Faith and Doubt

by defender2222

Rating: teen
Tags: Main 6, Spike, Shining Armor, Princess Celestia, Twilight Sparkle, My Little Pony: Friendship is Magic, Dark
Length: 62133

After everyone fails to heed to her warnings about Cadence, Twilight gives in to her darker thoughts

There has always been a little voice in Twilight Sparkle's head, whispering dark musings to her. And until her brother's wedding, she has managed to push those bitter thoughts away and focus on the good. She forgives and forgets and holds onto hope.

But when her friends turn their backs on her and her brother cuts her from his life, Twilight finds herself alone, with only the little voice to comfort her.

And it is through anger and hate that has been repressed for so long that Twilight finds the power to rise up. Harmony and Friendship have only brought her pain and suffering. It is time for her to embrace her dark side. No longer will she worry about what others think. Twilight is going to live her life how SHE chooses: without friends, without family, without love and without harmony. She is going to cut loose, have fun, and screw what others think.

For her friends and family, it will soon become apparent that if they don't find a way to mend the damage they've done to the lavender mare...Twilight Sparkle might be lost to them forever.

Thank you to everyone that got this story as one of the Featured Stories here on the site!

The TvTropes Page can be found here: http://tvtropes.org/pmwiki/pmwiki.php/FanFic/FaithAndDoubt

Cover created by the amazing FerGarcia220

Published 2012-09-18 11:24:01 UTC
Last updated 2012-11-01 13:05:56 UTC

Prologue: Whispers in the Dark

"But who knows what she spoke to the darkness, alone, in the bitter watches of the night, when all her life seemed shrinking, and the walls of her bower closing in about her, a hutch to trammel some wild thing in." -Aragorn The Return of the King

Twilight didn’t have any tears left.

She wished she did, as it would mean that she had something else to focus on. Tears would have been welcomed at this point, compared to what she suffered through now. Of course whippings would have been nicer than what she was going through.

But there was nothing to distract her from the absolute mess she had made of things…and how her actions, well intended as they were, had cost her all her friends and family.

‘How did it all go so wrong?’ she wondered to herself as she lay curled up on her bed. The dress rehearsal for the wedding had been a nightmare for everypony involved, though she, compared to every other pony, had different reasons for being upset.

Their hateful words buzzed through her brain like angry wasps, bouncing against her skull and making her head throb. As Twilight lay on her bed, her eyes aching from all the tears she had shed and her throat made raw from the sobs, she replayed that awful moment again and again, like a play that just would never end.

Shining Armor, her brother and her best friend, who had always looked at her with love...had glared at her and dismissed her warnings as those of a foal crying wolf. She had nearly ruined his wedding and he had responded by stripping her of her best-mare title, banishing her from the event with all the cruelty he could muster. He had looked upon her like one would an insect and for the first time in her life...Twilight had feared him.

‘He cut me out of his life. He trusts some mare he barely knows over me! He… he was my best friend and he cast me away so easily…don't I mean anything to him?'

Celestia, her beloved mentor, had looked at her with such disappointment that Twilight had wanted to crawl into a hole and die. The Princess had put so much trust in her and she had blown it. This was such an important event for the Princess and there Twilight was, screaming her head off and being a general pain in the flank…and she had shown just how irrational she could be. She couldn’t tell a headache relieving spell from a mind-control spell...she could almost see it in Princess Celestia's eyes: how could somepony be so stupid?

'She regrets taking me as her student...the only reason she keeps me around because I'm one of the elements…I’m only useful as a weapon she points at her enemies.’

Her friends had just shook their heads, walking past her as they digested the fact that she had gone through yet another freak-out over something silly and had failed to listen to their advice. They had warned her and pleaded with her to think things through but there was stupid Twilight Sparkle, overreacting…again! She had nearly ruined the big day and this time they refused to bail her out.

'But it wasn't silly and I wasn’t overreacting! Cadence is hurting my brother! How could they not understand? Wouldn’t they have done the same? Haven’t they done the same in the past?’

Twilight shook her head, trying to banish the dark thoughts that were beginning to swirl about her. They were always taunting her, making her doubt herself and her actions, but normally she was able to push them aside, to think logically. But tonight, after all the drama and the heartache...they were beating a steady war drum.

She'd been repressing these thoughts for so long, shoving them back in the smallest corners of her mind. It was wrong of her to feel this way, to have so much doubt in her friends and family. They weren't to blame...she was.

Twilight felt so very, very tired.

She'd thought, for only a moment, about seeking out Princess Cadence and apologizing for her rash words and actions. But as she had reached the corner that led to Cadence’s private wing…Twilight had found herself unable to continue. She just couldn’t face the bride, couldn’t deal with another set of eyes glaring at her…

‘Or maybe I just know she is an evil witch and I don’t want to be within 10 feet of her,’ something within her whispered.

…so she had run to her room, ignoring the guards that called out for her to halt. They all had glared at her, knowing what she had done. Or maybe they had been calling out to ask if she was ok, not use to seeing a crying mare…no…no…they knew and they hated her for breaking Cadence’s heart and making her cry. Of course they would take her side...she was Princess Cadence and Twilight was just...Twilight. The stupid little filly Celestia humored.

So she had bolted into her room, sealing the door with magic and soundproofing the entire bedroom so she didn't have to hear any more of the incriminating jabs. Then she'd shut the drapes and begun to sob. Every time she had managed to catch her breath she had seen a sliver of moonlight and she had worked to cover up the offending (or was it offended…offended by her actions?) light. She’d finally stripped her bed clean and jammed the dress Rarity had made for her to seal up the crack under the door, so that she was left alone in the darkness.

It wasn’t like she needed the dress…she wasn’t invited to the wedding anymore, after all.

‘And whose fault is that?’ she pondered. ‘Mine? Or my friends and family who side with that witch instead of listening to me?’

The unicorn did her best to bat away the incrimination of her loved ones. It was her fault they hadn't believed her...she had come in acting foalish, ranting and raving...how could they ever believe her? She should have done it differently. She should have found another way to convince them about the danger Cadence posed. She should have sat them down and gently explained what she feared and what she saw, and asked them to please help her.

‘Of course, that’s assuming they would have believed me,’ the bitter little voice in her head muttered.

She quietly begged the voice to shut up.

And their reactions to her rant shouldn’t have surprised her. Shining had been hurt that she had made a scene instead of seeing him in private. Celestia was caught between her niece and her student, left in the worst of positions. Her friends had tried to help her and when she had ignored their advice they had left, assuming that's what she wanted...

It was her fault.

It...it was her fault.

It...was-

'No! No...I can keep telling myself that but it will never make it true.’ The harsh voice in her head was growing stronger, refusing to let her forgive them all so easily...denying her the chance to take on the blame. ‘I sound like a filly protesting that Santa Claws must be real. I know the truth but I refuse to admit it.’ She lowered her head, feeling absolutely miserable. ‘They care more about the wedding than me.’

She waited for the tears to come. She waited for her heart to break and her soul to be crushed. And she waited…and waited. But it never came.

The dark thoughts that rolled through her body no longer seemed so heavy. Indeed, the more she thought about it, the more mad she got. ‘My friends want to put on a big wedding and have everypony compliment them. That’s all that matters to them! The entire train ride here they knew I was upset, but they didn’t offer sympathy…they gave excuses and told me to cheer up!’ She glowered a bit, remembering how the girls had gossiped about the wedding and their tasks. They never once giving pause to remember that Twilight had found out about it the same time they did, via a form letter. They had seen her shock, heard her sing her heart out about her brother…and they had been all giggles and grins. They didn’t even have the decency to hide their actions…they did it right in front of her and acted like all she had to do was smile and her problems would go away. ‘All that mattered to them was their success…not my feelings!’

Normally Twilight hated feeling angry. She was the type of pony that, after a good explosion of anger, instantly felt sadness and regret. It was common for her to stress over her actions and to beg ponies for their forgiveness…even if they were the ones in the wrong in the first place. She had been taught, first by her parents then by Celestia, that anger was a weight that dragged you down. Whenever she had given into frustration she had felt as if she were trapped in leg irons and had done anything to get rid of the guilt.

So she had repressed it. She had forced herself to smile when others taunted her. She had hid her tears. When she did lose control she worked as hard as she could to repair the damage. She dammed up her bitterness and refused to let it out. She had been doing it since she was barely a filly, hiding her doubts from the world and taking every pony on good faith.

But now, alone in the bedroom Celestia had given her to use during her stay, Twilight felt not a weight pressing down on her but a strength and vitality lifting her up. The anger and rage she felt did not make her feel down…they made her feel stronger. Being sad and depressed had made her weak and caring about what her friends thought of her had robbed her of will to move. But now that she was allowing herself to truly be honest…raw energy was pouring into her. It was as if a fire was suddenly burning in her heart and the more she thought about it the bigger the inferno became.

Every bitter thought she had ever felt in the last few years came bubbling to the surface. She had repressed so much of it, wanting to believe the best in her friends and family…but now that she let go and actually let her true anger be set free…it felt glorious. It was like her heart was a boiling pot of syrup, thick and dark, and the heat was bringing everything up. It made her feel giddy and drunk and she wondered how any pony could ever think being negative was a bad thing when it fueled one like this!

She welcomed the fire…she needed the fire…she fueled the fire to get more.

‘How many times have I helped them? How many times did they come to me with crazy ideas and silly notions and I stood in their corner? I give and give and all they do is take and take!’ Twilight rose up, standing on her bed. The weakness she had felt in her limbs was gone and Twilight thanked the fire growing within her heart for giving her strength. ‘And then they all just looked at me like I was pathetic! Ha!’ Twilight grinned…then actually laughed out loud. ‘I'm not pathetic...they are! They are so concerned about appearances that they can't see the truth! This is a threat to my family…not some silly misunderstanding! But I guess their kindness dries up when I am not playing by their rules.’

She trotted into the bathroom, splashing water on her face. ‘Shining Armor…you son of a she-wolf! You try and get me all flustered to make me forget that you didn’t tell me…no…no, you lied to me!’ Twilight griped the edge of the counter, teeth grinding together. She felt very warm, like she had just completed 3 stretches of ‘The Running of the Leaves’ in a row. But she welcomed it…the thudding of her heart let her know she was alive. ‘You promised to be my friend, to be my protector…and then you betray me for that Cadence!’ Twilight shook her head in disgust. It didn’t matter that earlier she had assumed Cadence was brainwashing her brother…Shining Armor was strong and she knew that if the tables had been turned she would have fought off any mind control. No...what he said had been what lay in his heart and she would not give him a free pass. Not this time.

She thought about her meeting with her BBBFF (‘Former…FBBBFF’) and how he had refused to apologize for not letting her know about Cadence. Oh, he had done well making her feel as if she were blowing things out of proportion; he’d brought up the threat to Equestria, had played off her concerns and redirected the conversation…never once did he actually take a moment to admit that he might have done something wrong.

‘But of course not…he’s Shining Armor, Captain of the Royal Guard!’ Twilight thought, rolling her eyes. ‘He’s the most important pony in Equestria…marrying a princess, protecting Canterlot…how can he have time to worry about his little sister when the sun rises just to warm his flank!’

Normally she would have been disturbed by the direction her thoughts were taking. But she was far too gone in her rage to even consider just how out-of-character it was for her to be feeling this way. Besides…it felt too good. It was naughty and wrong but felt right; it was like eating ice cream when you were on a diet. Twilight had always been so good...well now it felt great to be bad.

‘Celestia,’ Twilight thought, not even noticing that she didn’t call her mentor ‘Princess’ like she normally did…why respect somepony that didn’t respect you? ‘How many times have I been right and you didn’t listen? I was right about Nightmare Moon… I was right about many other threats to Equestria and you just ignored them…no…no, you used me…but when I suggest your precious little niece is bad, suddenly you don’t trust me?’ Twilight slammed her hoof down in sheer annoyance. ‘Family…your sister was Nightmare Moon and because you were too scared to face her you nearly sent me to my death! And now Cadence…you’re blind, Celestia…you were blind about Luna and you're blind now!’

Twilight sneered, feeling the fire within coursing through her veins with every dark thought. She had never felt so strong, so powerful; her magic seemed ready to burst out of her horn. Twilight felt as if she could raise and lower the sun itself! The fires raged in her heart as she dreamed of what she would do next…the time for idle worries was over. She would not lay there defeated. She would go and save her friends…and then they would be the ones crawling to her, begging for her forgiveness.

She would save them all…by herself.

‘I will prove I am right.’

As she ripped open the shades to reveal the bright new day, Twilight smiled darkly…never noticing that her horn now crackling with a black energy.

“If any pony objects to this union…” Twilight laughed as she stared out at Canterlot Castle.

Something Borrowed

"Fear.
Fear attracts the fearful.
The strong.
The weak.
The innocent.
The corrupt.
Fear.
Fear is my ally."

~Darth Maul

The day was perfect.

The pegasi had ensured that the only clouds in the sky were small and offered shade to those that needed it. They had even taken the time the sculpt them to resemble hearts and roses. The castle gardens had been tended by the best earth ponies in all of Equestria and it seemed, as one trotted about, as if every ecosystem within the country was represented. There was a magic in the air and even the stuffiest of unicorns had a smile on their face as they made their way into the castle.

The 5 Elements of Harmony could only look about in wonder; even Rainbow Dash was impressed by how the throne room had been transformed. They had done this…they had put on the biggest wedding in Equestria and everypony who was anypony was in attendance. Fluttershy’s birds happily sang the wedding march as Cadence walked towards Shining Armor, making Rarity’s wedding gown look like the finest thing ever created. Everypony looked upon the princess of love and felt their heart beat a bit faster. The only one not smiling was Shining Armor, but all attributed that to jitters.

Cadence took her spot next to her husband-to-be and smiled, radiating joy and love. Her lips quivered in a slight smirk as Princess Celestia began the ceremony.

“We are gathered here today-“

The doors to the throne room burst open, sounding like a thunderclap. Four of Celestia’s royal pegasus guards slid into the room, making the red carpet bunch up as their twitching bodies came to a halt. The wedding guests turned, staring at the smiling unicorn who swaggered in without a care in the world.

“Good afternoon ladies and gentlecolts,” Twilight called out, giving them all a twisted grin. “Can’t have a ceremony without the best mare, can we?” Her horn glowed black and a flask Prince Blueblood had hidden in his jacket floated over to Twilight, the unicorn taking a shot from it. “Mmmm…very nice.” She gave Blueblood a leer before returning his flask, gracefully prancing over the fallen guards. “I hope none of you mind, but I started the celebration a touch early.”

“Twilight Sparkle,” Celestia managed to finally get out, her shock at her student’s actions leaving her utterly flabbergasted, “what is the meaning of this?”

“The meaning is that I was almost late to the wedding and these boys got in my way.” Twilight lifted one guard’s head up and gave him a playful pat on the cheek. “But don’t worry, we solved things!” Her smiled darkened and she violently backhoofed the guard, sending a splash of blood to the floor. “Don’t get up on my account.” Twilight let out a drunken giggle, clearly having ‘celebrated’ quite hard before coming to the wedding.

Cadence glared at Twilight, stomping her hoof in frustration. "Why do you keep insisting on ruining my special day?" Several more of the royal guard approached Twilight, snorting as they circled her. "What did I ever do to you? Why can't you just let me have this?"

"Don't make this hard on yourself," one of the guards said.

Twilight took a moment to look at her friends and family, waiting to see if any of them would call out for the guards to be careful, to not hurt her. All of them either looked away in shame or glared at her in disgust.

'Shame and disgust...let's see if we can change that,' she thought.

Her eyes flashed and tendrils of black magic shot out from her horn, grabbing the guards and wrapping them up. The pegasi struggled but were unable to break free from her grasp. "First off, I am a bit offended. I defeated an ursa minor, Nightmare Moon and Discord...you really thought a few guards could stop me?" She sent them flying across the room, the clanking of their armored bodies striking the walls echoing through the throne room. They were knocked out cold, though their wounded pride would hurt far longer than their heads. "As for what you did? Let us just say you got on my bad side."

"You will not threaten her!" Shining Armor shouted, eyes flashing green as he moved to stand between his bride and his sister. Twilight's lips merely twitched, her suspicions confirmed at the sight of the sickly green glow that radiated from her brother's irises. A tiny bit of her hoped that Shining’s cruel words were an effect of the spell that had obviously been placed upon him. That little voice whispered that maybe, just maybe, her brother hadn't meant all the things he had said...that when she freed him he would become her beloved Shiny again.

The bitter part of her heart stomped those hopes down; they only made her weak. Shining Armor had always been bad for her...she could see for the first time just how cruel he was. Her mind hounded her, demanded blood for blood…and Twilight was all too happy to provide it.

"You hear how my dear brother talks to me?" Twilight asked, startling everypony. Her voice dripped with false sweetness and it made those that knew her shudder in disgust that such an acidic tongue could be found in her mouth. "My FBBBFF is so quick to protect his blushing bride...never mind the hearts he stomps on in his rush to play gallant knight." She stuck out her lower lip, pouting as she resorted to baby talk. "Did Shiny tell mama and dada about what he said to poor widdle Twiley?"

"No," Shining Armor said gruffly. "I told them you were sick, to spare you embarrassment."

Twilight threw her head back and laughed, though it was such a wicked sound that Pinkie Pie's mane instantly deflated upon hearing it. "Oh my dear brother, always thinking of me." She took a step forward, a cruel smile gracing her lips. "Did you use that silver tongue to charm Cadence too? Or am I the only one that gets sweet lies whispered in her ear?"

"Shining, Twilight..." their mother, Twilight Velvet, pleaded. Neither she nor their father, Night Light, understood what was going on. Shining had come to them that morning and told them that Twilight had come down with a highly contagious stomach virus and would be unable to attend the wedding. Velvet had wanted to go check on her little girl but Shining had convinced her otherwise. Now...now she wished she hadn't listened to her eldest and had instead trusted her motherly intuition.

For the briefest of moments Twilight faltered. The sound of her mother's voice was like a bucket of icy water on the inferno that raged within her soul. Velvet looked at her baby girl, eyes shimmering with unshed tears as she silently begged Twilight to stop this.

'She's upset because I am ruining Shining Armor's wedding,' her mind snapped. 'She doesn't care about me...she hasn't come towards me. She's inching towards Shining even now! They care more for their first born than they ever did me! She said it herself: Shining...then Twilight. Always Shining...always him first...Twilight just gets the scraps!'

The icy water became gasoline and the fires roared back larger than ever.

"Who needs family?" Twilight muttered to herself, her eyes never leaving her mother's as she sent a blast of magic directly at her brother, sending him crashing into a stain glass window. Her brother fell in a heap, bits of broken glass raining down on him, and Cadence trembled.

'Good,' her mind whispered, ‘good.’

"You are all wondering why I am here!" Twilight called out, all her bravado returning full force. She began to approach the altar once again, her smile growing larger as she watched Cadence back away from her, rage and fear flashing on the Princess' features. "Well…I am today’s entertainment! I already showed you some magic, so how about a story, hmmmm?” She looked around; delighting in how everypony save a few cowered away from her. “Princess Slutty Slut here is brainwashing my brother. I saw it with my own two eyes. But Celestia refuses to believe that a member of her family could be evil..." Twilight chuckled to herself, idly calling back Blueblood's flask and taking a sip, "...because everypony knows Tia here is such a good judge of character. How is Princess Luna, by the way? Terrorized any children lately?"

"Twilight, stop this now!" Celestia demanded, taking a step forward. The crowd began to back away, their fear palpable at the sight of their princess facing down her deranged student. All who had seen that look upon the sun princess' face had learned just how terrible her wrath could be. "Whatever issues you have with Cadence can be solved with decorum...storming in here like a drunken mare is doing no pony any good! I did not teach you...I did not raise you...to act like this! You bring shame to your family, your friends and me with your petty actions!"

Any other time, Twilight would have trembled under Celestia's stern warning. But the fire that now burned in her heart only laughed at such attempts to snuff it out. Twilight took a step forward, cocking her head to the side, giving her teacher the most innocent of looks.

“Always about you, isn’t it, Tia?”

With that Twilight unleashed a blast of magic.

In a fair fight Celestia would have won with ease. Even if Twilight was the most powerful unicorn to be born in Equestria since Starswirl the Bearded, she simply could not compete with the power, and wisdom, of the sun princess. It would have been like a raindrop trying to wash away a mountain.

But like the raindrop, Twilight did not try to attack the mountain head-on. She wiggled and wormed her way through the hard rock that was her mentor's defenses; just as a drop of water can find a crack in the rock and use that fault to erode a great cliff, so did Twilight find an advantage and bring Celestia down. In this case, the crack was Celestia's eyes. They were the window to the soul, but they also were sensitive and unguarded. Even with the natural shields Celestia always held up, the princess had to be able to see. Twilight was able to send a blinding ball of light at her mentor's face, blinding her.

'She's been blind to my true potential all this time' her dark thoughts hissed, 'there is a poetic justice to this.'

Before any of those gathered could react Twilight rushed Cadence, throwing her down from the altar then pouncing on top of the princess of love. She could hear her friends shouting, some calling out to Celestia, others Cadence, and one of them even shouted her name. The last wasn't said with hope or joy but fear...fear of what she would do.

'Good,' she thought as her horn began to glow a sickly black, 'fear I can work with.' She grit her teeth and for a brief moment all those around her could see her very soul flash within her frame. A black dome formed around them, sealing them off from the rest of the wedding guests. They could still see and hear Twilight but now the pulsing magic blocked them from interfering. "I think it’s time you and I had a chat, Cadence."

"Twilight, stop!" Rainbow Dash shouted, the first to snap to her senses. She began to pound on the dome, trying to fracture it. The lavender unicorn ignored her and Rainbow Dash began to dart back and forth, building up speed as she rammed the forcefield.

Applejack grit her teeth, joining Rainbow Dash in the assault. "Rarity! The moment it comes down you need to tie Twilight up as tight as you can! We can't risk her blasting us!" The farmer began to buck at the forcefield, her hooves aching but her spirit not faltering for a second.

"Stop!" Celestia shouted, shaking her head in an attempt to rid herself of the spots that danced about her eyes. Fluttershy was quietly crying beside her and Pinkie Pie looked about, utterly confused and unable to think of what to do. Rarity stopped gathering up the carpet to use as restraints but the farmer and the weather pony continued to attack the dome. "Applejack, Rainbow Dash, stop now! Please stop!"

It was the way Celestia cried out them...so full of panic and fear...that got their attention.

Celestia stared at the dome, horror clearly written upon her features. "Where did she learn this spell?"

"Princess?" Rarity said softly. "What's wrong?"

"Yeah, we need to get in there before Twilight hurts Princess Cadence!" Rainbow Dash proclaimed, watching as Twilight continued to circle Cadence like a shark swam around a baby seal.

"We...we can't," Celestia murmured. "She used a soul shield."

"A...a what now?" Applejack asked.

Celestia fought back tears. 'My faithful student...how did things go so wrong? How did we get to this point?' The sun princess took several breaths, trying to calm herself. "A...a soul shield is formed by the unicorn channeling her essence into a physical form. The barrier isn’t magic but Twilight’s lifeforce made solid. It is nearly impenetrable...and thank all that it is."

"Why?" Twilight Velvet asked, finally finding her voice. She and Night Light had moved towards Shining Armor and once assured their son was still alive had turned their attention to the tinted dome that separated them from their youngest.

"Because if we break it against Twilight's will...we will break her soul. She'll die instantly."

"That...that is Twilight's soul?" Pinkie whimpered. "But it's so...dark."

Celestia nodded, a tear rolling down her cheek. ‘What drove you to this madness, my little pony?’

Before the Princess could say more Twilight's voice rose up from within the dome. "Just the two of us. You and me. You can drop the disguise now...no one can see or hear us," she lied.

"Clever little unicorn," Cadence said, though the voice that came from her lips was not her own. The crowd began to scream as the green flames ignited the love princess' skin. For a moment they all thought Twilight had truly snapped and was burning Cadence alive...but the dark laughter came not for the unicorn but her opponent. "How did you ever figure it out?" the black creature that had been Cadence hissed.

"The real Cadence is a love goddess. I spent a lot of time with her and she taught me all about her magic. The first thing she would have done after I fought with my brother at the dress rehearsal would have been to cast a 'Mend Hearts' spell. It is in her nature to want to heal rifts...she physically can't stand fighting and to run away is against everything she stands for. That's how I knew you were a fake...changeling."

Celestia gasped. The scales fell from her eyes the moment she heard that word and the sheer folly of her actions was laid to bear. She looked outside and using a True Sight spell saw that what she had believed to be birds gathering in the sky above Canterlot were in fact changelings...an entire army of them. They were assaulting the shield Shining Armor had created...and it was breaking.

"Guards! Reinforce the shield!" She called out. The guards Twilight had thrown aside, having finally woken up, slowly rose to their hooves and hurried to find some royal unicorn spellcasters to help hold up their last line of defense. "You two, find my sister! We will need her!" A changeling...their queen from the mare's appearance...had hidden right in front of her this entire time. They had shared meals together, chatted over tea and talked of simple things. Celestia had never seen it...and the thought that she had come so close to binding one of her subjects to the parasite made her feel ill.

The realitization that she had sided against her student in favor of the creature that had kidnapped her niece…that nearly did her in.

The guards began to move, but a flash of green magic within the dome stopped them all in their tracks. 'Cadence' had tackled Twilight and pinned her to the ground, a smile on her lips as she took the form of Shining Armor. "You were a fool to confront me like this!" 'Shining Armor' said with a snarl. "The spell I used on your brother to feed on his love will work all the same on you! Once I have feasted I will use your magic to lay waste to Canterlot, its ponies and your friends!" The Changeling Queen pressed her horn to Twilight's, the emerald magic swirling in Twilight's eyes. It was a nasty spell, daring out the feelings a pony had for the disguise a changeling wore. The lavender unicorn's body pulsed and swirling energy began to drain from her body and into the Queen's as she spoke. "I only wish Cadence wasn't trapped in the caverns...I'd love to see her face as I use your pathetic love for your brother to-"

The Queen screamed. Everyone in the castle trembled and felt their knees buckle at the gut-wrenching sound. It was the cry of a dying animal and a weeping widow kneeling at her husband's grave, rolled into one trembling, soul searing scream. The Changelings overhead paused in their assault, letting out their own cries as if they were being sliced apart by thousands of hot swords.

"And you were a fool...to think that using Shining Armor's visage would provide you with a scrap of love." Twilight kicked her 'brother' off of her. "I did my research, changeling. Your kind feeds on positive emotions...love, hope, joy...that is why you must hide your true forms! If any saw them, they would know only fear and hate...and those emotions are a poison to you." Her horn flashed and now the two combatants found their roles reversed. Twilight’s voice distorted as she channeled all her magic into her horn. Her eyes glowed black, her body darkened, and her cutie mark began to twist and distort. “Care to guess what I’m filled with right now?" Twilight, defying all logic, sent more of her emotions along the link the queen had created.

"STOP!" The Queen pleaded, slamming her legs against the ground. The green flames flared up and she took the guise of Celestia. "Twilight please!” the queen screamed in Celestia’s voice.

“…I hate you.”

Twilight sent another wave of emotion at her.

“I HATE YOU!”

The Changeling Queen transformed into each of Twilight's friends, only to get the same result. It didn’t matter if it was Applejack or her father or Princess Celestia…each guise had the same effect. All outside watched as the unicorn tortured the changeling that wore her loved ones faces, the drones outside falling unconscious under the attack to the hive-mind. The entire time Twilight just kept smiling as tears rolled down her cheeks and she screamed and cursed at the visages of her friends and family, pumping hateful poison into the changeling queen. For 10 minutes this went on and no pony blamed the stallion or mare beside them if they retched on the floor or lost control of their bladder. The screams of the queen hurt each and every one of them and soon there were ponies screaming for Twilight to show her mercy, to end the attack and just let her go. Everypony that cared about Twilight found themselves feeling as if they were physically struck as she screamed out her hatred for them, taking out all her anger on the shapeshifter.

Finally, when the Changeling Queen could no longer even hold her head up, Twilight released the dome. She looked at her family and friends before collapsing, her own energy spent, a faint smile on her lips.

‘Good…good…’ the wicked little voice in her mind whispered in approval as Twilight’s world went dark.

Her mother and father rushed forward, gathering her up and sobbing as they cradled her limp body. Her friends could not move, their hearts in their throats and their eyes overflowing with tears as they looked upon the broken mare they called friend.

"What...what did you do to her?" The Queen whimpered as Celestia approached her. Her eyes were wild with fear and if she had the strength she would have run from Twilight’s broken form. "By the Creator...what did you do to her?"

Celestia could not answer.

Heated Words

What can everyone do? Praise and blame. This is… virtue, this is… madness.
-Friedrich Nietzsche

Tender Heart Memorial Hospital had seen plenty of emergencies in its 227 years of service to the ponies of Canterlot. It had seen one wing converted into an armed fortress during the Diamond Dog Revolt. It had been filled to the brim after the Specter of the Ballet Incident that had seen 37 unicorn crushed under a fallen chandelier. During the War of the Maples hundreds from both sides of the family feud had passed through their doors, seeking aid. Always the doctors and nurses of Tender Heart had worked to provide a place of safety and peace for those troubled souls that waited to find out the fate of their loved ones.

But today, on this day, the staff was at their wits end.

This was not what they had expected when they had come to work that morning. The royal wedding had been the topic of conversation in the break room and all the nurses had whispered about what the bride would wear, who would attend, and all the normal juicy gossip that ponies talk about when they weren’t lucky enough to attend such an important event.

The doctors and the administration staff had been prepping for a somewhat normal day. Since Tender Heart was the closest hospital to the castle, they were prepared to get a few more visitors than normal; mostly those that drank a bit too much or strained something partying to hard. The worst any of them had been expecting was that they would have to deal with an elitist snob that looked down on their hospital and demanded to be treated like the Creator herself. But they had dealt with plenty of ponies like that (Prince Blueblood had given them all a headache after the last Gala, complaining of being infected with ‘poor pony syndrome’) and knew how to stem off most of their complaints.

There was an old proverb, equated to the great philosopher Deep Thoughts: Those that no longer fear trouble should be the most afraid.

The entrance doors of the hospital didn’t so much slam open as them were torn from their hinges and sent flying into the street. Several nurses gasped, all thoughts of recrimination ripped through their minds at the sight of Princess Celestia galloping in, her royal guard barely able to keep up.

“I need a doctor, now!” she barked. None of them had ever heard Celestia sound so gruff and it took them a moment to process what she had said. Celestia lowered her wings, which she had risen to shield the battered form of a lavender mare that lay upon her back. “Hurry! We have injured!”

For any other pony the sight of their princess storming into a room with an unconscious unicorn slung over her back would have made them scratching their heads at best and beginning to question their sanity at worst. But these mares and stallions were not normal ponies; they were the nurses and doctors of Tender Heart Hospital and it didn’t matter how startling the situation was, they were ready to provide help.

“Area secure, Princess!” one of the guards called out as Celestia used her magic to gently place the unicorn upon a gurney. “Permission to bring in Captain Armor and the civilians.”

“Granted,” Celestia said firmly. There was a flutter of activity around the door and then several unicorn guards trotted in, supporting a thrashing pony with their magic. It only took the nurses seconds to realize that the trembling figure was that of Shining Armor…the stallion that was supposed to be getting married that day.

Shining cried out suddenly, trying to strike an unseen foe. Several of his guards held him down as the nightmare took its toll on him. Two doctors rushed over and helped restrain the white unicorn, getting him on a gurney and pulling him alongside the first patient.

“By the sun, that’s Lady Sparkle,” one of the nurses cried out, recognition finally dawning upon her.

Those who knew her in Ponyville would have been shocked by the utter reverence the nurses showed the injured unicorn. It was to be expected, though; when Twilight was a major celebrity in Canterlot, which was part of the reason she had locked herself in the library, focusing on her studies and avoiding the spotlight. She was Princess Celestia’s personal student, something that had not happened in nearly 700 years. That honor had earned her admirers and enemies, which was why she had moved to the castle at such a young age: her family had received death threats from those that felt they deserved the honor more than little Twilight.

Then there was the fact that she was also the first pony to actually pass the dreaded Dragon Egg Test. One of the greatest secrets of Celestia’s School for Gifted Unicorns was that the entrance exam was impossible to pass. For 428 years the same little dragon egg had been pulled into the classroom and unicorn fillies and colts had attempted to ‘hatch’ the egg. It was only when they failed that the instructors had informed them of the truth: the student had already been accepted into the school and the Dragon Egg Test was designed to make the pony fail. By seeing how the filly or colt responded to failure the professors could determine how to best help the student. Those that reacted with tears had their confidence built up while those who thrashed about in rage were taught humility.

But Twilight Sparkle…Twilight had done the impossible: she hadn’t hatched the egg as much as willed the baby dragon into existence. She had created life where there had been none…something only a few unicorns in all of Equestrian history had managed to do.

Her name had been known throughout the city within hours.

As she grew her status among the ponies of Canterlot had only grown. Whispers of ‘The Slayer of Discord’ and ‘Destroyer of Nightmares’ could be heard whenever she returned to the city and there were more than a few ponies that wondered if Twilight wasn’t being groomed to be the next leader of Equestria.

But Twilight never let such things go to her head. Unlike so many in Canterlot who’d gotten a taste of power and prestige, Twilight had refused to put on airs or allow others to treat her as anything other than normal. Even after she had become one of the Bearers and been knighted by Celestia for her efforts to protect the kingdom, Twilight had refused to let others address her by her title. She had always been happy to be a quiet librarian and study magic.

And now she looked to be knocking upon death’s door.

“Move!” Doctor Quick Stitch snapped gruffy, storming through the crowd of nurses that had gathered around the Princess. Stitch took a single look at the patients before glaring at the sun princess. “What happened to them? Keep it short and concise. Neither of them have the time for poetic waxing.”

Celestia nodded, her relief that the doctor wasn’t treating her differently than any other patient beating back her annoyance at the callous way he addressed her. “Captain Armor is the victim of a changeling attack. The…the creature fed on him for nearly a week and left him drained of much of his life force. He was also hit by a blast of dark magic that drove him into a stain glass window.”

Stitch nodded, stomping his hoof to get the attention of two orderlies. “Get him into room 17 and start him on blood transfusion; then get a magical transference to build up his reserves.”

“His parents are coming, they can donate-“

Stitch cut her off. “The mare, what of her?”

“Changeling attack. She…she forced the parasite to consume her negative emotions.” Celestia took a shuddering breath, forcing herself to remain calm in front of her subjects. “She also used several dark magic spells I can attest she never attempted before today, as well as a soul shield.”

Stitch sniffed slightly. “She’s also heavily intoxicated.” He grabbed a hold of the gurney and began to drag it into the back. “I need her in the operating theater at once. I’ll need to directly infuse her with white magic to clear the corruption out of her system.”

Celestia began to chase after them, only to be stopped by several nurses. “Please, I-“

“I’m sorry, Princess…only medical staff past this point.”

The sun goddess felt rage flood her veins but all at once her strength failed her and she stumbled back, finally laying down in the middle of the waiting room, paying no heed as her guards encircled her and made sure she was safe. The world seemed to fade away and Celestia felt as if she were in a land of white, where no sound or light or distraction could possibly get to her. And endless void that held only her…and her thoughts.

‘I’m ready to be your apprentice, Princess Celestia! I dressed up real pretty too, see!’

‘I did it, I did it! I can’t believe I moved that pencil! Did you see, did you see!?

‘I’m not tired, Princess! I’m not tired at all! Come on, one more spell!’

‘It’s ok, Princess Celestia. I’ll just study until you are done meeting with the court.’

‘Are…are you sure you can’t…ok?’

