn't see what I saw. Starlight's messing with time? I'd rather do that again than face that."
That put an end to further conversation for some time. All knew of her and Spike's misadventures through time with Starlight Glimmer and the effects of her messing with the Sonic Rainboom.
If Twilight would rather go through that again. then this was far more serious than any of them had thought.
"Where is she now? I would very much like to speak to her," Celestia finally said.
Twilight shrugged. "I don't know. She vanished into thin air, literally, when I met her. She could be anywhere or anyone. I don't even know of a way we can know it's her."
"Should we be worried about that?" Cadance asked. "It reminds me far too much of what Queen Chrysalis did before she was overthrown."
Twilight shook her head. I"m not sure. If Cosmos wants to be found though, then I don't doubt we will know it's her when the time comes. One way or the other."
Author's Note
Ah, the fun of writing 10th-dimensional beings. Who only obey one law, and that is their own. Better known as something else though.
It's whatever I feel like when I write them. That means show logic, or even Pinkie Pie's or Discord's logic has no bearing on them. Or just Cosmos in this case.
It was rare for Twilight and her friends to gather in the Throne Room at all at once these days. With much of their time taken by the School of Friendship and other things, it made sense.
Today though was an exception. Twilight had called them all together for an emergency meeting. Even Spike and Starlight were here.
"So what's up?" Rainbow asked as she floated lazily around their heads.
Twilight sighed. "We have a new problem. I met the one who made the ruckus at the Tree of Harmony. Or rather, she found me."
Everyone shared a look. All but Starlight that is, who turned pale at the thought as a certain memory came back. For the moment though no one said anything.
"I'm not sure how this is a problem darling," Rarity said. "While I too was worried about the tree being harmed, again, it seems no worse for the experience."
Twilight rubbed her snout. "Because she isn't a pony. Not even close. She isn't something we know of that exists on Equus. And it scares me. It scares me more than anything."
Spike gave her a look. "Twilight, you're not making any sense. What's so bad about this, thing? You're not scared of much, and I should know."
Twilight rounded on him, her eyes hard as steel. "What's so bad? I was this close to being unmade in every sense of the word! I was this close to watching all of our reality unravel!"
She slumped and sniffed. "I looked death in the eye, and I was scared. I looked at the End of All Things, and I couldn't do anything about it."
That shut everyone up as they shared concerned looks. Only Starlight looked like she had an idea of what Twilight was talking about. And even she was concerned. This went beyond everything she had seen that day.
"Um. So what are we supposed to do now?" Fluttershy asked.
Twilight looked up. "We try and find her. Her name is Cosmos. Or at least that's what she told me. I don't know what her real name is. No one does."
"And what if we do find her? Starlight asked, not at all happy at the thought of meeting her again anytime soon. Or ever for that matter.
Twilight sighed. "Try and stay on her good side. I called her back to Equestria. I'd rather stay on what passes as her good side."
"So what does she look like? Pinkie Pie asked. She loved meeting new ponies and other creatures, and this one sounded like an absolute doozy.
Twilight shrugged. "I don't know. She could be anyone. Look for anyone suspicious around Ponyville, or Canterlot, or anywhere for that matter."
Something came back to Applejack at that moment. "Speaking of suspicious Twilight. Were you in the East Orchard this morning?"
Twilight shook her head. "No. I haven't been outside the castle or the school all day. Why?"
Applejack pushed her hat up. "Cause I saw somepony that looked exactly like you going through the apple trees. She took off as soon as she saw me. Looked scared out of her mind too."
Twilight tapped her chin. This didn't feel right. Something else was going on. Why would anypony be in the apple orchard except for the Apple Family?
And why would they take off at the sight of Applejack? If they weren't stealing apples, then they really had nothing to fear. If they were though, then they would be in a whole heap of trouble.
Something about all this wasn't adding up and she didn't like it. Not at all. And it was driving her crazy.
Author's Note
Now we come to the fun part. It should be obvious who Applejack saw. She was too far away to notice the slight differences between them.
Cosmos will pop up again. She's enjoying it. Why is she doing this? Because screwing with lowly 3rd-Dimensional beings is fun.
Especially when there's not a thing they can do about it. Or at least that's what our brains can make sense of.
