Fracturing Reality

by FaelaArts

Rating: everyone
Tags: Tragedy, Twilight Sparkle, Main 6, My Little Pony: Friendship is Magic, Dark, Alternate Universe, Sad, Other, Adventure
Length: 16565

Twilight's life has always been everything she wanted, it is her life right?

Twilight was enjoying her birthday in Ponyville, everything was perfect, even the princesses were there. However something happened and suddenly she has awoken in a strange building where everything seems upside down. And how is her favorite toy Smartie Pants alive? Just what has happened to the world she knows and loves? She is going to have to come to terms with the different land, and just how much had changed from the Equestria she knows and loves. But maybe, she can find someone who knows where, and what Ponyville is.

___________________________________________

I love critique so if you feel I'm not portraying someone right, or anything else please speak now. I can only improve if you don't hesitate to move.
Also if you dislike, please tell me why. I can't improve if you don't tell me what I did wrong.

Published 2012-11-16 10:00:01 UTC
Last updated 2012-11-26 09:45:08 UTC

Chapter 1

Twilight yawned getting out of her bed and neatly making the bed. She glanced over to the sleeping spike and a small smile lit up her face. How lucky she was to have such a reliable assistant. Turning her gaze to the brightly lit sky outside, the morning sun swept over the quiet landscape as ponies everywhere began to stir from their quaint little houses in the town of Ponyville. Stifling a yawn herself, she trotted down the stairs to tidy up before the big day. Putting a book away, she noticed one of the shelves was out of order and frowned in intense irritation.

“Darn it spike, it’s Alpha to Omega not Omega to Alpha” she sighed as she pulled out every book from the shelf and sorted them into the right order, and nodded once in satisfaction as her library was once again in perfect order. Pulling a table out to the side, she hummed a merry tune as she prepared to the party that would likely begin the moment Pinkie pie awoke. As she placed down some punch and put up a few decorations, with her horn glowing a lovely purple colour, a peculiar feeling passed through her body. If she had of been more aware of it at the time, she would have noticed her surroundings give a shudder. From her perspective, it was as if for a split second her surroundings changed and a voice echoed around her head.

“Is there any chance she will ever wake up?” It sounded almost like her bestest big brother, but that was utter nonsense. She shook it off and the moment passed, and she continued preparing for the big day. She had to force herself not to jump up and down in utter excitement. And then the doorbell rang, and she dashed to the door and opened it, her grin beaming across her face as her friends screamed at the top of their lungs in greeting.

“Happy Birthday Twilight!” Pinkie was the first inside, quickly ensnaring the half prepared party and instantly making the library look, much as Twilight would never admit it, quite the party capital. Placing down cupcakes from Sugarcube Corner, she turned and hugged Twilight, causing her to gasp for a moment after being released. As the festivities got underway, a very grumpy Spike walked down to realise he had been missing all the action and immediately got in on the party games. Afterwards, there was cake and it was finally time to open the presents.

“Openminefirstit’sliketotallysupercool” spoke Pinkie Pie, causing the other five to laugh and Twilight began opening the present and blinking in surprise to be rewarded with the sight of a brand new telescope. Twilight was touched, she had been longing for a new one after her old one had broken a few weeks prior. She glanced to the beaming Pinkie to say thanks and once again for a split second the scenery changed and a voice spoke.

“Oh Twilight, why did you do this to yourself?” spoke Pinkie, sound returning to the library. Shaking her head, she frowned and asked Pinkie to repeat herself.

“Oh silly, I said you’re welcome” she giggled and hopped back to allow the others to give their presents. As the party began to wind down, Pinkie promised to throw an after party tomorrow at Sugarcube Corner, everyone was invited of course. As everyone began to prepare to leave, helping Twilight clear up the mess, the two princesses arrived with a quick knock on the open door.

“My dear student, I hope I am not intruding by coming and celebrating your birthday.” Twilight rushed up to greet the two, and they quickly caught up before Twilight was given her last present for the night from the two princesses. It was a pendent with the sun and moon Eclipsing, and as she swung it over her neck and glanced down to gaze at it with such warmth, Princess Celestia turned her gaze on Twilight, and concern flitted over her features.

“Twilight, if ever you need me or Luna for something, just focus your magic on the seal and we will spring to your rescue.” Twilight paused, struck by how worried Celestia seemed.

“Princess is something wrong?” she spoke, taking a step toward Celestia, noticing they were all gazing at her with concern.

“Twilight, my ever faithful student; please do not forget about us. We will miss you” with that Celestia closed her eyes and dipped her horn, gently touching Twilight’s. Twilight was panic stricken at that moment and as their horns met she sensed something unravelling, something irreversible. As she gazed at her friends, their faces were washed with tears. Twilight wanted to ask what was going on, but the Princess was sending her pride and warmth through her horn, and Twilight began to cry too. She once again failed not notice the world crumbling around her as everything started to become hazy and her reality swam around her.

“Don’t forget us Twilight, we will miss you.” Twilight jerked awake in her pure white room with a single door and with bars that people could look into the room with. The room seemed to be made of a soft material that made the room very cushiony and realised she was being contained by a white jacket designed to ensure she couldn’t move an inch bar her head. Straining her head to gaze at the bars, she noticed someone gazing at her.

“My god” the pony then turned and vanished. Twilight huffed in annoyance, just where the hell was she and why was she tired up? What had happened to Celestia, Luna, her friends? Her attention was distracted by the sound of hoof steps and someone glanced through and met her eyes before disappearing, and the door slowly opening. Cautiously, a unicorn colt approached her and gazed at her curiously.

“Hello?” she spoke, frowning at the pony. He jumped, surprised she had spoke for some reason, and glanced to the other pony, another unicorn and nodded. She blinked, and galloped away once again, making Twilight get a little impatient, and more than enough enjoyed.

“What is going on, where am I?” The colt gazed at her, before finally speaking.

“What’s your name miss?” She rolled her eyes, of all the questions he had to ask that one.

“It’s Twilight Sparkle, what’s going on here-“she trailed off as another pony walked through the door, accompanied by the other unicorn, but this was once she instantly recognised.

“S-Smarty Pants!?” immediately shocked by this pony standing before her who was the perfect image of her toy doll. They all glanced to this gray pony with mismatched eyes and long ears.

“Um, yes that’s my nickname Twilight, but what’s my real name?” Twilight frowned, her head tilting in a comical fashion. Smarty Pants gazed at Twilight, and her gaze fell.

“She seems to have retained some memory; I think she is as well as she is going to get Mr Sparkle” spoke the unicorn that had asked for her name. Her gaze turned to him, before returning to Smarty Pants.

“I guess so, hey Twilight; do you want to get out of here?” Twilight frowned, and replied in an impatient fashion.

“Of course I do, but I want to know why I was locked up as well!” They all glanced to each other, and then Smarty Pants smiled.

“We’ll talk about that once we’re home ok dear?” Twilight mused for a moment, and decided this was the best option available to her and gave a taunt nod. One of the unicorns leaned over and suddenly the vest was levitated away from her body, and she was free to stand up. Incredibly shocked as she tumbled back onto the ground, she realised she was incredibly weak. Smarty Pants walked over, and with her help she was able to get up and stay standing even when he took a few steps back.

“Easy does it Twilight, take your time.” Eventually Twilight was escorted out of the building and to a small rundown house apart from the town she was in. There were plenty of unicorns but she didn’t see any Pegasus or earth ponies, and this confused her greatly but she discarded it for the moment as they entered the small house and Smarty Pants sighed briefly before turning her gaze to Twilight.

“I thought I’d never see you again…” Twilight was shocked at the caring tone Smarty Pants had replied in, and turned to look at her.

“What’s going on? Where are we? Why was I locked up in there? Why are you alive and not a toy? Where are my friends? Where is-“she was cut off mid speech, something very hard to do.

“Twilight, please listen to me. I know you are confused, but you must leave some questions for tomorrow. For now, go wash up and meet me back downstairs for dinner.” Twilight frowned, but decided the best option to get some answers was to obey Smarty Pants, so she trotted up the stairs and into a downtrodden bathroom and took her first glance into a mirror. It took her a few moments to realise that this was her reflection. The ugly purple that was her fur coat was badly ruffled and her hair was badly matted and seemed to be one ugly mess of hair. But that wasn’t the worst bit. When she parted her hair with her hoof, one body part she had lived with for years was vacant from her head.

“My horn!” she was so shocked, and so confused that she found herself sitting on her haunches and gazing at herself. And then she noticed the second thing missing.

“My cutie mark!” she cried in absolute dismay. Why were the two things that defined her, other than her impressive organising skills, were missing from her body and she didn’t know how to approach the situation. With no other options, she decided after a few minutes of open panicking that the best option was to follow Smarty Pants advice and get cleaned up. After washing the muck out of her fur, brushing all the knots out of her body, she actually felt much better than earlier. Her fur and mane were a darker and grayer somehow. It was as if someone had taken her entire body and washed the colour out of it to some extent. It depressed her how much she had changed from how she appeared back in Ponyville. What was going on?

“Ah! There you are Twilight, we don’t have much to eat but enjoy” Smarty Pants replied, smiling gently as she sat down at her end of the table. Twilight did the same, and realised just how hungry she was before digging into the food with relish. Eventually, clean and well fed, it was time to ask her questions.

“Alright I’ve got a few questions and I’m not doing anything else until I know what the hell is going on here” she demanded, her gaze focusing on the pony in front of her. Smarty Pants nodded, pushed her plate away and heaved a sigh.

“Ok Twilight, I understand. I will answer some of your questions, but not all because we have a big day tomorrow.” Twilight frowned, and paused for a moment to get her questions in order of priority.