‘I really wanted to talk to you tonight…’

‘Are…are you going to banish me? Or lock me in a dungeon?’

‘Princess, please listen…Cadence…’

‘But Celestia refuses to believe that a member of her family could be evil because everypony knows Celestia is such a good judge of character.’

‘I hate you! I hate you!’

“Princess! Princess Celestia!”

The ruler of Equestria shook her head, the world zooming back into focus and she realized that at some point Twilight’s friends had joined her on the floor, waiting for news the doctors might have.

“Yes Applejack? Is Twilight-”

The farm pony shook her head. “No word. We…we just got worried about you.”

“You were…uh…staring off into space,” Fluttershy said softly, staring at her hooves. “It was…making us worry.”

Celestia vainly attempted to smile but even without seeing her face she knew it was a poor attempt. “I am sorry I just…had a lot on my mind.”

“We all do,” Pinkie Pie said, for once morose and withdrawn. Her poofy mane and tail hung limp and she was hiding her eyes behind it…in that moment all her friends realized that she and Fluttershy could have passed as sisters.

“I just wish they’d tell us something!” Rainbow Dash complained. “I want to know that Twilight is ok!”

“Perhaps it is better they haven’t come to us,” Rarity reasoned. “If they had come too quickly that would mean…mean…”

She couldn’t finish the thought and the rest of her friends were grateful for that. Saying the words would make the threat real and none of them could stand for that. The mere thought that Twilight might…not be with them…was worse than the torture Discord had inflicted on them. The idea that their last time with the mare had been filled with sadness and heartbreak…none of them would survive such a blow.

They all turned as the doors opened, holding their breath as they waited to see what news would be brought to them about Twilight and Shining Armor. But it was not a nurse that stood there but two unicorns: Twilight Velvet and Night Light. At some point during Celestia’s fade out the two had been brought in by the doctor, to be told about their children’s condition. Each looked as if they had aged 10 years in the span of a few hours. Velvet’s mane hung over her face but every so often she would shift and they could see her eyes were bloodshot and puffy from the tears she had shed. Night Light looked as if he supported the entire weight of Equestria upon his shoulders and his hooves would give out at any moment.

“Mr and Mrs…uh…Twilight’s parents,” Rarity said awkwardly, making a face of displeasure, “have…have you heard anything about-“

Velvet’s head snapped up and for a moment they all saw a glimmer of the madness Twilight had displayed in the throne room just an hour ago.

“You,” Velvet snapped, her horn beginning to glow indigo. “How dare you show your face here!” A bolt of magic lashed out, striking Celestia in the chest; if not for her magical shields, Celestia would have been knocked out cold.

Velvet let out a scream of rage, charging Celestia and leaping at her. The Princess quickly used her magic and managed to restrain the thrashing mare, causing her to hang just inches from her face, roaring in frustration.

“WE TRUSTED YOU!” Velvet shouted, still trying to gouge the princess’ eyes out with her hooves. “You promised to watch out for her! You promised to teach her and raise her!”

“I did!” Celestia exclaimed, her nerves frayed and her normally calm demeanor broken as she found herself once again being assaulted by one of her subjects.

“You call this protecting her?!” Velvet screamed, trying to break free from the magical enchantment that kept her hanging in the air like a puppet. “My daughter is in emergency surgery because of you! The doctors say she might never be able to use magic again!” The other element bearers gasped as Velvet’s proclamation. Hot tears fell from the mare’s eyes as she verbally accosted the princess she blamed for her family’s misfortunes. “You…you told us to trust you, that letting you take our little filly was for the best…you think THAT was for the best!? You turned her into a monster!”

Celestia stood up, her eyes narrowed as she looked upon the mare she had entrapped. She wanted to comfort her. She knew that Velvet was speaking out of pain and grief. She was a mother whose foals had been hurt. But Celestia felt the same pain and it dulled her senses and left her reacting without thought.

“It was for the best. I raised Twilight…I loved her. I taught her everything I knew and gave her the best. I mourn as you do what happened to Twilight and I will do all I can to help her…but I am not the only one to share the blame here.”

“That’s right,” Night Light said coldly, shocking all with the quiet rage that tinted his words. The stallion was well known for be the strong and silent type; he was happy to stand behind his wife, to be the stallion behind the mare. But even he had his limits and this day, which was suppose to be so wonderful for his family and had now been forever marred, had been the breaking point. “You five are just as guilty.”

“What…what do you mean?” Fluttershy stammered.

“We heard Twilight’s words at the wedding, when she attacked that monster,” Night said softly, staring daggers at the five mares. “She came to you for help and you spat on her. You turned away because you cared more about furthering your goals than our daughter. You used her.”

“We didn’t use her!” Applejack shouted, taking a step forward. “Twilight is our friend!”

“And friends always treat friends like you treated her?” Velvet snapped. “The Princess here showed me some of her friendship reports…the pain you put my daughter through…I wanted to rush down to Ponyville and whisk her back to Canterlot!” Velvet turned her glare on Celestia. “But you told us she needed to be there! You lied to us and now Twilight-“

“And what about you?” Rainbow Dash snapped, tired of being blamed for everything. She was doing that enough on her own without their help. “We never saw you two come for a visit! We didn’t even know your names until we saw them on the wedding invitation! You can blame us for our mistakes but at least we were there for Twilight, unlike you!”

“How dare you talk to us like that,” Night said, his horn beginning to glow.

Celestia quickly cast a spell to keep the unicorns from using their magic. “Enough of this! You are not thinking clearly-“

“We are thinking more clear than ever!” Velvet growled. “When Twilight is better we are taking her home. I will never let any of you infect her with your filth again!”

“Oh yeah?” Applejack challenged. “Seems all of this started because your son Shinin’ Armor couldn’t figure out his fillyfriend was a changelin’! He’s the one that cut Twilight out of his life and left her a wreck! I don’t see ya gettin’ mad at him!”

“Don’t you dare talk about my son that way, you piece of trash.” Night got in Applejack’s face, daring the mare to strike him.

“From the way you two are acting, maybe violence and hatred runs in the family,” Rarity challenged. “Twilight was fine before we came here and spent time with you…maybe she sensed your darkness and it drove her over the edge!”

“Please, stop!” Pinkie Pie shouted, trying to get everyone to calm down. The others just ignored her, continuing to shout at each other. She watched as everypony began to turn on each other: Celestia was trading words with Velvet, Night was growling at Applejack, Rarity and Rainbow Dash had somehow ended up fighting with each other. The only ponies not bickering were herself and Fluttershy, who was hiding behind a chair, sobbing while she covered her ears.

“This is all your fault!”

“It’s yours!”

“You are to blame!”

“You are!”

“ENOUGH!”

All of the ponies were thrown against a wall. It was not a magic spell that did it, but the sheer power of the Canterlot Royal Voice.

Princess Luna, goddess of the night, slowly made her way into the waiting room, flanked by her personal guard, the Shadowbolts. A nurse trembled behind the reception desk, shutting her eyes as Luna passed like an ancient plague. The five bearers felt their stomachs clench; in that moment they saw not Luna but Nightmare Moon reborn.

“Thou should be ashamed of thee selves!” Luna declared, the blast of her declaration slamming them into the wall again. “We come here bearing news and seeking to learn of the condition of Lady Sparkle and find you eight squealing like foals. Do thee believe this is what Lady Twilight needs to recover?” She looked at each of them in turn, daring them to question her. “You seek to pass blame when all here have their own share of the burden. All here failed Twilight Sparkle and petty words will not heal her wounds. You are her parents, her teacher, and her friends…and you bring dishonor to her by acting as you do!”

Luna waited, seeing if any would argue with her words. But her gaze only found sullen faces and tear-stained eyes. She let out a breath before continuing, this time without the royal voice.

“We have come to inform you that Princess Cadence has been found. She is being brought here to be treated after her ordeal in the caves. Sister, I ask that you join me.” Luna took a moment, glancing at the others. “My guards will escort you to wherever you desire to go. They will watch over you and notify you when I receive word on Lady Sparkle and Captain Armor. Till then, think hard about your actions here and what they say of you…and how they might attribute to Twilight Sparkle’s condition.”

And with that, Luna marched out of the lobby, Celestia following after her like a scolded filly.

~MC~MC~MC~

Shining Armor, captain of the royal guard, slowly blinked his eyes, trying to free himself from the effects of the pain-numbing drugs that had been injected into his system. His reflexes had been slowed to a crawl, which explained why he was unable to stop the scaly hand that had darted out to clasp his muzzle shut.

“Hello Shining Armor,” Spike said coldly. “We need to talk about Twilight.”

Brothers

And you may ask yourself
Am I right? Or am I wrong?
And you may say to yourself
My god, what have I done?
-The Talking Heads, Once in a Lifetime

Shining Armor found himself trapped in an endless stream of nightmares. Or perhaps they were memories. It was possible that he wasn’t trapped at all but had chosen to punish himself. It was hard to tell…it was all so muddled and he wanted to sleep. But he was asleep…wasn’t he?

He remembered from his youth those ‘Choose Your Own Adventure’ books; you read a page or two and then were offered a choice. Depending on which choice you made, the story might end in an instant of continue on, presenting a new choice.

Several of his friends had loved them and would sit together at lunch happily debating which path to take. They would make rules and bets about who could get the best outcome and then argue over minor details.

Shining had always left the cafeteria during those conversations.

He hated those books. His friends swore that they were lifelike but Shining thought they were anything but. You could always peak ahead and you could go back, even if you promised not to. Your choices were never truly your own, as they belonged to the author and what seemed like the most logical choice seemed to always end in the worst possible way. There was no control, just the cruel illusion, driving you towards randomness disguised as control.

As he laid on that hospital bed, memories flashing through his addled brain, Shining felt as if somepony had ripped up the endings to one of those books and pasted them together so they could wallpaper his brain. All he saw was different paths…the maybes and the never-weres and the could-have-beens. They taunted and teased him like bullies on the playground, whispering of lost chances and paths not taken.

“Twilight…I know you are upset…let’s talk this over, ok? Why are you so upset with Cadence…what did you see that would make you ever think she was trying to hurt me?”

“Well, if that is how you feel, don’t show up for my wedding either!”

“I’m getting married, Twiley! Can you believe it? I asked Celestia to let me use a chariot so I could tell you face to face!”

“You’re wrong, Twilight! How could you think Cadence would ever hurt me?”

“I think we should visit Ponyville, sweetheart…Twilight would love to see you again and I want to tell her all about us!”

“What were you thinking, Twilight?”

“So this is your new home, huh? When the Princess told me you were living in a library I thought she was joking!”

“By Celestia, how could you be so stupid!?! ‘Want me/need me’? Are you kidding me?”

“She isn’t alone, Nightmare Moon! She has her friends and her family standing beside her! And as long as we are with her, there is nothing you can do that can stop her!”

“Stop crying!”

“I am so proud of you, Twilight!”

“Stop following me around!”

“I love you, Twilight!”

“I wish you’d never been born!”

“I…I’ll be the best big brother ever…I promise baby sister…”

Shining Armor shuddered, his heart pounding so hard he was sure it would burst out of his chest and a cold sweat breaking out all over his body. The beeping of the heart monitor filled the air around him and he used that to ground himself. It was his anchor, allowing his trouble mind to sift through the different memories and discover which ones were real and which ones were brought on by heartache and guilt.

His own sister had attacked him. She had nearly killed him, slamming him into a wall after he had rushed to protect Cadence…but that didn’t sound right. Why would his little sister do that? Why would she lash out at him? He remembered… something… at the wedding rehearsal. Why couldn’t he focus?

And why had he felt so much hatred for her?

None of it made sense. Things that had seemed like solid fact now were jumbled numbers that didn’t add up. Cadence’s actions, which at the time had caused him to smile and laugh, made him frown now that he looked back upon them. So too did his own actions…his coldness to others and his almost slavish devotion to his bride-to-be. Why hadn’t he gone to see his parents sooner, to talk to them about the wedding and get their input? Why hadn’t he let his sister know about the wedding? Why…did he get the feeling that Cadence…wasn’t his Cadence?

Why did his Twiley try to kill him?

And why did he know he would have done the same to her?

A clawed hand grabbing his mouth, preventing him from letting out a yelp.

“Hello Shining Armor,” Spike said coldly. “We need to talk about Twilight.”

Shining stared at the baby dragon, wondering if this was another attack. Had something corrupted everypony? Was that why Cadence and Twilight and now Spike were acting so strangely? Had they come to take over his mind too?

So…so many questions. They made his body ache.

“You and I have never gotten along, Shining,” Spike said simply, releasing his grip on the unicorn’s mouth. The glare the baby dragon flashed at him warned that, if Shining did attempt to speak, Spike would find a way to keep his jaw permanently shut. "I don't remember the first time I met you, but I do know that all my life I didn't like you and you didn't like me. And I get it, I really do." Spike began to pace along the edge of the bed, hands folded behind his back. "We both were brothers to the same filly. Twilight is your little sister...but she is MY big sister. We both love her and both saw the other as somepony that was stealing time away from her.

"Except one of us didn't always use the time that was gifted to them. I remember well our visits, Shining...and I remember how you squandered your time with her. Twilight was always willing to forgive you when you wanted to go hang out with your friends or just be alone instead of spending a few moments with her. I remember every broken promise and slip of the tongue...and more than anything I remember how much they hurt her. We were both given a gift, knowing her, but only one of us truly appreciated her."

"I love Twiley," Shining Armor snapped, "and I am not going to lay here and let you-"

"You will do exactly that!" Spike thundered. Any other time hearing the baby dragon yell like that would have caused Shining to burst into laughter. But at that moment there was no humor to be found. "You are use to barking orders and having others follow your lead but this time you are going to listen to me!"

Shining hated the fact that he nodded his head and agreed to Spike's terms.

"You broke her heart this time, Shining. She loves you and always thought about you. When the Princess asked her to stay in Ponyville do you know what she said her biggest regret was?" Spike leaned in close. "She was sad she didn't tell you ASAP. She was so depressed when she realized she had made such a big decision without asking you. She always sought out your advice Shining...why I have no clue..."

"I never asked her too," Shining said softly. "I...I was glad when I heard she made friends. I was thrilled she was going out into the world..."

"And glad she was leaving you alone?" Spike asked.

"NO!" Shining shouted. "No...Spike, I do love Twiley but...but it wasn't healthy, the way she clung to me. The best thing she ever did was decide to move to Ponyville and make her own life."

Spike accepted that argument. He’d said similar things himself, if only in his head. "Yes...yes." His shoulders slumped slightly. "But that doesn't mean she wanted you completely out of her life. You never visited; you never attempted to stay in contact-"

"I was busy...with the guard...the Princesses-"

Spike laughed, but it wasn't with joy. "Shining...Princess Celestia somehow found the time to visit Twilight. It wasn't often...but she found a way. And when she couldn’t come to visit she figured out how to get Twilight to visit her in Canterlot. Are you saying your duties are more important than hers?"

Shining shut his eyes. "I made mistakes, ok? I should have tried harder but life...life caught up with both of us. We drifted apart and it was both of our faults!"

Spike nodded. "I'm glad you accept that. And you aren't the only one to blame. There is plenty of that to spread around." The baby dragon turned, staring at the wall, his back to the captain of the guard. "Why didn't you tell her about the wedding, Shining? How could you be so cold?"

"I...I don't know. I wanted to and yet...and yet I didn't. I...I don't know why..."

'You know why,' his mind whispered, sounding a lot like Spike. 'You were jealous. You were captain of the guard...you were marrying the princess...and all anyone could talk about was Twilight Sparkle. Been that way for a while. You have risen up in the ranks and in society but Twilight has managed to outshine you. It isn’t 'There goes Shining's sister'. It's 'There is Lady Sparkle's brother'.

“When Nightmare Moon attacked you were stuck protecting the likes of Blueblood. When Discord was rampaging across Equestria you were hiding in your room, to scared to fight back. Twilight is more of a hero than you ever were and you hate it. You hate her. You were mad and petty and you waited too long to tell her because you wanted to punish her...'

The unicorn lowered his head, tears in his eyes.

"I...I was stupid, Spike. Is that what you want to hear?" He shook his head violently in frustration. "I wanted to put on a show, to prove to her how great I was. I didn't want to tell her till everything was ready. I wanted to bring her to Canterlot and show her my great life and… and prove to her that... I don’t know what I wanted. But things kept coming up..." Shining gathered himself up, forcing himself to remain calm. "But...but that doesn't excuse her! She attacked my wife, Spike! She accused her of being a monster-"

"She was a monster. A changeling, actually."

Those words were a worst blow than any shot of magic Twilight threw at him.

"Wha...what?"

"The queen of the Changelings took Cadence's place. She had performed a spell that made you love her, so that's why you didn't see her faults. Twilight saw right through them though...that is what she was trying to tell you. That was her great crime, Shining: trying to save you from a parasite."

Shining's jaw trembled as he tried to make sense of it all. "A...a changeling?” Hope flared in his eyes. Maybe...just maybe...he hadn't meant the vile things he had-

"Twilight said that changelings can't stand negative emotions; hate and anger are like poison. All the queen did was make you think she was Cadence and be devoted to her. How you did that was all you.”

The stallion lowered his head. He wanted to argue Spike's comments, tell the dragon he was wrong...but he just couldn't do it.

Because he knew Spike was right.

All the horrible things he had done to Twilight...the way he had treated her, disregarding her feelings and worries, belittling her, taking away her title as best mare, cutting her out of his life...those were all him. That hate, that anger...it was all from him.

The captain wept.

"The greatest mistake I've ever made was walking away from her last night," Spike said softly. He turned and Shining saw that Spike hadn't turned his back to him out of rage, but to hide his own tears. "I am going to spend the rest of my life making it up to her. I am going to do anything she wants...just to prove to her I am worthy of her love." Spike jumped off the bed and began to walk to the door. He paused for a moment, looking back at Shining Armor. "We are her brothers, Shining. I don’t like you and you don’t like me. But Twilight needs you. So are you going to wallow in pity? Or are you going to fight to save her?"

And with that, Spike was gone.

~MC~MC~MC~

"Alright, we are nearly done!" Dr. Stitch called out as he began to transfer that last bit of white magic into Twilight's body. Magic Infusion was a difficult process and only attempted in the most dire of situations. It was better to let a unicorn build their reserves back up than to attempt to inject them with foreign magic.

But Twilight had been corrupted by the dark magic she had called upon to defeat Chrysalis. While Shining Armor had been under a spell much like her, Twilight had already allowed a spark of darkness into her heart and the changeling magic had only caused it to grow. Black magic was like tar, clinging to a unicorn and tainting all it touched. They had used every spell they could to drain the black magic from her horn and now they were refilling her with pure white magic. The dangers were great...Twilight might lose her ability to use magic or could suffer from memory loss or personality changes...but it was better that she suddenly became shy or forgot her 5th birthday than to allow the black magic to remain.

"Status?" Stitch asked.

"88%, doctor," a nurse said.

'No...don't allow them to do this. The fire must remain...the strength it gives can't be stolen away.'

"Doctor, her heart rate is spiking."

"Monitor it...we are almost there," Stitch said gruffly.

'They want weak Twilight back...doormat Twilight. They are pumping in white magic in the hopes of make a docile little unicorn that is more of a foal than a mare. One that will say, 'Oh, I'm sorry for not doing what you wanted! Let me wait on you knee and hoof in order to make it up to you!' Don't let this happen...don't let them destroy-'

One of the nurses gasped, pointing a shaking hoof at the container of pure white magic. Stitch turned, his jaw dropping as he saw that the magic reserve was no longer pure... but becoming gray... then dark... then black.

"We are getting a bleed through!" he shouted, scrambling to unhook Twilight from the corrupt magic. "Hurry, before-"

Twilight's eyes snapped open.

Sisters

It is always darkest just before the dawn
-Old proverb

~MC~MC~MC~

It was a sight their enemies would have loved to see: Three alicorns rendered mute.

Of course they weren't really mute. They could each speak at any time. They just didn't know what to say. Or they did, but they couldn't bring themselves to vocalize the words. To say them was to make the situation real. They knew they had to talk at some point but each waited for the other to say the first word. It would be better to hear the words than to be the one to whisper them.

And as it was in all aspects of life...the youngest proved to have the least patience.

"It's not your fault," Cadence said softly. Of the many that had been brought to the hospital that day she was the healthiest. Shining Armor had been bespelled and bruised. Twilight was fighting for her life against the corruptive aspects of black magic. Many of Celestia’s guards had suffered broken bones attempting to stop the lavender unicorn’s assault. But Cadence was ok. She was the lucky one.

Perhaps it was because Chrysalis feared making Cadence angry and thus injecting a poisonous emotion into the caverns or wanted to toy with the love goddess...but Cadence had been fed during her capture and thus had much of her regular strength. All she really suffered from physically was a dirty mane and coat.

Mental issues were an entirely different problem but there was little the doctors could do about that. They had warned her that she could appear fine for days, only to be left trembling and shaking weeks later when the full memory of her capture was allowed to come to the forefront. Dr. Stitch had arranged for Cadence to begin meeting with a psychologist, to help minimize the damage.

“Post Traumatic Stress Disorder,” one of the doctors had told them. Cadence could very well suffer from that for the rest of her life…and as a goddess, what a long life that would be.

‘All because of my stupidity.’

"Yes it was," Celestia murmured, standing next to Cadence's bed. She barely had the strength to lift her head up.

"Aunt Celestia, please-"

Luna shook her head. "Cadence, don't."

The younger alicorn stared at her other aunt. "You honestly aren't going to blame her for all of this, are you?" She tried to rise up but found herself being gently pressed back against the mattress.

"Not entirely," Luna stated. Now that she had calmed down after her outburst in the lobby, Luna had been able to focus and not slip into the archaic dialect that so befuddled her subjects. "But her actions did play a role in today's events...as did our own." The moon goddess let out a sigh, cursing the fact that her natural shyness had kept her from the wedding preparations. Perhaps if she had been there she could have-

'No... it is no use to think about that," Luna grumbled to herself. 'What is done is done.'

"Sister...you are kind," Celestia said. There was no insult or jest in her words; Celestia meant it. "But your kindness is misplaced."

"We think not," Luna said. "To take on the full blame for these events is to walk a dark path...the same path Twilight Sparkle now fights to leave. Would you join her in the shadows?"

Celestia cringed at the comment, not wanting to think about her faithful student struggling for her life. "I should have listened to her..."

Cadence smiled softly, reaching out and placing her hoof upon her aunt's foreleg. "No one blames you for that. Twilight...Twilight overreacts. She has had meltdowns before over the smallest things. With a history like her's-"

"No," Celestia said firmly, a glimmer of her old self shining through. "No. Not like this. Twilight has taken situations and blown them out of proportion...but not like this. Since I sent her to Ponyville Twilight has always kept her heart open. You haven't read her letters, Cadence...when ponies looked at others with only hatred she always erred on the side of trust." Celestia thought of all those that had given Twilight every reason to hate them...such as Zecora, the zebra. Or Gilda, Rainbow Dash's griffon friend...yes, it hadn't worked out well there but Twilight had reserved judgment till the very end. Even Luna herself, who had given Twilight no reason to trust her, had been shown only kindness by the unicorn when she came for Nightmare Night. "To believe that she would attack...you..." Celestia grimaced at the awkwardness of that statement, "...merely because of jealousy is so out of character for her...that should have been my second clue."

"Second?" Cadence questioned. "What was your first?"

"You...or the changeling. She did a poor job of acting like you...and I allowed myself to believe that it was merely pre-wedding jitters."

Cadence smiled slightly. "Her performance is my fault. When I realized what she was doing I threw a royal fit and acted as I imagined my dear cousin Blueblood would...I had hoped to throw her off and clue others-"

Celestia bowed her head and wept.

"Please!" Cadence exclaimed, pulling the older alicorn into a hug. "It is not your fault!"

"It is!" Celestia shouted, startling the other princesses. "Three times now I failed to see the warning signs! I did not notice you, dear sister, falling into bitterness and it cost us a thousand years. And you, Cadence...if I had only noticed sooner the queen's poor performance none of this would have happened. And now Twilight..."

"You can't blame yourself for that," Cadence repeated.

Luna, however, could not hold her tongue. "Yes, she can." Cadence glared at the older alicorn but the moon goddess' tongue would not be stilled. "You said it yourself that Twilight had a habit of overreacting. I ask you this: what does a teacher do when they see a bad habit in a student? They correct it."

"But-"

Luna's glare silenced her. "I do not say these things because they bring me joy. I say them because I feel now that we are need of the truth. It appears that for too long we have allowed ourselves and our kingdom to get by on white lies and honey-coated fibs. We all, myself included, chose to focus on the good and sweep the bad away or craft convenient lies to spare the feelings of others. Many of the problems that face us could have been averted if we had only allowed the cold hard truth to shine upon the shadows that are deceit and ignorance."

"The truth can hurt," Cadence said.

"More than this?" Luna inquired, winning the battle with that statement. "Again...we do not say these things out of joy but need. If we are to aid Twilight Sparkle we must be honest now and not fall back onto old patterns that, ages ago, gave rise to Nightmare Moon and Discord."

Celestia nodded her head in agreement. "My sister is correct. Her methods are a bit...harsh...but her words are true." The solar princess turned her gaze on Cadence. "After Twilight is through her operation, I want you to perform your spells upon her. The most powerful that you have."

Cadence gulped. Her strongest spells were designed for those caught in the most bitter grip of hate and rage. To suggest that Twilight, the little filly who had always looked upon the world with such wide, innocent eyes, needed that...the idea almost did what the changelings could not: Break her.

"A wise decision," Luna said in agreement. "We face a great battle...perhaps the hardest any of us have faced. But defeat is not something we can afford..." she turned, looking out the window. She would have to raise the moon soon but for once the thought of night descending filled her with the same dread all other ponies felt when thrown into darkness. "Things have grown black...Twilight Sparkle has always been a candle against the night. But now that flame has been twisted and we must purge it if we are to hold back what is coming."

"You have had a vision?" Celestia whispered. Luna, being the goddess of dreams as well as the moon and the night, was prone to visions of what might be.

"Yes...and what I have seen..."

Twilight stood upon a great hill, watching as fires burned across the land. She was larger, rivaling Celestia in stature and seemed to grow even every moment, drawing power from the turmoil around her. Her coat had grown darker and her cutie mark harsher...it was as if one could be cut just by looking at the jagged edges of the star upon her flank. Her mane was now stripped with black and her eyes glowed as she looked upon Equestria. The sounds of revolt rose up, deafening the world...and then there came a shadow...no, a stallion with wings of broken glass...matching this dark queen in size and power. Twilight favored him with a brief look of tender care before rearing up, the two charging across the fields as they made towards Canterlot, rebellion upon their heels...

"Whatever your visions are...we will not let them come to pass," Celestia said firmly. Cadence marveled at her aunt's transformation, as the noble alicorn rose up from the pits of despair recharged. Luna had been right; truth was needed now. "We cannot change the past...it is over and done. What we can do is learn from it and not allow the mistakes of the past to be repeated." Celestia looked upon her little sister and smiled. "Your fall will serve a greater purpose, Luna...for I will use it to strengthen my resolve to prevent such a fate from coming upon us again. I will not let my feelings cloud my judgment as they did with the changeling that took you, Cadence. I will do all I can to save Twilight...even if she hates me for it...and we will build upon the rubble that is this day a stronger foundation of love and friendship."

Luna smiled. "That...is what we prayed to hear."

"We are with you, Aunt Celestia," Cadence said boldly.

Celestia eyes shone with hope. 'Do not worry, Twilight...we will fix you...we will save you.'

~MC~MC~MC~

"Hello boys," Twilight purred as tendrils of black energy burst from her horn. Each twisted and turned like the head of a hydra, striking lab equipment and monitors. Nurses and doctors ran, only to be caught by the shadow tentacles and thrown across the room, knocked out cold. Several of the shadow snakes found the jars of white magic and Twilight let out a hiss of pain. Her horn flashed and she forced the tendrils to wrap around the jars, working through the agony as she tainted the magic.

The unicorn slowly rose to her feet, moaning in delight as one tentacle brought a jar to her. She stared at the now blackened magic before she smashed it against the floor, savoring the power as it drifted into her body.

"Yes...yes..." she murmured, feeling the fires burn bright once more. She savored the delicious energy like a dying man did his last meal.

After several long moments Twilight lowered her head and looked about at the carnage she had wrought. The nurses and doctors would live...they had only been following orders and she could not find it in herself to hate them. They had wanted to save her and had been misguided in their attempts. Why would she want white magic when shadows and darkness were so...yummy? It was like comparing a plain vanilla ice cream cone to a banana split.

"Hmmm...bored now," Twilight said with a giggle. Her horn flashed and all the broken equipment was repaired. The doctors and nurses were gently placed together to rest and Twilight favored them with a slight smile before turning to the doors, throwing them open with a spark of magic....

...revealing the stunned features of Spike.

"T-Twilight?"

The mare, for the briefest of moments, considered blasting him right then and there. But it was the tears in his eyes that stopped her short.

"I'm...I'm so sorry I didn't listen to you Twilight!" He ran to her, stopping just a foot away from her. He nervously played with his tail and a slight smile graced the unicorn's lips; Spike had always done that, even when he was a newborn. "Twilight?"

'He's lost too,' the little voice in her head whispered. 'He's been bullied and put down as well. He's never used me...I used him. I've treated him just like my 'friends' and 'family' treated me.' Twilight closed her eyes, physically pained by that thought. 'But I'm not like them...not any more.'

"Spike," Twilight whispered, using her magic to lift him up close. The baby dragon cringed, expecting to receive the same abuse the changeling queen had, but instead found himself wrapped in Twilight's forelegs. "Spike...I get it...you were just going along with what the others said...you were afraid to stand up for me."

"Twilight...I'm so sorry," Spike murmured.

"It's ok, Spike," Twilight whispered. "I forgive you." She set the baby dragon on the ground, blocking his view before he could see what had happened to the doctors and nurses. "Come on...I want to have some fun."

"Should we wait, let the princesses-"

Twilight sneered. "Yeah...not interested in dealing with them at the moment. I can get chewed out at any time." She brightened up so much that Spike questioned if he had seen the mask of hate that had flashed upon her features just a moment ago. "I want to go have some fun and not worry about anything else. I think I've earned that!"

"We...aren't going to the library, are we?" Spike asked nervously.

Twilight laughed, using her magic to place him on her back. "Nah...you know how you were always begging me to check out one of Canterlot's nightclubs? After the day I had, I think I need to cut loose. Let my mane down, get my freak on…"

Spike wanted to protest, but he remembered the promise he had made to Shining and quickly nodded his head. Besides…this is what he had wanted for so long: Twilight to stop being tense and just have fun. "Sure Twilight...sounds great!"

"Good!" Twilight said, enveloping them in a bubble of dark magic.

With a flash they were gone.

Walk on the Wild Side

"People with courage and character always seem sinister to the rest."
- Herman Hesse

“Are you ok?”

Dr. Stitch groaned as Celestia helped him to his feet. “Never better,” he grumbled sarcastically. “Best assault I’ve ever had.”

“How could this have happened?” Applejack asked. The moment the hospital staff had been alerted to Twilight’s escape Luna had sent the magical call to her guards to bring back the bearers and the Sparkle family. Night Light and Velvet had rushed to make sure Shining Armor was ok while everypony else had gone out to try and find the missing unicorn. Applejack, Fluttershy and Princess Celestia had stayed to care for the nurses and doctors and find out just what had happened.

The story that was being painted for them was not a pretty one.

“Dark magic,” Celestia said, her horn glowing as she purged the remains of the shadow spell from the operating theater. “How did Twilight manage to awaken? I was told she was heavily sedated.”

“She was,” one of the nurses said, using her magic to hold a cold compress against her forehead. “We were at 88% cleansing when one of the white magic containers became infected. Must have had a bleed through.”

Celestia, however, did not accept that answer. “No… at that high of a level of white magic concentration the dark magic would have been unable to leave Twilight, let alone get into the white magic to taint it.” The princess began to sweep her horn about, murmuring incantations as she worked. “Something...”

“Princess, what’s wrong? Ya know where Twilight went?” Applejack asked. The sight of the scattered medical equipment and knocked out ponies had left the earth pony shivering; it just wasn’t natural to see magical destruction like that.

Celestia wished she could tell them yes. She wished she could gather the two scared girls close to her and tell them that everything would be ok. But Luna had been right: now was not the time for lies, even if they were kinder. No, now was the time for the truth, as harsh as it might be. It was only through honesty that they would have a chance to fix any of this.

“No, I don’t,” Celestia said softly. Fluttershy sniffed, tears in her eyes as she tried to help one of the nurses up. “My guards are scouring Canterlot, as are Princess Luna, Cadence and the rest of your friends.” She failed to mention that she had tried to convince Cadence to rest and let others perform the search but the pink alicorn had reminded her aunt that Twilight, angry and not thinking clearly, would not want to see any of her friends or family. It would only make things worse and what she needed now was to see new faces, ones that hadn’t shown her frustration and distrust when the unicorn had been at her lowest. Luna had agreed and given stern warnings to the girls that they were to not approach Twilight if they found her and not leave the guards that were escorting them for a moment. “They will find her.”

The mares nodded. They had didn’t have a reason not to trust the princess. She had always been truthful with them.

‘Just like Twilight,’ Applejack thought as she looked upon the ruined operating theater, ‘and you certainly trusted her, didn’t you?’

Applejack squeezed her eyes shut. Like all living things, the earth pony had regrets. They danced about her brain, taunting her: allowing her pride to lead her to poisoning half of Ponyville while the rest was trampled by bunnies; allowing Discord to trick her so easily, turning her into a lying fool that would rather fib than save her friends; running away from her friends and family just because she hadn’t won a single blue ribbon; her refusal to simply walk away having nearly cost her family their farm…

But the regret that weighed most heavily upon her was her treatment of Twilight. She remembered the crestfallen look of the unicorn when they had walked out on her after the dress rehearsal, none of them speaking up on her behalf. Was it not months earlier that she, along with the rest of Twilight’s friends, had stood up against Princess Celestia and offered themselves to be punished instead of Twilight?

‘Of course, you wouldn’t have had to do that if you had taken her worries seriously,’ her mind whispered. ‘You saw she was in pain and you did nothing to help her. All the rest of you were cured of Discord’s spell by her love but she had to break free by herself. To you it was like a horrible dream but Twilight had to do it all by herself. She was hurting and mentally fragile and what was your response? You laughed and ignored her.’

Applejack felt sick to her stomach. The room suddenly felt way to small and sweat began to drip down her brow.

‘How prideful, how vain… you laugh at Rarity for trying to appear so grand and noble but you commit the same sins as her: a boastful pony that refuses to admit to needing help. What was it you said after the Twilight saved you from the Flim Flam brothers? ‘I didn’t learn anythin’!’. Well, that much is clear: you didn’t learn that your pride causes you to hurt your friends and family. Honesty only works when it is convenient for you.’ The voice grew stronger and Applejack fought back tears. ‘You don’t deserve to be Twilight Sparkles friend!’

Applejack felt like she was drowning in a sea of guilt.

‘But it isn’t all your fault,’ the voice in her head whispered soothingly, growing tender like a mother comforting a crying foal. ‘You weren’t always this way. You weren’t always so mean-spirited and cruel. It is the others… trying to please the princesses… ignoring your roots and-‘

Brilliant white light flared out around Applejack, sending her to her knees. She trembled, blinking away the spots that danced about her eyes… and found Princess Celestia and Fluttershy staring at her in concern.

“Applejack? Are you…ok?”

“What… what are ya talkin’ about, Fluttershy?” The farmer shook her head. “Sorry, was daydreamin’.”

“You weren’t daydreaming,” Celestia said sternly. “You have been unresponsive for 10 minutes.”