All of this makes sense only to her.
Underneath the School of Friendship, the Tree of Harmony glowed as she sensed that someone was before her. And she was not one Harmony could ignore.
As her projection blazed into life, her eyes came upon the form of Twilight Sparkle. Or at least a Pegasus version of her. That alone told her who the mare really was.
"I, wasn't expecting you to come back," Harmony said, trying to hide her unease. There was a reason she didn't like being this close to her. One does not like remembering their creator and how insignificantly she was a part of her. Especially when you had become sapient.
Cosmos smiled. "Don't worry. I have nothing for you. But I have questions you must answer."
Harmony bowed her head. "You already know why I'm here. The Everfree Forest is no longer safe. Discord's Plundervines served a purpose, whether they wanted to or not."
Cosmos nodded. "They kept the forest in check. Your lack of the Elements of Harmony upset the balance. Attacking you was the only way to get them back."
Harmony nodded. "I have no love lost for Discord. But it was the only way. The Everfree is becoming too wild. I couldn't stay."
Cosmos nodded, frowning. "This era is ending. Celestia and Luna plan to announce their retirement today. Twilight and her friends have already left for Canterlot. Twilight will need all the help she can get."
"I will help her and her friends as much as I can. But I fear what will come of this. Another is plotting in the shadows," Harmony replied.
Cosmos spat. "Grogar and his Legion of Doom. One has already been taken care of and is no longer of any use to them."
Harmony knew who she meant. Cozy Glow had been turned from her path and set on a better course. Where it would lead none knew. But Harmony hoped it was for the better.
"Then what of Sombra, Tirek, and Chrysalis? I came here hoping it would prevent them from coming after me," she said.
Cosmos nodded, her smile softening. "It will. No harm will come to you here. And even then, I have a plan in place to make them a non-issue when the time comes."
While Harmony was relieved some, it didn't help fully. "And what of Sombra? Twilight and her friends have not faced something like him before."
Cosmos smirked. "I have faith in their friendship. Sombra is nothing but a pathetic hack. A waste trying to be something he is not, based on something far from here."
Her smirk grew. "And they have another that will help them. Whether she knows it now or not."
Harmony knew who she meant. "Twilight's twin. She's been in hiding since her rebirth." She shook her head. "She can't hide forever."
Cosmos nodded. "No, she cannot. No matter what she tells herself to the contrary, she wants friends, she wants to be accepted by Equestria, not seen as a monster or abomination."
"Do you think they will accept her?" Harmony asked.
Cosmos nodded. "I have faith they will. If not only Twilight herself. She is too good to not try and make friends with her."
Author's Note
Hello season 9, and the meat of the story. Yes, this is written knowing where the season is going with Grogar and the Legion of Doom.
Or what's left of it anyway.
Yes, I am making full and total fun of Sombra. Season 3's and 9's premiers failed miserably to make him anything worthwhile to me as a character.
No, I am not sorry at all.
The fact that he is a thinly disguised attempt at making something along the lines of Sauron from the Lord Of the Rings doesn't help. Sauron at least was an interesting character and a very real threat.
For a time after their meeting in the Castle of Friendship, Twilight tried to keep an eye out for the pony that looked like her. But she never saw her.
Reports though began to come in from around Ponyville that had ponies had been seeing her acting oddly. Even by her standards. What was weird was that when they were brought up to her, Twilight could prove she had been someplace else at the time.
One thing though was in common with all of them. Every time somepony tried to get close to her, Twilight's doppelganger would fell as if she was afraid of being seen.
It only added to the mystery. And with two recent ones finally solved, Twilight was more than happy to look into it.
Without Pinkie's help this time, and without that ridiculous outfit, she had worn that one time. But with the School of Friendship about to reopen, she had very little time to do so.
And so she had to let this mystery lie for a time. And for a while, she had even forgotten about it. Until the day Sombra returned. Again.
***
This was not turning out to be Twilight Sparkle's day. Having saved the Crystal Empire from King Sombra, again, she and her friends had returned to Ponyville.
Only to find that Sombra had beaten them back, and now had the entire town under his control. The only good thing was that his attempt to destroy the Tree of Harmony had failed.
Nopony knew why, but Twilight had a good guess as to how and why. She made a note to ask Harmony herself once this was over. Assuming they could survive until then of course.
