Twilight Sparkle sighs. Life hasn't been going well for her. Disasters in some form or another always showed up in the most inconvenient of times. A gust of wind snatching her essay from her grasp. A wayward cow herd making her late for class. A stallion in a rush, knocking her over into the mud. A bugbear escaping Tartarus and wreaking havoc.
Today, she decided on doing something different. Saddlebags full of items, she hopped aboard the Friendship Express and set her sights on a beach. Or, at the very least, a seaside view. She didn't care all that much. Just a beautiful sunset. A twilight, if you will.
It was the middle of the day, so the train was practically empty. There was an old couple in the back, but they seemed to be dozing, leaving Twilight alone with her thoughts. They floated, sunk and surfaced, rippled, distorted, flared up, diminished, faded. Thoughts are funny that way. Her frown was ever present.
***
The sea was beautiful. The world seemed to fade around her, leaving just the scene before her. Pristine green, turquoise, cyan, blue, navy. They all contrasted to make a sea of her dreams. The salty air blew through her mane, it felt nice. Twilight trotted to the end of the pier and never took her eyes off the water.
The sun dipped ever so low, letting her hooftips bleed into the water, adding a plethora of new shades and hues into the already bountiful water. It certainly was something, and Twilight allowed her interest to be held captive as the sun was slowly consumed by the ever constant and ever hungry sea.
The night came out of hiding and blessed the world with its daily gift, a sky full of stars. Dreams and wishes that are just out of reach but are still attainable if reached high enough. Twilight smiled as her favorite constellation danced amongst its brethren.
***
Thinking the night was just a bit too plain for this miserable day, Twilight decided to cast a spell. She pulled out two sparklers from her bag, one for her and one for her dear friend. Starlight Glimmer smiled as she accepted. Twilight smiled in return and sparked her horn in response, the sparklers catching alight.
They started sizzling and sparking as the fire wriggled slowly down the length, as if taking a leisurely stroll down a mountain. The one Twilight had was purple while Starlight had a turquoise one. The two raised their sparklers up high, contrasting the new colors with the untouched night sky.
Twilight slowly dragged her stick down, as if the purple light was falling down from the sky. Twilight could almost see it, a white streak with hints of violet and pink, being painted across the sky. Falling, falling, falling down. The contrail spreading out to add more beauty to the heavens.
***
The world around her was suddenly alight with colors so bright that it hurt to look directly at them. Twilight was in the middle of a meteor shower, one with gravity. Uncertain shapes awash with whites and purples and pinks and hints of blues. Greens accented the edges, complete with yellows and oranges. Twilight was part of this.
The ground came ever so closer. The pier looked so far away from up here. It matched the backdrop behind it, a bustling city, but quiet and still tonight. As if the collective was paying their respects to the fallen. Twilight danced and let the wind take her, down and down. Wet cheeks and all.
The closer they got, the more frantic and active the meteors got. They sparked with a certain intensity, as if urging to fall even faster. Twilight followed their lead and let herself catch on fire, to gain more velocity. To be more colorful and vibrant, to be something significant in the usually dull night sky.
***
Twilight took a step back. A few hoofsteps back down the pier to get a better look at the stunning view before her. A meteor shower suddenly appeared and it was stunning. An uncountable amount of falling stars, each awash with their own vibrancy and colors. The one in the lead, was the brightest.
The ground below her shifted, and then the whole world tilted. The curved arches of the magical scene before her seemed as if it was curving around her. The yellows and blues, greens and purples, oranges and reds formed a halo around her head. It was as if, in that split second, she became gravity itself.
Then the world righted itself and Twilight found herself on the ground. The grass was soft, green, and complete. The night sky above her was already complete, bright pinpoints in a vibrant black canvas, purple cosmic spills occasionally accenting the stories told. The meteors just made that art piece just that little bit more perfect, with the star in the front leading the way.
***
Twilight's sparkler finally fizzed out, bringing back the average into a barren world. The vibrancy and activity of the sparkler seemed to lift the hopes of the scenery around Twilight just for a moment, but now it was back to being flat and uninspiring. As if the color had been leeched and then dried out in a barren desert underneath a boiling sun.
A hoof was placed over Twilight's hoof and she looked up to see who it was. It was Starlight with a warm and understanding smile. She offered another Sparkler, this one still unlit. Without prompting, she sparked her horn and the cold darkness was suddenly bathed in warmth.
The two huddled close together, enjoying each other's company and letting the magic from the sparklers seep into their bones and into the environment around them. The moon shining above them, passively looking down with motherly approval.
***
Twilight awoke, the sun shining high above. It was overwhelming, yet comforting. She felt well rested, and with a smile, made her way home. Leaving the sea behind and it's glory behind.
Author's Note
Inspired by 「海のまにまに」by YOASOBI
