Universe 47931

Every time her body changed, it made her nerves go haywire. It was strange since her nerves shouldn’t have even been working. Maybe the pain was more profound, only psychological, or perhaps it wasn’t even real. She couldn’t differentiate real from fake often, to be fair. She had been alone for so long… At some point, she just started talking to herself out loud just to have a semblance of interaction with someone, anyone. She couldn’t deny that it sometimes brought unpleasant results on herself.

Even though her mind was… impacted, to say the least, she didn’t let that stop her. She still remembered her mission. She needed to save her universe. Even if everyone hated her, even if she was to be haunted by the ghosts of the ones she sacrificed for that, she would save it.

Despite being the last survivor, she wasn’t spared from the horrors of this world. She was disfigured, an ugly and terrifying walking corpse. What would her friends think if they saw her like this? They would be disgusted, wouldn’t they? Her parents would despise her. The princess would certainly be disappointed in her. But they would understand, eventually. They would forgive her after she would save them. They had to! She needed them to… Because once she would save her universe… She wouldn’t be able to sleep ever again until they would forgive her.

Because of her new nature, her body was unstable, its shape always shifting unless she willed it to stop and control herself. Seeing her counterpart step back in horror as if she had never seen a monster before was amusing. She was a monster. Yes. She had no issues admitting that. She didn’t hold the destroyed universes on her conscience since it was simply a consequence of the Hexstone (even if she caused it), but even then, she had left behind piles of corpses in her quest to save her universe.

Alter Twilight released a guttural roar as she attempted to swipe at her little counterpart, who flew away as fast as she could. She could feel her bones shaking from here!

She didn’t blame her counterpart. Alter Twilight went through a drastic change, after all. She was a massive mass of rotten flesh, her limbs were fat and grotesque imitations of human hands. Her big wings, missing most of their feathers, and her long unicorn horn were the only features that would make one think she had been a pony once. Her head looked more like one of a beast, with ferocious fangs.

It would make anyone tremble with terror, but this was just another day for her. You would think that after eons, her memory would start getting hazy, but that wasn’t the case for her. No… She remembered every single day.

She couldn’t pinpoint which one was the worst. When she realized her universe was dying? When she realized her friends ceased existing? When she realized she changed?

It was terrifying. At first, she had been blinded by her hate for Starlight, and what she had done to her friends. For what she had done to prevent their meeting. Of course, she was happy to finally kill her. She… Still was. However, she couldn’t say it had been worth it. Sure, she was rid of a threat, but in turn, she lost everything. She had destroyed everything.

When the Hexstone had landed in Equus, even after all the stars in the sky vanished, she had believed it was a sign from a higher power; an artifact with a mission. Of course, she couldn’t tell what it was. At that point, she had already lost all hope. Most of everything on Equus was gone, and she was the only living being apart from the other Time Paradoxes. Right, she still didn’t know she was one of them at the time.

Once she unlocked a glimpse of its power, she began looking through the multitude of universes she believed impossible. Even after everything that happened, her scholarly mind was still as active as ever, pushing her to learn everything she could about it. She studied and learned the basics on her own, then witnessed more of its abilities from watching other universes. However, the moment she saw what she realized was her salvation: the Hexstone’s ability to harvest another universe’s lifeforce to shape another one as the user sees fit.

This was it! This would save her universe! Her family! Her friends! However, the stone required a sacrifice. An entire universe, and a soul to serve as the link between the two. Rationalizing that the only one she was killing directly was the poor soul she would bring here since… Well, she wouldn’t witness the universe’s destruction -it would be lost in the infinity that was the multiverse- was difficult at first.

However, she understood that sacrifices needed to be made. What she had seen during her many years of watching through the multiverse was nothing short of horrifying. Pain. There was only pain and sadness. An endless cycle of misery. She had witnessed countless destroyed universes; and had watched herself and her friends die an immeasurable number of times. Eventually, it was all she could see. Every “happy” universe she would come across likely had ephemeral peace, she reasoned. One of their enemies will either win at some point, or one of her friends will turn out evil. It was an inevitable outcome. Why? Why was there so much pain? Why was there so much despair? She couldn’t wrap her head around it. Until she remembered her universe.

She caused this. Her battle with Starlight had brought this upon them. Her unchecked emotions had unleashed this fate. Hatred and spite had become her undoing. Those feelings burned fiercely across every universe. And even if they didn’t, the ultimate destiny of all life would still prevail: Death.

