Twilight awoke with a start. She was breathing heavily, sweat forming on her brow, and heart racing like it was on overdrive. She looked out the window, the sun was shining. It looked like it was midday, but she could tell something was wrong. She put a hoof to her chest and breathed deep and exhaled a heavy breath. She shook her head and walked to the mirror to comb her unruly mane, before Spike came flying in through the door, almost literally. "TWILIGHT! Twilight! Where are you?! Are you still here?!"
"Spike! What is it, you look like you just witnessed a murder!" Spike was looking really ragged. His breathing was fast, like he was scared halfway to death, and his wings throbbed in pain. The tears in his eyes were clear to see, but upon landing on Twilight they burst anew. He was bawling s hard that his shoulders shook with each wail. Twilight was very confused... Until Rainbow burst in threw the door as well.
"PINKIES GONE! We-we-we were just going to some early morning pranks like how we normally do and-and-and then she just... Sweet Faust, PINKIE! WHERE ARE YOU?!" Rainbow began to search frantically across the room, hoping for the pink lunatic to appear but there was not a trace of her. Twilight was now really concerned as much as she was confused. She looked out the window again and saw that the Mayor had gathered everypony to the square.
"Calm down now everypony, we have no idea what's happening but I can assure you that no... pony else will..." She stopped suddenly and the gather crowd gasped. Her chest was just... disintegrating into dust. "Oh... Oh dear..." She said before being completely vaporized. The gathered ponies were silent. Twilight was silent. Everypony was too scared to say anything, or scream.
"Rainbow? What did Pinkie say to you? Before she disappeared?"
Rainbow Dash thought back, "She said, 'It's time to go now, I'll be back soon."
Twilight was silent, before turning to Rainbow, "Anything else? Anything at all?"
Rainbow just shook her head. Then her eyes went wide. "No... No no no no..." She said as she wobbled back and forth. Twilight caught her with her magic and that's when she felt it. Her eyes widened at the cataclysmic energies that were literally tearing her friends apart. "Twilight, I'm scared..." Rainbow said with tears in her eyes, as she hung onto the bed. Her wings began to disintegrate into dust, and soon her chest and everything below her as well, leaving her head. "I'm scared..." She repeated the line again. Twilight knew that no matter what happened on their adventures, she was never scared no matter what. But now? How couldn't she be scared?
Tears flowed openly from Twilight's eyes now and was holding onto one of her best friends. "Twilight, I'm scared." She said before disappearing completely. Twilight's hooves clopped uselessly to the hard stone, watching the dust that was once her friend become scattered by the flowing breezes that came in and out of the castle.
"Spike write to Celestia, and tell her everything." Twilight said, her voice heavy with sadness. He took out a parchment and quill and began to writing. After a few more scribbles, he whisked it away to Celestia. A few moments later a new parchment came from his flame and instead of the royal Sun, the royal Moon graced the seal. Twilight and Spike swallowed thickly at the implication.
Dearest Twilight Sparkle,
I'm sorry to say that my sister is busy at the moment, but I assure you that she will be ba--
SHES GONE I DONT KNOW WHAT HAPPENED BUT SHES GONE!
Tear drops covered the scroll, making the rest illegible. "Oh no..." She ran into her study and began searching every book of all kinds of magic. She was looking for something even remotely close, but she couldn't find anything. Just then her journal from Sunset rang. "Oh no, not Sunset too..." She wailed as she opened the book.
"Twilight, people are turning into dust! Flash, Bon Bon, and Lyra just, poof gone! Pinkies freaking out that her twin just died, I guess she means her pony self? Rainbow said she felt death brush past her as well, and Principal Celestia had a panic attack and locked herself in the office. Luna was trying to calm her down when she turned into dust too, and then after that Celestia just lost it! What is going on?!"
"I wish I knew too..."
"Whoever did this.... I will make them suffer..." Twilight turned around to find Discord, but unlike how he normally is, he was much more serious, much like how a proper avatar of chaos should be. "They stole Fluttershy, MY Fluttershy... You felt it too did you not? The horrible energies that plowed through those unfortunate enough to not withstand it..."
"Spike! Come here I need your help with something.... Spike?" Twilight said with uncertainty. She ran back into her room to find Spike laying on the ground, a leg gone already. "No! No! Not you too Spike! No I wont allow it!" She said pushing back with her magic, but it was no use. The apocalyptic energies merely pushed her magic aside and continued onto its death march.
