A Perfect Student

by ThatHandsomeDevil

Rating: teen
Tags: Princess Celestia, Tragedy, Twilight Sparkle, My Little Pony: Friendship is Magic, Dark, Sad, Princess Luna, Spike
Length: 4916

Twilight Sparkle is nothing but a perfect weapon. So what happens when she figures that out?

Twilight Sparkle has always been Princess Celestia's perfect student. A model of good behavior, of friendship, and most importantly, raw magical skill.

But what if that magical skill wasn't accidental?

What if Twilight was just a weapon?

And what happens if she finds out?

A very, very special thanks to Ralastas (http://www.fimfiction.net/user/Ralastas) for assisting me in this and writing Twilight's final letter.

Published 2012-11-01 04:40:01 UTC
Last updated 2012-11-01 04:40:01 UTC

1

From the Restricted Wing of the Canterlot Archives:

“Subject 15- Official Title: Twilight Sparkle.

Reference Number: 05376-34289

Subject is currently aged 19, light build, lavender coat with purple eyes, and navy blue hair with a single stripe of light pink and purple next to one another. Genius level intellect, grasp of magic borders on top military personnel level.

Threat level- Currently Green, could possibly reach Orange if incited or activated.

Upkeep: Subject is to be kept unaware of status as Experimental, lest she face an existential crisis which could result in unnecessary casualties of civilians or possibly personnel. Subject is to be held in the company of two civilians who are to pose as parental figures for the entirety of her life, if necessary. Should she ever be activated or become aware of her origins, no fewer than five (5) top-class security personnel are to be dispatched to incapacitate. It should be noted that it has been decreed by Princess Celestia herself that the subject is not to be killed unless it is deemed absolutely necessary.

Subject 05376-34289 is a female unicorn purposefully raised to be a dormant weapon to be used by her Royal Majesty Princess Celestia should such a conflict where it would be necessary for her to do so arise.

Subject currently resides in Ponyville, where Princess Celestia, her self-appointed handler (whom it should be noted Subject 05376-34289 looks to as a dear mentor and friend, thus increasing possible use as a bodyguard should the need for activation arise), has instructed her to ‘learn of the magic of friendship.’ (Report #37). When asked to comment, Celestia stated that ‘(she) is a good pony. She deserves a normal life, despite what we’ve done to her.’ (Report #37)

Footnote 1: Subject was instrumental in the eradication of Nightmare Moon.

Footnote 2: Subject was instrumental in the dismissal of a parasprite (Subject 2) infestation.

Footnote 3: Subject was instrumental in the elimination of Discord (Subject 1)

Footnote 4: Subject was shown demonstrating “slight psychotic tendencies that may have resulted from her trauma as a youth” (from Celestia’s report, in relation to Incident #5638)

Footnote 5: Subject was successfully able, along with Shining Armor (who has been posing as her older sibling, personally hoofpicked by Celestia) and Princess Mi Amore Cadenza, to remove the Changeling threat from Canterlot during Incident #6792.

* * *

From the Diary of “Twilight Sparkle” (enchanted gift presented to Subject 05376-34289 by Princess Celestia that transmits a copy of her writings to an identical journal kept in the Restricted Wing of the Canterlot Archives):

“January 14th- For the past two weeks, I have been experiencing what I can only describe as horrific nightmares. Each night, I dream of the same place. A sterile white environment can be seen, and I am being forced to perform feats of magic above the magical ability I am able to successfully display even now. The pain is immense, and I beg the pony I have deemed ‘The Instructor’ to stop, but they refuse and insist that I comply, lest they return me to ‘Solitary Confinement’. I am unaware of the existence of such a place, but I fear that I may be repressing subconscious memories, for hearing that I may have to return to such a place evokes strong feelings of panic, fear, and in rare cases, rage. I fear sleep; despise it, even. I wish so badly for the nightmares to leave me alone, for these feelings of self-doubt and fear to dissipate so I may once again know peace. I fear for my sanity, and can feel myself spiraling down into bad places. Places in my mind no sane soul should ever have to witness... I feel myself changing, and I fear what I am becoming.”

2

Princess Celestia felt herself being slammed into the ground forcibly. A faint aura of light purple surrounded her, and she felt herself being jerkily yanked up, and slammed into the ground again. The lanterns and candles that normally lit the Restricted Access Wing in the Canterlot Archives had all been extinguished, leaving only the light that was emanating from her captor’s horn to give her any kind of ability to discern what she was seeing.