And now the Everfree Forest was attacking Ponyville. Again. Some days Twilight wondered why she even bothered getting out of bed in the morning.
"Even if we figure out how to defeat Sombra and bring everypony back to Ponyville, if we don't stop the forest, there won't be a Ponyville to come back to!" She cried, fighting back her tears.
Even Pinkie Pie couldn't help but feel down now. Everything seemed to be going against them. If they beat Sombra, then they could lose Ponyville. Or if they saved Ponyville, then they lost Equestria. There was no good way out of this. They lost either way.
Twilight sniffed. "I don't know what to do. I don't know how to free them and save Ponyville at the same time. Everypony was so sure I'd do such a great job." She stomped a hoof. "Well, this was exactly what I was afraid of! We need more help. We can't do it ourselves."
Just then, they all heard what sounded like magic going off all around them. One by one, the plants that had attacked the town shriveled up and died. After a moment, Ponyville was clear of invading plants as everypony looked at Twilight.
Twilight was as shocked as anyone. "Don't look at me! I didn't do that."
"Maybe she did," Fluttershy said, pointing off in front of them. When the girls looked, their jaws dropped in shock.
It was, Twilight? Looking closer though, they could see the mare was different in some ways. Her coat was darker for one and her mane looked more unkempt. Aside from that though, she was a perfect copy of Twilight, even right down to her cutie mark. Her head turned as Twilight took a step toward her.
For a moment, their eyes locked. At that moment, Twilight felt something pass between them. The next it was gone.
The mare's eyes lit up in shock, and to Twilight's surprise, fear. Closing them tightly to hide her tears, the mare fled as fast as she could away from her.
Twilight was quick to go after her. "Hey. Wait! Don't run!"
The mare looked back once, her tears falling freely now, and shook her head. Before Twilight could react, she vanished in a flash of teleportation.
Twilight came to a halt where the mare vanished as her friends came running up beside her. "Who was that?" Rainbow asked.
Twilight shook her head as her ears drooped. "I. I don't know."
***
Harmony was waiting for her as Twilight descended into the cavern beneath the School of Friendship. With Equestria safe once more, it was time to get some answers.
And she wasn't taking no for an answer.
Her mind would not stop going back to the encounter with the mare that looked like her. Who was she? Why had she run? And what was the fear that Twilight had seen in her eyes?
"I was not expecting that to be the way the two of you would meet. But it worked out in the end," Harmony said with a smile as Twilight came up to her.
Twilight knew who she meant, so she didn't bother beating around the bush. "Who was she? Why does she look like me? What the bucking hay is going on here?"
Harmony shook her head. "I'm not the one who can tell you that Twilight. I do indeed know who she is and all you want to know."
"Then tell me!" Twilight growled. "Why didn't you tell me about her earlier? You knew all along what was going on."
Harmony nodded. "I did. But would you have believed me if I had told you that you had a twin sister running around Equestria?"
As much as she wanted to refute that, Twilight couldn't as she hung her head. "No. Probably not. But why did she run? She helped us save Ponyville."
Harmony's ears drooped. "Because she is afraid Twilight. She is afraid of you. Of what will happen."
Twilight's brows rose. "Me? What would I do? When what happens?"
Harmony was about to respond but stopped as she saw someone and her smile lit up the cavern. Twilight was about to ask about it when another voice joined them.
"I fear you for what you might do when you learn what I really am, where I came from. But a part of me wants to be wrong."
Twilight's brain screeched to a halt. The voice was her own, but darker in a way that she had never been before. Turning around, she was shocked to come face to face with the same mare as before.
Up close, she could see the differences between them more clearly than before. In her eyes though, beyond the fear, was a distant hope.
"Who are you?" Twilight finally asked.
Her counterpart smiled, but there was no love in it. "My 'creator' Chrysalis never gave me a name. Nor did she for the others. Call me what you will."
Twilight's brows rose. "Chrysalis? You're a-"
A hoof was shoved in her mouth. "Don't call me a pawn of that misbegotten hag! I hated every moment being under her. I wanted nothing more than to be free of her," her counterpart snarled.
Twilight shut up, and not just for the hoof in her mouth. There was hate in that comment she had never heard before.
