Twilight Sparkle felt a drop of sweat slowly make its way down the side of her face. The temptation to wipe it away briefly crossed her mind before she shoved the thought away and collected her focus, the ignored drop of sweat making its way to her jawline and collecting for a moment before falling and joining a puddle that had formed at her front hooves. Twilight gritted her teeth, pushing more and more magic into her horn, the appendage glowing brighter and spitting more and more sparks as the princess lowered her head and braced her stance. She could feel the spell closing in on completion, her horn aching as the magical buildup swirled and coalesced at the tip. Her horn was burning from the immense power that she hadn’t channeled before and Twilight worried for a moment that she would be unable to finish casting the spell, racing against an internal clock as she drew more and more power, risking a burnout that was rapidly drawing closer and closer. She just…needed…a little…
A strained groan left her lips as her horn split, a jagged crack running from the tip about halfway down before it stopped and splintered off in an upside down y shape. Thankfully the branches stopped just before meeting one another and Twilight managed another grunt as she forced one final burst of magic through her horn. A weight lifted as the spell finally took form and a beam made of pure essence left her horn, directed at the diamond in front of her. The gem absorbed the light, glowing a bright, almost blinding purple as it greedily ate the magic being fed into it. Symbols etched into it began steadily glowing as the magic began to collect around them, a deep purple hue settling, thrumming with a power so strong that Twilight could feel it even as she grew unsteady and the world lost focus. She stumbled as the flow of magic ceased, and her vision darkened for a moment, straining to focus on her creation before she tipped forward and fell on her chin, unconscious before she hit the ground.
•••
It was dark, her mind too exhausted to come up with anything other than an endless expanse of perpetual nothingness. There were flashes of color and sound, but nothing she could latch onto until she was jolted awake. The world came to her quickly and without any warning, one moment empty and quiet, and the next moment too much and too loud. Colors were blurred and there were shouts and panic as ponies hustled around wherever she had woken up to. There was a pressure near the base of her horn that was decidedly not pleasant and a keening wail began that she didn’t recognize as coming from her until her throat became ragged and raw, the pain making her aware of a thousand other aches and pains that raced all throughout the rest of her body. There was a shout moments before there was a small prick in her back leg that barely registered through the rest of the pain. In moments she was gone again, but this time her mind wasn’t empty.
Flashes of her notes, sprawled messily across her private research room. Thoughts of her friends, all five of them slowly beginning to show their age. Family that she had lost, resurfacing and tormenting her before flowing away into the cacophony. Things began to slow, and when she was next aware enough, she was in a garden. Her safe haven. Her dream. A ring of vibrant green hedges encircled the area, various different colored flowers and a rose bush or two lining the inner circle. In the center was a large tree, a picnic blanket and basket laid out underneath its sprawling branches. Butterflies fluttered about and a distant birdsong could be heard, with no discernible origin point. It was peaceful.
She didn’t know how long it was before she became aware of another presence. Turning her head slowly, she caught sight of one of her old mentors, Luna. The other alicorn simply stood there, watching Twilight with a saddened look on her face as her ethereal mane swirled through the dreamscape. Twilight turned away and lowered her head, her eyes not focused on anything, hoping in her head that Luna would simply let her be.
“Twilight Sparkle.” Of course it couldn’t be that simple. Luna waited for a moment, perhaps to let Twilight speak up, before taking a step forward and lowering her head, nuzzling the mare on the ground. “All you had to do was talk to us, me and Tia would have immediately come.”
Twilight felt anger begin to swell up before she bit back the retort that was brewing, taking a deep breath and willing herself to calm down. It took a few moments for her to find her voice, “Why are you here, Luna? Surely you didn’t just happen to be patrolling dreams in your spare time.”
There was a soft shuffle as Luna settled down next to the younger alicorn, leaning into Twilight as she spoke, “Spike sent us a letter after one of your guards found you. He says that there was dark magic in that room Twilight. Please don’t tell me that you’ve been working with forbidden spells.” There was another flare of anger as Luna spoke and Twilight bit her lip hard enough to draw blood, forcing herself to stay her tongue as she battled internally. “If this is about Pin-”
Twilight whirled on the elder alicorn, her fury barely contained as she spat, “What else would it be about Luna?!”
Luna pulled away and Twilight could see the look of pity forming on her face as she spoke softly, “This is simply the way that mortals go Twilight. We are meant to be among them, to enjoy the lives that they lead, to help guide them…but there must be an end, and we must accept that. There is no changing this Twilight.” Luna’s words hurt and Twilight felt a sting deep in her soul as she processed the words. “I am sorry.”
