On the Road

Chapters

The Start of a Trip
Leave Her Bee
Letter To Shining Armor
A Chance Encounter
Where She Belongs
Recent Memories
An Appropriately Angry Letter
The Meeting
The Mind Of Three

The Start of a Trip

Normal. That’s what Twilight was thinking of. The mare was perfectly calm and stable. The road she traveled on wasn’t rocky, but yet nice and smooth. A small wind traveled through the air, brushing past Twilight’s mane and through the grass and trees surrounding the road. Running water could be heard out in the distance, not roaring, but seemingly ready to differ at any moment. What the pony didn’t know was that a storm was coming. A big one. Rainbow and the other Pegasus did so to try and get Twilight back home. They also hoped the weather ponies could see her as they were getting ready for the storm. But Twilight was oblivious to the change that was about to occur, and her hooves plodded against the road enthusiastically.

The mare began to hum, not to any song in particular, just singing whatever melody went into her head. Spike. Her friends. The Princess. Humming about heading South made the thought of abandoning everything she knew to go out of her head. Twilight preferred what she was now. Alone.

“Habubaa!”

Except of course, for the baby alicorn on her back.

Flurry Heart was propped up on her aunt’s back, gleefully sucking her hooves and hugging Twilights back. Twilight smiled and kept heading down the road. Las Pegasus, here I come! A whole new life is just what I need! Twilights glee changed to utter despair in a second. She stopped walking so confidently. She stopped walking at all, becoming still and silent. Flurry was taken by surprise, letting go a tiny, “Eep!”

Tears fell down Twilights face. She was ignoring everything at this point. The breakdown, the leaving, the changing. Oh god no, not the changing. Change. “Why?” Twilight didn’t realize she spoke out loud. A smile appeared in the mare’s face almost as quickly as it left, muzzle still wet from tears. She was fine. I’m fine.

Again, in another sudden change of attitude, Twilight stomped her hoof down. “Fucking horse apples!” Twilight would have collapsed, but was mindful of Flurry in her back, and hung her head down instead. Tears hit the ground again. Why is she on my back? Why are we heading to Las Pegasus? Why? Why, why, WHY!?

“WHY?!?!”

Flurry was silent. Twilight felt hatred toward change. It messed everything up, making things that were so good go so bad. She couldn’t spend time with her friends, or her brother. She and Celestia were growing apart due to a busy schedule. Everything was different in the worst possible way. She needed this. That’s why. I DO have a reason! Twilight smiled again, not a forced smile, but a genuine one, and trotted along, Flurry stayed quiet except for a few groans whenever Twilight would get too bumpy. Twilight failed to realize that she was only reacting to change with more change. She didn’t think about the fact that everything will be different after she stole the Princess of Love's kid, ignored Celestia's letters, and broke down in front of her friends. She changed everything. And for a split second, it did cross her mind. Only for a second. Twilight felt too happy to be hindered by such “unnecessary” thoughts. It was pushed out of her brain, and Twilight felt happy again. How would I say it? Normal.

The weather began to pick up, and Twilight knew she had to find cover. Although Rainbow and the Ponyville Weather Squad could only stay in their respective towns, other weather ponies responsible for this road could see her. And although nobody knew at this moment, she would guess, except her friends, Cadence, her brother, and the Two Princesses, the last thing she would need is for when others do find out, for them to tell her friends she would head to Las Pegasus. Sure, she saw other ponies in the road as she continued in its path, of course, she did. But her “rescue squad” would be less likely to ask random passerby’s than weather team members. Twilight ran this through her head quickly and decided to sit down near a collective of trees in the distance, which would provide her and Flurry with some cover from the circling pegasi. Her moment of clear thought was broken when she wondered if she could eat the leaves of the trees, despite having plenty of food for both her and Flurryheart in her nap sack.

“We’re going to rest soon Flurry! You like the sound of that?” Flurry gave no response, believing she was resting the whole time on Twilights back. 20 minutes later, and the pair was in the small forest off to the left of the main road. Twilight focused and laid a spell down on the grass to make it nice and comfortable. Twilight began magically levitating her food supplies out of her nap sack, including a couple of boxes of apple juice (bringing a tinge of homesickness to Twilight), hay sticks, bread, apples, corn, and other foods.

The rain began to come down steadily, and Twilight covered herself with leaves, the dirt being washed off by the rain. Flurry rested next to Twilight, in the dirt. Mud began to form, and the two ponies began to become filthy, with the makeshift cover leaking. Flurry was passed out, perhaps her alicorn genes causing her to be extremely sleepy, as she went through the torture of the wet rain and mud clinging to her. Even with this, Twilight still casted a spell of warmth on Flurry, and, if possible, the foal fell into a deeper sleep.

Twilight felt something unique. As she lay, being soaked by the rain and mud, she felt happiness and fulfillment. Yes. She felt expressive. She was herself. She was Twilight Sparkle, not Princess Twilight. No, she was herself, and nothing was keeping it back. Two sides of the same coin merged to be one, being expressed, not hidden. These emotions flooded through Twilight's body. Something was different. She was full.

Twilight began to smile. She felt at ease, and she began to drift into a sleep, oblivious to what was going on around her. Everything was silent except for the pattering of the rain and the gentle snore of the broken purple pony.

Leave Her Bee

It was early morning when Twilight woke up. There was a small drizzle still falling down as her eyes slowly opened up. They would jerk down as too much light would enter it, begging for time to adjust. After a minute, the light was adjusted to.

With a turn of her head, Twilight saw Flurry resting softly. A small bracelet hung on her forehoof. The filly would occasionally rub her face with the hoof, causing Twilight to fear she picked one too big for her, but it hung on tightly.

The little filly breathed in and out, and Twilight stared at the little chest going up and down. With a gentle quickness, Twilight kissed Flurry’s forehead and patted the sleeping princess’s mane. She smiled down at her, a loving smile filled with warmth and comfort. “I love you, my little munchkin.” Munchkin. I like that name. She supposed Flurry would to when she woke up.