“No… it was only-“

Fluttershy looked away from her, shoulders slumped. Applejack looked down and realized that Fluttershy was shaking in terror. “Y-you’re eyes went b-b-black.”

“Th-they did?” Applejack stammered.

Celestia nodded, her expression stern. “We have been trying to wake you for several minutes. Fluttershy peeled back your eye and found dark magic swirling in your irises. I used my own magic to counteract the effects… I am thankful it worked.”

Applejack suddenly felt very tired. It was like she had spent the entire day applebucking without a break. “I… I was thinking about Twilight. About how I treated her and how bad I’ve been ta her. And I just felt so sad and upset… and angry at myself. I… I was getting mad at all of ya.” Applejack gave Fluttershy an apologetic smile. “Not you, Fluttershy. Well… maybe a little… but I was getting more mad at you, Princess.”

Celestia looked about the room, as if expecting Twilight to come bursting through the wall with a manic grin and a knife clutched between her hooves. “We need to leave here, now.” She quickly ushered the doctors and nurses towards the door. “I don’t want any pony in here until I give the order.”

“What…. what is wrong, Princess?” Fluttershy asked.

“We weren’t alone in that room, my little ponies.” Celestia felt herself shudder. Out of fear or disgust she couldn’t be sure. “Something else was with us, influencing Applejack.”

“But… but I thought you got rid of the black magic,” Fluttershy whispered.

“I did,” Celestia said, staring at the operating room like it was torture chamber. “There is not a drop of black magic in that room. Something… something was in there though, influencing Applejack… and that is what scares me.”

“Ya think that’s what happened ta Twilight?” Applejack asked, a weak smile blossoming on her lips. “Maybe she don’t really hate us! Maybe something is makin’ her feel that way!”

“I don’t know, Applejack. All that matters is finding my faithful student… before she does something worse.”

As they walked away, none of them noticed a mirror shift… and a ghostly laugh play along the air.

~MC~MC~MC~

Twilight threw her head back, eyes shut and a smile gracing her lips as she bobbed and weaved in time with the music. She had, of course, heard rap music before; mostly at Pinkie Parties when the pink mare had sprung for a DJ. But while she had heard it she had never FELT it: the deep base making her pulse race; the strum of the electric guitar buzzing along her nerves like she had been hit by a bolt of lightning; the fast pace lyrics that were whirled around her and spoke of things she had never thought about before and yet had felt her entire life.

Celestia had always played classical music and before that her parents had favored the more subdued slow songs while her brother had locked himself in his room and listened to soft rock. Twilight had enjoyed them but this… this glorious music seemed to call to her. These were her songs and she made a mental note to buy a few records before she went back to Ponyville.

All around her on the dance floor mares and stallions ground against one another, getting lost in the beat. She had always scoffed at the thought of going to a club like this, preferring the quiet of the library to the loud booming music that was sure to render her half-deaf after only a few hours on the dance floor. But as she sensually swayed to every note she found herself cursing the fact that she had waited so long to come. She felt eyes watched her as she flipped her mane about and swayed her flank…and couldn't care less. Heck, she enjoyed the stares; at least these stallions (and a few mares!) saw her as an adult and not a child. Why hadn’t she done this before?

‘That’s because it wasn’t expected of me,’ Twilight thought. ‘Little Twiley would never go to a club like this, let alone Princess Celestia’s ‘faithful student’.’

The song came to an end and Twilight made her way through the crowd, deciding she wanted a drink.

“Hey Twilight!” Spike called out, waving at her from the corner table he had procured for them. Twilight flashed him a smile and took a seat, panting a bit. “You look like you’re having fun!”

“ ‘Look’ nothing, I am having fun! No, a blast! I am having a blast!” Twilight said with a laugh, throwing back her head and let out a yelp of joy, several other mares and stallions joining her. Twilight chuckled and used her magic to bring the cherry soda Spike had ordered her to her greedy mouth. She noticed that her friend/assistant grimaced slightly as the sight of the black glow that surrounded the drink but pushed any worry aside. Spike would just have to learn to get use to her new powers; there was no way she was giving them up and it wasn’t like she was hurting anypony (well, at the club, at least). “I wish I could go back in time and tell Past-Twilight to get the stick out of her butt and have some fun!”

Spike chuckled, sucking on a ruby. “Yeah, this place is great. Moondancer told me about it a few years ago.”

Twilight nodded, watching as the DJ (who wasn’t as talented as Vinyl Scratch but served well enough for the club) spun a record on her hoof before slamming it down, switching up the tempo on the dance floor. “Seems like a place Moonie would go to,” Twilight said with a giggle. “Wish I’d taken her up on her offer back then when she invited me to come with her.”

“Why didn’t you?” Spike asked, finally giving into temptation and biting off a bit of the ruby he was sampling.

“Wouldn’t have been proper,” Twilight said, using a Canterlot accent. She swirled her soda with a swizzle stick before continuing. “I was Pr…Celestia’s star pupil. That meant I had to act like her, all prim and proper. All the headaches, none of the power.” Twilight took a sip of her drink. “What a pain in the flank.” She leaned back in her chair, looking at the ceiling. “Then we moved to Ponyville and I never had a chance to go to a club like this. I mean, even if Ponyville had a dance club, could you see any of my f-the girls going?”

Spike considered her words. “Fluttershy would be hiding in the bathroom, Pinkie would be pouting because no pony wanted to play any party games, Rainbow Dash would hate dancing so close to everypony, Applejack would want them to put on some country-“

“-and Rarity would be complaining about the décor,” Twilight said, knowing her assistant would never bad mouth his crush.

Spike looked down, running his claw along the table, using a droplet of water to draw abstract shapes upon the hardwood. “Twilight… do you really hate all our friends?”

She had known that question was coming and had been dreading it. She knew that Spike, ever the loyal friend, would want to get her and the girls back together… but she just couldn’t see that happening; not with how things were left between them. Their betrayal still stung and Twilight couldn’t look at them without remembering how they had abandoned her in favor of the changeling queen. Even after all that had happened… it still hurt.

“Spike…” Twilight let out a long sigh. “I don’t know. I don’t like them all that much right now but… but hate isn’t the right word for what I’m feeling at the moment. I think I burned out all my hatred taking on the changelings. I mean, when I was fighting her I hated everypony… even you. But once I got it out it felt so good.” She smiled, trying to ease the fear that flashed through the baby dragon’s eyes. “As strange as it sounds, it was cleansing. I’ve repressed a lot of stuff and embracing,” her horn flashed black, “my darkness has helped me out a lot. I feel like I woke up from a dream.” She tapped her chin. “But me and the girls? I honestly don’t know. I kinda want to just be Twilight, you know? Not ‘Twilight-and-the-girls’ or ‘Twilight-pupil-of-Celestia’. Finally got a taste of being my own pony and I’m not interested in going back anytime soon.” She placed a hoof over his hand. “But hey, why would I need them? I have you! You and me against the world.”

“I don’t want to be against the world, Twilight,” Spike said nervously. He suddenly had the mental image of Twilight dressed as Nightmare Moon and him in wicked battle armor, laughing as Equestria was overrun by demons.

“It’s just a saying, Spike. I don’t hate the world. I just… don’t like some of the ponies in it.”

“But what if they came to you and asked for forgiveness?” Spike asked, pressing on. “Would you forgive them then?”

“That’s the thing, Spike; I don’t think they are going to.” Twilight took another sip of her drink. “And even if they did, they’d be apologizing for the wrong reasons. So why worry about something that is never going to happen?”

“What do you-“

“Twilight?”

The unicorn turned, staring at the alicorn that had entered the club. A myriad of emotions flashed across her features as she rose up, staring at the new arrival.

“Cadence,” Twilight whispered as she stared at her old foalsitter.

The Thin Line Between

I have no trouble with my enemies. I can take care of my enemies in a fight. But my friends, my goddamned friends, they're the ones who keep me walking the floor at nights!
Warren G. Harding

To say that Princess Cadence was having a weird day would be an understatement.

Her routine had been broken, but that wasn’t all that terrible. After all, her routine for the last few weeks had been ‘Get Up’, ‘Get Mocked by Queen Chrysalis’, ‘Eat Gruel’, ‘Stare at Rocks’, and ‘Sleep’.

Her rescue had begun Act Two of the weird day: finding out that the changeling invasion had been stopped by Twilight Sparkle, the mare she use to foalsit. That wouldn’t have been weird, except Twilight had been consumed by darkness and was now some rage-filled shadow witch who gave the changeling queen such a beat down that Chrysalis wasn’t expected to last the night. The unicorn had been right: hate was a poison to changelings and Twilight had pumped the queen with so much that she was now lying on death’s door. Already most of the swarm had perished from shock.

After that it had been a whirlwind. She’d been taken to the hospital, talked with her aunts, found out that Twilight had escaped after assaulting an entire team of doctors, and rushed out to try and track down the confused mare before she did something horrible.

She had thought going into the club was a dead-end; the stallion that had claimed to see a mare matching Twilight’s description was shady at best and Cadence just couldn’t see Twilight being in a place like that. But she’d reminded herself that she wasn’t dealing with the Twilight she’d foalsat; this Twilight was high on dark magic and not thinking clearly. Cadence had decided to let the others search the libraries and the museums… she was going to take a risk.

And boy did it pay off.

“Cadence,” Twilight whispered. A myriad of emotions flashed across the unicorns face as she slowly made her way towards her old foalsitter. Twilight tilted her head, looking at her with unblinking eyes and Cadence took a step back, preparing herself for the attack.

Twilight hugged Cadence, sending the two of them toppling to the floor. “I am so sorry! I totally forgot about you and I should have gone looking for you as soon as I woke up but I was so drained and wanted to relieve some stress…” Cadence stared at Twilight as she babbled, wondering how anypony could this THIS mare was evil and corrupted. “Where did they hide you? Did the changelings have you locked up or something? Did a guard find you? Geez, what am I doing, lying on the floor with you like this; ponies are going to talk! Come on, let’s get a drink! I think we both need one after the day we had!”

The pink alicorn followed the lavender mare, her brain playing catchup. A small baby dragon (‘Spike… Twilight’s familiar’ Cadence recalled) looked at both of them in surprise from the table he was seated at and Twilight happily trotted over to him.

“Spike, this is Cadence!”

“…the real one, right?” Spike asked.

“The real one,” Cadence echoed.

“Glad to meet you… well, the real you.” Spike picked up his gemstone and began to nibble on it. “What are you doing here?”

“Came looking for Twilight,” Cadence said honestly, turning to look at the unicorn. “We were all worried about you.”

Twilight waved her hoof dismissively. “I don’t know why you would be.” Her horn flashed black as she levitated her soda to her lips.

The princess raised her eyebrow, giving Twilight a fearful smile. “Might have something to do with the black magic you have there, Twilight.”

The unicorn rolled her eyes. “What is with ponies and the color of my magic? White magic, black magic, polka dot magic… does it really matter? I mean, Princess Luna uses shadow magic and no one bats an eye.”

“Yes, but you aren’t Princess Luna.”

Twilight shrugged. “Why would I want to be? All that responsibility… having to be under Celestia’s watchful eye all the time… did that, got the t-shirt.”

Cadence was truly startled by just how flippant Twilight was acting. “How… how can you say that? You’ve loved Princess Celestia since you were 3.”

“Yes, when I was 3. I also enjoyed hoofpainting and playing with my Smartypants doll. Ponies grow up.” Twilight’s brow crinkled for a moment. “Speaking of that…” Without even focusing on the spell Twilight formed an orb of magic, which twisted and turned until it transformed into her Smartypants doll. “About time I got you back,” Twilight said with a smile, bopping the toy’s nose with her hoof.

“Where did that come from?” Spike asked.

“Big Macintosh had her. I never asked for it back because I didn’t want to deal with the hassle… didn’t want Applejack thinking I was a baby, wanting my doll. Well, luckily for me I could care less about what Applejack thinks, so I am taking back my doll.” Twilight levitated the doll before using a flash of black magic to send Miss Smartypants back to the library where she belonged. “Now then, where were we?”

Cadence was staring at the table, the gears in her brain grinding to a halt at the sight of Twilight’s flippant use of dark magic. It wasn’t even the type of magic that was startling her; she had always known that Twilight was powerful, but to be able to command spells with such little need to prepare… all those that practiced magic strove for the skill that Twilight was now showing. To see her doing so with black magic…

It was terrible and beautiful.

“Uh, Cadence?” Twilight said, waving her hoof in front of the princess’ face. “You sure you are ok? Kinda zoned out on me?”

“I… I honestly don’t know,” Cadence stammered. “You… aren’t acting like I expected.”

“What? Wallowing in self-pity, crying that my friends abandoned me and our relationship is over?” Twilight puckered up her face. “Boo hoo… boo hoo.”

‘Actually, I expected you to begin gutting me like a fish and using my entrails to make a party dress,’ Cadence thought to herself. “Well…”

Twilight laughed, taking another sip of her drink. “Why should I feel down about that? I mean-mmm, this is so good, you have to try one-they are the ones that screwed up. They allied themselves with the bug-witch, not me. I’m the one that saw through her lies. They are the ones that threw away our friendship in the name of fame and fortune… I’m the one that saved all of friggin’ Canterlot! If anypony should feel bad, it is them.” Twilight clicked her hooves together, a waitress drifting over. “Yeah, can we get three more cheery pops? Thanks.” Twilight turned back to Cadence. “Anyway, I am not going to cry my eyes out because they made a mistake. I was pissed, I got it out of my system, and now I just want to celebrate. Heck, kinda feels good to be free of burden.”

“What burden?” Cadence asked as the waitress brought another round of soda.

“Well, I don’t have to be so focused on pleasing every pony. Shining Armor disowned me-“ Cadence choked on her drink, making a mental note to have a talk with her fiancé, “-and my parents are going to side with him anyway because hey, that is what they do, so I don’t have to worry about bringing ‘shame to the family’ or ‘living up to the family name’. My name is my own now! And guess what, Cadence… really not caring about the whole ‘shame’ thing at the moment.

“Same with my friends. Now that I don’t have to work every day to keep our friendship together, I finally have some time to relax! No more panicking, no more fear about them judging me… only pony I care about is myself.” She paused, looking at Spike. “And the only dragon I care about is you, of course.” Spike smiled, though Cadence could see he wasn’t as gung-ho as Twilight was about all of this. “Best of all, now that I’m not Celestia’s student-“

Spike and Cadence coughed, both having sent soda swishing down the wrong pipe.

“What?” Spike croaked. “But I-“

“Come on, you heard her at the rehersal, Spike. After I tried to warn her about Ca…the doppelganger… she blew me off. Cast me out. Twilight is pony-no-grata. And that was before I tapped into my true power” Twilight merely sipped her drink, which showed the two just how bad things had gotten and how far down the rabbit hole they’d ended up. “Wonder if that is why I have trouble with spells? Can’t force a square peg in a round hole.” Twilight shrugged. “Besides, I haven’t been her student for quite some time.”

“Huh?” the two said, staring at the librarian.

Twilight giggled, swishing her mane about. “Come on Spike, think about it! When is the last time you saw Celestia teach me anything? It’s been years since she assigned me any real homework and the only contact we have is those friendship letters.” Twilight rolled her eyes, a smile that was not at all pleasant playing on her lips. “Of course, those are just silly. The ruler of Equestria wanted me to study friendship? Please.”

To Spike, it felt like everything he knew was being ripped away. It was terrifying but he couldn’t deny the truth in Twilight’s words. But he would still fight. “Then… then why did she-“

“-let me stay in Ponyville?” Twilight said, finishing his thought. “Because she knew I wanted to. That was maybe one of the few selfless things that she ever did for me. I’d made friends and she let me keep them. Sure, it turned out bad in the end but hey, at least I got to experience new things. And when I make new friends it will even be better.” Twilight blinked. “Oh! Not that I am ditching you, Spike! Like I said, you’re my BDBFF.”

“BDBFF?” Spike questioned.

“Baby Dragon Best Friend Forever,” Twilight answered. She turned to Cadence. “Listen, I don’t know if you are going to stick around with my brother, considering he couldn’t see that a crunchy bug had taken your place, but if you want you’re welcome to crash at my place. We’re both adults now and I’d love to hang out with you too, Cadence.”

“I’d like that, Twilight,” Cadence said sweetly, before shaking her head violently. “What… what am I saying? This is wrong?”

“You don’t want to be friends?” Twilight asked softly.

“No! No no no! Of course I want to be your friend I just mean… I didn’t come here to drink and listen to music; I came to ask you to come back to the hospital. Everypony is worried about you-“

“Oh, I’m sure they are,” Twilight said simply. “But that doesn’t mean I need to go back.”

“What… what do you mean?”

Twilight rolled her eyes. “Cadence, just because they are concerned doesn’t mean I need to listen to them. Feeling worry or scared doesn’t give them free reign to control my life. If that is the case, then I am worried about Soarin’ from the Wonderbolts and think he should come visit me to put my mind at ease!” She giggled at her joke but Cadence wasn’t laughing. “Come on, that was funny! Geez, I know you had a rough day but I thought you said you were doing ok. This is like a bad open mic night!”

“I am doing ok, Twilight, but I don’t think you are. You aren’t acting like yourself-“

“I am more myself than I’ve been in years,” Twilight grunted. She perked up, moving towards the dance floor. “Ooooh, this song sounds so cool! It’s like he took 10 different songs and squished them together! I’m going to get my groove on! Order me another drink, will you?”

“Twilight, wait!” Cadence called out, using her magic to drag the mare back to the table. “I need to say this, ok? I want you to listen and not get mad, alright?”

Twilight glowered. “Why do I get the feeling you are going to tell me to go back to the hospital and forgive my friends and family?”

“Because that is what I am going to say!” Cadence said sternly. “You aren’t thinking clearly. Did they screw up? Yes, of course they did. But that is what happens when you make connections with ponies. They make mistakes, you work through it, and you forgive them. And they do the same for you when you screw up. That is how life is. You can’t just run away when ponies don’t behave the way you want them too. Your friends made a mistake, Celestia made a mistake and Shining Armor made a mistake. They want to tell you that they are sorry and make up for it but you are being petty and refusing to give them a chance!”

Cadence, seeing all goodwill draining from Twilight’s body, realized she had made a terrible mistake. Her own words to her aunt floated about her head: ‘Twilight isn’t in a safe place to see you or her friends right now. She needs to talk to somepony she doesn’t see as an enemy.’ Cadence groaned as she realized that she had just asked Twilight to do the very thing she had set out to prevent. Worse… she had just made herself into a target.

“Twilight, I-“

The dark magic user chuckled but there was no real humor or mirth that warmed her laughter. It felt like the cruel laughter of the windigos and Cadence shivered under the onslaught. “You know what? I should have figured you’d side with your hubby over me. Nopony ever sides with me, so why bother?” Twilight tossed a few bits on the table and motioned for Spike to follow her. “Come on, let’s go Spike. Suddenly I don’t feel like dancing.”

“Twilight, please!” Cadence called out, using her magic to grab the mare’s shoulder. Twilight whipped around, pure fury flashing across her features.

“Don’t touch me!” Twilight hissed.

“Twilight…” Cadence was stumbling, wondering how this had gone so wrong so fast. “Please… let me use one of my spells. Once you let love back into your heart-“

“Don’t you dare,” Twilight asked coldly. She jabbed her hoof into Cadence’s chest, forcing the alicorn to back up. “You hear me, Cadence? Don’t you dare pull one of those little mind rape spells on me.” Cadence shrank back as if physically struck.

“It… it isn’t mind rape…” she said softly.

“Really?” Twilight snapped. “You force ponies to forget why they are fighting and just go back to loving each other.”

Spike blinked, raising his hand. “Uh, Twilight? Isn’t that a good thing?”

“No, Spike, it isn’t,” the unicorn said softly, the rage that had been building dissipating as she looked upon her frightened best friend. “You can’t repress things like that. Look at what happened to me! I got so tightly wound trying to bottle up my disgust and annoyance that it all burst out and nearly ruined my brother’s wedding! Thank the Creator I was right.” Twilight shook her head sadly, looking at her former foalsitter. “You did it with good intentions, Cadence, but don’t you see that the spell you used is just a Band-Aid?” She began to circle the mare, not noticing that the shadows seemed to swirl around her like a cloak, blanketing them in darkness. “It doesn’t cure the problem it just covers it up. Have you ever gone back to visit the ponies you ‘helped’?” Cadence weakly shook her head and Twilight rolled her eyes. All around them mirrors trembled. “Of course not, you just assumed they were ok. But what if they weren’t? What if, by never solving that small issue that had then so upset, they ended up carrying around that hate bottled up inside and it caused problems later?”

“I… I never thought about that,” Cadence whispered, her eyes misting over as she was consumed with doubt.

Twilight stepped towards her friend, her horn glowing black as she gently lifted a napkin to wipe away Cadence’s tears. “If I had let everypony know how I felt early on, maybe I could have fixed things.” Twilight shrugged. “Or, more likely, I would have left sooner. But it would have saved me some heartache at least.”

“Twilight…” Cadence lowered her head, shame flooding her body as she thought of all she had done. How many lives had she ruined because of her desire to make ponies get along? Had she only caused pain? Had her actions hurt more than they helped? All she wanted to do was spread love, but what Twilight whispered took root in her mind and all she could hear was a little voice whispering ‘Didn’t think it through. Didn’t plan ahead. Abused your powers. Abused your subjects.’ Over and over the voice spoke, till it rung in her ears and all the noise in the club was mute-

“Twilight!”

The three of them turned, only for Twilight to go crashing to the ground, tackled by a cyan torpedo.

“Uh oh,” Spike said, slowly backing away. “This is bad.”

“Twilight, where did you go? We’ve been worried sick about you! Come on, you need to go back to the hospital! Everypony is waiting and we want to talk to you about everything!”

“Hello Rainbow Dash,” Twilight growled, the fire in her belly suddenly burning white once again.

“Rainbow Dash, please step away from Twilight,” Spike begged.

“What are ya talking about, Spike?” Rainbow Dash said cluelessly, picking Twilight up, failing to notice her friend gritting her teeth. “What are you doing here, anyway? Get lost going to the library?” Rainbow laughed at her own joke.

“Cadence, now might be a good time to do something!” Spike hissed. Rainbow Dash might not see it, but the baby dragon could feel the air crackling with magic. “Cadence?”

“What… what have I done?” Cadence asked, her eyes going unfocused… and slowly turning black… and the normal pink glow of her magic began to darken…

Spike stared at the alicorn in horror, backing away from her. “Twilight, something is wrong with Cadence!”

“Don’t worry, Spike, we’ll figure it out!” Rainbow Dash boasted before Twilight could get a word in. The pegasus’ joy at finding her friend alive and well had her shooting about without comprehension of the world around her. “Listen Twilight, we have lots to deal with when we get back. But I want you to know I am sorry for not believing you back at the dress rehearsal. I mean, you’re usually on the ball so I should have figured something was-“

Rainbow never got to finish, as a tendril of dark magic wrapped around her middle. She squeaked as she was thrown onto the dance floor, the club patrons backing away nervously as Twilight walked towards her fallen friend, her eyes shining like ebony pools as her magic crackled around her.

“What did I tell you, Spike?” Twilight whispered. “Apologizing for the wrong thing.”

“Twilight?” Rainbow Dash groaned, slowly standing up. “What is the hay?”

Another tendril struck just to her right, leaving a dent in the floor.

“You have to ask?” Twilight took another step forward, a near manic grin on her face. “Of course you do. Always rushing around with your head in the clouds, never thinking about how others feel. You just insult and mock ponies and then think you can apologize? You don’t even know what you did!” Twilight rolled her neck, the bones popped. “You know, I already beat down a copy of you… I don’t think you want to face me right now. Do the smart thing, Rainbow Dash… and get… the hell… out of my face.”

If there was one thing you could say about Rainbow Dash, it was that she was competitive to a fault.

To.A.Fault.

“Oh, is that how you want to play this?” Rainbow snapped. “I dealt with Pinkie Pie when she went nuts and I can take you on too! I don’t know what your problem is but you are clearly crazy and I am not leaving without you. So, why don’t you stop the lightshow before I hurt you.”

The unicorn’s head lowered, her shoulders slumping in defeat. Spike, who had been trying to coax Cadence out of whatever funk she was in, let out a sigh of relief.

“DJ?” Twilight said softly. “Could you do me a favor?” Twilight’s head snapped back up a feral grin on her face. “Put on a good beat for me to kick my friend’s ass to.”

The Reason

Never ruin an apology with an excuse.
-Kimberly Johnson

Rainbow Dash watched as Twilight slowly began to circle her and the speedster suddenly held a new sympathy for the changeling queen. It was one thing to see her friend (and that was what she was, despite what Twilight might claim) stalk somepony, preparing to move in for the beatdown. Especially if that pony was some bug-queen that fed off of love and happiness.

It was another thing entirely to be the prey herself.

The only way Dash kept from breaking down at the sight was to keep telling herself that this wasn’t her friend. This wasn’t the Twilight Sparkle she had spent 2 years getting to know, bonding with. This was some twisted version of her friend… a corruption of the good and caring pony Dash and the rest of the girls knew.

The cyan flyer gulped, realizing this is exactly what Twilight had felt when she had faced them down after Discord had worked his magic on them. If it weren’t for the bright colors of Twilight’s coat confirming that she hadn’t been ‘discorded’ Dash would have been looking around for the chaos god.

Dark magic whipped and twitched about Twilight’s horn like adders fighting over a mouse, the long tentacles lashing out at anything and everything. Twilight’s face was twisted and manic and Rainbow flashed back to the Smartypants incident, the last time she had truly seen that crazed smile.

Rainbow smirked. Yes… this was crazy Twilight. Otherwise known as Not Rational Twilight and Not Thinking Twilight.

This was a Twilight she could deal with.

“Don’t make me hurt you,” Rainbow said simply.

“I was going to say the same thing,” Twilight said with a laugh, the DJ putting on a good beat for them to fight to. While half of the crowd had cleared out the rest had moved off the dance floor and taken their spots at the rails, taking bets on who would come out on top.

“That’s the Best Young Flyer from a year ago… she has it for sure!”

“Are you insane? Lady Sparkle took on Discord and the changelings! She has this in the bag.”

“I got 10 bits they end up kissing after a few hoof-strikes.”

Rainbow Dash smirked as she realized she had an audience. “Oh, so the folks want a show?” She preened for a moment, flashing Twilight a dark smirk. “Let’s give them a show.”

“Take this seriously!” Twilight roared, sending several bolts of dark magic at the speedster. Rainbow easily twisted out of the way, blasting over to the DJ’s table and grabbing some records. She spun them on her hoof before sending them at Twilight, forcing the lavender mare to bat them away with her magic.

“Come on, Twi, have some fun!” Rainbow Dash called out, baiting her friend.

“I was having fun until you showed up!” Twilight roared, attempting to fire a bolt of dark magic a Dash but only managing to strike a spotlight and sending it smashing to the ground. She made a move to grab it only for Rainbow Dash to snatch it up. “Stand still!” Twilight screamed in frustration, stomping her hoof. “This is not a game!”

Rainbow Dash slammed the spotlight onto Twilight’s head, making the mare buck in thrash as she tried to remove the metal ‘helmet’. Blasts of magic shot from her horn, and randomly struck overhanging struts and lighting structures, sending them crashing to the ground. The crowd, realizing that this was getting dicy, gave up on betting and began to make their escape, leaving only the two former friends, the baby dragon, and the whimpering alicorn in their wake.

“It seems a game to me, the way you are acting, Twilight,” Rainbow Dash said, floating around the enraged unicorn. “You know why we didn’t take you seriously yesterday? The same reason I can’t take you serious right now: you are acting like a foal. You don’t get your way or things don’t fit into your perfect little plans and you whine and complain and fret. If you had calmly came to us and told us about the spell that changeling was casting, we would have listened to you. But you didn’t, did you?” Rainbow Dash darted out of the way of a stray bolt of magic that sent another strut crashing to the ground. “You came rushing in screaming and hollering. If I had done that you would have thought me nuts!

“And now look at you. You want us to believe that you are ok but this isn’t you, Twilight. You don’t go to clubs and drink and dance. You don’t attack your friends and call them hurtful names. None of this is you. I don’t know if it is dark magic or stress… I really don’t care. All I know is that you aren’t acting like Twilight Sparkle and I’m not going to take you serious until you do.” Rainbow Dash zipped behind her, slamming her front hooves against the spotlight, making Twilight tremble like she was caught in an earthquake. “This is now how you get people to listen to you, Twilight. This is how you get them to think you are nuts!”

With that, Rainbow reared back and gave the spotlight a good buck, sending Twilight crashing to the ground, her body trembling before going still.

The pegasus slowly trotted over to Twilight, stroking the broken mare’s back. A tear fell from her eye and she was thankful none of the other girls were there to see her whimpering like a wuss. “I… I don’t know what did this too you… but we are going to make this better Twilight,” Rainbow Dash said softly. “I'm sorry.”

~MC~MC~MC~

“Shining, stop this!” Twilight Velvet begged. Sometimes she hated the fact that she had never gotten formal training when it came to using her magic. Oh, she knew some spells, alright, just like any other unicorn. Being able to lift things up with ease had made it easy to deal with her babies. Her little colt had always wanted to crawl about, exploring their house and getting into trouble. Twilight, meanwhile, had developed the bad habit of taking her naps curled up in some little corner that only she could get too, which meant when she awoke hungry it was a pain to get her out. Thus, Velvet had perfected the retrieve spell that dragged her little foals back to her, even if they were in another room.

That spell worked great on a foal the size of a bag of flour. But on a full-grown unicorn? Nothing.

“Shining, please.” Night Light sighed, watching as his son struggled to get out of his hospital gown. “Everypony is out there looking… they’ll find your sister.”

“I need to find her,” Shining said simply, finally giving up and using his magic to rip the gown from his body.

“Why?” Velvet asked. “Why does it have to be you?”

“Because it is my fault.” He didn’t scream the words, shout them, or whisper them through tears. He just said them, no different than how one would state that it was going to rain. “I caused this, mom and I need to fix it.”

“Shining-“

“You weren’t there!” Shining snapped. He took a breath, gathering himself. “You didn’t… see what she looked like. I hurt her real bad and now I need to fix it. I need to find her and help her.”

“Son, you weren’t in control,” Night said softly. “The changeling queen-“

“Made me see her as Cadence. Her entire spell was directed at her and no one else. She did nothing to make me act that way towards Twiley. That was all me.” The captain lowered his head in shame. “I keep thinking about it and I realize I would have done that if it had been the real Cadence. I would have said those… horrible things because a small part of me wanted to. And I will have to live with that for the rest of my life.” Taking a breath, Shining Armor prepared himself. “The only way I am going to be able to heal is if I fix her first.”

“You heard the Princesses, Shining,” Velvet said. “Your sister is consumed by dark magic. She is in less control than you were. If you go to her now… she could hurt you.”

“And I might be able to break through and save her. I owe her that much. A few broken bones will be worth it. I owe her that much.”

Night Light watched as his son made his wavy towards the door. “Shining… I’m coming with you.” He glanced at his wife and sighed. “Everyone has a bit of blame when it comes to this. The sooner we realize that the better.”

Velvet closed her eyes. “Let’s go save Twilight then.”

Shining Armor smiled, leading his parents out the door… and taking a step closer to bringing their Twilight back.

~MC~MC~MC~

“Rainbow Dash?” Spike called out, never leaving Cadence’s side. He had been fighting the urge to leap to Twilight’s defense during the entire battle but something had held him back. He wasn’t for sure if it was the knowledge that Rainbow Dash was right… or the desire to prove to Twilight he believed in her ability to stand up to the pegasus.

The cyan flyer sighed, her head lowered as she slowly trotted towards the baby dragon. “I’m… I’m sorry Spike. I didn’t want to hurt her but… you saw how she was. She wasn’t thinking clearly and… and I had to hurt her to keep her from hurting other ponies.” Rainbow closed her eyes. “We’re going to make this right, I swear. We’ll get her back to the hospital, get that black magic drained out of her, then have a nice long talk. Heck, I’ll even go to a spa with her if that will get her to forgive us.”

“Rainbow Dash?”

The pegasus turned, watching as a soft purple light, Twilight’s normal magic, slowly lifted the spotlight from her head. The magic slowly retreated back to her horn before it began to slide down the unicorn’s body, healing the wounds the pegasus had inflicted. Twilight blinked, shaking her head.

“Twilight? You ok?”

“Never better,” Twilight said softly.

A bolt of purple magic shot up, striking a strut. Rainbow’s jaw dropped as the metalwork above the dance floor collapsed, hanging down and separating her from Spike and Cadence. The cyan mare began to look about, trying to wrap her head around the new development, when a more chilling fact became clear: the falling struts and metal had formed a cage, keeping her away from Spike… and locking her in with Twilight. That last blast had merely set up the final pieces to complete the cell.

It hit Rainbow Dash like a freight train; all of this, from the moment Twilight had called for the song… was a set up. Her ‘random’ blasts weren’t random at all and her screams had been to serve as a distraction as she systematically created the perfect cage to trap the pegasus. What use are wings when you have no space to fly?

Twilight had known just what Rainbow Dash would expect and had used that to her advantage.

The pegasus shivered as she slowly turned to stare at her friend.

“You still… don’t… get it,” Twilight said as her eyes glowed black, even as she used white magic. Rainbow Dash began to move about, trying to find some hole she could slip through. “None of this was about you girls not believing me. I get that, I really do. I went about it all the wrong way. I wouldn’t have believed me either so I don’t blame any of you. That was my fault and I am sorry for acting like a foal.” A pulse of purple magic grabbing a hold of Dash’s wings and yanking her to the ground. “But you see… you just apologized for the wrong reason.

“The issue here, the great big 700 pound gorilla in the room, is something that is supposed to be close to your heart, Rainbow Dash.” Twilight glanced over and brought two pieces of pipe over. The pegasus trembled, trying to free herself, only for Twilight to lash out. But where Rainbow Dash had expected a blow to the head she instead found entrapment; the metal poles bending around her body, the ends driven into the dance floor, pinning her to the ground. “And that… is loyalty.

“I don’t expect any of you to agree with me. Not all the time. I’m not that stupid. If I wanted that I would have made myself a little club of yes-ponies right here in Canterlot. Creator knows there were enough little unicorns that wanted to hang out with ‘Celestia’s Student’.” Twilight trotted around her friend, watching her struggle. “What I did expect was that you would stand by me, good and the bad. How many times did you get in over your head and I helped you? All us girls always had your back, Rainbow Dash. But when I needed you to have mine, you walked away.” Twilight got in the pegasus’ face, sneering in frustration and rage. “My brother cut me out of his life! My mentor looked at me with shame-filled eyes and thought I was too stupid to know what a headache spell did! I was at my lowest point and what did you do? What did my ever so loyal friends do when I needed them the most?” Twilight gave her a shake. “Say it. I want you to say it.”

“We… we…”

“SAY IT!”

“We walked away!” Rainbow Dash cried out, the normally brash flyer breaking down in tears. “We followed after the changeling. You were right about her-“

Twilight smacked Rainbow across the jaw. “You still don’t get it! If I had been wrong I would still be angry at you! Me being right has NOTHING to do with this! After the queen yelled at me and left crying I believed I was wrong. You saw that and you still had to be petty and walk away all in the name of keeping up impressions! You walked away so you could impress a pony you had met only a day ago… a pony that had treated all of you like crap! Two years, Rainbow Dash! Two years of laughter and tears and friendship thrown away so you could wear a frilly dress! Nice to know how much I’m worth to you.