She couldn’t ask for help, she couldn’t talk with the ponies from other universes because… Because they were afflicted with the same thing. That ugly, and detestable scourge called emotions. For one reason or another, they would betray her. They would ruin her chances of saving her universe. The universe she loved so deeply. She couldn’t take that risk.

Of course, she couldn’t. She came to understand that for every path she chose, somepony else walked the opposite one in another world. She realized there were countless other universes with Twilights facing the same grim reality: alone in a dying world. Some would make the agonizing choice to scatter their friends' counterparts across the multiverse in a desperate bid to save their own, either succeeding or failing, while others would resign themselves to perish alongside their crumbling universe.

So, she began her work. She started kidnapping Twilights from other universes, scattering their friends across the multiverse to make sure her counterparts wouldn’t escape. She didn’t hold their rage against them when they found out the truth and attacked her. Their anger was understandable. However, she was doing this for the ones she loved, and she couldn’t allow herself to hesitate or feel sympathy. The guilt would always remain, that should be enough for them.

That selfishness would save her friends. That was why she couldn’t allow her to escape with it!

“GIVE ME BACK THE HEXSTONE!” Alter Twilight roared with fury, crawling after the flying Twilight while swiping at her with her arms. Several purple magical beams were launched out of her humongous body, destroying everything in their path, including Time Paradoxes. However, Twilight avoided them all.

None of it mattered. If there were so many universes, so much pain, so much death, then what was the point? She already mourned her own universe, so why would she care about the other ones? They would end the same way. They didn’t matter. She didn’t matter. Her family, her friends…

She had wanted to die for so long. She hoped for the release of death as she worked tirelessly to find another solution, even if she didn’t even believe in herself anymore. If those universes didn’t matter, then didn’t that mean she could just… Use them?

Nevertheless, some made it quite easy to throw the guilt away. They weren’t all heroes, saviors of Equestria. There were monsters among them too. They were either corrupted by the Nightmare or driven mad with a lust for power. Some were simply born a changeling, aiding their mother, Chrysalis, to conquer Equestria and feed on its citizens’ love. Some had no sense of rhyme or reason. They even gladly gave their life to her just so she could destroy their universe. Unfortunately, it was all in vain as they weren’t compatible anyway. They made her sick… But was she any better? After everything she had done, wasn’t it hypocritical of her to attempt to take her moral high ground?

Ultimately, she closed her heart to that question. Morales didn’t matter anymore. Faltering wasn’t an option. She kept her one goal in mind, only thinking of herself and her friends.

Of course, consumed by her endless inner philosophical debates, she failed to notice that, despite the loss of time as a concept, she was still aging. Her body was dying, rotting while she stood. That was when what was only a theory was confirmed: she was a Time Paradox. When did it happen? When did she become one? Why? Why only her? Granted, she killed Starlight, but Spike traveled through time as much as she did, so why wasn’t he one too?! Why was she like this? Why was her body breaking? Why couldn’t she just die?!

The more these questions multiplied and swarmed her mind, the more plausible one of her theories got… What if… What if she wasn’t Twilight Sparkle at all? What if Twilight Sparkle had died along with Spike? What if, somehow, a time paradox had absorbed her memories and deluded itself into thinking it was Twilight Sparkle, that it had a life prior to this, friends and family it wanted to save? Who was she? What was she?

She was so scared of the answer. Scared to know that she was right… That nothing mattered. That it was all in vain.

But then, when she had been ready to let herself decompose and let her universe disappear… She was reminded of her friends again. They flashed into her mind; perhaps it was life flashing before one’s ultimate demise. Maybe nothing mattered in the grand scheme of things, but they mattered.

They mattered to her. She loved them. They were her universe. Everything she was came from them. She needed them. There was no point in the world existing without them. She had to save them. And if she needed to extinguish every light in the multiverse to accomplish that, then so be it. And so she resumed her crusade.

“Is all of this worth it?! Look at you!” The original Twilight screamed, firing a pathetic beam into Alter Twilight’s body, which did no damage. “You’re insane! You’ve lost all of your equinity!”

Unfortunately for the monster, the bigger she got, the slower she was. Her magic was unstable, shooting waves of energy all around her and destroying even more of Equus. Nevertheless, she couldn’t hit Twilight with it. Her rotting, furry arms couldn’t land a single hit. The wind waves they made with every move only served to throw Twilight further away as the alicorn used her wings to stabilize herself.

“On the contrary, my alternate self! I am saner than I have ever been!” Her distorted voice was raspy, having lost any semblance of resembling Twilight. “Soon, I will save everypony!”