Twilight’s anger flared up higher than before, threatening to overwhelm her as she glared at the previous princess with tears in her eyes, her voice cracking as she shouted, “If you were really sorry, you would have been here to help!” She willed the dream to end, forcing Luna out of her mind and dragging her subconscious into the waking world.
•••
Twilight became aware of a splitting headache immediately, keeping her eyes closed as a low groan escaped her throat. She heard shuffling around the room as the rest of her body began making her aware of the various aches and pains that were throbbing dully in time with her heartbeat.
A presence settled down beside her, softly gripping her hoof as a warm voice drawled out, “Land sakes Twi, don’t y’all never learn?”
Twilight cracked her eyes open and blearily focused on her good friend Applejack sitting in a seat next to her, the room slowly coming into focus around her and revealing a sterile hospital room. A small smile flickered across Twilight's face as she croaked out, “I don’t think I ever will Applejack.” She studied the other mare’s face, her eyes tracing along the wrinkles that had formed around Applejack’s eyes and mouth, giving the mare a motherly aura, warmth radiating off of her even as a stern look settled across her face.
It was quiet for a few seconds, both mares simply lingering in the other’s company. “What was it this time sugarcube,” the elderly mare asked softly.
“I was…” Twilight began before drifting off. “It’s something to help you girls. Just for a little longer at least, while I worked on something more permanent.”
Applejack let her finish, even as a frown took shape while the alicorn spoke. She was silent for a few moments, her eyes flipping up to Twilight’s horn and tracing the crack that Twilight was sure looked awful. The orange mare drew a deep breath before she sighed heavily and spoke, “I know…” Applejack trailed off, closing her eyes and taking another deep breath, tears welling up.
“I just can’t stand to lose anyone else AJ.” Twilight felt tears threatening to spill from herself too, a desperate plea taking form in her throat before dying as the other mare opened her eyes and fixed her emerald gaze on Twilight.
“It’s been hard on everyone, sugarcube. This isn’t a healthy way to cope with this though. What if we lost you too?” Applejack was silent for a moment, collecting her thoughts before continuing, “I know ya don’t want to hear this Twi, but it’s a part of life. We can’t all be immortal, hun.”
Anger flared up briefly before Twilight stomped it down, “I just… What if you could though? I’ve been doing research and-“
Applejack raised a hoof, stopping Twilight in her tracks, “I don’t want it Twilight. Whatever it costs, I promise you, it’s not worth it. Especially if it puts ya here…and I can promise ya that the other girls would agree with me.”
Twilight turned her head, tears beginning to overflow as the anger she had trampled down began to flare up again, higher and higher until something snapped and she spoke in a hollowed out voice, “Then go, Applejack. There’s nothing here for you.”
It was silent in the room, Twilight still unable to look at the mare sitting in the chair next to her. She heard Applejack get up, giving her hoof one more squeeze before she let go and made her way to the door. There was a pause and she spoke, “I know you don’t mean that. We love you Twi, and I know you’re in pain. We’re all here for ya.”
With that, Twilight was left alone, the only sound in the room being the monitor attached to her and the sobs heaving from the chest of a broken mare.
•••
It didn’t take long for everyone to notice that Twilight wasn’t performing her royal duties. Her cabinet she had formed helped her keep everything under wraps as long as they could, but word still got out that the Princess was in the hospital. Panic began to spread but was quickly stomped out, news being spread that she just needed a break from her duties due to stress. There were daily reports that she was making great progress and would return to her duties soon. As it was, Twilight felt like she was barely hanging on, worried about who she was going to lose next, and unable to convince any of her friends that visited to even think about her offer. It was killing her slowly. When she was told that Celestia had arrived to see her, she could barely hold it together long enough to tell the guard to send her away. She couldn’t face her old mentor right now.