"Twilight, I'm sorry... I love you, M-Mom..." He said before his head leaned back and scattered in the wind. She desperately tried to reach out to the dust, trying to catch it all.
"NO! DON'T GO! Take me instead, LET HIM LIVE!" She cried before falling onto her floor crying desperately to bring him back. Discord came in and placed a paw on her haunches, before holding her tight, and silently crying with her. After crying herself dry, she reached out and grabbed the book, placing it on the device to open the mirror. She stepped through without a word and Discord sat behind waiting for her.
On the other side, the world was in even more chaos than Equestria. Cars piled up, planes fell, the world was a mess in general. Sunset sat by the base of the statue and saw Twilight come out on all fours, and slowly stand up. Sunset knew, but she really didn't want to know. Twilight just walked up to her and slowly wrapped around her and began to sob violently. Sunset patted her shoulder and hugged her just as tight as she began sobbing as well.
"Spike... Ca-called me Mom...Right before he..." Twilight said before breaking down again. Sunset didn't know what to say, but just held on for dear life.
Then her brow dropped in thought. If this Twilight was still here... "Oh no..." She let go of Princess Twilight and ran back inside of the school. Kids were crying and going mad losing friends and loved ones, but Sunset had one group of friends in mind. She slammed the band room door open as she just caught sight of Applejack and Rarity hugging each other as they both disappeared.
"At least I might meet my handsome prince..."
"Ma, Pa... Wait for me okay...?"
Then just Sci-Twi was about to ask what was happening, she doubled over in pain. Her hand was gone, turned into dust. "No... D-don't take me... I don't want to die! I want to live, I want a family, I... I don't want to go..." Before she fell to her knees and disintegrated before she hit the ground. Everyone looked at one another, waiting for something to happen, but when they realized nothing was, it was Rainbow who found her voice first.
"Guys, I'm scared... Does... Does anyone know what happened?" She asked trying desperately not to cry. Pinkie's hair went flat as she tried to get a hold of her sisters, and then her parents. Fluttershy called her parents and her brother. Suddenly, a loud scream in the hallway. They looked out the door to see the Canterlot Movie Club, the CMC, holding onto one of their own. Applebloom held on for dear life to her best friends, as they cried and screamed.
"Tell Granny I love her! And my brother too! I... I'm scaaaared!" She wailed, as her friends just sat by and watched the devastation around them. It was Sunset who found her voice first among her friends.
"Oh my god... What the hell...?" Sunset stammered, trying to cope with these new feelings. Pinkie dropped to her knees and silently wailed as her phone kept giving dial tones. No one answered. Fluttershy managed to get her brother, who despite his nature, was just as scared as everyone else. Her mother and father never picked up. Rainbow Dash scooped up Scootaloo and took Sweeties hand and them inside the room, where everyone held their heads.
"...I had a nightmare before all this happened," Twilight confessed, "it was a strange dream; six lights were dancing around, all gathering towards the biggest light, it was orange I believe. They all settled, and then a.... golden fist? It looked like armor, it held those lights within it, and then everything white. Last I remember was hearing a snapping sound." She explained, snapping her fingers in example. Somehow, that one sound made all them want to cover their ears.
"My... My parents wont answer, my sisters wont pick up... Even Maud wont pick up. SHE ALWAYS PICKS UP." Pinkie said as her hair whipped around looking for anything.
"Zephyr said that he was with mom and dad when they noticed people begin to freak out. At first he was confused, thinking it was a robbery when suddenly Mom looked down at her arms. She was turning into... Dust...." She sniffled hugging her legs to her chest. Rainbow went to ask Applejack what was going on, but remembered what had happened. She had Scootaloo over sitting to her side while Sweetie Belle looked around for Rarity.
"Where's my sister? Rarity! RARITY! WHERE ARE YOU!?" Sweetie yelled out in the halls hoping for her sister to come out from the halls, only nothing happened. "No.... No, this can't be happening..."
Wallflower Blush shambled into the room and sat down on the wall near Sunset. "All my friends are gone, except for you guys. The flower sisters, Derpy, all of them gone."
Twilight felt ill. She had never seen something like this, never heard of anything like this. It hurt her head, it made her feel like she was going to disappear. Yet she did not, and she was still here.
Sunset let out a hollow chuckle. "How cruel," she began, "how cruel that we live to see our friends die in front of us. It reminds of a book: Ashes to ashes, and dust to dust... what a cruel fate..."
"What a cruel fate indeed..." Thanos said, sitting on a small piece of rubble, admiring his perfectly balanced universe.