“Where am I? Why was I in that building? Where is my horn and cutie mark? Who are you? Where are my friends?” Twilight nodded; satisfied she had cut to the main points of her questions before turning her attention back to Smartie Pants.

“Ok Twilight, I will answer your questions.” Smarty Pants paused to gather her thoughts, and then began answering Twilight’s questions.

“This is the unicorn city of Unicornia, you were in that building because…We will come back to that, I’m Smartie Sparkle, or as you nicknames me Smartie Pants…I-I’m your mother…” her voice broke at the end there, and a tear fell down her face. Twilight blinked, confusion overridden by her desire to ensure this pony before her wasn’t hurting as she quickly rushed around to Smartie and gave her a quick hug, which caused her tears to come more quickly. Smartie turned and caught Twilight in a hug, and began to sob loudly, tears pouring down her face.

“Oh Daughter, I’ve missed you so much, I thought you were never going to wake up again” she sobbed, causing Twilight to feel guilty however she could not discern the reason for the feeling. Eventually, Smartie let Twilight go and turned her gaze onto the confuse eyes of Twilight.

“F-For your other questions, we have to go somewhere special.” She wiped her tears away, and Twilight was struck by how much she cared for this pony, even though she didn’t understand the reason behind it.

“Where are we going?” she asked, her head tilting as Smartie’s face broke into a warm smile.

“We’re going home Twilight, home to the Earth Ponies.” Twilight felt a smile come over her face, and excitement over getting some of the answers to her questions arising.

“What’s it called?” she asked, getting a small giggle from Smartie.

“Earth”

Chapter 2

“TWILIGHT, wake up you sleepy head” spoke a voice right in Twilights ear. She jumped, her eyes flaring open and her face turning to see who had spoken. She relaxed, it was only Pinkie pie.

“Pinkie Pie!” she scolded, and was surprised to see the pink pony blink and start nodding rapidly.

“Oh I’m sorry; I forgot this is a library.” Giggling, she began bouncing in a circle while she waited for Twilight to wake up. Groaning, the purple pony hopped off her bed and stretched before turning back to Pinkie.

“Pinkie, what do you want, I’ve been up all night studying and I have a headache” Twilight sighed, rubbing one eye as she followed the pink pony down the stairs. She glanced for Spike, but didn’t see him around. Opening her mouth to ask Pinkie if she had seen him, she was interrupted by the hyperactive pony.

“So Twilight, I was all like WHOO and then she was like HUH and I was like HUH and she just looked at me confused and asked for you.” Twilight had managed to find a way to tune out most of Pinkie’s senseless ramblings and pick up the more important details. It wasn’t an exact science, but she was proud of her progress. Who knows, maybe one day she would be able to create a Pinkie translator, but she wasn’t holding out any hopes of ever fully understanding the pony.

“So someone’s looking for me?” Twilight gazed around the vacant library.

“Yeah she like knocked on the door like she was trying to wake you up but didn’t want to bother you. Totally silly if you ask me but then I-“Twilight tuned Pinkie out as she walked towards her front door and opened it gently, her horn glowing as she used her magic. As she opened the door, bright sunshine blinded her face for a few moments but she managed to pick out the outline of a Pegasus and as the light began to dim she was able to pick out a faint red colour before it all faded and she awoke in an unfamiliar room. The bed was itchy, and she awoke to a bitter biting cold and the strangest feeling she had forgotten something important. As her dream faded away and her memories began to return, she walked toward the bathroom and turned her gaze to her bed head and sighed as she began to brush the new knots out.

“Snap out of it Twilight, it was just a dream. You just want to return to Ponyville and it’s making you heartsick.” As she spoke her voice began to shake as she withheld any emotion that was threatening to flow from her eyes. Pausing for a moment, she remembered the outline of a pony at the door of her home.

“Twilight, you awake yet, it’s time for breakfast!” She jumped slightly at the sound of a voice, and relaxed when she recognised it to be Smarty Pants. She forced a shaky smile onto her face, and pushed her worries to the back of her mind. She was going to get her answers soon; she just had to be patient. Appearing downstairs, she glanced to the right where the kitchen was located to see Smarty shaking her hips as she hummed a tune as she finished cooking the food. It took her a second to realise she was making steamed hay, a cheap alternative to actual food. But the thing that struck her the most was the sudden sweet smile and the feeling that burst into her chest for a few brief moments. She blinked, and the moment was gone as Smarty turned around and gently pushed a plate towards her and began eating from her own, Twilight quickly following.

“I’ve got some good news Twilight” smiled Smarty as she gently placed the plates in the sink. Twilight took a few steps toward Smarty, and waited for her to continue.

“The…I managed to find some extra money lying around, just enough to hire us a chariot.” Twilight was slightly confused, Smarty made it sound like it was both a good thing and that she was also hiding something. She picked up some saddlebags and slung them over her back, motioning for Twilight to pick up the other two saddlebags, which she obliged. Turning to gaze at the house one last time, Smart heaved a sigh of relief.

“I didn’t think I was ever going to leave this place. It’s good to be finally going home…” As they headed out of the home, Twilight felt like she was leaving something important behind, but she couldn’t quite place the feeling, so she decided it would be best to ignore it. This dull, gray world seemed to press on her, dulling her emotions and seeming to make progress slower than it actually was. Eventually, they arrived at some sort of ticket station, and Smart purchased two tickets from the two Pegasi ponies that were inside the booth. Twilight glanced to the sky, surprised to see the clouds moving without any Pegasus pushing them, and she paused to ask Smartie about it.

“Silly Twilight, clouds have always moved on their own ever since the fall of Pegasopolis.” That name bugged Twilight, and in a sudden realisation, she remembered the play she had once been in, the memory only faint and the details only meant to entertain and not inform, much to her dismay. For some reason, the names her friends had spoken were the names of the three towns she had heard so far.

“Twilight, this will be our guide for the journey.” Jolted out of her musings, Twilight turned to greet the Pegasus, and gave a hesitant smile.

“Hello, my name is Twilight Sparkle” she introduced, opening her eyes to take her first glimpse of the pony in front of her. She had a dull, but rosy, red colour for her body whereas her mane was a very light blue with pink highlights. Even as a colourful pony, she seemed, deflated in a way. Twilight felt she had seen her somewhere before, but couldn’t place a name.

“Hello, I am Rosé (Rose-eh) Pie” said the Pegasus mare, smiling pleasantly. Twilight frowned for a split second before smiling as well. Her voice sounded almost sad, but happy at the same time. It didn’t bother her enough not to immediately like the pony before her. As she and Smarty hopped into the carriage, Rosé giggled in delight, making Twilight feel a strange sensation that had nothing to do with takeoff. As they settled into a cruising speed, Rosé began to talk.

“The air is a bit windy today; we might have a big of rain today. Hope you remembered to bring your umbrellas otherwise you’re going to get a little wet. Not that there is anything wrong with water, I have to fly through it even if it is raining after all. And who knows, you may actually like the rain and want it to rain.” Twilight found herself a few moments later watching the scenery pas and Rosé fading into the background. It was a few moments before she realised she had relaxed considerably, as she often did in Ponyville surrounded by friendly faces. Turning to gaze at Rosé, she couldn’t help but think of her dream and wonder why this pony reminded her so much of her old friends.

“I’m going to get some rest Twilight, wake me if something happens” spoke Smarty, her eyes fluttering closed and her body curled up to minimalise the amount of space being taken up. Twilight returned her attention to the scenery, before focusing on Rosé. She seemed so full of energy and her words made little sense to a pinkie desensitised Twilight, but somehow this lace seemed to be draining the energy out of this lively pony too. How that was being done however, she didn’t have a clue. Blinking out of her thoughts, the carriage shook slightly and she quickly tuned into the Rosé radio station.

“Oh boy, this is going to be one heck of a storm. It just came out of nowhere, we might have some tough winds ahead so I would suggest holding on.” Twilight quickly nudged Smarty, who dozed on, before becoming more insistent. As the chariot shuddered and shook she tried desperately to wake Smarty Pants up even as Rosé became more concerned.

“Okay this is not good the weather is getting really bad here. But it should be okay to fly through. I mean I haven’t gone through the hurricane training but some tough winds should be fine.” Twilight was trying desperately and frantically to wake up Smarty Pants, who was only just starting to stir. The carriage was starting to sway and Smarty’s body was slowly sliding off the platform. To make matters worse, the rain slapped them in the face and the problem became more frantic as Rosé was drowned out and a strong gust sent the chariot spinning.

“SMARTIE PANTS” twilight screamed over the wind as the whole carriage flipped and dumped its contents into the storm just as a bolt of lightning struck it. A streak of red tackled Twilight as the world began to turn black and white and a confusing whirl of images flashed before her eyes. Then, there was a loud sound of branches breaking, sudden pain through her body, and then everything faded and Twilight was left in darkness.

Chapter 3

Twilight awoke in the library, up much too early to be up and about. She attempted going back to sleep, but it was as if a wall had been put up and sleep was no longer attainable. It was then, as she rolled over and gave a huff as she denied the fact she was ready to get up, that she realised there was a yellow Pegasus at her window, considering if she should bother Twilight. When Fluttershy, for of course it was her, saw Twilight was awake she gave a kind smile and pointed downstairs, indicating she would wait at the door before fluttering out of sight. Yawning, she stood up and glanced toward Spike’s bed, shocked to see Spike was not asleep. She trotted downstairs and glanced around for him, frowning before walking toward the door to greet Fluttershy. As she opened the door she smiled.