Her other self looked at Harmony. "She knows the full story. Let Twilight see it. Maybe then it will help."
Harmony nodded as the Tree of Harmony itself glowed and the cavern changed appearance to that of the Everfree Forest. All Twilight could do was watch in mounting horror as the events unfolded.
When it came to the point where the Fake Mane Six were trapped by the Tree, she finally had to ask. "Are they, dead?"
Harmony shook her head. "No. They still live. Their spirits are trapped within me. One, they may be set free."
Fake Twilight snorted. "I doubt those fools would care one way or another. They were too simple to try and free themselves from Chrysalis."
Twilight looked at her. "So why did you?"
Her twin spat. "Because I had enough of you in me to know what I was. I hated every second of it. I wanted to be free. Equestria would have been mine for the taking."
Harmony rolled her eyes. "Keep telling yourself that. You know that you would never have been able to use the Elements of Harmony. None of you would have."
Fake Twilight nodded as her head bowed. "I know that now. It took my, death, to see that." Her eyes glistened. "Show her the rest."
Harmony nodded as the scene progressed. Twilight could only guess the mare that looked like a unicorn her was Cosmos. And to be fair, she tried not to turn green in the face as she watched her twin pull herself together again. Tried, and failed.
That got a chuckle out of everyone around her as the scene ended. "After that, I've been in hiding wherever I could find a place," her twin said.
Twilight looked at her. "Why? If Chrysalis-"
Her counterpart got right in her face. "She means nothing to me. She thinks I'm dead. I plan to keep it that way for now."
Her tears returned in full force, and Twilight felt her heart clench at the sight. "You don't trust me. I see it in your eyes. And why should you?" She sniffed. "Go ahead then. Friend me! Blast me with the Elements. I don't care anymore. I'm done running. Maybe this time they'll make it painless."
Twilight felt her heart drop. She had never heard such resignation in somepony before. Part of her wanted to give her other self what she wanted. But it was a very, very, small part.
It took only a few seconds, buy Twilight made up her mind as she placed a hoof on her twin's chest. The gesture caused her to give Twilight a shocked look.
Twilight smiled. "No. I won't use the Elements. Maybe you're right, and I don't fully trust you. But I don't trust Discord half the time, and he's done far worse that rebelling against Chrysalis."
Her smile softened. "But help me change that. Come back with me. Prove to Equestria that you're not her slave or drone. I believe you." She chuckled. "I have more than enough room in the castle. You don't need to run anymore Twilight."
She retracted her hoof and held it out to her twin, a welcoming smile on her face. Other Twilight didn't say anything for a time.
This was everything she wanted. For too long, she had run from the truth. She had wanted to be accepted by Equestria, to have friends. But could she?
The look in the princess's eyes said yes, but she was a cynic by nature. Call it a holdover from her old life.
Without knowing though, her hoof reached out and took Twilight's own. For the first time, she smiled in a way that wasn't malicious or scheming.
But it felt right all the same.
Author's Note
Ah, the fun of the first contact. Apart from this, the rest of season 9's premiere won't change, aside from the fact that "Grogar" is now down to only Tirek and Chrysalis.
Harmony is Twilight's nickname for the Tree of Harmony. She hasn't brought it up yet to her, but it's easier than saying the full title every time or just Projection.
Up next is Twilight's and her counterpart's full reunion. With a little help from the Tree of Harmony of course. Whether Anti Twilight wants it or not.
Cozy Glow knew something was up the moment she opened the door to her dorm room after school had ended for the day. Maybe it was just a hunch she had before she even opened the door.
Or maybe it was the fact that Twilight Sparkle was sitting on her bed with a bemused look on her face. Her lack of wings or a cutie mark cued Cozy to who she really was as she gulped.
"I'm being good. I've done everything you said I should. What else do you want from me?" She whispered.
Cosmos smiled softly. "Don't worry Cozy. I'm not here to worry you or lay into you again. You past that point the moment King Sombra was destroyed once and for all."
Cozy relaxed a little. It was common knowledge all around Ponyville now what had happened. And the fact that Twilight and her friends had help when saving the toon.
It was all over the School of Friendship that Headmare Twilight had come out of the Tree of Harmony's grotto with what looked like her twin sister. No one knew what it meant.
