Something was wrong!
Twilight opened her eyes, feeling a sense of dread and alarm. As she sat up, she did not find her chambers in Canterlot, instead she found herself in a familiar room. This room was not made of stone or marble, but wood. It took her only a few seconds to realize where she was.
The library, her old library..
It was the very same she had come to live in when she first moved to Ponyville so many years ago. It felt her with a sense of calm to be back in this very room, like greeting an old friend. Was this a dream? No, Twilight had been to the dreamscape more than once and she could tell this was quite real. Then how did she get here? She would have to investigate at once!
"Twiliiiight!!" A voice called from below. The voice sounded young, but familiar. Just as her mind connected the dots, the door to her room opened and in stepped the very dragon she had thought about.
"Spike?" Twilight asked, confused over what she saw. She knew it was Spike, but he didn't look like himself. He was smaller, much smaller, and much younger. He looked exactly as he did when they first moved into the library all those years ago.
Spike looked at her with an equally shocked expression, but when his eyes really looked her over it was like the surprise went from five, to ten. "Oh no, you too?" He said, confusing the purple Alicorn.
"Spike, why are you.. What are you talking about?" Everything was so confusing, but clearly something had shocked him about her appearance. She would have to see for herself, and so got out of bed. It was then that it hit her, she was much smaller, like a normal pony! Quickly she ran to the mirror and made another horrific discovery. She was not only smaller, but her wings were gone, she was just a normal unicorn again, young, just like back in the day.
"Twilight, what is going on?" Spike asked nervously.
"I.. I don't know, Spike." She looked to him with a determined expression. "But whatever it is, we'll figure it out! Come on, let's find the girls!"
"Right!"
The two ran downstairs, believing if they could just find their friends then they could stand up to whatever was happening. One their way down, they could see everything was as it was, like if they had just been in here just yesterday. It was a strange warm feeling that reached the two, but they needed to get to the bottom of this and could not lose themselves in happy memories.
They went out the front door, and stopped. Ponyville, a town they both had come to know so well over the years, was silent. Not just silent, but there was a strange faint glow to it all, and the sky was not blue, but black, like the night sky, stars and all. There was no moon, no sun, only the glow from everything provided them light.
"What... What is this...?" Twilight said, her ears laying flat as the sight was both beautiful, and yet so terrifying. As she looked over the many buildings, she suddenly spotted something, or someone, looking at them. "Hey.." It looked like a human, but dressed in a black cloak and black hood. She blinked, and he was gone. "Hey!" She called, about to run after the human when suddenly.
"Twilight!"
Both Twilight and Spike recognized the many voices calling to her, and it filled their hearts with relief. Turning, they indeed saw their five friends running towards them. Like them, they had changed, they looked much younger, like when she first met them.
"Girls!"
They all ran to each other, meeting in a tight embrace. "It's really you!" Applejack exclaimed, sounding so relieved. Then she looked at her with pleading eyes, taking Twilight by the shoulders. "Twilight, my family, they're gone! My Granny, my sister, my big brother, his wife and foal! They're all gone!"
Pinkie nodded, her poofy mane almost flattening completely. "I can't find my daughter.. Or Cheese Sandwich.."
"Sweetie Belle is nowhere to be found!" Rarity said, almost crying.
"My animals, even Discord... They're gone.. It's like..." Fluttershy mumbled, tears already moving down her cheeks.
Rainbow was the one to finally say it. "They're gone, Twilight. There is no pony around, not even birds, or clouds, or anything! We're alone!"
They were all panicked, scared, and Twilight understood, but all seemed to remember just like she did. "We've reverted back into our younger selves, maybe.. Maybe this is some sort of dimension rift?" Twilight suggested, having no proof to back up that claim, but what else could it be. "Or some sort of spell?" None of them looked reassured. "Alright, listen, I saw someone just before you arrived. He was wearing a black cloak, and I'm sure he knows something, if not directly responsible."
"Then let's find him!" Rainbow declared.
The ground beneath them all suddenly started to shake, small cracks started to appear all around them, like the world itself was falling apart. Looking to her friends Twilight decided they needed to keep moving. "Alright girls, we need to-Whooa!"