“You know what friends do, Rainbow Dash? Real friends? They stay loyal, even when their friends act stupid. A real friend would have sat with me and told me that it was ok and helped me make up for my mistake. A real friend would have realized that taking one moment to comfort somepony they care about wouldn’t hurt their chances to put on a dream wedding. A real friend would have given me a few minutes. That's all I wanted... and all you gave me was a glare.

“Sometimes I wonder if the Elements screwed up. You’ve never really been loyal, have you? You insult your friends; you mock them and tease them till they hurt. Remember what you did to Spike, making fun of him about not being a real dragon till he decided to run away? How LOYAL of you! You knew Fluttershy didn’t want to help with that cyclone and you guilted her into it… not because you knew she needed to face her fear but because you wanted to break a record. You have mocked me so many times, calling me a nerd and an egghead and then come crawling back asking for my help with your problems, expecting me to drop everything and save your flank.” Twilight leaned in close, dark eyes flashing. “You are very loyal, Rainbow Dash… loyal to yourself.”

Twilight twisted around and gave Rainbow a solid buck, sending her tumbling into the metal, coughing in pain. The unicorn walked over, her horn glowing purple as she healed all of Dash’s injuries. The pegasus stared at her weakly, trying to understand why Twilight had helped her.

“I don’t want to hurt you, Rainbow Dash… but I don’t want to be your friend either. So save your sorrys… I’ve heard enough of them from you for a lifetime. Words are meaningless. Actions are worth gold.” The struts groaned as Twilight made an opening for herself. “Spike, we’re leaving.”

The baby dragon nodded, taking one last glance at Rainbow Dash.

‘Twilight needs me more now,’ Spike thought sadly, making is way over to his friend.

Twilight took a moment, looking over at Cadence, the alicorn having not moved a muscle since Twilight had ripped into her. Her darkening eyes stared at the ground as continued to mumble about her failures. “I don’t hate you, Cadence… and I am sorry if my words hurt you but they are the truth. You need to see how your actions affect others. I… I hope you can forgive me for being cruel.” Twilight sighed, suddenly feeling very tired. “You are either with me or against me. When you decide… give me a buzz.”

Picking the baby dragon up, Twilight surrounded herself with dark magic, transporting her and Spike out of Canterlot… just as Princess Luna, Pinkie Pie and several of Shadowbolts burst through the doors.

“By Celestia,” one of the guards murmured. “What… what happened here?”

“Twilight,” Rainbow Dash whispered, tears rolling down her cheeks. “Twilight happened.”

Mirrors

"I'm lookin' at the man in the mirror. I'm askin' him to change his ways. And message could have been any clearer: If you wanna make the world a better place, took a look at yourself and make the change!"

-Michael Jackson, The Man in the Mirror

"I've... I've never felt so... so horrible in my entire life. It... it was as if nothing good would ever happen again." Cadence shivered and one of Luna's guards gently placed a blanket around her. "I... I thought about my entire life and it was just one big mistake..." Her eyes flashed black and she sneered at Shining Armor. "Like ever thinking I could love you. All you care about is my body, that's why you couldn't see that hidious bug wasn't me! How could you be so stupid-"

Celestia and Luna both enveloped Cadence in a warm coccoon of white magic. The love goddess began to cry as the black faded from her eyes.

"Oh Shining... I'm so sorry..."

Twilight's friends and family stared at the traumatized princess, terror griping their hearts at her struggles to fight off the corruption of her mind and soul. When Luna had arrived at the club Cadence had attacked her, screaming about how the moon goddess hadn't been there to save Twilight. Princess Luna had fought with her niece and finally managed to bind her by the time Celestia arrived with the rest in tow. It had taken both of the alicorn sisters to purge much of the corruption from their niece's body.

"You stupid, arrogant troll!" Cadence screamed at Celestia. "You've worn that crown too long and become complacent! You've forgotten how to be normal and now we'll all suffer-"

'Much' being the keep word.

Shining, for his part, was remaining remarkably calm. He had already failed to save his sister from this darkness and he wasn't about to let his fiance fall into the same pit of evil. So he took all her insults with a smile and assured her she was not to blame when the tears began to fall.

"Why wasn't I like that?" Applejack asked as the Princesses pumped more of their own magic into Cadence. The earth pony had a foreleg wrapped around Rainbow Dash, holding her close. Pinkie Pie sat behind the cyan pony, playing with her hair while Rarity and Fluttershy were within reach. Despite the flyer's protests that she was fine she had remained glued to her friends' since they had entered, showing no sign of shying away from their comfort.

"Fluttershy and I were able to detect your corruption and drive it away before it took root," Celestia stated calmly, watching over the pink alicorn to ensure she wouldn't have another relapse. The bouts of anger and rage were growing less frequent, which instilled hope in all of them that whatever dark force was at play could be beaten. "Cadence was in its grip for far longer and thus the black magic was able to gain a foothold."

"Is... is that what happened to Twlight?" Velvet asked softly.

"No," Luna said firmly.

"What do you mean?" Rarity asked, annoyed at how the moon goddess squashed what little hope they had. "Cadence is acting just as Twilight did during the reception."

"Twilight's corruption is different," Luna stated, staring down at the group of friends that she owed so much too. It hurt to not be able to comfort them but she knew they needed to see what they faced without blinders on. "Unlike Cadence or you, Applejack, Twilight welcomed the darkness that invaded her."

"No way!" Pinkie Pie exclaimed, leaping to defend her friend. "Twilight is the nicest of the nice! She would never let icky dark magic stuff into her!" The pink pony lowered her head. "Not like me," she whispered to herself, remember when she had snapped, thinking her friends had abandoned her.

Fluttershy, however, wasn't as convinced. She remembered all too well 'New Fluttershy' and how a pony could easily welcome and embrace darkness. "She was really hurt by what happened... when we are upset we can do things we never thought we could."

Luna nodded in agreement. "You are correct. Twilight was at her lowest point the day before and the evil that infected her offered her hope and safety. She falsely believed that your need to comfort 'Cadence' was all of you shunning her forever and when the darkness came she embraced it because she didn't have anything else to turn to."

Twilight Velvet began to sob.

"It is imperative that we find Twilight now, before she infects any others," Luna said sternly.

"Do... do you think she got to Spike?" Shining asked, remembering how angry the baby dragon had been.

"No, Captain Armor. This evil does not target children. It is against its nature. Of all of us, Spike is the safest." Luna turned, making her way towards the door. "Come, we have little time to waste. All of us must confront Twilight together." Rainbow shivered a bit at that but one look at her friends brought back her confidence, if only a little.

Night Light frowned. "I thought you said we needed to be careful dealing with her... that everypony rushing her would only result in her lashing out."

"The situation has changed. We must find your daughter and bring her under out control, by force if needed, as soon as possible."

"Princess, how do you know so much about this darkness?" Applejack called out.

Luna's shoulders slumped. "Because I have dealt with it before." She looked over her shoulder at the group, slipping back into the ancient Canterlot dialect. "We embraced this vile power 1000 years ago, when we believed our beloved sister and our subjects had abandoned us. It was that foul darkness... that gave us the power to become Nightmare Moon."

~MC~MC~MC~

Twilight gently laid Spike down in his basket, tendering stroking his head with her hoof. The poor baby dragon had been dead on his feet the moment they got back to the library, yawning and struggling to stay awake. He had protested the entire time, wanting to talk to her about what had happened in the club, but his body could not fight the call of sleep and Twilight had carried him to bed.

"I'm sorry you had to see that," she whispered, leaning down and giving him a kiss on the forehead. Magic swirled around him, ensuring that his dreams would only be happy. "It will be ok Spike."

Walking back downstairs, Twilight used her powers to close every blind, bathing the library in darkness. Candles flared to light at her command and she began to pull every mirror she could find towards her, so that the tiny lights were bounced around, bathing her in their flickering glow.

'Rainbow Dash just doesn't understand; light and dark are illusions,' she thought to herself, looking at the multiple reflection that surrounded her, staring at her with dark eyes like a captive audience. 'Light is energy and shadow is the absence. The darker the night the brighter the stars and the more harsh the sun's glare the blacker the shadow. They are intwined...so why does everypony think darkness is so bad?'

'They can not open their minds to new thoughts,' her mind whispered back. ' They are so routed in what they know that to consider anything different is beyond them. They become entrenched and are unable to see the world any different than they do now.'

Twilight sighed. Even though she felt sad by that realitization her reflections remained upbeat. "I guess I held out hope they might come around, despite what I told Spike and Cadence."

'No one can fault you for that. But now you must open your mind and not make the same mistakes as your 'friends' and 'family'. You must see the world fully and not merely in a single shade.

'Your parents and brother will always see you as a filly that must be scolded and left in a corner. Applejack will never understand your desire for more because she is satisfied with leading the life that was set down for her the moment she was born. Rainbow Dash is like a train, racing fast but towards only one destination, never leaving the tracks. Fluttershy fears the venture out and explore this wonderful world and thus is like a fish that never grows bigger due to lack of space. Rarity holds her standards, clutching them to her breast... they are the only thing she selfishly holds onto. Pinkie Pie ignores the bad in the world and thus fails to learn about it and is doomed to never see the joy that can be born after the sorrow.

'And then... there is Celestia.'

That one hurt the most. Princess Celestia had been the first pony to look upon Twilight and find something worthy in her. But now, the unicorn realized that her mentor would never look upon her and smile. Both of their choices had placed them on opposite sides of the field and the princess would never think to cross over and look at things from the other side.

"I... I should hate them. Why does it hurt so much?"

'Because you had to work so hard to achieve so much. Every victory, every achievement, every connection has been an uphill battle. And while that can be good in its own way, it makes you cling to things when you should let go. What you have been given has had so many strings attached that it is little wonder you have become entangled. You have never been given something for free, with no requirements or demands. Everything has either been purchased with blood, sweat and tears... or been little more than a net designed to snare you. But now you are offered a gift, Twilight Sparkle.

'I have a gift for you.'

"You do?" Twilight whispered softly, staring at her reflections.

'Yes... given freely... from me to you. Out of love... and understand.'

"What is it?" Twilight whispered.

'Your freedom.'

The lavender mare let out a cry as dark magic began to flow through her veins. Her black eyes snapped open and she howled out in bliss as she felt the fire explode within her. She looked down and to her utter amazement she watched herself grow. The magic flooded her veins and forced her body to enlarge to accommodate it all. Her legs lengthen, her neck grew more swan-like, her mane and tail stretched down and darkened till it was made of flowing darkness that billowed in an unseen breeze. Rivers of light began to streak through her mane and tail till both looked like a moonless night sky filled with shooting stars. Her horn grew longer, the point sharp enough to pierce through metal. Black magic burst from her back, the mist-like energy swirling before condensing into translucent wings.

'Put away the unicorn... become who you were born to be.'

"STOP THIS!"

The transformed unicorn turned, eyes widening as twin blasts of magic wrapped themselves around her, locking onto her ankles and holding her in place. The white magic threw her new form against the wall and held her tight, not allowing her to move an inch. Another orb of magic surrounded her horn, capturing any magical assault she attempted. The circle of mirrors shattered and the candles were snuffed out as Luna and Celestia stormed into the library, followed by Twilight's former friends and family. The dark alicorn, for that was what Twilight had become, struggled against the restraints but found her new powers were no match for the alicorn sisters.

"By the stars above," Velvet whispered in shock.

"That... that can't be," Rainbow Dash whispered at the creature that looked more like a dark reflection of Princess Celestia.

Shining Armor took a tentative step forward, not believing what his heart knew to be true. "Twilight?"

"Let me go!" the dark alicorn screamed, her voice having changed from its normal bouncy tones to a low, sultry melody. "Why can't you just leave me alone? I left you alone, why not do the same for me!"

"I will not allow you to corrupt her as you did me, phantom!" Luna shouted, sending another blast of purifying magic at the new alicorn.

"I am not corrupted!" Twilight called out futilely, fighting against her bonds. "None of you understand! Please stop!"

Celestia shook her head, tears in her eyes. It was Nightmare Moon all over again; another loved one stolen from her because of hubris. "I am sorry, my faithful student, but I can not. At this time you are not capable of wielding the power you possess."

"I won't let you take it from me!" Twilight shouted.

Celestia turned to the rest. "Hold her so we can become the purification!" Cadence, Shining Armor, Night Light, Twilight Velvet and Rarity combined their magic to restrain the dark alicorn while Pinkie Pie, Fluttershy, Applejack and Rainbow Dash prayed for their friend. Luna and Celestia released their own binds and began to pick their way through the shattered glass that littered the floor.

"Please... please! Don't do this!" Twilight begged like a madpony, struggled in vain against the bonds.

"You are not responsible for your actions, Twilight. We forgive you," Celestia said softly.

"You! You should be apologizing, not me!" Twilight screamed, rage flashing in her eyes. But against the combined might of her friends and family, she could not break free.

Luna steeled her features. "The phantom is a liar, Twilight Sparkle. It offers power but in return you receive only pain. Even now it has abandoned you."

'Truly Luna?'

"Uh...am I the only one that heard that?" Applejack whispered nervously, looking about.

'I abandoned you because you misused my gift.' The voice Twilight had always assumed was her own mind rang clear in all their ears, its pitch dropped till it became a masculine call. 'All I desired was to help you rise up and prove to Celestia that you deserved to be an equal to her. I heard your prayers and whispered pleas to the night that she see you not as beneath her but as a co-ruler. I gave you the power and form so that you could truly be her equal.

'But what did you do with my gift? You used it in a vicious campaign to destroy the world by plunging it into eternal night... that is something I could not allow.' The smoke from the snuffed out candles began to gather in the center of the room, caught up by a sudden gust. Celestia and Luna were forced back as the broken mirror shards were lifted by the tempest winds. 'I am quite fond of the world and have large stakes in it. There was too much good in it to allow you to destroy it. So I abandoned you and let Celestia banish you. With you gone I began to search for new bearers, but everypony I found failed my test... till this one... my Twilight.'

"She isn't your anything!" Shining Armor roared. "Get the hell away from my sister!"

'She is my everything. She is my mother, my sister, my daughter and my wife. I am her father, her brother, her son and her husband. She is the queen to my king, the alpha to my omega. Without her I am nothing... as I have given her power so too has she given me the strength to take form once more.'

"Who are you, phantom!" Celestia shouted, trying to send bolts of white magic at the swirling mass of smoke and glass, only for the mirrors to reflect it back.

'I have so many names, my traitorous Celestia, for I have forgotten my own, just as you did. To those who see me as an enemy I am called Fear or Loathing or Hate or Oath Breaker. To others, I am a savoir and they dub me Rebellion and Curiosity and Renewal.' The smoke began to condense, the mirror shards separating into 2 large piles while leaving a single massive spike that bobbed before them, reflecting their horror-filled gazes back at them. The others were able to keep their hold on Twilight but the dark alicorn no longer fought them; she merely stared in awe as the voice within her head took form. 'I dislike all those names. To be named is to give others power over you. I swore to be never controlled again. But if you desire a name to call me I will select one of my own.'

With a flash of energy the phantom became real. Before the gathered ponies stood a mighty alicorn stallion as dark as pitch. His mane was as white as the purest flame and shifted like light shining in tear-soaked eyes. His wings were made of mirror shards that reflected all about him. His horn was one solid piece of broken glass and when the light struck it his face was bathed in a pure white glow. His cutie mark was Twilight's own, only reversed in color: a brilliant white star surrounded by dark purple spots of light.

"You may call me Doubt."

The Forgotten

A name pronounced is the recognition of the individual to whom it belongs. He who can pronounce my name aright, he can call me, and is entitled to my love and service.

-Henry David Thoreau

"Must we be at each other's throats?" Doubt's wings folded against his sides as he began to move about the library, using a chaotic swirl of white and black magic to clean up from his formation. He clicked his tongue several times as he looked over the mess, knowing when Twilight had a moment to actually look over the library she would be screaming up a storm. He looked at the hate-filled glares being directed towards him and sighed. "I do not see why we cannot discuss this as rational adults."

"Who the hell are ya?" Applejack snapped, staring down the strange that was, to her atleast, the root of all their problems.

"I believe we covered that,” he stated, lifting up several books and placing them back on the shelf. “I am Doubt." The alicorn tilted his head in confusion. "Were you not listening?"

"We've heard enough from you!" Rainbow Dash shouted. It was only the memory of the beatdown Twilight had given her an hour before that kept her from rushing forward. "You're the one that brainwashed Twilight."

The stallion laughed. "Oh, ever the brash one. You know…normally I’d enjoy dissecting your emotions like a frog and rebuilding you into a more polite pony but even immortals have time limits." Doubt turned his back to the others and made his way over the Twilight. The dark alicorn had grown still, staring at the being that had been whispering in her ear and guiding her for the last 24 hours. "Are you ok?" he asked gently.

"I... I know you," Twilight whispered. "I've always known you. How is that possible?"

"Many things you have thought to beyond the realm of reality you will find to be quite true. I have been with you for all the days of your life. The moment you entered this world I was beside you, watching over you."

"Liar," Twilight Velvet hissed, taking a bold step forward. "My daughter is an innocent... she has nothing to do with your evil!"

Doubt turned and just stared at the quivering mare. "I assure you, Velvet... I never lie. It is against my very nature."

A bolt of white magic struck his face, sending him falling to the ground. Twilight screamed in fright and the others gasped as the moon goddess began her approach once more. The world had faded and all Luna could see was the being that represented all her failings and mistakes.

"Everything your silver tongue preaches is a lie," Luna declared, eyes blazing with fury. Doubt slowly began to rise only to be struck by another blast that torn a chunk of his side away. His flesh trembled and rapidly healed the damage Luna had inflicted. "You aren't in the presence of naive fouls, phantom. We remember your honey-coated words well. Thee were the one that made us turn against our beloved sister! It was your actions that led to our banishment!" Another blast of white magic sent Doubt back to his knees. "A thousand years separated from all those we loved because of your lies!"

"And now that Luna is no longer your pawn you seek to use my faithful student in her place," Celestia challenged, joining her sister in striking out at Doubt. The alicorn stallion never let out a cry of pain; he merely took their blasts with the same blasé look. "You have convinced her that we no longer care for her, that our love for her is something selfish and wrong. You have attempted to isolate her and we will not rest till we free her from your enchantment."

Doubt finally raised his wings and began to deflect the shots being fired at him. He looked up at the two from hooded eyes. "Am I allowed to speak in my own defense? Or is the law of Equestria to be cast aside whenever a princess desires to play executioner?" He looked at Twilight's former friends, smiling slightly. "Have you considered the position you now side with? I have done nothing to harm you and these two seek to strike me down. Such noble leaders."

"Done no harm?" Shining snapped, his horn still glowing as he kept a firm hold on his sister. "Look at what you've done to Twilight!"

Doubt did just that, gazing at her as an artist might look upon a masterpiece or a child spotting their favorite toy. "I have elevated her. I have gifted her with immortality. I have made her a goddess, no different than our fellow alicorns. I have brought forth her inner beauty and given her the strength to truly be free." A sphere of black and white magic formed around Doubt's horn. "I am not greedy nor do I play favorites. If any of you wish for the same I will provide it. Eternity... no strings attached." Twilight let out a yelp of surprise but Doubt paid no heed, sending a wave of comforting magic to the dark alicorn. The other stared and within the orb they each saw a vision of them as a mighty alicorn, immortal and powerful, radiant and beautiful. “Of course, if I am able to do this… what could Celestia and Luna do? Or, to better say it… what have they chosen NOT to do?”

"He's lying," Luna snapped. "Everything he offers only brings pain and suffering."

Doubt scoffed. "If I give you candle and you burn your house down, am I to blame?" He locked eyes with Luna, his face stern and his posture that of a school teacher speaking down to a naughty filly. "I gave you the power to rival your sister. I whispered in your ear about how she treated you as like a foal and did not let you take a larger part in governing Equestria; that is something you agreed with and something you still think now." He stomped his hoof, cutting off her next retort. "Do not deny it. I can read your thoughts as easily. I know that to be true... just as I know that Fluttershy here fears that I will hurt all of you. I assure you, little one, I could not hurt you if I wanted to. Nothing would bring me greater joy than to aid each and every one of you little ponies.

"But Nightmare Moon... everything comes back to that, doesn't it Luna? Everything you are now and everything you will ever be is tied to that horrible day when you took the mantle of the Mare in the Moon. Long you and your sister have convinced yourselves and your subjects that you were not in control... that some dark boogeyman had taken you over and twisted you into a weapon of evil and the real Luna was trapped inside. And you have now decided to cast me in that role.

"That... is the lie."

The moon goddess shook her head, breathing hard. “No… it was you. It was all you! I was good before you…”

“Now who is the liar?” Doubt asked softly taking a step towards the shaking princess. “All I gave you was the power. My words were a reflection of your own thoughts, nothing more. I can influence your mind as much as a foal can stop the rain from falling. Everything that happened was your fault, Luna; every dark word, every bitter thought was your own. The hatred for your sister came not from me. Nightmare Moon wasn’t a separate entity or some corruption; it was merely a name you used to deflect blame. Your own feelings of self worth drove you to attack your sister and try and destroy all of Equestria. It was then that I removed my protection from you and allowed the dear traitor you call sister to banish you.”

“That… that isn’t true,” Luna said feebly. “I… I would never.”

“But you did, Luna. You did. Darkness is not evil… it is those that wield it that make it so. The sun can give life on a farm… or kill in the desert.”

Twilight shrugged against her restraints, which were beginning to buckle under her constant attempts to free herself. “See? There is nothing wrong with this! There is nothing wrong with me! Just because you don’t agree with my choices doesn’t make me wrong! Can’t you see that? I’ve chosen to embrace something within myself that I’ve long ignored because I was afraid of how you would react. Doubt is the first pony to truly let me be myself! Why can’t you let me have that?”

The others shifted uneasily, looking to Celestia for guidance.

“Why do you call me a traitor, Doubt? I have never met you before this night.”

The stallion scoffed. “And yet you betray me again with those very words.”

“If that is so then tell me my faults. I am willing to face my mistakes but only when I know them. If I have done you wrong then I will do all in my power to make things right.”

Doubt began to pace back and forth. “That… can never happen. You can not fix this. But still… if you must know, I will answer. Imagine back, Celestia, to before the great great great great grandmothers of these ponies had been born. A time of strife and chaos… a time ruled by one named Discord. You found yourself wishing to free the little ponies from his rule and so, along with Luna and others, you crafted the Elements of Harmony. There were five in total, each representing the antithesis of Discord’s dark urges: Honesty, Kindness, Loyalty, Laughter, and Generosity. You stormed into battle and matched the beast’s power against your own. The winner would claim Equestria and the loser doomed to a fate worse than death.”

“Everypony knows that story,” Celestia said sternly.

“Indeed. But what they don’t know is that you were losing. The Elements could match Discord but you were weak. You could not hold out forever and in that stalemate you know that his endurance would go beyond yours and you would fall. He would claim the pieces of Harmony and use them for his own twisted gain. Defeat was certain.

“And then you heard a small voice whisper upon the wind just when you were ready to give in. It promised to aid you in your fight… it spoke of how Discord was weak and you should not believe his words, for they were false. The voice told you-“

“Take my power and together we will defeat him,” Celestia whispered in shock, her legs giving out as she fell to the ground, staring at the stallion. “You?”

“Me. The final element… the piece that helped defeat Discord. I was an abstract but I felt the call and thus I came. I gave you my power and together we defeated the chaos god.” Doubt struggled to contain himself. For the first time since this had all begun Doubt was beginning to show signs of anger. “And what was my reward?” He slammed his front hooves against the floor in outrage. “You forgot me! The other five were named and taught as the virtues all ponies must hold dear but I was forgotten! I was spoken of in whispers, a mystery you never attempted to solve! And when all of you forgot me I forgot myself! My name… my past… stolen from me because YOU BROKE YOUR PROMISE!”

The others were struck by his words. It wasn’t the rage that surprised them but the utter despondency. They wondered how they react if their identity was stripped away and they were left to wonder the world as a shapeless form, unable to even remember their home or name.

“And in return you attempted to turn me into a weapon against her.” Luna said coldly. “What did I do to you? I didn’t betray you, so why me?”

“Get it through that skull of yours Luna… I did nothing,” Doubt growled. “I wanted you to be the one to help me reconnect to the world, to make Celestia remember me. I believed that if you gained power that you get make her reveal the truth and, as more learned of the 6th element my past would be revealed. But my hopes were in vain, much as all hopes are. You betrayed me and used your power to try and destroy the world.” He shook his head in disgust. “Stop blaming others for your own mistakes. We are all much to old to play that game.”

The bonds that held Twilight shattered and the dark alicorn rushed forward, pressing her head against Doubt’s. “It was you… every time I needed help you were with me, weren’t you?” She looked at him and just as she did when she stared at Spike Twilight felt the bonds of friendship and understanding worm their way into her heart. “You’ve been silent this entire time… protecting me and helping me?”

“Yes,” the stallion said softly. “The moment you were born I was drawn to you. I chose you to be the bearer of my power, to wield my magic. And I have guarded you your entire life, Twilight Sparkle. When Rainbow Dash created the Sonic Rainboom I combined our power to bring Spike into the world. When Nightmare Moon raged against the world I filled you with the strength to disregard her words. I am the reason you resisted Discord for so long. Whenever others have told you to stand down or stop or to give in I gave you the strength to doubt their words and rise.”

Celestia had never felt so small, not even when she had been a filly. All of this… her sister’s fall, Twilight’s descent into darkness… it was all her fault. She could feel the eyes glaring at her and shame, such a forgien feeling for her, flooded her system.

But she had done the right thing, hadn’t she? They would understand that. She just had to explain, to get them to see why she had acted as she had. Doubt had told his side of the story but she still had her own words to let loose.

“Doubt… I did it to protect you. Back then… I wasn’t for sure who I could trust. We had defeated Discord and all these ponies came out of the woodwork wanting to help my sister and I rebuild Equestria and we were scared. Yes, we were scared. We feared they would use the elements against us. Their power was so great and I was frightened that I could not control them. So I hid your involvement and let it become a mystery, so that only the right pony could ever wield your power.”

“By that, you mean you,” Shining Armor spoke up, reminding the four bickering alicorns that there were others in the audience. “You covered it up so only you would be able to pick the final bearer.”

“…yes.”

The others were stunned silent by the admission.

Doubt lowered his head in sadness. “Even that I could have forgiven. I understand why you first chose to act as you did. But…had you just remembered… had you just remembered my name. But you didn’t, Celestia. You forgot my name… banished it from your thoughts so that even you could not call upon my power fully. I know this because I can’t remember my name either. I am an abstract; all I have is what others see in me, what they believe of me. I gave you everything and you tossed me aside when I wasn’t needed. So I was forced to become something new, to find a new place in this world…”

“Is that why you are all darky dark and have the shiny wings?” Pinkie asked softly.

Doubt sighed. “I don’t know.”

“I… I am sorry. I will do all I can to help you.” Celestia was pleading now and she hated it. But what else could she do? She had ruled for 1000 years without anypony questioning her or her actions. Doubt had changed all that and all she wanted was to get things back to the way they were. “Return Twilight to us and I swear I will do all I can to he-“

Twilight roared out in anger, firing a blast of dark magic at her teacher, knocking her onto her back. “STOP LYING! YOU DID THIS TO HIM! YOU! TO ME! YOU DID THIS TO ME! ALL OF MY LIFE” Twilight leapt on top of Celestia and began to smack her with her hooves. “HE ISN’T TO BLAME, YOU ARE! YOU MADE ME!”

Celestia easily bucked Twilight off of her and on instinct fired a blast of white magic. Doubt’s wing flashed and he used them to shield Twilight from the blow, redirecting it back at Celestia, sending her to the ground, twitching in pain.

“Celestia!” the other bearers cried out.

“YOU MONSTER!” Twilight screamed, throwing blast after blast of dark magic at Celestia, who fought to block every shot. Twilight saw only red, all the rage and despair and hate and sadness and loneliness and frustration she had felt for the last day bursting to the surface in a maelstrom of uncontrolled emotion. She couldn’t think, couldn’t speak, couldn’t focus on anything but destroying everything and everypony that was around her.

“Twilight, enough.”

The words cut through her and left her magic sputtering. The dark alicorn stared at Doubt in shock, the stallion easing her away from her panting mentor. “Why? Why are you protecting her?” Twilight snapped, turning on him.

“I am not protecting her, I am protecting you,” Doubt said simply. His horn glowed and Twilight’s eyes drifted shut. “Go to sleep, Twilight… things will be better in the morning.” Twilight let out a weak murmur and fell to her belly, drifting into a dreamless sleep. The abstract given form turned towards Twilight’s friends and family, staring them down. “We need to talk.”

“What more do you have to say?” Rarity complained. “You’ve done a fine job turning our friend into a beast.”

“That is all you, my dear mare. All of you supplied the kindling… I was merely the flint.” Doubt’s magic gathered around Twilight and lifted her towards her bed. “But the time for blame is over… you have a decision before you.”

“And that is?” Cadence asked, slowly moving to help her aunt up.

“How are you going to correct your mistakes?”

Applejack shook her head. “You ain’t makin’ any sense. I thought you wanted to kidnap Twi and make her your bride or somethin’.”

“I would love nothing more than that… but I am her guardian, her protector. My first duty is to see to her safety and happiness… and she will never be happy until she has truly made a decision about all of you.” Doubt raised his mirror wings, energy whipping around him. “You have two days… two days to prove to her you are sorry and deserve to be her friends. Should she choose to stay with all of you and renew your bonds of friendship then so be it. I will not fight her against her choice.

“But should she turn away from your gestures then I will take her and the dragon, as well as any others she chooses, and whisk us all away from this place. We will find a land to call our own and gather beings that have been betrayed like us. The choice is hers alone… I have played my hand, now it is your turn.”

Fluttershy stared at the stallion. “Why… why are you giving us this chance?”

“Because I care for Twilight and want her only to be happy… even if that means sacrificing my own joy. Can you say the same?”

And with that, Doubt warped away.

The Corner

When the world says, "Give up,"
Hope whispers, "Try it one more time."

~Author Unknown

It was a subdued group that sat in Sugarcube Corner.

Normally the Cakes would have been rolling their eyes at Pinkie for bringing a gaggle of ponies into the bakery, especially at 2 in the morning. Despite what Pinkie might think, the main dining area was not party central. But taking one glance at Princess Celestia, Luna and Cadence had stopped any protest dead. That, and the fact that Pinkie and her friends look so utterly beaten down had led the couple to scurry about and begin waiting on them before they had returned to bed.

The group had mulled about, the events of the day weighing heavily upon each of them. The fact that so much had happened in so little time had left everypony struggling to understand how things had become so twisted so easily. Shining Armor and Cadence were supposed to be in the honeymoon suite of the Canterlot Grand Hotel, enjoying their first night as husband and wife. Velvet and her husband had expected to spend a night at the castle with Twilight and her friends, recovering from the reception and dreaming of the Post-wedding breakfast that would await them. Celestia had planned to meet with her sister and share with her all the happy details of the wedding.

But fate had played a cruel hand and the group found themselves sipping hastily made coffee and nibbling on what few day-old treats were available. Shining and Cadence remained unmarried, Twilight’s friends and family were reeling, and the Princesses were left to brood upon long lost truths.

"We can't fight with each other," Cadence finally said. As the only one in the group to make any sort of headway with Twilight she had been silently elected the head of the meeting. "No matter how much we all wish to bicker about who started this that will only waste time. There is blame to be placed on every pony.” She held up her hoof to silence Shining, who was moving to speak. “Even me. I should have demanded you tell Twilight about us, Shining. It was a mistake and maybe things wouldn’t have gotten so bad if we had been honest with her.” The love goddess shook her head sadly. “But none of that matters. We have two days to get Twilight back and we have to-"

"We can't get Twilight back," Night Light said softly.

"Now don't ya go thinkin' like that," Applejack stated firmly. "We're going to work hard and-"

"You misunderstand," Night said, interrupting once again. "Before we go any further we have to take Princess Luna's advice and accept some hard truths. First and foremost... Twilight has changed. Our Twilight, the one we knew from a day ago, is gone."

Rainbow Dash shook her head. "But we can fix that!"

Fluttershy gently placed a hoof on her friend's shoulder. "What if there isn't anything to fix?" Every eye was on her and normally she would have begun waking at being the center of attention. But for Twilight she forced herself to be brave. "Twilight chose all of this. She wanted to become an alicorn and none of us have the right to tell her she should change back."

“So you are saying it’s hopeless?” Shining Armor grunted.

“No… there is always hope.” Several of the ponies made a move to speak but Fluttershy, drawing on her time as "New Fluttershy", merely kept going, forcing them to be quiet. "Rarity, do you know what made me question what Iron Will taught me?"

"You were horrified by what you had done," Rarity said, remembering how Fluttershy had locked herself away in fear of the monster she had briefly become.

Fluttershy nodded. "It took me seeing the truth to snap me out of it. Even though you and Pinkie kept telling me I was being mean I didn't listen because I didn't want too. It took me looking within myself and seeing my own actions to make me realize what I had been too blind to see. The same is true with Twilight. We can't force her to give up something she wants... we don't even have the right to."

"You can't believe that her being that... dark alicorn is a good thing," Velvet argued. She felt so conflicted… on one hoof she was horrified by her daughter’s new form, the anger in her eyes and the rage in her heart. But a small part, a very small part, was thrilled that her child was now an immortal… powerful and strong.

"I honestly don't know at this point,” Fluttershy admitted.

Cadence nodded in agreement. "She's caused harm but it only occurred when she felt threatened. At the hospital she woke up during the middle of an operation. I would have reacted the same way if I found strange ponies filling me up with foreign magic." Cadence lips twitched. "Ok, not exactly the same way... and at the club, she was perfectly happy just to dance. It wasn’t until I messed up and tried to force her into coming back to the hospital that Twilight stopped being… Twilight. Before that she was herself. Maybe a bit rougher around the edges but she was Twilight." The love goddess smiled slightly. "I know none of you will like hearing this... but she was actually better than Twilight."

"What ever do you mean?" Rarity asked. “How could you say that about our Twilight?”

Cadence thought back to the bulk of the conversation she had shared with the lavender unicorn. "She was free. Even when she was little Twilight was tightly wound up.” Cadence looked over at her future in-laws and they nodded in agreement. “But at the club she was loose... there was no tension." The pink alicorn shook her head in amusement. "To tell the truth, when she was mad she was more like the Twilight I remembered when she was throwing a fit."

"Twilight doesn't yell and have tantrums," Velvet said.

"Or toss nurses into walls," Rarity added.

"But she does get upset and it makes her do stupid things. The same thing happened at the club and the library was the same situation. Things weren’t going as she planned and her first reaction was frustration and trying to get her plans back on track… by shoving us out."

Celestia finally spoke up. "As much as it pains me to admit, for now we must accept Twilight as she is now: an alicorn who looks upon all of us with distrust and scorn. Doubt did well to stack the deck against us."

"Can we really trust him not to continue to do so?" Shining argued. “All we have to go on is his word and right now I am not ready to trust a pony who is literally all smoke and mirrors.”

Luna closed her eyes, her mane hanging nearly as limp as Pinkie's did when she was down. "We can trust him," Luna stated sadly. "It... hurts to admit it but I was the one that stated we must focus on the truth. Doubt cannot lie; it is simply not in his nature. Doubt... the emotion and the alicorn... does not work in lies but truths. Selective truths, but truths. If he says he will give us two days, then he will give us two days." Luna looked at them all, answering the unspoken question. "But he will defend her if he views us as a threat, so we cannot hope to kidnap her and free her from the magics he gave her."

"If we even should," Applejack said, earning a slight smile from Fluttershy.

"This is all well and good but it doesn't help us," Shining said, playing Devil's Advocate. "We don't even know where to begin. She just... hates all of us."