“No point in getting you up now. Let sleeping ponies lie.” She smirked at her own joke and set down to plan her travels.

She was dangerously close to the railroad. Celestia forbid if somepony recognized her. Starlight frequently went on those trains. It would not be farfetched to think she could see her in the distance. She could barely see the railroad when turning left, which meant she drifted in that direction without realizing it.

Twilight shielded the map from the rain, which was now even lighter, but still making its presence known. Twilight floated out a magic quill and began to write her plan. She thought back to when Spike would write instead of her, and her eyes began to well up as she made her new paths.

When she was done, she expected to be at the destination in about 3 days. As long as she did not drift off too close to the railroad or Everfree Forest for that matter, she should be ok. “Ok,” she whispered to herself, “once you get to the city, there would be such a big crowd, nopony will realize it's you! You can plant a disguise, and boom! New life! Genius, me, genius!” Twilight clapped her hooves together in celebration of her “well-thought-out plan.”

She tested out her disguise, looking into a puddle to judge. The purple princess suddenly became a unicorn, one with a yellow coat and orange mane. Her cutie mark became a flashlight. Twilight squeed at the success. “It is I, Sunlight Spark!” she said in a booming tone. She shook her head. Sounded too much like her own name. “Sunlighting Spick? Sunset Shimmer? Nahhh.” Her glee turned to animosity at her inability to make a compelling name. She suddenly breathed in a breath of fresh air, and smiled once more. “Candle Wick!” With a flash, her mark became a candle with a low flame. The squee became intense as Twilight jumped up and down, excited at her discovery.

Over the next 3 hours, Twilight went over everything she should do. She was now aware of the fact that ponies will tell Celestia about Twilights’ departure down the south. Due to this sudden time of understanding, Twilight would have to keep the disguise on at all times, even before her arrival at the city. And for a moment once more, Twilight thought about coming back to her friends. They would say, Silly Twilight! You went Twilynannas, that's ok! We forgive you! Twilights sane side knew this was not true. “I… I ruined it. My friends, my family, all because I…” Twilight was at a loss for words. She struggled to get them out, not for anypony, but for herself. She needed to hear this. “Because I reacted. I… made a stupid decision I never should have made, and it’s all…” Ruined.

“Hwbawa!” Twilight spun around more quickly than thought to be possible to see a crawling Flurry Heart. Twilight gave a weak smile, and scooped Flurry up, thankful she had somepony to talk to now.

“Hey, Flurry! Good mourning! Learn from your, uh... *sniff*, Auntie Twily!” Flurry couldn’t really learn anything at the moment, but that did not exactly concern Twilight at the moment. They needed to get moving.

Flurry was put back into the nap sack, a little opening for her breathing. She casted a silence spell on the nap sack, and reinforced her anti-location spell. Thank Celestia for this body. She began to tear up as she remembered her old teacher, but, now under the disguise, she continued on the road.

The rain stopped and gave way to a sunny sky. “Oh shit.” Weather ponies. She broke out into a cold sweat as she began to question everything she was doing. Weather ponies would be coming here, near her. They will find her, and she will get turned in. She will get into so much trouble. She can’t show her face. Her reputation is-

The sound of ponies streaking through the sky filled the air, causing Twilight to gasp in more air than she should have. She choked on the sudden rush of breath as she could make out a trio of weather pegasi coming her way, each one carrying a cloud. She could make out the writing, Pegasus Vally Force , on the side of their uniform.“Shit! Shit, shit shit, shit!” Twilight was about jump of the road, get out of there, abandon ship, leave. However, a wave of confidence rose over her suddenly, so much so that she began to smile.

I’m Twilight Sparkle. No, Candle Wick! I got this. Who are they to question me?

And as they crossed over her head, Twilight waved. The pegasi waved back to the seemingly nice mare who most likely had a bunch of candles in her backpack. As they left, the one to the right looked to the one in the middle.

“Scream, should we check her? Princess said to check all ponies by this road.”

The one in the center shook his head. “Not necessary. Celestia only wants us looking for her mildly. She’s got roadblocks planned ahead to make sure none should pass. So trust me it’s fine. Just check to see if she is out having a breakdown or something in a bush.”

“But Scream-”

The pony named Scream breathed a sigh of annoyance. “Star, it’s fine, trust me. I’ll take the flack. Which there won’t be. And this STUPID BEE BETTER GET AWAY FROM ME!”

The left one sneered. “That rhymed, you dick.” The center one shot him a look.

“Yeah, and your gonna have a black eye, asshole. Why don’t you keep moving?” The left one murmured under his breath but still moved forward.

The bee then began to buzz away from the fliers toward Twilight, where it eventually poofed up in front of a shaking Twily. Her confidence was gone as she fell to her hindlegs, tears streaming off her face. I’m done. She truly believed those words, that everything was over. A roadblock!?!? A fucking roadblock? “I’m done. Flurry, we're done.” If Flurry said anything, Twilight could not hear it. “Maybe I can- I don't know! Ask forgiveness? But they would put me in a war-fuck! Fuck!” Each curse was weak, broken up by sobbing. “A ward, Flurry. A fucking ward! I can’t…I really... can’t!”

The pony began to have a panic attack. She began to slap her face frantically, trying to calm down. After years of being in classes and going through learning many different subjects, Twilight knew that freaking out never solved everything. And with that, after a solid ten minutes, Twilight was able to calm down enough to reach into her nap sack, around Flurry, and grab a notebook and a quill, and begin writing.