It was a week before she was released, and she was warned against using excess amounts of magic while her horn healed, the appendage still wrapped in magical gauze meant to help restore a unicorn’s horn. Rather than resume her royal duties, she locked herself away in her bedroom, relieved she had put ponies in place to be able to run the country in her absence. There was still the occasional noble who wanted to talk to her, but she turned them all away. She poured herself into her studies, pulling book after book from the royal archives as she searched for some way to keep her friends around, coming up blank at every turn, searching and scanning with a frenetic fury that bordered on-
There was a knock at the door. Her guard, Steel Braun. Informing her that…Fluttershy was gone. The mare had passed away in her sleep, with Discord and her animal friends surrounding her. Twilight sat down hard, unable to process the information being given to her. She heard Steel Braun say something, but it didn’t reach her. The door shutting caused her to flinch, and she stood up. Eyes glazed over, she gazed around her room, taking in the pictures of her friends, whom she was losing one by one. A weight settled on her shoulders, heavy and unmoving as she slowly began to unravel. She turned to her balcony, opening the doors and stepping out into the cool evening. The amulet around her neck began to glow and her magic gently reached out, grasping ahold of the celestial bodies in the sky. She slowly lowered the sun, tears falling freely from her eyes as she brought the moon out. She painted the stars in the sky, allowing her pain to flow as she filled the night sky, expressing herself as best as she could. Before she knew it, there were two new constellations in the sky. Two of the Elements of Harmony, shining brightly as they watched over Equestria, her kingdom. Twilight traced the sight of butterflies and three balloons, feeling her heart break as she broke down into sobs that wracked her body. It was a quiet night in Equestria.
•••
Twilight jolted awake in the dark, the moonlight streaming in through her window leaving the corners of her room exceptionally shadowed. It couldn’t hide the state of her room though, books strewn across the floor and papers scattered in the moonlight. Candles burned down to the wick strewn around the room, adding to the mess that had been growing in the weeks since the news of Fluttershy's passing. She was unsure of why she was awake, laying in her bed, ears straining to make out whatever it was that her body had deemed important enough to break through the veil of rest. A shuffle, quiet enough that she would have brushed it off if not for the slight creak of a door that followed it. Slowly turning her head, eyes scanning the darkened room, she caught the sight of a low orange glow surrounding a horn. It illuminated a cloaked figure, Twilight unable to make out any details other than it being a pony. The same orange glow surrounded a book and lifted it to the pony, allowing them to briefly scan the title before the figure shook their head, returning the book to the pile before picking another one up. Twilight watched them go through four or five books before she slowly moved, getting out of bed with a grace that defied her stature. She collected herself to her full height and spread her wings, making herself look as imposing as she could before she stepped behind the pony.
“Can I help you, my little pony?”
The figure froze, their magic cutting out and dropping the book that was in their grasp, landing with a thud on the ground and causing Twilight to wince before she resumed her stern glare. The pony slowly turned around, the hood falling back to reveal a stallion with wide eyes, the moonlight reflecting in them as he took in the sight of the princess. His mouth wordlessly opened and closed, attempting and failing to give Twilight any explanations. Her horn flickered, causing her to wince as a small flash of pain spiked into her head, and the candles in the room lit, giving Twilight a clear view of the stallion currently in her room. Before her stood a deep orange stallion, his olive eyes fluttering as he attempted to adjust to the light suddenly filling the room. His mane and tail were a deep blue, with a streak of neon blue running through both. He was clearly cowering, obviously terrified of the princess standing before him.
She raised an eyebrow, clearing her throat and asking, “Who are you, and how did you get into my chambers?”
The stallion stammered for a moment before getting out, “I-I-I’m s-s-sorry Princess! I was told by the archives that you h-h-had a b-b-book that I needed for my research.”
Twilight’s brow furrowed at that, “And you just wandered into my room to acquire it?”
“W-well, I was told that you weren’t in h-here…s-so I figured it wouldn’t be…the worst idea I’ve ever had.” Twilight could see him flinching at his own words even as he said them, acutely aware of just how much trouble he had put himself in.
She allowed her wings to slowly rest at her sides, the sight of this stallion in terror making her believe that he truly meant no harm. “And which book, pray tell, are you looking for specifically my little pony?”
“Star Swirl’s Journal, ma’am,” he said, his head hanging heavy on his shoulders.
Twilight narrowed her eyes, “And what exactly are you researching?” The stallion muttered something so low that Twilight struggled to catch it and she huffed briefly, her wings flaring out slightly as she said, “I will not continue playing games, speak plainly your reason for being here or I shall call upon the guard as I should have the moment I awoke.”
The stallion’s head shot up and his eyes went wide before he blurted out, “I’m researching multiversal travel. I’ve heard that Star Swirl had theoretical notes on travel between realities and I am looking to follow up upon his work.”
A brief flash of the mirror leading to Canterlot High ran through Twilight’s mind before she shook her head, “I’m afraid I cannot allow that research to proceed my little pony. I’m sorry you’ve come here only to be denied, but there are some realms of magic that are best left to theory.”
