The Pony with Two Souls

Celestia dragged her heavy leg down the cobbled path. The cloak around her suffocating her wings. It had crossed her mind, though it had not cross Twilight’s, that flying to the clinic would be much less difficult. However, in wanting to keep her Alicorn identity secret for just a little while longer… that was not an option.

“You’re going to be grateful to get this cast off, I guarantee it.” Celestia said proudly, dragging the limb along as if it were nothing. Their spirits were not tied to one another, and seeing as Twilight was the original occupant of this vessel, Celestia could only suppress her for so long. But, with each time she tried, she grew a little stronger, seeping her essence into that of her host.

Twilight was not grateful nor appreciative. “I have a broken leg. Sweet Celestia! What part of that is so hard to understand?”

Celestia chuckled a bit, one: because the expression ‘Sweet Celestia’ was rather humorous. And two: because Alicorn’s simply did not break their bones, it had never happened, and could never happen as far as she was concerned. “Alicorn’s bones do not break, Twilight. I’m sure it healed itself in your transformation. You fret too much.”

“You don’t fret enough!” Twilight spoke aloud now, drawing onlooker’s attention as she seemed to be arguing with herself. Pulling through the captivity she’d been in, Twilight regained some composure. “I am not an Alicorn.” She muttered. “At least, I wasn’t, when I broke my leg.”

Finally they stopped, standing on the front steps of the small medical practice. “Alright, let’s ask the doctor then.” She said confidently.

The doctor trotted in, glasses teetering on the tip of his muzzle. “Well, it seems to be healing quite quickly, but I wouldn’t say you’re ready to remove the cast quite yet.” He hummed. “What’s the rush anyways? Give it two weeks and you’ll be good to go at this rate.”

Twilight’s smirk was strange to see, in a pony that had just been told more-or-less ‘no’. “Thank you, Doctor.” She said, pushing herself off the exam table.

As she moved, the cloak pulled back. The doctor peered over, not in a perverse sort of way… rather in a shocked manner. Doing a double take as she rose to her hooves. His patient had acquired more than just a broken leg, it seemed. “Well, stay off it best as you can…” he said, averting his eyes. “Come back and see me in two weeks.”

Twilight limped, staying off her wounded leg, just as the doctor instructed. “Well, guess I was right.” She said cheerfully.

Celestia was unamused by this, seeing the entire heeling process as a waste of time. “You are so arrogant, you don’t see that Equestria is in danger.”

She rolled her eyes, “Oh, that is just rich coming from you.” Twilight hopped mockingly on three hooves. “Princess of waiting til the last minute? Now you want to be proactive? Well, maybe you should’ve chosen somepony else to help you. Because it’s not going to be me anymore.”

Celestia was bewildered by the hostility, Twilight had been a devoted student. But something had changed, a pony who would’ve given her life to protect Equestria now had no interest in even helping to protect it. “What happened to you? My prized pupil… now so disobedient?” The voice was almost hurt, which just drove Twilight further into her rage.

“I almost died because of you!” Twilight shouted to the silence. Standing in the town square, everypony’s eyes turned toward her.

It was a terribly sad display… a pony who had lost her mind after such a tragedy. She was not to blame for her insanity.

“They all think I’m crazy…” she mumbled softly, taking in the audience’s gaze like a thousand tiny daggers.

“I never asked you to run back into the school.” Celestia replied, matter-of-factly. “You would’ve been of no assistance to me in securing the elements. The only one lost now is the element of Laughter, which, in His hands would make us even. Two and two, which means we have to beat Him to Honesty and Kindness.”

Twilight huffed out a breath, continuing her limping walk. “There is no ‘us’ or ‘we’, only me, and a parasite.” She replied softly.

Back in her room, Celestia had gone silent, which meant Twilight was free from her torment.

The knock came as a disruption to her freedom. “Come in.” She said reluctantly.

Cadence opened the door, wearing a smile so soft it cut through the agitation. “Hi, Twilight.” She said. “Do you want to talk?”

Twilight was sat up on her bed. The sigh of reluctance told Cadence she was intruding, but as Twilight tapped the space on the bed beside her… she took the invitation. “I guess so.”

Cadence carefully settled in, “how are you doing?”

Twilight looked at her sister-in-law, her face was plain… she had never been an emotional pony. Always level-headed, logic-driven. But in that moment, all of her negative emotions burst through the facade of stone. Twilight’s eyes turned from empty pools of thought, to wells of tears. “Not good.” She confessed.

And Cadence knew, all was not well. She knew from personal experience. “I know,” she held her former teammate in a comforting embrace. “I know.”

“I always wanted to be a huntress, but ever since the school fell, I don’t know...” The danger had cast a shadow of disillusionment over them. While she had been so brave, now she felt her bravery was in reserve and it’d been all used up. “Maybe I’d be better off in some other profession.” The whimpering sobs interrupted her speech. There was a moment in which neither of them spoke, neither willing to state the obvious. Twilight may not want to be a huntress any longer, but Twilight was no longer just herself. She had Celestia to answer to now, not just as a teacher, but as an entity within herself. “I guess it’s not that easy.” Twilight added, breaking the silence with a sniffle.