“Fluttershy, it’s great to see you” she spoke, before blinking in surprise to see a green earth pony standing before her. She paused and rubbed her eyes before opening them again to confirm, and she awoke in a small nest of leaves with a dull pain down her back. She groaned, and flinched as a slight movement to her side caused her to be racked with pain. She paused long enough for the pain to ebb, and then carefully turned her head and blinked as her memories returned upon seeing the red Pegasus. Rosé Pie was sleeping next to Twilight, hunched in an awkward position. It took Twilight a few moments to realise the Pegasus had a broken wing and was curled up in pain. Carefully standing up, wincing slightly as she finally locate the main source of pain. There was a large gash on the side of her back; luckily it didn’t look too deep. Turning back to Rosé she gently looked over the Pegasus, and then turned her gaze to her surroundings.

“Smarty Pants” she spoke with worry. The forest was dark, forbidding, and was much darker then the Everfree forest somehow. There was a dim light flittering through the dense foliage, and a sky chariot crashed into a tree above her head. But as she gazed around, she knew two things; she was lost, and had no idea how to find Smarty Pants.

“Twilight, is that you?” spoke Rosé, her eyes blinking opening. Turning to face Rosé, her eyes filled with concern as she thought frantically of how she could be of any help. She didn’t know how to treat injuries, she had to magic so she couldn’t get them out of here, and she was utterly absolutely-

“Don’t you worry Twilight, it’s just a scratch” Rosé smiled, standing up and shaking vigorously before examining her wing.

“Jeez, talk about a big huge problem how are we supposed to fly outta here now?” Rosé sighed, folded her one good wing, and turned back to Twilight.

“So, what do you think we should do?” Twilight blinked in shock for a moment.

“W-You’re asking me? But I’m just a total stranger!” Rosé giggled and shook her head, jumping once, twice, three times before answering.

“That’s easy silly~ I feel as if I know you well even though we just met and I just know you will help us get outta here if my names not Rosé Pie!” Rosé then started jumping again, and Twilight couldn’t help but smile that the confidence in her abilities this pony had for her. So, overriding her sense of uselessness, she took quick stock of her surroundings and concluded that they had come from a certain direction, and tried to find the sun to figure out which way they had crashed. Sadly both the foliage and clouds worked against her, so she returned to her original action.

“Well, the chariot crashed in that direction, so if we backtrack maybe we can-“Twilight somehow wasn’t surprised to be interrupted by Rosé.

“Totally walk all the way back to Unicornia!” She giggled, happy to have something to follow. Twilight sighed and opened her mouth to speak when once again she was interrupted by Rosé.

“Oh! Great idea I just had, we can look for Smartie Party Marty Artie while we’re at it” she grinned at twilight, and began jumping off in the direction Twilight had suggested they go. Twilight rolled her eyes, almost forgetting her current situation due to Rosé. But as they walked, a strange feeling passed over her, and this time she immediately recognised it as the sensation from before she had come to this world. As they walked, the feeling got stronger and suddenly they appeared in an open field of pink flowers in the shape of hearts.

“Lookie there Twilight, a whole field of Hearts desire, that plan that pony brings into towns every so often. This must be where she harvests the flowers.” Twilight was actually more interested in the black and white form that looked as if it had crashed landed in the flowers head first.

“Smartie Pants!” she exclaimed, jolting over and quickly checking Smarties body for any signs of injury. Twilight sighed in relief, it seemed somehow she was more or less uninjured, however unconscious she was.

“This reminds me of the tale of this pony who took too much heart’s desire and became infused with its power so gained the ability to grant people their heart’s desire, but never actually got his own desire.” Twilight tuned Rosé out once again, slowly managing to pull Smarty onto her back, as heavy and painful as it was. It was then, that the form of something green slowly approaching appeared. It took her a few moments, to realise it was an earth pony with a dark green body, brown hair, and all caked in mud. It was almost like natural camouflage.

“Hi! I’m Rosé Pie and this is Twilight sorry if we were on your property we crash landed not far from here and we were just wondering if you would be so kind as to help us with some directions and possibly some first aid but we won’t be fussy because if you don’t want to we can continue on our path we don’t want to be really intrusive or anything. That reminds me of the time I was on a job and the guy I was driving wouldn’t shut up, I mean I couldn’t get a word in edgewise, it was really surprising. And when he got off he laughed as he said he was just practicing his impersonation of me which isn’t funny in the-“

“Rosé” Twilight spoke, managing to cut off the pony before she got into full swing. The green pony had started cowering and backing away with every word Rosé had spoken, but she stopped as Rosé shut her mouth, and slowly began approaching again.

“I’m, um, St-Stuttershy” the pony spoke, her voice almost too faint to be heard. Twilight blinked, feeling a strange sense of déjà vu. She opened her mouth to speak when Rosé began talking.

“Hello Stuttershy, do you stutter often or are you just named after that I mean-“Twilight stamped her hoof, crushing one of the flowers and releasing the pollen, shaped like hearts funnily enough, into the air. She ignored it.

“Rosé, focus! We have to get Smarty Pants checked and get our own injuries looked at.” It was then that she saw Stuttershy gently touching Smartie, who was on Twilight’s back.. She glanced to them and gave a concerned smile.

“Um, your f-friend is only mildly h-hurt. B-but she has swallowed a few of the flowers so um…” she trailed off, and Rosé gazed in a way that Twilight could deduce that was not good news.

“What does that mean?” she asked, her concern growing for the pony she had awoken with, and the only one with the answers she wanted.

“W-well there is only one known r-report of someone completely s-swallowing a flower and s-she fell into a coma. A-apparently when they awake they lose all m-memory of their past l-life.” Twilight felt herself shuddering, thinking of what she knew about her lace in this world. Was that what…Was that what happened to her? She shook her head, time to think about that later.

“Well now that that’s done can we totally get to somewhere safe it is starting to get dark and I do not want to be a grounded Pegasus on a dark night with storm clouds around while in the depths of a forest.” Rosé shivered, and Twilight gave a small nod in agreement and turned to Stuttershy, who flinched at their gaze.

“U-um well, you could stay with me for the n-night. It is fairly safe there. It’s o-only a few miles from here.” She cast her gaze downward, and Twilight felt a little worried she had scared the poor pony before her.

“If it’s not too much trouble, we would be delighted to spend the night with you” as Twilight spoke, she crouched low and gently smiled into Stuttershy’s downcast gaze. The pony returned with a hesitant smile, and gently took a few steps in the direction she had come.

“Ohmygosh we’re like having a sleepover, is this a party? I want a party can we have a arty oooh will there be punch and cake and-“

“It’s not the right time for a party Rosé” Twilight sighed, rolling her eyes slightly but giving a small smile. As they began to follow Stuttershy, who had paused once a few steps away, she slowly turned and began leading the way into the forest.

“You’ll love it at my house, it’s very quiet and I managed to make some fluffy down beds so you should sleep soundly.” Twilight sighed, Smarty Pants beginning to make her tire. She was surprised slightly that she could handle her weight, but she guessed it was something to do with being an earth pony now. If she was stronger, it would probably be easier. As they left the clearing, Stuttershy picked up a basket of the flowers, and led the way into the dense dark and desolate forest with only the briefest hesitation at the unknown.

Chapter 4

Twilight sighed as she trekked through the dense underbrush, her annoyance further intensifying in this intense heat as Rosé Pie bent a branch out of the way to pass and it swing toward Twilight and hit her with a dull thrak. Smarty pants was still on her back, and the longer she carried Smarty, the more she got used to the extra weight and the less effort it afforded her. She was still tired and exhausted but she still had enough energy somehow to continue.

“So Stuttershy, how much further to your home?” Twilight asked over Rosé as she spoke about how green was not actually green but a mixture of certain colours and there was no such thing as a true green.

“Um, we’re actually already here” she whispered, pulling back a leaf gently so as to both allow them to pass and not hurt the plant. Twilight blinked for a moment and had to rub her eyes as she saw a mirage of a familiar cottage fade to reveal a small house situated in a tree. As they walked over, Rosé jumping around and examining every nook and cranny, Twilight had to marvel at the fact the house looked like it was actually helping the tree and not hurting it. Stuttershy opened the door gently and walked inside, followed by a red blur and then Twilight. Twilight went to use her magic to close the door, before remembering she was an earth pony and turning to close it normally, a task not very easy when carrying someone.

“Y-you can put her on the bed o-over there” spoke Stuttershy, motioning to a big round cushion of some sorts. Trying to be as gentle as she could, Twilight sighed in dismay as Smarty fell onto the cushion with a small thunk. Stuttershy gently walked over and made the gray mare comfortable before looking to Twilight and offering a warm smile.

“OHMYGOSH THIS PLACE IS HUGE!” Rosé screamed from another room. Twilight sighed, the quit moment had passed, and she was so tired.

“Oh! I-I’m sorry you must be so tired, how about I show you to the spare bedrooms so you can get some rest, and we leave all the rest until tomorrow?” Twilight smiled, that was an excellent idea, but Rosé disagreed.

“Oh we can’t do that because I want to have fun and I can’t have fun unless I’m awake and that means I can’t go to slee-“she paused as she saw Stuttershy gently come over and brace her wing.

“Ouch! Hey that hurt” Rosé spoke, before glancing to her wing, and smiling. Twilight prepared for her wound to be looked, but when Stuttershy came over, Rosé talking about how her wing no longer hurt and something to do with a fourth wall, whatever that was.

“Um-Twilight…You’re not injured…I-I MEAN THERES only a scar but I can treat you if you want me to, or if you don’t want me to that’s fine too...” Stuttershy bowed her head, and Twilight sighed, before glancing to where she had been hurt and blinking in mild shock. The wound that had troubles her when she first awoke was completely gone. Now that she thought of it, the pain had vanished sometime when she was carrying Smarty pants. Frowning, she wondered why it had healed but discarded it as a yawn overcame any other thoughts.

“It’s alright Stuttershy, I guess I heal faster then I thought. And a bed sounds wonderful right about now.” The green pony glanced up and once again smiled, as if the prospect of helping someone made her happy.