“By taking billions of lives?!” Twilight retorted, flying above her monstrous counterpart, and shooting a beam of magic into her remaining eye. Her counterpart growled, finally managing to slap Twilight out of the sky and making her crash into the ground. “When… When will the killing stop?!” The alicorn still tried to lecture her.

“It stops when you give up your life! I finally understand my mistake! I’ve been too naive! Too kind! And because of that, evil destroyed the world! When I use the Hexstone, I won’t simply fix this universe! I will shape it as I see fit! No more anger! No more sadness! No more death! Everyone will know eternal happiness!” Alter revealed, growling in frustration. “Wouldn’t you wish for a world like that? Your sacrifice could make it a reality! What do you think will happen if you miraculously escape? Your world will suffer the same fate eventually!”

“You don’t know that!” Twilight screamed as she was thrown back by a shockwave made by her counterpart’s hand slapping the ground.

“I’ve studied countless universes! There is nothing but pain and misery! If Starlight doesn’t end your world, then Discord will, or Tirek! Maybe even yourself! Eventually, you WILL lose your friends! It’s inevitable! At least, by giving yourself to me… Your insignificant life would have a purpose! It will save lives!”

Several Time Paradoxes suddenly surrounded the lavender pony, all thirsty for murder. Twilight clenched her teeth, not ready to fight them all while dealing with her counterpart. Fortunately for her, Alter Twlight shot a wave of purple crystal, all brimming with magic as they impaled every Time Paradox around the original. However, she was still forced to jump out of the way when one of them was also flying at her legs, likely in a way to incapacitate her.

Alter Twilight threw her head back and opened her mouth. However, this time, it wasn’t a roar that came out.

“Only one foe to sever,
Only one life to take,
Only one soul to break
And once I kill you, my torment is over.”

Her singing voice sounded like a mix of several thousands of Twilights singing at the same time, mixed with other ponies. Alter Twilight’s body shifted again, growing a clawed hand that stretched in the original Twilight’s direction so fast that she could barely perceive it. The lavender alicorn yelped in pain as she jumped back, a massive claw nearly gouging out her eye as it scratched her face instead. It was only a minor wound. Nothing big enough to satisfy Alter Twilight. She would break her body and paralyze her if she needed it to use the Hexstone on her.

“Endless pain, countless deaths,
Running out of time, running out of paths.
Only one more life to take
One last step is to BREAK!”

The monster opened its mouth wide, firing a powerful blast of magic out of it. Anything in its path would have been disintegrated, including Alter Twilight’s counterpart. Of course, she couldn’t do that. She needed to sacrifice Twilight to the Hexstone, not pulverize her! However, she could barely contain herself! Even as Twilight teleported out of the way, Alter Twilight wanted nothing but to crush her! How could she dare take her friends’ death lightly?! How could she dare blame Alter Twilight for this?! How… How could she dare deal her that pain when Alter Twilight already agonized over this every single day of her life? It needed to end. She had to put an end to that pain once and for all, and to save her universe. The only thing that mattered.

As the annoying lavender fly stayed out of reach, occasionally attacking Alter Twilight back. The gigantic Time Paradox howled again, only making more dust clouds every time she tried to splatter her on the ground. She wanted to wail while watching her counterpart escape her blows. Her salvation was right there! However, before she could roar in frustration again, a woman she distinctively recognized hummed in her ears. It wouldn’t be the first time it happened. Yet… She was left with a profound emptiness every time because she knew it would end. Her cold, and dead body, felt warm again. It was as if joy had found its way back into her heart.

It was Pinkie Pie. Of course, who else would it be? That mare would always be with her when she needed it. When she was sad, it was her who responded to the call! Alter Twilight couldn’t… She couldn’t fail her now! Pinkie’s hum slowly turned into a song, touching the monster’s very soul.

“No more sadness,
No more cries,
I'll make you smile,
Once you kill her, it's party time…”

Yes. Yes. This Twilight was the last one. The corpses in her castle were proof of her past failures, but she knew that one was the answer! She was the only one who needed to die! When it would be done, then everything would go back to how it was! She could see it already! She envisioned it so many times! She would be surrounded by the ones she loved, living happily ever after without ever thinking about her past mistakes! Alter Twilight swiped her arms in an arc, razing the ground and the few town debris spread around, flinging them into the sky; yet her counterpart jumped high in the air, taking off with her wings higher and higher. She believed she could escape just because Alter Twilight couldn’t fly?!

Alter Twilight opened her mouth again, focusing her magic inside it again; this time, expecting a smaller power output to avoid vaporizing her target. Just like earlier, another voice made itself known from inside Alter Twilight’s guts, pumping her up with more energy than ever before. It was Applejack, who else? She always felt so strong around her, like the alicorn was actually worth something! Applejack sang. She sang to make her understand how valuable this Twilight was… To make her understand that this was it. Now or never.