Rainbow Dash thought back to the fight between her and her friend. "She said we were apologizing for the wrong reasons. She wasn't upset that we didn't believe her... she was mad because she felt like we all abandoned her. She felt like we were all dropping her and didn't want to listen to her."

"And we did," Rarity admitted sullenly. The rest of the bearers nodded their heads in agreement.

"So... we need to show her that we are there for her," Rainbow Dash said firmly. "We need to show her that we are loyal and even if we fight we aren't going to turn our backs on her."

"But how to break through to her and let her know that?" Celestia pondered. Not since Luna had taken the mantle of Nightmare Moon had Celestia felt so lost. All her usual methods to getting Twilight to talk to her were no longer at her disposal. She could almost see the bond between her and the unicorn-turned-alicorn fraying, coming apart as they were pulled apart.

POMPF!

All of them turned as Pinkie's mane and tail suddenly went from straight to frizzle. "We need an expert!" Pinkie dashed out of the room, but before any of them could even wonder what she was doing Pinkie zipped back in, carrying a basket and wearing a huge grin. "Spike managed to get through to her... I'll bet he knows the answer!" Pinkie dropped the basket and looked down at the yawning baby dragon.

"What?" Spike stammer, looking at the grinning face of Pinkie, then at the princesses and the bearers. "Man, not this dream again."

"Spike... we need your help," Shining said softly, dropping his head so he could look the baby dragon in the eye. "You told me earlier tonight that we needed to make up with Twilight... somehow you managed to do just that."

"I don't know if you realize this, Spike, but things have progressed much further since you fell asleep," Celestia stated.

"Twilight has turned into an alicorn!" Rainbow Dash exclaimed.

"And it appears the 6th element of harmony, a being now known as Doubt, has been providing Twilight with negative information, turning her against us," Night Light said.

Pinkie nodded. "So you need to tell us what you did to make Twilight not a grumpy gal and we will each do that and then Twilight will be our friend again." The party planner was practically beaming. "Then we can throw a 'Twilight is now an alicorn!' party!" The mare's eyes got even bigger as she considered other options. "Oooo! Maybe once Twilight is better she can fix Mr. Doubt and then he can let us be alicorns too and we can hold a party that lasts for weeks since we'll all live forever!"

The others chuckled at Pinkie's antics. They needed a bit of laughter after the day they had and the dreams of the pink pony were a balm on their souls.

Spike hated ruining the good mood but knew he needed to answer their question. "I didn't do anything special, really. I just ran to her and apologized and I've been sticking by her ever since."

Twilight Velvet sighed. "I doubt that will work for us... Twilight is ready to blast each of us the moment we look at her."

"Maybe, maybe not," Cadence said. "There is still a chance for us."

"What do you mean?" Applejack asked.

"Twilight's anger is focused on those that attended the wedding. Even though she made me...doubt myself... she still cared about me." Cadence cringed slightly at her words; even though she had been freed from the darkness (which she now realized was Doubt's influence wielded by Twilight) she saw the truth in the unicorn’s words. "She said when I was ready to talk to see her... I think I should."

"Cadence, she and Doubt will corrupt you again!" Shining exclaimed in fear.

"They can't, my love," Cadence said softly. "They can argue my faults but now I understand my own failings and I am ready to face them. They will not be able to infect me again because I will take their arguments and make myself stronger. Doubt, both the alicorn and the emotion, has no power against a pony who is willing to work past their mistakes and failings."

Celestia nodded. "A very wise statement and something each of us must remember. Cadence, you will go and talk with Twilight... perhaps you can go with her Spike and help smooth over any tensions. Meanwhile, the rest of us will brainstorm-"

"No," Spike said quickly. The others blinked, staring at him in shock and the little dragon realized how harsh his words had seemed. "Uh... I mean yeah, I'll talk to Twilight, but you guys shouldn’t brainstorm together."

"Why not?" Luna asked.

Spike sighed. "If you try and come up with some big gesture Twilight is going to see through it. She is looking for all of you to pull a stunt to try and trick her and if she thinks for a moment you're all in league with each other she will just stop listening."

"Then what should we do?" Rarity asked.

The baby dragon shrugged. "Think of something you can do on your own... something simple. Something that will show her you care but doesn't feel like a con job." When he saw the morose faces he sighed. "I know it won't be easy but you have to try. Twilight might be mad right now but I know she is hurting and even if she won't admit it... she needs each and every one of you in her life."

"But what if one of us does something wrong and screwed it up for everypony else?" Shining asked.

"You can't have any doubt... that is what got us here in the first place," Spike said. "We have to believe in each other. It is our only hope."

The Simple Things

A friendship can weather most things and thrive in thin soil; but it needs a little mulch of letters and phone calls and small, silly presents every so often - just to save it from drying out completely.

-Pam Brown

Twilight groaned, wondering if Celestia was being truly petty and making the sun shine through her window just to aggravate the headache the unicorn felt.

'No... not unicorn... alicorn,' Twilight thought. She was startled to find that with Doubt having left her mind she could feel the difference between her thoughts and the ones he helped guide her too. It wasn’t a drastic change, which was rather startling when one thought about it; he had been a completely different conscious, whispering in her ear during her darkest moments. And yet her thoughts now and those she had felt just hours ago were very similar that unless she focused she couldn't tell the difference. It was like sitting on a sofa or a couch: both were soft and supported you but there were tiny differences.

'So... this is what immortality feels like.' Twilight slowly rose, stretched her wings. “…boring.’ Somepony had laid her upon her bed after Doubt had made her fall asleep and looking down at it she was struck by how small it was. Of course, the bed was normal size: it was Twilight who was bigger. She wagered that she was at least twice as big as she had been, rivaling Celestia in size.

That made her smirk just a tiny bit.

"Ow ow ow!" Twilight grunted, shutting her eyes. "Ok... don't smile like a smug alicorn after a night of drinking. Owie."

She focused and with a burst of magic her bed was made. It was interesting to stare at the glow that burst out of her horn; it was a dark purple, mixing her normal magic with her new dark magic. Satisfied with that, she summoned a brush only to realize that her mane was infact made of hair and no longer billowing energy... except the moment she thought of it her tail and mane transformed from their normal purple to black energy with shooting stars sprinkled in.

"Ok, that requires further testing." She made a note to ask Doubt about alicorn hair. Celestia had always been close-lipped when it came to her physiology but Twilight got a sense that she would get a straight answer from her...

From her what?

Doubt had said he was her father, her brother, her son and her husband. 'A little incestual...' Twilight thought to herself. 'So, what is he to me? Is he a friend? A partner? An extension of myself?' Twilight set the floating brush aside and pushed that question to the back burner. There were more important things to deal with.

Twilight sighed, centering herself. Now that the alcohol had been burned out of her system and she had actually gotten some sleep (other than the few hours she had spent unconscious after battling the changeling queen she'd been awake for nearly 48 hours) the dark fires within her simmered down, allowing her to think rationally. Oh, that blaze would always be there... if she were honest with herself it had always existed, just buried under layer upon layer of repression. But no longer was it driving and she could actually consider her thoughts on the events of the last day without falling into a rage.

She had not forgiven her friends or family. Their continual betrayal still made her grit her teeth and no amount of sleep was going to erase the memories of them continuously talking down to her and trying to make her act like they wanted too. She could still see them turning from her, siding against her and throwing away her friendship for the sake of a wedding.

But now with the light of day Twilight could admit that it hadn't been all bad. There had been good times... wonderful times. And yes, they outweighed the bad by amount. Yet those bad times were the blackest of the black and her heart constricted just thinking about them. The question she now faced was if the good times were worth the bad? Could she continue on as things had been, assuming that was even possible? Or was the pain too deep and her soul too scarred to allow her to be around them?

She didn't know... and that scared her to death.

Shaking herself free of the questions and concerns that buzzed about her brain, Twilight decided to do something was completely not like her: she pushed her worries aside and decided to just have fun. And the first thing she was going to do was go get breakfast.

"OW OW OW OW OW!"

Twilight looked up at the ceiling, her billowy mane lying on the ground. "Ok... so I need to relearn how to go up and down steps," Twilight grunted, staring at the offending steps she had just bounced down.

"You ok Twilight?" The dark alicorn blinked as, of all ponies, Cadence trotted over to her and helped her up. "You know, most ponies put their hooves on steps and not their heads."

"Cadence?" Twilight said dumbly. "What are you doing here?"

The love goddess smiled. "You said when I was ready to talk to come see you. Well, I want to talk." Twilight's eyes flashed and the pink alicorn hurried to put her friend at ease. "Don't worry... no judgment here. I just want to spend some time with you, that's all. Not going to press you into anything." Cadence turned and began to canter towards the kitchen. "By the way, Spike and I made breakfast. Don't worry, we didn't do anything runny or goopy. Figured your stomach would still be doing flip flops."

Twilight stared at Cadence's returned form, wondering if she had slipped into an alternate dimension. She quickly ruled that unlikely and cautiously made her way into the kitchen, where Spike was finishing up with the toast and sliced fruit.

"Hey Twilight!" Spike exclaimed, hopping off the stool he had been standing on and running over to give his friend a hug. The dark alicorn smiled, lowering her head to nuzzle him gently. "Wow, when Cadence said you'd grown..."

Twilight laughed as best she could with a throbbing skull. "Yeah... bit of a growth spurt."

"You look cool. Not that you didn't before!" Spike added hastily.

"It's ok Spike... I am not going to bite your head off." She flashed him a dark smile. "Even though I am now big enough to do so in one gulp..."

Spike, instead of being intimidated, just waged a finger at her. "Just remember Twilight, I am going to get a lot bigger and now both of us are going to be around forever." The baby dragon flashed his own dark smile. "That means I'll have plenty of time to punish you when I'm big enough to hold you in the palm of my hand."

"Not if I use my magic to make myself grow even bigger!" Twilight challenged.

"Do I need to leave or are you two going to go get a room?" Cadence teased. The dark alicorn and the baby dragon blushed at the accusation and Cadence giggled. "I'm kidding. Come on; sit down before I eat all this food." She gestured at one of the bowls of fruit Spike had set out, which was already nearing empty.

"Somepony had an appetite," Spike stated.

Cadence shrugged. "Well, I really haven't had anything to eat but hospital food and whatever the changelings gave me. And before that I was on a diet so I looked my best for the wedding. Well, that didn’t happen so I am going to gorge. If I get fat I get fat."

Twilight grimaced as went over to join Cadence. "I am so sorry I didn't think to find you..."

The pink alicorn waved her off. "Twilight, it wasn't your fault. You are sorry for that, I am sorry for what I said in the club, so I figure that makes us even."

The dark alicorn chewed on a strawberry sullenly. "I shouldn't have accused you of mind rape. And I shouldn't have... done whatever I did to you."

"While I didn't enjoy all the dark thoughts I've moved past it, Twilight. I don't think I'll be trying black magic any time soon, no offense, but you did raise some good points and I plan to think about how I use my spells from now on." Cadence glanced over at Twilight. "I hope you do the same."

Twilight, to Cadence’s surprise, didn’t snap at the thinly veiled comment. "I will," Twilight said, nibbling on some toast. Her headache wasn't throbbing as much anymore and that was a plus... especially since she didn't want to try a headache relief spell after the changeling queen had used that excuse to explain her actions against Shining Armor.

They ate in silence for several minutes, just enjoying each other's company. For Twilight it was a return to normal. After all the stress of the last day and the roller coaster of emotions it felt wonderful to just sit down and have a simple meal. It was connecting her new self to her past self and she felt a peace settle within her.

'Is that because Doubt isn't in my mind?' Twilight wondered.

'I will always be with you.'

'Doubt?' Twilight's mind whispered. 'Where are you? Why weren't you here when I woke up?'

'I made an agreement with your friends, to give them two days with you to make amends. I am using the time away to… get use to myself. I have never had a physical body before and it is... quite strange. I have experienced much through yours and Luna’s eyes but to have my own mind and body… it is quite off-putting. I wish to explore this new aspect of myself and the time apart will be good for both of us.'

'But you'll be back?'

'I will never leave you Twilight. Even if you cast me away I will be ready come to your side... all you must do is think of me.' The mirror alicorn chuckled slightly. 'As for your previous question... for now consider me a guardian... a watchful protector.'

'So... it isn't because you aren't here that I feel so peaceful?'

'No. It is because you are at peace. Nothing more or less. The pains of yesterday are gone and a new day is before all of us. You now have the strength to stand against anything that tries to cage you... and that freedom offers peace of mind. You no longer need me to guide you; you are your own mare, an immortal and a future queen. I now take the role of knight and allow you to set the path. Now... enjoy yourself, my Twilight. I will return to you in two days. We have much to decide then.'

The entire conversation took only seconds to occur but Spike and Cadence still noticed how Twilight had zoned out on her. When they stared at her long enough Twilight snapped out of her daze and smiled, tapping her hoof against her forehead. "Sorry... still crowded in there."

"Doubt?" Cadence asked.

"Yeah. Apparently even with a body he'll always be bouncing around my head." Twilight frowned. “Or I’ll be bouncing around his. It’s kinda hard to tell.”

Spike frowned. He decided to not let on that the others had given him some background on the mirror alicorn, figuring Twilight wouldn't be happy with them gossiping behind her back. "Cadence was telling me a bit about him... are his wings really made up of our mirrors? If so, I have a bone to pick with him… I wasn’t able to get my spines straight this morning because all the mirrors are gone!"

Twilight chuckled. "Yeah, he took the mirrors. Apparently for an abstract he as a flair for the dramatic."

"But he is the reason you now have wings?"

"Yeah."

"Ok," Spike said simply. Cadence marveled at the ability Spike possessed to accept such a massive change to his best friend without batting an eye.

'Perhaps we all could learn something from Spike,' she thought.

The rest of the breakfast was peaceful and Twilight couldn't help but wish it didn't have to end.

"Don't worry... I want to stay in Ponyville for a while to recuperate," the love goddess told her friend.

Twilight looked down at Cadence (and boy, was that strange) and nodded her head. "Sounds good... just don't stress yourself. I might have had a bad day yesterday but you had a bad few weeks... you never know how that will affect you."

"I will adjust. Life is all about adjusting." Cadence paused at the door, gathering her courage. "Twilight... I want to ask you something and I need you to promise to not get mad. If you say no that is fine, but I still want to ask."

"It's about my friends and family, isn't it?" Twilight said, her mood turning sour.

"Yes. I know they don't deserve it-" Cadence stopped herself from saying 'you think', knowing that it would only piss the dark alicorn off, "-but maybe you should be the bigger pony and give them a chance... if only one chance."

Twilight snorted. "Why bother? They wouldn't have given me one."

"I think you are wrong there, Twilight. I think all of them would have given you a chance and if you are honest with yourself you'll realize that is true." The dark alicorn rolled her eyes but Cadence could see a flicker that spoke of her words getting through to the alicorn. "Besides... sometimes it is worth being the bigger pony... and in your case you literally are."

Twilight managed a weak chuckle at the bad joke. "I don't know if I want to..."

"Just think about it. And hey," Cadence actually managed to flash an evil grin of her own, "you can always make them jump through hoops and do embarrassing things as a way to apologize."

The dark alicorn did laugh hard at that. "Ok... I'll think about it."

“You could get Doubt to make them immortal and have them make it up to you for a few thousand years.”

“Who am I, Celestia?” Twilight said with a dark laugh. “I’ll consider it… but no promises. And if they try anything I am going to show them the power of the…” Twilight frowned. “Ok, I really need to figure out what I am the alicorn of. Magic? Darkness? Stars?” Twilight puzzled that one over.

"Thank you," Cadence said, giving Twilight a hug before heading out. It was only after Twilight had gone back inside and Cadence knew she couldn't see her that the pink alicorn looked to the sky in prayer. "Please... please let us not waste this last chance."

“For the sake of everything, Cadence… let us hope not,” Doubt whispered, Cadence turned just as the mirror alicorn warped away.

Welcome Party

We don't know where our first impressions come from or precisely what they mean, so we don't always appreciate their fragility.

Malcolm Gladwell

"Hi there!"

Twilight blinked. Then she blinked again. Then she closed her eyes, counted to 10, and opened them. But no matter how many times she looked away only to turn back quickly to stare, Rainbow Dash and Fluttershy were still standing on her doorstep with a basket full of muffins and cookies on each of their backs

"We'd heard you'd just moved in and we wanted to say hi!" Rainbow Dash said happily. "Can we come in?"

Twilight screwed up her brow in confusion. "Did I give you brain damage when I smacked you around the club?"

Rainbow Dash merely flashed the dark alicorn a smirk. "You must have me confused with some other pony. But have to say, sounds like you enjoy partying pretty rough!"

Fluttershy nodded. "Yes, you must." She looked down, scuffing her hoof against the ground. "So... may we come in, please?"

The librarian stared at her two former friends ('Are they truly former?' a traitorous part of her mind whispered) before rolling her eyes and motioning for them to follow her inside. She didn’t know what they were up to but she didn’t feel like slamming the door in their face. "So... we've never met, huh?"

"No, we haven't. I'm, uh, Fluttershy, by the way." She helped Rainbow Dash set her basket down on the table before turning to let the cyan pegasus do the same. "What's your name?"

"Twilight-" the dark alicorn stopped, giving them each a sour look. "Ok, I don't know what your game is but let's stop it right now."

"We're not playing a game, Miss Twilight," Rainbow Dash said simply, taking a seat on the couch.

"Yes, you are," Twilight snapped. "You are pretending to have never met me but you two have. You've known me for two whole years!"

Fluttershy shook her head. "We knew a Twilight Sparkle... she was a friend. But she wasn't like you." She took a step forward, surprising the dark alicorn with her boldness. "You're like her but you are different from her and thus we've never met you before."

"Not that there is anything wrong with you, or her!" Dash added quickly. “You’re just different from our friend.”

"Girls... what are you doing?" Her horn flashed when the two pegasi opened their mouths to speak. "And stop saying we don't know each other."

Rainbow Dash dropped her head, her shoulders slumping. "Twi... listen..."

Fluttershy spoke up. "We don't want to be ourselves anymore."

"...huh?" Twilight said in a manner that was completely not befitting an immortal alicorn.

"We don't want to be ourselves anymore," Rainbow Dash repeated, looking nearly as bashful as Fluttershy. "We don't want to be Rainbow Dash and Fluttershy, so we were hoping we could become two new ponies."

Twilight shook her head in annoyance. "What are you talking-"

"Fluttershy was a bad pony!" the buttercream colored pegasus exclaimed, tears in her eyes. Twilight was so startled by the outburst that she could only stare, jaw hanging, as the pink maned mare sobbed. "She... she abandoned her friend and was mean to her and I am nothing like her! She was horrible and disgusting! How could she be so stupid to do that to her friend?”

Twilight's lips puckered. "Fluttershy..."

"No!" the mare shouted, causing the dark alicorn to take a step back in shock. "Don't call me that! I am not her! I… I don’t abandon my friends! Even if they make a mistake… a huge mistake… I don’t walk away from them! Not like Fluttershy!"

The cyan pegasus stepped forward to join her friend. "Yeah! And I am nothing like that selfish, arrogant, disloyal thrill-seeker Rainbow Dash." She grit her teeth, hot tears stinging the corners of her eyes. Normally she would never let another pony see her getting all sobby, but at this point she just didn't care. "I... I don't fight with my friends! I don't walk away from them when they are sad and I don't leave them behind just for some stuck-up princess! I don’t fight with them in a club and I don’t make them cry in their hotel rooms. I... I don't do that." Her eyes popped open and she jabbed her hoof at Twilight. "Rainbow Dash did that and... and that just proves how horrible she is! If Rainbow Dash doesn't realize how great of a friend Twilight Sparkle is then I don't want to be Rainbow Dash!"

Twilight trying to come to grips with the strange twist the conversation had taken. "Girls... I get what you are trying to say..."

"NO!" Fluttershy shouted, stunning Twilight silent. "We were horrible! Digusting! Vile!" Her eyes blazed with fury and to Twilight's shock Fluttershy brought her hoof up…

…and punched herself in the face.

Twilight heard another smack and turned in time to see that Rainbow Dash had just jabbed her hoof into her eye, growling to herself about how 'bad' she was.

"You... you don't deserve to be Twiight's friend!" Fluttershy screamed at herself, striking her face over and over. "You are evil...horrible...stupid!"

"STOP IT!" Twilight roared, using her magic to freeze the two in place. "Please."

Rainbow Dash stared at her former friend. "No. No, we won't. You are awesome and smart and the best friend a mare could have and neither of us want to be ponies who would hurt somepony like you." Dash began to fight against the magic, trying to bring her hoof up to strike herself much as Fluttershy had done.

Twilight felt like she was swimming against the tide. She wanted to gloat, to make the two of them tell her just how wrong they were and why they were lucky to have her as a friend. She wanted to cheer them on, to use her magic to make the blows hurt worse. She wanted to collect their tears and bathe in them. It was what she had dreamed of that dark night, laying in her hotel room, tears stinging in her eyes and her brother’s words ringing in her ears. Even before she had opened herself to the dark magic that had been hidden within her she had played the scenarios out: her friends realizing just how wrong they had been and crawling to her on their bellies, begging for her forgiveness. She had thought about what she would make them do to earn her forgiveness, all the hoops they would have to jump through before she would even think about looking at them with a touch of kindness.

And yet now, when the time had come and all her dark dreams had come true… it left her feeling emptier than she had felt after the rehearsal from Tartarus.

"Stop it," Twilight said sternly, strengthening the bonds that held the two. "I don't want you hurt!"

"Why not? We deserve it!" the two of them shouted.

"No you don't!" Twilight shouted in frustration. "You screwed up and you hurt me really bad but I don't want to see you hurt!"

"Why... not?" Fluttershy repeated.

"Because you're my friends and I don't want to see you hurt!" Twilight screamed.

And with that everything clicked into place.

"...you two are way too clever," she grumbled, dropping her restraint spell but not before she cast the same healing spell she had used in the club to remove the minor damage the two had done to their faces. Rainbow and Fluttershy walked up to her slowly, craning their necks to look at her. "So... how far were you willing to go to get me to admit that?" Twilight asked with a huff.

"As far as we needed to," Rainbow Dash said, "then even further." She placed a hoof on the dark alicorn's leg, wishing they were the same size so she could hug her. "Because we meant every word, Twilight. We don't want to be the kind of ponies that hurt a friend."

Fluttershy nodded in agreement. "We... we know it doesn't make up for what we did... but we want you to know we are going to do everything we can to make it up to you."

The cyan speedster clapped her hooves together. "You're not the only one that can change yourself, Twi. We might not be giant alicorns but we are not going to be the same Fluttershy and Rainbow Dash again. We will prove to you we've changed, that we are different ponies."

"And we hope the ponies we become... can be friends with the pony you become," Flutthershy said, turning towards the door.

Twilight watched as the two began to head out, her heart feeling like it was being ripped in two. Stay or follow, scream or cry, shove or hug...

"You never gave me your names!"

The two pegasi turned back to look at her.

"I mean... I know we just met and I don't know if we'll be friends or not... but I should at least know your names... in case we see each other around."

The cyan mare smiled. It wasn't much, but it was a start. She wouldn't be picky with what she got. "Rainbow Dash."

"Fluttershy," the buttercream mare said softly, a bashful smile forming on her lips. After her show of bravado she suddenly found herself once more wanting to sink into herself.

"Nice to meet you both," Twilight said softly. "I... I hope to see you around."

Rainbow Dash and Fluttershy nodded, heading out the door. On one hoof it was painful to remember how things had been between them and their lavender friend. The casualness they'd once held had been shattered. While the two had approached this first meeting much like a game they knew that now they were truly starting at square one with Twilight Sparkle.

But that was ok. They could accept that; more than that, a part of them welcomed it. Spend any time with another pony and it was easy to slip into roles. Twilight was the egghead leader, Applejack the down to earth ‘mother’, Pinkie the irrelevant partier, Rarity the posh drama queen... Rainbow Dash the snarky speedster and Fluttershy the meek tenderheart.

Twilight's transformation and the fight that had come before offered them all a chance to become something new, to reveal parts of themselves that no pony, even themselves, knew existed. It was a rebirth, a do over, a chance to forge new bonds and strengthen old ones.

"I really wish Ponyville had a night club," Dash said as they walked away from the library. "I really didn't get a chance to see her there,” Dash grimaced when she remembered the reason for that, “but from what Spike describes it might be real fun to see Twilight dancing to rap music."

"I... like to dance," Fluttershy admitted. "Mostly in my living room..."

Rainbow grinned. "Hey! I bet we can find some night club near here... one of the towns south of us must have one. We should totally ask Twilight to go clubbing with us!"

Any other time Fluttershy would have gone screaming home at the thought of going to a club. And yet... she found herself wanting to do nothing more than to give it a try.

Worse come to worse she could always hide in the bathroom till it was time to go.

"You both are doing quite well."

Rainbow Dash and Fluttershy let out twin yelps, whipping around to find that at some point they had gained a stalker.

"Doubt," Dash snapped.

"Indeed," the lord of reflections said, bowing his head slightly as if he had been paid a compliment.

Fluttershy, who had jumped behind Dash, peaking through her long mane at the abstract given form. "What... what do you w-want?"

"I merely wish to express my congrats. You two have adjusted well and I believe you deserve kind words and encouragement."

Rainbow Dash grit her teeth. "What are you playing at?"

"Nothing at all. I applaud how you treated my Twilight and wanted to thank you personally for your actions.”

Fluttershy gulped, fearing the worst. "Did... did we do something wrong?"

"Of course not!" Doubt said, slowly walking around the two. Rainbow covered her eyes, the sunlight bouncing off his metallic wings. "I merely wished to thank you for your treatment of Twilight. Nothing sinister."

"Yeah, right," Rainbow Dash said turning her back to the mirror alicorn. "Fluttershy, let it go. He's just trying to play mind games with us." Dash took a step forward, only to find that Doubt had warped in front of them.

"Look at you, grasping at straws, trying to find somepony to take your aggression out on."

Dash rolled her eyes. "Listen, don't try your little dark magic corruption thing on us. We are on to you!"

Doubt looked at her as if the thought had never even entered his mind till she said it. "It is little wonder you lose friends so easily, the way you shove aside those who offer thanks."

"You aren't offering anything," Fluttershy said, flashes of 'New Fluttershy' shining in her eyes as she moved to defend Dash. "You just enjoy corrupting ponies!"

"Like Twilight?" Doubt goaded.

"Like Applejack and Cadence."

Doubt frowned at that. "Applejack would have been fine. She is an honest mare and I merely was helping her enter a new world full of color. As for Cadence… ask yourself why she would have such a reaction to my words. Is it because of me? Did I do something to her, fill her with power and twist her into my puppet? Or is there is something within her, something she repressed, much like my Twilight, that when unleashed upon the world brought forth a great darkness?" Doubt shrugged. “I can only work with what is provided to me.”

"And we are supposed to believe that?" Rainbow Dash charged.

"Believe what you wish. I have said my piece. Whether you are honest with yourselves is your choice."

"W-we aren't going to let you win!" Fluttershy called out as Doubt turned to take flight. "You w-want to take Twilight away from us and...and we won't give up without a fight!"

"If you are thinking this is a game then you have already lost." Doubt looked over his shoulder, his smile gone and his eyes radiating sadness. "What I want and what I will do if pushed are two entirely different things. You must not be scared to dream a bit bigger, darling. The world depends on it."

And with that, Doubt took flight, leaving the two pegasi puzzling over his words.

The Truth

“If you do not tell the truth about yourself you cannot tell it about other people.”

-Virginia Woolf

This is what it was like to be in Ponyville:

The sun was warm and the first hints of summer were making themselves known to all the ponies that called the hamlet home. No one wanted to be stuck indoors and those that were forced to stay under their roofs had opened their doors and windows to let mother nature in. Ponies of all shapes and sizes were taking advantage of the beautiful day to take care of little odds and ends they had been neglecting.

And yet, for as wonderful as the day was, there were still things that were off; elements of life that seemed out of the norm and left more than a few citizens scratching their heads and whispering when they thought no pony was listening.

Lyra had sent a letter to Bon Bon telling her of awakening in some cave under Canterlot clutching a bridal bouquet.

Derpy swore she had spotted Celestia and the royal guard milling about Sweet Apple Acres.

Carrot Top had spotted Rarity rushing about town with a ream of paper held tightly in the grip of her magic, knocking on doors and begging for a chance to talk to whichever pony was home.

Mr. and Mrs. Cake had been pushed out of their home by Pinkie Pie, who had locked up the bakery and refused to let any pony inside.

And had any pony looked up in the sky, they would have spotted a great alicorn stallion watching all of them, his face expressionless as he gazed upon all before shooting up into the clouds.

Of course Twilight Sparkle didn’t notice any of this. She merely moved through the town, a smile gracing her features as she looked over the checklist she had made. Spike rode on her back, flashing slight smiles at all the staring ponies that gathered on the streets to watch them.

“Uh, Twilight… “

“I hope we have enough bits for all these new mirrors. Remind me to give Doubt a piece of my mind for breaking all of ours.”

“Twilight, maybe you should have just stayed at the library and let me do all the shopping.”

Twilight glanced over her shoulder at the baby dragon. “Why would I do that, Spike? It’s a nice day and all.”

“Yeah, but we are kinda causing a scene…” Spike gestured to all the ponies that were staring in awe and shock at the dark alicorn. “I don’t think word has spread just yet about the, uh, new you.”

The librarian laughed. “Right…right.” She cleared her throat, stopping her trot so she could address everypony. “It’s just me, Twilight Sparkle. Nothing to see here, move along.”

Everypony on the street just continued to stare at her.

“Well, that worked out well,” Spike said dryly.

“Meh, give them time,” Twilight said. “They’ll either get use to me or…” her horn flashed black and she chuckled at the gasp that ran through the crowd.

“Was that really necessary?” Spike asked.

“Probably not but it was fun!” Twilight said with a giggle.

“You are enjoying being evil way too much.”

“Not evil, Spike. Playful.”

“Evil.”

“Mischievous,” Twilight offered.

“Evil.”

“Do you want me to banish you to the moon?” Twilight asked.

While any other being who heard that would have trembled, Spike merely laughed. “I’d give you 20 minutes before you joined me up there, begging me to let you stay because you were going nuts from boredom.” Spike’s voice went up several octaves as he clasped his hands together. “Oh Spike, I was so lonely! Can I stay in your moon castle?”

“When did you become so cocky?”

“I’ve always been cocky… I got it from you.”

“Hey!” Twilight exclaimed in mock protest. Spike merely flashed her a grin and the dark alicorn rolled her eyes. “Very funny, Spike.”

“I thought so,” Spike said, chest puffed out.

“Alright, all of ya, git!” Twilight's eyes widened in surprise as the crowd dispersed, revealing Applejack. The farm pony continued to shoot glares at those that wanted to stick around and stare at Twilight like she was the second coming of Celestia (which, all things considered, might have been an accurate statement). “I said git!” She stomped her hoof and the last remaining hangers-on quickly dispersed. “I need to talk to my friend.”

“Is that what we are? Is that what we ever were?” Twilight asked. Applejack flinched at the cool tone with which the former unicorn spoke to her. It was so casual, how Twilight dismissed the title, and it left Applejack feeling like her heart had been bucked.

“How can ya say that, Twi? Of course I’m your friend.”

“Really?” Twilight asked. There was none of the anger in her voice that had been there the night before. Just sadness and finality.

“Of course!”

“Then why, Applejack? Just answer me that… why?”

The farmer took a step closer. “I’m not going to apologize.” She could see the anger begin to flicker within Twilight again and she hurried to clarify. “I am not going to say ‘I’m sorry’ because I don’t know the real reason you are upset. I’ve gotten bits and pieces from the others but I want to hear it from you. Until I do I can’t say sorry because if I do it will be a lie because I’m not saying sorry for the right thing!”

Twilight watched as Applejack leaned down, gasping for air. ‘Amazing… she can ramble almost as much as Pinkie Pie.’ Twilight smiled, only to force herself to scowl. ‘No… I can’t do that… if I do that then I am letting them win…’ The argument sounded weak to her ears; most likely because it wasn’t Doubt whispering truths to her but her mind lying to herself.

“Now I know that you are bigger than me now… and a lot stronger… and you could banish me halfway around Equestria… but I don’t care. We are going to talk about what happened and I am not going to take no for an answer.”

“Is that so?”

“That’s right,” Applejack challenged, moving closer to the dark alicorn. “And if you send me blasting off into space I’ll just have to make me a lasso out of stars and pull myself right back here and try again!”

“You want to know why I am really upset?” Twilight snapped.

“Darn tootin’!”

“You want the truth?” Twilight snapped, lowering her head down so she could glare at her former friend.

“Been sayin’ that for the last five minutes!” Applejack challenged, pressing her face against Twilight’s.

“I’m afraid, ok!” Twilight shouted.

Spike and Applejack could only stare as the mighty alicorn fell to the ground and wept, covering her face with her foreleg and sobbing till her body trembled and her sides ached.

“Twi…” Applejack whispered.

“I… I saw how excited you got to meet Cadence… how thrilled you were to be part of the wedding and be a part of the royal court…” Twilight sniffed. “And… and I thought back to how we met. I was sent here to help organize the Sun Celebration all of you were taking part in. You remember, Applejack? You were making the food along with the rest of your family?”

Applejack nodded, reaching over to stroke her friend’s mane, only to find her hoof slipped through the glowing energy trail.

“Our first interaction was because I was sent by Princess Celestia… you first knew me not as Twilight but as Celestia’s student. And then… then… you girls figured out I knew about Nightmare Moon.”

“I remember all that, Twi. I just don’t-“

“It was all a lie,” Twilight whispered. “I thought back then, “Wow, these 5 mares want to be friends with me. Me! Twilight Sparkle! The bookworm, the egghead, the worrywart! They actually want to be my friend!”. I… I was so happy. So many ponies wanted to know me back in Canterlot because I was Celestia’s apprentice or the Captain of the Guard’s little sister. They didn’t care about me, they cared about what I represented. But you girls saw me for me.”

“Of co-“

“But you didn’t… did you? You didn’t want to be my friends because of that.” Twilight trembled as more tears fell to the ground. “You were only my friends at first because of circumstance and then… because you saw what I had to offer.”

“The gala,” Applejack whispered.

“Yeah, the gala.” Twilight’s tone turned utterly bitter. “It’s funny… I keep thinking about it and I realize now that if only one of you had said it… I would have given the ticket to you.”

“Said what?” Applejack whispered. “You said ‘said it’. What is ‘it’?”

“I want to go with YOU.” The words left her mouth like a cannon. “All of you wanted to go to the gala to have fun or make money… but the fact I was going too wasn’t even a thought. Did… did you even think about what you’d do with me when you were dreaming about the gala? Or was it all about you? In your fantasies… was I even there?”

Applejack lowered her head in shame. There was no need to answer the question.

“Of course not. And then two days ago, the way you were all fawning over ‘Cadence’… I realized that none of it was real. You weren’t my friend because you liked me. You were my friend because of what I offered, just like the other mares in I’ve met. The perks, the benefits, the prestige. That is what mattered. Other than Spike… I’ve never had a friend that liked me for me.” The baby dragon weakly rubbed his hand along his friend’s neck as she cried.

“Twi,” Applejack said softly…

…before punching her in the shoulder.

“That is the dumbest thing I ever heard!”

“What?!” Twilight practically screeched, too shocked to be angry at the dismissal of her worries.

“Twilight,” Applejack sighed, rubbing the back of her head. “I am sorry. I am sorry that we ever made you think those horrible things… ever made you feel even an ounce of doubt in us… that we gave Doubt an in. I’m sorry you thought for even a second that we were using you.” She settled down next to Twilight, feeling rather small next to the alicorn’s body. “Did I make mistakes when we first met? Heck yeah! We all did. You wanted to go running off to take on Nightmare Moon by your lonesome, Dash thought you were a spy…” Applejack shook her head, laughing as she remembered that trip to the Everfree, “and I’ll be the first to admit that I could have picked a better time to perform one of them trust exercise things than when you were hanging off a cliff.”