“Tw... Twilight...” Celestia nearly had to spit out, looking at her former protege with true mortal fear showing in her eyes and every fibre of her quaking frame.

“OH, YOU’RE CALLING ME THAT NOW, ARE YOU? I’M NOT ‘THE SUBJECT’ ANYMORE, AM I, DEAREST TEACHER!?” Twilight Sparkle bellowed, slamming Celestia down again in her blind rage. Twilight’s eyes had lost all semblance of humanity, replaced only by empty white orbs glowing with solid magic, similarly to when Twilight had harnessed the Elements of Harmony to defeat Nightmare Moon and Discord. The pony was suspended in midair, floating not by choice, but from the sheer magical energy she was exerting, which pushed her away from the ground.

Celestia groaned, in the throes of pain the likes of which she had yet to experience, even in her 4,000 year lifespan. Her body ached with the pressure of being held magically, paralyzed by her prized student.

“Why... Why, Twilight? Who told you? Who could have possibly known?”

“I could have. Your security is severely lacking in the archives, you know.” Twilight nearly whispered, not able to look her mentor in the eye.

“Twili-”

“DON’T SPEAK TO ME.”

Celestia recoiled in fear, more terrified of her student than she thought she’d ever be in her entire life, which was looking shorter and shorter in length the longer she was forced to carry on this insane conversation with Twilight.

“ALL MY LIFE, IT HAS BEEN YOU WHO HAS SPOKEN. I HAVE SENT YOU MEANINGLESS LETTERS ON A SUBJECT YOU ALREADY KNEW. THEY MEANT NOTHING. AND NOW IT IS MY TURN TO SPEAK. IT IS MY TURN TO BE HEARD. AND YOU SHALL LISTEN.”

“Twilight... That’s not true... Those letters did mean something...”

Twilight smacked the princess hard with the back of her hoof. The white alicorn’s muzzle swung hard to the right, the sound of hoof meeting cheek echoing through the abandoned Archives.

“PERHAPS MY RECOLLECTION IS FOGGY, BUT I DO NOT RECALL GRANTING YOU PERMISSION TO SPEAK. SO KINDLY SHUT. UP. PRINCESS!!”

The lavender pony was screaming now, no regard left for the painful irony of raising her voice in a library.

Princess Celestia chose to remain silent, her hoof raised to nurse her already-reddening cheek. She glared through slitted eyes at her former student. That was all she could think to refer to her as now. The pony that was floating before her was not anything like the one she had once taught.

Twilight did not speak. She simply floated there, seemingly lost in thought.

4

Hours later, the sun was beginning to set, casting an orange glow across the quaint shops and gardens of the high-class town. Twilight sat on her back haunches, pile after pile of books stacked around her. Pages could be heard flipping at a nearly frantic pace, and the room was tinged with that smell of a freshly opened book, laced as it was with the dust of tomes long forgotten. Spike slept in the corner, having become overwhelmed with boredom.

Twilight, eyes weary with the strain of hours of searching for an answer, shook her head wildly, realizing she just forgotten everything she’d read on the page of her current book “Dreams: A Journey”. Turning away from her pile of books, Twilight walked out into the corridor of the Archives, deciding she needed to get some fresh air.

A little ways off, Twilight could see the Restricted area of the Archives was wide open, the normally locked gate swinging on its hinges, no guards standing watch by it.

Twilight looked back, seeing Spike as he snored, his back against a bookshelf. She let him be, moving stealthily towards the Restricted wing.

I know this is wrong... The unicorn thought to herself, as she began passing shelves stuffed with binders of information reserved only for Princess Celestia and her servants. But... I’ve always wanted to see the information contained in these shelves...

Twilight found herself about halfway down the aisles when something caught her eye. A white binder was a little out of place on the shelf, and on the spine was her cutie mark, along with the words “RRR: ‘TWILIGHT-SPARKLE’ 0-15 #05376-34289”

What in the name of Celestia...? Twilight thought to herself, levitating the binder away from the shelf with her magic. She cracked it open, and sat down to read in the aisle where she sat.

5

I am going to die... Celestia thought to herself. Death had never been something to cross her mind. After all, she was nearly immortal. What qualms had she with death? But now, Death was very real. In fact, it was floating right in front of her face. How ironic. Death had become her student, somepony she had loved, cared for. But now Death was all this pony was good for.

Twilight hadn’t spoken for a long time, frozen in contemplation. Finally, she spoke, no longer even needing to use her mouth, her thoughts escaping her head with a catastrophic volume that threatened to break anything made of glass within the Archives.