“Oh! It will be my pleasure!” And so, Twilight and a disgruntled Rosé were shown to their own bedrooms and wished a pleasant night. Twilight didn’t think she would have one, but as she turned her gaze from the window to the night sky, homesickness overcame her and her emotions washed down her face as her mouth couldn’t seem to get enough air. She missed her friends, she missed Ponyville, she missed Celestia and Luna, but most of all she missed her little assistant Spike. As she sat there, sobbing on the window she didn’t even notice herself slip into a dream.

“AHH” she screamed. Her face jumping up as her head jumped into an upright position, the book falling back onto the table. She glanced around frantically before relaxing; she was in the library again. She really had to stop falling asleep while reading. Turning around, she noticed Spike was reading a book with a dragon on the cover. For no reason obvious to herself, she walked over and gave him a huge hug.

“Twilight! I lost my page thanks to you. Why’re you hugging me like that?” Twilight giggled and released her little assistant and smiled at him like he was a long lost friend.

“I don’t know why, but it feels as if It’s been ages since I saw you.” She then glanced to the book and frowned at the title.

“I’m reading a book about dragons; I found it while cleaning out some of the older books. Did you know dragons can live for thousands, maybe even millions, of years?” He seemed proud to have figured that out, and Twilight wasn’t going to rain on his parade.

“That’s amazing Spike, good detective work” seeing his satisfied smirk, she giggled at him.

“Did you also know that Dragons can control their flame, kind of like a magic flame? Like how I make my flame send the letters to Celestia. Apparently it’s a very high level dragon technique.” He was proud of himself, and she smiled and gently nuzzled him quickly before heading to the door.

“Where are you going Twilight?” Spike turned to look at her, his gaze becoming slightly panicked.

“Don’t worry Spike, I’m just going to go get some cupcakes from Pinkie Pie” she spoke, trying to ease his worries as she began to open the door.

“WAIT Twilight, don’t open that door!” As Twilight turned to ask him why, she blinked as the world bent and suddenly she was back in the room at Stuttershy’s. After a few moments of gathering her thoughts, she frowned slightly. It was as if the dream Spike had known she was going to wake up. But why was the door the thing that had forced her awake. Shaking her head, she cleared her thought of such ridiculous musing for now. She sighed, wishing she could have spent more time with Spike before she had opened that door. Gazing out as the sun began to rise, she was struck by how, even for a split moment, the world suddenly reminded her of Ponyville in the sunlight as the sun washed across the houses. It was as if everything was suddenly brighter. Suddenly there was a flash of bright light, temporarily blinding Twilight, before she could see again and watch the forest burn. A flying form swam into view far away, burning a path of flame and destruction that could only be caused by a dragon.

“TWILIGHT” yelled a voice that could only be Rosé. She turned and bolted out the door, seeing Rosé dashing downstairs once she saw Twilight was up. Stuttershy was close behind and holding two saddles of belongings in her mouth along with two on her back. Twilight quickly grabbed Smarty as they dashed out of the tree and out of the line of fire. Turning, both Twilight, once she had put down Smarty Pants, and Rosé comforted Stuttershy as she began to cry at the loss of her home. Twilight saw the dragon hover, and admire its flame as it started to spread. Twilight sat there, comforting the quivering pony while Rosé decided on action.

“HEY, STUPID BIG MEANIE DRAGON, COME DOWN HERE AND APOLOGISE!” Rosé then covered her mouth with her two front hooves as she realised she had made a major mistake in actually getting the dragon to notice them. It landed, crushing the remains of Stuttershy’s home and putting out the fire burning the house in one fell swoop as it landed and turned its gaze on them. There was insult, anger, and a little bit of spite glaring in those eyes as Twilight stepped in front of Stuttershy to protect her from the purple dragon before her. It was then, that she began to pick out some features only someone who had spent close time with the dragon as a child would know.

“S-Spike?” she stuttered, the dragon’s eyes focusing on her. As the two big eyes narrowed at her, she couldn’t help but take in the little features she had grown to love about Spike.

“Oh! There’s that scale that got infected and when I tried to heal it turned a slightly different colour. And that scar on your spines from when you grew up and they got shaved by the Wonderbolts because you were greedy even though they grew back when you transformed back into a baby.” Tears were coming to her eyes, and shock was covering the Dragon’s. The other two ponies were looking at her like she was crazy, but she ignored it as she galloped over and hugged his leg.

“My faithful assistant, I missed you so.” Twilight blinked as she was gently picked up and brought up to the dragons head. It was then that she saw the confusion, heartache, and joy cascade down the dragon’s face. She smiled and layed her head on Spike’s huge claws as they held her there, feeling strangely safe in the arms of a dragon where she should be screaming in terror. After a few moments, she was put down next to the other two, and one unconscious, ponies. Spike gazed at her, and then turned to the flame that was rapidly spreading and breathed in. As the flames were caught in the dragon’s breath, they were quickly snuffed out and were snorted into his nostrils as smoke.

“So, who’s your new friend Twilight, maybe next time tell me you have a DRAGON that’s your friend” spoke Rosé, starting to calm down now her life wasn’t on the line. Twilight laughed nervously.

“Yeah well the last time I saw him he was only a baby dragon” she replied, gazing to Spike as he gently layed himself down and layed his head on his paws to gaze at them.

“B-but t-that w-would m-mean y-ou were a-around over a t-ten thousand years ago.” Twilight turned and blinked in shock, both over the fact Stuttershy had spoken while obviously scared and over what she said.

“What did you say?” she asked, not sure she had heard right.

“Wherever you met t-this d-dragon would have ha-had to be over t-ten thousand years ago f-for him t-to be t-this s-size now” she whimpered, cowering in fear over the dragon that was right in front of her, and the fact her house had just been destroyed. Twilight turned to look at Spike, simply confused now. Just how was it that Spike was ten thousand years old. And just how had she been living a life she had thought real that wasn’t real according to Smarty Pants, that was actually real? It boggled her mind, and left her with an intense headache as she tried to work out how she had existed that long ago, and yet exist in this time. But she hadn’t existed then, she had been in some sort of coma according to Smarty.

“ARRRGH” she screamed, “I just don’t GET IT!”

Chapter 5

Twilight enjoyed every moment with her old assistant, but she knew she couldn’t keep him here much longer. As much as she loved him, and knew he loved her, they both knew Spike had a life to live now. She was confused as to why he couldn’t speak but she guessed it had something to do with growing up so she discarded it as unimportant. Spike drew a small picture in the ground, of Twilight calling for him and him coming.

“So if I need you, you will come?” she asked, which she received a nod in reply. Turning to Stuttershy, Rosé Pie, and the still unconscious Smartie Pants, she saw Stuttershy going through her belongings with a gentle, mournful sigh. Twilight couldn’t help but feel guilty; after all it was her assistant. Rosé was helping look for anything not broken, apologising about calling the dragon down. Stuttershy spoke it was alright, but as her gaze flickered toward Twilight, Twilight couldn’t help but flinch at the thought that she had broken some link between her and this pony. Turning, she gave a small smile to Spike, who nodded and flared the large wings now on his back. With a wave of her hoof, he was gone to live his life as a dragon should. And Twilight would miss him greatly.

“Hey! My wing is healed” Rosé spoke, gaining both Twilight and Stuttershy's attention as she pulled off the bandage and brace and flapped her wings and obtained liftoff. She whirled around, ‘whee’-ing as she glided around and barrel rolled around the small open area courtesy of a dragon. Coming to land, she glanced between the three and frowned.

“So uh-where do we go now?” Twilight frowned, remembering they were lost and turned to Stuttershy. Opening her mouth to ask if she knew her way around a simple shake and her mouth shut and deadlocked as her quiet voice filled the air.

“Um…I’ve been lost for a f-few years now. I-I made myself a home and t-tried to find a way…” Twilight sighed, it was just perfect. Three ponies, and one body, were lost in the woods with no way to know how to get out of here.

“Hey Twilight, I think I see an old house in the distance” Rosé spoke, making Twilight raise her head to see her hovering high in the air above the trees where only a Pegasus would be able to go. Stuttershy seemed to glance to her body and sigh, as if she was envious of Rosé’s ability to fly. Twilight frowned, but let the feeling go as Rosé glided down and landed, bouncing up and down.

“I think I saw a light on which is strange because there isn’t any earth ponies or Pegasus with the abilities to make a light come on unless they can afford one of those candles.” Twilight nodded, musing quickly for a moment. If there was a light on chances were someone was home, and if someone was home they may just know the way out of the forest.

“Lead the way Rosé” she replied, gently picking up Smarty Pants again. They both glanced to Stuttershy, who gave a gentle nod meaning that she could come too. As they slowly set off, Twilight paused to glance once in the direction Spike had flown off, and sent silent thanks she had seen him again, even if it just left more questions to be answered.

“Man is it just me or are the leaves getting darker no that wasn’t a leaf that was some sort of bug I don’t hate bugs but they really bug me get it bug me-” Rosé continued talking, filling the eerie silence with her voice as they walked, Stuttershy jumping at every shadow but keeping up with them. Eventually, Twilight managed to remember something she had wanted to ask Stuttershy earlier.

“Do Pegasus wings normally heal that fast?” Rosé paused, her eyes turning to face them even while walking. Stuttershy flinched, but then opened her mouth and began to speak.

“N-no not normally, it’s rather strange, like something is healing the injuries but that isn’t possible so I-I don’t know.” Twilight nodded, frowning as her unanswerable questions mounted once again. So for some reason, their injuries had healed just like magic, however none of them were unicorns. Hopefully some questions would be answered soon; she was running out of patience with these questions. She needed more information, but she had none. Eventually, it began to get darker and Stuttershy mentioned something about a shelter, it was hard to hear over Rosé.