“I know how hard it is, especially at first.” Cadence said, running her hooves over Twilight’s shoulders. “And I know she’s pressuring you, but you’ll need to look inside yourself and find your way.”

Twilight wiped her tears. She was quite ready to end this conversation and get back to her much needed silence. “One day at a time.”

Four Years Ago

Shining Armor stood at the finish line of the trials. His goal was to become a Hunter; more than that though, he wanted to become a member of the Royal Guard.

Sure, he had always dreamed of the high esteem. Fame and fortune, having ponies know his name, but it was more than that. He had the noble dream of knowledge. To know all there was to know of magic and battle.

His sister was much the same. Though, she was a bookworm. Where Shining Armor was the brawn she was the brain.

This was evident to his judge. A Princess older than any pony alive, save for a devious little warlock. Celestia offered him the invitation, yes, but she wanted more. The little filly, hardly old enough to be called a mare, she wanted her too. And not in three years time, she wanted them as a pair.

Twilight was over the moon, for she shared a similar dream to her brother. To know all there was to know, and put it into practice. Her idols were as follows: Starswirl the Bearded, Princess Luna, and above all else: Princess Celestia.

One thing was certain, this pair was meant for the School for Gifted Unicorns.

“Twilight Sparkle.” Princess Celestia said, watching the filly skip on past her. As she turned to meet her with a smile, Celestia smiled too. “Might I have a word?”

Twilight’s smile turned to a sheepish grin, having been called into the ‘principal’s’ office on her first day.

At the desk, the tiny pony peered up at the towering Princess before her. “So, Twilight, I must ask you: why do you want to become a Huntress?”

Twilight shuffled in her seat, getting comfortable before settling on an answer. “Because that’s all I’ve ever wanted to be, Professor Celestia.” She replied simply.

Celestia looked her over, this was a common question she’d asked her students… however, ponies usually saw it was a means to an end. “But, why?”

Twilight’s face twisted, as if her dream were not enough. “To help ponies. To be the greatest and maybe even usher Equestria into eternal peace.”

Such large goals from such a young filly. “I see, to be the greatest, as in; the most famous.”

Her student scoffed at the insulting accusation, “No, I mean the greatest. As in, the most effective. A huntress with the resolve to never break, some pony who never gives up on the betterment of Equestria.”

Celestia was taken aback, sure, she’d had a few students with such ideologies, but in this small purple unicorn… she saw so much of herself. “Right, well, that is a fine answer.” She said. “Be off to your dorm now, would you?”

Twilight peered out her bedroom window, enjoying the breeze and the evening air. The silence was comfortable, until it was gone.

“I’m sorry.” Celestia said, it seemed like an olive branch, but it looked like thorns. “I’m really very sorry Twilight Sparkle, it is just that… I thought you of all ponies would be willing follow my lead, and I forgot that we are not the same pony.”

Twilight’s eyes watched the moon rise, sighing at the voice in her head. “You can’t just highjack my body.” She replied speaking softly to herself.

“I know it was wrong of me…” Celestia began. “I just thought that with a little push you would-“

“And stop trying to justify everything you do, sometimes it’s okay to just be wrong.” Twilight interrupted. “I don’t understand how, in 57 lives, you haven’t learned that.”

Celestia hummed a tune of disapproval, “I suppose I hardly remember what it was even like to happen upon Celestia.” She muttered. “It was thousands upon thousands of moons ago, and she was just a filly. Our souls merged so quickly, there was no pushback from her.”

Twilight listened, but the words made no sense. “Merged? What do you mean?” Her rump fell to the mattress, leaning her body back inside of the room.

Celestia seemed to pause, as if this was something she hadn’t intended to say quite yet. “Well,” she began, the words sounding calculated now. “Eventually there will cease to be a Twilight and a Celestia, there will just be one. The soul with the light spirit burning inside.”

Twilight’s mind reeled, the cold feeling of panic covering her head, and rolling down her spine. “I don’t want to merge with you, I want to be me.”

“You will always be you, you will just, also be me…” she tried, but that was no comfort. “It will just be like… you, but with my memories too.”

Twilight’s breathing became frantic, no matter how you slice it, this would undoubtedly fundamentally alter her personality. And with all of the other changes in her life, this seemed to be the straw that broke the camel’s back. “What is it with you and giving ponies things they don’t want?” She asked, her chest heaving as she tried to steady her emotions. “Tell me how to get rid of you.”

Celestia had nothing to say, no pony had ever tried to… expel her… ponies usually welcomed to the presence of such powerful magic. “What?” She asked in shock.

“I don’t want to ‘merge souls’ with you.” Twilight answered. “How do I make it stop?”

Celestia thought for a moment, sure there had to be a way, but it was uncertain. It had never been done. “Well… we would need all of the Elements of Harmony, the Spirits themselves may be able to separate us.”

“Fine, then we’ll find your Elements of Harmony. And then, I’ll be done with this ‘Saving Equestria’ business.”