I failed.
The Crystal Heart floats in the air, trap in the tight grip of dark magic. My magic. I foolish tried to imitate Celestia, I thought I could handle any kind of spell without needing training; I let my pride take the best of me. I should´ve handle the crystal to Spike, I should´ve done things different but there´s no turning back. King Sombra´s trap was perfect, designed to counter any measure, earth ponies could not walk over to the dark crystal without being possessed, pegasi couldn´t fly through the tower, they simple pass through it like it was made of thin air, and unicorns´ magic was useless. Unless one resorts to using dark magic and that was the final phase of the trap. By invoking the dark magic, I gave King Sombra the means to finally achieve his goals. He was unable to destroy the heart but using me as a tool, he could generate enough magic to do so. I was her tool, her accomplice.
Unable to sustain the pressure, the heart breaks in a hundred little pieces, each one showing me a different mistake, all my errors, all my failures…
*****
The snow was falling hard. I had never been so up in the north, never seen so much snow. Cruel, merciless, it covers the entire northern kingdom. All my friends cover their eyes, Rarity complains she didn´t bring enough scarfs while I squint my eyes trying to identify the figure that is approaching us. Once it spokes, my heart lights up.
“Twily!”
Hugging my brother after so long brings a warm that not even this snowstorm could overcome.
“I´m so glad you could make it. Wait, where´s Spike?”
“I left him back in Ponyville. This journey was way too dangerous for a baby dragon.” I explain.
“Maybe you were right. There are things in here you don´t want to run into after dark.”
“W-wh-what things?” Fluttershy asks, always the nervous one.
“Lets just say that the empire isn’t the only thing that has return. We better get moving…”
Shining Armor goes inside the blizzard and soon, I lost sight of both him and my friends.
I´m all alone inside the howling storm.
****
I walk outside of the blizzard. The snow remains but now I can see where I´m going. The ground feels different and trees are visible. I´m not in the north anymore. I actually can recognize the area. I see a familiar figure and call her name:
“Applejack!”
She turns over and all I can see in her eyes is anger.
“Oh look who´s here, little Miss Sparkle! What happened? Yah got lost in your way back to Canterlot?"
Her voice is harsh and mean, filled with anger and resentment. “Applejack, are we still in Ponyville? What happened?”
“Don´t play dumb with me! Yah caused all of this!”
“What are you saying, Applejack? What do you mean I caused all this?”
“Don´t yah remember? Ah remember real well! Back there in the cliff, ah even remember yer exact words, I should have gone all alone. What the hay does that even mean?! Ah was only trying ta make yah trust us but yah ran away, yah disappear, puff! Like that! We searched all over the forest fer yah but when we find yah, it was too late!”
Applejack points at the heaven and I look up. The moon is enormous, covering almost the entire sky. Dark clouds, the kind that no pegasi could manage, cover the sky, trapping all of Equestria in an eternal winter.
Nightmare Moon´s vision of Equestria.
“We were supposed to be a team Twilight…yah told us about the Elements and all but in the end, yah just walk out on us.”
I don´t understand. I try to reach a hoof to her but she slaps it away.
“Leave me alone...”
And she leaves, disappearing in the darkness of the storm.
I cry.
****
Offended, Princess Luna turns back and leaves. I try to follow her but Spike grabs the cape of my costume.
“Don´t go! She is Nightmare Moon!”
“Spike, don´t be ridiculous. She is not Nightmare Moon anymore, she is just Princess Luna and looks like she´s having some problems making new friends.”
“And what are you going to do?”
I look over to the dark forest, in the direction of the Everfree Forest, where the Princess went to. I try to make a step but something stops me, a sudden feeling of despair.
“Nothing. No matter what I say to her, she probably won´t listen. Let´s go Spike.”
We leave but before we exit the town square, I look back and I can see the chariot leaving town. I can´t tell in the dark night but I have the feeling the Princess is crying too.
****
The Everfree Forest surrounds us, dark and ominous. I try to keep Spike moving but he´s too tired to walk. My own steps are heavy, like if my hooves are made with lead. I carry Spike on my back and we go further inside the blackness. Suddenly a figure intercepts us, glowing and menacing yellow eyes under a hood.
“Who are you?”
“Do not go any further, pony, for there is no escape from the Everfree,” the figure says.
“We can´t go back,” I say and I turn back to look at Ponyville.
Cotton candy clouds fill the sky and the buildings are made of cardboard. Night and day happen in a roulette and soap covers the roads. There is no order, there is no sense.
“In the upside-down town the trickster rules but no amount of magic can pass through these woods.” She removes her hood, revealing herself to be a zebra.
I remember her. The other girls were afraid of her. Apple Bloom tried to talk with her but we stopped her. Eventually, the zebra stopped coming into town.
She hungs her head straight but looks so sad and lonely. What is this feeling inside my chest when I look at her? Like if I had lost a dear friend even when I´ve never spoken to her before.
She turns away and disappears in a cloud of blue smoke.
“Wait! Don´t go! Who are you?!”