The stallion took half a step back, eyes frantically flicking back and forth, searching for something before he blurted out, “Wait, I need this, please Princess! I have to continue this research!”
Twilight was taken aback at the outburst and she flinched momentarily, shocked at the audacity of this pony, “I’m not sure where this is coming from, but I can assure you that the road that Star Swirl took leads nowhere but to a dead end. Now if you’ll excuse me, I’ll have the guards escor-”
“I can prove it!” Twilight had begun to turn towards the door before the stallion had another outburst, causing her to turn her head over her shoulder, giving the stallion a sad look as he began to ramble, “When I was a foal, there was a magician who came to my town. He had the most amazing act that I had ever seen! He would open these windows into other dimensions, and he showed us all the most amazing sight of these creatures called humans-” Twilight’s eyebrows shot up at that and she quickly turned to face him again, “and they walked on two legs and they were furless and they had such marvels of technology. Have you ever heard of something called a ‘Cell-Phone’ Princess? It’s a magical device, except it doesn’t require any form of magic! If I could just begin research using Star Swirl’s notes I could-”
Twilight’s mind was racing as this stallion began to speak of things no pony should have had any knowledge of. No one except her closest friends knew of the human world, and here he was, speaking about it like he had seen it just yesterday. She had never heard of this traveling magician who could see into other realities but she would be sure to search for information about this after she had dealt with this once and for all. As she opened her mouth to cut the stallion off, something twinged in her heart and she realized she was about to do to this stallion exactly what she had been put through. Why was she about to shut down his dream? If anything, she should be encouraging it, wasn’t that what she had vowed to do all those years ago? To help nurture and grow the dreams of her ponies? Her brow furrowed in thought as she watched the stallion in front of her speak, getting more and more fervent until suddenly the door to her room burst open, two guards entering the room and leveling spears at him.
“Freeze! You are under arrest for trespassing in Princess Twilight Sparkle’s royal chambers! Come quietly and we will refrain from using force in the process of your arrest.” As the guard spoke the stallion in front of her became pale and looked ill, swaying on his hooves as his eyes took in the guards, flickering between me and them before shutting as he lowered his head.
He made to take a step forward before I held a wing out, blocking his path as I looked over my shoulder and said, “Sorry Brawn, I appear to have forgotten to mention that I was having a guest tonight, he’s helping me look over Star Swirl’s Journal before I let him have it for his research.” The orange stallion jerked his head up, eyes wide as he searched my face.
The guards looked between each other for a moment before Steel Brawn gave a small shake of his head, a small smile on his features as he turned back to me, the two of them unleveling their spears at the orange stallion behind my wings. “Our apologies, Princess, it appears to have slipped through the chain of command. We’ll let you two resume your conversation.” He turned to leave, glancing over his shoulder at the two of them, nodding before walking out of the room and closing the door.
Twilight turned her attention to the stallion who she had protectively wrapped in her wing. She could feel him trembling slightly, afraid from the close brush with a cold jail cell if she had to imagine. She drew her wing back, taking a few steps towards the balcony as she thought things over. After a few moments of quiet contemplation she turned back around, catching the stallion standing there watching her. His eyes quickly danced away and he looked lost for a moment before Twilight began to speak. “Now then, my little pony, who do I have the pleasure of working with?”
He spluttered for a moment before choking out, “W-w-working with, Princess?”
“Yes, of course. As research partners. I’m not simply going to let you work unsupervised of course. You did break into the royal chambers of Princess Twilight Sparkle after all, I feel that I am entitled to join you in your research.” He at least had the presence of mind to blush at that, pawing at the ground as he lowered his head.
“My name is Vibrant Light, Princess.”
“It’s a pleasure to meet you, Vibrant Light. My name is Twilight Sparkle, Princess of Friendship.” There was a warmth blossoming in her chest as she introduced herself to the stallion-to Vibrant Light. It took her a moment to recognize it as the warmth of friendship. How long had it been since she’d allowed herself to feel that warmth? How long since she’d let her grief consume her and allow her to drive a wedge between herself and those that were once so close to her. Her eyes gazed out the open balcony door, taking in the sight of the stars. Her gaze landed on the two constellations she had painted in the depths of her despair and rather than a heavy weight descending on her shoulders, she felt a burden begin to lift. She turned to Vibrant Light and gave him a smile filled with warmth, “Thank you.”
Author's Note
New story, new story, new story! Been a while. Got an itch.
If any issues are glaring please let me know, if I'm being honest I haven't seen the end of the show and I'm not sure I haven't messed up any details as I went despite doing a little research as I wrote.