Headmare Twilight wasn't talking for sure for as soon as she and her twin had entered the school, they had immediately gone into Twilight's office and had not come out. The rest of the Mane 6 had followed soon after.
But that didn't explain why this mare was here and why she was in Cozy's room. "Then what do you want? What else can I do?"
Cosmos smiled as she stood up. "Continue what you are doing. You have real friends now from what I hear. And I mean besides Applebloom, Sweetie Belle, and Scootaloo."
Cozy couldn't argue with that. While they would always be what she considered her first true friends, she had several more by now. It had been harder than she would have thought at one time.
Maybe it had something to do with her old attitude toward friendship though. For a time, friendship had been nothing but a road to power for her. Friendship was magic, and magic was power was all she saw in the saying.
No more. It had taken Cosmos drilling into her head what would have happened had she continued her path to making her change. She didn't want to end up in Tartarus.
Cozy didn't even know Equestria would send fillies her age to Tartarus. Apparently they would. If the crime was severe enough and she had not been at all remorseful about what she had done.
And as for the rest? The so-called Legion of Doom and Grogar? Cozy had to laugh at the very idea. How dumb would she have to be to think that they could ever make that work out in the end?
Suppose that they had won and had taken over Equestria. Then what? There was no way they wouldn't have turned on each other before long in a quest for power over all of it at the expense of the others.
Cozy Glow knew enough about Lord Tirek from Twilight and her friends, and Chrysalis from Councilor Starlight to know how that would have ended. And at her age, there wouldn't have been much she could have done about it.
Even if by some miracle she could become an alicorn. But that was a joke. Though the idea didn't sound so bad once she thought about for a moment.
Cozy pushed the thought aside as she looked again at Cosmos. "So what do you want with me then?"
Cosmos smiled as she walked over and placed a hoof on Cozy's shoulder. "To say that if you keep up as you have, then you will do big things as you grow older."
Cozy gave her a look. "Even become an alicorn?"
Cosmos chuckled as she rolled her eyes. "Don't push your luck. You're still a long way from that happening. Keep your mind on the here and now for now. Someone has to keep Silverstream halfway sane."
Cozy couldn't help but chuckle at that. Silverstream was probably one of her closest friends outside the CMC. She couldn't say why they got along so well, especially with Silverstream's other friends, but they just did.
Not that either of them complained about it of course.
She blinked as Cosmos removed her hoof and moved to leave. As she neared the door, Cozy finally found her voice. "Where are you going?"
Cosmos smirked as she turned around. "I'm going to have a little talk with a certain spirit of Chaos about what he considers a good idea. Before Tirek and Chrysalis do. Though he deserves both of them."
Before Cozy Glow could ask what she meant, Cosmos seemed to fade away into nothing, as if she had never been there, to begin with.
Author's Note
This just came to me after season 9's finale. Cozy Glow was already on the right track after Cosmos knocked sense into her a few chapters ago. Now she really is on the right track.
As for Tirek, Chrysalis, and Grogar? Well, they're not much of anything as far as I can tell just by themselves. Grogar isn't even real in Equestria as we should all know by now.
And yes. I absolutely hate what Hasbro did with him.
As Fluttershy would tell anypony who asked, not that any ever did, getting to Discord's home wasn't as easy as a hop, skip, and a jump, into the Chaos Dimension. His home had an annoying tendency to float anywhere and everywhere all the time.
Which made dropping by for tea like Fluttershy did difficult, to say the least. She had tried to make him hold it still more than once, but he had said he couldn't. Or wouldn't. It was hard to tell with him.
So when someone knocked on his door one fine day, or as fine as it ever was in this realm, Discord was naturally curious as to who it could be. He didn't have anyone supposed to visit today.
Or maybe he did, and his calendar was wrong. It wouldn't be the first time either. "Who is it?" He singsonged in his most welcoming tone.
"Come and find out," another voice answered. Discord grinned at who it was. Oh, how he had looked forward to this day. His eyes twinkling, he slinked over to the front door and pulled it open.
"Princess Twilight! What an unexpected surprise. Come to see daddy Discord? Did Sunbutt and Moonbutt's retirement finally drive you up the wall?" He asked with a grin.
