The Pony with Two Souls

The magical orb surrounded her as the concrete pieces lifted away. A clamor of metal and stone banging and crashing as she cleared the way. Twilight rose, her left hind-leg wounded, and her magic dwindling. From the rubble, she shook. Her mane was a mess of rocks and dust.

It was impossible, to have survived. The school she’d loved so dearly for all her life. All of it was gone before her very eyes. Only left with chunks of concrete and the remains of walls that hadn’t completely fallen. She’d lived here for years, and prior, had devoted her childhood to the study of magic. This was all she’d had… nearly all that had mattered to her.

And worst of all, the loss of her beloved Professor. A Professor that had taken her, and her teammates under her literal wing. Princess Celestia was gone now.

The Changeling Queen had taken something from her that she would never be able to get back. More than a building, which realistically could be rebuilt in time. Their age-old ruler had moved on to the Ever After.

“Twilight!” Her brother’s voice called, “you’re alive!” Tears spilled over his cheeks. While Shining Armor had been on the front line of the battle, he’d never gone back into the school… therefore he was not exactly injured when the building collapsed. He rushed to her aid… “oh Twilighy, let me help you.”

Cadence’s wings pattered as she landed beside her fiancé and his sister. “Let’s get you to a medic…”

“The Changelings… where are they?” Twilight asked, it was clear time had passed, she’d been knocked unconscious in the rubble, but somehow still survived.

“They’re gone.” Cadence said calmly, the cuts on her face and disheveled mane juxtaposed her usual delicate beauty. “The queen… we think she- well, went when Celestia did, but most of the others got away.”

“And the Maiden Power?” Twilight whined in a sense of urgency and pain… it was growing increasingly evident that her leg was indeed broken.

“We’ll explain everything later. We need to get you to a doctor or something.” Shining Armor demanded.

“It is a miracle that any pony would ever survive… well having a building quite literally collapse on top of them.” The doctor said, tapping his pen against the clipboard as he spoke to Shining Armor. While he was emotionally and physically exhausted, he was pretty much unscathed. “And with only a single broken bone to show for it, your sister must be one hell of a pony.”

Shining Armor sighed out, looking toward his fiancé who sat silently on the chair. Her face glistened with the ointment used to treat her minor wounds. She seemed so far away. He then turned toward the room his sister had been placed in. He had been certain Twilight was crushed. Rushing back in, to ‘save’ the Princess or ‘save’ the Elements of Harmony. She had been so careless.

She knew the changelings had sought to destroy the school, still she ran back in. She wanted to be a hero, but it almost ended up costing her her life.

“She’s something alright.” Shining Armor replied, feeling the mixture of anger and relief.

One Month Later

Shining Armor stood in his full Captain garb. Not only was he now Captain of the Royal guard, he was also appointed the interim headmaster of the School for Gifted Unicorns.

While construction had already begun on the new school, the old school had only begun to be fully deconstructed and removed.

There was a lot more than rubble that needed hauled away, and that took great care and effort to accomplish. It was safe to assume that the original site of the school would soon be turned into a memorial.

“You look very handsome.” The Alicorn cooed. She wore a smile, though their spirits were stoic. The crown on her head was not Celestia’s, but it held the same symbolic significance. She was the crowned monarch of Equestria, seeing as Luna had turned the position down.

Twilight hobbled in, thanks to her casted hind leg. She was dawning a formal gown to honor the occasion. “Are you sure you need me to speak on your behalf?”

“It is customary for somepony else to give a speech at such inaugurations.” Cadence insisted, still wearing her regal smile.

In the time since her sparing match with Queen Chrysalis, she had grown quite comfortable with her wings being on full display.

She had spent much of her adolescence and early adult life hiding them away. Celestia had always feared making Cadence a target by revealing her true identity. But now, with the cat out of the bag, there was an air of freedom about her. Perhaps it was that half the weight of her secrets had been lifted. Perhaps it was that Celestia was no longer there to breathe down her neck.