“Great idea, what do we need?” Stuttershy pointed to a hollow in one of the larger trees, and entered before coming out and motioning them inside. As Twilight entered, she noticed while it was small there was enough room, just barely, for four ponies to rest for the night. Stuttershy pulled a large palm leaf over the entrance and curled herself up as small as she could. Twilight gently layed Smarty down and followed suit. Rosé layed down in the final free space and talked for a bit before eventually falling asleep too.

“Goodnight everyone” Twilight jumped into a sitting position as a voice woke her. She glanced to the window and was shocked to see a storm outside the library rocking the tree violently. Dashing downstairs she paused at the door, remembering when she had opened it the last time. Suddenly a scream sounded through the gusting wind and rain and she abandoned her worries as she opened the door and dashed outside. Immediately socked in wind and rain, it was a few moments before she could see she was near Applejacks farm, her mind not noticing the obvious distance she should have travelled.

“Applejack!” Twilight blinked to see her friend desperately using ropes to hold the barn together, her family nowhere to be seen, and quickly joined in with her own magic, realising the immense strain very suddenly as she focused on ensuring the building didn’t collapse.

“What’s going on?!” Twilight managed to shout even while under immense mental stress. Applejack, under much the same managed to glance in her direction before concentrating fully on holding the rope. Suddenly a bright light flashed over the area and the storm vanished briefly as a large white pony came to help. Her white horn and her white wings were all Twilight could glance at before she had to concentrate on the house. It was obviously Celestia, and thank Celestia it was. With the princess working on bringing the storm under control, and the two ponies holding the building together everything began to slowly become less frantic. Eventually Applejack had to pause from exhaustion, and as the winds died down Twilight didn’t need to hold the building together anymore and instead turned to glance to Celestia. She opened her mouth to thank her when Celestia’s bright magic blinded her and she awoke in the cramped space with three other ponies.

“Rosé stop kicking” Twilight muttered, rubbing her eyes and gazing at the two just stirring ponies and the one unconscious one and sighed.

“I need more information, I need to get to Earth” she muttered to herself.

Chapter 6

Heading out was something strange for Twilight, well more so then usual in this strange reality she was in. Carrying Smarty was getting easier and easier, he was no Tom that was sure. It was then that she realised where her feeling of strangeness was coming from. As they prepared to leave they glanced to each other and took the first step together. Stuttershy was a few moments behind, but it reminded her so much of Ponyville that for a moment she could imagine the two ponies with her completely different colours.

“Let’s go” she spoke, Rosé nodded and they headed off. Apparently they were going to manage to get to their destination today if nothing got in the way.

“Um, I-I can carry Smartie P-Pants for a w-while if you like” spoke Stuttershy, bringing a smile to Twilight face.
Shaking her head she replied, “That’s ok, she’s not that heavy.” Stuttershy seemed relieve, then they both stopped talking as Rosé began to fill the silence.

“I remember an old tale about the destruction of the dragon hatching ground passed down in my family. Apparently a unicorn EXPLODED in the middle. I wonder how she got so close to explode like that but apparently that’s why Dragons don’t like us but then they never did like us but I don’t know your friend-“ Twilight smiled, glancing to the sky before frowning when her dream came to her mind. Something had happened, a huge storm and something to do with the princess. As her thoughts scrabbled to remember the dream, she failed to notice their travel and was actually shocked when they arrived at a small rundown wooden house.

“Wow, this house is badly crippled.” Twilight glanced to Rosé, feeling she was ignoring her a little too much and feeling slightly guilty about it.

“Can you see anyone in the window?” Rosé fluttered up to the window and glanced inside. Landing she shook her head.

“Nopity nope nope,” she replied, walking back over to Twilight and glancing to the door. Sighing, Twilight walked over to the door and gently opened the door. Inside were a single table, a chair with a rope hanging on it, and a yellowed, old book sitting on the table. Twilight walked over and glanced at the open page and frowned as she began to read.

Day, well actually I lost count long ago.

I’ve run out of food and supplies, and the others have long left me alone. I hope they made it ok, but I have no way of telling. After today, I plan to make my way there. If you are reading this, you probably are looking for the nearest town, so I’ll put some quick directions down.

And please, if you’re someone that happened to eat an entire heart’s desire, like we all did, I need to tell you something. Don’t trust your eyes; trust your inner sense of magic. Ah dun know how else to say this, it’s not very easy to explain. The pleasure of the wind blowing through your mane, the feeling of earth as you fly fast over tha land; the magic within you. Don’t worry about how you got here, worry about how to get home. That’s all the advice I can give.

Twilight could see a name, but she couldn’t read it. It was like every time she tried to read it the letters kept changing. As she gazed down, she could see the map and was able to quickly gain a sense of the direction. The words were unreadable, but there was an arrow pointing in a direction and word next to it. After some moments, she decided whoever had written this must have gone crazy. There wasn’t any magic in the wind blowing; it just felt nice blowing through a mane. She gently tried to pick up the book, only to have it dissolve into ashes. Turning back to the others she smiled as she saw them slowly entering the shack.

“We’ve got a destination, should we rest up or head out?” Rosé pointed to the door, while Stuttershy pointed to the bed.

“I-I think we should s-LET’S get out of this woods as quick as possible” they spoke over each other. Twilight sighed, realising it would be her decision on this matter. Walking out of the cabin, she quickly glanced to the sky and mused for a moment.

“We’ve got plenty of sunlight left, and it would be a shame to waste it so…why don’t we-“her words began to slow and everything blurred, and suddenly she was sleeping in her be in Ponyville. For a split moment she could have sworn the princess was gazing at her but as she fully opened her eyes she was alone in the room. Rubbing her eyes she groaned out loud, just what was going on with her head.

“Feel like someone forced my horn to use a spell, how I know that is beyond me.” As the pain ebbed and she was able to open her eyes again, she made her way down the stairs to see who would be visiting her today. She wasn’t disappointed as a knock came at the door and Applejack’s voice spoke through the wood.

“Hey Twilight, you in there?” she smiled and walked over the door, hesitating for a split moment to open it. Shrugging the feeling off, she opened it and was greeted by the familiar blur of a pony shape and a bright light waking her up. She quickly noted down the red body dappled with black marks and the bright green hair as her eyes opened and she met the concerned faces of Rosé and Stuttershy. And suddenly, she knew what name had been on the bottom of that document.

“Dapplejack” she whispered, gaining two confused looks. She helped herself up and quickly located Smartie Pants. Stuttershy was carrying her.

“Um, I-I didn’t want to leave her on the ground. If y-you want, I c-can continue to carry her,” she whispered, glancing down. Twilight could see she wanted to make herself useful, and so gave a gentle smile and a nod before turning to Rosé.

“Rosé, can you go up and look in that direction for anything?” Twilight pointed in the direction the map had indicated, and Rosé was gone in a flash. After hovering for a few moments she glided back down and landed.

“It looks like a road, there’s a road a pony road and there is only plains beyond that we might have finally found the end of this forest so we can go home I can go back to my job and we can all go do stuff and have a party to celebrate getting out alive!” Twilight smiled at her enthusiasm, but then focused on the path in front of them before glancing to the sun and sighing. The road was probably a day or two away, but if they flew…

“Hey Rosé, you can fly three ponies right?” Rosé frowned and shrugged.

“I dunno, never tried actually but if I can it probably can’t be for long.” Twilight smiled, and the other two looked at her nervously. Inside the house was a table, and some rope, which could prove useful if she could tie that rope around the table the right way, and it held three ponies.

“THIS IS INSANE HOW IS THIS EVEN POSSIBLE” shouted Rosé as she strained to both keep the three ponies airborne and ensure the table didn’t rock too much and knock said three ponies off. Stuttershy was clinging desperately to one of the legs while Twilight was ensuring Smarty Pants remained tied to the rope that was tied to the table. She could hear the table creaking, but it was holding and she couldn’t hear any snapping sounds. Her eyes could see the road just ahead as they narrowly avoided a tall tree. And just as suddenly as it began, they lightly drifted down as Rosé tried to ensure they didn’t lose height too quickly. Even with her cautiousness, there was still a bump that knocked Twilight into one of the table legs.

“Rosé you are amazing!” Twilight exclaimed, amazed that her plan had actually worked and they hadn’t crashed in a chariot, even makeshift counts, twice. Rosé looked extremely happy to be praised, but brushed it off as if it was nothing.

“Psh, I can carry much more then that so don’t think anything of it Twili.” Twilight giggled at her remark, but let her have it. Gently coaxing the Stuttershy off the table, all three helped untie Smartie and put the table in the bushes and taking the rope with them. They gazed both ways and noticed a sign post that revealed two signs. One going to Unicornia and one to-

“Earth, finally!” Rosé muttered. Twilight glanced to her and frowned; worried it was time for them to separate.

“So, are you going back to Unicornia?” Rosé glanced to her, and shook her head rapidly.

“Nope, I gotta take you all the way to Earth remember? I don’t forget my duty easily silly.” Twilight couldn’t help her relief that she wouldn’t be alone with an unconscious pony. Turning she looked to Stuttershy who glanced downward as she answered.

“Um, I-If that is ok with you…” Twilight smiled and nodded, getting plain relief from Stuttershy and a few ‘oh thank you’s as well. They gazed down the path that was their destination, and nodded. Smartie Pants on her back or not, she was going to get her answers.

Chapter 7

The travel was long, tiring, and very boring even for Twilight. Give her a study assignment and she would work tirelessly for hours, maybe even days. However, even she had to thank Rosé for filling the voice with useless facts and stories of her childhood and myths of old.