Another powerful tremor of the ground made them all stumble. "What is going on..?" Looking up they all saw, much to their horror, how the cracks formed small islands of the world. Houses, trees, even entire chunks of the ground started to float up into the air, revealing nothing but a void beneath it.
The seven of them had no idea what to do, how could they fix this?! Then suddenly, as the world broke more apart, became islands in the darkness, they saw him, the man in black. He sat alone, his legs over the side of the island like if he was just watching the sunset.
He seemed to pay them no mind, but they were not about to let their world be destroyed. Twilight pointed to a section of islands close enough together that they could make their way over to the human's island. "This way!" She called, and without arguing they all followed her, all towards the same goal. Even Rainbow, who could have easily flown over, she stuck with her friends.
Around them, Equestria, Ponyville, everything, became nothing more than floating islands in the darkness. They jumped over the gaps between the islands, coming closer and closer to the one with the human. They moved with a mix of speed and caution, none of them wanted to fall into the dark void, and, who knows what would happen.
Finally they reached the island, and the seven of them stood firm. "Hey, you there!" Rainbow called.
The figure seemed to jump a little, but then looked back at them, his face hidden by his hood. "Oh, it's you guys." He said, like if he knew them. "Come to watch the show?"
"What show? What is going on?!" Twilight demanded, the others nodding, all glaring at the man.
The man simply sighed. "Alright.." He stood up, towering over them. They got ready for whatever was about to happen, maybe they would need to fight! Nothing happened however, instead he simply tilted his head and considered them. "Listen girls, it's not my fault this is happening, it's simply how it must be."
"What are you talking about?" Rarity asked with anger in her voice.
Applejack nodded and joined in. "Yeah! What did you do to everypony!"
"Hmmm.." The man hummed, like if he was trying to remember. "I didn't do anything to them," he finally said, then pointed up. "They're right up there." Looking up, they noticed what they had thought was stars, were in fact their friends, glowing, looking like they were sleeping in some sort of bubble. "They're fine." The man assured them. "Merely sleeping, enjoying the peace."
Twilight, not sure if they could even fight this person, decided on a different approach. "Please, what is going on?" The others, sensing Twilight's calm and genuine plea, relaxed their stances.
The man let out a long sigh. "Alright, so here's the thing.. It is the end, girls, it's as simple as that. The era of this world has come to an end, and so it is vanishing. I did not do it, nor can I stop it."
They all stiffened, their eyes wide with shock and horror. Twilight, feeling her eyes filling with tears, looked to the man. "That... That can't be true.." Her voice was faint, like a silent plea for someone to tell her that all of this was just a nightmare, that nothing of this was real.
"I'm sorry.." The man said, walking closer to them. "For years, you have brought joy to the people, young and old.. Sadly, your story has come to an end.."
"You mean.. We're fictional..?" Fluttershy suddenly asked. The others looked at her in disbelief, then back at the man, who simply shrugged.
"In their world, yeah. You were an idea, a story that someone wanted to tell. You were all born into this world with that intention, to tell a grand story about friendship."
"So what?!" Rainbow growled, tears running down her cheeks. "So now the story is over and we're simply being discarded!?" That was the question, what would happen to them now? Their whole life was a lie, everything they knew, everyone they knew, it was all a lie.. So what now?
As if sensing their distress, the man got down on one knee, now on eye level with them. A small chuckle escaped his lips, and he reached out, stroking Rainbow's mane. She didn't move away, despite her anger, she felt something as he touched her. A warmth she had never felt before, and so, her anger faded, but not her fear, or sadness.
"I guess, that is up to you now." Now they all looked at him, confused.
"What do you mean..?" Spike asked, the little dragon trying to hold it together as he stayed close to Twilight.
The man stood up, gestured to the void around them, then suddenly a lot more stars appeared. It was like an explosion of stars that moved all around them. Inside each star, they could see humans, not the kind like the man before them, the colors were not as bright as theirs.
"These are what you would call normal humans.. Not as bright as you.." He chuckled. "Your world is so much more colorful, so bright. Your adventures have touched all of these people's hearts. Each of them found something about your story that connected with them, and they carry you all deep within their hearts. That is why you seven are here, you started it, and this is how they see you all."