Dear Brother,

Letter To Shining Armor

Dear Brother

Shining, I want to start by apologizing. For a lot of things. First off, well, the obvious. I just want you to know that she is safe. I would never let any harm come over Flurry. I don’t even know why I took her. I just, I don’t know, felt she could be a ticket. I mean, here I am, 25 years old and still a virgin, my teacher's pet, basically. I used to love that life, but now...I wanted something different. I would always listen to ponies, and since you know me better than anyone, I’m sure you would know about how much I love to speak and be the one ponies listened to. And it did not change when I became a princess. Orders were still barked at me. It was the same thing as a student except with wings and a better title. And so I saw Flurry as a way to start a life as a mom, I guess. I don’t know what I was thinking. My brain has not been this clear in days. I don’t expect you to understand that, and I know you're mad, but I’m trying to right this wrong before…I don’t know, I change my mind or something.

Second, I said some extremely hurtful things to my friends about them, you, and Cadence. I said before, my mind has been out of wack the last couple of days. I have not been thinking straight at all. At least, that’s what I keep telling myself. I don’t know what I have, honestly, but thinking about it more, it might just be common sense. I am the victim, Shining, I am. I’m the one that’s been oppressed by this society we call forgiving. A society that we say is based on understanding and friendship. Well guess what? I’ve been in that friendship boat for years now, I even have a student. And all it’s given me is pain, the pain of being kept from society. And I mean the real me. The real me that freaks out over everything, yes, I admit it. I am a little cuckoo, at least that’s what you guys tell me. But I’m not! Your imagination concocts a theory of me being at fault, being irrational. Well, I say I’ve been pretty rational! Rational when I’m forced to do things I’m not ready for, despite what others say. Some friendship when for years I’ve been forced to clean up problems caused by those ungrateful bitches, and then I’m the unreasonable one. And for the Princess to be so sure of me, no, of herself. She gives two shits about me, I bet. She doesn’t care, no, it’s her star pupil. Better raise her up right. Well guess what Princess. You failed!

Years and years of this shit, then when I break, everypony looks at me with those eyes, everypony judges me. Why did I do this and that or make this decision. Shining, I’ve been held to high standards all my life, constantly held to what people want me to be. I never had a chance to be Twilight. I was the Little Sister, The Star Pupil, and then the Princess. All of these characters I’ve been forced to play, and it’s all your fault.

...no, it’s not. It’s not anybody’s fault. I’ve sat here, furiously writing in this paper for practically no reason. We all know I’m not coming back. I can call myself crazy, or you crazy for all I want. But I can’t. I always freak out, but then I continue. Shining, I deserve this. And Flurry...I need her. I can’t go back, but I don’t want to be alone here. I promise I will take care of her, I do. I will. But I can’t go back to my old life, I don’t think I have it in me to go through another day of living a normal life. I miss my friends dearly, and I want you to tell them that.

Oh who am I kidding, you most likely won’t get this letter. But, while I’m at, I may as well continue. I want Rarity to know she is the most generous pony I ever met, with colorful witticisms, and just brimming with advice. Rainbow, you always make me laugh, even if you give me a headache at the same time. Applejack, you have proven to me how much hard work can do to help bring up a bright pony like yourself. Fluttershy. Your heart isn’t as big as your confidence, but if it was, I’m sure you would have all the stallions coming for you. Pinkie, you are always yourself, no matter how random that might be. Cadence, you will always be the best babysitter ever, and a great sister in law. Celestia, you have taught me so much, and have been like a mother to me. And Shining. You are my BBFF, and always will be.

I know this letter most likely didn’t make any sense. It’s ok, I guess, since you won’t ever see it. I’ll keep it for myself, I think. It reminds me you still exist. Thanks Big Bro and everypony. You’ve been there for me. I’m sorry I can’t be there for you.

A Chance Encounter

The air was humid, thick to point of being cuttable. Twilight walked through the bushes that would occasionally prick at her body, creating bruises and scars.

She took the silence spell off Flurry, allowing her to giggle each time Twilight got whacked with a tree branch in the face. The map informed her that this quick forest range would end soon, and become a vast valley.

“Well, it’s taking its sweet time, that’s for sure.” Flies flew closely to Twilights face, and she felt the need to swat them away from herself.

She cursed and sweated her way through the patches of the forest, hoping for a glimpse of endless fields. She did get a break from the endless green by a small shack near a stream.

The stream itself was not very wide at all, and the sound was very low. Birds began to chirp as she approached the shack, and it seemed as if this building was the center of the forest.

It was inclined on a slope, steps made of cobblestone, rugged from what seemed to be from hooves walking on them. A sign stood outside the shack. It read, The Magic Shack. That caused Twilight to rise up in glee for potential information.

The shack itself seemed to look white, but it was blotched with leathery green vines that made the shack look like it itself was a tree.

Twilight quickly became Candle Wick and checked on Flurry. When she saw the sight of the baby alicorn sleeping, she decided to give a quick test run of the store. She never could resist looking at new books, which was a moment that became scarce due to her library.

The door was open to a small convenience store, except it was filled with magical runes and textbooks instead of chips and bread. It was also hot and humid inside the shack, opposed only by a lone fan that made no noticeable difference.

Twilight walked to the back of the store to see an old stallion behind the counter. This stallion had a yellow coat and a gray mane. He seemed the type to have mashed potatoes for teeth and was noticeably shaking.

He was reading a large book titled, Why Transmutation is Interesting. He was lost in its pages, and only aimed his eyes to Twilight when she caused a board to creak.

“Ah! Scare an ode man tuh dayuth, won't yawl? Whatcha’ want?”

Twilight recoiled back from the hostility. “Um...I just wanted to know if any of this is for sale.”

The geezer looked Twilight up and down. “Uf curse it’s fur sale. Why wuldnt it? A stoopid ol’ earth thingy magiggy like mei don need this stuff. Wont me to dee?”

Twilight could barely make out what the geezer said due to his thick accent. “Um...ok, well...I'm gonna go look now.” The geezer did not say anything at all or make any movements, just shaking and staring at the yellow pony who hurriedly waddled away.

The shelves were filled with textbooks that Twilight knew she had already read. Ones that she extensively studied, ones she took notes on. They were back at the library, but…

Twilight was interested in the runes, which lined the dusty shelves, scratched with old writings used by ancient ponies. Her eyes reached a certain rune, that seemed to be shinier than the rest.