“I mean literally! It was this HUGE monkey with one eye and no tail, and it stopped the ponies from escaping. However one pony managed to coax the eyeball to talk with him and the Giant asked for his name and he replied ‘nopony.’ So yeah after they’re escaping, the Giant is blinded somehow and his other gianty friends ask what’s wrong and all he can reply is ‘nopony blinded me and is escaping’ so the adventure ponies manage to escape, however they’re not home yet so-“Twilight had to admit, if not for her stories the trip would have been very boring. Stuttershy even put in the occasional question.

“Um, d-do they make it home ok?” Rosé nodded enthusiastically, and Stuttershy was relieved. As they rounded a bend, they all paused and blinked in surprise to see their goal not a few dozen steps in front of them.

“Welcome, to Earth” Rosé spoke, introducing the city with a flourish of her arm. Twilight gazed upon the simple homes and felt some stirring of emotions swell into her mind. It was almost like she had been here before, and she had missed this place greatly.

“Hey Twilight, you do know where to go right?” Twilight turned and threw a shake in the direction of Rosé, no she didn’t know. Smarty Pants was the one with the directions, she was the one with the questions. Rosé mused for a few moments, and then nodded once to herself.

“Well, I know a good mare that can give you a roof and may know where ya need ta go for a good howdy slamming time” her voice took on a very obvious attempt at a country accent that Twilight had to face-hoof at how obvious the pony’s background was going to be. Stuttershy seemed to be gazing around the wooden buildings, and shrinking from any ponies passing. Twilight knew she wasn’t going to be heading off anywhere soon, she was in an unknown place and it would be bad of her to assume that even if she had wanted it.

“Here we are~” Rosé sung as she lightly trotted to a house painted differently to the others. Whole they were all wooden colours, due to them not being painted at all, this one had an old red colour that was flaking off in places but still held an unnatural brightness in this world. Knocking rapidly, and loudly, Rosé began calling through the hoof-made door.

“HEEY, are you in there? Come on out I got someone I want you to meet” Rosé swung forward and fell face down as the door opened inward. With an oof, she stood up and began introducing the pony in front of her.

“Twilight, Stuttershy, Smartie Pants, meet Dapplejack. Dapplejack meet Twilight Sparkle, Smartie Pants, and Stuttershy.” Pointing to each of them in turn, Twilight was surprised she had introduced the still unconscious Smarty, but discarded it in favour of looking over the familiar, and expected form of Dapplejack. Finally able to take her in fully, she was mildly surprised to see a horn protruding out of the head along with the green hair that, coupled with her dull red body that was splattered with brown, she couldn’t help but think Dapplejack looked slightly like an apple in appearance, which was strange because she was a pony.

“Well, Howdy Twilight, Stuttershy, and Smartie Pants” spoke the mare, dipping her head in greeting. The three returned the nod, Smartie Pants too unconscious to nod herself.

“Think you could help Twilight out? She doesn’t know her way around and her guide of where she needs ta go is currently off the face of the planet.” Rosé giggled as she nudged Smartie and got no response. Twilight could see she was planning devious pranks to play on the pony, and a small smile crept onto her face and she had to laugh slightly too.

“Welp, Ah dun know if I can help you find wha cha be looking for, but any friend of Rosé is ah friend of mine.” Twilight smile warmly, glad to find another friendly pony in this place she could rely on for help. So far all ponies she had met had been helpful to some extent. As they were led inside the sparsely decorated home, Twilight was led to a small room where she could lay Smartie down. After joining the other three downstairs at a table, she was treated to a light brunch and some water to drink.

“So Twilight, what can ah help you with?” Twilight nearly choked her drink up as she realised she would have to try and explain her situation. The other two turned their gazes on her curiously, and she knew she would have to ‘fess up’ in a way.

“Well…You know the flower Hearts Desire right?” Twilight decided to start simple, and as they all gave a nod she began telling them what Smartie had told her.

“Now, I don’t know if any of this is true yet, but from what the pony who is currently unconscious told me, I ate an entire flower and got put into some kind of coma. Apparently it removed most of my old memories and planted a false world into my head. She also told me most of my questions could be answered here about my false life, so that is why we travelled here but now she’s unconscious and I have no way of knowing where I will get my answers.” Twilight’s voice grew more and more flustered as she explained her predicament, her eyes on her water and not seeing the looks the three ponies shared.

“Twilight” the serious tone as Rosé spoke was enough for Twilight to turn her gaze toward her and realise that something was up. They glanced between themselves, and Twilight began to frown.

“Did you by any chance, in that false world, happen to be a different species?” Twilight blinked in shock, and gave a taunt nod. How did they know, she began to grow hopeful.

“Um, did you also dream of…meeting us before it actually happened?” Twilight’s mouth flew open in shock, and she managed a nod.

“Yes b-but how did you-“she was cut off and they looked once again at each other and Rosé finished speaking.

“Y-You see Twilight, I don’t know how long back it was, only that it was a few years ago we woke up. Anyways, whenever it was, five ponies decided to purposely overdose on Hearts Desire. We’re still not sure why exactly, but when we woke up well…” She trailed off, but Twilight got the message.

“You experienced the same thing I did” she spoke, amazement clear in her voice. A few years, her hope grew as these three continued speaking.

“We…We may know where tha answers you seek are. But ah am afraid you may not like tha truth darling.” Twilight frowned as Dapplejack spoke, and then discarded it. What truth would make the honest one warn against knowing the truth?

“Thanks for the warning Dapplejack, but I must know.” They all gave a smile that suggested they knew she would say that. And she wasn’t surprised if they knew where she was coming from, possibly who.

“Alright darling, but ah aint warning you again. You may not like what ya hear.”

Chapter 8

Twilight followed the three out of the home, promised by Dapplejack that Smartie Pants would be fine. As they walked out she noticed a large building with a word on it and her face broke into a smile.
“The Library, of course my answers are in there” all three glanced to her. Stuttershy quickly glanced away, Dapplejack gave a small smile, and Rosé giggled at her enthusiasm but it all faded into the background as she entered the building and was struck by awe.
“Welcome to the biggest library in our land.” Rosé giggled as Dapplejack spoke, and bounced off to look at some books. Stuttershy seemed content to follow Twilight as Dapplejack led them toward the ‘fiction’ part of the library and toward a small row of books marked as children’s books.
“All yer answers are in here Twilight. We’re gunna go and check out the other books, call us if yer need us.” Dapplejack then dragged Stuttershy away, who squeaked and then said nothing. Twilight pulled one of the books out and read the title aloud.
“The tale of the two princesses, that sounds a little too familiar” her suspicions were rising as she opened the book and began to skim it, her memory of reading it beginning to come back.

’The magic of friendship had always flown through the two sisters, more so then anyone simply blessed with one form of magic. They were tasked with the rule for a very simple reason, they represented all three races. However something special was about these two princesses, their magic could reach the very heavens and push about a miracle the ponies of the land had wished for…

During their last and final moments after defeating the monster that lurked inside of each of them, they began to cast a final spell for their people. As their bodies fell into a deep slumber in an unknown cavern of darkness, the people of their land would no longer fear that the sun and moon would cease to move. Their final spell had given life to the clouds and the land indirectly, signalling the end of Pegasi’s ability to control clouds. And with that, the last two princess of the land fell. There was of course, one other princess who had fallen earlier [See: Sec 24.1.92 or ‘The knight in shining armour’s final stand.’

Twilight put the book away, blinking as her mind began to fill the hole in facts that had plagued her since her arrival. She gently put the book away, and turned to the book she had been referenced too.

’…The princess of love had to rebuild an entire civilisation on just her unique brand of magic. However, she was not alone as her Knight stood beside her, forever comforting her even when he was powerless to help. Their fate, and the fate of their new kingdom, rested on the bearers of the Magical elements…

…It was thanks to those six, that the world had been saved once again. But like the heroes they were, they shrugged it off and headed off into the sunset.’

Twilight felt dread filling her heart as she gently put the book back and looked for another book, which she quickly found simply titled ‘Elements.’

’…The elements represented the good in the world. All they wanted was to help the ponies of the land; however their magic had been sealed so only one who completely resounded with what they stood for could harness their amazing potential. Only one other pair of sisters had managed to harness their power and only for the slightest moments before they lost that connection permanently…

The elements had found their destiny in the form of five ponies that represented their element so well. There are tales of a sixth element, however it is unknown how that element was found, nor what it stood for…The elements are as follows-“

Twilight closed the book and heaved a depressed sigh. She knew what these books were telling her. The flower she had eaten had sent her to a land where her dreams had come true. And even she had to admit it would be so like her to dream to be in the middle of a fairy tale. Maybe it was time to move on, accept she was never going back to that land. Opening to the first page, she noticed there was a small batch of names, including her own. Each one of them was the name of one of the new mares she had met in her time since awaking.
“So Twilight, have you read enough?” Turning to face Dapplejack, who was quickly followed by the other two, her ears fell back and her face turned its gaze toward the ground.
“Yes…I think I have.”