Twilight managed a weak smile.

“And yeah, we all screwed up durin’ the whole gala thing. We were all focused on our dreams that we didn’t think about you and how we were treating you. But we realized we were wrong and we apologized and… and I have worked hard to make it up ta ya.”

The alicorn stared at her friend, her worries and fears warring with her common sense. It had been so easy just hours ago, believing the worst in her friends. Her anger and fear had let her rage against them without an ounce of guilt. But now, staring at the farmer… Twilight felt herself crying for an entirely different reason.

“Twi…I am your friend because of what you offer us… but it ain't titles or prestige or any of that hooey.” The farmer stared at Twilight, praying and hoping she heard her and truly listened. “Most ponies… they look at me and hear the way I talk and they think I’m stupid. They think I’m simple and all I’m good at is buckin’ apples. And when I met you I saw this smart, talented unicorn who knew the Princess and could do amazin’ things. She had been to Canterlot and had more of that fancy learnin’ then I’d ever had and she would talk about things that I couldn’t even begin to understand.

“And… and she wanted to be my friend. This wonderful, funny, smart mare wanted to be my friend and I just couldn’t believe it…” Applejack looked down, dragging her hoof through the dirt, not minding in the slightest that she was lying there in the middle of Main Street. “So yeah Twi, I screwed up. Do you know why I was excited about the wedding?”

“You wanted to have all of Canterlot eating food made by your family, to drum up business. Just like why you wanted to go to the gala.”

“Yeah, that was a part of it. But, and I can’t speak for the others, I was doin’ it because it was your brother and your mentor askin’ us. Some of the most important ponies in your life were askin’ us to help and I wanted to make ya proud. And I got so concerned about making the wedding the best for you that I stopped focusing on why I was doin’ it and I was just… doin’ it. Not for you… not for me… I was just doin’ it. And I’ll regret that forever.” Applejack placed her hoof next to Twilight’s. “And… I just wanted you to know that.”

“Applejack…” Twilight said, tears once more falling down her cheeks. “I-“

“I know…me too.”

The two sat there for quite some time, hooves pressed together, Spike laying on Twilight’s back and the life continuing around them.

~MC~MC~MC~

Luna looked at the grand hall. So many memories… good and wonderful and happy… and sad and painful. So many regrets… and so many great moments.

It was now called simply The Castle of the Royal Sisters. All the ponies had come there, to seek the aid of the princesses, to offer their thanks and ask for blessings. Beyond the main hall had been the Tower of the Sun and the Tower of the Moon, which held many of the artifacts the two had held in the highest regard.

Luna looked at the rubble that had once been the Sun Tower and wondered if Celestia had ever dug through there to retrieve any of the mementos Luna had buried underneath the stone during her rampage.

“The best days of my life… and the worst.”

“I was thinking the same thing.”

Luna turned before looking back at the tower, allowing the interloper to come stand next to her, his wings folding up against his side. She felt no anger, no rage… it was like meeting an old neighbor whom you’d forgotten about.

“Hello Luna.”

“Hello Doubt.”

When You Were Young

"You sit there in your heartache, waiting on some beautiful boy to... save you from your old ways... you play forgiveness/watch him now, here he comes! He doesn't look a thing like Jesus, but talks like a gentlemen, like you imagined when you were young!"

-The Killers, When You Were Young

"I'm sorry."

Doubt glanced at the moon goddess before letting out a long suffering sigh. "I didn't come here for that, Luna."

"Doesn't mean it shouldn't be said." The night princess looked at the broken foundation of the Sun Tower. "I used to think hurting Celestia was my greatest crime that day. Now I see there is another to add to the long list."

"I didn't come to guilt you either."

"Why did you come then?" The question wasn't said in bitterness or anger. No, all Luna felt was a deep sadness that seemed to flow through her veins and leave her feeling sluggish. If was as if the world kept changing its tempo and every time she got close to reorienting herself everything would shift and she would find herself floundering once more, grasping onto anything and everything to try and right herself.

"I came to remember," Doubt said softly. He began to walk towards the great window that offered them the view of the Sun Tower and Luna found herself following.

"I would think you would want to remember something a bit more happy," Luna said. "Of course, who am I to talk?"

"Memories are all I have, Luna. Until now I have been a voice in the wind and whispers in the dark. No form, no ability to take and hold and have. Not until Twilight. All I have had since time began was my memories." He lowered his head, pawing at the ground. "And even those have been taken from me."

"I'm sorry."

"And again I tell you I didn't come for that. Save your pity for those that truly need it."

"But I think you do need it."

"I do not want it. It is wasted on the likes of me."

Luna considered her next words carefully. "Do you... have any happy memories?"

The mirror alicorn chuckled, his wings twitching. "Yes and no. I have been happy, I remember that much... but all my memories of laughter and joy are tainted by pain and regret." He shock his head and, to Luna's surprise, tears fell from his eyes. They were like droplets of mercury, rolling down his checks and splashing upon the cool stone under his hooves, leaving little mirrored pools. "I... I honestly don't know what is wrong with me. I have known sadness and loss many times over. Yet now I find myself weeping. I have planned and schemed and treated ponies like pieces on a chess board... but now I find myself rooting for those that should be my enemy." He looked towards Luna, eyes flashing with confusion and fright. "What is happening to me? Is this a spell? Some bewitchment you have cast?"

"You're alive," Luna said softly, a smile gracing her lips. She found it hard to be mad at him when he looked so utterly befuddled. "You've gotten to live through others your entire life. It let you safely view the world without having to truly plunge into it. But now... now you are forced to actually take part in it." She smiled slightly. "Welcome to life."

"I don't think I quite like it," Doubt complained, causing Luna to laugh.

"You get use to it." Her mood grew somber as she stared at the wreckage that was her sister's tower. "Do you remember our time together?"

"Always," Doubt said honestly. "You were my first friend... or the first I can remember." Luna grimaced at the reminder that the mirror alicorn had an entire past that was lost to him. She wondered... had he always been an abstract? Had there been others before Celestia that had gained power through him? What had he been like before he had become the dark stallion? It was maddening and she could only guess the pain it caused Doubt to simply have no idea about who he was. "You... are my friend. One of the only ones I still have in this world. The Creator is laughing at us."

Luna raised an eyebrow at that. "I thought you had been whispering in a lot of ears."

"I have. But none of them were right." Doubt turned, making his way towards the ancient throne. There were only three beings that remembered a time when another had sat next to it, but Nightmare Moon, in her attempt to murder her own sister, had used the second throne as a weapon, brutally striking Celestia with it till the solar princess had sent the stone chair flying into the Everfree. Two of those that knew the truth now stared at the old relic. "Do you know what it is like to be an abstract?"

"You are the embodiment of an emotion or idea."

"Not the embodiment. I am the abstract. I am doubt, or at least a piece of it. To most I am merely a whisper, their own fears and misgivings amplified and given forefront. I am whatever the one hearing me wishes me to be. I am a quiet whisper to some, a scream for blood in others. No control, no options. I go where I am needed and leave when I am cast aside"

"That sounds horrible," Luna said.

"Yes and no," Doubt stated. " There is a peace to it. It is like being caught in the breeze. But there have been three times I have been given a voice of my own. The first was Discord, when his magic twisted the world and all of the seams of reality were undone." His brow furrowed. "I... I came to Celestia... I wanted to help because... because... something... someone..."

Luna leapt back as Doubt began to howl in agony, his wings flaring and beating as he cried out, pressing his head against the throne. She took a step forward, moving to aid him, only for Doubt to blink, his cries giving way to gasps.

"What... what was that?" Luna whispered.

"My memories... my mind is not a nice place, as you can clearly see."

"Doubt, I didn't-"

"None of that. I want to continue down memory lane. I live through pain and we are now to the bits I can actually remember." He stood up, shaking his body to free himself of the dust that had gathered on his coat. "When Celestia used my power to defeat Discord something changed. Those ponies who were strong pf spirit would allow me moments to think on my own, to gain independence. But I was still limited and as time went on and as my memories faded I could no longer remember my purpose, so I... found a new one." He shrugged and Luna found his casual dismissal of all he was more off-putting than if he had cried or raged against the alteration of his mind. "Then I found... you."

Luna swallowed, remembering well those dark days when Doubt had found in her a kindred spirit. "I... I was depressed. I felt ignored by our subjects and when I went to Celestia all she did was offer me empty words. 'They love you, Luna', 'Your role is important, Luna', 'Don't feel that way, Luna'. I grew bitter..."

"And then I came," Doubt said. There was no way for him to hide the joy he felt as he spoke of their time together. "We had both been hurt by Celestia and your strength of spirit allowed me to retain my thoughts. I fed off your strength and in turn offered you a voice of agreement and comfort."

The lunar princess didn't know how to feel about that. On one hand, Doubt's words had played a part in her transformation into Nightmare Moon. And yet... before her descent... he had been her only friend and, if she were honest with herself, the one thing that had kept her stable for much of that period.

"I whispered that you could show Celestia the error of her ways. I had hoped that by you showing her that she was ignoring those close to her that she would, in turn, remember me. I... never dreamed what would happen next..."

~A Long, Long Time Ago~

"Luna, what is the meaning of this?" Celestia asked, entering her sister's chambers. Through the darkened windows the sun goddess could see the moon still hanging in the sky, even though it should have lowered hours ago. Celestia had been trying to nudge the orb down below the horizon so that she might race the sun but each time her magic grasped the moon something pushed back, forcing her to let go.

"Whatever do you mean, dear sister?" Luna purred, her form hidden in the shadows.

"Dawn should have come and gone by now. Why does...your..."

Celestia could not finish. All she could do is stare as her little sister... or the creature that she had become. Her dark blue coat had become as dark as a moonless night and her eyes as cold as the celestial body she controlled. Her great mane flowed about her like lamp oil upon a lake's surface and her body was adorned not in her royal finery but tarnished armor.

'Look at her... she can not comprehend that there is another that could rival her,' Doubt whispered. Luna had prepared for this moment and now that it had come Doubt would lend her his protection and support along with the power that Luna had already absorbed.

"Are you surprised, Celestia? Did you never think that your little sister could ever rival you in power or beauty?"

"What... what have you done?" Celestia gasped.

"I have gained the power to claim my freedom!" Luna thundered. "What you now see is but a shadow of my true strength."

'Now she will have to listen,' Doubt whispered. 'Now she will have to notice you.'

"Luna, now is not the time for games!" Celestia commanded, glaring at her little sister much as she would have glared at a unicorn noble shouting for attention.

"You think this is a game?" Luna shouted, sending a blast of energy at her sibling. Celestia crashed into the wall, grunting in pain. It wasn't so much the physical blow that wounded her as it was the fact that her own flesh and blood wasthe one delivering the blow. "You have always looked down upon me! You have never taken me seriously!"

'But she must now.'

"I will not take you serious when you behave like a foal. Now..." Celestia rose to her feet, the power of the sun blazing around her, causing the tapestries and rugs within Luna's chamber to catch fire in the inferno that her mane had become, "...release your hold on the moon and allow the sun to rise! Then, and only then, will the two of us discuss your actions."

'She still holds herself above all. Release the moon and unleash your full power upon her... only when she is under your hoof with her sun shining upon her will you be able to talk sense into her. Only then will she listen.'

"No."

"What?" Celestia exclaimed.

'What?' Doubt echoed.

"I do not need you anymore. I hold the power... and I will not allow another to control me again. So no... I will never let go... my moon will hang in the sky till our subjects learn to love me."

'This isn't what we agreed upon!' Doubt shouted, his cry echoing through her brain. 'Our feud is with Celestia not your subjects! You will destroy their trust and belief in you if you go down this path!' Doubt hurried to weave his words through her mind, to make her question this foolish plan.

"Luna, please!"

"NO!" Luna roared, her magic erupting around her, blowing out the flames her sister had created. "All shall love me or die!"

'This is madness!'

"This is power."

'You'll kill everypony!’

"Let them die then, if they can not see me as they see their precious Celestia," Luna purred.

'Luna!' Doubt shouted in a panic.

"Sister, please!"

"Quiet!" Luna bellowed. "I am no longer Luna nor am I your sister. I am the Nightmare of Equestria... I am the mistress of the shadows! I am Nightmare Moon and my night will last forever!"

'...not if I have anything to say about it.'

Nightmare Moon's eyes widened in shock as she felt Doubt leave her. While the powers he had given her remained the protection spells that he had woven around her to protect her from Celestia's magic and keep the solar goddess' eye blind to her actions were ripped away. It was as if she were suddenly in the middle of a crowd shaved and shivering for all to stare at. The confidence she had felt moments before shake and vanished. She would fight still... but no longer was victory a given.

"Sister... do not make me hurt you," Celestia warned.

"You dare!" Nightmare shouted in outrage. "YOU DARE GO AGAINST ME!"

'Yes,' Doubt whispered sadly, fleeing the fight. Celestia had forgotten him and Luna no longer listened to him...there was nothing more he could do but escape... and hope that the enemy he had fought would defeat the friend he had lost.

~MC~MC~MC~

"After that I wandered the globe. I decided that if I could not fix myself I would fix others. I would spread rebellion through these lands and prevent any other creature from becoming a slave like I was. Thus, for the most of my existence I inspired others to doubt that which they held true. Some became great villains... and others great heroes. It is all so small... what does it matter to me what happens to a few ponies who will be dust in the time it takes for me to blink an eye?"

"What does it matter... or why does it matter?" Luna pressed. Doubt glared at her but the lunar princess took a step forward. "I have been listening well, old friend... I hear regret in your voice. Every moment you spend in this new form makes you question your actions. You feel things you never felt and with it comes new insight."

"That is enough," Doubt grunted.

"You fear that Twilight will betray you as I did. You hope that she is the mare that will cure the hole in your heart. You feel sadness at the pain you've caused her friends and joy that Twilight has found the strength to be honest with herself."

"I said that was enough!" The mirror alicorn was becoming agitated but Luna needed to finish.

"For the first time in your existence... you Doubt... feel doubt."

"I FEEL NOTHING!" Doubt roared, every window in the castle shattered and the stone cracking as magic lashed out from him. The rage and fury that he had kept bottled up exploded forth... much as it had with Twilight only a day before. "I AM DOUBT! THE OATHBREAKER! THE FEARMONGER! THE DESTROYER OF KINGDOMS AND THE RUINER OF LIVES! I BRING WITH ME ONLY PAIN AND SUFFERING! I FEAR NOTHING! I HOPE FOR NOTHING!"

"Is that who you truly are?" Luna asked calmly, approaching him as one would a frightened child. "or is that what others have told you... till the point that you believed it yourself?"

"I...I..." Doubt's wings fell and he squeezed his eyes shut, his strength fleeing from him. "I don't know anymore." His shoulders slumped and for a moment the moon goddess thought he would break down again. Luna moved to comfort him but Doubt's head snapped up, the calm mask he had worn since taking form firmly snapping back in place. "But Twilight is the key. She will be my salvation."

"You think you will win?" Luna asked, moving to stand inches from him, daring the mirror alicorn to try and avoid her question.

"It isn't a matter of winning or losing. I know Twilight will join me... it is her destiny. She freed me and gave me the strength to take physical form. And for that I will make her a queen and I will be her paladin. I will teach her all I know... already she grows strong. She will learn to master the power of her element and she will continue my work... and I will let her." He smiled sadly and, with a tenderness none would have expected, lowered his head and placed a gentle kiss upon Luna's forehead. "She will do much better than me, Luna... I have foreseen it. Twilight will carry on my work, unburdened by my pain... and then I'll finally be free." He backed away then flashed her the most tragic of smiles.

"That's why you're doing all of this, isn't it?" Luna asked. The way the mirror alicorn flinched told Luna everything. "That's why you chose me and Twilight... because we were both the Bearers of the Elements. Each of us have a connection to your power. We're the only ones you can pass your mantle to. You want her to take your place..." Luna's eyes widened in shock as she stared at her former ally, the truth finally revealed. "Coming back here, seeing all of us, settling old debts and scores, finding an heir... these aren't the moves of a stallion looking for revenge... these are the marks of a creature preparing to die."

"Dry your tears, my Luna," Doubt whisper as he spread his wings. "I died a long time ago." And with that he took flight.

"Doubt, wait!" Luna cried out, racing after him, her own wings beating in an attempt to catch up with him. Just hours ago she had wanted him dead, this creature that had aided in her fall. But now she saw in him herself: a broken soul in need of aid but too stubborn to accept help. "Wait! I can help you! Please! Doubt don't go!"

They were the words she should have spoken a thousand years ago.

“Don’t go…”

And now... they were too late; the stallion disappeared, leaving Luna floating in the sky, hovering above the castle she had called home... and wondering how it all could have gone so wrong.

Smile

"Peace begins with a smile"

-Mother Theresa

“You are certain?”

Luna nodded her head, eyes cast to the ground. She was at war with herself and her mind was a battlefield with many opposing armies. She had told her sister everything, knowing the danger that now hung over Twilight Sparkle’s head; if they did not do something the mare would become the new embodiment of doubt and be forced to care out the tasks such a position held.

And yet another part of her raged that she was betraying her lost friend yet again by going to Celestia. She had stumbled upon the news and it was not hers to share. The others wouldn’t understand… they would see this as only a chance to save Twilight and nothing more. But for Luna, she could not help but wonder what would happen when Doubt left the world. Even if he could not remember his true self he was one of the Elements of Harmony. Would the other five fail without the 6th? Would they save Twilight for a terrible curse… only for her to die the moment Doubt did, her soul bound to his?

Still… by telling her sister did she not better ensure that Doubt would live? With the aid not one but two alicorns, a solution to Doubt’s potential death and, more importantly his faded memories, could be found.

It left her skull throbbing and her stomach pitching with grief.

“This is… troubling,” Celestia said. She did her best to appear dignified but was failing if only because it was hard to appear noble when one held court in a barn. Sweet Apple Acres was not Canterlot but it was the best the Princess could hope for… she did not feel up to the pomp and celebration that would come if she announced herself in Ponyville.

Cadence shook her head sadly, stepping away from Shining Armor, who was guarding the door, and addressing those in attendance. “It is a great shame.”

“A shame?” Twilight Velvet asked. “I assume you mean what he is trying to do to my daughter and not the death of that mirrored monster.” Cadence averted her eyes and Velvet’s brow creased. “How can you say that? Doubt has caused so much pain and misery in his long existence!”

"And felt even more," Cadence stated.

“Do you blame the fire for the sins of an arsonist?” Luna challenged.

“Do not deceive yourself,” Night Light said firmly. “Doubt is not a fire or a sword. He is not a tool. He is thinks and breaths and schemes like any other creature.” The stallion began to pace. “If you want to apply an analogy… he is a dog. A dangerous one at that. A dog can be blamed for attacking a pony… and Doubt can be blamed for his actions as well.”

“Am I to be blamed too, then?” Luna asked.

“Of course not!” Celestia exclaimed.

“I tried to kill you… Doubt wanted me to stop. He never wanted your death, my dear sister, but I did.”

“And you paid the price and are now pardoned.”

“Doubt was also punished for a 1000 years… and he has received nothing but us welcoming his death. He saved the world four times: He aided both you and Twilight in my and Discord's twin defeats. And what is his reward? To be forgotten, dismissed and his death treated as a paltry thing!”

Velvet shook her head, unable to comprehend what she was hearing. “Just over 12 hours ago you wanted to see him dead!”

“Rage is a funny thing… it burns quick and when it is gone the hard cold truth is revealed.” Luna sighed, wings tucked tight against her body. It was rare for her to feel her age but at this moment she realized just how much older she was than her little ponies. They could not afford to spend much time looking at the different sides of all matters because they would be dead soon enough.

“And what if he cannot help himself?” Cadence challenged. “Doubt is doubt. To ask him not to spread his influence as he does is to ask the sun not to shine.”

“The same could be said of Discord and he is trapped in stone,” Night offered. “Can the same not be done for Doubt?”

“DO NOT COMPARE HIM TO THAT BEAST!” Luna roared in fury. Her mind raced, memories of her sobbing in her chambers, feeling utterly alone until Doubt came and offered her...

'What... what had he offered me?' Luna wondered. 'Not doubt... but something else...'

Celestia looked at her sister, sadness radiating off of her much like warmth did from her sun. “Luna… I do not know what caused this change of heart and… and I am happy you feel mercy for Doubt. But we cannot waste time upon him when Twilight is in danger.”

Luna stared at her sister, her lips curling in disgust. “I’ve seen this play out before.”

“Excuse me?” Celestia said.

“1000 years ago I was the one proclaiming that the death of some was ok if the ends were worth it, just as you all are. And once again, sister, you refuse to pick a side until it is too late. You ignore the warning signs and then try to cover up your errors and let history forget that, despite what many may believe, the sun doesn’t set solely on your flank!”

“Luna!” Celestia snapped, frustration causing her to be much more harsh than she’d normally be.

“It is Nightmare Moon all over again!” Luna shouted. "Your blindness and stupidity are going to doom us again! Twilight was right: You did this to them! All of their lives... all of MY LIFE!" Luna stepped forward and Celestia was horrified to see her sister's eyes... weren't black. No corruption. No influence... this was all Luna. "YOU made us! Nightmare Moon, Doubt, Twilight... our sins lay squarely on your shoulders!"

“Enough!” Cadence shouted, startling all of them. “Please! This… This is getting us nowhere. We bicker and fight when we should be working to mend our relationship with Twilight.” The love goddess glared at all of them and each of the unicorns and alicorns looked with shame to the ground. “Have you all forgotten that?” Cadence, not caring for royal standing or proper decorum, lowered herself to the straw-strewn floor, laying her head down to rest. Though she did well to hide it, she was still weak from her captivity and much of her energy had been wasted that morning journeying to Twilight’s. “All of this started because ponies couldn’t remember what was important. Doubt’s name, Twilight’s record of honesty and trust… did we not agree not to play the blame game? And yet here we are, blaming Doubt. But doing so we forget about Twilight! Isn’t that right Shining?”

But Shining didn’t say a word… because Shining was long gone.

~MC~MC~MC~

“This doesn’t change anything,” Twilight said softly. “I don’t want to lead you on and make you think that things are going to go back to the way they were.”

Applejack nodded, trotting beside Twilight, feeling like a foal. Her friend towered over her, her great dark wings tucked against her sides and her shadow stretching out far behind her. It was a bittersweet moment for her: she had cleared the air with Twilight and gotten through the first wall the dark alicorn had built around her heart… but now Applejack found that there were still many more of them and any hopes of a speedy recovery were foolish.

“Everything has changed,” Twilight said simply, trotting down the street, Spike on her back going through their checklist. "Nothing will ever be the same."

“I can see that, Twi,” Applejack joked, glancing at Twilight's back.

Twilight smirked slightly. “Yeah… if any of you girls think for a moment I am giving up my wings, you’re nuts.”

Applejack nodded. “Don’t have the right to ask ya too.”

“You’re right… you don’t.” Twilight opened her mouth to say more, only to furrow her brow in confusion. “What the?”

Applejack blinked, just as surprised as Twilight at the sight before her: a massive banner hung over Sugarcube Corner proclaiming it closed for a ‘Private Party’.

“…I am just going to continue shopping,” Twilight muttered, not in the mood to deal with Pinkie Pie and her insanity.

However, the words had barely left her mouth before Twilight found herself snared by ropes, which tugged her into the bakery, leaving Spike and Applejack staring in shock.

Twilight’s horn glowed with white magic as she tried to figure out what was going on. She was surprised to find that the bakery was empty; not just of ponies but of tables, chairs… everything. If she hadn’t been able to see the walls Twilight would have thought that she had slipped into some strange void.

Twilight shook off the ropes that had snared her, unsure how they had managed to do that. Looking about the room in annoyance, Twilight turned only escape only to find the door was gone, replaced by unending wall.

Any other creature would have been terrified.

Twilight… was no longer any other creature.

“Please don’t use your secret dark chocolatey magic!” Pinkie Pie cried out from somewhere in the darkness.

“How about no?” Twilight complained, readying to blast a hole in the wall.

“But I have a whole thing planned to show you how much you much you mean to me!” Pinkie exclaimed from the darkness. “Please… just give me 5 minutes!”

“No.”

“Please?”

“No!”

“Please stay?”

“No!”

“Stay?”

“NO! NO! NO!”

“Please go?”

“NO!”

“So you’ll stay and let me do my presentation!”

“Yes!” Twilight shouted. “Wait… how did you…”

Pinkie giggled and Twilight could hear her bouncing around in the darkness. “That always works! Now then… Twilight Sparkle, this is my life!”

“You mean “This is Your Life”.”

“That’s what I said!”

“No… you are saying you are doing it about Pinkie Pie’s life… you are suppose to do it about my life.”

“Why would I do that? I mean, you already know about your life, right?”

Twilight grimaced, feeling a headache coming on. “Just… do your thing so I can leave, ok?”

“Okie Dokie!” Pinkie said happily. “This is my life, right now.” Twilight heard a whoosh and was confronted by something smacking her in the face. On pure reflect she jabbed her horn forward and, thankfully, found it wasn’t Pinkie’s skull that took the brunt of the attack but a simple balloon, which hung from the tip of her horn. She fired up her magic a bit brighter, the latex bubbling and melting under the heat as Twilight looked about.

She could see that the empty room was now filled with the makings of a party: balloons, streamers, a cake in the corner...

“Your life is a surprise party?” Twilight asked.

“No,” Pinkie said, startling the alicorn with just how quiet her voice was. “No. My life is a party without any lights.”

“I don’t understand,” Twilight said.

“I got my cutie mark when I saw Dashie’s rainbow! It made me smile and I wanted to smile forever and ever and ever!” For a second Pinkie’s voice returned to its bubbly self, but then within moments it was back to being sullen and quiet. “But I didn’t. I only smiled for… a few minutes. And I realized that it wasn’t fun to smile by yourself. When you are smiling by yourself it just isn’t fun. What is fun is sharing your smile with everyone else!”

“Pinkie…” Twilight said with a sigh.

But the pink mare wasn’t done. “So, I threw a party for my family and when they began smiling I was SOOOOOO happy! I mean, they were happy and I was happy and it was just so wonderful because we kept feeding off of each other, making each other happy!”

Twilight rolled her eyes. “Is that your excuse for abandoning me to plan a wedding? You wanted to make other ponies happy?”

“No!” Pinkie said in shock. “I’m not even talking about the wedding!”

Twilight glowered. “Then what… you think I need to have a party and it will make everything better?”

“No!” Pinkie said, clearly getting frustrated that Twilight wasn’t following what was, to the pink mare, flawless logic. “Twilight, this is what my life is like right now: a party with no light. And do you know why?”

“Because I am mad at you and refusing to play by your games.”

“…no, Twilight.” The dark alicorn jumped a bit when she realized Pinkie had moved to stand beside her. The earth pony’s mane and tail were flat and her eyes stared at the ground, tears glistening in the corners. “My world is dark because you aren’t happy.”

“Huh?” Twilight said, unable to understand her former friend’s logic.

“What good is a party, even if it makes me happy, if somepony I care about isn’t happy? What good are balloons or cake or anything like that if you are sad?”

“Pinkie…”

“I… I am sorry I made you sad, Twilight. I am sorry I took away your smile and you don’t laugh anymore. But you know what… I don’t care if you are some dark alicorn… I just want to know that you’re happy.”

“Even if that means I never talk to you again?” Twilight challenged. She took a step forward, lowering her head so she could look Pinkie directly in the eye. “What if I told you I was happy like this? That I have never been happier in my entire life and nothing you say will convince me otherwise?”

“I’ll be happy for you!” Pinkie said without a second thought.

“And if I told you that I want to stay in Ponyville but never talk to you again… never have a conversation with you or go to one of your parties? What then? What if you could see me every day and remember how we were… would you smile then?”

“Would you be happy?” Pinkie asked simply. “If that happened… would you be happy?” She smiled, placing her hoof over Twilight’s mouth before she could answer. “I just want to see ponies smile, Twilight. If talking to me hurts as bad as a skinned knee or a tummy ache, then don’t do it. I don’t ever want to hurt my friends!” Pinkie nodded her head, her mane poofing back up. “And if that means being by yourself, than that’s ok! You taught me that, Twilight.”

“So you’d be ok with that?” Twilight asked.

“Well… no. I’d miss you and I’d be sad for a while, but I’d be happy you were happy.” Pinkie grinned. “And I would wait for you to finally decide you could be my friend again… you think Mr. Doubt could make me a big alicorn pony too? That way, I can have plenty of time to plan a “Twilight Wants to Talk To Me Again” Party!”

Twilight couldn’t help but chuckle about that. However, one thing still bugged her. “Pinkie… why did you leave me after the rehearsal?”

Pinkie shrugged innocently. “Well, I saw Cadence was upset… well, not the real Cadence but the buggy Cadence who wasn’t really Cadence… you know, the one that was sucking your brother’s love like it was a yummy popsicle and then you went all ‘grrr’ on and she went ‘aaaaa!’ when you went ‘grrrr!’ and then-“

“I remember, Pinkie.” Twilight’s winged flexed slightly in annoyance. “But why did you go comfort her instead of me?”

“Well, I could tell that Cadence… the fake one… she wasn’t that strong emotionally. I mean, she was freaking out about things and getting all mad, which wasn’t how you described her so I figured she was getting stressed and letting things get to her. And I know you, Twilight... you’re strong! You’re the strongest pony I know! Not just in magic but emotionally too. Yeah, you get frazzled and upset but you always get your head back in the game and make things right. So, I had to pick between Cadence and you and I went with who I thought needed me more.” Pinkie lowered her head, scuffing the floor with her hoof. “I guess I screwed up though, huh? I wish I could be in two places at once, that way when I saw two ponies hurt I could be with both of them… could you use your magic and do that?” Pinkie looked up and was startled to see Twilight had tears in her eyes. “Twilight?”

“You… you went with Cadence... because you think I’m strong?”

“Of course! You’re strong and brave and smart and… and amazing! And that’s why I thought you’d be ok! And yeah, I was upset you hurt Cadence’s feelings so that’s why I didn’t smile or anything and that was wrong but if I knew you were really super duper upset and thought I hated you I would have stayed because I could never hate you and-Twilight?”

Twilight managed a flash a big smile before turning tail and running from the pink mare as fast as she could.

“She… she smiled,” Pinkie whispered. “I made her smile! I MADE HER SMILE!”

A tiny victory... but a victory none the less.

Not Alone

Think twice before you speak, because your words and influence will plant the seed of either success or failure in the mind of another.
-Napoleon Hill

Twilight felt as if she had been swept overboard and was now floundering in a raging sea, trying to grab onto anything to keep her afloat. The waves of life were pitching and swaying, leaving her dizzy and confused, not knowing what was up and what was down.

She’d escaped Sugarcube Corner, blasting a hole through the wall and rushing out of Ponyville as fast as she could. She’d finally come to a small pond and, checking to make sure no one was around, encased herself in a dome of magic so she could focus on the water and try and right herself.

Things had been so easy just a few days ago. She’d had wonderful friends, a great job, a mentor she could trust and admire and a family to fall back on. She had understood her place in the world and had managed to carve out a nice little slice of happiness to call her own.

Then it had all been flipped upside-down. Her friends had betrayed her for her old foalsitter who had turned out to be a cruel witch who abused everypony she could see with snarls and insults. Her mentor had thought her stupid and hinted that their time together was coming to an end. Her family had either cast her aside or done nothing to help mend her broken heart.

Then Doubt had begun to whisper in her ear.

‘No… he just whispered louder,’ she amended. Doubt had always been with her, she realized that now. She just hadn’t been paying attention during those dark times but he had been standing beside her, lending her strength.

‘Nightmare Moon is wrong, Twilight… you didn’t fail the Princess and you didn’t fail Equestria. She is no match for your strength!’

‘Don’t listen to him, Twilight! Discord wants you to doubt your friends but you should really be doubting him! He is a fool and a liar and you are going to end him once and for all!’

Every time she had been told she couldn’t do something Doubt had told her not to listen, to disregard the negative and prove them wrong. Not just against the likes of Nightmare Moon and Discord, but in smaller things like the Running of the Leaves or when she had stopped the ursa minor. He had been there through the good and the bad, never wavering and never giving in. And when she had needed him again just two night ago he had been there, telling her to ignore everyone else, that she was stronger than what everypony said.

A new reality had formed for her. She was Twilight Sparkle, the bane of changelings, the dark alicorn. She had two true friends, Doubt and Spike, who were better than any family she had. She no longer needed Celestia because she had found her true power: dark magic long buried deep, now hers to control.

It had been glorious. She felt powerful… unstoppable. She had become the sky and the stars, covering all and seeing all, free from all burdens and troubles. She could do anything, be anything, and nothing else mattered. Let her traitorous friends hate her… let them belittle her and call for her to give up her new powers. She didn’t care; she was free.

But life had tilted again and things had changed. She now saw that maybe, just maybe… her friends weren’t as bad as she thought. The dark glass that had covered her eyes and tinted every interaction with the girls had been pulled away and she now realized that not everything was horrible… there had been good.

But she hadn’t gone back to her old self. That was impossible… a small touch of her innocence had been burned away and Twilight would never get that back. She could never be the goofy librarian that cared so much about making her friends happy that she suffered panic attacks. She didn’t feel the need to fret about her actions… a new confidence had grown and Twilight was never going to let it go.

And yet… she cried. She wanted to be close to the girls, for things to go back to the way they were…

No she didn’t.

Yes she did.

No.

Yes.

Twilight screwed her eyes shut, trying to will away the pain. Why couldn’t it be simple? Why couldn’t she just have the bliss of ignorance or the joy of rage? Why was she so confused?

“Twilight?”

The dark alicorn let out a yelp, her shield disintegrating as she whipped around to confront a startled Rarity. The white unicorn, to her credit, didn’t cower, though it was clear from the trembling of her knees that she was scared.

“What… what do you want?” Twilight asked, forcing herself to appear calm. It would do no good for the new image she was trying to craft if she looked like the panicky mare she had once been. “Here to apologize? The other girls already did their part… Rainbow Dash and Fluttershy hit themselves.”

“I… I am not here to do that,” Rarity said. “There is no apology that I could ever utter that would make up for my dreadful actions.” Her horn glowed and a thick ream of paper floated over to Twilight, settling down on the grass. “Instead, I am going to focus my energies on correcting my mistake and winning back your trust and friendship.”

“And you’re doing that how? By giving me paper?”

Rarity managed a smile, though it wasn’t as dignified as her normal ones. “No, my dear. I want to show you something, something I thing you forgot.”

“And what is that?”

Rarity tapped the stack of paper. “That Applejack, Fluttershy, Rainbow Dash, Pinkie Pie and I are not your only friends.”

Twilight glanced down at the first page.

‘Twilight, you are always nice to me, even when I make mistakes. I have said thank you many times but I want you to know how much it means to me that you always overlook my errors. –Derpy’

‘Rainbow Dash might be the coolest pony in Equestria but you are definitely the second best! If I were a unicorn I’d want to be just like you! –Scootaloo’

“What… what is this?” Twilight whispered.

Rarity smiled, bowing her head. “I went to every pony in Ponyville and told them how upset you were. I explained how I had hurt you and how you felt alone. Each and every one of them asked how they could help and I asked them to write you a note… to remind you that you are never alone.”

The dark alicorn looked down at the papers, her breath coming out in short gasps as she took in each note of thanks and love and support.