“Hoc arcanum est in vita in mundo non potest videre sensum, sed tantum locutum esse realem et spes. Ut producat in esse nisi per circuitum auxilio magicae quod amor creaturae.”

Staring at the rune, with these small words working their way into her mind, the gears inside her brain began to move.

“The secret to life is found in a world one can't see or sense, but only infer and hope to be real. To bring about to existence only through the help of magic and love to creation.”

“Ancient talk, eh? Where did you learn that?”

A brown unicorn with a darker brown mane stood right next to her. Unlike the old geezer, she could see his cutie mark, which was one of a book.

Twilight screamed internally. Ancient speak is usually only fluently spoken by the Royal family, and she was afraid she might have given herself up. “Um...you know, I’m a scholar.” She rested her arm cooly against the shelf. “Ya know, very, very, interested in that...tomfoolery.”

Tomfoolery? Tomfoolery!?!? What in the hay is wrong with me!? I can’t lie at all! In what universe is “tOmFooLeRy” an answer to being a scholar?!?!

The stallion chuckled. “Tomfoolery. Heh, you know, I dabble in that field as well.”

Dabble? She calmed down at hearing that certain word and gave the pony a smile.

“Really? With these runes?” Against her better judgment, she sought to get into a magic conversation with this stranger.

“Of course. Fascinating things, these runes are. You know, my studies are the most fun I ever had.”

“I bet! It’s so much fun to figure out the meaning!”

The unicorn pointed at the rune. “This one is very interesting. Crazy your eye got caught on it.”

As she mulled it over, there was almost a sheen to this one, making this one unique. She could not put her hoof on it, but she just felt that it was special.

“Yeah, I don't know, seemed interesting.”

The unicorn laughed again. “Heh, this one is different indeed. Very interesting to read.”

Twilight asked, “Well, I suppose. Really seems, to… jump off the ol' rock. Ye haw! Heh…”

What. The. Fuck.

Another chuckle. “Heh, yeah, well this is one that is very special. I suggest you take it, I’ve already finished it”

“How?” Twilights voice was one of bewilderment.

“I don’t know, from being smart?” Twilight stared at the unicorn, shocked at the seemingly intentional insult, who chuckled. “HEH, just kidding. I saw this rune before it entered this store, but if you’re up to the task of solving it, you could take it.”

Yeah, I need this freaking thing in my back like I need a thorn in my side.

Twilight began to speak gently to the stranger. “Well, I'm not really…”

The rune was gone, and so was the stranger. Instead, he was at the counter, with the rune in toe, talking with the shopkeep. A bewildered Twilight ran to the counter.

“Sir, with all due respect, I-”

“Don’t be silly! I paid for it and everything! Oh! And here is an endless bag in case, of course, you cant fit the rune. Oh, and don't worry about giving it back to me, you know, it’s my treat. Ok, bye!” The stranger stated this all very fast and chaotic, and he walked out of the store.

Twilight turned back to the counter, gasping for explanations. “Wait-sir! Let me return-”

“Nah. Git oot and liv.”

“But sir-”

“NAH. GIT OOT AND LIV. UND TIK U STOOPID BOOG TOO!”

Twilight hesitantly did as the geezer said, putting the rune into the bag, which really did feel endless.

I guess the bag will be more helpful than this rune.

Now back in the forest, Twilight stood, confused at the rush of events that just happened. She did not know really what occurred, except that she was given a rune that she never asked for. However, trained in the Canterlot School for Gifted Magic-Users, she knew she could never give up anything such as the new item.

Plus, the bag would help by extreme margins. Her old had a tiny endless spell, but it was not as powerful as this one seemed to be.

She wondered if the random stranger would be a problem, which she decided he wouldn't. He had no inclination to her being a princess, and at that, a runaway one.

She looked at her bag to make sure Flurry was not awakened, and she soon continued away from the store that had brought her confusing thoughts.

One last thought, however, was leftover. What was the stallion's name?

Where She Belongs

A bed. Blankets, sheets. All of this was new to Twilight as her eyes began to open, adjusting to the light. She saw immediately that she was not in the forest anymore. It took her a minute to comprehend her whereabouts. She was in her bedroom.

It was unmistakable. She was in her bed, in her room, in her castle. Her eyes widened by a large margin, bewildered at the series of events unfolding before her.

“What the…” Twilight said in a groggy voice. She began to get out of her soft bed, touching her four hooves down on the floor. She rubbed her face with her hooves, trying to wake up. She looked around her room. No Flurry.

“In what universe?”

Twilight began to trot around the room, trying to wake her mind up from its mourning slumber. She birthed the idea of being caught. She chided herself. She knew this would happen. “Damn it! Never should have slept.” She began to create a mindscape of the next events that would occur. Most likely a stern talking to, imprisonment perhaps. Most likely an enrolment to an asylum, where they would put her in a white padded room and something killing her magic. The idea was so revolting, she could almost taste it.

A door stood at the end of the room, where it would open up to the rest of her “humble” home. She got out of bed and began to walk to the door. As her hoof floated above the handle, the door swung open, almost hitting Twilight.

Starlight stood in the doorway, eyes wide. A smile soon began to spread across her face. “Twilight…”

The smile set Twilight off a bit, wondering why she had such a cheery nature. “Hey Starlight. Um...I don’t really know-”

“You finally woke up! Wow, for a day straight! Hope you slept well, you sleepyhead you!” Starlight advanced forward, wrapping Twilight in a bear hug. Huh?

“Um...I was sleeping? For a day. What in Tartarus does that mean?”

Starlight playfully put her hands up. “Woah! She’s delirious! Watch out everypony!” She laughed, and lightly punched Twilight in her arm. “Nah, I’m just joshin’ you. Yeah, you big goof! You were out for, like, three days!”