I TRUSTED YOU, YOU KNOW.

“I-.”

UNLESS YOU WANT TO DIE NOW, I SUGGEST YOU FIND IT IN YOUR TWISTED, BLACK HEART TO HOLD YOUR LYING TONGUE.

Celestia, not wanting to incite Twilight any further, kept her mouth shut.

I HATE THIS FORM. I HOPE YOU KNOW THAT. I CANNOT CONTROL IT, I CANNOT STOP IT. I CANNOT EVEN CRY. I TRY TO AND NOTHING WILL COME. THE IMAGES OF DEATH, DESTRUCTION, PLAGUE... THEY WILL NOT LEAVE MY BRAIN. THEY DEMAND I VISIT THIS UPON ANYTHING IN MY PATH. I COULD KILL EVERYONE, YOU KNOW. ALL OF THIS LAND, ALL OF THE PONIES THAT LIED TO ME, DECEIVED ME, PURIFIED IN A CASTROPHONY OF FIRE. WHAT SAY YOU TO THAT, PRINCESS?

Twilight practically spat the last word, looking at her mentor with malice that was unmistakable, even without eyes to express her discontent.

Celestia remained silent, her gaze averted away from the weapon, the perfect weapon, that float before her, holding her in place with her magic.

And then there was a pain in her chest. Pain unlike any describable thing. It was as though a hand were squeezing on her heart itself, pumping it; on the verge of destroying it. Celestia cried out in agony and fear, clutching her chest, as though it would stop Twilight’s grip on her rapidly beating heart.

SPEAK!! SPEAK NOW, YOU MISERABLE FOAL, BEFORE I SMITE YOU WHERE YOU STAND!!

“WHAT CAN I SAY THAT WILL MAKE YOU STOP!? WHAT CAN I SAY!? EITHER WAY YOU’LL JUST KILL ME. DO YOU WANT ME TO TELL YOU THE TRUTH!? IS THAT WHAT YOU WANT?” Celestia cried out, choked for breath. Her chest hurt like nothing anypony had ever felt before.

YES. TELL ME WHY YOU LIED. WHY YOU DID THIS TO ME.

“YOU THINK I WANTED THIS FOR YOU!?” Celestia bellowed through tears of agony and misery. “YOU THINK I WANTED TO WATCH THEM TAKE YOU AWAY TO DO AWFUL EXPERIMENTS ON YOU? YOU THINK IT WAS EASY LIVING WITH MYSELF EVERY SINGLE TIME I SAW YOU, ENJOYING YOUR LIFE? KNOWING THAT IF SOMETHING HAPPENED, THEY WOULD FORCE ME TO ACTIVATE YOU!?” Celestia could feel herself slipping, her sanity fading away. Her mind could not take this horrid strain, this realization of just how horribly wrong she was to let this happen.

THEN WHY DID YOU LET THEM!?

“I had no choice...” Celestia said, too weak to scream. Too scared to run, and too tired to fight. She had given up, accepting that her life that was supposed to be infinite would soon be coming to a painful end from a pony she had nurtured. Helped to raise. And she had no one to blame but herself.

You always have a choice. You, the ruler of Equestria. You were scared. You feared the possibility of defeat, of death at the hands of the enemy. Didn’t you?

“Yes. I did. I am the ruler of a land that contains many dangerous, unfamiliar beings. An ambassador of peace will always be met with resistance. Certainly you know this better than anyone.”

Suddenly, the grip of Celestia’s heart increased. It began beating, harder and harder, as though it was aware of the inevitable.

You were my teacher. My friend. I trusted you with everything, and it was all a lie. A lie. A LIE. A LIE.

"PLEASE. PLEASE, TWILIGHT, I DON'T WANT TO DIE. NOT HERE, NOT LIKE THIS." Celestia screamed, all of the sanity she had left as frayed and disheveled as Twilight's mane. Tears and snot ran down her face in streams, and Celestia whimpered, the ruler of the free world reduced to nothing more than a child, begging for her very life.

And I didn't want to be a weapon. Twilight said flatly, crushing her teacher’s heart inward without remorse.

6

Spike awoke from yet another ice cream dream starring his favorite fashionista as a scream pierced the hallways of the Archives. Spike instantly jerked up, looking down the hallway as the scream echoed from the Restricted Wing of the Archives. Spike ran as fast as his stubby legs would carry him, his caretaker already floating above the bookcases by the time he arrived. Her back was to him, but an eerie light emanated from where her eyes were.