‘I hope you aren’t sad, Miss Twilight! You are always so happy and I don’t want you not to be happy! –Pip’

‘Chin up, my dear Twilight Sparkle. Life is full of good and bad but trust me when I say it will all work out quite well. You have a long life ahead of you and…well…spoilers. –The Doctor’

‘Twilight, I know my sister can act stupid some times, not thinking about other ponies’ feelings. She screws up but she always works hard to try and fix it. She cried since she got home and I think she will continue to do so. I have never seen her as happy as she is when she is with you or the other girls… please don’t let her stupid, stupid, STUPID mistake make you sad… she is sad enough for both of you. –Sweetie Belle’

Twilight flipped to the next page… then the next. Some of the notes were written in clear, solid print. Others were in the scratchy style favored by ponies who hold the pencil in their mouth. A couple were even written in crayon, including a crude drawing of herself which, from the postscript, has been drawn by Pumpkin Cake while Pound Cake supervised.

There were short messages asking her not to give up and long, heartfelt stories about times she had helped a neighbor or acquaintance out of a jam. The messages brought smiles and tears and laughter as Twilight continued to read each and every one of them. There were messages from ponies she saw every day, including all of the girls, and those from ponies that she had hardly ever talked to who still thought of her and wished her well.

Mayor Mare thanked her for getting the library back in shape. Miss Cheerilee promised to visit her on the weekend. Lotus and Aloe thanked her for not just her business but the respect she gave them. The Cakes stated they were going to give Pinkie a piece of their mind about how the lavender mare had been treated. Snips and Snails wrote that Twilight was ‘The Greatest and Most Powerful’.

And at the very end was one final, simple note:

‘I will make this up to you. Even if it takes forever. We all will. –Rarity’

Twilight sniffed, tears in her eyes, a smile upon her lips, and for the first time in nearly 48 hours something other than hate in her heart. She looked up and realized that night had fallen; she’d been sitting there for hours, reading every note, the paper stacked nearly beside Rarity, who was struggling to stay away.

The fashionista had not moved an inch since Twilight had begun reading.

“I… I know things will be different,” Rarity said softly, her voice hoarse from tears. “It would be foolish to believe differently. But I don’t care how different things are… I want to still be your friend, in whatever role you will allow me to play.”

Twilight took a shuddering breath. “I’ll need time.”

Rarity nodded. “Take all the time you need. Even after the deadline comes and goes and if you decide to leave with Doubt I will wait and when you come back-“

“Wait… what do you mean ‘leave with Doubt’? I’m not going anywhere.”

The unicorn stared at the dark alicorn in shock. “Darling, I thought you knew… Doubt has given us all two days to make amends and then he plans to take you away… something about going to a far away place, with other-“

Twilight’s horn flashed and Rarity realized that they were now standing in the library. Twilight focused and with several pops Applejack, Pinkie Pie, Rainbow Dash, Fluttershy, Spike, and Cadence all appeared beside her. Many of them were startled to find that they were no longer in their beds but the moment they noticed Twilight they turned towards her, fearing that she had already come to a decision.

“What is this about Doubt wanting to take me away?” Twilight asked them, clearly annoyed.

Applejack shuffled nervously. “Uh… after he knocked you out he said we had 2 days to prove we were sorry or he was going to take you out of Equestria or somethin’ like that.”

“And I suppose I don’t get a say in the matter?” Twilight said, annoyed that her ‘guardian’ had made such a choice without her consent. “Why would he do that?”

Cadence took a step forward. “Twilight… Luna talked with Doubt this afternoon… he told her-“

“He’s going to kill himself.”

All of them turned, staring at Shining Armor, who entered the room with a stack of books floating around him like bees buzzing about a honeycomb. Twilight glared at her former BBBFF but Shining did not even react; mainly because his nose was buried in a book.

“What are you doing here, Shining Armor?” Twilight asked.

Not Shiny. Not ‘big brother’. Shining Armor. Formal. Cold.

He knew he deserved that.

“Doubt plans on killing himself and making you his heir,” Shining said simply.

“And you are planning on preventing him from giving me power?” Twilight asked, her jaw locking up.

“No.”

That caused Twilight to come to a full stop. “What?”

“No, Twiley, I’m not. I have bigger concerns.”

The alicorn frowned. “And those are?”

“Saving Doubt’s life, for one.”

“And how do you plan to do that?” Twilight demanded.

Shining floated a reference book over to her. Twilight stared at the cover of the old tome: ‘Ancient History of Equestria’.

“I am going to find his real name and restore his memories,” Shining said simply, taking a brief moment to look at his little sister.

“And why would you do that? Why do you care?” Twilight asked, trying to find what ploy Shining Armor was trying to pull.

“Because you care about him Twilight… isn’t that reason enough?” Refusing to say another word, Shining went back to his research.

He hid his smile when Twilight joined him a moment later, settling next to him to pour over her book while the girls grabbed a tome of their own and Spike hurried to make some coffee.

It was going to be a long night.

Into the Sun

"You will give the people an ideal to strive for. They will race behind you... they will stumble, they will fall. But in time... they will join you in the sun. In time... you will help them accomplish wonders."

-Jor-El, The Man of Steel

“Look at you lying there… what would your subjects think if they found their princess drooling on a dirt floor with hay stuck in her mane?”

Celestia shook the sleep from her system, rising up from the barn floor to glare at the abstract alicorn who was watching her from the doorway. Behind him the night sky still blanketed the world and glow of the full moon shone upon the stallion’s metal wings. She opened her mouth to speak, only to find her words stolen when she saw just how tired the mirror alicorn appeared. His eyes were red rimmed and his mane limp against his neck. His body looked like he’d just gotten done with a marathon and he was struggling to stay standing.

Luna’s words came back to her and Celestia wondered if the creature that had stolen her student had not already begun to fade away.

"Come now, Celestia," Doubt said, motioning for her to follow him. "Wake Twilight's parents and join me for a little star gazing. The sun will rise soon, so you claim you are preparing to do your duty." The abstract alicorn turned his head, coughing several times. "I believe it is customary to accept a dying stallion's request."

"Even if that stallion is killing himself?" Velvet asked, having been awoken by the two immortals conversing.

Doubt gave her a sour look. "Yes... how horrible that I am making such a choice." He looked over at Night Light before turning and making his way outside. The others waited only a moment before following after him, wanting to hear his words. "Which will it be tonight? That life is a precious gift or that I deserve to die?"

"Both," Night Light stated. "And neither. I... I honestly don't know how to feel about you."

"At least you're honest," Doubt stated dryly. The great stallion settled himself on the grass, watching the twinkling stars. It seemed that the night sky was attempting to give them quite a show, knowing that within an hour the sun would rise and the curtain would fall. The others remained just out of reach and did not bother to hide the fact that their magic reserves were primed and ready to assault the mirror alicorn if he even breathed the wrong way.

Of course, from the way he was weazing, it was clear he was already not breathing properly.

"Taking this form... seems to have speed up my plans. A... rare misstep. Still... I do not regret it. Twilight needed my... protection and... and I am happy to serve." He flashed Celestia a weak smile, which she did not return. "Let us take this from the first point, as that is the least important: Life is a gift. I admit this and you know this. But I have lived a hundred lifetimes and all I have to show for it is a body that fails me, a string of betrayals and an eternity of regret. I don't even have my true name to call my own."

"Why do you care so much?" Velvet asked. She tried to keep the bitterness out of her voice but she couldn't help but let a little shine through; in her eyes this monster had seduced her daughter and sent her son to the hospital. "It's a name... it has no weight, not solid mass."

"It is what it represents!" Doubt snapped before closing his eyes. "I... I am sorry. Luna believes my being alive has caused me to feel emotions... I did not mean to shout."

It was so startling to see the 'villain' be polite and apologetic that the others could do little more than stare at him.

"My name is my past. I only know what I remember after, nothing more. No creature can even tell me of the days before Discord. How long have I truly been alive? Was I an abstract since my birth? Or do I have a family? Parents? A wife? Children? What brought me to you, Celestia? My name represents all of this." He gave them each a hard, cold look. "Would you not go mad if found in the same situation?"

"You think your insane?" Celestia asked in surprise.

"Think nothing; I know I am." Doubt tapped his forehead. "But, then again, we are all crazy... some of us are just ahead of the curve. Ah, but we could wax on poetically for ages... Velvet and Night here would be dust long before the two of us finished conversing about the magic of the universe... assuming I was in proper health. Let us move on to more pressing matters: your cold-blooded acceptance of a creature's suffering."

"Would you prefer that we put you out of your misery?" Velvet said, her horn glowing.

Doubt scoffed. "And what good would that do?"

"You'd be dead and Twilight would be free!" Velvet shouted.

The abstract alicorn glanced at Celestia and smirked. "You are quiet, my Celestia... have you accepted the truth?" The solar princess refused to answer so Doubt pressed on, taking her silence as his answer. "Princess Luna has already stated that I did not corrupt her. I merely gave her the power to challenge Celestia and she chose to use it poorly. So no, my death will not save your daughter... whether she actually needs saving is up to debate..."

"You still whispered in her ear, encouraging her to become Nightmare Moon," Night challenged. "And have done the same to Twilight."

"I told Luna to stand up for herself." Doubt turned his attention to Celestia. "Do you honestly believe your dear princess was always so kind? She has lived thousands years... such spans weather mountains and harden diamonds. Celestia here weathered."

"You're lying," Velvet said, refusing to believe the princess could have ever been anything other than kind.

"He... tells the truth," Celestia admitted. She looked to the stars and sighed, a tear rolling down her cheek. "Luna and I were raised to rule. Our guardian taught us the ways of the warrior... and we were good students." The solar princess sighed. "I've killed ponies... worse I got clever; I found a way to get them to kill themselves and be happy about it."

"Such a life does not make for easy friends," Doubt stated. "That is why I forgave you for hiding my name from others. I understood your fear... my anger has always been for you forgetting me."

"I am so sorry," Celestia whispered.

"Too little too late," Doubt said, a bit gruffer than he meant to. He directed his attention once more on Twilight's parents. "Such a life, my little ponies, also makes love a hard thing to achieve. Celestia had to appear strong but failed to realize that there was a time and place for that. She remained steadfast at all hours and soon her sister, her own family, was seen as just another she had to wear the mask for." Celestia could not stop the tears and, to the couple's surprise, neither could Doubt. "I... I only wanted to remind you that you had allies... that you weren't alone... so that you might remember me..."

"Doubt..."

"But I failed," Doubt said, shaking himself free of the depression that had gripped him. "And now you find yourself on the cusp of learning a hard lession at the cost of something precious."

"And that is?" Celestia asked.

"That what you deem right is not always so," Doubt said. He reached over and grabbing a stick, placing it between his hooves and slowly pressing upon both ends till it began to bow in the middle. "Let us remove myself from the equation. Forget that I ever existed. Let us say Twilight never gained my strength or heard my words. What do you think would have happened?"

"She would have defeated the changelings and continued on as things were," Celestia said without pause.

"Do you truly believe that or is that what you wish?" Doubt pressed. He let go of the stick, letting it straighten, before pressing down again. "You broke her heart. You shunned her and, for lack of a better word, made her doubt her place in your life. Do you believe she would have come running back to you when you admitted you were wrong? Assuming you did, of course; I have long watched you, my Celestia, and know how much you hate those words and will refuse to say them. Would you have swallowed your godly pride? Or merely let Twilight believe you said sorry when you never uttered the word?" He looked at her parents. "And you two... would she have forgiven you for not being there and the perceived favoritism towards Shining Armor?"

"Of course," Celestia said. "Twilight knows we love her."

"Does she?" Doubt asked with mild surprise. "It seems an odd way to show love, by continually pushing her to the brink."

Velvet shook her head. "Everypony does that. It's part of being alive. The only reason Twilight is reacting the way she is now is because of the power that you gave her."

"And it is only the power I gave?" Doubt questioned, releasing the pressure on the stick. "So Twilight would have returned to normal after the stress you placed upon her?"

"Of course," Velvet said confidently.

"No," Night Light stated, staring at the stick. He used his magic to free the wood from Doubt's grasp and brought it over for his wife to see. The twig, which had been straight and strong when Doubt grabbed it, now showed stress marks along its surface and the ends slightly curled towards each other. "Life leaves scars."

Doubt nodded, his own horn glowing. The twig began to bend and, with a snap, cracked into pieces. "That is your daughter, Miss Velvet. And your student, my Celestia. She is a stick that has been pressed and bend and bowed and she has continued to try and reshape herself." Doubt's magical grip, a swirl of black with tints of white, sent the shards flying out across the grassy field.

"I think it is a bit more complex than that," Celestia tried to argue.

"But it isn't!" Doubt said in utter frustration. "By the Creator you are the three guiding lights in her life and you don't get it. I have known ponies cursed with stupid role models and those cursed with stubborn ones but I never thought Twilight would have stubborn stupid ones!"

The abstract stood and, with a dark glare, spread his wings wide. In the many prisms Celestia, Velvet and Night saw moments of Twilight's life flash before them. It wasn't all bad, surprisingly. There were good moments that Doubt showed, of smiles and laughter. But there were still the dark moments, the petty words and the rash statements. What was amazing was they could sense how Twilight had felt during all these moments. Times the three had thought to be bad proved to hardly leave a dent... and yet there were also moments they each could not recall that left deep scars in her psyche.

"When the stick is young and green it can bend with ease. Much like a child they can handle pressure and not let it affect them. The miracle of youth." Doubt shook his head in disgust. "But as the wood ages and begins to dry out it becomes more brittle. Pressure that at one time would have done no damage suddenly leaves cracks. The stick shoves wear and tear until... it snaps."

Within all the prisms they saw Twilight screaming at the Changeling Queen in the guise of Shining Armor, telling all of the hate in her heart.

"You three are truly petty fools. You believed because you were older that you were wiser. Nothing can be further from the truth. Age brings wisdom but it also brings rigidness. You are sticks that refuse to bend under pressure and so you force others to bend instead... others that can't handle the strain." Doubt brought up another stick and slammed his hooves together, shattering it.

"It's all our fault," Velvet whispered softly, tears gathering in her eyes. She gently used her magic to gather up the wood shards, trying to put them back together.

"No," Doubt said, his legs shaking. He felt to the ground in a heap, the strength born of his fury leaving him. "No. Blame does not rest solely on you. I am to blame, Twilight is to blame, we are all to blame, just as my Luna said." He sighed, trying to raise his head to look upon Luna's moon but found he lacked the conviction to do so. "This isn't what I wanted to tell you."

"Then what did you want to say?" Celestia asked softly.

"That you must look not just to the future. You have spent so much time looking ahead that you have missed what lies under your nose." He pointed a hoof at the solar princess. "You worked to create a better Equestria and failed to see that your visions left you blind to your sister's bitterness. You were concerned about the wedding and making sure it was a grand affair... and missed the facts that should have shown you that the Changeling Queen acted nothing like your niece." He looked to all three of them, silently pleading for them to listen to his words. "You look ahead and focus on what Twilight has become instead of wondering how you got to this point... now every step you take towards what could be makes that dark future a reality! You should be with Twilight now, begging forgiveness and finding ways to mend your broken bonds as mentor and student and parents and daughter. Instead..."

Doubt leaned forward, his body trembling as he coughed. Celestia gasped as he raised his head up, revealing the blood that coated his lips. His wings drooped and several mirror shard feathers fell to the ground and shattered into dust. Even his coat looked to be growing pale.

"...instead you are lying in a field, pitying yourselves and watching some pathetic old creature that should have died a long time ago take his last breaths." The abstract laid down, his eyes drifting shut. "I... I thought I had more time... years to teach her... to make her strong... I was wrong." He let out a long sigh and for a moment they thought he’d fallen asleep. “I… I wanted to make her into the new doubt… but I… I don’t want her…”

“Doubt?” Celestia whispered.

“…I… don’t want her… to become… like me…” He forced his eyes open. "Now then... dry your tears and raise the sun... I'd like to see it one last time."

Celestia sniffed, not even bothering to look as she brought about the day. She just stared at the abstract who shed a tear, smiling as the sun slowly rose as if only for him. He laid his head down and passed into a dreamless sleep.

The two unicorns and the alicorn stood up, looking down at the unconscious Doubt. Celestia’s horn flared and with a blast of heavenly light she transported herself, Twilight’s parents and Doubt’s form to Twilight’s library. The solar goddess sent the silent call to her sister to come before turning towards Twilight.

“You know?” she asked, seeing all the books.

Twilight just glared at her. “Don’t say a word. Just get him in my bed, now.”

Celestia lowered her head and silently made her way upstairs. Perhaps Doubt was right… the twig was broken…

…and she was wrong.

Not Today

"No matter how hard you try, you can't run forever. Everybody knows that everybody dies."

-River Song

Twilight stared down at Doubt's fitful form. His breathing had become labored after about an hour and his body twitched and shook every few seconds. The dark alicorn had been forced to use a renewing cleansing spell on the floor, lest some pony step on one of the many shard feathers that drifted down from the stallion's molting wings.

It would be clear to even the most hard of hearts: Doubt would not last the day.

"You stupid, stubborn jerk," Twilight muttered. "Had to go making decisions for me..." She wanted to strike him. She wanted to shake him awake and then bash him back into unconsciousness. Then she’d do it all over! She wanted to grab him and scream and cry and tell him he wasn't allowed to die. That she wouldn’t let him go so easily without having a taste of her wrath. "You made me... you aren't allowed to leave now!" she whispered.

The abstract gave no sign he had heard her.

They had been working since midnight to try and find out something, anything to save him. Several of the girls (Twilight refused to call them her friends at this stage, the mental wounds they had inflicted still raw) had asked why they were working to find out about Doubt if he were dying. Shining had stated that he felt that the key was Doubt's name… the way the stallion kept bringing it up made Shining Armor wonder if Doubt was trying to tell them something.

Luna had confirmed it hours later.

"An abstract lives and dies based on how others perceive them. They can take many forms but the most potent is their original form; their original purpose. Doubt's name and role had been lost and as such he began to fade. Had he not become doubt-incarnate he would have most likely passed on within a hundred years." The lunar goddess had sighed before continuing. "But even that did not save him. Doubt is still dying... he has been for a thousand years. Now that he has a physical form he can no longer fight against the decay... death is claiming not just his mind but his body and he is not strong enough to preserve both.

"That is why we must discover his name... if we can find it then there is hope he can draw upon his true self and survive this."

"You... you promised to never leave me," Twilight whispered. "You're one of the last friends I have... you aren't allowed to leave, you hear me? You are my element! Mine!"

She had sat by his side for over an hour. She had been unable to look at another page in another book, knowing that if the answer to question were in some tome it would have been found long ago. Doubt’s past was ancient history, hidden by the sands of time.

So she sat by his side, her brain a fury of motion even as her body stood still, trying to puzzle out just what his name might have been. That was the key… his name…

And she couldn’t find the answer.

She threw back her head. She didn't know if the Creator was listening but she needed to speak. "You hear me? You can't have him! I have an eternity of kicking his flank for pulling this crap on me! So you just stop thinking about taking him because I WON’T LET YOU!"

"I'd do what she says, Creator." Twilight turned to find her father standing in the doorway. "She's a biter."

"Father," Twilight said. Night Light grimaced as if physically struck.

"No," Night Light said firmly. "You don't get to call me that. I am not your father."

Twilight's eyes began to bleed black even as the tears gathered in the corners of her eyes.

And her father didn't even react. "Do you know what a father is?" He made his way over to his daughter, standing next to her and ignoring the dark magic that began to whip about her horn. "A father is nothing. He planted a seed. That's it. Any stallion can be a father. A father isn't important or special. A father is meaningless.

"But a dad... oh a dad is something else entirely." Night smiled fondly and Twilight found herself calming down. "Dad isn't a title you can just claim. You can't demand it or buy it. You have to earn it. When your foal cries in the middle of the night it is a father who goes to sleep. A dad trudges out of bed, no matter how tired he is, and gets a bottle and sings as his little filly fills her belly. When she is learning her first word or taking her first step a dad is there to encourage her and cheer her on. When her heart is broken a dad cries with her. When she succeeds a dad is right there, cheering her on. And once you earn that title it is yours... because a dad never lets go of his kids and he never abandons them.

"So no... I am not your father. I'm your dad and nothing you or Doubt or the Princesses or the king of the capricorns or anypony else says will make me stop being your dad. I'm going to screw up... I'm a stallion after all and by the Creator do we screw up. It might take me time to realize how badly I messed up but I will always come back and always make it right. Because I am your dad. Got it?"

Twilight managed a watery smile. "Got it."

"Now how about I get a hug from my baby girl." Twilight giggled and reached over, squeezing her father tight. "Oof! You've gotten bigger since we last did this."

"Sorry dad," Twilight said sheepishly.

Night Light waved her off. The two of them stood side by side after that, Doubt's labored breathing the only sound in Twilight's bedroom. "Twilight... about your mom and brother and the Princess-"

"Dad, please."

"I am not going to demand that you forgive them. Shining screwed up and me and him are going to have a long talk about how a stallion should act. I’m not happy with how he handled things in the slightest. Your mother is nearly as hotheaded as you are-" Twilight huffed at that, "-and Princess Celestia betrayed not only you but Doubt. I get all that. Just... don't live your life in hate just so you can watch them suffer. You want to be mad, then be mad. But leave it at that. Don't twist the knife... that's all I ask."

"I'll... I'll try, dad," Twilight said softly. The dark alicorn and her father looked down at Doubt as he began to shiver, sweat pouring down his brow.

"You care about him, don't you?"

"Yeah," Twilight said.

"Do you love him?"

"... not in the way you think," Twilight said. "He was there for me... he's always been there for me. Good and bad. It isn't something naughty, so you don't have to give him a talk about leaving me barehoofed and pregnant-" Night Light gave a mocking sigh of disappointment. "I think... Doubt is a friend... maybe my oldest. I... I honestly don't know, Dad. I just..." Twilight sighed. "How do you describe something so complicated."

"My mother once told me that the deepest love among friends is to simply want what is best for the other pony... to be willing to sacrifice your own happiness just to see them smile." Night looked down at Doubt reduced form. "He wanted that, when it came to you. He said he’d sacrifice his happiness for yours. I see that now... his methods were strange and I think maybe in the beginning his motives weren't pure... but in the end he just wants you to be happy. Even making you the new doubt... he is doing it in part because he knows you can handle it."

"You... you are a good stallion... Night Light."

"Doubt!" Twilight cried out, moving towards the mirror alicorn.

However, the dying stallion waved her off. "No... I... I don't have long. Get the others in here, please." He weakly smiled. “One last speech… I promise.”

Night Light turned and hurried down the stairs, leaving Twilight standing next to her friend's prone form. Doubt's eyes had lost all color and now were twin mirrors, reflecting Twilight's tear-soaked face back at her. She clutched his hoof in her own and whispered pleas for him to hold on. Be it his desire to pass on his final words or merely a blessing from a kindhearted Reaper, but Doubt, for the moment, found enough strength to speak and breath.

She turned when she heard the others climbing the stairs but the looks on their faces told the story: they had found nothing. What hope she had felt that a solution could be found died in that moment and despair gripped her heart.

"It is time," Doubt said softly, his words a mere whisper.

"No... no, you can't!" Twilight pleaded.

"Doubt, let us help," Luna said, taking a step forward. "If we combine our magic and channel it into you-"

"You'll only prolong the pain. I... I have been hurting for too long... I am ready for it to stop."

"What if you sacrificed your body?" Rarity asked. Just a day ago she had felt horror and outrage that Doubt existed... now she knew only pity. This creature had been there for Twilight when all others had failed... for that Rarity owed him so much. "Go back to being an abstract. Wouldn't that help?"

The mirror alicorn shook his head, though the action seemed to make him dizzy. "Yes... but I will do no such thing. For one day I was truly alive... I walked the lands and felt the air on my skin and drank cold clean water… I can't go back to nothingness." He weakly smiled. "Stop crying... I'm the villain. You don't shed tears for the devil."

"Don't... don't say that," Celestia said, surprising even herself. "You are no such thing."

"Yes I am," Doubt said, his head lulling to the side. Twilight stared into his lifeless eyes, praying to every force in the universe to give her more time. She needed to save him... as he had saved her. "I have been the villain for many lifetimes. I... have wrapped up what I have done in pretty little bows but in the end I used my powers more often for ill than for good. My Luna... my Celestia... I am so sorry."

"There is nothing for you to be sorry about," Luna whispered, tears falling from her dark eyes.

"Doubt..." Celestia murmured.

The mirror alicorn's horn began to glow. "I can die happy know that I did do one good thing...one pure thing, untainted: I helped you, Twilight."

"Please..." the lavender alicorn whispered.

Doubt weakly reached out, placing his hoof on her face. "I don't know what awaits me... will I dream? I hope so... and I hope my dreams are of all of you. I can face my judgment knowing... at least I did right by one pony." Doubt coughed, his lungs shriveling in his chest and the blood beginning to stop in his veins. "Twilight Sparkle... do you take the mantle of doubt?"

"I... I don't... I can't..."

"Twilight," Shining said softly. She turned towards him, but where she expected condemnation or negative emotions she only found a warm, trusting smile, even if it was seated under eyes filled with tears. "Do whatever you think is right. I believe in you."

Applejack nodded. "Me too, sugarcube."

"We're with you!" Rainbow Dash said, fighting back turns.

The others began to nod and echo their agreement. Pinkie Pie, Rarity, Fluttershy, her parents, the princesses, Spike... they all joined in.

"We believe in you."

"Do what you want... you'll pick the right thing!"

"Go ahead Twilight!"

"We trust you!"

"I believe in you!"

Twilight smiled as she felt the fire in her heart roar to life once more... but where once it burned with rage it now was fueled with something new. Something pure and wonderful. The anger was still there but it was no longer the kindling for her power... she had found something better, something stronger.

And it was from that fire that the truth was revealed to her.

"Yes... I will take the mantle," Twilight said softly. Doubt smiled, his horn beginning to glow, but Twilight's own magic stopped him from passing on the last of his strength and making her the new doubt. "I take the mantle... but not the name. Because you are not Doubt."

"Twilight?" Luna whispered. They all wondered... and they all hoped….

The dark alicorn gave no sign that she heard her. "I figured it out, Doubt... you are very good!" Black and white magic began to swirl about her and the others took a step back in shock. But where once her magic had been destructive now it felt like two playful puppies bouncing around their master's hooves. "Even you, an abstract, feel doubt. You didn't fully believe in this path so you came up with a backup plan... a way to save yourself, even if you didn't know you were doing it!" Twilight began to hover in the air and the abstract gasped as white and dark magic latched onto him, lifting his dying body up. Upon Twilight's head the 6th Element appeared, the golden tiara shining brightly in the glow of her magic. Her eyes became a pure white and there was a power in her voice that stopped all movement and made the world listen. "You've always known your name but you couldn't remember it. So you hide the answer in me... the wielder of your power, your element. Only I could find it and only when my own heart was pure... to ensure that you were untainted. Only when I felt your true power… and it was given to me by my friends. Yes... you are very clever... Faith."

Twilight's friends and family gasped. Celestia felt as if the scales had fallen from her eyes. Doubt... Doubt trembled... but not from pain.

"What... what did you call me?"

"Your name... your real name." Magic began to pour from Twilight into the dying alicorn. The skin along his legs began to crack and the mirror shards rained down like diamond dust. "When you came to Celestia it wasn't as Doubt but as Faith... faith told her she was strong enough to beat Discord! You told her to have faith in herself and Luna… that the two of them could drive back chaos and bring back harmony to the world! Faith told Luna she wasn't worthless and that she had the strength to prove that!"

"How... how could I have forgotten?" Celestia whispered. It was as if a key had been turned and memories from a long lost age replayed fresh and new in her mind. The solar goddess stared at her lost friend and smiled. "Faith..."

"You made me believe in myself when I tried out for Celestia's school! You told me to have faith in my friends, even when I didn’t want to and that is why Luna is now free! When Discord tried to break us he took away our elements... laughter, kindness, generosity, loyalty, honesty... and faith. When Discord got to me I lost faith in my friends and I was saved by believing them once more! It was faith that he tried to steal from me and it was faith in the elements and my friends that ended his rule of Equestria!

"When every other pony thought I was insane and that I was trying to destroy Shining's wedding you whispered that I was right... that I needed to have faith in my beliefs! That is my element and that is who you are! You are Faith! Honesty, Kindness, Loyalty, Laughter, Generosity, and Faith: The Elements of Harmony, the Magic that makes Friendship. That is who you are! You hear me? Wake up and do your duty! The world needs you again! There is darkness and another light is always welcomed! YOU ARE FAITH AND YOU ARE NEEDED! WILL YOU IGNORE THE CALL?"

The mirror alicorn began to twitch, tears streaming from his eyes. "That... that is what they called me... Faith... my... my name was Faith... my name is Faith..."

“Stay with me!” Twilight cried out in delight as they began to spin about in the air. “This is it! You and me, one last hurdle!”

Doubt threw his head back and screamed as white and black energy burst from his mouth and eyes. His wings and horn shattered and his skin cracked apart as he was torn to pieces. But where there should have been blood… there was only smoke and light… glorious and beautiful. It swirled around Twilight as they watched it took many forms, each different to them, like a cloud in the noonday sky… and each one was noble.

“By the Creator…” Luna whispered, tears in her eyes as she looked upon Doubt’s soul…

"Twilight!" Spike called out as the cloud surrounded her.

“TWILIGHT!” Her friends screamed as the dark alicorn floated above their heads, black and white magic erupting from her.

"This is not death, Faith..." Twilight whispered as the mirror alicorn's turned into a malestrom of power. He swirled about her and Twilight threw back her head, a smile gracing her lips. "This… is rebirth."

And with that… the final Element of Harmony, faith itself… exploded in glorious white light.

"Everybody knows that everybody dies... but not every day... not today."

-River Song

Faith

"Your story may not have such a happy beginning... but that doesn't make you who you are. It is the rest of your story... who you chose to be. So... who are you?"

-The Soothsayer, Kung Fu Panda 2

The first thought that went through her head was if everything had been a dream and she woke up in her bed to find herself still an unicorn, her brother not dating Princess Cadence and changelings being nothing but fantasy… she was going to be pissed.

The second thought was that her wings hurt.

That one made her smile.

“She’s awake!” Spike called out, leaping off the bed and hurrying to the door. “She’s awake!” The baby dragon was halfway down the stairs before he came racing back in, giving Twilight a hug. “I’m glad you’re ok.” He flashed her a smile before darting back down the stairs to deliver the good news.

Twilight let out a sigh, though she couldn’t help but smile at Spike’s antics. Slipping out of bed, the mare trotted around her room, surprised to find it looked the same. Of course, she hadn’t expected it to be different…

‘I just expected it to be smaller…’ Twilight realized, her eyes growing wide. She raced over to her mirror and gasped.

She was a blend of her old unicorn self and her alicorn form. She was only a few inches taller than she had been before the wedding, her legs a touch longer and her body having lost a bit of the softness she’d once held. Her wings fluttered slightly, now just slightly bigger than Rainbow Dash’s. Her mane was purple again but still moved and swirled about like it were made of energy, just like Luna and Celestia’s. Her horn was smaller but with a crackle of energy she confirmed she still had her dark magic, though she could also feel the white magic flowing through her veins as well.

She was an alicorn… but a small one. Smaller than Cadence for sure; Twilight wagered she was roughly the same size Princess Luna had been after the elements had reverted her from her Nightmare Moon form.

“How badly would thou hurt me if I said you were ‘cute’?”

Twilight turned, shooting a sour look Luna’s way. “I blasted you once before.”

“And I am thankful for that,” Luna said, trotting into the room. It felt strange to be looking up at the lunar princess again, after having spent much of the last day looking down on everypony. “You seem surprised.”

“I am surprised. What happened?”

“The same thing that happened to me: you used up all your magic. In my case, it was in a vain attempt to fight of the Elements of Harmony. For you… it was resurrecting Faith. Don’t worry, you’ll grow larger over time. It is a slow process but as your magic returns you will revert to a more stately size. It may take a few hundred years to rival Celestia… but we’ll just have to find a way to bring her down a few dress sizes.” Luna smiled slightly when she saw that Twilight’s eyes had become unfocused. “But… you aren’t worried about how big you are now, are you?”

“Doubt? Is he-“

“You mean Faith. And yes... he is alive and well and waiting for you outside.” Luna shook her head as Twilight stumbled to get out of her bedroom and down the stairs. The alicorn, who could no longer be rightly called ‘dark’, nearly bowled into a startled Fluttershy, offering her apologizes as she hurried towards the front door.

“Where is he?” Twilight gasped, trying to catch her breath.

“Outside, Twilight,” Applejack stated. “That fella ain’t hardly moved since you two came out of that magic storm thing ya conjured up. He woke up about 10 minutes after it was all over, trotted outside and just… began lookin’ at the sky.” The farmpony shook her head in amusement. “Never seen somepony smile that long...”

Twilight emerged from her library and looked about, trying to find Doubt. It took her several moments to realize her folly; she could not find Doubt because he was no longer Doubt. He was Faith and with his name restored so too was his body remade.

“They called me the Alicorn of Mirrors.” Twilight turned towards the speaker, marveling at the sight. “It might still work, I suppose…”

“Doubt…” Twilight whispered. “Or… or is it Faith?”

The stallion smirked slightly, not bothering to get up from where he lay in the grass. “Both. I am Faith as he would have been… and Doubt as he SHOULD have been.”

As Doubt he had preached about life being shades of gray. As Faith he was the embodiment of such beliefs. His coat was now gray and when the sun struck it just so it seemed to shimmer as if made of metallic threads. His hair had gone black save for one a streak of white that hung down near his ear. His tail still looked like it was made of shards but now there was form to them instead of chaos and lines of gray joined the black and white hair.

Where once there had been a mirror shard driven through his skull there was now a proper horn. Twilght could feel the swirl of black and white magic running through its link. Of course that wasn't surprising; she'd pumped nearly half of her magical reserves into him in order to heal his body and recreate his form.

'No wonder I'm smaller now,' Twilight thought to herself. If she had to guess she'd say she had roughly twice the power she'd had in the nightclub... nothing to sneeze at but diminished from what she had held in her dark alicorn form. Not that she minded, of course; Luna was proof that such power could return over time.... and the end result was worth it.

The most startling of Doubt's changes was his wings. What once had been broken was now restored to true glory. Two great structures of silver glass arose from his back, fanned out so they might catch the sunlight. Each feather looked like it had been cut by an expert jeweler and she had to admit she was envious of the plumage.

It was surprising to find that he wore armor now. A breastplate of pure black encircled his chest and his wings were lined with the same black metal, as were his hooves. It was startling and yet befitting.

"Luna's idea," Faith stated when he noticed where her eyes had lingered to. "She felt that for my service to Equestria I should be treated like some popinjay." He rolled his eyes in good humored annoyance. "I am to be knighted, apparently."

"That is a high honor."

"Too high for the likes of me," Faith stated. He waved her off when she opened her mouth to refute his claim. "I have done as much for the side of darkness as I have for the light. Knights are suppose to be shiny little ponies that never leer at a mare and floss between meals. I am no such thing and I do not want to be."

"Maybe Equestria needs a few black knights."

"Gray," Faith told her. "I have heard from Cadence that your friends tried to find a title to describe me. The mirror alicorn is what they apparently settled on." Twilight grimaced. "Yes, I am not fond of it either, and not just for my aversion to having others name me. Seems I got a bit of your literary tastes while I was rattling around in your head."

"Better than my paranoia about being tardy," Twilight stated, walking around the sunbathing stallion. "That name wouldn't work anymore... you don't have your mirror wings."

Faith nodded. "Your friend Rainbow Dash suggested the iron alicorn, but Rarity began to throw a fit about iron being 'so unbefitting a regal creature' such as myself." Faith pursed his lips. "Your friends did hate me a day ago, correct? I did not dream that? They seem much too comfortable in my presence."