“No more pain,
No more lies,
If you fail now, it's over,
You have to kill her.”

She would kill her. Then she would be done with it. She wouldn’t have to lie or trick anyone ever again! She fired the concentrated beam of magic out of her mouth in Twilight’s direction, hoping this would finally incapacitate her. However, the alicorn created a shield just in time, causing a great explosion upon contact. Alter Twilight followed a trail of smoke coming out of the blast, realizing it was her counterpart… Flying away! This time, Rainbow Dash’s voice filled her with confidence, encouraging her to pursue the attack without giving her any respite!

“We’ll fight by your side,
So don’t slow down,
Attack from every side,
Put her down,
And we’ll fly together again.”

The sun was gone, but she swore that as soon as she would activate the Hexstone, she’d bring it back! They would watch it set while flying like they did before! It would be like nothing changed! So she growled furiously while her hands attacked Twilight from every side. She was big and slow, but she would corner her counterpart like a little mouse and take her out! Finally, Twilight found herself between the monster’s two hands, ready to clap her. The lavender mare raised her horn high, and blasted the two hands away, making some of their fingers crumble away. Alter Twilight screamed with rage. Her body… Her body was decomposing again! The spell protecting her body was getting weaker! She needed to calm herself! She needed… A wave of warmth washed over her again, calming her down. She found comfort, like a child being embraced by their mother. Rarity… She softly whispered the unicorn’s name.

“This is the final light,
The one you’ve always sought,
The key to your salvation,
Darling, end this now, or all is for naught.”

Of course, she would end this now. If she didn’t, then all the deaths she caused would have been for nothing. But most of all, she would never see her loved ones again. It seemed that even though Twilight had blasted the Alter’s hands away, she had still taken a bad hit. The alicorn crashed into the ground, still gripping the Hexstone with all her might. She wasn’t allowed to do that! It didn’t belong to her! Alter Twilight quickly crawled toward the fallen mare and raised one of her hands the moment she was within reach. She would crush all her bones now, and make sure she wouldn’t fight back anymore! Nevertheless, something made her pause at the last second. A soft, and quiet voice sang into her ear. It was barely perceptible compared to the other ones, yet, it still reached her ears. Even though various other Time Paradoxes surrounded them, growling with hunger. She could still hear it.

“What if there's another choice?
What if the bloodshed isn't fate?
What if kindness is the way?
For the ones you love, please… end this now.”

What… Nonsense.

Alter Twilight’s voice echoed across the desolate world as she sang once more, in unison with her friends.

“Only one foe to sever,
Only one life to take,
Only one soul to break
And once I kill you, my torment is over.”

The vibrations caused by her voice blasted everything around her away, including the monsters which were quickly vaporized by small magical blasts. The original Twilight was hurled across the ground, tumbling several times before coming to a halt amidst the debris. Despite the impact, she clung tightly to the Hexstone in her hooves. She just wouldn’t let go.

Nevertheless, Alter Twilight regained her senses, knowing that this would only make her spells even more unstable. She couldn’t let her body die. Even if she remained as a soul, she couldn’t do any magic without a horn, thus the universe would still come to an end. This wasn’t allowed to happen.

The hulking mass she called a body began shifting again, shrinking on itself until she was back to herself. Her half-rotten self, but still. The taller alicorn calmly walked toward her counterpart, who still seemed to be conscious. The original Twilight grunted while lifting herself to her hooves.

“Sorry for losing my cool…” Alter Twilight apologized in a strained voice. No matter how much she wanted to hide it, the anger her counterpart got out of her had been bothersome. Keeping emotions in check was difficult, even after all this time. No matter… Soon, she wouldn’t have to worry about any of this anymore. “This wasn’t supposed to be such a drawn-out chase, or rather fight. I am tired of fighting. Do you understand? This ends now, my other self… Thank you for your sacrifice“ Just as she was about to light her horn and be done with it, weak whimpers came from the original Twilight. Were they whimpers? Alter Twilight couldn’t tell as she could barely hear her, and the face was hidden behind her mane. Did the other Twilight finally understand her time had come? However, much to Alter Twilight’s shock, her counterpart, with her face filled with tears, raised her head for their eyes to meet.

“You were right…” She suddenly said between cries, making Alter’s eye widen.