"Twilight? W-what's going on?" Spike sputtered, already instinctively backing away from... whatever was in front of him.

The unicorn spun around to face him. Her face was a mask of confusion and simple hatred. The room filled with the stink of burnt paper, the edges of the pages of Twilight’s biography singed by the heat of her magical energy.

“GET OUT. GET OUT NOW BEFORE YOU GET HURT.”

“Twilight, what’s going on?

“I’VE BEEN ACTIVATED. NOW GO.”

“I can’t just leave you here!” Spike yelled, incredibly confused and hurt. Tears were forming in his eyes.

“YES, YOU CAN. IF YOU DON’T LEAVE, I WON’T BE ABLE TO KEEP MYSELF FROM KILLING YOU.”

The tears were flowing freely now, and Spike couldn’t help but come towards his caretaker. The only pony he had ever known, the only pony he could talk with, share his secrets with. The only pony that had ever loved him.

“COME NEAR ME AND I KILL YOU, SPIKE. LEAVE. LEAVE NOW.”

“BUT WHAT IF I NEVER SEE YOU AGAIN!?” Spike yelled. “IT’S NOT FAIR! YOU CAN’T JUST LEAVE ME ALONE!”

Twilight’s horn glowed bright with magical energy, and a bolt of pure magic struck near his foot. Spike jumped away, yelping in fear. He looked up at his only friend. The pony he’d held close in times of trouble, times of doubt, times of fear.

“Is... Is th-this g-goodbye? Goodbye f-...forever?” The baby dragon sputtered, tears running down his face and hitting the ground with soft plops.

“NEXT TIME I WON’T MISS.”

Spike ran then. He loved Twilight, but he didn’t want to die. Especially not by her hoof.

From somewhere down the hallway, the clanking of gold shoes against the floor could be heard. Twilight knew who was coming for her. She supposed it was only natural.

7

After Princess Celestia had collapsed to the ground of the Restricted Wing, Twilight could hear the dark blue curtains behind her fly. She turned to face the sound of the disturbance. It was Celestia’s nocturnal sister, Luna.

“WHAT HAVE YOU DONE!?” the princess of the night cried out, rushing to her sister’s side, no regard for the beast floating in the center of the room.

“YOU KILLED HER! YOU KILLED MY SISTER! YOUR TEACHER. THE RULER OF YOUR LAND. WHY!?”

You didn’t even know, did you? Little Luna, always out of the loop.

“Don’t you dare taunt me, foal. Not now. Not when my only sister is dead.”

Shut your mouth, Princess. You do not know pain. I have lost everything. All by reading a single sentence. You have only lost a member of your family. You will wake up in your bed tomorrow and everything will still be a resemblance of what it once was. You will spend your life in a sort of coma, I imagine, the people around you constantly reminding you that it’s over. What I’ve done, that is. That something like that was bound to happen eventually. And eventually you’ll accept that. Hearing my words will make it harder, sure, because there’ll always be that whisper of doubt. But it will happen. Because for you, there can be a tomorrow. There is no tomorrow for me. Not after what I’ve done.

Celestia, still in the arms of her younger sister, sputtered and coughed, blood laced with traces of magical energy coming from her mouth, Her pristine white fur being stained by it.

“‘Tia!? Sister? SPEAK TO ME!” Luna cried, desperate for guidance.

Celestia chuckled, somehow, despite the mess that surrounded her. Despite the fact that her heart was crushed, weakened, perhaps beyond repair.

“They always did tell me I’d be... hard to kill...” The princess said slowly, evenly. There was no fear left in her voice. No emotion at all, really. “Alicorn magic...”

“Sister...” Luna whispered, her tears falling on her fellow alicorn’s body. Celestia could not even feel them. Her body was numb, paralyzed from shock.

“I’m not long for this world. Don’t think I don’t know that.”

“That’s not true, ‘Tia! We... We can heal you! They can make you better! You have the most magic of anyone, you can keep your heart going!”

The princess smiled.

“But I can’t. Look at Twilight. My former student. She is a danger. She will always be, now. She must be stopped. Permanently. You know neither of us have the magical power to do it ourselves.”

“‘Tia... Please don’t say that... Equestria needs you... I need you!” Luna cried, holding her dying sister close.