****
“I´m you from the future! Listen well, whatever you do, do NOT worry! Nothing bad is going to happen this week,
understood?”
“Understood.”
And with that, I´m back at the archives room. Pinkie and Spike look funny at me, still wondering why did I insisted in bring them here.
“Twilight, what brings you to the castle?” Princess Celestia asks me.
I touch my eye, waiting to feel an eye patch but there´s nothing in there. My mane, my face, everything is the same.
“I´m…just making a visit,” I lie.
“Well, I´m glad you´re here. You can help me find the missing Cerberus. I tremble to think what kind of horros could escape while the guardian dog is out.”
“We´ll get to it, Princess.” Spike and Pinkie make a salute while I look at the hourglass in the middle of the room.
The sand is drifting.
****
The entire town is covered in that green substance. The buzzing sound of the changeling armies flying around surrounds me. In her throne, Queen Chrysalis laughs, a laugh so dark and cruel that makes my body entire body shiver. Her legions travel across the land, a terrifying swarm that unlike the relatively harmless parasprites, it will devour all love and happiness in Equestria.
I look up and found a familiar face, trapped in a cocoon.
“Cadence!”
“Why, Twilight? Why did you abandon us?”
“I´m sorry…”
“All that time in the caves, I was sure you will come to save us. That no matter in what kind of danger Shining Armor was, you will be able to figure out something was wrong and rescue him. But you didn´t…”
“I made a mistake! I never realized something was wrong! I just thought that I was overreacting! I…I don’t know what to do…”
“There´s nothing you can do, Twilight.” And her face disappears inside the cocoon while the swarm surrounds me, ready to take me to my prison.
****
The shards keep falling, each reflecting a different scenario, both small and big. Forcing Pinkie Pie to leave the baby twins to my care, hurting her feelings; not inviting Applejack and Rarity to sleep-over causing their friendship to slowly die; never helping the town in Winter Wrap Up, causing the winter to last longer; getting mad at Spike and not going after him, leaving him all alone in the dark forest; not helping Applejack in the competition, letting the Flim Flam brothers take over their farm; making Fluttershy think again about watching over the Crusaders thus she never comes to the forest, leaving me forever a statue.
All those scenarios and more, flash through my eyes.
Once the shards hit the ground I look away, seeing the entire Crystal Kingdom being devoured by King Sombra´s malice. Beyond their walls, the Windigos roam free in Equestria, all the land consumed by hatred and distrust.
All because of me.
King Sombra laughs. His thunderous roar mixing with Chrysalis´ buzzing giggle, Discord´s sneering and Nightmare Moon´s laugh of victory.
Their victories complete.
There is nothing more but darkness.
*****
“Auh!”
I woke with pain in my hoof. No wonders after being bitten.
“Spike, what gives?!”
“ImsorryImsorrybutyouwerecryingandscreamingandsayingnoandpleaseandstopandIdidn´tknwowhattodoIfirstthoguhtaboutseekignhelpbutitsreallylateatnightandthenIthoughtaboutwakingyouupandsoIcalledyoubutyoudidntwokeupnomatterhwoloudIcalledyouandand…”
“Spike, breathe!” I put my hoof in his motuh to shut him up and he heavily breathes for a few seconds before being able to finally calm down.
“Better?”
He nods.
“Thank you for worrying so much about me but it was just a simple nightmare.”
“Are you sure? You have been having an awful lot of those ever since we returned from the Crystal Kingdom,” he asks.
“I know. I just…I learned a few things about myself back there, things I wish I would have never known…”
“What things?” he asks, sitting next to me. I heard a flapping sound and find Owlowiscious standing atop of my bed and little Peewee flying under Spike´s arms.
They all worry so much about me.
“Nothing. Just silly things.”
“Twilight, you know you can tell me everything.”
“I know Spike, I don´t want to keep any secrets to you but right now, the one thing I want to do is have a nice sleep night.”
“Understood!” and he turns over, sitting with his arms crossed.
“What are you doing?”
“I´m doing guard! I´ll watch you over all night and make sure nothing disturbs your sleep, no nightmares at all!” And Peewee flies over his head, standing proud too.
“My brave scaly knight…” I joke and lay my head in the bed. “Good night Spike.”
“Good night Twilight and don´t worry, I won’t sleep in all night.”
Of course he falls asleep in a few minutes, he´s just a baby dragon after all; but the simple fact that he stands there in the bed, doing his best to protect me is enough to calm me down. I look up to Owlowiscious, he seems to be smiling but it’s always hard to tell with him. I smile back and wish him goodnight.
I close my eyes and try not to think in those glowing green eyes. It’s hard, they pierce through my skull, reminding me of how close I was to failing. Eventually the images of my friends began to take over, images of all the happy times we had together, of how much faith they have in me and how much they care and love me.
Soon the darkness disappears and I found myself running along them in a sunny field. Flowers dancing around us and the bright lights of the Crystal Heart above our heads, shining in a blue sky.
There are no worries, there are no fears.
I´m happy.