Twilight chuckled before finally settling down in front of Faith. It was weird to see him at this size; they had been eye to eye a day ago but now Twilight was barely bigger than her unicorn form and Faith just taller than Luna. It would take some getting use to.

"By and by, what do you suppose this represents?" Faith said, smiling like a colt with a new toy. He shifted his wing and gestured towards his flank. Before his mark had been Twilight's own, only reversed in color. Now it had been altered and Twilight found it utterly fitting: her own star was enclosed by two dark crescent moons and around them were the rays of the sun. Celestia, Luna and Twilight; each represented, joining together to create something new.

"The best of all those you have served," Twilight finally answered. She pondered her next words carefully. "How do you feel?"

"Like I am breathing for the first time," Faith stated. "I am a blind man who has regained his sight. I was deaf and now I hear symphonies." He leaned back his had, basking in the sun. "I'd forgotten not only my name and purpose but what existing without pain could be like."

"It was that bad?"

"Worse. But that is life and I am not bitter about it, if that is your concern."

"How much of you... is still you?" Twilight asked. "You seem... different than you were."

"As I said, I am Doubt as he should have been. I am Doubt and I am Faith. I am both and yet neither."

"I see you still like to talk in riddles," Twilight joked.

Faith snorted in good humor. "Why stop when it is so much fun?" His wings twitched and he leaned down to smell the grass, letting the odor swirl through his lungs. He'd been doing it all morning, marveling at the wilds all about him and what they had to offer. As an abstract he had paid little notice to those things that could not hear his whispers. Now he found himself enthralled by nature. "I have not changed greatly... you must understand that. I could not go back to being simply Faith even if I wanted to."

"Why wouldn't you?" Twilight asked. "I thought that is what you wanted."

"I wanted to remember... but I didn't want to go back. Tell me, you remember what it was like to be a child, do you not? Imagine yourself at the age of 5. Would you want to go back to that? Not to that moment in time, mind you... just the age. The rest of the world would remain the same but you would physically be 5 again."

"...no," Twilight murmured. "Just like I wouldn't want to go back to being a unicorn."

"What if I told you I could make you feel just as you had before the wedding." Doubt's horn began to glow. "You'd forget all the pain and the suffering... sounds wonderful, correct?" Faith's eyes twinkled slightly. "But you'd also lose all the growth. A sword is made by beating and folding the metal to remove imperfections. The same is true for all living things: suffering, when it doesn't break us, makes us stronger. Would you undo that?"

"No," Twilight said without hesitation. "I'll mourn what I loss but I would not give up who I am now just to get it back." A bit of her darkness sparked through. "I will never be Celestia's faithful student or Shining's unquestioning sister ever again."

"You have lived and have grown. It is a blessing and you should be glad for it. The same is true for me. It was painful but I would not lose a moment because it has made me stronger. I will be a better Faith for having been Doubt. All that is different now is that I remember my past." He paused, clicking his teeth together. "And my mind is a bit more sane."

"I guess that makes sense," Twilight said. "Just like I'm not as stressed as I was before all this. I don't think I'll be burning the candle at both ends as much or worrying what others think about me."

"Not at first," Faith stated, "but life has a funny way of bringing you back to your true self. Embrace that."

"You have to admit though that all of this is really strange."

"Twilight... look at me. I am in a completely different body. I get that it is strange."

"Right," Twilight said softly. "Faith... what I am?"

"I thought the wings and horn-"

"You've gotten sarcastic," Twilight stated.

"Yes, I have noticed that. I remember being playful as Faith... we'll see if it sticks this time." He rolled his shoulders, glancing up at the clouds. "As for what you are... the type of alicorn you are will be revealed in time. Your talent is magic so some part of that will be the key, I think."

Twilight accepted that. "Guess I've got alot of learning ahead of me."

"The day we stop learning we die." Faith paused, tongue darting out to wet his lips. "You need to talk to Celestia and Shining."

"Where the hay did that come from?" Twilight demanded.

"I've been thinking about it for several hours. Finally found the right moment to broach the topic."

"Why would you want me to talk to either one of them?"

"Because you know it is the right thing to do."

Twilight scoffed. "I'll never forgive them."

"Never?" Faith pressed. "Never has such finality. I prefer 'most likely'. Leaves room for..."

"Change?"

"Doubt," Faith said with a smirk. He rose up, stretching his body much as a cat would. "You don't have to forgive them but you owe them a few minutes to try and make right."

"And if I don't want to?"

"Then you are no better than they are," Faith stated. "Now... Pinkie invited me to sample my first piece of pie, so I will take my leave."

"I think I liked you better when you were telling me to blow stuff up."

Faith merely laughed, wings spreading out.

"Silver!" Twilight called out as Faith took off.

"Silver?" he called out, circling above her head.

"Your new title: the silver alicorn, lord of the gray!"

Faith dipped for a moment. "I like it.... but you still have to talk to Celestia and Shining Armor."

"...all of my hate," Twilight grumbled weakly as Faith zoomed away.

Pyrrhic Victory

'Another such victory and I am undone.'

-Ancient Quote

"Hey Twiley."

The lavender alicorn didn't bother to glance up at her brother. Faith had told her to talk to him but despite the good advice she just couldn't bring herself to look at his face. Well, she could, but she knew if she did she would only smack it with her hoof. Where once his words would have offered comfort she felt now that all they would offer would be pain. So she had tried to tuck herself away, to avoid what she knew needed to be done.

Leave it to her brother to hunt her down.

"Still haven't forgiven me, huh?" Shining said, rubbing the back of his head awkwardly. She wondered if he had felt the same way she did and had tried to avoid her.

"Uh huh," Twilight said, turning to a new page, nose practically buried in the book. She would have liked to claim that the volume wasn't interesting and she was just reading it as an excuse to ignore her brother... but truthfully it was so intriguing that she would have been pressed not to continue to examine it even if she did want to see her brother.

Luna had left the tome sitting on the table as a bit of a peace offering for her actions the night Twilight had ascended. It was just what she needed but was afraid to ask for: a guide on black magic.

Even with her mind clear and the fire within her chest now filled with faith instead of rage Twilight would never be able to go back to pure white magic. The darkness had always been a part of her; she realized that now. It was a piece of her, no different than her horn and the only reason she hadn’t used it before was because she had denied its existence. And all that had managed to do was repress it. The end result, when combined with the heartbreak and mental angst she'd felt because of her friends betrayal, was that she had exploded. She become a pillar of darkness and let the black magic drive her into near madness.

She smiled slightly as she paused, bookmarking her spot. It had been Doubt that had helped her, keeping her focused as the dark seductive magic had torn through her. Without him she would have probably ended up doing something she'd have regretted for the rest of her days (like killing somepony or getting a tattoo… both of which were horrible in her opinion). Yet another sign that he wasn't as bad as he let others believe. Yes, he had encouraged her but he had done so in such a way as to minimize the damage.

The black magic would always be a part of her, as would the white. She was a blend of the two... they didn't merge into one, as was the case with Faith, as much as they swirled about her form in tandem. The powers within her were much like the Cakes' twins: at times they would drift off and do their own thing, one sleeping while the other was restless. But for the most part they were together, working towards their common goal, leaning on the other and lending each other strength.

Light and darkness. White and black. The sun and the moon. Twilight.

It was fitting.

The book was teaching her so much about her new abilities. Black magic, despite what others would have wanted her to believe, was not on its own evil. Did it lead towards a path of wickedness? Of course… the darkness was easier to wield and fueled by emotions. The more powerful the feelings the easier it was the cast spells… but they could become erratic and dangerous. But it was possible, with dedication and work, to turn black magic towards good; just as one could find ways to turn the serenity of white magic into a violent force, cold and logical and devastating. Magic was merely a tool… it was the wielder who determined its use.

Already her mind was a whirl of spells she wanted to try out; the shadow meld spell alone would have seemed an impossibility only days ago. Now... now she could feel with all her being that it was something she could do with ease.

"Twiley?" Shining said softly.

‘In fact… maybe I should try it right now,’ she thought, looking longingly at a shadow near her hooves, imagining herself sinking into it and fleeing the conversation…

The alicorn sighed, shutting the book and turning towards her brother. There was no getting away from her problems; doing so had led to her repression in the first place. "What?"

"Can... can we talk?"

So many retorts bounced on her tongue. She wanted to snap at him, insult him and tell him off. It would be so easy, so very simple to just let him feel the full power of her rage-

'You don't want to do that, though,' her mind whispered.

'Faith...' Twilight growled in annoyance.

'Not me, my dear,' Faith's voice rang through her head, stopping her cold. 'Though I do agree with the advice.'

"Twiley?"

Twilight sighed, tapping her forehead. "It’s very crowded in here at the moment."

"Dou- I mean Faith?"

Twilight rolled her eyes. "In part. My better nature too."

Shining managed a smile. "I hope its speaking in my favor."

"It is." Her eyes narrowed. "But my common sense is screaming I should punch you."

"I deserve that," Shining admitted, moving to stand next to her. “Can I at least say what I need to say?”

“You can do whatever you want, brother; you always have.”

Shining glowered at that statement. “I am trying to be nice and you are not helping in the slightest.”

“Tough,” Twilight stated coldly. “My friends didn’t have a problem finding ways to apologize for their mistake.”

“Maybe because you actually gave them a chance!” Shining shouted in frustration. “Maybe because you didn’t try to blast them with magic the moment they opened their mouths. You at least let them screw up first before you rip into them!”

Twilight was caught between shock and rage. She would have leveled him right there, but be it his complaint or simply her mind being startled too act… she found herself just sitting there, glaring daggers at him.

“Do you realize how hard this is for me?” Shining finally asked.

“For you?” Twilight growled, eyes flickering: one white and as cold as an arctic frost, the other black like the flames of Tartarus. “Always about you! Aw, poor Shining Armor, everypony isn’t lining up to kiss your pearly white flank!”

“And always about you!” Shining snapped. “So we have something in common, Twilight! Now you are going to shut your mouth and let me finish my thought! Understand?”

It was only with the quick flick of a silver wing that ensured Shining wasn’t reduced to ashes.

“I was enjoying that apple pie,” Faith said coolly, a bit of ice cream still clinging to his lip. “It was warm and sweet and the ice cream cold and creamy. And wonderful blend of opposing forces.” The lord of the gray leveled a hard stare at Twilight. “Can I not go 5 minutes without you getting in trouble, my dear?”

“What the hell are you doing?” Twilight snapped. “You protect me!”

“I am… I am protecting you from yourself.” Faith’s horn glowed and Twilight found herself bond to her chair with silver rope. Faith stepped aside and found Shining was as well. “You will talk to each other, you will act like adults, and if you aren’t complete foals I may bring you back some of the pie… or perhaps a cookie, since I find I am quite fond of the pie. If you do not you both can spend eternity tied up staring at each other.” Faith nodded his head before his entire body turned into silver dust, falling to the ground and disappearing upon impact.

Shining ran his tongue along his cheek. “He seems… puckish.”

“He’s sarcastic too. I think I prefer him being all brooding and mysterious,” Twilight grunted, tugging on the ropes. Whatever they were made of they held fast, not hurting either of them but refusing to give even an inch. After several moments Twilight finally lowered her head in defeat. “Why is it hard for you?”

“What’s that?” Shining asked.

“Faith told me to listen so I am going to listen. So tell me why it is so hard for you so we can get the hay out of here.”

Shining sighed, eyes drifting shut. “If Rainbow Dash and Applejack were fighting, who would you side with?”

“What does that-?”

“Just answer the question.”

“I don’t know… whoever was right.”

Shining shook his head. “You can’t know that. They are yelling at each other and everypony is looking to you to stop them and they aren’t stopping. You don’t know why they are fighting… they are hurling accusations at each other. Who do you side with?”

“I… I sit them down-“

“They won’t listen!” Shining said earnestly. “Applejack is in near tears and Rainbow Dash looks like she is so distraught that she will collapse at any moment. You can’t help them both so you have to choose! Who, Twilight?” Shining forcing himself forward, straining against his bonds. “Tell me who!”

“I don’t know!” She cried out.

“Tell me who to choose!”

“I don’t know!”

“Who was I suppose to choose?”

“I… I…” Twilight blinked, Shining’s words finally making sense. “Oh.”

“Yeah… oh,” Shining said softly. “The woman I love and my sister… the happiest day of my life and they are at each other’s throats. I lost either way, Twiley… I either denounced you or believed my wife was a monster… and yeah, she was, but I didn’t know that. I was in the worst of positions. No matter what I did I was going to lose one of you. A pyrrhic victory.”

“Shining…” Twilight said softly. The next words died in her throat when she saw he was crying.

“I… I screwed up, ok? I wanted to protect my wife but I said horrible… horrible things to you. I don’t know why I said them… maybe I was jealous of you to begin with, what with you being the big hero of Equestria and I wanted to bring you down. Maybe I was mad you didn’t come to me and let me know in private. Maybe the stress of everything got to me… I don’t know. But I messed up and now you hate me and I’m never going to make it up!” The stallion did nothing to hide his shame and guilt. “I… I tried and failed, Twilight and now you hate me… and for what? To protect that bug!” Shining grit his teeth in anger. “Celestia told me the queen survived… barely. I want to just throttle her for doing that to Cadence and to me and to you and everypony… and I don’t think Cadence will ever want to be with me because I let her down and I hurt you doing it and she never would have wanted that-“

“Shiny, stop babbling.”

“… what?” Shining Armor said in surprise, the ropes falling from his wrists.

“Stop babbling and listen to me,” Twilight said calmly. “Have you talked to Cadence about this?”

“…no.”

“Then you need to do that. Go buy her some flowers, get her some jewelry and if you need to, have Faith tie you both up so you can work through it.”

Shining blinked in surprise. “Do… do you forgive me?”

“No,” Twilight said softly, hating the look of utter sadness that appeared on her brother’s face. “It’s too soon… the wounds too fresh. I’m sorry, Shining, I wish I could… but I just can’t. You’re right… you were in a horrible situation… but that gave you no right to treat me the way you did.

“I am not ready to forgive, not just because of you but because of me. I… I need to learn a few things about myself before I can truly be open to friendship and love again. That night… it left scars and it is going to take a long time to heal. So no, I can’t forgive you just yet.” She trotted back to her book. “But Shiny… don’t give up on me.”

The captain managed a smile. “Never, little sis.” He trotted to the door.

“Shiny?” Twilight called out. “Cadence loves roses.”

“Right… thanks.”

Twilight smiled back before returning to her book.

Thus Endth The Lesson

"No, I think you've taught me everything I need to know."

-Buffy Summers, Lies My Parents Told Me

"How did it go so wrong?"

Twilight was surprised by the words. Not because of who spoke them; after all, her mentor had clearly come to visit her and try and mend the massive gap that now existed in their relationship. It wasn't what she said either; Twilight had been thinking the same thing for a while now.

No, what truly surprised her was that Celestia had spoken. The solar princess had arrived 4 hours ago in the middle of an afternoon thunderstorm. The rain had dripped down her white coat and had her mane not been enchanted the lavender alicorn knew that her former teacher's bangs would have been hanging in her eyes. Celestia had asked softly if she could come in, trying her hardest to look regal and failing. Twilight hadn't even considered saying no, though that was more because she knew Faith would break out the ropes and bind her to the chair again than about her desire to talk to the princess.

The princess hadn't spoken since.

Twilight hadn't attempted to make her former mentor talk. Instead she had prepared tea, left a cup out for Celestia to serve herself, and settled herself onto her favorite chair and continued reading the guide of black magic Luna had left her. Spike had joined them and, after a few pleasantries that the princess hadn't responded to, he'd moved to the couch, curling up with a ruby to suck on.

Celestia had just stood there, drinking her tea and refusing to glance at Twilight. In the past the librarian would have been scuttling about in an attempt to make her teacher comfy. Now, Twilight treated her no differently than she would have treated Carrot Top or Bon Bon: casual, friendly, with only the bare minimum of effort. Just enough to be respectful.

Many would have been surprised by how kindly she treated Celestia. The princess’ actions the night of the rehearsal had been the worst of them all. Other than Shining she had known Twilight the most and her rejection had hurt the greatest. More to the point, of all the ponies involved in the wedding Celestia should have seen that her niece was not acting like herself. Celestia was Cadence's aunt... if they were such close family then why hadn't the white alicorn realized the younger princess was behaving strangely?

The answer to that question was one Twilight feared to answer.

"What do you mean?" Twilight asked, marking her place before shutting the book.

"How did we end up at this place... where you could not trust me and I could not trust you?"

Twilight rolled her eyes. "We ended up here because at the wedding rehearsal-"

"No... no," Celestia said softly. "We ended up here far before that." The princess lowered her head in sadness. "The rehearsal was just the breaking point that confirmed that you and I somehow ended up so far apart that there was no middle ground to see. It was the point that confirmed you had lost all faith in me."

"What are you talking about?" Twilight huffed out in annoyance. "I have always had faith in you."

"You did at one time but you lost it, Twilight. Or, should I say, you have been losing it for quite so time. It has been dripping away, like a cask with a pin pick hole. Neither of us noticed the levels dropping until it was too late."

"You... you can't be serious!" Twilight shouted. She hated that this mare still had the power to make her lose her cool. "I have always looked up to you! Admired you! Wanted to be you!" Her wings flared in frustration. "I have always acted with you in mind! Do you know how much heartache I've gone through, worrying about make you proud of me? And you dare... you dare to say that I don't have faith in you!" She grit her teeth in anger.

"Do you even hear yourself?" Celestia whispered. "Twilight... you weren't just worried about making me proud... you were afraid of me."

"Of... course I was!" the lavender alicorn exclaimed. She wondered if Celestia had gone mad and was now just speaking nonsense. "Who wouldn't be?"

"My faithful student." Celestia's mane drooped. "In the past, you would come to me about anything and everything; you’d trust me with your fears and doubts and ask for my help. How many times did we spend hours together, just talk? You never hid your thoughts from me, my faithful student.

“But then... something changed. You stopped asking me to help ease your fears and struggled to deal with them on your own... then you tried to hide them... and finally you began to fear me more than your actual fears." Celestia began to tick off the points before Twilight could argue. "When the parasprites invaded you never once sent me a letter to ask for my help... you just tried to hide it, fearing I would blame you."

"I just wanted-"

"The Want It, Need It Spell. It took Spike contacting me... instead of just telling me the truth you again hid it, fearing that I would send you back to magical kindergarten… how could you think I would take such a drastic step for so simple an action? When Fluttershy took Philamenia you told her that both of you would be thrown into a dungeon or banished... you thought I could be that cruel.

"When your future self appeared to you, instead of contacting me you took it upon yourself to try and save all of Equestria. I could have told you that such a spell is paradox proof and helped you deal with the trauma that week brought. But again... you didn't turn to me.

"And then... there was the wedding. You found something out and instead of coming to me... you went rushing in." Celestia lowered her head, locking eyes with the younger alicorn. "Why, my faithful student? Why didn't you just come to me?"

"Because you wouldn't have done anything," Twilight said simply. Her words held a finality to it that made Celestia take a step back.

"How can you say that? When have I not listened to you? When have I not listened to your words and considered all that you have to say?"

Twilight raised an eyebrow. "Do you even hear yourself?" she parroted. "You did it at the rehearsal! I told you about Cadence and you blew me off! You thought I was so stupid that I could tell a mind control spell from a headache spell?"

"You were acting like a foal! How was I supposed to react?"

Twilight turned around in disgust. "Nevermind.”

"TWILIGHT SPARKLE!" Celestia boomed, using the full force of the Royal Canterlot Voice. The solar alicorn seemed to grow larger and all the light in the room was sucked into her, making her a beacon in the darkness. Spike trembled and dashed behind the lavender alicorn, whimpering in fright. "DO NOT TAKE ME FOR SOME SIMPLE MARE! I AM NOT TRYING TO HURT YOU!" The power left Celestia in an instant. "I am trying to help."

"Help?" Twilight said, doing her best to hide her sudden fear. "You don't care. You wouldn't have listened to me if I had told you about Cadence."

"How can you possibly know that?"

"My faithful student Twilight Sparkle... you must simply stop reading those musty old books." Twilight recited the words with a clear, cold voice and Celestia felt as if she had been stabbed. "Nightmare Moon. I warned you... and you mocked me."

"Twilight... no, that isn't-"

"It doesn't matter what you were attempting... what matters is how I felt. If I tell a joke and it hurts somepony’s feelings then I was wrong, not them. If you were trying to be playful you failed." Twilight closed her eyes and tears began to fall. "I... I found out the truth and you belittled me... you sent me off on a foalish errand."

"Only because-"

"IT DOESN'T MATTER YOUR REASON!" Twilight bellowed, causing Celestia to take a step back in shock. "Tartarus is filled with ponies that 'meant to do the right thing'. You didn't listen to me... worse, you lied to me. You know about Nightmare Moon and the Elements and you didn't tell me a thing!"

"Because you had to learn on your own... if I had told you it could have jeopardized everything."

Twilight glared at her former mentor through red-rimmed eyes. "Yes... the most important thing... the thing you cared about so greatly as to send your 'faithful student' into danger and death against a force that rivaled you in power. A force that could have easily killed me and my friends if we hadn’t gotten lucky. A force we knew nothing about because you refused to provide even a scrap of information... your sister." Twilight shook her head, hiccupping. "She... she tried to kill you. She hated you and cursed your name. I loved you... I only wanted to be next to you... and you chose her over me?"

"Twilight... Twilight please," Celestia begged. "She was my sister-"

"You were my mother!" Twilight shouted, her voice growing hoarse. "For so many years you were my mother and my friend and my sister... you were my everything! I loved you and thought of you as a member of my family... but I was wrong, wasn't I?" Twilight turned, using her magic to gather up a shivering Spike. "You never saw me as nothing more than a means to an end. 'The Stars will aid in her escape'." Twilight sniffed and flicked her wing against her cutie mark. "You knew... you knew I would be the one to save Princess Luna and you never told me. Is that why you treated me the way you did, because you needed me? You just used me, dishing out just enough of the truth to keep me going." The lavender alicorn trembled, barely able to keep herself standing as she sobbed. "I... I loved you... and you passed me over. You chose your sister, who hated you and tried to kill us all... but I forgave you. I thought that you had merely decided to lie to me and treat me as you did because you had hope for Luna.

"Then... Cadence. The fake one but you didn't know that. You... you had to see she was different. You had too! But you were blind yet again because she was family! And when it came to choosing... you chose her over me." Twilight tried to chuckle but failed. "Maybe you are my family... Shining chose Cadence too. I’m always last…"

She paused when she felt a small clawed hand press against her check. Spike looked up at her from the aura of magic that held him and gave her a hug. She wasn’t always last… at least not for one dragon.

"Twilight... please," Celestia begged, trying to get the younger alicorn to calm down. "You are twisting my words and my actions... I do care about you..."

"Just not as much as I care for you." Twilight said softly. "Please... just go."

"Twilight... Twilight you are wrong. I care about you that much...”

Twilight shook her head, her voice hollow. "Please... please leave me alone."

Celestia lowered her head and slowly made her way out of the library. The rains had not let up and the storm beat down upon her. Her mind was a whirl of moments and she shut her eyes as her tears mingled with the rain drops.

"She will always love you," Faith's voice whispered in her ear. "There is always hope."

Celestia felt her breath coming out in rapid puffs and her heart thudding in her chest. She gasped and turned around, banging on the door only to find it locked. "Twilight! Twilight!? Twilight I love you too! Twilight... Twilight I'm sorry! I'M SORRY!" the Ruler of Equestria broke down into sobs, leaning against the door as the rain mixed with her tears and the skies continued to darken until Luna finally found her and took her away.

The door never opened.

~MC~MC~MC~

Spike slowly woke up, blinking his eyes. He didn't know when he had fallen asleep and the dark skies did little to tell him how much time had passed. He slowly raised himself and looked about the room, startled to find books and clothing and odds and ends scattered all around. Miss Smartypants was tucked into a saddle bag and there were several suitcases filled with books and scrolls and other little items.

"Twilight?" Spike murmured, rubbing his eyes. "What's going on?"

Twilight sniffed; she hadn't stopped crying since Celestia had left. "I can't stay here, Spike... everything is so raw and painful and I just keep... I am afraid. I'm afraid of what I will do to somepony if I stay. I'm not in control anymore and I need to be in control."

"What are you saying?" Spike asked.

"I need a holiday... a long one... and I want you to come with me."

Goodnight and Goodbye

"Home is now behind you; The world is ahead."

-Gandalf, The Hobbit

"Twilight... I think that is a wonderful idea."

To say the young alicorn was startled by that simple sentence would be an understatement.

Three days had gone by since Twilight had talked with Celestia and made her decision to leave Ponyville. It hadn’t even been a week since the almost-wedding. During that time she hadn't talked to many ponies and those she could not avoid speaking received only short and stilted answers from the newly made alicorn. Twilight's mind was elsewhere and it was clear just looking into her eyes; she was forgiven by all for not having her head 'in the game', as it were.

She'd discussed her plans with only two, and both of them would be coming with her. Spike would be accompanying her on the trip, thrilled for the adventure that lay before them. The baby dragon had agreed within moments to the idea of a 'holiday' and had supported Twilight fully and helped her prepare. Of course, she had been forced several times to remind him that this was not a trip for pleasure and he shouldn’t be packing sunscreen and comic books.

The other conspirator had been Faith, and he had been included mostly because Twilight knew he would follow her anyway, even if told not too. The silver alicorn had sworn to protect her to the end of their days and she realized that he would forever be at her side and trying to leave him behind would be asking for folly.

‘I really need to find him a girlfriend,’ Twilight thought to herself. ‘If I don’t I’ll never be able to date without him hovering about… it will be worse than my dad!’

The ones she had worried about were friends and family. While she knew that she needed to take this journey she feared that they would take it as a slight against them. Even after everything that they had gone through she didn't want them believing that she was trying to ditch them or was leaving out of anger. Worse, she didn’t want them thinking she was running away from her problems. It was for that reason that she did tell them of her plans, as she knew that not letting them know before would only lead to search parties.

She’d… just waited. Until the timing was right.

Twilight had gathered them together and explained everything: her plans, what she would be doing… and why.

"I am still broken," Twilight had said, holding up a hoof before they could complain. "It's true. No pony goes through what I did without damage and a few days aren't going to cure anything." She had lowered her head and sighed. "It's not just you guys... I don't want you thinking that. I'm not myself anymore, and not just because of these." She had flexed her wings a few times.

"I'm... I'm not in control anymore. I use to be able to handle my emotions... other than in a few extreme situations..." she'd coughed as the others chuckled. "But now I just find myself swinging between extremes. I am crying or screaming or-" Twilight had let out a laugh even as the tears began to gather in her eyes. "See? I'm... I'm doing it right now!

"My worst fear is that I am going to do something stupid and hurt one of you. If it weren't for Faith I would have hurt you Shining... and despite everything I couldn't live with myself if you were hurt. You girls… have been so understanding through all of this. I know at times I must have seen insane or really wolfish… I know that I blamed you guys more than you deserved.” She held up her hoof against to stop the protests. “We all made mistakes but for a while there I wasn’t focusing on mine. And for that… I am sorry.

“ It... it feels like I am no longer in control of my own body and I have to do something to fix that!" Twilight had then sucked in a quick breath, trying to steady herself for the next part. “I... I need to get away. I've talked with Spike and Faith and they are going to go with me. I need to leave Ponyville and maybe even Equestria. I need to find some distant place and work on my control and my powers. I need to figure out who I am now... I know you guys aren't going to like it, but… but I need to do it so I can be ready to be your friend again… not just to accept you all… but to be the kind of mare you all deserve to call friend."

She'd been prepared for tears and whining and complaints.

But the happy, supportive faces before her? Those were unexpected.

"I... uh..."

"I think you broke her!" Pinkie giggled, kneeing Twilight Velvet in the side.

Twilight shook her head violently. "I... I don't..."

"Sweetheart, we've all seen you struggling," Velvet stated, taking a step forward and gently nuzzling her daughter. After everything that had been said it was now her turn to take the lead and mend fences. "So many things happened, good and bad,” on the last word she glanced as a very quiet Celestia and awkwardly shifting Shining Armor, “and you've barely had a chance to breathe. The fact that you haven't ended up in a heap sobbing or blowing up trees just shows how much control you have... but if you feel you need more than you go get it. You go and you find it and we will wait for you to come back!"

"You... you mean it?" Twilight whispered, daring not to hope.

Luna smiled. "Twilight, if you need the time then you go take it. It takes a wise being to know when they need to help themselves… this world would be better if all of us had that strength… myself included."

"And besides," Applejack stated, "the time away from you will be good for us all also. Give us a chance to look at ourselves and figure things out too. I know all this has been an eye opener and I want to take a real good gander at how I treat others."

"Time heals all wounds, after all," Rarity stated. "I can think of nothing better than a bit of time apart… because it also makes the heart grow fonder."

"Even if you hadn't had your psycho dark breakdown you'd need a break!" Rainbow Dash proclaimed. "Even I can't be awesome 24/7!"

Fluttershy merely smiled, scuffing the hardwood with her hoof. "We'll miss you, of course but... but I'd rather you come back happy then stay here and be sad."

Every other pony nodded, echoing the sentiment.

"Besides... this means we get to have a 'Going Away Party!' and then a 'Welcome Back Party!'." Pinkie was bouncing up and down in delight.

"Of course," Twilight said softly.

"How mad would all of you be if I revealed that this was all part of my evil plot to sneak Twilight away?" Faith suddenly asked.

Even the lavender alicorn scowled at him.

"I am joking, of course!" Faith said, backing away with wide eyes. "You ponies have no sense of fun!" Faith rolled his eyes.

"Yeah we do!" Pinkie said, pulling out her party cannon and giving it a blast right in the silver alicorn’s face, leaving him covered in so much facepaint that he looked like a cheap mare of the evening.

Even the morose Celestia laughed at the sight.

~MC~MC~MC~

Two days later, Twilight looked over her shoulder at her waving friends. The party had lasted nearly an entire day and the entire town had become engulfed in it. She’d gotten well wishes and thanks and advice and even a few marriage proposals (which she had politely declined while Night Light and Faith growled at the suitors; the abstract and her father instantly became the best of friends after that). It had warmed Twilight's heart and made it hard to continue with the final preparations... but in the end she knew she was doing the right thing.

"It's only two months," Spike said softly from his perch on her back. "We'll be back before you know it!"

"I know... but I am still going to miss them."

"That is why you should begin moving," Faith said, his wings spread wide. "The sooner we leave the sooner we can return."

Twilight nodded, taking one last look at Ponyville. Her friends and family were still watching them, even though they were nearly a mile away. "Two months..." she whispered.

“What is it Twilight?” Spike asked.

“I don’t know… just a feeling… like I’ll never see them like this again.”

Faith scoffed. “I would hope not! Life can’t be static… it needs to be moving and changing. If you want things to remain still change them to stone.” He turned when he noticed the thoughtful look on Twilight’s face. “That wasn’t a suggestion.”

“I know, I know,” Twilight said playfully.

"I'll send them letters all the time and they will do the same!" Spike reminded her. "It will be great Twilight... think of all the stories you'll have to tell."

"You're right Spike... it's just never easy saying goodbye."

"I prefer goodnight," Faith stated. "It offers hope for a new day."

"I like it," Twilight stated, a smile slowly blossoming on her face. "Goodnight, Ponyville... goodnight girls... till tomorrow."

And with that, she spread her wings, galloping forward and leaping into the air.

She slammed into the ground four seconds later.

"Alright, lesson one: flying," Faith said with a smirk.

~END OF VOLUME ONE~

Faith and Doubt

Cast

Twilight Sparkle and Twilight Velvet: Tara Strong
Applejack and Rainbow Dash, : Ashleigh Ball
Pinkie Pie and Fluttershy: Andrea Libman
Rarity and Princess Luna: Tabitha St. Germain
Spike: Cathy Weseluck
Princess Celestia: Nicole Oliver
Night Light and Shining Armor: Andrew Francis
Princess Cadence: Britt McKillip
Queen of the Changelings: Kathleen Barr
Doubt/Faith: Tom Hardy

Volume Two: The Abundance

"Are you sure?" the multi-hued alicorn asked, her normally wide smile drooping slightly and her puffy wings, which looked more like balloons than feathers and flesh, falling against her side. She, along with her brothers and sisters, shifted in the void, still trying to get use to their new forms.

"I am sure," the luminous figure before the five stated. It was hard to judge just how big her form truly was; at times she would appear to be a small flicker of flame, like a candle lit during a dark night. Other times she was gigantic, like a volcano erupting without care for those it destroyed. And yet, during the entire conversation, even when she looked her smallest, the five alicorns felt as if the speaker held a great strength and power. "Doubt has returned... and he has claimed Twilight Sparkle."

"No way," a masculine navy alicorn declared. He took a step forward, his wings flared as he snorted. Instead of feathers his wings were made of long gossamer threads that were forever entangling themselves around the legs of his brother and sisters, fading into the ether before reforming. "I don't believe you."

"It is against our nature to lie... you know this," a brilliant red alicorn stallion proclaimed. His deep voice rumbled like thunder rolling across the plain and all listened as he spoke. His great wooden wings creaked and groaned, each beautifully carved feather shifting in unison as if they were all pieces of some bizarre clock

"We must do something to help her!" a small, dainty alicorn said, head tilted up and long dainty legs held poised. She fluffed her wings, plumes of feathers drifting off and turning into glittery dust every time she did so.

"And the others," a mint-colored alicorn said. Her own wings, much like her sisters and brothers, were different than a normal pegasi; hers were overly long and limber and seemed to be lined with velvet that offered comfort and support.

"And that is why I have gathered you here," the shapeless force stated. "Twilight is, at the moment, lost to us." The others began to clamor but the shapeless being talked over them. "But there is still a chance to save her! Doubt may have hooked his shards into her but he has not infected the others. With them you can save her and Equestria."

"What you speak of..." the velvet alicorn whispered.

"Yes Kindness," the shapeless one said, "I speak of drastic action. To protect the bearers... they must bond with each of you... their Elements."

Laughter, Loyalty, Honestly, Generosity, and Kindness stared at each other in surprise.

"Why do you look so shocked?" the shapeless one stated. "It is the only way... with each of you merged with your bearer, they will become alicorns themselves and have the strength to protect Equestria. And that is your duty, is it not? Of course it is; that is your duty. Would you deny the call?"

"It... might be fun," Laughter admitted. Visions of all the fun she and Pinkie could have filled her thoughts.

"I... I don't want Rainbow Dash hurt," Loyalty declared, his threads grasping his siblings in a move to reassure himself that they, unlike their fallen brother Doubt, remained.

"Equestria has become corrupt. Celestia's lies led to Doubt's fall, Luna tried to destroy harmony... they cannot be trusted," Honesty declared. He was always the leader of them, the largest and oldest of the abstract siblings and he took it upon himself to say that which was true... no matter how disheartening.

"We owe it to all those under our care to give everything we have," Generosity said, her dainty head held up tall and proud.

"It would be wrong to abandon them now," Kindness added gently, smiling as she thought of joining with the shy Fluttershy and giving her the strength and courage to help protect all.

The shapeless form nodded. "Good... good... now go... do what must be done."

The five abstracted left the void, racing towards the sleeping forms of their bearers.

"So it begins," the shapeless one purred.

~MC~MC~MC~

And Introducing:

The Shapeless One- Cate Blanchet
Laughter- Arleen Sorkin
Loyalty- Nathan Fillion
Honesty- John Rhys Davis
Generosity- Keri Russell
Kindness- Kristen Bell

VOLUME 2: The Abundance