“I’m sorry it had to be this way, my dearest sister. Maybe... Maybe this is our punishment. For playing God. Tampering with things we should not. Making ponies... things they should not be.” Tears were now rolling down Celestia’s face, too. Not out of fear. She had accepted her fate. But her sister was scared. Scared of the spotlight. Scared of being the one in control. And she was truly sorry for that.

“Sister... Before we do this. My regalia. My crown. You must take them. Wear them. It’s the only thing that will protect you from being corrupted... Becoming that monster that you so despise again.”

“I could... I could never, dear sister.” Luna said, her voice shaking, cracking. Celestia shook her head weakly, insistent.

“You have to. It’s for Equestria. For the good of Ponykind.”

Luna searched herself, finally conceding, and lifted the chest piece worn by Celestia since she was 500 years old off of her, placing it over herself. After that came Celestia’s gold shoes, and finally, Luna levitated Celestia’s crown, removing her own to make way for it. It fit her perfectly.

Celestia smiled.

“It suits you, my dear sister. Wear it with pride. Think of me when you don it each morning. Remember my sacrifice, and know it was not in vain. As the sun sets, the moon must rise in turn.”

Luna could barely speak through her tears, flowing like a mighty river.

“I... I l-love you, dearest sister.”

“And I you, dearest sister. I always will.”

The two princesses hugged, for the last time. At last, they turned to face Twilight. She had not spoken the entire time the sisters had exchanged words. She had merely floated in silence.

“Any last words, Twilight Sparkle?” Princess Luna asked the pony that was nothing more than a glorified weapon.

There was a pause, and then a pleasant, beautiful voice filled the room.

Dear Princess Celestia.

A gasp escaped Celestia’s lips.

I love you, Princess Celestia. I’m so sorry. So sorry for all that I’ve done. All that I’ve put both of you through. I love you too, Luna. You, and Fluttershy, and Applejack, and Rainbow Dash, Rarity, Pinkie Pie, and especially Spike. Please tell him that. How much I love him. I feel nothing now but love. I am not a pony, but I feel love nonetheless. I love everyone in Ponyville. Everyone I’ve come to know. No matter what, there will always be love.

Your faithful student, now and always...

Celestia was crying now, as was Luna, as their horns began to glow with magic. Stone began to envelope Twilight Sparkle, and she slowly began to return to the ground, the magical Aura leaving her and darkening the room. As the stone reached her chest, her eyes returned to normal, and she looked at the two Princesses. A single tear dropped from her eye as the stone overtook the last of her, and, with her final breath, she spoke two words:

“Twilight Sparkle.”

And then, the unicorn was gone. In her place stood a stone statue, a single tear running down, breaking the otherwise flawless edge of the stone.

“And so, the student surpasses the teacher...” Celestia nearly whispered, finally collapsing next to the stone.

And the only living being left in the room was Luna. Luna and her beautiful night.

8

Five ponies and a baby dragon stood in front of a stone statue in Canterlot Garden the next day. It was awkward, standing there without the glue that held the group together.

Applejack was the first to speak. She was always the one to take lead. She removed her hat, clearing her throat.

"Twilight. Even if you weren't really a pony, you were really our friend. Ah’ll never forget you, Sugarcube. You’re a member of the Apple family now. Forever and always."

Rarity was next.

"Twilight. You were every bit as real as we made you, and no matter what your origins, nothing will ever change that. Every one of us loved you, like a sister. That I know, for certain. I will never forget you."

Fluttershy came third, finding the courage to speak

"Twilight. You helped us all come together as friends, and see the best in ourselves. Thanks to you, I know that friendship really is magic. I... I’ll never forget you. Not ever."

Pinkie Pie was fourth. She was surprisingly solemn, an out of character trait that couldn’t be more appropriate at a moment like this.

"Twilight. You helped us to know that anypony can come from anywhere and still make great friends. Make them laugh and smile. I’ll never ever ever ever ever forget you. That’s four ‘ever’s’."

Rainbow Dash was last. And, for once, that didn’t bother her. Not when faced with something like this

"And you taught me the value of looking past the cover of a book... And so much more... I swear, on my hopes, my dreams, on everything I believe in... I will never forget you."

Spike was the only one who didn’t speak. He hadn’t left from the spot she was since she’d been placed there, after all, since he’d be living with Luna now. Anything that could be said already had, and the rest of the group knew that.

Luna arrived, her hooves striking the ground behind them barely audible.

"My apologies, loyal subjects. I.... was speaking to my sister."