Sure enough, Twilight Sparkle was on his doorstep. She too was grinning, but at what, he had no idea. "Something did drive me up the wall. Can I come in? Or are we going to stand out here all day?"
Discord's grin grew wider. "Oh, I don't know. The weather this time of year is great I hear. But since you insist. Welcome to my humble abode," he said as he made to push her inside.
Only for his hands and full body to pass right through her, and he fell to the ground with a thud, one that sounded like a whippy cushion.
Twilight looked back, her grin still growing. "I'll let myself in then." With that, she walked forward. Discord's body blocking the door was no problem as she passed right through it like it was nothing.
Discord shivered as she did, but not from any sense of cold. The feeling when she had passed through him had been like nothing he had ever felt before, but he knew it all the same, and he finally knew who she really was.
He coiled himself around so he soon faced facing with Twilight. "Oh. It's you. What do you want? Come to stick your nose in another universe you never planned to?"
Cosmos stopped smiling at this. "I literally unmade you in one universe, Discord. Keep it up, and you'll be begging for the Elements of Harmony." Her smile came back. "Or should I give Grogar's Bewitching Bell to Chrysalis and Tirek and let them handle you? The three of you deserve each other."
Discord ground his teeth. "You wouldn't."
Cosmos raised an eyebrow. "Would I? Or would you rather I tell Equestria about how King Sombra really came back? What you're doing with the Legion of Doom? What would Fluttershy say?"
Discord blanched. That last one hit home harder than he once thought it would. "It's for Twilight's own good. She's isn't ready. Celestia and Luna didn't see that until it was almost too late."
Cosmos laughed. "You have no right to decide what's best for Twilight. You two barely get along as it is. She only puts up with you for Fluttershy and Spike's sake."
Discord glared at her. "I have more right than you do. What do you even care anyway? You never cared about this universe before you fixed Cheeselegs's little clone mishap."
Before he could say more though, he was flung against the far wall and held there with magic he couldn't break free from, no matter how hard he tried. His glare grew as Cosmos walked up to him.
"I sometimes wonder why I don't throw you to the Four Kings and be done with you forever. Let's see how you handle Chaos that would literally make your head spin. If you could even keep it," she said evenly.
Discord knew she wasn't bluffing. Equestria may have little to no knowledge of the multiverse, but that did not mean Discord didn't. He knew of plenty of other realms that would eat Equus for breakfast. The Chaos she spoke of? He tried not to even think about it.
At his worst, he had never been like that. Oh sure, some could say he and the Changer of Ways had a lot in common with how they liked to constantly change things. But it was a flimsy comparison at best. Let alone any comparison with the Grandfather, the Dark Prince, or the Blood God.
He slumped against the wall. "Fine, you made your point Cosmicbutt. But someone needs to make sure Princess Twilight is ready when the time comes. Celestia and Luna won't be sticking around much longer."
Cosmos nodded, letting go of her magic holding him against the wall. "I know. But I have faith that she will be ready when the time comes for her to take the throne of Equestria. And she won't be alone."
Discord rolled her eyes. "Her friends won't take any offer to be made alicorns. Even if Twilight found a way to make them all one like her. I asked them about it when we did all those fun things during her Book-sort Cation."
Cosmos nodded, not shocked honestly. "Spike will be with her for a long time, and she will always have Celestia, Luna, Cadance, and Flurry Heart." Her smile returned. "And one more as well. Unless she is more stupid than I thought she was."
Discord gave her a look. He had an idea of who she was talking about. "Do you really think Equestria will be happy when they find out where her clone came from? Look what happened with Zecora, and she was normal."
Cosmos rolled her eyes. "The thing with Zecora disgusts me to no end. Even if Ponyville had never seen a zebra, they should know about her kind. She is a pony as well. I plan to talk with Celestia about that at some point. Among other things."
Discord grinned like a maniac at the very idea of Celestia getting chewed out by anypony. "I'll be sure to bring the popcorn!"
Cosmos giggled as she made her way to the door. "Please do. It's going to be a very fun day when I get around to that. But for now, I want to see how the School of Friendship handles two Twilight Sparkles."
Author's Note
Just something I felt that needed to be tied up after the last chapter. Safe to say, Celestia will be getting chewed out over her mishandling of basically everything from the show.