“I thought you said on-”

Starlight laughed. “Ha! Look at this girl!” Starlight talked in a comedic droning voice. “She’s like, ‘one, two, five hundred,’ damn, numbers girl!” Twilight had to wait for a minute to let Starlight finish giggling. “We’ve been worry sick about you!”

Twilight put on a nervous smile, confused at how every sentence was given such excitement. “Yeah well...I’m ok!” She almost rolled her eyes at her own exclaimed remark. Starlight began to rub her hooves on her shoulders.

“Yeah?” Her voice was full of concern Twilight though sounded fake. She didn’t care at the moment, however. She just needed to figure out what was happening.

“Yeahhhhhsooooooo Starlight?”

“Hm?”

“What was the last thing I um... did before I w-went to sleep?”

Starlight put her hoof underneath her fuzzy chin. “Hmmmmmmmmmmmmmm.” She drew out her thought, and suddenly burst into a smile. “Why Twilight! You were on a mission for Celestia or whatever, and you were so pooped out, you came back to the castle and said, ‘Why, I'm so pooped! Imma take a nap!’”

Twilight stared at her. She doubts she sounded like that.

“And the next thing we knew, this little princess,” playful nudge, “went nighty-night for an entire week! Crazy, huh?”

“A week?”

“We were so worried about you, honey? You tired so!”

Twilight squinted her eyes at her student. “What?”

“You were so tired! So we let you sleep for the month until you woke up!”

Twilights mind was spinning around in circles, confused at the different types of information she was being bombarded with. “What about, umm...Shining and-”

“OH! Them?” Starlight put her hoof underneath her smooth chin, being stuck in thought. “You haven’t seen them in a while, Twi!”

“Wait...really?”

“Yeah!” Starlight smiled at her teacher. However, upon noticing Twilights' confusion, she sighed heavily. “Damn, that does not suit me at all.”

Twilight jerked her head up. “Huh?”

“Pinkie, (stupid Pinkie), said I should be ‘wacky’ and ‘corny’ and such. Not to tell the amount of time you slept cause ‘shock’.” Starlight shook her head. “Stupid, honestly.” She chuckled, shaking her head. Twilight decided to match her laughter with her own. That put Starlight in a better mood.

Scratching her fuzzy face, she continued. “So um...yeah. That’s the basics really. How ya holdin’ up?”

Twilight breathed in and out. “Well, now that you calmed down…” She looked around the room, studying it. “Yeah, pretty good. I had a weird dream, that’s all it is. How long was I asleep.”

Starlight shook her head. “I don’t know. A couple of days? I lost count.”

“Okkkk.” Twilight bit her lip. She had a ton of questions. Everything was changing, and she was not sure how she felt about it. She still did not understand why it was so immersive, her “dream”.
The whole time thing confused her too, almost as if Starlight was trying to cover up another reason for changing the time.

She shook her head at that thought. Starlight would never. Shock, she thought, was a reasonable reason. She read many stories depicting how a simple fact could send ponies into a state of shock. Realizing the amount of time she slept might put her in that state.

Her friends were looking out for her. She smiled. “Sorry, Star, I just had a very realistic dream and all.” She quickly added to that statement. “Very, very realistic dream that is.”

Starlight looked concerned. “Oh, of course.” She stood around awkwardly, knowing full well that Twilight was not willing to share the dream she had.

“Starlight?”

“Hmm?”

“Can I talk to my friends real quick? Being asleep for so long must have made them worried.”

Starlight chuckled. “That’s an understatement. I had to keep them outta the room to not disturb you. They thought it was a coma or something.” She chuckled again and pointed at Twilight. “Of course, it seems that’s not the case.”

“Yeah, I guess…” The two stood around awkwardly, not sure what to say. Twilight decided to break it. “What about Spike?”

“Oh, he's at Rarities, I think.” Twilight smiled, reminded of Spikes crush on her friend. “He had the worst of it, ya know?”

“Yeah, I bet…” Twilight felt at ease now. This was the world she came accustomed to, excited to live her old life once more. That was all she wanted. Wait…

“So, let’s see those friends of yours! I think Pinkie had a party set up for whenever you woke up.”

Twilight smiled and nodded. Soon, the two friends left the larger than life castle.

Author's Note

Sorry it took so long for this chapter to come out. It's not going to come out as frequently, as I want to keep up its quality.

Recent Memories

“PARTYPARTYPARTY!” The obvious owner of the voice jumped up and down, moving around Sugarcube Corner. Speaking of the building, it was filled with streamers and balloons. Signs filled the store, all with pillows being set on fire. Seven ponies sat around a table, (well, one was jumping up and down), accompanied by a dragon.

The night party was starting to heat up, with Rainbow showing her moves to a new song released by their friend, Vinyl. Fluttershy, reluctantly, joined in, causing all the friends to cheer in excitement.

This day was...wild, to say the least. Apart from the confusing mourning conversation she had with Starlight, the day was mostly predictable. Her friends, upon seeing her, became excited and joyous, especially Pinkie. She almost blew up, she was so happy. She continually rambled on about the party she would throw for the night, and threatened all with loud yells if anypony dared to skip out on the party. All the other residents greeted Twilight, making her feel, for the first time in a while, like a princess.

Leading up to the party, Twilight sent letters to both Celestia and Shining. Starlight explained that they were worried as well, suggesting for her to write the letters. They were simple, Twilight recalled, stating she had woken up from her sleep and was now back to the land of the living. She had a sudden urge to say sorry to them, but she couldn’t figure out why.

“Twilight, darling?”

Rarities voice jerked Twilight back to reality, and out of her own personnel thought bubble. “Are you alright, my dear?”

Twilight nodded, her mouth suddenly dry. “Of course Rarity, just a little out of it.” She forced a smile.

“Yes, I suppose sleeping for a long while would do that to you. Don’t worry dear. We could be less rowdy if it pleased you.” Rarity gave Twilight a helpful look.