He gestured to them and continued. "Rainbow for her loyalty and tomboyish attitude. The happy Pinkie Pie that made not just ponies, but humans laugh. The hard working and sweet Applejack, one that made people want to be better. Fluttershy, who always warmed them, even when feeling down. Rarity, for your beauty, charm, and your heart. Spike, because you were the one they could reach the most, see the world through your eyes." Lastly, he looked to Twilight. "And you, the purple meme machine, the mare that gathered them all. You took us all on a grand adventure, you Twilight, you were the cornerstone that made everything come together."
Turning, he walked to the edge of the island, looking at the millions of stars, some filled with the ponies from the show, others with normal human fans. Then, with a flick of his glowed finger, they heard music, whispers, and more bubbles appeared, carrying ponies, Alicorns, changelings and many more.
"Your story has inspired beauty, creation, creativity." He turned his head, looking at the ponies who marveled at everything around them. Then, Twilight stepped closer, followed by her friends.
"Who are you?"
The man turned to them, then pulled down his hood. He had no face, no hair, his skin was green and where his face would have been was just a big question mark. He did have a mouth however, and he smiled. "I guess you can say that I am a manifestation of that connection between you and them. I am here to fulfill a wish."
"Which is?"
"To give you girls a choice." He gestured into the darkness, and suddenly, all the bubble stars flew with great haste into the great nothing. The only bubbles remaining were the ones with their friends, but before they had time to check, a bright light seemed to explode far away, like a lonely star, shining in the darkness. "You can stay here, go to sleep, and be what you were always meant to be." Then he gestured to the far away light. "Or, you can come with me.. Make your own world, and make your own story.. You will live on, thanks to the worlds these humans have created, you will always live on."
They stepped closer to the edge, looking to the far away star. "What will happen..?"
The man looked to the star as well, smiling. "I don't really know, I just know it is the people, who's hearts you've touched, wish that you live on, to be more than just fiction. This is the path to create your own lives, but what exactly will happen I have no clue."
The girls looked at each other and Spike, not sure what to do. Pinkie looked up at the bubbles, then asked. "What will happen to them?"
"Them? You will carry them with you, you did not think I would make you leave them behind, did you?" For the first time since this whole nightmare started, did the group let out faint chuckles. Then, he took a step over the side, shocking them for a moment, but he did not fall, instead he simply walked a few steps away from the island, then turned to look at them. "I'm not here to force you to do anything, I'm simply here to offer you something very real.. A choice, and whatever happens afterwards, will be your own decision. No script, no story arc, just you."
They looked among themselves again, then back at him. "Do ya have a name?" Applejack asked.
The man let out another chuckle. "I believe they call me.. Anonymous. But, you can call me Anon."
Twilight smiled. "Well, Anon, It's nice to meet you.."
"A pleasure to meet you darling, though I wish it could have been under better circumstances."
"...I'm glad you're not bad..."
"Howdy, Anon."
"It's super nice to meet you Nonny!"
"Yeah! Awesome to meet you!"
Spike looked to Twilight, and she looked back at him. "What do you say Spike?"
The little dragon looked at each of the ponies, all of them were giving him a warm smile. Though sad their home was gone, he could see this was not the end of their story, not yet. So he nodded, wiping his tears away. "I can't let you guys go into the unknown without me!" They laughed, then turned to Anon.
"Thank you, Anon.. And thank you to all who has given us this chance to make a home of our own.."
Twilight smiled, looking to the far away light. For the first time since she had woken up, she felt calm, warm, as the love from millions of people flowed through them all, making them more than what they were before. No longer were they mere characters, they could forge their own destiny.
And so, they all started to walk towards the light with Anon as their guide. The bubbles with their friends followed them into the great unknown, illuminating them all, giving them all courage. They were all sure now, this was not the end of their story.
It was merely the beginning...
Author's Note
Felt kind of blue today, so I wrote this.
Rain always do that to me. 
If you liked this little short story, then leave a like, or favor it, or leave a comment. And remember, stay awesome. 