“Twily, you’re literally like, the smartest pony I know. Plus, you have a crazy survival story. You’re going to rock it.” Shining Armor insisted casually. “It’s been pretty rough for us lately, and I get that. I just need you by my side for this.”

Twilight nodded along, knowing how important this speech was to not only Shining and Cadence, but to the whole of Canterlot. The city, and all of Equestria, had suffered a great loss. The new school was a symbol of overcoming such loss. She was a symbol of it too. “Right, I know.” She began. “Just, haven’t been out much since the fall of Celestia, is all.”

Cadence patted the front of her fiancé’s suit jacket, laying the collar flat. “Don’t sweat it okay, we’re gonna get through this.”

“One day at a time.” Shining added. “Even if today is a little harder than most days.”

The new school was a fraction of its predecessor. Obviously, given that it was still in construction, it was not fair to judge the potential the new school would have. Though, Twilight could hardly see it as equal.

The front of the main building had been constructed as a facade, purely for viewing. Mainly for today, so that Shining Armor could have some ground to stand on while talking about how ‘up’ the future was looking.

There were five completed classrooms, and a single-stalled bathroom.

The bathroom is where Twilight found herself… frantically reading and rereading her speech.

She had always been so precise, but the fact of the matter was: she had yet to fully recover from the fall, there were a lot of emotional and mental barriers standing between her and accepting that the school and the Princess were truly gone. All of her time was spent trying to grapple with her new reality, and the idea that if she had done something differently, perhaps Celestia would not have done what she’d done. That one or both of the things she’d lost might still be here.

Twilight held up the paper, using her magic to straighten out the corners. She looked in the mirror as she read. “Ladies and gentlecolts…” she breathed out. “Thank you for-“ suddenly a sharp pain came from the middle of her neck, down to the center of her spine.

Since she had been clobbered by concrete and steel, she had had such pains. This was only a momentary distraction. “T-thank you for coming out to celebrate this momentous occasion-“

The pain, however, began to radiate in a central location. The middle of her back, on either side of her spine. Usually, she would have sporadic pains, her doctor had said they would subside. Though, this was different.

She choked back, using her hooves to support herself on the sink vanity. She looked in the mirror now, discarding her written speech. A cool feeling washed over her face, she felt lighter than air. And for a second, the pain had melted away.

And for that very same second, her vision became speckled with black spots… bigger, floating specks, until her peripheral vision was gone.

Luckily, she had the vanity to support some of her weight, but as she fell forward, she took the entire ceramic appliance down with her. With the crash, she seemed to be awakened from her trance.

Her eyes fluttered opened, and to her dismay, the entire bathroom was destroyed! She looked around, and out the tiny window… the sun showed midday. No, impossible, her speech was meant to be any minute… she’d been in the bathroom for hours!

As she frantically searched through broken chunks of material and water, she found her sopping wet speech. “Oh what’s the use!” She lamented, tossing the ruined paper back down. She would just have to wing it.

As she passed the mirror, she tried once more to gain some composure. She looked over her face, no signs of anything having gone wrong.

Tapped her horn, even shot a tiny blast to test its capabilities. Yes, all was certainly fine, she’d likely just had some sort of emotional attack. That was why she had fainted, there was no other likely explanation.

She turned to check her body, stretching up her wings instinctively. They were large, and not much like a peagsi’s wings. More like that of Celestia or Cadence.

Twilight thought for a moment, tracing the wing with her hoof.

Wings… Wings… WINGS?!

No, those certainly had not been there before. It is almost guaranteed that she would have remembered growing wings.

And as she fully outstretched both her wings, with a look of sheer terror, something fell from within them. A small purple gemstone. “Oh no…” she muttered, realization washing over her. “The element of Generosity…”

“Where is Twilight?” Cadence hummed under her breath. She stood beside her fiancé, waving in guests at the new front gate.

“Your guess is as good as mine.” He replied.

“Maybe this is just all too much for her.” Cadence huffed, “I thought giving her a shove might help, but maybe it’s better if we just take her home.”