“No! It’s fine, trust me!” Twilight said a little too quickly. She enjoyed this. This show of happiness from her friends made her feel at home. So why did she also feel so off about it?

“Well, darling, if it doesn’t concern you, we had a play planned for you.”

Applejack, Pinkie, and Starlight looked at Twilight with excited eyes. “Oh, really? A play?”

“Yes!” As she said that, the bright lights of the store went out, and two spotlights pointed at the center of the floor, where a stage magically appeared. Bewildered, Twilight turned around to her friends...who simply were not there.

The place fell quiet, giving off an eerie atmosphere. Twilight found she couldn’t move out of the chair, stuck to that one single position.

In a second, all of her friends trotted onto the stage, eyes blank and transfixed. She noticed Spike was joining them, face also blank. The 6 friends all stood in a single file line, blankly staring at Twilight.

Applejack started first. “But Twilight, we just had so much to do. We are might sorry we left you.”
Twilight wanted to say something, but she lost her voice. Her mouth flapped open and closed, producing no sound.

Fluttershy. “Exactly. Im so sorry we forgot about you. Please, forgive us!”

Pinkie. “Yeah. Exactly.” The robotic tone of the voices seemed to make Twilight's ears bleed, as she tried to escape. She knew what they were going to say. Please, please please please, no. Please no.

Starlight. “Please Twilight, say something to us.”

No control.

“I hate you guys. You've left me, you've forgotten about me. I’ve been left here to all my lonesome, away from all of you, and you couldn't care any less.” She couldn't believe the words that were forcibly coming out of her mouth. She didn’t want to think about this ever again. PLEASE! STOPPPPP!!!!!!

Starlight. “You, don't mean that, do you?”

In a rush, both Shining Armor and Cadence walked onto the stage. “Yeah, Twilly. Please say otherwise.”

Tears were streaming down her face now, pleading with herself to stop. She wasn’t in the chair anymore, nor was she in Sugarcube Corner. She was instead in the castle, and the emotionless speech of her friends was now replaced, as all of them began sobbing.

“Twilly, come on, you need a rest. Please, just take a seat.” Shining began pleading with her.

Please no, please stop. You don’t know what you are doing!!!

Twilight pushed him away. “Y-you d-don't care at all! You don’t give two shits!” Everypony, including Spike, recoiled at that.

Shining tried to reason with her. “Twilly, that's not true.”

“It is!” she shrieked. “You don't care. You've been leaving me. All of you! All of you left me! All of you deserve to die! Leave me!”

“Twiliy-”

“Leave. Me. Celestia only knows you've been ignoring me enough.

Silence. Nobody made a move. Frustrated, Twilight marched past them, and moved into her room, slamming the door shut behind her. With tears staging her eyes, she furiously wrote on her desk.

Dear Celestia,

I have now finally realized my place in this world. My friends have left me. My brother abandoned me. I'm all alone, princess, and you never did anything about it. I held you in false regard it seems, as my job as princess ruined my life. Now, I’m here, isolated from all my friends for no reason other than their insistence of sleeping early tonight. So, dear Princess, note this as my resignation. Because I frankly never wish to see any of you again.

From

A Mare You Once Owned

Fwoosh.

Twilight sent the letter herself, something very rare. She never did that, never. She was alone, all alone. Please, apologize. Please. Please. Please please, please. Ple-

A flash of yellow filled in her room. Twilight jerked her head behind her to see Flurry, who was smiling inside the room, giggling. “What, how-”

Flurry must have accidentally teleported herself to her auntie. Celestia told her it was rare, but baby alicorns could be drawn to alicorns when under stress or using large amounts of magic.

“Flurry, I…” As ideas flooded Twilights head, her true inner voice pleaded. Please. No. Don’t, don’t, just, don’t take her away…

It all faded to black.

An Appropriately Angry Letter

I have never felt this alone, cold, and betrayed before. As I write this letter, I sit back and reflect on my life, searching for answers to justify why these events have transpired against me. I have come to a conclusion: there is no reason. I, in my whole life, have served the Royal Family with the utmost dignity, precision, and grace. I thought my actions would help elevate my quality of life, but unfortunately, yesterdays events have proven otherwise.

So I have written this letter in order to inform you how to prevent these events from happening to any pony else...but mostly me.

For my mozzarella sticks were cold at TGIT. Now usually, a Prince such as myself would never be seen at a lowly restaurant like Thursdays. However, I had a hankering for mozzarella sticks, and all the fancy restaurants had too much breading. I also decided to grace your waiters with my presence, as they would obviously swoon over my looks.

It took 5 minutes to seat me. 5 minutes. An insult, especially when the restaurant was almost full. I'm your Prince! I looked past this imprudent action and ordered a martini and a big pile of mozzarella sticks. The waitress greeted me as she would great a normal pony, but due to my hunger, I let it slide.

When my martini came, it was perfect. You, being the owner of this restaurant, should feel proud. However, this was the last pleasurable feeling your restaurant gave me.

My mozzarella sticks came in 20 minutes after my drink had, causing me to ask for 5 refills. When the appetizers came, they looked sloppy. I could still see the cheese! I was almost convinced to throw it on the floor and tell the waitress to lick it up. However, my hunger still played a factor in my actions. As a result, I tried the sticks. As I'm sure I already told you...they were cold. Frigid.

I yelled insanities at the waitress for her benevolence. She never, and I mean never should have gifted me those fries. As a servant of the court, I deserve to be treated with the utmost respect and resolve. She, however, deserved to be whipped down the streets of Canterlot, for all to see.

As I was making arrangements, the waitress cried, begging for her life. Naturally, I wasn’t going to do such a thing. It would hurt my public outlook, and besides, Auntie would never improve. The host then had the nerve to ask me to leave. I responded by telling him I had no inclination to hurt her, but he said my yelling and shouting was upsetting the guests.

