28 Days To Armageddon

The next day, Twilight and Mist went out together as friends for the first time. It was rather odd, mainly because Twilight didn’t remember the last time she’d done so with someone outside her circle. But, they soon became accustomed to each other, and were able to enjoy their day. Twilight needed some quills and ink, so they ran by the store and perused the selection. There were quills from all over the world, much to Mist’s delight and awe. She had no idea that quills could be imported from places as far off as Farasi, the legendary Zebra Homeland. There were also quills from Saddle Arabia, and even Maa-ssachusetts, the place populated entirely by mountain goats.

Once Twilight had her quills and ink, their next stop was a street vendor for some food. There were some scrumptious hay tacos with street corn, and the ponies ate their fill. Mist thought she’d never tasted such amazing flavors, and she wondered how they’d ended up in Ponyville. Twilight explained that, many years ago, a family had moved from Sunny Slopes and brought their recipes with them. Now, ponies around Ponyville got to enjoy the food, and the family was quite successful. Mist raved about the taste, even after they had left the area. She claimed that it was the most categorically perfect meal she’d ever had.

They then trotted along the thoroughfare, browsing through the vendors and seeing whether or not anything interested them. Twilight found a copy of “A Guide to Magic and Furniture,” but it was much too expensive. Mist located a copy of a strange book entitled “Twilight Sparkle: How The Pest Was Gone.” Aside from the rather appalling grammar, she wondered just why anypony would write a book heckling and making sport of her new friend. She became angry at this, and nearly caused a minor riot until Twilight bolted them both out of there and into an alleyway.

“What the HELL, Mist?!” She asked sharply, “I thought you knew how to conduct yourself!”

“Well, forgive me for being your friend and number one fan!” Mist exclaimed defensively, “how dare they write a book detailing all the reasons why they hate you! I mean, how could anypony hate you?! You’re…you!”

Twilight frowned. As much as she loved having a new friend, this pony was taking things much too far. It was only a book, after all, and a much easily ignored book. She’d read it from cover to cover and found it laced with abhorrent untruths and woefully misguided assumptions. The writer had even gone so far as to say that she’d purposely brought Discord back from stone just so she could play the hero again! The accusation stung, but it didn’t break her. She knew the pony who wrote the book personally, and she knew exactly why it had been published. Now, she needed to relay this to Mist, otherwise this budding friendship might go by the wayside.

“Look, Mist,” she said, “I’m sorry I was so sharp with you, but the fact is, I have many critics and naysayers. Also, I’m not perfect.”

“But…I…”

Twilight smiled and put a hoof on Mist’s shoulder. “I know that it’s difficult to accept when somepony you love and adore doesn’t turn out to be absolutely sparkling clean. But, I’m a pony. You’re one as well. Therefore, we make mistakes. I made one, and that’s why that book has been published.”

“You mean…someone’s making money because of your mistake?”

Twilight chuckled. “Oh, no. The book placed #356 on Equestria’s top 400 of last month. Trust me, nopony’s making money off of that. Well, at least, not significantly. Anyway, my point is, my friends and I have done enough to make ponies overlook its existence.”

“So…what exactly was the mistake?” Mist asked.

Twilight looked down, then back at her. “When I was a regular student at Celestia’s school, I thought I had it all. I had the best dorm room, with a huge library. I had access to Princess Celestia whenever I wanted. I even had a caring dragon to help when I needed it. In short, life was good…but it wasn’t great. I needed a friend, and I knew it. I just didn’t want to admit it. So, I continued to study until-“

“-until you moved here, right?” Mist queried.

“No,” Twilight said, “until I met a pony named Steel Quill. She was unique in that she had two special talents, one represented by her cutie mark and one earned. Her writing was breathtaking, and the words just jumped out at you. She was also a dedicated locksmith, who could open or close any door with just a flick of her hoof.”

“So, what happened?”

“We became good friends,” Twilight went on, “and study partners, as she was also a student at Celestia’s school. I wondered why somepony with her talents would bother even enrolling, but she said she wanted to do more with her life. Unfortunately, her magic wasn’t on the same level as anyone else, even those who failed classes regularly.”

“Sounds kind of like Trixie,” Mist said, “I mean, she can’t do magic, so she has to resort to her stupid illusions.”

Twilight chuckled. “Yes, I suppose they do bear a striking resemblance. But, anyway, Quill asked me for help with her magic. I agreed, and began tutoring her in private. Her magic shot through the roof, and her grades began improving. I was so proud of her, and she was proud of herself. Our friendship grew until, one night, she…well…she confessed love.”

“WHAT?!” Mist shouted, before Twilight covered her mouth with a hoof.

“SH!”

“Sorry,” Mist apologized, “but…she was…I mean, she…loved you?”

Twilight nodded. “She did, or at least, she claimed to. But I’m not like that. I enjoy the company of stallions. So, I had to let her down gently. It was the most difficult conversation I’ve ever had to initiate. I’ll never forget the tears that ran down her face when I told her I didn’t reciprocate her feelings. My heart ached for her, so I pulled her into an embrace. She didn’t stop crying for five minutes and, by that point, I was shedding my own tears.”

“So…did you remain friends?”

“For a while, yes,” Twilight said, “she eventually accepted my position on the matter and returned to being platonic. But some part of her failed romance stuck around, because soon, she began stalking me.”

Mist gasped. “What happened then?”

“I had to get her off my back, so I reported her to Celestia. She was arrested and charged with harassment. She spent a few days in prison, and was fined 500 bits. Worse, she lost her spot in Celestia’s school…and I lost a friend. A dear friend. That was when I began shutting myself away from other ponies, especially mares. I didn’t want the same thing to happen again. About a year later, Steel wrote that book. It’s a damn shame, too. She was such a good writer…”

Mist looked at the ground. She was upset at this Steel Quill character, but also confused by Twilight’s story. It seemed like she’d done all the right things. Why did she feel like it was her mistake that caused all the problems? Mist bounced theories around in her head like a ping-pong ball until she suddenly heard a squeak from in front of her. She looked up and saw Twilight wrapped in some kind of leathery contraption. Her mouth hit the ground and she leapt forward, trying to save her friend. But it was no use. The device was attached to some kind of rope, which hoisted Twilight high into the air and hung her over the alley below.

“TWILIGHT!” Mist screamed.

“MIST, HELP!” Twilight yelled back before disappearing over the rooftops.