Nopony responded directly to the princess, but they all looked back at the enormous and intricate tomb a little ways off, covered with beautiful flowers, with a sun carved into the side.

Spike retrieved a piece of parchment, closed with the traditional red band with a gold piece with a “C” carved in it.

“We found this... In Celestia’s room. Twilight made me send it before we left. I didn’t know what was on it. She made me send a letter before that saying we were going to the archives, so I imagine Celestia read that and left immediately. It’s still sealed, so she never got to read it.”

The group didn’t speak. Not even the princess. They stood in silence as spike began to read what was written on the paper. Twilight Sparkle’s final rite.

* * *

From the desk of Princess Celestia:

Dear Princess Celestia,

This will most likely be my final report, as I'm unsure of what I may do from this point on. There are these horrendous dreams I've been having for many months now, all the same concept but with differing consequences. I feel a legitimate fear of them, a fear that I have not known even when faced with the most powerful evil that I've known in Equestria. With this in mind I feel as though there is something far more evil lying dormant within me, perhaps in repressed memories. This is the one report that I would like a reply to. I don't know how but I think you can help me, as though you have some role in all of what's going on. This evil I can feel, I know it could overpower any evil I've faced, so I want you to promise me Princess, that if I hurt anybody, I want you to be the one that stops me. Especially if it’s you, or my friends, because, as you have taught me... Friendship is magic.

Your student, faithful as always, Twilight Sparkle.

Final

Spike was the only one to stay after the letter had been read. It had been left at the foot of the statue of Twilight Sparkle. A sort of memento, enchanted to remain in place and be protected from the elements by Princess Luna herself. Spike had long ago fallen asleep, and it was night by the time he jerked awake. The first thing he saw was the moon, scarred with a bright tinge of yellow and red. As his eyes focused he could just barely make out the Sun Princess’ cutie mark emblazoned onto the surface. He looked around, and then back at the statue of Twilight. He wrapped his arms around it, shedding a single tear. He missed her already. Part of him always would. The piece of paper had been moved, somehow, resting on its back. Spike walked over to pick it up, but found a faint trace of something on there. A faint purple glow.

As he came closer, he saw it was writing. It was sloppy, as though it was done by a young filly using their left-hoof even though they were right-hoofed. But Spike could still make it out. There were six simple words, but they were enough to allow a tear to slip down his cheek.

Thank you. I love you all.

3

“You may have to run that by me again, Twilight.” Spike said, struggling to keep up with the borderline-frantic unicorn as she disembarked from her trademark hot-air balloon and made her way in the direction of the castle. All along the path to the Archives were prissy ponies going about their daily routine, the sun resting high in the sky, shining a light that couldn’t penetrate the barrier of grey that seemed to overtake Twilight.

She’d been like this for a few weeks now. Spike could not figure out what was causing it. He could hear her sometimes as he tried to sleep, clamoring around on the first floor, frantically searching for this or that, books hitting the floor, taunting him with the fact that he’d be the one to pick them up the next morning.

“Spike, I’m coming to the Canterlot Archives because I need to research into these nightmares more. I’m being haunted, and any information pertaining as to why could be helpful.” Twilight said, no traces of any emotion in her voice. She was dead on her feet; no longer the happy, nearly-carefree pony that Spike had watched grow since her coming to Ponyville.

“I wish you could tell me more about these nightmares, Twilight. I’m worried about you. I hear you, you know, pacing around in the dead of night. Why are you doing this to yourself?”

“I wish I knew, Spike.”

The rest of their trip to the Canterlot Archives was spent locked in a painful silence. Twilight walked ahead, albeit slowly, trudging forward with her head down. Looking at her, you’d think Discord had returned and thrown her home into disarray all over again. And, in a way, discord had taken control of her life. Not the Discord that stood as a monument to the power of the Elements of Harmony, but the natural aspect of chaos itself. Slowly, it was worming its way, like a true parasite, into her brain. Twisting her, changing her...

Twilight and Spike gained entrance to the Archives easily enough. The guard, recognizing Twilight, tried to greet her with a friendly “Hi there, Twilight. Fancying yourself some research, I suppose?”

Twilight let out something between a grunt and a sigh, moving past him in a business-like manner so cold that the guard instantly became worried.

“Something wrong with Twilight?” The guard asked her companion as he followed her inside.

“She’s having nightmares, and she needs to find a way to stop them.” Spike said to him, his voice lowered so as to not agitate his caretaker.

“Oh, I see... Well, good luck to her, I suppose.” The guard said, resuming his post.