To say I felt persecuted is an understatement. The only reason I accepted this offer was the offer to pay for my food. Besides, I knew a much better plan of attack was to run away and then secretly ask you to fire both the waitress and the host. And, while we're on the topic of demands, to fire the chef or chefs who cooked my meal. However, please give the one who made the drink a raise.

I expect you to put my requests into swift action. There is no pressure to follow through with my requests, but should I walk by your establishment and see both that waitress and host through the window, well…

From your Loving, Caring, and Powerful Prince, Not to Mention Handsome, Dashing, Charming, and The Most Promising Bachelor in Canterlot, and Equestria, and The World,

Prince Blueblood

Author's Note

A short chapter to set up future events

The Meeting

“I agree with you, my dear nephew. We shall conduct searches for Twilight using the National Guard.”

The throne room was scarcely filled. Celestia and Luna sat on their respective thrones, while Blueblood and Shining Armor stood before them. The Prince nodded his head.

“And no offense, dear Armor, but your personnel connection should prohibit you from this job.”

Celestia and Luna both nodded in agreeance, while Shining grumbled but kept it low and said nothing further. Blueblood continued.

“I will suggest myself leading the search. I am very experienced at this sort of predicament. I know that she must be heading southwest, where I’m not sure. Assuming she's mentally ill, she might make the worst decisions by heading to a city.” A moment of silence. “Actually, perhaps she's smart in this. She would blend in perfectly. In fact, no pony could even care that she was there. No matter. I’ll set up guards along the roads by afternoonish, blocking all the entries to major cities. Soon, she’ll be caught, as well close around the places we know she would have gone. If you agree with this, Auntie, then I will begin at once.”

Celestia waved her hoof, smiling. “It seems like a reasonable plan. I want to tell you one thing.”

A nervous laughter. “Yes, well of course. What is it?” Celestia's face rapidly changed, frowning as she stared into her nephew’s soul.

“You are not permitted, at any point whatsoever, to hurt her. Do you understand?” The room became a vacuum suddenly. The atmosphere was tense, all bottled up into one moment. Shining smiled, looking down at the ground. Blueblood did the opposite, sweating and frowning, understanding the consequences of such an action without it needed to be stated.

“O-of course. I w-wouldn’t d-dream of i-it.”

Celestia quickly smiled as Luna chuckled, amused by her Sisters warning. “I suppose that makes you happy, Shining Armor.”

The stallion smiled, bowing his head, letting his unkept mane pour over his facial features. “As long as neither my daughter nor sister is hurt, I have no objections. I fully trust Prince Bluebloods direction and general prowess, and I know that we will find both and give my sister the proper help she needs. And from this, I have nothing left to say.”

“You know,” Celestia lightly began, “you dont need to address me formally anymore, right?”

Shining shrugged. “It would be wise for myself to keep my emotions in check.”

A smile and a nod. “I understand. You may leave now, and take what we talked about into action.”

Both nodded and proceeded out the door. The Two Sisters let their eyes follow the two Princes out the door, carefully watching them. When they left, the Sisters fell back across their chairs, sighing with exhaustion.

Luna chocked out a sentence. “Well Tia, that takes a big load off of our shoulders.”

“Yeah, well I suppose…”

Luna rolled her eyes at her older sister. “We already had this meltdown last night. You dont need to control every little thing, Tia.”

Celestia took in a large breath, looking around the throne room. Light poured in from the mosaics. It was red, orange blue. Mosaics depicting victories, reminding her of her conquering, as well as her subject’s victories as well. A wall of wins. Of successes. Gratitude and favor. All of it. All of the history taken from context. There was no mosaic depicting a sister banishing her own. There was no mosaic depicting a Princess failing to protect Canterlot from the changelings on a wedding day. Nothing depicting her futile attempts to hold Tyrek. Nothing. Few ponies knew, and if they did, none cared. Except for the one that was running away.

Luna bore a look of worry. “Tia, are you-”

“I’m fine Luna.”

Without any talk, Celestia moved off the throne and began to move into her living quarters, Luna frowning as she went.

Dear Starlight

I hope this letter finds you well. I know that the past events of what occurred might still worry you. I had a meeting with my nephew and Twilights brother today. Blueblood lives rather close, and Shining happened to already be located in this city to ask me for an audience. I wish I could have had your friends here, but there was just simply no time.

Our decisions keep Twilight safe, as her search will be conducted by my capable nephew. He has experience with this situation, and it's because of this that I ask you to find confidence in him and his abilities.

Her punishments will be minimum. We agreed we shall use only the finest doctors to test her mental state if she is even in one. I'm just as worried as you, and it's taken a while for myself to realize my uselessness. She remains hidden, not seen nor heard. This is where I disagree with my nephew. She isn't acting sparitcally. Even if she doesn't know it, every step she takes is being analyzed by her mind.

And so...

I wish you not to, but I know you will take it upon yourself to find your friend. I hope you can do so, and even though I won't provide help, I will keep you nosing silent to my nephew. It's a royal matter after all.

It's to the point where it doesn't matter how we find her. As long as she's safe. And double the searching will certainly help with that. Again, remember you are not officially allowed to look for her. You are not officially Royal Servants, at least not the type that can be awarded this search. So do not use me as a way for hidden information. I only care about one thing Starlight. That's finding Twilight and Flurry. To fail will blacken my name to all. I just want them to be safe. To continue as we were. I'm sure you feel the safe way.

Always know that although I can't aid you in the search, that my thoughts and prayers are with you.

Your Worried Princess,

Celestia

Author's Note

https://www.fimfiction.net/blog/943373/on-the-road

The Mind Of Three

Twilight's eyes did not hesitate to open. Instead opting for a quick release. Twilight stared at the starry sky, back lying on the grass and leaves of the forest. It was chilly, causing Twilight to shiver and hug her own body. She didn’t mind, instead reveling in it.

She knew what she did. She knew how everything else happened. She remembered the sight of the lonely castle, realizing that they really did leave. She remembered the lonely streets, as no pony dared to be out at night unless they wished to freeze.