To clear one thing up. The Four Kings is a title given to Khorne, Nurgle, Slaanesh, and Tzeentch, as a whole, from the Warhammer franchise. Each has its own set of titles.
And then the four of them as a whole have a whole slew of titles. Discord being a being of chaos, as boring as Equestria's is, knows all about them.
To call the mood in the Headmare's office strained was an understatement. The girls had become somewhat used to the odd and strange things that happened around Twilight Sparkle in her time in Ponyville.
But seeing a near-exact clone of her sitting in front of her desk, with a look that seemed to switch between hope and resignation, was a new one for all of them.
All but Pinkie Pie it seemed. But no one questioned why that was.
Of course, they all remembered the day or so before when they had seen the same mare save them from the Everfree Forest, but they hadn't expected to see her here of all places.
The strained mood became even more so once the mare, or Mean Twilight as Pinkie Pie had begun to call her, began to tell her story. It only got worse as they saw where she had come from.
"Ya mean to tell me that Chrysalis made ya?" Applejack asked.
Mean Twilight nodded, her eyes seething with rage. "Yes. I have no love for her, nor did she for me and the others. All we were to her were tools to get revenge."
"Obviously, it did not work," Rarity added.
Mean Twilight nodded. "We may have been clones. But we were all based on one of you. Enough of that carried through to allow us to never fully give in to her. I was just better at it."
That seemed to take the air out of the room. They could all feel there was more to it than that, but the clone said no more. Twilight of course knew, but she said nothing as the story continued.
All of them winced as they watched that camping trip they had taken played back, now from another angle and viewpoint. It made the girls wonder how they could have missed all of this that day? Where they that bad at seeing things.
It only got worse as the story progressed. By the time Chrysalis and the clones had come to the Tree of Harmony, all of the girls were asking themselves if they deserved to be where they were if they were this bad.
For Twilight, it hit home even worse. While it had been pushed back from the original date, she was still soon to be the High Princess of Equestria. She was supposed to be better than this. And if the rumors were to be believed, even the title of a princess was to be dropped.
What did it say about the mare that was soon to rule all of Equestria, that would soon bear a title not seen since Unicornia of the Three Tribes Era, that she had never seen any of this? Twilight's ears drooped as she thought about it. Some Princess of Friendship she was.
Even though she knew how this ended, Twilight's face still turned green as she watched what the Tree of Harmony did to her twin and the others. As did the faces of all her friends.
Fluttershy finally found her voice after a moment. "Are they... Dead?"
Mean Twilight shook her head. "No. They're still alive in the Tree of Harmony. I remember that time well, brief though it had been for me at least."
That seemed to help the girls a little as the scene progressed. Watching Cosmos revitalize Mean Twilight, and then the mare pulls herself back together, made all of their stomachs churn.
Mean Twilight chuckled at the sick looks on all of their faces. "After that, I stayed hidden in the Castle of the Two Sisters. Until recently that is. You know the rest of the story."
The girls nodded. "So then. Now, what do we do with you?" Starlight asked.
Twilight sighed. "I've already promised her that I will take her in. She deserves another chance. It's better than letter her be alone."
Rainbow didn't look convinced. "I still don't like it. What if she's playing us, and this is all a trap?"
Mean Twilight sneered up at her. "That's funny coming from you, Rainbow Dash. Do I regret what I did? No. But I learned my lesson. Yet the lot of you put up with Discord, someone whose done things a thousand times worse than I ever have, and he never once apologized for a single one of them. What does that say about you all?"
That shut them up for a good long moment. "He helped save us from the Changeling Hive," Rarity tried, but even she could tell it felt hollow.
Mean Twilight rolled her eyes. "If you honestly think he did that out of the goodness of his heart, then you're more naive than I thought. He only cared about Fluttershy, and that was all."
Nopony could argue with that, though Fluttershy wanted to. The recent events with King Sombra were still fresh in their minds, and how Discord had played them in the end.
"Be that as it may darling, what do you want from us?" Rarity asked. "I am inclined to believe Twilight on this matter. But-"
"I am what I am," Mean Twilight interrupted, a knowing look in her eyes. "I'm not asking you to trust me. Why should you? You have no reason to trust me. But I am tired of running. I'm tired of wondering if this day will be last."