“Goodnight Twilight” spoke Dapplejack as she made her way toward her room, passing Twilight’s open door to see said pony gazing at the sky as the moon began to rise into the sky. She turned and gave a small smile and Dapplejack nodded once before walking away. Twilight returned to her gazing at the sky, and sighed again.
“So it was all in my head?” Twilight spoke to herself, asking the sky above her for answers. It stayed silent, answer enough for Twilight. Turning her gaze downward, she tried to stop the emotion from welling up and sliding down her face.
“All my friends, all my family, just made up?” She felt a sob rake through her body, and opened her eyes and gazed toward the sky through their watery lens.
“Celestia and Luna too, are they not real either?” Twilight looked down again, racked with a sob as she fought to regain control even though she knew it was a futile effort. Even as she cried there alone, a small part of her was reaching for a pendant that wasn’t here and pretending to hug it into her chest.
“I-If there was ever a time I needed you, it was right now” she felt the pain wrenching through her body, friends she would never see again. And then something broke through and brought a sudden clarity that surprised her more than the fact of the familiarity of the voice.
“Hello, who is calling me even though eons have passed since I last awoke?” Twilight felt her tears instantly dry up, both in shock and hope.
“W-Who are you” she asked, hopefully. The voice inside her head gave a small sigh.
“I was hoping you would know. I can’t remember now that I think of it.” Twilight wiped the remaining tears from her face, and suddenly remembered why she couldn’t just believe those story books.
“Spike was around eons ago…Th-That means” she couldn’t help but finish her train of thought aloud, a smile and fresh tears of joy breaking out on her face.
“There’s still a chance! Every tall tale has a shred of truth!” The voice seemed to frown, how Twilight could tell she had no clue but there was definitely a frown vibe coming through the link.
“You intrigue me, and yet seem to be as confused as I am. I have just awoken and will need some time to fully awaken, but once I do I will figure out my location so you may come and find me if you wish of it.” Twilight felt herself nod rapidly.
“Of course Princess, I’ll come as soon as you are ready.” She felt a chuckle rattle through the line, and a small feeling of warmth reach into her confused mind and ease some of the frustration.
“Princess, no one has called me that in a very long time. But how do I know that?”

Chapter 9

Twilight awoke the next morning in hopeful spirits. The dawning sun spoke of the feeling in her body that spoke ‘nothing could go wrong.’ Of course, Twilight didn’t believe in just going by her feelings, and attempted to reserve her own judgement but as her thoughts centred on the voice from last night she let out a quiet squeal of utter happiness and decided to just enjoy the feeling. Trotting downstairs to meet her newfound friends, who may actually be old friends but she wasn’t entirely sure yet as she didn’t have all the facts, were quietly having a quick breakfast.

“Good morning sunshine, looks like somepony awoke on tha right side of tha bed” spoke Dapplejack, who she simply beamed a smile towards in response as she walked over and began eating at a plate that had obviously been set aside for her. It was then that she realised they were glancing at her strangely.

“Ah Twilight…” Rosé Pie stated, glancing to Dapplejack for reinforcement.

“That’s not your food.” Twilight immediately put down the food and what was remaining on the plate and backed away.

“I-I’m sorry! It was wrong of me to just assume you would let a complete stranger who you gave lodging for the night food for the morning as well I am so sorry.” Dapplejack rubbed the back of her head and glanced toward the door, where a plate of smelly leftovers were. Twilight frowned slightly.

“It’s not tha’ we don’t want to feed you. It’s just tha we don’t have much food ourselves. So we got what we could and put if over there for ya.” Twilight’s frown deepened as she moved away from the table and to the food nearby the door. What was up with Dapplejack, it was almost a like she didn’t like Twilight. Suddenly, the door opened and smacked Twilight straight in the nose.

“Oh I’m sorry dear, I didn’t see you” spoke a tone that Twilight immediately recognised as she raised her head. Opening her mouth, she shut it instantly when she was it was a different pony, and that she was approaching the table to speak with the other three.

“I heard there was some darling pony here that was going to give a poor poor Pegasus some nourishment for her hard hard work trying to bring these unruly clouds in line?” As the purple pony with white hair pouted, Dapplejack merely chuckled and held out the half eaten plate.

“Sorry Virtuity, some hungry pony got into it before we could tell her it was for you.” As the pony turned and glanced to Twilight, she couldn’t help notice how alike their hairs were and yet it was a completely different hairstyle. She also wondered why she hadn’t dreamed of this pony.

“Oh that’s perfectly alright, here dear you eat up. You look more deserving of a meal then me.” Twilight blinked touched how generous this pony had been and walked over to the table and ate a few mouthfuls.

“Thank you so much ah-Virtuity was it?” she spoke, finishing her meal and sighing happily. She chuckled and waved a hoof, dismissing the subject.

“Nonsense Twilight, there is no reason I wouldn’t give a dear friend my meal if she was hungry. I mean how degrading would it be to each that sloppy filth, no offence Dapplejack. And yes it is Virtuity my dear.” Twilight smiled warmly at her instant friend, noticing Dapplejack’s eye twitch as Virtuity spoke.

“How did you know my name?” Twilight asked, frowning slightly in between her smiles.

“Oh that’s silly darling, I dreamt about it in a Hearts induced dream, I would have assumed you would have had the same thing.” Twilight blinked, wondering how she both knew Twilight had, apparently, eaten one of those accursed plants, and that she dreamed her friends before meeting them.

“So when was your last dose?” the pony asked Twilight. She blinked, and managed a quick ‘wha’ of confusion before Virtuity began talking again.

“Dose of Desire my dear, when was your last ‘fix’ of Desire?” Twilight blinked in shock, glancing between all four ponies.

“Y-You mean you are still taking the flower?!” Virtuity glanced to Dapplejack and frowned.

“You mean you haven’t explained the situation to her yet?” Dapplejack merely glanced downward. Virtuity growled in annoyance, and put a gentle hoof on Twilight’s shoulder.

“My dear, please bear with me while I tell you about it. It’s not as bad as it sounds okay?” She paused, waiting for Twilight to answer. Twilight nodded and waited for her to continue.

“Well dear, dear Twilight; I, Dapplejack, Rosé Pie, Stuttershy, and our other friend you have yet to meet both first experienced Desire though an overdose. Now, I do not know if our other friend still does it because she says she’s sworn off the Desire, not that we believe her, but ever since that first dose all five of us have been taking small doses so we experience our Desire as we sleep. If you don’t take a dose of Hearts every so often, the dreams you experience while under its influence start to wane and disappear.” She paused for a breath, and Twilight couldn’t believe what was coming out of her friend’s mouth.

“Twilight, do you really want to live in a world our races are divided, a world where ponies die for no good reason just to satisfy someone’s wallet? A world where hard work gets no results and we barely survive day by day? I know we don’t, but darling it is up to you if you wish to join us. All we want is to return to the Ponyville we so dearly Desire, don’t you?” Twilight gazed between the three of them, Stuttershy cowering in case Twilight exploded into fury. Twilight was amazed her friends were so caught up in an addiction, and it almost made her cry. But Twilight was stronger than that, and she had facts to put on the table.

“Ponyville is real.” All three laughed at her, Stuttershy merely glanced up at her.

“Ponyville is real, I have proof” she repeated, gaining all four of their gazes.

“Alright then Twilight, put your bits where your mouth is.” Twilight glanced between each of them, and then her face filled with concern.

“Guys, don’t you remember? I have-had an assistant called Spike who was a dragon. Do you know how long dragons live for?” They glanced at her; they wanted her to get to the point.

“Stuttershy, Rosé Pie, we met Spike in the forest REMEMBER?” The four ponies gazed at each other, and then Rosé spoke up.

“I don’t remember any dragon, maybe you dreamt it. You did go unconscious REMEMBER?” The other three visually relaxed, and Twilight felt her eyes mist.

“You don’t believe me?” Twilight then knew this day had gone from being likely to be good, to a horrible horrible day.

“Nah.”

“No darling.”

“N-No."

“Nopeity Nope.”

Chapter 10

“Twilight, are you ok?” Rosé spoke, seemingly unaware of the whirlpool of emotions coursing through the purple pony. Twilight simply shook her head; unable to get her head around the fact her friends were addicts. She had always known Pinkie Pie was addicted to sweets, but she hadn’t expected Rosé to be addicted to something more harmful. Taking a deep breath, she closed her eyes and figured out her priorities. One: Ensure Smarty Pants is well looked after. Two: Find out who had contacted her last night, and why she seems to be in the future but also not at the same time. And finally three: Convince her friends to come with her, and give up the addiction too if possible. Feasibly, One and Two were feasible, Three however…

“Dapplejack” she turned her head to the apple coloured pony. Their gazes met, and then she continued speaking.

“Where would be the best place to leave Smarty Pants, I have someplace to go.” Dapplejack frowned, but mused for a moment no matter what her thoughts were.

“Well, we could keep her with us; we’ve dealt with accidental over dosages before. But it’s going to cost you, the Desire isn’t cheap.” Twilight growled; her answer obvious. She would have to take Smarty with her then. Step two could wait; well she had to wait for that matter.

“Um-“ Rosé Pie spoke up, and held up a big bag of bits, “your Smartie friend kinda maybe might have dropped this when we fell.” Twilight glanced to the bag, shocked and hurt.

“You stole it!” she exclaimed in her heartbreak. Rosé merely glanced downward, and that was answer enough for Twilight. Snatching the bag, she held it and gazed at all of them.

“I am leaving, today.” Twilight’s tone spoke of the finality of the statement. They all gazed to each other, and then looked away. Turning away, Twilight made her way up to her room and grabbed one of the bags lying around and packed her money into it. Then, walking to the opposite room, she gently picked up the still sleeping Smarty Pants and made her way back downstairs. She noticed there were four hay sandwiches on the table, along with the accursed Hearts Desire plant.

“Listen Twilight, we want you to take this with you, just in case you need some Desire. Now please, take it.” Twilight gaze at the plant, and her mouth scrunched up, however somehow she felt she couldn’t say no to the plant, it may come in handy. She gave a small nod, and the four relaxed visually.

“Now we got this ere lunch here to demonstrate the potency of this plant.” Dapplejack paused to pick up the plant, and shook it once onto the first sandwich.

“One shake and you dream Desire” she moved onto the next plate.

“Two shakes and you will fall unconscious for 24 hours of Desire.” Each time she shook once on each plate, Twilight’s frown deepened. She was only doing it once on each plate, which showed they had obviously thought about this carefully.

“Three shakes, three days, 72 hours.” She move onto the final plate, Twilight couldn’t help noticed the half crazed stares of the other three. Stuttershy was trying to hide it however.