She remembered...the absence of thought. She remembered everything just...happening. She just found Flurry, she just was alone, and just nopony cared. After that dream, Twilight began to think if the series of events that transpired were somepony else's doing.

Another thought hit her as she was contemplating her dream, and it was the fact that she didn’t dream. At least, not anymore. She couldn’t afford to accidentally think of her current whereabouts, leading Luna to her exact position. So, she couldn’t figure out how she experienced that nightmare fuel “dream.” If it was a dream, Twilight was sure that Luna would pop up in her head. Most likely would be telling me to come home.

Through this analytical thinking, Twilight stopped. It occurred to Twilight that she just went through Hell on Not-Earth, and yet was here being a scholar, analyzing what she had been through. This thought stuck with her, and although Twilight tried to fight it off, it stuck.

She stared at the starry sky, and reached up with her hoof, trying to touch the gleaming lights. “Brain, why are you so damn annoying?”

Twilight fell asleep to a humming sound she characterized as the wind and water. As she drifted off, the rune stopped glowing.

“Luna, any news?” Celestia creaked open the door of her younger sister’s room. The sister in question was out on the balcony, oblivious to Celestia and her calling.

Tia walked up to her sister, admiring the stars that danced on top of her ceiling. Usually, Celestia noted, they would join together when a certain something lingered on Luna’s mind. For the last few days, they were stuck as a picture of a certain friendship princess.

“Luna?” The younger sister turned around, her eyes just becoming vibrant as she snapped out of her dream state. She was grumpy looking, and Celestia decided for an early sunrise.

“Ughhhhhhh…..” Luna groaned. She really is dead tired, Celestia thought. Thankfully, she had the solution. Tia pulled a cake seemingly out of nowhere, earning a smile from the tired alicorn. “Tia…” she smirked as she graciously grabbed the cake, devouring it in two bites.

The two sat on Luna's bed, as girls in a sleepover would sit on the bed to talk about their crushes. The sisters stared at each other until Luna sighed. “Tia, she is doing everything with careful thought. Thou princess isn't even dreaming!”

“Sister, there is no need for you to speak in Royal Tounge to me.”

Luna sheepishly smiled.”She isn't dreaming.” Her face was now one of utter hopelessness. “It may have started off as a spur of the moment decision, but everything we do is coming up short. Tia, you knew Twilight ever since she was a filly. She is just…” Luna sighed once again. “I don't think she is coming back.”

Celestia sat there, her eyes never wavering, staring at her beloved sister. “If you um...if you say so.” Celestia began to move her way out of the bedroom.

“Tia!” Celestia turned around mid trot. “She had a nightmare today-”

No sooner had she said this than when Celestia rocketed onto the bed. “She did?” Celestia asked excitedly.

Luna grimaced. “Well not exactly…” Celestia slammed her hooves down in frustration, the usually calm ruler now filled with confusion and betrayal.

“Then what?” Celestia demanded.

“Tia, she was stuck in a Private Void. As such-”

Celestia cut her off. “Sister, I’m sorry I can’t travel through dreams like you, and as such, I don’t know any of these terms. What is a Private Void?” There was a hint of bitterness in her voice, despite Luna telling her sister about her dreamscaping multiple times before and after the banishment.

“It is basically a private world or dream. It’s where one can meditate privately without my interference. They are rare, as high amounts of magic must be used to create one.”

Celestia shook her head. “Wait, then how is it a nightmare?”

Luna grimaced even harder. “You see, dreams give off Dream Energy, otherwise known as DE. It can tell me what type of dream somepony is having, so I can decide if I wish to intervene or not. The Private Void she was in was, well…” Luna bit her lip. Celestia leaned forward in anticipation. “It was evil, Tia.”

Celestia stared at Luna. She didn’t show her shock. Instead, she asked, “How accurate are the DE’s”

Luna groaned. “Sister! Listen to me! You are letting personal feelings cloud your judgment. We can't simply wait for her to come back. We need to send a squad of guards and-”

“No!” Celestia barked. “I won't let us hunt her down like a runaway tyrant, Luna! The poor girl is scared, for Pete’s sake! What, you want me to sick the dogs on her?” Luna said nothing, biting on her lip harder. “Your stupid DE things or whatever prove she is in trouble! Luna, she will come back! Please,” Celestia pleaded.

It was Luna’s turn to stare at her sister. “No.”

BAM! A hoof slammed against the wall of the bedroom. Luna didn’t even jump back.

“We are sentencing this young mare to death if we let her go. The Private Void shows she is being tainted.” Before Celestia could say anything, Luna held a hoof up. “We both know how much magic she must be using to keep hidden. The Private Void is too powerful for her to even start conjuring.”

Celestia muttered under her breath, “So that means she is-”

“Tainted, yes. Tia, you must know that an outside force reaching Twilight in the current state that she is in is…” Luna slowly stopped speaking, as she realized her sister was now crying. “Tia, what’s wrong?” She finally got off her bed to console the weeping Princess.

Celestia tried to talk through sobs, but Luna could not understand a single word that was spoken. “Tia, one more time.”

The older sister shook her head. “Sister, you have convinced me. I will speak to the guards to get my associates for a meeting first thing in the mourning.” Celestia wiped a tear away from her eye. “I believe Rarity is in Canterlot, seeking a meeting with me. I will invite her at the same time.” Luna only nodded. “I'm sure, dear Sister, that you will be there?” Another nod.

Celestia slowly walked out of the room, Luna not doing anything to stop her from leaving. Before she went out the door, Tia, turned around. “Luna, I’m sorry for acting rather out of character before. I hope you know how much this means to me.”

“Of course. We all do.”

Another nod from both Sisters. “Luna?”

“Yes?”

“I’m sorry. For everything.” She forced a smile. “One would think I would learn my lesson.” And with that solemn note, Celestia left her sister alone, to gaze at her starry ceiling. Only now, it took the shape of the Sun Goddess.