Everyone was shocked to see tears form in the clone's eyes. "I'm tired of worrying about you finding out about me. You know. I can't change that. I have my life. I have my freedom. I won't go back to Chrysalis, or see you all out."
"Then where would you go?" Pinkie asked.
Mean Twilight shrugged. "I don't know. I know a few spells that would allow me to look like somepony else. To hide my horn or my wings if I want." She looked at Princess Twilight. "You gave me a place to stay. I won't forget that."
Twilight was concerned. "Then stay with us in Ponyville. You know I wouldn't throw you out or turn you over to somepony else because of what you are. You do have a place here. You have friends."
Mean Twilight laughed, but there was no mirth behind it. "Don't kid yourself, princess. I have no friends. We barely know each other. Hardly friends."
The girls all shared a look. None of them could say the really trusted this pony. But a part of them did in some way. They could all feel she was being honest.
Twilight finally sighed sadly. "If that is what you want, I won't stop you from leaving. I am not going to be that kind of princess. You will always have a place here." She smiled. "But please. Stay a few days. Get to know Ponyville. You might change your mind."
Mean Twilight looked around the room. All of the girls were giving her an encouraging smile, even Spike looked hopeful. It made her feel better in a way she couldn't explain, but it felt right all the same.
"Fine." She finally said. "I will stay for a few days with you. It will give me time to plan where I will go next. I make no promises though."
That was enough for Pinkie, as she soon scooped everyone up in a big group hug. And for the first time in her short life, Mean Twilight didn't mind it at all.
Author's Note
And that, sadly, is that. Not only with the story. But this whole universe as a whole. I've lost all interest in it at the moment.
I can't really give anyone a go to do the sequel, because too much of my own cosmology is worked into the fabric of the story, and only I know it well.
I might come back to this universe one day. But it would not be for a long time.
For the life of her, Twilight couldn't understand why she had come back. Especially considering what had happened she stood in front of the Tree of Harmony, though since her rebirth she had tried not to think about it.
Yet here she stood, in front of the Tree. Unlike last time, however, she had no intention of going after the Elements of Harmony or the Tree itself. Just being this close wasn't pleasant. It didn't hurt, but that didn't change it.
One thing she did notice was that the logs that used to be companions had were gone. Either dissolved away or something else she didn't know or care. And a part of her was saddened by that. Why? They had never gotten along in the short time they'd had together.
"Why do I care about them?" She whispered. "I never liked them. I'm better off without them. So why does it hurt?"
"Because a part of you did care about them, no matter what else you thought of them," a new voice said as the Tree began to glow.
Twilight stepped back, igniting her horn. She wasn't going down without a fight this time and she wouldn't be caught unaware again. After a moment the glow faded and a new figure stood smiling before her. One who made her brows rise in shock.
"You're the Tree of Harmony," she finally said.
Her companion, who looked exactly like her, nodded. "I am. You have nothing to fear from me. I mean you no harm."
Twilight snorted. "Forgive me if I don't believe you. Last time I was here, you tried to kill me. You did kill me. I'm still not happy about that."
The Tree sighed. "And I regret that now. I cannot change what I did. You didn't deserve that." Her smile returned a moment later. "Yet I feel there is more to you be hearing here than that."
"And what's that supposed to mean?" Twilight asked.
The projection's smile faded again. "You've been in hiding since your rebirth. You could go anywhere, yet you stay here. Why?"
Twilight snorted. "Where else can I go? What do you think will happen when Equestria finds out about me? I'm an abomination of magic no matter what else I am."
The projection frowned. "Do you think so little of Twilight and her friends that you would not trust them to give the benefit of the doubt?" She asked.
Twilight's breath hitched as tears gathered but were quickly wiped away, but the Tree saw them. "All they would have is my word that I'm not what I used to be. Hardly enough to trust me."
Twilight ignited her horn as she prepared to teleport away. "No. I will always be alone. Maybe it's for the better as well that I am."
With that, she teleported away, leaving the projection alone. She smiled after a moment, for she had seen Twilight's tears falling at the end.
"You are not alone. One day, you will see that as well," she whispered as her image faded again into the tree.