Twilight paced the wet floor, her steps making a disgusting squishing sound. She knew Celestia’s fears of Cadence being found out… thought she didn’t know their origin…

She worried and fretted. If she fled, she would let down her brother and soon-to-be sister in law. Everypony in Equestria would see her as a flake.

And if she stayed… everypony would probably notice the horn and wing combo she was now ‘rocking’ as her brother would put it.

“Twilight.” The familiar voice took her by surprise. “Twilight Sparkle, it is I.”

Twilight looked around, searching for somepony who would play such a cruel practical joke on her in her vulnerable state. “That’s not funny!” Twilight barked aloud.

The voice seemed calm, much more so than the last time Twilight had heard it. “You need not speak aloud, I am within you.”

Twilight wailed, sitting down and soaking her dress in the broken-sink water. “Oh! Now I’m hearing voices! Great! Just awesome. They’re going to throw me in the place where the ponies bark and steal slippers.”

Celestia’s voice was not calming, though that is what she intended it to be. “I can explain this all to you later, but right now I’m going to help you get out there for your speech… and I’m going help you hide your wings.” Twilight had seemed to accept that her mind was slipping from her, she offered no objection. “Speak into the Element and you may communicate with the other ones. The pony you need is in possession of the Element of Magic. I cannot speak with you long, our connection is not strong enough now but-“

And like that, Twilight felt her slip away… like a part of her mind had been wiped clean.

Rarity held the needles with her magic, a swarm of blue melding with the knitting project she was working on.

As she sat so peacefully, knitting the day away, a strange voice echoed from beneath her bed.

Leave it to her sister, Sweetie Belle, to hide a radio or something of the like under the bed to play a trick on her.

Annoyed, she put her project down. Making her way over to the bed, and taking a peer underneath. “-Twilight Sparkle. I need your help, whoever you are. Please-“

Rarity quickly pulled Celestia’s crown out of the bag she had fashioned to protect it. Prior to the fall, Celestia had entrusted her with the crown. Though, she was not certain why she had been chosen, she would have done anything her princess had asked of her.

The stone in the center of the gold plating seemed to be speaking to her.

“Oh well, Darling… I’m not sure you can hear me.” She began.

“Yes! Yes! My name is Twilight Sparkle, I need help!” The stone said.

Rarity hummed, knowing the pony, but unsure if the pony knew her in return. “Well, I’m Rarity… what can I do for you?”

Rarity appeared in the hallway in a flash of magenta light. Twilight had to have been a very powerful unicorn to teleport a pony in a location unknown to her, clear across Equestria.

“Twilight, Darling, I’m here.” Rarity said, announcing her arrival. As Twilight opened the door, Rarity could hardly recognize her. Compared to the pony she’d once known, given the tattered formal wear and the… well… wings. “Oh Twilight.” She said sympathetically.

“You see my dilemma.” Twilight said, lifting a single wing.

“Indeed- you want them hidden?” Rarity asked with care. Twilight nodded, and with that the unicorn got to work fashioning the dress into something more… appropriate.

“You were late.” Shining Armor shouted. His patience was growing thin. He had been understanding of Twilight’s healing, but she had been dismissive of his. In asking her to do one thing for him, she made him look foolish by arriving late.

“I’m sorry.” Twilight replied pitifully.

“You know how important this was to me, so tell me, what were you doing? What was so important?”

Twilight sighed, looking the couple over. “It’s fine to tell them, they won’t hurt you.” The voice said. It was clear to her only she had heard it.

As she unzipped her dress, the wings sprung free, much to their surprise.

“No, no, no, no.” Cadence said, literally flying between Shining and Twilight. “You can’t be, no she wouldn’t.” Twilight’s eyes grew wide. “She wouldn’t have chosen you, right?”

Twilight’s head fell, not sure how to reply, as she wasn’t even sure what Cadence meant. “Celestia?”

“Oh no!” Cadence wailed dramatically. “Why?”

Shining Armor’s face was red with anger. “What are you two going on about!”