“What?” She uttered, confused. What was she talking about now? This must have been some kind of trick to buy time or distract her. Not that it mattered, no one would help Twilight now. Her friends could never possibly find the other stones in their respective universes. At least one of them should have ended up in an apocalyptic world if not all of them. After all, there was nothing but pain in this miserable existence…

“About what you said earlier…” Twilight weakly clarified, standing up with shaking legs. “I am privileged. I have a loving family, I am a princess, and most of all, I have wonderful friends without whom none of what I’ve accomplished would have been possible… I’ve truly been blessed… I have an amazing life! So, no, I couldn’t possibly understand what you went through or how much you suffered,” The alicorn said with a weak smile. “I’m sorry… I’m so sorry you had to go through that!” She apologized, tears streaming down her face.

Alter Twilight froze. For a second, she believed her counterpart was pitying her, but no. Her eyes told a different story. Rather than pity, it was sympathy. Twilight genuinely hurt for her. Why? She was trying to kill her! So why did she feel bad for Alter?! She should hate her! Why?! She couldn’t understand. What was wrong with her?! Why did she shed tears for her?! It was as if the raw emotions, the magic slipping out of Alter’s body, connected with Twilight and shared her pain with her. Or perhaps the alicorn was simply moved by the sadness in Alter’s voice once she sang. Theory after theory flashed before Alter Twilight’s mind, but still… The reason didn’t matter, did it?! No explanation would satisfy her anyway because…

“This… This doesn’t change anything,” Alter Twilight muttered in disbelief. She was still killing her, no matter what. She lit her horn, only for her other self to speak again.

“I know, but it doesn’t have to be this way,” Twilight wiped her tears away. “Let’s save our friends together, then go with me,”

The light left Alter’s horn again.

“Huh?” She uttered in shock.

She couldn’t be serious. She wasn’t actually suggesting for her to… Go live in her universe, was she?

“Even if I don’t understand your feelings, I know it must have been painful… Because I can’t imagine a life without the ones I love,” Twilight explained softly. “It must have been unbearable, but it doesn’t need to be. Come with me! You don’t have to be in pain anymore! You don’t have to be alone anymore!” She offered, extending a hoof toward her.

“This…” Alter Twilight shook her head, confusion, and disbelief written all over her rotting face. It was absurd! “After everything I’ve done?” She questioned.

“You wouldn’t be the first pony I offer redemption to. Discord was accepted! So can you!” Twilight retorted, making Alter shake her head. “You did things that you can never take back, so atone for them. Atone for them by protecting lives,” By protecting Twilight’s friends.

“Look at me,” She coldly replied. “I am blind, yet I can see. My heart doesn’t beat, yet I live. My lungs decomposed, yet I breathe. My muscles are rotten, yet I can walk and fly… I am an abomination—a monster. Nature itself would reject me. Do you believe they could accept something as putrid as…”

However, Twilight stepped forward before Alter could finish her sentence, cutting her off.

“Do you think they’d care? Mom and Dad would see you as a second daughter! Shining would see you as a second sister!” She retorted loudly and firmly, believing in every word she spoke. “Our friends…” She said more softly. “They wouldn’t care. They would accept you, and welcome you as another friend. Don’t you want that? You can have a family again! You can have friends again! You… You don’t have to be scared anymore,” Twilight extended her hoof again, staring at her counterpart with a hopeful gaze. “Let’s go home. Together,”

Alter stared at the outstretched hoof with an unreadable expression, contemplating the choice presenting itself before her.

Author's Note

Yo! Surprise update! The moment I finished the song, I started working non-stop on the chapter all day! It really inspired me to write it, and that's the full song by the way, think of it as a musical song:

Only one foe to sever,
Only one life to take,
Only one soul to break
And once I kill you, my torment is over.

Endless pain, countless deaths,
Running out of time, running out of paths.
Only one more life to take
One last step is to BREAK!

(Hallucination Pinkie's part)
No more sadness,
No more cries,
I'll make you smile,
Once you kill her, it's party time…

(Hallucination Applejack's part)
No more pain,
No more lies,
If you fail now, it's over,
You have to kill her.

(Hallucination Rainbow Dash's part)
We’ll fight by your side,
So don’t slow down,
Attack from every side,
Put her down,
And we’ll fly together again.

(Hallucination Rarity's part)
This is the final light,
The one you’ve always sought,
The key to your salvation,
Darling, end this now, or all is for naught.

(Hallucination Fluttershy's part)
What if there's another choice?
What if the bloodshed isn't fate?
What if kindness is the way?
For the ones you love, please… end this now.

(Everyone minus Fluttershy)
Only one foe to sever,
Only one life to take,
Only one soul to break
And once I kill you, my torment is over.

I did my best guys