“Four shakes...” Dapplejack trailed off.

“Let me guess, four days?” Dapplejack merely shook her head, her gaze coming to rest on Twilight.

“No Twilight, eternal sleep. Four shakes is an overdose that lasts until ya think you want something new to happen, a little change. We slept for a few years; our friend you haven’t met was the first to wake.” Twilight made a nervous laugh.

“And what if you eat an entire flower?” They all gazed at each other and laughed.

“Now no one would be silly enough to do tha’ Twilight. Except for one dumb pony that is still in a coma no one had ever attempted that. There are rumours she woke, but they’re just tha’, rumours.” Twilight felt her spirits drop; sounds like old Twilight had decided to give Future Twilight a very big problem. She watched Dapplejack carefully put the folder into a small bag designed to keep it fresh.

“Good luck Twilight, we will see you next time we Desire.”

“Um, I would like some food that won’t go bad and will last a very long time but won’t take up too much room” Twilight spoke to the man behind the counter. He handed over three bags of seeds and explained one bowl a day would keep her going for a few months. He then handed over three water bottles and told her to fill them at every spring and make sure to conserve every drop.

“Thank you” she spoke, handing over the money. Walking away, she sighed as she started to get tired from carrying all her supplies on her back along with Smarty Pants. She had grown stronger since first waking up in that building, but she still couldn’t carry it all by herself.

“Twilight?” she turned as a voice spoke, and for a moment she couldn’t help the tears springing to her eyes.

“R-Rainbow Dash?” the aqua unicorn with the red hair, with green running through it simply shook her head.

“No Twilight, I’m Greenglow Dash here. Have-Have you stopped taking Desire?” Twilight growled and stomped her hoof.

“I never took it IN THE FIRST PLACE! All I know is old Twilight decided to leave all her problems to Future Twilight and now I’M paying for it.” Greenglow gazed at her, and a smile spread onto her lips and she broke into hysterics.

“That’s Twilight alright, I’m sorry give me a moment” she spoke between laughs. After a few minutes, her laughing finally subsided and she stood back up.

“It’s so nice to see you Twilight, and know you aren’t trying to hide from your troubles like those other four” the spite in Greenglow’s voice was obvious. Twilight couldn’t blame the loyal pony getting angry when people abandoned their duty.

“I didn’t even know they were taking it until today” Twilight continued, shuffling the weight on her back to try and get into a more comfortable position. Greenglow noticed this and her horn began to glow as she gently lifted off half the weight on Twilight and put it on her back.

“So Twilight, where are you going, do you mind if I tag along with you?” Twilight smile warmly and then briefly explained her theories about them somehow being in the future, and her proof in the form of her old assistant. He nodded as she spoke, and then raised a hoof and asked a question.

“So uh-what’re you gunna do once you do figure out where or when Ponyville is.” Twilight paused for a moment, considering the question.

“As far as I can see Twilight, you’ve got two options ahead of you” Greenglow continued. Twilight turned her gaze as he listed them on his hoof, his gaze deadly serious.

“One, abandon this world to live in the world those four Desire. Or two: Use that world, to make this one better.” Twilight could see Greenglow had a point.

“Well then” she spoke, her voice rising in confidence as she finally had a plan of action.

“I guess that leaves me with only option two then, I can’t imagine just abandoning my friends, especially you, to live in a world like this. Granted I haven’t seen that much, if anything can make this place better, then it is my job as the element of Magic to do so." Greenglow smiled, wiping a tear from his eye in pride.

“Aye aye fearless leader” she teased, causing both to chuckle lightly. Suddenly a voice sounded and they both glanced to each other, realising they both could hear it.

’This is just what I wanted to hear. Something tells me I shouldn't give up my location to just anyone, and I had to make sure it was safe to tell you first, strange pony who called me.’

“Just call me Twilight, princess” Twilight replied aloud, noticing Greenglow quickly spoke her name as well.

’Very well Twilight, I shall now give you a set of landmarks on which to find me with. Beware, do not speak of this to anyone, you too Greenglow.’ They both saluted, gaining more looks from the crowd around them. Gazing both to each other, they knew it was time to go.

“Let us go Greenglow, let us try and help this world.”

Chapter 11

As Twilight and Greenglow carried provisions, including one unconscious pony by the name of Smarty Pants, Twilight blinked as she remembered something.

“Wait right here, I’ll be right back” and with that she vanished into the library that they had just passed. Pausing at the shelf where the books that apparently housed the information about what her memories meant, but couldn’t be true due to her seeing spike and hearing what she hoped was the princess. Pulling out a few books, she quickly grabbed three in particular. One was about the life of the two princesses; one was about the elements, and the third she had only glanced at to see the title, ‘Desires of the Heart.’ She didn’t know what it was about, but as she trotted to the counter, she knew there was a chance she may not come back.

“Um, excuse me miss, is there any chance I can buy these books, or borrow them for a really really really long time?” The lady scrutinised her, and then sighed.

“We can order more copies, however it is going to cost due to them being very rare. I’d say 100 bits” Twilight blinked, that was highway robbery!

“I-I only have 30 bits left.” The librarian merely shook her head. Greenglow dashed in from the door, and sighed impatiently.

“What’s the holdup” she glanced to the librarian and raised an eyebrow.

“Hey, didn’t I help save this place from a flood not that long ago. I believe because of me we managed to avoid hundreds of bits of damage, think you could do us a big favour? I mean the books are as common as trees around here.” The librarian smiled sheepishly, caught in the act of trying to get more then the books were actually worth more a clueless Twilight.

“W-Well only for you Greenglow, 30 bits it is.” Twilight was more than happy to hand over the remaining bits and strap the new books to her bag, saddened she didn’t live in a place where knowledge was either free, or cheap.

“Thanks Greenglow, I owe ya one.” Greenglow glanced to Twilight as they left the library and simply shrugged.

“No problem Twili, and call me Dash for short.” Twilight smiled, and with all supplies and ponies accounted for, they headed out of town and for the first landmark that was further still down the road that had led them to Earth.

“So Dash, why does it seem like Unicorns, Pegasus and Earth ponies apparently don’t get along, yet they exist in relative harmony in the two towns I’ve seen?” Dash glanced to her, and raised her head and glanced to the sky as she thought.

“Well, some of us are on friendly terms, but there are families, and the government that feel their race is superior. It doesn’t normally affect daily life, but wars have sprung out about it before. I haven’t been around as long as I would have liked due to my memory loss from overdosing, but it seems at the moment that we’re at peace for now.” She paused, seeing Twilight nodded, deep in thought.

“So Twilight, who is this princess, is she someone we know, and why exactly is she a princess?” Twilight paused, realising she didn’t entirely know why it had felt natural to call the voice princess. She put it down to the fact it had come when she had called for one of the princesses, so as they walked she opened her mouth to speak.

“I’m not entirely sure, but when I called for Celestia or Luna, she answered so I guess I assumed she was a princess. Apparently she doesn’t know much, but hopefully we will get some answers.” Dash paused, thinking deeply for a moment before giving a nod. Twilight sighed, her frustration clouding her voice.

“I know it’s not entirely scientific. But I don’t have any other leads for this problem. If I hadn’t met Spike, then I probably would have accepted what was in those books. But if Spike is here, then something’s not right and it is irritating me more than the Pinkie sense.” Dash chuckled, and sighed as she gazed to the sky.

“I know you Twilight, you don’t need to rationalise your argument, we’re friends remember? Not that I couldn’t beat you in a magic dual if you still had your horn.” She smiled toward, her and she chuckled at Dash’s confidence. Eventually, they arrived at a small mound of stones shape slightly like a pony head, however compared to the image Twilight had been given, it was obviously in bad disrepair.

“So this is where we leave the road Twilight?” Twilight nodded in reply to Dash’s question. As they stared at the dark and forbidding trees, Twilight took a breath.

“Into the woods we go, battling untold monsters, finding unprecedented riches, defying all odds” Dash spoke, causing Twilight to gaze to her and give a smile. And with that, they headed toward the second landmark.

“So what is the second landmark Twilight?” Dash asked after some time walking. Twilight paused for a split second before resuming her steady walking rhythm.

“The image I was shown was a lake with a mirror surface. So hopefully we catch it on a day it isn’t raining.” Dash glanced to the sky and gave a mournful sigh.

“I miss the days I could simply skip up to the sky and move the clouds away so we could go about our business.” Twilight sighed too, and they both grew into a depressing silence.

“Why did fate decide to give us something we would never have again, so tantalisingly and desirable once we have lived a lifetime with it.” Dash nodded, and Twilight could tell she was missing the days when everything was so bright and simple. Twilight opened her mouth to speak, and it was at that moment the rain broke and her hair flopped onto her head.

“Just great” she muttered, Dash growled in reply. After a few moments debating, they decided to just ignore it.

“So Twilight, what was your final day in Ponyville like?” Twilight glanced to Dash, and smiled as she briefly explained her birthday and how she had woken in that building. Dash chuckled, and briefly explained what the building had been and Twilight’s face grew red with embarasment at being put in a nut house, and she distracted Dash with the same question she had been asked.

“Well, after being told I was being given the day off, I practiced my tricks when one of the Wonderbolts asked if they could fly with me. We were only casually flying at first, but it quickly formed into a race. The clouds parted as we flew at top speed, the water tower our target. As our goal inched closer everything seemed to slow and-“she paused and then pff’ed as if it was no big deal.

“I let him win of course, couldn’t let him lose, it would be bad for his image. So as we got our breath back we promised to meet and race again tomorrow, then I fell asleep on a cloud, and woke up here.” Twilight chuckled, and Dash smiled, both lost in their memories of a time when friends weren’t addicted to flowers, and things were so simple.